US

R Kelly’s trial was the culmination of decades of accusations, pointing to a predator hiding in plain sight. Rumours and allegations about the now disgraced R&B singer date back to almost the beginning of his career – and yet, he rose to become a chart-topper, a Grammy winner, an artist who filled arenas and collaborated

“This case is not about a celebrity who likes to party a lot,” assistant US attorney Maria Cruz Melendez told the jury on the first day of R Kelly’s trial. “This case is about a predator.” At many points during the hearing, the allegations against the disgraced R&B singer were difficult for witnesses to speak

The man who tried to assassinate Ronald Reagan 40 years ago will secure his “unconditional release” in 2022 if he remains mentally stable, a judge has said. John Hinckley Jr was 25 when he shot and wounded the 40th US president outside a Washington hotel in 1981 – an incident which left Mr Reagan’s press

Facebook is continuing to respond to a series of stories published by the Wall Street Journal which suggested the company knew its services had a negative impact on the well-being of teenage girls. Slides produced by an internal research team reported by the newspaper suggested 32% of teenage girls said that Instagram made them feel

An Amtrak passenger train has derailed in the US state of Montana killing at least three people, according to reports. The Empire Builder train, which runs between Seattle and Chicago, was carrying about 146 passengers and 16 crew, Amtrak said. The train consisted of two locomotives and 10 cars, seven of which derailed near Joplin,

The Wire actor Michael K Williams died of an accidental drug overdose, a post-mortem examination has found. Williams, 54, was found dead in his Brooklyn apartment on 6 September. Police sources said at the time that drug paraphernalia was discovered at the scene. Julie Bolcer, a spokeswoman for the New York City’s Office of the

Huawei’s chief financial officer has reached a deal with US prosecutors that allows her to return to China. Meng Wanzhou, who is also the daughter of the company’s founder Ren Zhengfei, has been in Canada since she was arrested at Vancouver’s airport in December 2018. Her arrest followed an extradition warrant issued by the US

Human remains found in an alligator’s stomach in Louisiana have been identified as those of a man who was attacked and killed in Hurricane Ida floodwaters. Timothy Satterlee Sr, 71, had been reported missing since the attack near his home in the New Orleans suburb of Slidell on 30 August. The remains were confirmed as

A Federal arrest warrant has been issued for the boyfriend of Gabby Petito, whose body was found in a national park in Wyoming, as police continue to search for him. A federal grand jury indictment filed in US District Court in Wyoming alleges Brian Laundrie, 23, used a Capital One Bank card and someone’s personal

The former Minneapolis police officer jailed for the murder of George Floyd has appealed against his conviction. Derek Chauvin was sentenced in June to 22-and-a-half years in a case that made global headlines and sparked protests. He had 90 days to lodge an appeal from date of sentencing and the application is based on five

A former Louisiana police officer has been charged with a civil rights violation after hitting a black motorist 18 times with a torch during a traffic stop. It is the first criminal case to emerge from federal investigations into the trooper’s beatings of at least three black men. In distressing body camera footage, kept secret

The American special envoy to Haiti has resigned in protest at the “inhumane” deportation of hundreds of Haitian migrants back to their country from a camp on the US-Mexican border. Daniel Foote said that conditions in the Caribbean nation were so bad that US officials were confined to secure compounds because of the danger of

An alligator-infested reserve in Florida has been searched by a team of divers, police and FBI agents in the hunt for Brian Laundrie, 23 – Gabby Petito’s missing fiancé. Boats and helicopters were used to assist the team in the investigation, days after it was launched, as Ms Petito’s body was found on Sunday in

The US government has released even more dire drought projections for a river that serves 40 million people. Lake Mead and Lake Powell – reservoirs along the river that are used as barometers to judge how much supply some states will get from the water source – have dipped to historic lows. The lakes had

It could well be the scariest Halloween costume of the year – a racy take on Bernie Sanders’ now-infamous outfit from Joe Biden’s inauguration. According to the costume description, the look is meant for “you to be a viral internet meme! This political chairman costume comes with a grey coat, cozy mittens and a face

The US is buying a further 500 million COVID-19 vaccine doses to donate to other countries, bringing its total commitment to over a billion jabs, President Joe Biden has announced. “To beat the pandemic here, we need to beat it everywhere,” Mr Biden said. “For every one shot we’ve administered to date in America, we