This Week in Explainers: Why Italy’s Giorgia Meloni is the Person of the Week

It has been a week of diplomacy. And Italy’s Giorgia Meloni was at the centre of it all.

World leaders descended upon Italy for the Group of Seven summit. Meloni welcomed several dignitaries with a namaste – in what many said was a nod to her friendship with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

In the power corridors in Italy, the Indian leader’s encounter with Meloni went viral . Modi also met the Pope, French president Emmanuel Macron, US president Joe Biden, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and UK’s Rishi Sunak.

Biden grabbed headlines for a series of embarrassing gaffes at the G7 Summit in Italy.

In the EU elections, Meloni’s party won in Italy with a strong 28 per cent of the votes, boosting her leadership at home and consolidating her kingmaker role in Europe. A far-right surge in the bloc has left leaders in France and Germany rattled.

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia and the United States have let a deal that has stood for decades lapse this year. And New Zealand’s citizens are fleeing in droves.

A tragedy stuck in Kuwait. A fire in an apartment building killed 49 people including several Indians.

All this and more in our weekly roundup of explainers from around the world:

1. More than three dozen Indians perished in the fire that consumed the building in Kuwait’s Mangaf on Wednesday.

The Gulf nation is home to lakhs of Indians who work there and send money home to their families.

Most are employed as unskilled and semi-skilled workers such as carpenters, masons, domestic workers, food delivery riders and drivers.

The tragic incident has shone a spotlight on the poor living conditions of migrants and spurred outrage from many including Shashi Tharoor and Rahul Gandhi.

But what do we know about Indians in Kuwait? Why is it a preferred destination for so many? What do we know about the working conditions? And how has India reacted?

2. The gaffe machine is at it again.

Decades before Joe Biden became President of The United States, the Senator from Delaware was known for one thing – putting his foot squarely in his mouth.

In fact, during the several times he ran for president since the 1980s, Biden’s flubs would routinely derail his campaign.

His opponents would even point to them as evidence that Biden would make a poor Commander-in-Chief.

While Biden’s supporters might counter that notion, even they can’t argue that Biden has had his share of awkward moments at the G7.

From saluting the Italian prime minister to appearing to wander off during a parachute display, Biden has  had a slew of senior moments.

This article examines them and the possible impact they could have on his re-election campaign.

3. Another world leader who made headlines at the G7 was Georgia Meloni.

The host of the G7 Summit welcomed several counterparts with the traditional Indian greeting – the namaste.

Modi and Meloni have a closer relationship.

Not only do the two call each other ‘good friends,’ Meloni was the first European leader to reach out and congratulate Modi following his victory at the polls.

This piece looks at how their friendship began and how it has endured over the years.

It also examines how India and Italy strengthened relations.

4. As Italy hosted the G7 summit, Meloni was in the spotlight. It was a gathering of the world’s most influential democratic economies – the United States, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and the United Kingdom. But among all its leaders, it is only Meloni who is on the rise. The leaders of the other nations are struggling to hold to power. We explain .

5. Europe’s Parliament may have not witnessed a political earthquake this week, but it came pretty damn close.

After all, the far-right National Rally party led by Marine Le Pen protégé Jordan Bardella dealt a heavy blow to Emmanuel Macron’s centrist coalition.

Over in Germany, the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) surged ahead of Olaf Scholz’s centre-left Social Democrats.

And though the centre, liberal and socialist parties kept their majority in the 720-seat parliament, the new reality may make it tougher to pass new legislation that might be needed to respond to security challenges, the impact of climate change or industrial competition from China and the United States.

This piece takes an in-depth look at what happened and the possible fallout for Europe.

6. A deal that was inked 50 years ago quietly lapsed this week.

On 8 June 1974, Saudi Arabia and the United States signed a deal allowing US dollars to be exchanged for crude oil exports – aka petrodollars.

The deal, which came on the heels of an oil crisis, was a game-changer for both nations.

The pact would reaffirm the dollar’s premiere status as the world’s reserve currency, bring vast benefits to US consumers and guarantee the security of the Kingdom.

But what are petrodollars? Why did was the petrodollar system established? What was the idea behind doing such a deal? Is this the end for the dollar’s dominance?

7. New Zealand is thought to be a great place to live.

From its friendly culture to high quality of life, and scenic beauty, the country consistently ranks as among the best places to live on planet Earth.

So, why are so many of its citizens leaving?

The data shows at least 56,500 citizens left New Zealand in 2023-2024.

That exceeded the 52,000 that left in the year up to March 2024.

Even worse, 81,200 New Zealanders departed long-term in this period.

That’s a spike of 41 per cent from the previous year and a new high previously matched only in 2012 when the country witnessed 72,400 departures.

So, what gives? What do experts say? Is it a long-term trend? And what could be the impact?

8. Want to know if a recession is coming?

Don’t ask economists or spend hours poring over long-term data.

Just look at women’s lips. Seriously.

The ‘lipstick index’ sprang from the mind of Estee Lauder’s Leonard Lauder in 2001.

Lauder, then chairman of the conglomerate, observed that women tend to swap out smaller ‘pick-me-up’ items for luxury goods in recessions.

So, is this true? What does history show? Do experts agree?

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