At least 68 dead in high-speed train collision in Spain
At least 68 people have been killed after two high-speed trains collided in Spain on Wednesday, in the second deadly rail disaster in less tha...
Swollen rivers and torrential rains triggered deadly landslides and widespread flooding across China on Monday, killing at least four people and forcing thousands from their homes, as authorities warned of further extreme weather in the coming days.
Forty-one rivers have flooded nationwide, according to state broadcaster CCTV, citing the Ministry of Water Resources, which issued flood warnings for small and midsize rivers and mountain torrents.
Heavy rain intensified across northern and central China, including in Beijing, Hebei, Hunan, and Inner Mongolia.
In northern Hebei, four people were killed in a landslide and eight remain missing.
In Beijing’s suburban Miyun district, flash floods and landslides inundated villages, displacing more than 4,400 people.
At an elderly care centre, water rose nearly to the roof, trapping residents. Rescue teams swam into the building and used ropes to evacuate 48 people, CCTV reported.
Images on the Chinese social media platform WeChat showed submerged roads in Miyun, with cars and trucks floating and water reaching up the sides of residential buildings. Power outages affected more than 10,000 residents.
Beijing issued its highest-level flood alert on Monday.
The capital’s meteorological observatory warned rainfall could exceed 150 mm in six hours across much of the city, and top 300 mm in some areas. Rain was expected to intensify after 8 p.m. (12:00 GMT), particularly overnight.
The severe weather is part of a broader East Asian monsoon pattern affecting much of the country. Northern China, which has seen record rainfall in recent years, faces growing flood risks—an effect some scientists link to climate change.
In Shicheng Town, near the Miyun Reservoir, floodwaters surged to a peak of 6,550 cubic metres per second—an all-time high, Beijing officials said.
Xiwanzi Village was among the hardest-hit areas, with 100 residents evacuated to a nearby school. Two high-risk road sections were closed in Beijing’s Pinggu district.
Neighbouring provinces are also reeling from the floods.
In Shanxi, state media shared videos of roads turned into rivers and submerged crops and trees. Shaanxi province, home to the historic city of Xi’an, issued flash flood warnings. Search and rescue efforts were underway in Datong, where a driver went missing in the floods.
In Hebei, where two more people died over the weekend, the city of Baoding recorded a record hourly rainfall of 145 mm in Fuping. In Hunan’s Liudiequan Grand Canyon, a tourist was swept away on Sunday as water levels rose suddenly.
China’s National Development and Reform Commission said it had urgently allocated 50 million yuan ($6.98 million) in relief funds for Hebei.
The money will go toward repairing damaged infrastructure, including roads, embankments, schools, and hospitals.
Authorities are on high alert as extreme rainfall increasingly tests China’s flood defences, threatens agricultural production, and displaces vulnerable communities in densely populated areas.
Despite losing his bloc's majority in Israel's 120-seat Knesset in a hotly contested election, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has managed to remain in the lead after 70 per cent of votes were tallied on Wednesday. Figures are subject to change as counting continues.
Russia and Ukraine have begun a regional ceasefire to allow the start of a humanitarian effort in the Russian-occupied town of Oleshky, both sides said on Tuesday, but they continue strikes elsewhere, including the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv.
Russian strikes hit several parts of Ukraine overnight, injuring at least six people and targeting energy and port infrastructure, as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said U.S. warnings about imminent Russian ballistic missile attacks had resumed.
The Pentagon is prepared to launch potentially major military operations against Iran within 96 hours of receiving an order from U.S. President Donald Trump, with sufficient forces already deployed in the Middle East, according to a CNN report.
Jordan said its air force killed more than 20 Islamic State militants in strikes on southern Syria on Monday night.
At least 68 people have been killed after two high-speed trains collided in Spain on Wednesday, in the second deadly rail disaster in less than a year on a major route linking Madrid with the southern Andalusia region.
U.S. President Donald Trump said early Wednesday that a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy would be arranged soon, while leaving the door open to further U.S. strikes on Iran following next week's midterm elections.
Azerbaijan has called for stronger international cooperation against corruption and cross-border financial crime as senior officials from the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) gathered in Baku on Wednesday, 28 October.
Qatari mediators have presented Iran with a new proposal to end the war with the U.S. and Israel, with Tehran expected to respond by the end of the week, according to an official briefed on the negotiations.
Despite losing his bloc's majority in Israel's 120-seat Knesset in a hotly contested election, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has managed to remain in the lead after 70 per cent of votes were tallied on Wednesday. Figures are subject to change as counting continues.
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