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Five people are reported dead after two high-speed trains crash in Spain.
The rail network operator said that two high-speed trains?derailed?on a Sunday in southern Spain. State-run RTVE?channel reported five deaths, citing sources from the police. Accident near Cordoba, near Adamuz. RTVE reported that an unknown number of passengers were injured. The Iryo 6189 Malaga-to-Madrid train derailed at Adamuz and crashed onto the adjacent track. "The (Madrid to?) Huelva train, which was traveling on the adjacent track, has also derailed," Adif said in a social media post. Adif said the accident occurred about ten to fifteen minutes after the Iryo left Malaga, heading towards Madrid. This was at 6:40 pm (1740 GMT). Iryo, a private Italian rail operator, is based in Italy. The company didn't immediately respond to our request for comment. Adif has suspended rail services between Madrid Andalusia. Andalusia's emergency?services announced on social media the halting of all rail traffic and that emergency services, including nine ambulances?and emergency support vehicles?were on their way. Salvador Jimenez shared photos of the train's rear carriage lying on its back, and evacuated passengers sitting along the side.
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Committee approves bill to allow Uber and Lyft in Israel
A committee of Israeli ministers approved on Sunday a law allowing shared ride hailing services like Uber and Lyft in Israel to operate in an effort to reduce taxi fares. The Transportation Ministry has proposed a reform that would allow "technology-based transport operators" to use models used successfully globally. However, this law still requires full approval from the Parliament. The Ministry noted that the Shared Transport Law, approved by the "Ministerial Committee for Legislation", would allow companies like Uber and Lyft to offer services via smart apps that connect private drivers and passengers. It was said that the move would increase transportation availability, especially during weekends and peak hours, as well as lower fares. The statement added that these?services are available in dozens of countries around the globe "and it is now time for them to be available in Israel." The law contains strict safety regulations, driver screenings, insurance coverage, and oversight of vehicle condition, as well as a mechanism to support the existing taxi industry?to ensure an equitable transition. Uber operated briefly in Israel, but only as a taxi service. It was shut down in 2023. Uber and other similar companies are not welcome in Israel. The new law is "a historic step" that will demolish outdated monopolies and create thousands of jobs. It will also open the market up to true competition, which benefits the public, said Transport Minister Miri Regev. She noted that the reform of shared rides would reduce traffic, remove private cars, and give citizens the ability to travel easily at a reasonable price. (Reporting and editing by Steven Scheer)
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Officials say at least 5,000 people have been killed in the unrest in Iran, while the judiciary suggests executions
An Iranian official in the area said that at least 5,000 people were killed during protests in Iran. This included 500 security personnel. The figures were verified and the official accused "terrorists" and "armed rioters", of killing "innocent Iranians". On December 28, nationwide protests over economic hardship erupted. They grew over the next two weeks to include widespread demonstrations demanding the end of the clerical regime, resulting in one of the deadliest civil unrests since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Donald Trump, the U.S. president, has repeatedly warned that he would intervene if protesters were killed or executed on the street. In a post on social media, Trump thanked Tehran leaders for cancelling scheduled mass executions. State media reported that Ayatollah Khamenei, the Supreme Leader, said on Saturday: "We won't drag our country into war but we won't let domestic or foreign criminals go unpunished." The judiciary hinted that executions could take place on Sunday. Asghar Jahangir, the Iranian judiciary's spokesperson, told a recent press conference that "a series of actions has been identified as Mohareb which is one of the most severe Islamic punishments". Iranian law punishes mohareb (a legal term in Islam meaning to wage war on God) with death. In an interview with Politico published on Saturday, Trump stated that "it is time to find new leadership for Iran". Khamenei - Iran's supreme authority - accused the country's longtime adversaries, the U.S., and Israel, of organising violence. He acknowledged "several thousands deaths". HRANA, a rights group based in the United States, said that on Saturday 3,308 deaths had been confirmed and 4,382 other cases are being investigated. The group confirmed that it had confirmed over 24,000 arrests. According to an Iranian official, the confirmed death toll is unlikely to be much higher. The official stated that the final death toll was not expected to rise sharply. He added that "Israel" and "armed groups abroad", had supported and outfitted those who took to the streets. The clerical elite regularly blames unrest in Iran on foreign enemies. These include the United States, Israel and other arch-foes of the Islamic Republic. Israel was the first to launch military strikes against Iran back in June. HIGHEST DEATH TOLL IN KURDISH AREAS The Iranian official who refused to be named because of the sensitive nature of the matter, said that some of the most violent clashes, and the highest number of fatalities, occurred in the "Iranian Kurdish" areas of the country's northwestern region. Kurdish separatists are active in these areas, and past unrest has seen violent flare-ups in the region. Three sources informed? Three sources told? Hengaw, a Kurdish rights organization based in Norway, has stated that some of the most violent clashes occurred in Kurdish regions in the northwest during the protests which erupted late December. According to state media and residents, the violent crackdown has largely quelled protests. Internet blackouts have made it difficult to get information. They were lifted in part for a few early hours on Saturday. Internet monitoring group NetBlocks reported that the blackout appeared to have been reinstated late Saturday. (Reporting and Editing by Edmund Blair; Louise Heavens, PhilipaFletcher, Philipa Fletcher).
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Libya signs $2.7 billion partnership for expansion of Misurata Free Zone
Libya will sign on Sunday a strategic partnership to develop and expand the Misurata Free Zone with international firms, attracting estimated $2.7 billion in investment. The project would generate an estimated $500 million in operating revenue annually if the agreements were signed with Qatari companies and Italian, Swiss, and Swiss firms. Dbeibah stated that "this project will not only boost Libya's ranking among the?largest port in terms of capacity and size, but also relies on direct foreign investments within a comprehensive partnership". Dbeibah stated that this partnership reflects "the government's commitment to attracting a productive external financing in order to stimulate the economy, modernize the infrastructure, and turn state assets into platforms with sustainable returns." The Libyan economy is heavily dependent on oil. It accounts for over 95% of the total economic output. Misurata, a port town located 200 km (124 miles), east of Tripoli's capital city. Dbeibah stated that the project will create around 60,000 indirect jobs as well as?8,400 direct roles. Dbeibah also added that the terminal's annual capacity would be increased to 4,000,000 containers. The port covers a large area, spanning 190 hectares. According to the website of?the Free Zone,?190 ha are available. Since a NATO-backed uprising in 2011, Libya has suffered from instability, leading to a split between eastern and Western factions in 2014. Each of these factions is governed by rival governments. (Reporting from Menna Alaa El Dn, Ahmed Elumami, Muhammad Al Gebaly, and Louise Heavens).
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NIS, a Russian company sanctioned by the US and owned by Russians, restarts Serbian refinery
Serbia's energy ministry said that the majority-owned Russian oil company NIS had restarted its refinery in Serbia and resumed crude oil imports after receiving a waiver from United States sanctions. In an Instagram post, Energy Minister Dubravka Handanovic stated that the refinery was restarted following a break of nearly two months. She stated that the first diesel produced by the refinery following the restart of the plant should be on the market before January 27. In October, the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), which is part of the Treasury Department, imposed sanctions against NIS. The majority stake in NIS belongs to Russia’s Gazprom and Gazprom. NIS was given until the end of March to complete the sale of stakes to Russian companies. It is currently in the middle of negotiations with Hungary's MOL. Peter Szijjarto, the Hungarian foreign minister, said that he expected that OFAC would approve the initial sale in the next few days. NIS, the sole oil refinery in Serbia was granted a sanction?reprieve until January 23 by OFAC, allowing it import crude oil through Croatia's JANAF pipe. Gazprom owns 11.3% of NIS and Gazprom neft 44.9%. Serbian government owns 29.9% of NIS. (Reporting and editing by Tom Hogue; Additional reporting by LefterisPapadimas)
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Iranian official: verified deaths in Iran protests at least 5,000
A regional Iranian official said that authorities have'verified' at least 5,000 deaths in protests in Iran. This includes?about 500 security personnel. He blamed "terrorists" and "armed rioters", for the deaths of "innocent Iranians". The official who refused to be identified due to the sensitive nature of the matter, said that some of the 'heaviest clashes' and 'highest number of deaths occurred in the Iranian Kurdish regions in northwest Iran. This is a region in which?Kurdish Separatists are active, and where past unrest has seen the most violent flare-ups. The official stated that the final death toll was not expected to increase dramatically. He added that "Israel and other armed groups" abroad had supported and provided equipment for those who took the streets. The Iranian authorities blame the unrest on their enemies including Israel. Israel is an arch enemy of the Islamic Republic and launched military attacks on Iran in June. The HRANA rights group, based in the United States, said that on Saturday?the death toll reached 3,308, and another 4,382 were under review. The group said it had confirmed a total of more than 24,000 arrests. Hengaw (an Iranian Kurdish group based in Norway) has said that some of the most violent clashes occurred in Kurdish regions in the north-west during the protests which erupted late December. Edmund Blair, Louise Heavens and Edmund Blair are responsible for the editing.
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In Thailand, crane accident kills 32 people
The regional governor reported that a train derailed on Wednesday in northeastern Thailand after a crane fell onto two of its wagons. At least 32 people were killed and 66 injured. The accident happened in the 'Sikhio' district of Nakhon Ratchasima Province, 230 km northeast of Bangkok. It was on a train bound for Ubon Ratchathani. In a press release, Transport Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn stated that there were 195 passengers aboard the train. He also said he ordered an investigation. The crane, which was working on high-speed rail construction project collapsed when it hit a passing train. This caused the train to derail briefly and catch fire. After being briefed on the incident, Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said to reporters that the State Railway of Thailand should provide good compensation to the families of those who died. He added: "We must investigate... and take legal actions." The Italian-Thai Development Public Company Limited, which had been contracted to build the rail section, expressed regret and promised to compensate and provide relief to the families of those who died. A 30-storey Bangkok building being constructed by a joint-venture including ITD collapsed in March of last year killing 89 after an earthquake with a magnitude of 8.8 struck Myanmar. ITD President Premchai Karnasuta was Indicted on August Along with 22 other people on allegations of negligence, and breaching "construction regulations". When they were arrested for the first time in May, the executive and 14 other people denied any wrongdoing. Smoke Billows from Wreckage The ministry shared images of train carriages flipped over next to shrubland, and firefighters extinguishing an blaze while smoke billowed. The footage, which was verified by, showed rescue workers attempting to remove casualties from a mangled carriage. Some of the badly injured passengers were already being loaded into ambulances. The elevated high-speed railway project was built above an existing rail line. The concrete stanchions that were built to support the rail link are still holding up a part of the collapsed crane. Debris is dangling from the tracks below. The project is part of a transnational high-speed rail link between the Thai capital and the southwest Chinese city Kunming. The recovery operations continued at the accident site into the evening of Wednesday.?Anutin said that the track must be cleared by the weekend. He said that delays on this major rail line would harm the local economy. HIGH-SPEED LINK?CONNECTS CHINA THROUGH THE LAOS Mao Ning, spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, said that Beijing attaches great importance to the safety of personnel and projects in Thailand. "At the moment, it appears that a Thai company was building the relevant section." The cause of the accident remains under investigation. The high-speed cross-country rail project will link to China via Laos. Last year, the government announced that more than one-third of the construction work had been completed on the segment between Bangkok and Nakhon Ratchasima. The entire line from Nong Khai to the border with Laos is expected to be ready by 2030. (Reporting Panarat Thepgumpanat, Panu Wongcha -um and Ethan Wang from Beijing; editing David Stanway Sharon Singleton Mark Heinrich
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Indonesian authorities discover wreckage of a missing surveillance plane that had 11 people on board
Indonesian authorities announced on Sunday that they have located the wreckage from a missing fisheries-surveillance plane in South Sulawesi Province near a foggy mountain. They are still searching for 11 people who were on board. The ATR42-500 turboprop owned by Indonesia Air Transport lost touch with air traffic control on Saturday around 1:30 pm local time (0530 GMT), in the Maros area of South Sulawesi. The plane was chartered by Indonesia’s Marine Affairs and Fisheries Ministry for air surveillance of fisheries. The passengers were staff from the ministry. The head of South Sulawesi’s rescue agency, Muhammad Arif Anwar said on local TV that the rescuers will deploy 1,200 people to?search the missing passengers and crew. He said, "Our first priority is to find the victims. We hope there are some that we can safely evacuate." Before losing contact, the aircraft was heading towards Makassar (the capital of South Sulawesi) after leaving Yogyakarta. Andi Sultan, a South Sulawesi rescue agency official, said that local rescuers discovered the wreckage around Mount Bulusaraung on Sunday morning. The mountain is located approximately 1,500 km (930 mi) northeast of Jakarta, the capital city of this island nation. Sultan informed reporters that "our helicopter crews saw the debris from the plane's windows at 7:46 am." He said that around 7:49 am, large pieces of aircraft were discovered, which he suspected to be fuselage. The tail of the airplane was also visible at the bottom slope of the mountain. Sultan said that rescuers were deployed at the sites where the wreckage had been discovered. He added that the search for the wreckage was hindered by dense fog and the mountainous terrain. Video footage released by the'rescue agency' shows a window from the plane scattered around the mountain in thick fog. Sultan stated that the National Transportation Safety Committee of Indonesia would be leading an investigation into this crash. Experts say that the cause of this accident is still unclear. The ATR 42 500, produced by the franco-italian planemaker ATR, is a regional turboprop aircraft that can carry between 42 and fifty passengers. Flightradar24, a flight tracking website, said that on X the plane was over the ocean and at a low level so its coverage was limited. The last signal was received around 20 km northeast of Makassar Airport at 0420 GMT. (Reporting and editing by Jamie Freed; Ananda Teresia)
Africa's road map to a larger, greener power system: Maguire
Africa may be set to change itself from a relative cleanenergy laggard into a powersector leader.
African power firms have plans to dramatically broaden the continent's energy generation base and make it far cleaner. This might help sustain Africa's expected economic velocity over the coming years and provide tasks for its population of approximately 1.5 billion.
But the secret will be execution.
The continent's power business are looking for to dramatically improve clean-power generation, cut dependence on fossil fuels and nearly double overall power output by the time jobs near or under building and construction are finished.
The projected 278% jump in Africa's tidy power capacity - between now and the completion of all the scheduled projects - overshadows the 109% increase slated for projects at comparable stages globally, according to Global Energy Display (GEM). However recognizing these strategies will require conquering significant challenges, consisting of an absence of energy policy coordination among countries, outdated existing energy infrastructure and restricted experience operating regional power pools.
CLEAN LEADERS
All told, there are around 32,700 megawatts (MW) of clean-. power capability under building throughout Africa, and around. 60,000 MW of clean-power capacity currently in operation.
African power companies are, in aggregate, presently building. 250 megawatts (MW) of geothermal plants, nearly 5,000 MW of wind. jobs, 8,100 MW of solar parks, 15,600 MW of hydro dams,. 3,600 MW of nuclear capability, and around 120 MW of bioenergy. capability.
An additional 134,000 MW of tidy capacity remains in the so-called. pre-construction stage, which describes permitted tasks that. have yet to break ground.
The places of the present and scheduled jobs differ. commonly, however on the whole Northern Africa has a larger volume of. prepared solar and wind jobs than Sub-Saharan Africa.
Numerous countries stand apart in regards to scale.
Egypt is currently building 2,400 MW of hydro, 1,400 MW. of solar, 2,500 MW of wind, and 1,200 MW of nuclear.
Kenya and Ethiopia are both exploiting their fairly simple. access to geothermal sources and are building the lion's. share of geothermal capacity.
And around 15,000 MW of hydro is being planned throughout. Ethiopia, Egypt, Angola, Nigeria and Tanzania, while Nigeria. also has a 4,800 MW nuclear plant in pre-construction.
Meanwhile, around 22,000 MW of fossil fuel-fired power. capability is presently under building throughout the continent,. with an extra 25,000 MW in pre-construction. This will be. on top of Africa's existing fossil fuel-powered operating. capacity of around 177,000 MW, or roughly 74% of its total. existing power-generating capability.
CHALLENGES
Africa's current power advancement plan bodes well for. clean-power advocates, with 50% more tidy capability than. fossil-fuel capacity currently being built and five times more. tidy capacity than fossil capacity in the pre-construction. phase.
Nevertheless, bringing all of these plans to fulfillment will. require sustained monetary, governmental and societal assistance. for clean-power advancement along with a veritable army of. efficient job managers.
Power companies may struggle to secure sufficient certified. labour for particular projects. They may deal with difficulties sourcing. certain in-demand parts and products that stay based on. supply-chain snarls and producing backlogs.
Power service providers must then also make sure that the energy. generated from their new properties is channelled to customers who. are prepared to pay up for that power.
This will require substantial cross-border transmission. networks, which mostly do not yet exist.
However construction of transmission lines is currently under way. across numerous rapidly establishing countries, consisting of Tanzania,. Togo, Kenya and somewhere else. A 1,700 kilometre line spanning. Senegal, the Gambia, Guinea and Guinea-Bissau was finished last. year, while a 500-km Kenya-Tanzania Interconnector is due to. begun line later on this year.
This is a good start, however many more long-distance lines will. be needed if African nations are to get amount out of the. clean-power capability being developed and if power manufacturers are to. secure paying clients to help cover their building expenses.
RIGHT LOCATION, CORRECT TIME
While meeting these challenges will not be easy, African. power companies might be well-positioned to do so.
Initially, international energy companies are looking for to broaden market. share just as several African countries are committing to significant. energy-system upgrades.
African firms might also be able to bypass a few of the. conventional energy advancement opportunities by embracing brand-new. technologies that can be released in locations without existing. grids and be customized to fulfill the continent's progressing requirements.
For example, firms today can make use of real-time power. management systems to ensure optimum volumes of tidy energy are. dispatched around the clock and that nonrenewable fuel source plants. supplement these sources only when clean-generation volumes fall. short of system needs.
The continent's power suppliers need to also have access to. enhanced battery systems that can store surplus clean power. during high output durations and after that release it onto grids. during peak demand periods to enhance grids and guarantee power. flows stay as clean as possible.
This minute represents a remarkable chance for the. continent. A well-managed and coordinated build-out of the. planned power supply pipeline could help offer the abundant. and cheap energy that is urgently required to stimulate commercial. growth and enable the area to fulfil its financial and. group potential. The opinions revealed here are those of the author, a. writer .
(source: Reuters)