Davos 2019 Day 1: Climate change, globalism and Middle East politics

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US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo joined WEF19 in Davos - albeit via video-link. (Screenshot/WEF)
Updated 23 January 2019
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Davos 2019 Day 1: Climate change, globalism and Middle East politics

  • More than 3,000 political, business and civil leaders have descended upon Davos in Switzerland
  • The attendees include several senior figures from Saudi Arabia and the wider Middle East

DAVOS: More than 3,000 political, business and civil leaders have descended upon Davos in Switzerland for the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting on Tuesday. Follow Arab News' live coverage below.

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17:55 - That's a wrap on the Middle East Strategic Outlook panel and Tuesday's action, with some interesting points made by the Saudi Arabian, Emirati and Bahraini panelists - you can catch up with the whole session below:

17:45 - Mohammad Al-Tuwaijri on the journeys undertaken by both Dubai, the UAE and also Saudi Arabia in developing their economies...

17:30 - Alain Bejjani of Majid Al-Futtaim says that Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 has "set a vision and plan" for other countries to follow...

 

17:15 - Strong words from Khalid Al-Rumaihi, CEO of Bahrain Economic Development Board...

While Saudi Arabia's Mohammad Al-Tuwaijri has praised the shift in ideas and investment into renewable energies as "significant," despite the GCC still being reliant on oil.

16:45 - Coming up next is an important one for our region - an outlook on the Middle East. The panel includes Saudi Arabia's Minister of Economy and Planning Mohammad Al-Tuwaijri, Youssef Chahed, Tunisia PM and Rami Hamdallah PM of the Palestinian National Authority. Also there will be Mirek Dusek, senior WEF director, who spoke to Arab News on the eve of the summit to reveal what will be on the agendaThe panel will be chaired by Hadley Gamble, reporter and anchor, CNBC.

16:15 - Remember David Blaine? As a bit of respite, Davos attendees are being treated to a talk by the magician, illusionist and "endurance artist" on how "awe can shift perception and turn skeptics into believers..."

15:45 - Wondering what the latest Saudi Arabian lines from Davos are? Of course you are. According to the chief of the International Energy Agency (IEA), the Kingdom will remain the largest global oil exporter for years to come despite the growth of the US oil sector, Fatih Birol told the World Economic Forum.

READ MORE: Saudi Arabia to remain oil exporting kingpin says IEA boss

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15:20 - Pompeo shares his thoughts on Yemen and the Middle East as a whole, and what role the US is looking to play...

15:10 - Pompeo praises what he calls "beautiful coalitions" with countries in challenging the threat of North Korea and checking China's expansionism as well as countering terrorism and Iran's "foreign adventurism," but reiterates that there is still a lot of work for the US and the world to do - together...

15:00 - US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo joins WEF19 in Davos - albeit via video-link...

14:45 - Bolsonaro makes some bold claims about what he envisages his government doing to help Brazil and its economy - saying he will “actively support” reform of the WTO, will fight corruption and organised crime and with the help of global partners with technological knowledge tap into Brazil’s “abundant mineral riches” to “develop resources.”

Klaus Schwab says the world looks forward to seeing the progress he makes…

14:30 - Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro says he is "moved and honored" to be addressing the crowd at Davos...

14:15 - As attendees start to file back in after a quick bite for lunch, we are looking ahead to addresses by Brazil's new president Jair Bolsonaro and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in the afternoon session here in Davos - how will Bolsnaro's populist approach go down with the globalist attendees at WEF? Stay tuned to find out...

13:35 - Prince William asks Sir David about how technology is being used to further explore the natural world. Attenborough emphasized humans’ responsibility toward the natural world. “We are only too well aware that the whole of the natural world is at our disposal … We can do things accidentally that exterminate a whole area of the natural world and the species that live within in,” he said.

13:25 - Prince William, Duke of Cambridge is interviewing broadcaster and natural historian Sir David Attenborough on the Davos stage now, watch a live stream above...

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If you want to follow World Economic Forum panels specifically about the Middle East, check out our handy guide here

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13:10 - The "Belt and Road - China's Trillion-Dollar Vision" panel is currently going on - and it comes after a top financial regulator in China said on Tuesday it’s “certain” that the Chinese economy will slow further this year — but that’s largely due to a “much-needed” cooling of the real estate market. Speaking at Davos, Fang Xinghai, vice-chairman of the China Securities Regulatory Commission, said the slowdown from last year’s 28-year low rate of 6.6 percent to around 6 percent is not a “collapse.” That remains to be seen...

And the panel has been discussing the pros and cons of free trade - a topic the British are clearly sending a tongue-in-cheek message to Davos about this week, as discovered by our roving reporter Frank Kane...

13:00 - Coming up shortly, Prince William, Duke of Cambridge will be interviewing conservationist and broadcaster Sir David Attenborough - and the latter has already come out with one of the "quotes of Davos"...

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Arab News is covering WEF19 in depth, and you can read all of our coverage from the World Economic Forum by visiting our Davos 2019 spotlight

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12:50 - David Miliband speaks about the growing global problem of refugees and displaced peoples, he briefly mentions Yemen and his hope that peace talks between the two parties operating in the country will offer a solution to the humanitarian needs of the country.

12:30 - Our next panel is The Humanitarian Crises That Will Shape 2019 - the panel includes: David Miliband, president of International Rescue Committee and Heba Aly who is director of IRIN - who starts the discussion about climate change affecting millions of lives and the "fragile states" being some of the biggest humanitarian crises the world needs to be working to solve...

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12:20 - Up later: Brazil's far-right President Jair Bolsonaro is set to address Davos as the first main headline act of the day. It will be interesting to hear Bolsonaro’s pitch to the “global elite” gathered at the World Economic Forum. Bolsonaro surfed a populist wave to ride to power (sound familiar?) — and seems to be everything the so-called “Davos Man” is not. Still, as with Donald Trump’s appearance at the World Economic Forum a year ago, Bolsonaro’s attendance emphasizes the big global shift toward populism, whether the Davos Man likes it or not. 

READ MORE: Brazil’s nationalist leader to address Davos globalist crowd

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12:10 - The terrifying threat of climate change is one of the most important items on the agenda at Davos this year. And many of the panelists would have doubtlessly perfected their speeches on, er, their private jets on the way over. According to the Air Charter Service, a record number of private jet flights — nearly 1,500 — are forecast to travel to airports near Davos in the Swiss Alps over the week of the World Economic Forum (WEF). That would be up from the more than 1,300 aircraft movements seen at last year’s forum. So for the “Davos elite,” the environment is clearly very important — especially when it comes to putting your feet up on the plane …

READ MORE: Never mind climate change, Davos prefers private jets

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12:00 - Arab News reporter Anna Pukas will be speaking with Young Photographer of the Year 2018 Skye Meaker at the World Economic Forum, who is taking part in a panel with Jane Goodall this afternoon - take a look at some of his beautiful wildlife images here. And to brighten your Tuesday afternoon amid all the serious stuff, here is his stunning winning photo below...




Skye Meaker, Young Photographer of the Year 2018 - winning image

11:50 - Gebran Bassil says that the Lebanese model of coexistence is "still holding," despite examples of it not working elsewhere around the world, and that while a stable Syria is the target of Lebanon, spreading the Lebanese model to the rest of the region "is not easy."

11:20 - Gebran Bassil, Lebanese foreign minister says democracy in his country has reached a level of "reconciliation" despite decades of conflict converging on Lebanon, which has often acted as a "bumper" during these regional clashes, and wider conflicts.

11:00 - Our next panel - Peace and Reconciliation in a Multipolar World - has started, and the panel includes: Gebran Bassil, Ministry of Foreign Affairs Lebanon, Abdullah Abdullah of the Afghanistan government and Abdelkader Messahel, Minister of Foreign Affairs in Algeria. Follow it live here:

10:50 - Satya Nadella, chief executive officer of Microsoft, is adding his thoughts on how young people can shape the future of society - he acknowledges the problems the young panellists raised, and acknowledges the challenges require new approaches to solve them. He says: "Young people have shown us in constrained environments what can be achieved, your ingenuity and that you did not accept the status quo."

10:40 - We are now hearing an emotional appeal and inspiring life story being shared by refugee Mohammed Hassan Mohamud, who lives in - and is Zonal Chairman of - Kakuma refugee camp in Kenya. Powerful stuff.

10:25 - The first panel - Shaping Globalization 4.0 - has begun featuring young voices from a range of sectors, with Basima Abdulrahman, founder and Chief Executive Officer of KESK Green Building Consulting, Iraq's first green building company kicking us off...

10:15 - In his opening remarks, Professor Schwab hints at the "Globalization 4.0" theme of the forum by saying: “Globalization has to be human-centered, it has to be more inclusive, it has to be much more sustainable.”

10:00 - The "Welcoming Remarks" and a special address are just getting started, with the founder and executive chairman of WEF Klaus Schwab and Ueli Maurer, president of the Swiss Confederation and Federal Councillor of Finance kicking us off...

The welcoming remarks were opened with a lovely tune played by some alpine horn players - WEF19 is well and truly up and running...

09:55 - Monday saw Saudi Arabian filmmaker Haifaa Al-Mansour awarded at the 25th Crystal Awards, along with conductor Marin Alsop and broadcaster Sir David Attenborough.

09:45 - We have quite a packed agenda for Tuesday, with panels on globalization, the environment and strategic outlooks for the Middle East all coming up today. Stay tuned for more details.

 


Rain complicates recovery in quake-hit Myanmar as death toll rises

Updated 4 sec ago
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Rain complicates recovery in quake-hit Myanmar as death toll rises

  • Rain is compounding misery and presenting new hurdles for relief efforts on Sunday in Myanmar, where state media reported the death toll from a devastating earthquake has risen to nearly 3,500 people
YANGON: Rain is compounding misery and presenting new hurdles for relief efforts on Sunday in Myanmar, where state media reported the death toll from a devastating earthquake has risen to nearly 3,500 people.
The 7.7-magnitude quake struck on March 28, razing buildings, cutting off power and destroying bridges and roads across the country.
Damage has been particularly severe in the city of Sagaing near the epicenter, as well as in Mandalay, Myanmar’s second city with more than 1.7 million residents.
State media in the military junta-led country now say that the earthquake has caused 3,471 confirmed deaths and injured 4,671 people, while 214 remain missing.
With people either having lost their homes entirely or reluctant to spend time in cracked and unstable structures, many residents have been sleeping outside in tents.
Around 45 minutes of heavy rain and winds lashed tent cities Saturday evening in Mandalay, according to the UN Development Programme.
People and their belongings were soaked because of a shortage of tarpaulins, Tun Tun, a program specialist at the UN agency, told AFP.
There are also fears destroyed buildings will subside and complicate body recovery efforts.
Following less intense showers Sunday morning, the temperature is due to climb to 37 degrees Celsius (98 degrees Farenheit).
“The weather is very extreme,” Tun Tun told AFP, with further rain forecast.
Aid experts warn that rainy conditions and scorching heat increase the risk of disease outbreaks at outdoor camps where victims were in temporary shelter.
United Nations aid chief Tom Fletcher said that food, water, and power repairs were needed urgently, in a video filmed in Mandalay and posted to X on Sunday.
Many people in the area are still without shelter, he said, describing the scale of damage in the area as “epic.”
“We need to get tents and hope to survivors as they rebuild their shattered lives,” Fletcher wrote in another post.


Myanmar has been ruled by junta leader Min Aung Hlaing since 2021, when his military seized power in a coup that overthrew the civilian government of Aung San Suu Kyi.
International efforts to provide quake relief in the Southeast Asian country of more than 50 million people have been complicated by unreliable communication networks and infrastructure heavily damaged by four years of civil war.
Even before the recent quake, the humanitarian crisis in the country was severe, with the persistent, multi-sided conflict displacing 3.5 million people, according to the UN.
The UN said Friday that since the earthquake, the junta continued to conduct dozens of attacks against rebel groups, including at least 16 since Wednesday when the military government announced a temporary ceasefire.
Fletcher held discussions with the foreign ministers of Thailand and Malaysia on Saturday for what he called a “practical meeting” centered on “strong, coordinated, collective action” to save lives in Myanmar.
Aftershocks have also continued as long as a week after the initial tremors, with a 4.7-magnitude quake striking just south of Mandalay late Friday, according to the United States Geological Survey.
Min Aung Hlaing was in Bangkok on Thursday and Friday, on a rare foreign trip to attend a regional summit that saw him meet with leaders including the prime ministers of Thailand and India.
The general’s attendance at the summit prompted protest, with demonstrators at the venue displaying a banner calling him a “murderer” and anti-junta groups condemning his inclusion.

Explosions as Kyiv under missile attack, says mayor

Updated 06 April 2025
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Explosions as Kyiv under missile attack, says mayor

  • Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said 3 people were injured so far, and said there was reported wreckage falling in two non-residential sites
  • Last week, a Russian missile struck a residential area in President Zelensky's home city of Kryvyi Rig, killing 18, including 9 children

KYIV, Ukraine: Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said the city was under missile attack on Sunday with explosions in the Ukrainian capital, two days after a Russian missile killed 18 people in President Volodymyr Zelensky’s hometown.
Klitschko said paramedics had been sent to two districts in Kyiv, while the Ukrainian air force said missiles had entered the northern Chernihiv region.
“Explosions in the capital. Air defense is in operation,” Klitschko said on Telegram.
“The missile attack on Kyiv continues. Stay in shelters!“
He added that three people were injured so far, and said there was reported wreckage falling in two non-residential sites.
Across Ukraine, air raid alerts were also issued for the Kherson, Mykolaiv and Odesa regions.
The attacks come at a time when US President Donald Trump is pushing for a partial ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine, more than three years into Moscow’s full-scale invasion, while seeking a thaw in ties with the Kremlin.

On Saturday, Zelensky slammed the US embassy for what he called a “weak” statement that did not blame Russia for the deadly missile strike on his home city Kryvyi Rig. Nine children were among the 18 fatalities.
In one of the deadliest strikes in recent weeks, a Russian missile struck a residential area near a children’s playground in the central Ukrainian city.
Seventy-two people were wounded, 12 of them children, Dnipropetrovsk regional governor Sergiy Lysak said after emergency operations ended overnight.
In an emotional statement on social media, Zelensky named each of the children killed in the attack, accusing the US embassy of avoiding referring to Russia as the aggressor.
“Unfortunately, the reaction of the American embassy is unpleasantly surprising: such a strong country, such a strong people — and such a weak reaction,” Zelensky wrote.
“They are even afraid to say the word ‘Russian’ when talking about the missile that killed the children.”
The Ukrainian president took aim at the US Ambassador Bridget Brink after she posted a message on X on Friday evening that said: “Horrified that tonight a ballistic missile struck near a playground and restaurant.”
Brink, who was appointed by Trump’s predecessor Joe Biden and has been ambassador since May 2022, added that “this is why the war must end.”
Zelensky wrote on Saturday: “Yes, the war must end. But in order to end it, we must not be afraid to call a spade a spade.”
“It is wrong and dangerous to keep silent about the fact that it is Russia that is killing children with ballistic missiles,” Zelensky reiterated in his evening address.
“It only incites the scum in Moscow to continue the war and further ignore diplomacy.”

The Ukrainian leader was born in the industrial city of Kryvyi Rig, which had a pre-war population of around 600,000 people.
Zelensky said the children killed by the latest attack ranged in age from a three-year-old boy, Tymofiy, to a 17-year-old teenage boy, Nikita.
Oleksandr Vilkul, the head of Kryvyi Rig’s military administration, said three days of mourning had been declared on April 7, 8 and 9.
“This is nothing less than a mass murder of civilians,” he said.
Pictures circulated by rescue services showed several bodies, one stretched out near a playground swing.
Russia’s defense ministry said it “delivered a precision strike” in the city “where commanders of formations and Western instructors were meeting.”
The General Staff of the Ukrainian army retorted that Moscow was “trying to cover up its cynical crime” and “spreading false information.” It accused Russia of “war crimes.”
Trump, who said during his re-election campaign he could end the three-year conflict within days, is pushing the two sides to agree to a ceasefire but his administration has failed to broker an accord acceptable to both.
Zelensky said the missile attack showed Russia had no interest in stopping its full-scale invasion, launched in February 2022.
The president hailed “tangible progress” after meeting British and French military chiefs in Kyiv on Friday to discuss a plan by London and Paris to send a “reassurance” force to Ukraine if and when a deal on ending the conflict is reached.
Zelensky wrote on social media that the meeting with British Chief of the Defense Staff Tony Radakin and French counterpart Thierry Burkhard agreed “the first details on how the security contingent of partners can be deployed.”
This is one of the latest efforts by European leaders to agree on a coordinated policy after Trump sidelined them and opened direct talks with the Kremlin.
 


US to revoke all South Sudan visas over failure to accept repatriation of citizens: Rubio

Updated 06 April 2025
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US to revoke all South Sudan visas over failure to accept repatriation of citizens: Rubio

  • South Sudan had failed to respect the principle that every country must accept the return of its citizens in a timely manner, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said
  • Washington “will be prepared to review these actions when South Sudan is in full cooperation,” he added

WASHINGTON: The US said on Saturday it would revoke all visas held by South Sudanese passport holders over South Sudan’s failure to accept the return of its repatriated citizens, at a time when many in Africa fear that country could return to civil war.
US President Donald Trump’s administration has taken aggressive measures to ramp up immigration enforcement, including the repatriation of people deemed to be in the US illegally.
The administration has warned that countries that do not swiftly take back their citizens will face consequences, including visa sanctions or tariffs.
South Sudan had failed to respect the principle that every country must accept the return of its citizens in a timely manner when another country, including the US, seeks to remove them, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement.
“Effective immediately, the United States Department of State is taking actions to revoke all visas held by South Sudanese passport holders and prevent further issuance to prevent entry into the United States by South Sudanese passport holders,” Rubio said.
“We will be prepared to review these actions when South Sudan is in full cooperation,” Rubio said.
It is time for South Sudan’s transitional government to “stop taking advantage of the United States,” he said.
South Sudan’s embassy in Washington did not respond immediately to a request for comment.
African Union mediators arrived in South Sudan’s capital Juba this week for talks aimed at averting a new civil war in the country after its First Vice President Riek Machar was placed under house arrest last week.
South Sudan President Salva Kiir’s government has accused Machar, a longtime rival who led rebel forces during a 2013-18 war that killed hundreds of thousands, of trying to stir up a new rebellion.

Machar’s detention followed weeks of fighting in the northern Upper Nile state between the military and the White Army militia. Machar’s forces were allied with the White Army during the civil war but deny any current links.
The 2013-18 war was contested largely along ethnic lines, with fighters from the Dinka, the country’s largest group, lining up behind Kiir, and those from the Nuer, the second-largest group, supporting Machar.

 


Panama wants ‘respectful’ ties with US amid canal threats

Updated 06 April 2025
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Panama wants ‘respectful’ ties with US amid canal threats

  • The United States and China are the two biggest users of the Panama Canal, which handles five percent of global maritime trade, giving it vital economic and geostrategic importance

PANAMA CITY: Panama hopes to maintain a “respectful” relationship with the United States, even as President Donald Trump has repeated threats to retake the Panama Canal, Foreign Minister Javier Martinez-Acha said Saturday.
His comments came ahead of a visit next week by US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, a trip made more urgent against the backdrop of Trump’s threats and his allegations of Chinese interference in the canal.
“We discussed illegal migration, organized crime, drug trafficking and (other issues),” Martinez-Acha wrote on X of a call Friday with US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau. “It was a cordial and constructive exchange.”
“I reiterated that all cooperation from Panama will take place under the framework of our constitution, our laws, and the Canal Neutrality Treaty,” he wrote. “Relations with the US must remain respectful, transparent and mutually beneficial.”
The US State Department said Landau had “expressed gratitude for Panama’s cooperation in halting illegal immigration and working with the United States to secure a nearly 98 percent decrease in illegal immigration through the Darien jungle,” an arduous path northward followed by many migrants.
The two officials also discussed the sale last month by the Hong Kong company CK Hutchison to giant US asset manager BlackRock of its concession in ports at either end of the Panama Canal, Martinez-Acha added.
Panama’s comptroller has been conducting an audit of Hutchison since January.
Landau “recognized Panama’s actions in curbing malign Chinese Communist Party influence,” the State Department said.
The deal was set to close on April 2 but has been held up as Chinese regulators pursue an investigation.
The United States and China are the two biggest users of the Panama Canal, which handles five percent of global maritime trade, giving it vital economic and geostrategic importance. It was inaugurated by the United States in 1914 and has been in Panamanian hands since 1999.


Tens of thousands of Spaniards march across the country to protest the growing housing crisis

Updated 06 April 2025
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Tens of thousands of Spaniards march across the country to protest the growing housing crisis

  • The housing crisis has hit particularly hard in Spain, where there is a strong tradition of home ownership and scant public housing for rent

BARCELONA, Spain: Tens of thousands of Spaniards marched in protests held across the European country on Saturday in anger over high housing costs with no relief in sight.
Government authorities said that 15,000 marched in Madrid, while organizers said 10 times that many took to the streets of the capital. In Barcelona, the city hall said 12,000 people took part in the protest, while organizers claimed over 100,000 did.
The massive demonstration of social angst that is a major concern for Spain’s left-wing government was organized by housing activists and backed by Spain’s main labor unions.
The housing crisis has hit particularly hard in Spain, where there is a strong tradition of home ownership and scant public housing for rent. Rents have been driven up by increased demand. Buying a home has become unaffordable for many, with market pressures and speculation driving up prices, especially in big cities and coastal areas.
A generation of young people say they have to stay with their parents or spend big just to share an apartment, with little chance of saving enough to one day purchase a home. High housing costs mean even those with traditionally well-paying jobs are struggling to make ends meet.
“I’m living with four people and still, I allocate 30 or 40 percent of my salary to rent,” said Mari Sánchez, a 26-year-old lawyer in Madrid. “That doesn’t allow me to save. That doesn’t allow me to do anything. It doesn’t even allow me to buy a car. That’s my current situation, and the one many young people are living through.”
Housing Minister Isabel Rodríguez said on X that “I share the demand of the numerous people who have marched today: that homes are for living in and not for speculating.”
Lack of public housing
The average rent in Spain has almost doubled in the last 10 years. The price per square meter rose from 7.2 euros ($7.90) in 2014 to 13 euros last year, according to real estate website Idealista. The increase is bigger in Madrid and Barcelona.
Incomes have failed to keep up, especially for younger people in a country with chronically high unemployment.
Spain does not have the public housing that other European nations have invested in to cushion struggling renters from a market that is pricing them out.
Spain is near the bottom end of Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development countries with public housing for rent making up under 2 percent of all available housing. The OECD average is 7 percent. In France it is is 14 percent, Britain 16 percent and the Netherlands 34 percent.
Angry renters point to instances of international hedge funds buying up properties, often with the aim of renting them to foreign tourists. The question has become so politically charged that Barcelona’s city government pledged last year to phase out all its 10,000 permits for short-term rentals, many of them advertised on platforms like Airbnb, by 2028.
Marchers in Madrid on Saturday chanted “Get Airbnb out of our neighborhoods” and held up signs against short-term rentals. In Barcelona, someone carried a sign reading “I am not leaving, vampire,” apparently in a message to would-be real estate speculator seeking to drive him out of his home.
Authorities under pressure
The central government’s biggest initiative for curbing the cost of housing is a rent cap mechanism it has offered to regional authorities, based on a price index established by the housing ministry. The government says the measure has slightly reduced rents in Barcelona, one of the few areas it has been applied.
But government measures have not proven enough to stop protests over the past two years. Experts say the situation likely won’t improve anytime soon.
“This is not the first, nor will it be the last, (housing protest) given the severity of the housing crisis,” Ignasi Martí, professor with the Esade business school and head of its Dignified Housing Observatory, said in an email.
“We saw this with the financial crisis (of 2008-2012) when (a protest movement) lasted until there was a certain economic recovery and a reduction in the social tension,” Marti added.