Watch the British royal wedding live


Indigo/Getty ImagesWhether you will be watching every moment or just want to see the ceremony, Yahoo! will be your one stop for all royal wedding updates. You won't miss a thing. Here's what you can expect:
-Live streaming video: No TV? No problem, just come back to this page, starting at 1 a.m. PT/4 a.m. ET on Friday morning, where we'll have live video of every moment of the event courtesy of ABC News, hosted by Diane Sawyer and Barbara Walters. Live coverage will continue through 7 a.m. PT/10 a.m. ET.
- See Kate's dress: All the guests, the carriage ride, the balcony kiss, and so much more. There will be slideshows, memorable moments, and updates throughout the day to keep you on top of the up-to-the-minute details.
- Save this page! Bookmark this page to return to the live feed on the day of the wedding. The big day is Friday, April 29. Here is a full schedule:
8.15 a.m. London time (12.15 a.m. PT/3.15 a.m. ET) - According to royal officials, the general congregation will arrive at Westminster Abbey between 8.15 a.m. and 9.45 a.m.
9.50 a.m. London time (1.50 a.m. PT/4.50 a.m. ET) Governors-General and Prime Ministers of Realm Countries, the Diplomatic Corps, and other distinguished guests arrive at the Abbey.
10.10 a.m. London time (2.10 a.m. PT/5.10 a.m. ET) Prince William and Prince Harry leave Clarence House for Westminster Abbey. They arrive at the Abbey at 10.15 a.m.
10.20 a.m. London time (2.20 p.m. PT/5.20 p.m. ET) Carole Middleton and Kate's younger brother James leave the Goring Hotel for Westminster Abbey. They arrive at the Abbey at 10.27 a.m.
10.35 a.m. London time (2.35 a.m. PT/5.35 a.m. ET) The following members of the royal family leave Buckingham Palace for Westminster Abbey: Princess Anne and Vice-Admiral Timothy Laurence; Prince Andrew, Duke of York; Princesses Eugenie and Beatrice; Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex and Sophie, Countess of Wessex. They arrive at the Abbey at 10.40 a.m.
John Stillwell/Reuters 
10.38 a.m. London time (2.38 a.m. PT/5.38 a.m. ET) Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall leave Clarence House for Westminster Abbey. They arrive at the Abbey at 10.42 a.m.
10.40 a.m. London time (2.40 a.m. PT/5.40 a.m. ET) The Queen and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh leave Buckingham Palace for Westminster Abbey. Let's hope the queen doesn't sleep through her alarm.
10.48 a.m. London time (2.48 a.m. PT/5.48 a.m. ET) The bridesmaids and pages leave the Goring Hotel for Westminster Abbey. They arrive at the Abbey at 10.55 a.m.
10:51 a.m. London time (2:51 a.m. PT/5:51 a.m. ET) - Kate and her father Mike Middleton will depart the Goring Hotel via car, a somewhat controversial decision as it is the first time since 1963 that a royal bride has not arrived at the church by horse-drawn carriage. Their car will travel along The Mall, passing by Clarence House, Whitehall, and Parliament Square before arriving at the Abbey.
11 a.m. London time (3 a.m. PT/6 a.m. ET) - The service begins at 11:00 a.m. sharp, so turn off your cell phones and throw some butter on your popcorn. While the Dean of Westminster will conduct the church service, William and Kate will actually be married by Rowan Douglas Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury. The marriage service will be relayed by audio speakers along the procession route.
12.15 p.m. London time (4.15 a.m. PT/7.15 a.m. ET) - Following the ceremony, Prince William and Princess Catherine, now husband and wife, will return to Buckingham Palace in a procession of horse-drawn coaches (with the newlyweds in the 1902 State Landau carriage), passing by the thousands of well-wishers who will be lining the streets.
12.30 p.m. London time (4:30 a.m. PT/7:30 a.m. ET) - Once back at the Palace, the newlyweds will be met by the queen and enjoy a swanky champagne reception.
1.25 p.m. London time (5.25 a.m. PT/8.25 a.m. ET) - The couple and their families will take a moment to appear on the Buckingham Palace balcony. Chances are William and Kate will share a kiss for the crowds and cameras.
1.30 p.m. London time (5.30 a.m. PT/8.30 a.m. ET) - The royals watch a flypast by the Royal Air Force and Battle of Britain Memorial Flight before returning inside for the queen's reception.
7 p.m. London time (11 a.m. PT/2 p.m. ET) - Following that epic soiree, the Prince of Wales (William's father, Charles) will host a private dinner and dance, also at Buckingham Palace. This event will be for just the bride and groom's closest friends and family. If ever there was an opportunity for the Queen to bust out the Electric Slide, this will be it.

Obama releases 'long form' birth certificate

Barack Obama's long form birth certificate

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The White House has released President Barack Obama's birth certificate, in response to persistent rumours he was not born in the US.
Mr Obama had previously released an official "certification of live birth" showing he was born in Hawaii.
But fringe "birther" theorists have insisted Mr Obama was actually born in his father's native Kenya, making him ineligible to be president.
Recently potential Republican candidate Donald Trump has revived the rumour.

I was out of town when the story broke and rushed to find a diner with a TV to watch what the president said. As I talked to people afterwards, it was very clear many had doubts about the president's birth certificate and wondered why something hadn't been said more clearly much earlier.
Something else was also very clear: They agreed with the president that this was a distraction and nearly everyone, unprompted, mentioned the price of petrol as their overwhelming concern.
'Silliness'
On Wednesday, Mr Obama described the unprecedented move as an effort to rid the US political debate of a distraction, saying he had watched, puzzled and bemused, as the birther conspiracy had built and developed over the past years.
He described the matter as a "sideshow" and its proponents as "carnival barkers".
"We do not have time for this kind of silliness," Mr Obama said. "We've got better stuff to do. I have better stuff to do. We've got big problems to solve, and I'm confident we can solve them, but we're going to have to focus on them - not on this."
The release of Mr Obama's long form birth certificate, which had been stored in a bound volume among the records of the Hawaii Department of Health since his birth in August 1961, comes after years of speculation among conspiracy-minded conservatives.
Under the US constitution, only a "natural born citizen" - a clause widely interpreted to mean born in the US or in some cases to US citizens abroad - is eligible to be president.
Trump's birther hype The birther conspiracy held that Mr Obama was born in Kenya or in Indonesia, where he lived as a child, or that the birth certificate revealed other unwholesome information about the president.
Barack Obama: "We've had every official in Hawaii...confirm that yes in fact I was born in Hawaii"
During the 2008 presidential campaign Mr Obama released a computer print-out of the birth certificate information that is recognised as an official record of his birth - on passport applications, for instance - and Hawaiian public health officials vouched for its authenticity.
But the move did little to quell the birthers, even as most mainstream Republicans have sought to quash the movement, calling it a distraction from substantive policy disagreements.
New York real estate entrepreneur and reality television star, meanwhile, has publicly flirted with a Republican presidential bid in recent weeks, founded in large part by stoking questions about Mr Obama's origins.
And on Wednesday, Mr Trump took credit for forcing Mr Obama's hand.
"I've accomplished something that nobody else has been able to accomplish," Mr Trump told reporters. "He should have done it a long time ago."
The White House released copies of the original birth certificate, with a stamp verifying its authenticity. White House officials said they had been given a waiver by Hawaii public health officials, as the state's policy in general bars release of long-form birth certificates.
Birthers unsatisfied The document shows Barack Hussein Obama II was born 4 August 1961 at Kapiolani Maternity and Gynecological Hospital in Honolulu, to Barack Hussein Obama, a 25-year-old student, and Stanley Ann Dunham, 18, and includes the signature of the attending physician.
It remains unclear whether the release of the birth certificate will satisfy the most hard-core birthers.
Joseph Farah, chief executive of birther-orientated website WorldNetDaily.com, said on the site the document "raises as many questions as it answers".
"It is important to remember there are still dozens of other questions concerning this question of eligibility... concerning Barack Obama's parentage, his adoption, his citizenship status throughout his life and why he continues to cultivate a culture of secrecy around his life," he said.

How meditation might ward off the effects of ageing

A study at a US Buddhist retreat suggests eastern relaxation techniques can protect our chromosomes from degenerating
Interior of Great Stupa of Dharmakaya at Shambhala Mountain Center
The Shamatha project took place at Shambhala Mountain Centre in Colorado, USA. Photograph: Blaine Harrington III/Corbis
High in the mountains of northern Colorado, a 100-foot tall tower reaches up through the pinetops. Brightly coloured and strung with garlands, its ornate gold leaf glints in the sun. With a shape that symbolises a giant seated Buddha, this lofty stupa is intended to inspire those on the path to enlightenment.
Visitors here to the Shambhala Mountain Centre meditate in silence for up to 10 hours every day, emulating the lifestyle that monks have chosen for centuries in mountain refuges from India to Japan. But is it doing them any good? For two three-month retreats held in 2007, this haven for the eastern spiritual tradition opened its doors to western science. As attendees pondered the "four immeasurables" of love, compassion, joy and equanimity, a laboratory squeezed into the basement bristled with scientific equipment from brain and heart monitors to video cameras and centrifuges. The aim: to find out exactly what happens to people who meditate.
After several years of number-crunching, data from the so-called Shamatha project is finally starting to be published. So far the research has shown some not hugely surprising psychological and cognitive changes – improvements in perception and wellbeing, for example. But one result in particular has potentially stunning implications: that by protecting caps called telomeres on the ends of our chromosomes, meditation might help to delay the process of ageing.
It's the kind of claim more often associated with pseudoscience. Indeed, since researchers first started studying meditation, with its close links to religion and spirituality, they have had a tough time gaining scientific credibility. "A great danger in the field is that many researchers are also meditators, with a feeling about how powerful and useful these practices are," says Charles Raison, who studies mind-body interactions at Emory University in Atlanta. "There has been a tendency for people to be attempting to prove what they already know."
But a new generation of brain-imaging studies and robust clinical trials is helping to change that. Scientists from a range of fields are starting to compile evidence that rather than simply being a transient mental or spiritual experience, meditation may have long-term implications for physical health.
There are many kinds of meditation, including transcendental meditation, in which you focus on a repetitive mantra, and compassion meditation, which involves extending feelings of love and kindness to fellow living beings. One of the most studied practices is based on the Buddhist concept of mindfulness, or being aware of your own thoughts and surroundings. Buddhists believe it alleviates suffering by making you less caught up in everyday stresses – helping you to appreciate the present instead of continually worrying about the past or planning for the future.
"You pay attention to your own breath," explains Sara Lazar, a neuroscientist who studies the effects of meditation at Massachusetts general hospital in Boston. "If your mind wanders, you don't get discouraged, you notice the thought and think, 'OK'."
Small trials have suggested that such meditation creates more than spiritual calm. Reported physical effects include lowering blood pressure, helping psoriasis to heal, and boosting the immune response in vaccine recipients and cancer patients. In a pilot study in 2008, Willem Kuyken, head of the Mood Disorders Centre at Exeter University, showed that mindfulness meditation was more effective than drug treatment in preventing relapse in patients with recurrent depression. And in 2009, David Creswell of Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh found that it slowed disease progression in patients with HIV.
Most of these trials have involved short courses of meditation aimed at treating specific conditions. The Shamatha project, by contrast, is an attempt to see what a longer, more intensive course of meditation might do for healthy people. The project was co-ordinated by neuroscientist Clifford Saron of the Centre for Mind and Brain at the University of California, Davis. His team advertised in Buddhist publications for people willing to spend three months in an intensive meditation retreat, and chose 60 participants. Half of them attended in the spring of 2007, while the other half acted as a control group before heading off for their own retreat in the autumn.
It sounds simple enough, but the project has taken eight years to organise and is likely to end up costing around $4m (partly funded by private organisations with an interest in meditation, including the Fetzer Institute and the Hershey Family Foundation). As well as shipping laptops all over the world to carry out cognitive tests on the volunteers before the study started, Saron's team built a hi-tech lab in a dorm room beneath the Shambhala centre's main hall, enabling them to subject participants and controls to tests at the beginning, middle and end of each retreat, and worked with "a village" of consulting scientists who each wanted to study different aspects of the meditators' performance. "It's a heroic effort," says neuroscientist Giuseppe Pagnoni, who studies meditation at the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia in Italy.
Many of the tests focused on changes in cognitive ability or regulation of emotions. Soft white caps trailing wires and electrodes measured the meditators' brain waves as they completed gruelling computerised tasks to test their powers of attention, and video recordings captured split-second changes in facial expressions as they watched images of suffering and war.
But psychologist Elissa Epel, from the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), wanted to know what the retreat was doing to the participants' chromosomes, in particular their telomeres. Telomeres play a key role in the ageing of cells, acting like a clock that limits their lifespan. Every time a cell divides, its telomeres get shorter, unless an enzyme called telomerase builds them back up. When telomeres get too short, a cell can no longer replicate, and ultimately dies.
It's not just an abstract concept. People with shorter telomeres are at greater risk of heart disease, diabetes, obesity, depression and degenerative diseases such as osteoarthritis and osteoporosis. And they die younger.
Epel has been collaborating with UCSF's Elizabeth Blackburn, who shared the 2009 Nobel physiology or medicine prize for her work on telomeres, to investigate whether telomeres are affected by psychological factors. They found that at the end of the retreat, meditators had significantly higher telomerase activity than the control group, suggesting that their telomeres were better protected. The researchers are cautious, but say that in theory this might slow or even reverse cellular ageing. "If the increase in telomerase is sustained long enough," says Epel, "it's logical to infer that this group would develop more stable and possibly longer telomeres over time."
Pagnoni has previously used brain imaging to show that meditation may protect against the cognitive decline that occurs as we age. But the Shamatha project is the first to suggest that meditation plays a role in cellular ageing. If that link is confirmed, he says, "that would be groundbreaking".
So how could focusing on your thoughts have such impressive physical effects? The assumption that meditation simply induces a state of relaxation is "dead wrong", says Raison. Brain-imaging studies suggest that it triggers active processes within the brain, and can cause physical changes to the structure of regions involved in learning, memory, emotion regulation and cognitive processing.
The question of how the immaterial mind affects the material body remains a thorny philosophical problem, but on a practical level, "our understanding of the brain-body dialogue has made jaw-dropping advances in the last decade or two," says Raison. One of the most dramatic links between the mind and health is the physiological pathways that have evolved to respond to stress, and these can explain much about how meditation works.
When the brain detects a threat in our environment, it sends signals to spur the body into action. One example is the "fight or flight" response of the nervous system. When you sense danger, your heart beats faster, you breathe more rapidly, and your pupils dilate. Digestion slows, and fat and glucose are released into the bloodstream to fuel your next move. Another stress response pathway triggers a branch of the immune system known as the inflammatory response.
These responses might help us to run from a mammoth or fight off infection, but they also damage body tissues. In the past, the trade-off for short bursts of stress would have been worthwhile. But in the modern world, these ancient pathways are continually triggered by long-term threats for which they aren't any use, such as debt, work pressures or low social status. "Psychological stress activates these pathways in exactly the same way that infection does," says Raison.
Such chronic stress has devastating effects, putting us at greater risk of a host of diseases including diabetes, cancer, heart disease, depression – and death. It also affects our telomeres. Epel, Blackburn and their colleagues found in 2004 that stressed mothers caring for a chronically ill child had shorter telomeres than mothers with healthy children. Their stress had accelerated the ageing process.
Meditation seems to be effective in changing the way that we respond to external events. After short courses of mindfulness meditation, people produce less of the stress hormone cortisol, and mount a smaller inflammatory response to stress. One study linked meditators' lower stress to changes in the amygdala – a brain area involved in fear and the response to threat.
Some researchers think this is the whole story, because the diseases countered most by meditation are those in which stress plays a major role. But Epel believes that meditation might also trigger "pathways of restoration and enhancement", perhaps boosting the parasympathetic nervous system, which works in opposition to the fight or flight response, or triggering the production of growth hormone.
In terms of the psychological mechanisms involved, Raison thinks that meditation allows people to experience the world as less threatening. "You reinterpret the world as less dangerous, so you don't get as much of a stress reaction," he says. Compassion meditation, for example, may help us to view the world in a more socially connected way. Mindfulness might help people to distance themselves from negative or stressful thoughts.
The Shamatha project used a mix of mindfulness and compassion meditation. The researchers concluded that the meditation affected telomerase by changing the participants' psychological state, which they assessed using questionnaires. Three factors in particular predicted higher telomerase activity at the end of the retreat: increased sense of control (over circumstances or daily life); increased sense of purpose in life; and lower neuroticism (being tense, moody and anxious). The more these improved, the greater the effect on the meditators' telomerase.
For those of us who don't have time for retreats, Epel suggests "mini-meditations" – focusing on breathing or being aware of our surroundings – at regular points throughout the day. And though meditation seems to be a particularly effective route to reducing stress and protecting telomeres, it's not the only one. "Lots of people have no interest in meditation, and that's fine," says Creswell. Exercise has been shown to buffer the effects of stress on telomeres, for example, while stress management programmes and writing emotional diaries can help to delay the progression of HIV.
Indeed, Clifford Saron argues that the psychological changes caused by the Shamatha retreat – increased sense of control and purpose in life – are more important than the meditation itself. Simply doing something we love, whether meditating or gardening, may protect us from stress and maybe even help us to live longer. "The news from this paper is the profound impact of having the opportunity to live your life in a way that you find meaningful."
For a scientific conclusion it sounds scarily spiritual. But researchers warn that in our modern, work-obsessed society we are increasingly living on autopilot, reacting blindly to tweets and emails instead of taking the time to think about what really matters. If we don't give our minds a break from that treadmill, the physical effects can be scarily real.

Norio Ohga, former Sony president, dies

Norio Ohga (14 June 2000) Norio Ohga conducted the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra a few times a year

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The former president and chairman of Sony, Norio Ohga, who was credited with developing the compact disc, has died aged 81, the company has said.
Ohga, who led the company from 1982 to 1995, died of multiple organ failure in the Japanese capital, Tokyo.
Sony's chairman, Sir Howard Stringer, said his predecessor's foresight and vision had transformed the company into a global entertainment leader.
Ohga was still a senior adviser to the company at the time of his death.
In 1953, Sony's co-founders recruited Ohga while he was still studying at the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music and hoping to pursue a career as an opera singer. They sensed his knowledge of sound and electrical engineering would benefit the firm.

Start Quote

By redefining Sony as a company encompassing both hardware and software, Ohga-san succeeded where other Japanese companies failed”
End Quote Sir Howard Stringer Chairman, Sony
He was an executive by his 30s - a rarity in a Japanese company - becoming the president of CBS Sony Records (now Sony Music Entertainment) in 1970s.
From the start, he recognised the potential of the compact disc, and personally drove Sony's initiatives to introduce the format.
During the development of the CD, it was Ohga who pushed for a disc that was 12cm (4.8in) in diameter, because it provided sufficient capacity at 75 minutes to store all of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony.
Sony sold the world's first CD in 1982 and CDs overtook LP record sales in Japan five years later. Ohga's specifications are still used today, and have shaped formats developed since, including MiniDisc and DVD.
In 1989, he oversaw the $3.4bn purchase of Hollywood studios Columbia Pictures, which was criticised as unwise and costly at the time.
Ohga also presided over the launch of Sony's game business, which went on to develop the successful "PlayStation" console.
"By redefining Sony as a company encompassing both hardware and software, Ohga-san succeeded where other Japanese companies failed," said Sony Chairman Howard Stringer, using the Japanese honorific.
"It is no exaggeration to attribute Sony's evolution beyond audio and video products into music, movies and game, and subsequent transformation into a global entertainment leader to Ohga-san's foresight and vision," he added.
Ohga stepped down as Sony's president in 1995 and continued to serve as chairman and representative director until 2000.
He was also the chairman of the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra.

CELEB GOSSIPS

Beyoncé's way of telling you to eat your greens

If anything's going to persuade America to get fit then it's Beyoncé jumping around to dancehall in a school canteen

When the UK tried to get serious about healthy eating recently it involved some plasticine figurines talking about sausages in northern accents. America, it seems, is one step ahead. And several dance steps ahead, too. Here's Beyoncé in a school canteen, reworking Get Me Bodied with a new video to encourage kids to hurl their Turkey Twizzlers in the air and shake their stuff to a bit of R&B and dancehall.
At least that's what Michelle Obama's hoping – the track is part of her Let's Move campaign, which has been thrilling US conservatives.
It's brilliant – and possibly more exciting than Beyoncé's official single, Run the World (Girls), the video for which we still await – so let's just ignore the fact that, were you to try this in your own school canteen you'd get royally bollocked.

Messi seals fiery Barca win in Madrid

Real Madrid   0 - 2   Barcelona

Barcelona goalscorer Lionel Messi 
Messi single-handedly enlivened what had been a tempestuous El Clasico
Barcelona talisman Lionel Messi scored two late goals to put his side in control of their bad-tempered Champions League semi-final against Real Madrid.
The goals came after Real's Pepe was dismissed in the 61st minute and boss Jose Mourinho was sent to the stands soon after for his protestations.
That seemed to turn the tide in Barca's favour and they went ahead when Messi turned in Ibrahim Afellay's cross.
Messi then added a fabulous second when he ran 30 yards before slotting in.
It was a glorious way to score his 11th goal in 11 Champions League games and by doing so made his side firm favourites to go through to the 28 May final at Wembley.
Up until he scored his first goal in the 76th minute, Messi was operating around the fringes of Real's final third, which was difficult to breach for much of the match.
The visitors only managed to break clear of the snapping Real defence on a couple of occasions during the first half.
Xavi's firm but telegraphed shot was well held by Iker Casillas, who was left floundering when David Villa's low, whipped shot from 20 yards beat him but also the right-hand post.
The Spain keeper then came to the home side's rescue when he dived low to block a Villa shot after Messi had played a threaded reverse ball to the striker.
Real were content to sit back and frustrate their visitors, much to the annoyance of their own lone forward Cristiano Ronaldo.
His supply line was virtually non-existent as Mesut Ozil, Xabi Alonso and Angel di Maria were occupied with defensive duties.
So when Real did finally test Victor Valdes, it needed Ronaldo to drop deep, pick up the ball and then venture forward before launching a trademark long-range drive that the Barca keeper did well to parry away.
Goalmouth action was scarce in the opening half but on-the-ball and off-the-ball incidents were not, as many had predicted.
Referee Wolfgang Stark kept a cool head while the melodramatics unfolded around him, but his resolve was finally broken when, after the half-time whistle, there was a fracas on the touchline as the players were leaving the field, which resulted in Barcelona substitute keeper Jose Pinto being shown a red card.
It was still 11 v 11 on the pitch after the interval, but Real were soon reduced to 10 when the influential Pepe was sent off for a high tackle on Dani Alves.
Real coach Mourinho, who was seen to mouth sarcastically "well done" to the fourth official and was subsequently dismissed himself, now faced a defensive problem.
Before he had time to put a new structure in place, Villa was in again to test Casillas with an angled shot that was brilliantly palmed away.
The 10 men of Real appeared to be holding out, if not entirely comfortably, until the magnificent Messi made his move.
The pacy Afellay, who came on for the injured Pedro, sped down the right and played an inviting square ball into the area which Messi reached ahead of Sergio Ramos and tapped in at the near post.
Despite conceding an away goal, Real would have considered themselves to be still in the tie. But then Messi struck again with pure brilliance.
The Argentine forward picked up the ball midway inside the Real half, skipped past Lassana Diarra, Raul Albiol and Marcelo before slotting in his 52nd of the season and what could prove to be the decisive goal of the tie.

Britney Spears invites Nicki Minaj and Ke$ha to a 'Till The World Ends' remix party


spears-minaj-keshaBritney Spears is suddenly a player in the remix game, first dropping in on Rihanna’s “S&M” (which instantly sent that song back to the top of the Billboard Hot 100) and now hosting both Ke$ha and Nicki Minaj on a reworked version of “Till The World Ends.”
Spears premiered the song at her own site and tweeted the single’s cover art. You can listen to their three-way take here.
While Ke$ha’s contribution is generally ignorable—besides the fact that she, know, c0-wrote the track in the first place—Minaj’s cartoonish rap at the top doesn’t jibe very well with the rest of the song’s razor-sharp cool. It’s as though Minaj is rapping on a different song that you have to get through in order to get to the real song.
Of course, any version of “Till The World Ends” is going to work with the “whoa-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-ohs” in there, and this will certainly give Spears and Minaj an excuse to be onstage together when the two go on tour this summer.
But like most remixes, we’ll stick we the original, thank you very much. Readers, do you disagree?
More on EW.com:
Marines make dance video for Britney Spears’ ‘Hold It Against Me’: Watch!
Britney Spears and Nicki Minaj touring together? Yes, it’s finally official
Ke$ha shoots co-star James Van Der Beek and countless unicorns in her ‘Blow’ video

Fergie - Giggs is amazing

Image text here
Giggs: Praised by Ferguson after helping to inspire United to a 2-0 semi-final first-leg win over Schalke
Sir Alex Ferguson has labelled Ryan Giggs as 'amazing' after hailing Manchester United's 2-0 win away to Schalke as one of their best performances in Europe.
United took a giant stride towards reaching next month's UEFA Champions League final at Wembley after second-half goals from Giggs and Wayne Rooney secured a comfortable success in Gelsenkirchen.
Giggs was pulling the strings from a central midfield role and the 37-year-old could easily have scored a hat-trick before breaking the deadlock midway through the second half.
The Welshman has agreed a contract to play on for the Red Devils next season and Ferguson is amazed by Giggs' longevity at the highest level.

Freshness

"It is strange because Ryan's peak years seem to have lasted so long," said Ferguson.
"You would think, at 37, he would be showing signs of waning. I don't see any evidence of that.
"We look after him in terms of rest before games but when he gets that freshness he doesn't show any sign of fatiguing at all. He is an amazing man."
Only Schalke goalkeeper Manuel Neuer prevented United from building an even more commanding first-leg advantage, while the clean sheet ensured Ferguson's side have not conceded a goal away from home in Europe this season.
With a final showdown against Barcelona or Real Madrid now seemingly on the horizon, Ferguson ranked the display against Schalke on a par with his team's best in the Champions League.
The United boss added: "Overall I was delighted. It was a top performance.
"We have had some fantastic performances in Europe during my time.
"Juventus in Juventus in 1999 obviously will always be high on the list but this certainly ranks as one of the best."

10 Ways to Wake Up Beautiful

1. Get an Early Start
Make a habit of washing your face a few hours before bed. If you wait until you're tired, you're more likely to blow it off -- allowing "toxins and dirt to stay on there all night," says dermatologist Laurie Polis of N.Y.C. Another consequence? You miss the best time to treat your skin. "At night there's more blood flow to the skin's surface, and there's nothing else on your face to interfere with absorption," Polis says.

Try: Neutrogena Deep Clean Relaxing nightly cleanser, $7; at drugstores.

2. Sleep on Your Back
Note to Audrey Hepburn fans: Lying on your stomach is bad for "beauty sleep." The average head weighs 7 to 8 pounds -- a lot of pressure to be putting on your face every night. In fact, many dermatologists say they can tell what side of the face people sleep on by the number of wrinkles there.

3. Get a Lift
Sleep with your head elevated on two pillows, or put the headrest area of your bed on 2- to 4-inch pieces of wood. Gravity helps lymph and blood flow so fluid won't accumulate, Polis says.

4. Save Money, Not Wrinkles

At night you don't need to worry about eye treatments smearing your makeup, so slather on the richest formula you can. Polis swears by Aquaphor: "It conditions lashes and hydrates the delicate eye skin really well."

Try: Aquaphor Healing ointment, $9; drugstore.com.

5. Sneak a Glow
Mix a drop of self-tanner into your night cream or use a cream that contains a bit of tan-producing DHA.

Try: Clarins Radiance-Plus self-tanning cream, $52; clarinsusa.com.

6. Avoid Carb Face
To wake with defined cheekbones, eat a high-protein, low-sugar dinner (try salmon and asparagus, a natural diuretic). Skip the rice, pasta and potatoes. "When our diet's high in glycemic carbohydrates, our features take on a soft, doughy appearance," says Connecticut dermatologist Nicholas Perricone.

7. Wrap It Up
To minimize A.M. frizz, sleep on a satin pillowcase or put your hair in a silk scarf. "Those fabrics are much softer than cotton, so there's less friction," says Harry Josh, a John Frieda stylist.

8. Find Your Inner Ballerina
Pile hair into a twist on the top of your head (use a scrunchie to avoid crimping). "In the morning you'll have major volume and beautiful waves," Josh says.

9. Turn on the Hair Conditioning
Sleep with a moisturizing treatment in damp hair overnight. We like Philip B. Katira Hair Masque, but any rich conditioner will do. Rinse in the morning.

Try: Philip B. Katira Hair Masque, $40; philipb.com.

10. Pop a Rooster Pill
Trust us, we were skeptical. But after swallowing two Wake Up on Time pills at 11 P.M., we found it much easier to get out of bed seven hours later. Created by a sleep-deprived single mother, the pills contain an energizing blend of thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, vitamins B6 and B12 and guarana-seed extract. It's formulated with a coating that releases ingredients into your bloodstream toward the end of your last sleep cycle, so you wake up feeling clear-headed, not fuzzy.

Try: Wake Up On Time, $30/40 tablets; wakeupontime.com.

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10 places it's (almost) impossible to visit



Thanks to cheap flights and the internet, the world’s not as mysterious as it used to be. Many of us have travelled to far-flung areas of the globe that would have been totally alien and unreachable to Brits even a couple of generations ago. However, there are still parts of the planet that – no matter how many tourist blogs you read – are still (almost) off-limits to tourists. Here are some of our favourite forbidden travel destinations.




1. Poveglia
Where is it?
The Venetian lagoon, Italy
Why can’t I visit?: Because it’s haunted! According to legend it was used to isolate plague victims during Roman times, and then as a giant Black Death grave in the Middle Ages. As if that wasn’t scary enough, it’s also home to spooky abandoned building – complete with bell tower naturally – that was apparently a mental hospital. These days it’s off-limits to visitors unless you bribe a gondolier to take you there.
2. Area 51
Where is it?
Nevada, USA
Why can’t I visit?: It’s a top secret military testing base, protected by armed private security teams patrolling in jeeps who are authorised to use deadly force to deal with intruders. Whether or not you believe UFOs have crashed landed there, the ridiculously strict security around the base means you’re never going to find out for sure.
3. Le Cercle Munster
Where is it?
Luxembourg
Why can’t I visit?: It’s an exclusive private members club that’s extremely selective about adding new members. Want to join? You must be backed by two sponsors and be approved by a selection committee made up of bigwigs from the finance world. Unless you’re an incredibly rich banker, businessman or equity trader, you’ll never see the sumptuous insides of the club, take part in the ‘Programme culturel’ or eat the delicious food at the in-house restaurant. Damn!
4. Church of Our Lady Mary of Zion
Where is it?
Axum, Ethiopia
Why can’t I visit?: Because it’s no ordinary church. According to legend it's home to one of the most important biblical artefacts ever – the Ark of the Covenant (and we thought Indiana Jones left it in a warehouse). Only a specially chosen monk is allowed to guard the ‘Ark’. No-one else is allowed to lay eyes on it or even get close, in case they melt presumably (see Indiana Jones again). Of course, some claim this secrecy means the Ethiopian church is telling porkies…
5. Most of Niihau Island
Where is it?
The Hawaiian Islands, USA
Why can’t I visit?: Super-rich family the Robinsons (they’re not Swiss) bought Niihau in 1915 and closed it off to preserve its indigenous culture and wildlife. The 200-or-so natives who live there lead a blissful existence free of electricity, burger joints and, for the most part, tourists. There are very rare helicopter tours to the isle where you can wander along one of the beaches, but getting anywhere near the locals is strictly forbidden; hence its nickname, the, er, ‘Forbidden Island’.
6. Bohemian Grove
Where is it?
California, USA
Why can’t I visit?: It’s an extremely secretive men-only club whose members include artists, musicians, businessmen politicians… and the odd president (Nixon was a member). Once a year they all gather for a two-week long festival where (allegedly) rituals such as the ‘Cremation of Care’ - a wicker-man-style faux-pagan rite - and the ‘Grove Play’ - a large-scale musical theatre production - are performed by members. It sounds like fun to us, but somehow I don’t think we’ll get an invite…
7. Lechiguilla Cave
Where is it?
New Mexico, USA
Why can’t I visit?: It’s perhaps the most beautiful cave on the planet and frankly, the authorities don’t want you ruining it. Discovered in 1986 by miners, the sprawling underground complex is home to stunning speleothems, gypsum chandeliers and hydromagnesite balloons. We don’t know what any of these are, but they sound impressive. Sadly, unless you’re an extremely experienced caver you’ll never get a permit to see them.
8. Jiangsu National Security Education museum
Where is it?
Nanjing, China
Why can’t I visit?: Anyone is allowed in… as long as they are Chinese. There’s a big sign outside the front of this very unusual museum stating that only Chinese citizens are allowed inside. The unusual entry requirements are because the museum documents the history of Chinese espionage, and the state doesn’t want us foreigners finding out their spying secrets.
9. Ilha de Queimada Grande
Where is it?
Off the shore of Brazil
Why can’t I visit?: Basically, because it’s full of snakes – hence the nickname: ‘Snake Island’. Local legend states there’s between one and five snakes per square metre on the island. And not just any old snakes, most of ‘em are golden lanceheads – noted for their extremely potent venom. Because of this, understandably, the Brazilian Navy forbids tourists from stepping foot on the island.
10. The peak of Mount Kailash
Where is it?
The Himalayas, Tibet
Why can’t I visit?: Because it's home to a Hindu god. Lord Shiva, to be precise, who resides at the summit in a state of perpetual meditation. Sounds like bliss to us, which is appropriate, as Buddhists also believe the peak is home to the Buddha Demchok, who represents supreme bliss. Because of this religious significance the peak was always considered off-limits by most climbers, before this Chinese government issued an official ban in 2001.

Oops! Real Madrid's Trophy Crushed By Bus

Hours after Real Madrid finally got their hands on the coveted Copa del Rey trophy they let it slip through their fingers and fall under the wheels of their open-top bus.

Madrid were parading the 15kg (33lb) silverware in front of thousands of euphoric fans at the iconic Cibeles fountain in the Spanish capital when World Cup-winning defender Sergio Ramos accidentally dropped it as he waved to the crowd.
Video footage captured the moment the Cup slipped from his grasp, tumbling to the ground before being run over.
Police rushed to retrieve the crushed trophy and gave it to the bus driver but it was not displayed to the public again.
Real Madrid celebrate with the trophy after winning the King's Cup 1-0 against Barcelona.
Real Madrid celebrating their King's Cup win after the game
Real Madrid won the King's Cup final after defeating arch-rivals Barcelona with an extra-time goal headed in by Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo.
It is the first time they have won the Cup since 1993.
Next week Jose Mourinho's team will tackle their Catalan adverseries again - this time in the semi-finals of the Champions League.
Whoever wins the two-legged tie will play either Schalke 04 or Manchester United in the final at Wembley on May 28.