Venezuela earthquake devastates northern coast
A 7.1-magnitude earthquake struck Venezuela this week, triggering panic in Caracas and along the northern coast. The official death toll has risen to 920, with nearly 3,000 people injured, according to interim president Delcy Rodríguez, who vowed to fight to save 'as many people as possible'. Volunteer searchers and relatives of the many missing voiced exasperation and anger at the lack of an official response as they waited for government teams in La Guaira and Catia La Mar.
International rescue efforts mobilised
Countries around the world, including Iran, the US and Cuba, have committed to help with rescue efforts after the deadly twin earthquakes. Tommaso Della Longa, a spokesperson for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, said the earthquake came after a host of challenges that Venezuela had already faced, leaving the country struggling to respond to the disaster. Rescue workers were seen carrying people on stretchers out of collapsed buildings in Caracas.
Europe heatwave breaks June records
A brutal heatwave sweeping Europe has broken the highest maximum temperature record for June for the third day in a row in the UK. In France, the number of deaths linked to the heatwave climbed to four toddlers and more than 55 drownings, as brutally hot conditions were forecast to shift east, stifling 150 million people with 35°C (95°F) temperatures. A couple were photographed cooling off in the Trocadero fountain in Paris, while people struggled in extreme heat in Manchester.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer resigns
Keir Starmer announced his resignation as prime minister and leader of the Labour party outside No 10 Downing Street, hugging his wife Victoria. Less than two years after a historic election victory, Starmer had faced calls from his MPs, including privately from cabinet ministers, to set out a timeline for his departure before the next general election after many became unnerved by the threat from Nigel Farage’s Reform UK party.
World Cup and summer solstice
Palestinians in Khan Younis watched a live broadcast of the World Cup match between Spain and Saudi Arabia, while fans in Guadalupe, Mexico watched South Africa vs South Korea. Visitors gathered at Stonehenge for the summer solstice, when the earth’s north pole has its maximum tilt toward the sun.
Other global events
In the West Bank, a UN independent international commission found a sharp increase in violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinian children, documenting evidence of torture during mass arrests. In Gaza, about 30% of people killed by Israeli forces have been children, according to the same commission. In Washington DC, the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool suffered problems with algae, peeling paint and a ballooning price tag after a directive from Donald Trump to paint it blue. Protesters in Tirana demonstrated against a $4bn luxury resort project led by Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump. Kenyan police arrested protesters near parliament during a demonstration marking two years since more than 60 people died in anti-government protests. Twin sisters Taiwo and Kehinde Adediran married twin brothers Taiwo and Kehinde Oguntoye in Ibadan, Nigeria. Women danced with toy water guns during Fête de la Musique in Paris, and tourists viewed the Aphrodite of Syracuse at the National Archaeological Museum in Athens.
