OpenAI raises $6.6bn in funding, is valued at $157bn

OpenAI has raised $6.6bn (£5bn) in a funding round that values the artificial intelligence business at $157bn, with chipmaker Nvidia and Japanese group SoftBank among its investors. The San Francisco-based startup, responsible for the ChatGPT chatbot, did not give details of a reported restructuring that will transform it into a for-profit business. The funding round was led […]
How Hurricane Helene could have widespread consequences for homeowners

When Hurricane Helene slammed into Florida on Thursday night, it made landfall in the state’s sparsely populated Big Bend, far from the glittering cities with expensive waterfront property to the south. But that didn’t stop Helene from becoming another multibillion-dollar superstorm. The hurricane’s massive size and record-breaking storm surge left an equally massive footprint of […]
Donald Trump’s trial date set as he faces charge over money paid to adult film star

A trial date has been set in Donald Trump’s hush-money case, which centers on the claim he paid off two women – including an adult film star – after they said he had affairs with them. Jury selection will begin on Monday 25 March, a judge ruled today, turning down requests for a delay from […]
Las Vegas bans people stopping to take photos on pedestrian bridges

People stopping to take photos on pedestrian bridges on the Las Vegas Strip could face up to six months in prison or a $1,000 fine under new rules. An ordinance that came into effect in the city on Tuesday prohibits people from standing or stopping on the bridges, where visitors often pause to take photos […]
Jeffrey Epstein court documents: Bill Clinton ‘threatened’ magazine not to publish articles about his ‘good friend’

Bill Clinton “threatened” a prominent magazine and told staff not to publish articles about Jeffrey Epstein, newly unsealed court documents suggest. The claim is made in an email that was written by Virginia Giuffre – Epstein’s first public accuser – in 2011. In the message to a journalist, Ms Giuffre alleges that the former US […]
Body found in San Diego freezer may be that of woman missing for nine years

A body found in a freezer last month may have been that of a woman who has been missing or dead for up to nine years, police in the US have said. The body was discovered by “out-of-town” family members who were visiting a residence in San Diego. Police have now named the dead woman […]
Mike Pence calls for ‘new US leadership’ and support for Israel until Hamas is ‘destroyed’

The former US vice president, Mike Pence, has told Sky News that America needs new leadership, and that the country should promise support for Israel until Hamas is “destroyed once and for all”. Appearing to take aim at his former boss – Donald Trump – under whom he served until they fell out as the […]
UN envoys to see scale of Gaza crisis during visit to Rafah crossing – but US representative will not be with them

It is billed as an unprecedented trip – the first of its kind for about a dozen UN ambassadors to witness the devastating effects of the war in Gaza. It comes in the wake of the failure of the United Nations (UN) Security Council to agree on a ceasefire in Gaza after the United States […]
Tornadoes rip through Tennessee – killing at least six people

Severe storms and tornadoes have killed at least six people in Tennessee. Homes and businesses have suffered extensive damage, with tens of thousands of people losing power. Officials in Montgomery County, north of Nashville, say 23 people have been injured – and a child is among those who died. Photos posted by the Clarksville Fire […]
Hundreds of Harvard staff back university’s president amid antisemitism hearing row

More than 600 members of staff at Harvard University have backed its president following criticism over her appearance at a congressional hearing on campus antisemitism. It comes amid mounting pressure on Claudine Gay to step down after she suggested it would depend on the context whether or not calling for the “genocide of Jews” would […]