Opinion polls indicate no absolute majority in Dec. 20th general elections will force coalition gov’t
• Governing conservative PP will fall far short of absolute majority • PSOE, Ciudadanos neck-and-neck in two surveys, Podemos lagging in fourth…
Madrid air pollution tops acceptable EU limits for third day, prompting city-centre parking restrictions
• Air quality hits 200 mcg of NO2 for third consecutive day • Carmena administration first to enact measures to combat pollution…
Basque NGOs denounce cutbacks in regional government’s support for international aid projects
• Federation of 80 non-governmental agencies rallies in Vitoria • Groups say 2015 gov’t commitment falls far short of agreed funding A…
Spain’s Constitutional Court rules Cataluña Independence resolution in violation of Constitution
• Unanimous decision says resolution in ‘absolute contradiction’ to Constitution • Catalan secessionists now risk prosecution if they choose to defy court…
‘Funding for education, not for religion’: Groups call for secular schools, end to religion in classrooms
• Demands include end to religion courses and 1979 agreement with Vatican • Unions, teachers’ associations join call for ‘Electoral Pledge’ from…
Anti-eviction activists in Barcelona criticize mayor Ada Colau in letter protesting continued evictions
• PAH says Colau falls short of pledge to stop evictions • Group demands greater effort to turn vacant flats into emergency…
Spain’s slow economic recovery falls 25,000 jobs short of employment levels when Rajoy took office
• November jobless figures show year-on-year improvement • But, numbers still shy of replacing 1.5 mn jobs lost since Rajoy took office…
Parties overcome PP objection, Madrid plaza renamed in memory of LGBT activist Pedro Zerolo
• PSOE, Ahora Madrid & Ciudadanos unite to overcome PP opposition • Zerolo led FELGTB federation during difficult years of Aznar administration…
Spanish PM Rajoy a ‘no-show’ for El País-sponsored televised debate in Dec. 20th general election race
• PSOE, Ciudadanos and Podemos candidates take on issues, each other • Rajoy falted by opponents for absence, PP’s ongoing corruption woes…
Socialists pledge municipal voting rights to all foreign citizens legally resident for five years
• Move would enable some 1.5 million legally resident immigrants to vote • Moroccans, Chinese, Ukrainians & other disenfranchised groups to benefit…
CUP party militants vote to block Artur Mas in Cataluña, but compromise deal still not ruled out
• CUP rank-and-file rejects Mas, citing cutbacks and corruption charges • If stalemate continues to Jan. 10th, new elections must be held…
Madrid demonstrators oppose Syria bombing, polls show public divided about going to war in Syria
• Protesters gather to chant ‘No to War!’ in front of Reina Sofia museum • Poll shows Spaniards split as to whether…
Barcelona rallies to open, close PSOE campaign: ‘We’re the Solution. Let’s Get Rid of Rajoy’
• Party leader Pedro Sánchez to headline national campaign rallies in Barcelona • PSOE-PSC lead candidate Carme Chacón to join in Dec….
British historian John Elliott evaluates Spain’s progress on 40th anniversary of Franco’s death
• Oxford Emeritus Professor lauds Spain’s post-Franco democratic Transition • Authority on Cataluña sees various ‘nations’ within Spanish State as viable British…
Global March for Climate takes to streets of Spain’s cities on Sunday Nov. 29th
• Saturday citywide blackout in Madrid to draw attention to climate change • Spanish celebrities to participate as part of global climate-awareness…
Podemos-backed ‘En Comú Podem’ coalition to campaign on Catalans’ right to referendum
• En Comú Podem sets sights on referendum measure over secession • Left coalition sees negotiated plebiscite as only way forward for…
Social entrepreneurship program announces nine finalist projects in global ‘H2O Challenge’ program
• Nine global projects selected as finalists in social-impact program • Aguas de Valencia, Pangea, Impact Hub Madrid, IE Business School sponsors…
Homeless campaigners stage flash-mob marches in 50 cities throughout Spain to demand basic services
• Cáritas, other organizations draw attention to homelessness across Spain • Groups demand basic rights, assistance on eve of national ‘Day of…
Spain makes progress on gender violence, as fear persists among women amid ingrained machismo
• Survey finds 91% of women fail to report violence, fearing repercussions • Despite advances, gender- and domestic-violence on the rise, say…
Podemos says it would extend municipal voting rights for EU citizens to Spain’s regional elections
• Left party wants legally resident foreigners to vote in regional balloting • Move would affect citizens of EU, 12 other nations…
#VIDEO: Animal Equality says 1.5 mn chicks die inhumanely each day in Spanish poultry incubators
• Animal-rights group says industry treatment of birds is cruel, unnecessary • Massive, avoidable destruction of animals detailed in report and online…
Barcelona mayor Ada Colau wants 27% increased funding to combat domestic & gender violence
• Activist mayor of Spain’s second city seeks more funding to protect women • Funds to go toward prevention & attention to…
PSOE leads field with women candidates on Dec. 20 ballot, with 50/50 top-of-list parity in all regions
• Left parties promoting equality in candidates’ lists for general election • All parties lag Socialists in male-female parity at top of…
Spanish anti-war campaigners launch petition, call for peaceful Nov. 28th protests in cities nationwide
• Call for peace demonstrations echoes 2004 protests after Madrid bombing • Activist mayors, celebrities and 11-M victims’ group in support of…
Anti-bullfighting activists deface matador’s statue in Sevilla with slogan ‘Torture is not culture’
• Animal-rights activists splashed red paint on statue’s hands and face • No group has claimed responsibility for the attack near Sevilla’s…