Spain Health

The Spanish government on Friday decreed a ban on smoking in public places. The decree, which will take effect in July, also bans television advertising for tobacco.

Even in the new and permissive Spain, the Socialist government's unabashed campaign on television and billboards to promote the use of condoms among teen-agers seemed a little startling at first. The audacity of the $6-million campaign, launched in October, made it inevitable that the Roman Catholic Church would finally confront Prime Minister Felipe Gonzalez and issue the harshest denunciation of his government since it came to power in 1982.

Two women died and 128 people were hospitalized by a mysterious outbreak of a respiratory illness in Barcelona during the night, the regional government said on Saturday. Sixty people were still hospitalized, three of them seriously ill, nearly 24 hours after the illness appeared. Most of those affected lived in Barcelona's port area.

The Spanish government on Friday decreed a ban on smoking in public places. The decree, which will take effect in July, also bans television advertising for tobacco.

Even in the new and permissive Spain, the Socialist government's unabashed campaign on television and billboards to promote the use of condoms among teen-agers seemed a little startling at first. The audacity of the $6-million campaign, launched in October, made it inevitable that the Roman Catholic Church would finally confront Prime Minister Felipe Gonzalez and issue the harshest denunciation of his government since it came to power in 1982.

AIDS appears to be spreading at an alarming rate in Europe among drug addicts, mostly in Italy and Spain, the World Health Organization says. The organization's Weekly Epidemiological Review, citing reports from 27 countries, said the overall proportion of drug addicts among cases of acquired immune deficiency syndrome in Europe doubled from 6% to 12% between September, 1985, and September of last year. The health organization said nearly 75% of the 421 drug-addict cases were in Italy and Spain.

At the Miura ranch, a revered patch of the bullfighting world, bulls roam idyllic fields dotted with oak trees and wild asparagus as death awaits them in the ring. Nasty, smart and genetically unique, the animals bred at this compound near Seville also face a threat outside the arena--shifting bullfight tastes--and could conceivably die out, aficionados fear. So to protect Miuras and other rare bloodlines, Spain is building up a bull sperm and embryo bank. "It's part of our national heritage.

Spanish Judge Baltasar Garzon formally charged a former Argentine military officer Friday with genocide, terrorism and torture, kicking off the process of seeking his extradition to Spain from Mexico. Ricardo Miguel Cavallo, alias Miguel Angel Cavallo, was arrested in Mexico last week on suspicion of falsifying documents and later was identified as wanted by Garzon for "dirty war" atrocities committed during Argentina's 1976-83 military rule.

Former Black Panther Johnny Spain should not have been compelled to wear shackles while on trial for murdering two San Quentin prison guards and is entitled to a new trial, a federal appeals court in Pasadena ruled Tuesday. By a 2-1 vote, the U.S.

For all the fanfare surrounding President Bush's inaugural official visit to Europe, he was largely out of sight here Tuesday on the first stop on his five-nation tour. It was probably just as well. Public reaction generally ranged from tepid to scathing. El Pais, the largest Spanish daily newspaper, welcomed the president by labeling his visit "tedious" and describing him as "not a very pleasant man--and there are demonstrations to let him know."

Two women died and 128 people were hospitalized by a mysterious outbreak of a respiratory illness in Barcelona during the night, the regional government said on Saturday. Sixty people were still hospitalized, three of them seriously ill, nearly 24 hours after the illness appeared. Most of those affected lived in Barcelona's port area.

Trucks carrying Coca-Cola Co. products to market today will resume deliveries in Belgium and Luxembourg, ending one chapter in the recent health scare that eventually spread to a handful of other European markets.

MADRID - Ever had such a great vacation abroad that you wished you could overstay your tourist visa and settle there for good? Spain is weighing a plan that would let you do just that - for a price. The Spanish government is considering offering residency to foreigners who buy property worth about $200,000 or more. With discounts as deep as 50% along the Mediterranean, a 1,100-square-foot three-bedroom beachfront apartment in Alicante goes for $130,000. Or how about a 1,200-square-foot four-bedroom with a view of Barcelona's skyline for $175,000?