Spain proposes bans on concert ticket scalping, fuel advertising
MADRID - Spain's government on July 1 unveiled a draft bill aimed at promoting sustainable consumption and reducing prices, which would ban practices such as reselling concert tickets for profit and advertising fossil fuels, or cars powered by them.
'This government's objective is to encourage industry's transition towards more accessible and sustainable models, thereby lowering prices for consumers and also making decisive progress in environmental protection,' Consumer Rights Minister Pablo Bustinduy told reporters.
The bill would also ban 'advertising based on fear' of crime or natural disasters, and would stop companies from making false or misleading claims about their environmental credentials, a practice known as greenwashing.
Ads for most domestic flights will also be prohibited as the government pushes for travellers to use electric-powered trains.
The bill will need approval from parliament, where the government of socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez is in a minority since winning another term in a vote in late 2023.
The government has struggled to get enough parliamentary support in the lower house to pass a series of bills and has not yet presented a budget for this year and next.
Bustinduy, who belongs to the far-left junior coalition partner Sumar, has launched campaigns against businesses such as budget airlines and tourism summer rentals, with mixed results.
A court last week suspended fines of 179 million euros (S$268.7 million) imposed by his ministry on low-cost carriers for charging for cabin baggage. Some of the rental listings his ministry had ordered to be withdrawn from platforms such as Airbnb in May are still being advertised. REUTERS
Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
3 hours ago
- Straits Times
Pro-Palestinian Georgetown student can remain free, US appeals court rules
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox FILE PHOTO: A statue of John Carroll, first Archbishop of Baltimore and founder of Georgetown University, sits on the Georgetown campus in Washington June 14, 2012. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst/File Photo A pro-Palestinian Georgetown University student from India, detained by President Donald Trump's administration but then released on a judge's order, can remain free while fighting deportation efforts, a U.S. appeals court ruled on Tuesday. A three-judge panel of the Richmond, Virginia-based 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled 2-1 against the administration's request that Badar Khan Suri be returned to immigration detention. The 4th Circuit said it found no grounds to overturn the decision by U.S. District Judge Patricia Tolliver Giles to order Suri's release. "To allow the government to undermine habeas jurisdiction by moving detainees without notice or accountability reduces the writ of habeas corpus to a game of jurisdictional hide-and-seek," Judge James Andrew Wynn wrote on Tuesday. Habeas corpus refers to a procedure under which the legality of a person's incarceration can be challenged in court. Suri, 41, was arrested in Virginia in March and then moved by the U.S. government to Texas, where he was released in May after the ruling by Giles. Suri is a postdoctoral fellow at Georgetown's Alwaleed Bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding, part of the Jesuit university's School of Foreign Service. The Trump administration has attempted to deport foreign pro-Palestinian student protesters while accusing them of being antisemitic, threats to American foreign policy and extremist sympathizers. Suri has denied the U.S. government's allegations that he spread Palestinian militant propaganda and antisemitism on social media. Protesters, including some Jewish groups, have said the U.S. government has conflated criticism of Israel's military assault in Gaza with antisemitism and advocacy for Palestinian rights with support for extremism. Human rights advocates have raised free speech and due process concerns over the administration's actions toward these students. Other pro-Palestinian students who were arrested by the government and subsequently released under judicial orders include Columbia University students Mahmoud Khalil and Mohsen Mahdawi and Tufts University student Rumeysa Ozturk. Suri's wife, Mapheze Saleh, is a U.S. citizen. Saleh is from Gaza, according to the Georgetown University website, which said she has written for Al Jazeera and Palestinian media outlets and worked with the foreign ministry in Gaza. Saleh was not arrested. REUTERS
Straits Times
3 hours ago
- Straits Times
Spain and World Bank in push for wider use of 'debt swaps'
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox FILE PHOTO: Vehicles pass in front of the World Bank building, which houses the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes, in Washington, D.C. on May 20, 2022. Picture taken with a long exposure. Picture taken May 20, 2022. REUTERS/Raphael Satter/File Photo SEVILLE/LONDON - Spain has partnered with the World Bank to help poorer countries free up money to spend on development and conservation via debt "swaps," the country's Ministry of Economy said on Tuesday. With rich governments cutting official development aid and many countries struggling with their debts, nations are trying to find creative ways to fund projects ranging from protecting coral reefs to paying for schools. The Global Hub for Debt Swaps for Development, launched at the UN's Finance for Development summit in Seville, will provide technical and financial assistance to countries eyeing debt swaps for food security and climate change adaptation, the Spanish government said. Nations from Barbados and Belize to Ecuador and Ivory Coast have all used debt swaps in recent years, buying back more expensive loans or bonds and securing refinancing deals with cheaper rates. There have been roughly $6 billion worth of debt-for-nature swaps - transactions in which a country's debt is reduced in exchange for a commitment to invest in environmental conservation - in recent years. Development banks often play a crucial role by providing guarantees or risk insurance that brings down the cost of swapped debt and generates the savings. Critics say such deals can be time-consuming and complex, which has prevented more widespread adoption of a tool advocates say is critical to helping countries reduce debt burdens and address development issues. "We have heard loud and clear the message from many countries: we need practical tools that make debt swaps simpler, faster and more accessible," Spain's minister of Economy, Trade, and Business, Carlos Cuerpo, said. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Seniors can claim $800 SG60 vouchers from July 1; adults to get $600 in vouchers from July 22 Singapore NSman, 30, dies in hospital after collapsing outside Maju Camp Asia Thai PM's suspension could spell end of Shinawatra clan's era of political dominance Singapore Judge rejects woman's claim that she owns 99% of Bukit Timah condo mostly paid for by ex-boyfriend Singapore 'He fought till the end': Man who survived acid attack as a baby dies of cancer at 26 Singapore Trial opens for 3 women who allegedly organised procession outside Istana Business Do not overcommit to a single solution in a multi-polar world, says ex-foreign minister George Yeo Singapore 1MDB saga: Standard Chartered Bank disputes $3.4 billion claim by liquidators in Singapore Spain will contribute 3 million euros ($3.54 million) to support the Hub, while World Bank President Ajay Banga said it would host a "multi-partner trust fund to finance technical assistance". TIMELY The push comes at a timely moment for the debt swap market amid concerns that crucial U.S. backing for such deals - particularly those with a climate or nature focus - could largely dry up under President Donald Trump. Still, demand for broader development swaps remains strong, Inter–American Development Bank President Ilan Goldfajn said at a news conference in Seville on Tuesday. The IDB has backed five of the last nine major debt-for-nature swaps, many of which were done alongside the United States' International Development Finance Corporation. "We are getting demand for debt for education, debt for health," Goldfajn said. "Those are things that have been under construction. Let's see how they evolve." In an effort to spur wider adoption of debt swaps, a set of conservation groups, investors, development bankers and lawyers who have spearheaded the growth of the nature-swap market also published a best-practice guide for such deals. It included guidance on who should use debt swaps, and how. Melissa Garvey, a director at the Nature Conservancy, which was one of the lead contributors to the how-to-guide, said debt swaps were now a "proven model to finance conservation at scale." REUTERS
Straits Times
4 hours ago
- Straits Times
Iran warns against 'destructive approach' of European countries in call with EU foreign policy chief
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox FILE PHOTO: Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqhchi looks on during a press conference in Istanbul, Turkey, June 22, 2025. REUTERS/Umit Bektas/File Photo CAIRO - Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi warned in a phone call with EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas against what he called the "destructive approach" of several European countries, he said in a statement on Telegram on Tuesday. Araqchi also criticised the stance of some European countries over the recent air war between Israel and Iran, saying it was supportive of Israel and the United States. He did not specify which countries he had in mind. Kallas said after the call that "negotiations on ending Iran's nuclear programme should restart as soon as possible". In a post on social media platform X, the EU's top diplomat said cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency "must resume" and that the bloc is ready to facilitate. "Any threats to pull out of the non-proliferation treaty don't help to lower tensions," she added. REUTERS
