Storm Ivo to continue battering Spain on Thursday
Stormy and extremely windy weather has been almost constant this week, first with Storm Herminia and now with Storm Ivo, which on Thursday will continue to lash Spain with very strong winds, huge waves, plenty of rain as well as snow at high altitudes.
Cantabria, Galicia and the Basque Country are on red alert due to coastal storms, and the rest of the northern part of the country is on orange alert due to the strong gusts of wind. In fact, most of Spain including the Canary Islands will experience very windy weather on Thursday, and coastal areas can expect extremely choppy seas.
Spain's minimum wage increased by €50
The Ministry of Labour has reached an agreement with the unions to raise the minimum wage (SMI in Spanish) by 4.4 percent in 2025.
This increase translates into €50 more per month, taking it up €1,184 per month in 14 payments (€16,576 gross per year). That's €700 gross more per year.
The increase will benefit just over two million workers, representing around 12 percent of Spain's salaried population, according to estimates by leading trade union CCOO.
Spain's top prosecutor denies leaking documents against opposition
Spain's top prosecutor has denied leaking legal documents about the partner of the Madrid region's influential conservative leader, legal sources said, in a case embarrassing Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez.
Álvaro García Ortiz refused to answer anyone but his lawyer during a 90-minute testimony at the Supreme Court, the sources added, in an appearance without precedent in Spanish legal history.
The politicised case has pitted Ortiz, nominated by Sanchez's government in 2022, against the Madrid region's leader Isabel Díaz Ayuso and is one of several affairs undermining the minority leftist administration.
Spanish media published in March last year a draft agreement between the public prosecutor's office and the lawyer of businessman Alberto González Amador, who is under investigation for alleged tax fraud.
Spanish economy shines in 2024 with 3.2% growth
The Spanish economy expanded 3.2 percent last year thanks to buoyant exports and consumption that have made it one of the fastest-growing developed countries.
Spain has been consistently outstripping a mostly sluggish eurozone and the data published by the National Statistics Institute confirmed its standout performance with 0.8 percent growth in the final three months of 2024.
The result slightly exceeded forecasts of 3.1 percent growth by the Bank of Spain and the International Monetary Fund.
Exports in the European Union's fourth-largest economy grew three percent year-on-year in the final quarter of 2024 and household consumption increased 3.7 percent.
The service sector continued to perform strongly from October to December with a jump of 3.9 percent year-on-year.
Tourism, which represents around 13 percent of the economy, has driven the sector as a record 94 million tourists flocked to the world's second most-visited country last year.
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