Today in Spain: A roundup of the latest news on Monday

Over 1,000 evacuated in north-west Spain wildfires

More than 1,000 people were evacuated on Sunday in north-west Spain as wildfires spread, fueled by scorching temperatures and strong winds, authorities said.

Around 400 people were displaced in and around the town of Carucedo, and another 700 from several towns near the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Las Medulas, a former Roman gold-mining area known for its striking red landscape, local officials said.

The head of the regional government of Castile and Leon, Alfonso Manueco, said experts suspect several of the blazes were set by arsonists.

"We will be relentless with the perpetrators of these attacks against the lives and safety of people and our historical and natural heritage," he wrote on X.

Spain’s Military Emergency Unit (UME) has deployed nearly 60 soldiers and 20 vehicles to the area, joining a large firefighting operation that includes aircraft and bulldozers working to create firebreaks.

Firefighters said scorching temperatures, low air humidity levels and strong winds which often changed direction were complicating their efforts to put out the flames.

Spanish tax officials call for investigation into former King Juan Carlos

Ghesta, the union of Spanish tax officials, has for investigation into former King Juan Carlos I due to doubts about his tax residency. This comes after reports emerged that the emeritus king had recently returned €4 million in loans taken out to settle debts with the tax authorities. The majority of that income came from earnings in the UAE, where has been resident since 2020.

Officials are calling for clarification into Juan Carlos' tax residency status because in order to establish his tax residence in the UAE, the emeritus king would in theory have had to renounce his Spanish nationality.

There are also doubts about income revenues following the removal of his royal allowance. "As he had no other income other than the allowance, which was withdrawn, it was difficult to return the money," Carlos Cruzado, president of Ghesta, said in the Spanish press.

A quarter of responses to PM Pedro Sánchez on X are aggressive or insulting, study finds

One in four responses to posts made on X by the Spanish Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, contains aggressive or insulting language and images, according to a study by the Polytechnic University of Valencia (UPV).

The research highlights polarisation and increasing online aggression towards Sánchez, who has become a hate figure for elements of the Spanish right, with users mimicking or escalating the aggressive tone of others, reinforcing "collective hostility", the UPV says.

Researchers analysed responses posted during the week of 16 May 2022 to messages from the President and observed a growing proportion of "personal attacks" and the "delegitimisation of political opponents" by anonymous accounts.

Spanish athlete wins historic 100m sprint

A young Spanish athlete won an international 100m sprint event over the weekend, something no other Spaniard has achieved before in any category.

18-year-old Basque sprinter Ander Garaiar recorded a time of 10.65 seconds to win the 100m event at the Under-20 European Athletics Championships in Finland.

"I can't believe it," he told the Spanish press. "This season has been crazy, I didn't expect to achieve the results I'm getting, it's come as a bit of a surprise."

With additional reporting by AFP.