Questions are being raised about Spain's rail safety as authorities launch an official investigation into the cause of Wednesday's high-speed train collision, which killed at least 68 people and wounded around 100 more, in the country's second fatal rail crash this year. 

Alvin Hellerstein, a top US judge who was handling the trial against deposed Venezuelan leader Nicholas Maduro and previously oversaw lawsuits stemming from the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Centre and multiple cases involving President Donald Trump, died on Wednesday aged 92.

Russian President Vladimir Putin sought to woo African leaders and government delegates on Wednesday as they gathered in Moscow for the third Russia-Africa Summit to discuss trade, security, arms deals and grain supplies as part of the Kremlin's strategic efforts to expand its footprint in Africa.

Influential US labour union co-founder, feminist, and civil rights icon Dolores Huerta died on Wednesday in Bakersfield, California, her family said. Credited with coining the enduring "Si, se puede!" rallying cry later adapted by former US president Barack Obama, Huerta continued her activism on race, poverty, LGBTQ and women's rights issues until the last months of her life. 

The outbreak of fighting between rival forces in southern Ethiopia last week has led some 50,000 people to seek refuge in neighbouring Kenya, the United Nations said Wednesday, citing local authorities.

A plane carrying Brazil's defeated presidential candidate Flavio Bolsonaro stopped briefly in Ecuador on Wednesday before flying on to an unknown destination. The US State department said it would welcome Bolsonaro after his defeat to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and amid legal troubles.

At least 64 people have been killed on Wednesday after two high-speed trains collided in Spain's central Toledo province, regional authorities confirmed. High-speed rail services between Madrid and Andalusia have been suspended. 

France's Senate on Wednesday approved a bill authorising rioters to be held financially accountable for damage caused during social unrest, with penalties of up to €10,000 and possible welfare benefit seizures. Rights groups warn the legislation could undermine the public's fundamental right to protest.

Human rights groups on Tuesday urged countries to reject UAE diplomat Lana Nusseibeh’s bid to become United Nations secretary general citing allegations that Abu Dhabi funds Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. The UAE denies the accusations. Nusseibeh, 48, is seeking to become the first woman to lead the UN.

King Charles III began a Caribbean tour in the Bahamas on Tuesday, acknowledging “the great suffering of the past” amid calls for an apology over slavery. The 77-year-old monarch, who is undergoing cancer treatment, will also visit Guyana and Antigua and Barbuda, highlighting climate threats and attending a Commonwealth summit with Queen Camilla.