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What happened in Spain's high speed train crash?
The train derailment and collision that occurred in southern Spain on Sunday killed 39 people, and injured 122 others. Officials emphasized the "tremendously bizarre" nature of the accident which took place along a straight section of rail. What we know about the situation so far is: The accident occurred at 7:45 pm (1845 GMT) in the province Cordoba about 360 km (225 miles) south of Madrid. The two trains were operated by two different private companies, Iryo and Alvia. Both are run by Spain's national railway company, Renfe. The two last carriages from the eight-car trademark-red Iryo train travelling from Malaga, Spain to Madrid, derailed and collided with the Alvia. This caused the Alvia's two first carriages to fall and derail down a five-metre (16.4 feet) embankment. What Officials Are Saying According to Renfe Chief Alvaro Fernandez Heredia who said that human error is virtually eliminated, there was only a 20 second interval between the derailment of the train and the impact. He said that it would take some time to determine whether the failure was in the infrastructure or rolling stock. Officials stated that the Alvia appeared to have hit derailed carriages of the Iryo or the undercarriage debris. Renfe's chief confirmed that the 27-year old driver of the Alvia died in the accident. Iryo was carrying 300 passengers and had just left Cordoba, a historic city. Its speed was 110 kph at the time of the accident, which is well below the 250 kph maximum on this stretch. Renfe reported that the oncoming train was traveling at a speed 205 km/h. In the first Alvia carriage, 37 people were killed and 16 injured. The majority of those killed and injured were from the first two?Alvia carriages. Oscar Puente, Transport Minister, said the Iryo was less than four-years-old and the track had been completely reconstructed last May for an investment of 800 million euros. Iryo stated that the train's last inspection was on January 15 Puente described the accident as "tremendously bizarre" and stated that the derailment may not have caused any deaths if it wasn't for the approaching train. Jose Trigueros of the Association of Road Engineers said that his preliminary analysis of information and images released by the authorities indicated "failure of undercarriage of back units" of Iryo train. Previous PROBLEMS According to a copy seen by, the train drivers' union SEMAF warned the state-owned rail infrastructure manager ADIF of the severe wear and tear on the railway track, where the two collided trains, stating that potholes and bumps as well as imbalances of overhead power lines caused frequent breakdowns. ADIF did not immediately respond to an inquiry for comment. A review of alerts from ADIF's X page shows that it had previously reported infrastructure problems at Adamuz. These ranged from?signaling failures to overhead power line issues, which caused high-speed train delays between Madrid and Andalusia ten times since 2022. Last year, the government was criticized for a number of delays in the network caused by 'power outages' and theft of copper cable from the lines. Cable theft is a problem for the network, as it crosses vast swathes?of empty countryside. According to ADIF, Spain's 3,622 km high-speed rail network is the largest in Europe, and second in the world, after China. In 2020, Spain will open its high-speed railway network to private competition to provide low-cost alternatives for Renfe’s AVE trains. Iryo is a partnership between the Italian state railway operator Ferrovie dello Stato and Spanish infrastructure fund Globalvia. It started operating in November 20, starting with the Madrid to Barcelona route, and then expanding to other major cities. The Iryo ETR1000 is produced by Hitachi Rail Bombardier in Europe, for Trenitalia's Ferrovie unit. Renfe's Alvia train is made by local manufacturers CAF and Talgo. Reporting by Victoria Waldersee; editing by Sharon Singleton.
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South Africa mourns the 13 schoolchildren who died in a minibus crash
South Africa mourned Monday the deaths of 13 schoolchildren killed when their minibus collided into a truck. Local officials released a statement in response to the incident, which brought attention to the poor road safety record in the country. Officials said that three other children were being treated in hospitals for injuries after the incident near the industrial Vanderbijlpark City south of Johannesburg. According to a police official, the accident could have been caused by a dangerous overtaking maneuver, according to broadcaster Newzroom Afrika. The official also said that a case of culpable murder would be filed. In a statement, President Cyril Ramaphosa offered condolences and expressed his concern for the victims' families, friends, and teachers. He said that "we must do all we can to protect our learners." Last week, Transport Minister Barbara Creecy stated that the number of road deaths in South Africa was "a reason for national shame", despite a decline in fatalities last year. In 2025 there were 11,418 road deaths, which is about 6% less than the previous year but still equal to an average of 31 deaths per day. Creecy stated that the fatalities were mostly due to drink-driving and speeding. (Reporting and editing by Alexander Winning, Bernadettebaum and Anathi Madubela)
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UK Starmer calls on a 'calm conversation' to avoid a trade war with the US over Greenland
Keir starmer, British Prime Minister, called for calm discussions on Monday to avoid a possible trade war between the United States and Greenland. He appealed to President Donald Trump to "respect" alliances like NATO instead of undermining them. Starmer tried to deescalate the verbal war by essentially ruling out any retaliatory measures against the United States in the event that Trump followed through on his threat to impose import tariffs from Britain and other seven countries unless Greenland was made available to the United States. He used an early morning Press Conference He said that "pragmatic doesn't mean passive" to describe the values underlying his approach towards Trump. STARMER SAYS THAT TARIFFS SHOULD not be used against allies Starmer, who had told Trump on Sunday that the tariffs he was threatening were incorrect, doubled down and said he would "use all of government's strength" to try to stop this U.S. move, which, he claimed, could only harm already stretched families. Starmer added that he did not want to escalate the tariff war. "A tariff battle is not in anyone's interest, and we haven't reached that stage." My focus is to make sure that we do not reach this stage. Trump has threatened to impose tariffs on imports of goods from eight countries that sent small numbers military personnel to Greenland in the past week. This follows Trump's repeated claims he wants to seize Denmark's vast Arctic Island to ensure U.S. safety. Starmer claimed he Tell Trump On Sunday, these forces were "clearly" there to assess the risk posed by Russians and take action. He expressed his hope that "real clarity" had now been achieved. The British Prime Minister signaled that his approach would be different from the European Union's, which has discussed several options for a response, including a Tariffs and tariff packages Imports from the U.S. totaling 107.7 billion dollars (93 billion euros). He said that instead, Britain should nurture a relationship crucial to UK security, intelligence, and defence with the United States, while opposing the tariff threat, and working diplomatically in order to avoid it. Starmer warned that the threats could lead to a "downwards spiral" in Britain's trade, and a weakening of its alliances. "I don't want to see that," he said. But he added, "That doesn’t mean we put our principles and values to the side." We're clear on what our values and principles are. Starmer has a strong relationship with Trump. In May of last year, he was the first leader who secured a deal for a reduction in some tariffs. When asked if Trump is seriously considering his views, Trump replied that he did not believe this. Military action Starmer replied: "No, I don't." I believe that this issue can and should be resolved by calm discussion. (Reporting and writing by Sam Tabahriti; editing by Sarah Young; and Andrew Heavens; and writing by Kate Holton, Elizabeth Piper and Alistair Smout; Catarina demony, Sarah Young; James Davey; and Paul Sandle.
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The Russian-owned Serbian refinery has enough crude oil to run through February
Serbia's majority Russian owned oil company NIS announced on Monday that it had enough crude to keep its refinery running through February, after resuming imports under a newly-waived U.S. sanction waiver. NIS, in a?statement? on its website, confirmed the statement of energy minister Dubravka Djedovic Handanovic, and announced that it had restarted its Pancevo refining plant, Serbia's sole refinery. It was reported that the first diesel quantities should be on sale on January 27. The refinery will be working throughout the month of February, it stated. "Further Work?will be coordinated?with decisions on enabling?operational activities of the company." In October, the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the U.S. Department of Treasury sanctioned NIS, in which Russia's Gazprom and Gazprom have majority stakes. This was part of broader sanctions targeting Russia's oil sector in response to Moscow's conflict in Ukraine. NIS has been?granted an exemption from sanctions by OFAC up until January 23. This allows it to import crude through Croatia's JANAF pipeline. The company has until the end of March to complete the sale of the Russian stakes. It is currently in the middle of negotiations with MOL, a Hungarian firm. Peter Szijjarto, the Hungarian foreign minister, said that he expected that OFAC would approve the initial deal in the next few days. Gazprom owns 11.3% of NIS and Gazprom neft 44.9%. Serbian government owns 29.9% of NIS. (Reporting and editing by Louise Heavens, Ivana Sekularac)
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Kenya launches IPO of state oil pipeline company, aims to raise $825 Million
Kenya sold a 65% share in its oil pipeline firm on Monday. The company hoped to raise $825 million through the largest IPO ever for East Africa. This sale is part a campaign by the government of President William Ruto to divest state companies in order to raise money for new infrastructure and sovereign wealth funds. The government is also selling its stake in the?telecoms company Safaricom. Documents indicating the IPO price for Kenya?Pipeline Company showed that the government set the price at nine shillings a share. The sale will run until February 19 and the shares will be listed for trading on the Nairobi exchange on March 9. Kenya Pipeline IPO is the largest in the region, surpassing the initial sale of Safaricom to the public that the government made in 2008 for?50 billion shillings. The announcement comes as the equity capital markets are recovering globally and stock markets have reached record highs. According to LSEG data, equity capital markets activity will total $738.4 billion by 2025. This is a 15% increase year-on-year. It marks the highest annual period of global equity?capital market activity in four years. Over a fifth was raised by European, Middle East and African issuers through equity capital markets offerings.
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Reports say that at least 11 children were killed in a minibus crash in South Africa.
South African media reported that at least 11 schoolchildren died on Monday morning after a minibus collided with a truck in a city south of Johannesburg. The South African Broadcasting Corporation, a public broadcaster, said that five other students sustained "critical" injuries in the incident. They were on their way to a hospital for urgent medical treatment. The emergency services are at the scene. The government of South Africa is working to improve the country's road safety record. According to the data released last week, there were 11,418 road fatalities in Canada during 2018. This is 6% less than the number of 2024. According to the Transport Ministry, reckless driving such as speeding and drinking while driving are amongst the leading causes of road fatalities. Last week, Transport Minister Barbara Creecy said it was time for a change in the law. She suggested that the legal limit of alcohol consumption while driving be scrapped and replaced with a zero tolerance approach.
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Reports from RTVE show that the death toll in Spain due to a high-speed train crash has risen to 39.
According to RTVE, citing sources from the police, the death toll in Sunday's collision of a derailing high speed train with a second approaching train has risen?to?39, while 152 others were injured. The accident occurred at 7:45 pm local time (1845 GMT), on Sunday, near Adamuz. This is about 360 km south of Madrid. RTVE reports that over 200 trains between Madrid, southern Andalucia and major cities Cordoba and Seville were cancelled on Monday. In a Monday statement, his office announced that Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez had set out "his agenda" for the day. On Sunday, a video from the scene was shared on social media. It showed rescuers pulling people from the sideways twisted carriages under the floodlights. Some passengers were able to climb out of the smashed window, while others had to be wheeled on stretchers. Around 400 passengers were on both trains. Most of them were Spaniards returning to Madrid from the weekend. As January is not a holiday season in Spain, it was unclear how many tourists might be on board. At a press briefing held at the Atocha Station in Madrid, Spanish Transport Minister Oscar Puente said that it was not yet clear what caused the crash. (Reporting and editing by David Latona; Victoria Waldersee)
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A lawyer files an impeachment case against Philippine President Marcos
On Monday, a lawyer filed an impeachment petition against Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. He accused him of slandering the public by allowing his predecessor Rodrigo Duterte be arrested and brought to The Hague for trial. Andre De Jesus filed the complaint in which he described Duterte's actions as "kidnapping", echoing the story of the family of the former President. Duterte was taken in March to the International Criminal Court at the Hague for the thousands of murders committed during his controversial drug war. The complaint accuses Marcos of constitutional violations, failure to act on alleged corruption involving flood control project, and not answering allegations about?drug abuse that raise questions about his ability to govern. De Jesus, in comments made by DZRH on X radio, told reporters that "we felt this avenue would allow not only myself as a complainant... but 'the Filipino people' to thrash all these issues which are raised and not?answered by the President?and his Cabinet and his officers." Marcos's office stated that it respected this democratic process, and that they "trust Congress as a coequal branch to discharge its duties honestly, with integrity and fidelity to rule of law." The presidential communications office issued a statement saying that "while these processes are taking their course, President will continue to rule, ensuring that public services remain uninterrupted, and that government work remains focused on improving our people's lives." The filing comes nearly a full year after the lower chamber impeached Sara Duterte. She was Marcos' estranged vice president and the daughter of his predecessor. The Supreme Court later ruled that the impeachment had violated the Constitutional one-year bar. The lower house of Congress is no longer led Martin Romualdez who was Marcos' cousin and resigned from his position as House Speaker after being implicated in the corruption scandal surrounding flood control. However, the majority of the members are still the president's cronies. This raises doubts that the complaint against him will gain any traction. Marcos was elected in 2022 and has a six-year mandate. The Constitution prohibits him from running for reelection in 2028. He will have about two years left in office. Sara Duterte, his vice president, is widely considered a strong candidate for the presidential race in 2028. (Reporting and editing by Karen Lema)
U.S. sanctions chill the Arctic oil of Russia
According to sources familiar with the logistics, U.S. sanction on Russian tankers and depots is causing major disruptions in Russia's vast Arctic Oil business. Crude supplies that were previously purchased by Asian buyers are now stuck in storage. The U.S. sanctions announced on Friday were the most severe yet against Russia's oil industry. They target major oil producers Gazprom and Surgutneftegas, as well as 183 ships that shipped Russian oil.
According to three sources, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, all three Russian Arctic oil grades, Novy Port ARCO and Varandey with a combined daily output of about 300,000 barrels, are facing disruption.
Two sources claim that the vessels and infrastructure required by Russia's Arctic Oil Business, which represents a tenth its oil exports at sea, are unique.
A special type of ice class vessel is used to transport Novy Port crude oil from Gazprom Neft’s Novoportovskoye Field, where temperatures are as low as -55 C. Varandey from Lukoil’s Timan-Pechora field and ARCO from the Prirazlomnaya platform.
The cargo is then transferred to larger vessels, such as the Aframax and Suezmax, which can transport 100,000-140,000 tonnes compared to 30,000 tons for the smaller vessels.
The United States have now sanctioned Umba and Kola as well as more than a half dozen small tankers that were used to shuttle oil from the field.
According to LSEG, at least 15 tankers sanctioned on Friday by the U.S., including the Mikhail Ulyanov, Aulis and Shturman Scherbinin were actively involved in shipping Russian Arctic grades over the past two months.
The shuttle tankers are smaller and designed for northern seas. They can carry more oil with no compromise to keel clearance.
There is no way to replace them quickly. You can't buy anything like this anywhere else. "The vessels were built specifically for the project," said one source.
Sources said that Russia could be left with millions of barrels in storage of oil it has not sold. One source said that the limited storage capacity at all three projects could lead to a reduction in production if there were a few weeks of disruptions to loading.
Lukoil declined to respond to requests for comment while Gazprom Neft refused to do so.
Gazprom Neft (which produces ARCO and Novy Port) was added directly to the U.S. sanctions package, while Lukoil (which produces Varandey) was not.
ASIA BORDER
Novy Port, Varandey and other refined oils are highly sought after by refiners around the world for their superior quality. Both are light with 0.1-0.4% sulfur. Refineries in India and China have recently purchased the Arctic grades that were previously bought by refineries from northwest Europe prior to an EU embargo in 2022.
One source familiar with the Indian oil market stated that "Light Arctic Oil Grades from Russia were priced higher than the (G7) cap price due to their superior quality." India and China, however, have demonstrated that they are not willing to accept oil from sanctioned tanks and have begun to look for alternatives to Russian oil.
One of the traders on the Asian oil markets said that the absence of Russian Arctic oil grades will likely drive up the price of WTI, the U.S. flagship oil grade. WTI is also a light oil.
India has reduced its U.S. crude oil purchases after it began to buy cheap Russian barrels on the market two years ago. However, a source from an Indian refiner says that his company may be looking at purchasing more U.S. crude oil.
No Domestic Link
There is no system in place to feed the Russian oil pipeline system with the oil volume from the Arctic projects. All the oil volume will be exported.
The sources stated that in the event there are no buyers of these oil grades, then volumes will either have to be stored on floating storage or Gazprom will have to reduce output for both projects.
One source said that although it is possible to ship some grades via sea to refineries in southern Russia, this could be expensive and in limited quantities.
Technically, Lukoil Varandey's oil supplies could be shipped directly to international markets from the Varandey terminal. One source said that the cost would be higher and the company needed time to bring replacement tankers into the region. (Reporting from MOSCOW; additional reporting by Nidhi in NEW DELHI, editing by Guy Faulconbridge & Jan Harvey).
(source: Reuters)