Latest news with #familia
The Guardian
08-07-2025
- The Guardian
Madrid family win case against tourist flats after ‘illicit and unsanitary' acts
A judge in Madrid has ordered the closure of 10 tourist flats in a single building in the city centre after a landmark ruling that said 'the illicit and unsanitary activities' taking place in them had inflicted psychological damage on a neighbouring family and violated their fundamental right to privacy. The family, who have two children and who have not been named, said they had suffered stress, anxiety and sleep deprivation because of the loud, drunken, destructive and lewd behaviour of guests, which included vandalism, vomiting and having sex in the block's communal areas. The ruling, which has just been made public, comes amid continuing protests over the social and economic consequences of overtourism and the lack of affordable housing. The family live in a block of 60 flats near the Spanish capital's Plaza Mayor, 75% of which are run as tourist rentals. Two years ago, they engaged a lawyer to represent them after efforts to address the problem with the city council and the owners of the rentals came to nothing. 'The family have one tourist flat above them, another below them, and more tourist flats near their bedrooms,' said their lawyer, Miguel Ángel Rubio. 'The family came to me and told me that they'd been to the police who'd come with a decibel meter and had fined the owners €16,000. But the problem is that [the companies that own these flats and others] can make more than €150,000 in rents in a single weekend, so a €16,000 fine is nothing for them. So I had to bring a case on the grounds that the family's fundamental rights were being violated – and it succeeded.' Rubio said the case was groundbreaking as at stake was not whether the flats themselves were illegal or unlicensed, but whether the activities in and around them were severely damaging the family's basic rights and quality of life. The judge, in her ruling, said ample evidence had been provided of the stresses and strains that the family had suffered. 'The constant noise, the breaking of shared fixtures, the filling of the lobby with suitcases at all hours and the presence of shopping trolleys filled with towels and other cleaning items for the multiple tourist-use flats, thus impeding the movements of neighbours, have been duly proven and are not isolated incidents,' she noted. Sign up to This is Europe The most pressing stories and debates for Europeans – from identity to economics to the environment after newsletter promotion Also proven were 'guests using the common areas for sexual relations', multiple police visits, 'vomiting in the courtyards' and broken mailboxes and lift fittings. At one point, the judge said, things had got so bad that a security guard was hired. The judge rejected the rental owners' claims that the family was merely experiencing the kind of day-to-day disruption any neighbour could expect, adding: 'The actions were not merely irritating but also unsanitary, indecent and even illegal.' After finding that the family's 'fundamental right to personal and family privacy' had been violated, the judge ordered 10 of the flats in the block to close and awarded the family damages of almost €39,000 (£33,700). Rubio said: 'The family are very happy and very positive because the judge has ordered the flats to stop operating and has ordered the owners to pay them damages.' He said he had been inundated with calls from people in similar situations since news of the case emerged on Monday. In recent years, increasing overtourism has exposed the scale of Spain's housing crisis and prompted nationwide protests. The shortage of housing stock has been exacerbated by the boom in tourist rental flats. Rents have increased 80% over the past decade, outpacing wage rises, and a recent Bank of Spain report estimated that almost half of tenants spend 40% of their income on rent and utility bills, compared with an EU average of 27%. Last year, the mayor of Barcelona, Jaume Collboni, said he would end apartment rentals to tourists by 2028 by scrapping the licences of the 10,101 flats currently approved as short-term rentals. Although the Spanish government recently ordered Airbnb to take down more than 65,000 illegal adverts, a recent study by the consumer and social rights ministry found that more than 15,200 tourist flats in Madrid are operating without the necessary licences.
The Guardian
08-07-2025
- The Guardian
Madrid judge shuts down 10 tourist lets for ‘illicit and unsanitary activities'
A judge in Madrid has ordered the closure of 10 tourist flats in a single building in the city centre after a landmark ruling that said 'the illicit and unsanitary activities' taking place in them had inflicted psychological damage on a neighbouring family and violated their fundamental right to privacy. The family, who have two children and who have not been named, said they had suffered stress, anxiety and sleep deprivation because of the loud, drunken, destructive and lewd behaviour of guests, which included vandalism, vomiting and having sex in the block's communal areas. The ruling, which has just been made public, comes amid continuing protests over the social and economic consequences of overtourism and the lack of affordable housing. The family live in a block of 60 flats near the Spanish capital's Plaza Mayor, 75% of which are run as tourist rentals. Two years ago, they engaged a lawyer to represent them after efforts to address the problem with the city council and the owners of the rentals came to nothing. 'The family have one tourist flat above them, another below them, and more tourist flats near their bedrooms,' said their lawyer, Miguel Ángel Rubio. 'The family came to me and told me that they'd been to the police who'd come with a decibel metre and had fined the owners €16,000. But the problem is that [the companies that own these flats and others] can make more than €150,000 in rents in a single weekend, so a €16,000 fine is nothing for them. So I had to bring a case on the grounds that the family's fundamental rights were being violated – and it succeeded.' Rubio said the case was groundbreaking as at stake was not whether the flats themselves were illegal or unlicensed, but whether the activities in and around them were severely damaging the family's basic rights and quality of life. The judge, in her ruling, said ample evidence had been provided of the stresses and strains that the family had suffered. 'The constant noise, the breaking of shared fixtures, the filling of the lobby with suitcases at all hours and the presence of shopping trolleys filled with towels and other cleaning times for the multiple tourist-use flats, thus impeding the movements of neighbours, have been duly proven and are not isolated incidents,' she noted. Sign up to This is Europe The most pressing stories and debates for Europeans – from identity to economics to the environment after newsletter promotion Also proven were 'guests using the common areas for sexual relations', multiple police visits, 'vomiting in the courtyards' and broken mailboxes and lift fittings. At one point, the judge said, things had got so bad that a security guard was hired. The judge rejected the rental owners' claims that the family was merely experiencing the kind day-to-day disruption any neighbour could expect, adding: 'The actions were not merely irritating but also unsanitary, indecent and even illegal.' After finding that the family's 'fundamental right to personal and family privacy' had been violated, the judge ordered 10 of the flats in the block to close and awarded the family damages of almost €39,000 (£33,700). Rubio said: 'The family are very happy and very positive because the judge has ordered the flats to stop operating and has ordered the owners to pay them damages.' He said he had been inundated with calls from people in similar situations since news of the case emerged on Monday. In recent years, increasing overtourism has exposed the scale of Spain's housing crisis and prompted nationwide protests. The shortage of housing stock has been exacerbated by the boom in tourist rental flats. Rents have increased 80% over the past decade, outpacing wage rises, and a recent Bank of Spain report estimated that almost half of tenants spend 40% of their income on rent and utility bills, compared with an EU average of 27%. Last year, the mayor of Barcelona, Jaume Collboni, said he would end apartment rentals to tourists by 2028 by scrapping the licences of the 10,101 flats currently approved as short-term rentals. Although the Spanish government recently ordered Airbnb to take down more than 65,000 illegal adverts, a recent study by the consumer and social rights ministry found that more than 15,200 tourist flats in Madrid are operating without the necessary licences.
Bloomberg
23-06-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
Grifols Case Shows It Paid Family-Linked Entity More for Plasma
Spanish drugmaker Grifols SA paid a higher price to buy blood plasma from an entity linked to its controlling family than from third-party suppliers, according to a regulator's findings submitted in a court case. Grifols paid Scranton Enterprises BV — one of its main shareholders — between 2% and 39% more annually for plasma than it paid other suppliers over five years, according to a document from the securities regulator filed with a Spanish court. Grifols also agreed to pay a fixed 16.5% mark up on costs to Scranton, according to the documents, which were seen by Bloomberg.
Yahoo
22-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Brother Surprises Sister with Last Dance at His Wedding After Months of Begging (Exclusive)
Maria Ampudia, 25, has two older twin brothers: Ernesto and Eduardo, 30 Leading up to Ernesto's wedding, Maria asked if they could have a final dance together, but after a year of him declining, she gave up on the idea However, Maria wasn't aware of Ernesto's plan to surprise her with a moment they would remember foreverAll Maria Ampudia wanted on her brother's big day was a sentimental last dance – one final twirl before Ernesto Ampudia, 30, stepped into married life. The 25-year-old from Guadalajara, Mexico, had been begging for a dance for months, sending him songs and little nudges, hoping he'd say yes. Although he had gently turned her down again and again, when their song unexpectedly filled the venue and her brother reached for her hand, Maria burst into tears. In that beautiful moment, Ernesto surprised his younger sister with the dance she'd been hoping for all along, and a memory they'll carry forever. In Mexico, it's common for weddings to include special dances with family — small moments to honor the people closest to the couple. 'It took me about five long seconds to realize what was happening — to really hear the music,' Maria tells PEOPLE exclusively. 'He had to pull me back to the dance floor, and the second I realized what he'd done, I just started sobbing. I was so moved.' Maria's brother, Ernesto, is a twin, but as the youngest of the three, Maria has always felt especially close to him. 'As we've grown up, our relationship has evolved a lot — from being just siblings to becoming real allies. He's the one who truly understands me,' she says. Although Ernesto might seem reserved to some, he has his own way of showing up. 'He won't necessarily try to solve your problems, but he'll randomly bring a small gift or send a message that makes you feel seen," Maria says. More than anything, she cherishes how he loves — quietly and without conditions. 'What I admire most is that even as my brother, he puts aside his own feelings to understand mine. That's not always easy — especially in family relationships — but he does it with such empathy,' she explains. 'He's the kind of person who will sit with you in silence, let you talk and vent, and somehow help you carry the weight of whatever you're feeling. He makes sure you never feel alone in what you're going through.' Given their special bond, all Maria ever wanted was one last moment with Ernesto – and that is exactly what she got. 'For me, that dance was much more than just a dance. It was a private vow between us – an unspoken promise that even if life takes one of us somewhere new, our bond stays just as strong,' she shares. 'It was a way to honor the quiet, consistent support Ernesto has always given me, often without seeking any recognition.' What made it even more meaningful was how the bride fully embraced Ernesto and Maria's moment together before meeting her husband on the dance floor. 'She never questioned it - she embraced it. So when the order of the dances unfolded, it felt really organic. First came the family, then the siblings, then the parents… and finally, the couple,' Maria explains. 'It was like we all moved through a sequence of love — everyone who's been part of their story — before arriving at their first dance together.' Ernesto had kept the dance a secret for an entire year. Only his twin brother, Eduardo, and his bride knew about his plan to play 'Gone, Gone, Gone' by Phillip Phillips at the wedding. 'It isn't a track Ernesto and I grew up replaying – what really spoke to me were the lyrics,' Maria explains. 'They express that fierce, unconditional loyalty siblings share: the promise that, no matter the fights or the distance, you'll always be there for one another.' Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. So when the moment finally came, it felt like a beautiful, unexpected gift — not just for Maria, but for everyone in attendance. Each moment added to the love that made the day feel whole. 'When we watched the video later, you could see it on everyone's faces — the smiles, the tears, but especially this expression of pure tenderness and love,' she recalls. 'It felt like the entire room softened in that moment, and that's something I'll never forget.' For Maria, sharing a dance with a sibling on such a big day wasn't just a sweet gesture, but something far more meaningful. 'This is someone who has literally seen you grow up, who knows your best and darkest secrets, and who's been with you through it all,' she tells PEOPLE. 'At the end of the day, siblings are the people we have for our entire lives, and that dance can be a powerful way to celebrate that lifelong bond.' Read the original article on People
Washington Post
10-06-2025
- Climate
- Washington Post
Valencia's flood was a catastrophe. Was it also a crime?
VALENCIA, Spain — The floodwaters charged downhill on Oct. 29, roaring through ravines, churning with debris, and then deluging neighborhoods that had been given no warning. At 6 p.m., a family caught in the raging waters tried clinging to iron window bars outside their home; by 6:30, only one person — 70-year-old Dolores Ruiz — was still hanging on.
