Flooding continues to affect southern Spain
Over the past week, much of Spain has been on alert for severe flooding and it continues to worry people across the country.
The number of people evacuated due to flooding in Andalusia has dropped to 6,000 after reaching 11,000 last Friday, but many remain unable to return to their homes.
The areas surrounding the Guadalete and Guadalquivir rivers are currently at red alert level due to the risk of the river banks bursting. Several municipalities near rivers in Castilla y León have also been issued red alerts, including the Duero River near Saucelle (Salamanca).
In Galicia, ten other rivers are on alert for risk of flooding and in Castilla-La Mancha, the regional government has requested special attention be paid to areas of Toledo and Guadalajara for fear of them breaking their banks.
Five babies hospitalised in Spain after consuming contaminated formula
Spain has recorded eight possible cases of infant poisoning from formula contaminated with cereulide toxin since December, according to a report published on Monday by European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). Five of these infants required hospitalisation.
Sources from Health Ministry have said that in cases the babies are now healthy and have since been discharged.
It also hasn't been definitively confirmed that the problem originated from contaminated formula, something they say is "very difficult to verify". The ministry has announced that it will "strengthen surveillance" of this illness anyway and indicated that more possible cases could be detected in the future.
Language learning tourism on the up in Spain
The sixth edition of Fitur Lingua, held during the Fitur 2026 tourism fair in Madrid, revealed that 177,576 students studying Spanish were enrolled in centres across Spain in 2025. This is a record figure, 12.77 percent higher than in 2024 and generated an estimated economic impact of €475 million.
Marketing Director of the Spanish Federation of Spanish Schools (Fedele) Daniel Escalona, explained that most students come from Italy, followed by Germany, then the United States, France and the United Kingdom. This is followed by students from Poland, the Netherlands, and Morocco.
He also indicated that the average stay in Spain for these students is 4.6 weeks.
Spaniards' biggest worries revealed
Rising prices for groceries, inflation, difficulty accessing housing, and illegal squatters are some of the biggest concerns for Spanish citizens currently.
According to a study published by Grupo Mutua Propietarios, three out of ten citizens admit they have difficulty making ends meet with increasing prices and salaries not keeping up with inflation.
The study also shows that renting and buying a home is a big concern for the population. For young people aged 25 to 34 the price of rent is their biggest worry, while those aged 35 to 64 are most concerned about the price of buying.
Illegal occupation of homes, like squatters is another major concern. According to the study, homeowners continue to demand more security and protection.
Comments