A new earthquake has been detected off the northern coast of Venezuela, registering as magnitude 4.9 on the Richter scale.

The tremor on Friday comes days after a pair of powerful earthquakes struck the country on Wednesday evening, killing at least 920 people and leaving parts of the capital of Caracas devastated.

The earthquake tracker organisation EMSC said in a social media post that the latest earthquake took place 61 kilometres (36 miles) northwest of Maracay in northern Venezuela.

Additional details are not yet known, but the news service Reuters reported that tremors from Friday’s earthquake were felt in Maracay and Caracas, citing local witnesses.

The South American nation is still reeling from the two earthquakes on Wednesday, one which registered 7.2 and the other 7.5 on the nine-point Richter scale.

The death toll is expected to climb, with the US Geological Survey estimating that the number of casualties could exceed 10,000.

At least 3,360 people have been reported injured, and more than 172 people remain trapped beneath the rubble. The number of missing has surpassed 50,000, according to the Venezuelan government.

On Friday, Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello announced that there would be restricted access to some of the areas hardest hit by the earthquake in the state of La Guaira.

Residents have been organising to collect supplies and search for survivors. Some have even used their vehicles as improvised ambulances.

The Venezuelan government, meanwhile, has loosened restrictions on social media platforms like X, which were blocked in the wake of the disputed 2024 presidential election.

That, in turn, has allowed community members to share information about missing loved ones.

“It’s the community that has managed to get people out alive,” said 25-year-old Jennifer Palacios, whose six-year-old son is buried beneath the rubble along with five relatives. “We need them to bring cranes to move the slabs. There are still people trapped.”

[Aljazeera]

The United States has renewed its attacks against Iran in response to an incident a day earlier when a cargo vessel was struck by an Iranian drone.

On Friday, the US Central Command, which oversees military operations in the Middle East, said it had issued a “powerful response to yesterday’s attack”.

“US aircraft struck Iranian missile and drone storage locations and coastal radar sites,” CENTCOM said in a statement.

“Iran’s dangerous behavior undermined freedom of navigation as commerce increasingly flows through the vital international trade corridor.”

US strikes were reported near the southern Iranian port of Sirik after the announcement.

Afterwards, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it responded with attacks against US military installations in the region.

In a statement to the government news service IRNA, the IRGC warned, “In the event of repeated aggression, our response will be more extensive than this.”

The exchange of fire has left questions swirling over whether a June 17 memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed between the US and Iran will hold.

Each side has accused the other of violating the deal, which included a ceasefire.

The document called for a “permanent” end to “military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon”, effectively pausing the war the US and Israel had launched against Iran on February 28.

The memorandum was not final but was rather framed as a precursor to further negotiations, including over traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway for global trade.

[Aljazeera]

Amir Jangoo may not have even featured in the opening Test for West Indies had Shai Hope not suffered an injury during training. But with a chance handed out, he made full use of it to rescue the hosts from a precarious position to leave them only 37 behind Sri Lanka’s first-innings 308.

Jangoo, playing his second Test, walked in at 97 for 2 in the afternoon, and showed off an obdurate batting style, taking 174 balls for his unbeaten 78. His maiden Test half-century took West Indies to 271 for 5 at stumps.

At the other end, a man with something else to prove batted on from No. 7 – Roston Chase, the West Indies captain who has averaged 15.50 in the 15 innings he has batted since July 2025. Watchful in dead-batting and playing the long game, he joined Jangoo in the middle at 168 for 5, took 105 balls to score 42, and contributed to an unbeaten sixth-wicket partnership of 103 to leave the hosts the happier side after day two.

Their stand was crucial because it came after a middle-session where West Indies lost 4 for 79, losing the gains they had achieved in the morning session, with the openers helping them reach 89 for 1 at lunch.

John Campbell (39) and Brandon King (31) saw off the new ball and enjoyed a half-century stand in the morning. The runs came West Indies’ way right from the start of the day when Lahiru Kumara sprayed the ball wide in his only over of the session, conceding two four-byes, before leaving the field for the rest of the day with a hamstring niggle.  Asitha  Fernando and Kasun Rajitha operated close to the corridor of uncertainty but the openers saw them out successfully against the new ball.

Boundaries from Campbell and King came the classical way – on-drives past the non-striker or crisp shots square on either side – but the occasional mistimed slash also found the fence. The Sri Lanka seamers occasionally got sideways movement off the pitch and in the air, and regularly beat the batters’ edge.

The opening stand ended in the 14th over, shortly after the day’s first drinks break. King miscued a drive off Milan Rathnayaka to short cover.

But in the second session, Sri Lanka’s bowlers were right on top with their consistency, and chipped away at West Indies’ batting line-up. Campbell was out right after lunch when left-arm spinner Sonal Dinusha tempted him with a full ball outside off. Thinking of lofting Dinusha over his head, all he did was hole out to Nishan Madushka.

Next over, Rathnayaka added a second wicket to his name – after King’s dismissal in the morning – by being rewarded for some tidy bowling in the corridor of uncertainty. After zeroing in on a steady line and length through the 26th over, he got a good-length ball to generate some extra bounce, leaving Hodge (16) inside-edging a defensive shot onto his stumps.

Joshua Da Silva (20) and Jangoo began a repair job with West Indies at 102 for 3, and were comfortable absorbing the pressure with run-scoring drying up. Jangoo shuffled around his crease, moving to the leg-side often to access punches and drives through the off side while Da Silva was more watchful.

But after 18 overs of rebuilding with a 52-run partnership for the fourth wicket, Da Silva struck Asitha to cover, reminiscent of the King dismissal earlier in the day. Asitha once again delivered by getting a nagging delivery to nip away. Greaves was in two minds whether to play or leave, and the eventual edge was pounced by a diving Kusal Mendis with a one-handed special.

It was under these circumstances that Chase and Jangoo got together, and batted 33.5 overs till stumps without any further damage. Sri Lanka’s lack of incision late in the back-third of the day was not for lack of trying, but they were a bowler short with Lahiru’s absence. The batting pair were unhurried against the setting sun in the background, and ground out Sri Lanka till stumps. It was the kind of stand that can be the difference between yet another WTC defeat or a first win of the new cycle for West Indies.

Scores:
West Indies 271 for 5 in 84 overs (Amir Jangoo 78*, Roston Chase 42*;  Asitha Fernando 2-25, Milan Rathnayaka 2-45) trail Sri Lanka 308 in 71.5 overs [Dinesh Chandimal 54, Dhananjaya de Silva 120; Justin Greaves 3-39] by 37 runs

[Cricinfo]