International
US Secret Service: The attempted murder of Trump is the “biggest operational failure” in decades
The director of the United States Secret Service, Kimberly Cheatle, acknowledged on Monday before Congress that the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump was the “greatest operational failure” of the agency “in decades.”
In an ongoing hearing before a committee of the House of Representatives, Cheatle assumed “full responsibility” for the “security” lapse of his agency and assured that they are cooperating with the ongoing investigations into the attack.
“The attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump on July 13 is the largest operational ruling of the Secret Service in decades,” Cheatle said in his initial statements before the committee, to which he was summoned on the initiative of the Republicans who control the Lower House.
The Republican opposition has asked for the resignation of Cheatle, at the head of the agency in charge of Trump’s security.
Trump was wounded in the ear while participating in a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13 by a shooter who had climbed a roof about 140 meters from the former president, although outside the security perimeter.
Witnesses had alerted two minutes before the shootings of the suspicious presence of the shooter, a 20-year-old boy whose reasons are still unknown, who ended up shot dead by Secret Service agents.
During the hearing, Republicans protested Cheatle’s refusal to answer most of his questions, alleging that there are several ongoing investigations with which the Secret Service is collaborating to clarify what failed in the operation.
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.
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.
Death toll from southern Spain train crash rises to 40
Spain’s Prime Minister pledges transparency after train crash kills at least 39
Guatemala raises police death toll to nine after gang violence escalates
Tec de Monterrey honors one of its students for his contribution to nanotechnology in medicine
Defense Minister commends salvadoran soldier for Central American Cross Country victory
Extension of the state of emergency approved in southern Chile
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