You are invited to join us for Global Crisis Watch 278, on Friday, June 7th at 10:00 BST.
The highlighted topics will include:
N. Modi won the elections in India, which happened during a massive heat wave
Indian PM Narendra Modi has won a third consecutive term in a much tighter general election than anticipated. His Party (BJP) looks set to fall short of a majority and is leading in the 543-seat parliament, below the required 272 seats. However its coalition partners have gained additional seats. More than 640 million people voted in a marathon seven-week election, hailed as a "world record" by election authorities. Nearly half of the voters were women. To his Hindu nationalist base, Mr Modi delivered on key manifesto promise of revoking the autonomy of Indian-administered Kashmir, and he continues to dominate Indian politics, although the opposition Congress party has made gains. At the same time, the Indian heat wave killed dozens over the summer, with nearly 25 000 people falling ill from heatstroke, complicating the elections and putting Climate change into focus.
Trump became the first U.S. president who was convicted of a criminal offence
Trump became the first U.S. president to be convicted of a crime on Thursday when a New York jury found him guilty of falsifying documents. He answered that the real verdict is going to be on November fifth on election day. Opinion polls show that Trump and Biden are locked in a tight race. Biden's campaign said the verdict showed that no one was above the law and urged citizens to vote against him. If elected, Trump could shut down the two federal cases that accuse him of illegally trying to overturn his 2020 election loss and mishandling classified documents after leaving office in 2021. Trump has returned to the campaign trail after the sentencing, now as a convicted felon, and the stakes have been increased.
The US tacitly allow Ukraine to target Russia with its donated weapons.
US President Joe Biden has given Ukraine permission to use American-supplied weapons to strike targets in Russia, but only near the Kharkiv region, according to US officials. They stress that the policy with respect to prohibiting the use of Army Tactical Missile System [ATACMS] or long-range strikes inside of Russia has not changed. The guidance specifically allows Ukraine to use U.S. weapons in a “counter-fire” capacity to defend against Russian forces attacking or preparing to attack Ukraine.Russian forces have made gains in the Kharkiv region in recent weeks after a surprise offensive in the area, close to the border with Russia. The UK earlier signaled that it was open to an easing of restrictions on how Ukraine could use weapons supplied by the West, but Washington had resisted easing these restrictions over fears of escalation. Ukrainian officials had stepped up calls on the U.S. to allow Kyiv’s forces to defend themselves as Kharkiv is just 20 kilometers from the Russian border. In response, the Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned that Moscow could arm countries with a view to attacking Western targets.
EU Parliament Elections begin this year amidst fear of a far right resurgence
As the world’s second-largest democratic vote after India, the European elections have the power to reshape the political landscape across the continent . This week at the European elections, the far-right is set to make huge gains and possibly define the next five years of European politics. As many as 373 million Europeans can go to the polls and elect 720 members of the next European Parliament, as the EU’s political centre has undeniably moved to the right over the past two decades. However the main leaders of the right such as Italy’s Meloni and Hungary’s Orban have curbed their nationalist rhetoric as of late, however their open challenges to the policies of the Brussels establishment could destabilize a united policy on Russia and China. The European Green deal is also challenged by the rise of the right wing parties, which do not see the ecological emergency posed by climate change.
Plus, all the stories that are catching our attention wherever we live in the world. Feel free to join us and add your voice to the conversation.
