Lifestyle

Two physicists in Germany claim they have broken the speed of light, an accomplishment which, according to Albert Einstein's special theory of relativity, is impossible. The claim is made by Gunter Nimtz and Alfons Stahlhofen, both of the University of Koblenz. The pair claim that in an experiment they set up, microwave photons travelled "instantaneously" between two prisms that had been moved apart to distances ranging from a few millimetres to three feet. According to Einstein's calculations, to propel an object faster than the speed of ligh

A report released tonight by the Health and Safety Executive has confirmed that there is a "strong possibility" that the cause of the recent foot-and-mouth outbreak is contamination, most probably by human movement, from a nearby research facility in Guildford, Surrey, UK. The labs in Pirbright, where both private firm Merial and the governmental Institute for Animal Health operate, have been subject to ongoing investigations since the discovery of a new foot-and-mouth outbreak on Friday. The strain of the disease had already been identified a

Cattle at a farm in Surrey, UK have tested positive for foot-and-mouth disease. After symptoms were reported late on 2 August, the farm was isolated. Following testing, officials from Defra (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) confirmed the outbreak on 3 August. A three kilometre exclusion zone and a ten kilometre surveillance zone have been put into place around the farm, near Wanborough. All livestock on the farm have been slaughtered and incinerated. Any movement of livestock in the UK has been banned and the EU has banned e

Russian expedition Arktika 2007 made the first descent to the ocean bottom below the North Pole, and planted a titanium flag of Russia on the seabed. Submarines have in the past traveled below the Arctic ice cap, but this is the first time man has reached the seabed below the North Pole. The Mir-1 and a second Mir-2 submarine face the challenge of diving 13,980 feet (4,261 metres) deep, and then having to resurface at the exact location where they've submerged, because they are not strong enough to penetrate the ice themselves. The nuclear ice

The government department responsible for the health of Canadians, Health Canada, issued a warning to Canadians not to use a brand of toothpaste found to contain "unacceptable levels" of diethylene glycol (DEG). The toothpaste is branded as India Neem Active Toothpaste with Calcium and is manufactured by Calcutta Chemical Co. Ltd. in India. Although the toothpaste is not approved for sale in Canada, it has been found on store shelves in Western and Atlantic Canada. It is also possible, though not confirmed, that the product may be found in sto

The United Nations (UN) World Food Programme (WFP) raised concerns about a dramatic escalation in attacks on food aid convoys by armed bandits in the Darfur region of Sudan. WFP says the attacks constrain its ability to feed the more than two million people in the area receiving aid. Negotiations over a UN Security Council resolution authorising a joint UN-African Union security force for the region continue but full deployment could take up to a year. "In the last two weeks, nine food convoys have been attacked by gunmen across Darfur," sai

Authorities in Spain say that at least two explosive devices were found on a section of the Tour de France bicycle race just outside the Spanish town of Belagua. Authorities say that "a small amount of explosives", were placed inside plastic food containers then placed on both sides of the road. There are no reports of injuries but conflicting reports say that the cyclists passed the area before the devices went off, while others report that the devices were detonated before the cyclists passed. The Basque separatist group known as the ETA ha

Some 25% of New York City's adults have elevated mercury levels, according to the city's Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, which was released on Monday. Mercury poisoning, which can result from eating contaminated animals, leads to a wide range of conditions, including kidney and neurological damage, fatigue, vision problems, and tremors. As one example, the report found that New York City women between 20 and 49 years old had an average level of mercury of 2.64 micrograms per liter, compared to a national average of 0.83 micrograms per

An United States man from Tulsa, Oklahoma, was killed by a baseball during a game in North Little Rock, Arkansas, against the Arkansas Travelers. Tulsa Drillers coach Mike Coolbaugh, 35, was struck and killed by a line drive while coaching first base. He leaves his wife, Mandy, and two young sons, Jacob and Joseph. Mandy is expecting a daughter who is to be named "Mandy" as well. Coolbaugh spent seventeen years in professional baseball. He played Major League Baseball for two seasons and Minor League Baseball for the remainder, before becomin

Between 143 and 152 people have now been hospitalized in the wake of Monday's train derailment near Lviv, Ukraine, and subsequent phosporous cloud. According to the Ukrainian Healthcare Ministry's spokesperson, Igor Gerych, 43 of the injured are children, 13 are firemen and three are medical personnel. None are considered to be in mortal danger, yet some cases remain at medium risk level. Nearly 400 people are involved with the clean-up operations. Among them are military specialists for chemical warfare. The Ukrainian Army alert state was ra

The Capital & Coast District Health Board today issued a "code red" for two Wellington hospitals. Both Wellington Hospital and Kenepuru Community Hospital have a staff shortage of about 20 nurses, and the hospital is calling on any help available. Dr Robyn Toomath, director of clinical support services at the Health Board, is calling for "any qualified nurses in the community who are between jobs, are on extended leave or are semi-retired, who might be able to help fill in, or to do some short term work for us." "As of today we are around 20

Billing records uncovered by the New York Times show that Fred Thompson was paid for about 20 hours of work as a Washington, DC lobbyist on behalf of a group to ease restrictive federal rules on abortion counseling in the 1990s. Recently Thompson "flatly denied" the charge and said he "did not recall doing any work for the organization." The records show that Thompson worked part-time from 1991 to 1994 for the National Family Planning and Reproductive Health Association, and earned about US$5,000 for work he did in 1991 and 1992. According to