Australian journalist Cheng Lei says she spent more than three years in detention in China for breaking an embargo with a television broadcast

The White House on Thursday said President Joe Biden would not use his authority as president to grant any pardons or other relief that would short-circuit the criminal case against his son, Hunter Biden. The younger Mr Biden, an attorney and lobbyist turned visual artist, is currently facing two misdemeanour charges for allegedly failing to pay taxes for two years, as well as a felony charge for allegedly lying on a gun background check form. During Thursday’s daily White House press briefing, press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was asked if his father, the president, would consider pardoning his only surviving son. Ms Jean-Pierre replied: “No”. Federal prosecutors and attorneys for President Joe Biden’s son, Hunter Biden had previously settled on a deal for the lawyer and lobbyist turned artist to plead guilty to tax misdemeanour charges and enter into a diversion programme on a gun-related charge, but the judge overseeing the case demanded more information from both sides during a hearing at a Wilmington, Delaware courthouse on Wednesday. US District Judge Maryellen Noreika ordered attorneys from both sides to file briefs with the court on a provision of the diversion agreement which she had questioned because it raised separation of powers concerns, or modify the agreement to exclude the provision she questioned. The agreement, which she had reviewed, said that she would be responsible for deciding if Mr Biden was ever in breach of the agreement. She suggested that such a role would be improper for her because it is the executive branch, through prosecutors, which makes charging decision. Because Mr Biden had to enter a plea at his court appearance, he has pleaded not guilty while attorneys from both sides confer to make the agreement comply with the judge’s concerns. He will be able to enter a guilty plea when his attorneys and prosecutors have settled on language for a deal. Read More Trump slaps down reports of imminent Jan 6 grand jury indictment - live Sen Dianne Feinstein appears confused at meeting Deep dive into Meta's algorithms shows that America's political polarization has no easy fix

Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy rejected the possibility of a short-term debt-limit extension hours ahead of a meeting

Sanda Dia died after being made to consume excessive amounts of fish oil and alcohol in 2018.

Illinois landlord Joseph Czuba stands accused of stabbing six-year-old Wadea Al-Fayoume and his mother, Hanaan Shahin

Pakistani police say gunmen have shot and killed a member of Pakistan’s minority Sikh community in an overnight attack in the northwestern city of Peshawar

It has been confirmed that David Corenswet will replace Henry Cavill as the iconic superhero in the upcoming film 'Superman: Legacy'

The coach veered off a highway at night high in the Andes mountains before plunging 200m (650ft).

The victims and legacy of the 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist factory fire are being remembered with a new memorial

By Andrea Shalal and Yew Lun Tian BEIJING (Reuters) -U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, a trailblazer in the field of

A powdery substance that was discovered at the White House Sunday evening, prompting a temporary evacuation of the complex, has been sent for further evaluation and testing, the Secret Service said.

Patrick managed to gain attention as he bought five items that topped all of Joe’s previous collection