When the Moors Ruled in Europe: A Documentary by Bettany Hughes | الأندلس

Sep 27, 2023 | …Join British historian Bettany Hughes as she examines a long-buried chapter of European history--the rise and fall of Islamic culture in what is now Spain and Portugal.

Although generations of Spanish rulers have tried to expunge this era from the historical record, recent archeology and scholarship now shed fresh light on the Moors who flourished in Al-Andalus for more than 700 years.

This fascinating documentary explodes old stereotypes and offers shocking new insights. You’ll discover the ingenious mathematics behind Granada’s dazzling Alhambra Palace, trace El Cid’s lineage to his Moorish roots, and learn how the Iberian population willingly converted to Islam in droves.

Through interviews with noted scholars, you’ll see how Moorish advances in mathematics, astronomy, art, and agriculture helped propel the West out of the Dark Ages and into the Renaissance.

What emerges is a richly detailed portrait of a sensuous, inquisitive, and remarkably progressive Islamic culture in Christian Europe.

Bettany Mary Hughes OBE FSA (born May 1967) is an English historian, author and broadcaster, specialising in classical history. Her published books cover classical antiquity and myth, and the history of Istanbul. She is active in efforts to encourage the teaching of the classics in UK state schools. Hughes was appointed OBE in 2019.

Franco’s Spain in the 1950s: How the Dictatorship Gained Legitimacy | Full Documentary

May 22, 2026 | In the 1950s, Spain under Francisco Franco entered a new phase known as the “Leaden Age.” After years of international isolation following World War II in 1945, the regime began to regain legitimacy. Key agreements, such as the 1953 Pact of Madrid with the United States and the 1955 admission of Spain to the United Nations, marked a turning point in Franco’s foreign policy and international standing.

These developments brought economic opportunities and a sense of stability to the country. While Spain appeared to move forward, political opposition weakened and resistance largely disappeared. Behind this controlled progress, Franco’s dictatorship remained firmly in place. This period reveals how international recognition and economic change helped secure the long-term survival of one of Europe’s most enduring authoritarian regimes.

Andalucíans Vote in Election Seen as Gauge of Spain’s Wider Political Change

Screenshot taken from this Guardian article. | Juan Manuel Moreno Bonilla, the People’s party candidate and the region’s incumbent president, at a rally in Málaga this week. Photograph: Jesús Mérida/Sopa Images/Shutterstock
THE GUARDIAN: Conservatives expected to keep majority as socialists face drubbing and ballot tests trajectory of far-right Vox party

Voters in the southern Spanish region of Andalucía are casting their ballots in an election that is likely to deliver an absolute majority to the conservative People’s party (PP) and inflict another debilitating defeat on Pedro Sánchez’s embattled socialists in what was previously one of their proudest strongholds.

Sunday’s election in Spain’s most populous region – the last big poll before next year’s general election – will serve as a barometer of wider electoral opinion and could also reveal whether the popularity of the far-right Vox party is beginning to peak.

The PP, which has governed the former socialist bastion for the past seven years, is seeking to frame the election as a referendum on Sánchez, the country’s prime minister, whose inner circle, party and administration are facing an array of corruption allegations.

According to the polls, the incumbent PP regional president, Juan Manuel Moreno Bonilla, is on course to almost replicate his result at the last election in 2022, when the conservatives won 58 of the seats in the 109-seat regional parliament. » | Sam Jones in Madrid | Sunday, May 17, 2026

Google AI informs me that the Vox Party wants Spain to strip homosexuals of their hard-fought-for, hard-won rights. They want Spain’s laws on homosexuality to mirror those in darkest Africa! As we all know, most of Africa’s laws on homosexuality are dark and benighted!

I know little about the Vox Party, but I know that the Party’s take on LGBTQ+ rights are troubling indeed. Fie on the lot of them! — © Mark Alexander

Why Spain Is Opposing Israel and the US over Gaza and Iran | Explained

Apr 15, 2026 | Spain has recognised Palestine, restricted ties with Israel and blocked US flights linked to Iran, setting it apart from its Western allies. Why is Spain taking this position?

The answer lies in its history: from the Spanish Civil War and Franco’s dictatorship to the 2004 Madrid train bombings that reshaped its foreign policy and public opinion on war.

Spanish Prime Minister’s Wife Charged with Corruption

THE GUARDIAN: Pedro Sánchez’s wife, Begoña Gómez, and two others charged after investigation triggered by group with far-right links

Begoña Gómez, the wife of Spain’s prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, has been charged with embezzlement, influence peddling, corruption in business dealings and misappropriation of funds at the end of a two-year investigation by a judge in Madrid.

Gómez, 55, has been accused of using her influence as the wife of the socialist prime minister to secure and manage a post at Madrid’s Complutense University, and of using public resources and personal connections to further her private interests.

The judge, Juan Carlos Peinado, has also charged Gómez’s personal assistant, Cristina Álvarez, and a businessman, Juan Carlos Barrabés, in connection with the case.

All the accused have denied wrongdoing. » | Sam Jones in Madrid | Tuesday, April 14, 2026

Spain's Pedro Sánchez Attacks Israel: "Suspend the Agreement with the EU."

Apr 11, 2026 | In his speech at the European Pulse Forum 2026 in Barcelona, Pedro Sánchez takes a clear stance on the Middle East crisis, calling on the European Union to suspend the Association Agreement with Israel for violations of international law.

Spain’s PM Responds to Trump’s Threats to ‘Cut Off’ Trade | WSJ

Mar 26, 2026 | Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez is one of the rare European leaders taking on President Trump. In an interview with WSJ’s Gordon Fairclough, Sanchez argues that blind alignment with the U.S. on the conflict in Iran is a mistake and calls for a more autonomous EU.

Why Is Spain's Pedro Sánchez Standing Up to Trump? | DW News

Mar 12, 2026 | Spain says “No to war” — even as Washington turns up the pressure. Spanish Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez condemned the attacks on Iran as a massive breach of international law. His government then banned the US from using the two jointly operated military bases in Andalusia, southern Spain, to wage war on Iran. But why is Madrid taking Europe’s clearest stand against the Iran conflict? History professor David Jiménez Torres explains.

EU Says It Supports Spain Whilst Refusing to Disagree Fully with Trump | DW News

Mar 5, 2026 | Spain has denied US claims from the United States that Madrid has agreed to cooperate with the US military. President Donald Trump had threatened to cut off trade links, after Spain refused to allow the United States to use its airbases to attack Iran. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that Spain has now backed down.

‘No to War’: Sánchez Doubles Down after Trump Threat to Cut Off Trade with Spain

THE GUARDIAN: PM says his country will not be complicit in growing conflict in Middle East ‘simply out of fear of reprisals from someone’

The Spanish prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, has responded to Donald Trump’s extraordinary threat to cut off all trade with Spain over his government’s refusal to facilitate the US’s ongoing attacks against Iran, comparing the growing conflict in the Middle East to playing “Russian roulette with the destiny of millions”.

Sánchez, who has been one of the most vociferous European critics of Israel’s conduct in Gaza, said his government’s position on the widening instability could be summed up in three words: “No to war.”

In a section of the speech that appeared to directly address Trump’s threats to end all trade with Spain, the prime minister said his country would “not be complicit in something that is bad for the world – and that is also contrary to our values and interests – simply out of fear of reprisals from someone”. » | Sam Jones in Madrid | Wednesday, March 4, 2026


Pedro Sánchez is a man of character and sound principles. He deserves our full support. Kudos to him and to Spain for having the courage to stand up to Trump. — © Mark Alexander

Article connexe ici.

Spain Denies US Permission to Use Jointly Operated Bases to Attack Iran

THE GUARDIAN: Refusal to allow use of bases in Rota and Morón follows Pedro Sánchez’s condemnation of US-Israeli action

Spain has denied the US permission to use jointly operated military bases on its territory to attack Iran as Madrid stepped up its criticism of the “unjustified and dangerous military intervention”.

Spain’s socialist prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, has explicitly condemned the US and Israel’s “unilateral military action” against Iran, warning that it is contributing to “a more hostile and uncertain international order”. The rebukes have been reinforced by his government’s refusal to allow the US to use bases in Rota and Morón for the continuing strikes against Iran.

José Manuel Albares, Spain’s foreign minister, said on Monday that while the government wanted “democracy, freedom and fundamental rights for the Iranian people”, it would on no account allow its bases to be used in the ongoing military action.

“I want to be very clear and very plain,” he told Telecinco. “The bases are not being used – nor will they be used – for anything that is not in the agreement [with the US], nor for anything that isn’t covered by the UN charter.”

The defence minister, Margarita Robles, was similarly emphatic, saying neither of the bases had been used in the US military operation. “There is a deal with the US over these bases, but our understanding of the deal is that operations have to comply with international legal frameworks and that there has to be international support for them,” she told reporters. » | Sam Jones in Madrid | Monday, March 2, 2026

Pedro Sanchez must be the most courageous leader in Europe for having the courage to stand his ground on this. Kudos! — © Mark Alexander

Spain Becomes Latest Country to Announce Plans to Ban Social Media for Minors Under 16 | DW News

Feb 4, 2026 | Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has announced a plan to ban social media for youths under the age of 16. He says it's necessary to protect children from a so-called a 'digital wild west.'

Related article here.

Elon Musk Calls Spanish PM a ‘Tyrant’ over Plan to Ban Under-16s from Social Media and Curb Hateful Content

THE GUARDIAN: Pedro Sánchez says urgent action needed to protect children from ‘digital wild west’, drawing anger from owner of X

Spain has proposed a ban on social media use by teenagers as attitudes hardened in Europe against the technology, drawing personal insults against the prime minister from Elon Musk.

The government is preparing a series of measures including a social media ban for under-16s, the prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, said, promising to protect children from the “digital wild west” and hold tech companies responsible for hateful and harmful content.

Sánchez said on Tuesday that urgent action was needed because social media was a “failed state where laws are ignored and crimes are tolerated”.

He also took Musk to task for using X to “amplify disinformation” over his administration’s decision last week to regularise 500,000 undocumented workers and asylum seekers, pointing out that Musk was himself a migrant.

Musk wrote on X in response: “Dirty Sánchez is a tyrant and a traitor to the people of Spain.” About an hour and a half later, he escalated his criticism, posting on X: “Sánchez is the true fascist totalitarian.” » | Staff and agencies | Wednesday, February 4, 2026

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.