👋 Bonġu!*
Welcome to Monday, where Israel’s war cabinet minister Benny Gantz resigns, Europe’s political establishment reels from far-right gains in EU elections, and tennis champion Carlos Alcaraz turns to ink to celebrate his victory on clay. Meanwhile, Ahmed Salim in Egypt-based news website Al-Manassa unpacks why warring parties in Sudan have resorted to attrition tactics in their stalemated conflict.
[*Maltese]
💡 SPOTLIGHT
A far-right takeover in Europe? The fate rests with national governments
There’s the risk both for over and underestimating the unprecedented gains of far-right parties in the European elections.
The far-right in France may have inflicted Europe’s worst defeat of a governing party, but it’s gaining ground everywhere.
In Germany, the AfD, the party that even Marine Le Pen considered too radical to sit in the same parliamentary group as her, came in second, beating all three parties in Chancellor Olaf Scholz's governing coalition. Yet, it should be noted that the CDU, the classic right-wing party, led the polls in Germany.
Looking at the results this morning, there may well be an optical illusion. The face of the next European Parliament won't look all that different from the previous one: the two (competing) far-right political families — Identity & Democracy and the European Conservatives and Reformists — gained seats, but have not yet upended the political order, and even adding up their seats wouldn't make it so.
It should first be noted that the two main political formations of the European Parliament remain the conservative European People's Party, which includes the German CDU and the French Republicans, followed by the Social Democrats. Their number of seats varies little. Only the liberal group, dominated by the party of French President Emmanuel Macron, has fallen sharply, and hence, French influence will be more limited.
But the optical illusion is that this marginally modified balance does not accurately represent the real influence of the far-right. The far-right is playing an increasingly serious role by participating in coalitions, and this changes the balance of power within the European Council, where important decisions are taken.
— Read the full article by Pierre Haski for France Inter, translated into English by Worldcrunch.
🗞️ FRONT PAGE
French daily Libération opens with the decision by President Emmanuel Macron to dissolve the Assemblée nationale, the parliament’s lower house, and call for new two-round elections to be held on June 30 and July 7. Macron’s decision was triggered by the results of the European elections and the massive support rallied by the far-right Rassemblement National, which obtained about twice the number of votes of the governing majority. Libération calls this decision an “extreme bet,” and stresses that France is not an exception. “The populist and xenophobic right-wing has progressed in most European countries.”
🌎 7 THINGS TO KNOW RIGHT NOW
• Israeli war cabinet minister Benny Gantz has quit Israel’s emergency government. The main political rival of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Gantz said he was resigning because “the situation in the country and in the decision-making room has changed.” The situation has led U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken to announce he would visit Egypt and Israel today to increase pressure on reaching a ceasefire, and ensure that the war will not expand into Lebanon. Read here more about Netanyahu’s vision, translated from French into English for Worldcrunch.
• Europe veers right in EU Parliamentary elections. Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s ruling right-coalition won the most votes in the European parliamentary election, together with the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), which overtook the three parties in Olaf Scholz’s coalition and the humiliating defeat of the Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer’s party. Massive support for far-right Rassemblement National party in the EU vote prompted French President Emmanuel Macron to dissolve the national parliament’s lower house and call for snap elections.
• Ukraine peace summit gathers international leaders but Russia abstains. Switzerland's president announced that nearly 90 countries and organizations will participate in the Ukraine peace summit on June 15-16 in a resort near Lucerne, aimed at addressing the ongoing conflict despite Russia's absence. Leaders, including U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris and top officials from France and Germany, will join the discussions to foster dialogue and humanitarian aid efforts in the war-torn region.
• Iran approves presidential candidates amid regional tensions. The Guardian Council, which oversees elections in the Islamic republic, has approved several candidates for the upcoming presidential election, including conservatives like Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Saeed Jalili, and only one reformist, Massoud Pezeshkian. The elections will occur amid heightened tensions due to the Gaza conflict and ongoing disputes over Iran's nuclear program.
• Trump set to attend virtual probation. Former U.S. president Donald Trump will participate in a virtual interview with a probation officer as part of his sentencing process for his felony conviction in the New York hush-money case. The pre-sentencing report from this interview will help determine Trump's punishment in the first ever case of a former U.S. president convicted of a crime. Trump is unlikely to face jail time due to his age and lack of criminal history.
• North Korea escalates tensions launching new waves of trash balloons. North Korea launched another wave of trash-filled balloons toward South Korea following warnings from Kim Jong-un’s sister about the resumption of anti-North Korean propaganda broadcasts. The escalating tit-for-tat raises concerns of potential military retaliation, as South Korea's military finds itself in a delicate situation with the North.
• Carlos Alcaraz mulls Eiffel Tower tattoo to mark French Open victory. Spain’s tennis champion Carlos Alcaraz says he plans on getting a tattoo to commemorate his first Roland Garros crown. Alcaraz outlasted German player Alexander Zverev in five sets to claim his first Parisian slam.
📰 STORY OF THE DAY
How will the masters of war divide Sudan’s cake?
As neither side is able to achieve a decisive victory, the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces have resorted to attrition tactics in their stalemated conflict, reports Ahmed Salim in Egypt-based news website Al-Manassa.
🇸🇩 Sudan is now divided between two sides: the Sudanese army controls the eastern and northern regions of the country, while the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) controls the central and western regions, and has a slightly greater presence in the capital, Khartoum. Clashes have intensified in several areas, including El Fasher, the capital city of North Darfur province. The army's last major stronghold in the sprawling Darfur region, the city has been under siege by the RSF for months.
💥 Gamal Hamed, a senior official at the Justice and Equality Movement rebel group, estimated that the RSF has deployed in 60% of Sudan. He described the conflict as a war of attrition, noting that both sides were part of the military establishment during the rule of dictator Omar al-Bashir. “The two conflicting parties are intertwined in one body, and they know the strengths and pressure points of each of them well,” Hamed said.
🎯 The RSF accused the army of destroying warehouses of the main oil refinery in Sudan, the Khartoum Oil Refinery, following fierce battles in the vicinity of the refinery north of Khartoum. “Both parties are focusing on attacking supply warehouses and military equipment,” Hamed of the rebel group said, adding that the army uses its air force while the RSF resorted to drones. He said foreign support the two sides receive has contributed to prolonging the conflict.
➡️ Read more on Worldcrunch.com
📣 VERBATIM
“Turn the heat down.”
— Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese reacted to pro-Palestinian protesters attacking the U.S. consulate in Sydney with a sledgehammer and drawing graffiti on the building’s facade. “People are traumatized by what is going on in the Middle East, particularly those with relatives in either Israel or in the Palestinian Occupied Territories,” Albanese told reporters. “And I just say, again, reiterate my call to turn the heat down. (Acts of vandalism) do nothing to advance the cause of those who have committed what is, of course, a crime to damage property.” The attack follows the vandalizing of the same building with the words “Free Gaza” in April and a similar incident concerning the US consulate in Canberra. While Australia is an ally of Israel, Albanese has grown critical of the Israeli war in Gaza, especially following the death of an Australian citizen there in April.
📹 THIS HAPPENED VIDEO — TODAY IN HISTORY, IN ONE ICONIC PHOTO
➡️ Watch the video: THIS HAPPENED
#️⃣ BY THE NUMBERS
+56%
Diesel prices increased by 56% in Malaysia today as the government scrapped decades-long subsidies in an effort to contain public spending. Diesel, as well as gasoline, fuel, cooking oil, rice and more are heavily subsidized in the country, an effort that requires substantial financial resources. Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has pledged to cut the subsidies as part of an effort to restructure government spending. According to Malaysian newspaper Malay Mail, the government will save around 4 billion Malaysian Ringgit (about $800 million), while also tackling what Anwar defined as “widespread smuggling of diesel.” The government plans to reinvest the money saved in assistance for those in need. Yet, Malaysians have reacted negatively to the measure, fearing a spike in costs of living.
📸 PHOTO DU JOUR
Scenes of destruction after heavy Israeli bombing on Gaza’s Nuseirat camp. On Saturday, a special force affiliated with the Israeli army infiltrated the camp and freed four hostages held inside. According to Gaza’s health ministry, more than 270 Palestinians were killed during the operation. — Photo: Saher Alghorra/ZUMA
👉 MORE FROM WORLDCRUNCH
• The Inexorable Arrival Of A Palestinian State — AL-MANASSA
• Has Medellín Sold Its Soul For Tourism Dollars? — EL ESPECTADOR
• Naples, Vesuvius And Me: How Our City Lives With The Eruption That Never Comes — WORLDCRUNCH
✍️ Newsletter by Agnese Tonghini and Fabrizio La Rocca
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