World News Roundup: Nightclub fire kills at least 13 in Murcia in Spain; Pope says Nagorno-Karabakh experiencing a humanitarian crisis and more

Opinion polls suggest the nationalist Law and Justice (PiS) government could win the vote but may struggle to form a majority amid discontent among some over rising living costs and concern over an erosion of democratic checks and balances. Pope says Nagorno-Karabakh experiencing a humanitarian crisis Pope Francis on Sunday called for talks between Azerbaijan and Armenia to restore peace in Nagorno-Karabakh, adding that the region was experiencing a humanitarian crisis.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Nightclub fire kills at least 13 in Murcia in Spain

At least 13 people have been killed in a fire in adjoining nightclubs in Murcia in southeast Spain, emergency services said on Sunday, adding that rescuers were still searching for people unaccounted for after the blaze. Outside the club, young people hugged, looking shocked as they waited for information after the fire that broke out in the early hours in Atalayas, on the outskirts of the city.

Thousands gather in Warsaw for opposition rally ahead of tight election

Tens of thousands of people gathered for an opposition rally in Warsaw on Sunday, two weeks ahead of an election that the liberal Civic Platform (PO) says may decide Poland's future in the European Union and its democratic standing. Opinion polls suggest the nationalist Law and Justice (PiS) government could win the vote but may struggle to form a majority amid discontent among some over rising living costs and concern over an erosion of democratic checks and balances.

Pope says Nagorno-Karabakh experiencing a humanitarian crisis

Pope Francis on Sunday called for talks between Azerbaijan and Armenia to restore peace in Nagorno-Karabakh, adding that the region was experiencing a humanitarian crisis. "I have been following the dramatic situation of the displaced people in Nagorno-Karabakh in recent days and I renew my call for dialogue between Azerbaijan and Armenia, hoping that talks between the parties... will foster a lasting agreement that will put an end to the humanitarian crisis," the pope said during his Sunday prayer.

Slovak coalition talks to start after ex-PM Fico's election win

Slovakia's Robert Fico, who won an election after pledging to end military aid to Ukraine, was in pole position to start talks on forming a government on Sunday while a liberal rival vowed to seek partners to prevent the former leftist prime minister's return to power. With 99.98% of voting districts reporting in the Saturday election, Fico's SMER-SSD party scored nearly 23% of the vote, followed by almost 18% for the Progresivne Slovensko (Progressive Slovakia, PS) party.

Special Report-WhatsApp to war: How Cubans were recruited to fight for Russia

Cuban seamstress Yamidely Cervantes has bought a new sewing machine for the first time in years, plus a refrigerator and a cellphone - all on Russia's dime. She said her 49-year-old husband Enrique Gonzalez, a struggling bricklayer, left their home in the small town of La Federal on July 19 to fight for the Russian army in Ukraine. Days later, he wired her part of his signing-on bonus of about 200,000 roubles ($2,040) which she received in Cuban pesos, Cervantes told Reuters.

US Congress averts government shutdown, passing stopgap bill

The U.S. Congress passed a stopgap funding bill late on Saturday with overwhelming Democratic support after Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy backed down from an earlier demand by his party's hardliners for a partisan bill. The Democratic-majority Senate voted 88-9 to pass the measure to avoid the federal government's fourth partial shutdown in a decade, sending the bill to President Joe Biden, who signed it into law before the 12:01 a.m. ET (0401 GMT) deadline.

Attackers set off bomb at Turkish govt building, Erdogan defiant

Two attackers detonated a bomb in front of Turkish government buildings in Ankara on Sunday in an assault that left both of them dead and two police officers wounded, in what authorities called the capital's first terrorist attack in years. CCTV footage obtained by Reuters showed a vehicle pulling up to the Interior Ministry's main gate and one of its occupants quickly walking toward the building before being engulfed in an explosion, while the other remains on the street.

Migrant boat washes ashore in Israel, fate of passengers unknown

A rubber boat washed up on a beach in Israel on Sunday with no one on board, only what appeared to be the belongings of would-be migrants. Israeli authorities said they found the dinghy along the Mediterranean coast near the city of Netanya with nothing but a messy pile of personal items, food, water and travel documents, including three from Somalia.

Russia intercepts five HIMARS, JDAM bomb, 37 drones over Ukraine in last 24 hours

Russia's defence ministry on Sunday said Russian air defences had intercepted five U.S.-made HIMARS shells, an air-launched JDAM bomb and 37 Ukrainian drones over Ukrainian territory in last 24 hours. The ministry said those interceptions had occurred on the territory where Russia is fighting what it calls a "special military operation".

Five more cargo ships head for Ukraine's Black Sea ports -deputy PM

Five more ships are on their way to Ukrainian sea ports using a new corridor opened to resume predominantly agricultural exports, an alternative arrangement to the Black Sea grain deal blocked by Russia, a top Ukrainian official said on Sunday. "5 new vessels are waiting to be loaded in Ukrainian ports," Deputy Prime Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov said on the X social media platform.