Page 3 - Spain

A mystery power outage forces Madrid to adjust to life off the grid

By the time Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez finally addressed the nation six hours later, people in downtown Madrid were gathering around the old-fashioned transistor radio to get the latest news

Huge power outage in Spain, Portugal disrupts transport and communications

Authorities have not yet provided a timeline for full restoration, but emergency services are urging citizens to remain calm and limit travel where possible

Spain to grant Catalonia control over borders, migration in landmark deal

The issue of Catalan independence has dominated regional politics for years, fuelled by a deep-rooted nationalist movement seeking separation from Spain

At $3.8 trillion, India's top 500 pvt cos value more than the country's GDP

NSE, Bharti Airtel storm into top 10 for the first time in Axis Bank's Burgundy Private and Hurun India list; Motilal Oswal Financial Services was the fastest-growing company, the report suggests.

EU must stay united against Trump's tariff threat: Spanish minister

EU leaders meeting at an informal summit in Brussels on Monday said Europe would be prepared to fight back if the U.S. imposes tariffs, but also called for reason and negotiation

Trump mistakes Spain for member of Brics bloc, repeats threat of tariffs

US President Donald Trump has apparently confused Spain for a member of the BRICS bloc of developing economies, causing some head-scratching and jitters over possible tariffs in Madrid. Spain is not in BRICS, whose initials stand for Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. Spain is a member of NATO, along with the US, and of the European Union. Trump erroneously said Spain was in BRICS when a journalist asked him about NATO countries like Spain which don't meet the NATO minimum of spending 2 per cent of economic output on defence. Spain ranked last in the 32-nation military alliance, estimated to spend 1.28 per cent on defence last year. Trump started his answer by saying Spain is very low, referring to its defence expenditures, but quickly veered into speaking about the BRICS. They're a BRICS nation, Spain. Do you know what a BRICS nation is? You'll figure it out, he told the reporter from the presidential desk in the Oval Office. Trump repeated his threat to put costly ..

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