Dolly Parton has denied the National Enquirer report that claimed she has stomach cancer.
The gossip publication published a story saying that the 69-year-old singer had been rushed to hospital.
In a statement on her website, Dolly Parton said: “There is absolutely no truth at all that I have stomach cancer.”
“It is true that I had kidney stones,” she said.
“I had them removed three weeks ago and I am doing just fine!”
Dolly Parton added that she was already back at work following the operation.
“I am back to work and last week I was at Dollywood filming parts for my new movie Coat of Many Colors,” the singer wrote.
“I love and appreciate everyone’s concern.”
Fears for Dolly Parton’s health were sparked when Don Henley said she had overcome a “medical issue” to shoot a video with him in Los Angeles.
Speaking during an interview at the Americana Music Festival in September, The Eagles star said Dolly Parton had “got out of the hospital bed” to join him in the video for When I Stop Dreaming.
Germany’s automotive watchdog, the KBA, has ordered VW to recall 2.4 million vehicles in the country as a result of the diesel emissions scandal.
According to local media reports, the KBA earlier rejected VW’s proposals that car owners could voluntarily bring their cars in for repair.
Meanwhile, Italian police have raided VW offices in Verona and Lamborghini offices in Bologna.
Reports suggest Italian prosecutors are investigating alleged commercial fraud.
Separately, the man tipped to become VW’s North America boss has resigned.
Volkswagen said Winfried Vahland was leaving because of “differing views on the organization of the new group region”.
Last month, authorities in the US discovered some VW diesel cars had been fitted with a device to cheat emissions tests. The automaker subsequently admitted that up to 11 million cars worldwide could have the device fitted.
VW has launched a thorough investigation into the scandal, but new chairman Hans Dieter Poetsch has warned that answers would take “some time”.
The company has set aside €6.5 billion ($7.4 billion) to cover the costs of the scandal, but some experts believe the final bill could be much higher.
VW shares recovered slightly last week but are still down almost 20% since the scandal broke in mid-September.
Myanmar’s government has signed on October 15 what it says is a nationwide ceasefire deal with eight armed ethnic groups.
The signing ceremony in Myanmar’s capital, Nay Pyi Taw, was the culmination of two years of peace talks.
However, the most active rebel groups – seven of the 15 groups involved in negotiations – stayed out of the deal.
Myanmar, also known as Burma, has been engaged in armed conflict with various groups seeking greater autonomy since independence from the British in 1948.
The government hopes today’s deal will be the first step on a path to a lasting political settlement.
Among the groups which have not signed are the largest armed group, the United Wa State Army (UWSA), and the Kachin Independence Organisation (KIO), whose Kachin Independence Army (KIA) controls large areas of north-eastern Kachin state and regularly clashes with the Burmese army.
Political discussions are now due to begin within months on the structure of a new, and likely more federal, system of government.
However, there are still concerns that peace with the groups signing the agreement could be short lived, if the Burmese army ignores the ceasefire, as it has with others.
Earlier this week, all of the groups signing were removed from the government’s list of “unlawful associations”, a step towards bringing them into mainstream politics.
The Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) Peace Council, the Arakan Liberation Party (ALP), the Chin National Front (CNF), the Pa-O National Liberation Organization (PNLO), and the Democratic Karen Benevolent Army (DKBA) were removed from the list on October 13.
They joined three other armed groups removed on October 12: the All Burma Students’ Democratic Front (ABSDF), the Restoration Council of Shan State (RCSS), and the Karen National Union (KNU) – Myanmar’s oldest armed group, which has been fighting for nearly seven decades.
The seven groups which have not signed are not far behind, and have agreed a draft deal, negotiators said.
Many of Myanmar’s ethnic minority groups have long demanded greater autonomy, or outright independence, from central government, which is dominated by the Burmese majority.
Opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who has previously urged rebel groups to focus more on a lasting deal than a quick one, was not at the signing ceremony.
State media had reported that representatives from the European Union, India, China, Japan, and the United Nations would be at the signing.
Meryl Streep will chair the 66th Berlin Film Festival jury in 2016.
It will be the first time Meryl Streep has served on a festival jury, and the Oscar-winning star said she was looking forward to it “with great relish and anticipation”.
Meryl Streep, 66, shared the Berlinale’s Silver Bear award with Julianne Moore and Nicole Kidman for their performances in The Hours in 2003.
She was also awarded the festival’s lifetime achievement award in 2012.
“The responsibility is somewhat daunting, as I have never been president of anything before,” Meryl Streep said.
“I hope I can come up to the precedent set by the distinguished juries of preceding years. [I am] grateful for the honor.”
Photo Getty Images
The festival’s director Dieter Kosslick described Meryl Streep as “one of the most creative and multifaceted film artists”.
He added: “I am very happy that she is returning to Berlin and with her artistic experience will take on the chairmanship of the international jury.”
The jury chooses the winners of the awards at the festival, which will run from February 11 to February 21, 2016.
Meryl Streep has amassed 19 Oscar nominations over more than 35 years.
She has won the best actress Academy Award twice – for The Iron Lady (2012) and Sophie’s Choice (1982), as well as best supporting actress for Kramer vs. Kramer in 1980.
Meryl Streep is currently appearing on the big screen in Suffragette and will next star in Stephen Frears’ Florence Foster Jenkins – the true story of a New York heiress who dreamed of being an opera singer, despite having a terrible singing voice.
Jerusalem attacks have continued only hours after Israeli forces launched a major security operation in Arab areas of the city.
On October 14, Israeli police blocked entrances to Jabal Mukaber, a district that was home to three men accused of killing three Israelis on October 13.
Later, police said they shot dead a Palestinian who had stabbed an Israeli woman at Jerusalem’s main bus station.
Another Palestinian tried to stab a police officer near the walled Old City.
The Palestinian, too, was shot dead by police, they added.
Since the beginning of October, seven Israelis have been killed and dozens wounded in shooting and stabbing attacks, the Israeli authorities say.
At least 30 Palestinians have also been killed, including assailants, and hundreds have been injured, according to the Palestinian health ministry.
Speaking for the first time since the upsurge in violence began, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said Israeli actions were “threatening to spark a religious conflict that would burn everything”.
Mahmoud Abbas also accused Israel of carrying out “executions of our children in cold blood”, highlighting the case of a 13-year-old Palestinian boy who was shot by Israeli police after he and a 15-year-old stabbed two Israelis on October 12.
Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said the boy was alive in hospital, and described the Palestinian leader’s comments as “lies and incitement”.
Benjamin Netanyahu said on October 13 the new security measures were aimed at “those who try murder and with all those who assist them”.
On the same day Israel’s security cabinet authorized police to close or surround “centers of friction and incitement” in Jerusalem.
It also announced that the homes of Palestinians who attacked Israelis would be demolished within days and that their families’ right to live in Jerusalem would be taken away.
On October 14, Israeli police said checkpoints were set up at “the exits of Palestinian villages and neighborhoods in East Jerusalem”.
Hundreds of soldiers were also deployed.
Human Rights Watch warned that locking down parts of East Jerusalem would “infringe upon the freedom of movement of all Palestinian residents rather than being a narrowly tailored response to a specific concern”.
On October 14, Israeli police and Palestinians clashed in the West Bank city of Bethlehem after the funeral of a Palestinian man killed in violence the previous day.
Clashes were also reported along the Israeli border with Gaza.
After weeks of speculations, Tesla has unveiled Autopilot system.
While not fully self-driving, the software means the Model S and new Model X can “automatically steer down the highway, change lanes, and adjust speed in response to traffic”.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk said the Autopilot mode was designed to increase driver confidence on the road.
However, Elon Musk said users adopting the software – available in North America from October 15 – should exercise caution while using it.
“It should not hit pedestrians, hopefully,” he told the media.
“It should handle them well.”
He added that if the car is involved in a collision, the driver is still liable.
“The driver cannot abdicate responsibility. That will come at some point in the future.”
Other regions of the world would be updated in the next couple of weeks pending regulatory approval.
The software uses a combination of cameras, radar, ultrasonic sensors and mapping data to determine its position and navigate.
When the car has arrived at its destination, it is able to scan for an available space and park itself.
Unlike Google, which is aiming for a fully-autonomous vehicle, Tesla’s approach is to gradually introduce features which take away the need for drivers to carry out certain functions.
Elon Musk said: “Currently there are limitations to the software which would improve over time.
“If there’s heavy snow it’s going to be harder for the system to work, so we’d advise caution.
“Essentially it’s like a person – how well can a person figure out what route they should take. Over time it will be better than a person.
“Long term it will be way better than a person. It never gets tired, it’s never had anything to drink, it’s never arguing with someone in the car. It’s not distracted.”
Other carmakers such as BMW and Volvo are also developing, and implementing, autonomous features to their cars.
Google’s entirely self-driving car has clocked up well over one million miles on public roads, mostly in California.
Yunus Emre Alagoz and Omer Deniz Dundar, the two suicide bombers who carried out last week’s attacks in Ankara, are thought to have links to Islamic State (ISIS), Turkish officials have said.
Ankara attacks, the worst in Turkey’s modern history that left 97 people dead, triggered widespread anger against the government.
Police, intelligence and security chiefs in Ankara have been suspended.
The bombers struck as crowds were gathering for a rally against violence between Turkish government forces and the outlawed PKK (Kurdistan Workers Party).
According to Turkish officials, Yunus Emre Alagoz was the brother of the man who carried out the bombing in the southern Turkish town of Suruc in July, killing more than 30 people.
Omer Deniz Dundar is said to have been in Syria on two occasions.
However, PM Ahmet Davutoglu has said ISIS militants may have collaborated with their PKK counterparts.
The interior ministry meanwhile has said the move to suspend the police, intelligence and security chiefs would enable a “robust” investigation to go ahead.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan visited the site of the bombing on October 14. He has been criticized for not yet addressing the nation four days on from Turkey’s worst ever attack and a time of national tragedy.
Separately, two people have been arrested with alleged links to the PKK for apparently tweeting before the attack that a bombing in Ankara was imminent.
Bank of America has reported a net profit of $4.07 billion for Q3 of 2015 against a loss of $470 million a year earlier.
The report comes a year after Bank of America reached a $5.6 billion settlement with the US government over mortgage loans extended to homebuyers before 2008.
Profits at its consumer banking division, the bank’s largest unit, rose 5% from a year ago to $1.8 billion.
Residential mortgage lending rose by 13% to $17 billion.
“The key drivers of our business – deposit taking and lending to both our consumer and corporate clients – moved in the right direction… and our trading results on behalf of clients remained fairly stable in challenging capital markets conditions,” said Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan.
Bank of America, which has paid more than $70 billion in legal expenses since 2008, said its legal costs fell for the third quarter in a row, dropping to $231 million from $6 billion a year earlier.
Separately, Wells Fargo reported its first profits rise for three quarters, with the results helped by its acquisition of commercial loans from General Electric earlier this year.
Net income edged up 0.65% from a year ago to $5.44 billion in Q3 of 2015 with revenues up 3% to $21.9 billion.
However, its mortgage banking revenue fell 2.7% to $1.59 billion.
Earlier this year, the bank bought a portion of GE’s commercial real estate loans worth $9 billion, which helped to boost profits in the latest quarter.
On October 13, Wells Fargo said it would buy a $30 billion portfolio of commercial loans and leases from GE.
Former senior Google executive Omid Kordestani has been appointed as the new executive chairman of Twitter.
Omid Kordestani, 53, joined Google in 1999 and held various senior roles before leaving a decade later.
He returned last year as Chief Business Officer to advise on Google’s rebranding to Alphabet.
“It’s rare you get to be at a company with an amazing business that’s also transforming the world,” he tweeted. “I’ve had good fortune to be at three: Netscape, @google, and now @twitter.”
Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey said Omid Kordestani was a “proven and experienced leader” who would coach him and other senior executives as well as help attract top talent to the company.
“A great chairperson is the first step towards continuing to make our board one of the best in the world, and purpose-built to serve Twitter,” he tweeted.
Twitter had said it would seek an external appointment as chairman in a bid to allay concerns about Jack Dorsey’s dual role as Twitter boss and chief executive of Square, the mobile payments company he founded.
Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey replaced Dick Costolo, who stepped down in July after five years in the role amid pressure to increase growth.
It is his second stint as Twitter boss, having held the position between May 2007 and October 2008.
Twitter shares rose 0.7% to $29.26 following the announcement.
However, the shares are still down almost 30% from the level at which it floated in late 2013.
Tehran-born Omid Kordestani’s appointment comes a day after Twitter said it was cutting 336 jobs, or about 8% of its global workforce, as part of a restructuring to cut costs.
Pope Francis has apologized for recent scandals “either in Rome or in the Vatican”.
The pontiff made the surprising apology at his weekly general audience in St Peter’s Square, but did not specify which scandals.
Pope Francis is thought to be referring to a senior Polish priest who was dismissed from his Vatican post after announcing he was in a gay relationship.
The Pope’s spokesman said the pontiff had not been referring to the recent resignation of Rome’s mayor.
Father Federico Lombardi admitted to reporters that Pope Francis’ apology had been “broad and generic” but said it did not refer to “political” situations involving Mayor Ignazio Marino, who resigned earlier this week over an expenses scandal.
Photo AFP
The Vatican spokesman said Pope Francis was referring to scandals in which there is a “responsibility of men of the Church”.
To thousands of people who had gathered for his weekly address, Pope Francis said: “Before I begin the Catechism, in the name of the Church, I want to ask you for forgiveness for the scandals that have occurred recently either in Rome or in the Vatican. I ask you for forgiveness.”
The pontiff also said: “The word of Jesus is strong today, woe to the world because of scandals. Jesus is a realist. He says it is inevitable that there will be scandals. But woe to the man who causes scandals.”
Rome Mayor Ignazio Marino has come under criticism recently for the slow start in the city’s preparations for the holy year due to begin in the second week of December.
Millions of pilgrims are expected to travel to Rome for a series of Church events, and this will require extra policing and provision of accommodation and food and water.
Israeli authorities have begun a major security operation in Arab areas of occupied East Jerusalem, after a surge in attacks by Palestinians.
Entrances to Jabal Mukaber, a district where three men accused of killing three Israelis on October 13 came from, have been blocked by police on October 14.
The Israeli military also deployed hundreds of soldiers to assist.
Later, police said they had shot dead a man who attempted to stab a guard on the edge of Jerusalem’s Old City.
Since the beginning of October, seven Israelis have been killed and dozens wounded in shooting and stabbing attacks, the Israeli authorities say.
At least 30 Palestinians have also been killed, including assailants, and hundreds have been injured, according to the Palestinian health ministry.
On October 13, Israel’s security cabinet authorized police to close or surround “centers of friction and incitement” in Jerusalem.
It also announced that the homes of Palestinians who attacked Israelis would be demolished within days and never rebuilt, and that their families’ right to live in Jerusalem would be taken away.
On October 14, a police spokeswoman told the AFP news agency that checkpoints were being set up at “the exits of Palestinian villages and neighborhoods in East Jerusalem”.
Israeli newspapers later reported that several entrances to Jabal Mukaber had been blocked by police, with neither people nor vehicles allowed in or out. Several more areas were expected to be closed off by the end of the day.
Human Rights Watch warned that locking down parts of East Jerusalem would “infringe upon the freedom of movement of all Palestinian residents rather than being a narrowly tailored response to a specific concern”.
“The checkpoints are a recipe for harassment and abuse,” said Sari Bashi, the group’s Israel/Palestine country director, in a statement.
Meanwhile, the Israeli military said it was preparing to deploy six companies to assist police. Three hundred soldiers are already providing additional security under police command.
The security cabinet’s decisions were made after the bloodiest day in Jerusalem since the latest wave of unrest began in early October.
China’s consumer price index (CPI) rose 1.6% in September 2015 compared with a year earlier, the country’s National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said.
That was lower than analysts’ forecasts of 1.8%, and down from the rate of 2% recorded in August 2015.
Producer prices fell for a 43rd straight month as manufacturers cut prices to win business.
The latest inflation figures added to fears of a rapid slowdown in China, the world’s second largest economy.
Photo Reuters
Asian markets were all lower in response to the inflation figures, which came a day after data that showed imports fell for an 11th straight month in September.
China’s producer price index (PPI) fell 5.9% in September 2015 from a year earlier, matching the rate of decline in August, which marked the biggest fall since the financial crisis.
Non-food consumer inflation was even lower with an annual growth rate of just 1% in September, the NBS data showed.
The easing CPI was mainly due to a high comparison base last year, Yu Qiumei, a senior NBS statistician, said.
CPI rose 0.5% month-on-month in September 2014, compared to a 0.1% growth last month.
Reflecting growing strains on Chinese companies from persistently weak demand and overcapacity, manufacturers continued to cut selling prices to win business.
China has already launched a wave of economic stimulus measures since late 2014, including cutting benchmark interest rates five times since November, but some analysts believe the moves have been less effective than when the economy was more tightly controlled, exports were strong and debt levels were much lower.
Weak producer prices are also threatening to erode the profits of Chinese companies and add to their debts, something analysts expect to continue for the remainder of the year.
The inflation figures come as trade data on October 13 showed imports tumbled for the 11th month in a row in September, as result of weaker global commodity prices and lower demand. Exports also fell for a third month, although by less than expected.
Other surveys showed activity in China’s factory sector shrank in September on fewer new orders, sparking fears the Chinese economy may be slowing down more rapidly than expected.
China will release gross domestic product (GDP) data for Q3 of 2015 on October 19. Many economists expect the three months to September to show economic growth fell below the government’s target of 7% for the first time since the financial crisis.
Apple could be facing up to $862 million in damages after losing a patent case to University of Wisconsin.
The tech giant used microchip technology owned by the University of Wisconsin without permission in some iPhones and iPads, a jury in Madison found on October 13.
The patent, filed in 1998, is said to improve the power efficiency of microchips.
Photo Reuters
The case relates to use of the technology in the iPhone 5s, 6 and 6 Plus – but an additional lawsuit making the same claim against Apple’s newest models, the 6S and 6S Plus, has also been filed.
The University of Wisconsin sued Intel over the same patent in 2008. The case was settled out of court for an undisclosed sum.
In court papers, the University of Wisconsin claimed Apple ignored its offers to license the patent, which would mean paying a fee for its continued use.
Therefore the university said Apple was willfully infringing the patent, something which, if the court agrees, could carry a heavier fine.
The precise amount Apple may have to pay will be decided at a later stage in the court proceedings.
Despite recent well-publicized truces between some big tech firms, fierce patent battles are still being fought in courts globally.
Last week, a judge threw out claims by graphic card specialist Nvidia that Samsung and others had infringed three of its patents.
Toyota has announced it is planning to all but eliminate carbon emissions from its production processes by 2050.
The target is one of several set by Japanese automaker, which also pledged to sell 1.5 million hybrid cars a year by 2020.
Toyota said it will increase the use of renewable energy and hydrogen-based production methods at its factories.
Separately it said it plans to sell more than 30,000 hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles around or shortly after 2020.
Unveiling new environmental targets Toyota confirmed that its new Prius hybrid would be a fifth more fuel-efficient than its predecessor as the car manufacturer hopes to boost flagging sales of the environmentally friendly model amid a slump in global oil prices.
Toyota said it planned to reduce average emissions from its cars by 90% by 2050 compared with 2010 levels.
However, Toyota’s plans did not include any commitment to manufacturing electric cars.
The strategy outlined on October 14 came as Volkswagen said it would cut investment at its biggest division by €1 billion a year from 2019 and increase development of electric vehicles.
VW said on October 13 it would speed up cost cutting at its VW division and put only the latest and “best environmental technology” in diesel vehicles.
VW is facing the biggest crisis in its 78-year history after admitting last month it installed software in diesel vehicles that could deceive US environmental regulators about the true level of their toxic emissions.
Jamaican novelist Marlon James has won this year’s Man Booker Prize for A Brief History of Seven Killings, a novel inspired by the attempted assassination of Bob Marley in the 1970s.
Michael Wood, chair of the judges, described the 680-page epic was “full of surprises” as well as being “very violent” and “full of swearing”.
Marlon James, 44, was announced as the winner of the £50,000 ($80,000) prize in London on Tuesday, October 13.
He is the first Jamaican author to win the Man Booker Prize.
Receiving the award, Marlon James said a huge part of the novel had been inspired by reggae music: “The reggae singers Bob Marley and Peter Tosh were the first to recognize that the voice coming out our mouths was a legitimate voice for fiction and poetry.”
Marlon James was presented with his prize by Camilla Bowles.
Photo Getty Images
The author admitted it was “so surreal” to win and dedicated the award to his late father who had shaped his “literary sensibilities”.
Set across three decades, the novel uses the true story of the attempt on the life of Bob Marley to explore the turbulent world of Jamaican gangs and politics.
In his novel’s acknowledgements, Marlon James himself thanks his family but adds: “This time around maybe my mother should stay away from part four of the book.”
This is the second year the Man Booker prize has been open to all authors writing in English, regardless of nationality.
Marlon James, who currently lives in Minneapolis, can expect a dramatic boost in sales following his win. After A Brief History of Seven Killings was named on the Booker shortlist last month sales tripled to more than 1,000 copies a week, according to Nielsen Book Research.
2015 Man Booker Prize shortlist:
Marlon James (Jamaica), A Brief History of Seven Killings
Asian markets traded lower on Wednesday, October 14, as investors digested disappointing economic data from China.
Chinese inflation figures came in weaker than expected, and came a day after trade figures showed a steep fall in imports.
Japan’s benchmark Nikkei index closed down 1.8% at 17,907.39.
China’s main index Shanghai Composite edged up 0.2% to 3,299.51, while in Hong Kong the Hang Seng index was down 0.61% at 22,460.16.
In Australia, the S&P/ASX 200 fell 0.56% to 5,173.80, while South Korea’s benchmark Kospi index dropped 0.55% to 2,007.72.
The latest official data from China – the world’s second largest economy – showed consumer inflation slowed to 1.6% in September from 2% in August. Wholesale inflation was 5.9%, unchanged from the month before.
The wholesale numbers were in line with expectations, but consumer inflation was expected to rise 1.8%. China’s target for consumer inflation is about 3%.
Economic data released on October 13 showed that imports in September fell by a more-than-expected 17.7% in yuan-denominated terms, while exports fell 1.1% from a year earlier.
As it continues to face a slowdown in economic growth, China is trying to move away from an export-led economy towards one led by consumer demand.
The sharp fall in imports posted on October 13 raised concerns around the world that domestic demand in China is weakening.
Over the years, Rolex, Patek Philippe, and Omega have grown to become synonymous with luxury. The three watch brands have developed over time from small businesses to large, multinational brands with worldwide recognition. Today, they continue to produce watches that combine the latest cutting-edge technology with a careful attention to craftsmanship and from the finest materials.
Check out the infographic below to learn more about the development of Rolex, Patek Philippe, and Omega below, from TrueFacet!
Brazil’s President Dilma Rousseff has accused her political opponents of seeking to oust her government by “coup-mongering”.
Speaking at a meeting of union leaders in Sao Paulo on October 13, Dilma Rousseff also said the opposition was spreading hatred and intolerance across Brazil.
Dilma Rousseff’s comments come after an audit court last week ruled that she broke the law in managing last year’s budget.
The opposition says this could pave the way for impeachment proceedings.
President Dilma Rousseff was re-elected less than a year ago but currently has record low popularity ratings.
Addressing the gathering, Dilma Rousseff accused the opposition of practicing “deliberate coup-mongering” against a “project that has successfully lifted millions of Brazilians out of poverty”.
“The artificiality of their arguments is absolute, their poisoning of people in social networks, their relentless game of <<the worse she does, the better for us>>,” she was quoted as saying by Reuters.
Dilma Rousseff’s remarks follow the ruling of the Federal Accounts Court on accusations that the government borrowed money illegally from state banks to make up for budget shortfalls.
The minister who handled the case in the court, Augusto Nardes, said the government disregarded fiscal and constitutional principles in the handling of the 2014 accounts.
The irregularities amount to more than 100 billion reais ($26 billion), according to the court.
The opposition said after the ruling it would seek impeachment proceedings in the Congress.
Also last week, Brazil’s top electoral authority said it would re-open an investigation into alleged misuse of funds during Dilma Rousseff’s re-election campaign.
The Brazilian economy has gone into recession and is expected to shrink by 3% in 2015.
The government’s popularity has fallen amid corruption scandals involving senior politicians from Dilma Rousseff’s Workers’ Party and other coalition members.
Hillary Clinton has clashed with her main rival Bernie Sanders over gun control at the first Democratic presidential debate in Las Vegas.
When asked if the Vermont senator was strong on gun control, Hillary Clinton said “no, not at all” before vowing to go after the makers of guns used in shootings.
Bernie Sanders also attacked Hillary Clinton, saying her support for a no-fly zone in Syria would create “serious problems”.
His rallies have drawn big crowds and he has challenged Hillary Clinton’s frontrunner status in some key states.
A lot of the key exchanges came between Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton, and the three other candidates on stage in Las Vegas – former Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley, former Virginia Senator Jim Webb and former Rhode Island Senator Lincoln Chafee – struggled to make headway.
One of the sharpest points of difference between the two main candidates came over gun control.
Photo EPA
The hugely divisive issue came back on the agenda after a mass shooting at a college campus in Oregon.
When Hillary Clinton said Bernie Sanders was not tough enough, she was referring to him voting in 2005 for a measure to give gun manufacturers immunity from lawsuits.
The two also argued over the merits of capitalism, with the former first lady saying it would be a “grave mistake” for the nation to reject it.
Vice-President Joe Biden is still considering a run for the White House and did not make a last-minute entry on to the stage, as his supporters hoped.
Hillary Clinton has seen her support wane amid questions about her use of a private email account when she served as secretary of state, a move she now calls a mistake.
However, she was unfazed during the debate when Lincoln Chafee questioned her credibility over it, refusing to respond when invited.
The candidates tried to draw a distinction with the two Republican debates, where candidates took a tougher stance on immigration and spent more time discussing social issues like abortion and gay marriage.
Martin O’Malley used his 90-second closing speech to say the Republican debates were lessons in intolerance.
Republican candidate Jeb Bush said he saw nothing on the Las Vegas stage to impress him.
“If you think this country is on the wrong track, Hillary Clinton just told you she has no interest in changing direction. I sure will.”
Fifteen Republicans are vying to be the party’s White House nominee in 2016.
Iowa will be the first state to choose its candidate from each party in February, then other states hold primaries in the following weeks and months.
By next summer, each party will have a presidential nominee who will do battle in the race for the White House.
Presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton is preparing for the first Democratic presidential debate, seeking to mix her mastery of policy with a more personal touch.
Meanwhile, for chief rival Bernie Sanders, the debate is a chance to reach a broader audience after months of appealing to the party’s most liberal voters.
However, unlike recent Republican debates, today’s Democratic outing is expected to be more substance than slugfest.
Analysts expect a heavy focus on economic issues like income inequality.
The three other, mostly unknown, candidates – former Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley, former Virginia Senator Jim Webb and former Rhode Island Senator Lincoln Chafee – will be seeking a standout moment after months of languishing in the polls.
Vice-President Joe Biden, who is still considering a run for the White House, will loom large despite not actually being on stage.
The debate organizers at CNN have set aside a lectern just on the off-chance Joe Biden decides to enter the fray at the last minute. The debate is set to start at 17:30 local time.
Photo USA Today
Hillary Clinton – long seen as the presumptive front-runner – has seen her support wane amid questions about her trustworthiness.
She has been criticized for using a private email account when she served as secretary of state, a move she now calls a mistake.
Some Republicans say Hillary Clinton put classified information at risk by using the private account – a charge she denies.
On October 22, Hillary Clinton will go before a Congressional panel investigating a 2012 attack on the US consulate in Benghazi, Libya. Four Americans – including the US ambassador to Libya, Chris Stevens, died in the attack.
Critics say Hillary Clinton could have done more as secretary of state to ensure their security.
Her performance in both Tuesday’s debate and the coming hearing are being closely watched as her campaign enters a key phase.
Analysts say Hillary Clinotn needs to shake off perceptions that she is too stiff and overly political by delivering spontaneity and more personal warmth.
BernieSanders, a Vermont Senator who calls himself a democratic socialist, has drawn record crowds in recent months with his message of increased economic fairness for the working class.
He is leading in early voting states of New Hampshire and Iowa and has defied expectations, raising large amounts of money from thousands of small donors.
However, Hillary Clinton maintains a substantial lead in many Southern states like South Carolina and swing states like Nevada, where today’s debate will be held.
Bernie Sanders has resonated with the party’s affluent white voters but has yet to make inroads with African Americans and Latinos – key Democratic constituencies.
Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders have mostly avoided direct criticism of each other in contrast to the raucous Republican field.
However, even if the candidates themselves practice restraint, Republican frontrunner Donald Trump promises to provide live commentary on Twitter.
The Democratic debates are between all major candidates running for President in 2016.
The Democratic National Committee has announced six sanctioned debates which will begin on October 13, 2015, in Las Vegas.
The second Democratic debate will take place on November 14 in Des Moines, Iowa.
