Spanish minister returns threat to Trump over ‘hateful’ tariffs, Spanish town bans black cat adoptions over fear of Halloween ‘rituals’ and more news on Thursday October 16th.
Spanish minister returns threat to Trump over ‘hateful’ tariffs
Spain’s second Deputy PM and Labour Yolanda Díaz warned US President Donald Trump on Wednesday that the tariffs he is threatening to impose on Spain for not reaching 5 percent of GDP in defence spending could end up being “very expensive for Americans.”
Díaz explained that Spain currently has a negative trade balance between the two countries, so if Trump intends to pursue these “hateful” policies, the consequences would directly impact Americans.
Spain imports significantly more from the United States than it exports, especially in sectors such as technology, energy, and industrial goods.
The left-wing politician asserted that in the event of tariffs, the government would defend its productive sectors, adding that “it’s the Spanish people who are in charge, not Mr. Trump” and that Spain “not his protectorate”.
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Spanish TV station cuts broadcast for two hours to protest ‘genocide in Gaza’
Andalusia’s regional TV channel Canal Sur on Wednesday suspended its broadcasts from 10am to 12pm due to its staff’s support for the general strike called by trade unions in support of the Palestinian people and in protest against the “genocide in Gaza.”
The classic multicolour “No signal” screen showed for viewers who tried to tune in during that timeslot.
Spain’s national broadcaster RTVE also showed a message on its website warning that any point it may lose connection as well if its staff decided to follow the strike, but this did not take place in the end.
Ex-minister accused of corruption kept out of jail during court case
Spain’s Supreme Court has decided to keep the disgraced ex-Minister of Transport out of jail for the time being. José Luis Ábalos was summoned to testify on Wednesday over allegations he had over €95,000 in unjustified expenses, as part of the so-called Koldo Affair.
The prosecution had requested his imprisonment, but the Prosecutor’s Office did not, and the judge did not impose any bail.
This is the fourth time the judge has called Ábalos to testify, believing he may have had “large amounts of opaque money” and suggests that this money may be “in third-party accounts that have not been found,” belonging to his international contacts and ties.
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Spanish town bans black cat adoptions over fear of Halloween ‘rituals’
Any adoption or fostering request for the felines will be denied from October 1 to November 10 to prevent “possible risk… derived from superstitions, rituals or irresponsible uses”, the animal welfare service of Terrassa, a town north of Barcelona, announced on October 6.
The decision was taken “due to the arrival of the Halloween period and following the prudence criteria applied by various animal protection entities”, added authorities in the town in the northeastern region of Catalonia.
Local newspaper Diari de Terrassa quoted animal welfare councillor Noel Duque as saying last week that adoption requests for black cats increase close to Halloween “for ritual purposes” or “as decoration because ‘it’s cool'”.
The town hall “could not look the other way” when faced with “a grim topic”, said Duque, who sits next to a ginger cat in his Facebook profile picture.
Animal welfare groups warn cats can be hurt, killed or used as props during Halloween rituals.
Exceptions will be “duly justified and assessed by the technical team of the centre, where there is a full safety guarantee and a reliable history of the applicant”, the animal welfare service said.
The normal adoption and fostering process will resume after Halloween, it added, not ruling out a similar ban in the future.
Terrassa is home to more than 9,800 cats, according to the municipal authorities.
With additional reporting by AFP.
