KUWAIT CITY, Jan 3, 2022 (AFP) – Kuwait has urged its citizens to leave several European countries including Britain, France and Germany because of a surge in cases of the Omicron coronavirus variant. In a series of statements overnight Sunday, the oil-rich Gulf state also warned Kuwaitis, often big spenders abroad, to avoid travelling to the … Read more
SYDNEY: Veteran Roberto Bautista Agut upset world number eight Casper Ruud on Monday to give Spain their second straight win at the ATP Cup, a record matched by Hubert Hurkacz’s Poland. The 33-year-old Bautista Agut is the lead singles player for his country in the absence of 20-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal and has stepped up … Read more
MADRID: Spain’s fragmented parliament gave final approval on Tuesday to the biggest budget in the country’s history, with billions of euros from EU’s huge Covid-19 recovery fund. Passage of the 2022 spending plan boosts the chances that Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s minority government will survive until the end of its mandate in late 2023. Lawmakers … Read more
WASHINGTON: The Spanish government’s First Vice President Nadia Calvino was elected chair of the group of finance ministers and central bankers that advises the IMF’s board, the organization announced Thursday. Calvino, who is also her country’s economy minister, replaces Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson as head of the International Monetary and Financial Committee (IMFC), and will … Read more
PARIS: Algeria captain Riyad Mahrez took his Manchester City goal tally to 11 in all competitions this season by scoring the third in a 4-0 rout of Newcastle United at the weekend. The winger is among many Premier League stars set to compete at the Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon from January 9. Read … Read more
EL PASO, Spain, Dec 18, 2021 (AFP) – As soon as he heard that La Palma’s volcano had erupted, Australian geologist Matt Pankhurst loaded his microscope into his car and raced to catch a ferry to the Spanish island. Like other scientists around the world, he was eager to get a first-hand look at the rare … Read more
GENEVA: The Swiss medicines agency Swissmedic on Friday approved the vaccination of children aged between five and 11 with Pfizer-Biontech’s Comirnaty vaccine. “Clinical trial results show that the vaccine is safe and effective in this age group,” it said in a statement. The Comirnaty vaccine is administered in two doses of ten microgrammes three weeks … Read more
In Badaguas, Spain, two police officers from the Guardia Civil went into a frozen reservoir to rescue a dog caught in the icy waters. The officers were shown on video stripping down to their waist and marching into the cold waters to bring the animal back to safety on the shore. Here’s the link to … Read more
PARIS: A growing number of countries are taking on gig economy giants like Uber, Bolt and Deliveroo by giving their workers, who are routinely treated as freelancers, full employment rights. With the European Union executive tabling new proposals on Thursday to clear up the grey area, here is a snapshot of recent decisions shaking up the … Read more
MELBOURNE: Men’s world number one Novak Djokovic was named among the entries for the Australian Open on Wednesday, following intense speculation about his vaccination status, but women’s great Serena Williams was missing. The Serbian had cast doubt on whether he would defend his Melbourne title next month, refusing to reveal whether he was inoculated against coronavirus, a … Read more
SYDNEY: After months of speculation that Novak Djokovic may miss the Australian Open over tough Covid vaccination requirements, the world number one was on Tuesday named to play in a Sydney tournament weeks before. The 20-time Grand Slam champion had cast doubt on whether he would defend his title at Melbourne Park next month, refusing … Read more
MADRID: World number two and US Open champion Daniil Medvedev led Russia past Sweden and into a second successive Davis Cup semi-final on Thursday. Medvedev defeated world number 94 Mikael Ymer 6-4, 6-4 to secure the crucial winning point. Russia will on Saturday face Germany for a place in Sunday’s final with Novak Djokovic’s Serbia … Read more
MADRID: Spanish inflation accelerated in November to its highest level in nearly three decades on the back of rising food and gas prices, official data showed on Monday. Consumer prices jumped 5.6 per cent, up from a 5.4 per cent increase in October, according to the preliminary figures from the national statistics institute. That is its … Read more
PARIS: Spain’s Garbine Muguruza jumped two places to number three in the WTA rankings released Monday after her victory in the season-ending WTA Finals in Guadalajara last week. Beaten finalist Anett Kontaveit of Estonia gained one spot to go seventh. The 28-year-old Muguruza was previously ranked third back in July 2018, while her compatriot Paula … Read more
PARIS: Holders France hope to retain their title but the 2022 World Cup in Qatar could be missing the two most recent European champions as Portugal and Italy must both battle through play-offs to qualify. That left fans with the prospect of no Cristiano Ronaldo in Qatar next winter and the Azzurri, who thrilled during … Read more
KARACHI: Ambassador Hissein Ibrahim Taha, the secretary general-elect of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, assumed the charge at the OIC’s General Secretariat headquarters in Jeddah on Wednesday, a statement said. Ambassador Taha was elected in November 2020 during the 47th session of the Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) held in Niamey, Republic of Niger, as … Read more
PARIS: European champions Italy missed out on automatic qualification for next year’s World Cup after being held to a goalless draw by Northern Ireland in Belfast on Monday, ceding the top spot in Group C to Switzerland who beat Bulgaria 4-0. The Italians needed to match Switzerland’s result to qualify directly but while Roberto Mancini’s … Read more
LISBON: Cristiano Ronaldo’s hopes of playing in a record-equalling fifth World Cup hang in the balance after Serbia stunned Portugal 2-1 in Lisbon to qualify for the 2022 World Cup. Framing this. pic.twitter.com/bG1oLoQRqB — Serbian Football (@SerbianFooty) November 14, 2021 Spain and Croatia did secure their places in Qatar on Sunday thanks to 1-0 wins … Read more
MADRID: With the highest Covid-19 vaccination rate of Europe’s big nations, Spain has been spared the surge in infections seen across the continent but experts warn the country remains vulnerable to the virus. Spain, one of the nations hit earliest and hardest by the pandemic, now has one of the lowest infection rates in Europe … Read more
MADRID: A second planeload of Afghan refugees arrived in Spain from Pakistan on Tuesday, a government source said, a day after the first flight for people who worked for Madrid in the war-torn country. Tuesday’s flight, carrying 160 people, arrived at 8:45 pm local time (1845 GMT) at the Torrejon de Ardoz military airbase outside … Read more
MADRID: A flight carrying 84 Afghans – people who worked for the Spanish forces and their families – arrived in Madrid, after being evacuated via Pakistan. The military plane landed on Monday at the Torrejon de Ardoz airbase near Madrid at 9:00 pm (1900 GMT) on schedule, a government statement said. The defence, foreign and … Read more
At the age of 18 years and 150 days, a British teenager became the youngest person to fly solo around the globe. Travis Ludlow left a Dutch airport on May 29 and returned 44 days later, making stops in Poland, Russia, the United States, Canada, Greenland, Iceland, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Spain, Morocco, France, and … Read more
MILAN: Italy and Spain will again face off in a semi-final on Wednesday when they take to the field at the San Siro for the Nations League Final Four opener, a replay of their epic Euro 2020 semi-final. Spain finished on the losing side back in July’s European Championship semi-final as the Azzurri prevailed on … Read more
TUNIS: Algeria pumps huge volumes of gas through Morocco into Europe, but with Algiers and Rabat at loggerheads as a pipeline agreement nears expiry, experts say the taps could soon be turned off. That would hit Spain’s gas supplies just as prices soar across Europe and with winter approaching, and Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares … Read more
Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi has said that the economic crisis in Afghanistan is not in favour of anyone and urged the international community to work for economic betterment in Afghanistan. Addressing a joint press conference with a Spanish counterpart in the Foreign office FM Qureshi said that Pakistan and Spain both countries want peace … Read more
The government’s traffic light system for overseas travel is likely to change this week, with countries added or deleted from the green, amber, and red list. Foreign leisure travel was approved on May 17, but nations are classified based on how safe it is to travel to and from in the midst of the covid-19 … Read more
The first phase of human clinical trials for a Covid-19 vaccine produced by Spanish firm Hipra was approved by the pharmaceuticals agency of Spain on Tuesday. The clinical trials will recruit dozens of volunteers from Spanish hospitals “as soon as possible,” according to the statement. If the vaccine is authorized, Hipra, situated in Girona in … Read more
RIYADH: Dubai-based Al Khaleej Sugar Co., owner of the world’s largest sugar refinery has won approval to build a factory in Spain, extending its reach beyond the MENA region, Bloomberg reported as saying. The company plans to start construction of the plant in Merida next year, said managing director Jamal Al Ghurair. The agreement between … Read more
