US

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

The US House of Representatives has ordered its staff to delete TikTok from any House-issued mobile devices and forbidden them to download it in the future, according to an internal memo obtained by NBC News. The email, which was sent by the House’s chief administrative officer Catherine L Szpindor on Tuesday, said the office’s cybersecurity

Houses encased in thick ice have been revealed in drone video of Lake Erie – as people in North America struggle to dig out after deadly blizzards. The frozen houses in Ontario took the brunt of the storms as they directly face the Canadian side of the lake. An icy white blanket – which from

Proponents say it’s a “miracle” diet drug – it can make users physically repulsed by food. But what’s the truth about Ozempic? Ozempic is the controversial drug labelled by the media as Hollywood’s “worst kept secret” for drastic weight loss, and its seemingly rapid effects have set the internet alight. “There’s definitely talk of celebrities

Military police are going to guard major intersections in the US city of Buffalo after residents continued to drive through deep snow despite local officials begging them not to. At least 64 people have now died in the bomb cyclone – the deadliest US storm for at least two generations. A further two inches of

Parts of the US could see another 12 inches of snow after days of devastating blizzards that have caused chaos across North America – as New York’s governor warned: “We know that the storm is coming back.” The storm has caused at least 57 deaths in the US, with a further four people killed in

A filing to the Federal Election Commission appeared to reveal Mike Pence will run for US president in 2024. But Devin O’Malley, a spokesperson for Mr Pence, said the former vice president had not filed. A second source from his team told NBC News “this is not real”. A document was filed on the FEC

At least 54 deaths have been linked to a severe storm that continues to batter the US and Canada. The US has recorded 50 fatalities, with a further four dead after a bus rolled over on icy roads in the Canadian province of British Columbia. Of the US deaths, 18 are from the state of

Careering, squealing and with arms windmilling, a little girl in Minnie Mouse pyjamas flew past the lobby elevator on bright white roller skates with pink glittery wheels. “Merry Christmas,” her mum called out, smiling through slightly gritted teeth. This is Watertown, New York. The town Christmas (almost) forgot. We found ourselves here after a seven-hour

At least 28 people have died in the US as the country grapples with a brutal winter storm. Blizzard conditions have left almost 380,000 homes and businesses without power, with more than 200 million people under some form of weather warning as temperatures plunge to well below freezing. More than 3,000 flights were cancelled on

Thirteen people have died in the US as the country grapples with a winter storm that has seen temperatures plunge as low as -45C (-49F). More than 200 million people – around 60% of the US population – are under some form of weather warning or advisory, with the brutal cold expected to continue through

Spanish police have arrested one of the FBI’s most wanted during a raid in Madrid. The man, said to originate from New Zealand, is wanted in the US on charges of sexual exploitation, sexual assault and indecent images of children. Spanish police say the man, identified only as MJP, is also wanted on charges of

Though it might not sound like it, a “bomb cyclone” is a legitimate scientific term, so named because the rapid formation of the storm is like a bomb going off.  Millions of Americans have been warned to brace for a bomb cyclone with blizzard conditions, wind chills and temperatures plunging as low as -45.6C (-50.1F)