Politics

TOMMY Robinson was forced to abandon Spain this week after making a break for the Costa Blanca. The far-right instigator left the UK on July 28 after being arrested under counter terrorism powers at the Channel Tunnel terminal at Folkestone. His immediate whereabouts were unknown, but it was suspected that he might turn up at one of his favoured haunts …

SALVADOR Illa, a former health minister and key ally of Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, appears set to be named as the new President of Catalunya this week after members of the left-wing, pro-independence Esquerra Republicana (ERC) voted to endorse their party’s pact with Illa’s Socialists.  Having gained the support of the ERC and the far-left Comuns Sumar alliance, Illa will …

LAST Thursday, Russia and the West brokered an agreement to release 24 prisoners in the biggest swap deal since the Cold War. Among them was a 42-year-old Spanish journalist who has plied his trade for outlets including La Sexta, Público and Gara, a Basque nationalist newspaper. However, instead of returning to Spain, Pablo Gonzalez was warmly welcomed to Moscow by …

A SPANISH journalist arrested in Poland on suspicion of spying for the Kremlin has landed in Russia as part of a swap deal between Russia and the West described as the most significant since the Cold War. Pablo Gonzalez – real name Pavel Rubstov – had been incarcerated in ‘Poland’s Guantanamo’ since 2022, and was one of eight prisoners Russia …

THIS July 31, Spain will return a tiny island to French control as part of a bizarre treaty dating back hundreds of years. At just 200 metres in length and 40 metres in width, Pheasant Island is the world’s smallest territory with joint custody, and swaps between French and Spanish ownership twice a year. The land area is located in …

A KEY ally of Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez is set to be named as the new President of Catalunya after the Socialists finally struck a deal with the pro-independence, left-wing Esquerra Republicana (ERC) to secure their support for his investiture. Salvador Illa, a former health minister, appears destined to become regional president following months of uncertainty after an inconclusive election …

SPAIN’S Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez exercised his right to not testify before a judge today, as part of an ongoing judicial probe into allegations of corruption and influence peddling levelled against his wife, Begoña Gomez. After the brief face-to-face with Judge Juan Carlos Peinado at La Moncloa prime ministerial palace on Tuesday morning, it emerged that Sanchez was filing …

SPAIN’S Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has discussed the possibility of thrashing out a bilateral youth mobility deal with the UK after a meeting with Sir Keir Starmer, according to reports in The Sunday Telegraph. The idea was suggested by Sanchez at a meeting of European leaders on July 18 at Blenheim Palace, the birthplace and ancestral home of Winston Churchill. …

MILLIONS of Spaniards will enjoy a public holiday today as regions across the nation unite to celebrate the Day of Santiago Apostol. Santiago – better known in English as Saint James the Great – was one of Jesus’ twelve apostles and has the honour of being Spain’s patron saint. After the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus, legend dictates that Santiago …

FIFTEEN children from Gaza have arrived in Madrid to receive ‘urgent medical care’ as part of a deal to fly hundreds of youngsters injured in the Israeli-Palestine conflict to cities across Europe. According to the Spanish daily El Pais, 13 of the patients have serious trauma injuries, while one has cancer and another is suffering from chronic heart disease. The …