Europe News
Tears and hugs as Madrid housing protest enters third week
After more than two weeks of camping in Puerta del Sol, demonstrators are battling exhaustion and the challenges of living outdoors, while solidarity keeps the protest alive and Madrid's regional government continues to call for their eviction.
No Comment
Spain: National Day highlights territorial unity from Barcelona to Ceuta
Spain's National Day on Monday, 12 October, was marked by demonstrations in Barcelona in support of Spanish unity, while far-right leader Santiago Abascal visited Ceuta, the Spanish enclave on the North African coast.
ADVERTISEMENT
Europe News
87-year-old Maricarmen dies in hospital after infamous eviction ordeal
The 87-year-old whose eviction sparked a domestic crisis and triggered nationwide anti-government protests has died in hospital late on Wednesday. Protesters say they will continue to demonstrate to uphold her legacy.
Europe News
Puigdemont welcomes Spain's amnesty but warns it is not the solution for Catalonia
The Catalan pro-independence leader, who has lived in self-imposed exile in Waterloo for nine years, hailed the Supreme Court's move to lift his arrest warrant over alleged embezzlement linked to the 'procés'.
Europe News
Sánchez announces 21 urgent housing measures after nationwide protests
Sánchez has come under fire domestically after an 87-year-old woman was evicted from her residence in Madrid, sparking national controversy. Pressure have piled on Sanchez’s administration to step down as protesters accused the government of not doing enough to tackle a rampant housing crisis.
Europe Today
Expert: Sánchez able 'to convert' housing weakness 'into strength'
Javier Carbonell, an analyst at the European Policy Centre, says that while housing has been one of the “biggest policy failures” of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s administration, the prime minister has been able to turn it into an electoral issue.
Economy
When growth is not enough: housing and inflation, Sánchez's key election challenges
Spain's economy is still outpacing the eurozone and employment is at its highest since 2008, but Sánchez's term end is marred by inflation, weak productivity and a housing crisis now dominating the election debate.
Europe News
Pedro Sánchez is calling an election because he has lost the narrative
On the back foot since the Ceuta crisis, Sánchez is taking his biggest gamble yet with a snap election. He thrives on main-character energy, but the momentum has shifted and reality is catching up with his carefully crafted image.
Markets
Euro hits 17-month low on French debt fears and Spanish turmoil
The euro slid to its weakest level against the US dollar since May 2025 on Monday, as France's debt troubles and Spain's political turmoil, capped by a snap election call, fuelled fears of a fresh eurozone crisis and of contagion across the bloc's bond markets.
Europe News
Spain PM Pedro Sánchez calls snap election for 29 November
Sánchez spent the weekend in consultations, seeking to capitalise politically on Spain's growing housing crisis, while a migration crisis in Ceuta and corruption cases involving figures close to his Socialist Party piled pressure on his government.
Europe News
Serb nationalist Milorad Dodik credits 'vast majority' to Trump, Putin
Pro-Russia Serb nationalist politician Milorad Dodik – who is serving a six-year ban from holding public office for defying rulings of Bosnia’s international envoy and Constitutional Court, claimed victory on Sunday, saying his party would hold a “vast majority”.
Europe News
Two people have died in Spain's Catalonia region due to flooding
On Sunday, Spanish Civil Protection sent a new Es-Alert to five Catalan counties reminding residents of travel restrictions, after Barcelona saw its wettest day in at least 20 years and the Besòs river passed the danger threshold.
Europe News
Sánchez begins reflection on early election as protesters call for general strike
Spanish Prime Minister will decide this weekend whether to call early elections after his two housing decrees were rejected, as housing activists prepare fresh protests and consider a general strike as the next step.
Europe News
Spanish lawmakers reject government housing measure amid protests
Spanish Congress rejects two key housing measures aimed at quelling public uproar over housing affordability. The bills' rejection after last-minute talks leaves Pedro Sánchez's government without two key housing measures and exposes its struggle to win support in Congress.
Europe Today
EU energy prices soar as Spain's housing decrees face Congress vote
EU diesel prices hit a record average of €2.24 a litre, as Energy Commissioner Jorgensen warns volatility is here to stay. Spain's Congress votes on two housing decrees, with Sanchez's coalition support in doubt, as Bucharest warns of new hybrid threats from Russia.
Europe News
Sánchez vows housing decree amid outrage over Maricarmen eviction
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has pledged to approve a housing decree on Tuesday following the eviction of 87-year-old Maricarmen from her home of 70 years, as protesters camp in Madrid's Puerta del Sol demanding stronger protections against evictions.
Europe News
Spanish intelligence and police warned of Ceuta crossing a day before
Speaking on Spanish public TV on Wednesday, Sánchez criticised the National Intelligence Centre for failing to anticipate the mass sea crossing. However, the agency had warned its Moroccan counterparts and police chiefs in Ceuta and Melilla.
Europe Today
Ceuta cries out for EU help, Hungary expels 10 Russian diplomats
Ceuta's mayor Juan Jesús Vivas has requested greater European support for the continuing crisis in the Spanish enclave after 80.000 crossed the border illegally last month. Meanwhile, the Hungarian government has decided to expel 10 Russian diplomats over "unacceptable" activities.
Europe Today
'The Spanish government is weak' on Ceuta crisis, Spanish MEP says
Speaking on Europe Today, Spanish EPP MEP Antonio López-Istúriz said the government of Pedro Sanchez was ‘weak’ and should have reacted earlier to reports from the national police and intelligence services that had warned that thousands of irregular migrants were preparing to enter Ceuta.
Europe Today
Russia targets Europe, Ceuta crisis deepens, AfD leads in east Germany
Russia is actively targeting Europeans in an effort to divide EU leaders and spread fear among citizens. In Spain, PM Sánchez faces a deepening crisis after thousands of irregular migrants entered Ceuta last month, while in east Germany the far-right AfD party is projected to win a local election.
Europe News
Spain's PM says Ceuta migrant surge inquiry ongoing, far-right behind 'fake' information
Last week, Spain asked the European Commission for the support from Frontex and Europol to assist with the screening of migrants who are staying irregularly in Ceuta, according to several Spanish media outlets.
Europe News
Spain to reform asylum laws in line with EU as Ceuta remains unsolved
Spain is set to reform its asylum laws as the Ceuta crisis remains unresolved. The European legislation aims to make it easier to reject asylum requests and accelerate returns, in line with demands from the bloc's hardline countries
Europe News
'Red Orbán' or visionary? Ceuta crisis puts Sánchez under spotlight
The Ceuta crisis exposed Spain’s growing marginalisation within Europe. Analysts say Sánchez’s disputes with EU partners over security, migration, China and defence are reinforcing perceptions of an increasingly isolated Madrid.
World News
Anger, fear, shock and compassion: Ceuta's uncertain path back to normality
Our reporter Julián López Gómez reached the Autonomous City just two days after at least 72,000 people illegally crossed its border with Morocco. Amid widespread confusion, anxiety and bewilderment, this is what he saw and heard.
Europe News
EU ministers back Spain, seeking to calm tensions after Morocco crisis
Migration Commissioner Magnus Brunner said an emergency meeting of EU interior ministers today was aimed at easing tensions with Spain amid a Europe-wide backlash against Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s migration policies.
Europe News
Social media rumours spark biggest migration crisis between Morocco and Spain in years
Viral posts about opening the Spanish border pushed thousands of Moroccans towards Ceuta, exposing serious control failures. Several migrants say they were told they could cross and insist it was not traffickers who led them there.
Europe News
Ceuta explained: How Spain's biggest migration crisis unfolded
The mass arrival of over 70,000 people from Morocco in the Spanish enclave within hours raises questions about the real causes of the border collapse, the diplomatic tensions with Rabat and Washington, and the strategic role of the Strait of Gibraltar.
Europe News
Sánchez: Ceuta migrant crisis 'a violation of territorial integrity'
The prime minister slammed the massive influx of migrants crossing over from Morocco as a "violation of Spain's territorial integrity", which he said, "deserves our reproach and our condemnation at the strongest possible level".
Europe News
Growing momentum for EU joint borrowing, Cuerpo tells Euronews
Spanish Finance Minister Carlos Cuerpo used finance ministers' meetings in Brussels to promote his €850 billion proposal for joint EU borrowing, arguing that the timing is right as Europe seeks to develop new safe assets in response to growing geopolitical uncertainty.
Nature
New species of prehistoric bear dog found in Catalonia
An international team has identified a new amphicyonid species, named Paludocyon moyasolai, from a skull found 30 years ago at Els Casots near Barcelona. The discovery, reported in the Journal of Mammalian Evolution, expands knowledge of these Miocene carnivores.
Europe Today
Europe Today: Sánchez under pressure as Europe backs Ukraine
Europe's five leading military powers meet in Berlin to discuss support for Ukraine and tougher sanctions on Russia, while US-Iran negotiations continue in Switzerland. Meanwhile, Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez faces pressure over a widening corruption scandal.
Europe News
Former Sánchez ally jailed for 24 years in Spanish corruption case
A major blow to Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, Spain's Supreme Court has sentenced former socialist minister and close Sánchez ally José Luis Ábalos to 24 years in prison in a corruption case linked to COVID-19 mask contracts.
Europe News
Spain’s Sánchez speaks out against EU's deregulation crusade
As socialists discuss how to regain ground across Europe, the Spanish prime minister has rejected the idea that fewer laws are needed at the European level, putting him at odds with the simplification push led by Germany and Italy.
Spain
Pope Leo XIV urges Spain to 'stop fanning the flames of polarisation'
The pontiff is set to deliver a mass in the centre of Madrid before moving elsewhere in Spain to Barcelona and the Canary islands. Pope Leo XIV is also expected to deliver an unprecedented address to the Spanish parliament, where immigration is expected to take centre stage.
Europe News
Spain probe targets Socialist party payments to consultant Leire Díez
The PSOE paid Díez nearly 45,000 euros for communications work between 2015 and 2017, according to documents sent to a Madrid court, as judges probe an alleged scheme to sway cases affecting the party and the government.
Europe Today
IEA warns of biggest energy security crisis in modern history
The International Energy Agency is warning the world is “facing the biggest energy security crisis in modern history” as the shutdown in the Strait of Hormuz continues to rattle the global energy market. We have an exclusive interview with IEA's executive director, Fatih Birol.
Europe Today
Sánchez under pressure after Andalusia defeat
Pedro Sánchez is facing fresh political pressure after his Socialist Party lost regional elections in Andalusia. The result is being closely watched in Madrid and Brussels, with the conservative People’s Party expected to rely on far-right support to govern.
Europe News
Spanish row fuels north–south tensions ahead of tough EU budget talks
Spain is at the centre of a political storm after conservative politicians across Europe accused Madrid of using EU money to pay for pensions. Madrid denies it but the damage may be done as tough budget talks get underway.
Europe News
Spain urges EU to scrap Association Agreement with Israel
During a Socialist Workers' Party rally in Gibraleón under the slogan 'Defend Public Services', on Sunday, Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and Socialist candidate María Jesús Montero confirmed they would ask the EU to end its Association Agreement with Israel.
Europe News
Sánchez builds anti-Trump coalition looking for political lifeline
Spanish PM led a progressive conference in Barcelona bringing together world leaders opposing MAGA politics, as Brazil's Lula lashed out at warlords and tech billionaires. "They're destroying democracy, workers and nature."
Europe Today
Watch: Shadows over Spain — will corruption topple Sánchez?
Pedro Sánchez is positioning himself as the ultimate progressive hero, famously defying Donald Trump over the war in Iran. But at home, the Spanish prime minister is fighting a massive wave of domestic corruption scandals. What is going on?
Europe News
Sánchez defies Trump in political gamble as Madrid say no to war
As audacious as opportunistic, the Spanish PM clashes with Trump and revives the 'no to war' movement. Sánchez bets on a Villepin moment that can energize his progressive base and crown him leader of the left. But his strategy comes with risks attached from security to business.
World News
'No to war': Sánchez reaffirms Spain's stance on Trump's Iran campaign
The Spanish prime minister has hit back at Donald Trump's announcement that he will block trade with Spain due to Madrid's reluctance to take part in the US offensive against Iran and allow the US use of the Rota and Morón bases.
Europe Today
Israel FM says Europe too divided, slams Spanish PM
Asked about Europe's role on Iran, the Israeli foreign minister said the EU 'does not have a unified position' and brushed off criticism from the Spanish government. Madrid rejected what it described as a unilateral and escalatory operation that risks plunging the region into war.
Spain
US invasion of Greenland would be ‘death knell for NATO,’ warns Spain’s Sánchez
US President Donald Trump is threatening several European countries that oppose his plan to seize the Danish territory with tariffs. "An invasion of Greenland by the US would make Putin the happiest man in the world," the Spanish leader adds in an interview with Spanish media outlet La Vanguardia.
World News
Spain and five Latin American countries reject US attack on Venezuela
Spain, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Uruguay issued a joint statement rejecting 'the unilateral military operations in Venezuela' and warn against exploiting its natural resources. The signatories say the operation to oust Maduro was conducted in violation of international law.
The Ring
Is PM Sánchez 'here to stay'? Spain's political storm, in The Ring
The political crisis in Spain goes beyond national borders: Former Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel García-Margallo (PP) and José Zaragoza (PSC), current member of Congress, debate on The Ring about the instability of Sánchez’s government and its impact on Europe.
Spain
Spain faces 2.3 million citizenship requests from Franco-era exiles
The Law of Democratic Memory has unleashed an avalanche of applications for Spanish nationality, with more than 1 million files already initiated and another 1.3 million pending processing. Madrid's consular network, with 178 offices worldwide, is facing collapse.
Culture news
Spain approves a decree for the removal of 'Francoist vestiges'
The Spanish government has approved a decree to create a state catalogue of "Francoist symbols and vestiges" for their removal or resignification. Minister Ángel Víctor Torres puts the number of items to be reviewed at 4,000.
Europeans' Stories
Spain bets on migrants to counter labour shortage and boost growth
While the US government is waging an unprecedented deportation campaign against immigrants, combating irregular migration is one of the European Union’s priorities. Amidst the global rhetoric against undocumented immigrants, Spain stands out as an exception.
Europe News
EU, Spain migration policies worsen abuses in Mauritania – HRW
Human Rights Watch says EU's and Spain’s outsourcing of migration control to Mauritania has worsened abuses against asylum seekers, including torture, rape and mass expulsions. The report links these violations to a €210 million 2024 migration deal aimed at curbing departures to the Canary Islands.
Business
Here's what to do if your money has been burned in the Spanish fires
Thousands of people in Spain have lost their homes and belongings to the wildfires that have ravaged much of the Iberian Peninsula. PM Pedro Sánchez has declared the burnt areas to be catastrophic. The Bank of Spain has drawn up a protocol on how to recover burnt money.
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT