Ministry of home affairs

• In a landmark project, AI meteorology startup Atmo , Inc. has entered an agreement with the Global Centre for Climate Mobility (GCCM) and the government of Tuvalu to provide advanced AI weather forecasts for the Pacific island nation.
• The partnership marks a historic milestone, showcasing how AI technology can address the global climate crisis and help affected communities build resilience.
• Like many other small island nations, Tuvalu is at the frontline of this global climate emergency and will be seriously impacted by rising sea levels.
• “This initiative represents a crucial advancement in disaster risk management and response,” said Kamal Amakrane, Managing Director of the Global Centre for Climate Mobility.

• MURCIA, Spain, May 2, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The Universidad Católica de Murcia (UCAM) and the DIHAD Foundation (Dubai International Humanitarian Aid and Development) recently celebrated the graduation ceremony of the first two classes of the Master's Degree in Sustainable Humanitarian Action .
• The Master's Degree in Sustainable Humanitarian Action is a unique programme, where students are trained by a multinational faculty with extensive experience and benefit from networking opportunities with humanitarian organisations thanks to the DIHAD Foundation, a federation that brings together more than 600 NGOs worldwide.
• The programme is designed to introduce students to the latest innovations and technologies in the humanitarian field, enabling them to further their careers in this sector.
• This graduation marks an important milestone in the lives of these students, who are now prepared to implement, improve and design humanitarian projects and programmes from a sustainable perspective, as well as to lead international organisations.

• AmeriCorps , the federal agency for national service, serves as the hub for the American Climate Corps.
• Nearly a century after FDR established the Civilian Conservation Corps, President Biden will announce today that Americans can now apply to join the American Climate Corps through a newly launched website, ClimateCorps.gov .
• The website, which is launching in its beta form, will be regularly updated with new American Climate Corps positions.
• The first class of the American Climate Corps will be deployed to communities across the country in June 2024.

• These two factors will be key to delivering the BJP a likely third consecutive victory in the Indian general election, starting today.
• As part of my research on members of right-wing populist parties, I’ve conducted interviews with dozens of BJP party members and officials.
• (They spoke to me on condition of anonymity, so are only represented by their first initial here).

A well-oiled campaign machine

• Maintaining a large membership-based organisation provides the BJP with a campaign machine that has no equal in India.
• The focus of this organisation is on the polling booth.
• Each booth has ten women, and each woman is allotted 15 houses where they roam around for about three days [before election day].
• The BJP is effectively engaging in micro-campaigning on a nationwide scale, and so gaining a significant advantage in mobilising voters.

Training members in Hindu nationalism

• In addition, the BJP is the Indian party with the most well-defined ideological platform, which combines fervent Hindu nationalism with right-wing populism based on religious polarisation.
• Its grassroots organisation enables the BJP to socialise and train its members in this ideology.
• My research on both BJP party voters and members shows how these people hold right-wing populist attitudes and worldviews that closely match the party’s platform.
• In the case of grassroots members, these ideologies are ingrained through an extensive training network.

Bringing welfare to the poor

• Alongside Hindu nationalism, the expansion of welfare to hundreds of millions of low-income earners is another reason why Modi is so popular.
• He always makes sure to put the words “prime minister” before the names of welfare programs and print his face on handouts.
• When it comes to welfare program implementation, however, it is BJP party members who do the heavy lifting.
• According to my interviews, this was the main activity of party members, whether in the form of cleaning the streets, distributing food or setting up bank accounts for the poor.

Party survival is a priority

• Finally, the extensive grassroots party organisation enables the BJP to thrive by providing a steady source of candidates, officials and leaders.
• Members affirmed that the BJP, contrary to other parties, is meritocratic when it comes to the distribution of offices.
• As N., a Marathi car shop owner, explained:
  The BJP is not dominated by one family.
• Maintaining a large membership also facilitates the BJP’s survival in the long run.

Sofia Ammassari does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.