The European Union is due to begin a two-day summit in Brussels that will focus on issues surrounding the eurozone crisis.
High on the agenda will be controversial plans for a eurozone banking union, seen as a key element in restoring confidence in the euro.
In the run-up to the summit, Germany has been urging EU states to consider pooling more economic sovereignty.
Meanwhile Greece, which is at the centre of the European debt crisis, is braced for another general strike.
It will be its 20th since the debt crisis erupted in the country two years ago.
Talks in Brussels are also expected to focus on banking supervision, stricter fiscal oversight and direct recapitalization of banks from rescue funds.
The summit will take place amid calmer European stock markets than in previous meetings and with less concern over the debt crises in Spain and Greece, analysts say.
Speaking on Wednesday, French President Francois Hollande said an end to the eurozone crisis was “very close” and he wanted a deal agreed on the first stage of a banking union.
German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble has proposed a full fiscal union – control at European level of tax and spending.
On Wednesday, Wolfgang Schaeuble said that eurozone countries “need to tackle problems themselves”, adding that the eurozone bailout fund was there to help countries do just that.
But he reiterated his view that further steps towards political integration would strengthen the bloc.
The meeting in Brussels will be the fourth time that leaders of the EU’s 27 nations have met this year.
Borrowing costs for struggling eurozone economies have fallen sharply since the European Central Bank (ECB) announced last month that it was prepared to buy their bonds in unlimited amounts under strict conditions.
The calmer economic climate is being used to discuss buttressing economic and monetary union, and little will be agreed at this summit.
On Wednesday, Greece and its international creditors are said to have reached a deal on austerity measures needed before its next bailout installment.
Nevertheless, large demonstrations are planned across the country against the next package of spending cuts.
Taxi drivers, ferry workers, doctors, teachers and air traffic controllers are among those taking part in a general strike across the public and private sectors.
Chinese economy has slowed for a seventh quarter as problems in Europe and the US hurt demand for its goods.
The annual rate of growth was 7.4% in the third quarter, down from 7.6% in the previous three months.
However, there were signs that the world’s second-biggest economy was now stabilizing and rebounding.
That would be good news for China, which is facing a leadership change, and the rest of the world, which has benefited from its recent boom.
“Clearly, concerns over continued slowdown can now be put to rest,” said Dariusz Kowalczyk, senior economist as Credit Agricole-CIB.
“The last month of the quarter brought acceleration of industrial output, retail sales and fixed asset investment in year-on-year terms, highlighting the fact that improvement of momentum of the economy was particularly strong in September.”
In Hong Kong, the main Hang Seng stock index rose 0.7% on the news, while in Shanghai, shares climbed by 1.2%.
China’s growth over the past few years has been led by the success of its export and manufacturing sector, as well as by a credit-fuelled investment boom directed by the government.
But a number of issues have recently hurt demand for China’s exports, not least the debt crisis in the eurozone and a sluggish rebound in the US.
This had increased worries that China’s economic growth would slow further in coming months, and may even dip below the 7% mark, leading to a longer economic slump both inside and outside of the country.
That is something that China was keen to avoid as it prepares for a once-in-a-decade leadership change. China’s ruling communist party is about to unveil its next generation of leaders in November.
The fears had been that a sharp slowdown in the economy may result in business cutting jobs, leading to higher unemployment.
There had also been concerns that a significant slowdown may prompt a big drop in property prices – eroding the value of assets of many people.
However, on Thursday, China also released other key economic indicators alongside its gross domestic product (GDP) data, and these indicated that things may be starting to pick up again.
China’s industrial production rose by a more-than-expected 9.2% in September from a year earlier. That was up from 8.9% growth in August.
Retail sales, meanwhile, during the same month were 14.2% higher than a year earlier, signalling that domestic consumption was growing.
“The September data indicates economic momentum has picked up strongly compared with July and August,” said Zhang Zhiwei, chief China economist at Nomura in Hong Kong.
The latest numbers added to the optimism that followed trade figures which were released over the weekend. They showed a 9.9% year-on-year growth in exports during September, a big jump from the 2.7% growth recorded in the previous month.
Zhang Zhiwei added the latest data “helps reinforce our view that growth will rebound visibly in the fourth quarter”.
China has announced various stimulus measures in recent months aimed at boosting domestic consumption and sustaining growth.
The central bank has lowered the amount of money that banks need to keep in reserve three times in the past few months in order to increase bank lending.
It has cut interest rates twice since June to reduce the burden on businesses and other borrowers.
Beijing has also approved infrastructure projects worth more than $150 billion, aimed at spurring a fresh wave of economic development.
There had been hopes that China’s policymakers may take further measures to spur growth. But with September’s positive set of economic data analysts say they may now see Beijing delay a major move.
“There is no room, or need, for any further major stimulus, especially a rate cut,” said Dariusz Kowalczyk of Credit Agricole-CIB.
Even so, other analysts reckon that any rebound is in its early stages and if anything, it needs a further boost to take hold and continue.
The worry is that should China stop helping consumers and businesses, then growth could stagnate or start to retreat again.
400g (14 oz) small carrots (try Chantenay), trimmed
1 large red onion, peeled and cut into wedges
1 bulb garlic, cloves separated but still in skins
2 tbsp olive oil
125 ml (4 fl oz) dry white wine
Lemon and tarragon roast chicken
METHOD
Preheat oven to 200°C/fan 180°C/gas 6. Run your hand under the skin on the chicken breast, taking care not to tear it. Remove the leaves from two sprigs of tarragon and mash with half the butter and some seasoning. Spread under the skin, then add some of the lemon slices and the remaining sprigs of tarragon. Melt the remaining butter. Halve any larger new potatoes and carrots and place in a large roasting tin. Scatter over the red onion and garlic. Season with salt and lots of black pepper and toss with the oil. Place the chicken on top and add any remaining lemon slices to the tin. Brush the melted butter all over the chicken. Pour the wine into the base of the tin and roast for 1 hour 20 minutes or until the juices run clear when the thickest part of the leg is pierced with a skewer. Lift the chicken off the veg and rest for 10 minutes before serving.
If you’re still searching for that last-minute Halloween costume, look no further. We searched through hundreds of wacky costumes to come up with our picks for the top 10.
These are some super get-ups that will be sure to shock and amaze your friends.
1. The term junk in the trunk has inspired a slew of rap songs, but this Halloween you can celebrate the slang term with a black and white zebra dress and trunk belt. (zoogstercostumes.com)
2. Who knew that you could dress up as your favorite college party game? Perfect for couples looking to be the life of the party. (rickyshalloween.com)
3. If you like to be literal, even on Halloween, go as the Killer B – literally. (rickyshalloween.com)
4. For a stylish entrance, make sure to expose your best self in a Bruno clear vinyl suit. (www.Halloween31.com)
5. You can get the Situation’s abs and tan with this Halloween costume. Make sure to walk around with your shirt up and introduce people to the situation that is your new-found muscles. (www.Halloween31.com )
6. Devise a Gru plot of your own to steal the moon in this adult Minion Dave costume. (www.Halloween31.com)
7. This Halloween you can dress as your favorite political cause. Not only can you vote to legalize marijuana, you can become the cause. (rickyshalloween.com )
8. The BP oil spill would definitely be appropriate to label as bad planning. Dress up as the bad planning that caused the spill in the first place and turn a sticky situation into a laugh for Halloween. (rickyshalloween.com )
9. Everyone has one or knows one in their neighborhood. This Halloween, you can be your favorite neighborhood nuisance and really look the part in this crazy cat-lady costume with a bathrobe and headpiece. (zoogstercostumes.com )
10. Thanksgiving may be encroaching on Halloween’s territory but either way this turkey costume is hilarious. After the big day make sure to keep it around to wear to your family’s Thanksgiving gathering next month. (zoogstercostumes.com )
Honey Boo Boo and her family are about to change their lifestyle as with fame comes money, travel and fancy meals in posh restaurants.
It all started for Honey Boo Boo, real name Alana Thompson, on Tuesday at Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Lisa Vanderpump’s Beverly Hills restaurant, Villa Blanc.
Honey Boo Boo and her mother, June Shannon, were treated to the restaurant’s spaghetti and tomato sauce dish to see how it measured up with their favorite concoction.
Judging by the way Honey Boo Boo was dangling strand after strand into her mouth with gay abandon we can assume that the answer is, very well.
Honey Boo Boo on Tuesday at Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Lisa Vanderpump’s restaurant, Villa Blanc
Before long, Honey Boo Boo will be demanding chai lattes instead of Mountain Dew and having burrata flown in from Italy to scatter on her pasta.
Then there’ll be the celebrity diet, and she’ll inevitably launch a singing career.
The joy of little Alana Thompson and her family is that they’ve not yet been affected by the fame, or Hollywood.
Germany has called on countries using the euro to take decisive steps to bring about closer fiscal integration.
Berlin wants the EU’s 27 countries to consider pooling more economic sovereignty at a summit in Brussels which begins on Thursday.
French President Francois Hollande says an end to the eurozone crisis is “very close” and wants a deal agreed on the first stage of a banking union.
But Germany argues that the proposed deadline is unrealistic.
The proposal for a single banking regulator was agreed at the EU’s June summit.
But Berlin says there will be no final decision in Brussels because of concerns about plans for the regulator to supervise an estimated 6,000 banks across the eurozone.
Germany wants to continue regulating its financial institutions and is unhappy with a plan eventually to hand the European Central Bank full supervisory control.
Instead, German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble has proposed a more powerful role for the EU Economic and Monetary Commissioner in regulating national budgets. Chancellor Angela Merkel is understood to back his idea.
The commissioner should have the ability to veto a budget if it breaks deficit rules, the finance minister argues.
In setting out plans for full fiscal union, Wolfgang Schaeuble has set out a fairly ambitious negotiating position.
The finance minister’s plan would require a convention to be set up next year in order to change EU treaties, but many eurozone countries believe other priorities should be addressed first, our correspondent says.
“We are all taking part in this solidarity, not only the Germans,” Francois Hollande said in a newspaper interview.
European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso warned on Wednesday that a lack of convergence towards a closer union was “nourishing populist debates ultimately to put an end to this project”.
“It is clear that the euro area needs to evolve to a fiscal union… and ultimately a political union,” Jose Manuel Barroso told the centre-right European People’s Party congress in Bucharest.
The Brussels summit will take place against a backdrop of calmer European stock markets than in previous meetings and less concern over the debt crises in Spain and Greece.
Although Greeks are set to hold a general strike on Thursday, the Athens government and its international creditors are said to have reached a deal on the austerity measures needed before the next bailout installment is handed over.
“I am confident we are doing everything we have to do in order to get it soon so that we can move towards recovery,” Greek PM Antonis Samaras said.
Although there is growing speculation that Spain will soon ask for eurozone help in tackling its debt crisis, Madrid has seen its borrowing costs fall and may not ask for any aid at all.
The sound of a crying baby is almost impossible to ignore, no matter how hard you try.
Now scientists may have worked out why.
They’ve shown that an infant’s wails rapidly pull at the heart-strings, in a way that other cries don’t.
In fact, within just a blink of an eye, brain regions involved in processing emotions are hard at work.
It had been thought that the brain was incapable of processing such complex facets of sound in such a short time.
With other types of cry, including calls of animals in distress failing to elicit the same response, the finding suggests that the brain is programmed to see something special in a baby’s cry.
The idea comes from Oxford University scientists who scanned the brains of 28 men and women as they listened to a variety of calls and cries.
After 100 milliseconds, roughly the time taken to blink, two regions of the brain that respond to emotion lit up.
Their response to the baby’s cry was particularly strong, the Society for Neuroscience’s annual conference in New Orleans heard.
What is more, the response was seen in both men and women – and in people who had no children of their own.
Researcher Dr. Christine Parsons said: “You might read that men should barely notice a baby and step over it and not see any of them but it’s not true.
“There is a specialized processing in men and women which makes sense from an evolutionary perspective that both genders would be responding to these cues.
“The study was in people who were not parents, have no particular experience of looking after babies and yet they are all responding at 100 ms to these particular sound, so this might be a fundamental response present in all of us regardless of parental status.”
Colleague Katie Young added that it likely takes a bit longer for someone to recognize their own baby’s call.
“When it comes to differentiating your own baby’s sound, it might be that this happens much later in time because you will be doing much more fine-grained analysis.”
Previous work from the Oxford team showed that our reactions are also speeded up by the sound of a crying baby.
Adults did better on an arcade game that requires speed, accuracy and dexterity, when they heard the sound, than they did after being recordings of adults crying or high-pitched bird song.
Morten Kringelbach, who co-led that research and supervised the latest project, said then: “Few sounds provoke a visceral reaction quite like the cry of a baby.
“For example, it is almost impossible to ignore crying babies on planes and the discomfort it arouses, despite all the other noises and distractions around.”
The findings are not just of general interest, they also have a practical purpose.
Understanding out how the healthy brain responds to babies’ cries could shed light on post-natal depression, in which mothers struggle to bond with their newborn, and lead to new treatments.
Speculation is growing that Ri Sol-ju, wife of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, is either pregnant or has angered Communist leaders as the number of days she has spent out of the public eye rises to 40.
Ri Sol-ju was announced as Kim Jong-un’s wife in July but recent newspaper reports in South Korea are rife with rumors about the reasons why the new first lady has not been spotted for nearly six weeks.
Some reports have suggested she may be pregnant, an idea fuelled by appearances on Chosun Central TV and of her visiting Changieon Street homes in early September with Kim Jong-un to deliver birthday food and gifts.
Other reports have highlighted the fact Ri Sol-ju failed to join her husband on a roller coaster ride at the opening of the Reungra People’s Resort, while her aging aunt Kim Kyung-hee took the plunge as evidence that she was pregnant.
A more bizarre theory that is also receiving publicity is that Ri Sol-ju may have received a ban from appearing in public after she failed to wear a lapel pin declaring her loyalty to the Communist regime.
China.org reported a North Korean rebel source revealing that a strict rule says the country’s adults must adorn badges featuring leaders on formal occasions
Ri Sol-ju’s modern appearance marked a major change from the traditional images of North Korean women, who are expected to dress conservatively, wearing skirts or Mao-style work clothes in shades of grey or brown.
Ri Sol-ju was announced as Kim Jong-un’s wife in July
Some commentators have suggested that Kim Jong-un may have gone too far by replacing the Kim lapel badge with more feminine flowered brooches.
She was not present at a recent high-profile event for the 67th founding anniversary of the Workers’ Party of Korea on October 10 where Kim Jong-un and top officials were all in attendance the JoongAng Ilbo Daily reported.
The following day, the South Korean media cited a source who said Ri Sol-ju’s failure to wear any badges of Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il had sparked criticism in the party’s upper ranks and as well as the army who deemed her behavior to bet “completely unacceptable, with repercussions to ensue”.
On her last public appearance former pop star Ri Sol-ju, wife of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, wore a stylish black trouser suit during a visit to the Taedonggang tile factory in Pyongyang.
Most residents of the city, the country’s capital, only ever wear drab colored Mao-style suits and North Korean women generally dress only in conservative skirts.
Ri Sol-ju’s appearance in the unconventional outfit comes just weeks after she was pictured at an event with what looked like a luxurious Dior evening pouch.
The appearance of Ri Sol-ju, who is thought to be in her 20s, was enough of a fashion statement to incite comment over the border in South Korea, the Daily Telegraph reported.
A pair of Marie Antoinette’s slippers has been auctioned for 50,000 euros ($65,600) on the anniversary of the French queen’s execution.
The auction house Paris Druout had expected the green-and-pink silk shoes to sell for up to 10,000 euros.
Auctioneers said they had been flooded with bids from around the world.
Other artefacts on sale belonging to the 18th Century monarch included portraits and a dinner set once owned by her husband, King Louis XVI.
“Obviously, it’s rather rare to find objects that belonged to the queen, particularly dresses or more intimate things,” said art expert Cyrille Boulay.
“I have been doing the job of historical artefacts expert for 20 years now, and it’s just the second time that I have a pair of shoes on sale.
“So it’s rather exceptional and therefore of course, it has sparked an international interest.”
A pair of Marie Antoinette’s slippers has been auctioned for 50,000 euros
The successful bid was placed by telephone but the buyer’s identity has not yet been disclosed.
Louis XVI married Marie Antoinette, daughter of the emperor and empress of Austria, in 1770 and the couple amassed an opulent collection of artwork and furniture.
The queen’s extravagant spending habits caused her to be nicknamed “Madame Deficit”.
Following the French Revolution, she was convicted of treason and guillotined in the French capital on 16 October 1793.
A fragment of a patterned silk dress she owned before her arrest was also included in the 80 lots auctioned on Wednesday, a day after the anniversary of her death.
“We are humbled to have the opportunity to call ourselves the parents of this beautiful soul and I am forever grateful to God for allowing me to know this kind of boundless, immaculate love.
“Thanks to those of you who wish to send your positive energy and well wishes. May God bless you and your families abundantly.”
Megan Fox confirmed she was pregnant in June when she debuted her growing stomach while on holiday in Hawaii with her husband – following weeks of speculation.
The actress then told Cosmopolitan she’s “always been maternal” and was looking forward to growing her family with Brian Austin Green.
Fox told the women’s magazine she wants “at least two, probably three kids”.
The baby comes over two years after Megan Fox and Brian Austin Green wed in June 2010.
The actor also has a ten-year-old son, Kassius, from a previous relationship with Vanessa Marcil.
Megan Fox spoke about the joys of being a stepmother.
“A lot of things make me happy. But I feel unbelievably happy when my stepson tells me I’m beautiful,” she said.
“When I started living with Brian, his son was only two and I was 18.
“I’ve been looking after Kassius since he was three – it’s part of my world that very few people really ever understood about me,” she explained.
She added: “I love being a stepmom and the experience grounds me when nothing makes sense in my life.”
Alfonso Ribeiro and Angela Unkrich were married Saturday at the Lakeside Golf Club in Burbank, California.
And now Alfonso Ribeiro, 41, and AngelaUnkrich, 31, are sharing their wedding photos exclusively in the new issue of In Touch, currently on newstands.
Alfonso Ribeiro wore a black tuxedo, white waistcoat and white tie and there was a white rose in his lapel.
Angela Unkrich was a vision of loveliness in a strapless Rivini gown, white veil and Judith Ripka Brides jewels, and as she walked down the aisle she carried a bouquet of white roses.
“I had a permanent smile on my face the whole night,” Alfonso Ribeiro told In Touch.
The morning after the big day, Alfonso Ribeiro tweeted: “Last night I got married to the most incredible woman in the world.”
Alfonso Ribeiro and Angela Unkrich were married Saturday at the Lakeside Golf Club in Burbank
Alfonso Ribeiro’s career started on TV’s Silver Spoons but he is perhaps best known for his role as Will Smith’s spoiled but lovable cousin Carlton Banks on the ’90s hit The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.
The ceremony was attended by 175 guests that included friends like singer Joey Fatone, Alfonso Ribeiro’s Silver Spoons co-star Ricky Schroder and Fresh Prince’s Tatyana Ali.
“It was just beautiful,” said Alfonso Ribeiro, who has worked as a director and now hosts the game show Catch 21.
On Twitter, Alfonso Ribeiro added: “Just want to say thank you to my wonderful wedding planner @MikieRusso for helping make our wedding day so special and beautiful…THANK U!”
This is the second marriage for Alfonso Ribeiro, who was has a 9-year-old daughter Sienna with his ex-wife Robin Stapler.
Sweden’s National Food Agency has issued a warning after as much as 20 tons of meat labeled as beef turned out to be colored pork.
An investigator at the agency, Pontus Elvingson, said tests were still being done to identify the dye.
The Swedish firm Heat AB imported the meat from a supplier in Hungary called Filetto. One of the suspect batches originated in Argentina.
Checks show that the dyed meat was first sold in Sweden a year ago.
It is not yet clear if Filetto also exported doctored pork to other countries. The Swedish agency has alerted EU authorities.
Pontus Elvingson said the fake beef had been sold to several Swedish retail outlets, including restaurants. So far about 3.5 tons has been removed from sale.
“There is no indication that Heat AB sent any of the meat abroad,” he said.
Heat AB was not registered as a food company, he added.
In Sweden, he said, “it’s difficult to tell how much [doctored meat] there is and we don’t know if it has all been sold”.
“The pigmentation of beef is different – this meat is red, but seems not so well dyed in parts, so maybe it was injected with needles,” he said.
If needles were used to inject the dye then bacteria could have been transferred from the meat’s surface to the interior, increasing the risk of food poisoning, he added.
The agency was tipped off by Swedish wholesaler Svensk Cater, following a complaint from a customer.
Heat AB’s Managing Director Ake Hultberg told Reuters news agency that the meat he had tried was good.
“When we received the product, I looked at it, I opened a box and took a sample which I myself fried and looked at it.”
“And there was no problem with it but when it later came to Svensk Cater, there were fillets that were not beef but pork,” he said, insisting that parts of the delivery were real beef.
Jakub Halik, a Czech father of one who survived for more than six months without a real heart, has died at the age of 37.
Jakub Halik had his heart replaced with two mechanical pumps in pioneering surgery last April after an aggressive cancerous tumor was found.
Doctors say his death was caused by liver failure, and not the artificial heart itself.
Jakub Halik, a former firefighter, was waiting on the transplant list for a suitable donor when he died.
Despite not having a pulse and always having to carry a battery pack to power his mechanical heart, Jakub Halik was able to walk around and even use the hospital gym.
He was not able to accept a donor heart earlier because the cancer meant he would not be able to take the drugs he would need for a successful organ transplant.
The radical surgery had only ever been tried on one other patient, a man in Texas, who survived for just a week.
Jakub Halik had his heart replaced with two mechanical pumps in pioneering surgery last April after an aggressive cancerous tumor was found
Jakub Halik’s operation was carried out by Jan Pirk, director of cardiology at the Institute of Clinical and Experimental Medicine in Prague.
His team used two plastic pumps, each designed to perform the separate tasks of the left and right sides of the heart.
Speaking at a press conference in August more than four months after the surgery, Jakub Halik said he felt “very good physically”, and said he had made the right choice to proceed with the operation.
“It was hard for me but I didn’t have any other chance at all,” he told reporters.
“It was acknowledged that with the tumor I can survive for about one year and I decided to fight and do it this way.”
He said the experience of living without a heart had not been difficult.
“I don’t even realize it, because the functions of the body are the same, only my heart is not beating and I have no pulse anymore,” Jakub Halik said.
“Otherwise I am functioning like a healthy man at present.”
Doctors said it is unclear how Jakub Halik’s liver failed. They are awaiting the outcome of a post-mortem examination.
The CDC has published a list of clinics that received shipments of Methylprednisolone Acetate, which was recalled on 26 September.
Find here the full list of healthcare facilities that received three recalled lots of Methylprednisolone Acetate (PF) from New England Compounding Center on September 26, 2012.
Investigators in the US have raided the premises of Massachusetts pharmaceutical company New England Compounding Center (NECC) linked to fungal meningitis outbreak.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) raised concerns about sterility and cleanliness at the NECC.
So far 16 people have died from a rare fungal form of meningitis, apparently after using contaminated drugs.
More than 200 people in 15 US states have been affected.
Steroids and heart drugs produced by the Boston-based NECC are under investigation and the FDA has warned doctors not to prescribe any of the company’s products.
Meningitis is an inflammation of the membranes covering the brain and spinal cord. Symptoms include severe headache, nausea and fever as well as slurred speech and difficulty walking.
Fungal meningitis is not contagious, according to US health officials.
Criminal investigators from the FDA searched the NECC premises on Tuesday as part of a broad state and federal investigation into the deadly outbreak.
Paul Cirel, a lawyer for the pharmaceutical company, told Associated Press that it was “difficult to understand the purpose” of the FDA search. He said the company has made clear it would provide, and has provided, anything requested by investigators.
They have been several calls by US congressmen for a full-scale criminal investigation into the NECC’s practices.
The outbreak has raised questions about the practice of drug compounding, where pharmacies prepare specialized doses of medication. Compounding is not regulated by the FDA, which generally oversees drug makers.
NECC has suspended operations and recalled the steroid injection initially linked with the outbreak, methylprednisolone.
The FDA says it is looking into reports of a patient with possible meningitis who received an injection of triamcinolone, a different steroid, from NECC.
Two transplant patients also developed a fungal infection after receiving an unnamed heart drug made by the firm.
The FDA has not confirmed that these three infections were caused by NECC products, and has said that it is very possible that the heart patients were infected by another source.
On Monday, the drug regulator expanded its recommendation for doctors to warn anyone who received any injection made by the company, including drugs used in eye surgery.
Last week, health officials said 12,000 of the roughly 14,000 people in 23 states who received the steroid shots had been contacted.
The CDC has published a list of clinics that received shipments of the drug, which was recalled on 26 September.
Drug compounding:
• Drug compounding is used to make unique drugs for individual patients when there are no existing licensed treatments
• It is common practice around the world to make medicines for rarer conditions and children, for example
• Individual pharmacists or specialist drug companies combine, mix, or alter ingredients to create medications to meet these specific needs
• In the US, compounded drugs are not approved by the regulator the FDA, which means their safety and efficacy are unverified
• Poor practices on the part of drug compounders can result in contamination or in products that don’t possess the strength, quality and purity required
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.
