Two major back-to-back earthquakes struck Venezuela on Wednesday, June 24. At least 1,700 people have died and more than 5,000 were injured, National Assembly President Jorge Rodríguez said Monday. CNN is tracking developments, with maps and satellite imagery. The coastal state of La Guaira has been designated a “disaster zone” in the wake of the earthquakes. Twenty-nine percent of buildings in the state are thought to have been damaged, according to an analysis by Oregon State University, with coastal areas more affected.
https://edition.cnn.com/2026/06/25/americas/venezuela-earthquake-map-vis
When humanoid robots dominated the stage of last year’s Spring Festival Gala with sleek dance routines, Ai Lin saw more than a spectacle. He saw a business. Soon after, the e-commerce livestreamer in Hangzhou shelled out $30,000 for his first android and turned it into a rental venture. Business has been brisk. For 3,000 yuan ($443) a day, customers can hire an android to attract crowds at exhibitions, perform at events or even help stage a marriage proposal.
https://edition.cnn.com/2026/06/30/tech/china-humanoid-robot-ai-rental-intl-hnk-dst
The highly anticipated wedding celebration for Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce is expected to take place at Madison Square Garden this week, two sources familiar with the plans told CNN Tuesday. The sources described plans for two events at the iconic arena in midtown Manhattan. The first event, described as a “rehearsal,” is scheduled for 6 p.m. Thursday and is expected to host about 100 guests. A larger wedding celebration planned for Friday will include what the sources described as a “cocktail party” starting in the late afternoon.
https://edition.cnn.com/2026/06/30/entertainment/taylor-swift-wedding-msg
Ukraine said on Tuesday it hit one of Russia’s largest satellite communication centers for the second time in just over a week, as Kyiv ramps up long-range drone attacks to pressure the Kremlin to end its four-year-old war. The Dubna Satellite Communications Centre to the north of Moscow, some 500 km (310 miles) from the Ukrainian border, is used for intelligence gathering and the coordination of Russia’s armed forces fighting in Ukraine, President Volodymr Zelensky said. Russia hasn’t confirmed the Dubna communication center was struck, but the governor of the Moscow region Andrey Vorobyov said a drone had hit an “administrative building” in the town with no reported casualties.
https://edition.cnn.com/2026/06/30/europe/moscow-dubna-attack-ukraine-intl
On the streets of Moscow, disgruntled drivers wait patiently for gasoline in a long line of cars and trucks amid an acute national shortage. Many have spent the entire day, they tell CNN, driving around in search of fuel — extraordinary in the capital of one of the world’s biggest energy producers and unexpected in a city that has long been kept insulated from the effects of the Ukraine war. But now, for the first time in a conflict that is in its fifth year, the stark reality of what the Kremlin still insists on calling a “special military operation” has become impossible for ordinary Russians to comfortably ignore. In the past month, Ukraine’s unprecedented drone campaign has been extraordinary in scale and impact.
https://edition.cnn.com/2026/06/29/europe/russia-ukraine-war-putin-intl-latam