Spain adds two million migrants in two years, PM’s plane in emergency landing in Turkey, Spain demands release of Spanish-Palestinian activist held by Israel and more news on Monday May 4th.
Spanish PM’s plane in emergency landing in Turkey
A plane carrying Spanish Premier Pedro Sánchez made an emergency landing in Turkey on Sunday evening following technical problems, the government in Madrid said, confirming media reports.
Sánchez was on the way to neighbouring Armenia for a meeting of the European Political Community (EPC) when the incident happened.
“The Spanish delegation will spend the night in Ankara before resuming their journey to Armenia in the morning,” said a statement from the Spanish government.
It did not give any details on the nature of the technical problem.
European leaders are gathering in the Armenian capital Yerevan for the EPC meeting, which starts Monday.
Iconic Spanish logo designer Cruz Novillo dies
José María Cruz Novillo, the designer of several instantly recognisable logos that marked the transition to democratic Spain, has died.
Cruz Novillo, renowned for his logo designs for organisations such as Correos, Renfe, the PSOE and Endesa, among others, has died at the age of 89, according to the design magazine Gràffica.
Cruz Novillo’s career spanned fields such as sculpture and painting, although his work is particularly renowned for the period of the Transition, and he is regarded as one of the pioneers of Spain’s visual rebranding.
Spain adds two million migrants in two years
More than two million migrants arrived in Spain between 2023 and 2024, new data has shown.
The new arrivals mainly came from Latin America, with a notable uptick in the number of people coming from Colombia, Peru and Venezuela.
Spain has seen a significant increase in its foreign population in recent years. This comes as immigration becomes an increasingly polarised topic in the country, with the leftist government undertaking a migrant amnesty for up to 800,000 undocumented immigrants.
Spain demands release of Spanish-Palestinian activist held by Israel
Spain’s foreign ministry called for the “immediate release” of a Spanish-Palestinian activist after Israeli court on Sunday extended his detention by two days. “
The government of Spain demands his immediate release,” the ministry said in a comment sent to AFP, adding that the Spanish consul in Tel Aviv accompanied Saif Abu Keshek, who is being “illegally detained”, to the hearing.
A rights group at the hearing said the court extended the detention of Keshek and Brazilian activist Thiago Avila for two days.
The flotilla of more than 50 vessels had set sail from France, Spain and Italy with the aim of breaking Israel’s blockade of Gaza and bringing supplies to the devastated Palestinian territory.
They were intercepted by Israeli forces in international waters off Greece early on Thursday, with Israel saying it had removed some 175 activists — two of whom were taken to Israel for questioning.
With additional reporting by AFP.
