Daily Newscap

World Spain’s train collision death toll reached 69, with dozens still receiving hospital care as investigators examined the cause. Authorities continued identification and recovery work. Associated Press Iran said three tankers struck mines in the Strait of Hormuz. The report had not been independently confirmed by the Associated Press, and details about the vessels and any casualties remained unclear. Associated Press Israel’s Likud party alleged election fraud, but the claims were unsubstantiated; the election committee said allegations of systematic violations were baseless. Coalition arithmetic remained uncertain. Associated Press India The National Cooperative Development Corporation reported financial assistance of ₹1,27,596 crore in 2025–26, alongside a long-term financing roadmap for cooperatives. Press Information Bureau The Union Cabinet approved a three-percentage-point Dearness Allowance and Dearness Relief increase, taking the rate to 63% from 1 July and benefiting centra...

India has amended its vehicle rules to recognise E100 fuel for specially designed flex-fuel vehicles. The change creates a certification route for vehicles that can use very high ethanol blends; it does not make every petrol vehicle compatible, and it does not require owners to modify cars already on the road. The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways updated the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989, to include E100 alongside E85 in emission certification provisions. E85 is a blend containing up to 85 per cent ethanol by volume. The “E” identifies ethanol and the number indicates its share in the blend. E100 refers to fuel consisting predominantly of ethanol. The amendment sets out how eligible vehicles can be approved under the rules; it is not a mandate for motorists to switch fuels. A flex-fuel vehicle is engineered to operate on a range of petrol-ethanol mixtures using one tank. Its fuel-system materials and components are selected for the blends it is designed to handle, while eng...

Israel’s election produced a difficult coalition puzzle on October 29, with preliminary results indicating that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s bloc had lost its parliamentary majority and no rival grouping yet able to govern alone. As officials continued counting special ballots, Netanyahu’s Likud party amplified claims that Arab-led parties had stolen the election. The allegations were unsubstantiated, and the country’s election committee chair said he could not verify claims of foreign interference. Opposition parties accused Likud of using the fraud claims to delegitimise the emerging result and cast suspicion on Arab voters. The chair of Israel’s election committee, Supreme Court Justice Noam Sohlberg, said serious suspicions had been brought to him and asked the Shin Bet security service to investigate. He also said he could not verify the claims. That request for inquiry is not evidence that manipulation occurred, and the allegation should remain clearly distinguished from a...

Spanish rescue teams continued searching wrecked carriages on October 29 after a high-speed train collision in central Spain killed 69 people and injured dozens. The regional leader of Castilla-La Mancha said one more body was found overnight, raising the toll from the 68 reported the previous day. Fifty people remained in hospital, according to the regional official, while authorities worked with relatives to identify those killed. The crash happened on Wednesday near Urda, south of Madrid, when one train struck another that had stopped on the line. The impact sent at least three carriages down a gravel slope. Cranes lifted damaged cars as police, soldiers and search teams with sniffer dogs examined the wreckage. The scale of the impact and the difficult recovery meant the search and identification work continued into a second day. Spain’s government declared three days of mourning beginning Thursday. A minute of silence was observed at public sites, including outside Parliament and a...

India will not sacrifice farmers’ interests in its proposed trade agreement with the United States, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said on October 29, as he described negotiations on the first phase as close to completion. His assurances came while farm organisations were demanding more disclosure about what India may offer in exchange for improved access to the US market. Goyal told an event in New Delhi that the public would welcome the agreement once its details were released. He said India would retain protection for sensitive interests and gain a strong comparative advantage. Those are the minister’s claims about a pact that has not yet been signed or published; the final terms will determine whether farmers, exporters and consumers see the expected effects. The two governments announced a framework in February that reduced US tariffs on many Indian goods after President Donald Trump had imposed higher duties. The framework was intended to guide a broader bilateral tr...

The National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC) reported financial assistance of ₹1,27,596 crore to cooperative institutions during 2025–26, a record year for the government-backed lender, according to figures presented at its annual general council meeting in New Delhi on October 29. The corporation said it had sanctioned projects worth ₹1,55,408 crore in the same financial year. The Ministry of Cooperation said cumulative assistance since its creation in 2021 had reached ₹4,14,586 crore through October 25, 2026. NCDC’s annual disbursements rose from ₹24,733 crore in 2020–21 to the latest figure, roughly five times higher. The ministry said 3,339 units and projects sanctioned in 2025–26 were expected to benefit 14,881 cooperative societies. These figures describe money disbursed or projects sanctioned; they do not by themselves measure how much income, production or employment beneficiaries ultimately gained. NCDC also reported a net profit of ₹1,475 crore, a loan recovery rat...