America

    US President Barack Obama has sought to quell fears about the global fall-out from the EU referendum, telling an audience in California that, despite British voters deciding to leave the EU, “One thing that will not change is the special relationship between our two nations. That will endure.” Appearing at Silicon Valley’s annual Global Entrepreneurship Summit, Mr Obama said he had already spoken by phone to David Cameron and to Angela Merkel, the German Chancellor. “Our economic and financial teams will remain in close contact as we stay focused on ensuring economic growth and financial security,” he said. Full EU referendum coverage on our dedicated page PA Results map The President, who had argued for Britain to remain in Europe during a recent visit to the UK, said the...

    A British man has told investigators he wanted to kill Donald Trump after being arrested at a campaign rally for trying to grab an officer's gun. Court papers detail how Michael Sandford, 19, approached a police officer at the event in Las Vegas on Saturday, saying he wanted the Republican candidate's autograph . “Sandford then attempted to seize the sidearm of Officer Jacob by grabbing the holster and handle of the firearm with both hands,” according to court documents, which also said Mr Sandford had earlier visited a gun range in order to learn how to shoot. He appeared in court on Monday to face a charge of “an act of violence on restricted grounds”, and faces more than 10 years in prison and a $250,000 (£170,000) fine if convicted. He was denied bail during a brief he...

    The US Navy’s Third Fleet will send more ships to East Asia to operate outside its normal theater alongside the Japan-based Seventh Fleet, a US official said on Tuesday, a move that comes at a time of heightened tensions with China. The Third Fleet's Pacific Surface Action Group, which includes the guided-missile destroyers USS Spruance and USS Momsen, was deployed to East Asia in April. More Third Fleet vessels will be deployed in the region in the future, said a US official who requested anonymity. He and a second official said the vessels would conduct a range of operations, but gave no details. China claims most of the South China Sea, through which $5 trillion in ship-borne trade passes every year. The Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan and Brunei have overlapping...

    The baby boy has now been treated with hormone therapy and his symptoms have decreased (Picture: [copyright]) Parents now have fresh ammunition for when their children blame them for strict bedtimes. A panel of US experts has released new information on how much sleep children should be getting. It ranges from up to 16 hours a day for babies to at least eight hours for teens. The guidelines released Monday are the first-ever for children from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. They encompass recommendations the American Academy of Pediatrics has made at different times for different ages. According to the guidelines, adequate sleep is linked with improved attention, behavior, learning, mental and physical health at every age covered. And insufficient sleep increases r...

    Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks, has said his organisation is preparing to publish more emails Hillary Clinton sent and received while US secretary of state. Clinton, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, is under FBI investigation to determine whether she broke federal law by using her private email in sending classified information. A new WikiLeaks release of Clinton emails is likely to fan a controversy that has bedevilled her campaign and provide further ammunition for Donald Trump, her Republican presidential rival, who has used the issue to attack her. Assange’s comments came in an interview on ITV’s Peston on Sunday. We have upcoming leaks in relation to Hillary Clinton  We have emails pending publication, that is correct, Assange said. He did no...

    In the wake of the deadliest shooting in US history, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump wasted little time suggesting the attack was tied to Islamist militants, while his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton initially did not make that connection. As President Barack Obama today addressed the nation about the incident that killed 50 people and wounded 53 at a gay nightclub in Orlando, Trump assailed him for his longstanding refusal to refer to Islamic State and other extremist groups as in part representing the religion of Islam. Is President Obama going to finally mention the words radical Islamic terrorism?, Trump tweeted as the president was speaking. If he doesn't he should immediately resign in disgrace. Trump in a later tweet claimed the gunman shouted Allah ...

    Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the Orlando nightclub shooting, which killed 50 people and injured 53 others, according to the Amaq news agency, which is tied to the group. The attack is the deadliest mass shooting in US history, eclipsing the 2007 Virginia Tech massacre which left 32 people dead. "The armed attack that targeted a gay nightclub in the city of Orlando in the American state of Florida which left over 100 people dead or injured was carried out by an Islamic State fighter," Amaq said. The Islamic State claim comes after US media reported that a man, suspected to have been the gunman, swore allegiance to IS in a 911 call around the time of the attack. He also reportedly mentioned the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings, according to CNN. A number of offi...

    A Chinese fighter jet carried out an "unsafe" intercept of a U.S. spy plane in international airspace over the East China Sea, two U.S. defense officials said on Tuesday. The intercept involved a Chinese J-10 fighter plane and a U.S. Air Force RC-135 reconnaissance plane, the officials said. The officials, who requested anonymity, said the air crew deemed the encounter to be "unsafe" because of the "high rate of speed" at which the Chinese jet was traveling. In May, the Pentagon said that two Chinese fighter jets flew within 50 feet (15 meters) of a U.S. EP-3 aircraft over the South China Sea. The Pentagon determined that the May incident violated an agreement the two governments signed last year. Earlier this week, Secretary of State John Kerry said the United States woul...

    Hillary Clinton has reached the number of delegates needed to clinch the Democratic presidential nomination, according to a tally by the Associated Press. If their count is right, she will become the first woman to top the ticket of a major US political party. Reluctant to celebrate too soon, Mrs Clinton greeted the news by saying she is on the brink of a "historic, unprecedented moment". The former Secretary of State told supporters gathered at a campaign event in Long Beach, California, there was still work to do as six states, including California and New Jersey, prepare for decisive votes on Tuesday. Replying to an AP Politics tweet declaring her nomination, she added: "We’re flattered, @AP, but we've got primaries to win. CA, MT, NM, ND, NJ, SD, vote tomorrow!" Accord...

    It was July 1974. A steady predawn drizzle had given way to overcast skies when William Simon, newly appointed U.S. Treasury secretary, and his deputy, Gerry Parsky, stepped onto an 8 a.m. flight from Andrews Air Force Base. On board, the mood was tense. That year, the oil crisis had hit home. An embargo by OPEC’s Arab nations—payback for U.S. military aid to the Israelis during the Yom Kippur War—quadrupled oil prices. Inflation soared, the stock market crashed, and the U.S. economy was in a tailspin. Officially, Simon’s two-week trip was billed as a tour of economic diplomacy across Europe and the Middle East, full of the customary meet-and-greets and evening banquets. But the real mission, kept in strict confidence within President Richard Nixon’s inner circle, would ta...