Uganda elections 2021: What you need to know

 Ugandans are voting in a general election following a campaign marked by violence which has killed dozens of people. President Yoweri Museveni is seeking his sixth elected term in office after 35 years in power. The 76-year-old faces 10 challengers, most notably Bobi Wine. Human rights groups have accused security forces of using excessive force

New coronavirus variant: What do we know?

The rapid spread of a new variant of coronavirus has been blamed for the introduction of strict tier four mixing rules for millions of people, harsher restrictions on mixing at Christmas in England, Scotland and Wales, and other countries placing the UK on a travel ban. So how has it gone from being non-existent to

WHO urges tougher measures to curb alarming variant

The World Health Organization (WHO) has called on European countries to do more to curb a new variant of coronavirus that was first detected in the UK. WHO Europe director Hans Kluge said tougher measures were needed to “flatten the steep vertical line” of rising cases in some countries. He said 22 European countries now

How much can Joe Biden get done on the US economy?

The social and economic devastation from the coronavirus pandemic helped win Joe Biden the White House — and his first months in office will be devoted to tackling it. While the country remains sharply divided, Mr Biden’s party has control of the House and a narrow majority in the Senate as well, giving him more

Trump impeachment: Republicans clash as Senate trial looms

US Republicans in Congress are deeply divided after 10 members split with their party to impeach President Donald Trump on Wednesday. Congresswoman Liz Cheney, the third ranking House Republican, is facing calls to resign her party leadership role after her vote to impeach. The lawmakers that voted against Mr Trump face threats of violence, and

Trump impeached for ‘inciting’ US Capitol riot

The US House of Representatives has impeached President Donald Trump for “incitement of insurrection” at last week’s Capitol riot. Ten Republicans sided with Democrats to impeach the president by 232–197. But his trial in the Senate will not happen until after Joe Biden, a Democrat, is inaugurated as the new US president next week. Mr

Capitol police officer Eugene Goodman hailed as ‘a hero

A US Capitol police officer is being called a hero for singlehandedly steering a mob away from the Senate chambers during the deadly riots. Footage of the officer, identified as Eugene Goodman, shows him just steps ahead of rioters as they chase him up a flight of stairs. Mr Goodman is then seen glancing towards

Trump impeachment: Democrats prepare to act over Capitol riot

US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has shared with lawmakers plans to remove President Donald Trump from office before starting an impeachment process. The House of Representatives would vote on a resolution calling on Vice-President Mike Pence to remove Mr Trump’s presidential powers. If this move fails, Democrats will introduce a charge of “incitement of insurrection”

Indonesia Sriwijaya Air Boeing 737 black boxes located

Black boxes of a passenger plane which crashed in the sea soon after take-off from Jakarta, Indonesia on Saturday have been located, officials say. A small flotilla of ships has been searching the site and navy divers are expected to be able to retrieve the two flight recorders, they add. Aircraft parts and human remains

Twitter permanently suspends Trump’s account

US President Donald Trump has been permanently suspended from Twitter “due to the risk of further incitement of violence”, the company says. Twitter said the decision was made “after close review of recent Tweets from the @realDonaldTrump account”. It comes amid a Big Tech purge of the online platforms used by Mr Trump and his