Spain’s Catalonia faces its worst drought on record. In some areas of the region, it has not rained in over three years and water restrictions have been extended to Barcelona and the surrounding areas. But activists say the region's vast tourism industry is failing to do its part, with hotels largely exempt from the restrictions.

Barcelona

Extreme weather events are occurring more frequently amid rising sea-levels and increasing temperatures.

Climate Crisis

Spain's Catalonia region is currently experiencing its most severe drought ever recorded, with certain areas not receiving rainfall for more than three years. As a result, water restrictions have been implemented in Barcelona and its neighboring territories to mitigate the effects of this prolonged dry spell. However, there is a growing concern among activists that the tourism sector, which is a significant part of the region's economy, is not contributing to conservation efforts as it should. They argue that hotels, in particular, have been largely exempt from adhering to the water usage restrictions, which raises questions about the fairness and effectiveness of these conservation measures.



Hotels ‘going unpunished’ amid Barcelona water shortage

Barcelona has long been a prized destination for European tourists looking to escape the gloom of winter. Nothing here seems to indicate that Spain's most visited city is in a state of emergency. Except for a sign in Catalan warning beachgoers that showers have been turned off. They wanted to get rid of the sand from my feet but then I just recognised that they wouldn't work. And there weren't any signs as well in the hotel, not at the reception and not in the bathroom for example. At the Magic Fountain, a popular tourist attraction, the taps have also run dry. We just found out there's no water at all. We had no idea about the drought in Barcelona. For residents, emergency restrictions have been harder to ignore. Households have been instructed to limit consumption to 200 litres per day, enough for a 10-minute shower according to the WHO. The most recent data from 2016 shows that figure jumps to nearly 600 litres for a single guest at a luxury hotel. Out of all the establishments France 24 reached out to, only one agreed to be interviewed, an hour drive north of Barcelona. Thanks to a waste water recycling system installed in the late 90s, this hotel claims to have saved the equivalent of 88 Olympic sized pools. We collect water from the shower and the sink which is then reused in toilet bowls, the last step of the recycling process. Along with pressure reducing taps, these efforts have paid off according to the hotel management. Their average guest uses 174 litres per day, below the current domestic limit. In a way, we're already saving water and if it gets to a point where extreme measures are imposed, it will be easier for us to adapt. So far hotels have been exempt from most restrictions. A ban on refilling swimming pools has come into effect, but many had already been filled up since summer. For Dante Maschio, an activist and engineer, this amounts to a double standard. He says the hotel industry has fallen into a grey area of restrictions. The law doesn't require the authorities to gather data on how much water the tourism industry consumes, unlike the farming and industrial sectors or domestic usage. That's why when the government imposes restrictions, the tourism industry goes unpunished because we don't know exactly how much water they consume. In response to the drought, the Catalan government has launched a strategy of self-sufficiency, aiming to live without rain by the end of this decade. A plan backed by 2.4 billion euros in investment in desalination plants and waste water recycling. About 60% of the city's water already comes from the Mediterranean, with facilities working at full capacity since a state of emergency was declared. Tordera is one of two regional plants. Without desalination plants we would not have enough water in Catalonia. Probably the government would have imposed even more restrictions. We play a central role in the production of water. 60,000 cubic metres of water are produced here on a daily basis for urban needs, including homes and hotels. The plant is set to triple in size in the next five years. Activists warn that the cost of desalination plants will fall on taxpayers, calling instead for an overhaul of the city's economic model, including the tourism industry.

Ukraine's top general says his troops have been forced to retreat as fighting on the country's eastern front intensified. Kyiv's forces have fallen back to new positions in at least three places along the front, west of the Donetsk region.

Donetsk

Ukraine Invasion

Ukraine troops retreating on eastern front

Tesla CEO Elon Musk arrived in Beijing on an unannounced visit, to meet senior officials to discuss the rollout of Full Self-Driving software and permission to transfer data overseas, according to a person with knowledge of the matter.

Shanghai

Elon Musk makes surprise visit to China

Hamas's armed wing released video of two men held hostage in Gaza who are seen alive and urging Israeli authorities to strike a deal for the release of all the remaining captives.

Rafah

Israel-Gaza War

Hamas releases video of two Israeli hostages

Defence Minister Richard Marles has revealed a fresh aid package to support Ukraine in its war with Russia, including $30 million in funding for drones. It marks more than one billion dollars in funding from Australia since the war began.

Lviv

Australia announces $100m in Ukraine aid

Tens of thousands of people have marched across the country calling for an end to violence against women. The Prime Minister addressed the crowd in Canberra where he called the issue a 'national crisis'.

Canberra

Prime Minister joins rally calling for end to gendered violence

Israeli protesters have shut down streets in Tel Aviv demanding the release of hostages and the political end of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Anger has been growing inside Israel as the Gaza war drags on for more than 200 days.

Tel Aviv-Yafo

Thousands block Tel Aviv streets in protest

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Israel 'gearing up' for Rafah ground offensive

Ohio police released video of a Black man who died at a local hospital after repeatedly telling officers "I can't breathe" as they pinned him to the floor of a bar and handcuffed him, evoking memories of the killing of George Floyd in 2020.

Canton

'I can't breathe' man tells Ohio cops before death

Witnesses in Gaza reported fresh Israeli strikes overnight around Rafah. It comes as Hamas says it is considering an Israeli ceasefire proposal, after a delegation from Egypt arrived in Israel to resume stalled negotiations.

Sderot

Gaza hit by fresh strikes amid ceasefire talks

The US military has started building a large floating pier off Gaza's coast to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid, the defence department has said. Ships will deliver aid from Cyprus to the pier where it will be loaded onto trucks to transfer across Gaza.

Jerusalem

US begins building floating base to boost aid

King Charles will return to his public duties next week for the first time since his February cancer diagnosis, visiting a cancer treatment centre. There fears his Australian trip will be delayed, while he continues treatment for his own cancer battle.

Windsor

King Charles resuming public duties but Australian trip in limbo

Demonstrations have taken place across the country after a spate of domestic violence deaths, including Molly Ticehurst. Protestors held signs saying ‘no more’ calling for immediate action against male-inflicted violence.

Council of the City of Sydney

Thousands rally across Australia against domestic violence

The Russian and Turkish flags were lowered to mark the closure of a center set up to monitor a ceasefire in Nagorno-Karabakh, as Russian peacekeepers ended a multi-year deployment in the strategic South Caucasus region.

Baku

Nagorno-Karabakh ceasefire center closes as Russia withdraws

Britain's King Charles will return to public duties next week for the first time since being diagnosed with cancer as he makes good progress following treatment and a period of recuperation, Buckingham Palace said.

London

King Charles to resume public duties after cancer diagnosis

Students blocked access to Paris' prestigious Sciences Po university over the war in Gaza on Friday (April 26), demanding the institution condemn Israel's actions, in a protest that echoed similar demonstrations on U.S. campuses.

Paris

Pro-Palestinian protesters still occupying Sciences Po campus

The number of people killed in floods in Kenya due to heavier than usual rainfall since the start of the monsoon in March has risen to 70, a government spokesperson said Friday. Kenya and other countries in East Africa, a region highly vulnerable to climate change, have been pounded by heavier than usual rainfall in recent weeks, compounded by the El Nino weather pattern.

Nairobi

Kenya flood death toll since March climbs to 70

An Australian journalist has been named as a key figure in Donald Trump's criminal trial. Dylan Howard, the former editor of the National Enquirer in the U.S. accused of buying and burying negative stories as part of a deal to help him become President.

New York

U.S. Presidential Election

The Australian journalist caught up in Trump trial

A surging domestic economy and rising inflation will see the Reserve Bank change its mind and increase interest rates as many as three times this year, analysts have warned.

Reserve Bank set to raise interest rates, expert predicts

The Prime Minister has labelled the security guard murdered during the Bondi stabbing attack a 'national hero' during his funeral today. Mourners gathering at the Baitul Huda Mosque in Marsden Park, Sydney to honour Faraz Tahir.

Marsden Park

Mourners farewell Bondi security guard Faraz Tahir

After a crucial hearing, U.S. Supreme Court justices are weighing arguments for and against Donald Trump's claims of presidential immunity from 2020 election interference charges, but a ruling will take time.

Washington

U.S. Supreme Court weighs arguments on Trump immunity case

Disgraced movie mogul Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction has been overturned after New York’s highest court ruled the trial judge improperly allowed women to testify about allegations against him that were not part of the case.

Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction overturned

Palestinians have begun evacuating Rafah as Israel steps up airstrikes. Israel plans to go forward with a ground operation in the southern Gaza city despite warnings from allies that it could cause mass casualties.

Israel steps up airstrikes on Rafah ahead of ground operation

After weeks of delays, Haiti is due to swear in a presidential transition council. Gang violence has devastated the economy and social services are on the brink of collapse. Gang leaders say talks over Haiti's political future must include them.

Port-au-Prince

Haiti interim transition council to be sworn in

Israeli forces are carrying out "offensive action" across southern Lebanon, Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said without specifying whether ground troops had crossed the border. He also claimed that "half of Hezbollah's commanders in southern Lebanon have been eliminated" in months of violence.

Beirut

Israel says forces carrying out 'offensive action' in south Lebanon

In a deal facilitated by Qatar, Russia and Ukraine will exchange nearly 50 displaced children due to Moscow's invasion, announced Maria Lvova-Belova, the Kremlin's children's rights commissioner, in Doha.

Doha

Russia and Ukraine to exchange dozens of displaced children

Rudy Giuliani, a former lawyer for Donald Trump, is among 18 people charged in Arizona with illegally seeking to claim the state's 2020 electoral votes for the then-U.S. president.

Phoenix

Giuliani indicted in election vote-rigging case

Dozens of whales have died after 160 became beached during a mass stranding event in WA's south-west. Community members turned out this morning to the mouth of Toby Inlet at Geographe Bay near Dunsborough, where dozens of pilot whales were stuck in shallow water.

Geographe

Mass whale stranding in southwest WA

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has completed a two-day trek of the Kokoda Track in Papua New Guinea, alongside PNG Prime Minister James Marape in commemoration of ANZAC Day

Kokoda

Australian Prime Minister's Kokoda pilgrimage

Five teenagers have appeared in court, after being arrested in connection with the stabbing of the Bishop in the Wakely church stabbing. Counter-terrorism police are continuing searches in south-west Sydney and Goulburn.

Wakeley

Teenagers face court over terrorism offences

U.S. President Joe Biden is expected to sign a law that sets a January 2025 deadline for Chinese parent company ByteDance to sell its U.S. operation. Lawmakers behind the ban have warned of national security risks from the popular social video app.

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Climate Crisis