Index

TORONTO – It was a regal repeat for Kate as she opted to wear a dress from Canadian designer Erdem for the second time during the royal tour.

The Duchess of Cambridge appeared at a prayer service on board the HMCS Montreal docked in Quebec City on Sunday wearing a richly-coloured blue lace Jacquenta dress from Erdem Moralioglu, who is a native of the province.

Note to readers: This is a corrected story. An earlier version of the story said that the Duchess of Cambridge was wearing a navy dress at a service in Quebec City.

MONACO, Monaco – At her royal wedding, Britain’s Kate Middleton donned an heirloom tiara charged with historical significance. Princess Charlene of Monaco opted for something much more personal, choosing a bold, asymmetrical creation in diamond and white gold that symbolizes the one-time Olympic swimmer’s love for the sea.

Made by French-German jeweler Lorenz Baumer, the “Diamond Foam” tiara in white gold and nearly 60 karats worth of diamonds evokes the spray thrown off a crashing wave. Thin strips of precision-cut diamonds arch up from behind the left ear and fan out in an almost punk-ish explosion at the temple. Large round cut diamonds, the largest weighing 8 karats, punctuate the ends of the sparkling arcs.

Here is a kid-friendly snack to cool active children on hot summer days. In this recipe, canned peaches are used in place of fresh as Canadians are still awaiting our local peach season.

Peachsicles

ATLANTA – The lead poisoning rate for U.S. adults has fallen by more than half in the last 15 years, but it remains unusually high in Pennsylvania, Missouri and Kansas, federal health officials said Thursday.

About six out of every 100,000 employed adults had lead poisoning in 2009, down from 14 per 100,000 in 1994.

REGINA – Lucas Jansen will start high school in the fall and he knows his big sister has his back – sort of.

Brianna Jansen is teasing Lucas about an “initiation” because he’s a “freshie,” slang for a Grade 9 student. Brianna, who is going into Grade 12 in Swift Current, Sask., said she doesn’t want to hurt her brother, just have a little fun with him.

Combining bacon with caramel sundae syrup and maple ice cream results in a tantalizing Canadian dessert to serve at parties this summer.

Canadian Bacon Bonanza

For Clark Frasier, salads are no dinner afterthought. They are a staple.

“I grew up in California, and so salad has always been considered a principal thing in our diet,” Frasier said in an email interview. He and partner Mark Gaier run Arrows, a James Beard award-winning restaurant in Ogunquit, Maine, known for its extensive on-site gardens that produce the bulk of what appears on the menu.

LONDON – Health experts warned Thursday there could be more E. coli cases across Europe and elsewhere after finding that recent deadly outbreaks were probably linked to contaminated Egyptian fenugreek seeds.

They say the fenugreek seeds are likely to blame for a massive food poisoning outbreak in Germany beginning in May that killed 49 people and infected over 4,000, as well as a much smaller outbreak in France in June. More than 800 people have developed a life-threatening kidney complication after catching the bug.

PARIS – An umbrella group representing members of France’s luxury industry opened its doors Thursday for the first time to companies from other European nations in a bid to broaden its lobbying clout with the European Union.

The Comite Colbert added camera-maker Leica, pen-maker Montblanc – both from Germany – Czech glassware company Moser and Hungarian porcelain manufacturer Herend to its ranks of France’s top fashion and jewelry houses, hotels and purveyors of spirits, fine wines and foods.

OTTAWA – The federal government will fund a clinical trial of a controversial treatment for multiple sclerosis patients but it could be years before so-called liberation therapy is widely available in Canada.

Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq announced the move Wednesday in spite of recent studies that have cast doubt on narrowed neck veins as the primary cause of the debilitating illness.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Producers of faith-based movies have a message for Hollywood studios: Make the movies and customers will pay to watch them.

The enormous success of Mel Gibson’s “The Passion of the Christ” in 2004 shocked Tinseltown when it grossed $611 million worldwide. Despite the huge profit, the production of faith-based movies became stagnant, arguably because of low box office numbers.

PARIS – A panel of fashion industry heavyweights has awarded France’s ANDAM prize to young Italo-Belgian designer Anthony Vaccarello.

Vaccarello unveiled his first collection in 2009, and his lacy cocktail dresses have since generated significant buzz.

Full results of a big study that showed some smokers’ lives could be saved by screening with lung scans now reveal more clearly what the risks are: There’s a good chance of a false alarm.

Of those who got the recommended annual scans for three years, four out of 10 had a suspicious finding on at least one scan and were advised to have a follow-up test or biopsy. And more than 95 per cent of them turned out to have nothing wrong.

WASHINGTON – Nearly a third of Americans experience long-lasting pain – the kind that lingers for weeks to months – and too often feel stigma rather than relief from a health-care system poorly prepared to treat them, the Institute of Medicine said Wednesday.

The staggering tab: Chronic pain is costing the nation at least $558 billion a year in medical bills, sick days and lost productivity, the report found. That’s more than the cost of heart disease, the No. 1 killer.

LOS ANGELES, Calif. – Researchers analyzing the genetic makeup of ovarian cancer tumours have found a gene mutation that is surprisingly frequent, suggesting it plays a key role in driving the cancer.

The finding, appearing in Thursday’s issue of the journal Nature, may eventually lead to tests for earlier diagnosis of the disease and to better treatment. Ovarian cancer kills nearly 14,000 women in the United States each year. It’s usually not spotted until at an advanced stage.

Microsoft launches Web-based Office suite

NEW YORK (AP) – Microsoft Corp. has officially launched its Web-based email and Office services, part of its ongoing effort to keep Google at bay when it comes to business software.

TORONTO – Facebook and Twitter users might start noticing brief pop-up interruptions when they click on links in posts, and if they do, it’ll make Toronto native Alan Chan very happy.

He’s the mastermind behind a new web start-up called Bre.ad, which has already signed up an enviable list of celebs including Lady Gaga, Britney Spears and 50 Cent.

Joan Therese Seivert’s necklace – a large heart shape covered in tiny pieces of sparkly jewelry attached to a bolo tie – looks homemade, and it is. It comes with a heartfelt story.

Her sister made it for her before Seivert left her hometown of St. Paul, Minn., 35 years ago to live in Denver. All those little sparkly bits were culled from the jewelry passed down by her grandmother.

Keeping guests comfortable and entertained while dining al fresco can seem daunting.

But a few fun items can help you create a cosy space, serve summer foods with flair, and send guests on their way with a reminder of a special backyard barbecue or patio party.

LONDON – A shabby community sports hall doesn’t seem like the place for London’s fashion elite to gather for a show by a bunch of 22-year-olds.

But these aren’t just any kids – and the host isn’t your basic local college.