US

Chris Rock has broken his silence over being slapped by Will Smith at the Oscars after receiving several standing ovations from a Boston audience upon returning to the stage for the first time since the incident. “How was your weekend?” the US comedian asked a sold-out crowd at Boston’s Wilbur Theatre on Wednesday night, drawing

A British-born member of the so-called Islamic State Beatles nicknamed Jihadi George was part of a “brutal hostage taking scheme” where captors “seemed to enjoy” beating detainees, a court in the US has heard. Prosecutors say El Shafee Elsheikh and two other Britons were “utterly terrifying” and abuse carried out was “unrelenting and unpredictable”. Elsheikh

Investigators have found an eight-hour gap in Donald Trump’s official phone records as thousands of his supporters stormed the US Capitol, according to a person familiar with the inquiry. It is widely known that Mr Trump, the president at the time, had conversations with multiple Republican politicians on the day of the insurrection on 6

Jada Pinkett Smith has spoken out for the first time since the furore over her husband Will Smith slapping comedian Chris Rock at the Oscars. During the ceremony on Sunday, Rock made a joke about Pinkett Smith’s shaved head, which led to Smith hitting him on stage and then swearing furiously at him once back

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