Spain says 355,000 more people were left unemployed in the third quarter, bringing the total jobless rate up to 16.3% from 15.3% in the previous three-month period as surging infections and new virus restrictions hurt economic development.
The National Statistics Institute said Tuesday the total number of people out of work now in Spain stood at 3.7 million.
Some 1 million people lost their jobs in the second quarter as the effects of lockdowns during the first virus wave crippled the economy Many thousands of people are also on temporary furlough schemes paid by the government.
Spain was only just beginning to relish a recovery from the severe 2008-2013 financial crisis when the pandemic struck this year.
The government earlier this month unveiled plans to spend 140 billion euros ($162 billion) of European Union aid to reshape the economy with the aim of creating 800,000 jobs over the next three years.
The Spanish government expects the country’s economy to contract 11.2% this year. In some sectors, such as tourism, the drop could be as much as 25%. Officials predict an unemployment rate of around 17% this year and next.
St. Petersburg Man Sets Himself on Fire Holding ‘Happy Birthday, Mr. President’ Sign
An elderly man wearing a “Happy Birthday Mr. President” sign set himself on fire on a crowded street in central St. Petersburg on President Vladimir Putin’s 68th birthday Wednesday, media reported.
The unnamed 71-year-old businessman was hospitalized in serious condition after his self-immolation witnessed by dozens of passersby outside a shopping mall. The Sobaka.ru outlet said the victim suffered first- and second-degree burns to 45% of his body surface.
Eyewitnesses described hearing him scream out “something about President Putin’s birthday and a gift” before committing the act, the Megapolis news website reported.
Videos later showed a half-burnt sign reading “…Birthday Mr. President” next to the man writhing in pain surrounded by police and passersby.
According to the Fontanka.ru news site, the victim has operated a commercial real estate firm located near the site of his self-immolation for nearly 20 years.
Police said the burn victim had been under observation at a psychiatric institution, according to St. Petersburg’s Business News Agency.
This is the second self-immolation act to take place in Russia within a week. On Friday, independent journalist Irina Slavina died after setting herself on fire in front of the Nizhny Novgorod police headquarters.
Her final social media post told followers to “blame the Russian Federation” for her death, which occurred the day after police raided her home for evidence of her role within the opposition.
