Spain

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Spanish police say they have confiscated ancient gold jewelry worth millions taken from Ukraine

MADRID (AP) — Spanish police said Monday they have confiscated 11 pieces of ancient gold jewelry that were taken out of Ukraine illegally in 2016.

https://apnews.com/article/jewelry-ancient-gold-spain-ukraine-57334d5f8c33709ceb46950db9031bb5?

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Spain’s Crown Princess Leonor turns 18 and is feted as the future queen at a swearing-in ceremony

MADRID (AP) — The heir to the Spanish throne, Princess Leonor, swore allegiance to her country’s Constitution on her 18th birthday Tuesday, laying the groundwork for her eventual succession as queen when the time comes.

https://apnews.com/article/spain-princess-leonor-oath-queen-18-royal-8aca7a3a310640028c4b79159341e982?

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Right-wing Spanish politician shot in the face in Madrid

Alejo Vidal-Quadras, former head of Spain’s Popular Party in Catalonia, was shot in the face in Madrid on Thursday, reported Spanish media.

https://www.politico.eu/article/right-wing-spain-popular-party-catalonia-politician-alejo-vidal-quadras-shot-face-madrid/

Spanish far-right politician shot in the face suspects a link to his work with Iranian opposition

MADRID (AP) — Spanish right-wing politician Alejandro Vidal-Quadras was recovering in a hospital Thursday after being shot in the face in broad daylight on a central Madrid street. Police were ruling out no hypotheses, including a possible link to the former European lawmaker’s ties with the Iranian opposition.

https://apnews.com/article/spain-shooting-politician-d98bb2f3c482eb006ece10b8669d4c12?

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Spain seizes 11 tons of cocaine in shipping containers. Most of the drugs found among frozen tuna

MADRID (AP) — Spanish authorities have confiscated 11 tons of cocaine and arrested 20 people in two different operations against the smuggling of the illegal drugs inside shipping containers, Spain’s National Police said Tuesday.

https://apnews.com/article/spain-cocaine-frozen-tuna-police-26a0143fe2822db3dce247db43a431fb?

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Spanish police suspect bullet-riddled body may be Russian who defected with army helicopter

MADRID (AP) — Police said Tuesday they suspect the bullet-riddled body of a man found in Spain is that of a Russian defector who escaped across the front line and into Ukraine last year with an army helicopter.

https://apnews.com/article/russian-deserter-f1071b2ca9a4594687d6e232a92237e8?

ps:uhm isn't that interesting? I guess they tracked him down!!!!!

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Spain approves plan to compensate victims of Catholic Church sex abuse. Church will be asked to pay

MADRID (AP) — Spain on Tuesday approved a plan aimed at making reparation and economic compensation for victims of sex abuse committed by people connected to the Catholic Church.

https://apnews.com/article/catholic-church-sex-abuse-spain-56110dcfb183d790b379b4407cfc93dc?

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Spain’s Prime Minister Sánchez says he’ll continue in office after days of reflection

MADRID (AP) — Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez vowed to stay in office and govern “with even more strength” Monday, ending days of speculation he might resign to stop what he called a smear campaign against his wife after she was accused of corruption.

https://apnews.com/article/spain-pedro-sanchez-future-begona-gomez-f69907e614c0558b9709d09c5d75967c?

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Catalan separatists lose majority as Spain’s pro-union Socialists win regional elections

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Six years after plunging Spain into its worst political crisis in decades, Catalonia’s separatist parties are in danger of losing their hold on power in the northeastern region after the pro-union Socialist Party scored a historic result in Sunday’s election.

https://apnews.com/article/spain-catalonia-election-puigdemont-illa-pedro-sanchez-6286cd67a5db7a34f7ea4e46e4052203?

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Dozens of protesters in Barcelona recently sprayed visitors with water as part of a demonstration against mass tourism. The demonstrators were seen chanting "tourists go home" and squirting them with water pistols, while others carried signs with slogans including "Barcelona is not for sale." Almost 26 million visitors made an overnight stay in the Barcelona region in 2023, spending around $13.8 billion, according to official figures. However, the Assemblea de Barris pel Decreixement Turístic said overwhelming crowds are driving up prices and increasing social inequality. Complaints about mass tourism are also being raised at other popular destinations around the world, which have experienced record visitor numbers as the travel industry roars back from a pandemic-induced downturn.

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🇪🇸 Pic du jour

Photo: Alvaro Barrientos/AP Revelers dash during the fifth day of the running of the bulls at the San Fermín festival in Pamplona, Spain, yesterday.

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Barcelona wants to get rid of short-term rental units. Will other tourist destinations do the same?

Barcelona City Hall announced it would not renew any tourist apartment licenses after they expire in 2028. Deputy Mayor Laia Bonet said the city wants tourism, which accounts for 15% of the local economy, but must help residents cope with skyrocketing rents and real estate prices. Read more.

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Devastating floods in Spain kill dozens

Flash floods in southeastern Span have killed at least 95 people and many others remain missing, Spanish authorities said Wednesday.

https://www.axios.com/2024/10/30/spain-flooding-photos-valencia-damage?

At least 95 people die in devastating flash floods in Spain

UTIEL, Spain (AP) — Flash floods in Spain turned village streets into rivers, ruined homes, disrupted transportation and killed at least 95 people in the worst natural disaster to hit the European nation in recent memory.

https://apnews.com/article/spain-floods-valencia-weather-ef0dffabe1a106a05c239dca4dfec1ae?

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Spain searches for bodies after unprecedented flooding claims at least 158 lives

BARRIO DE LA TORRE, Spain (AP) — Crews searched for bodies in stranded cars and sodden buildings Thursday as residents salvaged what they could from their ruined homes following monstrous flash floods in Spain that claimed at least 158 lives, with 155 deaths confirmed in the eastern Valencia region alone.

https://apnews.com/article/flash-floods-spain-valencia-climate-change-30c6ef59ddf27598c691c89d0ba41442?

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Crashing waves in a hilltop village, a night of terror from Spain’s floods

CHIVA, Spain (AP) — Irene Cuevas will never forget the sound of the waves crashing below her apartment’s balcony.

https://apnews.com/article/spain-floods-valencia-chiva-edcef9ff9430d0d35e2f464b068cec7d?

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Spain flood survivors hurl mud at the royals and top government officials

PAIPORTA, Spain (AP) — A crowd of enraged survivors hurled clots of mud left by storm-spawned flooding at the Spanish royal couple on Sunday during their first visit to the center of their nation’s deadliest natural disaster in living memory.

https://apnews.com/article/spain-floods-king-protest-mud-a8525bd82cf4cc3fc6273d535cbb9d66?

Spain floods

Angry residents booed and threw eggs at Spain’s King Felipe and Queen Letizia on Sunday as they visited the Valencia region, where more than 200 people have died in devastating floods. The king faced chants of “murderer” as he visited hard-hit Paiporta, just outside of Valencia city, along with Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and regional governor Carlos Mazon, where locals accuse authorities of a lax response to the disaster. At least 214 people are now confirmed dead from the floods and the toll may climb higher. Among the latest victims was a 70-year-old woman whose body was found more than seven miles from her house.

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At least 10 people were killed in a fire at a nursing home in northeastern Spain

MADRID (AP) — At least 10 people died and others were injured in a blaze at a nursing home near Zaragoza in northeastern Spain, before firefighters managed to extinguish the flames, local authorities said Friday.

https://apnews.com/article/spain-fire-nursing-home-zaragoza-065863dafb5fbedbd4692131e0d1e540?

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Why is Spain considering a 100% tax on homes bought by non-EU buyers?

MADRID (AP) — Spain is planning a raft of measures to address its brewing housing crisis, including an up to 100% tax on properties bought by people who are neither citizens nor residents of the European Union.

https://apnews.com/article/spain-housing-crisis-tourism-rent-protests-taxes-bac46b236f0b151e1a38671191edcfc8?

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Former Spanish soccer boss Luis Rubiales found guilty of kissing player Jenni Hermoso without consent

Former Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) chief Luis Rubiales has been found guilty of sexually assaulting Women’s World Cup winner Jennifer Hermoso by kissing her on the lips during the on-field medal ceremony following Spain’s victory in 2023.

https://www.cnn.com/2025/02/20/sport/spain-rubiales-guilty-hermoso-kiss-intl/index.html?

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Foreign workers help Spain’s economic growth outpace the US and the rest of Europe Foreign workers have helped to make Spain’s economy the envy of the industrialized world, even as anti-immigration sentiments grow elsewhere in Europe and the United States. Read more.

Why this matters: Practically all of Spain’s population growth since the COVID-19 pandemic is due to immigration, with 1.1 million people arriving in 2022, according to the Bank of Spain. It credits the newcomers with sustaining the aging country’s social security system — a challenge common in other European nations.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Asylum cases in Europe fell 11% last year. Here’s a look at the numbers

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After Spain’s blackout, questions about renewable energy are back

MADRID (AP) — The massive power outage that hit the Iberian peninsula on April 28 has reignited a debate in Spain over the country’s plan to phase out its nuclear reactors as it generates more power with renewable energy.

https://apnews.com/article/renewables-nuclear-spain-portugal-energy-power-outage-climate-change-c62fbb73e982365d10402323e4fcfcc6?

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Spain orders Airbnb to block nearly 66,000 holiday rental listings over rule violations Spain has ordered Airbnb to block over 65,000 holiday listings on its platform for having violated rules, the Consumer Rights Ministry said Monday. Read more.

Why this matters: Spain is grappling with a housing affordability crisis that has spurred government action against short-term rental companies. In recent months, tens of thousands of Spaniards have taken to the streets protesting rising housing and rental costs, which many say have been driven up by holiday rentals on platforms like Airbnb that have proliferated in cities like Madrid, Barcelona, and other popular tourist destinations.   Airbnb said it would appeal the decision. Through a spokesperson, the company said it did not think the ministry was authorized to rule on short-term rentals — and that it had utilized “an indiscriminate methodology” to include Airbnb rentals that do not need a license to operate. Spain’s government said Madrid’s high court had backed the order sent to Airbnb.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤ In Spain, a homelessness crisis unfolds in Madrid's airport   WATCH: Protesters in Tenerife call for more sustainable and equitable tourism

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Spain says April blackout was caused by grid failures and poor planning, not a cyberattack

Spain's government said Tuesday that the massive April power outage across Spain and Portugal that left tens of millions of people disconnected in seconds was caused by technical and planning errors that left the grid unable to handle a surge in voltage. Read More.