Long viewed as the most formidable challenger to Donald Trump in the Republican US presidential nominating contest, Ron DeSantis boasts a record of ultra-conservative legislative wins...

GOP Sen. Mitt Romney thinks a government shutdown is "very likely," citing the House for his pessimism.

Authorities in Georgia are investigating threats made against the grand jurors who indicted former President Donald Trump and 18 allies

Racial justice groups and relatives of a Black man shot and killed this week by a Minnesota State Patrol trooper demanded that the governor fire three officers who were involved in stopping the man on a Minneapolis freeway

A man has been formally charged with the murder of an 11-year-old British girl who was shot dead in Brittany, France on Saturday evening. Dirk Raats, 71, spoke briefly on Monday evening as he was formally charged with the murder of Solaine Thornton, 11, and the attempted murders of her parents Adrian and Rachael Thornton, 52 and 49 respectively. Solaine Thornton died after she was allegedly shot while playing on swings in the garden of her home in France. The couple’s younger daughter, Celeste, eight, managed to get away unscathed to raise the alarm in the Brittany hamlet of Saint-Herbot, near Quimper. Officials have since said Solaine was “not the target” of a fatal gunshot which killed her outside her home in France. Speaking at a press conference on Monday, public prosecutor Camille Miansoni said: “It would seem that he was not aiming at the little girl.” On Monday, Mr Raats was taken from a secure police station for a 10-minute appearance before a judge at Brest Criminal Court. Speaking in court, he said: “It’s so horrible what happened. I don’t understand,” after judges confirmed a test showed he was ‘on drugs’ on Saturday. The court heard that Mr Raats had worked as a photographer, shepherd and career for the handicapped before retiring to France some five years ago. Anne Guillerme, his defence barrister, said he had “no criminal record” and may have psychiatric problems. However, an evaluation performed since Mr Raats’s arrest showed there is no evidence he is “unhinged”, the public prosecutor said. Mr Raats was remanded in custody following the charges, and could spend the rest of his life in prison if found guilty at trial. The 71-year-old’s wife, who was named as Marlene van Hook, also in her 70s, was meanwhile being questioned on suspicion of concealing a weapon. Miansoni confirmed both Mr Raats and his wife “tested positive for alcohol and cannabis” at the time of their arrest. The two sets of near neighbours had been involved in a dispute dating back at least three years. Mr Raats had reportedly been in a “conflict” with the family over a plot of land beside their properties for “several years”, state prosecutor Carine Halley said. Meanwhile, a resident claimed Mr Raats regularly complained about the family cutting down trees to make way for children’s play equipment, including swings. “He was also regularly upset about the noise the family made, even though it didn’t bother anyone else – it was mainly just kids having a nice time,” the resident said. Ms Halley explained initial evidence suggests the suspect “retreated” to his house where he barricaded himself in with his wife after shooting at the family. The Intervention Group of the National Gendarmerie tactical unit was called to the scene, and a negotiator persuaded the couple to give themselves up. They were then arrested. Solaine’s grandfather, Irvin Thornton, reportedly told the Sun newspaper “she didn’t stand a chance”. He said his son, Adrian, is in a coma. A spokesperson for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said: “We are providing consular assistance to a British family following a shooting in France and are in contact with the local authorities.” Read More Gunman ‘not aiming’ at schoolgirl from British family, prosecutor says British girl shot dead in France ‘by neighbour who complained about noise and cutting trees’ Schoolgirl from British family shot dead by neighbour in France Gunman ‘not aiming’ at schoolgirl from British family, prosecutor says Schoolgirl from British family shot dead by neighbour in France Schoolgirl from British family shot dead in France – reports

President Joe Biden’s nearly $106 billion aid package for Ukraine, Israel and other needs is sitting idle in Congress

Scientists in Mexico have given their verdict on the supposed 'aliens' that were presented to the country's congress last week. Much controversy existed around the aliens who were presented by a man named Jaime Maussan who has previously been accused of using the mummified beings, apparently found in Peru, as part of an elaborate hoax. Despite spawning dozens of memes, the aliens are apparently being treated seriously enough that they have now been studied by scientists who have said that the figures are ‘single skeletons’ and also have 'eggs' inside of them. The two aliens have been named Clara and Mauricio and have reportedly been studied in a lab at the Noor Clinic in Mexico. Lead researcher Dr Jose de Jesus Zalce Benitez, a former navy forensics doctor, who added that as well as being "a single skeleton" the aliens are also a "complete organic being." He also denied that the aliens were part of a hoax and even said that Clara was "alive, was intact, was biological and was in gestation." However, much like the alien bodies themselves, the research has been clouded in controversy and scepticism as the research has yet to be officially verified, with Nasa scientist Dr David Spergel questioning why the findings haven't been made public, as per the BBC. Spergel said: "He said: "If you have something strange, make samples available to the world scientific community and we'll see what's there." Benitez did add in his address at the press conference: "We are facing the paradigm of describing a new species or given the opportunity to accept that there has been contact with other beings, non-humans, that were drawn and marked in the past by diverse cultures throughout the world." Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

Rio de Janeiro’s Christ the Redeemer statue was illuminated with a welcome to Brazil message for Taylor Swift

One year ago, billionaire Elon Musk walked into Twitter’s San Francisco headquarters with a white bathroom sink and a grin, fired its CEO and other top executives and began transforming the social media platform into what is now known as X

President Joe Biden has ended the immediate threat of a government shutdown, signing a temporary spending bill a day before much of the government was to run out of money

The House on Thursday has voted down a rule that would have advanced a Defense Department bill, another stumbling block for Speaker Kevin McCarthy and House Republican leadership ahead of a looming government shutdown deadline.

Israel said at least 600 of its citizens have been killed since Hamas attacked the country on Saturday