https://www.theguardian.com/world/spain Latest news and features from theguardian.com, the world's leading liberal voice en-gb Guardian News &amp; Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. 2026 Mon, 05 Oct 2026 16:57:08 GMT 2026-10-05T16:57:08Z en-gb Guardian News &amp; Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. 2026 https://assets.guim.co.uk/images/guardian-logo-rss.c45beb1bafa34b347ac333af2e6fe23f.png https://www.theguardian.com https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/oct/05/spain-prime-minister-pedro-sanchez-snap-election-housing-crisis <p>Election called after rightwing parties voted down emergency legislation aimed at tackling housing crisis</p><ul><li><p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2026/oct/05/europe-spain-pedro-sanchez-election-housing-france-school-protests-ukraine-russia-latest-news-updates">Europe live – latest updates</a></p></li></ul><p>Spain’s socialist prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, has once again staked his political future on a snap general election called after <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/oct/02/spanish-right-wing-votes-down-housing-crisis-plans-protest-movement-grows">rightwing parties torpedoed emergency legislation</a> to tackle the housing crisis.</p><p>Sánchez, who has been in office since 2018, used a televised address to communicate his decision, which had been widely expected. The next general election had been due before the end of next summer.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/oct/05/spain-prime-minister-pedro-sanchez-snap-election-housing-crisis">Continue reading...</a> Spain Europe World news Pedro Sánchez The far right Mon, 05 Oct 2026 14:09:31 GMT https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/oct/05/spain-prime-minister-pedro-sanchez-snap-election-housing-crisis Photograph: Xavier Malafosse/SIPA/Shutterstock Photograph: Xavier Malafosse/SIPA/Shutterstock Photograph: Xavier Malafosse/SIPA/Shutterstock Sam Jones and Ashifa Kassam in Madrid 2026-10-05T14:09:31Z https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2026/oct/05/europe-spain-pedro-sanchez-election-housing-france-school-protests-ukraine-russia-latest-news-updates <p>Hundreds of schools in France remain closed amid planned demonstrations across the country</p><p><strong>The conservative People’s Party is very pleased with the announcement.</strong></p><p><strong>“At last,”</strong> they say on their X, with a slick election video – set to the EU’s anthem “Ode to Joy” – to go along with it.</p><p><strong>Spanish prime minister Pedro Sánchez has called a snap election for 29 November,</strong> just days after rightwing parties blocked his minority government’s emergency measures on housing amid widespread protests (<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2026/oct/05/europe-spain-pedro-sanchez-election-housing-france-school-protests-ukraine-russia-latest-news-updates?page=with%3Ablock-6ac34d298f085bd691f923b2#block-6ac34d298f085bd691f923b2">9:10</a>).</p><p><strong>The election will take place on Sunday, 29 November,</strong> the earliest possible date procedurally.</p><p>In a fierce address, <strong>Sánchez framed the election as choice between “regressing” under a “far-right coalition” or “keeping moving forward” with his progressive administration</strong> (<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2026/oct/05/europe-spain-pedro-sanchez-election-housing-france-school-protests-ukraine-russia-latest-news-updates?page=with%3Ablock-6ac34bad8f08733ed3bf1feb#block-6ac34bad8f08733ed3bf1feb">9:04</a>, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2026/oct/05/europe-spain-pedro-sanchez-election-housing-france-school-protests-ukraine-russia-latest-news-updates?page=with%3Ablock-6ac34d0a8f085bd691f923b1#block-6ac34d0a8f085bd691f923b1">9:09</a>, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2026/oct/05/europe-spain-pedro-sanchez-election-housing-france-school-protests-ukraine-russia-latest-news-updates?page=with%3Ablock-6ac34ec48f08733ed3bf2005#block-6ac34ec48f08733ed3bf2005">9:17</a>).</p><p>He said <strong>the election will be about who will guide Spain through a period of disruption</strong> amid high political tensions, global instability, climate emergency, and uncertainty posed by the rise of AI (<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2026/oct/05/europe-spain-pedro-sanchez-election-housing-france-school-protests-ukraine-russia-latest-news-updates?page=with%3Ablock-6ac34e058f0864af62913090#block-6ac34e058f0864af62913090">9:13</a>).</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2026/oct/05/europe-spain-pedro-sanchez-election-housing-france-school-protests-ukraine-russia-latest-news-updates">Continue reading...</a> Spain Pedro Sánchez Europe World news France Ukraine Germany Mon, 05 Oct 2026 15:59:30 GMT https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2026/oct/05/europe-spain-pedro-sanchez-election-housing-france-school-protests-ukraine-russia-latest-news-updates Photograph: Fred Tanneau/AFP/Getty Images Photograph: Fred Tanneau/AFP/Getty Images Photograph: Fred Tanneau/AFP/Getty Images Jakub Krupa and Frances Mao 2026-10-05T15:59:30Z https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/oct/05/protests-in-france-and-spain-appear-disparate-but-core-issues-are-the-same <p>Demonstrations over housing rights and crumbling schools are a sign the younger generation is withdrawing political consent</p><ul><li><p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2026/oct/05/europe-spain-pedro-sanchez-election-housing-france-school-protests-ukraine-russia-latest-news-updates">Europe live – latest updates</a></p></li></ul><p>In Spain, tens of thousands of people in 50 cities have <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/oct/03/spain-housing-protest">taken to the streets</a> amid mounting fury over the country’s housing crisis, their feelings made plain on a <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/sep/29/spain-madrid-tent-camp-housing-crisis">banner at the burgeoning protest camp</a> in Madrid’s Puerta del Sol plaza: “You can speculate on watches, jewels, crypto-bros and Ferraris. But not on our fucking homes.”</p><p>In France, as high school pupils <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/oct/02/student-protests-shut-schools-across-france">clash with police in often violent protests</a> over long hours, missing teachers, crumbling classrooms and an opaque university admissions system, the angry slogans include: “More hours in class than for sleep”, “Fund study, not repression” and “I’d like to be worrying about my maths exam, not my future”.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/oct/05/protests-in-france-and-spain-appear-disparate-but-core-issues-are-the-same">Continue reading...</a> Protest France Spain Europe World news Mon, 05 Oct 2026 14:55:44 GMT https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/oct/05/protests-in-france-and-spain-appear-disparate-but-core-issues-are-the-same Photograph: Enrique Romanos Tardío/NurPhoto/Shutterstock Photograph: Enrique Romanos Tardío/NurPhoto/Shutterstock Photograph: Enrique Romanos Tardío/NurPhoto/Shutterstock Jon Henley Europe correspondent 2026-10-05T14:55:44Z https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/oct/05/pedro-sanchez-gamble-snap-general-election-spain-explainer <p>Spanish PM is hoping to shore up his fragile mandate by tapping into public anger over country’s housing crisis</p><ul><li><p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2026/oct/05/europe-spain-pedro-sanchez-election-housing-france-school-protests-ukraine-russia-latest-news-updates">Europe live – latest updates</a></p></li></ul><p>Spaniards will head to the polls on 29 November – months before schedule – after the country’s socialist prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/oct/05/spain-prime-minister-pedro-sanchez-snap-election-housing-crisis">announced a snap general election on Monday morning</a>. The vote, which will be Spain’s fifth general election in 10 years, is likely to be dominated by growing anger over the housing crisis</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/oct/05/pedro-sanchez-gamble-snap-general-election-spain-explainer">Continue reading...</a> Spain Pedro Sánchez Europe World news Mon, 05 Oct 2026 11:18:46 GMT https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/oct/05/pedro-sanchez-gamble-snap-general-election-spain-explainer Photograph: Jon Nazca/Reuters Photograph: Jon Nazca/Reuters Photograph: Jon Nazca/Reuters Sam Jones in Madrid 2026-10-05T11:18:46Z https://www.theguardian.com/world/video/2026/oct/05/spanish-pm-pedro-sanchez-calls-snap-election-video <p>Spain’s Socialist prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, has announced a snap general election three days after <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/oct/02/spanish-right-wing-votes-down-housing-crisis-plans-protest-movement-grows">rightwing parties torpedoed the emergency legislation</a> his minority government had put forward in response to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/oct/03/spain-housing-protest">growing public anger</a> over the housing crisis. Sánchez, who has been in office since 2018, announced his decision, which had been widely expected, in a televised address on Monday morning. The election will be held on Sunday 29 November</p><ul><li><p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/oct/05/spain-prime-minister-pedro-sanchez-snap-election-housing-crisis">Spain’s PM calls snap election after housing legislation fails to pass</a></p></li></ul> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/video/2026/oct/05/spanish-pm-pedro-sanchez-calls-snap-election-video">Continue reading...</a> Spain Pedro Sánchez Europe World news Mon, 05 Oct 2026 09:09:31 GMT https://www.theguardian.com/world/video/2026/oct/05/spanish-pm-pedro-sanchez-calls-snap-election-video Photograph: EPA Photograph: EPA Photograph: EPA 2026-10-05T09:09:31Z https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/oct/05/exiled-separatist-leader-carles-puigdemont-return-catalonia <p>Nine years on from a failed independence push, former president Carles Puigdemont will find times have changed</p><p>After years of legal wrangling, Spain’s constitutional court is expected to remove the last obstacle to the return of the former Catalan president Carles Puigdemont after nearly nine years in exile this week.</p><p>Puigdemont fled in 2017 to avoid being jailed for his part in the failed and illegal independence push for which nine of his colleagues were imprisoned on sentences of up to 13 years, although all were released within three years.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/oct/05/exiled-separatist-leader-carles-puigdemont-return-catalonia">Continue reading...</a> Carles Puigdemont Catalonia Spain Europe World news Mon, 05 Oct 2026 04:00:47 GMT https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/oct/05/exiled-separatist-leader-carles-puigdemont-return-catalonia Photograph: Lorena Sopena/Reuters Photograph: Lorena Sopena/Reuters Photograph: Lorena Sopena/Reuters Stephen Burgen in Barcelona 2026-10-05T04:00:47Z https://www.theguardian.com/world/video/2026/oct/04/deadly-flash-floods-devastate-spanish-town-video <p>A 102-year-old woman died and 90 people had to rescued by firefighters when floods hit Madrigueras in south-east Spain. The town was swamped by 142 litres&nbsp;of rain per square metre in just two and a half hours on Friday, submerging streets, stranding vehicles, damaging businesses and trapping residents in their homes. The flooding follows the hottest summer on record in Spain, where more than 2,000 people are thought to have died from heat-related causes in August</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/video/2026/oct/04/deadly-flash-floods-devastate-spanish-town-video">Continue reading...</a> Extreme weather Europe weather Spain Sun, 04 Oct 2026 14:08:48 GMT https://www.theguardian.com/world/video/2026/oct/04/deadly-flash-floods-devastate-spanish-town-video Photograph: Reuters Photograph: Reuters Photograph: Reuters 2026-10-04T14:08:48Z https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/oct/03/spain-housing-protest <p>Demonstrators take to the streets of Madrid ⁠and other Spanish cities ⁠after ​new legislation fails to pass</p><p></p><p>Tens of thousands of people have taken to the streets of Madrid ⁠and other Spanish cities as they step up demands for action to tackle ⁠a mounting housing crisis ⁠after ​government measures were struck down by the opposition.</p><p>Demonstrators on Saturday waved posters calling for a general strike ⁠after the measures drawn up to address mass anger over the eviction of an 87-year-old woman in ⁠Madrid, and other housing issues, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/oct/02/spanish-right-wing-votes-down-housing-crisis-plans-protest-movement-grows">were rejected in parliament</a> on ​Friday.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/oct/03/spain-housing-protest">Continue reading...</a> Spain Europe Renting property Housing Protest Sat, 03 Oct 2026 14:19:46 GMT https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/oct/03/spain-housing-protest Photograph: Juan Barbosa/Reuters Photograph: Juan Barbosa/Reuters Photograph: Juan Barbosa/Reuters Staff and agencies 2026-10-03T14:19:46Z https://www.theguardian.com/world/video/2026/oct/03/how-an-87-year-old-spanish-woman-became-the-face-of-the-fight-for-affordable-housing-explainer <p>María del Carmen Abascal, 87, was evicted from her home, on a stretcher, after being given 30 minutes to gather her belongings.</p><p></p><p>The Guardian's European community affairs correspondent, Ashifa Kassam, explains how her eviction sparked protests across Madrid, which led to 'Maricarmen' becoming the symbol of a long-running housing rights movement</p><p></p><ul><li><p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/sep/27/eviction-of-87-year-old-puts-spains-deepening-housing-crisis-in-the-spotlight"><strong>Eviction of 87-year-old puts Spain’s deepening housing crisis in the spotlight</strong></a></p></li></ul> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/video/2026/oct/03/how-an-87-year-old-spanish-woman-became-the-face-of-the-fight-for-affordable-housing-explainer">Continue reading...</a> Spain Housing Renting property Social housing Protest Europe Sat, 03 Oct 2026 13:05:42 GMT https://www.theguardian.com/world/video/2026/oct/03/how-an-87-year-old-spanish-woman-became-the-face-of-the-fight-for-affordable-housing-explainer Photograph: Guardian Photograph: Guardian Photograph: Guardian Laure Boulinier, Ashifa Kassam and John Farrell 2026-10-03T13:05:42Z https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/oct/02/spanish-right-wing-votes-down-housing-crisis-plans-protest-movement-grows <p>Opposition lawmakers join forces to defeat proposals made by Socialist-led coalition after eviction of 87-year-old</p><p>Rightwing lawmakers in Spain have rejected emergency measures put forward to tackle the country’s housing crisis, pitting a fractured parliament against the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/sep/30/how-europes-housing-crisis-is-fuelling-a-new-movement">widespread protest movement</a> that has swelled in recent days.</p><p>On Friday Pedro Sánchez’s Socialist-led coalition put forward two decrees that included a range of measures aimed at improving access to housing, from a ban on evictions until 2030 to the regulation of temporary lettings and lettings by room.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/oct/02/spanish-right-wing-votes-down-housing-crisis-plans-protest-movement-grows">Continue reading...</a> Spain Housing Protest Pedro Sánchez Europe World news Communities Fri, 02 Oct 2026 16:27:47 GMT https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/oct/02/spanish-right-wing-votes-down-housing-crisis-plans-protest-movement-grows Photograph: Alejandro Martinez Velez/Reuters Photograph: Alejandro Martinez Velez/Reuters Photograph: Alejandro Martinez Velez/Reuters Ashifa Kassam in Madrid 2026-10-02T16:27:47Z https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/oct/02/northern-bald-ibis-human-led-migration-spain-austria-mirco-aircraft <p>Micro aircraft used to help guide birds to Spanish stopover as part of efforts to create sustaining migratory population</p><p>Fifteen new birds have joined a growing flock of bald ibises in northern Spain, guided there by human migration guides in micro aircraft who helped them along the route.</p><p>The birds are part of the growing European flock of the northern bald ibis (<em>Geronticus eremita</em>), the charismatic and frankly extraordinary bird that had been extinct on the continent for 300 years.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/oct/02/northern-bald-ibis-human-led-migration-spain-austria-mirco-aircraft">Continue reading...</a> Birds Conservation Spain Environment Europe Animals Wildlife Fri, 02 Oct 2026 12:00:07 GMT https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/oct/02/northern-bald-ibis-human-led-migration-spain-austria-mirco-aircraft Photograph: AP Photograph: AP Photograph: AP Donald Reid 2026-10-02T12:00:07Z https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/oct/02/weather-tracker-eastern-spain-torrential-rain-flooding-nepal-landslides <p>Up to 300mm of rain could fall in places, while extreme downpours bring landslides and deaths in Nepal</p><p>Torrential rain and potentially damaging flooding are forecast in eastern Spain over the coming days, as cold upper air moves over the warm, humid surface air of the Mediterranean Sea, fuelling violent, slow-moving thunderstorms near Spain’s east coast. The weather pattern, known as a Dana, occurs most often in autumn.</p><p>Models show more than 100mm of rain could fall across the region on Friday, with 200-300mm possible in some areas. Cities including Valencia and Castelló de la Plana, are most at risk. Valencia has experienced several damaging floods in recent years. Catalonia has now put three towns under lockdown and Valencia has shut schools for nearly half a million children.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/oct/02/weather-tracker-eastern-spain-torrential-rain-flooding-nepal-landslides">Continue reading...</a> Environment Spain Nepal New York US news Europe World news South and central Asia Fri, 02 Oct 2026 08:58:10 GMT https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/oct/02/weather-tracker-eastern-spain-torrential-rain-flooding-nepal-landslides Photograph: Josep Lago/AFP/Getty Images Photograph: Josep Lago/AFP/Getty Images Photograph: Josep Lago/AFP/Getty Images Megan Davies and James Michelin for MetDesk 2026-10-02T08:58:10Z https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/sep/30/macron-welcome-back-burnham-suggestion-uk-could-rejoin-eu <p>French president, speaking alongside Spanish counterpart Pedro Sánchez, says EU bid would be good news for UK and Europeans</p><p>The French president, Emmanuel Macron, has reacted warmly to Andy Burnham’s suggestion that the UK could rejoin the EU.</p><p>“Welcome back,” the French leader said in English with a smile at a news conference in Madrid on Wednesday. Macron continued in French: “If the British want to come back and if the prime minister is moving in that direction, I think that is very good news, both for his country and for the Europeans.”</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/sep/30/macron-welcome-back-burnham-suggestion-uk-could-rejoin-eu">Continue reading...</a> European Union Brexit Emmanuel Macron France Pedro Sánchez Spain Europe World news Andy Burnham Labour Foreign policy Trade policy Politics UK news Wed, 30 Sep 2026 16:40:27 GMT https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/sep/30/macron-welcome-back-burnham-suggestion-uk-could-rejoin-eu Photograph: David Niviere/SIPA/Shutterstock Photograph: David Niviere/SIPA/Shutterstock Photograph: David Niviere/SIPA/Shutterstock Jennifer Rankin in Brussels 2026-09-30T16:40:27Z https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2026/sep/30/russia-ukraine-war-strikes-zelenskyy-putin-poland-romania-macron-sanchez-spain-europe-latest-news-updates <p>This blog is now closed</p><p>Meanwhile, <strong>Ukraine’s total war costs will reach $155bn this year and ⁠the government is ​struggling to close a $27bn funding gap to ensure it can still conduct combat operations at the start of 2027,</strong> <strong>prime minister Sergii Koretskyi said</strong>.</p><p><strong>Koretskyi said the ⁠government planned to cover $7bn of the gap by postponing expenditure,</strong> reallocating money from other parts of the budget and cutting some costs, and was in talks with partners on how to cover ⁠the remaining $20bn, Reuters reported.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2026/sep/30/russia-ukraine-war-strikes-zelenskyy-putin-poland-romania-macron-sanchez-spain-europe-latest-news-updates">Continue reading...</a> Europe World news Emmanuel Macron France Spain Romania Poland Wed, 30 Sep 2026 15:25:51 GMT https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2026/sep/30/russia-ukraine-war-strikes-zelenskyy-putin-poland-romania-macron-sanchez-spain-europe-latest-news-updates Photograph: Gleb Garanich/Reuters Photograph: Gleb Garanich/Reuters Photograph: Gleb Garanich/Reuters Jakub Krupa (now and earlier) and Martin Belam (earlier) 2026-09-30T15:25:51Z https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/sep/30/how-europes-housing-crisis-is-fuelling-a-new-movement <p>As soaring rents and house prices across Europe​ feed into the political discourse, campaigners believe they have a rare opportunity to force housing to the top of the agenda</p><p><strong>• </strong><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/mar/22/this-is-europe-sign-up-guardian-email-updates"><strong>Don’t get This Is Europe delivered to your inbox? Sign up here</strong></a></p><p>It was billed as one of the largest <a href="https://www.thedistrictshow.com/?%7B%7Burl_parameters_unstripped%7D%7D">real-estate events</a> in Europe, attracting as many as 15,000 people ranging from investment firms to developers. But as the District trade show and summit got under way last week in Madrid, housing campaigners from 140 organisations across the globe turned up, intent on holding their own “counter-summit” to push back against the idea of housing as a financial asset.</p><p>Many of the campaigners arrived in the Spanish capital as Maricarmen Abascal, an 87-year-old woman who uses a wheelchair, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/sep/23/madrid-police-teargas-protesters-disabled-woman-evicted">was being evicted</a> from the apartment where she had lived for seven decades. As <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/sep/27/eviction-of-87-year-old-puts-spains-deepening-housing-crisis-in-the-spotlight">anger over the eviction</a> gave way to days of protests and <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/sep/29/spain-madrid-tent-camp-housing-crisis">an encampment</a> in the heart of Madrid, <a href="https://poderinquilino.org/el-barrio/">the presence</a> of campaigners from Italy to Ireland was a poignant reminder of the global dimension of the crisis.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/sep/30/how-europes-housing-crisis-is-fuelling-a-new-movement">Continue reading...</a> World news Europe Housing Communities Society Protest Spain Wed, 30 Sep 2026 14:45:43 GMT https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/sep/30/how-europes-housing-crisis-is-fuelling-a-new-movement Photograph: Rodrigo Jimenez/EPA Photograph: Rodrigo Jimenez/EPA Photograph: Rodrigo Jimenez/EPA Ashifa Kassam in Madrid 2026-09-30T14:45:43Z https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/sep/30/rapture-review-cult-spanish-horror-pedro-almodovar <p>Pedro Almodóvar provides a vocal cameo and his style can be traced back to this influential film</p><p>This cult supernatural mystery from 1979 is a deeply strange cheese dream of a film from Spain, in which almost the entire opening 10 minutes unfolds in a jittery quiet. There are some longueurs and some pop-eyed silent-movie acting from one of its leads, yes, but also a deeply unnerving, enveloping atmosphere of dread.</p><p>At least some of its fascination stems from the marginal involvement of the young Pedro Almodóvar, who did voice-overdubbing for one female character. Director Iván Zulueta was to maintain his connection with Almodóvar from then on and much of Almodóvar’s procedure can be traced back to this influential film: the rapture for movies (what a character here calls “cinemania”), the double-stranded narrative, the queer euphoria and the importance of extended flashbacks.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/sep/30/rapture-review-cult-spanish-horror-pedro-almodovar">Continue reading...</a> Film Horror films Spain Pedro Almodóvar Culture Europe World news Wed, 30 Sep 2026 08:00:20 GMT https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/sep/30/rapture-review-cult-spanish-horror-pedro-almodovar Photograph: Courtesy of MUBI Photograph: Courtesy of MUBI Photograph: Courtesy of MUBI Peter Bradshaw 2026-09-30T08:00:20Z https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/sep/30/it-shouldnt-take-the-eviction-of-an-87-year-old-to-get-spains-housing-crisis-fixed <p>Pédro Sanchez is an admirer of Zohran Mamdani. It’s time Spanish politicians emulated the New York mayor’s relentless focus on affordable homes</p><p>Maricarmen Abascal is a determined woman who uses a wheelchair to get around. She has needed her determination over the years she has spent fighting the real estate company that forced her out of her Madrid apartment last week. She had lived in the flat for more than 70 of her 87 years.</p><p>Police forced their way into her apartment after a judge approved <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/sep/27/eviction-of-87-year-old-puts-spains-deepening-housing-crisis-in-the-spotlight">Abascal’s eviction</a>. By then, protesters had gathered around the building, including the actor Carlos Bardem, Javier’s brother. <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/sep/23/madrid-police-teargas-protesters-disabled-woman-evicted">Teargas was used</a> against them. Abascal was taken to a Madrid hospital, suffering from anxiety and extreme exhaustion, while her supporters chanted: “You are not alone.”</p><p>María Ramírez is a journalist and deputy managing editor of elDiario.es, a news outlet in Spain</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/sep/30/it-shouldnt-take-the-eviction-of-an-87-year-old-to-get-spains-housing-crisis-fixed">Continue reading...</a> Spain Housing Renting property Pedro Sánchez Europe World news Protest Older people Communities Wed, 30 Sep 2026 04:00:11 GMT https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/sep/30/it-shouldnt-take-the-eviction-of-an-87-year-old-to-get-spains-housing-crisis-fixed Photograph: Matteo Secci/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock Photograph: Matteo Secci/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock Photograph: Matteo Secci/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock María Ramírez 2026-09-30T04:00:11Z https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/sep/29/spanish-government-approves-measures-ease-housing-crisis-outcry-eviction <p>Measures, which need to be approved in Congress, include extending ban on evictions of vulnerable people</p><p>Spain’s Socialist Workers’ party-led coalition government has approved a range of measures aimed at easing the country’s housing crisis, including extending a ban on evictions of vulnerable tenants until 2030, after <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/sep/29/spain-madrid-tent-camp-housing-crisis">a public outcry</a> over the eviction of an 87-year-old disabled woman from her Madrid apartment last week.</p><p>Two decrees have been approved by cabinet but will need to be approved in Congress, where the coalition lacks a majority. The government has requested a special parliamentary session on Friday in the hope of getting the decrees passed as soon as possible.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/sep/29/spanish-government-approves-measures-ease-housing-crisis-outcry-eviction">Continue reading...</a> Spain Housing Communities Society Europe World news Tue, 29 Sep 2026 14:27:03 GMT https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/sep/29/spanish-government-approves-measures-ease-housing-crisis-outcry-eviction Photograph: Sergio Pérez/EPA Photograph: Sergio Pérez/EPA Photograph: Sergio Pérez/EPA Stephen Burgen in Barcelona 2026-09-29T14:27:03Z https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/sep/29/the-portuguese-house-review-picturesque-polite-drama-of-secrets-and-revelations-at-a-country-estate <p>Spanish drama about people leaving their old lives behind plays out like a literary novel, with Manolo Solo excellent as a discombobulated gardener</p><p>Out of the blue, a woman walks out on her husband. Bags packed and ready to go, at the last moment she crumples up the letter she has written to him and vanishes from their Madrid flat. So begins this drama featuring not one but three characters disappearing without a trace from their lives; it sounds soap opera-ish, but mostly The Portuguese House unfolds as polite elegant drama, told with such rich novelistic detail it often feels like it’s getting into the minds of the characters.</p><p>Manolo Solo gives an excellent performance as the left-behind husband, Fernando, an introspective mild-mannered geography professor. After his wife’s disappearance, Fernando goes on holiday to Portugal, where he meets a gardener called Manuel. When Manuel drops dead of a heart attack, Fernando decides – like his wife – to leave his old life behind; he assumes Manuel’s identity and takes a job as the gardener at a Portuguese country estate. The owner, Amália (Maria de Medeiros), senses that this intellectual man with glasses and a clumsy way with the loppers is not the man she hired, but doesn’t push it – possibly because she is attracted to him.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/sep/29/the-portuguese-house-review-picturesque-polite-drama-of-secrets-and-revelations-at-a-country-estate">Continue reading...</a> Film Drama films Spain Culture Europe World news Tue, 29 Sep 2026 08:00:57 GMT https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/sep/29/the-portuguese-house-review-picturesque-polite-drama-of-secrets-and-revelations-at-a-country-estate Photograph: Courtesy of AX1 Films Photograph: Courtesy of AX1 Films Photograph: Courtesy of AX1 Films Cath Clarke 2026-09-29T08:00:57Z https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/sep/29/spain-madrid-tent-camp-housing-crisis <p>An encampment is sprawling across Puerta del Sol plaza in central Madrid in protest against the ‘rentier economy’</p><p>Wielding a broom and dustpan, Marta García, 60, darted past the edges of tents, sweeping up bits of litter as she passed a poster that read: “What kind of times are these, when we need to defend the obvious?”</p><p>On Saturday, as tens of thousands of people <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/sep/27/eviction-of-87-year-old-puts-spains-deepening-housing-crisis-in-the-spotlight">took to the streets of Madrid</a> to protest against the country’s deepening housing crisis, the retired schoolteacher was among a small group who had sought to take the protest one step further.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/sep/29/spain-madrid-tent-camp-housing-crisis">Continue reading...</a> Spain Housing Europe Tue, 29 Sep 2026 04:00:53 GMT https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/sep/29/spain-madrid-tent-camp-housing-crisis Photograph: Ashifa Kassam/The Guardian Photograph: Ashifa Kassam/The Guardian Photograph: Ashifa Kassam/The Guardian Ashifa Kassam in Madrid 2026-09-29T04:00:53Z