Spain

Exiled separatist Puigdemont will run to lead Catalonia, return to Spain if he wins

By Joan Faus Exiled Catalan separatist Carles Puigdemont will seek to lead the northeastern region in elections in May, he said, and would return to Spain should he regain the…

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Spain’s High Court upholds temporary ban on Worldcoin iris-scanning venture

Spain's High Court on Monday upheld a temporary ban on Worldcoin's iris-scanning venture, in the latest blow to a project that has sparked privacy concerns in several countries. The court…

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Spain prosecutor seeks jail for Ancelotti over unpaid taxes

MADRID, March 6 (Reuters) - A Spanish prosecutor is seeking a prison term of four years and nine months for soccer coach Carlo Ancelotti who is accused of avoiding 1…

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Spanish police crack counterfeit 100-euro note operation

MADRID, March 2 (Reuters) - Spanish police said they had made 14 arrests in connection with one million euros ($1.1 million) worth of counterfeit 100 euro bank notes which passed…

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Four dead, up to 14 missing in Spain apartment building fire

By Antoine Demaison and Marco Trujillo VALENCIA, Spain, Feb 23 (Reuters) - At least four people were killed in a fire that engulfed an apartment building in Valencia in eastern…

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Spanish birth rate hits lowest level since records began in 1941

Spain's birth rate has dropped to its lowest level since records started in 1941, provisional data from its National Statistics Institute (INE) showed , with just 322,075 babies adding to…

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Russian emigres in Spain call for protection after pilot defector shot dead

By David Latona VILLAJOYOSA, Spain, (Reuters) - Russian emigres in Spain critical of the Kremlin called on the Spanish authorities to better protect them, after a Russian pilot who had…

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Spanish conservatives retain majority in Galicia regional vote

MADRID, Feb 18 (Reuters) - Spain's opposition conservative People's Party (PP) is set to retain its absolute majority in its stronghold in the northwest region of Galicia on Sunday in…

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Properties worth EUR 48 million frozen after cocaine sweep in Ecuador and Spain

A Spanish-led investigation involving Ecuador and supported by Europol, resulted in a major hit on a high-risk drug trafficking network supplying cocaine to the EU. To support the field activities…

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Spain’s services activity speeds up again in January – PMI

MADRID, Feb 5 (Reuters) - Spain's services sector activity grew in January at the fastest pace in six months mainly on the back of domestic demand, prompting companies to hire…

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Spain’s January jobless rises by 2.23% to 2.77 mln

Feb 2 (Reuters) - The number of people registering as jobless in Spain rose by 2.23% in January from a month earlier, or by 60,404 people, leaving a total of…

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Migrant arrivals to Spain’s Canaries jump by over 1,000% in January

The number of migrants from West Africa who braved the sea in fragile boats to reach Spain's Canary Islands jumped more than 1,000% in January from a year ago, data…

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Spain’s unemployment rate at lowest since 2007

Jan 26 (Reuters) - Spain's unemployment rate unexpectedly dipped in the fourth quarter to end the year at its lowest since 2007, according to official figures that bode well ahead…

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Foreign tourism to Spain beats pre-COVID record in 2023, seen rising

MADRID (Reuters) - Spain received a record number of foreign tourists in 2023, 17% more than a year earlier and a 1% increase from the 84 million who came in…

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Amid drought, water curbs in Portugal’s Algarve, Spain’s Catalonia

By Sergio Goncalves and Joan Faus LISBON/BARCELONA, (Reuters) - Portugal's caretaker government has ordered cuts to the amount of water used in farmland irrigation and in urban environments including hotels…

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Passenger numbers at Spain’s Aena airports hit record high in 2023

(Reuters) - Passenger traffic at Spain's Aena airports hit a record high last year as tourism rebounded strongly after several years of disruption caused by the pandemic. The number of…

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Europe split over US, UK strikes on Houthis in Yemen

By Angelo Amante, John Irish, Inti Landauro and Nandita Bose ROME/PARIS/MADRID/ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE, (Reuters) - Italy, Spain and France stood out on Friday by not taking part in U.S.…

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Spain raises minimum wage 5%, above inflation rate

MADRID, Jan 12 (Reuters) - Spain's government said it reached an agreement on Friday with major unions on an above-inflation 5% rise in the minimum wage - an increase that…

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Spanish regions reintroduce mask wearing in medical centres amid flu spike

Five Spanish regions have announced the reintroduction of rules making the use of face masks compulsory in health facilities following a spike in flu and COVID-19 cases over the festive…

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Growth in Spain’s services sector picks up steam in Dec – PMI

MADRID, Jan 4 (Reuters) - Spain's services sector activity grew at the fastest pace in five months in December, supported by higher volumes of new business and sailing against the…

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Irregular migrant arrivals almost doubled in Spain in 2023

By Joan Faus MADRID, (Reuters) - Around 57,000 migrants entered Spain irregularly last year, almost double the 2022 number as arrivals on the Canary Islands in fragile boats from west…

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Spain’s December jobless falls by 1% to 2.71 mln

Jan 3 (Reuters) - The number of people registering as jobless in Spain fell by 1% in December from a month earlier, or by 27,375 people, leaving a total of…

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Spain’s 12-month inflation dips to 3.1% in December as fuel prices drop

Dec 29 (Reuters) - Spain's 12-month inflation rate inched down to 3.1% in December as fuel prices decreased and food prices stabilised, from 3.2% in the period through November, preliminary…

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World champions Spain top FIFA women’s rankings

Women's World Cup winners Spain have moved to the top of the FIFA rankings for the first time, displacing Sweden from the number one spot, world soccer's governing body said.…

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Spain sees record December temperatures

Temperatures across Spain smashed records for December as a mass of hot air swept over the Iberian Peninsula this week, pushing the mercury close to 30 degrees Celsius (86 Fahrenheit)…

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Spain airport ground service workers plan New Year strike, Iberia says

MADRID, Dec 14 (Reuters) - Labour unions representing ground service workers at Spanish airports plan to strike from late December into early January, Spain's Iberia, part of the International Airlines…

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Spain’s PM wants EU enlargement talks with Ukraine before year-end

MADRID, Dec 13 (Reuters) - Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on Wednesday he hoped to open enlargement talks between the European Union and Ukraine before the end of his…

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Spain’s foreign minister says Gibraltar deal hinges on use of airport

A deal over the post-Brexit status of the British territory of Gibraltar depends on agreement over use of the airport, Spain's foreign minister, Jose Manuel Albares, said in an interview.…

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Spain arrests a man wanted by US over North Korea crypto conspiracy

MADRID, (Reuters) - Spanish police said they detained a Spaniard wanted by the United States for allegedly conspiring with a convicted American cryptocurrency researcher to help North Korea evade U.S.…

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Spain ready to sign a deal with Britain on Gibraltar

Spain is ready to sign a deal on the post-Brexit status of Gibraltar as early as Wednesday, Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares said, before setting off to meet newly…

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Spanish supermarkets lock up olive oil as shoplifting surges

By Corina Pons MADRID, (Reuters) - In Spain, the world's biggest olive oil producer, supermarkets are locking up bottles of the staple cooking oil as prices surge and theft increases.…

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Spain PM Sanchez keeps Calvino, other senior ministers in cabinet

By Belén Carreño MADRID, Nov 20 (Reuters) - Spain's Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez retained Nadia Calvino as his economy minister on Monday, revealing a largely unchanged new cabinet he…

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UPDATED: Shakira reaches deal with authorities to avoid 14.5m euro tax fraud trial

BARCELONA, Nov 20 (Reuters) - Colombian pop star Shakira on Monday reached a settlement with prosecutors to avoid a trial in Barcelona over charges she failed to pay 14.5 million…

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The Spanish amnesty law for Catalonia separatists, explained

Spain has undergone a period of great political uncertainty and upheaval since since general elections delivered an inconclusive result in July. In order to hold on to power and gain…

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Retired Spanish generals call for coup to eject Socialist PM Sanchez

A group of retired military officers in Spain have called for an army coup against the prime minister after Pedro Sánchez secured a new term through a controversial amnesty for…

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Sanchez wins Spanish parliament’s backing for new term as PM

MADRID, Nov 16 (Reuters) - Spain's lower house of parliament on Thursday voted to make Pedro Sanchez prime minister for another term by a wafer-thin margin, ending a protracted deadlock…

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Migrant children treated like adults as record influx overwhelms Canary Islands

Orphaned during a coup in his homeland Guinea, teenager Moussa Camara took to sea in a wooden boat with 240 other migrants, enduring an 11-day voyage, half of it without…

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Spain’s Sanchez to seek new term as PM in lower house on Nov. 16

Spain's acting Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez will seek to clinch a new term in a parliamentary vote on Thursday, the lower house speaker Francina Armengol said on Monday. The vote will follow…

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Deals by Spain’s Socialists to clinch another term

By Natalia Siniawski and Jesus Calero The deal struck between Catalan separatist party Junts and Spain's Socialists on Thursday paves the way for the investiture of Pedro Sanchez as prime…

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Catalan separatist Puigdemont rocks Spanish politics, again

By Joan Faus BARCELONA (Reuters) - Six years after leading Catalonia's failed bid to secede from Spain, Carles Puigdemont rocked the Spanish political scene again on Thursday, but this time…

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Former Catalan politician shot in face in Madrid

MADRID, (Reuters) - The former head of Spain's centre-right People's Party in the Catalonia region was shot in the face in the Spanish capital Madrid on Thursday, police said. Alejo…

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UPDATED: Spanish Socialists, Catalan Junts reach deal for govt support, amnesty

Spain's socialists, Catalan separatists Junts agree on deal for Socialists to form government Deal includes amnesty for Catalan independence activists and four-year support for Socialist-led government Centre-right PP Party calls…

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Ex-Spanish FA chief Rubiales banned three years over kiss scandal

Oct 30 (Reuters) - Luis Rubiales, the former president of the Spanish Football Association (RFEF), has been banned from all football-related activities for three years, world soccer's ruling body said…

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EU Council agrees to Spain’s Middle East peace conference proposal

The Council of the European Union has accepted the Spanish proposal to hold a peace conference in about six months on the conflict between Israel and Hamas, Spain's acting Prime…

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Spain to create emergency accommodation for 3,000 migrants

MADRID, (Reuters) - Spain said it would create additional emergency accommodation for 3,000 undocumented migrants in military barracks, hotels and hostels amid a 55% jump in arrivals by sea this…

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Photo Story: Anti-terrorist drill in Barcelona with 500 pleople involved

Actors impersonate victims of a terror attack during an anti-terrorism drill at the Sants Train station in Barcelona, north-western Spain, 27 October 2023. Almost 500 people participated in the biggest…

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Spain’s job creation sped up during tourism’s bumper summer

MADRID, Oct 26 (Reuters) - Spain created thousands of new jobs during the summer even as the unemployment rate inched up, as strong demand pushed more people into the labour…

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Spain’s Socialists, hard-left Sumar strike government coalition deal

Spain's Socialist Party and the hard-left Sumar have reached an agreement in an effort to form a new government after an inconclusive election three months ago left the country with…

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Spain seizes ancient gold jewellery stolen from Ukraine worth $64 million

MADRID, Oct 23 (Reuters) - Spain has seized ancient gold artefacts valued at 60 million euros ($63.6 million) stolen from Ukraine after thieves were caught trying to sell them in…

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Spain pledges 50 million euros for Canary islands migrant surge

By Borja Suarez ARGUINEGUIN, Spain, (Reuters) - Spain is readying a 50 million euro ($52.86 million) aid package to help the Canary Islands cope with an "extraordinary migration flow", Spain's…

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Photo Story: Royal family members attend military parade on Spanish National Day

Spain's King Felipe VI (R) and Crown Princess Leonor attend the military parade on the occasion of the Spanish National Day in Madrid, Spain on 12 October 2023. Crown Princess…

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Former Spanish king hints at return to public life after winning UK harassment case

LONDON, (Reuters) - Spain's former King Juan Carlos hinted at a return to public life after he won a bid to throw out a 126 million pound ($154 million) London…

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Spain calls for EU solidarity on Canary Islands immigration

By Gabriela Baczynska and Inti Landauro GRANADA, Spain (Reuters) - Spain cannot cope with irregular immigration without help from the European Union, the prime minister said as the bloc seeks…

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Thousands evacuated on Spain’s Tenerife as summer wildfire re-ignites

MADRID, Oct 5 (Reuters) - Authorities on the Spanish island of Tenerife evacuated some 3,000 people from their homes overnight as a wildfire sparked by high temperatures and strong winds…

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Temperatures in Spain shatter records as October kicks off

MADRID, (Reuters) - The start of October in Spain this year has been the warmest since records began, the country's meteorological agency AEMET said, with nearly 40% of weather stations…

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‘Complex talks’ ahead for Spain’s Sanchez to form government

By David Latona and Belén Carreño MADRID, (Reuters) - Spain's acting Prime Minister predicted "complex talks" with other political parties to form a government, after he was nominated to seek…

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Spanish king nominates Pedro Sanchez for Prime Minister post

Spain's King Felipe on Tuesday nominated acting Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez to face a parliamentary vote for a new mandate after his conservative rival failed in his bid to become…

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