Zambia to vote in tense polls for upcoming presidential election

The Pakistani leader continues to assert that the US is behind an attempt to remove him. Meanwhile, a Pakistani general said his country should expand ties with Washington.

Pakistan's lawmakers have voted to remove Prime Minister Imran Khan from office in a vote of no confidence. The nuclear-armed Islamic nation has been in political turmoil for weeks.

And so begins a mad dash to the finish in the French presidential race. After a surprisingly sluggish start to the campaign, the first round served up the predicted outcome but also its fair share of surprises. The April 24 runoff is incumbent Emmanuel Macron's to lose, say the pollsters. But in a rematch of the 2017 second round, the centrist incumbent has his weaknesses that the far-right's Marine Le Pen astutely exploited in a campaign where she has been out pounding the flesh while Macron has been attending summits.

In a special edition, we look closely at the two presidential candidates, Emmanuel Macron and the far-right’s Marine Le Pen to see where they both stand when it comes to promoting equality. Annette Young talks to Megan Clement, the editor of the Impact newsletter on gender and politics on why women's rights have failed to make the radar so far in this election campaign. Also #MeToo in the world of French politics and the dire need to end a climate of sexism and sexual harassment.

With less than a week to go before France's presidential run-off, French papers explain why the "republican front" against far-right candidate Marine Le Pen is looking increasingly fragile, especially in the overseas departments of Martinique and Guadeloupe. We also take an in-depth look at Le Pen's foreign policy proposals. We finish with an Easter special on why chocolate eggs seem to taste so much better than chocolate bars.

Find these stories and much more when you grab a copy of The Guardian on Tuesday.⁣

With the second round of voting in the French presidential election just days away, we explore the latest twists and turns in the campaign trail with Andrew Smith, a professor of contemporary French history at Chichester University. He unpicks President Emmanuel Macron's last-gasp bid to convince supporters of defeated leftist Jean-Luc Mélenchon to vote for him, if only to keep the far right out of the Élysée Palace. We also discuss Marine Le Pen's pledge to ban the Muslim hijab in public. Smith tells us it's an attempt to fire up her base – but does it risk alienating more moderate voters?

With three days to go before the second and final round of the French presidential election, it's time for our final show. We focus on the traditional highlight of the campaign: the fiery debate between the finalists. The incumbent was anxious not to appear condescending, while Marine Le Pen tried to reassure voters that she could be presidential. Our reporters followed both candidates on their last stops of the campaign trail. Plus, FRANCE 24's Karina Chabour explores what heartbroken left-wing voters might decide to do on Sunday.

French President Emmanuel Macron defeated his far-right rival Marine Le Pen by a comfortable margin in Sunday's election, early projections by four pollsters showed, securing a second term and heading off what would have been a political earthquake.

The British prime minister has faced calls to step down after breaking COVID lockdown rules. In Northern Ireland, polls suggest the Irish nationalist party Sinn Fein could win the largest number of seats.

Former dictator's son Ferdinand Marcos Jr., also known as "Bongbong," is widely expected to defeat current Vice President Leni Robredo in the presidential race. Grenade attacks were reported at two polling booths.

The Marcos political dynasty is back in power in the Philippines. Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the son of the late dictator, has rebranded his family name and won the presidential election. Nonetheless his popularity comes as something of a surprise, as his father was ousted by a popular revolt 36 years ago. We take a closer look.