Spain | Pakistan

European champions Spain were held to a shock 0-0 draw by tiny World Cup debutants Cape Verde on Monday. Regarded as one of the strong pre-tournament favourites, Spain had been expected to cruise past Cape Verde in their Group H opener in Atlanta. But despite enjoying 74 per cent possession and laying siege to the Cape Verde goal, the 2010 world champions were unable to find a breakthrough against the underdogs from the volcanic archipelago of just 525,000 people, who are ranked as 2000-1 outsiders to win the World Cup by several betting websites. Cape Verde’s Vozinha applauds fans after the FIFA World Cup 2026 Group H match between Spain and Cabo Verde at Atlanta Stadium on June 15, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia, the US. — AFP Not even the introduction of Barcelona superstar Lamine Yamal off the bench could engineer a goal for Luis de la Fuente’s men. Cape Verde’s players and supporters, meanwhile, celebrated wildly after securing an improbable point in what was their first-ever World Cup match. The underdogs, ni...

Temperatures hit record highs for May in the United Kingdom and France on Monday, as forecasters warned of a prolonged period of extreme heat across Europe throughout the week. A so-called “heat dome” of warm air from northern Africa trapped under a high-pressure system over western Europe is behind the high temperatures not usually seen until high summer. Temperatures in Spain were expected to peak later this week at 38°C, while parts of Italy imposed restrictions on working outdoors. In the UK, the Met Office weather agency said it was the hottest May day on record, with temperatures hitting 34.8°C at Kew Gardens, southwest London – a full two degrees above the previous high. “This heat would be exceptional in the UK even in mid-summer, let alone May,” it said on X. “The weather here, it’s like a mini version of hell. It’s boiling. It’s like really hot,” said 10-year-old Liza Nizari on a visit to London, where temperatures normally average about 17°C or 18C at this time of year. Lindy Brand-Daloze, a 66-yea...

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Friday stressed his country was a “reliable member” of Nato, after a report the United States was considering possibly trying to expel Spain over its refusal to support operations in the Middle East war. Reuters news agency cited an anonymous US official telling it that the Pentagon had outlined the expulsion option in an email looking at ways to punish Nato allies that steered clear of the US-Israeli war against Iran. “Spain is a reliable member within Nato” which is fulfilling all its obligations, Sanchez told reporters in Cyprus, where he was attending an EU summit. “As a result, I am absolutely not worried,” he said. US President Donald Trump has repeatedly railed against Nato allies for refusing to join the war, saying he viewed it as a betrayal. Some of them — France, Spain and Italy — did not allow US military aircraft deployed for the war to overfly their territories or to use bases. Britain initially also refused, but later allowed US flights from its bases for...

ISLAMABAD - Pressure on Israel over its military campaign in Lebanon intensified on Tuesday, as Italy suspended defense ties, Spain issued a blunt legal rebuke, and China called for respect for Lebanese sovereignty.

The European Union (EU) stands in full solidarity with Spain, European Council President Antonio Costa said on Wednesday, following US President Donald Trump’s threats to cut trade with Madrid over its stance against Washington’s attacks on Iran. “I have just held a call with President Sanchez to express the EU’s full solidarity with Spain. The EU will always ensure that the interests of its member states are fully protected,” Costa said on the social media platform on X. Trump lashed out at the government of Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Tuesday, criticising its refusal to grant use of the Rota naval base and Moron air base, as well as his refusal to join Nato allies in a pledge to boost defence spending. “So we’re going to cut off all trade with Spain. We don’t want anything to do with Spain,” Trump said. Meanwhile, the European Commission said it was “ready” to defend EU interests. “We stand in full solidarity with all member states and all their citizens and, through our common trade policy, stand ready...

A high-speed train derailed and was hit by another in southern Spain killing 39 people and injuring more than 120, authorities said Monday, saying the country’s worst train crash in over a decade was “extremely strange”. It was the deadliest train accident since 2013, when 80 people died after a train veered off a curved section of track outside the northwestern city of Santiago de Compostela. The crash happened on Sunday evening when a train operated by rail company Iryo travelling from Malaga to Madrid derailed near Adamuz, crossing onto the other track where it crashed into an oncoming train, which also derailed. The interior ministry said at least 39 people died, raising the toll from 21 given by police late on Sunday. Another 123 people were injured, including five very seriously and 24 seriously, a ministry spokesperson added. Transport Minister Oscar Puente told reporters the disaster took place on a straight part of the track, which was completely renovated. The first train to derail was “practically ...

Barcelona and Spain star Aitana Bonmati won the Women’s Ballon d’Or at an awards ceremony in Paris on Monday, the third consecutive year she has taken the prize. Bonmati edged out Mariona Caldentey, her teammate in the Spain side beaten on penalties by England in the Women’s Euro 2025 final in July. The 27-year-old midfielder also lost the Women’s Champions League final with her club last season, at the hands of Caldentey’s Arsenal. Bonmati was named player of the tournament at the Euros, despite not starting either of Spain’s first two matches as she recovered from a bout of viral meningitis. Alessia Russo, one of the nominees from the triumphant England European Championship team, came in third place. The Ballon d’Or is the most prestigious individual prize in both men’s and women’s football, and Bonmati’s run of three in a row follows back-to-back victories for her Barcelona and Spain teammate Alexia Putellas. Norway’s Ada Hegerberg and USA star Megan Rapinoe are the only other players to have won the Wome...

United States and Chinese officials began talks in Madrid on Sunday on their strained trade ties, a looming divestiture deadline for Chinese short video app TikTok and Washington’s demands that its allies place tariffs on China over its purchases of Russian oil. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer arrived shortly before Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng and China’s top trade negotiator, Li Chenggang, at the baroque Palacio de Santa Cruz, which houses Spain’s foreign ministry in the Spanish capital. The talks mark the fourth time in four months that the delegations have met in European cities to try to keep a fractured US-China trade relationship from collapsing under US President Donald Trump’s tariffs. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent arrives to meet Spain’s Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares, to continue discussions on trade, economic and national security issues, in Madrid, Spain on September 14. — Reuters The delegations last met in Stockholm in July, where the...

Aug 9: Spain keeper Cata Coll was left without her tactical notes during the penalty shootout in last month’s European Championship final, because England keeper Hannah Hampton had thrown the bottle they were written on into the stands. Hampton replaced Coll’s bottle with her own as the 24-year-old Chelsea keeper led England to their second […]

Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb has held a series of high-level bilateral meetings and strategic engagements on the sidelines of the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development, currently underway in Seville, Spain.

Liverpool’s Portuguese forward Diogo Jota, 28, died in a fiery car crash near Zamora in northwestern Spain with his brother, Spanish state-owned TV station TVE said on Thursday, citing local firefighters. Police told Reuters everything pointed to that information being correct, although they could not yet officially confirm the names. The regional fire department of Castille-Leon, where Zamora is located, said on its website a car crashed shortly after midnight on Thursday and burst into flames, with two men, aged 28 and 26, found dead. View this post on Instagram Liverpool Football Club said it was “devastated by the tragic passing of Jota”. “The club have been informed the 28-year-old has passed away following a road traffic accident in Spain along with his brother, Andre,” it said on social media. “Liverpool FC will be making no further comment at this time and request the privacy of Diogo and Andre’s family, friends, teammates and club staff is respected as they try to come to terms with an unimaginable l...

Federal Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb departed from Islamabad on Monday for Seville, Spain to participate in the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development (FFD4) being held from July 1 to 3, 2025, according to a statement issued by his ministry . The global conference will bring together leaders, policymakers, and international development experts to explore innovative and sustainable financing strategies to accelerate progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly for developing and emerging economies. During the visit, Aurangzeb will represent Pakistan in the main conference sessions and a range of high-level side events. On July 1, he will co-chair the multi-stakeholder roundtable on “Leveraging Private Business and Finance”, and deliver a keynote address at the International Business Forum (IBF) Policy Dialogue on “Accelerating EMDEs (Emerging Market and Developing Economies) Investment: The Role of Credit Ratings”. He is also scheduled to address the gene...

ISLAMABAD - Two most wanted fugitives have been arrested in Spain as a result of Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry’s diplomatic efforts.

ISTANBUL: A pivotal Turkey-Spain transport agreement has been signed between Turkey and Spain during the Global Transport Connectivity Forum held in Istanbul. Turkish Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloglu and Spain’s Minister of Transport and Sustainable Mobility, Oscar Puente Santiago, signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). It aims to enhance collaboration on transport corridors, […]

Police said on Thursday that they arrested a man in Barcelona accused of secretly filming his conversations with women in the street and using the footage to promote an online “seduction technique course”. Officers allegedly found 239 secretly recorded videos on the suspect’s social media profile in which women shared personal details, such as their nationality, occupation or daily routine. The suspect, who is believed to have used a hidden camera, approached women on the streets of Barcelona and filmed conversations with them without consent, Spain’s National Police said. “He is suspected of involvement in offences against privacy and sexual assault,” the statement read. The footage often showed the women’s faces clearly and was used as promotional material on the suspect’s website, where users could pay €3,000 ($3,400) to enrol for an online “seduction techniques” course and access the secret recordings. The course’s content included both theoretical instructions on how to approach women and real-life examp...

Lights flickered back to life in Spain and Portugal on Tuesday after a massive blackout hit the Iberian peninsula stranding passengers in trains and hundreds of elevators while millions saw phone and internet coverage die. Electricity had been restored to more than 90 per cent of mainland Spain early on Tuesday, the REE power operator said. Lights came on again in Madrid and in Portugal’s capital. Barely a corner of the peninsula, which has a joint population of almost 60 million people, escaped the blackout. But no firm cause for the shutdown has yet emerged, though wild rumours spread on messaging networks about cyber attacks. Portuguese Prime Minister Luis Montenegro said the source of the outage was “probably in Spain”. Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said “all the potential causes” were being analysed and warned the public “not to speculate” because of the risk of “misinformation”. Sanchez said about 15,000 megawatts of electricity, more than half of the power being consumed at the time, “suddenly d...