Comment on French Voters Propel Far-Right National Rally to Strong Lead in First-Round Legislative Elections

(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.

Hurricane Beryl has been upgraded to Category 5 intensity, marking the earliest a storm of this strength has formed in the Atlantic ocean. Beryl, which became the first hurricane of the 2024 season in the Atlantic on Saturday, has since brought down power lines, damaged buildings, and flooded streets across a number of southeastern Caribbean islands.

SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea said Tuesday it had test-fired a new tactical ballistic missile capable of carrying “a super-large warhead,” a claim quickly disputed by South Korean officials and experts who speculate the North likely fabricated a successful test to conceal a botched launch. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] It’s the second time that South Korea has questioned North Korea’s claim on the development of new weapons in recent days, as the rivals are locked in heightened animosities over the North’s testing activities. The North’s official Korean Central News Agency said that Monday’s test involved the Hwasongpho-11 Da-4.5 missile, which can carry a 4.5 ton-class warhead.

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.