Highlights of the week of June 10-16
Source: Ricardo Gomez Angel, Unsplash
Political instability has hit the EU's largest countries. Ruling parties are losing ground to the far right, whose presence in the European Parliament is growing.
Far-right parties destroy European politics
The European elections are over, and the situation on the political scene has not been as interesting as it was this year for a long time. The main event of the elections, if not of the whole decade, is considered by many to be the victory of the right-wing parties, which significantly shook the positions of some major politicians.
The European People's Party, led by Ursula von der Leye, remained in first place. It won 184 out of 720 seats, slightly strengthening its position. However, even this strengthening puts von der Leyen in a favorable position. There is a possibility that she will be able to keep her post until 2029.
The second place in the EP, according to preliminary data, was taken by the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (139 seats), the third - the liberal "Renewing Europe" (80 seats). The position of the Greens, who lost 20 out of 72 seats, has significantly decreased.
The strongest activity of right-wing parties was observed in France and Germany. The two largest countries of the European Union found themselves in an extremely controversial position. French President Emmanuel Macron dissolved the National Assembly after the victory of Marine Le Pen's party and called early elections for June 30. If the far-right won again (and this time it won twice as many votes as the incumbent president's party), Macron promised to resign.
In Germany, there were no loud slogans or statements. But Scholz's position was no less shaken than Macron's. His Social Democrats had the worst result in their history - only 13.9% of the vote. First place went to the CDU/CSU alliance, which won around 30% of the vote. Second place went to the far-right Alternative for Germany with 15.9% of the vote.
The situation in Belgium is no better. Prime Minister Alexander De Croo resigned after his party's defeat. You can't just blame the right wing here, as the party also failed in the national elections. The prime minister took responsibility for the performance, but said he believed the Liberals were stronger than ever and would definitely come back in the futu
Mayor of Solingen arrested on suspicion of criminal machinations
The activities of right-wing parties in Germany are partly understandable. Just recently, another migration scandal broke out there, with high-ranking officials at the epicenter.
On Tuesday night, more than 1,000 federal police officers and prosecutors conducted a large-scale operation in eight German states. During the raid, members of an organized criminal group involved in the illegal transportation of people were arrested. Investigators seized 1.2 million euros in cash.
Suspects included two Cologne lawyers, immigration officials, and Solingen city officials, including the mayor. The group organized the entry into Germany of wealthy businessmen from China and the Arab Emirates for 350,000 euros by creating fictitious companies and paying bribes. The main suspect is lawyer Klaus B., who organized these criminal schemes together with his partner Johannes D.
The mayor of Solingen, Tim Kurzbach, is also under suspicion. He is accused of helping the criminal group to obtain residence permits for their clients on the basis of false information. Investigators are also looking into donations of 20,000 euros from a suspicious company to the local SPD account in 2019 and 2020, which could have been an attempt to circumvent the law on transparency of donations.
Ikea hires for virtual store on Roblox platform
Furniture store chain Ikea has announced that it is hiring real people to work in its virtual store on the gaming platform Roblox. Ikea's virtual workers will be paid the same as their London counterparts - 13.15 pounds / 14.80 euros per hour.
The project, called Co-Worker Game, will launch on June 24 and will allow players to try their hand at working in Ikea's virtual universe. Hired employees will assist customers, advance their careers in different departments, and even sell Ikea's signature meatballs. The positions are remote, but candidates must live in London and be over the age of 18.
Ikea is accepting applications until Sunday, June 16, and virtual interviews will take place from June 14 to 18. It has also been revealed that in addition to the standard career progression, virtual employees will have access to options such as professional development and even a change of job within the company.
