■ China
PRC media laud Ang Lee
Media heaped praise on yesterday on Taiwanese film director Ang Lee over his best director Oscar for Brokeback Mountain, but state media cut the part of his speech in which he thanks everyone in Taiwan, China and Hong Kong. State television also cut Lee's words of thanks to the two gay cowboys at the heart of the film. Homosexuality was considered a mental disorder in China until as recently as 2001 and is still a highly sensitive subject. "Ang Lee is the pride of the Chinese people all over the world, and he is the glory of Chinese cinematic talent," the China Daily gushed. But the state-run paper failed to report that Brokeback Mountain would not be coming to Chinese theaters and is only viewable on pirated DVD.
■ United States
Dana Reeve dies of cancer
Actress Dana Reeve, who fought for better treatments and possible cures for paralysis through the Christopher Reeve Foundation, named for her late actor-husband, has died. She was 44. Reeve died late on Monday of lung cancer, said Sean Dougherty, a spokesman for the foundation. Survivors include a teenage son, Will, and two stepchildren, Matthew and Alexandra. Reeve had announced last Aug. 9 that she had lung cancer. Christopher Reeve, the one-time Hollywood "Superman" turned activist for spinal cord research after a horse-riding accident, died on Oct. 10, 2004.
■ United Kingdom
Peyton place on offer
One of the country's top private secondary schools, Brighton College, is looking for a boy or girl between the ages of 13 and 18 with the last name of Peyton because a scholarship funded through an endowment by a former student dictates that the school award the money to a namesake. Derek Wakehurst Peyton, who died in 2002, left the school hundreds of thousands of pounds with one stipulation -- that the money go to a student named Peyton. The successful applicant must have a surname spelled Peyton, prove it with a birth certificate, and not have a hyphenated last name, Brighton College Headmaster Richard Cairns said. Staff at the school have combed British telephone books and contacted all 600 Peytons in the country in an attempt to find a student interested in the scholarship, but to no avail.
■ Australia
Stronger toilets needed
Sturdier toilets may be on their way in Australia to cope with the country's increasingly obese population. Standards Australia, a nongovernment group that establishes safety and design standards, is considering recommending strengthening loos for larger users, a spokeswoman Kate Evans said yesterday. Experts will examine the seats ``from the perspective that people are getting bigger,'' Evans said.
■ United States
False legs returned, again
A 16-year-old girl's prosthetic legs, which have been stolen twice since November, have been quietly returned, police said. Melissa Huff's mother found the legs in her unlocked car in Arcadia, California last Wednesday. The first theft happened in November, when someone cut a hole in a window screen in Huff's home and stole one of her legs. The stolen leg was tossed into the family's back yard in January. But on Valentine's Day, somebody stole both legs after prising open a screen window. The returned legs had graffiti on them.
■ United Kingdom
Tabooboo breaks taboo
Bars and nightclubs in London and other cities have begun using vending machines that sell sex toys such as mini vibrators. The pink Tabooboo machines had previously been used in public toilets under the assumption that such settings gave buyers some privacy. But Geoff Todd, manager of the Alphabet Bar in London's West End area, said the Tabooboo machine it installed in the middle of the bar is used daily. In addition to bars and nightclubs, the vending machines also have begun to show up in hairdressing salons, health clubs and retail stores, Tabooboo managing director Alan Lucas said.
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