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A button and a buckle: the memory of Franco’s firing squads 85 years on

Paterna, Spain Reuters Josefina Fortea, 92, was seven when her father Jose, a farm labourer, faced a firing squad sent by General Francisco Franco. While she hardly knew him, receiving his remains 85 years later has brought some comfort. The remains of 18 people executed by soldiers and buried in a mass grave during the […]

Venezuela opposition leader Machado freed after being briefly detained, movement says

Caracas/Maracay, Venezuela Reuters Venezuela opposition leader Maria Corina Machado was freed on Thursday after a brief detention, her Vente Venezuela movement said on social media. Machado was detained after an anti-government march in Caracas, her first public appearance in months, amid gunshots, the movement said, adding that during her detention she was forced to film […]

Thousands protest in Valencia over lack of schools after deadly floods

Valencia, Spain Reuters Families and teachers protested in Valencia on Saturday to demand action over schools damaged by the deadly floods that killed more than 220 people in eastern Spain and affected thousands of children’s education. Holding posters demanding the resignation of Valencian leader Carlos Mazon, protesters marched through the Spanish city almost a month […]

Spanish regional leader defends his handling of Valencia floods

Valencia, Spain Reuters The leader of Spain’s Valencia region defended his handling of catastrophic floods that killed more than 200 people, saying on Friday he did everything possible in the face of a “monstrous avalanche of water that exceeded all weather forecasts”. Addressing regional lawmakers, Carlos Mazon rejected calls to resign, although he said he […]

Spanish flood-hit towns brace for another storm

Madrid, Spain Reuters Flood-hit towns near the eastern city of Valencia were rushing on Tuesday to clear the sewage system of mud and debris, pile sandbags and cancel school classes as they prepared for another approaching storm. Two weeks after the worst floods in Spain’s modern history killed more than 200 people, national weather service […]

Spaniards protest over handling of flood disaster

Valencia, Spain Reuters Tens of thousands of people demonstrated in the eastern Spanish city of Valencia on Saturday over regional authorities’ handling of devastating floods that killed more than 220 people in one of Europe’s worst natural disasters for decades. Civil groups and unions protest against the management of the emergency response to the deadly […]

Spain floods: Improvised vet station treats pets sick from tainted mud

Paiporta, Spain Reuters Volunteer veterinarians in eastern Spain’s flood-hit Paiporta are treating pets that have caught infections from the devastated town’s mud-filled streets at an improvised first-aid station with donated medicines and equipment. Paiporta is among the Valencia suburbs considered “ground zero” of last week’s deadly flash floods that have killed at least 219 and […]

At least 89 people missing from floods in eastern Spain

Madrid, Spain Reuters At least 89 people remain missing after deadly floods in eastern Spain, the regional judicial authorities in Valencia said on Tuesday, and Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said he was earmarking €10.6 billion to help victims. The number includes only those who have been reported missing by family members that have also provided […]

More troops reinforce rescue efforts in flood-hit Spain as public anger mounts

Paiporta, Spain Reuters Another 2,500 soldiers arrived in the flood-hit east of Spain on Monday to reinforce efforts to locate bodies and clear debris, as government officials traded blame over how the worst flooding in decades has been handled. Public anger is mounting over the disaster that has killed at least 217 people with dozens […]