UbuneBlog

“It makes good media. It’s the emotional pulling on the idea that radiation kills you. But you talk to our cancer patients: Radiation cures you.” The nuclear expert sitting in front of me was dismissive about the fears surrounding the public’s perception of radiation. Gerry Thomas runs the Chernobyl Tissue Bank at Imperial College London, […]

The United World Colleges (UWC), whose Bosnian branch has accepted North Korean leader Kim Jong Il’s grandson as a student, is an international network of schools and colleges founded in 1962. The first school in the network, which has establishments in thirteen countries, was opened in south Wales. The main goal of UWC schools is […]

After several failed attempts to convince their 41-year-old son to leave the nest, a Venetian couple have hired a lawyer in a last bid for domestic peace and quiet, Italian media have reported. The parents, whose names were not published, were said to be exhausted by fending for their adult offspring, cooking his meals and […]

It’s not only Western leaders like Julia Gillard and Barack Obama who face fierce resistance from climate sceptics as they try to lay out policies to tackle global warming. In China, where carbon emissions have surged despite tough government constraints and targets, President Hu Jintao is having to stare down claims that human-induced climate change […]

Two teenagers have set themselves on fire near a Tibetan Buddhist monastery in south-west China amid rumours that dozens of monks were ready to ‘sacrifice their lives”, rights groups said on Friday. The teenagers – Choepel and Khayang – were former monks from Sichuan province’s Kirti monastery, the scene of repeated protests, the London-based Free […]

Money is the cause of, and solution to, a family spat, writes Michael Idato. For fans of The Simpsons it is devastating news: their beloved television program could, after 23 years and 488 half-hour episodes, come to an end. The six main voice actors – Dan Castellaneta, Julie Kavner, Nancy Cartwright, Yeardley Smith, Hank Azaria […]

His approval ratings may be plummeting at home but in China, US President Barack Obama is king – or at least the kitsch products bearing his likeness are. Take a stroll down a hutong – narrow alley – lined with shops in the capital city Beijing and you will see Mr Obama dressed up in […]

A Hitler lookalike appeared on key rings and magnets on sale at 7-Eleven stores in Taiwan, triggering a strong reaction Monday from the de facto Israeli embassy, which said it was “appalled.” The items, seen at several 7-Eleven convenience stores in Taipei, sported an Adolf Hitler-style cartoon figure with a short black mustache, a brown […]

“SNAPPY” the crocodile has no one to blame but himself for changing colour, his owner says. At first glance, it looks like “Snappy” has tanned up for the Brownlow. But the cranky chameleon has no one to blame but himself for changing colour – after apparently biting off more than he could chew. Owner Tracey […]

Texas death row inmates will no longer get their choice of last meals, after the menu request of a man condemned for a notorious hate crime slaying left a bad taste in the mouth of a prominent senator. Lawrence Russell Brewer, who was executed on Wednesday, asked for two chicken fried steaks, a triple-meat bacon […]