Venezuela declares 7-day mourning for quake victims
CARACAS, July 2: Venezuela’s acting president Delcy Rodriguez has declared seven days of national mourning in tribute to the victims of the powerful earthquakes that struck the country on June 24. “In honour of the memory of the victims, I have decided to decree National Mourning for seven (7) days, starting at 6:00 p.m. today,” Rodriguez wrote in a statement posted on social media on Wednesday (local time). She said that “in these moments of profound sadness, we embrace those who suffer from this tragedy and reaffirm our commitment to accompany and protect them.” “Venezuela’s soul is torn by the human losses caused by the devastating earthquakes,” Rodriguez added. According to the latest official update, the earthquakes had caused at least 1,943 fatalities and injured more than 10,500 people by Tuesday, reports Xinhua news agency. (IANS)
11-year-old crashes pickup truck into Thai monks; 9 dead
BANGKOK, July 2: An 11-year-old boy crashed a pickup truck into a group of monks on a pilgrimage walk in northeastern Thailand on Thursday, killing nine, officials said. A total of 35 monks from Mukdahan province, about 600 km northeast of the capital Bangkok, were on the pilgrimage. Five monks were killed at the site, while four others died at a hospital. Thirteen were hospitalised with three in critical condition, according to the provincial administration. The group started the 260-km walk to Ubon Ratchathani province about 30 minutes before the crash. Security camera footage shared by a local rescue group, Ruam Jai Mukdahan Rescue Association, shows the monks walking in a single line on the side of a road before the truck crashes into them. Informing that the boy was in custody, the police said that the monks described seeing the vehicle swerving before it slid off the road and crashed into the group. (AP)
China-EU trade discussions in fall, says Beijing
HONG KONG, July 2: China and the European Union will hold ministerial-level trade talks once or twice a year, China’s Commerce Ministry said Thursday, as the two sides work to increase and rebalance trade. The EU faces growing pressure to reduce its trade deficit with China, which widened to about 360 billion euros (USD 410 billion) last year, nearly 1 billion euros a day. The two sides intend to boost their collaboration in areas like AI and the transition to renewable energy. (AP)
