Death toll in Venezuela quake tops 1,400 as rescue efforts intensify
(Reuters) – The death toll from Venezuela’s devastating twin earthquakes rose above 1,400 on Saturday as foreign rescue teams poured into the country and authorities pressed on with the search for survivors in the hardest-hit coastal areas. The updated toll came as rescuers fanned out across La Guaira and parts of Caracas, where families and volunteers have spent days pulling survivors and bodies from the rubble, often complaining of scant heavy equipment and a limited official presence. Officials said more than 1,600 foreign rescuers had arrived and that additional teams were on the way, adding to a growing international response to the twin quakes that struck on Wednesday and unleashed hundreds of aftershocks. In Caraballeda, one of the worst-hit areas of La Guaira, U.S. helicopters ferried rescue teams into a dusty landing zone, according to Reuters witnesses, dropping off crews before taking off again. Among the crowds of volunteers was Alejandro Serrano, a 33-year-old…
US strikes Iran in response to attack on cargo ship in Strait of Hormuz
Washingotn/Dubai – The U.S. military attacked Iran on Friday in response to an Iranian drone strike on a cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz, with each country accusing the other of violating terms of a ceasefire agreed on last week. U.S. Central Command said aircraft struck missile and drone storage locations and coastal radar sites, later publishing a grainy black-and-white video of an explosion labeled “unclassified.” A U.S. official reported the operation had concluded. Iran said a projectile struck the area around a pier in Sirik in southern Iran, and that Iranian naval forces responded by striking U.S. military targets in the region. Tehran did not provide details about what may have been hit. Elsewhere, however, there were signs of progress in ending the four-month-old conflict, as Israel and Lebanon signed an agreement to end the fighting between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah. Both sides framed the deal as an initial step that calls…
Venezuela quake toll tops 900, search intensifies for hundreds trapped
La Guaira/Caracas – Desperate Venezuelans and rescue teams raced to find survivors on Friday as the death toll from twin earthquakes rose above 900 with foreign crews and aid only beginning to reach devastated areas nearly two days after the quakes. The government said 172 people remained trapped, 920 were dead and 3,360 injured after the quakes devastated parts of Caracas and surrounding areas on Wednesday evening. More than 50,000 people were reported missing. The ground shook once again Friday afternoon, a weaker 4.9 temblor that was felt in the capital Caracas and nearby Maracay. Frustration mounted over the uneven pace of relief in some of the hardest-hit areas including La Guaira state, where residents and volunteers were still digging through rubble by hand amid shortages of heavy equipment and limited official presence. Jennifer Palacios, 25, said her 6-year-old son and five other relatives remained buried in La Guaira city’s eight-tower Hugo Chavez housing complex. “It’s the community…
Court sheriff punched by Duterte, journalists in prosecution witness list for impeachment trial
Metro Manila, Philippines – A court sheriff once punched by Vice President Sara Duterte, journalists, and a psychiatrist will take the witness stand for the looming impeachment trial, to address allegations of grave threats committed by the second highest official. In a press briefing on Friday, June 26, Jay Tolosa, legal spokesperson for the prosecution panel, said the inclusion of Abe Andres, the court sheriff punched by Duterte in 2011, would gauge the behavior of the vice president. Duterte, who was Davao City mayor at the time, punched the court sheriff after he proceeded with a court-ordered demolition of an informal settlement despite her request for a delay. Andres is among the eight witnesses listed by the prosecution for Article 4, which is focused on the supposed assassination plot of Duterte against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., grave threats, and allegations of inciting to sedition to the government. “Under the rules,…
Tacloban schools tighten security ahead of return to face-to-face classes after deadly shooting
Metro Manila, Philippines – Authorities in Tacloban City are ramping up security at San Jose National High School and other public schools ahead of the resumption of face-to-face classes following last week’s shooting that killed three students and injured more than a dozen others. Mayor Alfred Romualdez announced the move after he met Thursday, June 25, with school officials, teachers, police and representatives of the Department of Education to discuss the response to the June 22 campus attack by two students. The new measures include installation of more security cameras, sturdier perimeter fencing, panic buttons linked directly to the nearest police station, and the deployment of city-funded security guards. The Philippine National Police will also assign a male and female officer to assist with security inspections at school entrances, while more local government-funded guards will be deployed to other public schools across the city school division. Local officials said classrooms…
