New York has long called itself the first city of banking, fashion, advertising, publishing and the arts. It also may become the leader in a field no city wants to claim: The largest number of residents leaving for a better life elsewhere. High taxes, poor public schools, crumbling infrastructure and an anti-business climate underscored by Amazon's decision in February not to locate its second headquarters in the city after strong political opposition, have combined to create an atmosphere where a growing number of residents, though small, are leaving for lower-cost states, including Florida, Texas and North Carolina, according to the US Census Bureau. Between July 2017 and July 2018, 180,306 people left New York state while 131,746 people moved in－a net loss of 48,560, the largest loss of any state in the United States, according to the agency. In New York City, an estimated 277 people leave each day, more than double the estimated 132 who left each day a year ago, Bloomberg … [Read more...] about Dwellers fleeing New York due to high cost
New york population by year
50 years on, New York police apologise for Stonewall riots
NEW YORK: New York's police chief apologised on Thursday (Jun 6) for the first time for a crackdown on the city's gay community during the notorious Stonewall riots, winning praise from LGBTQ activists ahead of the 50th anniversary of violence considered to have given rise to the Gay Pride movement."I do know what happened should not have happened," said police chief James O'Neill. "The actions taken by the NYPD were wrong, plain and simple. The actions were discriminatory and oppressive and for that I apologise."The June 1969 riots, sparked by repeated police raids on the Stonewall Inn - a well-known gay bar in New York's Greenwich Village - proved to be a turning point in the LGBTQ community's struggle for civil rights.The police chief made the comments during a briefing on safety measures for the city's Pride Month, the annual celebration for the city's diverse LGBTQ community. His remarks triggered a long round of applause.In 2017, O'Neil, like his predecessor … [Read more...] about 50 years on, New York police apologise for Stonewall riots
News Rats are taking over New York City
NEW YORK — So many rats regularly lurk on a sidewalk in Brooklyn that it is the humans who avoid the rats, not the other way around. Not even cars are safe: Rats have chewed clean through engine wires. A Manhattan avenue lined with trendy restaurants has become a destination for foodies — and rats who help themselves to their leftovers. Tenants at a public housing complex in the South Bronx worry about tripping over rats that routinely run over their feet. New York has always been forced to coexist with the four-legged vermin, but the infestation has expanded exponentially in recent years, spreading to just about every corner of the city. “I’m a former Marine so I’m not going to be squeamish, but this is bad,” said Pablo Herrera, a 58-year-old mechanic who has counted up to 30 rats while walking on his block in Prospect Heights, just around the corner from the stately Brooklyn Museum. Rat sightings reported to the city’s 311 hotline have soared … [Read more...] about News Rats are taking over New York City
Fears of new jihadist ‘academies’ as Iraqi jails fill up
BAGHDAD: As Iraq tries thousands of locals and foreigners accused of joining the Islamic State group, experts warn its jails could once again become “academies” for jihadists. Prison was a pivotal moment for many prominent jihadists – not least of them Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, IS’s Iraqi supremo who remains at large despite the collapse of his “caliphate” in March. Baghdadi was held in Camp Bucca, a sprawling US-run complex in the southern Iraqi desert, where he is thought to have essentially “come of age” as a jihadist leader. “For many members of such groups, prison was one of multiple ‘stages’ of jihad,“ said Hisham al-Hashemi, an expert in Iraqi jihadist movements. They ran their own religious studies courses and even planned attacks on civilians or ordered assassinations of security forces from within the prison walls. “The cells become the equivalent of academies – even if there’s just one … [Read more...] about Fears of new jihadist ‘academies’ as Iraqi jails fill up
Jokowi’s call for new capital sparks lively response on Facebook
President Joko Widodo's social media post calling for public views on his plan to relocate Indonesia's capital away from Java island drew more than 25,000 comments on Facebook within an hour yesterday. Some netizens, understandably, recommended their own hometowns - from Ambon and Batam to even far-flung Papua. But the place that came up repeatedly was Kalimantan, Indonesia's side of the massive Borneo island. This was not a surprise since Indonesia's founding president Sukarno had once considered making Palangkaraya, in Central Kalimantan province, the country's administrative centre. Netizen Tommy Wijaya, who lives in Medan, North Sumatra, said Central Kalimantan is "most suitable", given its land area, population, lower potential for natural and artificial disasters, as well as defence and security factors. "Agreed, Palangkaraya," posted Muza Ahmad, a resident of Lamongan, East Java. "So far, there have been no earthquakes and floods." While a new location for the capital has yet to … [Read more...] about Jokowi’s call for new capital sparks lively response on Facebook