Right Wing Politics
Thousands of people attended a rally of the fledgling far-right party VOX as it tries to grab a foothold in Spain’s political spectrum.
Javier Ortega, the party’s general secretary, told the crowd in Madrid yesterday that VOX has “one clear objective: Spaniards first.”
VOX has no lawmakers in the national parliament. Founded in 2013, its hoping that its vehement stance against immigration and against the separatists in Catalonia will allow it to break out of obscurity and into public office.
a poll by Spain’s official statistics office indicates that only 1 percent of voters would cast ballots for VOX if elections were held now.
Train Death
A WOMAN has died after being struck by a train as she went to retrieve a dog that had escaped and wandered onto a railway track in Alicante.
The accident happened in the San Gabriel area as the woman and her husband were walking their three dogs.
One of the dogs ran onto the tracks but as the woman went to retrieve it she was hit by the Talgo train service from Barcelona.
The line was closed for several hours while police investigated the incident.
It is not known if the dog survived the accident.
Sun Tax
Spain took measures on Friday aimed at reducing electricity bills which are among the highest in Europe.
The government will scrap a controversial Tax on solar power affecting households and small businesses, Energy and Environment Minister Teresa Ribera said, making it easier for consumers to erect panels for their own use.
Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez brought environment and energy together into a ministry when he toppled his conservative predecessor in June, to underline his government’s commitment to environmental sustainability.
Spanish consumers pay the sixth-highest electricity prices in the European Union, according to Eurostat.
Death
Opera singer Montserrat Caballé, has died aged 85.
She had been suffering from health complaints for some time and was admitted to hospital in Barcelona last month.
Her career spanned 50 years.
A government source said Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez would attend Caballe’s funeral, which will be held in in Barcelona, at midday today.