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☆ Villagers flee as winds fan wildfire in eastern Spain
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/4] An evacuated resident from Los Peiros, is driven back to her home from San Agustin, following a wildfire raged in eastern Spain, March 26, 2023. REUTERS/Lorena SopenaMADRID, March 27 (Reuters) - Officials evacuated people from three small villages in eastern Spain on Monday as winds and dry weather fanned a wildfire ravaging the area. "The climate emergency is not a future emergency, it is a current and urgent crisis," he said. Spain is experiencing a long-term drought after three years of below-average rainfall. Reporting by David Latona; Editing by Andrei Khalip and Andrew HeavensOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Spain's PM Sanchez to push for 'territorial integrity' for Ukraine in China visit
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-26 | by ( Paul Mathiasen | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SANTO DOMINGO, March 25 (Reuters) - Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on Saturday he would push for fair peace in the war in Ukraine that included "territorial integrity" during a state visit to China next week. "The most important thing ... is that when this peace is reached in Ukraine, it will be fair and lasting ... and when we talk about fair, I mean that the territorial integrity of Ukraine, which has been violated by Putin, is respected," Sanchez said in a news conference. Last month, Beijing outlined a 12-point peace plan and called for a comprehensive ceasefire. Xi recently traveled to Moscow, where he described China's position on the conflict as "impartial". Reporting by Paul Mathiasen in Santo Domingo, writing by Cassandra Garrison; Editing by Robert BirselOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Venezuela's Maduro to join Ibero-American summit in rare foreign trip
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SANTO DOMINGO, March 24 (Reuters) - Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro will attend an Ibero-American summit this weekend hosted by the Dominican Republic, a summit official said on Friday, marking one of the embattled leader's few trips abroad. "We welcome President Nicolas Maduro, who is on his way to the Dominican Republic," said Marian Cruz, the master of ceremonies for the event, which provides a forum for leaders from across Latin America as well as Spain and Portugal. Maduro's attendance at the Saturday and Sunday summit in Santo Domingo would be his first foreign trip this year. Maduro is shunned by many governments due in large part to his 2018 re-election derided as a sham by international observers. Cruz, the summit official, also confirmed the attendance of Spain's President Pedro Sanchez.

☆ Russia's war on Ukraine latest: Ukraine slams Putin's nuclear weapons plan
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/3] Ukrainian servicemen stand next to a destroyed building near the frontline town of Kreminna, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Luhansk region, Ukraine March 24, 2023. Erdogan thanked Putin for his "positive attitude" in extending the Black Sea grain deal, the Kremlin said in a statement. * U.N. nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi said on Saturday he will visit the Russian-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine next week to assess the serious situation there. Erdogan thanked Putin for his "positive attitude" in extending the Black Sea grain deal, the Kremlin said in a statement. * SPECIAL REPORT-Wagner’s convicts tell of horrors of Ukraine war and loyalty to their leaderCompiled by Reuters editorsOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ First major fire of year destroys 3,000 hectares in Spain
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

VILLANUEVA DE VIVER, Spain, March 24 (Reuters) - Spain's first major wildfire of the year raged in the eastern Valencia region on Friday, destroying more than 3,000 hectares (7,413 acres) of forest and forcing 1,500 residents to abandon their homes, authorities 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 is experiencing a long-term drought after three years of below-average rainfall. A European Commission report this month observed a lack of rain and warmer-than-normal temperatures during the winter, raising drought warnings for southern Spain, France, Ireland, Britain, northern Italy, Greece and parts of eastern Europe. The Commission report warned that low levels of water could affect strategic sectors including agriculture, hydropower and energy production.

☆ Spain says world must listen to China's voice to end war in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MADRID, March 24 (Reuters) - The world should listen to China's voice in order to find a way out of the war in Ukraine, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on Friday, ahead of his state visit to Beijing next week. "China is a global actor, so obviously we must listen to its voice to see if between all of us, we can put an end to this war and Ukraine can recover its territorial integrity," Sanchez told a news conference in Brussels following a meeting of the European Council. He is set to visit the Chinese capital on March 31 for talks with President Xi Jinping. Sanchez has publicly backed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi's peace proposal, which includes demands to restore Ukraine's territory to the status quo before Russia's 2014 annexation of Crimea. Reporting by Inti Landauro; Writing by David Latona; Editing by Andrei KhalipOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Spain's PM Sanchez to go on state visit to China
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MADRID, March 23 (Reuters) - Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez will visit China next week following a formal invitation by President Xi Jinping, as the Asian country seeks to position itself as a mediator in the ongoing war in Ukraine. The weight that Spain and Pedro Sanchez have in the world is unquestionable," Bolaños said, adding that "China has a key role to play in mediating the war". Bolaños said the visit would also be important from a trade and economic perspective, as Sanchez plans to meet with the Asia Pacific Forum and Spanish businesses operating in China. Xi has just concluded a three-day trip to Moscow, where he described China's position on the conflict as "impartial". The latest bilateral talks between the two leaders took place in November 2022 during the G-20 summit in Bali, Indonesia.

☆ Spain's top court upholds euthanasia law in blow for far-right party
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MADRID, March 22 (Reuters) - Spain's Constitutional Court has dismissed a challenge by far-right party Vox against a euthanasia law approved in 2021, dealing a second blow to Vox on Wednesday as its no-confidence motion against the government failed in parliament. Spain is the fourth country in the European Union to have such a law. Both Vox and the conservative People's Party (PP) had voted against the bill. Euthanasia is strongly opposed by the Catholic Church, whose doctrine views life as a divine gift that should not be prematurely shortened. Reporting by David Latona; Editing by Andrei Khalip and Bernadette BaumOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

MADRID/PARIS, March 13 (Reuters) - Doubts are growing over the future of Madrid's remaining orders for the Airbus (AIR.PA) A400M troop plane, European defence sources said on Monday, as corporate leaders and dignitaries marked the centenary of Spain's military planemaking activities. Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, Defence Minister Margarita Robles and King Felipe also attended Monday's event. Spain and Airbus are in discussions over how to soften any impact from a partial A400M order cancellation, sources said. Defence publication Janes reported last year that Airbus was waiting for Madrid to back the SIRTAP tactical drone project, co-developed by Airbus Spain and Colombia. Spain also last year ordered an extra 20 Eurofighter combat jets, a four-nation fighter programmre for which Airbus is the industrial partner in Spain and Germany.

☆ Competing Women's Day rallies expose rifts in Spain's feminist movement
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] Madrid Town Hall is lit in purple as people take part in a protest to mark International Women's Day in Madrid, Spain, March 8, 2022. REUTERS/Susana VeraMADRID, March 8 (Reuters) - Several Spanish cities will host competing rallies for International Women's Day, reflecting diverging ideologies within the feminist movement and a deepening rift within the leftist coalition government. The ruling Socialists and their far-left junior coalition partner Unidas Podemos are also divided over whether to abolish prostitution. Unlike in previous years, Sanchez did not attend an event hosted by Equality Minister Irene Montero, of Unidas Podemos, whose ministry drafted the law that came into effect last year. Montero was heckled by one woman who accused her of prioritising trans rights at the expense of women.

☆ Spain announces law promoting gender parity in politics and business
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MADRID, March 4 (Reuters) - Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Saturday announced a gender equality law that will require more equal representation of women and men in politics, business and other spheres of public life. The Equal Representation Law will apply gender parity measures to electoral lists, the boards of directors of big companies and governing boards of professional associations. He said the government was "not only taking a step in favour of feminism, but in favour of Spanish society as a whole". The Equal Representation law will require women to make up 40% of the management of any listed company with more than 250 workers and an annual turnover of 50 million euros ($53 million). In politics, the law will require parties to offer equal numbers of male and female candidates during elections, with the aim of increasing gender parity in parliament.

☆ Ukrainian forces are training on fast and well-armed Leopard tanks in Spain, prime minister says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Ukrainian forces are training on Leopard tanks in Spain, according to the Spanish Prime Minister. Leopard tanks are notable for their firepower, armor, and speed on various terrains. Sanchez revealed that the arrival of Leopard tanks in Ukraine would correspond with the return of trained soldiers. Spain is one of several countries to pledge to send tanks to Ukraine. The British are presently training Ukrainian forces on Challenger tanks in southwestern England, and last month, US Army Gen. Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, announced that the US military was training Ukrainian troops in Germany, the Associated Press reported.

☆ Ukraine's Zelenskiy says meeting with China 'desirable'
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( Dan Peleschuk | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Asked about prospects for a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Zelenskiy told a news briefing in Kyiv: "We would like to meet with China." "This is in the interests of Ukraine today," he told the joint briefing with visiting Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez. Zelenskiy said he had heard only "general things" about China's proposals through Ukrainian diplomats, but that it was encouraging that China was considering brokering peace. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said this week that Wang Yi, the top Chinese diplomat, had shared some of the main points of Beijing's proposals with him during a meeting in New York. Wang visited Moscow this week but did not discuss the peace plan with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov when they met on Wednesday, foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.

The more emitters have to pay for EU carbon permits to cover each tonne of C02 they produce, the greater the incentive to invest in low carbon technologies and switch to less polluting fuels. Still, rising carbon prices are a cause of political tensions in the EU and breaching the 100 euro threshold is likely to reignite debates over prices. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez last year called for a CO2 price cap to help tackle soaring inflation. Other EU countries view a robust carbon price as vital to meeting climate goals. Years of weak prices followed until CO2 prices began to recover in 2018 when the EU agreed to remove surplus permits from the market.

☆ NATO's Stoltenberg will not seek another extension of his term, spokesperson says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BERLIN, Feb 12 (Reuters) - NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg will end his term as planned in October, a spokesperson for the alliance said, after a newspaper reported a further extension was in the works. "The mandate of Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has been extended three times, and he has served for a total of almost nine years," NATO spokesperson Oana Lungescu said late on Saturday. "The Secretary-General's term comes to an end in October of this year and he has no intention to seek another extension of his mandate." Stoltenberg, an economist by training and a former leader of Norway's Labour Party, had his NATO term extended last year. Welt said alliance members wanted to give Stoltenberg the opportunity to chair the organisation's 75th anniversary summit in Washington in April 2024.

☆ NATO to extend Stoltenberg's term to April 2024, Welt am Sonntag reports
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BERLIN, Feb 12 (Reuters) - NATO will extend again the term of Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, Welt am Sonntag reported on Sunday, citing unidentified diplomatic sources, as the alliance seeks to maintain stability during the war in Ukraine. Members will extend Stoltenberg's term until April 2024 due to his "outstanding achievements" and to guarantee the military alliance's stability during the ongoing war in Ukraine, the newspaper said. Stoltenberg, an economist by training and a former leader of Norway's Labour Party, had his original NATO term extended last year. He was prime minister of Norway from 2000-01 and 2005-13 before becoming NATO chief the following year. Welt said alliance members want to give Stoltenberg the opportunity to chair the organisation's 75th anniversary summit in Washington in April 2024.

France, which relies on its aging nuclear fleet to generate electricity, is leading a campaign to count hydrogen made using nuclear power -- known as "red" hydrogen -- in the EU's new renewable energy targets, which currently focus on green hydrogen made using electricity from renewable sources. After much foot-dragging, French President Emmanuel Macron agreed to the hydrogen pipeline between Barcelona and Marseille in October, a deal formalised at a summit with Spanish counterpart Pedro Sanchez in Barcelona in January. In Madrid, officials say the row is a "misunderstanding" and they are willing to be flexible on red hydrogen in other legislation such as the gas market directive, but not in the renewables bill. "Red hydrogen cannot be renewable because nuclear is not an energy that can be considered as such. France wants this to include its red hydrogen but it must first be designated as renewable.

[1/3] Migrants run towards the fence separating Morocco from Spain, after thousands of migrants swam across the border, in Ceuta, Spain, May 19, 2021. Spanish exports to Algeria fell 41% to 1 billion euros ($1.09 billion) in the January-November 2022 period compared with a year earlier, according to the Ministry of Industry. State-owned railway operators Renfe and Adif are working with their Moroccan counterpart to develop new train lines, which could mean 6 billion euros of business. A joint declaration made no mention of Spain's enclaves in Morocco although it reiterated Spain's new position on Western Sahara. Both countries agreed to cooperate on repatriations of illegal migrants.

[1/3] The border fence between Morocco and Spain's north African enclave Melilla is seen along a road, December 11, 2014. Bilateral trade rose to 17 billion euros in 2022, making Spain Morocco's biggest trade partner. The disputes underscore Spain's dependence on Morocco to control migration by Moroccans and sub-Saharan Africans seeking to cross the European Union's southernmost border. Some observers say the drop in migration could prove temporary and that Spain remains too dependent on Morocco. For a sustained fall in migration, Spain needs more cooperation with Morocco when it comes to repatriating illegal Moroccan migrants, said Blanca Garces, senior researcher in migration at the Barcelona Centre for International Affairs.

☆ 1 dead in Spanish church machete attacks, terror link probed
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

The assailant then went to a second church, Nuestra Señora de La Palma, a five-minute walk away, where he attacked the sexton. Police gather outside the Church of San Isidro, in Algeciras, Spain on Jan. 25, 2023. Nono Rico / Europa Press via APThe Algeciras town hall said the sexton was named Diego Valencia and identified the wounded priest as Antonio Rodríguez. The town hall said he was hospitalized and in stable condition. The town hall declared a day of mourning when flags will fly at half-staff.

☆ At least one dead, several injured in machete attack at southern Spain churches
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( David Latona | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/3] A body covered in thermal blanket is seen at the scene of a stabbing incident at a church in Algeciras, Spain January 25, 2023 in this screen grab from a video. The man attacked clergymen at two different churches - San Isidro and Nuestra Senora de La Palma, around 300 metres (1,000 feet) apart - just after 8pm on Wednesday evening in downtown Algeciras, a spokesperson for the city said. Jose Ignacio Landaluce, the mayor of Algeciras, has declared a day of mourning in the city for Thursday and a rally outside Nuestra Senora de La Palma church at midday. Earlier on Wednesday, two people were killed and several others injured when a 33-year-old stateless Palestinian man attacked them with a knife on a regional train travelling between Kiel and Hamburg in northern Germany, authorities said. Reporting by David Latona, Belén Carreño and Aislinn Laing; Editing by Rosalba O'BrienOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Spanish police arrest man suspected in 2022 parcel-bomb case
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( Vincent West | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/6] Spanish police officers guard outside a building after the arrest of a man suspected of being the sender of letter-bombs in November and December to the Ukrainian and U.S. embassies and several institutions in Spain, in Miranda de Ebro, Spain January 25, 2023. The man was detained in the northern town of Miranda de Ebro, and police searched his home. The suspect is a retired Spanish citizen with the initials P.G.P. The man used to work for the town hall of the Basque capital Vitoria-Gasteiz before retiring in 2013, a city spokesperson said. Spanish officials have declined to comment on the report, while a senior judicial source denied having knowledge of such a line of investigation.

☆ Thousands join rightist rally against Spanish government
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/4] People protest against the government of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez at Cibeles Square in Madrid, Spain, January 21, 2023. REUTERS/Susana VeraMADRID, Jan 21 (Reuters) - Thousands of people packed into central Madrid on Saturday to protest against the Socialist government and accuse it of undermining the constitution, in a rally backed by rightist parties. Protesters massed in the Plaza de Cibeles in front of City Hall, waved Spanish flags, called on Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez to resign and shouted out "traitor". Around 200km (120 miles) away in the northwestern city of Valladolid, Sanchez told a Socialist rally that the protesters in Madrid were defending a "uniform" and therefore "discriminatory" Spain. Its recent decision to replace the crime of sedition with a lesser crime was opposed on the right.

☆ Spain, France champion Europe's industry in bilateral summit
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( Joan Faus | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BARCELONA, Jan 19 (Reuters) - U.S. efforts to boost green technology should not lead to the dismantling of Europe's industry, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on Thursday after signing a new bilateral treaty with French President Emmanuel Macron in Barcelona. The industrial references come amid an intense debate within the European Union on how to respond to government support measures under the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). "We need to accelerate our green technology, and our 'Made in Europe' strategy," he said. About 6,500 Catalan separatists protested outside the museum where the summit took place against Sanchez's position on independence, according to police estimates. Catalonia's regional leader Pere Aragones greeted Sanchez and Macron before the summit, but left before both countries' anthems were played.

☆ The threat of a transatlantic trade war is dominating Davos
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( Silvia Amaro | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Trade tensions between the EU and the US are dominating the talk in Davos. Transatlantic trade tensions are dominating conversations at the World Economic Forum this week. On the one hand, European officials are saying they will come up with more financial support for European firms. On the other hand, the business community is excited about green subsidies stateside and argue the EU needs to match what the U.S. administration is doing. At the same time we have to support our competitiveness," European Commissioner for Economics, Paolo Gentiloni, told CNBC in Davos.

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