Authorities in the Ecuadorian city of Guayaquil have stopped a plane from landing by blocking its airport runway with trucks, cars and motorcycles. The Iberia plane had flown from Madrid to repatriate Spaniards after Ecuador closed its borders to foreign travellers. Guyaquil's mayor, Cynthia Viteri, called the repatriation effort ‘criminal’. ‘How is it possible that you were going to permit this crew to stay in the city with the most coronavirus cases?’ she said. Almost half of Ecuador’s 260 confirmed cases of Covid-19 were registered in Guayaquil
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Spain still paying bonuses to 115 police given medals by Franco
Pension top-ups criticised as it is revealed one officer has been accused of acts of torture
More than four decades after the death of the dictator Francisco Franco, the Spanish government has said it continues to pay bonuses to 115 police officers who were awarded medals during his regime, including one officer accused of multiple acts of torture.
The revelation came last week in response to a parliamentary question about a custom of boosting the pensions of officers who win awards. With each medal yielding a pension bonus of as much as 15%, the question asked how many now-retired officers had been given honours before 1979 and, as such, receive topped-up pensions from the Spanish government.
Continue reading...Coronavirus updates: WHO tells countries to ‘test, test, test’, as EU proposes 30-day travel ban – live news
Director-general of World Health Organization says ‘We cannot fight a fire blindfolded’ and urges governments to test public; US measures ramped up; Germany closes shops. Follow the latest news
- Boris Johnson warns UK population to avoid non-essential contact
- Health experts criticise NHS advice to take ibuprofen
- Exclusive: IOC rules out staging Olympics behind closed doors
- Anger in Germany as Trump seeks exclusive vaccine access
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Angela Merkel has announced a raft of further drastic measures to curb the spread of the Covid-19 virus in Germany, including the closure of places of worship, playgrounds and non-essential shops.
Speaking at a press conference in Berlin on Monday afternoon, the German chancellor issued new guidelines for restricting social gatherings, which the country’s federal state are expected to enforce in the coming days. She said:
These are measures that we have never had in our country, but they are necessary to reduce the number of illnesses and severe illnesses and avoid overwhelming our health services.
The more individuals stick to these rules, the quicker we will get through this phase. The benchmark [for these measures] isn’t what we want to do, but what scientists tell us is the right response”.
Canada’s prime minister, Justin Trudeau, says he will close his country’s border to foreigners. Only four Canadian airports will be allowed to accept international flights, he said.
The closure will not apply to commerce or trade, Trudeau said.
HAPPENING NOW: I’m speaking from Rideau Cottage about the rapidly evolving COVID-19 outbreak and announcing significant new measures we’re taking to protect your health and keep you safe. Watch live: https://t.co/ZWtPbeNPVk
Continue reading...Coronavirus: at a glance
A summary of the biggest developments in the global coronavirus outbreak
Key developments in the global coronavirus outbreak today include:
Continue reading...Coronavirus: more than 100 million Europeans on lockdown – video report
More than 100 million Europeans are living under lockdown after Spain joined Italy in imposing a national quarantine to combat coronavirus, with a wave of further restrictions on travel coming into effect worldwide.
The World Health Organization announced that Europe was the new centre of the Covid-19 outbreak, with hundreds of thousands of cases. The UK is yet to impose the level of restrictions seen in the rest of Europe but the health secretary, Matt Hancock, has said new measures will be announced in the coming weeks
- Coronavirus – latest updates
- Germany seals its borders as 100m Europeans on lockdown
- UK supermarkets appeal for calm as shelves empty
- Spain's streets turn eerily quiet following coronavirus lockdown
Madrid claps for healthcare workers amid coronavirus lockdown – video
People living in Madrid stood on balconies and leaned out of windows to clap and cheer doctors and healthcare workers on Saturday evening following a campaign launched on social media to show appreciation after the Spanish government declared a state of emergency over the coronavirus.
People have been ordered to stay at home for two weeks unless they have to buy food or medicine or go to work or hospital as Spain has become the country most affected by the coronavirus in Europe after Italy.
Coronavirus latest updates: all arrivals in Australia must self-isolate for 14 days, says PM
Trump tests negative while Spanish PM’s wife tests positive; France and Israel announce partial closure of country; scientists condemn UK ‘herd immunity’ strategy. Follow live news
- All overseas arrivals in Australia must self-isolate for 14 days
- Virus sparks calls to extend Brexit transition
- Jet2 planes turn back in mid-air as firm cancels Spain flights
- Teaching union asks PM why schools are not being closed
- Newborn baby tests positive for coronavirus in London
- See all of our coronavirus coverage
The US city of Hoboken, across the Hudson River from New York City, has announced a night curfew starting 16 March and ordered bars and restaurants to conduct only delivery services amid the ongoing coronavirus outbreak.
An Uzbek citizen has tested positive for coronavirus after returning from France, Uzbekistan’s Healthcare Ministry said on Sunday, marking the first infection from the virus in the Central Asian country of 34 million.
Coronavirus latest updates: Trump gives briefing as Ohio and Illinois go into lockdown
Number of UK deaths rises to 35 while other countries introduce stricter new measures
- Health experts fear epidemic will ‘let rip’ through UK
- Johnson urged to launch daily coronavirus press briefings
- 100m Europeans on lockdown as countries battle coronavirus
- Coronavirus latest: at a glance
- See all of our coronavirus coverage
Here comes Donald Trump.
Speaking of which:
California governor Gavin Newsom announces that the state's bars, nightclubs, breweries and wineries be closed.
Continue reading...Jet2 planes turn around in mid-air as firm cancels Spain flights
LOT Polish Airlines has also suspended flights from Poland and Hungary for 10 days
Jet2 planes heading to Spain turned back in mid-air on Saturday as the airline cancelled all flights to the country because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The decision follows a sharp increase in infections in Spain and a rise in the death toll to 120. The government has declared a two-week state of emergency and placed 60,000 people in four towns under mandatory lockdown on Friday.
Continue reading...‘Do not let this fire burn’: WHO warns Europe over coronavirus
Europe now centre of pandemic, says WHO, as Spain prepares for state of emergency
The World Health Organization has stepped up its calls for intensified action to fight the coronavirus pandemic, imploring countries “not to let this fire burn”, as Spain said it would declare a 15-day state of emergency from Saturday.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the WHO director general, said Europe – where the virus is present in all 27 EU states and has infected 25,000 people – had become the centre of the epidemic, with more reported cases and deaths than the rest of the world combined apart from China.
Continue reading...Catalonia pays €3m to firms linked to theory Shakespeare was Catalan
Media companies linked to institute that also claims Leonardo da Vinci, Cervantes and Columbus were Catalan
The Catalan government had paid €3m (£2.6m) in subsidies to media companies with close links to a body that claims that Shakespeare, Cervantes and Columbus – among others – were Catalan.
The figures were revealed in a parliamentary answer given by Pere Aragonès, the Catalan vice-president, who said the money had been paid since 2012 to two media companies owned by Albert Codinas, the joint founder and current president of the New History Institute (INH) – one of which shares an address with it.
Continue reading...British residents in Spain ‘confused and alarmed’ about post-Brexit future
Lack of information has left thousands of expats confused about status, study shows
Britons living in Spain are confused and fearful about their post-Brexit futures “to a quite shocking extent”, according to the author of a study, with poor support and communication from British and Spanish authorities mainly to blame.
Despite the withdrawal agreement securing the basic rights of UK citizens legally resident on the continent, Karen O’Reilly, a sociology professor at Loughborough University, said her research revealed “enormous levels of uncertainty and worry”.
Continue reading...Spain: huge haul of methamphetamine found in marble blocks
Five people held after 752kg of drug found in 25-tonne blocks imported from Mexico
Police in Spain have seized 752kg of methamphetamine after breaking up a gang that was smuggling the drug into the country by hiding it in special cavities drilled into huge blocks of marble.
The investigation into Spain’s largest-ever methamphetamine seizure of the drug began last August after police and inland revenue officers noticed that a company was importing 25-tonne marble blocks from Mexico to the Spanish port of Valencia despite lacking the necessary resources and infrastructure.
Continue reading...Plácido Domingo says harassment apology gave ‘false impression’
Spanish opera singer says his words had been misunderstood after apology triggers backlash
Plácido Domingo has rowed back on an apology he made over sexual harassment allegations just two days earlier, after his mea culpa triggered a backlash and cancellations in Spain.
The Spanish opera singer, who faces multiple allegations of sexual harassment, apologised on Tuesday for “the hurt” caused to his accusers, saying he accepted “full responsibility” for his actions. But on Thursday, the 79-year-old insisted his words had been misunderstood.
Continue reading...Canary Islands sandstorm leaves tourists stranded – in pictures
A sandstorm forced the closure of airports on Spain’s Canary Islands at the weekend. Scores of flights were cancelled after strong winds carrying red sand from the Sahara shrouded the tourist hotspot and the regional government declared a state of alert. The national weather service warned that winds of up to 120km/h were set to buffet the Canaries until Monday
Continue reading...European court under fire for backing Spain’s express deportations
ECHR accused of ‘ignoring reality’ in ruling on men who entered north African enclave
The European court of human rights has been accused of “completely ignoring the reality” along the continent’s borders after it ruled that Spain acted lawfully when it summarily deported two people who tried to scale the border fence separating Morocco from Spanish territory six years ago.
The Strasbourg court announced its decision on Thursday in the case brought by the two men, who are from Mali and Ivory Coast.
Continue reading...Tropical Cyclone Damien brings heavy rain to Western Australia
Elsewhere in the country rainfall offered relief from the bushfires, but caused flash flooding as well
Tropical Cyclone Damien made landfall in Western Australia over the weekend and lashed north-western parts of Australia with heavy rain and damaging winds. Unrelated to the cyclone, eastern Australia also recently had some substantial rainfall totals. While rain came as welcome relief after the severe bushfires, flash floods have now swept across the region.
Storm Hervé marked the end of unseasonable warmth across parts of France and Germany last week as the system brought a cooler airmass, strong winds, and fresh, heavy snowfall to the Alps. Prior to this, south-west Europe as a whole was experiencing exceptional heat, and temperatures rocketed to 29.6C in Valencia in Spain on Tuesday, setting a new all-time February record.
Continue reading...Spain abandoning the poor despite economic recovery, says UN envoy
Special rapporteur says urgent action is needed to tackle ‘appallingly high’ poverty rates
Spain is abandoning people in poverty and failing to take social rights seriously despite its post-recession recovery, according to a UN expert who has finished a 12-day fact-finding visit to the country.
Philip Alston, the UN’s special rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, said that while Spain had largely bounced back from the economic crisis of 2008, poverty rates remained “appallingly high” and urgent action was required.
Continue reading...Air Canada plane makes emergency landing in Madrid
Boeing 767-300 suffers engine and tyre damage on takeoff from Barajas airport
An Air Canada Boeing 767 with 128 passengers onboard has made an emergency landing in Madrid due to technical problems after taking off from the city’s Barajas airport.
The Toronto-bound flight AC837 departed from the Spanish capital early on Monday afternoon but had to request an emergency return after one of its two engines was damaged and a tyre ruptured during takeoff. There was no immediate information as to what had caused the malfunction.
Continue reading...‘Why can’t we use a bear?’ Spanish startup shocked by Haribo legal threat
Founders of firm making alcoholic sweets left puzzled by trademark infringement claim
Small, sweet bears with the capacity to inflict a very sore head have triggered an intellectual property dispute involving a multinational confectioner, a trio of enterprising Spanish students and a shot or two of alcohol.
A couple of years ago, three friends studying in the Basque country experienced an epiphany: what if they combined their childhood love of sweets with their adult taste for alcohol? And what if the delivery system were a small, chewy bear?
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