Spain

12 August 2024, Greece, Athen: Forest fire in Ano Patima near Penteli in the northern Athens region. Just a few kilometers north-east of the Greek capital, firefighters are battling countless fires over an area of around 200 square kilometers. The government has now asked the EU for support. Photo: Socrates Baltagiannis/ (Photo by Socrates Baltagiannis/picture alliance via Getty Images)

August 13, 2024 1:19 PM

Wildfire fanned by gales menaces Athens suburbs as residents flee

Greece's worst wildfire this year spread into the Athens suburbs on Monday, forcing hundreds of people to flee as it torched trees, homes and cars and choked busy roads with smoke and ash. The government called for help from fellow EU members to tackle the fire that was burning out of control for a second day, fanned by gale force winds that pushed it from the wooded hills north of the city. Firefighters said flames, threatening apartment blocks, schools and businesses, had reached the deepest...

June 26, 2024 9:32 PM

Paraguay becomes 100th member of International Solar Alliance

Paraguay has become the 100th country to join the International Solar Alliance (ISA) as a full member. The South American nation officially handed over its Instrument of Ratification to the ISA in New Delhi on Wednesday. The ceremony took place during a meeting between Paraguay's Ambassador to India, Fleming Raul Duarte, and Abhishek Singh, Joint Secretary of Economic Diplomacy and States Division at India's Ministry of External Affairs. Singh, who serves as the Head of Depository for the ISA, ...

June 6, 2024 3:05 PM

Spain to intervene in South Africa’s Gaza genocide case at World Court

Spain will request to intervene in South Africa's genocide case against Israel's actions in Gaza at the International Court of Justice, its foreign minister Jose Manuel Albares said on Thursday. Spain follows Ireland, which also announced it would intervene in the case. "We are doing it because of our commitment to international law, in our desire to support the court in its work and strengthen the United Nations, supporting the role of the court as the maximum legal entity in the system," Alb...

June 5, 2024 5:36 PM

Spain tightens protections for children on smartphones

Spain announced measures on Tuesday to ensure parental controls on smartphones by default as part of new steps to protect children from the harmful effects of social media. The government will also criminalise the creation of "deepfake" AI-generated images involving sexual content and the sharing of pornographic material with children, Justice Minister Feliz Bolanos told reporters after a cabinet meeting. The age of data protection consent would be raised from 14 to 16 and a digital restrainin...

May 28, 2024 10:46 PM

Spain, Ireland and Norway recognise Palestinian statehood

Spain, Ireland and Norway officially recognised a Palestinian state on Tuesday, prompting an angry reaction from Israel, which has found itself increasingly isolated after more than seven months of conflict in Gaza. Madrid, Dublin and Oslo said they sought to accelerate efforts to secure a ceasefire in Israel's war with Hamas in Gaza. The three countries say they hope their decision will spur other European Union countries to follow suit. "It's the only way of advancing toward what everyone re...

PUIGPUNYET, SPAIN - APRIL 18: A general view of residential properties in the hills and countryside on April 18, 2024 in Puigpunyent, Mallorca. (Photo by John Keeble/Getty Images)

May 27, 2024 10:59 AM

Thousands protest against mass tourism in Spain’s Balearic Islands

Thousands of people protested in Spain's Balearic Islands on Saturday against mass tourism ahead of the summer season. Holding posters reading SOS Residents, Enough Mass Tourism, protesters marched through Palma de Mallorca, the capital of the largest Balearic Island. About 10,000 demonstrators took part, a Spanish National police spokesperson said. A smaller protest with a few hundred people was staged in Menorca. "We want the authorities to stop people who have not lived here more than five...

May 22, 2024 3:41 PM

Ireland, Spain, Norway announce recognition of Palestinian state

Ireland, Spain and Norway announced on Wednesday that they would recognise a Palestinian state on May 28, saying they hoped other Western countries would follow suit, prompting Israel to recall its ambassadors. Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said the move was aimed at accelerating efforts to secure a ceasefire in Israel's war with Hamas in Gaza. "We hope that our recognition and our reasons contribute to other western countries to follow this path because the more we are, the more stre...

April 29, 2024 3:24 PM

Spain’s Sanchez says he will stay on as PM

Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on Monday (April 29) that after a period of reflection about his future he had decided to continue as the country's leader. Sanchez, in power since 2018, had shocked the nation last week when he announced in a public letter on X he was taking time out from his duties to reflect on whether it was worth carrying on as prime minister. It followed news that a court had opened an investigation into allegations of influence peddling and corruption by his wif...