Protesters march during a demonstration against government austerity measures, in central Valencia Spanish police have clashed with protesters marching against the latest batch of austerity measures. Over a million public employees, trade union members and fed-up citizens have taken to the streets in over 80 Spanish cities. ­Violence erupted in Madrid around midnight after dozens of protesters reached... 

People protest against the Spanish government’s austerity measures in Malaga on July 13, 2012. A Spanish trade union leader has warned that unions were considering a general strike against the government’s new austerity measures. Secretary General of Comisiones Obreras trade union (CCOO) Ignacio Fernandez Toxo said on Monday that the strike was “unavoidable” if the government... 

Spain have thrashed Italy 4-0 in the Euro 2012 final in Kiev to retain their title, becoming the first European team in history to win three major international tournaments in a row. It took Vicente del Bosque’s charges just 14 minutes to put their noses in front. David Silva scored with an accurate header, guiding a crisp Cesc Fabregas cross from the byline into the net after Italian goalkeeper... 

Irish fans cheering before the Euro 2012 football championships match Ireland vs Croatia. European football’s governing body is to give a special award to fans of the Republic of Ireland for their behaviour in Euro 2012 co-host Poland Everybody loves the Irish and UEFA is no exception. The European football governing body has named Irish fans the best at the Euro 2012, citing their exemplary... 

Rating agency Moody’s has cut its rating on Spanish government debt by three notches from A3 to Baa3. Cyprus’s sovereign debt was lowered by two notches from Ba1 to Ba3. The agency said Wednesday that Spain’s debt burden would increase once the EU has approved a plan to help the country’s banks. It has Spain under further review and could lower its rating even further, Reuters reports.... 

Spain will take its dispute with Britain over the sovereignty of the Gibraltar Rock to the United Nations, Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs says, after the provocative projection of British Queen’s giant image on the Rock earlier this week. The image of the Queen was projected on the northern face of the rock next to Britain’s flag on Tuesday night as the youngest son of the Queen and his wife... 

European Union apparatchiks are preparing to lockdown Europe following Greece’s exit. From the Associated Press today: Olivier Bailly said Tuesday that, legally, limits could be imposed on movement of people and money across national borders within the EU if it’s necessary to protect public order or public security — but not on economic grounds. “Some people are working on scenarios,” he... 

Fitch says the downgrade reflects negative economic and market environment in Spain. Fitch credit ratings agency has downgraded Spain’s rating by three notches citing the country’s banking crisis, mushrooming debt and recession as the main reasons for the downgrade. The international agency announced on Thursday that it has cut Spain’s long-term foreign and local currency to ‘BBB’... 

A Euro coin with the Spanish national flag in the background. A recent report released by a Spanish institution says 25 percent of Spain’s population lives below poverty line, 2 percent higher than last year, as the country grapples with the highest rate of impoverishment among European states. According to an annual report issued by the Spanish Economic and Social Council (CES), lack of jobs for... 

Syria's Foreign Ministry spokesman Jihad Makdissi The Syrian Foreign Ministry has said in a statement that Damascus expelled the ambassadors of the US, Britain, France, Turkey and some other states. Ministry spokesman Jihad Makdissi announced the list of expelled diplomats on Tuesday. The expulsions came after Western states expelled Syrian diplomats from their countries last week. The ministry... 

Spain’s Minister of Finance and Public Administrations Cristobal Montoro The Greek stock market has plummeted 5.9 percent after Standard & Poor’s credit rating agency warned that the country has a one-in-three chance of leaving the eurozone. The minister made the remarks on Tuesday, admitting that Spain’s high borrowing costs have shut out bond markets at a time when the country seeks... 

A euro coin with the Spanish national flag in the background. The European Commission says Spain is on top of the list of the eurozone 12 critical economies as new reports show investors flee Spain amid the deepening financial crisis. Affected by Greece’s economic woes, the Commission on Wednesday listed Spain and Cyprus as two European states in “very serious” trouble. “Spain faces... 

Moody’s Investors Service The European banking industry has suffered another crushing blow after Moody’s ratings agency downgraded the credit ratings of 16 Spanish banks, citing the weakened government’s ability to support some banks. The agency downgraded the long-term debt and deposit ratings by one to three notches for 16 Spanish banks and Santander UK PLC, a UK-domiciled subsidiary of Banco... 

Where the eurozone crisis heads will depend not on whether Greece leaves the union, but on how the situation in the region affects debt-troubled Italy and Spain, Aleksey Bachurin, head of Russian Cash Equity Trading at Renaissance Capital, told RT. ­“The important thing is not Greece itself: it’s relatively small and the investments in Greece are already written down by most banks. But the potential... 

Bolivian President Evo Morales Bolivian President Evo Morales has nationalized a Spanish power company and ordered its seizure. On Tuesday, Morales issued the order nationalizing Transportadora de Electricidad SA (TDE), which is a subsidiary of the Spanish group Red Electrica Corporacion, AFP reported. Bolivia will now take control of 99.94 percent of the company. The company, which was privatized...