00:01The EU's civil protection mechanism has sent 700 rescuers and experts from 12 countries
00:07to find more than 68,000 people still missing following devastating earthquakes in Venezuela.
00:15Experts say the first 72 hours after natural disasters are the key narrow window for finding
00:20the living.
00:21After that, the search becomes one of recovering bodies.
00:25At the end of Saturday, authorities reported that the death toll had reached 1,430 with
00:31more than 3,200 people injured.
00:35In total, 24 countries from around the world have sent 521 tons of supplies, 86 units with
00:42dogs trained to locate people trapped beneath the rubble, and more than 2,700 search and
00:47rescue personnel, according to Venezuela's acting president, Delce Rodriguez.
00:52EU Foreign Policy Chief Kayakala said she had held a call with Rodriguez to convey European
00:57solidarity and the mobilization of 5 million euros in emergency assistance.
01:02In addition, Pope Leo XIV prayed on Sunday for the hundreds of Venezuelans who died in
01:08the quakes and reiterated support for the victims' relatives.
01:16Iran launched fresh strikes on Bahrain and Kuwait early on Sunday in retaliation for strikes launched
01:23by the US on the Islamic Republic, further straining negotiations to end the war.
01:29US Central Command said it struck Iranian military targets following an attack on a ship in the
01:34Strait of Hormuz on Saturday.
01:37Iran's Revolutionary Guard said on Sunday they were taking measures to control traffic in the
01:41vital strait and that violating vessels would be dealt with more firmly than before.
01:47It comes after a multinational maritime body overseen by the US Navy said Saturday that it
01:52would expand a route near Oman in the Strait of Hormuz to allow for inbound and outbound traffic.
01:58Sunday strikes follow a similar back-and-forth that occurred just days prior when an Iranian
02:03drone struck a merchant vessel off the coast of Oman on Thursday, and the US military retaliated
02:09with strikes.
02:11The exchanges underscore the fragility of a Pakistan-brokered peace process that led to
02:16a memorandum of understanding between the United States and Iran reached in mid-June.
02:27Thousands of guests traveled down to Brussels on Sunday to celebrate the 250th anniversary of US
02:33independence. The invite-only event is held in a large park in the Belgian capital, which is located
02:39near the EU institutions.
02:41And everyone gathered in Brussels to celebrate 250 years of American independence.
02:48U.S. Ambassador to Belgium Bill White opened the ceremony. Among those attending are
02:54Belgian Prime Minister Bartu Weaver, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, and European Parliament President
03:00Roberta Metzola.
03:02And U.S. military personnel based in the Belgian capital are also in attendance.
03:08However, the event drew widespread criticism. On Sunday morning, Greenpeace unrolled a massive
03:14banner in the city center, condemning the occasion to promote Trump's political and corporate agenda.
03:21And several organizations, including Extinction Rebellion and Rise for Climate,
03:25demonstrated outside of the park in protest against the privatization of the public park.
03:34France has recorded around 1,000 more deaths than expected since Wednesday, as a record-breaking
03:40heat wave struck much of Western Europe for days. The agency said areas under red alert for heat had
03:47been particularly badly affected, and 85 percent of the deaths had been those aged 65 and over.
03:53Parts of France have topped 40 degrees this week, piling pressure on hospitals and first responders
03:58amid a surge in emergency call-outs. Temperatures soared to record highs across Europe this week.
04:05According to the latest forecasts, they remained particularly intense on Sunday in Germany,
04:10the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland, while they slowly began to ease across the Netherlands,
04:15Belgium and France. Germany experienced its highest temperature on record of 41.5 degrees on Saturday
04:23afternoon, while Danish authorities said temperatures had reached 37 degrees, the highest since records began
04:29in 1874. Scientists have shown that recurring heat waves are a clear marker of global warming driven by
04:36humans burning fossil fuels, and warned they are set to become more frequent, longer and more intense.
Comments