R Kelly accuser describes physical abuse from singer when she was 16

Jerhonda Pace, first witness at the R Kelly sex-trafficking trial, says the singer ‘slapped me and he choked me until I passed out’

A key accuser at the R Kelly sex-trafficking trial returned to the witness stand on Thursday, saying he often videotaped their sexual encounters and demanded she dress like a Girl Scout during a relationship that began when she was a minor.

Jerhonda Pace resumed her testimony in Brooklyn federal court a day after telling jurors she was a 16-year-old virgin and a member of Kelly’s fan club when he invited her to his mansion in 2009.

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Former model Carré Sutton sues Gérald Marie over rape accusation

Lawsuit, filed in Manhattan federal court, says Sutton was ‘trafficked’ by ex-Elite Model boss to ‘wealthy men across Europe’

Ex-model Carré Sutton has filed a lawsuit alleging that Gérald Marie, the French former modeling agency boss, repeatedly raped her at his Paris apartment when she was just 17 years old.

The lawsuit, filed on Thursday in Manhattan federal court, also maintains that Sutton was “trafficked by Marie to other wealthy men around Europe”.

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Andrew Cuomo resigns in wake of damning report on sexual harassment

New York governor announced that he was stepping aside and said his resignation will be effective in 14 days

The New York governor, Andrew Cuomo, has resigned following an investigation by the state attorney general that found he sexually harassed multiple women, most of whom worked for him, and also retaliated after some made complaints.

The governor made a public announcement on Tuesday morning that he was stepping aside and said his resignation will be effective in 14 days.

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Andrew Cuomo resigns after sexual harassment allegations – video

The New York governor, Andrew Cuomo, has resigned after an investigation by the state attorney general that found he sexually harassed multiple women, most of whom worked for him, and also retaliated after some made complaints. The Democratic governor had lost the support of the party establishment, with Joe Biden calling on Cuomo to resign and similar demands issued by House speaker Nancy Pelosi

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Time’s Up leader resigns after criticism for aiding Cuomo administration on sexual harassment allegations

Roberta Kaplan is latest prominent figure to quit in wake of scandal engulfing Cuomo

Roberta Kaplan has resigned as chairwoman of Time’s Up after facing widespread criticism for allegedly advising New York governor Andrew Cuomo’s administration on sexual harassment allegations against him.

Kaplan, a prominent lawyer who founded Time’s Up legal defense fund and represents the writer E Jean Carroll in a defamation lawsuit against Donald Trump, resigned on Monday, becoming the latest prominent figure to quit in the wake of the scandal engulfing Cuomo.

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Aide who accused Cuomo of groping says: ‘What he did to me was a crime’

Brittany Commisso, a former aide, identified herself publicly and is one of 11 women who have accused Cuomo of sexual harassment

A former executive assistant who filed a criminal complaint against New York governor Andrew Cuomo last week for allegedly groping her has said he “needs to be held accountable”.

Brittany Commisso is one of 11 women Cuomo is accused of sexually harassing, according to a devastating investigative report released by the state attorney general’s office last week.

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How Cuomo went from #MeToo ally to a one-man battle to discredit women

The New York governor’s self-defense follows the playbook of powerful men accused of sexual misconduct – but it’s shocking given his history of advocacy

On 12 August, 2019 Andrew Cuomo, the governor of New York, held a glitzy bill ceremony in his executive mansion in Albany to mark the signing into law of new legislation designed to beef up sexual harassment protections for women in the workplace.

With a flourish of a pen, Cuomo sought to seal his reputation within the Democratic party as a champion of gender-based rights.

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Majority of NY assembly members support impeaching Cuomo if he doesn’t resign – live

The Mexican government has launched legal action against US gunmakers in an unprecedented attempt to halt the flow of guns across the border, where US-made weapons are routinely used in cartel gun-battles, terror attacks on civilians – and increasingly to challenge the state itself.

The Mexican government is suing six gunmakers in a Massachusetts court, alleging negligence in their failure to control their distributors and that the illegal market in Mexico “has been their economic lifeblood”.

Related: Mexico sues US gunmakers in unprecedented bid to stop weapons crossing border

AP in Washington:

The state department has said that it is looking into the apparent disappearance of a nearly $6,000 bottle of whisky given more than two years ago to then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo by the government of Japan.

In a notice filed in the federal register, the department said it could find no trace of the bottle’s whereabouts and that there is an “ongoing inquiry” into what happened to the booze. The department reported the investigation in its annual accounting of gifts given to senior US officials by foreign governments and leaders.

Related: $5,800 whisky bottle given to Pompeo as gift missing, state department says

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Andrew Cuomo tries to battle on as demands pour in for him to quit

  • New York governor found to have sexually harassed 11 women
  • Support crumbles as state impeachment cogs begin to turn

Andrew Cuomo, the governor of New York who was found by the state’s top prosecutor to have violated the law by sexually harassing 11 women, continued to brave the storm on Wednesday while political support crumbled around him and moves for impeachment gathered pace.

The third-term Democratic governor – the longest-serving chief executive of any state in the nation – showed no sign of capitulating in the face of almost universal calls for his resignation from the Democratic establishment after the state’s top prosecutor released the results of the five-month investigation this week. Demands for him to stand aside poured in from individuals and institutions that had formed the bedrock of his empire.

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Andrew Cuomo teeters on the edge of a spectacular fall from grace

Months ago Cuomo was depicted by the media as ‘America’s governor’ – now another side to him that was an open secret in Albany has been officially recognized

In 2018, as Andrew Cuomo was in the thick of a re-election battle against the Sex and the City star Cynthia Nixon, he vowed that he would complete a third term as governor of New York state unless “God strikes me dead”.

It may take less than the creator to put an end to the political career of the pugnacious Democrat. With the sexual harassment accusations of 11 women corroborated by an official inquiry from New York’s top prosecutor, and with potential impeachment proceedings looming, Cuomo is teetering on the edge of a spectacular fall from grace.

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Biden calls on Andrew Cuomo to resign after sexual harassment report – video

Joe Biden has called on Andrew Cuomo on Tuesday to resign after a report found he sexually harassed 11 women. New York’s attorney general Letitia James unveiled the results of an investigation that showed the governor engaged in unwanted groping, kissing and hugging and made inappropriate comments to multiple women

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Cuomo denies sexual harassment claims in New York attorney general report – video

The governor of New York state, Andrew Cuomo, faced demands to resign on Tuesday after an investigation found he sexually harassed 11 women. An explosive 165-page report released by the state attorney general, Letitia James, delivered a mountain of damning and often graphic evidence that Cuomo created a 'climate of fear' in a 'toxic' workplace and violated federal and state civil laws. But the governor released a defiant video address, insisting that 'I never touched anyone inappropriately or made inappropriate sexual advances' and making clear he still has no intention of stepping down

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New York sculpture Vessel faces calls for closure after fourth jump death

  • Boy, 14, died after jumping from 150ft midtown structure
  • Site closed in January after two deaths and reopened in May

The Hudson Yards development in midtown Manhattan is facing calls to dismantle the Vessel, its huge sculptural centrepiece, after a fourth person in less than two years jumped from the 150ft structure.

Related: 'We never thought it would happen': Thomas Heatherwick's $200m gamble

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US standup comedian Jackie Mason dies in New York aged 93

Mason, who was a rabbi before turning to comedy, was known for his sharp wit and piercing social commentary

Jackie Mason, a rabbi-turned-comedian whose feisty brand of standup comedy led him to Catskills nightclubs, west coast talk shows and Broadway stages, has died. He was 93.

Mason died on Saturday at 6pm local time in Mount Sinai hospital in Manhattan after being in hospital for more than two weeks, the celebrity lawyer Raoul Felder said.

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New York air quality among worst in world as haze from western wildfires shrouds city

Smoke from wildfires in the west caused hazy skies as air quality index surged to 157 in Manhattan, well above threshold of 100

New York City air quality was among the worst in the world as cities across the eastern US were shrouded in smoke from wildfires raging several thousand miles away on the country’s west coast.

State officials in New York advised vulnerable people, such as those with asthma and heart disease, to avoid strenuous outdoor activity as air pollution soared to eclipse Lima in Peru and Kolkata in India to be ranked as the worst in the world on Tuesday.

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Aerial shots of New York show hazy skies from western US wildfires – video

New York officials have told vulnerable people to stay indoors because of sooty air pollution from wildfires in western US states that have drifted across the country. Residents of New York City, 2,000 miles away from the blazes, witnessed a fiery sunrise on Tuesday. The Bootleg fire in Oregon has become so large and hot it is creating its own weather system, causing winds that have further fanned its flames

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New York City hit by extreme weather, flooding subways and streets – video

The US east coast was hit by extreme weather on Thursday as heavy thunderstorms brought flooding and travel disruption to New York City. The city witnessed dramatic scenes as subway stations were inundated by water due to heavy rainstorms ahead of the arrival of Tropical Storm Elsa

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Hail, tornadoes and flooded New York subways as stormy weather hits east coast

Rainstorms drenched New York while Tropical Storm Elsa sparked tornadoes in North Carolina and Virginia

The US east coast was battered by extreme weather on Thursday as heavy thunderstorms brought flooding and travel disruption to the New York City area, while Tropical Storm Elsa dumped heavy rainfall and even sparked tornadoes in North Carolina and Georgia.

Some subway system ya got there. This is the 157th St. 1 line right now. @NYCMayor @BilldeBlasio pic.twitter.com/xyfTAUPPNu

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The fight to save one of America’s last lesbian bars: ‘We’re like an endangered species’

There are only 21 lesbian bars remaining in the US – a vertiginous drop from 200 in the 1980s. The much-loved Cubbyhole is one of them

Everyone at the Cubbyhole has an origin story.

Mona Williams was 21, queer, and had been kicked out by their family when they first arrived at the quaint little lesbian bar on a street corner in New York’s West Village. They had Googled “lesbian bars in New York” and found themselves outside the bar a few hours later, alone and not knowing what to expect.

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Ex-police captain Eric Adams wins Democratic primary for New York mayor

Adams, who tacked to center in large field of candidates, is expected to win in general election

Eric Adams, a former police captain, has won the Democratic primary for mayor of New York City after appealing to the political center and promising to strike the right balance between fighting crime and ending racial injustice in policing.

Adams would be the city’s second Black mayor if elected. He triumphed over a large field in New York’s first major race to use ranked-choice voting.

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