Monday, June 29, 2026
Twin earthquakes that struck Venezuela last week have killed more than 1,450 people, overwhelming mortuaries in Caracas and stretching the government's already strained rescue capacity. A father and teenage son were pulled alive from rubble in Caraballeda, a town about 40km north of the capital, after four days — briefly reigniting hopes for further survivors.
Washington and Tehran have agreed to halt attacks and restart negotiations in Doha, Qatar, according to Axios — a significant de-escalation in a conflict that has kept global oil markets on edge. Iran is simultaneously insisting on retaining control of the Strait of Hormuz, a chokepoint through which roughly 20% of the world's oil flows.
Vladimir Putin has publicly acknowledged for the first time that Ukraine's long-range drone strikes on Russian refineries are producing "a certain shortage" of fuel inside Russia — a rare admission that Kyiv's infrastructure campaign is working. Ukraine frames the strikes as retaliation for near-daily Russian barrages on Ukrainian civilians and energy infrastructure since February 2022.
More than one million children were referred to mental health services in England last year — a 10% rise on the previous year — with anxiety the leading cause, according to the children's commissioner Rachel de Souza. Demand has now so far outstripped capacity that many children wait years for treatment, prompting calls for a complete overhaul of state support.
The National Weather Service has warned of a prolonged and dangerous heatwave across a large swath of the central and eastern US, with high humidity amplifying the health risk ahead of Fourth of July celebrations and World Cup events. Parts of Phoenix and central Texas are already baking, and forecasters expect conditions to persist through the holiday weekend.
