GSA ascertains Joe Biden is the winner of the 2020 US elections

The General Services Administration has ascertained that the Democratic party's Joe Biden was the "apparent winner" of the US presidential elections, in effect signalling the start of the transition period between the Trump administration and his own.

Emily Murphy, the head of the GSA, took the decision following the multiple recent court rulings against efforts by Donald Trump's campaign team to contest the vote across various battleground states, the Associated Press reported.

Biden's aides would now reportedly be free to start coordinating with federal agencies for a handover on 20 January.

For his part, President Trump was reported to have already directed his team to cooperate with Biden officials.