Israel summons Spanish ambassador over PM’s ‘serious remarks’, Spain probes disproportionate ticket fees for Bad Bunny concerts and more news from Spain on Thursday May 15th.
Israel summons Spanish ambassador over PM’s ‘serious remarks’
Israel’s foreign ministry on Wednesday said it had summoned the Spanish ambassador for a formal reprimand over “serious remarks” made by Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez.
During a parliamentary session on Wednesday, Sánchez was asked by an MP what the Spanish government was going to do about, among other things, “trading with a genocidal state like Israel”.
Sánchez responded: “We do not do business with a genocidal state,” without referencing Israel.
Advertisement
Israel’s foreign ministry later said in a statement that “following the serious remarks made by Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, the Spanish Ambassador to Israel has been summoned for a reprimand meeting at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Jerusalem tomorrow.”
Sánchez, one of the most outspoken critics of Israel’s offensive in Gaza, infuriated Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government last year by recognising a Palestinian state.
In late April, Spain cancelled a contract to buy bullets from an Israeli company following pressure from the Socialist-led government’s far-left coalition partner — a move swiftly condemned by Israel.
Advertisement
Spain busts lucrative Chinese-Arab money laundering ring
Spanish police on Wednesday said they had broken up a Chinese-Arab ring that laundered $21 million of proceeds from people and drug trafficking through the informal “hawala” money transfer system.
Police said the investigation began after the dismantling of a migrant-trafficking gang transporting mostly Syrians between Algeria and Spain, which led to a probe into their finances.
An Arab branch of the network “took charge of the reception of money in any part of the world”, while a separate Chinese branch supplied the cash in Spain in exchange for cryptocurrencies.
Police arrested 17 mostly Chinese and Syrian suspects in January — 15 in Spain, one in Austria and another in Belgium — said EU law enforcement agency Europol which supported the operation.
The network’s Belgium-based leader had “Jordanian-Palestinian nationality” and facilitated contacts within Spain, police chief inspector Encarna Ortega told a press conference in Madrid.
He is suspected of coordinating a litany of operations, mainly laundering money from the proceeds of trafficking humans and drugs, she added.
In total, the suspects moved $21 million between June 2022 and September 2024, Spanish police said.
Authorities seized from them €205,000 ($229,000) in cash, more than €183,000 in cryptocurrency, 18 vehicles, real estate property and illegal cigars worth more than 600,000 euros destined for sale in China.
Hawala is traditional system of moving money between countries based on confidence and a network of intermediaries with minimal paperwork which is popular in parts of Asia and Africa.
The method is especially common among migrant workers who send remittances to their families, but it has also been linked with financing terrorism.
Spain probes ticket fees for Bad Bunny concerts
Spain’s consumer affairs ministry said Wednesday it has opened a probe into the service fees charged during the sale of tickets for reggaeton superstar Bad Bunny’s 2026 concerts in the country.
The investigation focuses on “potential irregularities in the sale of tickets for concerts in Spain by a well-known international artist”, the ministry said in a statement.
A source close to the matter confirmed to AFP that the artist in question is Puerto Rican singer Bad Bunny, one of the biggest global music stars.
Originally scheduled to perform three shows in Spain — two in Madrid and one in Barcelona — Bad Bunny later added nine more dates across the two cities, selling a total of 600,000 tickets in less than 24 hours through ticketing platforms.
The ministry, which did not name the company under investigation, said it is looking into a major ticket sales and resale firm following consumer complaints about “possible illegal surcharges”.
Consumer advocacy groups reported being charged undisclosed or poorly explained fees during checkout, with some citing a lack of transparency, prior notice, or adequate justification.
“If confirmed, these practices could constitute a violation of consumer protection laws,” the ministry said, adding that it aims to determine whether the service fees comply with “legal requirements on clarity, justification, and proportionality”.
As part of a world tour following the release of his sixth album, “Debi Tirar Mas Fotos” — which pays homage to Puerto Rico’s rich rhythms like plena and sala — Bad Bunny is set to perform two concerts in Barcelona and 10 in Madrid in May and June 2026.
Advertisement
Real Madrid’s Asencio indicted in underage sex video case – reports
Real Madrid defender Raul Asencio has been indicted along with three former youth players at the club, for alleged distribution of a sexual video involving a minor, according to Spanish reports on Wednesday.
The judge at a Gran Canaria court is prosecuting “four footballers” for their alleged involvement in “the recording or non-consensual dissemination of videos of a sexual nature involving a minor and another young girl”, aged 16 and 18 respectively at the time, read a court document seen by AFP.
The judge did not mention Asencio by name, nor specify which player is accused of which misdemeanour.
The players are accused of “disclosure of secrets without consent, and violation of privacy, distributing and sending videos to third parties without consent, capturing and using minors for pornographic purposes and possession of child pornography”.
In September 2023, three unnamed players were arrested at Real Madrid’s training centre following a complaint lodged by the mother of the 16-year-old girl who appears in the video.
At the time, Spanish media reported that the main suspect, whose identity is unknown, had recorded a consensual sexual encounter with the young girl before sending the video to the other players without her consent.
Asencio, 22, has established himself as a first-team regular in his breakthrough season at Madrid.
Fans at various stadiums around Spain have jeered Asencio, with some Barcelona fans chanting “Asencio, to jail” during the Clasico on Sunday.
Real Madrid’s Copa del Rey semi-final win at Real Sociedad in February was briefly paused by the referee after home fans chanted “Asencio die”.
