It's October 2003. Saddam Hussein’s regime has fallen. For six months, Baghdad has been occupied by American forces.

At her lowest moment, Stephanie Cotter decided to aim high.

The mother of one of the students killed in the Berkeley balcony collapse has vowed to keep up the fight to tighten construction regulations in California.

Hold on to your stensons, folks!

A former police officer accused of being one of California's most feared serial killers and rapists in the 1970s and 80s has been charged with eight counts of murder.

Fifty years ago today Martin Luther King was assassinated at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis.

On the eve of the 90th Academy Awards, Darragh Leen peers inside the envelope for some Oscar clues, and predictions.

Apart from a brief sojourn to Dublin for a certain ill-fated hurling match, I have spent the past couple of weeks in the US. 

Ash rained down across Los Angeles on Sunday from a destructive wildfire that the mayor said was the largest in city history.

It may be slightly thin on top-level Irish talent, but the 66th edition of the Cork City Sports is once again loaded with such a rich of cast of world-class athletes that few will even notice.

California wildfires are spreading quickly, threatening hundreds of homes and forcing evacuations at a summer camp where flames temporarily trapped children.

Kori Ali Muhammad, 39, was arrested shortly after the Tuesday morning rampage that left three white men dead.

People with very poor vision may benefit from a device that recognises faces, money, and text.

The number of ministerial trips abroad for the traditional St Patrick’s Day celebrations have been cut by two thirds this year in the wake of the collapse of the Fine Gael-Labour coalition.

Global business outsourcing firm Voxpro, which has announced plans to create 400 jobs in Ireland over the next 18 months, is eyeing massive expansion in the US.

A 34-year-old California woman has been found guilty of murdering her two-month-old daughter, who was killed after she was placed in a microwave for as long as five minutes.

Four US firefighters were hospitalised after being injured fighting a fast- moving wildfire in northern California that expanded yesterday and has forced thousands to evacuate their homes, officials said.

ENGLAND: A mural thought to have been painted by street artist Banksy is set to go on public display after a charity won a High Court fight over its ownership.

Colin Montgomerie will get little respite after an arduous week at the US Open when he defends the senior equivalent in Sacramento this week.

US: Nine brains were found along a street in a New York village, but authorities say there’s nothing to fear.

Will chronic water shortages kill the California dream? by Elijah Wolfson

EastEnders villain Janine Butcher pushing her new husband Barry Evans off a cliff has been named as the best soap opera exit of all time.

A young coach from the Bronx in New York gets an education in the cut-throat, ego-saturated world of elite youth basketball.

A wildfire forced the evacuation of more than 500 homes and about 1,200 residents in a rural area east of the California state capital Sacramento on Saturday, a day after the blaze broke out, fire officials said.

MAN LOOKS FOR KATY PERRY AT KENNEDY COMPOUND

The mugshot of a man arrested on weapons charges has gone viral on social media, attracting more than 33,000 "likes" and drawing comments praising his high cheekbones, chiselled face and striking blue eyes.

Los Angeles Clippers players staged a protest at a play-off game on Sunday against racist comments allegedly made by team owner Donald Sterling, turning their warm-up jerseys inside out to hide the team name before a loss to the Golden State Warriors.

Investigators do not yet know what caused a tractor-trailer to veer across a motorway reservation and slam into a bus, killing 10 people, the California Highway Patrol has said.

Ten people have been killed in a fiery crash involving a school bus in northern California.

CHINA: North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un strikes fear into some hearts, but photos of a Chinese street food vendor with a distinct resemblance to the Pyongyang strongman have fuelled online mirth.

A former firefighter accused of starting a wildfire that killed one person and destroyed dozens of homes in rural Northern California has pleaded not guilty to murder and arson.

USA: Forty years ago, the Pascagoula incident, in which two men said they encountered an unidentified flying object and its occupants, made headlines across America and sparked a new wave of reports of UFO sightings.

Strong winds has seen the Oregon wildfire grow to nearly eight square miles, forcing evacuation of several homes.

One of the first Apple computers ever built goes on the Christie’s auction block in New York next week — and it could sell for $500,000 (€380,000), or more.

The embattled chairman of a public spending watchdog has insisted he never deliberately set out to benefit from the public purse.

Academy Award winner Geena Davis yesterday waded into the controversy over this year’s Oscar ceremony by saying host Seth MacFarlane’s routine was disrespectful to women, particularly the performers who were being honoured.

Hours after a meteor exploded over Russia and injured more than 1,000 people and an asteroid passed relatively close to Earth, people in California reported seeing an unusual flash of light over the San Francisco Bay area that left many startled and thrilled.

An American wanted in connection with a multimillion-dollar fraud has been deported from Ireland, where he fled ahead of being charged with multiple offences.

Hundreds of same-sex couples across Washington state collected licences as a voter-approved law legalising gay marriage took effect.