US

A snow leopard at a zoo in the US has become the first of its species to test positive for COVID-19. Neecee, Kimti and Meru at Louisville Zoo in Kentucky all experienced COVID-19-like symptoms, including a “dry cough” and a “wheeze”, despite staff taking precautions around them. Samples were sent to vets for tests, which

The US Supreme Court appears to have put the final nail in the coffin of Donald Trump’s attempts to undo his election loss, rejecting a lawsuit seeking to throw out results in four states. The justices said the long-shot case, brought by Texas and backed by the president, did not have any legal standing. Mr

Death row inmate Brandon Bernard has been killed by lethal injection at a federal prison after the US Supreme Court rejected a last-minute request to delay his execution. Bernard, 40, was just 18 when he took part in the 1999 double murder of an Iowa religious couple, whose bodies he burned in the boot of

President-elect Joe Biden and vice president-elect Kamala Harris have been named Time magazine’s Person of the Year.  The incoming US leaders won the honour for “changing the American story, for showing that the forces of empathy are greater than the furies of division, and for sharing a vision of healing in a grieving world”, Time’s

The US government advisory panel has recommended the Pfizer COVID-19 be approved for use. The Food and Drug Administration administration’s vote to recommend the vaccine’s approval represents the penultimate hurdle before the rollout of the biggest vaccination campaign in US history. Depending on how fast the FDA signs off on the panel’s recommendation – which

The Trump administration is planning an unprecedented five more federal executions before President-elect Joe Biden takes power, starting with a man set to be put to death today for his role in a crime committed when he was 18. Brandon Bernard was convicted over his part in the 1999 killings of an Iowa religious couple,

President-elect Joe Biden’s son has said his tax affairs are being investigated. Hunter Biden said he learned about the investigation, which is being run by the Delaware US attorney’s office, on Tuesday. He added: “I take this matter very seriously but I am confident that a professional and objective review of these matters will demonstrate

Pete Buttigieg, an early candidate for the 2020 US election, is reportedly being tapped to head to Beijing as the country’s ambassador to China. Mr Buttigieg, who saw early successes in the US presidential race during the Democratic primaries, is considered a rising star in US politics and the high profile move is seen as

Joe Biden has promised to distribute “100 million shots” of vaccine in the “first 100 days” of his presidency. Mr Biden, who will take over as US president from Donald Trump in January, was speaking as he introduced his pandemic response team. He said that Americans should wear masks for 100 days to prevent the

President-elect Joe Biden is poised to nominate retired four-star army general Lloyd J Austin to be secretary of defence – making him the first black leader of the Pentagon. Mr Biden has selected General Austin over long-time front-running candidate Michele Flournoy, sources have said. Ms Flournoy is a former senior Pentagon official and supporter of

Chuck Yeager, the first pilot to break the sound barrier, has died aged 97. The US World War Two fighter pilot’s exploits were told in Tom Wolfe’s book “The Right Stuff” and the 1983 film it inspired. Retired Air Force Brigadier General Charles “Chuck” Yeager was a 24-year-old captain when he flew a Bell X-1

Georgia has recertified its presidential election results after a second recount – requested by Donald Trump – confirmed Joe Biden won the state. President-elect Biden took the state by more than 12,000 votes in last month’s ballot, becoming the first Democratic presidential nominee to win there in nearly three decades. Georgia’s secretary of state Brad

Donald Trump’s lawyer Rudy Giuliani has said he is “getting great care” and “recovering quickly” after testing positive for coronavirus. The 76-year-old former New York City mayor is the latest member in President Trump’s inner circle to contract the disease that has killed more than 280,000 people in the US. In a tweet on Sunday

Donald Trump won the 2020 election and anyone who says otherwise is wrong – at least that is the belief among supporters who turned out to cheer for him at a rally in Georgia. “Four more years!” they chanted at an airfield on the outskirts of the city of Valdosta. To the sound of music

Donald Trump is still making baseless claims of voting fraud in last month’s presidential election. The US president spoke at a rally in Georgia on Saturday – his first since he lost to Democrat rival Joe Biden – to gather votes for two Republican senators. David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler face run-offs on 5 January

Joe Biden has said he will not force Americans to take any vaccine – but did warn the country faces a “bleak future” unless swift action is taken to agree on a coronavirus aid bill. His comments come as the country in engulfed in a nationwide spike in the virus that is hampering its economic