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Venezuela's twin earthquakes: Unprecedented struggles for survival amid crisis

The Hindu – International

3h ago

Venezuela's twin earthquakes: Unprecedented struggles for survival amid crisis

Summary

Subscribed with another email? Logout and Login with that one. Account subscription benefits alongside Premium Stories, Editorials, Opinions and more. Unlock these with Subscription V enezuela — hit by twin earthquakes on June 24 — is struggling to build itself back up. With official rescues dropping dramatically, the death toll has risen to 1,943 and the number of injured has almost doubled to 10,571, according to latest information. From India sending a field hospital under Operation Amistad and two IAF C-17 Globemaster aircraft with 66 tonnes of aid, to the U.S. deploying 900 personnel, international aid continues to pour into the country. Venezuelan officials say that more than 15,800 people have been affected by the earthquakes — a figure that reflects the official number of displaced people, U.N. refugee agency spokesperson Carlotta Wolf said. The U.S. ran 12 deportation flights to Venezuela in May, operating three days a week, according to ICE (immigration enforcement agency) Flight Monitor. Deportation flights to Venezuela resumed in February 2025 after a 13-month pause. Indian Air Force C-17 Globemaster III aircraft arrives at Maiquetía International Airport, Caracas, carrying 66 tonnes of humanitarian aid- including an Indian Army Field Hospital, over 35 tonnes of relief supplies, medicines and medical equipment, and two BHISHM Cubes, for Venezuela as part of post-earthquake relief efforts on June 28, 2026.

From the source

Nearly a week after twin earthquakes struck Venezuela, the country continues to grapple with mounting devastation

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Months after he sent a harsh email to ICE, agents tracked him to his home and a hotel

David Streever takes a selfie while on vacation with his daughter and a character at Moomin World in Finland. Later, the Streevers would learn the same agents presented the same form to a Syracuse poll worker earlier that day, and accused her of threatening an ICE (immigration enforcement agency) officer on her Instagram account. He did remember a strongly worded note he had sent to Lyons' government email address in January right after federal immigration officers fatally shot two people in Minneapolis. Todd Lyons, then-acting director of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, testifies during a House Committee on Homeland Security hearing on Feb. 10. The department gave NPR a statement that said: "ICE investigates all credible threats towards its employees and officers, including threats to the ICE Director. This is criticizing the director of ICE and appealing to his conscience and sharing [Streever's] own views," said Steinbaugh, who has talked with Streever about his case. It said that ICE's Office of Professional Responsibility "has identified an email sent to Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons, which it has reason to believe may constitute a violation of Title 19 of the U.S. At the bottom of the form it said, "Receipt of this Notice will be taken into consideration, should you continue to be involved in any criminal activities described above." For months, DHS (Dept. of Homeland Security) and ICE have been waging a crackdown on alleged threats against their personnel and doxxing attempts. Federal agents have sent administrative subpoenas to email and social media platforms to find out the identities of people who have posted about ICE anonymously. "This danger is not hypothetical," said a recent statement from DHS.

Immigration4h ago

Call to suspend new EU border system in peak holiday period as planes leave half full

Airlines and airports say passengers are struggling in queues of up to five hours for biometric checks Airlines and airports have called for the new EU biometric border check system to be suspended during the peak summer holiday period, warning that some flights are leaving half full and passengers are struggling in queues of up to five hours. In a letter to Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission , airlines and airports asked for an option to suspend checks under the system over fears the situation will get much worse during the busy summer season. “We have reached a critical point,” said the industry groups ACI Europe , which represents airports, and Airlines 4 Europe and the International Air Transport Association, which represents airlines. “Passengers have already been forced to queue for extended periods outside terminal buildings and on exposed aprons because border control facilities cannot process arrivals quickly enough. “Airlines face half-empty planes at gate closing time, while passengers are stuck in border control queues.” Some planes have had to delay takeoff while waiting for passengers, with the groups saying that queues are reaching up to five hours at peak times, while others have had to leave passengers behind . The groups called on the commission to allow airports to “completely suspend” checks “whenever passenger volumes exceed the operational capacity of border control facilities” during July and August. The groups said that border authorities, airports and airlines are “under unsustainable pressure”, and called for an “immediate intervention before the situation deteriorates further during the peak summer travel season”. The system, which has been introduced gradually starting last October, requires non-EU citizens to register with fingerprints and a photograph at their destination airport. But the rollout has faced significant problems, with Greece suspending biometric checks for British travellers until September to prevent summer disruption. In May, French police temporarily suspended the extra checks at the port of Dover and last week the head of Rome’s airports said it would have to suspend the system for non-EU citizens to avoid a disaster over the summer. “Some international travellers are reconsidering trips to Europe because of the prospect of excessive border delays,” the industry groups said. “This is undermining Europe’s reputation, European tourism and connectivity, in particular. “The reputation of the European Union and the confidence in the regulatory framework are … at stake.” Despite the rules allowing countries some flexibility to skip some of the checks “excessive queues” are still forming, the letter said. The groups also said that there should be flexibility to continue to suspend checks from September, when the rules to allow some flexibility to skip some checks are due to be phased out, “under clearly defined exceptional circumstances”. European airports are expected to handle approximately 40 million more passengers in July and August than the previous two months, the groups said. “The commission and the member states must take stock of the reality of the current situation and of what our air transport system will face over the coming weeks,” the letter warned. The groups said the ability to suspend the new border checks is needed until there are enough staff to make the system work, and automated kiosks are sufficiently reliable.

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Venezuela's twin earthquakes: Unprecedented struggles for survival amid crisis

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