Danica Patrick endured sexist remarks and disappointment through 49 starts without a victory over more than three years in the male-dominated world of IndyCar racing. But the 26-year-old American kept her poise and that’s why the lady is now a champion, becoming the first woman in a century of open-wheel racing to win an event.
The credit crunch sent Bank of America’s quarterly profits plunging 77% after weak trading on Wall Street and in retail banking, it was announced on Monday. Bank of America, which has the largest branch network in the United States, wrote off more than -billion in trading losses and provisions against bad debts.
South African Ernst van Dyk and Japan’s Wakako Tsuchida led all the way in winning the Boston Marathon wheelchair divisions on Monday. Van Dyk finished in one hour, 26 minutes and 49 seconds to win in Boston for the seventh time. Though it was the second slowest time of his seven victories, no one was near him when he crossed the finish line on Boylston Street.
It was the first city in the United States to ban trans-fats from food outlets. Now New York has set another US first — from Monday, larger food chains such as McDonald’s, Dunkin’ Donuts and Starbucks must display the calories of their products on menus.
Such was the mania gripping New York as the pope’s visit to the United States reached its emotional culmination that at least one busload of visitors erroneously mobbed what turned out to be a life-sized cardboard cut-out, propped in front of the Mount Carmel Catholic bookshop on 187th Street.
Britain’s Joe Calzaghe recovered from a first-round knockdown to defeat Bernard Hopkins by split decision in a light-heavyweight bout in Las Vegas on Saturday. In a closely fought battle, the 36-year-old Calzaghe showed little of his famed prodigious punch output in the first two rounds as Hopkins gained the early initiative.
United States Democratic presidential candidates Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton accused each other on Saturday of waging negative campaigns as they sped across Pennsylvania before next week’s potentially make-or-break primary election. Obama hopes an upset on Tuesday will hand him the nomination and knock Clinton out of the race.
A New York judge ordered CNN reporter Richard Quest to undergo six months of counselling on Friday after Quest was arrested in Central Park for possession of a controlled substance, his lawyer said. The British reporter is known for his boisterous and quirky style, especially on CNN International.
Oil prices hit a record high a barrel on Friday as jitters over Nigerian oil supplies outweighed a rally in the dollar and fears of an economic slowdown in giant energy consumer China. United States light crude settled up ,83 at ,96 a barrel, before hitting a record . London Brent crude gained ,49 to ,92.
The United Nations special envoy for Somalia was in Washington on Friday to press for more attention on efforts to stabilise the country. Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah says that the West needs to exert leverage on power brokers in Somalia who have bank accounts abroad. Western countries can also help mobilise Somali expatriate communities to support peace talks.
Ed Pilkington looks at the feud involving the <i>Sex and the City</i> spin-off tour businesses in New York.
Citigroup, the largest United States bank, on Friday posted its second straight quarterly loss, hurt by more than -billion in write-downs and increased reserves for credit losses. The loss totalled ,11-billion, or ,02 per share, and compared with a year-earlier profit of ,01-billion, or ,01 per share. Revenue fell 48% to ,22-billion.
It was a murder plot on slow burn. The two women, both in their 70s, would befriend the homeless in Hollywood, put them up and insure their lives for millions. Then the women would cash in, dispatching their victims in staged hit-and-run accidents in dark alleys.
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown on Thursday night set the seal on a new phase in Britain’s special relationship with the United States when he won ringing endorsements from the present and future generations of American leaders. US President George Bush hailed Brown as a ”good friend”.
The internet company Google has defied predictions of economic doom by delivering a 31% surge in quarterly profits, which appeared to vindicate the company’s claims that people will continue searching the web in a recession. Google’s first-quarter earnings jumped from -billion to ,31-billion.
Pope Benedict, celebrating a stadium Mass for 45 000 people, acknowledged on Thursday that the United States paedophile priests scandal caused ”indescribable pain and harm” to victims but asked Catholics to love their pastors. ”No words of mine can describe the pain and harm inflicted by such abuse,” he said.
Democratic presidential rivals Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton tried to explain recent controversial remarks during a tense debate on Wednesday, with Obama accusing Clinton of taking political advantage of his characterisation of small-town residents.
Western states joined the United Nations in urging action to ensure a fair outcome from Zimbabwe’s elections, but most African countries avoided the issue at a summit of the Security Council on Wednesday. British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said: ”No one thinks, having seen the results of polling stations, that President [Robert] Mugabe has won.”
United Nations chief Ban Ki-moon on Wednesday expressed grave concern at the mounting violence in the Gaza Strip and southern Israel and urged all parties to show restraint. "The secretary general is gravely concerned at the escalation of violence in Gaza and southern Israel," his press office said in a statement.
The United States Supreme Court on Wednesday rejected a challenge to the lethal three-drug cocktail used in most US executions during the past 30 years. By a 7-2 vote, the court rejected a challenge by two Kentucky death-row inmates, who argued the current lethal injection method violated the constitutional ban on cruel and unusual punishment.
For someone who’s on top of the world, Trevor Immelman has lately spent a lot of time looking up. One day after becoming the Masters champion, Immelman was courtside at Madison Square Garden for the Boston Celtics’ 99-93 victory over the New York Knicks.
Campaigners pressing for tougher controls on the sale of guns in the United States notched up a big victory this week when Wal-Mart, the country’s largest seller of firearms, agreed to a 10-point plan designed to prevent weapons falling into the hands of criminals.
South African President Thabo Mbeki had intended to lead a summit on Wednesday at the United Nations in New York that would focus on the increasing peacekeeping chores of African Union troops. But on Tuesday, it became clear that Mbeki would not be able to dodge the ongoing election crisis in Zimbabwe.
A 15-minute film of Marilyn Monroe engaging in oral sex with an unidentified man will be kept from public view by a New York businessman who has bought it for ,5-million, the broker of the deal said on Monday. Monroe is clothed and the man’s head remains out of the frame for the entire 15 minutes of the film.
Making a Windows-based computer truly personal takes both time and money. Not only do you have to buy the computer, but you also spend many hours setting it up just the way you like it. That’s why it’s frustrating when, over time, your well-tuned Windows box starts to get sluggish or unreliable.
United States Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama spent a fourth day on Monday defending himself for calling people in small towns with economic blight ”bitter” in a controversy that rival Hillary Clinton is trying to use for a comeback. Republican John McCain also sought political gain from the flap.
Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton blasted rival Barack Obama during a debate on Sunday, accusing him of being ”elitist” and ”patronising”. Clinton again seized on a controversy sparked off by Obama’s comments about working-class voters. Obama, she said, was ”elitist, out of touch, and frankly patronising”.
A doubling of food prices over the past three years could push 100-million people in poorer developing countries further into poverty and governments must step in to tackle the issue, World Bank president Robert Zoellick said on Sunday at the end of the World Bank spring meeting in Washington, DC.
Manhattan is a famously elitist place when it comes to fine dining. Who you know is often the key to securing a table at one of the hot new restaurants. Imagine the horror then, when the latest hyper-chic establishment of New York’s most happening chef opted for an egalitarian alternative.
T Boone Pickens is famous for thinking big. He founded his Texan oil company, Mesa Petroleum, in 1956 with just 500 in the bank. After a string of audacious takeovers he turned it into an independent empire that challenged the big oil companies, and today he is worth -billion. Now this straight-talking Southerner is launching the biggest and most audacious project of his career.
Patrick ”Deep Dish” Bertoletti looked down at the litter of empty oyster shells on the red plastic tray and savoured the sweet taste of victory. The Acme World Oyster-Eating Championship belt — a massive leather affair featuring a silver dish with a single oyster on the half-shell in the centre — hung on his skinny hips.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) called on Saturday for ”strong action” and ”close cooperation” to combat the financial crisis that is battering the world economy. The IMF, wrapping up a meeting in Washington, DC, stressed ”the challenges facing the world economy are of a global nature”.