News in brief

By The Associated Press

Ultra-Orthodox protest against order to enlist in Israeli military turns violent

JERUSALEM | Thousands of Jewish ultra-Orthodox men have clashed with Israeli police in central Jerusalem during a protest against a Supreme Court order for them to begin enlisting for military service.

The landmark decision last week ordering the government to begin drafting ultra-Orthodox men could lead to the collapse of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s governing coalition as Israel wages war in Gaza. Military service is compulsory for most Jewish men and women in Israel. But politically powerful ultra-Orthodox parties have won exemptions for their followers to skip military service and instead study in religious seminaries.

The long-standing arrangement has bred resentment among the broader public.

French voters propel far-right to strong lead in first-round elections

PARIS | French voters have propelled the far-right National Rally to a strong lead in first-round legislative elections and plunged the country into political uncertainty. That’s according to polling projections.

French President Emmanuel Macron, who called the surprise elections just three weeks ago, urged voters to rally against the far right. Projections by polling agencies suggest the National Rally stands a good chance of winning a majority in the lower house of parliament for the first time, with an estimated one-third of the first-round vote. That’s nearly double their 18% in the first round in 2022.

—From AP reports