Moon Rock

21 May 2011 -  An American woman is being questioned in California for allegedly trying to sell a moon rock for $1.7m (£1.05m). The woman, whose identity has not been revealed, was held in a sting operation when she showed the rock to a Nasa investigator in Lake Elsinore. Moon rocks are considered national treasure in the United States and their sale is illegal. The rock was recovered but Nasa investigators have not yet determined whether it is genuine. The sting operation had been planned for several months and took place at a restaurant. Gail Robinson, Nasa's deputy inspector general, told the Los Angeles Times: "It's possible this is a moon rock, but it has to be tested first." It quoted Ms Robinson as saying the woman was in custody but had not been formally arrested. Many hundreds of kilograms of rock were collected from Nasa missions to the Moon, mainly during the Apollo 15, 16 and 17 missions.

Drink More Coffee

20 May 2011 - Coffee has been linked to a reduced risk of dying from prostate cancer in a study of nearly 50,000 US men. Those who drank six or more cups a day were found to be 20% less likely to develop any form of the disease - which is the most common cancer in men. They were also 60% less likely to develop an aggressive form which can spread to other parts of the body. But charities say the evidence, reported in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, is still unclear. They do not recommend that men take up coffee drinking in the hope of preventing prostate cancer. The study looked at about 48,000 men in the US who work as health professionals. Every four years between 1986 and 2006, they were asked to report their average daily intake of coffee. During this 20-year period, 5,035 of the men were diagnosed with prostate cancer, including 642 fatal cases.

Maher Zain

19 May 2011 - I really l.o.v.e. Maher Zain the second. Maher Zain is a Swedish R&B singer, songwriter and music producer of Lebanese origin. He also resided for a while in the USA. His debut album Thank You Allah, with 13 songs and two bonus tracks was released on 1 November 2009, with an exclusive Percussion Version and a French Version released shortly afterwards. He sings mainly in English, but also, amongst other languages, in French, Arabic, Urdu, Turkish, Malay and Indonesian. His family moved to Sweden when Maher was eight, where he continued his schooling. Maher got his first keyboard when he was ten . He later entered university and got a Bachelors degree in Aeronautical Engineering. During his teenage years, he liked to spend late nights at school with his friends where they would sing, rap, compose and experiment with music. He is going to be a big star.

Beatrice's Wedding Hat

18 May 2011 - Bids on eBay for Princess Beatrice's unusual royal wedding hat have surpassed £18,000 ($29,500). The dramatic creation by Philip Treacy has been likened to a Turkey Twizzler, a toilet seat and a pretzel. Worn to the wedding of Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge last month, it has its own Facebook page. The auction on eBay, which has had 64 bids from 32 bidders, ends on 22 May with proceeds going to charities Unicef and Children in Crisis. Australian children's TV performers The Wiggles put in an offer of £17,500 but the leading bid now stands at £18,400. Anthony Field, of The Wiggles, joked: "We wear some pretty crazy costumes on stage but this hat beats them all - it could bring about an Australian republic all by itself. "When we heard about the auction we knew we had to bid. We're ambassadors for Unicef and we think it's great that Princess Beatrice has chosen to support children in great need." The Wiggles have thought about giving the hat to the Australian cricket captain for the next Ashes series against England. "We might give it to Michael Clarke to wear when he bats against the Poms next time - it would certainly distract the bowler," said Field.

Spiderman - The Musical

17 May 2011 - Broadway's troubled Spider-Man musical has performed well since reopening in a reworked version after a three-week break, box office figures have shown. According to data released on Monday, Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark has played at 95% capacity since reopening its doors on Thursday. The latest version of the show will have its official opening on 14 June. The show has been dogged by accidents and technical hitches since it first began previewing in November. The overhaul followed the departure of Julie Taymor, the musical's original director, in March. The version now running at New York's Foxwoods Theater includes new songs from the show's composers, U2 members Bono and the Edge, and is said to have more humour. "This is almost a brand-new show," said producer Michael Cohl last week. Among the cast is Christopher Tierney, who has returned to the production following a serious on-stage accident in December. The actor suffered a fractured skull, a fractured shoulder blade, four broken ribs and three broken vertebrae after falling 30ft.

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

16 May 2011 - It is a bit of a give-away, but I am of the generation being brought up with Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. I must have the movie at least five times. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, one of the most loved cars in the world, is going up for auction in Los Angeles. The star of the 1968 family movie was shipped to California from England to go under the hammer on Sunday. The unique vehicle, which is still in working order, is expected to fetch up to $2m (£1.2m). For the past four decades it has been kept in Stratford-upon-Avon by owner Pierre Picton, the man who looked after it on set. It has appeared at hundreds of shows and charity road races, but has never been auctioned until now. There were several Chitty Chitty Bang bang cars made for the film, but this was the only one that actually worked. It was driven in the movie by Dick Van Dyke, who played the eccentric inventor who takes his children on the adventure of a lifetime. The vehicle was designed by Ken Adam and built by the Ford Racing Team. Its bonnet is crafted of polished aluminium; the boat deck is hand-crafted of red and white cedar, and the brass fittings taken from Edwardian cars

Panda Pregnancy?

15 May 2011 - In Taiwan there is excited speculation about a celebrity pregnancy - with a difference. All attention is on Yuan Yuan, the giant panda. She is one of two giant pandas given to Taiwan by China in 2008 to symbolise improving relations between the two. Taipei Zoo says Yuan Yuan is showing signs of pregnancy - sleeping more, eating less and is unusually cranky. Experts at her birthplace in Sichuan told zoo keepers that her mother showed the same signs when she was expecting. Yuan Yuan was artificially inseminated in February, because the panda pair showed a disappointing lack of interest in each other. Zoologists believe they are simply too young and inexperienced. Good omen? But it will not be until June or July that Yuan Yuan's keepers will know for sure if she is pregnant - just two weeks before the birth.Panda embryos are so tiny they do not show up on early ultrasound scans.