Pedro Sanchez stays on as Spain’s Prime Minister after weighing exit
Madrid, Spain Reuters Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on Monday he had decided to stay in office after days of publicly weighing his future, generating relief amongst leftist allies, exasperation among the public and ridicule from his opponents. Shouting could be heard on Madrid streets when Sanchez made his announcement in a televised address, […]
Spain’s Prime Minister Sanchez set to announce if he’s staying or quitting
Madrid, Spain Reuters Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez is set to announce on Monday whether he plans to stay on or quit the premiership, days after saying he was considering resigning. Supporters in his Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party (PSOE) have urged Sanchez to stay since he said last week he was stepping back for a […]
Flowers, music and silence mark 20th anniversary of Madrid train bombings
Madrid, Spain Reuters Spain on Monday marked the 20th anniversary of Europe’s deadliest Islamist militant attacks with flowers, music and silence in several ceremonies to remember the train bombings in Madrid. Ten bombs hidden in sports bags exploded on four packed commuter trains at the height of morning rush hour in Madrid on 11th March, […]
In blow to Sanchez, parliament rejects amnesty bill for Catalan separatists
Madrid, Spain Reuters Spain’s lower house on Tuesday rejected an amnesty bill due to differences on its scope between the ruling Socialists and a Catalan separatist party, in a blow for Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez that illustrates his parliamentary fragility. The bill, rejected by 179 votes to 171, will now return for debate in a […]
Biggest protest in Spain against Catalan amnesty law draws 170,000
Madrid, SpainReuters About 170,000 people marched through Madrid on Saturday in the largest protest yet against an amnesty law which Spain’s Socialists agreed over Catalonia’s 2017 separatist bid in order to form a government. The demonstration, the latest in a series of protests in cities across the country against the amnesty, took place two days […]
Spain to exhume fascist movement founder’s body from Madrid mausoleum
Madrid, Spain Reuters Spain on Monday will dig up the body of Jose Antonio Primo de Rivera, founder of the fascist Falange movement that supported the Francoist regime, and remove it from a mausoleum carved into a mountainside near Madrid. Primo de Rivera’s exhumation, which follows the 2019 removal of the remains of dictator Francisco […]
Spain health workers hold huge Madrid protest over state of health system
Madrid, Spain Reuters Hundreds of thousands of Spain’s health workers protested in Madrid on Sunday over what they say is the destruction of the public health system by the conservative regional government. The Madrid government has been the target of criticism in recent years, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic started in 2020, over poor staffing […]
Spanish pets blessed by priests in annual ritual
Madrid, SpainReuters Hundreds of Spanish pet owners took their animals to church on Tuesday where Catholic priests blessed them on the Day of St Anthony the Abbott, the patron saint of animals. Priest Antonio Dominguez, 67, blesses a dog with flowers soaked with holy water at San Antonio Abad Church during celebrations on the feast […]
Thousands march in Spain to demand end of violence against women
Madrid, SpainReuters Thousands of people took to the streets in Madrid and Barcelona on Friday evening in marches to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. In Madrid, protesters, many wearing purple, marched down the Gran Via in the city centre carrying banners and chanting “no is no, anything else is […]
StrangeSights: Sheep take a walk through Madrid; pumpkin boats in Belgium; and, turning off the lights in Paris…
DAVID ADAMS provides a round-up of some stories on the odder side of life…