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Analysis - After days of uncertainty, Joe Biden has won the US presidential election, the projections of major media outlets show. Photo: 123RF During Donald Trump's four years in office, America's relationship with the world changed profoundly. BBC reporters across the globe, from Beijing to Berlin, explain how news of Biden's victory is being received and what it could mean for key US relationships. China Joe Biden's victory offers another challenge for the Chinese system, writes John Sudworth in Beijing. You might think Beijing would be glad to see the back of Donald Trump. As China-basher-in-chief he hit them with a trade war, levied a raft of punitive sanctions and badgered and blamed them for the coronavirus pandemic. But some analysts have suggested that the Chinese leadership may now be feeling secretly disappointed. Not because they have any lasting fondness for Trump, but because another four years of him in the White House held out the tantalising prospect of a bigger prize. Divisive at home, isolationist abroad - Trump seemed to Beijing the very embodiment of the long-anticipated and hoped for decline in US power. It was a message rammed home by the country's Communist Party-controlled TV news bulletins. They focused not on the election itself - but on the protests, rancour, and rising US virus infection rates alongside it. China might, of course, try to find advantage in Joe Biden's willingness to seek co-operation on big issues like climate change. But he's also promised to work to repair America's alliances, which may prove to be far more effective in constraining China's superpower ambitions than Trump's go-it-alone approach. And a Biden victory offers another challenge for a Chinese system devoid of democratic control. Far from a decline in American values, the transition of power itself is proof that those values endure. India Kamala Harris's roots are a source of pride in India but Narendra Modi may get a more frigid reception from Biden than his predecessor, Rajini Vaidyanathan writes from Delhi. India has long been an important partner to the US - and the overall direction of travel is unlikely to change under a Biden presidency. South Asia's most populous nation will remain a key ally in America's Indo-Pacific strategy to curtail the rise of China, and in fighting global terrorism. That said, the personal chemistry between Biden and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi could be trickier to navigate. Trump has held back from criticising Modi's controversial domestic policies - which many say discriminate against the country's Muslims. Biden has been far more outspoken. His campaign website called for the restoration of rights for everyone in Kashmir, and criticised the National Register of Citizens (NRC) and the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) - two laws which sparked mass protests. Incoming Vice-President Kamala Harris - half-Indian herself - has also spoken out against some of the Hindu nationalist government's policies. But her Indian roots will spark mass celebration in much of the country. That the daughter of an Indian woman who was born and raised in the city of Chennai will soon be second-in-command at the White House is a moment of immense national pride. The Koreas North Korea once described Biden as a "rabid dog" - but now Kim Jong-un will be making careful calculations before trying to provoke the new US president, writes Laura Bicker in Seoul. It's likely Chairman Kim would have preferred another four years of Donald Trump. The leaders' unprecedented meeting and follow-ups made for incredible photo-ops for the history books but very little of substance was signed. Neither side got what they wanted out of these talks: North Korea has continued to build up its nuclear arsenal and the US has continued to enforce strict sanctions. In contrast, Joe Biden has demanded North Korea show that it is willing to abandon its nuclear weapons programme before he holds any meetings with Kim Jong-un. Many analysts believe that unless Biden's team initiates talks with Pyongyang very early on, the days of "fire and fury" may return. Kim might want to get Washington's attention with a return to long-range missile tests, but he won't want to increase tensions to the point that the already impoverished state would be hit with even more sanctions. South Korea has already warned the North not to go down a provocative path. Seoul may have struggled to deal with Donald Trump at times - but President Moon is keen to put an end to the 70-year war on the Korean peninsula and he praised Trump for having the "courage" to meet with Kim. The South will closely watch for any sign that Biden is willing to do the same. Donald Trump (right) meets with North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un at the start of their US-North Korea summit in June 2018. Photo: AFP or licensors UK The US and UK's "special relationship" may face a downgrade with Joe Biden at the helm, writes political correspondent Jessica Parker in London. They won't be seen as natural allies: Joe Biden, the seasoned Democrat, and Boris Johnson, the bombastic Brexiteer. In looking at how their future relationship might work, it's worth considering the past. Specifically that seminal year, 2016, when Donald Trump won the White House and the UK voted to leave the EU. Both Joe Biden and his boss at the time, Barack Obama, made no secret they preferred another outcome on Brexit. The UK government's recent manoeuvres in relation to Brexit have not gone down well with key Democrats and the Irish lobby, including the US president-elect. Biden said he would not allow peace in Northern Ireland to become a "casualty of Brexit" if elected - stating that any future US-UK trade deal would be contingent upon respecting the Good Friday Agreement. Remember how Donald Trump once called Boris Johnson "Britain Trump"? Well, Biden seemingly agreed, once reportedly describing the UK prime minister as Trump's "physical and emotional clone". So it's possible Joe Biden may initially be more eager to talk to Brussels, Berlin or Paris than love-bomb London. The "special relationship" could, feasibly, face a downgrade. However, the two men may yet find some common ground. The two countries they lead, after all, have long-standing and deep-running diplomatic ties - not least in the areas of security and intelligence. Russia A more predictable administration may be the "silver lining" for Russia of Biden's win, writes Steven Rosenberg in Moscow. The Kremlin has an acute sense of hearing. So when Joe Biden recently named Russia as "the biggest threat" to America, they heard that loud and clear in Moscow. The Kremlin also has a long memory. In 2011 Vice-President Biden reportedly said that if he were Putin, he wouldn't run again for president: it would be bad for the country and for himself. President Putin won't have forgotten that. Biden and Putin are not a match made in geo-political heaven. Moscow fears the Biden presidency will mean more pressure and more sanctions from Washington. With a Democrat in the White House, could it be payback time for Russia's alleged intervention in the 2016 US election? One Russian newspaper recently claimed that under Trump, US-Russian relations had plunged "to the seabed". But it likened Biden to a "dredger" who was going to "dig even deeper". Little wonder Moscow has that sinking feeling. But for the Kremlin there could be a silver lining. Russian commentators predict a Biden administration will, at least, be more predictable than the Trump team. That might make it easier to reach agreement on pressing issues, like New Start - the crucial US-Russian nuclear arms reduction treaty due to expire next February. Moscow will want to move on from the Trump era and try to build a working relationship with the new White House. There's no guarantee of success. Germany Germans hope for a return to smooth-sailing with their key ally once Donald Trump has departed, writes Damien McGuinness in Berlin. Germany will breathe a sigh of relief at this result. Only 10 percent of Germans trust President Trump on foreign policy, according to the Pew Research Centre. He is more unpopular in Germany than in any other country surveyed. Even Russia's Putin and China's Xi Jinping poll better in Germany. President Trump is accused of undermining free trade and dismantling the multinational institutions which Germany relies on economically. His spats with China have rattled German exporters and he has a notoriously poor relationship with Chancellor Angela Merkel - it's hard to imagine two leaders more different in ethos and personality. German politicians and voters have been shocked by his abrasive style, his unconventional approach to facts and his frequent attacks on Germany's car industry. Despite this, the US is Germany's biggest trading partner and the transatlantic relationship is critical for European security. So the Trump presidency has been a rocky ride. German ministers have criticised President Trump's calls for vote-counting to stop and his unsubstantiated claims of electoral fraud. Defence Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer called the situation "explosive". There is an awareness here that major policy differences between Washington and Berlin will not go away under a Biden presidency. But Berlin is looking forward to working with a president who values multilateral co-operation. The transatlantic relationship is critical for European security. Photo: 123RF Iran A Biden victory could bring Tehran back to the negotiating table, writes BBC Persian Service correspondent Kasra Naji. In the weeks before the US election, President Trump said rather optimistically that once re-elected the first telephone call he received would be from Iran's leaders asking to negotiate. That phone call to Trump - if he had won - was never going to happen. Negotiating with the Trump administration would have been impossible for Iran; it would be too humiliating. Under President Trump, US sanctions and a policy of maximum pressure have left Iran reeling on the edge of economic collapse. Trump withdrew from the nuclear deal. Worse still, he ordered the killing of General Qasem Soleimani, a close friend of the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Taking revenge for his killing remains near the top of the agenda for hardliners. The election of Joe Biden makes entering negotiations with a US administration far easier for Iran. President-Elect Biden does not have the same baggage. He has said he wants to use diplomacy and return to the nuclear deal with Iran. But Iran's hardliners will not come to the table easily. As Americans went to the polls on 3 November, the Supreme Leader claimed the election would have "no effect" on Tehran's policies. "Iran followed a sensible and calculated policy which cannot be affected by changes of personalities in Washington," he said. Millions of Iranians thought differently as they quietly watched the US election unfold on their illegal satellite TV screens, convinced their futures depended on the results and hoping a Biden victory would see sanctions eased. Israel There are expectations of a reset of much of Donald Trump's Middle East policy, writes Tom Bateman in Jerusalem. President Trump supercharged the two poles of the Middle East. He sought to reward and consolidate America's traditional regional allies, while isolating its adversaries in Tehran. President-elect Biden will try to rewire US Middle East policy back to the way he left it as Vice-President under Barack Obama: Easing Trump's "maximum pressure" campaign on Iran and aiming to re-join the 2015 nuclear deal abandoned by the White House two years ago. That prospect horrifies Israel and Gulf countries like Saudi Arabia and the UAE. One Israeli minister said in response to Biden's likely win that the policy would end with "a violent Israeli-Iranian confrontation, because we will be forced to act". The result also dramatically shifts the US approach to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Trump's plan was seen to heavily favour Israel and give it the chance to annex parts of the occupied West Bank. That was shelved in favour of historic deals to establish ties between Israel and several Arab states. This drive to regional "normalisation" is likely to continue under Biden, but he may try to slow controversial US weapons sales to the Gulf and would likely seek more Israeli concessions. Annexation now seems definitively off the table and Biden will also object to further Israeli settlement building. But there won't be the "complete U-turn" that one Palestinian official demanded this week. The rhetoric will return to the traditional understanding of a "two-state solution", but the chances of making much progress in the moribund Israeli-Palestinian peace process look slim. Egypt Hopes are high among activists that the Biden administration will increase pressure on Egypt over human rights, writes Sally Nabil in Cairo. Egypt's military-backed President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi enjoyed a very good relationship with Donald Trump. It would have been better for him to keep a friend in the White House, but now he will have to start a fresh chapter with Joe Biden. Critics of President Sisi accused the Trump administration of turning a blind eye to his alleged human rights abuses. Egypt receives $1.3bn in US military aid per year. In 2017, a small tranche of this aid was suspended over human rights concerns but was released the following year. Joe Biden winning the White House is seen as good news by many human rights groups here. Activists hope the new US administration will put pressure on the Egyptian government to change its heavy-handed policies toward the opposition - with tens of thousands of political prisoners reportedly in prison. The Egyptian authorities have always denied jailing any prisoners of conscience, challenging the credibility of critical human rights reports. "US-Egyptian relations have always been strategic, regardless of who sits in the Oval Office," says Ahmed Sayyed Ahmed, a political analyst. "Partnership will continue, but the Democrats' rhetoric about human rights might not be well received by some Egyptians, who see this as meddling in their country's affairs." Cuba After harsh sanctions, Joe Biden's victory brings relief, writes the BBC's Cuba Correspondent Will Grant. A Biden presidency is exactly what most Cubans have been hoping for. Indeed, the majority of people on the island would happily see almost anyone in the White House other than Donald Trump. His sanctions have brought real hardship and Cubans are exhausted after four years of unrelenting hostility. Joe Biden, on the other hand, revives memories of the recent highpoint in Cuban-US relations under President Obama. In fact, the former vice-president is said to have been instrumental in making the two years of detente possible. The communist-run government in Havana will no doubt continue to say all US presidents are essentially cut from the same cloth. But among the people queuing for basic goods and struggling to make ends meet, the overriding feeling will nonetheless be one of great relief. The only drawback from Cubans point of view? Biden is now well aware of just how positively President Trump's harsh treatment of Cuba played to voters in the key election battleground of Florida. They fear he may be far less inclined to ease some of Trump's measures than he otherwise might have been. Canada Justin Trudeau will see an ally in his new neighbour, writes Jessica Murphy in Toronto. The Canadian prime minister pledged to deepen ties with the US no matter who won the presidential election - but it's likely relief was felt in Ottawa when it became clear Democrat Joe Biden had clinched victory. Canada's relationship with the US has been rocky under President Trump, though not without its accomplishments. They include the successful renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement, along with Mexico. But Justin Trudeau has made clear he felt a political kinship with former President Barack Obama - who endorsed him during the recent Canadian federal election. That feeling of warmth extends to the man who served as Obama's vice-president - Joe Biden. In Biden, Trudeau's Liberal Party will find an ally on issues like climate change and multilateralism. But that doesn't mean there aren't opportunities for friction with his administration. President Trump authorised the construction of the Alberta-to-Texas Keystone XL oil pipeline, a project seen as key to Canada's struggling energy sector - but President-elect Biden opposes the project. And Joe Biden's "Buy American" economic plan to revive US industry after the coronavirus pandemic will be a concern given Canada's deep dependence on trade with the US. - BBC

Joe Biden - a fixture in US politics for a half century as a senator and vice president - has completed the long climb to the political mountaintop that includes two previous failed presidential bids. All the major US media outlets are now projecting a Biden victory over Donald Trump. Photo: AFP When he is sworn in as the 46th president on 20 January 2021, the Democrat from Delaware will be 78 and will become the oldest person ever elected to the White House. Biden has sought to portray his political experience as a benefit, casting himself as a tested leader up to the tasks of healing a nation battered by the coronavirus pandemic and providing steadiness after the turbulence of Trump's presidency. Accepting the Democratic presidential nomination in August, Biden stressed compassion and decency, seeking to draw a contrast with the pugnacious Trump. "I'll be an ally of the light," Biden said, "not the darkness." Biden unsuccessfully sought the Democratic presidential nomination in 1988 and 2008 before finally securing his party's blessing this year with strong support among black voters. He brings to his political career a mix of blue-collar credentials, foreign policy experience and a compelling life story marked by family tragedy - the loss of his first wife and a daughter in a car crash, and a son to cancer. Blue-collar background Joe Biden Photo: AFP Joseph Robinette Biden Jr was born in the blue-collar city of Scranton, Pennsylvania, the eldest of four siblings. His family later moved to Delaware. Biden overcame stuttering as a boy by reciting passages of poetry to a mirror. He attended the University of Delaware and then law school at Syracuse University. He was practically a political novice - having served two years on a county board in Delaware - when in 1972 he became the fifth-youngest elected senator in US history. Biden was just 29 when he was elected to represent Delaware in the US Senate where he remained for 36 years. Family tragedy mars early days in politics Just a few weeks after his Senate election, his first wife, Neilia, and their 13-month-old daughter, Naomi, were killed in a car crash. He almost abandoned his political career to care for his two young sons who survived the accident but stayed on, commuting by train from Delaware to Washington to avoid uprooting them. Despite years of partisan hostilities in Washington, Biden remained a believer in bipartisanship. During his time in the Senate, he was known for his close working relationships with some of his Republican colleagues. However, he was criticised as chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee in 1991 for his handling of sexual harassment accusations against Republican President George H W Bush's conservative Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas by former aide Anita Hill. Liberals criticised him for doing too little to defend Hill's allegations, which Thomas had denied. Joe Biden brings a mix of blue-collar credentials, foreign policy experience and a compelling life story marked by family tragedy to the US's top job. Photo: 2020 Getty Images The committee held explosive televised hearings prior to Thomas's eventual Senate confirmation. The hearing was conducted by an all-white, all-male panel, and several women apparently willing to back up Hill's account were not called by Biden to testify. Speaking in a TV interview in April 2019, Biden said that he was "sorry for the way she got treated". One of Biden's accomplishments as a senator was helping to secure passage in 1994 of a law called the Violence Against Women Act to protect victims of domestic crimes. While in the Senate, he built up a specialty in foreign affairs and at one time headed the Foreign Relations Committee. He voted in favour of authorising the 2003 Iraq invasion before becoming a critic of Republican President George W Bush's handling of the war. Former president George W Bush with Joe Biden during a bipartisan meeting with Congressional leaders at the White House in July 2001. Photo: AFP Accused of plagiarism Biden's first two presidential runs did not go well. He dropped out of the 1988 race after allegations that he had plagiarised some speech lines from British Labour Party leader Neil Kinnock. Joe Biden, with his second wife, Jill, alongside, announces he is dropping out of the 1988 presidential race. Photo: AFP In 2008, Biden won little support and withdrew, only to be selected later that year as Barack Obama's running mate. Special relationship with Obama After leaving the Senate he served from 2009 to 2017 as vice president under Obama, the country's first black president. Working alongside Obama, Biden served as a troubleshooter on matters of war and foreign affairs and on domestic issues such as gun control and fiscal policy. The president did not always heed Biden's advice. Obama gave the go-ahead for the 2011 raid in Pakistan that killed al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden despite Biden's warning that it was too risky. However, the pair established a close working relationship in which Biden frequently called Obama his "brother". Photo: AFP In a surprise ceremony in the final days of his presidency, Obama awarded Biden the Presidential Medal of Freedom - the nation's highest civilian honour. "To know Joe Biden is to know love without pretence, service without self-regard and to live life fully," the then president said. An emotional Joe Biden receives the US's highest honour from then president Barack Obama. Photo: AFP Battle for 'soul of the nation' Biden opted not to run for president in 2016, only to watch Trump defeat Democrat Hillary Clinton. When Biden announced his 2020 candidacy in April 2019, he took aim at Trump. "We are in the battle for the soul of this nation," Biden said, adding that if re-elected Trump would "forever and fundamentally alter the character of this nation - who we are - and I cannot stand by and watch that happen". Biden selected Senator Kamala Harris - whose father is an immigrant from Jamaica and whose mother is an immigrant from India - as his running mate, making her the first black woman and first person of Asian descent on a major-party US ticket. At 56, Harris is a generation younger than Biden. The folksy Biden, known for blunt talk and occasional verbal gaffes, has often referenced his working-class roots to connect with ordinary Americans. Biden also was the first Roman Catholic US vice president. In 2015, his son Joseph "Beau" Biden III, an Iraq war veteran who had served as Delaware's attorney general, died from brain cancer at age 46. Biden's son Hunter has struggled with drug issues as an adult. Biden himself had a health scare in 1988 when he suffered two brain aneurysms. Recent sexual assault allegations In May this year, Biden denied a former Senate aide's accusation that he had sexually assaulted her in 1993, calling the claim "not true" and saying "unequivocally it never, never happened". The allegation was made by a California woman, Tara Reade, who worked as a staff assistant in Biden's Senate office for about 10 months. Reade was one of eight women who in 2019 came forward to say Biden had hugged, kissed or touched them in ways that made them uncomfortable, though none accused him of sexual assault. Reade publicly accused him of the assault months later. During this year's bitter presidential campaign Biden maintained the president's handling of the worsening coronavirus crisis was an "insult" to its victims. "Even if I win, it's going to take a lot of hard work to end this pandemic," he said. "I do promise this - we will start on day one doing the right things." On another occasion he promised: "I plan to unite the nation. I'm running as a Democrat but I'm going to be everyone's president." - Reuters / BBC

Shortly after major US networks called the presidential election for Joe Biden, Donald Trump released a statement saying the election was "far from over". President Donald Trump at his golf course in Virginia. Photo: AFP / Getty Images Trump, who was golfing in Virginia when the networks made their calls for his rival, immediately accused Biden of "rushing to falsely pose as the winner." Winning the battleground state of Pennsylvania's 20 Electoral College votes gave Biden more than the 270 he needed, prompting all major TV networks to declare the former vice president the winner after four days of nail-biting suspense following Tuesday's election. As the call was made people streamed to the White House to celebrate outside a security fence as the sound of booming fireworks was heard in the distance. In the New York borough of Brooklyn, cars honked and people pumped their fist and cheered on the street. "The nightmare is over," said Andrew Ravin, 45, while his neighbour Kenneth Henry, 51, said, "We can breathe again." In Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, hundreds shouted and cheered outside the city hall. City hall Philadelphia. pic.twitter.com/9OkAB2QvO2 — Tariq Thachil (@tariqthachil) November 7, 2020 Trump, however, has not formally conceded. Some of his supporters were not ready to stand down either. In Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, the state that put Biden over the 270 Electoral College votes he needed to win, about 100 pro-Trump "Stop the Steal" protesters demonstrated in front of the state Capitol building. There are likely to be recounts in several states, and Trump continues to wage legal fights to nullify the results. Even so he faces a formidable struggle to prevail in the Electoral College that decides US elections. Each state is allotted electoral votes based on its population. In most states, the candidate that wins the popular vote takes all its electoral votes, no matter how close the margin of victory. In the popular vote nationally, Biden has so far racked up 4.1 million more votes than Trump. Rudy Giuliani told a media conference shortly after Joe Biden was projected to become president that Donald Trump will not concede the election, alleging that thousands of ballots were "in question". Photo: AFP / Getty Images Though Trump lost the White House, according to media outlets that called the tight race, he clearly outperformed scores of polls that suggested he might lose in a landslide and proved his base of supporters was bigger and more loyal than many observers realised. Democrats had hoped that voters would hand Trump a stark repudiation of his often chaotic first term and his divisive campaign. Instead, Trump has captured about 7.3 million more votes than he did in 2016, preliminary returns show. Republicans also gained five seats in the US House of Representatives, which is controlled by Democrats. The Republican party's strong showing, defying critics and pundits, came despite a massive fundraising advantage enjoyed by Democrats at the campaign's end and, according to polls, a sharp turn of support toward Democrats in America's suburbs. Even as states count the last ballots, the results have dashed Democrats' hopes for the death of Trumpism. If Biden's victory is certified and the Republicans retain the Senate, the new president may be handcuffed in his efforts to push legislation and win confirmations of judges and administration officials. Whatever the future for Trump himself, Democrats and Republicans alike said they will have to reckon with the continuing appeal of his brash brand of populist politics. - Reuters

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. Kamala Harris campaigning on 25 October. Photo: AFP Harris, 56, is widely seen as an obvious candidate for the Democratic Party nomination in 2024 should Biden, who will be 78 at their inauguration on 20 January, decide not to seek a second term. She hasn't weighed in publicly on such speculation. Edison Research and the major US television networks have projected their victory based on unofficial final results, even though the incumbent president Republican Donald Trump vowed to continue fighting in courts. * Follow RNZ live updates on all the latest US Election news A US senator from California, Harris has a track record of shattering glass ceilings. She served as San Francisco's first female district attorney and was California's first woman of color to be elected attorney general. Her background in criminal justice could help a Biden administration tackle the issues of racial equality and policing after the country was swept by protests this year. She is expected to be a top adviser on judicial nominations. Harris, whose mother and father emigrated from India and Jamaica, respectively, had her sights set on becoming the first woman US president when she competed against Biden and others for their party's 2020 nomination. She dropped out of the race last December after a campaign hurt by her wavering views on healthcare and indecision about embracing her past as a prosecutor. Biden looked beyond some of the harsh words Harris had for him in that campaign to name her his running mate in August. She has proven to be a valuable and polished stand-in, appealing especially to women, progressives and voters of color, all critical to the party's election hopes. Harris, who developed a deep fundraising network during her Senate and White House bids, has been instrumental to Biden's raking in record sums of money in the closing months of the campaign. Her selection sparked a burst of excitement in the Democratic base and among the party's donors. "Harris always made the most sense as a running mate for Biden because she had the ability to help him unify the Democratic coalition across racial and generational lines and was able to spike base enthusiasm," said Joel Payne, a Democratic strategist who worked for Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign. Democratic Presidential candidate Joe Biden, flanked by US Democratic vice presidential nominee and Senator from California, Kamala Harris, speaks in Wilmington, Delaware, on 4 November. Photo: AFP Accusations from progressives that Harris did not do enough to investigate police shootings and wrongful conviction cases when she was California's attorney general helped doom her own presidential run but surfaced little during her time as Biden's running mate. Harris has often defended her record, saying as she did in a town hall event last year that she had worked her whole career "to reform the criminal justice system with the understanding that it is deeply flawed and in need of repair." Trump and his re-election campaign had sought to paint Harris instead as a tool of the Democratic left who would wield power and influence behind the scenes in a Biden presidency. Prior to her selection, several Biden aides say that Harris was able to put to rest concerns among some in the former vice president's camp that she would be too personally ambitious to make a trustworthy partner. Harris has shown herself to be a team player, taking on a lower-profile role and holding virtual and in-person political events that sometimes drew little news coverage, while often speaking in terms of what Biden would do for the country if elected and making an impassioned case against Trump. "Joe and I were raised in a very similar way," Harris said of Biden at her October debate against Vice President Mike Pence. "We were raised with values that are about hard work, about the value and the dignity of public service and about the importance of fighting for the dignity of all people." Double duty Harris juggled her running mate duties with her day job in the Senate. Befitting her background as a prosecutor, she was a deft cross-examiner of US Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett at Barrett's Senate confirmation hearing in October, weaving Biden's campaign message on healthcare and climate change into her line of questioning. As the Senate's only Black woman, Harris emerged this year as a leading voice on racial justice and police reform after Minneapolis police killed African-American man George Floyd in May. She marched with protesters on the streets of Washington and won over some liberal skeptics. Asked on "60 Minutes" last month why, given Biden's age, he believed Harris would be ready to step into the presidency if something happened to him, the presidential candidate rapidly fired off five reasons. "Number one, her values. Number two, she is smart as a devil, and number three, she has a backbone like a ramrod. Number four, she is really principled. And number five, she has had significant experience in the largest state in the Union in running the justice department that's only second in size to the United States Justice Department. And obviously, I hope that never becomes a question," he said. Harris is married to attorney Douglas Emhoff, who has been a fixture on the campaign trail. His two children from a previous marriage refer to their stepmother as "Momala." - Reuters

Analysis - As Joe Biden surged past 270 electoral votes and towards residence at the White House, a nation waiting on tenterhooks was relieved from a painstakingly drawn out election process, Simon Hampton writes. It has taken days for Democrat Joe Biden's narrow win in the US presidential election to become evident. Photo: AFP or licensors Three days of watching votes slowly trickle in, 24 hour network coverage and social media analysis came to an end as Biden claimed the battleground state of Pennsylvania and secured the presidency. Donald Trump's big early lead on election night saw the odds swing considerably in his favour for a while, but Biden's path to 270 was not a shock. Election day votes that were counted first favoured the incumbent, whereas Biden did well in mail ballots counted after election day. It was thrilling to watch as Trump's lead in Pennsylvania, which at one point sat at more than 14 percent, eroded til Biden won it, ultimately ending Trump's time in the White House. Biden will take charge of a divided country and in the midst of a raging pandemic that is showing little signs of slowing. Trump did not create either problem but he has thrived off, and incited, the division, while his response to the pandemic has been nothing short of inept. For the second day, more than 100,000 new cases of coronavirus were recorded in the US. Biden has called for a national mask mandate in a bid to curb the pandemic in the country. Masks have become a symbol of political division in the US. At a Trump rally in Reading, Pennsylvania, days before the election, the majority of the crowd were maskless. Many saw it as an attack on their freedom to be told to wear a mask, many did not think they needed it, and many just did not care. Most of Biden's first 100 days in office in 2021 will be focused on curbing the pandemic. Despite the certain opposition and likely legal challenge, enacting a national mask mandate would signal movement towards unifying the country and combating the virus which has already killed 235,000 Americans. Trump, however, will not leave the White House easily. He has never come across as someone who concedes easily, let alone graciously. His shocking, baseless claims of victory, "illegal votes", and accusations of the election being stolen from him in a farcical press conference are an indication of what's to come - and a fitting way for his term to end, given shocking, baseless claims were the story of his presidency. Network fact checkers gave up, after a flood of lies from the Commander in Chief. Despite the lies and accusations, Trump's sway over a significant chunk of the American population will not be confined to his term in the Oval Office. To his supporters, he is a rockstar. They trust him, they adore him and they will not stop following him. On more than one occasion over the past few weeks, I was told by a Trump supporter that he was "sent from God to save America". One teared up when asked what Trump meant to them. Another refused to even consider the possibility he would leave office, and hoped he would abolish term limits. There is a cult-like level of devotion. Trump is unlikely to walk away from that. Through his tweets, possible continued rallies and the rumoured Trump TV, he could well remain highly influential in America through messaging to his supporters, who seemingly believe anything he says. So as Joe Biden is sworn in as the 46th President in January and takes his seat at the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office, America will usher in a new era, but the shadow of the previous tenant will loom large for quite some time. - Simon Hampton is a freelance reporter based in the United States

Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden has won the US election, wrestling power away from Donald Trump, according to major news media outlets. Three days after polls closed, Biden has now won more than the 270 he needs to secure the presidency. The former vice president's projected win in Pennsylvania takes him to 273 electoral votes. Biden said he is honored that Americans have chosen him to lead the country. Biden said on Twitter that the work ahead is hard, but he promises to be a president for all Americans. At the age of 77, Joe Biden will be the oldest president in American history. His running mate, Kamala Harris, will be the first ever female vice-president. Trump has continued his attacks on the validity of the results. His campaign is pursuing a series of lawsuits across battleground states, but legal experts said they were unlikely to change the election outcome. The US Senate looks likely to be dominated by Republicans. Joe Biden. Photo: AFP or licensors Reuters commentator Andy Sullivan said a divided Congress could prevent Biden from enacting major priorities, such as expanding healthcare, fighting climate change and providing aid to millions whose lives have been upended by the coronavirus. Biden has said on his first day in the White House, he would issue a national strategy to respond to Covid-19 that would probably include a mask mandate and clearer guidance on testing and school reopenings. He has also promised to work more productively with health officials that Trump ignored, such as the nation's top infectious-disease expert, Dr Anthony Fauci. Former New Zealand diplomat and trade deal negotiator Charles Finny said New Zealand could expect a "more conventional presidency" from Biden than was seen with Trump. Donald Trump has lost the US presidency to Biden. Photo: 2020 Getty Images/ AFP However, Biden might not be able to achieve all that he wanted with a Republican majority in the Senate, Finny said. Biden had supported the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), but it was uncertain whether he could get his party to agree to the US joining the trade agreement with New Zealand and other nations. "He would be much more likely to join this agreement than a second Trump presidency," Finny said. The new President of the United States, Joe Biden. Photo: 2020 Getty Images/ AFP Victoria University professor of strategic studies Robert Ayson said the Biden administration would change the US "tone" towards international institutions. "New Zealand will find in America a partner that is much closer on supporting multilateralism," Ayson said. "Even though Mr Biden will want to take the US back into the Paris Climate Change Accord, he's going to need the Republicans if he wants to spend some big money on climate change mitigation. "That's going to be the big issue."

CNN reports Joe Biden -a fixture in US politics for a half century as a senator and vice president has completed the long climb to the political mountaintop that includes two previous failed presidential bids. The BBC is also projecting a Biden victory over Donald Trump. Joe Biden brings a mix of blue-collar credentials, foreign policy experience and a compelling life story marked by family tragedy to the US's top job. Photo: 2020 Getty Images When he is sworn in as the 46th president on January, the 20th 2021, the Democrat from Delaware will be 78 and will become the oldest person ever elected to the White House. Biden has sought to portray his political experience as a benefit, casting himself as a tested leader up to the tasks of healing a nation battered by the coronavirus pandemic and providing steadiness after the turbulence of Donald Trump's presidency. Accepting the Democratic presidential nomination in August, Biden stressed compassion and decency, seeking to draw a contrast with the pugnacious Trump. "I'll be an ally of the light," Biden said, "not the darkness." Biden unsuccessfully sought the Democratic presidential nomination in 1988 and 2008 before finally securing his party's blessing this year with strong support among black voters. He brings to his political career a mix of blue-collar credentials, foreign policy experience and a compelling life story marked by family tragedy - the loss of his first wife and a daughter in a car crash, and a son to cancer. Blue-collar background Joe Biden Photo: AFP Joseph Robinette Biden Jr was born in the blue-collar city of Scranton, Pennsylvania, the eldest of four siblings. His family later moved to Delaware. Biden overcame stuttering as a boy by reciting passages of poetry to a mirror. He attended the University of Delaware and then law school at Syracuse University. He was practically a political novice - having served two years on a county board in Delaware - when in 1972 he became the fifth-youngest elected senator in US history. Biden was just 29 when he was elected to represent Delaware in the US Senate where he remained for 36 years. Family tragedy mars early days in politics Just a few weeks after his Senate election, his first wife, Neilia, and their 13-month-old daughter, Naomi, were killed in a car crash. He almost abandoned his political career to care for his two young sons who survived the accident but stayed on, commuting by train from Delaware to Washington to avoid uprooting them. Despite years of partisan hostilities in Washington, Biden remained a believer in bipartisanship. During his time in the Senate, he was known for his close working relationships with some of his Republican colleagues. However, he was criticised as chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee in 1991 for his handling of sexual harassment accusations against Republican President George H W Bush's conservative Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas by former aide Anita Hill. Liberals criticised him for doing too little to defend Hill's allegations, which Thomas had denied. The committee held explosive televised hearings prior to Thomas's eventual Senate confirmation. The hearing was conducted by an all-white, all-male panel, and several women apparently willing to back up Hill's account were not called by Biden to testify. Speaking in a TV interview in April 2019, Biden said that he was "sorry for the way she got treated". One of Biden's accomplishments as a senator was helping to secure passage in 1994 of a law called the Violence Against Women Act to protect victims of domestic crimes. While in the Senate, he built up a specialty in foreign affairs and at one time headed the Foreign Relations Committee. He voted in favour of authorising the 2003 Iraq invasion before becoming a critic of Republican President George W Bush's handling of the war. Former president George W Bush with Joe Biden during a bipartisan meeting with Congressional leaders at the White House in July 2001. Photo: AFP Accused of plagiarism Biden's first two presidential runs did not go well. He dropped out of the 1988 race after allegations that he had plagiarised some speech lines from British Labour Party leader Neil Kinnock. Joe Biden, with his second wife, Jill, alongside, announces he is dropping out of the 1988 presidential race. Photo: AFP In 2008, Biden won little support and withdrew, only to be selected later that year as Barack Obama's running mate. Special relationship with Obama After leaving the Senate he served from 2009 to 2017 as vice president under Obama, the country's first black president. Working alongside Obama, Biden served as a troubleshooter on matters of war and foreign affairs and on domestic issues such as gun control and fiscal policy. The president did not always heed Biden's advice. Obama gave the go-ahead for the 2011 raid in Pakistan that killed al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden despite Biden's warning that it was too risky. However, the pair established a close working relationship in which Biden frequently called Obama his "brother". Photo: AFP In a surprise ceremony in the final days of his presidency, Obama awarded Biden the Presidential Medal of Freedom - the nation's highest civilian honour. "To know Joe Biden is to know love without pretence, service without self-regard and to live life fully," the then president said. An emotional Joe Biden receives the US's highest honour from then president Barack Obama. Photo: AFP Battle for 'soul of the nation' Biden opted not to run for president in 2016, only to watch Trump defeat Democrat Hillary Clinton. When Biden announced his 2020 candidacy in April 2019, he took aim at Trump. "We are in the battle for the soul of this nation," Biden said, adding that if re-elected Trump would "forever and fundamentally alter the character of this nation - who we are - and I cannot stand by and watch that happen". Biden selected Senator Kamala Harris - whose father is an immigrant from Jamaica and whose mother is an immigrant from India - as his running mate, making her the first black woman and first person of Asian descent on a major-party US ticket. At 56, Harris is a generation younger than Biden. The folksy Biden, known for blunt talk and occasional verbal gaffes, has often referenced his working-class roots to connect with ordinary Americans. Biden also was the first Roman Catholic US vice president. In 2015, his son Joseph "Beau" Biden III, an Iraq war veteran who had served as Delaware's attorney general, died from brain cancer at age 46. Biden's son Hunter has struggled with drug issues as an adult. Biden himself had a health scare in 1988 when he suffered two brain aneurysms. Recent sexual assault allegations In May this year, Biden denied a former Senate aide's accusation that he had sexually assaulted her in 1993, calling the claim "not true" and saying "unequivocally it never, never happened". The allegation was made by a California woman, Tara Reade, who worked as a staff assistant in Biden's Senate office for about 10 months. Reade was one of eight women who in 2019 came forward to say Biden had hugged, kissed or touched them in ways that made them uncomfortable, though none accused him of sexual assault. Reade publicly accused him of the assault months later. During this year's bitter presidential campaign Biden maintained the president's handling of the worsening coronavirus crisis was an "insult" to its victims. "Even if I win, it's going to take a lot of hard work to end this pandemic," he said. "I do promise this - we will start on day one doing the right things." On another occasion he promised: "I plan to unite the nation. I'm running as a Democrat but I'm going to be everyone's president." - Reuters / BBC

The death toll from torrential downpours unleashed by storm Eta has leapt as Guatemalan soldiers reached a mountain village where around 100 people were killed by a landslide, adding to dozens of other dead in Central America and Mexico. People look at the damage caused by heavy rains brought by Hurricane Eta, now degraded to a tropical storm, on a bridge over the Cahaboncito river in Panzos, Alta Verapaz, north of Guatemala City. Photo: AFP Many of those who lost their lives in the village of Queja in the central Guatemalan region of Alta Verapaz were buried in their homes after mudslides swallowed around 150 houses, army spokesman Ruben Tellez said. The devastating weather front brought destruction from Panama to Honduras and Mexico, which between them have registered more than 50 flood-related deaths. Tellez said it was not the first time disaster had struck the remote corner of Alta Verapaz. The area around Queja appeared to be the site of a huge landslide on a road pass a decade ago, which killed dozens, he said. "Now with all this phenomenon it collapsed again," he added. Photos of the Queja landslide showed a lengthy strip of brown mud peeled from the lush green hillside. A video shared by the army showed soldiers trying to get to Queja having to haul themselves through a morass of mud with the aid of a guide rope. The army said about 100 people are believed to have died in Queja alone, though searches for survivors continue. Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei hinted the death toll could be higher, with the number of dead and missing in Queja estimated at about 150. Footage from another part of Guatemala showed boats ferrying villagers in flooded regions and rescue workers carrying children on their backs, wading through water up to their hips. A member a Guatemalan Red Cross wades through a flooded street in Puerto Barrios, Izabal 310km north Guatemala City. Photo: AFP 'Catastrophic flooding' One of the fiercest storms to hit Central America in years, Eta dumped more torrential rain across swaths of Central America. The US National Hurricane Centre (NHC) warned "catastrophic flooding" in the region would continue. Rescue operations across Honduras and Guatemala have been slowed by destroyed roads and bridges, forcing authorities to bring in the military and use helicopters and speedboats to rescue people stranded on top of their houses. "This is the worst storm Honduras has seen in decades. The damage will undoubtedly be significant," said Mark Connolly, UNICEF representative in Honduras, who estimated about 1.5 million children there will be affected. Across the border from Guatemala in the Mexican state of Chiapas, flooding has killed 19 people, many swept up by rivers whose banks burst, state authorities said. North of Chiapas in Tabasco state, the deluges killed two more people, the federal government said. In Honduras, flooding has killed 23 people and two are missing, the government said. Many remained trapped on their roofs, the National Risk Management System said. "We have been without food for two days ... waiting to be evacuated," William Santos, sheltering on top of a banana packing plant with about 300 people in northern Honduras, told Reuters. Eta hit Nicaragua as a Category 4 hurricane on Tuesday blowing furious winds of 241 km/h. It weakened to a tropical depression inland but the rain continued. Bad weather is hampering rescue efforts. Men fix a small house in Bilwi, in Nicaragua. Photo: AFP "We have a lot of people trapped we have not been able to reach," Giammattei said. The devastation harked back to Hurricane Mitch, which killed some 10,000 people in Central America in 1998. Regional impact The high winds and heavy rain have damaged thousands of homes in Honduras, Guatemala, Costa Rica and Nicaragua, whose government has not yet detailed the human cost of the storm. Two miners were reported killed in Nicaragua, while in southern Costa Rica a landslide killed a Costa Rican woman and an American man in a house. Eight others, including at least three children, died in flooding near the Costa Rican border in Panama's Chiriqui province, authorities said. In Honduras, about 16,000 people have been rescued in the northern Valle Sula region, authorities said. More than 5000 people were evacuated in Guatemala, officials said. Latest reports had Eta off Belize's coast in the Caribbean, churning towards Cuba and Florida, the NHC said. But remnants of the weather system will continue to hammer parts of Central America with flooding, it added. Flash flooding was also possible across Jamaica, southeast Mexico, the Cayman Islands and Cuba. - Reuters

Democrat Joe Biden said he was going to win the US presidency as his lead grew over President Donald Trump in battleground states, although television networks held off from declaring him the victor as officials continued to count votes. Photo: AFP "The numbers tell us ... it's a clear and convincing story: We're going to win this race," Biden said, adding that he and his running mate Kamala Harris were already meeting with experts as they prepare for the White House. Americans have been waiting longer than in any presidential election since 2000 to learn the winner, as officials methodically count a record number of mail-in ballots in Tuesday's contest. The Covid-19 pandemic prompted many to avoid large groups of voters on Election Day. With thousands of votes still to count, it was not clear when the bitter contest would conclude. Biden backers danced in Philadelphia's streets, while armed Trump supporters in Phoenix and Detroit said the election was being stolen, despite any evidence of irregularities. Under the banner of "Stop the Steal," Trump supporters planned dozens of rallies for the weekend. Biden's speech in his home state of Delaware was originally planned as a victory celebration, but he changed his approach in the absence of an official call from television networks and other election forecasters. Still, it amounted to a blunt challenge to Trump. The Republican incumbent kept out of view in the White House today as Biden's lead grew in the four states that will decide the outcome: Pennsylvania, Georgia, Arizona and Nevada. Leading Trump by 4.1 million votes nationwide out of a record 147 million cast, Biden said Americans had given him a mandate to tackle the pandemic, the struggling economy, climate change and systemic racism. "They made it clear they want the country to come together, not continue to pull apart," Biden said. He said he hoped to address Americans again tomorrow. Trump has remained defiant, vowing to press unfounded claims of fraud as his Republicans sought to raise $US60 million ($NZ88m) to fund lawsuits challenging the results. The fine print indicates that more than half the money raised would go to paying down the campaign's debts. But some in his camp described the legal effort as chaotic and disorganised, and so far they have not found success in the courts. "This race is over, and the only person who doesn't see it is Donald Trump," said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. As the counting entered its fifth day, Biden had a 253-to-214 lead in the state-by-state Electoral College vote that determines the winner, according to Edison Research. Democrats grew increasingly frustrated that networks had not yet called a winner. Securing Pennsylvania's 20 electoral votes would put Biden over the 270 he needs to win the presidency after a political career stretching back nearly five decades. Demonstrators demand all votes are counted, during a rally at the Philadelphia Convention Centre in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Photo: 2020 Getty Images Biden would also win if he prevails in two of the three other key states. Like Pennsylvania, all three were still processing ballots today. As officials count a deluge of mail-in ballots, Biden has held on to narrow leads in Nevada and Arizona and over the last day has overtaken Trump in Pennsylvania and Georgia. In Arizona, Biden led by 29,861 votes with 97 percent of the tally completed. In Nevada, he led by 22,657 votes with 93 percent of the count complete. In Georgia, he led by a mere 4289 votes with the count 99 percent complete, while in Pennsylvania he led by 27,130 votes with 96 percent of the vote complete. Pledge to keep counting votes Biden said Trump's demands to stop the count would not work. "Your vote will be counted. I don't care how hard people try to stop it. I will not let it happen," Biden said. To close, Biden returned to a frequent theme of his campaign: unity. "We have serious problems. We don't have any time to waste on partisan warfare," he said. "There is no reason we can't own the 21st century, we just need to remember who we are." Fulton County election workers examine ballots while vote counting, at State Farm Arena, in Atlanta, Georgia. Photo: Tami Chappell / AFP Trump showed no sign he was ready to concede, as his campaign pursued a series of lawsuits that legal experts said were unlikely to alter the election outcome. "Joe Biden should not wrongfully claim the office of the President. I could make that claim also. Legal proceedings are just now beginning!" he wrote on Twitter. Meanwhile, in another blow to Trump's efforts, White House chief of staff Mark Meadows has been diagnosed with Covid-19, according to a source familiar with the situation. Meadows, who frequently appears at public events without a mask, is the latest person within Trump's circle to contract the virus, which has killed more than 236,000 Americans. The news came as a third wave sweeps the United States. - Reuters

Flights between Tasmania and New Zealand could resume as early as next year under a new deal to be announced by Australia's prime minister today. Australia's Prime Minister Scott Morrison is keen for New Zealanders to explore Tasmania. Photo: AFP Scott Morrison, in Tasmania for the Liberal Party's annual conference, will unveil plans for 130 direct flights between Hobart and New Zealand per year. That's equal to three flights per week in warmer months, and two flights per week in winter. It is not clear whether an international carrier will pursue the route. The Australian Border Force and Australian Federal Police will have to be stationed at the Hobart International Airport to allow for the flights - but it appears that will happen on a fly-in, fly-out basis. "While keeping our borders secure, the extra 30 officers flying in and out means more investment for local businesses," said Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton. The plan will cost the federal government $A50 million ($NZ53m) - already accounted for under the Hobart City Deal - while the state government will chip in $A10 million for infrastructure upgrades. Hobart Airport management had requested $15 million from the state government for accommodation for Border Force staff and upgrades to the departure gate and baggage handling facilities. "This has been an incredibly tough year for Australians, and particularly our tourism and hospitality sectors, but the deal will mean tourists from low-risk areas can come to sample Tasmania's incredible experiences, sights and produce," Morrison said. More quarantine space The Australian and Tasmanian governments have also agreed to provide an additional 450 spaces in quarantine facilities in Hobart hotels to help more Australians return home from abroad. Morrison said the additional capacity was on top of the 6315 weekly quarantine spaces currently agreed to by states and territories. "We're working every option to help as many Australians return home as quickly as possible," the prime minister said. The New Zealand flights, expected to begin January next year and with a review scheduled within 12 months, will be the first between Tasmania and New Zealand in more than 20 years. The route was canned by Air New Zealand in 1996 and has been since discussed but not pursued due to questions about its viability. Regional Tourism Minister Jonathon Duniam said the resumption of the route would give Tasmania "a chance to prove that one island is better than two". "This is the shot in the arm Tasmania's tourism operators desperately need as they start rebuilding an industry that is stronger than it ever was before," he said. Hobart in Tasmania. Photo: 123RF Documents released by Hobart Airport to MPs earlier this year estimated international flights into Tasmania's capital would increase tourism spending by up to $A120m per year - but that was before coronavirus hit. Direct route a 'marvellous' opportunity Christian Bell used to travel frequently between Tasmania and New Zealand for work when the international flights were last available between the two islands. Although the direct route has been dormant for decades, he believes there would be a quick uptake for the flights. "Twenty years ago, the flights were packed, and the population has grown in Tasmania," he said. "Tasmania has become a much more attractive destination to come to, it would easily pay for itself." Bell, who now runs a Facebook page dedicated to improving the relationship between the islands, said there were countless reasons for New Zealanders to cross the Tasman. "There are similarities between the two islands but there are uniquely different things that make Tasmania different from New Zealand," he said. "They would be absolutely infatuated with the marsupials we have in Tasmania and things like the Tasmanian Devil … we've got such an extensive range of fauna on the island. "People are itching to get to Tasmania and people are itching to get to New Zealand, and a direct route would be absolutely marvellous." Bell said there was one prominent New Zealand resident he hoped would make he trip across the ditch when flights become available. "It would be good to have the first visit by a New Zealand prime minister to Tasmania, because a sitting New Zealand prime minister has never visited Tasmania," he said. "We'd love to see Jacinda Ardern visit Tasmania."