Planeta Prize Winner Responds to Backlash Over Unpublished Novel
Juan del Val, the winner of the 2025 Planeta Prize, has responded to the wave of criticism surrounding his recent literary award. The novelist and television collaborator secured Spain's most prestigious literary honor for his upcoming novel 'Vera, una historia de amor,' which comes with a €1 million prize. However, the announcement has sparked controversy among segments of the public who...
Amazon Web Services Failure Postpones Music Ticket Sales in Spain
The highly anticipated ticket sales for Spanish band La Oreja de Van Gogh's upcoming tour were unexpectedly postponed on Monday due to a widespread technical failure affecting Amazon Web Services. The band had scheduled ticket sales for 12:00 hours on October 20th for concerts marking the return of vocalist Amaia Montero, but the AWS outage prevented fans from completing purchases through...
Fantasy Film Festival in Sitges Opens 58th Edition with Star-Studded Program
The Sitges International Fantastic Film Festival of Catalonia 2025 opened its 58th edition on Thursday, October 9, with Julia Ducournau's 'Alpha' serving as the opening gala film. This year's festival, running through October 19, features a record-breaking program of 395 productions between feature films and short films across all sections. The festival's official poster, designed by...
Montero to Present 2026 Budget Framework Amid Catalonia Financing Talks
Spanish First Vice President and Finance Minister María Jesús Montero has assured that no autonomous community will lose resources under the new singular financing model for Catalonia agreed between the central government and the Generalitat. Speaking to media before the 'World in Progress' forum in Barcelona, Montero emphasized that her team is working extensively to fulfill various...
Pope Leone XIV Canonizes First Venezuelan Saints in Vatican Ceremony
Pope Leone XIV presided over a significant canonization ceremony at St. Peter's Square on Sunday, elevating seven individuals to sainthood including Venezuela's first two saints. The ceremony, marked by the ringing of bells and attended by approximately 55,000 people, saw the canonization of Venezuelan physician José Gregorio Hernández and nun Carmen Rendiles, making them the first saints...
Spanish Court Opens Investigation Into Former PSOE Official Over Senate Testimony
A Madrid court has initiated an investigation into former PSOE organizational secretary Santos Cerdán for alleged false testimony during a Senate hearing about the 'Koldo case.' The Investigating Court Number 24 of Madrid admitted a complaint filed by the organization Hazte Oír, finding sufficient indications that Cerdán may have substantially deviated from the truth during his April 30,...
Vatican Elevates Seven to Sainthood in Mission Sunday Ceremony
Pope León XIV presided over the canonization of seven new saints during a ceremony in St. Peter's Square on World Mission Sunday. The newly recognized saints include Ignacio Maloyan, an Armenian Catholic archbishop and martyr; Peter To Rot, the first saint from Papua New Guinea; Vincenza Maria Poloni; María Carmen Rendiles Martínez; María Troncatti; José Gregorio Hernández; and Bartolo...
Political Clash Over Madrid's Mandatory Abortion Counseling Sparks Controversy
The Madrid city government, led by the Popular Party (PP) of José Luis Martínez-Almeida, has approved a Vox proposal requiring social workers to inform women seeking abortions about potential psychological consequences, including depression, alcoholism, anorexia, and bulimia—a cluster of symptoms referred to as 'post-abortion syndrome.' The measure has ignited a fierce debate over women's...
Spanish Unemployment Drops to September Low Not Seen Since 2007
Spain's unemployment rate fell in September, with the number of registered jobless dropping by 4,846 people to 2,421,665, marking the lowest level for that month since 2007. The Ministry of Labor and Social Economy highlighted that this represents the first decline in September since then, excluding the pandemic-affected years of 2020 and 2021. Since comparable records began in 1996,...
Adán Augusto López Faces Criticism After Soccer Viewing During Government Proceeding
Mexican Senator Adán Augusto López Hernández has sparked controversy after being photographed watching a Champions League soccer match during an official government hearing. The incident occurred during the testimony of Treasury Secretary Edgar Amador Zamora before the Senate, where López was seen discreetly viewing the Barcelona vs. PSG match on his tablet device.The images quickly...
Ana Mena Announces Career Pause and Intimate New Album After Nine Years
Spanish pop sensation Ana Mena has stunned her social media followers with a candid Instagram post announcing a career pause and personal transformation. The 28-year-old singer shared a nude photograph accompanied by a deeply personal letter explaining her need to step back after nine years of non-stop work in the music industry. The Malaga-born artist revealed she felt exhausted and needed...
Medical Milestone: Mother and Baby Saved Through Complex Aortic Surgery During Pregnancy
Medical professionals at Vigo's Álvaro Cunqueiro Hospital faced an unprecedented medical challenge on May 1st when a 24-week pregnant patient was admitted with an acute aortic syndrome. The patient suffered from a type A aortic dissection, considered the most severe variant of this condition, where the inner wall of the body's main artery tears, allowing blood to seep between the layers of...
Internal Rift Widens as Colombian Ministers Trade Accusations Over Peace Plan
A bitter internal conflict has erupted within Colombian President Gustavo Petro's cabinet, with leaked WhatsApp messages revealing a heated exchange between Justice Minister Eduardo Montealegre and Interior Minister Armando Benedetti. The private group chat, intended for ministerial coordination, became the stage for personal attacks and accusations that exposed deep divisions within the...
PSOE Official's Remarks Spark Controversy With PP Deputy in Valencia
A political dispute has erupted in Valencia's regional parliament following controversial remarks by Vicent Mascarell, the number two official in the Valencian PSOE party, regarding President Carlos Mazón's planned attendance at the 9 d'Octubre civic procession. The conflict began when Mascarell commented on social media that "difícilmente puede ser cívica una procesión con Mazón presente"...
Forensic Tests Underway to Identify Charred Female Remains in Oliva Case
The Civil Guard is investigating whether charred human remains discovered in Oliva, Valencia, belong to Beatriz Guijarro, a 28-year-old mother who vanished 54 days ago. The body was found by hikers on Wednesday in the mountainous area of La Creu, located in the upper part of Oliva's old town. The discovery occurred just 500 meters from the last known location where Beatriz was seen,...
Ubisoft and Tencent Launch Vantage Studios to Oversee Major Gaming Franchises
Ubisoft has officially unveiled Vantage Studios, the new subsidiary formed in partnership with Tencent that will be responsible for the creative development of major franchises including Assassin's Creed, Far Cry, and Rainbow Six. The announcement comes more than six months after the French gaming giant first revealed plans to create a specialized entity for these flagship properties....
Quevedo Postpones Valencia Concert Due to Health Reasons
The highly anticipated Quevedo concert at Valencia's Roig Arena has been postponed from its original October 2 date due to health concerns affecting the Canarian artist. Event organizers Taste The Floor and DQE Productions confirmed the rescheduling, moving the performance to Saturday, October 25, 2025, at 7:00 PM in the same venue. The decision was made following medical advice regarding...
Extreme Weather Disrupts Life in Ebre Region as Schools Shut Amid Torrential Rains
Southern Catalonia is grappling with severe weather conditions as intense rainfall has forced the suspension of all educational activities in the Montsià and Baix Ebre regions. The storm system, which swept through the Ebre lands, has prompted Civil Protection authorities to advise against unnecessary travel and to avoid flood-prone areas. The disruption comes as meteorological services...
Scorpion Bite Forces Hotel Evacuation in Alcorcón
A hotel guest in Alcorcón, a municipality in the Madrid region, required hospital treatment after being stung by a scorpion last Friday. Municipal Police officers responded to an emergency call from the hotel establishment alerting them to the incident involving one of their guests. The authorities made the decision to urgently transport the woman to a medical facility so doctors could...
Marc Márquez Clinches Seventh MotoGP Title with Second-Place Finish in Japan
Marc Márquez secured his seventh MotoGP World Championship title with a second-place finish at the Japanese Grand Prix, held at Motegi Circuit. The 17th race of the season spanned 24 laps, with Márquez crossing the finish line 4.196 seconds behind his Ducati Lenovo teammate Francesco Bagnaia, who claimed victory with a time of 42 minutes 9.312 seconds. Honda HRC Castrol's Spanish rider Joan...
EU-Funded Contracts Under Scrutiny After Begoña Gómez Recommendation Letters
The Spanish State Intervention Office, under the Ministry of Finance, has identified multiple irregularities in public contracts awarded to businessman Juan Carlos Barrabés's companies after they presented recommendation letters from Begoña Gómez, wife of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez. In a comprehensive 303-page report submitted to European prosecutors and Madrid's Court of Instruction...
Andalusia's Tax Relief Package Includes Celiac Support Measure
The regional government of Andalusia has announced a new €100 tax deduction for families with celiac members, marking the fourth fiscal relief measure introduced in less than a week. President Juanma Moreno revealed the initiative through social media on Monday, explaining that the deduction will apply to taxpayers who have celiac disease themselves, or whose spouse or descendants are...
Police Investigate Gender Violence Possibility in Seville Homicide
A 21-year-old man has been detained in connection with the fatal stabbing of a woman in Seville's Este district early Sunday morning. National Police confirmed the arrest following an emergency call received at approximately 3:10 AM alerting authorities to an injured woman bleeding and calling for help in a doorway on Tigris Street. Emergency services from the 112 Andalusia coordination...
Spanish Wildfire Stabilizes as Evacuated Residents Return to Segovia Communities
A wildfire that originated in Guadalajara's Pico del Lobo area and spread into Segovia province has shown significant improvement, allowing evacuated residents to return to their homes. The communities of Riofrío de Riaza and the La Pinilla urbanization, which were evacuated on Sunday morning due to the advancing flames, have been cleared for return after emergency officials determined...
New Tranvibús Service Cuts Commute Times in Eastern Seville by Nearly Half
Seville has inaugurated its new Bus Rapid Transit (BTR) system, popularly known as the 'tranvibús,' connecting the eastern districts of Torreblanca, Alcosa, and Sevilla Este with Nervión and Santa Justa. The service launched this Monday with ten articulated, 18-meter-long electric buses operating on dedicated lanes. During its first week of operation, rides are free to encourage residents...
Spain's Popular Party Proposes Points-Based Visa System to Overhaul Immigration
The Spanish Popular Party (PP) has unveiled a new immigration strategy centered around a points-based visa system, echoing proposals first floated by former Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy in 2008. The plan, revealed during the party's third programmatic retreat in Murcia, aims to prioritize immigrants who want to work in sectors experiencing labor shortages and those with better cultural...
Navarra Leader Denies Influence in Belate Tunnel Contract Amid Probe
Spanish political tensions escalated as María Chivite, President of Navarra, testified before the Senate investigation committee examining the 'Koldo case,' defending her interactions with former PSOE organizational secretary Santos Cerdán while denying any improper influence over public contracts. Chivite characterized the parliamentary inquiry as a 'Roman circus' due to the conduct of UPN...