Tweet New York has extended its ban on smoking to include parks and beaches, giving it some of the strictest rules on lighting up in the world. Residents and tourists alike face fines of up to $100 (£62) if they smoke in any of the city’s 1,700 parks – including Central Park – and along its 14 miles of coastline. The ban also covers public plazas such as Times Square. New York mayor Michael Bloomberg banned smoking in bars and restaurants ... Jump to full article >>

Tweet The real test of any mayor is how well the city works. In his eight years in office, Mayor Michael Bloomberg has managed to make the unpredictable city of New York work astonishingly well. Mr. Bloomberg has been a first-rate steady hand during unsteady times. He guided the city out of the post-9/11 recession, then tucked away money during the boom years that followed. That foresight has helped New Yorkers weather one of the worst economic d ... Jump to full article >>