Navigate / search

Real-Atlético: The Match That’s Driving Madrid Mad

MADRID—Want to buy a lighter for €4,650 ($6,349)?

You might if you rooted for either of Madrid’s rival soccer teams and knew that three tickets to their most anticipated match ever were being thrown in “for free.”

As Real Madrid and Atlético Madrid prepare to battle Saturday (2 p.m. ET, Fox) for the Champions League title, Europe’s elite club soccer competition, fans are paying some of the highest prices on record for a seat at the game in the Estádio da Luz in Lisbon.

Retailers Look to Score in World Cup

It reads like a retail riddle: How can a consumer earn nearly €2,000 by spending €949 on a new television?

The deal is part of a competition that was organized by the Media World chain in Italy last month, tied to a much larger competition: the World Cup. Shoppers who bet on an Italian victory in the soccer tournament could get a 200% discount on their purchase if their home team wins.

Spain Still Suffering Fallout From Housing Bust

MADRID— Xacobo Rodriguez, out of work and with an infant child, says he lives in a constant state of dread. “You always fear the day there will be a knock on the door and then you’ll be evicted from your home,” he says.

Mr. Rodriguez, 38 years old, is one of the many Spaniards who can’t pay pricey mortgages taken out before a property bubble popped in 2008. Worse, his mother, who guaranteed his loan with her own home, is also at risk. “I feel we both might sink,” he says.

Gowex’s Lost Magic Quiets Cheers for CEO Lauded as an Innovator

When Jenaro García’s tech company Let’s Gowex SA won the top prize from Spain’s marketing association in May, the presenter hailed him as an innovator who was making wireless Internet ubiquitous, “a magician who converted Wi-Fi into water.”

Mr. García, outfitted in an Indiana Jones-style jacket, appeared before the appreciative crowd alongside Wi-Fi Man, a masked, caped superhero figure.

Catalonia Fines Airbnb, Threatens to Block Locals From Using Site

MADRID—Tapas, shopping, beaches, the famous Gaudi architecture: Catalonia, and in particular its capital Barcelona, has a lot to entice tourists with. But a chance to live like a local and rent a room through Airbnb may soon no longer be one of them.

Catalonia’s regional government said Tuesday that Airbnb is in “serious” breach of regional law and that it has ordered the company to pay €30,000 ($41,000) in fines within the month or begin adhering to Catalan law.

Spanish Tech Company Gowex’s Shares Fall For Second Day

Stock Drops After Report by Investment Firm Gotham City Research

The stock of Spanish tech company Gowex reeled for a second straight day Wednesday in the wake of a scathing report by a New York investment firm, while the selloff spread to other companies in Spain’s junior stock market.

Gowex’s stock plummeted 26% Wednesday following a 46% decline a day earlier, after investment firm Gotham City Research LLC issued a report on Tuesday alleging that 90% of Gowex’s reported revenues were nonexistent and saying the stock was worthless.

Spanish Investigators Arrive in Mali to Probe Air Algérie Crash Site Plane

A team of Spanish civil and forensic aviation experts arrived in Bamako, Mali, on Saturday to investigate the crash of Air Algérie Flight 5017, Spain’s government said. The plane, operated by Swiftair SA, a Spanish charter company, crashed on Thursday, killing all 118 people aboard, including two pilots and four crew members, all Spaniards. The cause of the crash is still unknown.

Spain Scraps Plan to Tighten Abortion Law

Spain’s government withdrew a bill that would have imposed some of Europe’s strictest curbs on abortion, bowing to popular sentiment and dissent within the ruling conservative Popular Party.

The decision Tuesday by Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy on one of the most divisive social issues in this largely Roman Catholic country prompted sharp protests from some of his party’s core supporters. His justice minister, the bill’s chief advocate, resigned.