Spanish death toll from Venezuela earthquakes quakes rises to 29, far right demands Spain ban mail-in voting for Spaniards abroad, Sorolla painting stolen in Seville and more news on Wednesday July 1st.
Spanish death toll from Venezuela earthquakes quakes rises to 29
The number of Spanish nationals who’ve lost their lives as a result of the double earthquake in Venezuela on June 24th has risen to 29, according to Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares.
The FM also stated that 150 Spaniards are missing and 12 remain trapped under the rubble of the earthquake.
Thousands of Venezuelan and international rescuers are still racing against time to find survivors of the earthquakes which happened a week ago and which have left nearly 2,000 dead, while doctors and nurses in public hospitals are treating thousands of injured people in a precarious situation.
There are incredible stories of survival, the latest being that of a three year old boy rescued from the rubble in La Guaira state after being trapped for six days.
Spain’s PM asks judge for permission to travel daughter’s graduation
Begoña Gómez, wife of Pedro Sánchez, has asked a judge for permission to travel to a Nato summit and to her daughter’s graduation.
This comes after a Spanish court ordered Gómez to hand in her passport and to appear before the court twice a month until a verdict is reached in her corruption case, effectively banning her from leaving the country.
Judge Juan Carlos Peinado first opened the investigation in April 2024 to determine whether Gómez had exploited her position as Sánchez’s wife for private gain, which she and the prime minister deny.
Far right demands Spain ban mail-in voting for Spaniards abroad
Vox on Tuesday said it considers the naturalisation process of foreigners with Spanish roots through the so-called ‘Grandchildren Law’ to be a “slow-motion coup d’état”.
Aside from requesting the suspension of this law, Vox parliamentary group in Congress José María Figaredo proposed depriving Spaniards residing abroad of the possibility of exercising the right to vote by mail
For the far-right politician, if they want to vote they can only do so directly in person at consulates or embassies, even if they are hundreds of kilometers away.
The party headed by Santiago Abascal argues that the postal vote system is “extremely opaque,” and that the ruling Socialists have left “a large part of the process of nationalisation of these voters abroad “in the hands of foreign authorities.”
Sorolla painting stolen in Seville
Spanish National Police are investigating the disappearance of a painting by Joaquín Sorolla that its owners forgot on the sidewalk of a street in Seville while loading the trunk of their car before going on a trip.
The events, as reported by the Diario de Sevilla , took place last Saturday around 5pm., when the painting had been left at the garage door of the owners’ domicile.
Although there is still no information about who could have picked it up from the ground, the hypothesis being considered is that someone simply saw it with no one around and took it, attracted by the drawing, without considering its value.
Joaquín Sorolla y Bastida (1863–1923) was a celebrated Spanish painter famous for his mastery of light, vivid seascapes, and sun-drenched beach scenes.
Often categorised as a variant of Impressionism or Post-Impressionism, his work captured the dynamic energy and bright landscapes of Spain.
Today, his former family home in Madrid serves as the Sorolla Museum, preserving his studio and many of his masterpieces.
