By Valentin BONTEMPS Agence France-Presse DOÑANA NATIONAL PARK, Spain, May 17, 2023 (AFP) – Concern over the future of Spain’s Donana natural park, which is threatened by overfarming, has made water management a key issue ahead of local elections at the end of May. Spain’s water resources are becoming exhausted while its irrigation needs keep rising, “an unsustainable situation”, said Felipe Fuentelsaz of WWF Spain. The Donana National Park in the southern Andalusia region, home […]
Tag: Spain
Spain heatwave to peak with record April temperatures
MADRID, April 27, 2023 (AFP) – An unusually early heatwave in drought-hit Spain is set to peak on Thursday and Friday with temperatures expected to break April records in the south of the country. Since Monday, Spain has been enveloped by a mass of warm, dry air from North Africa that has driven up temperatures to “levels normally seen in summer and exceptionally high for this time of year,” said Spain’s state weather agency AEMET. […]
Water rationed in Catalonia as drought bites deeper
L’ Espluga de Francolí, Spain | AFP | by Rosa SULLEIRO For months, residents of L’Espluga de Francoli have been saving water in bottles and foregoing showers to cope with long hours of daily water rationing as northeastern Spain suffers one of its worst droughts in decades. While this small Catalan town has suffered supply problems for years due to the depleted state of its water table, the current drought has made things worse. […]
Spain mulls options as wildfires gain in size, intensity
by Alfons LUNA Agence France-Presse TÁBARA, Spain (AFP) — Walking through the charred remains of the forested hillsides of Sierra de la Culebra that were devastated by Spain’s worst wildfire last year, Pablo Martin Pinto is blunt. “We are moving from the era of big forest fires to mega forest fires in Spain,” says this wildfire expert from Valladolid University, warning that such vast blazes were “here to stay”. Last year, Spain suffered nearly 500 […]
One dead in machete attack on Spain churches
ALGECIRAS, Spain (AFP) — A church official was killed and a priest seriously wounded late Wednesday when a man wielding a machete stormed two churches in southern Spain, the government said. Prosecutors immediately opened a terror probe into the attack, which took place in the port city of Algeciras in Spain’s southern Andalusia region. “Just after 7:00 pm (1800 GMT) this evening, a man entered the church of San Isidro in Algeciras, where, armed with […]
Spain says ‘ready’ to send German tanks to Kyiv
Madrid, Spain | AFP | Spain said Wednesday it was ready to send some of its German-made Leopard tanks to bolster Ukraine’s fight against Russia after Berlin granted approval for their European transfers. “Spain is ready… to deal with our allies in any way necessary, whether that means sending Leopards, training in the use of Leopards or help in their maintenance and upkeep,” Defence Minister Margarita Robles said. Her remarks came shortly after Berlin said […]
Seventh body found after deadly Spain bus crash
Madrid, Spain (AFP) Rescuers found the body of a woman in Spain’s northwestern Galicia region on Monday, raising to seven the number who died after a bus plunged into a river on Christmas Eve, police said. The accident happened on Saturday as the bus was crossing a bridge over the Lerez river near Pedre village some 50 kilometres (30 miles) south of Santiago de Compostela. The regional La Voz de Galicia newspaper said the bus […]
Philippines jails Spanish man on small arms charges
Agence France Presse — The Philippines has jailed a Spanish man after he was convicted for weapons possession, nearly five years after his arrest, the Philippine justice department said Thursday. Army counter-terrorism troops in January 2018 arrested Abdelhakim Labidi Adib, 20 at the time, at a checkpoint on the southern island of Basilan, a stronghold of armed Islamist militants. They alleged Labidi Adib, a Spanish citizen of Tunisian descent who described himself as a tourist, […]
Zara owner’s profits rise despite inflation
Madrid, Spain (AFP) Zara owner Inditex reported Wednesday a jump in profits in the third quarter of its fiscal year despite soaring inflation and the war in Ukraine impacting business costs. The group, which also owns Massimo Dutti, said it pulled in a net profit of 1.3 billion euros ($1.4 billion), between August 1 and October 31, compared to 1.23 billion euros in the same period last year. Analysts surveyed by financial information service Factset […]
World Cup win makes Morocco the ‘pride’ of Arab fans
DOHA, Qatar (AFP) — Thousands of Morocco fans descended on the streets of Doha to celebrate their country becoming the first Arab nation to reach the World Cup quarter-finals on Tuesday. Despite some minor trouble outside the stadium, the victory over Spain became a celebration of “Arab pride” for supporters from across the region. Walid Regragui’s side won 3-0 in a penalty shootout after the match finished goalless following extra-time. So many people packed Doha’s […]
Samurai spirit: Japan explodes with World Cup joy
by Harumi OZAWA / Atish PATEL Agence France-Presse TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — As the final whistle blew on Japan’s shock victory over Spain, thrilled fans flooded onto Tokyo’s Shibuya Scramble crossing to celebrate a win few had dared to dream of. “Japan, bravo! Japan, bravo!”, they cheered after the 2-1 victory, singing the popular “Vamos Nippon” football chant and waving the country’s flag. Dressed in their team’s blue kit, some with hats against the morning […]
Lula win offers hope for climate change fight: Spain
Madrid, Spain | AFP | Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Monday hailed Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s victory in Brazil’s presidential election, urging the two nations to work together to fight climate change. “Congratulations Lula on your victory… Let’s work together for social justice, equality and against climate change,” Sanchez tweeted. “Your success will be the success of the Brazilian people.” Ahead of the vote, in which former leftist leader Lula defeated Jair Bolsonaro, […]





