Venezuela is facing a catastrophic humanitarian and natural disaster after twin earthquakes devastated large parts of the country, pushing the confirmed death toll to 920 and leaving nearly 50,000 people missing amid widespread destruction. Rescue operations are ongoing across affected regions, including Caracas, La Guaira, and several northern coastal states, where entire neighborhoods have been reduced to rubble. Emergency teams are working around the clock to locate survivors trapped beneath collapsed buildings, but the scale of destruction has made recovery efforts extremely difficult. In a further blow to recovery efforts, a fresh 4.9 magnitude tremor struck the northern coast of Venezuela, triggering renewed panic and raising concerns about additional structural collapses. The aftershock has further complicated search and rescue operations already stretched to their limits. WATCH

A fragile diplomatic breakthrough in the West Asia is facing its biggest test yet as the United States and Iran exchange fresh military strikes following an attack on a commercial vessel transiting the Strait of Hormuz. According to US Central Command, American forces carried out retaliatory strikes against Iranian targets after the attack on the commercial ship. In response, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced strikes on US military positions across the region, describing them as retaliation for Washington's military action. US Vice President JD Vance defended the American response, saying the United States had honoured the preliminary agreement reached with Iran but made it clear that any further aggression would be met with force. "Violence will be met with violence," Vance warned, while urging Tehran to resolve outstanding disputes through dialogue instead of military escalation. WATCH