Sportswear giant Nike has terminated its contract with former cyclist Lance Armstrong over doping evidence.
Nike stated that “due to the seemingly insurmountable evidence that Armstrong participated in doping… we have terminated his contract”.
Lance Armstrong, 41, has also stepped down as chairman of his charity Livestrong.
The decisions come a week after the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) released a report containing accusations of widespread doping by Armstrong and his teams.
It contains sworn statements from 26 witnesses, including 11 former team-mates.
USADA ordered 14 years of Lance Armstrong’s career results, including his seven Tour de France titles, to be erased. The former cyclist has always denied doping, but gave up his fight against the charges in August.
Nike, which added that it was “misled” by the American for more than a decade, made a U-turn on a statement released last week when it said it would “continue to support Lance and the Lance Armstrong Foundation”.
Nike has terminated its contract with former cyclist Lance Armstrong over doping evidence
Nike and Lance Armstrong had been in partnership since 1996.
Lance Armstrong also announced on Wednesday that he would be quitting his role as chairman of his cancer charity in order “to spare the foundation any negative effects as a result of controversy surrounding my cycling career”.
The Texan will remain on Livestrong’s 15-member board, with vice-chairman Jeff Garvey, who was founding chairman in 1997, taking over Lance Armstrong’s role.
Lance Armstrong added: “As my cancer treatment was drawing to an end, I created a foundation to serve people affected by cancer.
“It has been a great privilege to help it grow from a dream into an organisation that today has served 2.5 million people and helped spur a cultural shift in how the world views cancer survivors.”
Former England footballer, Geoff Thomas, who survived myeloid leukaemia he contracted in 2003, said Lance Armstrong “had done the right thing” by stepping down as chairman.
“I think it’s damage limitation while everything is going as it is – there’s a news story about Lance every day,” he said.
“Lance stepping down will probably take the heat away from the charity itself and put the focus solely on him.”
Smoking cigarettes in the car, even with the windows open or the air conditioning on, leads to toxic air pollution levels that affects children’s health.
The toxic amount of fume exceeds the limit recommended by the World Health Organization regardless of the precautions taken.
Scientists of the University of Aberdeen, Scotland, UK, used electronic devices attached to the back seats of the cars to analyze the air quality during car journeys ranging from 10 minutes to an hour in duration.
During a three days period, the researchers, led by Sean Semple, measured the concentrations of fine particles in cars driven by 17 volunteers, 14 of them smokers. From a total of 104 car journeys 83 were accurately logged, 49 of them being smoking journeys and 34 being smoke free.
During the 49 smoking journeys, the driver smoked up to four cigarettes. The levels of fine particles averaged 85 micrograms (mcg) per cubic meter, while the World Health Organization recommends a limit of 25 mcg for safe indoor air. Levels averaged only 7.4 mcg during the 34 smoke-free journeys.
Even if the driver smoked only one cigarette and had the window wide open, particulate matter levels still exceeded the limit at some point during the journey.
The average peak during smoking trips was 385 mcg per cubic meter, with the highest being more than 880 mcg per cubic meter.
On average, the level of second hand smoke was between one-half and one-third of that measured in UK bars before the ban on smoking in public places came into force.
Despite it, the law is more loyal to e-cigs, and a lot of resources say it is less harmful than usual cigars. According to these resources, second-hand vaping is almost harmless. Сonsirogens and other substances are perceived by the respiratory systems much worse than six standard components of the vaping liquid find out more here.
The British Medical Association has already demanded that all British motorists and car insurance policy holders to be banned from smoking in their vehicle to protect children from having to endure hazardous second-hand smoke.
The size of fine particulate that was measured is less than 2.5 micrometers in diameter.
These tiny particles are dangerous because they can reach deep in the lung, causing irritation.
According to the study published in the journal Tobacco Control, children are at greater risk because they have faster breathing rates, a weaker immune system and they are unable to avoid exposure to passive smoking.
Every year passive smoking in children accounted for more than 20,000 cases of lower respiratory tract infection, 200 cases of bacterial meningitis, and 40 sudden infant deaths, said Prof John Britton, chair of the Royal College of Physicians Tobacco Advisory Group.
“Children exposed to these levels of fine particulate are likely to suffer ill-health effects. The evidence from this paper is that second hand smoke concentrations in cars where smoking takes place are likely to be harmful to health under most ventilation conditions. We believe that there is a clear need for legislation to prohibit smoking in cars where children are present,” said the study authors.
Simon Clark, director of the smokers’ lobby group Forest, reacted to their statement and told BBC News: “We don’t encourage adults to smoke in a car if small children are present, out of courtesy if nothing else, but we would strongly oppose legislation to ban smoking in cars. According to research, 84 per cent of adults don’t smoke in a car with children present so legislation to ban it would be disproportionate.”
Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard fell flat on her face when her heel became stuck in the grass in India.
Julia Gillard was on a goodwill visit to India when she took the tumble in what was her third faux pas involving her shoes this year.
She famously lost a blue suede shoe during an Aboriginal demonstration in Canberra in January and just two months ago she slipped out of one of her high heels while walking on stage at a function at Sydney’s Custom House.
Now she’s gone down again, this time following a visit to the Gandhi Memorial in New Delhi on the final day of her three-day state visit to India.
Julia Gillard was being escorted to the Presidential Palace by a group of officials when she suddenly fell forward heavily onto the grass, landing on her hands and knees.
As aides turned to help her up she told them: “I’m fine. My heel got stuck in grass.”
Julia Gillard fell flat on her face when her heel became stuck in the grass
Later she laughed off the incident, explaining that unlike men who wore flat shoes, it was an occupational hazard for women wearing modest heels.
“I’m fine,” she repeated.
“For men who get to wear flat shoes all day every day, if you wear a heel it can get embedded in soft grass and when you pull your foot out the shoe doesn’t come and the rest of it is as you saw.”
When someone suggested that perhaps she could wear boots to prevent similar mishaps she brushed the idea aside.
That, she said, would lead to all kinds of fashion critiques in Australia where she would be faulted for wearing boots with a skirt.
Of the three shoe incidents she has been involved in this year, the tumble in Delhi was the most spectacular.
But as drama goes, the day Julia Gillard was surrounded by angry protesters in Canberra was the most frightening, with minders whisking her away from the shouting.
Behind her she left that blue sued shoe which some demonstrators threatened to sell on eBay – before it was returned to her.
According to a study of more than a million people, creativity is often part of a mental illness, with writers particularly susceptible.
Writers had a higher risk of anxiety and bipolar disorders, schizophrenia, unipolar depression, and substance abuse, the Swedish researchers at the Karolinska Institute found.
They were almost twice as likely as the general population to kill themselves.
The dancers and photographers were also more likely to have bipolar disorder.
As a group, those in the creative professions were no more likely to suffer from psychiatric disorders than other people.
But they were more likely to have a close relative with a disorder, including anorexia and, to some extent, autism, the Journal of Psychiatric Research reports.
Lead researcher Dr. Simon Kyaga said the findings suggested disorders should be viewed in a new light and that certain traits might be beneficial or desirable.
For example, the restrictive and intense interests of someone with autism and the manic drive of a person with bipolar disorder might provide the necessary focus and determination for genius and creativity.
Similarly, the disordered thoughts associated with schizophrenia might spark the all-important originality element of a masterpiece.
Dr. Simon Kyaga said: “If one takes the view that certain phenomena associated with the patient’s illness are beneficial, it opens the way for a new approach to treatment.
“In that case, the doctor and patient must come to an agreement on what is to be treated, and at what cost.
“In psychiatry and medicine generally there has been a tradition to see the disease in black-and-white terms and to endeavour to treat the patient by removing everything regarded as morbid.”
Beth Murphy, head of information at Mind, said bipolar disorder personality traits could be beneficial to those in creative professions, but it may also be that people with bipolar disorder are more attracted to professions where they can use their creative skills.
“It is important that we do not romanticize people with mental health problems, who are too often portrayed as struggling creative geniuses.
“We know that one in four people will be diagnosed with a mental health problem this year and that these individuals will come from a range of different backgrounds, professions and walks of live. Our main concern is that they get the information and support that they need and deserve.”
Troubled minds:
• Novelist Virginia Woolf, who wrote A Room of One’s Own and To the Lighthouse, had depression and drowned herself
• Fairytale author Hans Christian Andersen, who wrote The Ugly Duckling and The Little Mermaid, had depression
• US author and journalist Ernest Hemingway, who wrote For Whom the Bell Tolls, had depression and killed himself with a shotgun
• Author and playwright Graham Greene, who wrote the novel Brighton Rock, had bipolar disorder
The second presidential debate moderator Candy Crowley was heavily criticized this morning after appearing to side with Barack Obama during last night’s debate.
CNN’s chief political correspondent Candy Crowley told Mitt Romney that he was wrong about remarks Barack Obama had made last month in the aftermath of the attacks on the U.S. consulate in Libya.
During a question about security at the Benghazi consulate, where four American officials were killed, including the ambassador Chris Stevens, on September 11, Barack Obama said he was ultimately responsible as commander-in-chief.
Mitt Romney then questioned whether Barack Obama had called the consulate attack an “act of terror” in his Rose Garden address the following day.
While Barack Obama cut across Mitt Romney – saying “look at the transcript” – Candy Crowley then seemed to back up the President, telling the Republican governor that Obama did “call it an act of terror”.
Her interjection angered political commentators, who said she had stepped in on behalf of the President.
Breitbart editor Ben Shapiro called the moderator’s reactions a “disgrace” while his colleague John Nolte said Candy Crowley “lied to save Obama”.
Candy Crowley often struggled to control the candidates as they spoke over each other amid angry exchanges.
During the debate, Barack Obama said: “The day after the attack, Governor, I stood in the Rose Garden, and I told the American people and the world that we are going to find out exactly what happened, that this was an act of terror.”
Mitt Romney then questioned the veracity of Barack Obama’s remarks. He said: “I want to make sure we get that for the record, because it took the president 14 days before he called the attack in Benghazi an act of terror.”
While Mitt Romney then continued to question Barack Obama’s claims, Candy Crowley interjected: “He [Obama] did in fact, sir.”
Barack Obama then said: “Can you say that a little louder, Candy?” to laughter and applause from the audience.
Candy Crowley told Mitt Romney that he was wrong about remarks Barack Obama had made last month in the aftermath of the attacks on the US consulate in Libya
Then rather belatedly, Candy Crowley told Romney: “He did call it an act of terror. It did as well take – it did as well take two weeks or so for the whole idea of there being a riot out there about this tape to come out. You are correct about that.”
During his Rose Garden address on September 12, the day following the attack in Benghazi, Barack Obama said: “No acts of terror will ever shake the resolve of this great nation, alter that character or eclipse the light of the values that we stand for.”
Many commentators have said that while he did use the phrase he did not explicitly say the killings were the result of terrorist action.
The attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi was a talking point again during Vice President Joe Biden’s debate last week.
Joe Biden claimed in the debate with Republican VP nominee Paul Ryan that “we weren’t told” about requests for extra security at the consulate.
On Monday, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was forced to come to his defense.
Pushing back against Republican criticism of the Obama administration for its handling of the situation, Hillary Clinton said that security at all of America’s diplomatic missions abroad is her job, not that of the White House.
Hillary Clinton said: “I take responsibility…. The president and the vice president wouldn’t be knowledgeable about specific decisions that are made by security professionals.”
The Libya question was one moment when Candy Crowley struggled to rein in the debate on Tuesday night.
Candy Crowley failed to shut down both Barack Obama and Mitt Romney when they ran over allocated times and attacked each other in angry exchanges.
In her opening statement at the town hall debate in New York, Candy Crowley said: “Because I am the optimistic sort, I’m sure the candidates will oblige by keeping their answers concise and on point.”
It was revealed from CNN timekeeping on the debate, that Barack Obama had spoke for three extra minutes
The President got 44:04 minutes of speaking time, while Romney got 40:50.
Barack Obama and Mitt Romney had both revealed their concern over Candy Crowley ahead of tonight’s second presidential debate because she was robust in saying beforehand that she would not shirk from guiding the debate.
Lawyers for both Democratic and Republican campaigns complained about comments the CNN journalist made ahead of the town hall-style debate at Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York tonight.
Her job was to referee the two presidential candidates as they answered questions from online viewers and members of the audience.
But in an interview, she indicated that she planned to take a more aggressive stance than the last moderator Jim Lehrer who was roundly criticized for a listless performance and letting Barack Obama and Mitt Romney walk all over him.
Where PBS veteran Jim Lehrer said his job was to stay out of the way, Candy Crowley’s planning a different set of tactics.
The political correspondent said: “Once the table is kind of set by the town hall questioner, there is then time for me to say, <<Hey, wait a second, what about x, y, z?>>”
Both candidates appeared less than pleased with her remarks – and they weren’t the only ones.
The Commission on Presidential Debates has also complained, saying Candy Crowley’s remarks are vastly different from the memo that was signed by lawyers for both campaigns.
“In managing the two-minute comment periods, the moderator will not rephrase the question or open a new topic,” the legal document obtained by Time says.
The political heat already facing Candy Crowley shows just how much rests on the second televised debate for both candidates.
Candy Crowley is the first CNN anchor to moderate a general election presidential debate since the 1988 face-off between George HW Bush and Massachusetts Gov. Michael Dukakis.
President Barack Obama came out swinging in the second debate with Mitt Romney, according to the latest polls, although who actually won was open to interpretation.
According to a national survey, 46% of those watching the town hall on Tuesday night believed that Barack Obama had won – while 39% sided with Mitt Romney.
In the second of their three debates, Barack Obama and Mitt Romney attacked each other viciously at Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York.
The figures gathered by CNN/ORC showed that the majority believed Barack Obama’s performance was superior (73%) compared to 37% who held the opinion about Mitt Romney.
The poll is a dramatic turn of events for the candidates face-off on October 3 in Denver when 67% of registered voters said the debate was won by Mitt Romney and only 25% opting for Barack Obama.
Barack Obama came out swinging in the second debate with Mitt Romney, according to the latest polls
When it came to the most likeable, Barack Obama beat Mitt Romney 47-41%.
However, on big issues such as the economy, Mitt Romney soared ahead with an 18-point lead on the President.
Almost half of viewers (49%) believed that Barack Obama was more on the offensive than his opponent (35%). However, Mitt Romney had the edge on who was the stronger leader at 49-46%.
Some 457 registered voters were interviewed by CNN on Tuesday night after the end of the 90-minute showdown. Of those interview, 33% were Republicans and the same percentage Democrats.
In another poll by CBS, 37% of those surveyed said Barack Obama won with Mitt Romney trailing at 30%. A third (33%) said the debate was a tie.
Kim Kardashian’s style points have plummeted since she gave Kanye West reign over her designer wardrobe.
But it wasn’t until she saw photos of herself in a garish yellow jacket on Monday that she finally conceded she had won a place on the worst dressed list.
Taking to her blog in an entry entitled Fashion Faux Pas, Kim Kardashian wrote: “You definitely need to be taller and thinner to pull this jacket style off!”
Kim Kardashian, 31, insisted she had the best of intentions when she stepped out in the unsightly frock, paired with a leather mini-skirt and black cut-out stilettos.
Still, she was compelled to admit, “the mirror was lying to me this day!”.
Kim Kardashian candidly addressed the issue: “Ok, ok, I am putting myself on the worst dress list for this outfit!
“I wanted a little color while I’m living in Miami, so my intentions were good, but the cut isn’t for me!
“You definitely need to be taller and thinner to pull this jacket style off!”
Kim Kardashian insisted she had the best of intentions when she stepped out in the unsightly frock, paired with a leather mini-skirt and black cut-out stilettos
Kim Kardashian managed to take the style misstep in stride, and insisted everyone should expect to miss the mark at some point or another.
“Fashion is all about experimenting to try and find your style and you have some hits and misses along the way,” she wrote.
“The mirror was lying to me this day! Where were my sisters or my boyfriend when I needed a good opinion?! LOL”
Her self-confidence seemed to have soared overnight, however.
A post on Tuesday accompanying photos of Kim Kardashian with boyfriend Kanye West showed her in a revealling cut-out top that left little to the imagination.
Amid reports the star has gained 28 lbs since she began dating Kanye West earlier this year, she explained her style inspiration.
“I’ve lost about 6 lbs so I wanted to wear something very Miami and fun, sexy and tight out to dinner with my boyfriend! But not a typical short tight dress,” she explained.
Kim Kardashian added her choice of wardrobe this time was right on the money – even though she failed to notice her skirt photographed sheer.
“OMG one of my fav outfits!” she squealed.
“I wore a lanvin skirt (UMMMM I didn’t know it was see through! Yikes!) A Lanvin sick new belt!!!! And this cool top, can’t remember who makes it, with Jimmy Choo silver-ish pewter pumps. Xo”
Kim Kardashian famously allowed Kanye West to toss her hoard of shoes, clothes and accessories in an episode of Keeping Up With The Kardashians that aired this summer – after he agreed to replace her wardrobe with other designer goods.
The reality star claimed at the time the rapper had “inspired me to be a little bit more of an individual”.
First Lady Michelle Obama and Ann Romney both appeared to be going after the women’s vote at the second presidential debate with an obvious fashion choice.
Michelle Obama wore a coat-style, hot pink dress while Ann Romney wore a shift with capped sleeves in exactly the same shade.
The wives of the presidential candidates took their seats as their husbands appeared on stage at Hofstra University in New York on Tuesday.
Twitter users suggested that both wives had chosen the color to honor Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
While Ann Romney wore a necklace made of several strands of glass beads, the First Lady favored a single row of pearls.
Michelle Obama and Ann Romney wear identical hot pink outfits at presidential debate
Barack Obama’s biggest task last night in the second presidential debate was to woo back “waitress moms” so crucial to his re-election, after a poll showed Mitt Romney has stole their votes in the first showdown and they are now neck and neck among women voters.
According to a Gallup/USA Today poll of 12 swing states, Mitt Romney leads Barack Obama by 12 points among men.
Researchers have found that brain scans show that skipping breakfast makes fatty, high calorie foods appear far more attractive later in the day.
Scans of 21 people showed the brain was more attracted to food if breakfast was missed and people had more food at lunch.
Scientists said it made loosing weight challenging as missing meals made calorific food even more appealing.
Nutrition experts say breakfast is known to take the edge off appetite.
However, researchers were curious about what happened inside the brain to alter the food people choose to eat.
Twenty one people, who were all normal weight, were shown pictures of calorie packed foods while they were positioned in a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machine at Imperial College London.
On one day they were given no breakfast before the scans and on a different day they were fed a large, 730 calorie, breakfast an hour and a half before.
The researchers said skipping breakfast created a “bias” in the brain in favor of high calorie foods.
The results, presented at the Neuroscience 2012 conference, showed the brain changed how it responded to pictures of high calorie foods, but not low calorie foods, when breakfast was skipped.
They showed part of the brain thought to be involved in “food appeal”, the orbitofrontal cortex, became more active on an empty stomach.
When the researchers offered the participants lunch at the end of the study, people ate a fifth more calories if breakfast was missed.
Dr. Tony Goldstone, from Imperial College London, said: “Through both the participants’ MRI results and observations of how much they ate at lunch, we found ample evidence that fasting made people hungrier, and increased the appeal of high calorie foods and the amount people ate.
“One reason it is so difficult to loose weight is because the appeal of high calorie food goes up.”
Future studies will investigate how obesity affects the same system in the brain.
Paintings by artists including Picasso, Matisse, Monet, Gauguin and Freud have been stolen from Kunsthal Museum in Rotterdam.
Police in the Netherlands said the works were taken from the Kunsthal Museum early on Tuesday morning.
The museum is showing works from the Triton Foundation as part of its 20th anniversary celebrations.
The paintings include Monet’s Waterloo Bridge, Picasso’s Tete d’Arlequin, Matisse’s La Liseuse en Blanc et Jaune and Freud’s Woman with Eyes Closed.
Museum spokeswoman Patricia Wessels told the AFP news agency that police were alerted during the night when the alarm went off but that the thief, or thieves, had left the premises by the time police arrived.
Dutch police said the robbery took place Tuesday at around 03:00 AM.
Picasso’s Tete d’Arlequin
Roland Ekkers from Rotterdam Police said: “The alarm system in the Kunsthal is supposed to be state of the art. We’ve got no reason to believe that it’s not but somehow the people responsible for this found a way in and a way out.”
It is the biggest art theft in the Netherlands since 20 paintings were stolen from Amsterdam’s Van Gogh museum in 1991.
Chris Marinello, director of The Art Loss Register, which tracks stolen artworks, said it was clear some of the most valuable pieces in the collection were targeted.
He said the items taken could be worth “hundreds of millions of euros” – if sold legally at auction. However, he said that was now impossible, as the paintings have already been registered internationally as stolen.
The other stolen paintings are Monet’s Charing Cross Bridge, Gaugin’s Femme Devant une Fenetre Ouverte, dite La Fiancee and Meyer de Hann’s Autoportrait.
“An initial investigation suggests that the robbery was well prepared,” a police statement read.
Police are now reviewing videotape footage and calling on any witnesses to come forward.
In a statement, the museum’s chairman Willem van Hassel said the museum would be closed on Tuesday.
The Triton Foundation is a collection of avant-garde art and the Kunsthal exhibition was showing its works by more than 150 famed artists, including Paul Cezanne, Salvador Dali, Roy Lichtenstein and Andy Warhol.
Although some of the foundation’s works have been on public display in the past, the current exhibition at the Kunsthal was the first time the entire collection had been shown together.
The Kunsthal museum, which means “art gallery” in Dutch, is a display space that has no permanent collection of its own.
Barack Obama has hit out at Republican Mitt Romney during a feisty 90-minute encounter in the second of three presidential debates.
Barack Obama – widely perceived to have lost their first encounter – came out swinging in New York on the economy, tax and foreign policy.
But the former Massachusetts governor accused Barack Obama of broken promises and a record of failure.
They will meet for a final pre-election debate in Florida on 22 October.
As he battles for a second term, the Democratic president has been trying to hold on to dwindling leads in the nine key swing states that are expected to decide the election on 6 November.
In the town hall-style forum at Hofstra University on Long Island, both men freely roamed the stage, circling, interrupting and at times heckling one another as they took questions from an audience of 80 undecided voters.
The moderator, CNN’s Candy Crowley, often had to intervene to keep order between the rivals as each fought to make his point.
Barack Obama set the tone from his first answer, when he contrasted his own bailout of the US car industry with Mitt Romney’s position that auto-makers should have been allowed to go bankrupt.
The president forcefully accused Mitt Romney of inconsistent positions, while claiming that his challenger could only offer a “one-point plan… to make sure the folks at the top play by a different set of rules”.
Mitt Romney meanwhile hammered away at the president’s record on the economy, blaming him for unemployment of 20 million Americans and bloated federal deficits, insisting the country could not afford another four years with Barack Obama at the helm.
In one of the most scathing exchanges, they bickered over last month’s attack on the US Libya consulate that left four Americans dead.
Mitt Romney suggested the Obama administration may have attempted to mislead Americans over whether it was a terrorist attack.
But the president said it was “offensive” to suggest that he had played politics on such a grave issue.
He countered that it was the Republican who had tried to turn a national tragedy to his advantage by releasing a partisan press release about the deadly assault.
As the debate progressed, both candidates made repeated and impassioned pitches to America’s middle class.
Barack Obama said he had cut taxes for middle class families and small businesses over the last four years.
But he said that if America was serious about reducing the deficit, the wealthy would have to pay a little bit more.
“Governor Romney and his allies in Congress have held the 98% hostage because they want tax breaks for the 2%,” said Barack Obama.
In his final answer he responded to an assertion by Mitt Romney that the Republican would represent “100% of Americans” by bringing up Romney’s secretly recorded remarks at a fundraiser in May.
In those remarks the challenger dismissed 47% of Americans as government-dependent tax avoiders who take no responsibility for their lives.
“When he said behind closed doors that 47% of the country considers themselves victims who refuse personal responsibility – think about who he was talking about,” the president said.
Barack Obama said voters had heard no specifics on Mitt Romney’s “sketchy” tax plan apart from eliminating Sesame Street’s Big Bird and cutting funding for Planned Parenthood, a family planning organization Republicans say promotes abortion.
“Of course it adds up,” Mitt Romney said of his tax plan. He cited his experience balancing budgets in business, while running the 2002 Olympics and as governor of Massachusetts.
Barack Obama ticked off a list of achievements over the last four years: tax cuts for the middle class; ending the war in Iraq, killing Osama Bin Laden; helping the auto industry, as well as healthcare reform.
But Mitt Romney said the last four years had not been as rosy as the president would like to portray, saying the president had made pledges to deliver unemployment of 5.4%, an immigration plan, and to cut in half the deficit, but had met none of them.
“The president’s tried, but his policies haven’t worked,” said Mitt Romney.
One of the sharpest exchanges of the debate came when the pair clashed over former private equity chief Mitt Romney’s wealth.
Mitt Romney was defending his investments in China through a blind trust when he asked Barack Obama if he had looked at his own pension. He said Barack Obama would find investments in China in his retirement plan, too.
Barack Obama countered that he did not check his pension that often, adding: “Because it’s not as big as yours.”
Another fragment of the debate prompted a flurry of social media comment.
Arguing that he supports equal opportunities for women, Mitt Romney said he once had “binders full of women” candidates for cabinet jobs when he was Massachusetts governor.
The third and final presidential debate is scheduled for 22 October in Boca Raton, Florida.
Lightly grease a 1.2 litre (2 pt) pudding basin. Cream the butter in a bowl or food processor. Add the sugar and beat until the mixture is light and fluffy. Whisk the eggs, then gradually add to the butter mixture, beating all the time.
Sift in the flour, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda and fold into the batter, then mix in the milk. Spoon the marmalade into the base of the pudding basin and tip in the batter.
Cut out a piece of foil and a disc of baking parchment at least 6 cm (2½ in) wider in circumference than the top of the basin, and secure the disc, tin foil side up, over the lip of the basin by tying a piece of string around it.
Place the pudding in a saucepan just larger than the basin and fill with hot water to three-quarters of the way up the basin. Cover the pan and simmer for 1 hour or until it feels springy and a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.
Carefully remove the basin from the pan and turn out onto a warmed plate, allowing the marmalade to ooze down the sides. Serve with softly whipped cream.
President Barack Obama’s team says he will make a “strong” comeback in Tuesday’s debate rematch with his Republican challenger Mitt Romney.
Top aide Robert Gibbs says he expects Barack Obama to be “energetic” after his passive showing in the first debate.
The rivals will take questions on domestic and foreign policy from an audience of 80 undecided voters at a town hall-style forum in New York.
With 21 days to go until the election, the race is essentially deadlocked.
As he battles for a second term, the Democratic president is trying to hang on to narrow leads in many of the nine key swing states that are expected to decide who will win the White House.
The 90-minute debate at Hofstra University on Long Island starts at 21:00 EDT on Tuesday. It will be moderated by CNN chief political correspondent Candy Crowley.
The president’s campaign dropped the usual pre-debate tactic of lowering expectations, to adopt a more bullish, upbeat tone.
Barack Obama’s team says he will make a strong comeback in Tuesday’s debate rematch with Mitt Romney
Robert Gibbs, a senior Obama aide, told MSNBC on Tuesday: “I think you will see somebody who will be strong, who will be passionate, who will be energetic.”
Mitt Romney – who has risen in the opinion polls since his first encounter this month with Barack Obama in Denver, Colorado – will aim to pull off another assured performance.
Barack Obama has been preparing for the debate since Saturday at a golf resort in the city of Williamsburg, Virginia. Mitt Romney’s advisers are putting him through his paces in his home state of Massachusetts.
“President Obama is going to have a better night than he had at the first debate,” Mitt Romney spokesman Ryan Williams said.
He added that the Republican expects his rival to “come out swinging with dishonest and negative attacks”.
After the last debate, Democrats questioned why Barack Obama did not challenge Mitt Romney over his policies on tax, healthcare and jobs.
They also complained that Barack Obama had allowed the Republican to soften some of his most conservative stances.
Barack Obama campaign aides say the president will not make the same mistake this time.
But the rivals must also strike a balance between attacking each other without coming across as too negative in front of the audience and the tens of millions of Americans watching on television.
On the eve of the debate, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton took responsibility for last month’s sacking of the US consulate in Libya, which the Romney campaign has used to attack the White House.
Hillary Clinton said that she – and not the president or vice-president – was to blame for any security lapses before the 11 September assault on the diplomatic compound in Benghazi, which left the US ambassador and three other Americans dead.
The Romney campaign has claimed the Libyan raid shows that the president’s foreign policy is “unravelling”, and the issue could well come up again in Tuesday’s clash.
The third and final presidential debate is scheduled for 22 October in Boca Raton, Florida.
The EU commissioner for health, John Dalli, has resigned after an anti-fraud inquiry linked him to an attempt to influence tobacco legislation.
The EU’s anti-fraud office (Olaf) found that a Maltese businessman had tried to use his contacts with John Dalli, who is also Maltese, for financial gain.
This businessman had tried to influence future EU legislation on tobacco products, the European Commission said.
John Dalli categorically rejected the investigation’s findings, it added.
Commission Vice-President Maros Sefcovic will take over the John Dalli’s duties on an interim basis until a new commissioner of Maltese nationality is appointed, the commission said.
According to the commission, the tobacco producer Swedish Match complained in May that a Maltese entrepreneur had used his contacts with John Dalli to try to gain financial advantages from the company.
This entrepreneur had allegedly offered in return to influence a possible future legislative proposal on tobacco products, in particular on the EU export ban on snus, a smokeless tobacco taken orally.
No transaction was concluded between the company and the entrepreneur and no payment was made, the commission said.
Olaf “did not find any conclusive evidence of the direct participation of John Dalli but did consider that he was aware of these events”, it said.
John Dalli, 64, became the EU’s commissioner for health and consumer policy in 2010
According to the commission, the case has not affected its decision-making process.
It said that the Olaf’s final report and its recommendations were being sent to the attorney-general of Malta, and it was up to the Maltese judiciary to decide how to proceed.
John Dalli, 64, became the EU’s commissioner for health and consumer policy in 2010.
His official biography shows that his career in Maltese politics stretches back more than a quarter of a century.
First elected an MP in 1987 for the centre-right Nationalist Party, he was a cabinet minister in several governments, serving as finance minister three times.
Snus
• A moist tobacco which is placed under the lip
• Produced in various flavors, including liquorice, lemon, coffee, aniseed, elderflower, cranberry and mint
Honey Boo Boo proved her personality is far from pint sized on last night’s episode of Jimmy Kimmel.
Seven-year-old Alana Thompson was unable to contain her excitement and boredom during the nine minute segment, which she appeared on with her mother, June Shannon.
While uncontrollably wriggling, Honey Boo Boo endorses Barack Obama, admits she once had a stutter and discusses her allowance; while mother June Shannon reveals how all the money made from the show is split equally between the children in a trust fund.
Meanwhile, they youngster decides to have a quick nap, resting her head in her arms, but not before shoving her hand in Jimmy Kimmel’s glass of water and then flicking it at the audience.
Turning to June Shannon, otherwise known as Mama, Jimmy Kimmel asks: “The Kardashians are making millions of dollars, and their show is about as popular as yours. Are you making millions of dollars?”
Earnestly, Mama replied: “No, we just started out, you don’t make millions when you first start out.
“I am the manager, the agent in all of this. I know what’s best for my kids… that’s why I chose to put money in the trust fund.
“This journey may last six months or it may last a year but I don’t want ten years down the road Alana or any of the kids to be thinking, <<oh my god, I have nothing to show for it>>. So I wanted to put it in a trust fund, split equally for all the kids.
“So most of the money is there, and the other money goes to our community outreach programmes like the UR brand that we raise for anti-bullying.”
Honey Boo Boo proved her personality is far from pint sized on last night’s episode of Jimmy Kimmel
Honey Boo Boo says she doesn’t get her own allowance just yet, but that Mama gives her money to go to the store.
“Like if I wanna go to the store, she gives me my own money. I buy some candy or somethin’, or somethin’ to eat,” she said.
On her nickname as “coupon queen”, June Shannon admitted: “Unfortunately because we’ve had a busy schedule I don’t get to coupon as much as I used to, but when I do get to coupon… oh boy.
“It’s kind of like an addictive drug for me, you save money for your family, but I could be a multimillionaire and I’d still save family for my family.”
Jimmy Kimmel pointed out the family’s other nickmanes, like Chubs, Sugar Bear and Pumpkin.
Honey Boo Boo offered: “I have other nicknames, one’s Smoochi and one’s T.T.
“It’s because when I was little I used to stutter. I used to say a <<lotta T, T, T>>”
Jimmy Kimmel turned the focus to politics, telling the mother-daughter duo that Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney recently said he prefers Snooki to the TLC stars.
“Do you know who Mitt Romney is?” asked Jimmy Kimmel.
“No,” replied Honey Boo Boo.
He tried again: “Barack Obama?”
Answering with uncertainty, she said: “The President?”
Jimmy Kimmel thne asked who she would be supporting this year.
“Marack Obama,” she replied, as Mama adjusted her daughter’s legs into a more ladylike position, an ongoing struggle between the pair during the segment.
Nine minutes later and the youngster jumped for joy when she realized it was over.
Kim Kardashian’s famous hourglass figure has grown by 28 lbs since she started dating Kanye West – and he loves every inch of it.
Kim Kardashian, 31, has slowed down her hardcore exercise regime and now weighs more than she ever has at around nine stone.
She has gone up to a size 12, having previously been a size 8, and she is happy to skip trips to the gym in favor of staying in bed with Kanye West.
A friend of Kim Kardashian’s told Heat magazine: “Instead of hitting the gym at 6:00 a.m., she’s finding herself staying in bed with Kanye and really letting her guard down.”
Her rapper boyfriend is said to be happy with her new shape and he has been encouraging her to diet less.
Kanye West has never made a secret of his love of curvy girls and he often references the feminine form in his songs.
He raps on Good Life: “Welcome to the good life, where we like the girls who ain’t on TV ’cause they got more ass than the models.”
Kim Kardashian’s famous hourglass figure has grown by 28 lbs since she started dating Kanye West
With Kanye West having a healthy appetite for food, his relaxed attitude has rubbed off on Kim Kardashian too.
A friend told Heat magazine: “She’s normally ruthless when it comes to diet and exercise, but since she met Kanye her discipline has gone out the window.”
The fact that Kim Kardashian makes a living by posing in her swimwear means that even with Kanye West’s support, she is still a little self-conscious about her weight gain.
Kim Kardaashian said earlier this month: “I’m hoping to slim down a little bit, and I’m not afraid to say it.
“I think everyone goes up and down in whatever that comfortable love-relationship phase is, where you like to eat out, but now it’s time to get it together again.”
Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson have been pictured together for the first time since news broke of her affair with married director Rupert Sanders back in July.
The on-again couple was seen together chatting with friends in Hollywood on Monday after several sightings of them together over the weekend.
The Twilight stars both wore backwards baseball caps and sunglasses as they hung around outside a restaurant.
Sporting cut off denim shorts and a white T-shirt, Kristen Stewart looked relaxed in Robert Pattinson’s company.
Robert Pattinson meanwhile, looked his usual low-key self in a well worn vintage T-shirt and a smattering of stubble.
Monday’s sighting comes after the pair were spotted enjoying the Los Angeles nightlife together over the weekend.
Entertainment Tonight has published a still of the Twilight pair together on its website, taken on Sunday night at the Ye Rustic Inn, a bar in Los Angeles’ Los Feliz neighborhood.
Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson have been pictured together for the first time since news broke of her affair with married director Rupert Sanders back in July
It comes following reports Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson were out together on Saturday night at Hollywood’s Chateau Marmont, according to Hollywoodlife.com.
Sources told ET that Kristen Stewart, 22, and Robert Pattinson, 26, spent more than four hours at the bar on Sunday and even “cosied up to each other”.
They were joined by around 10 friends, according to onlookers and appeared in good spirits as the laughed and joked over drinks.
Witnesses also spoke Us Weekly regarding R-Patz and K-Stew’s outing on Saturday night at the Chateau.
Two separate witnesses saw the couple at the nightspot, with one telling the publication they “snuck into the garden from a private side entrance”.
A second onlooker said Robert Pattinson was wearing a baseball cap and both were casually dressed in jeans and T-shirts and “whispering very close and intimately”.
A friend close to the couple explained: “They’re afraid of backlash, so they’re keeping things on the down-low.”
The sightings come ahead of their hotly-anticipated red carpet turn next month, when they are expected to promote The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2 film together.
The movie is set for release in cinemas on November 16, with the London premiere set for November 14.
The three-year romance took a nose dive following Kristen Stewart’s summer indiscretion with her 41-year-old, married Snow White and The Huntsman director Rupert Sanders.
Last July, Kristen Stewart’s fling came to light after photos surfaced showing her and Rupert Sanders kissing and hugging in Los Angeles.
In the weeks since Kristen Stewart and Rupert Sanders both issued public apologies for their behavior, Rob and Kristen seem to have inched their way back together.
The couple reportedly is trying to work things out.
“We’re going to be fine. We’re totally fine,” Kristen Stewart recently told the Associated Press when asked about some “awkward public appearances” she and Rob will be facing promoting Breaking Dawn 2.
Snail slime has been elevated from the garden, and is now being claimed as the new miracle face-fixer in the U.S.
While creams containing snail slime have been popular in Korea and Africa for a few years, brands such as Missha, Dr. Jart+ and Labcconte have begun to bring them Stateside.
Primarily marketed as an acne solution, the shelled slug’s mucus is also believed to reduce pigmentation and scarring, as well as beat wrinkles.
Snail slime-based beauty products have been used sporadically since the Ancient Greeks recognized its potential, with Hippocrates reportedly recommending crushed snails to relieve inflamed skin.
However, the beauty potential of snail slime was rediscovered by chance recently, when Chilean snail farmers noticed their skin healed quickly, with no scars, when they handled snails for the French food market.
Those same farmers went on to launch Chilean snail slime product, Elicina, which last year enjoyed its 15th anniversary.
Primarily marketed as an acne solution, the shelled slug’s mucus is also believed to reduce pigmentation and scarring, as well as beat wrinkles
Korean brand Missha then launched Super Aqua Cell Renew Snail Cream in 2010, claiming that its 70% snail extract “soothes, regenerates and heals skin”.
Another Korean brand, It’s Skin, manufactures Prestige Cream d’escargot, which contains 21% snail slime.
According to Fashionista, snail creams are found in everything from face wash to shampoo in Côte d’Ivoire local supermarkets, and now it has been popping up in products in the U.S.
Snail slime – or, technically, Helix Aspersa Müller Glycoconjugates – is a complex mix of proteins, glycolic acids and elastin that nature developed as a way to protect snail skin from damage of rocks, twigs, and other rough surfaces; infection, and UV rays.
Dermatologist Macrene Alexiades-Armenakas, M.D. told Fashionista: “The extract is renowned for its regenerative properties, and facilitates the restoration of damaged tissue and replenishes moisture in skin. It is also effective in treating acne and scarring.”
However, some dermatologists are still unsure.
Dr. Elizabeth Tanzi, the co-director of the Washington Institute of Dermatologic Laser Surgery, said: “There is some speculation that the mucin in these slime creams can be anti-inflammatory and calming; however, there are no respected scientific studies to prove that it actually works. For now, I remain skeptical.”
If you want to roll back the years, forget expensive lotions and potions and instead reach for something more natural and cheap: a bag of watercress.
The old adage of beauty coming from within has been borne out by a new study in which 10 out of 11 female volunteers experienced visible improvements to their skin after just four weeks of adding one bag of watercress a day to their diet.
One woman even managed to reduce her facial wrinkles by an incredible 39%.
The women, who ranged in age from 23 to 58, began the trial by having their faces photographed using a VISIA complexion analysis system which gives a subsurface reading of an individual’s skin and focuses on wrinkles, texture (the balance between oily and dry areas) pores, UV spots, brown spots, red areas (any underlying redness, inflammation, sensitivity or thinner skin) and porphyrins (levels of bacteria on the skin).
After four weeks of eating 80 g of watercress a day the volunteers had their skin reassessed by the VISIA camera, and the results were extremely positive.
The majority of women also reported increased energy levels.
During the trial the volunteers made no other changes to their usual health and beauty regime.
They were allowed to eat their daily quota of watercress in any way they chose – in salads, sandwiches, whizzed into smoothies or wilted into pasta, however it was not allowed to be cooked.
Ten out of 11 female volunteers experienced visible improvements to their skin after just 4 weeks of adding one bag of watercress a day to their diet
One of the success stories of the study was Ruth McKechnie, 54, a theatre training teacher from Cambridge who saw a 39% improvement in her wrinkles, 13% improvement in her skin texture, 5% reduction in brown spots and 18% improvement in her levels of bacteria.
She said: “I’m absolutely thrilled with the results of the trial and astounded at how my skin has improved in almost every aspect.
“It feels smoother to touch, looks plumper and best of all my wrinkles have reduced! I had a particularly stressful few weeks at work and thought it would have a negative effect on my skin so to see such an improvement really is impressive.
“I have also felt more energized and generally healthier which has helped me deal with the stress. Watercress will certainly be top of my shopping list from now onwards.”
Throughout history, eminent philosophers and doctors have revered the health boosting properties of watercress from the pharaohs in Egypt and the ancient Greeks, to the Romans and Anglo-Saxons.
Now, sophisticated science techniques have confirmed folklore beliefs.
Dr. Sarah Schenker, a leading nutritionist and dietician who oversaw the study, said: “Watercress is a rich source of beta carotene needed to quench free radicals, which can cause damage to skin cells.
“However, in order to work properly a high concentration of Vitamin C is also needed to complete this process and watercress again has this in abundance.
“In addition watercress contains Vitamin E which is also important for skin health. It is this powerhouse of nutrients and the chain reaction in which they work together which is so important for maintaining good skin.”
Dr. Sarah Schenker added: “This study confirms that diet is an important aspect of beauty. Eating plenty of plant foods including watercress cannot only help to slow down the ageing of our skin, but may actually reverse some of the effects of damage.”
Watercress Alliance member Dr. Steve Rothwell, who holds a PhD in watercress explained: “There have been a whole host of scientific studies that have shown that B Carotene can help reduce the ageing of skin, so we were encouraged to carry out our own small pilot study using fresh watercress.
“We were delighted with the results of the new pilot study which may now be used to secure funding for a larger scale university research programme, as the findings have proved so conclusive.”
Study results:
• 10 out of 11 volunteers saw a positive improvement in their skin
• 7 out of 11 saw an improvement in their wrinkles
• 8 out of 11 saw an improvement in the texture of their skin
• 9 out of 11 saw an improvement in their pores
• 5 out of 11 saw an improvement in their red areas
• 8 out of 11 saw an improvement in the levels of porphyrins
• 5 out of 11 saw an improvement in their brown spots
• 3 out of 11 saw an improvement in their UV spots
THE HEALTH BENEFITS OF WATERCRESS
Gram for gram, watercress contains more vitamin C than oranges, four times more beta-carotene and vitamin A than apples, tomatoes and broccoli, more vitamin E than broccoli, more calcium than whole milk and more iron than spinach.
It also contains lutein and zeaxanthin (45 times that of tomatoes and more than triple the amount in broccoli).
It is also the richest dietary source of PEITC (phenylethyl isothiocyanate) which research suggests can fight cancer.
Mansa Musa I of Mali, an obscure king who ruled West Africa in the 14th century, has been named the richest person in history in a new inflation-adjusted list of the world’s 25 wealthiest people of all time.
Spanning 1,000 years and with a combined fortune of $4.317trillion, only three of the list’s 25 are alive today; none of them are women and 14 of them are American.
Using the annual 2199.6% rate of inflation, where $100 million in 1913 is equal to $2.299.63 billion in 2012, Celebrity Net Worth’s list includes familiar names like Bill Gates and Warren Buffett; but sitting at number one is Mansa Musa I of Mali.
The West Africa king, the richest person in history, and the ruler of the Malian Empire which covered modern day Ghana, Timbuktu and Mali in West Africa, had a personal net worth of $400billion at the time of his death in 1331.
The list also includes the man who gave America Wal-Mart, another who developed mail-order shopping around 1870, as well as a few nobles who helped with the Norman conquest of England in the Battle of Hastings nearly one thousand years ago.
The Rothschild family, second on the list, are the richest people on earth today with assets that total at least $350 billion – their wealth divided amongst mining, banks, private asset management, mixed farming, wine, and charities.
Meanwhile John D. Rockefeller, third on the list, is the richest American to have ever lived, worth $340 billion in today’s USD at the time of his death in 1937.
In comparison, the poorest man on the list is 82-year-old Warren Buffett, who at his peak net worth, before he started giving his fortune to charity, was $64 billion.
1. MANSA MUSA I – $400 BILLION (BORN 1280)
Mansa Musa I, the richest person in history, had a personal net worth of $400b illion at the time of his death in 1331.
Born in 1280, Mansa Musa I ruled West Africa’s Malian Empire which covered modern day Ghana, Timbuktu and Mali.
His country’s production of more than half the world’s supply of salt and gold contributed to Musa’s vast wealth, which he used to build large mosques that still stand today.
According to the writings of Arab-Egyptian scholar Al-Umari, Mansa Musa I inherited his throne through a practice of appointing a deputy after the king goes on his pilgrimage to Mecca; later naming the deputy as heir.
Musa was appointed deputy of the king before him, who had reportedly embarked on an expedition to explore the limits of the Atlantic ocean, and never returned.
Just two generations after his death, however, Musa’s world record net worth was diminished after his heirs were not able to fend off civil war and invading conquerors.
Mansa Musa I of Mali has been named the richest person in history
2. ROTHSCHILD FAMILY – $350 BILLION (BORN 1744)
3. JOHN D. ROCKEFELLER – $340 BILLION (BORN 1839)
4. ANDREW CARNEGIE – $310 BILLION (BORN 1835)
5. TSAR NICHOLAS II OF RUSSIA – $300 BILLION (BORN 1868)
6. MIR OSMAN ALI KHAN – $236 BILLION (BORN 1886)
7. WILLIAM THE CONQUEROR – $229.5 BILLION (BORN 1028)
8. MUAMMAR GADDAFI – $200 BILLION (BORN 1942)
9. HENRY FORD – $199 BILLION (BORN 1863)
10. CORNELIUS VANDERBILT – $185 BILLION (BORN 1794)
11. ALAN RUFUS – $178.65 BILLION (BORN 1040)
12. BILL GATES – $136 BILLION (BORN 1955)
13. WILLIAM DE WARENNE – $146.13 BILLION (BIRTH UNKNOWN)
14. JOHN JACOB ASTOR – $121 BILLION (BORN 1763)
15. RICHARD FITZALAN – $118.6 BILLION (BORN 1306)
16. JOHN OF GAUNT – $110 BILLION (BORN 1340)
17. STEPHEN GIRARD – $105 BILLION (BORN 1750)
18. ALEXANDER TURNEY STEWART – $90 BILLION (BORN 1803)
19. HENRY DUKE OF LANCASTER – $85.1 BILLION (BORN 1301)
20. FRIEDRICH WEYERHAUSER – $80 BILLION (BORN 1834)
21. JAY GOULD – $71 BILLION (BORN 1836)
22. CARLOS SLIM – $68 BILLION (BORN 1940)
22. STEPHEN VAN RENSSELAER – $68 BILLION (BORN 1764)
Guests at a London bar were hoping it wasn’t their round after a £5,500 ($8,600) cocktail was mixed by leading drinks expert Salvatore Calabrese.
Salvatore Calabrese broke the record for the world’s most expensive cocktail with his “Salvatore’s Legacy” drink which was made up of ingredients more than 200 years old.
Salvatore Calabrese, whose nickname is “The Maestro”, made the costly concoction using 1778 Clos de Griffier Vieux Cognac, 1770 Kummel Liqueur, Dubb Orange Curacao circa 1860 and two dashes of Angostura Bitters circa 1900s.
The drink was valued at £5,500 ($8,600), smashing the previous record for the world’s most expensive cocktail that was held by The Skyview Bar of Burj Al Arab Hotel, Dubai, which cost £3,766.52 ($5,900) a glass.
Salvatore Calabrese said he was proud to make “liquid history” after breaking the record with the cocktail he mixed in his self-titled bar, Salvatore’s at Playboy Club, in London last Thursday.
He said: “It’s official, I am proud to say that history was made as well as consumed in my bar.
“In front of a crowd, I needed very steady hands to open the vintage bottles and pour these precious ingredients into my own mixing glass, which I have had for 40 years.”
Salvatore Calabrese broke the record for the world’s most expensive cocktail
Salvatore Calabrese has more than 30 years’ experience of creating drinks, developing his talent for combining flavors at an early age, whilst working in a bar in Maiori, a small village on Italy’s Amalfi Coast.
In his 20s, Salvatore Calabrese moved to London, taking a position at Dukes Hotel in St James’s where he developed a niche market for special cognacs and was famed for his martini’s. He worked at other prestigious bars in London’s Mayfair before opening his own in Old Park Lane.
He has become an expert on cognacs after spending many years tracking down, collecting and serving some of the world’s oldest and rarest vintages. His personal collection is worth more than £1m and is displayed in his bar at Playboy Club London. Enthusiasts travel from around the world to sample his collection that stretches back to 1770.
It was ingredients from this collection that he used to make the world’s most expensive cocktail.
HOW TO MAKE THE WORLD’S MOST EXPENSIVE COCKTAIL
Take…
• 40 ml 1778 Clos de Griffier Vieux Cognac
• 20 ml 1770 Kummel Liqueur
• 20 ml 1860 Dubb Orange Curacao
• Two dashes of 1900s Angostura Bitters
… pour into a mixing glass, add the purest of ice and stir gently
South African rapper Molemo “Jub Jub” Maarohanye has been convicted of murder and attempted murder after driving into a group of schoolchildren in 2010.
Magistrate Brian Nemavhidi also convicted Molemo Maarohanye of racing on a public road and driving under the influence of drugs.
Jub Jub smashed his car into a group of pupils in Soweto in 2010, killing four of them and wounding two others.
Family members and schoolchildren cried as the judgement was handed down.
Molemo Maarohanye was one of South Africa’s best-known musicians, but he fell from grace after the crash, the BBC’s Pumza Fihlani in Johannesburg says.
Jub Jub’s co-accused, Themba Tshabalala, was also convicted of the charges.
Jub Jub smashed his car into a group of pupils in Soweto in 2010, killing four of them and wounding two others
They were allegedly drag-racing when their vehicles crashed into the children.
They had pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Both had been out on bail since March 2010 – a decision which sparked protests among pupils who demanded their imprisonment.
Magistrate Brian Nemavhidi revoked their bail and remanded them in custody until sentencing on 30 November.
The court room in Soweto, the main black township in Johannesburg, was packed and there were emotional scenes when the verdict was given.
One of the parents fainted and had to be carried out of the court room.
The court ruled that Molemo Maarohanye and Themba Tshabalala were on cocaine and morphine when the accident happened.
The justice department welcomed the ruling, Sapa news agency reports.
“[The conviction] is clear confirmation of justice not only done but manifestly seen to be done,” its spokesman Mthunzi Mhaga is quoted as saying.
“We commend the National Prosecuting Authority’s aggressive stance of charging irresponsible drivers with murder instead of the usual culpable homicide, which usually attracts non-custodial sentences.”
According to a Gallup/USA Today poll of 12 swing states, Mitt Romney leads Barack Obama by 12 points among men, ahead of tonight’s second presidential debate.
But it is his surge among women voters to within one point of Barack Obama that has given him a four-point overall lead that sets him on course to win the White House on November 6th.
The poll, released on the eve of the second presidential debate in Hampstead, New York, marks an apparent end to months of double-digit Barack Obama leads over Mitt Romney among women and has plunged Democrats into panic mode.
Unlike the first debate, the second meeting will be in a “town hall” format in which undecided ordinary voters – probably about a dozen – will pose questions. At least half of them are likely to be women. In addition, the debate will be moderated by a woman – CNN’s Candy Crowley.
Democrats traditionally enjoy a marked advantage among women. Bill Clinton’s 1996 re-election was said to have been based on winning over middle class, aspirational so-called “soccer moms”. But Barack Obama’s popularity among females has plummeted after Mitt Romney’s commanding debate performance in Denver nearly two weeks ago.
Vice-President Joe Biden’s bullying display over Mitt Romney’s running mate Paul Ryan also left many women voters feeling alienated.
Within an hour of the Gallup survey being released, the Obama campaign – which recently mocked Republicans for questioning poll methodology, went on the offensive against the 75-year-old polling firm. Reporters were sent a memo from Barack Obama pollster Joel Benenson.
In it, Joel Benenson said: “The latest Gallup/USA Today Battleground survey showing President Obama and Governor Romney tied with women in battleground states (48-48) is an extreme outlier, defying the trends seen in every other battleground and national poll.”
Overall, Mitt Romney has 50% of support among likely voters in the 12 battleground states, while Barack Obama is trailing with 46% support, according to the survey.
Without winning women, Barack Obama’s path to victory in November is complicated, if not impossible.
The memo includes a chart of selected surveys from a handful of battleground states that give Barack Obama a 10-point lead over Mitt Romney among women nationally.
“This implausible result among women appears to not even provide an accurate reflection on the electorate today, making its value questionable,” Joel Benenson insisted.
Mitt Romney is now neck and neck with Barack Obama among women voters, according to a new Gallup survey
Women tend to start paying close attention to election campaigns later and are more open to persuasion than men. This makes female voters, particularly the blue-collar “waitress moms” whose families have been hard-hit by the recession and unemployment, the most-prized group of swing voters in 2012.
Celinda Lake, a veteran Democratic pollster, told USA Today: “In every poll, we’ve seen a major surge among women in favorability for Romney” since the Denver debate.
“Women went into the debate actively disliking Romney, and they came out thinking he might understand their lives and might be able to get something done for them.”
She added that while Barack Obama currently maintains an edge among women voters, the changed views of Mitt Romney could be “a precursor to movement” in greater numbers towards the Republican nominee.
“It opens them up to take a second look, and that’s the danger for Obama.”
Democrats were scrambling Monday to maintain their historical edge among female voters. Party officials held a conference call in an effort to raise alarm over how a Republican administration would impact women’s lives negatively and the progressive group MoveOn.org released an ad starring three Hollywood actresses who claimed Republicans would try to end abortion rights for women.
The Romney campaign, on the other hand, touted the survey’s findings as proof that women are increasingly concerned about the economy instead of issues like birth control. Republicans said the survey shows women feel Mitt Romney is better equipped than Barack Obama to spur economic growth.
Mitt Romney’s path to winning a greater share of the female voting bloc has been long and arduous.
He trailed the president by 18 percentage points among female voters in a Gallup survey from April, around the time that Democrats were attacking Republicans for “waging a war on women” by supporting legislation that would limit insurance coverage for contraceptives.
That’s when Mitt Romney’s advisers decided to step up the visibility of his wife, Ann, on the campaign trail to try and make Romney more relatable as a husband and a father.
The campaign also organized “Women for Romney” grassroots groups in battleground states across the country and began cutting dozens of television ads that featured clips of Ann talking about Mitt Romney’s “softer” side.
The strategy has helped Mitt Romney slowly chip away at Barack Obama’s lead among female voters and after the president’s decidedly lackluster debate performance earlier this month, Romney appears to be finally closing the gender gap.
As Mitt Romney looks to maintain the progress he’s made among female voters, he’s likely to tread lightly on topics such as abortion and birth control during tonight’s debate – and to pivot back to the economy whenever possible.
President Barack Obama, on the other hand, will be looking for every opportunity to remind female voters of the measures he has enacted while in office that target women, such as the Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act.
Barack Obama will also be looking for every chance to remind women that that he was raised by a single mom and that he is the father of two daughters.
NEW DEBATE FORMAT
Unlike the first presidential debate, tonight’s debate will be in a “town hall” format, meaning candidates will answer questions from members of an audience, rather than a moderator.
There are 80 audience members total, which were selected by Gallup from a sample of undecided voters who live near the debate’s location in Hempstead on Long Island.
The participants had to submit their questions ahead of time. The debate moderator, CNN’s Candy Crowley, will decide who to call on during the debate based on her reviews of their submitted questions.
The candidates will have two minutes to respond to each question, after which the moderator can ask a follow-up question of her choosing.
The candidates will have one minute to respond to the moderator’s question.
The “town hall” format is designed to be more relaxed and conversational, with the candidates free to walk around the forum instead of remaining confined behind a podium or a desk.
But the format also lends itself to more opportunities for unplanned or candid events, such as the 1992 debate where President George Bush was caught on camera checking his watch.
According to a Gallup/USA Today poll of 12 swing states, Mitt Romney leads Barack Obama by 12 points among men, ahead of tonight’s second presidential debate.
But it is his surge among women voters to within one point of Barack Obama that has given him a four-point overall lead that sets him on course to win the White House on November 6th.
The poll, released on the eve of the second presidential debate in Hampstead, New York, marks an apparent end to months of double-digit Barack Obama leads over Mitt Romney among women and has plunged Democrats into panic mode.
Unlike the first debate, the second meeting will be in a “town hall” format in which undecided ordinary voters – probably about a dozen – will pose questions. At least half of them are likely to be women. In addition, the debate will be moderated by a woman – CNN’s Candy Crowley.
Democrats traditionally enjoy a marked advantage among women. Bill Clinton’s 1996 re-election was said to have been based on winning over middle class, aspirational so-called “soccer moms”. But Barack Obama’s popularity among females has plummeted after Mitt Romney’s commanding debate performance in Denver nearly two weeks ago.
Vice-President Joe Biden’s bullying display over Mitt Romney’s running mate Paul Ryan also left many women voters feeling alienated.
Within an hour of the Gallup survey being released, the Obama campaign – which recently mocked Republicans for questioning poll methodology, went on the offensive against the 75-year-old polling firm. Reporters were sent a memo from Barack Obama pollster Joel Benenson.
In it, Joel Benenson said: “The latest Gallup/USA Today Battleground survey showing President Obama and Governor Romney tied with women in battleground states (48-48) is an extreme outlier, defying the trends seen in every other battleground and national poll.”
Overall, Mitt Romney has 50% of support among likely voters in the 12 battleground states, while Barack Obama is trailing with 46% support, according to the survey.
Without winning women, Barack Obama’s path to victory in November is complicated, if not impossible.
The memo includes a chart of selected surveys from a handful of battleground states that give Barack Obama a 10-point lead over Mitt Romney among women nationally.
“This implausible result among women appears to not even provide an accurate reflection on the electorate today, making its value questionable,” Joel Benenson insisted.
Women tend to start paying close attention to election campaigns later and are more open to persuasion than men. This makes female voters, particularly the blue-collar “waitress moms” whose families have been hard-hit by the recession and unemployment, the most-prized group of swing voters in 2012.
Celinda Lake, a veteran Democratic pollster, told USA Today: “In every poll, we’ve seen a major surge among women in favorability for Romney” since the Denver debate.
“Women went into the debate actively disliking Romney, and they came out thinking he might understand their lives and might be able to get something done for them.”
She added that while Barack Obama currently maintains an edge among women voters, the changed views of Mitt Romney could be “a precursor to movement” in greater numbers towards the Republican nominee.
“It opens them up to take a second look, and that’s the danger for Obama.”
Democrats were scrambling Monday to maintain their historical edge among female voters. Party officials held a conference call in an effort to raise alarm over how a Republican administration would impact women’s lives negatively and the progressive group MoveOn.org released an ad starring three Hollywood actresses who claimed Republicans would try to end abortion rights for women.
The Romney campaign, on the other hand, touted the survey’s findings as proof that women are increasingly concerned about the economy instead of issues like birth control. Republicans said the survey shows women feel Mitt Romney is better equipped than Barack Obama to spur economic growth.
Mitt Romney’s path to winning a greater share of the female voting bloc has been long and arduous.
He trailed the president by 18 percentage points among female voters in a Gallup survey from April, around the time that Democrats were attacking Republicans for “waging a war on women” by supporting legislation that would limit insurance coverage for contraceptives.
That’s when Mitt Romney’s advisers decided to step up the visibility of his wife, Ann, on the campaign trail to try and make Romney more relatable as a husband and a father.
The campaign also organized “Women for Romney” grassroots groups in battleground states across the country and began cutting dozens of television ads that featured clips of Ann talking about Mitt Romney’s “softer” side.
The strategy has helped Mitt Romney slowly chip away at Barack Obama’s lead among female voters and after the president’s decidedly lackluster debate performance earlier this month, Romney appears to be finally closing the gender gap.
As Mitt Romney looks to maintain the progress he’s made among female voters, he’s likely to tread lightly on topics such as abortion and birth control during tonight’s debate – and to pivot back to the economy whenever possible.
President Barack Obama, on the other hand, will be looking for every opportunity to remind female voters of the measures he has enacted while in office that target women, such as the Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act.
Barack Obama will also be looking for every chance to remind women that that he was raised by a single mom and that he is the father of two daughters.
NEW DEBATE FORMAT
Unlike the first presidential debate, tonight’s debate will be in a “town hall” format, meaning candidates will answer questions from members of an audience, rather than a moderator.
There are 80 audience members total, which were selected by Gallup from a sample of undecided voters who live near the debate’s location in Hempstead on Long Island.
The participants had to submit their questions ahead of time. The debate moderator, CNN’s Candy Crowley, will decide who to call on during the debate based on her reviews of their submitted questions.
The candidates will have two minutes to respond to each question, after which the moderator can ask a follow-up question of her choosing.
The candidates will have one minute to respond to the moderator’s question.
The “town hall” format is designed to be more relaxed and conversational, with the candidates free to walk around the forum instead of remaining confined behind a podium or a desk.
But the format also lends itself to more opportunities for unplanned or candid events, such as the 1992 debate where President George Bush was caught on camera checking his watch.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says she takes responsibility for the security failure at the Benghazi consulate that led to the killing of four Americans in Libya last month.
Hillary Clinton said ensuring the safety of US diplomatic staff overseas was her job, not that of the White House.
Republicans have strongly criticized President Barack Obama over the attack.
And Republican challenger Mitt Romney is likely to raise it again in the second campaign debate with Barack Obama.
It seems Hillary Clinton is trying to draw criticism away from Barack Obama, who needs a strong debate performance if he is to recover his lead in the polls.
In her interviews, Hillary Clinton appeared to acknowledge that she was trying to shield the president.
“What we had to do in the state department was keep focused not on why something happened – that was for the intelligence community to determine – but what was happening and what could happen,” Hillary Clinton said.
“And that’s what I was very much working on, day and night, to try to make sure that we intervened with governments. We did everything we could to keep our people safe, which is my primary responsibility.”
Hillary Clinton said she was focused on tracking down the killers of the US ambassador to Libya and bringing them to justice.
“I don’t think we want to get into any blame game. I think what we want to do is get to the bottom of what happened, figure out what we’re going to do to protect people and prevent it from happening again and then track down whoever did and bring them to justice.”
Last week, a US congressional committee heard US security in Libya was reduced before the attack on the US consulate, even as violence worsened.
Mitt Romney has been making the Benghazi attack the centrepiece of his case against President Obama’s foreign policy, and has accused Vice-President Joe Biden of making misleading statements about the attack.
Mitt Romney said Joe Biden’s statement in the recent vice-presidential debate that the administration was not told about requests for extra security in Libya contradicted the sworn testimony of state department officials.
A congressional panel has already heard there had been repeated requests to the state department for beefed-up security at the diplomatic compound.
In the days after the attack, Barack Obama’s ambassador to the United Nations, Susan Rice, described it as a “spontaneous” assault that arose out of a protest against a US-made amateur video which mocks Islam.
But US officials have since said the government had never concluded the attack was motivated by the film.
Barack Obama and Mitt Romney are preparing to face off in their second debate later on Tuesday, at Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York.
Mitt Romney was widely acknowledged as having the upper hand in the first debate, which was reflected in the opinion polls, with many showing for the first time in the campaign Mitt Romney in the lead.
Ambassador Christopher Stevens died of smoke inhalation when he was trapped alone in the burning consulate building on 11 September. Three other officials were killed, and three wounded.
Earlier this week, the father of Ambassador Christopher Stevens said it would be “abhorrent” to turn his son’s death into a campaign issue.
“Our position is it would be a real shame if this were politicized,” Jan Stevens said.
