Ceuta and Spain plan transfer of 500 migrant girls, more quakes felt in Granada on Wednesday and Thursday, Madrid wildfire stabilised and more news on Thursday August 20th.
Ceuta and Spain plan transfer of 500 migrant girls
Authorities in the Spanish enclave of Ceuta and Spain’s central government are implementing an emergency plan to remove approximately 500 female minors from the streets and transfer them to mainland Spain.
The government of the autonomous city and Spain’s Ministry of Children have already launched the first phase, which sees girls urgently housed in six safe locations in Ceuta itself, with around 270 beds to be made available.
READ MORE: Migrant children sleeping rough in Spain’s Ceuta at risk of abuse
Now they are negotiating the the transfer of an additional 500 underage girls to Spain’s 17 autonomous communities, which will involve negotiations with regional governments first.
The opposition PP party, which governs or partly governs in 11 out of the 17 regions, has already voiced its opposition to the move.
More quakes felt in Granada on Wednesday and Thursday
Locals in Granada felt a handful of the more than 50 quakes recorded throughout Wednesday and early Thursday in the southern province, as seismic activity continues to affect daily life.
According to Spain’s National Geographic Institute (IGN), most of the quakes were of low intensity in the city and its metropolitan area.
READ ALSO: Why is Granada having so many earthquakes?
Between three and five were felt by residents, depending on the source. At around 2am on Thursday morning, a 3.4 tremor woke many Granadinos up despite not being a strong quake.
The Insurance Compensation Consortium (CCS) had received 6,754 claims for damages to building and other personal property.
Iberia extends Cuba flight suspension until June 2027
Spanish airline Iberia said it will extend the suspension of its flights to Cuba, where tourism has plummeted during a de facto US fuel blockade, until June 2027.
Iberia announced in April that it would halt its flights to the communist-run Caribbean island from June to late October “due to the situation” in the country.
“The temporary suspension of the route to and from Havana has been extended until 30 June 2027,” the airline wrote on its website on Tuesday.
Customers with tickets could get a refund or rebook to another destination, it added.
US President Donald Trump’s administration has ramped up pressure on Cuba with a fuel blockade from January that has deepened the island’s energy crisis and hit its already fragile economy.
Cubans have endured regular blackouts, fuel rationing, soaring gasoline prices, dwindling public transport and a fall in the crucial tourism sector.
Nearly three-quarters of Cuba’s hotels have been shuttered and the island’s tourism sector has been brought to “almost total paralysis” by US sanctions and fuel shortages, Cuban Prime Minister Manuel Marrero said last month.
Confinement orders lifted after wildfire west of Madrid stabilised
Authorities lifted confinement orders on a town west of Madrid after firefighters on Wednesday stabilised a nearby wildfire, just weeks after huge blazes forced tens of thousands of people from their homes in the area.
The fire broke out shortly after noon near Aldea del Fresno, about 50 kilometres (30 miles) west of Madrid, and it affected around 330 hectares before it was contained, emergency services said on X.
Authorities had ordered the roughly 3,500 residents of Aldea del Fresno to remain indoors and evacuated several homes and residential areas on the outskirts of the town because of the proximity of the flames.
“All confinement orders have been lifted, and evacuated residents are permitted to return home,” emergency services said, adding that “extinguishing work will continue overnight”.
Nine water-dropping aircraft were involved in fighting the blaze, which came as local temperatures reached 36C, with strong winds fanning the flames.
Last month, wildfires that swept through western Madrid and neighbouring Avila province forced nearly 60,000 people to evacuate at their peak, including residents of Aldea del Fresno.
With additional reporting by AFP.
