Today in Spain: A roundup of the latest news on Friday

Millions of Spanish school students to be given flood and earthquake training

As many as eight million students in schools and colleges throughout Spain will receive compulsory training on how to react in emergency situations caused by floods, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, forest fires and tsunamis.

Students will also be trained to respond to other types of crises caused by industrial, chemical or nuclear accidents and dangerous goods.

At least two hours will be taught throughout the school year at the Infant and Primary school stages, as well as at all other levels including ESO, bachillerato, and vocational training courses, where there will be a minimum of four hours, according to reports from Spanish daily El País.

Bird flu outbreak shuts parks in Spain's Andalusia

Two world heritage attractions in Spain's popular tourist region of Andalusia were on Thursday among sites affected by a bird flu outbreak that has seen parks shut and animals slaughtered.

Seville's María Luisa park, a major tourist attraction and green space in the city centre, was closed after dead birds were found there, the town hall said on X on Thursday.

The park would be cleared of the dead animals and disinfected, added the southern city's town hall, which in recent days had closed three other parks where lifeless birds were discovered.

Among them were the gardens of the Real Alcázar, a medieval royal palace shaped by Islamic and Christian architectural influence and classified as a UNESCO world heritage site.

In the Doñana National Park, another UNESCO site famed for its wetlands, lagoons and biodiversity, "three outbreaks with wild birds" were detected, leading to them being removed, the regional government's top environment official Catalina Garcia wrote on X.

The regional government said in a statement on Tuesday that it was implementing measures "to avoid the bird flu spreading and stop infections in other areas", after outbreaks were detected on two farms in Huelva province.

It said birds had been put down, without specifying their number, adding that the risk of the infection being transmitted to humans was "very low".

Madrid 'almost double' police deployment for final Vuelta stage

Madrid ramped up security measures on Thursday ahead of the final stage of the Vuelta a Espana, with pro-Palestinian protestors targeting the race.

Several stages have been shortened because of protests, mainly against the participation of the Israel Premier-Tech cycling team.

Sunday's final stage of cycling's third grand tour ends in the Spanish capital after a 111 kilometre run from Alalpardo.

"The municipal police will have nearly 800 personnel deployed... the initial plan was for approximately 500 officers for the (part of the) route in the city of Madrid, about 40 kilometres long," Inma Sanz, Madrid's first deputy mayor, told a news conference.

She said the planned deployment was "almost doubled", a day after the central government's representation in Madrid said there would be "extraordinary" reinforcements at the final stage.

The 800 municipal police officers will join 1,100 national police officers sent to prevent further disruptions.

Protesters have burst onto the course and caused crashes, among other flashpoints across the three-week race.

READ ALSO: Why Spain's top cycling race has been rocked by pro-Palestinian protests

Spaniards double cryptocurrency holdings in two years

Spaniards have doubled their cryptocurrency holdings in two years and it is now the main source of savings for 130,000 households across the country.

A report by the Bank of Spain points out that the percentage of the population that owns cryptoassets will grow from 4 percent in 2022 to 9 percent in 2024, however their overall weight in savings is still small compared to other forms of currency.

As for the profile of crypto-asset buyers, research has highlighted that holding is more prevalent among young men — 80 percent of holders are under 45 and one in three still live in the parental home.

With additional reporting by AFP.