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Start with the big idea and deal with any issues down the line. That was the assessment of Elon Musk biographer Michael Vlismas a year ago when asked how the world’s richest man might go about running Twitter. The SpaceX owner had just bought the bird app for $44bn (£38bn) with a vague goal of

A gunman who shot dead 18 people in the US state of Maine has been identified as a US Army Reserve petroleum supply specialist. Robert Card, who is still on the run, has over two decades of service and no prior overseas deployments, the army confirmed. Maine police intensified their search on Thursday for the

There are mass casualties after a shooting in Lewiston, Maine, with police still hunting for the gunman. Authorities said they are investigating “two active shooter events” and people have been warned to take shelter. “We are encouraging all businesses to lock down and or close while we investigate,” the sheriff’s office said. Police released pictures

Meta is being sued by dozens of states in the US over claims that its social media platforms are intentionally addicting young people and harming their mental health. The lawsuit, submitted by attorney generals, claims Meta is contributing to a youth mental health crisis by knowingly and deliberately designing features on Instagram and Facebook that

A third former lawyer has pled guilty to attempting to overturn Donald Trump’s 2020 election defeat in Georgia. Jenna Ellis, who was a member of the then president’s legal team, reached a plea deal with prosecutors rather than going to trial over the case. She pleaded guilty to a felony count of aiding and abetting

Donald Trump compared himself to Nelson Mandela as he addressed his legal issues in a speech at his latest campaign rally. The former US president likened himself to the anti-apartheid activist on Monday as he claimed he is being targeted by federal and state prosecutors because of his politics. Mr Trump is currently facing four

An off-duty pilot has been arrested and charged with 83 counts of attempted murder after allegedly trying to shut down a plane’s engines during a flight, causing the pilot to divert the aircraft. The 44-year-old man, who was sitting in the spare seat of the cockpit, was “subdued” by the two pilots flying the aircraft

A mother who allegedly kidnapped and smuggled her eight biological children across the US has been arrested. Trisha Fullerton was spotted with six children in a car park in northern California by a passer-by who reported her “bizarre behaviour”. The concerned citizen requested a welfare check on the kids. Officers attended the scene on Saturday

A woman who falsely claimed to have cancer to fundraise money has been ordered to pay $40,000 (£33,000) but will stay out of prison.  Madison Russo, 20, never had pancreatic cancer, leukaemia, or a football-sized tumour wrapped around her spine – despite what she claimed on social media and fundraising pages. The Iowa woman documented

A manhunt is under way after a Maryland judge was shot and killed in his driveway – hours after he granted custody of a suspect’s children to their mother.  Pedro Argote, 49, is wanted in connection with the death of Judge Andrew Wilkinson, who was gunned down outside his home in what police have called

The president of a synagogue in Detroit has been stabbed to death outside her home. Police say a motive for the killing of Samantha Woll is currently unknown. Ms Woll, 40, was pronounced dead at the scene at around 6.30am on Saturday after she was found lying on the ground with multiple stab wounds. “While

The father of freed American hostage Natalie Raanan says she’s doing well following her two weeks in captivity after she and her mother were abducted in Israel by Hamas. Uri Raanan of Evanston, Illinois, told reporters he had spoken to his 17-year-old daughter Natalie on the phone. “She’s doing good. She’s doing very good,” he

Hamas has released two US hostages – a mother and her daughter – “for humanitarian reasons”, Sky News understands. Their ages are about 60 years old and 18 years old, a source with knowledge of the hostages told Sky News. Abu Ubaida of the militant organisation’s armed wing said the release was in response to

A US Navy warship has shot down missiles possibly headed for Israel as American forces in the Middle East have also been targeted by drone strikes, fuelling fears the Gaza conflict could spread. Rockets were fired at military facilities hosting US forces in Iraq and Syria following warnings over Washington’s support for Israel against Hamas.

Joe Biden said Hamas and Vladimir Putin both want to “annihilate” neighbouring democracies during a rare speech from the Oval Office. The president addressed the nation after his whirlwind trip to the Middle East. “If international aggression is allowed to continue, conflict and chaos could spread in other parts of the world,” he said. “Hamas

A gardener accidentally mowed around a dead body after assuming it was a Halloween decoration or a training dummy. The body was found on the lawn of an abandoned log cabin used by several law enforcement agencies for training near Charlotte, North Carolina, on 10 October, local police said. A groundskeeper had seen the body

A man has admitted to killing a woman 20 years ago, as well as attempting to extort $250,000 from the victim’s mother. Joran Van Der Sloot pleaded guilty to attempted extortion, and as part of a plea deal he had to reveal how 18-year-old American Natalee Holloway died. He said he beat Ms Holloway to

US President Joe Biden has said an explosion that killed hundreds in a hospital in Gaza appears to not have been caused by Israel but “by the other team”. “Based on what I’ve seen, it appears as though it was done by the other team, not you,” Mr Biden told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu

A summit between between Palestinian, US, Jordanian and Egyptian leaders, has been cancelled, just hours before Joe Biden was due to visit the region. The US president was set to meet them after his visit to Israel on Wednesday. The summit’s cancellation is a blow to Mr Biden’s diplomatic efforts over the Middle East crisis.

President Joe Biden will travel to Israel on Wednesday, amid fears about the war with Hamas expanding into a larger conflict. This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly. Please refresh the page for the fullest version. You can receive Breaking News alerts on a smartphone or tablet via