Flagship

France’s Le Pen closer to power than ever

France’s far-right National Rally won the first round of legislative elections, according to exit polls. Marine Le Pen’s party was projected to win 34% of the vote, with the left-wing New Popular Front winning around 29%. Macron’s centrist Ensemble came third, with about 20% of the vote. Turnout surged: some 60% of registered voters cast their ballots, a 40-year high. Voter engagement could have “significant influence on the final outcome,” Bloomberg reported, as there may be more opportunity and willingness to do deals with Macron’s Ensemble and coalesce around unity candidates to see off the NR in some seats at second round voting on July 7. “If they do, this race has another seven days to run,” the BBC’s Europe editor said.

China cracks down on ultranationalists

China’s biggest tech companies, including Tencent, Baidu, and ByteDance, pledged to crack down on ultranationalist social media posts. The push for more policing of content comes after several Japanese people were stabbed in China. Following the attacks, ultranationalist accounts encouraged more confrontation between Japan and China, and some accused a Chinese bystander who died trying to stop the attack of being a Japanese spy, prompting condemnation from several social media companies. Despite being ultimately responsible for vetting social media content, Beijing has blamed the platforms for fueling xenophobic tensions, with state tabloid the Global Times writing that they “not only tolerated such content, but have even encouraged it” to drive up profits.

Voters sour on Biden after debate

Early polling is starting to trickle in after US President Joe Biden and Donald Trump’s first presidential debate, and it doesn’t look like good news for the incumbent. Following Thursday night, when Biden’s shaky performance unnerved top donors and voters alike, one survey found Democratic-leaning voters are now less likely to swing for Biden in November’s election. The share of Democrats who do not think Biden should be running for re-election jumped 10 points, according to a separate poll. However, the first post-debate surveys are “likely to overstate the magnitude of [Biden’s] decline — just as they oversold his lead after his first debate against Donald Trump four years ago,” Politico noted.

Iran election heads to runoff

A reformist and conservative will face off in the second round of Iran’s presidential election. Moderate Masoud Pezeshkian — the only reformist not barred from running by the powerful government overseers, the Guardian Council — won the most votes on Friday, but he will face stiff competition from ultraconservative and former nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili. Voter turnout was just 40%, the lowest since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. The election has been “marred by voter apathy of late,” as many Iranians are disillusioned by the regime’s handling of the 2022 protests against the country’s strict hijab laws, and believe the vote is merely symbolic, as no matter who wins, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei holds ultimate power.

Taiwan musician takes defiant stance

Taiwan’s prestigious Golden Melody Awards honoring Taiwanese and Chinese language music set the stage for a call to not forget Tiananmen Saturday. Taiwanese musician Panai won the award for top album in the Taiwanese language Hokkien, and used her victory speech to invoke the Tiananmen Square massacre. This is the Awards’ 35th year, and it is 35 years since the pro-democracy protests in China came to a brutal end. Singers from China were notable for their absence despite some receiving high profile nominations, Reuters noted. The Awards reflected the “renewed tension” between China and Taiwan, particularly after China recently threatened the death penalty against Taiwanese independence supporters.

Chinese SpaceX rival rocket explodes

A Chinese rocket test went spectacularly awry on Sunday, after the vehicle launched off its pad by accident, flew for about 50 seconds, and then exploded on impact just outside the city of Gongyi. The rocket was undergoing a static-fire test, which is when its engines get switched on but, because of clamps and other structures to keep it on the pad, it doesn’t fly. But the company, Space Pioneer, said there was a structural failure that allowed the rocket to take off, and that there were no casualties. The rocket, Tianlong-3, is geared to be a Chinese rival to SpaceX’s workhorse Falcon 9 rocket, as China looks to push its recent successes in space exploration, particularly on the moon, beyond the US’ capabilities.

World Economic Forum’s PR crisis

Several former and current employees of the World Economic Forum, which organizes the annual Davos conference, have accused management of creating a toxic workplace, according to a Wall Street Journal investigation. Some Black employees alleged that white management used racial slurs in front of them, while several female employees said their careers were setback after they became pregnant or returned from parental leave, a “particularly distressing” experience, the Journal reported, since the WEF has championed itself as a promoter of gender equality. WEF founder Klaus Schwab was accused of condoning the culture, including allegedly making unwanted advances on female employees or criticizing their weight; he has denied the allegations.

Fusion project iced until 2035

The world’s largest nuclear fusion project, ITER, has delayed its switch-on date by 10 years to 2035, leaving many scientists questioning whether it should go ahead at all. Nuclear fusion is the same process that powers stars, and if harnessed, could significantly address the world’s energy needs. Work began on the multinational project in 2006, but its start date has been delayed several times. The reasons for the delay are unclear, and an update is expected in the coming days. But since ITER was conceived, there have been advances in smaller, cheaper reactors, while its construction costs have tripled to an estimated $21 billion. One academic told New Scientist that “If I was an economist I would say ‘don’t chase sunk costs.’”

India wins T20 Cricket World Cup

India beat South Africa to win the T20 Cricket World Cup on Saturday, ending a yearslong losing streak and solidifying the country as a global leader in the sport. The win was particularly emotional for India fans worldwide as several star players, including captain Rohit Sharma, are retiring from international T20 cricket this season. Cricket has become an essential part of India’s “global brand,” perhaps more so than Bollywood, The New York Times wrote, with multimillion-dollar investments attracting top talent worldwide. The industry flashed its economic power immediately after India’s win by announcing an additional $15 million bonus for the players and support staff in addition to the $2.5 million tournament prize.

‘Fashion’ emerged 40,000 years ago

“High fashion” may have first emerged 40,000 years ago in Eurasia. The emergence of eyed needles around that time indicates a shift from clothes simply as protection to clothes as an expression of identity, a new paper in the journal Science argued. At this time in human history, bone awls would have likely been used to make clothing, but carefully crafted needles able to pull thread would have been necessary for more tailored outfits. Their emergence demonstrates “a transition in the function of clothing from utilitarian to social purposes,” one researcher said. Clothing may have become decorative, the paper suggested, because the Ice Age would have forced people in Eurasia to wear clothes, covering other forms of adornment, like tattoos or body paint.

• The money laundering trial of Binance executive Tigran Gambaryan resumes in Nigeria.
• The US Supreme Court rules on former President Donald Trump’s claim that he’s immune from prosecution over actions taken while in office.
• Hong Kong, a former British colony, marks 27 years since it was returned to China.
• Wimbledon, the world’s oldest tennis tournament, kicks off in London.

British artist Banksy gave a surprise performance at UK music festival Glastonbury by launching an inflatable life raft filled with dummies into the crowd at the main stage. The raft, a reference to small boat migrant crossings that have been a target of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s controversial immigration policy, was launched during punk band Idles’ set. A band representative said Idles were unaware of the stunt until after the performance. Migration is a theme at Glastonbury this year: A new area called Terminal 1 forces entrants to answer a question from the UK government’s test for prospective migrants to draw attention to the issue.

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