US

Donald Trump has said he will no longer give evidence at his New York civil fraud trial. The former US president had been expected to return to the witness stand on Monday. He was due to be the last big defence witness in the case, which threatens his real estate empire. Posting on social media,

The murder conviction of a Chicago man who has spent 12 years behind bars has been overturned – because a key eyewitness was legally blind. Darien Harris, 30, was found guilty after a 2011 shooting left 23-year-old Rondell Moore dead and another person seriously injured. Harris, who is black, was 18 at the time and

A Japanese baseball player has signed a record-breaking $700m (£557m) deal with the LA Dodgers Shohei Ohtani agreed the historic 10-year contract with the California team on Saturday. The deal was announced after days of speculation over where the pitcher and designated hitter would continue his career after six seasons with the Los Angeles Angels.

Hunter Biden says Republicans are trying to “kill” him and that his critics are engaging in a public campaign to lure him back into substance abuse. In a rare interview released on Friday – the day after he was charged with evading tax – the son of US President Joe Biden spoke about life in

A United Nations Security Council resolution to demand a ceasefire in Gaza has failed because it was vetoed by the US. Of the 15 representatives on the UN member council, 13 voted to back the call but the US blocked it and the UK abstained. After the vote, US deputy ambassador Robert Wood criticized the

A group of students saved a woman and her toddler son after they became trapped under a car – with the dramatic rescue caught on video. The woman, her three-year-old daughter and son aged two had been hit by the vehicle in the car park of Layton Christian Academy in Utah. While the daughter managed

The UK and US governments have imposed sanctions on two Russian hackers after the private conversations of high-profile politicians and civil servants were compromised. The Foreign Office said the “Star Blizzard” group, a subordinate of an FSB cyber unit, had targeted MPs, Lords, civil servants, journalists and others in attempts to “meddle in British politics”

McDonald’s is testing a coffee shop-style restaurant that puts it in competition with the likes of Starbucks. It’s opening the first CosMc’s in Illinois this month – with the aim of having 10 in the US by 2024 – mainly in Texas to begin with. CosMc’s is described as a “beverage-led concept” that’s “inspired by

Taylor Swift has opened up on her feud with Kim Kardashian, where a leaked phone call left the star feeling that “my career was taken away from me” and forced her to move abroad. Named TIME’s Person of the Year today, Swift gave an interview to the outlet about her career highlights and low points,

A former Alaska Airlines pilot accused of trying to cut the engines of a Horizon Air flight will not face charges of attempted murder. Joseph Emerson has been indicted on 84 endangerment charges – for each person on the plane – and one charge of endangering an aircraft. He previously pleaded not guilty to attempted

A highly caffeinated drink sold by US bakery chain Panera Bread has been blamed for two deaths after a second lawsuit was filed on Monday. Dennis Brown is said to have drunk three Charged Lemonades from a Panera Bread on 9 October before suffering a fatal cardiac arrest on his way home in Florida, according

A house exploded as police were investigating reports of gunshots being fired from the property by a man. Footage of the blast in the US showed a huge fireball shoot up into the air as the entire home went up in flames and collapsed, spraying debris all around. Witnesses said the explosion shook nearby buildings

A former US ambassador to Bolivia has been charged with secretly acting as a Cuban agent for “more than 40 years”. Manuel Rocha, who was arrested at his Miami home on Friday, served as the top US diplomat to Bolivia between 2000 and 2002. Prosecutors from the US Justice Department accuse him of promoting the

Four people, including two children, have been killed by a relative in New York, according to police. Those stabbed to death included a 12-year-old boy, an 11-year-old girl, a 44-year-old woman and a man in his 30s. Officers were called to reports of an incident in the city’s Queens borough after a girl said “her

A man suspected of killing three homeless people in a matter of days is already in custody over a separate fatal shooting, Los Angeles police have said. Jerrid Joseph Powell, 33, was identified as the suspect in the spate of deaths this week after being arrested in connection with a robbery at a home in

A giant blow-up Santa has been gunned down in a drive-by shooting in the US – with the deflating deed captured on video. The unfestive act carried out in Lexington, Kentucky, left a gaping 46cm (18in) hole in the Father Christmas and raised concerns other similar inflatable decorations could be targeted by the trigger-happy yobs,

Julianna Margulies has said she is “horrified” to have offended people after she said that black people have been “brainwashed to hate Jews”. The Good Wife and ER actress released a statement apologising after the controversial comments she made during a conversation about the Israel-Hamas conflict. Speaking on The Back Room With Andy Ostroy podcast

Derek Chauvin – the ex-police officer jailed over the murder of George Floyd – was stabbed 22 times with an “improvised knife” in prison, it has emerged. Fellow inmate John Turscak has been charged with attempted murder following the attack on 24 November, which was Black Friday. The 52-year-old, a former member of the Mexican

Los Angeles police are hunting a potential serial killer after three homeless people were shot dead in separate incidents. The murders took place over a few days – between 26 and 29 November – and the city’s mayor warned rough sleepers on Friday: “Try not to be alone tonight.” CCTV has been released of the

Elon Musk has apologised for endorsing an antisemitic conspiracy theory, admitting it may have been “literally the worst and dumbest post I’ve ever done”. The apology came amid a fiery rant against advertisers who have stopped promoting on his social media platform X. The advertising row, which has seen Disney and Warner Bros pull their