Plus: Gazans return to Jabalia's 'horrifying' destruction, and Sunak and Starmer face off in first TV debate ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
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| Hello. We are still waiting for definitive figures in India's general election. But my colleagues have started unpacking early results that suggest the contest between Narendra Modi's NDA alliance and the opposition INDIA coalition could be closer than expected. We're also covering another momentous election in South Africa, where the governing ANC needs to pick a coalition partner after disappointing results. For a third serving of global politics, Henry Zeffman previews the TV debate between the men vying for the keys to 10 Downing Street. | |
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TOP OF THE AGENDA | Modi’s landslide hopes are fading, early results suggest | | Congress supporters celebrated early trends suggesting the opposition coalition overperformed the polls. Credit: Reuters | When Narendra Modi launched his campaign for a third term as India's prime minister, he aimed for 400 seats out of 543 for the NDA alliance led by his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). But as hundreds of millions of votes are being counted in the world's largest election, early trends suggest a resounding victory could be out of reach. The opposition INDIA alliance, led by the centre-left Congress, appears to have fared better than polls predicted. The latest trends show NDA leading in 294 seats (still above the 273-seat majority threshold), while the INDIA coalition is ahead in 232. "The mood at the BJP office appears to have become distinctly guarded," Raghavendra Rao reports from Delhi. My colleagues across India and in London stress these early figures could move quite significantly until we get official data from election officials. Our live page is covering all the twists and turns.
All the results: Our electoral map is being updated with the very latest figures. Check it out here.
Key figures: If you're unfamiliar with Indian politics, here's what you need to know about Narendra Modi, and opposition leader Rahul Gandhi.
Winning from jail: Sheikh Abdul Rashid, a former legislator in Indian-administered Kashmir, who has been in jail since 2019 in a alleged terror funding case, has won as an independent candidate. | |
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UK ELECTION LATEST | With a month until polling day, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Leader of the Opposition Sir Keir Starmer take part in their first TV debate on Tuesday. While Mr Sunak’s Conservatives hope for a turning point in the campaign, his Labour opponent should be aiming for a drama-free evening to consolidate his party's lead in the polls. Our chief political correspondent Henry Zeffman has more. | |
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| Returning to 'horrifying' destruction | Palestinians who have returned to Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza in recent days have expressed shock at the level of destruction following a three-week Israeli military operation there against Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups. |
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| | David Gritten, with BBC Arabic |
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| | One displaced man who was among the more than 60,000 people who fled last month said he had witnessed "horrifying scenes". "Even the sand beneath our feet is scorched; it's unbearable to walk on," he said. "The streets are strewn with rubble and demolished buildings. Words fail to describe the devastation." The man - who asked not to be named - also said he had seen injured and dead people "lying on the ground". "There is no electricity or water. There are no clinics or medicines," he added. "Wells have been destroyed, shops and supermarkets demolished, and there is a shortage of food." |
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BEYOND THE HEADLINES | South Africa's coalition headache |
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| | | The ANC needs to find a coalition partner to secure a majority in parliament which will support its choice of president. Credit: Reuters | After a disappointing result, only winning 40% of votes, South Africa's African National Congress is faced with a coalition dilemma. On its right, the Democratic Alliance's free-market platform is diametrically opposed to its policies. On its left, two breakaway parties demand a constitutional reform to expropriate white-owned land. Farouk Chothia lays out the stakes. |
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SOMETHING DIFFERENT | Walk on the wild side | The Pacific Crest Trail stretches over 2,650 miles (4,264km) from Canada to Mexico. | |
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And finally... | Coldplay have beaten their goal, set in 2021, to cut their touring carbon footprint by 50%. The British rock band say the first two years of their Music of the Spheres tour saw a 59% reduction in carbon dioxide emissions compared with their previous world tour. | |
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