US

A school superintendent has resigned after an eight-year-old found his gun unattended in a bathroom.  The firearm was discovered in Rising Star Elementary School in Texas – and many parents were furious because they were not informed about the incident when it happened. The boy told his teacher about the gun, prompting the teacher to

Joe Biden has said Vladimir Putin expected his enemies to “roll over” when he invaded Ukraine but was met with the “iron will” of its allies – as the Russian president suspended a key nuclear treaty with the US after accusing the West of starting the war. The American president gave a historic speech from

More than 300,000 Starbucks drinks have been recalled by PepsiCo, after glass was found in some of its bottles. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said 25,200 cases of the vanilla Frappuccino chilled coffee drink were recalled after the detection of the material inside the 405ml bottles. There are twelve bottles in each case,

US President Joe Biden has become the latest and most powerful Western leader to visit Kyiv since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February last year. The show of solidarity for President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his people came as a surprise to many, as the White House said last week that the US president had no

Actor Tom Sizemore is in critical condition after suffering a brain aneurysm. The 61-year-old suffered the aneurysm at around 2am on Saturday while at his Los Angeles home, his manager Charles Lago said. The actor is in intensive care in hospital, with Mr Lago describing the situation as “wait and see”. Sizemore is best known

The US Secretary of State has warned China there will be “consequences” if Beijing provides material support to Russia in its invasion of Ukraine. Antony Blinken said in an interview after meeting with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi that Washington was concerned Beijing was considering supplying weapons to Moscow. The top diplomats of the two

US secretary of state Antony Blinken has met with top Chinese diplomat Wang Yi, in the first meeting between the two nations since an alleged spy balloon was shot down over America. The hour-long meeting took place in Germany, where the pair were attending the Munich Security Conference, which debates the most pressing challenges to

Former US president Jimmy Carter has decided to receive hospice care and “spend his remaining time at home with his family”, his representatives have said. It follows a series of brief hospital stays for the 98-year-old, the Carter Centre said in a statement. Mr Carter, the oldest living former US president, opted for hospice care

The US and Canada have called off searches for three unidentified objects that were shot down last weekend, as investigators begin analysing the last of the debris collected from first Chinese “spy” balloon shot down at the start of the month. Authorities did not manage to locate any debris from the three unknown objects, they

The five former Memphis police officers who pleaded not guilty to the second-degree murder of Tyre Nichols did not have “the courage to look me in my face,” his mother has said. Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Desmond Mills Jr, Emmitt Martin III and Justin Smith pleaded not guilty to charges of second-degree murder, aggravated assault,

Five former Memphis police officers charged with the murder of Tyre Nichols are due to appear in court. Video footage captured by police bodycams and CCTV cameras showed Mr Nichols, a black man, being beaten by officers following a traffic stop. He died from his injuries. The case has renewed calls for police reform in

Bruce Willis has been diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia (FTD), his family announced. The 67-year-old Hollywood star was diagnosed in March 2022 with aphasia, a condition affecting the brain which causes difficulty with language and speech. His relatives said at the time that he would be “stepping away” from acting. A statement about the progression of

A Chinese “spy” balloon that was shot down over the US was likely heading to Guam and then Hawaii, a US official has said. What the US has described as a suspected Chinese spy balloon was shot down off the South Carolina coast on 4 February. Two other objects have also been shot down, on

Hollywood actress Raquel Welch has died at the age of 82. The US star “passed away peacefully early this morning after a brief illness”, her management company said. Her career spanned more than 50 years and included 30 films and scores of TV series and appearances. Welch won a best actress Golden Globe in 1975

The gunman who shot dead three people at Michigan State University may have also been planning to attack two schools, according to police. Anthony McRae, 43, died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound after opening fire on students at the East Lansing campus on Monday night. Five people were also taken to hospital – some in

Police in the US have named the gunman who fatally shot three students at Michigan State University as Anthony McRae. The 43-year-old, who killed himself hours after Monday’s shooting, was not a student at the university and had no known affiliation, police added. The shooting began shortly before 8.30pm local time and left three students

At least three people have been killed after a shooting at a US university. A manhunt was launched for the attacker at Michigan State University after he fled on foot and was described as a short black male in a cap, red shoes and a jean jacket. He later died from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot

The White House has determined that China has a “high-altitude balloon programme” for intelligence gathering. It comes as tensions are mounting between the US and China after the US shot down a fourth unidentified object over North American airspace. It was downed over Lake Huron in Michigan at 2.42pm local time on Sunday on President

In US political speak, they’re fond of the phrase “an abundance of caution”. It translates into a week of US Top Guns taking to the skies and taking out airborne objects that, frankly, could be anything. The US doesn’t know – but a week of national security whiplash has been triggered by what they say

The US has shot down another unidentified object that it says flew near sensitive military sites and could have been used for spying. It was downed over Lake Huron in Michigan at 2.42pm local time on Sunday on President Biden‘s orders. A US F-16 jet fired a missile at about 20,000ft amid concerns that its

The Super Bowl – the biggest event in the US sporting calendar – does not fall short of incredible moments that have fans on the edge of their seats. From high-pressured performances on stage to the gruelling chase of the ball – the 57th edition of the Super Bowl will be no different as the

Justin Trudeau has ordered the “take down” of an “unidentified object” that “violated” Canadian airspace. The country’s prime minister tweeted that both Canadian and US aircraft were scrambled. A US F-22 stealth fighter jet, sent by the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), “successfully fired at the object”, Mr Trudeau said. It was taken down

Alec Baldwin is attempting to have one of the charges of involuntary manslaughter, which could see him jailed for five years, thrown out by a US court. Lawyers for the actor argued that New Mexico prosecutors had committed an “unconstitutional and elementary legal error” by charging him under a statute that did not exist at

The US has shot down an unknown object flying in its airspace, off the coastline of Alaska – just days after it downed a Chinese “spy” balloon. The object, shot down on the order of President Joe Biden, was flying at a high altitude of about 40,000ft and was the size of a small car,

The 57th Super Bowl will kick off on Sunday – here’s all you need to know to watch the biggest game of the NFL season. Often filled with drama, performance, politics and showbiz – the culmination of the NFL (National Football League) season is back for another year this weekend. With millions around the world

Donald Trump’s Facebook and Instagram accounts have been restored after he was banned in the wake of the deadly Capitol riot two years ago. Users of the social media sites can again see the former US president’s pages, with the last post on his Facebook made on 6 January 2021, when he wrote: “I am

American football player Damar Hamlin – who collapsed mid-game after suffering from a cardiac arrest – will play professional football again, an NFL doctor has said. Speaking on American radio station SiriusXM, Dr Thom Mayer, medical director for the NFL Players Association, guaranteed the 24-year-old’s career was far from over. “I guarantee you, I guarantee

Chinese “spy” balloons have been spotted in skies above countries across five continents, according to US officials. The US has also been in touch with its allies on the issue of the balloons, according to the White House. It comes after US fighter jets shot down a suspected Chinese spying device off the coast of

Joe Biden has vowed to work with political rivals in his latest State of the Union address. The US president was speaking before Congress for the first time since Republicans took control of the House of Representatives last month. While he acknowledged that America’s democracy is bruised, Mr Biden stressed it is “unbowed and unbroken”.

Alec Baldwin’s lawyers have filed to disqualify the special prosecutor on the Rust case due to, what they call, her “unconstitutional” role as a politician. Baldwin, 64, is due to make his first appearance in a US court on 24 February over the death of Halyna Hutchins. He will face two counts of involuntary manslaughter

A suspected Chinese spy balloon that was shot down by the US over the weekend was 60m (200ft) tall – comparable to a 20-storey building. Glen VanHerck, commander of North American Aerospace Defence Command (NORAD), told reporters that the balloon was also carrying a load similar in size to a commercial plane. He added that

An investigation has been launched after an 82-year-old woman was pronounced dead at a New York nursing home – only to be found breathing three hours later at a funeral home. The woman was said to be dead at Water’s Edge Rehab and Nursing Centre at Port Jefferson on Long Island at 11.15am on Saturday.

A US military operation to shoot down a Chinese “spy balloon” that had been hovering in American airspace came at a tense time for the two superpowers, whose relationship has been on rocky ground for years. But how did the US successfully down it with a single missile – and what intelligence are they now