A 7.1-magnitude earthquake struck Venezuela this week, triggering panic in Caracas and other cities. The interim president, Delcy Rodríguez, vowed to fight to save 'as many people as possible' as the official death toll rose to 920, with nearly 3,000 people injured. 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.
Devastation in Venezuela
Rescue workers carried people on stretchers out of collapsed buildings. Countries around the world, including Iran, the US and Cuba, committed to help with rescue efforts after deadly twin earthquakes hit the country. 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.
Thirty-six hours after back-to-back earthquakes devastated Venezuela’s northern coast, there was scant sign of government help reaching many areas, exposing how years of economic misrule and corruption have left authorities woefully unprepared for a disaster on this scale.
Brutal Heatwave in Europe
In Europe, a brutal heatwave swept across the continent. In Paris, a couple cooled off in the Trocadero fountain. The number of deaths in France linked to the heatwave climbed to four toddlers and more than 55 drownings, as the brutally hot conditions were forecast to shift east, stifling 150 million people with 35C (95F) temperatures.
In the UK, the government faced increasingly urgent calls for action to protect people against the intensifying effects of the climate crisis, as the highest maximum temperature record for June was broken for the third day in a row. People struggled in extreme heat in Manchester, and a person used a fan to keep cool in the City of London.
Political Turmoil: Starmer Resigns
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced his resignation as prime minister and leader of the Labour party outside No 10 Downing Street in London. 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 of them became unnerved by the threat from Nigel Farage’s Reform UK party.
World Cup and Other Events
In Gaza, Palestinians watched a live broadcast of the World Cup match between Spain and Saudi Arabia on a screen in Khan Younis. A report by the UN independent international commission of inquiry examined violations against Palestinian children since the start of the war in Gaza, and said about 30% of the people killed by Israeli forces have been children.
In Mexico, people watched the World Cup match between South Africa and South Korea at the Monterrey stadium in Guadalupe. In the West Bank, an Israeli soldier aimed his weapon fitted with a laser sight while patrolling the market in Nablus. A UN independent international commission found a sharp increase in violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinian children, and documented evidence of torture, including sexual and gender-based violence, during mass arrests and detention.
In Oman, friends took photographs nearby the waters off Muscat where oil tankers, carriers, other ships and Omani fishing boats sat anchored. Iran rejected UN-backed plans for the mass evacuation of ships through the strait of Hormuz, creating a new threat to the free passage of commercial ships.
Cultural and Environmental Highlights
Visitors gathered at Stonehenge for the summer solstice, when the earth’s north pole has its maximum tilt toward the sun, occurring at 9.24am on 21 June. In Washington DC, chipped paint and algae were visible in the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool after recent renovations following a directive from Donald Trump to paint it blue before the 250th anniversary of US independence. The project has endured problems with algae, peeling paint and a ballooning price tag.
In Pyongyang, North Korea, participants gathered at the youth park open-air theatre to mark the Day of Struggle Against US Imperialism. In Tirana, Albania, protesters carried imitation flamingos as they gathered in front of the Albanian prime minister’s office to demonstrate against the construction of a luxury resort near a protected natural area. The demonstrators argue that the estimated $4bn project, led by the US president’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and his wife, Ivanka, will harm the environment.
In Nairobi, Kenya, police officers arrested protesters near parliament during a demonstration to mark two years since more than 60 people died in anti-government protests that resulted in the storming of parliament. In Ibadan, Nigeria, twin sisters Taiwo and Kehinde Adediran and twin brothers Taiwo and Kehinde Oguntoye prepared for their wedding. The unisex name Taiwo is traditionally given to the first born of twins and Kehinde to the second.
In Paris, women danced with toy water guns during Fête de la Musique. In Athens, tourists were unmoved by the Aphrodite of Syracuse, a statue of the goddess of love and beauty, at the National Archaeological Museum.
