Comment on ‘The Center Did Hold:’ Key Takeaways From the European Elections

This week, Hurricane Beryl became the earliest hurricane in history to reach the Category 5 level in the Atlantic Ocean, battering the Caribbean and killing at least six—and experts say that climate change is making it much more likely for extreme weather events like this to occur. The National Hurricane Center said Tuesday that Beryl is “expected to bring life-threatening winds and storm surge to Jamaica on Wednesday and the Cayman Islands Wednesday night and Thursday.” The hurricane isn’t the only extreme weather event that has occurred around the world over the past few days—fierce storms led to flooding in Switzerland and Italy; and wildfires raged in Greece and Arizona.

Santiago, Chile — Hannah, a 13-year-old white rhinoceros, has delivered a newborn calf in a rare zoo birth for the almost endangered species. The arrival of the male calf, named Silverio, two weeks ago marked the third time that a white rhino had ever been born in South America. The Buin Zoo in Chile’s capital of Santiago unveiled Silverio to the public on Tuesday as he took his first giant-footed steps after 12 days of medical care in confinement. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] The zoo hailed his birth as a “big achievement” for conservationists worldwide.

(WASHINGTON) — Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Tuesday that the U. S. will soon announce an additional $2.3 billion in security assistance for Ukraine, to include anti-tank weapons, interceptors and munitions for Patriot and other air defense systems. Austin’s remarks came as Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov met with him at the Pentagon.

LUCKNOW, India — At least 60 people are dead and scores are injured after a stampede at a religious gathering of thousands of people in northern India, officials said Tuesday. More than 150 people were admitted to hospitals after the crush in a village in Hathras district of Uttar Pradesh state, medical official Umesh Tripathi said, adding that the death toll could still rise. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] Government official Ashish Kumar told The Associated Press that at least 60 bodies had reached mortuaries in the district. The stampede occurred as attendees rushed to leave following an event with a religious leader named Bhole Baba, local media reported. Police officer Rajesh Singh said overcrowding may have been a factor.

Dozens aboard an Air Europa flight from Spain to Uruguay on Monday were injured from severe turbulence, and the plane was forced to make an emergency landing in Brazil, marking the second such mid-air crisis since May to make international headlines and see harrowing images make the rounds on social media.

BUDAPEST — Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán was in Kyiv on Tuesday for talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, his first visit to the country since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022. Orbán’s press chief confirmed to Hungarian news agency MTI that the Prime Minister had arrived in the Ukrainian capital in the morning for the talks.