No image available
/ 26 April 2008

NY cops cleared in 50-bullet wedding day shooting

A judge in New York on Friday cleared three detectives on all charges involved in the killing of Sean Bell, the bridegroom who died in a hail of 50 police bullets outside a nightclub hours before his wedding. Outside the crowded courtroom, where demonstrators carried signs reading ”50 shots isn’t justice”, there were shouts, tears and anger.

No image available
/ 6 March 2008

Small explosion hits New York’s Times Square

A small explosion caused minor damage to a United States military recruiting centre in New York’s Times Square area in the early hours of Thursday but there were no injuries, police said. The explosion, which authorities said appeared to have been directed at the recruiting centre, occurred in the early hours of the morning.

No image available
/ 28 February 2008

McCain, Obama tangle over Iraq pull-out

Republican John McCain and Democrat Barack Obama faced off on Wednesday in a possible prelude to a United States presidential election battle, tangling over whether Iraq would be prey for al-Qaeda if US troops are withdrawn. McCain, who has linked his candidacy to a successful outcome in Iraq, attacked Obama’s stance on the war.

No image available
/ 11 January 2008

Kerry snubs Edwards by backing Obama

John Kerry, the senator who ran against George Bush in 2004, endorsed Barack Obama yesterday in a slap in the face to Hillary Clinton and to John Edwards, his vice-presidential running mate in 2004. ”Martin Luther King Jr said the time is always right to do what is right,” Kerry told a rally in South Carolina.

No image available
/ 14 December 2007

Bali climate draft drops 2020 emissions goals

Negotiators at climate talks in Bali on Friday struggled to break a deadlock over United States objections to goals for cutting emissions by dropping a reference to a non-binding 2020 target in draft text. But the European Union insisted the two-week talks, due to end on Friday, should set stiff 2020 guidelines for rich nations to cut greenhouse gas emissions.

No image available
/ 24 November 2007

Big Apple’s murder rate plunges

New York City, once widely feared for its mean streets scarred by random violence, is on course for its lowest murder rate in four decades with this year’s total expected to be below 500. A steady decline in the Big Apple’s violent-crime rate has left the city basking in a new-found glow of safety.

No image available
/ 12 September 2007

US remembers September 11 attacks in silence

Americans stood in silence to remember the nearly 3 000 people killed in the September 11 attacks on Tuesday as Osama bin Laden resurfaced to praise the suicide hijackers who carried them out six years ago to the day. New Yorkers observed silent moments at the very times jets crashed into the World Trade Centre towers and when each tower collapsed.

No image available
/ 11 September 2007

September 11 as emotive as ever

New Yorkers are doing all they can to preserve the way September 11 is commemorated, and with it falling on a Tuesday for the first time since 2001, the day is another trigger of tragic memories. New York City will mark the event as it has for the past five anniversaries with a ceremony punctuated by the reading of names of the 2 750 innocent people who died at the World Trade Centre.