US

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

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

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

US police have offered a $15,000 (£11,000) reward for information that will lead them to find the gunman responsible for a random bullet that struck and killed a British astrophysicist. Dr Matthew Willson, a 31-year-old from Chertsey in Surrey, travelled last month to visit his girlfriend on the outskirts of Atlanta, Georgia. In the early

Whoopi Goldberg has apologised for comments about the Holocaust that were described by others as “devastating” and “dangerous”. The actor co-hosts ABC talk show The View and was part of a discussion about a US school board’s decision to ban Maus, a Pulitzer prize-winning graphic novel about the experiences of a Holocaust survivor. Goldberg, 66,

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

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

NFL legend Tom Brady is to retire after a remarkable 22-year career which saw him win seven Super Bowl titles. Brady’s company TB12sports tweeted to thank the 44-year-old for his career, confirming his retirement after it was first reported by ESPN. Brady is considered to be the greatest quarterback in NFL history, having made his

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 US grew at its strongest pace since 1984 last year as it bounced back from 2020’s pandemic-driven downturn, official figures show. GDP in the world’s biggest economy expanded by 5.7% in 2021 after shrinking by 3.4% the year before, according to America’s bureau of economic analysis. It has not enjoyed such strong one-year growth

Prince Andrew has asked for a jury trial and denied all the allegations against him as he officially responded to Virginia Giuffre’s sexual assault lawsuit. Court documents filed in New York show he “hereby demands a trial by jury on all causes of action asserted in the complaint”. Ms Giuffre accuses the Duke of York

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

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

A six-month-old baby has been killed after getting caught in the crossfire of a gunfight in Atlanta. The shooting happened near a convenience store and a school in the northwest of the city. The child’s mother told WSB-TV that she was driving when she saw people in two cars firing at each other. She said

The US has ordered the families of all American embassy staff in Kyiv to leave Ukraine amid heightened fears of a Russian invasion. The US State Department told the dependants of staffers at the US embassy in Ukraine’s capital that they must leave the country and said that non-essential employees could also leave at government

Boris Johnson has warned that “gloomy” intelligence suggested Russia was planning a lightning raid on Ukraine’s capital Kyiv as fears grow of an invasion – with NATO sending additional ships and jets to its deployments in eastern Europe. The alliance said it could also add additional combat units in response to Russia’s military build-up on

Tributes are being paid to the son of Oscar-winning actress Regina King, who has died just days after his 26th birthday. Ian Alexander Jr was a musician and DJ who often accompanied his mother to red carpet events, and both were big champions of each other’s work. A spokesperson for King confirmed his death was