News of spain

Alberto jabs at Cristina as he talks up opportunities in Europe

12-05-2022 16:00 President shows off his independent streak during tour of Spain, Germany and France as he criticises vice-president’s “partial view” of challenges facing Argentina.

by James Grainger

ALBERTO IN EUROPE

Argentina looks to Spain as an entry point for its gas to Europe

10-05-2022 16:33 Argentina intends to sell gas to Europe in the coming years and Spain could be its gateway, President Alberto Fernández tells Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez in Madrid.

UKRAINE WAR

Humanitarian flight carrying five Ukrainian refugees arrives in Argentina

09-05-2022 17:50 Five Ukrainian refugees travelling on humanitarian visas arrived in Buenos Aires on Saturday night, local media reports.

DIPLOMACY & FOREIGN POLICY

President puts domestic tensions on pause with European tour

09-05-2022 15:39 Argentina’s president flies to the Spanish city of Madrid on Monday ahead of meeting with Spanish leader Pedro Sánchez. Tour also includes a two-day stopover in Germany and possible meeting with Emmanuel Macron in Paris.

sports

Albiceleste coach Scaloni names squad for World Cup qualifiers

20-03-2022 14:28 Star forward Lionel Messi returns to the Argentina fold for two World Cup qualifiers later this month after he was included in coach Lionel Scaloni's squad announced on Friday.

EUROPEAN POLITICS

'Hamstrung' Europe searches for a post-Merkel leader

28-12-2021 10:15 Angela Merkel's departure from the political stage after 16 years as chancellor has not only ushered in a new era in Germany but also shaken up the power balance in the European Union.

ARGENTINE SUPERSTAR

Retire? It has not crossed my mind, says Messi

01-11-2021 07:50 Lionel Messi says he has not given any thought about retiring after next year's World Cup – and says he would love to be Barcelona sporting director when he does finally hang up his boots.

LATIN AMERICA

Venezuela ex-intel chief claims Hugo Chávez sent Kirchners US$21 million

22-10-2021 21:16 Venezuela's former intelligence chief, General Hugo Armando Carvajal, allegedly tells Spanish courts that Caracas sent some US$21 million to Argentina to help fund Cristina Fernández de Kirchner’s 2007 presidential campaign.

EX-INTEL CHIEF

Spain court suspends extradition of Venezuela ex-intel chief

22-10-2021 12:59 Spain's top criminal court on Friday suspended the extradition of Venezuela's former intelligence chief, General Hugo Armando Carvajal, to the United States where he is wanted on drug-trafficking charges.

COVID-19 VACCINES

Argentina set to receive 400,000 AstraZeneca shots from Spain

21-08-2021 19:34 Argentina will take delivery of around 400,000 doses of AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccines on Sunday, thanks to a donation from the Spanish government.

OLYMPICS: TOKYO 2020 (in 2021)

So near and yet so far for Albiceleste in Tokyo

30-07-2021 22:17 The young talent in the next generation is out there, even if it was in short supply in Japan.

by Dan Edwards

Former president

Macri claims Argentina is witnessing biggest exodus in its history

08-07-2021 15:37 Former president attacks Alberto Fernández's government during event in Spain, saying it will be "the last populist government" in Argentina’s history.

European Politics

Asylum applications in EU dived under Covid curbs

29-06-2021 15:36 The number of asylum applications lodged in the EU plummeted by a third last year because of border restrictions thrown up by the coronavirus pandemic, the bloc's asylum assistance agency said on Tuesday.

Pedro Sánchez in Argentina

Spanish PM offers 'absolute and total' support for Argentina's debt talks

09-06-2021 19:54 Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez offers “absolute and total” support to the Argentine government’s bid to renegotiate debt with IMF and Paris Club during one-day visit to Buenos Aires.

SPANISH FOOTBALL

Simeone and Suárez lead Atlético to La Liga title as Real fall short

22-05-2021 15:36 Only the second time in 17 years that a team other than Barcelona or Real Madrid have won Spanish league crown, with Atléti claiming the other one under Simeone in 2014.

ALBERTO IN EUROPE

Fernández says he wants new IMF deal ‘as quickly as possible’

15-05-2021 11:18 President holds 'positive' talks with IMF chief Kristalina Georgieva in Rome, rounding off week-long European tour.

Venezuelan political crisis

Venezuela asks Spain to extradite opposition leader Leopoldo López

12-05-2021 15:39 Venezuela's Supreme Court has sent a request to Spain for the extradition of exiled opposition politician Leopoldo López, who has been sentenced to 14 years in prison.

IMF DEBT TALKS

Fernández urges IMF to suspend surcharges on US$45-billion loan

12-05-2021 15:28 President Alberto Fernández urges IMF to suspend surcharges applied by the multilateral lender to countries that use its credit lines extensively.

President in Europe

President gains Spain’s support for financial negotiations

11-05-2021 14:26 President Alberto Fernández met with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez this Tuesday and gained his support in Argentina’s negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the Paris Club, as well as the release of Covid-19 vaccine patents.

PRESIDENT IN EUROPE

Fernández kicks off Europe trip as Paris Club debt payment nears

10-05-2021 10:04 Argentina has reportedly asked the Paris Club to allow it to delay upcoming US$2.4-billion payment, due at the end of May, until it has reached an agreement with the International Monetary Fund.

Alberto heads to Europe

President heads to Europe with IMF and Paris Club debts on agenda

07-05-2021 01:58 Further details emerge of Peronist leader's trip to Europe, which will take in Portugal, Spain, France and Italy.

International Politics

Fernández set to depart on Euro tour with Guzmán in tow

06-05-2021 15:08 President Alberto Fernández will fly off to Europe on Friday, ahead of a series of meetings with various European leaders, including the Pope and Spain's King Felipe.

Football bombshell

Super League announcement opens unprecedented conflict in European football

19-04-2021 10:47 A planned breakaway Super League announced by 12 of European football's most powerful clubs and backed by US investment bank JPMorgan is roundly condemned by fans and federations across the continent.

European Politics

Spain legalises euthanasia, assisted suicide

18-03-2021 12:27 Spain's parliament passed a law legalising euthanasia on Thursday with 202 in favour and 141 against, making it one of few nations to allow terminally-ill or gravely-injured patients to end their own suffering.

FOOTBALL

Messi to Paris: Barcelona's nightmare, and PSG's unattainable dream?

09-03-2021 09:47 PSG and City are probably the only likely destinations for Lionel Messi should he leave Barcelona. But could a switch to Paris really happen?

EUROPEAN POLITICS

Strains test Spain's leftist coalition government

19-02-2021 13:53 Tensions once again surface between Socialists and Podemos, sparked by protests against the arrest of famous rapper Pablo Hasel for controversial tweets.

TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Telefónica sells mobile masts in Europe, Latin America for 7.7 billion euros

13-01-2021 10:13 Spain’s Telefónica to sell its telephone masts in Europe and Latin America to US-based telecom infrastructure firm American Towers Corp for US$9.4 billion in cash.

BUSINESS

Covid and Argentina drag Telefónica to 160-million-euro 3Q loss

30-10-2020 01:07 Company’s third-quarter write-down illustrates depth of Argentina’s economic crisis, reports Bloomberg.

Global pandemic

Atlético Madrid coach Diego Simeone has Covid-19, confirms club

13-09-2020 08:32 Argentine coach isn't showing any symptoms and is in isolation, say club officials.

Human rights

Former Spanish minister questioned by local judge over Franco-era deaths

04-09-2020 14:20 Rodolfo Martín Villa, 85, served as Spain's interior minister in the late 1970s. On Thursday, during a five-hour session, he testified over his alleged role in 12 deaths during Spain's transition to democracy.

HUMAN RIGHTS

Ex-Spanish minister to testify over Franco-era deaths before Argentine judge

03-09-2020 17:06 Rodolfo Martín Villa, 85, who served as Spain's interior minister in the late 1970s, will testify from the Argentine Embassy in Madrid, answering questions from Buenos Aires over alleged role in 12 violent deaths dating back to end of Franco dictatorship.

END OF AN ERA?

Messi calls time at Barcelona – what happens next?

29-08-2020 10:25 Any club in the world would want Lionel Messi. But only a select few could make a financial deal work for the six-time Ballon d’Or winner.

Champions League Football

Messi’s silence raises more doubts about Barcelona future

21-08-2020 14:43 Barcelona lost 8-2 in the Champions League quarterfinals last week to Bayern Munich.

BARÇA IN CRISIS

Questions surround Messi’s future amid Barcelona chaos

18-08-2020 07:56 Barcelona fired coach Quique Setién on Monday, three days after the team’s humiliating 8-2 loss to Bayern Munich in the Champions League, the first step in what it said would be “a wide-ranging restructuring" of the club.

World News

Ex-Spanish king flees to United Arab Emirates amid scandal

17-08-2020 12:02 Whereabouts of former king Juan Carlos I of Spain had been unknown for two weeks.

AS I SEE IT

Light from the city of dreaming spires

15-08-2020 10:08 It is no longer enough for governments to concentrate solely on trying to block the spread of the virus. They are also expected to keep the economy moving and to worry about the long-term effects the prolonged lockdowns are certain to have on people’s lives.

by James Neilson