Tag: Spain

• Tuesday, February 14th 2012 - 20:57 UTC

  S&P and Fitch downgrade Spain’s top banks: Santander and BBVA

  

  Banco Santander SA and Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria SA were among 15 Spain-based financial firms downgraded by Standard & Poor's after the credit-ratings company reduced the nation's grade last month.

• Friday, February 10th 2012 - 00:47 UTC

  Spanish government to unveil drastic reforms to rigid labour legislation

  

  Spain's government will unveil reforms to rigid labour laws on Friday that it hopes will be radical enough to get to grips with sky-high unemployment while not severing links altogether with unions ahead of key regional elections.

• Thursday, February 9th 2012 - 20:20 UTC

  Judge Garzon barred from office for challenging Spanish 1977 amnesty law

  

  The famous human rights crusader, the Spanish judge who won fame with his attempt to extradite former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet in the 1990s, is barred from office for eleven years for abusing judicial powers.

• Friday, February 3rd 2012 - 19:04 UTC

  Spain committed to best UK relations but asks for Gibraltar sovereignty talks

  

  Spain has formally asked Britain to reopen talks over the sovereignty of Gibraltar. The petition was made by Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Garcia-Margallo shortly after UK Europe Minister David Lidington told an audience in Madrid that Britain would not discuss sovereignty against Gibraltar’s wishes.

• Friday, February 3rd 2012 - 06:16 UTC

  UK warns Argentina on cutting off the air link of Falklands with South America

  

  Britain warned Argentina against cutting off an air link to the Falklands as part of an economic blockade of the Islands, reports the Evening Standard. Buenos Aires is threatening to stop a weekly flight from Punta Arenas in Chile to Port Stanley by refusing permission for it to use Argentine airspace.

• Thursday, February 2nd 2012 - 21:41 UTC

  UK tells Spain: sovereignty negotiations only if Gibraltar so wishes

  

  Britain would only enter into sovereignty negotiations with Spain if Gibraltar was happy for it to do so, Europe Minister David Lidington told the House of Commons this week

• Wednesday, February 1st 2012 - 07:09 UTC

  Spanair files for voluntary bankruptcy; strands tens of thousands of passengers

  

  Spanish carrier Spanair filed for voluntary bankruptcy Monday, officials said, three days after abruptly stopping all flights and stranding tens of thousands of passengers.

• Monday, January 30th 2012 - 09:37 UTC

  Over five million Spaniards out of a job; recession forecasted in 2012 first quarter

  

  Spain’s unemployment total has passed the five million mark, with the jobless rate shooting up from 21.5% to 22.8%, which represents something like one out of four workers don’t have a job.

• Monday, January 30th 2012 - 09:20 UTC

  Gibraltar Tripartite dialogue dead, announces Spanish Vice president

  

  Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Garcia Margallo has sent a letter to his UK counterpart William Hague responding to Prime Minister David Cameron’s remarks on self-determination.

• Saturday, January 28th 2012 - 10:11 UTC

  Fitch downgrades Italy and Spain ratings; Milan police raid agencies offices

  

  The credit ratings of Italy, Spain and three other Euro-area countries were cut by Fitch Ratings, which said the five nations lack financing flexibility in the face of the regional debt crisis.