Spain

[Stewart Meadows]

Spanish truckers protest in Madrid after rejecting new government aid package


By Inti Landauro and Susana Vera
March 25, 2022

MADRID, March 25 (Reuters) - Spain's transport minister agreed to meet with striking truck drivers on Friday after they rejected a 1 billion euro ($1.10 billion) support package aimed at defusing a 12-day walkout over fuel prices that has caused sporadic goods shortages.

Minister Raquel Sanchez announced the measures, which include a rebate of 0.20 euros per litre of fuel and a 1,200 euro bonus, after all-night talks with transport associations.

But within hours, the unofficial truckers' group that launched the strike on March 14, and which was excluded from talks with government, rejected the proposal and began blocking Madrid's central La Castellana avenue.

"We're going to ask her that we be able to work at a dignified price...We want guarantees to be able to cover our production costs," protest leader Manuel Hernandez told reporters from the centre of the Madrid march.

https://www.reuters.com/world/europe...ge-2022-03-25/

[Stewart Meadows]

Former Spanish king could face trial after UK court rejects sovereign immunity


Reuters
March 24, 2022

MADRID, March 24 (Reuters) - Former Spanish King Juan Carlos could face trial in Britain in a harassment case brought against him by his former lover after the English High Court ruled on Thursday that he does not have the right to sovereign immunity.

https://www.reuters.com/world/europe...ty-2022-03-24/

[Stewart Meadows]

Spanish monkeypox outbreak linked to sauna


A sauna in Spain's capital has been forced to close over a suspected link to a monkeypox outbreak in the country, health authorities said on Friday.

Published: 21 May 2022 12:13 CEST



Several European countries have reported cases in recent days. British authorities have pointed out that their most recent cases have been detected in men who defined themselves as gay, bisexual or as having had sex with men, with suspicions that there may be community transmission of the pathogen in this group.

The Paraiso sauna, a gay-friendly establishment whose name means “paradise” in the heart of Madrid, said on Twitter it was shutting its doors.

https://www.thelocal.es/20220521/spa...nked-to-sauna/

[Stewart Meadows]

Spain registers monkeypox death; media say it’s a first


July 29, 2022

MADRID (AP) — Spain on Friday reported the death of a person from monkeypox, which Spanish media said was a first for the European Union nation.

In its latest report on the virus, Spain’s Health Ministry said 120 people had been admitted to the hospital so far with monkeypox and one had died. Spain’s state news agency Efe and other media outlets said it was the country’s first monkeypox death.

The ministry gave no further details regarding the death. It said Spain had 4,298 people infected with the virus. Of that, some 3,500 cases were of men who had had sex with other men. Of the total, only 64 were women.

https://apnews.com/article/health-sp...9d5c869c2cfe80

[Stewart Meadows]

Spanish town previously named Fort Kill the Jews vandalized with antisemitic graffiti as Jewish family reportedly plans to move in


BY ORGE CASTELLANO AUGUST 4, 2022 2:13 PM

MADRID (JTA) — A tiny village in northern Spain that from 1627 until 2015 was named Fort Kill the Jews was hit with antisemitic graffiti on Wednesday, and its mayor said he believes neo-Nazi groups carried out the vandalism because they had heard a Jewish family was moving back into the town.

As reported by the El País daily, the family will soon join another Jewish one that moved to the town earlier this year — the first to do so since medieval times.

Originally named Castrillo Motajudíos, or Jew’s Hill Fort, in 1035 when Jews fleeing from a neighboring pogrom settled there, the town was renamed Castrillo Matajudíos — Fort Kill The Jews — in 1627, during a period of extreme religious persecution carried out by the Inquisition.

Vandals spray painted the word Auschwitz, the name of the infamous former Nazi camp, onto one of the village’s signs with its restored current name. They also wrote the Fort Kill the Jews name onto a signpost that leads into the town. Several garbage containers throughout the village were lit on fire.

https://www.jta.org/2022/08/04/globa...ans-to-move-in

Oy gevalt.

[Stewart Meadows]

August 13, 2022 9:04 PM GMT+2 Last Updated 4 hours ago

One killed, dozens injured as high winds cause stage collapse at Spain festival


By Eva Manez

CULLERA, Spain, Aug 13 (Reuters) - One person was killed and dozens were injured when high winds caused part of the main stage to collapse at a dance music festival near the Spanish city of Valencia early on Saturday, emergency services said.

Other infrastructure was also damaged when gusts battered the Medusa Festival, a huge electronic music festival held over six days in the east coast town of Cullera.

Thirty-two people were taken to hospital and three remained there on Saturday afternoon, regional health authorities said.

https://www.reuters.com/world/europe...al-2022-08-13/

[Stewart Meadows]

August 19, 2022 12:43 AM GMT+2 Last Updated 5 hours ago

'Spanish Stonehenge' emerges from drought-hit dam


By Silvio Castellanos and Marco Trujillo

CACERES, Spain, Aug 18 (Reuters) - A brutal summer has caused havoc for many in rural Spain, but one unexpected side-effect of the country's worst drought in decades has delighted archaeologists - the emergence of a prehistoric stone circle in a dam whose waterline has receded.

Officially known as the Dolmen of Guadalperal but dubbed the Spanish Stonehenge, the circle of dozens of megalithic stones is believed to date back to 5000 BC.

It currently sits fully exposed in one corner of the Valdecanas reservoir, in the central province of Caceres, where authorities say the water level has dropped to 28% of capacity.

"It's a surprise, it's a rare opportunity to be able to access it," said archaeologist Enrique Cedillo from Madrid's Complutense University, one of the experts racing to study the circle before it gets submerged again.

https://www.reuters.com/world/europe...am-2022-08-18/

[Stewart Meadows]

10 Sep, 2022 18:10 Home World News

Spain will train troops from Ukraine – media


Soldiers will ‘soon’ arrive in Zaragoza to receive guidance from their hosts

Spain's armed forces will soon begin training Ukrainian combat troops, military sources confirmed to El Mundo on Friday.

The newspaper revealed that the personnel have been preparing to instruct their counterparts from Kiev in the use of battle tanks, missile systems, military medicine, and demining work.

Friday's news comes in the wake of a meeting between Ukrainian Ambassador Sergey Pohoreltsev and Spanish Defense Minister Margarita Robles, in which the former specifically requested demining training. The diplomat has previously expressed dissatisfaction with the quality and quantity of assistance delivered by Madrid.

https://www.rt.com/news/562569-spain...roops-weapons/

[Stewart Meadows]

12 Sep, 2022 13:17 Home Business News

EU country doubles Russian gas imports


Spain’s purchases of the blue fuel have risen significantly this year, data shows

The volume of Russian gas bought by Spain in August soared by 102.2% compared to the same period last year, according to data published on Monday by the Spanish energy company Enagas.

The report highlighted that Madrid purchased 4,505 gigawatt hours (GWh) of gas from Moscow compared to 2,228 GWh in August 2021. Meanwhile, imports from Algeria, traditionally a major gas supplier to the country, dropped by 34.8%.

https://www.rt.com/business/562626-e...n-gas-imports/

From the comment section:

Colin D
Didn't we read the other day Spain is to begin training Ukrainian troops?

MMM
Just think about it this way. EU is paying Russia to destroy their proxies and their military hardware in Ukraine.

Juancito Lloron
So, Russia doubles gas exports to Spain and the rest of Europe, then Europe sends in mercenaries and heavy weapons to wage war on Russia. Now, that's what I called a stupid and idiot move by Putin.

[Stewart Meadows]

Spain shelves pro-Russia Ukrainian blogger’s extradition


A Spanish court has closed an extradition case against a high-profile pro-Russia Ukrainian blogger wanted by Kyiv on grounds it didn't receive Ukraine's extradition paperwork in time, court documents showed.

Published: 13 October 2022 15:21 CEST

Anatoly Shariy, who is wanted by Kyiv for “high treason” and incitement to hatred, was detained on May 4 in Tarragona near Barcelona by police holding an international arrest warrant.

He was questioned by a judge who ordered his provisional release but banned him from leaving Spain and retained his passport while the extradition request was being considered.

On September 26, a Madrid court agreed to archive the case on grounds that Shariy “was no longer in Spain” and had “gone to Italy”, court documents showed.

However, in a fresh ruling dated October 11 and seen by AFP on Thursday, the court said although it had been informed that Shariy was still Spain, it was closing the case as it had not received the extradition paperwork from Kyiv.
(...)
Kyiv considers Shariy to be a “propagandist” with its SBU security service saying they believe he “carried out unlawful activity detrimental to Ukraine’s national security in the information sphere” and “acted on orders of foreign bodies”.

A vocal critic of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his pro-Western government, Shariy began his career as an investigative journalist whose reports sparked a backlash.

In July 2011, unknown assailants opened fire on his car while he was sitting in it in Kyiv.

https://www.thelocal.es/20221013/spa...s-extradition/

[Stewart Meadows]

Spain, France and Portugal agree on gas pipeline link


Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said Spain, France and Portugal had agreed Thursday to build an energy pipeline linking the Iberian peninsula to the rest of Europe, reviving a project long-resisted by Paris.

Published: 20 October 2022 15:47 CEST

The new project, which Sanchez dubbed a Green Energy Corridor, would replace an earlier plan dubbed MidCat that emerged a decade ago but was dropped in 2019 over regulatory and funding issues.

But, with Russia withholding gas deliveries to most of Europe in reaction to sanctions over its invasion of Ukraine, there has been a resurgence of interest in a link to bring in much-needed supplies from Spain to the rest of the continent.

https://www.thelocal.es/20221020/spa...pipeline-link/

[Stewart Meadows]

October 27, 20228:00 AM GMT+2

LNG ships play waiting game off Spain's coast as higher prices eyed


By Belén Carreño and Marwa Rashad



MADRID/LONDON, Oct 26 (Reuters) - Several ships carrying liquefied natural gas (LNG) anchored off Spain's Bay of Cadiz are likely to stay there until late November in anticipation of a rise in European gas prices, industry sources said.

Dozens of ships have been circling off the Iberian coast and in the Mediterranean sea for weeks, unable to secure slots to unload their LNG cargoes as plants that convert the superchilled fuel back to gas are operating at maximum capacity.

https://www.reuters.com/business/ene...ed-2022-10-26/

[Stewart Meadows]

Lula’s win in Brazil offers hope for climate change fight: Spain’s PM


Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez on Monday hailed Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's victory in Brazil's presidential election, urging the two nations to work together to fight climate change.

Published: 31 October 2022 18:02 CET



Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez congratulates Brazil's new president. Photo: JOHN THYS / AFP

“Congratulations Lula on your victory… Let’s work together for social justice, equality and against climate change,” Sánchez tweeted. “Your success will be the success of the Brazilian people.”

Ahead of the vote, in which former leftist leader Lula defeated Jair Bolsonaro, Brazil’s far-right climate-sceptic president, climate scientists and environmentalists warned the outcome would have huge stakes for the planet.

https://www.thelocal.es/20221031/lul...ght-spains-pm/

[Stewart Meadows]

November 7, 20227:53 PM GMT+1

Spanish inquiry shows tear gas use in border tragedy -lawmaker


Reuters

MADRID, Nov 7 (Reuters) - Spanish police launched 86 tear gas projectiles to repel migrants trying to break from Morocco into the enclave of Melilla in June, according to a lawmaker taking part in an inquiry into the tragic events that left at least 23 dead.

Both Morocco and Spain have denied using excessive force and Moroccan authorities said at the time the deaths resulted from a crush, and from migrants falling from a high fence. Rights groups, however, say tear gas use was one of the triggers of the deadly stampede.

https://www.reuters.com/world/europe...er-2022-11-07/

[Stewart Meadows]

November 3, 2022 3:04 PM GMT+1

Thousands rally in Spain to demand pay hikes amid high inflation


By Marco Trujillo



MADRID, Nov 3 (Reuters) - Thousands of Spaniards packed Madrid's landmark Plaza Mayor square on Thursday to demand higher pay in the first mass protest since the start of the cost of living crisis.

"There is no dignity without wage hikes," protesters chanted. Some waved placards that read: "Salary hikes or social strife!"

Inflation in Spain slowed to 7.3% in the year to October from readings of over 10% in the summer months but remains well above normal levels. Euro zone consumer prices climbed at a record pace of 10.7% last month.

https://www.reuters.com/world/europe...on-2022-11-03/

[Stewart Meadows]

November 19, 2022 10:56 AM GMT+1

France, Germany, Spain agree on moving on with FCAS warplane development


By Sabine Siebold and Michel Rose

BERLIN/PARIS, Nov 18 (Reuters) - France, Germany and Spain have reached agreement on starting the next phase of development of a new fighter jet dubbed FCAS, Europe's largest defence project at an estimated cost of more than 100 billion euros($103.4 billion), the German government said on Friday.

The Defence Ministry said in a statement that an industrial agreement was achieved after intense negotiations, confirming an earlier Reuters story saying the three countries and their respective industries had struck a deal.

https://www.reuters.com/business/aut...ce-2022-11-18/

[Stewart Meadows]

Spain to end gender stereotypes in toy advertising


3 hours ago

The Spanish government wants the use of gender stereotypes for the advertising of toys a thing of the past. The code of conduct, which will be enacted from December 1, aims to avoid biases toward gender roles.

As the Christmas season gathers pace, the Spanish government said Wednesday it was enacting a new ethics code in an attempt to deter toy manufacturers from using sexist stereotypes such as dolls for girls and action figures for boys in advertisements.

"The characterization of girls with sexual connotations will be prohibited and the exclusive association of toys with roles such as caring, domestic work or beauty with them (girls), and action, physical activity or technology with boys will be avoided," a government statement said.

https://www.dw.com/en/spain-to-end-g...ing/a-63946093

[Stewart Meadows]

30 Nov, 2022 13:50 Home World News

Explosion at Ukrainian embassy in Madrid


One employee injured in blast allegedly caused by letter bomb

An employee at the Ukrainian embassy in Madrid was injured on Wednesday after a letter he was handling exploded, Reuters reports, citing Spanish police. The staff member has reportedly suffered only light injuries and has attended hospital.

The blast occurred at 1:17 pm local time and was reported to Spanish authorities by the embassy itself, according to Europe Press. Local law enforcement have now cordoned off the area around the building as canine units are working on the scene. Anti-terrorist protocols have also been activated throughout the city, the outlet reports.

https://www.rt.com/news/567430-embas...adrid-ukraine/

[Stewart Meadows]

Spanish police hunt migrants who escaped diverted aircraft after hoax labor claim prompted emergency landing


Of the group of 28 migrants who escaped the aircraft, 12 are yet to be apprehended by Spanish police

December 08, 2022
editor: REMIX NEWS author: THOMAS BROOKE



Spanish authorities remain on the hunt for 12 foreign nationals who fled a commercial airplane during an emergency landing at Barcelona’s El Prat airport early on Wednesday.

The plane, which was carrying a total of 228 passengers from Casablanca to Istanbul, diverted to Spain’s second city after a pregnant woman on board faked going into labor.

As the flight was grounded, a group of 28 passengers took the opportunity to flee the aircraft as soon as the doors had opened upon landing and escape across the tarmac, according to the Spanish government.

https://rmx.news/spain/spanish-polic...gency-landing/

[Stewart Meadows]

December 15, 2022 4:12 PM GMT+1

Spain passes pioneering sexual, reproductive health law


Reuters



MADRID, Dec 15 (Reuters) - Spain's parliament on Thursday passed a sexual and reproductive health law that allows girls aged 16 and 17 to undergo abortions without parental consent and, in a first for a European country, offers state-funded paid leave for women who suffer from painful periods.

"These advancements allow us to exercise freedom over our bodies, with the state recognising the full citizenship of more than half the population," Equality Minister Irene Montero told lawmakers before the vote, which was adopted with a 190-154 majority and five abstentions.

https://www.reuters.com/world/europe...aw-2022-12-15/