China has threatened “further actions” in response to America’s “serious overreaction” in the downing of a suspected spy balloon. The white aircraft was shot out of the sky off the South Carolina coast on Saturday after days of intrigue, while diplomatic relations soured further between Washington and Beijing. US President Joe Biden ordered the object

The US has shot down a suspected Chinese spy balloon that had been flying over its airspace. Television footage showed a small explosion, followed by the balloon descending toward the water off the Carolina coast. The balloon was shot down with a missile fired by an F-22 fighter aircraft, about six nautical miles off the

The US has shot down a suspected Chinese spy balloon that has been flying over its airspace. Television footage showed a small explosion, followed by the balloon descending toward the water off the Carolina coast. The balloon was shot down by an F-22 fighter aircraft, about six nautical miles off the coast near Myrtle Beach,

A sixth police officer has been sacked for his involvement in the death of Tyre Nichols, who was beaten by police last month. Mr Nichols was left in a critical condition after several officers punched, kicked and hit him with a baton in Memphis, Tennessee, after he was pulled over on suspicion of reckless driving

China has claimed the flight of an “airship” over the US was an accident and accused politicians and the media of taking advantage of the situation. The US claims the craft is a suspected spy balloon and said it had committed a “clear violation” of US sovereignty. China insisted it is used for meteorological and

US secretary of state Antony Blinken said that China’s spy balloon was “detrimental” to “substantive discussions” that were due to take place on his visit. Mr Blinken said he spoke to the director of the Chinese Communist Party’s Central Foreign Affairs Office, Wang Yi, on Friday about the postponement of the visit, saying: “Conditions were

Harry and Meghan were among the high-profile guests present to watch Ellen DeGeneres and her wife Portia de Rossi renew their wedding vows. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex looked on as the TV talk show host was surprised with the gesture as part of her 50th birthday celebrations. DeGeneres shared the entire ceremony in

The US military is tracking a suspected Chinese spy balloon that has been flying over northwestern America in recent days. A senior defence official said the US has “very high confidence” it is a Chinese high-altitude balloon and was flying over sensitive sites to collect information. “Clearly the intent of this balloon is for surveillance,”

A ground hog named Punxsutawney Phil has revealed his annual weather prediction, in a Groundhog Day event in Pennsylvania. The furry little critter was summoned from his tree stump at dawn by his “inner circle”, to reveal to those waiting that there will be six more weeks of winter. According to tradition, if Phil sees

Former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has told Sky News he believes China’s President Xi is a bigger threat to the world than Vladimir Putin. Speaking on Beth Rigby Interviews, Mr Pompeo said President Xi is intent on world dominance. “He wants to own you,” the US politician warned. “He wants hegemonic intent across

Hollywood actor Alec Baldwin will make his first appearance in a US court on 24 February over the fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. Baldwin, 64, faces two counts of involuntary manslaughter stemming from the incident on the set of the Rust movie in October 2021. He was formally charged with the offences by the

Tyre Nichols’s mother said “blood is going to be on the hands” of Congress men and women if they fail to pass a bill that would limit immunity for US police officers. US vice president Kamala Harris and celebrated civil rights activist Rev Al Sharpton urged Congress to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing

US Vice President Kamala Harris and members of George Floyd’s family will be among those attending Tyre Nichols’ funeral in Memphis on Wednesday. The White House announced the move ahead of the service at Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church in Memphis, Tennessee. Family members of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, who were both killed at the

Scott Hubbard remembers exactly where he was on the day of one of the deadliest tragedies in the history of space travel. Before he stepped out of bed on the morning of 1 February 2003, a radio broadcast brought news that NASA’s Columbia space shuttle was “overdue” on its return to Earth. “I had a

Hollywood actor Alec Baldwin has been formally charged in New Mexico with involuntary manslaughter over the fatal shooting of a cinematographer on the set of the western film Rust. Baldwin has vowed to fight the charges against him, with his lawyer calling the case a “terrible miscarriage of justice”. Halyna Hutchins, 42, died after a

Both the UK and US have ruled out sending F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine. Downing Street said it is “not practical” to send them to Ukraine to bolster its fight against Russia. While US President Joe Biden responded “no” when asked by a reporter if he would send F-16s to the frontline, and confirmed Washington

Three emergency workers have been fired over their response to Tyre Nichols after he was beaten by police. The Memphis Fire Department said it had fired two emergency medical technicians and an emergency vehicle driver after an investigation found they failed to provide adequate medical care. Mr Nichols was left in critical condition after several

Lisa Loring, the actress best known as the young Wednesday Addams in the 1960s series The Addams Family, has died aged 64. She died on Saturday night of complications from a stroke caused by high blood pressure, her daughter Vanessa Foumberg told Variety. “She went peacefully with both her daughters holding her hands,” she said.

He’s never gonna give you up, never gonna let you down – but he is potentially gonna sue you if you (allegedly) impersonate his distinctive baritone. Rick Astley has filed a lawsuit against the rapper Yung Gravy over the song Betty (Get Money), which was released in 2022. Here is a look at what’s happened

Former US president Donald Trump has kicked off his 2024 White House bid with stops in New Hampshire and South Carolina, while brushing aside criticism that his campaign was off to a slow start. Speaking to party leaders at the New Hampshire Republicans’ annual meeting in Salem, the former president insisted he was motivated to

When Memphis, a city in southwest Tennessee, had a record number of homicides in 2021 for the second year in a row, many were calling for action. Attention turned to the Memphis Police Department to tackle the murder rate, which led to the creation of the Scorpion Unit in October 2021. “MPD’s New SCORPION UNIT

When watching the horrific video of Tyre Nichols being kicked and punched by police officers, many minds in America were transported back to footage of another black man being beaten in similar circumstances more than 30 years ago. The video of Rodney King is grainy and shaky, before the era of police-worn body cameras and

The mother of Tyre Nichols has said she is “not going to stop” until every person responsible for her son’s death “is prosecuted to the fullest of law”. RowVaughn Wells was speaking to US news network MSNBC a day after Memphis Police released bodycam footage showing her son screaming “mom, mom” several times as he

The US has a “new clock” on police accountability following the quick arrest and firing of five officers charged over the death of Tyre Nichols, influential civil rights campaigner Al Sharpton has said. Speaking at a rally in Harlem, New York, Reverend Sharpton also rejected the idea that there was no race element to the

Of all the words used prior to prepare us, nothing spoke louder than the pictures. That the images were captured on police bodycams made it the more chilling – a murderer’s eye view, as the indictment would have it. The video footage is as shocking as it is haunting. Having stopped Tyre Nichols in his

Memphis Police has released bodycam footage showing the moment Tyre Nichols called for his mother as he was beaten by five officers before he died. The footage shows police savagely beating the 29-year-old FedEx worker for three minutes while screaming profanities at him throughout the attack. Police have released four separate videos cut into one

The final words of a US motorist who died after he was allegedly beaten by five police officers were “mum, mum, mum”, according to a lawyer. Tyre Nichols, 29, passed away in hospital three days after the confrontation following a traffic stop in the city of Memphis, Tennessee, on 7 January. Bodycam footage of the

A British teenage extremist has been jailed after his far-right videos were linked to two mass murders in the US. Daniel Harris used an online platform called World Truth Videos to disseminate a “call to arms” for his violent racist beliefs, a court heard. The 19-year-old from Glossop in Derbyshire was convicted of five counts

A grand jury has indicted five former police officers on murder and other charges in connection with the death of Tyre Nichols. US President Joe Biden called for any protests to be peaceful following the charges on Thursday. Nichols, 29, died in hospital three days after a confrontation during a traffic stop in the US

A school board in Virginia has voted to fire its district superintendent after a six-year-old pupil shot a teacher. The Newport News School Board voted five-to-one to relieve George Parker III of his duties – but as part of a separation agreement, he’ll be paid more than $502,000 (£405,063) in severance – two years of