Europe Calling

Police are hunting thieves who stole more than 40 exclusive bottles of wine from a famous Spanish restaurant hotel including one worth an estimated £262,000. The Chateau d'Yquem 1806, bought by the owners in an auction more than 20 years ago at Christie's London, was the most valuable of the wines taken. A man in Murcia was shocked to receive his monthly telephone bill showing a total of €19,500. The bill was eventually cancelled by the telephone company after a consumer organisation got involved in the dispute. The first fine for charging tenants a rent price above the limit set out by Catalan law has been handed out in Barcelona. Esteve and two other colleagues rented an apartment in Barcelona last December, paying €1,200 per month. That is until they discovered, with the help of the Sindicat de Llogateres (Tenant Union), that the price was €250 higher than the Catalan income containment law allows. A research group from the Severo Ochoa Molecular Biology Centre (CBMSO) has revealed the results of a study they conducted. It was published in the specialist publication, Cell Reports. This joint study by the Autonomous University of Madrid (UAM), and the Higher Council for Scientific Research (CSIC), has shown the therapeutic potential of a mouse parvovirus to infect and destroy human glioblastoma stem cells. Pilar Mateo, a Spanish researcher from the University of Valencia, with a PhD in Chemistry, has come up with a very effective form of prevention to control and eliminate insects – insecticidal paint! Throughout the world, mainly in tropical and equatorial regions, insect-borne diseases are a very serious problem. They cost the lives of hundreds of thousands of people every year, and at this time, there are no effective vaccines or treatments for most of them.The ongoing coronavirus pandemic has prompted many people to be more concerned about their health and diet. 86 per cent of Spaniards have admitted to this. Spaniards are far more concerned about their diet since the pandemic began than Germans, the British, the French and other nationalities.A staggering 63 per cent of Spaniards are aiming to “eat healthier” than they did before the pandemic began. Return of the handshake. The handshake is set to return after being “banned” early on in the coronavirus pandemic. Prime Minister Boris Johnson tested positive for the coronavirus only three weeks after having bragged about shaking hands “with everyone” at a hospital.Throughout the pandemic, many people have focused on hand hygiene. For many people, it is their natural instinct to shake someone’s hand when they meet. For months now people have avoided handshakes. It looks like now though the handshake is set to make its return.

According to La Razon, Klaudia Tanner asserted that the question was not whether there was going to be a blackout, but rather that “the question is when it will be”. Portugal’s political situation is hanging by a thread. This is after the country’s Socialist Party minority government failed to secure the necessary support from other parties for its 2022 state budget to be approved. As a result, a snap election could well be called by President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, which would be two years ahead of time. Poland has been ordered to pay a penalty of 1 million euros (£845,000) per day until it complies with the European Union's top court's order to scrap disciplinary rules for judges. The Court of Justice of the European Union delivered the decision on Wednesday to prevent what it called 'serious and irreparable harm' to the EU's legal order and values amid an increasingly bitter row over the rule of law. Spanish railway company Renfe wants to begin a high-speed train service between Paris and London. The company said it wants to take advantage of slots still available in the tunnel under the English Channel, it was reported on Tuesday. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has committed to abolishing prostitution in Spain via a comprehensive law that he is planning to present before his term in office ends. Due to the way that the sector operates and the links it has to organized crime, prostitution has become a destabilizing factor, but above all else, it represents a dramatic situation in the center of societies and for the very human condition. Just before the finish line at the Condaca Salmor cycle race on the island of El Hierro in the Canary Islands on Saturday. But footage shows that as the front- runner raced towards victory, a woman stepped out into the road and caused a brutal collision. It was reported that the woman was treated at the scene but the unlucky rider, who had already been robbed of his win, was taken to hospital with a head injury. Investigation launched into killer whale attacks in Spain Scientists in Spain are puzzled about the huge rise in killer whale attacks in recent years A study has been launched to investigate the rising incidence of killer whale.. Low cost petrol stations in high demand in Spain. One in eight service stations in Spain is now fully automated Soaring oil prices around the globe have led to a huge increase in the cost of petrol and diesel in Spain.. New Traffic Law in Spain lets learners take their theory test online Those wanting a new Spanish driving licence can also take the theory test in English A new Law on Traffic, Vehicle Circulation and Road Safety being passed in the Spanish.. Transport sector in Spain threatens strikes over tolls.....Spain intends to implement a pay system on highways by 2024 Several months have passed since the Spanish government announced its intention to implement tolls on high-capacity.. Animal ID to be introduced in Spain next year..........The new DNI identification requirement will apply to all dogs and cats in Spain The Spanish government has announced a wave of new measures to advance the rights of companion Transport sector in Spain threatens strikes over tolls Spain intends to implement a pay system on highways by 2024 Several months have passed since the Spanish government announced its intention to implement tolls on high-capacity.. Spain will make it easier for unaccompanied young migrants to obtain residence and work permits. Under new rules, young migrants will be entitled to documents after three months in Spain, instead of the current nine months.

@vincetracy and @ericmalpus discussed the banner on display at #CrystalPalace where the visitors were #Newcastle. The police have been asked to investigate and have decided no action is necessary

Counter terrorism officers are tonight leading the investigation into the murder of Tory MP Sir David Amess, as forces across the country are being urged to launch an 'immediate review' of security for politicians. News from Norway as a bow-and-arrow attacker who killed five people in Norway was a Muslim convert who was known to police for radicalisation, officers have said, as they revealed he escaped arrest before going on to kill five people. Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez of the Socialist Party (PSOE), who heads a leftist coalition, was booed by members of the public as he arrived at Castellana boulevard in Madrid on Tuesday morning, Spain's Natopnal Day. The jeers continued during the military parade, with the public yelling “get out” and “resign, Sánchez.” In Spain, October 12 also marks a relevant religious festivity, the day of la Virgen del Pilar (Our Lady of the Pillar), a representation of the Virgin Mary that is considered the patron saint of the Spanish city of Zaragoza.

A neo-Nazi march in Madrid has created concern over the rise of homophobia in Spain. Around 200 people gathered on Saturday in the gay- friendly neighborhood of Chueca, known as the center of Spain’s annual Pride celebrations...... set off flares, carried signs with far-right symbols and expressed their contempt for unaccompanied migrant minors and migrants more broadly. ............ Sources from the central government’s delegation in Madrid said it had authorized the demonstration on the understanding it was an anti-government march, not a homophobic, neo-Nazi protest. In UK The UK is hosting a summit that is seen as crucial if climate change is to be brought under control. The meeting in Glasgow from 31 October to 12 November could lead to major changes to our everyday lives. Sir Keir Starmer today said a Labour MP was wrong to say that 'only women have a cervix'. Rosie Duffield, the MP for Canterbury, has opted to stay away from the Labour Party's annual conference in Brighton amid online threats from trans activists who view her remarks as discriminatory. Ministers are closing in on a deal that could kick China off a project to build a £20bn nuclear power station on the Suffolk coast and pump in tens of millions of pounds of taxpayer cash instead – a move that would heighten geopolitical tensions.

The President of the Spanish Government, Pedro Sanchez, stood up before the plenary session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York today, Thursday, September 23, and warned that he believes “democracy is threatened”, calling for its “defence”, as the only alternative against any totalitarian, exclusive and intolerant drift”.

LOW KEY celebrations for Gibraltar National Day September 10 2021 due to the aftermath of the pandemic. Traditionally, Gibraltar makes a huge show of celebrating National Day with thousands of locals and visitors teeming into Casemates Square wearing red and white to listen to speeches and enjoy musical entertainment as they celebrate their identity.

SPAIN must urgently change its rules on how much British pensioners need to earn to live there or its economy will suffer badly, a leading ex-pat said to The Express. Speaking from the Expat Centre in Costa Blanca South, Moira Carmenate said she was “surprised” that Spain hadn’t dropped its requirement for pensioners to prove an annual earning of more than £21,000 (€24,697). Spain is a second home to many criminal groups, in particular the Italian mafia. The recent arrests of two mafia bosses highlight this trend. At the beginning of August, Domenico Paviglianiti, a high-ranking member of the ‘Ndrangheta mafia group, was arrested in Madrid, where he had been hiding after being wrongly released from prison in Italy. Forgotten, lost or collected: Spaniards hang on to peseta coins and banknotes worth €1.6 billion The deadline to exchange the former currency for euros has now passed, but unlike in countries such as France or Portugal, a surprisingly large amount has not been returned.

A 600.000 euro bill to replace burned containers in Valencia angers city officials because the money could be better used elsewhere. In the last two years 518 containers in Valencia have been destroyed in acts of vandalism, 278 standard, gray containers, 165 containers for paper and cardboard, and 75 for plastic. According to the City Council, most of them were burned. The search for quality land in the Province is reminiscent of the days of land grabs in the United States, with various companies outbidding each other to be able to instal the solar park. The situation became so serious that people began organising in opposition to the new land owners, attempting to educate the public and anyone who would listen about how dangerous uncontrolled solarization of Valencia Community can be for the environment. Despite Government guidance recommending they are worn in 'crowded and enclosed spaces', all but two frontbench ministers - Michael Gove and security minister Damian Hinds - declined to wear a mask. MPs were crammed shoulder-to-shoulder into the House for the first time since March last year to debate the situation in Afghanistan and were not required to socially distance or wear a mask.

Spain is the number one country for Erasmus exchange students, and Valencia University is Europe’s most desired university… Valencia has become a favourite among European students participating in the Erasmus exchange programme, according to European Commission data. In the municipality of Tijarafe, on the island of La Palma, one of the Canary Islands, located among pine and almond trees in the northwest corner of the island, you can discover one of the most incredible sights, Poris de Candelaria, the ‘town within a cave’, overlooking the deep blue of the Atlantic Ocean, where it is not unusual to regularly spot whales or dolphins.

The price of electricity in Spain has been rising for more than a year, but on July 21st 2021, it reached a new historic high of €106.57 / MWh, according to data from the Iberian Electricity Market Operator (OMIE). This amid an economic crisis due to the Covid-19 pandemic and a national heatwave, has dealt another blow to Spanish pockets and has caused a wave of complaints. SPANISH town of Otero de Sanabria gets its own AVE train station for its 24 inhabitants Alfonso Fernandez Mañueco, the President of Castilla y Leon, accompanied by Raquel Sanchez, the Minister of Public Works, on Thursday, July 22, inaugurated the AVE new train station in the small town of Otero de Sanabria, which has just 24 inhabitants, who, after several months of seeing trains passing for Galicia, can now take advantage of the four daily services to Madrid and Galicia. In the UK This is the election that will determine the future of Labour — and perhaps whether it continues to exist as a party at all. No, not a plan to unseat Sir Keir Starmer — but the race to succeed 'Red Len' McCluskey as the leader of Unite, the 1.4-million strong trade union that the Corbyn-supporting McCluskey

From July 1, the European Union is going to put into use a “coronavirus passport” that will allow its citizens to travel across the 27-country bloc without the need for quarantines – assuming the epidemiological situation does not take a new turn for the worse. The “EU Digital Covid Certificate,” as the scheme is known, is seeking to standardize the documents issued by each country so that they can be recognized by each member.

Nuria Montes, general secretary of Hosbec, the hoteliers association of Benidorm and the Costa Blanca, made a scathing attack of the UK’s criteria for classifying countries in their traffic light system and accused Prime Minister Boris Johnson of protectionism. Emiliano García-Page, president of Castilla-La Mancha, has said that his government is planning to end the compulsory use of face masks outdoors in the region by July. According to a recent study published in early April 2021, by researchers Adrià Miralles- Núñez, Carlos Pradera and Juan A. Pujol, a new insect – Zelus renardii – with a powerful bite, has been detected in some of the autonomous communities of Spain, namely, the Valencian Community, Madrid and Cádiz, but they forecast that it will quickly spread to other regions of the country.

Eitan Biran, five, the sole survivor of a horror cable car crash in Italy which killed his parents,brother and great-grandparents, was protected by father Amit who 'wrapped his son in aninstinctive embrace', medics said........plus much more news from Spain and UK

Eitan Biran, five, the sole survivor of a horror cable car crash in Italy which killed his parents,brother and great-grandparents, was protected by father Amit who 'wrapped his son in aninstinctive embrace', medics said........plus much more news from Spain and UK