By Giada Zampano July 6, 2023 ROME — Giorgia Meloni, Italy’s first female prime minister, basked in the international spotlight on Thursday as she welcomed leaders from the Group of Seven nations to the ancient coastal town of Syracuse, Sicily, for a summit that was expected to focus on energy security, the global economy and China.

By JAMES KANTER and RICHARD PÉREZ-PEÑA PARIS — François Fillon, the conservative candidate for the French presidency, has been a champion of the free market, a critic of the European Union and a defender of the French language.

Iran’s Guardian Council, a body of clerics and jurists, has approved six candidates for the country’s presidential election on June 18, including the incumbent, Hassan Rouhani, and the parliament speaker, Ali Larijani.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi was sworn in for a third term on Thursday, promising to work for the “poor, the downtrodden and the marginalized” as he took the oath of office in a ceremony that was scaled back because of the coronavirus pandemic.

By J. D. Longstreet The Flemish Nationalists, in Belgium, have thwarted the ascent of a secessionist party in the Belgian elections. The Flemish Nationalists, who are the largest party in the Flemish region of Belgium, have been able to keep the secessionist party, the New Flemish Alliance (N-VA), from gaining a majority in the Flemish parliament.

By JULIE HIRSCHFELD DAVIS and ALEXANDER BURNS MEXICO CITY — The leftist Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador won Mexico’s presidential election on Sunday, a victory that could upend the country’s economic policies and shift its foreign relations, particularly with the United States.

PARIS — President Emmanuel Macron of France called on Saturday for new parliamentary elections to be held in June, after his party suffered a crushing defeat in the European Parliament elections, with the far right making significant gains.

The European Union’s parliamentary elections, held last week, were a test of the bloc’s resilience in the face of populist and nationalist movements. The results, while not a complete repudiation of the far right, were a clear rejection of the most extreme voices.

The European Union is holding its first-ever direct elections for the European Parliament. The results will determine the direction of the 27-nation bloc for the next five years.

The world is witnessing a wave of elections in which strongmen are being challenged, and in some cases, defeated. In the United States, President Donald Trump, who has been accused of authoritarian tendencies, is facing a tough re-election battle against former Vice President Joe Biden.