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This is VOA News. I'm Joe Ramsey.
In a shock move, French President Emmanuel Macron said he would dissolve parliament on Sunday and call for new legislative elections later this month after he was trounced in European elections by Marine Le Pen's far-right party. Macron said the results were a disaster for his government and one he could not pretend to ignore. It's a high risk political gamble less than two months before Paris hosts the Olympics. He said lower house elections would be called on June 30, with the second round on July 7. The day after Israel rescued four hostages, Israeli war cabinet centrist member Benny Gantz resigned on Sunday. AP correspondent Karen Chammas reports. The move does not immediately pose a threat to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who still controls a majority coalition in parliament. But the Israeli leader will now become more heavily reliant on his far-right allies to stay in power. Gantz had previously said he would leave the government by June 8 if Netanyahu did not formulate a new plan for post war Gaza. The popular former military chief joined Netanyahu's government shortly after October 7 in a show of unity. His presence also boosted Israel's credibility with its international partners. Gantz has good working relations with U.S. officials. I'm Karen Chammas. U.S. President Joe Biden and his wife, Jill Biden, stopped at an American cemetery in France on Sunday that former President Donald Trump declined to visit in 2018, drawing widespread criticism at the time. "The idea that we were able to avoid being engaged in major battles in Europe is just not realistic. That's why it's so important that we continue to have the alliances we have, ..." This is VOA News. Russian forces appear to be making headway towards their longstanding goal of capturing the strategic Ukrainian town of Chasiv Yar, according to reports on Sunday from both sides of the more than two-year-old conflict. Chasiv Yar stands on high ground about 20 kilometers to the west of Bakhmut, a town Russian forces seized a year ago after months of battles that flattened nearly all its buildings. It's seen by both sides as a potential staging point for Russia to advance on the key cities of Kramatorsk and Sloviansk. Monday is part of the first full week of asylum processing being suspended at the U.S. border. AP correspondent Jackie Quinn reports. Thousands of migrants have been deported under the ban so far, according to two senior Homeland Security officials. They say there were 17 deportation flights last week. But the AP has chronicled one man, a jeweler from Colombia. He was arrested, but instead of being deported, he was dropped off in San Diego and made his way to the airport for a flight to New Jersey. The official language in the president's executive order acknowledges that the government lacks the money and the authority to deport everyone eligible. I'm Jackie Quinn. U.S. President Joe Biden's son, Hunter, and the Biden family are weathering the public airing of Hunters drug addiction as his federal court trial resumes on Monday. AP correspondent Julie Walker reports. Hunter Biden's family, including his mother, the first lady, has gone to great lengths to support him as he stands trial for lying on a federal gun purchase form when he said he did not have a drug problem. Jill Biden has been a regular presence in the federal courtroom in Delaware and other family members have attended. Every family wrestles with personal challenges whether they're famous or not. But the airing an open court of tawdry details surrounding Hunter Biden's addiction is in order of greater magnitude and it's happening in the glare of an election year. I'm Julie Walker. South Korea on Sunday resumed anti-North Korean propaganda loudspeaker broadcasts in border areas in retaliation for the North sending over 1,000 balloons filled with trash and manure over the last couple of weeks. The move is certain to anger Pyongyang and could trigger retaliatory military steps. Hours after the South resumed loudspeaker broadcast, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un warned the South created a, quote, "prelude to a very dangerous situation." Find more online at voanews.com or download the VOA News mobile app. I'm Joe Ramsey. |