Lauren Silverman was the unlikely “ugly duckling” who blossomed into a celebrity swan as it was revealed by her fifth grade school photo.
Before Lauren Silverman joined Miami Country Day School’s “mean girl clique” with Brooke Mueller, Simon Cowell’s pregnant lover was an awkward preteen.
With braces and frizzy hair, Lauren Silverman’s fifth grade school photo is a far cry from the glamorous socialite we’ve seen frolicking around the Hamptons.
The photographic blast from the past comes after revelations Lauren Silverman is set to get a share of the multi-million dollar pre-nup she signed before marrying Andrew Silverman – despite breaking a cheating clause.
Lauren Silverman’s fifth grade school photo is a far cry from the glamorous socialite we’ve seen frolicking around the Hamptons
Lauren Silverman, who is expecting Simon Cowell’s child, has held “productive conversations” with her estranged husband Andrew as they continue to thrash out their divorce agreement.
Andrew and Lauren Silverman – who spent the weekend locked in talks at their rental home in the Hamptons – are also working on plans to share custody of their seven-year-old son Adam.
Meanwhile, Simon Cowell, 53, jetted out of Los Angeles on Friday, watching his band One Direction in concert in Las Vegas on Saturday night before heading to Europe, where he will spend the month on board the Slipstream yacht, touring St Tropez.
Simon Cowell is believed to want to give Lauren Silverman space in order to work out her divorce case. If the case is settled somewhat amicably, then it will avoid an ugly court battle, in which Simon Cowell could be dragged into – and any embarrassing secrets exposed.
The New York Post reported that Lauren silverman waited until her 10th wedding anniversary to break the news of her affair with Simon Cowell to her husband so the terms of her pre-nup would kick in.
And a source again insisted today that Lauren Silverman tried to “max out her return by stringing things along past the 10 year mark to increase what she would be eligible to receive”.
Police evacuated an area of central Copenhagen, Denmark, on Tuesday following the discovery of a parked car with wires attached to it, local television reported.
Police evacuated an area of central Copenhagen following the discovery of a parked car with wires attached to it
“There are cables coming in and out of the vehicle and there are some suspicious items in it,” a Copenhagen police spokesman told TV2 News.
He also said a military bomb disposal unit has been called to the scene. (Reuters)
The US State Department has warned citizens and non-emergency government staff to leave Yemen “immediately” due to security threats.
It comes after the sudden closure of 20 US embassies and consulates on Sunday.
This was prompted by intercepted conversations between two senior al-Qaeda figures, including top leader Ayman al-Zawahiri, US media said.
The US earlier said the closures in North Africa and the Middle East were “out of an abundance of caution”.
A global travel alert issued on Tuesday said: “The US Department of State warns US citizens of the high security threat level in Yemen due to terrorist activities and civil unrest.
“The department urges US citizens to defer travel to Yemen and those US citizens currently living in Yemen to depart immediately.”
It added that “the security threat level in Yemen is extremely high”.
The Yemeni capital has been experiencing unprecedented security measures, with hundreds of armoured military vehicles deployed to secure the presidential palace, vital infrastructural buildings and Western embassies in the capital.
The US State Department has warned citizens and non-emergency government staff to leave Yemen “immediately” due to security threats
A security source confirmed Yemeni intelligence services had discovered that tens of al-Qaeda members had arrived in Sanaa over the past few days from other regions in preparation for the implementation of a large plot.
The source described the plot as dangerous, and suggested it was to include explosions and suicide attacks aimed at Western ambassadors and foreign embassies in Yemen, in addition to operations aimed at the Yemeni military headquarters.
Both the White House and the US state department have said the current threat comes from al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), but have refused to divulge further details.
According to the New York Times, the US intercepted communications between Ayman al-Zawahiri and the group’s head in Yemen, Nasser al-Wuhayshi.
The paper said the conversation represented one of the most serious plots since the 9/11 attacks.
A number of US diplomatic posts in the region – including in the Yemeni capital Sanaa – will remain closed until Saturday.
Several European countries have also temporarily shut missions in Yemen and the UK Foreign Office is advising against all travel to the country.
A state department global travel alert, issued last week, is also in force until the end of August.
In its latest statement, the department referred to previous attacks on US embassies, including the storming of its compound in September 2012.
Earlier that month mob attacks on the US consulate in Benghazi had left US ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans dead.
Meanwhile, officials in Yemen released the names of 25 al-Qaeda suspects, saying they had been planning attacks targeting “foreign offices and organizations and Yemeni installations” in the capital of Sanaa and other cities across the country.
AQAP, the Yemeni branch of al-Qaeda, has also been blamed for the foiled Christmas Day 2009 effort to bomb an airliner over Detroit and for explosives-laden parcels that were intercepted the following year aboard cargo flights.
Seven suspected al-Qaeda militants were killed in two US drone air strikes in southern Yemen in June, officials say.
The central bank of Australia has cut its benchmark interest rate to a new record low, in an attempt to spur a fresh wave of economic growth.
The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) cut its key rate to 2.5% from 2.75%.
Last week, the government cut its growth forecasts and warned that unemployment in the country could rise amid slowing growth.
The rate cut comes just days after PM Kevin Rudd called a general election for September 7.
The state of the economy is expected to be a key poll issue, along with asylum and climate change.
Treasurer Chris Bowen welcomed the move, saying that “the fact is that now, under Labor, interest rates are at record lows”.
“This cut means that a family with a standard mortgage of A$300,000 [$269,500] will now be paying around $A500 less a month and A$6,000 less in annual payments than when the Coalition was last in office,” Chris Bowen was quoted as saying by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC).
The Reserve Bank of Australia cut its key rate to 2.5 percent from 2.75 percent
However, the opposition targeted the Labor party government’s economic policies.
“There is no doubt that a reduction in interest rates is a good thing, but you have to ask yourself why are interest rates likely to be cut,” opposition Leader Tony Abbott was quoted as saying by the ABC, ahead of the rate decision.
“If interest rates go down, it is because this government is presiding over an economy which is in much more trouble than government has previously been prepared to admit.”
Australia’s economic growth over the past few years has been powered mainly by the success of its resources sector.
Demand from countries such as China resulted in a commodities boom, which helped the country sustain its growth even through the global financial crisis.
However growth in those economies has slowed recently, driving down demand for commodities as well as their prices.
That led to the government lowering its forecast for growth. On Friday, it said that it now expected the economy to grow by 2.5% in the current financial year, down from its previous projection of 2.75%.
Analysts said that the slowdown in growth is likely to prompt the central bank to lower borrowing costs even further in an attempt to ease the burden on businesses and consumers.
“The economy’s probably slowed down a little bit more than they would have liked,” said Michael Turner a strategist with RBC Capital Markets.
“So they’re kind of playing catch-up a tiny bit, you would suggest.”
Michael Turner added that he expects the central bank to cut rates by another 25 basis points in the last quarter of the year.
The sudden closure of many American diplomatic missions in North Africa and Middle East were prompted after the US intercepted conversations between two senior al-Qaeda leaders.
The chatter, involving top leader Ayman al-Zawahiri, represented one of the most serious plots since the 9/11 attacks, the New York Times wrote.
The US earlier said the closures in North Africa and the Middle East were “out of an abundance of caution”.
Some 20 US embassies and consulates were shut on Sunday.
A state department global travel alert, issued last week, is also in force until the end of August.
US diplomatic posts in Abu Dhabi, Amman, Cairo, Riyadh, Dhahran, Jeddah, Doha, Dubai, Kuwait, Manama, Muscat, Sanaa and Tripoli will remain closed until Saturday.
Several European countries have also temporarily shut missions in Yemen and the UK Foreign Office is advising against all travel to the country.
Both the White House and the US state department said the threat came from al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), but refused to divulge further details.
Some 20 US embassies and consulates in North Africa and Middle East were shut
But according to the New York Times, the US intercepted communications between Ayman al-Zawahiri and the group’s head in Yemen, Nasser al-Wuhayshi.
The paper said that no targets had been singled out in the discussions, but that a possible attack appeared to be imminent.
A US official told the Associated Press news agency that Ayman al-Zawahiri’s message had been picked up several weeks ago and appeared initially targeted at Yemen.
US lawmakers have said it was a huge plot in the final stages, but have offered no specifics.
On Monday, a top member of the House intelligence committee Dutch Ruppersberger told CNN the warnings were not designed to frighten Americans, though he said a planned attack could be “anywhere”.
“Americans should live their lives… we just want them to be aware,” Representative Dutch Ruppersberger said.
White House spokesman Jay Carney said he could not be “specific” about the threats.
He said: “Our current information suggests that al-Qaeda and affiliated organizations continue to plan terrorist attacks both in the region and beyond. And our information suggests that they may focus efforts to conduct attacks in the period between now and the end of August.”
Meanwhile, officials in Yemen have released the names of 25 al-Qaeda suspects, saying they had been planning attacks targeting “foreign offices and organizations and Yemeni installations” in the capital of Sanaa and other cities across the country.
There was also increased security at government buildings and checkpoints in Yemen on Monday.
AQAP, the Yemeni branch of al-Qaeda, has also been blamed for the foiled Christmas Day 2009 effort to bomb an airliner over Detroit and explosives-laden parcels that were intercepted the following year aboard cargo flights.
Seven suspected al-Qaeda militants were killed in two US drone air strikes in southern Yemen in June, officials say.
After reveling until the early hours of the morning at the Crop Over Festival Foreday Morning Jam in Barbados on Saturday, Rihanna was right back at it again on Monday.
This time, Rihanna, 25, was seen sipping out of a hip flask as she danced on a float during the Kadooment carnival, part of the eight day festival.
This time, Rihanna showed off her bikini body in a traditional carnival-style bejewelled two-piece, featuring a low-cut top and a high-cut bottom.
The singer paired the ensemble with a matching necklace, feathered shin guards and headpiece, as well as two cuffs around her wrists and a smattering of diamantes applied to the side of her face.
Rihanna’s look was completed by a pair of fishnet tights and a pair of Adidas trainers on her feet.
Rihanna at the Kadooment carnival
She wore shimmering silver hues for make-up and shielded her eyes with a pair blue-tinted sunglasses.
Rihanna was joined by several other similarly scantily-clad women, including her best pal Melissa Forde, on the float as she reveled in the sunshine.
And she was once again accompanied by her dutiful bodyguard who was also forced to babysit her from midnight till 6AM as she “dutty wined” at the festival on Saturday.
While she is in her hometown, Rihanna was taking no chances when she was joined by two of her bodyguards on Saturday morning as she partied it up in the island’s capital Bridgetown.
Much like on Monday, Rihanna’s bodyguard had the arduous task of watching her party all night – drink in hand – rather raucously.
Rolf Harris was arrested again on suspicion of new offenses.
Rolf Harris, 83, was questioned over “further allegations” made to detectives at Scotland Yard’s Operation Yewtree.
They arose after he was first revealed to be a suspect in the controversial inquiry four months ago.
The British police refused to discuss the nature of the allegations. But they are now believed to involve more than one complainant and cover a period of several years.
Police insisted that the allegations remain unconnected to Jimmy Savile, who sparked the Yewtree inquiry.
Rolf Harris was arrested again on suspicion of new offenses
Neighbors said Rolf Harris has not been seen at his home in Bray, Berkshire, for several days.
The Australian-born star is the biggest name to be arrested as part of the inquiry.
It is understood that he vehemently denies the allegations but has declined to issue a formal statement on the matter.
Rolf Harris’s wife of 55 years is the Welsh sculptress and jeweller Alwen Hughes, 81.
The artist and singer received a rapturous reception from fans when he performed on London’s South Bank and in Bristol this year.
Others held as part of Operation Yewtree include pop star Gary Glitter, comedian Freddie Starr, DJ Dave Lee Travis, publicist Max Clifford and comedian Jim Davidson.
The Powerball lottery jackpot climbed to $400 million after nobody picked the winning numbers in Saturday’s draw.
Dreamers hoping to strike it rich quick plunked down $2 a ticket hoping to win the previous jackpot estimated to be at $300 million – but in vain.
The winning numbers for Saturday’s drawing were 21, 24, 36, 42, and 45, with the Powerball 15.
The jackpot was well below the eye-popping record of $590.5 million, won in May by an 84-year-old Florida widow.
But it was big enough to attract casual players who only buy tickets when they think the payoff is big and potentially life-changing.
The odds of matching all six numbers are 1 in 175,200,000.
Powerball is played in 43 states, Washington DC, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Powerball lottery jackpot climbed to $400 million after nobody picked the winning numbers
When it comes to choosing the winning combination of six numbers, some players use birthdates of family members, but nearly 80 per cent let the computer randomly pick the digits, according to ABC News.
That is the strategy that Gloria Mackenzie, 84, of Zephyrhills, Florida, used back in May, taking home close to $600 million – the largest prize for a sole winner in the history of U.S. lottery.
“While in line at Publix another lottery player was kind enough to let me go ahead of them in line to purchase the winning Quick Pick ticket,” she said in a statement, according to Florida lottery officials.
Of all the states that participate in the Powerball lottery, Indiana is the leader in the number of winners, coming in at 38, followed by Pennsylvania, Missouri, Minnesota and Kentucky.
If Wednesday’s jackpot doesn’t top $400 million, a single winner choosing the cash option would collect $230.3 million before taxes.
The last time that someone won the Powerball jackpot was June 22, Newsday reported. The lucky ticket was sold in Pennsylvania, earning its holder a prize of $131 million.
The largest jackpot in U.S. history stands at $656 million. It was won in March 2012 by participants in the Mega Millions lottery from Maryland, Kansas and Illinois.
Switzerland considers changing its national anthem as being too old-fashioned, so a new one will be chosen through a competition.
The priority is to have a new text, but contestants will also be free to compose a new tune, said project leader Lukas Niederberger.
The current text dates back to 1841 and includes references to God, prayer, mountains and sunshine.
The new text is to include values enshrined in the Swiss constitution, such as democracy and solidarity.
The competition will run from January to the end of June 2014, with the top prize – SFr10,000 ($10,745) – to be awarded in 2015.
The runners-up will get SFr5,000, SFr3,000 and SFr1,000. The competition is open to Swiss nationals and foreigners living in Switzerland.
The winning anthem will be presented to the government – the Federal Council – for approval.
The judging panel has just been selected. It has 25 members from various areas of national life, including football, the Olympics, music, literature and yodelling.
There are four jury presidents – Christine Beerli, Patrizia Pesenti, Pierre Kohler and Oscar Knapp – representing respectively the four official languages spoken in the federation: German, Italian, French and Romansch.
Switzerland considers its national anthem too old-fashioned and a new one will be chosen through a competition
The current anthem is called the Swiss Psalm. In 1981 it replaced Rufst du mein Vaterland (When you call, my Fatherland), which was set to the same tune as the British national anthem – God Save The Queen.
“The real problem is above all the text,” Lukas Niederberger said. He is in the Swiss Society for Public Utility (SGG), the competition organizer. The SGG, founded in 1810, seeks to promote Swiss values and has previously launched social and cultural initiatives.
“Officially the anthem is a psalm, a prayer, but of course we have an open society, religiously neutral. We have atheists, no single god, so this anthem is a difficulty,” he explained by phone.
Since the 1970s pressure for a new anthem has gained momentum, but previously the calls came from individuals or small groups, Lukas Niederberger said.
“Many people are conservative and the anthem is emotional, but if a composer creates a super song, then we can change the tune too. But that’s a bit difficult for conservative people, so we say the contestants don’t have to change the music,” he said.
The SGG says the preamble to the Swiss constitution “forms the textual basis for the new national anthem”.
It speaks of the Swiss people’s “striving… to strengthen their freedom and democracy, independence and peace in solidarity and openness to the world”. It also speaks of “living together in mutual consideration and respect for differences”.
In 2011 Switzerland’s Alpine neighbor Austria decided to change the wording of its national anthem to recognize its “great daughters” alongside its “great sons”.
Lindsay Lohan appeared on Oprah Winfrey’s show in an exclusive sit-down interview.
Oprah Winfrey, 59, asked Lindsay Lohan, 27, who has just got out of rehab after a 90 days stint: “Are you an addict?”
Lindsay Lohan wore a bright orange frock with her trademark hair tied back complete with polka dot shoes as she faced-off with Oprah Winfrey in a serene looking room.
Oprah Winfrey, sitting on a white chair, directly opposite Lindsay Lohan wore a grey cardigan, white shirts and black pants for the interview that will air or Oprah’s Next Chapter on August 18.
The chat host continued: “What does it feel like to be both an adjective and a verb for child-star-gone-wrong?”
The exclusive conversation is just one part of Lindsay Lohan’s plan to turn her life around by getting sober once again.
Oprah Winfrey hits Lindsay Lohan with addict question in an exclusive interview
Lindsay Lohan did a guest-hosting stint on Chelsea Lately (which airs on Monday), along with giving Oprah Winfrey an in-depth interview about her time in rehab.
OWN is also producing an eight-part docu-series chronicling Lindsay Lohan on her mission to rebuild her career and stay sober.
Additionally, a close Lindsay Lohan source exclusively told E! News: “She is taking this really serious. She wants people to know the days of her clubbing and partying are over and she is a new girl.”
LiLo certainly looks a lot healthier these days and she recorded the Chelsea Lately Show just two days after leaving her latest stint in rehab.
According to TMZ, sources on set said the actress was “very funny”, mocking host Chelsea Handler for drinking too much and holding her own during a roundtable with comedians Jen Kirkman and Fortune Feimster.
Lindsay Lohan interview will air on OWN on Sunday, August 18, 9/8C.
Katie Holmes and Bobbi Brown are teaming up to launch Bobbi & Katie, a palette for women with little time for an extensive beauty regime.
Katie Holmes, 34, has been the face of make-up brand Bobbi Brown since September.
Bobbi & Katie make-up line will feature eye shadows, Pot Rouges and eye pencils in nudes and natural colors for busy women who want a “quick fix”.
“Nobody wants to look like they’ve been getting ready for hours,” Katie Holmes told WWD.
“It’s all about the effortless chic.”
The collection will feature a $65 brush set, a set of eight eye shadows for $68, two Pot Rouges and an eye pencil.
The colors in the palette were apparently inspired by an old pink and brown journal owned by Katie Holmes.
Katie Holmes and Bobbi Brown teamed up to launch Bobbi & Katie palette for busy women
“It felt very girly, but at the same time masculine in a way,” Katie Holmes explained, adding that Bobbi Brown was “very open” to using the journal as inspiration for the make-up and packaging.
Katie Holmes and Bobbi Brown also took cues from their own busy lifestyles, aiming to create an easy collection for women with similar schedules.
“I’m busy, Bobbi’s busy,” said Katie Holmes, adding: “I don’t know a woman who isn’t busy, and you need that quick fix.”
Katie Holmes explained that women can apply the cosmetics “in the back of a cab. . . in your bathroom at home. . . [or] in the parking lot at your child’s soccer game”.
One of the more effortlessly chic items in the line is the Pot Rouge, which acts as a two-in-one product for cheeks and lips.
“It feels like it’s a little secret and it has all of your tricks inside,” the actress said of the collection.
“You can quickly get yourself looking the best you could look and then put it back into your bag.
“It makes you feel good, and we all want to feel good,” she added.
Katie Holmes and Bobbi Brown first began working together last September, when the actress was tapped as the face of the make-up brand.
The experience was apparently a positive one, since Katie Holmes and Bobbi Brown are now calling themselves business partners.
While Katie Holmes gushed that Bobbi Brown is “so creative and so smart”, the make-up artist said of the actress: “She really has a feel for what women want and need. She has a great eye for color and design.”
This isn’t Katie Holmes’ first foray into fashion; in January, the actress signed on as the spokesman for eco-conscious haircare brand Alterna.
The Bobbi & Katie make-up collection will launch in select stores in September, and will be followed by a skincare line.
Jennifer Aniston proved she doesn’t need make-up to look good as she appeared fresh faced in a photo posted on Instagram by her longtime hairstylist Chris McMillan.
Jennifer Aniston, 44, has been busy promoting her new film We’re The Millers which she stars in alongside Jason Sudeikis and Emma Roberts.
Jennifer Aniston proved she doesn’t need make-up to look good
The actress showed no signs of fashion fatigue on Saturday when she sported not one but two outfits while attending press conferences in New York to promote her latest film.
Her first outfit was on the edgy side, with Jennifer Aniston showing off her perfectly toned pins in an all-black ensemble, which consisted of a racy leather mini-skirt and chic blazer.
The actress accessorized with some bling in the form of a chunky gold chain necklace and black and gold spiky heels.
For her second outfit of the day, Jennifer Aniston again opted for her favorite color – black – this time wearing an ankle length silk black dress which had a flowing skirt.
Justin Bieber’s latest partying at a New York club ended in a bloody brawl on Saturday night.
Justin Bieber, 19, allegedly “went nuts” at a fellow reveler as he partied at hotspot South Pointe, in ritzy New York resort the Hamptons, leading to a physical altercation between members of the star’s entourage and club patrons.
The fight is thought to have been triggered by a heated exchange between Justin Bieber and a male club-goer after a female friend attempted to hit on the singer in his roped-off V.I.P. section.
A source told the New York Daily News: “He ripped his shirt off and went nuts. He was screaming.”
Justin Bieber’s security team quickly intervened and took the star out to the club’s car park to cool off, but according to TMZ things flared up again.
Justin Bieber’s latest outing at a New York club ended in a bloody brawl
The teen idol – who was by then sat in his SUV – allegedly jumped through the sunroof onto the hood of the car. At that point it’s unclear what happened, but the alleged victim was knocked out on the cement.
Police confirmed to TMZ Justin Bieber’s entourage went after the club-goer, after he had gotten aggressive with them.
Justin Bieber’s entourage are now under investigation after a nightclub patron was left sprawled out in the parking lot and taken to a hospital.
An investigation is underway after the alleged victim filed a police report. Justin will not be the target of the investigation.
Earlier in the evening, Justin Bieber’s bodyguards were accused of being ‘heavy-handed’ with fans who had hoped to meet the star.
Justin Bieber arrived with his entourage and four bodyguards at around 2 a.m. and quickly “took over” the V.I.P. area, which was closely guarded by his eagle-eyed minders.
The security team were described as being “intimidating” and “overbearing”, and even flashed a torch in the face of partygoers who tried to snap pictures of Justin Bieber on their cameraphones.
Frankenburger, the world’s first lab-grown burger, was cooked and eaten at a news conference in London today.
Dutch scientists took cells from a cow and turned them into strips of muscle that they combined to make a patty.
Researchers say the technology could be a sustainable way of meeting what they say is a growing demand for meat.
Critics say that eating less meat would be an easier way to tackle predicted food shortages.
The burger was cooked by chef Richard McGowan, from Cornwall, and tasted by food critics Hanni Ruetzler and Josh Schonwald.
Upon tasting the burger, Austrian food researcher Hanni Ruetzler said: “I was expecting the texture to be more soft… there is quite some intense taste; it’s close to meat, but it’s not that juicy. The consistency is perfect, but I miss salt and pepper.”
She added: “This is meat to me. It’s not falling apart.”
Food writer Josh Schonwald said: “The mouthfeel is like meat. I miss the fat, there’s a leanness to it, but the general bite feels like a hamburger.
“What was consistently different was flavor.”
Prof Mark Post, of Maastricht University, the scientist behind the burger, remarked: “It’s a very good start.”
He said the meat was made up of tens of billions of lab-grown cells. Asked when lab-grown burgers would reach the market, he said: “I think it will take a while. This is just to show we can do it.”
Sergey Brin, co-founder of Google, has been revealed as the project’s mystery backer.
The world’s first lab-grown burger was cooked and eaten at a news conference in London
Prof. Tara Garnett, head of the Food Policy Research Network at Oxford University, said decision-makers needed to look beyond technological solutions.
“We have a situation where 1.4 billion people in the world are overweight and obese, and at the same time one billion people worldwide go to bed hungry,” she said.
“That’s just weird and unacceptable. The solutions don’t just lie with producing more food but changing the systems of supply and access and affordability, so not just more food but better food gets to the people who need it.”
Stem cells are the body’s “master cells”, the templates from which specialized tissue such as nerve or skin cells develop.
Most institutes working in this area are trying to grow human tissue for transplantation to replace worn-out or diseased muscle, nerve cells or cartilage.
Prof. Mark Post is using similar techniques to grow muscle and fat for food.
He starts with stem cells extracted from cow muscle tissue. In the laboratory, these are cultured with nutrients and growth-promoting chemicals to help them develop and multiply. Three weeks later, there are more than a million stem cells, which are put into smaller dishes where they coalesce into small strips of muscle about a centimetre long and a few millimetres thick.
These strips are collected into small pellets, which are frozen. When there are enough, they are defrosted and compacted into a patty just before being cooked.
Because the meat is initially white in color, Helen Breewood – who works with Prof. Mark Post – is trying to make the lab-grown muscle look red by adding the naturally-occurring compound myoglobin.
“If it doesn’t look like normal meat, if it doesn’t taste like normal meat, it’s not… going to be a viable replacement,” she said.
She added: “A lot of people consider lab-grown meat repulsive at first. But if they consider what goes into producing normal meat in a slaughterhouse, I think they would also find that repulsive.”
Currently, this is a work in progress. The burger revealed today was colored red with beetroot juice. The researchers have also added breadcrumbs, caramel and saffron, which were intended to add to the taste, although Hanni Ruetzler said she could not taste these.
At the moment, scientists can only make small pieces of meat; larger ones would require artificial circulatory systems to distribute nutrients and oxygen.
General Ilker Basbug, Turkey’s former armed forces chief, has been jailed for life for plotting to overthrow the government, after five years of trials involving officers, lawyers, writers and journalists.
Gen. Ilker Basbug was among dozens of people convicted of involvement in the so-called Ergenekon plot.
Critics of PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan have accused him of staging show trials to eliminate his enemies.
His supporters say the trials have pushed the military out of politics.
Verdicts are being read out one by one at a specially constructed courtroom in Istanbul.
Twenty-one people have been acquitted and some 40 convicted so far, including at least one journalist and a police chief.
Ilker Basbug, who led the military between 2008 and 2010, had rejected all the charges against him.
The plot allegedly aimed to topple the government led by Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s Justice and Development Party (AKP).
General Ilker Basbug, Turkey’s former armed forces chief, has been jailed for life for plotting to overthrow the government
The defendants faced charges ranging from membership of “Ergenekon”, an alleged underground terrorist network, to illegally possessing weapons and instigating an armed uprising against the AKP.
Prosecutors had demanded life imprisonment for Gen. Ilker Basbug and 63 others, including nine other generals.
The court is sitting at the high-security Silivri prison complex, west of Istanbul, where the general is being held.
Hundreds of riot police fired tear gas to disperse some 1,000 protesters who were marching outside the courthouse, reports say.
The case is being seen as a key test in PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s showdown with secularist and military opponents.
Since Recep Tayyip Erdogan came to power in 2002, hundreds of military officers – serving or retired – have been arrested.
Critics say there is little evidence for the charges and accuse the government of trying to silence its secularist opponents.
Critics have complained that the Ergenekon investigation has focused on opponents of the AKP.
The government denies any such motive.
Turkey’s military has long seen itself as the guarantor of the country’s secular constitution.
It staged three coups between 1960 and 1980 and has a history of tension with the AKP.
The AKP is considered a successor to the Welfare Party, an Islamist party that led a 1996-97 government forced to resign by an army-led campaign.
Lady Gaga and Madonna could potentially be facing prosecution after Russian officials issued a statement saying the singers did not obtain appropriate visas to enter and perform in the country.
According to The Guardian, Madonna, who played there in August 2012, and Lady Gaga, who performed last December, arrived using cultural-exchange visas, which “do not grant their bearers the right to engage in any commercial activity”.
Lady Gaga and Madonna face prosecution after Russian as they did not obtain appropriate visas to enter and perform in the country
As a result, prosecutors are looking into possibly asking Russia’s foreign ministry or federal migration service to press charges.
The investigation has come about after Vitaly Milonov, the Russian politician who authored St. Petersburg’s law banning gay “propaganda,” brought the visa issue to the attention of authorities.
Following their 2012 shows, Vitaly Milonov tried – unsuccessfully – to take legal action against Madonna and Lady Gaga for speaking out in support of LGBT issues during their concerts.
New Zealand dairy firm Fonterra has apologized for the distress caused to parents because of a scare over contaminated products.
Fonterra CEO Theo Spierings was speaking in China after it emerged on Saturday that batches of whey protein contained bacteria that can cause botulism.
Contaminated products, including infant formula, were exported to a number of countries, including China.
Botulism is an extremely dangerous form of food poisoning.
“We regret the distress and anxiety which this issue could have caused,” Theo Spierings told reporters in Beijing.
“Parents have the right to know that infant nutrition and other products are safe.”
Theo Spierings added that Fonterra was committed to China and was working with regulators to address the problem.
China and Russia have moved to ban imports of the contaminated products.
Fonterra said it had received confirmation that China had not imposed a blanket ban on its products.
Fonterra has apologized for the distress caused to parents because of a scare over contaminated products
Earlier on Monday, New Zealand PM John Key questioned why Fonterra, the world’s largest dairy exporter, delayed raising the alarm over the contaminated products.
John Key said concerns were raised after a series of tests in May 2012.
“When you’ve got a company that’s our largest company, our largest brand, our largest exporter that is the flagship for New Zealand and your whole business is about food safety and food quality you think they’d take such a precautionary view to these things and say if it’s testing for some reason in an odd way that it would just be discarded until they were absolutely sure that its right,” John Key said.
However, Theo Spierings addressed this by saying that the first sign of a problem only came to light after tests in March this year.
Fonterra said the bacteria came from a dirty pipe at a processing plant for whey protein concentrate.
It said the bacteria had been found in three batches of whey protein which had been used in Nutricia Karicare for infants.
Fonterra has exported the contaminated whey protein concentrate to China, Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand and Saudi Arabia.
So far, there have not been any illnesses reported related to the contaminated products.
China relies heavily on New Zealand for its imports of milk powder. The country experienced a tainted milk scandal in 2008 that killed six babies and made about 300,000 ill.
According to Chinese state media, nearly 80% of dairy products imported by China come from New Zealand.
New Zealand is the world’s largest dairy exporter.
President Barack Obama, who turns 52 on August 4, celebrated his birthday in a quiet yet somewhat predictable way, by playing a round of golf with friends before jetting off to Camp David.
Barack Obama left the White House unusually early Saturday morning for the half-hour trip by motorcade to Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland to squeeze in some golf before the celebration was to shift to the presidential retreat.
Before leaving, officials said Barack Obama’s counterterrorism adviser updated him on a potential al-Qaeda threat that led the State Department on Friday to issue a global travel warning to Americans and order the weekend closure of 21 embassies and consulates across the Muslim world.
The White House said there were three golfing foursomes, which included some of Barack Obama’s friends from Hawaii, where he grew up, and Chicago, where he lived before becoming president, as well as current and former aides.
Barack Obama celebrated his 52nd birthday with family and friends during a quiet weekend at Camp David
Among them were childhood friends Bobby Titcomb and Mike Ramos, and Chicago pals Marty Nesbitt and Eric Whitaker. White House aides Marvin Nicholson and Sam Kass, an assistant chef, rounded out the group, along with Reggie Love, who for years had been Barack Obama’s personal assistant, or “body man”, and basketball buddy until he left the White House in late 2011 to finish the course work for an MBA.
His week ahead included travel to the West Coast to discuss plans to help homeowners, appear on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and visit with troops at Camp Pendleton.
Barack Obama also has a White House meeting Thursday with the prime minister of Greece.
House Democrats presented Barack Obama with a birthday cake when he went up to the Capitol this week, and American Legion youth members sang “Happy Birthday” to him during a White House visit late last month.
For last year’s birthday, which fell during his heated campaign for re-election, Barack Obama also celebrated with a round of golf and quiet time at Camp David, proving that he is a creature of habit. But he later held several birthday-themed campaign fundraisers in Chicago, including one at his family’s South Side home.
According to an explosive new book, Marilyn Monroe called Jackie Kennedy at the White House and confessed she was having an affair with JFK.
The First Lady responded: “That’s great… I’ll move out and you’ll have all the problems.”
In These Few Precious Days: The Final Year of Jack with Jackie, author Christopher Andersen claims Jackie Kennedy “knew everything” about JFK’s cheating and turned a blind eye, but his relationship with Marilyn Monroe “seemed to bother her the most”.
Jackie Kennedy was right to fear the bombshell actress, because Marilyn Monroe’s sights were firmly set on becoming the President’s second wife.
Marilyn Monroe, who long grappled with psychiatric and emotional problems as well as drugs and alcohol, was convinced JFK was about to leave Jackie Kennedy for her, her friend Jeanne Carmen reportedly revealed.
“Can’t you just see me as first lady?” Marilyn Monroe asked Jeanne Carmen.
Author Christopher Andersen claims Jackie Kennedy knew everything about JFK’s cheating and turned a blind eye, but his relationship with Marilyn Monroe seemed to bother her the most
According to excerpts of the book, published by The New York Posttoday, Peter Lawford claimed Marilyn Monroe called Jackie Kennedy and told her she was sleeping with JFK, and that he’d allegedly promised to leave his family for her.
“Marilyn, you’ll marry Jack, that’s great,” Jackie Kennedy responded, according to the account.
“And you’ll move into the White House and you’ll assume the responsibilities of first lady, and I’ll move out and you’ll have all the problems.”
Christopher Andersen writes JFK’s Air Force aide, General Godfrey McHugh, revealed early on that “Jackie knew about his women” and her friend Ralph Martin agreed.
“You know, in the end Jackie knew everything. Every girl. She knew her rating, her accomplishments . . .”
However, she didn’t take his cheating lightly.
JFK’s close friend, George Smathers, said Jackie was “damn mad” about his fooling around, but she was willing to look the other way as long as he was careful and didn’t humiliate her.
Jackie Kennedy reportedly feared her own s**ual inadequacies were pushing JFK into the arms of other women.
But she complained of the President’s love-making to her long-time confidant Dr. Frank Finnerty, claiming “he just goes too fast and falls asleep”.
Aside from the ladies, Christopher Andersen offers a fascinating insight into JFK’s dependence on drugs.
His physician Max Jacobson, known as Dr. Feelgood, administered high-dosage amphetamine shots laced with steroids to the president on a regular basis, the book claims, and even the first lady.
Dr. Max Jacobson’s four-times-weekly injections worried other physicians who believed they might react with the dozen or so other drugs JFK was taking for his other health woes.
Gore Vidal reportedly said he was “horrified” to learn Dr. Feelgood was treating the President and, according to the book, told Jackie Kennedy to “Watch out” because “Max drove several people mad”.
Paulo Henrique Machado has lived for 45 years, almost his entire life, in hospital.
As a baby Brazilian Paulo Henrique Machado suffered infantile paralysis brought on by polio, and he is still hooked up to an artificial respirator 24 hours a day. But despite this, he has trained as a computer animator and is now creating a television series about his life.
His first memories are of exploring the hospital he has lived in for 45 years by wheelchair.
“I explored up and down the corridors, going into the rooms of other children that were here – that is how I discovered my <<universe>>,” he says.
“For me, playing football or with normal toys wasn’t an option, so it was more about using my imagination.”
Paulo Henrique Machado’s mother died when he was two days old, and as a baby he contracted polio – the result of one of the last big outbreaks of the disease in Brazil.
Ligia Marcia Fizeto, his nursing assistant, began working in the hospital – Sao Paulo’s Clinicas – shortly after he arrived.
“It was very sad to see all those children, all lying there immobilized in their beds, or with very little movement,” she says.
In the 1970s, children with polio were encased in a “torpedo” – a body-encasing iron lung – and doctors at the hospital gave grim assessments of the children’s prospects. Few in the “polio ward” were expected to reach adolescence – their life expectancy was just 10 years.
With very limited mobility, Paulo Henrique Machado’s world formed around the friends he made on the ward.
“There was me, Eliana, Pedrinho, Anderson, Claudia, Luciana and Tania. They were here for a good length of time too, more than 10 years,” he says.
With the innocence of childhood, Paulo Henrique Machado never imagined that they would be parted. But by 1992, some of the children had begun to deteriorate – one by one, his friends began to die.
“It was difficult,” says Paulo Henrique Machado.
“Each loss was like a dismembering, you know, physical… like a mutilation,” he says.
“Now, there’s just two of us left – me and Eliana.”
Paulo Henrique Machado has lived for 45 years in hospital
Doctors don’t quite understand why the pair outlived their peers by so long, but now every day in the ward, Paulo Henrique Machado wakes up with his bed facing that of his remaining friend and lifelong neighbor, Eliana Zagui. He says their relationship is crucial.
“Some people think we are like husband and wife, but we are more like brother and sister,” he says.
“Every day, when I wake up I have the certainty that my strength is over there – Eliana. And it’s reciprocated. I trust her and she trusts me.”
Despite this the two fight virtually every day, Paulo Henrique Machado with a laugh.
“I think that’s normal between brother and sisters or a couple. But it’s not an argument where one side feels offended, you end up reflecting and think, <<OK, I forgive you>>,” he says.
The danger of infection means that they have to live in hospital. Trips outside are rare but memorable, says Paulo Henrique Machado, who estimates that he has been outside of the hospital at least 50 times in total, more in recent years. Advances in medical technology mean that going out involves less heavy equipment and less medical supervision – and as they have got older, Eliana Zagui and Paulo Henrique Machado are prepared to take more risks.
“There are some [trips] which stand out, like seeing the beach for the first time when I was 32.
“I opened the car door and saw the sea and thought <<Wow! What is this!>>” he says.
It was Eliana Zagui’s first time to visit the beach too.
“I knew the beach only from photos, films, postcards, stories from other people – so I had built up an image in my mind of what the sea and the beach would be like,” she recalls.
“They took us out of the vehicles, Paulo was in a wheelchair and they pushed my bed onto the sand.”
She remembers feeling the sea water with her hands for the first time.
“You enjoy these little moments, that many people take for granted. They don’t stop to marvel like we do,” she says.
In the ward, Eliana Zagui fills her time writing – she is a published author – and painting using her mouth.
Because they have been living in the room for so long, the hospital allows them to decorate it with their own possessions. Eliana Zagui’s side of the room is filled with dolls and books – and being a confirmed cinephile, Paulo Henrique Machado’s is full of film memorabilia. He also has two powerful computers, as he has been able to train in hospital as a computer animator.
In May this year Paulo Henrique Machado reached his target – $65,000 – in an online campaign to raise finance for a 3D animated film series called The Adventures of Leca and her Friends, based on a book that Eliana Zagui wrote which he will direct.
The animation will feature a stop-motion technique, similar to that used by Aardman animations in films such as Wallace and Gromit.
Paulo Henrique Machado wanted to portray his life with Eliana Zagui – also known as Leca – and their friends.
“I wanted to make it attractive, not just colorful but full of the mischievous games that kids get up to. I think my characters are realistic, because they come from someone who is disabled. I know [exactly] what the difficulties they face are,” he says.
Cartoonist Bruno Saggese, who has been helping Paulo Henrique Machado with his film project for the last two years, says that when he first came to the hospital to help him with his designs, he was struck by the calm and relaxed atmosphere in Machado and Eliana Zagui’s room.
“You are in an environment where there are patients in a critical state, worried family members, doctors and nurses running around. But when I went into their room, it seemed like a world apart,” he says.
Paulo Henrique Machado is always telling jokes, he says.
“This helps a lot with our work, and a lot of this dialogue between us ends up in the animation. It really is a reflection of him.”
Nursing assistant Ligia Marcia Fizeto is extremely proud of Paulo Henrique Machado’s achievements.
“My heart is full of happiness that he could achieve one of his objectives, which is to make a film.
Frankenburger, the world’s first lab-grown burger, is to be unveiled and eaten at a news conference in London on Monday.
Scientists took cells from a cow and, at an institute in the Netherlands, turned them into strips of muscle which they combined to make a patty.
Researchers say the technology could be a sustainable way of meeting what they say is a growing demand for meat.
Critics say that eating less meat would be an easier way to tackle predicted food shortages.
Professor Mark Post of Maastricht University, the scientist behind the burger, said: “Later today we are going to present the world’s first hamburger made in a lab from cells. We are doing that because livestock production is not good for the environment, it is not going to meet demand for the world and it is not good for animals.”
But Prof. Tara Garnett, head of the Food Policy Research Network at Oxford University, said decision-makers needed to look beyond technological solutions.
“We have a situation where 1.4 billion people in the world are overweight and obese, and at the same time one billion people worldwide go to bed hungry,” she said.
“That’s just weird and unacceptable. The solutions don’t just lie with producing more food but changing the systems of supply and access and affordability so not just more food but better food gets to the people who need it.”
Stem cells are the body’s “master cells”, the templates from which specialized tissue, such as nerve or skin cells develop.
Frankenburger, the world’s first lab-grown burger, is to be unveiled and eaten at a news conference in London
Most institutes working in this area are trying to grow human tissue for transplantation, to replace worn out or diseased muscle, nerve cells or cartilage.
Mark Post wants to use similar techniques to grow muscle and fat for food.
He starts with stem cells extracted from cow muscle tissue. In the laboratory, these are cultured with nutrients and growth promoting chemicals to help them develop and multiply. Three weeks later, there are more than a million stem cells which are put into smaller dishes where they coalesce into small strips of muscle about a centimetre long and a few millimetres thick.
These strips are collected into small pellets which are frozen. When there are enough, they are defrosted and compacted into a patty just before being cooked.
The scientists have tried to make the meat – which is initially white in color – as authentic as possible. Helen Breewood, who is working with Prof. Mark Post, makes the lab-grown muscle look red by adding the naturally occurring compound myoglobin.
Currently, this is a work in progress. The burger to be revealed on Monday will be colored red with beetroot juice. The researchers have also added breadcrumbs, caramel and saffron, which will add to the taste.
At the moment, scientists can only make small pieces of meat; larger ones would require artificial circulatory systems to distribute nutrients and oxygen.
Prof. Mark Post said initial sampling suggests the burger will not taste great, but he expected it to be “good enough”.
Helen Breewood is a vegetarian because she believes meat production to be waste of resources, but says she would eat lab-grown meat.
“A lot of people consider lab-grown meat repulsive at first. But if they consider what goes into producing normal meat in a slaughter house I think they would also find that repulsive,” she said.
In a statement, animal welfare campaigners People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) said: “[Lab-grown meat] will spell the end of lorries full of cows and chickens, abattoirs and factory farming. It will reduce carbon emissions, conserve water and make the food supply safer.”
The latest United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization report on the future of agriculture indicates that most of the predicted growth in demand for meat from China and Brazil has already happened and many Indians are wedded to their largely vegetarian diets for cultural and culinary reasons.
Lab grown meat might turn out to be a technological solution in search of a problem.
About 100 homes have been evacuated in Louisiana after a derailed train carriage leaked toxic chemicals.
The railcar leaked sodium hydroxide, which can be lethal if inhaled, a Union Pacific railways spokeswoman said.
About 100 homes have been evacuated in Louisiana after a derailed train carriage leaked toxic chemicals
More than 20 train carriages went off tracks near Lawtell, west of Baton Rouge, at 15:30 local time on Sunday. The engineer and conductor were not hurt.
Air pollution was not detected. The extent of the damage would be known soon, state governor Bobby Jindal said.
“Anytime you have chemicals leaking into the environment, that’s a serious issue,” he added.
It is not yet known what caused the derailment.
Raquel Espinoza of Union Pacific said another damaged carriage was carrying vinyl chloride, but it was not leaking.
A man who was near the derailment sought medical attention after reporting a burning sensation in his eyes, Raquel Espinoza said.
State police said a road next to the tracks would be closed for at least two days.
Boston bombings suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev was in possession of right-wing American literature in the run-up to the attack, it was emerged today.
Tamerlan Tsarnaev subscribed to publications espousing white supremacy and government conspiracy theories.
He also had reading material on mass killings.
Until now Tamerlan Tsarnaev and his brother Dzhokhar were widely perceived as just self-styled radical jihadists.
It was reported that Tamerlan Tsarnaev possessed articles which argued that both 9/11 and the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing were government conspiracies.
Another in his possession was about “the rape of our gun rights”.
Reading material he had about white supremacy commented that “Hitler had a point”.
Tamerlan Tsarnaev also had literature which explored what motivated mass killings and noted how the perpetrators murdered and maimed calmly.
There was also material about US drones killing civilians, and about the plight of those still imprisoned in Guantanamo Bay.
Boston bombings suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev was in possession of right-wing American literature in the run-up to the attack
The Tsarnaev brothers, ethnic Chechens, spent their early years moving around a troubled region of Russia torn by a violent Islamic insurgency.
But for the last decade they lived in Cambridge, near Boston.
It appears Tamerlan Tsarnaev turned against the country and became passionate about Islam after becoming frustrated when his boxing career faltered because he did not have American citizenship.
A spokesperson for Tamerlan Tsarnaev’s mosque in Cambridge, Nicole Mossalam, said Tamerlan only prayed there occasionally. She portrayed him as an angry young man who latched onto Islam.
“As far connecting with the Islamic community here, to actually praying, being involved, doing acts of charity….all of those were pretty much lacking.
“I would say he was just a Muslim of convenience,” she said.
Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, Tamerlan’s younger brother who has been charged with the bombings, scrawled a note shortly before his capture stating: “We Muslims are one body. You hurt one you hurt us all.”
The brothers had been reading militant Islamic websites before the bombings.
The FBI has been investigating the brothers, and possible connections Tamerlan Tsarnaev might have had in the troubled Russian republic of Dagestan which he visited last year.
The House Intelligence Committee in Washington is being briefed on his connections.
The committee chairman, Mike Rogers said he believes the brothers’ mother, Zubeidat Tsarnaeva, was involved in Tamerlan’s radicalization.
“He had family members encouraging, we know that for sure,” he said.
Zubeidat Tsarnaeva denies the allegations.
Tamerlan Tsarnaev was killed in April following a gun fight with police which ended when his younger brother ran him over while trying to escape.
Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, recently brought to court, denied all charges.
If convicted Dzhokhar Tsarnaev faces life imprisonment or the death penalty.
New reports claim Simon Cowell dumped Lauren Silverman before he knew she was pregnant.
Simon Cowell, 53, is said to have ended his romance with Lauren Silverman, 36, six weeks ago, only to later discover she is expecting his baby.
The music mogul is said to have told a friend: “It’s over with Lauren – it has been since before anyone knew she was pregnant. I want matters resolved but in a sensitive way. I have to respect a lot of people’s feelings. There’s a lot of people’s feelings here.”
Simon Cowell is said to be feeling “confused” about Lauren Silverman’s pregnancy but has vowed to stand by her.
Simon Cowell dumped Lauren Silverman before he knew she was pregnant
The source added to the Sunday Mirror newspaper: “Simon feels like he’s been done up like a kipper in all of this.
“He and Lauren split up six weeks ago but the next thing we know he gets a phone call from her saying, <<Guess what?>>. Since then he has been feeling very confused about everything.”
Lauren Silverman’s mother, Carole Saland, meanwhile has slammed claims her daughter deliberately got pregnant to “trap” Simon Cowell.
Carole Saland’s calling for Simon Cowell to do the “right thing” and marry her pregnant daughter.
She told The Sun newspaper: “Lauren is not a gold-digger. She came from a very comfortable family and never lacked for anything.
“Her and Simon are very fond of each other. She tells me great things about him and has always spoken very highly of him…
“I trust Simon to do the right thing by my daughter.”
Lauren Silverman – who is 10 weeks pregnant – has a seven-year-old son, Adam, with her husband Andrew.
The US has announced it will keep some of its embassies in north Africa and the Middle East closed for up to a week, due to a possible militant threat.
Twenty-one US embassies and consulates closed on Sunday.
The State Department in Washington said the extended closures were due to the exercise of caution, and not a reaction to a new threat.
US diplomat missions in Algiers, Kabul and Baghdad are among those which will reopen on Monday, Washington said.
A state department global travel alert, issued on Friday, is in force until the end of August.
The US will keep some of its embassies in north Africa and the Middle East closed for up to a week, due to a possible militant threat
The department said the potential for an al-Qaeda inspired attack was particularly strong in the Middle East and North Africa.
Embassies closed on Sunday, a working day in the Muslim world, included Amman, Cairo, Riyadh and Dhaka.
The embassy closures and US global travel alert came after the US reportedly intercepted al-Qaeda messages.
It has been suggested that they were between senior figures talking about a plot against an embassy.
Referring to the Middle East, the state department said: “Current information suggests that al-Qaeda and affiliated organizations continue to plan terrorist attacks both in the region and beyond, and that they may focus efforts to conduct attacks in the period between now and the end of August.”
The travel alert called for US citizens to be vigilant, warning of “the potential for terrorists to attack public transportation systems and other tourist infrastructure”.
An unnamed US official has said the threat could be related to the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which ends this week.
Several European countries, including the UK, have temporarily shut missions in Yemen.
