Massive austerity protests hit Spain
Tens of thousands of demonstrators have poured into the streets of several cities in eastern Spain to protest against the government's austerity measures.
The protesters marched in the region's three largest cities of Alicante, Castellon and Valencia on Thursday chanting slogans and carrying large banners which read "No to cuts to public services." The rallies were organized by Spain's main labor unions. Union officials said around 200,000 people took part in the protests in the three cities. Unions' leaders called for the protests after the regional government of Valencia, Spain's most indebted region, announced deep spending cuts to health and education sectors. According to the Spanish daily El Pais, the regional government's debt to the area's roughly 400 schools is around 33 million Euros. Some of school teachers are buying chalk for blackboards and students are required to bring their own paper for exams. Hit by the global financial downturn, the Spanish economy collapsed into recession in the second half of 2008, destroying millions of jobs.
Bloomberg: Unemployment in Spain Rises to 22.9%
Mike Jobson: Striking truckers, fishermen clash with Italian government