Macron calls for French elections, Benny Gantz resigns from Israeli war cabinet while at least 274 Palestinians killed in Saturday's raid & more

"Emmanuel Macron 2022" by Number 10/User:Duosdebs01 is licensed under CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

"Benny Gantz 2019 (cropped)" by Reuven Kopitchinski is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Macron calls snap election in France after strong performance by hard right in European Party Elections

• As anticipated, the center-right European People’s Party Group (EPP) won the European Parliament elections (as it has since 1999), followed by the center-left Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (S&D). However, it saw strong gains for the hard-right parties of France and Germany.

• In response to Marie Le Pen's hard right RN party winning more than double the share of President Emmanuel Macron's party in the EU elections, Macron dissolved the lower parliament of France and called for snap elections. These will be held on June 30th and July 7th just as Paris is set to host the Olympics.

• Macron's decision triggered a sell-off in French stocks and bonds due to the political instability and possibility of a far-right government, causing French and European markets to fall

Canadian Economy:

• Bank of Canada cut interest rates for the first time in four years as the inflation is cooling down. The target rate is now 4.75%, down from 5%. The rate is expected to be lowered gradually, if inflation continues to slow down

• Canada's unemployment rate rose to 6.2% in May. According to StatCan, part-time jobs increased by 62,000 part-time jobs in the month, while full-time employment declined by 36,000. The number of unemployed people increased by 2.1% compared to the previous month.

Israel-Palestine: Death Toll in Israeli Raid, Benny Gantz Resigns from war cabinet

• Benny Gantz has left Netanyahu's war cabinet and joined the opposition with his centrist party over the Prime Minister's handling of the Gaza War. He had earlier voiced his concern over how the war would end and what would follow.

• 274 Palestinians were killed and 698 injured in the Israeli raid that rescued four hostages from Hamas, according to Gaza's health ministry. The raid and accompanying air assault took place in Gaza's dense Nuseirat refugee camp.

• Amidst international pressure, the US has asked the UN Security Council to vote on its latest resolution for a cease-fire in Gaza.

GTA:

• Mississauga heads to polls on Monday to elect a new mayor.

• Fire destroyed historic St. Anne’s Church in Toronto and 16 ‘priceless’ murals depicting Jesus's life.

Sports:

• Edmonton Oilers lost 0-3 to Florida Panthers in the opening game of the Stanley Cup Final in Fort Lauderdale.

• India narrowly defeated archrival Pakistan in an ICC Men's T20 Cricket World Cup match in New York.

• In a surprising result, Canada's soccer team tied with France in a friendly match before Copa America.

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Bank of Canada. (2024, June 10). Policy interest rate. https://www.bankofcanada.ca/core-functions/monetary-policy/key-interest-rate/

Callaghan, J. (2024, June 10). Canada’s stunning draw with Kylian Mbappé’s France is a game changer for Copa America. Toronto Star. https://www.thestar.com/sports/soccer/canadas-stunning-draw-with-kylian-mbapp-s-france-is-a-game-changer-for-copa-america/article_ed92f296-2693-11ef-aeb2-efc287fbff3f.html

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Hussein, I., & Henry, M. (2024, June 9). “extraordinary loss”: Blaze Destroys historic st. anne’s church in Toronto and its “priceless” group of seven murals. Toronto Star. https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/extraordinary-loss-blaze-destroys-historic-st-annes-church-in-toronto-and-its-priceless-group-of/article_a4b0425e-265c-11ef-af35-cbfacf8e5e55.html

Ives, M. (2024, June 10). Middle east crisis: Blinken arrives in Mideast as U.S. pushes for cease-fire vote at U.N. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/live/2024/06/10/world/israel-gaza-war-hamas

Javed, N. (2024, June 9). Mississauga’s mayoral election is the closest race in decades. why a “peek-a-boo” candidate May Win. Toronto Star. https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/mississaugas-mayoral-election-is-the-closest-race-in-decades-why-a-peek-a-boo-candidate/article_cd4429d8-23be-11ef-8b44-6b7bded4d7fa.html

Muthu, A. (2024, June 9). Highlights - bumrah magic helps India beat Pakistan. ESPNcricinfo. https://www.espncricinfo.com/series/icc-men-s-t20-world-cup-2024-1411166/india-vs-pakistan-19th-match-group-a-1415719/live-match-blog

Rasgon, A. (2024, June 10). Gantz quits Israel’s government in a dispute with Netanyahu over Gaza. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/10/world/middleeast/gantz-quits-israel-netanyahu.html

Reuters, T. (2024, June 10). Israeli military bombards central Gaza as Palestinian death toll in Hostage Rescue Raid rises. CBCnews. https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/nuseirat-raid-israel-hostages-1.7229552

Statistics Canada. (2024, June 7). Labour Force Survey, May 2024. https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/240607/dq240607a-eng.htm

References