Detroit goes to court to declare bankruptcy

The city of Detroit has gone to court in an attempt to be declared bankrupt, despite protests from workers and pension funds.

The case will be an inquest on what Michigan’s governor Rick Snyder has called decades of ruinous financial decisions in the once-booming industrial hub, combined with an exodus of people – the population has dropped to 700,000 from 1.8 million – and other social and economic factors.