US News

Bob Dole, who overcame severe combat wounds to become a senior figure in US politics, has died at the age of 98. The long-time Republican senator from Kansas, who was his party’s unsuccessful 1996 presidential nominee, was known for a wit that ranged from self-deprecating to caustic. Mr Dole announced in February that he had

A Republican congressman has been criticised for posting a picture of himself and his family posing with guns, just days after four teenagers were killed in a high school shooting in Michigan. “Merry Christmas! Ps Santa, please bring ammo,” the US Representative for Kentucky, Thomas Massie, wrote on Twitter. The post included a picture of

Ghislaine Maxwell, the former girlfriend of Jeffrey Epstein, is currently on trial, facing eight charges – including six counts of enticing minors and sex trafficking. Spanning a 10-year period from 1994 to 2004, the 59-year-old British socialite’s charges involve four alleged underage victims – with the youngest just 14 years old at the time. Maxwell,

The parents of a teenage school shooting suspect who disappeared after they were charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter have pleaded not guilty. At an arraignment hearing, the bail bond for each was set at $500,000. They were also told they could each face up to 15 years behind bars. James and Jennifer Crumbley

A handbook Ghislaine Maxwell gave to staff working at Jeffrey Epstein’s house in Palm Beach – in which they were told to “see nothing, hear nothing, say nothing” – has been made public in court documents. Its 58 pages contain advice on anticipating the “needs of Mr Epstein” and the requirement to be “unobtrusive” –

International passengers heading to the US will have to be tested for COVID-19 within one day of travel regardless of their vaccination status, as the Omicron variant spreads around the world. The tightening of coronavirus rules by the White House comes after America reported its first known case of community transmission of the highly contagious

Alec Baldwin has said he does not feel guilt over the fatal film-set shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins – and that there is “only one question to be resolved – where did the live round come from?” Speaking in his first interview since the gun he was holding fired and killed Ms Hutchins on the

A 15-year-old boy charged with a school shooting in Michigan met with his parents and teachers about his behaviour hours before he murdered four classmates on Tuesday. Ethan Crumbley is accused of opening fire at his high school in Oxford Township, in a rampage that saw eight others – including a teacher – injured. The

The US Supreme Court has signalled a willingness to curtail abortion rights in the US and possibly overturn the 1973 Roe v Wade ruling that legalised terminations. The Supreme Court justices indicated they will uphold a restrictive Republican-backed Mississippi law that would outlaw the procedure after 15 weeks of pregnancy. The court, which has a

A school shooter tried to lure students out into the hallway by pretending he was a police officer, viral video footage shows. Three people were killed after a 15-year-old boy opened fire at his Michigan high school on Tuesday, while eight others – including a teacher – were injured. Several of them remain in critical

Three students have been killed and six people wounded after a 15-year-old opened fire at his Michigan high school. The attack happened at Oxford High School in Oxford Township, a community of about 22,000 people 30 miles (48km) north of Detroit. The 15-year-old is in custody after being arrested at the school. Officers also recovered

Ghislaine Maxwell targeted young girls and manipulated them before “serving them up for sexual abuse”, a US prosecutor said in her opening statement in the New York trial of the British socialite. The 59-year-old former girlfriend of Jeffrey Epstein faces six counts of enticing minors and sex trafficking over a 10-year period. As her trial

The new Omicron variant of COVID-19 is a “cause for concern and not for panic”, Joe Biden has said. The US president told reporters his decision to restrict travel from countries in southern Africa “gives us time” to take more action. The new variant was initially reported to the World Health Organisation (WHO) by South

For a woman known around the world, who has been the focus of documentaries, podcasts and endless news coverage, Ghislaine Maxwell still remains an enigma.  She has said very little publicly in the two decades since sexual abuse allegations about her friend Jeffrey Epstein began to surface. We do not know how Maxwell met the

More than $1.5m (£1.1m) has been raised to help an American man who was freed after spending 43 years in jail for a triple murder he did not commit. The Midwest Innocence Project set up the online fundraiser as they fought for Kevin Strickland‘s release, noting that he would not get compensation from the state

The long-awaited trial of Ghislaine Maxwell, who is facing six sex-trafficking charges, is due to start in New York on Monday. The charges involve four alleged underage victims and multiple locations over a 10-year period between 1994 and 2004. The youngest alleged victim was 14 years old at the time. Maxwell also faces two counts

A rape conviction at the centre of an award-winning memoir by Alice Sebold has been overturned amid concerns the wrong person was sent to jail in 1982. Anthony Broadwater, who spent 16 years in prison, sobbed as he was cleared by a judge of raping Sebold when she was a student – an assault she

Madonna has hit out at Instagram for taking down provocative photographs in which her nipple was exposed. The 63-year-old star had shared a series of risqué pictures of herself on and underneath a bed, wearing a cut-out bra, a thong, fishnet tights and high heels, which made headlines earlier in the week. Resharing the images

Stephen Sondheim – the composer and lyricist behind some of the world’s best-known musicals – has died aged 91. Just some of his best-known works from a 60-year career include the lyrics for West Side Story and Sweeney Todd. According to The New York Times, Sondheim’s death at his home in Connecticut was sudden –

NASA has delayed the launch of its new James Webb Space Telescope following an “incident” that happened affecting its connection to the rocket. The $10bn (£7.5bn) telescope is an orbiting infrared observatory that will will provide next-generation discoveries based on the work of the Hubble Space Telescope. But its launch from the Guiana Space Centre