Europe Lurching To The Right Amidst A Modi Upset
A detailed recount mixed with meme comedy to mark our times at Week 22 of 2024 featuring source material from Star Trek Lower Decks, No. 7 West Mars Street, and Hailey’s On It!
Author’s Note: Since last Monday, I have been interning for the Standard newspaper and have been contributing as an intern reporter for the outlet. You can check out my work there in full with a weekly update like the article below. Do make sure you are subscribed to this Substack to catch my work published from my internships!
Earth Watch - Highway To The Danger Zone!
We are on a “highway to climate hell,” says UN chief António Guterres as he announced new scientific warnings about climate change and proclaims the world is facing a “climate crunch time.” By the end of May, the world has suffered through 12 months of record temperature highs according to new data from the EU’s climate monitoring service Copernicus, a result the director of the program called “shocking but not surprising.” During his fiery speech, Guterres said “We are playing Russian roulette with our planet” and called for a global fossil-fuel advertising ban, proclaiming fossil fuel companies the “godfathers of climate chaos.”
In related news, top scientists have calculated the rate Earth is warming has hit an all-time high in 2023, with 92% of record-shattering heat caused by humans but there is no evidence of climate change accelerating. More alarmingly, scientists from NOAA, the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, and the University of California San Diego found that CO2 levels in the atmosphere are surging “faster than ever” at a pace humans have not experienced before. Laurence Tubiana, one of the architects behind the Paris Agreement in 2015, called for taxes or charges on consumption targeted at the global rich. Taking inspiration from the AI-generated image “All Eyes on Rafah” which went viral on social media, a copycat campaign seeking to drive support for Indigenous tribes fighting palm oil plantations in eastern Indonesia dubbed “All Eyes on Palau” has generated a similar type of online interest on deforestation in the region.
Voterama 2024 - European Parliament’s Rightward Flip
Voters from 27 countries of the European Union participated in elections that lasted from Thursday to Sunday, selecting their MEPs to represent their respective countries in the European Parliament. It comes at a chaotic time for the EU, with the war in Ukraine being front and center on many voters’ minds, but issues like the economy, public health, and climate change are also on the agenda. Recent developments like the shooting of Slovakia’s PM Robert Fico, the chaotic Dutch coalition talks that lasted for months, Hungary’s authoritarian-sympathizing streak within the EU, and potential questions surrounding Belgium’s existence as a country all hang in the balance for voters in their respective countries before the ballots get cast.
Many are expecting the two leading parties, the center-right European People’s Party (EPP) and the center-left Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (S&D) were expected to remain stable based on polling before the election. However, the Liberals and Greens were expected to take a hit as the far-right parties stand to look forward with some gains. This matters a lot to regional politics, but it becomes more significant to Ursula von der Leyen, the leader of the EPP who wants to run for a second term as President of the European Commission. To get into that role, von der Leyen must secure a majority support of 361 votes in Parliament after being nominated by the European Council. However, her first term has created many enemies, which some like the Greens are worried would lead to von der Leyen cutting a devil’s bargain with the far-right.
The two main far-right parties are the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) party and the Identity and Democracy (ID) party. Two major power players in the far-right are Georgia Meloni, leader of the Brothers of Italy party which has a history of dabbling with fascism; and Marine Le Pen, firebrand leader of the National Rally in France which was also expected to do well in the elections. Despite Meloni’s party being hard-right on bashing multiculturalism and gender roles, the Brothers of Italy represent a softer ECR group that is willing to compromise in Parliament on issues like illegal immigration. Ursula von der Leyen is heavily courting Meloni to be on her side, given that they have a good working relationship and that Meloni is not considered a political arsonist during her tenure in power. Working with Meloni and courting her to the center also fractures the hard right in Europe, specifically Le Pen’s plans to rebrand herself as a mainstream figure and work with fellow far-right parties to yank Europe’s political position into ideological extremes. However, Le Pen needed Meloni to make her plan work, and there was already a small implosion concerning the AfD being expelled from the National Front’s coalition after the leader of its European campaign made light of Nazi war crimes, claiming not SS officers were criminals.
On Tuesday night, two days before the European Parliament elections began, a council candidate for the German far-right AfD party was attacked with a knife, five days after a police officer was stabbed to death in the market square of Mannheim. On Thursday morning, Dutch voters kicked off the marathon EU elections which exit polls suggest a surge of support for populist Geert Wilders and his anti-immigrant Party for Freedom (PVV), while left-leaning parties barely had a lead in victory against the far-right. Horror in Denmark after the country’s PM Mette Frederiksen was physically attacked by a man in Copenhagen and suffered whiplash injuries, the attacker was subsequently arrested but police say there is no political motivation behind the attack right. In Italy, as the country voted on Saturday, PM Giorgia Meloni went personal on the campaign, even calling for voters to “just write Giorgia” in their ballot papers. On Super Sunday, the remaining 20 EU countries headed to the polls and voted. As the exit polls were released, far-right parties in Austria and Germany are on course for substantial gains after the election. Olaf Scholz’s Social Democrats in Germany are seeing their worst-ever result, while the Conservative CDU/CSU bloc is projected to win first and the far-right AfD getting second place. Emmanuel Macron’s party also was handily beaten by Marine Le Pen’s far-right party, the French president hence announced the dissolution of the country’s National Assembly with new legislative elections going to be held on June 30 and July 7. But in a slight relief to the political establishment in Belgium, the New Flemish Alliance’s victory against the far-right party Vlaams Belang disproved polls that a huge sweep from the far-right would materialize.
Voterama 2024 - Modi And Sheinbaum’s (Mostly) Assured Victory
Without a surprise, the winners of elections in Mexico and India are just as expected. Since the polls closed in Mexico last Sunday, Claudia Sheinbaum of the ruling Morena party was set to win just based on the initial exit polls. Hours later, it was confirmed Sheinbaum won by a landslide, getting about 60% of the popular vote. As the country's first woman and Jewish president with a background as an energy scientist and Mexico City mayor, observers doubt whether she will govern as a pragmatist or an ideologue influenced by her predecessor AMLO. Furthermore, the Morena party has control of a supermajority in the lower house and a majority in the upper house that is 3 seats shy of a supermajority, not to mention the ruling party has massive gains in governorships and state assemblies. In reaction to the news and the possible enactment of constitutional change long pushed by AMLO, the Peso fell as investors fear the ruling party and its allies have reached the two-thirds majority needed to change the country’s constitution.
After initial exit polls showing Narendra Modi of the BJP party winning a majority last week, the official confirmation happened Tuesday as the voters began tallying. Modi’s National Democratic Alliance (or NDA for short) led by the BJP defeated the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (or INDIA for short) headed by Rahul Gandhi of the Indian National Congress party. Still, the opposition gained more votes than expected and Modi’s party lost 63 seats compared to the 2019 election. As a result, the BJP needs to form a coalition government in a shock to Modi’s perceived power in the country. Despite the slight disappointment, Modi declared victory on Tuesday night but many observers see his aura of invincibility is over, and was in talks with key allies to form a coalition the next day. By Sunday, Modi was inaugurated in a lavish ceremony after he struck a coalition deal with allies, but the presence of a resurgent majority will come to haunt Modi’s plans for the next five years in office.
The Greatest Political Drama On Earth - Convicted Felon Trump’s First Week Campaigning
As America reels from the fact that Donald Trump is now a convicted criminal, the election campaign rumbles on. Just days after Trump’s conviction, Hunter Biden goes on trial in Delaware for his gun case. Hunter’s father Joe says he has “boundless love” for his son in a statement to the press, and the jury was selected on the first day of the trial. Speaking of Trump’s conviction, the former president called on the Supreme Court to annul his guilty verdict. Meanwhile, Donald Trump joined TikTok to boost his support among young voters and swiftly gathered 2 million followers. The former president called it an “honor” to join the app, despite previously trying to ban it during his time in office. In related hilarity, a “Trust Jesus” MAGA bus with many pro-Trump insignia crushed into a pole ahead of a Staten Island Trump rally, insert your religion joke here. Tackling the border issue once more, President Biden prepared to enact a tougher immigration law that would shut down asylum requests after 2500 migrants entered the country in one day. Bob Menedez, the senator for New Jersey currently under trial for corruption allegations, officially filed to enter the race as an independent, despite his unpopularity and criminal charges. In Congress, a funny moment occurred when Republican Representative John Rose’s six-year-old son stole the show from his father’s impassioned defense of Trump by making weird faces. However, the most childish performance that day went to Marjorie Taylor Greene, who joined fellow Republicans in attacking Dr. Antony Fauci over COVID origins and controversies.
Months after Time magazine published articles surrounding their interview with Trump, the magazine released three separate articles on their Biden interview, in which he laid out how he will navigate a turbulent world if he wins reelection. Meanwhile, in a move that would enrage Trump, Joe Biden’s campaign has been increasingly calling his rival a “convicted felon” as attacks escalate. With Hunter Biden’s court case began with opening statements, Attorney General Merrick Garland faced off against the House Judiciary and rebuked attacks from the GOP. Meanwhile, Biden signed an executive order allowing temporary border closures for migrants, which a legal challenge by the American Civil Liberties Union swiftly followed. After Bob Menendez declared himself as an independent in the November election, Representative Andy Kim easily won the nomination to run for Menendez’s seat as the Senate Democratic nominee, while Rob Menendez (Son of Bob) won a Democratic House primary. Montana’s primary has officially set the tone for one of the most hotly contested races in the Senate, with the GOP picking Tim Sheehy to challenge the Democratic incumbent Jon Tester in a race that might decide who gets control of the Senate. In Wisconsin, the state brought felony charges on three Trump allies over the fake electors scheme during the aftermath of the 2020 election. Related to the law and elections, in the New York hush money election interference case, Trump’s lawyers requested Judge Merchan to lift the gag order that barred the convicted felon from commenting about witnesses, jurors, and others tied to the criminal case that led to his conviction.
As Hunter Biden’s ex-wife and a former girlfriend of his took the stand on Wednesday a day after Hunter’s current wife Melissa Cohen-Biden called out former Trump aide Garett Ziegler, who attacked Melissa online, for being a “Nazi piece of shit,” House Republicans issued criminal referrals towards Hunter and Joe Biden’s brother James alleging false testimony. In good news for Trump’s legal team, the classified documents case slowed down even more thanks to Judge Aileen Cannon while a judge from Georgia's Court of Appeals paused court proceedings against Trump until his appeals were reviewed, essentially freezing the case through the election. However, the gag order for the New York case remains while the N.Y.P.D. has begun its process to revoke Trump’s license to own a gun due to the fact he is a convicted felon. In a symbolic blow from 39 Senate Republicans, they blocked a bill protecting contraceptive rights for all Americans. On a hilarious note, House Oversight chair James Comer, who has heavily criticized the Biden family’s dealings with China, has been revealed to be involved with a failed business deal to import marijuana from China.
Bad news for former Trump advisor Steve Bannon, a federal judge ordered him to report to prison by July 1 to serve a contempt of Congress sentence after he refused to testify with the January 6 committee in 2022. In a sign of Trump’s dangerous rhetoric escalating, the convicted felon told Fox News host Sean Hannity he’d have “‘every right” to seek prosecutions of political foes. Since it is pride month, the Republicans have boosted their attacks on the LGBT community, this time with the Colorado state GOP being rebuked by both parties after calling for the burning of pride flags in an inflammatory email. Concerning the third party side, a group aligned with Biden’s side has accused Kennedy’s campaign of lying about his New York residency, arguing he should not be on the November ballot.
We have finally got our eight finalists who would contend for the Trump VP slot after the Trump team requested at least eight people to provide documents to the campaign. These eight include Senators Marco Rubio, J. D. Vance, Tim Scott, and Tom Cotton; Representative Elise Stefanik and Byron Donalds; North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum; and former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development under the first Trump Administration Ben Carson. Embarrassingly for the former president, his legal woes from abroad have come back to haunt him. The convicted felon in the United States is in breach of £300,000 in the UK after losing a dossier case against former MI6 spy Christopher Steele, who compiled the infamous Steele Dossier that alleged Russian interference in the 2016 election. One of Trump’s loyalists and Arizona Senate candidate, Kari Lake, delivered a speech while standing underneath a confederate flag. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court released their required annual reports, which included Clarance Thomas belatedly disclosing two trips with GOP mega-donor Harlan Crow, and we learned Ketanji Brown Jackson accepted four tickets worth nearly $4,000 from Beyoncé to one of her concerts. Axios reported Mike Johnson and House Republican leaders are whipping votes on a bill to show allegiance to Trump after his conviction, the prosecution for the Hunter Biden gun trial rests after testimony from his daughter, while the convicted felon’s former chief of staff Mark Meadows pled not guilty to the election subversion charges in Arizona. In related but hilariously pathetic legal news, businessman Jose Uribe told a jury that he bribed Senator Bob Menendez with a Mercedes-Benz car.
The Most Cathartic Democratic Election Ever - Farage’s Back, Tell A Friend
Sunak’s campaign theme of utter humiliation and gathering a team of operatives can be reasonably doubted as opposition party moles kept getting better this week, starting with the PM getting photobombed by a boat full of supporters from the Liberal Democrats party. Meanwhile, the Labour Party has positioned itself as the party for national security during a speech given by Starmer, as the Tories were planning to use their idea of changing the Equality Act to protect “biological sex” as a way of goading the opposition into the culture wars. The controversy surrounding Faiza Shaheen marked another turn as Channel 4 News had exclusive access to the candidacy interview with the National Executive Committee, held hours before she was advised not to run as a Labour candidate. In further bad news for the UK, Nigel Farage, who lost 7 out of 7 elections running for MP, announced he is running an 8th time and confirmed he is standing as a Reform UK candidate (And officially as the party leader, despite everyone thinking he is already the leader) in the general election. Sunak has since pledged annual immigration caps for work and family visas, and the Tories have considered toughening his party’s position on the European Convention on Human Rights, which was controversial before the election inside the Conservative Party. In an awkward moment for former cabinet minister Grant Shapps, he abruptly called before hanging up on Sky News deputy political editor Sam Coates after being told live on the phone he would be one of the big-name Tories to lose seats in the next general election. That information came as a Sky News and YouGov poll projects a Labour majority of 194 seats, larger than Tony Blair’s majority with 12 Tory ministers projected to lose their dests.
On Tuesday, everyone was focused on the debate between Sunak and Starmer on ITV, the first time they have debated each other as PM candidates. During the debate, the two discussed immigration, the NHS, the cost of living crisis, the Gaza war, and how to continue the special relationship with the US if Trump comes back into office. In good news for the Tories, a YouGov poll conducted right after the debate showed Sunak winning by a narrow margin, 51% feeling the Tory PM did well to Starmer who got 49%. Regarding the economy, many observers see Starmer failing to respond after Sunak claimed a Labour government will "everyone's taxes up by 2,000 pounds," a notable attack line by the Conservatives. Earlier in the day, Lib Dem leader Ed Davey had some prop fun by destroying a blue Jenga tower as a metaphor for toppling the blue wall. Meanwhile, in Clacton, two people were arrested after Reform UK’s latest candidate Nigel Farage had a drink thrown at him when the former UKIP leader launched his campaign.
In an embarrassment to Sunak from his own government after his debate, the UK Treasury joined a flurry of fact-checkers in refuting the PM’s claim that impartial officials have calculated the Labour Party would “put up everyone’s taxes by £2,000.” Starmer pounced on the chance to call his rival a “liar,” as an independent watchdog announced it was looking into the tax matter. At the same time, both Sunak and Starmer agreed to participate in a Sky News leaders’ special next week. For Reform UK, the latest YouGov poll by Wednesday suggested they are only 2 points behind the Tories, while Labour continues its massive lead over all parties.
Supposedly, there wasn’t much political movement on Thursday as leaders unveiled their pledges for veterans on the 80th anniversary of D-Day, though there was an embarrassing scene where Sunak left the D-Day celebrations early to record an ITV interview and left David Cameron to replace him in photo shoots instead. Hours later, Sunak had to apologize for the mistake (Some journalists have reported that Rishi originally did not want to participate in the event in the first place, and compromised to stay for half of the event) and defended himself against accusations of being a liar over his £2000 tax accusation towards the Labour Party. By the way, the Tories have experienced their worst poll ratings since the disastrous Liz Truss weeks. On the other side, in a move to court the left of his party, Labour leader Keir Starmer is expected to push for recognizing a Palestinian state in his party’s manifesto.
On Friday, the BBC held an election debate featuring Penny Mordaunt from the Tories, Angela Rayner from Labour, Stephen Flynn of the SNP, Daisy Cooper of the Lib Dems, Nigel Farage representing Reform UK, the Green Party’s Carla Denyer, and Rhun ap Iorwerth from Plaid Cymru. Following the fall-out of Sunak’s D-Day gaffe, the move was universally criticized by all political figures, including by Penny Mordaunt during the BBC debate who said the PM was “very wrong” to have done so. After bashing Sunak for the exit fiasco, Rayner and Mordaunt clashed on the Tories’ tax claim on Labour, while Farage was the chaos agent who claimed the PM was “unpatriotic” as a way to capitalize on the political mistake.
Politically, the monumental D-Day gaffe has turned out to be a massive liability for Sunak, especially in his own party with the PM’s close aides calling it “a fuck-up” while a former defense minister called it “the stupidest of stupid ideas.” Meanwhile, the joke candidate Count Binface, fresh off a victory defeating the far-right party Britain First in the London Mayoral elections, announced he is running against Sunak in his constituency of Richmond and Northallerton. Keir Starmer will also face Elmo as a joke candidate in Holborn and St Pancras.
Israel/Hamas War Watch - A Brief Respite, Yet So Much Calamity
This week started with the possibility of a US-backed ceasefire plan widely accepted by most in the international community hanging in the balance because Netanyahu was unhappy to accept its terms, while a major infighting over the deal was flaring up inside the war cabinet between the extreme sides of the coalition. Meanwhile, the Maldives announced they would ban Israelis from entering the country in response to the war in Gaza. On Monday, the UN warned more than half of Gaza is destroyed or damaged based on preliminary satellite data, and its resident experts have urged all countries to recognize Palestine's statehood. On the ground, the IDF announced 4 more hostages were dead after they were shown in a hostage video by Hamas. Despite Israel’s efforts to “clear” Hamas from Northern Gaza, experts say the terrorist group is still going strong in areas they have once retreated, threatening a “forever war” as a result.
As the Biden administration pushed its ceasefire deal in the UN Security Council, Netanyahu’s largest coalition partner backed the prospective Gaza hostage deal on Tuesday. During the Time magazine interview with President Biden, the president was asked about Netanyahu and Gaza and said he has “every reason” to believe the Israeli PM is prolonging the war for his own political gain. Concerning Israel’s best ally, the US House of Representatives passed a bill designed to sanction the ICC as it seeks arrest warrants against Israeli officials, while police arrested more than 70 protestors who were given trespassing charges after they entered the lobby of the Israeli consulate in San Francisco and refused to leave. In Silicon Valley, a former Meta engineer accused the company of bias in handling content surrounding the Israel-Gaza war in a lawsuit and alleged he was fired for trying to fix bugs that were suppressing pro-Palestine content on Instagram. Since we are on the topic of law and Gaza, Columbia University settled a lawsuit filed by a Jewish student after agreeing to provide safe passage for students on campus, while fears over self-censorship among academic institutions have grown after the website for Columbia Law Review was taken offline after an article by a Palestinian human rights lawyer criticizing Israel was found to not been subjected to sufficient review.
Wednesday began with revelations from the New York Times and Haaretz that Israel’s Ministry of Diaspora Affairs has secretly targeted US lawmakers with an influence campaign surrounding the Gaza war, using fake social media accounts to persuade legislators to fund Israel’s military. In reaction to a CNN investigation detailing abuses against Palestinian detainees, the Israeli Supreme Court was informed that Israel is phasing out the use of the detention camp of Sde Teiman in the Negev desert. Meanwhile, BBC reported Palestinians found bodies sticking out of the sand piled up by bulldozers in Gaza City’s al-Shifa hospital complex after an Israeli raid. For Israel’s military operation, not only did forces start new attacks on central Gaza which killed dozens, but tensions are rising on the border with Lebanon as the IDF warns of a potential fresh offensive targeting Hezbollah. We also learned more about talks between Hamas and its rival Fatah set to be held in China in mid-June, as the extremist group sets its sights on retaining influence after the Gaza war. Inside Jerusalem, Israeli nationalists marched through the Palestinian area of the city, with some chanting disgusting phrases like “Death to Arabs” in one of the key emotional places for the Israel-Palestine conflict raging on for decades. One person smashed the front entrance to the Haaretz newspaper with a hammer, as a picture of an Israeli Haaretz journalist protecting a Palestinian colleague from a mob was widely circulated online. At least 18 people were arrested at the march. Within the US, more than 13 people were arrested after protestors occupied the office belonging to Stanford University’s president.
Early Thursday, an Israeli strike killed at least 30 people in a school-turned-shelter in central Gaza, which the IDF claimed was being used as a “Hamas compound.” It later turned out the school was operated by the UN, and US ammunition was used by the Israeli army to destroy the building. Within the ICJ, Spain announced they are joining South Africa’s case accusing Israel of genocide. In new pressure points on Joe Biden’s Israel policy, the NAACP urged the president to halt weapon shipments to Israel as he struggles to secure the black vote, and George Clooney called White House staff to defend his wife Amal’s work on issuing the ICC warrants on Israel and Hamas.
We learned on Friday that Benjamin Netanyahu is set to address a joint session of Congress on July 24, setting the scene for divides inside Israel’s firmest ally on its policy towards the war. Inside the UN, the organization officially labeled both Israel and Hamas to the list of states and armed groups committing violations against children, while the unemployment rate in Gaza has reached 80%. For those who consider the following headline as good news, the US military said the temporary aid pier has been reattached and is ready to function (US officials claim badly needed aid has been delivered through the pier starting on Saturday). On the college campus front, an Orange County judge halted labor action by academic workers at the University of California in protest over the administration’s policies on Israel, citing “irreparable harm” for students.
Missing among the headlines from the weekdays was the news that the Israeli minister Benny Gantz was expected to announce his exit from Netanyahu's coalition on Saturday, setting the scene for inflamed political chaos inside the war cabinet and Israeli politics in a crucial point of the war. But suddenly, everything changed after the IDF rescued four hostages in its largest rescue operation yet, with three men and one woman (The woman in question is Noa Argamani, a Chinese-Israeli hostage who was seen being abducted by a Hamas terrorist on a motorcycle as she yelled, "Don't kill me!") all in healthy condition, with some already reunited with family. It was the subject of celebration among many Israelis, with Gantz delaying his supposed statement due to “recent events.” French and US presidents welcomed the news during a press conference on Saturday, especially given the latter country provided crucial intelligence that allowed the high-risk operation to happen. However, it must be noted that in juxtaposition, the Hamas-run government media office claimed at least 278 Palestinians and several hostages were killed after Israeli bombardments at the al-Nuseirat camp in central Gaza allowed the hostages to be rescued, while the health ministry warned the last functioning hospitals already overwhelmed by patients might be out of service very soon. By Sunday, Bibi’s top political rival Benny Gantz and former IDF chief Gadi Eisenkot officially announced their resignation, with Gantz calling for Netanyahu to hold a general election soon to the disapproval of the Israeli PM. The departure of Gantz may also complicate diplomatic efforts by the US to get Israel to end the war in Gaza, and that is on top of the news that the White House is offering Saudi Arabia a landmark defense treaty to spur its Israel normalization deal.
Ukraine/Russia War Watch - D-Day Echoes
In response to Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky’s criticism that China is helping Russia to undermine its peace summit, China refuted the allegation by saying all efforts should be recognized in supporting peace measures between Russia and Ukraine. Meanwhile, the Financial Times reported a Russia-China gas pipeline deal called the Siberia 2 project is stalled over price demands from Beijing’s side. If the project went through, observers argue it would offer a lifeline to Russia’s oil exporter Gazprom while the country’s dependence on China grows.
Ukraine loomed large with Joe Biden’s visit to France during the 80th anniversary of D-Day, with a flurry of diplomacy conducted behind the scenes given the US is seeking a boost in transatlantic ties while European allies are heavily concerned over the chances of a second Trump term. During Biden’s stirring speech at Normandy, he drew parallels between the Ukraine war and D-Day as monarchs and leaders alike celebrated the veterans who saved Europe. During a particularly touching moment, a US veteran hugged and shared his gratitude to Zelensky, calling the Ukrainian president “a savior of the people.” On the same day, Joe Biden told ABC News in an interview on the same day that US weapons would not be used to strike the Kremlin or Moscow, and he would not pardon his son Hunter if he is convicted. During a talk between Biden and Zelensky, the US president publicly apologized for the monthslong holdup to weapons that allowed Russia to make gains militarily.
Days after the Biden administration allowed Ukraine to fire American weapons into Russia, Ukraine destroyed missile launches in the Belgorod region inside Russian soil. In the Time interview, Biden’s claim that the Russian military has been “freaking decimated” was proven accurate by fact-checkers in the magazine. On Wednesday a company-commissioned report showed Gazprom was greatly affected by the Ukraine war, with the corporation unlikely to recover gas sales due to Putin’s decision. Within Russia over the week, Putin claimed relations between Moscow and Washington would not change regardless of who becomes president, warning Western countries he has long-range weapons that can strike targets in their countries, said any deal to free the detained Wall Street Journal journalist Evan Gershkovich must benefit his country, and bluffed nuclear weapons won’t be needed for Russia to win in Ukraine. By Friday, the European Commission and Ukraine are preparing for accession negotiations later this month, but Hungary might cause delays to the matter.
Local News - Boiling Over On HKU’s Head
This was supposedly a good week for Zhang Xiang, the president of the University of Hong Kong, who celebrated in an internal email addressed to staff and students regarding the institution reaching its highest-ever position in the latest QS World University Rankings. However, the email also gave Zhang a chance to fire back at the HKU Council after a power struggle inside the top echelons of the university. For context, Zhang and members of the council have been at loggerheads since last week. The Council chair Priscilla Wong Pui-sze abruptly approved six interim vice presidents in a norm-breaking move, while Zhang claimed he was kept in the dark about the senior management reshuffle that saw some of his key allies inside the university leadership shuffled aside and was allegedly seeking legal counsel per reporting from the SCMP.
Zhang wrote in the email, “Stability is key for development. Over the past year, HKU has been enshrouded by internal struggles that have hindered the University’s operation and our reputation and standing would inevitably be affected in the future. The investigation stemming from malicious whistle-blowing complaints lasted for an extensive period of six months. Just as it came to a close, resolutions were proposed during the recent meeting to appoint several interim Vice Presidents without informing or consulting with me and Council members in advance.” The university president also accused actions by the Council as undermining to the university’s daily operations. “These actions have severely undermined the century-old academic autonomy upon which the University of Hong Kong is built. The stability and development of our University, as well as the reputation of Hong Kong, are now at risk, not to mention the negative impact on our efforts to attract global talents. As the President of this esteemed institution, it is my duty to uphold the century-old traditions, mechanisms, and procedures that are fundamental to the smooth functioning of the University.”
The news caught the attention of Chief Executive John Lee after university alumni warned the conflict was affecting daily operations inside the institution, which led the city leader and university chancellor to order the Education Bureau to look into the apparent power struggle. On the same Saturday the JMSC (Journalism and Media Studies Centre) celebrated its 25th anniversary with a homecoming day event, the SCMP reported Zhang was urged to explain extensive board meeting absences which he only appeared once out of the 18 academic board meetings he was supposed to take while in office, and failing to disclose details of 16 business trips spanning over almost 147 days. It also comes as the Secretary for Education Christine Choi Yuk-lin announced the government was expected to “make a decision” soon regarding the already raging conflict between Zhang and the Council but provided no further details.
Postscripts To The Memeables: Some Headlines, Some Importance, Some Snark
Dateline Seoul, South Korea:
After last week’s repeated trash balloon deliveries from North Korea to the South as a protest for anti-Kim propaganda balloons flown by activists, the country announced on Monday they are suspending any further sending of such balloons to South Korea. On the same Monday, South Korea planned to nullify a peace deal between the countries as punishment for North Korea over the balloon launches.
Days later, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol said North Korea should be ashamed of itself for conducting the provocations in a “despicable manner.” Meanwhile, activists punched back by sending balloons of K-Pop and K-dramas, two things the Kim regime hates. Then over the weekend, as the North continued to send hundreds of trash balloons, South Korea restarted the infamously “unbearable” loudspeaker broadcasts to harass their counterpart.
Dateline Tbilisi, Georgia:
After massive public unrest and the bill vetoed by the country’s president, Georgia’s parliament voted again and its speaker signed the divisive and controversial foreign influence bill into law, copying a similar law in Russia that critics suggest can be used to suppress dissent and further the country’s chances of joining the EU.
Dateline Outer Space:
After successfully collecting lunar samples and planting a Chinese flag from the back of the Moon’s surface, part of the Chang’e 6 lander blasted off on Tuesday morning before making a rendevous with the spacecraft on lunar orbit two days later. If the descent is successful, it marks the first time samples were collected and returned to Earth from the dark side of the Moon.
Meanwhile, the delay-plagued Boeing Starliner spacecraft launch carrying two astronauts made its third launch attempt on Wednesday. The good news for the mission and the astronauts came as the rocket lifted off from Earth, belatedly making Boeing the second private company to send people into space. It was not all smooth sailing for the astronauts as they had to troubleshoot helium leaks onboard the spacecraft by shutting down 2 helium valves, but at least they safely docked with the ISS on Thursday which began a one-week stay. For SpaceX, the company’s Starship rocket survived the return to Earth and achieved a soft landing on its fourth try, completing a full test flight around the world.
All The News That’s Unfit To Meme
HKFP: Tiananmen crackdown anniversary: performance artist surrounded, taken away by police
HKFP: In Pictures: Tiananmen crackdown commemorations foiled by large Hong Kong police deployment
Guardian: Two more British judges resign from Hong Kong’s top court
HKFP: 5 years on, 72% of 2019 protest arrestees yet to see day in court
Standard: Trio bailed after arrest for ‘insulting’ Chinese anthem at World Cup qualifier | The Standard
HKFP: 8th arrest under HK's new security law linked to Chow Hang-tung
Bloomberg: Hong Kong Could Stop Shutting Stock Market During Typhoons as Soon as September - Bloomberg
Time: Hong Kong Tells Residents to ‘Smile More’ to Revive Tourism | TIME
Bloomberg: New Hong Kong-Beijing Sleeper Trains Slash Travel Time by Half
Reuters: Chinese who lost money in bank fraud detained for months after protest | Reuters
Bloomberg: Paul Krugman Says China Unwilling to Support Consumer Demand - Bloomberg
CNN: China ‘gaokao:’ Record 13 million to sit ‘world’s toughest’ college entrance exam | CNN
France 24: Palau confirms 'major' cyberattack, points to China
BBC: UK's MI6 recruited Chinese state workers as spies, says China
SCMP: Angry at Yasukuni Shrine ‘toilet’ graffiti, Japan man posts US$64,000 bounty for vandal’s arrest
Reuters: Japan PM Kishida will not call snap election before parliament closes, Asahi reports | Reuters
BBC: Byai Phyu: Eyewitnesses accuse Myanmar military of massacre
CNN: Australia drops legal fight against X over church stabbing video | CNN Business
Guardian: UN condemns Taliban after it publicly flogs at least 60 people | Afghanistan | The Guardian
AP: Haiti's new prime minister hospitalized days after being selected to lead country
CNN: Woman mayor killed in Mexico just hours after election of first female president
WSJ: U.N. Atomic Agency Censures Iran Over Nuclear Actions Despite Retaliation Threat - WSJ
AP: Iran OKs 6 candidates for presidential race, but again blocks Ahmadinejad
NYT: U.S. Embassy in Lebanon Targeted With Gunfire
AP: Yemen's Houthi rebels detain at least 9 UN staffers and others in sudden crackdown, officials say
Reuters: Attacks leave Sudanese refugees stranded in Ethiopian forest | Reuters
Bloomberg: South Africa Election: ANC Engages Rivals on Forming New Government - Bloomberg
FT: South Africa opposition group claims Russia is funding Jacob Zuma’s party
Guardian: EU expected to impose sanctions on six Sudanese military figures fuelling war
Reuters: Duolingo deletes LGBT references in Russia after warning from Moscow | Reuters
NYT: In Global Elections, Strongmen Are Taken Down a Notch - The New York Times
CNN: Roaring Kitty: Keith Gill confirms that social media posts, GameStop position are his | CNN Business
Bloomberg: GameStop Shares Soar After Gill Post Shows $116 Million Bet
CNN: Workers at Samsung Electronics go on strike for the first time ever
FT: ECB cuts interest rates for first time in five years
Axios: U.S. economy adds 272000 jobs in May as hiring stays hot
Reuters: Like a pop star, Nvidia's CEO Huang stirs up 'Jensanity' in Taiwan | Reuters
NYT: U.S. Clears Way for Antitrust Inquiries of Nvidia, Microsoft and OpenAI - The New York Times
NYT: OpenAI Whistleblowers Describe Reckless and Secretive Culture - The New York Times
TechCrunch: X tweaks rules to formally allow adult content | TechCrunch
Bloomberg: Japan Space-Debris Pioneer Astroscale Stock Surges in Tokyo IPO - Bloomberg
WaPo: While Boeing has struggled with Starliner, SpaceX has soared - The Washington Post
Reuters: Chile to install world's largest astronomy camera on the edge of Atacama desert | Reuters
CBC: William Anders, Apollo 8 astronaut who took Earthrise photo, killed in plane crash | CBC News
HKFP: Hong Kong-born US astronaut William Anders dies in plane crash, aged 90
Your Weekly Dose Of Outstanding Journalism
Atlantic: What Europe Fears
Bulwark: The President and the Gangster - by Jonathan V. Last
New Yorker: Are We Doomed? Here’s How to Think About It | The New Yorker
Economist: China’s economic model retains a dangerous allure
NYT: D-Day at 80 - The New York Times
Atlantic: The Two-Time Trump Voters Who Have Had Enough
FP: Biden's Policy on Israel and Palestine Is Stuck in the 1990s
WaPo: The war in Gaza looms over Asia’s geopolitics - The Washington Post
Reuters: The Proud Boys are back: How the far-right group is rebuilding
New Statesman: The left power list 2024 - New Statesman
Atlantic: The Failing State Next Door - The Atlantic
NYT: If Trump Wins - The New York Times
Economist: A triumph for Indian democracy
Foreign Affairs: How Climate Change Threatens Democracy | Foreign Affairs
Atlantic: What the Challenger Disaster Proved - The Atlantic
ProPublica: What Donald Trump’s Criminal Trial Indicates About a Second Trump Term — ProPublica
Bulwark: Under the Iron Dome - by Jonathan V. Last - The Bulwark
FT: What happened to liberal conservatism?
NYT: Champions of Degrowth Want to Shrink the Economy to Save the World. - The New York Times
New Yorker: Can State Supreme Courts Preserve—or Expand—Rights? | The New Yorker
Atlantic: A bad week for backers of the Big Lie - The Atlantic
Wired: Inside the Biggest FBI Sting Operation in History | WIRED
FP: U.K. Election 2024: Britain's Revival Must Start With the BBC
SCMP: Hong Kong, rebel city no more: reflecting on the 2019 protests, 5 years on
WaPo: Opinion | Hong Kong's massive June 9 protest changed the city forever
Daily Beast: Why Jon Stewart’s Ex-Head Writer Chelsea Devantez Decided to Tell Him the Truth
BBC: Dead in 6 hours: How Nigerian sextortion scammers targeted my son
MSNBC: Sen. Ron Johnson's claim he knew nothing about a fake electors plot isn't believable
Video Highlights From All Sides
Journalism Monitor: The Profession’s Progress This Week
Reuters: Insight: Top news app in US has Chinese origins and ‘writes fiction’ with the help of AI | Reuters
NYT: Vietnam Arrests Prominent Journalist for Facebook Posts - The New York Times
Semafor: Money woes, staff issues strain the Intercept | Semafor
WaPo: Sally Buzbee steps down as executive editor of The Washington Post
Politico: Playbook PM: Inside WaPo’s Monday morning maelstrom - POLITICO
NYT: Clash Over Phone Hacking Article Preceded Exit of Washington Post Editor - The New York Times
NPR: 'Washington Post' publisher tried to kill a story about him. It wasn't the first time
BBC: The Epoch Times CFO charged with $67m money laundering scheme
Bulwark: The Curious Case of the Epoch Times
Semafor: New York Times, Reuters journalists clash with news union | Semafor
WaPo: Opinion | How to cover an abnormal presidential race - The Washington Post
Time: The Story Behind TIME’s ‘If He Wins’ President Biden Cover
NYT: Liberals Find a TV Prescription for Election Jitters: Monday Nights
Semafor: Why politicians want to buy the news | Semafor
NYT: The Rise and Fall of BNN Breaking, an AI-Generated News Outlet - The New York Times
CPJ: Attacks, arrests, threats, censorship: The high risks of reporting the Israel-Gaza war
CNN: Israel is renewing its ban on Al Jazeera under its controversial media law | CNN Business
Guardian: Disinformation crisis unit on rapid alert around European elections
NYT: Meet the Man Everyone Trusts on U.K. Election Nights: John Curtice - The New York Times