US

The US central bank has imposed its third major interest rate rise in a row. The Federal Reserve has once again hiked rates by 0.75 percentage points in an effort to curb soaring inflation. The widely-expected rise will mean more expensive borrowing for the likes of mortgage holders and those paying credit card debt. American

Donald Trump and three of his children have been served with a lawsuit alleging “years of bank, tax and insurance fraud”. New York attorney general Letitia James is suing the former US president, his family, and the Trump Organisation. If successful, it could halt Mr Trump’s ability to do business in the state for years

Sir Elton John has played for Joe Biden and about 2,000 fans on the White House lawn as part of his farewell tour, with the singer in tears as the president awarded him a medal. Introducing the star, Mr Biden said: “Like so many Americans, our family loves his music. It’s clear Elton John’s music

Abortions have effectively been banned in Arizona after a judge lifted an injunction that had blocked prosecutions for nearly 50 years. Women will have to leave the state to get the procedure done and some clinics will have to shut down. Anyone who performs abortions could now face criminal charges and the only exception is

A three-year-old boy has died after his aunt allegedly pushed him into Lake Michigan in Chicago, US officials say. Josiah Brown was pronounced dead shortly after 10am local time (4pm UK time) on Sunday. He had been in a critical condition after being pulled from the lake last Monday and had not been expected to

Rihanna will perform at the next Super Bowl halftime show, the NFL has announced. The 34-year-old singer shared a photo of her hand holding an American football on Instagram and Twitter. Soon afterwards it was reposted by her record label, Roc Nation, the NFL and Apple Music, which confirmed the news in a tweet. Apple

The Royal Navy’s flagship HMS Queen Elizabeth has arrived in New York for its deployment to the United States to host an Anglo-American military conference. The ship dropped anchor within sight of the Statue of Liberty in New York Harbour yesterday. It set sail for the US from Portsmouth on 7 September in place of

Tropical storm Ian has strengthened into a hurricane set to unleash significant winds, flash floods and mudslides in Florida, Cuba and Jamaica, weather experts have warned. The weather system is about 90 miles (150km) southwest of the Cayman Islands in the Caribbean Sea, according to the latest advisory issued by the National Hurricane Centre (NHC)

Americans are marking the 21st anniversary of 9/11 with tributes to those who died in the deadliest terror attack on US soil. The commemoration began with a tolling bell and moment of silence at ground zero, the former site of New York’s Twin Towers, which were destroyed after hijacked planes crashed into them on 11

Hurricane Earl, which is churning towards Bermuda, is forecast to strengthen and bring dangerous surf and rip current conditions over the eastern US coastline later this week, forecasters have said. Earl, the second of the 2022 Atlantic hurricane season, had maximum sustained winds of 100mph on Wednesday night, making it a category 2 storm. It

The family of Pop Idol star Darius Campbell Danesh have thanked everyone for their “love and kindness” following his death, and said that the singer had been suffering from chronic neck pain following a car incident. Mr Campbell Danesh was found dead in his US apartment, in Rochester, Minnesota, last month at the age of

US President Joe Biden has confirmed he is planning to attend the Queen’s funeral when it takes place in the UK. While no formal plans for Her Majesty‘s funeral have been announced yet, the ceremony is expected to take place within 10 days after her death. The 96-year-old monarch died on Thursday at her home

A hiker who went to go and find help for his girlfriend after she became ill has been found dead near a trail in California. Tim Sgrignoli, 29, was hiking in the Gaviota Peak area, a 2,400ft summit in the Santa Ynez Mountains, when he disappeared on Sunday. Mr Sgrignoli, a doctor, had gone to

The American president has paid tribute to a “steadying presence, a source of comfort and pride for generations” in his fulsome and personal statement on the passing of the Queen. “Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II was more than a monarch. She defined an era,” President Joe Biden wrote. He last met the Queen when she

The Queen met every serving US president except one during her remarkable reign, including JFK, Ronald Reagan and Barack Obama. Image: Princess Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh are greeted by Harry Truman in Washington DC in 1951 Harry Truman was first in 1951 when the Queen was still a princess – and seven years

A shark has killed an American woman snorkelling in the Bahamas, police have said. The 58-year-old, from Pennsylvania, was attacked near Green Cay after booking an excursion with her family on the island of New Providence. A police spokeswoman said members of the woman’s family saw a bull shark attacking her, in an area just