WASHINGTON (AFP) ― Republican Mitt Romney has evened it up with President Barack Obama in swing states six months ahead of the U.S. election, with the challenger seen as a better economic steward but Obama more likeable, a new poll showed Monday.In the 12 battleground states likely to determine the outcome on Nov. 6, the president led Romney 47-45 percent among registered voters, according to the USA Today/Gallup Swing States poll.That represents a substantial tightening from the nine-point lead

The world’s fattest man has started dieting after doctors told him he won’t reach 50 unless he loses weight. Keith Martin, 42, confessed that he last left his home on Sept. 11, 2001, for a health checkup.Martin decided to lose weight after finding out he was the fattest man on Earth. His weight was 368kg and waistline 182cm at the time. “I don’t blame anyone other than myself for this horrible situation,” he said.When Martin was at his worst he was eating up to 20,000 calories a day, comprising

In a tragic twist, a mentally ill woman in China shredded the money her husband had been saving up to treat her conditions.According to Chinese news reports, the woman’s husband desperately sought help from local bank workers, who tried to save what’s left of his 50,000 yuan ($7,900).But after six hours, they only managed to splice only one bank note. It is not known if the man was able to get hel

First Socialist president in 17 years says austerity no longer inevitablePARIS (AP) ― Socialist Francois Hollande defeated conservative incumbent Nicolas Sarkozy on Sunday to become France’s next president, heralding a change in how Europe tackles its debt crisis and how France flexes its military and diplomatic muscle around the world.Exuberant, diverse crowds filled the Place de la Bastille, the iconic plaza of the French Revolution, to fete Hollande’s victory, waving French, European and lab

French voters chose Socialist Francois Hollande as their new president Sunday in a race that will have implications for Europe’s debt crisis, the Afghanistan war and global diplomacy.Hollande, largely unknown outside French borders, beat out conservative President Nicolas Sarkozy, who faced widespread anger and disappointment over his handling of the economy.A few reasons why the outcome matters in France and beyond:Dept crisisHollande could reshape the debate in the 17-nation eurozone. Until no

Nicolas Sarkozy, defeated Sunday in France’s presidential runoff by Socialist challenger Francois Hollande, joins a series of European leaders booted from office because of public anger over government spending cuts and economic crisis. Almost every crisis-hit European country that has held an election since disaster struck in 2009 has thrown out its leader.Here’s a look at countries where political cadavers litter the landscape.― Italy: Silvio Berlusconi, the long-serving leader and survivor of