Portugal Continues Easing Limits on Power Imports From Spain
Portugal will continue to ease limits on the electricity interconnection capacity for imports from Spain after trading between the two countries was halted last month due to a blackout.
The April 28 blackout left Portugal and Spain without electricity for hours, hitting public transport, telecommunications systems and other services. Portuguese Energy and Environment Minister Maria da Graca Carvalho said on May 2 that as a precaution Portugal was at that time not trading electricity with Spain and was being supplied entirely with power produced within the country.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Medscape
44 minutes ago
- Medscape
Spain Nears Legal Shift on HIV-Positive Donors
Historically, the presence of HIV infection in a patient with end-stage organ failure has been considered an absolute contraindication for organ transplantation. However, advances in antiretroviral therapy have significantly improved life expectancy for people living with HIV to the extent that the condition is now generally managed as a chronic disease. At the same time, a growing number of these individuals are experiencing or dying from end-stage organ failure, prompting renewed debate about this long-standing contraindication. In addition, many national transplant policies require that organs from HIV-positive donors be discarded due to safety concerns. Even if the intended recipient is also HIV-positive, there is a risk of superinfection — acquiring a different strain of HIV from the donor, which may be resistant to certain antiretrovirals. There is also the potential for transmission of common coinfections. These issues were addressed during a roundtable session at the 28th Congress of the Spanish Society of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology (SEIMC), held in Málaga, Spain, from May 22-25. The session, titled Advances in Solid Organ Transplantation in People Living With HIV: Use of HIV-Positive Donors, was moderated by Federico García, PhD, president of SEIMC, and Beatriz Domínguez, MD, PhD, managing director of Spain's National Transplant Organization. Expert speakers included Josep Maria Miró Meda, MD, PhD, Infectious Diseases Service, Hospital Clinic of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain; Christine Durand, MD, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore; and Paolo Grossi, MD, PhD, University of Insubria and ASST-Sette Laghi, Varese, Italy. The objectives of the session were to: Present clinical criteria and prognostic outcomes for solid organ transplantation in patients with HIV. Explore the perspectives of Spanish transplant experts on the use of HIV-positive donor organs for HIV-positive recipients — a practice that has been prohibited by Spanish law since 1987. Review the current regulatory landscape across the European Union regarding this practice. According to Domínguez, while Spain is widely recognized as a global leader in organ donation and transplantation, the country has fallen behind in its approach to transplant access for people living with HIV. International examples presented during the session, particularly from South Africa and the United States (under the HIV Organ Policy Equity Act), demonstrate that kidney and liver transplants from HIV-positive donors to HIV-positive recipients can have favorable short- and medium-term outcomes. These data, presented by Durand, support the reconsideration of long-standing transplant restrictions. Miró Meda presented long-term outcomes from the Hospital Clinic of Barcelona, where, between 2003 and 2024, 81 patients living with HIV received organ transplants from HIV-negative donors. Of these, 85% survived at least 10 years posttransplant. These findings support a growing consensus that it is time to reconsider policies restricting the use of organs from HIV-positive donors and to recognize individuals living with HIV as eligible both to receive and donate organs. In late 2024, Spain began the legal process to repeal its longstanding ban on such transplants — a change expected to be finalized in the coming months. Looking ahead, experts identified a new frontier in transplantation: The use of organs from HIV-positive donors for HIV-negative recipients. While still controversial, this practice has already been implemented in South Africa under exceptional clinical circumstances — specifically, cases where the lack of a transplant would result in death. In these instances, the immediate benefits are considered to outweigh the potential risks, given that HIV is now a manageable chronic condition. Importantly, these transplants are performed only with the fully informed consent of the recipient. This evolving field raises important clinical and ethical questions: Could HIV transmission be prevented by initiating prophylactic antiretroviral therapy in the recipient? Does the principle of 'undetectable = untransmittable' apply in the setting of organ transplantation? Although these approaches are far from standard clinical practice, experts agree that the topic deserves careful consideration and open discussion.
New York Times
2 hours ago
- New York Times
Barcelona's pursuit of Joan Garcia and the complicated goalkeeper scenario it could unleash
Barcelona are working to seal their first piece of transfer business this summer. They want to make Espanyol's Joan Garcia their new starting goalkeeper. Garcia, who's arguably been the best in his position in La Liga last season, has a €25million ($28.4m) release clause in his contract and is expected to leave his current club before the end of the transfer window. Advertisement Barca feel Garcia is a clear one-off market opportunity at this price. Sporting director Deco and manager Hansi Flick had spoken in previous weeks about wanting to sign a new winger for their team, but Garcia is expected to make a decision about his future sooner rather than later — so Barcelona have had to make up their minds quickly. They have been in contact with the player's camp and have laid the foundations of a five-year deal. Now it is all in Garcia's hands. The 24-year-old has to choose his next club — and he is not short of options. Last summer, Arsenal came very close to signing Garcia but were not able to reach an agreement with Espanyol. As much as Mikel Arteta's team still rate him highly, last season has changed Garcia's priorities: he wants to be the No 1 option wherever he moves to. At Arsenal, with Premier League Golden Glove winner David Raya established between the posts, it is highly unlikely Garcia would immediately get a starting role, so the prospect of moving to north London has cooled. Other Premier League clubs have shown interest. Newcastle have been monitoring Garcia this season, although it's understood he's not their priority target. Bournemouth are known to rate him highly too, while Manchester City have been following Garcia but are not expected to start formal talks anytime soon. 'I am very calm,' said Joan Garcia last week, when asked about his future by local radio Catalunya Radio. 'There is a lot of news coming out about me, but we've just finished the season and I want to rest a bit. From there, I will discuss my options with my people and decide what's best for me.' Once the decision is made, there is no need to even table an offer: the buying club would simply need to go to La Liga's headquarters in Madrid and pay the €25m release clause. A succession plan in goal is clearly required at Barcelona, with Marc-Andre ter Stegen (33) and Wojciech Szczesny (35) in the autumns of their respective careers — and Inaki Pena set to leave in summer. There are some promising goalkeepers in La Masia, with American international Diego Kochen being a stand-out candidate. The 19-year-old has played with Barca Atletic this season, and is expected to be more involved with the first team in 2025-26. Advertisement But adding a first-choice goalkeeper is a task that Deco knew he was going to have to resolve at some point in the next few years. With Joan Garcia, Barca are trying to do exactly that. Club sources, who, like all mentioned in this article, wanted to remain anonymous to protect relationships, believe that any elite side who go after a new goalkeeper, in current market conditions, could be forced to spend at least €60m. Garcia is seen as a top-quality prospect, and he is available for €25m — a bargain to Barca's eyes. Despite winning the league title, Flick insisted over the last few weeks of the season that his Barca squad needed some improvements. And if you analyse the previous campaign, goalkeeper is certainly an area that can be upgraded. As much as Szczesny was a decent cover, he is not seen as a title-winning goalkeeper inside the club. The Champions League semi-final against Inter, where Yann Sommer all but got them to the final, acted as a moment of realisation around the club. 'We did not lose because of Tek (Szczesny), but Inter did win thanks to Sommer,' a dressing-room source said after the Inter game. Besides Szczesny, there is Ter Stegen. He is the club captain, an important dressing-room figure and a player who has now recovered from the severe knee injury he suffered last October. But doubts about Ter Stegen have loomed for multiple seasons. He was outstanding in the 2022-2023 season, when Xavi's Barca won La Liga, but has failed to hit consistent heights throughout his 11-year Barcelona career so far. Ter Stegen has been involved in all Barcelona's traumatic Champions League nights, from Rome to the 8-2 against Bayern to the 4-0 defeat at Anfield in 2019. The last couple of seasons have not been memorable for the 33-year-old, and the intention to change the guard at Barcelona is now very real. Garcia's profile is seen at Barca as a guaranteed upgrade to all that. He has been an excellent shot-stopper, while having the potential to be a perfect fit in Flick's high-line system. But if Joan Garcia joins Barcelona, it will leave the Catalans with a complex situation to manage in their goalkeeping ranks. Ter Stegen would inevitably see his role at the club questioned more than ever. His current contract runs to 2028, beyond his 36th birthday. And on international duty with Germany this week, the goalkeeper confirmed he has no intention of leaving Barcelona. Advertisement 'Nobody at the club spoke with me about this situation so I'm not worried,' Ter Stegen said on Sunday at a press conference. 'I know I will be at Barcelona next season.' Barca have also offered Szczesny a new contract to stay as a back-up goalkeeper. The club's ideal scenario would be to get Garcia in and offload Ter Stegen but, listening to his recent comments, that seems unlikely. All this context would add an extra layer of pressure to Joan Garcia to deliver the expected performances, as if his signing wasn't already tinged with controversy. Garcia's name has been in everyone's mouths around Barcelona over the past couple of weeks. He would be the first player in 31 years to move from Espanyol to their local rivals — and just the 14th ever registered. Relationships between both clubs and fanbases have always been tense from a local rivalry perspective, although the sense of bitterness is understandably bigger from the Espanyol point of view. The Pericos are the smaller club in the city, and have often felt ignored and overshadowed by the global brand down the road. Garcia has been the face of Espanyol on and off the pitch throughout the season, claiming to be a proud fan, kissing the badge when the team secured their La Liga safety. He comes from a family of Barcelona fans, but he joined the Espanyol youth ranks at 15 and made his way through professional football at the club. Senior figures at Espanyol have spoken publicly on the subject, and admitted they would be surprised if the 24-year-old opts to join Barca. 'I seriously doubt Joan (Garcia) will sign for Barcelona,' said Espanyol manager Manolo Gonzalez in an interview with Radio Galega last week. 'I am not saying I dare to put my hand into fire for that, but pretty close to that.' As much as Espanyol fans have assumed selling Garcia for €25m is needed for the club's finances, seeing him switching to their biggest footballing enemies would not just be a tough pill to swallow — but a case to go down in their history books. Another significant weight to carry for Garcia. Finally, there is Barcelona's financial situation. According to La Liga sources, the Catalans are currently spending money above their salary limit and as of now are not allowed to register new signings. The club are waiting to make significant progress in their works to rebuild the Camp Nou to have a positive impact on their balance. Last January, Barca sold a share of future VIP seating in the stadium to get to what La Liga calls the 1:1 rule — meaning they can register players without restrictions. Advertisement But with the stadium yet to be completed and the VIP seats not built, Barca's audit company Crowe did not allow them to count the money from the sale in this season's accounts. Barca need to have the ground and the seats built so that they can include the income from the VIP seats in their budget and start operating as normal in the transfer market. This will be another long summer in Barcelona — the Joan Garcia saga may well be the first piece of it.
Bloomberg
2 hours ago
- Bloomberg
Vietnam Orders Action to Avert Power Crunch as Heat Lifts Demand
Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has ordered government agencies to ensure uninterrupted power supplies for households and businesses as heat waves boost electricity demand to a record. Recent bouts of sweltering heat in northern and central areas of the nation increased peak power demand to almost 52 gigawatts on June 2, an all-time high, according to a statement posted on the government website. The mean temperature in Vietnam topped 30C on Monday, about 8% above the 30-year average for this time of year, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.
