US

Ghislaine Maxwell, the former girlfriend of convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, has been denied bail. The British socialite is being held at the Metropolitan Detention Centre in Brooklyn, New York. In a bail application filed with the US District Court in Manhattan, Maxwell said she and her husband would post a $22.5m (£16.5m) bond towards bail,

US President-elect Joe Biden has said the lack of information provided to his team by the Trump administration is “nothing short of irresponsible”. The Democrat said those working on the transition ahead of his inauguration next month were still not getting the defence and national security details it needed – more than a month after

Donald Trump has signed a COVID relief and spending bill, averting a government shutdown that could have seen millions of Americans deprived of unemployment benefit. Trump, who leaves office on 20 January, backed down from his threat to block the bill after he came under intense pressure from lawmakers on both sides. After the bill

The man suspected of being behind a bomb in the US city of Nashville is believed to have died in the explosion, federal authorities have said. The Christmas morning blast came from a motorhome which had broadcast a warning that it was going to detonate within 15 minutes, sending people fleeing for their lives. Three

Detectives investigating a huge explosion in Nashville say they have identified a person of interest. Investigators have received over 500 leads and are now putting together the “giant jigsaw puzzle”. The blast – which happened on Christmas morning – originated from a motorhome which had broadcast a warning it was going to detonate within 15

Millions of Americans’ unemployment benefits have expired after the president refused to sign a $2.3trn COVID-19 relief and spending bill. Donald Trump, who is spending Christmas golfing at his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, said the package did not do enough for everyday people. The bill sought to provide $892bn in coronavirus relief, including the

Beyonce will donate $500,000 to people facing eviction due to the coronavirus pandemic through her BeyGOOD charity foundation. Grants of $5,000 (£3,736) will be handed out to 100 recipients in the US in late January. They will be among those who have been left most at risk of losing their home due to the planned

An “intentional” explosion linked to a motorhome has rocked the city of Nashville in the US. It happened at 6.30am in an area of central Nashville packed with bars, restaurants and shops, police said. The blast sent shattered glass and debris flying through the air as black smoke and flames billowed from the vehicle. Image:

Michael Jackson’s Neverland Ranch has sold for $22m (£16.2m) more than 10 years after his death. Billionaire businessman and family friend of the Jacksons, Ron Burkle, bought the 2,700-acre estate after spotting it from the air while viewing a nearby property by helicopter. The estate, near Santa Barbara in California, sold for a third of

Donald Trump has pardoned his former campaign chairman Paul Manafort – as he continues to offer clemency to associates convicted in the Russia probe. Mr Trump also pardoned his former adviser Roger Stone and the real estate developer Charles Kushner, the father of his son-in-law Jared Kushner, on Wednesday. Manafort, 70, had been sentenced to

US President Donald Trump has issued a number of controversial pardons in the final weeks of his tenure. The list of 20 people who have had their crimes pardoned includes ex-members of Congress convicted of corruption, two people charged in the Russia investigation that shadowed his presidency, and four security guards who opened fire on

Donald Trump has suggested he may not sign the $892bn (£665bn) coronavirus relief package that was approved by Congress. The US president said in a video shared from his Twitter account that the bill was delivering too much money to foreign countries and not enough to US citizens. The bill allows for most Americans to

The president-elect is known for favouring a tone of unity but in his pre-Christmas address he tore into Donald Trump for failing to prioritise America’s cyber security.  One of the biggest cyber attacks in US history emerged last week. Hackers spent months exploring the systems of dozens of government agencies and corporations including the US

A plane preparing for takeoff was halted in New York after a Florida couple with their pet dog fled via an emergency slide, authorities say. The incident took place on board an Atlanta-bound Delta flight as it was taxiing towards the runway at LaGuardia Airport on Monday. Witnesses reported seeing an agitated-looking male passenger force

2020 is the deadliest year in US history – and is attributed mostly to the coronavirus pandemic. The US is on course to surpass 3.2 million overall deaths in 2020, according to preliminary data, which would mark the first time figures have topped three million. A rise in deaths between 20,000 and 50,000 is not

Facebook has removed a number of features from its Instagram and Messenger apps in Europe due to what it says is an update to EU privacy rules – including security features it uses to scan for child abuse content. A recent change to the ePrivacy Directive, that was designed to prevent companies such as Facebook