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Finnish PM grilled by progressive MEPs over far-right alliance
Finland’s prime minister addressed on Wednesday the European Parliament and outlined his political priorities for the next legislature.
“My government is committed to a strong European Union. An EU that acts not only reacts. We want to build a Union that takes care of our common security and works for our economy,” Petteri Orpo told lawmakers.
But the premier’s speech quickly descended into finger-pointing and recriminations over his alliance with the Finns Party, a populist, Eurosceptic party that has been plagued by racism, anti-Semitism and neo-Nazism scandals.
The Finns Party sits with the hard-right European Conservatives and Reformists group (ECR) in the Strasbourg hemicycle, while Orpo’s National Coalition belongs to the European People’s Party (EPP), the centre-right formation that holds the largest share of seats. Orpo’s cabinet also features members from the Swedish People’s Party of Finland (Renew Europe) and Christian Democrats (EPP).
Last year, one of the Finns Party’s ministers, Vilhelm Junnila, resigned after it was revealed he had made jokes about “Heil Hitler” and promoted abortions in Africa as a method to combat climate change. The party’s leader, Riikka Purra, was forced to apologise for making racist remarks about Turkish and Somali immigrants in the past.
Progressive forces see the Helsinki government as evidence of the increasingly blurred line between the traditional right and the extreme right, a phenomenon they say is spreading fast across the bloc and threatens the viability of European integration.
Iratxe García Pérez, the leader of the Socialists and Democrats (S&D), led the charge against the guest of honour, telling him: “Your only enemy is the far right.” The Spaniard also name-checked EPP President Manfred Weber, whom she considers to be the mastermind behind the ideological rapprochement.
“Your alliance with the far right is the real threat to our democracy and to the European project. This is why the future of the European Union is at stake,” García Pérez said.
“In times of uncertainty and great transformation, it is not enough to simply try to resist the reactionary wave. We have to move forward,” she went on.
“Mr Orpo, Mr Weber: put an end to your alliance with those who want to destroy Europe.”
Another point of contention was Orpo’s proposal for a Green Deal rethink after the elections to the European Parliament, scheduled to take place between 6 and 9 June. The Finnish PM urged the bloc to “recalibrate our climate policy and shift away from overly detailed regulation to fostering innovation.”
“We need carrots and incentives, not sticks and bureaucracy,” he said, prompting applause from EPP lawmakers, who have adopted a more critical stance on the Green Deal spearheaded by Ursula von der Leyen, the party’s most prominent politician.
Philippe Lamberts, co-chair of the Greens, took exception to Orpo’s pitch and argued Finland’s frugal stance on public spending was in “contradiction” with the goals of deploying renewable energy, as this entails significant expenses for all member states.
“Regulation sets ourselves targets and creates markets. So we need regulation,” Lamberts told him. “You cannot at the same time say we need more carrots, but then we don’t want to spend money on it. I mean, what are the carrots if it’s not public money?”
Lamberts also denounced Orpo’s cabinet, saying “people like us should never, never go into alliance with people who de facto consider some human beings as inferior.”
“That’s what you did in Finland. And I’m glad, Manfred (Weber), that your colleagues in Portugal are not going to do that,” he said, referring to the recent outcome of the legislative elections in Portugal, where the victorious conservatives have ruled out entering into a coalition with the far-right Chega party.
The criticism against Orpo, his political alliances and his economic reforms was extensively echoed by other progressive MEPs during the hour-long debate in Strasbourg, even if occasionally interrupted by expressions of support from right-wing and hard-right lawmakers.
Nicola Procaccini, co-chair of the ECR group, warmly welcomed the Finnish PM and said his electoral victory was “more important than you can ever imagine.”
“And even more significant was your choice to govern alongside the Finns Party. A notable member of our political family. You managed to resist the pressure of those who didn’t want a coalition between the EPP and the ECR,” Procaccini said. “If the centre right is united, it wins everywhere in Europe and the left knows this all too well.”
ADVERTISEMENTThe ECR group is considered more ideologically tolerable for the EPP than the other Eurosceptic formation in the parliament, Identity and Democracy (ID), which encompasses the likes of National Rally (France), Alternative für Deutschland (Germany), Flemish Interest (Belgium) and the Freedom Party of Austria.
Von der Leyen and Weber have dismissed ID as “Putin’s friends” and rejected any possible cooperation with them. However, some members of the ECR, like Fratelli d’Italia (Italy), Civic Democratic Party (Czech Republic) and Sweden Democrats (Sweden) are seen as more suitable partners for the mainstream conservatives, as demonstrated by Orpo’s working arrangement with the Finns Party.
Opinion polls project a substantial increase in seats for both the ECR and the ID groups, which would weaken the grand coalition between conservatives, socialists and liberals.
At the end of the debate, the premier took the floor again to defend his coalition and double down on his political agenda, particularly on support for Ukraine, an issue that the EPP uses as a yardstick to distinguish palatable from unpalatable parties.
“Madame García Pérez and for many others: there (are) no far-right parties in my government,” Orpo told the hemicycle. “(The) Finnish government is pro-rule of law. It’s pro-democracy. It’s pro-equal gender rights. It’s pro-Ukraine. Pro-European Union. “
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Note: Map shows the area with a shake intensity of 3 or greater, which U.S.G.S. defines as “weak,” though the earthquake may be felt outside the areas shown. The New York Times
A strong, 6.0-magnitude earthquake struck in the Gulf of California on Tuesday, according to the United States Geological Survey.
The temblor happened at 1:45 p.m. Mountain time about 47 miles southwest of El Progreso, Mexico, data from the agency shows.
As seismologists review available data, they may revise the earthquake’s reported magnitude. Additional information collected about the earthquake may also prompt U.S.G.S. scientists to update the shake-severity map.
Subsequent quakes have been reported in the same area. Such temblors are typically aftershocks caused by minor adjustments along the portion of a fault that slipped at the time of the initial earthquake.
Aftershocks detected
Quakes and aftershocks within 100 miles
Aftershocks can occur days, weeks or even years after the first earthquake. These events can be of equal or larger magnitude to the initial earthquake, and they can continue to affect already damaged locations.
The New York Times
When quakes and aftershocks occurred
Sources: United States Geological Survey (epicenter, aftershocks, shake intensity); LandScan via Oak Ridge National Laboratory (population density) | Notes: Shaking categories are based on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale. When aftershock data is available, the corresponding maps and charts include earthquakes within 100 miles and seven days of the initial quake. All times above are Mountain time. Shake data is as of Tuesday, June 30 at 2:02 p.m. Mountain time. Aftershocks data is as of Tuesday, June 30 at 6:01 p.m. Mountain time.
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Emergency workers in Venezuela on Tuesday rescued a 2-year-old boy who had been trapped beneath the rubble for six days, marking the only reported rescue of a survivor on the sixth day of operations following last week’s devastating earthquakes.
Venezuela’s acting President Delcy Rodríguez said in a Telegram post that Jordanian emergency workers pulled the child from a collapsed building in La Guaira, an area hit the hardest by last week’s earthquakes.
The child, identified by authorities as Klieber Moran, was rescued after spending six days trapped beneath the rubble, Rodríguez said.
Moran was taken to a hospital for treatment, she added.
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A Jordanian team works to rescue a child trapped under rubble following earthquakes in Venezuela, in a location given as Caracas, Venezuela. (Jordan Public Security/Handout via REUTERS)
National Assembly President Jorge Rodríguez said in a televised address Tuesday that officials remain hopeful more survivors will be found.
“We must hold onto the hope of continuing to find people alive beneath the rubble,” Jorge said. “Early this morning, a 2-year-old boy was rescued and is currently receiving care at a health center in Caracas.”
Rescue efforts have continued since magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 earthquakes struck Venezuela’s northern coast last Wednesday.
DEATH TOLL FROM VENEZUELA EARTHQUAKES RISES TO AT LEAST 235, WITH THOUSANDS REPORTED MISSING
Emergency workers rescued a 2-year-old boy after he spent six days trapped beneath the rubble following last week’s earthquakes in Venezuela. (Jordan Public Security/Handout via REUTERS)
The death toll from the twin earthquakes rose to 1,943 on Tuesday, with more than 10,500 people injured, according to Venezuelan officials. On Monday, the death toll stood at 1,719.
Tuesday’s rescue marked another glimmer of hope amid the disaster that has devastated the South American country.
On Saturday, the U.S. State Department shared video showing American search-and-rescue teams pulling an infant alive from beneath the rubble in Venezuela.
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A child receives emergency medical attention after being rescued by a Jordanian team from under rubble following earthquakes in Venezuela. (Jordan Public Security/Handout via REUTERS)
The infant, who is 9 months old, was rescued along with her mother, the State Department told Fox News Digital. Both suffered only minor injuries, according to the rescue team.
“Against impossible odds, hope endures,” the State Department posted on X.
On Tuesday, a shipment from the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) containing 47 metric tons of humanitarian supplies arrived in Venezuela.
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Emergency workers rescued 2-year-old Klieber Moran from beneath the rubble of a collapsed building in Venezuela six days after the country’s devastating earthquakes, according to Venezuelan officials. (Jordan Public Security/Handout via REUTERS)
The shipment includes emergency health kits for urgent medical care, including supplies for safe births, newborn care, disease prevention and treatment, according to the United Nations.
Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) teams from Virginia, California and Florida were dispatched to Venezuela on Friday to help search collapsed buildings.
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According to the State Department, the three USAR teams include 312 personnel and 18 canine teams, made up of firefighters, physicians, structural engineers and canine search specialists, and deployed with more than 200,000 pounds of specialized rescue equipment.
Reuters contributed to this report.
European Union monitors say the first half of 2026 was ‘marked by sustained and exceptional ocean warmth’ and forecast more to come.
Published On 1 Jul 2026
The world’s oceans experienced their “warmest June ever observed” and could see further record-breaking highs in the months ahead as El Niño and climate change push temperatures higher, according to a new report.
The European Union’s Copernicus Marine Service said on Wednesday that “record global sea surface temperatures” of 21.0 degrees Celsius (69.8 degrees Fahrenheit) in June beat the previous records in the same month in 2023 and 2024.
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“The first six months of 2026 were characterised by persistently elevated sea-surface temperatures and widespread marine heatwaves across much of the global ocean,” the EU’s marine environment monitor said in a statement.
“Marine heatwaves expanded steadily throughout the period, ultimately affecting around 82 percent of the global ocean,” said Simon van Gennip, lead oceanographer for the Copernicus Marine Service.
“The Mediterranean, the central North Atlantic and the equatorial Pacific all emerged as hotspots, and these regional signals paint a consistent picture of an ocean under sustained thermal stress,” Van Gennip said in a statement.
The onset of a potentially powerful El Nino weather pattern could boost global heat in the oceans and atmosphere even further in 2026, and into next year, according to scientists.
“Current conditions could indicate the beginning of a new phase, leading, once more, to uncharted territory,” said Carlo Buontempo, director of the Copernicus Climate Change Service, the EU’s climate monitor.
“With ocean temperatures at these levels and El Nino on the horizon, we are likely to see more temperature records fall in the coming months,” Buontempo said in a statement.
El Nino is marked by unusually warm waters in parts of the Pacific Ocean, releasing more heat into the atmosphere and influencing wind, cloud and weather patterns around the globe. This can raise the risk of weather extremes, ranging from floods in Peru to droughts in parts of Africa and wildfires in Australia.
Land and sea temperatures reached an all-time high in 2024 at the tail end of the last El Nino, and 2026 could be among the warmest years recorded with the onset of the next El Nino this year.
The Copernicus report follows a warning issued in a major UN scientific assessment last month, which declared that the world’s oceans were in a “deepening crisis” as seas were warming and rising faster.
Oceans are a key regulator of Earth’s climate because they absorb some 90 percent of the excess heat caused by humanity’s release of greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide.
Warmer oceans increase moisture in the atmosphere, providing fuel for tropical cyclones and destructive rainfall.
Hotter seas also directly contribute to sea-level rise – water expands when it warms up – and create unbearable conditions for tropical reefs, whose corals can bleach and die during prolonged marine heatwaves.
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