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"It always rains a lot here, it's very cold and it's January and it feels like summer," said Bilbao resident Eusebio Folgeira, 81. French tourist Joana Host said: "It's like nice weather for biking but we know it's like the planet is burning. Scientists have not yet analysed the specific ways in which climate change affected the recent high temperatures, but January's warm weather spell fits into the longer-term trend of rising temperatures due to human-caused climate change. "The record-breaking heat across Europe over the new year was made more likely to happen by human-caused climate change, just as climate change is now making every heatwave more likely and hotter," said Dr Friederike Otto, climate scientist at Imperial College London. French national weather agency Meteo France attributed the anomalous temperatures to a mass of warm air moving to Europe from subtropical zones.

☆ Spain's December jobless falls to 15-year low
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

REUTERS/Jon NazcaJan 3 (Reuters) - The number of people registering as jobless in Spain fell slightly in December from a month earlier, ending 2022 at a 15-year low, data from the Labour Ministry showed on Tuesday. The number of jobless fell by 1.52%, or by 43,727 people, leaving 2.84 million people out of work. "This data shows that labour protection measures are working," Labour Minister Yolanda Diaz said in a post on Twitter. Spain lost 8,347 net formal jobs in December to 20.31 million jobs, after November's record high job creation, a separate report from the Social Security Ministry showed. Unemployment of young people under 25 decreased 5.86% in December, by 12,185 people, compared with the previous month and reaching a record low of 195,751 people.

☆ Police arrest in Spain one of FBI most wanted fugitives
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MADRID, Dec 23 (Reuters) - Spanish police on Friday said they had arrested one of the U.S. FBI's Ten Most Wanted fugitives, who was staying at a hotel in Madrid under a false identity. Michael James Pratt, a New Zealand citizen, had been sentenced to life in prison for child pornography, sexual exploitation and sexual assault in the United States. Police said he was involved in the audiovisual production of pornography, recruiting underage girls and young women through deception between 2012 and 2019. Only 57 criminals on the FBI's Most Wanted list have been apprehended outside the bureau's jurisdiction, Spanish authorities said, adding that it was the first time this has occurred in Spain. He paid other women to act as "bait" and convince the victims the recorded material would not be published online.

☆ Top EU Court rules against Spain for air pollution in Madrid and Barcelona
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MADRID, Dec 22 (Reuters) - Spain allowed nitrogen dioxide (NO2) air pollution levels to systematically exceed EU limits in Madrid and Barcelona between 2010 and 2018, the European Court of Justice ruled on Thursday, potentially paving the way for Brussels to seek penalties. The EU's executive Commision had asked the bloc's top court in 2019 to take action against Spain over its poor air quality in its two biggest cities, arguing it was failing to protect citizens against pollution. The court found that harmful rates of NO2 in the air had exceeded the limits in areas with a combined population of 7.3 million people, including the two big cities and an industrial area near Barcelona: Valles-Baix Llobregat. In Madrid, where a low-emission scheme in a restricted central area has been at the heart of political warfare for years, the conservative mayor accuses his left-wing predecessor's administration of failing to address air pollution. Reporting by Emma Pinedo Editing by Inti Landauro and Peter GraffOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

The Spanish government estimates that the EU grants and loans will on average add 2.6 percentage points to gross domestic product annually through 2031. Calvino said the EU soft loans would be channelled through state-linked investment vehicles so as not to inflate Spain's debt burden. In total, Spain is seeking to mobilise 160 billion euros. It has so far received 31 billion euros from the pandemic package, deploying around 22 billion, Calvino said. However, a recent study by consultants EY and the ESADE business school estimated that just 9.3 billion euros had reached the real economy.

☆ ECB will hike rates further, we do not know when will stop, De Guindos says
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

MADRID, Dec 19 (Reuters) - The European Central Bank will hike interest rates further in the euro zone to combat high inflation, ECB's Vice-President Luis de Guindos said on Monday. "There will be more interest rate hikes, until when, I don't know. I am absolutely honest, I don't know," De Guindos said, adding that the institution was committed to bring inflation down to its 2% mid-term goal. On Thursday, the ECB eased the pace of its interest rate hikes but stressed significant tightening remained ahead and laid out plans to drain cash from the financial system as part of a dogged fight against runaway inflation. Reporting by Jesús Aguado; editing by Emma PinedoOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Letter bomb injures one at Ukraine's Madrid embassy, Kyiv ramps up security
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] Police stands outside of Ukrainian embassy after, Spanish police said, blast at embassy building injured one employee while handling a letter, in Madrid, Spain November 30, 2022. REUTERS/Juan MedinaMADRID/KYIV, Nov 30 (Reuters) - A security officer at Ukraine's embassy in Madrid was injured when he opened a letter bomb addressed to the ambassador on Wednesday, and Kyiv ordered a bolstering of security at all its representative offices abroad. The security officer suffered light injuries and went under his own steam to hospital for treatment, Spanish government official Mercedes Gonzalez told broadcaster Telemadrid. The residential area surrounding the embassy in northwestern Madrid was cordoned off and a bomb disposal unit was deployed to the scene. Reuters footage showed scores of police officers, armed with assault rifles and blocking roads with vans, in the neighbourhood around the embassy.

☆ Stowaways on tanker from Nigeria set for deportation from Spain
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

LAS PALMAS, Nov 29 (Reuters) - Two of three stowaways who were rescued in Spain's Canary Islands after enduring 11 days on the rudder of a fuel tanker from Nigeria have been returned to the ship with the aim of deporting them. In a photograph on Twitter by the Spanish coast guard on Monday, the three stowaways are shown hunkered on the rudder under the hull, just above the waterline of the Alithini II. The ship's captain confirmed to the Red Cross that it had sailed from Nigeria 11 days earlier. The stowaways were treated for moderate dehydration and hypothermia, the Canary Islands emergency services and the Red Cross said. The Spanish-owned Canary Islands are a popular but dangerous gateway for African migrants attempting to reach Europe.

☆ Spain, EU propose to keep Gibraltar land border open, Spain says
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MADRID, Nov 25 (Reuters) - Spain and the European Commision have sent Britain a proposal to keep the Gibraltar land border open as part of a definitive solution settling the post-Brexit status of the enclave, the Spanish foreign ministry said on Friday. Spain, Britain and the European Union agreed on Dec. 31, 2020, hours before Britain's full exit from the bloc, that Gibraltar would remain part of EU agreements such as the Schengen Area and Spain would police the port and the airport, pending a definitive solution. "This requires Spain to take control, on behalf of the Schengen area, of Gibraltar's external borders and, to this end, to be able to exercise certain functions and powers necessary to protect the integrity and security of the Schengen area," it added. About 15,000 people commute daily from Spain to Gibraltar, which has a population of about 32,000. Spain has agreed to put aside the issue of its sovereignty claim over Gibraltar to focus on the opportunity to keep the border open, the Foreign Minister said.

☆ Euro zone growth will likely be negative in Q4, inflation high, ECB's De Guindos Says
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

MADRID, Nov 23 (Reuters) - The euro zone economy will likely show negative growth rates in the fourth quarter while inflation will still remain high before starting to slow down in the first quarter, European Central Bank Vice-President Luis de Guindos said on Wednesday. Reporting by Jesús Aguado; editing by Emma PinedoOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ ECB will keep raising rates despite recession risk in euro zone, De Guindos says
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MADRID, Nov 23 (Reuters) - The European Central Bank will keep raising interest rates until it brings inflation down to around its 2% mid-term goal even though the euro zone economy is heading towards recession, ECB Vice-President Luis de Guindos said on Wednesday. De Guindos did not elaborate on the magnitude of the potential next interest rate rise in December but said it would depend on upcoming ECB projections and inflation readings in November. The ECB has raised its rate on bank deposits from minus 0.5% to 1.5% in three months. He also said that an economic deceleration or recession would not by itself reduce the high level of inflation. "It is very possible that in the fourth quarter and the first quarter of next year we will have negative growth rates," De Guindos said.

☆ Spain approves mortgage support for more than 1 mln households
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( Jesús Aguado | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

In Spain, around three-quarters of the population are homeowners, with most opting for floating-rate mortgages which are exposed to interest rate rises. Other countries, such as Hungary, Portugal, Poland and Greece, have approved different forms of mortgage support. Spain's banks will provide mortgage support for vulnerable families earning less than 25,200 euros ($25,815) per year through an amended industry-wide code of good practice. They will be able to restructure mortgages at a lower interest rate during a five-year grace period. Measures will also make it cheaper for families to switch from variable to fixed rate mortgage contracts.

☆ Spain to approve mortgage support for more than 1 mln households
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MADRID, Nov 21 (Reuters) - The Spanish government will approve mortgage relief measures, such as extending loan repayments for up to seven years, for more than one million vulnerable households and middle-class clients on Tuesday, the economy ministry said on Monday. Under the framework, banks will provide mortgage support for vulnerable households through amended conditions in the industry-wide code of good practice. The income threshold for allowing vulnerable households to receive support measures has been set at three times the Spanish IPREM wage index, which is equivalent to 25,200 euros, the ministry said. The government will additionally implement a new code of good practice for vulnerable middle-class clients, setting the threshold at less than 29,400 euros. The mortgage relief is expected to come into effect next year.

☆ Spain to announce details on mortgage relief measures next Tuesday
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MADRID, Nov 18 (Reuters) - The Spanish government expects to unveil details of mortgage relief measures to help vulnerable households and middle-class clients cope with rising borrowing costs on such loans at the next cabinet meeting on Tuesday, the economy minister said. Nadia Calvino told reporters on Friday the government and banks were finalising work on expanding and improving an existing industry-wide code of good practice for that purpose. "I hope that in the next few hours we will reach an agreement so that we can present it on Tuesday," Calvino said during a joint news conference with European Union antitrust chief Margrethe Vestager. Calvino said the government and lenders were also working on measures to support middle-class families that may be at risk as a result of an accelerated rise in interest rates by the European Central Bank translating into higher mortgage rates. Reporting by Jesús Aguado, Emma Pinedo and Inti Landauro; editing by Andrei KhalipOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Amazon's cloud computing unit plans to invest 2.5 bln euros in Spain, to support 1,300 jobs
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

MADRID, Nov 16 (Reuters) - Amazon's (AMZN.O) cloud computing unit AWS plans to invest 2.5 billion euros ($2.60 billion) in Spain over the coming 10 years, supporting 1,300 full-time jobs in the country, the U.S.-based company said on Wednesday. Amazon said its investment will add 1.8 billion euros to the Spanish gross domestic product. ($1 = 0.9600 euros)Reporting by Inti Landauro, editing by Emma PinedoOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Collapse of FTX should serve as reminder of risks of crypto assets, ECB's De Cos says
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

MADRID, Nov 16 (Reuters) - The collapse of crypto exchange platform FTX should serve as a reminder for clients of the risks crypto assets entail, European Central Bank policymaker Pablo Hernandez de Cos said on Wednesday. "We hope that the events we have recently experienced will make citizens aware of the risks associated with these cyrpto assets," De Cos said when asked about FTX's collapse. The exchange, which had been among the world's largest, filed for bankruptcy protection on Friday in one of the highest-profile crypto blowups after panicked traders withdrew $6 billion from the platform in just 72 hours and rival exchange Binance abandoned a rescue deal. Reporting by Jesús Aguado and Emma Pinedo; editing by David LatonaOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ ECB not pre-committed to raise rates by 75 bps again, De Cos says
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

MADRID, Nov 11 (Reuters) - The European Central Bank has not pre-committed to make another 75 basis-point increase at its next policy meeting, policymaker Pablo Hernandez de Cos said on Friday. "The fact that we have raised rates by 75 basis points ... does not mean that this will be the future pattern, it will depend on the data," De Cos said. The ECB has been raising its rates at record speed but it is still buying bonds to replenish its 5-trillion-euro ($5.07 trillion) stimulus portfolio, which has a dampening impact on long-term bond yields. Reporting by Jesús Aguado and Emma Pinedo; editing by Andrei KhalpiOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Bank of Spain urges lenders to preserve capital as risks mount
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-11 | by ( Jesús Aguado | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MADRID, Nov 11 (Reuters) - Spanish banks need to preserve capital and keep a lid on mortgage loan costs to cope with a potential deterioration of the economic outlook, the Bank of Spain warned on Friday. The central bank said that risks to financial stability had increased since its last report on the matter in April. Though Spanish banks, including Santander (SAN.MC) and BBVA (BBVA.MC), posted better-than-expected third-quarter earnings but they were overshadowed by higher loan-loss provisions. Spanish lenders have been increasing their shareholder remuneration through higher pay-outs averaging 40%-60%, share buy-backs or a combination of both. Echoing the ECB's non-binding opinion on Spain's banking tax proposal, the Bank of Spain said the levy would hurt banks' profitability and capital generation in 2023-24.

☆ Spain briefly closes part of airspace as Chinese rocket debris flies over
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MADRID, Nov 4 (Reuters) - Spain briefly closed the airspace over the northeastern region of Catalonia and three other regions on Friday as remnants of a Chinese rocket were expected to pass by, emergency authorities in Catalonia said on Friday. The Long March 5B (CZ-5B), China's most powerful rocket, blasted off on Oct. 31 from southern China to deliver the last module of the Chinese space station currently under construction. As gravity pulls the rocket back to Earth, most of it is expected to burn up on re-entry, though there are concerns sizable chunks might survive. "These predictions however come with uncertainties, and a better estimation will only be possible close to the re-entry." Debris from the second flight landed harmlessly in the Indian Ocean, while remnants from the third fell into the Sulu Sea in the Philippines.

☆ ECB warns of potential impact on economy from Spanish banking tax
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-03 | by ( Jesús Aguado | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Two sources with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters last month that the ECB was set to warn of the adverse impact on Spanish banks' solvency and of a higher cost of credit. In that context, lenders could become "less able to absorb the potential downside risks of an economic downturn." The banking tax includes a 4.8% charge on banks' net interest income and net commissions above a threshold of 800 million euros, leaving out smaller Spanish lenders and the units of foreign banks in Spain. On this issue, the ECB said that the application of the levy only to certain Spanish lenders could distort market competition and impair a level playing field. Though the Spanish legislation bill aims to avoid passing on the costs to clients, the ECB said it "generally expects lenders to reflect in loan pricing all relevant costs, including tax considerations".

☆ ECB's opinion on Spanish banking tax will be issued "very shortly", De Cos says
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

MADRID, Nov 3 (Reuters) - The European Central Bank will issue its non-binding opinion on Spanish banking tax proposal "very shortly," policymaker Pablo Hernandez de Cos said on Thursday. Two sources with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters last month that the ECB was set to warn of the adverse impact on Spanish banks' solvency of a proposed tax on the sector and of a higher cost of credit in the upcoming non-binding opinion. Reporting by Emma Pinedo Editing by Jesus AguadoOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ ECB should hike interest rates further to combat inflation, Nagel says
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

MADRID, Nov 3 (Reuters) - The European Central Bank should hike interest further to bring inflation back under control, policymaker Joachim Nagel said on Thursday. "The ECB should not refrain from further hike rates, we need to increase them further to bring inflation down to our mid-term target," Nagel said at an event in Madrid. He did not however want to speculate when the path of higher borrowing costs would end and added that the euro zone was in a different situation to that of the United States. Reporting by Jesús Aguado; editing by Emma PinedoOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Spain frontloads subsidies for electric car projects as VW appears in doubt
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Industry Ministry said that the subsidies to be disbursed this year under the so-called PERTE scheme using EU pandemic relief funds would rise to 877 million euros ($860 million) from 600 million euros, meaning the total planned amount of nearly 3 billion will be slightly more front-loaded. Volkswagen's Spanish unit SEAT, the Volkswagen Group and 60 associated companies want to mobilise 10 billion euros to electrify the automotive industry in Spain and turn the country into a hub for electric mobility in Europe, producing electric cars and batteries. Other projects vying for the funds focus mainly on batteries. SEAT was allocated 167 million euros in the PERTE programme's first provisional results announced on Aug. 1. "We will keep working with the VW-SEAT group and other producers for Spain to be a global reference for electric cars, including batteries," Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said.

Amid resistance from France, Spain and Italy had previously broached the idea of building an underwater pipeline between the two countries. Iberdrola, which is building Europe's largest green hydrogen plant in Puertollano in central Spain, declined to comment on the pipeline announcement. Cepsa CEO Maarten Wetselsaar told Reuters the agreement put Spain at the heart of Europe's plan to diversify away from Russian energy. As for natural gas, Spain has six terminals allowing it to bring in liquefied natural gas and convert it into its gaseous form, and three storage facilities, while Portugal has one. The United States and Nigeria are among key suppliers of LNG to Spain, which also receives piped gas from Algeria.

☆ Soccer Brazil's Neymar arrives at Barcelona court to face trial on fraud and corruption charges
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Soccer Football - Brazil's Neymar to stand trial in a corruption case over his transfer to FC Barcelona - Barcelona Court, Barcelona, Spain - October 17, 2022 Brazil's Neymar arrives at court to stand trial on fraud and corruption charges over the transfer to FC Barcelona from Santos in 2013 REUTERS/Albert GeaBARCELONA, Oct 17 (Reuters) - Brazil forward Neymar arrived at a Barcelona court on Monday to face a trial on fraud and corruption charges over his transfer to Barcelona from Santos in 2013, a Reuters witness said. The complainant, Brazilian investment firm DIS, said on Thursday it was demanding a five-year jail term for the player. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Guillermo Martinez, Elena Rodriguez, writing by Inti Landauro; Editing by Emma PinedoOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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