Armenians voted Sunday in snap parliamentary elections called by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in an attempt to heal divisions after a disastrous war with Azerbaijan and reaffirm his mandate.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's party has won 53.9 percent of the vote in snap parliamentary elections called in an effort to defuse a political crisis after a war with Azerbaijan.

Australia's third-most populous city enters one of the "strictest lockdowns" for three days. Elsewhere, Uganda relaxes rules imposed during a six-week lockdown. Follow DW for the latest.

Days before the upcoming presidential elections taking place in Zambia on Thursday, incumbent leader Edgar Lungu inaugurated a new terminal at Kenneth Kaunda International Airport. The sprawling new Chinese-funded and built expansion is a centerpiece to Lungu’s re-election bid, which pits him against veteran Hakainde Hichilema, who is running for a sixth time. With the same two candidates running as in 2016, it's likely to be a close race.

Despite Trudeau's COVID policies being widely seen as a success, he called the early vote in a bid to give his Liberal government a new mandate to steer Canada's pandemic exit.

New Zealand's Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announces that the country is heading for a three-day lockdown after identifying a single case of locally transmitted Covid-19 suspected to be the Delta variant. New Zealand had not recorded any infections in the community for six months.

Canada’s party leaders held a debate Thursday night ahead of the September 20 vote. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called for elections as Kabul fell to the Taliban.

Liberal leader Justin Trudeau looks set to form another minority government following Canada's parliamentary election. The prime minister framed the vote as a referendum on his party's handling of the COVID pandemic.

Years of protests have resulted in some reforms. But, in the run-up to Iraq's parliamentary elections, optimism for genuine systemic political change remains slim, and voter turnout could hit an all-time low.

Portugal is to head to the polls on January 30, after the country's president called a snap election. The announcement comes a week after parliament rejected the minority government's 2022 budget bill.

The US calls for a meaningful ceasefire in Ethiopia as it imposes sanctions on neighbouring Eritrea for its role in the conflict in Tigray. Also, Libya's prime minister says he will hand over power if elections take place freely next month. And we take a spin around Kigali, as the Rwandan capital flaunts its green credentials with a new bicycle-sharing scheme.

The shutdown was initiated over fears of the rapid spread of the omicron variant. Meanwhile, Germany's health minister has ruled out a lockdown before Christmas. Follow DW for the latest.