The Netherlands: As coronavirus cases rise, Paris, Madrid and Ibiza are added to Dutch 'no go list'

The Netherlands has placed Paris, Ibiza, Madrid and Brussels on its code orange list of places where all but essential travel is advised against, because of the increase in coronavirus cases.

The French, Spanish and Belgian capitals have been added to the orange list, as have the Balearic islands (include Majorca and Ibiza), and the Spanish provinces of Burgos, Salamanca, Almeria and Navarra.

The French Bouches-du-Rhone region, close to Aix en Provence and Marseille, is also out of bounds.

The ministry says all but essential travel to these places should be avoided and anyone returning to the Netherlands from one of them should go in to quarantine for 14 days. Britain has also been added to the code orange list, but travellers will not have to quarantine on their return to the Netherlands.

Travel advice to the UK has been tightened up as a warning, because the British have introduced quarantine requirements for people from the Netherlands, the foreign ministry said.

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As coronavirus cases rise, Paris, Madrid and Ibiza are added to Dutch 'no go list' - DutchNews.nl

Spain: Hundreds protest against Catalonia independence vote in Barcelona

Hundreds of people took to the streets of the Catalan capital Barcelona on Saturday, to denounce the upcoming referendum on the region’s separation from Spain. The vote is scheduled to take place on Sunday.

Anti-independence protesters carrying Spanish flags gathered in front of the Catalan government building in Barcelona. At the same time, hundreds rallied in the Spanish capital Madrid, also to protest Sunday’s referendum.

Read more: Hundreds protest against Catalonia independence vote in Barcelona — RT Newsline

European Real Estate: Spain unveils plans to build the tallest skyscraper in the EU - by Rebecca Flood

Distrito Castelana Norte (DNC)

The Shard could lose its title as Europe’s tallest building after developers in Spain unveiled plans for an even bigger skyscraper.

Since 2011, the triangle shaped tower has dominated the London skyline, earning it the prestige of being Europe’s tallest inhabitable structure.

Standing at 310 metres tall, 72 of the 95 floors are in use, with the upper floors accounting for the spire.

But new plans for a six tower development in Madrid could knock it off the top spot with one tower included in the complex planned to be 70 floors, also topping 300 metres

Antonio Béjar, CEO of the company behind the project, Distrito Castellana Norte (DCN), announced the lavish plans.

He said the skyscrapers would: "Transform the city’s skyline and put Madrid among the main European capital cities.

"The project is closer than ever to starting,"

The entire development forms part of a wider regeneration scheme for the northern part of the city, which has been progressing over the years.

DCN is currently applying for all the necessary permits to begin construction.

Read more: Spain unveils plans to build the tallest skyscraper in the EU | UK | News | The Independent

Spain: Madrid air pollution reaches alarming levels

You don't have to step into the street for Madrid's roads to pose a hazard to your health: air pollution from cars in the city might just knock you over. Scientists are finding links between the gases and disease. 

Pollution is not quite a top-ten killer - in Western Europe, lifestyle choices such as smoking, lack of exercise, and an unhealthy diet pose a bigger risk. Yet strikingly, the diseases linked to particulate air pollution may be the hardest to avoid if you cannot avoid the pollution itself.

In Madrid, three quarters of air pollution comes from motor vehicles. On bad days, a brown cloud sits on top of the city - prompting residents to call the smog cloud "boina" or beret because it looks like the city is wearing a cap.

More objective measures of the city's air pollution show that it regularly exceeds European-mandated levels of gases and particles.     

Read more: Madrid air pollution reaches alarming levels | Environment | DW.DE | 12.04.2013

Soccer: Spain erupts in joy after historic Euro 2012 win - by Allen Clendenning and Ciarean Giles

Tens of thousands gathered in central Madrid to watch their team beat Italy 4-0 and shout out “Gol!” more times than they thought possible. Even better for Spain, the country's team became the first ever to win a Euro, then a World Cup and then another Euro.

“We needed this win to counteract the suffering caused by the crisis, which seems endless,” said a smiling Antonio Ferrillo in downtown Madrid as cars drove by with passengers yelling “Espana!, Espana!” as they waved the country's red and yellow flag.

Spain has the highest unemployment rate in the 17-nation eurozone, is immersed in a deepening recession and recently asked for a bailout to prop up its hurting banks.

Note EU-Digest: if each of the players in the Spanish team would give one year of their wages to the Spanish treasury it could certainly make quite a positive dent in the ailing Spanish economy .

Read more: Spain erupts in joy after historic Euro 2012 win - The Globe and Mail

UEFA Champions League Soccer: Bayern Munich to play Chelsea in Champions League final

Bayern Munich reached the Champions League final beating nine-time champions Real Madrid 3-1 on penalties after the two-legged match finished 3-3 on aggregate.

Bastian Schweinsteiger slotted home the winning penalty in a thrilling shootout which saw Bayern lead 2-0 at one point after Cristiano Ronaldo and Kaka missed theirs for Real.

However, Toni Kroos and captain Philippo Lahm then missed theirs with Xabi Alonso getting one back for Real but Sergio Ramos blasted his effort high into the stands and Schweinsteiger made no mistake.

EU-Digest

Telegraph.co.uk: Madrid plane crash: Crash history of MD-80 series - by David Millward

For the complete report from the Telegraph click on this link

Madrid plane crash: Crash history of MD-80 series - by David Millward

The accident involving a Spanair aircraft which crashed at Madrid's airport on Wednesday killing at least 45, is one of the most deadly in Europe in the past 15 years. It is the worst in Spain for 23 years, when a February 1985 crash at Bilbao claimed 148 lives. Last year the Federal Aviation Authority ordered American Airlines to ground its 300-strong fleet of the aircraft to inspect a hydraulic wing. Of the 11 fatal crashes, two are understood not to have involved any potential failing of the aircraft itself – one was attributed to an air traffic control misunderstanding and the other to a passenger lighting a fire on the plane.However although the plane has been involved in a number of crashes, experts regard the MD-80 - a short-haul workhorse with a range of up to four hours – as among the safest in the sky.