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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

With 99% of votes counted by 11:45 p.m. (2145 GMT), the opposition People's Party (PP) had 136 seats while Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's ruling Socialists (PSOE) had 122 seats. Reuters Graphics Reuters GraphicsNegotiations by the two blocs to form governments will start after a new parliament convenes on Aug. 17. Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez called a surprise snap election after the left took a drubbing in local elections in May. In the present scenario, Sanchez' PSOE would rely heavily on Catalan separatist parties Junts and ERC or Basque separatists EH Bildu. In 2019, two more elections were held before the PSOE and far-left Podemos agreed to form Spain's first coalition government.

Persons: Pedro Sanchez's, Vox, King Felipe VI, Alberto Nunez Feijoo, Mariano Rajoy, Sanchez, Steve Smith, Pedro Sanchez, Ignacio Jurado, Carlos, Juan Medina, Madrid's Calle Genova, Galo Contreras, we're, Francisco Franco, Teruel Existe, El, Junts, Carles Puigdemont, Podemos, Jose Ignacio Torreblanca, Belen Carreno, Jesus Aguado, Emma Pinedo, Joan Faus, Corina Pons, Charlie Devereux, Nick Macfie, Frances Kerry, Cynthia Osterman Organizations: PSOE, People's Party, Socialists, Reuters Graphics Reuters, European Union Council, Voters, Feijoo's PP, Vox, Carlos III University, People's, REUTERS, Madrid's Calle, PP, Basque Nationalist Party, Teruel, Junts, ERC, Basque, European Council, Foreign Relations, Thomson Locations: MADRID, Spain, swimsuits, Madrid, Madrid's, Burgos, El Pais, Catalan

☆ Spanish coastguard rescues two Nigerian migrants from ship's rudder
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Polic?a... Read moreMADRID, July 11 (Reuters) - The Spanish coastguard rescued two Nigerian migrants who stowed away on the rudder of a ship that arrived in the Canary Islands from Togo, a coastguard spokesperson and the police said on Tuesday. After being rescued on Monday night in the port of Las Palmas, the migrants were taken to a hospital. The container ship's last stop before reaching the Spanish archipelago off the African coast was Lome, Togo's capital, said the coastguard spokesperson without elaborating. In a similar case in November last year, the Spanish coastguard rescued three African stowaways who had arrived in the Canary Islands after enduring 11 days on the rudder of a fuel tanker from Nigeria. The Spanish-owned Canary Islands are a popular but dangerous gateway for African migrants attempting to reach Europe.

Persons: Read, Joan Faus, Sharon Singleton Organizations: Spanish coastguard, Las Palmas de, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, coastguard, Twitter, MSC, Guardia Civil, La Provincia, Thomson Locations: Canary, Togo, Las Palmas, Las Palmas de Gran, Spain, MADRID, Palmas, Spanish, Lome, Togo's, Lagos, Nigeria

[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

"It was a day of pain and rage," demonstrator Luisa Menendez, 73, told Reuters, referring to June 24, 2022. In a report released to mark the anniversary, Amnesty International accused Spain and Morocco of a cover-up for failing to properly investigate events at the Melilla border last year. In the incident, around 2,000 migrants and refugees from sub-Saharan Africa attempted to enter Melilla from Morocco. Separately, the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights said last month there is "no genuine and effective access to asylum at the border" between Nador (Morocco) and Melilla. Reporting by Joan Faus and Elena Rodriguez Editing by Alexandra Hudson and Frances KerryOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Luna Reyes, Read, Luisa Menendez, Spain, Beatriz Sanchez, Joan Faus, Elena Rodriguez, Alexandra Hudson, Frances Kerry Organizations: Borders, Moroccan, Reuters, Amnesty International, Amnesty, Spain's Interior Ministry, Migration Affairs, of, Human Rights, Thomson Locations: Spanish, Morocco, Spain, El, Ceuta, MADRID, BARCELONA, Europe, Melilla, Madrid, Africa, Nador

☆ Amnesty accuses Spain and Morocco of cover-up over Melilla enclave migrant deaths
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-23 | by ( Joan Faus | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BARCELONA, June 23 (Reuters) - Amnesty International on Friday accused Spain and Morocco of a cover-up for failing to properly investigate events at the border of the Spanish enclave of Melilla last year, when tens of migrants and refugees died during a mass attempted crossing. On June 24 2002, around 2,000 Sub-Saharan African migrants and refugees attempted to enter Spain's North African enclave from Morocco. Morocco said 23 people died in a crush when migrants fell from the fence, and Spain has said no deaths occurred on its soil. "One year on from the carnage at Melilla, Spanish and Moroccan authorities not only continue to deny any responsibility but are preventing attempts to find the truth," said Amnesty International's Secretary General, Agnes Callamard. Spain's Attorney General investigated the Melilla incident but declined to charge Spanish officers who he said had been unaware of the fatal crush.

Persons: Spain, Agnes Callamard, Callamard, Joan Faus, Alexandra Hudson Organizations: Amnesty, Human Rights, Spain's Interior Ministry, Spain's, Authorities, Alexandra Hudson Our, Thomson Locations: BARCELONA, Morocco, Melilla, Spain's, Spain, Spanish, Libya, Italy

I think we have to trust what they are doing and be confident," Nargeolet, 39, told Reuters in the town of La Massana, Andorra, where she lives. [1/3]Sidonie Nargeolet, daughter of submersible passenger Paul-Henri Nargeolet, speaks during an interview in Ordino, Andorra, June 22, 2023. "What worries me is that they are not being found because there will be a moment in which they will run out of oxygen," Nargeolet said. What he liked the most was to be in a submarine, (near) the Titanic. "So whether he's in a submarine and whether he's in the Titanic, I know he likes it.

Persons: Paul, Henri Nargeolet, Sidonie Nargeolet, Nargeolet, Horaci Garcia, Joan Faus, Jon Boyle, Angus MacSwan Organizations: Reuters, REUTERS, U.S, Expeditions, Thomson Locations: MASSANA, Andorra, La Massana, Ordino

☆ Two sea turtles nest on Spain's Mediterranean coast as waters warm
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

One turtle laid 80 eggs in the town of Denia on Saturday, and another laid 62 in Gandia on Monday, which are both in the eastern Valencia region, the Oceanographic Foundation said. Loggerheads turtles used to nest mainly in the eastern Mediterranean, in countries such as Turkey, Cyprus and Greece, but for some years the coasts of Spain, France and Italy have been recording an increased presence of loggerhead turtle egg clutches. Warmer waters have attracted the turtles, biologist Ana Liria, head of ADS Biodiversidad, a charity based in Gran Canaria, told Reuters in April. When those turtles grow up, they will form part of program to help their survival. The remainder of the eggs were taken to a protected beach in the Albufera Natural Park to avoid contact with passers-by.

Persons: Read, Ana Liria, Emma Pinedo, Joan Faus, Sharon Singleton Organizations: University of Valencia, Oceanographic Foundation, Gran Canaria, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Gandia, Valencia Spain, MADRID, Denia, Valencia, Turkey, Cyprus, Greece, Spain, France, Italy, Gran, Tunisia

☆ 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

☆ 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

☆ Juventus deny withdrawal from Super League project
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MADRID, June 6 (Reuters) - Juventus have not withdrawn from the European Super League (ESL) project, the Italian club said on Tuesday following a media report that they had sent Real Madrid and Barcelona a letter informing them of their departure. But Juve added that they will discuss with Real and Barca, the other clubs remaining in the project, a potential exit. "Juventus will proceed with any communications due under the law following the outcome of the discussions and evaluations (regarding a potential exit)," the club said. A spokesperson for the Super League was not immediately able to comment. The breakaway Super League was formed in April 2021, when 12 of Europe's top football clubs launched a bid to wrestle control of the game and its lucrative revenue away from European soccer governing body UEFA.

Persons: Barca, David Latona, Elvira Pollina, Joan Faus, Emma Pinedo, Janina Nuno Rios, Inti Landauro, Ken Ferris Organizations: Juventus, European Super League, Real Madrid, Juve, Real, Barca, UEFA, Super League, League, Manchester United, Manchester, Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal, AC Milan, Inter Milan, Atletico Madrid, Thomson Locations: MADRID, Barcelona, Manchester City, Liverpool

☆ EU's Borrell: Russia won't enter negotiations while trying to win war
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-29 | by ( Joan Faus | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

"I see a concentration of troops on both sides, the clear will of Russia to try to win the war," Borrell told an event in Barcelona. "(Russia) will not go to a negotiation until it has tried to win the war." He added that Russia has repeatedly signaled it would not cease the campaign until its military goals have been achieved. (Russian President Vladimir) Putin has amassed over 300,000 men there, twice as many as he had when he launched the invasion," Borrell told reporters after the event. We have to be prepared, which means continuing to help Ukraine, because if we don't help it, Ukraine cannot defend (itself)," Borrell said.

Spain has one swimming pool for every 37 residents, and these, too, are now in the spotlight. While her swimming pool has been empty for five years since her children grew up, Garcia, 61, said the town has been stigmatised unfairly for its pools. Pools are being used as a scapegoat for a lack of coherent water policy in Spain, she said. It is a sentiment shared by Gonzalo Delacamara, director of the IE Centre for Water & Climate Adaptation in Madrid. While the use of water to fill swimming pools during a drought is irresponsible, the bulk of Spain's water resources are taken by the agriculture sector, accounting for 70% of water usage, he said.

☆ Fruit growers arrested for using illegal wells in drought-hit Spain
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

During a four-year investigation, authorities uncovered more than 250 illegal wells, bore holes and ponds in the Axarquia area in Andalusia, which has been hit by drought since 2021. Spain is Europe's biggest producer of tropical fruit, which requires large volumes of water. Producers estimate that avocado production will drop by 25% this year due to high temperatures and a lack of water. Spain registered the driest and warmest April since records began, according to the national weather agency AEMET. The average water level in reservoirs in Catalonia and Andalusia - the worst hit areas - stands at around 25%.

☆ Amid risk of stalling in EV race, Spain's rebooted aid scheme gets warm reception
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-11 | by ( Joan Faus | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Madrid will launch a new, more flexible version of the PERTE scheme around July, worth 2 billion euros ($2.2 billion) after last year's initial funding round flopped, with only 27% of an earmarked 2.9 billion euros allocated. Stellantis already manufactures EVs in Spain and received 67 million euros from the first PERTE, but could request more funds to boost production. Griffiths said using the EU funds is "essential" for Spain's future as some investments would otherwise be non-viable. Unlike Germany, Europe's leading car producer, Spain lacks a domestic manufacturer to champion the EV cause. In last year's PERTE round, VW-SEAT received the highest payout, of 357 million euros, but had hoped for more.

Hohn, who runs hedge fund TCI Fund Management, owns 3.1% of Cellnex's shares and 5.9% in derivatives, corporate records show. However, Hohn last month wrote to Airbus, in which TCI has a 3% stake, demanding it drop a deal. "We believe that the subsequent hiring process for a new CEO has been mishandled by the board and resulted in insufficient progress to recruiting a suitable replacement," Hohn wrote in the letter, published on TCI's website. "We intend to exercise our shareholder rights to request certain shareholder resolutions be added to the next AGM," the letter said. Kan was named Cellnex's chairman in 2021 and has been an independent member of the board since 2015.

☆ VW aims to produce 3 mln small EV cars in 2025-2030 in Spain, SEAT chief says
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

REUTERS/Imelda MedinaBARCELONA, March 22 (Reuters) - German carmaker Volkswagen (VOWG_p.DE) plans to produce 3 million small electric vehicles at its two plants in Spain between 2025 and 2030, Wayne Griffiths, the chairman of VW's Spanish unit SEAT, said on Wednesday. The German car maker is pushing the electrification of its production and plans to build a battery plant in Spain. Griffiths said SEAT aims to assemble 500,000 electric cars a year in the medium-term at SEAT’s plant in Martorell, outside Barcelona. Not cutting jobs at the plant is SEAT's priority, he added. Reporting by Joan Faus and Inti Landauro; editing by Emma Pinedo and Jason Neely, Kirsten DonovanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Church tower reemerges from parched reservoir in drought-hit Spain
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The weather will be drier and hotter than usual this spring along the northeastern Mediterranean coast that includes Catalonia. The dry weather will heighten the risk of wildfires even as it brings average rainfall nationwide, Spain's meteorological agency AEMET said. "Heat waves in this geographical area of the planet are more frequent, are increasing more frequently than in other regions," he said. Spain's drought nationwide measured over 12 months is no worse than it was in 2017, 2012 and 2005. But the average water level in Catalonia's reservoirs stands at just 27%, slightly above the level in parts of the southern region of Andalucia.

BARCELONA, Feb 28 (Reuters) - Spanish pharmaceutical company Grifols' (GRLS.MC) shares fell around 10% in afternoon trading after its 2023 outlook disappointed analysts, who were looking for a better recovery in margins. Grifols reported on Tuesday that net profit rose 10% to 208 million euros ($220.19 million). Total revenues rose 23% to 6 billion euros ($6.38 billion), with over half generated in the United States and Canada. JPMorgan said the progress on EBITDA margin recovery in 2023 may be a little slower than the market had hoped. Grifols announced earlier this month it would lay off 8.5% of its workforce seeking annual savings of around 400 million euros.

☆ Spain's Fluidra sees sales, profitability down in 2023 after net fell in 2022
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BARCELONA, Feb 27 (Reuters) - Spain's Fluidra (FLUI.MC) said on Monday it expects sales and profitability to fall this year after rising interest rates and lower demand for swimming pools in the last quarter weighed on its business in 2022. Fluidra's net profit fell 37% to 160 million euros ($168.51 million) in 2022, while earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortisation (EBITDA) dropped 6.8% to 512 million euros due to "inflationary pressures", it said. Its net profit was below Refinitiv's forecast of 189 million euros, while its EBITDA was slightly above. Sales in 2022 grew 9.2% in 2022, but were 13% lower in the last quarter compared with the same period in 2021. Fluidra expects its 2023 sales to fall to between 2 billion euros and 2.2 billion euros and EBITDA to fall to between 410 million euros and 480 million euros.

BARCELONA, Feb 26 (Reuters) - A clash between Big Tech and European Union telecoms firms over who will underwrite network infrastructure is set to dominate discussion at the world's largest telecoms conference this week. More than 80,000 people, including tech executives, innovators, and regulators, are set to descend on this year's Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona. EU industry chief Thierry Breton on Thursday launched a 12-week consultation on its "fair share" proposals, under which Big Tech platforms would bear more of the costs of the systems which give them access to consumers. By contrast, Deutsche Telekom (DTEGn.DE), Orange (ORAN.PA), Telefonica (TEF.MC) and Telecom Italia (TLIT.MI) have been actively lobbying for Big Tech to pay the fees. "This discussion around 'fair share', or what we sometimes call the 'investment gap', is going to be a threshold question," said John Giusti, GSMA's chief regulatory officer.

☆ Spanish police nab art thieves, recover 100-year old Dali drawings
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] A Mosso d'Esquadra police officer handles a recovered charcoal drawing by Spanish artist Salvador Dali that had been stolen in Barcelona, Spain, in this handout photo released on February 17, 2023. Mossos d'Esquadra/Handout via REUTERSBARCELONA, Feb 17 (Reuters) - Spanish police have recovered two 100-year-old drawings by surrealist painter Salvador Dali that were stolen last year in a burglary in Barcelona. They also seized other art works including graphic works by fellow Spanish artist Joan Miro, luxury watches and valuable coins and banknotes. The art works - two dark rural sceneries drawn on brown paper - were authenticated by the Gala-Salvador Dali Foundation, which holds the rights on the late painter's works, police said. The three brothers are alleged by Catalan police to have specifically targeted homes in the Barcelona region with art works and collections of coins and other antiques.

☆ Delivery Hero's Glovo to lay off 250 employees worldwide
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BARCELONA, Jan 30 (Reuters) - Spain's Glovo, part of Germany's Delivery Hero (DHER.DE), said on Monday it planned to lay off 250 workers globally, citing a drop in orders and inefficiencies after the COVID-19 pandemic drove a hiring surge. The layoffs, which will mainly affect Glovo's Barcelona offices, represent a 6.5% reduction in the company's global workforce. "The layoff decision largely impacts the company’s headquarters in Barcelona in areas such as business support functions, recruitment and data," Chief Executive Oscar Pierre said in a statement. Pierre said Glovo's rapid growth since its launch in 2015 had created operational inefficiencies and that a slump in demand in the fourth quarter showed external factors were affecting the delivery industry's performance. Reporting by Joan Faus Writing by David Latona Editing by Andrei Khalip and David GoodmanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Spanish judge orders prison on remand for Dani Alves, reports say
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

BARCELONA, Jan 20 (Reuters) - A Spanish judge has ordered that Brazil soccer player Dani Alves be jailed on remand over a sexual assault allegation La Sexta TV and local newspaper La Vanguardia reported on Friday. Court officials contacted by Reuters said they could not immediately confirm the reports. Reporting by Jesus Aguado and Joan Faus, writing by David Latona; Editing by Andrei KhalipOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Brazil's Dani Alves jailed on remand in Spain over sexual assault allegation
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( Joan Faus | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BARCELONA, Jan 20 (Reuters) - A Spanish judge on Friday ordered that Brazil soccer player Dani Alves be jailed on remand without bail over an alleged sexual assault of a woman in a Barcelona nightclub, the regional court system said. Earlier on Friday, Alves appeared before a Barcelona judge after local police detained and questioned him. The alleged victim had filed a complaint earlier this month and the case remains open over a crime of sexual assault, Catalonia's court system said in a statement. Alves told Antena 3 TV earlier this month that he was at the club with other people but denied any such behaviour. Alves played for Barcelona from 2008-2016 and briefly returned to the LaLiga team for the 2021-22 season.

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