Three candidates, two superpowers and one island. Taiwan is picking a president and a parliament on Saturday amid steadily surging nationalism in mainland China and all the talk of decoupling and derisking by the United States. Who will succeed the outgoing pro-Western president, Tsai Ing-wen? How high are the stakes?

Images of the Indian prime minister promoting India's idyllic Lakshadweep islands have exacerbated tensions with the Maldives, which is turning more towards China under a new government.

As we leave the old year behind us, we delve into the promise of young Africa. Its youth is key to changing relationships, both on and off the continent. Also, 2024 is set to be a big year for several of the continent's heavyweights. From elections to economic overhauls, we take a look at some of the landmark dates already on the calendar. Plus, Felix Tshisekedi wins a second term as president of DR Congo after a contested election.

The stakes are as high as the wait is long in CongoVoting rolled over for an unscheduled second day in a sprawling, often unruly Central African nation that’s picking a president, national, regional and municipal lawmakers. The logistics are challenging, the politics are rough in a resources-rich nation that’s dogged by poverty, corruption and decades of insurgencies in the east.

Congo plans to hold elections in December amid debates about the integrity of the country's electoral process and a spiraling conflict in the east of the DRC. How are Western nations reacting?

The South Asian country is set to hold general elections in February 2024, but the imprisonment of former Prime Minister Imran Khan and a crackdown on his party have raised questions over the vote's credibility.

Military leaders ousted former President Ali Bongo in August after disputing the outcome of an election. The Bongo family had ruled Gabon since 1967 and critics say it did not share the country's oil wealth.

The construction workers were digging a motorway tunnel, part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's road project. Rescue operations are underway to save those trapped.

Opposition parties want a caretaker government to oversee the next parliamentary elections but PM Sheikh Hasina has repeatedly ruled it out. Violent clashes in recent days have sparked global concern.

Liberia's presidential election seems to be on track for a run-off after last week's ballot. Provisional results show President George Weah and opposition leader Joseph Boakai neck-and-neck, below the threshold needed to avoid a second round. Also in this edition: parts of Ghana are under water after heavy flooding caused by the overflow of two dams in the Volta region. More than 8,000 people are now displaced.

Mali's military leadership has said presidential elections could not be held on schedule due to "technical" reasons. Since taking power in 2020, the junta has promised to hold elections, but has repeatedly issued delays.

Social and political issues continue to plague South Africa even 30 years after the end of apartheid. Instead of blaming poor leadership and a corrupt government, many are turning their anger against foreigners, with xenophobic attacks on the rise. One anti-immigrant group now even wants to run for office in the 2024 elections. But are migrants linked at all to the state of affairs in the country?