US

An AI-controlled warplane has taken a senior air force leader for a ride in a groundbreaking test flight over California. Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall sat in the cockpit as the experimental F-16 jet, called Vista, flew lightning-fast manoeuvres at more than 550mph over Edwards Air Force Base. It went nearly nose to nose with

Much has been said about the students whose protests have gripped America this past week. Their cause has been framed in polarising ways. A violent Hamas-sympathising mob? Or peace activists striving for equality? Within a frenzied spectrum of views and noise, one young student sat down with me for a conversation. Aidan Doyle, 21, is

On the grass outside the university library, it is as though it never happened.  The tents have been removed. The pavements have been sprayed. The graffiti removed. Order and control have been restored. The protest has been silenced. For now at least. A few streets away, at the university police station, an officer calls the

A scuba dive boat captain has been jailed four years for criminal negligence over a fire that killed 34 people. Captain Jerry Boylan was also sentenced to three years supervised release by a federal judge in Los Angeles, California. The blaze on the vessel named Conception in September 2019 was the deadliest maritime disaster in

President Joe Biden has spoken out for the first time following violence and arrests during demonstrations at multiple US universities, saying: “There is a right to protest but not a right to cause chaos.” Tension at universities across America have been building for days as demonstrators have refused to remove encampments and administrators have called

Violent clashes engulfed the campus of a university in Los Angeles as tensions bubbled up nationwide over the pro-Palestinian student protests. An encampment of dozens of tents had occupied the main lawn at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) campus for almost a week, as pro-Palestinian students sought to highlight their cause – but

Police have raided Columbia University and arrested pro-Palestinian protesters after demonstrators occupied one of its buildings. It comes after New York City Mayor Eric Adams said on Tuesday that the demonstration at the Ivy League school “must end now” and claimed “professional outside agitators” had infiltrated the protest. University bosses said they had called in

About 300 people have been arrested during police crackdowns on protests at US universities, officials have said. In the early hours of Wednesday, police in riot gear were called into Columbia University in New York and also broke up protests at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) as demos over the Israel-Hamas war reached

Pro-Palestinian protesters took over a university building in the US – the latest escalation of demonstrations at college campuses against the Israel-Hamas war. The demonstrators barricaded the entrance of the building at Columbia University in New York on Tuesday and unfurled a Palestinian flag out of a window. Video footage showed protesters on the Manhattan

One of the winners of a $1.3bn (£1bn) Powerball jackpot has had cancer for eight years and wants to use the money to “find a good doctor”. Father-of-two Cheng “Charlie” Saephan, from Portland, Oregon, was announced as the winner of the massive jackpot – the fourth largest in the lottery’s history – on Monday. “I

A four-month-old baby was among at least five people killed after dozens of tornadoes swept across central parts of the US. Officials said at least 100 people were injured in Oklahoma, where four of the five died, as the extreme weather flattened buildings, ripped off roofing and threw vehicles down the street. The destruction was

US President Joe Biden has delivered an election-year roasting of his rival Donald Trump, criticising his immaturity. Speaking at the annual White House Correspondents’ Association dinner on Saturday night, the 81-year-old responded to concerns that he is too old for a second presidential term. “Yes, age is an issue – I’m a grown man running

A gold pocket watch that was recovered from the body of the richest man on the Titanic will be auctioned on Saturday.  John Jacob Astor, 47, went down with the ship in 1912 after helping his wife on to a lifeboat. Rather than try his luck with another lifeboat, the impeccably dressed businessman, a prominent

Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney have had two new Welsh trains named after their home cities. The actors, who took over Wrexham Football Club in 2021, were honoured in recognition of the “positive work” and the impact the owners have had in the area, including helping local businesses. The Vancouver Red Dragon and

R Kelly’s challenge against a 20-year sentence for child sex convictions has been quashed by an appeals court.  The singer was correctly sentenced to 20 years in prison, a Chicago court ruled on Friday. He was convicted in 2022 on three charges of producing child sexual abuse images and three charges of enticement of minors

Hundreds of homes have been damaged and nearly 10,000 are without power after a tornado smashed through parts of Omaha, in the US state of Nebraska. A number of tornadoes were reported in the state but the worst hit the suburbs to the northwest of the city, which has a population of 485,000. The homes

Student protests against Israel’s war in Gaza continue to spread across the US, following last week’s arrest of more than 100 demonstrators at Columbia University. There have been nearly 550 protest-related arrests in the past week at major US universities, according to a tally by news agency Reuters. The students want universities to cut ties

A New York court has overturned Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 conviction for rape, ordering a new trial in the landmark “MeToo” case. The state’s highest court found the judge at the trial prejudiced the ex-movie mogul with improper rulings, including a decision to let women testify about allegations that weren’t part of the case. The ruling

Protests over the Israel-Hamas war have reached boiling point at US universities, leading to the arrests of hundreds of protesters on campuses across the country. Police have been involved in clashes with pro-Palestinian protesters who have set up encampments on dozens of campuses, with over 500 arrests being made. But what are their demands, how

The drive into the village of Jiljiliya is not what you expect on the West Bank. Imposing mansions line the route, with grand gates and lavish decorations. That’s because this is where Palestinian Americans return to build their dream homes after years of hard work in the land of opportunity. Like Omar Assad who came