A country in crisis? The challenges facing America as Biden wins presidency

Joe Biden has become the 46th president of the US (Carolyn Kaster/AP)

Perhaps never before has a new US president been immediately faced with such tough challenges on his first day as Joe Biden when he takes the oath in January.

After his win in Tuesday’s polls following a bitter and heated race, Mr Biden will take the helm of a nation beset by complex problems, from spiralling Covid-19 cases and a battered economy to climate change and a divided society.