*🛑 Spanish PM: "No to war"* ✋ "No to war." This was the simple message from Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez as he pushed back against US President Donald Trump's *trade threats* over Spain's stance on Iran. 🌍 Sánchez argued Spain's stance was "*clear and consistent*, the same one we have maintained in Ukraine and in Gaza," and – citing Iraq – he warned against repeating "the mistakes of the past." ✂️ "We're going to *cut off all trade* with Spain," Trump said on Tuesday after Madrid refused to allow US forces to use Spanish military bases in operations linked to strikes on Iran. 🇪🇺 The EU says it "expects the United States to *fully honor its commitments*" on trade agreements. 🔗 Read more ➡️ https://bit.ly/3PegLcY

💶 Rents across Catalonia continued to *climb* in the third quarter of 2025, with the average monthly price rising 2.5% to €876.83 🏠 That is up from €854.70 in the previous quarter and 0.9% higher than the first quarter of 2024, the last period before rent caps were rolled out under Spain's national *housing law* 🏘️ In Barcelona city, the average monthly rent reached *€1,153.11*, a 1.5% increase from the previous quarter. Still, prices remain 3.3% below the €1,193.50 average recorded before the cap took effect Read more ➡️ https://bit.ly/46j3fdZ

🇨🇴 The Spanish government's planned migrant regularization could benefit half a million people already living in the country. One of them is Merly Arévalo from Colombia, who has lived in Barcelona for *four years*. 🧻 She hopes to benefit from the regularization, *work legally*, and obtain residence and work permits. "We want to *do our part* for society," she said. Merly also hopes to continue her training and, above all, find work beyond caregiving and cleaning, in line with her education. 🗓️ The process covers those in Spain before December 31, 2025, with at least five months of continuous residence. It also includes applicants with pending or denied international protection requests. Eligible migrants will receive a *one-year residence permit*, allowing them to work immediately in any sector. Minor children residing in Spain will receive five-year permits. Applications will open between April and June. Read more ➡️ https://bit.ly/4tTM4d6

⛪ *Sagrada Família reaches top height* 🏗️ The Sagrada Família has reached its maximum height of *172.5 metres* with the completion of the Tower of Jesus Christ. ✝️ The final piece of the cross atop the world's tallest church was installed today, *144 years* after the first stone was laid. 📅 The inauguration is set for *June 10* , marking 100 years since Antoni Gaudí's death. 🔗 Read more ➡️ https://bit.ly/4aZ9dDk

🌧️ Catalonia experienced an *exceptionally rainy* winter of 2025/26, a season that was also characterized by warmer temperatures than average. ☔ The Ebre Observatory, in southern Catalonia, saw the 3rd wettest winter in its *121 years of historical data*, while the Fabra Observatory in Barcelona recorded its 5th wettest season in *113 years*. 🌬️ The season also saw episodes of *exceptional winds*, with the strongest gust measured at over 150km/h, abnormally *high temperatures*, with 26.4°C recorded and records beaten in weather stations across the territory, and historic levels of *snow*, both in the eastern Pyrenees and in the pre-coastal areas. Read more ➡ https://bit.ly/4btnHvu

*🍻 Barcelona Beer Festival* 🍽️ Barcelona will once again become a hub for craft beer lovers as the Barcelona Beer Festival returns from *April 10 to 12*, celebrating its 15th anniversary with what organizers describe as the most gastronomic edition in its history. 🌍 The three-day event will take place at Fira de Montjuïc, bringing together more than *100 breweries* and nearly 500 beers from around the world. 😋 This year's edition will put a special focus on the link between *beer and cuisine*. 🔗 Read more ➡️ https://bit.ly/4b4v90b

*✈️ Tourists to Catalonia fall 6% in January, spending jumps 22%* 🧳 Catalonia welcomed *over one million* international tourists in January, but the total – 1,010,902 – fell 6.2% compared to last year's record. 💸 The drop in arrivals contrasts with *spending figures*, which rose sharply. 💰 The average spend per visitor jumped 22.4% to *€1,260*. 🏝️ Catalonia was Spain's *second most popular* destination for foreign visitors, behind the Canary Islands. 🔗 Read more ➡️ https://bit.ly/4ssJs4p

🖼️ The National Museum of Art of Catalonia will soon be *expanding*. The architectural project was presented on Monday, which will see a new building added to the museum and a covered corridor connecting the two. 🏗️ The works will mean that the museum will significantly increase its surface area, going from the current 49,000m2 up to *71,417m2*. The total cost of the project has an initial estimation of *€112.66 million*. 🎨 Works will be done in several *phases*, with construction divided into two main chunks, beginning in the first quarter of 2028. The first phase is expected to be completed in the third quarter of 2029. Read more ➡️ https://bit.ly/40lwglNis estimated at €112.66 million

🤩 *What's on this weekend?* 🟣 *International Women's Day* ➡ March 8 💃🏻 *Dansa Metropolitana* ➡ Free shows 🖼️ *Inside museums* ➡ Free entry 🧆 *GastroFest Km0* ➡ Antiga Fàbrica Estrella Damm 🧅 *Calçotada Popular* ➡ Poble Espanyol 🥔 *Trumfo potato Fair* ➡ Solsona 🔗 and more! ➡ https://bit.ly/49cTBLN

📆 One month on from fatal *Gelida* rail crash, service still not yet back to normal 🚄 Renfe is currently providing 80% of the usual rail service, while passenger *demand remains 25% lower*, according to the operator. Traffic in the Barcelona metropolitan area has increased by 5% since the accident, while the metro recorded 700,000 more ticket validations in the following week. 🚆 The metro, trams and FGC, Catalonia's public railway operator, are seeing unusually high year-on-year passenger growth. This rise has been influenced by the replacement bus services put on by rail operator Renfe, which at times have seen up to *230 buses* in operation. Read more ➡️ https://bit.ly/4rzKM5C