Kate Middleton looked to have referenced tennis style from 1920 with her Wimbledon outfit choice today.
Arriving with Prince William just in time to watch Roger Federer take on Mikhail Youzhny on Centre Court this afternoon, she wore a cream pleated cable knit dress by Alexander McQueen that looked as if it could have come straight from a Wimbledon kit list from the roaring Twenties.
Duchess of Cambridge accessorized the designer dress with a pair of $260 navy blue suede court shoes from LK Bennett.
It was a dress she has worn before – exactly a year ago today – when she made a trip to Prince Edward Island during her tour of Canada in 2011.
Kate Middleton looked to have referenced tennis style from 1920 with her Wimbledon outfit choice
It is a style that has also been worn previously by Sarah Jessica Parker. The Sex And The City actress wore a navy version of the dress in 2006, the year it was debuted by the British design house.
It is the first Wimbledon appearance of the year for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. The royal pair’s visit comes after Carole and Michael Middleton were guests in the Royal box yesterday, and Pippa and James Middleton sat alongside Felicity Kendal and her son Jake in the prestigious seats last Friday.
Despite winning the gold medal at the European championships in Helsinki, Finland, French runner Mahiedine Mekhissi-Benabbad still seemed far from happy.
As the 27-year-old steeplechaser crossed the finish line a 14-year-old female dressed as the Championships’ mascot “Appy” stood nearby with a gift bag to congratulate him.
But rather than celebrate his 8.33.23-minute victory the 3,000 meter steeplechase, Mahiedine Mekhissi-Benabbad knocked the bag out of the girl’s hand and shoved her backwards.
The girl inside the mascot costume was believed to have been slightly winded by the unexpected attack but otherwise unharmed.
Mahiedine Mekhissi-Benabbad knocked the bag out of the girl's hand and shoved her backwards
A member of the public caught the hold exchange on camera on Sunday and posted it on YouTube.
Championship director Mika Muukka said: “Hopefully, the EAA would deal with the case. Such behavior is completely unacceptable.”
It’s not the first time Mahiedine Mekhissi-Benabbad has become a YouTube sensation for all the wrong reasons.
Last year he got into a fight with countryman Medhi Baala on the finish line of the 1500 meters at the Monaco Diamond League games that was caught on tape.
Mahiedine Mekhissi-Benabbad was suspended for 10 months following that incident.
Holly Willoughby’ secret to her glowing complexion is a special lotion made out of an exotic fruit.
Holly Willoughby uses Lucas’ Papaw ointment ($7.5 for 25g), an Australian product which contains papaya and is great for cleansing and soothing.
She posted a picture of herself without any make-up last week showing a perfect, dewy skin.
Holly Willoughby says: “It’s my budget buy and is a great all-rounder. The tip was passed on to me by my make-up artist.”
Holly Willoughby uses Lucas’ Papaw ointment, an Australian product which contains papaya and is great for cleansing and soothing
Before taking the picture, Holly Willoughby will have removed her make-up with Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser.
“I’ve used it for years and love it,” she says.
“I tend to use a lot of Liz Earle products because they really suit my skin.
“As a busy mum, my beauty routine is quite simple, as I don’t have a huge amount of time, so I use products that are quick and easy. I don’t tend to use different products for night and day either.”
Other favorites are Boots No 7 Quick Thinking 4-in-1 Make-Up Remover Wipes, Dermalogica Active Moist Moisturizer, and SK-II face masks.
Holly Willoughby, 31, also reveals her love of beauty gadgets – she is a fan of the Clarisonic cleansing brush, which she uses in the shower once a week. But the key to looking so good “naked” is, according to her, having great eye-lashes and white teeth.
She gets her lashes tinted, recommends Oral-B 3D White toothpaste and uses an electric toothbrush – hers is the Oral-B Trizone 5000 with SmartGuide. Indeed, she’s so obsessed with flossing her teeth that she even carries floss around with her in her handbag, so she’s never caught out.
What Holly Willoughby neglects to mention is that having the confidence to leave the house without any make-up on also requires exceptional natural beauty.
Here you can find essentials you’ll need for a perfect 4th of July party, from a beach picnic to a night time barbeque and everything in between.
Conjure up your inner patriotism with red, white, and blue outdoor accessories to make the most out of your Independence Day-ready essentials, no matter where you end up.
From cute picnic baskets to fun snow cone holders, and even blue nail polish, celebrating the festive holiday with a star-spangled banner theme doesn’t have to be expensive.
Portable barbeque grills and plastic glasses are essential for evening feasts around the city.
Whether you’re in your own backyard, on a New York City rooftop or camping, candles and string lanterns are a handy and fun way to light the scene up.
Conjure up your inner patriotism with red, white, and blue outdoor accessories to make the most out of your Independence Day-ready essentials
When it comes to the beach, a good cooler can make or break an ocean-side picnic.
Waterproof accessories, like a beach radio, will keep the atmosphere lively without the need for electricity, and beach games like Paddle boards, will keep everyone entertained.
When it comes to watching fireworks, there is no better way to incorporate food and a great view than a portable, plonk-yours-self anywhere picnic.
Other than a standard Piccadilly picnic basket, a waterproof cloth and a big beverage dispenser are great starters for any picnic kit.
Mini speakers that plug into any iPhone or iPod are easy ways to carry atmospheric music as they last up to six hours.
Optional of course are painting your nails blue in between meals while you wait for the evening’s big, bright bangs.
Snow cone paper cups are fun for any setting as are cute, all-year round condiment sets.
Film company Ecosse has released the first image of Naomi Watts playing Diana, Princess of Wales.
British-born actress Naomi Watts is starring in a film that portrays the last two years of Princess Diana’s life.
Principal photography started this week. The film is due out next year.
Speaking from the set, Naomi Watts said: “I’m excited and honored to be playing the role of a truly remarkable woman, who had such a positive and profound impact in so many ways.”
Since being announced in February, the film has changed its name from Caught in Flight to the simpler Diana.
Film company Ecosse has released the first image of Naomi Watts playing Diana, Princess of Wales
Directed by Oliver Hirschbiegel of Downfall fame, it is believed to explore the princess’s relationship with the heart surgeon Hasnat Khan.
The pair had a discreet romantic affair that began in 1995 and ended a few months before her death in August 1997.
Ecosse said the biopic “charts how finding true personal happiness allowed her to achieve her defining successes, as she evolved into a major international campaigner and humanitarian”.
Dr. Hasnat Khan will be played by Naveen Andrews, from The Buddha of Suburbia and Lost, with other cast members including Douglas Hodge and Juliet Stevenson.
It is rumored the film will also touch upon the princess’s relationship with Dodi Al Fayed, and her death following a Paris car crash.
Ecosse directors Robert Bernstein and Douglas Rae have moved to quash any criticism of the film, saying that “everyone’s aim [was] to produce a truly insightful and compassionate study of Diana’s later years”.
Naomi Watts, 43, rose to fame in Australian soap opera Home and Away before enjoying big-screen success in King Kong, 21 Grams and Mulholland Drive.
Naomi Watts is six years older than Diana was when she died.
Ukrainian Police in capital Kiev have fired tear gas to disperse hundreds of protesters angry over a new language law that boosts the status of Russian.
The clashes erupted outside a building where President Viktor Yanukovych was scheduled to give a speech.
The new law, drafted by Viktor Yanukovych’s Party of the Regions, was adopted by parliament on Tuesday without a debate on numerous amendments.
World-famous boxer Vitali Klitschko was among the activists hurt in the unrest.
The interior ministry said 10 anti-riot police from the elite Berkut unit were admitted to hospital with injuries. The ministry said protesters assaulted police with bottles and aerosol sprays.
The police were equipped with helmets, shields and batons.
Ukrainian Police in capital Kiev have fired tear gas to disperse hundreds of protesters angry over a new language law that boosts the status of Russian
Viktor Yanukovych decided to postpone his speech on Wednesday as clashes continued. He invited parliament leaders and heads of parliamentary factions to meet him to discuss the resignations.
Later he said he would have to call an early election if MPs failed to “stabilize parliament’s work”. A parliamentary election is officially scheduled for October.
Correspondents say about 1,000 opposition activists took part in the demonstration.
WBC heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko called Tuesday’s vote “political suicide” and urged opposition MPs to boycott parliament. He heads an opposition group called Udar (Blow).
The controversial vote prompted a request from Speaker Volodymyr Lytvyn to step down. “I have been fooled, Ukraine has been fooled,” he complained.
Volodymyr Lytvyn’s deputy Mykola Tomenko also tendered his resignation.
Meanwhile, seven MPs angry at the vote have gone on hunger strike.
The bill will become law once signed off by President Viktor Yanukovych, who is seen by his critics as being close to Moscow. The bedrock of his support is in Russian-speaking eastern Ukraine.
The second reading vote took place despite scuffles in the chamber between the ruling party and opposition MPs.
The bill grants Russian, mother tongue of most people in east and south Ukraine, “regional language” status.
Critics fear it will dilute Ukraine’s sovereignty and help return Ukraine to Moscow’s sphere of influence.
While Ukrainian would remain the country’s official language, Russian could be used in courts, hospitals, schools and other institutions in Russian-speaking regions. In practice Russian is already used widely in official establishments in Ukraine.
The new law says local officials can use a “regional language” if at least 10% of the local population are native speakers of that language.
Those officials would have to know the regional language and be able to use it in their official duties.
People will be allowed to choose which language they want their documents issued in – Ukrainian or regional.
The new law de facto grants Russian the status of an official language – but not the state one – in most of Ukraine.
Ukraine language law:
• Russian, mother tongue of most people in east and south Ukraine, would get “regional language” status
• In Russian-speaking areas Russian could be used in courts, hospitals, schools and other institutions
• Ukrainian remains the official state language
• People would be able to choose which language they want their documents issued in – Ukrainian or regional
• President Viktor Yanukovych’s party drafted language law
• His power base is Russian-speaking east
• Critics accuse him of being too cozy with Moscow
The bodies of the crew members of a Turkish jet shot down by Syria last month have been found.
Turkey’s TRT television said the two airmen were found on the Eastern Mediterranean seabed by a US deep-sea exploration vessel, according to AP.
The F-4 Phantom jet was shot down on 22 June after Syrian authorities claimed it had violated their airspace, a claim disputed by Turkey.
The bodies of the crew members of a Turkish jet shot down by Syria last month have been found
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said he regretted the move “100%”.
The Turkish military named the crew members as Air Force Captain Gokhan Ertan and Air Force Lieutenant Hasan Huseyin Aksoy, according to Reuters news agency.
The military did not say precisely where the bodies were found and said the wreckage of the plane itself had not yet been spotted, reports AFP.
Five climbers who fell to their deaths while climbing Swiss mountain Lagginhorn on Tuesday were German and included two teenagers, police have confirmed.
A sixth climber, who survived and alerted authorities, was the father of two of the victims.
Another man died along with his son and a family friend, in what was the worst Swiss Alpine accident this year.
Police are uncertain what caused the accident, but said the climbers did not appear to have been roped together.
The hikers were descending the Lagginhorn mountain when they fell, at about 13:00 on Tuesday.
The 4,010 m (13,155 ft) Lagginhorn is in the Valais canton in the Swiss Alps, about 10 km (6 miles) from the Italian border.
“The five climbers fell several hundred metres. They all died at the scene,” a local police statement said on Tuesday.
Five climbers fell to their deaths while climbing Swiss mountain Lagginhorn on Tuesday
On Wednesday, police gave further details about the victims.
They included a 14-year-old girl and her 20-year-old brother.
Their father survived. He had climbed most of the way but did not make the final attempt at the summit because he felt unwell.
He saw the tragedy unfold and raised the alarm immediately. Police said he was airlifted to safety by helicopter.
The three other victims were a 44-year-old man, his 17-year-old son and a 21-year-old friend.
A mountain guide who spoke to the party the night before their ascent said they might have slipped on ice hidden by fresh snow.
“There was rain up to about 3,500m and perhaps a little fresh snow [at the summit), so they probably slipped because there was ice underneath the snow,” Arthur Anthamatten told the AFP news agency.
He had met the party at his refuge on the mountain, where they stayed on Monday night.
He said he and his colleagues were shocked by the scale of the accident.
“This kind of thing can happen, but never five people killed in one go. Two or three people perhaps, but this is not a difficult mountain,” he said.
The Lagginhorn is the lowest of the 4,000 m chain of mountains in the Alps. It is regarded as one of the easier peaks to climb.
Weather conditions in the area were said to be relatively good.
Danny Boyle, artistic director of the London 2012 Olympic opening ceremony, has apologized to volunteers over “spoilers” appearing in the press.
In an email sent to the 10,000 members of the public participating in the 27 July event, Danny Boyle asked them to “stay virtuous” and “protect the show”.
“Many of you have been dismayed by the media scrutiny on the show,” he wrote.
“I am sorry that, despite our best efforts, we appear to be unable to stop these stories appearing in the press.”
At a media briefing last month, the Oscar-winning director revealed the ceremony would feature a recreation of the “British countryside” featuring country scenes and farmyard animals.
Danny Boyle, artistic director of the London 2012 Olympic opening ceremony, has apologized to volunteers over "spoilers" appearing in the press
In the weeks that followed, several newspapers published follow-up stories revealing additional, unsanctioned information about the event.
“Some of you have asked why we agreed to the two media briefings we have done when <<open season>> continues on trying to reveal every aspect of our work to the public ahead of 27 July,” wrote Danny Boyle in his email.
“We thought they would be a good way to satisfy the media’s curiosity about our show but, in the case of certain papers, it hasn’t quenched their desire to be the first to reveal every detail possible.”
London 2012 organizing committee chairman Lord Coe made similar comments on Twitter at the weekend asking for details to be kept secret.
“Share the frustration of volunteer performers and the public at Opening Ceremony being unofficially trailed. Let’s #savethesurprise,” he said.
One billion people worldwide are expected to watch the opening ceremony, which will feature music by electronic duo Underworld and a “harmonically-tuned” bell weighing 23 tons.
Cast rehearsals continue at the Olympic stadium in east London, which has been fitted with a million-watt sound system.
Cast members have been asked to sign and abide by a non-disclosure agreement.
Last night, Chris Brown joined rappers Flavor Flav, Nelly, Lil Wayne, and Lil Jon in the trend by proudly flashing his golden chompers to the dancing crowds at AV Nightclub in Hollywood.
Wearing a black beanie, Chris Brown, 23, was seen in an Army green bomber jacket over a grey shirt, low-slung dark denim jeans, and a pair of Air Yeezy sneakers designed by Kanye West.
As if he couldn’t look more intimidating, surrounded by bodyguards, the multi-hyphenate star was also flaunting his bold new neck tattoo of a wolf.
Chris Brown, whose new album Fortune was released today, reportedly partied at the Cahuenga hot-spot until close and then left without incident.
Chris Brown joined other rappers in the trend by proudly flashing his golden chompers to the dancing crowds at AV Nightclub
Prior to the club, Breezy raised eyebrows after tweeting a photo of himself in the recording studio with none other than Victoria’s Secret model Chanel Iman, 21, calling her “beautiful”.
It’s unclear why Chris Brown, whose girlfriend is Karrueche Tran and ex-girlfriend is pop star Rihanna, was hanging out with the five-foot-nine-inch stunner or what sort of beautiful music they might have been making together.
His new album, featuring collaborations with Wiz Khalifa and Big Sean, topped the iTunes album chart yesterday.
However, it’s already been getting not-so-hot reviews with critics labeling it, “boring”, “unremarkable”, and “edgeless”.
Sunday night, Chris Brown was a big winner at the BET Awards where he took home Best Male R&B Artist and the Fandemonium Award after performing a medley of Don’t Wake Me Up and Turn Up The Music onstage in body paint.
It’s all he can do to distract his fans from the recent bar brawl with rival Drake, which left eight injured, and his 2009 conviction for viciously assaulting his ex Rihanna after the Grammys.
CERN scientists reporting at conferences in the UK and Geneva, Switzerland, claim the discovery of a new particle consistent with the Higgs boson.
The particle has been the subject of a 45-year hunt to explain how matter attains its mass.
Both of the two Higgs-hunting experiments at the Large Hadron Collider have reached a level of certainty worthy of a “discovery”.
More work will be needed to be certain that what they see is a Higgs, however.
Both teams claimed they had seen a “bump” in their data corresponding to a particle weighing in at about 125-126 gigaelectronvolts (GeV) – about 130 times heavier than the proton at the heart of every atom.
The results announced at CERN, home of the LHC in Geneva, were each met with thunderous applause.
CERN scientists reporting at conferences in the UK and Geneva claim the discovery of a new particle consistent with the Higgs boson
Prof. Peter Higgs, the former University of Edinburgh theoretician who with five others predicted the Higgs particle’s existence in 1964, praised the LHC teams, calling the results “a testament to the expertise of the researchers”.
“I never expected this to happen in my lifetime and shall be asking my family to put some champagne in the fridge,” he said.
The CMS team claimed that by combining two of its data sets, they had attained a confidence level just at the “five-sigma” point – about a one-in-3.5 million chance that the signal they see would appear if there were no Higgs particle.
However, a full combination of the CMS data brings that number just back to 4.9 sigma – a one-in-2 million chance.
Joe Incandela, spokesman for CMS, was unequivocal.
“The results are preliminary but the five-sigma signal at around 125 GeV we’re seeing is dramatic. This is indeed a new particle,” he told the Geneva meeting.
Fabiola Gianotti, spokeswoman for the ATLAS experiment, announced even more irrefutable results.
“We observe in our data clear signs of a new particle, at the level of five sigma, in the mass region around 126 GeV,” she said.
Anticipation had been high and rumors were rife before the announcement.
Indications are strong, but it remains to be seen whether the particle the team reports is in fact the Higgs – those answers will certainly not come on Wednesday.
A confirmation would be one of the biggest scientific discoveries of the century; the hunt for the Higgs has been compared by some physicists to the Apollo programme that reached the Moon in the 1960s.
Two different experiment teams at the LHC observe a signal in the same part of the “search region” for the Higgs – at a rough mass of 125 GeV.
Hints of the particle, revealed to the world by teams at the LHC in December 2011, have since strengthened markedly.
The $10 billion LHC is the most powerful particle accelerator ever built: it smashes two beams of protons together at close to the speed of light with the aim of revealing new phenomena in the wreckage of the collisions.
The ATLAS and CMS experiments, which were designed to hunt for the Higgs at the LHC, each detect a signal with a statistical certainty of more than 4.5 sigma.
Five sigma is the generally accepted benchmark for claiming the discovery of a new particle. It equates to a one in 3.5 million chance that there is no Higgs and the “bump” in the data is down to some statistical fluctuation.
Prof. Stefan Soldner-Rembold, from the University of Manchester, said earlier this week: “The evidence is piling up… everything points in the direction that the Higgs is there.”
The Higgs is the cornerstone of the Standard Model – the most successful theory to explain the workings of the Universe.
But most researchers now regard the Standard Model as a stepping stone to some other, more complete theory, which can explain phenomena such as dark matter and dark energy.
Once the new particle is confirmed, scientists will have to figure out whether the particle they see is the version of the Higgs predicted by the Standard Model or something more exotic.
Scientists will look at how the Higgs decays or – transforms – into other, more stable particles after being produced in collisions at the LHC.
The Standard Model is the simplest set of ingredients – elementary particles – needed to make up the world we see in the heavens and in the laboratory
• Quarks combine together to make, for example, the proton and neutron – which make up the nuclei of atoms today – though more exotic combinations were around in the Universe’s early days
• Leptons come in charged and uncharged versions; electrons – the most familiar charged lepton – together with quarks make up all the matter we can see; the uncharged leptons are neutrinos, which rarely interact with matter
• The “force carriers” are particles whose movements are observed as familiar forces such as those behind electricity and light (electromagnetism) and radioactive decay (the weak nuclear force)
• The Higgs boson came about because although the Standard Model holds together neatly, nothing requires the particles to have mass; for a fuller theory, the Higgs – or something else – must fill in that gap
A British research team claims that adding enzymes from seaweed microbes to toothpaste and mouthwash could provide better protection against tooth decay.
Researchers at Newcastle University had been studying Bacillus licheniformis to see if it could clean ships’ hulls.
But the scientists now believe it could protect the areas between teeth where plaque can gather despite brushing.
Their lab tests suggest the microbe’s enzyme cuts through plaque, stripping it of bacteria that cause tooth decay.
A British research team claims that adding enzymes from seaweed microbes to toothpaste and mouthwash could provide better protection against tooth decay
Dr. Nick Jakubovics, of the university’s school of dental sciences, said: “Plaque on your teeth is made up of bacteria which join together to colonize an area in a bid to push out any potential competitors.
“Traditional toothpastes work by scrubbing off the plaque containing the bacteria – but that’s not always effective – which is why people who religiously clean their teeth can still develop cavities.
“We found this enzyme can remove some of these undesirable bacteria from plaque.”
Plaque is made up of lots of different decaying bacteria.
When bacterial cells die, the DNA inside them leaks out and makes a biofilm that sticks to the teeth.
Instead of removing the plaque entirely, Dr. Nick Jakubovics believes the treatment could strip away the harmful bacteria, like Streptococcus mutans, that cause tooth decay.
“Ultimately we hope to harness this power into a paste, mouthwash or denture-cleaning solution.”
He said more studies are needed to show the technique works and is safe before any products could be brought to market.
He is presenting the latest findings to a meeting of the Society for Applied Microbiology, the organization that is funding the research along with the Newcastle Healthcare Charity.
An argument between two psychologists over actor Steve Buscemi may have finally led to an answer for that complex question: What is cool?
Applying an empirical investigation to discover the nature of coolness, three separate studies were devised to first identify through a survey qualities that were cool, then ask people to rank those qualities in desirability and then to rank their friends on these qualities.
Basing their research on the notion that cool is being attractive and desirable and not unwanted, Ilan Dar-Nimrod, who works at the University of Rochester Medical Center and his friend, Ian Hansen of York College came to their scientific conclusions.
Beginning their research after Ilan Dar-Nimrod disagreed with his friend, Ian Hansen’s assertion that Steve Buscemi was cool, the two scientists decided to discover why Buscemi was even considered cool in the first place.
With his unusual looks and whining voice, Steve Buscemi is not the quintessential Hollywood star however, he has starred in some iconic and arguably “cool” roles such as Mr. Pink in Reservoir Dogs and Enoch “Nucky” Thompson in HBO’s Boardwalk Empire.
Ilan Dar-Nimrod disagreed with his friend, Ian Hansen's assertion that Steve Buscemi was cool
Deciding to have a go at settling the debate of whether Steve Buscemi is cool or not, the pair came up with three separate studies which asked 353 college students at the University of British Columbia to first submit words they thought described cool.
Then secondly, the students deemed these qualities as how desirable they were and then judged their friends.
“We wanted to tease apart coolness and social desirability,” said Ilan Dar-Nirmrod, who is aware his last name is not cool according to a report on MSNBC.
“There is a lot of overlap between social desirability and coolness.”
Indeed, the majority of responses that the two psychologists received as words to describe cool focused primarily on appearance.
They saw cool being equated as “hot”, “handsome”, “beautiful” and “sexy”, revealing an overwhelming theme of simple physical looks.
“Our research was kind of designed to see what goes into coolness evaluation,” said Ilan Dar-Nimrod.
“What we found was that the dominant perception of coolness is revolving around social desirability and generic semi-gentrified traits.”
Aside from good looks, the researchers expected to find rebelliousness to be a cool trait, reminiscent of a James Dean.
What they discovered instead was that the students they used in their study thought that friendliness constitutes cool.
In fact, on top of being good looking and friendly, if you are a high achiever in life then you are moving into ice-cold territory.
As well as being generally successful and blessed in life, volunteering to help within society is seen as cool too.
Also listed as desirable traits that are equated with coolness are trendiness, individualism, confidence and having a sense of humor.
And although it seems that coolness is more straight-laced than first thought, the James Dean-style, smoking, moody, “contrarian cool” still exists.
“There is a smaller and different facet…which is the dark, historical coolness, revolving around counterculture, risky behavior, irony,” said Ilan Dar-Nimrod, who still thinks that Steve Buscemi is not cool.
“Going into the project, it is what I perceived as coolness.
OraQuick home HIV test is expected to go on sale in the US within months, after winning regulator approval.
The OraQuick test checks saliva from a mouth swab for HIV and can produce results in 20 to 40 minutes.
Government estimates suggest 1.2 million people in the US are HIV-positive, but 20% do not know they are.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has said it hopes the over-the-counter test will reach people who might not otherwise get tested.
OraQuick home HIV test is expected to go on sale in the US within months, after winning regulator approval
The test is expected to be sold in as many as 30,000 pharmacies and homeware shops, as well as online.
The manufacturer, OraSure, has not said how much the test will sell for but confirmed it would cost less than $60.
“We expect all the major retail outlets to carry this product,” chief executive Douglas Michels said.
The company is planning a “pretty massive effort” to market the test, Douglas Michels added.
Approval of the test has been praised by HIV/AIDS awareness groups.
“This test will allow anyone to empower themselves to know their HIV status when, how and with whom they want to,” Tom Donohue, founding director of Who’s Positive, told the Associated Press.
But the FDA has highlighted in its announcement that the test may not be 100% accurate, and has stressed the need for additional testing by medical professionals to confirm the result.
OraSure said that in trials the test was able to correctly detect HIV among people carrying the virus only 92% of the time.
It was 99% accurate for negative results – or identifying that someone does not carrying the virus.
Meanwhile, Dr Jonathan Mermin, director of the HIV unit at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said people who receive negative results should take the test again after three months, because it can take weeks before antibodies to HIV appear.
Healthcare professionals have been using a version of the OraQuick test since 2002.
For the last two decades there have been about 50,000 new cases of HIV in the US each year.
Clayton Osbon, the US pilot who screamed about a bomb on a flight and had to be restrained by passengers was found not guilty for reasons of insanity, a court has said.
A judge in Amarillo, Texas, said JetBlue pilot Clayton Osbon suffered “severe mental disease or defect”.
Clayton Osbon was previously ruled competent enough to stand trial. He is to be re-evaluated before a hearing on 6 August to decide whether he can be released.
He was charged with interfering with crew on a New York-Las Vegas flight.
The plane was forced to make an emergency landing after Clayton Osbon’s actions on 27 March.
A judge in Amarillo, Texas, said JetBlue pilot Clayton Osbon suffered "severe mental disease or defect"
Passengers said they had to wrestle the pilot to the floor during the flight after he began screaming about a bomb and terrorists.
At the time, JetBlue had said there was nothing in the pilot’s records that suggested he might be a risk.
Court records say Clayton Osbon must show “by clear and convincing evidence” that, if released, he would not pose any future danger. The judge could decide to commit him to a mental health facility.
A JetBlue spokeswoman said the airline still employs Clayton Osbon but he is on “inactive status”, adding that the company was still offering support to the pilot’s family.
A copy of a rare 16th century map known as “the birth certificate of America” has been discovered in Germany.
The map, by the famous cartographer Martin Waldseemuller, is credited with being the first to document and name the newly-discovered land of America.
It had been thought that Martin Waldseemuller had only made four copies, but researchers at a Munich university have now discovered a fifth version.
This new map was found in the pages of an unrelated 19th century book.
Sven Kuttner, head of old books at Munich’s Ludwig Maximilian University, said: “It seems to be a second edition and this is a unique map. Until now, we have no signs for a further map like this.”
The map, by the famous cartographer Martin Waldseemuller, is credited with being the first to document and name the newly-discovered land of America
German researchers are going to make the map, printed in clear black ink on yellowing paper, available online from 4 July, Independence Day in the US.
A much larger version is already kept in the Library of Congress in Washington DC.
It was given to the United States as a gift by German Chancellor Angela Merkel in 2007 to mark 500 years since the naming of America.
It is thought that Waldseemueller, a prominent 16th century map maker, used information from accounts of early transatlantic voyages to form a picture of America.
The boomerang shape of the continent he drew is barely recognizable as the North and South America landmass we know today.
Martin Waldseemuller named the new land after Italian explorer Amerigo Vespucci, thinking he had been the first to discover it rather than Christopher Columbus.
Millions of Americans are set to celebrate the Fourth of July with as much fervor and as many fireworks as the weather will allow.
Picnics have been planned, barbeques will be lit and the beaches will be swamped with red, white and blue for the country’s Independence Day.
AAA, one of the nation’s largest travel agencies, projects 42.3 million Americans will hit the road, traveling 50 miles or more from home between July 3 and July 8 for all the festivities.
Last year, when the holiday fell on a Monday, 40.3 million people traveled. But before you think it’s a big increase, note that AAA’s economists changed how they estimated the number of travelers: They used a six-day period this year compared to five last year.
The typical traveler will spend $749 over six days, down from $807 over five days last year, according to an online survey of 344 people conducted for AAA. Another look at the holiday, by Visa Inc., shows that all Americans – whether traveling or not – will spend an average of $191 on July 4th activities, down from $216 last year. Visa surveyed 1,012 people by telephone.
The overwhelming majority of Independence Day travelers plan to drive: 35.5 million people or 84% of travelers according to AAA. As they do, they’ll get a break at the pump.
Lower gas prices, at $3.33 a gallon nationwide compared with $3.55 a year ago, are a factor in the longer drives.
“What the survey indicates is that Americans have an appetite for travel…,” Cynthia Brough, a spokeswoman for the American Automobile Association, said.
Midwesterners will spend the most to celebrate the holiday, laying out an average of $211, while those in the Northeast will spending $40 less, the Visa survey found.
According to Jason Alderman, senior director of global financial education at Visa, the holiday is bigger in Midwestern cities and towns, while Northeastern cities have more concentrated gatherings and firework displays.
Millions of Americans are set to celebrate the Fourth of July with as much fervor and as many fireworks as the weather will allow
Temperatures across the nation are expected to reach the high 90s Fahrenheit (32 Celsius) over the next several days, according to AccuWeather.com.
More than 1.4 million people from Illinois to Virginia remained without power Tuesday after the weekend’s violent storms, and forecasts indicate that there’s little hope for any reprieve from Mother Nature.
Power companies said that the heat wave will keep some customers without power for the rest of the week, unable to turn on their air conditioners, surf the web or even turn on the lights.
“This is the worst outage we’ve ever had,” said Jeri Matheny, spokeswoman for Appalachia Power, which serves most of southern West Virginia, to CNN.
“We’ll end up rebuilding large pieces of an infrastructure system in five to seven days that took decades to build.”
The storms have also brought on heavy rain or desperately dry conditions which will likely stay through the 4th of July, causing fireworks to be cancelled pre-emptively in numerous areas.
The storms crossed the Eastern United States with heavy rain, hail and winds reaching 80 miles per hour starting Friday night, leaving more than 3 million homes and businesses without the power, according to a federal energy report.
The storms also claimed at least 22 lives, mostly from falling trees and branches across the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic states.
Ken Mallette, executive director of the Maryland Emergency Management Agency, told CNN that the damage compared to Hurricane Irene’s visit last year.
“We got a hurricane punch without a hurricane warning,” he said.
Independence Day celebrations were cancelled across Maryland, including ones schedule in Kensington, Germantown, Rockville and Gaithersburg, officials said.
Summer camps have also been cancelled and residents are flocking to libraries, malls pools and anywhere else that might have power – and air conditioning – to keep cool.
“If you need to charge your phone or you need Internet or anything, you show up here and it’s literally a madhouse,” Jacqueline Hirsch told CNN affiliate WJLA-TV.
The Bethesda, Maryland, resident ran to the local library, only to find hundreds of others with the same idea.
The National Weather Service issued extreme heat warnings were Tuesday for portions of Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, Kentucky, Ohio and Michigan, saying those areas would be hit with temperatures near or above triple digits on the 4th.
Similar warnings were already in place for a handful of states, including parts of Nebraska, South Dakota, Wisconsin, Minnesota and Iowa.
American Electric Power Co Inc of Ohio said Tuesday morning that crews were working to restore power to 357,000 customers in Virginia and West Virginia; 298,000 in Ohio; 32,000 in Indiana; and 14,000 in Kentucky.
FirstEnergy Corp of Ohio said it had 216,000 customers out in its five-state service area of Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Maryland and New Jersey. That was down from about the initial 566,000 affected by the storms.
Illinois-based Exelon Corp said its Baltimore Gas & Electric (BG&E) unit in Maryland had about 170,000 customers out, down from about 600,000 homes and businesses affected.
Virginia power company Dominion Resources Inc said it still had more than 170,000 customers without electricity in its Virginia and North Carolina service areas.
Washington, D.C.-based Pepco Holdings Inc said it had more than 116,000 customers without power in the District of Columbia and Maryland and more than 69,000 out in New Jersey.
Scientists at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) are expected to reveal the strongest evidence yet for the Higgs particle in Geneva, Switzerland, shortly.
Anticipation is high and rumors have been rife about the announcement.
The Higgs boson would help explain why particles have mass, and fills a glaring hole in the current best theory to describe how the Universe works.
The strength of the LHC’s signal is understood to be just short of the benchmark for claiming a “discovery”.
But it will show that researchers are now tantalisingly close to confirming the Higgs’ existence and bringing to an end the decades-long quest for the most coveted prize in physics.
The $10 billion LHC is the most powerful particle accelerator ever built: it smashes two beams of protons together at close to the speed of light with the aim of revealing new phenomena in the wreckage of the collisions.
But why has so much time and effort been invested in detecting the boson?
Mass is a measure of how much stuff an object – such as a particle or molecule – contains. If it were not for mass, all of the fundamental particles that make up atoms would whiz around at light-speed and the Universe as we know it would never have clumped into matter.
The Higgs boson would help explain why particles have mass, and fills a glaring hole in the current best theory to describe how the Universe works
According to the theory, all of space is filled by a field – known as the Higgs field, which is mediated by particles known as Higgs bosons.
Other particles gain mass when they interact with the field, much as a person feels resistance from the water – drag – as they wade through a swimming pool.
The boson is the last missing particle in the Standard Model, the most widely accepted theory of how the cosmos works. But the Higgs remains a theoretical construct that has never been observed in a particle accelerator.
Four of the six theoretical physicists credited with coming up with the Higgs mechanism in the 1960s – including Prof Peter Higgs, after whom it is named – have been invited to CERN in Geneva for the presentations, fuelling anticipation of a major announcement.
Unconfirmed reports suggest that the signal detected at a mass of 125 gigaelectronvolts (GeV), which was announced in December, has since strengthened.
“We now have more than double the data we had last year,” said CERN’s director for research and computing, Sergio Bertolucci.
“That should be enough to see whether the trends we were seeing in the 2011 data are still there, or whether they’ve gone away. It’s a very exciting time.”
Discovering particles is a numbers game, and scientists analyze many events that could be representative of a Higgs boson being produced in the LHC.
The hints of the Higgs revealed in 2011 had a statistical certainty of just two sigma.
Three sigma represents about one in 700 likelihood that a “bump” in the data is down to some statistical fluctuation, in the absence of a Higgs. But the benchmark for a discovery is five sigma, denoting a one-in-3.5 million likelihood that a result is down to such a fluctuation.
Rumors suggest the certainty level has now crept beyond four sigma. This might not be enough to announce that scientists have found the elusive particle. But it would suggest the LHC’s scientists are within touching distance, and several physicists privately say that such a signal is now unlikely to go away.
Also, the idea that some systemic error could affect all the experiments that see hints of the Higgs – including those at the LHC and the US Tevatron machine (which search for the particle in different ways) – seems just as improbable.
But if and when a new particle is discovered, it will not be clear straight away that it is the Higgs. Physicists will need to characterize its properties in order to confirm whether it is the version of the Higgs predicted by the Standard Model, a “non-conformist” Higgs that hints at new laws of physics, or something else entirely.
This will involve years of detailed and difficult work, said Dr. Tony Weidberg, a University of Oxford physicist and member of one of the LHC’s experimental teams, Atlas.
He said that even at a certainty level of five sigma, “you’re very far from proving it’s a Higgs particle at all, let alone a Standard Model Higgs”.
Sophie Mirabella, an Australian MP, came under a barrage of criticism on social networks today after she just sat and stared blankly when a man collapsed beside her on live TV.
When Simon Sheikh slumped forward, banging his head on a desk with a loud thump, Liberal MP Sophie Mirabella sat back in her seat and stared at the unconscious man as crew members rushed to his aid.
Simon Sheikh, representing a community group, and Sophie Mirabella were part of a panel of experts on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation network discussing the newly imposed carbon tax.
Sophie Mirabella came under a barrage of criticism after she just sat and stared blankly when Simon Sheikh collapsed beside her on live TV
Simon Sheikh had earlier shown difficulty joining in the discussion with other panelists appearing confused by his muddled answers.
Then, as the discussion continued, he suddenly slumped forward, banging his head – and Sophie Mirabella, and who was sitting immediately to his left jerked back in her seat away from him.
Moments earlier, Climate Change Minister Greg Combet had given a confused look in Simon Sheikh’s direction, commenting : “I’m not sure what Simon’s doing there. Is he OK? I think… he’ s not OK. Simon is not OK.”
Greg Combet and members of the show’s crew rushed to the slumped man’s assistance – as Sophie Mirabella recoiled.
Today, after it was learned that Simon Sheikh had fainted because he was recovering from a severe bout of the flu, it was Sophie Mirabella’s reaction which had social media fluttering with criticism.
“Oh and if I’m ever in need of first aid I really hope the first person on the scene isn’t Sophie Mirabella,” tweeted columnist Joe Hildebrand.
Even while the show was continuing viewers sent in messages that appeared on the bottom of the screen.
“Watching Simon Sheikh passing out is horrible. But worse is seeing Sophie Mirabella recoil in horror, rather than help,” wrote one viewer.
Another viewer commented: “Disgusted at Sophie Mirabella’s reaction. No thought of helping someone in need.”
A spokeswoman for Sophie Mirabella said later that the MP had been in shock, like others on the panel: “She was unaware it was a medical emergency at the time and has since contacted him to wish him a speedy recovery.”
A massive solar flare is expected on 4th of July, the day in which America celebrates its independence.
According to reports at 10:52 UT the sun’s active region AR1515 released a M5.6-class solar flare towards Earth, sending X-ray and extreme ultraviolet radiation in our direction.
Discovery revealed that the flare was almost strong enough to become an X-class flare, the most powerful variety of solar eruption.
The sun’s active region AR1515 released a M5.6-class solar flare towards Earth, sending X-ray and extreme ultraviolet radiation in our direction
While the solar flare is not harmful to humans on the ground it does wreak havoc on the upper atmosphere by sending ionization waves through the ionosphere, in some cases causing disruptions to global communications.
The solar flare according to Spaceweather.com was discovered by Rob Stemmes of the Polar Light Center in Lofoten, Norway. A powerful SID was witnessed over Europe only a short time after the flare erupted from the sun.
Solar flares have been around for as long as the sun and happen in cycles along the sun’s photosphere (solar surface).
Space.com reports that this first solar flare is just the start of what is expected to be a solar storm that reaches well into Fourth of July festivities.
With a wave of plasma expected to Earth by Independence Day it looks like there will be more in our skies than just fireworks and if we could actually see the solar flare show with our own eyes, well we would go blind but before that we would stare in amazement at mother nature’s own massive fireworks display.
Lolong, the one-ton crocodile caught in Bunawan, Philippines, has been named the world’s largest saltwater crocodile in captivity.
The Associated Press reports that Lolong was caught by locals last September.
On Monday, the Guinness Book of World Records declared that the 20.24 feet, 1000 pound crocodile was the largest in captivity.
At the time of the crocodile’s capture, Mayor Edwin Cox Elorde said: “There were mixed feelings. We’re really proud because it proves the rich biodiversity of our place but at the same time, there are fears that Lolong may not be alone.”
Lolong, the one-ton crocodile caught in Bunawan, Philippines, has been named the world’s largest saltwater crocodile in captivity
Edwin Cox Eldorde said that he saw a second giant crocodile during Lolong’s capture and he is worried that another man-eating crocodile may be in the surrounding waters.
On the bright side, however, the capture of Lolong has given the town a spike in tourism. A new ecotourism park has been established at the outskirts of Bunawan which has drawn thousands of tourists to see the giant crocodile.
Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Ramon Paje said that the new world record title could help the zoo bring in more people. It could also help to show people that it is important to protect the biodiversity near Bunawan.
There is no evidence that mermaids exist, The National Ocean Service, a US government scientific agency, has said.
The National Ocean Service made the unusual declaration in response to public inquiries following a TV show on the mythical creatures.
It is thought some viewers may have mistaken the programme for a documentary.
“No evidence of aquatic humanoids has ever been found,” the service wrote in an online post.
The National Ocean Service posted an article last week on its educational website, Ocean Facts.
There is no evidence that mermaids exist, The National Ocean Service has said
Images and tales of mermaids – half-human, half-fish – appear in mythology and art from across the world and through history, from Homer’s Odyssey to the oral lore of the Australian aboriginals, the service wrote.
The article was written from publicly available sources because “we don’t have a mermaid science programme”, said National Ocean Service spokeswoman Carol Kavanagh.
Carol Kavanagh said that at least two people had written to the agency asking about the creatures.
The inquiries followed May’s broadcast of Mermaids: The Body Found, on the Discovery Channel’s Animal Planet network.
The programme was a work of fiction but its wink-and-nod format apparently led some viewers to believe it was a science education show, the Discovery Channel has acknowledged.
John Constable’s The Lock, owned by Baroness Carmen Thyssen-Bornemisza, is expected to become one of the most expensive British paintings ever when it is sold at Christie’s in London later.
The depiction of rural life in Suffolk is tipped to fetch up to £25 million ($40 million).
Baroness Carmen Thyssen-Bornemisza said it was “very painful” to sell the 1824 masterpiece but had to because she had “no liquidity”.
The work has been housed in Madrid’s Bornemisza Museum, one of whose board members has resigned in protest.
Museum trustee Sir Norman Rosenthal criticized the Baroness, known as Tita, for putting one of its prize exhibits up for sale.
In his resignation letter, the former exhibitions director of London’s Royal Academy said the decision “represents a moral shame on the part of all those concerned, most especially on the part of Tita”.
If it fetches its expected price, The Lock will become one of the five most expensive Old Masters ever sold at auction.
The top price of £49.5 million ($79 million) was reached in 2002 by Sir Peter Paul Rubens’ painting The Massacre of the Innocents.
A former Miss Spain, the Baroness is the fifth wife and widow of Swiss industrialist Baron Hans Heinrich Thyssen-Bornemisza.
The Lock was part of the huge private art collection he left behind when he died in 2002.
John Constable's The Lock is expected to become one of the most expensive British paintings ever when it is sold at Christie's in London
While most of it was sold to Spain, 250 artworks are still in the Baroness’ private collection and have been lent to the country free of charge for the past 13 years.
Announcing the sale of the John Constable painting in May, the Baroness said she needed to sell because of the current economic crisis.
“It’s very painful for me, but there was no other way out,” she told the Spanish newspaper El Pais.
“I need the money, I really need it. I have no liquidity.
“Keeping the collection here is costly to me and I get nothing in return.”
Francesca Von Habsburg, the Baroness’s stepdaughter and another museum board member, has also expressed disapproval over the sale.
“The baroness has shown absolutely no respect for my father and is simply putting her own financial needs above everything else,” she told The Mail on Sunday.
The top end of the art market has escaped many of the problems faced by the wider global economy, with new records consistently being set for individual artists.
Last month Joan Miro’s 1927 work Peinture (Etoile Bleue) sold for more than £23.5 million ($37.5 million), a record for the Spanish painter.
In May Edvard Munch’s The Scream became the most expensive art work ever sold at auction, selling for $119.9 million in New York.
Most expensive Old Master pictures sold at auction:
1. Sir Peter Paul Rubens – The Massacre of the Innocents (£49.5 million)
2. JMW Turner – Modern Rome – Campo Vaccino (£29.7 million)
3. Francesco Guardi – Venice, a View of the Rialto Bridge, Looking North, from the Fondamenta del Carbon (£26.7 million)
4. George Stubbs – Gimcrack on Newmarket Heath, with a Trainer, a Stable-Lad, and a Jockey (£22.4 million)
5. JMW Turner – Giudecca, La Donna della Salute and San Giorgio (£20.5 million)
6. Jacobo Pontormo – Portrait of a Halbadier (£22.3 million)
7. Rembrandt – Portrait of a man with arms akimbo (£20.2 million)
8. Rembrandt – Portrait of a lady aged 62 (£19.8 million)
9. Canaletto – Venice, the Grand Canal (£18.6 million)
10. Raphael – Portrait of Lorenzo de’ Medici, Duke of Urbino (£18.5 million)
French police have carried out searches of the home and offices of former President Nicolas Sarkozy as part of a campaign financing probe.
A law firm in which Nicolas Sarkozy owns shares was also searched, reports say.
The investigation is related to allegations that Nicolas Sarkozy’s 2007 presidential election campaign received illegal donations from France’s richest woman, Liliane Bettencourt.
Nicolas Sarkozy has previously denied all wrongdoing.
Tens of thousands of euros were allegedly funneled to Nicolas Sarkozy's campaign by Liliane Bettencourt's office
Nicolas Sarkozy is currently in Canada with his family, his lawyer Thierry Herzog told the AFP news agency.
In presidential elections in May, Nicolas Sarkozy lost to Socialist challenger Francois Hollande, and lost his immunity from prosecution in June.
Tens of thousands of euros were allegedly funneled to Nicolas Sarkozy’s campaign by Liliane Bettencourt’s office.
Individual campaign contributions in France are limited to 4,600 euros ($5,800).
Actor Andy Griffith, whose portrayal of a small-town sheriff made The Andy Griffith Show was one of American television’s most enduring shows, has died aged 86.
Television station WITN quoted a longtime friend as saying that Andy Griffith died at his home on Roanoke Island, North Carolina.
The Dare County Sheriff’s dispatcher would say only that an ambulance was called to Andy Griffith’s residence but would not comment further.
Actor Andy Griffith has died aged 86
Andy Griffith created another memorable character, the folksy defense lawyer in Matlock in the 1980s and ’90s, but it was his portrayal of Sheriff Andy Taylor on the The Andy Griffith Show in the 1960s that gave him a place in U.S. television history.
The show portrayed life in the friendly, slow-moving fictional town of Mayberry, North Carolina, which was widely believed to have been based on Andy Griffith’s own hometown, Mount Airy, North Carolina.
