The far right appears to be gaining ground in French elections
Early projections showed the National Rally party had swept past its opponents in the first round of voting in the French National Assembly, bringing its long-taboo nationalist, anti-immigration policies to the brink of taking power.
Usually reliable opinion polls project the party will win about 34% of the vote, well ahead of President Emmanuel Macron's centrist Renaissance party and its allies, which will get about 21%. A coalition of left-leaning parties was projected to win about 29% of the vote.
The results do not allow for a precise prediction of how many seats each party will win in the two-round election, with the major parties in each constituency voting in a runoff election on July 7. However, it is highly likely that the National Coalition will emerge as the largest party in the Lower House, even if it does not win an absolute majority.
The result represents a major setback for Macron, who had been gambling that he would not repeat his crushing defeat at the hands of the National Rally in recent European elections. His decision to hold the elections just weeks before the Paris Olympics surprised many in France, including his own prime minister, who was not informed.
What's next: Macron called for a “big, clearly democratic and republican coalition” to win the second round of voting, but has struggled to form a stable coalition government.
analysis: Both France and the United States face nationalist forces that could undermine international commitments and push the world into uncharted territory.
Iran elections head to runoff
Iranian voters used Friday's presidential election to express their dissatisfaction with the country's clerical ruling system, turning out to polling stations in record numbers to support two candidates advance to a runoff election.
The final choice will be between reformist former health minister Dr. Masoud Pezechkian and ultra-conservative former nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili. Neither candidate received more than 50 percent of the vote, meaning a runoff election on July 5 will be necessary to decide who will tackle challenges such as Iran's struggling economy and the risks of escalating conflict in the Middle East.
While the race was notable for how openly the candidates attacked the status quo, turnout reflected pessimism about the ability of the new presidents to effect change, as they must rule with the ultimate approval of Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Here we'll take a closer look at the original candidates, as well as four takeaways from the election.
Suicide bombings continue in Nigeria
A series of female suicide bombings at weddings, funerals and other events in Nigeria on Saturday afternoon killed at least 18 people and injured dozens, local authorities said.
The explosion resembles attacks by Boko Haram, whose fighters have killed tens of thousands of people in Nigeria and displaced more than 2 million people with their incursions in the region. Boko Haram insurgents have kidnapped thousands of teenage girls, forced them into marriage and coerced them into suicide bombings at schools, markets, religious sites and large gatherings.
As of yesterday afternoon, no group had claimed responsibility for the attack.
Other top news stories
During his presidency, Rodrigo Duterte promised impunity for authorities who killed drug users and traffickers, while police and vigilantes summarily executed tens of thousands.
Two years after Duterte left office, there has been little legal response to the murders, and many in the Philippines are now hoping that the International Criminal Court will take action against him.
Conversation starters
Japan's first gay reality dating show
On July 9, Netflix will premiere Japan's first gay reality dating series, “The Boyfriend.” The series follows nine men living in a luxury beach house on the outskirts of Tokyo. Japan lags behind other wealthy democracies on LGBTQ rights, and despite a public shift in support of gay and transgender people, they still face discrimination and hate speech.
The show's executive producer, Ota Dai, said he wanted to “portray same-sex relationships as they really are,” in contrast to the exaggerated, stereotypical gay characters often portrayed on Japanese television.
The atmosphere is wholesome and largely chaste — sex is barely mentioned, and friendship and self-improvement are as important as romance. It remains to be seen whether the show will lead to greater acceptance of the LGBTQ community in Japan.