Spain News

French general describes 'horror' of Spain jet crash

Paris - A French general on Thursday described the scene of horror that unravelled in Spain when an F-16 Greek fighter jet experienced a technical failure on take-off and crashed into pilots and mechanics on the ground.

2,200 pillaged artefacts seized in European crackdown

Madrid - Over 2,200 looted artefacts, many from ancient Egypt, were seized as part of a Europe-wide crackdown that also snared 35 suspected traffickers, Europol announced Wednesday.

10 Spain priests charged in child sex abuse case after pope steps in

Madrid - A Spanish judge charged 10 Catholic priests over the alleged sexual abuse of a teenage altar boy, court papers showed Wednesday, in a case in which Pope Francis intervened.

Probe after 11 die in NATO training jet crash in Spain

Madrid - Investigators were probing Tuesday how a fighter jet crashed during elite NATO training exercises at an air force base in Spain, killing 11 military personnel and leaving others with serious burns.

Ten dead, 13 injured in Greek fighter jet crash in Spain

Madrid - A Greek fighter jet crashed Monday on takeoff at a military airbase in Spain housing a NATO training centre for elite pilots, killing at least 10 people and injuring 13, the defence ministry said.

Eyeing elections as growth resumes, Spain PM takes swipe at hard-left

Madrid - Hailing Spain's improving economic health under his conservative government's stewardship, Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy warned austerity-weary voters against the temptation to back popular hard-left Podemos party in elections due this year.

Spain attack victims slam government over ETA releases

Madrid - Hundreds of Spaniards rallied in Madrid on Saturday accusing the government of betraying them by allowing the release of jailed convicts from the armed Basque separatist group ETA.

Spain arrests four suspected jihadists

Madrid - Spanish police on Saturday arrested four suspected Islamist extremists who were prepared to launch attacks in Spain, the government said.

Spain negotiates permanent U.S. Marines Africa force

Madrid - Spain said Friday it was starting negotiations with Washington to host a permanent U.S. Marines intervention force for deployment on missions to Africa.

Spain seizes 11 tonnes of hashish in countrywide raid

Madrid - Spanish police said Friday they had seized 11 tonnes of hashish and detained 55 people across the country as part of an operation targeting a Moroccan drug trafficking ring.Police also seized two million euros ($2.

Spain ex-ruling party bigwig bailed in graft probe

Madrid - An ex-treasurer of Spain's ruling party was released from prison late Thursday after posting bail pending his corruption trial, throwing the spotlight back on a scandal that has embarrassed the government months before a general election.

Spanish parliament passes party corruption bill

Madrid - Spain's lower house of parliament on Wednesday approved a bill aimed at tightening political party accounting rules as part of measures to fight corruption, seen as a key concern among voters.

Belgium seeks two men after anti-terror raid

Madrid - Belgian authorities are hunting for two men on the run after a jihadist cell was broken up in Belgium last week, with the search focusing on Spain and France, a source close to the investigation in Spain said Tuesday.

Guatemalan ex-police chief handed 90 years over embassy raid

Guatemala City - A court in Guatemala sentenced a former police chief to 90 years for an assault on the Spanish embassy in 1980 when a group of protesting Indians, peasants and university students were holed up inside.

Former ETA head arrested in Spain after controversial release

Madrid - Spanish police Monday arrested a former head of the armed Basque separatist group ETA who was behind its deadliest attack, just weeks after his early release from jail angered victims.

Spain anti-austerity activists look with hope to Greece's Syriza

Madrid - An election win for Greece's leftist Syriza party on Sunday could mark a turning point in Europe where other populist parties, starting with Podemos in Spain, are hoping to launch their own anti-austerity revolts.

Paris gunman Coulibaly 'was with five others in Madrid'

Madrid - Amedy Coulibaly, one of the three gunmen behind last week's Paris attacks, drove five people to Madrid in early January to catch a plane to Turkey, a Spanish anti-terrorism source said Friday.

Spain arrests two migrants in sea killings

Madrid - Spanish police said Thursday they had arrested two Cameroonian migrants accused of killing up to ten Nigerians by pushing them from a boat into stormy waters after a fight during an attempt to reach Spain.

Catalan president stakes it all with snap poll on independence

Barcelona - Catalan president Artur Mas has called a snap election in September to try to win a majority in favour of independence from Spain for the wealthy region as he tries to revive a secession movement that shows signs of cooling.

Spain to probe Paris gunman Coulibaly's Madrid stay

Madrid - A Spanish High Court judge has opened a preliminary investigation into French Islamist gunman Amedy Coulibaly's stay in Madrid days before last week's Paris attacks, a judicial source said Thursday.

New hepatitis drugs raise political pressure in Spain

Madrid - The arrival in Europe of better but pricier hepatitis C drugs has raised pressure on Spanish leaders over health spending cuts which sufferers say deprive them of life-saving treatments.

Spain's Catalonia calls snap vote in fresh independence push

Barcelona - Catalonia on Wednesday called a snap election for September centred on its independence bid, just two months after the wealthy region held a contested symbolic referendum on the issue that strained ties with Spain's central government.

Spanish maritime rescue of migrants jumps 55% in 2014

Madrid - Spain's maritime rescue services last year came to the aid of 3,500 migrants found on boats off the country's coast, the government said Wednesday, a 55-percent increase from the previous year.

Spain court admits paternity suit against former king

Madrid - Spain's courts agreed on Wednesday to examine a paternity suit against former king Juan Carlos by a woman claiming to be his daughter, the latest scandal to hit the monarchy.

Basque separatists' trial suspended after lawyers detained

Madrid - A trial in Spain of 35 members of Batasuna, the banned political wing of the armed Basque separatist group ETA, was suspended Monday after three of their six lawyers were arrested.

Spain wants to change Schengen rules to thwart Islamist returnees

Madrid - Spain wants to see the Schengen treaty modified to allow border controls to be restored to limit the movements of Islamic fighters returning to Europe from the Middle East, a report said on Sunday.

Putin spokesman dismisses Spanish villa reports as 'joke'

Moscow - President Vladimir Putin's spokesman on Friday dismissed media reports that the Russian leader owns a luxury Spanish villa where he is planting a vineyard.

Two ex-IRA members arrested in Spain for smuggling

Madrid - Two former members of the Irish Republican Army were arrested in Spain during a sweep on an alleged tobacco and alcohol smuggling racket, police said Monday.

150 migrants rescued off Spanish coast over several days

M - Almost 150 migrants trying to cross the Mediterranean in makeshift boats have been rescued off the coast of Spain in less than a week, officials said Sunday.

Homeless residents make lives in Madrid's airport

Madrid - In Madrid airport's bustling fourth terminal, Edu's trolley is loaded with suitcases, but he won't be checking them in. Unlike the thousands of Christmas travellers, he is not flying anywhere.