IVA (VAT) is set to rise by 3% to 21% and budgets to local authorities are to be cut by €3.5 billion as part of the latest round of austerity measures.
Spain through to semis of Euro 2012
A win is a win and Spain are through to the semi-finañls of Euro 2012, just unfortunate from a spectator point of view that France didn’t really turn up, star players Ribery and Benzema conspicuous by their mental absence.
Spain salvage draw against Italy
First match of Euro 2012 for Spain and Iker Casillas pulled off a series of fine saves to keep the scores level until the 60th minute when Antonio di Natale deservedly put the Italians ahead.
Queen Sofia will not be attending Diamond Jubilee lunch
Queen Sofia of Spain, great-great granddaughter of Queen Victoria and first cousin-once-removed of Prince Philip, has been ordered not to attend Friday’s Diamond Jubilee lunch for Queen Elizabeth II because of an escalating diplomatic row over Gibraltar and fishing rights.
Landslide victory for the Partido Popular
As widely anticipated, the Partido Popular has won the Spanish general election but by a larger margin than expected, gaining 186 seats in Congress. The PSOE have 110 seats in Congress, their lowest ever. The Partido Popular has also won all regions in Spain except Cataluña and the Basque region.
The big Christmas Lottery gets even bigger
Expenditure on the special Christmas lottery is expected to exceed é3,600 million this year, an average of €71.28 per capita, with the main prizes being increased to €4 million.
Big wins for Real and Barcelona
A bit of an early scare for Real Madrid after Rayo Vallecano took the lead after only fifteen seconds through Michu and it took until a few minutes before the break for Real to turn things around with goals from Ronaldo and Higuaín.
El Bulli closes
Five times voted best restaurant in the world, El Bulli has now closed and is scheduled to become a ‘gastronomic think tank’ in 2014. El Bulli Closes
Wins for Málaga and Real Madrid
Málaga have clawed their way up from the bottom of La Liga and now sit in tenth place after their 2-0 victory last night over Sporting Gijón. Baptista and Eliseu were the scorers.
Real Madrid 0-1 Sporting Gijón
A goal from De las Cuevas in the 79th minute condemned Real Madrid to a home defeat against Sporting Gijón and severely dented what little championship hopes they had remaining. This result also means that Jose Mourinho’s nine-year, 150-match unbeaten league home record as a manager comes to an end.