The United States President Joe Biden has asked Americans to accept the victory of Republican Party candidate Donald Trump in the presidential election.

On November 6, Trump won the presidential election after exceeding the magic number of 270 electoral college votes.

Trump defeated Kamala Harris of the Democratic Party, who has 219 electoral college votes.

Harris has congratulated Trump on his electoral victory.

During a speech on Thursday at the White House Rose Garden, Biden said, “We accept the choice the country made.”

“I know for some people, it’s time for victory to state the obvious. For others, it’s a time of loss,” the US president said.

“Campaigns are contests of competing visions. The country chooses one or the other.

“I’ve said many times, you can’t love your country only when you win. You can’t love your neighbour only when you agree.

“I will do my duty as president. I’ll fulfil my oath and honour the Constitution. On January 20, we will have a peaceful transfer of power here in America.

“Remember, defeat does not mean we are defeated. We lost this battle. The America of your dream is calling for you to get back up.

“The America experiment endures. We are going to be okay, but we need to stay engaged. We need to keep going. Above all, we need to keep the faith.”

Iran on Thursday called Donald Trump’s victory in the US presidential election an opportunity for the United States to reassess past “wrong policies”.

Trump, who is set to return to the White House in January after defeating US Vice President Kamala Harris in Tuesday’s election, had pursued a “maximum pressure” strategy on Iran during his first term.

“We have very bitter experiences with the policies and approaches of different US governments in the past,” foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei was quoted as saying by state news agency IRNA.

Trump’s win, he added, was a chance “to review previous wrong policies”.

President Masoud Pezeshkian said later that Trump’s victory “makes no difference” to Iran which had “prioritised developing relations with Islamic and neighbouring countries”.

“We will not have a narrow or restricted view when developing our relations with other countries,” he said, quoted by IRNA.

Iran and the United States have been adversaries since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, which overthrew the Western-backed shah, but tensions peaked during Trump’s first term from 2017 to 2021.

Before Trump was declared the winner on Wednesday, Iran had dismissed the US election as irrelevant.

“The general policies of the United States and the Islamic Republic of Iran are fixed,” said government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani.

“It doesn’t matter who becomes president. Plans have already been set so that there is no change in people’s livelihood,” she added.

During his first term, Trump unilaterally withdrew the United States from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal and imposed harsh sanctions on the Islamic republic.

In 2020, under Trump’s presidency, the United States killed revered Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps general Qasem Soleimani in an air strike on Baghdad airport.

The Australian government has pledged to introduce what it described as “world-leading” legislation to ban children under the age of 16 from social media.

Anthony Albanese, the Australian prime minister, confirmed the age limit at a press conference on Thursday.

Albanese said the legislation will be introduced in the country’s parliament during its final two weeks in session this year, beginning on November 18.

The prime minister lamented that social media “was doing harm to our kids, and I’m calling time on it”.

He said the ban would take effect 12 months after the law passes.

Albanese said there would be no penalties for users, and that it would be up to Australia’s online regulator to enforce the laws.

The prime minister added that there will be no exemptions for children who have parental consent, or who already have accounts.

“Today, the minister and I have an important announcement. And this one is for the mums and dads. Social media is doing harm to our kids and I am calling time on it,” he said.

“I have spoken to thousands of parents, grandparents, aunties and uncles. They are worried sick about the safety of our kids online.

“And I want Australian parents and families to know that the government has your back. I want the parents to be able to say ‘sorry it is against the law for me to get you to do this’.

“… The government’s proposed age is 16. And that decision was made in cabinet on Monday. And that proposal will go to the national cabinet that I am conveying.

“The onus will be on parents and young people. There will be no penalty for users. A safety commissioner will provide oversight function and enforcement. The legislation will come into force 12 months after passage. There will also be a review.”

Michelle Rowland, the communications minister, said platforms impacted would include Meta Platforms’ Instagram and Facebook, as well as ByteDance’s TikTok and Elon Musk’s X.

“Alphabet’s YouTube would likely also fall within the scope of the legislation,” she added.

Earlier proposals to introduce a social media age limit have enjoyed broad bipartisan support in Australia.