World review: Biden’s promise, Mali transition and rise of Kim Jong-un’s sister

Joe Biden said US Donald Trump has “cloaked America in darkness for much too long”, as he accepted the Democratic White House nomination.

The former US vice-president said his rival has unleashed “too much anger, too much fear, too much division”.

Speaking from a mostly empty event centre in his hometown of Wilmington, Delaware, Mr Biden, 77, said: “Here and now, I give you my word, if you entrust me with the presidency, I will draw on the best of us, not the worst.

“I’ll be an ally of the light, not the darkness.

“It’s time for us, for we the people, to come together and make no mistake, united we can and will overcome this season of darkness in America.

“We’ll chose hope over fear, facts over fiction, fairness over privilege.”

Coup leaders in Mali say a transitional president will be appointed, drawn from either the civilian population or the military.

Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta was removed in a coup on Tuesday.

West African leaders have called for him to be reinstated and the UN has called for the release of officials.

But the coup leaders say they are in contact with the political opposition and other groups to try to set the transition in place.

They say elections will be held in what they describe as a reasonable time and have also promised to respect international agreements on fighting jihadists.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has delegated more responsibilities to his aides, including his sister Kim Yo-jong, South Korea’s spy agency claims.

Mr Kim still maintains “absolute authority”, but handed various policy areas to others to reduce his stress levels, the spy agency reportedly said.

Ms Kim is now “steering overall state affairs”, the National Intelligence Service added.

Ms Kim now has responsibility for Pyongyang’s policy towards the US and South Korea, among other policy issues, and is “the de-facto number two leader,” it added, although it stressed that Mr Kim had “not selected a successor.”

Mr Kim’s decision to delegate was in part to “relieve stress from his reign and avert culpability in the event of policy failure,” it said.

Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny is unconscious in hospital suffering from suspected poisoning, his spokeswoman has said.

The anti-corruption campaigner fell ill during a flight and the plane made an emergency landing in Omsk, where doctors said he was in a coma and they were trying to save his life.

His team suspects something was put in his tea at an airport cafe.

The Kremlin said that it wished Mr Navalny a “speedy recovery”.

Mr Navalny, 44, has for years been among President Vladimir Putin’s staunchest critics.

In June he described a vote on constitutional reforms as a “coup” and a “violation of the constitution”. The reforms allow Mr Putin to serve another two terms in office, after the four terms he has already had.

The Bolivian justice ministry has filed a criminal complaint against former President Evo Morales for statutory rape and human trafficking.

It comes after photographs were published in national media of the 60-year-old ex-leader with a young woman who was reportedly a minor at the time.

He has not commented on the allegations.

Mr Morales was president from 2006-2019 and lives in exile in Argentina after a disputed election in November.

The leftist leader stepped down following large protests contesting last year’s election results, and a right-wing interim government took charge.

While in exile, Mr Morales has been accused of a range of offences.

An alleged relationship between Mr Morales and a 19-year-old woman identified only as N.M began when she was a minor.