The head of military recruitment for ETA, Oroitz Gurruchaga Gogorza, and his deputy, Javier Aramburu Sagarminaga, were arrested in France on Sunday. Both men were armed.
Sixteen banks downgraded by ratings agency Moody’s
The ratings agency Moody’s has cut the credit ratings of sixteen Spanish banks, including two of the largest, Banco Santander and BBVA. Ten of the 16 banks were also put on negative credit watch, meaning that further downgrades are possible.
Stoner triumphs in Jerez
Reigning champion Casey Stoner held off the challenge of home favourite Jorge Lorenzo to win the Spanish MotoGP in Jerez having moved up from fifth on the grid to first place within two laps. Dani Pedrosa was third and British rider Cal Crutchlow fourth.
Schengen Treaty suspended for a week
Spain is suspending the Schengen Treaty, which allows free movement between EU member countries, from Saturday April 28th until midnight on May 4th.
Plans for change in tax structure and increase in IVA
The Government is planning to raise indirect taxes – IVA, excise duty on alcohol, tobacco and petrol – next year as part of its strategy to reduce the budget deficit to 3% of GDP by the end of 2012, part of a change in the tax structure which will result in less taxes on labour and more on consumption.
Unemployment hits new record high
Unemployment in Spain has hit a new record high with 5,639,500 people out of work at the end of March, that’s 24.4% of the total workforce. The figures were announced just after Standard & Poor’s downgraded Spanish sovereign debt by another two notches to BBB+.
Portugal to make toll roads compatible with Spanish system
As from June, travel on the toll roads in Portugal will be made much easier for those travelling from Spain with the introduction of a compatible system for the payment of tolls.
Cost of borrowing rises
The cost of borrowing for Spain increased to 6.1% on Monday and this has once again raised the spectre of a bailout.
Stolen babies cases
In his annual report, the Ombudsman has revealed that there are currently 1,414 open cases in the courts relating to the theft of babies during the Franco regime and up to the early 1990s.
EU unemployment still on the rise
Unemployment in the Eurozone reached 10.8% in February and in the European Union as a whole stands at a record 10.2% with one in five out of work being Spanish.