US

A suspected California serial killer appears to be “on a mission” police have said, although they admit they are still baffled as to what that mission is. The gunman has so far shot dead six men and wounded a woman in a 18-month killing spree in the Stockton and Oakland areas. There is a $125,000

Country music star Loretta Lynn has died at the age of 90. Her family said she passed away at her “beloved ranch in Hurricane Mills” in Tennessee. “Our precious mom, Loretta Lynn, passed away peacefully this morning, October 4th, in her sleep at home,” said a statement. Dolly Parton, Carole King and Billy Ray Cyrus

Herschel Walker, a Trump-endorsed Republican nominee for the US Senate in Georgia who has opposed abortion rights, has denied a report claiming he paid for an abortion for a former girlfriend in 2009. The Daily Beast published claims from a woman who said the former NFL star paid for her abortion when they were dating.

Police investigating five fatal shootings in California believe a serial killer might be on the loose in the state. Detectives released a grainy image of a “person of interest” after the latest killing shortly before 2am on Tuesday. The surveillance footage image shows an individual from behind who is dressed all in black, with a

In the sunshine state, we met the sofa survivor. In the worst hit part of southwest Florida, David Dean told us how he saw out Hurricane Ian. “I found myself around three or four in the afternoon, floating on a sofa with my head just above the ceiling fans, 18 inches below the ceiling. I

A nurse has been reunited with a TV reporter she hailed as her “knight in shining armour” after he carried her to safety on his back when she became trapped in floodwaters as Hurricane Ian hammered Florida. Tonya McCullough had been on her way to work at night in Orlando during the violent storm when

At least 77 people have been confirmed dead after Hurricane Ian struck the US – with rescuers desperately searching for survivors among the ruins of flooded homes. The remnants of one of the strongest and costliest hurricanes in American history is now headed north, with authorities in Florida and South Carolina left assessing the damage.

California has introduced a new bill that restricts the use of rap lyrics as evidence in court. It follows the recent indictments of US rappers Young Thug and Gunna, whose lyrics have been directly quoted at them in an ongoing legal trial. Young Thug has been accused of co-founding a gang as well as possessing

Eyewitness: ‘This is like an A-bomb hit the place’ The barrier islands off the coast of southwest Florida bore the brunt of Hurricane Ian’s fury. Sanibel Island used to be a picture-perfect holiday spot with its wide, white sand beaches and clear waters. The rich and famous have houses on the waterfront, alongside families who

Hurricane Ian is gaining strength and veering towards the Carolinas – with uncertainty over how many fatalities the storm has caused in Florida. This is one of the strongest-ever storms to hit the US – and emergency crews are trying to reach stranded Floridians after Ian cut a path of destruction across the state. Over

It is the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico that bring people to Fort Myers Beach - but on Wednesday afternoon, they unleashed the fury of Hurricane Ian. A tsunami-like storm surge, three metres (10ft) high in places, washed away homes and businesses. Early reports of ‘substantial loss of life’ – Hurricane Ian updates The seafront

Hurricane Ian has caused unprecedented damage after trapping people in flooded homes and leaving more than two million without power, says Florida’s governor. Ron DeSantis called the damage “historic” and disaster officials believe thousands could be displaced in the long term. US President Joe Biden has declared a major disaster, releasing federal funds to pay

One of the most powerful storms in US history has barrelled into Florida’s southwest coast with sustained winds of up to 150mph (241kph) and torrential rain. Hurricane Ian made landfall near Cayo Costa as an “extremely dangerous” category 4 storm but was close to being the maximum level of 5, when there are winds of

A US mountaineer has been found dead after she fell from the eighth-highest peak in Nepal. Helicopters located Hilaree Nelson’s body on the south face of Mount Manaslu on Wednesday morning, her tour company Shangri-La Nepal Trek confirmed. The 49-year-old was skiing down the 26,775ft (8,163m) summit with her partner Jim Morrison on Monday when

Hurricane Ian has knocked out power across all of Cuba, leaving 11 million people without electricity, after it slammed into the island’s western tip. Cuba‘s Electric Union said power was initially knocked out for about one million people in the country’s western provinces, but later the entire grid collapsed. The hurricane made landfall as a

Residents and holidaymakers in Florida have been warned not to be complacent, as storm-in-a-century Hurricane Ian’s 140mph winds are expected to affect the whole state. After making landfall in Cuba as a powerful Category 3 storm, it is now feared it will be upgraded to Category 4 as it intensifies while crossing the Gulf’s warm

A combined Chinese and Russian naval convoy, including a guided missile cruiser and a destroyer have been spotted close to an Alaskan island by the US Coastguard. Two other Chinese naval ships and three Russian naval vessels were sighted in the Bering Sea in a single formation 86 miles (138 km) from Kiska Island by

Tropical storm Ian has strengthened into a hurricane set to unleash significant winds, flash floods and mudslides in Florida, Cuba and Jamaica, weather experts have warned. The weather system is about 90 miles (150km) southwest of the Cayman Islands in the Caribbean Sea, according to the latest advisory issued by the National Hurricane Centre (NHC)

The Royal Navy’s flagship HMS Queen Elizabeth has arrived in New York for its deployment to the United States to host an Anglo-American military conference. The ship dropped anchor within sight of the Statue of Liberty in New York Harbour yesterday. It set sail for the US from Portsmouth on 7 September in place of

A state of emergency has been declared in Florida as Tropical Storm Ian heads towards the US coast and is forecast to become a major hurricane. Governor Ron DeSantis expanded a previous warning on Saturday to cover the whole state and urged people to prepare for landfall. It activates the state’s national guard and frees