Tag: Spain

Tiny killer threatens giant clam, aquatic emblem of the Med

by Claudine RENAUD Agence France-Presse Villefranche-sur-Mer, France (AFP) — With wing-shaped shells lined with iridescent mother-of-pearl and producing the fibers of rare and delicate sea silk, the noble pen shell clam is one of the most emblematic species in the Mediterranean and a bellwether for marine environmental health. But the giant mollusk, the world’s second biggest, is under mortal threat from a parasite that has ravaged populations since it was identified along Spanish coasts in 2016. Scientists […]

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China’s Xi vows to better protect intellectual property

MADRID, Spain (AFP) — China’s President Xi Jinping told Spanish lawmakers on Wednesday his country would boost protection of intellectual property ahead of a G20 meeting where he faces a trade showdown with the United States. Xi is due to meet his US counterpart Donald Trump at the gathering in Argentina this week, with Washington threatening to ramp up a trade war with Beijing if it doesn’t allay US concerns over intellectual property theft and […]

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May heads to Brussels as Spain threatens Brexit summit

  by Alex PIGMAN and Toni CERDÀ Agence France Presse BRUSSELS, Belgium (AFP) — British Prime Minister Theresa May was headed back to Brussels on Saturday to defend the planned Brexit divorce deal even as Spain threatened to boycott an EU summit meant to endorse it. May has final day talks scheduled with EU leaders Jean-Claude Juncker and Donald Tusk, although diplomats said the withdrawal agreement is finished and ready for EU leaders to approve […]

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Spain’s PM Sanchez repeats Brexit veto threat after May talks

HAVANA, Cuba (AFP) — Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez maintained his threat to scupper Britain’s draft deal to exit the European Union following a meeting with UK counterpart Theresa May on Thursday. “After my conversation with Theresa May, our positions remain far away. My government will always defend the interests of Spain. If there are no changes, we will veto Brexit,” Sanchez wrote on Twitter after arriving for a historic state visit to Cuba. Madrid […]

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One dead, 49 hurt as landslide derails train in Spain

BARCELONA, Spain (AFP) — One person was killed on Tuesday and 49 others were injured, five seriously, when a train derailed near Barcelona due to a landslide caused by heavy rains, emergency services and Spain’s rail operator said. Two carriages of a convoy of six came off the tracks at 6:15 am (0515 GMT) near the town of Vacarisses, 35 kilometers (20 miles) northeast of Barcelona, emergency services said on Twitter. Of the 133 people […]

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One dead after landslide derails train in Spain

BARCELONA, Spain (AFP) — One person was killed and six injured on Tuesday after a commuter train derailed near Barcelona due to a landslide caused by heavy rains, emergency services and Spain’s rail operator said. The accident happened in the town of Vacarisses, about 35 kilometers (20 miles) northeast of Barcelona, when two of the train’s six carriages came off the tracks, local emergency services said on Twitter. The train, which was travelling between Manresa […]

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China’s Xi to make state visit to Spain next week

MADRID, Spain (AFP) — Chinese President Xi Jinping will make a state visit to Spain next week as the two countries celebrate the 45th year of ties, Spain’s royal palace said Monday. Xi “will begin a state visit to Spain on November 28,” a spokesman told AFP, without specifying how long it would be or giving details of the programme. A state visit typically involves a meeting with Spain’s King Felipe VI and Prime Minister […]

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‘Zombie’ storm Leslie smashes into Portugal

by Thomas CABRAL Agence France Presse LISBON, Portugal (AFP) — Violent storms hit Portugal early on Sunday, leaving hundreds of thousands of people without power before carrying heavy rain on into Spain, authorities said. Leslie, which was a category one hurricane but weakened to a post-tropical storm as it made landfall late Saturday, left 28 people with minor injuries, civil defense commander Luis Belo Costa told reporters. The region around the capital Lisbon and the […]

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‘Zombie’ Hurricane Leslie bears down on Portugal, Spain

by Thomas Cabral Agence France Presse LISBON, Portugal (AFP) — Heavy squalls began to hit Portugal late Saturday, with the country on red alert as Hurricane Leslie barrelled towards its coastline in what could be the fiercest storm since 1842. Neighbouring Spain was also preparing itself for what was dubbed a “zombie” hurricane, as it first formed on September 23 and has been meandering through the waters of the Atlantic Ocean for weeks. Leslie was […]

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Five-year-old among three still missing in deadly Majorca floods

by Alvaro VILLALOBOS Agence France-Presse Sant Llorenc des Cardassar, Spain (AFP) — Rescue workers searched desperately Thursday for a five-year-old boy and two Germans still missing on Spain’s holiday island of Majorca after flash floods tore through streets and swept away cars, killing 10 people. A massive clean-up was under way in the mud-covered streets of Sant Llorenc des Cardassar, one of the worst-hit towns, after intense, driving rain on Tuesday afternoon surprised locals who […]

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Britons among 10 dead in Majorca flash floods

by Alvaro VILLALOBOS Agence France Presse SANT LLORENC DES CARDASSAR, Spain (AFP) — At least 10 people died, including two Britons, and a boy remained missing Wednesday after flash floods hit the Spanish holiday island of Majorca, tearing through village streets and sweeping away cars. Muddy waters rushed down roads, houses were flooded and vehicles piled up on top of each other after the Mediterranean island was pounded with rain in just a few hours, […]

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Spain PM defends sending weapons to Saudis after U-turn

MADRID, Spain (AFP) — Spain’s prime minister on Sunday defended his government’s controversial decision to go ahead with the delivery of 400 laser-guided bombs to Saudi Arabia, saying it was needed to preserve good ties with the Gulf state. His Socialist government announced earlier this month that it would block the delivery of the weapons amid concerns that they could harm civilians in Yemen where Saudi Arabi is engaged in a bloody conflict. But on Thursday Foreign […]

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