The price of butane and natural gas, the most common fuels in Spanish homes, rise by 5.75% and 4.1% respectively as from today.
Tourist numbers for January and February
Spain received a total of 5.3 million tourists during the first two months of 2010, a decrease of 1.5% compared to 2009. Although this is being seen as encouraging, it must be borne in mind that the same period in 2009 showed an 8.7% decline relative to 2008.
Interior Ministry raises terror alert status
The Interior Ministry has raised the security alert status to ‘high risk’ in the wake of recent events relating to the separatist organisation ETA.
No increase in retirement age during the current legislature
The Government has apparently abandoned any idea of raising the retirement age from 65 to 67 years during this current legislature after having underestimated public opposition to the idea, preferring to concentrate on proposals which have political and social consensus and will not cost them votes at the next election.
Huge botnet operated by Spaniards
The Guardia Civil, in collaboration with the FBI, have arrested three Spaniards who controlled more than 13 million computers as part of the largest detected networks of ‘botnets’ in the world.
More suicide fatalities than road traffic fatalities
According to the latest figures from the National Institute of Statistics (INE), suicide is now the leading external cause of death, overtaking road traffic accidents.
43 arrested in child pornography raids
National Police have arrested 43 people and charged a further 61 in the latest operation against child pornography, seizing over 1.2 million pornographic files during raids in various parts of the country.
Still in recession
The Spanish economy shrank by 0.1% in the last quarter of 2009 making it the last major economy in recession.
Number of foreigners registered in Spain is on the increase
More than 5.6 million foreigners were registered on the padrón (census) in Spain during 2009, representing an increase of 400,000 on the figure for 2008.
Radioactive waste storage
Municipalities appear to be almost falling over themselves to sign up to become an Almacén Temporal Centralizado (ATC) – Centralised Temporary Store – for radioactive waste.