US

In the hours immediately after the Oscars slapgate, Will Smith posed for photos on the Vanity Fair after-party blue carpet, and was apparently later seen dancing and singing along enthusiastically to one of his own hits, surrounded by glowing camera phones. So it would appear that initially, the Hollywood A-lister didn’t quite realise what the

Will Smith has apologised to Chris Rock for slapping him at last night’s Oscars ceremony, saying: “I was out of line and I was wrong.” Writing on Instagram, the former Fresh Prince described his behaviour as “unacceptable and inexcusable”. He said the joke Rock made about his wife’s medical condition was “too much for me

A tearful Will Smith has won his first ever Oscar, just minutes after rushing on to the stage and slapping comedian Chris Rock in the face. The former Fresh Prince, who won the best actor gong for his role in biopic King Richard, was reacting to a joke Rock had aimed towards Smith’s wife, Jada

Joe Biden has said Vladimir Putin “cannot remain in power”, appealing to the Russian people against the killing of innocent civilians, and telling Ukraine that the US stands with them. In a powerful speech given in Warsaw in Poland, the US president built on earlier remarks in which he called Mr Putin a “butcher”, describing

Russia’s president “cannot remain in power”, Joe Biden has said in a speech where he pleaded with Russians to stand up against the war, and told Ukrainians that the US stands with them. In a powerful speech in Warsaw, Poland, the US president built on earlier remarks in which he called Vladimir Putin a “butcher”,

Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins has died aged 50, the band has announced. The US group – one of the most successful rock bands of the last 20 years – said they were “devastated”. “The Foo Fighters family is devastated by the tragic and untimely loss of our beloved Taylor Hawkins,” the band tweeted. “His

A 14-year-old boy has died after falling from a 430ft high theme park ride in Florida. Police are investigating the death of the boy, who is understood to have fallen from a “drop ride” at Orlando’s ICON Park around 11pm local time on Thursday. The teenager was taken to a nearby hospital but was pronounced

Death row inmates must be allowed to have pastors pray aloud and even touch them during their executions after the US Supreme Court sided with a prisoner awaiting the lethal injection. Texas prisoner John Henry Ramirez had challenged state rules that would have forced his pastor to remain silent and apart from him when he

NATO “will respond” if Russian President Vladimir Putin uses chemical weapons, US President Joe Biden has said. Asked if the alliance would take military action, Mr Biden said: “It would trigger a response in kind. “You’re asking whether NATO would cross… we’d make that decision at the time.” Speaking after meetings of NATO and the

Idaho has become the first US state to enact a law modelled on a Texas statute banning abortions after about six weeks of pregnancy, even though the governor who signed it shared concerns. Republican Brad Little signed into law the measure that allows people who would have been family members to sue a doctor who

The US Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm has told Sky News that as President Joe Biden flies to Brussels to discuss further sanctions against Russia, he will “not ask Europe to do things it simply cannot do” when it comes to weaning itself off Russian energy. In an exclusive interview with Sky News, Ms Granholm acknowledged

Florida governor Ron DeSantis has signed a proclamation acknowledging runner-up Emma Weyant as the winner of a women’s college swimming event after she lost to a transgender athlete. Lia Thomas beat Ms Weyant by 1.75 seconds in the 500-yard freestyle last Thursday in Atlanta to become the first transgender National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) champion

Six high school students have been killed in a collision between two vehicles in southern Oklahoma, police have said. The teenagers, all girls, were in a car that collided with articulated lorry at about 12.30pm in Tishomingo, about 100 miles (161km) southwest of Oklahoma City. Tishomingo Public Schools superintendent Bobby Waitman said the students attended

For the first time since 2018, the Academy Awards is returning to an emcee format in a bid to inject some humour into proceedings – with actress Regina Hall hosting this year alongside comedy veterans Amy Schumer and Wanda Sykes. Sky News caught up with Hall to talk Oscars and her new scary film Master,

City of Miami Beach officials have declared a state of emergency as they struggle to stop spring break chaos. As part of the measures, a curfew will be in place for the South Beach area from midnight until 6am on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, according to the Miami Herald, with another curfew expected to be

A taxi driver has filed a legal complaint against Elon Musk’s car company, his lawyer said on Sunday, just months after his Tesla Model 3 was involved in a crash in Paris that killed one person. In December 2021, the off-duty taxi driver’s Tesla crashed through metal posts, a row of pay-to-ride bikes and a

South Carolina has brought back the firing squad as a method of execution, making it one of the few US states where it is lawful to carry out a death sentence in that manner. According to the state Department of Corrections, it will be possible for inmates on death row to choose to be shot

Goldman Sachs, the powerful Wall Street investment bank, has stormed into the £3bn auction of Chelsea Football Club as an adviser to one of the leading bidders. Sky News has learnt that Goldman has been signed up to advise the consortium being led by Todd Boehly, one of the owners of the Los Angeles Dodgers

A California-based investment firm has joined one of the frontrunners to buy Chelsea Football Club as a multitude of parties conduct frenzied negotiations to finalise their offers hours before the deadline for bids. Sky News has learnt that Clearlake Capital, which has roughly $60bn of assets under management, has signed up to a consortium headed

A thirteen-year-old child driving a pickup truck was among nine people who died in a crash with a van in Texas. Six members of a university golf team and a coach were also among those who lost their lives in the head-on collision. Two others were injured in the crash on Tuesday. The pickup truck