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Dozens Killed in Islamist Militant Attack on Northwest Pakistan Army Base

Security officials examine damage at the site of a bombing on the outskirts of Dera Ismail Khan, Pakistan on Tuesday, December 12, 2023. AP
Security officials examine damage at the site of a bombing on the outskirts of Dera Ismail Khan, Pakistan on Tuesday, December 12, 2023. AP
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Dozens Killed in Islamist Militant Attack on Northwest Pakistan Army Base

Security officials examine damage at the site of a bombing on the outskirts of Dera Ismail Khan, Pakistan on Tuesday, December 12, 2023. AP
Security officials examine damage at the site of a bombing on the outskirts of Dera Ismail Khan, Pakistan on Tuesday, December 12, 2023. AP

Islamist militants rammed an explosive-laden truck into a police station in northwest Pakistan on Tuesday, killing at least 23 soldiers, the army said, the latest attack in recent months claimed by a Pakistani Taliban group.
The bomb and gun attack occurred in the district of Dera Ismail Khan on the edge of the lawless tribal regions bordering Afghanistan, the army said in a statement.
Two security officials had earlier put the toll at 24.
The police station was being used by the Pakistani Army as a base camp.

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Thousands Protest Housing Crunch, High Rents in Barcelona

Demonstrators march to protest the skyrocketing cost of renting an apartment in Barcelona, Spain, Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)
Demonstrators march to protest the skyrocketing cost of renting an apartment in Barcelona, Spain, Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)
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Thousands Protest Housing Crunch, High Rents in Barcelona

Demonstrators march to protest the skyrocketing cost of renting an apartment in Barcelona, Spain, Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)
Demonstrators march to protest the skyrocketing cost of renting an apartment in Barcelona, Spain, Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)

Thousands of Spaniards rallied in downtown Barcelona on Saturday to protest the skyrocketing cost of renting an apartment in the popular tourist destination.
People held up homemade signs in Spanish reading “Fewer apartments for investing and more homes for living,” and “The people without homes uphold their rights.”
The issue has become one of the leading concerns for the southern European Union country, mirroring the housing crunch across many parts of the world.
The average rent for Spain has doubled in the last decade. The price per square meter has risen from 7.2 euros in 2014 to 13 euros this year, according to the popular online real estate website Idealista. The growth is even more acute in cities like Barcelona and Madrid. Incomes meanwhile have failed to keep up, especially for younger people in country with chronically high unemployment.
Protestor Samuel Saintot said he is “frustrated and scared” after being told by the owners of the apartment he has rented for the past 15 years in Barcelona’s city center that he must vacate the premises. He suspects that the owners want him out so they renovate it and boost the price.
“Even looking in a 20- or 30-kilometer radius outside town, I can’t even find anything within the price range I can afford,” he told The Associated Press. “And I consider myself a very fortunate person, because I earn a decent salary. And even in my case, I may be forced to leave town.”
A report by the Bank of Spain indicates that nearly 40% of Spaniards who rent dedicate an average of 40% of their income to paying rents and utilities, compared to the European Union average of 27% of renters in that strained economic circumstance.
“We are talking about a housing emergency. It means people having many difficulties both in accessing and staying in their homes,” said Ignasi Martí, professor for Esade business school and head of its Dignified Housing Observatory.