October 2026

Lula won Brazil's presidential election, returning to the presidency after a comeback that Spanish outlets describe as historic. The result halts a run of right-wing victories in Latin America, and Lula's win closes the door on the far right in Brazil.

Aleksandar Vucic conceded defeat in Serbia's parliamentary elections after the student-led Lista Estudiantil won an absolute majority, according to results reported after polling closed. Vucic said immediately after the close of voting: "Based on a stratified sample, it is clear that we have lost these elections." The result ends 12 years of his leadership of Serbia.

Israel is holding its first elections since the Hamas attack of 2023, with Benjamin Netanyahu seeking a seventh term as prime minister. The opposition Jewish bloc is favoured in the polls against the prime minister's coalition, but neither side is projected to win a majority. The vote is being held under the shadow of the 7 October attack.

Two passenger high-speed trains collided in Urda, in the province of Toledo, on the AVE Madrid-Andalusia line, and two carriages fell down an embankment. At least 64 people were killed, making it a new rail disaster on the line. Transport Minister Óscar Puente appeared before the press to give details of the Urda crash.

Fabrizio Favara, the chief executive of the rail operator Iryo, warned in the Senate that the LZB signalling system on the Madrid-Seville line kept disconnecting and that trains struggled to restart afterwards. "Every time the signal disconnects, the train stops," he said, according to Diario AS. El País and El Mundo put the warning 23 days before the accident at Urda, and El País described it as three weeks before the crash.

Storm Adam, the first major DANA of its season, brought torrential rain to a large part of Spain. AEMET issued red warnings for the southern coast of Valencia and northern Alicante, and the state meteorological agency's alerts covered very strong and persistent showers along the peninsular Mediterranean coast and the Balearic Islands.

A truckers' protest over diesel has emptied supermarkets in southern Italy and left fuel supplies short at seven airports and at filling stations, according to airport warnings carried by Spanish outlets. The strike has also disrupted food production: the owner of one of Italy's large pasta brands said most Italian pasta production is at a standstill.

Volodimir Zelenski met Steve Witkoff, the US envoy, and set out ideas on peace for him to carry to Vladimir Putin in St Petersburg. The meeting took place at the worst moment in relations between Kiev and the White House. Europe is acting as a containment wall for Ukraine against Trump's erratic course, El Independiente argued.

Milei presented his "motosierra" programme at the Casino in Madrid before an audience that included Jaime de Marichalar, Ramón Tamames and figures from the PP and Vox.

Alberto Núñez Feijóo, the PP leader, has confirmed that his party is in talks with Vox to counter an agreement between the PSOE and other left-wing formations in the Senate. The PP is open to compensating Vox with regional senators in exchange for Vox not standing in some provinces.

The PSOE has named Rebeca Torró as its spokesperson following the resignation of Montse Mínguez, who stepped down over the controversy known as the "30 pisos" (30 flats). Mínguez's departure came amid scrutiny of her partner's role as a large property owner who forced evictions, a detail raised in commentary on the case.

The United States has suspended application of the last package of sanctions against Russia, invoking "national interest" as the grounds. The package was designed by the US Congress as a measure to squeeze Russia economically.

Spain's ombudsman, the Defensor del Pueblo, has filed an amparo appeal with the Constitutional Court over the suspension of voting rights for people naturalised under the so-called 'ley de nietos' (grandchildren law). The appeal targets the suspension of the vote for thousands of naturalised citizens covered by the measure.

Spain's Civil Protection and Emergencies service is maintaining an alert for very strong and persistent showers and storms along the peninsular Mediterranean coast and the Balearic Islands as the high-impact storm 'Adam' arrives. 'Adam' is the first major DANA of the season, and forecasters expect it to affect a large part of Spain from Saturday.

Frente Amplio and Podemos failed in their attempt to agree a single joint ballot for Spain's 29 November general elections. The two formations will contest the vote separately in almost the whole country, reaching pacts in only five of the 52 constituencies.

The Rocho clan has told the Civil Guard's Central Operative Unit (UCO) that a group linked to Leire Díez asked it to carry out a physical attack on Judge Biedma, who is handling the case involving the brother of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez. The matriarch of the clan made the statement to the UCO, according to El Periódico. The clan acknowledged that the request was to cause 'physical harm' to the judge.

Hazte Oír has filed a prevarication complaint against Constitutional Court president Conde-Pumpido and six other magistrates over their ruling on the amnesty of the malversación offence. The complaint was lodged before the Supreme Court. The seven magistrates are accused of prevarication in the amnesty decision concerning the malversación charge.

Spain's new housing decree requires public administrations to take on the debt of vulnerable tenants in order to stop evictions. The package also reinforces compensation for tenants and includes rental contract extensions through 2028. It introduces interest-free loans of 50,000 euros to help with a home purchase, with eligibility conditions still to be defined.

Partido Popular leader Alberto Feijóo has raised doubts about postal voting and will ask Spain's Junta Electoral for "additional measures" to guarantee the process. He said he trusts postal workers but not Correos management, telling Onda Cero: "Confío en los carteros, pero no en los directivos." The request is aimed at the vote on 29N.

The regional government of Madrid, led by Isabel Díaz Ayuso, asked the courts to order the removal of the housing protest encampment in Puerta del Sol. The request sought precautionary measures against the camp, which has occupied the square over housing demands.

Spain's state meteorological agency AEMET issued a red warning for heavy rain across the Catalan pre-coastal and coastal areas, with torrential downpours forecast for Barcelona and the surrounding region. The Catalan weather service Meteocat also issued its own forecast, and the ES-Alert civil protection message was dispatched to mobile phones in the affected zones.

Spain's consumer price index rose to 4.9 percent in September, the highest rate in more than three years, driven by a sharp increase in fuel prices. Core inflation advanced to 3.1 percent over the same period. The reading leaves inflation just below the 5 percent mark.

The Spanish government's Council of Ministers meeting was delayed because the PSOE and Sumar coalition partners had not reached an agreement on a housing decree. The decree includes rental extensions through 2028, a measure that ran into opposition over large investment funds.

Spanish police began clearing the Benítez beach in Ceuta, transferring hundreds of migrants to the Temporary Reception Centre for Foreigners (CATE). The operation targeted the last section of the beach, where migrants had been staying. The transfers were carried out by the National Police.