US

A lucky ticketholder has scooped the second largest lottery win ever, banking $1.7bn (£1.4bn) in the Powerball on Wednesday night. The winning numbers were: 22, 24, 40, 52, 64 and the Powerball 10. The winning ticket was sold at Midway Market & Liquor in Frazier Park, according to the California Lottery. The winner, from California,

California will build the first group of 1,200 tiny homes at an abandoned office park in a bid to help curb the state’s burgeoning homelessness problem. The office park in Sacramento will be the site of the first group of homes to be built in four cities to across the state, the governor’s office announced.

Microsoft owes the US Treasury $28.9 billion (£23bn) in back taxes, plus penalties and interest according to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). The figure, which Microsoft disputes, stems from a long-running IRS investigation into how Microsoft allocated its profits among countries and jurisdictions in the years 2004 to 2013, according to a securities filing Critics

The man charged with abducting a nine-year-old girl from a campsite in New York state is being investigated over the unsolved murders of two teenage girls who disappeared close to his home around 20 years ago, police have said. Craig Nelson Ross Jr, was charged with alleged first-degree kidnapping after Charlotte Sena was found “safe

Elon Musk’s $44bn (£36bn) takeover of Twitter is under investigation by the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and he could be compelled to testify. According to court filings on Thursday, the case centres around concerns the world’s richest man broke federal security laws in 2022, when he bought Twitter stock. The investigation is also

Joe Biden’s dog Commander has been removed from the White House after biting agents and staff. The two-year-old German shepherd had attacked members of the US Secret Service 10 times between October 2022 and January 2023. One female officer recently required medical treatment. Image: Commander was a gift to the US president from his brother

The Speaker of the US House of Representatives has been ousted from his position in a historic vote forced by far-right Republicans he had spent nine months appeasing. Kevin McCarthy, a Republican from California, is the first Speaker ever to be removed from office after months of turbulent fighting within Donald Trump‘s party, leaving the

A Florida man has been executed over the murders of two women in 1996, the state has announced. Michael Zack III, 54, was killed by lethal injection at Florida State Prison at 6.14pm on Tuesday. His final words were: “I love you all.” Zack was executed for the killing of bartender Ravonne Smith, who he

US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has been removed from office after a historic challenge to his leadership from his own party. The Republican faced a motion to vacate, which was triggered by Donald Trump ally Matt Gaetz on Monday, just months after securing the position in 15 rounds of voting. It is the first time

The takeaway phrase from day one of this first of so many court cases against Donald Trump? “Rampant fraud”. That’s not, legally at least, a point of debate. The judge has concluded, in a pre-trial ruling, that the Trump Organisation did commit widespread fraud. Politically though, it is deeply debatable: due process versus partisan witch-hunt.

Donald Trump is set to make a surprise appearance on the first day of his trial for “astounding” fraud which begins in New York today.  The former president, who is the favourite to be the Republican presidential candidate next year, is the central defendant in the civil trial which begins today at a courtroom in

The House Republicans and Democrats on Saturday struck a deal to fund the government and avoid a shutdown. The House of Representatives voted 335-91 on a short-term funding bill, known as a continuing resolution, according to Sky News’ US partner network NBC News. The bill would keep the government open for another 45 days –

Authorities have reportedly carried out a welfare check on Britney Spears after the popstar shared a video of herself dancing with knives at home. The footage showed the 41-year-old singer dancing around the property while holding large knives. Image: The alarm was raised after Britney Spears shared a clip of herself dancing with knives Police

Elon Musk has decided to wade into the US immigration debate. The billionaire owner of X, the website formerly known as Twitter, visited the Texas border with Mexico. He met with local politicians and police with the aim of obtaining what he called an “unfiltered” view of the situation. Musk’s visit came as thousands of

The US soldier who illegally crossed the heavily armed border into North Korea from South Korea has returned home. Private Travis King crossed the border into the North while on a tour of the demilitarised zone (DMZ) that separates the secretive state from the South in July. Following his return, he was taken to a

US politicians are beginning a process that could potentially lead to the impeachment of President Joe Biden over alleged irregularities in his family business dealings. Republicans, who narrowly control the House, have accused Mr Biden of profiting while he served as vice president from 2009 to 2017 from his son Hunter Biden’s foreign business ventures.

A US soldier who ran across the border into North Korea is now back in American hands and “very happy” to be heading home, according to officials. Private Travis King’s transfer out of the totalitarian state was described as “truly complex” and involving “intense diplomacy”. Sweden was the key intermediary in getting him released, said

Joe Biden’s dog has bitten yet another member of the US Secret Service – the 11th time such an incident has happened. The US president’s German shepherd attacked the agent at the White House on Monday evening, a Secret Service spokesperson said. The female officer needed medical treatment on site after the incident but is

California is on the brink of bringing in an Amsterdam-style law which will allow cannabis cafes and coffee shops to open across the state. Campaigners say it will reduce black market sales and boost legitimate business. Recreational cannabis has been legal in California since 2016 and purchases are made through dispensaries, with products generally smoked

Donald Trump committed fraud for years while building the real estate empire that catapulted him to fame and the White House, a court has ruled. Judge Arthur Engoron found that the former president and his company deceived banks and insurers by massively overvaluing assets and exaggerating his net worth on paperwork used in making deals