Spanish PM declares 3 days of national mourning after deadly train collision
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Wednesday announced three days of national mourning following a collision between two high-speed trains in central Spain that killed at least 68 people, pledging a thorough investigation into the cause of the tragedy.
Speaking at an emergency command post near the accident site in Toledo province, Sanchez said the government would investigate the circumstances surrounding the collision and take firm action if negligence or failures in railway safety systems were found.
Anti-Netanyahu parties secure 67 seats with over 85 pct of Israeli votes counted
Parties opposed to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu secured 67 seats in the 120-member parliament after 85.6 percent of votes were counted in Tuesday's election, according to updated official results.
The Central Elections Committee said the results were based on the counting of most votes cast at regular polling stations. About half a million votes cast in double envelopes at polling stations in military bases, hospitals and other institutions have yet to be counted, with the count expected to be completed by Friday.
Heavy fighting, airstrikes sweep multiple fronts across Yemen
Heavy fighting and strikes swept multiple fronts across Yemen on Wednesday, as government forces attacked Houthi targets while the Houthis reported a fresh wave of Saudi airstrikes.
Majid al-Nuzaili, spokesperson for the government forces, said in a statement on social media platform X that the forces carried out 749 attacks on Houthi command centers, fortifications, vehicles and supply lines over the past 24 hours.
U.S. military raises cost estimate of Iran war to 47 bln USD
The cost of the U.S. military campaign against Iran has risen to at least 47 billion U.S. dollars, up 3.5 billion dollars from early September, local media reported Tuesday.
The latest estimate, compiled by the U.S. Central Command on Oct. 16 and provided by the Pentagon to Congress last week, includes more than 29 billion dollars to replace expended munitions such as air defense interceptors and bombs.
COP17 nears conclusion as negotiators make progress but face hurdles
The 17th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations (UN) Convention on Biological Diversity (COP17) in the Armenian capital of Yerevan has entered its final stretch.
The conference has adopted 14 decisions and secured more than 1.8 billion U.S. dollars in financial commitments. Yet negotiators remain divided over some of the most contentious issues, including who should bear the cost of protecting nature and how global commitments can be translated into measurable results.
Flavio Bolsonaro arrives in Florida after election loss in Brazil
Brazilian presidential candidate Flavio Bolsonaro and his family arrived in Miami, Florida, on Wednesday morning.
Their plane landed in the U.S. city after flying from Argentina, with a stop in Ecuador, AFP reported.■
