News
Social spending boost - and more free trains
In court
The State Budget for 2023 was approved by Deputies on October 4 with the stated aim of preventing a loss of spending power by pensioners , improving conditions for the lowerpaid and increasing investment in health , education and dependency .
The package of measures includes increases in taxation on high earners and the very wealthy , plus a reduction on the allowances afforded to businesses . However , those with an annual income of less than € 21,000 a year will see a reduction in their personal tax bill .
Social spending has been increased by over nine per cent to its highest sum ever - € 266.7 billion . Pensions are expected to increase by 8.5 per cent next year , with defence spending up 6.5 per cent . Health care has been allocated a 6.7 per cent rise , including a € 500 million infrastructure upgrade and a specific allocation of cash for primary health care .
The base rate of unemployment benefit will rise from 50 to 60 per cent after the seventh month out of work , estimated to give around 300,000 people € 100 more every month . Other increases are also planned for child allowances and the minimum living income .
While delivering details of his budget , Finance Minister María Jesús Montero announced that the free rail travel scheme which began in September is to be extended throughout 2023 . Intended originally to end next month , the use of local and medium distance trains is being encouraged further to reduce road congestion .
The free tickets are only available on Renfe-operated commuter trains ( Cercanías and Rodalies ) and medium-distance train journeys under 300 kilometres . The scheme does not apply to Renfe ’ s high-speed AVE trains which connect destinations including Málaga , Madrid and Barcelona . The scheme only applies to multi-journey tickets , not single tickets , and there is a deposit of € 10 or € 20 payable when booking , which is refundable after making 16 journeys . In addition , restrictions apply to the number of bookings made at one time , while bookings for return journeys can only be made after the outward leg sets off , in order to prevent “ ghost ” bookings on multiple services .
Demo explodes
Fifteen people , including nine children , were hospitalised last month in Girona when a container of liquid nitrogen exploded during a chemistry lecture . During an event organised by Girona University , the nitrogen exploded sending clouds of thick white smoke over a crowd of around 900 . Several of the injured were burned but it is reported that most injuries resulted from flying parts of the exploded metal container .
New pipeline
Spain is joining Portugal and France to build a new underwater pipeline between Barcelona and Marseilles which will pump green hydrogen and other renewable gases . It will also be used temporarily to move natural gas to help alleviate Europe ’ s energy crisis . The project replaces previous proposals , rejected by France , to extend the so-called MidCat pipeline across the Pyrenees .
Sex pest
A 35-year-old man on a Ryanair flight from Liverpool was arrested when his flight touched down at Mallorca ’ s Palma Airport in late September . A female passenger had complained he had touched her and ask to have sex with him in the aircraft ’ s toilet . A court is reported to have fined the man the following day .
Naked protest
A 29-year-old man was stopped in September as he tried to enter a court in Valenica totally naked . Police forced him to dress before he entered to appeal a fine he had received for appearing in public in the nude . In several previous similar cases , the man ’ s lawyer has argued that his client was not guilty of extreme exhibitionism and that going naked was his “ ideological freedom .”
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Soccer star Neymar appeared in a Barcelona court last month to deny corruption charges for which prosecutors are demanding a two-year jail sentence . In a 15-minute appearance during which he was questioned about negotiations and contracts , he claimed that he simply signed what his father told him to . Neymar is one of nine defendants on trial for corruption related to transfers of the player between teams .
Spanish aid
Spain is sending up to eight warplanes to Bulgaria this month to help with air policing tasks during the Russian invasion of Ukraine . The Eurofighter jets were expected to land in Bulgaria on November 1 and will work alongside the Bulgarian Air Force until December 23 . Meanwhile , Madrid has sent four 400-kilowatt generators and one 150-kilowatt generator , to Ukraine following recent Russian attacks on the country ’ s electrical infrastructure .
“ Repugnant ” students
A video of male students screaming obscenities at female students in a nearby Hall of Residence has been described as “ repugnant ” by Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez . The video , which has been widely shared , showed around 100 youths yelling from the open windows of their accommodation at the prestigious Complutense University in Madrid . The university authorities said several students had been expelled .