Left gains in French elections
France faces a hanging parliament and deep political uncertainty after yesterday's general election failed to secure a majority for any of the country's three main political groups – left, centre and right.
The left-wing New Popular Front came in first with 178 seats, President Emmanuel Macron's centrist coalition came in second with 150 seats, and Marine Le Pen's anti-immigration party, the Rally National, and its allies won 142 seats.
The primary results overturned widespread expectations of a landslide victory for the Rally National party, which appears to have been bolstered by efforts by centre-right and left-wing parties to form a “Republican Front” to thwart the Rally National party in the second round. Candidates across France had withdrawn from the three-way race and called for unity against Le Pen.
The election was a major blow to Macron. He lost more than a third of the seats held by his party and its allies. The lower house is deeply divided, a coalition government is unlikely anytime soon, and the Paris Olympics are due to start in less than three weeks. We'll see what happens next.
detail: The New Popular Front campaigned on a platform of raising the monthly minimum wage, lowering the legal retirement age, reintroducing a wealth tax and freezing energy and gas prices. Instead of cutting immigration as promised by the National Coalition, the coalition said it would improve asylum procedures. Read more about the coalition here.
For more: Why did some local voters become supporters of the National Assembly?
Israelis campaign for elections and a ceasefire
Nine months after the devastating Hamas-led attack on October 7, Israelis held anti-government protests across the country yesterday, paralysing traffic as demonstrators called for new elections in Israel and a ceasefire with Hamas that would lead to the return of hostages held for months.
Fighting continues in the Gaza Strip, but there has been progress toward restarting negotiations — Israeli forces attacked the compound of a United Nations school on Saturday — but many Israelis fear a ceasefire could be sabotaged not just by Hamas, but also by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who they worry may prioritize his own political survival over a deal that could threaten him.
At the border: Israel's northern border remains unstable, with Lebanon's Hezbollah group firing volleys of rockets, drones and anti-tank missiles into Israeli territory.
At Rapha: The Israeli army invited journalists to visit Gaza City under guard, where Times reporter Adam Goldman described devastation and a “maze of rubble”.
Concerns grow over Biden's candidacy
At least four top House Democrats told colleagues in private calls yesterday that it was time for Biden to end his campaign, according to people who attended the calls, reflecting growing panic among Democratic leaders about the viability of Biden's candidacy.
Amid lingering questions about Biden's age, intellectual capacity and fitness to serve as president, Democrats across the ideological spectrum are calling for him to drop out of the race. Some donors are growing nervous, and insiders worry that his poor performance in the presidential debates has derailed the Biden campaign's strategy to make the 2024 election a referendum on Donald Trump.
Biden: The president has steadfastly rejected suggestions he is dropping out of the race and spent yesterday in Philadelphia seeking to reassure voters who helped him win the 2020 election that he is still capable of beating President Trump.
Other top news stories
The Orient Express is reminiscent of the Belle Époque's five-star luxury trains with all the amenities. A modern sleeper train would cost nearly $50,000, but you can make the journey from Paris to Istanbul for less than $1,000 in a private cabin. Our correspondent tried it out.
The life lived: Jon Landau, the Oscar-winning producer and longtime collaborator of director James Cameron, has died at the age of 63.
How Olympic athletes train in the heat
This month's Paris Olympics may be the hottest ever. Training for the Olympics has become a test of athletes' ability to handle the heat as well as their strength and speed, and the best way to prepare is to spend a few weeks training in sweltering heat.
Some runners try to approach such conditions by wearing what one coach described as “marshmallow suits.” The Belgian field hockey team trained in a heat chamber set at 122 degrees Fahrenheit (50 degrees Celsius). Other athletes try to stay cool by donning ice vests or squeezing frozen balloons before races. Here's how they're preparing for the extreme temperatures.
That's all for today. See you tomorrow. — Natasha
PS Our readers shared 15 of their favourite pizza places, from a restaurant run by a “pizza fanatic” in Amsterdam to a spinach crust in Dusseldorf, Germany.
Contact Natasha and team briefing@nytimes.com.
