360LiveNews Breakfast News: Venezuela quake toll climbs as Gulf tensions, storms and markets jolt the day

Venezuela is reeling after two major earthquakes struck the north and west of the country, with the death toll rising from 188 to at least 235 and more than 1,500 people injured as rescuers searched for survivors in collapsed buildings. Damage estimates are already running into the billions of dollars, adding to the scale of the disaster.  🔗  🔗

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Officials said the quakes near Caracas left nearly 190 people dead and thousands homeless, with emergency crews still racing to pull people from the rubble. The reports point to a widening humanitarian crisis as reconstruction costs mount and the full extent of the destruction becomes clearer.  🔗  🔗

In the Gulf, oil prices moved higher after a cargo vessel was attacked in the Strait of Hormuz, a key shipping route, forcing the International Maritime Organization to pause a planned evacuation of ships. The incident underlined how quickly tensions in the waterway can spill into energy markets.  🔗

US and Gulf diplomacy remained focused on Iran, with Marco Rubio in Bahrain meeting Gulf Arab foreign ministers and other officials to reassure them that any deal with Tehran would protect regional security. In Europe, Italy denied claims that US forces used Italian airbases for strikes on Iran, after NATO chief comments prompted questions in Rome.  🔗  🔗

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Security concerns also sharpened on NATO's eastern flank, after Latvian intelligence warned that Russia may be preparing provocations against the Baltic states or Poland. In Asia, South Korea announced a major military training overhaul that will see 500,000 personnel taught to operate drones, signalling a rapid shift in defence planning.  🔗  🔗

Severe weather brought fresh disruption in the Asia Pacific region, as Typhoon Mekkhala triggered flooding in Taiwan and prompted evacuation orders for 2.2 million people in Japan as it moved toward the Ryukyu Islands. Separately, Western Australia reported another suspected H5 bird flu case at Roses Beach near Esperance while testing continued.  🔗  🔗

In the United States, the Supreme Court allowed the Trump administration to end Temporary Protected Status for hundreds of thousands of Haitians and Syrians, a ruling that could affect long term residency rights for many migrants.  🔗

Elsewhere, Kenya's police arrested more than 350 people during anniversary protests over deadly anti tax rallies, dispersing demonstrators in Nairobi and other parts of the country. India also named Mahesh Dixit, a 1993 batch Indian Police Service officer, as the next chief of the Intelligence Bureau.  🔗  🔗

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