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MADRID: Firefighters, supported by troops, battled two wildfires on Saturday in northwestern Spain, fuelled by dry conditions and high temperatures.
In the province of Lugo in Galicia, 82 brigades and 25 waterbombing aircraft were tackling a fire that erupted on Thursday, which has so far destroyed around 1,400 hectares (3,500 acres), the regional government said in a statement.
Meanwhile, 34 brigades and 17 aircraft were fighting a separate blaze in neighbouring Ourense province, also ignited on Thursday, which has consumed around 240 hectares.
Both fires have been classified as "status two", signalling a threat to built-up areas. Dozens of people were evacuated overnight on Friday, though most have since returned home.
The fires come as Spain experiences warmer-than-usual temperatures, with parts of Galicia exceeding 30C in recent days.
Temperatures are expected to fall later on Saturday, with rain forecast to aid firefighting efforts.
Western and northwestern Spain, along with neighbouring Portugal, were hit by devastating wildfires this summer.
Four people died in each country, with nearly 330,000 hectares burned in Spain and almost 250,000 hectares in Portugal in just a few weeks, according to the European Forest Fires Information System.

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump on Friday ordered an annual $100,000 fee be added to H-1B skilled worker visas, creating potentially major repercussions for the tech industry where such permits are prolific.

The new measure, which could likely face legal challenges, was announced alongside the introduction of a $1 million “gold card” residency program that Trump had previewed months earlier.

“The main thing is, we’re going to have great people coming in, and they’re going to be paying,” Trump told reporters as he signed the orders in the Oval Office.

H-1B visas allow companies to sponsor foreign workers with specialized skills — such as scientists, engineers, and computer programmers — to work in the United States, initially for three years, but extendable to six years.

The United States awards 85,000 H-1B visas per year on a lottery system, with India accounting for around three-quarters of the recipients.

Large technology firms rely on Indian workers who either relocate to the United States or come and go between the two countries.

Tech entrepreneurs — including Trump’s former ally Elon Musk — have warned against targeting H-1B visas, saying that the United States does not have enough homegrown talent to fill important tech sector job vacancies.

“All the big companies are on board,” said Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, who joined Trump in the Oval Office.

Trump has had the H-1B program in his sights since his first term in office, but faced court challenges to his earlier approach, which targeted the types of jobs that qualify. The current iteration has become the latest move in the major immigration crackdown of his second term.

According to Trump’s order, the fee will be required for those seeking to enter the country beginning Sunday, with the Homeland Security secretary able to exempt individuals, entire companies, or entire industries.

The order expires in a year, though Trump can extend it.

The number of H-1B visa applications has risen sharply in recent years, with a peak in approvals in 2022 under Democratic president Joe Biden.

In contrast, the peak in rejections was recorded in 2018, during Trump’s first term in the White House.

The United States approved approximately 400,000 H-1B visas in 2024, two-thirds of which were renewals.

Trump also signed an order creating a new expedited pathway to US residency for people who pay $1 million, or for corporate sponsors to pay $2 million.

“I think it’s going to be tremendously successful,” Trump added.

South Korea’s foreign ministry said in a statement on Saturday that officials would “comprehensively assess the impact of these measures on the advancement of (South Korean) companies and professional talents into the US market and engage in necessary communication with the US.”

Hundreds of South Koreans were detained during a US immigration raid on a Hyundai-LG battery factory site in the state of Georgia earlier this month.