US

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

The world of US politics has paid tribute to former secretary of state Henry Kissinger who has died aged 100. Dr Kissinger’s family announced he had passed away at his home in Connecticut on Wednesday. The daughters of President Richard Nixon, who their father served under as secretary of state and national security adviser during

Former United States secretary of state Henry Kissinger has died aged 100. He passed away at his home in Connecticut on Wednesday, according to a statement from Kissinger Associates Inc. The veteran politician had major influence on American foreign policy under Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford. Born in Germany in 1923, Mr Kissinger fled

Elon Musk has been accused of promoting a long-debunked conspiracy theory which alleged high-profile Democrats ran a paedophile abuse ring from a Washington pizza restaurant. The billionaire posted and later deleted a meme referencing “Pizzagate” on X on Tuesday, NBC News reports. It was an image from TV show The Office, with fake dialogue superimposed

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

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

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

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