News / Europe

Thousands Protests Against Austerity Measures in Spain

People take part in a demonstration called for by trade unions against government spending cuts, austerity measures and labor reform, in Madrid, June 20, 2012.
People take part in a demonstration called for by trade unions against government spending cuts, austerity measures and labor reform, in Madrid, June 20, 2012.
TEXT SIZE - +
VOA News
Thousands of Spanish union members led protests against austerity measures in the streets of Madrid, Wednesday.

The protesters want the government to consider new policies, saying the austerity cutbacks approved by the new conservative administration have not improved employment or the economy.

They are concerned that Spain may have to take a European Union bailout, similar to Greece, Ireland, and Portugal, to stay solvent.

Spain announced it has raised $2.8 billion in a bond sale on Thursday.

The announcement comes on the same day Spain is to get independent audits on how the recession and bad real estate deals have impacted banks.

Spain is expected to use that information to determine how much of a $126 billion eurozone loan it will use to prop up banks.  There is concern Spain's borrowing will add to country's debt, making it more difficult for the government to dig out from the recession.

Some information for this report was provided by AP and Reuters.

You May Like

Video NASA Introduces New Astronaut Candidates

NASA says half appointees are women, making this highest percentage of female astronauts in one class More

Singapore, Malaysia Choke as Illegal Indonesia Forest Fires Rage

Illegal clearing of forests by burning is a recurrent problem, particularly during annual dry season that stretches from June to September More

Scandals Hit Obama's Standing With US Voters

Obama's approval rating fell eight percentage points over past month to 45 percent More

Featured Videos

Your JavaScript is turned off or you have an old version of Adobe's Flash Player. Get the latest Flash player.
Your JavaScript is turned off or you have an old version of Adobe's Flash Player. Get the latest Flash player.
Video

Video Egyptian Support for Syrian Opposition is Words Over Action

Egypt has further aligned itself with those trying to overthrow Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. But as VOA's Elizabeth Arrott reports from Cairo, it remains unclear how far Egypt will back its words with action.