US

A young sailor accused of setting fire to a US Navy warship was angry about being assigned to deck duty after failing to become a Navy SEAL, according to prosecutors. Ryan Sawyer Mays, 21, is accused of aggravated arson and the wilful hazarding of a vessel – charges he has denied. On the first day

A judge has ordered the release of Adnan Syed after overturning his murder conviction, which was the subject of the popular Serial podcast. Mr Syed was 17 years old when he was sentenced to life in prison in 2000 for the murder of his girlfriend Hae Min Lee, who was strangled and buried in a

American President Joe Biden has said US forces would defend Taiwan in the event of a Chinese invasion – his strongest words yet on the issue. Asked in a TV interview whether America would defend the self-ruled island, claimed by China, he replied bluntly: “Yes, if in fact, there was an unprecedented attack.” The US

Joe Biden has said the UK was fortunate to have had the Queen for 70 years, adding: “We all were, the world’s better for her.” The US president and First Lady Jill visited Westminster Hall to pay their respects to the Queen lying in state ahead of her funeral on Monday. Mr Biden said it

President Biden and his wife Jill are expected to pay their respects to the Queen on Sunday after flying into the UK for Her Majesty’s funeral. The couple, who joined the Queen for tea at Windsor Castle in June 2021, will visit Westminster Hall, where the Queen’s coffin is lying in state. They will then

In January 1960 a letter arrived at the White House in Washington.  It was for the president, and it contained a recipe for drop scones. “Dear Mr President,” it read. “Seeing a picture of you in today’s newspaper standing in front of a barbecue grilling quail reminded me that I had never sent you the

A mother charged with drowning her three children at New York’s Coney Island beach has been arraigned on murder charges. Erin Merdy faces three counts of second-degree murder, three counts of depraved indifference to human life, and three counts of murder where the victims are under 11 years old. Merdy’s children – seven-year-old Zachary Merdy,

The iconic jersey worn by basketball legend Michael Jordan during the opening match of the 1998 NBA finals has sold at auction for a record-breaking $10.1m (£8.86m). The Chicago Bulls vest was famously worn during a sporting season dubbed The Last Dance, which saw Jordan win his sixth and final NBA title. It has become

Two buses of migrants from the US-Mexico border were dropped off near Vice President Kamala Harris’s home, as three Republican governors continue to use the tactic to wage a bitter political battle. Texas governor Greg Abbot has been transporting migrants out of Texas to cities with Democrat mayors as part of a political strategy because

Baltimore prosecutors have filed a motion seeking a new trial for Adnan Syed, whose murder conviction was the subject of the hugely popular Serial podcast. Syed was 17 when he was sentenced to life in prison for the 1999 murder of his girlfriend Hae Min Lee. He has maintained his innocence and been appealing his

The billionaire owner of Patagonia has given his business away to an environmental trust and non-profit. The company will continue to produce outdoor clothing, camping supplies, and other goods, but now all profits will go to organisations to fight the climate crisis. Yvon Chouinard, founder of the company and reluctant billionaire, said when announcing the

A prisoner on death row in Alabama could be executed next week using a new, untried method that deprives the body of oxygen. James Houts, a deputy state attorney general, told a federal judge that it is “very likely” nitrogen hypoxia could be available for Alan Miller’s execution next week. The technique was approved by

A ‘sensitive’ diplomatic cable released by the US has revealed more than £260 million has been secretly spent by Russia to try to influence politicians and other officials in more than two dozen countries. The US State Department took the unusual step of releasing the cable, signed by Secretary of State Antony Blinken, that was

Ken Starr, the former judge and lawyer whose ‘Whitewater’ criminal investigation of Bill Clinton led to the president’s impeachment, has died. Mr Starr, who was 76, was nominated by former President Ronald Reagan for a seat on the US Court of Appeals for the Washington, DC circuit, and served as US solicitor general under then-President

The rocket company owned by the Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has suffered its first launch failure – with an escape system flinging the crew capsule to safety. Pictures show flames shooting from the engine about a minute into flight and the capsule firing off from the rocket’s nose. It later landed in the Texan desert

A 52-year-old US man flagged down a police car and confessed to murder. The Cochise County Sheriff’s Office confirmed Jay Albert Stevens waved down the officer in the middle of the Central Highway in southern Arizona at 1am on Thursday morning As the deputy questioned Stevens, he confessed to having shot and killed another man,

Americans are marking the 21st anniversary of 9/11 with tributes to those who died in the deadliest terror attack on US soil. The commemoration began with a tolling bell and moment of silence at ground zero, the former site of New York’s Twin Towers, which were destroyed after hijacked planes crashed into them on 11

The family of Pop Idol star Darius Campbell Danesh have thanked everyone for their “love and kindness” following his death, and said that the singer had been suffering from chronic neck pain following a car incident. Mr Campbell Danesh was found dead in his US apartment, in Rochester, Minnesota, last month at the age of

US President Joe Biden has confirmed he is planning to attend the Queen’s funeral when it takes place in the UK. While no formal plans for Her Majesty‘s funeral have been announced yet, the ceremony is expected to take place within 10 days after her death. The 96-year-old monarch died on Thursday at her home

A hiker who went to go and find help for his girlfriend after she became ill has been found dead near a trail in California. Tim Sgrignoli, 29, was hiking in the Gaviota Peak area, a 2,400ft summit in the Santa Ynez Mountains, when he disappeared on Sunday. Mr Sgrignoli, a doctor, had gone to