Pope Leo XIV began a weeklong visit to Spain by urging people to reject polarisation and defend peace. The trip includes a youth rally in Madrid, an address to parliament, a visit to the Sagrada Familia and a stop in the Canary Islands focused on migration.
Posts tagged as “Madrid”
Seventeen Americans evacuated from a hantavirus-affected cruise ship have arrived in Nebraska for monitoring, with two passengers showing signs of infection. The rare Andes strain involved is transmissible between humans, but officials stress the public risk remains low.
A hantavirus outbreak aboard the Dutch cruise ship M/V Hondius has led to nine cases and three deaths, prompting international quarantine and monitoring efforts. The Andes virus strain involved can spread between people through close contact and causes severe respiratory illness.
A significant power outage affected multiple regions in Spain and Portugal, disrupting essential services and infrastructure, including metro stations and the Spanish parliament. Efforts to restore electricity were underway, with Red Electrica and E-Redes focusing on phased reconnections, particularly in the northern and southern regions of Spain. The outage caused major traffic disruptions, especially in Madrid, and highlighted the vulnerability of critical infrastructure to such incidents.
Alejandro Vidal-Quadras, a veteran Spanish right-wing politician, was shot in the face in broad daylight on a central Madrid street on Thursday. The shooter is believed to have fled the scene on a motorbike, and Vidal-Quadras' life is not in danger. Outrage has ensued in Spain, with Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez condemning the attack and calling for an investigation.
Spanish police have arrested a man suspected of sexually assaulting a journalist while she was live on air. Isa Balado, a reporter for Spanish broadcaster Cuatro, was reporting on an armed robbery when the man walked up behind her and appeared to touch her bottom. The incident has sparked outrage from government ministers and an investigation is underway, with the Spanish government calling for tougher measures to protect journalists from similar attacks.
Spanish state prosecutors have filed a lawsuit against Luis Rubiales, the suspended president of the Spanish soccer federation, for sexual assault and coercion. The charges stem from an incident after the Women's World Cup final in Sydney, Australia, when Rubiales kissed player Jenni Hermoso without her consent. If found guilty, Rubiales could face a fine or a prison sentence of one to four years. Rubiales has refused to resign and is contesting the charges, sparking a debate in Spain about the need for greater respect for women in sports.
Spain's national elections on Sunday left the country in political gridlock, with neither the right nor the left able to secure a majority. The Socialists, who finished in second place, were able to call on the predicted 31 seats of the left-wing Sumar, or Joining Forces alliance, and several smaller parties, giving them a combined total of 172 seats. This means that neither side has a clear path toward forging a new government, leaving the country in a state of political uncertainty with no clear majority.