Tag Archives: swaps

Health

5 Foods I Almost Never Eat, and Some Healthy Swaps

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  • Cardiologist Harmony Reynolds said she almost never eats foods like potato chips and snack cakes. 
  • She opts for healthy swaps like popcorn or fruit, and enjoys less healthy treats like bacon in moderation. 
  • Research suggests processed foods increase the risk of serious illnesses like heart disease.

It’s not realistic to try to follow a “perfect” diet all the time — but smart swaps can help you keep your heart healthy without cutting out snacks you enjoy.

That’s according to Dr. Harmony Reynolds, a cardiologist at NYU Langone, who said in a TikTok video for Everyday Health that she avoids foods like bacon and potato chips for a healthier heart.

Reynolds told Insider it can be difficult to give dietary advice as a doctor because nutritional research often doesn’t provide clear answers on how food can influence health. 

“We need so much more properly conducted nutrition science. A lot of recommendations we make are based on limited evidence, which leaves patients with the impression we change our minds often,” she said.

Reynolds said based on available evidence, she opts to avoid certain foods and uses strategies to enjoy less healthy food in moderation. 

Margarine and coconut oil are linked to worse heart health

Reynolds said she avoids margarine, and vegetable oil, because observational studies have suggested consuming them is associated with higher cardiovascular mortality, although it’s not clear why, since they doesn’t seem to raise risk factors like cholesterol.

Coconut oil is also concerning, because it’s composed of saturated fats, linked to heart health risks. 

“I learned to ask patients about this because I was seeing multiple patients whose LDL cholesterol was going up because they introduced coconut oil containing foods,” Reynolds said. 

Butter may even be a better alternative when used in moderation.

But olive oil is the healthiest choice, research suggests.

“People should cook with it wherever possible and if they use other fats, to use as little as possible,” Reynolds said. 

Potato chips are tricky to eat in moderation

Reynolds said she doesn’t eat potato chips or keep them at home because it’s too easy to eat the whole bag. 

“I know myself and know that with all the best intentions of having two potato chips and putting it aside, it doesn’t work that way,” she said. 

She said popcorn can be a healthier alternative, or even fresh vegetables if you’re craving a crunchy snack. 

Reynolds said that for similarly craveable treats like chocolate bars, she’ll buy preportioned packages to make it easier to enjoy in moderation. 

She only eats bacon as a special treat 

Extensive evidence suggests processed meat is linked to higher risk of serious illnesses like cancer and heart disease, compelling reasons to limit it in your diet, according to Reynolds. 

“I don’t know what is a safe amount,” she said.

However, it’s also a food she enjoys and eats a few times a year for special occasions. 

“I think it helps people to know that folks giving advice are humans too. Patients can’t be perfect in following a diet,” she said. “It’s important to recognize that there are times when you want a treat and it’s not really productive to say I’ll never eat foods that I enjoy. It’s better, I think to try to eat less and make swaps where you can.”

Swap processed desserts for dark chocolate to reduce unhealthy fats

Reynold said the final food group she tries to steer clear of is processed desserts like packaged cookies and donuts, because they’re high in sugar and unhealthy fats, which are linked to health risks like diabetes and heart disease. 

Fruit, yogurt, dark chocolate, and nuts could be healthier sweet treats. But again, moderation and self-awareness are key to enjoying food while minimizing potential health risks. 

“When I’m at parties and there’s something I know isn’t healthy for me and I want to try it, I’ll take one taste and pay a lot of attention. If I love it, I let myself enjoy it. If I don’t love it, I set it aside,” she said. 

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Business

Exclusive: China’s state banks seen acquiring dollars in swaps market to stabilise yuan

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SHANGHAI/BEIJING, Oct 17 (Reuters) – China’s state banks stepped up their intervention to defend a weakening yuan on Monday, with banking sources telling Reuters these banks sold a high volume of U.S. dollars and used a combination of swaps and spot trades.

Six banking sources told Reuters the country’s major state-owned banks were spotted swapping yuan for U.S. dollars in the forwards market and selling those dollars in the spot market, a playbook move used by China in 2018 and 2019 as well.

The selling seemed to be aimed at stabilising the yuan , with the swaps helping procure dollars as well as anchoring the price of yuan in forwards, said the sources, who have direct knowledge of market trades.

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The yuan is down 11.6% versus the dollar this year. It was trading around 7.1980 per dollar on Monday.

One-year dollar/yuan forwards fell rapidly following the state bank actions, pushing the yuan to 6.95 per dollar. One of the sources noted the size of the dollar selling operation was “rather huge”.

“The big banks want to acquire dollar positions from the swap market to stabilise the spot market,” said another source.

State banks usually trade on behalf of the central bank in China’s FX market, but they can also trade for their own purposes or execute orders for their corporate clients.

A third source noted that the state banks’ trades appeared to be managed so that the country’s closely-watched $3 trillion foreign exchange reserves will not be tapped for intervention.

At the same time, the move helps state banks to procure dollars at a time when rising U.S. yields have made dollars scarce and expensive.

China burned through $1 trillion of reserves supporting the yuan during the economic downturn in 2015, and the sharp reduction in the official reserves attracted much criticism.

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Reporting by Shanghai and Beijing Newsroom; Editing by Vidya Ranganathan and Ana Nicolaci da Costa

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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Health

A nutritionist with type 1 diabetes shares the top 5 ‘food swaps’ she eats to manage her blood sugar

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More than 11% of Americans have diabetes, which occurs when the pancreas does not produce enough insulin to regulate blood sugar levels.

As a nutritionist who has been living with type 1 diabetes for more than 30 years, I’ve found that having diabetes doesn’t mean you have to completely stop eating what you enjoy. Managing blood sugar is often more about making small food swaps, or adding, rather than eliminating, certain foods.

For example, you can still eat carbs, but you also need to add protein, a small amount of healthy fats and plenty of fiber. Protein, fat and fiber all moderate how quickly food is digested, which is helpful in balancing blood sugar levels.

Here are the foods I eat — and the foods I try to cut back on — to help manage my diabetes:

1. Bean-based or vegetable pasta

Turning vegetables into noodles using a spiralizer is a great way to increase your fiber and vitamin intake.

Floortje | Getty

Wheat-based pasta is mostly carbohydrates, and it can lead to a blood sugar spike if eaten in large portions on its own.

Instead, I’ll opt for bean-based pasta or a vegetable pasta. Turning vegetables (e.g., carrots, zucchini and sweet potatoes) into noodles using a spiralizer is a great way to increase your fiber and vitamin intake.

If you do choose to eat traditional pasta, whether it’s gluten-free or wheat-based, be sure to add lots of protein and fiber to your dish. I recommend poultry, fatty fish like salmon and beans, and vegetables like kale, peppers, onions and broccoli.

2. Riced broccoli, zucchini or chickpeas

As a substitute for grain rice, try riced broccoli, mushrooms, zucchini, chickpeas or cauliflower. These are fiber-rich and gentler on blood sugar.

Cavan Images | Getty

As a substitute for grain rice, try riced broccoli, mushrooms, zucchini, chickpeas or cauliflower. These are fiber-rich and gentler on blood sugar.

Brown rice is a common substitute for white rice in diabetes diet plans, but the carbohydrate amounts in both are actually pretty similar. And the small amount of additional fiber you get from brown rice isn’t typically enough to have a significant impact on blood sugar levels.  

So, just as with pasta, when you want to enjoy some rice, just be mindful of your portion size and pile on the protein, fat and fiber (e.g., from nuts, veggies, fish, or beans).

3. Almond, coconut or oat flour

To make these chocolate chip almond butter breakfast bars, I use a combination of ground up oats (or oat flour) and almond flour. This combo creates a more blood sugar-friendly flour that also gives a great fluffy texture!

Mary Ellen Phillips

Instead of using traditional flour when baking or cooking, I’ll opt for blood sugar-friendly flour made from almonds, coconuts or oats.

One of my favorite tricks is to use a blend of almond flour and oat flour. The resulting flour is lower in carbohydrates and higher in fiber and protein than wheat flour.

And it’s equally tasty: This chocolate chip almond butter breakfast bars recipe is delicious!

4. Breakfast cereals with protein and fiber

Breakfast cereal can do a number on your blood sugar if you’re not careful. Instead of choosing cereals with large amounts of added sugars, opt for brands that have more fiber and protein.

ATU Images | Getty

Breakfast cereals can do a number on your blood sugar if you’re not careful. Instead of choosing cereals with large amounts of added sugars, choose brands that have more fiber and protein.

My recommendation for a high-fiber, low-sugar option: bran flakes. With about five grams of fiber per serving, this type of cereal contains 19 grams of net carbs per 3/4th cup serving, making it lower in carbohydrates than many breakfast cereals.

A bonus: The added fiber is beneficial to digestive health, heart health and weight management.

5. Fruits low in sugar

Berries are delicious and also low in sugar.

Viktoryia Vinnikava | Twenty20

Many people with diabetes are told they should avoid fruit. But there’s often no reason to eliminate entire food groups, especially something as nutritious and tasty as fruit.

I always go for fruits low in sugar, such as berries, kiwi, melon and citrus. Watermelon is great, too, if consumed in moderation. One cup of diced watermelon has less than 10 grams of sugar.

If you want to eat fruits that are higher in sugar like bananas or mangos, enjoy them with a source of protein, like peanut butter, cheese or plain yogurt.  

Mary Ellen Phipps is a registered dietitian, nutritionist and founder of Milk and Honey Nutrition. She is also the author of “The Easy Diabetes Desserts Cookbook: Blood Sugar-Friendly Versions of Your Favorite Treats,” and a writer for HealthDay. Follow her on TikTok and Instagram.

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Business

Senate Plan Would Put Bitcoin, Ether Under Commodity Regulator’s Watch

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WASHINGTON—Leaders of a Senate committee are pitching legislation that would assign oversight of the two largest cryptocurrencies, bitcoin and ether, to the federal agency that regulates milk futures and interest-rate swaps.

Senate Agriculture Committee Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow (D., Mich.) and top-ranking Republican John Boozman of Arkansas unveiled a plan Wednesday that would empower the Commodity Futures Trading Commission to regulate spot markets for digital commodities, a newly created asset class. Currently the CFTC has authority to police derivatives, such as futures and swaps, rather than underlying commodities.

The bill marks the latest salvo in an intensifying battle among federal agencies and congressional committees that oversee them over who will regulate crypto. Thirteen years after bitcoin was created, cryptocurrencies remain largely unregulated by the federal government, leaving investors without key protections from fraud and market manipulation.

The competition for jurisdiction heated up in recent months as a meltdown in crypto markets underscored the need for guardrails in the eyes of many policy makers. The competition also reflects the industry’s ramped-up lobbying presence in Washington and its push to reach more mainstream investors through Super Bowl ads and other high-profile marketing initiatives.

“‘When there’s a topic as hot as crypto, everybody wants a seat at the table.’”


— Aaron Klein, Brookings Institution senior fellow

“When there’s a topic as hot as crypto, everybody wants a seat at the table,” said

Aaron Klein,

a senior fellow at Brookings Institution who focuses on financial regulation. “The question is, are we going to have regulatory turf paralysis?”

In practical terms, for federal agencies such as the CFTC, Securities and Exchange Commission, and Federal Reserve, adding crypto to their remit would bring bigger budgets, greater influence and more job opportunities for officials who leave public service. For members of the congressional committees that oversee such regulators, a new industry in their sandbox would create another stream of lobbyists and campaign donations.

“We need to treat this seriously and take our responsibilities seriously for protecting consumers,” Ms. Stabenow said in a virtual press conference alongside Mr. Boozman.

Washington has introduced a flurry of bills in recent months to draw jurisdictional lines. Sens.

Cynthia Lummis

(R., Wyo.) and

Kirsten Gillibrand

(D., N.Y.) unveiled a proposal in June that would create exemptions for cryptocurrencies in securities laws, banking statutes and tax code. In July, leaders of the House Financial Services Committee said they were working on a bill to grant the Federal Reserve a greater role in regulating some stablecoins, crypto tokens pegged against the dollar and other official currencies.

When cryptocurrency lending platform Celsius froze user accounts amid a plunge in valuations, it sent ripples across the industry and raised questions about what happens to user assets if a crypto platform files for bankruptcy. WSJ’s Vicky Ge Huang explains. Photo illustration: Jordan Kranse

Agencies also are seeking to claim territory. CFTC Chairman

Rostin Behnam,

a former staffer to Ms. Stabenow, said last week his agency is “ready and well situated” to oversee spot markets for some cryptocurrencies. He has worked with his former boss for months to help craft legislation that would authorize the CFTC to do so, people familiar with the matter say.

Meanwhile, SEC Chairman

Gary Gensler

has repeatedly demanded that cryptocurrency-trading platforms such as

Coinbase Global Inc.

register with the agency as securities exchanges akin to the New York Stock Exchange or Nasdaq. In May, the SEC nearly doubled the staff of an enforcement unit focused on cryptocurrencies.

“Four years ago when I started this job, there were some people that just thought this thing was all going to blow up and go away, that this was sort of a passing fad,” said Kristin Smith, executive director of the Blockchain Association, a trade group representing crypto firms.

Now, she said, “We’ve got all these regulators suddenly vying for control.”

After the SEC alleged in an insider-trading case in July that at least seven cryptocurrencies listed on Coinbase should have been registered as securities, Republican CFTC Commissioner

Caroline Pham

accused the SEC of “regulation by enforcement.”

“The SEC is not working together with the CFTC,” Ms. Pham said in an interview. “They go out unilaterally to try to establish precedent that’s going to dramatically reshape the landscape as to what’s a security and what’s a commodity.”

Ms. Pham has posted photos to her

Twitter

account of herself posing alongside crypto lobbyists and executives including

Sam Bankman-Fried,

the billionaire founder of trading platform FTX.

Ms. Pham said that crypto is one of the areas she is focused on, and, “I take pictures with everybody. Like, literally, everybody.”

At the heart of the turf war are questions about how cryptocurrencies fit into the definition of a security, the legal classification that includes stocks and bonds.

Coinbase and other firms have lobbied Congress to create a new category for digital commodities and empower the CFTC to regulate it.



Photo:

Shannon Stapleton/REUTERS

A 1946 Supreme Court case created a test that focuses on whether investors buy an asset in hopes of profiting from the efforts of other people. If so, the issuer is required to register with the SEC and publicly disclose any information that may be material to the security’s price.

Even though investors in bitcoin and ether rely on a network of users and programmers to validate transactions and perform software updates, cryptocurrency enthusiasts insist those groups are too decentralized for the assets to be regulated like securities. Instead, they argue, the assets should be considered commodities, which have a broader definition and no full-time regulator.

Firms such as Coinbase, FTX and Ripple have spent millions of dollars over the past year lobbying Congress to create a new category for digital commodities and empower the CFTC to regulate it. The agency has roughly one-sixth the head count of the SEC, and its rules are seen by the industry as easier to comply with than securities laws.

“When you ask the people that are in the industry…almost all feel like the regulator should be primarily the CFTC,” Mr. Boozman said. “The fact that they’re fairly united on that makes it easier on members.”

Crypto skeptics worry that creating a new legal concept for cryptocurrencies could create an alternative to securities registration for a wider variety of assets.

“People who are taking action that could undermine our securities law are playing with fire,” said Dennis Kelleher, president of investor-advocacy group Better Markets. “You may love or hate the SEC, but transparent disclosure, clear rules…and enforcement is what builds trust and confidence in our markets.”

The legislation being unveiled Wednesday would seek to exclude securities from the definition of digital commodities, making it narrower in scope than that of other crypto-related bills floated in recent months, such as the Lummis-Gillibrand proposal.

Ms. Stabenow said she expects the Agriculture Committee to hold a hearing on the bill as early as September.

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How should the two largest cryptocurrencies, bitcoin and ether, be regulated? Join the conversation below.

The bill would require any entity acting as a digital commodity platform—including crypto exchanges such as Coinbase and FTX—to register with the CFTC as trading facilities, dealers or brokers. The exchanges would have to monitor trading, protect investors from abuse and only offer assets that are resistant to market manipulation, among other requirements.

Platforms also would be obliged to disclose some information about the assets they list, such as operating structure and conflicts of interest. Such information would likely fall short of the extensive disclosures required by the SEC for securities.

The derivatives markets the CFTC currently oversees are dominated by professional investors, such as banks and hedge funds. Crypto markets, by contrast, draw legions of small investors who are more vulnerable to scams.

If the agency wins jurisdiction over bitcoin and ether, the CFTC would have to write rules from scratch to protect such investors.

“How robust would they be and how long would that take?” asked Tyler Gellasch, executive director of the Healthy Markets Association, an investor trade group.

Write to Paul Kiernan at paul.kiernan@wsj.com

Copyright ©2022 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8

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Business

Peloton Swaps Out Finance Chief as It Navigates Persistent Losses

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Peloton Interactive Inc.

is exchanging its top finance executive about four months after it named a new chief executive, a move that comes as the fitness-equipment maker navigates persistent losses.

The New York-based at-home exercise equipment company on Monday said

Liz Coddington

will serve as its chief financial officer, effective June 13. Peloton said its current CFO,

Jill Woodworth,

decided to leave after more than four years with the company.

Peloton said Ms. Woodworth will remain with the company as a consultant on an interim basis to help prepare the fiscal year 2022 financial results.

Ms. Coddington most recently served as vice president of finance for Amazon Web Services, an

Amazon.com Inc.

subsidiary that provides on-demand cloud computing platforms. Before that, she held CFO and leadership finance roles at companies including retailer

Walmart Inc.

and streaming business

Netflix Inc.

Ms. Coddington joins Peloton as the company is dealing with waning demand from consumers after facing issues around its ability to meet orders, which soared during the early stages of the pandemic. The surge in demand for Peloton bikes led the company to break ground on a million-square-foot factory in Wood County, Ohio, last year.

Peloton is now looking to sell the factory that it will never use. The company also slashed prices for its equipment, projected slower growth and had to borrow $750 million to fund its operations.

Peloton in May reported its largest quarterly loss since the company went public in 2019, reporting a net loss of $757.1 million for the quarter ended March 31, compared with a loss of $8.6 million in the prior-year period.

In February, Peloton replaced Chief Executive

John Foley

with

Barry McCarthy,

who previously led the finances of digital music service

Spotify Technology SA

and Netflix. The company also cut 2,800 jobs amid reduced demand for its exercise equipment. Mr. Foley was closely associated with the company’s growth phase after its public offering and the revenue surge early in the pandemic.

The change in the CFO-seat makes sense given the continuing restructuring under Mr. McCarthy, said

Rohit Kulkarni,

managing director at equity trading and research firm MKM Partners LLC.

“As the new CEO puts his mark on the organization’s structure and aligns it with where he wants the company to go, these changes are not completely surprising,” he said.

With Peloton’s fiscal year ending June 30, Ms. Coddington will very quickly be “under a bigger investor microscope,” as the expectation is that the company will release fiscal year guidance soon after she joins, Mr. Kulkarni said. “It will be a challenging task to provide that new guidance.”

Write to Jennifer Williams-Alvarez at jennifer.williams-alvarez@wsj.com and Mark Maurer at Mark.Maurer@wsj.com

Copyright ©2022 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8

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Technology

Half-Life 2 Mod Swaps Alyx for Star Fox Adventures’ Krystal and Her Original Voice Actress

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A Half-Life 2 mod is in the works that not only swaps Alyx Vance for Star Fox Adventures’ Krystal, but it will also have all of Alyx’s dialogue replaced by Krystal’s original voice actress Estelle Ellis.

As reported by Polygon, Gagnetar created this mod four years ago when he replaced Alyx for Krystal, but he has now taken it one step further by bringing Ellis out of retirement to record brand-new lines for the project.

Gagnetar shared an early look at the mod with Krystal and Ellis’ voice in Kleiner’s Lab of Half-Life 2 and it shows how the character created for GameCube’s Star Fox Adventures fits into this new universe.

Image Credit: Gagnetar

On a Krystal fan site, Gagnetar said he is planning on releasing the full mod on September 23, 2022, which just so happens to be the 20th anniversary of Star Fox Adventures. It was also confirmed that some of the lines were rewritten to help Krystal “fit better” into the world.

As for how he made this happen, he shared in the YouTube comments that he had been talking to Ellis off and on for years now that he “decided to just get her a decent microphone and we worked from there.”

Ellis also voiced Queen Earthwalker and Mother Thorntail in Star Fox Adventures and appeared in Perfect Dark Zero and Grabbed by the Ghoulies. 2005’s Perfect Dark Zero was her last voice acting credit.

Star Fox Adventures was released in 2002 and remains a divisive entry in the long-flying Star Fox series. In our Star Fox Adventures review, we said that it “arrives as a truly excellent 3D action-adventure for GameCube owners. It’s a clear Zelda rip, and not quite as good, but that’s okay in my book as Rare has still done a pretty good job of it.”

If that’s not enough for you, be sure to check out the leaked playable version of N64’s Dinosaur Planet, which ended up being repurposed into Star Fox Adventures.

Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.



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Entertainment

Duchess of Cambridge swaps khaki jungle gear for Vampire’s Wife dress on Belize trip 

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The Duchess of Cambridge swapped her khaki jungle outfit for a floor-length shimmering gown by royal favourite designer The Vampire’s Wife on the third day of her Belize trip with her husband Prince William.

Kate, 40, dressed in the £2,500 pink gown by the British designer for an evening reception in celebration of Her Majesty The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, which she paired with silver heeled sandals and a Mayan embroidered clutch bag.

She partnered the floor-length organza gown, named the Light Sleeper dress, with gold disc diamanté drop earrings and a natural make-up look.

The Vampire’s Wife, which was launched by former model Suzie Cave in 2014, is famed for pretty prairie dresses infused with a dose of gothic glam – and are loved by the royals including Kate who previously wore one of the label’s gowns in Dublin during a three-day tour of Ireland in March 2020. 

The royal previously cut a relaxed figure when climbing Belize’s most spectacular Mayan ruins alongside the Duke of Cambridge.

The couple were visiting 3,000 year-old Caracol, a sprawling ancient archaeological site, located in the foothills of the Maya Mountains, close to the border with Guatemala, during the third day of their Caribbean tour.

Kate dressed down in a pair of £70 khaki trousers from Dutch brand G-Star RAW, which she teamed with a recycled white John Lewis T-shirt and her £57 Superga 2750 trainers. 

The minimal shoes have been worn by the mother-of-three on multiple occasions, including at her Back to Nature Garden at Chelsea Flower Show in September 2019, while the T-shirt was sported by the royal in September 2020.

Proving once again to be a fan of High Street fashion, Kate initially donned the white top when meeting parents in London, who were helped by peer support networks during the Covid-19 pandemic. 

Kate, 40, dressed in the floor-length £2,500 pink gown by the British designer for an evening reception in celebration of Her Majesty The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, which she paired with silver heeled sandals and a Mayan embroidered clutch bag

William and Kate attend a special reception hosted by the Governor General of Belize in celebration of Her Majesty The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee on March 31

She partnered the floor-length organza gown, named the Light Sleeper dress, with gold disc diamanté drop earrings and a natural make-up look

The Duchess of Cambridge swapped her khaki jungle outfit for a floor-length shimmering gown by royal favourite designer The Vampire’s Wife on the third day of her Belize trip with her husband Prince William 

The dress featured a waist-tie detail at the back and waterfall-style organza sleeves 

The couple were visiting 3,000 year-old Caracol, a sprawling ancient archaeological site, located in the foothills of the Maya Mountains, close to the border with Guatemala, during the third day of their Caribbean tour. Pictured, Kate

Kate completed her look with a pair of sunglasses and left her hair down, while tucking the white T-shirt into the khaki trousers. She paired the outfit with a brown belt.

The Duke of Cambridge, 39, also sported sunglasses and a matching khaki shirt and trousers for the outing. 

The site the couple visited is situated deep in the heart of Belize’s Chiquibul National Forest. 

The highlight of their trip was the chance to view the Caana, or ‘sky palace’ which towers 141 foot tall and was built by hand.  

There was only one reaction on Kate’s lips as she surveyed the landscape that stretched out before her when she and William stopped to take in the view: ‘Wow.’ 

The couple were guided by the country’s director of architecture Allan Moore, who accompanied the couple as they walked into a clearing where the palace was contained.

 Kate (pictured with William), 40, dressed down in a pair of £70 khaki trousers from Dutch brand G-Star RAW, which she teamed with a recycled white John Lewis T-shirt and her £57 Superga 2750 trainers

 The minimal shoes have been worn by the mother-of-three on multiple occasions, including at her Back to Nature Garden at Chelsea Flower Show in September 2019, while the T-shirt was sported by the royal in September 2020. Pictured, Kate during her outing

The Duchess of Cambridge wore her brown locks in a straight hairstyle and partnered her ensemble with a pair of simple gold hoops

He told them: ‘It’s like looking at the inside of Buckingham Palace. This is just a small fraction of what we have here.’

The original settlement dates back to 400BC, developing into a more prosperous city by 200AD.

Once home to 100,000 people, it measures a staggering 75 square miles and is five times larger than even the country’s biggest modern inhabitation, Belize City.

Its name derives from the Spanish for snail shell because of the spiralling access road that led to the site.

Mr Moore showed the couple some ancient Mayan carvings, with the couple pointing out lizards, fish nibbling on water lilies and a feline shape which he explained could have been a jaguar, a resident of the jungle area surrounding them.

He also walked them round to an area where the ancient Maya used to play ball games.

Proving once again to be a fan of High Street fashion, Kate (left) initially donned the white top when meeting parents in London, who were helped by peer support networks during the Covid-19 pandemic 

Kate completed her look with a pair of sunglasses and left her hair down, while tucking the white T-shirt into the khaki trousers. She paired the outfit with a brown belt 

The couple happily posed for photographs with the palace behind them, briefly taking their sunglasses off in the 31 degree heat.

Then it was time to start the long trek to the top, walking up a side part at first with a wooden handrail.

At the first stop off point they stopped to peer into the remarkably well preserved ruins of ancient homes and peppered their guide with questions.

They were then invited to stand on their own in a gap in the terrace to pose for pictures surrounded by the historic site.

As they caught a glimpse of the vista the couple marvelled at what they saw. ‘Wow,’ Kate said.

William got the giggles when, as he turned back away from the view – which was being captured by a group of photographers – he found another set of snappers the other side of them.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge with archaeological expert Allan Moore at Caracol

As they caught a glimpse of the vista the couple marvelled at what they saw. ‘Wow,’ Kate (pictured) said 

‘We got one [ group] one side and another the other. You are in each other’s photographs,’ he laughed.

The couple then continued on their climb accompanied by their own personal photographer. Mr Moore told them as they climbed the steep steps up: ‘People often like to try and run up here.’

‘What, they race?’ Exclaimed William. ‘You must be very fit if you are doing this three times a week Allan!’

Caracol was discovered by a Belizean logger in 1937 when the country was then British Honduras.

Archaeologists spent several decades excavating it, discovering monuments, tombs and extensive terrace systems.

One of the highlights is the Caana, or ‘sky palace’ – towering 141 foot tall – which is not just the highest building in Caracol but still the tallest man made structure in Belize.

William got the giggles when, as he turned back away from the view – which was being captured by a group of photographers – he found another set of snappers the other side of them. Pictured, Kate 

The Duke of Cambridge, 39, also sported sunglasses and a matching khaki shirt and trousers for the outing 

An impressive pyramidal structure, it sits at the heart of Caracol’s ceremonial centre.

The ancient builders are believed to have erected the structure so that its high priests and rulers could be closer to the sky.

Mr Moore described Caana as a ‘residential temple palace’, adding: ‘This is flagship Maya site.’

He explained how the Maya people were the early destructors of the jungle as they burnt down much of the vegetation in the area to create Caracol.

After they eventually left Caracol the jungle grew back and surrounded the structures, which meant they weren’t discovered until the late 1930s.

Asked what he hoped William and Kate would take away from their visit, he said: ‘I want to emphasise the spectacular being of the Maya structure. It shows the historic potency of our civilisation to build these kind of structures.’

Asked about what Belize felt about the British monarchy, he said: ‘It’s as relevant here as it is in the UK. It’s symbolic and we respect that. And some people like having a monarchy far, far away.

‘As an archaeologist I cherish what is rare. As a good Belizean I welcome the prince and his wife. We are known to be a hospitable nation. They will enjoy this.’

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Science

Christina Birch swaps cycling for outer space

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Christina Birch, a former US national champion on the track, has left professional cycling behind and is on her way into space, landing a coveted role as an astronaut with NASA. 

The 35-year-old won the national individual pursuit title in 2016 and 2017, and represented the USA at World Championships and the Pan-American Games, where she has won two gold medals. 

She used to race cyclo-cross, as well as being a prominent gravel rider in recent years, setting up the ‘Gravelnauts’ collective. However, cycling will now take a back seat after it was announced she has been accepted onto NASA’s first intake in four years, landing one of 10 spots from a field of 12,000 applicants.

“Today we welcome 10 new explorers, 10 members of the Artemis generation, NASA’s 2021 astronaut candidate class. Each candidate has ‘the right stuff,’ but together they represent the creed of our country: E pluribus unum – out of many, one,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson in a ceremony on Monday.

Birch has a background in academia, graduating from the University of Arizona with bachelor’s degrees in mathematics and in biochemistry and molecular biophysics, before completing a doctorate in biological engineering. She then took up teaching roles in California before deciding to go full-time with cycling to try and make the 2020 Olympics, earning a spot on the long list but not the flight to Tokyo. 

She will start her new career in January and will begin with two years of initial training, after which she could be assigned to missions into deep space and to the moon. 

“As you can see, from my incredible classmates seated here beside me, there’s really no one path to becoming a NASA astronaut candidate. And, you know, you might think that my path as a bio engineer and a cyclist is a little bit out there, but it was really all of those skills that I gained from those experiences that helped me get here,” Birch said at the new intake ceremony. 

“I think my advice would be to find something that you’re really interested in, really curious about, passionate about, and explore that deeply. And I think if you approach every day trying to do the little things well, they will add up to something really big, and that might be sitting here someday as a NASA astronaut candidate.”

Birch’s partner is fellow track rider Ashton Lambie, who revealed that they received the news of the NASA call-up on October 22, during the Track World Championships where he won the individual pursuit world title. 

“On October 22, in between the rounds of IP at world champs in Roubaix, I sat in a hotel room eating a baguette. On the other side of the world, [Christina] got a phone call, asking if she wanted to be a nasa astronaut, and called me to share. We were both absolutely blown away,” Lambie wrote on social media on Monday.

“How do you think about a world championship when your partner is going to space? Sitting in a stairwell in my rainbow jersey we talked about the biggest day in our little family’s history so far. So, we moved to Houston, and had to keep it very quiet, because the official announcement wasn’t until today. 

“So now, I can say that this person I love so much is going to start training at Johnson Space Center, we moved to Texas, and [she] is awesome. You could say we’re over the moon about it, and we can’t wait to share more about everything.”

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