Diwali, the festival of lights, has come a week ahead of its actual date at Thulasendrapuram, the village where US Vice President-elect Kamala Harris’ mother comes from, in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu.

Japan formally proclaimed Crown Prince Akishino the first in line as heir to the throne on Sunday, the last of a series of ceremonies after his elder brother, Emperor Naruhito, became monarch last year following their father’s abdication.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has congratulated US president-elect Joe Biden and vice-president-elect Kamala Harris.

Minutes after US media declared Democrat Joe Biden victor in the tight race for the US presidency on Saturday, President Donald Trump rejected that conclusion, saying he will prove in court that he was the winner.

Polls opened in Myanmar Sunday morning for a vote expected to return to power the government of Aung San Suu Kyi, who remains a hero at home in spite of a reputation abroad shattered by the Rohingya crisis.

US President-elect Joe Biden is planning to address the nation on Saturday night.

Fox News and the New York Post, magnate Rupert Murdoch’s main media outlets, have started distancing themselves from Donald Trump as the US election vote counting drama drags on -- a first since the president came to power and a potential turning point.

A new report by two United Nations agencies warned Friday of a heightened risk of famine in three conflict-torn African states and Yemen, and a high hunger risk in 16 more.

Even if all fossil fuel emissions ended immediately, greenhouse gasses from the food we eat could drive global temperatures above internationally agreed warming limits, a new study has warned.

US Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito on Friday night ordered county election boards in Pennsylvania to comply with a state directive to separate mail-in ballots received after 8 pm on Election Day from other ballots.

State law requires an automatic recount when the margin is 0.5 percent or less. If the margin is above that, voters may petition a state

Congratulations poured in for US president-elect Joe Biden from around the world, with Washington’s allies, particularly in Europe, seeing his win as a chance at a fresh start after the antagonistic years under Donald Trump. Here are some of the first reactions from across the globe:

Joe Biden supporters danced in Philadelphia’s streets on Friday, while armed backers of President Donald Trump in Phoenix shouted, “Stop the steal” as a third day of post-election ballot counting brought the Democratic former vice president closer to winning the White House.

Kamala Harris has made history with her election as Joe Biden's vice president, becoming the first woman, first Black American and first Asian American to win the second highest US office.

US President Donald Trump has said his campaign would begin challenging US election results in court next week after media outlets called the race for Democrat Joe Biden, saying “this election is far from over.”

Democrat Joe Biden has won Pennsylvania, surpassing the 270 electoral vote threshold to take the White House and become the 46th president of the United States.

The US State Department sent Congress an informal notification of plans to sell $10 billion of defense equipment, including precision-guided munitions, non-precision bombs and missiles to the United Arab Emirates, a US congressional aide has said.

The United Arab Emirates has announced a major overhaul of the Islamic personal laws in the country -- allowing unmarried couples to cohabitate, loosening restrictions on alcohol, and criminalising “honour killings”.

US Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito has ordered county election boards in Pennsylvania to comply with a state directive to separate mail-in ballots received after 8:00pm on Election Day from other ballots.

Suddenly Ethiopia appears on the brink of civil war, threatening the stability of one of the world’s most strategic regions, the Horn of Africa, and the fracturing of one of Africa’s most powerful and populous countries.