WeekDay AM: 10 Things you need to know this morning
Macron's gamble, 'fleeting' celebrations for Israel, and tributes for Mosley

 
today's politics story

Macron calls snap elections

What happened
French President Emmanuel Macron has called snap parliamentary elections after a victory for Marine Le Pen's National Rally in the European Parliament vote. It won 31.5% of the vote, more than double the share that went to Macron's centrist party. Exit polls had "begun to roll in" when Macron delivered his "bombshell moment" to a "stunned" French population, said the BBC.

Who said what
Macron said he could not "pretend nothing had happened" and admitted the EU election was "no good" for his government. The "Paris commentariat" had thought he would shrug off the result as an "aberration" and trust that the upcoming Olympics and European football championships would distract from politics, said the BBC.

The snap elections are a "massive gamble", said Euronews. If National Rally wins a majority, said The Telegraph, the president will be "left as a lame duck" until his term ends in 2027.

What next?
The first round of elections for the national assembly will take place on 30 June and the second on 7 July, a few weeks before the Paris Olympics.

Analysts told The Guardian that a National Rally majority was "unlikely", in part because European elections are "seen by voters as a cost-free way of delivering a kick to the incumbent government" and things "may well turn out differently in a local parliamentary election".

 
 
today's INTERNATIONAL story

Israeli hostage rescue 'killed 274 Palestinians'

What happened 
Four Israeli hostages have been reunited with their families after a rescue mission in Gaza on Saturday, but local officials claim that 274 Palestinians were killed in the operation. Noa Argamani (pictured above), Almog Meir Jan, Andrey Kozlov and Shlomi Ziv were brought home eight months after they were kidnapped from the Nova music festival by Hamas on 7 October.

Who said what
"Unusually," said CNN, "the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) opted for a daytime raid on the Nuseirat camp in central Gaza." This allowed for a "greater element of surprise", but meant the streets were "teeming with people shopping at a nearby market".

Local residents described the attack as "hell on earth" as civilians were struck down by air strikes and the resulting shrapnel. The IDF disputes that 274 Palestinians were killed and says the actual number of casualties was "under 100".

What next? 
The "audacious" mission "instantly raised morale in Israel and offered at least a momentary victory" for Benjamin Netanyahu, said Isabel Kershner, reporting from Jerusalem for The New York Times.

But it fails to move the dial for the embattled prime minister, who last night lost the support of opposition leader Benny Gantz, who resigned from the war cabinet he joined after the 7 October attacks. With the stability of Netanyahu's government still "hanging in the balance", Israel's "euphoria" over the rescue "may be fleeting".

 
 
Today's PEOPLE story

Mosley 'collapsed' during holiday hike

What happened
The family of missing TV presenter Dr Michael Mosley confirmed that his body was discovered on the Greek Island of Symi on Sunday morning. Tributes have poured in for the TV doctor and columnist, who popularised the 5:2 diet and starred in shows such as "Lose a Stone in 21 Days".

Who said what
It was a "heart-breaking end" to a major search operation, said The Sun. The 67-year-old had taken a 2.2-mile walk back to his holiday accommodation alone on Wednesday afternoon through tough terrain in "scorching temperatures".

"He so very nearly made it," said his wife Dr Clare Mosley in a statement yesterday. After an "incredible climb" he "took the wrong route and collapsed where he couldn't be easily seen". She said it was "devastating" to have lost her "wonderful, funny, kind and brilliant husband".

What next?
Mosley will be remembered not only for his "popularising and explanation of science", fellow TV doctor Phil Hammond told Sky News, but the fact that he would experiment on himself. "He would eat the tapeworm. He'd have the sigmoidoscopy. He'd smoke a cigarette and see what it did to him."

 
 

It's not all bad

A 100-year-old World War II veteran has married his 96-year-old sweetheart in Normandy just days after he was honoured on the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings. Harold Terens tied the knot with Jeanne Swerlin on Saturday, describing it as "the best day of my life". The American couple were later invited to the Elysee Palace state dinner with French President Emmanuel Macron and US President Joe Biden.

 
 
under the radar

Hong Kong 'smile offensive' to boost flagging tourism

Five years after the world watched pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong meet with fierce repression, authorities in the territory think they have worked out how to get tourists back – everyone needs to smile more.

"Unfriendly" staff at restaurants were "once viewed as a charming hallmark" of Hong Kong, said Time, but the phenomenon is now seen as a "turn-off" for tourists. A survey about the city's taxi service last year also found that "rudeness" was customers' top complaint.

The tourist board campaign will deploy actors to show "how we can all better demonstrate the hospitality by going the extra mile with small gestures", said the Hong Kong Free Press.

Culture secretary Kevin Yeung announced a three-pronged approach to teach courtesy in schools, encourage friendliness with community activities and incentivise "good performance" with rewards.

But the timing of the launch – the fifth anniversary of a huge protest against a security bill that allowed Hong Kong residents to be extradited for trial in mainland China – has raised eyebrows.

Part of the reason for the decline in visitor numbers – from 6.7 million in January 2019 to less than half that this April – is China's slow recovery from the pandemic. But Beijing's draconian security legislation has also had a negative impact. The US, Canada and Australia have all issued travel advisory warnings for Hong Kong, citing "arbitrary" laws.

The tourism board has a "tough job of restoring Hong Kong’s allure as a tourist destination", said Annika Park in the South China Morning Post. But "rallying a cavalcade of picture-perfect celebrities to wag fingers at frontline service staff" is "not the right answer".

 
 
on this day

10 June 1935

The day that Dr Bob S., surgeon and co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous, had his last drink. He and stockbroker Bill W. started the first group in Bob's workplace, Akron City Hospital. Almost 90 years later, Alcoholics Anonymous is a global fellowship with a presence in an estimated 180 nations across the world.

 
 
Today's newspapers

The Mirror leads on the "heart-breaking" discovery of Michael Mosley’s body after the broadcaster went missing while on holiday in Greece. Metro says his wife Claire paid tribute to her "wonderful, funny, kind and brilliant husband". Former home secretary Suella Braverman has called for the Tories to embrace Nigel Farage, says The Times. She has issued a call to "unite the right", arguing there is "not much difference" between Reform UK and Tory policy.

► See the newspaper front pages

 
 
tall tale

Sleep shopping

A woman with a rare sleep condition has inadvertently spent about £3,000 on online shopping while asleep. Kelly Knipes has parasomnia, a disruptive sleep disorder that means that instead of snoozing, she often ends up splurging on late night sprees. Speaking to South West News Service, the mother of three said that over the years she had ordered tins of paint, books, a children's playhouse, hundreds of Haribo sweets and even a full-size basketball court.

 
 

Morning Report was written and edited by Holden Frith, Hollie Clemence, Julia O'Driscoll, Chas Newkey-Burden and David Edwards, with illustrations by Julia Wytrazek.

Image credits, from top: Arnaud Finistre / Getty Images; Israel Foreign Ministry / UPI / Shutterstock; Brook Mitchell / Getty Images; illustration by Julia Wytrazek / Getty Images.