🇪🇸 Spain Today News Summary: 17 October 2026
New '400' Prefix Introduced to Combat Phone Spam
Starting Saturday, 17 October, all commercial phone calls attempting to market products or services to prospective clients must display the new 400 prefix. This identification allows citizens to recognize telemarketing calls before answering; missed calls from a 400 number cannot be called back. Companies contacting existing customers will continue using geographic prefixes or 800/900 numbers. Consumers receiving non-compliant calls can submit complaints to the CNMC or the Telecommunications User Attention Office. Citizens can also register for free on the Robinson List to block unauthorized advertising. This step reinforces earlier measures, such as the June 2025 ban on using mobile numbers starting with 6 or 7 for marketing, and the September rollout of automated filtering for SMS from unregistered entities.
Youth Housing Movement and Madrid's Sol Encampment
The housing encampment at Madrid's Puerta del Sol enters its fourth week amid a broader wave of youth-led mobilization across Europe, including France, Belgium, Portugal, and Italy, addressing housing affordability, education, and rising living costs. Regional authorities temporarily closed the Sol Metro station, citing unsanitary conditions and accumulated waste from the encampment. Cercanías train services at Sol remain fully operational. Demonstrators emphasized that volunteer cleaning teams maintain hygiene in the plaza and that surrounding businesses have provided access to facilities. The High Court of Justice of Madrid (TSJM) previously rejected regional requests for an immediate police eviction.
DANA 'Adam' Brings Heavy Storms and Temperature Drop
Meteorological authorities have officially named Adam, the first high-impact DANA of the 2026–2027 season. Set to affect the Mediterranean coastline and the Balearic Islands from Saturday through Monday, this potential "retrograde" system, moving east to west, will pull moisture off the Mediterranean to produce heavy downpours, hail, and localized rainfall totals between 150 mm and 250 mm. Daytime temperatures will drop significantly across northern and central areas, falling by 4°C to 8°C.
Rental Evictions Fall Sharply in Q2 2026Judicial statistics from the General Council of the Judiciary (CGPJ) reveal that evictions for unpaid rent fell 57.7% in the second quarter of 2026 to 2,244 cases. Total judicial evictions decreased by 35.7% to 4,474, with Catalonia recording the highest proportion (21.9%). Concurrently, corporate and personal bankruptcy filings grew 5.1% to 19,024 cases, driven primarily by non-business individuals (+5.9%). Employment dismissal lawsuits increased by 11.2% to 45,230 cases, while court filings to recover illegally occupied properties fell 9% to 443.
