This week’s top stories from EL PAÍS English Edition - May 26, 2018 | El PAÍS (English Edition).

English Edition

Dear readers, It’s been a bad week for the Popular Party (PP), to say the least. On Thursday, the main trial in the sprawling Gürtel kickbacks-for-contracts case came to a close, and the court found evidence that the governing party benefited from the scheme. A day later, the main opposition Socialists (PSOE) filed a no-confidence motion against Mariano Rajoy, in an unprecedented move that the prime minister is casting as detrimental to Spain at a time when Madrid is grappling with the Catalan independence crisis. Little has happened on that front: the new Catalan premier’s cabinet picks include jailed and self-exiled politicians, and Madrid is refusing to publish their names in the official gazette, effectively preventing them from taking office. In the meantime, direct rule continues until further notice. Elsewhere in the world, EL PAÍS spoke with a Chilean victim of clerical abuse who spent a week at Pope Francis’ residence, and suggested that we may be witnessing a turning point in the Roman Catholic Church’s attitude towards sex abuse. Other featured stories this week include an in-depth look at the business of digital manipulation in Spain, the impact of Brexit on exports, and animal abuse at the popular El Rocío pilgrimage in Andalusia. We hope you enjoy this selection of articles from the EL PAÍS English Edition. Thanks for reading.

Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy. / JAVIER SORIANO Rajoy accuses Socialists of weakening Spain with no-confidence motion PM rules out calling early elections, and says the motion seeks to advance partisan agendas, not the interests of Spain Popular Party and its ex-treasurer, sentenced in massive corruption case Spain’s High Court gives businessman at center of so-called “Gürtel” probe, Francisco Correa, 51 years in jail, while Luis Bárcenas gets 33-year term Irene Montero and Pablo Iglesias. / U.M. Podemos’ Pablo Iglesias calls leadership vote in response to country house scandal The anti-austerity leader looks for revalidation after being criticized for buying a €600,000 home outside of Madrid Police stage mass raids in Catalonia over alleged diversion of public funds A total of 29 people were arrested on Thursday morning, including the former head of the Barcelona Provincial Council Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy. / P.P. Madrid maintains direct rule in Catalonia over “provocative” cabinet picks New Catalan premier taps four ex-officials facing legal battles, and central authorities refuse to publish their names on the official gazette, creating a new deadlock Champions League final will take place on Saturday. / S. S. Why the Champions League final in Ukraine is proving a “nightmare” for fans The difficulty and expense of getting to Kiev has put off many Real Madrid supporters from attending the match YouTube prankster faces €500k civil bond for video in which he was slapped Spaniard Sergio Soler is being sued by a delivery man who was secretly recorded in a viral gag that went wrong Albert Rivera (m) at an event on Sunday. / C. R. Spain’s Ciudadanos party: civil patriotism or nationalism? Albert Rivera’s party is defending its new platform as a unifying force, in opposition to an exclusionary independence movement Horses killed in the pilgrimage to El Rocío. / PACMA El Rocío pilgrimage claims lives of more than 140 horses in last decade While the number of animals killed has fallen, activists say more work is needed to stop exploitation El Roto Editorial & Opinion Zombie government The Gürtel ruling has left Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy without a political or moral leg to stand on The crisis of the Spanish system The Catalan issue has shattered the essential agreement of our democracy and created doubts about the quality of our political model BUSINESS The business of digital manipulation in Spain Questionable websites are taking advantage of automatic online advertising systems run by Google, and publishing sensationalist, biased or untrue stories to seek clicks Spanish exports already feeling the brunt of Brexit A new report by the Bank of Spain says the sale of goods to the UK fell last year ahead of Britain’s exit from the EU AMERICAS Venezuelan election fiasco deepens President Maduro’s isolation Sunday’s polls have been widely criticized with several countries refusing to recognize the results “The pope apologized to me, he was shocked at the abuse” A victim of clerical misconduct, Cruz clashed with the pontiff during the latter’s visit to Chile. Soon after, he was invited to spend a week at the Francis’s residence to discuss the matter