Free Republic

Breaking with the stance of other Western countries, Israel decided on Monday not to express an official opinion on the issue of Catalan independence in the meantime, NRG reported. According to the report, Spain asked Israel over the weekend to publicly declare that it does not support Catalan independence, as part of Spain’s efforts to garner international consensus on the matter. Israel’s ambivalence is a departure from the opposition to Catalan independence declared by the EU and US. On Friday, US State Dept. spokeswoman Heather Nauert said in a statement that “Catalonia is an integral part of Spain, and the...

After the announcement last week that Spain, Norway and Ireland would recognize the state of Palestine, a visibly-delighted Palestinian Ambassador to the United Nations came to talk to the press. “We need somebody to take pictures,” Riyad Mansour said, ushering the Irish, Spanish and Norwegian envoys into an impromptu photoshoot just outside the UN Security Council. “A glorious day today,” Mr. Mansour declared as the four ambassadors stood shoulder-to-shoulder. […] All this, the supporters of Palestinian statehood hope, is gathering momentum towards the implementation of a two-state solution. That is not how Israel, nor its closest ally, the US, see...

MADRID (AP) – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Monday secured from Spain a pledge of additional air defense missiles to help fight the about 3,000 bombs that he says Russia launches every month at Ukraine in the third year of the war. However, Ukraine still urgently needs another seven U.S.-made Patriot air defense systems to stop Russia hitting the power grid and civilian areas, as well as military targets, with devastating glide bombs that wreak wide destruction, Zelenskyy said. “If we had these modern Patriot systems, (Russian) airplanes wouldn´t be able to fly close enough to drop the (glide) bombs...

Joel Bueno shed tears of joy as his four-legged guests entered the intensive care unit where he had been admitted due to a blood clot. Bueno, 34, said being showered with affection by therapy dogs Vida and Lu reminded him of his own dog back home. "It's great to have someone that loves you more than anything else in the world," he told Reuters with a broad smile. "They give everything for you, no matter how you are with them." The visit was part of a trial launched by the Hospital del Mar in Barcelona and the Affinity Foundation, which...

Irish Ambassador to Israel Sonya McGuinness was summoned to the Israeli Foreign Affairs Ministry in Jerusalem today and reprimanded over Ireland’s decision to recognize the State of Palestine. The ambassadors of Spain and Norway attended the same meeting for the same reason. Before any discussions, they were shown a previously unaired video of Hamas taking female army conscripts captive on 7 October last year. It is understood the Irish Government was disappointed at this, on the basis that it fell below the established procedures and practices regarding diplomatic engagement. What is believed to have been a “forthright exchange of views”...

The economy is experiencing a golden moment thanks to exports and tourism after cleaning up its accounts. But the country has paid a price in migration of qualified workers and reduction of public services. Ten years after the departure of the “men in black” — the international managers of the European Commission, International Monetary Fund and European Central Bank who cleaned up Portugal’s accounts with a machete, the country has emerged as the most diligent student in southern Europe. In 2023, for the first time, public debt fell below 100% of GDP (it stood at 98.7%) and there was a...

Tonight in Paris two police officers shot and seriously wounded inside a police station... The Russian military in Syria says that Russian military police blocked a convoy of the US-led military coalition... Pro-Palestinian demonstrations going on in Spain without violent incidents or police crackdowns... "There are few soldiers there. Observers, engineers" Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk discussing NATO's presence in Ukraine... Thousands gathered for a Pro-Palestinian protest in Malmo, Sweden... The mainstream media reporting on the Israel-Gaza situation noting Israeli strikes on the southern Gaza city of Rafah and a buildup of ground forces around it...And there are signs of...

Ireland, Spain and a number of other EU member states are considering 21 May as the date on which they will jointly recognize the State of Palestine, RTÉ News understands. Two sources have said that 21 May is being looked at. A third source said contacts between Dublin and Madrid, as well as between Slovenia and Malta, have been intensifying with a view to the countries jointly recognizing Palestinian statehood. […] Currently, eight EU member states recognize the State of Palestine, the most recent being Sweden in 2014. Ireland has been in ongoing discussions with “like-minded” states for a number...

The British Empire and other major European powers did not significantly enrich themselves through slavery and colonialism but rather may have taken a net loss as a result, a report has asserted. Contrary to narratives pushed by ‘anti-colonialism’ academics and promoted by leftist talking heads, Western capitalism was not built off the backs of colonialism and slavery, fresh research from Kristian Niemietz of the Institute of Economic Affairs claims. The head of Political Economy at the IEA argues that while some select elite families within Britain and other colonial powers profited immensely during the time, such gains were not felt...

Spain: Mutant cockroaches pose health risks Image of a cockroach. Credit: chaipanya/Shutterstock.com Recent findings suggest a disturbing trend in the genetic alterations of cockroaches, directly linked to ongoing climate changes. So far in 2024, Spain has reported a significant rise in cockroach infestations, with incidents increasing by 33 per cent compared to the previous year. Experts, including Jorge Galvan, director of the National Association of Environmental Health Companies (Anecpla), attribute this surge to the record temperatures that are accelerating the metabolic cycles of these pests, notably the Germanic cockroach, commonly found in homes and food-related businesses. Most Read on Euro...

Ireland is close to formally recognizing a Palestinian state and would like to do so in concert with Spain and other like-minded countries, its new prime minister Simon Harris said on Friday after meeting his Spanish counterpart Pedro Sanchez, reported the Reuters news agency. “Let me this evening say our assessment is that that point is coming much closer and we would like to move together in doing so,” Harris said after meeting Sanchez, the first premier to visit Dublin since Harris became prime minister this week. “When we move forward, we would like to do so with as many...

They are making men illegal. The former Spanish football chief Luis Rubiales faces a prison sentence of 30 months if convicted of charges of sexual assault and coercion. Rubiales grabbed and kissed footballer Jenni Hermoso at the Women's World Cup medal ceremony in August last year. He says it was consensual. She says it wasn't. But that's not the point. The point is that an area of life which has always been governed by manners, custom and judgement has now fallen under the grey, chilly shadow of criminal law. I confess I have not been all that given to grabbing...

This move by the Spanish court to block Telegram nationwide is a blatant attack on freedom of speech and expression. It’s concerning to see media companies leveraging legal maneuvers to stifle competition and silence dissenting voices. Instead of addressing their concerns through dialogue and negotiation, they resort to heavy-handed tactics, infringing on the rights of millions of users.

Ireland, Spain, Malta and Slovenia standing ready to recognize the Palestine state has given Palestinians “hope,” its ambassador has said. Earlier, in a joint-statement, the four countries’ prime ministers said they were ready to recognize the Palestine state when the “circumstances are right”. The Palestinian ambassador to Ireland, Dr. Jilan Wahba Abdalmajid, welcomed the statement, describing it as “promising news”. She said it might only be a few EU countries, but that Ireland is “leading” the way and she expressed thanks for “all the Irish efforts”. …

Although it may seem like an eternal feature of Earth, the Atlantic Ocean could be swallowed by a vast subduction zone, dubbed the 'Ring of Fire', a new study warns. Scientists in Portugal say this subduction zone is currently located beneath the Gibraltar Strait, the narrow gap of water between Spain and Morocco. But the experts think it could grow and expand westwards into the Atlantic and eventually become responsible for a 'closing' or shrinking of the ocean basin.

Priest battles ‘hate crime’ charges for criticizing IslamA Spanish priest is facing up to three years in prison on “hate crime” charges for his heated words about Islam.Last month, Father Custodio Ballester and two other individuals received a summons from a provincial court in Spain to answer charges of an alleged “hate crime” for criticizing Islamic extremism. If convicted, Ballester could be forced to pay a fine of more than $1,600 and serve up to three years in prison. The charges date back to 2020, when the Court Prosecutor’s Office in Catalonia accused Ballester of a “hate crime” based on...

On March 4, the world´s oldest person, Maria Branyas Morera, celebrated her 117th birthday in Catalonia. Morera was born in San Francisco, USA, but returned to Spain with her family at the age of eight, spending the rest of her life in Catalonia. For the past 23 years, she has stayed in the nursing home, Residencia Santa Maria del Tura. “Order, tranquillity, good connection with family and friends, contact with nature, emotional stability, no worries, no regrets, lots of positivity and staying away from toxic people” is what Morera credits her health and longevity to. Morera´s family arrived in Barcelona...

An inscription carved into a 2,100-year-old hand-shaped amulet from northeastern Spain seems to be related to Basque and may be a rare example of an ancient language spoken in Europe more than 5,000 years ago.In a new study, published Tuesday (Feb. 20) in the journal Antiquity, researchers revealed that the inscription is the oldest and longest ever found in a Vasconic language, a group of languages that includes modern Basque. Until now, the only known ancient Vasconic texts were mainly from a few words written on coins from the region, the researchers said.Archaeologists unearthed the amulet in 2021 at the...

A rocket barrage from Hezbollah into northern Israel including the Golan Heights... CPAC...El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele... The rearrest of that former FBI informant Alexander Smirnov... Israel's war cabinet agreeing to send a delegation...talks on release of hostages... Israel's Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announcing a committee meeting to approve more than three thousand new Jewish housing... Four dead, 19 missing, a 14-story building destroyed by fire in Valencia, Spain... An attack this evening on the US base at the Al-Omar oil field in Syria... US Central Command says a merchant vessel was struck and damaged...six drones were shot down in...

In France tonight police removing 200 protesting farmers from the headquarters of dairy conglomerate... At least 23 dead after an open pit gold mine collapsed in Venezuela... US Central Command reporting four strikes against missile sites in Yemen and... Israeli airstrikes reported late tonight in Gaza... The Baltic nation of Lithuania tightening restrictions on movement of Russian nationals... As he campaigns in California Joe Biden canceling federal student loans... The Florida legislature passing a bill to release some state grand jury information related to Jeffrey Epstein... "female spaces should be exclusively for females, not biological males" Canada's Opposition Leader Pierre...