Spain

Rescuers spent the night on Friday searching for thousands of missing Venezuelans and hundreds trapped under rubble after two of the largest earthquakes to hit Latin America in modern history shook areas around Caracas. The government did not provide a total estimate of casualties from the magnitude 7.2 to 7.5 earthquakes that struck 160 km (100 mi) west of Caracas, on Wednesday. The U.S. Geological Survey predicts more than 10,000 deaths. A website designed to track missing persons and shared by leaders of the opposition in the politically polarized country listed more than 49.600 people who were unaccounted for. The...

After two powerful earthquakes in?Venezuela on Wednesday, governments and humanitarian groups have started sending cash, teams of rescuers, and other aid. The death toll is expected to increase. According to the latest statistics, the back-to-back earthquakes, measuring 7.2 & 7.5 in magnitude, struck roughly 160 km (100 miles), west of Caracas. They damaged at least 250 buildings, and trapped about 200 people. U.N. HUMANITARIAN AFFAIRS OFFICE Tom Fletcher, the U.N.'s chief of aid, said that the office for humanitarian affairs was in charge of coordinating the deployments by international teams to search and rescue urban areas. He said that "the...

After two powerful earthquakes in Venezuela on Wednesday, governments and humanitarian groups around the world have started sending cash, teams of rescuers, and other types of aid. The number is expected to rise. At least 250 buildings were damaged by the two quakes that struck Caracas in a distance of?160km (100miles). The latest count shows 200 people still trapped under debris. U.N. HUMANITARIAN AFFAIRS OFFICE Tom Fletcher, the U.N.'s chief of aid, said that the office for humanitarian affairs was responsible for coordinating the deployment international search and rescue teams. He said that "the coming days will need a massive...

Spanish renewable energy company, 'Audax Renovables' announced on Thursday that it plans to make a voluntary takeover bid for Norway's Elmera Group. The bid is valued at 4.5 billion Norwegian crowns (US$456 million). Elmera also said that another strategic player had made a non-binding offer with a "significantly" higher price. Early trade saw Elmera's shares up by about 43% while Audax's shares fell 1.4%. The Norwegian 'company' said in a press release that it had entered into an?exclusive agreement and due diligence agreement? with the unnamed interested party, adding that this process has been ongoing for several weeks. * Elmera...

Officials from Venezuela's PDVSA state oil company and Spanish energy group Repsol have signed a "crude and gas agreement" to boost production in the northwestern part of Venezuela. Hector Obregon, PDVSA president, said that at an event held at the Government Palace, the deal offers "exploration" opportunities on the eastern shores of Lake 'Maracaibo where the two companies already operate the Petroquiriquire Joint?Venture, which could add 20,000 barrels of light crude per day to the current average production of around 40,000?bpd. In comments broadcast by state television, he said that the additional crude would supply the Paraguana Refining Center, which...

Santos, Australia’s No.2 oil &?gas producer said on Monday that it had?reached first oil in its Pikka project, located in Alaska, U.S.A. Shares of the Adelaide-headquartered company rose as much as 3.1% to A$8.12, their highest ?since April 13, while the broader S&P/ASX 200 benchmark index ?was down 1.4% by 0450 GMT. Stocks of the Adelaide-based company rose as much as 3.1% to A$8.12, their highest level?since April 13, while the broader S&P/ASX 200 benchmark index?was down 1.4% by 0450 GMT. Craig Sidney is a senior investment advisor at Shaw and Partners. He said, "This announcement is positive in light...

Moeve, the Spanish energy company, reported on Thursday a 7% rise in its first-quarter earnings. The company cited strong performance across its core businesses and soaring profits in its energy division due to the Iran War which caused a spike in oil and fuel prices globally. The?company that was formerly Cepsa, one of Spain's biggest refiners, booked a net profit of 147 million euros ($173million) in the third quarter. This compares to 138 million euro a year earlier. In a press release, CEO MaartenWetselaar stated that "Moeve delivered a solid quarter of results shaped by heightened geopolitical uncertainties?and volatile oil...

Portugal's Finance Minister Joaquim Mirando Sarmento announced on Tuesday that the government would ask parliament for approval to impose a "windfall tax" on energy companies who benefited from an increase in energy prices due to the Iran War. Portugal, Germany, Italy and Spain, as well as Austria, wrote to the European Commission in April to ask for a similar tax on a "European" level. However, Brussels let individual countries decide. Miranda Sarmento, the Portuguese Minister of Foreign Affairs, said that Portugal would "seek to achieve the highest level of coordination possible" with other countries. Miranda Sarmento, speaking to reporters in...

Eni said on Monday that it would resume lifting Venezuelan crude in April as payment-in kind for gas produced?in Venezuela. The Italian energy group added?that?the move?would?allow?it to?recover?old receivables?from Caracas. Payments stem from an agreement between Venezuelan oil firm PDVSA, and Cardon IV - a joint venture owned equally by?Eni and Spain’s Repsol - that produces gas in the Perla field. The deal was signed in March. Eni stated that payments for gas are made in kind, and the first shipment from Venezuelan crude oil was lifted in April. Eni announced that the lifting of oil cargoes has resumed as U.S....

Josu Imaz, the chief executive of Repsol, said that the company is not in a hurry to list the oil and gas production unit it has in the United States. This will temper expectations for a 'initial public offering' or reverse merger. Imaz said in late 2018 that its upstream unit is preparing for a liquidity event by 2026. This could be an IPO, or a reverse merge with a listed company?in the U.S. He said that while the unit is technically "ready to go to the American market", it would be better if the fundamentals of the upstream sector...

The Spanish antitrust and energy regulator CNMC 'has added more power 'companies to the list 'of firms 'being investigated in relation to last year's unprecedented Blackouts in Spain and Portugal.' It said on Friday. The CNMC launched formal investigations last week after?finding?evidence that certain power sector rules had been?breached for extended periods of time, potentially contributing to the crippling 'outage in April 2025. The investigation was then announced to include the?grid operators Red Electrica MC> and Naturgy MC> as well as Iberdrola MC> and Repsol. It has now opened sanctions proceedings against Engie Cartagena, TotalEnergies Clientes and?others. Engie and Total...

Physical Forties crude reaches record price of $148.87 * Supply disruptions persist despite ceasefire * Repsol CEO: Physical transactions are under pressure (Includes context, and Repsol CEO's comment from paragraph?2) LONDON,?13 April - European crude prices reached a new record near $150 per barrel on Monday after the U.S. announced plans to blockade Strait of Hormuz. This added to concerns?about tight supply. Brent crude futures prices for June delivery LCOc1 rose 6%, to more than $100 per barrel. The U.S. Navy is preparing to block ships going to and coming from Iran through the Strait o'Hormuz. This could limit Iranian...

Ulysse Zackary, a 21-year-old Parisian woman who lives in an attic apartment beneath zinc roofs, has melted soap bars and the pressure inside wine bottles is pushing the corks out. She sleeps with wet towels in order to deal with the record-breaking heatwave. He said that the 9-square metre (97-square foot) apartment became "an oven" within a few sunny hours. This highlights the challenges facing residents in Paris and London, as rising temperatures reveal the shortcomings of homes designed to retain heat rather than reflect it. Western Europe is gripped by a heatwave which has caused power outages, closed schools...

H&M's CEO Daniel Erver announced on Thursday that the retailer is adapting its clothing and marketing calendar in order to account for longer, warmer summers. This comes as Europe was gripped by a deadly heatwave for the fourth day. Erver said that H&M will design autumnal collections using lighter materials in order to appeal to shoppers as temperatures continue to rise until September. In an interview, Erver said that "we see the trend that summer is longer." "If it's 35 degrees in August (Celsius) or even 35 degrees in September, you want to update your wardrobe." The unseasonably warm weather...

On Thursday, the mayor of Paris warned busy Parisians that they should slow down as large parts Western Europe remain in the grips of a deadly, heatwave which has killed dozens of people, caused power outages, and closed schools and cultural landmarks. In the face of a heatwave in France, Sebastien lecornu activated the highest health service mobilisation level. This meant that non-urgent procedures could be cancelled so as to concentrate on those who are affected by the weather. Paris experienced another scorching day on Wednesday after temperatures in France's capital reached a record high of 40.9 degrees Celsius (105.6...

Children at the Harris Primary Academy Mayflower, located in Chafford Hundred just east of London cooled off by slurping ice lollies and splashing in paddling pools. Advikhaa said, "I feel cooler and airier" about the special measures. These include allowing the children to swap their school uniforms with lighter clothing. The aim is to make it easier for the children to cope with the high temperatures. Thousands of schools across Europe sent their pupils home because they couldn't find a short-term solution to the record-breaking heat. Many schools cannot protect their students from heat because such incidents are becoming more...

OVER 100 COMPANIES, INCLUDING UBER AND NESTLE?URGE GOVERNMENTS?TO MAKE ELECTRIFICATION CENTRAL IN ECONOMIC STRATEGY 'Nestle' and Ikea, among others, urged government officials to put electrification at the forefront of their economic strategies to reduce exposure to volatile fuel prices and boost energy security. They said that exposure to fossil fuel price shocks undermined their competitiveness. With combined revenues of $1.5 trillion annually, the group also included Iberdrola and Volvo Cars, Mahindra Group and Uber, Nikon Corporation and Levi Strauss. The statement was coordinated by the Global Renewables Alliance and the We Mean Business Coalition. It added that the ability to...

The'midsummer heat' is already baking some parts of Portugal. Army units and forestry agents are racing to clear the woody debris from storms that occurred in early 2026, before wildfire season starts. The central area of Serta, one of the hardest hit by the storms, is where heavy bulldozers in army drab are working deep in the forest to remove tons of fallen trees and broken branches that could be used as fuel in any fire. Wildfire expert Jose Miguel Pereira said that the windstorms left "a totally abnormal amount of fuel on the ground", which increased the risk of...

Officials said that a 46-year old woman died on Friday in Barcelona after being?hit? by a piece blown off a warehouse roof during the eighth storm which swept across the Iberian Peninsula earlier this year. Spain and Portugal have been repeatedly hit by heavy rain, 'thunder,' snow, and strong gales, which damaged infrastructure and crops, and forced authorities to evacuate tens of thousands. Spanish Agriculture Minister Luis Planas said to TVE that the eight storms in succession were "truly extraordinary". "We must consider if this is a rare phenomenon or if, looking ahead, it might happen more frequently." Planas stated...

Maria Lucia Amaral, the Portuguese Interior Minister, resigned amid criticism by opposition parties and communities over what they call a slow and ineffective response from authorities to the devastating 'Storm Kristin' two weeks ago. The office of President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa announced late on Tuesday that it had accepted the resignation of the Minister at the request from Prime Minister Luis Montenegro. Amaral claimed she no longer met the "personal and political requirements" to fulfill the role. The President's Office said Montenegro would temporarily take over interior until a successor was appointed. Storm Kristin hit central Portugal on the...

Carlos Mazon said on Monday that the authorities didn't know people were drowning, when he was interrogated for hours about the handling of the floods of last year that killed 229. Mazon announced on 3 November that he was resigning under pressure from all sides of the political spectrum. However, he remains under close scrutiny. Mazon was accused by the leader of the hard-left Podemos party of being personally liable for the deaths. The spokesperson of the leftist Catalan ERC party said that he should go to jail. Mazon's testimony at the commission of inquiry was followed by victims' families...

Photo essay: See here Simon Rodriguez, a taxi driver, says that the fire began on his birthday. Four months later he is hauling water jugs out of the car's back. "And here are we, fighting it!" Residents in Spain's northwest Galicia region still have to deal with the aftermath of the wildfires, which ravaged Spain and Portugal last August. Water contamination is now a problem as the autumn rains wash down ash and sediment from deforested hillsides. This clogs waterways and makes drinking water unsafe. We can't take a shower because the water has turned black. I haven't shower in...

Carlos Mazon, leader of Spain's eastern Valencia Region, announced on Monday that he would be stepping down due to the way his administration handled the catastrophic floods which swept through the region one year ago. Mazon is under constant pressure to resign, especially from the relatives of victims, ever since the torrential rains on October 29, 2024, which killed 229 and caused billions in damages in Valencia, Spain's 3rd largest city. Mazon said to reporters that he "can't continue anymore" after an intensely critical speech where he criticized the response of the national government to the crisis. He didn't say...

Spain's King Felipe is attending a state funeral on Wednesday in Valencia, as part of several events to mark a year since the deadly floods that killed 237 people. Even as late as last week, authorities were still finding victims in the mud. The country is dealing with the worst flooding it has seen in Europe for more than 50 years. On October 29, 2024, flash floods caused from torrential rainfall washed away bridges and cars as well as people. They also flooded homes and underground parking lots. In the Valencia region, 229 people were killed and eight more in...