Far-right wins first round in France election, run-off horsetrading begins - CNA

At Le Pen's Henin-Beaumont constituency in northern France, supporters waved French flags and sang the Marseillaise.

"The French have shown their willingness to turn the page on a contemptuous and corrosive power," Le Pen told the cheering crowd.

The RN's chances of winning power next week will depend on the political dealmaking made by its rivals over the coming days. In the past, centre-right and centre-left parties have teamed up to keep the RN from power, but that dynamic, known as the "republican front", is less certain than ever.

If no candidate reaches 50 per cent in the first round, the top two contenders automatically qualify for the second round, as well as all those with 12.5 per cent of registered voters. In the run-off, whoever wins the most votes takes the constituency.

The high turnout on Sunday suggests France is heading for a record number of three-way run-offs. These generally benefit the RN much more than two-way contests, experts say.

The horsetrading began almost immediately on Sunday night.

Macron called on voters to rally behind candidates who are "clearly republican and democratic", which, based on his recent declarations, would exclude candidates from the RN and the hard-left France Unbowed (LFI) party.

Political leaders from the centre-left and far-left all called on their third-placed candidates to drop out.

"Our guideline is simple and clear: Not a single more vote for the National Rally," France Unbowed leader Jean-Luc Melenchon said.

However, the centre-right Republican party, which split ahead of the vote with a small number of its lawmakers joining the RN, gave no guidance.

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2024-06-30 19:41:00Z
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France votes in crucial polls as far right eyes power - CNA

"FIGHT AGAINST HATRED"

As of noon, turnout in mainland France stood at 25.90 per cent, an increase from the 18.43 per cent recorded in legislative elections in 2022.

The shape of the new parliament will become clear after the second round on Jul 7.

Voters in France's overseas territories had cast ballots earlier in the weekend.

Electors lined up to cast ballots in France's Pacific territory of New Caledonia, where tensions remain high following deadly riots there last month.

"It should be well attended, but I don't know if everyone will play along and come out to vote," said nurse Cassandre Cazaux.

Former president Nicolas Sarkozy, Greens party leader Marine Tondelier and former prime minister and Macron ally Edouard Philippe were among the first high-profile politicians to vote.

Philippe, the mayor of Le Havre in northern France who has made little effort to hide his ambitions for the presidency, was seen smiling and chatting to locals.

Macron's decision to call the snap vote plunged the country into political turmoil and sparked uncertainty in Europe's second-biggest economy.

The Paris stock exchange suffered its biggest monthly decline in two years in June, dropping by 6.4 per cent, according to figures released on Friday.

In an editorial, French daily Le Monde said it was time to mobilise against the far right.

"Yielding any power to it means nothing less than taking the risk of seeing everything that has been built and conquered over more than two and a half centuries gradually being undone," it said.

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2024-06-30 13:38:00Z
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Supercar driver dies after car crashes, bursts into flames on Karak Highway - The Star

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2024-06-30 09:00:01Z
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North Korea condemns drills by US, Japan, South Korea as 'Asian NATO' - CNA

"We strongly denounce ... provocative military muscle-flexing against the DPRK," Pyongyang's foreign ministry said in a statement carried by the state-run KCNA news agency Sunday, referring to the North's official name.

"The US-Japan-ROK relations have taken on the full-fledged appearance of an Asian-version NATO," it said, warning of "fatal consequences".

"The DPRK will never overlook the moves of the US and its followers to strengthen the military bloc."

The latest joint drills involved Washington's nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt, Tokyo's guided-missile destroyer JS Atago, and Seoul's KF-16 fighter jet.

Pyongyang has always decried similar combined exercises as rehearsals for an invasion.

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2024-06-30 06:16:00Z
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What if Joe Biden leaves the US presidential race? - CNA

On Mar 31, 1968 President Lyndon Johnson made the shock announcement in the middle of the Vietnam War that he would not seek reelection.

The move turned that year's convention, also in Chicago, into a political crisis with protesters in the street and left-leaning delegates angry at the pro-war stance of party-picked candidate Hubert Humphrey.

Following the debacle, states more widely embraced the primary process and conventions have become well-oiled affairs, whose outcomes have been known in advance since they are determined by the primaries.

If a candidate must step down after being officially nominated at the convention, a party's formal governing body, either the Democratic National Committee or Republican National Committee, would nominate a new candidate in an extraordinary session.

WHO MIGHT FILL IN?

Vice President Harris would almost certainly be at the top of the list, but she has had her problems after a rocky start in the job and poor polling numbers. The US Constitution dictates that the vice president becomes president if the president dies or becomes incapacitated, but it does not weigh in on an inter-party process for choosing a nominee.

In addition to the vice president, others who had endorsed Biden in 2024 while harbouring their presidential aspirations for future cycles include California Governor Gavin Newsom, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.

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2024-06-29 18:23:55Z
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What if Joe Biden leaves the US presidential race? - CNA

On Mar 31, 1968 President Lyndon Johnson made the shock announcement in the middle of the Vietnam War that he would not seek reelection.

The move turned that year's convention, also in Chicago, into a political crisis with protesters in the street and left-leaning delegates angry at the pro-war stance of party-picked candidate Hubert Humphrey.

Following the debacle, states more widely embraced the primary process and conventions have become well-oiled affairs, whose outcomes have been known in advance since they are determined by the primaries.

If a candidate must step down after being officially nominated at the convention, a party's formal governing body, either the Democratic National Committee or Republican National Committee, would nominate a new candidate in an extraordinary session.

WHO MIGHT FILL IN?

Vice President Harris would almost certainly be at the top of the list, but she has had her problems after a rocky start in the job and poor polling numbers. The US Constitution dictates that the vice president becomes president if the president dies or becomes incapacitated, but it does not weigh in on an inter-party process for choosing a nominee.

In addition to the vice president, others who had endorsed Biden in 2024 while harbouring their presidential aspirations for future cycles include California Governor Gavin Newsom, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.

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2024-06-29 18:23:00Z
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Two China tourists dead after bus accident in Genting Highlands; driver has no licence - CNA

KUALA LUMPUR: Two Chinese nationals died on Saturday (Jun 29) after the tour bus they were in landed on its side while descending from Malaysia's Genting Highlands. 

The accident happened at around 11am on Saturday. 

The bus, which was on its way to Kuala Lumpur, skidded, hit a road divider and flipped on its side.

Bernama news agency reported that the 32-year-old bus driver did not have a driving licence. He had 27 previous traffic summonses for various offences, according to Bentong police chief Zaiham Mohd Kahar.

There were 21 people on board the bus - 18 Chinese nationals, the bus driver and two tour guides. 

According to Zaiham, the two men who died at the scene were identified as Zhang Ping, 58, and Wang Shuhong, 49. Both suffered head injuries. 

The other Chinese passengers, along with the bus driver and the two guides, were taken to hospital. 

Resorts World Genting said in a Facebook post that the tour bus was owned by a third-party operator, and that the tourists were from Yunnan, China. 

The accident has sparked calls for the local transport industry to tighten safety measures.

“This tragedy once again highlighted the importance of road safety which has become a major safety issue in the country,” said Dr Lee Lam Thye, founder and chairman of Alliance for a Safe Community.

“The question that needs to be asked is whether all parties and stakeholders will work together to prevent more tragedies and subsequently to achieve zero accidents," he told Bernama.

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2024-06-29 14:02:42Z
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