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Tourists in the center of Madrid, Spain, after the announcement of the Ministry of Consumer Affairs to block almost 66,000 illegal ads, on May 19, 2025.
HARD NUMBERS: Spain clamps down on Airbnb, Cat busted smuggling drugs in Costa Rica, and More
66,000: Amid growing concerns from residents, the Spanish government is calling for the removal of 66,000 Airbnb listings for violating tourist accommodation regulations. Protests have been erupting across the country – the second most popular tourist destination in the world, behind France – as frustration mounts over over-tourism and a housing crisis.
50: Of the 240 Venezuelans deported from the United States to El Salvador, at least 50 entered the United States legally and violated no immigration laws, according to an analysis from the center-right CATO Institute. This study follows an earlier report that 75% of the 240 men had no criminal record.
100: Israel allowed the United Nations to bring 100 aid trucks into Gaza on Tuesday, caving to mounting international pressure to provide relief for residents affected by an eleven-week blockade. UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher called for more aid, estimating that 14,000 babies could die in Gaza in the next 48 hours without immediate access to more aid.
$5 million: The Trump administration is discussing whether to offer $5 million to the family of Ashli Babbitt, an Air Force veteran who was killed as she stormed the US Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, as part of a settlement over a wrongful-death lawsuit. President Donald Trump granted clemency to all those involved in the Jan. 6 riot, but this move would go a step further.
235.65: Officers at Pococi Penitentiary in Costa Rica apprehended a paws-itively furry culprit caught up in a prison drug-smuggling scheme: a cat carrying 235.65 grams of marijuana and 67.76g of heroin. The drugs have since been confiscated, and the animal was put into the care of the National Animal Health Service.Rock on the newest UNESCO site Anticosti Island
Hard Numbers: UNESCO rescues Canadian rock, Victoria taxes Airbnb for housing, US pays a price for Canada’s new pipeline, Ottawa runs risk with new tech tax
2.5 million: Faced with high rents, scarce affordable housing, and a lot of Airnbs, the city of Victoria is trying a new approach: the city council has voted to allocate $2.5 million worth of revenue raised from taxes on short-term rentals to build a new affordable housing building that will prioritize hospitality workers.
2: Canada’s long-delayed Trans Mountain oil pipeline extension is set to open early next year. By increasing the volume of oil shipped from Alberta oil fields to refiners and exporters on the Canadian Pacific coast, the line will divert crude that is currently sent south to U.S refineries. That will increase oil prices in the US by as much as $2 per barrel – bad news for the Biden Administration, which is hoping to keep gas prices as low as possible ahead of the 2024 election.
41: A group of 41 members of the US House of Representatives sent a frisky letter to Ottawa this week, warning the Canadian government not to impose a new tax on digital services. Nearly 140 other countries recently agreed to delay imposing their own digital services taxes as part of a broader international compromise, but Canada says it’s ready to move ahead on its own next year. The letter from the US, which is home to many of the world’s leading tech companies, blasts the measure as “aggressive and discriminatory” and says it will damage US-Canada relations.