Spain News in English - Expat Guide to Spain

February 20, 2019

Spanish king speaks out during Catalan separatists’ trial

Spain’s King Felipe VI said Wednesday democracy was not above respecting the law, in unusually outspoken comments widely interpreted as refuting claims by Catalan separatist leaders on trial in Madrid. “It makes no sense, it’s unacceptable to appeal to a…

February 20, 2019

Spain court hands 15-year jail sentence in gang rape case

Three men were sentenced to up to 15 years in jail for gang rape, a Spanish court said Wednesday, in a case reminiscent of a 2016 assault which caused national outrage. In March 2015, a 29-year-old man — identified by…

February 20, 2019

At Catalan separatist trial, judge Marchena walks tightrope

At the helm of the hugely divisive trial of Catalan separatist leaders, Supreme Court judge Manuel Marchena is performing a difficult balancing act, alternating firmness and leniency in live proceedings. Seen as close to the conservative Popular Party (PP), which…

February 20, 2019

Iberdrola posts record profit on renewables boost

Spain’s electricity giant Iberdrola said Wednesday its 2018 net profit rose 7.5 percent to 3.01 billion euros, its best-ever result, thanks to a boost in its wind and hydro energy output. “It is the first time the group’s earnings have…

February 19, 2019

Spanish PM to visit France to pay tribute to civil war exiles

Spain’s prime minister is to travel to France this weekend to pay tribute to the 450,000 Spaniards who sought refuge there at the end of the 1936-39 civil war and the Franco dictatorship that followed, his office said Tuesday. On…

February 19, 2019

Scientists discover two new bat species in Europe, North Africa

A new species of bat has been discovered in wooded areas of Europe, an international team of researchers said on Tuesday, as well as another “very rare” species that lives in caves in North Africa. The findings add to the…

February 19, 2019

Repsol announces big gas discovery in Indonesia

Spanish energy giant Repsol announced Tuesday it had made a substantial natural gas discovery in Indonesia along with its partners, Malaysia’s Petronas and Japan’s Mitsui Oil Exploration (Moeco). The company described the discovery in South Sumatra as “the largest gas…

February 19, 2019

Spanish ex-PM Rajoy to testify on February 26 in Catalan separatists’ trial

Spain’s former prime minister Mariano Rajoy, who was in power when Catalonia’s executive tried to secede in 2017, will testify in the high-profile trial of separatist leaders on February 26, the Supreme Court said Tuesday. In a statement, the court…

February 18, 2019

Gibraltar accuses Spanish warship of ‘childish behaviour’ in its waters

Gibraltar on Monday accused Madrid of “childish behaviour” after a Spanish warship ordered commercial vessels to move from British-controlled waters near the tiny territory. It is the latest in a long string of diplomatic skirmishes over the tiny Mediterranean peninsula…