Page 3 - Spain

Boat carrying migrants capsizes near Morocco; over 40 Pakistanis dead

Pakistan on Thursday said that a boat carrying 80 migrants attempting to reach Spain capsized near Morocco, with over 40 Pakistanis reportedly among the dead. Migrant rights group Walking Borders said as many as 50 migrants may have drowned. Moroccan authorities rescued 36 people a day earlier from a boat that had left Mauritania on January 2 with 86 migrants, including 66 Pakistanis. Forty-four of those presumed to have drowned were from Pakistan, Walking Borders CEO Helena Maleno said on X. They spent 13 days of anguish on the crossing without anyone coming to rescue them, she said. The Pakistan Foreign Office said in a statement that its embassy in Morocco was in touch with the local authorities. Our Embassy in Rabat (Morocco) has informed us that a boat carrying 80 passengers, including several Pakistani nationals, setting off from Mauritania, has capsized near the Moroccan port of Dakhla. Several survivors, including Pakistanis, are lodged in a camp near Dakhla, it said. It

Spain plans 100% tax on non-EU home buyers after ending golden visas

According to the Spanish PM, non-EU residents bought a total of 27,000 properties in Spain in 2023, not to live in it but to make money from it

Jaishankar meets King Felipe VI of Spain, reaffirms bilateral partnership

A day earlier, Jaishankar met with Spanish President Pedro Sanchez in Madrid, reaffirming the strong partnership between India and Spain

EAM Jaishankar meets Spanish Prez, reaffirms 'long-standing' bilateral ties

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Tuesday called on Spanish President Pedro Sanchez and reiterated the "long-standing" India-Spain partnership, updating him on the progress in bilateral cooperation. Jaishankar arrived in Spain on Monday for a two-day official visit -- his first to the country as the external affairs minister. "Called on President @sanchezcastejon of Spain today in Madrid. Conveyed greetings of PM @narendramodi," he said in a post on X. "Recalled his successful visit to India which reaffirmed our long-standing partnership. Briefed him on my discussions in Madrid and apprised him of progress on our bilateral agenda," the minister added. Sanchez visited India for the first time in October last year, during which he held delegation-level talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Jaishankar also held "productive" talks with Spanish Defence Minister Margarita Robles on enhancing bilateral defence cooperation. "A productive exchange of views with Defence Minister

Affordable housing crisis pushes Spain to plan 100% tax on non-EU buyers

Spain is planning a raft of measures to address its brewing housing crisis, including an up to 100 per cent tax on properties that non-European Union residents buy. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced the plan this week which will tackle housing affordability and high rents in the Southern European nation. He said the overall goal was to provide more housing, better regulation and greater aid. However, it remains unclear if the plan put forth by Snchez's minority coalition would pass in Parliament. Here's a look at what's happening: Spain's housing affordability crisis Like most rich countries, Spain is in the throes of a growing housing affordability problem. Skyrocketing rents are particularly acute in cities like Barcelona and Madrid, where incomes have failed to keep up, especially for young people. Housing prices are also steadily rising, especially in cities and coastal areas. Rental prices have also been driven up by short-term rentals mainly offered for tourist

India, Spain to mark 2026 as 'dual year' to celebrate culture: Jaishankar

He was confident in the trade ties and said that the ten billion business that is taking place today will see a rise in the coming days

Jaishankar, Spanish foreign min sign pacts on sports, urban development

Jaishankar called for greater cooperation between India and Spain to broaden the relationship between India and the European Union

EAM Jaishankar to visit Spain on January 13-14 to discuss bilateral ties

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar is slated to visit Spain on January 13-14 during which he will meet the country's leadership and hold discussions with his Spanish counterpart Manuel Albares on the entire gamut of the bilateral ties, the MEA on Sunday said. This will be Jaishankar's first visit to Spain as an external affairs minister, it said. "External Affairs Minister Dr S. Jaishankar (EAM) will be on an official visit to the Kingdom of Spain on 13-14 January 2025. This will be his first visit as External Affairs Minister to Spain," the MEA said in a statement. Jaishankar will during the visit "meet the leadership of Spain and hold discussions with his counterpart, Foreign Minister Manuel Albares, on the entire gamut of bilateral relations and regional and global matters of mutual interest", it said. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) also said that he is scheduled to address the 9th Annual Conference of Spanish Ambassadors and meet the Indian community.

Global uprisings: Protests and movements which shook the world in 2024

Kenya's cost-of-living crisis, to martial law in South Korea. Here's a look at major protests that erupted across the globe in 2024

Year ender 2024: Devastating tragedies that sent shock waves across world

From earthquakes to mass shootings: Here are the most devastating global tragedies of 2024

Over 10k migrants died in 2024 trying to reach Spain by sea, says aid group

More than 10,000 migrants died while trying to reach Spain by sea this year, a report released by a Spanish migration rights group said on Thursday. On average, that means 30 migrants died every day this year attempting to reach the country by boat, Caminando Fronteras (Walking Borders) said. Overall deaths rose 58% compared to last year, the report added. Tens of thousands of migrants left West Africa in 2024 for the Canary Islands, a Spanish archipelago close to the African coast that has increasingly been used as a stepping stone to continental Europe. Caminando Fronteras said most of the 10,457 deaths recorded up until Dec. 15. took place along that crossing, the so-called Atlantic route considered one of the world's most dangerous. The organization compiles its figures from families of migrants and official statistics of those rescued. It included 1,538 children and 421 women among the dead. April and May were the deadliest months, the report said. Caminando Fronteras also n

Spain ends Golden Visa programme: What it means for foreign investors

Excerpt Alongside the abolition of the Golden Visa, the new legislation introduces fast-track legal proceedings for property squatting cases, aiming to streamline the eviction process for landlords

Europe's economy to suffer if chaos continues in France, Germany: Experts

Even before the French and German governments collapsed, Europe's economy had enough difficulties. Tepid growth and lagging competitiveness versus the US and China. An auto industry that's struggling. Where to find billions for defense against Russia? And now Donald Trump threatening tariffs. Solutions will be harder to find while the two countries that make up almost half of the eurozone economy remain stuck in political paralysis well into 2025. Where once there was the so-called French-German axis to push Europe ahead, now there's a vacuum. French Prime Minister Michel Barnier resigned Thursday after losing a vote of confidence, and while President Emmanuel Macron will appoint a successor, the new head of government will lack a majority. Elections are not constitutionally permitted until at least June. Germany's coalition led by Social Democratic Chancellor Olaf Scholz with the Greens and pro-business Free Democrats fractured in November, triggering an early election on Feb. 23.

US probes Spain's port denials of cargo ships carrying arms to Israel

The United States has opened an investigation into whether NATO ally Spain has been denying port entry to cargo vessels reportedly transporting US weapons to Israel. The Federal Maritime Commission, an independent body charged with monitoring and evaluating conditions that may affect shipping and US international trade, said it had opened the probe after receiving information that Spain had refused to allow at least three cargo vessels into its ports. The commission is concerned that this apparent policy of denying entry to certain vessels will create conditions unfavourable to shipping in the foreign trade, it said Thursday in a notice published in the Federal Register. If the investigation determines that Spain has interfered with such commerce, the commission could levy millions of dollars in fines, up to USD 2.3 million per voyage, it said. The notice said the commission had been informed on November 19 that Spain was denying port entry to ships, including those enrolled in the

Spain to grant residency to 900,000 migrants by 2027, job visas extended

The move comes as Spain seeks to address its labour shortage, requiring around 250,000 workers to sustain its economy

Week after Spain's floods, people hope missing are alive as 89 unaccounted

Francisco Murgui went out to try to salvage his motorbike when the water started to rise. He never came back. One week after catastrophic flooding devastated eastern Spain, Mara Murgui still holds out hope that her missing father is alive. He was like many people in town who went out to get their car or motorbike to safety, the 27-year-old told The Associated Press. The flash flood caught him outside, and he had to cling to a tree in order to escape drowning. He called us to tell us he was fine, that we shouldn't worry. But when Mara set out into the streets of Sedav to try to rescue him from the water washing away everything in its path, he was nowhere to be found. He held up until 1 in the morning, she said. By 2, I went outside with a neighbour and a rope to try to locate him. But we couldn't find him. And since then, we haven't heard anything about him. Spanish authorities issued their first tally of the missing on Tuesday when a Valencia court said that 89 people are confirm

Crowd of Spain's flood survivors toss mud, shout insults at King Felipe VI

A crowd of angry survivors of Spain's floods tossed mud and shouted insults at Spain's King Felipe VI and government officials when they made their first visit to one of the hardest hit towns on Sunday. Government officials accompanied the monarch who tried to talk to locals while others shouted at him in Paiporta, an outskirt of Valencia city that has been devastated. Police had to step in with some officers on horseback to keep back the crowd of several dozens. "Get out! Get out! and Killers! the crowd shouted among other insults. Bodyguards opened umbrellas to protect the royals and officials as protestors launched mud their way. After being forced to seek protection, the king remained calm and made several efforts to speak to individual residents. One person appeared to have wept on his shoulder. He shook the hand of a man. It was an unprecedented incident for a Royal House that takes great care to craft an image of a monarch who is liked by the nation. But the public rage ov

Understanding the deadly floods that have taken over 200 lives in Spain

In a matter of minutes, flash floods caused by heavy downpours in eastern Spain swept away everything in their path. With no time to react, people were trapped in vehicles, homes and businesses. Many died and thousands saw livelihoods shattered. Four days later, authorities have recovered 205 bodies 202 of them in the eastern Valencia region, two in Castilla La Mancha and one in Andalusia. They continued to search for an unknown number of missing people on Friday. Thousands of volunteers were helping to clear away the thick layers of mud and debris that still covered houses, streets and roads, all while facing power and water cuts and shortages of some basic goods. Inside some of the vehicles that the water washed into piles or crashed into buildings, there were still bodies waiting to be identified. Here are a few things to know about Spain's deadliest storm in living memory: What happened? The storms concentrated over the Magro and Turia river basins and, in the Poyo riverbed,

Spain mounts biggest disaster recovery operation as death toll reaches 211

In a televised statement, Sanchez said the government was sending 5,000 more army troops to help with the searches and clean-up in addition to 2,500 soldiers already deployed

Spanish residents appeal for help, three days after floods left 205 dead

Three days after historic flash floods swept through several towns in southern Valencia, in eastern Spain, the initial shock was giving way to anger, frustration and a wave of solidarity on Friday. Many streets are still blocked by piled-up vehicles and debris, in some cases trapping residents in their homes. Some places still don't have electricity, running water, or stable telephone connections. Residents turned to media to appeal for help. This is a disaster. There are a lot of elderly people who don't have medicine. There are children who don't have food. We don't have milk, we don't have water. We have no access to anything, a resident of Alfafar, one of the most affected towns in south Valencia, told state television station TVE. No one even came to warn us on the first day. So far 158 bodies have been recovered 155 in Valencia, two in the Castilla La Mancha region and one more in Andalusia after Spain's deadliest natural disaster in living memory. Members of the security .