Fourth of July: As the US celebrates Independence Day, a look at the stories that made news over the past 12 months
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Version 0 of 1. Marker points call for reflection. Every Fourth of July, millions of Americans flood the roads and fill the skies. They either make their way home to their families or else escape their routines, to celebrate the nation’s birth. Few dates in the calendar - if any - have such significance. But what to think when looking back over the last 12 months, and how did it compare to the previous 12? America's news happened at home and abroad. Some of its relevance was immediately obvious. Sometimes it resonated only more slowly. At times, the news was dominated by darkness, by the same recurring issues and problems the nation might wished to have confronted and dealt with 50 years ago. But elsewhere, people were given cause for hope and optisim. These are some of the stories that played out over the past year. What will the next 12 months bring? Eric Garner On July 17, Eric Garner, a black 43-year-old father-of-six died on New York's Staten Island, after being placed in a chokehold by police officers. His death and and the subsequent decision not to charge the officer sparked natiowide protests and would presage other cases that raised concerns about the way some police officers dealt with minority suspects. Michael Brown Perhaps the most resonating of those cases happened on August 9, when unarmed black teenager Michael was shot and killed by a white police officer in Ferguson, Missouri. His death sparked clashes with police and a federal probe of the Ferguson police force. Air strikes against Isis in Iraq and Syria On August 8, it was reported that US warplanes had begun bombing Islamic militant targets outside the Kurdish city of Irbil. It was the first offensive action by the US in Iraq since it withdrew ground troops in 2011. With concerns about the spread of Isis growing - perhaps most shockingly highlighted by a series of barbarities - the US would expand its operations to targets in Syria the following month. End of combat operations in Afghanistan As the US and other countries became more entangled in the Middle East and of dealing with Isis, on October 28, the US, UK and Australia officially ended combat operations in Afghanistan - 13 years after the invasion to topple the Taliban and pursue al-Qaeda. Cuba On December 17, it was announced that the US and Cuba had agreed a prisoner swap. It soon became clear the deal was part of an historic breakthrough in efforts to normalise relations between the two nations for the first time in 50 years. In a announcement that a year ago would have seemed impossible, the two countries this week said they were reestablishing full diplomatic relations. Relations with Israel Relations between the US and Israel and the US - always more testy during the presidency of Barack Obama - soured further. The reason was personal animosity between Obama and Benjamin Netanyahu, US anger over Mr Netanyahu's comments that he would never allow a two state solution, and Israel's opposition to US efforts to broker a nuclear deal with Iran. The toxicity was underscored by a speech the Israeli leader delivered in early March before the joint houses of Congress that condemned the US policy. Freddie Gray The death of Freddie, a 25-year-old black man who died after being detained by police in Baltimore in April triggered outcry, peaceful protests and eventually sporadic rioting. His name was quickly added to the litany of cases of black suspects to die at the hands of the police. Yet, in the case of Mr Gray, some things were different, not least the fact that six officers were charged with his death - one of them with murder. A trial date is set for October. Charleston The name of Freddie Gray was frequently on the lips of those who spoke in the aftermath of the shooting dead of nine black church members during bible studies in Charleston. Why was their community now being targeted, people wanted to know. Why was their church now making headlines? A 21-year-old white supremacist called Dylann Roof has been charged with nine counts of murder. (In the aftermath of the shooting, a movement against the Confederate flag gathered pace.) Obamacare The Affordable Care Act, better known as Obamacare, was at the centre of the president's agenda and it had come under fire from conservatives and government critics. In June, in what would mark the beginning of several very golden weeks for Mr Obama, when his ratings rose to 50 per cent for the first time in two years, the Supreme Court ruled 6-3 to save the tax subsidies integral to the bill. Same-sex marriage Just days after the Obamcare ruling, the news focus was back again at the Supreme Court where by the narrowest of margins, the court ruled to make same-sex marriage legal in all 50 states. The court's largest expansion of marriage rights in at least 40 years was met with widespread elation, and some anger. Misty Copeland In all its 75-year history, the American Ballet Theater had never had a black female principal. Misty Copeland, a 32-year-old dancer from Missouri, had spent 12 years with the organisation until on June 30 she was promoted to the position. "I wanted to open the dialogue about race in ballet and bring more people in," she said. |