News
Satellite broadband
Elon Musk ’ s Starlink network of satellites wants to bring the internet to areas of rural Spain which remain unserved by traditional broadband . The company already has a fleet of 1,400 satellites orbiting Earth and has registered two companies with Spain ’ s securities watchdog . The British firm OneStep expects to offer a similar service in northern Europe by the end of next year .
Sunny slabs
Spain ’ s first solar energy pavement has opened in Barcelona as part of the city ’ s drive to become carbon neutral by 2050 . Fifty square metres of panels in a park will generate enough power to supply three households for a year . The cost of the pilot scheme has been shared between the city and the manufacturer , Platio Solar , and the project will be assessed after six months .
Bike helmets ...
Madrid is revising a local by-law which will require all bicycle riders under 18 to wear a helmet . The change will also affect scooter riders and those who distribute fast food by bike . It is included in the city ’ s new Sustainable Mobility Ordinance which is intended to reduce road accidents by focusing on the most vulnerable groups .
... and bike lift
Councillors in the village of Güéjar Sierra in the north-west of the Sierra Nevada have agreed to finance a € 18,000 viability study for a year-round chair lift . The facility would transport individuals and their bikes up to the Guejar Sierra mountain bike centre which offers around 200 kilometres of cycling trails but is currently only accessible by those with a high level of fitness . If it goes ahead , it will be the only such chairlift in Andalucía and only the second in Europe .
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Socialists suffer in Madrid
Spain ’ s socialists led by Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez suffered a bruising defeat on May 4 when an election held in the Madrid region returned the Partido Popular ( PP ) to power with more than twice the number of seats it previously held . However , the PP was four seats short of an absolute majority and must rely on support from the farright Vox party for support .
The regional premier Isabel Díaz Ayuso called the snap election in March after efforts were made elsewhere in Spain to bring down PPcontrolled administrations . Then , the Madrid PP relied on support from the centre-right Ciudadanos party and Ayuso ’ s immediate response was to sack every member of Ciudadanos in her administration , including her own deputy , and announce the vote . The PP went on to take 44.7 % of the vote on a turnout of 76.2 %, 11 points up on the 2019 election .
In the end , Ciudadanos crashed spectacularly losing all 26 seats which it won two years ago . The socialist PSOE party saw its total fall from 37 to 24 seats – their worst ever result in the region - while the regional party Más Madrid also took 24 seats but attracted a fractionally higher share of the total vote . Far-left anti-austerity party
Climate change law is passed
Spain last month passed its longawaited Climate Change and Energy Transition Law . The legislation commits the country to cut emissions by 23 per cent by 2030 , compared with 1990 levels .
It also places an immediate ban on licensing new coal , gas and oil exploration while no vehicles using fossil fuels can be sold after 2040 , with production of such fuels scheduled to end in 2042 . The aim is to generate 74 per cent of Spain ’ s electricity requirements from renewable sources by 2030 .
Following the vote on May 13 ,
Unidas Podemos increased its seats from seven to ten , but its leader Pablo Iglesias announced his resignation from politics . This was an added blow to PM Sánchez because Iglesias had been his national coalition partner and his Deputy before standing down to fight the Madrid election . Iglesias said he remained committed to his country but would not , “ stand in the way of new leadership .”
Returning president Ayuso is an outspoken critic of the government of Pedro Sánchez , but has been criticised for her response to the Covid pandemic during which she allowed restaurants to remain open . The region around the city of Madrid has suffered Spain ’ s second-highest infection rate and the highest number of patients in intensive care .
The electoral campaign was bitter with two of the candidates , including Ayuso , receiving death threats . When the subject was raised in a heated live TV debate , Pablo Iglesias claimed his family were victims after they were sent four assault rifle bullets . However , when Vox candidate Rocío Monasterio said she believed “ little ” of what he says , Iglesias got up and walked out of the studio and the transmission was cut short .
energy and environment minister Teresa Ribera said the “ essential ” law “ should have been put in place ten years ago .” It is the first in the world which requires all businesses to set out clear climate action plans including emissions reduction targets which must be achieved in five years .
However , critics say that Spain ’ s emission reduction target of 23 per cent is significantly lower than the goals set by other countries . Germany ’ s 2030 target is 65 per cent , while the UK has committed to 68 per cent . The EU has recently raised the bloc ’ s target to at least 55 per cent .
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