Briefly

IRELAND

Parliament votes in Harris as new PM

Ireland's parliament on Tuesday voted in Simon Harris as the country's new prime minister, replacing Leo Varadkar after he abruptly quit last month citing personal and political reasons. Harris, 37, will become Ireland's youngest-ever prime minister when he is formally installed in the role at a meeting with President Michael D.Higgins later on Tuesday. Harris became prime minister in waiting late last month after his unopposed election to succeed Varadkar as leader of the governing Fine Gael party.

EUROPE

March sees historic heat again: Monitor

Europe's climate monitor said on Tuesday that March was the hottest on record and the 10th straight month of historic heat, with sea surface temperatures also hitting a "shocking "new high. Every month since June 2023 has beaten its own "hottest ever "tag, and March 2024 was no exception. The European Union's Copernicus Climate Change Service said March globally was 1.68 C hotter than an average March between the years 1850-1900, the reference period for the preindustrial era.

Agencies via Xinhua