UnitedHealthcare has named a new boss almost two months after its then-chief executive Brian Thompson was shot and killed in New York. Company veteran Tim Noel will take charge of the largest health insurer in the US, which has more than 50 million customers, at a critical moment. Mr Thompson’s killing on 4 December in […]
New LA wildfire engulfs sky with plumes of smoke
Thousands of people have been evacuated after a new fast-moving wildfire erupted in Los Angeles county on Wednesday afternoon. The Hughes fire ignited about 45 miles northwest of the city of Los Angeles, near Castaic Lake, in a mountainous area that borders several residential areas and schools. It has grown to more than 8,000 acres […]
Judge blocks Trump's plan to end US birthright citizenship
A federal judge in Seattle has temporarily blocked Donald Trump’s attempt to end birthright citizenship in the US. US District Court Judge John Coughenour called Trump’s executive order “blatantly unconstitutional” and issued a restraining order blocking it from going into force after a 25-minute hearing on Thursday. Under a long-standing interpretation of the 14th Amendment […]
Drone footage shows Canadian cargo ship trapped in ice
The Manitoulin, a large cargo ship, first became trapped in the ice while departing Buffalo, New York on 22 January. The US Coast Guard says that there are no safety concerns for the 17 crew members on board and another ship has been tasked to assist in breaking ice around the stuck vessel. source
Afghan refugees feel 'betrayed' by Trump order blocking move to US
Getty Images Many Afghan refugees now feel hopeless after Trump’s immigration orders (file photo) “It’s like the United States doesn’t actually understand what I did for this country, it’s a betrayal,” Abdullah tells the BBC. He fled Afghanistan with his parents amid the US withdrawal in August 2021 and is now a paratrooper for the […]
Trump orders plan for release of JFK and MLK assassination documents
Getty Images President John F Kennedy was killed while driving through Dallas in 1963. US President Donald Trump has ordered officials to make plans to declassify documents related to three of the most consequential assassinations in US history – the killings of John F Kennedy, Robert F Kennedy, and Martin Luther King Jr. “A lot […]
US government workers told to report DEI efforts or face 'consequences'
The Trump administration emailed thousands of federal employees on Wednesday, ordering them to report any efforts to “disguise” diversity initiatives in their agencies or face “adverse consequences”. The request came after President Donald Trump banned diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) offices and programmes throughout the government. Emails seen by the BBC directed workers to “report […]
Florida officer accidentally shoots motorist with his own gun
A Florida police officer has been sacked after she accidentally shot a driver with his own gun during a traffic stop. Jason Arrington was pulled over on 13 December because officers said he went through a red light in the Jacksonville area. Bodycam video shows him complying with a request to step out of the […]
Musical about trans drug boss leads Oscar nominations
Ian Youngs Culture reporter Netflix Karla Sofía Gascón, who plays Emilia Pérez, is the first trans person to be nominated in an acting category Netflix musical Emilia Pérez leads this year’s Oscars nominations, with Wicked also among the top contenders. Emilia Pérez, about a Mexican drug lord who changes gender, has 13 nominations in total […]