Robin Gibb’s wife Dwina keeps vigil at his bedside in a private hospital in Chelsea, West London, UK, where the Bee Gee continues to fight for his life.
Robin Gibb, 62, has been in a coma since Friday, and doctors fear he has just days to live.
Bee Gees star is now battling pneumonia, following months of health troubles.
Robin Gibb was diagnosed with colon cancer after surgery for a blocked bowel in 2010, with the disease later spreading to his liver.
His latest setback comes after a series of operations and treatments, and amid reports of a new tumor.
Dwina Gibb, his children and Robin’s brother, Barry, have been praying at his bedside.
Robin Gibb’s wife Dwina arrives at the private hospital in Chelsea, where the Bee Gee continues to fight for his life
Robin Gibb’ son, Robin-John, 29 – known as RJ for short – said he would do “anything” to have his father make a swift and full recovery.
RJ said: “My dad has had a hard recovery from cancer.
“When you get rid of the cancer a lot of periphery problems can occur. This is so sad.”
RJ told The People that everyone from the family was “praying” for a recovery and that he felt honored to be living in his father’s shadow.
He added: “If people say that I’m living in my ¬father’s shadow, all I can say is what a great shadow that is to be living in.”
Robin Gibb made a recovery from liver and colon cancer this year, but doctors believe a second tumor may be present.
He has also developed pneumonia.
Robin Gibb revealed his battle with cancer in October 2010.
He had emergency surgery to treat a blocked bowel, before a further operation to treat a twisted bowel. Colon cancer was then discovered and it spread to his liver.
Robin Gibb’s twin brother Maurice died of complications resulting from a twisted intestine in 2003, aged 53.
Dole Food Co.’s fresh vegetables division has decided to recall 756 cases of bagged salad out of fears that they could be contaminated with salmonella.
The bags of Seven Lettuces salads were distributed in Alabama, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia and Wisconsin.
Dole said the bags are being recalled after a random sample tested by the state of New York came back positive for salmonella.
No other Dole salads are included in the recall.
The recalled salads are stamped with a use-by date of April 11, 2012 with the UPC code 71430 01057 and product codes 0577N089112A and 0577N089112B, the company said.
The recalled salads are stamped with a use-by date of April 11, 2012 with the UPC code 71430 01057 and product codes 0577N089112A and 0577N089112B
The product code and use-by date are located in the upper right-hand corner of the package.
The UPC code is on the back of the package below the barcode.
Dole said that it’s coordinating with regulatory officials.
No illnesses have been reported, officials said.
Consumers should throw out the recalled salads.
Dole said it’s also contacting retailers to make sure the bags in question are not available for sale.
The most common symptoms of salmonella infection are diarrhea, abdominal cramps and fever within eight to 72 hours of eating the contaminated food.
The illness can be severe or even life-threatening for infants, older people, pregnant women and people with weakened immune systems.
Jennifer Aniston is said to be delighted for Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie after hearing the couple are set to wed.
Jennifer Aniston, 43, is so happy with her own beau Justin Theroux that she is actually pleased with the situation, according to reports.
According to HollywoodLife.com a source said: “Jennifer is happy for Brad and Angelina. She is so in love with Justin, that she is really grateful how things turned out.
“In a strange way if it weren’t for Angelina, Jennifer would not have connected with Justin in a romantic way. Jennifer is in a really wonderful place right now.”
The source added: “I wouldn’t be surprised if she even went to their wedding.”
Jennifer Aniston is said to be delighted for Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie after hearing the couple are set to wed
Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston split in 2005, ending their five year marriage, and the actor was soon linked to Angelina Jolie.
Rumors were sparked that Brangelina got together while filming Mr. & Mrs. Smith, while Brad Pitt was still married to Jennifer Aniston.
Brad Pitt’s former wife isn’t the only one said to be thrilled with the news the couple’s six children have finally got the fairytale they wished for following news their famous parents are set to wed.
A representative for Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie – whose engagement was confirmed yesterday – revealed the Brangelina brood is “very happy”.
While the couple said they would not get married until everyone, including gay couples could, they have reportedly been given blessing from certain LGBT groups.
Angelina Jolie recently revealed in an interview how their kids often asked why there were not married “like Shrek and Fiona”.
Ksenia, a Scottish Fold feline from Russia, is what thousands of internet users are calling the world’s cutest cat.
Ksenia, a charcoal moggy, first appeared on YouTube in December 2011, but she has become an online sensation in the past 48 hours, attracting more than 355,000 views.
The cat is so cute that some fans have even suggested she’s an elaborate and hi-tech animatronic toy – while others have offered to buy her.
Ksenia does nothing out of the ordinary in her YouTube debut, scampering around playfully on the back of a chair.
But thousands have flocked to the site to see her flawless fur, bright orange eyes, panting puppy-like tongue and impossibly perfect face.
Ksenia, a Scottish Fold feline from Russia, is what thousands of internet users are calling the world's cutest cat
There’s been so much interest in this little kitten, her owner logged onto the site today to field questions from fascinated fans.
One user likened Ksenia to a Antonio Banderas’ adorable animated cat in Pixar’s Puss in Boots; while another offered $1,000 to buy her.
Her owner jokingly agreed, before replying: “Jokes. I will never this do it.”
Other fans have even speculated Ksenia is the result of some clever CGI technology – or an animatric doll.
South African President Jacob Zuma is set to marry for the sixth time next weekend, making long-term fiancée Gloria Bongi Ngema his fourth current wife, his spokesman says.
Jacob Zuma is a Zulu traditionalist, and polygamy is legal in South Africa.
His spokesman, Mac Maharaj, said the private ceremony would take place in Nkandla in KwaZulu Natal province.
“I can confirm that President Zuma will formalise his relationship with his fiancee, Ms Bongi Ngema, in a private traditional ceremony at Nkandla this weekend,” Mac Maharaj told AFP.
South Africa’s president, a known polygamist, will be married the sixth time.
“The president currently has three wives. This will be his fourth wife,” Mac Maharaj said.
Jacob Zuma is set to marry for the sixth time next weekend, making long-term fiancée Gloria Bongi Ngema his fourth current wife
Jacob Zuma usually takes one wife with him on official events, on a rotating basis.
Gloria Bongi Ngema, who accompanied Jacob Zuma on a state visit to the G20 summit in South Korea last year, has a three-year-old son with him. She has a business degree among other academic qualifications.
He divorced Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, South Africa’s candidate for the African Union top post, in 1998. Another wife, Kate, committed suicide in 2000.
Jacob Zuma, who became president in 2009, recently celebrated his 70th birthday and has 21 children.
A statement on the president’s website said there would be no cost to the government for next weekend’s ceremony, nor did the state pay for the maintenance of the four spouses’ households.
Jacob Zuma’s adventures with women have often sparked controversy. In 2006 he was acquitted of rape charges after having consensual sex with an HIV-positive activist and family friend. He famously told the court he had taken a shower to protect himself against infection.
In 2009 he fathered a child with the daughter of 2010 World Cup local chief Irvin Khoza on the eve of the global event.
Asked at his birthday party Friday whether he was done with marriage, Jacob Zuma replied: “I think so.”
British businessman Neil Heywood, who is thought to have been murdered in China, was poisoned, according to unconfirmed rumors.
The allegation appears to have come from a report on a Chinese-language website based outside the country.
The Chinese authorities have made no comment on the rumors.
However he died, the death of Neil Heywood has sent shockwaves through China’s political establishment.
Neil Heywood’s death has been linked to the downfall of one of the country’s most prominent politicians, Bo Xilai, and has undermined China’s planning for a leadership reshuffle later this year.
This is a new twist in a story which has precious few facts.
Boxun, a website based in the United States, claims that Neil Heywood was poisoned with potassium cyanide.
That rumor was repeated by people using Chinese micro-blogging sites and has been picked up by some Western newspapers.
Neil Heywood died in the city of Chongqing last November.
Boxun, a website based in the United States, claims that Neil Heywood was poisoned with potassium cyanide
The British embassy and Neil Heywood’s family were told by the Chinese police that “excessive alcohol” was the cause.
They did not think the death was suspicious and Neil Heywood was cremated a few days after he died. A British diplomat was present.
But when several of Neil Heywood’s friends raised their concerns about the death, the British government asked China to re-open the case.
They did, and on Tuesday announced that they now think he was murdered.
So far, the police have not said publicly how they think Neil Heywood died. It is understood that they have not even told the British government about their findings.
But the authorities have revealed the startling news that the wife of one of the country’s most popular politicians is a prime suspect.
Bo Xilai’s wife, Gu Kailai, has been detained on suspicion of murder, together with her personal assistant. Bo Xilai has been stripped of his positions at the top of the ruling communist party.
Neil Heywood’s death has undermined the party’s planning for a once-in-a-decade reshuffle in the Chinese Communist Party later this year.
Bo Xilai had been tipped for promotion before the latest developments.
The Chinese government has tried to downplay the connection between Neil Heywood’s death and the political changes taking place in Beijing.
A commentary piece published by the state-run Xinhua news agency on Sunday said the death is being handled normally and should be treated without “fuss, not to mention excessive interpretation or bias”.
“It has nothing to do with a so-called <<political struggle>>,” it went on.
A pregnant woman from Chicago is searching for her baby’s father on Craigslist’s Missed Connections.
The man she is looking for is a guy at the Megadeth and Motorhead concert with a red mohwak and “viper piercings”.
Obviously a man with a red mohawk at a Megadeth concert does not narrow things down, but the lady with blue hair and black biker boots does recall some intimate details.
In the post, which has been removed from the website, the woman outlines their sexual encounter in the bathroom of the Aragon Ballroom in February.
The pregnant woman from Chicago is searching for her baby’s father on Craigslist’s Missed Connections
Inspired by Motorhead’s Lemmy and his hits such as Ace of Spades, the girl who does not seem to remember the father-to-be’s name has a rather blunt message for the man with the red mohawk.
“Anyway, I’m pregnant. It’s yours. Contact me if you want to be part of your child’s life,” said the post.
There has been no word on whether the star-crossed lovers have reunited.
But to a soundtrack of Megadeth or heavy metal-god-Lemmy, it might be possible to understand how they missed recalling each others names.
Bloggers on the Internet have been discussing whether the post is real, pointing to the deadpan delivery of the pregnancy news.
However, most feel that the blue haired lady has done the right thing and at least given her unborn child the chance to know his viper pierced father.
Controversial website Craigslist has had its fair share of odd, unusual and frightening stories attached to it since it launched in 1996 as a web-based service.
This month alone a personal trainer in Hollywood, Dejon Miller, was accused of using the advertising website to recruit female models and “torture” them.
Calling himself “Danger”, Miller, 35, allegedly beat and verbally abused any aspirant models who responded to his advertisements.
Two people died in Oklahoma after several tornadoes have hit a large swathe of the US Midwest.
Storms were reported in Kansas, Iowa, Nebraska and Oklahoma. The deaths occurred in Oklahoma’s Woodward county, officials said.
The National Weather Service had warned there could be further tornadoes early Sunday morning, with concern they could strike as people slept.
But it said that the chance they would be very strong or long-lived was lower than the previous evening.
Forecasters had warned that the worst of the weather would hit around nightfall.
Two people died in Oklahoma after several tornadoes have hit a large swathe of the US Midwest
Officials feared people would not hear warnings as they slept and said that it was more difficult for weather spotters to track the funnel clouds overnight.
In Woodward in Oklahoma, a block of flats was also damaged by the twister, after residents were caught by surprise as the storm sirens had failed to sound, Reuters news agency quoted the local mayor as saying.
One tornado destroyed large parts of the town of Thurman, in Iowa, on Saturday, but there were no major injuries, the NWS said.
“It lasted three to four minutes probably – what seemed like an eternity,” one man from Thurman told the broadcaster ABC.
“The next thing I know, the house was shaking and I could feel it lifting and it was over that quick,” another man said.
Another tornado caused widespread power outages and other damage in the city of Wichita, Kansas, according to Associated Press.
The roof of a hospital in Creston, southwest of Des Moines, was damaged, but patients and staff were not hurt, AP reported.
Tornado experts had said that storms on Saturday could be a “life-threatening event”.
US tornadoes have already killed at least 39 people in 2012.
An outbreak of deadly twisters hit the states of Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, Georgia and Alabama in early March.
At the start of April the Dallas-Fort Worth area was badly hit, with hundreds of flights being disrupted but no-one injured or killed.
Bee Gees star Robin Gibb is still in coma after suffering from pneumonia, his official website confirms.
Robin Gibb, 62, has been recovering from cancer in recent months, but was too ill to attend a performance of his new work a few days ago.
“We are all hoping and praying that he will pull through,” his website said.
In February, Robin Gibb said he had been making a “spectacular” recovery from cancer but he was later readmitted to hospital for intestinal surgery.
Bee Gees star Robin Gibb is still in coma after suffering from pneumonia
The message on his homepage added: “Because of this situation, Robin’s website is temporarily unavailable. Sorry for any inconvenience.”
Robin Gibb’s family have been keeping vigil at his bedside at a hospital in Chelsea, west London, the Press Association reports.
The British-born singer had surgery on his bowel 18 months ago for an unrelated condition, but a tumor was discovered and he was diagnosed with cancer of the colon and later of the liver.
It had been thought his cancer was in remission as early as last month.
On 11 April, Robin Gibb did not attend the London premiere of his first classical work because of the pneumonia, his son said at the time.
Robin Gibb had also been due to perform a new song, called Don’t Cry Alone, at The Titanic Requiem concert.
Eleven US Secret Service agents and five soldiers were recalled to Washington last week after nearly all of them allegedly brought prostitutes back to their rooms at a luxury hotel in Colombia.
The agents were in Cartagena, Colombia, to scout out the security situation ahead of President Barack Obama’s trip there for the Summit of the Americas this weekend.
But the agents – who have now been placed on leave – reportedly capped off a week of heavy drinking at the beachfront Hotel Caribe in Cartagena by cavorting with prostitutes.
The partying was exposed when one of the women caused a commotion after an agent refused to pay her. Local police and hotel security were called.
Five U.S. military personnel, who were working with the Secret Service, could also be involved in misconduct and have been confined to their rooms and ordered not to have contact with others. They face possible disciplinary charges.
Rep Peter King, who was briefed on the incident, said 11 agents, many of them married, were in the team that was recalled to the U.S. – instead of 12 as originally reported – and that “close to” all of them were involved.
Peter King said he was told that anyone visiting the hotel overnight was required to leave identification at the front desk and leave the hotel by 7:00 a.m.
When a woman failed to do so, it raised questions among hotel staff and police, who investigated.
They found the woman with the agent in the hotel room and a dispute arose over whether the agent should have paid her. Peter King said he was told that the agent did eventually pay the woman.
The incident was reported to the U.S. embassy, prompting further investigation.
The Secret Service agents reportedly capped off a week of heavy drinking at the beachfront Hotel Caribe in Cartagena, Colombia, by cavorting with prostitutes
During their week-long stay at the five-star hotel in Cartagena, the agents were seen drinking heavily, according to waiters there.
A number of the White House staff and traveling press corps were also staying at the hotel.
The White House said Barack Obama had been briefed about the incidents but would not comment on his reaction.
“The President does have full confidence in the United States Secret Service,” presidential spokesman Jay Carney said when asked.
Jay Carney insisted the matter was more a distraction for the media than Barack Obama. But Secret Service assistant director Paul Morrissey said in a statement: “We regret any distraction from the Summit of the Americas this situation has caused.”
The Washington Post reported that Jon Adler, president of the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association, said the accusations related to at least one agent having involvement with prostitutes.
The association represents federal law enforcement officers, including the Secret Service.
Ronald Kessler, a former Post reporter and the author of a book about the Secret Service, told the newspaper that he had learned that among the agents involved, several are married.
Although prostitution is legal in parts of Colombia, the Secret Service is said to consider solicitation inappropriate behavior for its agents.
Colombia has become known as “the Thailand of Latin America” for its loose laws on prostitution and the easy availability of sex workers.
The incident threatened to overshadow Barack Obama’s economic and trade agenda at the Summit of the Americas and embarrass the U.S.
Secret Service spokesman Ed Donovan would not confirm that prostitution was involved, saying: “The Secret Service takes all allegations of misconduct seriously.”
“These personnel changes will not affect the comprehensive security plan that has been prepared in advance of the President’s trip,” said Ed Donovan of the conference in the Colombian port city attended by Barack Obama and more than 30 world leaders.
He said the allegations of misconduct were related to activity before the president’s arrival on Friday night.
Barack Obama was attending a leaders’ dinner on Friday night at Cartagena’s historic Spanish fortress.
He was due to attend summit meetings with regional leaders on Saturday and Sunday.
Those involved had been sent back to their permanent place of duty and were being replaced by other agency personnel, Ed Donovan said.
The matter was turned over to the agency’s Office of Professional Responsibility, which handles the agency’s internal affairs.
On the steamy streets of Cartagena, a resort city with a teeming prostitution trade, there was condemnation for the Secret Service agents for what residents saw as abusing their station and dishonoring their country.
Edwin Yepes, a souvenir vendor, said: “They are supposed to come here and set an example.
“We are an inferior culture, and so it’s better if they don’t come than if they damage our image of them.”
Several events across the world are marking today the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic, including the ship’s birthplace Belfast.
A Titanic Memorial Garden – with the names of 1,512 victims etched on five bronze plaques – is being opened close to where the liner was launched.
A service is being held in Southampton where the voyage to New York began.
And at the North Atlantic site of the sinking, memorial cruise ship Balmoral is marking the time Titanic hit an iceberg.
Balmoral has arrived at the site where the Titanic sank 400 services miles (460 km) off the coast of Newfoundland on 15 April and passengers and crew are holding commemorations to mark the tragedy.
Another cruise ship, Azamara Journey, has sailed from New York to take part in the ceremony.
Descendants of the victims are expected at the services, and will lay wreaths and join in a minute’s silence in memory of all those who died.
The sinking is also being remembered in other parts of the globe.
Titanic exhibitions are being hosted in Las Vegas, San Diego, Houston and Singapore.
The world’s largest visitor centre opened two weeks ago in Belfast on the Harland and Wolff slipway where Titanic was built. The $153 million building has already attracted more than 45,000 visitors.
Several events across the world are marking today the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic
In nearby Belfast city centre, the Titanic Memorial Garden was completed this weekend, just in time for the 100th anniversary.
There is no distinction on the memorial between first class passengers and others on board. The names of the dead are simply listed in alphabetical order.
Intriguingly, two of the names have an asterisk beside them – Mr. Thomas Hart and Mr. John Horgan.
Kelly Frizell from Belfast City Council said: “The asterisk means that somebody was travelling under this passenger’s name, but they weren’t the actual passenger in question.
“Whether it’s their true identity or not, a life is a life, and they lost their life.
“There’s no other way to recognize them.
“We couldn’t have left them off.”
Then real identities of Thomas Hart and John Horgan remain a Titanic mystery.
Kelly Frizell spent almost a year researching the victims.
She said: “This is the first monument with all 1,512 names listed in alphabetical order, so it’s very significant.
“It’s breathtaking looking at such a loss. It’s emotional just looking at it.”
The plinth bearing the names is nine metres long. The flowers in the garden were chosen carefully.
Landscape architect Joy Hutchinson said: “We went for a color scheme built around blue, white, silver and green, reflecting water and ice.
“It’s to try to encourage a sense of peace and contemplation.”
In the past two decades, Titanic has become an internationally recognized brand with movies, memorabilia and commercial ventures springing up in different parts of the world.
However, the 100th anniversary is being marked with a series of solemn events, which recognize the tragic reality of the most famous maritime disaster in history.
Kim Jong-Un has made his first televised speech, as Pyongyang marks the 100th anniversary of the birth of North Korea’s founder, Kim Il-Sung.
In front of cheering crowds, the new leader praised and offered respect to Kim Il-Sung – his grandfather – and his father, the late Kim Jong-Il.
As part of the celebrations, a huge military parade has been staged in the main square of Pyongyang.
Kim Jong-Un’s speech comes just two days after a failed rocket launch.
Kim Jong-Un has made his first televised speech, as Pyongyang marks the 100th anniversary of the birth of North Korea's founder, Kim Il-Sung
The attempted launch was condemned by the international community, amid concern that it was a covert test of long-range missile technology.
On Sunday, television footage showed thousands of soldiers carrying red flags marching into the square to the sound of drumbeats.
It is the first time Kim Jong-Un, believed to be in his late 20s, has been seen speaking publicly since taking power following the death of his father in December.
“I express my greetings to our compatriots in South Korea and across the world who dedicate themselves to reunification and the prosperity of the nations,” Kim Jong-Un said reading from a script, in an address which lasted more than 20 minutes, as the crowds applauded throughout.
“Let us move forward to final victory.”
Kim Jong-Un praised the country’s “military first” policy.
“Superiority in military technology is no longer monopolized by imperialists,” he said.
After the speech, soldiers marched past and saluted the leader. They were followed by tanks and artillery, and then an array of truck-mounted missiles.
Walking could play an important role in fighting depression, according to researchers in Scotland.
Vigorous exercise has already been shown to alleviate symptoms of depression, but the effect of less strenuous activities was unclear.
A study in the journal Mental Health and Physical Activity showed walking had a “large effect” on depression.
One in 10 people may have depression at some point in their lives.
The condition can be treated with drugs, but exercise is commonly prescribed by doctors for mild symptoms.
Researchers at the University of Stirling scoured academic studies to find data on one of the mildest forms of exercise – walking.
They found eight studies, on a total of 341 patients, which fitted the bill.
The report’s authors showed “walking was an effective intervention for depression” and had an effect similar to other more vigorous forms of exercise.
Walking could play an important role in fighting depression, according to researchers in Scotland
They said: “Walking has the advantages of being easily undertaken by most people, incurring little or no financial cost and being relatively easy to incorporate into daily living.”
However, they cautioned that much more research needed to be done. There are still questions over how long, how fast and whether walking should take place indoors or outdoors.
Prof. Adrian Taylor, who studies the effects of exercise on depression, addiction and stress at the University of Exeter, said: “The beauty of walking is that everybody does it.”
He added: “There are benefits for a mental-health condition like depression.”
How any form of exercise helps with depression is unclear. Prof. Adrian Taylor said there were ideas about exercise being a distraction from worries, giving a sense of control and releasing “feel-good” hormones.
The mental-health charity Mind said its own research found that spending time outdoors helped people’s mental health.
Its chief executive, Paul Farmer, said: “To get the most from outdoor activities it’s important to find a type of exercise you love and can stick at. Try different things, be it walking, cycling, gardening or even open-water swimming.
“Exercising with others can have even greater impact, as it provides an opportunity to strengthen social networks, talk through problems with others or simply laugh and enjoy a break from family and work. So ask a friend to join you.”
Ten candidates from the Egyptian presidential poll, including former spy chief Omar Suleiman and the Muslim Brotherhood’s Khairat al-Shater, have been barred by election officials.
Ultra orthodox Salafi Sheikh Hazem Salah Abu Ismail has also been banned.
No reason was given by officials, who said the banned candidates had 48 hours to appeal. Thirteen candidates remain.
Elections are due to be held in May, more than a year after Hosni Mubarak was overthrown by popular protests.
The decision by Omar Suleiman to stand for the presidency sparked major protests in Cairo on Friday
Egypt is still governed by a military council, although parliamentary elections have taken place in the meantime. The Brotherhood-backed Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) became the largest party in parliament.
The decision by Omar Suleiman to stand for the presidency sparked major protests in Cairo on Friday.
The news that he and nine other candidates were being excluded was announced by Farouk Sultan, the head of the Supreme Presidential Election Commission. Officials said the 10 did not meet the conditions for candidacy, but no further explanation was given.
UCLA scientists have found that human stem cells can be genetically engineered into “warrior” cells that fight HIV and the new cells can attack HIV-infected cells inside a living creature.
The breakthrough discovery is hoped to be the first step towards a treatment that can eradicate HIV from an infected patient.
Much HIV research focuses on vaccines or drugs that slow the virus’s progress – but this new technique could offer hope of a “cure”.
The study, published April 12 in the journal PLoS Pathogens, demonstrates for the first time that engineering stem cells to form immune cells that target HIV is effective in suppressing the virus in living tissues.
“We believe that this study lays the groundwork for the potential use of this type of an approach in combating HIV infection in infected individuals, in hopes of eradicating the virus from the body,” said lead researcher Scott G. Kitchen.
The scientists took CD8 cytotoxic T lymphocytes – the “killer” T cells that help fight infection – from an HIV-infected individual and identified the molecule which guides the T cell in recognizing and killing HIV-infected cells.
Human stem cells can be genetically engineered into “warrior” cells that fight HIV and can attack HIV-infected cells inside a tissue
However, these T cells, while able to destroy HIV-infected cells, do not exist in great enough quantities to clear the virus from the body.
So the researchers cloned the receptor and used this to genetically engineer human blood stem cells. They then placed the engineered stem cells into human thymus tissue that had been implanted in mice, allowing them to study the reaction in a living organism.
The engineered stem cells developed into a large population of mature, multi-functional HIV-specific cells that could specifically target cells containing HIV proteins.
The researchers also discovered that HIV-specific T cell receptors have to be matched to an individual in much the same way an organ is matched to a transplant patient.
In this current study, the researchers similarly engineered human blood stem cells and found that they can form mature T cells that can attack HIV in tissues where the virus resides and replicates.
They did so by using a surrogate model, the humanized mouse, in which HIV infection closely resembles the disease and its progression in humans.
In a series of tests on the mice’s peripheral blood, plasma and organs conducted two weeks and six weeks after introducing the engineered cells, the researchers found that the number of CD4 “helper” T cells – which become depleted as a result of HIV infection – increased, while levels of HIV in the blood decreased.
“We believe that this is the first step in developing a more aggressive approach in correcting the defects in the human T cell responses that allow HIV to persist in infected people,” Scott G. Kitchen said.
Dutch scientists think they may have seen evidence for Majorana fermion, the famously elusive quarry in particle physics.
The Majorana fermion was first predicted 75 years ago – a particle that could be its own anti-particle.
Now Dutch researchers, who have devised some exotic and minute circuitry to test for the Majorana’s existence, believe their results show the fermion to be real.
The team has reported the details of its experiments in Science magazine.
“It opens up some very interesting ideas,” said Leo Kouwenhoven from the Delft University of Technology.
Majoranas should behave quite differently from more familiar matter particles, such as electrons.
When these confront their opposites – positrons – they annihilate each other in a flash of gamma rays.
The idea that a particle existed that might be equal to its anti-particle was put forward by Italian Ettore Majorana, a brilliant theorist who mysteriously went missing after withdrawing all his money to go on a boat journey in 1938.
Many have tried to prove his fermion’s existence, with a lot of the recent interest pursued not in giant accelerators, which have traditionally hunted new particles, but rather in incredibly small electronic devices where lengths are measured on the order of just billionths of a metre (nanometres).
Dutch scientists think they may have seen evidence for Majorana fermion
Prof. Leo Kouwenhoven’s group fabricated just such a device with the help of colleagues from the Eindhoven University of Technology.
It comprised a phenomenally thin wire in contact with a semiconductor and a superconductor.
When a magnetic field was applied along the length of this “nanowire”, electrons in it were restricted to a certain set of energies. But the set-up created a specific gap in energy in which electrons could gather together, acting in synchrony as a Majorana particle.
The team applied a voltage to the wire, measuring the degree to which the wire conducted electricity at several points along its length.
The scientists say they saw two distinct dips in this conductance, one at either end of the wire. This is where they believe the Majorana particles were hiding.
“If you take a solid material and you make the right combinations, the natural particles living in these condensed matter structures, will also obey this defining property of Majorana fermions – that a particle is equal its anti-particle,” Prof. Leo Kouwenhoven said.
“The system is still built out of atoms, with nuclei and electrons, but the electrons behave together in such a way that their collective state is a Majorana fermion.”
Other groups working in this field of solid state physics are thought to be close to making similar announcements.
Probing the novel properties of Majorana particles could allow scientists to understand better the mysterious realm of quantum mechanics, which explains the behavior of matter and its interactions with energy on the very smallest scales.
Those properties are also expected to make the fermions ideally suited to be the stable “bits” of information in the long-talked-about quantum computer, a theoretical device that would make use of quirky quantum effects to perform computation at incredible speeds.
And it has even been suggested that the “missing mass” in the Universe – the matter we cannot detect directly but which we know to exist because of its gravitational influence on everything we can see – is made up in some part by Majorana particles.
Ryan O’Neal has revealed he was diagnosed with stage four prostate cancer after he already survived one serious health scare, leukemia.
Ryan O’Neal, 70, also said his doctors have told him he has a good chance of making a full recovery.
The Love Story star said: “Recently I was diagnosed with stage 4 prostate cancer.
“Although I was shocked and stunned by the news, I feel fortunate that it was detected early and according to my extraordinary team of doctors the prognosis is positive for a full recovery.
“I am deeply grateful for the support of my friends and family during this time, and I urge everyone to get regular check-ups, as early detection is the best defense against this horrible disease that has afflicted so many.”
Ryan O'Neal has revealed he was diagnosed with stage four prostate cancer
Recommended treatment for localized stage four prostate cancer involves a combination of radiation therapy and hormone therapy.
The latter removes the male hormones necessary for prostate cancer to grow.
However, if it has spread to distant organs and bones it is treatable, but not curable with current standard therapies
Ryan O’Neal was treated in the late 1990s for myelogenous leukemia, which causes the bone marrow to produce too many white blood cells.
His latest diagnosis comes three years after he lost his longtime love Farrah Fawcett, who he had an on-off relationship with from 1979 until her death in 2009.
Farrah Fawcett died at age 62 of anal cancer.
Ryan O’Neal has written a memoir about his life with Farrah Fawcett called Both of Us coming out next month.
They had one child together, much troubled Redmond O’Neal, while he has three other children, including his actress daughter Tatum.
Ryan O’Neal recently starred in the flop reality show Ryan and Tatum: The O’Neals with his daughter, which aired on the little-watched OWN Network.
Few days after Marc Anthony filed for divorce from estranged wife Jennifer Lopez, there are reports that he really didn’t want to split up with her after all.
Marc Anthony was apparently hoping for reconciliation, but he filed for divorce after JLo turned him down.
According to TMZ, instead of fighting for her marriage, Jennifer Lopez, 42, decided to pursue her feelings for much younger boyfriend, Casper Smart.
Sources close to Marc Anthony have revealed that he had heart-to-heart talk with JLo a few weeks ago.
But JLo revealed that she is in love with Casper Smart and wanted to end the marriage.
Marc Anthony apparently had no idea that her relationship with Casper Smart had gotten so serious and was “blindsided” by the news, the website reports.
Marc Anthony was apparently hoping for reconciliation, but he filed for divorce after JLo turned him down
This paved the way to his divorce filing on Monday, almost a year after the couple announced they were separating last July.
Marc Anthony, 43, cited “irreconcilable differences” as the reason for divorce, which he filed under his real name Marco Muniz.
The papers were filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court.
The vocalist is asking for joint custody of the couple’s 4-year-old twins, Emme and Max.
And the multimillionaire does not want to provide his even richer wife with spousal support, in the unlikely case she asks for it.
He is also requesting each side pays their own legal fees.
When Marc Anthony and Jennifer Lopez split, they had been married for seven years, having tied the knot in 2004.
It is unclear why it took so long for either Marc Anthony, who is now dating Venezuelan model Shannon de Lima, or Jennifer Lopez, who is very much an item with her lover Casper Smart, 25, to file for divorce.
This will be JLo’s third divorce, following her marriages to dancer Cris Judd and Ojani Noa, and Marc Anthony’s second.
Marc Anthony divorced former Miss Universe Dayanara Torres in 2004, whom he has two sons, Cristian Marcus Muñiz, 11, and Ryan Adrian Muñiz, nine, with.
Italian midfielder Piermario Morosini has died following a suspected heart attack on the pitch in Pescara, football officials say.
Ex-Italy under-21 footballer was playing for Livorno in the Serie B match at Pescara when he fell to the ground in the 31st minute.
A defibrillator was used and Piermario Morosini, 25, was taken to hospital. The game was halted with other players in tears.
All league games in Italy this weekend have been called off following Piermario Morosini’s death.
Italian midfielder Piermario Morosini has died following a suspected heart attack on the pitch in Pescara
Piermario Morosini had been on loan to Livorno from the Serie A club Udinese.
He collapsed face down and appeared to be in convulsion. The referee’s assistant drew the referee’s attention and he stopped the game.
The footballer was taken to Pescara’s Santo Spirito hospital by ambulance, but he could not be revived.
Last month Bolton’s Fabrice Muamba was technically “dead” for 78 minutes after collapsing in an FA Cup tie.
The 24-year-old England player is now making “strong and steady improvements”.
Following Fabrice Muamba’s collapse, attention had been drawn to the situation for athletes in Italy, which has mandatory cardiac screening for all young people engaged in organized sport.
The charity Cardiac Risk in the Young says that the Italian measures have reduced the incidence of young sudden cardiac death in Italy by 90% in the 30 years since the screening was introduced.
King Juan Carlos of Spain has undergone hip replacement surgery following a fall on a private trip to Botswana, the Royal Palace has said.
King Juan Carlos, 74, suffered a triple fracture of the hip, which the palace said was “linked to arthritis”.
This is the fourth operation the king has undergone in the past two years.
Earlier this week, the king’s 13-year-old grandson was treated in hospital after shooting himself in the foot.
King Juan Carlos underwent surgery on Saturday morning at the San Jose Hospital in Madrid, under the supervision of Dr. Angel Villamorthe.
King Juan Carlos of Spain has undergone hip replacement surgery following a fall on a private trip to Botswana
The palace said: “Juan Carlos had suffered a fracture of his right hip in three pieces, linked to arthritis. A reconstruction of the parts of the fracture was carried out and a hip implant was installed.”
It said the fall in Botswana was “accidental” but gave no further details.
But the Spanish daily El Pais said the king was hunting elephants at the time.
In three other operations since May 2010, King Juan Carlos has had a benign lung tumor removed, a torn Achilles repaired and was given an artificial right knee joint.
Last November the king wore sunglasses to hide an injury sustained when he was “hit by a doorknob”.
Earlier this week the king’s grandson, Felipe Juan Froilan, accidentally shot himself in the foot while carrying out target practice outside a family home north of Madrid.
According to a controversial study, the real reason women pursue careers is because they fear they are too unattractive to get married.
The research team, made up of three women and two men, said that when men are thin on the ground, “women are more likely to choose briefcase over baby”.
And the plainer a woman is, they claim, the more she is driven to succeed in the workplace.
Central to their argument was the idea that women have evolved to become homemakers and men, providers.
They said this means that when men are scarce in a particular area, women, and particularly less attractive ladies, may decide they need to provide for themselves with a well-paid career.
The researchers carried out several experiments to come up with their startling argument.
The first looked at the number of eligible men in an area, which they called the “operational sex ratio”.
According to the controversial study, the real reason women pursue careers is because they fear they are too unattractive to get married
After collecting data from across the U.S., the researchers found that as the number of eligible men in a state decreased, the proportion of women in highly paid careers rose.
In addition, the women who became mothers in those states did so at an older age and had fewer children.
To prove that a lack of men was behind the trend, the researchers then carried out practical experiments.
These involved showing women newspaper articles or photos that gave different impressions of the sex ratio in an area and then quizzing them about which was more important – work or family. When they were led to believe that men were scarce, they were more likely to prioritize career over family.
However, when questioned, the women didn’t believe the shortage of men would lead to more job openings for women. Instead they thought there would be more competition to find a husband.
The final experiment tested the researchers’ suspicion that less attractive women would be more interested in careers because they might find it difficult to secure a partner.
The 87 young women were given mocked-up newspaper articles describing the sex ratio in nearby university campuses and were asked about their views on family and career.
They were also asked how attractive they believed themselves to be to men.
Those women who saw themselves as being less desirable than average were highly likely to be career-orientated.
Researcher Kristina Durante, from the University of Texas at San Antonio, said: “Does the ratio of men to women in a local population influence women’s career aspirations? Real-world archival data and a series of laboratory experiments suggest that the answer is yes.”
The study, which was carried out by U.S. and Dutch researchers, is published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.
Iran and P5+1 are meeting in Istanbul, Turkey, for talks aimed at ending the deadlock over Tehran’s nuclear programme.
Envoys from the US, UK, France, China, Russia and Germany hope the talks will halt rising regional tension.
Iran says its nuclear programme is peaceful, but critics suspect it of seeking to develop nuclear weapons.
Israel has hinted in recent months that it could carry out a pre-emptive strike on Iran to prevent that happening.
The talks are the first to be held between Iran and the world’s major powers for 15 months.
The envoys are setting the bar pretty low – they do not expect detailed, substantive proposals from either side.
What they want to see is whether Iran is ready to seriously engage and, if that happens, there may be another round of talks in four to six weeks time.
Michael Mann, spokesman for EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, said the Istanbul talks had started in a “positive atmosphere”, adding: “There is a desire for substantive progress.”
The six world powers, known collectively as the P5+1, hope the talks will at least cool tensions.
Iran and P5+1 are meeting in Istanbul for talks aimed at ending the deadlock over Tehran's nuclear programme
Russia said they had to be “constructive”, and warned both sides not to “overblow the differences” between them.
“We really need to find a middle course,” said Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov.
“The negotiations are about renewing confidence.”
US President Barack Obama has described this as a “last chance” for diplomacy to work, while Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Iran had to “demonstrate clearly in the actions they propose that they have truly abandoned any nuclear weapons ambition”.
But one source close to the Iranian delegation told Agence France-Presse: “So far the Iranian delegation finds the Western position … disappointing and discouraging.”
On Thursday, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said his country was “standing firm on its fundamental rights and under the harshest pressure will not retreat an iota from its undeniable right”.
The P5+1 group hopes eventually to persuade Iran to reduce its enrichment of uranium and fully open up its nuclear facilities to inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
There are suggestions that the stringent sanctions on Iran could be reduced if it complies with the requests.
The last series of international talks broke down in January 2011 after the parties failed to agree on any issues.
Since then, the IAEA expressed concern that Iran had failed to co-operate with its inspectors and had carried out activities “relevant to the development of a nuclear explosive device”.
Israel, which believes a nuclear-capable Iran would be a direct threat to its security, has warned that time is running out to prevent that outcome.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said he would never allow Israelis to “live in the shadow of annihilation”, and hinted his country is ready to strike Iran’s nuclear facilities if diplomacy does not work soon.
President Barack Obama has warned against “loose talk of war”, while stressing that all options remain open.
Saroo Brierley, an Indian boy who lost his mother in 1986, has found her 25 years later from his new home in Tasmania – using satellite images from Google Earth.
Saroo was only five years old when he got lost. He was travelling with his older brother, working as a sweeper on India’s trains.
“It was late at night. We got off the train, and I was so tired that I just took a seat at a train station, and I ended up falling asleep.”
That fateful nap would determine the rest of his life.
“I thought my brother would come back and wake me up but when I awoke he was nowhere to be seen. I saw a train in front of me and thought he must be on that train. So I decided to get on it and hoped that I would meet my brother.”
Saroo did not meet his brother on the train. Instead, he fell asleep and had a shock when he woke up 14 hours later. Though he did not realize it at first, he had arrived in Calcutta, India’s third biggest city and notorious for its slums.
“I was absolutely scared. I didn’t know where I was. I just started to look for people and ask them questions.”
Soon he was sleeping rough. “It was a very scary place to be. I don’t think any mother or father would like to have their five year old wandering alone in the slums and trains stations of Calcutta.”
The little boy learned to fend for himself. He became a beggar, one of the many children begging on the streets of the city.
“I had to be quite careful. You could not trust anyone.”
Saroo was only five years old when he got lost in 1986
Once he was approached by a man who promised him food and shelter and a way back home. But Saroo was suspicious. “Ultimately I think he was going to do something not nice to me, so I ran away.”
But in the end, he did get off the streets. He was taken in by an orphanage, which put him up for adoption. He was adopted by the Brierleys, a couple from Tasmania.
“I accepted that I was lost and that I could not find my way back home, so I thought it was great that I was going to Australia.”
Saroo settled down well in his new home. But as he got older the desire to find his birth family became increasingly strong. The problem was that as an illiterate 5-year-old he had not known the name of the town he had come from. All he had to go on were his vivid memories. So he began using Google Earth to search for where he might have been born.
“It was just like being Superman. You are able to go over and take a photo mentally and ask, <<Does this match?>> And when you say, <<No>>, you keep on going and going and going.”
Eventually Saroo hit on a more effective strategy. “I multiplied the time I was on the train, about 14 hours, with the speed of Indian trains and I came up with a rough distance, about 1,200km.”
He drew a circle on a map with its centre in Calcutta, with its radius about the distance he thought he had travelled. Incredibly, he soon discovered what he was looking for: Khandwa.
“When I found it, I zoomed down and bang, it just came up. I navigated it all the way from the waterfall where I used to play.”
Soon he made his way to Khandwa, the town he had discovered online. He found his way around the town with his childhood memories. Eventually he found his own home in the neighborhood of Ganesh Talai. But it was not what he had hoped for.
“When I got to the door I saw a lock on it. It look old and battered, as if no-one had lived there for quite a long time.”
Saroo had a photograph of himself as a child and he still remembered the names of his family. A neighbor said that his family had moved.
“Another person came and then a third person turned up, and that is when I struck gold. He said, <<Just wait here for a second and I shall be back>>. And when he did come back after a couple of minutes he said, <<Now I will be taking you to your mother>>.”
“I just felt numb and thought, <<Am I hearing what I think I am hearing?>>”
Saroo was taken to meet his mother who was nearby. At first he did not recognize her.
“The last time I saw her she was 34 years old and a pretty lady, I had forgotten that age would get the better of her. But the facial structure was still there and I recognized her and I said, <<Yes, you are my mother>>.
“She grabbed my hand and took me to her house. She could not say anything to me. I think she was as numb as I was. She had a bit of trouble grasping that her son, after 25 years, had just reappeared like a ghost.”
Saroo Brierley has found his mother 25 years later using satellite images from Google Earth
Although she had long feared he was dead, a fortune teller had told Saroo’s mother that one day she would see her son again.
“I think the fortune teller gave her a bit of energy to live on and to wait for that day to come.”
And what of the brother with whom Saroo had originally gone travelling? Unfortunately, the news was not good.
“A month after I had disappeared, my brother was found in two pieces on a railway track.” His mother had never known whether foul play was involved or whether the boy had simply slipped and fallen under a train.
“We were extremely close and when I walked out of India the tearing thing for me was knowing that my older brother had passed away.”
For years Saroo Brierley went to sleep wishing he could see his mother again and his birth family. Now that he has, he feels incredibly grateful. He has kept in touch with his newly found family.
“It has taken the weight off my shoulders. I sleep a lot better now.”
And there is something to make him sleep better – with memories of Slumdog Millionaire still fresh, publishers and film producers are getting interested in his incredible story.
Scientists have discovered that nearly twice as many emperor penguins inhabit Antarctica as was previously thought.
UK, US and Australian scientists used satellite technology to trace and count the iconic birds, finding them to number almost 600,000.
Their census technique relies in the first instance on locating individual colonies, which is done by looking for big brown patches of guano (penguin poo) on the white ice.
High resolution imagery is then used to work out the number of birds present.
It is expected that the satellite mapping approach will provide the means to monitor the long-term health of the emperor population.
Climate modeling has suggested their numbers could fall in the decades ahead if warming around Antarctica erodes the sea ice on which the animals nest and launch their forays for seafood.
“If we want to understand whether emperor penguins are endangered by climate change, we have to know first how many birds there are currently and have a methodology to monitor them year on year,” said Peter Fretwell from the British Antarctic Survey (BAS).
“This study gives us that baseline population, which is quite surprising because it’s twice as many as we thought, but it also gives us the ability to follow their progress to see if that population is changing over time,” he said.
Scientists have discovered that nearly twice as many emperor penguins inhabit Antarctica as was previously thought
The scientists have reported their work in the journal PLoS One.
Their survey identified 44 key penguin colonies on the White Continent, including seven that had not previously been recognized.
Although finding a great splurge of penguin poo on the ice is a fairly straightforward – if laborious – process, counting individual birds in a group huddle is not, even in the highest resolution satellite pictures.
This means the team therefore had to calibrate their analysis of the colonies by using ground counts and aerial ph
Peter Fretwell and colleagues totted 595,000 penguins, which is almost double the previous estimates of 270,000-350,000 emperors. The count is thought to be the first comprehensive census of a species taken from space.
Co-author Michelle LaRue from the University of Minnesota said the monitoring method provided “an enormous step forward in Antarctic ecology”.
“We can conduct research safely and efficiently with little environmental impact,” she explained.
“The implications for this study are far-reaching. We now have a cost-effective way to apply our methods to other poorly understood species in the Antarctic.”
The extent of sea ice in the Antarctic has been relatively stable in recent years (unlike in the Arctic), although this picture hides some fairly large regional variations.
Nonetheless, computer modeling suggests a warming of the climate around Antarctica could result in the loss of more northern ice floes later this century.
If that happens, it might present problems for some emperor colonies if the seasonal ice starts to break up before fledglings have had a chance to acquire their full adult, waterproof plumage.
And given that the krill (tiny crustaceans) that penguins feed on are also dependent on the ice for their own existence (they feed on algae on the ice) – some colonies affected by eroded floes could face a double-whammy of high fledgling mortality and restricted food resources. But this can all now be tested by the methodology outlined in the PLoS paper.
“The emperor penguin has evolved into a very narrow ecological niche; it’s an animal that breeds in the coldest environment in the world,” explained Peter Fretwell.
“It currently has an advantage in that environment because there are no predators and no competition for its food.
“If Antarctica warms so that predators and competitors can move in, then their ecological niche no longer exists; and that spells bad news for the emperor penguin.”
A dozen of Secret Service agents providing security for President Barack Obama at an international summit in Colombia have been sent home following allegations of misconduct.
The agency did not give details, but reports suggest the accusations involve prostitution in Cartagena, which is hosting the Summit of the Americas, and at least one agent was found to be cavorting with prostitutes.
Agency spokesman Edwin Donovan told said the agents had been replaced and Barack Obama’s security would not be affected.
Barack Obama arrived in Colombia on Friday to attend the summit.
In a statement, Edwin Donovan said the agency took allegations of misconduct “very seriously” and said an investigation had been launched.
“There have been allegations of misconduct made against Secret Service personnel in Cartagena, Colombia prior to the President’s trip,” he said.
“Because of this, those personnel are being relieved of their assignments, returned to their place of duty, and are being replaced by other Secret Service personnel.”
A dozen of Secret Service agents providing security for Barack Obama in Colombia have been recalled following allegations of misconduct
According to The Washington Post, 12 agents were recalled, and at least one was suspected of involvement with prostitutes.
More than 30 leaders are in the Colombian port city for the summit, which will see talks on economic policy and trade.
Even before the incident with the agents, the summit seemed likely to be an awkward one for the US government, with debates on the legalization of drugs and sanctions against Cuba promised.
Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa is boycotting the summit because of Cuba’s exclusion, and the attendance of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is in doubt.
Earlier, Colombian police said two small explosions took place in Cartagena, but caused no casualties or damage.
Those explosions followed at least one other blast in Bogota near the US embassy, officials said.
