Daily Briefing

Hello, all eyes are on France as gains by the far-right in voting for the European Parliament prompted a bruised President Emmanuel Macron to call a snap national election.

Elsewhere, Israel's centrist minister Benny Gantz quits Netanyahu's government, and Tesla turns to Musk's small shareholder fans to back his $56 billion payday.

By Kate Turton

Today's Top News

Supporters of the French far-right National Rally party react after the polls closed in Paris. REUTERS/Sarah Meyssonnier

ELECTIONS AROUND THE WORLD

Gains by the far-right in voting for the European Parliament added uncertainty to Europe's future political direction. While the center, liberal and Socialist parties were set to retain a majority in the 720-seat parliament, the vote dealt a domestic blow to the leaders of both France and Germany.
France began to gear up for elections, after President Emmanuel Macron called a shock snap legislative election following a bruising loss in the European Parliament vote to the far-right party of Marine Le Pen. Bureau Chief Richard Lough joins the Reuters World News podcast with insights on Macron's risky move.
Irish Prime Minister Simon Harris could be tempted to call an early national election after rival Sinn Fein flopped at local council polls, upending expectations that the pro-Irish unity party was set to govern Ireland for the first time.

MIDDLE EAST

Israeli minister Benny Gantz announced his resignation from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's emergency government, withdrawing the only centrist power in the embattled leader's far-right coalition amid a months-long war in Gaza. Here's everything you need to know about Benny Gantz.
A senior Hamas official urged the US to pressure Israel to end the war in Gaza, ahead of the planned visit by Secretary of State Antony Blinken to the region to push forward ceasefire efforts.

IN OTHER NEWS

US President Joe Biden's son Hunter Biden will decide whether to testify when his criminal trial resumes on charges he hid his drug use from the government in 2018 to illegally buy a gun.
A violent clash over the weekend between two clans in central Somalia has killed at least 55 people and injured another 155, residents and medical officials said.

Business & Markets

The latest US payrolls report did little to settle the debate about where the job market is headed, with ample fodder for both "soft-landing" believers and doubters over whether the Federal Reserve can tame inflation without sending millions of workers onto the jobless rolls.
While the European Union investigates China's auto subsidies and considers tariffs on imports, national governments across the bloc are dangling their own incentives to attract Chinese automakers looking to build European factories. The European Commission is expected to disclose the tariffs it plans to impose on Chinese electric vehicles this week.
China's efforts to clear massive inventory by turning unsold homes into affordable housing are unlikely to help cash-strapped developers due to the program's limited size and potentially low prices, analysts and developers say.
Apple is expected to showcase how it is integrating artificial intelligence across its software suite, including a revamped Siri voice assistant and a possible tie-up with ChatGPT owner OpenAI, at its annual developer conference.
With major Tesla shareholders appearing divided over whether to endorse Elon Musk's $56 billion pay package, the company also is looking for support from retail investors who make up an unusually high percentage of the electric carmaker's ownership base.
BP employees must disclose any intimate relationships with colleagues or risk losing their jobs, the oil major told staff in a policy update, following the sacking of former CEO Bernard Looney for failing to do so.

Added health benefits of Wegovy, Zepbound could attract more men, doctors say

Evidence that weight-loss drugs like Novo Nordisk's Wegovy and Eli Lilly's Zepbound can cut heart disease risk, treat sleep apnea and address other health issues may help convince more men to use them, five doctors who prescribe the medicines regularly told Reuters.

Men prefer to shed extra pounds with diet and exercise changes before reaching for drugs, if they address their weight at all, doctors and three healthcare industry analysts said in interviews.

The gender difference is attributed in part to social and cultural expectations.

And Finally...

The Olympic rings are displayed on the first floor of the Eiffel Tower ahead of the Paris 2024 Olympic games. REUTERS/Christian Hartmann

Political upheaval in France won't affect preparations for the Olympics, IOC President Thomas Bach and Paris 2024 organizers said after President Emmanuel Macron shocked France with his call for new parliamentary elections.

Voting rounds will be held on June 30 and July 7, the latter coming less than three weeks before the July 26-Aug 11 Olympics begin in Paris.

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