Midday Roundup: Migration debate forces Austrian chancellor from office

Political exile. Austria’s chancellor resigned today after losing support from people who want the country to take a harder stance against the influx of refugees into Europe. Chancellor Werner Faymann had held the position since 2008, but his political party’s popularity has waned recently as a more conservative group, the Freedom Party, calls for stricter immigration controls. The resignation shows how Europe’s migration crisis, spurred by the civil war in Syria and unrest throughout the Middle East and Africa, is affecting the highest levels of government across the continent.

Show in the sky. Mercury makes a trip between the Earth and the Sun today, giving stargazers a rare glimpse of the tiny planet. For seven hours today, it will appear as a black dot drifting across the face of the sun over the United States. To view it, you need a telescope with a special filter (staring at the sun is not recommended). Mercury orbits the Sun once every 88 days, but it only lines up between the Sun and the Earth every 10 years or so because its orbital plane is tilted at a different angle than Earth’s. Mercury is one of the most difficult planets for astronomers to study because it’s so close to the sun. NASA has sent only two spacecraft past it, and it doesn’t have plans for more.

Symbolic promotion. North Korea’s ruling-party congress today announced a new title for Kim Jong-un—party chairman—suggesting the ruler plans to collaborate more with the country’s Communist Party than his father did. The congress is the country’s first in 36 years. More than 100 foreign journalists were invited to attend, but so far only a small group has been allowed to view the meetings for roughly 10 minutes as dignitaries announced Kim’s new title. Earlier Monday, three BBC journalists were expelled for allegedly “insulting the dignity” of North Korea.

Gas gains. Just in time for the summer, gas prices continue to surge. The average cost of a gallon of gas rose 50 cents over the past 12 weeks. The new average is $2.27 a gallon. Fuel analyst Trilby Lundberg said the price hike is largely due to the rising cost of crude oil. “Even though the price is up substantially in recent months, at this point it is 53 cents below where it was one year ago,” she said. As usual, the highest average price is found in San Francisco. A gallon of gas there will set you back $2.83. The cheapest average this week is in Baton Rouge, La., at $1.92 a gallon.

Sequel success. At the box office, it was a super weekend for the latest superhero flick. Captain America: Civil War scored the fifth-largest opening weekend of all time with $182 million. Globally, the film has grossed nearly $700 million, after an earlier release overseas. The Huntsman: Winter’s War ran a distant second with just under $10 million for the weekend.

WORLD Radio’s Kent Covington and The Associated Press contributed to this report.