While other cities in Europe and the United States have already taken similar steps, New York hailed its move as significant as it is the biggest metropolis in the country. The city suffered billions of dollars of damage in Hurricane Sandy.New York's US$189 billion pension fund - held for city employees such as police officers, teachers and firefighters - currently has around US$5 billion in securities of more than 190 fossil fuel companies, officials said.Mayor Bill de Blasio said staff will instruct fund trustees to start analysing ways to divest responsibly from fossil fuel over the next five years, in a process that officials warned would not be easy and that would take time."New York City is standing up for future generations by becoming the first major US city to divest our pension funds from fossil fuels," de Blasio.US President Donald Trump inflamed the world last year by announcing that the United States would withdraw from the Paris climate accord, setting off a … [Read more...] about New York unveils plans for fossil fuel divestment
Medical malpractice new york city
12 dead, including an infant, and 4 others critically injured in New York City apartment fire
After a local television reporter previously cited a spokesman for Mayor Bill de Blasio as saying that at least six people were dead in the fire, the spokesman responded on Twitter. “Will be more. Horrible,” the spokesman, Eric Phillips, said, adding that the fire commissioner and mayor were en route to the scene.Few official details of the blaze were immediately available. WABC-TV, the New York affiliate of the ABC television network, said the fire erupted shortly before 7 p.m. on the third floor of a five-story building.The New York City Fire Department said on its Twitter account that 15 serious injuries to civilians were reported in the four-alarm blaze and that more than 160 firefighters were on the scene.City police officer Tiffany Phillips added by telephone that there were an unknown number of fatalities. She said the blaze erupted in a “multiple-dwelling building.”A photograph posted on Twitter by the fire department showed two fire trucks with two … [Read more...] about 12 dead, including an infant, and 4 others critically injured in New York City apartment fire
California’s Thomas Fire scorches area larger than New York City
The most destructive wildfire raging in southern California has expanded significantly, scorching an area larger than New York City.The Thomas fire in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties has consumed 230,000 acres in the past week.Fanned by strong winds, it has become the fifth largest wildfire in recorded state history after it grew by more than 50,000 acres in a day.Residents in coastal beach communities have been ordered to leave.On Sunday, firefighters reported that 15% of the blaze had been contained but were forced to downgrade that to 10% as it continued to spread."This is a menacing fire, certainly, but we have a lot of people working very diligently to bring it under control," Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown said.The other fires hitting California are largely controlled, but 200,000 people have evacuated their homes and hundreds of buildings have been destroyed since 4 December.Evacuation orders were issued overnight on Sunday for parts of Carpinteria close to Los … [Read more...] about California’s Thomas Fire scorches area larger than New York City
HCM City attends Global Partners Summit in New York
The annual summit discussed the role of global cities in promoting business innovation, entrepreneurship, and job growth, as well as optimal solutions for trading and creating jobs in an increasingly competitive global environment. It also encouraged cities to learn from each other's experiences to promote economic development, creativity and cultural diversification.The first summit was held in New York City in 2003, with ten subsequent annual summits on developing international tourism, dealing with the challenges of tourism, crime, and sustainable development, strategies for public arts, as well as city management in a democratic society, the role of cities in dealing with climate change, generating jobs, developing labour forces, medical policies, and education.At this year’s meeting, themed “Business Innovation”, city mayors discussed issues related to economic reform in the 21st century and creating private-public partnerships (PPPs) to promote trade and … [Read more...] about HCM City attends Global Partners Summit in New York
Son Doong wins ‘The New York City Drone Film’ award
A documentary film of Son Doong Cave in Viet Nam’s central Quang Binh province has earned the News & Documentary award at The New York City Drone Film festival March 5-6 in New York, according to the festival’s official fanpage. Son Doong Cave The event of its kind, first held in 2015, drew 150 entries from 19 countries. The documentary film of Son Doong Cave made by ABC in April 2015 was live broadcast at Good Morning America program on May 13, 2015. Award information is regularly updated on the festival’s fanpage and social networks by the film crew members such as a photographer Romeo Durscher. … [Read more...] about Son Doong wins ‘The New York City Drone Film’ award
New York City shaken by ‘intentional’ explosion, 29 injured
An explosion rocked the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan and caused multiple injuries on Saturday evening. An explosion rocked the bustling Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan on Saturday night, injuring at least 29 people, and authorities said they were investigating the blast as a criminal act not immediately linked to any terror organization. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and other city officials said investigators had ruled out a natural gas leak as the origin of the blast, but they stopped short of calling it a bombing and declined to specify precisely what they believed may have triggered the explosion. Police said a sweep of the neighborhood following the blast turned up a possible "secondary device" a short distance away. CNN, citing law enforcement sources, reported that it appeared to be a pressure cooker with wires attached to it and connected to what resembled a cell phone. A piece of paper with writing on it was found nearby, according to CNN's account. Remaining … [Read more...] about New York City shaken by ‘intentional’ explosion, 29 injured
New York City bans sale of cigarettes to under 21s
New York City voted Wednesday to banthe sale of cigarettes, e-cigarettes and tobacco to anyone under the ageof 21, raising the previous threshold of 18. Having pioneeredyears of stringent anti-smoking laws, the city of 8.5 million becomesthe largest metropolis to raise the age limit for buying cigarettes sohigh. The US federal age requirement for buying cigarettes is 18,which some states previously raised to 19 and in some, smallercommunities to 21. A spokeswoman for New York City council said the proposal was approved by 35 votes to 10. MayorMichael Bloomberg, who has to sign the resolution into law, immediatelywelcomed what he called a key step towards preventing young people fromlighting up. "Tobacco dependence can begin very soon after ayoung person first tries smoking so it's critical that we stop youngpeople from smoking before they ever start. "By increasing thesmoking age to 21 we will help prevent another generation from the illhealth and shorter life expectancy that … [Read more...] about New York City bans sale of cigarettes to under 21s
Shopee’s parent Company Sea listed on New York City Stock Exchange
Shopee Vietnam on Tuesday announced that its parent company, Sea Limited (Sea), made its initial public offering on the New York City Stock Exchange.The company is the first internet business from greater Southeast Asia to become listed on the New York City Stock Exchange.This is a significant milestone for Sea Limited and its businesses, including Shopee, the company said.Chris Feng, CEO of Shopee, said: “The listing day is a big day for the Sea group, including Shopee. As we embark on this new journey, we are excited about the opportunities it will present for our business and employees, and most importantly, our customers.“Our home market is an exciting region, with one of the largest millennial populations in the world, and GDP growing twice as fast as in the US. Internet and smartphone penetration is still low compared to the US and China, and we are confident in its continued growth and the tremendous potential this presents across our seven markets, namely Indonesia, … [Read more...] about Shopee’s parent Company Sea listed on New York City Stock Exchange
New York City launches bike share service
A man returns his Citi Bike bicycle to a station near Union Square in New York. About 330 stations NEW YORK: Ten months behind schedule, New York City on Monday launched what aims to be one of the world's biggest bike share programs, following in the path already taken by Paris, Montreal, London and Barcelona. New Yorkers will now be able to move around on the 6,000 blue "Citi Bikes" distributed among 333 stations in Manhattan and Brooklyn -- the first phase of a network that is supposed to grow to 10,000 bikes at 600 stations. Light traffic because of the Memorial Day holiday made for ideal conditions to try out the new subscription-based service on quiet city streets. Organizers said that as of 5:00 pm (2100 GMT), more than 6,000 separate trips had been made, with riders travelling a total of 13,750 miles (22,000 kilometres). About 14,000 New Yorkers have paid an annual $103 fee entitling them to unlimited rides of 45 minutes. Daily and weekly plans will be available as well from … [Read more...] about New York City launches bike share service
New York City mayor begins working visit
HA NOI — Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung received Mayor of New York City Michael Bloomberg in the capital yesterday as part of his working visit to Viet Nam. PM Dung said there have been remarkable developments in Viet Nam-US relations recently, especially in the fields of trade, investment, education and training, culture, and coping with climate change. Two-way trade turnover has increased steadily, reaching US$21 billion in 2011, while the US ranked sixth among countries investing in Viet Nam. Dung thanked Bloomberg for his charitable programmes and the initiative to provide helmets for Vietnamese children, saying he hoped Bloomberg's visit would contribute to strengthening Viet Nam-US co-operation. The PM spoke highly of Bloomberg news for its objective stories on Viet Nam's economy, thus helping the world understand the country's development more clearly. He hoped the US government and New York authorities would continue to create favourable conditions for the … [Read more...] about New York City mayor begins working visit