Spain

• Spain is currently regarded as the team to beat heading into the World Cup due to their dominant performance over the last two years. • Under manager Luis de la Fuente, the "red machine" has established a level of tactical superiority that poses a significant challenge to the other 47 competing nations. • In separate news, Swiss forward Breel Embolo will not travel to the US as his travel authorization is currently under review by the Swiss federation.

• Spain has established its broadcasting framework for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with rights shared between public broadcaster RTVE and streaming network DAZN. • RTVE, via channels La 1 and Teledeporte, will provide free-to-air coverage of major fixtures to ensure wide national accessibility. • DAZN, in partnership with GRUP MEDIAPRO, will serve as the premium sports streaming provider for the tournament.

• The Spanish government is implementing comprehensive labor and social security reforms in 2026 to create a more transparent and future-proof job market. • Key changes include a modernized pension calculation system featuring a longer reference period and an increase in social security contributions. • New regulations for interns and apprentices will be introduced to prevent the misuse of these roles within the workforce.

• Barcelona midfielder Fermín López has undergone surgery on a foot injury, officially ruling him out of the 2026 World Cup. • The news marks a significant loss for the Spanish national team as they prepare for the upcoming summer tournament. • Separately, reports are circulating regarding the future of Pep Guardiola, exploring potential moves to Barcelona, Serie A, or international management should he leave Manchester City.

• Spain has announced that broadcasting rights for the 2026 FIFA World Cup will be shared between public broadcaster RTVE and the premium streaming network DAZN. • RTVE, utilizing its La 1 and Teledeporte channels, will provide free-to-air coverage of major fixtures to ensure wide accessibility for the national audience. • DAZN, operating in partnership with GRUP MEDIAPRO, will serve as the primary premium sports streaming provider for the tournament.

Security came to inspect aircraft in Newark after report of Bluetooth device with a ‘certain four-letter word’A United Airlines plane bound for Spain from Newark Liberty international airport turned around mid-flight on Saturday due to a possible security threat.That came one day after another United Airlines flight bound for Minneapolis from Chicago was diverted to Madison, Wisconsin, on Friday because an unruly passenger evidently tried to breach the cockpit. Continue reading...

• Major EU economies, including Germany and Italy, are currently on track to miss their legally-binding 2030 greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets. • A report by the Italian Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (ISPRA) cites critical failures in Italy's transportation decarbonization and production efficiency as primary obstacles. • In contrast, Spain is positioned to exceed its 32% emissions reduction goal, supported by a renewable energy mix that reached 75% of its electricity supply in 2025.

• British digital bank Monzo has officially launched its services in Spain as of Tuesday, May 26th. • In Valencia, new regulations have taken effect restricting tourist apartment rentals to just 2% of homes per neighborhood to preserve residential housing. • Emergency services responded to a fire that broke out at a hotel in Málaga, though further details on casualties or damage were not provided.

Prediction sites, which allow bets on all topics from weather to politics, may be in breach of country’s rulesSpain’s ministry of consumer rights has blocked access to Polymarket and Kalshi while it investigates whether the leading prediction market sites are violating Spanish law by operating without a gambling licence.On Tuesday the ministry said it had launched disciplinary proceedings against the two platforms, which allow users to bet on everything from the weather to political events, amid allegations that they lacked the “necessary administrative authorisation” to operate in Spain. Continue reading...

• Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez intends to remain in power until 2027, despite ongoing political scandals and pressure from coalition partners. • Aitor Esteban, leader of the Basque Nationalist Party (PNV), criticized the government's lack of a stable majority and labeled the plan to continue beyond 2026 as "irresponsible." • The political tension occurs alongside broader national issues, including rising hotel prices and the existence of 100,000 half-built homes in "ghost estates."

Andry José Hernández Romero was deported from the US to El Salvador’s notorious Cecot prison before he was allowed to return to VenezuelaOne of the Venezuelan men sent from the US to El Salvador’s most notorious prison by Donald Trump has moved to Spain to request asylum after concluding that he did not feel safe back home and did not trust US authorities sufficiently to return to fight his legal case.Andry José Hernández Romero left Venezuela for Spain in early February and is due for his first asylum hearing in court there in a few days, hoping that the country’s liberal approach to immigration will afford him kinder treatment than the US or his own country had provided him, he revealed to the Guardian in his first interview since leaving for Europe. Continue reading...

• Spain has announced a boycott of the current Eurovision Song Contest due to the continued participation of Israel. • The decision follows repeated expressions of disapproval from Spanish authorities regarding Israel's presence in the competition. • This move has left Eurovision fans divided, highlighting the tension between the contest's non-political goals and the geopolitical conflicts surrounding the participants.

Authorities in Galicia declare two days of mourning after toddler died during exceptionally high May temperaturesEurope live – latest updatesA two-year-old girl has died of heatstroke in north-west Spain after being accidentally left in her father’s car during an unseasonably hot spell that could push temperatures in some areas to 38C (100F).The child, who has not been named, went into cardiac arrest on Wednesday afternoon after spending several hours inside the vehicle in the Galician town of Brión after her father forgot to take her to nursery. Continue reading...

Catalan police questioning Jonathan Andic over father Isak Andic’s apparent fall down a mountain ravine in 2024Police in Catalonia have arrested the son of Isak Andic, the founder of the fashion chain Mango, and are questioning him in connection with the death of his father in the mountains near Barcelona almost 18 months ago.Andic, who was 71, died in December 2024 after apparently falling 100 metres down a ravine while hiking in Montserrat with his son, Jonathan. His death prompted tributes from politicians, journalists and the fashion world. Continue reading...

People’s party wins regional election but loses absolute majority, opening door to possibly months of negotiationsSpain’s conservative People’s party (PP) won Sunday’s Andalucían regional election, but lost its absolute majority, leaving it dependent on the support or abstention of the far-right Vox party to form a new government.After the poll in Spain’s most populous region – which will serve as a barometer of wider electoral opinion ahead of next year’s general election – the socialists slumped to an all-time low and Vox picked up one additional seat. Continue reading...

Conservatives expected to keep majority as socialists face drubbing and ballot tests trajectory of far-right Vox partyVoters in the southern Spanish region of Andalucía will cast their ballots in an election this weekend that is likely to deliver an absolute majority to the conservative People’s party (PP) and inflict another debilitating defeat on Pedro Sánchez’s embattled socialists in what was previously one of their proudest strongholds.Sunday’s election in Spain’s most populous region – the last big poll before next year’s general election – will serve as a barometer of wider electoral opinion and could also reveal whether the popularity of the far-right Vox party is beginning to peak. Continue reading...

The honour recognises Albanese’s work ‘documenting and denouncing violations of international law in Gaza’The Spanish government awarded the UN legal expert Francesca Albanese one of its highest civilian honours in recognition of what it termed her “extensive work in documenting and denouncing violations of international law in Gaza”.Albanese, an Italian human rights lawyer who serves as UN special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967, has been vocal in her criticisms of Israel’s military operations in Gaza, which she has described as genocide. Continue reading...

Sarah Schloegl stranded in Alicante after 11-month-old was found to have invalid documentation under new rulesA British woman from Aberdeen and her 11-month-old baby have been stranded abroad because of new rules regarding dual nationals introduced by Labour.Sarah Schloegl was refused board on a Ryanair flight from Alicante last week after she went to Spain for a short break with her Austrian husband, Philipp, their three-year-old daughter and 11-month-old baby. Continue reading...

Court extends detention of two men who were among 175 people intercepted in Mediterranean on ThursdayTwo foreign activists from a Gaza-bound flotilla who were brought to Israel for interrogation appeared before an Israeli court on Sunday, a rights group defending them told AFP.The flotilla of more than 50 vessels had set sail from France, Spain and Italy with the aim of breaking an Israeli blockade of Gaza and bringing supplies to the devastated Palestinian territory. Continue reading...

The US president has criticised Germany’s chancellor, Friedrich Merz, and raised the prospect of pulling US troops from Italy and Spain. Plus, 10 big lessons on ending the fossil fuel eraGood morning.Donald Trump has threatened to withdraw US troops from Italy and Spain a day after he saying was looking at curtailing the number deployed in Germany.What has Congress been saying about the war? A senior Democrat in the Senate grilled the US secretary of defense, Pete Hegseth, on Thursday, accusing him of failing to give Trump an accurate picture of the war on Iran while resorting to “dangerously exaggerated” statements to create an inaccurate picture of a US military triumph.What’s the latest on the suspect? The man accused of attempting to assassinate Trump agreed on Thursday to remain in custody while his federal criminal case moves forward. Continue reading...

US president says European countries are ‘absolutely horrible’ to refuse to support operations in strait of Hormuz Europe live – latest updatesDonald Trump has threatened to withdraw US troops from Italy and Spain a day after saying he was looking at reducing the number deployed in Germany.The US president’s threat to Germany came after the country’s chancellor, Friedrich Merz, said America was being “humiliated” by Iran. Continue reading...

The US president said he would carry out of a review of US military presence in Europe after public criticism of the US-Israeli war on IranItaly and Spain have joined a growing list of countries that US president Donald Trump is threatening with pulling US troops from as part of a broader review of the US military presence in Europe.Responding to a question from a reporter, Trump said he would “probably” consider such a move, linking it to the two countries’ criticism of the US campaign in Iran.“Look, why shouldn’t I? Italy has not been of any help to us and Spain has been horrible, absolutely horrible.” Continue reading...

Ángel Mateos González due to play for CD Colunga, making him oldest player to take part in official matchAt an age when many veteran footballers might prefer to be regaling grandchildren, friends and assorted barflies with slightly embroidered tales of their former sporting prowess, 70-year-old Ángel Mateos González is heading back on to the pitch.The Spaniard, who retired from competitive football 27 years ago, is due to play in goal for the Asturian team CD Colunga in a fifth-tier match this Sunday. If all goes to plan and he pulls on his gloves, he will reportedly become the oldest player to take part in an official match in Spain. Continue reading...

Though solar was initially blamed for loss of power, renewables have helped to insulate Spain from gas price rises caused by war in Middle EastOne year ago today, all of Spain, and much of Portugal, suffered through a blackout of unprecedented scale and duration. In mere seconds, a cascading sequence of events burst through the grid and created Europe’s first “system black” event in recent memory.Traffic signals failed, mobile networks stopped working entirely, petrol stations could not pump fuel and supermarkets couldn’t process payments. Madrid’s metro came to a halt and people had to be pulled out of carriages. “People were stunned because this had never happened in Spain,” Carlos Condori, a 19-year-old construction sector worker, told AFP at the time. “There’s no [phone] coverage, I can’t call my family, my parents, nothing: I can’t even go to work.” Continue reading...

Partner of soldier accused of war crimes says the couple discussed possibility of moving overseas to ‘create some normalcy in our lives’Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastBen Roberts-Smith was planning to leave Australia to live overseas and had a business class flight out of the country booked in four days’ time when he was arrested at Sydney airport this month, court documents allege, with investigators telling a court “his willingness to return to Australia to face prosecution cannot be judged”.Roberts-Smith was ultimately granted bail last week under strict conditions, a move opposed by prosecutors who said there was potential concern he was a flight risk and might try to avoid ever having to face trial for a series of alleged murders he committed in Afghanistan. Continue reading...

• Governments of Spain, Brazil, and Mexico issued a joint statement on Saturday expressing deep concern over the grave humanitarian crisis in Cuba and calling for immediate measures to alleviate suffering faced by the Cuban people. • The statement follows US President Trump's recent indication of shifting focus from the Iran war to Cuba, with a senior US delegation sent last week to Havana to negotiate a deal addressing the island's crisis. • This diplomatic push highlights growing international attention to Cuba's deteriorating conditions, potentially signaling a US pivot that could reshape regional geopolitics and aid flows.

Seville could see 34C this week and parts of Brazil could hit high 30s, while storms forecast in southern AfricaOver the course of this week, temperatures in Spain are expected to soar well above the seasonal average. Daytime temperatures could reach about 30C in Madrid on Tuesday, 10C above the norm, while Seville may see 34C, about 9C above its late April average. An area of low pressure situated out in the Atlantic will allow for a south-westerly flow, introducing warm air from north Africa. In addition to this heat, a notable dust plume is expected to travel northwards from the Sahara, covering the skies above Iberia and south-western France, which may lead to some particularly orange or red skies at sunrise and sunset.In Brazil, high temperatures are forecast for the states of São Paulo, Paraná, Mato Grosso do Sul and Santa Catarina over the next few days, eventually spreading into Minas Gerais. Here, daytime maximum temperatures are expected to reach the high 30s Celsius later in the week, about 5-10C above the seasonal average. Continue reading...

Natasha Cochrane de la Rosa was refused boarding on flight to London because she was not aware of the rule changeA British woman has told how she fears being stranded in Spain for months after being refused boarding a on flight back home to London because she was not aware of new Home Office border rules.Natasha Cochrane de la Rosa, 26, was born in the UK to a British father and a Spanish mother, but because of archaic laws she was not entitled automatically to British citizenship because her parents were not married. Other women born to unmarried parents have called the rules an “illegitimacy tax”. Continue reading...