Welcome back to World Brief, where we’re looking at extensive earthquake damage in Venezuela, Western Europe’s deadly heat wave, and deteriorating ties between Poland and Ukraine.
‘A Disaster Zone’
Thousands of people across Venezuela are feared dead after twin earthquakes devastated large parts of the country. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude quakes hit northern Venezuela in rapid succession late Wednesday, triggering aftershocks that could be felt throughout the region. Now, search-and-rescue operations are racing to find survivors among the wreckage, though poor infrastructure and hollowed-out government funding are likely to hinder their efforts.
Welcome back to World Brief, where we’re looking at extensive earthquake damage in Venezuela, Western Europe’s deadly heat wave, and deteriorating ties between Poland and Ukraine.
‘A Disaster Zone’
Thousands of people across Venezuela are feared dead after twin earthquakes devastated large parts of the country. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude quakes hit northern Venezuela in rapid succession late Wednesday, triggering aftershocks that could be felt throughout the region. Now, search-and-rescue operations are racing to find survivors among the wreckage, though poor infrastructure and hollowed-out government funding are likely to hinder their efforts.
At time of writing, Wednesday’s earthquakes had killed at least 164 people and injured nearly 1,000 others. With thousands more reported missing, officials expect the death toll to rise, particularly in the northern coastal region of La Guaira, where some of the worst damage was sustained. “La Guaira state is a true tragedy and has become a disaster zone,” acting President Delcy Rodríguez said on Thursday.
The capital of Caracas also sustained extensive destruction. Large swaths of the city lost power and cellphone coverage, heavy damage forced Simón Bolívar International Airport to close, and the Caracas stock exchange announced that it would suspend trading to assess its infrastructure and staff.
Wednesday’s twin quakes were among the strongest to hit Venezuela in more than a century. On Thursday, Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello urged locals to remain outside to avoid the fallout of aftershocks; buildings as far as Brazil’s Amazon, located more than 1,000 miles away from Caracas, have been evacuated.
Foreign governments were quick to respond to the natural disaster. U.S. President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social late Wednesday that Washington “stands ready, willing, and able to help,” adding, “We will be there for our new and great friends.” U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed such aid on Thursday, telling reporters that the White House is deploying a “whole-of-government response.” That includes sending search-and-rescue teams and providing overhead imagery to help with damage assessment in the short term, as well as identifying the country’s longer-term recovery needs.
Regional neighbors—such as Brazil, Chile, Cuba, Ecuador, and El Salvador—offered assistance, and Colombia’s disaster management agency announced that it is preparing to send a search-and-rescue team to the area. Offers of help have also poured in from governments much farther away, from Europe to Iran to China.
Meanwhile, the U.N. human rights mission in Venezuela has urged Rodríguez to lift social media restrictions on X—imposed in August 2024 by her predecessor, Nicolás Maduro—in order to grant locals access to potentially lifesaving information. Some internet users reported having access to X on Thursday, signaling the possibility that Rodríguez acquiesced to the U.N.’s demands. However, immediately following the quakes, internet connectivity across the country dropped from over 90 percent to around 65 percent due to infrastructure damage and power outages, according to NetBlocks data.
Wednesday’s disaster poses a major challenge for Rodríguez, whose grip on power was already tenuous due to years of economic disarray caused by Maduro. The U.S. military’s seizure of Maduro in January put Rodríguez, then serving as his vice president, in power; since then, anti-government protests have grown more frequent, as locals condemn inflation rates of more than 500 percent.
In a nationwide address on Wednesday, Rodríguez declared a state of emergency and called for Venezuelans to remain united. She vowed to create a $200 million reconstruction fund in coordination with the International Monetary Fund; suspended subway services and shut off natural gas in affected areas; canceled classes in the area to allow some of these buildings to be used as shelters; and appealed to businesses to make their heavy construction equipment available for rescue operations.
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What We’re Following
Sweltering temperatures. British and French authorities urged residents on Thursday to ditch their daily routines in an effort to stay cool amid Western Europe’s deadly heat wave. “Significant disruption to daily life is likely, and the public should take every effort to adapt their daily routines to cope with these levels of heat, which up to now have been extremely rare for the U.K.,” said Andy Page, a chief meteorologist at Britain’s Met Office.
High temperatures across the region—made worse by the rarity of air conditioning across much of Europe—have killed dozens of people, disrupted power supplies, and shuttered schools. In Spain, where the heat index soared past 100 degrees Fahrenheit, government officials have estimated that more than 200 deaths are attributed to the heat. At least 40 people have drowned in France in recent days while trying to cool down, and Italian authorities have confirmed at least five deaths from heat exposure.
As of Thursday, more than a dozen countries were under high-level heat warnings, including Austria, Belgium, Croatia, France, Germany, Serbia, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. British officials have already extended the country’s red alert into Friday, marking the first time that such warnings have been issued for three consecutive days. French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu has activated the nation’s highest healthcare mobilization level, allowing nonurgent operations to be canceled to focus on serving those affected by the heat.
A diplomatic row. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk found himself in a tough spot on Thursday, after an argument between Polish President Karol Nawrocki and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky triggered the two countries’ biggest diplomatic crisis in years.
Last Friday, Nawrocki (a far-right, anti-NATO populist) stripped Zelensky of Poland’s top state honor, citing the Ukrainian leader’s decision to rename a military unit after the Ukrainian Insurgent Army, a group of nationalists who massacred Poles during World War II. In response, Zelensky chose not to attend Thursday’s Ukraine Recovery Conference held in the Polish town of Gdansk.
Such animosity has put Tusk on precarious footing, as the left-wing premier must work with Nawrocki to effectively govern and implement Tusk’s pro-Ukraine agenda. “Every decent, common-sense person knows that the quarrel between Poland and Ukraine is the greatest gift for the Russian president,” Tusk said on Wednesday. He later stressed the need for “truth” and “mutual respect” during Thursday’s annual event.
Lack of transparency. Kenyan police fired tear gas at peaceful protesters and erected barricades across Nairobi on Thursday to hinder an event marking the two-year anniversary of deadly anti-government demonstrations. President William Ruto had promised last week to allow the marches to occur, but he had warned that any effort to “shut down the country” would not be tolerated.
In June 2024, thousands of young people stormed Kenya’s Parliament building to demand that lawmakers vote against a finance bill that would raise taxes despite the country’s already high cost of living. Local police responded by opening fire on the demonstrators, killing at least 60 people. Although Ruto has since authorized a $15 million compensation program for the victims’ families, opposition leaders have accused his administration of delaying justice, citing a lack of transparency surrounding the funds.
“Only two out of 10 families whose children were shot that day near Parliament have been compensated, and we are wondering what criteria the government is using,” the mother of one of the 2024 victims told The Associated Press. Ruto has called the compensation program “a state acknowledgment that harm occurred” but not an admission of guilt.
Odds and Ends
England didn’t technically lose its World Cup group-stage match against Ghana on Tuesday. However, the 0-0 draw, which took place near Boston, Massachusetts, had sports analysts calling England’s performance against a team ranked 73rd in the world its biggest disappointment yet. “As we know, the English historically struggle here in Massachusetts,” Fox Sports commentator John Strong cheekily noted just 48 seconds into the broadcast, in reference to the 1773 Boston Tea Party protest during the American Revolution. Ghana, for its part, appeared satisfied with the goalless game, as it put the West African team on track to advance to the knockouts.