360LiveNews Breakfast News: Venezuela quake toll rises as Iran tensions, UK heatwave and market swings dominate
Two powerful earthquakes have struck Venezuela near the coastal town of Moron, killing at least 32 people and injuring more than 700. The quakes hit within minutes of each other and were felt in Caracas and other parts of the country, with authorities still assessing the scale of the damage.
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In the Middle East, tensions over Iran and the Strait of Hormuz remain high. Iran, the United States and Oman are at odds over who should control navigation through the vital shipping chokepoint, while the US Senate has withdrawn a war powers resolution aimed at limiting presidential force against Iran. The Trump administration has also asked Congress for urgent Iran linked funding, first for about $67.15 billion and then in a broader supplemental request of $87.6 billion, most of it tied to the war with Iran.
Diplomatic and military pressure around Iran is continuing on several fronts. IAEA chief Rafael Grossi said inspections at Iran's atomic sites will go ahead even as Tehran disputes access, and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian proposed a regional military alliance among Muslim countries during a visit to Islamabad. Separately, a video clip from the US Iran talks in Switzerland has fuelled online claims that Qatar's prime minister snubbed US Vice President JD Vance.
Israel and Europe are also reacting to the wider security climate. Benjamin Netanyahu renewed his call for Israel to pursue armaments independence and build up domestic weapons production as exports hit a record. In Berlin, European leaders pledged stronger support for Ukraine ahead of next month's NATO summit in Ankara, while NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte met Donald Trump at the White House in an effort to ease tensions over the alliance's response to the Iran war.
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In the Americas, Donald Trump cancelled a planned signing ceremony for bipartisan affordable housing legislation as he pressed Republicans to back a voter ID law. In New York, Mamdani backed candidates scored more primary upsets, including Darializa Avila Chevalier winning the Democratic nomination in the 13th congressional district. In Australia, a Queensland teenager was acquitted by a Supreme Court jury over an alleged terror attack plan targeting Liberal Party members and the public.
Elsewhere in the Pacific, Fortescue Metals Group is facing a landmark class action in the Federal Court in Melbourne over allegations of sexual harassment and sex discrimination. In Zimbabwe, the Senate approved a constitutional amendment that would keep President Emmerson Mnangagwa in office until 2030. France and Vanuatu have also begun formal talks over the disputed Matthew and Hunter islands east of New Caledonia.
In the UK, the country recorded its hottest June day on record at 36.1C in Gosport, Hampshire, with the heatwave disrupting schools and transport. A hospital in Portsmouth declared a critical incident after cooling units failed as temperatures neared 39C on the third day of the heatwave. At the same time, European leaders in Berlin praised outgoing Prime Minister Keir Starmer at the final E5 meeting after he announced his resignation.
In culture and rights news, cartoonist Joe Sacco said six Indian publishers had approached him after Penguin Random House India withdrew from plans to distribute his graphic novel reportage on the 2013 Muzaffarnagar riots. The episode has renewed attention on the book's controversial subject matter and the limits of distribution in India.
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Financial glimpse
Asia Pacific, Tokyo opened lower in a risk off move, with the Nikkei 225 and Nikkei ETF down about 2.9% as equities, commodities and crypto came under pressure. In a separate session, Tokyo later led the region higher, with the Nikkei 225 up 1.6% and the ETF up 1.5%, even as Hong Kong, Australia and South Korea finished weaker.
Europe, markets opened mixed, with the FTSE 100 edging higher while the DAX, CAC 40 and Euro Stoxx 50 slipped. Metals, oil and gold were under pressure, with silver, platinum, palladium and Brent crude all sliding.
Wall Street, the session closed mixed, with the S&P 500 and Nasdaq lower on broad weakness in mega cap tech, commodities and crypto, while the Russell 2000 and chip stocks held up better.
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