The international hotel chain Meliá, based in Spain, announced it would stop operating 15 of the 34 hotels it currently administers in Cuba.
The post Spanish Tourism Giant Meliá Abandons Nearly Half Its Hotels in Cuba appeared first on Breitbart.
The scandal-ridden Socialist-led government in Spain would fall to a bloc of the centre-right People's Party and VOX populists if an election were held now, a survey has found.
The post Spanish Conservatives and Populist VOX Would Win Governing Majority in Wake of Socialist Scandals appeared first on Breitbart.
MEXICO CITY: The recent high-profile gathering of leftist leaders in Barcelona, convened by Spain’s socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, is drawing increasing attention for what analysts describe as a broader geopolitical positioning that could challenge U.S. influence across Latin America and beyond.
The summit brought together Brazil President Lula da Silva, Colombia’s Gustavo Petro and Mexico’s Claudia Sheinbaum. Framed as a platform for addressing inequality, climate change and the rise of right-wing political movements, yet the rhetoric coming from it has raised questions in Washington and across the region about whether a more coordinated political counterweight to the United States is taking shape.
Without naming the Trump administration, Sánchez warned of the "normalization of the use of force" and "attempts to undermine international law", as criticism of U.S. foreign policy. He also pushed for reforms to global institutions, arguing that the current system no longer reflects today’s geopolitical realities, a position that implicitly challenges long-standing U.S. leadership in those bodies.
"The Barcelona summit reflects a deliberate effort by Pedro Sánchez to position himself as a leading figure within an emerging progressive bloc that is increasingly critical of U.S. foreign policy under President Trump," Juan Angel Soto, founder and CEO of Fortius Consulting told Fox News Digital.
"This positioning is particularly complex given Spain’s structural anchoring in both the European Union and NATO, which traditionally align it closely with Washington. However, Sánchez has simultaneously deepened ties with the Global South, evident in his growing proximity to China, as well as to leaders such as Lula, Sheinbaum and Petro, suggesting a dual-track foreign policy that seeks greater autonomy from U.S. influence," Soto said.
The Colombian leader tied global tensions directly to economic and energy systems, arguing that fossil fuel dependence has fueled conflict and inequality, an argument that aligns with broader criticism of Western-led economic models.
Roberto Salinas León, director of International Affairs at Universidad de la Libertad in Mexico City, told Fox News Digital, "The ill-named summit ‘In Defense of Democracy’ held in Barcelona brought together notable ‘progressives’ with an aim to bring together a global contingent opposed to, well, Trump 2.0. How convenient."
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"Petro stated that ‘Latin American progressivism is a ray of hope for a humanity in crisis.’ Yet these would-be spokespersons for democracy have supported such inhumane brutal dictatorships like Cuba, Nicaragua, Maduro’s Venezuela, Iran, and others. This gathering is more aptly characterized as a political mascara of electoral autocracies, each leader undermining the institutional checks and balances of open liberal democracies," he said.
Brazil’s Lula criticized what he described as interventionist policies by major powers and called for a rebalancing of global governance, including changes to the U.N. Security Council. At one point, he characterized recent U.S. leadership as contributing to global instability, reinforcing a central theme of the summit: that the current international order needs to be redefined.
"The new Cold War is being waged between China and the United States; it is this very rivalry that is at stake in every country participating in the summit. Lula’s concern regarding the resurgence of the right has become patently obvious, particularly when observing Argentina and Chile, where the victories of Milei and Kast have ushered in ‘winds of change.’ We are, quite literally, living through times reminiscent of the fall of the Berlin Wall, specifically, the collapse of ‘21st-century socialism’ across Hispanic America, and this is precisely what has them so worried," Brazilian political analyst Sandra Bronzina told Fox News Digital
"When the global progressive left rails against the United States, talking about sovereignty and peace, or speaking out against war, they are not doing so out of mere altruism or good intentions. Rather, they are driven by a shadowy self-interest: ensuring that China continues to colonize our nations, a process that is, evidently, already well underway."
Mexico’s Sheinbaum underscored the principle of national sovereignty, reiterating Latin America’s longstanding emphasis on non-intervention. She joined other leaders in opposing sanctions on countries such as Cuba, signaling a willingness to coordinate positions that diverge sharply from U.S. policy in the region.
Taken together, analysts say the messaging out of Barcelona suggests the early stages of a loosely aligned bloc, one that is increasingly willing to challenge U.S. positions on global governance, regional policy and economic strategy.
Yet even as leaders in Barcelona warn of a rising right-wing threat, political realities across the Americas tell a different story, one that may resonate more directly with U.S. audiences.
In Argentina, sweeping economic reforms focused on deregulation and fiscal discipline have captured global attention as an alternative to state-led models. In El Salvador, aggressive security policies have dramatically reduced violence. And in Ecuador, a renewed focus on law-and-order and institutional control is emerging as a response to escalating cartel violence.
Analysts say these examples highlight a counter to the Barcelona narrative in that a significant portion of the region is moving toward policies centered on security, market reforms and stronger state authority — priorities that often align more closely with U.S. strategic interests.
Experts say the contrast is striking. On one side, a group of leaders in Barcelona is calling for a rethinking of global systems long associated with U.S. leadership. On the other, governments across the hemisphere are experimenting with approaches that emphasize economic liberalization and strong security measures.
Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez of Spain has tried to position himself as the European counterweight to President Donald Trump, but his motives are being questioned by critics.
Sanchez, who is hosting a conference of leftist leaders from around the world in Barcelona this weekend, has rejected increasing Madrid’s NATO spending while positioning Spain against the Trump administration on several key policy issues.
More recently, the Spanish politician has taken a belligerent stand against the U.S. and Israeli military campaign against the Iranian regime, forbidding the U.S. from using its military bases in Spain to refuel aircraft or prepare for military action, decrying the campaign as illegal while staying quiet on the regime’s murder of thousands of protesters and its increased drive to produce ballistic missiles and acquire nuclear weapons-grade enriched uranium.
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A few days after the war began with Iran, Sanchez said, "We are not going to be complicit in something that is bad for the world and is also contrary to our values and interests, just out of fear of reprisals from someone," Sánchez said, using the slogan "No to the war," the Associated Press reported.
On Saturday, Trump took aim at Sanchez’s policies in a Truth Social post, asking: "Has anybody looked at how badly the country of Spain is doing. Their financial numbers, despite contributing almost nothing to NATO and their military defense, are absolutely horrendous. Sad to watch!!!"
In March, Trump said he had asked Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent "to cut off all dealings with Spain."
Critics charge that Sanchez, already well known for his fervently anti-Israel views, has increased his public pronouncements to take pressure off him due to a series of corruption scandals involving family members, something he and his supporters have denied.
Javier Negre, a conservative Spanish journalist and owner of La Derecha Diario and UHN Plus told Fox News Digital. "The stance of President Pedro Sánchez against President Donald Trump is neither improvised nor based on convictions. It is purely electoral marketing. He has realized that by confronting the most powerful president in the world and getting Trump to speak about him, he achieves two things: first, he positions himself in the media as the leading figure of the global left and globalism against the new right."
Negre said Sánchez’s position also "diverts attention from the corruption scandals that have led to investigations involving his wife and his brother and to the imprisonment of people close to him
A Madrid judge formally charged Sanchez’s wife, Begona Gomez, with corruption Monday, creating a political storm for the PM, who’s already embattled in another corruption case involving his brother.
Gómez’s 39-page indictment follows a two-year investigation charging her with embezzlement, influence peddling in her position at Madrid’s Complutense University, corruption in business dealings and misappropriation of funds to advance her personal interests. She has denied all charges while her husband says the allegations are an attempt by right-wing parties to undermine his coalition.
The charges came as the couple was on a state visit to China last week, during which Sanchez said, "I find it very difficult to find other interlocutors, beyond China, who can resolve this situation in Iran and the Strait of Hormuz," the Associated Press reported.
The complaint against Gomez was brought forward by anti-corruption group Manos Limpias.
The prime minister's family scandals also encompass his brother, David Sanchez, who was implicated in a separate influence-peddling scandal for accepting a bespoke job with a regional government in 2017, right after the Spanish leader became the secretary-general of Spain’s Socialist Workers Party (PSOE).
From 2018 to 2024, Sanchez's government reportedly authorized exports of over €6 million ($7.2 million) in dual technology equipment to Iran. While not a significant sum, the move, critics say, would contravene U.N.-approved sanctions and embargoes against Iran. Leading opposition Spanish politician Santiago Abascal denounced Sanchez in Spain’s Congress, accusing him of selling detonators and explosives to Iran.
Following the accusations, Shurat Hadin Israel Law Center filed a complaint with the International Criminal Court in the Hague against the Spanish PM on Friday, claiming Spain assisted the Ayatollah’s regime by transferring tech related to explosives at the tune of around $1.5 million in 2024 and 2025 despite international sanctions against the regime for the support of terrorism.
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In March, Iran’s regime reportedly plastered a thank-you note with a picture of Spain’s Sanchez to a missile fired against Israel, according to footage from Iran-controlled Press TV obtained by the Middle East Media and Research Institute (MEMRI.)
The Spanish leader has also faced criticism for his anti-Israel views and its war in Gaza after the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas carried out the worst attack in the history of the Jewish state, killing 1,195 people and kidnapping 251 nationals and foreigners in 2023.
Sanchez has repeatedly called Israel a genocidal state, downgraded Spain’s diplomatic relations with Jerusalem, imposed a total arms embargo and sanctions on the Jewish state, recognized a Palestinian state, despite wide opposition, and along with Belgium, has received praise from Hamas due to his "clear and bold stance regarding the Gaza war" since the onset of the conflict.
While still popular among the left, the Spanish politician has seen a steady decline in his popularity over the past few months, with 61% of Spaniards holding an unfavorable view of their prime minister, according to a YouGov poll from March — his lowest approval ratings since assuming office in 2018.
Fox News Digital reached out to La Moncloa (the Spanish Prime Minister’s office) and to Spain’s foreign minister with a request for an interview or official comment regarding Sanchez’s diplomatic positions relating to the wars in the Middle East, the alleged sales of technology to Iran, the use by American forces of bases built under NATO in Spanish territory, and relations with the White House.
Spanish authorities told Fox News Digital, "the prime minister was not giving new interviews due to conflicts in his schedule" and that information regarding the prime minister’s positions "could be found in his many public declarations over the past few days."
