Thousands of demonstrators gathered across Europe on May Day to protest austerity measures, Reuters reported May 1.

Tens of thousands of people marched across dozens of Spanish cities to protest high unemployment March 10, blaming the government's corruption and inefficient handling of the economy, AP reported.

Striking workers clashed with police at Madrid's Barajas airport Feb. 18, the first day of a weeklong strike over pending job cuts, Reuters reported.

Spain's national government has sufficient legal power to stop a planned referendum on secession in Catalonia, Spanish Deputy Prime Minister Soraya Saenz de Santamaria said Dec. 19, AP reported.

Spanish authorities on Dec. 3 formally requested aid for the country's banking sector, FXstreet.com reported. Bailout funds worth 36.5 billion euros of bailout funds are set to be released Dec. 12.

Thousands of demonstrators gathered outside Spain's parliament in Madrid on Oct. 23 in protest of government austerity cuts that they say punish the poor, AFP reported.

Spanish troops in Badghis province will begin handing over their security duties to the Afghan army in November, with the 207th unit of the Afghan army taking over command on Nov. 1, El Pais reported Oct. 23.

The rate of bad loans at Spanish banks reached 10.51 percent of total loans, a new high, in August, a Bank of Spain report said, AFP reported Oct. 18.