The Interior Ministry returned 23 Sudanese nationals from Ceuta to Morocco, despite Sudan being a war-torn country. The ministry says all 23 rejected international protection; lawyers and NGOs question that and say the procedure lacked guarantees. About 90% of Sudanese asylum seekers in Spain obtain protection.
Spanish nationality cannot be withdrawn arbitrarily; the Civil Code sets specific grounds. These include voluntary acquisition of another nationality, exclusive use of a foreign nationality, and, for naturalized Spaniards, a final criminal sentence. Those living abroad can avoid loss by declaring their wish to keep Spanish nationality within three years.
The Housing Ministry is negotiating with Junts to include a ban on evictions of vulnerable tenants in homes owned by investment funds and a veto on such funds buying residential property. The decree is expected to be approved by the Council of Ministers on Tuesday. The measure follows a Sumar proposal on which PSOE abstained two weeks ago.
Home sales fell 5.1% year-on-year in July to 61,417 transactions, the sixth decline this year. Used homes, 78% of the market, fell 6.1% to 48,128 units, while new home sales dropped 1.4% to 13,289. Transactions are down 3% year to date after growing 11.5% in 2025.
Government fuel tax discounts expire on Thursday, October 1, as gasoline consolidates annual highs and diesel approaches them. Diesel now averages 1,942 euros per litre, the same price as before discounts took effect. OCU warns that removing support completely would add at least 20 cents per litre for diesel drivers.
The DGT's reform of the General Traffic Regulations enters into force on October 1, 2026. Motorcycle and moped riders must wear gloves on interurban roads and closed-toe footwear on all roads, with new rules for using the hard shoulder in congestion. Violations are serious infractions carrying a 200 euro fine.
Montserrat Torrent, a 100-year-old organist from Barcelona, continues to tour Spain and Europe with one of the longest artistic careers on the continent. She says music is like breathing and plans to play until she dies. She also advocates for the rights of older people, saying society is unjust to the elderly.
Spain's economy grew 0.7% in the second quarter, confirming the preliminary figure, with year-on-year growth of 2.6%. Private consumption rose 1.2% and productive investment advanced 1.7%, offsetting a negative contribution from the external sector. External demand subtracted 0.9 percentage points from GDP growth.
Social Security spent a record 14,498 million euros on contributory pensions in September, up 6.3% year-on-year. The average retirement pension rose 4.5% to 1,576.1 euros per month, while the average pension reached 1,374.6 euros. The general 2026 pension increase is 2.7%, in line with average CPI.
The OCU says shoppers in Spain can save up to 1,310 euros a year by comparing supermarket prices. The shopping basket has risen 1.8%, and the consumer group warns many families have not recovered lost purchasing power. It is calling on the government to adopt measures and aid.
Volkswagen, Audi and Seat are recalling around 2.8 million vehicles worldwide over a possible steering defect caused by corrosion in a fixing screw. Affected models include the VW Tiguan, Touran, Golf Variant, Golf Sportsvan and Caddy, the Audi Q3, and the Seat Ateca and Tarraco. Owners should check whether their vehicle is part of the recall.
Barcelona's city council approved a progressive increase in the tourist surcharge for cruise passengers in transit from 5 to 24 euros by 2030, while freezing the surcharge for youth hostel guests at 4 euros. The PSC minority government passed the measure with support from Junts and ERC. Proposed IBI, IAE and ICIO tax changes were rejected.
Renfe is investigating a cybersecurity incident originating from compromised Adif servers that exposed a limited volume of customer data, mainly names and email addresses. The company says no DNI numbers, payment methods or financial information were stolen. There is no evidence the material has been publicly disclosed.
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