Spanish Transport Minister Oscar Puente resigned less than a week after a train collision killed 69 people in Castilla-La Mancha. He also withdrew from the upcoming general election, saying two severe rail accidents in less than a year made it impossible for him to remain in office.
Key Facts
The crash happened on the Madrid-Seville line when a Renfe train hit a stationary train operated by Iryo.
Authorities had ordered trains to stop on part of the line after a signal failure, but central controllers later authorized the Renfe train to continue.
The collision followed a January high-speed train derailment in Andalusia that killed 46 people.
Spain reduced service on the Madrid-Seville line while the Railway Safety Agency reviews its safety system.
The government plans to introduce an artificial intelligence system to help detect anomalies and monitor communications between drivers and controllers.
Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced a 30-million-euro aid package for victims and their families.
Bereaved families are set to receive 72,121 euros in direct aid and an equal amount in advance compensation.
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Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said four tankers were destroyed after striking naval mines in the Strait of Hormuz and that two other tankers were seized. The BBC said it could not independently verify the claims, made amid continuing conflict between Iran, the United States and Israel and stalled efforts to end the fighting.
Key Facts
The IRGC said two of the four tankers it reported destroyed were still burning.
The IRGC said the vessels were trying to use a prohibited southern route through the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency reported the IRGC’s claims.
The IRGC also said three tankers had been destroyed by mines on Tuesday and that it had shot down an MQ-9 drone over the strait.
Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz in response to the attack and said it would reopen it only if the United States accepted demands in Iran’s peace plan.
Iranian negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said U.S. midterm election results showed Americans opposed the war.
President Donald Trump said the conflict would end when he decided it would, and said he did not regret launching it.
Talks to end the conflict, which the article says began with joint U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran in February, had been stalled for months.
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Australia’s National Film and Sound Archive and music rights organisation Apra Amcos launched a digital National Songbook with its first 10 songs. An 11-member panel selected songs including “Waltzing Matilda,” “Treaty,” “Beds Are Burning” and “I Am Woman” for their place in Australian cultural life.
Key Facts
The National Songbook is a digital archive intended to preserve songs that have shaped Australia’s national cultural identity.
The archive launched at the National Film and Sound Archive in Canberra.
An 11-member panel of music experts selected the first 10 songs.
The oldest song named in the article is “Waltzing Matilda,” written by Banjo Paterson in 1895 and later composed by Christina Macpherson.
The panel described Yothu Yindi’s “Treaty” as a landmark protest anthem.
The Presets’ 2008 song “My People” addresses Australia’s treatment of asylum seekers.
Other songs named among the selections include the Easybeats’ “Friday on My Mind,” Ruby Hunter’s “Down City Streets,” and “My Island Home,” released by the Warumpi Band.
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South Africans are voting in local elections that could further weaken the African National Congress (ANC), which lost its parliamentary majority in 2024. Voters are choosing councils across the country, and the results are expected on Sunday; the contest could also influence the race to succeed Cyril Ramaphosa as ANC leader in 2027.
Key Facts
A record 29.2 million people are registered to vote at 23,696 polling stations, according to the Electoral Commission of South Africa.
More than 1.4 million special votes were cast on Monday and Tuesday.
Voters are electing councils in eight metropolitan municipalities, 44 district councils and 205 local councils; the councils choose mayors.
The ANC won less than 50 percent of the vote in municipal elections for the first time in 2021 and lost its parliamentary majority in the 2024 national election.
Opinion polls suggest the ANC could receive less than 40 percent of the vote in the current election.
Johannesburg is a major focus of the election; the city has had five mayors in four years, and the Democratic Alliance has nominated former leader Helen Zille for mayor.
Former President Jacob Zuma’s uMkhonto weSizwe party is contesting local elections for the first time and is challenging for support in Durban.
Police have recorded 21 election-related cases since Sunday, and 165 polling stations in KwaZulu-Natal have been classified as high risk.
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Delhi’s air quality has worsened as winter approaches, with its AQI reaching 377 on Wednesday, in the “very poor” range. Authorities have activated pollution-control measures, while the Supreme Court has allowed certified green firecrackers for limited hours on 7 and 8 November ahead of Diwali.
Key Facts
Delhi’s AQI crossed 300 and stood at 377 on Wednesday morning; readings from 301 to 400 are classified as “very poor.”
PM2.5 particles can reach deep into the lungs, and prolonged exposure to polluted air can cause or worsen respiratory problems.
Authorities invoked Stage II of the Graded Response Action Plan, which includes measures to curb dust, vehicle emissions and other pollution sources.
The article links the pollution increase to falling temperatures, slow winds and crop-residue burning in Punjab and Haryana.
Delhi recorded its lowest average AQI for October in eight years before the recent deterioration.
The Supreme Court allowed certified green firecrackers in Delhi and neighbouring areas only during specified hours on 7 and 8 November.
Firecrackers are restricted to 06:00–07:00 and 20:00–22:00 local time, and are banned within 300 metres of designated silence zones, including hospitals, care homes and schools.
Green firecrackers must carry QR codes, but the court noted that conventional fireworks had been sold as green alternatives despite earlier restrictions.
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Investigative journalist Kate McClymont told a Sydney court that her phrase “a nail in the coffin” referred to evidence for her story about Alan Jones, not to harming him. She testified during Jones’s trial on 21 charges of sexual touching and indecent assault, which he denies.
Key Facts
McClymont said information from the mother of the youngest alleged victim showed the teenager had spoken to police in the year of the alleged assault.
She testified that she understood the information as significant for her reporting because she had previously been told police had received no complaints about Jones and had not investigated him.
The court heard text messages in which McClymont wrote, “I hope the shit does hit the fan for him,” followed by two poo emojis.
McClymont agreed she texted a police media contact, “Can hardly wait!” about Jones’s impending arrest and replied “beauty” when the arrest was confirmed.
McClymont said she gave police a statement in June 2024 and stopped reporting on the case after learning she would be a prosecution witness.
Jones has pleaded not guilty to 21 counts of sexual touching and indecent assault.
The trial is being heard at the Downing Centre Local Court before Judge Glenn Walsh; McClymont is due to return to court for a third day.
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Scottish ecologist Graeme Wilson is seeking permission to keep Harriet, a badger cub he rescued after she was found in a cattle trough in April. Wilson says she was likely hand-reared and has become too accustomed to people to return safely to the wild; NatureScot has refused his educational licence application but is discussing possible solutions.
Key Facts
Wilson runs a wildlife rescue and rehabilitation service from his home in Denholm in the Scottish Borders.
He found Harriet about 100 metres from her sett and nursed her back to health.
Wilson says Harriet quickly accepted a bottle and treats humans as her social group.
Wilson argues that release could put Harriet at risk and that a zoo would cause her distress.
NatureScot said it is discussing the case with Wilson and other organisations, with the badger’s welfare as its priority.
Police Scotland has been made aware of the situation.
The Scottish SPCA advises people not to touch or hold a sick or injured badger, but to wait for a rescue officer.
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The article says Lula’s re-election has intensified competition between the United States and China for influence in Brazil. It argues that Brazil’s ability to maintain an independent course will depend on whether Chinese trade and investment can help it withstand pressure from the Trump administration, while Lula faces domestic political and economic constraints.
Key Facts
Trump criticized Lula’s election victory, while China’s President Xi Jinping congratulated him.
The article says the Trump administration imposed tariffs of up to 50 percent on Brazilian exports and sanctioned a Brazilian Supreme Court justice.
The administration granted U.S. visas to Lula’s defeated rival, Flavio Bolsonaro, and his family after they left Brazil.
Brazil’s right-wing parties hold majorities in both chambers of the incoming Congress, according to the article.
Brazil exported about $100 billion in goods to China last year, nearly three times its exports to the United States.
Chinese companies are investing in Brazilian power grids, solar projects and electric-vehicle assembly plants.
Brazil and China are exploring a railway linking Brazil’s Atlantic coast with Peru’s Chinese-built Chancay port.
The article says high interest rates, credit-card debt and the effects of online gambling have contributed to social discontent in Brazil.
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Joan Hillman, a resident of a care home in Hampshire, received hundreds of cards for her 101st birthday. One came from the mayor of Lyndhurst, Ohio, after care home staff mistakenly contacted him instead of the mayor of Lyndhurst, Hampshire.
Key Facts
Hillman lives at Hartwood House in the New Forest and has been there for two years.
The care home organized the birthday-card collection because Hillman was not due another birthday card from the King until she turned 105.
Schools, community groups, businesses, other care homes and individuals sent birthday wishes.
Mayor Patrick A. Ward of Lyndhurst, Ohio, sent Hillman a card congratulating her on reaching 101.
Hillman said she felt lucky and was moved that so many people had thought of her.
The care home said the cards came from communities on both sides of the Atlantic.
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Brenda Willison, a town crier from Weeting, Norfolk, earned two Guinness World Records: loudest female town crier and loudest shout by a woman. Her record-setting shout measured 105.9 decibels, and she says town crying also depends on clear speech and confident delivery.
Key Facts
Willison has been a town crier in Newmarket, Suffolk, since 2013.
She reached 105.9 decibels while she had a cold.
Willison said she once reached 109 decibels at the British Championships.
She has worked as a town crier across England since 1987.
She won the World Town Crier Championship in Niagara Falls, Canada, in 1993.
Town crier competitions judge clarity, diction, confidence and delivery as well as loudness.
Willison estimated that about 10% of town criers in Britain are women.
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South Africans began voting in local elections that will determine leadership in the country’s major cities and councils. The results will test support for the African National Congress, which has lost ground over the past decade, amid public frustration with local services.
Key Facts
The elections will decide leaders for eight major city municipalities, 44 district councils and 205 local councils.
Johannesburg is a key battleground in the elections.
The city has faced problems with water, electricity and other public services.
Johannesburg has had five mayors in four years since the previous local elections.
The city is governed by a fragile coalition led by the African National Congress.
The Democratic Alliance, South Africa’s second-largest party, is seeking to win control of Johannesburg.
The Democratic Alliance has nominated former national leader Helen Zille, 75, as its mayoral candidate.
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South Korea’s military said North Korea fired several missiles from its eastern coast into the Sea of Japan on Wednesday, marking Pyongyang’s fourth weapons launch in a month. The launches came a day after North Korea denied U.S. allegations that its hackers stole more than $6 billion from Binance and rejected dialogue with Washington while it maintains what it calls a hostile policy.
Key Facts
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff detected several missile launches from the Sondok area toward the Sea of Japan.
South Korean and U.S. authorities were analyzing details of the launches.
North Korea called the FBI’s allegation that it was responsible for the Binance theft a provocation.
Binance said hackers stole more than $6 billion in what appears to be the largest cryptocurrency heist on record.
The FBI attributed the theft to North Korean hackers known as TraderTraitor.
Kim Yo Jong said North Korea would not meet with U.S. officials unless Washington changed its policy toward Pyongyang.
North Korea has tested several types of weapons this year, including a submarine-launched ballistic missile and hypersonic missiles.
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The UK government apologised to Ukrainian child refugees who were encouraged to study Russian because schools lacked a Ukrainian GCSE. The Department for Education is providing £340,000 to develop a Ukrainian GCSE for England, which is expected to be ready in 2028.
Key Facts
Schools minister Georgia Gould apologised to Ukrainian students who were put in that position.
The AQA exam board is developing the qualification with a £340,000 grant from the Department for Education.
The new Ukrainian GCSE is expected to be available in England in 2028.
More than 30,000 Ukrainian children have fled to the UK, according to the article.
Ukraine’s education ministry raised concerns in a 2024 letter that students were being pressured to take Russian GCSE.
The qualification follows lobbying by the Ukrainian government and community groups.
Ukrainian refugees Vitalii Andronik and Sofiia Chonka welcomed the new exam, though Andronik said it came too late for him.
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Iran said the US response to its seven conditions for reopening the Strait of Hormuz was unconvincing, while Qatar said it was facilitating continued indirect talks. US President Donald Trump confirmed strikes on an Iranian island, and a tanker was reported hit near Oman as tensions over the waterway continued.
Key Facts
Iran says reopening the Strait of Hormuz depends on the US addressing seven conditions, including lifting sanctions and ending a US naval blockade.
Iranian official Mohsen Rezaei said Washington’s response did not meet Iran’s demands.
Qatar said it was facilitating the exchange of proposals and that both sides remained committed to negotiations.
Trump said US strikes targeted an anti-aircraft facility and described the operation as a minor attack that was not a war.
Iranian media reported that the strikes hit Qeshm Island, near the Strait of Hormuz.
US media, citing officials, reported that Central Command had prepared plans for possible further strikes.
UKMTO said two unidentified projectiles struck a tanker’s engine room northeast of Oman; no casualties were reported.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed that four tankers had struck mines and caught fire after switching off navigation.
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A public inquiry led by Peter Garrett and former defence chief Chris Barrie urged Australia to end the AUKUS submarine plan, calling it costly and risky. The inquiry said the deal lacked adequate oversight and could affect Australia’s sovereignty and security; these are the report’s conclusions, not established findings of government policy.
Key Facts
The AUKUS agreement is valued at A$368 billion and was negotiated under former prime minister Scott Morrison with the United States and the United Kingdom.
The inquiry recommended ending the submarine plan, suspending plans for new bases and holding a royal commission into the agreement.
The inquiry said more than 1,000 public submissions were received and hearings were held around Australia.
The report called for independent reviews by the auditor general and federal parliament, citing a lack of scrutiny and oversight.
Under the deal, Australia is due to begin receiving secondhand US Virginia-class submarines around 2032.
Delays and rising costs in US submarine production have prompted doubts about whether the boats will be delivered to Australia.
The inquiry estimated that an additional A$180 billion would be needed to deal with nuclear waste; Australia has not identified a permanent storage site.
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South Africans are voting in local elections amid anger over water outages, power cuts and failing infrastructure. Polls suggest the African National Congress (ANC) may remain the largest party but win less than a third of the vote, leaving many municipalities to be governed by coalitions.
Key Facts
The ANC won 45.6% of the vote in the 2021 municipal elections and 40.2% in the 2024 national elections.
Unstable coalitions and frequent changes in municipal leadership have been cited as reasons for poor service delivery.
Johannesburg has had 10 mayors in 10 years; Ekurhuleni has had three since 2021, and Tshwane’s mayoralty has changed hands four times since 2020.
More than 800 people contracted a gastrointestinal illness from contaminated water in Bronkhorstspruit in October.
The Democratic Alliance leads polling in Johannesburg, Ekurhuleni and Tshwane, but has not polled above 40% in any of the three metros.
In eThekwini, the uMkhonto we Sizwe party led by former president Jacob Zuma is polling above 40%, while the ANC is polling around 10%.
The Democratic Alliance is expected to retain its majority in Cape Town, though polls suggest it may win less than its 58% share in 2021.
The electoral commission has a week to announce final results; parties then have two weeks to form councils and elect mayors.
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Papua New Guinea police arrested four Chinese nationals after finding a 32kg object at a construction site in Port Moresby. China’s embassy says the object is a shell-shaped wine bottle, while an Australian Broadcasting Corporation report, citing unnamed sources, identified it as an unexploded artillery projectile; the BBC said it had not independently verified that claim.
Key Facts
The object was found at a construction site in Port Moresby.
Police arrested four Chinese nationals last Friday after the discovery.
Police were investigating whether the object was a live device.
China’s embassy said the object was a shell-shaped wine bottle and posed no danger.
The ABC cited unnamed sources identifying it as an unexploded 130mm Chinese Type 59 artillery projectile containing explosives and a fuse.
The BBC said it had not independently verified the ABC report.
Papua New Guinea police had earlier rejected speculation that the object was merely a dummy, according to the Post Courier.
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Victoria police say an alleged assault on a One Nation supporter in Torquay is not being treated as politically motivated. Police arrested a 37-year-old man and a 14-year-old boy and now describe the alleged weapon as a “blunt weapon,” not a baseball bat.
Key Facts
The alleged victim is a 60-year-old man who was attacked outside his home in Torquay on Sunday night.
Police arrested a 37-year-old Hampton Park man and a 14-year-old boy shortly after the alleged attack.
Police initially said a baseball bat was allegedly used, then removed that reference and said a blunt weapon was allegedly used.
A police spokesperson said detectives are not treating the incident as politically motivated.
One Nation federal leader Pauline Hanson visited the alleged victim in hospital in Geelong on Tuesday.
One Nation launched an online fundraiser that had raised more than $250,000 by 1 p.m. Wednesday.
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Seven flights across Europe were targeted by suspected bomb threats. No official link has been established, and several countries are investigating whether the incidents were a coordinated effort to disrupt airspace.
Key Facts
The incidents affected seven flights across Europe.
Authorities described the threats as suspected bomb threats.
No official link between the incidents has been established.
Several countries are investigating the incidents.
Investigators are examining whether the incidents were coordinated.
The possible aim under investigation is to disrupt airspace.
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South Korea’s military said North Korea launched an unidentified projectile toward the sea from its east coast, but did not specify the weapon. The launch came amid a series of North Korean weapons tests and criticism of U.S. claims that North Korean hackers stole more than $6 billion from Binance.
Key Facts
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff reported the launch but gave no details about the projectile.
North Korea has recently tested weapons including a submarine-launched ballistic missile, hypersonic missiles, attack drones and cluster bombs.
North Korea said it tested a new cluster warhead for strategic cruise missiles on Monday.
The FBI attributed the Binance theft to North Korean hackers and a group known as TraderTraitor.
North Korea denied involvement in the Binance hack and criticized the U.S. announcement as hostile.
Kim Yo Jong said North Korea had no need to meet with people it considers unreliable and hostile.
Tensions between the two Koreas have risen since mine blasts near their border wounded three South Korean soldiers in September.
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