Major gains by a newly-formed left-wing alliance and the far-right in voting on Sunday put French President Emmanuel Macron on course to lose his parliamentary majority, a blow to his hopes of major reform in his second term.
After Mr Macron's re-election in April for a second term, it was important he secured a majority in the run-off elections to get his promised tax cuts, welfare reforms and raising of the retirement age through parliament.
His Together coalition was on course to be the biggest party in the next National Assembly, but on 200-260 seats, it is well short of the 289 seats needed for a majority, according to a range of projections by five French polling firms.
If confirmed, the results would severely tarnish Mr Macron's April presidential election victory where he defeated the far-right to be the first French president to win a second term in over two decades.
The new left-wing coalition Nupes under 70-year-old figurehead Jean-Luc Melenchon was on course to win between 149 and 200 seats.
The coalition, formed in May after the left suffered a debacle in April presidential elections, groups Socialists, Communists and greens.
That left only had 60 seats in the last parliament, meaning they could triple their representation.
Far-right leader Marine Le Pen's National Rally party was on track for big gains after having only eight seats in the last parliament.
It would to send between 60 and 102 MPs to the new parliament, according to projections.
Falling short of the majority would force Mr Macron into tricky partnerships with other parties on the right to force through legislation.
Emmanuel Macron swears in for second term — in pictures
There could now potentially be weeks of political deadlock as the president seeks to reach out to new parties.
The most likely option would be an alliance with — or poaching MPs from — the Republicans (LR), the traditional party of the French right who are on track to win 40 to 80 seats.
The nightmare scenario for the president, the left winning a majority and Mr Melenchon heading the government, appears to have been excluded.
It has been 20 years since France last had a president and prime minister from different parties, when right-winger Jacques Chirac had to work with a Socialist-dominated parliament under premier Lionel Jospin.
The ruling party's campaign had been overshadowed by growing concern over rising prices, while new Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne failed to make an impact in sometimes lacklustre campaigning.
French television reports said Ms Borne had gone to the Elysee Palace to talk with Mr Macron before the projections were published.
The jobs of ministers standing for election were also on the line under a convention that they should resign if they fail to win seats.
In France's Caribbean island of Guadeloupe — where the poll is held a day early — Justine Benin was defeated by Nupes candidate Christian Baptiste Saturday, a loss that jeopardises her role in the government as Secretary of State for the Sea.
Scholz, Macron and Draghi and Iohannis make first Kyiv visit — video
On the mainland, France's Europe Minister Clement Beaune and Environment Minister Amelie de Montchalin are facing tough challenges in their constituencies, with both likely to leave government if defeated.
The contest between Together and Nupes has turned increasingly bitter over the last week, with Mr Macron's allies seeking to paint their main opponents as dangerous far-leftists.
Senior MP Christophe Castaner has accused Mr Melenchon of wanting a “Soviet revolution”, while Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire called him a “French (Hugo) Chavez” after the late Venezuelan autocrat.
Mr Macron headed to Ukraine last week, hoping to remind voters of his foreign policy credentials and one of Mr Melenchon's perceived weaknesses — his anti-Nato and anti-EU views at a time of war in Europe.
Mr Macron had before embarking on the trip called on voters to hand his coalition a “solid majority”, adding “nothing would be worse than adding French disorder to the world disorder”.
Mr Melenchon has promised a break from “30 years of neoliberalism” — meaning free-market capitalism — and has pledged minimum wage and public spending rises, as well as nationalisations.
Turnout, seen as crucial to the outcome of the vote, was at 38.11 per cent with three hours of voting to go, down on the 39.42 per cent recorded in the first round on June 12 at the same stage, although up on the 35.33 per cent recorded in 2017, the interior ministry said.
Meanwhile, polling firms predicted that abstention rates would be between 53.5 per cent and 54 per cent, higher than the 52.5 per cent recorded in the first round.
The first-round vote served to whittle down candidates in most of the country's 577 constituencies to finalists who went head-to-head Sunday.
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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Sholto Byrnes on Myanmar politics
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
The Bio
Favourite vegetable: “I really like the taste of the beetroot, the potatoes and the eggplant we are producing.”
Holiday destination: “I like Paris very much, it’s a city very close to my heart.”
Book: “Das Kapital, by Karl Marx. I am not a communist, but there are a lot of lessons for the capitalist system, if you let it get out of control, and humanity.”
Musician: “I like very much Fairuz, the Lebanese singer, and the other is Umm Kulthum. Fairuz is for listening to in the morning, Umm Kulthum for the night.”
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
Major honours
ARSENAL
BARCELONA
- La Liga - 2013
- Copa del Rey - 2012
- Fifa Club World Cup - 2011
CHELSEA
- Premier League - 2015, 2017
- FA Cup - 2018
- League Cup - 2015
SPAIN
- World Cup - 2010
- European Championship - 2008, 2012
The specs: 2018 Nissan Patrol Nismo
Price: base / as tested: Dh382,000
Engine: 5.6-litre V8
Gearbox: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 428hp @ 5,800rpm
Torque: 560Nm @ 3,600rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.7L / 100km
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The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
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Total eligible population
About 57.5 million people
51.1 million received a jab
6.4 million have not
Where are the unvaccinated?
England 11%
Scotland 9%
Wales 10%
Northern Ireland 14%
Sting & Shaggy
44/876
(Interscope)
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The biog
Family: He is the youngest of five brothers, of whom two are dentists.
Celebrities he worked on: Fabio Canavaro, Lojain Omran, RedOne, Saber Al Rabai.
Where he works: Liberty Dental Clinic
Kathryn Hawkes of House of Hawkes on being a good guest (because we’ve all had bad ones)
- Arrive with a thank you gift, or make sure you have one for your host by the time you leave.
- Offer to buy groceries, cook them a meal or take your hosts out for dinner.
- Help out around the house.
- Entertain yourself so that your hosts don’t feel that they constantly need to.
- Leave no trace of your stay – if you’ve borrowed a book, return it to where you found it.
- Offer to strip the bed before you go.
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Profile
Co-founders of the company: Vilhelm Hedberg and Ravi Bhusari
Launch year: In 2016 ekar launched and signed an agreement with Etihad Airways in Abu Dhabi. In January 2017 ekar launched in Dubai in a partnership with the RTA.
Number of employees: Over 50
Financing stage: Series B currently being finalised
Investors: Series A - Audacia Capital
Sector of operation: Transport
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Sarfira
Director: Sudha Kongara Prasad
Starring: Akshay Kumar, Radhika Madan, Paresh Rawal
Rating: 2/5
Nayanthara: Beyond The Fairy Tale
Starring: Nayanthara, Vignesh Shivan, Radhika Sarathkumar, Nagarjuna Akkineni
Director: Amith Krishnan
Rating: 3.5/5
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
The First Monday in May
Director: Andrew Rossi
Starring: Anna Wintour, Karl Lagerfeld, John Paul Gaultier, Rihanna
Three stars
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How being social media savvy can improve your well being
Next time when procastinating online remember that you can save thousands on paying for a personal trainer and a gym membership simply by watching YouTube videos and keeping up with the latest health tips and trends.
As social media apps are becoming more and more consumed by health experts and nutritionists who are using it to awareness and encourage patients to engage in physical activity.
Elizabeth Watson, a personal trainer from Stay Fit gym in Abu Dhabi suggests that “individuals can use social media as a means of keeping fit, there are a lot of great exercises you can do and train from experts at home just by watching videos on YouTube”.
Norlyn Torrena, a clinical nutritionist from Burjeel Hospital advises her clients to be more technologically active “most of my clients are so engaged with their phones that I advise them to download applications that offer health related services”.
Torrena said that “most people believe that dieting and keeping fit is boring”.
However, by using social media apps keeping fit means that people are “modern and are kept up to date with the latest heath tips and trends”.
“It can be a guide to a healthy lifestyle and exercise if used in the correct way, so I really encourage my clients to download health applications” said Mrs Torrena.
People can also connect with each other and exchange “tips and notes, it’s extremely healthy and fun”.
Barbie
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Which honey takes your fancy?
Al Ghaf Honey
The Al Ghaf tree is a local desert tree which bears the harsh summers with drought and high temperatures. From the rich flowers, bees that pollinate this tree can produce delicious red colour honey in June and July each year
Sidr Honey
The Sidr tree is an evergreen tree with long and strong forked branches. The blossom from this tree is called Yabyab, which provides rich food for bees to produce honey in October and November. This honey is the most expensive, but tastiest
Samar Honey
The Samar tree trunk, leaves and blossom contains Barm which is the secret of healing. You can enjoy the best types of honey from this tree every year in May and June. It is an historical witness to the life of the Emirati nation which represents the harsh desert and mountain environments
