Today's news: controversy in Basque university entrance exams and migration crisis
The news day in Spain is marked by reports of irregularities in the university entrance exams in the Basque Country and the management of the migration crisis in the Canary Islands. Additionally, the central government faces oversight sessions regarding alleged corruption, while Andalusia demands more resources to fight forest fires and Madrid is forced to modify its plans for the Metro.
Hundreds of students from schools that teach in Spanish in the Basque Country have reported mass and allegedly arbitrary failures in the Basque language exam of the selectividad (the test required to enter university). A dozen educational centers suspect that the grading was not objective and have demanded an exhaustive review of the exams to prevent these results from harming the students' academic future.
In the field of migration, the Minister of Youth and Children, Sira Rego, begins a two-day visit to Lanzarote today. The trip takes place against a backdrop of saturation in the reception centers for minors on the islands. Rego defends her proposal to reform the Immigration Law to facilitate the transfer of these minors to other regions of Spain, a measure that continues to generate political debate given the collapse of current infrastructure in the Canary Islands.
In Congress, President Pedro Sánchez appeared in the oversight session to answer questions from the opposition regarding cases of alleged corruption affecting his inner circle. At the same time, the director of the Civil Guard, Mercedes González, denied in the Senate having exerted pressure on the UCO (the Central Operating Unit, an elite body in charge of investigating organized crime and corruption) in relation to these judicial investigations.
Regarding safety and the environment, the President of the Regional Government of Andalusia, Juanma Moreno, has formally requested that the central government send four additional aircraft to reinforce the fight against fires. Moreno highlighted that, although Andalusia has increased its budget for Infoca (the fire prevention and extinction system) by 60% since 2018, state collaboration with aerial resources is essential to face the summer.
In Madrid, the expansion of Metro Line 11 will undergo changes. The regional government must seek technical alternatives for the section toward Cuatro Vientos after receiving an unfavorable report from the Ministry of Defense. This modification will affect the original project, which aims to better connect the neighborhoods in the south of the capital.
Finally, the Episcopal Conference has presented the economic balance of Pope Leo XIV's recent visit to Spain. The event cost 26 million euros but generated an estimated economic impact of 150 million euros in the hospitality and service sectors.
To learn more details about these news stories and other current topics, we invite you to visit the News section of our application. There, you can read about the acquittal of the mayor of Velilla de San Antonio in a noise case and the recent speech by Irene Montero in the European Parliament.