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BBC News with Roisin Hastie.
The lawyer of a Spanish pensioner whose eviction from her home last week sparked massive protests has said she'll be able to move back in after a deal was reached with the company that evicted her. Eighty-seven-year-old María Carmen Abascal lived in her central Madrid apartment for 70 years. Danny Eberhardt has more details. For many across Spain, María Carmen Abascal's case crystallized anger over a wider housing crisis. She'd been unable to pay the massive rent increase demanded by the company that had bought the building. At first, it wanted to hike what she paid more than fivefold. Now her lawyer says she'll be allowed back in, paying rent similar to what she had been originally. Miss Abascal is currently in hospital, having been taken there to be treated for exhaustion. Her lawyer says she'll sign the deal when she feels better. Her supporters will hail it as a victory, but they're determined to continue their fight to prevent similar evictions and for more affordable housing. President Trump has announced plans for the construction of the largest steel plant in U.S. history. The $15 billion steel mill will be built by Mesabi Metallics in the Midwestern state of Iowa. Mr. Trump made the announcement alongside company executives at the White House. "Today we're thrilled to announce that Mesabi Metallics will be building the largest steel plant in American history in the great state of Iowa. It's the largest plant, one of the largest plants in the world, but it's the largest plant in America by far." The plant is expected to produce 10 million tons of steel and create between 5 and 6,000 jobs. It comes as the president and his Republican party are trying to bolster their economic record ahead of November's midterm elections amid falling approval ratings and voters' concerns about inflation and the cost of living. A major new study into children's screen use has found that prolonged exposure can damage a young person's well-being in ways similar to poverty, bad parenting or being born prematurely. The research examined data from almost 3 million children across 64 countries, making it one of the largest studies of its kind. Britain's defense secretary says it's too early to say whether a foreign state was involved in an incident at an air base used by U.S. forces in which five men were arrested on suspicion of preparing a terrorist act. "The investigation remains ongoing. Of course, decisions around bail are operational decisions that are taken by the police and where appropriate the Crown Prosecution Service, too. Those investigations remain live. Those five individuals are under stringent bail conditions." The base has been used by the United States to attack Iran. Iran has denied any involvement in the alleged plot. World news from the BBC. President Trump has denied media reports that he offered Iran's sanctions relief and the release of frozen funds in return for nuclear concessions. Writing on social media, Mr. Trump called an article by the Axios news site "untrue." Syria's state petroleum company has reported that a gas pipeline in the east of the country is on fire after an explosion at an isolated valve near Deir ez-Zor. The state news agency said the company had blamed the blast on sabotage. Prosecutors in the U.S. state of New York are re-opening an investigation into a case of alleged gang rape at Cornell University two years ago. A lawsuit was filed earlier this month by a woman claiming she was drugged and raped at a student house. Nada Tawfik reports. The lawsuit says the anonymous woman was visibly intoxicated when she stumbled into the frat house to see a friend. There, according to the lawsuit, two fraternity members pressured her into snorting ketamine and sexually assaulted her. Another five students joined in. None of the men were arrested and prosecutors deemed criminal charges weren't warranted at the time. Her attorney claims only two of the seven alleged attackers were expelled. Cornell said it supported the decision to revisit criminal charges, but disputes that those involved weren't strongly punished by the university. The wife of Malaysia's longest-serving prime minister has been given a state funeral after she died on Monday at the age of 100. Dr. Siti Hasmah Mohamad Ali was a popular and prominent figure in her own right. And a Nigerian performer is attempting to dance non-stop for a week to set a world record. Benjamin Daniel is aiming to dance for 168 hours. That would be more than 40 hours longer than the current record set by a 16-year-old Indian woman three years ago. If he's successful, he'll hit his target early on Tuesday. BBC News. |