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    <title><![CDATA[Ara in English - benefits]]></title>
    <link><![CDATA[https://en.ara.cat/etiquetes/benefits/]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[Ara in English - benefits]]></description>
    <language><![CDATA[es]]></language>
    <ttl>10</ttl>
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    <item>
      <title><![CDATA[Big banks pamper shareholders after a record-breaking year of profits]]></title>
      <link><![CDATA[https://en.ara.cat/economy/big-banks-pamper-shareholders-after-record-breaking-year-of-profits_1_5640925.html]]></link>
      <description><![CDATA[<p><img src="https://static1.ara.cat/clip/391d182a-e582-452e-ac8a-91130b5c4edf_16-9-aspect-ratio_default_0.jpg" /></p><p>For the four largest banks in Spain, 2025 was not a bad year. In fact, with the exception of Banco Sabadell, CaixaBank, Banco Santander, and BBVA all posted record profits. However, the bank originating in the Vallès region closed the year with a net loss. <em>match ball</em> from the hostile takeover bid and will continue, for now, on the independent path it has so strongly advocated. In total, both entities have achieved a record profit of €32.278 billion this year. If the profits of Bankinter and Unicaja are added to that figure, the final total is €34 billion, more than double what they earned just four years ago (€16.289 billion).</p>]]></description>
      <dc:creator><![CDATA[Carlota Serra]]></dc:creator>
      <guid isPermaLink="true"><![CDATA[https://en.ara.cat/economy/big-banks-pamper-shareholders-after-record-breaking-year-of-profits_1_5640925.html]]></guid>
      <pubDate><![CDATA[Fri, 06 Feb 2026 19:17:00 +0000]]></pubDate>
      <media:content url="https://static1.ara.cat/clip/391d182a-e582-452e-ac8a-91130b5c4edf_16-9-aspect-ratio_default_0.jpg" type="image/jpeg"/>
      <media:title><![CDATA[Montage of logos of the major Spanish banks]]></media:title>
      <media:thumbnail url="https://static1.ara.cat/clip/391d182a-e582-452e-ac8a-91130b5c4edf_16-9-aspect-ratio_default_0.jpg"/>
      <subtitle><![CDATA[The four largest state banks posted a combined profit of 32.278 billion in 2025 despite the drop in interest rates.]]></subtitle>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title><![CDATA[CaixaBank exceeds expectations and closes 2025 with a record profit of €5.891 billion]]></title>
      <link><![CDATA[https://en.ara.cat/economy/caixabank-closes-2025-with-record-profit-of-5-891-billion-euros-1-8-higher_1_5633019.html]]></link>
      <description><![CDATA[<p><img src="https://static1.ara.cat/clip/12728ffe-2210-4048-96f3-0e6ad01e8bc4_16-9-aspect-ratio_default_0.jpg" /></p><p>Another historic year for CaixaBank. The bank, chaired by Tomàs Muniesa and with Gonzalo Gortázar as CEO, closed 2015 with a record profit of €5.891 billion, 1.8% higher than the previous year, according to the results published this Friday with the Spanish National Securities Market Commission (CNMV). In the last quarter, the bank's profit was €1.494 billion, 3.4% higher than in the previous quarter. "It has been a very positive year for the bank, and therefore also positive for the Spanish economy," stated the bank's CEO, Gonzalo Gortázar, during the press conference presenting the results in Valencia, where the bank maintains its headquarters – "and there are no plans to change it in the coming years" despite the Gortázar incident. "We have exceeded the expectations for the first year of the strategic plan," he noted.</p>]]></description>
      <dc:creator><![CDATA[Carlota Serra]]></dc:creator>
      <guid isPermaLink="true"><![CDATA[https://en.ara.cat/economy/caixabank-closes-2025-with-record-profit-of-5-891-billion-euros-1-8-higher_1_5633019.html]]></guid>
      <pubDate><![CDATA[Fri, 30 Jan 2026 06:48:47 +0000]]></pubDate>
      <media:content url="https://static1.ara.cat/clip/12728ffe-2210-4048-96f3-0e6ad01e8bc4_16-9-aspect-ratio_default_0.jpg" type="image/jpeg"/>
      <media:title><![CDATA[CaixaBank CEO Gonzalo Gortázar during the press conference presenting the 2025 results]]></media:title>
      <media:thumbnail url="https://static1.ara.cat/clip/12728ffe-2210-4048-96f3-0e6ad01e8bc4_16-9-aspect-ratio_default_0.jpg"/>
      <subtitle><![CDATA[The bank is revising the objectives of its strategic plan upwards.]]></subtitle>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title><![CDATA[Five years waiting to receive the orphan's pension]]></title>
      <link><![CDATA[https://en.ara.cat/society/five-years-waiting-to-receive-the-orphan-s-pension_1_5586350.html]]></link>
      <description><![CDATA[<p><img src="https://static1.ara.cat/clip/39c42051-50ae-4fb1-8748-35398f79ac1c_16-9-aspect-ratio_default_0_x1268y840.jpg" /></p><p>A young woman who was formerly under the guardianship of the Generalitat (Catalan government) has had to wait up to five years to receive her orphan's pension payments in her account.<a href="https://en.ara.cat/society/the-government-takes-power-away-from-the-dgaia-it-will-not-have-the-capacity-to-hire-or-provide-aid_1_5391681.html" >former DGAIA </a>–<a href="https://en.ara.cat/society/the-government-takes-power-away-from-the-dgaia-it-will-not-have-the-capacity-to-hire-or-provide-aid_1_5391681.html" >currently converted into DGPPIA</a>– saved until reaching the age of majority. The young woman is now twenty-three and has suddenly received 15,000 euros, but hers is not the only case of unjustified delays in this group of young people.</p>]]></description>
      <dc:creator><![CDATA[Marta Rodríguez Carrera]]></dc:creator>
      <guid isPermaLink="true"><![CDATA[https://en.ara.cat/society/five-years-waiting-to-receive-the-orphan-s-pension_1_5586350.html]]></guid>
      <pubDate><![CDATA[Mon, 08 Dec 2025 17:29:39 +0000]]></pubDate>
      <media:content url="https://static1.ara.cat/clip/39c42051-50ae-4fb1-8748-35398f79ac1c_16-9-aspect-ratio_default_0_x1268y840.jpg" type="image/jpeg"/>
      <media:title><![CDATA[A group of young people who had been formerly in care, at the gates of the DGPPIA.]]></media:title>
      <media:thumbnail url="https://static1.ara.cat/clip/39c42051-50ae-4fb1-8748-35398f79ac1c_16-9-aspect-ratio_default_0_x1268y840.jpg"/>
      <subtitle><![CDATA[The Catalan government takes years to pay benefits and late payment interest to at least forty young people who were formerly under guardianship.]]></subtitle>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title><![CDATA[Social Rights lowers its tone with former guardians over alleged improper payments]]></title>
      <link><![CDATA[https://en.ara.cat/society/social-rights-lowers-its-tone-with-former-guardians-over-alleged-improper-payments_1_5430492.html]]></link>
      <description><![CDATA[<p><img src="https://static1.ara.cat/clip/edcb0ffa-e980-44ca-9e68-ebbf72aed92e_16-9-aspect-ratio_default_0.jpg" /></p><p>The Department of Social Rights and Inclusion has described as a "cordial" meeting held this Wednesday by the regional minister, Mònica Martínez Bravo, with five spokespersons for the young people who have been placed in care and whom the Generalitat is demanding to be treated. <a href="https://en.ara.cat/society/they-re-going-to-screw-the-weakest-among-us-the-generalitat-catalan-government-is-demanding-thousands-of-euros-from-young-people-who-have-been-ex-confined-for-improper-payments_1_5424257.html" >return between 12,000 and 36,000 euros for alleged "improper payments"</a>. At the meeting, which took place early this morning in Parliament, the minister apologized for all the suffering and commotion caused to the group by sending the letters and also expressed her willingness to "support" them in the process of providing the required documentation within the ten-day period. For her part, the ombudsman has requested approval for the forgiveness of these debts, as was already done with the <a href="https://es.ara.cat/sociedad/emergencia-social/error-gobierno-obliga-9-500-familias-devolver-miles-euros-cobrados-ayudas-sociales_1_5171939.html" >recipients of the guaranteed citizen income</a>.</p>]]></description>
      <dc:creator><![CDATA[Marta Rodríguez Carrera]]></dc:creator>
      <guid isPermaLink="true"><![CDATA[https://en.ara.cat/society/social-rights-lowers-its-tone-with-former-guardians-over-alleged-improper-payments_1_5430492.html]]></guid>
      <pubDate><![CDATA[Wed, 02 Jul 2025 13:15:22 +0000]]></pubDate>
      <media:content url="https://static1.ara.cat/clip/edcb0ffa-e980-44ca-9e68-ebbf72aed92e_16-9-aspect-ratio_default_0.jpg" type="image/jpeg"/>
      <media:title><![CDATA[Youths]]></media:title>
      <media:thumbnail url="https://static1.ara.cat/clip/edcb0ffa-e980-44ca-9e68-ebbf72aed92e_16-9-aspect-ratio_default_0.jpg"/>
      <subtitle><![CDATA[Councilor Martínez Bravo offers assistance so that the group can submit the required documents in a timely manner.]]></subtitle>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title><![CDATA[Catalan social services pass by the minimum]]></title>
      <link><![CDATA[https://en.ara.cat/society/catalan-social-services-pass-by-the-minimum_1_5428171.html]]></link>
      <description><![CDATA[<p><img src="https://static1.ara.cat/clip/bfff78c6-2cd2-4b60-a896-5b0597ddc159_16-9-aspect-ratio_default_0.jpg" /></p><p><a href="https://en.ara.cat/society/mothers-of-dependent-children-we-can-t-take-it-anymore_1_5400679.html" >Mothers with dependent children who must stop working</a>. Daughters or wives who <a href="https://es.ara.cat/sociedad/80-anos-cuido-padres-100_130_5182801.html" >care for parents or partners at home</a>"Families, primarily women, are forced to sacrifice themselves, to make great sacrifices of their lives," summarizes Gustavo García, coordinator of the 2024 DESC Index, which the State Association of Directors and Managers of Social Services uses annually to compile official figures on the state of public social services. The phrase serves to illustrate the extent to which the new home care models advocated by all governments (the ministry is implementing a deinstitutionalization strategy) fail when they clash with the reality of households that must do their part to care for dependent family members with the limited public aid they receive.</p>]]></description>
      <dc:creator><![CDATA[Marta Rodríguez Carrera]]></dc:creator>
      <guid isPermaLink="true"><![CDATA[https://en.ara.cat/society/catalan-social-services-pass-by-the-minimum_1_5428171.html]]></guid>
      <pubDate><![CDATA[Mon, 30 Jun 2025 16:25:22 +0000]]></pubDate>
      <media:content url="https://static1.ara.cat/clip/bfff78c6-2cd2-4b60-a896-5b0597ddc159_16-9-aspect-ratio_default_0.jpg" type="image/jpeg"/>
      <media:title><![CDATA[A caregiver holds hands with the elderly woman she cares for at home.]]></media:title>
      <media:thumbnail url="https://static1.ara.cat/clip/bfff78c6-2cd2-4b60-a896-5b0597ddc159_16-9-aspect-ratio_default_0.jpg"/>
      <subtitle><![CDATA[A state report notes the failure of policies to encourage older adults to stay at home due to a lack of investment.]]></subtitle>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title><![CDATA[Former guardians on their claim for benefits: "We are being unfairly persecuted"]]></title>
      <link><![CDATA[https://en.ara.cat/society/former-guardians-their-claim-for-benefits-we-are-being-unfairly-persecuted_1_5425459.html]]></link>
      <description><![CDATA[<p><img src="https://static1.ara.cat/clip/91f8bee7-56f2-4ba1-8fbd-174d289f0fda_16-9-aspect-ratio_default_0.jpg" /></p><p>More than a hundred young people who were formerly under the care of the Generalitat (Catalan government) have complained of feeling like the scapegoat for poor management by the administration and for the Audit Office's criticism of the €167 million in social benefits paid to people who no longer met the requirements. As reported by ARA, the Directorate General for the Prevention and Protection of Children and Adolescents (DGPPIA) has begun to investigate the matter. <a href="https://en.ara.cat/society/they-re-going-to-screw-the-weakest-among-us-the-generalitat-catalan-government-is-demanding-thousands-of-euros-from-young-people-who-have-been-ex-confined-for-improper-payments_1_5424257.html" >Send hundreds of these children messages demanding thousands of euros for "undue non-payments"</a> and gives them ten days to present their allegations. These amounts exceed 10,000 euros, and in many cases even 30,000.</p>]]></description>
      <dc:creator><![CDATA[Marta Rodríguez Carrera]]></dc:creator>
      <guid isPermaLink="true"><![CDATA[https://en.ara.cat/society/former-guardians-their-claim-for-benefits-we-are-being-unfairly-persecuted_1_5425459.html]]></guid>
      <pubDate><![CDATA[Fri, 27 Jun 2025 14:36:55 +0000]]></pubDate>
      <media:content url="https://static1.ara.cat/clip/91f8bee7-56f2-4ba1-8fbd-174d289f0fda_16-9-aspect-ratio_default_0.jpg" type="image/jpeg"/>
      <media:title><![CDATA[See and Abdellah, former foster children, with Ivan, a counselor at the Dar Chabab day center, who teaches them literacy classes.]]></media:title>
      <media:thumbnail url="https://static1.ara.cat/clip/91f8bee7-56f2-4ba1-8fbd-174d289f0fda_16-9-aspect-ratio_default_0.jpg"/>
      <subtitle><![CDATA[In an open letter, the group accuses Social Rights of exercising "institutional aggression" by accusing them without evidence.]]></subtitle>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title><![CDATA[The Chamber of Commerce earns 4 million and will sell its shares in Fira 2000.]]></title>
      <link><![CDATA[https://en.ara.cat/economy/the-chamber-of-commerce-earns-4-million-and-will-sell-its-shares-in-fira-2000_1_5363427.html]]></link>
      <description><![CDATA[<p><img src="https://static1.ara.cat/clip/eccaa289-a136-4b85-a312-5512756d9a72_16-9-aspect-ratio_default_0.jpg" /></p><p>Positive year. The Barcelona Chamber of Commerce closed the 2024 financial year with a positive result of €4 million, an amount that exceeds the anticipated budget and has allowed it to increase its net worth. This result, presented during the ordinary plenary session in April, also allows the Chamber's finances to be stabilized, currently chaired by Josep Santacreu, "and to overcome the losses recorded in previous years," as stated in a statement.</p>]]></description>
      <dc:creator><![CDATA[ARA]]></dc:creator>
      <guid isPermaLink="true"><![CDATA[https://en.ara.cat/economy/the-chamber-of-commerce-earns-4-million-and-will-sell-its-shares-in-fira-2000_1_5363427.html]]></guid>
      <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 29 Apr 2025 19:45:54 +0000]]></pubDate>
      <media:content url="https://static1.ara.cat/clip/eccaa289-a136-4b85-a312-5512756d9a72_16-9-aspect-ratio_default_0.jpg" type="image/jpeg"/>
      <media:title><![CDATA[Queralt Soler Josep Santacreu]]></media:title>
      <media:thumbnail url="https://static1.ara.cat/clip/eccaa289-a136-4b85-a312-5512756d9a72_16-9-aspect-ratio_default_0.jpg"/>
      <subtitle><![CDATA[The entity leaves losses behind and increases its net worth by 10%, to 41.3 million]]></subtitle>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title><![CDATA[Puig increases sales by 7.5% in the first quarter, reaching 1,206 million euros]]></title>
      <link><![CDATA[https://en.ara.cat/business/puig-increases-sales-by-7-5-in-the-first-quarter-reaching-1-206-million-euros_1_5361630.html]]></link>
      <description><![CDATA[<p><img src="https://static1.ara.cat/clip/597bf15f-7167-404b-9f91-6d206ffc158e_16-9-aspect-ratio_default_0.jpg" /></p><p>Puig closed the first quarter of this year with a 7.5% increase in sales, reaching €1.206 billion. This growth leads the cosmetics, fashion, and perfumery company to maintain its forecast of an annual sales increase of between 6% and 8%, despite the tariff war initiated by US President Donald Trump.</p>]]></description>
      <dc:creator><![CDATA[ARA]]></dc:creator>
      <guid isPermaLink="true"><![CDATA[https://en.ara.cat/business/puig-increases-sales-by-7-5-in-the-first-quarter-reaching-1-206-million-euros_1_5361630.html]]></guid>
      <pubDate><![CDATA[Mon, 28 Apr 2025 18:42:16 +0000]]></pubDate>
      <media:content url="https://static1.ara.cat/clip/597bf15f-7167-404b-9f91-6d206ffc158e_16-9-aspect-ratio_default_0.jpg" type="image/jpeg"/>
      <media:title><![CDATA[Marc Puig]]></media:title>
      <media:thumbnail url="https://static1.ara.cat/clip/597bf15f-7167-404b-9f91-6d206ffc158e_16-9-aspect-ratio_default_0.jpg"/>
      <subtitle><![CDATA[The family-owned fashion, cosmetics, and perfumery group maintains its growth forecast of between 6% and 8% despite the tariff war.]]></subtitle>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title><![CDATA[Benefit for those over 52: requirements, benefits, and duration]]></title>
      <link><![CDATA[https://en.ara.cat/economy/benefit-for-those-over-52-requirements-benefits-and-duration_1_5314336.html]]></link>
      <description><![CDATA[<p><img src="https://static1.ara.cat/clip/87ec8495-6fb1-4d57-af24-6094980ac2db_16-9-aspect-ratio_default_0.jpg" /></p><p>The subsidy for those over 52 is a benefit for people who have already exhausted their unemployment benefits—or other benefits—and have no other income. If you want to know if you're eligible, we'll explain the requirements you must meet, all the details of the subsidy, and all the information you need to access it:</p>]]></description>
      <dc:creator><![CDATA[ARA]]></dc:creator>
      <guid isPermaLink="true"><![CDATA[https://en.ara.cat/economy/benefit-for-those-over-52-requirements-benefits-and-duration_1_5314336.html]]></guid>
      <pubDate><![CDATA[Thu, 13 Mar 2025 13:18:49 +0000]]></pubDate>
      <media:content url="https://static1.ara.cat/clip/87ec8495-6fb1-4d57-af24-6094980ac2db_16-9-aspect-ratio_default_0.jpg" type="image/jpeg"/>
      <media:title><![CDATA[A ZOCO work office.]]></media:title>
      <media:thumbnail url="https://static1.ara.cat/clip/87ec8495-6fb1-4d57-af24-6094980ac2db_16-9-aspect-ratio_default_0.jpg"/>
      <subtitle><![CDATA[We explain all the details of this subsidy and how it affects retirement.]]></subtitle>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title><![CDATA[Murtra anticipates a change of direction at Telefónica]]></title>
      <link><![CDATA[https://en.ara.cat/business/telefonica-to-lose-49-million-in-2024-due-to-its-business-in-latin-america_1_5298558.html]]></link>
      <description><![CDATA[<p><img src="https://static1.ara.cat/clip/94ae8c90-4c9e-4a9f-a459-c1218ad56c11_16-9-aspect-ratio_default_0.jpg" /></p><p>Extraordinary items once again mark Telefónica's annual accounts. If in 2023 the ERE in Spain and the situation in the United Kingdom led the first <em>telecom</em> Spanish: Telefónica to losses of 800 million euros, this time it is the subsidiaries in Latin America that cause it to close the 2024 financial year with losses of 49 million euros, as reported by the company this Thursday morning through the National Securities Market Commission (CNMV). Specifically, Telefónica explains that this negative result is due to the extraordinary provision of up to 2.2 billion euros to deal with the deterioration of the business on the other side of the Atlantic (in all countries where it is present except Brazil).</p>]]></description>
      <dc:creator><![CDATA[Núria Rius]]></dc:creator>
      <guid isPermaLink="true"><![CDATA[https://en.ara.cat/business/telefonica-to-lose-49-million-in-2024-due-to-its-business-in-latin-america_1_5298558.html]]></guid>
      <pubDate><![CDATA[Thu, 27 Feb 2025 10:20:16 +0000]]></pubDate>
      <media:content url="https://static1.ara.cat/clip/94ae8c90-4c9e-4a9f-a459-c1218ad56c11_16-9-aspect-ratio_default_0.jpg" type="image/jpeg"/>
      <media:title><![CDATA[The president of Telefónica, Marc Murtra.]]></media:title>
      <media:thumbnail url="https://static1.ara.cat/clip/94ae8c90-4c9e-4a9f-a459-c1218ad56c11_16-9-aspect-ratio_default_0.jpg"/>
      <subtitle><![CDATA[The 'teleco' loses 49 million in 2024 due to multi-million dollar provisions to deal with the deterioration of the business in Latin America]]></subtitle>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title><![CDATA[Repsol cuts profits by 45% but increases shareholder remuneration]]></title>
      <link><![CDATA[https://en.ara.cat/economy/repsol-cuts-profits-by-45-but-increases-shareholder-remuneration_1_5291014.html]]></link>
      <description><![CDATA[<p><img src="https://static1.ara.cat/clip/1ddaf914-92dd-4e5b-8f22-cf7c9e45d5df_16-9-aspect-ratio_default_0.jpg" /></p><p>Repsol made a profit of 1,756 million euros in 2024, 45% less than the previous year, as reported this Thursday to the National Securities Market Commission (CNMV). The company attributed the reduction in profits to a "complex" geopolitical context, in which the uncertainty about the economic recovery in China stands out; the fall in the prices of crude oil, gas and electricity, and moderate margins in refining and low in the chemical industry.</p>]]></description>
      <dc:creator><![CDATA[N.R.M.]]></dc:creator>
      <guid isPermaLink="true"><![CDATA[https://en.ara.cat/economy/repsol-cuts-profits-by-45-but-increases-shareholder-remuneration_1_5291014.html]]></guid>
      <pubDate><![CDATA[Thu, 20 Feb 2025 10:50:12 +0000]]></pubDate>
      <media:content url="https://static1.ara.cat/clip/1ddaf914-92dd-4e5b-8f22-cf7c9e45d5df_16-9-aspect-ratio_default_0.jpg" type="image/jpeg"/>
      <media:title><![CDATA[Repsol CEO Josu Jon Imaz at a conference on emissions reduction held in Madrid on October 9]]></media:title>
      <media:thumbnail url="https://static1.ara.cat/clip/1ddaf914-92dd-4e5b-8f22-cf7c9e45d5df_16-9-aspect-ratio_default_0.jpg"/>
      <subtitle><![CDATA[The oil company earned 1.756 billion euros in 2024 due to the fall in crude oil prices]]></subtitle>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title><![CDATA[Hanging from the cloud]]></title>
      <link><![CDATA[https://en.ara.cat/opinion/hanging-from-the-cloud_129_3966661.html]]></link>
      <description><![CDATA[<p>This has been a week of celebration for big tech companies. In an exercise in exhibitionism in the face of investors, GAFA (Google, Apple, Facebook and Amazon) have coordinated to announce first quarter earnings. We knew that the pandemic was the perfect storm for mandatory and accelerated digitisation, but they continue to exceed expectations. Despite the fact that, in finance, the devil is in the detail, the bonanza doesn't stop and they are cashing in big time.</p>]]></description>
      <dc:creator><![CDATA[Liliana Arroyo Moliner]]></dc:creator>
      <guid isPermaLink="true"><![CDATA[https://en.ara.cat/opinion/hanging-from-the-cloud_129_3966661.html]]></guid>
      <pubDate><![CDATA[Thu, 29 Apr 2021 17:50:10 +0000]]></pubDate>
      <subtitle><![CDATA[]]></subtitle>
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