Polls opened in the Netherlands on Thursday to kick off four days of voting in European Union parliamentary elections across the 27 member states that are expected to deliver gains for the hard right.

Geert Wilders, of the far-right Party for Freedom, or PVV, was among the first senior politicians to cast his ballot. Having sent shockwaves around Europe six months ago by becoming the biggest party in the Dutch national parliament, he now wants to build on that popularity and set the tone for much of the bloc, with calls to claw powers back to national capitals and away from the EU so member states have more autonomy on issues such as migration.

The U.N. nuclear watchdog's board has censured Iran for failing to cooperate fully with the agency, diplomats said, calling on Tehran to provide answers in a long-running investigation and reverse its decision to bar several experienced U.N. inspectors.

Iran's Foreign Ministry issued a late-night statement Wednesday in response to the vote, saying it "strongly condemns" the action taken by the IAEA's board of governors and called the move political.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared victory for his alliance in India's general election, claiming a mandate to move forward with his agenda, even though his party lost seats to a stronger than expected opposition, which pushed back against his mixed economic record and polarizing politics.

"Today's victory is the victory of the world's largest democracy," Modi told the crowd at his party's headquarters Tuesday, saying Indian voters had "shown immense faith" both in his party and his National Democratic Alliance coalition.

It seemed like a throwaway line by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, yet it encapsulated what is at stake for many in this week's European Union parliamentary elections — What to do with the hard right? And should it be trusted?

The top EU leader basically had said that far-right Italian Prime Minister Georgia Meloni, whose party is steeped in post-fascism, could be ready for prime time as a potential coalition partner once the four-day elections across the 27-nation EU end Sunday.

United States President Joe Biden will mark the 80th anniversary of the D-Day invasion in France this week as he tries to demonstrate steadfast support for European security at a time when some allies fear Donald Trump threatens to upend American commitments if he wins another term in the White House.

The trip comes as the deadliest fighting on the continent since World War II continues in Ukraine and allied countries struggle to find ways to turn the tide against Russia, which has recently gained ground on the battlefield. It is also set against deepening cracks between the U.S. and many European allies over how to manage the ongoing Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.

The House passed legislation Tuesday that would sanction the International Criminal Court for requesting arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other Israeli officials.

The 247-155 vote amounts to Congress' first legislative rebuke of the war crimes court since its stunning decision last month to seek arrest warrants for the leaders of Israel and Hamas. The move was widely denounced in Washington, creating a rare moment of unity on Israel even as partisan divisions over the war with Hamas intensified.

President Joe Biden laid into his predecessor and likely opponent in November's election, Donald Trump, for being convicted by a Manhattan jury on 34 felony counts related to hush money payments, saying Monday night that "this campaign has entered uncharted territory."

Speaking at a fundraiser in Greenwich, Connecticut, Biden said the former president "wants you to believe it's all rigged. Nothing could be further from the truth."

Checkpoints and rows of police vehicles lined a major road leading to Beijing's Tiananmen Square on Tuesday as China heightened security on the 35th anniversary of a bloody crackdown on pro-democracy protests. Hong Kong police took at least two people off the streets as the effort to prevent any public remembrance extended beyond the mainland.

China has long quashed any memory of the crackdown, when the Chinese government ordered in the army to end the months-long protests and uphold Communist rule. An estimated 180,000 troops and armed police rolled in with tanks and armored vehicles, and fired into crowds trying to block them as they pushed toward the student-led demonstration on Tiananmen Square.

India started counting votes Tuesday from its staggered, six-week election that was seen as a referendum on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's decade in power and was expected to give him a third term in office.

Early leads showed fewer seats for Modi's governing Bharatiya Janata Party than expected. BJP is part of the National Democratic Alliance, whose parties were leading in 224 constituencies according to an early count. The Congress party is part of the INDIA alliance, which was leading in 290 constituencies.

Iran's acting foreign minister Ali Bagheri said his government was engaged in negotiations with arch-foe the United States hosted by the Gulf sultanate of Oman.

Asked about the issue at a news conference during a visit to Beirut Monday, Bagheri said "we have always continued out negotiations... and they have never stopped."