Madrid opens new massive station at Puerta de Sol

It brings local train lines into the centre of the capital for the first time and has cost 570 million Euros . Political differences were put aside for a while on Saturday in Madrid when the Prime Minister , José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero , and his Minister for Development , José Blanco , joined forces with PP leader in the Madrid region , Esperanza Aguirre and the PP Mayor of Madrid , Alberto Ruiz-Gallardón , to inaugurate the massive new transport interchange at the Puerta de Sol , right in the centre of Madrid . The Prime Minister went as far as to describe the interchange as ‘the jewel in the Cercanías crown’ . The underground complex is large enough to swallow a 60 floor building , and brings local Cercanias train lines to the centre of the capital for the first time . Platforms as long as 207 metres can be found in what is claimed to be the largest underground station in the world . Together with a new tunnel between Atocha and Chamartín the project has cost 570 million Euros , 155 of which went on the station at SoL .  The opening marks the end of six years of confrontation between the several administrations involved , a time which Esperanza Aguirre could not resist commenting she thought would never end . It means that travellers to outlying towns such as Parla and Aranjuez can now reach them in just 20 minutes from the centre of the capital . The station opened to the public on Early this Sunday morning .

Mayor of Almuñecar given a 28 month prison sentence

Juan Carlos Benavides was found guilty of changing the locks and cutting the power to the local television station . The Mayor of Almuñecar , Juan Carlos Benavides , who is now of the Convergencia Andaluza party , has been sentenced to 28 months in prison on a charge of coercion . The Penal Court in Motril considered it proven that the Mayor changed the locks and cut the power to the local television station , and also ordered that he be prohibited from holding any public office for the same 28 month period . La Opinión de Granada reports that the case dates back to January 2004 , when the TV station broadcast from a floor in the Casa de la Cultura building in the town . It seems the Mayor gave the order to change the locks and cut the power without any previous notification to the company granted the concession to broadcasts , Medios Informativos Costa Tropical SL . Some Radio station are think take Legal Action , that where taken off air around same time aswell .

Spanish icon gets lucrative deal , Bull

The mighty black bull whose silhouette towers over many a Spanish hillside and who was originally intended to advertise brandy is destined for smaller things thanks to a merchandising deal aimed at exploiting its potential as a souvenir . There are currently more than 90 bulls across the country , each one made of steel, weighing four tonnes and standing as tall as a four-storey building . But the figure , which has been used by Spanish football fans to adorn their national flags and by Rafael Nadal on his tennis trainers , is soon to appear on ties , badges , keyrings , playing cards and towels as a result of a series of deals negotiated by the owner of the image , the Spanish drinks company Osborne . The firm   which was founded by Thomas Osborne Mann , a young trader from Exeter who settled in Cádiz in the 18th century   said it had signed three contracts , with several others in the pipeline , from which it expects to earn royalties worth at least €1m Euros . The first wooden Osborne bull appeared above the main road from Madrid to Burgos in 1957 . Designed by Manolo Prieto in 1954, the design was tweaked in the intervening period, and not always to the taste of its creator. On seeing the simplified ears, shortened tail and reduced testicles of the company’s version , he is said to have commented “It looks more like a goat .” According to his family , Prieto turned the rights to the design over to Osborne in 1979 in exchange for a new apartment on the high plain outside Madrid   an indication perhaps that he already had an inkling of his work’s value . Osborne’s legal team has spent roughly half its time simply trying to protect the image in the last 10 years the company’s lawyers have successfully had 500,000 items, worth more than €3m Euros , removed from sale .

Deregulation of electricity companies from July 1st

Electricity consumers here in Spain will be able to choose their supplier from Wednesday, when the company supplying the electricity and the company marketing it cease to be the same entity . It is hoped that the move will increase competitivity amongst electricity companies who will see the need to reduce prices and add incentives in order to attract customers . As from July 1st the companies that currently own the electricity supply network will concentrate on expanding and maintaining this network, reading electricity meters and dealing with faults and every customer , be it a private household or a business , will have the right to choose the electricity supplier , which will be the company that sells the electricity to the customer . Customers that do not make a choice by the beginning of July will not notice any change in the supply , but their existing supplier will have automatically assigned them a new ‘supplier’ .  Customers with a power supply of less than 10kw (as is normally the case in individual households) will be assigned to the Tarifa de Último Recurso with a price fixed by the government . Although energy prices have fallen, it is expected that the customer will pay more initially to cover the cost of the new system .  As a result , the government will be issuing a ‘voucher’ to freeze electricity costs for what it considers to be the five million most vulnerable households , families with three or more children where all the breadwinners are out of work or elderly people living on a basic pension . Customers with a power supply of more than 10kw , most companies and some larger individual houses will need to find the most suitable offer from the various suppliers available .  If they do not , their supply will remain unchanged, but they will be charged an additional 5% per quarter until April 2010 .  If by then they haven’t chosen a supplier , another provisional period will begin , lasting until November 2010 , during which time they will be charged TUR plus 20% .

   
Spain salvage some pride in the Confederations Cup

Spain, one of the favourites to win the Confederations Cup in South Africa , clinched third place this evening in the consolation match in Rustenburgo against the host nation , but not without making fans sweat until the last minute . South Africa came within minutes of winning the game thanks to Katlego Mphela’s 73rd-minute opener , only for super-substitute Daniel Guiza to find the net in both the 88th and 89th minute to leave the home fans shell-shocked . But just four minutes later Mphela thumped home a superb free kick from 35 yards out to take the match into extra time , when a set-piece by Xabi Alonso slipped past everyone and ended up in the back of the net . Spain will take some consolation from a spirited finish to a tournament many people had expected them to win , whereas South Africa , despite their defeat , will finish the event knowing that a firm foundation has been laid for next year’s World Cup finals . In the final , the USA were up 2-0 within half an hour and Brazil did not managed to pull level until the 74th minute , when Fabiano got his second of the match .  Then an 84th minute strike by Lúcio gave victory to Brazil , the only team to have won the Cup three times , leaving the USA with second place and pride in having come further in the competition than ever before .

Garoña nuclear power station 2011 closure

Press reports that the Government has decided on a 2011 closure for the Garoña nuclear power station has it seems pleased nobody . Neither the employees who want it to stay open, nor the ecologists who want to see it close . Those who work at the plant lament that the Government has held no meeting with them , giving them a feeling of impotence , as there is no apparent alternative plan . The liberalisation of power suppliers in Spain on July 1 has arrived without hardly any offers to make your monthly power bill any cheaper . The reason that most of the power companies have issued no new offers to attract new clients is because they waiting for the Government to fix a new maximum price . Those that have offered a discount have kept it below 3 .5% . Is will as the traditional power companies, there are more than 20 new operators who will be operating after July 1 . Those whose power connection is between 3kw and 10kw will be able to choose, an estimated 90% or 22 million of current clients .

Summer Season down by 30%
The tourism industry in Spain has started price cutting in an attempt to save the summer season. Observers say that there are ever more offers , both for last minute deals , and those booked well in advance . Industry experts say there has been a 30% contraction in the sector to June this year compared to last . the cash flow is not the like years befor . with hotel propping price on last year hights off the season . Airport seen a down turn on the passagers figgers this summer , with less airlines flight to spain thios year , hight fuel price are take there toll .

Europe agrees on standard phone charger

Finding a replacement mobile phone charger will become easier from next year in Europe thanks to a new industry standard agreed today , the European Commission said . The industry agreed to standardise chargers in Europe after the commission threatened legally binding rules, eager to do away with the plethora of models , which is a source of headaches for users as well as several thousand tons of waste each year .  Following the agreement , the first inter-changeable mobile phones are due to hit the market next year , the European Union’s executive arm said . ‘I am very pleased that industry has found an agreement, which will make life much simpler for consumers,’ EU Industry Commissioner Guenter Verheugen said . ‘They will be able to charge mobile phones anywhere from the new common charger . This also means considerably less electronic waste , because people will no longer have to throw away chargers when buying new phones ,’ he added . The companies that signed the agreement included Apple , LG , Motorola , NEC , Nokia , Qualcomm , Research in Motion , Samsung , Sony Ericsson and Texas Instruments .

Canary Islands set to lose 1.5 billion euros as tourism slumps
At current rates , by the end of 2009 the Canary Islands will have seen two million fewer tourists than in 2008 , thanks to a reduction in the number of flights and the recession as a whole .  This loss of visitors translates to a loss of 50,000 jobs in the tourism sector and losses of some 1.5 billion euros , or 16% of business .  This is the ‘dramatic’ picture painted today by four major employers in the region - FETH Las Palmas , Ashotel Santa Cruz de Tenerife , Asolan Lanzarote , and the Association of Hoteliers and Tourism in Fuerteventura , who projected occupancy rates of about 50% over the summer months , perhaps reaching 60% in August . The president of the FETH , Fernando Fraile , revealed a 13-20% reduction in airline ’ slots ’ over the coming months for the various islands and underlined the severity of the situation which is prompting employers to reduce staff ‘until things improve’ . So far this year , the Canary Islands have lost 15% of their tourists compared with the same period last year , a trend which is also reflected in the length of people’s stays and the number of visits .  The situation has already led to employers reducing prices in an attempt to be more competitive with other destinations . Many Canary islanders are hoping that Zapatero’s visit to the region will result in a ‘complete removal of airport taxes’ in an attempt to boost visitor numbers to the islands .  Many believe that the small reductions offered by the government so far and just not enough to make any difference . The tourism sector is asking for the same ‘residents’’ discount to be applied to everyone flying to the Canary Islands from elsewhere in Spain , a measure that would cost the government 300 million euros, considerably less than the 4 billion euros it will cost them if 30% of the islanders end up out of work and claiming unemployment benefit . More money for tourism on the Canary Islands . The Prime Minister has promised an extra 100 million Euros . A meeting took place between the Spanish Prime Minister and the President of the Canary Island Government in Las Palmas on Monday . Unemployment on the islands is the highest in Spain and during the meeting José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero promised Paulino Rivero an additional 100 million Euros   to renovate the tourism industry and hopefully bring that unemployed number down . The Prime Minister also said that he supported a reform to the legislation which would allow underage immigrants to be transferred to immigrant reception centres on the mainland .

Samuel Eto’o move to Manchester City looks off

The Spanish press reports the player wants to share the 30 million € transfer fee with Barcelona . It looks like the move for the Cameroon player Samuel Eto’o from Barcelona to Manchester City is off . Reports in the Spanish press indicate the player has demanded a 15 million Euro bonus from Barcelona for accepting the transfer , and the club is not prepared to pay it . Barça would collect 30 million if he accepts the deal which would take him to Manchester City for five years , but is not prepared to share that amount with the player .  Manchester City are reported to be prepared to pay a total of 50 million Euros to get the player for five years , and earlier even the Barça Chairman , Joan Laporta , said that it would make him the best paid player in the world . We will get full details of the current position on Tuesday when Eto’o’s representative , Josep María Mesalles , is set to give a press conference .

Police to use breathalyser test more this summer

The Dirección General de Tráfico (DGT) is predicting that 84 million car journeys will be made during July and August on the Spanish roads and has warned that there will be a notable increase in the number of breathalsyer tests being performed . Excess speed and alcohol consumption remain the main causes of traffic accidents, especially during the summer fiesta season, and the DGT will be running a special campaign between July 6th and 17th . Last summer , 447 people lost their lives on the roads in Spain , 95 fewer than in 2008 and the DGT is intent on seeing this downward trend continue . Roads leading from the main cities to the Mediterranean coast are expected to have especially heavy traffic this coming weekend and again at the beginning of August .  The DGT will be running ‘Operación 1º agosto ’ on the first weekend in August and ’ Operación Fin de agosto ’ on the last weekend of the month during which additional lanes will be opened to ease the jams and alternative routes will be advertised for heavily congested routes . There will be an additional 400 police on the roads during these periods compared with last year which , together with the 1,183 cameras , 1,822 information panels and 18 helicopters , should help to make the roads safer .

French Police Find Suspected ETA Arms Stash

Police found a bag with several kilograms of a powder that could be pentrite , a powerful explosive , as well as detonators and timers .  Police in southwestern France have seized explosives and detonators suspected of belonging to Basque separatist group ETA , a source close to the investigation said today , Monday .
Police found a bag with several kilograms of a powder that could be pentrite , a powerful explosive , as well as detonators and timers in a camp site in the town of Castelnau de Montmiral on Saturday , the source said . Three weeks before , police discovered another suspected ETA arms cache containing guns and ammunition in the southwestern town of Pinderes . French police have arrested several suspected ETA members in the past months , and in May captured a suspected military chief of the group in the eastern Pyrenees region near Spain . Analysts say ETA is losing support for its violent methods , although polls indicate the majority of Basques in northern Spain may still want independance . ETA has killed more than 800 people in decades of struggle for an independent homeland . 

Antonio Banderas and Melanie Griffith to have beachfront garden seized in Spain

The Spanish film star Antonio Banderas and his wife Melanie Griffith have been ordered by planning chiefs to hand over part of their beachfront property on the Costa del Sol as part of a draconian campaign against ‘illegally’ built properties . According to reports in Spain , the 48-year-old actor and his American wife , the Hollywood star Melanie Griffith , 51 , have been told part of the gardens at their £5 million mansion near Marbella is to be made public land . Over 14,000 square feet of land belonging to the couple will be seized to allow public access to the beach. The confiscated strip lies adjacent to the 40 ft swimming pool at the villa , named La Gaviota , which the Hollywood pair have used as their summer home for more than a decade . A source told local media “The swimming pool itself will go untouched , but the area being seized goes right up to the edge of the pool , which will ruin their enjoyment of it .” The order to hand over part of the garden is the latest move in an ongoing battle between the Hollywood stars and Marbella’s town council . He was last year ordered to demolish part of the six-bedroom property because it was built with a licence issued to the previous owner that should not have been granted . The actor appealed that ruling and a decision is pending . Thousand of homeowners , including many Britons , risk losing their property in the region after finding themselves the victim of corrupt town hall officials who issued planning permission to builders after illegally reclassifying land . The Hollywood couple bought their home from a previous owner and there is no suggestion of wrongdoing by anyone who has lived in the house . Spanish authorities have vowed to revoke building licences issued on green belt land in an attempt to rectify overbuilding across 500 miles of Spain’s coastline . Banderas made his name with roles in several films by the leading Spanish director Pedro Almodovar , before becoming a Hollywood regular and appearing as the masked crusader in Zorro . 

If you are traveling to a European Union destination , Will say SPAIN on you holidays , you can avail of our great low rates of 56c to make a call and 27c to receive a call in all EU countries on any network .  this is from O2 ireland sister company off Movistar .

The following are the Speak easy rates which will apply while you are roaming. The rates displayed in the table below are for O2’s preferred roaming partner in Spain, Movistar. However the same rates apply regardless of which network you choose.

roaming rate for Movistar http://www.movistar.es/particulares/roaming/tarifadiaria.html

  *
    Summary of charges

Making calls / sending messages

Calls to Ireland
  €0.56   per minute

Local call
  €0.56   per minute

International call
  €0.56   per minute

Text message
  €0.29   per message

Picture message
  €0.25   per message
Receiving calls / messages

All Calls
  €0.27   per minute

All text messages
  €0.0   per message
Other services

Data (gprs)
  €0.01   Per KB

3G
  €0.01   Per KB

Calling Voicemail - 171
  0.56   per minute

Customer care - 1747
  0.0   per minute

Top up - 1749
When you dial 1749 it’s free when roaming and you can use your Laser or Credit Card to Top Up your own or a buddy’s phone anytime. No need to register your credit or Laser card, simply call 1749 & input your Credit or Laser card number and follow the prompts. you will receive your credit immediately, so you won’t lose touch when you’re abroad!
  0.0   per minute
Network information

Display on phone as
  MoviStar  

Emergency number
  112  
Services available

Data (3G)
  Available  

Data (GPRS)
  Available  

Picture messaging
  Available

French police arrest two suspected ETA members following car crash

The man and woman, who were both armed, were arrested after the stolen vehicle in which they were travelling was involved in an accident in the department of Mayenne . The identities of both   one of whom was seriously injured   remain unknown . French security forces on Tuesday arrested two suspected members of ETA who had been involved in a road traffic accident , according to news agency EFE who were citing sources within the investigation . The accident took place in the department of Mayenne , in the area of Chateau-Gontier and as indicated by the same sources , those involved were a man and woman of whom the identities remain unknown . Spanish Interior Minister Alfredo Pérez Rubalcaba informed press that one of the arrested parties   the male   was in a serious condition as a result of the crash . The two suspected ETA members were armed and were travelling in a stolen motor vehicle , sources from with the investigation inform .
Police agents conducting a search of the car’s interior found a pistol and a revolver, sources confirm . The woman has given a name which police are checking against records, although they currently doubt its reliability .

INFLUENZA A(H1N1): Young woman is first to die of lethal flu in Spain

A 20-year-old Moroccan woman has died at a Madrid hospital , becoming Spain’s first swine flu fatality , the Gregorio Maranon hospital announced today Tuesday . The woman , who suffered from asthma , died at dawn of a respiratory illness provoked by the A(H1N1) flu , said a health ministry statement . The woman , who was seven-months pregnant when she arrived at the hospital , had been receiving treatment for several days . When her condition deteriorated Monday , doctors carried out a Caesarean delivery of the baby , who was in good health and unaffected by the virus , said the ministry statement .  “Health Minister Trinidad Jimenz will give a press conference to announce the death of the young woman ,” said a hospital spokeswoman . According to the latest health ministry figures, issued on Tuesday , 717 people have been infected with the A(H1N1) virus in Spain since it first appeared . One other patient is being treated in a hospital in Catalonia , northwest Spain , and is in a serious condition . Spain was the first European country to confirm a case of the A(H1N1) virus . The latest global figures issued by the World Health Organisation on Monday gave the number of recorded swine flu cases as 70,893 worldwide , with 311 deaths , since the outbreak started in late March . But some countries are no longer keeping track of all cases recorded . And US health officials have said that while their official figures record 27,717 cases including 127 deaths , the real figure was probably at least a million   50 times more than actually reported . UK girl, 9, dies of swine flu, doctors say she had an underlying health condition . UK cases jump to more than 5,000 as 558 new cases reported on Monday .  The girl is the third person in the UK to die from swine flu , doctors at a children’s hospital in Birmingham , England said Monday .  A spokeswoman for the hospital said in a statement “We can sadly confirm that a child died at Birmingham Children’s Hospital last Friday evening . “The child has since tested positive for swine flu but had other serious underlying health conditions . The girl was Tuesday named as Sameerah Ahmad and an inquest into her death revealed she had a rare genetic disorder affecting the small intestine called microvillus inclusion disease .

The UK’s Department of Health also announced a big jump in the number of patients in England confirmed with swine flu - up 1,604 since Friday, taking the UK total so far to 5,937.

Space ship Lands in Barcelona , Irish invitation U2

The Irish band started their new 360º tour at the Camp Nou on Tuesday night . Rave reviews for the first night of the new world tour for U2 before 90,000 people on Tuesday night at the Camp Nou in Barcelona . From U Dos to U dios   is the headline for example in El Mundo which describes the circular stage set as like a space station and saying the 360º tour offers both sound and spectacle . El País notes that both the stage and Bono remained in motion all the night , and notes the extremely high volume of the gig . The band dominated the stage with precision says El País , but considered the ‘space ship’ to be more influenced by the Eifel Tower than by Salvador Dalí as the band has claimed over recent days . The paper says the circular stage did not rotate bit did allow the public a view from all angles, and gave the band the chance to sell more tickets . The paper notes a retractable circular screen with high-definition images . However some of the critics did have some negative points , with Javier Blánquez in El Mundo saying the mechanical show was far too dramatic for the recent material from the band which he describes as lacking risk . He says the Irish band are ever more retro in their musical ambition , and indeed the show contained all the old favourites such as ‘Sunday bloody Sunday’, ‘Pride(in the name of love) and ‘With or Without You’ .  There was even a tribute to Michael Jackson with a version of ‘Man in the Mirror’ and ‘Don’t stop ‘till you get enough’ . Bono also had a live video conference with the International Space Station , to launch a message of peace and ecological awareness to the planet . He forwarded a message from Desmond Tutu supporting the fight against AIDS and Maleria and he remembered the Burma opposition leader San Suu Kyi who has been held under house arrest for two years as 20 people wearing a face mask of her paraded around the stage . Fans say worth very cent to show the show but gets mixed reviews . 

Cost of new housing falls for first time

The cost of new housing fell 2% in the first quarter of the year compared with the same period in 2008 , the first annual decrease since the property market bubble started to deflate in mid-2007 . According to data published today by the National Institute of Statistics (INE) , the price of housing as a whole fell by 7.6% between January and March , the biggest decrease since prices started to fall in the second quarter of 2008 .  The main reason for the fall is still the slump in prices in the second-hand property market , but it is the first time that new housing has also seen a decrease . House prices fell in all the autonomous communities in the first quarter, with the biggest drops being registered in Catalunya (13.7%), Comunidad de Madrid (11.2%), Basque Country(10.8%), Navarra (10.1%) , Aragón (9.7%) , Balearic Islands (8.1%) and La Rioja (8%) . Below national average drops were registered in Cantabria (7.2%) , Comunidad Valenciana (5.2%) , Canary Islands (4.3%) , Andalucía (3.9%) , Castilla and León (3.3%) , Castilla-La Mancha (2.5%) , Extremadura (2.2%) , Asturias (1.8%) , Murcia (1.6%) and Galicia (0.5%) . 

Kaká presented to the fans at Real Madrid

Some 40,000 people turned out to welcome the Brazilian to the Bernabéu . Some 40,000 people turned out at the Sanitago Bernabéu last night to welcome the Brazilian player Kaká who flew to Madrid directly from South Africa after being part of the winning team at the Confederations Cup . A tired looking Kaká had earlier in the day passed his Real Madrid medical , but delighted the crowd by holding up his new shirt – number eight . When asked about any rivalry with the other big pre-season signing at Real , Cristiano Ronaldo , the player said that there was no space for jealousy . Club President , Florentino Pérez , described the player as ‘unique and special’ , and reports indicate he is just as impressed by the 27 year old player’s reputation off the field . Kaka told the crowd ‘Today is a very special day for me . I am very happy about this new stage , and want to put my name in the history of the club which has won so many titles   Hala Madrid ’.

Unemployment falls in Spain for the second month running

Following a first fall of 24,700 in May , unemployment in Spain also fell in June by some 32,000 people according to the Colpisa press agency which has released numbers ahead of the official data which will be made public tomorrow . Speaking on Tuesday the General Secretary for Employment , Maravillas Rojo , said that the Government was confident that unemployment would fall again in June .  Latest numbers show that family savings have doubled in Spain over the past year , with the rate now at 7.9% of disposable income for the first quarter of the year . The number is 4.8 points higher than a year ago . The National Statistics Institute has said the number is down to the fall in consumer spending of 3.6% over the period .

Car sales up and Summer Sales Start in shops

Car sales to individuals in Spain were up 14.5% in June thanks to the Government help for the sector . The turnaround comes after 31 months of consecutive falls , according to Anfac , the dealers association . They say the help from the Plan 2000 E and from most of the regions has brought the improvement with an additional demand estimated at 15,000 cars . They calculate the industry has benefitted by about 30 million Euro . The Government’s plan has a budget of 100 million Euro , enough for some 200,000 sales . The Summer Sales start officially today with record discounts on offer but even so , an expected average spend per person which will be the lowest for a decade. 100,000 Spanish shops in the fashion and homes sectors hope they will bring in some 4 billion Euros this year, while small shopkeepers are expecting to take 10% less than last year .

Roaming Price drop today

The new cheaper call and SMS text limit for EU residents who roam to other countries in Europe come into force today . When we travel to another EU country we will be charged no more than 11 cents per message , compared to the previous EU average of 29 cents . Calls made from other countries can now cost no more than 43 cents per minute to make or 19 cents per minute to receive , plus VAT. Under the EU rules the prices are set to fall again over the next two years .

British motorist faces 13 years in jail for boy’s death

Court heard that the accused drove for two kilometres despite knowing the victim was trapped under the car . A BRITISH driver who dragged a 17-year-old boy for two kilometres whilst he remained trapped under the car could face 13 years in jail . The youngster was knocked off his motorbike during a collision with a Citröen Xsara Picasso last March in Alfaz del Pi . A driver of a Hyundai Matrix , identified as David Walter Cook, 57 , from Stourbridge , attempted to avoid running over the fallen motorcyclist , without success . José Antonio Caro Buendía became trapped to the underside of the car , but a court heard that the motorist knowingly carried on driving for another two kilometres , as far as La Nucia . Once off the main road , the driver is said to have reversed and pulled forward repeatedly so that the body would come unstuck from the car . The teenager died as a result of his horrific injuries . According to police , when the driver realised a witness was following the trail of blood left behind by the car , he turned off the road and fled in the direction of the urbanisation El Valle . The teenager died as a result of his horrific injuries . A forensic report showed that the fractured skull suffered by José Antonio when he was initially run over was ‘serious but not life-threatening’ , meaning his death was directly caused by being dragged for two kilometres . Cook has been charged with causing death by dangerous driving , an offence that carries a sentence of 13 years , and could be forced to pay compensation in the sum of 120,000 euros to José Antonio’s family . His wife, passenger Angela Maureen Green , 46 , from Kingswinford , is charged with failing to offer assistance to the deceased and faces a fine of 12 euros a day for a year .

Nine-year-old fatally electrocuted in paddling pool incident
A nine-year-old child has died as a result of being electrocuted whilst handling an inflatable paddling pool in Sabadell , Barcelona . The incident occurred last night at the child’s home , and both the child’s mother and seven-year-old brother were also injured to varying degrees . The Mossos d’Esquadra have not yet given a full explanation for the incident .

Spain extends the Robinson List scheme
You can now opt out from receiving commericial calls and messages to your land line or mobile phone in Spain . Are you fed up with sales calls to your land line or mobile phone in Spain ? Is your mobile message file filling up with commercial SMS messages ? Well now you can do something about it by registering out of such calls and messages with a new service which was launched in Spain on Tuesday this week . The Robinsons Lists have existed in Spain for postal mail since 1993 , but have now been extended to land line and mobile phones , as well as to email for the first time . It’s a free process to register at www.listarobinson.es but you will need an email account to complete the registration process after which you can sign in and choose which areas you want to be covered in the scheme . Under Spanish data protection laws , any company making commercial calls in Spain is now obliged to first check the Robinson List before they make any commercial call to you .

Spanish immigrants hit hard Migrant workers are hit hard by the Spanish recession

Spain’s downturn hits foreign workers

Spain has the highest proportion of immigrants of any EU country - most are from Latin America and Eastern Europe. But as boom turns to bust, Spain is rethinking its open-door policy, as the BBC’s European Affairs correspondent Oana Lungescu reports.

Barajas airport, Madrid
Madrid airport is the last place many immigrants see in Spain before heading home

With its soaring roof and light-filled spaces, Madrid’s Barajas airport is a sign of the good times Spain has enjoyed.

But spend some time in the departure lounge and you can see the signs of the economic downturn.

There is raw emotion at the departure gates. Airlines say 25,000 Latin Americans have bought one-way tickets home.

I met Pilar, from Ecuador, just after she had waved farewell to her sister.

“A lot of my friends and relatives have gone back,” she says.

“It’s better to be in Ecuador with your loved ones and enough to eat, than here without work.”

In the past decade, five million foreign workers have arrived in Spain - making up 10% of the population.

But with unemployment reaching almost 17%, immigrants are now among the first to lose their jobs.

The Spanish government is encouraging them to go back home by offering jobless Latin Americans money in exchange for a promise not to return to Spain for at least three years.

It may sound attractive, but Pilar says not many are interested.

“There’s too much bureaucracy. They want to be able to return,” she explains.

Medieval city

Spain’s authorities confirm that only around 4,000 Latin Americans have taken up the offer.

But now a similar plan is being considered for more than 70,000 unemployed Romanians.

 
Gheorghe Gainar, head of Romanian association
What Spain is trying to do is to take Romanian unemployed out of the Spanish statistics and move them over to the Romanian statistics

Gheorghe Gainar
President of Alcala’s Romanian cultural association

For the first time, an EU country is actively trying to persuade EU citizens from other member states to leave.

I took a train to Alcala de Henares, a medieval city not far from Madrid. It is the birthplace of the writer Cervantes, and is also famous for its cathedral and other historic buildings.

But there is another reason the name of the city is widely known in Spain.

One in 10 people here is from Romania.

Alcala has the biggest Romanian community in Spain, complete with several shops, bars and transport businesses.

In the window of a grocery, the Romanian and Spanish flags are proudly on display, next to a poster advertising the recent European election - in which several Romanians ran on the lists of mainstream Spanish parties.

Inside, the shelves are stacked with Romanian produce, including typical cheese made from sheep’s milk, and spicy salami. Every transaction is conducted in Romanian.

At the Hispanic-Romanian centre round the corner, the Spanish language class is well attended, and the students have no plans to go back to Romania.

“Not in the near future,” one woman says.

“There’s a crisis in Romania too. If we get jobs there, we’ll go back, but as it is, we won’t.” Several people nod their heads vigorously in agreement.

‘Big mistake’

One of the main reasons Romanians were keen to join the EU in 2007 was freedom of movement.

Under EU rules, workers from member countries can travel freely across the continent in search of jobs. It is estimated that more than two million Romanians have travelled to Spain and Italy, whose languages are - like Romanian - rooted in Latin.

Alcala cathedral
Alcala is well-known for its cathedral - and for its big Romanian population

But some are starting to head back.

Didi Subtirel, a broad-shouldered man in a flowery shirt, told me he could not find work in construction any more, and had problems paying his rent.

He came to Spain six years ago after losing his job as a metalworker in central Romania. He saved enough money to build a house in his hometown in Romania, and bring over two of his four sons.

But now Didi is desperate to go back to his wife - and bitterly regrets coming to Spain.

“It was the biggest mistake I have made in my life,” he says.

“The most stupid decision possible. If I manage to get some work, I think I’ll be home in Romania by Christmas, so I can slaughter the pig and look after my family. That’s my hope, God willing.”

 
We’re not trying to shift the statistics so that Spain’s employment rate looks better or to get rid of anyone
Javier Orduna
Senior government official

Spain’s tide of migrants may be reversing, but it is a trickle rather than a flood.

In a bar next to a church where an Eastern Orthodox mass is held every Sunday, Gheorghe Gainar, the president of the local Romanian cultural association in Alcala, said many were embarrassed to speak about going back because they thought of it as an admission of failure.

But familiar faces are disappearing.

“We don’t see them any more,” Mr Gainar explains.

“After mass on Sunday, we usually come to this bar, so we notice if somebody’s missing. When I ask where they are, people say they had to leave because they had no more work.”

But Mr Gainar is dismissive about the Spanish scheme to offer Romanians money to return.

“What Spain is trying to do is to take Romanian unemployed out of the Spanish statistics and move them over to the Romanian statistics.

“But the Spanish unemployment benefits are higher than a Romanian salary, so it’s better for them to stay here in Spain than go home to Romania.”

At the Spanish ministry for labour and immigration, the director general, Javier Orduna, is considering various options, including financial contributions from the EU and Romania.

He agrees that unless they are offered help, Romanians simply will not go back. But he denies that the planned return scheme is just an attempt to massage the figures.
Romanian cultural centre, Alcala
Spanish language classes are popular among Romanians

“Of course the crisis affects all of Europe, Romania too,” he says.

“But the Romanian unemployment rate is only 5.5%, while in Spain it’s nearly 17%.

“We’re not trying to shift the statistics so that Spain’s employment rate looks better or to get rid of anyone, we’re just trying to reorganise the labour market.”

No-one knows how many Romanians have gone home. Some who did leave are now back in Spain, or return every three months to collect unemployment benefits. In Alcala, more seem to be planning to stay than to leave.

And, in a Europe without borders, there is little the Spanish government can do to send them packing.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8121258.stm

Unemployment in Spain falls by 55,000 in June

It’s the second consecutive monthly fall, according to the numbers from INEM . Unemployment in Spain fell by 1.5% or 55,250 people in June , according to the official figures just released by the employment agency INEM . It’s the second consecutive monthly fall and is in contrast to a rise of nearly 37,000 unemployed in June last year . The number fell by 25,000 in May this year . The Secretary General for Employment , Maravilla Rojo , described the number as ‘good news’.
Madrid was the only region of the country where unemployment did not fall last month . Observers say that much of the fall is thanks to the start of the tourism season , as well as the Government’s Plan E stimulus plan . There are now 3,564,889 people out of work, according to the Ministry for Employment , and over the past 12 months 1,174,465 have joined the lists of the unemployed . Spanish Prime Minister , José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero , described the number as ‘an indication’ that the Spanish economy was in a better condition in the second quarter of the year than the first .

Parents jailed for sexually abusing their own children
The Provincial Court in Palma de Mallorca has condemned a couple from the Mallorcan town of Llucmajor to a total of 52 years in prison for sexually abusing their own three children when they were aged between six and 12 years , between 2000 and 2004 , and for physical and psychological abuse . The judge handed down a sentence of 31 years in jail for the mother , Pedrona Mas Oliver , and 21 years for the father , Antonio Garcías Gordo and withdrew all parental rights to the children , two boys and a girl , who were awarded 25,000 euros in compensation from their parents . Both parents were found guilty of persistent sexual abuse , sexual provocation , exhibitionism , physical violence and psychological abuse in the home .  The judge heard how the couple regularly had sex in front of their children and how the father forced their daughter to have sex with one of her brothers whilst the mother did nothing to prevent it . The mother is also accused of having sex with the other son at least three times , and of holding down the younger boy while the father raped him at least three times . The children were beaten violently on a regular basis and it was the physical signs of this violence that alerted the teachers at the childnren’s school to their situation .  As a result , the children were taken into care in 2004 .  All three children have received and will continue to receive psychological care to overcome their horrendous ordeal . 

Garoña nuclear plant to remain open until 2013

The four-year extension to its licence is seen as too short by staff and as too long by ecologists . The government has confirmed that Spain’s ageing nuclear power plant , Garoña in Burgos , is to remain open until 2013 , two years after the end of its planned lifespan . It’s seen as a compromise solution , which the Prime Minister , José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero , had just hours before the decision was confirmed , said would be criticised from one side and from the other, and that has indeed been the case . Staff at the plant want it to remain open until 2019 , as do the opposition Partido Popular , and the Nuclear Safety Council had recently recommended a new 10-year licence for Garoña if 50 million € is spent on safety . Greenpeace meanwhile describe the government’s decision as ‘absurd’ . The ecologists said they will place an appeal with the courts if Garoña does not close . Spain’s Industry Minister , Miguel Sebastián , said while making the announcement on Thursday afternoon just three days before the plant’s current licence expires   that the decision gives the government a margin of four years to find a good industrial alternative to guarantee jobs in the area affected . He described the decision made as a difficult one , and assured Garoña workers that they would not be forgotten .

Much of Spain was on alert for high temperatures .

6 am in Madrid it was 26 degrees hot and Humidity was hight , while in massive hailstorm hits Vitoria in northern Spain . It came as much of eastern Spain was on alert for high temperatures . A massive hail storm damaged hundreds of vehicles in the western part of the Basque capital , Vitoria , on Wednesday afternoon, accompanied by a sudden 20 degree drop in temperature . There was flooding in the streets as traffic came to a standstill, and the city’s Mayor , Patxi Lazcoz , said hundreds of families were affected . Público reports 16 litres of hail per square metre . The Mayor announced the following day that he will apply to the Tax Ministry for the city to be declared a catastrophic area . Elsewhere in Spain, the high temperatures are set to continue for the rest of the week, with much of the eastern part of the country on yellow alert. The orange alert continues in Jaén, where temperatures have reached 40 degrees this week.

Let there be digital light !
A Málaga church is introducing SMS messaging to light a candle to the virgen . sms the number and will takeout you bill .

Fine U2 for rocking too long and loudly .

Barcelona authorities might fine U2 for rocking too long and loudly during rehearsals for their latest world tour , the city council says . While the city said it is proud to host the beginning of U2’s world tour , it also said that one of its districts received a formal complaint by residents about the band playing after permitted hours and making noise. The council said they had given the band permission to rehearse until 10 p.m., limiting the amount of sound they could make . Regional newspaper El Punt said the band had rehearsed till midnight at sound levels measured at 70 decibels—the equivalent of a vacuum cleaner at one metre . When called by The Associated Press , city authorities would not say how much a possible fine could add up to. But newspaper El Mundo said on its website that under current noise pollution legislation , fines of up to 15,000 euros were possible . The Irish quartet kicked off their 360 Degree tour at Barcelona football club’s Camp Nou stadium by playing 22 songs in front of 90,000 fans last Tuesday night . Almost inexistent public transport after the first gig in the city , which finished at 12,20am , have proved a problem for the 90,000 fans at each of the two gigs played in the city this week . Thousands of pedestrians trying to find their way home caused considerable disruption to drivers in the district , while local taxi drivers were charging 60 € to get back to the city centre .

18 million ‘swine flu’ vaccines on order

Health Minister , Trinidad Jiménez , announced today that she had pre-ordered 18 million doses of the vaccine against AH1N1 virus , which would protect approximately 40% of the population . An agreement has been signed between Spain and two pharmaceutical laboratories to the effect that Spain will received the vaccine ‘at the same time as the rest of Europe’ . The main pharmaceutical companies are currently experimenting with various versions of the vaccine and are working against the clock in an attempt o have it to ready in the Autumn , when a fresh outbreak of the ‘flu is expected in Europe . Based on recommendations from the World Health Organisation and an estimate of the proportion of the population considered to be ‘at risk’ , the government has taken the decision to vaccinate 30% of the population , and provisionally reserve vaccines for a further 10% . There are currently 760 confirmed cases of the ‘flu here in Spain, but Jiménez warned that the virus had still not reached its full force in the country .  ‘The current weather conditions are preventing the virus from reaching its maximum intensity ,’ the minister said . ‘We will have to wait until Autumn to see the true picture’ . 

Telefónica changes local and provincial price structure for land lines

The company is unifying the two tariffs , meaning more expensive local calls but cheaper provincial ones . Telefónica has announced a simplification of its billing process with the unification of local or metropolitan and provincial calls on its land lines . The company is using the process to increase the call connection charge , which will increase from 7.2 Cent and 9.2 Cents to 10 Cents . However the change means a reduction in the price of provincial calls   those made outside your local area , but inside the same province . It means that from October 1 there will be just provincial and national calls in Spain . Four million lines will be affected by these changes .  Provincial calls will be charged at 1.5 cents a minute between 8am and 8pm, compared to the 1.4 cents currently charged for local and 4.2 cents for provincial . It means a 7% increase in price for local calls and a 64% reduction in provincial connections . After 8pm the new price will be 0.6 cents per minute . The five million or so clients who have a package ‘Duo’  or ‘Trio’  or another flat rate plan , will not be affected .

Spain’s top spy steps down

The director of Spain’s CNI intelligence agency , Alberto Saiz , on Thursday presented his resignation after being accused of using public funds for private ends .
Gen . Felix Sanz Roldán , formerly head of the defence staff , will be nominated on Friday to replace Saiz , CNI sources told Efe . Saiz presented his resignation to Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero to avoid “a possible deterioration” of the CNI , a unit of the Spanish Defence Ministry . The departed spy chief said he feels that remaining in his post could wind up “harming the image of the government of Spain ,” which he said he had served “loyally .” Saiz decided to resign his post after accusations surfaced regarding his alleged use of public funds for private purchases , something that he personally denied in several appearances before Parliament . Defence Minister Carme Chacón last week requested “complete confidential information” about the accusations . Saiz said on Thursday that he made his decision to resign after a “process of calm and profound reflection” and amid the “personal wear suffered because of the media campaign directed against his honor and his personal and professional prestige .” Conservative Madrid daily El Mundo had reported the accusations against Saiz.
The erstwhile CNI director allegedly used public funds for personal hunting and fishing trips in exotic countries , cleaning the swimming pool at his house and helping relatives and friends , the newspaper said .

The Bank of Spain says the recession is slowing down

The Bank of Spain has said it has noted that the recession is advancing ‘at a less intense rhythm’ . A statement from the bank Friday said that the first indications from the second quarter showed that the slowdown in consumer spending and the increase in unemployment had both stopped . The Bank of Spain used its statement to repeat earlier calls on banks and savings banks to save costs and close branches as part of a needed restructuring of the sector . The AEB , the bank association , has meanwhile forecast ‘serious difficulties’  for some entities . Meanwhile the Catalan Government has announced an appeal against the 9 billion Euros fund from Central Government set up to help the liquidity of banks and savings banks in Spain . The Catalans consider that the fund invades their responsibility in the matter .

Spain’s National Competition Commission, CNC, has announced it is to take precautionary measures against the power companies in the country considering that Endesa , Iberdrola , HC , Unión Fenosa and E.ON have been putting obstacles in the way of those who want to change their electricity supplier . The sector was liberalised on July 1 , but a late decision from the Government on the maximum possible price , and a general lack of clear information has resulted in very few people changing supplier . The commission is now demanding that all the supply companies grant free access to each other for the data needed for the change in supplier process to be started . Iberdrola has responded to the charges and has said that it has always acted legally and in the time limits established by the Government .

International tourists Not getting Deal at Spanish Hotels

As Spain enters the two months of the high tourist season, hoteliers claim that reduced prices of between 8% and 15% will see national travellers take up the space vacated by fewer international tourists . Figures show that national tourism has overtaken foreign tourism for the first time , although the Secretary General of the Spanish Confederation of Spanish Hotels and Tourist Apartments also notes that although the Spanish are still taking their holidays they are spending less . They have also noted that the Spanish custom of the weekend getaway , which did represent as much as 40% of the income of the sector,  has reduced considerably . But Spanish are getting the deal but not the international tourists , when book hotel website disscounts been give to Spanish only with hight price for non Spanish .

Police foil drug dealer’s Zeppelin escape plan
Officers from the National Police force have foiled an Italian drug trafficker’s plan to escape from prison in the Canary Islands using a remote-controlled Zeppelin airship . The inmate had a support team outside the prison consisting of three people, who have since been arrested , who were going to supply him with a night-vision kit amongst other items needed for the escape . The Zeppelin was going to be used to drop the escape equipment into the prison , so that the inmate could then climb up to a high part of the prison that has no surveillance and to the drop down onto the outside , where a driver would pick him up , get him out of the country and provide him with false documentation . The drug dealer , 51-year-old Giulio B .  is linked to an international drugs trafficking ring dedicated to bringing large quantities of illegal substances into Spain , and had every intention of carrying on with his ‘trade’ after the escape . The man was arrested after being found driving a seaplane bringing 200kg of cocaine from Mauritania . The escape plan was foiled thanks to police officers noticing the three members of the ‘outside support group’ studying the prison security measures through binoculars from a nearby hill . The arrest of the three men on the outside and a subsquent search of their properties led police to Giulio B . , who had provided them with information and plans of the prison .

French arrest three key ETA suspects

The two men were responsible for ETA’s legal commandos in Spain . The three armed ETA suspects arrested in France on Saturday were one of the terrorist organisation’s ‘most active groups , if not the most active one ’ Spain’s Interior Minister has said . The three , two men and a woman , are named as Asier Borrero , Itziar Plaza and Iurgi Garitagoita , and were taken into custody as they were leaving a McDonalds restaurant in Pau . They all appear on the Civil Guard’s list of most-wanted ETA terorrists and are what is known as ‘ liberados ’  are on the ETA payroll and are known to the security forces .
Speaking in a press conference on Sunday , Alfredo Pérez Rubalcaba said the woman arrested , Itziar Plaza , is believed to have held a position within ETA’s military operation , and had been on the run since the beginning of 2007 when the terrorists ’ Vizcaya commando was disbanded by the authorities . He said the two men were in charge of the ‘ lega l’ ETA commandos which operate in Spain , groups made up of militants who are not yet known to the authorities and who carry on with their daily lives when not involved in terrorist activities . Garitagoita is believed to have coordinated the ETA commando which killed Ignacio Uria , the Basque businessman killed in December 2008 , and Isaias Carrasco , the Socialist councillor who was the first person killed by ETA that year . The Ministry believes it was Asier Borrero who shot and injured a French gendarme in south eastern France last month and was also involved in a number of ETA bomb attacks . Despite the 18 ETA suspects arrested in the past few weeks , the Minister warned that ETA can kill and will ‘more than likely try to do so again’ .

   
Microsoft to open two new technology centres in Spain

Microsoft is looking to open two new ’ centres for innovation ’ in Spain, one dedicated to ’ Cloud Computing ’ (pay-as-you go virtual services) and another dedicated to health service technology , making a total of seven centres of this kind in Spain . Microsoft has already opened two other technology centres in Spain in the past year , one in Manresa dedicated to innovation in productivity and the other in Palma de Mallorca , which is the first in the world dedicated to the tourism industry . María Garaña , Microsoft’s president for Spain , stressed the importance of the Palma centre which is a worldwide reference for technological applications in the tourism sector .  She pointed out the importance of Spain as a leader in world tourism and explained how Microsoft is developing specific products for the industry . Garaña outlined the company’s results , saying that they had lost a lot of clients amongst the small companies , so many of which have disppeared over recent months , but said that overall Microsoft had had a good year , with growth lower than expected but still in double figures .

Top Spanish actor says he will leave TVE when the adverts end

Imanol Arias says that he does not want to become a civil servant . Spanish actor, Imanol Arias , has said that he will leave the TVE Spanish hit television programme , ‘Cuéntame cómo pasó’ on the day that the state broadcaster stops taking advertising . Under Government plans TVE and La Dos will in September stop showing advertising in a shake up of the broadcasting industry , with the service paid for instead by a new tax on the private TV and telecommunications companies in Spain . But the top Spanish actor has said that he does not know how he could justify his high wages being paid by the state , and he is not prepared to become a civil servant . Speaking to El Periódico, he said that he would rather leave the famous drama than see the Spanish press hound him over his wages when paid for from public funds . It’s certainly a far cry from the high wages currently being revealed in the BBC .

Repsol announces Mediterranean discoveries off Spain

Integrated oil and gas company Repsol has made two new offshore oil discoveries in the Spanish Mediterranean waters . The Montanazo D-5 and Lubina-1 wells are located 45km from the coast of Tarragona , where the company is developing similar satellite fields . Repsol , with a 75% stake , is the operator of the first of these discoveries , in a consortium with Gas Natural with 17.7% interest and Cepsa with 7.3% interest . In the second discovery , Repsol is the sole holder .
Preliminary estimates show that the Montanazo and Lubina wells could produce oil for between five and seven years , extending the productive lives of the area .
In the last three years, the company has invested about E135 million to drill and prepare these wells . The development of the fields will require a further E55 million to E60 million over the next two years . The first of these discoveries took place within the Montanazo-D concession . The Montanazo D-5 well is in 736m of water , and reached a total depth of 2,354m . Initial tests indicate oil production flows of 3,800 barrels per day of crude oil . Repsol’s second discovery in the area is in the Lubina II concession . The Lubina-1 well , in 663m of water and 4km to the north of Montanazo D-5 , has a total depth of 2,439m . Tests indicate a production of 3,700 barrels per day of crude oil .

Light plane lands on the A44 motorway near Granada

The 38 year old pilot and his wife were unhurt . A light aircraft had to make an emergency landing on Sunday on the A-44 road which links Granada to the coast . EFE news agency reports the plane came down at 5pm after a mechanical fault , and thankfully landed safely at the 144 km point with no injuries or material damage caused . The 38 year old pilot from Almería , Ramón Suarez , who was travelling with his wife , told the newspaper Ideal that he was going to land in a field , but then he saw a space on the road and went for that .

One dead and four seriously hurt in Seville coach crash

The accident happened on the A-4 near Carmona early on Sunday , There’s been another fatal coach accident in western Spain , after the crash which claimed the lives of 3 people in Extremadura last month . A 24 year old woman is reported to have died near Carmona , Sevilla province , in the early hours of Sunday when a coach carrying 39 passenger came off the A-4 motorway and overturned . Only nine people on board escaped unhurt , and four of the remaining 29 injured are in a serious condition . They are under treatment in the Virgen del Rocío Traumatology Hospital in Seville . The coach is owned by Socibús and was covering the route from Madrid to San Fernando in Cádiz . 

Jellyfish back on the coasts of Alicante

Swimmers in the Elche swimming race were also affected , More than 100 bathers had to be attended to the Red Cross on Sunday after being stung by jellyfish on the beaches of Playa Santa Pola , Playa de San Juan and Muchavista in Alicante . The yellow flag was flown as a result of the high numbers of stings , after 15 people were attended to in a single hour . Some 40 people were attended to on the El Campello beach and some 20 of the 369 participants in the swimming race between the El Pinet and La Marina in Elche also had to receive treatment . Experts say that the recent increase in temperatures has favoured the arrival of the jellyfish close to shore .

Alicante Airport hit by more Flight cancellations Winter 2009 and Summer 2010

A small number of British Airways flights have been cancelled from our forthcoming Winter 2009 and Summer 2010 schedule . This flight are from London Gatwick to Alicante . Flight Withdrawals from 25 October 2009 . It due to low Numbers on flights to and from both airports . But BA will Refund the ticket purchased to the original form of payment . Customers due to travel to Alicante and Palma may Rebook onto an alternative British Airways flight to any other BA destination in Spain , subject to availability.  Onward travel to their original destination will be at the customers expense . More Spanish airport were name in there Press release .  London Gatwick to Barcelona ,  London Gatwick to Gibraltar , London Gatwick to Madrid , London Gatwick to Malaga

SMS messaginG hight in Spain then E U

consumers are also claiming that mobile phone operators have pacted the price of SMS messaging. The CEACCU consumer group is making representations to the Competition Commission in Spain , claiming that text messages cost more in Spain than elsewhere in the E .U . Under the new E .U . rules international messages can cost no more than 11 cents , but national messages in Spain still cost 15 cents , meaning it is cheaper to text any where in the E . U . than Barcelona when in Spain .

Running of the bulls festival starts in North off Spain

San Fermines fiesta officially starts in Pamplona
The famous bull run festival is on for nine days until 14th July . At 12 noon this Monday , the San Fermín bull run festival kicked off in Pamplona for another year with a crowd of thousands waiting in the Town Hall square , red neckerchiefs at the ready , for the ‘ chupinazo ’ rocket to be set off from the City Hall balcony to herald the official start of the festivities . The honour of lighting this year’s fuse went to the Socialist councillor , Maite Esporrín , signalling nine days of non-stop celebrations . El País reports a budget of 4 million € for the 2009 San Fermín, with a programme of almost 600 activities for music fans , children and the family, with almost 3,000 police officers on duty and more than 600 journalists covering the event . The stars are, as ever, the bulls, and the bull runs take place at 8am every morning in a race along 800 metres of Pamplona’s narrow cobbled streets. The bulls which take part in the run fight in the bullring in the afternoon . Los Sanfermines officially ends at midnight on the 14th , when everyone gathers in the Town Hall square to join in the singing of the ‘pobre de mí’, the traditional farewell to the fiesta .

Elche Mayor wants Dalí’s most beautiful woman in the world to come back home
The Dama de Elche has been in Madrid’s National Archaeology Museum since 1971 . The Mayor of Elche says he will continue working actively towards bringing the 4th Century bust known as the Dama de Elche back to the town where she was found in the late 19th Century . Salvador Dalí’s most beautiful woman in the world was in Elche for just 26 days after she was discovered before being sold to the Louvre for less than 40 dollars . She returned to Spain in 1940 and has been held by the National Archaeology Museum in Madrid since the early 1970s , with a brief sojourn in Elche for a temporary exhibition three years ago . The Dama spent that trip in a special anti-vibration container and a controlled atmosphere amid tight security and a 15 million Euros insurance policy paid for by the Town Hall . The local Mayor , Alejandro Soler , said this proves that moving the Lady of Elche is possible, despite Culture Minister Ángeles González-Sinde’s concerns for such a delicate piece . He’s asked for a meeting with the Minister to discuss a possible transfer , but told Diario Información that the Town Hall is open to dialogue and believes even a temporary transfer would be positive for the town .

Mijas body identified as a missing Irish man
The burnt remains were found in a waste pipe near the football ground in April . The remains of a badly burnt body found in a waste pipe near the Mijas football ground this April has been identified as that of a 57 year old Irish man who was last seen alive in Mijas on 11th April , the same day the body was found . Diario Sur reports the man was reported missing by his girlfriend at the National Police station in Torremolinos 5 days later , and also by his daughter in the UK .
His name has not been released to the press, but it’s understood he was identified thanks to part of a prosthetic knee found at the scene whose serial number was traced to a factory in Sweden . The UK clinic which performed the knee operation had however been closed for many years , but Civil Guard later contacted the woman who had filed the missing person’s report in the UK , who sources quoted by Sur say confirmed her father had had knee surgery at the clinic in question . The newspaper said Spanish detectives have requested DNA testing from police in Ireland to definitively confirm their identification .