US

A single ticketholder has won an estimated $1.35bn dollars (£1.1bn) in the US Mega Millions lottery. After three months of draws which failed to produce a winner, the winning numbers were finally announced on Friday. They were: 30, 43, 45, 46, 61 and gold Mega Ball 14. The jackpot was won in the state of

An escaped clouded leopard which forced the biggest zoo in Texas to close has been found several hours after it went missing. Nova was located not far from her enclosure at Dallas Zoo after an extensive search involving police. “Initial indications are she is not injured,” the zoo said in a statement. “She is being

At least nine people, including a five-year-old child, have been killed in the US after dozens of tornadoes struck the southern states of Alabama and Georgia. Rescue teams are working to clear debris and find any survivors across 14 counties in the two states, with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) reporting at least 35

Donald Trump’s company has been fined $1.6m (£1.3m) after top bosses at the firm dodged taxes. A judge could only impose a fine on the Trump Organization after its conviction last month for 17 tax crimes, including conspiracy and falsifying business records. Mr Trump himself was not on trial and denied any knowledge of his

At least six people have died in Alabama and one in Georgia as a powerful storm sweeps through the southern US, spurring a large tornado which damaged dozens of homes. Six of the deaths were reported in the Old Kingston community of Autauga County, spanning several properties. At least 12 people have been taken to

An additional batch of classified documents have been discovered by aides to President Joe Biden. The papers were found in a location separate from the Washington office he used after leaving the Obama administration, NBC News reported, citing a source familiar with the matter. It comes after the White House said on Monday that the

American football player Damar Hamlin, who collapsed and suffered a cardiac arrest during a game last week, has been released from hospital in Buffalo. Hamlin‘s heart had to be restarted twice after he suddenly fell to the ground during the match against the Cincinnati Bengals on 2 January. For almost a week, doctors listed his

A corrupted file has been blamed for a glitch on the Federal Aviation Administration’s computer system which saw every flight grounded across the US. All outbound flights were grounded until around 9am Eastern Time (2pm GMT) on Wednesday as the FAA worked to restore its Notice to Air Missions (NOTAM) system, which alerts pilots of

Sinkholes have swallowed cars as powerful storms batter California – with floodwaters engulfing towns and killing at least 17 people. Two motorists had to be rescued after falling into the sinkhole on a street in Los Angeles, leaving them trapped in their vehicles. Back-to-back storms have wreaked havoc in the US state since 26 December

A six-year-old pupil who shot his teacher used a gun that belonged to his mother and was legally owned, police have said. Authorities said there was no fight or physical struggle before the boy opened fire on Abby Zwerner as she taught a lesson at a school in the US state of Virginia. Police chief

The entire community of Montecito and surrounding canyons have been ordered to evacuate after California was hit by severe storms. The evacuation order, affecting about 10,000 people, came on the fifth anniversary of a mudslide that killed 23 and destroyed more than 100 homes in the coastal enclave. Montecito is home to a host of

The US president Joe Biden has declared an emergency in California after the state was hit by severe winter weather. There were thunderstorms, snow and powerful winds in California on Sunday, with the National Weather Service warning of a “relentless parade of atmospheric rivers” – storms consisting of long plumes of moisture stretching out into

A former American defence intelligence analyst, who became a Cold War-era double agent and spied for Cuba, has been freed from jail. The Federal Bureau of Prisons website shows 65-year-old Ana Montes was released after 20 years of a quarter-of-a century sentence. During her time as an analyst, she admitted revealing the identities of four

NFL star Damar Hamlin has thanked fans for their support after he suffered a dramatic cardiac arrest mid-game. Hamlin‘s heart had to be re-started twice after he suddenly fell to the ground and went into cardiac arrest during a game last Monday night against the Cincinnati Bengals. Medical staff rushed on to the field and

Teacher Abby Zwerner, who was shot by a six-year-old pupil in the US, is ‘showing signs of improvement’. Ms Zwerner, in her 30s, was left critically injured after being shot in class by the boy during an altercation on Friday – and it was not accidental, according to police. Phillip Jones, the mayor of the

Republican Kevin McCarthy has narrowly lost the fourteenth vote to become Speaker of the US House of Representatives after a tense exchange in Congress. The House decided to hold a 15th vote immediately after, instead of adjourning for the night. Mr McCarthy’s party had taken control of the House – the US lower chamber –

Republican Kevin McCarthy has been elected as the new US Speaker after winning the 15th vote as tensions boiled over in Congress. Mr McCarthy’s party had taken control of the House – the US lower chamber – following the midterm elections in the autumn, with a slim 222-212 majority. Usually, election of the Speaker follows

The US House of Representatives has adjourned after failing to vote for a new speaker for the 11th time. Republican Party leader Kevin McCarthy has failed in every round to secure the 218 votes needed to win, and the House will now carry out a 12th round of voting at noon on Friday. The loss

Nations and political systems differ greatly but it is difficult not to see parallels between what is happening now in the US Republican party and the recent history of the UK Conservative party. There is a brutal tussle under way over the direction which should be taken by Anglophone conservatism, as embodied a generation past

The NFL player who suffered a cardiac arrest during a game “has shown remarkable improvement over the past 24 hours”, Buffalo Bills have said. In a statement, they said Damar Hamlin, 24, was still “critically ill” but “has demonstrated that he appears to be neurologically intact”. “Per the physicians caring for Damar Hamlin at the

The US House of Representatives has adjourned after six votes over two days failed to produce a new speaker. The lower house must elect a new leader after the Republicans took control of it in the midterm elections in November, securing a slim 222-212 majority. In a second day of voting on Wednesday, representatives failed

The man suspected of stabbing to death four university students in their beds will be taken to Idaho to face murder charges after he voluntarily agreed to be extradited. Bryan Kohberger, 28, appeared in court in Pennsylvania, where he was arrested in a raid on his family home last week. He is alleged to have

Marvel actor Jeremy Renner has thanked fans on social media after he was critically injured by a snow plough. On Instagram, he shared a picture from his hospital bed and wrote: “Thank you for all your kind words. I’m too messed up now to type. But I send love to you all.” The post came

Two adults and two young children have been rescued after their car plunged more than 75 metres (250 feet) off a cliff in northern California. The Tesla sedan crashed off the cliff, along the Pacific Coast Highway, near an area known as Devil’s Slide on Monday. The car appeared to have flipped a few times

American football star Damar Hamlin has been taken to hospital after dramatically collapsing on the pitch during an NFL game. Medical staff rushed onto the field in Cincinnati on Monday and gave the Buffalo Bills player CPR for about 10 minutes after he suddenly fell to the floor when a tackle impacted his chest. The

An airport worker has died after being “ingested” into a plane engine in the US state of Alabama. The accident happened about 3pm on Saturday at Montgomery Regional Airport after American Airlines Flight 3408 had arrived from Dallas. The US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said the ground crew worker was “ingested into the engine”

Specialist terrorism experts are investigating an attack involving a machete on police in New York that left three officers hurt. A man wielding the weapon attacked officers outside the security cordon for the city’s main Times Square celebrations at about 10pm on New Year’s Eve. Police commissioner Keechant Sewell told reporters: “Unprovoked, a 19-year-old male

Heavy rain and snowfall have hit parts of California, just days after a brutal bomb cyclone struck the US. As Californians prepared to ring in the New Year, officials issued evacuation orders for some northern areas of the US state due to the risk of flooding. Towns and villages around the city of Sacramento and

Pioneering TV news journalist Barbara Walters has died aged 93, according to ABC News. Walters made headlines in 1976 as the first female network news anchor, with an unprecedented-at-the-time $1m annual salary. During more than three decades at ABC, and before that at NBC, she became known for securing exclusive interviews with the famous and

US criminology student Bryan Christopher Kohberger is in custody after being charged with first degree murder. He is accused of killing Kaylee Goncalves, Maddie Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin, who were stabbed to death in Moscow, Idaho in the early hours of 13 November in a case that left the small community where they

A 28-year-old man has been charged with the murders of four University of Idaho students found stabbed to death in a house. Bryan Christopher Kohberger, 28, was detained some 2,500 miles away in Monroe County in northeastern Pennsylvania. He has now been charged with four counts of first-degree murder, according to prosecutor Bill Thompson. At

Almost a week since a ferocious storm choked parts of western New York, killing scores and paralysing normal life, Buffalo, the state’s second-largest city, is starting to churn again. Planes on the runway at Niagara airport are being de-iced and the departure hall is brimming. The roads are busy, too, after a travel ban lasting

Seven people have been injured after a Grand Canyon tour helicopter made a “hard landing” at an airport on the edge of Las Vegas. The pilot and six passengers were taken to hospital after the incident at Boulder City airport at about 4.30pm on Tuesday. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) called it a crash while