The base of the world’s largest tree has been wrapped in a flame-resistant blanket, in an attempt to save it from wildfires raging through California. The General Sherman Tree, located in a national park in the Sierra Nevada, was covered in an aluminium wrapping that can withstand intense heat for short periods. In Sequoia National
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A US judge has ruled that legal papers relating to a sexual assault lawsuit can be served to Prince Andrew via his LA-based lawyers. The Duke of York, 61, has been accused of “actively evading” formal efforts to serve him with a lawsuit on behalf of Virginia Giuffre, who launched legal proceedings against him last
Four amateur astronauts are due to spend about three days in orbit in a world first, after they blasted off from the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida on Wednesday evening. The Inspiration4 mission, backed by SpaceX, was organised by entrepreneur Jared Isaacman, who is also one of the passengers. They are the first all-civilian crew
The first all-civilian crew ever to orbit the earth have blasted off on their historic mission. The Dragon capsule containing the four citizen astronauts was launched atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 from the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida. The launch is the latest giant leap in a new era of commercial space travel. One of
Simone Biles broke down in tears as she told Congress the FBI and gymnastics officials turned a “blind eye” to former team doctor Larry Nassar’s sexual abuse of her and other women. Testifying before the Senate judiciary committee, she said “enough is enough” as she and three other US gymnasts spoke about the lasting toll
The US’s top military officer took secret action to limit former president Donald Trump’s ability to launch a military strike or deploy nuclear weapons, according to a new book. Joint Chiefs Chairman General Mark Milley was worried Mr Trump would “go rogue” in the wake of the 6 January attack on the US Capitol. It
Hurricane Nicholas has made landfall along the Texas coast, bringing the threat of up to 20 inches (50cm) of rainfall to parts of the Gulf Coast which have already been battered by storms this year. Nicholas is the 14th named storm of the 2021 Atlantic hurricane season. Nearly all of Texas’ coastline is under a
Prince Andrew’s lawyer has said claims of sexual assault against him are “baseless, unviable and potentially unlawful”. Andrew Brettler represented the Duke of York in a pre-trial hearing in New York. The hearing looked at whether the duke was properly served with the lawsuit by accuser Virginia Giuffre, the woman who has launched a civil
Prince Andrew plans to challenge a US court’s jurisdiction over a civil lawsuit by a woman who accused him of sexual assault, according to a court filing. In the filing with the US District Court in Manhattan, a lawyer for the Duke of York said the prince also plans to contest that he was properly
A US court will hold a pre-trial conference today in the civil suit filed by a woman who claims Prince Andrew sexually assaulted her. The hearing, which will take place in New York City, will look at whether Virginia Giuffre’s legal team has done enough to deliver papers regarding the civil lawsuit to the Duke
The FBI has released a newly declassified document detailing support given to the Saudi hijackers in the lead up to the 9/11 terror attacks. Released on the 20th anniversary of the attacks, it details contact the hijackers had with Saudi associates in the US but does not provide proof senior Saudi government officials were complicit
For 20 years now, New Yorkers have woken up to this day – to relive, to remember. Some find themselves forced to, others want to. In a church yard – just yards from Ground Zero – a group gathered as a bell rang out. Five strikes, repeated four times, the traditional firefighters’ salute to the
Families remembered their loved ones 20 years after the 9/11 terror attacks in the US, with grieving relatives vowing to “never forget” those who lost their lives. Six moments of silence were observed in New York City to mark the moments when four commercial planes crashed and when the the two World Trade Center towers
In the spot where the Twin Towers once stood, there is now a calmness – a peace in the heart of New York City. The only sound is water, cascading endlessly into two vast square voids, one for each tower. They are voids that will never be filled, representing holes for so many who mourn
The man who broke the news to President George W Bush that “America is under attack” on September 11th says there is a danger of Americans forgetting the significance of the attacks. Andrew Card was Bush’s chief of staff in 2001 and had responsibility to pass on news of the unfolding drama in New York
To look at the front page of the New York Times of Tuesday, September 11th, 2001 is to reach back into another era – an era, in many ways, which doesn’t look very different to that of today. The president was under pressure over the economy, there was violence in the Middle East and the
A three-year-old child has been killed and his sister injured after nearly 150 rounds were fired into a home in North Carolina. Eleven people were inside the property in Charlotte when “multiple vehicles” arrived and began shooting shortly before midnight on Tuesday. Police said they responded to multiple calls for help around 11.45pm. They arrived
It’s almost 20 years since the September 11 attacks but for many survivors, the pain and trauma are still raw. Some were left with life-changing physical injuries, while many still struggle with the mental torment caused by the events of that day. One of the most severely injured survivors, Lauren Manning, suffered burns to more
President Joe Biden says climate change has reached “code red” and is now “everybody’s crisis”. Mr Biden spoke as he toured New York neighbourhoods severely impacted by flooding when Ida brought record amounts of rain to the northeastern states, killing at least 64 people. He met people whose homes were destroyed or severely damaged in
“A routine emergency. Nothing to get too excited about.” That was how Chief Joseph Pfeifer’s day started on 11 September, 2001, in New York, as he dealt with reports of a smell of gas. The senior firefighter was in downtown Manhattan when the world changed at 8.46am. Image: Almost 3,000 people died during the 9/11