France’s left-wing alliance wins most seats, creating a deadlock for Macron. Modi visits Russia to discuss arms amid China tensions. Boeing pleads guilty to fraud over 737 Max crashes, faces $243M fine, and criticism from victims’ families.
France faces political uncertainty as no party has achieved an absolute majority.
President Macron cannot call new elections for at least a year, leaving three years of his term to navigate a divided parliament.
The far-right National Rally (RN) performed strongly in the first round, raising concerns over the potential for a far-right government, which would be France's first since the WWII-era Vichy regime.
Election results, however, indicate a strong voter push to prevent the far right from taking power, even if it results in a deadlocked parliament.
Prime Minister Gabriel Attal, a close ally of Macron, announced his resignation set for Monday, though his successor is not yet determined.
Macron may need to appoint a prime minister from the left-wing coalition in a rare arrangement called "cohabitation."
Macron's party has expressed reluctance to collaborate with the far-left party France Unbowed, viewing it as too extreme and unfit to govern, similar to their view of the RN.
India's Modi Visits Putin In Russia
Prime Minister Modi will visit Russia for the first time in five years amidst Russia's closer ties with India's rival, China.
Tensions between India and China remain high since a violent border clash in 2020.
Future arms deals are likely to be discussed, per Ruslan Pukhov, director of the Centre for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies in Moscow.
Potential deals could involve Russian air defense systems, Su-30MKI fighter jets, and licensed production of Ka-226T multipurpose helicopters for India.
India is experiencing a significant shortage of fighter jets and may consider purchasing additional jets from Russia to replace those lost in accidents.
World's Planemaker Pleads Guilty
Boeing will plead guilty to a fraud conspiracy charge for violating a reform agreement following two fatal 737 Max crashes that killed 346 people.
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) stated Boeing has agreed to pay a $243 million fine.
Families of the crash victims criticized the settlement as a "sweetheart deal" that lets Boeing evade full accountability for the fatalities.
In 2021, Boeing faced a charge of conspiracy to defraud, accused of misleading the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) about its MCAS flight control system, linked to both crashes.
Uncertainty remains about how this criminal record may impact Boeing’s contracting; firms with records are usually restricted from bidding but may receive government waivers.
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