US

Will Smith has apologised to Chris Rock for slapping him at last night’s Oscars ceremony, saying: “I was out of line and I was wrong.” Writing on Instagram, the former Fresh Prince described his behaviour as “unacceptable and inexcusable”. He said the joke Rock made about his wife’s medical condition was “too much for me

Teachers in Florida have been banned from giving lessons on sexual orientation and gender identity to children under the age of nine. Ron DeSantis, the state governor, signed the contentious “don’t say gay” bill into law on Monday. The bill has drawn intense national scrutiny from critics who argue that it marginalises LGBTQ people. It

US President Joe Biden has denied that he was calling for regime change when he said that Russia’s president Vladimir Putin “cannot remain in power”. Mr Biden was leaving a church service in Washington DC when he was questioned by a reporter about the speech. When asked if he had been calling for regime change

Joe Biden has said Vladimir Putin “cannot remain in power”, appealing to the Russian people against the killing of innocent civilians, and telling Ukraine that the US stands with them. In a powerful speech given in Warsaw in Poland, the US president built on earlier remarks in which he called Mr Putin a “butcher”, describing

Russia’s president “cannot remain in power”, Joe Biden has said in a speech where he pleaded with Russians to stand up against the war, and told Ukrainians that the US stands with them. In a powerful speech in Warsaw, Poland, the US president built on earlier remarks in which he called Vladimir Putin a “butcher”,

Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins has died aged 50, the band has announced. The US group – one of the most successful rock bands of the last 20 years – said they were “devastated”. “The Foo Fighters family is devastated by the tragic and untimely loss of our beloved Taylor Hawkins,” the band tweeted. “His

A 14-year-old boy has died after falling from a 430ft high theme park ride in Florida. Police are investigating the death of the boy, who is understood to have fallen from a “drop ride” at Orlando’s ICON Park around 11pm local time on Thursday. The teenager was taken to a nearby hospital but was pronounced

President Joe Biden visits Poland later today – home to more than two million Ukrainian refugees – after earlier warning that NATO would respond “in kind” if Russia uses chemical weapons. The refugee crisis will be one of the key issues as he meets Poland’s president, while he will also visit US troops stationed in

NATO “will respond” if Russian President Vladimir Putin uses chemical weapons, US President Joe Biden has said. Asked if the alliance would take military action, Mr Biden said: “It would trigger a response in kind. “You’re asking whether NATO would cross… we’d make that decision at the time.” Speaking after meetings of NATO and the

Idaho has become the first US state to enact a law modelled on a Texas statute banning abortions after about six weeks of pregnancy, even though the governor who signed it shared concerns. Republican Brad Little signed into law the measure that allows people who would have been family members to sue a doctor who

The US Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm has told Sky News that as President Joe Biden flies to Brussels to discuss further sanctions against Russia, he will “not ask Europe to do things it simply cannot do” when it comes to weaning itself off Russian energy. In an exclusive interview with Sky News, Ms Granholm acknowledged

A woman has died and thousands of homes and businesses are without power after a tornado hit New Orleans overnight. Among the worst-hit areas were the Lower 9th Ward and parts of St Bernard Parish, where the fatality occurred. Several other people have been injured, but there are as yet no further details. Both areas

For the first time since 2018, the Academy Awards is returning to an emcee format in a bid to inject some humour into proceedings – with actress Regina Hall hosting this year alongside comedy veterans Amy Schumer and Wanda Sykes. Sky News caught up with Hall to talk Oscars and her new scary film Master,

A tornado outbreak in Texas and Oklahoma has left widespread damage and is drifting east towards Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. The US National Weather Service (USNWS) warned on Monday evening that the severe storm system had already spawned several tornadoes and had the potential to create more. Twisters have touched down in Texas, including in

City of Miami Beach officials have declared a state of emergency as they struggle to stop spring break chaos. As part of the measures, a curfew will be in place for the South Beach area from midnight until 6am on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, according to the Miami Herald, with another curfew expected to be

A taxi driver has filed a legal complaint against Elon Musk’s car company, his lawyer said on Sunday, just months after his Tesla Model 3 was involved in a crash in Paris that killed one person. In December 2021, the off-duty taxi driver’s Tesla crashed through metal posts, a row of pay-to-ride bikes and a

South Carolina has brought back the firing squad as a method of execution, making it one of the few US states where it is lawful to carry out a death sentence in that manner. According to the state Department of Corrections, it will be possible for inmates on death row to choose to be shot

Goldman Sachs, the powerful Wall Street investment bank, has stormed into the £3bn auction of Chelsea Football Club as an adviser to one of the leading bidders. Sky News has learnt that Goldman has been signed up to advise the consortium being led by Todd Boehly, one of the owners of the Los Angeles Dodgers

A California-based investment firm has joined one of the frontrunners to buy Chelsea Football Club as a multitude of parties conduct frenzied negotiations to finalise their offers hours before the deadline for bids. Sky News has learnt that Clearlake Capital, which has roughly $60bn of assets under management, has signed up to a consortium headed

A thirteen-year-old child driving a pickup truck was among nine people who died in a crash with a van in Texas. Six members of a university golf team and a coach were also among those who lost their lives in the head-on collision. Two others were injured in the crash on Tuesday. The pickup truck

Kanye West has had his Instagram account locked for 24 hours for violating the social media platform’s bullying policies. The rapper – who is known as Ye – will not be able to post, comment or send direct messages for 24 hours. Instagram took action after he made a number of online attacks on Saturday

Jussie Smollett has been released from jail in Chicago pending an appeal against his conviction for lying to police about a racist and homophobic attack that he had staged on himself. A jury found the former Empire star guilty of five counts of felony disorderly conduct in December – and a Cook County judge last

The Ukrainian president has asked the US Congress in Washington to “remember” Pearl Harbor and the 9/11 attacks, when “innocent people” were attacked from the air, as he called for more support. Volodymyr Zelenskyy was greeted with a standing ovation ahead of his powerful remarks, which he made through a video link from Ukraine. Echoing

The White House has mocked Russian sanctions imposed on senior US individuals, quipping that nobody was planning a holiday to Moscow and suggesting Vladimir Putin’s regime had targeted the wrong Joe Biden. President Biden was banned from entering Russia in response to the sanctions imposed against the country after the invasion of Ukraine. Also put

A murdered girl known for decades as “Little Miss Nobody” has finally been identified. Her burned remains were found nearly 62 years ago in the Arizona desert and her killers have never been caught. Authorities have now revealed she was four-year-old Sharon Lee Gallegos of New Mexico. She was abducted from her grandmother’s yard on

Police in the US have arrested a man suspected of killing two homeless men and wounding three others over the last fortnight. The suspect was arrested in Washington DC, where some of the attacks took place, with others occurring in New York City. One of the victims was found on fire in a tent in

Police have warned a gunman who’s stalked and killed at least two homeless people and wounded three others: “We’re coming for you”. It comes as a new close-up picture of the suspect at a cash machine was released that clearly shows his face. The attacks have happened in less than a fortnight in New York

A three-year-old boy has shot his mother dead in a supermarket car park south of Chicago. The pair were in a vehicle outside a Food 4 Less store in the village of Dolton when the child somehow found the gun and fired it, police said. His mum was pronounced dead at hospital. His father is

A man is being sought by officials in New York and Washington DC, in connection with the murders of two homeless people. The man is thought to have attacked several people sleeping on the streets, killing two and injuring three others, police said. District of Columbia police said on Sunday they are working with the

An award-winning American photographer and film-maker has been killed in Ukraine, the New York Times has said. Brent Renaud was shot dead in Irpin, near Kyiv, on Sunday, Kyiv’s police chief Andriy Nebytov said. Cliff Levy, deputy managing editor at the New York Times said the newspaper was “deeply saddened” by his death but confirmed

Gabby Petito’s parents are suing Brian Laundrie’s parents, claiming he told them he had killed their daughter. The lawsuit was filed on Thursday in Sarasota County, Florida, with the Petito family alleging Laundrie told his parents on 28 August last year that he had killed his fiancee, Ms Petito. The 22-year-old was travelling across the

Sesame Street has paid tribute to “beloved” actor Emilio Delgado, known by the show’s fans as Fix-it Shop owner Luis Rodriguez, following his death at the age of 81. Delgado played the role for 45 years, joining the children’s series as Luis in its third season in 1971. His wife, Carol Delgado, told the Associated

Jussie Smollett has been sentenced to 150 days in jail for lying to police about a racist and homophobic attack that he had staged on himself. The actor – who was best known for starring in Empire – loudly shouted after the sentencing: “I am innocent. I could have said I am guilty a long