Spanish News

A group of migrants being held at a dockside camp on Gran Canaria called for "freedom" yesterday as they tried to force open a police fence as the coast guard brought in more people rescued from boats in the Atlantic. Arrivals to the Canary Islands have surged 573% to 3,933 migrants. A coast guard spokeswoman said 81 North African men were rescued from three small boats while another 29 reached […]

The foreign ministers of Spain and Italy have called for dialogue in the Eastern Mediterranean. Italy's Luigi Di Maio said the two countries, as well as the EU's high representative, were in agreement on starting dialogue with the sides to reduce tension in the region. The two officials said diplomacy and political solutions were the only answers to the crisis in Libya, where Spanish Foreign Minister Arancha Gonzalez Laya paid […]

ACTOR, TV presenter and regional MP Toni Cantó has saved the lives of three young women in a 'Baywatch-style rescue', according to his colleagues and witnesses. The spokesman for centre-right Ciudadanos in the Valencia regional government was seen leaping into the sea in Castellón province 'without thinking twice about it' after seeing three girls, who appear to be in their late teens, in serious difficulty. All three were struggling against […]

Political leaders have been meeting with the Government this week to discuss the upcoming budget vote that's expected to take place in the coming weeks. Prime minister Pedro Sanchez has already held discussions with the leader of the Partido Popular Pablo Casado and Inés Arrimadas from Ciudadanos. After discussions lasting over two hours, the PP leader said his party would not pass the upcoming budget or renewals of state institutions, […]

PARENTS whose children test positive for Covid-19 will be allowed to take time off work with pay to care for them on the same basis as if the employees themselves were off sick – but it's not yet clear whether this will apply to children forced to quarantine or who have symptoms but no confirmed diagnosis. Government spokeswoman and treasury minister María Jesús Montero said earlier this week that parents […]

The Spanish Health Minister has ruled out a general confinement of the population, as was implemented in March at the outset of the coronavirus crisis, and also said that a “perimeter lockdown” of Madrid was not viable, despite the ongoing rise in cases in the region. Salvador Illa on was responding to the premier of Castilla-La Mancha who said this week that 80% of the infections in his region had […]

Spanish telecoms giant Telefónica has announced that it's switched on its 5G signal, and promised that 75% of the Spanish population will have access to the new mobile network standard by the end of the year. However, the commercial launch will take place in late October or early November to ensure that there's a sufficient supply of 5G-enabled devices on the market. The new service will see download speeds three […]

Credit Suisse has applied for a licence to set up an investment bank hub in Madrid after Britain has left the European Union. The Swiss lender sought a licence from the Bank of Spain and the European Central Bank in July to upgrade its brokerage in the country to a bank. It expects to get the licence within a year and to be fully operational by mid 2021.

Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez held a public event yesterday as he marked the end of parliament’s summer recess with a speech given in the presence of the country’s top business leaders. His message was one of unity amid the ongoing coronavirus crisis and was aimed squarely at the main opposition Popular Party (PP). The mere presence of the business leaders was, in itself, a political statement. Major figures such as […]