Month: May 2024

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Palestinian state to be recognised by Spain

Spain is to recognise the Palestinian state from Tuesday 28 May.

Spain, Ireland and Norway will join seven other European countries that officially acknowledge Palestine, including Sweden, Cyprus and Slovakia.

The three new countries hope that other European states will soon make similar decisions and help highlight the current plight of Palestinians in Gaza, the location of a bloody and prolonged conflict between Hamas and Israel. 

It’s being reported that Malta and Slovenia are also considering recognition. 

Countries can’t recognise an actual Palestinian state, as it doesn’t yet exist, but support the idea of creating one.

In total, around 140 of the about 190 UN countries have already recognised the need for a Palestinian state.

The modern-day troubles date back to 1947.

Back then a UN partition plan advocated creation of a Jewish state alongside a Palestinian state. This was not acceptable to Palestinians and the wider Arab world, because they argued that it would have given them less than half of the land, despite Palestinians making up two-thirds of the population.

A year later the Arab-Israeli war saw yet more Israel territory gains, with the West Bank and East Jerusalem controlled by Jordan and Gaza in the hands of Egypt. Another war in 1967 saw Israel grab control of all three areas. 

Many countries agree that a Palestinian state should exist, but only as part of a negotiated settlement. Such negotiations have been stalled since 2009. Countries such as the US, UK, France and Germany are not directly opposed to a Palestinian state, but see it as a result of a wider settlement which is acceptable by all parties.  

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said about his country’s decision: “This recognition is not against anyone, it is not against the Israeli people. It is an act in favour of peace, justice and moral consistency.”

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said such decisions by countries were a reward for terrorism. He recalled his ambassadors from Spain, Ireland and Norway. 

 

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What fish should we eat to avoid death by mercury poisoning!

Shock headlines in the media have reminded fish eaters that eating too much of one type can present potential health problems.

So what should people do when it comes to buying fish?

Mercury pollution is the problem and theoretically, over-indulging on one type of fish could bring about serious poisoning.

Mercury is a heavy metal, very toxic and is digested by fish and seafood that is consumed by humans.

The Fish Safety Agence (AESAN) has issued a number of warnings, particularly relevant to children and pregnant women.

The advice from AESAN centres on the types of fish available from the shops.

The belief is that large and predatory fish, such as swordfish and bluefin tuna, accumulate more mercury than smaller ones.

The concerns have led RASFF, the European Food Safety Alert System, to notify the Spanish authorities of the presence of mercury levels higher than the legal limit allowed in some slices of frozen swordfish.

This a modern-day paradox, as fish is recommended as part of a healthy and balanced diet. Eating fish is crucial, say the experts, as it helps maintain cardiovascular health. It is also essential for the embryonic development and good growth in children. It provides proteins of high biological value, vitamins A, D and B12, iodine and selenium.

So the rule of thumb is to alternate the type of fish people eat, with more sensitive groups avoiding the consumption of some types of fish altogether.

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Vodafone Spain sale green-lit

The five billion euro deal which sees UK-based investment firm Zegona Bidco acquire 100% of Vodafone Spain has been green-lit by the Spanish Government.

Zegona Bidco is a fully owned subsidiary of Zegona Communications.

The deal will be financed with a combination of debt and equity.

To get the deal done, Zegona made a number of undertakings, including service continuity, future investments and financial solvency.

Zegona can use the Vodafone brand in Spain for ten years. 

Spanish minister of Digital Transformation José Luis Escrivá said: “The telecommunications sector is in a moment of profound reorganisation, and it is the obligation of the public powers to guarantee that this strategic service is not only assured, but that it is reinforced when a major business operation occurs.”

The plan is that Vodafone will reach 82% of the population and a total of 2,700 municipalities with its 5G service by the end of this year. This, said Vofafone,  exceeds the committed deployment obligations.

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Migrant numbers arriving in Spain up 190%

In just the first four months of the year, the number of migrants arriving in Spain totalled around 20,000, up 190%, including 1,500 children.

The estimates come from Save The Children.

The the most heavily used route is the Canary Isles, used by 80% of migrants.

The winter saw little decrease in numbers, raising fears for the summer.

The charity said that the increase in arrivals is down to political and economic instability, hunger, and the escalating climate crisis. All these factors are driving an increase in migration worldwide.

The UN reckons 20 million people are forced to flee their homes annually due to extreme weather events, including prolonged droughts, torrential rains, and desertification.

Bárbara González del Río, Migration Specialist at Save the Children Spain, said: “If over 1,500 migrant children have already arrived in Spain this year, we anticipate a significant increase in crossings during the summer months, potentially surpassing last year’s record influx of over 5,100 minors. As long as there is a need in the countries of origin, people will continue to move, and the migratory flow towards Europe will continue to exist.

“With over 5,700 migrant children already under guardianship in the Canary Islands, support systems are overwhelmed. Urgent action is needed from other communities to alleviate this critical situation. The Spanish government and autonomous communities must swiftly find solutions.

“We cannot forget that these children are fleeing conflict, hostile environments, and hunger. Our obligation to the children who arrive in our country is to care for them in a way that is adapted to their needs and to ensure that their rights are guaranteed.”

Save the Children is asking the Spnaish government oto prioritise the protection and reception of migrant children by:

  • swiftly identifying vulnerable individuals, such as potential trafficking victim;
  • ensuring unaccompanied minors are evenly disrupted between different communities to avoid overwhelming support systems;
  • scaling up support systems for unaccompanied migrants to ensure their successful integration into society.

Save the Children Spain works with other organisations and local administrations to meet the specific needs of migrant children. 

 

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UN warns Spanish right not to white-wash Franco era

The UN is worried that the Spanish political right might attempt to whitewash the Franco era atrocities. 

Three of the institution’s experts are worried that the People’s Party (PP), conservative, and Vox, the far-right, have introduced laws in three of the country’s autonomous communities that could change the state’s and local authorities’ obligations on human rights and the preservation of historical memory. 

The communities are Aragon, Castile and Leon, and Valencia.

It’s the ‘concordia’ laws which are causing the problem. These have been introduced where PP and Vox are in coalition. 

The local laws are seen as an attempt to neutralise the recent national law, introduced by the Socialist-led government, which tries to accurately remember what went on in the Franco era. This includes a DNA bank to help identify remains in unmarked graves and a ban on groups that praise and promote the Franco period.

The UN experts stated: “We would like to recall once again the obligation of the state as a whole to guarantee the preservation of the collective memory regarding the manifest violations of human rights, such as those committed during the Franco dictatorship and the Civil War.”

PP and Vox deny they are trying to white-wash the period.

The current Spanish government plans to fight the local laws in the country’s Constitutional Court.

It was back in 2022 when the Spanish Congress passed a new democratic memory law. This stated that the Franco regime was illegal and nullified the rulings of its courts. 

Ironically, the Catalan independence parties which now keep the socialist PM Pedro Sánchez in power, did not support the memory law, saying it did not go far enough. 

Franco, full name Francisco Franco Bahamonde, came to power in 1939. He was a Spanish military general who led the Nationalist forces who overthrew the Second Spanish Republic during the Spanish Civil War. He ruled until 1975 as a dictator, under the title Caudillo. 

Read: 85 years ago, the Spanish Civil War ended

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Massive new green hydrogen plant for Albacete

A huge green hydrogen plant is being planned for the Albacete province in central Spain.

Costing around $3bn, it will consist of a 1GW electrolyser powered by an adjacent wind and solar power farm built on the same site.

Industry figures suggest that such a sized plant will produce around 0.15 million tonnes of hydrogen and three million tonnes of water. This assumes an efficiency of 75% for 8,000 hours per year.

German renewables company PNE is behind the project, which it will operate via its Spanish subsidiary, Kolya-PNE. 

Local media say that land for the site has already been purchased, and Kolya-PNE is currently in talks with the local government bodies to develop the project.

PNE is a major renewables operator and already has more than 6.5GW of wind power projects in Europe, North America and South Africa.

It was back in 2022 when it acquired a majority stake in Spanish solar developer Kolya. 

The term green hydrogen is a label for a process which helps mitigate climate change by using renewable fuels to power the process.

The basic process has been used for years and it involves using power to put water through electrolysis, splitting it into its constituent elements, gaseous hydrogen, and oxygen. The gas is captured and stored for various applications. The water can be reused.

Because high levels of energy were previously needed to complete this process, hydrogen gas manufacture has not been environmentally friendly. Now with plentiful renewable resources available, the game has changed and hydrogen becomes a viable source of fuel, which can power a number of applications. 

Spain is an obvious choice for such production techniques, because of its plentiful sunshine and wind. Companies such as PNE are available to take advantage of such natural resources and produce a cost-effective hydrogen gas.

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Warnings over decaf coffee

There’s bad news for those who choose to drink decaf coffee for health reasons.

Decaf coffee, or descafeinado as it’s known in Spain, is a possible chemical hazard.

It all comes down to the way that the caffeine is removed from the pure coffee. 

Decaf is a very popular drink, with many combining drinking caf and decaf throughout their day. It is especially popular at lunchtime and evenings, as people try to avoid the stimulant effect of the caffeine which, of course, in the morning, is the whole point of coffee.

The Spanish have been generally slow to embrace decaf coffee, but it’s hugely popular in many countries, including the US, where over 26 million Americans are said to drink it.

Coffee comes from coffee beans which are grown on a plant and even though there´s some talk of synthetic versions, heaven forbid, the production of it is still on the right side of processed food. The beans are roasted and ground to produce the coffee grounds.

When it comes to the decaf version, things get a little more complicated.

A lot of decaf is produced by effectively cleaning the coffee beans with a chemical solvent, in most cases methylene chloride. Other chemicals involved include benzene, ethylene dichloride and trichloroethylene.

Even the name of these strikes a little bit of fear into us mere mortals. 

I was never any good at chemistry, but this collection of chemicals don´t sound that good for food, or drinks. 

For example, methylene chloride is a chemical which is used in many industrial processes to clean items, especially paint. It is also used to degrease metals. 

The US government is now looking at this, worried that the use of the chemical is dangerous for humans and maybe carcinogenic. 

It doesn’t have to be like this and there are alternative methods of decaffeinating coffee, such as the Swiss Water method. This method involves soaking the pre-roasted bean, the green bean, with water over a long period of time, which sees the caffeine seep out naturally.

So, it might be a good idea to check out how your favourite brands produce their decaf coffee.

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Lisbon and Madrid to be linked by new train line

A new rail route linking Lisbon to Madrid – stopping at Elvas, Badajoz, Merida, Caceres, Toledo, and Madrid – is being planned after it received the go-ahead from the European Parliament. 

The route from Madrid to Badajoz is currently being constructed and should be completed by 2030. 

The Portuguese section of the line, from Lisbon to Elvas (just on the Spanish border), forms part of a major European infrastructure project known as the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T).

The overall cost is said to be around seven billion euros. 
It was back in 2012 when a rail link between Lisbon and Madrid was first planned. It was abandoned after the collapse of the Portuguese economy.

Dominique Riquet, a MEP for Renew Europe, said: “New rules will strengthen the performance, accessibility, security and resilience of our infrastructure, which is a key element of our sovereignty. It will also help to encourage Europeans to travel and make our economy more competitive.”

Spain boasts one of the most modern European railway networks. 

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Medieval manor hides within Barcelona chocolate factory

Coffee beans spilling out from a cup.

Archaeologists in Barcelona have unearthed a 14th century medieval manor which was hidden within a major chocolate factory created over 500 years later.

The remains of the 19th century factory, poured over by archaeologists, has revealed walls with arches and doors from a medieval home .

The house went through a number of iterations, from home, to hostel and then chocolate factory and workshop.

The team of archaeologists discovered a number of artifacts, including plates and large ceramic vessels.