Far-right gains in EU election deal stunning defeats to France’s Macron, Germany’s Scholz and Spain’s socialist PM

Far-right gains in EU election deal stunning defeats to France’s Macron, Germany’s Scholz and Spain’s socialist PM
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Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez speaks to media after voting during the European Parliament election, in Madrid, Spain, June 9, 2024. (REUTERS)
Far-right gains in EU election deal stunning defeats to France’s Macron, Germany’s Scholz and Spain’s socialist PM
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German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (R) of the Social Democratic Party poses with Elisabeth and Valentin Jahn with their baby Benedikt after voting for the European Parliament Elections at a polling station in Potsdam, eastern Germany, on June 9, 2024. (AFP)
Far-right gains in EU election deal stunning defeats to France’s Macron, Germany’s Scholz and Spain’s socialist PM
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Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni arrives to vote for the European Parliament elections, in Rome, Saturday, June 8, 2024. (LaPresse via AP)
Far-right gains in EU election deal stunning defeats to France’s Macron, Germany’s Scholz and Spain’s socialist PM
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Assessors count votes at a polling station, after the European Parliament elections in Palma de Mallorca on June 9, 2024. (AFP)
Far-right gains in EU election deal stunning defeats to France’s Macron, Germany’s Scholz and Spain’s socialist PM
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French President Emmanuel Macron speaks through a screen at the far-right National Rally (Rassemblement National - RN) party headquarters after the polls closed during the European Parliament elections, in Paris, on June 9, 2024. (REUTERS)
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Updated 10 June 2024
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Far-right gains in EU election deal stunning defeats to France’s Macron, Germany’s Scholz and Spain’s socialist PM

Far-right gains in EU election deal stunning defeats to France’s Macron, Germany’s Scholz and Spain’s socialist PM
  • Italy’s PM Meloni solidifies top spot in EU vote -exit poll
  • Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk stayes undefeated

BRUSSELS: Voting has ended to elect the European Union’s regional lawmakers for the next five-year term after the last remaining polls closed in Italy, as surging far-right parties dealt a body blow to two of the bloc’s most important leaders: French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

In Spain, the center-right People’s Party (PP) came out on top, garnering 22 seats out of the 61 allocated to the country, and dealing a blow to the Socialist-led government of Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez.
In Italy, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s arch-conservative Brothers of Italy group won the most votes in the weekend EU parliamentary election, exit polls said, confirming its status as the country's  most popular party.

Official results were expected any moment after Italian polling stations closed at 11 p.m. local time (2100GMT), officially ending a marathon election spanning four days across 27 bloc member countries.
An initial projection provided by the European Union indicated far-right parties have made big gains at the European Parliament.
In France, the National Rally party of Marine Le Pen dominated the polls to such an extent that Macron immediately dissolved the national parliament and called for new elections, a massive political risk since his party could suffer more losses, hobbling the rest of his presidential term that ends in 2027.
Le Pen was delighted to accept the challenge. “We’re ready to turn the country around, ready to defend the interests of the French, ready to put an end to mass immigration,” she said, echoing the rallying cry of so many far-right leaders in other countries who were celebrating substantial wins.
Macron acknowledged the thud of defeat. “I’ve heard your message, your concerns, and I won’t leave them unanswered,” he said, adding that calling a snap election only underscored his democratic credentials.
In Germany, the most populous nation in the 27-member bloc, projections indicated that the AfD overcame a string of scandals involving its top candidate to rise to 16.5 percent, up from 11 percent in 2019. In comparison, the combined result for the three parties in the German governing coalition barely topped 30 percent.
Scholz suffered such an ignominious fate that his long-established Social Democratic party fell behind the extreme-right Alternative for Germany, which surged into second place. “After all the prophecies of doom, after the barrage of the last few weeks, we are the second strongest force,” a jubilant AfD leader Alice Weidel said.
The four-day polls in the 27 EU countries were the world’s second-biggest exercise in democracy, behind India’s recent election. At the end, the rise of the far right was even more stunning than many analysts predicted.
The French National Rally crystalized it as it stood at over 30 percent or about twice as much as Macron’s pro-European centrist Renew party that is projected to reach around 15 percent.
Overall across the EU, two mainstream and pro-European groups, the Christian Democrats and the Socialists, remained the dominant forces. The gains of the far right came at the expense of the Greens, who were expected to lose about 20 seats and fall back to sixth position in the legislature. Macron’s pro-business Renew group also lost big.
For decades, the European Union, which has its roots in the defeat of Nazi Germany and fascist Italy, confined the hard right to the political fringes. With its strong showing in these elections, the far right could now become a major player in policies ranging from migration to security and climate.

Germany, traditionally a stronghold for environmentalists, exemplified the humbling of the Greens, who were predicted to fall from 20 percent to 12 percent. With further losses expected in France and elsewhere, the defeat of the Greens could well have an impact on the EU’s overall climate change policies, still the most progressive across the globe.
The center-right Christian Democratic bloc of EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, which already weakened its green credentials ahead of the polls, dominated in Germany with almost 30 percent, easily beating Scholz’s Social Democrats, who fell to 14 percent, even behind the AfD.
“What you have already set as a trend is all the better – strongest force, stable, in difficult times and by a distance,” von der Leyen told her German supporters by video link from Brussels.

Italy’s PM Meloni solidifies top spot in EU vote — exit poll

As well as France, the hard right, which focused its campaign on migration and crime, was expected to make significant gains in Italy, where Premier Giorgia Meloni was tipped to consolidate her power.

An exit poll for state broadcaster RAI said Brothers of Italy won between 26-30 percent of the vote, with the center-left opposition Democratic Party (PD) coming second with 21-25 percent
The other main opposition party, the 5-Star Movement, was seen on 10-14 percent, while Forza Italia, founded by the late Silvio Berlusconi, was in fourth place on 8.5-10.5 percent, potentially beating its old ally, the far-right League, which was on 8-10 percent.
Brothers of Italy won just 6.4 percent of the vote in the last EU ballot in 2019, but jumped ahead of all other parties in 2022 national elections, when it took 26 percent, with Italians seeing Meloni as a no-nonsense, straight-talking leader.
Her party traces its roots back to a neo-fascist group and her 2022 victory set the tone for far-right gains across Europe, including in the June 6-9 EU ballot, which has seen the continent swing sharply right.
Meloni governs in Rome with the center-right Forza Italia and the League, presenting this as a model for the next EU government in Brussels, where Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will need to build consensus to secure a second term.
If confirmed, the PD result would represent a good score for its leader Elly Schlein, who took charge of the party in 2023 and has struggled to impose her will on the old guard. The PD won 19 percent in 2022 and Schlein was anxious to improve on that.
The one disappointment for all parties this weekend was the turnout, which was expected to come in at around or even beneath 50 percent — a record low in a country that has had historically strong voter participation.

Spain’s right wing wins

In Spain, Prime Minister Sanchez’s Socialists, spearheaded by Energy Minister Teresa Ribera, earned 20 seats after a campaign in which the opposition honed in on private corruption allegations against the premier’s wife and an amnesty law for Catalan pro-independence leaders passed just one week before the election.
With 99.7 percent of the vote counted, far-right Vox finished third with six lawmakers, up from the four it had in the previous legislature.
Still, in terms of vote share, support for Vox dipped to 9.6 percent from 12.4 percent in the July 2023 general election. The far-right party is struggling to break a vote ceiling of 14 percent, making it an outlier compared to its peers in other EU countries.
Alvise Perez, a far-right social media influencer running against what he describes as universal corruption, managed to obtain three seats with a campaign mostly conducted through the messaging app Telegram.
The combined right won nearly 50 percent, while the left followed with 43 percent.
The leftist vote was split between Sumar — the junior partner in the government coalition — that won three seats and hard-left Podemos, led by former Equality Minister Irene Montero, which got two.

Poland's Tusk holds on

Bucking the trend was former EU leader and current Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, who overcame Law and Justice, the national conservative party that governed Poland from 2015-23 and drove it ever further to the right. A poll showed Tusk’s party won with 38 percent, compared to 34 percent for his bitter nemesis.
“Of these large, ambitious countries, of the EU leaders, Poland has shown that democracy, honesty and Europe triumph here,” Tusk told his supporters. “I am so moved.”
He declared, “We showed that we are a light of hope for Europe.”
EU lawmakers, who serve a five-year term in the 720-seat Parliament, have a say in issues from financial rules to climate and agriculture policy. They approve the EU budget, which bankrolls priorities including infrastructure projects, farm subsidies and aid delivered to Ukraine. And they hold a veto over appointments to the powerful EU commission.
These elections come at a testing time for voter confidence in a bloc of some 450 million people. Over the last five years, the EU has been shaken by the coronavirus pandemic, an economic slump and an energy crisis fueled by the biggest land conflict in Europe since the Second World War. But political campaigning often focuses on issues of concern in individual countries rather than on broader European interests.
Since the last EU election in 2019, populist or far-right parties now lead governments in three nations — Hungary, Slovakia and Italy — and are part of ruling coalitions in others including Sweden, Finland and, soon, the Netherlands. Polls give the populists an advantage in France, Belgium, Austria and Italy.
“Right is good,” Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who leads a stridently nationalist and anti-migrant government, told reporters after casting his ballot. “To go right is always good. Go right!”


Putin says Russia will keep testing new missile in combat

Putin says Russia will keep testing new missile in combat
Updated 5 sec ago
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Putin says Russia will keep testing new missile in combat

Putin says Russia will keep testing new missile in combat
The Kremlin leader described the missile’s first use as a successful test, and said more would follow
“We will continue these tests, including in combat conditions, depending on the situation and the nature of the security threats that are created for Russia,” he said

MOSCOW: President Vladimir Putin said on Friday that Russia would keep testing its new Oreshnik hypersonic missile in combat and had a stock ready for use.
Putin was speaking a day after Russia fired the new intermediate-range weapon into Ukraine for the first time, a step he said was prompted by Ukraine’s use of US ballistic missiles and British cruise missiles to hit Russia.
The Kremlin leader described the missile’s first use as a successful test, and said more would follow.
“We will continue these tests, including in combat conditions, depending on the situation and the nature of the security threats that are created for Russia,” he said in televised comments to defense officials and missile developers.
“Moreover, we have a stock of such products, a stock of such systems ready for use.”
A US official, however, said the weapon Russia used was an experimental one. The official said Russia has a limited number of them and that this is not a capability that Russia is able to regularly deploy on the battlefield.
Intermediate missiles have a range of 3,000-5,500 km (1,860-3,415 miles), which would enable them to strike anywhere in Europe or the western United States from Russia.
Security experts said the novel feature of the Oreshnik missile was that it carried multiple warheads capable of simultaneously striking different targets — something usually associated with longer-range intercontinental ballistic missiles designed to carry nuclear warheads.
Ukraine said the missile reached a top speed of more than 13,000 kph (8,000 mph) and took about 15 minutes to reach its target from its launch.
The firing of the missile was part of a sharp rise in tensions this week as both Ukraine and Russia have struck each other’s territory with increasingly potent weapons.
Moscow says that by giving the green light for Ukraine to fire Western missiles deep inside Russia, the US and its allies are entering into direct conflict with Russia. On Tuesday, Putin approved policy changes that lowered the threshold for Russia to use nuclear weapons in response to an attack with conventional weapons.

SEVERE ESCALATION
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia’s use of the new missile amounted to “a clear and severe escalation” in the war and called for strong worldwide condemnation. He said Ukraine was working on developing new types of air defense to counter “new risks.”
The Kremlin said the firing of the Oreshnik was a warning to the West against taking further “reckless” actions and decisions in support of Ukraine.
The Oreshnik was fired with conventional, not nuclear warheads. Putin said it was not a strategic nuclear weapon but its striking power and accuracy meant that its impact would be comparable, “especially when used in a massive group and in combination with other high-precision long-range systems.”
He said the missile was incapable of being shot down by an enemy.
“I will add that there is no countermeasure to such a missile, no means of intercepting it, in the world today. And I will emphasize once again that we will continue testing this newest system. It is necessary to establish serial production,” he said.

WHO keeps mpox at highest alert level

WHO keeps mpox at highest alert level
Updated 20 min 51 sec ago
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WHO keeps mpox at highest alert level

WHO keeps mpox at highest alert level
  • “The decision was based on the rising number and continuing geographic spread of cases, operational challenges in the field,” WHO said
  • The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is the country hardest hit by the outbreak, followed by Burundi and Nigeria

GENEVA: The World Health Organization said Friday it had decided to keep its alert for the mpox epidemic at the highest level, as the number of cases and countries affected rises.
“The decision was based on the rising number and continuing geographic spread of cases, operational challenges in the field, and the need to mount and sustain a cohesive response across countries and partners,” it said in a statement.
“The WHO Director-General, agreeing with the advice of the (International Health Regulations) IHR Emergency Committee, has determined that the upsurge of mpox continues to constitute a public health emergency of international concern,” it said, extending the emergency first declared on August 14.
The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is the country hardest hit by the outbreak, followed by Burundi and Nigeria.
Mpox, previously known as monkeypox, is caused by a virus transmitted to humans by infected animals but can also be passed from human to human through close physical contact.
It causes fever, muscular aches and large boil-like skin lesions, and can be deadly.
The August emergency declaration was in response to a surge in cases of the new Clade 1b strain in the DRC that spread to nearby countries.
That and other mpox strains have been reported across 80 countries — 19 of them in Africa — so far this year, WHO has previously said.


London’s Gatwick Airport reopens terminal following security alert

London’s Gatwick Airport reopens terminal following security alert
Updated 22 November 2024
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London’s Gatwick Airport reopens terminal following security alert

London’s Gatwick Airport reopens terminal following security alert
  • Police sent a bomb disposal team to deal with a suspected prohibited item that they said had been found in luggage at the airport’s south terminal, 30 miles south of London
  • “The earlier security alert has now been resolved and cleared by police,” Gatwick said

LONDON: London’s Gatwick Airport, the second busiest airport in Britain, reopened a terminal on Friday after a security alert earlier in the day forced its evacuation and caused travel disruption for thousands of people.
Police sent a bomb disposal team to deal with a suspected prohibited item that they said had been found in luggage at the airport’s south terminal, 30 miles south of London.
“The earlier security alert has now been resolved and cleared by police,” Gatwick said in a statement. “The South Terminal is reopening to staff and will be open to passengers shortly.”
The incident disrupted weekend travel plans for thousands of passengers, with more than 600 flights due to land or take off on Friday from Gatwick, amounting to more than 121,000 passenger seats, according to data from aviation analytics firm Cirium.
Thousands of passengers were seen outside the terminal and the surrounding area in videos posted online after the terminal shut for several hours. Emergency foil blankets were distributed to some of the passengers who were waiting in the cold, social media pictures showed.
In a separate incident earlier on Friday, London police carried out a controlled explosion near the US embassy in south London after discovering a suspect package. Police later said they believed it was a hoax.


New Bangladeshi tourism initiative empowers marginalized Indigenous groups

A tourist interacts with members of the Santal community in Rajshahi district, Bangladesh, Nov. 3, 2024. (BRAC)
A tourist interacts with members of the Santal community in Rajshahi district, Bangladesh, Nov. 3, 2024. (BRAC)
Updated 22 November 2024
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New Bangladeshi tourism initiative empowers marginalized Indigenous groups

A tourist interacts with members of the Santal community in Rajshahi district, Bangladesh, Nov. 3, 2024. (BRAC)
  • BRAC’s Othiti program helps uplift rural communities and their traditional skills
  • Pilot program is underway in Rajshahi district near the Bangladesh–India border

DHAKA: A new initiative by Bangladesh’s largest development organization is fostering community-based tourism in remote rural areas to empower Indigenous groups and help preserve their cultures.

There are more than 50 Indigenous groups in Bangladesh, most of whom, or about 1 million people, live in the flatland districts of the country’s north and southeast, and in the Chittagong Hill Tracts, bordering India and Myanmar.

Launched in early November, the new tourism initiative spearheaded by BRAC is named Othiti, which means “guest” in Bengali.

The pilot program is underway in Rajshahi district on the northern bank of the Padma River, near the Bangladesh–India border.

“We started the journey of Othiti from Rajshahi. Tourists rarely visit this part of the country, but it is very rich, both culturally and historically. Starting from the mighty river Padma, there’s a lot of natural beauty over there,” Asif Saleh, BRAC executive director, told Arab News.

“We will not be confined within Rajshahi. There are plans to expand this tourism project in other parts of the country … in places like Sundarbans, Chottogram Hill Tracts, Cox’s Bazar. We will try to connect tourists particularly with the Indigenous communities of these areas to experience their traditions, culture, and customs. If tourists can experience the diversity of these areas, they can connect with them in a different way. It will make people prouder of the rich history and culture of our country.”

The project involves rural youth, students of the Rajshahi University, whom BRAC has employed as part-time guides to introduce visitors to their customs and traditional livelihoods.

“We have built a relationship of trust and reliability with these communities. We hope that tourists will become interested in the culture and customs of the Indigenous people, and have a better understanding and empathy towards them,” Saleh said.

“Our Othiti aims for the sector’s development as well as employment for the (local) people, which will benefit these communities … We began this project as a social enterprise. We may incur loss initially for many years, but ultimately, if the sector develops, it will attract many people.”

Indigenous communities in Bangladesh have been struggling with access to education, healthcare, and jobs. Many live in forest areas with inadequate infrastructure. Poverty and unemployment levels among these groups are much higher than among the non-Indigenous.

Moutushi Biswas, a BRAC consultant, said a number of initiatives under the Othiti program are meant to uplift the communities and their traditional skills.

For example, introducing tourists to the Premtoli village of potters helped increase demand for their earthenware and work.

“While visiting the pottery community, tourists are experiencing the craftsmanship of potters who have been engaged in this for many generations. They can experience it by themselves, making clay pots under the guidance of a traditional potter. It’s a very unique experience,” she said.

“This initiative is also strengthening the abilities of local communities … The locals who work with us are very enthusiastic about this. We are receiving huge cooperation from them.”

For Happy Soren, a 25-year-old student and Othiti guide, having tourists visit was not only strengthening the village’s economy but also helping raise awareness about her community.

“The tourists want to know our customs and religious beliefs. They want to know the reasons behind the special patterns and paintings on our houses … Our village becomes very festive when they visit us,” she said.

“We believe the tourists who experience our culture and heritage will play a role in developing our village after they go back to their own places and work. They will stand by our people.”


Top court intervenes in New Delhi pollution crisis as respiratory cases spike

People walk through a thick layer of smog as air pollution shoots up in New Delhi on Nov. 18, 2024. (AP)
People walk through a thick layer of smog as air pollution shoots up in New Delhi on Nov. 18, 2024. (AP)
Updated 24 min 52 sec ago
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Top court intervenes in New Delhi pollution crisis as respiratory cases spike

People walk through a thick layer of smog as air pollution shoots up in New Delhi on Nov. 18, 2024. (AP)
  • Number of patients with respiratory diseases has increased two to threefold
  • Court orders Delhi authorities to set up checkpoints, prevent entry of commercial vehicles

NEW DELHI: India’s top court intervened on Friday to request policing measures in New Delhi to contain severe air pollution that over the past week has led to a surge in hospital admissions for respiratory diseases.

Residents of the Indian capital again woke to a thick layer of toxic smog, with an overall Air Quality Index reading of 373, or “very poor,” according to the Central Pollution Control Board.

While conditions have slightly improved since Monday, when a medical emergency was declared with pollution reaching the “severe plus” AQI score of 484, the prolonged crisis prompted the Supreme Court to order the central and local governments to introduce new measures to contain it.

The court said during Friday’s hearing that it was “not satisfied” with the Delhi administration and police efforts to address the pollution and ordered the authorities to “ensure that check posts are immediately set up at all 113 entry points (to the capital)” to stop trucks and commercial vehicles from entering the city.

The move follows the court’s order earlier this week to suspend all construction work in the whole of New Delhi and the National Capital Region.

“It is a constitutional obligation of the central government and the states to ensure that citizens live in a pollution-free atmosphere,” the court said.

As toxic smog has persisted for over a week, Delhi authorities have shut all schools and moved classes online, while half of the government employees have been allowed to work from home.

The continuing crisis is already reflected in a surge of hospitalizations for respiratory disease.

“The cases related to lungs and respiratory problems have significantly risen,” Dr. Nikhil Modi, pulmonologist at Indraprastha Apollo Hospital in New Delhi, told Arab News, adding that the patients coming to the hospital with respiratory issues are “two to three times the normal” amount.

“Especially for those who already have underlying lung disease, the problem can be significant, and if they develop a secondary pneumonia or an infection, then they require emergency admission,” Modi said.

Toxic smog arrives in New Delhi every winter as temperatures drop, trapping toxic pollutants from tens of millions of cars, as well as construction sites, factory emissions, and waste burning. It is aggravated by farmland fires in the country’s northwest and southeast, where farmers clear stubble to prepare fields to plant wheat.