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Hardline cleric Ebrahim Raisi has taken a big lead in Iran’s presidential election and his rivals have conceded defeat, according to state TV.

Mr Raisi has taken an unassailable lead in the election, winning 17.8 million votes, an interior ministry official said.

His closest rival, Mohsen Rezaei, a senior conservative general, won just 3.3 million votes, while the sole reformist candidate, Abdolnaser Hemmati, a former central bank governor, took 2.4 million votes.

Mr Raisi’s victory means hardliners will have full control over all branches of government in Iran for the first time in almost a decade, after ultraconservatives took a majority in last year’s parliamentary elections.

Mr Raisi, a 60-year-old Shi’ite cleric who is subject to US sanctions for alleged human rights abuses, had been widely tipped to win the contest, in large part due to the support he had from supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani recently said Iran would abide by the agreement if the US and other countries did
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Iran’s outgoing president Hassan Rouhani will vacate the position in August

And on Saturday, Mr Raisi’s only moderate rival congratulated him.

“I hope your administration, under the leadership of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, will make the Islamic Republic proud, improve livelihood and ensure the nation’s wellbeing and welfare,” Mr Hemmati was quoted as saying in a letter.

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In a televised speech, outgoing president Hassan Rouhani congratulated “the people’s elected (president)”, without naming him.

“Because it has not been officially announced yet, I will delay the official congratulations. But it is clear who received the votes,” Mr Rouhani said.

Iran’s president is the second highest ranking official in the country, after the supreme leader.

Mr Raisi is a harsh critic of the West and has presented himself as the best candidate to fight corruption and improve Iran’s economic problems.

A supporter of Ebrahim Raisi holds a poster of him during an rally in Tehran
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A supporter of Ebrahim Raisi holds a poster of him during a rally in Tehran

The election was held at a crucial time for the republic and the region – with US President Joe Biden’s administration seeking to ease tensions in the Middle East, which were inflamed by former president Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw the US from the nuclear accord and impose sanctions on Iran in 2018.

Mr Raisi remains committed to continuing negotiations with the deal’s remaining signatories – the UK, France, Germany, Russia and China.

But he previously said domestic policies would be his key priority, notably reviving an economy crippled by US sanctions and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mr Raisi is considered a potential candidate for replace Mr Khamenei, who served as president twice before being appointed in Iran’s most powerful position.

Mr Raisi lost in his previous run for president in 2017, but was this time boosted by the support from the supreme leader and a lack of choice of other candidates.

A hardline election body, the Guardian Council, barred moderate and conservative candidates from standing in the elections.

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Kevin McCarthy: US House Speaker removed from office for first time in history

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Kevin McCarthy: US House Speaker removed from office for first time in history

US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has been removed from office after a historic challenge to his leadership from his own party.

The Republican faced a motion to vacate, which was triggered by Donald Trump ally Matt Gaetz on Monday, just months after securing the position in 15 rounds of voting.

It is the first time in the country’s history that House representatives have voted the Speaker out.

Behind closed doors early on Tuesday, Mr McCarthy told fellow Republicans: “If I counted how many times someone wanted to knock me out, I would have been gone a long time ago.”

Several Republicans, however, had said they were sticking with Mr McCarthy as they emerged from the meeting, during which they said he received standing ovations.

It follows a decision made by Mr McCarthy over the weekend to cooperate with the Democrats to keep the government running rather than risk a shutdown.

It is a move that angered Mr Gaetz and other far-right Republicans, as Mr McCarthy relied on Democratic votes to pass a temporary funding extension on Saturday that avoided a partial government shutdown.

A band of about 20 Republicans had forced Mr McCarthy’s hand by repeatedly blocking other legislation.

Mr Gaetz and his allies said they were frustrated by the slow pace of spending legislation on Mr McCarthy’s watch.

Republican Representative Tim Burchett, who said he would vote to oust Mr McCarthy, said: “We took a whole month of August off. I think that that’s pretty telling.”

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Another day of history in US politics

It’s political pantomime, without the laughs.

To look at the House of Representatives is to see the turbulence of America’s political ecosystem.

The ousting of Kevin McCarthy leaves the lower chamber of Congress in a state of paralysis.

There will be an interim Speaker but his or her role will effectively amount to finding a permanent replacement.

It is a dysfunction at the heart of power, an extension of the fault lines that fracture the modern-day Republican Party.

Never before has a House Speaker been ejected in this way, another day of history in US politics

The history-makers at the wheel have travelled a distance from the party fringes to positions of influence.

Matt Gaetz is the high-profile House representative who tabled the motion to oust McCarthy.

He’s prominent amongst a hard-line conservative core of House Republicans, Trump-aligned, and bent on reshaping party traditions and reorientating its trajectory to the right.

It is a tail that can wag the dog and this episode is clear evidence of it.

The rules dictate that just one representative – Mr Gaetz in this case – can trigger a vote to oust the Speaker.

That arrangement was a deal Mr McCarthy struck in January to appease his party’s right wing and enable his accession to the position of Speaker.

It didn’t look like clever politics by Mr McCarthy at the time and it looks even less so today.

Today, politics are harder in a party whose politics have changed.

Not all are convinced by Mr Gaetz’s intentions, with some Republicans believing he is angling for a change at a higher office.

“It seems very personal with Matt. It doesn’t look like he’s looking out for the country or the institution,” Mr McCarthy said.

Mr Gaetz has denied he is spurred on by a dislike of Mr McCarthy.

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‘Apocalyptic scene’ as coach crashes off overpass near Venice

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'Apocalyptic scene' as coach crashes off overpass near Venice

At least 21 people have died in a coach crash near Venice in northern Italy, according to authorities.

Another 18 people were injured in the crash on Tuesday evening, with Italian police confirming there were tourists of “various nationalities” on board.

There were at least two children among the passengers, police added, while Venice’s mayor, Luigi Brugnaro, said they found Ukrainian passports at the scene.

“Several of the victims were foreigners, we found Ukrainian passports,” he said.

With rescue operations ongoing, the number of deaths could climb higher.

“The bus was rented for its guests by Camping Jolly in Marghera,” police said.

“On board, at the time of the accident, there were tourists of various nationalities. Also with them were at least two minors.”

Mr Brugnaro described the incident as a “terrible tragedy”.

“I immediately ordered the city to go into mourning, in memory of the many victims who were in the crashed bus,” he posted on social media.

“An apocalyptic scene, there are no words.”

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Several people have died in a coach crash near Venice in northern Italy

The coach fell close to railway lines after veering off a road in the district of Mestre, which is connected to Venice by a bridge, Italian television and news agencies reported.

According to Sky Italia, 18 bodies have so far been dragged from the wreckage after the coach fell 15 metres (49ft) onto electricity lines and caught fire.

The cause of the accident was still unclear, but one of Italy’s national police forces said officers are on the scene to investigate and to “give aid” to those hurt.

The railway is also “currently interrupted”.

The bus veered off a road. Pic: @poliziadistato via X
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The bus veered off a road. Pic: @poliziadistato via X

Police officers are on the scene. Pic: @poliziadistato via X
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Police officers are on the scene. Pic: @poliziadistato via X

Italy’s prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, said her thoughts are with the victims.

“I express my deepest condolences, my personal and that of the entire government, for the serious accident that occurred in Mestre,” she posted on social media.

“My thoughts are with the victims and their families and friends. I am in close contact with the Mayor Luigi Brugnaro and with the Minister (of the interior) Matteo Piantedosi to follow the news on this tragedy.”

Italy has suffered a number of deadly bus crashes in recent years.

In 2013, 40 people died when a bus plunged off a viaduct in southern Italy in one of the country’s worst road accidents.

Four years later, 16 people on a bus carrying Hungarian students died in an accident near the northern city of Verona.

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You can receive breaking news alerts on a smartphone or tablet via the Sky News app. You can also follow @SkyNews on X or subscribe to our YouTube channel to keep up with the latest news.

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Thailand: Boy, 14, arrested as three shot dead in Bangkok’s Siam Paragon Mall

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Thailand: Boy, 14, arrested as three shot dead in Bangkok's Siam Paragon Mall

A 14-year-old has been arrested after three people were shot dead in a Bangkok shopping centre.

Footage shows crowds fleeing the Siam Paragon Mall – a luxury complex in the Thai capital – while some hid inside.

Emergency services said three people had been killed and six wounded in the afternoon shooting.

The suspect is just 14 years old, according to police.

Photos show him pinned to the floor and being handcuffed and an officer picking up a gun.

One of the injured is reported to be a foreign national.

The teenager was cornered at nearby Siam Kempinski Hotel at around 5.10pm and surrendered without a struggle, Bangkok Post reported.

The central investigation bureau earlier shared a grainy image of him wearing a cap and khaki cargo trousers.

A suspected gunman is detained following shots fired at the luxury Siam Paragon shopping mall, in Bangkok
Pic: Thai rescue workers association/Reuters
A police officer collects a gun following shots fired at the luxury Siam Paragon shopping mall, in Bangkok, Thailand
Pic: Thai rescue workers association/Reuters
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Pics: Thai rescue workers association/Reuters

The local Siam train stop was closed and people prevented from leaving the station as emergency services responded.

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Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin posted on X: “I am aware of the shooting event at Siam Paragon and have ordered the police to investigate. I am most worried about public safety,”

Authorities said later that the situation was under control.

Gun violence is common in Thailand. Last year, an ex-police officer killed 22 children in a nursery shooting.

In 2020, a disgruntled soldier killed at least 29 people and wounded 57 in a rampage in and around the city of Nakhon Ratchasima.

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