International
Heat dome to bring record-breaking temperatures across southwestern Europe
A powerful, extensive, dry, and very warm high-pressure system, known as a “heat dome,” will affect large areas of southern, western, and central Europe in the coming days. This phenomenon acts like a dome that traps heat near the surface and prevents it from dissipating, causing temperatures to soar.
In southwestern European countries such as Spain, France, and Portugal, the high-pressure system is expected to strengthen and expand over the next hours, bringing extremely high temperatures—close to or even exceeding 40 degrees Celsius (104°F) in some cases.
Temperatures at around 1,500 meters (4,900 feet) above sea level will show anomalies between 8 and 12 degrees Celsius above normal, an “exceptional value” for late June, explained Francisco Martín, a meteorologist at the Spanish portal Meteored, in an interview with EFE. He pointed out that in vast areas of southwestern Europe, temperatures will be typical of the dog days of summer, which usually occur between July 15 and August 15.
“Everything indicates that June could break records, even surpassing the historic June of 2017 in terms of high temperatures,” Martín observed.
The expert also noted that warm high-pressure systems like this one have become “three to five times” more likely since the 1950s, a trend scientists directly attribute to climate change.
Furthermore, this extreme heat episode will bring associated risks such as an increased danger of wildfires, elevated concentrations of tropospheric ozone, and the possible intrusion of African dust.
International
White House claims challenged as most ICE arrests in LA involve non-criminals
Nearly seven out of ten people arrested during immigration raids in Los Angeles from June 1 to June 10 had no criminal record, contradicting White House claims that the raids targeted “criminals,” according to an analysis published Wednesday by the Los Angeles Times.
Around 722 individuals were detained in the Los Angeles metropolitan area during the first ten days of June, when Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) initiated the raids, according to data obtained by the Deportation Data Project of the University of California Berkeley School of Law.
The Los Angeles Times analysis found that 69% of those arrested during this period had no criminal record, and 58% had never been charged with any crime.
These figures contradict the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which said in a statement Tuesday that since June 6, ICE and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) launched an operation “to remove the worst criminal illegal aliens.”
DHS Deputy Secretary Tricia McLaughlin warned that the arrests are part of President Donald Trump’s promise to secure the border by deporting criminals, including drug traffickers in Los Angeles, without providing further details.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass criticized last week in a CNN interview that although the White House said it would target violent criminals, the raids had focused on workers.
“This wasn’t a drug den, it was a Home Depot,” Bass said, questioning the locations where raids were conducted.
Activists have also denounced the raids for targeting vulnerable workers who are easy to detain.
The Los Angeles Times analysis found that the average age of those arrested was 38, mostly men. Nearly 48% were Mexican, 16% Guatemalan, and 8% Salvadoran.
International
Netanyahu and Trump vow to expand “Circle of Peace” amid Middle East ceasefire
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday that he will continue fighting alongside U.S. President Donald Trump against their “common enemies,” and that both leaders will swiftly expand the “circle of peace” in the Middle East following their collaboration in the recent war against Iran.
“Thank you, President Trump, for your moving support for me and your tremendous support for Israel and the Jewish people. We will continue working together to defeat our common enemies, free our hostages, and rapidly expand the circle of peace,” Netanyahu wrote on the social media platform X.
Netanyahu’s remarks came in response to a message from the former U.S. president on his social network, Truth Social, in which Trump called Netanyahu “perhaps the greatest warrior in Israel’s history,” praising his role in the war against Iran.
In that message, Trump also called for an end to the “witch hunt” against Netanyahu, referring to the ongoing corruption trials he has faced for months, and asked for their dismissal.
Israel’s Channel 12 reported that Netanyahu himself requested a two-week postponement of his court testimonies due to national security concerns.
The statements about expanding the “circle of peace” come amid regional uncertainty following a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Iran (proposed by Trump and coordinated with Qatar), the terms of which remain unknown.
Since the truce, Trump has advocated for regional peace, posting on Truth Social: “CONGRATULATIONS WORLD, IT’S TIME FOR PEACE!” Days earlier, the U.S. had joined the conflict by bombing Iran’s main nuclear facilities in Natanz, Isfahan, and the heavily fortified Fordow site.
White House Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff told CNBC that “major announcements” regarding the Abraham Accords — initiated during Trump’s first administration to normalize relations between Israel and several Arab states (including the UAE, Bahrain, and Morocco) — could be made soon.
Additionally, on June 24, Israel’s National Security Advisor Tzachi Hanegbi said Israel was holding talks with Syria in an attempt to normalize relations with its neighbor.
Israel has occupied the Syrian Golan Heights since 1967 and, since the fall of Bashar al-Assad, has controlled the demilitarized zone between the two countries, which is Syrian territory.
International
Pope Leo XIV calls for fraternal priesthood, rejecting individualism
Pope Leo XIV on Thursday urged priests worldwide to adopt a fraternal way of life, avoiding individualistic “competitions,” during his visit to a forum on priestly ministry held at the Conciliation Auditorium in Rome.
“Fraternity is an essential style of priestly life. Being friends of Christ means living as brothers among priests and bishops, not as competitors or individualists,” he advised.
The American pope stepped outside the Vatican walls on Thursday to attend the International Meeting “Happy Priests,” organized by the Dicastery for the Clergy, held at the nearby Conciliation Auditorium on Rome’s Via della Conciliazione.
Attendees from around the world, also gathered for the Priests’ Jubilee this week, welcomed him enthusiastically, taking photos with their mobile phones and shouting, “Long live Pope Leo!”
In his speech, Prevost emphasized the importance of forming new priests in a way that “helps build strong bonds” so that each one “shares the struggles and joys” that come with the vocation.
“Forming priests who are friends of Christ means training men capable of loving, listening, praying, and serving together. Therefore, it is crucial to take great care in preparing formators, because the effectiveness of their work depends largely on their example of life and communion among themselves,” he urged.
In this regard, he highlighted that vocations continue to emerge despite the current “crisis,” and called for “adequate spaces” to nurture them.
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