Spanish rail workers' unions cancel strike after talks with gov't over safety concerns

Spain's main unions representing rail workers have called off a three-day nationwide strike, which began on Monday, after holding talks with the country's transport authorities.

The strike cancellation was announced after the rail workers' unions and the Ministry of Transport held their fourth meeting on Monday. The strike, scheduled to take place from Monday to Wednesday, was called to demand better safety measures in the wake of recent rail accidents in Spain.

On Monday, the rail workers holding their union flags gathered on the streets of the capital city Madrid. They demanded that the government and the infrastructure management agency be held accountable for the recent accidents.

Luis Angel, maintenance supervisor at Renfe, Spain's primary state-owned train operator, told the China Media Group (CMG) that the transport authorities must take action, including stepping up the maintenance of rail lines and train vehicles, to ensure the safety of both passengers and rail workers.

"Our assessment of the current situation is that we need more investment. The funds should mainly be used for the maintenance of the infrastructure and trains in service. This is one of the requests we have made to the Spanish transport authorities," he said.

The disruption to Spain’s rail services was widely felt on Monday, with around 350 long-distance trains canaled and 683 medium-distance services suspended. Minimum service levels, which are set at 65 percent of normal operations for commuter trains during the morning and evening rush hours, fell to 50 percent for the rest of the day as a result.

"I bought my train ticket two weeks ago, but now we have to go and check if we can get a refund or need to take another train instead. We still don't know at all. This is a really troublesome situation, and there needs to be a proper solution," Miguel, whose travel plan was affected, told the CMG.

In January, several train derailments and crashes left dozens dead in Spain, including a deadly train collision that killed more than 40 people, sparking public scrutiny of the state of the country's rail infrastructure.

Spanish rail workers' unions cancel strike after talks with gov't over safety concerns

Global food commodity prices climbed for a second consecutive month in March, driven mainly by higher energy costs linked to escalating conflict in the Middle East, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) said in report released on Friday.

The FAO Food Price Index, which tracks monthly changes in the international prices of a basket of globally traded food commodities, averaged 128.5 points in March, up 2.4 percent from February and 1.0 percent above its level a year ago.

According to the report, the FAO Vegetable Oil Index and Sugar Price Index showed the largest increases, up 5.1 percent and 7.2 percent, respectively.

The FAO Cereal Price Index increased by 1.5 percent from the previous month, driven primarily by higher world wheat prices, which rose 4.3 percent.

The FAO Meat Price Index rose by 1.0 percent from the previous month, and the FAO All-Rice Price Index declined by 3.0 percent in March, according to the report.

FAO stated that rising energy and fertilizer prices have been driving up agricultural input costs.

If the conflict stretches beyond 40 days, farmers will have to choose to farm the same with fewer inputs, plant less, or switch to less intensive fertilizer crops, according to FAO Chief Economist Maximo Torero.

These choices will hit future yields and shape food supply and commodity prices for the rest of this year and beyond, Torero said.

Global food prices rise for 2nd consecutive month in March amid Middle East conflict: FAO