Spanish News Today Editors Roundup Weekly Bulletin July 25
TOP STORY: "EU passport stamping to be phased out while tourist visa fee nearly triples" & "Shark attacks in Spain?!"
In this week’s Editor’s Roundup Weekly Bulletin, here pretty much at the halfway point of the summer, we have confirmation from the EU of when they’re going to introduce their new, fancy, high-tech passport control system, and how much they’ll charge in the end for the accompany travel authorisation.
Plus, frightful encounters in the Spanish seas, wildfires, weird weather and the usual mix of stories from around Murcia, Alicante, Andalucía and the rest of Spain!
EU confirms start date for Entry-Exit System and triples ETIAS fee
This week, the European Union confirmed the start date for their new electronic passport scanning system, the long-delayed Entry/Exit System (EES), which is finally being rolled out as of October.
The system, the launch of which has been pushed back countless times, introduces fingerprinting and facial scans at EU borders and reduces the need for stamping the passports of non-resident, non-EU citizens entering the Schengen area.
Starting from October 12, 2025 (which, fittingly enough, is the Día de la Hispanidad, a national holiday in Spain), the EU will begin installing its new tech-heavy border controls, though not all at once. Rather than a grand, synchronised launch, officials have opted for what’s being described by some wags as “border roulette”.
Some entry points will be EES-ready, demanding biometrics, while others will stick with the traditional method of stamping passports.
If you’re lucky enough to hit an EES-ready checkpoint, you’ll be required to donate four fingerprints and have your face photographed for the EU’s shiny new central database. Children under 12 are spared the fingerprinting.
Despite all this digitisation, passports will still be manually stamped during a six-month transitional phase. But come April 2026, the stamps will also be scrapped.
Meanwhile, the EU has also confirmed a price hike for its new ETIAS travel authorisation scheme, which is like the continental cousin of the UK’s ETA and which needed the EES to be in place before it could begin. And before it’s even begun, their putting the price up. Now that’s inflation for you!
Originally touted as a €7 fee, the ETIAS will now set UK, US and Australian holidaymakers back €20. Under 18s and over 70s get it for free, though, and it’s valid for three years.
In short, a European getaway may soon look very different, but it should be remembered that this only applies to citizens of countries not in the EU, and then only if they do not have residency status in a European country. British expats in Spain are fine, but family members coming over to visit will be affected.
Shark attacks in Spain?!
Swimmers in Mallorca have been dealing with an alarming hazard this week. An elderly Italian tourist got a nasty shock while taking what should have been a pleasant swim at Playa de Palma when something in the water decided she looked like lunch.
Panicked lifeguards, fearing a shark attack, immediately closed off the beach and began to search for the predator, but it was nowhere to be found.
The exact identity of her underwater attacker remains a mystery that has marine biologists scratching their heads. Some point to triggerfish, aggressive little characters with parrot-like beaks that can pack a surprising punch.
Others suspect it might have been a bluefish, a sleek predator that’s been showing up more frequently in Mediterranean waters as temperatures rise.
Whatever it was, the incident has highlighted something marine experts have been noticing more often: the changing chemistry of the Mediterranean is bringing new species into contact with swimmers.
What used to be rare encounters are becoming, well, less rare. It’s yet another reminder that our warming oceans are full of surprises, not all of them pleasant.
That point was driven home even more dramatically when a paddleboarder off Fuerteventura found himself face to face with something much more intimidating than a triggerfish.
The man was enjoying a solo session about two miles from shore when a shark rammed his board and left him with a nasty leg wound. Fortunately, he managed to get himself back to safety and received prompt medical attention.
The waters around the Canary Islands are known to host various shark species, including hammerheads and angel sharks, but actual attacks remain extraordinarily rare. This latest incident brings Spain’s total confirmed shark encounters to 13, with the only fatality dating back more than a century to the Balearics.
So nothing to worry about too much. Still, authorities have issued precautionary warnings for anyone venturing far from shore.
Migration after migration
Despite much pushback from around the country, Spain is pushing ahead with its plan to relocate and rehome unaccompanied migrant children from overcrowded and overwhelmed areas like the Canary Islands and Ceuta to safer, better-equipped regions across the country.
The newly approved protocol aims to support some of the most vulnerable individuals in the country: children who have arrived alone, far from home without any family or parents, often after harrowing journeys and unimaginable hardship.
The first transfers will begin at the end of August, with Valencia, Catalonia and Andalucía due to receive the lion’s share of the first batch of rehoused children. Each community will also receive several million euros in funding to help support their care.
Shockingly, some regional governments have objected to offering these unaccompanied children a place of refuge, but the government has made it clear that international human rights law will be upheld and they will not be deported. The wellbeing of these children is not up for political negotiation, they say.
The situation is particularly delicate in places like Torre Pacheco, where all the troubles and riots of last week are no longer going on but where tetchiness around migration is at peak.
In fact, in the wake of the troubling incidents in Torre Pacheco, the city of Murcia hosted a peaceful antiracism march this Monday evening. The event drew together a wide array of local groups and political parties under a unified banner promoting respect and inclusion.
Ultimately, this is about compassion, solidarity and human dignity and many communities in Spain do recognise the basic human decency in protecting children, no matter where they were born.
Murcia
A freak summer storm battered northern Murcia this Thursday, turning the recent scorching heatwave weather into something straight out of a disaster movie: hailstones the size of golf balls, roads turned into rivers, cars getting their windows smashed by ice and people wading through knee-deep water just to clear drains.In Caravaca de la Cruz, 17 people had to be evacuated from their homes and put up in the municipal sports hall overnight, while places like Moratalla and Calasparra were battered by torrents of rain and freak hailstorms. Even a few forest fires popped up in the chaos, sparked by lightning strikes, only to be put out by the same storm that caused them.
It’s all calm and back to normal now, and looks to be another nice, sunny weekend coming up, with the kind of summer weather we’re used to. But still, quite dramatic to have such a powerful blizzard in July, right?
A family outing in La Manga del Mar Menor turned into a nightmare last Sunday when a boat reversed into a 9-year-old boy and his aunt while they were swimming off Playa Ensenada del Esparto, on the Mediterranean side.
The reverse gear reportedly jammed as the boy’s uncle tried to reposition the boat, causing it to lurch backwards. The child suffered deep lacerations to both legs and was rushed to intensive care after emergency surgery, while his 37-year-old aunt also ended up in hospital with a serious thigh injury. Both are now in a stable condition, thankfully.
A day later, there was more drama in the same area when a mysterious brown stain stretching over two kilometres prompted immediate red flag closures at several La Manga beaches.
At first, people thought there must be a leaking sewage pipe, but actually the brown, filmy stuff floating on the surface of the water was found to have come from a boat not far out at sea. Some combination of grey water and bilge water, apparently, with the appearance of palm oil and human filth.
Over the nearly 24-hour period when the beaches were closed, official crews used jet skis to try to break up the spill and get it to dissipate, and drones to monitor the situation. By midday on Tuesday, the beaches had reopened and intrepid bathers once again began swimming in the ‘pristine’ water.
Just over on the other side of the La Manga strip, though, in the Mar Menor, a sinister spike in chlorophyll has been recorded, which in this context signals a dangerous algal bloom.
Chlorophyll levels are now five times higher than they were two years ago, which has turned the lagoon murky and robbed it of vital sunlight. The danger is not immediate fish death for now, but it’s not a good sign for the lagoon’s ecosystem.
Scientists believe this may be the ghost of summers past, with decades of nutrients that were lying dormant in the sediment being rudely reawakened by this year’s early heatwaves and water temperatures reaching a bath-like 32ºC. Hopefully, if these problems can rear their heads all by themselves, they can just easily slip away again. Let’s see.
Talking of things that slip quietly away, the tragicomic saga of the Camposol hospital seems to have come to a definitive end. Promised with great fanfare in 2021 as a private medical beacon for the southwest of the region, the Hospital del Guadalentín was fitted out with cutting-edge equipment like a Da Vinci precision surgical robot, plus a whole team of hopeful professionals.Unfortunately, what it lacked was patients. Apparently, running an A&E for 10 people a day – mostly sunburned expats with mild vertigo – is not a viable business model, particularly when the doctors want things like salaries.
After just six months of operation, the hospital quietly fell into a death spiral of unpaid staff and rapidly dwindling services, finally shutting its doors for good earlier this year. Today, it stands empty, an €11 million monument to over-ambition and the enduring optimism of anyone who thought “build it and they will come” applies to emergency medicine.
Sadly, the hospital that everyone had such high hopes for now joins that distinguished pantheon of Murcian follies, alongside the Paramount theme park that never was and various defunct Polaris World golf resorts with more tumbleweed than tee-offs. But never say never… they’ll have to do something with that building eventually, won’t they?
Lastly, Airport Buses, the relatively new coach service linking Murcia’s Corvera Airport to the wider world, is asking passengers for feedback on where it should go next. After a successful start connecting sun-seekers to Torrevieja, San Javier and various bits of Almería over the last couple of months, the company is looking to expand.
Their summer schedule is already locked in, of course, but come autumn, new stops can be added if enough people ask for them. It’s a refreshingly functional, customer-led approach. If you have a strong opinion about what new stops you would like to see, you can cast your vote using the online poll here.
Coming up this Saturday in Murcia, an all-singing, all-dancing fundraiser for pet charity PAPS in Los Alcázares; late-night wine tasting meets astronomy in Caravaca; and a free guided tour – in English! – of San Javier which is very popular (not to worry, these guided tours are a semi-regular occurrence, so if you miss this one you can always catch one of the future ones. See the San Javier What’s On page for regular updates.) Then next Tuesday there is a free Frank Sinatra tribute act in Los Alcázares and loads more going on all summer. Check it all out here:
Spain
Summer has brought Spain a familiar but unwelcome visitor: wildfire season is back with a vengeance. This week alone, firefighters have been battling blazes across a dozen regions, from the outskirts of Madrid where flames licked dangerously close to the city’s zoo to the hills of Andalucía where emergency crews deployed everything from helicopters to earthmovers to contain the spread.What makes this year particularly challenging isn’t just the heat, but an unintended consequence of last spring’s abundant rainfall. All that lovely green growth has now turned into a tinderbox of dried vegetation, creating what fire chiefs describe as some of the most volatile conditions they’ve seen.
When you combine that with the fierce winds that have been whipping across the country, you get fires that move faster than crews can contain them.
The irony isn’t lost on emergency services: the wet weather that filled Spain’s reservoirs and had everyone celebrating has now become part of the problem. Nature, it seems, has a sense of humour that firefighters could do without.
While crews battle immediate threats from flames, environmental groups are sounding alarms about slower-moving but equally serious dangers facing Spain’s iconic coastline.
Greenpeace has just released research suggesting that some of the country’s most treasured beaches might not be around for much longer, at least not in any recognisable form.
The news is particularly sobering for the Costa del Sol, where popular resort towns could see their beaches retreat by tens of metres in the coming decades. It’s a sad thought for anyone who’s ever enjoyed a holiday in Marbella or Torremolinos as the sandy stretches that define these destinations are literally disappearing beneath the waves.
The problem isn’t just rising seas, though that’s certainly part of it. Decades of building right up to the water’s edge have stripped away the natural defences that once protected these shores. What environmental campaigners call the ‘sun and sand’ approach to tourism development is now coming back to bite, leaving beaches vulnerable to erosion and storm damage.Over in the Balearics, the situation looks even more dramatic. Some of Mallorca’s postcard-perfect coves could vanish entirely before today’s children reach retirement age. It’s hard to imagine the island without its stunning beaches, but that’s exactly what researchers are warning could happen if current trends continue.
And finally, on to the budget Irish airline that we all love to hate! Ryanair, never shy about stirring controversy, has confirmed what many suspected for years: they’re paying cabin crew a little bonus every time they catch passengers trying to sneak oversized bags onto flights.
It’s only about €1.50 per catch, but it’s enough to keep staff motivated in their role as baggage police.
The airline’s famously outspoken boss Michael O’Leary makes no apologies for the practice, arguing that rule-breakers slow down boarding and annoy the vast majority of passengers who play by the rules.
Whether you see this as smart business or petty enforcement probably depends on whether you’ve ever been caught with a bag that’s just a few centimetres too big.
The strategy seems to be working, at least financially. Ryanair just posted profits that would make their competitors weep with envy, doubling their earnings compared to last year. Average ticket prices are up too, though the CEO warns that various global uncertainties could still throw a spanner in the works.
Even so, he remains hopeful that Ryanair will claw back most of the fare drop it experienced last year and finish the 2025 to 2026 financial year with healthy profits.
Alicante
A fire nearly tore into residents’ homes in Torrevieja last Saturday July 19. Homeowners in Torreta III urbanisation watched in terror as the wildfire spread across the natural park towards their homes.
The beautiful natural surroundings by the lakeside are an enviable perk of living in this part of such a built-up municipality, but they come with a risk, especially in the summer, of a blaze breaking out.
Firefighters, with local police and Guardia Civil in support, reached the scene at about 7pm and had extinguished the blaze by 10pm, but not before it had razed a swathe of salt marsh vegetation, canes and shrubs.
The thick plume of smoke was visible for kilometres all around, including the towns of San Miguel de Salinas and Los Montesinos. Fortunately no injuries or damage to peoples’ homes were reported.
¡Incendio en el entorno de la laguna de Torrevieja! Esta tarde se ha declarado un incendio en la zona de la laguna de #Torrevieja. Los bomberos ya trabajan en su extinción, pero el viento lo va a complicar. Los vídeos nos los envían Miguel y Gastón. pic.twitter.com/F1rFLSNd5V
— Proyecto Mastral (@ProyectoMastral) July 19, 2025
The point of origin was at one end of an abandoned municipal mud spa. Known as “el caracol” (the snail), this unique coiled wooden structure, originally covered in sheets of copper, was designed by world-renowned Japanese architect Toyo Ito and cost well over €1 million.
He was commissioned by the local council in 2000 to create a massive “relaxation park” as a flagship of the town’s attempt to rebrand itself with a more upmarket image.
However, only one building was ever started and had to be stopped in 2006 after the state coasts department (Costas) found that it invaded public domain land.
Despite various Town Hall claims that it was going to be repaired or repurposed, instead it has been vandalised, stripped of its copper, set fire to on at least two previous occasions and used as a clandestine drinking den.
Now all that remains is a stark reminder of the lawless excesses of Spain’s construction boom in the early 2000s, and a blackened scab by the protected natural park.
Meanwhile, a British man in the town of Pedreguer was given a pointed reminder of why Spain’s famous bull runs are not for the faint-hearted.
The 47-year-old had decided to join in with the ‘bous cerrils’ fiesta on July 17 when he was caught by a bull which gored him in the leg, causing a serious gash. The man was taken to Dénia hospital for treatment, after which he was said to be in a stable condition.
That same day, a French tourist and his two small children, aged 2 and 5, were seriously injured when they were hit by a drunk driver in Jávea.
The vehicle veered off the road and struck them at a pedestrian crossing on Avinguda de la Llibertat, when they were leaving the popular Arenal beach, a busy area with a 30kmh speed limit, at about 3.30pm.All three sustained serious injuries and were immobilised at the scene by emergency responders from the Local Police, Guardia Civil, Red Cross and Basic Life Support (SVB) and emergency medical team (SAMU) ambulance crews, then later transferred to Dénia Hospital.
According to the Emergency Services Coordination Centre (CICU), the two-year-old suffered a traumatic brain injury, his older brother had bruising and their father fractures and bruising.
They were all in a stable condition and under observation by the following day, but a local police spokesman said it could have been a tragedy.
Eyewitnesses described chaotic scenes, with many bystanders rushing to help and expressing great relief when the children were heard crying after the impact.
According to the Town Hall, the same vehicle had previously hit two other pedestrians at another zebra crossing moments earlier, including 12-year-old who suffered bruising to a leg that was treated at the local health centre. The vehicle was finally brought to a stop when it collided with a signpost on the pavement.
Police immediately arrested the driver, a 50-year-old Spanish man, when they found he was over the limit for alcohol, and said he is accused of several serious criminal offences.
And the pulsing sounds of the Reggaeton Beach Festival will be returning to Torrevieja for the third consecutive year this weekend at the Antonio Soria Park.The organisers promise that this addition will be bigger and better than ever with non-stop entertainment, combining live performances with water activities, interactive experiences and an extensive international food offering that celebrates the global nature of urban music culture.
An impressive roster of international artists includes headliners Bryant Myers, Justin Quiles, Luar La L, Darell, Clarent, Kevin Roldán, Hades66 and Yan Block, with more big names to be revealed in the coming days.
The technical production has been redesigned, with improved visibility and the brand new Super Stage centrepiece, featuring giant screens, cutting-edge visual effects and an exciting water cannon show that will accompany every performance.
For the duration of RBF 2025, the venue has been transformed into a massive urban entertainment park featuring water slides, sliding walkways, themed pools, mechanical surfing and even human football. Festival-goers can also enjoy makeup areas, misting stations to beat the summer heat and countless photo opportunities to capture their memories.
VIP ticket holders can enjoy a shaded, raised platform with quick access, a prime front-stage viewing area, exclusive bars and bathrooms, premium food trucks and a dedicated chill-out space with personalised services.
For other events and activities happening in the area, check out the What’s On page of Alicante Today or join the Costa Blanca What’s On and Where to Go Facebook group
Andalucía
Drivers heading towards Seville Airport this Monday had more than just boarding passes on their minds when a lorry loaded with live turkeys overturned on the SE-20 ring road. The accident, which happened around 10am at a notoriously rough bend, scattered part of the cargo across the tarmac, feathers and all.Initial reports suggest that a shift in the load near the driver’s cab caused the vehicle to tip as it came into the corner. Some of the cages burst open, sending some birds flapping into the open air and others crashing onto the road
Local police cordoned off the road while clean-up crews worked to recover the surviving turkeys and transfer the rest to another truck. Sadly, some were killed, while others made a short-lived bid for freedom, scattering feathers across the tarmac.
The road was partially closed for a couple of hours, forcing detours for morning commuters. Once the last turkey was rounded up, traffic resumed, and the only reminder of the disruption was a rather feathery stretch of road.
That same day, over on the Cádiz coast, a British pensioner and his son were pulled from the water after being caught in a dangerous current.
The 86-year-old man was swimming at Santa María del Mar beach around midday when he was suddenly dragged out by the tide. His son, in his sixties, swam out to help but soon found himself struggling too. Luckily, a group of surfers spotted the pair and rushed to assist, just before lifeguards and a rescue boat reached the scene.
Both men were taken to Puerta del Mar Hospital, where the father, who has a known heart condition, was reported to be in serious but stable condition.
Local surf instructor Hugo Martínez Campo, who witnessed the incident, said the response from lifeguards was slow.
“There were three people in the water, and the lifeguards didn’t realise one of them was drowning,” he said. He added that rescues like this are becoming worryingly common along the Cádiz coastline this summer.
Martínez also urged swimmers not to underestimate the sea. Many panic and try to swim against strong currents, which only tires them out faster. He’s also calling for better signage at the beach, arguing that more awareness could prevent situations like this one.
While the waves in the sea have proven dangerous, there’s also been a rise in a different kind of tide: shoplifting. And intriguingly, the hottest item for thieves to nab is none other than Andalucía’s very own beloved olive oil.
Retailers across the region are reporting a sharp rise in thefts this summer, with olive oil topping the list of stolen goods. According to new data from Checkpoint Systems Spain, just over a quarter of all shoplifting in the country takes place during the summer months. And in Andalucía, ‘liquid gold’ is proving irresistible.
Despite recent price drops – around 46% in the past few weeks – olive oil is still seen as expensive and highly desirable. For starters, it’s a Spanish staple food, used in making almost any dish, and so pressed families feel the need to have olive oil in the kitchen regardless of their income.
But thefts of oil are also on the rise among tourists, who see it as the perfect Spanish souvenir. Small, easy to stash and seen as a luxury item, it’s become an all-too-tempting prize for sticky-fingered shoppers.
“The rise in thefts reflects a mix of opportunity and value,” explained a spokesperson from Checkpoint’s Market Analytics Department. Shops are particularly vulnerable this time of year, juggling more tourist traffic, temporary staff and faster stock turnover.
So next time you’re browsing the aisles for a bottle of olive oil, don’t be surprised if it’s under lock and key!
You may have missed…
- From rescued migrant to Guardia Civil in Murcia: The remarkable journey of Jean Paul.
Jean Paul Bidias-Ndoe was just 15 years old when he made the perilous journey from Africa to Europe aboard a small boat. Exhausted, disoriented and close to drowning, Jean Paul was rescued by the Guardia Civil. Fifteen years later, Jean Paul has officially joined the ranks of the Guardia Civil himself, and will be completing his training in Murcia this summer. - Alicante’s oldest bookshop forced to close to make way for tourist flats.
The oldest bookshop in Alicante, 80 Mundos, is being forced to close after more than 40 years in operation. The owners have received notice to vacate the premises following the sale of the building to a development and investment company that plans to convert it into tourist rental apartments. - Spain plans 300-metre-tall bull statue to become new national landmark.
Spain may soon be home to one of the tallest sculptures in the world: a colossal 300-metre-high metal bull, promoted by the Spanish Academy of Bullfighting as a new national symbol and tourist magnet. - The natural pool in Murcia that feels like a jacuzzi all year round.
Tucked away in the Region of Murcia lies a hidden gem that feels like nature’s own jacuzzi. Always hovering around 25°C, this crystal-clear spring offers a relaxing swim in one of the most unique settings in the area. National Geographic has even recognised it as a must-visit location for lovers of the outdoors. - And finally, Spain vs. England in the Euro 2025 final this Sunday.
After nail-biting semi-finals which were both settled in extra time, England and Spain will play against each other in the final of the Euros 2025 this Sunday, in what is expected to be a highly competitive rematch of the 2023 World Cup final (which was won by Spain). Who will you be supporting?
And there we have it for this week. Thanks for reading and we’ll be back with more next week!
See ya!
