Madrid Times

German Broadcaster Goes Dark to Warn AfD Could End Its Saxony-Anhalt Service

MDR briefly blacked out television, silenced radio and blanked online content as the AfD, polling above 40% before the September 6 state election, vows to withdraw Saxony-Anhalt from the treaties underpinning the broadcaster.

Tadej Pogačar Wins Vuelta a España Stage Four After Fifty-Kilometre Solo Attack

Slovenian rider Tadej Pogačar won the fourth stage of the Vuelta a España with a fifty-kilometre solo attack through the Andorran mountains, opening a three-minute lead in the general classification and reshaping the race.

Barcelona Fire Forces Emergency Confinement in Two Neighbourhoods

A fast-moving forest fire in Barcelona’s Sierra de Collserola prompted emergency confinement orders in the Torre Baró and Canyelles neighbourhoods before firefighters stabilised the blaze, highlighting the risks facing Mediterranean urba...

Spanish Companies Struggle to Scale Artificial Intelligence Amid Data and Governance Gaps

A technology industry report says only forty-four percent of Spanish business leaders have the data infrastructure needed to scale artificial intelligence effectively, highlighting persistent weaknesses in corporate data readiness and di...

Siemens Energy Renames Gamesa Wind Division Omterra After Restructuring

Siemens Energy has replaced the Gamesa name with Omterra for its wind power division following a major corporate restructuring, as the company seeks to move beyond years of quality problems and financial losses at the business.

Spain Sends Forty-Five Thousand Vaccines to Ceuta Amid Political Dispute Over Migrant Policy

Spain’s Health Ministry has sent forty-five thousand vaccine doses to Ceuta to reduce the risk of infectious disease outbreaks among migrants, while the government has condemned opposition proposals for forced confinement as xenophobic a...

Bon Preu Invests Two Hundred Million Euros in Automated Catalan Logistics Centre

Catalan supermarket group Bon Preu has begun construction of a highly automated logistics centre in Montblanc backed by a two hundred million euro investment, supporting the retailer’s expansion across northeastern Spain.

Norges Bank and Azora Negotiate Five Hundred Ten Million Euro Spanish Housing Deal

Norway’s sovereign wealth fund Norges Bank Investment Management and Spanish real estate manager Azora are in advanced talks to acquire one thousand nine hundred ten homes for five hundred ten million euros, highlighting continued foreig...

Spanish Hotel Investment Jumps Thirty-Five Percent to Two Point Six Billion Euros

Investment in Spain’s hotel sector has risen thirty-five percent to two point six billion euros as international investors increase exposure to the country’s expanding tourism industry ahead of another strong season for visitor arrivals.

Spain’s Average Retirement Age Rises by One Year Since 2019

Spain’s average retirement age has increased by one year since 2019, with the change driven largely by a near doubling in the number of workers choosing to delay retirement in return for financial incentives introduced through pension re...

Spain’s Tax Freedom Day Falls on August 20, Highlighting Rising Tax Burden

The Civismo Foundation says Spain’s Tax Freedom Day arrived on August 20, two days later than last year, indicating that average citizens are taking longer to earn enough income to cover their annual tax obligations.

BBVA Expands Wealth Management Services After Assets Surpass Two Hundred Billion Dollars

BBVA is expanding tailored wealth and corporate advisory services for ultra-high-net-worth clients after assets under management exceeded two hundred one billion dollars, intensifying competition for private capital in Europe and Latin A...

Banco Sabadell Shares Reach Highest Level Since 2008 as Takeover Tensions Ease

Banco Sabadell shares have risen eleven percent in August to their highest valuation since 2008, as strong loan growth and shareholder payouts bolster investor confidence following the initial volatility surrounding BBVA’s takeover bid.

Spanish Listed Companies Pay Record Thirty-Five Billion Euros in Dividends

Companies listed on Spain’s stock exchange have distributed more than thirty-five billion euros in dividends this year, with payouts rising twenty-two percent year on year in July despite higher interest rates and continued uncertainty a...

Spain’s Economy Grows 0.7 Percent in Second Quarter as Energy Risks Push Inflation Higher

Spain’s gross domestic product expanded 0.7 percent in the second quarter and 2.7 percent from a year earlier, but economists warn that shipping disruptions around the Strait of Hormuz and extreme summer heat are raising energy costs and...

Catalan Fiscal Autonomy Talks Threaten Pedro Sánchez’s Parliamentary Majority

Negotiations between Spain’s government and Catalan parties over expanded fiscal autonomy remain central to Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s political agenda, with the outcome potentially determining whether his fragile parliamentary coali...

Spain Approves Mandatory Public Registry for Corporate Lobbying Groups

The Spanish government has approved a mandatory public registry for companies and associations seeking to influence public officials and legislation, introducing new transparency requirements after prolonged parliamentary delays.

Spain Requires New Artificial Intelligence Data Centres to Source Eighty Percent of Power From Renewables

The Spanish government has approved rules requiring newly built data centres to obtain at least eighty percent of their hourly electricity consumption from renewable sources, linking the expansion of artificial intelligence infrastructur...

Spain Issues Severe Storm and Extreme Heat Alerts for Galicia and Valencia

Spain’s State Meteorological Agency has issued heightened warnings for heavy rain, severe storms and hail in Galicia while monitoring temperatures approaching forty degrees Celsius along Valencia’s Mediterranean coast.

Housing Costs Push More Spaniards Over 45 Into Long-Term Renting

New demographic and real estate data indicate that Spain’s housing affordability crisis is increasingly forcing people over forty-five into long-term rental arrangements, raising concerns about financial security for a generation that ha...

Madrid Ultra-Luxury Property Market Booms Through Confidential Off-Market Sales

Private wealth intelligence reports a sharp increase in discreet residential property transactions in Madrid, with international and domestic buyers completing ultra-luxury deals worth between two million and sixteen million euros outsid...

Spain Tourism Revenue Rises as Middle East Conflict Redirects International Travel

Spanish tourism groups report strong revenue growth as higher-spending international visitors increasingly choose Spain amid instability in the Middle East, strengthening the country’s position as a relatively secure destination for glob...

Spain Approaches EU Recovery Fund Deadline With Ninety Percent of Reforms Completed

Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez says Spain has completed ninety percent of the reforms required for its European Union Next Generation recovery funding as an August 31 deadline approaches, while critics argue that public debt has risen sign...

Airbus Eases Spain Return-to-Office Plan After Worker Protests

Airbus has scaled back a requirement for white-collar employees in Spain to work from the office four days a week following protests and coordinated walkouts involving its fourteen thousand Spanish workers, highlighting continued resista...

Spain Seeks EU Approval for Expanded Windfall Tax on Energy Companies

The Spanish government is stepping up efforts in Brussels to secure European Union approval for a broader windfall tax on major oil and energy companies, citing exceptional profits amid global price volatility linked to the conflict invo...

Pedro Sánchez Convenes National Security Council Over Ceuta Migration Crisis

Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has called an extraordinary National Security Council meeting to address mounting pressure in Ceuta, where local authorities warn that a large influx of migrants is straining healthcare and social services an...

FC Barcelona Criticizes Police Response to Supporters After Five-Nil Victory at Elche

FC Barcelona has condemned what it described as disproportionate police action against supporters during the club’s five-nil away win at Elche, adding to tensions surrounding security measures at the start of the domestic season.

Spain Wins Silver at Under-Eighteen Women’s Water Polo World Championship in Tenerife

Spain’s youth women’s water polo team finished second behind Australia at the world championship in Tenerife, securing the silver medal before a home crowd and highlighting the country’s strong development system in the sport.

Alberto Núñez Feijóo Calls for Migrant Confinement in Ceuta as Political Dispute Deepens

The leader of Spain’s Partido Popular has criticized the government’s handling of the Ceuta border crisis and called for mandatory quarantine of arriving migrants over infectious-disease concerns, a proposal rejected by the Health Minist...

Wildfire Containment Allows Residents to Leave Gátova as Key Road Reopens

Emergency authorities lifted confinement orders in the Castellón municipality after containing a major wildfire, allowing residents to return and reopening the CV-25 road as concerns grow over the economic costs of increasingly severe cl...

Severe Hailstorms Force Cancellation of Third Stage of Vuelta a España

Race organizers cancelled the third stage of Spain’s major cycling tour near Font Romeu after torrential rain and hail swept through the Pyrenees, prioritizing rider safety amid rapidly deteriorating weather conditions.

Three Billion Euro Artificial Intelligence Data Campus Planned in Castilla-La Mancha With Dedicated Power Supply

Developers are advancing plans for a 300-megawatt artificial intelligence campus in Mora that would use dedicated on-site power generation rather than wait for connections to Spain’s constrained electricity grid.

Spanish Economy Continues to Outpace European Union Growth Despite Renewed Inflation Pressures

Spain remains one of Europe’s fastest-growing major economies, supported by strong tourism revenues and private-sector job creation, while higher energy and fuel costs linked to tensions in the Middle East are adding to inflation pressures.

Airbus Workers in Spain Begin Indefinite Strike Over Labour Dispute

Morning-shift employees at Airbus manufacturing sites across Spain have voted to begin an indefinite strike, creating a risk of disruptions to aircraft production schedules and European aerospace supply chains.

Spain Approves €719 Million for Major Artificial Intelligence Gigafactory Projects

The Spanish government has awarded €719 million in public funding to a consortium led by Banco Santander, Telefónica and ACS for artificial intelligence infrastructure in Madrid and Tarragona, as part of a broader €5 billion effort to ex...

BBVA Research Forecasts 12% Rise in Spanish Home Prices in 2026

BBVA Research expects Spanish housing prices to climb sharply this year as demand continues to outpace construction, with electricity grid capacity constraints further delaying new residential developments.

Spain Convenes National Security Council as Ceuta Migration Crisis Escalates

Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has activated a unified government response following the arrival of tens of thousands of migrants in Ceuta, with authorities also authorizing an emergency deployment of 45,000 vaccines to address mounting lo...

Prime Minister Andy Burnham to Give Ukraine Classified Storm Shadow Blueprints for Domestic Missile Production

The British premier authorizes European defense manufacturer MBDA to release sensitive component data during his first official visit to Kyiv on Ukraine's Independence Day.

Spain Issues Severe Storm Warnings Across Ten Regions as Atlantic Front Arrives

Spanish authorities have issued orange and yellow weather alerts across ten autonomous communities, including Catalonia and Andalusia, as an Atlantic front brings heavy rain, strong winds and sharply lower temperatures after a prolonged ...

Spanish Families Increasingly Use Consumer Loans to Pay for University Costs

More than fourteen percent of consumer loans in Spain are now being used for university tuition and student living expenses, according to the Association of Financial Users, highlighting growing pressure on households from inflation, hou...

Santander Completes Five Billion Euro Share Buyback After Repurchasing More Than Three Percent of Capital

Banco Santander has completed a five billion thirty million euro share buyback, repurchasing more than three percent of its outstanding capital as the Spanish banking group returns capital to shareholders.

CaixaBank Extends More Than Two Point Five Billion Euros in Tourism Credit as Investment Grows

CaixaBank provided more than two point five billion euros in financing to Spain’s hotel and tourism sector during the first half of twenty twenty-six, reflecting continued investment in the expansion and modernization of the country’s in...

Spain Joins Five EU Countries in Push for Coordinated Windfall Tax on Oil Companies

Spain has joined Germany, Italy, Austria, Poland and Portugal in urging the European Union to consider an extraordinary tax on excess profits earned by major energy companies, arguing that the sector should contribute more during the tra...

Spain and Catalonia Intensify Talks Over Special Fiscal Financing Model

The Spanish government and Catalan authorities are accelerating negotiations over a proposed special tax and financing arrangement for Catalonia, raising tensions with other autonomous communities and putting additional pressure on the n...