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☆ Exclusive: Senior Spanish soccer officials to leave or be fired after uproar over World Cup kiss-source
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Pablo Garcia, a spokesman for the RFEF, did not immediately respond to a Reuters' request for comment. Spanish soccer has been in turmoil since Luis Rubiales, then the RFEF chief, kissed midfielder Jenni Hermoso on the lips during the World Cup presentation ceremony on Aug. 20. His actions outraged players, government officials and many in wider Spanish society and raised questions over sexism in sport. The RFEF said the word "female" would be removed from the women's national team's official brand to harmonise it with the men's squad. From now on, both will be known as "Spanish national football team".

Persons: Luis Rubiales, Jenni Hermoso, Bruna Casas, Pablo Garcia, Rafael Del Amo, Victor Francos, RFEF, Pedro Rocha, Aislinn Laing, Jon Boyle Organizations: Royal Spanish Football Federation, REUTERS, Bruna, Rights, Reuters, Spanish National Sports Council, Nation's League, Sweden, team's, Spanish national football team, Madrid, Thomson Locations: Sant, Barcelona, Spain, Rights MADRID, Valencia, Sweden, Gothenburg

Yes to life" take part in a anti-lithium protest in Covas do Barroso, Portugal, August 15, 2023. With 60,000 tonnes of known reserves, Portugal is already Europe's biggest producer of lithium, traditionally mined for ceramics. Referring to the Barroso project and another in France, he said it would be "a disaster if either ... doesn't succeed". But with only 15 of 916 submissions in a public consultation supporting the project, Savannah faces a struggle to win over locals who have said they will fight it and the APA in court. "Politicians listen to those who shout loudest and have most money - and that's the mining industry," she said.

Persons: Catarina Demony, Maria Loureiro, Loureiro, Barroso, Martin Jackson, , Savannah's, Michael Schmidt, doesn't, Schmidt, Nelson Gomes, Greta Thunberg, Karin Kvarfordt Niia, LKAB's, Anders Lindberg, UDCB's Catarina Alves Scarrott, Aida Fernandes, Barroso's, Dale Ferguson, Ferguson, Emanuel Proenca, Teresa Camille, Gunilla Hogberg Bjorck, Miguel Pereira, Covas do Barroso, Pietro Lombardi, Simon Johnson, Aislinn Laing, Catherine Evans Organizations: REUTERS, Savannah Resources, DO BARROSO, EU, Agriculture Organization, CRU, APA, State, Barroso, Reuters, UDCB, Thomson Locations: Covas do Barroso, Portugal, Barroso, China, London, Savannah, Europe, France, Kiruna, Sweden's, Montalegre, Scarrott, Portuguese, EUROPE, Chile, Covas, Karr, Covas do, Madrid, Stockholm

☆ 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

"It is the tip of the iceberg publicly of what we used to see privately," Veronica Boquete, who captained Spain at their first World Cup in 2015, told Reuters. In the case of football, the women's team's efforts to combat sexism and achieve parity with their male peers date back nearly a decade. Boquete led a mutiny seeking the resignation of coach Ignacio Quereda after a woeful performance at the 2015 World Cup, the only one his teams reached in nearly three decades. Quereda resigned in 2015 in a statement issued by the federation making no reference to the players' mutiny. Boronat, who interviewed Spain's leading female players for her book "Don't Call Them Girls, Call Them Footballers", said players accused Vilda of micromanaging, such as instructing senior players what to say in interviews.

Persons: Jennifer Hermoso, Jenni, Luis Rubiales, Jenni Hermoso, Veronica Boquete, Boquete, Ignacio Quereda, Quereda, Roser Serra, Mar Prieto, Prieto, Jorge Vilda, Danae Boronat, Spain's, Vilda, Berta Collado, Enrique Cerezo, Carlota Planas, Planas, Boronat, Fernando Kallas, Charlie Devereux, Emma Pinedo, Aislinn Laing, Andrew Cawthorne Organizations: Soccer Football, America, FC Barcelona, Estadio Azteca, Club America, FIFA, MADRID, Spanish, Spain, Reuters, Quereda, men's, Atletico Madrid, Unik Sports Management, Regional, Thomson Locations: Mexico City, Mexico, Spanish, Spain, Cerezo

☆ Spanish women team's coach Vilda to be sacked - federation source
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The RFEF, which speaks for Vilda while he remains its women's team coach, did not respond to a Reuters request for comment. During the World Cup, he said the team's success would not have been possible without RFEF backing for him. He praised Vilda for presiding over the World Cup win, offering him a fresh, four-year contract with an annual salary of 500,000 euros. The RFEF source said players were now being consulted as to whether the removal of Vilda would change their minds. Del Amo has been nominated to speak to players on the pledge that the RFEF will renew the team's staff, the source said.

Persons: Jorge Vilda, Luis Rubiales, Vilda, Rubiales, Jenni Hermoso, Rafael del Amo, Del Amo, Aislinn Laing, Andrei Khalip, Andrew Cawthorne Organizations: FIFA, Vilda's, Spain, World, Madrid Bureau, Thomson Locations: MADRID, Australia, Sydney

☆ Spanish labour minister denounces 'systemic chauvinism' after soccer chief kiss
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Soccer Football - Spanish Labour Minister meets representatives of the women's players' union FUTPRO - Madrid, Spain - August 28, 2023 Spain's Labour Minister Yolanda Diaz during a press conference after the meeting REUTERS/Isabel Infantes Acquire Licensing RightsMADRID, Aug 28 (Reuters) - Spain's Labour Minister Yolanda Diaz said on Monday male chauvinism was "systemic" in the country and had been shown in its worst form when national soccer chief Luis Rubiales grabbed and kissed World Cup player Jenni Hermoso on the lips last week. Diaz, who is also deputy prime minister and head of the far-left Sumar coalition, called for social attitudes to change more generally in Spain and for victims of sexual harassment and violence to be better protected. read moreDiaz told reporters following a meeting with leaders of the FUTPRO players' union representing Hermoso: "On Friday we saw the worst of Spanish society, of the structural machismo of this country. She insisted, however, that Spanish society was predominantly "feminist" and "an example in the world". Reporting by David Latona, writing by Aislinn Laing, Editing by Angus MacSwanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Yolanda Diaz, Isabel Infantes, Luis Rubiales, Jenni Hermoso, Diaz, David Latona, Aislinn Laing, Angus MacSwan Organizations: Soccer Football, Spanish Labour, Labour, Rights, Spain's Labour, Sumar, Thomson Locations: Madrid, Spain

☆ Kiss for World Cup winner Jenni Hermoso criticised by Spanish ministers
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The kiss happened as Luis Rubiales, the president of the Spanish soccer federation, distributed gold medals among the team following their 1-0 victory over England on Sunday. Hermoso later played down the incident in a statement sent to Spanish news agency EFE by the federation. "It was mutual gesture that was totally spontaneous prompted by the huge joy of winning a world cup," the statement said. Acting Culture and Sports Minister Miquel Iceta said on Monday on RNE radio the kiss was unacceptable and asked Rubiales to give an explanation and apologise. Reporting by Inti Landauro and Fernando Kallas; Editing by Aislinn Laing and Alison WilliamsOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Jennifer Hermoso, Amanda Perobelli, Hermoso, Jenni Hermoso, Luis Rubiales, EFE, Rubiales, Jenni, Miquel Iceta, Irene Montero, Ione Belarra, Jenni didn't, Montero's, Inti Landauro, Fernando Kallas, Aislinn Laing, Alison Williams Organizations: Soccer Football, FIFA, Spain Press, Eden, YouTube, El Mundo, England, Spain's COPE Radio, Radio Marca, Sports, Twitter, Social, El Pais, Thomson Locations: New Zealand, Auckland , New Zealand, MADRID, Spanish, Spain, Spain's

That professionalisation has underpinned the success of the ninth Women's World Cup, which ended on Sunday with Spain beating England by a single goal in a final that pitted the two European countries with the strongest domestic leagues against each other. Attracting record crowds and television audiences, the tournament buoyed hopes that the women's game can start to bridge the yawning financial gap that exists with the men. TV BLACKOUTIn broadcast rights, the women's game has struggled to compete. The FIFA president, Gianni Infantino, threatened Europe's "Big 5" nations with a TV World Cup blackout unless their broadcasters upped their offers. But both Chadwick and Carlota Planas, a Spain-based women's' football agent representing several World Cup players, argued that the women's game now offers the values of tenacity, resilience and togetherness, which can appeal to advertisers.

Persons: Stoke City's, Molly Holder, Spain's, Olga Carmona, Sunday's, Gianni Infantino, Jill Ellis, Lisa Parfitt, Jill Scott, Chloe Kelly, Ella Toone, Kieran Maguire, Simon Chadwick, Chadwick, Carlota Planas, Planas, let's, Holder, Kate Holton, Nick Mulveney, Helen Reid, Suban Abdulla, Matt Scuffham Organizations: Stoke City women's, Reuters, Stoke City FC, REUTERS Acquire, Stoke, Spain, England, Deloitte, Real Madrid, Real Madrid men's, FIFA, Women, Football, Germany, University of Liverpool, Wembley, Super League, men's Premier League, Manchester City, Arsenal, School, Thomson Locations: Stoke, Trent, Britain, Handout, STOKE, England, MADRID, Spain, France, Germany, Italy, United States, Manchester, Chelsea, Liverpool, Sydney, London

☆ Spanish Socialists' candidate elected speaker with support of Catalan groups
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Francina Armengol was appointed speaker after winning 178 votes in the 350-seat parliament. The candidate of the conservative People's Party (PP) won just 137 votes, while far-right Vox, which is in coalition with the PP in several Spanish regions, voted for its own candidate, Ignacio Gil instead of the PP's. Her candidacy for the speakership was seen as a nod to Catalan, Basque and Galician parties. CONCESSIONS TO SEPARATISTSERC leader Gabriel Rufian told a news conference that while the party had supported the Socialists' candidate for congressional speaker, that did not imply support for the formation of a Sanchez government. More hardline separatist party Junts also struck a deal in principle to back Armengol, according to state broadcaster TVE.

Persons: Pedro Sanchez's, Francina Armengol, Ignacio Gil, Alberto Nunez Feijoo, Sumar, Esquerra Republicana, Armengol, Gabriel Rufian, Junts, Sanchez, Carles Puigdemont, Inti Landauro, Charlie Devereux, Andrei Khalip, Angus MacSwan, Aislinn Laing, Hugh Lawson Organizations: Spanish Socialist Workers ' Party, PSOE, Spain's Socialists, People's Party, Socialists, Vox, Catalonian, ERC, TVE, Thomson Locations: Madrid, MADRID, Catalan, Spain, Catalonia, Balearic, Basque, Galician, Belgium

☆ Spain's Princess Leonor starts military academy with 'excitement and nerves'
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-17 | by ( Vincent West | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/4] Spain's King Felipe, Queen Letizia, and Infanta Sofia accompany Princess Leonor as she begins her three-year military training at the General Military Academy in Zaragoza, Spain, August 17, 2023. REUTERS/Vincent West Acquire Licensing RightsZARAGOZA, Aug 17 (Reuters) - Spain's Princess Leonor, the heir presumptive to Spain's throne and anticipated future commander-in-chief of its armed forces, began three years of military training on Thursday, expressing a mixture of excitement and nervousness. Announcing Leonor's military training in March, Spain's Defence Minister Margarita Robles, said Leonor was one of many young women now signing up to the armed forces. "In due course, the commander-in-chief of the armed forces will be a woman, and in recent years we have been making a very important effort to incorporate women into the armed forces," Robles said. The government and the Royal House have agreed Leonor's "very intense" military training will precede her university studies, following in the footsteps of her father in the 1980s.

Persons: King Felipe, Queen Letizia, Infanta Sofia, Princess Leonor, Vincent West, Leonor, King Felipe VI's, Juan Sebastian de Elcano, Margarita Robles, Robles, Juan Carlos, Sofia, Elena Rodriguez, Aislinn Laing, Christina Fincher Organizations: General Military Academy, REUTERS, Rights, Army Military Academy, General Air Academy, Spain's, Royal, Atlantic College, Thomson Locations: Zaragoza, Spain, Sofia, Spanish, Wales

☆ Spain's PP sees path to power after hard-right Vox dials down demands
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-07 | by ( Charlie Devereux | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The PP´s general coordinator Elias Bendodo said the gesture would clear the way for other minor parties which objected to Vox's involvement to support the PP in an investiture vote. But Bendodo's claim was swiftly rebutted by the Basque Nationalist Party (PNV), which said on the social media platform X that its position had not changed. The PNV has said it would not negotiate with the PP to form a government involving Vox. Spain´s election last month ended in a stalemate with neither right-wing nor left-wing blocs winning enough seats for a majority. Since it won the most seats, Spain´s King Felipe VI is expected to give the PP the first stab at forming a government when parliament is convened on Aug. 17.

Persons: Vox, Elias Bendodo, Bendodo, Spain ´, King Felipe VI, Mariano Rajoy ´, Sumar, David Latona, Aislinn Laing, Christina Fincher Organizations: People's Party, Socialists, Basque, Radio COPE, Basque Nationalist Party, Vox, PSOE, Coalicion Canaria, Thomson Locations: MADRID, Spanish, Catalan, Spain, Basque, Coalicion

Spain's Socialist leader and Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, salutes his supporters during the general election, in Madrid, Spain, July 23, 2023. Spain has a sticky diplomatic relationship with Morocco over issues including migration, airspace, territorial waters, customs and land borders. Madrid said it regarded Rabat's autonomy proposal for Western Sahara as "serious, credible and realistic". Moroccan media first reported - and welcomed - Sanchez's choice of holiday destination. The site praised Sanchez's closeness to Morocco "although many Spanish politicians reproach him for it", contrasting his stance to that of his political rivals in Madrid.

Persons: Pedro Sanchez, Nacho, Spain's, Sanchez, Podemos, Idoia Villanueva, Villanueva, Miguel Tellado, Vox, David Latona, Angus McDowall, Aislinn Laing, Nick Macfie Organizations: Socialist, REUTERS, Sanchez's Socialists, Polisario, Twitter, People's Party, Onda, Thomson Locations: Madrid, Spain, Morocco, Western Sahara, Spanish, Algeria, Polisario, Moroccan, London

[1/2] "Junts x Catalunya" members raise up an "Estelada" flag (Catalan separatist flag) as they celebrate the results of the European Parliament elections in Barcelona, Spain, May 27, 2019. REUTERS/Albert Gea/File PhotoBARCELONA/MADRID, July 26 (Reuters) - Spain may be heading for a repeat of Sunday's inconclusive election unless Catalan separatist parties compromise on their demands for an independence referendum in exchange for their support. After neither the right nor left bloc won enough seats to form a majority, Catalan separatist parties Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya (ERC) and Junts have emerged as kingmakers. However, Sanchez, who rejects Catalan independence, has long said he opposes a referendum or an amnesty. INDEPENDENCE SUPPORT DECLININGEven if Sanchez were willing to concede, a referendum could prove difficult to implement.

Persons: Albert Gea, Esquerra, Pedro Sanchez, Sanchez, Junts, Carles Puigdemont, Ramon Tremosa, mignon, Tremosa, Josep Rius, Alberto Nunez Feijoo, Feijoo, Mariano Rajoy, Joan Esculies, Isabel Rodriguez, Yolanda Diaz, Diaz, Jaume Asens, Puigdemont, Wayne Griffiths, Rius, Pedro Sanchez's, Joan Faus, Belen Carreno, Charlie Devereux, Aislinn Laing, Rosalba O'Brien Organizations: REUTERS, ERC, Junts, Sanchez's Socialists, Socialists, European Union, People's Party, Socialist, Monday, Volkswagen's, SEAT, Catalans, Vox, Thomson Locations: Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain, BARCELONA, MADRID, Catalan, Catalonia, Belgium, Socialist, Madrid, Volkswagen's Barcelona, Spanish

[1/4]Spain's opposition People's Party leader Alberto Nunez Feijoo and People's Party spokeswoman Maria Concepcion Gamarra attend a meeting at the People's Party (PP) headquarters in Madrid, Spain, July 24, 2023. Puigdemont, who still wields considerable influence within Junts, said in mid-July the party would not support Sanchez. "We are sure about that, and that there will be no repetition (of the election)," the source said. Sumar lawmaker Jaume Asens has already begun talks with Junts on the platform's behalf, a source in the party said. Another PSOE source said the party would leave the PP to make the first attempt to form a government.

Persons: Sanchez, Alberto Nunez Feijoo, Vox, Feijoo, Sumar, Pedro Sanchez, Esquerra, Carles Puigdemont, Maria Concepcion Gamarra, Juan Medina, Jordi Turull, Turull, Puigdemont, Jaume Asens, Junts, Franco, Spain's, Eurointelligence, Joan Faus, Belen Carreno, Emma Pinedo, Inti Landauro, Charlie Devereux, Angus MacSwan, Aislinn Laing, Christina Fincher Organizations: Conservative, Exiled, People's Party, Socialist, PSOE, Socialists, ERC, Vox, People's, of Navarre, UPN, Canary Coalition, REUTERS, Basque Nationalist Party, Sumar, Puigdemont, Thomson Locations: Spain, Exiled Catalan, BARCELONA, MADRID, Basque, Catalan, Canary, Belgium, Catalonia, Madrid, Bildu, Junts, PSOE, Barcelona

The ruling Socialists (PSOE) and far-left Sumar won 153 but have more possibilities for negotiating support from small Basque and Catalan separatist parties, as they did following 2019's election. Sanchez could win over left-wing separatist party Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya (ERC). Junts Secretary General Jordi Turull said on Monday he would use the "window of opportunity" created by the election impasse to achieve Catalan independence. Turull was among the nine Catalan jailed separatist leaders pardoned by Sanchez in 2021 for their role in the 2017 independence bid. Puigdemont, who still wields considerable influence within Junts, said in mid-July the party would not support Sanchez because he was unreliable.

Persons: Sanchez, Carles Puigdemont, Pedro Sanchez, Vox, Sumar, Esquerra, Jordi Turull, Turull, Puigdemont, Joan Esculies, Esculies, Antoni Comin, Clara Ponsati, Yves Herman, Franco, Spain's, Alberto Nunez Feijoo, PNV, Arnaldo Otegi, Otegi, Joan Faus, Belen Carreno, Emma Pinedo, Inti Landauro, Charlie Devereux, Angus MacSwan, Aislinn Laing Organizations: Exiled, Catalan, Socialist, People's Party, Socialists, PSOE, ERC, Junts, RAC, REUTERS, Reuters, Basque, Vox, Thomson Locations: Spain, Exiled Catalan, BARCELONA, MADRID, Belgium, Catalonia, Puigdemont's, Basque, Catalan, Junts, Madrid, Brussels, Canary Islands, Galicia, Navarra, Barcelona

☆ Spain's election: With fans, swimwear and sweat, Spaniards brave summer heat to vote
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-23 | by ( Aislinn Laing | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MADRID, July 23 (Reuters) - Spaniards got up early, voted in swimwear and turned ballot papers into fans to beat sweltering heat on Sunday as they took part in an election that many saw as ill-timed in the middle of summer. By midday, long queues were reported outside polling stations, where staff installed fans, set up portable air conditioning machines and gave out bottles of water to keep voters and polling staff cool. There were sporadic reports on local media of elderly people fainting as they went to vote. Another 2.47 million people - about 7% of those eligible to vote in Spain voted before Sunday by post. "I've always voted early," one elderly man told RTVE.

Persons: I've, RTVE, Jose, Alberto Nunez Feijoo, Pedro Sanchez, AEMET, Aislinn Laing, Horaci Garcia, Frances Kerry Organizations: Twitter, Reuters, People's Party, Socialist, Thomson Locations: MADRID, Mallorca, Spain, Malaga, Barcelona, Madrid, Andalusia, Navarra, Aragon

☆ Santiago Abascal: Who is Spain's far-right leader and what does he stand for?
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-17 | by ( Aislinn Laing | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/4] Spain's far-right Vox party leader Santiago Abascal gestures as he speaks during an opening campaign rally ahead of the July 23 snap election, in Puerto Almerimar, El Ejido, Spain July 6, 2023. REUTERS/Jon Nazca/File PhotoMADRID, July 17 (Reuters) - As could be expected of the head of a far-right party that puts nationalism at its core, Vox leader Santiago Abascal drapes himself in Spanish symbols, wearing designer shirts glorifying bullfighting or issuing Vox-branded hand fans to rally attendants. Reuters Graphics Reuters GraphicsHowever, the frontrunning centre-right People's Party (PP), led by Alberto Nunez Feijoo, is unlikely to secure an outright majority, and may turn to Vox as a kingmaker. Abascal is the third generation of politicians in his family, his father and grandfather having also served in regional or local government. A sociology graduate from Spain's northern Basque Country, Abascal joined the PP at 18, was elected as a councillor at 23 and became a PP lawmaker in the Basque parliament.

Persons: Santiago Abascal, El, Jon Nazca, Abascal, Pedro Sanchez's, Vox, Alberto Nunez Feijoo, Santi, Sanchez, Miguel Angel Murado, Ana Pedroza, Carlos Perez, Francisco Franco's, Giorgia Meloni, Viktor Orban, Italy's Meloni, Aislinn Laing, Catherine Macdonald, Andrei Khalip, Alex Richardson Organizations: Vox, REUTERS, Socialist, Reuters Graphics Reuters, People's Party, ETA, Italy's, Thomson Locations: Puerto Almerimar, El Ejido, Spain, MADRID, Spain's, Basque, Catalonia, Madrid, Hungary, Italy, Finland, Hungarian, Valencia

☆ Spain 2023 election: PM Sanchez and rival Feijoo in chaotic live TV debate
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/3] Spanish People's Party candidate Alberto Nunez Feijoo and Spain's Prime Minister and Socialist candidate Pedro Sanchez talk before a televised debate ahead of snap election in Madrid, Spain, July 10, 2023. With just under two weeks to go until the vote, opinion polls predict Feijoo as the likely winner, although he would probably need the support of far-right party Vox. Sanchez highlighted that Spain is among only a few European countries that has tamed inflation to below the European Central Bank's 2% target by 2023. Feijoo himself was recently pilloried for saying a Vox electoral candidate convicted of gender violence had a "hard divorce". Feijoo told Sanchez: "Those men who raped in the street are in the street because of you - there are more than 1,000 of them."

Persons: Alberto Nunez Feijoo, Pedro Sanchez, Juan Medina MADRID, gesticulating, Maria Jose Canel, Sanchez, Feijoo, Vox, Feijoo's, EH, Jose Miguel Contreras, Madrid's King, Madrid's King Juan Carlos University, Belen Carreno, Corina Rodriguez, Aislinn Laing, Rosalba O'Brien Organizations: Spanish People's Party, Spain's, Socialist, REUTERS, People's Party, Madrid's Complutense University, Socialists, AS, Central, Vox, Madrid's, Madrid's King Juan, Atresmedia, Thomson Locations: Madrid, Spain, Ukraine, Basque

[1/5] A police officer cuts marijuana plants in growing process at underground room of a house during a marijuana raid operation in Mataro, near Barcelona, Spain April 27, 2023. Consumption of marijuana and its high-potency derivatives is also booming in Barcelona itself, including in private clubs. Their model, however, faces uncertainty as the new Barcelona mayor's top security official said in March he wanted to ban cannabis clubs. In 2017, Catalonia fully legalised the clubs, fuelling their proliferation, but courts later overturned the move for procedural reasons. But many clubs, which are often barely recognisable from outside, do not stick to the rules because they are voluntary, complained Eric Asensio, head of the Catalan federation of cannabis clubs.

Persons: Pol, Antoni Salleras, Salleras, Alexis Goosdeel, Bernardo Soriano, Eric Asensio, Horaci Garcia, Joan Faus, Catarina Demony, Aislinn Laing, Andrei Khalip, Toby Chopra Organizations: REUTERS, Barcelona, BARCELONA, Reuters, Cannabis, Thomson Locations: Mataro, Barcelona, Spain, Spanish, Catalonia, Americas, Europe, Morocco, Latin America, Worth, Geneva, Amsterdam, EU, France, Catalan, Lisbon

☆ Ombudsman to investigate if Spain delayed migrant rescue
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MADRID, June 23 (Reuters) - Spain's ombudsman is to investigate the sinking of a dinghy headed to the Canary Islands from Morocco on Wednesday after more than 30 migrants were feared dead. Migration-focused organisations Walking Borders and Alarm Phone criticised Spain and Morocco this week for not intervening earlier to rescue the vessel's passengers. Two people, a child and an adult man, were found dead while 24 migrants were rescued by Morocco, Spain's maritime rescue service said. The ministry statement said the maritime rescue service complied with international search and rescue procedures. "At no time did the Moroccan authorities ask Spain's rescue service for assistance or mobilisation of resources, except in the final moments when the mobilisation of a helicopter was requested.

Persons: Emma Pinedo, Aislinn Laing, Alison Williams Organizations: Borders, United Nations, Transport, Thomson Locations: MADRID, Canary Islands, Morocco, Spain, Spain's, Melilla, Spanish, Madrid, Rabat

Guillermo Söhnlein, who co-founded OceanGate with Stockton Rush in 2009, left the company in 2013, retaining a minority stake. Rush was piloting the Titan submersible on the trip that began on Sunday. He was very keenly aware of the risks of operating in the deep ocean environment, and he was very committed to safety," Söhnlein told Reuters. Questions about Titan's safety were raised in 2018 during a symposium of submersible industry experts and in a lawsuit by OceanGate's former head of marine operations, which was settled later that year. The Titan submersible, operated by OceanGate Expeditions to explore the wreckage of the sunken SS Titanic off the coast of Newfoundland, dives in an undated photograph.

Persons: Guillermo Söhnlein, Rush, Stockton, I'd, Söhnlein, OceanGate's, OceanGate, let's, David Latona, Aislinn Laing, Edmund Blair Organizations: OceanGate Expeditions, Stockton Rush, Reuters, REUTERS, American Bureau of Shipping, Thomson Locations: MADRID, Barcelona, Newfoundland

☆ Migrants to Spain's Canary Islands surge, three new boatloads rescued Thursday
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( Borja Suarez | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Canary Islands officials said on Thursday that during the night emergency services had assisted 114 migrants in two boats. 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. JUNE SURGEThere has been a rise in arrivals in the Canary Islands this month. Only in June, close to 2,000 people have arrived," said Canary Islands migration lawyer Loueila Mint El Mamy. Spanish government data showed 5,914 people arrived in the Canary Islands between January and mid-June this year, a 31.5% drop compared to the same period last year.

Persons: Borja Suarez ARGUINEGUIN, Aita Mari, SMH, Nadir, Emma Pinedo, Corina Rodriguez, Aislinn Laing, Frances Kerry Organizations: Gran Canaria, REUTERS, Maritimo, Italian Coast Guard, for Migration, Loueila, Islands, Reuters, Inti, Thomson Locations: Spanish, Arguineguin, Gran, Spain, Islands, West Africa, Moroccan, Morocco, Lanzarote, Lampedusa, Saharan Africa, Canary Islands

☆ Tesla considering building 4.5 bln euro car factory in Spain - report
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MADRID, June 8 (Reuters) - U.S. electric car manufacturer Tesla (TSLA.O) is in talks with the leaders of the regional government of Valencia in Spain to build a car factory, newspaper Cinco Dias reported on Thursday, citing unidentified sources close to the discussions. The company's total investment in the factory could surpass 4.5 billion euros ($4.83 billion), the newspaper said. Tesla did not immediately respond to a request for comment, while Spain's central government declined to comment. Valencia is also home to a car manufacturing facility for Ford, which plans to start producing electric vehicles there. Spain is Europe's second-largest car producer, and is using European Union COVID pandemic recovery funds to attract carmakers to invest in the manufacture of both batteries and electric vehicles.

Persons: Cinco Dias, Tesla, Volkswagen, Inti Landauro, Belen Carreno, Joan Faus, Aislinn Laing, Jan Harvey, Sharon Singleton Organizations: Reuters, Ford, Union, EU, Thomson Locations: MADRID, Valencia, Spain, Sagunto

LISBON, May 22 (Reuters) - Portuguese police will on Tuesday search a reservoir inland from where British three-year-old Madeleine McCann disappeared in 2007, authorities said, in the first formal development in the case in Portugal in several years. A fire brigade spokesperson said police were preparing to start searches on Tuesday at a dam in the southern region of Algarve about 50 km (31.07 miles) inland from a beach resort where Madeleine went missing from a rented apartment while on a family holiday. Police erected two tents beside the dam on Monday, Reuters TV footage showed. Brueckner, a convicted child abuser and drug dealer, is behind bars in Germany for raping a 72-year-old woman in the same area of the Algarve from where Madeleine went missing. German police said in June 2020 that Madeleine was assumed dead and that Brueckner was likely responsible for it.

☆ Captive breeding helps endangered Iberian lynx population hit record
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Known for its pointy ears, long legs and leopard-like spotted fur, the Iberian lynx is a species distinct from the more common Eurasian lynx found from France to the Himalayas. The ministry's report partly attributed the demographic boom to the success of a captive breeding and reintroduction programme launched in 2011. Since then, 338 lynx born in captivity have been released into the wild. "This positive demographic evolution allows us to be optimistic about the reduction of the risk of extinction," the ministry said. However, it added that it was necessary to continue ongoing conservation efforts, given that the species remains classified as endangered.

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