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☆ Spain's far-right party Vox would abolish law allowing abortion
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MADRID, July 7 (Reuters) - Spain's far-right party Vox proposed abolishing the current laws allowing abortion and euthanasia, according to its election manifesto published on Friday. In December, Spain's parliament passed a sexual and reproductive health law that allows girls aged 16 and 17 to undergo abortions without parental consent. The law also says teenagers aged 14-16 would still need approval from parents or guardians. The hard-right party pledged a naval blockade to prevent illegal migrants crossing the sea from Africa in boats to land on Spanish shores. Vox, which is the third largest party in the Spanish parliament with 52 lawmakers, is a possible coalition ally of the conservative People's Party (PP), which has led polls so far ahead of the ruling Socialist Party.

Persons: Vox, Spain's, Graham Keeley, Sandra Maler Organizations: Trans, People's Party, Socialist Party, Thomson Locations: MADRID, Spain's, Africa, Spanish

☆ Barcelona gets Socialist mayor in consolation for prime minister Sanchez
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BARCELONA, June 17 (Reuters) - Spain's Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez was given a last-minute consolation on Saturday when Barcelona's city council appointed a new Socialist mayor after a deal involving two rival parties. Despite pro-independence parties appearing certain to run Spain's second city, Jaume Collboni, the Socialist candidate, became mayor after the far-left Barcelona en Comu of the outgoing mayor Ada Colau gave him its support in a move supported by the conservative People's Party. The decision was a boost for the Socialist Party, which leads the national government, after mostly poor results in local elections around the country on May 28. Xavier Trias, 76, who represents the pro-business, pro independence party Junts per Catalunya, had been favourite to become mayor until the 11th-hour deal favouring Collboni. The political shift in Barcelona is a further setback for Catalonia's pro-independence movement, which has faltered in recent years.

Persons: Pedro Sanchez, Jaume Collboni, Ada Colau, Sanchez, Xavier Trias, Graham Keeley, Joan Faus, David Holmes Organizations: Socialist, People's Party, Socialist Party, Thomson Locations: BARCELONA, Barcelona's, Barcelona, Catalunya, Comu

☆ Amputee surfer making waves in the sport
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-12 | by ( Borja Suarez | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/5] Sarah Almagro, 23, trains with her coach Javier Donoso, during the adaptive surfing Open LPA Surf City, Las Palmas, Gran Canaria, Spain, June 11, 2023. REUTERS/Borja SuarezLAS PALMAS DE GRAN CANARIA, June 12 (Reuters) - When Sarah Almagro was 18 she suffered meningococcal meningitis and surgeons had to amputate both her hands and feet. Almagro was among the competitors who took part in the Open LPA Surf City 2023 championship in Playa de las Canteras in Gran Canaria on Saturday. Adaptive surfing refers to surfing where people with disabilities adapt their techniques and equipment in order to be able to practise the sport. Surfing will not be part of the Paralympics next year in Paris, but Almagro hopes it will chosen as a sport for the Games from 2028.

Persons: Sarah Almagro, Javier Donoso, Borja Suarez, Almagro, Graham Keeley, Toby Davis Organizations: Gran Canaria, REUTERS, Borja Suarez LAS PALMAS DE GRAN CANARIA, Reuters, Games, Thomson Locations: Las Palmas, Gran, Spain, United States, Playa de las, Malaga, Paris

☆ Spain to begin exhumation of 128 Civil War victims from burial complex, el Pais reports
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] Relatives of late Spanish dictator Francisco Franco carry the coffin after the exhumation at The Valle de los Caidos (The Valley of the Fallen) in San Lorenzo de El Escorial, Spain, October 24, 2019. Emilio Naranjo/Pool via REUTERSMADRID, June 11 (Reuters) - Forensic scientists will on Monday begin the exhumation of 128 victims of the Spanish Civil War from a vast burial complex near Madrid, El Pais newspaper reported. The remains of some 34,000 people, many of them victims of Franco's regime, are buried anonymously in the complex. Relatives of those whose remains lie inside have been fighting for years to give their loved ones a burial under their own names near their families. In 2016, a court approved the exhumation of the brothers, but seven years later the family is still waiting.

Persons: Francisco Franco, San Lorenzo de El, Emilio Naranjo, El Pais, Purificacion Lapena, Manuel Lapena, Antonio, Jose Antonio Primo de Rivera, Franco, Primo de, Felix Bolanos, Graham Keeley, Jan Harvey Organizations: REUTERS, Falange, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Spanish, Valle, San Lorenzo de, San Lorenzo de El Escorial, Spain, REUTERS MADRID, Madrid , El Pais, Cuelgamuros, Madrid

☆ Real Madrid lose $440 million sponsorship battle with Abu Dhabi fund
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MADRID, May 13 (Reuters) - Spanish soccer's Real Madrid have lost a $440 million court battle with Abu Dhabi sovereign investor Mubadala (MUDEV.UL) over the proposed sponsorship of its stadium in Madrid, sources with knowledge of the case told Reuters. Real Madrid had claimed 400 million euros ($440 million) from Mubadala because it said the Abu Dhabi sovereign investor failed to honour a sponsorship deal under which it would acquire rights to name the Santiago Bernabeu stadium for 20 years. In 2014, Real agreed a strategic partnership with Abu Dhabi fund International Petroleum Investment Co (IPIC), now Mubadala, to help finance a planned stadium overhaul. However, in 2015, a Madrid court halted the original modification of the stadium. The court ruled the sponsorship contract had expired by the time the second expansion was agreed in 2017.

☆ Daughter of U.S. citizen jailed by Iran says she has lost confidence in US efforts
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MADRID, April 22 (Reuters) - The daughter of an environmentalist imprisoned by Iran said on Saturday she had lost confidence in U.S. President Joe Biden's efforts to free her father. Morad Tahbaz, an Iranian-American who also holds British citizenship, has served five years of a 10-year sentence after being convicted of spying. In July his lawyer was quoted as saying he had been granted bail, but his daughter said he was now back in jail. The United States has urged Iran to release Tahbaz and two other citizens, Emad Shargi and Siamak Namazi, who are all imprisoned on espionage charges that Washington says are baseless. Namazi, an oil executive, was jailed for 10 years in 2016 on charges of spying and cooperating with the U.S. government.

☆ Two people killed, 10 hurt in Madrid restaurant blaze
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Rescuers work outside a restaurant following a fire, in Madrid, Spain, April 21, 2023, in this screen grab taken from a handout video. Madrid Emergency Service/Handout via REUTERSMADRID, April 22 (Reuters) - Two men died and 10 others were injured after a fire at a restaurant in the Spanish capital Madrid, emergency services said on Saturday. The blaze started late on Friday night at Burro Canaglia Bar&Resto, an Italian restaurant in the central neighbourhood of Salamanca. Diners struggled to flee as the blaze started near the main exit, emergency services said. Reporting by Graham Keeley, Catherine MacDonald; editing by Jason NeelyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Six Leopard tanks leave Spain en route to Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( Vincent West | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Leopard 2 6A4 tanks are driven onto a cargo ship at the port of Santander, bound for Poland and subsequently for Ukraine, in Santander, Spain, April 21, 2023. The German-made Leopard tanks and armoured personnel carriers were driven onto a cargo vessel, Reuters witnesses said. Spanish Defence Minister Margarita Robles said this month that Spain will send 10 Leopard 2A4 tanks. The U.S. in January promised 31 of its Abrams tanks while Germany committed Leopard tanks. NATO countries have promised to send 48 Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine.

☆ Spanish PM apologises over sexual consent law reform loophole
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

April 16 (Reuters) - Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez apologised in an interview published on Sunday to victims of sexual abuse over a sexual violence law that included a loophole enabling at least 978 imprisoned offenders to get their sentences reduced or ended early. The "Only Yes Is Yes" law, which arose partly as a result of public outrage over the so-called Wolf Pack case, centred on consent and was meant to resolve cases where defendants were convicted of the lesser crime of sexual abuse because victims had not resisted out of fear. But because the new law carries a lower minimum sentence - the result of merging the crimes of sexual abuse and aggression - it has enabled some perpetrators convicted before it took effect to successfully seek reduced sentences or early release. "If we have to apologise to the victims, I apologise to the victims." The issue has split the three-year-old coalition, with the Socialists keen to reform the law but their ruling partners Unidas Podemos resisting their suggestions.

☆ Spain tells 'fire tourists' to stay away from forest blaze
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-26 | by ( Guillermo Martinez | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/4] A plane throws water over a wildfire in Pina de Montalgrao, Castellon, following a wildfire raged in eastern Spain, March 26, 2023. REUTERS/Lorena SopenaBARRACAS, Spain, March 26 (Reuters) - Officials urged 'fire tourists' to keep away from blazes raging in eastern Spain on Sunday, saying onlookers were putting themselves at risk and disrupting efforts to quell the flames. Police had spotted 14 cyclists near the scene trying to get a closer look, Gabriela Bravo, the regional head of interior affairs in the Valencia region, told reporters. "We ask once again and above all tourists not to engage in fire tourism, not to approach the perimeter area," she said. In Spain, 493 fires destroyed a record 307,000 hectares of land last year, according to the Commission's European Forest Fire Information System.

☆ Spain firefighters working to control blaze that has destroyed 4,000 hectares
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

VILLANUEVA DE VIVER, Spain, March 25 (Reuters) - Firefighters said on Saturday they had stopped Spain's first major wildfire of the year from spreading further through the eastern Valencia region, where it destroyed more than 4,000 hectares (9,884 acres) of forest and forced 1,500 residents to abandon their homes. In Spain, 493 fires destroyed a record 307,000 hectares of land last year, according to the Commission's European Forest Fire Information System. More than 500 firefighters supported by 20 planes and helicopters were working to bring the blaze under control near the village of Villanueva de Viver, in the Valencia region, emergency services said on Saturday. [1/2] A wildfire burns parts of rural areas in Monte Pino, Spain, March 24, 2023. "On Saturday morning, airplanes will try to stop the fire spreading to other communities," Bravo told a news conference on Friday night.

☆ Barcelona taxi restrictions relaxed for world's biggest telecoms conference
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BARCELONA, Feb 27 (Reuters) - Catalonia's regional government is addressing the problem of long queues for taxis at the world's biggest telecoms conference, which starts in Barcelona on Monday, by relaxing restrictions on ride-hailing companies like Uber (UBER.N) and Cabify. Catalan authorities have relaxed rules so ride-hailing cabs from across Spain can operate in Barcelona between Feb.24 and March 7. Some regions, such as Madrid and Andalusia, allowed the drivers to continue to operate as before, but others, such as Barcelona, introduced more restrictive measures. "There is a lack of alternatives to get around in Barcelona since the Catalan government introduced restrictions," he said in a statement. A spokesman for the Catalan government said an exception has been introduced at the request of Barcelona council for these ride-hailing cabs to provide services for ten days.

☆ Iran releases Spanish woman after three months in jail over protests
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MADRID, Feb 26 (Reuters) - A Spanish woman imprisoned in Iran since November on espionage charges after she was arrested during anti-government protests in November has been released, the Spanish Foreign Minister said on Sunday. An activist who works for a human rights NGO, 24-year-old Ana Baneira Suarez was detained in Iran during nationwide protests sparked by the death in custody of a young woman in September. She is in good health," Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares told journalists during a visit to Albacete, in central Spain. Albares said that another Spanish citizen, Santiago Sanchez Cogedor, was still in Iranian custody but that he hoped for his release soon. Iran, which has blamed "foreign adversaries" for protests sparked by the death of 22-year-old Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini in morality police custody.

☆ Spanish authorities detect first suspected case of Marburg disease
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MADRID, Feb 25 (Reuters) - Spain has detected its first suspected case of Marburg disease, a deadly infectious disease that has led to the quarantining of more than 200 people in Equatorial Guinea, health authorities in the Spanish region of the Valencia said on Saturday. Marburg virus can have a fatality rate of up to 88%, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Equatorial Guinea quarantined more than 200 people and restricted movement on Feb. 13 in its Kie-Ntem province, where the hemorrhagic fever was first detected. The WHO said it was increasing its epidemiological surveillance in Equatorial Guinea. Cameroonian authorities detected two suspected cases of Marburg disease on Feb. 13 in Olamze, a commune on the border with Equatorial Guinea, the public health delegate for the region, Robert Mathurin Bidjang, said on Feb. 14.

MADRID, Feb 12 (Reuters) - Hundreds of thousands of Spain's health workers protested in Madrid on Sunday over what they say is the destruction of the public health system by the conservative regional government. Protesters say it is dismantling public health services and favouring private health providers. Ayuso denies the accusation that her administration is dismantling public health services in favour of the private sector. Thousands of health workers also demonstrated in Santiago de Compostela, in northwestern Spain on Sunday, calling for the preservation of the public health system. In November, tens of thousands of people marched through Madrid in support of health workers calling for better working conditions.

☆ Actress Juliette Binoche honoured at Spanish Goya film awards
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/5] Juliette Binoche receives the International Honorary Goya award during the Spanish Film Academy's Goya Awards ceremony in Seville, Spain, February 11, 2023. REUTERS/Marcelo del PozoSEVILLE, Feb 12 (Reuters) - The Spanish film academy's Goya Awards paid tribute on Saturday to the late Spanish filmmaker Carlos Saura, while French actress Juliette Binoche picked up an international honorary award. Saura, who died on Friday aged 91, had been due to receive the academy's honorary Goya Award at the annual ceremony. "As Bestas", which is Galician for "The Beasts" and is a tense thriller, won nine accolades including for best film, director, actor and music. Spanish movie star Penelope Cruz was nominated for best supporting actress for her role in "En Los Margenes", a film about housing problems.

☆ Iberia solves IT problem that delayed dozens of flights
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

MADRID, Jan 29 (Reuters) - Spanish flag carrier Iberia said on Sunday it had solved an IT problem in the airline's booking and boarding system that disrupted dozens of domestic and international flights on Saturday. Five flights were cancelled and scores more were delayed, a according to a spokeswoman for Iberia, part of International Consolidated Airlines Group (ICAG.L). "Our systems are back to connectivity. We apologise to all customers for the inconvenience caused and we appreciate your understanding," Iberia tweeted on Sunday. Reporting by Graham Keeley Editing by Mark HeinrichOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Iberia flights disrupted by IT problem
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MADRID, Jan 28 (Reuters) - Dozens of international and domestic flights operated by Spanish flag-carrier Iberia were disrupted on Saturday by a problem in the company's booking and boarding system, the airline said. Five flights - to London, Lisbon, Vigo, Barcelona and Jerez de la Frontera in southern Spain - were cancelled, a spokeswoman for Iberia, part of International Consolidated Airlines Group (ICAG.L), said. "At 11.30 a.m. the delays have been up to an hour in flights in Spain and Europe. We have volunteers working to solve the problem as soon as possible." It did not give any further detail about the nature of the problem or when it was likely to be resolved.

[1/4] People carry a banner reading " We are also teaching fighting" as school workers demonstrate for better salaries and working conditions, in Lisbon, Portugal January 28, 2023. REUTERS/Rodrigo AntunesLISBON, Jan 28 (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of public school teachers and other staff marched in Lisbon on Saturday to demand higher wages and better working conditions, putting further pressure on the Portuguese government as it grapples with a cost of living crisis. The Union of All Education Professionals (STOP) is demanding that the government increases the wages of teachers and school workers by at least 120 euros ($130) a month and speeds up career progression. Teachers on the lowest pay scale are paid around 1,100 euros per month and even those in the top band typically earn less than 2,000 euros monthly. We need better conditions in terms of salary, it's unacceptable that we don't have progression in our careers," said Isabel Pessoa, 47, a science and biology teacher.

☆ Spanish police seize cocaine worth $114 million from cattle ship
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-28 | by ( Borja Suarez | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MADRID, Jan 28 (Reuters) - Spanish police seized 4.5 tonnes of cocaine with an estimated street value of 105 million euros ($114 million) after raiding a cattle ship off the Canary Islands earlier this week, a statement said on Saturday. "International organisations are reinventing themselves to transport drugs from Latin America to Europe, using livestock to make the control and localisation more difficult," the Spanish police statement said. Police arrested 28 crew members on the Togo-flagged Orion V, which had been trailed from Colombia in an operation by Spanish authorities, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and Togo police. Officers unloaded dozens of boxes containing the cocaine on the port side in Las Palmas on the island of Gran Canaria. ($1 = 0.9202 euros)Additional reporting by Graham Keeley and Miguel Gutierrez Editing by Helen PopperOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Opera star Placido Domingo faces new accusations of misconduct
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-15 | by ( Graham Keeley | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

MADRID, Jan 15 (Reuters) - Opera star Placido Domingo faced new accusations of sexual harassment from a fellow Spanish singer in a television programme broadcast on Sunday, three years after such claims prompted an apology and curtailed his career. "One of the first things they tell you is don't go up in the lift alone with Placido Domingo," the woman told La Sexta television channel. He (Placido) told me in front of everyone: 'Listen, can I put my hand in one of these lovely pockets of yours.' U.S. institutions including the Metropolitan Opera in New York and San Francisco Opera also scrapped planned engagements. Domingo resigned as general director of the Los Angeles Opera, whose own enquiry found 10 allegations about him to be "credible."

[1/5] Health workers and their supporters protest against the public health care policy of the Madrid regional government, which they say is destroying primary care, in Madrid, Spain, January 15, 2023. REUTERS/Isabel InfantesMADRID, Jan 15 (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of health workers protested in Madrid on Sunday over what they say is the destruction of the public health system by the conservative regional government. Dressed in white coats and banging drums, many chanted: "Cutting public health is criminal." Protesters say the regional government is dismantling public health services and favouring private health providers. In November, tens of thousands of people marched through central Madrid in support of health workers calling for better working conditions.

☆ Spanish police say origin of letter bombs was city of Valladolid, El Mundo reports
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

MADRID, Dec 2 (Reuters) - Spanish police said six letter bombs that were sent to high profile targets in recent days had been posted from the northern city of Valladolid, El Mundo newspaper reported on Saturday. The devices were sent to targets including Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, the Ukrainian Embassy in Madrid, government offices, a European Union satellite company and the U.S. Embassy between Nov. 24 and Dec. 2. Most were defused, although an employee at the Ukrainian embassy was slightly injured when one of the devices ignited. The Spanish Interior Ministry said it was unable to comment on the report. Reporting by Graham Keeley; Editing by Frank Jack DanielOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Spanish police believe origin of letter bombs was city of Valladolid
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

MADRID, Dec 3 (Reuters) - Spanish police said six letter bombs sent to high profile targets in recent days appeared to have been posted from the northern city of Valladolid, a source close to the investigation told Reuters on Saturday. The devices were sent to targets including Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, the Ukrainian Embassy in Madrid, government offices, a European Union satellite company and the U.S. Embassy between Nov. 24 and Dec. 2. Most were defused, although an employee at the Ukrainian embassy was slightly injured when one of the devices ignited. No person has been identified as the sender of the packets, said the source, who asked not to be named in order to discuss the investigation. Reporting by Graham Keeley, additional rpeorting by Belen Carreno; Editing by Frank Jack DanielOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Cellnex says inflation has shut down European phone masts market, Financial Times reports
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] A telecom antenna of Spain's telecoms infrastructures firm Cellnex are seen under main telecom tower, known as "Piruli", in Madrid, Spain, March 10, 2016. REUTERS/Sergio Perez/File PhotoMADRID, Nov 20 (Reuters) - The European mobile towers market is "pretty much closed" as rising inflation makes it harder for companies to finance new deals and the availability of assets declines, the chief executive of Cellnex (CLNX.MC) told the Financial Times. Material, inorganic growth, for the next 24 months is over," Tobías Martínez Gimeno told the newspaper in reference to the overall market. When interest rates were low and debt was cheap, mobile towers were among the most attractive assets in telecoms. But since June, the share prices of most tower groups have fallen as rising rates have driven up costs.

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