Donald Trump is launching a new social media platform to “stand up to the tyranny of big tech”. The former US president – who was banned from Twitter and Facebook earlier this year – says he plans to share his thoughts with the world on TRUTH Social. Announcing his plans, Mr Trump added: “We live
US
Nikolas Cruz has pleaded guilty to the murders of 17 people killed in the 2018 high school massacre in Parkland, Florida. The 23-year-old entered his pleas in a courtroom in front of a dozen relatives of victims after answering a long list of questions from Circuit Judge Elizabeth Scherer aimed at confirming his mental competency.
A ransom of $1m (£720,000) is being demanded for each of the 17 American and Canadian missionaries kidnapped in Haiti. The country’s justice minister, Liszt Quitel, said talks are under way with gang to release the group, who were kidnapped over the weekend outside Port-au-Prince. They were taken by a gang called 400 Mawozo, who
A woman was raped onboard a train in Philadelphia while as many as 10 people stood by or possibly filmed the incident on their phones instead of dialling 911, police have said. A 35-year-old homeless man is accused of sexually assaulting a woman shortly after 9pm on 13 October on a train run by Southeastern
Donald Trump has been questioned under oath as part of a lawsuit where protesters allege they were violently attacked by his security guards. The former US president testified at Trump Tower in New York City for several hours on Monday, and video of his deposition will be played before a jury if the case goes
US President Joe Biden has paid tribute to former US secretary of state Colin Powell following his death, saying he “could drive his Corvette Stingray like nobody’s business”. The 84-year-old died following complications from COVID-19, his family said in a statement today. Figures from across the political spectrum have paid their tributes to the first
A statue of Confederate general Robert E Lee that was removed from a park in Dallas is now on display in a golf course in West Texas. The bronze sculpture of both Lee and a soldier on horseback was removed from the park in Dallas in 2017, and later sold in an online auction. It
A group of 17 US missionaries – including children – have been kidnapped in Haiti. They were on their way home from building an orphanage in the capital of Port-au-Prince, Christian Aid Ministries said. A voice message sent to a number of religious missions said: “This is a special prayer alert. Pray that the gang
A man who was 13 when he killed a four-year-old boy has been granted parole. Eric M Smith was convicted of second-degree murder in 1994, and jailed for nine years to life. A year earlier, he had lured Derrick Robie into the woods and struck him on the head with a rock in the New
The US has promised condolence payments to the relatives of 10 civilians killed in a drone strike in Afghanistan. The victims, including seven children and an Afghan aid worker, were killed on 29 August in a strike the US said was aimed at a suicide bomber. But Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said on Thursday
Former US president Bill Clinton has remained in hospital for a second day, where he has reportedly been recovering from a urological infection. The 75-year-old was visited by his wife, Hillary Clinton, at the University of California Irvine Medical Center. He went to the hospital on Thursday after suffering from fatigue and has received both
Former US president Bill Clinton, 75, was admitted two days ago to a hospital in California with a “non-covid infection,” his spokesman has said. “On Tuesday evening Former President Bill Clinton was admitted to UCI Medical center for treatment of a non-covidinfection,” spokesman Angel Urena said on Twitter. “He is on the mend, in good
Star Trek actor William Shatner has become the oldest person to reach space, calling his trip “the most profound experience”. The 90-year-old blasted off from Texas just at about 3.50pm UK time on a Blue Origin rocket – the space company owned by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. Shatner, who played Captain Kirk in the original
The US will reopen its land borders for non-essential travel in early November, ending restrictions that have been in place since March 2020. Vehicle, rail and ferry travel between the US and its neighbours Canada and Mexico has been largely restricted to essential activity, such as trade, for the last 19 months. Foreign visitors will
Gabby Petito was strangled to death, a US coroner has announced, following a post-mortem examination of her body. Teton County Coroner Dr Brent Blue told a news conference: “In the manner of death in Gabrielle Venora Petito, we find the cause of death the cause is by strangulation and the manner is homicide.” Ms Petito,
At least two people have been killed in a plane crash near San Diego, California. Two homes were engulfed in flames and another ten damaged after the aircraft went down in a densely populated suburban area in Santee. There were at least two people injured and several vehicles, including a UPS delivery truck, were set
Earthquakes have hit two different parts of the US in two days, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS). On Monday morning, Alaska, suffered a 6.9 magnitude earthquake around 70 miles (114km) east of the small city of Chignik, which has a population of about 100 people. The US Tsunami Warning System did not
A three-year-old boy who went missing for four days after chasing a family dog has been found alive in a wooded area. Christopher Ramirez, from Texas, was found on Saturday following a tip-off and was being taken to a hospital for evaluation, Grimes County Sheriff Don Sowell said. He said the boy appeared to be
A US navy engineer who is alleged to have hidden a memory card loaded with classified files in a peanut butter sandwich before leaving it at a “dead drop” location, has been charged with selling secrets about nuclear submarines. Jonathan Toebbe is alleged with trying to pass information about the design of American nuclear-powered submarines
Facebook plans to reduce the presence of politics on people’s feeds after it lifted “exceptional” safety measures implemented for last year’s US election, Nick Clegg has said. The former UK deputy prime minister, now vice president for global affairs and communications at Facebook, said users had expressed a desire to see “more friends, less politics”.