Notorious mass murderer Charles Manson has been denied parole for the 12th time, at the age of 77. His next hearing will be in 2027. In all likelihood, he’ll die in prison. As expected, Manson didn’t show up for his hearing. In fact, he hasn’t appeared for any parole hearings in the past 15...

Talk about capturing the perfect moment! Facebook has announced that it will buy Instagram, the popular photo sharing phone app, for US$1 billion. Instagram was only launched in October 2010 but already has 30 million users who upload 5 million photos a day to various social networks....

Just one day before taking effect, a proposed peace plan to end violence in Syria is in jeopardy after the Syrian government made new demands. Last week, officials said the Syrian government had agreed to an April 10 deadline to withdraw troops. But on Sunday, the regime claimed that is a...

A bit of humour to wish everyone a fantastic Easter holiday. Here is a collection of places you can buy bitcoin online right...

Recently, Apple has been at the heart of many controversies in China. This latest story involves kidneys. Five people, including a surgeon, have been arrested after a teen sold his kidney to buy an iPad. The teen is now suffering from renal failure. The group, which made US$35,000 for the...

These go to 11! The world has become a little less loud today. Jim Marshall, a pioneer of guitar amplification and founder of Marshall Amplification, passed away at the age of 88. The Lord of Loud, as Marshall is known, began life as a drummer before building amps in his London garage. He...

Officials in Japan say that about 12 tonnes of radioactive water has leaked into the Pacific Ocean from Japan’s crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. This is the latest of several leaks, contradicting the government’s claim that the Fukushima reactors were now under...

A Canadian woman who was originally barred from the Miss Universe Canada Pageant because she was born a male has now been allowed to compete. 23 year old Jenna Talackova was disqualified after officials found out she underwent a sex change at age 19. The competition requires that contestants...

Yesterday marked 30 years after the Falkland War between Argentina and the UK. Both countries commemorated the day in their own ways, though the dispute over the Falkland Islands continues. The Falklands still remain a British Overseas Territory and Britain claims the Falkland Islanders...

Her Majesty has given James Bond a very unique mission this summer: to open the London Olympics with a touch of British flair, charm and intrigue. Daniel Craig will star in a James Bond short film to be shown during BBC coverage of the Olympics, following a personal invitation from the Queen....

Pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi and the National League for Democracy party has won by a landslide in by-elections, winning 44 of the 45 contested seats. Although critics have complained about fraud and irregularities in the election, support and turnout was unprecedented. More...

After last night’s Mega Millions draw, officials have announced that the largest jackpot in history – a whopping US$640 million – was won by three lucky ticket holders. The jackpot became so substantial because no one had hit the grand prize for months – resulting in a massive accumulation of...

Japan says it will shoot down North Korea’s planned rocket launch next month if it passes over Japanese territory. The news comes shortly after Pyongyang announced it will put a satellite into orbit between 12-16 April to mark the centennial of founding leader Kim Il-sung. But the US and...

Billionaire brothers Raymond and Thomas Kwok, who run Sun Hung Kai Properties, one of Asia’s largest real estate developers, were arrested on suspicions of corruption in Hong Kong. Rafael Hui, a former No.2 official in the government, was also arrested. No details have yet been divulged. The...

Here’s a piece of news that many find hard to swallow. The British government wants to tax sausage rolls and other popular baked items when served hot. The government announced that it will close a loophole that allows some fresh-baked takeaway foods – including sausage rolls, pies, Cornish...

Amnesty International reports that in 2011, the number of executions worldwide rose by 39%. The report states that Iraq, Iran and Saudi Arabia were most responsible for the rise. However, the report does not include numbers from China, which is kept as a state secret and is estimated to be in...

Oxfam says millions of dollars are needed urgently to stop a hunger crisis in Niger from turning into a catastrophe. Oxfam has received only €2.9 million euro of the €15 million it needs to help. Around 1.9 million people are at severe risk. That number could rise to 3.5 million next month....

Hollywood film director James Cameron became the first person to reach the bottom of the Marianna Trench – Earth’s deepest point at 11km below sea level. Cameron’s torpedo-shaped sub, named Deepsea Challenger, took over 2 ½ hours to reach the depth, where its 3D cameras filmed the alien...

Good news for men who suffer from male pattern baldness: a cure could be on the market in under 5 years. Recent research from the University of Pennsylvania has shown that a protein called PDG2 is responsible for stopping hair growth. A drug that blocks PDG2 has already been developed for...

US Army Sergeant Robert Bales, who allegedly murdered Afghan villagers while they slept on March 11th, has been charged with 17 counts of murder. However, Bales will be tried in a military court in the US, which has angered Afghans who believe he should be tried in Afghanistan. The...

China has announced that it will phase out the use of condemned prisoners as a source for transplant organs and will institute a national donation system over the next 5 years. This comes as good news for human rights groups, which alleges that China pressures death row inmates into donating...

New Zealanders are in a bit of a jam. A Marmite shortage has hit the nation and people are rushing to stockpile their favourite bread spread. The factory that produces Marmite was damaged by an earthquake last year and will not resume production until July. Existing stocks will run out in...

This week marks 40 years since the release of The Godfather – one of the most iconic films of all time. Not only did it break box office records at the time, its influence on pop culture continues to be felt today. Catch phrases, quotes and indeed an entire movie genre owe their existence to...

In a horrific daylight attack, a gunman shot and killed a teacher and 3 children on the grounds of a Jewish school in Toulouse, France. A teacher and his two kids, aged 3 and 6 were killed. The gunman also pursued and gunned down an 8 year old who was fleeing for her life. He then fled away...

Recently, it was revealed that former Prime Minister of Britain Margaret Thatcher had pocketed some doodles made by then-President Ronald Reagan at a 1981 G7 summit in Ottawa, Canada. The doodles were among private papers being released by archivists who have catalogued Ms. Thatcher’s files....

We’re not Irish. But we love a good reason to celebrate. And for this occasion, we offer our fans a traditional Irish blessing: May the road rise up to meet you. May the wind always be at your back. May the sun shine warm upon your face, And rains fall soft upon your fields. And until we meet...

No, you’re not dreaming. Today is World Sleep Day – a day dedicated to the benefits of sleep and a way to draw attention to the burdens of sleep problems. The event has been organised every year by the World Sleep Day Committee of the World Association of Sleep Medicine (WASM) since 2008. In...

It has been one year since the Syrian uprising began. Since then, President Bashar al-Assad’s government has been trying to quell the revolution using military might. Dozens of towns have been destroyed. Tens of thousands have been detained. And close to 10,000 innocent men, women and...

Today’s t-shirt touches on a topic that’s a bit quirky for most, but revered by scientists the world over. March 14 is Pi Day – a day to celebrate the mathematical constant pi. Pi (roughly equivalent to 3.14) is important because it’s used to calculate all kinds of things – from the area of...

A Leonardo da Vinci mural, lost since the 16th century, has been discovered behind another fresco in Florence, Italy. Historians believe that the lost da Vinci, titled The Battle of Anghiari, was intentionally preserved when artist Giorgio Vasari erected a wall in front of it, upon which he...