San Francisco: Opening the Gate

For all the fabled glamour of its topless towers and clanking cable cars, San Francisco is a city of anguished minorities. They range from the black ghetto of Hunters Point, scarred by riot in 1966, to the hippie enclave of Haight-Ashbury, from the convoluted alleys of Chinatown to the psychedelic strip-and-clip joints of North Beach, encompassing en route labor unions, symphony lovers and Mayor Joseph L

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Race Relations: Ghana’s Foreign Chiefs

In 1680 in the forests of central and southern Ghana, the high priest to King Osei Tutu I called down a golden stool from the heavens and gave Tutu the divine foundation on which he would build the mighty Ashanti Empire. The Ashanti combined strength in war — conquering lands from what is now Ivory Coast in the west to Togo in the east and defeating British colonizers several times — with skill in art, particularly sculpture and cloth

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At Least 120 Dead in Burma Earthquake

Aid workers said Friday that at least 120 people were killed by the magnitude 6.8 earthquake that hit Thursday, rattling high-rises in Bangkok and sending people streaming into the streets of Hanoi. Details of the disaster were slowly seeping out from Shan State in northeastern Burma, a relatively remote region near the border with Laos and Thailand in the heart of the area known as the Golden Triangle.

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Serena sent crashing by Russian Petrova

World number one-elect Serena Williams has crashed out of the China Open, beaten in three sets by Russian Nadia Petrova just two days after reclaiming the top position. Second seed Williams battled back several times but was unable to overcome the 13th seed, who reached the quarterfinals 6-4 3-6 7-6 in Beijing

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Bolt wins again as Isinbayeva sets new record

Sprint king Usain Bolt overcame a slow start to beat fellow-Jamaican Asafa Powell in the 100 meters at the Golden League meeting in Zurich, while Olympic pole vault champion Yelena Isinbayeva banished her Berlin World Championships blues by setting a new world record of 5.06 metres. Bolt, who set new world records in both the 100m and 200m in the German capital, was trailing Powell with 25 meters to go before switching on the afterburners to ensure victory in a time of 9.81 seconds, with Powell 0.07 seconds behind.

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Election Unlikely to Ease California’s Budget Crisis

Another moment of truth has arrived for California. Back in February, the budget deal crafted by Arnold Schwarzenegger and the state legislature temporarily kept the Golden State financially solvent. In Tuesday’s special election, the electorate must choose among a range of propositions aimed at solidifying that compromise and helping shore up California’s shaky finances

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