Today in Spain: A roundup of the latest news on Monday

Spain expels 24 foreign criminals from Barcelona

Spain’s National Police have expelled 24 highly dangerous, repeat offenders from Barcelona with records of homicide, sexual assault, membership in a criminal organization, illegal weapons possession, and robbery with violence.

The expelled citizens account for more than 200 police arrests.

A total of 53 officers and 21 vehicles transported the deportees from Barcelona to Madrid-Barajas Airport, where they were handed over to Spain’s Central Repatriation Unit (UCR).

Madrid’s rubbish strike ends

Madrid’s rubbish strike came to an end on Sunday after six days which saw the stress of the Spanish capital pile up with garbage.

Madrid city council had planned to hire external waste disposal companies on Monday if no agreement was reached but finally this will not be necessary after city authorities agreed a deal to increase the wages of rubbish collectors.

Hooded man attacks Socialist headquarters with homemade explosives

A hooded man threw homemade explosive devices at the Socialist (PSOE) headquarters in Cantabria in northern Spain over the weekend.

The PSOE has condemned the “attack” that took place during a Democratic Memory event in which some 70 people were participating, including the secretary general, Pedro Casares.

One of the participants at the event picked up both bottles, which read “PSOE = Satan,” and threw them outside. The devices then exploded at the main entrance without causing any injuries.

A third of Spaniards will delay retirement

Spain’s Independent Authority for Fiscal Responsibility, Airef, has forecast that Spaniards will increasingly delay their retirement in the coming years and also that pensions could rise by as much as 25 percent by 2050.

In a recent document released by the body, predictions show that within 10 years 30 percent of retirements will be delayed beyond the minimum age required to receive full benefits. This, combined with the gradual increase in the legal retirement age to 67 years old implemented by the Zapatero government, will mean that in 2035, Spaniards will retire at an average age of 66.2 years old.

However, the Airef report estimates that a further plausible scenario would be around 30 percent of workers delaying their retirement by three years or until the age of 68. Last year, 9.3 percent of retirements in Spain were delayed, a percentage that has risen to 11.3 percent so far this year.

The watchdog also forecasts that regulatory change means the average pension will be around 25 percent higher by 2050.

READ ALSO: How much money do I need in savings for a good retirement in Spain?

Spain awarded Israel defence firms 46 contracts since Gaza war: report

Spain has awarded 46 contracts worth more than €1 billion to Israeli defence firms since the outbreak of the Gaza war, breaking the leftist government's pledge not to trade arms with Israel, researchers said on Friday.

Their conclusions come after a now-cancelled deal with an Israeli company to supply bullets to the Spanish Civil Guard rocked the Socialist-led minority coalition government this week.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, one of the most outspoken critics of Israel's military operations in Gaza, halted weapons transactions with Israel after the start of the war following Hamas's attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.

But according to Centre Delas, a Barcelona-based think tank specialising in security and defence, the government has granted 46 contracts worth €1,044,558,955 ($1.2 billion) to Israeli companies based on data published on a public tenders platform.

Of the 46 contracts, which include deals for rocket launchers and missiles, 10 have not been formalised, the think tank said in a statement on Friday that previewed an upcoming report.