mending
divisions caused by the right. Mr Hollande is with supporters in his political base, the southern town of Tulle, but here in Paris, the outgoing President Nicolas Sarkozy has delivered a dignified
concession speech
. He said he alone carried responsibility for the defeat that he is now preparing to become a Frenchman like any other. Hugh Schofield in Paris.
Exit polls after the general election in Greece suggest there have been big games by parties opposed to the current austerity measures linked to the EU financial bailout. Our Athens correspondent Mark Lowen sent us this report.
The sample result from half of the polling stations confirms a large rebellion against the two main pro-austerity parties here. The conservatives New Democracy appear to have topped the poll, but could now struggle to form a majority with the other austerity- supporting party, the socialist Pasok. They seem to have been beaten into third place by a left-wing anti-austerity coalition that also appears keen to attempt to form an alternative government. A period of intense uncertainty now begins for Greece, which could send
shockwaves
throughout the eurozone. Mark Lowen reporting.
This is the World News from the BBC.
Thousands of opposition demonstrators in Moscow have clashed with riot police who arrested three leading opposition activists at a rally
on the eve of
Vladimir Putin's formal return to the presidency. A BBC correspondent at the scene said some protesters tried to veer off the approved route and break through police lines preventing them from crossing a bridge leading to the Kremlin. The Russian authorities have blamed the demonstrators for provoking the violence.