Barcelona’s Gran Vía named as Spain’s most dangerous road, spam calls still happening, abortions up in Spain and more news on Thursday October 2nd.
Barcelona’s Gran Vía named as Spain’s most dangerous road
Over the past ten years, there have been approximately 124,000 road accidents involving vehicles and pedestrians, resulting in injuries to more than 130,000 pedestrians in Spain.
This is according to a study by the Línea Directa insurance company and road security association Fesvial titled “Walking Safely: Accident Rate and Risks for Pedestrians in Spain”.
A total of 17,000 of affected pedestrians had to go to the hospital, and 3,500 died as a result of traffic accidents.
The study also identifies the most dangerous street in Spain for those moving around on foot, where they are most at risk of being hit by a car. It is located in Barcelona: the Gran Vía, an essential for mobility in the Catalan capital.
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Spam calls still happening in Spain
Many people in Spain are still receiving spam calls, despite new legislation aimed at putting a stop to it.
A study by watchdog Facua found that 36.5 percent of phone users surveyed say they’ve received even more unwanted sales calls than before the recent clampdown by the Spanish government, 36.3 percent receive a similar number and 26.2 percent fewer.
Since June 2025, commercial callers have to use landline phone numbers according to geographic location, specifically assigned for sales communications such as 800 and 900 numbers.
They are no longer able to use ordinary mobile numbers like they have been able to until recently, making it impossible to tell who is calling you.
Abortions up in Spain
A total of 106,172 women had abortions in Spain in 2024, which represents an increase of 3,075 cases compared to the previous year or 2.98 percent more.
This is according to a report of the Spanish Ministry of Health on voluntary interruptions of pregnancy, which also shows that 78.74 percent of the procedures were performed in private centres (concerted or not) and 21.25 percent in public hospitals.
Health Minister Mónica García said that the data demonstrates that public health “is gaining ground in guaranteeing this right”, adding that “we are going in the right direction, but it is still not enough.”
Despite Spain’s 2023 abortion law reform, 12 provinces still did not perform a single abortion in public hospitals in 2024. These are Jaén (Andalusia), Huesca, Teruel (Aragón), Cuenca, Guadalajara, Toledo (Castilla-La Mancha), Ávila, Palencia, Soria, Segovia, Zamora (Castilla y León), and Cáceres (Extremadura).
The latest data from 2023 shows that Spain has the second lowest birth rate in the EU with only 1.12 children per woman.
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Spain PM’s wife appeals trial order in embezzlement case
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s wife Begoña Gómez on Wednesday appealed a judge’s order to stand trial for alleged embezzlement of public funds on grounds of insufficient evidence, court documents showed.
The case is one of several involving Sánchez’s family and former close allies that have embarrassed the Socialist leader and heaped pressure on his minority coalition government.
The investigation centres on whether an assistant assigned to Gómez to help with her duties as the prime minister’s spouse also assisted her with private professional work at a Madrid university.
Judge Juan Carlos Peinado ruled last week that a preliminary investigation provided enough evidence for a jury trial.
He cited emails from the assistant, Cristina Álvarez, that “clearly seem to exceed her duties” in the prime minister’s office.
Gomez’s lawyer challenged the ruling in Wednesday’s appeal, arguing that “the evidence of wrongdoing is non-existent.”
The appeal added that Gómez is “a private individual” and cannot be considered a public worker — a requirement for the embezzlement charges.
Gomez has denied wrongdoing, saying she only occasionally asked her assistant to send messages and that the aide never helped with her professional work.
With additional reporting by AFP.
