Republican Chris Christie has dropped out of the US presidential race after a disappointing finish in New Hampshire.
The New Jersey governor spent heavily and campaigned the longest in the state but still finished in sixth place.
Mr Christie joins former tech executive Carly Fiorina, who also left the race after struggling in Iowa and New Hampshire.
He was praised for his debate performances and was credited with blunting the momentum of Marco Rubio.
Mr Rubio had surged in the polls after a strong showing in Iowa. But Mr Christie effectively painted the Florida senator as the "boy in the bubble" who was overly cautious and scripted.
However, Mr Christie's moderate rivals - Ohio Governor John Kasich and former Florida Governor Jeb Bush - seemed to have reaped the benefits.
"While running for president I tried to reinforce what I have always believed - that speaking your mind matters, that experience matters, that competence matters and that it will always matter in leading our nation," Mr Christie said in a statement on Wednesday, making an indirect reference to front-runner Donald Trump.
A former prosecutor, Mr Christie is known for his blunt and aggressive speaking style. His campaign slogan was: "Telling it like it is."
However, he was quickly eclipsed by Mr Trump, who drew headlines and massive crowds with his brash persona and controversial statements about immigrants and trade.
In 2012, Republican leaders had urged Mr Christie, who was then a rising star in the party, to run for president, but he rebuffed their appeals, saying he wasn't ready yet.
Yet by 2015, when Mr Christie launched his presidential campaign, his stock had fallen. His popularity faltered after his staff was accused of intentionally creating a traffic jam to punish a political enemy.
His approval ratings in New Jersey also suffered as some residents said Mr Christie was more concerned about his presidential ambitions than his current job.
After flooding hit coastal towns in New Jersey in January, Mr Christie had to apologise after he sarcastically dismissed calls for him to do more to help.



"I don't know what you want me to do, you want me to go down there with a mop?" he told a man who questioned why he was in New Hampshire and not New Jersey.
Ms Fiorina decided to end her campaign on Wednesday after months struggling to regain traction.
"While I suspend my candidacy today, I will continue to travel this country and fight for those Americans who refuse to settle for the way things are and a status quo that no longer works for them," she said in a statement.
The former chief executive of Hewlett Packard had shot to the top of the Republican field after a series of strong debate performances.
Her campaign sought to capitalise on Republican voters' apparent appetite for candidates outside the political establishment, but her poll numbers quickly faded and she was never able to recover.
Mr Christie and Mrs Fiorina's departures leave seven Republicans remaining in the race for president.
More than dozen candidates had entered the race over the summer, but the field has narrowed after voters cast the first ballots in Iowa and New Hampshire.
20 February - South Carolina primary (Republican); Nevada caucus (Democrat)
23 February - Nevada caucus (R)
27 February - South Carolina primary (D)
1 March - 'Super Tuesday' - 15 states or territories decide
18-21 July - Republican convention, nominee picked
25-28 July - Democratic convention, nominee picked
8 November - US presidential elections
4:34 PM

The chief executive of Google, Sundar Pichai, has been awarded $199m (£138m) in shares, a regulatory filing has revealed.
It makes him the highest-paid chief executive in the US.
Mr Pichai became chief executive of the search engine giant following the creation of its parent, Alphabet.
The founders of Google, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, have amassed fortunes of $34.6bn and $33.9bn, according to Forbes.
Mr Pichai, 43, was awarded 273,328 Alphabet shares on 3 February, worth a total of $199m, according to a filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission.
The new award of shares takes Mr Pichai's total stock value to approximately $650m.
Mr Pichai's share award will vest incrementally each quarter until 2019. In other words, full control over the shares will pass to him on a gradual basis.
The Google chief executive joined the company since 2004, initially leading product management on a number of Google's client software products, including Google Chrome] and Chrome OS, as well as being largely responsible for Google Drive. He also oversaw the development of Gmail and Google Maps.
He previously worked in engineering and product management at Applied Materials and as a management consultant at McKinsey & Company.
It comes at a time of heightened scrutiny of Google's tax affairs, following the company's deal with HM Revenue & Customs to pay back taxes dating from 2005.
The controversial tax deal was labelled derisory by Labour. Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell called for greater transparency, saying it looked like a "sweetheart deal".
"HMRC seems to have settled for a relatively small amount in comparison with the overall profits that are made by the company in this country. And some of the independent analysts have argued that it should be at least 10 times this amount," he said.
Google's regulatory filings for for the period 2005 to 2014, show it generated sales of £24bn ($34.6bn) in the UK during the period with an estimated profit of about £7.2bn on those sales. Page 83 of its most recent 10k report states "revenues by geography are based on the billing addresses of our customers".
Last week, Alphabet - Google's parent company - surpassed Apple as the world's most valuable firm after it reported a profit of $4.9bn (£3.4bn) in the three months to the end of December, an increase from $4.7bn a year ago.
On an annual basis, Alphabet made $16.3bn, but the figures showed that the "Other Bets" business lost $3.6bn during the period, while Google's operating income rose to $23.4bn, as online advertising increased.
An earlier version of this story included a table featuring a list of highest-paid CEOs in the US, which had figures from 2012, not 2015.
8:05 PM

The threat of the Zika virus has now become international, but the alarm was raised in Brazil last year when a growing number of cases of microcephaly began to emerge.
Many women learned their babies had microcephaly and other problems before any information was available about a link with the Zika virus.
In the city of Salvador, in Bahia, Mila Mendonça and Rodrigo Gomes were expecting their second child and learned about the problems their baby would have three months before he was born.
Their son, Gabriel, has microcephaly, in addition to a syndrome that affects his joints and muscles. He also suffers from a deformed leg and calcifications in parts of the brain.
The effects of the Zika virus are still being investigated, but the couple are already focusing every effort they can on their baby's development.
6:57 AM

Dante Michael Soiu allegedly stalked the actress for 17 years, but the case focuses on letters sent from 2009-2015.
The actress claims he sent around 70 messages - of which some talked of her death - along with other items.
She said the letters ranged from "religious to pornographic to threatening".
Deputy district attorney Wendy Segall said during opening statements: "This is a case that has gone on for Ms Paltrow for 17 years. Her sense of security has been shattered by this man."
Mr Soiu has pleaded not guilty to one count of stalking.
Ms Paltrow, who gave evidence for around three hours, also told the court Mr Soiu had sent her a cookbook, jewellery and items of clothing.
During the trial hearing, the actress read aloud from some of the letters, some expressing Mr Soiu's wish to marry her.
One letter described Ms Paltrow "bowing to death" and being "hopelessly lost". In another, Mr Soiu allegedly wrote: "I have a goal: to marry Gwyneth Paltrow and take care of her."
Asked by the prosecution lawyer if she had been scared by the messages, the actress said "yes... because the communications completely defy logic".
"I've been dealing for 17 years with the communications from this man," she said.
"I felt very upset by it... This has been a very long and very traumatic experience already."
In defence, Lynda Westlund, Mr Soiu's lawyer, said her client was harmless.
She said the actress had misinterpreted his letters, many of which were biblical in nature and were therefore intended to give her a religious, not threatening message.
This is the second time Mr Soiu, of Columbus, Ohio, has faced trial on charges of stalking Ms Paltrow.
In 2000, he was found not guilty by reason of insanity in a trial involving messages he sent to the actress. Some of the messages included pornography and sex toys.
He was sent to a psychiatric hospital for three years but re-arrested last year after allegedly sending the actress more correspondence.
During Monday's trial, Mr Soiu shook his head at Ms Segall's opening statements after which he remained silent throughout the proceedings.
Ms Paltrow has two children from her marriage with Coldplay frontman Chris Martin.
The couple are separated after filing for divorce in 2015.
6:51 AM

The scheme offered free access to a limited number of websites.
However, it was opposed by supporters of net neutrality who argued that data providers should not favour some online services over others.
The free content included selected local news and weather forecasts, the BBC, Wikipedia and some health sites.
"No service provider shall offer or charge discriminatory tariffs for data services on the basis of content," ruled the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India.
The body had been investigating whether any online content should be prioritised over others, or offered for free while others were not.
Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg said he would work to make Free Basics legal.
"While we're disappointed with today's decision," he wrote. "I want to personally communicate that we are committed to keep working to break down barriers to connectivity in India and around the world.
"Connecting India is an important goal we won't give up on, because more than a billion people in India don't have access to the internet. We know that connecting them can help lift people out of poverty, create millions of jobs and spread education opportunities."
The World Wide Web Foundation, founded by Sir Tim Berners-Lee, the inventor of the web, welcomed the regulator's decision.
"The message is clear: We can't create a two-tier Internet - one for the haves, and one for the have-nots," said programme manager Renata Avila.
"We must connect everyone to the full potential of the open Web.
"We call on companies and the government of India to work with citizens and civil society to explore new approaches to connect everyone as active users, whether through free data allowances, public access schemes or other innovative approaches."

Internet picks

Vikas Pandey, digital producer for the BBC in India, said there had been an intense publicity campaign on both sides of the debate, with Facebook taking out front page advertising in national newspapers to defend the scheme.
"The people who live in cities and are aggressive users of the internet said: 'You can't dictate the terms, give free internet to villagers and then tell them how to use it'," he said.
Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg has maintained that it is "not sustainable to offer the whole internet for free".
The firm previously said it believed the project - which it launched in 2013 as Internet.org and was offered in 36 countries - had brought more than 19 million people online who would not otherwise have been able to afford access.
6:34 AM

Last year, it made changes to the way the site is viewed in Belgium following a similar order from the Belgian Privacy Commissioner.
The French data protection body also demanded stronger password complexity, requiring at least eight characters rather than the existing six.
Facebook said privacy was its priority.
"Protecting the privacy of the people who use Facebook is at the heart of everything we do. We... look forward to engaging with the CNIL [French data protection authority - Commission Nationale de l'Informatique et des Libertes] to respond to their concerns," a spokeswoman said.
The social network tracks everyone who visits the site, regardless of whether they are members, by installing cookies - small text files which gather information about web activity.
The type used by Facebook, known as datr, can last for two years.
In Belgium, visitors to the site must now log on before they can view any pages.
The CNIL also told the firm to cease the transfer of some personal data to the US, as the Safe Harbour agreement has ended. Facebook has repeatedly stated that it uses other legal contracts to transfer data to the US.
The agreement, which enabled the transfer of data between the EU and US, was ruled invalid in October 2015, and while a new pact has been drawn up, it is not yet operational.
If Facebook fails to comply with the French privacy body within the three-month time frame it may face a fine, Reuters reported.
6:27 AM

A list of serious flaws has been found in a jet fighter in development for 15 years.





The F-35's ejector seat "failed to meet neck-injury criteria" and the jet had a "limited ability to respond to threats", the US defence department has said.
The jet's development, by Lockheed Martin, has already cost $1 trillion (£0.7tn), partly funded by the UK.
Previously, its UK planned deployment date was put back from 2012 to 2023.
"It's one of the most delayed and problematic fighter programmes in history," said Justin Bronk, a military analyst at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI).
"If this sort of news keeps coming out in terms of continued problems with the testing... it's potentially embarrassing," he told the BBC.
Mr Bronk said that while the aircraft could be deployed in its current state, pilots would not be able to fly with as much freedom as planned because of the many technical limitations.
But he added: "They will make this thing work because they have no choice, there's no alternative.
1:03 AM

Milk tastes great and provides significant amounts of many of the nutrients our bodies require for good health.
              • High-quality protein
              • Calcium
              • Phosphorous
              • Vitamin D
              • Vitamin B12 
It also provides good amounts of magnesium and vitamin A, and contains potassium, as well. 
 is one of the nutrients most likely to be lacking in the American diet. According to government statistics, about a third of men and even more women fall short of calcium recommendations. 
All milks—whole, reduced fat, low-fat, and fat-free milk—have a similar nutrient profile with the exception of calories and fat. The nutrient content of chocolate and other flavored milk is comparable to that of unflavored milk. In general,have about 60 more calories than their unflavored counterparts per eight-ounce serving.

Nutrients in Milk

Today, a variety of milks are available to suit different lifestyles and meet the taste, nutrition, health, and convenience preferences of consumers. Milks of varied fat content are available for those wishing to control calorie or fat intake and low- or reduced-lactose milks are available for individuals who experience lactose intolerance.
No matter which type of milk you prefer, milk is a nutrient-rich food, a good source of several essential nutrients and a great source of others, including:
Calcium
  • Essential for healthy bones and teeth, muscle contraction, normal blood clotting and nervous system functioning.
  • Calcium also plays a protective role in hypertension, certain cancers and in body weight management.
Protein
  • Needed to develop and maintain muscles, promote healthy skin and hair, maintain hormonal balance and blood albumin levels.
  • Essential for the proper functioning of antibodies to help resist infection.
Vitamin A
  • Needed for growth, cell division, reproduction, healthy skin, hair and tissues, vision and immune system.
 Vitamin D
  • Promotes absorption and use of calcium for healthy bones and teeth.
  • The skin can synthesize vitamin D if exposed to enough sunlight on a regular basis although that ability diminishes with age.
Vitamin B12
  • Required for the function on an enzyme in producing energy from fats and proteins.
Potassium
  • Helps to maintain healthy blood pressure, may reduce the risk of developing kidney stones and may help to decrease bone loss.
  • Collectively, this unique package of vitamins and minerals work together to keep you healthy and help prevent diseases, such as hypertension and osteoporosis.
Magnesium
  • Aids transmission of nerve impulses and muscle contraction.
Phosphorous
  • Is an essential component of cell membranes in the form of phospholipids.
One serving of milk is one eight-ounce cup. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend that individuals ages nine and older consume three servings of milk, cheese or yogurt each day.

Cooking with Milk

Milk is one of the most versatile of all foods. It’s delicious on its own as a beverage, or can be used as a base for hot chocolate, specialty coffees or a tasty milk shake. But milk is far more than just a drink. It can be used to make creamy soups, silky smooth sauces and crispy batters. It can also be used as a base to make delicious desserts, custards, creams, sauces and mousses. Its uses arevirtually limitless.
11:33 PM

Meat, poultry, fish, beans and peas, eggs, nuts and seeds supply many nutrients and are an important part of healthy eating. Included in the USDA MyPlate's protein group, these healthy foods include not only proteins, but B vitamins (niacin, thiamin, riboflavin, B6 and B12), vitamin E, magnesium, zinc and iron. Salmon or tuna, almonds and walnuts provide some wonderful health benefits beyond these basic nutrients.
The healthy proteins in meat, beans and nuts function as building blocks for bones, muscles, cartilage, skin and blood. They are also building blocks for enzymes and hormones.
B vitamins found in this food group serve a variety of functions in the body. They help the body release energy and build tissue.
Vitamin B12 is needed for healthy blood. It is found only in animal products. If you are a vegetarian and do not eat any animal foods like eggs, milk or cheese, you may need to take a supplement for this vitamin or look for fortified vegetarian products.
Nuts and seeds are excellent sources of essential fatty acids and vitamin E. Beans are an excellent source of fiber.
Two to seven ounces of meat and beans per day are recommended, depending on how many calories you need. To find out how much meat and beans you need, use the Healthy Eating Planner.

Cooking with Meat, Beans + Nuts

Dried beans and peas are inexpensive sources of protein. Meat and poultry are nutritious and economical sources of protein and other important nutrients. Many lean meats like beef chuck are lower in fat and also lower in cost. Search our database of healthy recipes for ideas and new twists.
References:
1. U.S. Department of Agriculture. ChooseMyPlate.gov Website. Washington, DC. Why is it Important to Make Lean or Low-Fat Choices From the Protein Foods Group? http://www.choosemyplate.gov/food-groups/protein-foods-why.html. Accessed March 8, 2015.
11:08 PM

Fruit has been recognized as a good source of vitamins and minerals, and for their role in preventing vitamin C and vitamin A deficiencies. People who eat fruit as part of an overall healthy diet generally have a reduced risk of chronic diseases. USDA's MyPlate encourages making half your plate fruits and vegetables for healthy eating.
Fruit are important sources of many nutrients, including potassium, fiber, vitamin C and folate (folic acid). Try incorporating blueberries, citrus fruit, cranberriesor strawberries which contain phytochemicals that are being studied for added health benefits. 

Eating Fruit Provides Health Benefits

The nutrients in fruit are vital for health and maintenance of your body. The potassium in fruit can reduce your risk of heart disease and stroke. Potassium may also reduce the risk of developing kidney stones and help to decrease bone loss as you age.
Folate (folic acid) helps the body form red blood cells. Women of childbearing age who may become pregnant and those in the first trimester of pregnancy need adequate folate. Folate helps prevent neural tube birth defects, such as spina bifida.

More Health Benefits of Fruit:

  • Eating a diet rich in fruit may reduce risk for stroke, other cardiovascular diseases and type-2 diabetes.
  • A fruit containing eating pattern is part of an overall healthy diet and may protect against certain cancers.
  • Fruit helps maintain optimum health due to the health promoting phytochemicals it contains – many of which are still being identified.
  • One to 2-1/2 cups of fruit are recommended each day, depending on how many calories you need.
References:
1. U.S. Department of Agriculture. ChooseMyPlate.gov Website. Washington DC. Why is it Important to Eat Fruit? http://www.choosemyplate.gov/food-groups/fruits-why.html. Accessed March 8, 2015. 
2. Benzie IF, Choi SW. Antioxidants in food: content, measurement, significance, action, cautions, caveats, and research needs. Adv Food Nutr Res. 2014;71:1-53. 
11:00 PM

Listed below are the possible health benefits associated with bananas. It is important to note that more high quality studies are required before these health benefit links are proved definitive. 1) Blood pressureBananas Maintaining a low sodium intake is essential to lowering blood pressure, however increasing potassium intake may be just as important because of its vasodilation effects. According to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, fewer than 2% of US adults meet the daily 4700 mg recommendation.3 Also of note, a high potassium intake is associated with a 20% decreased risk of dying from all causes.3 2) Asthma A study conducted by the Imperial College of London found that children who ate just one banana per day had a 34% less chance of developing asthma. 3) Cancer Consuming bananas, oranges and orange juice in the first two years of life may reduce the risk of developing childhood leukemia. As a good source of vitamin C, bananas can help combat the formation of free radicals known to cause cancer. High fiber intakes from fruits and vegetables like bananas are associated with a lowered risk of colorectal cancer. 4) Heart health The fiber, potassium, vitamin C and B6 content in bananas all support heart health. An increase in potassium intake along with a decrease in sodium intake is the most important dietary change that a person can make to reduce their risk of cardiovascular disease, according to Mark Houston, MD, MS, an associate clinical professor of medicine at Vanderbilt Medical School and director of the Hypertension Institute at St Thomas Hospital in Tennessee.3 In one study, those who consumed 4069 mg of potassium per day had a 49% lower risk of death from ischemic heart disease compared with those who consumed less potassium (about 1000 mg per day).3 High potassium intakes are also associated with a reduced risk of stroke, protection against loss of muscle mass, preservation of bone mineral density and reduction in the formation of kidney stones.3 5) Diabetes Studies have shown that type 1 diabetics who consume high-fiber diets have lower blood glucose levels and type 2 diabetics may have improved blood sugar, lipids and insulin levels. One medium banana provides about 3 grams of fiber. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends 21-25 g/day for women and 30-38 g/day for men. 6) Treating diarrhea Bland foods such as apple sauce and bananas are recommended for diarrhea treatment. Electrolytes like potassium are lost in large quantities during bouts of diarrhea and may make those affected feel weak. Bananas can help to promote regularity and replenish potassium stores. 7) Preserving memory and boosting mood Bananas also contain tryptophan, an amino acid that studies suggest plays a role in preserving memory and boosting your mood.
6:40 AM
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