Welcome to today’s daily update for Wednesday, September 30, 2026. Here’s everything you need to know.
The Breakdown
Spain has agreed to ban evictions, ramp up restrictions on short-term rentals, and extend existing leases as a severe housing crisis unfolds across the nation.
According to the Bank of Spain, the crisis is driven by a massive shortage in homes – around 700,000 to 750,000 – due to slower-than-expected construction and high material costs. This shortage is expected to reach one million homes by 2028 – an alarming number for a country with a population of around 50 million.
This extreme shortage has driven up prices across the speculative housing market, with investors looking to buy cheaper properties, hold onto them until they appreciate, and then sell them at a higher price. These lucrative market plays often provide significant profit for those selling the homes, but it can force out local citizens who need an affordable place to live.
The country’s left-wing government, led by Pedro Sánchez, had pledged to do something about the issue during the campaign trail, but had taken minimal action until now.
Over the weekend, María del Carmen Abascal, an 87-year-old woman living in Madrid, was evicted from her home of more than 70 years. According to local reports, an investment firm bought her building this year and attempted to raise her rent from $570 to $3,020 – well beyond her government-given pension. The trauma of being evicted from her longtime home caused intense stress and exhaustion for the lady, who was carried out of the building on a stretcher and taken to the hospital for evaluation.
The eviction and the harsh treatment of such a respected elder sparked protests across the nation, with tens of thousands of people taking to the streets to advocate for lower prices and a ban on evictions.
After the demonstrations, Abascal was allowed to return home, and the government took drastic action against the ongoing housing crisis. Evictions have been banned across Spain until 2030, helping families and individuals get their finances together while preventing landlords from spiking prices to turn a larger profit. The move also tightens restrictions on short-term rentals, which has been a significant source of concern – overtourism is a serious contributor to the housing crisis, leading to a shortage of homes available for locals. Finally, existing leases across the country will be extended by two years, further enabling local residents to manage finances and collect enough money to pay farther down the line.
The Global Snapshot
The United States Supreme Court has allowed the Trump administration to continue deportations to “third countries” for the third time, angering immigration activists and Democrats. These “third country” deportations see illegal immigrants in the US sent to nations that are different from their country of origin – around 15,000 people were deported to various nations by the United States across 2025, including Eswatini, South Sudan, and Rwanda. The Trump administration has reasserted that they ensure that the immigrants will be treated fairly and well in that particular nation before they make an agreement, but the prosecutors in the Supreme Court case alleged that migrants deported to these countries had faced extensive jail time, physical and sexual abuse, and harassment.
The US Senate has blocked a potential resolution that would have demanded accountability for Israeli settler violence in the West Bank, which would have required Israel to provide a report on deaths and detentions in the region. The failure to pass the resolution was largely due to the party divide, as almost all Democrats voted for and Republicans voted against – Republicans, however, hold the majority in the Senate. The move comes amid a recent wave of settler violence that has done significant harm to Palestinian communities in the West Bank, with Americans caught in the crossfire – nine Americans have been killed in the West Bank since 2022. Far-right politicians and influencers in Israel have described Palestinians as “not even human,” prompting further attacks. Just this week, the Israeli military attempted to return a Palestinian family to their home after they were forced out by settler violence in July, but were unsuccessful; during the attempt, more than 100 settlers attacked the family and the soldiers, throwing rocks, setting a vehicle on fire, and even injuring several Israeli soldiers.
Fact of the Day (The Fact Site): When Pink Floyd designed the cover for their 1976 album “Animals,” the 40-foot inflatable pig they had tied to a power station broke free. A professional marksman was hired on the first day to shoot the balloon down if it escaped, but he was not rebooked for the second day. Then, that day, high winds broke the moorings for the pig – this allowed it to fly straight over London’s Heathrow Airport, disrupting and grounding air traffic for several hours.
Quote of the Day (Gracious Quotes): I am no bird; and no net ensnares me; I am a free human being with an independent will. (Charlotte Bronte)
Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Argot (noun, AHR-goh) - Argot refers to the language or set of words used by a particular group of people.
In a Sentence: The novels were such a success that fans began communicating in the secret argot spoken by the series’ characters.
Image: Wikimedia Commons / CC BY 4.0
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