More than 60 people are believed to have died after a migrant boat from Senegal was found off West Africa's Cape Verde islands, the International...

A special prosecutor will likely be appointed to investigate one of 30 unnamed and “unindicted co-conspirators” inside a sweeping racketeering indictment in Georgia targeting Donald Trump and 18 of his allies. The state’s current Republican Lt Governor Burt Jones, who was a sitting state senator at the time of the alleged crimes, was one of 16 “alternate” electors who falsely swore that Mr Trump won the state in the 2020 presidential election. He also pushed for a special legislative session to overturn Joe Biden’s victory. But he was not among the 19 defendants in the grand jury case from Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, who was barred by a judge from indicting him. Last year, Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney determined that Ms Willis had a conflict of interest in prosecuting Mr Jones after she hosted a fundraiser for his Democratic rival in the 2022 election for lieutenant governor. The Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council of Georgia is expected to appoint a special prosecutor to separately investigate whether Mr Jones should face criminal charges, according to the agency’s executive director Pete Skandalakis. Following the indictment, the council will “begin the process of finding a conflict prosecutor to review the case and, if necessary, perform additional investigations,” according to a statement from Mr Skandalakis shared with The Independent. “After discussing the matter with [Ms Willis], we felt it best that I file a petition with Judge McBurney requesting the release of the report to me to assist the conflict prosecutor in how they handle this matter,” he added. Mr Skandalakis said there is no timetable for that process, adding that because of the unprecedented scope of the case, “finding a special prosecutor with the resources to handle such a case will not be easy.” Mr Jones is likely the eighth unnamed and unindicted co-conspirator in the indictment unsealed on 14 August. Typically, prosecutors include “unindicted co-conspirators” who are believed to have conspired with the named defendants to commit a crime or multiple crimes, as indicated in the sprawling RICO case against the former president and his allies. But prosecutors have either provided them some immunity from prosecution in exchange for their testimony or have reached another arrangement. The indictment quotes a post from his Twitter account on 7 December, 2020, in which he calls on supporters to “sign the petition” for a special legislative session to review the outcome of the 2020 election. That same co-conspirator also was involved with correspondence about the fake elector plot with other co-defendants in the case, according to the indictment. The Independent has requested comment from Mr Jones’s office. Read More Trump claims mystery press conference report clears him of Georgia election charges – live updates Who are the 30 ‘unindicted co-conspirators’ in Georgia’s massive criminal case against Trump? Arrest, mugshot, cameras in court? What’s next for Donald Trump after his Georgia indictment

Students at a Florida university were warned to shelter-in-place after shots were fired at the nearby Gulf Coast Town Center shopping mall on Wednesday morning. Florida Gulf Coast University sent an alert to students after shots were reported at a construction site at the mall 15 miles (24kms) south of downtown Fort Myers at around 11.15am. Lee County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to the shooting, and later confirmed that no shoppers had been hurt. They are searching for the occupants of two cars who fled the scene. The Florida Gulf Coast University police department posted an update at around 1.30pm to say there was no active threat and there had been no danger to students on its main campus. The university said on social media that an alert about an active shooter on campus was sent out in error. Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno said in a social media post that the shooting appeared to have been an isolated altercation between two vehicles that had since fled. He said no businesses had been affected, but to expect an increased law enforcement presence in the area. Florida Gulf Coast University had an enrollment of 16,000 students in 2022. Read More Rising political threats take US into uncharted territory as 2024 election looms Attacks at US medical centers show why health care is one of the nation's most violent fields Maui police chief pleads for patience, recalls pain of victim IDs after deadly Vegas mass shooting

Fani Willis' audacious strategy will be tested against an aggressive defense put on by lawyers for Trump and by counsel representing the other more, well-heeled defendants.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre suffered a social media embarrassment on Tuesday when a post seemingly intended for President Joe Biden’s account on X, formerly known as Twitter, was accidentally published on her own. “Investing in America means investing in ALL of America. When I ran for President, I made a promise that I would leave no part of the country behind,” Ms Jean-Pierre unexpectedly declared to the world mid-afternoon. The post was swiftly deleted soon after. She made no further comment explaining the gaffe and instead returned to posting about Mr Biden’s visit to Wisconsin earlier in the day and his intention to fly to Hawaii to survey the devastation wrought by the deadly wildfires on the Big Island and Maui over the last week. But – despite her silence and the post’s swift deletion – several social media users picked up on the apparent blunder. Fox News contributor Joe Concha responded: “Welp. I guess we know who’s been writing President Biden’s tweets for him. (A) Karine Jean-Pierre (not good)… (B) White House intern (also not good)… (C) The person who left cocaine at the White House (*really* not good).” “I mean it’s not like anyone thought he ran his own twitter,” chimed in another person. Others simply posted memes and gifs including one which read “whoopsies”. While Ms Jean-Pierre’s error did appear to reveal Mr Biden doesn’t write his own social media posts, for many that may prove reassuring given Donald Trump’s rampant use of Twitter during his own presidency – when policy would be announced and Cabinet secretaries fired at all hours of the day or night, often seemingly on a whim online. Meanwhile, the online blip comes as Mr Biden’s press secretary was attacked by Republicans earlier this week for apparently mispronouncing the names of Hawaii Senator Mazie Hirono and the state’s Governor Brian Schatz, whom she appeared to call “Senator Shorts” during a daily briefing. The situation on the ground in Hawaii meanwhile remains extremely difficult. The death toll has risen to 106, with as many as 1,000 people still missing and emergency responders struggling to identify the dead. The historic town of Lahaina has been largely destroyed by the blaze and many more homes and buildings wrecked. President Biden and First Lady Jill Biden have announced plans to visit Hawaii on Monday to meet with first responders, survivors and officials. Read More Biden slammed for offering ‘insulting’ $700 payments to Maui wildfire victims Biden says he will visit Hawaii ‘soon’ amid backlash over response Biden heads to battleground Wisconsin to talk about the economy a week before GOP debate Biden heads to battleground Wisconsin to talk about the economy a week before GOP debate Biden welcoming Australian leader to White House for state dinner in October Biden will tout long-sought Grand Canyon monument designation during Arizona visit

President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden will visit Maui, Hawaii on Monday 21 August to meet with first responders, survivors and officials– nearly two weeks after devastating wildfires ravaged parts of the island. Days after Mr Biden faced backlash from individuals who believed the President did not have enough of a public-facing approach to addressing the wildfires, the White House announced the trip. “In Maui, the President and First Lady will be welcomed by state and local leaders to see firsthand the impacts of the wildfires and the devastating loss of life and land that has occurred on the island, as well as discuss the next steps in the recovery efforts,” press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre wrote in a statement. The announcement comes one day after Mr Biden told reporters he was working with the Hawaiian government to schedule a visit that would not disrupt relief efforts and re-direct security and law enforcement resources. In their statement, the White House said the Mr Biden was in close contact with Hawaii governor Josh Green, senators Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Brian Schatz (D-HI) and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) administrator Deanna Criswell who said they expected “to be at a stage early next week to allow for a presidential visit.” This is a breaking news story.... More Follows Read More Karine Jean-Pierre suffers mishap as she posts tweet meant for Biden’s account Can Donald Trump still run for president after charges over 2020 election? Americans are divided along party lines over Trump’s actions in election cases, AP-NORC poll shows

Donald Trump has promised to share an “irrefutable” report on his baseless claims of election fraud in Georgia. “A Large, Complex, Detailed but Irrefutable REPORT on the Presidential Election Fraud which took place in Georgia is almost complete & will be presented by me at a major News Conference at 11.00am on Monday of next week,” Mr Trump said. The former president and 18 of his allies have been indicted on a range of criminal charges relating to the former president’s attempts to alter Georgia‘s 2020 election results. He described the extensive charge sheet produced by a grand jury in Fulton County as an attempt to stop him from running in next year’s election, saying that the “the witch hunt continues”. Mr Trump has been charged with 13 counts including racketeering, filing false documents, and attempting to coerce public officers to violate their oaths, according to court documents. It marks the fourth major indictment against Mr Trump in nearly as many months, and the second related directly to his actions during the 2020 election. Mr Trump has been issued with an arrest warrant and ordered to surrender by 25 August. Read More Trump doesn’t waste any time trying to fundraise off his latest indictment Who are the 30 ‘unindicted co-conspirators’ in Georgia’s massive criminal case against Trump? Giuliani is too ‘busy’ to address Georgia indictment - after he reacted to it on livestream The damning phone call that may have led to the downfall of Trump and his cronies

England booked their place in the World Cup final with a 3-1 win over co-hosts Australia in Sydney. Here, the PA news agency takes a look at how they did it in pictures:

The market for new preferred shares in the US is reopening after a near half-year freeze, raising hopes

WASHINGTON U.S. President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden will travel to Hawaii on Monday to survey

The community mourned the death of Brandy Horner, who is survived by her husband and two sons

Lithuania has decided to temporarily close two of its six checkpoints with Belarus this week amid growing tensions with its eastern neighbor, an ally of Russia