Spanish Finance News by Jurdy

Near a 40% of the Spanish homes already it has receiver TDT

37.4% of the Spanish homes count already on a terrestrial digital television receiver (TDT), of which a 32.4% are integrated in the television, when they lack two years less than so that the call takes place ' blackout anal?gico' , according to data of the National Institute of Estad?stica (INE). According to the survey on ' Equipaci?n and use of information technologies and comunicaci?n' in the homes, more than half of the Spanish houses they count on computer (63.6%), DVD (78.3%), video (62.9%), movable telephone (92.1%), fixed (81.3%) and television (99.7%). The report reveals that the use of the telephony is practically universal in the Spanish homes, since 99.2% of them have telephone, or fixed or movable. Thus, 74.1% of the houses count on both types, whereas only a 7.2% have fixed and 18%, only movable. The same happens to the television, present in a 99.7% of the Spanish homes. From them, 21.4% can receive channels through satellite dish, 15% through cable and 4.6% by ADSL or telephone line.

500 Megawatts Of Solar Capacity in 2009 by Spanish Government

The Spanish Government has announced its intention to raise the cap on subsidized solar energy projects for 2009 to 500mw, a higher limit than expected.

The Spanish solar energy sector is booming, sparked initially by Mother Nature, but fanned into life by government tax incentives. Spain's installed Photovoltaic capacity has increased over 500% in the past three years, and it now has the second highest output in Europe, and the fourth largest globally. The sector employs more than 20,000 people.

INTERES, the Spanish foreign investment agency, characterises the subsidy program as follows: "The Renewable Energies Plan (2005-2010) as providing for the granting of incentives for investments by enterprises in technological innovation in the field of renewable energies, as well as the creation of lines of public aid, with a planned investment of approximately ?23.6m."

When the Renewable Energies Plan was first launched a cap of 400mw was initially put into place, to cover the entire period up to 2010. The scheme was heavily oversubscribed, resulting in the entire subsidy allowance being consumed within the first year, 2007. Both domestic and foreign companies involved in the development of the sector have been eagerly awaiting news of whether the subsidy system would be extended since the scheme was frozen last year.

The industry is expected to welcome the latest news of a raised cap to 500mw, announced by the government this week. A cap of 460mw was also set for 2010.

In addition to installation subsidies the government also enforces a fixed purchase rate for electricity produced using solar technologies. Whilst the installation subsidies have been extended, the fixed sale rates have been lowered from EUR 0.45 to between EUR 0.32 - EUR 0.34 kw/h, depending on the kind of installation.

more at jurdy @ fmplus dot es

Every year thousands of foreigners are tempted to set up a business in Spian, often thinking that they can prolong their holidays here but turth is 300 self-employed people are giving up their businesses are going to the wall every day in Spain.

Self Employed in Spain starting to suffer in economic crisis . The National Federation of Autonomous Workers ATA saying that more than 300 a day have given up their business over the past five months.The Federation says in a report, that the worst ?is still to come?.
Construction has been the most affected sector, losing some 22,358 workers over the first nine months of the year, some 4%. Agriculture follows with a 3% loss of 9,766 workers.
By regions, La Rioja has been most affected, followed by Navarra and the Valencia Region.

leader of the Partido Popular, Mariano Rajoy, speaking at the PP congress in Cantabria, has described the 2009 budgets as ?a lost opportunity for spain

Will Spanish and uk banks do the same as Ireland and Now Germany followed

A German decision to back all savings would be likely to increase pressure on the UK government to do the same.

BBC business editor Robert Peston said there is confusion over the specific details of Germany's plan.

He said should German Chancellor Angela Merkel be offering to underwrite the retail liabilities of German banks, it would reverberate all over Europe.

He added in such a situation the UK would be expected to make a similar guarantee.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer Alistair Darling has repeatedly pledged that he will do "whatever is necessary" to maintain stability in the British financial system.

Last week, the Financial Services Authority said it would be raising the limit to the amount of deposits that are guaranteed should a UK bank go bust, from ?35,000 to ?50,000 per banking group from this Tuesday.


Greece and Ireland have already announced similar commitments on savings.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7653813.stm

Again today we what to know whats happen to are money and is it back by Spanish Prime Minister meets with the country's bankers

Yesterday evening Zapatero met with all the main bankers in Spain who all agreed on the solvency and solidity of the Spanish system. The Chairmen of the BBVA, Popular, Caja Madrid, La Caixa and Unicaja all attended, while the Banco Santander sent a top director. The bankers all described the meeting with the Prime Minister as ?positive and fruitful? as the occasion served to reinforce general confidence of citizens, savers and businessmen. Spanish Finance Minister, Pedro Solbes, At the meeting it was agreed to increase the guarantee to savers said the amount would be clearly above 40,000 ?.

Britain will announce a rescue package for the UK banking system on Wednesday, finance minister Alistair Darling said.


Spanair loses 52 million euros after Madrid air crash (51.7Million Euros ) Spanair transported 680,000 passengers in September, 25.4 per cent less than during the same month in 2007. Demand went down 20.8 per cent this was due two Aircrash in Madrid - The Spanish airline Spanair has lost 51.7 million euros (70 million dollars) in ticket since after its MD-82 jetliner crashed in Madrid on August 20, killing 154 people, its mother -carrier SAS said Tuesday.
However, demand had gradually recovered and was now back to normal with cheap sale on there website over the last few weeks. Drunken Air Europa pilots are sacked The two pilots were reported to have been drunk and fighting in the street in Vigo last week.

European iGaming Expo, at Barcelona The event was highly successful with the organizers of the event, Clarion Gaming; announcing record numbers in attendance at EiG 2008. A total number of 1,544 delegates from over 60 countries attended through a variety of registration channels, which contributed to a 28% growth on last year's trade show and reflected the expansion and renewed vigour created within the iGaming

Four Spain players nurse injuries after training. Spain finished Tuesday's training session with four players nursing injuries ahead of World Cup qualifiers against Estonia and Belgium. The Spanish football federation said an initial prognosis indicated all four players should be available for Saturday's match at Estonia and then against Belgium on Oct. 15.

Spanish coma patient sacked for failing to turn up to work. A woman has been sacked from her job in Barcelona after failing to turn up to work despite her employers being informed that she was in a coma following a road accident. In a dismissal letter sent to her home informed that she had contravened a section of the workers' statute relating to failed attendance and repeated tardiness. Lawyers from an employment union who have taken on the case said it was the worse breach of employment law they had come across.

jurdy

Six central banks, including the ECB , Bank of England, Usa Fed , The People's Bank of China, the Bank of Canada, the Riksbank in Sweden and the Swiss National Bank have cut interest rates by half a percentage point in an effort to steady the faltering global economy , European Central Bank (ECB) trimmed its rate from 4.25% to 3.75%. this rate is what the banks can lead money from ECB
the move should help to cut business costs and ease the repayment burden on mortgage holders. that if bank pass the saveing on to you

Despite these measures the IBEX 35 stock market Again where hit again with most share down by 5%

Zapatero launches a preventative plan to rescue the bank with public money
President Zapatero called a press conference at the Moncloa Palace to confirm that the Spanish government will guarantee personal savings up to a new maximum of ?100,000 euros. A ?30 billion fund, which can be increased to ?50bn, will also be created by buying "healthy" bank assets to ensure they can continue lending and day to day running .

The Spanish Met. issued a warning of heavy and persistent rain from today and for the rest of the week in the area of the Mediterranean.
Rainfall of 200 litres per square metre is forecast in some areas. Met office spokesman, ?ngel Rivera, said it was a typical storm as seen in the area every Autumn, and would be accompanied by high winds and rough seas in many places along the coast.
last year on the 6 oct 2007 saw worst storm on the island of Mallorca , winds gusting up to 110kph (about 65mph) destroying homes and injuring a number of people

jurdy

Hi Jurdy, thanks for the updates, I try to follow the Spanish news as much as possible but some of it gets lost in translation. I find your postings very helpful.

Will i dont post every day here but i try to keep the forum up to day thanks for the PMs and if you have any news you want included just pm me are Email me
jurdy.r at fmplus.es Www.fmplus.es

Spain Valencia flash flood Two British women died , there were named early on , a 47 year old mother, Lauren Cullen, and her 14 year old daughter also called Lauren
The storms in the Valencia area have dropped 60 litres of water per square metre in an hour, causing flooding to tunnels, basements and garages in the city.

Three ferries with more than 400 people on board were stuck at sea unable to dock as the Valencia port was closed on Friday.
The fire service has rescued about a dozen people because of the adverse weather in the provinces of Valencia and Alicante.
and unsettled conditions are forecast to continue over the weekend

Today saw the start off the Volvo races The race will be officially started by King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia who arrive in the city today , Alicante to Cape Town tomorrow

European stock markets continue to fall ovwe last two days The Spanish stock market has joined the falls being seen across Europe today, some falling by more than 8.5%, showing that the emergency measures carried out by Governments across the world have done nothing to rebuild confidence.

Former Mecano singer, Ana Torroja, and model-turned-actress, Esther Arroyo, were among seven people injured in a head-on collision on the N-340 freeway, roughly 10km from the town of Vejer de la Frontera (C?diz), that occurred in heavy rain shortly after 9am this morning. and has undergone surgery at Puerto Real University Hospital.

Ballesteros, the winner of three British Opens and two Masters titles, was taken to La Paz hospital after briefly losing consciousness, the hospital said in a statement.

Ballesteros was admitted to hospital in Madrid last Monday
His condition was stable, and he was undergoing diagnostic tests, the hospital said. No further information on his condition or treatment would be made available under instructions from Ballesteros' family. Ballesteros was known for his brilliant improvisational play and was a stalwart of European golf, playing a key role in reviving the continent's fortunes in the Ryder Cup both as a player and later as captain when he led Europe to victory over the United States in Spain in 1997.

Spaniard Ballesteros was elected to the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1999.

Nissan Motor Co is finalising plans to cut one third of its 4,300-strong work force at its Barcelona factory, Spanish daily El Pais reported , last week SEAT said it must lay off 1,250 employees
Car sale arre down for 2008

Ibex-35 closes week 21% down mainly bank share where hit. Leaders of euro zone countries will meet in Paris tomorrow in a new European attempt to coordinate action. some Eu states have reported Retail sales see biggest drop in 24 years Ireland budget has been brought forward is to send out a clear message to the international community that Ireland will take the decisions necessary.

it the weekend time to get out the Sunday papers and watch tv , Are is it ?

well house price are falling across the world and set to fall by 30,000 but one house , if it had ears and could talk , the storys would be Entertainment but hit by the global credit crunch the couple had to take any 2million GBP cut in the price . The couple's five-bedroom villa, which Victoria, 34, dubbed as the Casa Beckham, has been up for sale for 17 months, and there has not been a buyer interested in buying the 5million pounds mansion.

Both have been told that if they wish to sell the house, in the millionaires' suburb of La Moraleja, which they had bought for 4.5million pounds in May 2005, they would have to lower the price. The Becks had spent an extra 500,000 pounds refurbishing it, but now with the market being down, they are selling it off at 3million pounds, setting them 2million pounds short. Millions facing negative equity , expects that by the end of 2009 house prices will have fallen 30% from their peak in 2005-7

Spain Bad debt defaults Rise
Banco Sabadell sees a significant rise in debt defaults and mergers among Spanish banks due to the ongoing credit crisis, the chairman of Spain's fifth largest bank told ABC daily in an interview.

EU leaders agree plan to tackle banking crisis
Eurozone leaders have agreed a set of measures to give greater liquidity to banks and restore confidence to the financial system. IMF chief warns EU must act together .


Spanish former golfer Ballesteros has brain tumour

Spain's Iberia Airline booking were down 6% in September 08 on figgers off September 07 Iberia said, due to blaming weak demand and the difficult economic situation

Spain drafts EUR 100B rescue plan . The Spanish government outlines a plan to guarantee EUR 100B of bank debt. The cabinet approved guarantees for loans among the country's banks up to 31 December, 2009.

Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, after the special session of his cabinet, said the goal is to ensure that banks can access easily transferable cash.

The Socialist government is also still considering buying shares in banks, Zapatero said, while adding: "This is currently not necessary".

He said that Spanish credit institutions were more stable due to strict controls.

Earlier in October, the Madrid government approved a fund of up to EUR 50 billion to provide money to banks in buying up assets.

Zapatero is to meet opposition leader Mariano Rajoy two day to discuss the government's financial rescue package.

Eu is two see Ireland Minister for Finance Brian Lenihan will deliver his first Budget it Spending cuts of ?2bn are expected. The Budget is likely to include new ways of raising money for the Exchequer, closing some State agencies and the cancellation or delay of big building projects
this Budget would due in Dec 2008 but was move due to bad economy in ireland

The US Treasury is to invest $250bn in a number of banks as part of a package of measures aimed at restoring confidence in its financial sector.

the market have been Reacting well to the good news with share up 3 - 4 % across EU with New york up in next hour

Irish budget link to this page here http://www.spainexpat.com/spain/forum/viewthread/3900/
this well be update later again to nigh

Average salaries in Spain 30% lower than the rest of the EU according to a study published today by Adecco and IESE with reference to figures taken from 2006.
The report shows that the average gross salary in the EU was 32,414 euros while in Spain it was 21,402 euros. Furthermore, it shows that in countries like Denmark, the UK or Germany that the average salary was over 40,000 euros a year compared to the average salary in Eastern European countries where it didn?t reach 10,000 euros.

Furthermore, the study underlined the fact that the difference between Spain and the rest of the EU has been increasing over recent years. Between 2002 and 2006 the average salary in the EU increased in real terms by 3.9% while in Spain it only went up by 1.3%.

Inflation falls in Spain to 4.5 percent Falls in the price of milk, bread and chicken have helped with the numbers. Last year at this time inflation was just under 3%

unemployment rate in Spain will be around 11.2% by the end of the year


UEFA has announced that Atl?tico Madrid have to close their ground, the Vicente Calder?n Stadium for the next three Champions League matches.
Atl?tico Madrid have to close the Calderon for three Champions matches
It comes after what UEFA considers to be the serious incidents seen in the ground before the game against Olympique de Marseille. The next three Champions League matches will have to be played at least 300 kms away from Madrid. It?s understood that Atl?tico Madrid are to appeal the sentence.

As the financial crisis bites ever deeper into Spain's once-booming housing market, estate agents are resorting to desperate measures
Some agents thought they had found the solution by holding "Dutch auctions" in which the auctioneer begins with a high asking price which is lowered until someone is willing to accept the price on offer. Spaniards are not buying . And many of those who want to buy can't get mortgages .

Ryanair May Close Due to Regional Government?s Failures at Valencia Base

Ryanair, Europe?s largest low fares airline, today (14th Oct) announced that it may be forced to close its Valencia base following the failure of Regional Government (Conselleria de Turisme) to reply to Ryanair?s proposal on how to ensure the continued growth of passengers at Valencia and their repeated failure to meet with Ryanair.

Ryanair has set a deadline of this coming Friday, 17th Oct for a response from the Government before it makes its final decision on the future of its base at Valencia airport.

Since Ryanair began flying to Valencia in 2004 annual passenger numbers have increased each year. Ryanair currently operates 22 international routes to and from Valencia, all of which are at risk if Ryanair must close all operations to/from Valencia.

Ryanair is the largest airline flying to Valencia but, despite its importance to the local economy, the government has opted to support other airlines who have not provided a fraction of the growth which Ryanair has to the airport. Instead it has chosen to ignore all efforts by Ryanair to collaborate in ensuring the continued growth in passenger traffic at the airport.

jurdy

The Housing Ministry said prices fell 1.3 percent Spanish house prices fall again

Housing prices in Spain have fallen for a second straight quarter, the government said Wednesday, releasing more bad news about a real estate sector which had fueled a decade of economic growth but has now gone flat. A London-based economic research organization said the situation is actually much worse, with a housing price decline of 30 percent likely . The housing collapse has been devastating for the economy because construction and related industries accounted for up to 20 percent of Spanish GDP.

Underground petrol theft in Elche
The Compania Logistica de Hidrocarburos company has complained to the police that they have been robbed of petrol from the pipeline they own which runs between Cartagena and Alicante. They say that sophisticated thieves broke the pipe underground and installed a hidden tap above ground to take the fuel close to Elche, and that the theft was first detected some ten days ago, and that it had caused some contamination of the area
180 homes to be compulsory purchased for AVE construction between Elche and Orihuela

Two points for parking in disabled zone and fine to come in two law

Gibraltar wreck fuel detected on Tarifa beaches Police have arrested the captain and two officers of the cargo ship Fedra, which ran aground on the sheer cliffs of Europa Point last Friday in extreme weather

Spanish Stock Market soars by more than ten percent yesterday but loss out again today like most markets around the world

Air Europa has become the second Spanish airline, behind only the state carrier Iberia

The new project will see the development of port redevelopment hit by economic crisis all works have stoped for last 3 weeks there
Tiferca construction company which won the tender for the work on dock two and two other building works in area . M?laga City Hall is also closely watching two other building works on the city won by the same company

Thomson out of Coventry Airport in nov coming

Spanish police arrest 13 men accused of harboring Islamic extremists, including several suspects in the Madrid terror bombings of 2004, and helping them flee the country, the Interior Ministry said.

Police made the arrests in pre-dawn raids in four northeastern towns near Barcelona. Raids also occurred in Madrid and Algeciras in the south. At least 8 of the detainees are Moroccan. The group are alleged to have recruited and funding Islamist extremists.

Spanair mechanics face crash quiz by The judge investigating the Madrid plane crash that killed 154 people in August is to question three mechanics on suspicion of manslaughter. The two mechanics who checked the plane before take-off and Spanair's head of maintenance at Barajas will appear before the judge, court officials said. The Spanish passenger jet crashed and burst into flames shortly after take-off at Madrid's Barajas airport. An investigation said the plane's wing flaps had been set incorrectly. Human error

Today the markets have all be heading south and again yes share are down again now its the turn off the Insurance comapny are there share have been hit badly more later to night on this

Banker Chairman of Santander, Emilio Bot?n, blames the excesses of the industry for the financial crisis.

jurdy

Black Day for Spanish Aviation with the news of LTE
And Spanish airline LTE has announced the suspension of its operations. The Ministry for Development has been informed by the company Last night that they have had to suspend all their flights in Spain and across Europe. The company is now obliged to place a viability plan and look after the interests of the passengers who have already reserved flights. LTE is a low cost airline established 20 years ago and which operates from Palma de Mallorca with services to the Canaries and Milan. The airline hopes that the suspension of its services will be temporary
In a statement issued this morning on its website, LTE says that due to the financial situation of the company that makes it difficult to meet operational expenses in the next days, it has had to suspend its charter and scheduled operations.

15 passengers have been injured on an Iberia flight which was travelling from Madrid to Lima.
Fifteen passengers who were not wearing their seatbelts were injured when the plane was hit by serious air turbulence at the start of their descent in to Lima airport

Flysur yesterday yes its last flights will be on October 20. there based in C?rdoba South spain

with Futura aer last month and xl airlines all going under

Spanair is tippd to be the next , We awaitting on the Decision ryanair Valencia Base

Spain's economic crisis has spurred the demand for precious stones, especially large diamonds, gemologist Adolfo de Basilio said Friday.

'The price of diamonds and gold is going up, probably because people are worried about the fluctuations of the stock market
while stock up IBEX-35 3.73 With confidence seemingly restored in the sector as a result of euro-zone governmental intervention plans announced over the weekend, banks and other financial institutions continue to lead the way with rises in the price of all shares

oil at $ 74.13 why are we still pay the summer price ?

Ryanair Confirms Friday 17th Oct as Decision Date on Valencia Base


Ryanair, Europe?s leading low fares airline, today, (16th Oct), confirmed that it would close its base at Valencia if it had received no response from the Communidad Valenciana by Friday, 17th October.

Ryanair has met with the tourism authorities on a number of occasions and has had discussions with the Tourism Minister in June 2008. A detailed proposal was sent to the Minister in early July and, despite numerous requests subsequently, no response to this proposal has been received by the airline. Most recently attempts to secure meetings in Madrid and Toledo have met with a negative reply. Now Ryanair seeks to bring a final conclusion to these proceedings and has told the Communidad that, unless it receives a response to its proposals, which are now three months old, by Friday, 17th October, it will close its base at Valencia.

Ryanair?s Deputy Chief Executive, Michael Cawley, said:

?Hundreds of airports throughout Europe are increasingly recognising that if they want to grow their passenger traffic then Ryanair is the only airline which can provide this increase on a sustainable basis. If the Communidad Valenciana does not wish to engage with Ryanair then it is quite clear that we should be dealing with the many other airports and communities who observe the normal courtesies of business by responding to correspondence and by engaging in cooperative promotional activities.

Unfortunately the Communidad Valenciana does not seem to recognise the urgent requirement to engage with the largest airline in Valencia in promoting routes to and from the airport. Ryanair has taken all reasonable steps to engage with the Communidad but unfortunately has received no positive communication in return.

Regrettably we must emphasise that Friday is the last day for a response. Thereafter we will be forced to close our base at Valencia with the consequential reduction in passenger traffic of approximately 800,000 passengers per annum through the airport and the loss of 800 jobs in the local area. ?

Primark to expand operations in Spain , With currently operates 12 stores in the country , The Spanish market is believed to have the potential of sustaining some 70 Primark stores. Primark press office sayed that want to oll out the stores as quickly as possible

Valencia region...An orange level severe weather alert has been issued for the Valencia region with especially heavy rain forecast for the coastal strip of Castell?n, Valencia and the north of Alicante provinces . For Madrid to Toledo all 11 provinces are from yellow to orange level
last night heavy rain and light storms where reported

Spain still a main target for Al Qaeda ,
MADRID -- An intelligence report obtained by El Pais shows that national security agencies remain on maximum alert for possible terrorist attacks, and that Spain continues to be a main target for Al Qaeda.

The report also states that the Islamist terrorist group considers Spain a major recruiting base, which it uses to find candidates to send to conflict zones in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"Al Qaeda still has its global jihad in mind, and in its exchanges with Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat, it tells them to be quick about completing their local objectives, and reminds them that their real goal is to cross into Al Andalus [the name given Moorish-ruled Spain between the 8th and 15th centuries]," reads the report.

Intelligence services also underscored recent police raids against Islamist cells that train future terrorists, including last week's Operation Amat, which yielded 12 arrests.

"As far as our country is concerned, counterterrorist activity carried out by security and law enforcement agencies following the March 11, 2004 attacks shows that Spain continues to be a target for the Al Qaeda network and its allies, as well as a source of human resources," the document ends.
Story by (El Pais / Jose Manuel Romero)

Four Britons arrested among five detained with half a ton of hashish in Alicante and Murcia . The arrested men were part of the group thought to be planning to take the drug by van to the U.K., with two advance vehicles warning of any police presence

The group, all Spaniards, are thought to have defrauded more than three million Euro. accused of selling mopeds to people but then never delivering them, or offering false promises of work to immigrants in exchange for money and credit card fraud . investigations is on going

Latest numbers show that 2.6 million people in Spain are now on the bad debtors list as insolvency rates reach three times what they were a year ago. Those feeling the pinch are failing to pay instalments on the mortgage, car, a loan, the credit card, or in some cases the phone bill, as a total of 20.4 billion ? is now owed on the street.

ING, The Spanish director of the Dutch bank ING which is to receive ? 10 billion of Dutch Government money, C?sar Gonz?lez Bueno, has said that the savings of the banks 1.7 million clients in Spain are safe. He denied that the capital was in any way a rescue. The shares in the bank have recovered by 20% on the news of the capital injection

The Minister for Industry Miguel Sebasti?n, has said that the price of gas in Spain will fall in January and Butano gas will be frozen in price. He has also predicted that the price of diesel will fall below 1? per litre, and open up airspace over the country so that passenger traffic can take more direct routes and save more fuel.

Tourist receipts in Spain set to shrink
Exceltur says foreign tourist receipts in 2008 would fall by 3.6 percent and number of visitors would fall by 0.1 percent Tourism accounts for 12 percent of Spain's GDP and is a key source of employment and foreign income. Spain is the second biggest tourist destination in the world. Which is also expected to suffer a recession, are opting to stay in cheaper alternative forms of accommodation to hotels. Exceltur said while the average stay per visitor had increased, tourists are spending less per day.

Spain to Nationalize Thousands of Holiday Residences
Madrid - Thousands of Spaniards and hundreds of foreigners fear seeing their seaside residences seized by the state in an attempt to protect the coastline from urbanization and pollution, the daily El Pais reported Monday. The government has stepped up the application of a 1988 law prohibiting the construction of housing near the water line . Germany has requested information from Spain, diplomatic sources confirmed. Some of the affected property owners have lodged complaints with a Spanish ombudsman or at the European parliament. The Spanish government has, however, won the vast majority of court cases over the law, sources of the environment ministry were quoted as saying. Environmentalists have long been concerned about the impact of urbanization on Spain's coastline.


Hunt after driver agency killing WALES bbc.co.uk/news
An ongoing armed incident in Cardiff is thought to be related to the killing
A police hunt is on after one man died, another was injured, and two more taken to hospital in a suspected robbery and fire at a driver recruitment agency.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/wales/7680363.stm

Well for the last two day i been watching the matches

Thr 23 oct 2008

Dead Phone lines internet and no ATMs due Building work severed the underground cable and led to the break in service around 3pm yeserday to Almer?a, left Almer?a city and the Almanzora region without fixed phone lines and internet on Wednesday . The same problem had knock on effects in Melilla and in the coastal areas of Motril and Salobre?a in Granada and Magala . Telef?nica could not be contact for press release

Algerian man arrested with 1,000 mobile , memory cards, computers, sound and vision and gaming . The arrest was made as the man and his vehicle were trying to board a ferry bound for Or?n in Algeria . Given that the phones are new , the National Police thinks they could have come from recent thefts from specialised shops. Information on the case has been passed on to the French and British authorities to see if they have details of such a theft.

Six people were arrested and are thought to have taken part in a series of burglaries in Alicante and Murcia area . Kosovo gang have been arrested by the Guardia Civil in Torrevieja. A statement from the Civil Guard barracks in Alicante said that those arrested were thought to be part of a gang which had taken part in as many as 31 burglaries from factories in the Alicante and Murcia areas, causing ?grand social alarm?. More than 86,000 ? in cash as well as other items is believed to have been taken by the gang.

54,000 empty new properties in M?laga province , The number comes from the Ministry for Housing, and has been doubted by real estate promoters.
The latest study from the Ministry for Housing shows that there are 54,000 newly built homes in M?laga province which remain unsold on the market.
Local promoters however doubt the number, which they say is closer to 25,000.
It comes as forecasts for the local economy as a whole will see growth next year of 0.6%, compared with just under 2% for this, and will not create any new employment. Economic analysts from the Unicaja Group, said that there will be a fall in production in the province next year, and the economy will see no real recovery in 2010 either.

Spain says it's waging diplomatic drive for invitation to summit on financial crisis
Miffed at being left out of next month's world summit on the financial crisis, is waging a diplomatic offensive to win an invitation, arguing its economic might warrants it a seat and contacting the Bush administration

This is a very black day for the airport of Valencia and the city sayes Deputy Chief Executive, Michael Cawley of Ryanair

?This is a very black day for the airport of Valencia and the city and region which it serves. Ryanair had begun to transform this once overlooked region of Spanish tourism into a powerhouse of growth and development. Without any assistance or cooperation from the local tourism board, Ryanair has already shown the possibilities which are uniquely available through its low fares. However, the naked subsidisation by the Comunitat Valenciana of competitor airlines at the expense of Ryanair and the refusal by the same party to engage in any meaningful discussion with Ryanair have meant that continuation of our base at the airport is untenable. We have already received numerous enquiries right across Europe and we will be announcing a new base elsewhere next week with these two aircraft.

We will maintain limited operations to Valencia Airport from other bases and should the Comunitat Valenciana wish to engage with Ryanair in the future, we would be prepared to commence sensible discussions and indeed if conditions were appropriate to even recommence a base operation at Valencia.?

The following flights will be cancelled as a result of the closure of the Valencia base.
both Airport and Comunitat Valenciana had no comment

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Thousands of people marched through the streets of Barcelona on Thursday to protest plans by Japanese automaker Nissan to cut 1680 jobs at its plant in the northeastern Spanish port city in response to falling demand around the world.
Unions said around 10 000 people, including workers from other area auto makers and parts suppliers, took part in the noisy demonstration but police put the figure at around 5500. The demonstrators called on the socialist government of Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero to intervene and prevent Nissan from going ahead with the job cuts which Nissan announced on October 13

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Spanish Industry Minister blames George W. Bush for the financial crisis

?It?s evident that the crisis started in the United States?, he said, adding that ?There are only 13 days of Bush left, and they will to quickly?. He went on to defend the action of European governments and called for a reduction in interest rates and an improvement in the terms for credits for families and businesses . Spain says it?s waging diplomatic drive for invitation to summit on financial crisis
Miffed at being left out of next month?s world summit on the financial crisis, is waging a diplomatic offensive to win an invitation, arguing its economic might warrants it a seat and contacting the Bush administration .

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ONO planned to cut up to 1,300 jobs out of its workforce of 4,300
Spanish telecommunications company ONO said on Friday that it planned to cut up to 1,300 jobs out of its workforce of 4,300 due to the steep economic slowdown. In July the company, whose shareholders including Banco Santander and private equity firms, negotiated better financing terms on a 3.6 billion euro ($4.63 billion) syndicated bank loan.

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Moroccan youngster jailed for comparing king with FC Barcelona
Rabat, Morocco - A Moroccan schoolboy has been sentenced to 18 months in prison for linking King Mohammed VI with the Spanish football club Barcelona, local media reported Friday. (dpa) Yassine Belassal, 18, slightly changed the national slogan when writing it on a school blackboard in the village of Ait Ourir near Marrakesh. "God, fatherland, king," the slogan goes, but Belassal wrote: "God, fatherland, Barca." The joke did not amuse the headmaster, who informed police. Belassal ended up sharing a Marrakesh jail with dozens of criminals, unable to pass his final exams. The fate of the young man has upset human rights groups, which have protested to the justice ministry, while internet campaigners have called on Barcelona to intervene in favour of its fan.

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The Ministry of the Economy is now forecasting that it will reach 12.5% next year, following the release of latest numbers today which show it up to 11.3%, the highest rate seen since the start of 2004. Total employment has been destroyed for the first time in 14 years.
The new numbers come from the survey of the active population, and are controlled by the National Statistics Institute, and show 217,200 people joined the dole queues in Spain in the third quarter of the year. Most of the job losses came in the construction sector.
The Partido Popular economy spokesman, Crist?bal Montoro, said that the numbers were ?terrible and tragic? and called on Prime Minister Zapatero to apologise for the ?social drama? he was causing.

From Aena's Information Desk we inform you that we have no news of what Ryanair is planning to do. We do not have any official report from this airline, so we think it is better that you contact Ryanair.

Kind regards,

Servicio de Informaci?n
Aeropuerto de Valencia
Ctra. del aeropuerto s/n
46940 - Manises
Espa?a

Rachel for FMPLUS . es bh jurdy

Ryanair to shut Valencia base in row with local government






By John Mulligan

Saturday October 25 2008

Ryanair has pulled the plug on its base at Spain's Valencia airport, sending a clear message to regional governments around Europe that it is prepared to play hard ball if it does not receive strong incentives for its operations.

The low-cost carrier said that it will cease operations at Valencia's Manises airport from November 4 following a row with the regional government, Comunitat Valenciana.

Ryanair claims the decision will lead to the loss of over 70 weekly flights at the airport that carried 750,000 passengers a year. It also said that 750 jobs are likely to be lost in the region as a direct result of its decision.

The row between Ryanair and the local government erupted earlier this year, with the Irish airline claiming that the regional authority had failed to respond to calls to detail a specific passenger growth plan for Manises airport, where the carrier unveiled its base last year.

Yesterday Ryanair alleged that the Comunitat Valenciana had told it that no funds were available for joint promotion of the region on Spain's east coast, but additionally claimed that the authority had granted a ?12m marketing support package to Air Nostrum.

The authority has previously denied that Ryanair ever sought any financial assistance.

Alfonso Grau, Valencia's councillor with responsibility for tourism, was unavailable for comment yesterday. His office said that Ryanair's decision was one taken by a private company and would have to be respected, but would not comment further.

Ryanair will retain a skeleton service to Valencia from London, but two aircraft based there will now be used to create a new base, the location of which will be announced next week.

"Should the Comunitat Valenciana wish to engage with Ryanair in the future, we would be prepared to commence sensible discussions and indeed if conditions were appropriate to even recommence a base operation at Valencia," said the airline's deputy chief executive Michael Cawley.

One Dublin analyst said that Ryanair's move would only have a very marginal impact on the company and that it would quickly be able to integrate the aircraft based at Valencia into other routes.

"It sends a signal that it's not afraid to use the nuclear option," he added.

Shares in Ryanair closed up over 5pc in Dublin yesterday at ?2.51.

- John Mulligan
Rachel for FMPLUS . es bh jurdy
http://www.independent.ie/business/european/ryanair-to-shut-valencia-base-in-row-with-local-government-1510013.html

Clearwire to launch WiMAX service in Malaga in November
Wimax will offer speeds of upto 70MBps and coverage areas of upto 48 kms of M?laga is to become the first European city to have new internet access technology called Wimax , How it works , In practical terms, WiMAX would operate similar to WiFi but at higher speeds, over greater distances and for a greater number of users. WiMAX could potentially erase the suburban and rural blackout areas that currently have no broadband Internet access because phone and cable companies have not yet run the necessary wires to those remote locations.

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Global stocks fall sharply
Global stock markets have fallen sharply again despite government assurances and investment in the banking sector. Elsewhere, Hungary and Ukraine have become the latest countries to be offered assistance from the International Monetary Fund. Ukraine is due to receive loans of ?13bn. Last night the IMF said it had reached broad agreement on a rescue package for Hungary.

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Bad weather isolates Melilla for a time on Sunday
Around 30 Africans broke through Spain's near-impenetrable frontier surrounding the north African enclave of Melilla on Monday by overwhelming police guarding a storm drain damaged by flooding, the Spanish government said. On Sunday one of the worst storms to hit Melilla in the last 30 years washed away 30 metres (100 feet) of triple layer fence which is designed to keep out illegal immigrants trying to cross from Morocco . Civil Guard border police rushed to patrol the damaged frontier but the immigrants targeted a lock in a flood channel which was blocked with debris and could not be shut. Police were overwhelmed by the group, a spokesman for the Spanish government's office in the town said. "We had people there but they came at us in force and we couldn't stop so many," he said. the city and Spain's other northern African possession Ceuta have become the focal points of efforts by sub-Saharan Africans trying to get into Spain to find work. Weather services forecast heavy rain to continue lashing Melilla which was cut off by air and sea.

Earthquake shakes Almer?a again
There was an earthquake measuring 3.6 on the Richter scale felt in Almer?a in the early hours of Sunday . 77 tremors over recent days, and once again the main quake was centred in the Albor?n sea, some 42kms from the city of Almer?a.

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ECB to cut rates next week
European stock markets closed sharply higher as investors looked for bargains after recent heavy losses and took heart from prospects for a cut in US interest rates. with ECB to cut rates again European Central Bank has indicated an immediate fall in interest rates ahead of the risk of recession , David Vegara, the Spanish Secretary of State for the Economy, has announced today that the bank guarantees awarded by the Spanish state for next year, 2009, will also be 100 billion ?, the same amount provided for the rest of this year. IBEX 35 rallying some 2.5% at midday, heartened also by the Santander results. Banco Santander has announced a 5.5% growth in profit for the first nine months of the year compared to last, with the number coming in at 6.935 million. but doubling of bad debts which now make up 1.6%.

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Spain says hola to Google Street View
Madrid, Barcelona, Sevilla and Valencia get the roll out of Google Street View , Now, Google users can also tour Spanish landmarks like La Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, or the newly constructed 4 Torres that rule Madrid's skyline. You can scroll down the city streets, almost as if you?re walking or driving.

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RYANAIR ANNOUNCES MAJOR EXPANSION AT BARCELONA GIRONA 14 AIRCRAFT, 75 ROUTES, 8M PASSENGERS AND 8,000 JOBS BY 2012

Ryanair, Europe?s largest low fares airline today (2nd April) announced that it will add 5 new aircraft at its Barcelona Girona base as part of a major expansion that will increase Ryanair?s Girona routes to 75 and passenger numbers to 8m p.a. by 2012. These
8 million passengers will save ?800m compared to Iberia?s high fares and fuel surcharges at Barcelona El Prat and will generate
a visitor spend of ?1.2bn p.a. in the Catalan region. Announcing today?s Girona expansion, Ryanair?s Deputy CEO Michael Cawley
said; ?Ryanair started flying from Barcelona Girona, our first Spanish airport, in 2002 and the partnership has been a phenomenal success, bringing Europe?s guaranteed lowest fares to millions of Catalans and providing the region with millions of visitors from all over Europe. ?This expansion will see Ryanair?s investment at the airport rise to 14 aircraft worth $1bn. This will support 8,000 jobs in the region, including 500 highly paid Ryanair pilot, cabin crew and engineering positions. ?We congratulate the Catalan region?s success in securing this low cost agreement against robust competition from other low cost, efficient European airports which will now place business and tourism throughout Catalonia on a fast track for growth?.

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Spain's Interior Minister said the cell was ready to act

In a coordinated police operation which began at 3 am this morning in various places between Pamplona and Valencia the Spanish
national police have arrested four people in connection with being members of an ETA cell based in Navarra. According to a statement made in a press conference this morning by the Home Office Minister, Alfredo P?rez Rubalcaba, the operation is still ?underway?. He said that police had uncovered weapons, explosives and information. He also thanked the police for their preventative work and said that the ETA cell had been disbanded before it could carry out any operations and that thanks to the detention of the four suspected members

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The IBEX 35 has continued to rally today following other markets and the increases seen overnight in Asia and yesterday on Wall Street. An increase of more than 6% has taken the index back about the 8,400 level. It call comes with the expected interest rate cut announcement. SALE of proptry is down 50 % 0n this time last year figgers for August 07/08 . Most sales were in the regions of La Rioja and Murcia and least in the Basque Country . BBVA 9-month profit up , The BBVA bank profits were up 9.1% at 4.321 million. Spain?s second largest bank made a profit of 1.392 million with the extra items. The bad debt level has increased to 1.55%, compared to 0.8% a year ago. The bank has still not decided whether it will make use of the Government?s emergency fund provision. TEXT-S&P;on Banco Santander's latest Spanish RMBS deal . Banco Santander S.A. will issue six classes of floating-rate notes. The class A to E notes will be backed by a pool of first-ranking mortgages secured over residential properties in Spain and originated by Santander . The following statement was released by the rating agency, Oct 29 - Standard & Poor's Ratings Services said today that it has assigned its preliminary credit ratings to the EUR1,375.0 million mortgage-backed floating-rate notes to be issued by Fondo de Titulizacion de Activos Santander , Alfredo S?enz from the Santander has said that such Government?s emergency fund provision aid should be made anonymously so as to protect the reputation of the banks concerned. Santander still expects to make 10 billion this year, despite the crisis. BBVA bank is holding up against rival Santander, but the Spanish and Latin American economies remain a concern
Spanish food maker Ebro optimistic on Q4 outlook , The company is forecasting more than 50 percent growth in net profit to
over 136 million euros ($173.3 million) for 2008 on over 10 percent growth in sales to 2.974 billion.

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Sterling Airlines A/S
To get the company restructured, the shareholder of Sterling gave financial support from the end of July 2008 to the end of September 2008 transferring 444.5 million DKK to the company. The plan was to continue financial support into 2009. On the 29th September 2008, the Icelandic financial environment started to collapse. Over a 3 to 4 weeks period, the whole financial system melted down, and that resulted in our shareholder being unable to continue his support to the company. Negotiations have been conducted with several potential investors, but it was impossible to make ends meet. The inevitable result is that Sterling
Airlines A/S has no option but to file for bankruptcy . This is not frist time that have gone bankruptcy . In 1987, the company celebrated its 25th anniversary with 19 aircraft and almost 1,300 staff, but a few years later, in 1993, Sterling Airways went bankrupt. In 1994, the estate after Sterling Airways re-created the company as Sterling European Airlines, with three aircraft and 182 staff. With more then few ownes from Norwegian shipping company Fred. Olsen. but was sold in March 2005, Fred. Olsen sold Sterling to the Icelandic investment company Fons Eignarhaldsf?lag, owners of the small Iceland Express airline, In October 29th, 2008 Sterling declared bankruptcy due to the rising fuel prices in the first half of 2008 and the 2008 Icelandic financial crisis in October that hit its major investor. The entire fleet was grounded with immediate effect . list of destinations served by Sterling Airlines to Spanish Airport to date ,
Alicante
Barcelona
M?laga
Las Palmas
Palma de Mallorca
Tenerife

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Obralia constuction company files for bankruptcy. The company is run by the winner of the Young Businessman Award, Jos? G?mez . The Obralia construction company run by the man who won the young businessman of the year award last April, has filed for bankruptcy protection. The 36 year old founder and President of Obralia, Jos? G?mez, has been unable to avoid bankruptcy given the economic slowdown in the industry. It comes as Obralia has five housing and shop developments currently underway in Murcia, including a resort in Corvera and two other developments in Alicante.

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Spanish Meteorological Office has issued alerts
Spanish players dominate FIFA World Player list , Ronaldo heads Fifa nominees . Spain provided six of the contenders on Wednesday when FIFA announced a list of 23 nominations for their World Player of the Year award . Goalkeeper Iker Casillas, midfielders Cesc Fabregas, Andres Iniesta and Xavi and strikers David Villa and Fernando Torres all made the list published by world soccer?s governing body

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Spanish Meteorological Office has issued alerts
Rain and snow low temperatures which is hitting Spain is forecast to continue until Friday , A cold front is bringing high winds, rain and snow in a band moving from the North to the South of the country Improvement expected over the weekend , So its wintery weather to continue in Spain until the weekend , In Valencia temperatures have fallen by as much as 10 degrees compared to the highs seen just a few days with sunny shine . with Alicante, 16 litres of rain per square metre fell as the cold front approached. last night snown falls of 20 centimetres in some areas.

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BBC radio 2 now know for for Terry Wogan but Brand and Ross suspended by BBC late Brand Quits

BBC radio 2 now know for for Terry Wogan but Brand and Ross suspended by BBC late Brand Quits
Russell Brand has resigned from his Radio 2 programme following prank calls he made with Jonathan Ross to actor Andrew Sachs.
It follows a public apology from Ross over his "juvenile and thoughtless remarks" in the calls. Earlier, it was announced the pair would be suspended and all their shows taken off air until the BBC has investigated the calls made on Radio 2. Brand Quits

Live link to this has "bad language" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GbHF3Ijkmpk

Fawlty Towers actor Sachs, 78, said he had "respect" for Brand's decision. Sachs was upset after Brand and Ross left a series of
lewd messages on his voicemail as part of a pre-recorded show, taped on 16 October. The pair made obscene comments about
the actor's 23-year-old granddaughter Georgina Baillie during four separate phone calls.

i 102 104 in ireland have offter the job to Brand to brodcast in Ireland but when asked i102104 that cont tells much but are dj that work for us in Ireland DJGER.C here told use there was some great buss going on with there Breakfast dj Louise McSharry heading over to london to meet the team to ofter the job to the lads

Seventy university in the northern Spanish on hight alert

A powerful car bomb exploded Thursday at a university in the northern Spanish city of Pamplona, wounding at least 17 people .
Shattering nearby university windows as students sat in class . ETA has killed more than 800 people in four decades of armed
struggle for independence of ancient Basque territories in Spain and France, including Navarre. Authorities blamed the
separatists for two bomb attacks which caused no casualties over the weekend in the Basque Country at two train stations .
The government blamed ETA for the incident. UPDATE 27 injured in Spanish car bomb attack , King Juan Carlos, Prime Minister Zapatero condemn car-bomb attack

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British expat finds himself acting Mayor of San Fulgencio after arrests

Mayor of San Fulgencio arrested as corruption investigations continue Trinidad Mart?nez was arrested with four other councillors
yesterday. British ex pat, 58 year old Mark Lewis, was acting Mayor of the Alicante town of San Fulgencio, for a time on
Thursday after five of the seven councillors were arrested in a corruption scandal. Mark Lewis is a councillor for the AIM
Mediterranean Independent Group, and he was the only councillor left to take up the post after the Socialist Mayor,
Trinidad Mart?nez and four other councillors, including the three other deputy Mayors were arrested yesterday Wed.

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The Bank of Spain has called on Spanish banks not to announce large profits in this time of crisis . Governor of the Bank, Miguel
Angel Fern?ndez Ord??ez said that savings banks too should reduce profits and increase their provisions. Basque savings
banks . BBK and Kutxa have announced their merger today. The two banks will disappear and reform with a new Brank
Name (BBAX) The Euribor rate, used to set most mortgages, has ended the month at 5.2%, it?s lowest level since May.
It comes ahead of an expected announcement of an interest rate cut from the European Central Bank , US FED cut its rate .
week , half point cut . IPC inflation rate in Spain which has fallen in October by a whole percentage point to 3.6%. Minister for
the Economy, Pedro Solbes, has welcomed . stocks where up again today

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Lufthansa take 80% share in BMIBABY.

The German flag carrier made a move on Britain's bmi and gained headway in the bidding for Austrian Airlines.
The number of airlines being put up for sale or driven to the wall by high oil prices seems to rise by the day.
Wednesday also brought news that Danish low-cost carrier Sterling was filing for bankruptcy, adding to the already
frenetic pace of concentration in the industry. Lufthansa said bmi founder Michael Bishop had exercised an option
requiring the German carrier to buy his 50 percent plus one share stake in bmi. The move would raise Lufthansa's
stake in the carrier to about 80 percent and would give it access to bmi's slots at London's Heathrow Airport,
estimated to be worth a billion euros . Ryanair and easyJet offer rescue packages for stranded Sterling customers

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Ross suspended for three months

Jonathan Ross is suspended for 12 weeks, and Radio 2 controller Lesley Douglas resigns in the wake of the prank calls row it will

cost him 1 million GBP pounds in wages while Russell Brand resigned from his Radio 2 show and head to the Usa last night , i102-104 Ireland still on the hunt to employ him but now Sirius Satellite Radio now in talks aswell

Spanish Airline overshoots Lanzarote runway in Bad Weather

Air Europa airline said Air Europa flight (AEA196), which was chartered by Thomas Cook, was involved in a runway incident at
Lanzarote's Arrecife Airport this morning," a spokesman for Thomas Cook said."Thomas Cook staff were on hand at the
airport to assist all passengers and can confirm that all guests are now at their holiday hotels." The plane came to a halt close
to a beach side off the airport , It is reported to have ended up at an angle to the runway. Mr Carvajal said passengers and
crew were evacuated from the plane and no-one was hurt. The Spanish Interior Ministry office in the Canary Islands confirmed
the flight had been carrying 74 passengers and crew members.

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If bottleneck at Albacete Train station is not resolved well delay AVG by 3 year to Alicante and Murcia

Alicante Economic Studies Institute, INECA say if Albacete interchange bottleneck for the new line problems at an interchange
for the new line in Albacete, which is adding delays to the projects , While the 20 km link will also see the loss of millions of
square metres of productive agricultural land, according to farmers union COAG. They continue to protest the route to
the Ministry for Development area between Elche and Orihuela . with 180 compulsory purchase off house and big Dig in Elche
to improve the single track under ground and Bridge

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"What the queen said is what my book says," Urbano said

Queen is quoted as addressing a wide range of issues and saying she opposes abortion and euthanasia. Spain allows the
former under restricted circumstances, and outlaws the latter. But the queen's alleged remarks on same-sex marriage are the
Spain legalized gay marriage in 2005, becoming one of the few countries in the world to recognize same-sex couples as having
the same rights as heterosexual ones, including the right to adopt children. "If those persons want to live together, dress up
as bride and groom and get married, they can do so, but that should not be called marriage because it is not," the queen is
quoted as saying in Urbano's book.

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Spain on the edge of recession as negative growth figgers are published
Negative growth of 0.2% in the third quarter , The Bank of Spain has said that the ?intense correction in construction activity?
has extended influence to all areas except the service sector. Nissan posts 40.5% drop in half-year profits . Spain has shown
the largest increase seen in unemployment in Europe now standing at 12% . US crude fell $1.79, or more than 2.7%, to
$64.17 a barrel by 5.11pm . It is down by around 35% for October, its steepest monthly decline to date, as demand slows in
the United States and other big consumer nations . The Bank of Japan cut its super-low interest rates today for the first time
in seven years . Reducing its key lending rate by 20 basis points to 0.3% to try to calm volatile markets and ward off a deep
recession . Markets continue recent recovery , Global stock markets continued their recent recovery, with the ISEQ finishing
up over 9% at 3,029 points. Spain Pledges $1.95 Billion To Boost Development Of Latin America



London Brent crude traded $2.14 lower at $61.57.
janpan


main source of friction and have angered gay rights groups.

Spain unveils mortgage relief plan for families mortgage relief plan

Spain today promised to help families struggling to pay mortgages during the financial crisis. Government plans will also reward
businesses that hire new workers. Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero said the measures will allow unemployed
workers to postpone part of their mortgage payments, with a limit of ?400 a month, for up to two years. Mr Zapatero said the
government would guarantee the delayed payments. The government will also pay ?1,500 to companies that hire newly
unemployed people with families to support. The plan comes in response to a soaring unemployment rate that now stands at
11.3% and an economy that is on the brink of recession.

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Spanish plan to fight unemployment

The Spanish government has unveiled a plan to help families struggling to make their mortgage payments and reward
businesses that recruit new staff amid the financial crisis. Prime minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero announced the plan at a
news conference. The measures will allow unemployed workers to postpone part of their mortgage payments, with a limit of 500
euros a month, for up to two years. Zapatero said that the measures show the Government?s main objective is to support those
families with most difficulties

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Euro economy 'to grind to standstill next year'

EU-wide economic growth of 2.9% in 2007 will more than halve to 1.4% by the end of this year and plunge to just 0.2% in 2009,
according to the autumn forecast on the situation in the 27 member states. ?The economic horizon has now significantly
darkened as the EU economy is hit by the financial crisis that deepened during the autumn and is now taking a toll on business
and consumer confidence,? said EU Economic and Monetary Affairs Commissioner Joaquin Almunia. European Commission
warned

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New regulations in Spain from Saturday mean that taxes and other extra charges can no longer be hidden in advertising for
airline tickets. Airlines have to show the final price in all their publicity from now on, with fuel surcharges and airport taxes
included. It?s an E.U. initiative designed to allow the public to better compare offers in the marketplace.

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The final US presidential countdown

The US presidential rivals are criss-crossing the country in a last-ditch effort to drum up votes. Most polls and pundits point to an
Obama victory, but John McCain remains defiant. Check out our five expert projections of how the race might end.
Barack Obama and John McCain have been taking their final shots at each other and barnstorming battleground states .Obama's
grandmother has died at the age of 86 she died off cancer. When her health deteriorated last month, the Democratic candidate
left the campaign trail for two days to visit her in Hawaii.

A new Wall Street Journal-NBC News poll put Mr Obama ahead on 51% to 43%. CNN's latest poll yesterday had Mr Obama with
a 53% to 46% percent edge, a Washington Post-ABC News poll gave him 54% to 43%, and Rasmussen said he was at 51%
to Mr McCain's 46%. Barack Obama is getting a really big head , an artist carved it in sand on Barcelona beach

In tomorrow's Congressional elections, Democrats appear poised to make gains in their majorities in both the US House of
Representatives and the Senate. All 435 House seats are at stake and 35 of the Senate's 100 seats are up for election

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FIVE Gose FreeView for Expats in Spain

The UK's fifth terrestrial channel gose free view this month via temporary fta on 28.2east 10.773h 22.000 Lots more channels
have been added to freesat's line-up recently, and there are more to come, so keep an eye on the Freeview website for the
latest news

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Weather dominates the weekend in Spain

With Heavy rain was the problem for many partys off Spain , befor the match at M?laga agaist Barca , live tv covrage show the
pitch to be flood in areas are work start to get it ready for the match . M?laga is seeing its wettest Autumn for recent years .
tornado in the Tarragona area have brought traffic chaos and some damage with flooding . ports and airoprt had to be closed
and flights delays for some time , Heavy turbulence was one off them many problem with flight last weekend , Moss Moran from
Ireland say his flight from M?laga to Ireland was very rocky and never experience travel like that befor

Spain record rise in the Unemployment Figgers

The President of the Employers Organisation, Gerardo D?az Ferr?n, has said that unemployment here will reach 17% in 2010.
He said that Spain cannot avoid the recession and he calculates that there will be more than three million unemployed in Spain
at the start of next year . Unemployment up 192,658 in October and is now over 2.8 million. It?s the highest rate since
April 1996 .


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Bin Laden son requests political asylum in Spain

28 year old Omar Bin Laden says he is the pacifist son of Bin Laden, and arrived in Madrid on a flight from Cairo on his way to Casablanca, and made a stop-over in Madrid terminal four where the man announced his request for asylum. Omar bin
Laden, who has urged his father to give up arms, is currently at Madrid's Barajas airport where his request will be examined,
the spokesman said . "He will stay there until a decision is reached," he told foreign media. The 28-year-old made the request
after arriving in Spain on Monday on a flight from Cairo where he lives .

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Queen of Spain Denounces Abortion, Euthanasia, and "Gay Marriage"

However, what caused the biggest stir was the Queen's negative remarks about homosexual "marriage," which has been legal
in Spain since 2005.

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SolFocus To Install 10 MW of Concentrating Photovoltaic in Spain

SolFocus, a provider of concentrator photovoltaic (CPV) solar energy solutions, yesterday announced the signing of a
?80 million agreement with EMPE Solar to install over 10 megawatts (MW) of CPV solar energy projects in several sites across southern Spain by the end of 2010 . Will be capable of meeting the domestic energy requirements for a city of approximately 40,000 residents .

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Barack Obama elected US President , Zapatero says Spain will be a friend to Obama

The election of Obama means that the Zapatero administration can put their tense relationship with George W. Bush behind them . Zapatero is also reported to consider that the election of Obama will result in a jump in confidence around the world regarding the current financial crisis which is affecting everyone . Spain's lack of invitation to the World Economic Summit in Washington . To day market where up around the world with Madrid IBEX 35, which had slipped 2% at the start of the day, recovered the amount later. Wall Street voted democrat yesterday and rose 3.2%, while the IBEX 35 in Madrid rose 5% on tuseday .


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Spain's Interior Ministry says it has rejected an asylum request from a son of Osama bin Laden . He did not ''meet the conditions necessary for entering Spain.''
The official would not elaborate or discuss the younger bin Laden's reasons for seeking asylum upon arriving Monday at Madrid's Barajas Airport. The ministry official spoke Wednesday on condition of anonymity in line with government policy.

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Spanair cost-cutting measures are to continue

The SAS Group, the operator of the joint carrier Scandinavian Airlines, on Wednesday posted a pre-tax loss for third- quarter 2008, citing high fuel costs, the economic downturn and a goodwill writedown in its Spanish-based carrier. SAS chief executive Mats Jansson said the group needed to implement more belt-tightening measures... Spanair The airline has already applied to lose 1,100 of its 3,800 workforce. These savings hinged on the outcome of ongoing talks with unions

Ryanair Price war on route between Alicante and Madrid

The start of Ryanair flights between Alicante and Madrid later this month has already resulted in price cuts of upto 80% being seen on the route by Iberia , has now responded with tickets from 22 ? each way, and RENFE Spanish railways have also reacted, selling tickets at just 16 ?. Spanair is yet to react, and for now keeps its six flights a day between the two cities. Now with Iberia and Ryanair there will be 13 or 14 flights a day each way between Alicante and the capital.
Ryanair starts the route on the 18th of this month .

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The El Gordo Lottery is a Spanish National Pastime

The El Gordo lottery has been a national obsession in Spain for a long time with enormous interest generated by the Christmas draw each year. Believe it or not, 98 percent of the population play this Spanish National lottery every Christmas . The Spanish Christmas Lottery operates in a different way to the majority of other lottery games. A whole ticket 'billete' is very pricey, costing 200 Euros. However, these tickets are divided up into ten 'decimos' (tenths) costing 20 Euros each. When buying your tickets you have the option of buying a single decimo, a whole ticket, or a share of a ticket. If you do not purchase the complete ticket, somebody else will buy the rest of your ticket. For example, if you obtain two decimos, somebody else buys three and another buys five and your ticket scoops 1000 Euros, then you will secure 200 Euros, 300 Euros and 500 Euros respectively. Due to the price tag of purchasing a whole ticket, it is not uncommon for families and friends to amalgamate their lottery money and each person purchase a single 'decimo . These games take place in January, March, May, July and November. Although these 5 games don't boast the huge prize fund of the Christmas game, they are sizable nonetheless, ranging from 78 million Euros to 655 million Euros. In addition, these games offer roughly 3 times as many prizes as the Christmas draw and odds of collecting a cash prize of a hugely achievable 1 in 3.

Bin Laden appeals Spanish asylum denial

While the government gave no reason for its decision, Saudi-born Omar, 28, said in a statement that the request had been turned down "on the grounds of insufficient evidence of danger or threat to his life". The Spanish government now has 48 hours to respond to Omar's appeal. In April British authorities turned down a request from Omar, a former scrap-metal merchant, for a settlement visa . British authorities turned down a request from Omar . The British embassy in Cairo said it had based its decision on fears that his presence in the country would cause "considerable public concern".

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Irish Ambassador travels to M?laga to meet Amy Fitzpatrick's mother

The Ambassador and the Consul were accompanied to the meeting by Amy?s mother, Ms. Audrey Fitzpatrick and her partner Mr Dave Mahon.The Ambassador and family received a comprehensive account of the efforts thus far in the case and of the continuing investigation . The Ambassador took the opportunity to again express appreciation for the efforts made in the case by the Spanish authorities . Arrangements were made to facilitate continuing communications . In such a case there is always the possibility that some piece of useful information can be remembered and passed to the authorities. In the case of anything arising which could be of possible interest regarding Amy, please inform the authorities by calling 112 or 062 . disappearance of Amy Fitzpatrick, who was last seen near her home in Calahonda on 1st January 2008 . The main purpose of the meeting was to obtain an updated account of the investigation with loacl
police .

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Spain pushing EU to get financial summit invite in Washington on the international financial crisis

Spain is relying on European support in its diplomatic offensive to win an invitation to a Nov. 15 summit in Washington on the international financial crisis, an official in the prime minister's office said Thursday . The meeting will bring together the leaders of 20 industrial and developing powers ? including the G7 nations and countries such as Brazil, India and China ? but Spain would only be indirectly represented through the European Union . Spain has been arguing that it has the world's eighth-largest economy and can make a valuable contribution thanks to its banking and financial sectors' relative success in weathering the current financial turmoil . The Spanish official said Spain is focused on winning support from other European leaders ? French President Nicolas Sarkozy has said he will lobby the U.S. in favor of Spain's cause, while British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and EU Commission President Jose Barroso have expressed interest in having Spain attend . The issue will be discussed at an EU meeting Friday in Brussels . Now with Barack Obama elected US President .

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Crimestoppers escape to the sun

The website is http://www.crimestoppers-uk.org and the phone line in Spain operated by British workers is 900 555 111

British and Spanish authorities have joined forces on the Costa Blanca in an attempt to find more British criminals who have fled to a new life in the sun. The UK crime-fighting charity, Crimestoppers, and the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA), have launched ten new appeals for information concerning dangerous British criminals believed to be on the run in the Alicante region of Spain.

Your help is need are go to this link for Photos off the wanted person in the Sun

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ETA claims responsibility for 10 attacks

Basque separatist group ETA claimed responsibility Wednesday for 10 recent attacks in Spain and vowed to keep up its armed fight for an independent Basque homeland until the Spanish government resumes negotiations . "The resistance will continue as long as the rights of Euskal Herria are not recognized and respected," the group said in a statement published in the online edition of pro-independence Basque newspaper Gara, using the Basque language name for the Basque Country . "They will sit down again. We will make them sit down again to recognize the rights of Euskal Herria once and for all," it added . The rebels said they were behind a car bombing last week at a university campus in Pamplona that injured 17 people and another car bombing outside a military academy in the town of Santona in September that killed a soldier . The 10 attacks which ETA claimed responsibility for in the statement had already been blamed by the authorities on the group, which has killed more than 820 people in its 40-year campaign for independence for Basque territories in northern Spain and southern France.

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The IBEX 35 index had fallen by 3% with profit takers moving in ahead of the European Central Bank interest rate cut of 0.75%, which was a quarter point larger than expected. In the afternoon though falls have continued to around 5%. UK rates went down by more than expected with the Bank of England announcing a 1.5% fall . It take the banks 3 weeks befor you will see any change in you repayments . just in time for the Christmas . New mortgages from banks and savings banks in Spain are set to become more expensive despite the cut in the base rate announced today by the European Central Bank . Larger margins by the banks and greater provisions against risks are eating up such interest rate reductions on new deals. An example 150,000 ? mortgage over 25 years will to 985 ? a month repayment compared to 960 ? before, according to experts .

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The El Gordo Lottery is a Spanish National Pastime

The organisers of the famous Gordo Chirstmas lottery in Spain are confident that sales will hold despite the economic crisis as people remain optimistic at the festive time of the year . If you not in you cant win

Bin Laden son denied asylum bid by Spain

He has not renounced his father but has said he wants to be an ?ambassador for peace? between the Muslim world and the West . The Spanish official said the government usually seeks a recommendation from the U.N. refugee agency in asylum request cases and he said the agency also recommended against asylum .
Omar Osama bin Laden ? one of the al-Qaida leader?s 19 children ? arrived in Madrid on Monday on a flight from Cairo . He had been traveling on a Saudi passport.

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Grupo Marsans Spain's largest tour and travel group , order Airbus for 61 aircraft

Grupo Marsans to order a total of 61 aircraft including four A380s and ten A350 XWBs
Grupo Marsans, the largest tourism and transport group in Spain, has signed today a Memorandum of Understanding with Airbus for the purchase of 61 Airbus aircraft including ten A350-900s, four A380s, five A330-200s and 42 A320 Family aircraft (of which 12 A319s, 25 A320s and five A321s). These aircraft will be operated by Grupo Marsans' subsidiary airlines Aerolineas Argentinas and Air Comet amongst others in the group. At this stage no engine selection has been made. This new order combines with the previous order for 12 A330-200s and will bring Grupo Marsans' total commitment with Airbus to 73 aircraft.
Gonzalo Pascual, President of Grupo Marsans, explained: "This purchase is an important step for us at Grupo Marsans in our development. It demonstrates our commitment to enhancing our group's position on the short and long haul networks by incorporating the most efficient aircraft on the market today. Furthermore with the A380, we will become the first A380 customer and operator in Spain and South America."
"We are extremely honored by this important vote of confidence from Grupo Marsans. This Memorandum of Understanding is a clear sign that Airbus responds to the market. We are very proud of the selection of the A320 Family, the A350 XWB and the A380 by Grupo Marsans which, as we all know, control Aerolineas Argentinas, Air Comet and several other airlines in Europe and South America," said John Leahy, Airbus Chief Operating Officer Customers.
Being greener, cleaner, quieter and smarter, the A380 is already setting new standards for transport and the environment. The aircraft is the most fuel efficient aircraft flying today. The combination of extra passenger capacity without increasing the number of flights, excellent environmental performance and lower operating costs is an ideal solution for the airports and the airlines that serve them.
For passengers, the A380 offers wider, more comfortable seats in all classes and the quietest cabins in the sky. Its unique double-deck wide body architecture also gives airlines flexibility to economically offer improved comfort standards without reducing fleet capacity. To current standards for larger premium class products, the A380 can typically carry 525 passengers in three classes in unprecedented comfort on flights of over 8000 nm (15 000 km).
The A350 XWB (Extra Wide-Body) is Airbus' newest aircraft model and will be the world's most technically advanced aircraft when it enters service in 2013. Designed to increase productivity and offer unparalleled levels of passenger comfort in its class, the A350 XWB will offer the lowest operating costs and lowest seat mile costs of any aircraft in that category. Addressing environmental concerns and cost-effectiveness, the A350 XWB will be one of the most fuel-efficient aircraft ever . Airbus is an EADS Company.

Grupo Marsans owns Vuelos Europa Airlines . VIAJES MARSANS, S.A.

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ASTRA 1M Satellite Successfully Launched More channels for Spain TV

?ASTRA 1M will benefit our customers and allow them to broadcast additional high definition channels. The success of the ASTRA 1M launch is an important milestone for SES ASTRA and we would like to underline the very good cooperation with our launch partners . ASTRA 1M will be located at SES ASTRA?s prime orbital position 19.2 degrees East for delivering Direct-to-Home (DTH) services including HDTV to Continental Europe. The ASTRA satellite fleet delivers high quality broadcasting to over 117 million European homesv. ASTRA 1M satellite will be made commercially available in January after extensive in-orbit testing .

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Iberia air and British Airways merger under threat

The merger plans between British Airways and Iberia air under threat following the new results from B.A.
The world?s favourite airline announced a loss of 51 million ? compared to a profit of 612 million ? for the same period, the first six months of last year.
The airline is justifying the loss with the end of industrial subsidies which has meant a cost to the airline of 97 million ?. However passenger numbers were down 3.9% to 17.158 million.
Despite the numbers shares in both BA and Iberia have rallied on the markets today.

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Telef?nica fined by Telecommunications Market Commission CMT

Telef?nica has been fined the Telecommunications Market Commission CMT for placing obstacles to Orange. The fine of 20 million ? is for blocking the rental of its lines to Orange, and comes following a complaint placed by the French company in December last year.
Meanwhile the number of new broadband lines in Spain contracted in September was down 27.3% on the same month last year. There are now a total of 8.79 million broadband lines ? a penetration of 19.5 lines per 100 inhabitants. 71% of the broadband lines are from Telef?nica.
Orange Spain announces November SMS/MMS promotion

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European Central Bank two cut rate again 2009

European Central Bank are to cut rates again in 2009 its reported , but the cut from yesterday will not be seen until late dec/jan due to banks holding off to make more profits . interlending rates still have not dropped yet

France is expected to announce later today that they are giving their seat at the November 15 Washington summit on the economy to Spain. Sarkozy can do that as he is also invited as the current President of E.U. The EU countries are meeting today to try and present a common approach at the United States summit.

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Two of Britain's most wanted fugitives have been arrested in Spain due to this forum , Crimestoppers escape to the sun.
dont for get the website and keep up the good work !. The website is http://www.crimestoppers-uk.org

43 year old Anthony Kearney and 42 year old Donna McCafferty were recognised by a resident of Javea, Alicante just hours after the photos of the couple were published, along with eight others in Forums , newspapers and magazines. The two arrested today are both from Scotland, and were using the false names of James Murray and Elisabeth McAndrew . accused of fraud and together have opened fake bank accounts, charged for loans under other names, and even tricked authorities into giving them public funds in the U.K. The Civil Guard is now investigating whether the couple has been carrying out similar activities in Spain .

The website is http://www.crimestoppers-uk.org and the phone line in Spain operated by British workers is 900 555 111

Usama Bin Laden's Son Deported to Egypt this afternoon from Barajas International Airport

Spain has rejected a final appeal for asylum by a son of Al Qaeda leader Usama bin Laden and put him on a plane bound for Egypt, the Interior Ministry and a lawyer for the man said Saturday . "We fought to the last minute," Sharma said. "We used up every legal avenue and it wasn't possible to stay ." The younger bin Laden, 27, flew to Spain on Monday and spent the week in a transit area at Madrid's Barajas Airport. He claimed he would not be safe if returned to an Arab country . Interior Minister Alfredo Perez Rubalcaba confirmed that bin Laden's son had been deported, saying his application for asylum did not meet any Spanish requirements . The Interior Ministry denied his bid for asylum on Wednesday, and turned back the appeal late Friday night . The government says it usually seeks a recommendation from the U.N. refugee agency in asylum request cases, and that the agency had also recommended against asylum .

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Spanish PM confirms will attend G20 summit

Zapatero thanked George W Bush for his decision to allow Spain to attend the G20 meeting, after Nicolas Sarkozy of France offered to cede their seat, given that Sarkozy is the current President of the European Union . Zapatero had reiterated on several occasions that Spain should attend the summit due to the robustness of its financial system and the fact that it is the world's eighth largest economy . The president of the European Commission, Jose Manuel Barroso will also be attending .

United States President-elect, Barack Obama, called the Spanish Prime Minister . President in the White House opens a new chapter in relations between the United States and Spain.

Obama talked about the importance of Spain in the international financial system and was told by Zapatero that he will find a friend and loyal ally here . Both men agreed on the importance of continued closer relations . Zapatero said Obama was very polite and very very positive .

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Song for missing Amy gets radio airplay in Spain

A newsong about missing Irish teenager Amy Fitzpatrick is receiving airplay on the Costa del Sol in Spain . Teenagers Hollie Buhagiar (16) and Georgia Thursting (15) have composed a song entitled Somebody's Lost Princess . The British-born girls performed the song on Gibraltar radio recently and will shortly be recording the song with the help of expat Dublin businessman Maurice Boland, said Amy's mother Audrey . The girls, who live in the region, spoke about being moved by the sadness of the search for Amy in recent months . Amy (15) disappeared while walking from a friend's house in Calahonda in Spain to her own home less than a mile away on the night of January 1 last . No trace of the Dublin teenager has ever been found, despite the use of helicopters and tracker dogs in a huge search by police, emergency service workers and volunteers . Georgia said: "We felt so inspired by her story. I'm fully supporting the family of Amy and everyone looking for her, and I really feel for them and what they are going through. We hope the lyrics mean as much to her family as they do to us."

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Spanish court suspends opening of mass graves Franco-era mass graves

A court in Spain has halted the opening of mass graves of victims of the nation's 1936-39 civil war and the ensuing dictatorship as ordered by top judge Baltasar Garzon while it analyses the legal basis for his decision.

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Steven Gerrard a diver

Atletico Madrid president calls Steven Gerrard a diver , Stevie Gerrard is a good enough actor to make it in Hollywood, claims Atletico Madrid president Enrique Cerezo . Stevie Gerrard is a good enough actor to make it in Hollywood, claims Atletico Madrid president Enrique Cerezo . The Liverpool skipper enraged the Spaniards by falling dramatically to win a late penalty in their Champions League draw on Tuesday . And Cerezo, who is also an agent for film actors, said he would happily sign up the England midfielder as a client - especially for a remake of The Fall Guy .

Two night there two big matchs . R Madrid - M?laga and Barcelona - Valladolid

Two Spanish Soldiers Die In Afghan Suicide Attack

Two Spanish soldiers were killed and one was seriously wounded in a suicide attack on Sunday in the south of Herat province in western Afghanistan, a Spanish military spokesman said . A spokesman for the Italian military, which currently commands NATO forces in western Afghanistan, said the Spanish unit involved had been providing support to Afghan security forces in the area of Shindand, south of Herat . The latest attack brings to 25 the number of Spanish troops killed in the fight against Taliban insurgents, while the total number of foreign military deaths in Afghanistan since the Taliban government was toppled in late 2001 is over 1,000 . Spain has about 700 military personnel based in Afghanistan, most of them in Herat province.

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Fifty African migrants storm Spain enclave of Melilla

Moroccan police arrested 50 African migrants who stormed a gap in the fence surrounding Spain's wealthy enclave of Melilla early Saturday . The migrants tried to push their way through the hole in the six-metre, razor-wire fences opened up by recent storm flooding, MAP said, citing a security source . Two security officers were injured trying to push back the migrants who included Cameroonians, Ivorians and others . Seven migrants tried to force their way through Friday. Around 30 others managed to reach Melilla on October 27 by overwhelming police guarding a damaged storm drain . European governments have invested heavily in tighter border security, leaving thousands of African migrants stranded and destitute in Morocco , a country grappling with poverty and the threat of social unrest . Some migrants have spent years camping in the forests near Melilla in the hope of reaching Europe and a better life . Hundreds of them stormed the fences guarding Melilla and its sister enclave Ceuta in 2005, when 11 were killed .

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British man killed in traffic accident in M?laga 2,20am Sunday morning

has died in a multiple car crash, involving three vehicles, on the A7 at the 236.9km point, by the Palacio de Ferias y Congresos, direction Torremolinos, in M?laga . Six people, all aged between 19 and 26, were injured in the accident .

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Egypt denies entry to bin Laden son after Spain Deported him on Satarday

Egypt on Sunday refused entry to Omar bin Laden, the son of al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden and put him and his British wife on a plane to the Qatari capital Doha, airport sources said . Omar bin Laden arrived in Cairo on Saturday from Madrid after the Spanish authorities refused his request for asylum . The airport sources said he had asked to go to Qatar, where as a Saudi citizen he would normally have right of entry . Bin Laden spent almost a week in Spain trying to get political asylum after arriving there Monday . He and his British wife, Zaina al-Sabah, 52, had flown into Madrid on a stopover for a flight from Cairo to Casablanca in Morocco .

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Weekend round up off Spanish soccer go to http://www.spainexpat.com/spain/forum/viewthread/4028/

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Set of TV's Eldorado preserved as ghost town in Spain

The collection of deserted whitewashed buildings has been preserved by the heat and the dry mountain air in a pine forest 10 miles north-east of Marbella .
The purpose-built site provided the backdrop to the doomed 1992 serial, which lasted just 156 episodes before being axed despite costing licence payers more than ?10 million . Much of the money was spent on creating the set, which was supposed to replicate the sunshine and simplicity of life in Australian soaps such as Home and Away and Neighbours . Fifteen years after it was created, the set lies empty except for the former dressing rooms which are rented out to holidaymakers .
Apart from graffiti and beer cans left by local teenagers who hang around the area, the set looks the same as it did when new BBC1 controller Alan Yentob axed it in July 1993 . Facades, including the front of what is supposed to be a traditional Spanish church, appear just as new as they did in 1992 .
The site was briefly used as a holiday camp but that suffered the same fate as the programme, which was based on the lives of British ex-pats in Spain .
Eldorado remains the biggest British television flop and became a byword for failure following its year on the airwaves. It was designed to replace Terry Wogan's chat show, Wogan, and producers hoped its sex-and-Sangria cheeriness would appeal to viewers fed up with the drab grittiness of EastEnders and the early-1990s recession . However, the use of mostly untrained actors, the mixture of Spanish and English dialogue, persistent sound problems and appalling reviews sank the programme for good . It ended as implausibly as it began, with one of the main characters, Marcus Tandy, played by Jesse Birdsall, escaping an attempt on his life with his car being blown up, and sailing off into the distance on a boat, with his girlfriend Pilar . It has emerged that the set of another abandoned soap, Brookside, is also lying abandoned. The Merseyside cul-de-sac, known to millions of viewers as Brookside Close, was refurbished by developers after the programme ended in 2003 but has failed to attract interest from buyers who are now offering the entire site for ?2 million .

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lottery Win Ja ja ja

You many never see me work again as i just been told i won the lotto , it came as big Surprise as i got letter tell me i wont last monht lotto , Dont we all know this SCAM . 200 Nigerians are to be processed in M?laga in the so-called operation ?Nilo?. The group are accused of defrauding foreigners by sending out letters and emails saying that they had won false lottery prizes, but needed to pay fees or other charges first to receive their winnings . Last year it is Estimated that 25,000
people pay Average off 430 euros to bank accounts to riciver there winnings but 228 are charged in the case in total , most of them Nigerians . The case is in the hands of instruction court six in M?laga. doing the sums 25,000people x 430.00euros = 11million Euros

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Banco Sabadell to sell off Branches

Banco Sabadell is reported to be looking at selling 600 of its offices in 2009. The bank thinks that they could raise as much as 600 million in this way. With it pay on 0.08 euros off Dividend yield for shareholders stands at 6.09% at yesterday?s close At an ordinary meeting held on 24/10/2008, the Board of Directors approved payment of the second interim dividend for 2008, in a sum of Euros 0.08 per share (Euros 0.0656 net), to be paid on 15 December 2008 . the bank made profit amounts to Euros 530.9 million, up 3.8% year-on-year . Banco Sabadell reports attributable net profit of up 26.1% . there brand are SabadellAtl?ntico , Banco Herrero , Solbank , ActivoBank and bancourquijo .

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Spanish police fire tear gas at migrants trying to cross border into Melilla North African enclave

African migrants armed with sticks and rocks stormed the border of a Spanish enclave in North Africa early this morning Monday but police using tear gas repelled them, the Spanish Interior Ministry said Border guards repelled two waves totaling about 200 Africans . While this happen on Satarday Fifty African migrants storm Spain enclave of Melilla but did not managed to cross into the Mediterranean city of some 70,000 people . Migrants turned violent as they tried to force their way across and Spanish authorities used riot gear and tear gas to keep them out, Escobar said.

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Sterling sinks to new Euro low

Brits live are suffering as most seem to have income from the UK cut by 20% on last year . The euro reached a record high against the pound today . At the low point in trading today, ?1 bought just under ?1.22 - marking the UK currency's weakest performance against the euro since its launch in 1999 . The euro's strength comes in the wake of UK interest rates being slashed by 1.5% to 3% last week by the Bank of England . By 6pm, the euro was trading at $1.2766 and at ?0.8167 .

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Preparations ahead of this weeks economic G20 summit in Washington .

It?s been a day of meetings today in Spain, with the Prime Minister , Jos? Luis Rodr?guez Zapatero , meeting with top bankers , unions and employers to prepare for the G20 summit in Washington on November 15th. The Prime Minister met first with Emilio Bot?n from the Banco Santander, Francisco Gonz?lez from the BBVA, Miguel Blesa from the Caja Madrid and Isidro Fain? from La Caixa . In the afternoon he is going on to meet with the unions, the CEOE employers and also the Cepyme organisation which represents small businesses. The latest G-20 meeting which has just ended in San Paulo has called for a new worldwide financial architecture . Pedro Solbes , the Minister for the Economy , has called for imagination from the social agents in Spain in the face of the economic crisis, and the ?complexity of the moment . He called on both the unions and the employers to forget the ?traditional formulas? to overcome the additional difficulties . The financial industry is bracing for a fresh round of job cuts as Wall Street banks slash costs to cushion the blow of further market turbulence and deepening economic woes in 2009 .

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Ryanaair for the birds as multiple bird Force Plane to Make Emergency Landing in Italy

Reports say two cabin crew and at least three passengers were taken to hospital with minor injuries. One passenger said an engine had begun to smoke as the plane was coming in to land and it then descended rapidly. A picture of the plane on the Ryanair website appeared to show red marks on the nose cone and wings . Presumably from the birds. The plane remains on the runway Most off the day with one engine resting on the tarmac because of damage to the landing gea

Madrid airport ordered to lower noise level


Spain's Supreme Court has ordered Madrid's Barajas airport to lower its noise level in a ruling which was announced on Tuesday . The court accepted an appeal against a ruling by a lower court , which had found the noise level tolerable . A complaint had been lodged by five residents of Ciudad Santo Domingo, located 18 kilometres from the airport . The locality had been overflown by about 56,500 airplanes, some of which were flying under the recommended altitude of 655 metres for 2.5 years between 2002 and 2004 . The airport authority AENA had to find a way to reduce noise and to pay each of the plaintiffs 6,000 euros (7,650 dollars) in damages, the court said in the ruling, which was described as unprecedented in Spain .

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Arrest warrant issued for ETA militant In Ireland

A Spanish judge has issued an international arrest warrant for a Basque separatist militant, last reported to be in Ireland . The warrant was issued after Inaki de Juana Chaos, who was released from prison in August and is known to have been visiting Ireland, failed to appear in court to testify in a case brought against him for praising terrorism . The high court judge decided to ignore a request lodged on his behalf by a Northern Irish law firm asking for his court appearance to be postponed .

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Christmas lights in Alicante cut back due to Economic crisis

Alicante City Hall has announced a 25% cut back on the Christmas illuminations this year because of the economic crisis. 320 arches of lights will be installed, 80 fewer than last year . Despite the cut-back the councillor for trade, Jos? Antonio Sobrino, said that all the main streets and neighbourhoods will see some illuminations, with the City Hall meeting the cost of 49,300 ? .

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Vodafone/Telef?nica Profits are up

Vodafone has announced a 17% increase in profits, but at the same time has reduced expectations for profits for the rest of the year . The company says that it has already put a cost-saving plan into action . For the first half year from April the company made a net profit of 3.985 billion pounds, 4.87 billion ? . Vodafone Ireland's parent company said its net profit had slumped by 35% in the first half of its financial year as it booked a hefty loss on the value of its Turkish business . The Vodafone group said that it planned to cut costs by about ?1 billion sterling annually from 2011, while the group downgraded its full-year revenue outlook .
Vodafone said in an earnings statement that profit after tax slid to ?2.14 billion in the six months to September 30 compared with the first half of the year. The company booked a loss of ?1.7 billion on the value of Vodafone Turkey .
Meanwhile Telef?nica has taken over from Vodafone as the largest telecom company as far as market worth is concerned, now at more than 71 billion. It?s the very first time that Telef?nica has come out on top . both comapny are to incress there bills next year .



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Irishman Paul Hickey found guilty in Spain of killing partner in Alicante three years ago

Dublin man Paul Hickey (31) has been found guilty of killing his partner and mother of his three children, Celine Conroy (26), while on a family holiday in Spain over three years ago . Hickey, from Darndale, appeared in court in Elche , in the province of Alicante, today . He faces a 15-year sentence for beating Ms Conroy to death, convicted on the charge of ?homicidio?, a lesser offence than murder . For 10 years after his release, Hickey will be barred from contacting or coming within 500 metres of his children, Shane (12), nine-year-old Chloe and five-year-old Leah. A total of ?60,000 will be paid to each child and ?40,000 each to the deceased?s parents, Davy and Sandra Conroy . Ms Conroy, from Dublin?s north inner city, was found dead on the floor of a villa at the Marina Oasis holiday complex in San Fulgencio on the Costa Blanca on August 28th, 2005 . Hickey has been in custody in Spain since the attack three years ago .

Today in the Palacio de Justicia de Elche, in front of Judge Garc?a Serrano Ruiz and a jury of four women and seven men, Hickey admitted to killing Ms Conroy.
Under questioning from the State Prosecutor Pablo Romero, Hickey denied causing Ms Conroy more suffering than was necessary to bring about death. He agreed he was fully in control of his faculties at the time of the assault. The court heard that diazepam was the only drug found in his system .
A plea bargain was entered on Hickey?s behalf and the Conroy family was informed . The lawyers came to an agreement on a 15-year sentence which was rubber-stamped by the jury . Hickey is expected to be formally sentenced within days . Speaking briefly to the Spanish court through an interpreter , Hickey, who was handcuffed, said he was sorry for everything that had happened. His interpreter provided him with a simultaneous translation of what was said in court throughout the proceedings.

The State Prosecution had originally asked for Hickey to be jailed for 20 years on a murder charge . The Conroy family, represented by a Spanish solicitor, had asked for a 15-year sentence with ?125,000 to be awarded to each child and ?90,000 each to Ms Conroy?s parents . Hickey?s lawyer had asked for a 10-year sentence on a ?homicidio? charge , with ?30,000 to be awarded to each child and ?20,000 each to the parents of the deceased . The trial had been expected to last until Monday .

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ETA suspects arrested on bicycles

Each suspect had a handgun, and they also carried documentation that indicated they could be members of ETA , which is blamed for more than 800 deaths in its long fight for Basque independence, the network reported on Wednesday . The arrests occurred near the French town of Tarascon sur Ariege .

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Iberia airlines 77% fall in profits

Iberia airlines has announced a 77% fall in profits for the year to September , hit hard by higher fuel prices and lower demand . The company made 51.1 million ? compared to 223 million last year for the first nine months of the year . Over the period the fuel bill was almost double , but the number of travellers increased by only 1% .

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Spain Retain FIFA Top Spot

The latest FIFA rankings reveal some big climbs and huge falls in the last month , following the 134 international matches played in the last few weeks - but Vicente del Bosque's Spain have gone nowhere . After winning the European Championships to move to the top of the pile in the summer , four wins from their first four World Cup qualifiers have seen the Spanish stay at the summit .

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Spanish Deflation on the Way

Aguirre Newman (Barcelona-based property consultants) publish a report that suggests Spanish property prices may need to fall by at least 23% for the market to return to any kind of normality , we learn today that Spain's annual inflation dropped almost a full percentage point to 3.6 percent in October , according to data from the Spanish National Statistics Office . This was the lowest level in a year as energy and food costs fell and the real economy slowed dramatically . October's figure, in line with estimates, was down from 4.5 percent a month before, but this piece of information obscures more of Spain's current inflation . dynamic than it actually reveals . But this slowdown in annual inflation isn't the important point, the big news, and the part most analysts seem to be missing, is that the price index peaked in June and whether you measure on the Spain general index or the EU HICP , since which time it has been falling, and from now on (barring the slight possibly of a minor "blip") it looks like it is going to be downhill all the way. From all the indications we have at present we should be ready for quite a sharp fall in Spanish prices in 2009 (possibly 2-3 percentage points) .

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Basque Savings Banks, Bilbao Bizkaia Kutxa new Name in merger

The name decided for the merger of the two Basque Savings Banks, Bilbao Bizkaia Kutxa and la Kutxa, is "Kutxa" . The new bank will be launched on the 28th of this month with a logo in corporative colours of black, white and red .

BT Spain workers 'in a state of shock as 10,000 job go

BT Spain has been present in the Spanish market since 1989 . Today we serve the whole of Spain from our headquarters in Madrid and local sites in Barcelona, Valencia, Sevilla, Bilbao, La Coru?a, Vigo , M?laga and its Islands . BT Spain has 700 employees and has been growing faster than the market for some 15 years . In 2003/04 BT Spain grew more than double the ICT market average . BT Spain provides a wide range of IT and communication services . For example, we were the first Spanish telecom operator to offer public IP telephony services , and now provide IP telephony to over 25,000 customers in many industry sectors . Telecoms giant BT says it expects to have cut 10,000 jobs by the end of March next year to reduce costs . The cuts will mainly affect agency and contract staff, including offshore workers , the company said . BT said it had already cut 4,000 jobs, with a further 6,000 to go by March from its global workforce of 160,000 .
It blamed "the extreme deterioration" in business levels and confidence around the world . The announcements came a day after government figures showed unemployment in the UK had reached its highest level for 11 years .

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Official start of recession in EU

As Germany has announced the official start of recession there , Ireland Uk France and Spain . Families are expected to spend 4.3% less this Christmas as the recession bites . Lower spending on food and presents is being forecast , with cheap own brands in supermarkets now report of being in the winners column .
Another winner being reported is internet sales as people go online more to find the cheapest prices of goods , per Christmas Sales . The Ibex 35 index in Madrid has fallen by 7.5% in the last three days. The nearly 700 point fall this week is in line with falls elsewhere in Europe , and the index has continued Drop this morning although it recovered ground in the afternoon . Euribor interest rate to be just slight higher than 2% by the end of 2009. The fall in the rate used to set mortgages will be welcomed by many. Their other forecast of 15% employment next year will not . (Euro Interbank Offered Rate) is the rate at which euro interbank term deposits within the euro zone are offered by one prime bank to another prime bank . The BBVA bank forecast for 09 .


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Spanish Tourism Down 40-60%

TUI-Thomson-First Choice , the main tour operator in the U.K. and Germany is reporting British bookings for the Costa del Sol this winter are down 60% . while Hotel online books are down 40% in Spain . British tourism experts at the World Travel Market in London are advising the Spain's official tourism and Costa del Sol tourist board to lower prices and carry out more promotion . Eastern europe prices off hoteles are 1/3 off what spain offter . Net profits at Sol Meli? (Hoteles) between January and September were 80 million euros, a decrease of 41.7% over the same period in 2007. Just like the other company financial results to Septembe .

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Spanish authorites crack down on tax fraud

The fight against fiscal fraud has become one of the main concerns of the Spanish Government . The Cabinet has just approved a Royal Decree which is about to become law on its publication in the Official State Bulletin. This gives more power to the Fiscal Fraud Prevention Plan which was introduced in 2005, and the details will be made public next week . What is known already is that Government wants to crack down on the movement of 500 ? notes in Spain, and new investigations will follow up on payments made in cash . Another area of investigation is when there are ?hidden rents? when taxpayers benefit from deductions for the purchase of their home, but then generate extra income through rental . It?s reported that to investigate that fraud, power use at the home is to be revised . More details will be made public next week

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Power cut affects 500000 households on Spanish islands of Balearic islands

A power cut Thursday left more than 500,000 households without electricity on the Spanish holiday islands of Majorca and Menorca, officials said. The black-out affected all of Majorca and a part of Menorca. It caused traffic jams, cut fixed phone lines and affected mobile phone connections. Firefighters rescued people who got stuck in lifts . Hospitals, ports and Palma airport functioned with alternative sources of energy . The power cut was caused by a double short-circuit at an electricity plant on northern Majorca. The electricity company Gesa Endesa attributed it to stormy weather . Power was re-established on Menorca, and was expected to be back on all of Majorca within a short time . most palma citys was back up and running as we going to air 18.30 . Due to Power station short circuit leaves islanders in the dark .

Iberdrola Renovables Starts Puerto De Malaga Wind Farm in Spain , The company has 14 wind farms in the autonomous region of Andalusia as a whole, in Granada, Cadiz and Almeria, which amount to 427MW of wind capacity . Andalusia now supplies close to 10% of Iberdrola Renovables' wind capacity in Spain . The company plans to end 2010 with a wind capacity of 842MW in the region. Currently , Iberdrola Renovables is developing projects that will generate a total of 1,500MW , of which 93% are wind , 6% are solar, and 1% are biomass .

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EU to warn Spain's telco operator over ADSL access

The European Commission will warn Spain's telecoms regulator (CMT) on Friday over plans to no longer oblige Telefonica to offer rivals wholesale internet at regulated prices, EU sources said . The sources familiar with the case said the EU executive will send a 'letter of serious doubt' to CMT over its proposals to no longer force the dominant telecoms operator to share its network with other providers including Vodafone and France Telecom's Orange . Until now, Telefonica has had to provide a wholesale ADSL internet service to its competitors in Spain at a regulated price, under rules designed to promote fair competition .

Euro zone in recession as economy shrinks

The Eurozone has entered into recession for the first time in its history with the GDP falling for the second consecutive quarter . Germany and Italy have seen two consecutive quarterly falls, while Spain has seen the first fall in GDP for 15 years, down 0.2% . The EU's statistics office , Eurostat , estimated that the economy of the 15 countries using the euro shrank 0.2% in July-September against the previous quarter after contracting by the same amount in April-June .
Falls in consumer spending here and a lack of investment are the main reasons for the 0.2% contraction , according to the numbers from the National Statistics Institute which coincide with the estimates made in the last bulletin from the Bank of Spain at the end of last month . The fall in interest rates will be passed on to those taking out a new mortgage or who renew their mortgage after Chirstmas. The monthly average of the Euribor for November has fallen to 4.5% and is expected to fall further . The euro zone is in its first ever technical recession.

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Real estate company Colonial makes loss of 2.5 bln euros

real estate company Colonial reported on Friday a nine-month net loss of 2.475 billion euros ($3.1 billion) after taking charges for plunging asset values . The loss compared to a profit of 356.9 million euros for the same period last year . Group sales for the nine months to end-September dived 23.7 percent to 472.8 million euros for the real estate firm which managed to put through a debt restructuring in September . The banks took partial control of Colonial earlier this year when some of its shareholders failed to meet obligations . Residential land sales fell by over a half . Net debt stood at 8.975 billion euros at the end of September .

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local television channel Localia. stations in Spain to closed

The Prisa company is reported to be closing their network of local television stations, Localia, which has a debt of 5 billion ?. Between 250 and 300 people will lose their jobs as the company concentrates on new digital terrestrial licences . The company cited regulatory difficulties, the economic slowdown and the fall in advertising revenue as reasons behind the decision . It comes after rival publishing group Zeta announced plans to lose 25% of its workforce. 533 of the 2,400 jobs in the company will go, 73 of them at the paper ?El Peri?dico de Catalunya?. ZTA also owns several other titles, including the magazine ?Interv?u? and ?Tiempo? among others. The company has 140 million ? debt which needs rapid refinancing .

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Power restored after cut on the Balearics

The Regional Government has demanded a full report on the breakdown off power that lead to eight hour with out power to some estimated that 574,000 people on Mallorca and Menorca .

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Bouncers detained over disco death In Madrid

An 18-year-old youth died yesterday after a skirmish outside the 'El Balc?n de Rosales' discotheque in Madrid . A National Police source confirmed that the victim suffered no actual blood injuries, but appears to have been savagely beaten . He died of a heart attack on his way to Madrid's Clinical Hospital shortly after the incident, which took place at around 5.30am yesterday morning . Three bouncers in their late twenties have been arrested and police are looking over CCtv footage . The autopsy will confirm cause of death, but emergency medics that attended the scene said that the victim may have sustained a myocardial contusion, or bruising to the heart muscle .

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The Spanish Prime Minister made the announcement at the end of the Washington Economic Summit.

Spanish Prime Minister, Jos? Luis Rodr?guez Zapatero, used the Washington Economic Summit on Saturday to reveal a new plan against the crisis in Spain . Spain intends to reactivate the economy with a program of public investment which will be presented to Congress on the 27th of the month, and taken on to the European Council in December . Zapatero sees the need to stimulate consumer spending . Zapatero is reported to be happy with his first appearance at meeting at this level , he was photo with G.Bush of him shaking hands

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La Liga table , Spanish Football Round Up http://www.spainexpat.com/spain/forum/viewthread/4028/

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Thousands queue to snap up budget off-plans

Controversial property magnate, Jos? Moreno, better known as the 'Well-digger of Fuenlabrada' , plans to build 2,100 new homes in "one of the big towns south of Madrid, or in a small town north of Toledo , " and sell them off at ?162,000 euros, or ?120,000 euros for those benefiting from a government housing grant . three thousand others had join the Q . An hour after inscriptions opened at 10am Satarday morning, more than two hundred mostly hard-up youngsters or divorcees had signed up . All you had to pay was ?120 deposit, which Mr Moreno promises to refund if the properties never get built, and a photo-identity document .

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Madrid City Hall closes discoth?que But Not in Time One Dead


In fact the order to close the club was admitted on Friday, the day before the fatal attack, but there had not been time to carry it out . 2 Bouncers detained
over disco death In Madrid over the weekend . An 18-year-old youth died due to injuries a appears to have been savagely beaten . The club opened in 2000, and since 2005 there have been 47 denuncias placed against it, 12 of them complaints about the doormen, the rest mostly for noise and underage drinking . New regulations are being drawn up in the capital to better control club doormen or bouncers, legislation which will go after the club owner as well as the employee concerned in the case of any aggression. It?s feared that currently club owners use potential delinquents as doormen, rather people who are qualified for the job . Police have ask all public House to have CCTV aswell . But The Deputy Mayor of Madrid, Manuel Cobo, has announced that the City Hall is cancelling the permission for the ?El Balc?n de Rosales? discoth?que to trade .

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Top Basque militant arrested in France

The 35-year-old Spaniard known by the alias ??Txeroki?? is the reputed head of ETA?s commando units. He was arrested along with an unidentified Spanish woman, a police official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly . Police seized a handgun, documents and a computer from the hideout, the official said . President Nicolas Sarkozy hailed the arrest as a sign of cooperation between French and Spanish police . ETA ended that truce in December 2006 after the negotiations failed, detonating a massive car bomb at Madrid?s Barajas airport and killing two people .

Eta man bailed after NI extradition hearing

A convicted Basque terrorist fighting attempts to have him extradited from Northern Ireland to face charges in Spain has been granted bail and ordered to report to police daily . Extradition proceedings against Inaki de Juana Chaos were launched before the Recorder?s Court in Belfast after the 53-year-old surrendered for arrest by agreement . He has been living in Dublin Ireland and west Belfast for the last six weeks following his freeing from jail in Spain in August .

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40% Spain flights cancelled on Air France strike

Air France has cancelled 20 out of its 46 flights scheduled for Spain today, affecting routes between Madrid, Barcelona, Bilbao, Paris and Lyon . A company spokesman said that passengers have been informed, and that , wherever possible , alternative travel arrangements are being made . More Stricke to happen befor Christmas , Airlingus the Irish carry are to strike befor the holidays and will affecting routes between Madrid, Barcelona, Malaga

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Euribor rate, used to set mortgages has fallen to 4.4%, a level lower than where it was a year ago. It means 20 ? a month off the average mortgage from January and comes as the International Monetary Fund is demanding that the European Central Bank reduce rates even more . Employment in the Services sector has fallen by 1.3% according to the new numbers just released for September . Spending was down for the fifth consecutive month, down 2.8% compared to the same month last year . Assistant president of the Spanish Hostelry Federation, Jos? Luis Guerra, said that he expected income to see a fall of between 3 and 3.5% compared to last year . On a good note sales were up were the Basque Country, Arag?n and Asturias .

Tenth property giant files for bankruptcy
The huge real estate company Tremon over the weekend presented a case for bankruptcy protection after stating that it was unable to confront a debt totaling nine hundred million euros, but insiders stated that the real figure was likely to be over a billion . The court proceedings were the latest step in a downward spiral for the company that initially had presented a share offering halfway through last year , only to pull out due to the instability of the markets , and in Jnuary this year, some fifty directors were fired as part of a cost-cutting procedure . The company is believed to own the Banco Pastor ?76.9m and the Valencian bank Bancaja almost ?70m .

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Ski worker killed in lift fall .

Ski worker killed in Chair - lift fall . A 61-year-old man from Zaragoza died last night after falling from a chair-lift at around 9.30pm at the Baqueira Beret ski resort where he worked . Although the man survived the initial fall , he died of his injuries soon after arriving at Vielha Hospital in Lleida .

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40 billion ? available to Eu car manufacturers aid package from Eu

Spain are reported to be searching for solutions to the crisis in the car industry, with meetings taking place here between the Minister for Industry, Miguel Sebastian, and Jos? Montilla, President of the Generalitat Catalan government , to talk about the planned 1,600 redundancies in Nissan in Barcelona.
Meanwhile Angela Merkel is talking to Opel executives about similar problems there. It comes amid reports that the European Union could make 40 billion ? available to car manufacturers . while Usa car , Obama says U.S. must help automakers , get through their cash crisis while making sure that any aid to the automakers creates a ?sustainable'' industry. ?We need to provide assistance,'' Obama said in an interview aired today on the CBS TV program ?60 Minutes.''
more on the usa problem go to there website abc.com

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Pirates capture Saudi oil tanker

Pirates have seized a giant Saudi-owned oil tanker in the Indian Ocean off the Kenyan coast and are steering it towards Somalia, the US Navy reports . The US-bound tanker was captured on Saturday some 450 nautical miles (830km) south-east of Mombasa, and is now approaching the Somali port of Eyl . The Sirius Star is carrying its full load of 2m barrels - more than one-quarter of Saudi Arabia's daily output . Its international crew of 25, including two Britons, is said to be safe . Lt Nathan Christensen, a spokesman for the US Navy's 5th Fleet, said the attack was "unprecedented" . More http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7733482.stm

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Citigroup job cuts 300,000 worldwide

Citigroup said the 75,000 job cuts represented a reduction of about 20% of its staff, leaving it with 300,000 jobs worldwide "in the near term" . The cuts will come from redundancies, the sale of units and natural wastage, the bank said . Citigroup has lost more than $20bn (?13.6bn) in the past year because of the global financial crisis . It has reported four straight quarterly losses and some analysts believe the bank will not make a profit again until 2010 . Of the 52,000 job losses, around half are understood to already be accounted for with the previously announced sale of Citigroup's German retail banking business and an Indian outsourcing operation . With more than 3,000 employees and 112 locations, including branches throughout Spain

Citigroup is expected to cut the remaining 25,000 jobs by the first half of 2009. Citigroup declined to comment on the cuts

Spain's most wanted man ETA chief handed to French anti-terror squad

Basque separatist rebel group ETA, arrested in southern France on Monday, has been moved to the custody of anti-terrorist police near Paris, the Paris prosecutor's office said Tuesday . Garikoitz Aspiazu Rubina, known by his alias "Txeroki" or "Cherokee" and Spain's most wanted man , was arrested along with female ETA suspect Leire Lopez in France's mountainous Pyrenean region near the Spanish border .

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Yorkshireman arrested over Spanish death in businessman in Barcelona Oct

A YORKSHIREMAN has been arrested over the death of a businessman in Barcelona, police said today . The body of Derek Cowan, from Larkhall in Lanarkshire , was discovered in his apartment in the Catalan capital on October 8 . Spanish police said an Englishman known to Mr Cowan, 46, was in custody after being arrested on warrant at the weekend . Suspect William Madley , 44, is reported to be an ex-Royal Navy officer and former business partner of the victim .
Police said in a statement they were interviewing Mr Madley, from Huddersfield . A murder inquiry was launched following the "violent" death of Mr Cowan, who settled in Spain several years ago and was involved with various firms .

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Bogus pill dealers detained

The Civil Guard started their investigations last March when they were alerted to advertisements on internet web pages complaint that pills are all fake .
A Dutchman and a resident of the United States have been arrested for selling the fake drugs over the net . who now faces charges of acting against public health and against industrial copyright given that the pills are all fake, albeit excellent looking copies , but with only 68% of the active ingredient . The pills have an estimated value on the black market of 1 million 300,000 ? .

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One Brith and 36 arrests more arrested as part of heroin drug trafficking gang in Spain

38 people have been arrested across Spain of a gang of drug runners who were allegedly distributing heroin from Turkey though a centre in La Ca?ada Real in Madrid . The arrests were carried out in Oviedo, Gij?n, La Felguera in Asturias, Unquera in Cantabria, Arganda del Rey in Madrid, Sevilla and Fuengirola in Andaluc?a and El Ferrol in Galicia in an operation which was opened in April . 13.5 kilos of heroin, 1.8 kilos of cocaine, more than 14 kilos of material to cut the drugs, money, jewellery and other items have all been recovered . Police say the group was laundering some 200,000 ? from the sale of the drug daily using a British man to do so . The others arrested are Spanish, Turkish, Pakistani, Bulgarian and Greek .

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Seve Ballesteros "Spanish golf great" leaves intensive care

Golf great Seve Ballesteros diagnosed with brain tumour in Oct this year The 51-year-old Spaniard will remain in the hospital to continue rehabilitation following three operations in 18 days . Madrid's La Paz hospital said the healing process is slow and there was no timetable for his release . Restricted visits are being allowed for the first time . Ballesteros underwent a 6?-hour operation Oct. 24 to remove the tumor and reduce swelling around the brain. He was admitted Oct. 6 after fainting at Madrid's international airport . Ballesteros won the British Open in 1979, 1984 and 1988 and became the first European to win the Augusta Masters in 1980, a title he repeated in 1983 . He was an influential figure in the Ryder Cup , winning 20 points from 37 matches and captaining Europe to victory at Valderrama in 1997 .

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Judge drops civil war probe

Spain's most famous judge abandoned a drive for a symbolic indictment of the late Gen . Francisco Franco and his regime, dropping a probe Tuesday into atrocities committed during and after the country's ruinous civil war . Judge Baltasar Garzon reluctantly yielded in a dispute over jurisdiction, and transferred the case to lower courts . Garzon, a human rights and terrorism crusader known for going after Osama bin Laden and Chile's late Augusto Pinochet, launched a probe last month into the killings of tens of thousands of civilians by Franco supporters during the 1936-39 war and in the early years of his right-wing rule .
It was the first official investigation into a still-divisive period of history which had been taboo for many Spaniards, and was shaping up as another huge case for Garzon . He argued that Franco and his cohorts engaged in a crime against humanity?Garzon cited a systematic campaign by Franco to eliminate opponents?and said this had no statute of limitations. The judge ordered the unearthing of 25 mass graves believed to hold remains of victims of pro-Franco militia . Prosecutors at Garzon's National Court challenged him on grounds he lacked jurisdiction. They argued that such crimes were covered by an amnesty passed in 1977?two years after Franco died?as Spain moved to restore democracy and focus on rebuilding their ruined nation rather than on reopening old wounds .

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Bad debts UP
Bad debts in Spain are on the up, with the latest numbers showing that families now owe 22.76 billion. The number triples that of a year ago . National Association of Financing and Credit Establishments (ASNEF EQUIFAX) The data also shows that after seven months of falls the number of 500 ? notes in circulation rose in October by 3.7%. The notes still make up 70% of the total cash in circulation in Spain, some 112 million ? .
NO TAX CUTS .
The Spanish Minister for the Economy, Pedro Solbes, has said that he has ruled out any further tax cuts, despite the fact that it now appears that Spain cannot avoid recession in the last quarter of the year. He told the Cadena Ser radio station today that until the figures are published that he preferred not to speak of recession, but that the Government was prepared as that was its job .
Questioned for state aid planned for the banks .
The Spanish Monopolies Commission, the Comisi?n Nacional de Competencia, has questioned the state aid planned for the banks. President, Luis Berenguer, has criticised the help given to banks around the world in the face of the current financial crisis. He considers that what could happen is that you help those inefficient banks in detriment to those who have acted correctly . He meanwhile said the Commission is working on three new reports for the next quarter on solicitors, the distribution of petrol and on the management of copyright .
Commercial Rent is down
Madrid Commercial Rent is coming down aswell as rent .
Some markets have already had rent decreases, CB Richard Ellis said. Rents dropped 5 percent over six months to 4.6 percent to $392 a square foot in Madrid. Tokyo is the fifth most expensive city for retail rents, and Madrid is 21st, CB Richard Ellis said .
Still , half the 88 markets tracked by CB Richard Ellis had a rise in retail rents over the past year, with 65 percent of those having increases over the six months ended Sept. 30, the brokerage said .

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TDT - Televisi?n Digital Terrestre

Spain's government will allocate ?35 million towards expanding its Digital Terrestrial TV signals over the nation this year .
This investment is mainly addressed to complete the first phase of the country's DTT Transition Plan whose limit date for the analogue switch off is June 30, 2009. At the end of this period a total of 5.6 million Spaniards (or 12,6% of its total population) will have exclusively digital reception . At the same time the central government has already allocated soft loans and credits for ?560 million for the development of transmission infrastructures in order to complete the national plan . Francisco Ros, Secretary of State for Telecommunications and the Information Society said new technologies such as Internet and mobile phones "are discovering characteristics never existing before which will change in an intense way DTT's future " . Mr Ros underlined that these changes "aren't either small nor superficial" and he assured they are being received "intensively" by the users .

Spain wary of renewed ETA attacks

Spain is on full alert in case of a new attack by ETA in the wake of the arrest of the Basque separatist organisation?s alleged military chief, Interior Minister Alfredo Perez Rubalcaba said yesterday . ?It must be expected ,? he said on Cadena Sur radio . ?ETA will try to convince us that it is not so weakened? following the arrest in France on Monday of Miguel de Garikoitz Aspiazu Rubina . Rubalcaba said that ETA?s leadership also wanted to counter a growing feeling of weakness among the group?s activists and supporters following a string of arrests of its top figures .

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health and tackle obesity in School

Spanish school pupils and Eu Pupils throughout Europe will soon be offered free fruit every week under an EU initiative agreed yesterday to improve children?s health and tackle obesity. EU Agriculture Commissioner Mariann Fischer Boel said the commission would provide 90mn euros ($114mn) per year to finance the project, with member states pitching in on a voluntary basis . The agreement was reached at a meeting of EU farm ministers in Brussels, with the free distributino of fruit planned to begin at the start of the 2009-2010 school year, the EU?s executive arm announced. ?Giving kids good habits at an early age is crucial as they will carry these into later life,? Fischer Boel said . ?Too many of our children eat far too little fruit and vegetables and often don?t realise how delicious they are . ?You only have to walk down any high street in Europe to see the extent of the problems we face with overweight kids. Now we can do something about it .? The idea had its origins in a reform of the EU fruit and vegetables subsidy system last year . Rather than destroy overproduction in order to keep prices down , the plan to provide them free to school children was born .

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BBC Worldwide Channels Launches Its First Spanish-language Channel in the U.S. soon two be in Spain 09

Darren Childs, Managing Director -- BBC Worldwide Channels commented, "The introduction of a Spanish version of CBeebies into the U.S. Hispanic market is a momentous achievement for BBC Worldwide Channels in this hugely competitive territory. As well as complementing BBC AMERICA, which recently celebrated its tenth anniversary, it means that we're able to reach out to millions of Americans for whom Spanish is their first language." it is touhjt the channel will be in spian soon as satellite capacity is available in 09

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New breasts ?

The Ministry for Health in Spain, and the Valencia City Hall, have both said they will fine the Pacha discoth?que in the city for raffling a cosmetic procedure to give one of the club?s clients larger breasts . The raffle for the prize, worth 4,500 ? takes place among those present in the club on December 5 .
Minister for Health, Bernat Soria, has said his department has opened and investigation and disciplinary action against the club , adding that cosmetic surgery comes under his Ministry . He said he would be particular concerned if the advertising was aimed at those under 18 . Valencia regional government is investigating whether the publicity from the club is sexist, and regional health councillor, Loudes Bernel, voiced her ?total indignation as a woman, and as being the person responsible for health, at this initiative which is frivolous with health?. She lamented the use that was being made of women by the club, demanded the raffle be cancelled and an apology be given . The club manager, Carlos Monsell, says they will not cancel the boob job promotion as it is ?nothing bad? and not illegal . ?I?m not the ETA terrorist Txeroki?, he added .

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More arrested following Crimestoppers campaign

2 More have been Another Briton has been arrested in Spain, following the Crimestoppers campaign which was launched on the Costa Blanca last week .
49 year old Andrew Alderman from Canturbury , who already faces a ten year sentence for the abuse and rape of an underage girl in the U.K. was arrested yesterday by National Police in Madrid . Reports indicate that he handed himself into the British Consul in the city . His arrest takes the number of detentions in the Captura 2 campaign to four of the ten being searched for . Another man, Alan Gordon, has been identified as being already in custody in jail on Mallorca for other crimes committed here in Spain .
The website is http://www.crimestoppers-uk.org and the phone line in Spain operated by British workers is 900 555 111

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World's first tailor-made trachea transplant

A Colombian woman has received the world's first tailor-made trachea transplant, grown by seeding a donor organ with her own stem cells to prevent her body rejecting it . The operation, performed last June using tissue generated from the woman's own bone marrow, is reported today in the British medical journal, The Lancet . he living tissue was then reconstituted using Ms Castillo's own cells, grafting them on to this biological scaffolding . Stem cells were obtained from her bone marrow, and cultivated in large numbers in Birchall's laboratory in Britain . They were then coaxed - using growth-stimulating proteins - into becoming cartilage cells using a method originally devised for treating osteoarthritis .

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Bad news for the economy as the slow-down gathers pace in Spain

The Spanish Government has admitted that the country could be facing a prolonged recession. Consumer spending in the second quarter was up just 0.1% compared to the 3% a year ago, with the increase in unemployment thought to be responsible for the downturn . Large items such as cars and electrical appliances have been hardest hit in consumer spending cuts . Investment is also down for the second consecutive quarter as the slowdown appears more spectacular than previously thought . Secretary of State for the Economy , David Vegara, today refused to rule out the scenario of a prolonged recession .
He said data for the third quarter showed continuing weakness , down 0.2%, the first fall since 1993 and confirmed by the National Statistics Institute today .
The Bank of Spain has called for prudence from the Government as they take fiscal measures to fight the economic crisis . The Governor of the Bank of Spain, Miguel ?ngel Fern?ndez, says that margins have to be maintained in case of things getting even worse . He said the Government should be very careful and prudent, both in the reduction in taxes and in spending plans. He said that care was needed as all the Governments would be on the borrowers market shortly, describing the current changes as ?pronounced?. He said he did not want debt to be greater than 3% of G.D.P .

Ryanair to Close more Spanish Routes From January ?09

Ryanair confirmed that it will close all of its routes to/from Fuerteventura from 31st January unless local tourism group AIE honors the commercial agreement it entered into with Ryanair to promote Fuerteventura as a tourist destination . Since Ryanair began flying to Fuerteventura in 2006, annual passenger numbers have increased over one hundred fold from just 2,000 to over 250,000 . However, because of the AIE?s breach of its agreement with Ryanair one of its Dublin flights to Fuerteventura was cancelled from 6th November. Ryanair has now confirmed that it will close its 9 international routes to/from Fuerteventura from 31st January unless the AIE honors its contractual commitments with Ryanair . Ryanair will close all services to/from Fuerteventura including Birmingham, Bremen, Dublin, Dusseldorf (Weeze), East Midlands, Frankfurt, Liverpool, London and Shannon from 31st January if agreement is not reached on these contract breaches before 6th December . Ryanair confirmed legal action against AIE and its individual members will continue for breach of agreement .

Three Spanish Crew Strip Off For 2009 Ryanair Charity Calendar you think all the airport want then flight in

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Valencia Pacha disco cancels boob job

Pressrelease for the Pacha disco said that he thought they had been misunderstood from the start , in the face of an avalanche of criticism, decided to cancel the draw for a boob job which it wanted to hold in the club on December 5 . The Ministry for Health and the Valencia City Hall have both opened files on the case and the club faced being denounced by the City Hall had the draw remained in place. A spokesman for the club said he thought they had been isunderstood on the matter from the start .

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Spain PM does not rule out Russian stake in Repsol

Industry Minister, Miguel Sebasti?n, the Spanish Prime Minister, Jos? Luis Rodr?guez Zaptero, on Thursday left the door open for Russian investment in the Spanish petrol giant Repsol YPF . La Caixa savings bank has also confirmed that it is in talks with Lukoil to sell its 9% shareholding in Repsol . Zapatero said the cabinet would be ?watching to see that things were done well and favourably for the strategic interests of Spain? . The opposition Partido Popular has said the sale should not happen and have criticised what they see as the ?passivity? of the Government .

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Greenpeace protest outside nuclear plant

Activists chained themselves to the main entrance gate at the plant in C?ceres , Garo?a , Burgos. A Greenpeace protest outside the Almaraz nuclear plant in C?ceres on Thursday blocked the main access for a number of hours, as activists demanded that the Spanish government put in place its ?promised plan to abandon nuclear energy .? One Greenpeace member flew over the installations in a powered paraglider to , as the organisation said in a press release, to highlight ?lack of security and control? in Spain?s nuclear plants . 20 others chained themselves to the main gate, unfurling two large banners with the words, ?No to nuclear power . Greenpeace calls on the government to begin a plan for the urgent progressive closure of all nuclear power stations and move towards a sustainable energy programme based on ?cleaner and renewable? energy .

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Spain slipping into 12-month recession says Central Bank

Spain is likely to slip into recession in the fourth quarter and stay there during 2009, Bank of Spain governor Miguel Angel Fernandez Ordonez said on Wednesday in Madrid . His comments followed figures showing that the Spanish economy had contracted by 0.2% in the third quarter, the first shrinkage since 1993 . "The scenario for the next quarters is very similar to that of the third quarter," Mr Ordonez said. The Euro-zone officially entered recession last week .
Spain's economy has relied heavily on construction and consumer spending, but the global financial crisis and rising unemployment have hit economic expansion hard .Fernandez Ordo?ez forecasted an intensified slump in spending on new construction projects , ?with an abrupt halt in housing starts next year?. Consumer spending will also slow further, he added . He said negative domestic demand could be countered by exports, if they remained robust, and a continued fall in imports . Analysts said that the third quarter figures reported by the National Statistics Institute where worse than expected .

The International Monetary Fund has predicted that Spain's economy would grow by just 1.4% in 2008, slower than expected, and shrink by 0.7% in 2009 .
Spain's Labour Ministry reported at the beginning of November that the number of unemployed people in Spain had reached a 12-year high of 11.3% .

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British tourists will choose non-Euro destinations next summer

The 20% revaluation of the currency has led to the fear that many British tourists will choose non-Euro destinations next summer . Hoteliers on the Costa Blanca have voiced fears that British tourists will chose Egypt or Turkey this year instead of Spain because of the 20% fall in the value of the pound against the Euro. A Euro was worth 67 pence in June, and is now up to 81 pence . The regional government and tourist board has said they will be spending more on advertising the Costa Blanca and Benidorm brands in Britain this winter, and will be supporting the smaller independent tour operators who work with the low-cost airlines to try and keep numbers up. New promotions are also planned for the first time in Liverpool and Birmingham . The British market represents 2.5 million tourists for the Costa Blanca, of which 90% stay in hotels, but already the largest operator, the TUI group of Thomson and First Choice has announced a 27% reduction in capacity in places to the Costa Blanca for summer 2009 .

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Students and Police clash in Barcelona and European

The students were demonstrating about the European Bologna Study Plan . There was a running battle on the streets of Barcelona between students and police on Thursday after security forces moved in to break up the demonstration which had been called over the new European student study plan known as the Bologna Process . The two sides met in Las Ramblas where the Anti Riot squad of the regional police, Los Mossos d?Esquadra had set up a cordon.
Some students and journalists were slightly injured by truncheon blows . The march then re-gathered and the students headed for the University offices where they tried to occupy the Rector?s office without success. Similar marches took place in other European cities .

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The dead are doing bit for the green

Barcelona town the first in Spain to install Solar Panels in the Cemetery. the dead are gone green . The plant at Santa Coloma de Gramenet generates enough power for 60 families . The Town Hall in the Barcelona municipality of Santa Coloma de Gramenet, is claiming a first . It is the first place in Spain to install solar panels in the local cemetery. The panels placed above the typical Spanish niches generate enough power to supply 60 families a year and saves 62 tons of CO2 a year . There are 462 panels in total, making up 752 square metres. The installation has cost the Town Hall 720,000 ? and the power generated is now going to the local grid . There are plans to triple the size of the current plant . But when asked are you going to Enlarge Cemetery aswell replyed no comment

Terrorists target TV transmitter station at Bilbao

ETA detonated a 6-8kg bomb last night, causing serious damage to the Mt. Arnotegi TV transmitter station on the outskirts of Bilbao that they last attacked nine months ago, on February 23rd . On that occasion, a warning call was made and the device, which had been booby-trapped, exploded when touched by a bomb disposal robot . The transmitter station, apart from boosting publi TV and radio signals, also provides coverage for police, emergency and security forces' internal communication systems . It was when this signal failed that officers were sent out to investigate, but it was decided to postpone a proper visual inspection until first light this morning, for safety reasons, after it was confirmed that the perimter fence had been breached .

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Police used violent force to disperse anti-Franco march

Two youths were arrested during an anitfascist march through Granada city centre last night to mark the 33rd anniversary of the death of Francisco Franco.
Eye-witnesses said that after one of the youths had shouted "you have no shame" , they were chased by around half a dozen officers into a blind alley near the Plaza del Carmen when they were subdued and detained . They were then allegedly held in a side street off the calle Mesones where their cries of pain attracted a small crowd of concerned passers-by and local residents , who were promptly moved on by the police . During the demonstration, a number of garbage containers were overturned and set alight, antifascist slogans such as 'Granada will be the tomb of fascism' and 'No Nazis' were daubed on a number of public and private buildings on the calles San Juan de Dios and Gran Capit?n , a police patrol car was daubed with red and yellow paint and rocks and missiles were thrown as the march descended into a running battle with riot police . It began at 9.30pm in the Plaza de la Libertad following a meeting of the National Employment Confederation (CNT) that had been authorised by the local authorities .

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BBVA sit-in ends peacefully lastnight

Around 300 protesters who camped out inside BBVA headquarters in Granada city centre last night in protest at the government's bank bailout scheme for banks and real estate companies, have now left the building after local MP Antonio Cruz agreed to a meeting at 9am this morning . Among other demands, protest organisers are calling for two billion euros to be set aside out of next year's budget to guarantee "at least four months basic wages" for those most directly affected by the current economic crisis .

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Free cab rides for English speakers

If you are going to be in Madrid, Barcelona, Sevilla, Bilbao, Valencia or Santiago de Compostela between now and December 13th, keep an eye out for one of five authentic black London cabs plastered in adverts for a well-known brand of gin . Why? Because, for the four days the cabs are in each of the cities, anyone able to hold a conversation in English will travel for free

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Spain Radio & tv add market unlikely to pick up in '09

Spain's advertising market is unlikely to improve in 2009, Telecinco Chief Executive Giuseppe Tringali said on Friday . Television advertising revenue could shrink 11 or 12 percent in 2008 from the over 3 billion euros ($3.76 billion) the sector generated in 2007, due to Spain's economic slowdown, Tringali told a news conference in Madrid . Television advertising in Spain in terms of minutes per hour fell about 20 percent in October from a year earlier, he added . Earlier this week, Portuguese Bank BPI analysts cited Telecinco Financial . Director Javier Uria as saying that overall spending in advertising fell between 22 and 24 percent year-on-year . The TV channel broadcast 9.4 minutes of advertising per hour in October, compared with 12 minutes a year earlier, Tringali said . Telecinco is a unit of Italy's Mediaset .

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Airbus is to stop production off A380 in Spain

Airbus is to stop production of pieces for the A380 super jumbo at its plants in Spain. Three factories here currently produce part of the tail of the jet and employ some 3,000 workers. 455 workers are to be temporarily laid off at the Spanish factories in Getafe, Puerto Real and Toledo, which will be closed between December 1 and 23, but workers will be kept on up to 98% pay.

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Zapatero on Obama: ?The governors can fulfill their promises although it is not easy?

Washington Post compares to the Spanish president with Barack Obama . It assures that ?both have arrived at the power in the name of a new generation?
It picks up declarations of Zapatero: ?Obama must listen Europe and the inverse one? . The election of Obama has raised sense of expectancy before the ?government of the change?

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The fines of the Civil Guard increase a 11% in first half of the year

In the first six months of the year the Civil Guard interposed 1.323.409 denunciations by infractions of Traffic . In the first trimester the denunciations increased a 27.8% in comparison with the three first months of 2007 . Andalusia, Castilla-La Mancha, Castile and Leon, and Madrid, th e communities that accumulate more fines . In 2008 they are hoped to collect 360 million Euros in fines and, in 2009, 416 million Euros .

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Thousands protest outside El Balc?n de Rosales Madrid at death of 18 year old

Friends and family of the victim, ?lvaro Uss?a, led the demonstration . Friends and family of the 18 year old, ?lvaro Uss?a, beaten to death allegedly by doormen of a Madrid discoth?que last weekend, demonstrated in Madrid on Friday night . Thousands gathered where the youngster died and made an improvised altar with flowers, photographs and candles. Numbers were so great that police had to close of several local streets. Among those present was the President of the Regional Government, Esperanza Aguirre . Some carried banners saying the City Hall was responsible . The City Hall have since ordered the closure of the discoth?que which had several outstanding complaints against it . Meanwhile in the summary into the investigation, one of the doormen, David Sancio Guti?rrez, now revealed to be more a friend of the establishment , El Balc?n de Rosales , was accused by a witness of knocking the victim to the ground using the full weight of his body and hitting the victim?s chest with his knees .

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Spain Modernise the tourist industry

The cabinet has approved cheap loans for the sector in a plan worth 400 million Euro . The Spanish cabinet on Friday approved a new plan to renew the tourist industry in the country . 400 million ? is to be spent on the plan to modernise infrastructure of the companies operating in the sector . The Official Credit Institute, ICO, will offer soft loans to finance up to 90% of projects at an interest rate of 1.5% under the plan which will remain in force until the end of next year . Hotels, camp sites, rural accommodation, restaurants and other establishments linked to the tourism industry can all apply . Deputy Prime Minister, Mar?a Teresa Fern?ndez de la Vega, said the objective was to increase quality in an industry which was one of the economic motors of the Spanish economy . The Confederation of Spanish Hotels has welcomed the plan which they described as the first step to create specific financing for the tourism industry . with cheap flights the hotel industry want come in the real world aswell .

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Barcelona Face Crucial Fixture December

November has historically been a horror month for Barcelona, but it has been anything but that in this campaign , as they approach December on top of the league . As a result , they are perfectly placed to tackle what should prove to be an extremely challenging run of fixtures . After the match against Getafe tonight, Barcelona will face Sevilla, Valencia, Real Madrid and Villareal . Given that these are the sides expected to fight for the title, the following month could well decide the destination of the trophy come the end of the season. Indeed , all four of those teams will be playing each other as well in the coming weeks .
Barcelona's biggest rivals have always been Real Madrid , but Los Merengues are hardly in top form . Their win yesterday was unconvincing at best , and to make matters worse, their main goalscorer Gonzalo Higuain has now joined Ruud Van Nistelrooy and Arjen Robben on the injury list. As a result, their efforts to sign a forward in the January transfer window will be stepped up even further , given that out of favour ex-Barca striker Javier Saviola is the only other alternative to a lacklustre Raul .

"A league title can never be won or lost before December, but Barcelona's league campaign could be defined by their next month of matches".

Spain wins doubles, leads Davis Cup final 2-1
MAR DEL PLATA, Argentina - Feliciano Lopez and Fernando Verdasco sent a chill through Argentine tennis Saturday , winning their doubles match to give Spain a 2-1 lead in the Davis Cup final . Lopez and Verdasco defeated David Nalbandian and Agustin Calleri 5-7, 7-5, 7-6 (5), 6-3, boosting Spain's hopes of winning the best-of-five championship on the road despite the absence of an ailing Rafael Nadal . Spain could be in good position for its third Davis Cup crown if Argentina's leading player, Juan Martin del Potro, cannot play reverse singles Sunday because of a leg injury . "This was an important victory; it gives us life," Spain captain Emilio Sanchez Vicario said. "We need one more game ."

Spain has never won the Davis Cup away from home. Argentina, unbeaten at home since 1998, has to sweep both for its first Davis Cup triumph .

Holiday hotspot goes under "La Manga Club"

THE global financial meltdown finally hit where it hurts last week, as two popular holiday resorts collapsed into insolvency . The La Manga Club, a resort in southern Spain favoured by football clubs including Manchester United , as well as tennis stars such as Anna Kournikova, declared itself insolvent after its banks declined to refinance part of its ?97m (?82m) debt. The resort, on the Costa Calida , includes a five-star hotel and three golf courses . It hit the headlines in 2003 when Rio Ferdinand was alleged to have brawled with staff while there with the England team . Med Group , a developer controlled by billionaire hedge fund manager George Soros and Perry Capital, another hedge fund, bought the club for ?102m in 2004 from P&O;. Across the Atlantic the Yellowstone Club, a hideaway in Montana that boasts a private ski mountain for its 340 members, including Bill Gates and former US vice-president Dan Quayle, declared bankruptcy after it was unable to service its $343m (?231.5m) debt .

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Cold spell from today Will Hit Spain

The Spanish Meteorological Agency says that overnight lows will go below minus five in some areas from Wednesday in many places inland . The low temperatures will be accompanied by heavy rain in Cantabria and the Pyrenees on Monday and Tuesday, falling as hail at times in stormy and windy conditions .
The snow line will be around just 600m in the north, 1,500m in the south. 30 cms of snow is forecast above 600 metres in Navarra . New cold spell from today as a mass of cold air affects first the far north of the country, but will then move across the rest of the country and the Balearic Islands as the week continues.

Snow in the north of the country and a tornado in the Tarragona and Mallorca area have brought traffic chaos and some damage to building over the weekend .
river flooded , roads closed due to rock falls and Mallorca got hit again with tornados ,flights Dalys and havey rains and hight winds damage buildings . while we going to air it was snow in Navarra .

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The IBEX 35 had been rallying in Madrid today up 8.13%

The Euribor, the interest rate used for the setting of most mortgages in Spain, has fallen to 4.077% in its daily rate , its lowest level for 21 months . It?s the 37th consecutive daily fall for the index which looks like ending the month below 4.4% . Those who have mortgages revised at the new year will see payments cut by some 20 ? for an average loan .

The Chairman of Santander, Emilio Bot?n, has said that 80% of the bank?s rights issue has been taken up so far by small shareholders as the social capital is increased by 7.19 billion ?. He said he was very happy with how it was going .

Leader of the Partido Popular opposition in Spain, Mariano Rajoy, has said the sale of shares in Repsol to the Russian company Lukoil, will weaken Spain. He says he opposes the sale for reasons of ?mere survivial?, and asks whether Obama or Sarkozy would put one of their energy supply companies in the hands of a Russian company.

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Stays in Spain?s hotels fell by 5.1%.

The number of overnight stays in Spain?s hotels fell by 5.1% in October year on year, with prices reporting a 0.3% increase. It?s the third consecutive month of falls in the hotel occupancy numbers, and the largest fall since April . The number of stays from residents was down 8.7% and tourists down 2.8%. 8.4 million overnight stays in October came from Britons and Germans . Over the first ten months of the year 242.8 million overnight stays have been taken, down 0.1% on the same period last year . The numbers show in particular that less Spaniards are making weekend getaways .

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Spanish Judge - end up in court over Children adopted by homosexuals

Family court judge, Ferr?n Calamita, has been in court in Murcia today, charged with maliciously delaying such an adoption . Right wing Murcia family judge, Fernando Ferr?n Calamita, today has told journalists, after the first day of his hearing in the Murcia Supreme Court, that the children adopted by homosexuals are human guinea-pigs . He told the press he had nothing against such adoptions being the law, but then added, another thing was his opinion . Earlier he had told the court that he had asked for a second report on the adoption in question as he considered the first one failed to talk of the repercussion on the child , although it said the couple were capable to look after the child .

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Spanish wind power hits record 43 pct of demand

Spain's wind farms briefly provided a record 43 percent of demand for electricity early on Monday, producers' association AEE said . Wind power hit a aximum later in the day of 10,263 megawatts, which compares to a production record of 10,880, set on April 18 . Renewable energy has boomed in recent years in Spain, as the country tries to cut greenhouse gas emissions and reduce its heavy dependence on fuel imports . Spain is the third-largest generator of wind power in the world, with about 16,000 MW of installed capacity and plants to have 20,000 MW by 2010 . Wind farms in 2007 saved Spain importing the equivalent of 6 million tonnes of crude, which would have cost 1.104 billion euros, and prevented the emission of 18 million tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) .

While In the desert of southern Spain, 20 miles outside Seville, more than 1,000 mirrors are being carefully positioned. Each is about half the size of a tennis court, so the adjustments will take time. But when they are complete in a few weeks , it will mark a major moment in the quest for renewable energy . The mirrors are part of the world's biggest solar tower plant, a technology that reflects sunlight to superheat water at a central tower. Once this ?80m (?67m) plant is inaugurated in January, it will generate 20MW of electricity, enough to power 11,000 Spanish homes .

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Spanish judge orders school to remove crucifixes

A judge in Spain has ordered a state school to remove crucifixes from the walls of classrooms, Spanish newspapers said Sunday . The judge in the northern city of Valladolid was complying with a 2005 request by a parent and a local secular association, which said Spain's constitution guarantees "freedom of religion" and ensures the "secular and neutral" character of the Spanish state . The judge, Alejandro Valentin, is the first in Spain to pass such a ruling . He ordered the Macias Picavea school to remove religious symbols from classrooms and public spaces . "The presence of these symbols in areas ... where minors are being educated can promote the idea that the state is closer" to Roman Catholicism than other faiths, the judge said in his ruling . PP Mayor of Valladolid, Francisco Javier Le?n, considered that in a country with an important Chirstian tradition, nobody can be offended by a cross. His comment come after a public college in his city has been ordered to remove such crosses . Juan Vicente Herrera, P.P. President of the Junta de Castilla y Le?n, has also defended the presence of crosses in the classroom, reminding us that Minister swear their allegiance before such a symbol .

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Eta head' linked to airport bomb

The suspected head of Basque separatist group Eta has been charged over the December 2006 Madrid airport bombing . The indictment, issued by a Spanish judge, says Miguel de Garikoitz Aspiazu Rubina ordered the attack and gave final instructions to the bombers . The attack marked Eta's return to violence following the failure of talks with the Spanish government . Mr Garikoitz Aspiazu, 35, is being held in France over the murder of two Spanish police officers there in 2007 .
He was arrested a week ago. On Friday, he was placed under formal investigation, a measure which under French law gives investigators more time to examine evidence .

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SPORTS ROUND UP

Spain 3, Argentina 1: Supporters Not Enough to Rescue Argentina Spain beats Argentina for third Davis Cup
Real Madrid Top La Liga Injury List
Barca top off la Liga

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Spanish super bid for 2018 World Cup

Re-elected Spanish Football Federation president Angel Maria Villar has promised to deliver an unbeatable bid to host the World Cup for a second time, while hints from governing body FIFA suggest Europe will get the nod . The host of the 1982 World Cup, Spain has all the necessary stadiums and infrastructure to host the tournament . The 1982 FIFA World Cup, the 12th FIFA World Cup, was held in Spain from 13 June to 11 July . Spain was chosen as hosts by FIFA in July 1966. This World Cup was won by Italy, who beat West Germany 3-1 in the final at Estadio Santiago Bernab?u, Madrid . Venues were

Fourteen cities hosted the tournament:

* Alicante, Estadio Jos? Rico P?rez
* Barcelona, Camp Nou and Estadio Sarri?
* Bilbao, Estadio San Mam?s
* La Coru?a, Riazor
* Elche, Nuevo Estadio
* Gij?n, El Molin?n
* Madrid, Estadio Santiago Bernab?u and Estadio Vicente Calder?n
* M?laga, La Rosaleda
* Oviedo, Estadio Carlos Tartiere
* Seville, Estadio Benito Villamar?n and Estadio Ram?n S?nchez Pizju?n
* Valencia, Estadio Luis Casanova
* Valladolid, Estadio Jos? Zorrilla
* Vigo, Estadio Balaidos
* Zaragoza, La Romareda


The World Cup finals are in South Africa in 2010 and in Brazil in 2014 .

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Bad weather across Spain claims its first victim

The wintery conditions and cold temperatures are set to continue all week with improvemt at weekend . The harsh winter weather hitting Spain this week has now resulted in a death, as well as led to complications for land and sea transport . A 50 year old man died in Asturias after he was buried inside his car by a landslide. It happened on the AS-227 road at Belmonte de Mirada, with the victim?s car buried under some 30 metres of earth and stones. The body of Eduardo Prieto was practically unrecognisable . Chains are needed because of the snowfalls on thirty mountain passes across the north of the country . Nine mini-tornados have been recorded in the sea off Mallorca, but none of them came ashore . only the airport was had few flight delays for saftey . The fishing fleet based along the Galician coast are staying in port because of the conditions . There is a risk of flooding in the Basque Country with the Oria, Urola and Deba rivers . Six regions of the country are on official alert for heavy rain and high winds; Asturias, Cantabria, Basque Country, Navarra, Arag?n and Castilla y Le?n .
The instability caused by the storm is set to continue all week and a new front will bring heavy rainfall to all areas, starting in the north and reaching the south by the weekend. Strong winds will continue to force the mercury downwards .

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Ford says it will idle Spain plant 21 days, affecting more than 5,000 workers

Ford Motor Co. says it will idle its plant in Valencia, Spain for 21 days because of slumping demand in a move that will affect over 5,000 workers .Ford spokesman Jose Perez says the vehicle factory in Almussafes will close for nine days in January. Starting in February it will shut down one day every two weeks, for a total of 12 more days . Another facility that makes engines will close for seven days, idling up to 450 workers. The measures stem from slack demand in European markets . The Almussafes factory employs around 6,000 people . Car manufacturing in Spain has been hit hard by the global economic crisis. Production in October was down 26 percent from last year .
Nissan pulls out of Detroit, Chicago auto shows , The Japanese carmaker joins Suzuki, Ferrari, Rolls-Royce, Land Rover and Mitsubishi in sitting out the Detroit event. while Nissan pulling from the two shows

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ETA terrorist to fight extradition from Britain

Juana Chaos member of the militant Basque separatist group ETA, who is wanted by Spain, will fight his extradition from Britain, a court in Northern Ireland was told Monday . Ignacio de Juana Chaos, 53, appeared at the Recorder's Court in Belfast Monday after surrendering for "arrest by agreement" ahead of the proceedings . Defence barrister Sean Devine told the court that his client did not consent to extradition request and would fight it. The arrest warrant provided by the Spanish authorities was "fundamentally flawed," said Devine . "The Spanish government have clearly made an error in law," Devine told the court, in a reference to a legal argument over whether the Spanish offence carried the necessary three-year sentence required for automatic extradition . The convicted ETA terrorists is wanted by the Spanish authorities on charges of praising or supporting terrorism in a letter that was read out in his name at a rally in Spain .
Barrister Stephen Ritchie, acting for the Spanish government, said the arrest warrant stated that on the day of his release on August 2 de Juana gave an identified woman a letter to be read out in his name urging a continuation of the armed struggle . However, de Juana, who is believed to have lived in West Belfast since his controversial release from prison has denied, through his Belfast lawyers, that he had authorized anyone to speak on his behalf . The ETA activist had only served 21 years of a sentence of more than 3,000 years for participating in 11 attacks that killed 25 people when he was freed . The new charges of praising terrorism were brought just a few days after his release , but de Juana failed to show up for the hearing in Madrid . Spain's top anti-terrorism court issued an international warrant for his arrest on November 11, requesting his extradition from Northern Ireland which is part of the United Kingdom . ETA has traditionally close links with Ireland and the British province of Northern Ireland via the Irish Republican Army (IRA) which , however , renounced the armed struggle in 2005 and has since disbanded .

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Felipe Gonz?lez and Carmen Romero separate

ex Prime Minister, Felipe Gonz?lez, and his wife, Carmen Romero, are to separate . The couple has been married for 40 years, but many think they have been effectively living separate lives for some years. It appears that there is no third party involved .

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Property sales continue to fall in M?laga province and all ove Spain

The province of M?laga continues to lead Andaluc?a in the buying and selling of property, despite the large reduction in sales seen over the first nine months of this year . Compared to the same period in 2007, sales in the province are 11.69% down at 6,331, according to data from the Registers? College . Regionally across Andaluc?a sales are 26.1% down at 97,933, with the greatest falls being seen in resale property which is down 31.8% on the year. New property sales are 15.3% down over the year . Sale are down across Spain and on the coast area in the East aswell

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New regulations announced for holiday rentals in the Valencian Region

Angelica Such, the Valencian Region?s Minister of Tourism, has presented draft regulations that will affect holiday rentals in the Valencian Community, home to the Costa Azahar and the Costa Blanca . The plan is to get all home owners in the region who rent out their properties to tourists on a short-term basis, and who advertise their properties on the internet, to register with the tourist authorities . This will enable better control of holiday lettings by the department of tourism, and improve the quality of service, it is claimed . Justifying the new regulations, Angelica Such says it is ?fundamental to establish strict regulations to provide our tourists with holiday accommodation that is as regulated as possible .? The draft regulations, which still have to be passed into law by the regional parliament, will also introduce a new category of ?aparthotels?, offering 24-hour reception services . The result of a collaboration between the Ministry of Tourism and the tourist sector, the regulations ?address the worries and discontent in the tourism business with respect to the illegality of this type of accommodation ,? says Such . The new regulations are probably the result of pressure from the powerful hotel lobby to limit the competition from private holiday lettings . The new regulations may also make it easier for the government to clamp down on tax evasion, as many people who rent out their properties to tourists do not declare the rental income. If their activity is registered with the authorities, they may feel more pressure to do so .

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ETA plotted attack on America's Cup last year head in Court

A judge charged the suspected leader of the Basque separatist group ETA on Wednesday with plotting an attack on the America's Cup sailing race last year in Valencia, Spain . Judge Baltasar Garzon said Mikel de Garikoitz Aspiazu sent another suspected ETA member to Valencia to gather information on the city's port, ceremonies to be held in connection with the race and delegations that were to attend . Aspiazu, 35, was arrested last week in France and remains in custody there . Garzon said in a seven-page indictment that the emissary , Iker Agirre, was arrested in January 2007 as he entered Spain from France, en route to Valencia. The race was held in June and July 08. The judge charged the two men with belonging to a terrorist organization and conspiracy to commit murder . He charged five other suspected ETA members with terrorism for allegedly indoctrinating Agirre and training him to use explosives . Aspiazu had also ordered Agirre to gather information for attacks last summer in Alicante, a coastal resort region just south of Valencia,

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Sing Hallelujah ... costs 400Euro for noisy singing

The priest of the ?Power of Christ Mission? church in M?laga, Miracle Isaac, has been ordered to pay 400 ? because of the high volume of the singing in his church in Calle Juan Fern?ndez Suria . The church was closed at the start of the month by neighbours? complaints about the noise, and now a court in the city has imposed the 400 ? fine on the priest for disobeying orders to stop the singing . Miracle says he intends to appeal against the sentence .

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200-billion-euro economic plan

The European Commission has announced a new 200 billion euro ($259 billion) stimulus package aimed at steering the bloc out of a recession . European officials announced a two-year stimulus campaign on Wednesday , Nov. 26 aimed at jolting European Union economies out of a recession. The European Commission said it wanted 200 billion euros of extra spending and tax cuts over the next two years . "Exceptional times call for exceptional measures," European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said as the details of the plan were announced . The plan would represent 1.5 percent of the EU's gross domestic product (GDP). Around 170 billion euros needed to finance the plan would come from national governments and the rest from EU funds and the European Investment Bank . The European plan follows a US Federal Reserve announcement on Tuesday that it would spend up to $600 billion to purchase mortgage securities and $200 billion for asset-backed securities to help get credit to consumers . That money is in addition to the $700 billion rescue package already approved by Congress . Would a tax cut get Europeans spending again ? . In an attempt to bridge the differences of opinion, EU leaders put forward a proposal that gives member countries a set of options for dealing with the crisis, but steers clear of a one-size-fits-all solution . The Commission said that the stimulus measures will need to be quick, targeted and temporary. They will be a mix of revenue and spending instruments and will be accompanied by structural reforms . EU leaders will formally vote on the proposal at a summit in December meeting .

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Benidorm declares war on unruly tourists

Beaches will be off-bounds between midnight and 7am in a bid to stop drunken couples having sex in the sand after leaving the late night bars and discos .
Daytime beachgoers will be banned from playing ball games , urinating in the sea and building sand castles , which are said to make overnight cleaning more difficult . The raft of new measures to be brought in by the town hall also prohibit the drinking of alcohol as will fishing, and swimming when the red warning flag is flying . The measures also prevent sunbathers from laying out towels and erecting parasols before they are ready to take their place on the sand, a practice for which German holidaymakers have earned a reputation . The new set of by-laws governing beach use will be introduced by Benidorm's town council this week and those breaching the new regulations face fines of 120 euros (?100) for minor offences and up to 3,000 euros (?2,500) for serious misdemeanours .
The seaside town in southeastern Spain pioneered the package holiday in the 1950s to become the most popular resort on the Mediterranean. It now attracts more than five million holidaymakers each year.

Fines are listed below , have fun
List of misdemeanours and the fines they carry:

? Entering beach between midnight and 7am ? FINE: 750 euros
? Placing parasols and towels to reserve space ? FINE: 150 euros
? Playing ball games outside designated areas ? FINE: 120 euros
? Swimming when the red flag is flying ? FINE: 1,000 euros
? Urinating in the sea ? FINE: 150 euros
? Building sandcastles ? FINE: 150 euros
? Fishing with a rod or net ? FINE: 750 euros
? Fishing with a harpoon ? FINE: 1,100 euros
? Drinking alcohol on the beach ? FINE: 750 euros
? Sex on the beach ? FINE: 750 euros

Cost is priceless

Cold weather heads Coast del Sol area

The cold spell in Spain continues with the south of the country on alert for cold today . The Spanish Meteorological Agency has issued orange alerts for the areas of Madrid, Valencia, Murcia, Alicante and Almer?a today where high winds and snow are expected . Snowfall in parts of Almer?a is forecast to reach some six centimetres today. In Murc?a the depth could reach ten centimetres . The north and centre of the country continue to see moderate freezing . The area of the Strait is on yellow alert as are Cueta, M?laga and Melilla where heavy rain is forecast ? up to 20mm in an hour in places . In M?laga the cold spell has brought the first snows to the province and saw temperatures fall to zero in Ronda and in part of Antequera . The storm will move on tonight, but a new front will bring heavy rain and new storms with high winds to the Costa del Sol from late on Friday night and lasting over the weekend to Monday .

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Bank robber shot dead in shoot 2 injured Alicante

An armed robber has died, another is in a critical condition in hospital, and a National Policeman has been injured in a shoot-out following a bank robbery Alicante yesterday . It happened just before 1430 when at least two people tried to hold up a CAM savings bank close to the El Campet park in the town and take hostages inside . The two robbers tried to flee however when they saw the police arrive . In the shoot out, in which a total of 31 shots were fired, one of the robbers was shot dead at the scene in the road outside the bank, and the policeman was injured in the leg . A second injured robber was arrested and taken to hospital . The police say the attack was carried out by a gang which had been named by them as the Focus gang , as the same Ford Focus has been used in a series of robberies at banks in San Juan, Benidorm, Petrer and Alicante .

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Hundreds of Britons thought to be affected by new Costa del Sol real estate scam

The case came to light thanks to a Briton who brought it to the attention of the courts in the U.K. Several searches of real estate companies were carried out in Fuengirola and Mijas yesterday in connection with an alleged fraud which is thought to have affected hundreds of British citizens . The scam consisted in offering investment in what turned out to be false construction projects on the Costa del Sol, according to La Opini?n de M?laga this morning . One Briton affected by this made a complaint to the British courts and they have sent a commission to the Costa to investigate . The British judiciary gave the information to the National Court in Spain, which in turn passed it on to the courts in Fuengirola . The swoops yesterday, in both homes and businesses, were carried out by the Central Operations Unit of the Guardia Civil, and it?s thought that several people will now face charges . The scam was developed over the Internet . Meanwhile in what is described as a parallel operation, the Anti-corruption Prosecutor ordered searches of two ?little known? lawyers in Mijas. The investigation is into allegations of money laundering, not thought to be linked to the real estate scam .

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Sevilla newspaper kiosk disappears down a hole

A well known and popular kiosk selling the usual newspapers and other items in the centre of Sevilla has vanished down a hole . It happened in Calle Almirante Lobo at 16,20 yesterday afternoon, with the owner Juan Ariza only having the time to jump and grab hold of his wife and daughter as the ground gave way . He?s been running the kiosk for 16 years and is not impressed that it now lies six metres below the level of the pavement in a collapse caused by construction of the new Sevilla metro . he said may be selling papes underground hen it opens . possible delay to the opening of line one of the new metro, which was planned for December 20.

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Spain announces eleven billion Euro spending plan

The Spanish Prime Minister, Jos? Luis Rodr?guez Zapatero, told Congress that the plan would stimulate the economy and create jobs . The Spanish Prime Minister, Jos? Luis Rodr?guez Zapatero, has today presented to Congress his new plans to reactivate the economy . The new plan has a budget of 11 billion Euro, 8 billion of them going to local City and Town Halls, with the idea that the money is spent immediately on improving local infrastructures to absorb the people who have found themselves unemployed because of the construction and real estate market collapse . The projects must start immediately and fit into the category of the construction, rehabilitation or improvement of urban and social spaces. Work to improve advanced technology installations is also included in the plan. All the projects must start between January and April next year. The money for the local town halls is an effective doubling of the budget they were expecting for 2009 . There is also money for the car manufacturing industry, which the Prime Minister described as strategic, but only in exchange for express guarantees from them that jobs will be maintained. The car makers get 800 million ? . Other provisions are 600 million ? for environmental works, 500 million ? for research and development, 120 million for the rehabilitation of housing and for investment in social tourism . There will also be 400 million ? for the regional governments to be spent on the new Dependency Law which Zapatero described as ?an important creator of employment?. He said he hoped that 200,000 jobs would be created by the measures next year . The plan will be introduced by Royal Decree, after being approved by the cabinet, probably tomorrow .
The leader of the Partido Popular opposition, Mariano Rajoy described the plans as ?chaos and disorder?, and called for ?a real and complete economic project?

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Cheaper Mobiles SMS

SMS mobile phone text messages from outside Spain to Spain are set to become cheaper. The European Union has approved a new lower 11 cents rate per message which will be introduced on July 1 2009 . The average current international SMS price across Europe is 33 cents, while in Spain it is 44 cents. International internet calls are also set to fall in price. 1mb is 7 euros when roaming and take 3 mb for you phone to log on to the system cost you 21euros befor you surf very time . Commission proposed to introduced price caps for SMS (11 cents vs. current average 29 cents per message while travelling abroad) and measures to tackle ?bill shocks? for consumers who can receive bills of thousands of Euros for surfing the internet through a mobile connection.

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Gunmen 'still holed up in Mumbai'

The Thai prime minister vows to take action on paralysing anti-government protests at Bangkok's two main airports

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Woolworths support by Brown

Administrators were appointed to the struggling chain on Wednesday. PC World owner reports ?30m loss










core shareholder Caja Madrid expects BA merger to go ahead , BRIEF-Caja Madrid expects Iberia, BA deal to go ahead

An Airbus 320 crashes in France on a flight test

An Airbus A320 plane has been rushed to sea with seven crew on board off the coast of Perpignan in southern France Mediterranean an Airbus A320 with seven people on board. The aircraft had left the airport in Perpignan-Ribesaltes, where he had been repaired just before, as explained a spokesman for the airport, and conducted a tour of practice. The French regional authorities have found three crew members killed, while the search continues for another four. On board were traveling seven people, technicians from the company perpi?anesa EAS, which is responsible for maintenance and repair of several model airplanes, including the Airbus A320 as the ill-fated. Sources from the prefecture of Perpignan have explained that the rescue efforts are underway in the coastal town of Canet de Roussillon, the area nearest to the accident and where several witnesses, fishermen's village, saw the device fell into the sea towards the five in the afternoon . Until there have moved a hundred firefighters equipment for the rescue efforts, but for now the status is unknown six crew members. . The ship could belong to the airline Air New Zealand New Zealand. At the airport of Perpignan's strong point tramontana and bad weather as factors that may have influence in the incident.

The A320 is one of the best-selling Airbus aircraft.

23 drug traffickers arrested in Elche

24 kilos of Colombian cocaine is among the drugs recovered by the Guardia Civil early on . The gang was been watched and 23 members of a drug trafficking gang have been arrested in Elche and Santa pola . Those arrested are Colombian and Spanish and all residents of Elche and Santa Pola . The police found the drugs hidden in cartons of wine which had been brought to Spain from Colombia on regular drug runs . 24 kilos of cocaine, 4.4 kilos of marihuana and a field planted with the drug, and 200 grams of heroin were found in the police operation which started observing the gang some six months ago . The drug runners were a family clan, based in the town, and who had connections to sell in Dolores, Villena and Torrvieja. The alleged head of the group, a woman with the initials M.A.D. remains at large according to some reports . This eveing Police where ongoing with there harvey police present and searches in the area .

The 42 year old fortunately escaped injury in the accident in Elche . A 42 year old homeless man from Elche was about to be torn up in the back of one of the town?s refuse vehicles last night . The man had been sleeping to escape the cold in a street rubbish container which was emptied into the back of the vehicle.
The fire service was called to get him out of the vehicle, where he suffered only cuts and bruises .

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Harsh winter weather with snow, rain and strong winds across the country

The snow in the North and the Centre of the country, and in the south. As much as 20cms of snow is expected in parts of Lugo, Ourense and Granada.
Six regions are on Civil Protection alert for snow and high winds, Asturias, Cantabria, Basque Country, Andaluc?a, Galicia and Castilla-La Mancha.
Highest winds are forecast along the Cantabrian coastline , and also along the Andalucian coastline and in the Strait and on high ground inland where they could reach 120kms/hour in places . The rainfall will move away from Sunday, but cloudy conditions will continue into next week . M?laga recorded its coldest high since 1969, at just 9.8 degrees . A new storm is now affecting Spain?s weather and bringing more rain and high winds, and snow in some areas, but it will not be as cold as earlier this week . both UK and Ireland are been hit with same weather aswell

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Spanish judge denied right to investigate Franco's crimes

Spain's National Court ruled Friday that one of its judges, Baltasar Garzon, did not have jurisdiction over alleged human rights crimes committed by the late dictator Francisco Franco. The court sided with the public prosecutor's office, which had appealed against an investigation launched by Garzon into 114,000 alleged killings during the 1936-39 civil war and Franco's subsequent 36-year dictatorship . Franco's crimes had been covered by an amnesty granted to his collaborators after his death in 1975, the prosecutors had argued . Garzon had anticipated the court's decision by dropping his inquiry, which had been welcomed by associations representing Franco's victims . Judge Garzon has investigated human rights abuses in Latin America and Africa. He became internationally known for a failed attempt to extradite former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet in 1998 .

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Cleaner who turned in 16,000euros can keep it

A Peruvian immigrant who found 16,000 euros while cleaning an airliner and turned it in to the police can now call the booty her own . Marisol Aguirre, 47, said the airline Iberia contacted her last week to say no one had claimed the cash and that under Spanish law it belongs to her . "Just imagine! I could hardly believe it," . Aguirre found the money in 2005 while working for a company that cleans planes at Madrid's Barajas airport.
She had almost forgotten about the find ? $20,000 in cash in a plastic bag in the first-class section of the plane she had been cleaning . Under Spanish law, someone who finds an abandoned object, no matter what the value, gets to keep it if the owner does not come forward within two years and one day . Aguirre said Iberia "has been very honest and treated me very well. It is like a miracle." At the time she found the money, Aguirre's father in Peru had just died and she had to take out a loan to fly home and bury him . Now, she will use her windfall to settle that debt, cover other expenses and send money home to her mother.
"The soul of my father and God have illuminated me," she said.

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European Commission take Spain to court over TV advertising

The amount of advertising on television in Spain regularly exceeds the 12 minute per hour limit . The European Commission has decided to take Spain to the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg for not taking measures to stop the amount of advertising shown on TV screens here . Advertising on Spanish channels regularly breaks the 12 minute per hour limit fixed by European legislation, often by several minutes . EU Commissioner for the Information Society, Viviane Reding, described the situation in Spain as ?saturation?, and said that previous EU warnings, starting in July 2007, had been ignored .

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Spain's fifth largest real estate promotor, Habitat, files for bankruptcy .

The fifth largest real estate company in Spain, Habitat, has filed for bankruptcy protection. Habitat has a reported debt of 2.3 billion ? . The company is thought to have over-extended itself when it purchased Ferrovial Inmobiliaria, before the real estate bubble burst, and can no longer sustain such a high level of debt. A statement from the company said the objective was to preserve, in the best way possible, the rights of all the creditors and to proceed to a restructuring of the financial situation, which will allow the continuation of the business . It?s the second largest company failure in Spain, behind only that of the Martinsa-Fadesa last summer . The Trem?n Group also declared itself insolvent just over a week ago with a debt of 900 million . Meanwhile another large real estate company, Colonial, has warned that it too could declare itself insolvent. The company is trying to disinvest itself from its investments in FCC, SLF, and Riofisa, otherwise it too says in a statement published today that it will be unable to restructure its debt in the long term . Staying with real estate companies, Metrovacesa has proposed the sale of the HSBC head offices in London for 1 billion ? . The operation would mean a loss of 97.9 million for the Spanish firm. Metrovacesa has asked HSBC to consider ?any refinancing proposal that comes along? . November 27, Metrovacesa is faced with the refinancing of a 1billion ? debt it took on to buy the building . It comes as, on Hundreds of Britons thought to be affected by new Costa del Sol real estate scam .

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Spain unemployment hightest record in EU

Spain has once again recorded the largest increase in the unemployment rate in all of the European Union. The country remains with the highest rate of men out of work, but it is the youngsters who are most affected by the labour market. In October 12.8% of the active population was on the dole, up 4.3% over the year, according to the data from Eurosat . The cabinet on Friday approved as expected the new 11 billion ? plan to stimulate the Spanish economy. The plan is intended to create 300,000 jobs, and most of the money, 8 billion ?, goes to the local town and city halls .

Spain holds activities for the World AIDS Day

A large red ribbon printed with human faces is hung on the Alcala Gate for the upcoming World AIDS Day, in downtown Madrid, capital of Spain . 30 percent of HIV+ people in Spain do not know they are carrying the Aids virus according to latest estimates . There are 150,000 people who are HIV+ in Spain.
Today is World Aids Day, and to coincide with the date the Spanish Ministry for Health has launched a new campaign to promote the use of condoms and to encourage people to take an HIV test if they have had unsafe sex . The Red Cross has launched a separate initiative, working to stop discrimination against those infected. They too are encouraging youngsters to get information for their own safety . Gay and Lesbian groups are organising several rallies and other events across the country to mark the date today .

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Real Madrid To Sign Klaas-Jan Huntelaar

Klaas-Jan Huntelaar has given the 'OK' for his transfer to take place, having agreed both wages and a contract duration at the Bernabeu. All that is now needed is Ajax's confirmation of a sale. Apparently the Amsterda outfit will decide for sure within the next 48 hours, but it does seem extremely likely that Huntelaar will be a Madrid player sooner rather than later . Real Madrid president Ram?n Calder?n promised his club a striker for Christmas, and according to the press this is what he has delivered in the form of Ajax's Klaas-Jan Huntelaar . The Spanish press report that Real Madrid have effectively signed Dutch striker Klaas Jan-Huntelaar and will unveil him in the transfer window .

Cadena SER and Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf, have all confirmed Real Madrid

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40 arrested across Spain in new swoops against child porn

Investigations started after a tip-off from the public last February . 40 people have been arrested across Spain in another operation against child pornography, and another 35 people have been called to give evidence in the case . The accused face charges of possessing and distributing child porn . The Guardia Civil has searched as many as 59 homes across the country and more than 25,000 photographs and 9,000 videos have been impounded . Investigations started last February when a resident of Ceuta informed the authorities when he accidentally downloaded an image from the Internet .

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The European Central Bank is set to announce the largest interest rate reduction in its history. Latest reports say .75% could be trimmed by ECB Governor, Jean Claude Trichet, It comes as the economic slowdown has reduced the risks of inflation . but The Government is to authorise an 8% increase in electricity prices from January 1, according to reports. The increase will be in two steps, one in January and another in April . Car registrations in Spain fall by 49.6% year on year in November .

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Real estate promotor, files for bankruptcy

Another Spanish real estate company has filed for bankruptcy protection. Promodico from the Grupo Dico, has estimated assets of 455 million, but debts that are 102.5 million greater than that. Most of the money is owed to banks and savings banks.
Meanwhile the owner of Habitat is to sell the company?s headquarter offices to Caixa Manresa. after Spain?s fifth largest real estate promotor, Habitat, files for bankruptcy on Friday
bank branches to close to cut costs
Growth of the banking business has slowed down considerably, we are going to witness a small fall in the network of bank branches in Spain in order to cope with higher operating costs," researcher Joaquin Maudos said.

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Carrefour to respect workers rights

The Supreme Court has ordered the French hypermarket company Carrefour to respect workers rights to 48 hours continuous time off. 11,000 Carrefour workers are set to benefit from the measure which forces the company to give two days off when workers have worked for six days . Other supermarkets are expected to also have to come into line with the ruling .

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Free daily closes down four editions , Job loss aswell

Free daily Metro/Qu?! in Spain will close local editions , the area that will be affected are Basque Country (Bilbao), Galicia (La Coruna, Vigo & Santiago) and Aragon (Zaragoza) Mallorca and Murcia Area . Metro closed three Spanish editions Free daily Metro in Spain will close three editions because of problems cause by the econiomic crises: Basque Country (Bilbao), Galicia (La Coruna, Vigo & Santiago) and Aragon (Zaragoza) . For the edition in Sevilla (Andalucia) workforce is reduced. More than a dozen staff members lost their job in the operation. From now on, the national edition will be distributed in the markets affected . Metro is also seeking an ERE (see posting below) for 40 employees. The edition for the Canary Islands was already closed down at the end of October. (El Confidential)
The last issues of the three editions involved (joint circulation 100,000) were published on November 28 .

Qu?! about to shut down four editions . Spanish free daily Qu?! is closing the editions in A Coru?a, Bilbao, Mallorca and Murcia . Publisher Vocento is asking the Ministry of Labor for a special ERE (Expediente de Regulaci?n de Empleo) provision (because of economic reasons) to lay off (or suspend work for) 106 workers, 40% of the total workforce . Except for the people working in the closed editions, also a dozen staff members working in the headquarters will be affected . The closure of the A Coru?a could be avoided if the edition would merge with the other Galician edition in Vigo . The alternative for the Bilbao edition would be a merger with local free paper El Nervi?n, also owned by Vocento. In Bilbao Vocento is pubishing paid paper El Coreo. (La Voz de Galicia) area

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Record cut in euro zone interest rates by 0.75

The European Central Bank has cut interest rates by 0.75 points, its biggest reduction in history . The move takes the ECB's main rate to 2.5%, its lowest in nearly two and a half years, and marks the third cut in barely two months . It is estimated that the latest move, if passed on in full, would knock ?128 off the monthly repayments on a 30-year ?300,000 mortgage. Bank will apply the cut to variable mortgage rates for new and existing customers from 1 January 2009 .
Speaking after the decision, ECB chief Jean-Claude Trichet said the bank expected a recession in the euro zone next year , with the economy shrinking by between 0.5% and 1%. 'We see global economic weakness and very sluggish domestic demand persisting in the next few quarters , ' he told reporters . The ECB decision came on the same day as the Bank of England slashed its key lending rate by a full percentage point to 2%. The decision by the ECB was made in Brussels . In an earlier move in Stockholm, the Swedish central bank lowered its key interest rate by 1.75 points to 2% to 'dampen the fall in production and employment' due to the global financial crisis . The Minister for the Economy, Pedro Solbes, has called on the banks in Spain to do more to help families and businesses . He said that banks and savings banks need to pass on the financial support put in place by the government as soon as possible to reactivate the credit market . He made the call yesterday at a meeting at the Ministry for the Economy with top managers from the big four banks in Spain, BBVA, La Caixa, Caja Madrid and Santander .

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Three million unemployed in Spain now 4 million to come 2009......

Minister for the Economy, Pedro Solbes, commenting on the current three million unemployed in Spain said that next year will be worse. He said there was ?a certain consensus? that 2009 will be worse than 2008 . The President of the Self-Employed Federation ATA, Lorenzo Amor, said a change in policy is needed as are new ways to develop new jobs . CCOO union says it has not ruled out demonstrations if they become necessary . But he ruled out the possibility that unemployment here would reach four million, thanks he said to the government?s measures by Pedro Solbes . EU data confirmed this morning that the euro zone economy was in its first official recession since it was formed in 1999. The economy shrank by 0.2% in the third quarter after contracting by the same amount in the second quarter .

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Costa Teguise Feels The Squeeze Are is it hole off Spain ?,

Now many of these complexes stand empty. Whilst prestigious new developments remain unoccupied ? despite repeated price reductions and inducements. Leaving local estate agents high and dry ? with a number being forced to close their doors for business altogether . Tour operator reports 60 percent fall in bookings for the Costa del Sol this winter . Hotels stand empty are closed , 700 jobs under threat in luxury hotels in M?laga area . A Bmibaby spokesman said the routes were being suspended in response to a weakening of consumer demand . "Travellers are now booking to fly to typical sun destinations for their annual holiday, rather than flying to the more impulsive short-break city destinations," he said . Mediterranean routes from Birmingham were performing well, he added .

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BaIberia Are BaQuantas

Merger talks between British Airways and Australian carrier Qantas will continue today amid speculation about the formation of a giant new airline . The discussions between BA and Iberia are continuing . Iberia has given an ultimatum to British Airways, calling on BA to chose between them and Quantas.
Iberia President, Fernando Conte, said that it would be too complex for the merger to be three-way, and said he wanted to meet with BA Chairman, Willie Walsh, as soon as possible . There is no guarantee that any transaction (with Qantas) will be forthcoming and a further announcement will be made in due course, if appropriate . BA shares leapt by more than 14% at one stage yesterday as BA said it was looking to achieve a tie-up through a dual-listed company structure . Should a merger come about, both airlines - which already jointly market, or codeshare, on some routes - would retain their identities . BA said that the Qantas talks would not affect its talks about a merger with Spain's Iberia in a move that could eventually lead to a tie-up with giant US carrier American Airlines . BA held a stake in Qantas from 1993 to 2004 but sold its 18% in 2004, while continuing its codeshare agreement . 'In response to recent media speculation, British Airways confirms that it is exploring a potential merger with Qantas Airways via a dual-listed company structure', a spokesman for BA said .

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Cheaper telphone and Internet

Telef?nica is also the exclusive supplier of a third type of wholesale fixline/broadband . Spanish regulator cuts unbundled loop access price by 20% will cut the prices it charges competitors to use its fixed lines and for unbundling of the local loop for 2009 .

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Parties unite in protest at the latest ETA killing

Once again shown a united front against terrorism as protest happen in Basque towns . thay where joined by union and employers representatives this morning in the Congress of Deputies for a further demonstration against Basque terrorists ETA . As on previous occasions, a statement will be read condemning the latest ETA killing and insisting on the need for unity against terrorism . Gnacio Uria becomes the 41st businessman to be killed by the Basque terrorists . The Basque Interior Ministry says that he was shot dead by two gunmen in their 30?s who fired three times and then escaped in an Alfa Romeo car .
ETA have killed four times and carried out some 20 attacks so far this year . A minute?s silence was held at noon today on the steps of Congress and outside town halls across the country .

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Due to upgrading off are new Dualdsl lines , i couldnt have attend to news for last few days but we back again

if you want to be Associated with are NEWS you can do so by getting in touch with me are The Expatriator

jurdy

Avoid Irish pork, food body says

Food hall off Irish , brits pubs in spain told to withdrawn from sale . The Spanish Retail Consortium said supermarkets across spain had withdrawn from sale "the very small proportion" of Irish pork they stocked following advice from the FSA in Ireland . While in ireland supermarkets striped all pork products off there shelves 'Retail Ireland, the IBEC group that represents the Irish retail sector has confirmed the withdrawal of pork products . 'Torlach Denihan, Director of Retail Ireland said: 'The members of Retail Ireland have withdrawn all Irish pork products produced from pigs slaughtered in the State and are fully compliant with the pigmeat recall notice issued by the Food Safety Authority of Ireland Chronic long-term exposure to dioxins can have serious health effects , including causing cancers , but Irish officials said the recall would ensure consumers only had minimum exposure to it . Pork products from Ireland . Pork products from across Ireland should be avoided . The country's chief medical officer, Dr Tony Holohan, said anyone who had eaten pig meat did not need to seek medical help .
A Europe-wide alert over Irish pork has also been made by various authorities on the continent including Spain .



New water law , penalise those who waste water

The new regulations should be in force in the second quarter of next year . The new Water Law in Andaluc?a will penalise those consumers who waste water. Companies, farmers and individuals will pay a surcharge if they use more than an established limit . The new has been negotiated by residents, municipalities, the unions, farmers and businessmen among others in talks which started last September, and more than 1,000 people have attended debates established in each of the eight provinces . The document has to be approved by the regional cabinet before the end of the year, and is expected to reach the Andalucian Parliament in April or May next year. It will also establish equal charges across all the provinces of the region .



five gas blast victims were from same family

It has been confirmed that the fourth fatal victim of a gas explosion in Gav? (Barcelona) last Wednesday belonged to the same family as the other three - a 60-year-old woman, who died last Thursday, and a 17-year-old girl, and a 41-year-old man, who both died on Friday . It also seems that almost all the residents of the three-storey building where the blast occurred are Gypsies from the same Granada village - Benal?a de Guadix - where three days official mourning are also being observed . Eighteen people, including seven children, remain in hospital: thirteen gravely injured victims, including all seven minors, are being treated at the Vall d'Hebron Hospital while three of the five patients at Bellvitge are still in intensive care . Investigators now believe that a burst water main may have been responsible for the gas leak that led to the eventual explosion .



Eight drown as Spanish trawler goes down

Rescuers continue to scour the seas today for the bodies of five members of the crew of the 'Rosamar' - one Portuguese and four Indonesians - which went down 24 miles to the northeast of San Cibrao Lugo last Friday . The five survivors have told investigators how it took only around a minute for the trawler to sink after its fishing tackle got snagged on the sea floor, dragging it down in choppy seas with waves up to six metres high . Yesterday, coast guards found a life raft and a life vest near the area where the ship went down, but it is has not been confirmed that these are from the stricken vessel .



Real Madrid 3-4 Sevilla , Henry hat-trick leaves Bar?a six points clear , next weekend is the big match with Barcelona - R Madrid

Christmas drink-drive campaign kicks off in spain today

The slogan chosen for this year's campaign is "Don't let drinkers drive," and is aimed specifically at Christmas office party-goers . The General Traffic Department (DGT) estimates that between 30-50% of all motoring fatalaties at this time of year are caused by drunk drivers . Last December, 233 people were killed and more than a thousand injured in road traffic accidents and alcohol was a contributory factor in the majority of these cases . Guardia Civil will be breathalysing more than 200,000 motorists in an effort to further reduce drink-related traffic accidents .



ETA new military chief arrested in South of France

The man considered to be the military chief of Basque terrorist group ETA , Aitzol Iriondo Yarza, has been arrested in the south of France with two other ETA activists . The arrests took place on Monday in Bagn?res de Bigorre, with the other two arrested named as Eneko Zarrabeitia and Asier Borrero . 31 year old Aitzol Iriondo , known as ?Gurbita?, has only been the military chief of the terrorists since the man known as ?Txeroki? was arrested only last month . He is considered to be more hard line than his predecessor , one of ETA?s top shooters, and was among the top six ETA terrorists being searched for by the Police and Guardia Civil.



BOND GIRL GEMMA ARTERTON
has reportedly split from her Spanish stuntman lover EDUARDO MUNOZ . The couple met on the set of Arterton's upcoming movie Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time where Munoz was the star's riding tutor . But after a six month relationship the British actress has now decided to call time on the romance.
A friend of Arterton tells British newspaper the Daily Star, "She says she doesn't have time to commit to a relationship. Eduardo is totally devastated."



Stansted runway reopens after protest thounds disrupting individual journeys

There were still delays and long queues at the airport at lunchtime following the cancellation of 56 flights by Ryanair. spain have its share off flight cancellations
Police arrested 57 people after they breached the perimeter fence and chained themselves together in a secure area about 50m from the runway . The protest was against British government proposals to expand Stansted and increase the number of flights . Members of the Plane Stupid group broke into a secure area at around 3am this morning, forcing the runway to remain closed for three hours . thousands of passengers had their travel plans interrupted .



Immigrant murder sparks more riot in Almer?a town

A 27 year old man from Mali has died after being stabbed in the street of La Mojonera Almer?a . The death at 9pm last night led to a series of violent incidents with a group of Moroccans, with friends of the sub-Saharan setting fire to several cars . The Guardia Civil arrested one of the sub-Saharan rioters on public order charges, before order was re-established by police patrols . September last when riots broke out .



El Pa?s notes today that the Martinsa real estate company overvalued the worth of its land by upto 19,000%. The paper claims that the company ended 2007 with profits because of these accounting irregularities, and gives as an example some land in Las Palmas worth a million ? in their accounts, but valued at 179 million. A plot in A Coru?a sold for 1.5 million appeared in the accounts with a value of 84 million.



An increase in electricity prices of 3.5% in January is being prepared by the Ministry of Industry. It comes as talks are underway on the matter in the power industry which has requested larger increases in price.



Banks and Savings Banks in Spain have admitted that they have stopped lending to companies and families . A Survey published on Friday by the Bank of Spain shows that the banks admit restricting the granting of credit between July and September , and that the fall will continue in the last quarter of the year . It is also of note that families are asking for less credit, especially when it comes to mortgages . Sales are down by as much as 20% in the current Christmas campaign .

More rioters in La Mojonera

Monday night saw more rioters and arrest in La Mojonera , Guardia Civil officers arrested two more Saharan immigrants after further disturbances on the streets of La Mojonera (Almer?a) yesterday lunchtime sparked by the murder of a 28-year-old man from Mali last Sunday night . Extra Guardia Civil were drafted in last night to keep the peace . The Moroccan man accused of the murder, and two others, were arrested during the early hours of Monday morning . It seems that the argument that led to the fatal stabbing started when the three Moroccans tried to steal the victim's wallet at an international call centre/ internet cafe (locutorio) located in the Plaza Pr?ncipe Felipe



Real Madrid fire Schuster

Spanish champions Real Madrid have fired manager Bernd Schuster and replaced him with former Tottenham and Sevilla coach Juande Ramos, club spokesman Miguel Angel Arroyo confirmed Tuesday. Schuster's head was placed firmly on the block on Sunday when Real slipped to a humiliating 4-3 home defeat to Sevilla, a result that left them languishing in fifth place in the league, nine points behind leaders Barcelona . This weekend the big game at Camp Nou on Satarday 13 Dec 9:00pm . Ramos takes over for a Champions League match at home to Zenit St. Petersburg on Wednesday . "Unfortunately there is not much time for work. It's not easy but if we make a few improvements to the team, we will already be much more ahead," he said .



Euribor rate to hight say EBC Jean-Claude Trichet

The European Central Bank has admitted that the Euribor rate, the one used to set most mortgages, remains too high, and they will work to get it lower. The daily rate of the Euribor has now fallen to 3.7% . Governor of the European Central Bank, Jean-Claude Trichet, has also admitted that inter-bank rates remain high, but that they are doing what they can to get things ?back to normal? . Trichet has however hinted to the BBC today that there will not be a further cut in European interest rates in January. But banks will not be passing this on to it Customer . satisfied is down say Customer off Banks as charges have gone up and drop in rates are still not been passed on



Spain warns of attacks after latest ETA arrest

Spain has warned of possible retaliatory attacks by the armed Basque group ETA following the latest arrest of the organization's suspected leader .
Interior Minister Alfredo Perez Rubalcaba says "I am sure ETA is preparing to commit some barbarity. They're still there. This is not finished" .
Rubalcaba was speaking Tuesday, a day after French and Spanish police detained Aitzol Iriondo in a town square in southern France . Iriondo is believed to have taken over the leadership of ETA following the arrest of Mikel de Garikoitz Aspiazu, alias Txeroki, three weeks ago . The Interior Ministry said two others were arrested along with Iriondo and three more in Spain late Monday . ETA has killed more than 825 people since 1968 .



Spanish economy is in the RED

Pedro Solbes The Minister for the Economy, has admitted that the government forecasts for the Spanish economy are no longer accurate . He made the comment during the debate in the Senate on a possible veto of the budgets , but added that no other country altered its budget every time it changes its forecasts , and he said that a greater stability had to be waited for . He said the economic circumstances will affect both the income during next year as well as the forecast deficit for 2009 .



30 killed in holiday weekend traffic accidents


Thirty people, including four motorcyclists, were killed and 13 were seriously injured in 25 fatal traffic accidents during the Spanish Constitution/ Immaculate Conception holiday weekend - twelve fewer than last year and 44 fewer than in 2003 , According to General Traffic Department figures, 2,016 people have been killed on Spanish roads so far this year, 516 (-20%) fewer than during the same period last year . Yesterday the Christmas drink-drive campaign kicks off .




Las Palmas teen kicked to death on way to disco

Four youths have been arrested for the brutal murder of 19-year-old Modern Languages student, Iv?n Robaina Rodr?guez, who was murdered at around 4am on Sunday morning near Las Palmas Port as he and his friends were on their way to a disco .It seems that the four suspects, who have previous form for robbery, stopped the group and asked them for money . Iv?n got separated from his friends because he stopped to give them a euro and was then savagely attacked because the amount was too small . He was found lying in a pool of his own blood when his friends turned back to look for him . The autopsy revealed that Iv?n sustained a broken jaw, fractured ribs, and suffered a brain haemorrhage . His friends are organising a demonstration in Las Palmas next Sunday to condemn the attack and to demand better police protection . Iv?n was the only son of Rafael Robaina, a science lecturer at Las Palmas University, and ?ngeles Rodr?guez, who teaches art at a secondary school in Telde .

Warnings Spanish recession will be deeper than forecast by International Monetary Fund

Spanish Senate rejects the State budget for 2009 it will now go back for approval in the lower chamber of Congress . Under Spanish law the budget will become law if it is approved again in the lower chamber , where the Government will need just a simple majority . It?s the third time that the Senate has returned a Zapatero budget to Congress . The I.M.F. also warned that unless profound reforms were carried out, the Spanish economy would enter a cycle of low growth and high unemployment . Despite the comments the I..M.F. considers the response of the Spanish Government so far has been ?energetic? and quicker than other European countries , but it urges Spain to bring more flexibility to the labour market. It says the Government?s strategy needs to be ?better defined? . Regarding the adjustments in the Real Estate sector, the fund welcomes the help to the unemployed to meet mortgage payments, but is critical of the program to build more council subsidised housing as it will create even more homes and send real estate prices even lower . A visit to Madrid from a team of experts from the International Monetary Fund has concluded that the recession in Spain will be more severe than forecast by I.M.F. is now forecasting a reduction in the G.D.P. next year of at least 1-1.2%, compared to their latest prediction of 0.7% .



Fake Cigarette bound for UK seized in Barcelona

Spanish Customs & Excise officers have confiscated nearly half a million packs of fake Lambert & Butler cigarettes with a total estimated value of ?1.3 million euros from a warehouse in L'Hospitalet de Llobregat . The cigarettes, which were manufactured in Asia, were found in a container sent to a company based in Girona that intended to export them to the UK . With a street vale is worth 3.5million GBP



Costa Blanca hoteliers abandoned plans to hold New Year parties ,

Hoteliers on the Costa Blanca are reported to be fearing a dreadful end to the year . Chirstmas and the New Year are 30% down on last year, with the early start to the skiing season adding to the economic situation in the country . Last bank holiday weekend saw the ski stations full, but only 44% hotel occupancy along the Costa Blanca . Some establishments in Benidorm have already abandoned plans to hold New Year parties and in general a climate of uncertainty has led to smaller investment and less employment in the sector . Hotels also report a noticeable reduction in the number of company Christmas lunches and dinners this year . Reservations are 33 percent down, after a poor Bank Holiday weekend in the area . Meanwhile markets in the city of Alicante say sales are buoyant as more people are eating and planning to eat at home . Ryanair closed its base at Valencia .



Ryanair closes base at Fuerteventura Confirms From January ?09

?Ryanair previously called on the AIE to comply with its contractual agreements and provided them with 30 days notice to remedy their contract breach, this notice period has now lapsed with no action having been taken to maintain Ryanair?s presence in Fuerteventura. Therefore, we are faced with no choice but to end all Ryanair flights to Fuerteventura from 31st January?. this is the Second ryanair have closed in spain this year



Sony job loss

Sony has announced the loss of 8,000 jobs worldwide and say all their factories will be affected . 2,000 workers at their plant at Viladecavalls in Barcelona , have been told that their wages have been frozen . Sony has also announced it will be closing the parts of its business which are not profitable .



House Price are down

The Tinsa index in Spain is reporting that housing in Spain was 7.8% cheaper in November, year on year , leading to flat prices last seen two years ago . The real estate promoters , are forecasting less than 160,000 new homes will have been built here this year . House prices have been falling according to the index for the past nine months . Some real estate have not sold any properties sine last Sept of this year , with big job losses in the Industry reported . British pound has fallen to a new record low against the euro amid a grim outlook for the UK economy . Brits fine it hard to meet ends in spain on retirement payments from the uk

Valencia airport threatened over unpaid ?800,000 rates

Enrique Crespo, the conservative mayor of Manises, has now made an official complaint against the Spanish Airports Authority AENA, stating that it has not paid the ?800,000 euros rate bill, and that he is considering undertaking an embargo order "just as I would against any other company that has not paid ." For its part, AENA has stated that it is taking a stand as it was not in agreement with the rates imposed on the airport, and accused Mr Crespo of undertaking a campaign of blackmail, whilst it is also opposing the new rate charge through the courts, stating that the tax , which is based on 1.3% of the cadastral value of the land occupied by Manises is excessive . Mr Crespo has answered that stating that AENA does not want to pay taxes to Manises as it is ruled by the Partido Popular .



UK Crimestoppers campaign arrested 3 in Spain www.crimestoppers.es

British criminals on the run in Spain, 28 year old Daniel Paul Johnston and 47 year old Keith Burke have been arrested in what is more success for the crimestoppers campaign . Both men were on the top 30 most wanted list, with Johnston found in the Sevilla village of Pruna following a tip-off. He is reported to have been living there as a handyman . He?s wanted for armed raids in Derbyshire in 2004 and 2005 and is expected to return to England for questioning .
Keith Burke, known as ?Tattooed Keith? because of a devil and swallow tattoos on his neck, is wanted in connection with an attack on a bar near Doncaster in 2001 . Crimestoppers can confirm Alan Gordon has been found in prison in Majorca for separate offences committed in Spain. This has come to light as a result of Operation Captura. He will now be brought to justice in the UK.
More information www.crimestoppers.es



Counterfeit euro gang detained

The Guardia Civil has detained some twenty people in the provinces of Murcia, Malaga, Almeria, Lugo, Valencia and Alicante, and accused them of attempting to distribute false twenty and fifty euro notes manufactured by the Calabrese Mafia - the Ndrangueta . The Guardia Civil say they have arrested a total of 20 people in relation to the case, in Alicante, Valencia, Murcia, M?laga, Almer?a and Lugo, and that the notes were also distributed in Portugal and the North of Africa . It is believed that ?150,000 euros in false notes have been confiscated, and that these were of an exceptionally high quality.
The head of the gang who was arrested in Torrevieja was a judicial interpreter and, in addition to charges of manufacturing and distributing counterfeit money, he is also being charged for revealing court secrets about other members of the gang . It?s thought the gang has distributed as much as a million fake Euros since being established .



Pro Greece demonstrations turn violent in Madrid and Barcelona

A total of 11 people were arrested across both cities.

There have been some disturbances in both Madrid and Barcelona after the death of a Greek youngster at the hands of the Greek police in Greece earlier this week. The death of 15 year old Alexis Grigoropoulos has seen several days of riots in Greece but last night?s events are the first time the demonstrations have broken out outside the country . The most serious incidents occurred in Madrid where there was an attack against the Municipal Police in the central Calle Montera, which ended with several police being injured . In Barcelona a demonstration with some 800 people ended with incidents between the demonstrators and the regional police force, Los Mossos D?Esquadra . There have been 11 arrests in Spain following the problems last night in Madrid and Barcelona, with nine of those detained for attacking the police station in Madrid after a demonstration of some 200 people was seen in the central Calle del Carmen, close to Gran Via. All the Madrid arrests are Spanish, while in Barcelona they are a Greek girl and another foreigner with no papers. They all face charges of acting against authority and public order offences . The Partido Popular leader, Mariano Rajoy, has insisted that the disturbances be investigated in full depth .



Madrid politician arrested in Brazil

Alfredo Prada was arrested at Sao Pablo airport . An ex councillor of the Esperanza Aguirre administration in the Madrid regional parliament, has been arrested and held in custody in Sao Pablo in Brazil for wanting to carry more cologne in his hand luggage than that allowed by the customs . Police at Sao Paulo airport did not allow Alfredo Prada, who is currently the Director of the Partido Popular?s Foreign Department, to leave the country after the incident .



Increase in electricity , reduction in Gas bills

The Ministry for Industry is proposing a 3.6% increase in electricity bills in Spain from next month. The Energy Commission has to produce a report on the increase before it can be accepted but the proposal would mean an average increase of 1.1 ? a month for the average domestic user.
The Ministry for Industry meanwhile is also proposing a reduction in the price of a gas for domestic users of 1.5 ? a month for those on the T1 and T2 tariffs, and 6 ? for those small companies on T4 and T5.



Javier Bardem & Penelope Cruz nominated for a Golden Globe

Spanish actors Javier Bardem and Pen?lope Cruz have both been nominated for a Golden Globe for their roles in Vicky Cristina Barcelona, the latest Woody Allen film . Many reports describe the pair as the couple of the year, both on and off the screen . The Woody Allen film is also nominated as Best Film, Musical or Comedy, and Rebecca Hall is also nominated in the Best Actress category . The award ceremony will be held in Los Angeles on January 11 .

Billion impact of Madoff scam hit Spanish banking

The BBVA bank has admitted losses of up to 300 million , Santander Group admitted that it has ?2.3 billion euros , The statement follows the news that Santander has admitted losses of 2.33 billion among its clients. Shares in Santander fell 2% when the markets opened in Madrid this morning, with the number of people affected in Spain estimated at 1,000 . The Financial Times reports that some of the richest families in Spain have been affected by the collapse of the pyramid scheme . Pedro Solbes has described the impact of the Madoff investment fraud as "of very little concern for the Spanish market . that the Madoff case is further proof that the "systems of financial supervision and control are failing in some countries" . Freanch ,uk , germany and Irish banks are all so cought in the scam .



Soldiers rescue 120 motorists trapped in blizzard
The army was called in to help the Guardia Civil rescue around 120 snowbound motorists trapped on the AP-66 toll motorway during the early hours of this morning . All are now safe and well after spending what remained of the night in hotels or hostels , and only one person required medical treatment after suffering a temporary blackout . They were caught in a blizzard near the town of Barrios de Luna roughly 45km from Le?n . Eleven motorists were also stranded at a service station near Rioseco de Tapia until snow ploughs were deployed to clear a path to Le?n though some preferred to stay put . 37 mountain passes in Spain's most northernly thirteen provinces remain closed to traffic and further heavy snowfalls are forecast over the coming hours in Asturias, Cantabria, the Basque Country, Girona, Barcelona, ?vila, Burgos, Le?n, Palencia, Segovia and Soria .



Iberia flight cancelled

Iberia has again cancelled flights as the company faces more delays caused by an unofficial work to rule by pilots . A meeting between pilots and management has now been set for Wednesday, with the company saying it will be looking closely at the reasons for each delayed flight . Reports are that 15 flights have been cancelled today . Aswell work to rule by Technical crew say they are working to rule following the break down in talks on the new wage round .



34 arrested in new swoop against child pornography in Spain
Ballesteros leaves hospital
Real slip to fifth after Bernabeu defeat
Self-employed workers demand unemployment benefit clarification


there no news on the 25/26 off Dec and again on the 31/01 jan , due to flu news will back to full text by wed this week ,

Three detained over Mallorca hotel collapse

Four people have died Yesterday as three stories of a hotel under construction collapsed in Mallorca , The architect, the quantity surveyor and foreman responsible for the renovation of the Son Moll hotel in Capdepera were arrested by the Guardia Civil late yesterday evening and spent the night in the cells after being charged with negligent homicide . It?s understood that the work on the hotel did not have a licence and the local Town Hall had ordered renovations work to be halted on three occasions . Union CCOO has complained that the workers were working day and night at the site . Witnesses say that just two minutes earlier there were some up to some 40 working at the site. The other workers had decided to go for a coffee brake just before the tragedy .



Madoff scam losses Billion to banking and insurance companies

According to the Economy minister, the three Spanish insurance companies affected by the scam have lost ?2 million euros while nine pension funds have been affected to the tune of ?36mn , equivalent to only around 0.04% of their total investments . HSBC and the Royal Bank of Scotland the Man Group - the sponsors of the Booker Prize - that admitted to a $350 million loss, the Bramdean Asset Management of Nicola Horlick, that admitted to losing ?13 million or 9.5% of its assets, whilst Spanish Bank Santander, the owners of Abbey, Alliance and Leicester and Bradford & Bingley revealed that its potential exposure was over ?2 billion. French Bank BNP Paribas (?200 million), the Japanese investment arm Nomura (?232 million), Mort Zuckerman a Manhattan property tycoon who also owns the New York Daily News, the Wunderkinder Foundation of Steven Spielberg (where a spokesman stated that the foundation has suffered loses but was unable to reveal what these were), EIM the hedge fund group run by Arpad Busson who is engaged to actress Uma Thurman ($220 million), the Elie Wiesel Foundation though how much it lost has not been revealed, and The Robert I. Lappin Foundation, a charity that supports Jewish programmes in the United States invested all its assets of $8 million with Mr Madoff and as a result is not expected to survive . The total value of the fraud worldwide is estimated at around ?37.4 billion ($50 billion US dollars), and has been described as "the biggest financial scandal, possibly in the history of the markets" .



Gang of Romanian burglers broken up in D?nia

A group of six Romanian men who stole from villas in D?nia and Pedreguer have been arrested in simultaneous police raids on homes in El Vergel and Oliva in Valencia . The group, all aged between 20 and 40, broke into the villas while the owners were asleep, and had last been attacking homes in the paraje del Montg? area . Investigations started following a spate of burglaries in apartments on the beach in Las Marinas de D?nia. It?s thought the gang had carried out some 14 burglaries over recent weeks .



The European Parliament rejects a 65 hour working week.

The European Parliament has today rejected the directive to limit the working week across the continent to 65 hours a week. Spain was among those to oppose the idea . Now a period of talks between the Commission, Parliament and the individual governments begins , and if no agreement is reached in 90 days the idea of a limit will be binned .



Ferrovial sell three of the airports

The provisional decision of the competition commission in the U.K. has asked that Spanish company Ferrovial sell three of the airports it owns in the country, Gatwick, Stansted and Edinburgh . Final consolations will continue and a final report on the seven airports owned by BAA, a Ferrovial subsidiary is promised in February or March next year . New private Central Ciudad Real airport in Spain has been given an opening licence south off Madrid .

Four hurt in Madrid city-centre street brawl

A 20-year-old youth stabbed in the neck during a knife fight near Pr?ncipe P?o train station in Madrid at around 1am this morning was taken to the Clinical Hospital.
It occurred on the Cuesta de San Vicente in the capital's Arganzuela district in an area popular with late night revellers and packed with pre-Christmas party-goers.
A second 20-year-old sustained minor stab wounds to his right arm and left thigh and is being treated the G?mez Ulla Hospital, where a third youth of the same age received attention for a minor scratch to his left arm . A 45-year-old woman, who was knocked to the ground during the brawl, causing a minor head injury, was taken to Gregorio Mara??n Hospital . Police investigators are working to establish the cause of the incident .



BBVA bank forecasts house prices will fall by 15 percent by 2010.

The BBVA bank is forecasting that the price of homes in Spain will fall by 15% between now and 2010 . Their report on the housing market also predicts that interest rates will fall below 1% in the Eurozone . They say that the number of new flats to be started each year will level off at 200,000. The bank considers that there is a current surplus of 1.4 million homes in Spain . Meanwhile discounts of upto 50% are being seen on flats in some areas of the country . the same was forcasted in the Uk by Chairman's statement Lloyds TSB Sir Victor Blank that house had droped by 15 % and would drop 15% more in 2009 .



Unleaded down to ?0.86 per litre

The reason being is that the price of a barrel of Brent crude oil has fallen from $147 to $46.45. However, to arrest the decline, OPEC leaders have cut production drastically - by 4.2 million barrels a day compared to September output levels - and prices are now starting to rise again . Somewhat confusingly for some consumers, since July, when the price of a barrel of Brent peaked at $147.5 dollars, pump prices for petrol and diesel have fallen just 17% and 19% respectively, which politicians would explain away by blaming taxes and euro-dollar exchange rate variations . Not since the end of January 2005, when the price was ?85.20, has a litre of unleaded petrol cost so little .



Spain's last statue of Franco is taken down in Santander

What is believed to be the last statue in mainland Spain of fascist dictator, Francisco Franco, has been removed from its plinth in Santander . Many people turned out in the rain to see the crane lift the six metre tall bronze statue of Franco on horseback away from where it has stood since July 24 1964 in the Plaza del Ayuntamiento. Some said it was an historic moment . Eventually the statue will be taken to the Cantabria Museum . It is the work of Jos? Capuz and is identical to two others which used to stand in Madrid and Valencia . Another statue still standing on the Spanish north African enclave of Melilla is also set for removal, but there is no date set as yet .



Spanair Sold in 2009

The Scandinavian airline group, SAS, has reached an agreement to sell Spanair to a group of Catalan businessmen . Reports indicate the regional Generalitat Government and Barcelona City Hall are both taking part . The agreement will be settled before the end of January 2009, and plans to keep a nucleus of shareholders to apply a strategic plan for the future .



Four arrested after Gypsy clan shootings

Two men - father and son - were injured yesterday morning when members of a rival Gypsy clan opened fire on them at their home on the calle San Justo in the notorious La Milagrosa district of Albacete.



Nine arrested as Romanian burglary gang Costa del Sol
Elche woman threatens to set fire to her son to avoid eviction
Three arrested in fake ferry ticket scam in Algeciras
Spanish Prime Minister claims that computers were erased before he came to power


Due to a Bad Flu i been out and then been no news here since Thr / fri
there no news on the 25/26 off Dec and again on the 31/01 jan , from the staff off FMPLUS Happy christmas and njoy youself , Feliz Navidad

Spain's world famous lottery 'El Gordo' is celebrated 22 dec

the day of the year when the Spanish people are, from nine in the morning, with one ear pegged to the radio or television as the world famous Christmas Lottery, ?El Gordo? ? The Fat One, takes place . It is always the children, now the boys and the girls from the San Ildefonso School in Madrid, who have the honour of singing out the numbers as they are drawn . Tickets usually sold in tenth parts called decimos, are held tightly in hand with each member of the public considering that certain numbers to be more attractive than others, and certain last numbers as their favourite . This year there are 195 series, each one with 85,000 tickets, numbered from 000000 to 84,999 and each ticket has 10 decimos. Each decimo costs 20 ?, and a complete number 39,000 ? , Top prize for a tenth of a ticket is 300,000 ? in each of the 195 series. 2.31 billion ? will be given in prizes this year . Some provinces of Spain have never won the first prize in the Christmas Draw ? they are Orense, Zamora, Salamanca, and Huelva .

The ?fat person? of the Lottery of Christmas is the 32.365 , 3million

The second prize, with 1 million Euros, goes to the 78,400 while the 80,076, sold completely in a bar of a popular quarter of Soria, will distribute the 500,000 Euros of the third party. - Six fifth prizes with 50,000 Euros to the 70,593, 36,199, 73,450, 29,17 and 30.227. - The first quarter, to the 79.294 . The number has been sold of complete form in eight provinces and nine administrations of Torrevieja (Alicante), Barcelona, Soria, Saragossa, Quesada (Ja?n), Madrid, Allariz (Ourense) and the unique one of the Guipuzcoan town of O?ati . The sales of the drawing have surpassed east year 2,787 million Euros, a 2.79% less than in 2007, according to the provisional data that last night facilitated Lotteries and Bets of the State .

Each ticket comes with a religous christmas scene that is changed every year . A short description of the event follows this and collecting losing lottery tickets is actually a hobby in Spain . Unlike many modern lotteries in which you choose numbers and hope to match 3, 4 or 5 numbers, El gordo is still run along the lines of a traditional raffle in which you buy a ticket with a number already printed. Match the number on the ticket to that drawn and you win 1st prize... sounds simple ? In actual fact its not! To start with there are 85,000 different numbers and you do not buy a ticket rather a tenth of a ticket . Starting to get confused???.... It is better explained in a list !

* 85,000 numbers from 00001 to 85000
* Each number is given to 180 "Series"
* Each "Serie" is divided into 10 "Decimas"
* Each "decima" costs ?20

Becoming a little clearer now? Altogether this brings in a total El gordo prize fund of 3,200,000,000? , Thats over 3BILLION Euros ! From around mid september onwards, when the 1st el gordo tickets go on sale mostly bought by clubs, societies, bars, offices and factories choose a number. This number will be purchased by everyone belonging to that organisation .



AVE high speed train route protest

More than twelve thousand people gathered in Orihuela yesterday to protest the route to be taken by the tracks of the AVE high speed train between the Valencian Community and Murcia . protestors were joined by politicians from both the P.P. and PSOE from the Vega Baja area . All the demonstrators stated that the best way for the train to travel between Orihuela and Murcia would be for the tracks to be laid underground .



Contaminated olive oil alert , some off it was stolen

The Guardia Civil is warning retailers, restaurateurs and consumers in La Rioja about a contaminated batch of olive oil that may cause diarrhoea . 550 litres of a mixed lot of 1,750 litres of ecological virgin and standard-grade olive oil reported stolen last Thursday , were found in twenty-two 25-litre anti-foaming liquid (Antiespumante 1510) containers on a rubbish dump in Rinc?n de Soto . National Toxicological Institute in Madrid, who informed that 'Antiespumante 1510' is a food additive, which, if consumed in large quantities, may cause intestinal problems . 1,200 litres of the stolen batch remain untraced and the Guardia Civil is calling on the public to help them with their inquiries .



19th year old man Mown down on zebra crossing by drunk driver on birthday drive later tested over the limit for alcohol and were arrested.
Distressed owner moves into airport after Iberia loses dog
Henry winner leaves Bar?a ten points clear
Real confirm Diarra signing



You can check if your ticket is a winner here
www.loteriasyapuestas.es/uploads/ficheros/static/comprobar014367.html

Manuel Garc?a Coego fineds dog at airport 5 days later

A happy story for Christmas. Manuel Garc?a Coego, the 46 year old construction worker who has spent five days camped out at Barajas airport in Madrid after his two year old macho Beagle dog, Trus, was lost in transit by Iberia, finally found the animal at 7pm last night . The dog escaped when its cage opened when being transferred between planes at the airport on December 17. Another dog lost at the same time had been found some five hours later . Manuel said it would be a lack of loyalty for him not to search for his dog , and Iberia escorted him on several occasions to visit the runway areas . The company confirmed the dog had been reunited with his owner in a statement last night . One man and his dog



Spaniards snatch dramatic stage win


Telefoncia Blue with Benissa-born Pepe Ribes on board - broke through the fleet and came in first yesterday in Singapore and lead what has been termed as one of the most dramatic finishes in the history of the Volvo Ocean Race .




Alicante teens targeted by child porn fiend

Members of the Guardia Civil have detained a man in San Lorenzo de El Escorial (Madrid) and accused him of corrupting minors aged between fourteen and seventeen with child pornography via the Internet . All of the fifteen victims were either in Alicante or Elche, whilst the 64-year-old also chatted to, and exchanged text messages with, children in other parts of Spain .



Tourism in Spain down 10.6%

November was a black month for tourism in Spain according to the latest numbers . The data for overnight stays fell by 10.6% for the month compared to 2007 , with the Germans and British , more than 50% of the usual total , both seen in fewer numbers . The INE , National Statistics Institute, says there was a reduction of 8.8% in the numbers of Germans and 12.1% in the number of Brits . The tourism industry in Spain is currently worth 10.7% of the G.D.P. Hoteliers are reported to be reducing prices as they can to try and attract more numbers , but with the pound sterling almost on a par with the Euro many Brits have already decided to go elsewhere . With weak GBP falling against the euro , this not help as well , Brits are fine think more Expance in Spain .



Mobile phone comapny profits Down

Mobile phone companies in Spain have now also been affected by the economic climate . The fall is only 0.16% compared to income last year, but it is significant as the first reduction in the sector since 1995 . The three main operators, Movistar, Vodafone and Orange , have all seen falls, while the 20 or so new companies, led by Yoigo , have tripled their income in a year , although they still make up less than 2% of the market .


Bad Weather in Spain to break on Boxing Day
More people going to travel , car boat , planes and roads over the next week
100 Million text measage to be sent over the chrishmas time

Team Russia pulls Volvo ocean race

Team Russia have announced that they are now pulling out of the race due to funding problems, with team principal Oleg Zherebtsov stating that he had used his own money up to this point, and unable to find another sponsor due to the global economic crisis, now has no alternative other than to suspend racing until further financial support can be secured.



Zapatero abroad congratulates the celebrations to the outstanding Spanish soldiers by videoconference



Tornados in the Gomera

Several small eddies, own of tropical zones, have caused some damages and roofs of the canary island

Will happy holidays to all from the "Spanish Financial News by Jurdy"
jurdy

Wave of Christmas house fires across Spain

A 27-year-old man died in Tenerife today after inhaling toxic gases from a faulty gas-fired heater, becoming the fourth to die in similar circumstances during the last 24 hours , In Madrid a 13 year old was admitted to hospital in a serious condition with burns to 40% of her body after a fire in the Chamber? district at about 4pm . The cause of the fire , which also saw the child?s grandfather and father suffering injury, is still being investigated . Villajoyosa in Alicante, some 80 people had to be evacuated when a 27 floor block of flats caught fire. The fire was in the top flat of the fourth tower of the Edificio Atrium. Only the top floor of the building was damaged by the fire which the fire service had put out . 23-year-old youth and his 19-year-old girlfriend died in the impoverished Campanillas district of M?laga after inhaling the fumes of a homemade heater made using an empty paint tin . Utebo Zaragoza , an 81-year-old man also died yesterday from toxic gases produced, according to his wife, by a battery used to activate the building's solar power panel .



27 injured in 54 multi-vehicle pile-up


A-8 freeway has been reopened to the traffic after remaining closed for more than four hours early on today . spectacular collision in chain in which they have been involved up to 54 vehicles and the incident has left 27 hurt people at least, no of them of gravity . Tailbacks of up to 3km quickly forced regional emergency services to close the Cantabria-bound carriageway, directing traffic along the N-634 freeway while the damaged vehicles were removed . Elsewhere, snow and rain storms forced the closure of the AP-7 toll motorway at La Jonquera (Girona) just south of the French border at around midday as well as three main roads in the borough of Ampurd? . There have been 35 fatalities on Spanish roads in 30 fatal accidents across the country since 3pm on December 19, considered to be the start of the Christmas break. In addition there were 20 serious and 19 lesser injuries over the period. The official DGT traffic campaign for Christmas continues until January 7.



Sierra Nevada Record numbers at Ski Stations

Enjoying one of the best seasons for many years thanks to the snow falls since November which has allowed some 90 kms. of pistes to be open .
However the large numbers attracted by the conditions is showing who the ski station designed in the 60?s cannot now cope with visitor numbers, especially on public holidays . With Granada Ski Station are expected given the best skiing conditions for some years . demanding more parking space saying the Guardia Civil have on occasions had to stop private vehicles even approaching the resort . Mayor of Monachil, Jos? Luis Samos, has reminding the public that it is normal that there are problems in getting to a site which is nearly 2,500m high in the mountains , but he still apologised for those who had not been able to visit .



Bad snow and wind storm persists in Catalonia

Strong rains and wind gusts of wind in capital Barcelona , where the firemen have had to do more than 150 exits in the last hours to retire fallen branches and trees , as well as pieces of urban furniture . The weather of snow and wind that is whipping Catalonia , and that forced yesterday to activate the plan of emergencia to put in to action . In addition , the weather that has taken the snow to the coast of Girona .



Youth found dead in Police headquarters in Gij?n holding cell

David Fernando B.G., of 22 years, has passed away this behind schedule when was prisoner in the dependencies of the Police station of the National Police in Gij'on, apparently due to ?natural causes?, according to police sources to Efe and Europe Press have informed .



The drug in the shoes

Agents of the National Police have stopped to the five members of a group organized that introduced cocaine camouflaged in sport slippers, procedure which also they used to transport once adulterated it, according to inform police sources. The drug came from Argentina and its final destiny was the island of Ibiza.

Police investigate death of Irish woman in Tenerife

Police in Spain are investigating the murder of a 28-year-old woman on Christmas Eve . Lisa McConway, who has family living in Dublin, was found unconscious at her home near Playa de las Americas in Tenerife . It is understood neighbours called the police after hearing a row . She was taken to hospital, where she later died of multiple injuries .



The bad weather begins its transfer to the south

After two days of strong weather in the peninsular northeast, the attention moves today to the southwest , where the strong East winds and the intense registered precipitations have paralyzed during some hours the traffic of ferries due to the strong gusts of wind that affected the sea disturbance . In the port of Algeciras more of a hundred of vehicles and 200 passengers they remain in port in the hope of a new boat towards Ceuta . As long as the meteorological conditionses do not get worse , the extraordinary ferry Las Palmas of Gran Canaria will realise a new exit from Algeciras during the dawn. Nevertheless, the number of vehicles that by this time hope in the Port of Algeciras will force to that the vehicles which they continue arriving at the port with intention to embark towards Ceuta , must wait for Monday see you tomorrow . Catalonia continues being one of the affected Four die as winter weather with some area get 6 meter waves crashing along coast area . ferry that yesterday broke mooring cables in the coast of Girona, has decided to remain on the high seas and not to return to port until the meteorological situation becomes stabilized . Since he would be very dangerous to return to port in these circumstances .



The Spanish Prime Minister said that 2009 would be a difficult year .

The Prime Minister, Jos? Luis Rodr?guez Zapatero, appeared before the press after Friday?s Cabinet meeting, the last one of the year . Most of his statement was taken up by the Government?s action in the face of the economic crisis which he described as the main job for the New Year which he said would be a difficult one . He said the cabinet expected the increase in unemployment to slow down in the second half of 2009 . He said that he would not allow cut backs in social policies , but in fact he would be strengthening them , as now is when they are most needed . Zapatero also confirmed a 4% increase in the Minimum Wage for 2009 , taking it to 624 ?, as well as an average increase in minimum pensions of 6% .



Stopped Spanish truck driver in Tangiers to transport four tons of hashish .

Euro setting new sterling records ,

The euro has again been hitting new record high points against sterling, touching 97.93p against the British currency this morning . The Association of British Travel Agents has revealed that due to the drop in value of the pound against the euro - more than 20% in a single year - the number of Britons who will take their holidays in the eurozone is expected to drop dramatically next year . This in turn is expected to have a knock-on effect for the Spanish economy, as last year 45% of all the foreign visitors to the region were British, but last November a 20% drop in British visitors was recorded . Due to hight price off hotels , drink , food and Car rently . when , according to several sources, the favorite holiday destinations are Turkey and Egypt due to cheap deals . Sterling has fallen over the past month on expectations that the Bank of England will cut interest rates after gloomy economic data from Britain. Lower interest rates make a country's currency less attractive to investors . Sterling has lost around a third of its value against the euro and the dollar over the last year . Two weeks ago the pound crashed through the 90p level against the euro for the first time since the single European currency was launched in 1999 . The latest sterling drops came as a new report showed that as many as 600,000 people could lose their jobs in Britain next year, making 2009 the worst year for unemployment since 1991 .



Two region brings forward the start of the sales "2 jan"

Murcia and Andaluc?a has also decided to let the sales start on January 2 instead of the normal January 6 . The official regional bulletin for Murcia has confirmed the government?s decision to bring forward the start of the sales to January 2 . The region is following the example of Andaluc?a which announced a similar plan in an attempt to help trade over the holiday period . It means that the Spanish will get discounts on their gifts purchased for the Three Kings Day on January 6
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Advertisement www.regiondemurciacomercio.es regional government about their bargains which they will place on a new webpage



The weather of snow and wind forces to close to the traffic 11 mountain ports

The weather that undergoes Catalonia brought about yesterday a landslide in the mountainous zone of Els Degotalls that left the monastery of Montserrat isolated by train and highway . 1,500 people who were in the environs had to be evacuated through cableway that unites the C-55 highway with the access places to the enclosure tourist-monk . While, the coast of Barcelona and part of the one of Girona dawned devastated by the water . The affected municipalities more wait to that it lessens bad weather to assess the damage .


16?C/9?C -Alicante 18?C/8?C - Malaga

Canary Islanders advised to stay indoors

Gale force winds and heavy rain forecast, the regional government of the Canary Islands has issued severe weather alerts for the province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife and Gran Canaria starting from midnight last night . People, especially the elderly, are being warned to stay indoors and to pay attention to radio and TV news weather updates . planes and ferrys have be delayed on the islands . while on the Mainland many port and beach installations have been destroyed with the Costa Brava particularly affected . The Costa Brava has been particularly hard hit .



18 year old Briton dies in moped accident

An 18 year old British man, resident of Orihuela, was found dead yesterday morning in an irrigation canal in San Miguel de Salinas . The body of the man was found at 7.45am yesterday morning . Emergency workers would not speculate as to the cause of death until later in the day when it was confirmed that the man had died after suffering a moped accident . He had crashed against a crash barrier and then fallen into the canal .



Caught out on radar doing 240kmh(150mph)

A 23-year-old man from Asturias is waiting to learn his fate after being caught driving at nearly 150mph on the A-6 freeway - maximum speed limit 120kmh (75mph) - last Friday . He was snapped by a Guardia Civil traffic patrol armed with radar driving an Audi A3 near Benavente in the province of Zamora, where he will be tried .



Ibex closes with ascents the worse year of its history

The Ibex closes the worse year of its history with a bullish day (it has gained a 1.98%) that has allowed to stay him over the level of the 9,000 points (9.195). These data of last hour do not dim what it has been a horrible year for the selective Spanish who is lost a 39.4% in 2008. The Ibex has remained in a level similar to the one of 2004 and has lost near 200,000 million Euros, the equivalent to a fifth part of the Gross Inner Product of Spain.

there no news on the 31/01 jan , from the staff off FMPLUS Happy holidays and njoy youself ,

Rebajas Rebajas Rebajas starts in Spain

The winter sales start in the regions of Madrid, Andaluc?a, Extremadura and Murcia. They have been brought forward from the seventh of the month in an effort to stimulate sales as Spaniards continue to shop for the gifts they exchange on Three Kings Day on January 6. The Junta de Madrid, Andaluc?a, Extremadura and Murcia has decided to officially bring forward the official time of Rebajas or Sales in the region to January 2. but you have to wait for some big name stores until the january 7 . one off then be El Corte Ingles .



Father Stabbed to death by son after row

A 17-year-old youth was arrested yesterday after stabbing his father (41), who died on the way to Villamart?n Hospital . Earlier, the youth had stabbed a 27-year-old man out strolling with his girlfriend after a violent row involving all three . The incidents occurred at around 7am in the Pecho de la Fuente Gypsy quarter of Puerto Serrano (C?diz) .



Offices of Antenna 3, destroyed by the explosion at EITB HQ

ETA car bomb , The car pump had destroyed part of the glazed facade from the building to which the Basque public television hardly a year ago had moved, but the work returned to normality before the firemen and the services of cleaning retired crystals . the operation of the radio transmitters Euskadi and Euskal Telebista were yesterday at the normal , but there transmitters at hill side have been bombed few time over the last few years , Antenna 3, offices where destroyed by the explosion and now running out there Madrid HQ for now . damages in the outside of the building and also in the interior.



Record decrease in road smash fatalaties

Not since 1964, when there were only around a million vehicles in circulation (there are now nearly thirty times that amount), have there been fewer deaths on Spanish main roads and motorways . Pending final confirmation, 2,182 died in road accidents during 2008 - 20.3% down on last year, representing an unprecedented fall since records began, and continuing the recent positive trend: 2007 (-9.1%), 2006 (-9.5%), 2005 (-5.1%) and 2004 (-13.9%) . Between 3pm on December 19th and midnight on January 1st, 78 people lost their lives in 67 fatal accidents, slightly down on the 81 fatalaties registered between 3pm on December 21st and 8pm on January 1st 2008 . The most number of deaths occurred on Saturday 20th, when eleven died in nine accidents .



The consumption of ?tele? in Spain reaches a number record of almost four hours daily




The manufacturing production in the USA falls at its lower level from 1980

Barajas returns little by little to normality after runways was closed

Barajas airport outside Madrid yesterday suffered an enormous amount of delays yesterday due to a third of the air traffic controllers being off work due to sickness . As a result, only two runways were in use that at times caused delays of up to three hours, and equally caused delays in other airports whose flights were also destined for Madrid . One of those affected was Barcelona star, Lionel Messi, who arrived more than an hour late for yesterday's training session after being held up on his way back from Buenos Aires . Again two day there was some more Delays .



20.000 march in Bilbao for the movement of ETA prisoners

Thousands of people demonstrated on Saturday in Bilbao, in demand that ETA prisoners be moved closer to the Basque Country . The march was organised by the ETA prisoners collective ETXERAT , and also called for the release of those prisoners who are suffering from serious or incurable illness.
The demonstration was supported by some 40 social collectives , as well as political and union groups . It came the day after the lehendakari, Juan Jos? Ibarretxe, confirmed that the Basque Regional Elections are to be held on March 1, to coincide with the poll in Galicia. It?s the first time that the Basque poll has coincided with another , and it?s thought that Ibarretxe , from the PNV Basque Nationalist Party , wanted to catch the other parties on the back foot . Deputy Prime Minister, Mar?a Teresa Fern?ndez de la Vega, said the early poll would not stop the PSE, Basque Socialist Party, which polls show making progress in the region .



Bilbao Shocked by Cat

A power cut in Bilbao on 29 dec was caused by a cat . A cat was to blame for a power cut which affected 12,000 people in Bilbao yesterday and stopped the local metro . The feline climbed inside an Iberdrola electrical substation and managed to electrocute itself as it caused the power outage .



New Year's Eve rave continues into weekend

Several hundred young people, that at times reached as many as five thousand have been celebrating New Year's Eve in a deserted cement factory on the outskirts of Bu?ol Valencia . It is believed that they were summoned to the fiesta by SMS messages and via the internet with the intention to make the festivities last until Sunday night . No complaints have been received as the factory is far away from the town and so the loud music is virtually inaudible . more than 100 young people they have taken part in one ?rave?, a celebration that began with the purpose of year and that has maintained occupied until today one old cement factory .



EasyJet cancels a flight between Sofia and Madrid


The suspension of a flight of low cost between Sofia and Madrid affects tens of travellers . The EasyJet company had to cancel the flight to midnight by an intense Nevada . The passengers, among them numerous Spaniards, did not receive attention of the company Many have spent the night in the airport or have looked for lodging by their account In its Web, EasyJet affirms that it will provide hotel and lodging in similar cases , this thay did not

The fog and the labor conflict cause a new day of chaos in Barajas Airport Madrid

Barajas, the airport manager has recognized who the meteorological conditionses of intense fog and bad weather in the rest of Europe are conditional their operativity until the 12.00 hours . The fog has forced to regulate the landings between the 9,00 and 12,00 hours . Bad weather affects to the flights Europe . During all the morning they have become to register long tails before the counters of attention of the company of passengers who were lost the connection when arriving behind schedule at the Madrilenian aerodrome, which they had been affected by the ticket on-sale or whose flights were cancelled . The majors delays flight of Iberia, that count on delays among two and five hours . Iberia has initiated investigation to 41 pilots by the fervor strike who maintain for days, have confirmed to this Web from the airline. A labor conflict that has brought about ?of artificial form? delays in the airport of Barajas (Madrid), according to the company, and has taken to the desperation to thousands of people in these days of Christmas vacations . This week will be known, based on the gravity of the facts , the sanctions to the pilots , who can go from the suspension of use and pay , reduces of the category, in the case of the commanders , or the dismissal . The company assures that it owns tests that demonstrate the deliberate delays . Iberia has cancelled 10 routes and has rented 8 airplanes by the strike of pilots
Its punctuality is of a 45% east Monday .



Wintry week ahead for Spain

The three provinces of the Valencian Community could have snowfall on hight hills of over one thousand metres this week according to latest forecasts . Cold temp across Eu have some place with - 7 in London Uk . Rain and the crisis ruin the Fair of Christmas of Valencia . Last week bad snow and wind storm hit Catalonia



The Government trims the bureaucracy to save up to 15,000 million

The Government to reduce a 30% of the bureaucracy of the Administration during this legislature, which would suppose to the State a saving equivalent to 1% or 1.5% of Producto Interior Bruto (PIB) , according to estimations of the European Union. In Euros, between 10,000 and 15,000 million . The exigency of the new report will be added to the one of another already approved this legislature , on autonomic impact and of sort of the measures that the ministerial departments adopt . Altogether, the plan of reduction of bureaucratic loads has already supposed the adoption of 80 measures from the past summer . To them other 50 will be added , who will be approved in February .



Romanians and Bulgarians can now work legally in Spain

Romanians and Bulgarians can now work freely in Spain, following the ending of the moratorium by the Spanish Government. However it comes as both the Romanian and Bulgarian governments want their workers to return home . It?s estimated that a million Bulgarian and Romanian citizens live in Spain and consular sources consider that some 20% of Romanians are already working here as self-employed.

Fire works Spooked horse , injures dozens at Three Kings parade

At least thirty people were injured at a Three Kings parade in Sestao (Vizcaya) last night when a spectator threw a firecracker at one of the horses taking part , causing it to bolt . Nineteen were taken to San Eloy Hospital , a further eleven to Cruces Hospital while many other received treatment at Markonzaga health centre.
The incident occurred at the start of the parade on the Alameda de Las Llanas near an area known locally as the Casco arches . None of those injured were seriously hurt and the parade went ahead as planned albeit it after a slight delay . The Kings arrived by boat, train, cable car, bus and even by lift to make sure that last night was a magical one across the towns and villages of Spain, sharing out sweets as they went .



Cantabria, Asturias, Country Vasco and Catalonia, in serious Weather alert

The snow makes difficult to the traffic in Catalonia and the Pyrenean Aragonese , According to the last prediction of the State Agency of Meteorology (Aemet), in Asturias they will fall up to eight centimeters of snow throughout today with more to night . In addition, the alert orange also affects to the Pyrenean regions and of the Iberian system of Aragon. On the other hand, Leon , Palencia, Burgos , Soria , La Rioja , Navarre , Huesca , Saragossa , Teruel , Guadalajara and River basin are today yellow combat ready by precipitations that will leave up to five centimeters of snow . Europe center lives temperatures on up to -26 ?C below . In Poland three people and in Germany have died already, one . london with -10 ?C . There has been a large fall in temperatures across the country and Europe , this weather to improve from the weekend .

Cold air from Central Europe hits Spain

17 provinces are on alert for snow ? Orange alerts have been issued for Lleida, Barcelona, Girona and Mallorca. Yellow alerts are in place for Tarragona,Orense, Lugo, Palencia, Burgos, ?lava, Guip?zcoa, Vizcaya, the entire regions of Cantabria and Asturias as well as in Granada and Almer?a in the South . The cold weather that affects these days to Spain has put on the alert to 17 provinces . The effects of the snow and the ice are bringing about difficulties in the traffic in the peninsular north and Catalonia . Fifteen mountain ports remain closed and in other 35 the use of chains in the provinces of Burgos, Leon is required, Cantabria, La Rioja, Asturias, Navarre and Palencia , although no of them is in the main network, has informed the Main directorate into Traffic . Snow was reported in hight grounds of Balearics . The Arctic temperatures are set to remain across Spain until weekend . Madrid was - 6 this eveing . Traffic alert of the risk of the icy patches .



Hotels plan discounts for the summer 09

The hoteliers are being hit by the economic slowdown in Spain and the devaluation of Sterling, and are concerned that their main market, the Britons, will as a result stay away this year due to hight prices . Hoteliers note that for New Year?s Eve in the region the average occupancy was no higher than 60%, compared to full hotels over the same bank holiday last year . Informaci?n newspaper reports that discounts are being planned. It means that you will be able to stay in an average hotel this summer for 45 ? a day .



Spanair new Deal

The La Caixa savings bank and La Generalitat, Catalan regional government , are to finance an increase in capital in the troubled airline Spanair . This will go ahead once their purchase of the company has been confirmed . Joan Gaspart, head of tourism in Barcelona, is heading the operation to buy the company, and is looking for partners to renew the fleet .



House prices down by 40%

House sales in Spain fell, year on year, by 27.7% in October, with the fall as much as 43% in the case of resale property . The numbers come from the National Statistics Institute and show that more than half the house sales took place in just four of Spain?s regions ? Andaluc?a, Valencia, Madrid and Catalu?a .

Snow on Costa Blanca

In the city of Valencia, as a result of the cold wave, the Local Police has increased the welfare services, especially during the night, with the purpose of to take care of the needed people who spend the night in the city . Reports off Snow falls from Oliva, Valencia and Montgo . Tomorrow, AMET hopes that the only Balearics, Corunna, Ceuta and Melilla are saved of the wave of polar cold, that will be especially severe in Navarre, La Rioja, all Aragon, Castell?n, Valencia and Tarragona. For these zones, the AMET has decreed the level of alert orange important risk . The remaining provinces will be under the yellow alert risk . map link
http://www.aemet.es/es/eltiempo/prediccion/avisos
The wave of Siberian cold that whips the Iberian Peninsula has activated the alert in 15 provinces and tomorrow it will extend to practically the totality of the country, when arriving at 48 , including those of the Canary Islands, according to the forecasts of the State Agency of Meteorolog?a (AMET) . The weather will extend until the next Sunday .



Euro zone unemployment edges up to 7.8%

Spanish unemployment hits over 3,128,963 million people out of work . Spain is the European country to see the largest increase in unemployment, with the exception of Latvia . Over 2008 the increase in unemployment was 47%, with December seeing the ninth consecutive monthly increase by nearly 140,000 and taking the unemployment rate back to where it was in 1996 . The Government had admitted that unemployment is set to increase more this year. Secretary General for Employment, Maravillas Rojo, has admitted it will be a ?very difficult? year in 2009 . According to the latest numbers which show by summer there sould be 3.5million out off work .



Bank of England cut interest rates by 0.5 points to 1.5%

The Bank of England today cut interest rates by 0.5 points to 1.5% - the lowest level ever - as Britain grapples with a deepening economic slowdown.
Financial markets had been almost evenly split in pricing in a cut of either half or three quarters of a percentage point and analysts say another reduction next month looks a sure bet and that interest rates could fall below 1% . Lloyds TSB unit Cheltenham & Gloucester also said that it would cut its variable rate by the full amount of any reduction by the BoE . However , Nationwide, the UK's second-biggest mortgage lender, said last week that it would not pass on any further rate cuts to customers holding tracker loans . The British government has repeatedly urged the country's lenders to help stimulate the economy by passing on in full any central bank rate cuts . Banks and building societies have been arguing strongly that any more cuts will be particularly bad for savers .











Shares in Vueling airlines have soared on the Spanish stock market 78% in a week ahead of the imminent approval of the merger with Clickair. The rally comes on the rumour that the European Commission is about to give its approval to the merger deal.

Telef?nica has won the contract the management of communications for the DHL company. The contract is for the next five years and across 28 European countries. IT?s worth 350 million ? and includes fixed line and mobile voice and data services based on I.P. internet protocol technology.

Madrid hit by snow and - temperatures

Barajas Airport has been closed temporarily by the snow. The AENA Spanish Airports Authority said the closure came at 1145am, and they think the airport will be out of action for two to three hours. The only access possible currently to Barajas is by metro. The runways are reported to have a depth of snow of about five centimeters. There were 1,205 flights programmed today at Madrid .

A telephone information number has been established ? 902 404 704 . are get touch with your airline

The capital is reported to be almost isolated by road with 390 kilometres of hold ups and four main routes into the city blocked.
The trains are running, but RENFE has suspended its punctuality price promise as AVE high speed trains have reduced speed from 200km/hour to 160km/hour .

A heavy snow fall has surprised many in Madrid today and has brought traffic and travel delays . temperatures at Nuevos Ministerios office in Madrid was at -1.5 degrees C with staff call in with school days as school where closed in areas .

We have more later on to night

Madrid provinces are on Hight alert for snow

Airports , Roads , Train , Bus , Metro and Cars where all hit with the falling Snow off to day , this hasnt been see since 1977 . Snow was falling up just an hour ago . Snow is still falling in the north off communities Madrid . The airport of Barajas has resumed the operations of takeoff to the 16,40 hours The airport was out of action for five hours this afternoon, the first time ever it has been closed by the weather . Despite the re-opening early Friday evening at the time the only access possible currently to Barajas was by metro. There were 1,205 flights programmed Friday at Madrid . Long delays have reported at the airport of Barajas . As far as the railway transport, the RENFE has suspended the punctuality commitment that allows to rembolsar part or all the price of snow-covered tickets due to the intense ones, since the snow accumulation has forced to limit the speed of some trains. The Avant services between Madrid and Ciudad Real and Madrid and Toledo have limited their speed 160 kilometers per hour while the BIRD has reduced their speed to 200 kilometers

Rubalcaba blames to the prediction

The minister of the Interior, Alfredo Perez Rubalcaba, behind schedule made this call to the Spaniards so that tonight they do not take the car because they are lowering the temperatures and the snow and the ice are very dangerous. In addition, he attributed the collapse of the highways Madrilenian to erroneous weather forecasts, because ?the parts of last night were not those this morning to the 7,00 hours?.

The director of Civil defense, To pound Gallego, has extended to practically all the territory the warning by the weather in an interview granted to the Chain TO BE. Gallego has recommended not to use the car to move foreseeably in highway until he passes the alert, after the weekend. However, to questions on the forecast of Civil defense, dependent of the Ministry of Interior, and the political controversy generated, Galician has defended that them ?it has not surprised?.

The Main directorate of Traffic has recommended in this community not to use the car are travel . all day tve , tele madrid were reporting about the snow blocked roads

This news update again later
Jurdy

for photos off Madrid under snow http://www.notesfromspain.com/forums/showthread.php?p=67530
thanks to Ben from www.notefromspain.com

Tempers flare as Barajas chaos continues

Members of the Guardia Civil yesterday were rushing from one end of Terminal 4 in Barajas Airport to another in an effort to try and calm down the protests of thousands of passengers that have been affected by delays and cancellations , and in three cases boarded aircraft to dislodge passengers who were staging protests as the airport remained covered in snow . A total of 571 flights have thus far been cancelled, and this affected about 45,000 passengers who were left to spend the night at the airport , with no suitcases , no food , and no confirmation or assurance of being able to fly out . The worst problems were on a flight that was supposed to fly to Buenos Aires , that at first was delayed by 24 hours , and then the passengers were allowed on board only to be disembarked at 3am. Yesterday at midday , they were in their seats once again , when a cabin announcement revealed that the crew had exceeded their duty time and that it would be a further ten hours before they took off . Only Friday, this time by Nevada, 45,000 travellers were themselves affected by cancellations of flights. And yesterday other 10,000, which elevates to about 55,000 the total of victims in these two last black days of Barajas . The Madrid Metro service also revealed that running its services to Barajas throughout the night at the request of the Spanish airports authority, AENA . Civil aviation will initiate an informative investigation to Iberia by the treatment to some passengers .



Spain recovers from a weekend of traffic

A series of errors from Government, regional administration and local town halls resulted in hundreds of thousands of motorists being trapped in the snow on Friday afternoon and evening in the centre of the country . Each administration blamed the other for the chaos which resulted in practically all access roads to Madrid being blocked and the closure of Barajas airport for five hours . There was more than 400 kilometres of stationary traffic in Madrid during Friday?s snow storm . The town of Guadalajara was completely cut off for a time . On Sunday night nine mountain passes remained closed to traffic in the north of the country and 13 secondary roads remained closed . No more snow is forecast, but it will continue to be cold and rain will move across the country. The snow line will return to the normal 800/1000metre level and nighttime lows will be moderately higher . Freezing conditions will continue Monday inland in the north, with showers possible in the area of the Strait and on the Balearic Islands where they could be moderate in the afternoon . Temperature are forecast to fall to -11 in Guadalajara and -13 in places in the Madrid Sierra . Light showers possible along the coast in the South East , and rain entering from the North in Galicia later in the day . Morning mist also likely in the NE .



Three people in two house fires in the Valencian Community die

A total of three people has passed away this dawn in two fires registered in houses of the Valencian Community. In first of them, registered in the locality of X?tiva , a man of 80 years passed away and were wounded other four people . In the other fire , happened in Benidorm, they died carbonized two people.
The fire of X?tiva was originated , by causes that until the moment are not known on the 1,30 of this Sunday , in a house located in the Holy street Group . The sanitary services had to take care of in addition, a man of 50 years, another one of 63 and one woman of 22 by poisoning of smoke and to a man of 64 years by an anxiety crisis , that was transferred to the Hospital Llu?s Alcany?s de X?tiva . In Benidorm , the fire calcined the house totally where the two mortal victims resided, a octogenario marriage, of the fire . According to the firemen and the Information center have informed Coordination and of Urgencias (CICU) , had knowledge of the fire to 1.25 which happened in a third floor (duplex) of number 32 of the Ametla avenue of the Sea in circumstances that are investigated .
On the other hand , in another fire happened to 5.25 in the locality of Alcoy , in number 8 of the Santa Lucia street , he caused that two women , one of 46 years and another one of 26, would be taken care of in the Virgin hospital of the Irises by poisoning by smoke . In the last 36 days a total of thirteen people has passed away in the Valencian Comunitad due to fires registered in houses in different localities of the provinces of Valencia and Alicante . The province of Valencia has been affected , with seven people passed away in six wreck s, whereas in Alicante have died six people in four fires of houses .



Flu epidemic to peak next week

The elevated number of people being struck down by influenza over the past few weeks has reached epidemic proportions in five regions - Arag?n, Asturias, Catalu?a, Navarra and Madrid - but is not expected to reach its peak until the end of next week . With 70 patients per 100,000 inhabitants , the situation in Madrid is the worst for four years .

Health experts have published the following guidelines:

Do not take unprescribed antibiotics.
Rest and drink plenty of liquids.
Totally immobility is not recommended, however, and sufferers should try and move about as much as possible to improve circulation and enhance mood.
Cover your nose and mouth when coughing or sneezing to minimise the risk of contaminating others.
Do not seek treatment at the A&E;department of your local hospital.



Crisis forces Mercadona down market

Valencian supermarket chain Mercadona has revealed its plans for cost cutting as the financial crisis deepens . The first of these is removing the outer cardboard boxes from its own line of toothpaste , reducing the price and competing directly with the burgeoning discount sector , led by Dia , where this has been common practice for at least a decade .

Due to the death of jurdys , Uncle eiddy he not around news back on tue 13 jan
katie

Widespread alerts for 25 provinces back on ice and snow alert .

one of the heaviest snowfalls in living memory last Friday that caused snarl-ups for air and road travellers across northern and central parts throughout the weekend with capital dwellers particularly inconvenienced . With the arrival of a fresh polar front today (Tuesday the thirteenth), drivers in Madrid are being advised to stay at home with further snow and temperatures of minus six forecast . Albacete, Asturias, ?vila, Burgos, C?ceres, Cantabria, Ciudad Real, Cuenca, Guadalajara, Guip?zcoa, La Rioja, Le?n, Lugo, Madrid , Navarra, Orense, Palencia, Salamanca, Segovia, Soria, Teruel, Toledo, Valladolid, Zamora and Zaragoza .



Plasma TV screen eatting energy Could get EU Ban

The future of the Plasma TV screen in the European Union is in danger, not because of a lack of money to buy them, but because it has been revealed that they eat energy. A new European regulation is to limit the maximum energy consumption of televisions and screens. Some plasma models which respect the environment will survive .



www.plane.gob.es new spanish web .

The Spanish Prime Minister, Jos? Luis Rodr?guez Zapatero, has opened a new webpage (www.plane.gob.es) where he says that he will explain the government?s response to the economic crisis, and the fight against unemployment . In his first video message he calls for the collaboration of the citizens and says that everyone has to make an effort and sacrifice . The page talks about the new plan E which is a new plan for the stimulation of the economy and employment .



Ex Mayor of Marbella found guilty again
Juli?n Mu?oz and two ex GIL councillors were found guilty of diverting municipal money in irregular payments to councillors .

Spanish Tourist industry in crisis

The tourist industry in Spain will not recover from the current crisis until 2010 , 100,000 job losses between now and May . The latest report from the Alliance for Tourism Excellence, EXCELTUR . In 2008 for the first time the tourist industry did not contribute to the growth of the Spanish economy showing its own negative growth of 1.1% with respect to 2007 . Exceltur Executive Deputy President, Jos? Luis Zoreda, warned that the slowdown would be noted especially from the summer with a fall in national demand. He predicted that 100,000 jobs in the sector would be lost between now and May , some 6% of the total . More than 75% of companies in the sector reported reduced sales and profits last year. Overall tourism income last year was down 4.1% and this year the reduction in income was expected to fall a further 5.7% . Confidence in the industry was back down to 2002 levels . with sun holidays , citybrakes all report to be down , if not the Madrid to Andaluc?a .



The IBEX 35 stock market index has been falling sharply again today as did markets worldwide . The Anti-Corruption prosecutor is strengthening the team which is investigating how the Madoff broker scandal has affected investors in Spain. Spain is the second country most affected by the scandal, after only the United States. Prosecutor Concha Sabadell has been brought in to support the work of fellow prosecutor Luis Pastor in the investigation.



Provinces remain on alert for winter weather in Spain

11 provinces across the country remain on alert today out of the 24 placed on snow alert yesterday as the cold front continues bringing more snow to some areas of Spain . Good news as situation will ease across the country today as temperatures start to rise. A new front will affect the west of the peninsular on Thursday, but it will not reach the centre of the country as the weather finally calms and temperatures start to rise



Davis Cup comes to Benidorm

The Davis Cup eliminatory round between Spain and Serbia is to be played in Benidorm between March 6 and 8.

ECB expected to cut rates by 0.5 points two it new low of 2%

The governing council of the European Central Bank meets in Frankfurt today amid expectation that the euro zone's main interest rate will be cut by up to half a percentage point . Most analysts expect the rate to be lowered to 2% from the current 2.5% of the continuing sharp economic downturn . Eurozone inflation fell to a 26-month low in December, thanks to a big decline in the price of energy bills . The ECB is widely tipped to trim rates by at least half a percentage point from the current 2.5% when it announces its January decision later . Analysts said the latest fall in inflation was expected, giving the ECB room to cut rates further and help lift the economy without fear of lifting prices . "The ECB will do 50 basis points today and we think rates will go down to 1% in the second quarter," said Stephane Deo of UBS Bank.

Excluding energy and food bills, core eurozone inflation declined to 1.8% in December from 1.9% in November . there be update late today
jurdy .

12.30 hrs 1.00 EUR = 0.901543 GBP

AVE construction workers down tools , Unpaid wages

Construction of the AVE high speed line to Murcia has been delayed as sub-contractors working in Cuenca have downed tools claiming they have not been paid. The area affected is between Naharros and Torrejoncillo in Cuenca province, where 100 workers say they have been four months without pay . Their union representative has stated that work will not be restarted until assurances are received that pay will be forthcoming . The Ministry for Development is reported to now be in contact with the main contract holder as well as some of the sub-contractors . The measure affects about ten companies that have been subcontracted for the project . Government infrastructure spokesman, Cecilio Hern?ndez, continues to insist the AVE will arrive in Murcia in 2011. Some press reports say it is five years away .



The minister of Defense , Chac?n visits the Spanish troops in Lebanon

Defense minister , Carmen Chac?n, has visited the Spanish troops in mission of peace in the Lebanon . The soldiers, 1,100, are in Base Miguel de Cervantes, in Marjay?n . The military must like mission consolidate La Paz in the Lebanese south and all the region . In addition , the soldiers must help the Lebanese Gobireno to extend their authority to all the territory , to supervise the cease of hostilities and to facilitate humanitarian workings . She travelled to see the Spanish troops stationed on the border with Israel as part of a United Nations mission and while there she met with Lebanese leaders .



ECB cut rates by 0.5 points two it new low of 2% with more to come in March

The European Central Bank has cut its main lending rate to 2%, down from 2.5% . The cut, in line with consensus forecasts, marks the fourth cut in just over three months amid signs that the financial crisis is biting hard into the eurozone economy and as inflation falls further below the ECB's 2% . Telling a news conference the 'next important rendez-vous' would be in March as the central bank would have fresh economic forecasts then .



Airbus takes top planemaking spot

European planemaker Airbus with plants in Spain ,took top spot in global jet plane deliveries and orders during 2008 . Airbus saw a 7% rise in deliveries to a record 483 planes. US rival Boeing - hit by a machinists' strike - saw its deliveries fall by 15% to 375 planes . It also outsold Boeing, with orders for 777 jets, down 42% from the previous year. Last week, Boeing said it sold 662 aircraft in 2008, down 53% on 2007 . Airbus is restructuring to cope with currency volatility and other issues . It said its Power8 cost-cutting programme had saved 1.3bn euros ($1.7bn; ?1.2bn) . Boeing's 2008 production was hit by a 58-day machinists' strike . Meanwhile, Airbus has cut its A380 delivery forecast for 2009 to 18 planes. In 2008 it delivered 12 of the aircraft .



Nortel files for bankruptcy protection in US

In a statement, Nortel said its day-to-day operations are expected to continue without interruption. It said it will now begin a comprehensive restructuring of its business . According to the court filing in US bankruptcy court for the district of Delaware, Nortel's major creditors include Bank of New York Mellon with claims valued at nearly ?4bn . Nortel work with bt spain , Orange Spain .

1.00 EUR = 0.898114 GBP at closed off banks



Madrid will close the premises that surpass the noise level

It will try it first to the City council putting mediating to the doors of the pubs, where they will try to bring back to consciousness to the noct?mbulos of which they respect the right to the rest of the neighbors

TV transmitter station blast rocks Basque town

police, have deactivated two booby-trap bombs which were placed on the access to Santa B?rbara TV repeater station in Hernani, Guip?zcoa early morning . An explosion went off there at 1am, designed it seems to lure police and security forces to the booby traps . Another two devices were found and diffused hidden some ten metres away in rucksacks and connected by a cable across the road to the TV repeater . There was no prior warning except for a note in Basque - 'Kontuz bomba' (Bomb, take care) - pinned to the door of an outbuilding at the transmitter station . Top of a small mountain , well away from residential areas .

The was attack on a similar TV transmitter installation in Bilbao last February and to the building off Basque Television Company EiTB . ETA used 100 kilos of explosives to wreck the headquarters EiTB on New Year?s Eve morning .




Trade union bosses rule out general strike option

Candido M?ndez and Fernando Toxo, the heads of the two largest trades unions in Spain - the CCOO and the UGT - stated yesterday that they were against a general strike against the socialist government due to rising unemployment . The two leaders were in Valencia taking part in a demonstration that ended in front of the regional Employment ministry to protest against the disproportionate rise in unemployment levels in the conservative-governed Community .



Catholic parents criticise promotion of the condom in Spain

The Confederation of Catholic Parents Associations in Spain (CONCAPA) has called on the Ministry for Health to withdraw the advertising campaigns promoting the use of condoms to avoid unwanted pregnancies . Among the campaigns under criticism are the ?yopongocondom.com? , and a new initiative to make condoms cheaper and more available to the Spanish youth . The ?Be Love? company is now offering five condoms for a Euro in Spain, after selling some 30 million in France over the past two years , and Durex is to start selling packs of eight for ?4 . CONCAPA says that the campaigns show condom use as normal, when they ?go against the morals of a good part of Spanish society? , and that the Government is entering into aspects of education which should be reserved for families .



Spanish Government revises economic forecasts is bad

The Spanish Government has revised its previsions for the country?s economy downwards for the third time in a year, and now says that unemployment will reach nearly 17% this year. That would mean the loss of some 750,000 jobs this year . The Minister for the Economy , Pedro Solbes , could not have been clearer with his words after the cabinet meeting on Friday , telling the press that ?We will live very difficult moments? . The Government now considers the country will face the worst economic slowdown for 16 years . The deficit is now forecast to reach 5.8% of G.D.P. this year because of the emergency spending being carried out against the crisis . The economy is now expected to shrink by 1.6% this year . The public deficit will remain above 3% of G.D.P. at least until 2011, as the Government now considers that the crisis will last longer than this year , although recovery is expected to start in 2010 -11 .



D?nia Town Hall competent to decide on future of Les Marines development

Lottery lady loses her takings in Oj?n

Spain verging on bankruptcy ?

It now appears that the financial noose around Spain is getting tighter and tighter, as on the one hand the market is now reacting to the latest ratings downturn from Standard and Poor, and on the other, indicators appear set to declare the country bankrupt later this year, due in no small part to the Credit Default Swap procedure yesterday registering an increase on 9 points to arrive at 118.5 . By comparison Germany has a 4% rating, Greece an 18%, Ireland a 15% and Italy 14%, with rumours rising that possibly one country of the euro zone is considering pulling out of the single currency .



Nigerians continue to send fake lottery letters from M?laga

Three years after the Caso Nilo in M?laga, Nigerians continue to send thousands of false lottery letters from Andaluc?a and the Mediterranean Coast . The Nilo case led to the arrest of 310 people and the searching of 180 different premises, when the M?laga group was sending between 15,000 and 20,000 letters a day .
But even now the police say that they are arresting a new group every two or three weeks . The United States Department of Justice estimates that there have been 2.8 million victims in the States who have paid out some ?753 million . Many of the victims pensioners or this disabled , according to the United States Government . In total some 100 million ? is defrauded from more than 50 countries every year . This week the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor has called for 168 of those arrested in the Nilo case to be processed, but such a court case would be a complicated one . More than 100 of those arrested have already been expelled from Spain, while the rest are on bail , and for each victim known to the police there are an estimated 100 who are not, all of them living abroad .



Internet users say ADSL in Spain is the most expensive and slowest in Europe

The Spanish Association of Internet Users want to see universal access to the net . The Spanish Association of Internet Users has complained about the slowing growth rate of ADSL and cable connections in the country , and called for price reductions . They claim the Spanish ADSL is the slowest and most expensive in Europe . Last November there were 86,404 new ADSL connections, down 40% year on year . The Association says that it wants to see universal access to the web, sustained by public money. In the meantime they are calling for a liberalisation of prices , with the application of a reference maximum price .

Ireland ?9.99 per month UK 12 punds France ?8 Euros



Man shoots his wife as she would not help him wash the car

The husband shot with a hunting shotgun, missed his wife, but he now faces a possible 15 year prison sentence . The prosecutor in Murcia Provincial Court is calling for a 15 year prison sentence and a ?12,000 compensation payment for a man who tried to kill his wife as she would not help him to wash the car . Jos? Antonio B.P. is accused of shooting her with a hunting shotgun at their rural house in ?guilas . The couple had friends with them at the time, and the wife said she would rather play cards . The husband then went inside to get the shotgun which had been a present from his father in law , and fired a shot, missing his wife . A neighbour heard the row and alerted the Guardia Civil . So how doing my Dishs ?

The president of the Government recognizes that 2009 will be a year of recession

The president of the Government, Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, has announced this morning that before it finishes the month will become to see with the presidents of the Spanish financial organizations to urge to them that ?they make agile and they facilitate more credit? to the SMEs (small and medians companies) and families . Zapatero , in interview with the Chain TO BE from the Palace of the Moncloa , has recognized that 2009 will be a ?year of nongrowth? that will have a ?direct hit in the use? . However, the head of the socialist Executive has asked the citizens who have ?confidence and consume of form normal? to leave the crisis .
Another blue Monday for bank shares across the Euro Zone . Badly Spanish day for stock-market. After the past week lost a 8%, Monday has followed with the same bearish tendency. In a day marked by the bad news on the Spanish economy, Ibex 35 has let a 1.45% to remain below the 8,500 points (8,494, 80), the lowest level from the 5 of December of the past year . The Uk are haveing to bail out the banks for the second time , major set of measures to encourage banks to lend to individuals and businesses, as credit remains scarce or expensive to obtain . Bank shares in Ireland where wipped by 50% down today . The eurozone economy will shrink 1.9% in 2009 and grow by only 0.4% in 2010, the European Commission forecasts . Brussels anticipates a contraction of 2% of the Spanish economy in 2009



Alert to five communities by snow and coastal winds

The Main directorate of Protection Civil and Emergencias of the Department of the Interior has warned by snow the Community of Madrid and by coastal winds Cantabria , Galicia , Country Vasco and Asturias before the new weather that gets worse this week in the peninsula after days of truce .
According to the State Agency of Meteorolog?a (AEMET), during snow-covered today and tomorrow prehorseradish tree in the mountain range of Madrid that will be able to reach up to eight centimeters of thickness . In addition, the provinces of the north of Spain will be affected by coastal winds, that in Corunna, Lugo and Pontevedra will be able to produce waves of up to seven meters . 25 died in the highway during the weekend .



Spanish search for Madeleine McCann unearths paedophile network

The Spanish detective agency obtained information that Madeleine McCann could be among a crowd of children in a paedophile video found on the Internet in file sharing programs . This opened the line of investigation and General Manager of Metodo3 , Francisco Marco , commented that the images are the worst he has seen in his life . 21 Spanish users were found to have downloaded the video in ten regions of the country in a police operation which was carried out on December 9 . Five computers, 47 hard disks and 133 CDs and DVDs have been impounded . The continuing search for the missing British youngster , Madeleine McCann has unearthed a network of paedophiles and resulted in the arrest of 13 people . The Barcelona detective agency M?todo3 unearthed the group which shared videos of children aged under ten .



Teenage shooters detained

Two boys aged fifteen and eighteen have been arrested in Valencia after they apparently opened fire on passers-by near a local health centre . They apparently used buckshot-loaded hunting guns, and fired from their fifth floor flat on people last Tuesday , repeating their actions on last Thursday . police were notified but
one person received a wound to the head and was cared for by the emergency services .



Obama honours King on inauguration Eve

Barack Obama sworn in as 44th US President ....

Barack Obama has been inaugurated as the 44th president of the United States, making history before a sea of people in Washington . Mr Obama took the oath of office from Chief Justice John Roberts, resting his hand on the bible and raising his right hand to deliver the words that formally made him the successor to George W Bush . President Barack Obama then addressed the huge crowd , telling them he was 'humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust you have bestowed , mindful of the sacrifices borne by our ancestors .' Hundreds of thousands of people , bundled up against the cold and in a festive mood, had packed Washington's Mall since early this morning . ' Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real ,' the President told the crowd . 'They are serious and they are many . They will not be met easily or in a short span of time . But know this , America - they will be met .' Some estimates put the number of people packing the Mall and inaugural parade route at more than two million . Turning to crowds stretching way into the distance , Mr Obama cited the worst economic conditions in 70 years and US involvement in wars in Iraq and Afghanistan as having placed the country 'in the midst of crisis .' He offered conciliatory words to Muslims , while at the same time issuing a warning to those who would wage terrorism . In a message to the Muslim world, President Obama said he would seek a 'new way forward' based on mutual interest and mutual respect . this has been watch by millions across the world with 80 % off tv and radio brodcasting inauguration



Three pilots die after two fighter jet crash in Spain

Three pilots have died after two Spanish Airforce F-1 Mirage Fighters crashed in Albacete at 1015am this morning . Reports say it happened during an instruction flight . Ministry for Defence sources say the accident happened above the village of El Bonillo for reasons yet to be established . The planes were based in the Ala 14 of the Los Llanos airbase in Albacete . No damages have not caused to property on the ground .



Police chief in wrong-way roundabout smash Investigation

An investigation is now under way into the conduct of Badajoz Local Police chief , Miguel Sardinia , after he was found to be involved in a traffic accident as he drove the wrong way around a roundabout . The occupants of the other car suffered some broken bones and were later released from hospital , whilst Mr Sardinia was on leave having undergone hospital care last week


Gibraltar accused of robbing Spanish lands and sea

An official complaint has been raised by Jos? Ignacio Landaluce , the Partido Popular MP for C?diz , who stated that land is being stolen from Spain in order to create the Ocean Village residential estate in Gibraltar's Marina Bay area . Gibraltar is taking land from Spain to enlarge itself and to accommodate more building .



Spain says it will need no second bank intervention as seen across Euro Zone

The Ministry for the Economy, Pedro Solbes, has said that Spain will not need a second bank intervention as has been seen this Monday in the U.K. However Solbes did voice concern for the situation in Caja Madrid, but rejected any intervention there by the Bank of Spain . He did not rule out however new measures to try and re-establish the supply of credit by the banks to families and small businesses in spain . Across the the Euro Zone bank share in banks sharp drop in the bank's share price . Anglo Irish Bank Shares in the bank were suspended on the Irish Stock Exchange and on the London Stock Exchange . RBS shares fell 11%, having plunged 67% on Monday after the bank had predicted further losses . Other banks also suffered with Lloyds TSB closing down by 31% on Tuesday , with Barclays shares 17% lower . The prediction by RBS that it would see Britain's biggest ever corporate loss was "shattering news" said David Buik of BGC Partners . The government's second attempt to bolster the UK's banking sector included an insurance scheme to cover bad debts held by banks and a ?50bn fund to allow the Bank of England to lend money directly to businesses . Investors fear that the cost of the banking bail-out could weaken the UK's national finances and hurt sterling - which has fallen sharply since last summer , when a pound was worth $2 .

1 EUR = 0.925713 GBP r 1 GBP = 1.08025 EUR

ETA renews their threat

Basque terror group ETA yesterday warned that it intended to target people and companies working on bringing the AVE high speed train to the Basque Country. A statement is published on edition of Basque newspaper 'Gara' . The statement also claims responsibility for the attack on the EiTB regional television station on New Year?s Eve and for the shooting dead of the Basque businessman Ignacio Uria in the town of Azpeitia, Guip?zcoa on December 3 . They say Uria was killed for refusing to pay their so-called ?revolutionary tax? and for taking part in the work to build the train line, which the terrorists oppose considering that it build links to Madrid .



Spaniards refute EU land grab law

An attack on the Spanish judicial system contained in the report from Danish M.P. Margarete Auken, was not welcomed by the Spanish .Land grab and other alleged real estate abuse carried out in Spain, which was presented yesterday by the Danish parliamentarian, Margarete Auken, to the Petitions Commission of the European Parliament. They have until the 27th of this month to present their amendments. The proposed modifications will be voted on February 11 . The Green Danish MP suggests a moratorium on all town planning in the Valencia region unless that water supplies for the new properties are guaranteed , and wants a reform of the town planning legislation in the region . She says that European funding could be withdrawn from Spain if the abuse does not end, and criticises the Spanish Constitutional Court for not protecting the rights of purchasers by not firmly applying article 33 of the Spanish Constitution which refers to private property . The presentation of the draft in Brussels has caused great effect in the Valencia region where most of the town planning abuses are based, although both Andaluc?a and Murcia are included .



The judges decide to advance strike

The judges decide to advance strike on feb 18 . They are united to those of Murcia, Extremadura, Castell?n, Gerona, Malaga Madrid and Seville

More Weather alert orange in the north

AEMET has activated in addition the yellow alert by wind in all the provinces to Castile and Leon, Lleida, Tarragona, Girona, Valencia, Alicante and Murcia. In the same risk level, that includes the possibility of snowed, are the provinces of River basin, Guadalajara, the Toledos, Ciudad Real and Ja?n. In this last one, the snow will reach seven centimeters in mountain range and two in the metropolitan area, the zone of the Henares, the south and Fertile valleys, reason why the Community maintains activated level 0 of the Plan of Winter Inclemencies . Waves of up to seven meters In the communities of Galicia, Asturias, Cantabria and Basque Country the waves reach up to seven meters of height, whereas in the Canary Islands, between four and six meters . The winds that affect great part of Spain will be very intense in the provinces of Albacete and Almeria , in which gusts of wind of up to 90 kilometers per hour will take place . The skies will most of stay or places setting in the Peninsula , the Balearics , Ceuta and Melilla with moderate , more intense precipitations weak to in Galicia and weaker at the most the east very cloudy , mainly in the Mediterranean area , where they will be little probable and they will predominate clouds of average and high type . The snow level has been placed in the first hours in the Peninsula between the 700 and 1,000 meters , but it will be raising throughout the day until the 2.000. The temperatures will moderately stay changes or in slight ascent in the Mediterranean area and Canary and more discharges in the rest of the Peninsula , mainly in the northwest , where the ascent could be remarkable .



Debt crisis at Madrid Town Hall / Madrid region spying scandal

The current economic crisis could not have come at a worse moment for Madrid and its conservative mayor , Alberto Ruiz Gallard?n, whose treasury is far worse than empty , for it now seems highly probable that the Spanish capital will end 2009 with a debt of somewhere around eight billion euros . The debt crisis at Madrid Town Hall is not only town hall that in trouble this year . If the forecast is fulfilled , Madrid will be ten times more indebted than Barcelona , or , expressed differently , the capital owes more than the Andalucian region , which has a population two and a half times greater than that of Madrid .
Madrid region spying scandal continues , The Mayor made the statement in an interview on TVE programme , 59 segundos , last night , describing the spying affair as very serious . Gallard?n said he had not spoken to the President of the Madrid region , Esperanza Aguirre , since the spying scandal broke . He said though that the spying was illegal , had been financed with public money and wa s, in addition , a crime .



Spanish National Police arrested in Marbella and Tenerife for Drug trafficking

News has just been released that Police searched some 20 homes , blocked bank accounts , and recovered top of the range vehicles and luxury yachts in an operation against speed traffickers . The gang from ireland and British traffickers were arrested in Marbella and in Santa Cruz de Tenerife in an operation codenamed ?sendero? . Spanish National Police worked in collaboration with the UK Crime and Drug Enforcement Agency . Police say now they have broken up all the infrastructure and businesses used as cover by the gang, as well as recovering all their assets. These include a luxury villa with a double garage in Marbella, a home in Playa de las Americas in Tenerife, and a home built in Las Palmas. Other smaller properties and garages also in Tenerife, and Marbella as well as some land has also been embargoed . Luxury cars found include a Ferrari F430 Spyder, two Hummers , a Porsche Cayenne turbo , a Mercedes 63 AMG and an Audi Q7, as well as two yachts.




Latest numbers in Spain show that the banks are still not offering credit, with numbers down 95%. Representatives of the main banks could be called to explain their policies before Congress. The banks defence is that they are not granting credit as nobody is asking for it.

storm in a decade claims lives

Although the worst of the storm has now passed , thirteen regions remain on severe weather alert today Three-Ton Commercial Truck Weight Limit , two and three-wheel vehicle drivers are being warned to keep their speed to below 80km an hour and avoid overtaking and the DGT traffic authority advised drivers to stay off the roads. Wind speeds dropped quickly across the country on Sunday morning as the storm which brought winds as strong as 200 kms/ hour in some areas , and has been described as the worst storm for a decade left 12 deaths, four of them children , and a trail of destruction . It has been replaced by heavy rain in the North East of the country and a new front has seen a return to low temperatures in Galicia . That will move south and bring more snow to many parts of the country from Monday . A roof of a sports centre collapsed in the wind at 11 30 Saturday morning in Sant Boi de Llobregat , Barcelona . It happened in Calle Riera del Fonollar killing 4 children, aged between 9 and 12 , Strong winds are fanning the flames of the fire , which started when an electricity pylon at El Copet was blown over in the wind . The strong winds on Saturday fanned the flames as a huge wildfire broke out in La Nucia, Alicante . Some 14,000 people in 25 different urbanisations have been evacuated from their homes in La Nuc?a, Benidorm, Finestrat and Polop because of the fire which started at 0920 in the El Copet area , according to the Mayor of La Nucia , Bernab? Cano, speaking to Europa Press . They have been taken to local municipal facilities .

storm in a decade claims lives part2

Engineering crew been out get power , radio , tv , back on . Cancellations of flights, you cut of POWER and highways, closing of ports, falls of trees and destructions in buildings and facilities . All the communities were alerted from which it came to them above with the arrival of a weather . Even so, the abruptness with which the cyclone whipped the Peninsula yesterday brought about 12 dead and numerous flaws. The north of Spain was the zone more punished by the storm that left winds of up to 200 kilometers per hour . 21 meters waves where recored in Biscay and thousands of people without power cuts . In Madrid, the wind has brought about 390 interventions of the firemen although serious material damages nor wounded people have not been registered . The affected zones more have been the districts of the north and the east . The weather also punished the southwest of France. Three people died and more of a million and average one of homes they remained without electricity . Destruction to building have been report across spain due to hight winds . Weather caused considerable delays in the Spanish airports and forced to cancel 51 flights . Army brought in to help fight wildfire in La Nuc?a The storm moves away of the Peninsula but a new rain front enters by Galicia. - The weather acquires the life of 12 people between Friday and Saturday . The massive blaze, which started early on Saturday with the fallen of an electricity pylon , has seen the evacuation of as many as 14,000 people from their homes . The flames declared yesterday in the municipality of Alicante of the Nuc?a have devoured more than thousand hectares . In the regions of the Coast and the d'Albaida Vall the fire has devastated 90 hectares .



Burberry to shed 250 jobs in Catalu?a

A meeting will take place later today in Barcelona between representatives of the UGT trades union and the directors of Burberry after the company revealed that it was shedding 250 jobs in the region. However, the effects of Catalu?a are said to be devastating, as companies such as Roca , Seat , Indo , Derbi , Vitri , Sony and Nissan have all announced staff reductions or divisional closures . Camil Ros from the UGT added that this month alone , some five thousand workers were affected either by reduced working hours or job loss, whilst 15,000 jobs were affected in this way in December and 8,000 in November .
While BME is two open new office in Elche in summer with 30 jobs with its software side off the comapny and billing this could be incressed two 100 jobs my next year report to fmplus staff on friday



The weather leaves eight dead in France

Benalm?dena dead gangland-style shooting

A Dublin man has been killed in a gangland-style shooting . He has been named as 30-year-old Richard Keogh . He was shot outside a casino in Benalmadena on the Costa del Sol at around 11pm Satarday . Mr Keogh was known to the garda?(irish police ) for his suspected involvement in drug trafficking and it is understood he was a target of the Criminal Assets Bureau , the Garda National Drugs and the UK's Serious Organised Crime Agency . Originally from Carnlough Road in Cabra, he moved to Spain two years ago after a previous attempt on his life in Duleen, Co Louth . According to reports, the father-of-four died after a car pulled up and a gunman fired at least 10 shots at him .



Low temperatures return to Spain

State Agency of Meteorolog?a (AEMET) still has seven regions on alert this morning for snow and wind ? Asturias, Andaluc?a, Cantabria, Galicia, Madrid, Melilla and Euskadi. Snow is possible above 500m in the north of the country and more falls are forecast as far south as Ja?n . Temperatures are down again in most of the country, although the western third will see little change .




The City council of Sant Boi de Llobregat (Barcelona) will today organize a joint funeral by the victims of the collapse of a sport installation the past Saturday, four children of 9 and 10 years. The act will take place from the eleven in the polideportivo of the Parellada.

Iberia merge "Not wanted"

British Airways has announced that it does not want to merge with Iberia given the current situation on the stock market . Iberia last week exceeded that of BA for the first time since the carriers began merger negotiations last July . Iberia's share price had "performed well in recent times". BA's shares closed 3.1 per cent lower at 146p, while Iberia closed down 1 per cent at ?1.91 (?1.80), giving BA a market capitalisation of ?1.69bn and Iberia of ?1.72bn. Willie Walsh told the Financial Times that the airline was not prepared to meet the merger now, and said part of the problem was the loss of value of sterling against the Euro . With BA warns of ?150m full-year operating loss .



Banco Santander EGM

Emilio Bot?n, the Chairman of Banco Santander , has told an extraordinary meeting of shareholders today that he is to study the possibility of taking legal action to defend the bank and its clients in the face of the Bernard Madoff scandal . Clients of the bank lost 2.3 billion and the bank lost 17 million ? of its own funds in the fraud . The Chairman said that the bank has 84 billion ? liquidity and said it had not closed the credit tap to borrowers . Bot?n said that the annual results of Santander were ?magnificent? . On the Madoff case, Booty has announced that Santander , one of the banks that sold financial products related to American broker, ?is analyzing all the data? and ?valuing the possibility of taking legal measures? , in response to a spokesman of the writing desk Cremades and Bald, one of which represents the Spanish investors affected by the swindle .



Repsol new gas finds

Repsol has announced three new gas finds in Algeria. The first tests think that more than 1 billion cubic metres of gas a day, 1% of the national consumption in Spain , could come from the new find in the Sahara Desert .



Costa Blanca fires under control

Just after 6 pm last night , firemen stated that they had finally managed to bring under control the fire in La Nucia that was brought on after heavy winds downed power cables . Although a total of ten helicopters and water planes came to extinguish the blazes , many of them were unable to take off due to the winds , and it was left to fire crews on the ground to do what they could , and as a result reinforcements came from members of the Guardia Civil , forestry brigades and the Army . Thousands people who had been evacuated were allowed to return to their homes . but power outes were widespread



Two died in Lugo intoxicated supposedly by the gas of a stove

The pair lived in Cervo, locality that has been without power by the weather

Zapatero faces the tv show

The President of the Spanish government went under the spotlight last night, taking part in TVE's "I have question for you" . The programme, which gives ordinary citizens the chance to ask leading politicians questions , drew an audience of 6,5million viewers . issues like immigration, terrorism, safety on the streets and housing with the leader of the government . Exports Of arms claimed on TV to the Prime Minister ,
* The leader of the opposition criticism the intervention of Zapatero in ?I have a question for you?
* He thinks that the citizens put to him ?against the cords and with reason?
* He has accused Zapatero ?to live in another world? and to lie in his answers
Also he contradicted to Zapatero when affirming that the PSOE yes promised the total use in the electoral campaign, reason why censured he denied that it yesterday. In this sense, Rajoy has blamed the president of the Government of to have lived ?in another world? in the last years and to this it attributed the crisis because ?the policy is to pick up what one sowing?.

?They have returned to the old ways?

More on the www.tve.es



High river levels and winds continue to wreak havoc across country

High coastal winds are still threatened in Cantabria , Galicia , Asturias , the Basque Country and Melilla . Gales are expected in Catalu?a , Navarra and the Comunidad Valenciana . Andalucia , Astruias , Cantabria , Madrid , Navarra and the Basque Country can also expect heavy snow over the coming days .
alert in Bilbao over rains , The high water of the 17,20 has been saved without the waters were overflowed of their channel, it laughs although it lowered near his maximum level in some points. The rain absence from last hour in the morning has contributed to that it is standardized the situation in all the city. Tomorrow all the municipal services will recover . Storm damage to buildings has prevented school children in Catalu?a from attending their classes, and Barcelona city council warned schools, colleges and sports centres not to allow students out into playgrounds or outside courts or pitches for fear of further accidents like the one in Sant Boi de Llobregat that took the lives of four children . The death of a hospitalized man who fell of his terrace elevates to 15 the victims of the weather



Santander will give back Madoff swindle investment

Santander will compensate to clients affected by the fraud of Bernard L. Madoff with the 100% of their initial investment , which will suppose a cost to him of 500 million Euros .

Six arrested in $600m fraud in Stock Market

Spanish police have arrested six people on suspicion of perpetrating a $600m fraud on the London stock market , according to news agency AFP . Reports suggest that the main suspect involved in the multi-million Euro fraud, which began in 2003 , is among those arrested . The six arrests were made in Madrid, Barcelona and the town of Elche in the southeast of Spain . The London Stock Exchange were unable to confirm or deny the reports.



Storm in a decade claims one more life bring it two 16 killed over the weekend

While another death increased the number of fatalities claimed by storms to 16, officials and hospital sources said . A 53-year-old man died at a Tarragona hospital on Monday after a wind gust pulled him down from his balcony on Saturday , hospital sources said . The death toll thus climbed to 16 since Friday for the entire country .Rainwater flooded basements and garages in several places in the Cantabria and Basque regions , disrupting traffic . Two rivers overflowed their banks in Cantabria, while several schools and other public buildings were evacuated in the Basque city of Bilbao for fear that the river Nervion would do the same . In north-eastern Catalonia, about 3,500 households remained without electricity . The Minister denied any responsibility for chaos on the roads, saying there ?was no accumulation of snow? in Madrid, concentrating instead on the statistics for the amount of salt etc. used on January 9 when Barajas Airport was closed for five hours.



Police search for missing Sevilla girl

17 year old Marta del Castillo Villanueva went missing on Saturday night . Investigations continue into the disappearance of the Sevilla youngster , 17 year old Marta del Castillo Villanueva who failed to return home after being dropped off by her house by a friend on Saturday night . The only clue the police have is a report from a neighbour who says she heard a scream at the time , around 2130. The family live near the Santa Justa train station in the city .

Anyone with any information can call 655819647.

Spain officially in recession

Mortgage lending was down a massive 51% in November, marking the biggest fall in 10 straight months of decline . The Eurozone as a whole entered recession in November and despite having one of the healthiest economies in Europe in recent years , Spain has been particularly hard hit by rising unemployment and the global financial crisis . leaning down by 51% .



Child used for robbery

oung child in a pushchair as a distraction . jewellery shop in madrid know about pushchair as a distraction where watching but police responded . Local police spotted the couple acting suspiciously in a car parked near to a town centre jeweller's and radioed the vehicle's details through to be checked against the stolen car database . As confirmation that the car was in fact registered as stolen, the woman got out of the car, put her child into a pushchair and headed towards the jeweller's . The police responded , detaining the woman straight away . Although her accomplice tried to escape , he too was captured and taken into custody . Child is now being cared for by its grandmother . The couple, who have subsequently been charged with multiple counts of theft , were found to be in possession of three knives with blades measuring between 18 and 35cm , keys to various luxury cars , cash and a number of items of jewellery . Screwdrivers, gloves & balaclavas were also found in the car they were using when arrested .



Joint effort against music piracy agreed on music share sites

n what has been billed as a world first, four music companies and internet server provider Irelands Eircom have agreed to work together to end illegal music downloading . The settlement brought to an end an eight-day trial in which the music companies were suing Eircom in Ireland as the country's largest internet service provider - over illegal downloading . IP addresses of internet users detected illegally uploaded or downloading music . IP address has been detected infringing copyright , warning the subscriber that if they do not stop they will be disconnected , and finally disconnecting the user if fail to heed the warning . Music companies involved - EMI, Warner, Sony, and Universal - will now be looking to have similar arrangements put in place with the rest of the EU AND World internet server provider .

Karen Fmplus.es

Renault suppresses 400 temporary jobs in plant of Palencia

The plant of Renault in Palencia the past initiated year the production of the M?gane model, that most of concentrates the sales of the French company .
The adjustment takes place by the reduction of the European commercial demand . The French company wants to reduce the number of stored vehicles . European commercial demand , due to the ?fallen constant? of the European market and to the policy of management of ?rigorous? pursuit of ?stocks? of the company . Thus Renault through an official notice announced , which it affected the ?degradation? of the markets , which forces the European constructors to fit ?drastically? its production ?stopping its factories and reducing manufacture . Consequently, the company assures that the suppression of the third turn of the factory of Palencia in the second fortnight of March of 2009 is ?necessary? . In order to make this new organization effective , an adjustment in the temporary use will be necessary that will affect to near 400 workers .



Tourism Regions press home advantage at FITUR Fair

FITUR exhibition that openend in Madrid yesterday . The Prince and Princess of Asturias opened the annual FITUR tourism event which is for both professionals and , at the weekend, open to the public . Despite the economic situation more than 170 countries are present in FITUR this year .

Andalucia is promoting its gastronomic treasures, its fiestas and its beautiful beaches under the forthright banner 'Andalucia loves you' ... .

The Comunidad Valenciana is plugging tourism to its inland areas as well as promoting itself as the ideal conference venue, in an attempt to reverse the recent downward trend in visitor numbers. 'Sun and sand' however, are still the main protagonists on its 7000 square metre stand . With a striking red and black stand, Madrid hopes to catch the visitors' eyes and tempt them with its varied assortment of gastronomy, leisure, culture and sport.

The Canary Islands are setting their sights further afield, hoping to attract Scandinavian visitors to their unique islands by offering excellent health tourism .
Cantabria has put its eggs into the 'underground' basket, advertising the extensive cave paintings the region's subterranean world has to offer as 'the other Sistine'.

Visitors to the Basque Country stand are immediately transported to its green pastures. All three provinces are represented under the umbrella banner of the Basque Government with 'Euskadi, made in...' as their slogan.

Castilla y Le?n, that has seen a 4% drop in tourism, remains faithful to its slogan ' Castilla y Le?n is life' and is strongly promoting rural and inland tourism.

Galicia, ever-loyal to its traditional products like gastronomy and health tourism, has added a 'bar' area to this year's stand, where visitors can taste the region's different brands of mineral water.



Shocking power Shocking bills Shocking scandal

The UCE says that many people have seen irregularly high bills this month . The UCE Consumers Union has said that it is receiving ever more complaints about gas and electricity bills . They say an important number of users have received bills which are ?irregularly high? , well above their usual payment . The new tariffs discriminate against those clients who used the old night tariff , and in some cases users have not made the necessary modifications to their installation to adapt to the new tariff, but again because of a lack of information . These bills were then followed up in January with real readings, resulting in far higher than normal bills. Not only did this push many users into the surcharge level , it also meant that the power companies were charging the more expensive price , up 5.6% , on electricity which was in fact used in December , before the price increase came in . The problem arose with the Government?s plans to introduce an average 5.6% increase in the price of electricity from January this year, combined with new surcharges for those who use above average amounts . To compensate for the higher costs, bills were ordered to be issued monthly instead of bimonthly . The excess use surcharge has been criticised because it operates on a flat rate per property, and takes no account of the number of people using the power , be it a single person or a large family . In addition to that there were problems in December when the power companies found they were not ready to issue monthly bills, and so, to save money , they issued estimated bills for the month . In many cases these estimations were far lower than normal, often as low as 30% to 50% the amount they charged in December 2007.



Government compensation for storm-battered towns

Spain officially in recession

According to the BBC website, the Spanish economy is in recession for the first time since 1993 . Figures from the Spanish Central Bank show that GDP fell 1.1% in the final quarter of 2008 and a further fall of 1.6% is forecast for 2009 . Spain has the worst unemployment rate in the EU, with 13.9% of the workforce out of a job . The latest labour figures from the Bank of Spain showed that unemployment rose by 3% in the last quarter . The Eurozone as a whole entered recession in November .



A woman and two children die fire of Barcelona

Sources of the Firemen have explained who the short circuit originated the fire in one of the rooms of the house, a floor of hardly 30 meters square. The house was burned of partial form . The emergency equipment , in fact , found to the mother and the small ones in another room that was not devoured by the flames . The woman and the minor of nine years were deads, with burns and asphyxia . The minor of three years did not present/display burns , but she was in very critical be in favor of smoke inhalation. She was transferred to the hospital , where she died shortly after . So far the identity of the victims is not known, since it has not been possible to find the documentation . The attendance of psychologists has also activated to inform into the tragedy to the father , who was working in the Port of Barcelona in the turn at night .



luxury Hotel Byblos Guadalp?n in Mijas again failed to sell

The Mijas Town Hall organised the public auction in an effort to collect 1.5 million Euro owed in loacl taxes .
The auction for the sale of the luxury Hotel Byblos Guadalp?n in Mijas was once again deserted on the day , despite the fact that 15 companies had previously shown an interest .



Barcelona, Sevilla reach Copa del Rey semis , Barcelona advanced to the semifinals of Spain's Copa del Rey, beating Epanyol 3-2 Thursday night following a 0-0 first left . Athletic Bilbao and Mallorca advanced on Wednesday. Barcelona will play Mallorca in the semifinals and Sevilla will play Athletic Bilbao.

Mortgages to their lowest level

The fall in the Euribor rate has sent mortgages to their lowest level in seven years . It will end January at 2.6% which will take the average monthly mortgage payment across the country down by ? 156 . January price drop good news for households Vegara's comments came in reaction to the news from the National Institute of Statistics that the country's harmonised inflation rate had fallen to an all-time low of 0.8% . He also pointed out that this drop could have a very positive impact on the competitivity of Spanish manufacturers at 'an important moment' . Vegara, has confirmed the January price drop as 'very positive' for households .



Bank profits down

The Caixa savings bank has announced annual profits down 27.6% at ? 1.802 billion . The number is lower as more provision has been made for risks, more than 1 billion . Repeating profit was up 2% at 2.052 billion , and the year ended with bad debt up to 2.48% . Profits at the Banco Popular are also down for the year at 1.052 billion, down 16.8% on the year. The bad debt level ended the year at 2.71% . Meanwhile the Ministry of the Economy has, once again, demanded the banks to make a greater effort to reactivate the credit market , although the Secretary of State , David Vegara, denied the suggestion that the Government may force the credit tap to be opened by law .



Easy Jet refused help stranded passengers pay out

Gibraltar 29 dec morning due to the weather all flights were cancelled. BA and Monarch bussed their passengers to Malaga to catch flights but Easy Jet refused and after queuing for five hours with no representative to speak to they were told to find their own way to Malaga . thay now payed ? 400.00 . Easyjet has paid out compensation of 400 Euros per passenger plus the expenses .

Search continues for missing Sevilla 17 year old

Marta del Castillo, say that they are sure she did not leave home voluntarily. There were some reports of Marta being seen at the door of the home, as if she was waiting for someone, but her father Antonio said that if she had planned to go somewhere she would have taken her DNI identity card and keys . The National Police has now taken another computer from the family home in their efforts to try and find any clues as to her disappearance a week ago today , Saturday . The police have also taken DNA samples from the whole family . There seems to be little progress in the case. The family have turned to a Spanish expert on disappearances, Ernesto Cabrera from L?rida, who uses a German Shepherd in his work . The dog has stopped in the same place twice , indicating he claims that Marta was taken by someone . Over 500 people gathered in the town hall square in M?stoles (Madrid) last night to express their solidarity with the family of missing Sevilla teenager Marta del Castillo Casanueva . The teen is said to be 5?5? tall with long, dark blonde hair and green eyes .



Large explosion in San Sebastian on Friday night

A large explosion in San Sebastian on Friday night destroyed a cash machine of the Kutxa bank in the city . It happened at 5.30 and thankfully there were no injuries . The attack came on the day after the Spanish Deputy Prime Minister , Mar?a Teresa Fern?ndez de la Vega , speaking after the Friday Meeting, said that there were links between political groups Askatasuna and D3M in the Basque region. The links are mentioned in reports drawn up by the Police and the Guardia Civil . The legal processes have now been started to stop the two parties from presenting any candidates in the regional Basque elections on March 1.
Two enormous posters with the motto in euskera Aurrera (Ahead) and the phrase Always advanced, in Castilian, English and French they will shine the past during three months in the Bami building of Bilbao, attacked by ETA 31 of December
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A new weather puts in alert to 14 communities in strong rains, wind and snow

The Main directorate of Protection Civil and Emergencias has informed into the risk of strong rains, winds and snow in 14 Independent Communities, and has recommended precaution . First of all, Civil defense has warned of a strong swelling of the Ebro river and by snow of up to 30 centimeters in levels of 700 meters of Asturias, Castile and Leon, Extremadura, Andalusia and Madrid. Also it has warned the delegations and subdelegations of the Government and the Independent Communities of Galicia and Andalusia by coastal winds of South force 8 . In addition, there is risk of snowed in Aragon, La Rioja, Catalonia, Navarre and Castilla-La Mancha; whereas in Catalonia and Ceuta, the risk is of rains. Also, Cantabria, Asturias, Castile and Leon and Ceuta have been warned of the wind risk, that will be coastal in the Canary Islands and Ceuta . Civil defense also has warned Spanish Airports and Navegaci?n A?rea (AENA), Spanish Mains , Electrical Companies and to the implied Organisms of the meteorological risks of this weekend . Three mountain ports in Burgos, Asturias and C?ceres remain closed and in other nine it is necessary the use of chains, eight of them in Leon and one in Avila, as a result of the snow fallen in the last hours, according to the Main directorate of Traffic.

Nadal takes Australian Open

Rafa Nadal has beaten Roger Federer in five sets to win his first Australian Open title . The sensational encounter between the world's two best players lasted nearly four and a half hours and Nadal did not appear to show any ill effects of his epic five hour battle with Verdasco just two days ago . Both players showed exceptional speed around the court and produced some sensational winners in a final that was every bit as dramatic as had been expected . 7-5. 3-6, 7-6, 3-6 and 6-2



Builder camps outside debtor?s Door

Julio Rodr?guez from Villafranca de los Caballeros (Toledo province) had carried out various building works for the debtor, who claims he does not have the money to pay for them . For five nights , the three constructors have been sleeping in their van in the doorway of the developer?s brand-new villa in M?ntrida . The builder who is facing bankruptcy as a result of the developer?s debt , may have to put his own house up for auction . ?How has he managed to build himself a villa like this, and at the same time , hasn?t had the money since June to pay for the work we?ve done on it?? demands Julio .



Madrid wake?s to Snow

Madrid has returned to normality throughout afternoon . The main network of highways of the Community has normal circulation, whereas chains are required to circulate in some of the highways of the secondary network . The airport of Madrid - Barajas maintains its operation to total capacity . Galicia, shock again by the winds . Gusts of wind of up to 120 kilometers per hour have caused to damage in the most rural zones of the community .

Tornado wreaks havoc on Costa del Sol

FIVE people have been injured after the big top of a circus in Estepona during a tornado . Those who were injured when the big top of the Rody Arag?n circus fell on them are not said to have suffered any serious wounds . Emergency services reveal that the marquee was ripped up along with several trees as a result of the freak storm , which affected numerous towns and villages on the Costa del Sol . Those who were injured when the big top of the Rody Arag?n circus fell on them are not said to have suffered any serious wounds . Emergency services received around 90 calls following the tornado at 18.00hrs this evening . Advertising boards , road signs , solar panels , roof tiles , flower pots and even two walls were torn up by the tornado today . More tornado hit the main bus station in M?laga were several taxi drivers were among several injured . Three roads , including the road to Ronda from San Pedro, were affected by landslides . The Costa del Sol remains on alert for rain and wind today, with as much as 25 litres per square metre forecast in some areas .

Once again on Sunday it seems the weather services failed to give effective warnings as Madrid saw heavy snow and chaos on the region?s roads . The A-6 and A-1 were jammed for most of Sunday morning , following the heavy snow from 11am , although to a lesser extent to that seen on January 9 .
The opposition Partido Popular once again criticised the Minister for Development , Magdalena ?lvarez . Once again there have been delays at Madrid?s Barajas Airport . Report say the airport will be back to normality .



Brits arrested in time-share fraud

Six Britons have been arrested by police in Fuengirola for fraudulently selling time-share properties in M?laga to fellow Brits . The company boss and his five telesales operators were offering time-shares in properties on the Costa del Sol that they had already sold several times over , meaning that they new 'owners' would never have been able to make use of the time-share weeks they had purchased . A spokesperson for the National Police explained that the police investigation had been complicated by the fact that the company had used various different names and had changed its address , moving from Alhaur?n el Grande to Fuengirola, in an attempt to throw police off the scent . The company used several different names and closed down, only to reopen in Fuengirola .



Police seek missing schoolgirls, 12 and 14

NATIONAL Police are frantically searching for two girls who disappeared from their homes in Valencia and Torrent last week . One of the girls, a 12-year-old Brazilian national from Torrent , left her home at 14.00hrs on Friday after returning home from the Veles e Vents high school . Her classmates say she was at school that day , but have not seen or heard from her since . She has dark skin and long, dark hair, and was wearing a white sweater, black jacket and jeans when she was last seen .

A 14-year-old girl also disappeared on Monday when she left her home on Valencia?s C/ Daroca to go to school . Her mother told police today that she fears her daughter may have become involved with the Latin Kings , a dangerous urban tribe formed of South Americans which has crossed international borders since its creation in the USA . She says her daughter?s schoolfriends say she ?went off with an Ecuadorian boy? who belongs to the gang . According to the mother, two Latin American boys from her daughter?s class stayed at the family home before her disappearance, and that she threw them out the next morning .



Power company to amend bill proceedure

Endesa say they are to change their procedures , while consumers groups say that consumers are due a refund . The power company Endesa gave an undertaking at a meeting with the Junta de Andaluc?a to eliminate their new controversial system of electricity bills . No final details have been agreed, and consumer group FACUA claims that Endesa have carried out an illegal procedure in the estimation of December bills . They are demanding that consumers be repaid the money they have lost through overcharging . FACUA say that it is not only Endesa , but that other power companies are involved in the same fraud , carried out with the introduction of new charges and a monthly billing procedure . Meanwhile the Madrid regional government has announced it is to take action against the power companies for any irregularities in the issuing of bills in the region .

Weather forecast for Eu ?

25 injured as tornado hits M?laga , Spain has once again been affected by heavy snow in the north of the country and heavy rain in the South.
15 regions of the country are on alert for snow, rain and high winds over the Weekend . There is a continued ?low risk? for more snow across the country today .
On the other hand , the Catalan Autonomous Government has deactivated today the phase of alert of the Plan of Civil defense of Catalonia (Procicat) by the wind storm that in the past week inflict casualties eight dead and numerous material caused by the fall of trees . Flights from Spain to Uk and Ireland where cancelled and could be delay . Due to the adverse weather conditions at Airport , flights to and from the airport are subject to significant delays and cancellations . Please check with your airline for the latest information before leaving for the airport . rail buses Services on Heathrow Express are currently suspended and a very limited service is operating on Heathrow Connect trains between Heathrow and Paddington. With bus and rail services affected and difficult road conditions across the country, please take extra care and time if you do intend travelling to the airports . Its been havest Snow in 18 years in the Uk , With 6 million not turn up for work due weather conditions . Schools closed . Flights from the Spanish capital to Milan and Paris have also been affected .
Snow forced Paris-Orly airport to close for an hour and only ten of the 58 flights programmed have taken off . The story is the same at Paris-Charles de Gaulle, where only 13 of the 80 scheduled flights have operated . Only eight of the 38 flights between Madrid and Mil?n-Malpensa have been operated and the situation with Mil?n-Linate is even more serious , with none of the 14 scheduled flights taking off . Britain is bracing itself for further disruption as fresh bands of snow sweep across the country later to night and again on Tuesday .



Zapatero asks to the PP that leaves ?their fights? and helps Spain

Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero took advantage of yesterday the crisis the espionage of the PP of Madrid to ask to the popular ones that they transfer to another time his internal fights and they dedicate themselves ?to support Spain of economic recession at this moment? .



Missing 12 year old found safe & well

12-year-old Brazilian national from Torrent who left her home at 14.00hrs on Friday after returning home from the Veles e Vents high school has been found safe and well and is back with her family . The14-year-old girl, who also disappeared last week when she left her home on Valencia?s C/ Daroca to go to school, remains missing . Schoolfriends say she ?went off with an Ecuadorian boy? who belongs to the gang .



Coastal Law in Spain means properties can be sold again

The 1988 Coastal Law had taken all beach property into public ownership ahead of demolition . The Spanish Government has added a last minute amendment to the Ley de Costas, Coastal Law . The change comes as an attempt to lessen the barrage of criticism the law has received from Europe, following complaints from the British and German embassies . The law is in fact not a new one, but is now 20 years old, but only recently has the current Minister for the Environment, Carmen Narbona, started to enforce it . The 1988 law declares that the beach is public land, up to the point where the sea reaches in the worst of storms. Any homes built in that area before 1988 were taken into ownership by the state ahead of demolition , but the owners were granted up to 60 years grace, but they were told that they could not sell or reform their properties . The decision on whether a particular property lies in the public area was allowed to take five years .



Super Bowl porn hits US viewers

US sports fans in Arizona got a surprise when their TV coverage of American football's Super Bowl was interrupted by a pornographic film . The clip showed a woman unzipping a man's trousers, followed by a graphic act between the two . "I just figured it was another commercial until I looked up ," viewer Cora King told the Arizona Daily Star . "Then he did his little dance with everything hanging out ." The interruption happened just after the last touchdown by the Arizona Cardinals, who lost the match to the Pittsburgh Steelers . "KVOA will investigate what happened and make sure our viewers get answers ," company president Gary Nielsen said .

Thirteen stopped in Barcelona and Valencia by support to The Qaeda

New police blow to the networks of delinquents who give to cover to the terrorism islamist from Spain. The National Body of Police has stopped this morning to 13 people in Barcelona and Valencia . They are accused to falsify passports that are going to stop at the hands of The Qaeda . Between the arrested ones there are 11 paquistan?es , a Indian and a Nigerian , according to have explained police sources , that prehorseradish tree more arrests in the next hours . The agents of the Special Group of Operaciones (GEO) have stopped already to 11 people in Barcelona . Seven of them were arrested in a same house of the Peu street of the Creu , in the heat of old helmet . The rest , in other three houses of the Raval . The police also has registered a floor in Santa Coloma de Gramenet , in the metropolitan area of Barcelona . In Valencia , the police has stopped other two people , in the locality of Mislata .



The snow and rain maintain the alert in 12 provinces

Meteorology warns Galicia , Asturias , Castile and Leon , Extremadura and Catalonia , In Galicia , where the situation has been especially complicated by strong winds , Corunna , Pontevedra and Orense are in alert, where besides rains a strong surge in the coastal zones of the two is expected first . The snow also maintains in risk to Leon , Zamora , Salamanca and Avila in Castile and Leon ; to C?ceres , in Extremadura ; and to Huesca , Lleida and Girona , in Catalonia .



Zapatero repeats his call for banks to release more credit

The Spanish Prime Minister said now is not the time for banks to make profits . At a meeting with the leading Bankers in Spain, held in Madrid on Monday evening , the Prime Minister has once again called on them to ease credit in general and the payment of mortgage debt for the unemployed in particular . Jos? Luis Rodr?guez Zapatero said that money must reach the citizens so that the economy can be activated, and called on them to support the ICO Official Credit Institute credit scheme for the self employed and small businesses . He told the Chairmen of the Banco Santander, BBVA, Banco Popular, La Caixa, Caja Madrid and Bancaja, in what is now the third meeting that now is not the moment for large profits for the banks .



Snow creates further disruption
Parts of the UK struggle with a second day of disruption following their heaviest snowfalls in 18 years, with thousands of schools still closed . London City Airport has reopened but delays and cancellations are expected through the day . Airport operator BAA, which runs Heathrow and Gatwick , says they are open , but there are cancellations and delays . Please check with your airline for the latest information before leaving for the airport .

More questions by UGT (General Workers' Union)over sale of Spanair

The purchase of Spanair by a consortium of individual businessmen and catalan public institutions continues to generate interest and raise doubts . On January 30th, a newly-formed company IEASA (Iniciatives Empresarials Aeron?utiques) bought an 80.1% stake in Spanair for one euro . The catalan businessmen are now showing an interest in becoming shareholders , albeit with very small stakes to start with, but the UGT (General Workers' Union) has voiced its concerns that the new Spanair could end up being used for 'political or mercantilist ends' and expressed its hopes that the new directors would work for the good of the company and not for outside aims that have nothing to do with the airline industry . Representatives of the UGT have asked whether there is a long-term plan for the company with fixed objectives or whether short-term profit was the only consideration in the sale and purchase transaction . They also pointed out that no other airline showed 'the slightest interest' in Spanair while it was up for sale . The new Spanair will move its official headquarters to Barcelona, but will retain its administrative offices in Palma de Mallorca for the time being . Scandinavian Airlines Systems (SAS), which retains a 20& share in the new Spanair , reported today that the group had lost 636 million euros in 2008, 460 million of which were attributed to Spanair .



ETA arms found

The cache contained 200 rounds of rifle ammunition, eight kilos of explosive material, a pistol , a grenade , balaclavas and wigs . A passer-by , walking in the woodland yesterday evening , saw the half-buried oil drum and alerted the police . Police sealed off the area but as it was already dark , left closer inspection of the drum's contents until this morning . The surrounding area was checked for booby-traps before bomb-disposal experts extracted the drum and analysed its contents . There was acontrolled explosion on site to dispose of it , but the remainder of the find has been taken away for further examination . Another ETA arms find was found on January 14th in Zegama , only 16km away from Ordizia , but it was found as part of an ongoing police investigation , not accidentally as in this case . The police has found this over Due rent a car in Salamanca , the car with a detonator with the connected anagram of ETA and to bottles of incendiary fuel . Police sources have informed in question into a car that badly had been months parked in the environs of the bullring of the salmantina city . The car , that has false Number plates , was rented in Portugal the past summer by a person to whom later they robbed it .



Spanish police break up Romanian gang and Argentinian gang in Alicante

Five men and two women, all from Argentina, and with criminal records back home , have been arrested for taking 1.5 million ? from a businessman at the doors of a bank in Alicante . The police say that the group had been following the businessman for two months and had tried to rob him on another two occasions without success . Finally they took 1.5 million ? at gunpoint from the footwear entrepreneur just as he was about to pay in the cash to the bank .

While arrests of the group, all Romanians, were made in Madrid, Valencia and on the Balearic Islands . Spanish National Police have broken up what they describe as a military group of 25 people who dedicated their time to robbing from shops and homes . Police say they had a network of spies who would first identify possible targets to be burgled , while another part of the group would set up a security cordon round the site when the theft was taking place . Police say they acted across the country and had frequency inhibitors to block alarms and ultrasound devices to deal with guard dogs . Investigations started in the Valencia region and the alleged head of the gang was detained as he was trying to board a plane from Madrid back to Romania . He was carrying 25,000 Euro cash at the time .




The Government admits that unemployment can reach 4 million

The number of unemployed registered in the offices of the National Institute of Use (INEM) transferred in January 3.3 million of unemployed , after adding 198,838 unemployed with respect to December more (+6.35%) , in which it is the major raised in a month of all the historical series .



39 provinces is in Weather alert

The weather of snow, rain and winds returns today with force after in the day of it lowered his intensity yesterday. A total of 39 provinces is in alert, according to the State Agency of Meteorology (Aemet) and only Catalonia, Badajoz, the northwest Andalusian, Valencia and the Balearics stay without warnings. Once again, the affected zone more is Galicia, where Civil defense has alerted by coastal winds, rains and snow-covered risks of enter tonight and tomorrow.

Madrid, in alert by snow

Before the forecast of which the weather gets worse in the next hours, the Community of Madrid has activated level 1 of the Plan of Winter Inclemencies. One hopes that snow during the next dawn and layers of up to ten centimeters in the mountain range are accumulated and three centimeters in the capital, the Henares, the South and Fertile valleys. The Community of Madrid has reinforced its device of winter viability and has increased in seven the number of snowplows

Galicia is the affected zone more with winds of up to 100 kilometers per hour

Catalonia, Badajoz, the northwest Andalusian, Valencia and the Balearics stay without warnings. Once again, the affected zone more is Galicia, where Civil defense has alerted by coastal winds, rains and snow-covered risks of enter tonight and tomorrow.

Ryanair Reduces Shannon Base

Reduce its Shannon traffic wich in turn will Reduces it flight to spain this summer due the Irish Government?s new ?10 travel tax is already having a damaging impact on forward bookings from 30th March . The Reduces in dublin spain flight maybe induce this summer aswell . but now with incress off credit card and Baggage charges the main airlines are long some what chaeper .



Alicante hotels hard hit by tourism slowdown

January numbers are 13.5 percent down on last year.

Hotels in Alicante have 2,800 empty rooms every day because of the current lack of clients . The latest data for January shows an average occupancy level of 31%, nearly 14% down on last year at the same time . The low numbers come despite the possibility of reserving a double room in a four star hotel in the city for just 60 ? . but weekend hotel prices are back to hight prices again . Most popular part of the province was Benidorm which reached 50% occupancy, and Elche had 40%, was recorded . The situation is further worsened by a lack of events or work conferences .

April increase in power prices Government postpones

Minister for Industry, Miguel Sebasti?n, has said that electricity prices will go up again in July , and not in April as had been previously planned . It comes after the anger seen and allegations of overcharging as the power companies changed to a new monthly billing system . Sebasti?n said that his department and the National Energy Commission would both be investigating the allegations of abuse in the bills . Consumers groups have welcomed the Minister?s statement, but say they fear an even greater increase in price come July .

Drop in production since 1993

Production fell 6.8% in Spain in 2008, the largest drop in the past 15 years, according to data from the National Institute of Statistics . The sectors that saw the biggest drop were those connected with office machinery and IT , which fell 26.8% and non-metal mineral products , which fell 20.%, followed by the wood and cork sector with a 20% fall, non-fuel mineral extraction , which fell by 14.% and furniture and other manufacturing industries, with a 14.% drop . On the other side of the coin, sectors which saw an increase in production last year were those connected with transport materials , which grew by 13%, electronic supplies , radio and TV , which increased by 10.% , gas and electricity , which rose 1.3% and precision instruments .



Traffic fines by sms & e-mail

The Direcci?n General de Tr?fico (DGT) introduced a new system of notifying traffic offenders by sms or e-mail yesterday . Participation in the scheme is purely voluntary and free of charge and citizens can join up by visiting the Ministry of Public Administration website and clicking on the 'notificaciones telem?ticas' section . Subscribers to the scheme no longer receive notifications through the post , but get them via electronic mail instead . The option of including a mobile 'phone number is also included in order to receive an sms as well as an e-mail . The DGT has, however, reiterated that ignorance of a fine does not mean that a person is exempt from paying it .

FRIDAY



Barcelona beat Mallorca in the first leg of the semi final last night Kings Cup

Barcelona has put at least one foot in the final of the King?s Cup after a 2-0 win against Mallorca last night at the Camp Nou . The lack of an away goal for Mallorca means they will have it all to do in the return leg .



The BBVA imposes a wage freeze on 300 directors

The BBVA bank has announced a wage freeze for its 300 top directors . The President of the bank , Francisco Gonz?lez, earned 5.1 million ? in 2007 . The bank has declined to say how much its directors earned last year . The new freeze is part of ?measures for prudence and austerity placed at all levels of the group? .


Power company to amend bill proceedure

Electricity companies in Spain have blamed the Ministry for Industry for the chaos seen at the start of monthly billing. It comes as the National Energy Commission, CNE, has decided to investigate consumer complaints of irregularities, and the Government has already threatened the power companies with fines. 20 million users have been affected by the chaos with complaints coming from several regions of the country. The power companies say their billing systems were not ready for the monthly billing, and the Ministry for Industry is to blame for not fixing how they should estimate one of the monthly bills with real readings taken every two months as before. They say the Ministry is to blame too for increasing the price in the middle of one of those two monthly periods.




Company bankruptcy still payying President 75,000 ? - a month

Martinsa-Fadesa, to what has become Spain?s largest ever company bankruptcy proceedings last July, the President of the Company, Fernando Mart?n ?lvarez, has still been taking a wage of 75,000 ? - a month. The wage has been accepted by the company administrators and is being paid from the active assets of the company.

Saturday

ENDESA will only refund to the clients who protest

ENDESA will refund to the clients who present display claim by the invoices of December and January, and that, really , are deserving of the company by a bad application of the new form of collection and only quarrels . Sources of Sevillan-ENDESA insisted on which the company has not carried out the collection of last receipts of the light of ?irregular? form and that has been realised applying the terms that the new system of invoicing contemplates , that responds to the arranged thing in a real decree of 2008 .



Spain in alert by the cold weather and snow

The snow, the rain and the wind, that have affected east to almost all Spain, will continue the weekend throughout. Only Extremadura, part of Castilla-La Mancha and the northwest Andalusian get rid of the weather . Snow is forecast for the north of Spain again this weekend , while most of the rest of the country will see more rain . Eleven provinces in Madrid, Asturias, Castilla y Le?n, Andaluc?a, Cantabria, Navarra, Pa?s Vasco and Galicia have been put on alert by Civil Protection ahead of fresh falls of upto 20cms forecast above the 300m level . 28 mountain passes have been closed across the country, and chains are needed on a further 45 . Travellers are advised to use public transport where at all possible . Winds as high as 100 km/ hour are forecast in Arag?n, Catalu?a and on the Balearic Islands , and rough seas are battering the coasts of Galicia , Cantabria , the Basque Country and Asturias . An anticyclone that will bring a more stable weather as of the next Monday , according to the forecasts of the State Agency of Meteorology (Aemet) .



The Supreme one gives to 24 hours more to present Askatasuna and D3M so that its allegations



Six Nations 2009

England 36 - 11 Italy Twickenham
Ireland 30 - 21 France Croke Park 19.46+

Rajoy asks Zapatero to 'change his entire financial team

The leader of the opposition party , Mariano Rajoy , has asked Jos? Lu?s Rodr?guez Zapatero, leader of the Spanish government, to 'change his entire financial team' accusing him of being 'completely out of touch with reality' . Speaking in Bussigny near Lausanne yesterday to hundreds of Spaniards resident in Switzerland . Changing the entire financial team would mean reversing the Government's current economic policies entirely, said Rajoy . He added that, as he sees it, the current Government is incapable of achieving the necessary credit flow to individuals and to 'pymes' (small and medium sized businesses) and in contrast does nothing but 'spend, spend, spend' and 'fix its own errors' . Zapatero's sparring partner made no secret of his opinion of the current situation in Spain, saying that the country was suffering from two problems, 'a large-scale economic crisis and a government in capable of doing anything about it' .



The PP proposes to change the name of the Madrid airport

The Partido Popular group in Congress is to present a proposition on Monday calling for Barajas Airport in Madrid to be renamed after Adolfo Su?rez, to recognize his efforts as the first Prime Minister in democratic Spain following the Franco dictatorship . Madrid-Barajas takes the name of the ex- president as also they take to other international airports like the one of Charles de Gaulle in Paris or the JFK to it of New York . The PP plans to discuss the suggestion with the other political groups, before being official registered .

Attack of ETA in Madrid Car Bomb

A car bomb has gone off this morning, at 9am at the Campo del las Naciones in Madrid . The blast, described by witnesses as massive , came an hour and a half after a warning to the Red Cross in the name of Basque Terorrists ETA . The blast was opposite the offices of the Ferrovial company . The bomb was placed in a parked van . It?s practically the same place as an earlier ETA attack on the very same date in February 2005 . There are no reports of any injuries . Much people who were going to work in the morning of this Monday found Police closed roads in the area including the M40 which is causing large delays this morning rush hour .
Area is still closed off with long delays . The attack comes just hours after the Supreme Court in Spain banned two nationalist parties from fielding candidates at the regional poll in the Basque Country set for March 1 . Both Askatasuna and 3DM have been banned , although they still have right to appeal to the Constitutional Court . last car bomb was at Madrid Airports T4 on December 30 2006 killed two Ecuadorians . There were no injuries , but there widespread damage to some 50 nearby cars as well as to some buildings when it happen .



England fans expected in Seville

The Spanish Football Federation estimates that some 5000 England fans will travel to Seville for the Spain-England friendly on Wednesday night . The England squad, due to arrive in Seville on Tuesday , will attract a huge number of fans , not only from England itself , but also from the Costa del Sol and Costa Blanca , where many thousands of England fans reside. David Beckham has been recalled to the squad and , if he plays, has the chance to become the second most capped player for England. Wayne Rooney will not be travelling with the squad as he is still recovering from a hamstring injury . the game has been sold out but many fan will still travel to be in Seville to watch the game in Pubs . Seville is expecting a party atmosphere , with many of the English and Irish bars in the city centre planning to show the match on big screens . Irish Pub Flaherty?s in Sevilla combines a balanced mix of local and tourist clientelle which makes it the number one spot in Sevilla for meeting new people or having a pint with old friends .



Nestl? recall Zanahorias y arroz al vapour con merluza


Nestl? have removed a lot of children?s food from the market in Spain . It?s one of the Naturnes range and given its consistency should only be eaten by children over 8 months old . Otherwise there is chance of choking . The item is ?Zanahorias y arroz al vapour con merluza?.

Belts up are get fined

Latest data in Spain shows that 22% of those to die on the country?s roads were not wearing a seat belt . For the next two weeks the Trafico Guardia Civil will stop at least 800,000 vehicles to check that the seat belt is in use correctly . There were 1,363 fatalities on Spanish roads last year . Time to belt up befor you move .
fine and points will give out over the next two weeks . the Drive off the car is the one two make sure that his passagers are also belted up , as driver will end up with the fine . Trafico Guardia Civil will be stop vehicles to check routine control that the seat belt is in use correctly after the two week campaign

More heads roll in town hall corruption

Now add Madrid to the list , L?pez Viejo has resigned because, as the organiser of official events in the region, his name has been linked with businessmen being investigated by the country's High Court for crimes including bribery, money laundering and illegal use of influence . The President of the PP in Madrid, Esperanza Aguirre , gave a press conference this afternoon , officially accepting the resignation of L?pez Viejo as well as that of the ex-mayor of Majadahonda , Guillermo Ortega . During Ortega's period of office , the head of his cabinet was one Mar?a del Carmen Rodr?guez Quijano , who was arrested on Friday , although later released , and who is married to Francisco Correa , alleged head of the corruption ring who has also been arrested by the Anti-Fraud Department . Marbella, Sotogrande and Valencia where councillors part of the ongoing investigation into corruption involving businessmen who are being investigated




Industry Minister denies Nissan handout

The Minister for Industry, Tourism and Business, Miguel Sebasti?n, said today that it was still too early to decide whether the car industry would receive government help and that no firm decision would be made until March . Speaking from Morocco's largest city and main port , Casablanca , where he had been meeting with Spanish businessmen, Sebasti?n told reporters that representatives of the car industry had 'until February 13th to present plans for increased competitivity within the sector' and that 'a decision would be taken in March' . The Industry Minister denied that the Government had already made a decision about aid , referring to an article published by 'El Peri?dico de Catalunya' which claimed that 100 million euros out of a total aid package of 800 million euros had already been allotted to Japanese manufacturer , Nissan . The Industry Minister is currently on a two-day official visit to Morocco , in which he plans to meet with leading businessmen and members of the Morroccan government .

At-home work scams ?on the rise? reported by the BBC , full report is at this link or at the bbc link http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7875785.stm (http://www.spainexpat.com/spain/forum/viewthread/4553/)

Banco Santander cut 300 jobs with close 48 of its branches

Banco Santander has announced that it is to cut 300 jobs across the country and close 48 of its branches. The bank says it intends to relocate , compensate or offer early retirement to the workers which are in the banks consumer arm , Santander Consumer Finance , SCF . It represents a 30% reduction in the number of employees . The bank says it wants to guarantee the viability of the brand .



Pedro Solbes forecast says house prices in Spain will fall a further 20 percent this 2009

The latest data from the Tinsa index of Spanish real estate markets shows that the price of homes in Spain has fallen by 10% over the past year . The latest data down year on year 10.1% in January , is the 11th consecutive monthly fall , and the forecast is for prices to fall by a further 20% this year . The region to see the biggest fall in house prices is the Mediterranean Coast where falls of 12.6% have been registered year on year . By the end of the year it is estimated that there will be 1.5 million properties on the market . 900,000 flats completed last year are currently still unsold .

Spanish Prime Minister adresses Congress on the economic crisis

Zapatero said that an increase in payment support to those without job was to be introduced and that the cost of this would be met by a 1.5 billion ? reduction in non financial government cost cutting . Unemployment has in the last increased to months until 3.3 million , surpassing all the forecasts of the Government . Zapatero has announced who the next Cabinet will decide a reduction the expenses financiers of the State of 1,500 million Euros not to destine them to other games ?strongly affected? by the crisis, like the benefits by unemployment. This reduction will not affect the pays of the civil servants , the programs of social policy and the investment to stimulate the use . The budgets already had been reduced a 1.8% with respect to the accounts of the previous year .

The leader of the opposition, Mariano Rajoy, has loaded in his appearance against the measures of the Government and the words of president Zapatero. Rajoy has asked to him the president ?Who is now the apocalyptic one? ?, with reference to the situation described by Zapatero. ?Until where it must arrive the number from unemployed so that you change your policy? ?, Rajoy has been asked next, that it has blamed the president of ?not recognizing the reality?, ?to falsify it? and of not being able ?to say to the truth to the Spaniards not one time, not even today?.

On the announcement of budgetary cut Zapatero , Rajoy has reproached to him that ?could it have done for three months when we presented/displayed an amendment ? , asserted Rajoy , that added ?we did that it and its group voted that not? . The leader of the PP , that has described the measures as the Government of ?advertising supports? and ?cardboard scenery stone?, has criticized the plan of municipal investment because in his opinion he is ?most expensive?, he has doubted the effectiveness of the special line of the credit of ICO and has accused Zapatero ?to increase the cost irresponsibly? . Rajoy has not let pass the occasion and has remembered the file that the European Union is going abrir to Spain to have an excessive deficit . Rajoy has ended up rejecting to be the ?accomplice of the inefficiency? of Zapatero and asks that to only it calls him to collaborate in the fight against the crisis if is ?responsible? . Rajoy said that the Government could have done this six months ago and called for more tax cuts . He said the cost cutting was suggested by the P.P. three months ago . that the Government is part of the problem and has only served to make matters worse . He claimed that now nobody trusted the Prime Minister , and that the confidence of families and businesses had been shattered . He said the Prime Minister sold a false view of reality and was trying to trick the Spanish people , and that the country faced a black future because of his ?improvisation? .



P.P. corruption scandal continues

Valencia
Orange Market won the tender from the Valencia Tourist Board to design, assemble and dismantle the Valencia stand at last month?s FITUR tourist fair in Madrid . The Councillor for Tourism in Valencia , Ang?lica Such , has revealed Orange Market won the contract despite being the most expensive tender of the six which applied . Alvaro Perez , person in charge of Orange Market in Valencia , has been transferred to Madrid by order of judge Garz?n . As the National Court Judge, Baltasar Garz?n, started to question those arrested on Friday and continued with his investigation , news came that the man responsible for the Valencia branch of the Special Events company , ?lvaro P?rez Alonso , has also been arrested . That is the company managed by Francisco Correa, the main accused in the investigation , and the Valencia branch goes under the name of Orange Market .

Spain confirms place at G-20 summit in London

Exterior Minister, Miguel ?ngel Moratinos, has confirmed that Spain has received its official invitation to join the G-20 summit to be held in London on April 2nd, to continue the debate on reforming the world finance system . Speaking at a press conference in Madrid alongside his Argentine counterpart , Jorge Taiana , Moratinos confirmed that the President of the Spanish Government , Jos? Luis Rodr?guez Zapatero , has his seat reserved for him in London , as was the case at the first summit in Washington in November . 'Spain will be there in London' said Moratinos , 'I have the invitation. I don't know if the letter has arrived because I'm not in Moncloa , but Spain will be there in London and we are working with our Argentine friends to establish the Spanish position and to collaborate with them so that the summit is a success', he continued . On February 5th, Economy Minister, Pedro Solbes, had already confirmed Spain's intention to participate in the summit . Spain will also be represented at the meeting of European leaders to be held in Berlin on 22nd of this month in preparation for the London summit .



Mariano Rajoy breaks off relations with the Minister for Justice

Partido Popular opposition says the judge's case against corruption is just an attack on the party . The opposition Partido Popular has announced that it is to challenge that National Court Judge , Baltasar Garz?n , continue in the investigation into allegations of corruption in the party .
P.P. leader Mariano Rajoy said that they had taken the decision after the El Mundo newspaper revealed this morning that the Judge had spent the weekend before the case broke hunting in Ja?n with the Justice Minister , Mariano Fern?ndez Bermejo . Rajoy said that the party was breaking off all relations with the minister .



EU offers Spanish car workers aid

The European Commission has approved 1.7m euros in aid for unemployed Spanish car workers hit by the impact of globalisation . Spain applied for the funds to help 1,082 employees from 12 firms in the Castilla y Leon and Aragon regions . The European Globalisation Fund (EGF) allocation also requires approval by EU ministers and the European Parliament . The EGF has up to 500m euros annually at its disposal. It funds retraining and allowances for unemployed workers . Carmakers across the EU are reporting job losses amid a slump in demand owing to the global economic downturn .



Beckham in the spotlight on the eve of England , Spain clash to night . Some 5000 England fans have travel to Seville for the Spain-England friendly .



Tourist board denies being deceitful by using picture from Bahamas

Dolors Batall?, the director of the Costa Brava Girona tourism board , said it had simply failed to find pictures "of sufficient quality" of the real Cost Brava in order to illustrate its "conceptual" campaign . "Our intention is not to lie, nor to suggest that the Bahamas are really better than the Costa Brava," she told local media . She claimed that no one ought to feel cheated if they travelled to the Costa Brava and found it did not look like the place in the photograph . It would be "a wicked interpretation" to suggest the board was trying to hide the truth about the Costa Brava, she said . The Costa Brava campaign contains a second mystery . An accompanying photograph is meant to show a mountaineer tramping up through the brilliant white snow of the nearby Pyrenees . Together, the blurb claims, the photographs show people enjoying the same pure water . The "spray of the waves" and the "snow of the mountains" is meant to come from the same source . But is the second photograph, which looks suspiciously as if it could have been taken in Nepal, really of the Pyrenees ? Locals have their doubts. Batall? has admitted that she too is not sure .

International friendly result
Spain 2-0 England

Spain cruised to a comfortable 2-0 win over England in tonight's friendly, making it 29 victories in a row .

Just read this morning that Banco Santander is lending 70m euros to Real Madrid so they can make a bid for Cristian Ronaldo. I think this piece will not fly well with anyone, RM fan or not, from comments on the topic so far.

Socailists wanted to cover up their corrupt Mayor in Ohanes

The Partido Popular has claimed that the PSOE Socialists were planning a discrete exit for the ex Mayor of Ohanes in Almer?a , Juan Francisco Sierra . He faces charges of bribery and coercion after appearing in a video receiving a backhander of money from a real estate promoter . They accuse Manuel Chaves , the President of the Junta de Andaluc?a , of not expelling the ex Mayor from the party , saying he only resigned when the video appeared on YouTube . The PP says the video dates from May 2005 . The Socialists say they will respond fully to the allegations in the control session of the regional parliament later today.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QVNhtoNY6WY

British property developer found murdered in Spain

More details on the death of the Iraqi man whose body was found beaten to death in Marbella on Tuesday . The victim was 68 year old , Amer Hady Saed , who had a British passport whose body was found by some building workers in a luxury villa which is still under construction in Calle Margarita , La Carolina . A jacket had been thrown over his head and his hands were bloody , and cut as if he had been defending himself . had been in Marbella for some five years , Property Developer in Spain , uk and Moroccan . There are no reports of any police record , but police have established that he was in debt . The villa where his body was found is on the market for 4.8? million . His death is the fourth violent killing on the Costa del Sol this year .



Spain enters first recession since 1993

Spain entered its first recession in 15 years during 2008 and risks continued weakness after the global slowdown sent its unemployment to the highest rate . The Spanish economy has fallen into its first recession for 15 years , according to official statistics released on Today , heralding further grim news from other European economies that release their figures this coming Friday . Some European economies are not expecting to start growing again before 2010-2011 . In Spain, for example, GDP could shrink by as much as 3 per cent this year and record a further slight decline next year, according to economists. Last year, growth fell to 1.2 per cent, compared with 3.7 per cent in 2007 . Over 40,000 jobs are now being destroyed in Spain each week - dwarfing the absolute number of layoffs in much larger economies as companies are starved of credit and customers .

Stock exchange leap for Vueling

Vueling shares leapt up by 15.24% today on the Spanish stock exchange , helped by the news that its merger with Clickair means that it will share flight codes with Iberia and have use of its ground handling services . Vueling intended to get rid of 10% of its workforce and to share Iberia's flight codes, ground handling and maintenance services . Shares in the Catalan airline went up by 80 cents during the day's trading, ending up at 6.05 euros.



Banco Pastor announced 20% fall in profits

Banco Pastor has announced a 20% fall in profits because of extraordinary provisions . The bank has destined 168.5 million to strengthening their balance book , and has announced a net profit for last year at 164? million . The bad debt level has reached 3.6% compared to 0.8% in 2007



Armed robbery at the European Parliament

There has been an armed robbery at the European Parliament in Brussels . A lone man brandishing what he claimed was a hand gun entered a branch of the ING bank in the main building of the parliament and demanded the day's takings which the staff handed over . The building was sealed off for a time as it was feared the man may have still been inside the building . The man appears to have gotten away with an undisclosed sum . Security officers are confident they can identify the unmasked gunman from security camera tapes . Security at the Eruoropean Parliament is high , with airport style screening of bags and people entering . Two floors below the robbery, a conference featuring the former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev and Prince Albert of Monaco was taking place . The robbery inside the tight security perimeter of the building has raised question marks about a possible visit by President Obama in April 09 .

Property prices in Mallorca falling

Property prices at the luxury end of the real estate market in Mallorca fell by 30 to 35% in the last quarter of 2008 compared with the previous year, according to a new report . It was one of the most challenging times yet for the island's property markets and 2009 is set to remain difficult with sales predicted to be down around 20% over 2008 , according to the report from Engel & Volkers , one of the largest network of international estate agents in the Balearics . However , it is not all doom and gloom and the south east of the island has had its best year yet. 'Last year was our best yet with sales up by approximately 20%, mainly fincas and villas . To date , our area has not been affected by the global financial crisis . We've even had a busy period between Christmas and New Year ,' said Nils Haase , Managing Partner in the south east . In Palma , the market slowed right down at the end of last year and has only really started to re adjust to the market conditions by approximately 10 to 20% below the original asking price . As a result the market is moving again .

A few examples of current price range around the island?
Palma
A two bedroom ?designer? attic apartment in central Palma with original features and 30 m2 terrace. Constructed area 115 sqm. Price ?1,150 million. Ref: 1179682.
www.engelvoelkers.es



Missing girl's ex boyfriend arrested in Sevilla

Marta del Castillo vanished on January 24 . The ex boyfriend of missing 17 year old girl from Sevilla , Marta del Castillo, has been arrested. There has been no sign of Marta since January 24 when she vanished from outside her family?s home in Alle Argantonio .
20 year old Miguel C.D. had a relationship with Marta according to the Government Delegation in Sevilla .



Mayor resigns amid corruption allegations

BENITATXELL?S mayor has resigned from his post amid accusations of corruption against him and his right-hand woman , Hannelore Rheindorf . Juan Cardona had stated categorically that he would not give up his position as mayor , stressing his innocence . He and Rheindorf were accused last summer of accepting a 50,000-euro bribe from a J?vea property developer in order to reclassify land allowing him to build . They were arrested on July 7 , but later released without bail pending trial . Rheindorf is now acting mayoress as a result , and says she will not give up her job . But she admits that she would prefer Benitatxell?s head councillor to be Spanish , and intends to call a meeting for a substitute to be voted in . She has stressed that she will stand by Cardona, a close friend as well as her boss . ?My friendship with him comes before politics ,? she revealed . Cardona states that his actions had always been ?transparent? and ?conciliatory? but ?respectful of urban planning laws? .



Spanish regional election campaign heats up

Election campaigning in Spain?s Basque and the Galicia regions has started to gather pace . In the north of Spain, polls show the ruling Basque nationalists led by Juan Jose Ibarretxe are slightly in front . The PNV has been in power for almost 30 years with Ibarretxe also seeking a fourth term . But , hot on their heels is the region?s opposition socialists led by Patxi Lopez . Polls put them virtually neck and neck . Whoever wins, both will be forced to seek coalition partners . Two parties that won?t be taking part are D3M and Askatasuna . They were thrown out of the election after suspected links with ETA?s banned political arm Batasuna . There future will be decided on Monday .



Venezuela expels Spanish deputy

Venezuela has expelled a Spanish deputy of the European parliament , over reports that he called President Hugo Chavez a dictator . Luis Herrero had also criticised a decision to keep polling stations open two hours longer than normal in a referendum to be held on Sunday . The referendum is on a proposal to remove all term limits on elected officials, including Mr Chavez . In addition, to the elections in the Basque country, Galicia is also holding regional elections on March 1st . Galicia?s current socialist president Emilio Perez Tourino looks set to be re-elected . The latest polls put him ahead of his Popular Party rival Alberto Nunez Feijoo . The Spanish deputy , who represents the conservative Popular Party , was put on a commercial flight to Brazil late on Friday , Venezuelan officials said .

Missing Marta's ex confesses to her murder

THE ex-boyfriend of missing teen Marta Castillo Casanueva has been arrested on suspicion of her murder . He told police he killed the 17-year-old and threw her body into the river Guadalquivir . The youngster , from Sevilla , has been missing since January 24 . Her 20-year-old former partner showed police where he dumped her remains . He and a friend of his have been taken in for questioning . Officers have been searching the banks of the river , but have not yet found her .
Antonio del Castillo, the missing girl's father, says he always thought her boyfriend was involved in her disappearance .



Spanish priest found dead outside Havana

A Roman Catholic priest from Spain who lived for many years in Cuba has been found dead outside Havana , Church officials said Sunday. ... Neither Marquez nor Spanish Embassy officials gave details about the death . "I can confirm he was found dead and this is being investigated ," Marquez said by telephone . Garcia, a Spaniard who had lived in Cuba for 21 years , said de la Fuente had conducted Mass on Friday night , leading him to speculate that "the incident probably took place in the early hours of Saturday morning ." He said he did not know the details of the case, however .

King and Queen of Spain receive warm welcome from Barack Obama


KING Juan Carlos and Queen Sof?a set off today on a tour of the Americas , which will include a visit to the United States ? their first since new president Barack Obama was sworn in . They will attend the 450th anniversary of the Pensacola foundation in Florida, the first Spanish enclave in the USA , on Thursday . In addition, they will be the ambassadors for Spain in Miami?s Food and Wine Fair , the main point of entry for foreign products into one of the largest , most difficult and most competitive markets in the world . Later on in Miami, they will open a renewable energy conference , in light of the fact that Spain is one of the main users of green fuel and Obama has pledged to roll out a five-year programme to develop this type of energy at a cost of 150,000 million dollars . But they will not have the chance to meet Barack Obama on this visit , due to problems with the latter?s agenda . Obama rang the King and apologised to him in person , but expressed his desire for them to meet as soon as possible at a later date . The new president also gave the King and Queen a warm welcome to the USA and said he hoped the two countries would continue to have a strong working relationship . King Juan Carlos has also recently spoken to Hillary Clinton to congratulate her . The monarchs? visit will also take them to Trinidad & Tobago and to Jamaica . Spain donates around 125 million euros per year to development in the Caribbean, with 100 million of this money going to Ha?ti, the poorest country in the western hemisphere .

Spain stumps up ?4bn to protect car sector

In 2008 , car sales dropped 28 % , the Spanish auto industry's biggest ever fall, with further sharp declines expect this year . Spanish car sector trade association ANFAC nevertheless felt that the plan did not go far enough . In recent weeks , tens of thousands of workers have been laid off at Renault , Seat , Ford and General Motors plants in the country . On Friday 13 February , Madrid approved a ?4 billion package to boost the auto sector in the country , which unlike France (which recently announced a ?6 billion package for domestic firms Renault and PSA Peugeot-Citroen) , is largely foreign owned . Equally similarly to other EU countries' car bail-out packages , much of the money - some ?1.2 billion - will be used to encourage people to buy new cars over the next two years . Likes off the Car scrappage scheme wich could get ?2,000 - ?3,000 on new cars been bought . Additionally , around ?800 million is to be offered to firms to upgrade their factories . Some ?950 million is to be spent on improving rail , road and sea transport distribution for the sector . A total of ?420 million is slated for research projects and tax breaks for research spending and development of new , greener vehicles . How much of the monies represent new spending remains unclear , with some of the measures having been already announced as part of the country's ?70 billion stimulus package .



Spain' s airports hit by dramatic slump in 09 passenger traffic Madrid and Barcelona down by double digits .

Spain?s airports handled 11.08 million passengers in January, down -17% year-on-year , Spanish airports authority AENA has reported . Of the total, 6.26 million travelled on international flights , down by -11.9%, while 4.67 million used domestic routes , down -23.2% in comparison with January 2008 . All of the top 20 airports posted declines . The number of flights handled by Spanish airports declined by -18.1% to 150,281, of which commercial flights were 131,850, down -16.6% . Domestic flights totalled 73,128, down -16.6%, and international flight numbers dropped by -16.5% to 58,722 . Alicante hotels hit by tourism slowdown in Jannary 09 , Murcia hoteles dropping price over the easter .



European Parliament robber got ?50,000

The bank heist at the European Parliament in Brussels on Thursday scooped ?50,000, with police still looking for the robber on Friday . "The bank services have said it was about ?50,000, The police haven't caught him . Our security are looking at all the CCTV images and are in contact with the police . One joke doing the rounds in parliament corridors on Friday is that the robber first tried a branch of the Fortis bank in the Altiero Spinelli building , but the bank had no cash . The quip comes amid fears that Fortis may collapse due to the credit crunch .

19 migrants drown off Canary Islands in Spain

A rickety boat carrying illegal migrants from Morocco capsized in rough seas just off Spain's Canary Islands and 19 of them drowned , an official and witnesses said Monday . At least three were missing . The boat overturned Sunday evening very close to Lanzarote's shores . Several island residents dived into the water and managed to save six of the migrants with the help of others in small boats . "When we got there we could see those that were alive and the rest were just floating ," Anibal Betancort , who took part in the rescue operation , told Cadena SER radio . "From the shoreline, we threw them ropes and life jackets ."
Betancort said the survivors "were clinging to the sinking boat and screaming ." He said most of the migrants appeared to be between the ages of 25 and 35 .
Five of the bodies , including one of an 8-year-old girl , were recovered Sunday , Marine Rescue Service director Anibal Carrillo said . Fourteen more were found when rescue operations resumed Monday .

24 immigrants drown as boat capsizes

The death toll from the capsizing of a patera immigrant boat off the coast of Lanzarote has reached 24 , with 15 of them children and two of them women , one of them pregnant . whereas other three have been sighted . After in the last hours two new bodies have recovered that are added to the nineteen either rescued and have been sighted other three , according to the 112 .



Corpse of a young person floating in a channel in the province of Girona

The corpse, that does not present/display violence signs I pretend, was found towards the ten in the morning by a neighbor that took a walk by the River , next to a bridge of the C-260 highway. Young woman among 20 and 25 years of age . The body did not wear to clothes nor documentation, which makes difficult the identification tasks, according to they explained police sources . Identity of the victim and the circumstances of the death is been investigated



Miguel Carca?o and his friend Samuel who helped him get rid of the body were both refused bail in the court today . The self-confessed killer of 17 year old Marta del Castillo from Sevilla , 20 year old Miguel Carca?o, and his friend Samuel Ben?tez who helped to throw the body of Marta into the Guadalquivir River , have been ordered to prison in Sevilla today without bail . Dozens of people waited outside the courts before and after the appearance of the two youngsters , shouting ?asesinos? and other insults , as the emergency services spent their third day searching the river for the body of Marta . It?s now known the two used a wheelchair belonging to the late mother of the main accused , and a moped to take Marta?s body to the river from Miguel?s house in the Macarena area of the city . The two spent some time giving their statements to the judge in Instruction Court in Sevilla which heard how the two got rid of the body in the early hours of Sunday January 25, just a few hours after Miguel had killed Marta by hitting her with an ashtray during an argument . An 14 year old and 15 year old will also arrested .

Justice of Madrid begin a strike


The civil servants of Justice of Madrid begin a strike that has paralyzed the courts of the capital . The civil servants of Justice of Madrid have begun a strike that has paralyzed the courts of the capital when they lack two days so that the judges carry out their first strike in Spain . Administration of justice of Madrid are called from today and to the 27 of February to second a strike summoned by the UGT, CC.OO. and STAJ , to which also CSIF has been added . The objective of unemployment of ten days is to denounce the breach in the agreement signed in December of 2007 with the then advisor of Justice , Alfredo Prada , and by the lack of political will of the Government of Hope Aguirre in solving ?serious? the situation of the courts , courts and civil registries of the region, as well as the conditions in which work . CC.OO. have based in a 81.62% the pursuit of the first day of unemployment , so that the courts ?are paralyzed totally? , whereas the Madrilenian advisor of Presidency , Justice and Interior, Francisco Seeded , has reduced the number to 40.9% .

Mobile SIM cards now require registration

If you own a pay as you go SIM card in your mobile phone then you will have to register your name and address with your network provider or lose your number . The law on mobile phones in Spain, says that any mobile phone numbers that have not been registered with their provider will be deactivated by November 2009, but many mobile operators are likely to set earlier deadlines . keep eye on your texts as mobile operators will send deadlines .

Therefore, when you purchase a new SIM card, ensure you have your passport / certificado de registro with you . if not you wil be turn off and find their service suspended in November if they have not identified themselves . It?s part of legislation passed in October 2007 under which unidentified mobile phone users will be cut off , as operators will be legally obliged to deactivate the cards which remain unidentified . The legislation was passed as a consequence of the terrorist attacks on the trains in Madrid on March 11 2004 , when such pre-paid phones were used to activate the bombs . The cost of the entire operation , estimated at between 30 and 50 million Euros has to be met by the phone operators . the Eu Menbers states are watch this to roll out across Eu in next few years . it will also stop scam via so called lotto scams aswell sending fax via Sms .

Barcelona is hosting the GSMA Mobile World Congress from Friday , the industry?s largest mobile phone fair in the world . This year the event is expected to greet 50,000 experts , some 5,000 fewer than last year . It remains open until Thursday , and the one big absentee this year is Apple . Actor Kevin Spacey is to host a series of conferences this year .

Bank of Spain said Slump hurts Spanish lenders

Bad loans at Spanish banks increased to 3.38pc of total credit in December , the highest level since 1997 , as a housing slump pushed the country into recession and drove up non-payment rates . Loans in arrears leapt to ?63.1bn from ?16.3bn a year earlier , when the default ratio was 0.92pc . Spain's economy contracted by 1pc in the fourth quarter from the previous three months , entering its first recession since 1993 , the National Statistics Institute said last week . Bank executives , including Banco Santander SA chief executive Alfredo Saenz , predict the bad loan ratio across the industry may reach 8% as the shrinking economy drives up Europe's highest unemployment rate . Spanish savings banks had a loan arrears ratio of 3.79pc in December , up from 0.89pc a year earlier , the central bank said . The arrears ratio for commercial banks was 2.81pc compared with 0.76pc a year ago .



Spanish builder turned bank robber

The former builder from northeastern Spain successfully held up four branches netting 80,000 euros using techniques he learned from a documentary about Spain's most notorious bank robber , El Solitario . He used the money to pay his creditors and employees when his business started to fail with the collapse of Spain's decade long construction boom last year . Police said the 52-year-old man, who has been identified only by his initials ACG , was married with young children and was arrested at the weekend as he attempted to hold up his fifth bank in the small town of Asco near Tarragona . "He had an ordinary life , with a stable family ," said Roderic Moreno , the police inspector who led the hunt . "He was doing well but he stopped getting work and his debts mounted . Without a doubt , he led a double life and probably not even his family knew about his criminal activities ." Police said the amateur robber had learned the tricks of the trade from a television series about Jaime Gimenez Arbe , the man known as El Solitario 'The Loner' who was arrested in 2007 after carrying out over 30 bank jobs in 14 years . He staked out small branches until only a one teller remained then held her up at gunpoint .

"But we caught him using other , more traditional methods ." Now how say the banks are not give out CASH LOANS ?




Atlantic Islands voted Spain's greatest natural treasure in tv poll

The Atlantic Islands, Galicia's only national park , have been declared Spain's greatest natural monument in an internet poll organised by TV company Telecinco, receiving 1,733,675 votes . In second place with 1,201,458 votes were the Picos de Europa in Asturias and third place went to Galicia's Playa de las Catedrales in Ribadeo , with 1,009,161 votes . Over five million votes were collected on the Telecinco website over a two month period and the outcome shows the public's appreciation of the four island groups that form the Atlantic Islands (C?es, Ons, S?lvora and Cortegada) which have all the necessary prerequisites to be considered Spain's greatest natural treasure . Website http://www.telecinco.es

The UK's Guardian newspaper also recognised the natural beauty of these islands , voting the Playa de Rodas on the C?es Islands the most beautiful beach in the world in 2007



Mariano Rajoy says the Partido Popular has not received a single Euro

The leader of the Partido Popular, Mariano Rajoy, has said that the party has not received a single Euro from any of the people arrested by Judge Garz?n . He said he gave his word , during an interview on Antena Tres television , that the party had not been financed irregularly . Valencia , Seraf?n Castellano , a councillor in the Francisco Camps controlled regional administration , has admitted that he has been giving work contracts to his friends for the past ten years . The deals meant such contracts were not offered for tender in the health and justice departments . Cospedal has said that the party will take action against anyone found to act illegally , and has already started proceedings against the arrested Mayors of Boadilla del Monte , Arturo Gonz?lez Panero and Majadahonda , Guillermo Ortega .

20 arrested in child porn pornography swoops across Spain

20 people have been arrested in Barcelona and other cities in a police operation against child pornography . The raids were organised by the Mossos d?Esquadra but the National Police , Guardia Civil and la Ertzaintza also took part . The operation has taken place the same day in which the Plenary Session of the Congress will debate a proposal not of law so that the visionado one of infantile pornography without storing it is typified like simple crime nor distributing it . The initiative, of GNP , proposes in addition to lift the age of sexual consent, that in Spain is placed in the 13 years . The case came to light after a complaint from an internet user who found a child pornography file labelled as a film . Six of the arrests took place in the Basque Country , and one of them , a resident of Agurain , had more than 17,000 archives of child porn .



The Ibex marks its second loss , it remains in 2004 levels Ibex 35 -2,87%

The selective Spanish falls below the 8,000 points in a day of strong losses in all Europe . Dow Jones loses more of 3% and it approaches the lowest levels in one decade . Bank shares slide after Santander freezes property fund . The fund, Santander Banif Inmoboliario, has assets of 3.2 billion, but those who now ask for their original investment will be paid ten per cent . It comes as the bank finds the fund unable to meet recent requests for withdrawals amounting to 2.617 billion, some 80% of the total . The decision to freeze the fund is a first in Spain, although it is contemplated in law , with the bank asking the regulator CNMV for a two year frozen period . It comes despite the bank?s announcement last month of profits of more than 8 billion ? . Which has left 43,200 clients with their investment frozen .



FACUA Consumers in Action irregularities in the power bills

Consumers? organisation, FACUA Consumers in Action, has noted more irregularities in the power bills being issued in February . They say that still millions of bills have been issued at the higher price for electricity introduced on January 1, but for power actually consumed last year . FACUA has asked the CNE , National Energy Commission , to investigate fully , once again , following the complaint made to them on Feb 28 by the Ministry for Industry , Tourism and Trade.
They are also demanding that all consumers be automatically refunded, and not only those who have placed official complaints .

Spanish police shut down cocaine lab

Spanish police have detained 10 people and shut down a cocaine processing lab in Madrid, police said Tuesday . Police also seized 3.2 kg of drugs, authorities said . Those arrested were part of an alleged drug trafficking cartel from Dominican Republic, Police said the cartel introduced drugs to Spain through the Dominican Republic and Central America . The group was headquartered in Santo Domingo and led by a man linked to Colombian drug traffickers . The ring operated in Spain in the Teutan district of Madrid , police said . The cartel also distributed cocaine in Scotland and Italy . Italian police have detained members of the cartel with another 0.8 kg of drugs .



AENA contracted six companies corrupt plot during the government of the PP

AENA (Spanish Airports and Airplane navigation), assigned the Ministry of Public Works and the Economy , engaged during the second government of Jos? Maria Aznar with at least six companies related to the tie corrupt plot the PP that judge Garz?n investigates . Expert governmental sources of the awardings have confirmed the existence of these contracts and that many of them have been granted without public contest .




Police reconstruct Marta's last moments

Miguel C.D. was taken by police to his home today in Seville's Calle Leon XIII , presumably to reconstruct what happened the night the 17-year-old died . Miguel C.D.'s alleged accomplice , Samuel B.P., was also taken to the house by police , despite that fact that during questioning yesterday he claimed to know nothing at all about the incident . Samuel B.P. also complained about police intimidation , saying that he , his family and his girlfriend had all been threatened by police during the three days he'd spent in detention . A police spokesperson said today's decision to go back to the assumed scene of the crime was 'to carry out within the investigative procedure' .

Ryanair launches mobile phone service

Ryanair has launched Europe's first fleet-wide in-flight mobile phone service allowing passengers to text and make calls from their own handsets . State-of-the-art technology has already been fitted on 20 of the carrier's mainly Dublin-based aircraft as part of a six-month trial , which is the first step in fitting out the entire fleet.
Ryanair Chief Executive Micheal O'Leary said he expects the service to be popular , particularly with teenagers and tourists looking to keep in touch while travelling . Customers will be charged around 50 cent for text messages , between ?2 and ?3 per minute for a call , and ?1 and ?2 for smart phone email sessions, depending on your operator . Operator will be adding there charged as your call well be roaming out side the EU



Former chaplain smuggled Drugs into Spanish jail , court hard

A 65-year-old Roman Catholic priest has gone on trial , accused of smuggling cocaine and hashish into Barcelona's Modelo jail so that prisoners could snort and smoke their way out of the tedium of a life behind bars . If found guilty , Father Andreu Oliveras , a former prison chaplain , faces the prospect of ending up behind bars himself ? for up to 10 years . Oliveras was caught inside the Modelo jail two years ago after bringing in a bulky CD case stuffed with eight grams of cocaine and 51 grams of hashish , a court in Barcelona was told . He had allegedly smuggled the CD case into the jail where he worked as chaplain in order to give it to a prisoner, Benjam?n Capit?n, who had been banned , as a punishment , from receiving packages for six months . On Monday Oliveras appeared in court surrounded by about 150 fellow priests , nuns and parishioners from his new church in Barcelona . He told the court he did not know the CD case he handed over to one of the prisoners contained the drugs . The court heard that Oliveras arranged to meet the wife of another prisoner who gave him the CD case at a metro station near the jail .



Four family die in house fire in Burgos

Four members of a same family , two children of one and three years , their mother , of 25 and her aunt , of 20 . As a result of the fire it has been also severely wounded the father of the minors and another neighbor of the house of two floors in which the flames have been originated . The father of the family , 26 years and that is in critical state by the burns , has been transferred to the unit of burned of the hospital of Crossings of Biscay . According to the regional service of emergencias , another man of 26 years is burdens and has been transferred in a helicopter medicalizado to the welfare complex of Burgos .



Spain Abortion laws to be reformed

The Commission for Equality today got approval for its recommendations to reform abortion laws so that it is no longer a criminal offence for a woman to voluntarily end an unwanted pregnancy . Despite the PP members of parliament voting against the reform, the motion was passed by a majority and it is now up to the government to draw up the reform bill based on the Commission's report .

that girls under the age of 16 will be able to have an abortion without their parents' permission.

- that doctors' rights to 'conscientious objection' will be clarified.

- that 'state institutional support' be provided for all medical staff who carry out the procedure.

- that all women who decide to terminate their pregnancy are treated with total confidentiality.

Spain needs downloads? New law

The huge number of films being downloaded from the internet has led to calls from the industry to introduce new regulations . The Spanish Film Academy says the internet is replacing the video club and the time has come to intervene . It?s estimated that 350 million films were downloaded from the internet in Spain last year, along with two billion songs and 500 video games . Those 350 million down-loads are equivalent to 52.5 million unsold cinema tickets . The SFA says other distribution methods or sales are controlled so why not downloads . They say authors should be paid for their work as downloads are already taking away 15 per cent of their market and this doesn?t even account for the sale of DVD copies on the streets . The industry wants Spain to introduce the same system as in France where continual down-loading can lead to cessation of internet connections . However , the Spanish Internet Users? Association has reminded the public that the law here allows for the free exchange of films provided no profit is made . while in ireland The approach involved the companies - EMI, Sony, Universal and Warner - providing Eircom with the IP addresses of all persons whom they detected to be illegally uploading or downloading copyright works on a peer to peer basis . ?Eircom has agreed measures which include the ultimate disconnection of infringing subscribers who ignore warnings to cease such infringemen .




Stepbrother of Marta?s ex arrested over her death

THE stepbrother of murdered teen Marta Castillo Casanueva?s ex-boyfriend has been arrested in connection with the crime . Javier D.M., 40 (pictured), is the fourth person to be detained over the death of the 17-year-old who went missing from her Sevilla home on January 24 . Her former boyfriend, Miguel C.D., 20, confessed to her murder last weekend and claimed he dumped her body in the river Guadalquivir . He is thought to have dragged her remains out of his flat with the help of friends Samuel B.P., 19, and Javier G.M., who is under 18 . All three have been taken in for questioning .



Drug trafficker arrested in Alicante bus station

The National Police in Alicante has said that they arrested a 23 year old Spaniard, named with the initials C.B.L.. He was detained in the bus station in the city last Tuesday , found to be carrying 154 ?balls? of hashish inside his body , and who was in addition carrying a suitcase found to contain a further 29 balls still among faeces .



E.U. orders Spain to sharpen up on health proceedures for pensioner tourists

Spain has been given an ultimatum by the European Commission to correct a fault in health procedures for foreigners within two months, or face being taken before the E.U. Justice Tribunal . It relates to Spain?s refusal to supply free medicines to retired people from other EU countries who are on holiday in Spain . Brussels says that is discrimination and breaks EU norms on social security rights for EU citizens who travel in the continent . Foreign residents are not affected .
The Spanish Ministry for Health contends that the European health documents do not confirm whether the person is a pensioner or not . The European Commissioner for Employment and Social Affairs , Vladimir Spidla , has said they were acting to guarantee the tourists of other E.U. countries would enjoy the same rights as residents . He continued that Spain was one of the main tourist destinations in Europe , but the Spanish regulations currently impose extra administrative formalities to E.U. pensioners who could need medicines during a temporary stay . The Spanish authorities currently demand an extra document, from the home Social Security which certifies the person is collecting a state pension. Spain contends that residents also have to produce such a document to prove they are receiving a pension , and so there is no discrimination against tourists . They add that foreigners often present a document which is ?illegible or in an unintelligible language? and that is not taken as being valid proof that they are pensioners . E.U. legislation calls on all E.U. citizens who are visiting another member state to have the same access to health as residents of that country . They claim demanding extra documentation goes against the principles of the EU Health Card . E111 , European Health Insurance Card



Security increased in Madrid fears of another ETA attack

More controls are to be established on roads in and out of the capital . The Ministry of the Interior considers that Basque terrorist group ETA has some form of infrastructure in Madrid , given recent car bomb explosion at the IFEMA exhibition area in the capital , and now an extra 100 agents have been drafted into the capital to increase controls ahead of the risk of further attacks . Both the mobile phone card and car used in the attack were from Madrid . The extra agents , assigned to the National Police , means that anti-terrorist controls can now be carried out on routes to the capital round the clock . air , rail and Bus



Euribor daily rate goes up for the first time since October

The Euribor rate, used to set most of the mortgages in Spain, has gone up yesterday . The daily rate of the index has been falling steadily since October 9, but always has remained above the falling base bank rates . the index rose today from 2.083% to 2.085%, with experts saying it is a sign of the lack of confidence in the inter-bank market . Confidence is on the slide here following the decision of Brussels to take action against Spain for the excessive deficit, now over 3% of G.D.P. The Governor of the Bank of Spain, Miguel ?ngel Fern?ndez Ord??ez warned recently that it was ?very probable? that the European Central Bank will reduce interest rates, now at 2% on their meeting next month, as inflation appears to be under control . Meanwhile the International Monetary Fund has warned about what it describes as ?a second round? of the banking crisis, and is now forecasting zero growth this year . The latest numbers for December , provisional data from the National Statistics Institute , show that the number of industrial orders fell by 18%, and new deals fell by 25%. It?s the second largest fall seen in six years when the figures were first published .



Spain claims tradition to keep its fire fiestas San Juan alive

Spain is going to claim tradition in an attempt to save some of their famous fiestas from European directives . Fiestas as famous as the Fallas in Valencia are under threat from new E.U. guidelines on the use of fire and fireworks in public , designed to improve safety standards, but many Spaniards believe that those in the north of Europe simply do understand the Mediterranean . A new E.U. directive had threatened some of Spain's most famous fiestas . The EU directive says there must be 15 metres between the category 3 pyrotechnic device and the public, but that is simply not possible in many fiestas, especially in Catalu?a and Andaluc?a . There is room in the EU text for individual countries to make a list of exceptions, that is what Spain is now expected to do . Industry Minister, Miguel Sebastian, has said that defending the cultural heritage of the country is one of the priorities of the Spanish Government, and he gave an undertaking that no Spanish fiesta which uses fireworks or fire will be affected . The Socialists passed a non-legal motion in Congress to that effect on Thursday . Malta and Italy are expected to take similar measures .

Shares suspended today , Metrovacesa in the real estate group

Trading has been suspended today in the real estate group Metrovacesa, as banks take control of the business and name a new Chairman and board . Six banks between them are taking on 63.4% of the capital to help with the debt run up by the previous owners, the Sanahuja family . The banks concerned are BBVA , Santander , Banesto , Banco Sabadell , Banco Popular and Caja Madrid .

Savings Banks mergers

The Spanish Savings Banks Confederation, CECA, has said that mergers are likely between its members given the current ongoing crisis, and they expect to see two mergers this year . It comes after profits were down nearly 40% . Unicaja is already known to be holding merger talks with the CCM in Castilla la Mancha , and perhaps also with others .

Large family businesses in Spain have called for responsibility from both the PSOE government and the Partido Popular opposition as the crisis continues.
The Institute of Family Businesses, in difference to the CEOE demand to make sackings more flexible, has sent its own suggestions for a recovery plan worth 21.14 billion to the Government.

The IBEX 35 has been trading today and ends the week at a year low , following reductions on Wall Street where the Dow is back at levels last seen six years ago .



Zapatero gets his invite to the G20 summit

Spanish Prime Minister , Jos? Luis Rodr?guez Zapatero , has received two official invitations to take part in the next G20 summit which takes place in London April 2 . The invites come from the German Chancellor , Angela Merkel and the British Prime Minister, Gordon Brown . Zapatero will attend a pre-summit meeting in Berlin , to be held this coming Sunday , and also a pre summit reception hosted by the Queen at Buckingham Palace . The invite from Gordon Brown tells Zapatero that his wife would be welcome to spend time with Sarah Brown , but it misspells the name of Sonsoles Espinosa , calling her Sonsales . Spain?s Economy Minister , Pedro Solbes , is also invited on the trip and to the summit , which will discuss possible reform of the financial markets .

ETA bomb rocks Basque town's Socialist Party HQ

There has been an ETA bomb overnight which exploded in the headquarters of the Basque Socialist Party in Guip?zcoa . There were no injuries . The bomb had been left in a rucksack . It went off at three am in Lazkao , and widespread material damage was caused . There had been a warning phone call some two hours beforehand . The offices destroyed this morning had only just be modernised and opened . It comes just a week head of the Regional Elections in both the Basque Country and Galicia . Latest polls show that the Socialists could oust the PNV Basque Nationalist Party in the Basque Country if a pact is made with the PP and Rosa D?ez in the region , and the Partido Popular are close to an absolute majority in Galicia .



Spanish Minister for Justice resigns

There has been continued criticism of Mariano Fern?ndez Bermejo since he enjoyed a weekend's hunting with a National Court judge . Spanish Justice Minister, Mariano Fern?ndez Bermejo, has resigned . If follows the scandal of him enjoying a weekend?s hunting on an estate in Ja?n , where the National Court judge Baltasar Garz?n was among the other people invited the same weekend .



Penelope Cruz wins Oscar

Penelope Cruz became the first Spanish actress to win an Oscar when she won the award for best supporting actress for her role in Woody Allen's 'Vicky Cristina Barcelona' in Hollywood last night .



Canadian Coast Guard rescues 22 Spanish crew from burning, sinking ship in North Atlantic

Francisco Caamano appointed Spain's new justice minister

Senior official Francisco Caamano Dominguez has been appointed Spain's new justice minister , the government announced Monday after Mariano Fernandez Bermejo said he had resigned the post . Constitutional law professor Caamano , 46, who has been secretary of state for constitutional and parliamentary affairs for the past five years , was due to be sworn in on Tuesday .
Madrid - Senior official Francisco Caamano Dominguez has been appointed Spain's new justice minister, the government announced Monday after Mariano Fernandez Bermejo said he had resigned the post. Constitutional law professor Caamano, 46, who has been secretary of state for constitutional and parliamentary affairs for the past five years, was due to be sworn in on Tuesday. Bermejo, 61, who was appointed minister in 2007 , had come under increasing criticism from the conservative opposition and even from Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero's socialists . The conservatives focused their campaign for Sunday's regional elections in Galicia and the Basque region partly on calls on Bermejo to step down . They accused the minister of interfering with the independence of the judiciary after he went on a hunting trip with people including high-profile judge Baltasar Garzon , who is investigating a corruption scandal among the conservatives and is seen as being closer to the socialists . It also turned out that Bermejo faced a fine of up to 4,000 euros for not having a licence to hunt in the southern Andalusia region , where the expedition occurred . Bermejo was the first minister to resign over a political scandal since Zapatero became prime minister in 2004 .



Gang of luxury car thieves arrested in M?laga

There have been 20 arrests more people are indicted in the case . It seems that the gang were supported by a group of discotheque and bars doormen on the Costa del Sol, who offered clubbers the vehicles . The gang removed chassis numbers and faked documents to go with the vehicles and the total amount of assets now embargoed by the police has been estimated at 26? million . Some of the vehicles were allegedly set on fire or lost so that money was also claimed on insurance , when in fact they continued on the road under a new identity . Four homes were searched in M?laga province as part of the operation , and ten cars have been embargoed . The case is being organised by the Instruction Courts in Torremolinos . There been very little detail as yet on the nationalities of those detained .

ON THIS DAY 23 February 1981

Spain is in a state of political confusion after an attempted right-wing coup.

This evening about 200 soldiers and members of the paramilitary Civil Guard stormed the lower house of the Spanish Parliament, the Cortes, firing automatic weapons and shouting orders.

They took hostage about 350 MPs debating a new government.

The group - led by Lieutenant Colonel Antonio Tejero Molina, an officer of the Civil Guard - told all those present to lie down.

Lt Col Tejero then called on the King to make an announcement.

All streets around the building have been sealed off.

The coup plot originated in Valencia, in eastern Spain, under the command of Lieutenant General Jaime Milan del Bosch.

A supporter of the late dictator General Franco, the former commander of the elite Brunete Armoured Division near Madrid was recently transferred because of his opposition to the new political order and was suspected of plotting against it.

The general has declared a state of emergency and ordered tanks onto the streets of Valencia.

In Madrid the rebel army took over the radio and TV stations for 90 minutes. They dispersed when riot police arrived on the scene.

Attempts to restore order

The King meanwhile has called on the civil service to take on the role of parliament based at Zarzuela Palace.

The joint chiefs-of-staff issued a communiqu? saying all measures had been taken to put down the rebellion and restore order.

Despite these reassurances Spaniards are now wondering how long their five-year democracy can last.

Although Spain's transition from dictatorship to democracy has been fairly smooth - until now - there have been rumblings of discontent among the right.

A few weeks ago Spain's first democratically elected prime minister Adolfo Suarez resigned.

It is believed he was under pressure by the right wing of his Democratic Centre Union party and the armed forces about concessions made to separatists in Catalonia and the Basque regions.

In Context
Early the following day, King Juan Carlos appeared on national TV to tell the people he had ordered the armed forces to take all necessary measures to put down the coup.

The rebel forces and their leaders surrendered and released their captives 22 hours after the siege of the Cortes had started.

The revolt was further damaged by the coup generals' failure to drum up support from other army units around the country.

One more plot was foiled when a group of colonels was discovered planning to seize power on the eve of the October 1982 general election.

The Spanish government was involved in a long-running campaign against the violence of the Basque separatist group Eta.

The group declared a permanent ceasefire on 22 March 2006.

But in December 2006 a bomb went off at Madrid's airport leaving two people missing, presumed dead. Eta was blamed for the attack.

In January 2007, the Spanish Government declared the peace process "broken, liquidated, finished".

Sharp fall in passenger numbers at Airports in Spain

This summer could be quit in spain for Tourism are will be quit as number show . Information show El Altet Airport at Alicante saw 85,000 fewer travellers last January compared to the same month in 2008 , with the fall in British tourism accounting for most of the reduction . Such a 15% fall in traveller numbers, as revealed by Spanish Airports Authority AENA , has not been seen since the end of the 90?s and has put El Altet down at 7th place in Spain for January traffic , falling behind Tenerife and Gran Canaria which were less busy last year . 458,634 passengers used El Altet in January this year , with the number of foreign tourists arriving in the Valencia region down 24.7% at 209,909 . With M?laga airport arrivals well down in January by more than 27,000 fewer than a year ago .
All spanish airport report drop in domestic flights fell 20% . The over priced hotels , dinners and drinks have turned people asway to cheaper countries also the turn down in the world . Spain has fallen two the twelfth position and leaving Top 10 of the best tourist destinies , according to the study Country Brand Index 2008 realised by FutureBrand and Weber Shandwick . Meanwhile the General Director of Turespa?a , Antoni Bernab? , yesterday reached an agreement with the Chamber of Commerce and Provincial Tourism Board to increase the promotion of the Costa Blanca this year . 360 events are planned worldwide and new delegations will carry out promotions in London , Stockholm , Paris , New York and Milan . Survey of Tourist Movements in Frontera (FRONTUR) published on Monday last . The lodging in hotels underwent a fall of 12% with respect to the last year .




15 injured as train derails in Asturias

At least 15 people were injured yesterday , four of them seriously , when a train travelling between Santander and Oviedo left the tracks at Arobes . All the injured are being treated in hospital . The causes of the accident , which occurred at 12.25pm between Ozanes and Soto de Due?as , are being investigated by the technical department of the rail company . After rescuing the injured , firefighters had to deal with a fuel leak from one of the train's tanks . Their swift action prevented the fuel from reaching the nearby river Pilo?a . According to the emergency services a 46 year-old English woman with extensive facial and head injuries is amongst the seriously injured currently being treated in hospital . The rail service was replaced by a bus service while the derailed train was removed from the tracks , but normal services resumed yesterday at 5.30pm .



The Ibex loses the 7,500 points

The Ibex follows ballasting by the bad behavior of the stock-exchange values. - Fallen in all Europe. - The Dow Jonessube more of a 2.3% after falling yesterday at levels of 11 years ago



Spaniard hails "new phase" in ties with U.S.

Spain's foreign minister said here Tuesday after his first meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton that "a new phase" in bilateral relations has opened up.

Spanish top 4 banks take 5.5 billion Euro in funding

Four large savings banks in Spain have taken 5.471 billion ? from the Spanish Government fund created to try and get credit flowing again . The savings banks to accept the most from the fund are Bancaja, La Caixa, Caja Madrid and Caja del Mediterr?neo . Between all the banks a total of 19.341 billion has been shared out so far between 54 banks . The amount is some 46% of the total 30 billion made available by the Government . The numbers have been revealed today by the Ministry for Economy and Hacienda . Secretary of State for the Economy, David Vegara, described the auctions of liquidity organised by the Government as ?positive, agile , transparent and efficient? . He said it would ease the concession of credits to families and businesses .

Nine killed in Amsterdam plane crash

Nine people have been killed and more than 50 others have been injured after a Turkish Airlines plane crashed at Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam . 135 people were on board the Boeing 737-800, flight TK 1951 from Istanbul . The plane crashed as it was approaching the runway , according to the the Schiphol Airport's press service . The plane broke into three parts when it hit the ground next to the runway , according to CNN Turk . The plane crashed near the furthest runway from the terminals at Schiphol, which is 20km southwest of Amsterdam's centre . At Schiphol airport , ten flights were delayed and ten were cancelled , but otherwise operations were as usual .

Dutch TV coverage of Turkish Air crash
Live coverage of the Turkish Air crash at Schiphol Airport from Dutch national broadcaster NOS (CLICK THE PLUS )



Elche Socialists accused of using public money for campaigning

ABC prints the details of the claim today , Wednesday ABC reports today that the Mayor of Elche and the Vice Secretary of the Socialist Party in Valencia, Alejandro Soler, allegedly used municipal funds to promote the Socialist election campaign in May 2007.
The paper has documents , handed to it by the PP in Elche , which appear to show the irregular spending , with seven advertising campaigns published in a local free newspaper .



Spain tells US it is open in principle to accepting Guantanamo prisoners




800 million extra for Catalunya

Central Government and Catalunya's autonomous government , la Generalitat , today agreed an extra 800.13 million euros for infrastructures in Catalunya in 2009 . Added to the 4.006 million already in this year's budget , this brings the total to 4.806 million and partially covers the 2007 deficit . In a press conference earlier today, the Minister for Public Administration, Elena Salgado, and the Councillor for the Interior and Institutional Relations , Joan Saura , both agreed that this agreement more than fulfilled the State's obligation to Catalunya as laid down in the Catalan Statute .

Political corruption scandal widens in People's Party (PP)

A corruption scandal affecting Spain's main opposition conservative People's Party (PP) widened Wednesday as a judge investigating the allegations implicated at least two legislators or senators in the affair. National Court magistrate Baltasar Garzon asked anti-corruption prosecutors whether the Supreme Court should take over the case, because national-level politicians had become implicated , in addition to local or regional ones . Garzon did not give the names of the new suspects . The PP meanwhile lodged a complaint against Garzon at the Supreme Court , accusing the judge of misconduct in investigating a case which his court had no jurisdiction over . The PP claims that Garzon is trying to damage the chances of the conservatives and to favour Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero's socialists in Sunday's regional elections in Galicia and the Basque region . The PP stepped up its criticism of Garzon after the judge went on a hunting trip with socialist justice minister Mariano Fernandez Bermejo , who resigned over the affair on Monday . Garzon earlier named 37 people official suspects in his investigation into bribery , influence-peddling , money-laundering and tax evasion in Madrid and several other regions . Garzon has jailed businessman Francisco Correa , whom he suspects of masterminding a corruption network affecting building permits and lucrative contracts granted by PP municipal councils . The PP has pledged to investigate the affair, and to purge possible culprits from its ranks



ETA member arrest in the south of France

The French Gendarmerie has stopped in the Gallic locality of Compeide , in the department of Aveiron to the south of the country , to the ETA member Alexander Akarregi Houses . The operation to arrest Akarregi has started this morning after surprising the municipal police the ETA member trying to rob a car. Akarregi has stopped when occurring account of which it had been hunted and has fled with its own vehicle. Later it has had an accident after which it has robbed , to pistol end , a second car in which finally has been stopped .

Work stops on new Mestalla stadium Valencia

Valencia CF admitted today that work on its new Mestalla stadium in the Avenida de las Cortes Valencianas has stopped due to a lack of funds to finance it .
Sources within the club told members of the media that the decision had been taken because the construction project was about to enter a phase requiring considerable investment in materials for the metal structure and that the club simply did not have the money available at the moment . 'This decision does not mean that construction has been halted indefinitely,' added the same sources , 'but that the cost of the steel beams and other materials now needed is too high for work to continue at this point' . Work began on the new stadium in August 2007 and the club's intention had been to start playing there at the beginning of the 2010-2011 season, but this pause in construction now makes that deadline highly unlikely . Valencia's mayor, Rita Barber?, today regretted the standstill in construction but felt confident that 'work would begin again soon' . The club has serious debts that it is finding impossible to refinance and it is having difficulty finding a buyer for the current Mestalla stadium site .



Spanish footballers implicated in durg smuggling

Two FIFA agents are also being investigated by National Police . Two policemen and several footballers are implicated in a cocaine trafficking gang which has been broken up by National Police in Spain . 600 kilos of the drug has been recovered by the authorities in the operation . Two FIFA footballer agents, Magdalena Subotic and Zoran Matijevic, are being investigated along with several players from the Rayo Vallecano and the Polideportivo Ejido teams. Reports indicate that a total of 10 people have been arrested, including the ex Hercules player , Stankovic . The investigation is being carried out by the specialist UDYCO police unit in Madrid and Valencia . The container with the drug left an Argentine port in the middle of the present month , arriving in the first place at Tangiers (North of Morocco), and soon at Algeciras (Cadiz), from where it was transported by highway to Madrid . It was deposited in a ship of an industrial estate of the capital .



Vueling & Clickair join forces today



Former EastEnders actress Wendy Richard has died

Former EastEnders actress Wendy Richard has died aged 65, her agent has confirmed . The star, who played Pauline Fowler in the BBC One soap opera, had been suffering from cancer .Her agent Kevin Francis said: "She was incredibly brave and retained her sense of humour right to the end ." Last October, Richard revealed she had an aggressive, terminal form of cancer. Soon after that she married her long-term partner John Burns .
As well as her 21 years on Albert Square, Richard starred in sitcoms Are You Being Served?, Dad's Army and Grace and Favour . She joined EastEnders when the programme began in 1985 and remained in it until 2006, when her character died .

Last day of campaigning for elections in Basque and Galician

Basque terrorists ETA have described the regional elections set for the Basque Country on Sunday as a ?political fraud?. The political wing of ETA has been banned from fielding candidates in the poll which they described as ?anti-democratic?, and they accuse the PNV, Basque Nationalist Party, of also supporting the illegalisation, describing them as decadent. Sunday also sees elections in Galicia, and both the leaders of the main parties have been supporting their candidates in both areas in what is now the final straight. Mariano Rajoy and Jos? Luis Rodr?guez Zapatero are in Galicia today to end their campaigning, given that tomorrow Saturday is a day for reflection. The Socialist party in Galicia considers that PP has been running a dirty campaign, with Socialist spokesman Jos? Blanco going as far as asking Rajoy who paid for the dirty tricks.



14 arrests in new real estate corruption case in M?laga province

The latest corruption case in Spain has broken in the Axarqu?a area of M?laga province . The Socialist Mayor of the village of Alcauc?n in M?laga is among 13 people arrested in Spain?s latest corruption scandal. Jos? Manuel Mart?n Alba, a labourer by trade, has been detained as investigations continue into the building and sale of homes on non-buildable land. Searches were carried out on Friday in the homes of the Mayor and members of his family. The PSOE Socialist party says they will expel all those indicted from the party. The 13 arrests occurred in M?laga and Huelva and also include the Mayor?s two daughters, and Jos? Mora, chief of municipal architecture in the Dipitaci?n de M?laga, the provincial government. Also detained are two architects and other constructors and alleged intermediaries. El Mundo says that the investigation could move to neighbouring La Vi?uela, where the Socialist Mayor already faces different investigations on town planning irregularities.



Partido Popular treasuer makes official complaint about Judge Garz?n

As National Court Judge, Baltasar Garz?n, remains heading the investigation in the G?rtel case of corruption close to the Partido Popular, there were harsh allegations made between the two main political parties yesterday. Partido Popular leader, Mariano Rajoy, said the judge was a Socialist and biased, while the Prime Minister responded that it was unacceptable for the opposition to intimidate the judge.

Basque Nationalists win but fail to get Parliamentary

The Basque Nationalist Party (PNV) has won the Basque regional elections, securing 30 of the 75 available seats, but Juan Jos? Ibarretxe, the current president of the Basque government , is not guaranteed re-election since the absolute majority in the parliament is held by the non-nationalists the first time . The question of who will become the next lehendakari or president of the Basque government now depends on the outcome of post-electoral pacts between parties . After the final scrutiny of votes, seats in the new Basque parliament will be allocated as follows: PNV up to 30 seats; PSE up to 24; PP down to 13; EA down to 2; EB down to 1, Aralar down to 4 and UPyD comes in with one . The tri-partite PNV-EA-EB pact that governed during the last legislature only has 33 seats . With the support of Aralar it would reach 37, still one short of allowing Ibarretxe to continue in office . The socialist Patxi L?pez could possibly by the next lehendakari with the hypothetical support of the non-nationalists , but only the coming weeks of inter-party pact-making will tell whether he can secure the 38 seats he needs .



Real Madrid fans confident about winning Liga

Its be a bad Weekend in Spanish football for Barcelona , only 4 points in front off Madrid . The supporters of Spanish giants Real Madrid are very confident about the chances of their team winning a third straight Liga title . 57 per cent of the readers of Marca believe that Real will win the league , with only 43 per cent voting for Barcelona , whilst no less than 70 per cent of AS readers have opted for Real . Three weeks ago Barca had a 12-point lead over Real , but the whites have managed to whittle this down to just four points by winning 10 straight games , whilst Barca have picked up just one point in their last three matches .

Sierra Nevada chair lift falls 15 injured

14 people, all adults, were injured today when a part broke on one of the pylons in the beginners' area of Borreguiles in the Sierra Nevada ski resort in Granada at approximately 10.30 yesterday morning . The failure of this section of the lift caused six separate chairs , each designed to carry four passengers , to fall from a height of some five metres . The area was cordoned off and an emergency operation was put into action immediately to rescue the injured whose injuries ranged from fractured limbs to bruises . The ski-piste personnel were first on the scene , helped by other skiers , before the two ambulances and three mobile intensive care units arrived and the two local helicopters were put on alert .



Spanish PM Russian president to discuss financial crisis

Russian President Dimitry Medvedev, who arrived in Madrid late Sunday night for a two-day state visit, is due to meet Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Zapatero on Tuesday to discuss bilateral relations and the global financial crisis . According to local media reports , the two sides hope to use the occasion to prepare for the upcoming G20 financial summit in London on April 2 , and discuss other issues of common concern, such as reforms of the United Nations and the European Union ahead of the forthcoming Spanish Presidency of the European Union which begins on Jan. 1, 2010 . During Medvedev's visit, the two sides will sign a "declaration of strategic partnership" aimed at improving bilateral relations between the two counties, and updating the 1994 "Friendship and Cooperation Treaty " The two sides will also sign an agreement allowing Spain to transfer military equipment and personnel though Russian territory to Afghanistan, and accords on tourism cooperation, and cooperation between Spanish and Russian railways .



Bus demolishes the marquee of an underground garage Madrid

Three people have been minor wounds when they traveled in a bus of line 21 of the EMT that has demolished the marquee of an underground garage in the confluence of the streets Marquess of Urquijo with Juan Alvarez Mendiz?bal , have informed sources into Emergencias Madrid . By causes that are not known , the bus ahead took the marquee of the garage , that fell on a tourism, whose conductor has been unharmed, although several glasses of the vehicle are had broken . The Police now carries out the report whereas effective of the City council of Madrid come to clean the zone to facilitate the traffic, according to the sources .



3.5 million Spanish jobless total rises again

The total number of people out of work in Spain now stands at almost 3.5 million, official figures show . It means the number of unemployed has risen by more than 10% in the past two months alone, and 50% in a year . Although the rise is smaller than that in January, analysts expect many more Spaniards will soon be out of work . The official figure of 3.48 million claiming jobless benefit is the highest since 1996 .



BBVA bank is forecasting shrink by 2.8% this year

The BBVA bank is forecasting that the economy in Spain will shrink by 2.8% this year. The number is nearly double that from the Minister for Economy , Pedro Solbes . The BBVA studies service thinks unemployment will reach as much as 19% in 2010 when the economy would shrink by a further 0.2% .

Five corruption charges against Mayor of Alcauc?n (PSOE)

The Mayor of Alcauc?n, Jos? Manuel Mart?n Alba (PSOE), has been formally charged with bribery, money laundering, breach of public duty, influence peddling and falsification as a result of operation 'Arcos' against town-planning corruption . His two daughters , M?nica and Sonia Mart?n Ruiz , have also been charged with money laundering . Last Friday, during a police search of the mayor's house , 160,000 euros in cash was found under a mattress and the mayor refused to hand over the key to his safe . Sources confirm that the ongoing police investigation, that started in 2008 , has uncovered a web of individuals in public office and at least five separate companies involved in illegally building houses on green-belt land in the Sierra de la Axarqu?a ; land that was then subsequently reclassified as building land . The town of Alcauc?n, governed by Jos? Manuel Mart?n since 1991 , has been the focus of ecologists' attention over the past few years because of its policy of building an estimated 20,000 homes on hitherto rustic land .




23 arrests in Drugs Raids in Seville

The National Police have arrested 23 people in the Dos Hermanas area of Seville , Drugs clan arrested in Seville all members of two family clans who sell drugs on a small and medium scale for a living . Apart from the 23 arrests , five separate properties were searched in the Cerro Blanco slum area of the city which yielded 600g of cocaine , 100g of heroine , various cocktails already prepared with these substances , almost a kilo of hashish , jewellery valued at 26,000 euros , 30,000 euros in cash as well as a variety of implements used for manipulating and preparing drugs . All those arrested are being remanded in custody having given statements at the Police headquarters in Seville .

Spanish Prime Minister's agreement to f**k with Russia

What the Spanish delightfully call a ?lapsus?, a slip of the tongue , was carried out by the Prime Minister , Jos? Zapatero , as he was giving a joint press conference in Madrid with the visiting Russian Prime Minister , Dimitri Medvedev . When speaking about the good relationship between the two countries , Zapatero spoke of the agreement which they had signed to increase tourism . The Prime Minister said that 500,000 Spaniards had travelled to Russia this year , and that the agreement was ?para estimular, para favorecer , para follar? ? ?to stimulate, favour and f**k? . Zapatero was trying to say ?apoyar ? support? .



The wind and snowed return Alert to 15 provinces

A total of 15 provinces is in alert orange - important risk according to the State Agency of Meteorology (Aemet). The Galician provinces of Pontevedra, Corunna and Lugo are under warning before the forecast of waves of up to seven meters of height . Also Asturias and Cantabria are in alert orange by coastal wind and waves of five to six meters . In Biscay and Guip'uzcoa there will be basic sea among four and five meters , identical situation to some provinces of the south like Granada and Almeria . The snow , the wind and the strong surges return to affect with force Pen?nsula and the Balearics after one of invier to us more duros of the last years would have taken at the same time more stable step in the past weeks . The fort wind also has caused that activates the alert orange in Madrid, where gusts of wind of up to 100 kilometers are expected , and in River basin and Albacete , in which it will reach the 90 kilometers per hour . By snowed, the provinces of Asturias, Leon are in alert orange , Cantabria , Biscay , Guip'uzcoa, Alava and Navarre , in which the snow level can lower until the 500 meters .



Jumbo chocolate bars any one ? are power bar

National Police have arrested an Ecuadorian man at El Prat airport in Barcelona after he was found to be carrying four kilos of cocaine in his luggage on arrival on a flight from Colombia . The drug was disguised as 52 bars of chocolate , perfectly individually wrapped as the Jumbo brand , one of the best known in Colombia . The drug was hidden below a thin layer of chocolate in each bar . 51 year old Edgar N.N. was questioned by police and customs after they considered him to be acting nervously .



Primary teacher cancelled homework in exchange for a massage

A teacher in the 3? primary level of the Juan de Orea school in Roquetas de Mar , Almer?a , has been arrested for alleged aggression against several of his pupils . The Guardia Civil say he was detained on Tuesday morning after a group of parents placed a complaint on Monday . His identity has not been released, but reports indicate that several pupils have declared before the judge in Court One in the town , claiming that he asked them to give him massages to his back and legs in exchange for no homework . There are no complaints of any sexual aggression .



Ex- Advisor of Environment of Murcia by city-planning corruption

Agents of the National Police have stopped today in Madrid the ex- advisor of Environment of Murcia and ex- delegate of Government Francisco Marquess by the prevarication crimes and bribe in the Zerrichera case , place described like Zone of Special Protection for Aves (ZEPA), located in the Murcian municipality of Eagles . Other nine people are imputed by the judge after the denunciation presented/displayed by the public prosecutor superior of Murcia, Manuel Vernal Lopez .

Corruption case takes number of corrupt towns in Andalusia to eleven

The cases of real estate corruption in the province is as follows:

Marbella ? the Malaya case with the GIL party in the centre .
Alhaur?n el Grande ? where the PP is at the centre of the Troya case .
Estepona ? where the Socialists face the Astapa case .
Manilva ? where the Ballena Blanca money laundering case affects the local PDEM party .
Gauc?n - where the ex Partido Andalucista Mayor has been banned from public office for seven years .
C?mpeta - where the PP ex Mayor has been banned for seven years .
Tolox and Oj?n - where the prosecutor wants to see both Mayors from the Partido Andalucista and PSOE Socialist party serve two years in prison .
Ronda ? Where in the Merinos case the left wingers IU have complained about the PA .
La Vi?uela ? where the Socialist Mayor faces a possible 18 months jail .
Sayalonga ? where the Socialist Mayor is charged .
and Malaya case in Marbella .



European Central Bank reduces interest rates tomorrow to below 2% as expected

The Euribor interest rate , used to set the mortgages for many in Spain has fallen before 2% for the first time in five years , ending the day at 1.993%. Experts think that the index could end this month at an all time low , especially if the European Central Bank reduces interest rates tomorrow to below 2% as expected . But the rate will not be passed on to bank customers if banks get there way .



Spain Tourist Down hotel reduce Prices

There is more evidence that hotels in Spain are lowering their prices in the face of weak demand . The number of overnight stays in January was 12% down on the same month in 2008 , and according to the National Statistics Institute, INE, and prices were lower too , by 2.6% . only Madrid and Barcelona held it share but airport reported there where down aswell



Judge Garz?n told to hand the G?rtel case over to the High Courts in Madrid and Valencia

The Government will rectify the electrical invoicing if they continue the irregularities
Meanwhile Spain has slipped a place in the list of the countries which are most attractive for tourism. According to the World Economic Forum Spain is now sixth.
Top three countries are Switzerland, Austria and Germany followed by France and Canada head of Spain.

RTVE closed 2008 with losses of 71.8 million

Corporation RTVE closed exercise 2008 with losses that ascended to 71.8 million Euros, according to the data presented/displayed today by the president of the public being, Luis Fernandez, and the corporative chief of a main directorate, Jaime Gaiteiro. RTVE attributes east negative result to the fall of the advertising investment in mass media and to that the Government did not compensate to the chain by the reduction that imposed to him in the publicity emission, of 12 minutes per hour to 11 minutes.

Royal visit to Gibraltar sparks controversy

Princess Ana, second daughter of the queen of England , Her official diary will begin tomorrow with the inauguration of the Royal Princess medical centre , the main reason for her visit to the colony . She will then pay a visit to Main Street in the town centre and Gibraltar's commercial centre, where she is expected to meet with the Chief Minister of Gibraltar, Peter Caruana . The Secretary of State of Outer Subjects , Lossada Angel, telephoned on the 16 of January to the British ambassador in Madrid , Denise Holt, to show to him that the visit was ?inopportune? and could ?hurt the sensitivity? of the Spaniards .



The European Central Bank has cut its key interest rate by half a percentage point to a record low of 1.5%

The European Central Bank has cut base bank interest rates today to 1.5% from 2%, in their latest attempt to reactivate the credit market and the economy . Meanwhile, the Bank of England has cut its interest rate from 1% to 0.5%, also a record low for the 315-year-old bank . Spanish banks are now reportedly asking for more than just a stable income to grant a mortgage . Now purchasers are being obliged to take out an insurance policy to cover them against any future unemployment , and another life policy . The new demands can add an additional 900 ? cost on the signing of the mortgage. Consumers organisations have sounded a voice of alarm . The European Central Bank key lending rate was 4.25% in July 2008 .



Government Could do a U turn on electricity bills

The introduction of monthly billing, with every other month being an estimated bill, has seen a wave of complaints from consumers and the cabinet says they will go back to metered two monthly readings if those complaints continue and if alleged irregularities are confirmed . The Minister for Health and Consumer Affairs in Spain , Bernat Soria , has said that the cabinet is considering making a u-turn and returning to the system of issuing electricity bills every two months .



Talks begin to form a government in Spain's Basque region

Talks to form a new government began Thursday in the Basque region of northern Spain, with Basque nationalists failing to agree on a coalition with Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero's socialists .

Four passengers fall into the sea from cruise liner in Mallorca

All four have been treated for hypothermia and the injured passenger, One off them was Italian man disembarked of the ?Ship Fantasy? when the footbridge was broken , and be moved to a hospital in Palma . Winds of upto 110 kms/hour were affecting the area at the time of the accident , The Port Authority took the decision to close the port to traffic 'as a safety measure' and the cruise ship has been moved fromt the Poniente quay , where the incident occurred , to the West quay . the Airport was on weather alert aswell .

Davis Cup postponed due to damage to one of the stands

Hight winds have delay opening day of the first Davis Cup rubber between Spain and Serbia in Benidorm has had to be postponed due to damage to one of the stands caused by the high winds last night . It is damage that can be repaired, but the top of one of the stands has been affected by the winds and safety is out priority.' 'Repair work cannot be done until the wind drops, which is forecast to be at about 4pm today . technicians had not been able to carry out a close inspection of the damaged stand because of the high winds , but assured the media that they had the resources and manpower available to get the damage repaired in time for tomorrow's matches , 'although we will need between eight and nine hours to do the repairs said Pedro Hern?ndez , Real Federaci?n Espa?ola de Tenis.



Shoots off several people in Las Palmas

Man in 30s shot several neighbors of the district of the Great Pillar , One the wounded , an woman from yesterday shotting has passed away early today



SPANISH tourism board promoted a picture of an Australian beach

A SPANISH tourism board has mistakenly promoted a picture of an Australian beach as its own , a month after a similar incident . The Costa Brava tourism board has mistakenly promoted a picture of an Australian beach as its own , just one month after a similar incident occurred . The photo featured a man and boy clasping each others hands and looking out to the sea at a Perth beach , but was used to promote Spain?s Costa Brava resort region . It was published in a pamphlet last month advertising a gastronomical fair in Spain?s northeast coast , a popular tourist destination .
The Costa Brava tourism board has admitted to the goof, saying that board officials were unaware the photo was of a Perth beach . So the new downunder is just Spain .

Broken leg but the cast was made of cocaine

Customs officials at El Prat airport in Barcelona were on the ball as new way importting durgs . A plaster cast on a genuinely broken leg of a 66 year old Chilean man, who had arrived on a flight from Santiago de Chile at Barcelona El Prat airport, has been found to have been made of cocaine . The traveller , who was in a wheel chair, had also hidden the drug inside a leg support in the chair and in some beer cans in his luggage . Police think the trafficker could even have broken his leg on purpose to give a more realistic appearance . He was found with five kilos of the drug in total . Police took the plaster cast off and examined it , before transferring the patient to a health centre for tests .

UNIONS to call strike at Ford

Union intend to call a 24-hour strike at Ford in Almussafes (Valencia) in a bid to force the company to ?end uncertainties over employment? and to ?unblock negotiations with unions? . Ford?s union leader Gonzalo Pino said a ?significant majority? had supported the UGT (general workers? union)?s proposals . Pino says staff members will hold a demonstration outside the Generalitat buildings in Valencia to call for the ministry to confront workers? problems .



18 killed on Spanish Roads

18 people lost their lives in 12 fatal accidents on the roads of Spain over the weekend, between 3pm on Friday and 8pm last night , five of them in a single accident , according to the DGT traffic authorities . Nine more were seriously injured . The most serious accident took place at dawn of Friday to Saturday . Five people passed away and other two were wounded in kilometer 174 of the AP-7 , around Castellv? de Rosanes (Barcelona)



saved pesetas as turndown in Spain

People are spending less this year with falls in sale from Supermarkets travel holets and day two day goods all down , with Savings Banks in Spain have made their own prediction for the economy and say unemployment will reach 4.5 million this year , some 17.2%, and increase to 19.8% in 2010 . The fall in the GDP will be 3% this year and a further 0.5% next year according to the Savings Banks Federation FUNCAS , whose numbers are far more pessimistic than those of the Government , who say unemployment will only reach 15.9% and recover next yearend off next year . Florists sales where down 30% down over Christmas and Valentines Day , AVE high speed train in Spain has started to notice the slow down . Down 15% . Airlines which saw a 23% drop in demand in January, year on year and Airports are down 10 - 17 % . The Bank of Spain reports that two million ? worth of pesetas were exchanged in January this year . The Bank estimates that there are still 943 million ? in peseta notes and 818 million ? worth of coins still out there . time to shack the house down to see what coins are hang around . The electrical demand of the industry falls a 18% by the same on last year and now with billing problems .

freefall, admits minister , tourism industry

The minister for tourism industry Canary Islands . Having been criticised on several occasions for painting an overly-optimistic picture of the industry in recent months , Mart?n is now drawing fire for giving a bleak forecast to the region's Parliament . 'The sector is in freefall and there is no way of knowing when things will improve . The pound's weakness against the euro is forcing British tourists to look to dollar destinations . The Canaries used to 'sell themselves' unaided but we now need strategies to compete with rivals' said the minister , who urged the Spanish government to cut airport charges to attract airlines . Ryanair again calls on the AIE to honour its contractual agreement or lose Ryanair?s flights and traffic to/from Fuerteventura from 31st January 2009. Ryanair?s lowest fares and no fuel surcharge have delivered huge tourism revenues and over 250,000 annual passengers may now be lost to/from Fuerteventura .



The top tourist destination in the EU remains Spain, measured in per night stays in hotels , almost 270 million in 2008, although this was down by a little more than one percent compared to the year before . Official Eurostat figures show that after Spain came Italy, then Germany, France and the UK . These five countries account for more than 70 percent of nights spent in hotels in the 27 countries of the EU . This was fairly evenly made up of EU non-residents and residents . The highest increases were recorded in Slovakia , Poland and Latvia . The biggest decreases were in Cyprus , Greece and the Netherlands . One million Britons have abandoned Spain's bars and beaches in the last year after the pound dived against the euro .

Four hurt at works off bus station Majorca

Four workers have been hurt this morning in the landslide of the structure of a work, in the construction of the bus-station of Dog Ramis , in Alc?dia Majorca , have informed the services of emergencias and the Local Police. According to sources of the 112 , no of the wounded has been catched under the collapsed structure that was in the second plant of the building . At the moment the state of the wounded in the accident is not known .



Telefonica email failure

Last week it was facebook now it @Telefonica email , Thousands of people with telefonica.net accounts have been left without access to their emails since Monday lunchtime after a failure in the POP3 server . The company itself says only that there has been an ?incident? and that it is working to resolve the problem . But nearly 24 hours after the problems first arose , the Telefonica website still offered no further information or assistance to its customers . The problem seems to have started around midday on Monday after users were sent an anti-spam email by Telefonica itself . Although the service is very slow , probably due to overloading . Problems with the server still remain .



Allergic reactions to footwear in Spain has been traced down to the use of Dimethyl fumarate by Chinese

As many as 37 brands in Spain are now affected and 26 cases have been recorded by the National Consumers Institute, INC . one work from Elche says it Imporments from Chinese to spain and outher parts of the EU . The FACUA Consumidores en Acci?n group has recommended anyone affected to get in touch with the INC, while the Ministry for Health and Consumer Affairs has now issued a warning of ?a serious risk to health? .
Some of the brands on sale in Spain affected are: Moda Light, Tanis Herrero, Farasion, Rosa Cano, Aurea Alves, Balleri, Metaline, Jimei, Camelia, Hoyvoy, Coolway, Too Much, Mimao, Latinas, Clara Garc?a, Bache, Benini Shoes, Benavente, Roberto Botella, Drastik, Lalikaer, Gioseppo, WSK, Maria Mare, ESS, Love Red, Bellucci, SPWSH, Pasite and Amelia Zaragoza .
Other brands, Maria Mare, Gioseppo, Latina, Tokitos and Benavente, say they are removing their suspect shoes from sale . A lost of specific models affected can be found here https://www.facua.org/es/noticia.php?Id=3920

Councillor's daughter racks up to 40,000 Town Hall credit card

Blanca Rosa Alc?ntara, Getafe's PP Councillor , admitted today that her daughter had spent in the region of 30,000 - 40,000 euros over the internet last year using her Town Hall credit card . Making a public apology during a press conference today , Alc?ntara explained that her 14-year old daughter used the card without her permission to 'download TV series' and promised to 'return the full amount , with interest' to the Town Hall . The PP asked the Municipal Government , led by the PSOE and the IU, to provide details of the exact amount of debt, which is believed to be between 30,000 and 40,000 euros, so that the councillor can begin repaying the money straight away . The PP decided to 'come clean with residents and face the music' today to ensure the voters that the municipal coffers 'will not be in any way compromised' and asked that this incident not be used 'politically' since the councillor had acted immediately once she had discovered what had been going on .



Juana Chaos can be extradited form NI

The Northern Ireland judge, has ruled today that the ETA activist , Jos? Ignacio de Juana Chaos can be extradited from Belfast to Spain where he is wanted to face charges of exhorting terrorism . The judge said that the extradition could take place as a similar offence exists in British law . The defence lawyers say they are to appeal the decision and a new court hearing is now set for May 14 or 15, and after that there are possible appeals to the Appeals Court and then the House of Lords .



Telef?nica reduce their monthly standing charge

Telecommunications Market Commission, CMT, has granted Telef?nica permission to reduce their monthly standing charge. They have also allowed for a new price war in the line installation charge, which will be no longer regulated by them . The regulator also said that any discounts should be made available right across the country .



President of the Spanish Banking Association speaks to Congress

President of the Spanish Banking Association, Miguel Mart?n, speaks to Congress has said that using state money to help certain financial entities to survive , when they are not viable , will debilitate the banking sector as a whole , and delay the recovery of the real economy . He claimed that the banks in Spain were doing all they could to escape from the crisis , and he insisted they had not turned off the credit tap , because he said ?we would be the first victims if we did so? . His appearance comes as a report shows that banks in Spain are charging as much as 43% more than the EU average for the granting of credit in the Eurozone . defferences have been seen in both consumer and mortgage credit . New fall in industrial production in Spain and cars sale down there no cash .


Madrid region spying scandal headline pepers today

15-year-old retracts statements in Marta de Castillo

The 15-year-old charged with being an accomplice in the murder and disappearance of Marta del Castillo has today denied all the allegations he previously made against his fellow accused and said that he had invented it all because of police pressure , basing his story on what he'd heard on the TV . In today's 40 minute court appearance, Javier G.M. said that all his previous statements had been lies and that on the night of the alleged crime, January 24th, he had been at a party with his school friends, which is what he told police when they initially interviewed all Marta's friends . He denies having ever been in the flat in Sevilla's Calle Le?n XIII, where Marta supposedly died, and denies having any part in removing her body from there and throwing it into the River Guadalquivir . He says he invented all his previous stories because of threats the police were making to him and his family .



The Minister for Work, Celestino Corbacho, has responded to the Governor of the Bank of Spain, Miguel ?ngel Fern?ndez Ord??ez, who yesterday called for free redundancies in Spain as a way of stimulating new employment. The Minister today, speaking on Cadena Ser radio, said that Governor was partial in his comments, and instead of recommending recipes for others, he should think first about the role of the financial sector in the economic model. He said the real problem being faced by companies was a fall in demand.

Spanish police nab drug smuggler with 'spray on' cocaine at Airport

SPANISH police have arrested an Ecuadorian woman who tried to smuggle into Barcelona liquid cocaine hidden in spray cans of products The 35-year-old was carrying more than 1.5kg of the drug hidden in false bottoms in three spay cans found in the baggage she checked in on her flight from Guayaquil, Ecuador's largest city, police said in a statement . Two of the spray cans were for products used to starch clothes while the third was for a glass cleaning product, the statement said . Barcelona's El Prat airport has been the scene in recent days of creative attempts to smuggle cocaine into Spain , the main entry point for the drug into Europe . On Friday police arrested a 66-year-old Chilean man at the airport after discovering that his broken leg was supported by a "cast'' made out of cocaine . The man, who had hobbled off a flight from Santiago, was carrying more of the drug in fake beer cans and two hollowed-out stools . Police suspect he may have fractured bones in his leg on purpose so as to use the cast without raising suspicions at security checks .



Top Spanish Judge Investigated Over US Sabbatical

The Spanish judge best known for indicting both Augusto Pinochet and Osama bin Laden is accused of failing to report that he would be paid during a U.S. sabbatical while drawing his salary in Madrid , an oversight board said Tuesday . Judge Baltasar Garzon , an investigating magistrate at the National Court , is a workaholic best known for indicting former Chilean dictator Pinochet in 1998 on charges of terrorism and other crimes and having him arrested in London . Garzon also indicted bin Laden in 2003 , on grounds that the Sept . 11 , 2001 , terror attacks were prepared in part in Spain .



2004 Madrid train bombings Anniversary today
On the morning of 11 March 2004 (three days before Spain's general elections), killing 191 people and wounding 1,800 . The first bomb exploded at 07:37am . All four trains had departed the Alcal? de Henares station between 07:01 and 07:14. The explosions took place between 07:37 and 07:40 in the morning . The total number of victims was 191. There were victims from 17 countries: 142 Spanish, 16 Romanians, 6 Ecuadorian, 4 Poles, 4 Bulgarians, 3 Peruvians, 2 Dominicans, 2 Colombians, 2 Moroccans, 2 Ukranians, 2 Hondurans, 1 Senegalese, 1 Cuban, 1 Chilean, 1 Brazilian, 1 French, and 1 Filipino .



Liverpool 4-0 Real Madrid , Panathinaikos 1-2 Villarreal

Ryanair to end airport check-in

Ryanair says it will remove all its airport check-in desks from 1 October this year, requiring all passengers to check-in online . The airline will extend its web check-in service from 19 March to passengers travelling with checked baggage and reduced mobility customers . Customers who check-in with only carry-on baggage will not be charged , but those with baggage to be checked in will pay a ?5 fee . However, from 1 May all passengers checking in online will be charged a ?5 fee, except for promotional fares . Passengers continuing to use check-in desks will be charged ?10 per person from 19 March, and then ?20 per person from 1 May, as check-in desks are phased out over the summer . From 1 October , passengers who have checked in bags will use the airport 'bag-drop' desks . The airline says the move is a first for the industry and will allow it to lower airport and handling costs . ?Ryanair?s web check-in service is currently used by up to 75% of our passengers . FMPLUS NEWS



UK DWP Roadshows

The British Consulate in Alicante and the UK Department for Work and Pensions are holding an open event for British residents in Castalla on Tuesday 24 March, presenting advice services on some of the issues that matter most to residents.

The Department for Work and Pensions will provide essential information on UK pensions, benefits and healthcare entitlements in Spain and the services that their team can offer.

The British Vice-Consul will open the session and explain the role of the Consulate, and the services it offers. Event details:

Tuesday 24 March 2009 ? 10:45am (Doors open at 10:15am)

Casa de Cultura, Castalla
Pg. Antigua Bassa la Vila, 23
Castalla, Alicante

To book a place, please visit http://www.ukinspain.fco.gov.uk and click on ?Open Days? on the home page. If you experience any problems booking or do not have Internet access, call 915249729

Barcelona and Madrid - more expensive than London

Spain?s capital Madrid is the third largest city in the Europe after London and Berlin . It plays an important role as a center of administration, residence, political, cultural and industrial activities . The city, which has a combined outlook of modern and traditional architecture, is a headquarter for a number of the world?s largest corporations . Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain with a rough population of about 1.6 million and today plays an important role as a center of heritage, historical and cultural events, apart from being an attractive tourist destination. While the establishment of the city is still subject to debates and speculation, it is often being related to the mythical discovery by Hercules . London is the most expensive city in the world to live and work in for the year 2008, followed by Oslo, Dublin, Copenhagen and New York . The study, which was finalized in March 2008 , was made by UBS , a leading banking and financial firm from Switzerland , and published in major mainstream news , including The Times and Guardian . The study took account the prices of products and services , and property and residential value .Most of the cities which are listed in the top 30 came from the European continent .



With silence and flowers, Spain marks fifth anniversary of Madrid train bombings

The families of victims of the Madrid train bombings laid flowers Wednesday to mark the fifth anniversary of Europe's worst Islamic terror attack , which killed 191 people and injured 1,800 . Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero led a minute's silence in parliament while relatives placed wreaths at three railway stations where four early morning commuter trains were attacked In Madrid's Retiro park, about 200 people laid white carnations at trees in the Forest of Remembrance , a hill specially landscaped with trees for each of the victims . "I feel terrible, full of anger, pain and despair," said Angeles Perez, who lost her daughter Miriam on one of the trains . "The memory remains day after day." Relatives and victims also gathered for a flower-laying ceremony at a glass monument built close to the city's Atocha train station and other sites . "Five years on, every day gets harder, although we live apparently normal lives," said Javier Gilmero, who was on a train that was attacked near Atocha . says "he has cannot get on a train again."

Twenty-eight people, mainly from North Africa, went on trial in 2007 and 21 of them were convicted of taking part in the bombings.
The attacks with 10 bombs hidden in backpacks were claimed by Muslim militants who said they were avenging the presence of Spanish peacekeepers in Iraq and Afghanistan. Of those 21, 15 remain in prison.

Following the minute's silence in parliament , Zapatero expressed the government's support for the victims and their families . Zapatero's Socialist party won a general election three days after the attacks , ousting a conservative government that had supported the U.S.-led Iraq invasion . The conservative government had sent peacekeepers to Iraq after major fighting stopped in 2003 and initially tried to blame the Madrid bombings on Basque separatist militants . The anniversary Wednesday was the first in which the government has not staged any official ceremony for the victims . Victims meanwhile were venting their anger in contending that they have now been forgotten . "There is no more interest in us," although many of the victims have been economically ruined after sustaining injuries that made them unable to work , Pilar Manjon told the daily El Pais . Manjon, who lost her son in the attack, heads an association representing the victims of the train bombings . Some victims complained about Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero's socialists not being represented at the tribute presided over by Aguirre, because they wanted to protest her alleged attempts to block an investigation into a spying scandal within the regional government .



Amancio Ortega (owner of ZARA shops) in top 10 richest person

Student Sues US Airways for $1M Over Lost Xbox


Barcelona 5 Lyon 2 , Oporto 0 Atl?tico 0

Recession reduces number of billionaires

The latest annual survey by Forbes magazine has shown that the global economic crisis has led to a sharp drop in the number of billionaires . The survey said there were now a third fewer billionaires worldwide . The magazine's editor-in-chief Steve Forbes said the super-rich in developing nations have been more affected by the financial meltdown than their counterparts in the west.

1. William Gates III (Microsoft) 40 billion dollars 2. Warren Buffet (Berkshire Hathaway) 37 billion dollars 3. Carlos Slim (Telecom) 35 billion dollars 4. Larry Ellison (Oracle) 22.5 billion dollars 5. Ingvar Kamrad (Ikea) 22 billion dollars 6. Karl Albrecht (Aldi) 21.5 billion dollars 7. Mukesh Ambani (Petrochemicals) 19.5 billion dollars 8. Lakshmi Mittal (Steel) 19.3 billion dollars 9. Theo Albrecht (Aldi, Trader Joe's) 19.3 billion dollars 10. Amencia Ortega (Zara) 18.3 billion dollars
Sorce http://www.forbes.com/lists/2009/10/billionaires-2009-richest-people_The-Worlds-Billionaires_Rank.html



Benidorm police break up drug gang

Police in Benidorm have broken up a group of drug traffickers who had their own laboratory in the town where they adulterated the drugs they sold with different chemical products . Three Colombians and a Belgian have been arrested , all of them with previous records for drug or arms trafficking and violent theft . Three kilos of highly pure cocaine and Fire Arems was recovered int he operation erly in the early Morring Raids .



14 arrested for spate of burglaries Costa del Sol and in Alicante

Fourteen people have been arrested for assaulting more than 50 people?s homes on the Costa del Sol , ?lava , La Rioja and Alicante while their owners were asleep . The Guardia Civil have named the operation ?Canuni?, and say that those arrested are seven Albanian Kosovars , a Moroccan , four Romanians , a Serb-Croat and a Belgian . In the five searches carried out by the Guardia Civil, objects worth more than 500,000 ? were recovered, including a watch made from the steel from the Titanic with an estimated value of 400,000 ? . Investigations in the case started in March last year .



Bar?a and Villarreal keep Spanish Champions League hopes alive
Spain lead FIFA rankings

Inflation confirmed 0.7% lowest sinec late 90s

According to the INE National Statistics Institute , Inflation in Spain has fallen to its lowest level for 40 years . The index reflects the lower demand as the recession bites, and shows that the prices in hotels and restaurants have fallen by 0.4% to their lowest level since 1998 . Food prices also fell to take the IPC down to 0.7% for February, its lowest since 1969 , which does not include energy or fresh foodstuffs , fell by 0.4% to stand at 1.6% .



The court order removed photographs from the railings outside a bank in Mondrag?n



By: thinkSPAIN , Thursday, March 12, 2009

Officers from the Basque police force, Ertzaintza, have today removed photographs from the railings outside a bank in Mondrag?n , Guipuzcoa , after receiving an order from the Public Prosecutor of the country's High Court . The officers went to the bank in Calle Maalako Errabala, where the photos were on show, and unscrewed the aluminium board being used to display the pictures , which included ETA prisoners like Unai Parot , Jos? Ignacio Gazta?aga , Jos? Gabriel Urizar , Mar?a Asunci?n Arana and Eugenio Barrutiabengoa, amongst others . Last Saturday, the anniversary of the assassination of ex-PSE/EE MP Isa?as Carrasco , the Secretary General of the Basque Socialists , Patxi L?pez , made reference to the photos being displayed outside the Banco Guipuzcoano , calling it a 'wall of shame' and promising to do away with it .



Seat loss off 78 million

Seat fell back into the red in 2008 , with an operating loss of 78 million ? . It comes after the company managed to get into the black in 2007 with a profit of 8 million . Seat announced on March 11 the replacement of its current President , Erich Schmitt , by a man who comes from Mazda Europe , James Muir, with effect from September 1 . The company says its long-term strategy remains in place .



Sagrada Familia church hosting religious events in 2010

Barcelona's Sagrada Familia church, which is one of Spain's most famous landmarks despite its unfinished state to hosting religious events in 2010 . chief architect Jordi Bonet said Thursday . Bonet said he expected construction work on the interior of the Catholic basilica to be finished by September 2010 . The interior of the basilica, however, had long resembled a construction site . Begun in 1882 , the construction of the Sagrada Familia was interrupted several times for a variety of reasons including Spain's 1936-39 civil war , and lack of funding . Construction of the church , which Gaudi wanted to turn into a temple for all of humanity , is funded by private donations and tourism income .

Mass texting by phone cut off Nov 09

the moblie phone comany have been work hard text there card client telling them to registor there phone with Nie are get deactivate in nov coming . If you own a pay as you go SIM card in your mobile phone then you will have to register your name and address with your network provider or lose your number. The law on mobile phones in Spain, which applies to Canary Islands, The Balearic Islands , Melilla and Ciudad de Ceuta . That any mobile phone numbers that have not been registered with their provider will be deactivated by November 2009, but many mobile operators are likely to set earlier deadlines.

Therefore, when you purchase a new SIM card, ensure you have your passport / certificado de registro with you.

Movistar have started to text all there costmer in last few days , info: la ley 25/2007 obliga a que , como cliente de tarjeta , nos faclite sus datos personales en tiendas movistar para no desactivar su linea en nov09 in english , info: law 25/2007 forces that, like card client, us faclite its personal data in stores to movistar not to deactivate its line in nov09 ....



New Windsor Tower Madrid

The land of the old Windsor Tower which was demolished in Madrid after a fire, is to be the site of a new El Cort? Ingles which will be the biggest of the firm?s stores in Spain . The new store is set to open in the first half of 2011 and will have 22 floors . The building , located at Calle Raimundo Fern?ndez Villaverde 65, had a total area of 20,000 square meters and was one of the first modern towers in Madrid . The tower was designed in 1974 by a team of six important Spanish architects and was constructed between 1975 and 1979 . The town council of Madrid covered the cost of demolishing the remains of the building , thought to be some ?22 million . Demolition was completed in August 2005 .

Spanish police pound beat ? in protest

The long arm of the law in Spain has been flexing its muscles , with police officers demanding more money and better working conditions . Several thousand national police gathered in the centre of Madrid, carrying banners and shouting slogans deriding the prime minister and the interior minister . One officer complained that his working pattern is chaotic . Another said it is not unusual to spend 18 days away from their families if they are sent to Spain?s North African enclave of Melilla . Union leader Jose Angel Fuentes said there is no set working schedule . ?We end when what we are doing ends . And that is not possible in the 21st century because everyone has a family .? Unions said their members in the national force earn 30 percent less than their counterparts employed by Spain?s regions . But the national government in Madrid said it would be difficult to meet the demands during times of financial crisis .



Sevilla bus company website hacks

An angry user of the public bus service in Sevilla , has hacked onto the company , Tussam , website to register his or her compliant . The Tussam website was shows the protest and a photo of one of the characters from The Simpsons . The website for a time read ?Thank you for making me wait for the bus for more than an hour every day? next to a photo of the character Nelson from The Simpsons . The hacker also wrote about abusive prices and the fact that he has to stay standing on the bus for the 30 minute journey . He ends his protest with the words ? Thank you for your total ineptitude .




Thousands join anti-credit crunch demonstration

AROUND 50,000 people took to the streets in Barcelona yesterday to protest over the credit crunch and call for employment to be created and maintained .
The demonstration , organised by unions CCOO and UGT , started and finished in the Pla de Palau and included the participation of politicians from various parties . The general secretaries of the two unions , Josep Mar?a ?lvarez and Joan Carles Gallego , say that the measures taken up until now by central and regional governments are 'clearly insufficient' . These measures are too little, too late and too slow, say the spokesmen .



Open University applications rise

Unemployment or the fear of losing a job is pushing more people into higher education . UNED , Spain's equivalent of the Open University , saw a 12% increase in applicants this year , especially for degree courses , masters and languages , and a third of applicants were over 25 . Catalunya's Open University , La Universitat Oberta de Catalunya , another of Spain's distance learning institutions , where the majority of students are over 30 , employed and with families , also saw an increase in applicants .



"Build your way to a free funeral"

A New York funeral director is offering a free funeral to someone who will undertake a construction job at his Manhattan home in exchange . 'It may sound like a laughable barter transaction, but consider the average cost of paying for a funeral . Ask someone that recently had a funeral what they paid!!!' wrote funeral director Peter Dohanich , 51 , in a listing posted on the online classified service last week . Mr Dohanich said he is looking for a builder or contractor to do some remodeling for a new patio but did not have the cash on hand for the project . 'Someone told me , if you're looking for services , look on barter ,' he said . So far , Mr Dhanich said he has gotten a few calls from prospective takers but has not yet filled the job . The idea makes sense because the estimated cost of the construction work , at $6,000 to $10,000 (?4,680 to ?7,890), is similar to the cost of a funeral , he said . The average cost of a funeral in the United States is about $7,300 (?5,690) according to the National Funeral Directors Association . It said it was not aware of any precedent for bartering funeral services .
FMPLUS.ES



Spain set to tear down its last statue of General Franco

The last statue of General Franco in Spain is to be withdrawn almost 34 years after the death of the dictator . The regional government of Melilla, one of Spain's North African enclaves along with Ceuta, said the bronze statue of General .



Britons abandon dogs

British expatriates are dumping their dogs by the side of motorways or leaving them to starve in boarded-up villas as the credit crunch forces them to abandon their Spanish dream and fly home . Rescue centres along the Costa del Sol report that their in take of animals has almost doubled in the last year , leaving them full to overflowing with some 1,000 abandoned dogs - and unable to care for any more . Although it is not always possible to be certain who owned the abandoned dogs , these figures and the experiences of animal welfare workers suggest that scores of Britons , defeated by the credit crunch , have simply flown home and left their dogs to fend for themselves in Spain . Despite the UK's reputation as a nation of dog lovers , one rescue centre manager claimed that when it comes to abandoning pets "the British are the worst culprits" .

Turn it down! Jail for owner of noisy Spanish bar

A group of neighbors who said they were "tortured" by booming music and other noise from a Barcelona pub may finally get some shut-eye after a court ruled in their favor . The court sentenced the pub's owner to more than five years in prison , saying she ignored repeated complaints from neighbors living in apartments above the pub in Las Ramblas , one of the city's most popular nightlife districts . The court handed down the sentence last week but it was only widely reported in Spanish media on Monday . A court official confirmed the sentence , which can be appealed . Such sentences against noisy bars are not uncommon in Spain . But this one is unprecedented in that part of the sentence is for physical and psychological damages , according to Lluis Gallardo , a spokesman for a Catalan noise pollution association . The court also ordered pub owner Maria del Carmen Ahijado to pay a fine of more than euro17,000 to each of three families that had filed suit against her . The owner installed a music system with five speakers that made "the whole structure vibrate ," sometimes from 9 a.m. to 3 a.m., the neighbors said in the complaint . They also complained about screaming and hollering, and could clearly hear the songs and conversations in the pub . They said one of the plaintiffs had had to seek treatment for anxiety , depression and insomnia .



Tarragona man tells police his wife boot

A 39 year old Spanish man , Saturnino F.H. from Altafulla in Tarragona , walked into the Catalan police station on Sunday afternoon to say he had killed his wife . He told Los Mossos d?Escuadra where they could find her , in a boot of a car parked on the AP-7 at Torredembarra tool booths . He continues to help police with their enquires following their confirmation of the presence of the body .



Spain attends World Water Forum in Turkey



Spanair and Air Europa have announced plans to share 13 routes as part of an agreement to ?widen and improve? the offer on connecting flights for both national and international passengers on both airlines . The new code sharing starts on March 29 .



Saint Patrick's Day ?

Saint Patrick's Day is 17th march and happr paddys day to all

Bernanke hopeful for US recovery this Year

The head of the US central bank , Ben Bernanke , has said he expects America's recession to end this year . "This decline will begin to moderate and we'll begin to see a levelling off ," the Federal Reserve chairman told the CBS 60 Minutes TV programme . But he said the world had come very close to financial meltdown last year , before governments stepped in . Mr Bernanke warned that the biggest risk to recovery would be a lack of political will to solve problems . The BBC's Sarah Morris in Washington says it is unusual for the Federal Reserve chairman to talk to the media in this way - but Mr Bernanke said he decided to go ahead with the CBS interview because this was an extraordinary time . His comments came after the UK government warned that the upcoming G20 meeting was critical if the world wished to avoid the economic turbulence seen in the 1930s .

Unemployment factor

Mr Bernanke told the US Congress in January he believed that the recession that took hold at the end of 2007 would end this year . He stuck to that view in the interview while suggesting that recent developments may have set confidence back . "We'll see recovery beginning next year," he said but added recovery could be put in jeopardy if "we don't have the political will" . He said a government fund of $500bn was stabilising the mortgage market and business lending was picking up . The benchmark Dow Jones index rose by about 10% last week after plunging to 12-year lows . However the US jobless rate jumped to 8.1% in February - the highest rate since December 1983 .



Euribor hits all-time daily low

Euribor - the rate normally used to calculate mortgage payments in Spain ? closed last week at the lowest level in its history , and then started this week plumbing new lows , touching a daily rate of 1.919% on Monday . At this rate Euribor looks set to close March at 1.959% , below the previous record low of 2.014% in June 2003 .



Spanish property market shrinks 41% in January

The Spanish property market shrank by 41% in January compared to the same month last year , according to the latest sales figures from Spain?s National Institute of Statistics . Not including social housing , there were 33,528 property transactions in January , compared to 56,738 a year before . This is a preview of "Spanish property market shrinks 41% in January" .

Telefonica says unaware of network deal with Vodafone .

The last agreement to share networks with Vodafone is 2007, but there is nothing new to say ," Guillermo Ansaldo , chairman of the Spanish division told reporters on Tuesday . Spanish financial daily Expansion said Telefonica and Vodafone were considering extending a possible network-sharing agreement beyond Britain to the rest of the world, but did not cite its sources . Telefonica said it already shared some infrastructure with Vodafone in Spain , including systems alongside fast-speed rail lines . Network sharing deals are seen by analysts as ways to cut costs by sharing investments and boosting profitability . In addition to Britain and Spain, the two operators are both present in Germany , Ireland and the Czech Republic. Last week, Britain's Guardian newspaper reported that talks between the two companies to pool their networks in Britain were at "an advanced stage" with an announcement due in the next few weeks .
Vodafone has declined to comment on the reports . At 1332 GMT , Telefonica's shares were up 0.13 percent at 15.10 euros, while Vodafone's shares added 0.75 percent to 121.25 pence . "This is no more than a cost savings exercise, which is not surprising given the current environment. The big telcos have already announced plans to cut capex and sharing networks is another step to beat the crisis," an analyst in Spain said . "Any news that implies reducing costs and improving margins is well received by the market these days ," Banesto Bolsa analysts said in a note, but added it was too soon to determine the impact of an alliance on the operators' bottom line .

Light aircraft comes down after technical problems with 1000kg hashish on board

A light aircraft that had to land in a field between Valdepe?as and Moral de Calatrava last night because of technical problems , was found to be carrying over a thousand kilos of hashish . EFE news sources at the site of the aircraft's forced landing on land belonging to Las Agrupadas finca , have confirmed that the aircraft is registered in Hungary . The aircraft is painted red, white and green , colours that coincide with the flags of both Hungary and Mexico, the latter being the home country of the two pilots who were arrested on the scence by local police . The aircraft had been followed from Almeria by a helicopter from the Customs Surveillance Service, after being alerted about a shipment of drugs coming in from Morocco . The pilots remain in the custody of police at Valdepe?as, whilst the operation, described as 'monumental' by Guardia Civil sources, continues to be investigated by the police and customs officials .



National Energy Commission, CNE, call bill refunded

National Energy Commission , CNE , has recommended that the electricity companies ?immediately return? any excess charge they have collected because of the estimated bills issued at the start of this year . The CNE says that all clients should be refunded , even if no official complaint was made . They have also issued new guidelines to the power companies as to how to estimate the monthly bills , and such estimations should not include and excess use charges .



Madrid Airoprt fall out top 10 busiest

Barajas Airport in Madrid has fallen out of the top ten list for the most busiest in the world . Passenger numbers were down 2.4% at 50.8 million last year, taking Madrid out of the list to be replaced by Denver. Heathrow remained third, behind Atlanta and Chicago . all spanish airport have seen drop in Passenger over last few months . ryanair want to move to Barcelona El Prat International Airport .

Seven Britons arrested in Spain for relay TV fraud ......

The seven were all arrested Tuesday in Orihuela Costa , and are thought to have distributed TV channels illegally to 15,000 clients . Seven Britons have been arrested in the coastal area of Orihuela for distributing pirated television signals to more than 15,000 clients , most of them also British . The Guardia Civil made the arrests in several urbanisations on Tuesday , starting at 9.30am in Urbanisation Laguna III in the area of Punta Prima . Telecommunications and computer material was seized in such an amount that several vans were needed . The group distributed the signal from several national pay channels from Digital Plus as well as international satellite signals . It?s estimated that they had made several million ? in servicing at least 15,000 clients in the area . Bbc itv ch5 and sky all put complaints against more then one off this companys across Spain , Guardia Civil say there more raids in coming weeks . Several clients told the Guardia Civil that they were indeed customers of the group, but that they did not know the service was unauthorised . The seven arrested face initial charges of crimes against intellectual property and tax fraud . More arrests in the case have not been ruled out .

Called to court , Mayor of Elche

The Mayor of Elche , Alejandro Soler faces corruption charges in the 'facturas' case . Alejandro Soler, has been called to declare in court on April 21, indicted in the so called facturas case . The Partido Popular?s complaint against the Socialist Mayor has been admitted by Instruction Court 4 in the town , where Soler will face charges of misuse of public funds and perversion of the course of justice for paying for Socialist election campaigning in 2006 and 2007 with public money .



Barcelona keen to keep Real Madrid at bay , but how long ?


Madrid - Barcelona intend to maintain their six-point lead over historic rivals Real Madrid on Sunday , by beating ambitious Malaga at home . Easier said than done , really . Malaga are the surprise package of the Spanish season , in sixth place and dreaming of Europe . this weekend will see Barcelona - M?laga and R Madrid - Almer?a



Workers at Seat accept wage freeze

Workers for Seat at the plant in Martorell in Barcelona have voted by 65.5% to accept a proposal for a wage freeze as a way of protecting jobs. The deal is for a wage freeze this year and an increase in pay of half the inflation rate next year. In exchange the company will give the plant the job of building the new Audi Q3 .



British Government cracks down on benefit cheats in Spain 900 554 440

The British Government has started advertising on the internet about its new campaign to catch benefit cheats in Spain . They say they are closing in on benefit thieves wherever they are , and are working with the Spanish authorities . A new UK Benefit Fraud hotline has been opened in Spain on 900 554 440 where calls are free and confidential . They remind those on benefit that you are obliged to inform them if your circumstances change . The British Government estimates that 100 million pounds were defrauded by benefit thieves going abroad in 2007/2008 .

More on this vist http://www.dwp.gov.uk/campaigns/benefit-thieves/english.asp

900 554 440 where calls are free and confidential



400,000 demonstrate in Murcia in defence of the Tajo-Segura water transfer

Local police estimated that 400,000 took part in the march which also attracted demonstrators from the Almer?a area. 800 buses fleeted demonstrators into the city . Some reports say near 500,000 tock part

Ferrovial ordered to sell UK airports

The Competition Commission has ordered BAA(Ferrovial), Britain's main airport operator, to sell three of its airports . Gatwick and Stansted airports as well as either Glasgow or Edinburgh airport within two years . In its final report on the airport company, the Competition Commission said Spanish-owned BAA had to dispose of Gatwick and Stansted airports as well as either Glasgow or Edinburgh airport within two years . BAA , heavily criticised for the standard of services at its seven UK airports , has already put Gatwick up for sale . The CC , which has been investigating BAA for two years , said the airports will have to be sold in sequence , beginning with Gatwick, then Stansted, followed by either Edinburgh or Glasgow . BAA also runs Heathrow , Southampton and Aberdeen airports .
'We are confident that the sale of these airports will bring substantial benefits to passengers and airlines,' said Christopher Clarke, who chaired the CC inquiry.
'We expect that the new airport owners, with the operating capabilities and financial resources to develop them as effective competitors, will have a much greater incentive than BAA to be more responsive to their customers .'



Spain fires another shot across the Vatican's bow

For about a year , a relative peace had reigned between Spain's socialist government and its Catholic bishops . But it has turned out to be short-lived . Government plans to liberalize abortion have put Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero on a collision course with the Bishops' Conference , which announced a "massive" campaign saying the rights of animals were protected better than those of unborn children . The government wants to free women from having to justify their abortions in the first 14 weeks of pregnancy . The health ministry describes the measure as putting Spanish legislation in line with other European countries, but the church sees it as a head-on attack against Christian values . Catholic Church in Spain get the wrong cat with Adds , As the Catholic Church in Spain spends 250,000 ? on an anti-abortion campaign, placing posters and billboards across the country complaining that the endangered species of the Iberian Lynx is better protected than the child , naturalists have confirmed that the lynx used in the posters is in fact Eurasian and not Iberian at all, and as such , a species which does not exist in Spain .

Spain, in response to Pope Benedict's message that condoms are inadequate in fighting HIV/AIDS, is sending a million prophylactics to Africa . The condom aid sent by Spain has been interpreted as a direct response to the Church and its teachings on sexuality , as voiced by the pope . Said Jos? Mart?nez Olmos of the health ministry, ?His Holiness the pope is very ill advised . He should say a ?mea culpa? since speaking in this way he has produced a message that is contrary to scientific evidence .? Church and pope many want come out the 60s with kids using the Net now days . Promoted videos on Spanish television featuring hip-hop music and teenaged actors promoting condom use, even while insisting that the messages do not actually induce teenagers to engage in extra-marital sex . "Now with couples living togeter with out getting married , date sites and one night stands think church is will out date and if want to get married that can go to the registor office" sayed Jurdy from fmplus news



Euribor rate recored again

The Euribor rate, used to set mortgages in Spain, has fallen to below 1.9% in its daily rate for the first time in its history . The continued fall will make mortgage payments revised at the end of this month an average 183 ? cheaper .

Large Earthquake Hits Tonga Region, Tsunami Warning Issued ...Magnitude 7.9

The Kingdom of Tonga is an archipelago nation located in the South Pacific Ocean, about a third of the way between New Zealand and Hawaii

Spain gets 337 million from EU for infrastructure , Government demanding more two fund employment

Spain was today awarded 337.5 million euros by the European Commission for energy infrastructure projects , a sum considered to be a 'success' because it will allow the creation of new jobs , but the Government is demanding more help to fund employment . On day one of the Council of Europe's Spring session , the head of the Spanish government , Jos? Luis Rodr?guez Zapatero , urged the other member states to give priority to employment policy and social protection . Spain's Secretary of State for the EU , Diego L?pez Garrido, underlined the importance of this new agreement in the fight against the economic crisis , pointing out that jobs would be created during 2009 and 2010 whilst the projects were put into operation .



Pine Caterpillars move into Elche

So named because of the way the caterpillars line up in line behind one another , these caterpillars cause considerable damage to pine trees and are also very dangerous to animals and pets , with each hair containing a bacteria which can lead to serious illness or death if eaten by an animal . Now pines in El Altet, Balsares, La Marina, Valverde and Gran Alacant areas are all affected . Many trees have been ruined in a year reported to be far worse than normal because of earlier cold . There are also serious infections of the caterpillar in parts of the Crevillent sierra .
If you have a local problem you are asked to call the environment wing of the Civil Guard, Seprona, on 062.
you can watch it here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xo-O1yhS4dE&eurl=http://www.typicallyspanish.com/news/publish/article_20562.shtml&feature=player_embedded


Complaints and increased charges by banks

The number of complaints about Spanish banks has jumped 53.5% in the last quarter of last year compared to 2007. Most of the concerns were about credits and deposits, though many are also now complaining about dramatically increased charges.



More figures on the economic slowdown in Spain

The economic slowdown in Spain has been indicated again by the latest figures for the number of industrial orders which were down about 30% in January year on year . Cashflow is also down by a similar record amount since these numbers were started in Jan 2003 . The data is from the INE National Statistics Institute .

UFO ? are Not
SATELLITE SIGHTING INFORMATION

International Space Station and spaceshuttle can been see in the nort off the sky in most off spain over next few nights , it the star that moving
Fri Mar 20/07:54 PM 2 16 15 above NW 11 above NNE

more on it http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/realdata/sightings/index.html

Euro fraud carried out by seven Britons in TV scam in Spain

The seven illegally distributed UK T.V. channels to mostly British clients in Alicante and Murcia . The Guardia Civil operation , code-named "Odyssea", and broken up last week , against a pirate television system run in Orihuela by a group of British residents, is now estimated to have defrauded ?30 million .
Seven Britons, four men and three women, were arrested in Los Montesinos and Orihuela . The men have been named as 49 year old D.J.H., 22 year old M.A.H, 25 year old J.J.H., and 43 year old R.J.B., while the women are named as 40 year old A.L.S. 49 year old L.J.H. and 24 year old J.K.C.

They Relay of satellite television signals from the U.K. and then distributing them to some 7,0000 mostly British clients along the coasts of Alicante and Murcia . They charged 890 ? for the installation of a decoder and then 15 ? a month and operated a fake company with a nonexistent registered address . Nine homes were searched in Los Montesinos , Rojales , Orijuela and San Pedro del Pinatar in Murcia , and more than 90,000 ? cash was recovered with an estimated 600,000 ? worth of communications and computer equipment . Those arrested face charges of fraud , illegal association , copyright infringement and tax evasion . The Guardia Civil operation started last August when it was noted that one of those arrested had powerful satellite dishes installed in his home in Orihuela and had purchased many decoders in the U.K. and Ireland . two uk address and one irish address were raided aswell by uk/irish police



RBS Six Nations Finally today

Italy 8 - 50 France
England 26 - 12 Scotland
Wales 15 - 17 Ireland



Spanish Supreme Court throws out smoking claim

It's the first time such a case has been brought in Spain . The Spanish Supreme Court has rejected the first civil claim presented in Spain against the tobacco company Altadis , previously Tabacalera , by the family of a smoker who died of lung cancer . The court ruled that there was no responsibility on the part of the tobacco company as a contractual relationship between them and the smoker , Carlos Carrami?ana , was not proved . The widow of the victim , ?frica Pulgar , said her husband smoked three packets a day, and was demanding ?90,000 in damages . Her claim was rejected despite an admission by the Supreme Court that tobacco is a legal substance which ?can generate certain illnesses? .

Ireland is the grandslam RBS 6 Nations campaign for 2009

it been 61 years for Ireland to get the GrandSlam , Sceen off joy been fulling up street in Ireland , it like the euro cup off last summer with spain winnig , let the party go on from paddys day , To night pub , clubs will fill the beers untill all hours , as fan celebration well go on to night

well done ireland

Goody dies at her home overnight



Jade Goody died in her sleep at home overnight having battled cancer for the past few months . The reality television star's publicist Max Clifford made the announcement early today . In the final weeks of her life , she told OK! magazine that she would like to be remembered as a 'mouthy bird... The one who irritated and entertained people in equal measure' . Despite coming from humble beginnings and occasionally displaying a staggering lack of knowledge , the former dental nurse became the most famous reality contestant to come out of the UK's Big Brother house . While Goody did not win Big Brother 3 , she was in the house long enough for her nature and malapropisms to generate public affection . Many Big Brother contestants , especially those who do not win , have disappeared back into obscurity , never to be heard of again . But last year, Goody's fortune was estimated to be worth STG?2 million, and the media deals she has done which saw the last weeks of her life in the public eye have been put at another STG?1 million . Goody told OK!: 'I've achieved more in 27 years than some achieve in their lifetime . 'I could bitch about dying young, but at the end of the day , I can look back on my life and be proud of what I have done .'



LIGHTOUT ON 28 MARCH

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today urged citizens around the world to join WWF's Earth Hour to demand action on climate change . Around 1,189 towns and cities in 80 countries have announced that they will join in the move, aimed at combatting global warming and reinforcing their message of concern to world leaders . Heads of state from all over the globe will meet in Copenhagen this December to sign a new global warming treaty that will take over from the existing Kyoto agreement . To switch their lights out between 20.30hrs and 21.30hrs on that day , March 28



Cocaine plates arrive in Barcelona

The latest method used by drug traffickers trying to get cocaine into Spain has been broken up by customs officials and National Police in Barcelona . A 42 piece dinner set, with glasses , plates and bowls , made out of a total of 20 kilos of cocaine was intercepted , sent to a 35 year old private individual in Catalu?a from Maracaibo in Venezuela . It was sent by an international package service , and police believe the recipient had been contracted by the gang in Venezuela to distribute the drug in Barcleona . After the package was delivered the police swooped . 20 of the 30 kilo weight of the plates was found to be made of cocaine .

25 died in the highways during the Bridge of San jOse

A total of 25 people has passed away in the 20 happened fatal accidents in the Spanish highways during the Bridge of San jOse, according to has informed today the Main directorate into Tr?fico (DGT). In which it goes of year take entered 417 dead ones on asphalt , 41 less than until the same date of the last year , which means a reduction of 8% percent. In 2008, the bridge agreed with the Easter , reason why the number of deceaseds was greater the -54 - when extending operation ten days between the 14 and the 24 of March .



Hotel occupancy Down in Spain

Latest numbers for overnight hotel stays in Spain show lower levels despite the recent price cuts . It?s the seventh consecutive monthly fall , and in February showed a 15.% reduction in occupancy compared to the same month last year . Over the year prices fell by 5.%.
There were 12 million overnight stays in Spanish hotels over the month , according to the data from the INE National Statistics Institute .



Labour market reform call by EU

EU have called for more reforms from Spain in the labour market , as well as in the pensions and education systems , to speed up the country?s exit from recession and to create new jobs . The EU considers that new measures are needed to take on those out of a job as Brussels expects the unemployment rate here to reach nearly 19% of the active population next year . It wants to see fewer differences between temporary and fixed contracts , wants to see better mobility for workers and improved training . To increase the competitiveness of the Spanish economy , the EU wants to see wages linked more strictly to productivity , in the context of social dialogue .

Decline. ... Tourism Numbers for Canaria

Lanzarote tourism declines again According to figures recently released by the Spanish airport operators AENA . The AENA figures reveal that the total number of overseas tourists visiting the island fell by 19 % last month versus February 2008 figures. With declines registered across all key markets . Including the UK - where the number of tourists arriving on flights to Lanzarote has now dropped back by 18 % during the first two months of 2009 . As well as Germany (Lanzarote?s second largest market after Great Britain) ? where arrivals declined by 13 % across the same period . As British visitor numbers fell back by 17% last month versus January 2008 , Germany continue to decline. ... Tourism Numbers and Property Prices Fall in Lanzarote . Inevitably this reduction in arrivals is having a knock on effect across most sectors of the island?s economy. Which is heavily reliant on tourism. With ASOLAN , Lanzarote?s leading hoteliers association , reporting a sharp drop in occupancy levels of just over 13% and all of the island?s leading tourist attractions , such as the Timanfaya Volcano Park and the Jameos del Agua , recording reduced admissions too . Tourist arrivals in Spain plunged 15.9 percent in February .



Spanish government criticised for renewing titles issued under Franco

The socialist government of Prime Minister Luis Rodriguez Zapatero , whose own grandfather was shot by fascist forces during the three year conflict , has faced fierce criticism after it emerged that one of the most controversial titles bestowed by Franco was renewed last month . The former justice minister Mariano Fernandez Bermejo in February gave permission to the descendants of one of the most brutal of Franco's generals to continue to use the title of Duke of Mola and Grandee of Spain . The title was created by Franco in 1948 in recognition of General Emilio Mola's role in leading the military uprising against the Left-wing Republicans. But campaigners argue that such honours are inappropriate and should be annulled . "It is incomprehensible that a democracy is still renewing titles in recognition of those who destroyed democracy in this country for 40 years and whose principal achievements were to impose a brutal and inhumane military repression on civilians ," the Association for the Recovery of Historical Memory (ARMH) , which represents the forgotten victims of Franco , said in a statement released at the weekend . Gen Mola, who led the Nationalist forces in the north of Spain , is credited with one of the conflict's most violent campaigns . "We must take into account the need for extreme violence to reduce the enemy ," Gen Mola wrote in orders issued in 1936 . "We must sow terror ? we have to create a sensation of domination eliminating without remorse all those who do not think like us ." In 2007 the socialist government approved a law that effectively broke the "pact of forgetting" agreed by all parties on Franco's death in 1975 to ensure Spain's smooth transition to democracy . The Law of Historic Memory forces the removal of all public symbols of the Franco era, such as statues and plaques , and to rename streets associated with the dictator and the generals who fought alongside him . Judge Baltasar Garzon, who dropped a probe into human rights abuses under pressure from prosecutors late last year , said about 114,000 people were killed after summary trials and in other kinds of reprisals during and after the civil war .

Spanish Minister defends decision to withdraw troops

Spanish Defence Minister , Carme Chac?n , confirmed today that decision to withdraw troops from Kosovo was a 'definite' decision and one that had the support of the whole government . When the decision was first announced on Thursday , there was strong criticism from the Obama administration , with the Washington confessing to be both 'surprised' and 'deeply disappointed' by Spain's decision and claiming that it had not been informed of it until the very last minute . The withdrawal of Spanish troops will undermine what the allies were trying to achieve in Kosovo and is therefore a 'disappointing' decision, according to the US State Department . Speaking today from the Rota naval base in C?diz , the Defence Minister has defended the decision saying that Spain had had troops in the region for ten years and had achieved what they initially aimed to do , which was to secure stability in the region . She also pointed out that the allies were now involved in establishing an independent government in Kosovo , a process that Spain cannot legitimately support , having never recognised Kosovo's independence .



Zero Interest Forecast

The BBVA bank has forecast zero interest rates in the Eurozone, and considers that the European Central Bank will end up adopting the same measures already in place in the United States regarding the purchasing of public bonds . The bank thinks this will happen despite it being prohibited in the Maastrich treaty .



British Airways may be heading for Spain

The Government would not stop British Airways becoming a Spanish company as a result of a merger with Iberia , the Transport Secretary said yesterday .
BA and Iberia, the Spanish flag carrier , are believed to be near to agreeing merger terms in talks that have been continuing since July .
It is thought likely that the airlines would continue to operate as separate brands under a new operating company after the merger. However, it is not clear whether this parent company would be based in Spain or in Britain . Geoff Hoon, the Transport Secretary, said yesterday: ?We would be completely at ease if the companies took this decision [to base in Spain].? Related Links . The loss of a prominent company such as BA could be controversial in the UK but it is not thought to have been a significant problem in the negotiations between the carriers . Willie Walsh , the chief executive of BA, said two weeks ago that the only remaining area of concern was the financial control of the parent company .



Brits accused of stealing Spanish booty

Three British divers will appear in court in Spain today , accused of stealing treasure from a shipwreck in the Atlantic Ocean . Peter Devlin , Steve Russ and Malcolm Cubin , all from Cornwall -are accused of taking gold and diamonds and of destroying Spain's cultural heritage . Prosecutors say the men went to Spain in 2002 to recover tin ingots from the wreck of the Friesland , a Dutch vessel which sank in the Atlantic in the late 19th century . But prosecutors alleged that the Britons strayed onto another wreck , the Don Pedro , a ship which some believe was loaded with gold and diamonds . The men deny the charges .



Trial for wrong identification of 30 crash victims

A trial began in Spain on Tuesday of three military officers accused of falsely identifying 30 of the 75 victims of the worst air crash in the history of Spanish peacekeeping missions in May 2003 . The Yakolev 42 was en route from Afghanistan to Spain when it crashed in Turkey , killing the 62 peacekeepers and 13 mainly Ukrainian crew on board . Thirty Spanish families were given the wrong bodies , which were exhumed later on for their correct identification . Prosecution was requesting up to five years in prison for a general , a commander and a captain who had been charged with overseeing the identification and repatriation of the bodies . The National Court was criticized for not calling as witness then defence minister Federico Trillo , who was accused of not sending a forensic expert to Turkey and who ordered the bodies to be sent home as soon as possible . Defence lawyers were expected to blame the identification problems on the Turkish authorities . The air crash raised questions about the security of Russian-made military aircraft and weakened then prime minister Jose Maria Aznar's conservative government .

Ryanair to expand in Spain despite crisis

low-cost airline Ryanair is to open 39 new Spanish routes in 2009 despite a sharp drop in tourism due to the global economic crisis, chief executive Michael O'Leary said Tuesday . "At a time when traffic to and from Spain is collapsing , particularly at the major Spanish airports , including Madrid and Barcelona , Ryanair is still the one airline in Spain growing rapidly ," he said . Ryanair's overall traffic will grow by about 15 percent this year from 58 million to 67 million passengers , he told a news conference in Madrid . "A significant amount of that growth is already allocated to Spain where in 2009 alone , Ryanair will open up 39 new routes to and from eight Spanish airports -- Alicante, Girona , Granada , Ibiza , Palma , Reus , Santander and Sevilla." O'Leary forecast Ryanair would overtake Spanish flag carrier Iberia as the country's largest airline "in about two years ." He saw "enormous growth opportunities" for Spanish tourism and airports but only if the country's airport authority , AENA, lowers its charges . Spain, the world's second biggest tourist destination after France , reported a record 59.2 million visitors in 2007 but this dropped to 2.6 percent to 57.41 million in 2008 as the global economic slump hit home . In February alone, tourist arrivals plunged 15.9 percent from a year earlier . Ryanair made a loss of almost 119 million euros (161 million dollars) during its third quarter as fuel costs soared and it reduced fares . However, last month the no-frills carrier upgraded its full-year profit forecast to 50-80 million euros from a previous estimate of break-even as fuel costs fall sharply .



Costa Blanca hit by falling hotel/tourist

The lack of money in Spanish households is being blamed for a sharp decline in tourism in hotels on the Costa Blanca . Latest numbers from the National Statistics Institute , INE , show that the average length of stay so far his year has fallen from 7 days to an average 3 days . Benidorm is however riding the crisis better than most , with a greater reliance on tour operators and the Imserso pensioners program . There the average stay has fallen to 5.6 days.
Data for the San Jos? bank holiday showed 90% occupancy in Benidorm but only 50% in Alicante Area over all . The President of the Valencia Region Hostelry Federation , Juan Carlos Gelabert , has called on people to stop talking about the ?crisis? as a way of keeping clients . Some tourisms for ireland and germany been say on forum that spain is over priced from hotels to Pub , restaurant and tours

ADSL and mobile calls The high prices slow down the penetration

European research has shown the price of mobile calls and ADSL internet in Spain to be among the most expensive. Only Romania , the Czech Republic and Austria are more expensive . The high cost could have something to do with the rate of take up of such services in Spain growing here more slowly than the EU average . The latest numbers show the cheapest deal for mobile phone use with calls and text messages in Spain last year was 36 ? a month , while the average in Europe was 20 ? . The monthly average ADSL cost here was 46 ? while the average in the EU was 37 ? . You can protest the cost of ADSL lines at www.adslmasbarato.com which has already obtained 275,000 signatures for a more universal and cheaper internet broadband service . Annual report on the situation of the market of the telecommunications published by the European Commission. The study alerts apart from which the penetration of the broadband in Spain advances to a rate inferior that the one of the rest of the EU.

Spanish Police Bust British Fake ID Gang

The investigation began in early 2007 after police spotted websites offering fake driving licenses , residence permits , birth certificates , academic qualifications and other official documents . They arrested two men and a woman , all Britons , in May 2007 and seized equipment for producing fake documents plus guns and ammunition in raids on two properties . Another 50 people have been arrested in various regions of Spain since mid-2008 and the operation is still continuing . But Around 100 British citizens living in Spain are suspected of using the false paperwork to obtain bank credit , mostly mortgages , of up to 1.5 million euros (?1.4m) each . Detectives believe the gang's activities may have defrauded 25 financial institutions in Spain of around 60 million euros (?56m) in total . "It was a perfectly structured organisation, capable of successfully producing all types of fake documents, including a vast range of clients and able to set up a full network of collaborators , which meant a high volume of fake documents were generated - more than 1,000 documents in three months ," police in Alicante said Early on today . The investigation also led to the identification of a British man who was wanted for a murder in Malaga . Police believe he may have fled to Britain using fake documents supplied by the gang . Spanish authorities have also provided information to Europol on more than 1,000 people in 26 countries who are suspected of obtaining false paperwork from the group . raids have also happen in the UK aswell .



Mortgage rates are Increasing and banking charges

Latest numbers show that mortgage rates are increasing in Spain despite the falls in the Euribor rate. The average rate charged in January was 5.64%, up 10.2% compared to January 2007, and up 1.1% with respect to December 2008 . The numbers come from the National Statistics Institute and show that the average mortgage is now 122,091 ? and 53,017 credits were granted over the month of January . Complaints on banking charges are up for this time last year , bank charges, penalty charges , utility bills



30% discount in Easter Beds on the Costa del Sol

Hotel are reporting that the industry hit by falling tourist and Spanards . Fears of a poor Easter have led hoteliers on the Costa del Sol to offer discounts of upto 30% . Latest predictions for the holiday indicate that only from Easter Thursday will occupancy levels increase , and in general Holy Week will be a weak one for hoteliers this year . Currently bookings are 14% lower than at this time last year , and travel agents too report a reduction in arrivals . Some tourisms for ireland Uk and germany been say on forums that spain is over priced from hotels to Pub , restaurant and tours .



British Consulate Open Day - Torremolinos 31.3.09
The British Consulate in Malaga and the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) are holding an open event for British residents in the Torremolinos area on Tuesday 31st March, giving advice on some of the issues that matter most to residents.

The DWP will provide essential information on UK pensions, benefits and healthcare entitlements in Spain and the services that their team can offer.

The British Vice-Consul, Rosslyn Crotty will open the session and explain the role of the Consulate, which has initiated the new services. Events details:

PLACE: Centro Cultural Pablo Ruiz Picasso, Torremolinos
DATE : Tuesday 31st March
TIME: 11am

To book a place, please visit www.ukinspain.fco.gov.uk and click on ?Open Days? on the home page. If you experience any problems booking or do not have Internet access, call 915249729

Miguel Carca?o attempts suicide in prison

The self-confessed killer of Sevilla teen Marta del Castillo Casanueva has attempted to hang himself in his prison cell . He was found by an intern support worker at Mor?n de la Frontera jail after the staff member , who accompanies the suspect everywhere , saw Miguel was late coming back from his evening meal.
Miguel had left a suicide note addressed to the judge in his cell , but the contents of this have not yet been revealed . Marta?s father Antonio del Castillo says if Miguel wants to kill himself , ?I?m not going to stop him , as long as he reveals where Marta?s body is first .?



Clocks going forward to night

THE clocks will go forward in the early hours of tomorrow Sunday morning, a move that is expected to save 300 million euros? worth of electricity across Spain.
At 02.00hrs on Sunday morning , the clocks should be moved forward to 03.00hrs . Are when you get up tomorrow . According to estimates made by the Institute for Energy Saving and Diversification, Spain will reduce its fuel consumption by around five per cent until the clocks go back again in the autumn . But with around 90 million euros of the expected saving relating to homes , this equates to only six euros per household throughout the whole of the summer . The Institute also says that since the EU directive passed in 2001 stipulated that all member states should alter their clocks at the same time of year, summer hours mean a positive impact on road safety , communications , working conditions , health , lifestyle , and the transport , tourism and leisure industries . Daylight saving became widespread after 1974 during the first petrol crisis , when numerous countries decided to save energy by taking advantage of the longer days .



Spain vs Turkey - World Cup 2010 Qualifying Tonight



National child porn racket uncovered

AT least eleven people are thought to be involved in a nationwide child porn racket that was uncovered by the Guardia Civil this week following seven months of investigations . Yesterday , seven people were arrested and another four taken in for questioning.
The gang is thought to be in possession of hundreds of thousands of pornographic photographs featuring very young children and babies . Officers began looking into the case after a computer user reported to the Guardia Civil in C?rdoba that when accessing a file-sharing programme, he had uncovered a camouflaged scan file containing indecent videos and pictures of children . The police operation, led by C?rdoba?s internet crime squad, involved raids on ten houses in seven Spanish provinces and the seizure of numerous laptops , hard drives , DVDs and CDs . They made arrests in Barcelona , Madrid , M?laga , Vizcaya , Guadalajara , Badajoz and Zamora . The material confiscated is being analysed .

Spain?s largest smuggling racket disbanded

GUARDIA Civil officers uncovered one of Spain?s largest-ever heroin-smuggling operations . Police in Valencia seized around 31 kilos of heroin in its purest ? and therefore deadliest ? form , brought into Spain by a group of Bulgarians . It was due to be delivered to a Turkish national living in Spain , whose family in his home country is part of one of the world?s largest heroin-dealing rackets . He was arrested along with three Bulgarians and a Spaniard yesterday .
Police had the Turk under 24-hour vigilance at his home in Paterna (Valencia) and their investigations led them to the identities of the other four individuals involved in the watertight operation . Superior security measures had been taken to avoid discovery by authorities . Officers intercepted the drugs before they arrived at their destination .



Pique Spain's unlikely hero

Barcelona's Gerard Pique scored his first goal for Spain to give the European champions a 1-0 victory over Turkey in their Group 5 showdown .
The 22-year-old , playing only his second match for the national side , turned the ball in from close range on the hour after Xavi's floated free-kick from the right had ricocheted back across goal off Sergio Ramos . The win cemented Spain's lead at the top of the group with a maximum 15 points from five matches , ahead of Bosnia on nine and Turkey on eight .



Round the world in a wheelchair

A TEENAGER left crippled by childhood Leukaemia intends to tour the world in a wheelchair . Albert Casals , 18 , has no money with him and is making the journey in his chair ? and by hitch-hiking . The Barcelona-born student has already spent four years travelling the globe in this way . Albert says the purpose of his life is ?the search for happiness? and that he likes nothing better than travelling and meeting different people . He spends several months of each year on his journey and has already seen most of Europe , South-East Asia , Latin America and Japan . In fact, he has already written a book about his adventures , in catal?n, titled El m?n sobre rodes (?The world on wheels?) , which is soon to be published again in Castilian Spanish . Albert initially made his journeys with his parents in tow ? on a budget of just three euros a day ? to avoid problems with customs because of being underage . His mum and dad are now happy for him to go off on his own ?because they know it makes me happy .? He has dedicated his book to them , and keeps in touch with them by email when he is away . lbert?s first trip was to Brussels . He says he has never been scared because ?everyone you meet has something good about them .? ?I?ve lived with thieves and drug-dealers , and nothing bad has ever happened to me,? he reveals . ?If I?m staying with a fisherman, I?ll go sea-fishing with him , and so on .? He has travelled Per? and Colombia by hitch-hiking , and the Greek islands by convincing ferry crew to let him on for free . He has even crossed the Latin American rainforests in a raft , and was rescued by the drug-dealers he travelled with when he fell in the river . Meeting so many people means he has around 900 emails a day to read and answer . But Albert has done less sight-seeing close to home . ?I?ve seen the Sagrada Familia cathedral in my home city for the first time today ,? he reveals . Albert speaks English as well as his two native languages , and can also get by in French, Italian and Japanese . His next hitch-hiking trip will be around Africa this May , as far as the island of Madagascar . Albert reveals that although he has just finished his bachillerato (Spain?s answer to A-levels) he does not yet know what he wants to do as a career .



The Bank of Spain takes part Castilla-La Mancha and stops to its advice of Administration The Bank of Spain has taken the control from the greater banking organization of the Castilian region of La Mancha . The Government will ratify the decision this same afternoon in an extraordinary meeting of the Cabinet . It is the first intervention of a great financial organization since the one of Banesto in 1993 . Castilla-La Mancha box counted on credits granted for the sum of 19,536 million Euros to 2008 closing and on deposits of clients for 17,265 million Euros , that are guaranteed by the Bottom of Guarantee of Deposits - until a limit of 100,000 Euros by client . The president of the Box , Juan Pedro Hernandez Molt? , has been called emergency this morning to a meeting in Madrid with the people in charge of the Bank of Spain in which the intervention has communicated him .

Will Castilla-La Mancha be the first of many? Let's hope not!

Body newborn baby found in rubbish tip

The body of a newborn baby was found on Friday in a rubbish treatment plant in Valdeming?mez Madrid . Workers called the National Police in Vallecas at around 16.00hrs who collected the baby's body to take to the forensic anatomical institute for an autopsy . A similar occurrence was reported last year on April 10 when rubbish tip workers found the corpse of a baby with the umbilical cord still attached in the plant in Las Dehesas . And this is not the first time bodies have been found in the tip at Valdeming?mez .



Snow in spain , Easter forcast "SUN "

Unsettled conditions this week especially in the South East of the country . Snow which fell over the weekend in the north of the country saw chains needed on some 20 mountain passes and secondary roads , mostly in Asturias and Le?n , on Sunday . This morning the only mountain pass still closed to heavy vehicles in the Portillo de Lunada in Burgos. Rain over the weekend on the Costa Blanca and still rainning .... but outlook for the holidays to improver this weekend coming



Spain saves bank its first rescue in 16 years

Spain has mounted its first major bank rescue in 16 years , as the economic crisis bites deeper . The Bank of Spain has appointed administrators to govern the small regional bank Caja Castilla La Mancha . And the government has pledged to guarantee up to 9-billion euros of its liabilities . The last major rescue was in 1993 , shoring up the Banco Espanol de Credito . Till now , the country?s banking system has not been badly affected by the global downturn . Regulations prevent investment in complicated mortgage-backed securities . But there have been fears small , regional banks were too exposed to property-developers. The economy minister said the situation was an isolated liquidity problem . Pedro Solbes said, ?The savings banks are solvent , like the financial system is also . I feel pretty relaxed about the savings banks . Are they totally immune in the long term? If we keep having the liquidity problems we are seeing now I don?t think anyone could say that .? Spain?s economy is in the grip of its worst recession in half a century. Loan defaults have tripled since the financial crisis began in 2007 . The property sector , once a major driver , has all but ground to a halt . And unemployment is at an EU high of 14 percent .



IBEX 35 index fell 3%

The IBEX 35 index fell 3% shortly after opening this morning, and then stabilised. Reports indicate traders fear that more interventions may be necessary, despite comments today from the Minister for the Economy, Pedro Solbes, who said ?no other entities are at risk?, but also ?that the system is not immune?.
Shares in Spanish Banks have fallen sharply on the market in Madrid today following the intervention in the Caja Castilla La Mancha savings bank , the first victim of the economic crisis in Spain . The advance number from the National Statistics Institute for the harmonised IPC index was down 0.1% for March




Spanish transsexual pregnant with twins

A 25-year-old Spanish transsexual man claims to be pregnant with twins after artificial insemination in the first such case in Spain and in the world , "I am six-and-a-half weeks pregnant ," said Ruben Noe Coronado Jimenez , initially named Estefania . He said he had retained his female status to be able to undergo fertility treatment . "In accordance with newly passed legislation ,I will start the administrative process this month to officially change my gender to male ," he said . Coronado Jimenez's 43-year-old partner Esperanza Ruiz was already a mother of two . When the pair learned that she could not have more children , they decided to try to become pregnant with donor sperm after having fertility treatment . Once he becomes a dad he will continue sex change surgery that was interrupted . The insemination took place at a private clinic , Jimenez said , adding that if all went well he would give birth by Caesarean section in September .
American transsexual man Thomas Beattie made headlines round the world after giving birth to daughter Susan Juliette last June . The 35-year-old man is expecting a second child with wife Nancy this summer .



88 demonstrations against abortion across Spain

Demonstrations against abortion were held in Madrid and 87 cities across Spain on Sunday in protests organised by the ?hazteoir.org? , ?Derecho a Vivir?, ?Provida? and other groups . They estimate that 500,000 took part in total . Finally neither the Catholic Bishops nor the Partido Popular took part in the protests against the Government?s proposed reform of the abortion law . The protestors called on the Prime Minister to withdraw the legislation and warned that this was just the start of their protests . The Madrid march went under the slogan ?The right to kill does not exist , The right to life does? .

The Bank of Spain intervened in the savings bank on Sunday night....

It has been revealed that the Caja Castilla La-Mancha was losing ?18 million a day in deposits during the month of March, and it was this outflow of capital which finally forced the decision to intervene in the bank . In March the bank lost ?329.7 million from its account holders . The now sacked Chairman , Juan Pedro Hernandez Molt? , hid the situation from his board , by holding back information on the savings banks own resources . The bad debt level at the bank doubled in January this year reaching 10% . Public calm but markets nervy after Bank of Spain bail-out . There was no rush from the public to take out their money from the bank on Monday , following the announcement of the Bank of Spain?s intervention , although there were many who went to their branch to ask for information . Reports indicate that the general feeling among the bank?s clients was not one of fear , but more of indignation . Meanwhile Spanish Prime Minister, Jos? Luis Rodr?guez Zapatero, said that the intervention in the savings bank had only ?relative importance?, given that it represented less than 1% of the financial activity in the country , and the problem was not one of solvency . He made the comments on the ?Quest means business? programme on CNN+ .



Five communities threatened by Bad weather

The Valencian Community , Castilla-La Mancha , Murcia , Andaluc?a and the Balearic Islands are all in a state of orange alert in the face of snow or heavy rain , much of which will be accompanied by storms . The National Meteorological Office (AEMET) has maintained an 'orange' alert for rain in Valencia and Alicante , where up to 40 litres or rain per square metre per hour are expected , and in Almer?a , Granada and Ja?n , where 30 litres are expected . In Ibiza and Formentera the AEMET has reduced the alert to yellow , where 20 litres of rain per square metre per hour are likely to fall . The provinces of Castell?n and Murcia are also in a state of yellow alert , with 40 and 30 litres respectively expected , and where up to 2cm of snow could settle . Cuenca and Albacete remain in yellow alert , expecting snow to settle to a depth of between 3 and 5cm . Snow caused the A-399 in Oria (Almer?a) to be closed today, and is causing problems on the N-330 in Talayuelas (Cuenca) and A-228 in Alcal? de la Selva Teruel . Rain was disrupted traffic flow on the RM.621 in Lorca Murcia .



54 stopped in Barcelona in an operation against the Chinese Mafia

Blow to the Chinese Mafia in Barcelona . The National Police is conducting from first hours in the morning an operation against an accused organization to deal with without papers and also of illegal immigration and documentary falsification , that until the moment has been settled with 54 lengthy ones .

Eight held in Spain for plotting attacks on AVE

Eight people were arrested in Spain for planning an attack on the high-speed train being built in the northern region , Spanish Interior Minister Alfredo Perez Rubalcaba said . According to Rubalcaba , the detainees were members of a group that provided support to the Basque terrorist group ETA , which has been fighting the government for a separate region . ?The arrest of eight members of the group prevented acts of sabotage and violence? against the high-speed rail project , which has been targeted by ETA , Rubalcaba said . The suspects were arrested in Hernani and Urnieta - two towns in the Basque province of Guipuzcoa - during an operation against the youth groups linked to ETA . The minister said the high-speed train was a key project for the Basque region?s development . The government has an ?obligation? to protect the workers and businesses involved in constructing the rail line , he said .



PP's Arantza Quiroga to be next president of Basque Parliament

Arantza Quiroga (PP) has been confirmed as the next president of the Basque Parliament , after an agreement was reached between the socialists and the PP regarding the investiture of Patxi L?pez as 'lehendakari' head of the Basque Government . Arantza Quiroga C?a , who was born in Irun in 1973 , has a law degree and is mother to four children , embodies the modern image of Antonio Basagoiti's new generation of PP leaders in the Basque Country . Ms Quiroga began her political career in the town council of her native Irun in 1995 and three years laters she was elected member of the Basque parliament for Guip?zcoa , a post she has held for the past three legislatures .



25 Romanian credit card fraudsters arrested

The gang operated along the Levante coastline area . The National Police has broken up a gang of Romanian credit card fraudsters , who operated in Valencia and Castell?n . 25 arrests have been made and 113 duplicated credit cards recovered , along with two credit card reader / recorders and two firearms . It?s estimated the group defrauded some ?1.5 million and tried to find card numbers from Arab countries where credit card limits are generally higher . Some of the workers in shops used by the gang received 50% of the profits from the fraud . Investigations started a year ago when a series of strange purchases were flagged by banks and comuster .



Popular treasurer took millions Euro in backhanders

National Court judge, Baltasar Garz?n, has now accused the Partido Popular national treasurer , Luis B?rcenas , and the P.P. Senator , Gerardo Galeote , of collecting ?2 million between them from the man at the centre of the G?rtel corruption case , Francisco Correa . Garz?n has now sent the evidence he has to the High Court in Madrid which has taken over the case and earlier on Tuesday recognised that there were indications of corrupt behaviour.
Garz?n says that B?rcenas received ?1,353.000 , while Galeote collected ?652,000 . It?s the latest dramatic turn in a case which has alleged corrupt behaviour close to the opposition party in both Madrid and Valencia . We are still waiting to hear whether the Valencia High Court accepts that it is competent to continue with the part of the case affecting its region , as the Anti-Corruption prosecutor has requested .

Well i been postting the news as i see it , here for last year and try to do it very night , but cant ... i get no thanks here , and when i dont post i get given out two .
So two night was my last post here .... yes i going to take hight road and live life with few beers , will hope all liked it what i posted
Jurdy

Will you all know its April fools day will you been cought out with the early morring post , so we back again ..."APRIL FOOLS "



Spain 22% more expensive for British tourists

In addition to the global economic crisis the fall in the value of the pound compared to the euro has become another negative factor for the tourist sector in the Costa Blanca. The spending power of British tourists has suffered a heavy blow given that it has been reduced by 22% due to the fall in the value of the pound compared to a year ago . In March 2008 the exchange rate between the pound and the euro was 0.77 pounds for every euro but yesterday it stood at 0.93 pounds for every euro. This situation coupled with the economic recession in the UK has caused reservations for holidays in Spain to fall by 20% this summer according to figures published by the Spanish Office for Tourism based in London . So far this year hoteliers along the Costa Blanca have lost 10% of the UK tourist market and sources from the sector calculate that by the end of 2009 this figure could be as much as 25% which would represent the loss of around 500,000 British tourists out of the 2.2 million who visited the province last year. At present two low cost airlines Ryanair and EasyJet account for 30% of the air traffic to Alicante airport . Last year these two companies carried 2.9 million passengers to El Altet airport in Alicante . If forecasts turn out to be right El Altet airport could suffer serious consequences especially as it is currently going through a process of expansion . Spanish Office for Tourism in London the destinations which are most threatened are Menorca , the Canary Islands and Benidorm . Javier Garc?a , the vice-president of Benidorm hotel association Hosbec claimed that the negative figures were partly due to the fact that tour operators have been progressively losing their share of the market to ?on-line? tourism . With Uk hotels doing deals matching Spanish hotel prices .



Spanish police officers arrested in immigrant fraud

Immigrants were allegedly charged money to speed up their paperwork at the Almer?a National Police . Three National Police officers are reported to have been arrested in Almer?a , together with at least another four people , in a case involving the National Police Foreigners? Dept in the city . Office workers in the Department are amongst those taken into custody , in an investigation by police officers from Madrid into allegations of money being charged to immigrants to speed up their paperwork . The investigation came after another member of staff is understood to have reported concerns about what are described as ?irregularities? .