A 14-year-old girl has made history by becoming the first African American to win the 96-year-old US Scripps National Spelling Bee. Zaila Avant-garde, a sporting prodigy with several Guinness World Records to her name for dribbling multiple basketballs at a time, won the event by correctly spelling Murraya – a genus of tropical Asiatic and
US
Police bodycam footage shows officers rescuing a six-year-old girl after she was kidnapped from outside her home in Kentucky. The victim was riding her bicycle in Louisville on 2 July when she was snatched by a stranger in a car, witnesses told the Louisville Metro Police Department. Neighbour Prentiss Weatherford told WHAS-TV that he saw
Three people are dead and two are missing after a group of nine people, all believed to be from the same family, went missing after floating down a river on inflatable rings and dropping over the edge of a dam. Four of the group were rescued and taken to hospital with non-life threatening injuries after
Kim Kardashian West has said she almost became a “runaway bride” before her 72-day marriage to basketball player Kris Humphries. The reality star told a Keeping Up With The Kardashians reunion special she had cold feet before tying the knot, but denied claims the wedding was a ploy to boost ratings. Kardashian West married Humphries
Two women have told Sky News they were left feeling ashamed and suicidal after explicit videos of them were posted on the world’s biggest online porn website – they claim without their consent. In a legal case filed in the US, more than 30 women have accused MindGeek, the parent company of Pornhub, of profiting
A US national holiday commemorating the end of slavery is due to be signed into law by President Biden after it received overwhelming backing. Representatives voted by 415-14 to make 19 June, known as Juneteenth, a federal holiday, while the Senate passed the bill unanimously. Mr Biden is expected to add his signature at the
The executions of two inmates have been blocked by a US court, who ruled they must get the choice to die by firing squad. The South Carolina supreme court halted the executions of Brad Sigmon and Freddie Owens, ruling that officials needed to put together a firing squad to give them the option of how
Indian actress Priyanka Chopra, US footballer Megan Rapinoe and transgender model Valentina Sampaio have joined Victoria’s Secret as the embattled lingerie company undergoes a “dramatic shift”. Known for its famous annual fashion show featuring some of the biggest names in the modelling world – including Adriana Lima, Candice Swanepoel, Gisele Bundchen, Heidi Klum, Tyra Banks
The first “murder hornet” discovered in the US this year has been found north of Seattle. The dead Asian giant hornet, which was found in Snohomish County, appears to be unrelated to findings in Canada and Whatcom County along the Canadian border in 2019 and 2020. The insects are two inches (about 5cm) long, are
There are moments when dull is good. This was one of them. It was clearly a big and important meeting – the first face-to-face encounter between Joe Biden as US president and Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. And with relations back nearing Cold War levels (they had both conceded as much) a tête-à-tête was needed. Given
Russia’s Vladimir Putin says he and US President Joe Biden have agreed to return their ambassadors to their respective posts in an attempt to lower tensions. It comes after around four hours of talks between the leaders at a summit in Switzerland. The two men have had face-to-face discussions at a villa on the shores
On the Sky News Daily podcast with Dermot Murnaghan, we examine how sightings of unidentified flying objects went from conspiracy theory to US government inquiry – after officials told American media they can’t confirm or rule out alien activity. We hear from Sean Cahill, who was the Chief Master-at-Arms on the USS Princeton in 2004
A US special forces veteran and his son have admitted illegally helping ex-Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn flee Japan ahead of his trial on financial misconduct charges, according to a Tokyo-based news agency. Kyodo newswire said Michael and Peter Taylor, who were extradited to Japan in March at the request of the Japanese authorities, admitted a
US President Joe Biden has been welcomed by the Queen as he arrived at Windsor Castle. The president and First Lady Jill Biden flew by helicopter from Cornwall, following the G7 summit, to Windsor on Sunday afternoon for tea with the monarch. Mr Biden gave a news conference at Newquay Airport before departing for Berkshire,
The US, Britain and the rest of the NATO alliance are expected to sharpen their language on the challenge posed by China, keep up pressure on Russia and for the first time make tackling the impact on security of climate change a key task. President Joe Biden will touch down in Brussels on Sunday evening
US President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden will meet the Queen at Windsor Castle later. The couple will receive a guard of honour and tea during the visit, which comes after they last met during the G7 summit in Cornwall. But this afternoon’s private time with the monarch can be seen as a
A lobster diver says he thought he was going to die after getting caught in a humpback whale’s mouth. Michael Packard recalled how he had jumped off his boat near the Cape Cod coast in Massachusetts on Friday morning and was about 45ft down when he “felt this huge bump, and everything went dark”. At
Kim Kardashian has explained why she filed for divorce from rapper husband Kanye West. The 40-year-old was speaking to her mother Kris Jenner on the final episode of the family’s reality TV show – Keeping Up With The Kardashians (KUWTK). In scenes filmed in October, she said she had spoken to a therapist and realised
Boris Johnson has described working with US President Joe Biden as a “breath of fresh air” following the pair’s first face-to-face meeting. The prime minister met Donald Trump’s successor in Carbis Bay on Thursday, ahead of this week’s G7 summit at the Cornwall resort. Mr Johnson said the new US administration had “so much they
Boris Johnson has scored an early diplomatic win with the UK becoming the first foreign destination for Joe Biden since he became US president. But it is more thanks to good timing than the special relationship – a term the prime minister reportedly doesn’t like anyway because he thinks it sounds weak and needy. As