Latest news with #IsabelDíazAyuso
Irish Times
2 days ago
- Politics
- Irish Times
Attorney general scandal adds to Spanish government woes
The unprecedented legal action being taken against Spain 's attorney general which could see him go on trial and has fuelled calls for his resignation is just the latest in a litany of scandals which have left the Socialist-led government of Pedro Sánchez struggling for stability. This week, a supreme court investigating judge recommended that the attorney general, Álvaro García Ortiz, should face trial for his alleged role in leaking secret information to the media about a tax fraudster. In March 2024, Spanish media reported details of a plea deal which Alberto González Amador, boyfriend of the conservative president of the Madrid regional government Isabel Díaz Ayuso, had proposed to the general attorney's office. The tax office had found that González Amador had avoided paying about €350,000 from earnings made from importing healthcare material during the Covid-19 pandemic. READ MORE The media reports corrected a false claim made by Díaz Ayuso's team that the attorney general's office had been the one to offer a deal. The investigating judge, Ángel Luis Hurtado, has now accused the attorney general himself of being the source of the reports. According to the judge, the leak aimed 'to make clear that, according to [García Ortiz], the attorney general had not offered any deal of this kind'. Díaz Ayuso, a prominent figure on the right, has been a fierce critic of the government. If he does go on trial, which now looks likely, and were to be found guilty, García Ortiz could receive a jail sentence of up to four years. However, the most damaging allegation, as far as the government is concerned, was that the attorney general, who it proposed for the post, was acting on the orders of the prime minister's office. The left-wing coalition government has staunchly defended the attorney general and justice minister Félix Bolanos flatly denied the claim the government was involved in the leak. [ Catalan amnesty expected to get court blessing amid political turmoil Opens in new window ] 'I regret very much that the supreme court should make such a serious assertion without any evidence, because that never happened,' he said. However, the opposition says García Ortiz cannot remain in his post. 'The situation regarding the attorney general is unprecedented in our democracy, you must demand his resignation,' Alberto Núñez Feijóo, the leader of the conservative Popular Party (PP), told Sánchez in Congress on Wednesday. The opposition leader has cast this as the latest in a series of scandals to affect the government. Sánchez's wife, Begona Gómez, has been investigated for possible business irregularities and his musician brother, David, is due to go on trial for alleged influence peddling in being appointed to a public post. A former Socialist minister, José Luis Ábalos, is being investigated on suspicion of profiting from a kickback scheme when he was in government. Meanwhile, a former Socialist party official, Leire Díez, has been caught on tape offering favourable treatment to a businessman in exchange for incriminating information on the police unit carrying out investigations into several cases affecting the government. Many judicial experts have said the attorney general's position is untenable. However, a large number have also expressed concerns about the judge's investigation, pointing to an apparent lack of evidence against García Ortiz. Tensions between the government and the judiciary have been escalating since Sánchez's administration introduced an amnesty law for Catalan nationalists last year. Many on the left see the ongoing investigations as part of a campaign by magistrates with right-wing allegiances. Government spokeswoman Pilar Alegría said that 'at this point certain judges are doing things which are difficult to understand'. A recent poll by the national statistics institute found that 78 per cent of Spaniards do not trust the impartiality of their justice system in cases involving political parties.
Telegraph
28-04-2025
- Climate
- Telegraph
Spain, France and Portugal hit by Europe's largest power cut
Spain, Portugal and parts of France were plunged into chaos after power outages grounded flights, stopped trains and left whole cities without electricity or phone signal. Although the cause of one of Europe's largest blackouts has yet to be established, some senior officials have blamed it on a cyberattack. Hospitals were forced to use emergency generators and the Spanish government urged motorists to stay off the roads after traffic controls went down in the country shortly after noon local time. All three countries are investigating the cause of the blackout. Juan Manuel Moreno, the president of the regional government of the Spanish region of Andalucia, said: 'Everything points to a blackout of this magnitude only being due to a cyberattack.' The senior politician in Spain's opposition centre-Right Popular Party said he had not received confirmation from the federal government in Madrid and had reached his conclusion 'solely based on our own data'. Isabel Díaz Ayuso, the president of the regional government of Madrid, called on Pedro Sánchez, the Spanish prime minister, to trigger the highest level emergency plan. 'We ask the national government to activate Plan 3 so that the Army can maintain order if necessary,' Ms Ayuso said. The Madrid Open tennis competition was abandoned. Jacob Fearnley, the British tennis player, was forced to leave the clay court, after scoreboards and a camera above the court were affected. The city's metro was evacuated with photos of passengers stumbling through dark tunnels of the underground network appearing online. Mobile networks have also been hit, with reception either patchy or non-existent in areas. In Madrid and Barcelona, people were seen heading into the streets, holding their smartphones up to try to connect to a network. The Portuguese Cabinet convened an emergency meeting and Mr Sánchez visited power distributor Red Eléctrica to follow efforts at restoring grid operations. Red Eléctrica says restoring power to large parts of the country could take six to10 hours. The company declined to speculate on the causes of the blackout. It said it was recovering power in the north and south of the peninsula, which would help to progressively restore the electricity supply nationwide. Kathy Diaz Romero, from Sant Celoni, a small town in Catalonia, said residents had not been told what was going on. 'There's no traffic lights, no trains, no subways. They still haven't said anything about why it happened,' she said. 'It's coming back on slowly in my town but there's still lots of places without power at all.' Trevor Court, who lives in Lloret de Mar near Barcelona, said: 'My power went off at 12.30pm. At first I thought it was a substation. But friends in Barcelona and Zaragoza messaged to say they had no electricity. 'Most places are electric. So now they have no way to cook, have a hot drink or charge their phone, or buy food as some supermarkets and shops have closed, or get petrol as pumps are out. Or charge EV's.' Europe's biggest outage to date was in 2003, when 56 million people in Italy and parts of Switzerland were left without electricity for up to 12 hours. With the whole of Spain reportedly without power, as well as swathes of southern France and Portugal, Monday's cuts could surpass the 2003 incident in terms of the number of people affected. The largest power cut in history was in India in 2012 when 700 million people, roughly 10 per cent of the world's population at the time, were left without electricity.
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Madrid bans laptops and tablets in classrooms
Primary school children in Madrid will be banned from using laptops and tablets in classrooms to protect their mental and physical health. Madrid's regional government has said it is removing devices out of concern for children's mental wellbeing and the impact of addiction to screens and exposure to inappropriate material online, promising instead a return to traditional teaching methods. Emilio Viciana, Madrid's regional education minister, said on Thursday that the misuse of computers and tablets was affecting children's health and at the root of 'mental issues such as depression'. He also said numerous studies have shown that 'the ability to read and write does not develop equally when working on a screen as opposed to paper'. Madrid's government, led by the outspoken conservative regional premier Isabel Díaz Ayuso, said it is the first in Spain to take such a step, which will apply to schoolchildren up to the age of 12. The ban, which will come into force for the next academic year, affects some 2,000 publicly-funded schools in the Madrid region, with those centres which have switched their curricula to a predominantly computer-based system given an extra year to adopt the measures. Mr Viciana explained that the individual use of a screen by pupils in the classroom will not be permitted, but a limited amount of time can still be spent on supervised collective learning of how to use computer technology. In the first five years of primary education, between the ages of three and eight, the maximum time allowed for tech classes will be one hour a week, extending to two hours for pupils aged 11 to 12. Teachers will no longer be allowed to set homework on digital platforms. 'We intend to return to the essence of books, notebooks, dictation, careful spelling and handwriting, and we will make all of this compatible with ensuring that Madrid students acquire the much-needed digital skills,' a spokesman for Ms Ayuso's government said. The move has received criticism from some parents' groups and teachers' unions. 'The problem with screens is not in educational centres, but rather within families. It's the school's job to teach how to use them,' said Isabel Galvín, the education secretary of the CCOO, Spain's largest trade union. In the UK, a recent report by the House of Commons education committee expressed concerns about the use of tech in the classroom. Noting that Britain's educational technology sector is the largest in Europe with more schools in England using AI than ever before, the report urged the Labour government to carry out a risk assessment and to ensure Ofcom checks on the safety of software and the use of children's data. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Yahoo
17-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Madrid's ‘Margaret Thatcher': Let's take the testosterone out of politics
Isabel Díaz Ayuso, the conservative leader of Madrid, has much in common with Donald Trump and indeed many of the Right-wing leaders shaping world politics. But there is a noticeable difference that sets her apart: her openness to mass migration. Madrid is having a major moment, topping the charts for economic growth and investment amid a mammoth tourism boom fuelled by her low-tax, business-friendly policies. The city is 'blazing a trail', as she modestly puts it during an interview in the presidential office, where she has ruled the Madrid region for almost six years. 'It is Spain's most fashionable region right now,' she said ahead of a speech on Monday at the Margaret Thatcher Conference in London. So far, so good for those who care to listen from Washington. However, while she has said she would continue to tow a pro-US line, she also wants to provide a safe haven for Latin American migrants, including many who have fled the political and economic decline of Venezuela under Nicolás Maduro, its Bolivarian socialist leader. 'We are the new Miami, an open door between Europe and the American continent where people come not only to find work but to bring their business and families – it's our version of the American dream,' Ms Ayuso said. Last year, most European economies stagnated, but Spain's grew by 3.2 per cent, prompting the government to raise its 2025 growth forecast to 2.6 per cent. The primary factors were mass migration and tourists keeping Spain the world's second most-visited country. Strong growth meant half a million new jobs were added to a record 21.3 million people in employment in 2024, 13.5 per cent of whom were migrants. Madrid is leading the pack. The region Ms Ayuso presides over has overtaken Catalonia to become Spain's biggest regional economy, raking in more than 70 per cent of foreign investment in Spain last year. 'There is unprecedented international investment and global interest in Madrid,' she told The Telegraph, attributing the region's success to her Thatcherite policies of low taxation and removing barriers to enterprise. The 46-year-old conservative firebrand is widely tipped to become Spain's first female prime minister, although she denies such lofty ambitions and pledges loyalty to the current leadership of Spain's People's Party (PP). It is Ms Ayuso who noisily goes head to head with Pedro Sánchez, Spain's Left-wing prime minister, rather than Alberto Núnez Feijóo, the mild-mannered PP leader. The president of the Madrid region contrasts the success of her economically liberal and socially laissez-faire Madrid with what she describes as an 'obsession' with wokery from the socialist-led national government. Spain's regions can apply their own regional taxes on wealth and economic activity, but in 2021 Ms Ayuso announced that she had decided to scrap the lot. One of the last to go was a tax on the installation of gaming machines in bars. 'Madrid is the only place in Spain without its own regional taxes. We have applied low taxation, the right level of taxation. Madrid is the most competitive region, with the most digital employment and highest salaries, and the greatest openness to investment.' Income tax in Madrid is the lowest in Spain across most earnings bands, thanks to a series of cuts made by Ms Ayuso's administration to its regional rates, which are applied on top of national basic levels. By way of contrast, she claimed that Mr Sánchez's governments, backed by hard-Left parties, including Catalan and Basque separatists, have raised taxes 93 times since the socialist leader took power in 2018. Margaret Thatcher is Ms Ayuso's role model in creating a liberalised economy where individuals flourish. But she is quick to deny having radical desires to take a Musk-style chainsaw to the public sector. She insists she is a 'Spanish liberal', suggesting society and state must play some role – or risk chaos. Ms Ayuso welcomed Javier Milei, Argentina's maverick president, to Madrid last year but she says there are significant differences in their political visions. Mr Milei has said that the concept of the state and taxation in general is 'immoral'. Turning to today's trans-Atlantic relations, the Madrid leader expressed concern that tension between the Trump administration and other Western governments could cause a damaging split, as well as a worry that Ukraine will not get the peace deal it deserves. 'International leaders – and I mean all of them – need to apply more diplomacy and less testosterone to resolve this situation. But we mustn't forget that this was an invasion and we need to help Ukraine recover as quickly as possible. 'The lifestyle and values of the West cannot be broken apart in two weeks or a month like a house of cards. I refuse to accept that after centuries together, and especially after building the European Union, the West could fragment after a few weeks of heated rhetoric.' She adds: 'My Madrid government is always pro-US, Nato, EU and especially pro-West. I am a total admirer of Reagan. Whenever I saw the US flag, I always thought these are my people.' She is in good company with Mr Trump and Mr Milei, both of whom have clashed with Mr Sánchez. Ms Ayuso believes Mr Sánchez's government is bent on telling people how to live, with further regulations on unhealthy food, and even whether you can have a pet, including a new qualification that would be required of dog owners. 'These laws go way beyond the normal sphere of government. There is a move toward judging people according to what you eat, what you wear, whether you are the right kind of man, the right kind of woman… They don't respect the space of the individual.' Over the past year, Ms Ayuso's conflict with Mr Sánchez's national government has reached a new level after media revelations that Alberto González Amador, her partner, was being investigated by a Madrid court for alleged tax evasion. Ms Ayuso and her team have argued that the case was deliberately leaked by Spain's attorney general, who is now himself the subject of a court probe for allegedly revealing secrets. 'There is a concerted state operation against me. The tax office opened an inspection against my partner, when he was not my partner, and what should have just ended up as a fine has now been a national issue for a year, fuelled by media outlets that are fed directly by government ministries.' Ms Ayuso accused Mr Sánchez of using the case involving Mr González Amador to deflect from the fact that the prime minister's wife and brother are both being investigated for alleged corruption. 'They generate hatred to bolster their support. These cases are not comparable. My partner did not come to the table to do business like the wife of the prime minister. I have not used my position to benefit my partner with a single contract.' Alleging a dirty tricks campaign by Spain's government, Ms Ayuso claimed that the recent robbery of a computer belonging to her partner's lawyer was 'not done by amateurs' and that the homes of friends and family had also been broken into. 'Watergate was a joke compared to this. Nixon was a good president with an international reputation, so it's wrong to compare him with Sánchez.' Turning back to her home city, the 'new Miami', she points out that it will next year host its first Formula 1 Grand Prix and see another influx of visitors when Spain co-hosts the 2030 men's football World Cup with Portugal and Morocco. 'Madrid is the defence of freedom in all its forms. We saw this during the pandemic, and now in everyday life; the streets are buzzing, day and night, and everyone can find the lifestyle they want.' Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Telegraph
17-03-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
Madrid's ‘Margaret Thatcher': Let's take the testosterone out of politics
Isabel Díaz Ayuso, the conservative leader of Madrid, has much in common with Donald Trump and indeed many of the Right-wing leaders shaping world politics. But there is a noticeable difference that sets her apart: her openness to mass migration. Madrid is having a major moment, topping the charts for economic growth and investment amid a mammoth tourism boom fuelled by her low-tax, business-friendly policies. The city is 'blazing a trail', as she modestly puts it during an interview in the presidential office, where she has ruled the Madrid region for almost six years. 'It is Spain's most fashionable region right now,' she said ahead of a speech on Monday at the Margaret Thatcher Conference in London. So far, so good for those who care to listen from Washington. However, while she has said she would continue to tow a pro-US line, she also wants to provide a safe haven for Latin American migrants, including many who have fled the political and economic decline of Venezuela under Nicolás Maduro, its Bolivarian socialist leader. ' We are the new Miami, an open door between Europe and the American continent where people come not only to find work but to bring their business and families – it's our version of the American dream,' Ms Ayuso said. Last year, most European economies stagnated, but Spain's grew by 3.2 per cent, prompting the government to raise its 2025 growth forecast to 2.6 per cent. The primary factors were mass migration and tourists keeping Spain the world's second most-visited country. Strong growth meant half a million new jobs were added to a record 21.3 million people in employment in 2024, 13.5 per cent of whom were migrants. Madrid is leading the pack. The region Ms Ayuso presides over has overtaken Catalonia to become Spain's biggest regional economy, raking in more than 70 per cent of foreign investment in Spain last year. 'There is unprecedented international investment and global interest in Madrid,' she told The Telegraph, attributing the region's success to her Thatcherite policies of low taxation and removing barriers to enterprise. The 46-year-old conservative firebrand is widely tipped to become Spain's first female prime minister, although she denies such lofty ambitions and pledges loyalty to the current leadership of Spain's People's Party (PP). It is Ms Ayuso who noisily goes head to head with Pedro Sánchez, Spain's Left-wing prime minister, rather than Alberto Núnez Feijóo, the mild-mannered PP leader. The president of the Madrid region contrasts the success of her economically liberal and socially laissez-faire Madrid with what she describes as an 'obsession' with wokery from the socialist-led national government. Spain's regions can apply their own regional taxes on wealth and economic activity, but in 2021 Ms Ayuso announced that she had decided to scrap the lot. One of the last to go was a tax on the installation of gaming machines in bars. 'Madrid is the only place in Spain without its own regional taxes. We have applied low taxation, the right level of taxation. Madrid is the most competitive region, with the most digital employment and highest salaries, and the greatest openness to investment.' Income tax in Madrid is the lowest in Spain across most earnings bands, thanks to a series of cuts made by Ms Ayuso's administration to its regional rates, which are applied on top of national basic levels. By way of contrast, she claimed that Mr Sánchez's governments, backed by hard-Left parties, including Catalan and Basque separatists, have raised taxes 93 times since the socialist leader took power in 2018. Margaret Thatcher is Ms Ayuso's role model in creating a liberalised economy where individuals flourish. But she is quick to deny having radical desires to take a Musk-style chainsaw to the public sector. She insists she is a 'Spanish liberal', suggesting society and state must play some role – or risk chaos. Ms Ayuso welcomed Javier Milei, Argentina's maverick president, to Madrid last year but she says there are significant differences in their political visions. Mr Milei has said that the concept of the state and taxation in general is 'immoral'. Turning to today's trans-Atlantic relations, the Madrid leader expressed concern that tension between the Trump administration and other Western governments could cause a damaging split, as well as a worry that Ukraine will not get the peace deal it deserves. 'International leaders – and I mean all of them – need to apply more diplomacy and less testosterone to resolve this situation. But we mustn't forget that this was an invasion and we need to help Ukraine recover as quickly as possible. 'The lifestyle and values of the West cannot be broken apart in two weeks or a month like a house of cards. I refuse to accept that after centuries together, and especially after building the European Union, the West could fragment after a few weeks of heated rhetoric.' She adds: 'My Madrid government is always pro-US, Nato, EU and especially pro-West. I am a total admirer of Reagan. Whenever I saw the US flag, I always thought these are my people.' She is in good company with Mr Trump and Mr Milei, both of whom have clashed with Mr Sánchez. Ms Ayuso believes Mr Sánchez's government is bent on telling people how to live, with further regulations on unhealthy food, and even whether you can have a pet, including a new qualification that would be required of dog owners. 'These laws go way beyond the normal sphere of government. There is a move toward judging people according to what you eat, what you wear, whether you are the right kind of man, the right kind of woman… They don't respect the space of the individual.' Over the past year, Ms Ayuso's conflict with Mr Sánchez's national government has reached a new level after media revelations that Alberto González Amador, her partner, was being investigated by a Madrid court for alleged tax evasion. Ms Ayuso and her team have argued that the case was deliberately leaked by Spain's attorney general, who is now himself the subject of a court probe for allegedly revealing secrets. 'There is a concerted state operation against me. The tax office opened an inspection against my partner, when he was not my partner, and what should have just ended up as a fine has now been a national issue for a year, fuelled by media outlets that are fed directly by government ministries.' Ms Ayuso accused Mr Sánchez of using the case involving Mr González Amador to deflect from the fact that the prime minister's wife and brother are both being investigated for alleged corruption. 'They generate hatred to bolster their support. These cases are not comparable. My partner did not come to the table to do business like the wife of the prime minister. I have not used my position to benefit my partner with a single contract.' Alleging a dirty tricks campaign by Spain's government, Ms Ayuso claimed that the recent robbery of a computer belonging to her partner's lawyer was 'not done by amateurs' and that the homes of friends and family had also been broken into. 'Watergate was a joke compared to this. Nixon was a good president with an international reputation, so it's wrong to compare him with Sánchez.' Turning back to her home city, the 'new Miami', she points out that it will next year host its first Formula 1 Grand Prix and see another influx of visitors when Spain co-hosts the 2030 men's football World Cup with Portugal and Morocco. ' Madrid is the defence of freedom in all its forms. We saw this during the pandemic, and now in everyday life; the streets are buzzing, day and night, and everyone can find the lifestyle they want.'
