Spain

Couple jailed for stealing $1.7m worth of wine

The incident happened in 2021 at a luxury hotel in the Spanish city of Cáceres, where the couple were staying as guests.

BBC reports the couple later fled, but they were arrested nine months later at the Croatia-Montenegro border and returned to Spain.

None of the wine has been recovered.

The court named the couple only as Tatania and Estanislao, but they have been identified by Spanish media as Priscila Guevara and Constantín Dumitru.

According to the court, Tatania checked into the exclusive Atrio hotel in October 2021 using a fake Swiss passport.

Thousands escape wildfires in France, Spain and Greece

More than 11,000 people have been forced to leave France's south-western Gironde region in the past few days.

Dozens of fires are burning in Portugal and Spain where temperatures have surged above 40C.

At least 281 deaths in both countries were linked to the heat and several towns in western Spain were evacuated.

Portuguese villagers were also told to flee when flames crossed the border from Spain.

Drug smuggling: Underwater drones seized by Spanish police

The unmanned submersibles are apparently capable of carrying up to 200kg (441lbs) of cargo.

As part of the 14-month investigation, eight people have been arrested in Cadiz, Malaga, and Barcelona.

Police say it means they have broken up a gang suspected of building the vehicles and supplying them to drug smugglers across Europe.

Spanish police say it is the first time they have discovered an underwater vehicle capable of being operated unmanned.

Spain's Rafael Nadal

The 13-time champion in Paris was hampered by a chronic foot injury as he failed to reach the quarter finals of the Rome Masters.

Nadal, who only recently returned from a stress fracture in his ribs, said he would take a doctor with him to Roland Garros.

 

Photo: PHOTOSPORT  Caption: Nadal with the Australian Open silverware 

     

Fiji pull out of sevens round because of Covid

The personnel who tested positive are "well and asymptomatic", FRU chief executive John O'Connor said, adding that the men's and women's teams were still hoping to compete in the following round in Seville from Jan. 28-30.

"Taking in consideration that the entire team are primary contacts ... teams have moved into the mandatory seven days isolation," O'Connor said.

Fiji's men's side, who defeated New Zealand to retain their Olympic Rugby Sevens gold in Tokyo last year, are sixth in the standings, while the women's team are second, four points behind leaders Australia.

Flying Fijians include five new caps to face Spain

Tokyo Olympics sevens gold medallists Aminiasi Tuimaba, Jiuta Wainiqolo and Vilimoni Botitu will start on the wings and at centre.

Meanwhile, 2016 gold medallist Masivesi Dakuwaqa and 20-year-old Stade Francais hooker Henry Spring are set to make their test debut off the bench.

Interim Flying Fijians head coach Gareth Baber knows Tuimaba, Wainiqolo and Botitu well from his five years' in charge of the sevens programme.

Spain sends troops as 8000 migrants enter enclave

Some 8000 people have reached Ceuta in two days, Spanish officials say.

They say the migrants - who include about 1500 minors - either swam around the border fences that jut out into the sea or walked across at low tide.

Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has vowed to restore order. Spain says around half of the migrants have been sent back to Morocco.

By Tuesday evening, footage of the beach showed that nearly all migrants had been cleared.

Sánchez travelled to Ceuta and Melilla to deal with the crisis, which exacerbated diplomatic tensions with Morocco.

Central Spain records temperatures of -25C after snowstorm

Officials have warned the elderly to stay at home.

At least seven people have died due to the weather - the two latest victims were homeless people in Barcelona.

The temperature plunged to -25C (-13F) in Molina de Aragón and Teruel, in mountains east of Madrid - Spain's coldest night for at least 20 years.

Deep snow left by Storm Filomena has turned to ice, disrupting transport. There has been an extraordinary quantity of snow and ice for Spain, where winters are usually quite mild.

     

Spain races to clear snow before temperatures drop

As much as 50cm (20 inches) of snow fell on Madrid, one of the worst hit areas, between Friday night and Saturday.

At least four people died and thousands of travellers were left stranded.

Forecasters have warned temperatures could plunge overnight on Sunday, turning the snow to perilous ice.

The Spanish government said it had taken extra steps - including police-escorted convoys - to ensure its expected shipment of some 300,000 coronavirus vaccines can be distributed as planned to regional health authorities on Monday.

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Spain drives fears of European 'second wave'

Catalonia has closed its nightlife for two weeks but cities outside the north-eastern region are also seeing a surge.

France, which has seen a rise too, has issued a travel warning and Norway is quarantining arrivals from Spain.

Germany has also hit a two-month high on new infections, as nations grapple between staving off fresh outbreaks and reopening economies.

Travellers returning to the UK from Spain will have to quarantine for 14 days from Sunday, the BBC understands.