US News

The US employment market started the year in a much healthier state than expected, despite Omicron disruption hitting consumer-facing businesses. America added 467,000 jobs in January – about three times the 150,000 level expected by economists – according to the US bureau of labour statistics. The dollar rose and Wall Street stocks were subdued as

Rihanna has shared a photo of her baby bump after announcing she and rapper boyfriend A$AP Rocky are expecting their first child together. The singer and businesswoman, 33, showed off her growing bump to her 120 million Instagram followers as she stood in a white-tiled bathroom lifting her sports jersey. “How the gang pulled up

The leader of Islamic State has been killed during a raid by US special forces in Syria. Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi died by exploding a bomb that killed himself and members of his family as American forces approached a house in the rebel-held province of Idlib, a US official said. He was among at least

Four men have been arrested and charged in relation to the death of The Wire actor Michael K Williams. Williams, 54, was found dead by family members at his penthouse apartment in Brooklyn, New York, last September. New York City’s medical examiner ruled he had died of acute drug intoxication. US Attorney Damian Williams and

President Joe Biden has approved the deployment of thousands more US troops to Poland and Germany in the coming days amid fears Russia will invade Ukraine, an administration official says. Some 2,000 troops will be sent to Poland and Germany, while the US will also reposition part of a 1,000-strong infantry squadron currently in Germany

Native American tribes have reached settlements of $590m (£436m) with a pharmaceutical company and three distribution firms over the toll of opioids. Under the terms of the deal, Johnson & Johnson will pay $150m (£110m) over two years, while AmerisourceBergen, McKesson, and Cardinal will contribute $440m (£325m) over seven years. All federally-recognised tribes in the

Legendary NFL quarterback Tom Brady has confirmed his retirement. It follows rumours at the weekend that the seven-time Super Bowl winner, 44, was about to call time on his record-breaking career. Last night, he said on his podcast that he was “still going through the process”. But now he has written on social media: “There

A US judge has asked for Prince Andrew’s former assistant, Robert Olney, to give evidence as part of the civil sex assault case brought by the duke’s accuser Virginia Giuffre. Court documents reveal Judge Lewis A Kaplan has written to both the Senior Master of the Queen’s Bench Division and the Australian attorney general to

Prince Harry and Meghan have weighed in on the Spotify row, claiming they expressed concerns about the spread of misinformation on the platform last April. Earlier this week, Joni Mitchell and Neil Young announced they would remove their music from the streaming giant due to the spread of misinformation on the Joe Rogan Experience podcast.

An American man who spent nearly two decades in jail for a 2003 murder has been released years after his identical twin confessed to the crime. Kevin Dugar was convicted in 2005 over a deadly gang-related shooting and was sentenced to 54 years in prison. A gunman had opened fire on three people in Chicago‘s

The East Coast is battling deep freeze conditions after a fierce storm barreled through several states on Saturday, flooding coastlines, dumping masses of snow and outing power for thousands. Officials in New York described conditions as “life-threatening“, five states declared an emergency and Rhode Island banned all non-emergency road travel as snow and high winds

New York has declared a state of emergency after “historic” blizzards dumped deep snow and gave way to blustery conditions across the US East Coast. The powerful nor’easter, which are common for the region at this time of year, has flooded coastlines and blocked roads across 10 states, leaving treacherous conditions in its wake. In

People along the East Coast of the US are preparing for a powerful storm that could dump 2ft or more of snow on some of the nation’s biggest cities. The Nor’easter is forecast to impact New England and the Middle Atlantic region this weekend, bringing potential coastal flooding, power outages and travel disruption. Airlines have

A two-lane bridge has collapsed in Pittsburgh just hours before US President Joe Biden was expected to visit to discuss his infrastructure bill. Rescuers had to rappel nearly 150ft (46 metres) while others formed a human chain to help rescue people from a dangling bus. There were minor injuries but no fatalities reported, although drones

The teenager acquitted after shooting three people during anti-racism riots in Wisconsin has asked for his gun back. Kyle Rittenhouse, 19, killed Anthony Huber and Joseph Rosenbaum and wounded Gaige Grosskreutz during the demonstrations in Kenosha in August 2020. He was cleared of all charges including murder after arguing he fired his gun in self-defence,

The US has called for the United Nations (UN) Security Council to hold a public meeting to discuss Russia’s “threatening behaviour” against Ukraine. On Thursday, the US ambassador to the UN asked the security council to meet publicly on Monday. Russia has manoeuvred around 100,000 troops near the border with Ukraine, though Moscow has denied

A Texas man has been charged with selling a gun to a Briton who held four hostages inside a synagogue earlier this month before he was shot dead. Henry “Michael” Williams has been charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm after being accused of selling a weapon to Malik Faisal Akram just

The US has given Russia its written responses to a set of security demands by Moscow over Ukraine amid fears it could invade its neighbour. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the “ball is in Russia’s court”, as he added: “We’re ready either way.” Russia has massed about 100,000 troops near the Ukrainian border

A woman has been handed a restraining order after allegedly sending Apple boss, Tim Cook, hundreds of “threatening” messages and turning up at his condo. The temporary order, that demands the 45-year-old woman stop harassing, stalking, and contacting the tech firm’s chief executive, was issued by a court on Friday. In a petition for the

Joe Biden has said he would consider imposing personal sanctions on Vladimir Putin if Russia invades neighbouring Ukraine. The US president also said there would be “enormous consequences” for the world if President Putin’s troops push into the former Soviet state, that lies on its south-western border. Some 8,500 US troops have been put on