DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Macron breaks his silence on France's election earthquake as post-vote deadlock continues
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-11 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

French President Emmanuel Macron broke his silence on the political earthquake that took place in France last weekend, calling on mainstream parties to work together to form a coalition government. In an open letter to regional newspapers on Wednesday, Macron said "no one won" the parliamentary election and called on mainstream parties with "republican values" to form a governing alliance. With just 180 seats, the NFP fell short of achieving an absolute majority of 289 in the 577-seat National Assembly, France's lower house of parliament. Macron's centrist 'Together' bloc came second in the ballot with 163 seats, and RN and its allies won 143 seats. They can reject the nomination of a party, if it's not seen to have enough seats to form a stable government.

Persons: Emmanuel Macron, Macron, France's, That's, Luc Mélenchon —, it's Organizations: CNBC, Front, NFP, National Assembly, French Communist Party, Socialist Party, Greens, France Unbowed Locations: France, Le Touquet

☆ Three Countries Exit West African Bloc, Shaking a Fragile Region
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-10 | by ( Elian Peltier | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Three West African countries have broken away from a 15-member regional bloc that has long ensured free movement of people and goods among its tightly knit economies, further destabilizing an area that is home to nearly 400 million people and threatened by violent insurgents. The leaders of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger last weekend announced their “irrevocable and immediate” withdrawal from the bloc, the Economic Community of West African States, known as ECOWAS. The three countries, all ruled by military leaders friendly to Russia, span more than half of the bloc’s geographic area and are among its most populous. However, they are not the region’s largest economies, and as landlocked nations, all three depend on access to ports in coastal countries for overseas trade. “Our region is facing the risk of disintegration,” Omar Alieu Touray, the president of ECOWAS’s executive arm, said on Sunday.

Persons: ” Omar Alieu Touray Organizations: Economic, West Locations: Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, West African States, Russia

☆ China examining if EU is putting up ‘trade barriers’ as tensions intensify
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-10 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Earlier this year, the EU launched investigations into China’s state support for its wind turbine and solar panel suppliers. Now, China will investigate if the bloc’s probes violate the two sides’ economic treaty and if they have hurt the country’s trade with the 27 EU member states. The announcement comes just days after the provisional additional duties on imports of Chinese-made EVs into the EU came into effect. Beijing has spoken out strongly against the EU tariffs, saying it will make “all necessary moves” to safeguard China’s interests. According to Wednesday’s announcement, MOFCOM is launching its latest investigation in response to a June request by an industry group in China.

Persons: MOFCOM Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, China’s Ministry of Commerce, EU Locations: Hong Kong, EU, China, Beijing

☆ Microsoft ditches OpenAI board observer seat amid regulatory scrutiny
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-10 | by ( ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Microsoft has ditched the board observer seat at OpenAI that has drawn regulatory scrutiny on both sides of the Atlantic, saying it was not necessary after the AI start-up’s governance had improved significantly in the past eight months. Microsoft took a non-voting, observer position on OpenAI’s board in November last year after OpenAI CEO Sam Altman took back the reins of the company, which operates the generative AI chatbot ChatGPT. The seat meant it could attend OpenAI’s board meetings and access confidential information but had no voting rights on matters including electing or choosing directors. The observer seat and Microsoft’s more than $10 billion investment in OpenAI have triggered unease among antitrust watchdogs in Europe, Britain and the US over how much control it exerts over OpenAI. Microsoft cited OpenAI’s new partnerships, innovation and growing customer base since Altman’s return to the startup for giving up its observer seat.

Persons: Sam Altman, OpenAI Organizations: CNN, Microsoft, British Locations: OpenAI, Europe, Britain

☆ As NATO meets, leaders look to 'Trump-proof' the military alliance
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-10 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

US President Donald Trump arrives for the NATO summit at the Grove hotel in Watford, northeast of London on December 4, 2019. U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky speak during a meeting in New York on September 25, 2019. Hanno Pevkur, Estonia's defense minister, emphasized that NATO allies did not interfere in each other's domestic politics and democratic processes. So when, when the choice of American people is Donald Trump, then it's Donald Trump. Then all the countries in the world, including Estonia, including the NATO allies, have to talk with this administration who will be put in place."

Persons: Donald Trump, Christian Hartmann, Trump, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Peter Nicholls, Jens Stoltenberg, Stoltenberg, Joe Biden's, —, Volodymyr Zelensky, Saul Loeb, Donald Trump's, Keir Starmer, Starmer, we've, that's, Radosław Sikorski, CNBC's Steve Sedgwick, Hanno Pevkur, It's, France —, Balázs Orbán, Viktor Orbán Organizations: NATO, AFP, Getty, Republican, Ukraine, Eurasia Group, Trump, Ukrainian, Independent, CNBC, Hungary's Locations: Grove, Watford, London, Washington, Ukraine, China, North Korea, Iran, Britain, New York, Europe, Russia, Estonia, United States, Germany, Canada, France, Poland

☆ China EV maker BYD to build $1 billion plant in Turkey
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-09 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Hong Kong CNN —China’s BYD, which vies with Tesla for the title of the world’s top maker of battery electric vehicles, has agreed to build a $1 billion car factory in Turkey, the Turkish government has announced. “We aim to meet the growing demand for new-energy vehicles in the region and reach consumers in Europe,” the statement cited BYD representatives as saying. The EU’s decision earlier this year imposed an extra 17.4% tariff on the vehicles BYD ships from China to the bloc, which also has a standard 10% duty on all car imports. Talks between the EU and China are expected to continue but, if no agreement is reached, the additional tariffs will become definitive in November. BYD already announced in December that it would build an EV factory in EU member Hungary, becoming the first major Chinese automaker to build passenger cars in Europe.

Persons: China’s, Tesla, Wang Chuanfu, Mehmet Fatih Kaci, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, BYD, hasn’t Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Turkey’s Industry, Technology, European Union, EU, CNN Locations: Hong Kong, Turkey, Istanbul, Europe, China, Hungary

☆ How Emmanuel Macron blew his legacy
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-09 | by ( Joseph Ataman | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

He’s now staring at what will certainly be his real legacy: Macron opened the door to the far right in France. After a shattering defeat in May’s European Parliament election, his decision to call a snap election has, at least partially, backfired. Emmanuel Macron delivers a speech at the Louvre Museum in Paris after winning the French presidential election in May 2017. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, left, and France's Emmanuel Macron shake hands after a press conference on June 16, 2022 in Kyiv, Ukraine. For countless communities in France - French or immigrant - the legacy of one man’s gamble, and the uncertainty that is his legacy, will exact a far higher price.

Persons: Emmanuel Macron, He’s, Macron, Jacques Witt, France –, –, “, ”, Charly Triballeau, Volodymyr Zelensky, France's Emmanuel Macron, Alexey Furman, he’s, Trump, Putin –, outmanoeuvre Putin, Jordan Bardella, ” Macron, Pen Organizations: Paris CNN, May’s, Front, National Assembly, Macron, Louvre Museum, Getty, “, Putin, NATO, Ukraine, CNN, Ensemble, National Locations: France, Paris, Caen, Normandy, AFP, Europe, Ukraine, Kyiv, lockstep, “

☆ Putin hosts India’s PM to deepen ties, but Ukraine looms over their relationship
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-09 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Russia's President Vladimir Putin and India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi walk during their meeting at the Novo-Ogaryovo state residence near Moscow, Russia July 8, 2024. Their partnership has become more complicated, however, as Russia has moved closer to China amid international isolation of Moscow over Ukraine. Russian state media reported that they would also discuss Moscow helping India build more nuclear power plants. The two countries already are collaborating on the Kudankulam nuclear power project in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu. With Moscow's arms industries mostly serving the Russian military in Ukraine, India has been diversifying its defense procurements, buying more from the U.S., Israel, France and Italy.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Narendra Modi, Putin, Modi, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Matthew Miller, Vinay Mohan Kwatra Organizations: India's, Indian, NATO, . State Department, Shanghai Cooperation Organization, India, Russian Locations: Moscow, Russia, Washington, Ukraine, China, Kazakhstan, Beijing, Russian, Kyiv, India, New Delhi, Tamil Nadu, United States, Vladivostok, Uzbekistan, U.S, Israel, France, Italy, Chennai, East

☆ Incumbents pay the price in year of global elections
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-09 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +13 min

And elections in Taiwan and South Korea proved the dynamism of the idea that free elections can promote stable governance. The two round French election system once again kept the far-right out of power on Sunday but Macron’s gamble didn’t exactly pay off. An era of political turmoil now looms with a hung parliament, a likely shaky coalition and instability ahead of the next presidential election in 2027. Kevin Coombs/ReutersIndonesiaPrabowo Subianto, a former army general, won the presidential election in the world’s fourth most populous nation, which is home to its largest Muslim population. IranIran wasn’t supposed to have a presidential election this year.

Persons: El, they’ve, Donald Trump’s, Joe Biden, Trump —, Ursula von der Leyen, Emmanuel Macron, Le, Macron, Keir Starmer, Kevin Coombs, Suharto, Narendra Modi, Adnan Abidi, Imran Khan, Nawaz, Asif Ali Zardari, Benazir Bhutto, Sheikh Hasina, Vladimir Putin, Alexey Navalny, Putin, El Salvador, Nayib Bukele, ”, Bukele, Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo, ObturadorMX, Claudia Sheinbaum, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, Sheinbaum, Lai Ching, Yoon Suk Yeol, André Ventura, Peter Pellegrini, Robert Fico, Fico, Nelson Mandela —, —, Macky Sall, Sall, Bassirou Diomaye Faye, Ebrahim Raisi, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Masoud Pezeshkian, ultraconservative Saeed Jalili, Pezeshkian Organizations: CNN, European Union, United States –, France, European People’s Party, Popular Front, Britain Voters, Conservative, Labour Party, Reuters, Reuters Indonesia Prabowo, Bharatiya Janata Party, BJP, Pakistan Muslim League, Pakistan People’s Party, Bangladeshi, Kremlin, El, El Salvador Strongman, El Salvador —, Getty, Democratic Progressive Party, Portugal Incumbents, Democratic Alliance coalition, Putin, Russian, South Africa Voters, National Congress, ANC, Democratic Alliance Locations: France, Britain, Iran, El Salvador, Slovakia, Russia, Indonesia, Mexico, South Africa, United States, India, Senegal, Taiwan, South Korea, Germany, London, Reuters Indonesia, Subianto, New Delhi, Reuters Pakistan, Pakistan, —, Bangladesh, South Asia, America, China, Beijing, Portugal, Ukraine, Europe, Senegal Senegal, Africa, Sall, Iran Iran, Islamic Republic

☆ France's Macron wanted to leave his mark on Europe — he may have just ruined his legacy
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-09 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

He's credited with creating the European Political Community, bringing leaders from across 50 states in the region to discuss shared challenges and to coordinate joint responses. For now, Macron has rejected his current Prime Minister Gabriel Attal's resignation and on Monday asked him to stay in the post "to ensure the country's stability." Subran stressed that it was vital that Macron was aligned with the future prime minister. It hasn't paid off, and France's uncertain political outlook will likely perturb France's European partners, one French political scientist told CNBC. French President Emmanuel Macron reviews troops that will take part in the Bastille Day parade, July 2, 2024 in Paris, France.

Persons: Emmanuel Macron, Sebastien Salom, Emmanuel Macron's, Macron, —, Tina Fordham, it'll, Fordham, Francois Hollande, Angela Merkel, He's, Germany —, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Hollande, Gabriel Attal's, Ludovic Subran, Subran, Donald, Trump, — we're, CNBC's Charlotte Reed, it's, Macron's, hasn't, Philippe Marlière, France isn't, Aurelien Organizations: Afp, Getty Images, Fordham Global Foresight, CNBC, NATO, European Union, Socialist, Political, Russia, Ukrainian, Reuters, NFP, Monday, Allianz, U.S, Republican, NurPhoto, EU, University College London Locations: gomis, Europe, France, Washington, Ukraine, Germany, Kyiv, Paris, China, Brussels, Strasbourg, Russia

☆ Hungary’s Orban holds talks with Xi during surprise Beijing visit, days after meeting Putin
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-08 | by ( Simone Mccarthy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

The two leaders began their meeting at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse Monday morning, Chinese state media reported. China is a “key power in creating the conditions for peace” in the war, Orban wrote in an X post Monday. “This is why I came to meet with President Xi in Beijing, just two months after his official visit to Budapest,” he added. Orban and Xi last met in May, when the Chinese leader was welcomed with fanfare for a state visit to Hungary. “Only unity and determination will pave the path to a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine,” she added.

Persons: Viktor Orban, Xi Jinping, ” Orban, Xi, Orban, ”, Orban’s, Joe Biden, Vladimir Putin, –, Ursula von der Leyen, ” Putin, Putin, Jens Stoltenberg, Volodymyr Zelensky Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, West, NATO, Shanghai Cooperation Organization, of, European Union, Putin, ”, Ukrainian Locations: Hong Kong, Hungarian, Beijing, Moscow, Kyiv, Russia, Ukraine, Diaoyutai, Washington, Hungary, China, Russian, Kazakhstan, Europe, Budapest, ”

☆ 5 Takeaways From France’s Snap Election
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-08 | by ( Adam Nossiter | Aurelien Breeden | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

France’s left-wing parties surged unexpectedly in nationwide legislative elections on Sunday, denying the nationalist, anti-immigration National Rally party a majority in the lower house of Parliament. But no party appeared on track to secure an absolute majority, leaving one of Europe’s largest countries headed for gridlock or political instability. The results were compiled by The New York Times using data from the Interior Ministry, and they confirmed earlier projections showing that no single party or bloc would win a majority. Here are five takeaways from the election. 1There were two big surprises as France voted for a new Parliament in snap elections, neither one foreseen by pundits, pollsters or prognosticators.

Persons: France’s Organizations: Rally, The New York Times, Interior Ministry Locations: France

☆ India’s Modi lands in Russia for talks with Putin in first visit since start of Ukraine war
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-08 | by ( Rhea Mogul | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

During his two-day visit, Modi is expected to attend a private dinner hosted by Vladimir Putin and hold talks with the Russian president, according to India’s foreign ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal. Reducing the trade imbalance would be a “matter of priority” in Modi’s discussions with Putin, he added. Modi’s visit to Russia is also widely seen as the latest dent in efforts by Western leaders to cast Putin aside. Later that year, Putin did not attend the Group of 20 leaders’ summit in New Delhi, during which leaders delivered a consensus statement criticizing his invasion of Ukraine. Following his Russia trip, Modi will visit Austria in the Indian leader’s first visit to the European nation, according to his office.

Persons: CNN —, Narendra Modi, Modi, Vladimir Putin, Randhir Jaiswal, ” Jaiswal, Putin, “, Jaiswal, ” Modi, ”, Nandan Unnikrishnan, China’s, Joe Biden Organizations: CNN, CNN — India’s, Kremlin, West . Trade, United Nations, Shanghai Cooperation Organization, SCO, Observer Research Locations: Russia, Moscow, Ukraine, China, New Delhi, India, Uzbekistan, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Delhi, Beijing, Kazakhstan, Soviet Union, Western, United States, Washington, Japan, Australia, ’, Austria

☆ French President Macron’s snap election gamble 'did not pay off,' professor says
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-08 | by ( Sophie Kiderlin | In | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Macron had called for a new legislative nationwide vote in France after the country's far-right party made significant gains in the European Union election last month. The gamble that French President Emmanuel Macron took when he called a snap election has not paid off, according to Armin Steinbach, Jean Monnet professor of EU Law and economics at HEC Paris. Macron's centrist Ensemble bloc is set to make up the second-largest group in parliament, followed by the RN and its allies. Just because the far-right did not perform as they had hoped in this election does not mean they should be discounted for the presidential election in 2027, Steinbach added. "For today it's a loss for them, … but it doesn't tell us anything about the 2027 presidential election.

Persons: Macron, Steinbach, CNBC's Charlotte Reed, Emmanuel Macron, Armin Steinbach, Jean Monnet, Tina Fordham, CNBC's, Fordham, HEC's Steinbach Organizations: Popular Front, Interior Ministry, Union, EU Law, HEC Paris, Fordham Global Insight, European Union Locations: Paris, France, Steinbach

☆ France avoided a far-right election win — now the radical far-left is demanding power
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-08 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Founder of left-wing party La France Insoumise (LFI) Jean-Luc Melenchon reacts during the election night of left-wing party La France Insoumise (LFI) following the first results of the second round of France's legislative election at La Rotonde Stalingrad in Paris on July 7, 2024. After the left-wing's election success in France on Sunday, all eyes are now on radical firebrand Jean-Luc Mélenchon who has demanded the left be given the premiership and a chance to govern following its unexpected election win. The New Popular Front (NFP) coalition — of which Mélenchon is the self-appointed figurehead — won the largest number of seats in the second round of France's snap parliamentary election. Europe had braced itself for France's far-right to win the largest number of votes in the second round of France's snap election. French President Emmanuel Macron's centrist "Together" bloc came in second with 163 seats and the far-right National Rally and its allies won 143 seats.

Persons: Jean, Luc Melenchon, Luc Mélenchon, —, Mélenchon, Emmanuel Macron's, Gabriel Attal, Mélenchon —, Hugo Chavez, he'd Organizations: France, La Rotonde, Front, NFP, France Unbowed, Socialist Party, French Communist Party, National Assembly, NATO Locations: La, La Rotonde Stalingrad, Paris, France, Europe

CNN —President Joe Biden told top donors on a video call Monday that he is still the best candidate to defeat former President Donald Trump as the Biden campaign and the White House sought to move beyond a crisis threatening to consume the Democratic Party. “It’s still a huge hole to climb out of,” the Democratic donor said, speaking on condition of anonymity to avoid alienating the campaign. While the Biden campaign has pointed to a rush of small-dollar donations over the past week, a senior adviser said the falloff among high-dollar contributors was highly troubling. Morgan blamed Biden’s campaign team for his debate performance and argued that Vice President Kamala Harris is in place “if something happens” to Biden. And that’s what people need to be focusing on.”Phillips said anxious Democratic donors “need to get out of their feelings” and instead put their energy behind turning out those voters and selling them on the administration’s accomplishments.

Persons: Joe Biden, Donald Trump, Biden, “, I’m, ” Biden, ”, It’s, Trump, ” “ We’re, he’ll, –, Wes Moore, “ It’s, Chris Korge, “ I’m, Joe ”, Harris, John Morgan, They’ve, Morgan, ” Morgan, Biden’s, Kamala Harris, Steve Phillips, Phillips, ” Phillips, CNN’s Donald Judd, MJ Lee Organizations: CNN, White, Democratic Party, Trump, “, House Democrats, MSNBC, Democratic, Heritage Foundation, ABC, campaign’s National Finance, Maryland Gov, National Finance Committee, Democratic National, Biden, Republicans Locations: American, Atlanta, Florida, San Francisco

☆ Europe has overpromised on artillery shells to Ukraine and is making even less than it admits: investigation
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-08 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Read previewEuropean claims about its capacity to produce artillery shells are wildly overblown, meaning it won't be able to supply Ukraine anywhere near the quantity it has promised, according to a new investigation. The European Commission claimed that, as of January this year, Europe's annual production capacity for 155 mm shells had reached one million shells a year. Related storiesOne source familiar with the industry said Europe would produce less than half a million shells by the end of the year, and said it was poor policy to pretend otherwise. Advertisement155mm shells have been a crucial staple for both sides of the conflict in Ukraine. As of May, Russia was able to produce artillery shells about three times faster than Ukraine's allies were able to, and for a quarter of the cost, Sky News reported.

Persons: —, Thierry Breton, Johanna Bernsel Organizations: Service, European Commission, Business, Internal, Radio Free, Rheinmetall, European, EU, Bloomberg, Sky News Locations: Ukraine, Estonian, Europe, Russia

☆ French election: What happened and what comes next?
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-08 | by ( Christian Edwards | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

While a surge in support for the left-wing New Popular Front (NFP) coalition foiled Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally (RN) party, French politics is now more disordered than it was before the vote. The NFP won 182 seats in the National Assembly, making it the largest group in the 577-seat parliament. And the RN and its allies, despite leading the first round, won 143 seats. Does that mean the NFP “won” the election? Now, it is the largest bloc in the French parliament and could provide France with its next prime minister.

Persons: Emmanuel Macron, Le, “, NFP “, Jordan Bardella, Le Pen, ”, ” Bardella, Kevin Coombs, Macron, Publique, – Jean, Luc Mélenchon, Raphael Glucksmann, Emmanuel Dunand, Éduoard Philippe, France’s, Brigitte Macron, Mohammed Badra, Gabriel Attal’s, France Unbowed, Mario Draghi, Benito Mussolini Organizations: CNN, Front, NFP, National Assembly, Ensemble, “, Reuters, Socialists, Getty Locations: Vichy, France, Paris, AFP, Le Touquet, –, Italy

☆ Belarus and China conduct joint military exercises right next to NATO and EU’s border
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-08 | by ( Isaac Yee | Ivana Kottasová | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —China and Belarus announced they were holding joint military training exercises just miles from the border of Poland – a NATO and European Union member. Belarus’ Ministry of Defense said troops from China’s People’s Liberation Army arrived in Belarus over the weekend. The exercises are taking place near the Belarus city of Brest on the Belarus-Poland border which is around 130 miles from the Polish capital of Warsaw and some 40 miles from Minsk’s border with Ukraine. Moscow partly used Belarus as a launching pad for the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 after amassing troops on the Ukrainian border during what it said were joint military exercises. The Chinese troops arrived in Belarus just days after that country joined the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) on Thursday.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelensky Organizations: CNN, NATO, European Union, Belarus ’ Ministry of Defense, China’s People’s Liberation Army, EU, Washington , D.C, China’s Ministry of Defense, Shanghai Cooperation Organization, SCO Locations: China, Belarus, Poland, China’s, weaponizing, Washington ,, Brest, Warsaw, Minsk’s, Ukraine, Moscow, Ukrainian, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Beijing, Central Asia, United States

☆ India's Modi to meet Putin in Moscow as both sides seek to forge deeper ties
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-08 | by ( Lee Ying Shan | In Ying-Shan-Lee | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Russian President Vladimir Putin speaking to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during their meeting at Taj Exotic Hotel on October, 15, 2016 in Benaulim, Goa, India. Mikhail Svetlov | Getty Images News | Getty ImagesIndia's Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to meet President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Monday, marking his first visit to the Kremlin since the invasion of Ukraine. Their meeting is significant as it's the Indian premier's first bilateral trip overseas since he was reelected for a rare third term in June. watch now"This trip will rankle many Western observers," an analyst at the Lowy Institute pointed out in a published commentary. India's refiners have been snapping up discounted Russian oil since the start of the Ukraine war.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Narendra Modi, Mikhail Svetlov, Vinay Kwatra, Kwatra, India's, Lowy Organizations: Indian, Taj Exotic, Getty, India's, Kremlin, Shanghai Cooperation Organization, United Nations, East Asia Summit, Lowy Institute Locations: Benaulim, Goa, India, Moscow, Ukraine, Russia, Russian, Europe

Aurelien Morissard/Pool/AFP/Getty ImagesThe result of Sunday’s parliamentary election runoff comes as a huge surprise, with France appearing to be on the verge of a major political shift – but not the one everyone was expecting. No pollster predicted before Sunday that a left-wing alliance would win and that the far right would come in third place. The political maneuvering by French President Emmanuel Macron’s centrist party and the left-wing alliance this week was clearly successful. But the left-wing alliance, which has seemed shaky, is going to have a hard time speaking with one voice. While it appears to have partially worked by keeping the far right from power, it has also plunged France into unprecedented political chaos.

Persons: Emmanuel Macron, Aurelien, Emmanuel Macron’s, Macron’s Organizations: Getty Locations: Paris, France

☆ Maryland Gov. Wes Moore says his faith in Biden hasn't wavered. Here's why.
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-07 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Related storiesThe governor, who was first elected in 2022, said that Biden has been a strong partner for Maryland. Wes Moore said he has worked closely with the Biden administration following the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore. Anna Moneymaker/Getty ImagesAt the governor's meeting, Moore said Biden laid out a strategy for the final months of his campaign. The governor has worked with the Biden administration extensively following the bridge's collapse. "I think he's got to keep doing what he's doing right now.

Persons: —, Joe Biden, Wes Moore, Biden, Moore, Donald Trump, he's, Francis Scott Key, Anna Moneymaker, Dali, He's, You've Organizations: Service, Democratic, Business, Maryland Gov, US Army, Maryland Locations: Baltimore, Patapsco

☆ Viktor Orban, Hungary’s Leader, Meets With Xi in China After Talks With Putin
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-07 | by ( Chris Buckley | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Prime Minister Viktor Orban of Hungary met with China’s leader, Xi Jinping in Beijing on Monday, courting another authoritarian partner after talks with President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia in Moscow last week. In announcing Mr. Orban’s visit to Beijing, China’s official Xinhua news agency said only that Mr. Xi would hold an “in-depth discussion with him on issues of mutual interest.” The leaders last met two months ago, when Mr. Xi visited Budapest as part of a drive to restore Chinese influence in Europe. Chinese state television said that Mr. Xi and Mr. Orban were holding talks in the Diaooyutai State Guesthouse, but gave no other details. This meeting will give Mr. Xi and Mr. Orban, an outlier in the European Union on support for Ukraine and other issues, a chance to urge the bloc to distance itself from Washington. Hungary began its six-month rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union this month, giving Mr. Orban a higher profile, though not much more influence, in wider European affairs.

Persons: Viktor Orban, Xi, Vladimir V, Putin, Mr, Orban’s, Orban Organizations: Xinhua, European Union, of Locations: Hungary, Beijing, Russia, Moscow, Budapest, Europe, Diaooyutai State, Ukraine, Washington, European Union

☆ Video: Left-wing bloc projected to win French elections in ‘shocking’ result
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-07 | by ( John Branch | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: 1 min

How relevant is this ad to you? Video player was slow to load content Video content never loaded Ad froze or did not finish loading Video content did not start after ad Audio on ad was too loud Other issues

☆ France's left-wing alliance blocks a far-right majority, projection shows
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-07 | by ( Lloyd Lee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

By doing so, Macron hoped the voters would establish a stronger mandate in the lower house and strengthen his influence on the world stage. AdvertisementThe New York Times reported that Macron, without a majority in the lower house and relegated to political maneuvering, said his decision was inevitable. On June 30, the National Rally Party again dealt a huge blow to Macron's Renaissance party and its allies by securing 33% of votes in the first round of voting, which saw a high turnout. AdvertisementMacron's centrist coalition, the Ensemble, which includes the Renaissance party, came in second with a projected 148 seats, while the far-right National Rally came in third with 142 seats. Jean-Luc Mélenchon, leader of the left-wing alliance, called the results an "immense relief for a majority of people in our country," the AP reported.

Persons: —, Emmanuel Macron's, Macron, Pen, Jean, Luc Mélenchon Organizations: Service, Rally, National, Marine, Renaissance, Business, National Assembly, New York Times, National Rally Party, Associated Press, Times, New, The Times, AP Locations: France, Nazi

Search resuls for: "BLOC"

25 mentions found