Spain may stop celebrities from starring in gambling ads, American tourist arrested in Barcelona for assaulting three women, Vox hints it will influence who governs in Andalusia and more news on Tuesday May 19th.
Spain to consider amending its Gambling Law
Spain’s Ministry of Social Rights, Consumer Affairs and Agenda 2030 wants to regulate the presence of celebrities or social media influencers in gambling adverts.
It also wants to ensure that “advertising pages of gambling operators can only appear if the searches are directly related to betting.”
The move was announced this Monday May 18th by Minister Pablo Bustinduy. The reform seeks to “strengthen controls, improve prevention and act against illegal gambling”.
Bustinduy explained that the law “will be better adapted to the digital environment, especially to the growth of online gambling” as it’s been 15 years since the last time the law was updated.
American tourist arrested in Barcelona for assaulting three women
An American tourist was arrested this Monday in the Eixample neighbourhood of Barcelona, accused of assaulting three women in the street.
According to newspaper El Periódico, the suspect was arrested shortly after the attacks took place.
The individual allegedly attacked several women walking down the street suddenly and without apparent motive.
All three women suffered injuries as a result of the attacks, although no details have been released as to the extent of them.
Spanish king to go to Mexico for World Cup in new sign of thaw
Spain’s King Felipe VI will go to Mexico next month to attend the 2026 World Cup, palace sources said Monday, indicating the latest sign of a thaw between the two countries.
The king has accepted an invitation from Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and FIFA head Gianni Infantino to attend Spain’s World Cup game against Uruguay on June 26th, the sources told AFP.
Diplomatic relations have been strained since 2019, when Mexico demanded that the Spanish crown apologise for abuses committed during the conquest and colonisation of the Americas in the 16th century.
Sheinbaum excluded the king from her inauguration in October 2024 partly because Spain had not responded to the demand.
Tensions have eased since the king in March acknowledged that there had been “a lot of abuse” during the conquest of the Americas.
Vox hints it will influence who governs in Andalusia
The secretary general of far-right party Vox, Ignacio Garriga, avoided clarifying on Monday whether or not his party will ask to form a coalition with the conservative People’s Party after Sunday’s regional election in Andalusia.
Andalusian president Juanma Moreno received the most votes but lost an absolute majority during Sunday’s vote, so his PP may have to rely on Vox in order to govern.
The PP, which has governed the southern region since 2019, won 53 seats, leaving it three short of another majority, while Vox picked up 15 seats.
“The people of Andalusia have entrusted us with the enormous responsibility of influencing the regional government,” Garriga hinted about Vox’s role as kingmaker.
A similar situation happened in the latest elections in Extremadura, Aragón and Castilla y León.
READ ALSO: Spain’s conservatives win big in Andalusia vote but may need Vox to rule
With additional reporting from AFP
