Footage shows rescue dogs and workers combing through debris after a building collapse in central Madrid killed four people, including three construction workers and an architect. The six-story building was being converted into a hotel. Several people were also injured.
Saudi Arabia have fought back to earn a 3-2 win over Indonesia in Group B of Asia’s World Cup qualifiers as Feras Al-Brikan’s double boosted their hopes of securing a place at next year’s finals in North America.
Kevin Diks put Indonesia ahead from the spot in the 11th minute on Wednesday, but Saleh Abu Al-Shamat levelled six minutes later before Al-Brikan scored either side of half-time to secure the points despite a second Diks penalty two minutes from time.
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Saudi Arabia next face Iraq in Jeddah on Tuesday and know that a win over Graham Arnold’s side will guarantee their place in December’s draw for the finals in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Indonesia and Iraq will face one another on Saturday.
The Indonesians went in front when Hassan Al-Tambakhti stuck out an arm as Dean James swung in his free kick from the right and Diks stepped up to clinically place his spot kick beyond Nawaf Al-Aqidi.
The lead was short-lived as Al-Shamat steered his right-footed strike from the edge of the area beyond Maarten Paes’s dive to his left.
With nine minutes left in the half, the home side went in front. Yakob Sayuri’s needless pull on Al-Brikan’s shirt saw referee Ahmad Al-Ali called to the pitch-side monitor, and the Kuwaiti awarded a penalty that Al-Brikan slammed home.
Al-Brikan put the result beyond doubt in the 62nd minute with a clinical close-range finish.
Paes threw himself to his right to keep out Musab Al-Juwayr’s low drive only for Al-Brikan to pounce on the rebound and send the ball back under the body of the Indonesia goalkeeper.
Diks struck again from the penalty spot after Nawaf Bu Washl hit the ball with his arm as he went down in his own area in a tussle with Ole Romeny while Mohammed Kanno’s injury-time red card made for a nervous finish for Herve Renard’s side.
Oman kept hosts Qatar at bay to earn a 0-0 draw in the countries’ opening clash in Group A of the fourth round of Asia’s World Cup preliminaries earlier on Wednesday, denting both nations’ hopes of automatic qualification for the 2026 finals.
Qatar captain Akram Afif went closest to claiming the points for Julen Lopetegui’s side at Doha’s Jassim bin Hamad Stadium when he wastefully steered his shot wide 49 minutes into a tense game of few chances.
The Carlos Queiroz-coached Omanis, who are looking to qualify for the World Cup for the first time, will face the United Arab Emirates on Saturday in the next game in the three-team group. Qatar will take on the Emiratis on Tuesday.
The winners of the group will qualify directly for the finals while the team finishing second advances to a playoff with the runner-up from Group B, which is being played in Saudi Arabia.
Qatar dominated the opening exchanges but struggled to turn that superiority into opportunities. Only midfielder Boualem Khoukhi threatened the Oman goal with a strike from distance in the 13th minute that flew wide of the target.
The Omanis were largely kept on the back foot although Issam Al-Sabhi did fashion an opening in the 27th minute that goalkeeper Mahmud Abunada gathered, and Amjad Al-Harthi steered a header over the bar late in the half.
Afif should have put the hosts ahead soon after the interval when the Omanis gifted him possession in their own half, but the Asian Player of the Year uncharacteristically side-footed his shot the wrong side of the post.
Spain’s parliament has approved the enshrinement in law of a total arms embargo on Israel, permanently banning the sale of weapons, dual-use technology and military equipment in response to the genocide in Gaza.
Lawmakers voted 178 to 169 on Wednesday to ratify a decree announced in September by Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, who has emerged as one of the most vocal critics on the global stage of Israel’s conduct over the course of the two-year war on Gaza.
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“Israel’s response to the terrible attacks committed by the terrorist group Hamas on October 7, 2023, has ended up becoming an indiscriminate attack against the Palestinian population that the majority of experts have called genocide,” the preamble of the law reads.
The measure formalises a ban that has essentially been in place since October 2023. Defence Minister Margarita Robles described the vote as “the final step in a long process” that had been playing out since the war began.
Sanchez announced a decree last month to “consolidate in law” the embargo as part of a series of measures to ratchet up pressure on Israel.
That announcement drew a furious response from Israel, which had already withdrawn its ambassador last year when Spain recognised a Palestinian state.
The law bans all exports of defence equipment, products and technology to Israel as well as the import of such goods from the country.
The ban also covers the transit of fuel or material with potential military use, prohibiting ships and aircraft carrying such cargoes from entering Spanish ports and airspace.
It carves out exceptions for dual-use defence equipment “if the application of the ban harmed general national interests”.
In addition, the law bans the advertising of products “coming from illegal colonies in Gaza and the West Bank”.
The vote had been initially scheduled for Tuesday but was delayed a day to avoid occurring on the anniversary of the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on southern Israel.
The Israeli embassy in Spain had criticised the original timing as “cynical and reprehensible”.
Last-minute support from the far-left party Podemos, which holds four seats, helped secure the vote for Sanchez’s leftist minority coalition after the smaller party had criticised the law for not going far enough. Podemos leader Ione Belarra urged the government to sever all ties with Israel.
The conservative Popular Party (PP) and far-right Vox voted against the law.
Spanish lawmakers have passed a law ending all trade of arms, defence equipment, or technologies to Israel, due to the genocide in Gaza.
Authorities in California charged a man with starting a fire that days later erupted into the most destructive blaze in Los Angeles history and destroyed much of the Pacific Palisades neighbourhood, federal law enforcement officials have said.
Authorities accused 29-year-old Jonathan Rinderknecht of lighting a fire on New Year’s Day that was put out initially, but continued to smolder underground before reigniting during high winds, acting US Attorney Bill Essayli said during a news conference on Wednesday.
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Rinderknecht fled the scene of the original fire, but returned to the same trail where he’d been earlier to watch it burn, Essayli said. During an interview with investigators, he lied about his location, claiming he was near the bottom of the hiking trail, Essayli said.
He was arrested Tuesday in Florida and was due to appear in court Wednesday. Essayli declined to say how investigators believe Rinderknecht started the January 1 fire.
The blaze, which erupted on January 7, killed 12 people and destroyed more than 6,000 homes and buildings in the Pacific Palisades, a wealthy coastal neighbourhood of LA. The fire ripped through hillside neighbourhoods, destroying mansions with spectacular views of the ocean and downtown Los Angeles.
Investigators determined the fire was intentionally lit, likely by a lighter taken to vegetation or paper, according to a criminal complaint.
Authorities first interviewed Rinderknecht on January 24, according to the criminal complaint. He told them he had been in the area on January 1 and did not see anyone else there at that time.
Investigators excluded other possibilities, including fireworks, lightning and power lines. Authorities also looked into whether a cigarette could have caused the fire, but concluded that was not the cause, the complaint says.
Investigators still haven’t determined the cause of a second blaze called the Eaton Fire, which broke out the same day in the community of Altadena and killed 18 people.
Both fires burned for days, reducing block after block of entire neighbourhoods to grey and black debris.
An outside review released in September found that a lack of resources and outdated policies for sending emergency alerts led to delayed evacuation warnings.
Brazil’s beef exports to China are on the rise as part of the Asian nation’s larger strategy to avoid agricultural goods from the United States amid their ongoing trade dispute.
Brazil’s beef exports to China rose 38.3 percent in September from a year earlier, reaching 187,340 tonnes, the industry group Abrafrigo said on Wednesday, helping push total monthly exports to a record high.
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Global demand for beef has helped Brazil offset the impact of US tariffs on its exports, Abrafrigo said. In August, the administration of US President Donald Trump imposed a 50 percent tariff on several Brazilian goods, including beef, which already had a 26.4 percent levy.
Latin America’s largest economy has been expanding exports to both new and traditional markets amid a global trade reshuffle triggered by US tariffs with similar trends also seen in soya bean exports, which also reached record volumes.
Total beef exports, including fresh and processed meat, edible offal and tallow, generated $1.92bn in revenue in September with volumes reaching 373,867 tonnes, up 49 percent in value and 17 percent in volume year-on-year.
“This strong performance came in the second month of additional tariffs imposed by the US on Brazilian products, showing the sector’s resilience and ability to seize new commercial opportunities,” Abrafrigo said.
Exports to the US, Brazil’s second largest beef market, fell 41 percent year-to-date in September to $102.9m.
The European Union became the second largest destination last month, led by Italy, the Netherlands and Spain. EU purchases totalled $131.7m, up 106 percent from a year earlier.