Around the World: Ukraine

Exploding gum kills student

A Ukrainian chemistry student has been killed by exploding bubble gum that tore off half of his face, police said yesterday.

Vladimir Likhonos, a student at the Kiev Polytechnical Institute, is thought to have accidentally dipped his chewing gum into explosives he was using for his studies. Police said the 25-year-old mistook the powder for citric acid, which he often added to prolong the gum's taste.