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Rescuers comb Venezuelan quake rubble, thousands reported missing

 Rescuers worked through the night on Friday to save hundreds of Venezuelans trapped in rubble and find thousands ​more missing after two of the biggest earthquakes in Latin America's modern history smashed areas in and around the capital Caracas. The government said 235 dead had been taken to ‌medical centers but did not give a total casualty estimate from the magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 tremors that struck about 160 km (100 miles) west of Caracas on Wednesday. A website created to track missing people and shared by opposition leaders from the politically polarized nation listed more than 49,600 people as unaccounted for, while the US Geological Survey predicted more than 10,000 deaths. Read: Thousands feared dead in Venezuela quakes Spain's foreign ministry said three of its nationals had died, four were trapped under rubble and another 99 ​were unaccounted for. With foreign rescue teams arriving, firefighters, soldiers and...

Iraq warns it may leave OPEC unless output quota is raised: report

Iraq may reconsider its membership in OPEC if the producer group does not raise the country's oil production quota, Bloomberg reported on Thursday, citing Iraq's Oil Ministry. The ministry has no current intention of withdrawing from the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and remains committed to working within the group's framework and mechanisms, Bloomberg reported, citing Oil Ministry spokesman Salim Al-Rikabi. Read: US eases Iran oil sanctions with 60-day waiver However, Iraq is moving ahead with plans to increase oil production in line with its capabilities and needs, and OPEC should raise the country's production quota accordingly, Al-Rikabi said. Otherwise, Iraq would have to decide whether to remain in the group or withdraw, according to the Bloomberg report. The comments came as Iraq's oil exports have been sharply curtailed by the war, increasing pressure on Baghdad to seek more room to raise output. Read more: Oil falls almost 4% after US-Iran talks OPEC has faced a fresh strain in recent months after the United Arab Emirates left the group following years of tension with Saudi Arabia over production limits. Bloomberg reported OPEC and its allies have also commissioned a review of each member's technical production capacity. The review is expected to be completed later this year and used to help determine output targets for 2027.

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