Spain

Diplomatic sources say that EU leaders struggled past midnight in a tense debate to reach common conclusions in a bland statement offering encouragement to the candidate countries, and yet postponing a formal decision for accession talks.

As of today, the United States is introducing duties on a number of European Union goods - from 10% to 25%, affecting goods and services totaling $ 7.5 billion.

Washington has received the green light for action after the World Trade Organization approved penalties against European countries that violated trade rules in subsidizing airline giant Airbus.

European producers of specialty agricultural products like French wine, Italian Parmesan and Spanish olives are facing a US tariff hike due on Friday with a mix of trepidation and indignation at being dragged into a trade war they feel they have little to do with.

Hundreds of people around the world have been arrested after a child pornography site in the Dark web was taken down by authorities in March 2018. The site has been selling child sexual abuse videos for Bitcoins.

The charges were brought against 337 users from 12 different countries. Among the accused is the alleged head of the site, 23-year-old South Korean Jong Woo Son.

The leader of Spain's Catalonia region condemned increasing unrest in the city of Barcelona on Oct. 17, as protests intensified three days after nine leaders of a 2017 independence bid were sentenced to up to 13 years in jail.

The riot police charged at protesters and fired foam projectiles, while protesters threw cans, stones and flares at riot police, and set garbage containers and cardboard on fire, near the Department of home affairs of the regional government in the capital of Catalonia.
The fire has blocked at least four streets.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAE) on Wednesday sent the Permanent Electoral Authority (AEP) an additional list of 68 polling stations abroad, besides the proposals sent on October 3 and 10. MAE has proposed the organisation of a total 777 polling stations for the presidential elections, so far, reads a release of this Ministry.

Every third Bulgarian lives at risk of poverty or social exclusion, Eurostat data for poverty level in the Member States in 2018 showed. About 2.3 million people in the country live below the poverty line, which in Bulgaria is officially BGN 350 per month.

Greece had the European Union's third highest rate of people at risk of poverty or social exclusion last year, amounting to 31.8 percent, Eurostat said on Wednesday.
Greece was one of seven EU member-states where over a quarter of the population were at risk of poverty or social exclusion.

The Embassy of Spain in Bulgaria and the Instituto Cervantes- Sofía, will hold a concert of the flamenco pianist Rosario Montoya, which will take place on Saturday, October 19 at 7:30 p.m. in the Municipal Art Gallery of Sofia (1 General Gurko str.).