In the skies over Hollywood a small plane pulls a banner reading “vote yes”. On a monitor on a movie set, the same words are scrawled on a piece of luminous tape. On a crane hoisting bits of scenery into place, the same slogan is emblazoned in big letters. Image: The workers are angry about

America’s special envoy on climate change John Kerry has told Sky News that strained relations between the US and China have made it harder for him to do his job. Speaking exclusively to Sky from a climate summit in Milan, Mr Kerry said his ability to persuade China to be more ambitious in reducing its

More than half of all killings by police officers in the United States go unreported – and black Americans are far more likely to be the victim, according to a new study. Research published in the medical journal The Lancet reported that 55% of deaths from “police violence” in the US between 1980 and 2018

US President Joe Biden has narrowly avoided a government shutdown, signing new legislation on spending just hours before the deadline.  Republicans blocked the bill to fund the American government through to 3 December because they were unhappy with the plan to raise the debt ceiling, but it was eventually passed by the House and the

A 13-year-old boy is in a critical condition in hospital after being shot at a school in Memphis, Tennessee. The suspected shooter, whose age has not been revealed, was a fellow pupil, according to police. He was thought to have fled the scene after the attack but later turned himself in at a police station.

They heard the roar from the street outside at the moment Britney Spears won her legal fight in a Los Angeles courtroom It was a moment of release for a Free Britney campaign which has spent years rallying in support of the singer’s cause, and in opposition to the conservatorship that has run her life

Britney Spears’ father Jamie Spears has been suspended as conservator of her estate after 13 years, during the latest court hearing in the long-running dispute. The judge in Los Angeles said it was in Spears‘ “best interests” to remove her father from the legal agreement and that the “current situation is untenable” and “reflects a

America’s top military commander has said the credibility of the US has been damaged as a result of the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan. The admission, from General Mark Milley, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was one of a number of significant revelations in a lengthy session with the Senate Armed Services Committee on

The family of a missing woman found dead in a US national park have urged the media and public to give the same attention to other disappearance cases. Gabby Petito was found dead in Wyoming on 18 September – a week after her parents reported her missing – and the case made headlines across the

A judge is expected to decide today whether Jamie Spears should be removed from his controversial role running his superstar daughter Britney’s life. The hearing at the Los Angeles Superior Court is a significant moment in the 13-year conservatorship arrangement that has controlled the financial and personal life of the millionaire singer. It comes as

Prince William and former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg have teamed up to highlight the importance of tackling climate change. The Duke of Cambridge and billionaire businessman Mr Bloomberg will be working together on the prince’s environmental initiative, called the Earthshot Prize. Mr Bloomberg, whose estimated net worth is more than $60bn (£46.3m), has

“This case is not about a celebrity who likes to party a lot,” assistant US attorney Maria Cruz Melendez told the jury on the first day of R Kelly’s trial. “This case is about a predator.” At many points during the hearing, the allegations against the disgraced R&B singer were difficult for witnesses to speak

R Kelly’s trial was the culmination of decades of accusations, pointing to a predator hiding in plain sight. Rumours and allegations about the now disgraced R&B singer date back to almost the beginning of his career – and yet, he rose to become a chart-topper, a Grammy winner, an artist who filled arenas and collaborated

The singer R Kelly has been found guilty of racketeering in his sex abuse trial in Brooklyn, New York. The R&B singer was accused of exploiting his fame to lure women and underage girls for sex. The 54-year-old had pleaded not guilty to racketeering and eight counts of violating a federal law making it illegal

Three years after receiving a record fine from the European Commission alongside an order to stop abusing its control of the Android operating system, Google is set to have its day in court. Back in 2018 the company was fined €4.34bn (£3.8bn) for forcing phone makers to pre-install apps including Google Search and Chrome to

Scientists have examined the mysteries of a distant galaxy made visible not just by the Hubble Space Telescope but also a deep-space optical phenomenon known as an “Einstein Ring”. Hubble is one of the largest astronomy tools ever put into space. It has been orbiting the Earth since 1990 at an altitude of around 540km,

Women accusing R Kelly of sexual abuse were motivated by money to lie and were little more than star-struck fans, a lawyer for the R&B star argued during the closing argument of his trial in New York. Warning: This article contains references to alleged sexual assault and abuse. In his closing argument to the federal

An Amtrak passenger train has derailed in the US state of Montana killing at least three people, according to reports. The Empire Builder train, which runs between Seattle and Chicago, was carrying 146 passengers and 16 crew, Amtrak said. The train consisted of two locomotives and 10 carriages, seven of which derailed near the town

R Kelly’s future is now in the hands of seven men and five women, as jurors began deliberations after weeks of testimony in his sex abuse trial in New York. Warning: This article contains references to alleged sexual assault and abuse Prosecutors and defence lawyers finished their closing arguments this week, and now the 12-strong

The Wire actor Michael K Williams died of an accidental drug overdose, a post-mortem examination has found. Williams, 54, was found dead in his Brooklyn apartment on 6 September. Police sources said at the time that drug paraphernalia was discovered at the scene. Julie Bolcer, a spokeswoman for the New York City’s Office of the

Huawei’s chief financial officer has reached a deal with US prosecutors that allows her to return to China. Meng Wanzhou, who is also the daughter of the company’s founder Ren Zhengfei, has been in Canada since she was arrested at Vancouver’s airport in December 2018. Her arrest followed an extradition warrant issued by the US

Human remains found in an alligator’s stomach in Louisiana have been identified as those of a man who was attacked and killed in Hurricane Ida floodwaters. Timothy Satterlee Sr, 71, had been reported missing since the attack near his home in the New Orleans suburb of Slidell on 30 August. The remains were confirmed as

A former Louisiana police officer has been charged with a civil rights violation after hitting a black motorist 18 times with a torch during a traffic stop. It is the first criminal case to emerge from federal investigations into the trooper’s beatings of at least three black men. In distressing body camera footage, kept secret

The former Minneapolis police officer jailed for the murder of George Floyd has appealed against his conviction. Derek Chauvin was sentenced in June to 22-and-a-half years in a case that made global headlines and sparked protests. He had 90 days to lodge an appeal from date of sentencing and the application is based on five

The American special envoy to Haiti has resigned in protest at the “inhumane” deportation of hundreds of Haitian migrants back to their country from a camp on the US-Mexican border. Daniel Foote said that conditions in the Caribbean nation were so bad that US officials were confined to secure compounds because of the danger of

Influential filmmaker Melvin Van Peebles – who was described as the “godfather of black cinema” – has died aged 89. Van Peebles, known for 1970s films Watermelon Man and Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song, died on Tuesday evening at his home in New York. Actor Mario Van Peebles, the filmmaker’s son and long-time creative collaborator, said:

The US is buying a further 500 million COVID-19 vaccine doses to donate to other countries, bringing its total commitment to over a billion jabs, President Joe Biden has announced. “To beat the pandemic here, we need to beat it everywhere,” Mr Biden said. “For every one shot we’ve administered to date in America, we

Parked vehicles have created a steel barrier which stretches for miles along the US border with Mexico in the latest measure to deter migrants from crossing into Texas. The US has been expelling Haitians from a large makeshift camp at the border, which at one point had attracted more than 12,000 migrants. Around 8,600 people

Amazon is lobbying the US government to legalise cannabis and in support of a law that would expunge cannabis-related offences from criminal records, the company has confirmed. Earlier this year, the e-commerce giant announced that it would be excluding the drug from its pre-employment screening programme, as well as reinstating the eligibility of former employees

Boris Johnson has hailed “real progress” on US-UK trade – despite his earlier refusal to commit to securing a free trade deal between the two countries by the time of the next general election. Speaking as he met US Vice President Kamala Harris in Washington DC, the prime minister spoke of British and American collaboration