Fuel costs push inflation to 21-month high, anti-corruption unit investigates Valencia mayor, and more news from Spain on Wednesday April 15th.
Fuel costs push Spanish inflation to 21-month high
Spanish inflation jumped to a 21-month high of 3.4 percent in March as the Middle East war caused fuel prices to spike, revised data showed on Tuesday.
Transport costs increased 5.3 percent year-on-year due to higher prices for fuel and lubricants for personal vehicles, statistics office INE said in a statement, revising upwards a preliminary March inflation estimate of 3.3 percent.
Housing, clothing and footwear prices also contributed to the figure, the highest since June 2024 when inflation also hit 3.4 percent.
Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz, a commercially critical waterway for oil, gas and fertilisers, after US-Israeli strikes triggered the war on February 28, unleashing turmoil for global energy markets.
Spain’s leftist government put in place measures worth five billion euros ($5.9 billion) to cushion the blow on households and businesses, including tax cuts and a direct subsidy for the hardest-hit sectors.
Anti-corruption unit investigates Valencia mayor
Spain’s anti-corruption prosecutor has opened an investigation into alleged offences of abuse of office and influence peddling at Valencia city council.
The investigation stems from a complaint lodged by regional party Compromís in February regarding the alleged hand picking of public sector workers at the city’s port.
The focus of the investigation is on the Mayor of Valencia, María José Catalá, from the centre-right People’s Party (PP), as well as two councillors from her administration, Rocío Gil and Paula Llobet, the President of the Port of Valencia, Mar Chao, and four public sector workers.
In February, Compromís reported “a series of administrative manoeuvres” which, according to the party, were used to orchestrate a “covert transfer” of these workers to other public institutions.
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Spanish court shelves German TV star’s sexualised deepfake complaint
A Spanish court said on Tuesday it could not investigate the ex-husband of a German television star accused of spreading AI-generated pornographic images of her as the headline-dominating case fell outside its jurisdiction.
The investigation of allegations by Collien Fernandes against her former spouse Christian Ulmen will however continue in Germany, where the case has sparked an outcry and a debate about digital violence.
Fernandes told German media of her shock at discovering hundreds of fake pornographic images of her circulating on the internet.
She suspected her former husband of creating them with AI and sharing them via fake social media accounts that appeared to be hers.
Ulmen, a fellow actor, denies wrongdoing.
Prosecutors in the German city of Itzehoe announced they had reopened a probe into Ulmen, but Fernandes also submitted a complaint in Spain, where they once lived and which has stricter laws concerning violence against women.
But a court on the Mediterranean island of Mallorca ruled that the proceedings would be handed over to the Itzhoe prosecutors because the case came under German jurisdiction.
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Spain sets up body to compensate victims of church abuse
On Tuesday Spain’s Council of Ministers approved the creation of the Office for the Recognition and Compensation of Sexual Abuse within the Catholic Church, a body that will process claims for compensation for victims whose cases are time-barred.
This was announced by Elma Saiz, Minister for Inclusion, Social Security and Migration, who confirmed that the office will be operational from 15th April.
According to a document signed on March 30th by the government, the Spanish Episcopal Conference (CEE), and the Spanish Confederation of Religious (Confer), this new mechanism provides for symbolic reparations and financial compensation to be paid by the church, with no cap on compensation amounts.
With additional reporting by AFP.
