International

Biden promises to work to end the war in Gaza in his remaining mandate

The president of the United States. In the United States, Joe Biden, said on Wednesday in his speech to the nation that he will continue to work “to end the war in Gaza,” in the six months he has left in the White House.

“I will continue working to end the war in Gaza, bring home all the hostages and bring peace and security to the Middle East and end this war,” the president noted in a brief speech in which he spoke for the first time publicly about his decision to end his re-election campaign for the November elections.

Biden also said in this historic speech that he is the first president of this century who can say that the United States is not at war anywhere in the world and that his commitment will continue to be to keep the country strong.

He also promised to continue “gathering a coalition of nations to prevent” the president of Russia, Vladimir Putin, from “taking over Ukraine” and working “day and night” for them to return to the US. United States “the Americans who are unjustly detained around the world.”

Biden will meet this Thursday with the Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, who is visiting the United States and whose official trip has generated pro-Palestinian protests in Washington on Tuesday and Wednesday.

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Although the United States is Israel’s main partner and supplier of weapons, bilateral relations are not at their best due to the handling of the war against the Islamist group Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

In addition, Biden has reproached Netanyahu for the harshness of his military offensive in Gaza, where there are already almost 39,000 dead, 90,000 injured and 1.9 million displaced since the war broke out on October 7.

International

Death toll from southern Spain train crash rises to 40

The death toll from the train accident that occurred on Sunday in southern Spain has risen to 40, according to investigative sources cited by EFE on Monday afternoon.

Since early Monday, search operations have focused on the damaged carriages of a Renfe train bound for Huelva, which collided with the last derailed cars of an Iryo train traveling from Málaga to Madrid after it left the tracks.

The crash has also left more than 150 people injured. Of these, 41 remain hospitalized, including 12 in intensive care units at hospitals across the Andalusia region.

More than 220 Civil Guard officers are working at the site, searching the railway line and surrounding areas for key evidence to help identify victims and determine the causes of the accident.

The tragedy has revived memories of the deadliest railway disasters in Europe in recent decades. In Spain, the most severe occurred on July 24, 2013, when an Alvia train derailed near Santiago de Compostela, killing 80 people and injuring 130 others.

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At the European level, the worst rail disaster took place on June 3, 1998, in Eschede, northern Germany, when a high-speed train struck a bridge pillar at 200 kilometers per hour, resulting in 98 deaths and 120 injuries.

International

Spain’s Prime Minister pledges transparency after train crash kills at least 39

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez pledged on Monday to ensure “absolute transparency” regarding the causes of a train crash that killed at least 39 people on Sunday in southern Spain, warning that the death toll could still rise.

The fatal accident occurred in the Andalusia region, where the number of confirmed deaths reached 39 by Monday morning, according to a spokesperson for the Ministry of the Interior.

Authorities were preparing to deploy heavy machinery to lift several derailed train cars. “We are waiting for cranes to be installed this morning to lift cars one, two and three of the Alvia train, which suffered the most damage,” said Andalusian regional president Juanma Moreno Bonilla on regional television. “It is likely that once they are lifted, we may find more victims,” he added.

The disaster also left more than 120 people injured. As of Monday afternoon, 43 victims remained hospitalized, including 12 in intensive care, according to emergency services.

International

Over 160 christian worshippers kidnapped in Kaduna Church attacks

More than 160 Christian worshippers were abducted on Sunday during coordinated attacks carried out by armed gangs on two churches in a remote village in Kaduna State, northern Nigeria, according to a cleric and a United Nations report accessed by AFP on Monday.

Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation, has witnessed a renewed surge in mass kidnappings since November, prompting the United States government to carry out military strikes on Christmas Day in the northwestern state of Sokoto.

U.S. President Donald Trump accused Nigerian armed groups of targeting Christians, describing the violence as a form of “genocide” against the religious community.

According to Reverend Joseph Hayab, president of the Christian Association of Nigeria in the north, the attackers arrived in large numbers, blocked access to the churches, and forced worshippers to flee into nearby forests.

“The attackers came in large numbers, sealed off the entrances to the churches, and drove the faithful into the bush,” Hayab told AFP.