United News of Bangladesh

Spain will meet NATO's defence spending target this year, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said Tuesday, as pressure grows on the eurozone's fourth-largest economy to boost its military expenditure. Sánchez said the government will raise defence spending by 10.5 billion euros ($12 billion) to reach NATO's target of 2% of GDP, AP reports. The spending will go toward telecommunications, cybersecurity and buying military equipment, he said, as well as raising salaries and adding troops. Spain spent the least of all NATO members last year on defence as a share of GDP. It previously committed to reaching the 2% target by 2029. But it has come under pressure for not spending enough amid a widening chasm in the transatlantic alliance as the Trump administration says its security priorities lie elsewhere. US President Donald Trump has repeatedly taken European allies to task for not spending enough on their own defence and has pushed NATO allies to raise defence spending to as much as 5% of GDP. Trump’s tariffs and uncertainty dampen US, global economic prospects: IMF Facing what he called a “changing era," Sánchez said it was time for Spain to “take control of our own destiny” and contribute to Europe's rearmament. “If you asked me years ago about my government's investment priorities in security and defence, it's obvious my response would have been different,” Sánchez said. “That's not because our values have changed ... it's because the world has.” The Socialist leader heads a minority government with hard-left coalition partners that oppose defence and military increases. Sánchez said his plan to boost defence spending would not go through Parliament.

On Sunday (March 02, 2025), Barcelona secured a commanding 4-0 victory over Real Sociedad at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.  Real Betis, Athletic Bilbao, and Real Sociedad—three of La Liga’s strongest teams—faced Real Madrid, Atlético Madrid, and Barcelona in the same week. After Real Madrid failed to overcome the challenge, Atlético Madrid took full advantage. Barcelona easily secured their win as Real Sociedad were reduced to 10 men. A Dominant Display at the Olympic Stadium The match turned heavily in Barcelona’s favour just 15 minutes in when Sociedad captain Aritz Elustondo received a straight red card, leaving his team with 10 players. Taking advantage, Barcelona quickly gained control, with fullback Gerard Martin and midfielder Marc Casado scoring in the 25th and 29th minutes, respectively. In the second half, Ronald Araújo and Robert Lewandowski added two more goals in the 56th and 60th minutes. Read more: San Diego FC makes its home debut before a sellout crowd in a city hungry for top-level soccer With this victory, Barcelona reclaimed the top spot in the league with 57 points from 26 matches (18 wins, 3 draws). Atlético Madrid dropped to second with 56 points, while Real Madrid slipped to third with 54.

Spain will legalize about 300,000 undocumented migrants a year, starting next May and through 2027, the country's migration minister said Wednesday. The policy aims to expand the aging country’s workforce and allow foreigners living in Spain without proper documentation to obtain work permits and residency. Spain has largely remained open to receiving migrants even as other European nations seek to tighten their borders to illegal crossings and asylum seekers. Spain needs around 250,000 registered foreign workers a year to maintain its welfare state, Migration Minister Elma Saiz said in an interview on Wednesday. She contended that the legalization policy is not aimed solely at “cultural wealth and respect for human rights, it’s also prosperity.” “Today, we can say Spain is a better country,” Saiz told national broadcaster Radiotelevisión Española. Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has often described his government's migration policies as a means to combat the country's low birthrate. In August, Sánchez visited three West African nations in an effort to tackle irregular migration to Spain’s Canary Islands. The archipelago off the coast of Africa is seen by many as a step toward continental Europe with young men from Mali, Senegal, Mauritania and elsewhere embarking on dangerous sea voyages there seeking better job opportunities abroad or fleeing violence and political instability at home. The new policy, approved Tuesday by Spain’s leftist minority coalition government, simplifies administrative procedures for short and long-term visas and provides migrants with additional labor protections. It extends a visa offered previously to job-seekers for three months to one year. By mid-November, some 54,000 undocumented migrants had reached Spain this year by sea or land, according to the country's Interior Ministry. The exact number of foreigners living in Spain without documentation is unclear. Many irregular migrants make a living in Spain's underground economy as fruit pickers, caretakers, delivery drivers, or other low-paid but essential jobs often passed over by Spaniards. Without legal protections, they can be vulnerable to exploitation and abuse. Saiz said the new policy would help prevent such abuse and "serve to combat mafias, fraud and the violation of rights." Spain's economy is among the fastest-growing in the European Union this year, boosted in part by immigration and a strong rebound in tourism after the pandemic. In 2023, Spain issued 1.3 million visas to foreigners, according to the government.  

The catastrophic torrential rains that overflowed rivers and normally dry canals in eastern Spain last week triggered flash floods that submerged entire communities and killed scores of people. The deluge left behind a landscape of devastation, especially in Valencia, the hardest-hit region. The search for the dead and missing continues, more than a week since the Oct. 29 floods hit — as well as a gargantuan cleanup and recovery effort. Here’s a look at Spain’s deadliest natural disaster of the century, by the numbers: At least 219 people are dead and 93 missing The historic floods caused 219 deaths, 211 of them in the Valencia region alone. Another seven people died in neighboring Castilla La Mancha and one more in southern Andalusia. Ninety-three people have been officially declared missing, but authorities admit that the real number could be higher. Another 54 bodies remain unidentified. In total, 36,605 people have been rescued, according to authorities. The cost of damage is in billions The full extent of the damage is unknown, but Spain’s Consortium for Insurance Compensation, a public-private entity that pays insurance claims for extreme risks like floods, estimates that it will spend at least 3.5 billion euros ($3.8 billion) in compensation. The consortium has received 116,000 insurance claims for flood damage, with 60% of the claims for cars and 31% for homes. Spain’s Association of Insurance Companies anticipates the flooding will break a historic record for payouts. The Transport Ministry has so far repaired 232 kilometers (144 miles) of road and rail tracks but the highspeed train line between Valencia and Madrid is still demolished. The central government has approved a 10.6 billion-euro ($11.6-billion) relief package for families, business and townhalls. The Valencia regional government is asking Madrid for 31 billion euros ($33 billion) in aid as well. Record rainfall set off the disaster The drought that has hit the country for the past two years and record hot temperatures helped magnify the floods, scientists say. Spain's meteorological agency says that 30.4 inches fell in one hour in the Valencian town of Turis, an all-time national record for rainfall set on Oct. 29. The devastated village of Chiva also received more rain in eight hours than the town had experienced in the preceding 20 months. Read: Spain searches for bodies after flood of the century claims at least 95 lives The storms honed in on the Magro and Turia Rivers and the Poyo canal, turning them into swift currents that swept away everything in their path. To the human eye, it looked as if a tsunami-like wave of water and mud cut a swath through the southern outskirts of the city of Valencia. The European Space Agency said that, according to satellite images captured on Oct. 31, water covered an area of 15,633 hectares (38,600 acres). About 190,000 people were directly affected, the agency said. In all, 78 municipalities had at least one resident perish in the floods. More than 17,000 troops and police, and an army of volunteers The emergency operation mobilized by central authorities has grown to more than 17,000 troops and police officers. The operation includes 8,000 soldiers — 2,100 of them belonging to military emergency units specialized in disaster response — along with 9,200 additional police officers from other parts of Spain. Thousands of ordinary citizens volunteered, with no definite estimate as to exactly how many, have helped from day one with the cleanup effort. Read: 51 dead from flash floods in Spain The government said that in the first week after the floods, authorities restored electricity to 147,000 homes and distributed some 178,000 bottles of water to places that were still without drinking water. What we still don't know Spanish authorities have yet to say how many calls about missing people they received, give an estimate of the property damage, or release a calculation of how much land was devastated. And at this point, no one can guess when the recovery effort will be concluded.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Spanish counterpart Pedro Sanchez inaugurated India's first private military aircraft plant Monday, boosting New Delhi's ambitions of growing local manufacturing in its defense and aerospace industries. Sanchez was welcomed to the country with a roadshow in Gujarat state's Vadodara city where hundreds of people cheered and waved banners. The two leaders then launched the Tata Aircraft Complex, the manufacturing hub which will produce the Airbus C-295 transport military aircraft in collaboration with Airbus Spain and to be deployed by the Indian air force. Sanchez said the project was a triumph of Modi's vision “to turn India into an industrial powerhouse and a magnet for investment and business-to-business collaboration." “This partnership between Airbus and Tata will contribute to the progress of the Indian aerospace industry and will open new doors for the arrival of other European companies,” he added. The chairman of Tata conglomerate, Natarajan Chandrasekaran, hailed it as a historic day for the country's defense sector and credited the late Ratan Tata, the industrialist and former chairman who died earlier this month, for conceiving the idea more than a decade ago. Under a $2.5 billion deal signed in 2021, Airbus will deliver the first 16 of the aircraft from its final assembly line in Seville, Spain — six of them have been delivered to the Indian air force so far. Tata Advanced Systems Ltd will produce 40 of the aircraft in the Vadodara plant, which is expected to roll out the first C-295 aircraft made in India in 2026. The aircraft can transport up to 71 troops or 50 paratroopers and will be able to access remote locations. It can also be used for medical evacuations and aid in disaster response and maritime patrol duties. Since coming to power in 2014, Modi has vowed to turn India into a global manufacturing hub, including in infrastructure, pharmaceuticals and defense. As part of an effort to modernize and reform military equipment, the government has sought to grow the private defense manufacturing sector, a space previously occupied solely by the government-run organizations, and has eased foreign direct investment regulations to try and encourage companies to establish themselves in India. Expelled Indian high commissioner denies involvement in murder of Sikh leader in Canada The visit marks the first by a Spanish leader to India in 18 years. Modi and Sanchez have previously met on the sidelines of global summits in 2018 and 2021. During the two-day visit, Sanchez will hold talks with Modi to review ties between the countries and also speak with Indian Foreign Minister Jaishankar Subrahmanyam. On Tuesday, Sanchez will travel to Mumbai, India's financial capital and home to Bollywood, where he is expected to interact with trade and industry leaders, and also visit film studios in an effort to grow collaboration between the Indian and Spanish entertainment industry. Their bilateral trade stood at nearly $10 billion as of 2023. According to the Indian foreign ministry, more than 200 Spanish companies actively operate in India and around 80 Indian companies in Spain. The two leaders are expected to sign agreements that will further boost ties and cooperation in various areas such as trade, information technology, renewable energy and defense, according to an Indian government statement.  

Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus on Wednesday called upon Spain to increase its trade and investment in Bangladesh to support the country’s economic recovery after years of exploitation. He also urged Spain to recruit more wage earners from Bangladesh in both technical and non-technical sectors. The Chief Adviser made the request when Spanish Ambassador to Bangladesh Gabriel Sistiaga paid a courtesy call on him at his office in Tejgaon, Dhaka. Prof Yunus said some 60,000 Bangladeshis are currently employed in Spain. Dr Yunus praises Russian cooperation in power, energy sectors The Spanish envoy enquired whether Spain could assist Bangladesh’s interim government in its reform initiatives, drawing on its own experiences. The Chief Adviser expressed his gratitude for the offer and said that Bangladesh would welcome any support from Spain in advancing the reforms that the interim government is currently implementing in key sectors. Prof Yunus highlighted areas of potential cooperation, including investment in the healthcare sector and infrastructural development for Bangladesh Railway. “Spain can support us in various ways. It can bring more investment here and expand imports of our garment products,” Dr Yunus told the ambassador. “Besides, receiving assistance from Spain in our development sector will be beneficial,” he added. Ambassador Sistiaga handed over a letter from Spanish President Pedro Sanchez to Dr Yunus congratulating him on assuming the position as head of Bangladesh’s interim government. He also handed over an invitation from the President of the Spanish government to the Chief Adviser to visit Spain during the International Conference on Financing for Development, which will be held there from 30 June to 3 July 2025, according to the Chief Adviser’s press wing. The Chief Adviser urged the ambassador to convey his greetings to Queen Sofía of Spain and reminisced about his fond memories with her during her previous visits to Bangladesh. He also extended an invitation for her to visit Bangladesh again.

Olga Carmona, whose goal won the Women's World Cup for Spain on Sunday, learned after the final of her father's death, the Spanish soccer federation said. He had been ill and died while Carmona's mother and other relatives traveled to Australia to watch her play in the final, the federation said early Monday, without giving more detail on the cause of death. Also read : Spain wins its first Women's World Cup title, beating England 1-0 in the final The family decided to wait until after the title celebrations to give Carmona the news. "And without knowing it, I had my Star before the game started," Carmona said on X, formerly known as Twitter, along with a photo of her kissing the winners' medal. "I know that you gave me the strength to achieve something unique. I know that you were watching me tonight and that you are proud of me. Rest in peace, dad." Also read : Is it coming home? England looks to bring Women's World Cup trophy back to the birthplace of soccer After the final whistle, she was among the Spanish players celebrating and dancing on the field, and appeared to participate normally during the trophy presentation. "We love you, Olga," the federation said on X. "You are part of the history of Spanish soccer." Carmona scored with a left-footed strike in the 29th minute to give Spain a 1-0 victory over England in Sydney, Australia. She had also scored a late winner in La Roja's 2-1 win over Sweden in the semifinals to become the first player since American Carli Lloyd in 2015 to score in a World Cup semifinal and final. Also read : Australia edge France on penalties to reach the Women's World Cup semifinals, will face England The 23-year-old Carmona was named the final's most valuable player on Sunday. She had celebrated her goal with a tribute to a friend who recently lost her mother. "I think all of us, we felt that this team had something special," the Real Madrid defender said after Spain won the title. Madrid released a statement Sunday night about her father's death and offering condolences to the player and her family. Carmona's Spain teammate Irene Paredes lost her father a few days before Spain began its preparations for the World Cup. The defender dedicated the title to him on Sunday. Before the news of the death of Carmona's father, the federation said that title celebrations were set to take place after the squad's arrival in Madrid on Monday night. It wasn't clear if the celebrations would go ahead as scheduled or if Carmona would participate in any way.

Spain won its first Women's World Cup title less than a year after a player rebellion, holding off England 1-0 on Sunday after Olga Carmona's first-half goal. Spain's first major international trophy made it the first European team to win the Women's World Cup since Germany in 2007. Also read : Is it coming home? England looks to bring Women's World Cup trophy back to the birthplace of soccer At the final whistle the Spanish players piled on each other in front of their goal. Carmona's left-foot shot in the 29th minute went into the far corner of the net and just out of reach of diving England goalkeeper Mary Earps. Also read : Australia edge France on penalties to reach the Women's World Cup semifinals, will face England In celebration she raised her jersey to reveal the word "Merchi" scrawled in ink on her undershirt, an apparent nod to her former school. Carmona also scored the game-winner in the 89th minute of Spain's 2-1 semifinal victory over Sweden, becoming the first player since Carli Lloyd in 2015 to score in a World Cup semifinal and final. Also read : The future is uncertain for the United States after crashing out of the Women's World Cup Spain had a chance to double the lead in the 68th but Jenni Hermoso's penalty attempt was saved by Earps, who anticipated perfectly and dived to her left. Spain's victory comes despite a near-mutiny by players last year. Fifteen players said they were stepping away from the national team for their mental health while also calling for a more professional environment. Three of those players — Ona Batlle, Aitana Bonmatí and Mariona Caldentey — reconciled with the federation and were at the World Cup. England had momentum going into the tournament after winning the European Championship at home last summer. But three of the team's best players, captain Leah Williamson, Fran Kirby and Beth Mead, all had knee injuries that kept them off the World Cup squad. England coach Sarina Wiegman was the first coach to take her teams to back-to-back World Cup title matches. She led the Netherlands to the final in 2019, but fell 2-0 to the United States. She's now 0-2. England was coming off a 3-1 victory over host Australia in the semifinal. Lauren James, who was the team's top scorer with three goals and three assists, was forced to sit out two matches because of a suspension for stomping on Nigeria's Michelle Alozie to open the knockout stage. While James was available for the final, Wiegman started Ella Toone. James came into the match to start the second half. The game was briefly interrupted in the 25th minute by a person who raced onto the field but was quickly tackled by security. One of England's best chances was in the 16th when Lauren Hemp's blast caromed off the crossbar. A minute later, Salma Paralluelo raced to the goal but couldn't get a clean shot and Earps stopped Alba Redondo's attempt in the scramble in front of the net.   Vilda started 19-year-old Paralluelo, who scored the breakthrough goal for Spain against Sweden, and the game-winner in extra time over the Netherlands in the quarterfinals. Paralluelo's nearly scored seconds from half time but her shot hit the post. She was handed a yellow card in the 78th minute for a foul on Alex Greenwood, who had a cut above her eye. Hemp had another chance in the 54th but sent it wide. A minute later she was handed a yellow card for a foul on Laia Codina. Spain had a chance to double the lead in the 68th after a video review awarded a penalty after Keira Walsh's handball. But Earps kept England in the game, as she did with a succession of saves late. Coach Jorge Vilda had a challenge in working around two-time Ballon d'Or winner Alexia Putellas, who was still working her way back from a torn ACL last year. For the final, Putellas was on the bench at the start. Putellas went into the game with 15 seconds left in regulation, but there were 13 minutes of stoppage time. There were 75,784 fans at the final at Stadium Australia, including tennis great Billie Jean King. The two teams met last year in the quarterfinals of the Euros, with England coming from behind to beat Spain 2-1 in extra time on Georgia Stanway's goal.

The ancient European peninsula which the Romans used to call Hispania is today’s Spain. A country of just 47 million people is home to a rich history, cultural diversity, and tons of attractions. From the streets of Barcelona, and alleyways of Seville to the majestic landscape of Granada, this southwestern European country is sure to enthrall travellers. Let’s go on a journey of the top 10 must-visit places and attractions in Spain to plan the perfect itinerary. Vamos! Top 10 Places to Visit in Spain  Barcelona  Home to the famous European club and the capital of the Catalonia region, Barcelona has a plethora of attractions. Start off the trip at the magnificent La Sagrada Familia which is still under construction. Head over to Park Güell to relax and unwind. Visit the Gothic Quarter on La Rambla for a spooky experience. Barcelona is famous for its Flamenco dances, so don’t miss out on it. 

A demonstration on how the use of 5G will make it possible to secure high-risk industrial management in the future has been exhibited at the ongoing Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain. King Felipe of Spain on Monday inaugurated the four-day conference of all the telecom companies of the world. Some 80,000 delegates are expected at the annual gathering of the big players of the telecom industry. At the Mobile World Congress, many tech manufacturers are announcing 5G technology for virtual interactive applications, robot clusters, automated driving, smart wearables, automated patrol inspections, smart mining, smart tunneling, and other applications in coal mining. The 5G has been the centre of attention at this year’s congress. The industry giants have been demonstrating the necessary use of 5G technologies not only in industrial production but also in people’s lives. The demonstrations of 5 G-powered devices include, among others, unmanned helicopters and routers. T-Mobile is exhibiting unmanned helicopters. This helicopter can take off and land safely with passengers without a pilot. The helicopter can even make an emergency landing by choosing the nearest safe place if it detects any adverse conditions while flying in the sky. The 5G router will be completely different from the current routers. Meanwhile, the 5G technology will completely overhaul the routers we see today. The 5G-powered wireless routers will only connect to the network through a code from a specific operator. And with the bandwidth that this router will have, it will be possible to keep all kinds of smart devices in the family connected to high-speed Internet.