News

Spain's left-leaning government on Tuesday finalized its plan for an amnesty measure that could pave the way for hundreds of thousands of unauthorized migrants to apply for legal temporary residence permits.  Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's government first announced the plan earlier this year.  The policy, enacted via royal decree and not through parliament, stands in contrast to several other European governments seeking to reduce or prevent irregular migration or migration more generally.  How will the amnesty work and who does it apply to?  The amnesty will only apply to people who can demonstrate they arrived in Spain before January 1 this year, before the plan was made public, in a bid not to encourage a rush to Spain after the announcement was made. Irregular migrants will be pe...

Spain's left-leaning government on Tuesday finalized its plan for an amnesty measure that could pave the way for hundreds of thousands of unauthorized migrants to apply for legal temporary residence permits.  Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's government first announced the plan earlier this year.  The policy, enacted via royal decree and not through parliament, stands in contrast to several other European governments seeking to reduce or prevent irregular migration or migration more generally.  How will the amnesty work and who does it apply to?  The amnesty will only apply to people who can demonstrate they arrived in Spain before January 1 this year, before the plan was made public, in a bid not to encourage a rush to Spain after the announcement was made. Irregular migrants will be pe...

French carmaker Renault has said it plans to reduce its number of engineers by 15 to 20% percent in the coming two years. This means that up to 2,400 of the current 11,000 to 12,000 engineers worldwide would have to leave the company. A Renault spokesperson said the cuts would be made without forced layoffs. The development of new technologies and fundamental design work would remain in France, he said. Engineering centers in other countries such as Brazil, India, Morocco, Romania, South Korea, Spain and Turkey will also be reducing the number of engineering posts. European carmakers face intense competition from China Renault, like other European automakers, is struggling with competition from Chinese brands, especially when it comes to electric vehicles. Manufacturers in China are ...

Maine became the first state in the US on Tuesday to call for a temporary halt to the construction of large data centers, as the power-hungry facilities driven by AI demand are straining local electric grids. A bill was passed by both legislative chambers and now heads to Democratic Governor Janet Mills. If she signs off on it, it will become the first statewide moratorium impacting the fast-growing artificial intelligence (AI) industry. "People and communities across the state have been asking the Legislature to take action and temporarily pause these projects, which could have significant impacts on ratepayers, our electric grid and our environment," said Representative Melanie Sachs, the sponsor of the bill. "This bill positions Maine to respond deliberately and responsibly to a rapi...

Voters in Peru headed to the polls on Sunday to elect a new president and members of Congress. Sunday's election is taking place amid a spike in violent crime and corruption, and there is currently no clear favourite candidate among disgruntled voters. A successful candidate needs more than 50% of votes to win outright and given the discontent among the electorate, it's highly likely there will be a runoff in June. Voting stations opened at 7 a.m. local time (1200 GMT), with about ​27 million people eligible to vote. Polls close at 5 p.m. (2200 GMT), with preliminary results from the country's election monitor expected soon after.The vote takes place amid high levels of organized crime and political instabilityImage: Luis Robayo/AFP Some of those in contention There are 35 names on t...