The Spanish and Portuguese authorities have dismantled the largest known network for the manufacturing and selling of counterfeit clothing and footwear in the country in a police operation that has also led to the arrest of 99 people.
Electricity to go up by 2.3% on January 1st
The Government has announced that the price of electricity will rise by 2.3% as per January 1st 2014. This is significantly more than the Government initially indicated but significantly less than the increase wanted by the power companies.
Government approves more restrictive abortion laws
The Cabinet has approved a series of modifications to the current abortion law, only allowing termination under two conditions: if the baby presents a risk to the health of the mother, or if the pregnancy was the result of rape.
High-speed links between Spain and France
At a ceremony held at the Palace of the Kings of Mallorca in Perpignan, a host of officials heralded an ‘historic’ day as they announced the new AVE high-speed train link between Barcelona and Paris.
Twelve arrested in connection with child pornography
The Guardia Civil has arrested 12 people and charged a further two in connection with acquiring, sharing and distributing child pornography, some of it involving babies.
18 arrested in connection with possession of child pornography
Police have arrested 18 people and charged a further three in connection with the possession and distribution of child pornography following an operation carried out in 17 provinces.
Proposal to give security guards more powers
The congressional interior committee has approved a bill allowing authorised private-sector security personnel some of the same powers as the police, such as the right of arrest.
Domestic violence statistics for 2012
According to figures released Thursday by the National Statistics Institute (INE), the Central Registry of the Ministry of Interior listed 36,641 victims of gender or domestic violence in 2012, down by 9.2% on the previous year.
Electricity price increase averted, at least for the time being
The price of electricity will not be rising yet again, at least for the time being, after an agreement was reached between the Government and the energy companies Iberdrola, Gas Natural, Fenosa, Endesa and EOn. The energy companies had wanted to increase prices by around 12%.
Corruption continues to affect the image of Spain
A global survey of international perceptions of official corruption sees Spain down by six points to 40th place in the table following the latest, and seemingly endless, series of scandals.