High-speed Train Collision in Spain Kills At Least 21 | BBC News

Jan 19, 2026 | At least 21 people have died in a train collision in southern Spain and which also left dozens more injured, as authorities warned the death toll could increase in Spain's worst rail collision in more than a decade.

Carriages on a Madrid-bound train derailed and crossed over to the opposite tracks, colliding with an oncoming train in Adamuz, near the city of Córdoba.

Four hundred passengers and staff were onboard both trains, the rail networks said. At least 24 people were seriously injured in the collision, including four children, according to Andalusia's emergency services.


Un article connexe en français sur ce sujet est disponible ici.

Julio Iglesias Accused of Sexual Assault by Two Female Former Employees

THE GUARDIAN: Spanish singer allegedly subjected women to ‘inappropriate touching, insults and humiliation’

The Spanish singer Julio Iglesias has been accused of sexual assault by two female former employees who say they were subjected “to inappropriate touching, insults and humiliation … in an atmosphere of control and constant harassment”.

The two women – a domestic worker and a physical therapist who were employed at Iglesias’s Caribbean mansions in the Dominican Republic and the Bahamas – allege the assaults took place in 2021.

The alleged assaults came to light at the end of a three-year joint investigation by the Spanish news site elDiario.es and the Spanish-language TV network Univision Noticias, which collected testimonies from 15 former employees who worked for the 82-year-old singer between the late 1990s and 2023.

“These interviews describe the women’s conditions of isolation, labour disputes, the hierarchical structure of the staff, and the tense atmosphere created by Iglesias’s short-tempered character,” elDiario.es said in its report on Tuesday. » | Sam Jones in Madrid | Tuesday, January 13, 2026

Spanish Author Lambasts Linguistic Academy over Social Media Influence

THE GUARDIAN: Arturo Pérez-Reverte says ‘an illiterate pundit, YouTuber or influencer’ has more impact than a literary prize winner

One of Spain’s best-known novelists has launched a withering attack on the country’s leading linguistic authority, saying it ignores the opinions of writers when it comes to changes in language, and that its “anything goes Taliban” yields instead to social media, commentators and influencers.

Arturo Pérez-Reverte used a column in Monday’s El Mundo to accuse the Spanish Royal Academy (RAE) – of which he is a member – of failing to live up to the mission laid out in its celebrated motto of “cleaning, fixing and giving shine” to the Spanish language.

These days “an illiterate pundit, YouTuber or influencer can have more linguistic influence than a Cervantes prize winner”, he said. » | Sam Jones in Madrid | Tuesday, January 13, 2026

Spanish Police Seize 10 Tonnes of Cocaine Hidden in Ship Off Canary Islands

THE GUARDIAN: Haul represents country’s largest seizure at sea, with officers digging bales out from vast amount of salt

Spanish police have made their largest seizure of cocaine at sea after finding almost 10 tonnes of the drug hidden among a cargo of salt on a merchant ship off the Canary Islands.

Detectives and anti-drug prosecutors investigating a multinational criminal group alleged to be exporting “enormous quantities” of cocaine from South America to Europe had identified a suspect ship that had set off from Brazil, the Policía Nacional said in a statement on Monday.

Last week, officers from the force’s elite special group of operations boarded the vessel as it lay 332 miles (535km) off the Canary Islands, and seized almost 300 bales of cocaine that had been buried in a shipment of salt. Thirteen people were arrested and the ship, which had run out of fuel, was towed to port in Santa Cruz de Tenerife. » | Sam Jones in Madrid | Monday, January 12, 2026

Why Spain’s Prime Minister Has Broken Ranks in Europe – and Dared to Confront Trump

THE GUARDIAN: Outrage at the US, close ties with Venezuela and mounting domestic challenges have prompted Pedro Sánchez to take a stand

Spain’s prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, rarely utters the words “Donald Trump” in public. Since the US president took office, Sánchez has typically referred to the US administration and its president without explicitly naming him. This was initially interpreted as a calculation designed to avoid personal confrontation, but even without using Trump’s name, Sánchez has managed to deliver harsher criticism of the US president’s aggression than any of his fellow European leaders.

This week, Sánchez did not wait for a joint EU statement to issue judgment on the US’s illegal military intervention to capture the Venezuelan president, Nicolás Maduro: he swiftly joined Latin American countries in condemning it. A few hours later he went even further, saying the operation in Caracas represented “a terrible precedent and a very dangerous one [which] reminds us of past aggressions, and pushes the world toward a future of uncertainty and insecurity, similar to what we already experienced after other invasions driven by the thirst for oil”.

Sanchez was speaking in Paris on Tuesday after a meeting of the “coalition of the willing” for Ukraine. Indeed, he made the case that on Venezuela, Ukraine and Gaza he was applying the same reasoning in defence of an international order “based on the observance of fair rules, not on the law of the jungle”. He also pushed back against US sabre-rattling over Greenland: “Spain, believing in peace, diplomacy and the United Nations, cannot, of course, accept this, just as we cannot accept the explicit threat to the territorial integrity of a European state, as is the case with Denmark.” » | María Ramírez | Friday, January 9, 2026

Kudos to Pedro Sanchez for having the courage to stand up to the arrogant orange bully. — © Mark Alexander

Spain’s Former King Reveals How He Shot and Killed His Brother

THE TELEGRAPH: A bullet ricocheted and struck Alfonso ‘in the forehead’ while we played with a pistol, says Juan Carlos

Spain’s former king Juan Carlos has detailed for the first time how he shot his younger brother dead nearly 70 years ago.

The exiled royal, 87, who now lives in Dubai, published his memoirs this week, in which he wrote about the death of Alfonso.

Juan Carlos has remained tight-lipped since the 14-year-old was killed by a single bullet that struck his forehead on March 29 1956.

In the book, published in France under the title “Juan Carlos I d’Espagne: Réconciliation”, he said: “I will not recover from this tragedy. Its gravity will accompany me forever.” » | James Badcock in Madrid | Wednesday, November 5, 2025

Spain bans exiled king from attending his coronation anniversary: Snub for Juan Carlos is the latest humiliation since his reputation was tarnished by a series of scandals »

Disgraced former king of Spain’s memoir details ‘enormous respect’ for Franco: Memoir chronicles Juan Carlos’s anointment as heir to dictator and death of younger brother when playing with pistols »

Franco’s Gamble: How Spain Stayed Out of World War II

This is how.

Spain's New Smoking Law Plans Could Mean Big Changes for Travellers

EURO NEWS: Spain's new regulations would also cover the use of electronic cigarettes and vapes as the country moves to impose stricter controls on tobacco marketing and product distribution in a bid to boost public health.

Spain's coalition government has approved a draft bill restricting smoking in public places that could have a significant impact on travellers.

The proposed legislation will ban smoking and vaping in outdoor spaces, including sports venues, beaches, restaurant and bar terraces.

"We'll always put public health ahead of private interests," Spain’s health minister Monica Garcia told reporters. "Everyone has a right to breathe clean air and live longer and better lives."

The proposed measures have drawn opposition from restaurant and bar owners, who say Spain's year-round outdoor dining culture is boosted significantly by customers who smoke.

Smoking indoors has been prohibited since 2011. » | Rebecca Ann-Hughes | Thursday, September 11, 2025

What is there about socialist governments that they always want to curtail people’s rights and freedoms? Is there something in socialists’ DNA, or something? Each European nation seems to be losing all sense of la dolce vita ! — © Mark Alexander

Tapas 101: Inside Spain’s Tapas Bars – Cheers & Chats

Sep 13, 2025 | Tapas bars are more than just places to eat — they’re the beating heart of Spanish social life. In this episode of Cheers & Chats, we explore the vibrant world of tapas culture: why people eat standing up, what dishes to try, and how to navigate the bar like a local. From solomillo al whisky to tinto de verano, from ordering tips to cultural quirks — this is your guide to understanding why tapas are not just food, but a way of life in Spain.

Spain's PM Sanchez Announces Sanctions to Pressure Israel to End War in Gaza | DW News

Sep 8, 2025 | Spain's prime minister has accused Israel of "exterminating" defenseless people in Gaza. Pedro Sanchez has announced a series of measures aimed at pressuring Israel to end the war in Gaza. These include a new law formalizing an arms embargo on Israel and a ban on the transport of fuel and weapons for use by the Israeli army through Spanish ports and airspace.

Related article here, plus my comment.

Spanish PM Pedro Sánchez Says Israel Is ‘Exterminating a Defenceless People’

THE GUARDIAN: Spain announces raft of measures designed to increase pressure on Benjamin Netanyahu to end Gaza war

Spain’s prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, has stepped up his scathing criticism of Israel’s actions in Gaza, accusing Benjamin Netanyahu’s government of “exterminating a defenceless people” by bombing hospitals and “killing innocent boys and girls with hunger”.

Speaking on Monday morning to announce a raft of measures designed to increase the pressure on Netanyahu to stop the military campaign, Sánchez said that while the Spanish government would always support Israel’s right to exist and to defend itself, it felt compelled to try to “stop a massacre”.

“Protecting your country and your society is one thing, but bombing hospitals and killing innocent boys and girls with hunger is another thing entirely,” he said.

“What Prime Minister Netanyahu presented in October 2023 as a military operation in response to the horrific terrorist attacks has ended up becoming a new wave of illegal occupations and an unjustifiable attack against the Palestinian civilian population – an attack that the UN special rapporteur and the majority of experts already describe as a genocide.”

The Spanish prime minister pointed to the numbers of dead, injured, displaced and malnourished. “That isn’t defending yourself; that’s not even attacking,” he said. “It’s exterminating a defenceless people. It’s breaking all the rules of humanitarian law.” » | Sam Jones in Madrid | Monday, September 8, 2025

Thank God for a European leader with sound principles and with the courage to speak out against what is happening to these beleaguered and besieged people. Kudos! It is unfathomable how the world can look on while innocent people are being starved to death and killed. And this from a people who should know better. — © Mark Alexander

Spain’s Old Ways May Show How to Keep Cool

THE NEW TORK TIMES: The tradition of the siesta is no accident. Spain has been living with extreme heat for centuries, and its people have ways of coping.

Javier Recio held a lawn chair like a parasol over his mother’s head. The two had given up on sitting outside and were walking home through one of the least green, and most sweltering, neighborhoods of Seville. A pharmacy sign posted a temperature above 100 degrees Fahrenheit, and a drinking fountain trickled scorching water.

“We need to do something,” said Mr. Recio, 48.

In August, deadly wildfires forced the evacuation of thousands of people in northern and southern Spain and damaged a Roman-era mining site on the UNESCO world heritage list. Temperatures cracked 111 degrees Fahrenheit (44 Celsius), and Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez warned the country, “We’re at extreme risk.”

Throughout this long and miserable summer, Seville, in the country’s south, has become a furnace of southern Europe. Its residents hope for some relief from increasingly frequent and intense heat waves that threaten the most vulnerable. But the city, like everywhere else, has no quick fix for the disastrous consequences of a warming planet and is hardly on the cusp of futuristic breakthrough. Plans for a single cooling bus stop are still in the works.

The traditional siesta is no accident. As places like Norway and Finland hit higher temperatures, an increasingly uncomfortable continent may find itself looking to Seville and other cities that have been living with the heat for centuries for ways to get through what feels like the perpetual inferno of summer. » | Jason Horowitz and Ilvy Njiokiktjien Visuals by Ilvy Njiokiktjien | Reporting from Seville, Spain | Saturday, August 16, 2025

Leer en español.

Wildfires Rage in Spain and Portugal amid Searing Heat

THE GUARDIAN: Extreme temperatures exacerbated by carbon pollution fuel fires in southern Europe as green policies are rolled back

Relentless heat and raging wildfires continue to ravage southern Europe, with one-quarter of weather stations in Spain recording 40C temperatures, as the prime minister urged people to “leave the climate emergency outside of partisan struggles”.

The Spanish weather agency Aemet recorded a high of 45.8C in Cádiz on Sunday, while one in eight weather stations nationwide hit peaks of at least 42C (108F) . The agency warned of “very high or extreme fire danger” in most of the country in a post on social media on Monday.

“Although the heatwave is starting to subside, very high temperatures will still be reached today in the east and south of the peninsula,” it said. “Be cautious.”

Deadly fires have burned 348,000 hectares in Spain this year, according to preliminary data published by Copernicus on Monday, charring even more land than when the previous record was set in 2022. » | Ajit Niranjan and Sam Jones | Monday, August 18, 2025

Spain Is an Example to the World

OPINION : GUEST ESSAY
THE NEW YORK TIMES: Spain is having a moment bucking Western political trends. The country has recently recognized Palestine as a state, resisted President Trump’s demand that NATO members increase their defense spending to 5 percent of gross domestic product and doubled down on D.E.I. programs. But there’s no better example of Spain going its own way than immigration. At a time when many Western democracies are trying to keep immigrants out, Spain is boldly welcoming them in.

The details are striking. In May, new regulations went into effect that eased migrants’ ability to obtain residency and work permits, and the Spanish Parliament began debating a bill to grant amnesty to undocumented immigrants. These reforms could open a path to Spanish citizenship to more than one million people. Most of them are part of a historic immigration surge that between 2021 and 2023 brought nearly three million people born outside the European Union to Spain.

Demand has something to do with it: Like many Western democracies, Spain needs more people. Last year the national birthrate was 1.4, the second lowest in the European Union and well below the 2.1 threshold needed to maintain the country’s population level of around 48 million people. Spain also has a big economy — the fourth largest in the E.U. — fueled by a travel and tourism industry that is brimming with jobs that most Spaniards do not want.

But unlike in other countries, backlash has been strikingly muted. That’s partly because some of these pro-migrant measures stem from society at large. The push for the undocumented immigrants’ amnesty did not originate with the government, tellingly, but with a popular petition that garnered 600,000 signatures and was endorsed by 900 nongovernmental organizations, business groups and even the Spanish Conference of Bishops. The government, in turn, has designed a humane and pragmatic approach, offering an example for other countries to emulate. » | Omar G. Encarnación | Mr. Encarnación is an expert on Spanish politics. | Monday, August 11, 2025

Leer en erspañol.

Firefighters Save Córdoba’s Historic Mosque-Turned-Cathedral La Mezquita

THE GUARDIAN: Blaze at heritage site, built as a mosque in the 8th century before being turned into a church, quickly contained

A fire broke out in the historic mosque-turned-cathedral in Córdoba on Friday but the monument was saved as firefighters quickly contained the blaze, the Spanish city’s mayor has said. » | Guardian staff and agencies in Madrid | Friday, August 8, 2025

MARBELLA, Spain 🇪🇸 Full Travel Guide 2025

May 17, 2025 | Marbella is one of the top travel spots in Spain. Marbella has beautiful beaches, and Puerto Banús, its famous luxury marina. Marbella is perfect for a relaxing holiday or a quick weekend trip. Marbella has something for everyone - history, nightlife, and sun. This video is your full Marbella travel guide for 2025. We’ll show you the best places to visit and explore. Walk through the Old Town, relax on the beaches, and enjoy the local vibe. Get travel tips, must-see spots, and ideas to help you plan.

Outrage as Spanish Town Bans Muslim Religious Festivals from Public Spaces

THE GUARDIAN: Conservative People’s party in Jumilla votes to stop civic centres and gyms being used for activities ‘alien to our identity’

A local authority in south-east Spain has banned Muslims from using public facilities such as civic centres and gyms to celebrate the religious festivals Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of Ramadan, and Eid al-Adha.

The ban in Jumilla, in Murcia, is a first in Spain. It was introduced by the conservative People’s party (PP) and passed with the abstention of the far-right Vox party and the opposition of local leftwing parties.

The proposal states “municipal sports facilities cannot be used for religious, cultural or social activities alien to our identity unless organised by the local authority”.

The local Vox party posted on X: “Thanks to Vox the first measure to ban Islamic festivals in Spain’s public spaces has been passed. Spain is and will be forever the land of Christian people.” » | Stephen Burgen in Barcelona | Wedmesday, August 6, 2025

Wave of Spanish Politicians Edit CVs over Incorrect Claims of Degrees and Diplomas

THE GUARDIAN: Resignation of rising star of People’s party prompts others to revise entries about educational qualifications

It began as a confession by a rising star in Spain’s conservative People’s party that her CV was not quite all it seemed. Last month Noelia Núñez, 33, a member of the PP’s steering committee, was forced to admit she had never in fact completed her double degree in law and public administration. She apologised and stood down – a move rarely seen in the country.

Since then, however, Núñez’s contrition seems to have launched a trend, with a wave of mea culpas from politicians of various parties rushing to revise – downwards – their educational achievements. Some have even resigned, emulating Núñez, who said: “I apologise to anyone who feels disappointed but I also believe it’s not enough to say sorry.”

This week Ana Millán, a senior figure in Madrid’s PP-run regional government, became the latest to admit there were errors in her official CV, downgrading a degree in political science to a diploma in public administration. » | Stephen Burgen in Barcelona | Tuesday, August 5, 2025

How Barcelona Protects Its Citizens from Deadly Heat Waves | Focus on Europe

Jul 27, 2025 | With record temperatures in Spain, Barcelona offers around 400 shelters where people can cool off for free. In June, the thermometer in the Spanish metropolis reached almost 38°C. For residents, the heat is unbearable.

Isabella of Castile | Reconquista

Jul 15, 2025

WIKIPEDIA: Isabella I of Castile »

WIKIPEDIA: Isabel I de Castilla »

BRITANNICA: Isabella I, Queen of Spain »