News
Felipe in London for Royal funeral
King Felipe and Queen Letizia were amongst the first to pay tribute to their relative Queen Elizabeth II who died in Scotland on September 8 at the age of 96 . The flag of the Spanish royal family was flown at half-mast at the Zarzuela Palace in Madrid , the residence and working offices of the couple and their family .
In a letter to King Charles , Felipe praised the late monarch ’ s “ sense of duty , commitment and a whole life serving the people of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ,” which he added , “ set an example for all of us .” On the Casa Real Twitter account , Felipe said he would “ dearly ” miss his Aunt Lilibet who had been a figure close to him .
Spain ’ s King and Queen attended the funeral of Elizabeth II in London on September 19 , Queen Letizia covering her face with a long black mourning veil , following hundreds of years of royal tradition .
Also in London to attend the funeral was King Felipe ’ s father , Emeritus King Juan Carlos who abdicated in favour of his son in 2014 and has since lived in self-imposed exile in the United Arab Emirates . Juan Carlos was the late Elizabeth II ’ s cousin and enjoyed a close relationship with her , paying her a private visit every time he visited the UK .
Juan Carlos remains under investigation of some of his alleged corrupt financial and business activities before abdicating , and it was reported in the Spanish press that the government pressured him not to accept his invitation to attend the funeral . It was claimed they feared he would up-stage his son and widen the personal gap between them .
However , he was seen on September 18 with his estranged wife Queen Sofia walking into the Buckingham Palace reception where King Charles III and Queen Consort Camilla were holding a reception to greet leaders from around the world . Felipe and Juan Carlos were seated together in the second row during the funeral the following day , the first time they had been pictured together for two years .
Opinions were divided when Juan Carlos confirmed he would be attending the ceremony . The leftwing political party Podemos described him as “ a criminal on the run ”, while the conservative Partido Popular said it was , “ appropriate and logical that he should attend .”
Fewer fatalities
Traffic accident fatalities in Spanish cities have fallen by 20 % according to the Interior Ministry . The number of fatalities in 2021 totalled 417 , which was 102 fewer than the previous year . A similar decrease has been recorded in the deaths of vulnerable road users such as cyclists and over 65s .
Weather death
A 20-month-old girl has died after being struck by a hail stone measuring around 11 cm ( around 4.5 inches ). A storm in and around the Catalan town of La Bisbal de l ’ Emporda caused injuries to over 60 people and caused severe damage to property at the end of August . The toddler suffered severe head trauma and died the following day in the Josep Trueta Hospital in Girona .
Gunshot wound
A 24-year-old Irish national was injured by a gunshot near a luxury golf course close to Aloha Golf Course in Marbella on September 20 . Police said he was injured in his side by a bullet entering and exiting his body . Officers , alerted by reports of gunshots , found no victim at the scene and it was later discovered the victim had checked himself into a hospital .
Forgotten toddler
A three-year-old was accidentally left on board a school bus when it delivered other children to a school in Sitges last month . She remained alone on board in the bus garage for seven hours until the bus driver returned to take the bus out again . The little girl was reported to have been unharmed by her experience while a high-level investigation opened to review protocols .
Masks remain
There are no plans to lift the mask rule on public transport and it will remain in place until experts say otherwise . Health Minister Carolina Darias explained last month that the current view is that a lot of people crowding into small spaces without adequate ventilation increases the risk of transmission . Spain recently received recognition from the World Health Organisation for its handling of the pandemic .
Flu jabs
Flu vaccinations will begin in Andalucía on October 3 , alongside the next Covid-19 jabs for people aged over 80 in residential care , followed later by people over 60 and staff in health and social care centres . The flu vaccination campaign will include children between the ages of six months and five years as recommended by the World Health Organization . Spain has around 44 million doses of the Covid vaccine to distribute this autumn .
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