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☆ Army Called in to Rescue About 600 Spanish Motorists Stuck in Snow
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-19 | by ( Jan. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

MADRID (Reuters) - Army units were mobilised to help about 600 drivers who were stuck on a motorway in heavy snow as Storm Juan blanketed many parts of Spain, authorities said on Friday. Snowfalls left motorists stranded for hours on the N-122 road between Soria and Agreda in northern Spain so authorites said they had dispatched troops from a base in Zaragoza to help move the drivers. Temperatures plunged to minus 13 Celsius (8.6 Fahrenheit) in Soria, AEMET, the state weather forecaster, said on Friday. Heavy rains fell in the western region of Extremadura and in Catalonia in northeastern Spain, Aemet added. The storm was expected to pass by Saturday, forecasters said.

Persons: Juan blanketed, authorites, Miguel Ángel Clavero, Aemet, Graham Keeley, Sandra Maler Organizations: Army, Saturday Locations: MADRID, Spain, Soria, Agreda, Zaragoza, Aragon, AEMET, Extremadura, Catalonia

☆ Police seize pistol from military officer at Spanish amnesty protest
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Susana Vera / File... Acquire Licensing Rights Read moreMADRID, Nov 19 (Reuters) - A Spanish military officer was arrested with a pistol at a demonstration against an amnesty law which will benefit Catalan separatists involved in a failed 2017 bid for independence, police said on Sunday. About 1,500 people took part in the demonstration, the 16th consecutive protest outside the Socialists' headquarters. El Confidencial, a Spanish news site, reported on Sunday that the officer had a private weapon that was not a pistol used for military purposes. The independence referendum was declared illegal by the courts and resulted in Spain's worst political crisis for decades. Sanchez has defended the law saying an amnesty would help to defuse tensions in Catalonia.

Persons: Catalonia's, Susana Vera, Pedro Sanchez, Sanchez, Graham Keeley, Hugh Lawson Organizations: REUTERS, Zaragoza Military Academy, Socialist, Reuters, Socialists, Spain's Socialists, Spain's Socialist, Thomson Locations: Spanish, Madrid, Spain, MADRID, El, Catalan, Basque, Catalonia

☆ Biggest protest in Spain against Catalan amnesty law draws 170,000
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-18 | by ( Raul Cadenas Susana Vera | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The amnesty will cover about 400 people involved in the independence bid that came to a head in 2017, including separatists but also police involved in clashes with activists. The independence referendum was declared illegal by the courts and resulted in Spain's worst political crisis for decades. The amnesty will be the largest in Spain since the 1977 blanket amnesty for crimes committed during the Francisco Franco dictatorship, and the first amnesty law approved in the European Union since 1991, according to Spain's CSIC research council. Protesters, including neo-Nazi groups, have held rowdy demonstrations outside the Socialist headquarters in Madrid for 15 nights consecutively since the deal was announced. In a survey by Metroscopia in mid-September, around 70% of respondents - 59% of them Socialist supporters – said they were against the idea of an amnesty.

Persons: Catalonia's, Pedro Sanchez, Sanchez, Alberto Nunez Feijoo, Santiago Abascal, Francisco Franco, Metroscopia, –, Graham Keeley, Susana Vera, Raul Cadenas, Silvio Castellanos, Clelia Oziel, Mike Harrison Organizations: Spain's Socialists, Spain's Socialist, Authorities, People's Party, Vox, European Union, Socialist, Thomson Locations: Madrid, Spain, MADRID, Catalan, Basque, Catalonia

☆ Former Catalan politician shot in face in Madrid
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/3] Police work at the site where Alejo Vidal-Quadras, former head of Spain's People's Party in the Catalonia region, was shot in the face, in Madrid, Spain, November 9, 2023. REUTERS/Nacho Doce Acquire Licensing RightsMADRID, Nov 9 (Reuters) - The former head of Spain's People's Party in the Catalonia region was shot in the face in Madrid on Thursday, police said. Alejo Vidal-Quadras was shot in the wealthy Salamanca area of central Madrid at about 1.30 p.m. and taken to hospital. Spanish police said they were hunting two men in connection with the shooting who were on a black Yamaha motorbike. Vidal-Quadras, 78, was the head of the centre-right PP in Catalonia and a member of the far-right Vox party.

Persons: Alejo Vidal, Quadras, Vidal, Pedro Sanchez, Graham Keeley, Angus MacSwan, Toby Chopra Organizations: Spain's People's Party, REUTERS, Rights, Yamaha, Vox, Police, Thomson Locations: Catalonia, Madrid, Spain, Rights MADRID, Salamanca, Quadras

☆ Spanish Socialists and Catalan Junts reach deal for government support, amnesty
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

A law granting amnesty to those prosecuted over Catalonia's attempt to secede from Spain was included in the deal, political leaders said and the deal text showed. The agreement included Junts lending its votes in parliament to support legislation for a full four-year term, he said. But Junts, which seeks another independence referendum, said supporting each law would depend on progress in talks involving Catalonia's political conflict. As a deal between Junts and the Socialists edged nearer in the past week, the mood in the country has become increasingly febrile, with protesters clashing with police outside the Socialists' headquarters in Madrid. An amnesty could exculpate as many as 1,400 activists and politicians involved in the attempt to separate Catalonia from Spain.

Persons: Junts, Feijoo, Puigdemont, Pedro Sanchez, Santos Cerdan, Alberto Nunez Feijoo, Sanchez, Carles Puigdemont, Jaume Clotet, Belen Carreno, Joan Faus, Graham Keeley, Aislinn Laing, Charlie Devereux, Alison Williams, Toby Chopra, Bernadette Baum, Sharon Singleton, Alex Richardson Organizations: Companies Spain's Socialists, Conservative, Socialist Party, PSOE, Socialist, Socialists, Police, People's Party, Spanish Socialist Workers ' Party, Basque Nationalist Party, Thomson Locations: Catalan, Madrid, MADRID, Spain, Brussels, Junts, Catalonia, Belgium, Waterloo

☆ Migrants Reaching Spain's Canary Islands Near 32,000 This Year
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-05 | by ( Nov. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

MADRID (Reuters) - Nearly 32,000 migrants have reached Spain's Canary Islands on fragile boats from west Africa this year, passing a previous record posted in 2006, regional authorities said on Sunday. So far this year, 31,933 people have reached the islands, compared with the 2006 small boats crisis when 31,678 people made it to the Canaries, regional authorities told Reuters. Fernando Clavijo, the Canary Islands regional chief, said the figures showed the scale of the humanitarian crisis faced by the islands and called for more help from the Spanish government and the European Union. Its seven islands have become the main destination for migrants from Senegal and other African countries trying to reach Spain, fleeing conflict or seeking a better life. The Spanish government said it would create additional emergency accommodation for some 3,000 migrants in military barracks, hotels and hostels.

Persons: Fernando Clavijo, Graham Keeley, Giles Elgood Organizations: Canaries, Reuters, Spanish coastguard, Spanish Civil Guard, Canary, European Union, State Locations: MADRID, Africa, El Hierro, EU, Africa's, Senegal, Spain

☆ Migrants reaching Spain's Canary Islands near 32,000 this year
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Rescue workers search for bodies after a boat with 46 migrants from the Maghreb region capsized in the beach of Orzola, in the Canary Island of Lanzarote, Spain June 18, 2021. REUTERS/Borja Suarez/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsMADRID, Nov 5 (Reuters) - Nearly 32,000 migrants have reached Spain's Canary Islands on fragile boats from west Africa this year, passing a previous record posted in 2006, regional authorities said on Sunday. Fernando Clavijo, the Canary Islands regional chief, said the figures showed the scale of the humanitarian crisis faced by the islands and called for more help from the Spanish government and the European Union. Its seven islands have become the main destination for migrants from Senegal and other African countries trying to reach Spain, fleeing conflict or seeking a better life. The Spanish government said it would create additional emergency accommodation for some 3,000 migrants in military barracks, hotels and hostels.

Persons: Borja Suarez, Fernando Clavijo, Graham Keeley, Giles Elgood Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Canaries, Reuters, Spanish coastguard, Spanish Civil Guard, Canary, European Union, State, Thomson Locations: Maghreb, Orzola, Lanzarote, Spain, Rights MADRID, Africa, El Hierro, EU, Africa's, Senegal

☆ Tens of thousands protest against possible Catalan amnesty deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-08 | by ( Graham Keeley | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/6] Unionist supporters protest against amnesty of separatist leaders and activists involved in the 2017 failed independence drive at Passeig de Gracia in Barcelona, Spain, October 8, 2023. Pedro Sanchez needs the support of Catalan separatist parties Junts and Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya, which want the unpopular amnesty in exchange for votes in parliament. An amnesty would put the government above democracy and the rule of law," said Javier Tapia, 55, a chemicals worker. The amnesty could potentially cover more than 1,400 people involved in the independence bid that came to a head in 2017, pro-separatist Catalan group Omnium estimates. Around 70% of respondents - 59% of them Socialist supporters – said they were against the idea of an amnesty in a poll in mid-September.

Persons: Passeig de Gracia, Albert Gea, Sanchez, Spain's, Pedro Sanchez, Junts, Alberto Nunez Feijoo, Santiago Abascal, Javier Tapia, Isabel Martinez, Feijoo, Francisco Franco, –, Graham Keeley, Joan Faus, Horaci Garcia, Guillermo Martinez, Andrew Cawthorne Organizations: Passeig, REUTERS, Barcelona, BARCELONA, Spain's, Socialist, People's Party, Vox, Sale, AMNESTY, European Union, Thomson Locations: Barcelona, Spain, Catalan, Catalonia

☆ Man dies after being gored by bull at Spanish festival
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MADRID, Sept 24 (Reuters) - A man died from his injuries after he was gored by a bull at a festival in eastern Spain, authorities said. The Spanish man, who was not named, was gored in his side by a bull called Cocinero during the bull running festival in the town of Pobla de Farnals in Valencia region on Saturday. He was taken to hospital but died later, officials there said on Sunday. A second Spanish man was gored in the leg by the same bull and was in a stable condition in hospital, they added. But many activists say they are dangerous and cruel, and debates over whether they should be abolished have become more heated in recent years.

Persons: Graham Keeley, Andrew Heavens Organizations: Bulls, CAS, Thomson Locations: MADRID, Spain, Pobla, Farnals, Valencia, Spanish

[1/6] A person holds a placard that reads "No to amnesty" during a rally against a possible amnesty for Catalan separatist leaders in Madrid, Spain, September 24, 2023. Waving Spanish flags, supporters of the opposition conservative People's Party (PP) travelled from across Spain to attend the rally in Madrid. Puigdemont, wanted in Spain for attempting the region's secession, has demanded that legal action be dropped against fellow separatists as a condition for his support. Withdrawing criminal cases against the separatists would amount to granting an amnesty to "coup plotters", he told supporters at the Madrid rally. He did not mention an amnesty but said the Socialists wanted to heal social divisions over the Catalan crisis.

Persons: Susana Vera, Pedro Sanchez, Sanchez, Carles Puigdemont, Puigdemont, Alberto Nunez Feijoo, Gregorio Casteneda, Feijoo, Graham Keeley, Silvio Castellanos, Michael Gore, Peter Graff Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Sunday, People's Party, Authorities, Reuters, Socialists, Thomson Locations: Madrid, Spain, Rights MADRID, Catalonia, Catalunya, Santander, Spain's, Gava, Catalonia's, Barcelona

☆ Thousands celebrate Catalonia Day as regional parties become Spain's kingmakers
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

People hold up Esteladas, or Catalan separatist flags, during a demonstration to mark Catalonia's national day 'La Diada' in Barcelona, Spain, September 11, 2022. REUTERS/Nacho Doce/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsBARCELONA, Sept 11 (Reuters) - Thousands of people were expected to celebrate Catalonia's National Day on Monday as the Spanish region's separatist parties appear set to play a kingmaker role in forming a national government. In recent years, attendance at La Diada, as the National Day is known, has fallen as support for breaking away from Spain has decreased. But with two Catalan parties poised to play a role in forming a new government, it may boost the independence cause. In October 2017, when Puigdemont's separatist regional government held a referendum declared illegal by the Spanish courts, a CEO poll found 49% supported splitting from Spain while 43% were against.

Persons: Nacho, Pere Aragones, Carles Puigdemont, Pedro Sanchez, Sanchez, Isabel Rodriguez, Alberto Nunez Feijoo, Graham Keeley, Peter Graff Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, La, Catalana, ERC, Socialist, People's Party, Catalan Centre, Public, Thomson Locations: Barcelona, Spain, Rights BARCELONA, Spanish, Catalonia, Catalan, Belgium, Catalunya

☆ Spain's soccer chief Luis Rubiales quits in kiss scandal
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-10 | by ( Graham Keeley | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Reuters reached out to Hermoso's representative for comment on Rubiales' resignation, and they did not return the telephone call. Hermoso, Spain's all-time top scorer with 51 goals, currently plays at Mexican top-tier side Pachuca, where she moved in June 2022 following her second spell at Barcelona. "The feminist country is advancing faster and faster," Spain's acting Labour Minister Yolanda Diaz posted on X after news of Rubiales' resignation. The Spanish Football Federation said in a statement that Rubiales had resigned as its president and also as a vice-president of UEFA. Although he stepped down as boss of the federation, Rubiales continued to defend his version of events.

Persons: Jennifer Hermoso, Royal Spanish Football Federation Luis Rubiales, Hannah, Luis Rubiales, Rubiales, Pedro Rocha, Jenni Hermoso, Hermoso, Yolanda Diaz, Jenni, Irene Montero, Pedro Rocha Junco, FUTPRO, Piers Morgan, Luis, Anita Kobylinska, Tommy Lund, Toby Davis, Frances Kerry, Aislinn Laing Organizations: Soccer Football, FIFA, England, Royal Spanish Football Federation, Spanish Football Federation, Sydney, High, Rubiales, Spain, UEFA, Twitter, Reuters, Pachuca, Barcelona, Labour, Thomson Locations: New Zealand, Spain, Australia, Sydney, BARCELONA, Spanish, Gdansk

☆ Four killed in Spain train accident
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

MADRID, Sept 10 (Reuters) - At least four people were killed on Sunday when they were hit by a locomotive near Barcelona while trying to cross railway tracks, emergency services said. The accident happened at 8:22 p.m. in Montmelo near the Catalan capital when seven people crossed the tracks at a forbidden location, Renfe, the state rail operator, said. Three people were killed at the scene and a fourth person died in hospital after suffering a cardio-respiratory arrest, emergency services said on Sunday. Three others were in hospital suffering from injuries. Reporting by Graham Keeley; Editing by Lisa ShumakerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Graham Keeley, Lisa Shumaker Organizations: Renfe, Thomson Locations: MADRID, Barcelona, Montmelo

The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake had a magnitude of 6.8 with an epicentre some 72 km (45 miles) southwest of Marrakech. "When I felt the earth shaking beneath my feet and the house leaning, I rushed to get my kids out. [1/14]Residents rest in central Marrakesh following a powerful earthquake in Morocco, September 9, 2023. It was Morocco's deadliest earthquake since 1960 when a quake was estimated to have killed at least 12,000 people, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Marrakech is due to host the annual meetings of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank from Oct. 9.

Persons: Mohamed Azaw, Mohamed Ouhammo, Montasir, Abdellatif Ait, Saida Bodchich, Hannah McKay, Waaziz Hassan, Mohammad Kashani, Zakia Abdennebi, Tarek Amara, Alexander Cornwell, Ahmed Tolba, Jose Joseph, Muhammad Al Gebaly, Adam Makary, Michelle Nichols, Graham Keeley, Josephine Mason, Angus McDowall, Tom Perry, Tomasz Janowski, Frances Kerry, Alexander Smith, Peter Graff, Daniel Wallis Organizations: WHO, Moroccan, Interior Ministry, Geological Survey, Food, High, REUTERS, World Health Organization, UNESCO, . Geological Survey, University of Southampton, International Monetary Fund, World Bank, IMF, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Marrakech, Casablanca, Rabat, Morocco, U.S, Amizmiz, Asni, Tansghart, Abdellatif Ait Bella, Marrakesh, Huelva, Jaen, Spain, Jemaa, Moroccan, Turkey, Algeria, Tunis, Imsouane, Dubai, Bengaluru, Cairo, New York, Madrid, London

☆ Spain's soccer federation to hold urgent meeting over Rubiales kiss scandal
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Rubiales has steadfastly refused to resign over the incident with player Jenni Hermoso last Sunday in Sydney, saying the kiss was consensual. Players and a string of coaches on the women's squad are demanding he go, and the government also wants him out. The Royal Football Federation (RFEF) has called regional federations to an "extraordinary and urgent" meeting on Monday "to evaluate the situation in which the federation finds itself" following Rubiales' suspension, an RFEF spokesperson said on Sunday. All 23 of Spain's cup-winning squad including Hermoso, as well as dozens of other squad members, said on Friday they would not play internationals while Rubiales remained head of the federation. However, he said on Saturday that the scandal would not damage Spain's bid to stage the 2030 World Cup along with Portugal and Morocco.

Persons: Royal Spanish Football Federation Luis Rubiales, Luis Rubiales, Rubiales, Jenni Hermoso, Hermoso, Jennifer Hermoso, Jenni, Victor Francos, Graham Keeley, Frances Kerry Organizations: Soccer Football, Spanish Soccer Federation, Del Futbol, Royal Spanish Football Federation, REUTERS, Rights, FIFA, Royal Football Federation, Sunday, Atletico Madrid, Milan, Logrono, Sports Council, Thomson Locations: Del Futbol Las, Rozas, Spain, Handout, Sydney, Madrid, Santander, Spanish, Portugal, Morocco

☆ Spain's soccer federation stands by its chief amid uproar over kiss
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The statement on the Royal Spanish Football Federation website said it would take legal action to defend Rubiales' honour, but did not say what the action would consist of. Rubiales refused on Friday to resign as RFEF chief over his actions last Sunday in Sydney, seeking to defend his behaviour and calling the kiss "spontaneous, mutual, euphoric and consensual". Hermoso said she did not consent to the kiss and felt "vulnerable and the victim of an aggression". Rubiales had been widely expected to resign at an emergency meeting of the federation on Friday. Rubiales' comments and the supportive reaction he got from many in the audience at the federation meeting on Friday were widely scorned on social media.

Persons: Luis Rubiales, Jenni Hermoso's, Hermoso, Rubiales, Royal Spanish Football Federation Luis Rubiales, Yolanda Diaz, Graham Keeley, Frances Kerry Organizations: Royal Spanish Football Federation, Spain, FUTPRO, Soccer Football, Spanish Soccer Federation, Del Futbol, REUTERS Acquire, Labour, England, Thomson Locations: MADRID, Sydney, Spanish, FUTPRO Union, Del Futbol Las, Rozas, Spain, Handout

☆ Spanish Socialists lose seat, after expat vote count, making it harder to form government
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-29 | by ( Graham Keeley | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Counting of votes from over 233,000 Spaniards living abroad handed one seat in Madrid to the PP that had been awarded to the Socialists in the initial vote count, the PP and Socialists said on Saturday. To form a government, an absolute majority is needed in a parliamentary vote in the 350-seat Congress. This meant Sanchez only had to persuade Junts to abstain, to be voted back into power with a simple majority. Alberto Nunez Feijoo, the PP leader, is still determined to try to form a right-wing coalition. Sumar leader Yolanda Díaz called on all "progressive forces" to support Sanchez.

Persons: Pedro Sanchez, Juan Medina, Sunday's, Esquerra, Junts, Sanchez, EH, Vox, Pablo Simon, Alberto Nunez Feijoo, Feijoo, Pedro Rollan, Sumar, Yolanda Díaz, Graham Keeley, Alvise Armellini, Frances Kerry Organizations: Socialist, REUTERS, Spain's Socialists, Reuters, ERC, Socialists, Vox, Union of, Canarian Coalition, Basque Nationalist Party, Galician Nationalist Bloc, UPN, Canaries, PP, Carlos III University, Italian, Repubblica, Thomson Locations: Madrid, Spain, BARCELONA, Catalan, Basque, Junts, Catalonia, Spanish, Rome

☆ 'Heat storm' stretches into southern Europe, health alerts issued
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

ROME, July 16 (Reuters) - Italy issued hot weather red alerts for 16 cities on Sunday, with meteorologists warning that temperatures will hit record highs across southern Europe in the coming days. Spain, Italy and Greece have been experiencing scorching temperatures for several days already, damaging agriculture and leaving tourists scurrying for shade. "We need to prepare for a severe heat storm that, day after day, will blanket the whole country," Italian weather news service Meteo.it warned on Sunday. Italy's Health Minister Orazio Schillaci said authorities were keeping a close eye on Rome and urged people to take care. Europe's highest recorded temperature of 48.8C (119.8F), registered in Sicily two years ago, could be exceeded in the coming days, notably on the Italian island of Sardinia, meteorologists have said.

Persons: Charon, Meteo.it, Orazio Schillaci, Il, Crispian Balmer, Graham Keeley, David Goodman Organizations: Italy's, Thomson Locations: Italy, Europe, Spanish, La Parma, Spain, Greece, Africa, Acropolis, Rome, Florence, Palermo, Sicily, Bari, Seville, Sardinia, Barcelona

☆ Thousands evacuated as firefighters battle La Palma wildfire
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-16 | by ( Borja Suarez | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/9] General view of the Tijarafe fire on the Canary Island of La Palma, Spain July 16, 2023 REUTERS/Borja SuarezJuly 16 (Reuters) - Firefighters were trying to contain a wildfire which burned out of control and forced the evacuation of at least 4,000 people on the Spanish island of La Palma, authorities said on Sunday. Firefighters were burning an area to ensure the blaze stopped at a road and did not spread further. “That is what we are going to do to secure all this area and try to save a house. "There has been some resistance by local people to leaving their homes, but I appeal to people to be responsible," Clavijo told reporters in La Palma. King Felipe VI of Spain telephoned Clavijo on Saturday to express his support with the people of La Palma, the Spanish royal household said.

Persons: Borja Suarez, ” Jose Fernandez, ” Manuel, Fernando Clavijo, Clavijo, King Felipe VI of Spain, Borja Suarea, Silvio Castellanos, Graham Keeley, Barbara Lewis, David Holmes Organizations: REUTERS, Firefighters, La Palma, Reuters, ”, La, Thomson Locations: La Palma, Spain, El Pinar de Puntagorda, Puntagorda, Tijarafe, Africa, Europe, Canary, Tenerife

☆ Thousands evacuated as Spanish island wildfire out of control
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

July 16 (Reuters) - At least 4,000 people have been evacuated as a forest fire burned out of control on the Spanish island of La Palma, authorities said on Sunday, as Europe struggled to cope with a heatwave. The fire in La Palma started in the early hours of Saturday in El Pinar de Puntagorda, a wooded area in the north of the island in the Canaries. Ten aerial units and 300 firefighters on the ground sought to bring the wildfire under control on the island, which forms part of a Spanish archipelago off the coast of western Africa. "There has been some resistance by local people to leaving their homes, but I appeal to people to be responsible," Clavijo told reporters in La Palma. King Felipe VI of Spain telephoned Clavijo on Saturday to express his support with the people of La Palma, the Spanish royal household said.

Persons: Fernando Clavijo, Clavijo, King Felipe VI of Spain, Graham Keeley, Barbara Lewis Organizations: La Palma, Canaries, La, Thomson Locations: La Palma, Europe, La, El Pinar de Puntagorda, Puntagorda, Tijarafe, Spanish, Africa, Canary, Tenerife

☆ Spain's conservatives ahead of Socialists before election, opinion polls show
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MADRID, July 15 (Reuters) - Spain's opposition conservative People's Party (PP) is ahead of Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's ruling Socialists (PSOE) but still short of winning a decisive majority in this month's general election, according to two tracking opinion polls published on Saturday. To secure an absolute majority of the 350 lower house of parliament seats needed to form a government after the July 23 election, the PP would almost certainly have to ally with the far-right Vox party, opinion polls have shown. The PP would win more votes than the PSOE and the far-left Sumar party together, the poll found. Sumar would win 25 seats or 11.4% of the vote while Vox would claim 11.7% of the vote or 29 seats. Meanwhile, the PP's share of the vote fell slightly according to a tracker poll by 40dB for El Pais, a centre-left newspaper.

Persons: Pedro Sanchez's, GAD3, Sumar, Vox, 40dB, Sanchez, Graham Keeley, Frances Kerry Organizations: People's Party, Socialists, PSOE, Vox, ABC, El Pais, El, Thomson Locations: MADRID, El, El Pais

☆ Wildfires in Spain's La Palma island forces evacuations as heatwave grips Europe
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] A view of a wildfire in La Palma, Spain, July 15, 2023 in this screengrab obtained from a social media video. 1-1-2 Canarias Via Twitter/Handout via REUTERSBARCELONA, July 15 (Reuters) - At least 2,000 people have been evacuated as a forest fire burned out of control in the Spanish island of La Palma, authorities said on Saturday, as Europe was gripped by a heatwave. Many parts of southern Spain saw scorching temperatures of over 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) last week and even higher temperatures are expected next week in Spain and across southern Europe. The fire in La Palma started in the early hours of Saturday morning in El Pinar de Puntagorda, a wooded area at the north of the island in the Canaries. It depends on whether we can bring these strong winds under control," Clavijo told reporters in La Palma.

Persons: Marcos Lorenzo, Fernando Clavijo, Clavijo, Graham Keeley, Clelia Oziel, Christina Fincher Organizations: Via Twitter, REUTERS, La Palma, Canaries, La, Thomson Locations: La Palma, Spain, REUTERS BARCELONA, Spanish, Europe, La, El Pinar de Puntagorda, Puntagorda, Tijarafe, Canary, Tenerife, Africa

☆ Forest fire in Spain's La Palma island forces evacuations
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] A view of a wildfire in La Palma, Spain, July 15, 2023 in this screengrab obtained from a social media video. 1-1-2 Canarias Via Twitter/Handout via REUTERSBARCELONA, July 15 (Reuters) - A forest fire in the Spanish island of La Palma has forced the evacuation of at least 500 people, authorities said on Saturday, in the first natural crisis on the island since a volcanic eruption on 2021. At least 11 houses were destroyed as the fire advanced, Fernando Clavijo, president of the Canary Islands said on Saturday. It depends on whether we can bring these strong winds under control," Clavijo told reporters in La Palma. Authorities in the island were seeking help from other islands in the archipelago, such as Gomera and Tenerife.

Persons: Fernando Clavijo, Clavijo, Graham Keeley, Clelia Organizations: Via Twitter, REUTERS, La, Authorities, Thomson Locations: La Palma, Spain, REUTERS BARCELONA, Spanish, El Pinar de Puntagorda, Africa, Tenerife

☆ Spain's People's Party could win absolute majority with Vox - poll
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MADRID, July 9 (Reuters) - Two weeks ahead of Spain's election, the conservative People's Party (PP) opened up its lead over the ruling Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) but would still need the help of the far-right Vox party to govern, according to an opinion poll published by a newspaper on Sunday. The far-left Sumar party would win 13%, just ahead of Vox with 12.6%, the poll found ahead of the election on July 23. Vox - the PP's most likely coalition ally - would win between 32 and 39 seats. If the results of the poll are correct, it means that a right-wing coalition of the PP and Vox would together win up to 180 seats, enough for an absolute majority. All polls have so far predicted that the PP would win the most votes in the elections.

Persons: Ipsos, Vox, Pedro Sanchez, Graham Keeley, Elaine Hardcastle Organizations: People's Party, Socialist Workers ' Party, PSOE, Vox, La Vanguardia, Socialist, Thomson Locations: MADRID, Sumar

☆ At least 300 migrants missing at sea near Spanish Canary Islands, aid group says
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MADRID, July 9 (Reuters) - At least 300 people who were traveling on three migrant boats from Senegal to Spain's Canary Islands have disappeared, migrant aid group Walking Borders said on Sunday. A third boat left Senegal on June 27 with about 200 people aboard. The families of those on board have not heard from them since they left, Maleno said. All three boats left Kafountine in the south of Senegal, which is about 1,700 kilometres (1,057 miles) from Tenerife, one of the Canary Islands. At least 559 people - including 22 children - died in 2022 in attempts to reach the Canary Islands, according to data from the U.N.'s International Organisation for Migration.

Persons: Helena Maleno, Maleno, Graham Keeley, David Holmes Organizations: Borders, Reuters, for Migration, Thomson Locations: MADRID, Senegal, Spain, Tenerife, Canary, West Africa, Spanish, Saharan Africa

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