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The election's first round had the lowest turnout in Iran's 45-year history.

STORY: :: President Biden hosts 4th of July Independence Day celebrations at the White House :: July 4, 2024 :: Washington, D.C., United States :: Kamala Harris, U.S. Vice President :: "Happy 4th of July, everyone, happy Independence Day. And today, as we celebrate freedom, as we celebrate the promise of America, we also celebrate and express our gratitude to our service members, to our veterans, to our military families." :: Joe Biden, U.S. President :: "We got to do what our founders did, show the world we're a nation of dignity, honor, and just devotion to one another. This is no, I really mean it, folks. It's all about democracy. It's all about freedom. It's all about who we are. We're the United States of America and nothing like it exists in the world. Happy 4th of July! Enjoy the fireworks. God love you all. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you." Earlier on Thursday, Biden said: "I'm not going anywhere," as he faced calls by many Democrats to end his re-election bid, using the Fourth of July celebrations to hit back at doubts about his stamina and mental acuity to continue his campaign. Biden faces a new reality since last week's debate - even if he doesn't falter verbally or physically, serious concerns about his viability as a candidate are likely to linger. If he mangles words or looks unfocused or confused, he will face renewed pressure to depart.

STORY: Prominent Hong Kong activist Joshua Wong entered a mitigation plea for a lighter sentence on Friday. A van believed to be carrying Wong entered the court building. The 27-year-old was one of dozens of activists arrested in 2021 for joining an unofficial primary election to choose candidates for the city's legislature. Of these, 47 were charged with "conspiracy to commit subversion" under a national security law imposed by Beijing. While Beijing says the law is necessary and has brought security, countries including the U.S., UK and Australia say they've been used to curb freedoms in the Asian financial hub. Wong's lawyer, Marco Li, told the court while his client should be considered an active participant in the conspiracy... he was not involved in organizing or assisting in the primary election. And in view of Wong's early plea of guilty, Li urged a reduction of a third of his sentence. That could range from three to 10 years for active participants in the conspiracy, but life in jail for those deemed "principal offenders". Li added that Wong "hopes to reform himself" and "part with his past history". Wong rose to prominence in 2014, when he found himself leading student-led democracy protests that blocked roads in the heart of Hong Kong for 79 days. He was among candidates who won in the unofficial primary poll in 2020... but was disqualified from running in the official election. In the past, he lobbied abroad and publicly supported measures, such as the 2019 U.S. Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act, which would annually review the city's special economic status and slap sanctions on those who undermine its autonomy.

STORY: "You voted for it, and now it has arrived. Change begins now." Britain's Labour Party won by a landslide in the country's parliamentary elections early on Friday, booting out the Conservative-led government after 14 years in power. Incoming prime minister Keir Starmer spoke of new beginnings in his victory speech. "We said we would end the chaos, and we will, we said we would turn the page, and we have. Today, we start the next chapter, begin the work of change, the mission of national renewal and start to rebuild our country." Labour voters cheered as the party was projected to capture nearly two-thirds of the 650 seats in parliament. But Starmer comes to power facing a sluggish economy, creaking public services, and falling living standards. All of that played a part in the Conservatives' demise, with voters punishing them for a cost-of-living crisis as well as years of instability and in-fighting that saw five different prime ministers in office since the Brexit vote of 2016. The Conservatives were forecast to win just about 130 seats - the worst election performance in the party's history. Outgoing prime minister Rishi Sunak conceded Conservative defeat Friday morning, though he managed to keep his own seat in parliament. "Today, power will change hands in a peaceful and orderly manner, with goodwill on all sides. That is something that should give us all confidence in our country's stability and future." The Conservatives also took a hit from the rise of the right wing, populist Reform UK party. Reform leader and Brexit campaigner Nigel Farage finally won a seat in parliament, after seven failed attempts over the years. His party captured four seats in total, and in parts of the country, they won more votes than the Conservatives. The surge in support for a populist alternative echoed similar results in Europe recently. But, unlike France, where the far-right National Rally party made historic gains in last Sunday's first-round elections... ...overall, the British public has thrown their weight behind a center-left party to bring about change.

The election marked a big victory for the Labour Party, ousting Britian's Conservative Party after 14 years in power with five consecutive prime ministers.

With 24 days left until Venezuela's presidential election, the electoral process entered its last stretch on Thursday with the official start of the campaign. (AP video shot by Andry Rincon and Juan Arraez)

STORY: (Keir Starmer) "Change only happens if you vote for it." As much of Europe lurches to the right, Keir Starmer's left of center Labour Party is set to take office in Britain for the first time in 14 years. Here's how we got here. :: Left-wing household :: Alistair Smout, UK Economics correspondent Keir Starmer is from a left-wing family. He shares his name with Keir Hardy, the founder of the Labour Party. But he actually came to politics in his 50s after a successful career as a barrister. :: 2020 "It is the honor and the privilege of my life to be elected as leader of the Labour Party. It comes at a moment like none other in our lifetime." :: Restoring discipline in the Labour Party Starmer came to lead the party in 2020, and it wasn't all smooth sailing at all. Starmer inherited an incredibly divided party. It was riven by row over antisemitism. And the defeat in 2019, which led to the resignation of leader Jeremy Corbyn, was incredibly damaging. (Jeremy Corbyn) "I will not lead the party in any future general election campaign." Having said that, Starmer has now put himself in a position to take office. Part of that has to do with how conservative fortunes have fallen apart with the resignation of Boris Johnson and then Liz Truss. But it's also been to do with how Keir Starmer has instilled a sense of discipline in the party. :: What will a Labour government look like? Now that the Labour Party are coming to power, it's possible that Starmer will face pressure from trade unions, from some of the left of his party to be a bit bolder, to deliver a real sense of change. And even though Starmer says there isn't a magic wand, he is hoping to deliver growth, which might be able to let him put a bit more investment into public services. The Conservatives say that t Labour are going to have to announce more tax increases. Something that Keir Starmer has denied. Starmer has said that growth will be enough to deliver the improvement in public finances that the Labour government will need in order to increase spending. But if that growth isn't forthcoming, then he could find that his honeymoon period is quite short indeed.

Less than a month before the elections in Venezuela and with political tensions escalating, the recent successes of La Vinotinto - as the national soccer team is popularly known - has generated joy and relief among many Venezuelans inside and out of the country. (AP Video by Juan Arraez and Brayan Antequero)

UK Labour Party leader Keir Starmer said on Friday voters "have spoken and they are ready for change" as an exit poll points to a landslide win for his party in the British election. Labour is on course to win about 410 seats in the 650-seat House of Commons and the Conservatives 131, according to an exit poll.

STORY: :: The likely new UK finance minister Rachel Reeves wins seat :: July 4, 2024 :: Leeds, United Kingdom :: Rachel Reeves, Shadow Chancellor “Thank you. It is a huge honour and a privilege to have been returned as the Labour member of Parliament for Leeds West and Pudsey.” “We have campaigned as we mean to go on as a government of unity, not of division. A government of wealth creation and a government in the national interest. Country first, party second. That is our promise to Britain. That is my promise to the people of Leeds West and Pudsey. We will not let you down. I will not let you down and I can't wait to get started." Reeves, 45, previously worked as an economist at the Bank of England and is set to become finance minister if Labour win the election. She has said Labour will stick to strict fiscal rules about not borrowing to fund day-to-day spending, but has opened the door to increased government investment, funded by borrowing, to shape strategically important markets, echoing the "modern supply side economics" policies advocated by U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen. Reeves has dubbed her own approach 'securonomics'.

STORY: :: Anti-Conservative voters celebrate an exit poll which predicts a massive majority for the Labour Party :: London :: July 4, 2024 :: Pranay Manocha, Anti-conservative voter “The exit poll is just amazing. I mean, fourteen years of tory (Conservative) chaos and we are finally out of it, and we are out of it with a huge bang. I mean 410 seats for Labour is just amazing.” :: David Boughton, Anti-conservative voter “I’m really pleased. I’m cautiously optimistic that we’re going to have some competent governance moving forward, that’s all I hope for.” The election viewing party taking place at Fire nightclub in central London was hosted by an anti-Conservative group called ‘Stop The Tories’, who encourage voters to vote tactically and vote swap to ensure that the ruling Conservative Party fails to extend its 14 years in government. Centre-left Labour was on course to capture 410 of the 650 seats in parliament, an astonishing reversal of fortunes from five years ago when it suffered its worst performance since 1935. The result would give Labour a majority of 170 and would bring the curtain down on 14 years of increasingly tumultuous Conservative-led government. The centrist Liberal Democrats were predicted to capture 61 seats while the right-wing populist Reform UK party, headed by Brexit campaigner Nigel Farage who had pledged to destroy the Conservatives, was forecast to win 13. While the prediction for Reform was far better than expected, the overall outcome suggests the disenchanted British public appears to have shifted support to the centre-left, unlike in France where Marine Le Pen's far-right National Rally party made historic gains in an election last Sunday (June 30).

STORY: :: France soccer captain Mbappe says it is 'urgent' for people to vote in the parliamentary election run-off :: UEFA :: July 4, 2024 :: Hamburg, Germany :: Kylian Mbappe, France captain "I think that more than ever, we have to go and vote, it is really urgent, we cannot leave our country in the hands of these people, it is really urgent. We saw the results of the first round, it’s catastrophic. We really hope that this will change and that everyone will mobilize to vote... and vote for the right side.” Mbappe has been among several French players at the European Championship who have spoken out against the potential of Marine Le Pen's RN party gaining control of France's 577-seat national parliament, describing the situation as urgent. He had previously called on France’s young voters to reject extremism and, on the eve of his team’s quarter-final against Portugal, was asked again for a message ahead of the return to the polls on Sunday for the parliamentary election run-off.

STORY: The Olympic Games should be an economic boon for any city hosting it, as visitors flock to the event. Now Paris is due to host the 2024 Games in a few weeks, but high costs and security concerns seem to have put some visitors off. One leading data firm said flight bookings to the French capital are expected to rise by a tenth year-on-year from June 6 onwards. That is a sharp contrast to the 115% increase in tourist arrivals for the 2016 Rio Games. Even the Tokyo Games, held during the pandemic, saw bookings up by a fifth. Further data also showed hotel reservations have dropped since last year for the weeks ahead of the Olympics. One U.S.-based sports travel agent said it was the lowest bookings he'd seen in a quarter of a century for almost any sports event. The findings show the challenges major cities face hosting such events, as more price-conscious consumers can be put off. London experienced something similar in 2012, when it only saw a 3% increase in arrivals. But it is still a blow for Paris. The city's tourist office said average hotel prices during the Games have surged by 70% to $369 a night from last year. Meanwhile, homesharing site Airbnb says it has seen record Paris bookings. As of March, nights booked in the Paris region during the games were 400% higher than the same time a year ago. However, Air France-KLM said on Monday it expected weaker-than-expected summer sales as travelers avoid the Olympics. One luxury travel agency said clients had cited security worries as well as pricing as a reason to postpone trips. France is on its highest level of security alert, with the country also undergoing snap elections. The French capital's chief of police said last month Islamist terrorism is the main security worry. But some travel agencies hope there will be a last-minute rush for tickets and accommodation. They also think potential late discounts could draw crowds One analytics firm said visitors may arrive by train or car, and will not show up in flight data. Train operator Eurostar said ticket sales volumes to Paris for the Olympics and Paralympics travel period were up 7% year-on-year. The city should also be in for at least some financial success. One recent study estimated the Games would generate up to $12 billion in economic benefits to the Paris region.

STORY: :: Labour leader Keir Starmer votes in the UK's general election :: London, England :: July 4, 2024 Starmer and his wife Victoria arrived at the polling station in the north London Holborn and St Pancras constituency to cast their votes. Opinion polls put Starmer's center-left party on course for a landslide victory but also suggest many voters simply want change after a period of infighting and turmoil under the Conservatives that led to five prime ministers in eight years. The country's 40,000 polling stations opened at 0600 GMT and were due to close at 10 p.m. (2100 GMT) when an exit poll will give the first sign of the outcome. Detailed official results are expected in the early hours of Friday (July 5).