Page 9 - New York

Police hunt for gunman who killed UnitedHealthcare's boss in Manhattan

Investigators are searching for clues that could help them identify the masked gunman who stalked and killed the leader of one of the largest UShealth insurance companies on a Manhattan sidewalk, then disappeared into Central Park. UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, 50, died in a dawn ambush Wednesday as he walked to the company's annual investor conference at a Hilton in Midtown, blocks from tourist draws like Radio City Music Hall and the Museum of Modern Art. The killing, and the shooter's movements in the minutes before and afterward, were captured on some of the multitudes of security cameras present in that part of the city. One video showed him approach Thompson from behind, level his pistol and fire several shots, barely pausing to clear a brief gun jam while the dying health executive tumbled to the pavement. Other security cameras captured the initial stages of the gunman's escape. He was seen fleeing the block across a pedestrian plaza, then escaping on a bicycle into

Donald Trump picks donor Kelly Loeffler for small business administration

The SBA is the federal agency responsible for helping "Americans start, grow, and build resilient businesses" according to its website

Trump's lawyers urge judge to drop his hush money criminal conviction

President-elect Donald Trump's lawyers formally asked a judge Monday to throw out his hush money criminal conviction, arguing continuing the case would present unconstitutional disruptions to the institution of the Presidency. In a filing made public Tuesday, Trump's lawyers told Manhattan Judge Juan M. Merchan that dismissal is warranted because of the extraordinary circumstances of his impending return to the White House. Wrongly continuing proceedings in this failed lawfare case disrupts President Trump's transition efforts, the attorneys continued, before citing the overwhelming national mandate granted to him by the American people on November 5, 2024. Prosecutors will have until Dec. 9 to respond. They have said they will fight any efforts to dismiss the case but have indicated openness to delaying sentencing until after Trump's second term ends in 2029. Following Trump's election victory last month, Merchan halted proceedings and indefinitely postponed his sentencing, ...

Nargis Fakhri's sister Aliya Fakhri arrested for murdering ex-boyfriend

According to reports, Aliya Fakhri, the sister of Bollywood actor Nargis Fakhri, has been arrested in relation to the murder of her ex-boyfriend and his friend in Queens, New York, last month

Harvey Weinstein files claim alleging lack of medical care at Rikers jail

Harvey Weinstein's lawyers filed a legal claim against New York City, alleging that he is receiving substandard medical treatment in unhygienic conditions while in custody at the notorious Rikers Island jail complex. The Tuesday's notice of claim, which is the first step in filing a lawsuit against the city, accuses the facility of failing to manage the former movie mogul's medical conditions, which include chronic myeloid leukemia and diabetes, and negligence ranging from freezing conditions to a lack of clean clothes. The city's law department and Department of Correction did not immediately respond to requests for comment. When I last visited him, I found him with blood spatter on his prison garb, possibly from IV's, clothes that had not been washed for weeks, and he had not even been provided clean underwear hardly sanitary conditions for someone with severe medical conditions, Weinstein's attorney, Imran H Ansari, said in a statement, comparing the facility to a ...

Donald Trump granted permission to seek dismissal of hush money case

Bragg's office said they would argue against dismissal, but agreed Trump deserved time to make his case through written motions

US bribery taint melts Adani stocks; Kenya cancels airport, energy deals

Adani, others in $265 mn bribery case

Two killed, 1 critically injured in NY knife attack; suspect in custody

A man carried out a string of stabbings across a swath of Manhattan on Monday morning, killing two people and critically wounding a third without uttering a word to his victims, officials said. The 51-year-old suspect was in police custody after being found with blood on his clothes and the two kitchen knives he was carrying, authorities said. The suspect's and victims' names weren't immediately released. Three New Yorkers. Unprovoked attacks that left us searching for answers on how something like this could happen, Mayor Eric Adams said at a news conference. He called the violence a clear, clear example" of failures in the criminal justice system and elsewhere. The suspect, apparently homeless, had been sentenced in a criminal case a few months ago, the Democratic mayor said, without giving further details. The attacks happened within 2 1/2 hours, said Joseph Kenny, police chief of detectives. The first, on West 19th Street, killed a construction worker who was standing by his w

Wildfire threat in place for much of US Northeast as dry conditions persist

Firefighters in New York said on Sunday that a successful voluntary evacuation overnight helped them protect about 165 homes from a wildfire near the New Jersey border. However, New York City's fire department has taken the first-of-its-kind step of creating a brush fire task force to respond to what officials are calling a historic increase in brush fires occurring throughout the five boroughs, the FDNY commissioner announced. From November 1 to November 14, the FDNY responded to 271 brush fires across the city, marking the highest two-week period in New York's history. "Due to a significant lack of rainfall, the threat of fast-spreading brush fires fuelled by dry vegetation and windy conditions have resulted in an historic increase of brush fires throughout New York City," Commissioner Robert S Tucker said in a statement. Windy conditions renewed a wildfire on Saturday that escaped a containment line and prompted emergency officials to enact a voluntary evacuation plan for a ...

Trump picks experienced advisors to carry out his immigration crackdown

Donald Trump's first picks for immigration policy jobs spent the last four years angling for this moment. Stephen Miller and Thomas Homan had critical roles in the first Trump administration and are unapologetic defenders of its policies, which included separating thousands of parents from their children at the border to deter illegal crossings. With Trump promising sweeping action in a second term on illegal immigration, the two White House advisers will bring nuts-and-bolts knowledge, lessons from previous setbacks and personal views to help him carry out his wishes. After Trump left office in 2021, Miller became president of America First Legal, a group that joined Republican state attorneys general to derail President Joe Biden's border policies and plans. Homan, who worked decades in immigration enforcement, founded Border 911 Foundation Inc, a group that says it fights against a border invasion and held its inaugural gala in April at Trump's Florida estate. Homan knows how the

New wildfires burn in US Northeast; California, West witness bigger blazes

New wildfires burned Tuesday across the Northeast, adding to a series of blazes that have come amid very dry weather and killed at least one person, while much larger fires raged in California and other western states. Heavy smoke led to poor air quality and health advisories for parts of New Jersey and New York, including New York City. Firefighters in Massachusetts worked to contain dozens of fires amid strong winds and drought conditions. The National Weather Service issued a red flag warning for much of that state and parts of Connecticut, saying conditions were critical and fires could rapidly spread. Massachusetts officials said all of the 200 or so fires they had been dealing with this month had been caused by human behaviour, and Governor Maura Healey urged people to avoid lighting fires. Now is not the time to burn leaves. Now is not the time to go outside and light a fire, she told reporters in Middleton. One fire in southern New Jersey tripped fire alarms and set off ca

Immigration policy: Trump picks duo who back family separation, deportation

Donald Trump's first picks for immigration policy jobs spent the last four years angling for this moment. Stephen Miller and Thomas Homan had critical roles in the first Trump administration and are unapologetic defenders of its policies, which included separating thousands of parents from their children at the border to deter illegal crossings. With Trump promising sweeping action in a second term on illegal immigration, the two White House advisers will bring nuts-and-bolts knowledge, lessons from previous setbacks and personal views to help him carry out his wishes. After Trump left office in 2021, Miller became president of America First Legal, a group that joined Republican state attorneys general to derail President Joe Biden's border policies and plans. Homan, who worked decades in immigration enforcement, founded Border 911 Foundation Inc., a group that says it fights against a border invasion and held its inaugural gala in April at Trump's Florida estate. Homan knows how t

Judge strikes down NY law intended to protect minority groups' voting power

A judge has struck down a state law that made it easier for New Yorkers to sue over electoral divisions and voting rules that weakened the political voice of minority groups, saying its special protections based on race and ethnicity are unconstitutional. Orange County state court Justice Maria Vazquez-Doles struck down New York's Voting Rights Act of 2022 on Thursday in a decision in which she also dismissed a lawsuit brought by six Black and Hispanic voters against the Town of Newburgh. In the suit, the residents challenged the way people were elected to the town's board, arguing that at-large elections to pick board members in the majority-white town had kept Black and Hispanic residents from electing their candidates of choice. They asked the court to impose a system in which the town, located about 60 miles (96 kilometres) north of New York City, would elect board members by district. New York's Voting Rights Act created a pathway for voters to challenge at-large elections that

US election result: New York's Times Square soaked in election fever

New York's Times Square is soaked in election colour with huge crowd, both supporters of Kamala Harris and Donald Trump, have gathered there.

Blackstone targets two new European markets in global wealth push

To help expand the business, Blackstone has promoted Sheila Rapple to chief operating officer for EMEA wealth, who relocated to London from New York in October

New York City declares a 'drought watch', asks residents to conserve water

New York's mayor urged residents to take shorter showers, fix dripping faucets and otherwise conserve water, issuing a drought watch Saturday after a parched October here and in much of the United States. A drought watch is the first of three potential levels of water-saving directives, and Adams pitched it in a social media video as a step to try to ward off the possibility of a worse shortage in the United States' most populous city. Mother Nature is in charge, and so we must make sure we adjust, said Adams, a Democrat. He ordered all city agencies to get ready to implement their water conservation plans. He asked the public to do its part by, for example, turning off taps while brushing teeth and sweeping sidewalks instead of hosing them down. The mayor also exhorted residents to report opened-up fire hydrants and other street leaks. The recommendation comes days after the city fixed a leaky Brooklyn hydrant that fed a homespun goldfish pond on the sidewalk. Just 0.01 inches (0

Trump defends NY rally with crude remarks, calls it absolute lovefest

Urged by some allies to apologise for racist comments made by speakers at his weekend rally, Donald Trump took the opposite approach on Tuesday, saying it was an honour to be involved in such an event and calling the scene a lovefest - the same term he has used to describe the Jan. 6 insurrection at the US Capitol. Trump gathered supporters and reporters to his Mar-a-Lago resort two days after a massive rally at Madison Square Garden featured a number of crude remarks by various speakers, including a set by comedian Tony Hinchcliffe in which he joked that Puerto Rico was a floating island of garbage. Some of Trump's top Republican allies have condemned the remarks, and his campaign took the rare step of publicly distancing itself from Hinchcliffe's joke, though not the other comments. But given the opportunity to apologize at multiple events and in interviews Tuesday, Trump instead leaned in. Speaking at his Florida resort, he said that there's never been an event so beautiful as his

Trump's campaign faces backlash for racist jokes, anti-immigration push

Donald Trump's rally at Madison Square Garden criticised for harsh anti-immigrant push, racist jokes, misogyny, and fear-mongering a week ahead of US polls

Demonstrators beat PM Modi's effigy outside NY court on Pannu row

Demonstrators who blame the Indian government for a murder-for-hire scheme targeting a prominent Sikh separatist leader living in New York City beat an effigy of the country's prime minister outside a Manhattan courthouse on Friday after a hearing for a man charged in the foiled plot. The demonstration by more than a dozen Sikhs came one day after a rewritten indictment in the case charged an Indian government employee in connection with the foiled plan. The India-based employee, Vikash Yadav, remains at large. Across the street from the courthouse, the demonstrators put a shackled effigy of Prime Minister Narendra Modi inside a makeshift jail cell. Another cardboard likeness of Modi was pounded in the face and kicked around on the sidewalk. Nikhil Gupta, who has previously charged, pleaded not guilty during the hearing, which alleges that Yadav recruited Gupta to orchestrate the assassination. Gupta, 53, has been held without bail since he was extradited to the United States in Ju

Air India Mumbai-New York flight diverted to Delhi after bomb threat

A New York-bound Air India plane carrying 239 passengers from Mumbai was diverted to the national capital early morning on Monday due to a bomb threat, according to officials. Police said following standard security protocols, a thorough inspection was conducted and no suspicious item was found inside the aircraft. "Flight AI 119 operating from Mumbai to JFK on October 14 received a specific security alert and on instructions of the government's security regulatory committee, (it) was diverted to Delhi," Air India said in a statement. "Staff on ground are working to minimise the inconvenience caused to our guests by this unexpected disruption, it said. All 258 people onboard the aircraft have disembarked and are currently undergoing security procedures. Once the security protocols are completed, the passengers will be moved to hotels, it added. There were 239 passengers and 19 crew members onboard the plane. The flight has been rescheduled and will now depart for New York from De