Spain

BARCELONA, Spain, Nov. 8 (Xinhua) -- A new edition of the Gastronomic Forum Barcelona (GFB) is being held from Monday to Wednesday, championing respect for biodiversity as the foundation of the food sector.

The GFB brings together up to 20,000 professionals from the world of food and gastronomy, with more than 350 exhibiting companies, large and small, showcasing the latest innovations in the sector.

BARCELONA, Nov 7 (Reuters) - The Barcelona port stevedores' union has refused to load and unload any military material amid the war in Gaza and urged the protection of civilian populations in areas of conflict, following a similar move by Belgian transport unions last week.

The decision on Monday is mostly symbolic and seeks to encourage other Spanish ports to follow suit, the secretary of the OEPB union, Josep Maria Deop, told Reuters on Tuesday.

The OEPB is the only union representing the 1,200 stevedores at Barcelona's port.

26 October 2023; MEMO: Spain’s acting Minister of Social Rights, Ione Belarra, called on European countries to sever diplomatic relations with Israel and impose an arms embargo and economic sanctions.

Belarra said in a post on X yesterday, that it is still possible to stop the “genocide” and also called for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and all other political leaders, who bombed civilians in the Gaza Strip, to be brought before the International Criminal Court.

MADRID (AP) — Spanish police said Monday they have confiscated 11 pieces of ancient gold jewelry that were taken out of Ukraine illegally in 2016.

A police statement said five people who were attempting to sell the pieces in Spain have been arrested in recent weeks. Those arrested included two Ukrainians, one of them an Orthodox Church priest, and three Spaniards.

The jewelry was said to be worth 60 million euros ($64 million) and dated from between the eighth and fourth centuries B.C.

16 October 2023; MEMO: Spain’s acting Social Rights Minister suggested taking Israel to the International Criminal Court for “war crimes,” local media reported.

Ione Belarra shared a video accusing the European Union and the US of “being complicit in Israel’s war crimes,” the Spanish daily, El Mundo, said on Sunday.

13 October 2023; MEMO: Spain’s deputy Prime Minister, Yolanda Diaz, on Friday called on the international community to put pressure on Israel to avoid “a massacre” in Gaza, Anadolu Agency reports.

Her statement came after Israeli forces warned more than 1 million residents in the north of Gaza to move south within 24 hours.

BARCELONA, Oct 8 (Reuters) - Waving Spanish and Catalan flags, tens of thousands of people marched through Barcelona on Sunday to protest against a potential amnesty deal which Spain's Socialists must strike over Catalonia's 2017 separatist bid if they want to form a government.

The protest, organised by the anti-separatist organisation Societat Civil Catalana, took place five days after Spain's acting Socialist prime minister was nominated to seek backing of other political parties for a new mandate.

GRANADA, Spain, Oct. 6 (Xinhua) -- Leaders of the European Union (EU) member states met here on Friday for an informal summit to discuss the bloc's future strategy and enlargement.

Discussions include the future Strategic Agenda 2024-2029 and preparation for the bloc's next enlargement, according to the Spanish presidency of the EU Council.

MADRID, Oct 5 (NNN-AGENCIES) — A wildfire raging on Spain’s holiday island of Tenerife amid unseasonably hot temperatures forced the evacuation on Wednesday of around 3,000 people from their homes, local officials said.

Firefighters backed by six water-dropping helicopters were battling the blaze which broke out on Wednesday afternoon in an area of steep ravines in the northeast of the island that was badly ravaged by a huge wildfire in August, the regional government of Tenerife said.

GRANADA, Spain (AP) — Almost 50 European leaders used a summit in the southern Spanish city of Granada on Thursday to stress they stand by Ukraine at a time when Western resolve appears somewhat weakened.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that besides maintaining such unity, more military aid to get through the winter was just as essential.