Microsoft launches the most complete preview yet of its upcoming Windows 8 operating system.
Microsoft said that tens of thousands of improvements have been made to what it calls the most important redesign of its interface since Windows 95.
Consumers can now download the release preview of Windows 8, a system which Microsoft says is its most tested operating system ever.
It is expected to go on sale in the autumn, three years after Windows 7.
Microsoft launches the most complete preview yet of its upcoming Windows 8 operating system
The new operating system is designed to bring Windows into the touchscreen, smartphone era.
It adopts the Metro interface of the company’s mobile operating system, Windows Phone 7.
Windows, which still dominates the desktop PC software market, has been much slower to make an impact on mobile phones and tablet computers.
The release preview has features not available in the last version, the consumer preview, launched in February.
There will be new apps for the Bing search engine, news and sports, and improvements to the mail and photo applications unveiled previously.
The latest version of Microsoft’s browser Internet Explorer 10, optimized for touchscreen, is also included for the first time. Users are promised greater personalisation of the start screen, and more control over privacy.
Internet Explorer 10 will be the first browser with “do not track” turned on by default, meaning users can easily decide not to accept cookies.
Microsoft said manufacturers and developers are at work on new devices and apps designed to make the most of Windows 8’s features.
Zhang Ziyi, the Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon star, vehemently denies Chinese media reports she earned $100 million by prostituting herself to a string of powerful Chinese men.
During the period in question Zhang Ziyi was alleged to have slept with disgraced politician Bo Xilai, she was happily in a long-term relationship with Aviv “Vivi” Nevo.
In the photos taken four years ago, Zhang Ziyi, 33, is seen holidaying with her former fiancé in St Barts.
Several reports in China this week, alleged Zhang Ziyi had earned millions by sleeping with wealthy businessmen, including Bo Xilai, who was ousted from China’s powerful politburo amid allegations he and his wife were involved in the murder of British businessman Neil Heywood last November.
Zhang Ziyi is seen frolicking with her then-fiancé on a towel, with him fiddling with her bikini bottoms.
At one point, she removes her bikini top to avoid getting unsightly tan-lines.
In this photo taken four years ago, Zhang Ziyi is seen holidaying with her former fiancé Aviv Vivi Nevo in St Barts
Vivi Nevo, now 47, is an Israeli-American venture capitalist, who is a major shareholder in Time Warner.
According to reports in China, Zhang Ziyi slept with Bo Xilai at least ten times between 2007 and 2011 in exchange for “huge” monetary gifts. The secret trysts are alleged to have taken place in Beijing and to have netted the actress around $1.5 million each time.
Zhang Ziyi confirmed on Wednesday she had met with lawyers from Hong Kong law firm Haldanes and sent an official notice to Apple Daily following the allegations.
She said in a message of her Weibo page (the Chinese version of Twitter): “I met with my lawyer in Hong Kong in the morning to discuss legal measures and just arrived in Hainan. The truth is bound to come to light. And since I have the support of my fans and the law, this will not be a lonely battle.”
Zhang Ziyi was outraged when Apple Daily picked up on the story, which originated on Boxun.com, a Chinese-language site operated in the United States.
Boxun.com alleged Zhang Ziyi was introduced to Bo Xilai through a billionaire friend, Xu Ming, who is said to be worth $700 million but is reportedly under investigation by the Beijing government over alleged corruption.
Xu Ming, 41, has reportedly claimed to authorities that he paid Zhang Ziyi $1 million to have sex with him for the first time in 2007 and that he later negotiated a deal for a similar liaison with Bo Xilai.
Following the reports, her publicist sent a lengthy statement to English-language newspaper TodayOnline reading: “We read this outrageous report in the Apple Daily. It sent stone-cold chills down our spines and has left us with a feeling of deep sadness. Friends have advised us to release a short statement and not take this seriously.
“The more you argue, the more you will stir up. It would be better to step aside until people lose interest and the lies disappear. The innocent will always be innocent.
“We just want to help her get rid of this disturbance and seek justice. Then she will be able to shoot her films in peace and quiet and present you, her fans, with more and better films in return.”
Zhang Ziyi is currently filming a new movie in southern China so missed her latest film première Dangerous Liaisons at the Cannes Film Festival.
Bobbi Kristina Brown is reportedly refusing to attend Bobby Brown’s upcoming Hawaiian wedding to Alicia Etheridge.
According to various reports, Bobbi Kristina Brown, 19, seriously doesn’t like her father’s future wife.
Bobbi Kristina Brown is reportedly refusing to attend Bobby Brown’s upcoming Hawaiian wedding to Alicia Etheridge
Since Bobbi Kristina really doesn’t get down with her future step mother and she has a strained relationship with her dad, Bobby Brown, she has opted not to make the attempt to play nice on her father’s wedding day.
Bobby Brown says he trusts his daughter Bobbi Kristina will not make the same mistakes he did.
Bobby Brown, 43, and Whitney Houston have both struggled with drug addiction and although their daughter Bobbi Kristina Brown has been forced to deny rumors she has also been abusing illegal drugs.
The singer believes his daughter is ”smart enough” not to follow in his footsteps.
Bobby Brown told MTV: ”Any parent that has a teenager in their life, they go through things. They go through phases that they might not be doing exactly what you want them to do in life, but they grow out of it, and my baby girl has grown out of it. I trust and believe that she’s smart enough to not go down the same road that maybe I did in the past or her mother did in the past. She’s extremely smart.”
Bobby Brown says he trusts his daughter Bobbi Kristina will not make the same mistakes he did
Bobbi Kristina Brown is now focusing on launching an acting and music career since her mother died of accidental drowning caused by cardiac failure after taking cocaine in February and her dad is extremely proud of his daughter.
Bobby Brown said: ”That’s my baby girl. She’ll forever be my baby girl. She’s doing what she’s doing, and I’m extremely proud of her. She’s acting and she’s working on music and she’s doing what she has to do to recover from her loss – our loss.”
While father and daughter have a difficult relationship, Bobby Brown has denied reports that Bobbi Kristina wants to ditch the surname Brown.
Bobby Brown said: ”She can’t change her last name, her name is her name. She’ll forever be known as Bobbi Kristina Brown. There’s no changing that, there’s no taking that back.”
“I wake up in the morning / And smell your sweet delight / You linger in my kitchen now / I still smell you at night…”
The following clip, The Power of Bacon, is a love song about crisp, salty, artery-clogging bacon. It is sung to the tune of The Power of Love, Céline Dion’s earth-shattering anthem.
Featured by Anna Sudac, The Power of Bacon video itself is a shot-for-shot parody of Céline Dion’s own Power of Love music video, complete with creepy close-ups of heavily made up eyeballs and oodles of soft caresses
Featured by Anna Sudac, the video itself is a shot-for-shot parody of Céline Dion’s own Power of Love music video, complete with creepy close-ups of heavily made up eyeballs and oodles of soft caresses.
Most importantly, though, its star has some pipes even if nobody can really out-diva Céline Dion.
Bobby Brown has dismissed rumors that his daughter, Bobbi Kristina, is planning to adopt her late mother Whitney Houston’s last name in a bid to distance herself from her father.
Bobbi Kristina Brown, 19, is currently throwing herself into acting and singing to take her mind off the tragic death of her mother on February 11.
Bobbi Kristina Brown was rumored to be planning a name change to launch her career in the spotlight.
Bobby Brown has dismissed rumors that Bobbi Kristina is planning to adopt her late mother Whitney Houston’s last name in a bid to distance herself from her father
However, Bobby Brown is adamant his daughter will not change her name.
“She can’t change her last name, her name is her name. She’ll forever be known as Bobbi Kristina Brown. There’s no changing that, there’s no taking that back,” contactmusic.com quoted Bobby Brown as saying.
Bobbi Kristina Brown did a ”great job” filming for the new comedy series of Tyler Perry’s For Better or Worse.
Bobbi Kristina Brown, 19, publicly received the praise from screen writer Tyler Perry after she was reported to have walked off the set of For Better or Worse.
The aspiring singer and actress was thought to have recently quit the program as she was still mourning the death of her entertainer mother in February.
Bobbi Kristina Brown did a ''great job'' filming for the new comedy series of Tyler Perry’s For Better or Worse
Perry Tyler wrote on his personal website: ”Yes she was grieving, but grief aside, she managed to finish her obligation and did a great job at the same time.
”PLEASE LEAVE THIS BABY ALONE!!! AND SHE IS A BABY. Please stop the lies and give this child some room to breathe and grieve.”
Bobbi Kristina Brown is going ahead with plans to work on a reality show that will also star Whitney Houston’s sister-in-law Pat, brother Gary, mother Cissy and Pat’s daughter Rayah.
The 42-year-old director and actor lent his private jet to the Houston family to shuttle Whitney Houston’s remains back to New Jersey for her burial, and pleaded with people to give her offspring the privacy she deserves in his post.
The 55th Annual Grammy Awards will take place on Sunday, February 10, 2013, at Los Angeles’ Staples Center, and will be broadcast on CBS from 8 to11:30 p.m. (live ET/delayed PT).
Also coming back is the nominations special, The Grammy Nominations Concert Live!, which is scheduled for Wednesday, December 5, 2012.
The 55th Annual Grammy Awards will take place on Sunday, February 10, 2013, at Los Angeles’ Staples Center
The eligibility year for the 55th Grammys is October 1 2011, to September 30, 2012. This year’s 54th Grammy Awards, which followed Whitney Houston’s death, drew 39.9 million viewers, the largest Grammy audience since 1984 and the second-largest in history.
Tyler Perry posted a message on his personal website yesterday denying that Bobbi Kristina Brown had quit his TBS sitcom For Better or Worse because she was upset about her mother, the late Whitney Houston.
“Leave This Baby Alone and Stop the Lies Please!!!” Tyler Perry headlined the post on his website.
“I woke up this morning to my publicist calling me saying that there were reports that Bobbi Kristina walked off the set of <<For Better Or Worse>>. NOT TRUE AT ALL PEOPLE!!! There is no way that she could have walked off the set because we have finished taping the season.”
RadarOnline reported earlier on Wednesday that Bobbi Kristina Brown, who signed on for a recurring role on For Better or Worse in March, had quit the show “a few weeks ago.”
Tyler Perry denies that Bobbi Kristina Brown had quit his TBS sitcom For Better or Worse because she was upset about her mother
Tyler Perry wrote on his website: “Were there tough days for [Bobbi Kristina]? Yes of course. Not because of the acting or any job-related issues but because of the fact that she had just lost her mother. And being someone who knows about losing their mother, I know grief comes in different ways and you never know when it’s going to hit you or how it’s going to hit you … So yes she was grieving, but grief aside, she managed to finish her obligation and did a great job at the same time.”
The second season of For Better or Worse, which includes the episodes starring Bobbi Kristina Brown, premieres on July 13 on TBS.
Ray J is being sued for some expensive items that mysteriously disappeared from room 434 at the Beverly Hilton, where Whitney Houston died on February this year.
In recently filed legal docs, L.A. Stylist Marc Littlejohn claims he was hired to do Ray J’s wardrobe styling on February 10 for a Grammy related event.
Marc Littlejohn alleges all the duds he let the singer borrow were left in Whitney Houston’s room.
Ray J is being sued for some expensive items that mysteriously disappeared from room 434 at the Beverly Hilton, where Whitney Houston died on February this year
Whitney Houston died the next day in that room and, according to the lawsuit, the pricey clothes haven’t been seen since.
Now Marc Littlejohn is suing Ray J for $2,880 – the cost of the missing clothes – insisting he has reached out to both the singer and his mother/manager repeatedly to get some cash or the threads.
SpaceX Dragon cargo capsule has splashed down in the ocean off the California coast.
The return to Earth completes a historic first mission to the International Space Station (ISS) by a privately operated vehicle.
Impact with the water was confirmed at 08:42 Pacific Daylight Time.
Fast boats positioned in the splashdown zone were despatched to recover the unmanned capsule.
Early data suggested Dragon came down very close to its targeted location about 900 km (560 miles) from the Baja Peninsula.
The mission was intended as a demonstration of the freight service SpaceX plans to run to the platform.
SpaceX Dragon cargo capsule has splashed down in the ocean off the California coast
It took half a ton of food and supplies up to the ISS astronauts, and brought down about two-thirds of a ton of completed experiments and redundant equipment.
A successful recovery of the capsule and its contents will trigger a $1.6bn (£1bn; 1.3bn-euro) contract with the US space agency (NASA) for 12 further re-supply trips.
Dragon’s fall to Earth was overseen by controllers at SpaceX’s headquarters in Hawthorne, California, and at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.
The journey home began early on Thursday when the vessel was unberthed from the ISS by the station’s 17.5 m (58 ft) robotic arm.
Astronaut Don Pettit, at the controls of the Canadarm2, then released the cargo ship to fly free at 09:49 GMT, just as the station was moving over the Southern Ocean.
Dragon fired its thrusters three times to take itself down and away from the platform. A final 10-minute burn some five hours later committed the capsule to a plunge into the atmosphere.
A range of ships and planes had been organized to track the return, which was slowed in the final minutes by three parachutes.
Once recovered, Dragon will be returned to port, and then transferred to Texas for inspection and for its cargo to be unloaded.
NASA has engaged SpaceX (Space Exploration Technologies Corporation) and another company, Orbital Sciences Corporation of Virginia, to fulfill logistics roles at the ISS.
The agency hopes the contracting out of freight duties will save it money that can then be re-invested in more daring activities beyond the station, at destinations such as asteroids and Mars.
The commercial cargo approach will be followed later this decade by crew transport services.
SpaceX wants this business as well, and is developing the safety and life-support equipment that would allow Dragon to double up as an astronaut taxi.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says Russian policy will contribute to a potential civil war in Syria.
Hillary Clinton’s comments came after Russia and China renewed opposition to tougher UN Security Council action.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has repeated a warning that Syria could be moving towards “catastrophic” civil war, in the wake of the Houla massacre.
Rebel commanders are split on whether to abandon a ceasefire if Syrian forces do not withdraw to barracks.
The FSA’s Colonel Qassim Saadeddine in Homs said that if there was no government response by Friday lunchtime the FSA would consider itself “no longer bound” by the plan.
But the FSA head, General Riyad Asaad, later denied the deadline existed.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says Russian policy will contribute to a potential civil war in Syria
Instead, he urged peace envoy Kofi Annan to issue a statement declaring his peace plan to have failed.
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has come under intensified pressure to adhere to the ceasefire plan since the Houla massacre, in which more than 100 people – many of them children – died.
Hillary Clinton, speaking on a visit to Denmark, said the case for military intervention was growing stronger every day.
“[The Russians] are telling me they don’t want to see a civil war. I have been telling them their policy is going to help to contribute to a civil war,” she told an audience in Copenhagen.
Ban Ki-moon, speaking at a conference in Turkey, said UN monitors had not been sent to Syria “just to bear witness to the slaughter of innocents”.
“We are not there to play the role of passive observer to unspeakable atrocities,” he said.
“The massacre of civilians of the sort seen last weekend could plunge Syria into catastrophic civil war – a civil war from which the country would never recover.”
Colonel Qassim Saadeddine’s ultimatum, citing the Houla massacre, was given in a video released online, in which he said the government had to “implement an immediate ceasefire, withdraw its troops, tanks and artillery from Syrian cities and villages”.
“It should also allow immediate humanitarian aid to all affected areas and free all detainees… The regime should also enter into a real and serious negotiation through the United Nations to hand over power to the Syrian people,” he went on.
But General Riyad Asaad, speaking to al-Jazeera by phone from Turkey, insisted the FSA was “committed to the Kofi Annan plan and committed to international resolutions and implementing this plan”.
“There is no deadline; however, we hope that Kofi Annan will issue a statement to announce the failure of this plan,” he said.
The UN Human Rights Council will hold a special session on Syria on Friday looking into the killings, officials said.
As many as 15,000 people have been killed since the revolt against the rule of President Bashar al-Assad began in March of last year.
Tracy Island, the South Pacific paradise rendered in vibrant Supermarionation, was the setting for the home base of the Thunderbirds, a secretive organization created to help those in grave danger.
Aogashima is a tropical, volcanic island, in the Phillipine Sea that bears a remarkable resemblance to the home of International Rescue in Gerry Anderson’s hit Sixties series, Thunderbirds.
Part of the Izu Island chain, and politically part of Tokyo although it is 200 miles from the Japanese capital, volcanic island Aogashima is a geological curiosity.
Aogashima is a tropical, volcanic island, in the Phillipine Sea that bears a remarkable resemblance to the home of International Rescue in Gerry Anderson's hit Sixties series, Thunderbirds
With only about 200 residents, all living in one small town, the island is one if the country’s most remote and unspoilt.
There are only two ways to get on or off the outcrop: by helicopter or by boat. Those choosing to sail must arrive or depart from one, small, unreliable harbour which is often rendered useless by bad weather.
As such, it’s a far cry from the Tracy Island of Thunderbirds fame, with its fleet of technologically advanced rescue vehicles poised to save the world 24 hours a day.
Indeed, Aogashima is noted for its peace and quiet, as a place to escape the relentless bustle of urban life and commune again with nature.
Crown Prince Willem-Alexander, the heir to the Dutch throne, made a media splash by hurling a toilet for fun in a contest recently – but has now spoken of his shame.
Prince Willem-Alexander said the event on Queen’s Day last month was “a laugh”, but he also felt “shame at the thought of some 2.6 billion people around the world” who lack toilets.
He won a cup with a little toilet on top as a prize.
The 30 April festivities were held in the eastern village of Rhenen.
Crown Prince Willem-Alexander, the heir to the Dutch throne, made a media splash by hurling a toilet for fun in a contest recently
The crown prince’s younger brother Prince Constantijn also hurled a toilet in the contest, but not as far.
The annual festival marks the birthday of Queen Beatrix’s late mother Queen Juliana.
Crown Prince Willem-Alexander is also chairman of the UN’s water and sanitation advisory board (UNSGAB) and the Dutch government’s information service later insisted that he was not ashamed of his involvement in the contest.
He had taken part because the toilets were destined for a project in Gambia, it said.
British scientists suggest that about 4,600 lives in England could be saved by reducing alcohol intake to just half a unit a day.
The Oxford University report warned that alcohol consumption is a risk factor for many chronic diseases.
The government recommends that men drink no more than three to four units per day and women no more than two to three.
But the current guidelines are “not compatible with optimum protection of public health”, the researchers said.
Ill health linked to alcohol is estimated to cost the NHS in England £3.3 billion ($5 billion) every year.
British scientists suggest that about 4,600 lives in England could be saved by reducing alcohol intake to just half a unit a day
The Oxford University team used data from the 2006 General Household Survey looking at weekly drinking patterns of 15,000 adults in England.
The researchers used a mathematical model to study death rates from 11 illnesses known to be linked to long-term alcohol use, the British Medical Journal reported.
These included coronary heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, diabetes, cirrhosis of the liver, epilepsy and five cancers.
Dr. Melanie Nichols, lead author of the paper, said: “Over 4,000 deaths from cancer, heart disease, stroke and liver disease in England could be prevented if drinkers reduced their average level of alcohol consumption to half a unit per person per day – a level much lower than current UK government recommendations.
“Half a unit of alcohol is as little as a quarter of a glass of wine, or a quarter of a pint.”
But the researchers said they were not trying to lecture people, just give them the information so they could make an informed decision.
They added there was a widespread belief that alcohol protects against heart disease.
Alcohol Concern chief executive Eric Appleby said that government guidelines must offer the public a realistic way of reducing the risks associated with drinking.
“As alcoholic drinks have started to vary in strength we use ‘units’ to measure alcohol intake but it can be very difficult for people to understand what this means in practical terms.”
But Henry Ashworth, chief executive of the Portman Group, which also represents UK drinks producers, said: “78% of people in the UK drink within recommended low risk guidelines – as set by the chief medical officers.
“Drastically cutting everyone’s consumption to half a unit a day (i.e. one large glass of wine a week) is not the way to reduce harms in the smaller groups who are misusing alcohol and need specific and targeted help”.
Established Apple site 9to5Mac revealed a leaked image of what is claimed to be the iPhone 5, and the site, which has a good record for reporting accurate leaks from Apple, has a plethora of details about the new model.
For the first time, the iPhone shakes off the 3.5inch screen-size, bowing to the latest generation of Android smartphones, which over the course of the last two years have shifted the typical screen from three-to up to four or even five inches.
With Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference due in San Fransisco on Monday, June 11, iPhone fans are hoping to get either a glimpse or a confirmed release date in just a few weeks.
9to5Mac estimates the new screen size at a very specific 3.999inches, with a resolution of 1136×640, giving the screen the “Retina”-like feel of the new iPad.
There appears to be a choice of colors – a black model and a white model – as has been the case with the last few models of iPhone.
Other hints given away by the photo – and more are available at 9to5Mac – are that Apple has redesigned the dock connector to be smaller.
Established Apple site 9to5Mac revealed a leaked image of what is claimed to be the iPhone 5
This may end up making older accessories – from charger cables to speaker docks – incompatible, but there will likely be adapters released to ensure older accessories still work.
Speaking of compatibility, developers may need to update their apps to take advantage of the larger size, or there may be a situation similar to when the first iPad was launched, when iPhone apps would appear with a big black border around the age.
The iPhone 4S was released in October last year, and Apple is expected to follow suit with an Autumn launch this year – although, as ever, the company is staying notoriously tight-lipped.
Following the death of co-founder Steve Jobs last year, new CEO Tim Cook will lead the WDC conference this year, to the gathered developers about the future of Apple, upcoming products and changes to both Mac software software and iOS, the mobile version of Apple’s operating system.
Two weeks ago Apple registered the iPhone5.com domain name, amid rumors that the next model is the final model approved by Steve Jobs.
Bloomberg cited a source “with knowledge of the plans” surrounding the new iPhone who claimed that Steve Jobs played a key role in the development of the device, even while on medical leave from his company.
A shakeup in the design of a larger-screen iPhone could go a long way in boosting its “wow” factor, convincing fans to trade in their old iPhones for new ones, said Shaw Wu, an analyst at Sterne Agee.
“Not only do users pay for features, but they also pay for aesthetics and design.
“That’s as important, or more important, than features,” Shaw Wu said.
“People love the current design – but it’s 18 months old.”
With the release of Android devices such as the HTC One X and the Samsung Galaxy S3, packing quad-core processors and almost five-inch screens, the impetus lies with Apple to innovate and revolutionize the market once more.
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg plans to ban any soft drink over 16 ounces across the city by March 2013.
Michael Bloomberg believes that banning the bubbles will combat obesity, diabetes, and other health problems plaguing the people of NYC.
“Obesity is a nationwide problem, and all over the United States, public health officials are wringing their hands saying, <<Oh, this is terrible>>,” Mayor Michael Bloomberg said to the New York Times.
“New York City is not about wringing your hands; it’s about doing something.”
According to the New York City Health Department, more than half of adult New Yorkers are overweight (34%) or obese (22%).
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg plans to ban any soft drink over 16 ounces across the city by March 2013
Michael Bloomberg, who was the driving force behind the city’s calorie counting and anti-smoking campaigns, hopes to implement the ban soon.
His close attention to health issues has earned him the nickname “Nanny Bloomberg”.
The decision will affect everything from 7-Eleven Big Gulps to Starbucks Ventis, leaving a bad taste in some resident’s mouths.
“If people want to drink 24 ounces, it’s their decision,” said Zara Atal, 20, a college student from the Upper East Side to the New York Times.
The ban would not apply to diet sodas, fruit juices, dairy-based drinks or alcoholic beverages.
It also would not affect beverages sold in grocery or convenience stores.
Still, the NYC Beverage Association balked at Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s idea.
“The city is not going to address the obesity issue by attacking soda, because soda is not driving the obesity rates. The overall American diet is,” they said in a statement to CBS.
Michael Bloomberg admitted he occasionally sips a diet soda on a hot day, but argues that there won’t be any laws restricting the amount of small sodas one can purchase.
“Your argument, I guess, could be that it’s a little less convenient to have to carry two 16-ounce drinks to your seat in the movie theater rather than one 32 ounce,” he said.
“I don’t think you can make the case that we’re taking things away.”
Before the proposal can curb New Yorkers’ thirst, the Board of Health must approve it. Experts believe approval is all but confirmed, considering that all the members were appointed by Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
Supervolcanoes were thought to exist for as much as 200,000 years before releasing their vast underground pools of molten rock
Supervolcanoes, the largest volcanoes on Earth, may take as little as a few hundred years to form and erupt.
Supervolcanoes were thought to exist for as much as 200,000 years before releasing their vast underground pools of molten rock.
Researchers reporting in Plos One have sampled the rock at the supervolcano site of Long Valley in California.
Their findings suggest that the magma pool beneath it erupted within as little as hundreds of years of forming.
That eruption is estimated to have happened about 760,000 years ago, and would have covered half of North America in its ash.
Such super-eruptions can release thousands of cubic kilometres of debris – hundreds of times larger than any eruption seen in the history of humanity.
Eruptions on this scale could release enough ash to influence the global weather for years, and one theory holds that the Lake Toba eruption in Indonesia about 70,000 years ago had long-term effects that nearly wiped out humans altogether.
What little is known about the formation of these supervolcanoes is largely based on the study of crystals of a material called zircon, which contains small amounts of radioactive elements whose age can be estimated using the same techniques used to date archaeological artefacts and dinosaur bones.
Zircon studies to date have suggested that the time between the formation of the enormous magma pools and the eventual super-eruptions can be measured in the hundreds of thousands of years.
Now, Guilherme Gualda of Vanderbilt University and his colleagues present several lines of evidence from the Bishop Tuff deposit at Long Valley, suggesting that the pools are “ephemeral” – lasting as little as 500 years before eruption.
Initially, the magma pools are nearly purely liquid rock, with few bubbles or re-crystallized minerals.
Over time, crystals develop, but the process stops at the point of the eruption. As a result, the characteristic development time of these crystals can also give an estimate of how long a magma pool existed before erupting.
Rather than zircon, the team’s target was crystals of the common mineral quartz.
Because the processes and timescales of quartz formation in the extraordinary underground conditions of a magma pool are well-known, the team was able to determine how long the crystals were forming within Long Valley’s supervolcano before being spewed out in the eruption.
Their estimates suggest the quartz formed over a range of time between 500 and 3,000 years.
“Our study suggests that when these exceptionally large magma pools form they are ephemeral and cannot exist very long without erupting,” said Dr. Guilherme Gualda.
“The fact that the process of magma body formation occurs in historical time, instead of geological time, completely changes the nature of the problem.”
At present, geologists do not believe that any of Earth’s known giant magma pools are in imminent danger of eruption, but the results suggest future work to better understand how the pools develop, and aim ultimately to predict devastating super-eruptions.
Everything Everywhere has unveiled the Europe’s first “Intel Inside” smartphone.
The San Diego handset is powered by Intel’s single-core Atom Z2460 processor and runs Google’s Android system.
The new smartphone was manufactured by the Chinese firm Gigabyte, but will be marketed under EE’s Orange brand.
The launch marks Intel’s entry into a market dominated by chips based on designs by British firm Arm Holdings.
The new smartphone will go on sale in the UK and France next week. There has been no announcement as yet for other markets.
The handset is the third Intel-based smartphone, following the launch of Lava’s XOLO X900 in India in April and the Lenovo LePhone K800 in China on Wednesday.
The new smartphone was manufactured by the Chinese firm Gigabyte, but will be marketed under EE's Orange brand
Intel has also partnered with Google’s Motorola Mobility division with devices scheduled to launch in the second half of the year.
Sales of mobile devices are growing at a much faster rate than PCs and some analysts believe the dividing line between the two sectors will blur, so success could be critical for Intel’s future prospects.
“This is part of our strategy to grow into what we refer to as adjacent markets, whether that be premium high performance smartphone products in the mature markets or lower cost solutions in some of the emerging markets, and everything in between,” said Graham Palmer, Intel’s country manager for the UK and Ireland.
“This is absolutely a core part of Intel’s strategy to allow us to take our technology into these new growth sectors.”
Intel and EE are co-funding a multimillion pound marketing campaign – the first to promote an Orange’s own-brand device on television.
Despite the big budget the handset is not targeting the top end of the market.
It has a 4.03 inch (10.2 cm) screen – smaller than HTC and Samsung’s top-end Android models – and runs the Gingerbread version of the system software, rather than the newer Ice Cream release.
Intel said the single core CPU (central processing unit) on its chip outperformed many dual core models on the market, but admitted it would be beaten by recently released handsets featuring quad core technologies.
However, it also sold for a cheaper price: $320 for the pay as you go option.
“It’s not about going head-to-head with a [Samsung] Galaxy S3,” said Paul Jevons, director of products and devices at Everything Everywhere.
“In targeting those customers who may be new to smartphones and are at a different point in the market we are able to meet an unsatisfied need.”
Jessica Simpson was officially announced as the new face of Weight Watchers as she is on a mission to get back in shape after giving birth a month ago.
Jessica Simpson, 31, is the new North America ambassador for the points-based weight loss programme and joins the likes of Jennifer Hudson, who also fronts campaigns for the brand.
The former singer will trade “yo-yo dieting for a healthier lifestyle”, according to a Weight Watchers spokesman.
Jessica Simpson has already started on a healthy eating regime – although she is not yet able to exercise on doctor’s orders until she fully recovers from her C-section.
She spoke to the new edition of People magazine, in which she appears in a photoshoot with daughter Maxwell Drew and fiancé Eric Johnson.
Jessica Simpson revealed she is eating simple meals, including shrimp with sautéed spring vegetables and quinoa.
She is also drinking home-mixed juices, her favorite being kale, spinach, apple, ginger, romaine, celery and carrot combo.
Jessica Simpson was officially announced as the new face of Weight Watchers as she is on a mission to get back in shape after giving birth a month ago
Talking about how she is anxious to shed her baby weight, Jessica Simpson told People magazine: “After you have your baby it’s like, <<Oh my God, what happened to my body… this is not me>>.”
Jessica Simpson revealed she planned to join Weight Watchers before she learned she was pregnant.
Her weight has yo-yoed over the years and she is keen to feel comfortable in her skin again.
She went on: “It would be nice to feel comfortable in a bikini, but that’s not my goal. I just want to fit into jeans.”
While Jessica Simpson is not allowed to exercise yet, she admits she has failed in keeping her hands off her future husband, former NFL star Eric Johnson, 32.
“I’ve kind of broken one rule,” Jessica Simpson confessed about not being able to abstain from sex.
“I think I have the sexiest man in the world. So that’s the rule I break.”
Elsewhere in the interview – which featured the first photos of baby Maxwell Drew who was born on May 1 weighing 9lb 13oz – Jessica Simpson said she gets withdrawal symptoms when she’s not breastfeeding her daughter.
She said: “It’s become a full-on job. It’s the worst if I have to pump and give Eric a bottle to give her. I miss holding her and having that closeness.”
Since becoming parents, Jessica Simpson admits her and Eric Johnson’s lives have changed completely.
“Life has completely changed. From how I sleep to what I think about, Maxwell has definitely taken over everything!
“We stare at her all the time. We can’t get enough.”
The couple also has wedding plans to think about, and may wed by the end of the year, although Jessica Simpson says they have still not set a date.
She added: “I want to feel really great in a wedding dress,” which will no doubt giving her inspiration in her new Weight Watchers mission.
The controversial Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) is back under scrutiny as the European Parliament prepares to carry out a series of key votes.
ACTA seeks to curb the spread of illegally downloaded copyrighted material online.
However, critics say it is a potential threat to freedom of speech online.
To date 22 member states have signed the treaty – but it is yet to be formally ratified by the EU.
The Committee on Legal Affairs (Juri), Committee on Civil Liberties (LIBE) and the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE) will each vote on the crucial concerns surrounding the proposals.
While the agreement covers the counterfeiting of physical items, such as pharmaceuticals, it is the measures relating to pirated material on the internet that have caused most concern among campaigners.
The agreement suggests setting international standards over how copyright infringements are dealt with. Preventive measures include possible imprisonment and fines.
The three committees will issue judgements on the possible impact of the treaty on the trading rights of the European Union; the human rights impact on citizens, and the possible effects on related industries.
The controversial Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) is back under scrutiny as the European Parliament prepares to carry out a series of key votes
The outcomes will influence the decision of the International Trade Committee (INTA) which will vote on 20-21 June to determine the formal recommendation on ACTA to the European Parliament. INTA’s appointed rapporteur on ACTA, David Martin, has strongly condemned the treaty.
In April, David Martin said: “The intended benefits of this international agreement are far outweighed by the potential threats to civil liberties.”
Rapporteurs advising LIBE and ITRE have also recommended rejecting the treaty, concurring with David Martin’s comments.
However, Marielle Gallo, who has advised Juri, has said she is not against the agreement.
The INTA vote will heavily influence the final decision on ACTA by the European Parliament. This vote is expected to take place on 2 July.
If it passes, the agreement will then come into force across the EU. If rejected, ACTA will be scrapped entirely.
The treaty has provoked discontent across the world since an initial draft was released by Wikileaks in 2008.
Open-rights campaigners argued the measures were being debated in secret.
Across Europe thousands of protesters demonstrated to voice their objections to the agreement.
The treaty’s backers have said it would not alter existing laws, and would instead provide protection for content creators in the face of increasing levels of online piracy.
Nevertheless, the proposals have encountered a slew of objections.
In February, the European Commission referred the matter to the European Court of Justice to judge on whether ACTA complied with human-rights laws.
This process was expected to delay ratification proceedings, but members of INTA voted to go ahead with pre-planned timetable.
Euro MP Kader Arif, who resigned from his post as rapporteur for ACTA in January, said he did so in protest at the “masquerade” of negotiations.
Meanwhile, several countries distanced themselves from the agreement, including Germany and Poland, where large protests took place.
Most recently, lawmakers in the Netherlands urged rejection of the treaty over fears that it breached the country’s constitution.
The UK, which signed the treaty in January, said it still backed ACTA.
Outside the EU, the treaty also has the support of the US, Australia, Canada, Japan, Morocco, New Zealand, Singapore and South Korea.
Zhang Ziyi, star of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, has been forced to deny lurid claims that she earned $100 million by prostituting herself to a string of powerful Chinese men.
Among those with whom Zhang Ziyi was alleged to have had sex for money is disgraced politician Bo Xilai, ousted from China’s powerful politburo amid allegations he and his wife were involved in the murder of Old Harrovian businessman Neil Heywood.
Zhang Ziyi, 33, one of China’s biggest film stars and a three-times BAFTA nominee, is the most prominent name to date to be dragged into the scandal over Bo Xilai.
Zhang Ziyi, star of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, has been forced to deny lurid claims that she earned $100 million by prostituting herself to a string of powerful Chinese men
According to reports in China, Zhang Ziyi slept with Bo Xilai at least ten times between 2007 and 2011 in exchange for “huge” monetary gifts. The secret trysts are alleged to have taken place in Beijing and to have netted the actress around $1.5 million each time.
The pair are said to have been introduced by Xu Ming, a Chinese businessman who is said to be worth $700 million but is reportedly under investigation by the Beijing government over alleged corruption.
Xu Ming, 41, has reportedly claimed to authorities that he paid Zhang Ziyi $950,000 to have sex with him for the first time in 2007 and that he later negotiated a deal for a similar liaison with Bo Xilai.
Xu Ming is said to have paid Zhang Ziyi a total of $28 million and it is alleged that the actress – who also starred in Rush Hour 2, House Of Flying Daggers and Memoirs Of A Geisha – made millions more from similar deals with other rich and powerful figures.
Investigators are said to be looking into claims that her supposedly illicit earnings escaped tax thanks to interventions by Xu Ming and senior government officials.
It was reported that the Chinese government has refused to allow Zhang Ziyi to leave the country while it investigates the claims, prompting claims that this was why she was absent from this year’s Cannes film festival to promote her latest film, a new version of Dangerous Liaisons.
The actress cryptically wrote on her internet blog that many people “can take wind as rain” using their imaginations.
Zhang Ziyi’s Chinese publicist described the claims as “outrageous”, adding: “It sent stone-cold chills down our spines and has left us with a feeling of deep sadness. Why should this devoted and responsible actress have to suffer this kind of slander and defamation?”
Now living in Hong Kong, Zhang ziyi was engaged from 2008 until 2010 to Vivi Nevo, the Israeli-American venture capitalist who was romantically linked to Kate Moss.
SpaceX cargo capsule Dragon returns to Earth on Thursday having spent a week attached to the International Space Station.
The unmanned vehicle will fall through the atmosphere to make a splashdown in the Pacific off the California coast.
Dragon mission made history last Friday by becoming the first privately produced craft to visit the orbiting platform.
The mission has been a demonstration of the freight service SpaceX intends to run to the station.
It has a $1.6 billion contract with the US space agency (NASA) waiting to be triggered on the successful recovery of Dragon from the ocean.
“It’s a very challenging phase of flight. Only a few countries have done this before so we’re not taking this lightly,” said SpaceX mission director John Coulurlis ahead of the re-entry.
Astronauts on the International Space Station (ISS) closed the hatch on Dragon on Wednesday after filling it with 660 kg (1,450 lbs) of experiments and failed equipment that need to come back to Earth.
SpaceX cargo capsule Dragon returns to Earth on Thursday having spent a week attached to the International Space Station
The crew has to unberth the cargo ship from the platform using its big robotic arm before releasing it to fly free.
Dragon must then fire its thrusters several times to take itself down and away from the station. A final burn will put it on a course for re-entry into the atmosphere.
SpaceX has organized a range of ships, planes and ground stations to track the descent of the capsule, which will be slowed in the final minutes by three big parachutes.
Dragon is projected to hit the water at 15:44 GMT (11:44 EDT).
“Our splashdown zone is about 490 nautical miles south-west of Los Angeles,” explained John Coulurlis.
“The recovery boats – it’s a fleet of three vessels with supporting fast boats that go out to safe the spacecraft.
“It will take about two to three days to return to port. We’ll then go direct to our facility in Texas for cargo unloading and further spacecraft inspection.”
SpaceX – Space Exploration Technologies Corporation – has been engaged by NASA to fulfill a logistics role at the station just as soon as it has proved its systems. The current mission was designed to see it complete a final set of performance milestones.
NASA has another such arrangement with Orbital Sciences Corporation of Virginia, although its freighter, known as Cygnus, is still several months from making its maiden flight.
The agency hopes that by contracting out the carriage of freight it will save money which can then be re-invested in more daring activities beyond the station, at destinations such as asteroids and Mars.
The commercial cargo approach will be followed later this decade by crew transport services.
SpaceX wants this business as well, and is developing the safety and life-support equipment that would allow Dragon to double up as an astronaut taxi.
British doctors from St Thomas’ hospital in London are trialling “touchless” technology, often used in TV games, to help them carry out delicate keyhole surgery.
The system allows them to manipulate images with their voice and hand-gestures rather than using a keyboard and mouse.
Surgeons say it gives them more control and avoids disruption.
Independent experts say this approach could become the norm over the next ten or 15 years.
Surgeons are increasingly reliant on 3D images to carry out complex and delicate procedures.
Accessing the information they want is not straightforward. Using a conventional keyboard and mouse during the operation would risk contamination.
Relying on colleagues to get the right image can be time-consuming and disruptive.
Doctors from St Thomas’ hospital in London are trialling "touchless" technology, often used in TV games, to help them carry out delicate keyhole surgery
Surgeons are trialling gesture-based gaming technology to access and manipulate images.
The system will be familiar to anyone who has used Kinect interactive games at home.
This has been adapted to respond to surgeons’ voice commands and arm-movements during operations.
The initial trial at St Thomas’ hospital is in vascular surgery – in this case inserting a graft to repair a damaged aorta, the main blood vessel running through the body.
Standing straight, arms raised like an conductor, the surgeon, Tom Carrell, issues commands to a Kinect sensor perched beneath a monitor displaying a 3D image of the patient’s damaged aorta.
With hand gestures he can pan across, zoom in and out, and rotate images. He can then lock the image and make markers to help ensure the graft is in exactly the right place.
He says this direct control helps him to focus on the technical aspects of the operation.
“Until recently I was shouting out across the operating theatre to tell someone to go up, down, left right.
“But with the Kinect I’m able to get the position that I want quickly – and also without me having to handle non-sterile things like a keyboard or mouse during the procedure.”
Dr. Tom Carrell says the technology is easy to use.
“The sensitivity is the main thing, but it’s very simple gestures, like on a smart-phone. Once you know the gestures it’s very intuitive.”
This is one of the first trials of its kind in the world. Some of the features – such as the voice control and gestures tailored to vascular surgery – are unique.
The refinements from gaming technology to complex surgery have been developed by Microsoft Research, with support from Lancaster University. Helena Mentis from Microsoft Research says the operating theatre presents particular challenges.
“In something like a surgical theatre we’re interested in a very constrained area. You have surgeons and scrub nurses that are all very close to one another.
“You have a patient in front of you. You don’t have the ability to reach up and reach out as far because you’re sterile. You can’t touch anything that’s not already sterile.”
An international research team has announced that a successful sequencing of the tomato genome will lead to tastier varieties within five years.
They believe that the elusive flavor of home grown tomatoes will by then be widely available in supermarkets.
Writing in the journal Nature, the researchers say the genetic information could reduce the need for pesticides.
The authors believe the genome will also boost conventional breeding techniques over genetic modification.
While the sheer numbers and varieties of tomatoes available in UK shops have increased substantially in the past 20 years, many consumers would complain that this growth has been at the expense of flavor.
Scientists like Professor Graham Seymour at the University of Nottingham would tend to agree.
“In the early 1990s what changed the tomato industry was the use of non-ripening mutant genes, genes that came from natural mutations that have been used to extend shelf life in the fruit.
“But this has been quite a blunt instrument, because when you slow ripening down you also slow down those other processes like flavor development and color development.”
Scientists have announced that a successful sequencing of the tomato genome will lead to tastier varieties within five years
As part of an international team of more than 300 scientists from 14 countries, Prof. Graham Seymour and his colleagues believe that the successful deciphering of the tomato genome will have a major impact on a global industry worth between $30 billion and $40 billion annually.
“Now that we have the genome it will be possible to actually target the genes that control flavor separately from those that control shelf life. So it should be possible in the very near future to have tomatoes that last a long time but develop a very dark red color, are full of phyto chemicals and are much more tasty.”
Another member of the team Dr. Gerard Bishop from Imperial College London says the publication of the genome marks a “step change” in the way we breed tomatoes.
“Yield has been the big driver behind most of the breeding strategies and now the push is to go over to flavor. We now have the ability to breed varieties more quickly, it’s going to provide us with more intricate ways of precisely breeding the varieties we really want.”
And these new varieties will be on the shelves very soon according to Prof. Graham Seymour.
“I only work with a couple of companies but I know that they are putting through some of these new traits and they are going to their elite lines – but all tomato breeding companies will be taking this up now so you would expect to see a number of new products over the next 3-5 years.”
However the publication of the tomato genome will raise fears in some people that scientists will now be able to tinker more easily with the genetic makeup of the fruit.
Back in the early 1990s a genetically modified tomato called the Flavr Savr was the first GM crop licensed for human consumption. It was not a commercial success as public concerns over the technology eventually lead to its demise.
So will the availability of the full genetic sequence and the demand for tastier varieties revitalize the GM effort? Prof. Graham Seymour doesn’t think so.
“It’s very likely at the moment that it will just be better breeding through conventional techniques. The genome sequence allows us to target those gene variants in the wild species and bring them into the cultivated lines and do that relatively effectively.”
Dr. Gerard Bishop agrees that the knowledge gleaned from the genome will boost conventional breeding.
“It will allow us to breed more pesticide resistant varieties. And because some of the wild species come from desert locations, there are going to be genes we can breed in that will help mitigate climate change.”
But will the publication of the genome shed any light on the perennial debate about whether a tomato is a fruit or a vegetable? The question gets short shrift from Prof. Graham Seymour
“It’s botanically a fruit, it’s a berry, that’s it.”
