Spanish general strike kicks off

A truck is escorted by riot police officers as union picketers try to stop it at the entrance of Malaga's main food warehouse, at the start of a nationwide general strike. Photograph: Jon Nazca/Reuters

8.31am: El Pais also reports that Esperanza Aguirre, Spain minister for education and culture, has denounced attempts on social networks to create public disorder today.

8.21am: According to El Pais, there have been 58 arrests so far in Spain, with seven policeman injured (my colleague James Gard reports).

Electricity demand is reportedly down a quarter on a normal working day. Nissan and Seat car factories in Catalonia are locked down. Student protestors have blocked one of the main roads into Madrid, the A6, causing a big traffic jam.

8.15am: The Spanish general strike comes just a day before prime minister Mariano Rajoy announces a new austerity budget.

As my colleague Giles Tremlett reported a few days ago, Rajoy must announce up to up to €40bn (£33.45bn) of spending cuts and taxes, three months after his victory in a general election last November.
Rajoy has also angered labour groups by introducing new legislation that makes it easier for companies to lay people off, cut wages and modify other employment conditions.



7.57am: And in Valencia (as in Malaga, see 7.56am) strikers also blocked the entrance to the main wholesale market (called Mercavalencia).

7.41am: Here's today's agenda:

• General strike in Spain: all day
• Informal talks in Copenhagen ahead of Friday's EU finance ministers meeting: all day
• German unemployment: 8.55am BST / 9.55am CET
• UK mortgage approvals/consumer credit data: 9.30am GMT
• Eurozone consumer/industrial/business/services confidence: 10am BST / 11am CET
• US GDP for Q4 2011: 1.30pm BST / 8.30am EST

7.35am: Good morning, and welcome to another day of rolling coverage of the eurozone debt crisis.

Today the focus is on Spain, where a general strike has begun. Unions have called the industrial action in protest against the economic reforms, and austerity measures, being introduced by its new centre-right government.

The general strike is seen as a big test for prime minister Mariano Rajoy. Three months after sweeping to power, does he still command the support of the public?

There have already been clashes between demonstrators and police in Madrid and Malaga. There's likely to be disruption throughout the day, with marches taking place this evening.
The strike comes as EU finance ministers and officials head to Copenhagen for the start of crunch talks over the eurozone crisis, and the issue of the European firewall.

On the economic front, we have German unemployment and eurozone consumer confidence coming up, plus a new estimate for US GDP for the final three months of 2011. Busy day ahead....