After two years as President Donald Trump's most outspoken antagonist, Pelosi will now be responsible for trying to shepherd through Congress as much of President-elect Joe Biden's agenda as possible.

Even in the final days of his chaotic administration, Donald Trump seems prepared to torch the rules and conventions that have made America a great democracy.

The best photos from the international wire agencies as chosen by our picture editors.

All 10 living former secretaries of defence, including senior Republicans Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld warned the US was at risk of moving into “dangerous, unlawful and unconstitutional territory”.

Ruslan Shaveddinov was one of Russia's most promising opposition politicians when security agents in black masks broke down his door and took him to a leaky hut on a desolate archipelago.

When Ryu Han-na, a 20-year-old university student, got cosmetic surgery on her nose in mid-December, she had a simple reason: it might be the last chance to do so covertly before people start taking off masks this year as vaccines are distributed.

The pastor had drawn a gun and ordered the fugitive to stop after finding him hiding in a church, authorities said, but the man grabbed the weapon.

Armed men shot men and boys in what was said to be a revenge attack on villages that refused to pay a "tax" by the militants.

Supporters of the WikiLeaks founder say the court decision could have profound implications for press freedom.

Democrat leader Nancy Pelosi said eliminating gender-specific pronouns such as "he" and "she" from House rules would make it the "most inclusive in history" for transgender and non-binary people.

The ongoing controversy over the money left behind by Prince when he died without a will is heating up again after Internal Revenue Service calculations showed that executors of the rock star's estate undervalued it by more than $100 million.

US President Donald Trump pressured Georgia's top election official to "find" enough votes to overturn his defeat in the state, according to audio of a phone call.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Sunday tougher lockdown restrictions were probably on the way as COVID-19 cases keep rising.

India faced questions from industry experts and opposition lawmakers on Sunday after approving a vaccine without publishing efficacy data.

Two top US health officials on Sunday disputed a claim by President Donald Trump that federal data on COVID-19 cases and deaths in the United States is overblown, and both expressed optimism that the pace of vaccinations is picking up.

If I lost my mind, at least I wasn’t in public office. Donald Trump didn’t handle 2020 too well either.

Hundreds of Tibetans in exile braved the rain and cold in Dharmsala on Sunday to vote in a new political leader.

Indonesia starts its vaccine rollout this week, Russia has inoculated almost 1 million and the Vatican will jab everyone - including the Pope - this month.

Local police chief Ida Melbo Oeystese said it may still be possible to find survivors four days later in air pockets inside the destroyed buildings.

A military prosecutor, a doctor, a journalist and a human rights activist: all murdered within weeks by unknown attackers as peace talks resume.

Like so many of Italy's elderly, Armando Alviti stayed home for months. But despite the risks of catching COVID-19, he says he "can't be kept under a bell jar".

Severin made his name when in 1976 he recreated the legend of the voyage of Irish monk St Brendan across the Atlantic in a leather boat.

New Zealand is the latest nation to identify the British variant of the virus - in six travellers currently in quarantine.

Congress' two leaders were targeted in separate attacks triggered by the row over stimulus cheques, with a pig's head left in Nancy Pelosi's front yard.

Ted Cruz, a 2024 presidential hopeful, leads a challenge that would be the most sweeping effort to undo a presidential election outcome since the Civil War.

The United Kingdom recorded a further 57,725 cases of COVID-19 on Saturday, the fifth day running that it has topped 50,000, and another 445 deaths, official data showed.

There is little sign Brits will be scared or cajoled into saving their National Health Service from breaking point, which insiders fear could come this January.

India has approved the AstraZeneca vaccine, paving the way for one of the world's largest vaccination programs. In France, partygoers defied curfew at New Year's dance parties.

A federal judge ruled that Republican congressman Louie Gohmert couldn't show personal harm if Vice-President Mike Pence didn't block electoral college votes.

President-elect Joe Biden's choice for Treasury secretary, Janet Yellen, collected more than $9.1 million in speaking fees over the past two years.

Peace talks between the Taliban and the government resume on January 5, but the two sides remain stuck on the meaning of terms such as "ceasefire" and "Islamic".

Under direct orders from China's President Xi Jinping, studies of bat viruses and other missing links cannot be published without government approval.

The move could complicate efforts by US President-elect Joe Biden to rejoin the Iran nuclear deal that Trump abandoned in May 2018. 

Dame Judi Dench, Sir Kenneth Branagh and Stephen Fry throw their weight behind the battle to block sale of Reading Gaol to developers.

A Californian dies from COVID-19 every three-and-a-half minutes as the hospitals are overwhelmed. But doctors say it will get worse through January.

For the first time, Trump's veto was overturned by the Republican-controlled Senate, revealing the limits of his influence in the final days of his term.

With more than 50,000 new daily cases of COVID-19 for the last four days, the health service said it was preparing for an anticipated rush of patients and needed more beds.

Explosives experts are trying to defuse a large mine discovered on an oil tanker in the Persian Gulf, with speculation that its linked to rising tensions between the United States and Iran.

The Republican-controlled Senate ignored Donald Trump's protestations and backed a $961 billion defence bill, despite the President wanting the money to go towards his border wall with Mexico.

Boris Johnson's bull about the Brexit trade deal being a Christmas present to the nation is nothing but a bad joke.

Some front-line health workers have wrestled with whether discussing their own side-effects might deter others from getting vaccinated.

The US President is still to concede defeat to Joe Biden but his language is changing.

The best photos from the international wire agencies as chosen by our picture editors.

While some cities would launch fireworks over empty streets, others, such as London and Singapore, called off their displays. Paris, Rome and Istanbul were under curfew.

The suit argues that Pence has the constitutional authority to ignore votes cast for Biden in states where Republicans have tried to cast doubt on the results.

The separation at midnight on January 1, 2021, ends a five-decade partnership and turns the page on Brexit.

Police said the ex-pharmacist was arrested on suspicion of reckless endangerment, adulterating a prescription drug and criminal damage to property.

The WHO's review found that the vaccine met the must-have criteria for safety and efficacy and that the benefits of using the vaccine offset potential risks.

Archbishop Mark Coleridge of Brisbane told Reuters the Australian Church was not aware of any such transfers.

One medical centre's example shows how how quickly simple mathematical tools can become scapegoats for people's decision-making flaws.