POLITICS

Keir Starmer's Labor party overturned more than a decade of SNP domination by winning a majority of Scottish seats as it rode to power in Westminster.

Polls opened Friday for Iran's runoff presidential election, the interior ministry said, pitting reformist candidate Masoud Pezeshkian against ultraconservative Saeed Jalili in the race to succeed Ebrahim Raisi, who died in a May helicopter crash.

In the week since his debate against Donald Trump -- their first head-to-head of the 2024 election cycle -- 81-year-old Biden has failed to quell panic among his Democratic Party.

Nine members of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's top team failed to be re-elected, beating the previous high of seven who lost out in 1997, as the ruling Conservatives suffered a mauling at the hands of the main opposition Labor party.

Biden's dismal performance in last week's debate with Donald Trump has triggered panic in much of the Democratic Party as people question whether Biden is physically and mentally able to beat Trump and serve another four years.

The country's first national ballot since Boris Johnson won a landslide for the Tories in 2019 follows Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's surprise call to hold it six months earlier than required.

The ceremony was attended by President Cyril Ramaphosa and Deputy President Paul Mashatile who congratulated the newly appointed Ministers and Deputy Ministers. During the event, the president emphasized that he appointed them based on his constitutional authority.

Britain looks likely to see a change of government this week, swinging leftwards back to the centre ground and the Labour party after 14 years of right-wing Conservative rule.

Around 61 million Iranians are eligible to cast ballots in the election, which was called after the death of ultraconservative president Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash.

Dutch King Willem-Alexander swore in former spy chief Dick Schoof as new prime minister Tuesday, at the head of a right-wing coalition cabinet with a mission to implement the country's "strictest-ever" immigration policy.

The African National Congress (ANC), which has governed the country since the advent of democracy in 1994, kept 20 out of 32 cabinet positions. They included key ministries such as foreign affairs, finance, defense, justice and police.

The far-right National Rally (RN) party of Marine Le Pen won a resounding victory in the first round of the polls Sunday, with Macron's centrists trailing in third behind a left-wing coalition.

Even if the ruling is likely to reject Trump's claim he should enjoy absolute immunity, the decision will be key in whether his trial for conspiring to overturn his 2020 election loss can go ahead before this year's election, in which he is the Republican candidate.

Biden -- diagnosed with a cold, according to his campaign -- looked all of his 81 years onstage, speaking in a halting, hoarse voice and missing key opportunities to forcefully and coherently push back against Trump.

The official campaigning period will end at midnight followed by a day off on Saturday, during which political activity is forbidden ahead of voting Sunday. Another week of campaigning will then lead up to the decisive second round on July 7.

The two men bidding to be British prime minister faced off late on Wednesday in a bad-tempered, last head-to-head TV debate before the country's general election next week.

The NHS, created after World War II to provide free healthcare to all, is a shadow of its former self, weakened by years of underfunding and the Covid-19 pandemic.

Mass expulsions? The 78-year-old, known for his unfinished border wall project, has said he would be happy to "use the military" as part of the effort and would open detention camps to process targets for expulsion.

Iranians vote on Friday to elect a new president from six candidates, including a lone reformist who hopes he can challenge the dominance of conservatives in the Islamic republic.

Ramaphosa explained that "giving effect to the principles of that Constitution and the Bill of Rights must be the overriding focus of this GNU," noting that this will be done by pursuing a common program to get rid of poverty and build a more equal society.

People across the vast, sparsely-populated nation of 3.4 million will elect 126 members of the State Great Khural, a democratic exercise in a country surrounded by authoritarian powers China and Russia.

Despite the prospect of a hung parliament, Macron insisted he would finish out his term until 2027, defying calls from opponents to step down in case the far-right National Rally (RN) comes out on top.

With a week to go, the Democratic president was set to head to Camp David, a mountainside retreat for US leaders close to the capital Washington, to hone his attack lines and rebuttals.

Facing questions on the growing scandal from an audience of voters on live television, the beleaguered leader said any election candidates or officials found to have broken rules would be kicked out of the party.

The president's oath ceremony was administered by Chief Justice Raymond Zondo. The event was witnessed by many common South Africans, former presidents and members of the international community.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz's Social Democrats (SPD), the Greens and the liberal FDP, who came to power in 2021, have until July 3, the end of the current parliamentary term, to reach a compromise.

His far-right rival and potential future prime minister Jordan Bardella urged voters to give his alliance a clear majority and said he would "refuse" to become head of government without one.

Lawmakers voted overwhelmingly to re-elect the 71-year-old last week, after a May 29 general election that produced no outright winner.

The ANC highlighted that the coalition now holds 273 seats in the 400-seat National Assembly, accounting for 68% of the total. In the recent election, the ANC secured 159 seats, making it the largest party.