Spain seizes 5.5 tonnes cocaine cargo off Ecuador’s coast

With cases of Covid-19 spiraling across the country, Spanish ICUs -- which are critical for transplant surgery -- were suddenly overwhelmed with an unprecedented number of critically ill patients. But even then, Spain maintained higher numbers than other countries had before the pandemic, with 37.4 donors per million residents in 2020 compared with 29.4 in France and 36.1 in the United States in 2019. And it retained its status as world leader, carrying out five percent of all transplants worldwide, even though it only represents 0.6 percent of the global population.

The blaze continues to rage close to a popular Costa del Sol resort, fanned by strong winds and late summer temperatures.

A huge fire has ravaged the forests in the Sierra Bermeja mountains in the southern Spanish province of Malaga, forcing mass evacuations, including to a sports centre set up to house evacuees from neighbouring towns.

In a bid to tackle soaring energy prices, Spain's government is to cut taxes on electricity and claw back billions of euros in what the prime minister has described as "excess profits". The cost to Spanish consumers has risen by 35 percent in the past year, as wholesale price rises have been passed on to households. Also today, we look at the situation of European economies ahead of the State of the Union address by Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

Vaccination fatigue and anti-vaxxer movements have slowed down vaccination programs in EU countries like Germany and France, but not so in Spain. After a slow start, the country’s inoculation campaign is now running smoothly. Only 6% of Spain’s population has refused to get vaccinated.

The Cumbre Vieja volcano erupted on Spain's Canary Islands Sunday, spewing out lava, ash and a huge column of smoke after days of increased seismic activity and forcing the evacuation of around 5,000 local people.

The Cumbre Vieja volcano sends huge plumes of thick black smoke into the sky, churning up molten lava that oozed down the mountainside on the Spanish island of La Palma.

The price of electricity in Spain has skyrocketed in recent months, leaving some consumers with difficult choices to make about their spending. The Spanish government has announced measures including a VAT cut and a windfall tax on energy company profits to try to combat the price increases, which have been triggered by the rising price of gas. Also today, the troubled Chinese property developer Evergrande faces a major debt deadline.

People watch molten lava from the Cumbre Vieja volcano creep down the slopes of Spain's La Palma island. One resident says he is living "on edge all day" in fear.

The eruption of the Cumbre Vieja volcano in Spain's Canaries archipelago enters the seventh day. The airport of La Palma reopened Sunday after a 24-hour closure due to ash, but with flights remaining suspended until conditions improve.

The exiled former Catalan leader has arrived in court in Sassari, Italy. He is wanted on charges of sedition over his role in Catalonia's ill-fated push for independence.

World champions France won the Nations League final with goals from Karim Benzema and Kylian Mbappe earning them a 2-1 win over Spain at the San Siro stadium on Sunday. Didier Deschamps' side had struggled to get a foothold in the game during a first half dominated by Spain but after going a goal down through Mikel Oyarzabal's strike, they came alive.