INTERNACIONAL
Survivors still being found from Burma earthquake, but hopes begin to fade as deaths exceed 2,700
- A 7.7 magnitude earthquake rocked Burma on Friday, killing more than 2,700 people, compounding a humanitarian crisis caused by a civil war.
- The death toll is expected to rise, but the earthquake hit a wide swath of the country, leaving many areas without power, telephone or cell connections and damaging roads and bridges, leaving the full extent of the devastation hard to assess.
- The World Health Organization said more than 10,000 buildings are known to have collapsed or been severely damaged in Burma. The earthquake also hit neighboring Thailand, causing a high-rise building under construction to collapse and burying many workers.
Rescue workers saved a 63-year-old woman from the rubble of a building in Burma’s capital on Tuesday, but hope was fading of finding many more survivors of the violent earthquake that killed more than 2,700 people, compounding a humanitarian crisis caused by a civil war.
The fire department in Naypyitaw said the woman was successfully pulled from the rubble 91 hours after being buried when the building collapsed in the 7.7 magnitude earthquake that hit midday Friday. Experts say the likelihood of finding survivors drops dramatically after 72 hours.
Death toll numbers forecast to increase
The head of Burma’s military government, Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, told a forum in Naypyitaw, that 2,719 people have now been found dead, with 4,521 others injured and 441 missing, Myanmar’s Western News online portal reported.
BURMA-THAILAND EARTHQUAKE: PATRICK SCHWARZENEGGER, ‘WHITE LOTUS’ CAST SEND PRAYERS AS DEATH TOLL PASSES 1,000
Those figures are widely expected to rise, but the earthquake hit a wide swath of the country, leaving many areas without power, telephone or cell connections and damaging roads and bridges, leaving the full extent of the devastation hard to assess.
Most of the reports so far have come from Mandalay, Burma’s second-largest city, which was near the epicenter of the earthquake, and Naypyitaw.
«The needs are massive, and they are rising by the hour,» said Julia Rees, UNICEF’s deputy representative for Burma.
Burma’s rescuers work through rubble of a collapsed building following Friday’s earthquake in Naypyitaw, Burma, on April 1, 2025. (AP Photo)
«The window for lifesaving response is closing. Across the affected areas, families are facing acute shortages of clean water, food, and medical supplies.»
Burma’s fire department said that 403 people have been rescued in Mandalay and 259 bodies have been found so far. In one incident alone, 50 Buddhist monks who were taking a religious exam in a monastery were killed when the building collapsed and 150 more are thought to be buried in the rubble.
Structural damage is extensive
The World Health Organization said that more than 10,000 buildings overall are known to have collapsed or been severely damaged in central and northwest Burma.
The earthquake also rocked neighboring Thailand, causing a high-rise building under construction to collapse and burying many workers.
Two bodies were pulled from the rubble on Monday and another was recovered Tuesday, but dozens were still missing. Overall, there were 21 people killed and 34 injured in Bangkok, primarily at the construction site.
In Burma, search and rescue efforts across the affected area paused briefly at midday on Tuesday as people stood for a minute in silent tribute to the dead.
MASSIVE 7.7 MAGNITUDE EARTHQUAKE ROCKS THAILAND, BURMA, COLLAPSING BUILDINGS AND KILLING MORE THAN 1,000
Relief efforts moving at a sluggish pace
Foreign aid workers have been arriving slowly to help in the rescue efforts, but progress was still slow with a lack of heavy machinery in many places.
In one site in Naypyitaw on Tuesday, workers formed a human chain, passing chunks of brick and concrete out hand-by-hand from the ruins of a collapsed building.
The Burma military government’s official Global New Light of Burma reported Tuesday that a team of Chinese rescuers saved four people the day before from the ruins of the Sky Villa, a large apartment complex that collapsed during the quake. They included a 5-year-old and a pregnant woman who had been trapped for more than 60 hours.
The same publication also reported two teenagers were able to crawl out of the rubble of the same building to where rescue crews were working, using their cellphone flashlights to help guide them. The rescue workers were then able to use details from what they told them to locate their grandmother and sibling.
International rescue teams from several countries are on the scene, including from Russia, China, India, the United Arab Emirates and several Southeast Asian countries. The U.S. Embassy said an American team had been sent but hadn’t yet arrived.
Aid pledges pouring in as officials warn of disease outbreak risk
Meantime, multiple countries have pledged millions in aid to assist Burma and humanitarian aid organizations with the monumental task ahead.
Even before the earthquake, more than 3 million people had been displaced from their homes by Burma’s brutal civil war, and nearly 20 million were in need, according to the U.N.
Many were already lacking in basic medical care and standard vaccinations, and the destruction of water and sanitation infrastructure by the earthquake raises the risk of disease outbreaks, warned the U.N.’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
«The displacement of thousands into overcrowded shelters, coupled with the destruction of water and sanitation infrastructure, has significantly heightened the risk of communicable disease outbreaks,» OCHA said in its latest report.
«Vulnerability to respiratory infections, skin diseases, vector-borne illnesses such as dengue fever, and vaccine-preventable diseases like measles is escalating,» it added.
The onset of monsoon season also a worry
Shelter is also a major problem, especially with the monsoon season looming.
Since the earthquake, many people have been sleeping outside, either because homes were destroyed or out of fear of aftershocks.
Civil war complicates disaster relief
Burma’s military seized power in 2021 from the democratically elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi, sparking what has turned into significant armed resistance and a brutal civil war.
Government forces have lost control of much of Burma, and many places were dangerous or impossible for aid groups to reach even before the quake.
Military attacks and those from some anti-military groups have not stopped in the aftermath of the earthquake, though the shadow opposition National Unity Government has called a unilateral ceasefire for its forces.
BURMESE GOVERNMENT DENIES CLAIMS IT KILLED 76 VILLAGERS
The NUG, established by elected lawmakers who were ousted in 2021, called for the international community to ensure humanitarian aid is delivered directly to the earthquake victims, urging «vigilance against any attempts by the military junta to divert or obstruct humanitarian assistance.»
«We are in a race against time to save lives,» the NUG said in a statement.
«Any obstruction to these efforts will have devastating consequences, not only due to the impact of the earthquake but also because of the junta’s continued brutality, which actively hinders the delivery of lifesaving assistance.»
It wasn’t immediately clear whether the military has been impeding humanitarian aid. In the past, it initially refused to allow in foreign rescue teams or many emergency supplies after Cyclone Nargis in 2008, which resulted in well more than 100,000 deaths. Even once it did allow foreign assistance, it was with severe restrictions.
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In this case, however, Min Aung Hlaing, pointedly said on the day of the earthquake that the country would accept outside help.
Tom Andrews, a monitor on rights in Burma commissioned by the U.N.-backed Human Rights Council, said on X that to facilitate aid, military attacks must stop.
«The focus in Burma must be on saving lives, not taking them,» he said.
INTERNACIONAL
El dictador Miguel Díaz-Canel dijo que mantiene conversaciones con EEUU en medio de la crisis energética de Cuba
El dictador de Cuba, Miguel Díaz-Canel, confirmó este viernes que su régimen sostiene conversaciones con representantes del gobierno de Estados Unidos con el objetivo de buscar soluciones a las diferencias existentes entre ambos países. Luego del anuncio, brindó una conferencia de prensa.
Las declaraciones se produjeron tras recientes intercambios orientados a identificar y resolver los principales temas que afectan la relación entre La Habana y Washington.
Según lo expresado por Díaz-Canel, las charlas con EEUU se desarrollan en un contexto internacional que ha facilitado el acercamiento. El cubano sostuvo que el propósito principal es “identificar cuáles son los problemas bilaterales que necesitan una solución a partir de la gravedad que tienen, de la incidencia que tienen”. Además, subrayó la importancia de encontrar soluciones que beneficien a los pueblos de ambas naciones.
“Hace más de tres meses que no entra ningún barco de combustible”, sostuvo en declaraciones a la prensa; al tiempo que acotó: “Que no ingrese petróleo genera un impacto inconmensurable en la vida de nuestro pueblo”.
Preguntado sobre los contactos con la Administración Trump, remarcó: “Estos son procesos que se hacen con mucha discreción. Son procesos largos. Todo lleva un tiempo. Estamos en las fases iniciales de ese proceso“.
“Funcionarios cubanos sostuvieron recientemente conversaciones con representantes del gobierno de EEUU para buscar, por la vía del diálogo, soluciones para las diferencias que tenemos. El objetivo es detectar los problemas bilaterales, cuáles son las vías, ver si hay voluntad de las partes y encontrar áreas de cooperación”, describió.
Luego sostuvo que “es todo un proceso muy sensible que se aborda con responsabilidad y mucha seriedad. En esos intercambios hemos expresado nuestra voluntad de continuar el proceso bajo el principio de la igualdad y el respeto de ambos países».
En un mensaje drigido a la nación minutos antes de la rueda de prensa, el dictador enfatizó en la necesidad de determinar la disposición de ambas partes para concretar acciones conjuntas. Entre los puntos abordados, reiteró la identificación de áreas de cooperación para enfrentar amenazas comunes y garantizar la seguridad y la paz, tanto en los dos países como en la región de América Latina y el Caribe.
“Identificar áreas de cooperación para enfrentar las amenazas y garantizar la seguridad y la paz de ambas naciones, y también en la región donde desarrollamos nuestra vida, que es la región de América Latina y el Caribe”, detalló Díaz-Canel.
En su intervención, recordó que no es práctica del liderazgo de la revolución cubana responder a “campañas especulativas” sobre este tipo de temas, dado el carácter “sensible” de las negociaciones. “Se trata de un tema que se desarrolla como parte de un proceso muy sensible”, insistió.
El líder cubano aseguró que, en los intercambios, la parte de Cuba ha expresado su voluntad de llevar adelante el proceso sobre la base del respeto a los sistemas políticos de ambos Estados, así como de la soberanía y la autodeterminación de sus gobiernos. “Esto se ha planteado tomando en cuenta un sentido de reciprocidad y de apego al derecho internacional”, puntualizó.
“La culpa no es del gobierno, no es de la revolución. La culpa es del bloqueo enérgetico que nos han impuesto”, justificó.
Las conversaciones entre La Habana y Washington se producen en un momento en el que la isla está sumida en una profunda crisis política, económica y social.
El presidente de Estados Unidos, Donald Trump, había asegurado en varias ocasiones durante las últimas semanas que representantes de su gobierno estaban manteniendo contactos con autoridades de la isla. La Habana lo había negado.
Este jueves, el régimen anunció la excarcelación de 51 presos después de mantener contactos con El Vaticano. El comunicado del Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores sobre esta decisión no hacía ninguna mención a EEUU.
Corporate Events,South America / Central America,Government / Politics
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Top House Republicans are eyeing a surge in military funding as the U.S. continues its joint operation with Israel against Iran, and some are arguing that a second «big, beautiful bill» is the vehicle to get it done.
Republicans are discussing the possibility of supplemental funding to aid the U.S. effort as Iran continues to retaliate against allies in the region.
Senior House GOP lawmakers told Fox News Digital that the resulting heightened national security environment means that Congress has a responsibility to ensure the Armed Forces are prepared for whatever threats may arise. At the same time, they’re skeptical that Democrats will provide the votes necessary to pass such a funding bill through traditional means.
«They are certainly not going to spend an additional dime on the military, on security, on any of the things that we care about,» Republican Study Committee Chairman August Pfluger, R-Texas, told Fox News Digital of the opposing party. «The threats around the world have never been higher. They’ve never been greater. And we have to recapitalize after four just disastrous years of President Biden completely decimating our military.»
OPERATION EPIC FURY SURVIVES SENATE CHALLENGE AS REPUBLICANS CLOSE RANKS BEHIND TRUMP
Mourners reach out to coffins during a funeral for people killed during the ongoing U.S.-Israeli military campaign in Isfahan, Iran, on March 5, 2026. (Payman Shahsanaei/ISNA via AP)
«So this conflict right now, and the future of our country and our Western values, have to be secured by additional defense spending, which can only happen in a reconciliation bill.»
Republicans passed a sweeping tax and policy bill last summer dubbed President Donald Trump’s landmark One Big, Beautiful Bill Act. It was done via the budget reconciliation process, which allows the party in power to change broad swaths of fiscal law while sidelining the minority party — in this case, Democrats.
It makes that possible by lowering the threshold for advancing legislation in the Senate from 60 votes to a simple majority, lining it up with the House.
REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK: GOP TARGETS AFFORDABILITY WITH RECONCILIATION 2.0 PLAN AHEAD OF MIDTERMS
House Budget Committee Chairman Jodey Arrington, R-Texas, said he believed an additional funding package for Iran was inevitable but added, «The politics are such that there’s no guarantee that the supplemental will pass.»
«On top of that, the president has been talking about a big capital investment to modernize the military,» Arrington told Fox News Digital.
«If we can’t get Democrats to support either of those endeavors — I think we’ve got a better chance of getting support on an emergency supplemental than we do on a one-time capital investment — but I think that reconciliation may be the only train leaving the station that could address those important things.»
Republican Study Committee Chairman August Pfluger speaks during a press conference with other members of the Republican Study Committee as well as members of House Republican leadership in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 28, 2025. (Nathan Posner/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Pfluger also signaled a broader path: «Is it specific to Iran or is it more general and more broad to just increasing defense spending and making sure that our military has what they need to deter Iran and others? I think that’s probably the more likely path.»
However, he noted that reconciliation meant that spending would likely have to be offset by cuts elsewhere, something that could appease fiscal hawks wary of bloated spending levels.
«So where do we find the savings? I’ve got some ideas on that. I think it’s related to fraud. I think there’s a lot of money to be saved when we look at fraud, like what happened in Minnesota with the daycares and the billions of dollars that went out the window there,» Pfluger said.
THE HITCHHIKER’S GUIDE TO CONGRESS’ OPTIONS ON HAMSTRINGING TRUMP’S WAR POWERS IN IRAN
The idea of a second reconciliation bill has already been met with skepticism by a significant number of Republicans, many of whom have cited the GOP’s razor-thin majorities in the House and Senate.
But a senior House Republican who also spoke with Fox News Digital argued that the situation in Iran could bring the unity Republicans need.
«That would be the biggest motivating factor in another reconciliation bill,» the lawmaker said.
Chairman Rep. Jodey Arrington speaks at a news conference after the House narrowly passed a bill forwarding President Donald Trump’s agenda at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on May 22, 2025. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
And Pfluger pointed out that there was precedent — Democrats passed two reconciliation bills themselves when they last controlled Congress at the beginning of former President Joe Biden’s term.
«We should remind ourselves that they stuck together, and they were able to do that. So should we,» he said.
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But Arrington warned that lawmakers would have to move fast for something to be attainable.
«The window is closing, and I don’t see us being able to do a reconciliation bill if we get past the spring, because we’ll be too close to the election,» Arrington said.
house of representatives politics,politics,spending,war with iran
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