Drivers in Spain now paying €20 less to fill the tank, Andalusia to hold regional elections in May, Canaries still on alert due to Storm Therese and more news on Tuesday March 24th.
Only one home built for every ten new residents in Barcelona
In the last five years, Barcelona has seen only one new apartment built for every ten new residents the city has gained.
According to 2025 data from Idescat, the Catalan capital now has 94,917 more residents than in 2021.
During this same period, 9,390 new homes have been completed, according to data from the Catalan government.
In other parts of Barcelona’s Metropolitan Area such as Santa Coloma de Gramenet and L’Hospitalet de Llobregat, it’s a similar situation.
Local authorities claim they lack the space to build housing at the same rate as the population grows and point to building rehabilitation and land-use regulations as alternatives for increasing the availability of residential housing.
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Drivers in Spain now paying €20 less to fill the tank
Spanish government spokesperson Elma Saiz stated on Monday that drivers in Spain are already noticing the drop in diesel and petrol prices since the new cost-cutting measures came into effect this past weekend.
Saiz said “it’s already a reality” that Spaniards are saving €20 compared to a few days ago when filling up their vehicles’ tanks.
The US and Israeli-led war in Iran and the subsequent closure of Strait of Hormuz has caused an increase in the price of petrol and diesel, rising by up to 30 percent in the case of the latter.
As a result, the Spanish government on Friday decided to cut the VAT on fuel from 21 percent to 10 percent, which they said can reduce fuel prices by 10 to 15 cents per litre. Furthermore, if combined with other tax cuts, the total reduction can be 30-40 cents per litre.
However, consumer watchdog Facua have warned that one in four petrol stations have taken advantage of the VAT cut to put up their prices.
Andalusia to hold regional elections in May
Andalusian Regional president Juan Manuel Moreno Bonilla announced Monday that elections in the southern autonomous community will be held on Sunday May 17th.
After several weeks of uncertainty regarding the date, and with the added factor of Pope Leo XIV’s visit to Spain from June 6th to 12th, the Andalusian president has decided that the elections will be held a few weeks earlier than planned.
“I hope and wish that this decision will facilitate greater participation and allow the people of Andalusia to speak with maximum clarity and normality,” the centre-right PP politician stated.
Moreno Bonilla has been in power in Andalusia since 2019. According to a Sigma Dos poll conducted for Spanish right-leaning daily El Mundo, the People’s Party (PP) would win the Andalusian elections again, just shy of an absolute majority.
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Canaries still on alert due to Storm Therese
Spain’s Canary Islands continue to feel the effects of Storm Therese after a week of heavy rain and very strong winds which have led to road closures, flight cancellations and landslides.
In some parts of the archipelago, more than 300 litres of rainfall per square metre have fallen during this borrasca (storm), even through temperatures have continued on an upward trend.
National weather agency Aemet expects very heavy downpours, thunderstorms and hail in the western islands of Tenerife, La Palma, La Gomera and El Hierro on Tuesday, placing the islands on orange alert.
