Category: news

The principality of Monaco prepares to celebrate the religious wedding of Prince Albert to South African Olympic swimmer Charlene Wittstock.

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

The principality of Monaco prepares to celebrate the religious wedding of Prince Albert to South African Olympic swimmer Charlene Wittstock.

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

The principality of Monaco prepares to celebrate the religious wedding of Prince Albert to South African Olympic swimmer Charlene Wittstock.

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Are mobile phones safe?

Mounting evidence suggests there is no link between mobile phones and brain cancer, according to a review by the Institute of Cancer Research.

It stated that despite near universal mobile phone use, there had been no jump in the number of tumours.

Its report, in Environmental Health Perspectives, also identified flaws in many studies investigating a link.

A few weeks ago the World Health Organization said mobiles were “possibly carcinogenic”.

The decision by the WHO’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) put mobile phones in the same category as coffee, in which a link could not be ruled out, but it could not be proved either.

One of the biggest studies into a link was Interphone, a comparison of 2,708 patients with a brain tumour (glioma) with a similar number of people without.

The study concluded that mobile phone users were less likely to get brain tumours, but heavy users had an increased risk.

Professor Anthony Swerdlow, from the Institute of Cancer Research, said there was a risk of bias when patients with brain tumours answered questionnaires about their phone use.

Ten patients in the study said they were on the phone for more than 12 hours per day.

He added that in the space of 20 years, mobile phone use had gone from being rare to 4.6 billion users worldwide.

Yet evidence from many Western countries showed “no indication of increases in brain tumour incidence”.

Professor Swerdlow said: “The trend in the accumulating evidence is increasingly against the hypothesis that mobile phone use can cause brain tumours in adults.”

The report admits that there is still some uncertainty.

Studies have looked at a link associated with 10 to 15 years of mobile phone use and it remains a possibility that longer exposure could cause cancer.

However, Professor Swerdlow argues that if studies looking at longer exposure produce similar results, then a link will become “increasingly implausible”.

He adds that “there is far less evidence of the effect of childhood exposure, but there is no reason to believe it causes tumours”.

Cancer Research UK’s Dr Joanna Owens said: “Although these researchers admit that we can’t entirely rule out the idea of a link between mobile phones and brain cancer, they remind us that in most of the research, including their large international study, mobile phone users don’t seem to be at increased risk.

“We don’t yet have data on very long-term use of mobile phones, or for the effects on cancer risk in children, so it is probably wise to encourage children to limit their mobile phone call time.”

Professor David Coggon, University of Southampton, said: “This is a carefully considered review, and the conclusions are justified.

“Mobile phones appear not to cause brain cancer in the first 10-15 years after people start using them.

“Continued research is needed in case there are harmful effects in the longer term, but the news so far is good.”

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Are mobile phones safe?

Mounting evidence suggests there is no link between mobile phones and brain cancer, according to a review by the Institute of Cancer Research.

It stated that despite near universal mobile phone use, there had been no jump in the number of tumours.

Its report, in Environmental Health Perspectives, also identified flaws in many studies investigating a link.

A few weeks ago the World Health Organization said mobiles were “possibly carcinogenic”.

The decision by the WHO’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) put mobile phones in the same category as coffee, in which a link could not be ruled out, but it could not be proved either.

One of the biggest studies into a link was Interphone, a comparison of 2,708 patients with a brain tumour (glioma) with a similar number of people without.

The study concluded that mobile phone users were less likely to get brain tumours, but heavy users had an increased risk.

Professor Anthony Swerdlow, from the Institute of Cancer Research, said there was a risk of bias when patients with brain tumours answered questionnaires about their phone use.

Ten patients in the study said they were on the phone for more than 12 hours per day.

He added that in the space of 20 years, mobile phone use had gone from being rare to 4.6 billion users worldwide.

Yet evidence from many Western countries showed “no indication of increases in brain tumour incidence”.

Professor Swerdlow said: “The trend in the accumulating evidence is increasingly against the hypothesis that mobile phone use can cause brain tumours in adults.”

The report admits that there is still some uncertainty.

Studies have looked at a link associated with 10 to 15 years of mobile phone use and it remains a possibility that longer exposure could cause cancer.

However, Professor Swerdlow argues that if studies looking at longer exposure produce similar results, then a link will become “increasingly implausible”.

He adds that “there is far less evidence of the effect of childhood exposure, but there is no reason to believe it causes tumours”.

Cancer Research UK’s Dr Joanna Owens said: “Although these researchers admit that we can’t entirely rule out the idea of a link between mobile phones and brain cancer, they remind us that in most of the research, including their large international study, mobile phone users don’t seem to be at increased risk.

“We don’t yet have data on very long-term use of mobile phones, or for the effects on cancer risk in children, so it is probably wise to encourage children to limit their mobile phone call time.”

Professor David Coggon, University of Southampton, said: “This is a carefully considered review, and the conclusions are justified.

“Mobile phones appear not to cause brain cancer in the first 10-15 years after people start using them.

“Continued research is needed in case there are harmful effects in the longer term, but the news so far is good.”

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Are mobile phones safe?

Mounting evidence suggests there is no link between mobile phones and brain cancer, according to a review by the Institute of Cancer Research.

It stated that despite near universal mobile phone use, there had been no jump in the number of tumours.

Its report, in Environmental Health Perspectives, also identified flaws in many studies investigating a link.

A few weeks ago the World Health Organization said mobiles were “possibly carcinogenic”.

The decision by the WHO’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) put mobile phones in the same category as coffee, in which a link could not be ruled out, but it could not be proved either.

One of the biggest studies into a link was Interphone, a comparison of 2,708 patients with a brain tumour (glioma) with a similar number of people without.

The study concluded that mobile phone users were less likely to get brain tumours, but heavy users had an increased risk.

Professor Anthony Swerdlow, from the Institute of Cancer Research, said there was a risk of bias when patients with brain tumours answered questionnaires about their phone use.

Ten patients in the study said they were on the phone for more than 12 hours per day.

He added that in the space of 20 years, mobile phone use had gone from being rare to 4.6 billion users worldwide.

Yet evidence from many Western countries showed “no indication of increases in brain tumour incidence”.

Professor Swerdlow said: “The trend in the accumulating evidence is increasingly against the hypothesis that mobile phone use can cause brain tumours in adults.”

The report admits that there is still some uncertainty.

Studies have looked at a link associated with 10 to 15 years of mobile phone use and it remains a possibility that longer exposure could cause cancer.

However, Professor Swerdlow argues that if studies looking at longer exposure produce similar results, then a link will become “increasingly implausible”.

He adds that “there is far less evidence of the effect of childhood exposure, but there is no reason to believe it causes tumours”.

Cancer Research UK’s Dr Joanna Owens said: “Although these researchers admit that we can’t entirely rule out the idea of a link between mobile phones and brain cancer, they remind us that in most of the research, including their large international study, mobile phone users don’t seem to be at increased risk.

“We don’t yet have data on very long-term use of mobile phones, or for the effects on cancer risk in children, so it is probably wise to encourage children to limit their mobile phone call time.”

Professor David Coggon, University of Southampton, said: “This is a carefully considered review, and the conclusions are justified.

“Mobile phones appear not to cause brain cancer in the first 10-15 years after people start using them.

“Continued research is needed in case there are harmful effects in the longer term, but the news so far is good.”

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Prince Albert II of Monaco has married his fiancee, South African Olympic swimmer Charlene Wittstock, in a civil ceremony.

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Prince Albert II of Monaco has married his fiancee, South African Olympic swimmer Charlene Wittstock, in a civil ceremony.

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Prince Albert II of Monaco has married his fiancee, South African Olympic swimmer Charlene Wittstock, in a civil ceremony.

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Ms Shriver put her career on hold when Mr Schwarzenegger was elected governor in 2003

The wife of film star and former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has filed for divorce.

Mr Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver, a Kennedy heiress and former journalist, separated in May amid revelations that he had fathered a child out of wedlock.

The divorce papers cite irreconcilable differences as the reason to end their 25-year marriage.

The couple have four children together. Ms Shriver is seeking joint custody of two minor sons, aged 17 and 13.

Mr Schwarzenegger was elected Republican governor of California in 2003. He left office in January, planning to resume his career in Hollywood.

In May, it was revealed he had a child with a member of his household staff more than 10 years ago.

The divorce papers, filed in a Los Angeles court, do not indicate the couple had a pre-nuptial agreement regarding division of their wealth.

Analysts say that indicates they will split evenly Mr Schwarzenegger’s earnings as a Hollywood star since 1986.

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Ms Shriver put her career on hold when Mr Schwarzenegger was elected governor in 2003

The wife of film star and former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has filed for divorce.

Mr Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver, a Kennedy heiress and former journalist, separated in May amid revelations that he had fathered a child out of wedlock.

The divorce papers cite irreconcilable differences as the reason to end their 25-year marriage.

The couple have four children together. Ms Shriver is seeking joint custody of two minor sons, aged 17 and 13.

Mr Schwarzenegger was elected Republican governor of California in 2003. He left office in January, planning to resume his career in Hollywood.

In May, it was revealed he had a child with a member of his household staff more than 10 years ago.

The divorce papers, filed in a Los Angeles court, do not indicate the couple had a pre-nuptial agreement regarding division of their wealth.

Analysts say that indicates they will split evenly Mr Schwarzenegger’s earnings as a Hollywood star since 1986.

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Ms Shriver put her career on hold when Mr Schwarzenegger was elected governor in 2003

The wife of film star and former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has filed for divorce.

Mr Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver, a Kennedy heiress and former journalist, separated in May amid revelations that he had fathered a child out of wedlock.

The divorce papers cite irreconcilable differences as the reason to end their 25-year marriage.

The couple have four children together. Ms Shriver is seeking joint custody of two minor sons, aged 17 and 13.

Mr Schwarzenegger was elected Republican governor of California in 2003. He left office in January, planning to resume his career in Hollywood.

In May, it was revealed he had a child with a member of his household staff more than 10 years ago.

The divorce papers, filed in a Los Angeles court, do not indicate the couple had a pre-nuptial agreement regarding division of their wealth.

Analysts say that indicates they will split evenly Mr Schwarzenegger’s earnings as a Hollywood star since 1986.

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Watch Damon Albarn discussing the production ahead of its premiere

Musician Damon Albarn has unveiled an ambitious stage show that combines his acoustic pop with contemporary opera to tell the story of an Elizabethan hero.

He staged the premiere of “folk opera” Dr Dee, about the ill-fated scientist and occultist John Dee, in Manchester.

The show sees the Blur singer peform songs on a platform above the stage while actors and opera singers take part in an elaborate production below.

It will move to the home of the English National Opera in London next summer.

Bertie Carvel (front) plays John Dee

Albarn, who also fronts the pop band Gorillaz, has said Dr Dee has been the most difficult challenge and the most important project of his career.

The show, directed by Rufus Norris, was inspired by Albarn’s fascination with Dee and his lasting influence on English identity.

Dee was a scientific and medical adviser to Elizabeth I who advocated the creation of a British Empire, helped explorers navigate the New World and held seances in the hope of finding a key to unlock the secrets of nature.

William Shakespeare is believed to have based the sorcerer Prospero, from The Tempest, on Dee.

The production started by tracing modern English identity back to Dee’s era, before charting his life story, from mathematical brilliance in the Elizabethan court to dark and brooding scenes of downfall.

Throughout the performance, Albarn was perched on a platform above the stage, wearing a black leather jacket and jeans rather than the baggy breeches and ruffs sported by the actors.

He picked up his acoustic guitar and broke into song at regular intervals, acting as a modern-day musical commentator on the action below and drawing parallels between the Englands of the 16th and 21st Centuries.

He was joined on the platform by a small band that included the Nigerian drum legend Tony Allen and musicians playing period instruments such as the rackett, the viol, the crumhorn and a large lute called the theorbo.

Watch Albarn perform a song from the opera on The Andrew Marr Show

Albarn was initially reluctant to describe the production as an opera, but has since summed it up by defining it as an English folk opera.

“It’s an ongoing dilemma – what do you call something that’s new?” he recently told BBC Radio 4’s Front Row.

There was praise among the audience for the staging, with its continually inventive use of props, projections and powerful symbolism.

Dr Dee is one of the showpiece productions at the third Manchester International Festival.

The festival takes place every two years and Albarn has been involved at every event so far.

His first foray into opera, with the spectacular Chinese performance piece Monkey, was among the highlights of the first festival in 2007.

John Dee died in poverty and isolation after a posting to Manchester in 1596

But Albarn did not perform in that show. He said he needed to appear in Dr Dee because it was “a chance to express something about England”.

“I’ve got a really strange emotional connection, and it really gets to me – that haunted, magical England,” he told Front Row.

“It’s something that really stirs me in an irrational way. The only way I could honestly write about Dee was to involve myself in the whole thing. But I’m not walking around in a ruff and tights.”

John Dee spent the latter part of his life as warden of Manchester College and Albarn has had access to Dee’s letters at the city’s John Rylands Library.

“Manchester has become creatively like a second home for me in this country,” the singer said.

Dr Dee can be seen at the Palace Theatre in Manchester until 9 July and will open at the London Coliseum as part of the London 2012 Festival for the Cultural Olympiad next June.

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Watch Damon Albarn discussing the production ahead of its premiere

Musician Damon Albarn has unveiled an ambitious stage show that combines his acoustic pop with contemporary opera to tell the story of an Elizabethan hero.

He staged the premiere of “folk opera” Dr Dee, about the ill-fated scientist and occultist John Dee, in Manchester.

The show sees the Blur singer peform songs on a platform above the stage while actors and opera singers take part in an elaborate production below.

It will move to the home of the English National Opera in London next summer.

Bertie Carvel (front) plays John Dee

Albarn, who also fronts the pop band Gorillaz, has said Dr Dee has been the most difficult challenge and the most important project of his career.

The show, directed by Rufus Norris, was inspired by Albarn’s fascination with Dee and his lasting influence on English identity.

Dee was a scientific and medical adviser to Elizabeth I who advocated the creation of a British Empire, helped explorers navigate the New World and held seances in the hope of finding a key to unlock the secrets of nature.

William Shakespeare is believed to have based the sorcerer Prospero, from The Tempest, on Dee.

The production started by tracing modern English identity back to Dee’s era, before charting his life story, from mathematical brilliance in the Elizabethan court to dark and brooding scenes of downfall.

Throughout the performance, Albarn was perched on a platform above the stage, wearing a black leather jacket and jeans rather than the baggy breeches and ruffs sported by the actors.

He picked up his acoustic guitar and broke into song at regular intervals, acting as a modern-day musical commentator on the action below and drawing parallels between the Englands of the 16th and 21st Centuries.

He was joined on the platform by a small band that included the Nigerian drum legend Tony Allen and musicians playing period instruments such as the rackett, the viol, the crumhorn and a large lute called the theorbo.

Watch Albarn perform a song from the opera on The Andrew Marr Show

Albarn was initially reluctant to describe the production as an opera, but has since summed it up by defining it as an English folk opera.

“It’s an ongoing dilemma – what do you call something that’s new?” he recently told BBC Radio 4’s Front Row.

There was praise among the audience for the staging, with its continually inventive use of props, projections and powerful symbolism.

Dr Dee is one of the showpiece productions at the third Manchester International Festival.

The festival takes place every two years and Albarn has been involved at every event so far.

His first foray into opera, with the spectacular Chinese performance piece Monkey, was among the highlights of the first festival in 2007.

John Dee died in poverty and isolation after a posting to Manchester in 1596

But Albarn did not perform in that show. He said he needed to appear in Dr Dee because it was “a chance to express something about England”.

“I’ve got a really strange emotional connection, and it really gets to me – that haunted, magical England,” he told Front Row.

“It’s something that really stirs me in an irrational way. The only way I could honestly write about Dee was to involve myself in the whole thing. But I’m not walking around in a ruff and tights.”

John Dee spent the latter part of his life as warden of Manchester College and Albarn has had access to Dee’s letters at the city’s John Rylands Library.

“Manchester has become creatively like a second home for me in this country,” the singer said.

Dr Dee can be seen at the Palace Theatre in Manchester until 9 July and will open at the London Coliseum as part of the London 2012 Festival for the Cultural Olympiad next June.

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Watch Damon Albarn discussing the production ahead of its premiere

Musician Damon Albarn has unveiled an ambitious stage show that combines his acoustic pop with contemporary opera to tell the story of an Elizabethan hero.

He staged the premiere of “folk opera” Dr Dee, about the ill-fated scientist and occultist John Dee, in Manchester.

The show sees the Blur singer peform songs on a platform above the stage while actors and opera singers take part in an elaborate production below.

It will move to the home of the English National Opera in London next summer.

Bertie Carvel (front) plays John Dee

Albarn, who also fronts the pop band Gorillaz, has said Dr Dee has been the most difficult challenge and the most important project of his career.

The show, directed by Rufus Norris, was inspired by Albarn’s fascination with Dee and his lasting influence on English identity.

Dee was a scientific and medical adviser to Elizabeth I who advocated the creation of a British Empire, helped explorers navigate the New World and held seances in the hope of finding a key to unlock the secrets of nature.

William Shakespeare is believed to have based the sorcerer Prospero, from The Tempest, on Dee.

The production started by tracing modern English identity back to Dee’s era, before charting his life story, from mathematical brilliance in the Elizabethan court to dark and brooding scenes of downfall.

Throughout the performance, Albarn was perched on a platform above the stage, wearing a black leather jacket and jeans rather than the baggy breeches and ruffs sported by the actors.

He picked up his acoustic guitar and broke into song at regular intervals, acting as a modern-day musical commentator on the action below and drawing parallels between the Englands of the 16th and 21st Centuries.

He was joined on the platform by a small band that included the Nigerian drum legend Tony Allen and musicians playing period instruments such as the rackett, the viol, the crumhorn and a large lute called the theorbo.

Watch Albarn perform a song from the opera on The Andrew Marr Show

Albarn was initially reluctant to describe the production as an opera, but has since summed it up by defining it as an English folk opera.

“It’s an ongoing dilemma – what do you call something that’s new?” he recently told BBC Radio 4’s Front Row.

There was praise among the audience for the staging, with its continually inventive use of props, projections and powerful symbolism.

Dr Dee is one of the showpiece productions at the third Manchester International Festival.

The festival takes place every two years and Albarn has been involved at every event so far.

His first foray into opera, with the spectacular Chinese performance piece Monkey, was among the highlights of the first festival in 2007.

John Dee died in poverty and isolation after a posting to Manchester in 1596

But Albarn did not perform in that show. He said he needed to appear in Dr Dee because it was “a chance to express something about England”.

“I’ve got a really strange emotional connection, and it really gets to me – that haunted, magical England,” he told Front Row.

“It’s something that really stirs me in an irrational way. The only way I could honestly write about Dee was to involve myself in the whole thing. But I’m not walking around in a ruff and tights.”

John Dee spent the latter part of his life as warden of Manchester College and Albarn has had access to Dee’s letters at the city’s John Rylands Library.

“Manchester has become creatively like a second home for me in this country,” the singer said.

Dr Dee can be seen at the Palace Theatre in Manchester until 9 July and will open at the London Coliseum as part of the London 2012 Festival for the Cultural Olympiad next June.

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.