US

IS “Beatle” El Shafee Elsheikh has been found guilty of hostage-taking and conspiring to murder journalists and aid workers in Syria. The 33-year-old former British national was found to be part of an Islamic State terrorist cell that operated in Iraq and Syria, and whose members were nicknamed “The Beatles” because of their UK accents.

There are two immediate reasons why Frank R James has been named as a “person of interest” by police investigating the subway shootings in New York. Firstly, the key from a U-Haul van he rented in Philadelphia was found at the scene. And secondly, the 62-year-old mentioned New York City Mayor Eric Adams and the

Police have released details of a “person of interest” they are searching for following a shooting on a rush-hour subway train in New York. Frank R James is 62 with addresses in Philadelphia and Wisconsin, officers said late on Tuesday. At least 10 people were injured after a gunman in a construction vest donned a

Tough sanctions against the international Kinahan crime cartel have been imposed by the US government, as part of a major new operation against the gang by American, Irish and British authorities. The three most senior members – Christopher Kinahan Sr, Daniel Kinahan and Christopher Kinahan Jr – as well as four other gang members, and

Pop star Britney Spears has revealed she is pregnant with her third child – months after winning her conservatorship legal battle. The singer shared the news in a post on Instagram saying she had got the test after partner Sam Asghari teased her about being “food pregnant”. “So I got a pregnancy test … and

US citizens are now able to select a gender-neutral “X” on their passport. Some 1.2 million and four million people in the US are estimated to be nonbinary and intersex respectively, according to the Williams Institute at the UCLA School of Law and interACT, an intersex advocacy group. Many cannot get official identification that reflects

A murder charge against a Texas woman over a “self-induced abortion” will be dropped, according to local officials. Lizelle Herrera, 26, was arrested on Friday for “intentionally and knowingly caused the death of an individual by self-induced abortion”, according to the local sheriff’s office. Gocha Allen Ramirez, the district attorney in Starr County, told Sky

NFL quarterback Dwayne Haskins has died aged 24 after being hit by a dump truck while out walking in south Florida. The Pittsburgh Steelers star was trying to cross a highway while there was oncoming traffic when he was struck, and was pronounced dead at the scene. The Florida Highway Patrol said the incident happened

A woman in Texas has been charged with murder over what law enforcement described as a “self-induced abortion”. Lizelle Herrera, 26, was arrested by the sheriff’s office in Starr County near the US-Mexico border in the southern tip of the state, according to Associated Press. The arrest has been met by several protests as Texas

Alabama’s governor has signed into law new rules that could see doctors face jail if they continue to prescribe hormone treatment and puberty-blocking medication to transgender youths. LGBTQ advocates have described it as a combination “bathroom bill” and “Don’t Say Gay” bill, echoing similarly controversial legislation recently passed in other US states. The Alabama bills

Will Smith will not be allowed to attend any Academy events for 10 years after slapping comedian Chris Rock on stage at the ceremony. The board of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which organises the Oscars, announced the decision after meeting to discuss possible sanctions following the star’s outburst at the event.

A boy was left with a fractured skull and brain damage when he was accidentally hit by a stray throw at a professional baseball game. Bryson Galaz, aged six, was struck during a warmup when Los Angeles Angels pitcher Keynan Middleton threw a ball to a teammate, who missed the catch. The child’s mother has

Ketanji Brown Jackson has been confirmed as the first black woman to sit on the US Supreme Court in its 233-year history. The judge secured the life-time role following a 53-47 vote in the US Senate, following fierce questioning from critics. Judge Jackson, 51, will also be the first former public defender to sit on

An “aggressive” fox that bit a congressman and at least eight other people outside the US Capitol has tested positive for rabies. Police managed to apprehend the fox on Tuesday after several reports of attacks around Senate office buildings in Washington DC. It was humanely euthanized the following day so officials could undertake a rabies

The US has announced sanctions against Russian President Vladimir Putin’s two adult daughters. The latest move is partly in response to scenes in Bucha, near Kyiv, where more than 300 bodies have been discovered, including some civilians with their hands tied behind their backs. The US believes many of the Russian president’s assets are hidden

US police have identified the so-called “I-65 Killer”, also known as the “Days Inn Killer”, who murdered three motel clerks near a Midwest highway in the late 1980s. Harry Edward Greenwell, who died aged 68 in 2013, has been named after testing of crime scene samples found a match that was “99.9999% positive”, Indiana State

A man arrested over a mass shooting that left six people dead had posted a live Facebook video of himself posing with a handgun just hours before the incident, police have said. Smiley Martin, 27, was found at the scene with gunshot wounds, and taken to hospital where he was “quickly identified as a person

Britney Spears has announced she is writing a new tell-all memoir, saying the process has been “healing and therapeutic”. The pop star, who was freed from a controversial 13-year conservatorship arrangement in November 2020, says the experience has confronted her with memories of her early life, and experiences under the court order. It comes after

Sacramento Police have said they have made an arrest after a mass shooting in California’s state capital during the early hours of Sunday morning. Police said that more than 100 shots were fired in the Sacramento mass shooting, which killed six people and left 12 wounded. 26-year-old Dandre Martin, 26, has been arrested as a

A hunt continues for at least two gunmen who opened fire in Sacramento’s entertainment district on Sunday, killing six people and wounding 12. The streets were full of crowds leaving bars and nightclubs in California’s capital city when the sound of rapid-fire gunshots sent people running in terror. Sacramento police have confirmed they are looking