MADRID: Spain moved on Wednesday to block pro-independence politicians in Catalonia from voting in former leader Carles Puigdemont as their regional head as a deadline looms to form a government and avoid fresh elections.
Government spokesman Inigo Mendez de Vigo said Spain was appealing a new law that would have allowed the former leader to be elected at a distance while he waits in Berlin for German courts to rule on a Spanish request to extradite him.
The law was approved last week by the Barcelona parliament, which is still dominated by secessionist forces since elections last December which Madrid had hoped would stifle the independence movement.
Catalan lawmakers must select a leader and form a government by May 22 to avoid a new round of elections.
Spain moves to block Catalan bid to elect former leader Carles Puigdemont in absentia
Spain moves to block Catalan bid to elect former leader Carles Puigdemont in absentia
Spain swine fever spreads outside containment zone
- African swine fever is a viral disease that is harmless to humans but nearly always fatal for pigs and wild boars
BARCELONA: African swine fever has been detected outside a containment zone in Spain’s northeastern Catalonia region for the first time since its outbreak in November, officials said on Friday.
African swine fever is a viral disease that is harmless to humans but nearly always fatal for pigs and wild boars.
Although it has not spread to domestic pig farms, the outbreak has disrupted exports from Spain, the world’s third-largest producer of pork and its derivatives.
Thirteen new cases in wild boars have been reported, including two in areas outside the six-kilometer containment zone near Barcelona, Catalonia’s agriculture department said.
Authorities then expanded the high-risk zone to the affected municipalities and restricted access to the surrounding woods to prevent further spread.
The outbreak was Spain’s first reported case since 1994, and more than 100 cases have now been detected in wild boars.
“More than ever, it is essential not to lower our guard against a disease that remains present,” said Oscar Ordeig, regional agriculture minister.
The origin of the outbreak remains unknown, and a judicial investigation is ongoing.
