Toronto mayor loses powers

Toronto's scandal-hit mayor Rob Ford has suggested that his past misdemeanours may be due to the fact that he "hung around with the wrong company".

In an interview with Canadian broadcaster CP24, he admitted again to having taken crack "maybe once" and to experimenting with party drugs in his youth:

Watch: Mayor warns 'they are not going to find another Rob Ford'

Toronto's beleaguered mayor Rob Ford has told NBC's Today show: "They are not going to find another Rob Ford".

Ford, who eventually admitted smoking crack cocaine after a video surfaced of him doing it, told co-anchor Matt Lauer: "I can't even barely remember it. I was very, very inebriated".

Asked why he initially denied the allegations, Ford said he was asked by reporters, "'Do I use crack cocaine?' No, I don't use crack cocaine. No. Have I tried crack cocaine? Yes, I've tried crack cocaine".

He added: "I've embarrassed, not just myself, my family, my friends, my supporters, the whole city. I take full responsibility for that".

Ford, who faces an electoral race next year, said he "absolutely" still wants to be Toronto mayor, stating: "October 27 - let the people decide".

Watch: Toronto Mayor Rob Ford pushes over a woman

Toronto Mayor Rob Ford has hit another setback after he pushed over a woman councillor during a heated council meeting.

He charged around the chamber after arguing with members of the public, before the speaker asked security to clear the chamber and a recess was called. Members of the public then chanted "Shame! Shame!" at the mayor.

The Mayor admits he has made mistakes, but says he remains ambitious, adding: "Have I had my outbursts in the past? Absolutely. But you know what, I'm only human. I've made mistakes. I've apologised."And he still covets the job.

"Yes, one day I do want to run for prime minister," he said.

Video shows Ford moving around the gallery and at one point he knocks over a woman councillor before picking her back up.

Read: Toronto mayor powers stripped

A reporter for the Toronto Sun has tweeted that councillors voted 39 to just three in favour of reducing Mayor Rob Ford's powers.

Ford himself was one of the three to vote against the measure.

Toronto's City Council has voted overwhelmingly to strip Mayor Rob Ford of some of his powers, the Associated Press reports.

The embattled mayor has repeatedly refused to step aside after a string of scandals and allegations.

The embattled mayor of Toronto has said he is "receiving advice from people with expertise" as yet more allegations about his drink- and drug-fueled escapades stack up.

Rob Ford threatened to take legal action against new claims that he took cocaine and hosted prostitutes in his office, describing them as "outright lies".

But he was also back on the defensive in a hastily-organised press conference at which he apologised for making "graphic remarks" on a radio show.

ITV News' Washington Correspondent Robert Moore reports:

Watch: Mayor refuses to step aside after crack admission

There were tense scenes in Toronto City Council today as mayor Rob Ford resisted calls to take a break from his duties after admitting to smoking crack among other scandals.

Asked by one councillor whether he had bought illegal drugs in the last two years, Ford answered "Yes I have" but went on to insist he did not have a drink or drugs addiction.

Read: Toronto mayor admits he has smoked crack cocaine

Ford is facing pressure to stand aside after councillors voted almost unanimously for a petition calling on him to take a break from his duties "to address his challenges privately".

Six months ago, a newspaper reported it had acquired a video of him smoking crack. Last week, another video emerged that showed him in an expletive-laden rant threatening murder.

Watch: Footage shows Toronto mayor threatening murder

Rob Ford is considering undergoing treatment, according to the Globe and Mail, after a video emerged of the Toronto mayor threatening to kill someone.

Mr Ford apologised over the expletive-ridden video earlier today, adding that he had been "very inebriated".

“He’s considering options,” Dennis Morris, the mayor’s lawyer and a long-time family friend, told The Globe and Mail in an interview Friday. “And we’ll stay tuned to see what he says in the next few days.”

Watch: Footage shows Toronto mayor threatening murder

Watch the video in full on the Toronto Star website

Toronto mayor Rob Ford has apologised for an expletive-ridden video in which he threatens to kill someone.

Mr Ford said he had been "very inebriated" while the video was shot and that the incident was "extremely embarrassing".

Footage obtained by the Canadian newspaper the Toronto Star shows the city's mayor threatening to murder someone.

The video contains strong language throughout.

"I'm going to kill that fking guy, I'm telling you it's first-degree murder...he dies or I die brother," the Mayor is heard to say.

Watch the video in full on the Toronto Star website