Over 20,000 people took to the streets in Madrid on Sunday amid the housing crisis in Spain which has left the locals suffering higher cost of life caused by the out-of-control housing and rental prices and insufficient social housing.
Experts said the housing prices have soared by 50 percent in ten years here in the Spanish capital, making home ownership a distant dream.
"We can't go on like this, we just can't, the prices have to come down," said a protestor as she voiced anger.
Rent prices have also soared in some parts of Spain by 100 percent in 15 years, putting residents under considerable pressure to make a living.
"I pay over 30 percent of my salary to rent a room in a shared house, I'm sick of this, we can't even make ends meet, it's outrageous the price we pay to share a half-decent house with my child," said another protestor holding a baby in her arms.
Protestors also demanded for more social housing, with some suggest the country replicate Vienna's model, as the Austrian capital has increased the stock of price-controlled social housing for decades to regulate housing prices and has stood out for its housing policy.
"There are places where things are working like Vienna, we would like to follow the Viennese model where there's lots of social housing, affordable for rent," said a protestor.
The Spanish constitution states that everyone has the right to live in a dignified place, but experts said the country needs to build over half a million houses just to keep up with demand and 5.5 million households are at risk of residential exclusion.
Spain is struggling to strike a balance between promoting tourism, a key driver of its economy, and addressing citizens' concerns over high rent prices as landlords shift to more lucrative tourist rentals, leading to series of protests.
Mallorca, the Canary Islands and Barcelona have all seen protests over tourism because the locals feel they are being priced out of the housing market.
One march that was erupted in Barcelona in July this year even saw protestors aiming water pistols at visitors chanting 'tourists go home.'
In Barcelona, a house that goes up on the rental market receives on average 350 applications.
Thousands protest in Spain against rising cost of living
China has built and upgraded nearly 100,000 kilometers of roads across Africa as part of the Belt and Road Initiative, aiming to boost industrial and infrastructure development, as well as trade on the continent.
In Uganda, the 217.9-million-U.S.-dollar Masindi-Park Junction and Tangi Junction-Paraa-Buliisa road project serves as a vital link for both commerce and conservation in the country.
Funded by the China Export-Import Bank and built by China Communications Construction Company, the project is not just a ribbon of asphalt, but a lifeline connecting communities and catalyzing growth.
The road winds through the vast Murchison Falls National Park, reducing travel time and improving the tourist experience.
And the 51-kilometer Kampala Entebbe Expressway in the country, financed and constructed by China, reduces the travel time from Kampala to Entebbe airport to 30 minutes from 120 minutes before.
In Tanzania, the Chinese-built state-of-the-art Kijazi Interchange in Dar es Salaam is the biggest project of its kind in the country.
It consists of a three-level interchange with the maximum height of 17.5 meters and service roads.
The interchange significantly reduces traffic jams in the commercial capital, making heavy traffic jams lasting for hours at the busy Ubungo junction history.
The Keffi Road project in Nigeria, contracted by the China Harbor Engineering Company, was completed in 2023.
The project comprises the construction of the Abuja-Keffi expressway and dualization of Keffi-Akwanga-Lafia-Makurdi road in central Nigeria, facilitating local economic activities along with job opportunities and road-construction expertise.
The 27.1-kilometer Nairobi Expressway, built by a Chinese firm, is providing a faster route for motorists heading to and from the central business district, the city's industrial area and the main international airport.
It is part of a broader investment in Kenya's transport infrastructure, aimed at improving road connectivity and supporting the country's economic growth.
Since its launch, the toll road has significantly cut travel time between Nairobi's southern areas, home to the main airport, and the upscale Westlands suburb, from two hours during peak times to just 20 minutes.
China builds, upgrades nearly 100,000 kilometers of roads across Africa
