A meteoric rise has propelled National Rally's young president to the top of French politics. His easy charm and expensive social media set-up now means 1 in 4 young French adults say 'Oui'

This bureaucratic sham is meant to make the Assad regime look credible but instead just demonstrates its sclerosis. Little wonder most Syrians don't bother.

Macron has spent a fortune, bond yields are going up, stocks are falling, Brussels is demanding reform, the IMF is preparing an emergency package, and populists are at the gate... Sacré bleu!

A big pro-EU bloc should still hold sway even if the ultra-nationalists make gains. More broadly, the results will act as a barometer of public mood in the first vote since Russia invaded Ukraine.

The ruling party is not used to coming second at the ballots, so there were emotive words from the president as he sought to understand what went wrong. Meanwhile, the victorious CHP gets on with it.

President Tebboune's decision to bring forward polls to 7 September was influenced by domestic and foreign policy considerations. Wide backing for it indicates officials had gotten a heads-up.

A win for President Erdoğan's AKP party could further marginalise the opposition he defeated in 2023's general election, making constitutional reform more likely

The murky poll outcome is not conducive to pursuing a robust foreign policy, especially with India. The foreign ministry will need to lean heavily on the military establishment for guidance.

The 74-year-old former PM is campaigning across the country, vowing to position Pakistan as an economic powerhouse in Asia ahead of general elections on 8 February.

President-elect Lai will certainly be limited in his capacity to enact any major shift in the coming years. Meanwhile, Beijing's Taiwan policy has proven ineffective and may need a change of course.