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Former French president François Hollande took the lead in the Corrèze constituency. According to the partial results reported by Rtbf, after the counting of 47.24% of the ballots, Hollande (Union de la Gauche) obtained 36.06% of the votes, ahead of Maïtey Pouget of the Rassemblement National (30.67%) and Francis Dubois of the Républicains (30.23%).

A speech at the Rassemblement National headquarters in Paris by Jordan Bardella is expected after 8pm. Bardella, Marine Le Pen's dauphin, could be the future premier of France should the lepenist party win an absolute majority in the legislative vote.

Most polling stations in France closed at 6 p.m. Le Figaro recalls this, adding that in some large cities voting operations may go on until 7 or 8 p.m.

Hezbollah reportedly launched several drones towards northern Israel, setting off warning sirens in the Galilee Panhandle and the northern part of the Golan Heights. This was reported by the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF), quoted by The Times of Israel. An explosive-laden drone struck in the Merom Golan area, the Idf added, without giving details of any damage or casualties. A rocket was instead fired from Lebanon towards Beit Hillel but fell in an open area without consequences.

In the run-up to the end of the first round of the parliamentary elections, French President Emmanuel Macron is expected to gather the leaders of the outgoing majority parties at the Elysée Palace from 6.30pm. Le Figaro reports.

The record turnout in the first round of the French elections at 5pm was 59.39%, up a good 20 points from the last legislative elections in 2022. This was reported by the French Ministry of the Interior, recalling that in 2022 it had been 39.42% of those eligible to vote by 12 noon.

At least 15 people were arrested by the police in Istanbul after marching in the Gay Pride parade, which was not authorised by the prefecture. This was reported by various Turkish media, showing pictures of activists marching despite the bans. The prefecture had banned the demonstration, citing 'criminal groups' among the organisers, while the main streets of the centre are manned by a high number of officers and some metro stops have been blocked. However, about a hundred activists marched for about 10 minutes in a different district, in the Kadikoy district on the Asian side of the city.

Membri della comunità LGBTIQ+ sventolano bandiere color arcobaleno durante la Pride March di Istanbul, Turchia. Il governo turco ha vietato la marcia di Istanbul, come già avvenuto negli anni precedenti. EPA/ERDEM SAHIN

All signs indicate that Trump will push to reduce the regulatory burden on fossil fuels in his second term. It is likely, the analyst explains, "that the agenda will include withdrawing the tougher emissions standards and drilling restrictions introduced by the Biden administration. Permit reform could also place greater emphasis on fossil fuel infrastructure. These moves would benefit the energy sector at the margin'. Meanwhile, he concludes, 'Trump's preference for trade tariffs and possible efforts to crack down on the re-export of Chinese goods through other countries could increase the costs of electric vehicles and renewable energy'.

A Palestinian man was killed by a drone in an Israeli raid on the Nour Shams refugee camp near Tulkarem in West Bank. This was reported by the Palestinian agency Wafa, explaining that he was Saeed Izzat Jaber (24). According to the Israeli media, he was a member of a local armed group. There were also five Palestinian wounded in the attack, according to Wafa.

"This week alone, Russia has used more than 800 guided aerial bombs against Ukraine. Against our cities and communities, against our people, against everything that makes life normal. Ukraine needs the means to destroy the carriers of these bombs, including Russian fighter planes, wherever they are. This step is essential'. Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky, states this on X. "Clear decisions are needed to help protect our people. Long-range attacks and modern air defence are the basis for stopping daily Russian terror. I thank all our partners who understand this."

(Photo by Handout / UKRAINIAN PRESIDENTIAL PRESS SERVICE / AFP)

An agreement for a truce in Gaza and the release of hostages is still "out of reach" while now the major effort of the US, together with Qatar and Egypt, focuses on getting the parties to resume negotiations, an Israeli source told Haaretz. "The goal," he explained, "is to encourage Hamas and Israel to return to talks. The aim is not to close the understanding, but to bring the two sides back to the table. "The plan presented by Biden," he added, "is a draft for the understanding, but it must be filled with content. The distance between the two currently does not allow them to solve the problems'. In recent days it has been reported that the US has formulated 'new language' for some parts of the agreement, in particular for phase 1 of the 3 that make up the understanding and that concerns the temporal extension of the ceasefire.

Città di Khan Yunis, nel sud della striscia di Gaza(Photo by Eyad BABA / AFP)

The Israeli army raided "a UN school that terrorists from the Shujaia Battalion of Hamas were using as a hideout and warehouse". This was reported by the military spokesman, according to whom the soldiers "discovered dozens of weapons, grenades and important intelligence documents". The soldiers - the same source added - also 'located a command centre in a medical clinic that contained communication and observation tools and documents'.

"There is no change in Israel's position from the plan welcomed by President Biden. And today everyone knows a simple truth: Hamas is the only obstacle to the release of our abductees." Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu said this during a cabinet meeting in Jerusalem. "With a combination of political pressure and military pressure, and especially military pressure," he added, "we will return them all, all 120 of our abductees, dead and alive. Netanyahu then reiterated that Israel will not "stop the war until it has achieved all its goals"

The Israeli army continues to operate in north-central and southern Gaza. This was stated by the military spokesman, who said that "dozens of Hamas sites in Shujaia were hit. Troops located weapons, raided Hamas fighting compounds, some of which were booby-trapped, and killed several gunmen'. Operations also continue along the 'Netzarim Corridor' that bisects the Strip. In Rafah, in the south of the Strip, military action is deepening in the central part of the city. The spokesman said that "many terrorist operatives have been killed and tunnel entrances have been demolished".

US President Joe Biden is expected to discuss the future of his re-election campaign with his family at Camp David today, following his TV duel with Trump on Thursday night. Nbc reports this, citing five people familiar with the matter. Biden's trip was planned before Thursday's debate, the US broadcaster recalls, pointing out that Biden and first lady Jill were scheduled to join their children and grandchildren last night.

(AP Photo/Matt Kelley) Associated Press/LaPresse

Herbert Kickl leader of the Austrian Freedom Party (Fpö), former Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš of the liberal-populist Ano formation, and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban announce a political alliance ready "to involve other European parties in order to then unite to give Europe a future". Kickl said this at the press conference the three are holding in Vienna. It is "a new political alliance formed by patriotic forces that all play a leading role in their countries," he said, emphasising that the group's formation precedes the upcoming constitution session of the European Parliament.

The Pmi manufacturing index in China in June stood at 49.5 points, unchanged from the May figure and in line with consensus. The data came from China's National Bureau of Statistics. However, this indicates a contraction in manufacturing activity, as a Pmi index below 50 points indicates a decline in activity, while a higher index indicates an expansion. Chinese leaders will gather in Beijing in mid-July for an important policy meeting that is expected to make economic recovery a priority. The contraction of the manufacturing sector is a worrying sign for the world's second largest economy, which has been struggling to regain momentum since the end of the Covid-19 pandemic restrictions that had weighed heavily on Chinese growth in 2022.

'Joe is not only the right person for the job, he is the only person for the job,' first lady Jill Biden said at a fundraising event in New York. Words that sharply cut through any speculation that he is dropping out of the White House race and alternative candidates.

President Xi Jinping will be at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) leaders' summit where he is scheduled to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin (already seen in Beijing in May), and will have two visits to Kazakhstan and Tajikistan on 2-6 July. "President Xi Jinping will attend the 24th Sco meeting of heads of state in Astana", Kazakhstan, and hold state visits to Kazakhstan and Tajikistan, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying reported in a note. The Sco includes China, India, Russia, Pakistan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

US President Joe Biden has reassured donors that he is fully up to the challenge of beating Donald Trump. In a speech at the home of New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy on Saturday, he admitted that the one with Trump was "not a great late-night debate", "but I will fight harder", he added. Biden also called Trump "a real threat to the nation," saying that his predecessor would undermine democracy if he returned to the White House and that his economic ideas would worsen inflation.

"In the face of the arrogance of Brussels, which on appointments acts as if nothing had happened after the citizens' vote, and which does not wait for the outcome of the French elections, it is as necessary as ever to unite the forces of those who want to change Europe and offer an alternative to the wretched left. As repeatedly called for by Matteo Salvini, a large group to rally European patriots can no longer be postponed'. Thus a note from the League.

"I didn't have a great night, but neither did Trump," Joe Biden said at a fundraising event in Ny, referring to his TV duel. The president claimed to have convinced undecided voters, then mentioned the Nyt editorial urging him to drop out but pointed out that the newspaper also highlighted how the tycoon had lied throughout the debate. 'Donald Trump is a real threat....Trump will destroy democracy. I will defend it," he attacked.

The number of injured following the Russian attack in Vilniansk, Zaporizhzhia region, has risen to 31. This was reported by the Ukrainian State Emergency Situation Service on Telegram, confirming the death toll of seven. "Search and rescue operations have been completed. Seven people died, including 2 children, and 31 people, including 8 children, were injured," the authorities reported.

North Korea accuses the joint military exercises by the US, Japan and South Korea of demonstrating that the three countries have developed cooperation that is the 'Asian version of NATO'. Pyongyang's foreign ministry said the North "will not ignore" the strengthening of the military bloc led by the US and its allies and will protect regional peace with an aggressive and overwhelming response," the Kcna news agency reported, according to which Washington is continuing "its efforts to link South Korea and Japan to Nato" and Seoul's attempts to supply arms to Ukraine "are an example of such an effort".

About 115,000 Palestinians from Gaza have crossed into Egypt since the beginning of the war after the 7 October attack by Hamas. The estimate is from the Washington Post, which recalls Cairo's statement that it would not accept refugees from the Strip. The newspaper quotes the embassy of the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) in Cairo as saying that some arrived as wounded evacuees from the fighting and others as 'tourists'. According to Wp the passage to Egypt was made possible by an Egyptian company by the name of 'Hala Consulting and Tourism' described as linked "to the state security services that provides a strong 'coordination' fee to help Palestinians flee".

The army announced the death of two more soldiers who fell in two different incidents of fighting in Sujaia in Gaza. This was stated by the military spokesman as Yair Avitan (20) and Yakir Shmuel Tatelbaum (21). The tally of fallen soldiers on the Gaza front since the beginning of the war thus rises to 318.