Unemployment in Spain fell by just over 14,000 in the third quarter of this year (article in Castilian, La Vanguardia). This means that 4,123,300 people are now out of work in the country, which is almost 18 percent of the working population. In Catalunya, the news wasn’t so positive. An additional 5,300 people lost their job during the past three months, bringing the total number of people without work here to 607,200, almost 16 percent of workers.

Spanish airline Iberia has announced that it is going to create a new low-cost airline to serve short- and mid-distance routes, and to connect with international flights out of Madrid (article in Catalan, Avui). The move, which is part of the business’s new plan 2012, is being taken to cut costs and reduce the number of routes served by the company, creating what Iberia describes as “a new production model”. “This is a logical move, because based on current figures, Iberia would disappear within five years,” according to the economist and airport expert, Ramon Tremosa. What this development signifies for the future of low-cost company Vueling, which was merged with Iberia’s previous low-cost airline Clickair earlier this year and of which 45 percent is owned by Iberia, is as yet unclear.

Also in the news: 17 pickpockets arrested 437 times in one year (El Periodico); Council halts development of ultra-right religious school (Avui); Songs used to promote use of Catalan in French area of Catalunya (video, La Vanguardia)