Spain and Portugal have detected around 30 suspected cases of monkeypox, officials said Wednesday after British authorities found several cases of the viral infection which is rare in Europe. Health officials have noted some of the UK infections may be through sexual contact — in this instance among gay or bisexual men — which would be a new development in understanding transmission of the virus. The World Health Organization said Tuesday it was coordinating with […]
Tag: Spain
Spain to expel around 25 Russian diplomats
Spain will expel around 25 Russian diplomats and embassy staff over the Russian invasion of Ukraine, following similar moves by Germany and France, Spain’s foreign minister said Tuesday. “The unbearable images we have seen of the massacre of civilians in the town of Bucha after the withdrawal of the Russian army deeply outrage us,” Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares said in a reference to a town outside Kyiv. The Russian diplomats and staff “represent a […]
Thousands protest over soaring prices across Spain
MADRID, Spain (AFP) — Thousands of demonstrators hit the streets across Spain on Saturday in protest at the soaring cost of food, light and fuel, which have been exacerbated by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The rallies, which took place in Spain’s main cities, were called by the far-right Vox party which sought to tap into growing social discontent over the spiralling cost of living that has left many families struggling to pay their bills. […]
Spain to send ‘military hardware’ to ‘Ukraine resistance’
MADRID, Spain (AFP) — Spain will supply “offensive military hardware” to Ukraine following Russia’s invasion of its pro-Western neighbor, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez told parliament on Wednesday. “I… want to announce to you that Spain will also deliver offensive military hardware to the Ukrainian resistance,” Sanchez said. Until now, Spain had said it would send military support only as part of a wider package unveiled by the European Union on Sunday, in which Brussels agreed […]
Tech firms flock to Spain trade show in shadow of Russia war
by Joseph Boyle and Valentin Bontemps Agence France-Presse BARCELONA, Spain (AFP) – One of the technology industry’s biggest annual get-togethers is set to kick off in the Spanish city of Barcelona on Monday, under the shadow of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The Mobile World Congress, where smartphone and telecoms companies show off their latest products and reveal their strategic visions, is expected to welcome more than 40,000 guests over its four-day run. Organisers hope to […]
Spain, Denmark oppose EU green label for gas, nuclear
MADRID, Spain (AFP) – Spain and Denmark reiterated Monday their opposition to plans by the European Union to label gas and nuclear energy projects as green investments, an issue that has divided the bloc. The two nations believe such a move would send “the wrong message to investors and society as a whole”, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez told a joint news conference in Madrid with his Danish counterpart Mette Frederiksen. The European Commission drafted […]
Spain, Portugal hit by winter drought
by Levi FERNANDES Agence France-Presse PAMPILHOSA DA SERRA, Portugal (AFP) – In central Portugal, a sustained drought has revealed the ruins of a village that was totally submerged underwater when a large reservoir was created nearly 70 years ago. “I have never seen that!” says Carlos Perdigao, 76, as he gazes at the ruined stone houses of Vilar which were swallowed up by the Zezere river when a dam was opened in 1954. Vilar stands […]
Spain to drop obligatory use of masks outdoors
MADRID, Spain (AFP) — Spain will end the mandatory use of face masks outdoors on February 8, a minister said Friday, ending a measure reimposed in late December to tackle a surge in Omicron cases. The measure will be approved at Tuesday’s cabinet meeting, Health Minister Carolina Darias told Cadena Ser radio. Spain first imposed obligatory mask-wearing outdoors in May 2020, but lifted it in June last year, although wearing a face covering was still […]
Five dead in fire at Spain retirement home
MADRID, Spain (AFP) — Five people have died and several were injured after a fire early Wednesday morning at a retirement home in eastern Spain, emergency services said. The fire broke out around midnight Tuesday at the facility in Moncada in Valencia, with six fire engines deployed, the region’s firefighters tweeted. They said “five people are dead”, while 11 people were taken to hospital because of smoke inhalation. Firefighters had to rescue 25 people from […]
PHL includes 6 countries in COVID-19 “red” list
(Eagle News) — The Philippines has included six countries under its “red” list amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the Palace has announced. According to Acting Spokesperson Karlo Nograles, included in the list are Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique and Namibia, and Spain. With their inclusion, travelers from such places are not allowed to enter the country, unless they are on board repatriation flights organized by the Philippine government and its partners. Meanwhile, the following countries are included […]
Beneath La Palma volcano, scientists collect lava ‘to learn’
by Rosa Sulleiro Agence France-Presse EL PASO, Spain (AFP) – As soon as he heard that La Palma’s volcano had erupted, Australian geologist Matt Pankhurst loaded his microscope into his car and raced to catch a ferry to the Spanish island. Like other scientists around the world, he was eager to get a first-hand look at the rare and valuable data spilling out of the Cumbre Vieja volcano off Africa’s northwest coast. “It’s a huge […]
Volcanic eruption on Spanish island shows signs of ending
Spain (AFP) — A volcanic eruption on the Spanish island of La Palma has shown its first sign it might be coming to an end after nearly three months, scientists said Wednesday, although they could not rule out a new flare up in activity. The eruption of the Cumbre Viejo volcano has ebbed and flowed since it first began spewing lava on September 19, forcing the evacuation of over 7,000 people and destroying nearly 3,000 […]
