Latest Spain government News

Spanish regional leader admits mistakes made in flood response, but refuses to step down

Nov. 15, 2024 15:21 PM EST

MADRID (AP) — The Spanish regional leader facing immense pressure for his handling of the catastrophic Valencia floods last month defied calls to step down Friday, but conceded that authorities made mistakes in their response to the disaster. More than 220 people were killed from...

Tens of thousands of Spaniards demand the resignation of Valencia leader for bungling flood response

Nov. 09, 2024 17:53 PM EST

VALENCIA, Spain (AP) — Tens of thousands of Spaniards marched in the eastern city of Valencia on Saturday to demand the resignation of the regional president in charge of the emergency response to last week’s catastrophic floods that left more than 200 dead and others missing. A...

Spain's catastrophic floods by the numbers: At least 219 dead, 93 missing and billions in damage

Nov. 07, 2024 16:56 PM EST

MADRID (AP) — The catastrophic torrential rains that overflowed rivers and normally dry canals in eastern Spain last week triggered flash floods that submerged entire communities and killed scores of people. The deluge left behind a landscape of devastation, especially in...

Spain seizes 13 tonnes of cocaine hidden behind bananas on a container from Ecuador

Nov. 07, 2024 05:05 AM EST

MADRID (AP) — Authorities in Spain seized 13 tonnes (13,000 kilograms) of cocaine in a cargo container apparently filled with bananas, in what they called the biggest anti-narcotics operation in the country's history. Officials found bricks of drugs hidden behind the fruit on a...

Baby girl and her mother among those lost in Spain's catastrophic flooding

Nov. 06, 2024 10:27 AM EST

PAIPORTA, Spain (AP) — The mangled car in which Jorge Tarazona’s 3-year-old niece and sister-in-law perished in last week's catastrophic flooding in Spain now hangs halfway off the ragged edge of road. His brother managed to survive, clinging to a fence. He and his family had...

A week after Spain's floods, families hope that the missing are alive with 89 unaccounted for

Nov. 06, 2024 01:09 AM EST

SEDAVI, Spain (AP) — Francisco Murgui went out to try to salvage his motorbike when the water started to rise. He never came back. One week after catastrophic flooding devastated eastern Spain, María Murgui still holds out hope that her missing father is alive. ...

Spain flood survivors hurl mud at the royals and top government officials

Nov. 03, 2024 21:47 PM EST

PAIPORTA, Spain (AP) — A crowd of enraged survivors hurled clots of mud left by storm-spawned flooding at the Spanish royal couple on Sunday during their first visit to the center of their nation's deadliest natural disaster in living memory. Spain's national broadcaster reported...

Spain searches for bodies after unprecedented flooding claims at least 158 lives

Oct. 31, 2024 17:59 PM EDT

BARRIO DE LA TORRE, Spain (AP) — Crews searched for bodies in stranded cars and sodden buildings Thursday as residents salvaged what they could from their ruined homes following monstrous flash floods in Spain that claimed at least 158 lives, with 155 deaths confirmed in the eastern Valencia...

Flood survivors say regional Spanish officials waited too long to warn them of the danger

Oct. 31, 2024 14:01 PM EDT

BARRIO DE LA TORRE, Spain (AP) — Moments after rushing waters burst through the door to her home, Mari Carmen Pérez received a text message alert from regional Spanish authorities warning her of the possibility of flash floods. By the time Pérez's phone buzzed, the water has...

Voting rights groups worry AI models are generating inaccurate and misleading responses in Spanish

Oct. 31, 2024 12:15 PM EDT

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — With just days before the presidential election, Latino voters are facing a barrage of targeted ads in Spanish and a new source of political messaging in the artificial intelligence age: chatbots generating unfounded claims in Spanish about voting rights. AI...