At least 35 people are dead and over 100 others hurt in a train derailment in northern Spain.

The train jumped the tracks while pulling into the city of Santiago de Compostela in Spain's northwest Wednesday evening.

The train, which was travelling from Madrid to Ferrol, derailed on a bend shortly after coming out of a tunnel. 

The track itself was recently upgraded to allow for high-speed trains.

At least 13 carriages came off the rails, with several of them catching fire. 

Around 240 people are thought to have been travelling on the train.

The train itself was full, as Thursday is the start of a four-day weekend in the region.

 

China to suspend VAT for small businesses

The central government has rolled out another round of policies to try to give a lift to the economy amid the current slowdown.

The new measures include suspending taxes for small businesses, simplifying customs clearance procedures and further opening up the country's railway sector.

The State Council has decided to suspend the value-added tax and turnover tax for small businesses with monthly sales of less than 20-thousand yuan starting in August.

The policy statement has been issued following an executive meeting headed by Premier Li Keqiang.

The State Council says the move will benefit more than 6-million small companies and boost the income for tens of millions of people.

 

U.S. seeking clarity on Snowden's status

US officials are now trying to clarify the status of NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden.

The White House has been talking with Russian officials following conflicting reports about the 30-year old's status.

It was intially reported on Wednesday that Snowden has recieved the necessary papers to leave the Moscow airport where he's been marooned for nearly a month.

However, Snowden's lawyer later issued a statement, saying the NSA contractor still remains stuck at the airport.

 

Egypt has started war against terrorism: presidency

Egyptian authorities have launched what they're calling their own "war on terrorism."

The statement follows a meeting among interim President Adli Mansour and his top advisors.

This comes after the country's defense minister and military chief Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi put out a call for the liberal elements to take to the streets to support the military in its fight against terrorism.

Supporters of ousted President Mohamed Morsi are blasting the new call, describing it as rallying cry for a civil war.

 

U.S. halts delivery of F-16s to Egypt

The US government has decided to suspend the delivery of F-16 fighter jets to Egypt.

A spokesperson for the Pentagon says given the current situation in Egypt, it would "not be appropriate" to move forward with the delivery.

The decision to suspend the jet deliveries has been made by US President Barack Obama and with the full support of his national security team.

A spokesperson for the Pentagon says while they've halted delivery of the fighter jets, the US remains committed to its defense relationship with Egypt.

The US provides billions of dollars in military assistance to Egypt every year.

 

6 killed as suicide bombers storm intelligence agency in S. Pakistan

At least 6 people are dead and close to 3-dozen others hurt after a suicide attack on a building home to Pakistan's spy agency.

A suicide bomber rammed a vehicle full of explosives into the front of the Inter Services Intelligence complex in the city of Sukkur in Pakistan's southern province of Sindh.

Following the initial explosion, 4 more militants entered the facilty.

Three managed to detonate their suicide vests.

A fourth has been arrested.

So far no group has claimed responsibility.

 

U.S. offshore rig on fire after gas blowout, platform collapses

There's been another well explosion in the Gulf of Mexico.

This time a natural gas well has caught fire and collapsed off the coast of Louisiana.

All 44 workers on the platform were evacuated before the well collapsed because of the heat of the fire.

Environmental authorities say they've not seen any sheen on the surface of the water, meaning the still-burning natural gas well is not ejecting any oil or other hydrocarbons into the water.

The companies which operate the rig are planning to send out a relief rig to try to bring the natural gas discharge under control.

 

Royal Baby name announced

Officials from Buckingham Palace has revealed the name of Britain's new prince.

George Alexander Louis, the Prince of Cambridge, will be the third in line to the throne. 

The name of six previous Kings, the name was a favourite of bookmakers ahead of the announcement.

 

China to curb superfluous talent shows

China's TV regulator has announced it's going to cap the number of singing competitions that can be broadcast.

The move is to try to prevent these programs from clogging airwaves this summer.

New new directive says satellite broadcasters have to stop investing in any new singing competitions.

Shows that have already been produced, but have not yet aired, can't be aired until after the summer school vacation.

Series currently being aired are going to be put on different schedules.

This year has seen a huge surge in singing talent shows following the popularity and commercial success of the first season of "The Voice of China."