SPAIN: Politicians Lying on Their CVs & more – 7th Aug 2025

Buenos días from Gracia! This is the Rorshok Spain Update from the 7th of August twenty twenty-five. A quick summary of what's going down in Spain.

For our first story this week, a wave of Spanish politicians have been revising their CVs after admitting to false or exaggerated academic claims.

It all began when Noelia Núñez of the Partido Popular or PP never completed her double degree. She apologized and resigned, triggering a trend of politicians from various parties correcting or removing degrees from their official records.

On Tuesday, the 5th, Ana Millán, another PP politician, downgraded her degree to a diploma, while on Sunday, the 3rd, Vox’s Ignacio Higuera resigned after it was revealed that he didn’t have a marketing degree because the university didn’t offer the course at the time. José María Ángel, whom we spoke about last week, also stepped down over a fake degree this month.

Two major fires, one in Tarifa, in the south, and another in Galicia, in the North East, are causing serious concern this week.

On Tuesday, the 5th, a motorhome caught fire, forcing over 1,500 people to be evacuated around the Tarifa area from hotels, campsites, and beach bars during peak tourist season. Over 5,000 vehicles were also forced to move out of the fire’s path.

In Galicia, northwest fires in Camariñas and Ponteceso are raging, prompting evacuations and emergency alerts. Officials have said they believe these fires were intentionally set.

Keeping with the heat, this week, Spain has been facing another intense heatwave, with extreme temperatures threatening public health across the country.

On Monday, the 4th, an eighty-five-year-old man in Badajoz passed away from heatstroke, marking the first fatality of August. The National Statistics Institute reported that July ranked among Spain’s deadliest months for heat-related deaths, recording over 1,000 fatalities - a 57% increase from the same period last year, at just over 630.

So far in twenty twenty-five, high temperatures have caused over 3,000 deaths, surpassing all of twenty twenty-four’s total. Nine regions remain on high alert, with temperatures reaching 42°C (or 108°F) in Badajoz and Jaén, and 38°C (or 100°F) in Madrid.

Next, on Wednesday the 6th, former Spanish king Juan Carlos I finally fully repaid over 4 million euros in loans he received to settle his tax debts in Spain.

Juan Carlos I abdicated in twenty fourteen due to declining popularity, health issues, and public pressure, allowing his son Felipe VI to restore and modernize the Spanish monarchy.

To pay off his debts, he used the income he earned while living in the United Arab Emirates since his abdication in twenty eleven, including profits from documentary rights and commercial deals.

Turning to housing, according to a report released on Tuesday, the 5th by the National Statistics Institute, Spain’s housing market is booming despite high prices and limited supply.

In the first half of twenty twenty-five, nearly 358,000 homes were sold, the highest figure in almost eighteen years. This amount marks a 20% increase compared to the same period in twenty twenty-four. Second-hand homes dominate the market, making up almost 80% of sales, as new construction remains scarce. Although new home sales rose 30%, they still represent just 20% of total transactions.

Experts warn that the lack of new housing could push prices even higher, especially with limited land, rising construction costs, and labor shortages.

In travel news, Ryanair is facing disruption as ground handling staff at its subsidiary, Azul Handling, are planning strikes over poor working conditions.

On Tuesday the 5th, UGT and CGT unions representing workers from Azul Handling called for strikes which will start on Friday the 15th of August, continuing every Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday until the end of twenty twenty-five.

Strikes will occur during key travel hours as the unions accuse Ryanair of unstable job creation, unfair treatment of part-time workers, pressure to work extra hours, ignoring rulings on pay and benefits, and limiting workers’ rights after medical leave.

Staying with airlines, on Friday the 1st, Air France-KLM ended talks to acquire a stake in Spain’s Air Europa, citing undisclosed reasons, though insiders suggest disagreements over valuation and control.

Air Europa is now reportedly exploring a stake in TAP Air Portugal, another key Southern European carrier.

The future of the Spanish airline is still up in the air - literally and figuratively!

In financial news, on Wednesday the 6th, Banco Sabadell shareholders unanimously approved the sale of its UK subsidiary, TSB, to Banco Santander for at least three billion euros.

Sabadell had bought TSB in twenty fifteen for just under 2 billion euros. The decision comes as Sabadell faces a hostile takeover bid from BBVA. TSB, a key UK mortgage lender, was central to Sabadell's defence strategy against the takeover. By selling it, Sabadell aims to simplify operations and cut international exposure.

However, the BBVA bid has triggered tension with the European Commission, which has warned Spain over its attempts to fully control the merger terms.

Now to the North-west, where hunters in Girona, Catalunya, have developed a new mobile app called Infocaça to improve safety during hunting season, from mid-September to early February.

The app geolocates hunting activities in real time, allowing hikers, cyclists, and other nature users to avoid active hunting zones. Developed by a local tech company, the app shows where and when hunts are happening and will be fully operational from the 7th of September.

Hunting groups can log the start and end of hunts and record the number of animals captured, which helps streamline data reporting to the government.

Over to the capital, according to an article by news outlet El País, released on Monday, the 4th, local residents are fed up with traffic restrictions, which have started to affect not only their lives but the city's infrastructure.

People say they have been struggling for weeks because of the many simultaneous construction projects and infrastructure improvements. The reason? Well, the city is working on tunnels, expanding its metro system, and resurfacing over 250 streets this August.

In particular, the A-5 tunnel work has split neighborhoods like Batán, where people feel isolated and worry about poor public transport. The A-5 now has only four lanes instead of eight, and this will last until November twenty twenty-six.

Residents have asked for better communication and more involvement in planning, while the regional council has requested that people plan their routes before travelling because of disruptions.

Look to the skies! On Tuesday, the 5th, the central government created a special committee to manage three upcoming solar eclipses in twenty twenty-six, twenty twenty-seven, and twenty twenty-eight. The aim of this committee is to ensure the events go off with a hitch, ensuring public safety and transport, as the rare astronomical events will attract tourists and scientists, causing large crowds and logistical challenges.

The total solar eclipse on the 12th of August twenty twenty-six is especially unique, being the first visible in Spain since the year nineteen hundred and five, and will be seen from many cities in the north. The second total eclipse is on the 2nd of August twenty twenty-seven and will be visible mainly in the south. Finally, people across much of southern and eastern Spain will be able to witness an annular eclipse on the 26th of January twenty twenty-eight.

Finishing off with a musical note, Alboloduy is a small village in southern Spain’s Almeria province with fewer than 600 inhabitants, but almost everyone in the village plays a musical instrument.

The town has earned the nickname The Village of Musicians. Over sixty-five residents belong to the municipal band, La Mezquita, and more than eighty study at the local music school.

Music connects all generations in Alboloduy, even those who have moved away return to rehearse and play. The village band dates back over 120 years and was revived in nineteen eighty-two. Since then, the band has grown and performs at many local events, especially during Holy Week processions.

To learn more about this musical town, check out the link in the show notes.

Aaand that’s it for this week! Thank you for joining us!

Did you know that we do lots of other updates? We’ve got non-country updates: The Arctic Ocean and Multilateral shows, and country updates, with a selection of nations from across the world.

Check the full list with the link in the show notes.

¡Hasta la próxima!