11 h. ago African swine fever outbreak in Spain may have leaked from research lab, officials say

Authorities say strain of virus that has killed wild boars in Catalonia is one often used for experiments in secure facilities Spanish authorities investigating the African swine fever outbreak in Catalonia are looking into the possibility that the disease may have leaked from a research facility and are focusing on five nearby laboratories as potential sources.Thirteen cases of the fever have been confirmed in wild boars in the countryside outside Barcelona since 28 November, prompting Spain to scramble to contain the outbreak before it becomes a serious threat to its pork export industry, which is worth €8.8bn (£7.7bn) a year. Continue reading...

Politics

4 d. ago Tourist hotspot culls wild boars as swine fever outbreak threatens huge pork industry

The virus spreads rapidly among pigs and wild boar

Events

5 d. ago Spain deploys military to control African swine fever outbreak after pigs catch virus from ‘infected sandwich’

African swine fever, while harmless to humans, spreads rapidly among pigs and wild boar and poses a significant economic risk to Spain

Events

5 d. ago Spanish swine fever outbreak may be linked to food eaten by boar, say officials

Hundreds of police, rangers and military personnel deployed to tackle virus threatening pork export industrySpanish authorities have deployed hundreds of police officers, wildlife rangers and military personnel in an effort to contain an outbreak of highly infectious African swine fever (ASF) outside Barcelona before it becomes a major threat to the country’s €8.8bn-a-year pork export industry.Officials believe the virus, detected in the municipality of Bellaterra, may have begun to circulate after a wild boar ate contaminated food that had been brought in from outside Spain. Continue reading...

Politics

9 d. ago UK to block imports of pork from Spain due to outbreak of swine fever

Pork products are to be held at border control posts after Spain recorded cases of ASF in the Catalunya

Politics

1 week ago Spain’s attorney general quits after guilty verdict for leaking confidential information

Blow to leftist coalition government of PM Pedro Sánchez, who appointed Álvaro García Ortiz in 2022Spain’s chief prosecutor has announced his resignation after the supreme court found him guilty last week of leaking confidential information in a case involving a leading opposition figure’s partner.The unprecedented case is a blow to the leftist coalition government of the prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, who appointed Álvaro García Ortiz in 2022 and has defended his innocence repeatedly. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago Revealed: Covid inquiry evidence which criticised MI6 for denying Wuhan lab leak theory was censored by security officials

The inquiry stifled any discussion of the origins of Covid, with lawyers shutting down Michael Gove when he tried to tell them 'a significant body of judgment' believed the virus was man-made

Politics

2 w. ago Spain's attorney general guilty of leak in tax fraud case against partner of political rival

Spain’s Supreme Court has found the country’s attorney general guilty of leaking confidential information about the boyfriend of a leading conservative politician and government rival

Politics

3 w. ago ‘The tigers are hungry’: endangered but deadly, the world’s largest big cat is sowing fear in Siberia’s villages

The spread of African swine flu among the wild boars the animals eat has led to the deadliest winter for attacks on people in the Russian region for decades – and a spike in tiger killingsThe attacks seemed to come from nowhere. At first, the tigers snatched guard dogs on the edge of villages in Russia’s far east, emerging from the forest at night to prey. Others went for livestock, going after horses and cattle.Then the attacks on people began. In January, an ice fisher was mauled at night and dragged away by a big cat, just weeks after a forester had been killed. In March, another man was attacked and partly eaten by a tiger. It was the deadliest winter for tiger attacks in Siberia for decades. Continue reading...

Events