US

At least four people have been killed after severe thunderstorms hit southeastern Texas for the second time this month. The storms blew out windows in high-rise buildings, downed trees and knocked out power to nearly 900,000 homes and businesses in the Houston area. Mary Benton, chief of communications and senior adviser to the mayor, confirmed

Michael Cohen, Donald Trump’s former “thug” and “pit bull”, has been accused of lying about a phone call he says he made to the former US president about payments to ex porn star Stormy Daniels. Cohen, a lawyer who worked for the Trump Organisation from 2006 to 2017, has been giving evidence in the case

A long-awaited temporary pier built in order to get urgent aid to Palestinian civilians in Gaza has anchored to a beach off the besieged enclave, the US military has said.  The US Central Command said its personnel anchored the pier at about 7.40am local time (5.40am BST) as part of a mission to deliver additional

Joe Biden and Donald Trump have agreed to two head-to-head live televised debates in June and September. After months of speculation about whether the traditional presidential debates would go ahead, the US broadcaster CNN has announced that a primetime debate will take place at its global headquarters in Atlanta on 27 June at 9pm. The

Michael Cohen said he had been “knee deep into the cult of Donald Trump” as he testified for a second day in the ex-president’s trial. As Trump‘s defence tried to paint the former lawyer and ‘fixer’ as a bitter and fame-hungry former acolyte, he denied being obsessed by his former boss but said he had

Eight people have died and another eight were critically injured after a bus carrying farm workers crashed and overturned in Florida. The bus was transporting 53 workers when it collided with a pickup truck in Marion County, north of Orlando, the Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) said. The bus then swerved off State Road 40 –

Donald Trump “wasn’t thinking about (his wife) Melania” when he paid off a former porn star, his former lawyer has testified. Michael Cohen told a court Mr Trump personally approved $130,000 in hush money to Stormy Daniels over an alleged 2006 sexual encounter. The payout isn’t illegal, but Mr Trump is accused of falsifying records

The new version of the ChatGPT AI chatbot has been unveiled and offers near-instant results across text, vision and audio, according to its maker. OpenAI said it was much better at understanding visuals and sounds than previous versions. It offers the prospect of real-time ‘conversations’ with the chatbot, including the ability to interrupt its answers.

The swimmer who was the first victim in the 1975 blockbuster Jaws has died.  Susan Backlinie died in her home in California at the age of 77, according to her agent. Her death was first reported by The Daily Jaws website. The opening scene of Steven Spielberg‘s classic features Ms Backlinie running along the beach

The first person to have a pig kidney transplant has died nearly two months after the procedure. Richard “Rick” Slayman, 62, underwent the four-hour transplant at a hospital in Boston in March. It marked the first time a genetically modified pig kidney was transplanted into a living patient. Surgeons said they believed the organ would

Sam Rubin, a veteran Californian entertainment reporter who also worked for ITV, has died at the age of 64. Los Angeles TV station KTLA called the reporter “a giant in the local news industry”, as they paid tribute. “His laugh, charm and caring personality touched all who knew him,” the station added. “Sam was a

Israel has probably broken international law – that’s the conclusion of a US State Department report that is both damning yet cautiously equivocal too. The report, released late last night, is highly critical of Israel, but will also be seen as intentionally non-committal by its critics. Eagerly anticipated – it was due on Wednesday –

Apple has apologised for its new iPad Pro advert where it crushed cameras, books and musical instruments, saying it “missed the mark”. The advert – shared online by Apple chief executive Tim Cook – also featured creative tools such as a record player and a metronome being crushed in an industrial press. It was intended

Two skiers have been killed during an avalanche in mountains near Salt Lake City. The men, aged 23 and 32, were swept up in the avalanche in Utah’s Wasatch Range on Thursday morning. A third skier was rescued and taken to hospital after digging himself out from the snow, according to Salt Lake County Sheriff

Justin and Hailey Bieber have announced they are expecting their first child. Hailey, the 27-year-old model, posted a video and a series of photos on Instagram showing off her baby bump. Justin, 30, is also in the social media footage and has shared his wife’s post. The announcement did not include a caption, with Hailey

A US warship has sailed through the Taiwan Strait – prompting an angry response from China. The US Navy said the USS Halsey conducted a “routine Taiwan Strait transit” on Wednesday, “through waters where high-seas freedoms of navigation and overflight apply in accordance with international law”. The guided missile destroyer passed through a corridor “beyond

President Joe Biden has warned Israel in his toughest public comments so far that the US would stop supplying it with some weapons if Israel invades the southern Gaza city of Rafah. If Israeli forces launch an all-out assault on the city, the last major Hamas stronghold in the besieged enclave, the US president said

Donald Trump’s lawyer has been told by a judge to stop the former president from “cursing audibly” and “shaking his head” during Stormy Daniels’ testimony at his hush money trial. Judge Juan Merchan said the former president’s swearing had the “potential to intimidate” Ms Daniels – the porn star who was paid to keep quiet

Porn star Stormy Daniels has described to jurors an awkward and unexpected sexual encounter she claims she had with Donald Trump in 2006. Ms Daniels was testifying at the former president’s criminal trial over hush money she was paid to keep silent about the alleged encounter during the presidential race. Ms Daniels, 45, said she

Grease star Susan Buckner, who played cheerleader Patty Simcox in the classic musical, has died aged 72. The American actress died peacefully on Thursday 2 May surrounded by her loved ones, publicist Melissa Berthier has said. A cause of death has not been given. Buckner was best known for her role in Grease where she