Hopes for broad-left coalition government dim amid confrontations in Congress between PSOE, Podemos
• Podemos & PSOE at loggerheads, could threaten left coalition to oust PP • Political confrontations on several issues in the first…
Barcelona-based Privalia and UNICEF net 600,000 euros in ‘Future for Children’ fundraising campaign
• Privalia partnership with UNICEF to benefit children worldwide • Spanish online fashion outlet Privalia and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF)…
En Comú Podem’s Colau slams PSOE for ceding Senate seats to Catalan pro-independence parties
• Barcelona mayor criticizes Socialists for ‘cynicism’ of the ‘old politics’ • Barcelona’s activist mayor Ada Colau has excorciated Spain’s Socialist party…
#VIDEO: AnimaNaturalis footage of mistreatment of bulls during Correbous festivals popular in Catalonia
• Animal-rights NGO video show cruelty to bulls in Terre del Ebro region • Bulls mistreated as part of popular Correbous festivals…
Podemos under fire for alleged Iranian funding of Pablo Iglesias’ ‘Fort Apache’ talk show on HispanTV
• Venezuela, Iran said to have channeled funds to Podemos via TV program • Spain’s new-left anti-austerity party Podemos, which came in…
Madrid’s 2015 air pollution levels violated EU legal limits for sixth year running, say environmentalists
• Data shows 13 of 24 monitoring stations surpassed EU limits for year • Air pollution levels in Spain’s capital city, Madrid,…
#VIDEO: Interview with IU leader Alberto Garzón, Las Mañanas Cuatro [in Spanish]
• IU party leader, Deputy Alberto Garzón talks about new Congress • Tells Las Mañanas Cuatro about possibilities, difficulties of broad-left alliance…
Spain has accepted just 18 of 16,000 refugees it pledged to take in EU accord, says pro-refugees NGO
• Group says Spain’s inaction ‘shameful’ in face of now-critical situation • The non-governmental refugees advocacy organisation Refugiados Extremadura has called on…
Supreme Court agrees to hear appeal filed against controversial ‘sun tax’ on self-generated solar power
• Renewable producers say ‘sun tax’ penalizes solar to benefit of fossil fuels • The Supreme Court of Spain has agreed to…
PAH anti-eviction activists call on new Congress to tackle housing crisis through emergency measures
• Group wants anti-eviction, pro-housing commitment in government talks • The nationwide anti-eviction activist Plataforma de Afectados por la Hipoteca (Platform of…
Socialists negotiate unprecedented deal to seat opposition member as Speaker of new Congress
• Former Basque regional premier Patxi López to preside over Mesa Directiva • In a sign of how unusual Spain’s current political…
Cheap coal, wind-power reduction fueled setback in de-carbonisation of Spain’s energy market in 2015
• 24% jump year-on-year pushed coal-fired power ahead of renewables • The use of coal in fueling Spain’s electric energy production spiked…
Energy companies to challenge retroactive cuts to renewables in next session of Constitutional Court
• More than 400 appeals from companies, with 1.7 billion euros at stake • Spanish renewable energy companies say they will file…
#VIDEO: Podemos Press Conf – Pablo Iglesias and Regional Coalition Representatives [in Spanish]
• Podemos, Compromís, Marea Gallega, En Comú Podem press conference • Iglesias & coalition leaders speak on need for four parliamentary groups…
Murcia region expected to approve new animal protection legislation with stiff penalties for abuse
• Pending legislation foresees fines up to 30,000 euros for severe offenses • A legislative bill slated for approval by the regional…
Bishop laments Spain’s refugee response as church begins World Day of Migrants & Refugees campaign
• Countries with far less per capita income doing more to help refugees • The Catholic prelate in charge of the Commission…
Nearly two-thirds of Spain’s 24,000 healthcare job losses since 2012 occurred in Valencia, Andalusia
• Valencia, Andalusia, Madrid and Castile-La Mancha hardest hit regions • Layoffs and a hiring freeze to replace retiring healthcare workers under…
Eight-year-old nationwide domestic abuse hotline received record 82,000 calls from women in 2015
• Nearly 20% yearly hike in calls to “016” hotline from women seeking help • Spain’s Ministry of Health, Social Services and…
Catalan Parliament selects new president, setting stage for showdown with Madrid over independence
• Artur Mas steps aside in last-minute deal with anti-capitalist CUP party • After cliffhanger negotiations terminating in a last-minute deal late…
Number of Syrians seeking refuge in Europe via Spain’s Melilla centre expected to increase in 2016
• Spain’s N. African enclave entry point for desperate Syrian asylum seekers • The number of Syrian refugees willing to brave Moroccan…
Podemos request for four-way split of 69 Congress seats would quadruple stipend, presence in debates
• Unprecedented request widely opposed, could stall new Congress formation • Anti-austerity party Podemos has announced it wants its 69 Congressional seats…
Patients’ rights groups seek healthcare commitment as political parties negotiate coalition government
• Patients’ organisation says healthcare forgotten since general elections • A national patient’s rights group, the Plataforma de Organizaciones de Pacientes has…
Socialists’ Pedro Sánchez meets with Portuguese PM for advice on constructing broad-left coalition
• PSOE leader wants Portugal-style coalition to oust Spain’s Partido Popular • The leader of Spain’s Socialist party (PSOE), Pedro Sánchez, traveled…
Homelessness up 6 percent in Barcelona in 2015, with as many as 900 sleeping on streets every night
• Fundación Arrels assisted 1,700 homeless last year, up from 1,600 in 2014 • The number of homeless people in Spain’s second-largest…
Valencia announces new plan to combat energy poverty, help families in need meet rent payments
• New plan to help 15,000 families, says Valencia president Puig • The regional government of Valencia has announced it will spent…
Spanish judge orders arrest of 17 Salvadoran ex-military over 1989 murder of Jesuit priests
• Five Spanish Jesuits among victims of military raid and summary executions • A Spanish federal judge has issued an international arrest…
Colau’s BComú movement nixes talk of her leading broad-left coalition in re-run of Catalan regional vote
• Hints that Colau could lead En Comú Podem to Generalitat victory dismissed • Barcelona’s activist mayor Ada Colau has seemingly scuppered…
CCOO leader says unemployment numbers positive, but new jobs creation far from 2007 pre-crisis levels
• Fernández Toxo says it will take until 2021 to return to pre-crisis job levels • Says anemic recovery built on ‘highly…
Archbishop of Toledo stirs outrage with sermon implying women are the cause of domestic violence
• Catholic leader says women’s refusal to submit to men at root of violence • Outraged women across Spain hit back at…
Ciudad Real to discuss renaming city street in honor of last Republican general to surrender in Civil War
• Proposal to rename street in honor of Republican general causes controversy • City to begin name changes in keeping with Spain’s…
CUP refuses to vote for Artur Mas presidency, sets stage for new Catalan regional elections in March
• Anti-capitalist party leadership votes 36-30 against Mas bid for presidency • Independence momentum stalls, parliamentary elections rerun almost certain Catalonia’s small…