US

A wildfire that has destroyed more than 7,000 acres and forced 3,000 people to leave their homes was started by a firework at a baby’s gender reveal party, firefighters have said. The California Fire Department (Cal Fire) said in a statement the El Dorado blaze was caused by “a smoke-generating pyrotechnic device used during a

A black man left paralysed after being shot seven times by police in the US has released a video from his hospital bed, saying constant pain means it hurts to breathe and even sleep. Jacob Blake, whose shooting in Wisconsin on 23 August has reignited the Black Lives Matter protests over police violence and racial

Hundreds of firefighters are battling a huge brush fire at California’s Sierra National Forest, which has left dozens of people injured – including two who are in a critical condition. Cal Fire, the state’s department of forestry and fire protection, said in a tweet that the still-uncontained blaze had ravaged more than 36,000 acres since

Donald Trump has failed to join other world leaders in condemning Russia for an alleged Novichok poison attack on opposition leader Alexei Navalny. The US president told reporters on Friday that “it’s tragic. It’s terrible, it shouldn’t happen. We haven’t had any proof yet, but I will take a look”, before asking why they were

Jacob Blake has been seen for the first time since he was shot seven times by police. In a court hearing over Zoom from his hospital bed, the 29-year-old pleaded not guilty to criminal trespass, third-degree sexual assault and disorderly conduct – charges from before he was shot. The charges against Blake are based on

A prominent activist and professor of African American history at George Washington University has admitted that she has been pretending to be a black woman. Jessica Krug, 38, wrote on the blog website Medium that her various identities have been built on a “toxic soil of lies” and she is in fact a white Jewish

Donald Trump has denied allegations that he referred to American soldiers who lost their lives in war as “losers” and “suckers”. The claims date back to 2018 when the US president cancelled his trip to a cemetery in France, which was blamed on bad weather at the time. According to the The Atlantic, Mr Trump

Joe Biden has met the family of black man Jacob Blake who was shot seven times by a white police officer, sparking days of sometimes violent protests. The Democratic presidential nominee spent more than an hour in private with Mr Blake’s father, Jacob Blake Sr, his siblings and one of his lawyers, B’Ivory LaMarr in

Facebook says it will stop accepting political advertisements in the week before the US election, as Mark Zuckerberg warns of “an increased risk of civil unrest across the country”. Explaining the move, Mr Zuckerberg said: “We’re going to block new political and issue ads during the final week of the campaign.” He said he “generally”

In the Rio Grande Valley, it’s hard to find anyone who hasn’t been touched by COVID-19. The pandemic ravaged the region – an overwhelmingly Hispanic area, where poverty, poor health and close-knit families put them on a collision course. Dr Ivan Melendez, from Hidalgo County Health Authority, describes how obesity and diabetes have contributed to

When I asked Jacob Blake’s mother about Donald Trump last week, a woman by her side answered: “Donald Trump can kiss my a**.” Julia Jackson, Jacob’s mother, waved a disapproving finger and said: “Scratch that.” It was two days after her son had been shot by police. The world had watched the mobile phone footage

Donald Trump has accused protesters of carrying out acts of “domestic terror” after a white police officer was filmed shooting a black man in the back in Wisconsin. The US president made the remarks on a visit to the city of Kenosha, where Jacob Blake, 29, was left paralysed from the waist down following the

What must he have thought inside his cell at a juvenile facility in Vernon Hills, Illinois? Kyle Rittenhouse, the 17-year-old street vigilante who shot dead two people in Kenosha, is currently staring down the barrel of a double murder charge. It’s a lonely place, no doubt, but perhaps a little less so with support from

Joe Biden has come out fighting as he asked Americans if they wanted the “toxin” that is Donald Trump to continue leading the nation. The Democratic presidential nominee, speaking in a rare public appearance away from his hometown, criticised the president for his handling of the pandemic, police shootings, protests and job losses. Speaking in

Donald Trump has lashed out at Portland’s “incompetent” mayor as presidential hopeful Joe Biden accused the president of “recklessly encouraging violence” in the city. A man was killed on Saturday night amid clashes between rival groups in the Oregon city, which has seen months of unrest since the police killing of George Floyd. Mr Trump

Black Panther director Ryan Coogler has hailed the film’s star Chadwick Boseman following his death from colon cancer. “In African cultures, we often refer to loved ones that have passed on as ancestors,” he wrote, praising Boseman’s artistry by stating: “The ancestors spoke through him.” Boseman died aged 43 at home in Los Angeles with