US

Twitter’s new owner Elon Musk has announced the platform’s coveted ‘blue tick’ will now cost users $8 (£7) a month, and criticised the current system as “bulls***”. In a tweet himself, Musk said: “Twitter’s current lords & peasants system for who has or doesn’t have a blue checkmark is bulls***. “Power to the people! Blue

Elon Musk has fired Twitter’s board of directors and appointed himself its sole member. According to a company filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission, Bret Taylor, former chairman of the board, and Parag Agrawal, former chief executive, are among the nine ousted directors. Mr Musk completed his $44bn takeover of the social media

A man has been charged with the murder of two teenage girls in Indiana five years ago, US police have said. Richard Allen, 50, was arrested last Wednesday over the killings of Liberty German, 14, and Abigail Williams, 13, who died while hiking during a day off school. On 13 February 2017, a relative of

Elon Musk tweeted a link to an unfounded rumour about the attack on Nancy Pelosi’s husband – just days after he bought the platform sparking fears it would no longer seek to limit misinformation and hate speech. The tweet, which he later deleted, linked to an article by the Santa Monica Observer, an outlet that

US house speaker Nancy Pelosi has said she and her family are “heartbroken and traumatised” after a “violent man” broke into her San Francisco home and attacked her husband. Paul Pelosi, 82, is recovering from a skull fracture after he was struck with a hammer by an intruder on Friday. The Democrat broke her silence

A man who spent more than 38 years in prison for a murder he did not commit has been freed after DNA evidence pointed to another – now dead – suspect. Maurice Hastings, now 69, was convicted of the 1983 murder of Roberta Wydermyer, who was killed by a single gunshot to the head. Her

The largest automaker in the US has pulled paid advertising on Twitter after Elon Musk completed his takeover of the social media company. Musk’s $44bn (£38bn) deal to buy Twitter completed on Thursday and he reportedly sacked the company’s chief executive and two other top bosses. The world’s richest man tweeted “the bird is freed”

Given what we know about the injuries Paul Pelosi sustained and the type of treatment he received, he is lucky to be alive. His wife is second-in-line to the presidency; the third-most senior politician in America. She is at the top of the Democratic Party, a close ally of President Joe Biden and a target,

An intruder who broke into the home of Nancy Pelosi and her husband was searching for the US House Speaker, police say. The attacker broke into the couple’s San Francisco home via the back door at around 2.30am on Friday, armed with a hammer. Police chief William Scott said officers were called to the house

Elon Musk has said he is buying Twitter to “try to help humanity”. The billionaire tweeted a statement explaining his reasons for purchasing the social media site, saying he believed it was “important for the future of civilisation to have a common digital town square”. Mr Musk’s long -running bid to purchase Twitter is reportedly

Skechers escorted Kanye West off its premises in Los Angeles after he “showed up unannounced and uninvited” – with Madame Tussauds removing its waxwork of the controversial rapper from public view. An increasing number of companies are distancing themselves from the award-winning musician – who has legally changed his name to Ye – after he

One third of the Senate and the whole House of Representatives is up for grabs, as President Joe Biden faces his biggest electoral test since the 2020 presidential vote. Results will start coming in after 11pm GMT, our live maps and charts will update throughout the night showing the progress of both races. US midterms

A man has been found guilty of killing six people by driving his car into a Christmas parade near Milwaukee last year. Darrell Brooks was convicted of six counts of intentional homicide over the attack on 21 November in Waukesha, Wisconsin. An eight-year-old marching with his baseball team and three members of the Dancing Grannies

Five people had to be hoisted to safety after an elevator at the Grand Canyon Caverns broke down around 210ft (64m) underground. A husband and wife, a couple with two young children and at least two people in their 70s were stuck for between 24 and 30 hours after taking a 30-minute tour of the

A gunman who killed a student and a teacher at a Missouri high school was armed with an AR-15-style rifle and more than 600 rounds of ammunition. Orlando Harris, 19, had magazines strapped to his chest, some in a bag, and other ammo police found dumped in stairwells around Central Visual and Performing Arts High

Harvey Weinstein abused his power to corner women in hotel rooms and force himself upon them, according to the prosecution at his trial in Los Angeles. The disgraced film producer is facing 11 charges of rape and forced oral sex relating to allegations made by women who say they were assaulted between 2004 and 2015.

A woman and a teenage girl have been killed after a gunman broke into a high school in St Louis, Missouri. Six others were hospitalised with some suffering gunshot wounds, and others being struck by shrapnel, according to police. The gunman, described as a man in his 20s, was fatally shot by police. Shots first

Donald Trump will not be allowed to testify live on television to the US Capitol riots investigation. The former US president was last week issued with a subpoena by the House committee investigating the riots of 6 January 2021. So far, anyone giving evidence to the hearings has been shown live on the American public

A convertible sports car stolen 30 years ago has been found buried in the yard of a California mansion built by a man with a history of arrests for murder, attempted murder and insurance fraud. The Mercedes-Benz, filled with bags of unused concrete, was discovered Thursday by landscapers in Silicon Valley. Police believe the car

A 14-year-old girl caused a stir at a school in Florida after she allegedly handed out more than $10,000 (£8,800) of her grandmother’s money to classmates. Police attended Lake Weir Middle School on Thursday after reports that a student was giving pupils hundreds of dollars each, according to an arrest report. The school is located