Spanish PM defends cuts after day of protests

Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy defended his government’s harsh austerity measures aimed at correcting the country’s grim economic forecast, a day after tens of thousands of Spaniards took to the streets to protest his handling of the country’s worst crisis in decades.

Rajoy said the measures are “necessary” given Spain’s dire situation, including a staggering unemployment rate of almost 25%.

“We are doing what is needed and that means taking difficult decisions,” said Rajoy. “We are doing things that were not in our campaign platform, but we have to do them.