Sombre US President urges Americans to understand the trauma of the trial through the perspective of an African-American person

The mother of Trayvon Martin, the unarmed black teenager who was shot dead in Florida last year by volunteer neighbourhood-watch member George Zimmerman, has said she was “stunned” and felt “disgust” when a jury found her son’s killer not guilty.

America’s top law enforcement official has condemned the “Stand Your Ground” laws spotlighted by the death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin and the subsequent trial of his killer, George Zimmerman.

‘Stand Your Ground’ legislation provides a defence that is  difficult to overcome

Zimmerman, then 28, shot and killed the 17-year-old Martin on the evening of 26 February

The neighbourhood watch volunteer is accused of second degree murder for shooting an unarmed teenager

Frenchwoman, making her 47th Grand Slam appearance, wins the battle of nerves to claim victory over her German opponent

Girl received running account of events starting, she says, when Mr Martin noticed Zimmerman watching him in the gated central Florida community

Former neighbourhood watchman accused of killing black teenager ‘because he wanted to’

After their unprecedented depredations at the Cheltenham Festival, the Irish plundered the first four races in Britain's equivalent carnival for Flat racing. Chauvinism aside, however, the deeper gains were perhaps made by those superpowers discreetly manoeuvring for supremacy in the global bloodstock market.

Out of America: One of Hispanic America's great heroes, soon to get a Hollywood biopic, was no friend to illegals

Even a gem needs a bit of a polish

A Florida woman who let another customer move into a queue in front of her, thereby missing out on lottery numbers that went on to win a $590.5m (£379m) jackpot, has said she has no hard feelings.

Tropical Storm Andrea took aim at Florida's northern Gulf Coast today and was forecast to cut across Georgia and up the US Atlantic coast, the US National Hurricane Center said.