🇪🇸 Spain Today brings you the key national and international news headlines:

National Housing Crisis & The Maricarmen Case

The Eviction: Maricarmen, an 87-year-old disabled woman, was evicted from her Madrid Retiro flat—her home of 71 years. She spent her first night on a hospital stretcher at Gregorio Marañón. Investment fund Urbagestión rejected all mediation, including pianist James Rhodes' offer to pay her rent or purchase the home.

Mass Protests: Over 10,000 people protested in Madrid, with demonstrations spreading across 16 cities under the rally cry "For every Maricarmen" ("Por todas las Maricarmen") ahead of a march from Sol to Congress.

Political Clash: Coalition partner Sumar demanded an emergency decree to expropiate the flat, freeze rents, and restrict speculative funds. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez labeled the situation a "social tragedy", while Madrid Regional President Isabel Díaz Ayuso downplayed it as one of 25,500 annual evictions and criticized protest "disturbances". Similar investment fund pressures are impacting communities in Erandio, the Canary Islands, and Cantabria.

Ceuta Border Tension & Morocco Diplomacy

New York Summit: Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares met Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita at the UN in New York regarding the Ceuta border situation following July's mass influx.

Stalled Returns: Around 10,000 irregular migrants, including 3,000 protected minors, remain in Ceuta. While Spain cited Moroccan willingness to collaborate on returns, Bourita publicly countered that delays stem from Spanish internal political obstacles. Youth Minister Sira Rego noted that most minors are expected to remain in Spain under legal protection frameworks.

Prime Minister Sánchez Speaks at Harvard

Tech Oligopolies: Speaking at Harvard University, Pedro Sánchez warned that tech oligopolies threaten democracy, rejecting the idea of letting tech billionaires self-regulate ("ni de coña").

Domestic Affairs & Pegasus: Sánchez acknowledged past corruption cases within his party while defending his wife, Begoña Gómez, and brother, David Sánchez, against political attacks. He also confirmed that he and several ministers were targeted by Pegasus spyware, with ongoing judicial investigations at the Audiencia Nacional.

🇪🇸 Spain Today brings you the key national and international news headlines:

Prime Minister Sánchez Addresses UN General Assembly

At the United Nations General Assembly, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez issued a stark warning against “selfish, ignorant, and cruel” world leaders, delivering a veiled critique of Donald Trump and directly confronting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over Gaza. Sánchez reiterated Spain’s refusal to raise military spending to 5%, highlighting the country's arms embargo on Israel and sanctions against Russia. To strengthen global governance, he advocated for reforming the UN Security Council to end member vetoes, regulating artificial intelligence, and nominating a Latin American woman as the next UN Secretary-General. Addressing the situation in Ceuta following the arrival of 80,000 irregular migrants, Sánchez affirmed that Spain will respect human rights rather than turning migrants into enemies.

Parliamentary Disruption Over Pepper Spray Incident

Spain's Congress of Deputies experienced intense debate after PP MP Ana Belén Vázquez displayed a canister of pepper spray to recriminate Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska over Ceuta's security situation. Congress President Francina Armengol ordered Vázquez to leave the plenary floor, enforcing parliamentary rules against displaying unauthorized weapons. Police subsequently cordoned off three parliamentary bathrooms where pepper spray content was discharged, causing 12 people to be treated and leaving one staff member on sick leave. A PP advisor later admitted to activating the canister in a bathroom while attempting to clean it.

Constitutional Court Endorses Franco-Spanish Friendship Treaty

Spain’s Constitutional Court unanimously validated the Bilateral Friendship and Cooperation Treaty with France, signed in January 2023. The court dismissed a challenge brought by the Senate, ruling that provisions allowing ministerial participation in government meetings occur “on the margins” in separate sessions and comply with the Constitution. Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares praised the ruling, stressing the treaty's strategic value for bilateral trade and the 330,000 Spanish residents living in France.

OECD Upgrades Spain’s Economic Growth Outlook

The OECD’s latest economic report has revised Spain’s 2026 GDP growth forecast upward to 2.6%, almost tripling the 1% growth projected for the broader Eurozone. Despite strong economic performance, the report raised Spain's projected inflation rate to 3.7% for 2026 and 3.4% for 2027. The OECD highlighted key global risk factors—including Middle East conflicts, a 95% probability of a strong El Niño climate event, and potential bottlenecks in artificial intelligence investments—and advised central banks to keep rate increases on the table if inflation persists.

🇪🇸 Here is the news summary from Spain Today:

1. Judicial Setbacks for Catalan Amnesty

Spain's Supreme Court has rejected applying the amnesty law to former Catalan president Carles Puigdemont and ex-minister Antoni Comín for embezzlement, keeping national arrest warrants active. Judge Pablo Llarena determined that while a European Court of Justice (TJUE) ruling dismissed impacts on EU financial interests, the exclusion based on personal financial benefit remains applicable. Concurrently, the Court of Auditors rejected appeals to absolve financial liability for referendum expenses. At the Constitutional Court, a draft ruling by magistrate José María Macías supporting the Supreme Court's position on Jordi Turull's appeal faces a plenary vote, setting a potential precedent for Puigdemont. Justice Minister Félix Bolaños stated that full application of the law remains a "matter of time".

2. Fuel Prices Surge Past €2 per Litre

Fuel prices across Spain have escalated, with petrol exceeding €2 per litre at numerous stations amidst global supply bottlenecks caused by conflict in Iran, Strait of Hormuz shipping disruptions, and Russian export reductions. The International Energy Agency projects Hormuz crude flows will not recover until 2027. With current fuel subsidies set to expire on 30 September, the government is assessing whether to extend price relief for consumers and road transport operators.

3. Stiff Resistance to New Data Centre Regulations

The Spanish government has finalized a draft royal decree requiring new data centres with over 1 MW capacity to source 80% of their power from new-generation renewable energy. Industry association Spain DC warned the rule acts as a "de facto prohibition" that risks up to €9 billion in planned investments across three international projects. Government ministers defend the measures to prevent a speculative bubble and protect consumer electricity bills, whereas environmental researchers argue the decree is insufficient and demand a statewide moratorium and water footprint controls.

4. Former King Juan Carlos I Awarded Literature Prize

Former King Juan Carlos I received the Saint-Simon Prize in France for his memoirs, Reconciliación, co-authored with Laurence Debray. Speaking at the event, the former monarch—residing in Abu Dhabi for over six years—called the book his "final legacy" and declared, "Wherever I live, I will always belong to Spain". This marks the first time the historical memorialist award has been presented to a monarch.

🇪🇸 Ceuta's beaches are still crowded after Spain moved 1,700 migrants into a temporary port camp. Prosecutors are opening protection cases after underage girls allege abuse in Ceuta centres. Five years after La Palma's Tajogaite eruption, reconstruction sits near 60% while modular homes remain occupied and prices soar. And a 6.3 million euro Madrid penthouse tied to the Ayuso case goes to auction with no buyer — a judge asks who has jurisdiction.

🇪🇸 Severe storms and flooding hit Spain’s Mediterranean coast with orange alerts across Valencia, Barcelona, Murcia and the Balearic Islands. In Olivella near Barcelona, firefighters recovered a man after his car was swept by a flooded stream. ES-Alert messages urged people to stay clear of ravines and move upstairs if water rises. Airports, metro and rail were disrupted; schools closed in parts of Murcia.Congress passed a major dependency and disability reform: faster recognition, telecare as a universal right, more home care, and friends or neighbours recognised as caregivers with support. Waiting lists have been deadly — the government wants them halved by 2027 and gone by 2028.Congress also scrapped a lobby-regulation decree, putting about €1.5 billion in European funds at risk after PP, Vox, Junts and UPN voted it down. The government defended a public lobby register; critics called the decree rushed.Spain’s National Court provisionally froze a planned temporary migrant camp of 1,000–1,700 people at the port of Ceuta after a police-union challenge over safety and evacuation risks near critical port infrastructure.

🇪🇸 Spain's Data Protection Agency reported the first personal data breach executed directly by an AI agent: using a large language model, it searched for vulnerabilities, logged in, altered personal records, and accessed invoices. The agency says AI agents change the threat model by planning tasks, running code, and adapting at machine speed.Telecom operators have begun mandatory blocking of commercial SMS, MMS, and RCS messages that lack a registered alphanumeric alias in the CNMC database, under the government's Anti-Fraud Plan after hundreds of thousands of digital fraud complaints.August inflation rose to 4.3%, the highest in over three years, driven by fuel costs linked to the Strait of Hormuz: diesel jumped 30.3% and petrol 16.9%, while underlying inflation eased to 2.9%.In a letter to European Parliament members, Morocco pledged to readmit all irregular migrants who entered Ceuta during the late-July border crisis — Moroccan nationals, unaccompanied minors, and third-country nationals — with returns remaining the immediate priority.

🇪🇸 Ceuta Border Crisis & Unified Command Extension

Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez announced that the special unified command in Ceuta will remain active until "the end of the year" to stabilise the autonomous city following the entry of over 70,000 migrants in late July. The Spanish government is preparing up to 10,000 migrant places, with over 6,000 operational by the end of the week, as around 200 people return daily to Morocco. Sánchez attributed the migration surge to fake news and human-trafficking networks while defending ongoing diplomatic relations with Morocco. However, Ceuta’s regional president, Juan Jesús Vivas, warned that the city remains an unstable "pressure cooker".

CIS September Electoral Barometer

The latest CIS barometer reveals that the PSOE has dropped two points to 31% in voter intention following the Ceuta crisis, though it maintains a 5.5-point lead over the PP (25.5%, up 0.4 points). Vox gained 1.3 points to reach 16.6%, bringing a potential PP–Vox coalition to 42.1%. Meanwhile, 82.2% of citizens support strengthening border security in Ceuta and Melilla. Housing remains the primary concern for 37.5% of Spaniards, while concern over immigration fell to third place at 19.7%. Pedro Sánchez remains the preferred candidate for prime minister (25%) with the highest leader rating (4.18/10).

Suspension of Voting Rights Under the "Grandchildren's Law"

The Electoral Commission (JEC) voted 7–6 to comply with a Supreme Court ruling temporarily suspending voting rights for over 400,000 naturalised citizens under the Democratic Memory Law ("Grandchildren's Law"). The suspension affects descendants of individuals who left Spain between 1936 and 1955 whose exile status was automatically presumed rather than individually documented. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez criticized the court decision—spurred by legal appeals from the PP and Vox—questioning whether essential voting rights should be stripped from 400,000 citizens.

Catalonia’s €2.5 Billion Climate & Education Plan

The President of the Generalitat, Salvador Illa, unveiled the "Plan Actualiza Clima," allocating €2.5 billion through 2031 to climate-proof all public schools and elderly care homes across Catalonia. The initiative begins with €100 million invested across 100 priority schools, incorporating solar panels, thermal insulation, and aerothermal systems. Catalonia also announced the creation of an Observatory of AI and the Labour Market alongside an algorithmic systems registry to ensure human oversight of workplace artificial intelligence.

🇪🇸 Ceuta Border Crisis and Relocation Operations

More than 5,300 migrants have voluntarily returned to Morocco since 10 August 2026, following the border entry of nearly 80,000 people in late July, while around 100 individuals have renounced asylum requests. National police successfully relocated 864 migrants from the Loma Colmenar area to temporary tent facilities at Los Rosales without incident. Government officials have established around 4,300 temporary places to conduct identification triage and process returns. Meanwhile, Ceuta's Vice President, Alejandro Ramírez, described the city as a "pressure cooker," estimating that 13,000 migrants remain in Ceuta and urgently requesting the clearance of an informal settlement near the city's strategic desalination plant.

Political Criticism over Morocco and Border Security

Leader of the Popular Party (PP), Alberto Núñez Feijóo, stated that Morocco's aggression continues and warned that the crisis in Ceuta will mark Pedro Sánchez's political epitaph. Feijóo held Morocco responsible for mass entries by action or omission and criticized the government's declassification of intelligence reports, claiming it created a severe security breach and damaged the reputation of Spain's intelligence and police services.

Historic Victory at La Vuelta a España

Spanish cyclist Enric Mas won La Vuelta a España, securing his career-defining victory in Granada and ending a 12-year drought for Spanish cycling in the race. Mas inherited the red jersey following a stage 7 crash by Tadej Pogacar and successfully defended his lead against Primoz Roglic and Felix Gall. Coupled with Paula Blasi's victory in the women's event, Spain currently holds both grand tour titles.

NATO 'Bold Machina' Technology Exercises

Twenty NATO member nations participated in the 'Bold Machina' military exercise in Lisbon to evaluate advanced defense technologies, including drones and unmanned craft. The maneuvers featured special operations divers—including Spanish military personnel—and 26 technology companies. Spanish firm Novaindef tested an adaptable, low-cost 3D-printed drone alongside the Spanish Navy. Allied Special Operations Commander General Tony Turner emphasized the importance of readiness amid serious global security challenges.