US

Authorities in California have vowed to arrest anybody caught looting in burnt-out neighbourhoods, with one official warning: “We are not screwing around with this.” Five separate wildfires continue to burn across Los Angeles County, including the Pacific Palisades blaze – which has torn through more than 20,000 acres of land and destroyed an estimated 5,000

Donald Trump has been handed a no-penalty sentence following his conviction in the Stormy Daniels hush money case. The incoming US president has received an unconditional discharge – meaning he will not face jail time, probation or a fine. The sentencing in Manhattan comes days before the 78-year-old is due to be inaugurated as US

Mel Gibson says there is “nothing left” of his Hollywood home following the LA wildfires and “someone should answer” for the devastation. The Braveheart star was with podcaster Joe Rogan when the flames engulfed his Malibu mansion and said he was a “little tense” while recording their discussion. But he knew his family were “out

A woman from the fire-ravaged Pacific Palisades area of Los Angeles has offered to “fill up the hydrants myself” as she confronted state governor Gavin Newsom over his response to the disaster. Rachel Darvish, a lawyer who has lived in the Palisades all her life, was forced to flee her home along with many thousands

Donald Trump will be sworn in as US president on 20 January in Washington DC, his second run at the biggest job in politics. A national holiday thanks to the fact it coincides with Martin Luther King Jr Day, spectators can expect a day full of pomp, pageantry and entertainment. Image: Donald Trump and his

All five of the living US presidents have been pictured together at the funeral of Jimmy Carter. The 39th US president died at the age of 100 on 29 December. President Joe Biden will give a eulogy to his fellow Democrat at the state funeral at the Washington National Cathedral. He appeared alongside president-elect Donald

Hollywood celebrities are among thousands of people to have been evacuated from their homes as fires rip through areas of Los Angeles. Sky News’ US correspondent Martha Kelner reported that Tom Hanks, Ben Affleck and Reese Witherspoon were all evacuated on Tuesday as wildfires continued to spread in the Pacific Palisades suburb of LA. The

A real-life drama is unfolding just outside Hollywood. Ferocious wildfires have ballooned at an “alarming speed”, in just a matter of hours. Why? What caused the California wildfires? There are currently three wildfires torching southern California. The causes of all three are still being investigated. The majority (85%) of all forest fires across the United

Firefighters in California are battling a fast-moving wildfire which is sweeping an exclusive Los Angeles hillside dotted with celebrity homes. Officials say the wildfire is being fanned by gusts from a “life-threatening” and “destructive” wind storm hitting southern California. Image: Pic: AP Image: Pic: AP Fire crews are battling a handful of small blazes in

President-elect Donald Trump has asked a New York court to throw out his hush money conviction before Friday’s scheduled sentencing. It has been set for 10 January, just 10 days before the presidential inauguration. Trump was found guilty in May of 34 counts of falsifying business records, relating to an alleged scheme to hide a

US president-elect Donald Trump has had his victory certified by his defeated rival, Kamala Harris. Under the tightest national security level, Ms Harris, who lost to Mr Trump following November’s election, presided over the certification of the 78-year-old Republican’s victory in Congress. After Congress went through all the certificates for the 50 US states and

New Orleans attacker Shamsud-Din Jabbar recorded a video of the city’s French Quarter using Meta glasses he wore while cycling in the weeks before his deadly atrocity, the FBI has said. The bureau said he had made two trips to the southern US city in October and November this year. He killed 14 people when

New Orleans has held a vigil to mourn the lives of the 14 people killed when a truck was driven into revellers celebrating the new year. Some of the relatives of those killed were among those who gathered on Saturday night on Bourbon Street, the famous French Quarter thoroughfare where the attack took place, The

A major winter storm has hit America, producing heavy snow and significant ice which is expected to last days. Road conditions have become increasingly dangerous in the central US since Saturday, with snow in the most heavily affected regions – Kansas and northern Missouri – predicted to reach as high as 35.6cm. Some 60 million

Six days of funeral events are under way for the former US president Jimmy Carter. The 100-year-old Democrat, who served one term in office from 1977 to 1981, died at his home in Plains, Georgia, surrounded by his family on 29 December. He was the oldest living former US president. A motorcade with his flag-draped

The King is deeply saddened by the death of a British man who was killed in the attack in New Orleans on New Year’s Day – amid reports he was the stepson of an ex-royal nanny. Edward Pettifer, from Chelsea, west London, was fatally injured in the tragedy, the Metropolitan Police confirmed. Sky News understands