US

Twitter’s new owner Elon Musk has announced the platform’s coveted ‘blue tick’ will now cost users $8 (£7) a month, and criticised the current system as “bulls***”. In a tweet himself, Musk said: “Twitter’s current lords & peasants system for who has or doesn’t have a blue checkmark is bulls***. “Power to the people! Blue

Elon Musk has fired Twitter’s board of directors and appointed himself its sole member. According to a company filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission, Bret Taylor, former chairman of the board, and Parag Agrawal, former chief executive, are among the nine ousted directors. Mr Musk completed his $44bn takeover of the social media

The man accused of attacking the husband of US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told police he wanted to hold her hostage and “break her kneecaps”, according to court papers. The US Justice Department has charged David DePape, 42, with assault and attempted kidnapping. The two counts carry up to 50 years in prison, the department

Two men wrongly jailed for murdering iconic civil rights activist Malcolm X are to get $36m (£31m) compensation. Muhammad Aziz and Khalil Islam were exonerated last year after an investigation found prosecutors, the FBI and New York police had withheld evidence that probably would have acquitted them at trial. The pair were released in the

Elon Musk tweeted a link to an unfounded rumour about the attack on Nancy Pelosi’s husband – just days after he bought the platform sparking fears it would no longer seek to limit misinformation and hate speech. The tweet, which he later deleted, linked to an article by the Santa Monica Observer, an outlet that

US house speaker Nancy Pelosi has said she and her family are “heartbroken and traumatised” after a “violent man” broke into her San Francisco home and attacked her husband. Paul Pelosi, 82, is recovering from a skull fracture after he was struck with a hammer by an intruder on Friday. The Democrat broke her silence

A man who spent more than 38 years in prison for a murder he did not commit has been freed after DNA evidence pointed to another – now dead – suspect. Maurice Hastings, now 69, was convicted of the 1983 murder of Roberta Wydermyer, who was killed by a single gunshot to the head. Her

The largest automaker in the US has pulled paid advertising on Twitter after Elon Musk completed his takeover of the social media company. Musk’s $44bn (£38bn) deal to buy Twitter completed on Thursday and he reportedly sacked the company’s chief executive and two other top bosses. The world’s richest man tweeted “the bird is freed”

Joe Biden has described the violent assault on US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband as “despicable” – as San Francisco’s police chief has said it was “not a random attack”. Paul Pelosi, 82, is recovering from a skull fracture after he was attacked by an intruder with a hammer on Friday. The intruder – David

Paul Pelosi, husband of US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, has been attacked and badly beaten by an assailant with a hammer. The intruder broke into the San Francisco home Mr Pelosi shares with his wife in the early hours of Friday. Mr Pelosi, 82, is in hospital, where he is “receiving excellent medical care and

Facebook’s parent company is under pressure to focus less on the metaverse – as investors say it is an experimental bet causing “supersized and terrifying losses”. The tech giant changed its name to Meta last year under plans to build a virtual world that would be used by millions of people. But Mark Zuckerberg’s metaverse

Skechers escorted Kanye West off its premises in Los Angeles after he “showed up unannounced and uninvited” – with Madame Tussauds removing its waxwork of the controversial rapper from public view. An increasing number of companies are distancing themselves from the award-winning musician – who has legally changed his name to Ye – after he

One third of the Senate and the whole House of Representatives is up for grabs, as Joe Biden faces his biggest electoral test since the 2020 presidential vote. Results are now coming in – and our live maps and charts are updating throughout the night, showing the progress of both races. US midterms latest: Follow

The crew of a giant US aircraft carrier in European waters says they are ready to fight Russia if the call comes but their mission is to deter threats and prevent escalation. The USS George H W Bush is helping to test NATO’s ability to defend itself – a mission that became all the more

A gunman who killed a student and a teacher at a Missouri high school was armed with an AR-15-style rifle and more than 600 rounds of ammunition. Orlando Harris, 19, had magazines strapped to his chest, some in a bag, and other ammo police found dumped in stairwells around Central Visual and Performing Arts High

Two men suspected of being Chinese intelligence officers have been charged with attempting to obstruct the US criminal investigation and prosecution of Chinese tech giant Huawei. Chinese nationals Guochun He and Zheng Wang are accused of offering bribes to a US official they thought they had recruited as a spy, but was actually a double

Harvey Weinstein abused his power to corner women in hotel rooms and force himself upon them, according to the prosecution at his trial in Los Angeles. The disgraced film producer is facing 11 charges of rape and forced oral sex relating to allegations made by women who say they were assaulted between 2004 and 2015.

Donald Trump will not be allowed to testify live on television to the US Capitol riots investigation. The former US president was last week issued with a subpoena by the House committee investigating the riots of 6 January 2021. So far, anyone giving evidence to the hearings has been shown live on the American public

A 14-year-old girl caused a stir at a school in Florida after she allegedly handed out more than $10,000 (£8,800) of her grandmother’s money to classmates. Police attended Lake Weir Middle School on Thursday after reports that a student was giving pupils hundreds of dollars each, according to an arrest report. The school is located

The Balenciaga fashion house has cut ties with Kanye West, according to a news report. The move came after several offensive comments from the rapper, now known as Ye, including antisemitic posts that earned him suspensions on Twitter and Instagram. “Balenciaga has no longer any relationship nor any plans for future projects related to this

Donald Trump has been issued with a subpoena to testify at the inquiry into last year’s riot at the US Capitol. The committee overseeing the probe into the deadly violence in Washington DC has asked the former president for testimony and records, saying he “personally orchestrated” a plot to overturn the 2020 election. “We recognise

Steve Bannon, the former White House adviser to Donald Trump, has been sentenced to four months in prison. He had been convicted of defying a subpoena to appear before a congressional committee investigating the 6 January 2021 assault on the US Capitol. Bannon has also been handed a $6,500 fine. His prison sentence has been

Actor Kevin Spacey has been found not liable in a civil trial that claimed he sexually abused a 14-year-old boy in the 1980s. The Hollywood star had been sued in a civil case by stage and screen actor Anthony Rapp over an alleged incident in 1986 after a party in Spacey’s New York apartment. Rapp,

Harvey Weinstein is facing four rape charges and seven other counts of sexual assault in Los Angeles. Opening statements in the case are expected to begin today. The charges are the latest in a long line of allegations against the disgraced movie mogul – previously considered Hollywood royalty, and one of the most award-winning producers

The son of murdered New York mob associate Sylvester “Sally Daz” Zottola has been convicted of hiring the hitmen who killed him. According to Sky News partner NBC New York, Anthony Zottola was convicted of plotting to kill his father and brother in an attempt to take over the family’s multi-million dollar property empire. Zottola

On 21 October 2021, Halyna Hutchins turned up to the Bonanza Creek Ranch in New Mexico, the set of the western film she was working on with star Alec Baldwin, for what should have been a normal day at work. Hutchins, who was Ukrainian, was considered a rising star in her field, having moved to

The aftermath of Hurricane Ian has brought an increase in reported infections of a rare flesh-eating bacteria in Florida. There were 65 cases of Vibrio vulnificus and 11 deaths in the state so far this year as of Friday, according to the Florida Department of Health. It was up from 34 cases and 10 deaths

A man has been arrested in Florida after the bodies of four missing people were found shot and dismembered in a river. Joe Kennedy was stopped by officers after being spotted driving a stolen vehicle in the city of Daytona Beach Shores on Monday, local police chief Joe Prentice said. The 67-year-old, who has been

Four men were shot and dismembered before their bodies were thrown into a river in Oklahoma, US police have said. A man considered a person of interest in the case has since disappeared. Investigators found the first remains of the victims on Friday after a passer-by saw something suspicious in the Deep Fork River near

A tearful Kevin Spacey has told a court that he was “shocked”, “frightened” and “confused” by accusations that he made an unwanted sexual advance on a teenager in the 1980s. Anthony Rapp says he was 14 when an intoxicated Spacey, then 26, climbed on top of him at a party in his Manhattan apartment in

Elon Musk has completed his $44bn takeover of Twitter after months of toing and froing over the deal. His first move was to fire the social media company’s top leadership which he accused of misleading him over the number of spam accounts on the platform. Musk sacked chief executive Parag Agrawal, chief financial officer Ned

A former US spy has pleaded guilty to causing the death of Harry Dunn by careless driving, following a three-year campaign for justice by the teenager’s family. Anne Sacoolas, 45, was appearing at the Old Bailey in London. She entered the plea via video-link from Washington. Harry’s parents, Charlotte Charles and Tim Dunn, held their

A firefighter who was nine months pregnant and involved in a car accident has been hailed a “true public servant” after she put herself aside and stepped in to help others in the smash. Megan Warfield, a firefighter in the US state of Maryland, was just a week away from her due date when she