Obama beats Brad Pitt as most stylish man: poll Skip related content
Move aside Brad Pitt. U.S. President Barack Obama has beaten all the usual male style icons to be named the world's most stylish man in a poll. The survey of 3,000 men put the 47-year-old president at the top of the style list after impressing people all over the world with his suits and dress sense.
New York drivers named most aggressive, angry in U.S.
NEW YORK (Reuters Life!) - New York has overtaken Miami to be voted the U.S. city with the angriest and most aggressive drivers, according to a survey on road rage released on Tuesday. Miami topped the annual poll for the last four years but voters in 25 major metropolitan areas gave New Yorkers the prize for angriest, most aggressive drivers who tailgate, speed, honk their horns, overreact and lose their tempers.
Blame gets shared for dark side of reality TV fame
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Television talent show contestants fantasize about fame and fortune but for some people, an appearance on one of the shows only leads to real problems of stress, anxiety, depression, even suicide. But who is to blame when an everyday person becomes an overnight TV sensation and can't cope -- when Susan Boyle falls ill after failing to win "Britain's Got Talent" or when "American Idol" fan Paula Goodspeed, who was teased after a poor tryout, commits suicide outside the home of a judge?
Harry Potter publisher denies plagiarism claim
LONDON (Reuters) - Bloomsbury Publishing Plc on Monday denied allegations that author J.K. Rowling copied "substantial parts" of a book by another children's author when she wrote "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire." The book, published in 2000, was the fourth installment of the hugely successful boy wizard Harry Potter series that has sold more than 400 million copies worldwide and been turned into a multi-billion-dollar film franchise.
Rediscovered Afghan gold treasure comes to New York
NEW YORK (Reuters Life!) - Afghanistan's National Museum is not yet ready to display a treasure trove of 2,000-year-old gold thought lost during three decades of war, but in the meantime Americans and tourists can see it in New York. Known as the Bactrian gold, items such as an intricately carved gold belt, a delicate crown and numerous bracelets are part of a collection of more than 21,000 pieces of gold found in 1978 just before the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.
Brazilian prosecutor wants to ban fast-food toys
SAO PAULO (Reuters) - Charging that toys sold with meals in fast-food outlets can lead children to develop bad eating habits, a Brazilian prosecutor on Monday asked a judge to ban such sales nationally at chains including McDonald's and Burger King. The move comes amid global concern over the link between some fast food and illnesses such as diabetes, as the U.S. Congress considers requiring chain restaurants to disclose calories on their menus to help fight endemic obesity.
Young Canadians dumping home phones, survey says
TORONTO (Reuters)- More than a third of younger Canadian households are cutting the wires and relying solely on cell phones, according to a survey. By contrast, only 4.5 percent of other households have dumped their landlines at home and use cell phones exclusively, Statistics Canada found in the survey (http://www.statcan.gc.ca/daily-quotidien/090615/dq090615c-eng.htm).
French prosecutor seeks dissolution of Scientology
PARIS (Reuters) - A French prosecutor on Monday recommended a Paris court should dissolve the Church of Scientology's French branch when it rules on charges of fraud against the organization. Registered as a religion in the United States, with celebrity members such as actors Tom Cruise and John Travolta, Scientology enjoys no such legal protection in France, where it has faced repeated accusations of being a money-making cult.
Susan Boyle returns to tour after "rest day"
LONDON (Reuters) - Susan Boyle, who became famous the world over after appearing on the "Britain's Got Talent" television show, returned to the stage on Monday after canceling a weekend performance amid concerns over her health.
Jobless Taiwan man steals just for free prison lunch
TAIPEI (Reuters) - A jobless Taiwan man released from prison stole a box of cotton swabs just to get arrested again because he "could not forget the police department boxed lunches," officers and local media said on Tuesday. The homeless man in Taipei first stole a pair of shoes on Sunday, was detained and released, the Liberty Times said. He then resorted to stealing again the next day just to get back inside and be fed for free.
A family has been left distraught after their huge pet Burmese python escaped from its cage and strangled their two-year-old to death.
