Cricket: Australia facing defeat at Lord’s

England were heading for victory in the second Ashes Test at Lord’s after reducing Australia to 178 for five wickets at tea on the fourth day. The 2007 Tour de France winner launched a devastating attack on the slopes of the final ascent of the day, leaving his rivals standing to finally cross the line 43 seconds ahead of Luxembourg’s Andy Schleck, with Italian Vincenzo Nibali third another 20 seconds behind. The Spaniard’s success moves him one minute 37 seconds ahead of Astana teammate Lance Armstrong, after the American seven-time champion was left behind by Contador’s attack – eventually finishing down in ninth position

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The Pope’s Sex Abuse Challenge

Pope Benedict XVI’s trip this week to the United States will include high-profile visits to the White House, United Nations and Ground Zero. But no matter what political issues or media angles may be buzzing before take-off, the Vatican tends to stress the pastoral aspect of any papal journey. The six-day itinerary is above all stacked with church services, baseball stadium masses and Catholic institutional encounters to allow the pontiff to tend to his flock, and to the priests and bishops who do the ministering when he’s back in Rome

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Obama throws ceremonial first pitch at All-Star game

President Obama is not shy about showing off his jump shot on the basketball court, but on Tuesday night, it was his baseball skills that were put to the test. Obama, clad in a Chicago White Sox jacket and blue jeans, threw out the ceremonial first pitch at the Major League Baseball All-Star Game in St

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Study: Hormone therapy increases risk of ovarian cancer

Women who use hormone therapy after menopause may be at a higher risk of ovarian cancer, and the risk remains elevated for up to two years after women stop taking estrogen, a new study says. What’s more, even a relatively short duration of hormone therapy — less than four years — is associated with a 30 to 40 percent higher risk of ovarian cancer in current users, according to the study, which was published Wednesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association. However, experts say this may not be as scary as it sounds

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Carlos Sastre: ‘I don’t care about Astana dispute’

Defending Tour de France champion Carlos Sastre has exclusively told CNN that he does not care what happens in the alleged dispute between rivals Lance Armstrong and Alberto Contador at Astana — and is only concentrating on retaining his title. On Sunday night, seven-times Tour champion Armstrong told French TV that there was tension between himself and 2007 winner Contador, the latest in a series of comments made by the American that has raised doubts about the Astana team’s togetherness during the three-week race.

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Is Alzheimer’s a Form of Diabetes?

When the body refuses to make insulin, the condition is called type 1 diabetes; when the body mismanages the hormone, it’s known as type 2. Now, scientists report new evidence linking insulin to a disorder of the brain: when the brain prevents the hormone from acting properly, the ensuing chemical imbalance may help trigger Alzheimer’s disease.

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