Spain began three days of mourning after a collision between two high-speed trains in Castilla-La Mancha killed 68 people and injured scores. Emergency crews searched the wreckage while authorities helped relatives find missing passengers and identify victims.
Key Facts
The collision happened Wednesday morning on the rail line between Madrid and Seville.
A Renfe train struck the back of a stationary train operated by Iryo.
The crash killed 68 people and injured scores.
Spain began three days of national mourning on Thursday.
Emergency crews used cranes to move wreckage and search for victims.
Authorities opened offices in Madrid, Toledo, Cordoba and Seville to collect DNA samples from relatives and help identify missing people.
Blood donation points were set up in Castilla-La Mancha and Madrid.
Transport Minister Oscar Puente described an error and circumstances he called inexplicable as factors in the crash.
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ECB survey data show a large gap in household wealth across 22 European countries: households headed by people under 35 have median net wealth of about €25,000, compared with €208,000 for those headed by people aged 55 to 64. Consumer prices in the eurozone, Hungary and the Czech Republic rose 67.2% from 2000, with the sharpest increase among surveyed countries in Hungary.
Key Facts
The survey covers the eurozone, the Czech Republic and Hungary and measures assets minus debts.
Under-35 households hold 2.8% of household wealth across the 22 countries surveyed; households headed by 55- to 64-year-olds hold 24%.
In Finland, under-35 households hold 0.8% of household wealth, while people over 55 hold more than 71%.
Wealth is more evenly distributed by age in several Central and Eastern European countries, including Lithuania, Croatia, Slovakia and Estonia.
Everyday consumer prices rose 67.2% in the eurozone, Hungary and the Czech Republic between 2000 and the survey’s reporting period.
Hungary had the steepest consumer-price increase among the countries shown, with prices more than tripling since 2000.
EU annual inflation reached 9.2% in 2022, driven mainly by higher energy costs; subsequent easing did not reverse earlier price increases.
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El Salvador has sent more than 2,000 soldiers to Haiti to search for four air force technicians who went missing nearly two weeks ago and to support efforts against gangs. El Salvador’s president rejected Haiti’s handover of four bodies as a match for the missing soldiers, while the UN says gang violence has killed more than 5,700 people in Haiti this year.
Key Facts
El Salvador’s foreign ministry said President Nayib Bukele informed Haiti’s Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aime of the deployment earlier this week.
The four missing technicians were serving with the UN-backed Gang Suppression Force.
They were travelling in an armoured vehicle when armed groups ambushed it in Croix-des-Bouquets, an area controlled by gangs.
No gang has claimed responsibility for the ambush.
Haiti handed four bodies to special forces, but Bukele said they were not the missing servicemen.
Bukele said one body was that of a child and another wore a military uniform from a different country.
The UN Security Council approved expanded powers for the Gang Suppression Force in October last year.
The UN says more than 5,700 people have been killed in gang-related violence in Haiti this year.
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A Worcester haulage company says thieves stole about 400 litres of diesel from two lorries over the weekend, causing roughly £800 in fuel losses. West Mercia Police said it received a report of a burglary between 24 and 25 October and that inquiries are ongoing.
Key Facts
Martin Pinches, director of M Pinches & Sons Ltd, said the fuel was taken from two vehicles.
Pinches estimated the stolen diesel was worth about £800.
He said thieves damaged fuel-sending units and fuel caps, leaving the vehicles out of service for a day while repairs were made.
West Mercia Police said a large quantity of fuel was reported stolen from two lorries at the site.
Pinches linked the theft to rising fuel prices and said the company may wait until the morning of a trip to fill its lorries.
The article reports that diesel recently rose above £2 per litre and that filling a typical family car with diesel costs about £30 more than in late February.
The article says the 5p-per-litre fuel duty cut will continue until July, with the levy remaining at 52p per litre.
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European officials and Ukraine have accused Russia of expanding sabotage and other disruptive operations across Europe, including alleged airspace violations, drone activity, border incidents and attacks on shipping. Experts say European countries should strengthen defenses and impose greater costs on those behind such operations, as officials warn that European infrastructure and defense supply chains could face further threats.
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European officials have alleged that Russian fighter planes entered Polish, Lithuanian and Estonian airspace.
Suspected Russian drones have been downed over Poland, Finland and the Baltic states.
Ukraine accused Russia of using aerial and surface drones in October to sink four cargo ships near Bulgaria’s territorial waters.
Latvia’s ambassador said masked individuals on the Belarusian side tried to push migrants into Latvia, threatened border personnel and damaged border infrastructure.
Ukraine’s Independent Anti-Corruption Commission head Olena Tregub said European governments should identify and disrupt the networks, financing and logistics behind suspected operations.
The article says two Ukrainian counteroffensives blunted Russia’s advance toward capturing parts of Donetsk and left Russia without territorial gains that year.
Czech intelligence chief Michal Koudelka warned in September that Russia could attempt a military attack on a NATO member within months.
The Financial Times reported that representatives of five EU intelligence agencies said Russia was seeking to kill European defense executives and target their supply chains.
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Amnesty International alleges that Cambodian police and military personnel worked as guards at online scam compounds where trafficked people faced confinement and abuse. Its investigation linked five private security companies to the compounds, including Leap Somnang, which the report says had ties to at least 15 sites; the company’s alleged controller denied holding an ownership or management role.
Key Facts
Amnesty based its findings on interviews with 151 survivors, visits to 82 compounds and social media videos from guard accounts.
The report alleges that guards controlled exits, pursued people who escaped and used violence to enforce compliance.
Survivors told Amnesty that guards used electric shocks and beatings, held people in dark rooms and guarded women during rapes.
Amnesty said it identified more than 20 military and police members with an active presence at compounds, including as guards.
The report links Leap Somnang to at least 15 compounds across eight Cambodian provinces.
Amnesty alleges that Ban Sophat, a colonel, controlled Leap Somnang; a letter quoted by the group says he denied ownership, director or management roles and described himself as an adviser.
The UN says hundreds of thousands of people have been trafficked into scam operations in south-east Asia.
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Labour MPs are urging Prime Minister Andy Burnham and Chancellor John Healey not to overrule Energy Secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh if she rejects environmental approval for the Rosebank oilfield. Fahnbulleh’s aides say she alone will decide, while ministers have expressed support for developing North Sea oil and gas fields.
Key Facts
Sources told the Guardian that Fahnbulleh was minded to refuse environmental permission for Rosebank, but no decision has been made.
Labour MPs have raised concerns with party leadership and Healey about the possibility of ministers intervening in Fahnbulleh’s decision.
MP Catherine Fookes said approving Rosebank would undermine Labour’s green credentials and conflict with the direction of its manifesto.
Fahnbulleh’s aides circulated a memo saying she is the sole decision-maker and will consider all relevant factors through a quasi-judicial process.
Burnham has said the Rosebank decision belongs to Fahnbulleh, while describing the recently approved Jackdaw gasfield as a bridge to the future.
The Treasury says forecast tax revenues from Rosebank, estimated at about £500 million by the end of the parliament, do not prevent Fahnbulleh from blocking the project.
The Office for Budget Responsibility’s forecast includes estimated production from Rosebank and other new fields.
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Diana Simpson is seeking a judicial review of Westminster City Council’s approval for a Pimlico home to become Montenegro’s embassy, arguing the council failed to consider the effect on her mental health. The council denies her claims and is seeking a summary judgment without a hearing.
Key Facts
The embassy occupies a five-bedroom family home on Cambridge Street in Pimlico, central London.
Simpson, 35, lives next door with her parents and has lived on the street for more than three decades.
She says the embassy’s arrival has worsened her anxiety and disrupted her sleep.
Simpson has been diagnosed with clinical anxiety, long Covid and a functional neurological disorder, and receives disability benefits.
Her legal claim concerns the council’s handling of planning permission for the home’s change of use and a flagpole.
Simpson alleges the council failed to consider her health conditions and conducted a flawed public consultation.
Westminster City Council denies that the embassy interferes with her home or private and family life.
The dispute has drawn attention to conflicts between embassies relocating to London and residents of nearby streets.
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Ofcom recommended four methods social media companies could use to check whether UK users meet the age limit under a planned ban on access for under-16s. The measures require government approval, and platforms must choose and implement checks that protect privacy and personal data.
Key Facts
The UK ban is due to take effect in March next year and would block under-16s from ten major platforms, including Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat.
Ofcom named photo ID matching, bank-based checks, facial age estimation and digital ID services as methods it considers highly effective.
The regulator said social media companies remain responsible for carrying out age checks, even if app stores verify users’ ages at the device level.
Meta and other technology companies have advocated device-level checks, while Apple has already introduced age verification in the UK.
Ofcom said many adults may also have to show they are not under 16, but it has not estimated how many accounts would be affected.
The regulator acknowledged that age checks cannot prevent all circumvention and some children may bypass them.
Ofcom said its recommendations draw on its experience introducing age checks for pornographic websites.
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Chancellor John Healey said the government will reduce the benefits bill before the next general election, but ruled out crude cuts and has not yet set out detailed reforms. Two reviews due in November will inform proposals that the government plans to publish by year-end, with legislation expected next year.
Key Facts
Welfare spending is forecast to rise by £19 billion this year to £353 billion.
The Office for Budget Responsibility projects welfare spending will reach £431 billion in 2031/32, driven mainly by health-related and pensioner benefits.
Healey said helping young people who are not in education, employment or training could reduce welfare spending over the long term.
A review of disability benefits and a review of young people not in education, employment or training are due to be published in November.
The government expects to respond to the reviews by the end of the year and publish legislation next year.
The government has pledged to reform the state pension triple lock from 2030.
Conservative and Reform UK politicians criticised the Budget for not setting out more detail on welfare reform.
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Analysts say a Democratic victory in the U.S. midterms would not fundamentally change European elections, but could affect political debates in Europe. They warn it might make some Europeans less concerned about far-right movements and could lead President Donald Trump to increase pressure on Ukraine to accept a deal with Russia.
Key Facts
Polls cited in the article give Democrats an average eight-point lead in both the House and Senate.
Catherine Fieschi of Carnegie Europe said a Democratic win could encourage the view that democracies can recover from far-right or authoritarian politics.
French politician Marine Le Pen is leading polls for the presidential election scheduled for April 18, with surveys putting her at about 34 percent.
An ECFR poll conducted in June 2025 found that majorities in Western Europe viewed the U.S. political system as broken; majorities in Eastern Europe viewed it as working well.
Greek Migration Minister Thanos Plevris said European shifts toward tighter migration policies developed independently, while U.S. actions influenced the tone of the debate.
The article says Le Pen has proposed reducing France’s contributions to the EU budget and military aid to Ukraine, and has raised the possibility of replacing the euro with a devalued franc.
The article cites the Kiel Institute’s Ukraine Support Tracker for an estimate that France provides 3.5 percent of Ukraine’s foreign military aid.
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Emails obtained by Guardian Australia show that Defence Secretary Meghan Quinn backed Deputy Secretary Celia Perkins’ plan to ask a Senate committee not to share edited clips of public servants’ testimony on social media. Perkins cited concerns about bullying and security risks, but the committee rejected the request after advice from the Senate clerk.
Key Facts
Perkins made the request during a 4 September Senate committee hearing.
Perkins said edited or out-of-context clips could lead to personal abuse and ridicule of staff.
She also warned that online posts could increase risks from cyber and foreign intelligence actors.
Emails show Perkins said Quinn and Assistant Defence Minister Peter Khalil supported her plan.
The offices of Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles and Khalil were informed about the proposal, but neither gave an on-record response to the newspaper.
Greens senator David Shoebridge objected that the hearing was public and witnesses could not censor what Australians saw.
The committee rejected Perkins’ request on the Senate clerk’s advice.
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Spain began a three-day mourning period after a high-speed train collision killed 68 people and injured many others. Officials are investigating the cause as emergency crews search the wreckage and relatives seek information about missing loved ones.
Key Facts
A Renfe train struck the rear of an Iryo train near Urda in Castilla-La Mancha.
The two trains were traveling in the same direction on the line between Madrid and Andalusia.
Officials said 107 people received hospital treatment, including 15 in serious condition.
Emergency crews searched the wreckage overnight, and regional officials said more victims might be found.
Authorities opened offices in Madrid, Toledo, Córdoba, and Seville to collect DNA samples and help identify victims.
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said investigators were examining the cause and that any security failures or negligence would be addressed.
The article reports that 46 people died in a separate collision on the same line in January.
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Turkiye is building closer political and military ties with eastern Libya after Libya’s eastern-based parliament approved a 2019 maritime agreement between Ankara and the Tripoli government. Ankara has renewed an offer for a maritime boundary agreement with Egypt, but Egypt, Greece and Cyprus have objected to the Libya-Turkiye deal, saying it infringes on their rights.
Key Facts
Libya’s eastern-based parliament in Tobruk approved the maritime agreement eight days before Turkiye renewed its offer to Egypt.
The 2019 agreement sets out maritime jurisdiction areas claimed by Turkiye and Libya.
Turkiye says the agreement complies with international law; Greece, Cyprus and Egypt say it infringes on their sovereign rights.
Turkiye’s Ministry of National Defence said an agreement with Ankara could give Egypt more than 15,000 square kilometres of maritime jurisdiction; that figure is Turkiye’s estimate.
Turkiye helped repel a 2019–2020 offensive on Tripoli by forces loyal to eastern military leader Khalifa Haftar.
Turkish officials have held meetings with Khalifa Haftar, his son Saddam Haftar, and officials from the Tripoli government.
On October 6, Libya’s eastern parliament replaced speaker Aguila Saleh with Al-Salhin Abdelnabi al-Obeidi, who previously chaired the Libyan-Turkish parliamentary friendship committee.
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Russian officials said air defenses neutralized 613 drones launched toward Moscow between Wednesday evening and Thursday morning. Ukraine’s Kharkiv mayor said a Russian attack damaged an educational institution in the city.
Key Facts
Russian state news agency TASS reported that 613 drones were launched toward Moscow overnight.
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said air defenses destroyed 231 drones as they approached the city.
Sobyanin said the remaining drones were neutralized farther away from Moscow.
The attack followed a reported record assault in September, when Russian air defenses said they shot down more than 1,600 drones.
Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov said a Russian attack damaged an educational institution in Ukraine’s second-largest city.
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The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power’s board passed a resolution requesting a review of the utility’s rates, rate structures and how charges are applied to customers. A UCLA School of Law analysis found LADWP rates rose 45% in the last year, compared with a 4% increase for Southern California Edison; the article says the increases have outpaced inflation.
Key Facts
LADWP’s Board of Commissioners approved a resolution requesting a review of rates and how they are applied to customers.
Tim O’Connor, head of the city’s Office of Public Accountability, said the review should address transparency and modernize rate structures.
CBS California Investigates found nine LADWP executives earn more than $700,000 a year and more than two dozen supervisors earn over $600,000.
O’Connor said major capital projects, operations and maintenance are among the main drivers of utility costs, rather than individual salaries.
LADWP said overtime makes up 5% of its $10.8 billion budget and total labor costs account for 18%.
LADWP reported overtime compensation rose from about $426 million in 2024 to more than $499 million in 2025, a 17% increase.
A UCLA School of Law analysis found LADWP rates rose 45% in the last year, compared with a 4% increase for Southern California Edison.
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With 91% of votes counted, Benjamin Netanyahu’s bloc is projected to win 53 seats, while Gadi Eisenkot’s bloc is projected to win 48 and Palestinian parties 19. No bloc has the 61 seats needed for a Knesset majority, and coalition talks are expected to begin as leaders weigh whether Palestinian lawmakers will support an opposition-led government.
Key Facts
Israel’s Central Elections Committee has counted 91% of votes.
Netanyahu’s bloc is projected to receive 53 seats, Eisenkot’s bloc 48, and Palestinian parties 19.
No grouping has reached the 61 seats needed for a Knesset majority.
Yair Golan said he would meet Eisenkot and Yair Lapid on Thursday for coalition talks.
Joint List leader Yousef Jabareen said he was open to supporting an opposition-led government but not joining it.
President Isaac Herzog urged parties to avoid another election and keep an open mind.
Israel’s Central Elections Committee said it would review Likud’s complaint alleging that Arab parties compromised election integrity.
UN rights chief Volker Turk urged Israel’s next government to respect international law.
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A federal judge rejected the Justice Department’s request to stop California from counting more than 20,000 mail ballots tied to people it identified as alleged noncitizens. The department appealed the ruling, which came six days before the midterm elections.
Key Facts
US District Judge David Carter ruled on Wednesday that the federal government could not require California to exclude the ballots.
The Justice Department filed its lawsuit on October 15 and appealed Carter’s decision to the Ninth US Circuit Court of Appeals.
The administration has issued more than 100 subpoenas seeking records on tens of thousands of voters in at least 13 states.
A whistleblower said the federal investigation scrutinizes voters nationwide and may include US citizens.
Democracy Docket reported that one in four voters on Los Angeles County’s alleged noncitizen list were born in the United States.
California said its safeguards against noncitizen voting are robust and that the federal government relied on suspect data.
Noncitizens are barred from voting in US federal elections.
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North Korea fired around a dozen short-range ballistic missiles from near Wonsan toward the East Sea on Thursday, South Korea’s military said. The launches came amid rising tensions over landmines near the border and followed South Korea’s proposal for military talks, which Pyongyang had not answered.
Key Facts
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the missiles traveled about 250 kilometres.
South Korea and the United States were analyzing the missiles’ specifications, and Seoul said it had increased surveillance for further launches.
South Korea’s National Security Office said the launches violated UN Security Council resolutions.
A landmine explosion near the border wounded three South Korean soldiers.
A joint South Korean and UN investigation concluded that North Korea planted the mines more than a year ago.
South Korea proposed talks to confirm the border’s location and discuss restoring communication channels.
North Korea and South Korea remain technically at war because the 1953 Korean conflict ended with a truce, not a peace treaty.
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Readers in the UK described pressure from housing costs, rising bills and taxes after the government’s 2026 budget. A young London renter welcomed a new first-home scheme but said volatile wages make saving difficult, while a business owner earning £126,000 said higher costs leave him with little money at month’s end.
Key Facts
Louie, a 24-year-old chef in London, earns between £37,000 and £40,000 and shares a rented home with two friends.
Louie said rent and bills now take about half his salary, and his landlord plans to raise the household’s rent by £200 a month in November.
The government’s Your First Home scheme will let buyers purchase a new-build home with a 2.5% deposit, supported by an interest-free equity loan.
Louie is taking an access course and plans to begin a physiotherapy degree next year before considering a home purchase.
Greater Manchester business owner Graham Robinson said he earned £126,000 last year but has virtually nothing left in his bank account at the end of each month.
Robinson said his mortgage payments rose from about £900 to £1,300 a month, while council tax, food, energy and other costs also increased.
Robinson wanted the budget to provide more help with employment costs and said the employment allowance remains at £10,500.
The article says the personal allowance is gradually withdrawn for income above £100,000 and reaches zero at £125,140, creating an effective 60% income tax rate on some earnings.
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