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Rescue workers transport survivor Hernan Alberto Gil, who was trapped for over a week following June 24 earthquakes, from a collapsed mall in La Guaira, Thursday.…
Chile’s President Jose Antonio Kast and his Uruguayan counterpart Yamandu Orsi hold a press conference, in Montevideo, Uruguay. (Reuters) The presidents of Chile and Uruguay huddled Wednesday to discuss how to fight organised crime, a problem that right-wing populists campaigned on in their sweep to power across Latin America.President Jose Antonio Kast of Chile and Yamandu Orsi of Uruguay conferred for an hour a day after attending a summit of the regional trading bloc called Mercosur, in neighbouring Paraguay.Kast expressed hope that both Uruguay and Paraguay will soon join Chile in signing a crime-fighting agreement to tackle powerful drug trafficking cartels which send huge amounts of cocaine from South America to the United States and Europe.”Organised crime can be removed from one country but it needs the same rules in all nations to be able to do away with this scourge,” Kast said in a joint statement with Orsi.Backed by President Donald Trump, Kast won a landslide victory in Chile in December on a platform to crack down hard on crime and illegal immigration, which he blamed for bringing cartels and gangs into Chile, one of the most prosperous countries of Latin America.The homicide rate in Chile has doubled in the past decade to 5.4 per 100,000 inhabitants. Uruguay’s is almost twice that. Related Story Source link
Former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro and his wife Michelle Bolsonaro attend a demonstration against Jair Bolsonaro’s judicial process and to demand the amnesty of all accused…
A man looks at a residential building damaged following a Russian air attack on the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv Thursday. (AFP) Ukraine and Russia Thursday vowed fresh assaults in their four-year war after Moscow launched a massive barrage on Kyiv, killing at least 21 people, tearing open apartment buildings and sending tens of thousands to shelters.Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said his forces would “definitely” retaliate for the overnight pummelling of the capital as he inspected the site of an apartment block partially destroyed in the attack.In Moscow, the Kremlin vowed to further ramp up the “pressure” on Kyiv, sticking to its no-compromise rhetoric as rescuers in Kyiv scoured the rubble for survivors.The European Union’s top diplomat proposed new sanctions on Moscow, while Zelensky asked the US for licences to manufacture Patriot air defence missiles.Russia has routinely launched waves of missiles and drones at Ukrainian cities during its invasion, which has become Europe’s deadliest conflict since World War II.AFP journalists in central and eastern Kyiv heard more than a dozen explosions and saw residents — some with children and pets — rushing to shelter in metro stations.In the morning, locals stood on the rubble of destroyed apartment blocks ripped apart by the barrage, as smoke poured over the Kyiv skyline.At one spot, a mother cried as she embraced her son in front of the smouldering debris.Blasts started echoing out late on Wednesday, lasting into the early hours of Thursday as Russian missiles and drones rained down on residential areas in the city centre.Mayor Vitali Klitschko described it as the “enemy’s most massive attack on the capital”, without elaborating.The state emergency services said at least 21 people were killed and 85 were wounded, including two children.The Ukrainian branch of the Red Cross said that its key warehouse was “destroyed” in the attack with around $2mn worth of humanitarian aid lost.Debris from the pummelling also damaged a building that was “hosting a number of diplomats”, EU spokesperson Anitta Hipper told AFP, adding that “EU diplomats were affected” but “safe”.Kyiv urged its allies to send more air defence.”Air defence supplies for Ukraine are an absolute and critical priority,” Zelensky said in a post on Facebook.”We also very much count on a decision by the US regarding licences for Patriots.”Ukraine is seeking to manufacture munitions for the US-made missile interceptor system, one of its only ways of defending against Russian ballistic missiles, although defence experts say it will take time to set up production domestically.Russia fired 496 drones and 74 missiles, including hard-to-intercept ballistic projectiles, Ukraine’s air force said.It said it shot down 48 of the missiles and 476 drones.AFP reporters met several Kyiv residents outside an apartment building largely destroyed in the attack.”Half the building has been destroyed. The roof is gone,” said 32-year-old factory worker Sabina Mambetova, standing outside the rubble of her home in the eastern Darnytskyi district.”I’ve been left without an apartment, alone with my child. I don’t know what to do now.”An AFP journalist at the site saw rescuers extracting the body of another victim of the attack, which ripped a multi-storey building open.Some 52,000 people, including 4,500 children packed into underground stations to shelter from the barrage — the highest number in recent years, according to the Kyiv metro.Others hunkered down in basements or corridors through the night as blasts shook buildings across the city.”It’s hard. My child is used to sleeping in complete silence and darkness,” 32-year-old doctor Kateryna Kucheryava told AFP from the metro as the attack was unfolding.”I picked her up and carried her down. She woke up and now she’s not sleeping anymore.”Along station platforms, locals set up tents and lay on air mattresses and camping chairs, while mothers tried to sleep clutching babies to their chests.The EU’s top diplomat Kaja Kallas said she would propose new sanctions on Moscow over the attack.But the Kremlin showed no signs it would back down, more than four years into an invasion that has killed hundreds of thousands.The attack came hours after Zelensky cut short a visit to Dublin on Wednesday, citing intelligence reports of an impending Russian strike.Zelensky said Russian President Vladimir Putin “has been preparing this massive strike against Ukraine for some time now”.Ukraine has stepped up long-range drone attacks inside Russia in recent weeks, targeting energy infrastructure and military targets.Russian officials have reported repeated strikes in border regions, while Moscow has said its air defences have intercepted hundreds of drones from Ukraine in recent days.US efforts to broker an end to the conflict have so far failed. Related Story Source link
A GlobalEye aircraft, manufactured by Saab Technologies, on static design during Dubai Airshow. (Reuters/File picture) Nato plans to replace its ageing fleet of US-built AWACS surveillance aircraft with a Swedish alternative, four sources told Reuters, in a move that could jar with President Donald Trump, who has urged allies to buy more US defence equipment.Trump has repeatedly criticised European allies for relying on the US for their security, while pressing them to boost defence spending and buy more US equipment. He has also threatened at times to pull Washington out of Nato.The sources said the purchase of Saab’s GlobalEye surveillance aircraft would be announced at a Nato summit in Ankara on July 7-8.A spokesperson for the alliance confirmed that a decision on the AWACS replacement would be announced at the summit but declined to provide details. Saab declined to comment.With their distinctive nine-metre-wide radar domes, Nato’s 14 Airborne Warning and Control System aircraft have served as the alliance’s eyes in the sky since 1982.Based at Geilenkirchen air base in Germany, the fleet has played a key role in surveillance missions along Nato’s eastern flank since Russia launched its war in Ukraine.Under the replacement plan, Geilenkirchen could eventually become home to the world’s largest fleet of GlobalEye aircraft, the sources familiar with the situation said.The system, which entered service in 2018, is designed to detect and track threats across air, land and sea. It is based on the Global 6500 business jet built by Canada’s BombardierGlobalEye competes with Boeing’s E-7 Wedgetail, an early warning and command-and-control aircraft based on the 737 jetliner and designed to oversee and direct battle.Nato dropped plans in 2025 to buy six Boeing E-7 Wedgetail aircraft after the Pentagon, its largest prospective customer, scrapped plans to acquire 26 of the jets and instead put greater emphasis on satellite-based capabilities.Under pressure from US lawmakers, however, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told a Congressional panel in May that the Pentagon was seeking to restore funding for the programme.The planned Nato announcement comes weeks after Canada, which has said it wants to reduce its dependence on US defence suppliers, announced plans to buy six GlobalEye aircraft, the largest order for the jet so far.Nato’s purchase is expected to be larger, although it was not immediately clear how many jets it would involve. One source said the final number could depend on whether the alliance opts for a more expensive version capable of mid-air refuelling.The current AWACS fleet can be refuelled in flight, a capability that has proved valuable for missions near Ukraine by extending time on station.The aircraft, among the few military assets owned directly by Nato, are operated by crews from 21 of the alliance’s 32 member states.In a conflict, they can provide a common radar picture for allied fighters, ships and control centres, while directing Nato combat jets to their targets.The fleet has supported missions in the Balkans, Afghanistan and Iraq, as well as security operations during the 2006 World Cup in Germany and major international summits. Related Story Source link
Traffic moves along a highway amidst air pollution in New Delhi. (Reuters/File picture) The government of India’s national capital territory of Delhi has announced a spate of measures to curb air pollution during winter, months ahead of the annual season when the city often becomes the world’s most polluted.Government data from the last three years indicates that Delhi’s air quality deteriorates from November 1 to February 15, when the average air quality index (AQI) generally ranges from 312 to 342. An AQI of 0-50 is considered to be “good”.Authorities earlier imposed anti-pollution measures during this period according to a graded action plan when air quality dropped below a certain level.Under the new curbs announced on Wednesday, they will now be in place continuously from November 1 to February 28, irrespective of AQI.These include doubling of parking charges to discourage use of private vehicles, staggered timings at all government offices, and a ban on all outdoor civil construction activity except essential public infrastructure projects.Between November 1 and January 31, all government and private offices will also be mandated to operate with half their staff physically present and the rest working from home.Violators will face penal action, including prosecution, the announcement said.The government this week also announced a cash incentive of over $1,000 to car owners willing to scrap their old vehicles for EVs as part of a new policy aimed at reducing pollution. Source link
At least 40 people were killed and 11 others injured when a passenger bus veered off the road and plunged into a ravine in southwest Pakistan.Local authorities reported that the bus was traveling from Quetta to Peshawar when it went off the road and plunged into a deep ravine in the mountainous Dana Sar region. The death toll is still preliminary.Balochistan Government Spokesman Shahid Rand said that emergency teams rushed to the scene to begin rescue operations and recover the victims. Related Story Source link
The silhouette of a fisherman is seen with the Morro lighthouse in the background during a power outage at dawn in Havana on June 29, 2026.…
Soraida Torrealba’s family has spent days desperately searching for her among the rubble of their building.Other relatives scour hospitals and morgues after the two earthquakes that struck Venezuela on June 24 left more than 1,700 dead and tens of thousands more still missing.Soraida’s 44-year-old sister, Rosanna Luna, says not knowing what happened her sister is excruciating.”I feel like my hands are tied because I can’t find her,” she laments.Like Luna, thousands of people are searching for one or more family members with growing desperation six days after the disaster.Social media is flooded with photos of children, the elderly, and couples, along with their names and descriptions, as well as a contact number for their families.The initiative “venezuelatebusca.com,” a database launched to help find friends and relatives lost since the earthquakes, reports more than 46,000 missing. The name means “Venezuela is looking for you.”The UN estimates that the number could be as high as 50,000 but Venezuela’s government has avoided putting a number on how many people are still unaccounted for.On Sunday, Luna thought she recognized her sister among the photos of the dead at the main Caracas morgue.One of the faces looked very similar, but when she looked more closely, the toenail polish didn’t match.The next day, she returned and found another face that resembled Soraida’s in a new batch of photographs.But the person’s features were so swollen that she couldn’t be sure it was her.Other relatives have been searching for her among the ruins of the apartment where Soraida lived with her dog Princesa in La Guaira, on Venezuela’s Caribbean coast, the region worst hit by the earthquakes.But on Monday, as they were returning to the site, a strong aftershock forced them to abandon their search.”It’s harder not knowing, because you ask yourself, ‘What do I do? Where do I look for her?” Luna cried.”I look for her here and she’s not there, I went to the hospital and she’s not there. Where is she?'”Her anguish is shared outside morgues as well as in hospitals, where photos of missing persons are plastered on walls and utility poles, written on handwritten pieces of paper.Robert Campos, who lost contact with several family members, says that information gathered from websites isn’t always accurate.His nephew was marked “deceased” on one site on Friday, but when he arrived at the hospital to which the page directed him, there was no record of his relative.He continues to tour hospitals and morgues, following possible leads sent to him from other family members, who continue to dig through rubble.Nearly a week after the earthquake, the 54-year-old just wants closure.”If they are alive, all the better, but what I want is to find them,” he said.The pungent smell of death emanates from the Caracas morgue, an odour that thousands of liters of donated chlorine cannot mask.An employee who asked to remain anonymous said that the institution has received “a great many” bodies since the day of the two earthquakes, magnitudes 7.2 and 7.5, and is overwhelmed.Many have not been identified, partly due to the advanced state of decomposition of the bodies.”Not knowing anything,” says Campos, is the hard part.”Being told that the person died gives you the peace of mind that you don’t have to keep searching. You can help others, but you’ve already overcome that barrier that has been holding you back,” he said.Rosanna Luna, who is looking for her sister, is still hoping for a miracle.”I’ve asked God that she turns up safe and sound,” she said. “But if that’s not the case, at least let us find her.” Related Story Source link
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha (left) shakes hands with Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun before their meeting at the Foreign Ministry in Seoul Tuesday. (AFP) Republic of Korea and Ukraine held “constructive” talks on Tuesday about the fate of two North Korean soldiers captured while fighting in Russia, Seoul said Tuesday.Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun and Ukrainian counterpart Andriy Sybiga discussed the matter during talks in Seoul.The soldiers were captured by Ukrainian forces in January last year while fighting for Russia in the Kursk region.North Korea and Russia have demanded the repatriation of the pair, but rights groups and experts have warned they could face severe punishment if returned to Pyongyang.The soldiers have asked to be sent to Korea, which would in effect amount to defection.Seoul is seeking their transfer on the grounds that they are citizens of a single Republic of Korea envisaged in its constitution.North Korea and Republic of Korea remain technically at war after their 1950-53 conflict ended in an armistice, not a peace treaty.The nations are separated by a demilitarised zone, but Seoul considers the entire Korean peninsula as one country.The ministers “engaged in constructive discussions” on the soldiers’ future yesterday, a Korean foreign ministry spokesman told reporters.They agreed to be guided by “international law and humanitarian principles”.”The government will continue to make diplomatic efforts to advance and resolve the issue of the North Korean prisoners of war,” the spokesman said.Writing on X, Sybiga said he and Cho discussed the matter “in detail”.It has been reported that North Korean authorities instructed troops to commit suicide rather than allow themselves to be captured while fighting for Russia.One of the two held by Ukraine told Korean broadcaster MBC earlier this year: “If I am not brought to Korea, I will end up dying.”North Korean leader Kim Jong-un praised North Korean troops killed in Ukraine in April for taking part in “death-defying hand-to-hand fights and heroic suicidal explosions… without hesitation”, according to the Korean Central News Agency.Kyiv had assured Seoul the two soldiers would not be repatriated to North Korea against their will, Cho said in March.Analysts say North Korea has received financial assistance, military technology, food and energy from Russia in exchange for missiles, munitions and thousands of troops for Moscow’s war in Ukraine.The two countries had signed a mutual defence treaty in 2024, obliging each to provide military assistance “without delay” if either comes under attack.More than 7,000 North Korean troops were killed or wounded while fighting alongside Russian forces in the Kursk region during the 2024-2025 campaign, the Kyiv Independent quoted Ukraine’s military intelligence agency as saying this week.Sybiga said he and Cho also discussed “shared challenges stemming from the deepening cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang”. …