Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez announced on Monday that a general election would be held early.

The next general election in Spain was originally scheduled for the summer of 2027, but the country will now hold the election on November 29, 2026.

The move follows nationwide protests sparked by a case involving an 87-year-old woman whose rent was suddenly increased. In response, the government had drafted several proposals to address the housing crisis.

Pedro Sánchez's government had introduced key proposals to tackle the housing crisis, but they failed to secure parliamentary support and were rejected.

The woman's rent had been raised from 500 euros to 2,650 euros.

Although it was later reduced to 1,650 euros, the amount still exceeded her monthly pension of 1,350 euros by 300 euros. The incident triggered protests across the country.

Pedro Sánchez has served as Spain's Prime Minister since 2018. However, most polls predict that the Conservative Party will secure the highest number of seats in the upcoming election.

Oct 4, 2026
Shakira & Dua Lipa - Antologia (Live from Madrid) 

Oct 4, 2026  
Third-time host Dakota Johnson talks about being at SNL on her birthday and dating musicians before being joined by her friend Taylor Swift.

Oct 4, 2026  The Take
This week: 368 days into a ceasefire, Israel has killed at least 1,439 Palestinians in Gaza. The US is sending more soldiers and ships to the Middle East. The US has completely withdrawn its military from Iraq. Gaza held another mass funeral. Israel has killed at least 74,040 Palestinians in Gaza since October 7, 2023.

In this episode:

    Tanya Noury, Al Jazeera Correspondent
    Mahmoud Abdelwahed, Al Jazeera Correspondent
    Ibrahim al-Khalili, Al Jazeera Correspondent
    Nida Ibrahim, Al Jazeera Correspondent

Episode credits:

This episode was produced and mixed by David Enders. Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Adam Abou-Gad is our engagement producer. Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer.

Oct 4, 2026  #Gaza #Palestine #AI
Artificial intelligence is becoming an increasingly powerful tool in modern warfare.
In Gaza, Israel has used the technology in surveillance to identify, monitor and analyse Palestinians. 

Al Jazeera’s Tareq Abu Azzoum reports from Deir el-Balah, central Gaza.

Oct 4, 2026  
Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei addresses US war in press conference in Tehran.

The top issue being discussed by Iran is the reopening of the critical Strait of Hormuz, its Foreign Ministry spokesperson says.

“We are at this stage focusing on the strait foremost, and our main concern is to reach a solution and to have peace and stability restored within this waterway,” Esmaeil Baghaei said.

“However, certain tangible measures must be taken by the United States. Certain issues were put to discussions. Iran sees attempts to violate or interrupt the memorandum of understanding in addition to the other issues that have arisen in the past few months. Above all the sanctions imposed by the United States must be lifted.”

Al Jazeera's Mohamed Vall reports from Tehran, Iran. 

Oct 4, 2026  #US #USMilitary #CENTCOM
Alexandru Hudisteanu, a maritime security and military defence analyst, tells Al Jazeera a third US aircraft carrier would give Washington greater leverage and military options on Iran, without necessarily signalling imminent strikes.