Monday Briefing: France’s president calls for legislative elections

A key member of Israel's war cabinet resigns and cricket's T20 World Cup

View in browser|nytimes.com June 10, 2024 By Daniel E. Slotnik Good morning. We're covering the French president's call for new elections and a key Israeli politician's resignation. Plus: Cricket's T20 World Cup. "I cannot go on as though nothing has happened," President Emmanuel Macron said. Lewis Joly/Associated Press After E.U. vote, France's president called for new elections President Emmanuel Macron of France, who was dealt a crushing defeat by the extreme right in European elections, dissolved the lower house of Parliament yesterday. He called for legislative elections beginning on June 30. Macron's decision was indicative of the devastating nature of the European Parliament election results. His centrist party was projected to finish with less than half the support of Marine Le Pen's far-right National Rally, which is set to become the leading French party. "The rise of nationalists and demagogues is a danger for our nation and for Europe," Macron said. "After this day, I cannot go on as though nothing has happened." My colleague Aurelien Breeden, who covers France, weighed in on the decision. "It's a little hard to say definitively why Macron decided to make this move now," he said. "But his domestic agenda has been hobbled by a weak majority in the lower house of Parliament for the past two years, and the strong far-right showing appears to have convinced him that he could no longer proceed with business as usual." Partial results for the European Parliament elections, held by 27 countries in the E.U., appeared to show voters largely backing centrist candidates, with far-right parties making serious inroads in France and Germany. Centrist political groups lost seats but were poised to maintain a majority of more than 400 seats in the 720-seat assembly. But the outcome has unsettled the bloc's mainstream establishment and seems likely to steel the far-right as a disruptive force. Here are live results. The right's rise: Right-wing parties made gains as voters concentrated on nationalism and identity — themes often tied to migration and some culture-war politics. The timing: Macron's decision ushers in a period of deep political uncertainty in France weeks before the Paris Olympics are to begin. In Germany: Alternative for Germany, a far-right party that was officially labeled a "suspected" extremist group by the country's authorities, had a strong showing. Projected results would make it Germany's second-ranking party. Benny Gantz said he was quitting "with a heavy but complete heart." Ohad Zwigenberg/Associated Press Benny Gantz quit Israel's government The Israeli politician Benny Gantz, a key member of the war cabinet, quit the government yesterday over Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's handling of the war in Gaza. The move is unlikely to force Netanyahu from office, but Gantz's moderate positions have helped lift the government's international credibility. Last month, Gantz threatened to resign unless Netanyahu worked to immediately address major issues, including plans for the return of hostages and for the future governance of Gaza. Without Gantz's party, the prime minister's government will be made up of his right-wing Likud party, three far-right parties and two ultra-Orthodox factions. Analysts have said that Gantz's departure may embolden far-right ministers in the coalition. The war: Israel's operation to rescue four hostages in central Gaza on Saturday unleashed a heavy aerial bombardment and ground operations that killed scores of people, according to Gaza health officials. The rescue offered a glimpse into an ambitious intelligence operation to save the hostages. In Israel: Euphoria at the rescue quickly gave way to a harsh reality. Around 120 captives remain in Gaza, and Israelis fear that time is running out. About a third of them have already been declared dead by the Israeli authorities. Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India at his swearing-in ceremony yesterday. Rajat Gupta/EPA, via Shutterstock Modi began his third term A humbled Narendra Modi was sworn in yesterday for a third term as India's prime minister. He adopted a more modest tone after losing his parliamentary majority and being forced into a coalition government. Modi gave a conciliatory speech on Friday: "To run the government, a majority is necessary. But to run the nation, a consensus is necessary." But one question remains: After more than two decades in elected office, can Modi truly become a consensus builder? How it happened: Here's a map of where Modi gained and lost voters. MORE TOP NEWS Finbarr O'Reilly for The New York Times Ukraine: The country's forces say that U.S. shells are making a difference, though Russia still holds an artillery advantage. Britain: Prime Minister Rishi Sunak apologized for leaving a D-Day commemoration in France early. Vietnam: The authorities arrested a top journalist after accusing him of "abusing democratic freedoms," a charge that rights groups say has been used frequently against critics of the government. Iran: Six candidates, including the speaker of Parliament, have been approved to run in the presidential election this month. Mexico: After the governing leftist party's big election win, the peso had its worst week since the coronavirus pandemic. U.S.: Donald Trump, who was convicted of 34 felonies last month, is expected to have a virtual interview with a probation official today. West Africa: The expensive, yearslong U.S.-led counterterrorism effort in the region has largely failed. MORNING READ Shoko Takayasu for The New York Times Japan's weak yen has drawn tourists to the country. But some residents are growing frustrated as popular sites in cities like Kyoto start to feel unmanageable and foreign visitors spill into places that were once unknown to tourists. CONVERSATION STARTERS Fuel for Ukraine's soldiers: Many troops depend on energy drinks, some of which are marketed specifically to soldiers. The translation market: As English fluency increases in Europe, readers there have started buying untranslated British and American books. Publishers are worried. Play our game: After years of renting in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, which home did a Frenchwoman buy? SPORTS NEWS French Open: Iga Swiatek and Carlos Alcaraz triumphed. Rebranding teams: Why Red Bull invests in sports. ARTS AND IDEAS Adam Hunger/Associated Press Cricket's T20 World Cup India beat Pakistan yesterday at the men's T20 Cricket World Cup, which was hosted on Long Island. India won by six runs: Batting first, it scored 119 to Pakistan's 113. Geopolitical tensions heightened the rivalry between the two cricketing nations. Matches between the two countries are rare — they do not collaborate outside International Cricket Council events because of political hostility. More than 400 million people were expected to watch. New York may have been a surprising choice of location. The stadium was built just for the event and will be gone after the tournament. But the U.S. played host, along with the West Indies, to try to drive cricket's growth in America. Background: Pakistan came off a shocking loss to the U.S. team, which some commentators called one of the biggest upsets in the sport's history. We hope you've enjoyed this newsletter, which is made possible through subscriber support. Subscribe to The New York Times. RECOMMENDATIONS Johnny Miller for The New York Times Cook: This sheet-pan chicken dinner draws on some of the sunny flavors of the Mediterranean. Sip: These wines are so dark they're almost black. Here are a few that we like. Watch: The smart, fun show "Queenie" follows a young Londoner through a rough patch. Play the Spelling Bee. And here are today's Mini Crossword and Wordle. You can find all our puzzles here. Amelia Nierenberg contributed reporting. Thanks to Aurelien Breeden. That's all for today. Thank you for reading, and see you tomorrow. — Dan You can reach Dan and the team at briefing@nytimes.com. Need help? Review our newsletter help page or contact us for assistance. You received this email because you signed up for Morning Briefing: Europe Edition from The New York Times. To stop receiving Morning Briefing: Europe Edition, unsubscribe. To opt out of other promotional emails from The Times, including those regarding The Athletic, manage your email settings. To opt out of updates and offers sent from The Athletic, submit a request. Subscribe to The TimesGet The New York Times app Connect with us on: Change Your EmailPrivacy PolicyContact UsCalifornia Notices The New York Times Company. 620 Eighth Avenue New York, NY 10018