California reported its second-biggest one-day increase in coronavirus deaths on Wednesday, with hospitalisations hitting another record high and fast-approaching the 23,000-mark. A further 459 deaths in the country's most populous state were attributed to coronavirus by authorities, up from 368 on Tuesday. A total of 29 people suffered anaphylactic reactions after

Democracies around the world expressed horror at the mob storming of the US Capitol, in scenes some feared would empower the nation’s geopolitical rivals. There was universal condemnation of the violence in Washington on Wednesday night, during the certification of Joe Biden as the next US president, as politicians distanced themselves

As he sheltered in place in his office, Mike Gallagher, a 36-year-old Republican congressman from Wisconsin, fumed at members of his own party who were disputing Joe Biden’s win in the US presidential election. Staring into his computer screen, he blamed them for fanning the anger that caused Wednesday afternoon’s

Ninety minutes before rioters stormed Capitol Hill, US president Donald Trump addressed many of the same people using unequivocally inciteful language. “You’ll never take back our country with weakness,” Mr Trump said. “You have to show strength.” His personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, also called on the crowd to conduct “trial

Two of the most prominent Republicans in Washington defied Donald Trump’s last-gasp effort to nullify Joe Biden’s victory, with the party’s leader in the Senate warning that “democracy would enter a death spiral” if Congress overturned the result. Mitch McConnell, the Republican Senate majority leader, said the presidential election was “not

US lawmakers were forced to suspend the certification of Joe Biden’s election victory and leave parts of the Capitol in Washington after Trump supporters pushed past police and stormed the building on Wednesday. The Capitol was put on lockdown after protesters — some carrying pro-Trump paraphernalia as well as flags of

Shares in China’s biggest chipmaker fell sharply after it said it was “verifying” reports that its co-chief executive had abruptly quit, in what would be the latest blow to the company following US sanctions. Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation’s stock fell as much as 9.8 per cent in Shanghai on Wednesday after

Asia has led the world in controlling the spread of Covid-19, but that very success has set the region behind the US and Europe in the race to vaccinate against the disease. In countries with limited coronavirus outbreaks, regulators have been happy to let westerners act as guinea pigs for hastily

This article is part of a series on the Future of the City of London Appearing in front of the Irish parliament last week, Mairead McGuinness, the EU’s financial services chief, laid out the bloc’s uncompromising stance towards the UK’s largest services export. “If a state opts out, there are consequences

The scourge of the coronavirus has exposed glaring weaknesses in capitalism and democracy all over the world. With wages for some stagnating and a growing digital divide, divisions in societies, and the gap between the haves and have-nots, have never been starker. While western countries flounder in the face of the pandemic