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Pro-EU parties can ward off far-right surge – Metsola

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Pro-EU parties can ward off far-right surge – Metsola

European Parliament President Roberta Metsola has told Euronews she is “confident” that mainstream, pro-European political parties can ward off a far-right surge in June’s European elections.

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Speaking in an interview in Strasbourg on Monday, Metsola said Europe’s moderate, pro-European parties needed to offer an “alternative” to voters.

“I’m worried that if we don’t – as part of the pro-European, constructive (…) majority at the centre – appeal to our voters, then our voters will feel that they have no choice, that they have to retreat to the fringes, to those people who want to destroy rather than to build,” Metsola explained, referring to the eurosceptic far-right.

Current polls predict a surge in support for far-right parties in the European elections, which take place across the continent on 6-9 June. 

It follows far-right leader Geert Wilders’ surprise electoral victory in November’s Dutch election, and comes as far-right parties including Germany’s Alternative für Deutschland and France’s Rassemblement National make historic gains in national polls.

But projections also suggest that the European Parliament’s current ruling coalition of social democrats, conservatives and liberals – who work together to ensure EU legislation can be passed – will cling on to its majority.

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Metsola, who belongs to the centre-right European People’s Party (EPP) and who took over the presidency of the European Parliament in January 2022, said that by finding solutions to challenges such as the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the coalition had proved its resilience.

“These are big challenges that we have overcome and that we continue to show unity over, and I think that’s where we would find that unity in that centre,” Metsola explained. 

“So I think we can provide an alternative. We can counter that (far-right) threat if we want to call it a threat, and I’m confident we can do so,” she added.

Next five years ‘will not be any easier’

But Metsola also warned that the European Parliament’s next five-year term “will not be any easier” than the previous one.

Since the 2019 European elections, the 27-country bloc has faced a raft of unforeseen challenges, including the COVID-19 pandemic, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and a looming economic crisis. 

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The 720-seat European Parliament, the bloc’s only democratically-elected institution has also been rocked by the so-called ‘Qatargate’ cash-for-influence scandal.

In December 2022, the parliament’s vice-president Eva Kaili and other senior parliamentary figures were accused of accepting hundreds of thousands of euros for influencing EU decisions to the benefit of Qatari and Moroccan officials. All vehemently deny the allegations.

Suspects were predominantly social democrats, threatening to stain the centre-left group’s reputation.

The scandal also sent shockwaves across Brussels and forced parliament to clamp down on lax rules on staff conduct. The European Ombudsman has nonetheless questioned whether the reforms introduced under Metsola’s initiative are sufficient to restore voter confidence.

Asked whether she feared the scandal had eroded trust in the European Parliament, Metsola urged voters to judge the parliament on its response to the sprawling graft case.

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“We took the immediate decision to introduce measures to make sure that we saw where the gaps were, to insert firewalls and to make sure alarm bells are sounded earlier,” Metsola explained, reassuring that rules “are observed” in the parliament.

“We have done a lot of work in the past year, and I would like us to be judged on that, rather than the (…) allegations with regards to a small number of individuals,” she added.

Asked whether some far-right parties could choose to join a new European coalition, Metsola refused to speculate on the formulation of the future parliament, assuring that the current parliament has “found unprecedented unity in the centre.”

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There is speculation that the European People’s Party (EPP) – the parliament’s biggest political group at the centre-right – could be open to an alliance with Italian premier Giorgia Meloni’s far-right Fratelli d’Italia party. 

EPP Chairman Manfred Weber met with Meloni last year to discuss a potential collaboration at the EU year, although the prospect has been dismissed by other prominent figures from Europe’s centre-right. 

“Let’s look at what we have done in that centre, that pro-European centre,” Metsola said. 

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“It is that that we need to build on, and I look forward to be able to continue to do that from 2024 to 2029.”

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Map: 6.0-Magnitude Earthquake Shakes Off Mexico’s Coast

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Map: 6.0-Magnitude Earthquake Shakes Off Mexico’s Coast

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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.  All times on the map are Mountain time. The New York Times

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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.

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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.

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Aftershocks detected

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.

Quakes and aftershocks within 100 miles

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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.

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When quakes and aftershocks occurred

 All times are Mountain time. The New York Times

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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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Boy, 2, pulled alive from rubble six days after Venezuela’s devastating twin earthquakes

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Boy, 2, pulled alive from rubble six days after Venezuela’s devastating twin earthquakes

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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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TRUMP ADMINISTRATION PLEDGES $150M IN AID, DEPLOYS NAVY WARSHIPS AFTER DEADLY VENEZUELA EARTHQUAKES

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.

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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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EX-MLB PLAYER SAYS WIFE DIED IN DEVASTATING VENEZUELA EARTHQUAKES

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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FORMER METS PITCHER NARROWLY ESCAPES DEATH IN VENEZUELA EARTHQUAKES THANKS TO ELEVATOR MALFUNCTION

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.

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World’s oceans experience hottest June ever, scientists say more heat ahead

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World’s oceans experience hottest June ever, scientists say more heat ahead

European Union monitors say the first half of 2026 was ‘marked by sustained and exceptional ocean warmth’ and forecast more to come.

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.

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“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.

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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.

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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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