Andalucia’s emergency services are preparing for a major earthquake exercise in the Granada Province on November 10, when around 200 participants will test how effectively authorities can coordinate their response to a serious tremor.

Known as Respuesta26, the Junta de Andalucia-led exercise will examine how emergency plans are activated, command centres established, resources deployed and communications maintained between different organisations.

The test comes just months after a damaging earthquake sequence shook Granada province, forcing hundreds of residents from their homes and triggering extensive building inspections. It will put the region’s emergency arrangements under scrutiny, although the Junta has not confirmed whether the November scenario will recreate the specific problems experienced during the summer.

What will happen during the Granada earthquake test?

Respuesta26 will bring together regional emergency teams, firefighters, medical services, municipal authorities, local police, Civil Protection volunteers and representatives of central government. Granada Provincial Council, universities and professional organisations are also expected to participate.

The exercise will test four key areas: activating emergency plans, establishing command posts, mobilising personnel and equipment, and ensuring effective communication between the organisations involved. The Junta has described Respuesta26 as the largest earthquake exercise in Spain involving different levels of government.

These arrangements are crucial when a major emergency crosses municipal boundaries and requires several organisations to work together. Emergency teams need to know who is in charge, where resources are required and how reliable information will reach those making decisions.

However, the precise operational scenario has not been publicly confirmed. It is not yet clear whether participants will also practise rescuing people trapped in damaged buildings, evacuating residents or assessing properties at risk of collapse, as in previous exercises.

Andalucia has also staged large-scale emergency simulations involving different hazards. In 2025, the Junta organised Response25, a major tsunami emergency exercise in Cadiz, based on a hypothetical earthquake-triggered tsunami.

Granada’s earthquake damage raises the stakes

The exercise follows the seismic sequence that began on August 14 and included two magnitude 4.8 earthquakes, on August 15 and 18. More than 1,500 earthquakes were recorded during the sequence by early September, according to the Junta. The tremors caused damage to buildings across the Vega de Granada and led to precautionary evacuations.

By September 7, around 600 people had been evacuated from their homes, with many subsequently allowed to return following safety assessments. Technical teams carried out inspections to establish whether affected buildings could be occupied safely.

The Junta also approved €7 million in funding for repairs to public infrastructure and facilities in 27 towns affected by the earthquakes. The regional government’s funding announcement sets out the support for towns affected by the seismic sequence.

The scale of the response illustrates the demands placed on authorities when an earthquake causes widespread disruption. As well as dealing with immediate emergencies, officials must assess damaged properties, determine whether residents can return home and coordinate recovery work.

Will the exercise test real earthquake emergencies?

Granada has previously rehearsed the practical consequences of a major earthquake. A council-led drill in 2019 included simulated building damage, injured people, individuals trapped under rubble and missing persons.

That earlier exercise shows that local emergency services have experience of practising scenarios involving rescue operations and damaged buildings. It does not, however, establish that Respuesta26 will repeat those elements.

The distinction is important because testing command structures and communications is not the same as rehearsing a complex rescue operation. Both are important, but each presents different challenges.

One question for the Junta is whether the November exercise will test the full chain of emergency response, from the initial alarm and deployment of rescue teams to building inspections and decisions about evacuating or returning residents to their homes. Confirmation of the scenario would help establish exactly what lessons the exercise is intended to deliver.

Continuamos para bingo.
#Terremoto Here We go

#Granada https://t.co/s0ebQOL78T

— Fornizio Rumano (@FornizioRumano) August 18, 2026

What could the results mean for people?

For people living in Granada and elsewhere in Andalucia, the value of Respuesta26 will depend on what it reveals about the region’s ability to respond under pressure. An exercise can help identify communication problems, clarify responsibilities and expose weaknesses in emergency procedures before a real disaster occurs. Its findings can then inform improvements to plans and coordination between agencies.

The August earthquakes also revealed that the consequences of a tremor can extend well much further than just the initial shaking. Building safety, evacuation decisions and the return of displaced residents can all require sustained cooperation between emergency services, engineers and local authorities. The Junta has not yet confirmed whether these specific challenges will form part of the November simulation.

Respuesta26 will therefore provide an opportunity to test the readiness of important parts of Andalucia’s earthquake response. Whether it also examines the practical difficulties faced by residents during the Granada emergency remains a key question ahead of November 10.

Women working in Spain who suffer from certain debilitating menopause-related conditions will soon be entitled to enhanced sick leave protection, with payments starting from the day after they stop working and no minimum contribution period required. The changes form part of a new Social Security reform published on Wednesday, October 21, and will take effect on December 1, 2026.

The measure is intended to support women whose menopause-related health conditions prevent them from carrying out their jobs. Unlike ordinary sick leave for common illnesses, which generally requires a minimum contribution history and does not provide statutory payments for the first three days, the new arrangement offers financial protection from the beginning of a medically certified absence.

However, the reform does not introduce automatic paid leave for every woman experiencing menopause. Eligibility depends on a qualifying medical condition, an inability to work and the relevant Social Security requirements.

The change is included in Royal Decree-law 31/2026, published in Spain’s Official State Gazette, alongside other measures expanding protection for families and workers.

Who qualifies for Spain’s new menopause-related sick leave?

The new provision recognises a specific category of temporary incapacity, known in Spanish as incapacidad temporal, for women affected by a medically recognised, limiting condition associated with a secondary menopausal disorder.

Under the legislation, the condition must be sufficiently serious to prevent the woman from performing her work, and she must be receiving medical care through Spain’s public health service.

The legislation refers specifically to a qualifying condition identified through the appropriate medical coding. This distinction matters because menopause itself is a natural stage of life and does not automatically establish an entitlement to sick leave.Women experiencing symptoms that interfere with their work will therefore need a medical assessment to determine whether their condition meets the requirements for the new category.

The measure is designed to address circumstances in which menopause-related health problems have a substantial impact on a woman’s ability to continue working. The reform comes as women in Spain continue to face difficulties accessing some menopause treatments, following shortages of several hormone replacement therapies.

The legislation also introduces a separate special sick leave category for women whose injuries resulting from gender-based violence prevent them from working. Both changes form part of a wider reform of Spain’s temporary incapacity system.

According to the Spanish government’s announcement on October 20, the aim is to provide more appropriate protection in circumstances where existing sick leave arrangements may not adequately reflect particular health and social situations.

How much will workers receive during sick leave?

One of the most significant changes concerns when payments begin.

Under the ordinary rules for sick leave caused by a common illness, statutory benefits generally begin on the fourth day of absence. Sick leave has become an increasingly significant issue for Spain’s Social Security system, with its financial cost and impact on employers attracting growing attention.  Workers must normally have contributed to Social Security for at least 180 days during the preceding five years to qualify.

For the new special category covering qualifying menopause-related conditions, no minimum contribution period will be required.

The employer will pay the worker’s full salary for the first day of medically certified absence. From the following day, the statutory temporary incapacity benefit will become payable through the responsible Social Security managing or collaborating body.

The amount will be calculated using the worker’s base reguladora, or regulatory base, which is determined according to the applicable Social Security contribution rules.

The government has confirmed the following payment rates:

• 60 per cent of the regulatory base until the twentieth day of sick leave.
• 75 per cent of the regulatory base from the twenty-first day onwards.

These percentages do not necessarily correspond to the same proportion of a worker’s usual take-home pay, because the regulatory base is calculated using contribution information rather than simply the net salary received each month.

For someone with a regulatory base of €1,500 per month, a simplified illustration would be €900 per month at the 60 per cent rate or €1,125 per month at the 75 per cent rate. Actual payments would depend on the duration of the absence, the relevant daily calculation and individual circumstances.

The new arrangement does not mean workers will automatically receive their full salary throughout the absence. Any additional payments would depend on applicable employment agreements or other relevant provisions.

The main improvement is that qualifying workers will no longer have to wait until the fourth day for statutory sick leave payments, nor meet the usual minimum contribution requirement for common illness.

When do the new rules take effect in Spain?

Although Royal Decree-law 31/2026 was published in the Official State Gazette on October 21, the new special temporary incapacity provisions will apply from December 1, 2026 and until the relevant provisions take effect, existing temporary incapacity rules continue to govern cases according to the circumstances involved.

The reform was approved by Spain’s Council of Ministers on Tuesday, October 20. As a decree-law, it is also subject to the parliamentary validation process required under Spanish law.

The government has presented the changes as part of a broader package intended to strengthen Social Security protection, including additional measures concerning family benefits, survivors’ pensions and support for people caring for seriously ill children.

For women who may be affected, the practical starting point is a medical assessment. A qualifying diagnosis and medically certified inability to work will be essential to determining whether the new special category applies.

Workers should also distinguish between the medical justification for taking sick leave and the financial conditions governing the benefit. The reform improves the latter for eligible cases, but it does not remove the need to establish that a medical condition prevents the person from working.

The new rules mark a change in how Spain’s Social Security system recognises certain menopause-related health conditions. From December 1, eligible women will have access to statutory payments from the day after their absence begins, without the usual minimum contribution period required for ordinary sick leave.

British retirees and financially independent people aged over 55’s could soon have another way to make Gibraltar their home after the government announced plans to change its new residency rules. The proposal would reopen a route for older applicants who can support themselves financially but do not necessarily qualify through employment or business activity. 

Under the planned arrangements, they would need private medical insurance, make a financial contribution to Gibraltar’s healthcare system and spend at least six months a year living there. The government expects to publish the amendments by the end of October, following consultation with relevant stakeholders. Until the changes are published, however, the final eligibility requirements remain unclear. 

Why Gibraltar is changing its residency rules

The announcement follows a major change to Gibraltar’s residency framework in July, when new regulations introduced stricter requirements for people seeking permission to live on the Rock. The rules placed greater emphasis on economic contribution, including employment and business activity, while normally limiting new residency applications to people aged 55 or younger. 

The government’s stated aim was to ensure new residents contribute to the local economy and do not place undue pressure on housing and public services. However, the changes attracted criticism because they made it harder for financially independent older people to relocate without taking up employment or qualifying through an alternative category.

The government is now proposing a separate route specifically for people over 55 who have sufficient financial means to live in Gibraltar. For British pensioners who had considered retiring on the Rock, the announcement offers a potential alternative to the arrangements introduced in July. It does not, however, mean that applications under the new route are already open. 

What will applicants need?

The proposed route will come with three stated conditions, applicants must hold private medical insurance, make a financial contribution to Gibraltar’s healthcare system and spend at least six months of each year living on the Rock. The residence requirement means the route is intended for people who genuinely want to make Gibraltar their home, rather than those seeking residency while spending most of their time elsewhere.

The government has not yet published the full eligibility criteria, including any minimum income or financial thresholds. The amount applicants will have to contribute towards healthcare has also not been specified in the announcement. Anyone considering a move should therefore wait for the amended regulations before making financial commitments or assuming they will qualify.

Health, Care and Business Minister Gemma Arias-Vasquez announced the proposal at the GibLink London event on Tuesday, October 20, held as part of Gibraltar Day in London. She said the new route would allow people who had been considering Gibraltar as a place to spend the next stage of their lives to make that move, while contributing to the territory from the outset. 

New business think tank to shape Gibraltar’s future

The residency announcement was made alongside plans for a new business think tank intended to help determine Gibraltar’s long-term economic direction. Led by Peter Montegriffo KC, the group will report directly to Arias-Vasquez and bring together experienced figures from Gibraltar’s business community to examine opportunities for future growth. The initiative comes as Gibraltar adjusts to the new arrangements following the treaty with the European Union and the removal of the physical frontier barriers on July 15.

Speaking at the London event, Arias-Vasquez said Gibraltar had spent years responding to events outside its control, including Brexit, the pandemic and lengthy treaty negotiations. She argued that the territory could now take a more active role in deciding its economic future. The think tank is expected to explore where Gibraltar’s economy should focus its efforts in the years ahead. Its detailed membership, work programme and timetable for recommendations have not yet been announced. 

When will the new route be available?

The next step is publication of the amended residency regulations, which the government expects before the end of October. Those rules should establish the precise conditions for applicants, including the financial requirements and the contribution towards healthcare.

For older Britons who had ruled out Gibraltar following the July changes, the proposal could put the territory back on their list of retirement destinations. But until the final regulations are published, the announcement remains a plan rather than an available residency option.