live from washington, this is bbc news. the far—right dominates the first round of snap parliamentary elections in france. after a shaky debate performance, a new poll finds more us voters are worried about presidentjoe biden�*s fitness for another term. and uk election candidates enter the final days of campaigning. hello, i'm carl nasman. we start in france, where thousands of left—leaning protesters rallied in paris on sunday night against the country's far—right after projections showed it was on track for a big win. the national rally is projected to take the most votes in the first round of the country's snap parliamentary elections.

exit polls predict it will take as much as 34%, about 6% more than the left—wing coalition new popular front. trailing in third is the centrist alliance of president emmanuel macron, withjust over 20%. national rally�*s leader marine le pen says macron�*s camp has been "practically wiped out". here's what she told her supporters on sunday. translation: the people of france have thus - demonstrated unequivocally in this vote their desire to turn the page after seven years of the exercise of contemptuous, corrosive power. we thank the voters warmly and welcomed the result is a first step towards demonstrating a sign of confidence in us, which is an honour and an obligation. an estimated 65.5% of eligible voters cast ballots in the cast ballots first round of france's parliamentary election, according to polling company ipsos. that's the highest turnout in a french parliamentary vote since 1997.

now, some party leaders are urging citizens to vote tactically in next week's second round to reject the far—right. and french president macron is calling for a broad alliance against the national rally party. in a written statement, he said: our mark lowen explains what's next. so it has happened. france's national rally, the far—right winning the first round of this parliamentary election. all the opinion polls before the vote had suggested this was going to happen, and indeed it has taken place. now there will be horse trading between the opposition candidates as to who drops out and whether they can rally behind a united candidate

to try to stop the far right in next sunday's second—round election from getting an absolute majority. but the centre, the left, they are disunited. there is a lot of bad blood between them. can they rally behind a united front? this is the far—right national rally party. a party that is hard line on immigration, for example, wants to stop the automatic right of foreigners born here in france to get french nationality. they want to give priority to french people over immigrants in terms of social welfare spending. so there is going to be a huge push from the opposition to try to block the far right from getting that absolute majority, potentially forcing france into a hung parliament and potentially paralysis as well. remember, president macron came to power here pledging to revive the political centre to bridge right and left. what he's actually done and what has happened under his watch, is to polarise and push people into the extremes of right and left. there will be a lot of people

tonight who will be furious at president macron for a gamble that has misfired, a trap that perhaps has ensnared himself, and indeed france as well, will have huge implications, potentially for this country and for the european union as a whole. and could, if this were to be replicated on sunday, lead to this country having its first far—right government since world war ii. here in the us, a new poll suggests some democratic voters are increasingly concerned about whether presidentjoe biden is mentally fit to serve a second term. that's after a shaky performance in his debate with republican presidential candidate donald trump on thursday. a new cbs news/yougov poll shows 72% of registered voters believe president biden does not have the mental and cognitive health to serve. when asked if biden should run for president, 72% of registered voters said the president should not seek a second term. and among his own party, 45% of registered democrats say biden should step

aside as the nominee. despite those numbers, many allies of mr biden say thursday night was just a setback. meanwhile, republicans are doubling down on their critiques of the president's performance, saying it shows why donald trump is the right choice for a second term. i talked about the race with kadia goba, a political reporter at semafor. some striking numbers. what do you make of those and do you think this is showing that debate performance by the president did make a difference? that there has been a shift in the electorate? i think it is very clear that the debate performance forjoe biden did not go well. in fact, polling suggests he actually lost more support and trump sort of maintained or stabilised in his support, but as you said, strikingly down from just before the vote, only 27% of registered voters actually

think that he has the cognitive and mental ability to serve as president, which is pretty impactfulfor a few months before a presidential election. we saw the amount of people saying joe biden should not be running for president. up 9% after that debate. the number saying he does not have the cognitive abilities to serve as president up 7%. can the president still win with those kinds of polling numbers? i can't predict the outcome because they are always a lot of things that happen before the election. but what i think is interesting is how members of congress are responding. most of them admit he had a terrible debate and, i spoke tojim clyburn the other day, on friday, who said that he hopes

that the president does not debate again, which as you know they were anticipating a second debate. i don't know if that is going to happen. right now, there is no coherent message coming out of the democratic party. what we hear is people are having talks about what to do. so, it is not clear what is going to happen but i assume we will find out within the coming weeks and definitely, iwould imagine, before the upcoming convention. we've heard from the biden camp as well, we know the biden family is at camp david, a retreat there, taking a family portrait even. what do you make of the way thatjoe biden and the family are handling this? it does not seem like they have any plans right now, notjust to drop out of the race, but there are not any plans to tweak or change anything when it comes to the campaign either? yes, when i spoke to some members of congress, they were privately saying they were a little upset that the campaign itself does not seem to be taking this as serious and just like responding with,

"well, we had a bad debate but we're still trying our "support behind him." many members want something to be done and they are not sure what it is but they want some action to be done. a lot of these people are on the ballot in november as well. so they don't want to be dragged down with the president. i assume it will get pretty contentious within the next few days and i anticipate more coming out. it is going to be an interesting week, that is for sure. we're also hearing from biden campaign officials, from surrogates, saying this election remains about the differences between the two main candidates, about two different presidencies and where voters fall along the lines of policy. do think that is still true though, or going forward is it going to be about to make older candidates which one of them is more physically or mentally fit to serve for four years?

i think there is going to be a lot of attention about biden�*s cognitive abilities. he has to serve four years if he wins. but also, let's not forget, the candidate he is up against is also facing a slew of criminal charges that he has to deal with. so it is a very interesting or unusual presidential election but there are some things that are keeping people from just voting for donald trump as well. i don't want to put you on the spot here, but what do you think the chances are that we see some kind of big announcement in the coming weeks or so that there will be a shakeup here in the democratic side? i wish i could predict the future. i will say that when i spoke tojim clyburn, who i think is one of a few people who would have any influence on biden�*s decision, he said that whatever that decision comes from or whenever that happens, if it ever happens, that is going to

be something that the family discusses. and that will be the biggest influence on probably joe biden. rishi sunak has told the bbc he thinks the uk is better off now than in 2010, when the tories took office. he's also once again accused labour of planning to raise taxes, but they say their plans are fully costed. and as the candidates make a final push towards thursday's elections, they drew some political parallels with england's dramatic euros win over slovakia. here's the bbc�*s leila nathoo. the two candidates to be the next prime minister, seeing perhaps their own fortunes in england's performance. for keir starmer, the result was never in doubt. "it's not over until it's over," says rishi sunak. no, no, no. i've got to pay for this. only a few more days of encounters like this — rishi sunak visiting a bakery in north london this afternoon. have you had a nice weekend? thank you. with the election now around the corner today, he maintained he would still be

prime minister on friday and defended his party's record when challenged over whether the country was better now than when the conservatives took charge. we had a once—in—a—century pandemic, followed by a war in ukraine that drove up everyone's bills. and, of course, that's been difficult for everybody. but we've also made progress in tackling those things — inflation back to normal, the economy growing again, wages rising, energy bills set to fall again just next week. and now we're able to start cutting people's taxes to give them financial security. labour took a break from big campaign events today, but are mindful of the fact they need their huge lead in the polls to actually translate into votes. i'm proud of the campaign that we've run. i think we've put forward real and meaningful change and done it with an eye on responsibility because of the legacy that we're going to get after ia years of the tories. but change will only come if people vote for it on thursday. winning back seats in scotland is one of labour's tasks next week. the snp accused both main parties of not being honest

with voters about what lies ahead. there is that conspiracy of silence. there's £18—billion worth of public sector cuts, which are agreed by both the labour party and the conservative party. that's a choice that they are making at this election. we, of course, oppose that. we believe that there should be investment in our public services, investment in our nhs, and we need to get away from this race to the bottom on austerity that exists in westminster. the liberal democrat leader, sir ed davey, is ending his campaign as it began with stunts that make a splash, so he gets the chance to talk about what his party's mps would argue for if more of them are returned to parliament. that would be a fair deal on the nhs and care, it would be a fair deal on cost of living, it'll be a fair deal on the environment and many other issues. so that manifesto, if people vote liberal democrat, would be our marching orders to deal with any government and any bill and any policy that comes forward. at a reform uk rally in birmingham, its leader, nigel farage, batted away concerns about what he

described as a few bad apples in and around his party. he thinks the election result is already decided, and insists reform will have a role to play. for democracy to function, there has to be a concerted voice of opposition, challenge. the conservatives can't do that because they'll be in opposition, but not the opposition, because they're so divided. so... but also the point about reform uk is it's notjust about a voice in parliament, it's a voice in the country. the time for party pitches nearly over as the moment to decide approaches. leila nathoo, bbc news. a reform uk election candidate has disowned the party and endorsed the local conservative candidate instead. it comes just days after the party distanced itself from two activists who were filmed by channel 4 apparently making racist comments. prime minister sunak described the incident as racist and inappropriate. a short while ago, the reform candidate who dropped out, liam boothe—isherwood, issued a statement detailing how he came to this decision.

bbc political correspondent harry farley has more. he is announcing my decision to leave the reform party and back the local conservative candidate and said, he went on to say, he has become increasingly disillusioned with the behaviour and conduct of reform. he points to reports of widespread racism and sexism in reform that have made clear to him, in his words, that there is a significant moral issue in certain elements of the party. he goes on to say that the party's leadership to not only take this matter seriously but also fundamentally address it has made clear to me it is no longer a party i wish to be associated with. nigel farage in his address, the rally in birmingham wejust heard from there, he admitted the party had some bad apples. he said he got rid of them. "there are no more bad apples," he said. he dismissed that undercover filming from channel 4 as a smear campaign where a reform party campaigner

was filmed making racist remarks about the prime minister. he dismissed that as a smear campaign but i think this defection or this disowning rather from this candidate will add oxygen to that story and the concerns from some, including their former candidate, that there are reform in his words has moral issues. around the world and across the uk. this is bbc news. let's look at another story making news. the spanish civil guard has called off the search for the missing british 19—year—old jay slater. he's been missing in tenerife since i7june after he told a friend he was lost in the mountains. police carried out a new search on saturday with the help of dozens of emergency workers near the village of masca, in the rural de teno national park. our correspondent guy hedgecoe gave us this update. all of those search efforts have so far been in vain. they have not provided any information or any trace of jay slater�*s whereabouts and the police today said

they have called off that search, although the investigation, they say, remains open. that is where we are at the moment. the search by the local authorities has been halted, although the investigation does remain open. a family friend said they would carry on the search and were looking for people to assist in that effort with rescue experience. you're live with bbc news. let's turn to the conflict in the middle east. the bbc has seen and heard evidence that israeli troops in the occupied west bank carried injured palestinian men on the bonnet of a military jeep on at least three occasions during an operation injenin this month. a video emerged last week showing one of the men, mujahid abadi balas, being driven on the front of the car, sparking international anger. the bbc has now spoken to two more people who say the same thing happened to them, as our middle east correspondent

lucy williamson reports from jenin. mujahid's encounter with israel's army is written over his body. gunshot wounds to his leg and shoulder, burns and bruises, from where he was forced onto the bonnet of a militaryjeep. "they told me not to hold on", he said. "i was saying my final prayers. "i didn't expect to survive." the video of his journey caused international outrage, but mujahid was not the only one. samir, shot in the back during the same military raid, was unable to stand, he told us, but was carried to an army vehicle, stripped of his trousers and thrown onto the bonnet. this video appears to show him half naked on the same armyjeep. both men were shot here in the jabriyat area ofjenin, as israeli forces came to arrest a wanted man. the walls still marked

by sniper fire. hisham said he too was shot and put on the front of the same jeep in the olive grove below the house. translation: | tried - to put my hand on the jeep, i couldn't. it was burning hot, but they forced me saying that i should get on it if i didn't want to die. israel's army said mujahid's case violated orders and procedures and would be investigated. it said the new allegations we put to them were under review. all three men were quickly released by the army. jenin has been a target for israeli raids since the 7th of october hamas attacks. since then, more than 120 palestinians have been killed there by israeli forces — civilians and fighters. but armed men still patrol the camp and the battle has not subsided.

translation: what the israeli army doesn't know is _ the resistance is an idea planted in the heart. it will not stop. if one palestinian gets killed, five more will replace him. during an israeli operation this week, bombs buried deep in the roads hit troops as they drove in, killing one soldier and wounding 16 others. this battle began long before the gaza war. but tactics here on both sides are shifting in its wake, and the behaviour of israeli troops is under scrutiny here too. this is different territory to gaza, but it's the same adversaries, the same war. lucy williamson, bbc news, jenin. south african president cyril ramaphosa has announced a new coalition cabinet, weeks after his african national congress lost its parliamentary majority in elections. mr ramaphosa named the leader of the rival democractic alliance, john steenhuisen, as minister of agriculture. the appointment

follows weeks of tense negotiations between the anc and two opposition parties. the democratic alliance now holds six posts in the new coalition government — a first in the south africa since the end of apartheid in 1994. australia is introducing some of the toughest measures in the world around vaping. as of monday, it is illegal to supply, manufacture or import a vape, or sell one other than in a pharmacy. until october, anyone buying a vape will need a prescription. after that, customers older than 18 will be allowed to buy vapes over the counter after having a conversation with their pharmacist. australia already has some of the world's strictest anti—smoking laws. i spoke about the new measures with the bbc�*s katie watson in sydney. tell us more about these restrictions. how difficult will it be to buy a vape? this was the albanese administration who wanted this to be a world

first when it came to the sale of e—cigarettes. but it got watered down by the greens party, who were concerned over total prohibition without prescription. as of today, as you said, trying to buy a vape means no retailers will be able to sell them, no petrol stations, you have to go to a pharmacy with a prescription. come october, you will be able to go to a pharmacist, have a conversation with them and get a vape without a prescription. under 18s will always need to have a prescription. it will make it much more difficult, of course. and, of course, for those who were used to being able to buy them from retailers, that will no longer be an option. and vapes are pretty popular. you see so many people in the streets with them. what is behind the move? why is australia cracking down? absolutely. you look at research done here that compared just to before the pandemic, vaping especially

among young people has really soared. obviously that growth in consumption has been a main driver. australia has got form when it comes to anti—smoking legislation, as you mentioned there. in 2012, it was the first country to adopt plain packaging to lessen the marketing appeal of normal cigarettes and of course it has also limited the number of flavours with vapes just in the last few months. to certainly crack down on the appeal of vaping, especially to target the younger consumers. it is really interesting to see that this is something that seems to be targeting young people, that once this law goes into effect, anyone under the age of 18 will need a prescription. is there concern that these vapes which obviously have nicotine in them can be addictive for these younger users? absolutely. targeting vapes because they are addictive is what of

the main driver. there is concern that if there are tough rules around vapes will there be a switch back to cigarettes if they are more readily available and that would defeat the object of trying to bring in this legislation. there is opposition to the legislation that has been brought in, or concern about what the impact will be. that is something obviously that we will only know when the legislation really takes place. that is something i wanted to ask you, what has been the reaction to these reforms? i believe that those who are manufacturing vapes or in the business might be against these but it is interesting to hear there is opposition from people that claim this might lead people back to cigarettes. of course those who have been selling vapes, retailers, they are out of a job as of today. there is concern among pharmacists as well that they are a bit of a dumping ground for vapes, given that there's controversy over the therapeutic merits

of e—cigarettes in the first place. and, of course, the impact of what this legislation will mean in terms of consumption. but that is something that once it is bedded down, once there has been a switch, that is information, those are statistics we will only know in the coming months. interesting to see how this will all shape up. thank you. let's turn to some important news around the world. us weather forecasters say hurricane beryl has strengthened to a category 4 storm in the caribbean. the national hurricane center expects what it calls life—threatening winds and storm surge in the windward islands to begin early monday morning. beryl is the earliest category 4 storm on record during the atlantic hurricane season that began 1june. authorities in northeastern nigeria are blaming boko haram militants for a series of blasts that killed at least 18 people. suicide bombers targeted a wedding ceremony and a hospital in borno state on saturday. there has been no official claim of responsibility, but the state's commissioner for internal security told the bbc that boko haram had

sought to sabotage government efforts to resettle people in the town where the attacks were launched. borno has been at the heart ofjihadist attacks that have killed 40,000 people and displaced 2 million since 2009. south korea's military says north korea fired two ballistic missiles eastward. it follows north korea's criticism of a joint military exercise by south korea, japan and the united states held last month. officials from the taliban in afghanistan arrived in qatar on sunday for un—led talks. they're aimed at starting dialogue between the taliban and the international community. but rights groups have expressed anger at the lack of human rights issues on the agenda. and before we go, from monday, visitors will be allowed into previously unseen parts of balmoral — the royal family's scottish holiday home. the new guided tour allows the public into several rooms in the aberdeenshire castle, which has been used by successive monarchs since queen victoria.

stay with us here on bbc news. hello. thanks forjoining me. well, july, statistically, is our warmest month of the summer but thisjuly — at least, the beginning — is looking very different. mother nature has decided to put a pause on the summer heat. it's going to be rather on the cool side, even really windy at times in the north of the uk and, of course, there is some rain on the way. so, let's have a look at the forecast for monday. a couple of weather fronts spreading across the uk and early in the morning, we will have had fairly cloudy weather with some rain splashing through out towards the east that morning. sunshine and temperatures of around 13 or 1a degrees celsius. ok, let's get the forecast then. that bright weather will give way to cloudier skies as that weather front advances eastwards. most of the rain will fall across northern england, parts of scotland, too but out towards the west come the afternoon, the skies should brighten, so at least some

sunny spells on the way. and in the south, too. temperatures — nothing spectacular. 17 in belfast, glasgow and newcastle, the midlands too, maybe nudging up to about 21 in london — so, a little below where we normally are on average. wimbledon gets under way on monday. temperatures in london about 21, often cloudy, just about staying dry — and similar weather the following day. now, let's have a look at the forecast for tuesday. a weak ridge of high pressure tries to build across the uk but around it, there's a fair amount of cloud. notice where the showers go — scotland, northern ireland and the north of england. i think if you're in the south and the southeast, the weather on tuesday should be generally dry and the temperatures about the same even — no higher than 15 degrees in the lowlands of scotland and just about 20 or so further south. then, on wednesday, a weather front. low pressure again moving across the uk. you know what that means — cloud and some outbreaks of rain. really quite grey for a time for some of us.

the winds not too strong but certainly a good breeze out there. temperatures may not even make 20 celsius midweek, which is a little unusual at this time of the year. let's have a look at the week at a glance now. towards the end of the week, it's actually going to turn particularly windy, i think, across northern parts of the uk. guess what? even a risk of gale force winds around some scottish coasts. that's it for me. bye— bye.

voice-over: this is bbc news. we'll have the headlines for you at the top of the hour, which is straight after this programme. welcome to hardtalk. i'm stephen sackur. some great writers thrive on distance. distance from the people, place and culture into which they were born. others stay rooted and observe from within. my guest today is an acclaimed novelist of the latter type. anne enright has lived in and around dublin, part of a close—knit family, for almost all of her life. she is undoubtedly one of ireland's greatest living writers, but to what extent has her country shaped her fiction?