US

Beyoncé’s mother has defended the star against “racist” accusations she lightened her skin for the premiere of her movie Renaissance. Tina Knowles said she had seen “stupid, ignorant, self-hating racist statements” about Beyoncé “lightening her skin” and “wearing platinum hair wanting to be white”. The mother-of-two, in a statement posted on Instagram, said she was

Friends, family and dignitaries gathered in Atlanta, Georgia, on Tuesday night to honour former first lady Rosalynn Carter, who died last week at the age of 96. Jimmy Carter, the 99-year-old US president between 1977 and 1981, was in attendance, despite being on hospice care himself, and wore a blue and white blanket which was

Sex And The City actress Cynthia Nixon is among activists who have begun a hunger strike to demand US President Joe Biden calls for a permanent ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war. Politicians from five US states are also taking part in the action that began on Monday. Nixon, who formerly ran for mayor of New

The families of three Palestinian students who were shot in Vermont have called on US officials to investigate the incident as a hate crime. The three men, all aged 20, were wearing keffiyehs – a traditional scarf – and speaking Arabic when they were attacked as they walked down a street in the city of

Joe Biden has called for the truce between Hamas and Israel in Gaza to be extended after more hostages were released on Sunday. The latest captives to be freed include four-year-old dual Israeli-American national Abigail Edan, whose parents were reportedly killed in the 7 October attacks. The US president said her father was “gunned down

Tensions over the disputed South China Sea have been reignited after Beijing said its military had driven away a US warship that had entered its territorial waters without permission. Washington has insisted the naval destroyer USS Hopper was on a routine freedom of navigation patrol. According to a post on the official WeChat social media

Actress and comedian Tiffany Haddish has been arrested after being found “slumped over the wheel of a car” while the engine was still running, police in LA said. The 43-year-old, who shot to fame for her role in 2017 comedy film Girls Trip, was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence (DUI) on Friday,

A former Minneapolis police officer convicted of murdering George Floyd has been seriously injured after being stabbed in prison, according to the Associated Press. Derek Chauvin was attacked by another inmate while in prison in Arizona, according to the US news agency, which quoted an unnamed source. The US Bureau of Prisons confirmed an inmate

A 68-year-old jogger has been charged with killing a homeless man in California who was blocking his path while sleeping. Craig Sumner Elliott was jogging with two dogs and a pushcart on the afternoon of 28 September when he confronted the man who was asleep on a pavement, according to Californian officials who charged him

President John F Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas, 60 years ago. I do not remember that fateful day on 22 November 1963, as I was just four years old. But I do remember the summer day, five years later in 1968, when his brother – former US attorney general and would be president, Robert

Rapper Sean “Diddy” Combs is being sued by a woman who claims he drugged and sexually assaulted her when she was a college student in 1991 and filmed the attack. The fresh legal action against the music mogul was brought in the New York Supreme Court on Thursday, one day before the state’s Adult Survivors

Police have arrested a former official from the Obama government who called an Egyptian street vendor a terrorist and said the deaths of 4,000 Palestinian children “wasn’t enough”. Stuart Seldowitz’s actions were caught on camera and he faces charges including aggravated harassment, hate crime stalking, and stalking at a place of employment. Video of the

Guns N’ Roses singer Axl Rose and actor Jamie Foxx have been accused of sexual assault as a law which allows historical lawsuits is set to expire. A former Penthouse magazine model sued Rose, accusing him of sexually assaulting her in a New York City hotel room in 1989. Sheila Kennedy, 61, filed the lawsuit

A vehicle has exploded on a bridge connecting the US and Canada – with the FBI warning that the situation is “very fluid”. The governor of New York state also confirmed there has been an incident on the Rainbow Bridge in Niagara Falls – and authorities are closely monitoring the situation. In a statement, Governor

ChatGPT maker OpenAI says it has agreed a deal for Sam Altman to return as chief executive after he was ousted by its board. The agreement “in principle” involves a new board being installed, the company said. In a post on X, OpenAI said: “We have reached an agreement in principle for Sam Altman to

The founder of the world’s largest crypto exchange has stepped down – and pleaded guilty to breaking anti-money laundering laws. Changpeng Zhao’s shock departure from Binance comes as part of a $4bn (£3.2bn) settlement that has been reached with US regulators. It is the culmination of a multi-year investigation into the trading platform, and the

Elon Musk’s X (formerly Twitter) has sued the watchdog group Media Matters alleging it manufactured a report to show advertisers’ posts alongside neo-Nazi and white nationalist content. Major US companies including Disney, Warner Bros and Sky News’ parent company Comcast pulled advertising from X over concerns about their ads showing up next to hate speech

Joe Biden got Britney Spears muddled up with Taylor Swift in his latest gaffe in front of reporters. The US president, who turned 81 today, was in the middle of pardoning two turkeys – Liberty and Bell – in the White House’s annual ceremony before the Thanksgiving holiday when he used the name Britney in

A new interim chief executive has been appointed to the company behind major AI chatbot ChatGPT, with the ousted ex-CEO Sam Altman being tapped up to head a new Microsoft AI team. Mr Altman, the founder of OpenAI and former CEO, was fired in a shock announcement on Friday, as the not-for-profit company board said

Former US first lady Rosalynn Carter has died at the age of 96. She died peacefully with her family by her side at her home in Plains, Georgia, according to the Carter Center, a not for profit organisation founded by her husband and former president Jimmy Carter, 99. They were married for 77 years. Mrs