The family even have their own business cards, bearing the legend, "Ya Kun, The Toast of the Town".Newton Circus hawker centreIt's impossible to go very far in Singapore without seeing a McDonald's or DeliFrance in a sanitised food court, and you could be forgiven for thinking that the famous old-fashioned "hawker centres" are on the way out. But Newton Circus, an outdoor maze of stalls and seating, is probably the busiest food outlet on the entire island. Circus is an appropriate name for this place, where staff perform synchronised wok control and hungry people roam, eagerly examining the array of produce on offer. It's an assault on all the senses, from the roaring flames of the grill to the sound of thousands of mobile phones trilling while their owners grab a snack, to the unmistakable, eyewateringly bad smell of the durian fruit It smells like dung, but is a local delicacy.

Newton Circus works like this: you choose what you want to eat, which could be grilled lobster from stall 43, a stingray fillet with chilli sauce from 11, and a coconut juice from 70. Order accordingly, and give the chef at each stall (like the duck specialist, top right, or the noodle-soup seller, bottom right) the number of the table you're at (although you need to be a hawk at this hawker centre to spot an empty place) and seemingly seconds later, the steaming plates are in front of you. Your fellow diners could be anyone from a government official to the roadsweeper everyone goes to Newton Circus.. A deeply comforting dish, this one. It matters not one jot if some of the beans disintegrate somewhat during the cooking, for this also helps to thicken the juices. 120g dried haricot or white kidney beans, soaked overnight in plenty of cold water4tbsp olive oil4 rabbit shoulderssalt and pepper1/2tsp coriander seeds, toasted and lightly crushed8 cloves garlic, peeled2 bay leaves100ml dry sherry300ml waterPreheat the oven to 300°F/ 150°C/gas mark 2 Drain the beans and wash thoroughly Drain again and reserve. Heat 2tbsp of the olive oil in a heavy-bottomed cast-iron or terracotta pot (cazuela), season the rabbit and gently fry on all sides until lightly gilded.

Add the coriander and garlic and mingle around with the rabbit until they, too, are moderately coloured. Introduce the bay leaves, sherry, water and the washed beans. Stir all together and add the remaining 2tbsp of the olive oil. Cover and cook in the oven for about 1-11/2 hours or until the beans are soft and the rabbit is tender and soft A meal in itself; a green salad if you must.. An alarming rise in the most dangerous form of skin cancer was blamed yesterday on the growth of foreign holidays and the fashion for skimpy beachwear. An alarming rise in the most dangerous form of skin cancer was blamed yesterday on the growth of foreign holidays and the fashion for skimpy beachwear. The Cancer Research Campaign (CRC) said more than 5,700 British people a year were now diagnosed with potentially fatal malignant melonoma, up to three times the level in the 1970s. The biggest increase has been in melanoma of the trunk and arms, which was a direct result of people stripping down to shorts and bikinis to get a tan, the charity said.The surge in melanoma cases underlines the danger of exposing unprotected skin to the full glare of the Sun.

In men, the incidence of malignant melanoma has more than tripled in the past 30 years and in women the rates have more than doubled. Over the same period, deaths from malignant melonoma have more than doubled to 1,640 a year, with most fatalities among men.Professor Anthony Swerdlow, of the Institute of Cancer Research, said: "In both men and women, the percentage rise has been greatest for melonoma of the trunk and upper limb. But the rise in trunk melonoma in women has been later than that of men. Men were the first to expose their trunks extensively on the beach, followed later by the fashion for bikinis in women. The melanoma statistics appear to reflect this."Brad Timms, scientific officer at the CRC, said the surge in melonoma cases had coincided with the growth of cheap foreign holidays and served as a warning that hours of sun-worship were not worth the risk..