Briefly

SPAIN

Madrid dismisses ambassador to Israel

Spain has formally dismissed its ambassador to Israel, further degrading already poor relations after recalling her six months ago in a spat over the Gaza conflict, according to a decree on Wednesday. Ana Maria Salomon Perez was officially relieved of her duties on Tuesday at the proposal of Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares Bueno, in a decree signed by King Felipe VI. She was recalled from Tel Aviv in September after Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez unveiled measures aimed at stopping what he called "genocide" in Gaza. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar then barred two of Spain's ministers from entry.

UNITED STATES

Consulate in Pakistan's Peshawar to be closed

The State Department will permanently close the US consulate in Peshawar, Pakistan. The department notified Congress this week of its intent to close the consulate and said it would save $7.5 million per year while not adversely affecting its ability to advance Washington's interests in Pakistan, according to a copy of the notification obtained by The Associated Press on Wednesday. The move has been under consideration for more than a year since Donald Trump's administration began downsizing nearly all federal agencies and is not related to the conflict in Iran, which has sparked protests in several Pakistani cities.

EUROPEAN UNION

Electric car prices drop, helping sales: Report

The average price of an electric car dropped in Europe last year for the first time since 2020, helping sales, a report found on Thursday, as the EU debates weakening climate targets for automakers, according to advocacy group Transport & Environment. EVs accounted for 19 percent of all new cars sold in the European Union and Norway in 2025, up from about 14 percent the previous year, T&E said in a report. T&E credited EU emission reduction targets for the price drop, saying they pushed carmakers to bring more competitively priced models to market.

Agencies - Xinhua