PM Attal: I resign on Monday. Mélenchon: 'Nfp must govern'

A crowd gathered in Place de la République in Paris after the first exit polls gave the left-wing New Popular Front the lead in France's legislative elections. Starting from the Place des Fêtes, in the 19th arrondissement, where an anti-fascist kermesse was taking place, a joyous procession made its way down the rue de Belleville, accompanied by a band and more and more people, amid applause from the people at the windows, describes Liberation. In the square, the crowd chanted 'Hanouna, go away!', referring to the French conductor Cyril Hanouna who had declared: 'I will leave France if the New Popular Front wins'.

"Tonight, no absolute majority can be given to the extremes": this was emphasised by French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal , remarking: "Thanks to the strength of your values, we have succeeded and remained standing and solid". "I would like to congratulate the 577 newly elected MPs. Together they represent our nation. I did not choose this dissolution, but I refused to put up with it and with our candidates we decided together to fight,' stressed outgoing Prime Minister Attal. 'Tonight no absolute majority can be led by extremists, thanks to our determination and the strength of our values we resist. We have three times as many deputies as estimated at the beginning of this campaign,' he said.

Tomorrow morning I will resign'. This was said by French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal pointing out that no absolute majority emerged from the vote.

It is 'obvious' that Jean-Luc Mélenchon cannot 'govern France'. So says the secretary general of Renaissance, President Macron's party, commenting on the outcome of the second round of the legislative elections. "It is obvious that Jean-Luc Mélenchon and a number of his allies cannot govern France," said Stéphane Séjourné speaking at his party's headquarters. According to the politician, Renaissance will be 'uncompromising in the defence of republican principles and in particular secularism, as well as in the fight against racism and anti-Semitism', as well as 'in the resolute pursuit of European construction and in the continued support of Ukraine against Russia.

Ninety-one people were disembarked, shortly after 7pm, at the port of Crotone after being rescued about 100 miles off the coast of Calabria by a Coast Guard patrol boat. Their ship, a sailing boat of about 20 metres, with which they had set off from Turkey five days before, was adrift in rough seas when the Cp321 patrol boat from the Crotone harbour office intervened. The people, including 12 children under the age of 14 and 18 women, were transferred on board the Italian naval unit despite the difficult sea conditions.

On their arrival in Crotone, a pregnant woman and a young man with a foot problem were transferred by Suem 118 ambulances to Crotone hospital. At the end of the disembarkation operations - coordinated by the prefecture - the immigration office of the Crotone police headquarters counted 73 people from Iran (including 17 women and 10 children), 12 Iraqi men, an Afghan family of four and two Egyptians. Their health conditions were checked at the port by doctors from the vulnerability service of the Crotone Hospital for managing emergencies such as landings. The migrants were transferred to the Isola Capo Rizzuto reception centre.

Triumph in the headquarters of the New Popular Front, where Jean-Luc Mélenchon immediately took the floor after the announcement of the results proclaiming that 'the New Popular Front must govern' and that 'the French have rejected the worst solution'.

Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu published a list of five Israeli conditions for an agreement with Hamas, amid news of progress in negotiations in recent days. Haaretz reports. In the announcement made by Netanyahu's office, it is stated that "the prime minister continues to vindicate the principles already agreed to by Israel: the agreement must allow Israel to return to fighting until the goals of the war are achieved; arms smuggling from Egypt to Hamas will not be allowed; thousands of armed terrorists will not be allowed to return to northern Gaza; Hamas must return as many hostages alive to Israel as possible." Opposition leader Yair Lapid criticised the decision to publish the list. "What is the point of this? We are at a crucial moment in the negotiations, the hostages' lives depend on it, why make such provocative announcements? How does this help the process?" he said.

Democrats are hoping that President Joe Biden will announce his retirement by next Friday. Axios reports this, citing sources. Biden is engaged in the NATO summit from Tuesday until Thursday afternoon, when he is scheduled to hold a press conference.

Coming back from the 'peace mission' in Moscow, Viktor Orban is expected in China. As reported by the Hungarian portal '444.hu', the Hungarian premier and president of the EU is expected to land in Beijing tomorrow.

The Netherlands will start supplying F-16 fighter planes to Ukraine "without delay". This is what Dutch Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp promised during a visit to Kiev.

Ukraine hopes that these American-made fighter jets will be of great help against the continuous Russian bombardment. On the occasion of his first international trip since he was appointed a few days ago to head the Dutch diplomacy, Veldkamp assured that, having obtained the necessary export licences last week, the Netherlands is now ready to send such aircraft to the Ukrainians. "Now that we got the green light for the first F-16s, they will be delivered without delay," Veldkamp said during a press conference in the Ukrainian capital. The minister gave no further details on the exact date when the first of the 24 F-16s promised by the Netherlands will arrive in Ukraine.

Hamas would be ready to discuss an agreement on the release of hostages and an end to the war in Gaza even without "a complete and permanent ceasefire" in the Strip. A source in the group told Afp, according to Israeli media reports. Hamas is reportedly ready "to bypass" that step, "while the Qatari mediators have pledged that as long as the prisoner negotiations continue, the ceasefire will also continue".

Hamas agrees to negotiate on hostages even in the absence of a permanent ceasefire. This was reported by a senior official of the Palestinian faction ruling Gaza. Hamas had demanded that Israel "agree to a complete and permanent ceasefire" in order to start talks on the hostage exchange and end the nine-month-long war, the official recalled, adding that "this step was circumvented, as the (Qatari) mediators promised that as long as negotiations on the prisoners continued, the ceasefire would continue".

Lewis Hamilton won the gp of Silverstone , the 12th race of the Formula 1 world championship. The British Mercedes champion on his home track finished ahead of Max Verstappen's Red Bull. Fifth was the Ferrari of Carlos Sainz.

Ukraine's Yaroslava Mahuchikh set a new world record in the women's high jump at the Diamond League in Paris. Mahuchikh, the reigning world champion, jumped to 2.10 metres, improving by 1 cm the previous record that had stood for 37 years, set by Bulgarian Stefka Kostadinova at the 1987 World Championships in Rome.

"Kamala Harris can overwhelmingly win" the election if Joe Biden were to drop out of the White House race. This is stated by Democratic Congressman Adam Schiff without making a prediction as to what the president should do, i.e. whether to continue or step back. "Either he wins overwhelmingly or he has to pass the baton to someone who can," he added.

The undersecretary of the Ministry of Labour in Gaza , Ihab al Ghusein, died today in an Israeli attack in the western part of the Palestinian enclave. According to Hamas-controlled Gaza government authorities, Al Ghussein died along with four other people during an attack on a school in the west of Gaza City housing displaced people. The Gaza authorities recalled that Al Ghusein's wife and daughter had died in previous Israeli army attacks on the enclave. Al Ghussein, 45, had previously held several leadership positions in the Hamas movement and in the government, including official spokesman for the Ministry of Interior and National Security.

An American citizen was seriously injured in an attack claimed by Hezbollah in northern Israel. The Times of Israel reported this, pointing out that in the raid conducted near the Zarit moshav, on the border with Lebanon, two other people, including a soldier, were slightly wounded.

Joe Biden has arrived in Pennsylvania for a series of election appointments in what is one of the key states for winning the White House. Biden will shortly be speaking at a church north of Philadelphia, then travel to Harrisburg. Shortly after his arrival, the president posted on X: 'The stakes couldn't be higher. We will win this election and beat Donald Trump."

Jasmine Paolini has qualified for the quarter-finals of the Wimbledon tournament. The Italian's opponent, the American Madison Keys withdrew in the third set when the score was tied and 5-all in the third set. An injury to her left thigh in the final of the third set stopped the American, who left the court in tears.

French President Emmanuel Macron will receive Prime Minister Gabriel Attal and the leaders of the outgoing majority parties at 6.30pm at the Elysée Palace, according to Le Figaro.

The head of the CIA, William Burns , his counterparts from the Mossad and Egyptian intelligence, David Barnea and Abbas Kamel, and the Prime Minister of Qatar, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, are expected to meet next Wednesday in Doha to discuss a potential agreement between Israel and Hamas for a ceasefire in Gaza in exchange for the release of the hostages. This was reported by the Israeli press.

Russia will respond to the bombing of its regions with the use of US-made weapons supplied to Kiev. This was stated by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. "The president said that we would respond. And I am convinced that you will see it in the near future,' he said in response to a question on the subject during an interview with Vgtrk journalist Pavel Zarubin.

"With the new British Foreign Secretary David Lammy we agreed to strengthen Italy-UK relations. Our partnership is working on priority G7 and NATO dossiers, from Ukraine to the Middle East, from Africa to migration. Collaboration in the defence sector is also strategic'. Thus on X Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani.

"I support Joe Biden, but the president needs to do more to show the American people that he can lead the country another four years." Democratic Senator Chris Murphy said this, stressing that there is a lot of anxiety in the party and among voters "because the stakes are high. Next week is crucial for Biden." Murphy then pointed out that Biden during the Abc interview did not answer many of the voters' questions, especially about his age.

Not punishing the sale of children in cases of 'necessity' and as long as it does not constitute 'habitual activity': this is the proposal of a senator from Javier Milei's party in Argentina, Juan Carlos Pagotto, who has thus tried to pave the way for the legalisation of the sale of poor minors. There are families 'who have eight or nine children, at some point they have 'given' a child and if we punish them we leave the rest of the family unprotected', argued the parliamentarian. Milei himself, before becoming president, had proposed that adoptions should be 'a free market, and not a market regulated by the State'.

The Philippines and Japan will sign a defence agreement on Monday that will allow their respective military forces to "visit" each other's territory, the Philippine president's communications office said Sunday. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. will witness the signing of the mutual access agreement between the Philippines and Japan shortly after a courtesy visit by Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa and Defence Minister Minoru Kihara, his office said.

Russian authorities said today that a Ukrainian drone attack caused several explosions in the southern Russian region of Voronezh. The region's governor, Alexander Gusev, announced on Telegram the explosions, which occurred after Ukrainian drones were shot down near Podgorenski, south of the regional capital Voronezh. The Ukrainian news portal Ukrainska Pravda reported that a 9,000 square metre warehouse containing Russian army rockets, tank ammunition and artillery shells was hit.

Donald Trump is tightening his grip on the choice of his deputy and is aiming for an announcement perhaps within days, certainly by 15 July, when the Republican convention opens. The focus is on two names: on the one hand, Ohio Senator J.D. Vance and on the other, Marco Rubio, although - the Washington Post reports - North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum would not yet be definitively out of the race. Trump needs a young man to stand beside him and then take off in the next election; he seems to be leaning towards Vance. The senator from Ohio has on his side his young age, his championing of the working class and his foreign policy positions that see him opposed to 'forever wars', wars whose end is not in sight, such as Afghanistan.

US President Joe Biden will meet his constituents in Pennsylvania today. The White House leader will speak at a community service in Philadelphia in the morning local time. He will then attend a 'campaign community event' in Harrisburg in the afternoon.

Towards reappointment for a third four-year term for the current Tokyo governor, Yuriko Koike. This is predicted by exit polls after the polls just closed on the only day of polling for more than 14 million people, the population of the Japanese capital. The 71-year-old Koike, a former Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) MP who heads the ruling coalition, and Japan's first female defence minister, also became the first woman to serve as governor of Tokyo in 2016. Greater implementation of child policies to stem population decline and the expansion of free childcare are among her campaign themes.

Israel's attorney general's office rejected Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's request for a postponement until March 2025 of his testimony in the three investigations that allegedly implicated him in corruption offences. The previous order on the release of the PM's statement by 1 November therefore remains in force. Netanyahu's lawyers had requested the postponement due to lack of time to prepare the defence because of the war in Gaza.

"The crew of the Iskander tactical-operational complex hit the location of a battery of the Patriot anti-aircraft missile system of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the area of the village of Yuzhnoye in the Odessa region, two launchers of the Patriot air defence system and the Giraffe radar station were destroyed," the ministry announced.

Turkey will "at any time" extend an invitation to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad for possible talks aimed at restoring relations between the two neighbours, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Sunday. "Our invitation can be extended at any time," Erdogan said.

Turkey severed ties with Syria in 2011 after the outbreak of the Syrian civil war, in which it supported rebels trying to oust Assad. Turkey has carried out several cross-border military operations against militants it says threaten its national security, and has formed a 'safe zone' in northern Syria where Turkish troops are now stationed.

Near the border with Gaza, Israeli protesters released 1,500 black and yellow balloons to symbolise those killed and kidnapped. About 120 hostages remain captive in Gaza. The day will culminate with a mass protest in front of the military headquarters in Tel Aviv.

At least 15 people were killed today in several Israeli military strikes in the Gaza Strip, Palestinian health officials said, the Guardian reported. An Israeli airstrike on a house in the central Gaza town of Zawayda killed at least six people, while six others were killed in an airstrike on a house in western Gaza, officials said. Israeli tanks intensified their raids in the central and northern areas of Rafah, on the southern border with Egypt. Officials said they recovered three bodies of Palestinians killed by Israeli fire in the eastern part of the city. For its part, the Israeli army announced today that its troops killed more than 30 Palestinian terrorists in Rafah yesterday during close combat and air strikes.

Present at the Elysée Palace starting at 6pm to follow the election night, French President Emmanuel Macron - who voted in the Pas-de-Calais with his wife Brigitte - could speak after the announcement of the vote result. Bfmtv writes.

Chinese scholars are pointing to a period of turbulence in bilateral relations with Washington in the run-up to the US presidential election, with some even sceptical about long-term improvements.

For speakers at the World Peace Forum in Beijing, organised by Tsinghua University over the weekend, candidates on both sides of the tough US presidential race are trying to appear tough on China by increasing threats of trade tariffs. US-China relations stabilised after President Joe Biden met with Chinese President Xi Jinping in November, but Beijing's military actions in the China Sea

Il presidente Usa Joe Biden (Ap Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

South and the rise of cheap exports from the world's second largest economy brought new tensions.

Units of the Central Group of the Russian Armed Forces captured the village of Chigari, in the Donetsk People's Republic, in Donbass. This was reported by the Russian Defence Ministry, quoted by Tass. "Units of the troop group Centre, following active actions, liberated the village of Chigari of the Donetsk People's Republic and improved the tactical situation," the message read.

French President Emmanuel Macron arrived around 12.30 p.m. at his polling station in Touquet, northern France, accompanied by his wife Brigitte. As usual, the French head of state greeted the residents present at the polling station. Macron will reach the Elysée Palace in the late afternoon.

New protests today in Israel to increase pressure on the Netanyahu government to reach an agreement with Hamas for the release of hostages and a cease-fire: protesters blocked numerous roads in the country and organised pickets in front of the homes of many ministers, reports the Guardian. The protests began at 6.29am (5.29am in Italy), the time of Hamas's assault on Israel on 7 October, according to the national media. The protesters took to the streets, blocking traffic during rush hour at the country's main intersections. Tyres were also set on fire on the highway connecting Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Groups of demonstrators with megaphones and banners also protested in front of the homes of several coalition ministers and parliamentarians. "Total failure! Total failure!" a small crowd shouted in front of the home of Minister Ron Dermer, a member of the inner circle of premier Benjamin Netanyahu.

No absolute majority for the Rassemblement National of Marine Le Pen and Jordan Bardella. This is what emerges from the very first instant polls with open ballots coming directly from the French polling institutes. In the second round of the legislative elections in France, the right wing of Le Pen and Bardella is expected to hold a total of between 205 and 225 seats in the national assembly in Paris. The absolute majority is 289 seats out of a total of 577. The popular left front, thanks to the desistance in many constituencies with President Emmanuel Macron's Ensemble, is credited with between 190 and 210 seats. While the president's party is expected to hold between 140 and 160 seats in the French Parliament.

The course of the election campaign in the US is a pitiful sight. Stating this was Russian Foreign Minister Sergej Lavrov. "Seriously, of course it is a pitiful sight. And if the system of so-called American democracy produces such results or such a course of the election campaign, everyone could draw their own conclusions about how everything is orchestrated, how it is organised," he said in response to a question from Vgtrk journalist Pavel Zarubin. The video was posted on the journalist's Telegram channel.

Chinese Prime Minister Li Qiang today congratulated the new British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on his appointment after Labour's election victory, state media reported. This was the first public reaction by a Chinese official. China is 'ready to work with the new British government to consolidate mutual political trust and develop mutually beneficial cooperation', Li told his British counterpart, according to the Xinhua news agency.

More than 38,100 Palestinians have died and almost 88,000 have been injured since the beginning of the military offensive launched by Israel against the Gaza Strip. It was the authorities of the Gaza Strip, controlled by Hamas, who updated the tally after ascertaining the death of 55 people during the last 24 hours. The Health Ministry of Gaza indicated in a statement that "the toll of Israeli aggression has risen to 38,153 dead and 87,828 wounded" and added that the Israeli army committed three "massacres" in the last day that left 55 dead and 123 wounded. Similarly, he stressed that there is an unknown number of victims 'under the rubble and on the roads', where ambulances and civil defence teams cannot get to.

A 3,500-year-old canteen, with ceramic tableware still in place and brazier housings, probably used by the nomadic peoples of the South Caucasus. This is the extraordinary discovery made at Tava Tepe, in Azerbaijan, by a team of archaeologists led by Professor Nicola Laneri, Professor of Archaeology and Art History of the Ancient Near East at the University of Catania, during a campaign conducted with the contribution of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Camnes of Florence and the Azerbaijan Academy of Sciences. The archaeologist will give a preview of the discovery on 12 July at the Naxos Archeofilm.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen today paid tribute to the political work of former German Chancellor Angela Merkel, ahead of her upcoming 70th birthday, for her services to Europe and Germany. "Angela Merkel has contributed enormously to the strength and unity of Germany and Europe with her personality and actions," Von der Leyen wrote in an article for the magazine 'Die Politische Meinung', published by the Konrad Adenauer Foundation in Berlin, which is close to the Christian Democratic Union (CHU). The former leader - for 16 years in the chancellery - will turn 70 on 17 July.

The turnout in the second round of the legislative elections in France stood at 26.63% at midday. This is a sharp increase compared to 2022, when it reached 18.99%: one has to go back to the legislative elections of 1981 to have a higher turnout at 12 noon, then it was 28.3%. In the first round on 30 June, the turnout was 25.90% at 12 noon and 66.71% overall, a level not seen since the last dissolution of the National Assembly in 1997, reports Bfm TV.

The European naval mission Aspides, which protects ships crossing the Red Sea, reported that its frigate Psara destroyed two drones in the Gulf of Aden. The mission began in February in response to drone and missile attacks on ships in the Red Sea by Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis in solidarity with Hamas in the war against Israel in Gaza.

Forty Ukrainian drones have attacked the Russian region of Belgorod in the past 24 hours, the region's governor, Vyacheslav Gladkov, announced on Telegram, as reported by Tass. "An airborne type Uav (drone, ed.) that was launched against the city of Belgorod was shot down by an air defence system. There were no consequences on the ground,' the message reads. 'In the Belgorod region, the villages of Razumnoye, Severny, Blizhnoe, Pushkarnoye, Sevryukovo, Solokhi, Khokhlovo and Shchetinovka were attacked by the enemy. In the last 24 hours during an attack, 26 munitions were fired and eight Uavs were shot down by the air defence system'.

Massoud Pezeshkian will be sworn in as Iran's new president during a ceremony in Parliament on 4 or 5 August, Irna reports. After being sworn in, the president will have 15 days to introduce his cabinet members and parliament will examine their qualifications for a vote of confidence in early September. Pezeshkian delivered his first public speech last night at the mausoleum of the late founder of the Islamic Republic, Rouhollah Khomeni. The president-elect promised to promote dialogue, convergence and national consensus and to address the country's problems in all fields. "The work of the government is difficult under these serious circumstances," Pezeshkian said, adding that "the country faces the great test of successfully overcoming bottlenecks, challenges and crises".

Numerous officials, legislators and strategists in President Joe Biden's party increasingly view his candidacy as an untenable choice. The New York Times writes about this, citing conversations and interviews conducted in recent days with more than 50 Democrats. A growing number of the sources quoted by the US newspaper believe that, by staying in the running, the president jeopardises the chances of keeping the White House and the chances of other candidates.

"Tehran strongly condemns and categorically rejects the unjustified and unfounded accusations against its sovereignty and territorial integrity made by the Arab League in its recent statement, which reiterated the UAE's claim over the Iranian islands of Abu Musa, Greater Tunb and Lesser Tunb in the Persian Gulf," Iran's ambassador to the UN, Saeed Iravani, wrote in a letter sent to the Security Council yesterday. "Iran reaffirms its sovereignty over the Iranian islands and considers the declaration a flagrant and unjustified interference in its internal affairs," Iravani was quoted by Irna as saying.

The new UK government is prioritising avoiding job losses in talks with Tata Steel over government support for a transition to low-carbon technologies, Economic Affairs Minister Jonathan Reynolds said on Sunday.

Tata, Britain's largest steel producer, began closing one of its carbon-intensive blast furnaces on Thursday, with the other scheduled to close in September, resulting in the loss of up to 2,800 jobs at Port Talbot in South Wales.

The new government will have to sign the £500 million ($635 million) support package that the previous government agreed with Tata Steel to help build a low-carbon electric arc furnace, but the unions are hoping for a better deal with Tata, which could prevent some job losses.

Romania airlifted its F-16 fighter planes yesterday because of a Russian drone attack against targets in southern Ukraine, the Bucharest Defence Ministry reports. It happened after Russian drones had been spotted heading towards Ukrainian territory near the Romanian border in the morning, the ministry specified in a statement published on its X account.

The president of Argentina, Javier Milei, arrived in Balneário Camboriú, in the Brazilian state of Santa Catarina, during the night to attend the Cpac (Conservative political action conference): the ultraliberal leader was received at the hotel with a warm embrace by the right-wing former president of Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro. Today Milei will give the conference's closing speech and is expected to share the stage with Bolsonaro. New criticism of the current progressive president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, whom the Argentinean head of state will not meet on his first visit to the country, is not excluded. Milei has also decided not to attend the Mercosur summit starting tomorrow in Paraguay.

A fire broke out last night in an explosives depot in the Russian Voronezh region, on the border with Ukraine, after a Ukrainian drone attack, local authorities reported. "Several drones were detected and destroyed overnight by anti-aircraft defence systems over the Voronezh region," regional governor Alexander Gusev wrote on Telegram. "The fall of their debris caused a fire in a warehouse" of explosives in the Podgorenski district, he added. According to initial information, there are no injuries or casualties.

"For his sake, I personally think it would be better if he retired, but I'm very concerned about the country and in particular about another Trump term and I don't see, if he were to retire, a replacement that would automatically be competitive against Trump. So I have feelings that go both ways'. Thus, in an interview with Corriere della Sera, former Senator Gary Hart. Is Biden's performance at the debate against Trump an 'episode' or a broader problem? "I hate to say it but I think he's suffering from some cognitive decline and most people who have watched him closely think it's something relatively recent, occurring in the last 30 or 60 days."

Il presidente Joe Biden con la sorella ieri a Wilmington, Delaware (Saul Loeb/Afp)

Demonstrations and protest actions have begun in Israel with traffic disruptions on roads and highways, in a nationwide day of protests and blockades, calling for elections and a hostage release agreement, organised exactly 9 months after the 7 October Hamas terrorist attack. Protest organisers have announced that roads will be blocked for several hours of the day across the country, starting at 6.29am, the exact time the devastating 7 October attack began. The day will culminate with a mass protest in front of the military headquarters in Tel Aviv.

A metal boat loaded with migrants sank in international waters. A Tunisian fishing boat, which was a short distance away, rescued 44 people including Gambians, Guineans, Malaysians and Senegalese. Three people are reported missing. The shipwrecked people were transferred to the patrol boat Cp319 that landed them in Lampedusa. During the night, a patrol boat of the Guardia di Finanza took charge of the search for the three migrants who were missing. The 44 migrants, including a woman, reported that they had left Sfax in Tunisia on Friday night and had paid 800 euro each for the crossing.

The Secretary General of the Islamic Resistance in Lebanon, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, congratulated the newly elected Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on his victory in the early presidential elections. In a congratulatory message posted on social media channels on behalf of Hezbollah, Sayyed Nasrallah wished the president-elect a successful term. The death of ultraconservative President Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter accident necessitated the elections, which were not scheduled until 2025.

Two Indian soldiers and six alleged militants lost their lives in two gunfights in Indian-administered Kashmir, the police announced today. Authorities in the disputed territory have "carried out two separate operations" in villages of Kulgam district, said Kashmir Inspector General of Police Vidhi Kumar Birdi, adding that two members of the security forces were killed and clashes continue in Modergram and Frisal Chinnigam villages. "We have recovered the bodies of two terrorists in Modergram and four others in Frisal Chinnigam," he added.

Polling stations have been open in France since this morning for the second round of the legislative elections, a historic vote that could see the victory of the extreme right, with great uncertainty, however, as to its ability to obtain an absolute majority of deputies and be able to form a government. Voting runs until 6 p.m. or 8 p.m. in large cities. A strong turnout is also expected today after the 66.7% recorded in the first round last Sunday.

Russian company Gazprom said it would send 42.1 million cubic metres (mcm) of gas to Europe via Ukraine on Sunday, up from 42.4 mcm on Saturday.

More than 550,000 Russian soldiers have died or been wounded since the start of the invasion of Ukraine by Moscow forces, the Major State of the Ukrainian Armed Forces announced on Facebook. Between 24 February 2022 and this morning, casualties and injuries among Russian troops amounted to 550,990, including 1,150 in the last 24 hours. In addition, Ukrainian forces destroyed 8,155 Russian tanks, 15,645 armoured vehicles, 14,937 artillery systems, 1,115 multiple rocket launchers, 2,352 cruise missiles, 360 ;;warplanes, 326 helicopters, 11,862 drones, 28 warships and one submarine.

"In today's world democracy, let's face it, does not enjoy good health. This interests and worries us, because the good of man is at stake, and nothing that is human can be foreign to us". Thus Pope Francis in his speech in Trieste for the 50th Week of Italian Catholics.

Rome, 7 Jul (LaPresse) - A bus collided with a truck in the Rivne region of western Ukraine, killing 14 people, including a six-year-old child. This was reported by Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko on Telegram. One woman was reportedly seriously injured.

Russian forces attacked Ukraine last night with two Iskander-M ballistic missiles and 13 kamikaze drones launched from the Kursk region, the Kiev Air Force announced on Telegram, adding that all unmanned aircraft were shot down. The drones, a statement read, were destroyed in Kirovohrad, Kharkiv and the Sumy and Poltava regions.

During the night a Ukrainian drone was shot down over the Belgorod region. This was reported by the mdefence ministry of the Russian Federation quoted by Tass. "During the night, the Kiev regime tried to carry out a terrorist attack with the use of a drone over the territory of the Russian Federation, but this was destroyed over the territory of the Belgorod region," the statement read.

"Through the elections, the Iranian people sent a clear message of demanding change and opposition to the Ayatollahs' regime. Now the world must designate the Irgc - Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, the Pasdaran - as a terrorist organisation and demand the cancellation of the nuclear programme and an end to support for terrorist organisations. This is the only chance to bring about change'. This is what Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz wrote on X regarding Masoud Pezeshkian's victory in the presidential elections in Iran.

The commander of the Ukrainian Air Force Mykola Oleshchuk says that the aircraft at the airport in Kryvyi Rih and the Patriot systems near Yuzhne hit by Russian Iskander missiles in recent days were only models, specially built and placed to deceive the enemy. "Air Force personnel have successfully carried out passive defence measures. Thanks to all who help with high-quality models of aircraft and air defence systems," Oleshchuk wrote on telegram.

The Palestinian news agency Wafa says that six people died in an Israeli air raid that hit the town of Zawaida in the centre of the Gaza Strip tonight. In the same hours seven people were injured in other raids carried out on the refugee camp of Nuseirat and the southern town of Khan Yunis, also according to Wafa. Other casualties were reported in the city of Gaza last night. The toll in the Palestinian enclave since 7 October is at least 38,098 dead and 87,705 injured, according to the local Ministry of Health run by the Islamist Hamas movement.

An emergency meeting among Democratic leaders called by US House Dem leader Hakeem Jeffries is scheduled for 8pm tonight Italian time. The virtual meeting - anticipated yesterday by the Axios news site - precedes the reopening of Congress after the Fourth of July recess and presents an opportunity to take stock and talk about the future of the presidential ticket. Joe Biden has reiterated that he does not want to leave the race for the White House, but already five Democrats have publicly called for him to step down. The US president's Abc interview did not have the desired effect of reassuring the Dems, many of whom are convinced that Biden should leave.

Israel has made new demands that could prolong talks with Hamas for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and for a hostage deal in exchange for prisoners, the Israeli daily Haaretz says citing an unnamed foreign source. "Hamas had already given its approval to the latest demand presented by Israel but in Friday's meeting" the Jewish state "presented new issues," the source familiar with the negotiations said, adding that Israel would show a "tough stance" in the talks.

A five-storey building collapsed in Surat, Gujarat - India's westernmost state - causing at least seven deaths and leaving many trapped under the rubble. This was reported by local media. The collapse occurred at around 2.45pm yesterday. "The search operation continued throughout the night. Seven bodies have been recovered,' explained fire chief Basant Pareek. Surat Police Commissioner Anupam Singh Gehlot said the building was constructed in 2016-17. About five flats were occupied, mostly by those working in factories in the area.