Judicial crisis around Sánchez government: UCO at PSOE headquarters, Zapatero charged, debate over legislature's continuity
The UCO (Guardia Civil's Central Operative Unit) searched the PSOE headquarters at Ferraz as part of an investigation touching multiple figures close to the government, including Santos Cerdán, José Luis Ábalos —in preventive prison at Soto del Real—, Pedro Sánchez's brother and wife, and now former president José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, summoned by the Audiència Nacional and investigated for membership of a criminal organisation, influence peddling and money laundering. The judge in the Leire case described a scheme orchestrated from within the Socialist apparatus to obstruct judicial proceedings, placing its starting point at Sánchez's five days of reflection in April 2024. Sánchez declared he will not call elections and will serve out the legislature, while Felipe González, Emiliano García Page, Junts and the PNB demand early elections. The president will appear before Congress during the week of 22 June to explain the new judicial storm.
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Pre-agreement between Generalitat and teachers' unions: pay rise and new teachers to avert strike
The USTEC-STEs and Professors de Secundària unions reached a pre-agreement with the Generalitat's Education department including a monthly pay rise of around 600 euros —599.50 gross for primary teachers and 633.58 for secondary teachers— and the hiring of 6,300 to 6,413 new professionals from next school year through to 2030. As a result, the unions suspended the territorial stoppages planned for the coming week, though they maintain the general strike of Friday 5 June and a Barcelona march while consulting their members. The CGT considers the deal insufficient, and school assemblies must vote on it.
Pope Leo XIV publishes first encyclical 'Magnifica Humanitas': AI, arms industry and Church abuses
Pope Leo XIV (Robert Prevost) has published his first encyclical, 'Magnifica Humanitas', addressing the regulation of artificial intelligence, conditions on the arms industry, a global education pact and abuses within the Church. The document warns that humanity has never been so dominated by so few and calls for internal transparency and self-criticism, acknowledging the role of journalists who expose injustice. The encyclical also warns about the harms of excessive technology use, and coincides with a public debate on AI featuring figures such as Dario Amodei (Anthropic), who acknowledged that even his own engineers do not fully understand the systems they develop.
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Illa travels to China and meets Huawei amid debate over XCAT project and network security
Catalan president Salvador Illa travelled to China with a Catalan delegation and met with Huawei's vice-president for international relations — a company that the United States and the European Commission have warned poses a risk to NATO allies' 5G networks. In parallel, the government tendered the XCAT project — a high-performance technology network — with the first contract awarded to Sirt Connecta (UTE), though Telefónica filed two challenges before the Tribunal de Contractes Públics de Catalunya, the first of which was rejected. The government states that the CTTI has no contract with Huawei and that XCAT is not a 5G network, but Junts has requested Illa's appearance before the Parlament to explain his ties with China.
Plus Ultra case: investigation into Zapatero and Venezuelan broker Diazgranados at the Audiència Nacional
Judge José Luis Calama, in charge of the Plus Ultra corruption case at the Audiència Nacional, is investigating whether the head of the National Police in the Canary Islands, Jesús María Gómez Martín, erased the police record of Francisco Alfonso Diazgranados Salvatierra, son of Venezuelan businessman Danilo Diazgranados Manglano, described as one of the brokers most closely linked to Chavista money. The Sánchez cabinet rescued airline Plus Ultra with €53 million during the pandemic, and Zapatero has been summoned by the Audiència Nacional in connection with this case, accused of membership of a criminal organisation and money laundering.
Generalitat's 'Arrels' programme: €2.1 million for multi-service shops in rural municipalities
The Generalitat government has launched the 'Arrels' programme, promoted by the departments of Enterprise and Labour and of the Presidency, with a budget of €2.1 million to support multi-service establishments in rural municipalities and micro-villages across Catalonia. The aim is to curb depopulation: a study by the Directorate General of Commerce found that 175 Catalan municipalities have no food shop, with particular concentration in the Pyrenees and Ponent, where around 40% of micro-villages lack a grocery store. In the Lleida area, around 60 municipalities have no food establishment and 26 have no restaurant service.
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Uber launches offensive to take control of Delivery Hero, Glovo's parent company
Uber has launched an offensive to take control of Delivery Hero, the group that controls Glovo and more than ten home delivery brands worldwide. The operation could reshape the European and global last-mile delivery market.
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Mascarillas case: Supreme Court declares trial ready for sentencing
The Supreme Court has declared the Mascarillas case trial ready for sentencing. Koldo García, former adviser and right-hand man of ex-Transport Minister José Luis Ábalos, is in preventive prison at Soto del Real and declared that 'this has only just begun'.
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PSG wins Champions League for second consecutive year, defeating Arsenal on penalties
Paris Saint-Germain, managed by Luis Enrique, was crowned UEFA Champions League champion for the second consecutive season after defeating Arsenal in the final on penalties (1-1, 4-3). The Parisian club thus consolidates its European dominance under the Spanish coach.
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Death of philosopher Edgar Morin
Edgar Morin, French thinker of Sephardic origin, known for his complexity theory and the phrase 'We must learn to navigate an ocean of uncertainties through archipelagos of certainties', has died. UNESCO commissioned him to write a guide to rethink the education system, and his last interview, given to Le Monde, centred on the need to create 'oases of fraternity'. Morin had changed his surname from Nahoum to Morin upon joining the French Resistance.
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Ustec suspends territorial strikes but maintains 5 June general strike while consulting teaching staff
The Ustec-STEs union decided to suspend the territorial strikes planned for the week, but maintains the general strike scheduled for Friday 5 June and a march through Barcelona, while school assemblies analyse and vote on the pre-agreement reached with the Education department. Aspepc also suspended its mobilisations during the four-day consultation period.
Teachers' pre-agreement: €600 pay rise and 6,413 new teachers over four years
The pre-agreement between the Generalitat and teachers' unions includes a monthly pay rise of around €600 and the hiring of 6,413 new teachers over the next four years. The USTEC-STEs and Professors de Secundària unions have suspended territorial stoppages while consulting their members, though they maintain the 5 June general strike.
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Orbital train: PSC-ERC agreement for Vilafranca-Vilanova section costing €1.4 billion, service expected 2040-2041
The orbital train, approved in 2010 and agreed between PSC and ERC as part of the budget negotiations, is advancing with the Vilafranca del Penedès - Vilanova i la Geltrú section, budgeted at €1.4 billion and with service expected between 2040 and 2041. The mayor of Vilanova i la Geltrú, Juan Luis Ruiz (PSC), welcomed the unblocking of the project and linked its completion to the future location of the new Penedès reference hospital in his city, whose functional plan has already been completed by the Generalitat.
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Junts holds municipal convention with over 500 officials ahead of 2027 elections
Junts held a municipal convention with more than 500 mayors, councillors and future candidates ahead of the municipal elections of 23 May 2027. Secretary general Jordi Turull declared 'they want to sideline us, but we are more and we will grow', in an event reinforcing the party's territorial presence. Meanwhile, leaders of Esquerra and Junts agreed that they will not join any PP no-confidence motion because it involves Vox, and that if Sánchez must fall, 'he will fall on his own'.
Fundació Gresol promotes a replica of the Sagrada Família's Assumpta chapel in Reus for €10 million
The Fundació Gresol of Reus is promoting the construction of an exact replica of the Sagrada Família's Assumpta chapel — currently under construction on Carrer Provença in Barcelona, with a 10x10-metre square plan and 30 metres in height — as a new monumental space linked to the Mare de Déu de Misericòrdia and a future cultural and tourist attraction. The project, valued at €10 million, has the support of the temple's construction board, public administrations and the Church, and plans to lay the first stone in 2026. The promoter group, led by Antoni Pont and Emili Correig, met with Armand Puig, president of the Holy See's agency for ecclesiastical university quality.
Agricultural vegetation fires in Ponent: Bombers extinguish half a dozen blazes
The Generalitat's Bombers extinguished half a dozen agricultural vegetation fires in the Ponent area, with interventions at Montoliu de Lleida, Miralcamp, Tàrrega (beside the A-2), Tremp, Alguaire (near the A-14), Aitona and Sidamon. Nine ground units and two aerial resources were deployed.
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Heatwave in south-west Europe: France debates naming heatwaves
A mass of hot air caused extreme temperatures across wide regions of south-west Europe. France has opened a debate on the advisability of naming heatwaves, in the manner of hurricanes.
Driver killed in head-on collision on the L-310 at Torrefeta i Florejacs
A 33-year-old driver from Guissona died in a head-on collision between two cars on the L-310 road in the municipality of Torrefeta i Florejacs. Another driver was seriously injured in the accident.
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Barcelona to invest €150 million in the blue economy, which represents 5% of the city's GDP
Barcelona plans to invest €150 million in the blue economy, a sector representing 5% of the city's GDP and the third fastest-growing sector in the Catalan capital over the past year.
Bibliobús Pere Quart halted for five months due to lack of driver, leaving 18 Pyrenean villages without service
The Bibliobús Pere Quart, which serves eighteen villages in the Pyrenees without a public library, has been stopped since January 2026, when its driver Aleix Gistau retired after more than 40 years in the role. The Culture department has run two unsuccessful recruitment calls and launched a third expected to be resolved from next week. In the meantime, a remote library lending service has been set up through local councils. ERC MP Josep Vidal raised the issue in the Parlament, where councillor Sònia Hernández gave an account.
Girona nursery schools: nearly one in three applications will go unplaced next school year
Municipal nursery schools and Generalitat infant schools in Girona will cover 67.5% of demand next school year, leaving nearly one in three applications without a place. On 2 June a draw will be held to break the tie among 354 families who scored the same 30 points in the admissions process.
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Granollers advances plans to build 148 new social rental flats
Granollers council is advancing procedures to begin construction of 148 new social rental flats, of which 136 will be built on a plot at Lledoner through a construction and management competition.
Expoquimia marks its 60th edition as the European Commission prepares a list of strategic chemical products
Expoquimia has launched a new edition marking its 60 years of history. In parallel, the European Commission is expected to publish a list of strategic chemical products and industrial centres for EU strategic autonomy. Carles Navarro, chair of the organising committee and former director general of BASF Española, highlighted Tarragona's importance as a 'crown jewel' of the chemical industry.
Iñaki Gabilondo retires from daily journalism after half a century of career
Journalist Iñaki Gabilondo has retired from daily journalism after more than fifty years as a benchmark of the profession in Spain.
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San Antonio Spurs reach NBA Finals by winning Game 7 against Oklahoma City Thunder
The San Antonio Spurs won Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder and qualified for the NBA Finals. League MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who had won the award two consecutive years, could not prevent his team's elimination.
Tarragona mayor announces sale of municipal shares in Nàstic
Tarragona mayor Rubén Viñuales announced his intention to sell all the shares held by the council in the Gimnàstic de Tarragona SAD (Nàstic), and secured majority support from the full council for the operation.
Costa Daurada beach season 2026: new accessibility, safety and technology measures
Costa Daurada beaches have opened the 2026 bathing season with new measures in leisure, accessibility, heat wave comfort, water safety, crowd-monitoring technology and smoke-free zones. In Torredembarra, local police will carry sea rescue buoys as part of public rescue aid devices being implemented along the Tarragona coast.
Roca brothers' Fontané restaurant at Sant Julià de Ramis receives one Repsol sun and a Michelin recommendation
The Fontané restaurant, opened by the Roca brothers at the fortress of Sant Julià de Ramis, has received one Repsol sun and a Michelin recommendation, and was named best restaurant opening in Spain in 2025 by the Macarfi Guide. Esperit Roca, another establishment in the group, already holds one Michelin star.
Míchel surpasses Pablo Machín as the manager with most matches in charge of Girona FC
Míchel has surpassed Pablo Machín — who managed Girona FC for 189 matches over four and a half seasons — to become the manager with the most matches in charge of the club in professional football since its 2008 return. The coach, now in his fifth consecutive season at the club, declared 'Here you have one more Gironí for life'. Raül Agné ranks third on this list.
UNED Girona celebrates fifty years with over 1,700 enrolled students, up from the initial 363
The Girona branch of the UNED celebrates its fiftieth anniversary. It was founded with 363 enrolled students and 11 degree programmes, and now has more than 1,700 enrolled. Carme Díaz, who has worked there since the beginning, declared she never imagined they would last fifty years.
Tarragona hosts filming of a movie about The Beatles
The production of a film about The Beatles has installed a large marquee next to the artificial pitch of Nàstic de Tarragona, making the city a filming location.
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El Barceloneta wins its 21st consecutive water polo league title
Club Natació Barceloneta won its 21st consecutive men's water polo league title, defeating Sabadell 1-5 in the final and accumulating the second point of the series.
The El Cisne café and pastry shop, located in the centre of Platja d'Aro, has permanently closed after 69 years of operation. Over its history the establishment welcomed figures such as Julio Iglesias, Manolo Escobar and Salvador Dalí.
Pep Guardiola and Cristina Serra separate after more than three decades together
Football manager Pep Guardiola and Cristina Serra, who met when she worked at Antonio Miró and he was an FC Barcelona player, have separated after more than three decades together. Serra belongs to the family that owns Serra Claret.