Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez announced on Wednesday an additional €2.3 billion (£2 billion) in aid to support reconstruction efforts in the Valencia region following devastating flash floods last month. The floods, caused by torrential rains on 29 October, have been described as the deadliest in Spain’s modern history.
The disaster claimed over 220 lives, with five people still reported missing. The Spanish government has now pledged a total of €16.6 billion (£14.5 billion) in aid to address the crisis, with Sánchez vowing continued support for as long as necessary.
Speaking in parliament, Sánchez defended his government’s response to the catastrophe, which he attributed to climate change. However, he criticised the regional administration, led by Carlos Mazón of the opposition People’s Party, for delays in issuing public warnings and advising residents to stay indoors, despite early alerts from meteorological and hydrography experts.
“Climate change kills,” Sánchez told lawmakers, highlighting the urgency of tackling the climate crisis. “There is something far more dangerous than the climate emergency, and that is denialist governments that, through action or inaction, ignore the devastating effects of climate change.”
Disaster management in Spain falls under the remit of regional governments, but the Valencia floods have sparked a political blame game between the leftist central government and the conservative opposition.
Scientists and meteorologists warn that climate change is exacerbating extreme weather events, with the warming of the Mediterranean increasing water evaporation and contributing to more intense rainfall. Experts believe this phenomenon significantly intensified the recent flooding.
Spain has refused to endorse a proposed NATO target requiring member states to spend 5% of their GDP on defense, risking friction ahead of next week’s alliance summit in The Hague.
Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares has urged the European Union to impose an arms embargo on Israel during the ongoing war in Gaza and called for renewed talks on Iran’s nuclear program.
Thousands gathered in Barcelona and other Spanish cities to protest against the impact of mass tourism, accusing it of driving up housing costs and displacing residents.
More than 40 suspects have been arrested in a massive international police operation targeting a drug gang accused of smuggling cocaine into Europe using high-speed “narco-boats.”
Despite government efforts to curb short-term tourist rentals amid a housing crisis, Spain has seen a 25% surge in such accommodations over the past two years, outpacing hotel growth and fueling public backlash over rising living costs.
Uzbekistan’s Minister of Investment, Industry and Trade Laziz Kudratov and China Eximbank Chairman Chen Huaiyu signed a $500 million loan agreement for the telecom sector on June 21.
The European Space Agency (ESA) has outlined an ambitious vision for human settlements in space by 2040, with autonomous “space oases” on the Moon, Mars, and beyond.
The world is facing a health financing emergency as global health investment risks falling to its lowest level in a decade, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned.
Japan’s core inflation rose to a more than two-year high in May, exceeding the central bank’s 2% target for over three years and increasing pressure on the Bank of Japan (BOJ) to resume rate hikes.
Azerbaijan’s Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov and Uzbekistan’s Foreign Minister Bakhtiyor Saidov discussed bilateral partnership and regional security on the sidelines of the OIC Foreign Ministers’ meeting in Istanbul.
Iranian missiles struck multiple locations across Israel and neighbouring regions early Friday morning, including a Microsoft office complex, according to emergency responders and local media reports.
Peace is no longer a dream. It is a discussion. On the streets of Baku and Yerevan, it is also a question, of trust, of foreign interests, and of who truly wants it.
A high-speed tram derailment in central Gothenburg, Sweden, has left at least eight people injured late on Thursday (19 June), after the vehicle slammed into a snack bar on Avenyn Avenue.
The 2025 G7 Leaders’ Summit was held June 15–17 in Kananaskis, Alberta, under Canada’s presidency. Prime Minister Mark Carney framed the meeting around priorities of protecting communities, energy and climate security, the digital transition, and future partnerships.
The USS Nimitz is heading to the Middle East amid tensions between Israel and Iran. The U.S. aircraft carrier has a decades-long history in the region, from the 1979 hostage crisis to modern deployments, often serving as a key asset during periods of rising friction with Iran.
Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko met with U.S. Special Envoy for Ukraine Keith Kellogg in Minsk on Saturday to discuss Belarus–U.S. ties and regional security.
Orkhan Nazarli, Head of Azerbaijan’s State Tax Service under the Ministry of Economy, held separate meetings with senior tax officials from Latvia and Montenegro during the 29th General Assembly of the Intra-European Organization of Tax Administrations (IOTA) in Baku.
The OIC's 51st ministerial session convenes in Istanbul to tackle pressing global and regional issues.
Japan has reportedly cancelled a planned high-level security meeting with the United States after Washington pressed Tokyo to increase its defense spending, according to the Financial Times.
Israel announced on Saturday that it had killed senior Iranian commander Saeed Izadi, head of the Palestine Corps of Iran’s Quds Force, in a targeted strike in Qom. Izadi was accused of supporting Hamas before its October 2023 attack on Israel.
Uzbekistan’s Minister of Investment, Industry and Trade Laziz Kudratov and China Eximbank Chairman Chen Huaiyu signed a $500 million loan agreement for the telecom sector on June 21.
The European Space Agency (ESA) has outlined an ambitious vision for human settlements in space by 2040, with autonomous “space oases” on the Moon, Mars, and beyond.
The world is facing a health financing emergency as global health investment risks falling to its lowest level in a decade, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned.
Japan’s core inflation rose to a more than two-year high in May, exceeding the central bank’s 2% target for over three years and increasing pressure on the Bank of Japan (BOJ) to resume rate hikes.
Azerbaijan’s Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov and Uzbekistan’s Foreign Minister Bakhtiyor Saidov discussed bilateral partnership and regional security on the sidelines of the OIC Foreign Ministers’ meeting in Istanbul.
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