Spain

19 November 2019; AFP: A Spanish court will give its verdict Tuesday in one of the biggest corruption cases in the country's modern history, involving top officials from the ruling Socialists in the Andalusia region.

The ruling, expected at noon (1100 GMT), comes as Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez struggles to secure enough support from other parties to be sworn in for another term.

MADRID, Nov 14 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Venezuela’s former military intelligence chief has gone missing in Spain just days after a court approved a request for his extradition to the United States on drug trafficking charges, police said.

“They are currently looking for him,” said a spokeswoman for Spain’s national police, referring to Hugo Armando Carvajal.

Judicial sources said police had gone to his house in Madrid after Friday’s court decision but could not find him.

MADRID (Reuters) - Spanish police said on Wednesday they were searching for Venezuela’s former military intelligence chief Hugo Carvajal, days after local media including EFE news agency reported a Spanish court had agreed to extradite him to the United States.

Carvajal, an ally of Venezuela’s late Socialist leader Hugo Chavez, is wanted by U.S. authorities on allegations of drug trafficking. He has denied the accusations.

MADRID, Nov. 12 (Xinhua) -- Acting Prime Minister and Spanish Socialist Workers' Party leader (PSOE) Pedro Sanchez, and Pablo Iglesias, leader of the left-wing Unidas-Podemos party, on Tuesday signed a "pre-agreement" for the two parties to form a coalition government in Spain.

The preliminary agreement, which is based on the "loyalty" of both parties to "form a stable government for four years", was signed in the Spanish Congress building in Madrid just two days after Sunday's general election.

MADRID, Nov. 10 (Xinhua) -- The Spanish Socialist Party (PSOE) of acting Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez led in the general election on Sunday, which also saw the right-wing party Vox make important gains.

The preliminary results once again leave with a divided Congress of Deputies (the lower chamber in the Spanish parliament) in which it is hard to see how political parties will be able to find the support to form a government.

Madrid, Nov 10 - Spain voted Sunday in its fourth general election in as many years amid heightened tensions over Catalonia's separatist push, an issue that has fuelled a surge in support for upstart far-right party Vox.

The repeat polls were called after Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez failed to secure support from other parties following an inconclusive election in April which saw his Socialist party win the most votes, but no working majority in parliament.

MADRID (AP) — Spaniards were voting Sunday in the country’s fourth election in as many years with Catalonia’s secession drive and the predicted rise of a far-right party dominating the campaign.

The election was called by incumbent Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, who won the most votes in the last ballot in April but failed to whip up enough parliamentary support to form a government.

Sánchez is tipped to win again but Spain may face another stalemate situation and months more without a stable government.

MADRID (AP) — The parent company of British Airways and Iberia has agreed to buy Spanish rival Air Europa for 1 billion euros ($1.1 billion).

In a statement released Monday, the International Airlines Group, or IAG, says the purchase will be completed by the end of 2020 if competition regulators approve it.

IAG expects the purchase to turn its Madrid base into “a true rival” to Europe’s main air travel hubs in Amsterdam, Frankfurt, London and Paris.

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — As a tour guide in one of Europe’s top travel destinations, María José Martínez constantly takes busloads of tourists to an overlook in Barcelona to gaze upon one of Spain’s most enchanting skylines.

But instead of being wowed by the Mediterranean blue and the sandcastle-like spires of Antoni Gaudí’s La Sagrada Familia basilica, recent clients have been unnerved by the sight of smoke rising from smoldering street barricades set aflame by Catalan separatists.

MADRID, Oct. 31 (Xinhua) -- Spain has offered to host the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 25) in Madrid following the decision from Chile to step down as host for the event due to the ongoing street protests in the South American country.

The acting Spanish government of Pedro Sanchez issued a communique on Thursday indicating Spain would be willing to host the conference respecting the dates the event was due to be held on in Chile, which is Dec. 2-13.