Spain

Puigdemont candidate for Catalan president

Copenhagen - Muslimchronicle

Catalonia's sacked president Carles Puigdemont on Monday repeated accusations that the European Union is failing to defend fundamental rights in the wealthy Spanish region. During his first foreign visit since leaving Spain to live in voluntary exile in Brussels on 30 October, Puigdemont told students at the University of Copenhagen the EU showed "failures" in the face of crises bothRead more

Spain wants exiled ex-Catalan leader arrested if he travels to Denmark

Madrid - Muslimchronicle

Spain wants ex-Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont arrested if he travels to Denmark for a university debate from his Belgian exile, the Spanish prosecution service said Sunday. The prosecution service said it would "immediately" have a supreme court judge issue an arrest warrant for the secessionist leader, sacked by Madrid after the Catalan parliament declared independence on October 27, and urge DenmarkRead more

Catalan parliament meets for first time since failed secession

Barcelona - Muslimchronicle

Catalonia's parliament met Wednesday for the first time since it was dissolved following a failed attempt to break from Spain in what will see separatists start the process to get sacked regional leader Carles Puigdemont back into power. Pro-independence parties are in the majority in the assembly after winning regional elections on December 21 called by Prime Minister Mariano RajoyRead more

2 Morocco female porters die in border stampede

London - Muslimchronicle

Two women carrying goods between Morocco and Spain's Ceuta enclave were killed on Monday in a stampede at the border between the two countries, a rights group and officials said. The stampede took place at the Tarajal II crossing for pedestrians between the Moroccan border town of Fnideq and Ceuta, rights activist Mohamed Benaissa said. Two women in their 40s named Ilham and Souad,Read more

Seven migrants die trying to reach Canary Islands

Madrid - Muslimchronicle

Seven African migrants, some of whom "could be minors," were found dead Monday as they tried to reach Lanzarote in Spain's Canary Islands, authorities said. Authorities found an inflatable boat off a beach with five bodies inside. Two migrants died after they got out while two others are in hospital in a "very serious" state, a spokesman for the GuardiaRead more

Spain expected to replace US as second top tourism destination

Madrid - Muslimchronicle

Spain is expected to replace the United States as the world's second tourism destination, while France has retained the top spot, the UN World Tourism Organization said Monday. "It is expected" that Spain will take the second position with some 82 million visitors last year, UNWTO chief Zurab Pololikashvili told reporters, adding however that definitive figures would be published inRead more

Spain to oppose ex-Catalan leader being re-elected

Barcelona - Muslimchronicle

Spain's government will go to the country's Constitutional Court if Catalonia's former president Carles Puigdemont, in exile in Belgium, attempts to be re-elected into office from abroad, a government source said Thursday. Separatist parties won an absolute parliamentary majority in December regional elections, and the two biggest groupings -- Together for Catalonia and ERC -- have agreed to pick PuigdemontRead more

Jailed Catalan ex-vice president in court to seek release

Madrid - Muslimchronicle

Spain's Supreme Court on Thursday considered an appeal by former Catalan vice president Oriol Junqueras against his jailing while he is investigated for rebellion and sedition over the region's independence drive. Junqueras, in custody since November 2, arrived at the Madrid courthouse in a police van to appear before a panel of three judges who will decide whether to keepRead more

Big seeds tumble out of Qatar Open

Doha - Muslimchronicle

The Qatar Open second and third seeds -- Spain's Pablo Carreno Busta and Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic -- crashed out of the tournament in the first round on Tuesday on a night of shocks in Doha. Both seeds lost in third set tie-breaks. Carreno Busta was beaten by Croatia's Borna Coric, 7-5, 2-6, 6-7 (8/10) in an enthralling match lastingRead more

Feeding a metropolis: Mexico City's Central Market

Mexico City - Muslimchronicle

With hotels, car rental agencies, restaurants and even banks, Mexico City's main fruit and vegetable market, the "Central de Abasto", is more than just a place to get your groceries -- it is a mini city within a city. The mega-market supplies a vast capital city and its surroundings with produce from its labyrinthine hallways, with almost half a million peopleRead more