Spain Working With France, Portugal to Make Grid More Robust
Spain is working with France and Portugal to strengthen its power grid and has made interconnections a high priority, the country's top energy official told senators a week after a nationwide blackout.
'We've been working with France, Portugal and the European Commission so that these interconnections arrive as soon as possible,' Sara Aagesen, minister for the environmental transition, said at the Senate in Madrid. 'The more interconnections, the more robust' the network will be, she said.
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New York Times
4 hours ago
- New York Times
Bruno Fernandes on rejecting Al Hilal to stay at Manchester United: ‘I want to stay at the highest level'
Bruno Fernandes says he is 'happy' with his decision to stay at Manchester United following a lucrative offer to leave the club from Saudi Arabia. The Athletic reported on Friday that, Fernandes, 30, was giving serious consideration to an approach from Saudi Pro League side Al Hilal. Fernandes' agent had flown to Saudi Arabia for negotiations and according to sources with knowledge of the situation, speaking on the condition of anonymity, the proposal was for four years on €25million a year net, equivalent to triple his current salary, while Al Hilal were said to be prepared to pay United £80m. Advertisement However, Fernandes has opted to remain at Old Trafford after talks with head coach Ruben Amorim and his family. 'There was that possibility, the president of Al Hilal called me a month ago to ask,' he said at a press conference while on international duty with Portugal. 'There was a waiting period on my part to think about what the future would hold. I would be open to it, if Manchester United felt it was my time. I spoke with Mister Ruben Amorim, who really tried to talk me out of it. I spoke with the club, which wasn't willing to sell, only if I truly wanted to leave. We never talked about money; that was all handled by my agent, not me. 'I spoke with my family to understand if that was what I wanted for my future. It was actually my wife who asked me — I never said yes or no. She put my professional priorities ahead of everything else. 'It would have been an easy move. I had Ruben Neves and Joao Cancelo there, two people I have a great friendship with. But I want to stay at the highest level, play in big competitions, because I still feel capable. I want to keep being happy, I'm still very passionate about this sport, and I'm happy with my decision.' Amorim said after United's 3-1 victory over Hong Kong in Friday's post-season friendly that he did not believe that Fernandes would be departing the club. 'I don't think so,' he said when asked about the possibility of his captain leaving. '(Fernandes) is seeing us changing some actions to change all the things and I think he wants to stay. He is saying no to a lot of things. But he shows that he wants to win. He is really hungry. He is really good. He needs to be in the best league in the world.' Fernandes finished the 2024-25 campaign as United's top scorer with 19 goals in 53 appearances across all competitions. The midfielder was instrumental in United's run to the Europa League final, scoring seven goals in the competition, including two in the dramatic quarter-final victory over Lyon. Speaking after the Europa League final defeat to Tottenham Hotspur, Fernandes said he intended to stay at United but understood if the club wanted to 'cash in' on him. 'I've always said I will be here until the club says to me that it's time to go,' he said. 'I'm eager to do more, to be able to bring the club to great days. Advertisement 'In the day that the club thinks that I'm too much or it's time to part ways, football is like this, you never know it. 'If the club thinks it's time to part ways because they want to do some cash-in, football sometimes is like this.' Fernandes' United contract runs until 2027 with the option of a further 12 months after signing an extension last August. The Athletic reported in May 2024 United had met Fernandes to discuss his future, and it was underlined that the INEOS-led regime intended to continue building around the Portugal international. He had been seeking clarity on United's direction and whether their ambition matched his. United experienced another disappointing campaign and finished the season with their lowest points haul and lowest position of the Premier League era. Defeat in the Europa League final also ensured United missed out on Champions League qualification, contributing to United's increasingly difficult financial position. Fernandes was signed from Sporting CP in January 2020 and has won the FA Cup and League Cup during his five and a half years in Manchester. He has made 290 appearances for the club, scoring 98 goals and providing 86 assists. Amorim's feeling that Fernandes wanted to stay has proved to be accurate, even though United's captain was giving Al Hilal's offer serious thought. After further talks with Fernandes' agent in Riyadh, the Saudi Arabian club were, according to sources, willing to up their salary offer to €35m per year net, effectively £565,000 per week after tax. Having started out by suggesting a bid of £80million would be made to United, the figure projected rose to £100m. United, it must be said, received no direct communication on these numbers and there was some scepticism within Old Trafford that such mega money would come to fruition. Nevertheless, the prospect of a huge injection of cash for a 30-year-old prompted some internal discussion. Had Fernandes chosen to push for a move, there could have been valid arguments made for accepting an enormous bid and reinvesting it in multiple players. Advertisement The importance of Fernandes to the team cannot be understated, however. His goals and assists in all competitions this season effectively turned eight defeats into wins. He scored 19 goals in 57 games, the most of any player in the squad by eight, with Alejandro Garnacho and Amad next on 11. Then there is the Fernandes impact that cannot be measured by statistics, the soft skills he exhibits around the team hotel or training ground, bringing teammates onside, making fans feel welcome, encouraging staff members. That quality is invaluable, and losing that would have chipped away at United's heart. Plus, there would be no guarantee United would bring in the right replacements. Fernandes staying does throw up an interesting conundrum on positions in Amorim's system. Matheus Cunha is earmarked for the left No. 10, while Bryan Mbeumo is a fit on the right side should United manage to agree a fee with Brentford. Fernandes has played deeper recently, and rotation is a gift United have been deprived of for much of the last two seasons, but given the absence of European football there will not be as many games to keep players satisfied. It is perhaps telling how Amorim selected Amad as right wing-back for both matches on tour. There is an ironic consequence of Fernandes' call. Al Hilal are said to now be determined to push through their other marquee target Victor Osimhen, who has been discussed at United. They are able to offer a higher salary than previously due to extra cash reallocated from Fernandes, meaning United face an even bigger uphill task should they choose to pursue a deal. ()
Washington Post
6 hours ago
- Washington Post
New searches are underway in Portugal near where toddler Madeleine McCann disappeared in 2007
LAGOS, Portugal — Police investigating the disappearance of British toddler Madeleine McCann searched near an abandoned rural building in southern Portugal on Tuesday as they launched fresh probes near the holiday resort where she was last seen 18 years ago. The case received worldwide interest for several years, with reports of sightings of McCann occurring as far away as Australia, while books and television documentaries were produced about her disappearance.
CBS News
6 hours ago
- CBS News
New search launched in Madeleine McCann case, 18 years after the British toddler vanished in Portugal
New developments in search for Madeleine McCann, who went missing over 18 years ago A fresh search effort has been launched for Madeleine McCann, a British toddler who disappeared from her family's vacation rental in Portugal more than 18 years ago. Police haven't disclosed any evidence to explain why they decided to carry out a new search almost two decades later, but they were focusing Tuesday on land around a cottage previously used by the only suspect in the girl's disappearance, a German man currently jailed in his home country for unrelated rape and sexual assault charges. Dozens of agents from Germany's leading domestic law enforcement agency were poring over the ground Tuesday in the Algarve, a southern Portugal region hugely popular with tourists, where Madeleine was last seen. Search teams on Tuesday scoured undergrowth and an abandoned building, with police hoping to find evidence that could implicate the convicted German sex offender in her disappearance. Madeleine McCann Metropolitan Police Madeleine was just 3 years old when she vanished from an apartment on the Algarve coast where she was on holiday with her family, sparking unprecedented media coverage and a global campaign to find her. A previous search of a lake near the Ocean Club resort in Praia da Luz in 2023 yielded no results, but on Tuesday, investigators were back in a part of nearby Lagos to hunt for clues. Several police vehicles with Portuguese and German number plates as well as fire trucks were seen down a cordoned-off dirt road toward the search site, AFP journalists at the scene saw. Portuguese police said about 25 German investigators were present, with the investigation looking at an abandoned building in an overgrown wooded area. German investigators conduct a new search operation amid the investigation into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann, at Atalaia, Lagos, in Portugal's Algarve region, June 3, 2025. PATRICIA DE MELO MOREIRA/AFP/Getty The new searches — carried out at the request of German authorities investigating Christian Brueckner, a convicted rapist who is suspected of having killed Madeleine — are expected to last until Friday. According to the British tabloid The Sun, investigators are equipped with ground radar technology that can scan the ground down to a depth of 15 feet. The area includes a cottage where Brueckner was living and is dotted with wells and ditches, The Sun reported. Christian Brueckner, the German suspect A mobile phone registered in Brueckner's name was traced close to the family's accommodation on the night Madeleine went missing. He has always denied any role in her disappearance. The 48-year-old is currently serving a 7-year prison sentence in Germany for the 2005 rape of a 72-year-old American woman in Praia da Luz. He is due to complete his sentence in September. He was acquitted in October 2024 in Germany in a separate trial for two sexual assaults and three rapes committed in Portugal between 2000 and 2017. German authorities in 2020 said they were convinced Brueckner was involved in Madeleine's disappearance, which has seen several false leads. He has not been charged in connection with Madeleine's case. Christian Brueckner, right, a suspect in the disappearance of British toddler Madeleine McCann in Portugal, speaks with his lawyer Friedrich Fuelscher as they wait for the verdict in a trial on unrelated sexual assault charges in Braunschweig, Germany, Oct. 8, 2024. Michael Matthey/Pool/REUTERS Brueckner, who according to German media had a string of previous convictions, including for sexual offenses, assault and theft before he was convicted of rape, worked as an odd-job man during his 10 years in the Algarve. He also reportedly burgled hotel rooms and holiday apartments. At the time of Madeleine's disappearance, he was living in a camper van. On Tuesday, a journalist from Germany's RTL television recounted his correspondence with Brueckner and how he had met him in prison. Brueckner, the journalist said, complained that "half the world" considered him to be a "cruel rapist." He said he wanted to eat steak and drink beer when he is released from prison. A former neighbor in Portugal had told Britain's Sky News in 2020 that Brueckner was "always a bit angry, driving fast up and down the lane, and then one day, around 2006, he just disappeared without a word." He returned to Germany in 2007 — the year Madeleine disappeared — settling in Hanover, but still spent time in Portugal. On May 3, 18 years since their daughter's disappearance, Madeleine's parents Kate and Gerry McCann said they were still determined to find out what happened. "The years appear to be passing even more quickly and whilst we have no significant news to share, our determination to 'leave no stone unturned' is unwavering," they wrote on the website. "We will do our utmost to achieve this." contributed to this report.
