Investigators focus on control-centre order after Spain train crash US warns allies of renewed Iran strikes as Vance letter awaits reply Russian drone kills 14 at Dnipro station as Ukraine mounts record drone raid Congo Ebola outbreak passes 10,000 cases as neighbours and Europe weigh risk Israel deadlocked as Likud claims Arab parties stole the vote Lagarde to leave ECB early as bank holds rates at 2.5%Alphabet shares tumble after results, reviving worries over AI spending Oleshky truce holds as Europe splits over Putin call Iran reports tankers hitting mines in Hormuz as US says main routes are clear Bolsonaro calls himself Brazil's leader from Miami as Trump derides the vote Greek container ship sinks after naval drone attack off Bulgaria Saudi-led coalition downs Houthi missile as UN warns of access crisis in Taiz Hong Kong leader apologises over Tai Po fire as housing secretary resigns Europe to release 42 million barrels as oil majors post record profits North Korea fires about ten ballistic missiles as border dispute deepens US growth beats forecasts as inflation climbs, raising pressure on Fed Study links Indonesian haze to over 5,200 deaths as Singapore sends envoy China expels 33 officials and promotes General Zhang Shengmin to the Politburo EUFOR helicopter crashes in Bosnia, at least three dead Samsung posts biggest profit in tech history as AI memory boom lifts Korea and Japan Serbia's RTS chief resigns and news editors replaced after student-led election win Haiti postpones presidential election to 2027 as El Salvador pledges troops US bans imports from three Chinese genomics firms and Chinese testing labs, Beijing protests Death toll rises to six after Cyclone Arnab hits eastern India Anthropic's IPO filing sparks debate over $80bn loss and risk warnings China threatens countermeasures over EU trade curbs as Steinmeier visits Beijing Hebron lockdown enters second week as settlers accused of assaulting activists in West Bank UN mission says Al Obeid civilians are trapped between drones and incarceration as UAE jails eight over Sudan arms US imposes new sanctions on Rwanda over conflict in eastern Congo Volkswagen reports third-quarter loss of 5.8 billion euros Pentagon treats base freezer failures as suspected cyberattack after French supermarket sabotage Russia-Africa summit ends as Ethiopia receives Russian fighter jets Chinese tech stocks fall despite surge in chip sales French protests weigh on retailers and Macron as new rallies loom Israeli strikes hit Gaza as Health Ministry urges Rafah opening Courts and prosecutors collide with election fights days before US midterms Venezuela to offer state assets to private sector as Maduro trial judge dies Afghan opium cultivation surges despite Taliban ban, UN says Pound steady after Healey's 'continuity budget'DoorDash to buy Instacart for $17bn Taiwan suspects China behind brief Pakistani airspace ban on its airlines Albanian opposition disrupts parliament with flares after 17 days of protests Investigators focus on control-centre order after Spain train crash US warns allies of renewed Iran strikes as Vance letter awaits reply Russian drone kills 14 at Dnipro station as Ukraine mounts record drone raid Congo Ebola outbreak passes 10,000 cases as neighbours and Europe weigh risk Israel deadlocked as Likud claims Arab parties stole the vote Lagarde to leave ECB early as bank holds rates at 2.5%Alphabet shares tumble after results, reviving worries over AI spending Oleshky truce holds as Europe splits over Putin call Iran reports tankers hitting mines in Hormuz as US says main routes are clear Bolsonaro calls himself Brazil's leader from Miami as Trump derides the vote Greek container ship sinks after naval drone attack off Bulgaria Saudi-led coalition downs Houthi missile as UN warns of access crisis in Taiz Hong Kong leader apologises over Tai Po fire as housing secretary resigns Europe to release 42 million barrels as oil majors post record profits North Korea fires about ten ballistic missiles as border dispute deepens US growth beats forecasts as inflation climbs, raising pressure on Fed Study links Indonesian haze to over 5,200 deaths as Singapore sends envoy China expels 33 officials and promotes General Zhang Shengmin to the Politburo EUFOR helicopter crashes in Bosnia, at least three dead Samsung posts biggest profit in tech history as AI memory boom lifts Korea and Japan Serbia's RTS chief resigns and news editors replaced after student-led election win Haiti postpones presidential election to 2027 as El Salvador pledges troops US bans imports from three Chinese genomics firms and Chinese testing labs, Beijing protests Death toll rises to six after Cyclone Arnab hits eastern India Anthropic's IPO filing sparks debate over $80bn loss and risk warnings China threatens countermeasures over EU trade curbs as Steinmeier visits Beijing Hebron lockdown enters second week as settlers accused of assaulting activists in West Bank UN mission says Al Obeid civilians are trapped between drones and incarceration as UAE jails eight over Sudan arms US imposes new sanctions on Rwanda over conflict in eastern Congo Volkswagen reports third-quarter loss of 5.8 billion euros Pentagon treats base freezer failures as suspected cyberattack after French supermarket sabotage Russia-Africa summit ends as Ethiopia receives Russian fighter jets Chinese tech stocks fall despite surge in chip sales French protests weigh on retailers and Macron as new rallies loom Israeli strikes hit Gaza as Health Ministry urges Rafah opening Courts and prosecutors collide with election fights days before US midterms Venezuela to offer state assets to private sector as Maduro trial judge dies Afghan opium cultivation surges despite Taliban ban, UN says Pound steady after Healey's 'continuity budget'DoorDash to buy Instacart for $17bn Taiwan suspects China behind brief Pakistani airspace ban on its airlines Albanian opposition disrupts parliament with flares after 17 days of protests

Symbolic image: Investigators focus on control-centre order after Spain train crash

Symbolic image

Investigators focus on control-centre order after Spain train crash

18 sources

At least 69 people died on Wednesday when a Renfe high-speed train hit a stationary Iryo train near Urda in Toledo province. Spain began three days of mourning on Thursday.

Leaked audio recordings suggest that a Madrid control centre, running traffic manually after an outage of the LZB safety system, told the Renfe driver at 8.36am to restart at normal speed, although the Iryo train was halted 25km ahead (FT, Koha). Transport minister Óscar Puente called the decision "inexplicable" and pointed to human error. Rescuers searched the wreckage through the night with cranes and drones. Regional president Emiliano García-Page said teams expected no more bodies in one overturned carriage, but body parts still had to be identified.

Experts and unions reject single blame

Engineering professor Ricardo Díaz Martín told the FT that the safety systems themselves have deteriorated and the government cannot blame one man. Vicente Almenar of the UGT union said human errors occur when workers lack the equipment they need. Train drivers went ahead with a planned strike on Thursday over safety and staffing.

Political fallout before the election

Far-right Vox filed a manslaughter lawsuit against Puente on Thursday, while Podemos and Catalan Republic Left demand he appear before parliament. Opposition leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo called his focus on one controller "unbecoming of a minister". About 1,500 people, called out by the far-right Falangist Youth, protested at the ministry in Madrid, and police used tear gas, according to Handelsblatt. The general election is on 29 November.