Spain is planning to impose a tax of up to 100% on properties bought by non-residents from countries outside the EU, such as the UK.

Announcing the move, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said the “unprecedented” measure was necessary to meet the country’s housing emergency.

“The West faces a decisive challenge: To not become a society divided into two classes, the rich landlords and poor tenants,” he said.

Non-EU residents bought 27,000 properties in Spain in 2023, he told an economic forum in Madrid, “not to live in” but “to make money from them”.

“Which, in the context of shortage that we are in, [we] obviously cannot allow,” he added.

The move was therefore designed to “priorit[ise] that the available homes are for residents”, he said.

Sánchez did not provide details on how the tax would work nor a timeline for presenting it to parliament for approval, where he has often struggled to gather sufficient votes to pass legislation.

But his government said the proposal would be finalised “after careful study”.

It is one of a dozen planned measures announced by the prime minister on Monday aimed at improving housing affordability in the country.

Other measures announced include a tax exemption for landlords who provide affordable housing, transferring more than 3,000 homes to a new public housing body, and tighter regulation and higher taxes on tourist flats.

“It isn’t fair that those who have three, four or five apartments as short-term rentals pay less tax than hotels,” he said.

Fires tearing through the Los Angeles area have killed at least 24 people, displaced thousands of others and destroyed more than 12,000 structures while burning through an area larger than San Francisco.

These maps and images illustrate the immense scale of the challenge, highlighting where the fires are raging and the devastation they have left behind.

The largest blaze, located in the Pacific Palisades area, has become the most destructive wildfire in Los Angeles history, with over 23,000 acres already scorched.

The dramatic level of destruction in some places was evident in a comparison of satellite images taken before and after the fire.

A swath of about 250 homes in an Altadena neighborhood, dotted with the green canopies of leafy trees and aquamarine swimming pools, was reduced to rubble.

Only a few homes were left standing in the images provided by Maxar Technologies.

As the fires continue to rage in some areas, the Wildland Fire Interagency Geospatial Services Group provides updates on active and recent incidents, using satellite-based detection systems.

The maps below show areas where burning activity was identified within the past 24 hours.

The number of people officials have told to evacuate has dropped in recent days, but authorities cautioned that more evacuations could be ordered when high winds return this week.

Additional fires are possible, and the wind could spread the ongoing fires. So officials urge residents to be prepared to evacuate if needed and make a plan for their families.

Even after an evacuation order is lifted, it still might not be safe to return home due to damaged gas and electric lines and other hazards.

The number of people under evacuation orders in Los Angeles County has dropped to under 100,000 by Monday, 13 January.

Most of the destruction has been from the Eaton Fire near Pasadena and the Palisades Fire, in a wealthy enclave along the Pacific Coast. Firefighters have made progress on both fronts in recent days, with the Eaton Fire roughly one-third contained.

In California, record-breaking fires in 2017 and 2018 destroyed communities and damaged or destroyed thousands of structures. According to reports and statistics, California’s 20 most destructive wildfires, measured in terms of structures burned, have occurred between 2015-2025.

The Imo State Police Command has confirmed an explosion that occurred on Sunday in the state.

Ekwutosblog  recalls that an explosion suspected to be bomb rendered the people of Umuneke Obazu Mbieri in Mbaitoli Local Government Area of the state devastated, Sunday morning.

The command’s spokesperson, Henry Okoye, stated that although there were no casualties, an investigation has been launched to determine the cause of the explosion.

According to him, the blast affected a newly completed building that had not yet been occupied.

Okoye further revealed that the Deputy Commissioner of Police, along with the command’s Anti-Bomb Squad, had visited the scene to ensure the area was cleared of any remaining explosives.

He reassured the community that the command was committed to uncovering the root cause of the incident and bringing any responsible parties to justice. Residents were also urged to go about their lawful activities without fear, as the police are working diligently to maintain security.

Meanwhile, local villagers reported that the affected building had recently been completed by a couple who planned to move in by February.

They recounted hearing a loud explosion in the middle of the night, and upon venturing out hours later, discovered that the house had been reduced to rubble.