US

A suspected surveillance balloon spotted over Latin America is for “civilian usage” and entered the region’s airspace by accident, a Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman has said. The balloon has been spotted after US fighter jets shot down an initial suspected Chinese spying device off the coast of South Carolina on Saturday. Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman

A US military operation to shoot down a Chinese “spy balloon” that had been hovering in American airspace came at a tense time for the two superpowers, whose relationship has been on rocky ground for years. But how did the US successfully down it with a single missile – and what intelligence are they now

China has threatened “further actions” in response to America’s “serious overreaction” in the downing of a suspected spy balloon. The white aircraft was shot out of the sky off the South Carolina coast on Saturday after days of intrigue, while diplomatic relations soured further between Washington and Beijing. US President Joe Biden ordered the object

The US has shot down a suspected Chinese spy balloon that has been flying over its airspace. Television footage showed a small explosion, followed by the balloon descending toward the water off the Carolina coast. The balloon was shot down by an F-22 fighter aircraft, about six nautical miles off the coast near Myrtle Beach,

A sixth police officer has been sacked for his involvement in the death of Tyre Nichols, who was beaten by police last month. Mr Nichols was left in a critical condition after several officers punched, kicked and hit him with a baton in Memphis, Tennessee, after he was pulled over on suspicion of reckless driving

US secretary of state Antony Blinken said that China’s spy balloon was “detrimental” to “substantive discussions” that were due to take place on his visit. Mr Blinken said he spoke to the director of the Chinese Communist Party’s Central Foreign Affairs Office, Wang Yi, on Friday about the postponement of the visit, saying: “Conditions were

Keanu Reeves has been granted a restraining order against a man who allegedly made a number of unwanted visits to his home – including going to sleep in his back garden. The Hollywood star, known for his roles in The Matrix and John Wick franchises, said the alleged incidents had caused him to be “substantially

The US military is tracking a suspected Chinese spy balloon that has been flying over northwestern America in recent days. A senior defence official said the US has “very high confidence” the balloon was flying over sensitive sites to collect information. “Clearly the intent of this balloon is for surveillance,” the official said. It was

Hollywood actor Alec Baldwin will make his first appearance in a US court on 24 February over the fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. Baldwin, 64, faces two counts of involuntary manslaughter stemming from the incident on the set of the Rust movie in October 2021. He was formally charged with the offences by the

Tyre Nichols’ mother said “blood is going to be on the hands” of Congressmen and women if they fail to pass a bill that would limit immunity for US police officers. US vice president Kamala Harris and celebrated civil rights activist Rev Al Sharpton urged Congress to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act

Scott Hubbard remembers exactly where he was on the day of one of the deadliest tragedies in the history of space travel. Before he stepped out of bed on the morning of 1 February 2003, a radio broadcast brought news that NASA’s Columbia space shuttle was “overdue” on its return to Earth. “I had a

Hollywood actor Alec Baldwin has been formally charged in New Mexico with involuntary manslaughter over the fatal shooting of a cinematographer on the set of the western film Rust. Baldwin has vowed to fight the two counts against him, with his lawyer calling the case a “terrible miscarriage of justice”. A live round killed Halyna

Both the UK and US have ruled out sending F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine. Downing Street said it is “not practical” to send them to Ukraine to bolster its fight against Russia. While US President Joe Biden responded “no” when asked by a reporter if he would send F-16s to the frontline, and confirmed Washington

Three emergency workers have been fired over their response to Tyre Nichols after he was beaten by police. The Memphis Fire Department said it had fired two emergency medical technicians and an emergency vehicle driver after an investigation found they failed to provide adequate medical care. Mr Nichols was left in critical condition after several

He’s never gonna give you up, never gonna let you down – but he is potentially gonna sue you if you (allegedly) impersonate his distinctive baritone. Rick Astley has filed a lawsuit against the rapper Yung Gravy over the song Betty (Get Money), which was released in 2022. Here is a look at what’s happened

When watching the horrific video of Tyre Nichols being kicked and punched by police officers, many minds in America were transported back to footage of another black man being beaten in similar circumstances more than 30 years ago. The video of Rodney King is grainy and shaky, before the era of police-worn body cameras and

Former US president Donald Trump has kicked off his 2024 White House bid with stops in New Hampshire and South Carolina, while brushing aside criticism that his campaign was off to a slow start. Speaking to party leaders at the New Hampshire Republicans’ annual meeting in Salem, the former president insisted he was motivated to

Memphis Police has released bodycam footage showing the moment Tyre Nichols called for his mother as he was beaten by five officers before he died. The footage shows police beating the 29-year-old for three minutes while screaming profanities at him throughout the attack. Police have released four separate videos cut into one hour-long clip, including

The mother of Tyre Nichols has said she is “not going to stop” until every person responsible for her son’s death “is prosecuted to the fullest of law”. RowVaughn Wells was speaking to US news network MSNBC a day after Memphis Police released bodycam footage showing her son screaming “mom, mom” several times as he

The final words of a US motorist who died after he was allegedly beaten by five police officers were “mum, mum, mum”, according to a lawyer. Tyre Nichols, 29, passed away in hospital three days after the confrontation following a traffic stop in the city of Memphis, Tennessee, on 7 January. Bodycam footage of the