A federal judge in Texas has temporarily blocked the enforcement of a near total ban on abortion in the state, calling the law “flagrantly unconstitutional”. Senate Bill 8 has been dubbed the “Heartbeat Bill” because it bans abortion once cardiac activity in a embryo can be detected on an ultrasound scan, often as early as
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A US judge has agreed for Prince Andrew’s lawyers to receive a copy of a 2009 settlement they believe will nullify his accuser Virginia Giuffre’s civil assault case against the royal. Andrew B Brettler, who represents the Duke of York, had argued at a previous hearing that Ms Giuffre – who is suing the Queen’s
Facebook’s chief executive has denied claims that the company prioritises profit over the safety of its users. Mark Zuckerberg was responding to Frances Haugen’s claims that, left alone, Facebook would “continue to make choices that go against the common good – our common good”. Ms Haugen – a former product manager at the tech giant
Facebook’s products “harm children, stoke division and weaken our democracy”, a whistleblower has claimed. Frances Haugen – who used to work as a product manager at the tech giant – has given damning evidence to US politicians in the Senate, days after leaking internal documents to the Wall Street Journal. She warned: “Left alone, Facebook
After nearly four months without a winner, a single ticket sold in California has won the Powerball jackpot worth $699.8m (£514m), officials have said. The winning numbers were drawn on Monday and the winner, from Morro Bay, matched all five numbers and the Powerball. This was the first grand prize winner since 5 June after
Even on a Monday morning, the beaches would usually be bustling in the place that calls itself “Surf City USA”. But the sands in Huntington Beach in California are deserted. So too, the beaches that stretch for miles south. The closures are part of a massive response to the spill of thousands of gallons of
An emergency clean-up effort is under way in Huntington Beach, California, after a massive oil spill described by the city’s mayor as an “environmental catastrophe”. More than 572,000 litres – 3,000 barrels – of heavy crude spilled into the Pacific Ocean between Huntington Beach Pier and Newport Beach, a distance of more than five miles.
Gabby Petito, a 22-year-old blogger whose body was found in a US national park, told police about a domestic dispute with her boyfriend the month before she disappeared. Ms Petito was found dead in Wyoming on 18 September and police are investigating her death as a homicide. Her boyfriend Brian Laundrie, 23, was charged last
The body of a missing student has been found just days after the prime suspect in her death killed himself. Miya Marcano, 19, was found in a wooded area near an apartment building in Orlando, Florida. She was reported missing on 24 September after she failed to catch a flight home to Fort Lauderdale and
In the skies over Hollywood a small plane pulls a banner reading “vote yes”. On a monitor on a movie set, the same words are scrawled on a piece of luminous tape. On a crane hoisting bits of scenery into place, the same slogan is emblazoned in big letters. Image: The workers are angry about
Donald Trump has asked a federal judge in the US to force Twitter to restore his account, which was shut down after his supporters attacked the US Capitol in January. The former US president has filed a request for preliminary injunction against the social media company in the US District Court for the Southern District
America’s special envoy on climate change John Kerry has told Sky News that strained relations between the US and China have made it harder for him to do his job. Speaking exclusively to Sky from a climate summit in Milan, Mr Kerry said his ability to persuade China to be more ambitious in reducing its
US President Joe Biden has narrowly avoided a government shutdown, signing new legislation on spending just hours before the deadline. Republicans blocked the bill to fund the American government through to 3 December because they were unhappy with the plan to raise the debt ceiling, but it was eventually passed by the House and the
A 13-year-old boy is in a critical condition in hospital after being shot at a school in Memphis, Tennessee. The suspected shooter, whose age has not been revealed, was a fellow pupil, according to police. He was thought to have fled the scene after the attack but later turned himself in at a police station.
They heard the roar from the street outside at the moment Britney Spears won her legal fight in a Los Angeles courtroom It was a moment of release for a Free Britney campaign which has spent years rallying in support of the singer’s cause, and in opposition to the conservatorship that has run her life
Britney Spears’ father Jamie Spears has been suspended as conservator of her estate after 13 years, during the latest court hearing in the long-running dispute. The judge in Los Angeles said it was in Spears‘ “best interests” to remove her father from the legal agreement and that the “current situation is untenable” and “reflects a
A judge is expected to decide today whether Jamie Spears should be removed from his controversial role running his superstar daughter Britney’s life. The hearing at the Los Angeles Superior Court is a significant moment in the 13-year conservatorship arrangement that has controlled the financial and personal life of the millionaire singer. It comes as
America’s top military commander has said the credibility of the US has been damaged as a result of the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan. The admission, from General Mark Milley, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was one of a number of significant revelations in a lengthy session with the Senate Armed Services Committee on
R Kelly’s trial was the culmination of decades of accusations, pointing to a predator hiding in plain sight. Rumours and allegations about the now disgraced R&B singer date back to almost the beginning of his career – and yet, he rose to become a chart-topper, a Grammy winner, an artist who filled arenas and collaborated
The singer R Kelly has been found guilty of racketeering in his sex abuse trial in Brooklyn, New York. The R&B singer was accused of exploiting his fame to lure women and underage girls for sex. The 54-year-old had pleaded not guilty to racketeering and eight counts of violating a federal law making it illegal