A street drug which rots the skin of those who use it has been designated an “emerging threat to the nation” by the White House. The unprecedented announcement, by the Biden administration’s Office for National Drug Control Policy, reflects the alarming speed at which ‘Tranq’ is spreading across America. Last month, Sky News revealed the

Joe Biden has frequently spoken of his Irish roots and his love for the country – but not all of his light-hearted comments have gone down well. As the US president visits Belfast before he crosses the border, we take a look at some of his controversial jokes and reactions to some of his past

Elon Musk has said his dog has replaced him as Twitter’s chief executive after appearing to back away from a pledge to step down. The billionaire SpaceX boss took over the day-to-day running of the social media platform after buying it for $44bn (£38bn) last October. After a tumultuous start to his tenure, which included

Police bodycam footage has shown the moment a gunman opened fire at a Louisville bank – killing five colleagues. Connor Sturgeon, 25, was shot dead by police following the attack at the Old National Bank in the Kentucky city on Monday morning. Two patrol officers who responded to the shooting were among eight wounded, with

The family of NFL quarterback Dwayne Haskins has filed a civil lawsuit claiming he was drugged as part of a “blackmail and robbery conspiracy” the night before his death. The Pittsburgh Steelers star was trying to cross a south Florida motorway in the early hours of 9 April last year when he was hit by

The US and the Philippines are holding their largest combat drills in decades after China conducted mock air and sea attacks off the coast of Taiwan. The pre-planned annual “Balikatan” exercises will involve more than 17,600 military personnel and include live-fire drills such as a boat-sinking rocket assault in waters across the South China Sea

The mother of a six-year-old boy who shot and wounded a Virginia schoolteacher has been charged in connection with the incident. Deja Taylor was indicted by a Virginia grand jury on charges of felony child neglect and misdemeanour of recklessly leaving a loaded firearm so as to endanger a child, according to prosecutor Howard Gwynn.

Five people have been killed in a shooting in Louisville, Kentucky, police have said. Six people including a police officer were transported to hospital, a Louisville Metro Police Department official said. The suspected shooter was dead, they added. Police activity was seen near a bank building. “There are multiple casualties,” the force said earlier. The

Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich has been formally charged with spying in Russia, state-run news agencies have reported today. Mr Gershkovich, a US citizen, was arrested last week on espionage charges, which have been called bogus by the West. He is being held in a pre-trial detention centre at the notorious Lefortovo prison in

Spain’s Jon Rahm has won the 87th Masters at Augusta National. Forty years after the late Seve Ballesteros won his second Masters title and on what would have been his 66th birthday, Rahm became the fourth Spanish winner at Augusta National after Ballesteros, Jose Maria Olazabal and Sergio Garcia. The 2021 US Open champion carded

World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) has apologised after using an image from the Nazi Holocaust camp Auschwitz during a preview show. The photo was used last weekend during the promotion of one of its matches between Rey Mysterio and Dominik Mysterio, during the first night of WrestleMania 39. In a statement afterwards, WWE said: “We had

Ben Ferencz, the last surviving prosecutor from the Nuremberg trials in Germany, has died at the age of 103. Mr Ferencz was an inexperienced 27-year-old when he became chief prosecutor for the US in the trial of 22 officers who were part of Einsatzgruppen. The mobile killing squads were part of Germany’s Nazi forces during

A sheriff in Florida went on a rant against gun control while announcing the arrests of a 12-year-old and a 17-year-old in connection with a shooting that left three dead. Marion County Sheriff Billy Woods said the two suspects were charged with murder, and a third suspect, a 16-year-old remains at large. Addressing a press

An abortion pill approved in the US more than 20 years ago could now be pulled. US district judge Matthew J Kacsmaryk has signed an injunction directing the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to halt the approval of mifepristone while a lawsuit by a conservative Christian group challenging its safety continues. The outcome could halt

Several spectators had a lucky escape on Friday as strong winds brought three trees crashing down during the second round of the 87th Masters. Officials confirmed that no injuries had been reported following the terrifying incident near the 17th tee at Augusta National. “The safety and well-being of everyone attending the Masters tournament will always

US approval of the abortion medication mifepristone has been revoked, in a decision that could further disrupt reproductive healthcare for millions of people. Mifepristone blocks the hormone needed to maintain a pregnancy and has been approved in the US since 2000 for medical abortion and miscarriage management. It is used safely in more than 60

Marvel star Jeremy Renner said he has “no regrets” about his snowplough accident that left him in a serious condition, and that he’d “do it again” to save his nephew. The 52-year-old actor added he was “so grateful and forever in debt” to those who helped him after his accident, where he was crushed by

Tennessee’s Republican-dominated House of Representatives has expelled two Democrats over their participation in a gun control demonstration at the state legislature last week. The protest came in the wake of the school shooting in Nashville on 27 March where six people, including three children, were killed. The Republicans, who control the house 75-23, voted to

The FBI and the U.S. army captured an innocent Delta Airlines pilot – who was not the intended target – in a training exercise gone wrong in Boston. The man in his 30s – who had no idea what was happening – is reported to have been sleeping at the time. After hearing commotion outside

Robert F Kennedy Jr, the nephew of the assassinated former president John F Kennedy, has announced he will challenge Joe Biden to be the Democratic nominee for the White House next year. He has filed a statement of candidacy with the Federal Election Commission, becoming the second person to announce themselves as a challenger to

The King has invited Joe Biden to the UK for a state visit which the US president has accepted, the White House has announced. The invitation came during a conversation between the pair on Tuesday, in which Mr Biden informed the King that US first lady Jill Biden would attend his coronation in May. US

Taiwan’s peace and democracy are facing “unprecedented challenges”, its president has said, on a visit to the US which will anger China. Tsai Ing-wen has held talks with both Democrat and Republican congressional leaders at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in California, against a backdrop of rising tensions with Beijing, which claims the island nation

A tornado has caused “multiple injuries and multiple deaths” in Missouri, US officials have said. The tornado moved through Bollinger County, about 50 miles south of St Louis, on Wednesday morning, said Sergeant Clark Parrott of the Missouri State Highway Patrol. Officials said a search and rescue operation had been launched and it was currently

Donald Trump has claimed he is the victim of election interference, as he condemned New York District Attorney Alvin Bragg for bringing criminal charges against him – speaking just hours after his arraignment. The former US president delivered an address to a crowd of some 500 people in his Mar-a-Lago estate ballroom in Florida after

Donald Trump has been formally arrested following his arrival at a New York courthouse where he will become the first former US president to face criminal charges. The frontrunner to be the Republicans’ choice for the White House in 2024 surrendered to the Manhattan district attorney’s office in the same building. Minutes earlier, he pumped

Grey’s Anatomy actress Caterina Scorsone has told how she rescued her three children from a fire that destroyed her home and killed the family pets. The star, who has appeared as Dr Amelia Shepherd in the medical drama since 2010, shared a statement on social media revealing she had been getting her daughters ready for

Donald Trump is set to appear at a court in Manhattan for his arraignment over alleged hush money paid to a porn actress before the 2016 election. Trump, the first former US president to face criminal charges, is due to be arraigned, fingerprinted and photographed this morning. The arraignment, which refers to the formal reading

Donald Trump has left his Florida home to travel to New York ahead of his unprecedented court appearance tomorrow. The former US president is expected to stay at Trump Tower in Manhattan before turning himself in to authorities on Tuesday. He is expected to be booked and arraigned on charges stemming from hush money payments

The Chinese spy balloon that flew over the US was able to gather intelligence from several sensitive American military sites, officials have said. China was able to steer the surveillance balloon so it could make multiple passes over some of the sites and transmit the information it collected back to Beijing in real time, NBC has

Donald Trump is set to speak in Florida on Tuesday night after his scheduled arraignment in New York on charges related to hush money payments to a porn star before the 2016 election. His campaign said he will deliver “remarks” at his Mar-a-Lago estate after returning from Manhattan, where he is expected to voluntarily turn