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Joe Biden has warned that the fight to bring coronavirus under control in the US is a “wartime undertaking” – devoting much of his first full day in office to tackling the pandemic. The new president signed 10 executive orders on Thursday that are designed to ramp up testing, tackle vaccine shortages, and increase mask

At least 32 people have died and dozens more are wounded after a double suicide attack in Iraq’s capital. According to police in Baghdad, the explosions hit a commercial area in the centre of the city. Many of the wounded – of which there are at least 73 – are reported to be in a

At least two people have died following an “extremely loud” explosion in Madrid’s city centre – with rescue teams, firefighters and police sent to the scene. Spanish media reports said the blast took place in a building near a nursing home and a school – and videos and images shared on social media showed rubble

Joe Biden is preparing to be sworn in as the next US president, replacing Donald Trump after a tumultuous four years. The inauguration ceremony is usually attended by millions of people – but instead, Mr Biden will address a small, socially distanced crowd in light of the coronavirus pandemic and the recent, deadly riots on

The US State Department has declared that China is committing genocide and crimes against humanity in a campaign targeting Uighurs and other ethnic minorities in Xinjiang.  In a statement, outgoing Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said: “I believe this genocide is ongoing, and that we are witnessing the systematic attempt to destroy Uighurs by the

Snow has fallen in the Sahara desert after temperatures dropped to -3C (27F). Karim Bouchetata recorded the rare event in Ain Sefra, Algeria, with thawing ice creating beautiful patterns on the sand. The Sahara desert, which covers most of Northern Africa, has gone through shifts in temperature over the past few hundred thousand years –

There is a road north of the capital, Kampala, that few Ugandans wish to follow. It is a rough, potholed track which leads to the home of the opposition leader, Bobi Wine. The 38-year old has not left his home since last Thursday, when he cast his vote in the general election. He came second

Putin critic Alexei Navalny has urged Russians to “take to the streets” after a judge ordered he be detained for at least 30 days.   In a video clip released after the ruling, he said: “Don’t be afraid, take to the streets. Don’t go out for me, go out for yourself and your future.” The

The risk of political violence increases when people are unable to agree on facts, a leading author on disinformation has warned, as the US braces for more protests from Donald Trump supporters ahead of Joe Biden’s inauguration. Professor Thomas Rid explained how information can be used as a weapon – by hostile foreign states and

Poisoned Putin critic Alexei Navalny has arrived in Russia, where he faces the threat of arrest. The Russian dissident flew back from Germany where he had been recovering after being exposed to the Soviet-era novichok nerve agent in August. The plane he was travelling on had been scheduled to land at Moscow’s Vnukovo airport but

Yoweri Museveni has been declared the winner of the Uganda presidential election with 58.64% of the total votes, according to the country’s electoral commission. The incumbent will now serve a sixth term as president of the east African nation following some of the worst pre-election violence since the 76-year-old took office in 1986. His main

India has began its ambitious project of vaccinating its 1.3 billion citizens – as it aims to administer 300 million jabs by August. Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the voluntary vaccination programme at 3,006 locations across the country this morning. About 300,000 health workers will be vaccinated today and the numbers will increase as more

The Dutch government led by Prime Minister Mark Rutte has resigned over a childcare subsidies scandal. Mr Rutte, who leads the conservative People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy as part of a four-party ruling coalition, stepped down following a cabinet meeting. In a statement, Mr Rutte said: “We are of one mind that if the

With shaking hands, broadcast live to the nation, a doctor administered Indonesia’s first COVID-19 vaccination. The recipient was President Joko Widodo, a man who hopes to get 181.5 million Indonesians vaccinated this year. It’s a huge challenge, almost three times the population of the UK and so far one of the largest rollouts in the

France is introducing strict new controls from Monday for anyone entering the country from outside the EU, including hauliers travelling from the UK. Prime Minister Jean Castex has said a PCR test with a negative result must be produced before entering France. The insistence on the PCR test, rather than the much quicker, but potentially

World Health Organisation experts have arrived in Wuhan to investigate the origins of the coronavirus pandemic, Chinese state media has confirmed. The team of 10 virologists and other scientists will spend around a month in the Chinese city where COVID-19 first emerged over a year ago. After spending the first two weeks in quarantine, the