TorreviejaTweets

2010-05-30T15:18:00.001-07:00

How many miles is torrevieja, spain to benidorm? http://ow.ly/17yvnh

2010-05-30T13:18:00.001-07:00

Does anyone no where in Torrevieja you can apply for your Moped license, and do the test in English? http://ow.ly/17ysyQ

2010-05-30T01:18:00.001-07:00

Torrevieja Resident wins over 382,000â‚¬ on Euromillions Lottery http://ow.ly/17ycAr

British father and die in plane crash in Spain

2010-05-29T23:51:00.001-07:00

(My Original Blog Post: http://ping.fm/R3Qrk)

A British man and his adult son died Saturday when their small plane crashed during a practice flight just hours ahead of an air race on SpainÂ´s Menorca island, organisers said.

The two men were the only passengers of the plane, one of about 20 taking part in Air Race Menorca 2010, a spokesman for the Royal Mahon Flying Club which organised the event said.

The aircraft crashed and burst into flames about 100 metres (yards) from the end of the runway of the clubÂ´s aerodrome shortly after taking off to join other planes that were to form an octagonal pattern in the sky.

The air race was called off following the accident.

The unidentified victims of the accident have lived on the Mediterranean island for years, according to Spanish media reports.

via AFP: British father, son die in small plane accident in Spain.

Missing Brit: Body found in Spain

2010-05-29T23:46:00.001-07:00

(My Original Blog Post: http://ping.fm/Ie1bA)

The search for a British man who went missing from his home six weeks ago has been called off after a body was found in Spain.

Hundreds of people took part in a massive hunt for Timothy Moss, who had ParkinsonÂ´s Disease.

A Facebook group was set up to help with the search, which also took in some of the 57-year-oldÂ´s favourite haunts.

His wife Saveria, 53, said at home in Crewkerne, Somerset: "We have had limited information but we are waiting to find out what exactly has happened.

"He has been such a lovely father and husband for so many years. It has been a traumatic six weeks for us."

Police said: "A body has been discovered in Spain and we are working with police in Spain to formally identify it."

via Missing Brit: body turns up in Spain - mirror.co.uk.

General strike on the cards as Spain's credit rating falls

2010-05-29T23:42:00.001-07:00

(My Original Blog Post: http://ping.fm/LntIU)

Threats of a general strike in Spain intensified this weekend following Friday's decision by the credit agency Fitch Ratings to downgrade the country's debt from AAA to AA+.

The latest blow to EuropeÂ´s fourth-biggest economy comes just days after a series of austerity measures scraped through the Spanish parliament by a margin of a single vote. Designed to rein in a deficit behind Ireland and Greece in the eurozone, the measures to passed thanks only to a series of abstentions.

Any feelings of optimism following the ultra-close vote were quickly dented by the bleak statement from Fitch on Friday.

But SpainÂ´s deficit is far from being its only economic headache: unemployment, for example, stands at over 20 per cent, double the 2007 level.

Social unease at the austerity measures, which includes a freeze on pensions, is also on the rise.

Spain's two largest trade unions have threatened a public-sector strike next week over the austerity measures, due to cut â‚¬15bn off the Spanish budget, which would see a 5 per cent cut in civil service pay.

FitchÂ´s head of Europe, Brian Coulton, said: "The process of adjustment to a lower level of private-sector and external indebtedness will materially reduce the rate of growth of the Spanish economy over the medium term," he said

It could hardly have been a more cheerless message for a country that has only just limped out of its worst recession in 50 years with a growth rate of 0.1 per cent in the first quarter of this year.

Fitch's downgrading also comes barely a month after Standard & Poor's had cut its own rating for Spain to AA, with only Moody's retaining an AAA rating for the country.

Spaniards are now bracing themselves for a VAT rise of 2 per cent next month, while the government has warned that growth will slow in 2011, from 1.8 per cent to 1.3 per cent because of the austerity programme.

When the news broke, the euro fell as low as 1.2288 against the dollar and the Dow Jones index also dipped by about 75 points, ending a miserable month for stocks and reflecting fears of the crisis in Greece spreading across Europe.

via General strike on the cards as Spain's credit rating falls - Business News, Business - The Independent.

2010-05-29T15:18:00.001-07:00

Saturday at 20:00 CEST: sunny. 23Â°C (73Â°F) http://ow.ly/17xY15

Euromillions Results ? 28th May 2010

2010-05-28T13:02:00.001-07:00

(My Original Blog Post: http://ping.fm/EGOIX)
Euromillions Results â€“ 28th May 2010

This weeks Euromillions numbers are:

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2010-05-28T11:26:00.001-07:00

SANTIAGO DE LA RIBERA AIR SHOW â€“ JUNE 5TH AND 6TH - The long awaited air show is going to take place again next wee... http://ow.ly/17xcTg

2010-05-28T07:21:00.001-07:00

Friday at 11:00 CEST: white cloud. 22Â°C (72Â°F) - Temperature: 22Â°C (72Â°F), Wind Direction: W, Wind Speed: 6mph, Re... http://ow.ly/17x42U

Amy: Mystery theft in Spain

2010-05-28T03:22:00.001-07:00

(My Original Blog Post: http://ping.fm/SGjCE)

The one-million euro home of Spanish lawyer Juan de la Fuente in Benalmadena was burgled as thieves made off with vital paperwork and cash.

Bizarrely, the crooks however left behind some 30,000 euros in valuables, including expensive paintings and a plasma-screen television.

Recently, Amyâ€™s mum Audrey and stepdad Dave Mahon had handed over a numberÂ of files related to the hunt for the Irish youth.

La Fuente, 32, explained that the burglars broke in via a garden gate.

â€œThe stolen documents included confidential police reports about Amyâ€™s disappearance,â€ he said.

â€œIt makes no sense that they took documents which financially are worthless, and left behind all my expensive valuables like TVs, computers and music equipment.â€

And Mahon added: â€œWe had handed over a number of important documents following our trip to Ireland.

â€œThey were stolen, as well as some Guardia Civil documents relating to the case.

â€œWhat is strange is that they left behind some very expensive valuables and a wallet which was left open on the side.â€

In 2008, Mahon and Fitzpatrickâ€™s home in Riviera del Sol was also broken into, with thieves making off with a laptop and Amyâ€™s old mobile phone.

via Amy: Mystery theft in Spain | Olive Press Newspaper.

2010-05-28T03:19:00.001-07:00

CHORAL CONCERT IN THE â€˜SAGFRADO CORAZÃ“Nâ€™ CHURCH, TORREVIEJA - The chamber choir Â´In HarmonyÂ´ (En Armonia), which ga... http://ow.ly/17wW3f

European Commission launches ï¿½13.5m anti-smoking bid

2010-05-28T03:16:00.001-07:00

(My Original Blog Post: http://www.spanishvida.com/2010/05/28/european-commission-launches-13-5m-anti-smoking-bid/)

The European Commission has launched a Â£13.5 million anti-tobacco campaign targeting the young after a survey showed that 35% of 15 to 24-year-olds are smokers.

The UK figure is even higher at 40% - exceeded only by France and Spain (48%), Belgium (44%) and Bulgaria (42%), with 39% of the 15-24 category in Ireland admitting to smoking, according to the latest "Eurobarometer" poll, conducted last October.

EU Health and Consumer Policy Commissioner John Dalli warned: "Tobacco kills 650,000 Europeans every year and many lives could be saved by reducing tobacco consumption. I am particularly concerned about smoking rates amongst young people - Europe cannot passively watch future generations smoke away their health."

The new campaign is timed to coincide with European "No Tobacco Day" next Monday, and involves anti-smoking messages targeting television, the internet and other sites accessible via mobile phones in a bid to "empower young people to take control of their health and lifestyles" said a Commission statement spokesman. He added: "The general motto is providing help and support for a life without tobacco by delivering comprehensive information on health and social problems related to tobacco consumption."

The figures reveal that 28% of all Britons still smoke, despite years of health warnings, compared with an EU average of 29%. In the survey, British male smokers admitted to smoking an average of nearly 16 cigarettes a day, compared with nearly 13 amongst female smokers.

Anti-smoking campaigns are backed by three-quarters of EU citizens, with 77% of Britons supporting explicit health warning pictures on cigarette packets, 67% in favour of a ban on cigarette advertising even in the shops that sell them and nearly a third of British smokers (32%) said they had tried to give up smoking at least once in the last year, but for 56% of them, the attempt failed within a week.

Unveiling the figures, Mr Dalli commented: "I am determined to do everything in my power to reduce tobacco consumption across Europe via upcoming revision of existing legislation on tobacco products and via measures that can contribute to a clear set of rules to support EuropeansÂ´ health."

Current EU legislation dates from 2001, stipulating limits on the nicotine and tar content of cigarettes, written warnings on cigarette packets and a ban on the use of misleading descriptions of cigarette strengths, such as "light".

So far a dozen EU countries have introduced total bans on smoking in enclosed public places and work places, including bars and restaurants. They are Ireland, the UK, Cyprus, Italy, Malta, Sweden, Latvia, Finland, Slovenia, France, Lithuania and the Netherlands. Partial smoking bans are applied to the "hospitality" industry in Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Greece, Portugal, Romania, Belgium, Luxembourg, Slovakia, Spain and in most German regions.

The Commission says it is fully behind an EU plan agreed last November to achieve a "smoke-free Europe" by 2012.

via The Press Association: EC launches Â£13.5m anti-smoking bid.

Tweeting is out for Spain's World Cup players

2010-05-28T03:10:00.001-07:00

(My Original Blog Post: http://ping.fm/XfR06)

Spanish players at the World Cup will have to give up social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook during the tournament as coaching staff consider them an unnecessary distraction.

"The coaching staff have told us that they prefer that we are isolated from everything," striker Juan Mata told a news conference on Thursday.

"I have to respect that, we must be focused on each match and on our rivals. I don't think it's a big deal."

Barcelona defender Carles Puyol has already said goodbye to his Twitter fans.

"Hello everyone, from today we cannot connect until we get back from the World Cup, I will tell you about it when we get back! Greetings!" he said in a tweet.

Coach Vicente Del Bosque said days before the players gathered for training that they should not use social networking sites in order to focus on the tournament, which takes place in South Africa from June 11 to July 11.

"They have asked us not go into Facebook or Twitter from now until the end of the World Cup," midfielder Andres Iniesta said on Facebook.

"We'll meet again as soon as the tournament finishes for us, which I hope will be on July 11," he said, referring to the scheduled date of the final.

via AFP: Tweeting is out for Spain's World Cup players.

iPad launches in Spain today

2010-05-28T03:04:00.001-07:00

(My Original Blog Post: http://ping.fm/UgsDO)

AppleÂ´s new computer, the iPad, arrives in stores in Spain today amid great consumer expectation, with 300,000 sold the day it was launched in the USA and a million altogether over its first month on the market.

Advance orders have been taken via AppleÂ´s wesbite since May 10th to avoid possible queues today, and although the company has not released any figures, the iPad is not now available for delivery until June.

There are also no official figures for the number of iPads available at the distributors (which include El Corte InglÃ©s, FNAC. PC City an MediaMarkt).

The price in Spain for this small touch-screen laptop, with no keyboard will be between 479 and 679 euros.

Before the product is even available in the shops, various service providers have been advertising flat rates.Â Vodafone is offering two flat rates, one of 15â‚¬ and the other of 32â‚¬ a month.Â Movistar has three flat rates, and for those clients who already have mobile internet will be able to connect to the web via their iPad at no additional cost.Â For their part, Orange is offering twoÂ rates - a daily one of 3.5â‚¬ and a monthly one of 35â‚¬ - both on a contract basis.

Designed along similar lines as AppleÂ´s highly successful iPhone, the iPad allows users to surf the Internet, read newspapers and electronic books, access their e-mail accounts, look at photos and videos in high definition and listen to music, as well as all the usual functions of a laptop.

The iPad is only 1.34cm thick, weighs 680g and has a battery that lasts for up to ten hours.

The iPad is being launched simultaneously in Germany, Australia, Canada, France, Italy, Japan, Switzerland and the UK.Â There are plans to launch it in Austria, Belgium, Holland, Hong-Kong, Ireland, Luxembourg, Mexico and Singapore in July.

via iPad launches in Spain today.

2010-05-27T11:27:00.001-07:00

Torrevieja mayor inaugurates new wine route - The mayor of Torrevieja, Pedro Hernandez Mateo, along with the Counci... http://ow.ly/17woO2

Spain agrees on package of cuts

2010-05-27T11:14:00.001-07:00

(My Original Blog Post: http://www.spanishvida.com/2010/05/27/spain-agrees-on-package-of-cuts/)

Emergency cuts to chop SpainÂ´s financial deficit have squeezed through parliament by one vote, illustrating the depth of resistance to the austerity measures.

The package, which includes a cut in civil servants salaries, was approved by 169 votes in favour, 168 against and 13 abstentions in the 350-seat lower chamber.

A defeat would have been a serious blow for the Socialist government of Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, which is trying to show it can handle SpainÂ´s chapter of the European sovereign debt crisis.

The measures have been welcomed by the European Union and international economic bodies but much criticised at home as a major U-turn on social policies by the Socialists. They aim to cut spending by 15 billion euros this year and next.

Before the vote, finance minister Elena Salgado pleaded with politicians to vote in favour, saying the measures were "painful but inevitable" in order to reduce the deficit.

Spain is coming under increasing pressure to introduce labour market, fiscal and banking reforms to cut its large deficit.

The package is also aimed at trying to halt market speculation that the debt crisis affecting Greece might spread to countries like Spain or Portugal.

EuropeÂ´s top job creator two years ago, Spain now has the regionÂ´s highest unemployment rate at just over 20% and is the slowest of the major economies to emerge from the recession.

The Socialists needed a simple majority to get the measures approved and would have faced rejection had it not been for the abstentions.

via The Press Association: Spain agrees on package of cuts.

2010-05-26T11:15:00.001-07:00

Win your groceries Free for a Year at ASDA http://ow.ly/1Qexq

2010-05-25T19:19:00.001-07:00

Tuesday at 23:00 CEST: partly cloudy. 18°C (64°F) - Temperature: 18°C (64°F), Wind Direction: SW, Wind Speed: 3mph... http://ow.ly/17v5fI

2010-05-25T10:53:00.001-07:00

GRAB A GRAND - Free entry for your chance to win 1000 pound!!! http://ow.ly/1PIrj

2010-05-25T05:25:00.001-07:00

Torrevieja Town Hall overlooks illegal buildings - A judge has launched an investigation into a number of illegal b... http://ow.ly/17uwtw

Irish arrests in Spain linked to crime empire

2010-05-25T04:06:00.001-07:00

(My Original Blog Post: http://ping.fm/5jUaX)

A man from the Republic of Ireland has been arrested with his two sons in Spain, suspected of masterminding an international drugs, guns and money laundering crime empire.

The man, in his 50s, was detained in the Malaga area as Irish authorities co-ordinated a series of raids across Europe with counterparts in Spain, Belgium and the UK.

It is understood that more than two dozen people were arrested across the continent, a number of them Irish.

The international crackdown targeted the gang´s multi-million trafficking business from a base on the Costa del Sol.

via UTV News - Irish arrests in Spain linked to crime empire.

4 Spanish savings banks to merge

2010-05-25T04:00:00.001-07:00

(My Original Blog Post: http://ping.fm/O3oxj)

Four Spanish savings banks have announced plans to merge amid concerns over solvency in the sector.

Cajastur, Caja de Ahorros del Mediterraneo, Caja Extremadura and Caja Cantabria said they had reached an agreement to form a group that would "strengthen solvency and assets of the participating banks."

The move announced late yesterday came after the Bank of Spain bailed out Andalusian savings bank Cajasur over the weekend, after merger talks with savings bank broke down.

It was the second savings bank bailed out by public money, after the central bank took control of Caja Castilla-La Mancha in March 2009.

The merged entity would have a total of euro135 billion ($167 billion) in assets, making it Spain´s third-biggest savings bank after La Caixa and Caja Madrid and the country´s fifth largest bank overall.

Caja de Ahorros del Mediterraneo and Cajastur would hold 40-percent stakes each, Caja Extremadura 11 percent and Caja Cantabria 9 percent. The four would retain their management boards and branch networks but would combine operations such as risk control and credit assessment.

Spain's banking sector has withstood the international financial crisis, owing to strict regulations that forced banks to set aside provisions during an economic boom fueled by construction and consumer spending.

But smaller savings banks, heavily exposed to the real estate sector and burdened with a rising rate of bad loans have suffered considerably with the recession and the collapse of the building industry.

On Monday, the International Monetary Fund issued a report saying the country´s banking sector was sound, but "under pressure" and in need of consolidation.

The IMF called on Spain to radically reform its labor market, saying its recovery from financial crisis was weak.

Europe's top job creator two years ago, Spain now has the region's highest unemployment rate at just over 20 percent.

The country is also applying reforms it hopes will bring its large deficit back from 11.2 percent of gross domestic product in 2009 to within the EU limit of 3 percent by 2013.

via The Associated Press: 4 Spanish savings banks to merge.

2010-05-24T15:21:00.001-07:00

San Luis Free Bus Line Reinstated - The provision of a free bus service in the San Luis area, Line G, has been rein... http://ow.ly/17u5N4

2010-05-24T11:27:00.001-07:00

ARMED ROBBERS TARGET LOCAL BUSINESS - In the early hours of last Monday morning 2 masked men burst their way in to ... http://ow.ly/17tWdo

Spanish dementia scientists suggest alcohol has ?protective effect?

2010-05-24T03:15:00.001-07:00

(My Original Blog Post: http://ping.fm/ujvr0)

Researchers in Spain suggest that alcohol could have a protective effect against Alzheimer’s disease, particularly in women who don’t smoke.

The University of Valencia team performed a case-control study by conducting interviews with the relatives of 176 Alzheimer’s patients and a further control cohort of 246 people in locations in Spain. The findings have been published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease.

Rebecca Wood, Chief Executive of the Alzheimer’s Research Trust, said:

“While the idea that alcohol might protect us from dementia is enticing, we don’t yet know this with certainty. This observational study suggests that smoking in concert with drinking could negate any possible protection from alcohol, however the complicated relationship needs further investigation.

“The most compelling evidence we have for reducing dementia risk is to eat a healthy diet, take plenty of exercise, and to keep blood pressure and cholesterol levels in check, particularly in mid-life.”

“We desperately need more studies like this to determine conclusively the lifestyle choices we can all make to help reduce dementia risk. 820,000 people in the UK live with Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia, yet research funding continues to be neglected. We must invest now to avert the dementia crisis on the horizon.”

via Latest news - The leading UK research charity for dementia.

WIZZ Air plane had two flat tyres at Madrid

2010-05-24T03:09:00.001-07:00

(My Original Blog Post: http://ping.fm/cVAov)

Wizz Air plane failed to take off from Spain airport due to two flat tires, PR of Wizz Air company Iglika Kancheva told FOCUS News Agency.

The airplane was scheduled to take off from Madrid and arrive in Sofia at 00:55 on Sunday. However, two of the tires of the plane became flat while taking off and the flight was cancelled. Changing of the tires was possible only this morning and therefore the flight for Sofia delayed more than expected.

Passengers were evacuated.

The plane was Airbus - model A320. It was a brand new plane - about one month old.

via FOCUS Information Agency.

Six minutes of Lost gets lost in Spain

2010-05-24T03:05:00.001-07:00

(My Original Blog Post: http://ping.fm/TxfXE)

The last episode saw technical difficulties on the Cuatro channel

Spanish fans of Lost are angry at the simultaneous broadcast of the last two and a half hour episode of season six of the show at 6am this morning.

Errors in the audio dubbing, and a missing section of six minutes in the Cuatro broadcast, and a final which forum chat shows fans consider to be too open, have all led to complaints.

A facebook group called ‘Let the black smoke destroy the Cuatro studios’ is one which has been set up this morning.

The subtitled broadcast on FOX, at the same time as in the United States, had no problems, but the same could not be said for the dubbed version on Cuatro which went out half an hour later.

via Six minutes of Lost gets lost in Spain.

Spanish rail workers call for one-day strike

2010-05-24T03:00:00.001-07:00

(My Original Blog Post: http://ping.fm/L29Vn)

Spanish railway workers on Saturday called for a one-day stoppage on May 28 in protest at proposed changes in working conditions.

Labour unrest is a closely watched issue in Spain after its biggest union said on Friday that a general strike over planned government austerity measures was likely.

Workers for state-owned rail network Renfe have already struck over working conditions in February and March.

Saturday´s call made no reference to a strike called for June 8 by civil servants, who are angry over pay cuts imposed by government austerity measures.

In a statement, the Federal Railway Union (SFF) said it would stage rallies and call for further strikes in June if Renfe´s management failed to negotiate employment guarantees and other working conditions.

After protests in Greece turned violent in early May, there are concerns Spain could follow the same route, as the government enforces drastic spending cuts in an effort to convince markets its public finances are under control.

Economists have said a general strike would be unlikely to draw wide participation, even from unionized workers, since many of them hold the relatively safe permanent contracts and could be wary of jeopardizing them by walking out.

via tehran times : Spain rail workers call for one-day strike.

Spain will not make clubs strike joint TV deals

2010-05-24T02:55:00.001-07:00

(My Original Blog Post: http://ping.fm/inptx)

The Spanish government will not legislate to force soccer clubs to adopt collective bargaining for audiovisual rights, according to secretary of state for sport Jaime Lissavetzky.

A battle over hundreds of millions of euros of income from TV deals escalated this month when some richer teams said they planned to create a separate first division.

Poorer clubs urged the Socialist government to introduce the collective negotiation used in rival European leagues to boost their income and help them avoid insolvency.

In an interview with Reuters, Lissavetzky said there was nothing stopping clubs agreeing to strike collective deals with TV companies and it was up to them to sit down and sort out the problem themselves.

"I don't believe that you would be happy to see an interventionist government," he said.

"It´s an issue they have to resolve themselves, there has to be self regulation," he added. "They have to sit down at the table and work out the best model."

In Spain, clubs negotiate their own deals with TV companies, unlike in the English Premier League, the German Bundesliga and France's Ligue 1, where deals are struck together and revenue shared out.

Real Madrid and Barcelona, the world's richest clubs by revenue, take half the pot, with deals worth about 150 million euros ($188 million) a season, leaving the rest, some of whom are in dire financial trouble, to fight over the scraps.

Cash-strapped clubs like Valencia, Sevilla and Atletico Madrid, who should be challenging for the La Liga title, earn around 30 million euros or less a season.

SOLIDARITY CONCEPT

The poorer clubs asked the government to include rules on collective bargaining in a sports law that is being drawn up.

Real and Barca have repeatedly said they are unwilling to accept a system of collective bargaining, arguing it will hurt their competitiveness in European competition but Lissavetzky said ideally the wealthier clubs would follow the English model.

"It's important to have this concept of solidarity," he said. "If that can be achieved with agreement between all clubs so much the better."

The planned sports law will also create an independent body to control clubs' finances, with powers to punish transgressors by excluding them from competition, Lissavetzky said.

The 20 La Liga clubs had combined debt of 3.526 billion euros ($4.41 billion) in 2008/09, up from 3.49 billion the previous season, according to a study published last week by University of Barcelona accounting professor Jose Maria Gay.

Revenue growth more than halved to a tepid 4 percent, from 10 percent in the 2007/08 campaign, and operating costs rose to 1.704 billion euros, outstripping income of 1.455 billion euros by 249 million.

Only Real and Barca and lowly Numancia, who were relegated, made an operating profit.

"We are experiencing a global economic crisis and I believe the biggest cause was a lack of regulation of the financial sector," Lissavetzky said.

"We have to learn from the subprime (mortgage crisis) and this is why there will be an independent control body that will allow clubs to take part or not take part in competitions according to the state of their accounts."

BADLY RUN

Clubs would not be allowed to spend more than about 70 or 75 percent of their income on salaries and player purchases, Lissavetzky added.

According to Gay's study, Sevilla, Atletico and Valencia all spent more than 120 percent of their operating income on labour costs, which include amortisation of player purchases, in the 2008/09 season.

The government also planned to change rules on going into voluntary administration, contained in the so-called "Ley Concursal", to prevent soccer clubs from exploiting them to cut their debt burden before continuing to live beyond their means, Lissavetzky said.

"We don´t want clubs that are badly run to be able to exploit a situation and damage others."

via Spain will not make clubs strike joint TV deals | Reuters.

Cajasur bail-out hits Spanish bank shares

2010-05-24T02:47:00.001-07:00

(My Original Blog Post: http://www.spanishvida.com/2010/05/24/cajasur-bail-out-hits-spanish-bank-shares/)

Shares in Spanish banks fell on Monday following the government bail-out of one lender over the weekend.

Shares in Santander were down 1.25%, while lenders BBVA and Banco Popular were also down 2% and 1.3% respectively.

On Saturday Spanish bank Cajasur - one of Spain's largest regional lenders - was taken over by Spanish authorities after running into trouble.

The bank was heavily exposed to the collapse in Spain´s property market.

The Bank of Spain has taken over the running of Cajasur, giving it access to 550m euros (£474m; $686m) of emergency funding.

The action was taken after a planned merger between Cajasur and savings bank Unicaja fell though at the end of last week.

The move also affected the currency markets, with the euro down against both the pound and the euro.

The single currency was down 0.6 cents against the dollar at $1.2512, and was down 0.8 cents against the pound, with a pound buying 1.16040 euros.

Cajasur becomes the latest victim of Spain's property market collapse, which has left banks saddled with debts worth 445bn euros, according to Goldman Sachs.

Analysts said the bail-out would raise fresh concerns among investors about the stability of the Spanish banking sector, and the ability of the Spanish government to repay its debts.

Last week Spain approved plans for a 15bn euro package of austerity measures designed to reduce its debts.

via BBC News - Cajasur bail-out hits Spanish bank shares.

Spanish Post Office reports a 2 million euro loss

2010-05-23T12:05:00.001-07:00

(My Original Blog Post: http://www.spanishvida.com/2010/05/23/spanish-post-office-reports-a-2-million-euro-loss/)

As per reports by the postal company, Spain’s Post Office lost 2 million euro last year. The loss could have been much higher had it not been for the “rigorous adjustment” expenses. The Post Office had profited by 77.9 million euro in the year 2008.

As postal flow has reduced and is gradually being replaced by electronic mail, the turnover was down 4.5% over last year to 2043.7 million euro, said company sources.

Mail traffic last year amounted to 4630.6 million items, excluding foreign items and those generated due to the elections in many provinces which stacked up to 156.3 million. This shows a fall of 9.6% in mail traffic, mainly due to the economic crisis which made large emitters to decrease their shipments of mail and resort to other means of communication.

Telegraph products grew 2.2% in 2009, owing to the growth of Burofax, mainly in the online mode. Other services in offices offering multiple services also showed a positive trend, for example the bill collection at post offices, which went up by almost 59 percent.

via Spanish Post Office reports a 2 million euro loss | SpanishNews.es.

Cashpoint robber arrested in Spain

2010-05-23T11:54:00.001-07:00

(My Original Blog Post: http://ping.fm/ByubZ)

A BRITON wanted for a series of cashpoint robberies which netted £164,000 has been arrested in Spain.

The 40-year-old man, who has not been named but comes from Leicester, was held near Tarragona on Spain's Costa Dorada, south of Barcelona.

He is alleged to have been a member of a gang in Britain which specialised in smashing bank cashpoints with mallets.

via Cashpoint robber arrested in Spain | News Of The World.

DRAFT BILL OUTLINES RIGHTS OF SPAIN ARMED FORCES | Spain | Leader Newspaper - News, Sport, Advertising, Property, Classifieds - Costa Blanca, Costa del Sol, Costa Calida, Costa de Almeria, Spain

2010-05-22T07:37:00.001-07:00

(My Original Blog Post: http://ping.fm/HS74A)

The Minister of Defence, Carme Chacón, explained that the Draft Bill of the Rights and Duties of the members of Armed Forces contains five major new elements.

For the first time, the fundamental rights and liberties of military personnel will be regulated; among which are the right to intimacy, to personal dignity, the right to freedom of assembly, the right to freedom of expression and the right of association.

Secondly, rights of a professional nature are regulated, as well as the working timetable, the system for permits and the channels for entitlement thereof.

The third new feature is the establishment of its own legal framework for associations of military personnel on active duty. This will enable “the members of our Armed Forces to contribute, through direct participation, in improving their personnel system”, according to the Minister of Defence.

Carme Chacón also highlighted that a body will be set up for the participation of associations of military personnel – the Personnel Council of the Armed Forces.

Lastly, she stated that an Observatory of Military Life will be set up for the purpose of “monitoring employment conditions as well as the living conditions of military personnel and their families”. This Observatory will be a collegiate body operating in an advisory capacity, made up of seven members and appointed by Parliament for a term of five

via DRAFT BILL OUTLINES RIGHTS OF SPAIN ARMED FORCES | Spain | Leader Newspaper - News, Sport, Advertising, Property, Classifieds - Costa Blanca, Costa del Sol, Costa Calida, Costa de Almeria, Spain.

Supertramp live in Spain this September

2010-05-22T07:34:00.001-07:00

(My Original Blog Post: http://ping.fm/Mtp3d)

British pop veterans Supertramp has announced four concerts in Spain as part of its upcoming tour to celebrate 40 years in the industry.

In total, the group – although without member Roger Hodgson – will perform 35 times in 11 countries.

Their tour of Spain will kick off on September 11 this year in A Coruña (Galicia), before moving on to Madrid´s Palacio de Deportes on September 15.

The UK rockers will then perform on September 17 in Bilbao, and the following day at the Palau Sant Jordi in Barcelona.

In addition to founder member and soloist Rick Davies, the group comprises John Anthony Helliwell (saxophone), Bob Siebenberg (drums), and veterans from previous tours such as Jesse Siebenberg (vocals, percussion and guitar), Cliff Hugo (bass), Carl Verheyen (guitar) and Lee Thornburg (trumpet).

Supertramp explains that Roger Hodgson, who left the group in 1983 to pursue a solo career, will not be joining them, despite 15 months of negotiations.

Rick Davies said he and Hodgson had been in talks about bringing the group back together, but in the end Hodgson wanted to continue his solo career whilst Davies was keen to "get the band back on the road".

Their 2010 tour will take them through England, Ireland, Spain, Portugal, France, Belgium, Italy, Holland, Austria, Germany and Switzerland.

via Supertramp live in Spain this September.

9 injured in large gas explosion in Logrono, north Spain

2010-05-22T07:28:00.001-07:00

(My Original Blog Post: http://ping.fm/wjsLA)

Local government officials say a suspected gas blast has injured nine, one seriously, and partially demolished a downtown building in a northern Spanish city.

A spokeswoman for the municipal government of the city of Logrono says the explosion destroyed the third and fourth floors of a building in Gran Via, the city´s main boulevard.

Rubble was strewn across the street after the blast rocked the prosperous city, capital of the wine producing region of Rioja, the spokeswoman said Saturday.

An eyewitness told state broadcaster RNE that the blast rocked the centre of the city "like an earthquake."

via 9 injured in large gas explosion in downtown Logrono, north Spain - Winnipeg Free Press.

2010-05-22T07:19:00.001-07:00

Saturday at 11:00 CEST: sunny. 21°C (70°F) http://ow.ly/17sDQZ

Seven arrested in Spain for distributing child pornography

2010-05-22T00:49:00.001-07:00

(My Original Blog Post: http://ping.fm/hIgAO)

Seven people have been arrested in as many Spanish provinces for possession and distribution of child pornography on the internet, following a complaint from two citizens, informed the National Police.

Police have arrest warrants for six others who have not been located, the operation involved searches at the homes of those arrested, police seized laptops, hard drives and many DVD’s and CD’s.

Two citizens of Sagunto (Valencia) and Badajoz reported the detection of files containing child pornography, and police conducted a search of users who were sharing child pornography files on the network, focusing on those whose names referred to explicit illegal content.

The detainees paid particular attention to the access site, used by people with certain skills, allowing anonymous communications, and the use of software used to avoid detection. The detainees were in Alicante, Barcelona, Valencia, Murcia, Guipúzcoa, Vizcaya and Alava.

via Seven arrested in Spain for distributing child pornography on the internet..

Barcelona moves to keep bikinis off the streets

2010-05-21T23:55:00.001-07:00

(My Original Blog Post: http://ping.fm/3LOy2)

Authorities in Barcelona, fed up with tourists wandering the streets in their swimming costumes, are preparing a massive campaign to convince them to put on clothes when they leave the beach.

"We want to make people understand that it's an attitude that we don't like, that it´s not banned or punishable but that it´s something we don´t think is civil," a spokeswoman for the city hall said Friday.

Municipal authorities in the seaside Spanish city have already printed posters showing a couple in swimming costumes with a red line across it, along with another couple dressed normally but without the red line.

"In the coming weeks we are going to put up the posters in the metro, buses and in all public areas," the spokeswoman said.

"And the mayor has sent letters to businesses, hotels, bars, restaurants ... encouraging them to download the poster and paste on their walls."

The city hall had no figures on how many visitors walk through the streets in their bikinis, swimsuits or swimming trunks. "It´s just a perception," said the spokeswoman,

The beaches and cultural attractions of the capital of Spain´s northeastern Catalonia region draw millions of foreign visitors each year.

via AFP: Barcelona moves to keep bikinis off the streets.

Tourist Arrivals to Spain Drop 13% Because of Volcanic Cloud

2010-05-21T23:49:00.001-07:00

(My Original Blog Post: http://www.spanishvida.com/2010/05/22/tourist-arrivals-to-spain-drop-13-because-of-volcanic-cloud/)

Foreign tourist arrivals to Spain were affected last month by European air space being closed for seven days and dropped 13.3 percent compared with April 2009.

The number was provided by the monthly Frontur survey released on Friday.

The decline, “strongly determined” by the cloud of volcanic ash drifting in from Iceland, came after March tourist arrivals surged 3.2 percent, the biggest monthly increase in 22 months.

During April 2010, foreign tourist arrivals to Spain fell to 3.9 million because of flight cancellations that affected above all routes from Britain and Germany, the two main sources of visitors to the Iberian peninsula.

At the same time, tourists from the United States, who were not kept away by the problems in Europe’s air space, showed a year-on-year growth of 4.8 percent in April.

The number of arrivals from France – 733,362 – declined, though to a lesser extent, just 2 percent, as French visitors can easily travel to Spain via road or rail. EFE

via Latin American Herald Tribune - Tourist Arrivals to Spain Drop 13% Because of Volcanic Cloud.

Orange, fined for illegally registering a user in Spain as a defaulter

2010-05-21T23:45:00.001-07:00

(My Original Blog Post: http://ping.fm/Cocki)

Mobile phone company, Orange, fined for illegally registering a user in Spain as a defaulter

The Spanish Agency for Data Protection (AEPD) has imposed a fine of 60,101.21 euros agaunst Orange (France Telecom) for including a user illegally in a register of defaulters, following a complaint lodged by the FACUA-Consumers in Action.

In addition, Orange reported data on the user to the file without even making the mandatory prepayment requirement for inclusion in a record of solvency. Virginia, a member of FACUA, had raised a complaint against Orange with the Secretary of State for Telecommunications (SETSI) for billing discrepancies for mobile Internet access. Nevertheless, and without waiting for the resolution of the SETSI, the company moved its Asnef personal data to Equifax for an alleged debt of 329.67 euros.

In the complaint filed by FACUA resolution Data Protection notes first that Orange has not established the mandatory requirement for payment to the complainant as a " step towards the inclusion of their data into the file of solvency, the reference to the address provided by the claimant and received by it".

In addition, the reporting of the unpaid debt in dispute, Orange infringed Article 38 of Royal Decree 1.720/2007, which approves the Regulation of Development of the Organic Law of Protection of Personal Data in establishing the requirement that "no legal claim is brought, arbitral or administrative."

via Mobile phone company, Orange, fined for illegally registering a user in Spain as a defaulter.

Bank of Spain takes control of savings bank CajaSur

2010-05-21T22:34:00.001-07:00

(My Original Blog Post: http://ping.fm/7qFzO)

The Bank of Spain said today it had taken over the running of Spanish savings bank CajaSur after its planned merger with another of the country's small lenders failed.

CajaSur will now have access to the Fund for Orderly Bank Restructuring (FROB), the Bank of Spain said in a statement.

"This action, which we have taken as a result of the viability problems presented by CajaSur and the impossibility of closing its merger with Unicaja, will guarantee that it can continue to operate and fulfill its obligations," the central bank said.

CajaSur accounts for nearly 0.6 percent of Spain's financial system's assets, which will not be affected in any way by the intervention, the Bank of Spain said.

The FROB, with a funding capacity of up to 99 billion euros, was set up by the government last June after the Bank of Spain was forced to take over the running of savings bank Caja Castilla de la Mancha..

Spanish banks have overall weathered the global financial crisis thanks to strict regulatory oversight, but the bursting of a decade-long housing bubble has left them with a more than 300 billion euros debt hangover.

The country's largely unlisted savings banks -- accounting for about half of the financial system -- are most exposed to struggling property developers and have seen their capital eroded by soaring bad loans.

About one third of the regionally-controlled savings banks have merged, with another third in the process of merging.

The Bank of Spain has set a target to cut the number of savings banks to about 15 from 45 by mid-year, but the clock is ticking on a June deadline for the FROB from Brussels.

via Business finance news - currency market news - online UK currency markets - financial news - Interactive Investor.

Euromillions Results ? 21st May 2010

2010-05-21T13:13:00.001-07:00

(My Original Blog Post: http://ping.fm/kBe1y)
Euromillions Results – 21st May 2010

This weeks Euromillions numbers are:

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2010-05-21T03:31:00.001-07:00

Torrevieja school is a wreck! - More than a hundred parents held a demonstration at the Virgen del Carmen Primary S... http://ow.ly/17rPNu

Madrid airport bombers given 1,000-year sentences

2010-05-21T03:20:00.001-07:00

(My Original Blog Post: http://ping.fm/g2BV9)

Spain´s National Court has convicted three members of the Basque separatist group ETA of murder, attempted murder and participation in a terror attack and sentenced them to 1,040 years in jail each.

They were found responsible for a Dec. 30, 2006, explosion at Madrid s Barajas airport that destroyed a five-story parking garage, killing two Ecuadorean immigrants and wounding 41 other people. ETA later claimed responsibility for the attack, which marked the end of an cease-fire that the group had begun nine months earlier.

The verdict and sentence for Mattin Sarasola, Igor Portu and Mikel San Sebastian were released Friday.

ETA has killed more than 825 people since the late 1960s in its campaign for an independent Basque homeland.

via Madrid airport bombers given 1,000-year sentences.

Spanish fighting bull cloned

2010-05-21T03:07:00.001-07:00

(My Original Blog Post: http://ping.fm/iWUuU)

Scientists in Spain say they have cloned a fighting bull for the first time.

Vicente Torrent, a specialist in veterinary genetics, says the newborn calf, named Got, is an exact replica of a muscular, horned specimen of the type matadors face in bullrings.

The animal was unveiled overnight, a day after being born. It now weighs 24 kilograms.

Mr Torrent says his 17-man team is hopeful Got will exhibit the same fierce traits that made his genetic predecessor, Vasito, such a valuable specimen.

Animal cloning began in 1996 with Dolly the sheep. Mr Torrent said it took three years of work to devise a means of preserving what he called valuable bull genes.

via Spanish fighting bull cloned | Herald Sun.

Spanish cuisine for tourists: Snails Festival in Lerida

2010-05-21T02:52:00.001-07:00

(My Original Blog Post: http://ping.fm/8TsPR)

Today Spain will hold one of the most popular spring culinary festivals in this country – the Festival of snails. Cuisine of Spain is known as one of the best gastronomic attractions in the Mediterranean. Often Spain on the global culinary map fill even niches, which for until now were traditionally reserved for other states. For example, it is believed that the greatest lovers and connoisseurs of snails are the French. However, the annual celebration of Aplec del Caragol, which is held in north-east of Spain in the city of Lerida, convinces everyone that the Spaniards also full of love for this delicacy in the shell.

Festival of snails is the translation from Catalan Aplec del Caragol. It is held in Lerida since 1979 and every year is gaining more popularity among connoisseurs of delicacies and gourmets from all over the world. It began initially as a small party of like-minded gourmets, but today Festival of snails in Spain annually attracts more than 200,000 visitors from all over Europe.

The festival lasts for three days, during which the participants of the holiday consume about 12 tons of snails. Delicatessens are specially brought from all over Spain, as well as from North Africa and South America. Aplec del Caragol is held on bank of the river Segre, which flows through Lerida. Along Segre for the holiday is set a large number of marquees, tents and simple outdoor kitchens. Most of them represent different gourmet restaurants or associations as well as fan clubs of snails. In Lerida you can try snails of all kinds and sizes, from an ordinary edible to the African great Utala Vermicula, which is particularly valued for its amazing taste. Also at the festival are represented the majority of national cuisines of Europe, in one tent you can eat a meal cooked under the classic French recipe and in the next you can taste Catalan snails with spicy aromatic sauce.

In addition to the culinary abundance at the Festival you can enjoy various musical concerts and theatrical performances as well as carnival marches, which organizes the Festival of Snails Federation, which unites clubs of the gourmets. And do not forget about the city itself, Lerida is not in vain called the Catalan emerald. It is a city with rich history and many historic monuments. Tourists should visit in Lleida the Palau de la Paeria - Palace of the Romanesque period, which is preserved in its original form of the XIII century, the Museum of the Water -old building is unique for keeping the history of the first source of water ("ruta del agua") and many other attractions. The tourists, who want to visit the festival, have the opportunity to book an apartment in Lerida, villas and houses in the category Villa Rentals in Spain on datscha-booking.com portal.

via Spanish cuisine for tourists: Snails Festival in Lerida.

Female unemployment rate in Spain, the highest in Europe

2010-05-21T02:35:00.001-07:00

(My Original Blog Post: http://www.spanishvida.com/2010/05/21/female-unemployment-rate-in-spain-the-highest-in-europe/)

Female unemployment rate in Spain, the highest in Europe with 18.4%.

Spain is, in this way, the European country with more unemployment among women, according to data released today by the Economic Research Institute (EEI). After Spain, and some distance behind, stands Latvia, where female unemployment reached 13.9% last year.

Also with double-digit rates are Greece (13.2%), Slovakia (12.8%), Estonia (10.6%), Lithuania (10.4%) and Portugal (10.3%). The rest of the Twenty-seven countries last year showed the female unemployment rate lower than two figures.

France, Hungary and Italy, with rates of 9.8%, 9.7% and 9.3%, remained near the average of the eurozone (9.6%), while Poland (8.7%) Belgium (8.1%), Ireland (8%) and Sweden (8%) were located closer to the average of the Twenty-seven (8.8%).

In the band of 7% are Czech Republic (female unemployment rate of 7.7%) and Malta and Finland (7.6% each), while about 6% are Germany (6.9%) Bulgaria (6.6%), United Kingdom (6.4%) and Luxembourg (6.1%).

Closing the table, with female unemployment rates lower across the EU are Romania (5.8%), Slovenia (5.8%), Cyprus (5.5%), Denmark (5.4%) Austria (4.6%) and, finally, the Netherlands (3.5%).

via Female unemployment rate in Spain, the highest in Europe with 18.4%..

Spain approves 15bn-euro austerity plan

2010-05-20T14:20:00.001-07:00

(My Original Blog Post: http://www.spanishvida.com/2010/05/20/spain-approves-15bn-euro-austerity-plan/)

The Spanish government has approved a 15bn-euro ($19bn; £13bn) austerity plan to rein in the public deficit and ease fears of a Greek-style debt crisis.

The programme is intended to reduce a deficit of 11% of GDP to 6% by 2011.

The plan, unveiled last week by PM Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, will involve a 5% cut to public sector salaries.

Many Spaniards fear the effect the cuts will have on the economy, where the unemployment rate exceeds 20% - twice the eurozone average.

There was some economic cheer last week, when statistics showed Spain had moved out of recession in the first quarter of this year, with growth of 0.1%.

The European Union has been anxious to see more fragile European economies including Spain, Portugal and Greece impose tougher austerity measures.

This month, the EU approved a 750bn-euro rescue package to prop up European economies struggling with large debts.

via BBC News - Spain approves $19bn-euro austerity plan.

QM2 couple reunited with camera lost in the Atlantic

2010-05-20T09:31:00.001-07:00

(My Original Blog Post: http://ping.fm/w3W4Y)

A cruise ship passenger who dropped her camera into the Atlantic ocean has been reunited with her holiday photographs.

Fourteen months after it fell overboard from the QM2 between New York and Southampton in 2008, it was caught in the trawler net of Benito Estevez.

The fisherman from Vigo in Spain found that the camera was ruined, but the memory card was intact.

A search to find the owner led to Barbara Gregory, from South Africa, who went to Spain to collect it in person.

Mrs Gregory and her husband Dennis, who live in Johannesburg, travelled to Vigo to meet the fisherman earlier this week.

"It´s too big a thing to sit a million miles away at home and just say thank you by email," she explained on the dockside in Vigo.

The couple were there as Mr Estevez came ashore from another trip into the Atlantic.

As the crew unloaded crates of fish, she said: "The pictures were of our silver wedding anniversary trip of a lifetime. But once it falls to the bottom of the Atlantic you just give up on it.

"The fact that he dredged it from the sea bed is almost miraculous. But beyond that the deep concern of Benito to find us, and the effort that he went to, is beyond the normal call of human duty."

Mr Estevez and his friend Fernando posted a note on Cruise Critic, an American online forum for cruise enthusiasts.

From there the ship was recognised by BBC South Transport Correspondent Paul Clifton, who was also on the dockside in Vigo to complete the story.

He said: "We had filmed the start of this voyage, as Queen Mary 2 sailed with QE2 on her last ever transatlantic trip from Southampton.

"The chances of this chain of events happening were tiny. For the camera to be caught in a fishing net, and for the memory card to work, and then for the owner to be traced across three continents, is extraordinary.

"A friend of Barbara´s was watching BBC South Today at home in Oxford and got in touch.

"The story was reported all round the world, with hundreds of thousands of people following the search for Barbara online.

"A happy ending had seemed so astonishingly unlikely."

On the dockside, Mrs Gregory hugged Mr Estevez. He speaks no English and she does not speak Spanish. But the lost camera has led to a most surprising new friendship.

"I was so excited," he said in Spanish.

"I looked for the owner of the pictures because I thought how I would feel if I lost some important memories. And now we have met Barbara and Dennis, I am so happy."

via BBC News - QM2 couple reunited with camera lost in the Atlantic.

2010-05-20T09:24:00.001-07:00

Guardia Civil arrest 10 people accused of covering up murder of a notary http://ow.ly/17rftF

Spain to raise taxes for wealthy

2010-05-20T09:22:00.001-07:00

(My Original Blog Post: http://ping.fm/zvm3v)

Spain will raise taxes for high-income earners to help chip away at the country´s outsized deficit, the prime minister said Wednesday.

Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero said most Spaniards agree with him that a special effort can be expected from those better off as the government enacts austerity measures like cutting the salaries of civil servants and freezing pensions.

Zapatero gave no details of what his tax plans are, but said any increase would be of a "limited" nature and not affect the middle class.

"In my opinion, any citizen feels that the effort should be greater from those who have more," Zapatero told a news conference during an EU meeting with Andean countries.

As for when an increase might be approved, he said: "It will be when the government deems it appropriate, in line with its program for deficit reduction."

Zapatero's government announced the public sector wage cuts and other spending reductions last week under pressure from the European Union and jittery markets to get Spain's deficit down. It was the equivalent of 11.2 percent of GDP last year, well above an EU limit of 3 percent.

via Spain to raise taxes for wealthy - BusinessWeek.

Post-mortem tests on UK children found dead in Spain

2010-05-20T09:13:00.001-07:00

(My Original Blog Post: http://ping.fm/1wLLc)

Post-mortem tests are being held on the bodies of two UK children found dead in a hotel in north-east Spain.

A minute´s silence has been held in Lloret de Mar where Rebecca Smith, five, and her brother Daniel, 11 months, were found.

It later emerged their father Martin Smith, 45, was in custody in the UK facing unrelated child sex offences.

Cumbria Council has said their mother Lianne worked in its children ´s department, but not with children.

Mrs Smith, 43, is being questioned by Spanish police in the nearby town of Blanes following the discovery of the children´s bodies.

Police have 72 hours from the time of arrest before they must present their case to a magistrate who will decide whether to bring any charges.

About 100 holidaymakers and locals gathered outside the resort´s town hall on Thursday morning.

Deputy mayor Ignasi Riera i Garriga said they wanted to express their condolences for the "tragic deaths" which he said had had a "big impact" on the town.

Martin Smith faces 13 sex offence charges against a girl under 18

Cumbria County Council confirmed Ms Smith was responsible for out-of-school activities throughout the county.

Rebecca was referred by police to its social care team following inquiries into Mr Smith, 45, who was remanded at Carlisle Magistrates´s; Court on Wednesday until 7 June.

Child protection procedures were put in place before the allegations were passed to social services in Staffordshire, where Ms Smith and her daughter moved in October 2007.

They were reported missing two months later.

Cumbria Police has now voluntarily referred itself, and Staffordshire Police, to the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) about the family´s case.

The IPCC said it was assessing the details and would decide whether it needed to conduct an investigation.

Mr Smith, the father of both children, was extradited from Spain over 13 charges of sexual offences against a girl aged between seven and 18 and for failing to answer police bail.

He was told on Tuesday his children had been found dead at the Hotel Miramar in the Costa Brava resort.

He had been arrested in Barcelona on 7 May.

Lloret de Mar fell silent on Thursday to remember the dead youngsters

He was charged with six counts of gross indecency with or towards a girl aged under 16 between 1995 and 2001; six counts of rape of a girl aged under 16 between 2001 and 2005 and one count of attempted rape of a girl under the age of 16 between 1997 and 2001.

Wearing a blue top, he confirmed his name and date of birth but gave no plea. He will appear at Carlisle Crown Court next month.

Spanish police found the children´s bodies shortly before 1400 local time on Tuesday in a room at the four-star hotel.

The discovery came after Mrs Smith asked the hotel reception desk for help.

According to our correspondent, the hotel´s receptionist said Mrs Smith told her she needed to speak to the police and had appeared calm before returning to her room.

Police said there were no outward signs of violence but officers have not confirmed reports in Spanish newspapers that the children were suffocated.

Reports that Mrs Smith had given a confession had also not been confirmed by police, a BBC correspondent added.

The hotel receptionist told the BBC the family had been at the resort since Saturday and daughter Rebecca would often wave to the staff.

Estonian tourist Siiri Sonajalg, 47, who was also staying at the hotel, said she was shocked.

"The hotel and police didn´t tell us anything. I didn't sleep very well last night because I was just wondering what the mother was feeling when she woke up that morning.

"I feel very sad. I keep thinking about what happened."

The year the family went missing, Mr Smith had appeared on the television programme Most Haunted as a guest psychic investigating alleged paranormal occurrences at Brougham Hall near Penrith.

via BBC News - Post-mortem tests on UK children found dead in Spain.

Family of tragic OAP told to forget legal action

2010-05-20T08:22:00.001-07:00

(My Original Blog Post: http://ping.fm/T4DFS)
TIME has run out for loved ones of a tragic gran to claim compensation over her horror death.

Sisters Mildred Bowman and Alice Wardle lay trapped for nearly five days under fold down beds in their Benidorm apartment before dying of suffocation four years ago.

Both women’s families were offered out of court settlements by tour operator My Travel - now Thomas Cook.

And wile Alice’s family accepted, Mildred’s refused, choosing to fight on.

Earlier this year an inquest finally took place into their deaths - and Gateshead Coroner Terence Carney ruled their horrific end “could and should have been avoided”.

Mildred’s children Paul, John and Carol, finally hoped this would give them the clout to take legal action against Thomas Cook - who they believe should have done more to ensure the beds were safe.

But now they have been told by he company they are too late as applications for civil proceedings must be made within three years of the death.

“What’s the point of having an inquest if you can’t do anything about it?” said Paul, 46, of Low Fell.

“It’s as if the last four years have all been a waste of time.

“It is not about the money.

“My mum and auntie lay inside those beds suffering for almost five days and still no-one is taking responsibility for it.”

Their bid to bring a charge of manslaughter due to negligence against the hotel management was thrown out by a Spanish judge. The family are now taking civil action in Spain.

A Thomas Cook Spokesperson said: “The thoughts of us all will always be with the family of Mrs Bowman. Despite doing our utmost to try to resolve matters directly with the family and their legal representatives over a long period of time, this wasn’t possible.”

Two Thomas Cook staff were cleared of negligent manslaughter earlier this month following the death of two children in Corfu from carbon monoxide poisoning caused by a faulty boiler. But now they face a retrial.

Three hotel staff were jailed for seven years.

via ChronicleLive.

2010-05-20T03:19:00.001-07:00

RUMANIAN CLAIMS TO HAVE BEEN TORTURED BY TORREVIEJA POLICE - A 21 year old Rumanian citizen, Mihai C.C., claims to ... http://ow.ly/17r2ex

Google Street View Privacy Probe Joined by Spain, Italy & France

2010-05-20T02:12:00.001-07:00

(My Original Blog Post: http://ping.fm/QZCuK)

Google Inc., under investigation in Germany for the data-gathering practices of its Street View mapping service, now faces probes in Spain, France and Italy for possible violation of privacy laws.

Spain’s Data Protection Authority yesterday ordered an investigation of whether Google breached national privacy rules by collecting and storing data from Wi-Fi networks and information sent over these networks. Italy and France also ordered inquiries.

The Spanish agency “will call on Google to explain whether it has captured data without the consent of citizens in Spain,” it said in an e-mailed statement May 19. It sent a formal request urging Google “to block the data associated with wireless networks gathered in Spanish territory.”

The Hamburg Prosecutors’ Office said yesterday that it’s investigating people at Google on suspicion of criminal data capture. German data regulators are already looking into how cars that Google used to take pictures for Street View ended up with private data from Wi-Fi networks that weren’t password- protected.

Google, based in Mountain View, California, said May 17 that it deleted data mistakenly gathered from Wi-Fi networks in Ireland and was aiming to do the same in other countries.

Company representatives didn’t return calls and e-mails seeking comment yesterday on the latest investigations.

Street View allows Google users to click on maps to see photographs of roadsides. Officials from 30 European countries on May 11 adopted a common approach to keep Google from infringing privacy rights as the service is rolled out in Europe. They want Google, owner of the world’s biggest search engine, to improve blurring techniques used to disguise images and to make faces and license plates harder to recognize.

“The product as such is not in breach, but more measures have to be taken to improve how images are gathered and used,” Gerard Lommel, a Luxembourg member of the so-called Article 29 Data Protection Working Party, said May 11. The group is made up of the European Union’s 27 nations, plus Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway.

Switzerland’s data-protection agency sued Google in November for allegedly failing to comply with proposals to make it harder to identify people and cars on Street View. That case is pending.

via Google Street View Privacy Probe Joined by Spain, Italy, France - BusinessWeek.

Suspected military chief of Eta arrested in France

2010-05-20T02:05:00.001-07:00

(My Original Blog Post: http://ping.fm/2lQrz)

The suspected military leader of the armed Basque separatist group Eta has been arrested, French police say.

Four suspected members were held during dawn raids, including the man thought to be Eta's current military chief, Mikel Kabikoitz Karrera Sarobe.

Reports say three were picked up in the southern town of Bayonne and the fourth in a nearby village.

The group has used France as a base and five Eta leaders have been arrested there in the past two years.

Mikel Karrera Sarobe, a Spanish national also known as Ata, is thought to have taken over the key role in the organisation after the arrest of his predecessor Ibon Gogeascoechea in February.

He was detained with another man and a woman at a flat in Bayonne. The fourth suspect was arrested near the coastal town of St Jean de Luz in the French Basque country.

In March this year, the group was suspected of the murder of Jean-Serge Nerin, the first French policeman thought to have been killed by Eta. Officers suspect Mikel Karrera Sarobe may have been involved in the shoot-out in Paris.

In response, France´s President Nicolas Sarkozy said the country would rid itself of Eta bases.

Eta has been blamed for more than 820 deaths during its 41-year campaign in Spain. The group wants an independent Basque homeland.

It called a truce in March 2006, but it broke by December of that year.

via BBC News - Suspected military chief of Eta arrested in France.

Two Britons die in Spanish Pyrenees hiking accident

2010-05-19T14:06:00.001-07:00

(My Original Blog Post: http://ping.fm/A0oXs)

Two British men have died in a hiking accident in the Spanish Pyrenees, the Foreign Office (FCO) has confirmed.

They were reported to have fallen into an ice field near the 9,000ft high (2.7km) Pico de Frondiellas in the Sallent de Gallego region.

A third male member of their party was also reported to have fallen but is understood to be uninjured.

A FCO spokeswoman said it was investigating and was in the process of informing the men´s next of kin.

The men were believed to have been hiking along a route which was covered with packed ice and snow when the accident happened.

According to the Spanish media, the men were aged between 40 and 50 and had appropriate equipment for their expedition.

The area which is in the Huesca province in north east Spain is popular with climbers during the summer, but is dangerous when snow is present.

Spanish regional authorities said the men´s bodies were recovered by mountain rescue services.

via BBC News - Two Britons die in Spanish Pyrenees hiking accident.

Prices Fall in Spain as Volcanic Ash Affects Flights

2010-05-19T01:58:00.001-07:00

(My Original Blog Post: http://ping.fm/He0sW)

The ash cloud has hit Spain hard financially and prices are crashing. A holiday company hit by the flight turmoil has decided to take the lead and halve its prices for the rest of the year. Not only that but they have introduced a book now pay later deal which will avoid any refund problems should flights fail to fly.

Atlantic Parks are a small company based in the south west of Andalusia. With lodge park developments on the Costa de la Luz, Cadiz they offer tranquil beauty in forest locations near the beach. But due to the volcanic ash cloud, flights are being cancelled and clients are having problems.

Managing director Alex Joll said “People need to be confident of a refund if their flight is cancelled and this has now been put into doubt. So we say “book now – pay later” so if your flight is affected you will have lost nothing.”

This is a revolutionary approach and perhaps a risky one. But Alex thinks that people need to be confident that they will not lose their money if they can’t fly.

In addition to this offer Atlantic Parks are also discounting their “Discovery Break Holidays” to half price. So now you can get a half price holiday and not pay for it until you are sure you can go.

This offer is set to last as long as the ash cloud does or until they sell out of holidays for 2010. If you are considering a holiday in the sun this is too good a deal to miss. Book now and pay later holidays at half price – they will sell out fast.

Real Madrid coach Pellegrini to be sacked tomorrow

2010-05-18T10:43:00.001-07:00

(My Original Blog Post: http://ping.fm/MnpLD)

Reports in Spain say that Real Madrid coach Manuel Pellegrini will pay the price of failure by being sacked by the club on Wednesday.

Sports paper Marca informs that club President Florentino Perez will use the Directors meeting to announce the sacking, bringing Pellegrini´s term at the club to a premature end.

The former Villarreal coach joined Real Madrid last summer and was handed the task of leading a team that had signed star players Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaka, Karim Benzema and Xabi Alonso over the summer.

However, despite a team packed with stars, Real Madrid´s season has to be considered a failure: the club was knocked out of the Copa del Rey by third tier side Alcorcon and also failed in the Champions League, falling to Olympic Lyon in the first knockout stage.

With the Champions League final to be played in Madrid´ss Santiago Bernabeu Stadium this Saturday, that defeat was especially painful and virtually sealed Pellegrin s fate.

via Reports: Real Madrid coach Pellegrini to be sacked on Wednesday.

Two British children found dead in Spain

2010-05-18T10:14:00.001-07:00

(My Original Blog Post: http://ping.fm/UVqEk)

A British woman is being questioned by Spanish police after two of her children were found dead in a holiday resort in Spain.

Police said the children, a boy and a girl both under the age of six, were discovered in a hotel room in the coastal town of Lloret de Mar.

The British Embassy in Madrid said an inquiry had been launched into the deaths.

A Foreign Office spokeswoman said it was investigating the reports.

A spokesman said: "We are in contact with the Spanish police but because the children are minors we cannot say much.

"We believe the mother has been arrested. There is an ongoing investigation."

Police were called to the four-star Hotel Miramar, located on the Costa Brava coast 47 miles (75km) north of Barcelona, at about 2pm local time.

A Girona police spokesman said: "At around 3.53pm, the mossos de la comissaria de Blanes (local police) received a note from the local police of Lloret de Mar that the bodies of two minors had been found at a hotel.

"When the officers arrived at the scene they found two children inside a room at a hotel.

"Girona Police are investigating the death of the two children. The police have detained the mother of the minors to find out what happened."

Spanish newspaper El Mundo reported that the children's mother phoned police, who were unable to revive them.

Embassy staff said they were trying to establish whether the family was on holiday in Spain or living in the country.

Lloret de Mar is a popular destination for British holidaymakers.

A spokesman for travel association Abta said: "It's very popular with the British. It's a very traditional Spanish resort, similar to Benidorm and Torremolinos."

via BBC News - Two British children found dead in Spain.

2010-05-18T05:25:00.001-07:00

EARLY DISCOUNTS FOR FC TORREVIEJA SEASON TICKETS - With the latest campaign done and dusted for FC Torrevieja, eyes... http://ow.ly/17pyVh

2010-05-18T03:19:00.001-07:00

Hundreds of People Celebrate the Day of Norway in Torrevieja http://ow.ly/17pv2D

Smoking ban equals more customers

2010-05-18T02:57:00.001-07:00

(My Original Blog Post: http://www.spanishvida.com/2010/05/18/smoking-ban-equals-more-customers/)
One in three Spaniards (32.8%) say they would visit more entertainment venues if, as envisaged in the draft of the new Anti-Tobacco Law of the Ministry of Health, they were completely non-smoking. The data was offered yesterday by the Spanish Society of Family and Community Medicine (semFYC), based on a survey carried out with 2935 people, divided between smokers, nonsmokers and former smokers.

68% of respondents favor a total ban on cigarettes and only 16% say they would visit bars less if smoking was banned in them.

With the current legislation, premises over a hundred square meters must have a separate smoking area, but only one in four non-smokers think that bars and restaurants have to have a complete separation between the two areas, according to the survey.

For his part, Dr. Xulio chestnut, a member of the Group Approach to Tobacco Society, further emphasized that the survey showed that 92% of nonsmokers believed that the ban on indoor entertainment premises would improve the health of all . "And they are right, why medical professionals have not ceased to remind the health authorities, although the law four years ago was instrumental, remains insufficient and must be reformed."

The survey by the Society of Family Medicine has also asked former smokers how they left kicked the habit. 63% received help from a health professional, and of those, 42% had the support of the family doctor, 13% of nurses and 11% of other specialists. Among smokers, 7% had set a target to quit in less than a week, 9% in less than a month and 12% over the year.

Another conclusion is that smokers are less satisfied with their health than non-smokers: 17% of smokers rate their health as excellent, compared with 25% among nonsmokers. And a surprising fact: one in four smokers thought that the smoke does not harm children and that does not produce myocardial infarction.

Spanish Car Hire Increases by 200%

2010-05-18T02:43:00.001-07:00

(My Original Blog Post: http://ping.fm/ntBKN)

A recent investigation has revealed that renting a car during a holiday abroad can now cost more than an entire package deal. Due to the recession, over recent years rental companies have been cutting back fleets and putting up prices. Industry experts predict that prices will sky rocket again this summer because of the car shortages.

In Spain, rental charges have increased by almost 200 per cent compared to the cost two years ago. The current lack of cars has caused limited availability and prices have increased dramatically. The rate of car rental in Alicante in Spain, for example, has risen from £16.50 to £31 a day.

With summer fast approaching, the Sunday Mirror investigation compared rates of car rental for a medium-sized car suitable for families, with package deals online. At Costa Brava in Spain, it costs £300 to rent a car for seven days with Nationalcar, while bed and breakfast accommodation for a week with Bookable Holidays costs £278 per head. Car hire in Faliraki on the island of Rhodes is £360 for seven days, while Cooperative Travel offers a weeklong self-catering accommodation for £284 per person.

Gareth Robinson, managing director of carrentals.co.uk, said that car hire companies have been affected by the recession and are unable to increase their fleet of vehicles due to a lack of funding. He added that costs are expected to soar during the summer because of the “limited supply of cars”.

Spain Aims to Save 1.3 billion Euro Through Drug Price Cuts

2010-05-18T02:37:00.001-07:00

(My Original Blog Post: http://www.spanishvida.com/2010/05/18/spain-aims-to-save-1-3-billion-euro-through-drug-price-cuts/)

Spain is to cut the prices of a wide range of patented prescription drugs from August 1, in a move which it estimates will save around 1.3 billion euros. However, the industry says the measure will cause its turnover to plummet by 20% and has called for patient co-payments to be increased instead.

The Spanish national drugs bill rose 4.4% last year to 12.5 billion euros and the government - which is introducing the measure as part of a package aimed at cutting the country’s massive budget deficit - hopes it will reduce this by as much as 23%. Medicines account for 32% of Spain’s total health care expenditures, and the government is the pharmaceutical industry’s largest customer, said Trinidad Jimenez, Spain’s Minister for Health and Social Policy. Some estimates suggest that this year’s drugs bill could reach nearly 15 billion euros.

1 billion euros of the expected savings are to be made by cutting the prices of patented drugs, and a further 300 billion euros through changes to the production and dispensing of single-dose treatments. Medicines which are included the reference pricing system will not be affected.

Just one month ago, the prices of generic drugs to Spain’s autonomous regions were cut by 25%, in a move aimed at saving 1.5 billion euros annually. Taken together, the two measures “will mean the destruction of the current model of pharmaceutical industry that operates in Spain,” Jesus Acebillo, president of the national research-based industry association Farmaindustria, warned, responding to the latest announcement last week.

The viability of many small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the sector and 20,000 jobs - 5,000 of people directly employed by the industry plus 15,000 who are indirectly employed - are now in danger, he said. One in three companies will close and two out of every three will incur losses, he forecast.

Mr Acebillo said that medicine prices in Spain are 23% below the European Union (EU) average and have risen just 1% in the past year. Instead of cutting prices, he urged the government to act on demand by increasing patient co-payments for drugs. These are currently very low in Spain, standing at just 7% of the medicine’s total cost compared with averages of 12%-15% around the EU.

The announcement was made last week by Spain’s Prime Minister, Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, as part of a package of cuts aimed at saving 15 billion euros over the next two years and reducing the national budget deficit from 11% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to 6% by 2011.

Football Celebration Turns Violent in Spain

2010-05-18T02:32:00.001-07:00

(My Original Blog Post: http://ping.fm/3j8En)

More than 100 people were arrested and 119 injured in incidents that erupted during celebrations of FC Barcelona soccer club’s conquest of the Spain’s La Liga title, police said Monday.

The celebration, in which more than 40,000 people participated, proceeded without any noteworthy incidents until around midnight Sunday, when some of the rowdier celebrating fans began to climb up on the scaffolding of a nearby building and started burning pieces of a canvas they ripped apart.

Just at that point, others in the crowd began to damage public property and throw objects at the police, including stones and bottles, which started a street battle.

The Emergency Medical Services, up to 3 a.m., had attended to 32 police officers who were suffering from bruises, as well as 87 participants in the celebration-turned-brouhaha, although none of the people who were given medical attention were seriously injured.

Most of the fans who turned out for the victory party returned to their homes around midnight, after the scheduled activities had concluded on the stage set up in Barcelona’s Catalonia Square, and the disturbances were the work of a small group.

The destruction of the canvas on the building and the burning of pieces of it resulted in firefighters being called to the scene.

Police used megaphones to order the public to leave the area so that firefighters could deal with the several blazes, but in the face of the continued violent attitude of some of the members of the crowd, they decided to intervene. EFE

Spain To Establish Funding To Underpin Struggling Postal Service

2010-05-18T02:27:00.001-07:00

(My Original Blog Post: http://www.spanishvida.com/2010/05/18/spain-to-establish-funding-to-underpin-struggling-postal-service/)

The Spanish Ministry of Development said that the government was committed to a quality universal postal service and upholding the rights of users and workers but that to ensure the viability of public postal services, a funding mechanism needed to be established.

The Spanish postal service is struggling with mounting debts and recently reported a fall in mail volume of 9.6%. Last month, postal workers in Spain protested against plans to partially privatise Correos and to shed some 3,000 jobs.

A Draft Bill, to be backed by Spanish legislation brings into force the new European regulatory framework established by Directive 2008/6/EC (20th February 2008) regarding the completion of the reshaping of Spanish postal services.

The new law covers the universal postal service, protection of the rights of users and workers, and marks the final phase of the transformation of the Spanish postal market, enabling free competition in the provision of postal services whilst ensuring the integrity of the domestic postal provision.

To ensure a universal postal service quality, which includes letters, postcards and parcels up to 10kg both regular and certified, the draft law regulates every aspect of the market and will include a funding system that ensures that there are sufficient resources to meet the financial burden of providing a universal service. Improved rights for users and greater accountability by operators also form part of the Bill.

The Spanish government said that EU guidelines which effectively terminate the reserved area would jeopardize the financial viability of Correos and that alternative financing would therefore be essential.

Prisoner Demands Sex in Jail

2010-05-18T02:15:00.001-07:00

(My Original Blog Post: http://ping.fm/67VqU)

A British prisoner has demanded that he should be allowed to have sex in jail as ‘it makes a mockery of the justice system when partners are made to suffer unnecessarily’.

Christopher Pollock wrote from his cell: ‘I would like to know why prisoners in England and Wales are not permitted conjugal visits when this practice is widespread in other European countries.

‘It makes a mockery of the justice system when partners are made to suffer unnecessarily.’

Thirtyseven-year-old Pollock was jailed for three years and three months in April for supplying drugs.

After Pollock completes his sentence in Birmingham he will be extradited to Spain to serve a prison sentence for drug trafficking. In Spain, prisoners are allowed conjugal visits once a month.

‘He (Pollock) has the cheek to bang on about his human rights without a thought for all those people he brought misery to by dealing drugs. He can wait until he gets to Spain before he is allowed the company of a woman. Maybe that will teach him a lesson,’ Daily Express Tuesday quoted a prison source as saying.

A spokesman for the ministry of justice stated: ‘While we can understand his frustration, we must inform him that prisons in England and Wales do not permit conjugal visits and there are no plans to change this.’

New Guidance Clears the Way to Fly Through Ash Cloud

2010-05-17T10:23:00.001-07:00

(My Original Blog Post: http://ping.fm/OcraW)

NATS is delighted that restrictions on UK airspace can today be eased, thanks to new measures from the Civil Aviation Authority.

Aircraft can now safely fly through ‘medium density’ ash following the introduction of a new zone that defines the concentration of the ash cloud.

“NATS has been at the heart of this ground-breaking proposal and our people have worked very closely with the Irish Aviation Authority, CAA and the rest of the industry to make it happen,” said NATS Chief Executive Officer, Richard Deakin.

“Every leading player in aviation has been helping to build vast amounts of data about the effects of volcanic ash over the last month. There is mounting evidence that aircraft can fly safely through areas of medium density, provided some additional precautions are taken. This is now what has been agreed.”

Richard added that teams at NATS had been working all hours to create new and enhanced procedures to make sure the changes can take place as safely and as effectively as possible.
Previously, the CAA has dealt with the ash cloud by applying No-Fly Zones (NFZ) in areas of greatest ash density, and Enhanced Procedures Zones (EPZ) in areas of low density, which were introduced during the six-day crisis last month.

Today’s breakthrough means a third Time Limited Zone (TLZ) is now being introduced for areas of medium ash density.

As a result of this change, there are no predicted restrictions on UK airspace in the immediate future. If that picture changes, NATS will update its website as necessary.

2010-05-17T09:25:00.001-07:00

Road Resurfacing Work Starts in La Mata Today - The mayor of Torrevieja, Pedro Hernandez Mateo, has announced today... http://ow.ly/17oWUo

Spain�s David Villa Shuts Out Transfer Talk

2010-05-17T08:52:00.001-07:00

(My Original Blog Post: http://ping.fm/t6B0R)

Spain striker David Villa insists he will not let speculation over his club future affect his World Cup campaign.

The 28-year-old has established himself as one of the world's most sought-after goalscorers at Valencia and was on the brink of joining Florentino Perez's new Real Madrid project last June.

Valencia president Manuel Llorente said he would only sell if the cash-strapped club received a "scandalously" big offer and although Villa stayed put, rumours persist about a potential move after this summer's World Cup finals in South Africa.

But Villa is determined to stay focused on leading Spain's bid to become simultaneous European and world champions.

"I'm not going to be waiting expectantly to see what happens. I have learned my lesson," he told Spanish television station Canal 9.

"I have something historic in front of me, a once-in-a-lifetime event, something many footballers never get to go to, and I am lucky enough to be going.

"I won't allow myself to think about anything that isn't football related."

Spanish champions Barcelona were one of the clubs thought to be chasing Villa last year and Spanish media believe they have renewed their interest.

But despite there being many suitors for the former Sporting Gijon and Real Zaragoza striker, he insists he would be glad to remain at the Mestella.

"I have a four-year contract with Valencia with a big buy-out clause, I'm happy and committed to the project here," Villa added.

"I don't think the club would want to sell me unless it was necessary."

Villa's 21 league goals helped Valencia to a third-place finish in La Liga and earned them a return to the Champions League next season, which will provide a welcome boost to the club's coffers.

And Los Che have bolstered their squad again for next term by signing Portuguese defender Ricardo Costa on a four-year deal.

The 29-year-old helped Wolfsburg win the 2009 Bundesliga title before joining French side Lille in January.

And the former Porto man has been handed a surprise call-up for Portugal's provisional 24-man World Cup squad, with Carlos Queiroz bringing him back into the international set-up after a four-year absence.

Valencia have already secured the services of coach Unai Emery for next term and last week announced they had reached an agreement to sign Turkey international Mehmet Topal from Galatasaray.

Pressure Grows on Spain to Curb Digital Piracy

2010-05-17T08:46:00.001-07:00

(My Original Blog Post: http://ping.fm/Gm25C)

In the last decade, a surge of music and movie sharing online in Spain has thrilled fans, but it has also increased pressure from as far away as Hollywood to clamp down. Spanish lawmakers are expected to vote this year on a measure that would allow the swift closing of sites suspected of facilitating file-sharing.

“The triumph of downloading in Spain is partly because people can watch the latest episode of their favorite American series with Spanish subtitles weeks before it gets dubbed and released on television here,” said Javier de la Rosa, a former radio presenter who is now a journalism professor at Francisco de Vitoria University here. “The quality and speed is also excellent nowadays, and some Web sites like Series Yonkis even help people by ranking downloads according to quality, so that’s very user friendly.”

The people who are trying to sell the movies and music are a lot less enthusiastic. Sony Pictures Entertainment warned in March that it was considering halting altogether the sale of its DVDs in Spain.

For the third year running, the American trade representative has included Spain on its watch list of countries that breach intellectual property rights because of its “particularly significant Internet piracy.”

Critics say it will be extremely difficult to stop illegal downloading in Spain because of the popularity of these Web sites and a perceived indifference to piracy as a crime. As many as three billion illegal downloads were made last year in Spain, far exceeding the 21 million legal downloads, according to a study by Cimec, a Spanish market research company.

Judges have also shown ambivalence toward the issue. In 2006, the attorney general advised that peer-to-peer downloading should be considered criminal only if done for profit.

“We have a tremendous shortage of cultural education and administrative efficiency so that nobody in Spain, not even the judges, seems to believe that you can go to jail for an intellectual property crime,” said Fernando Fernández Aransay, a partner at VTF Abogados, a Spanish law firm specializing in media issues. “The problem is not that Spain doesn’t have laws but that there are in fact too many, which means more confusion.”

Some other European countries have taken more forceful action to try to tackle piracy. Last year, French lawmakers approved a law under which illegal file sharers who ignore two written warnings to stop could face the loss of their Internet connection, though the law is not yet being applied.

Britain recently passed a similar law, though it also has yet to go into effect. Last month, an Irish judge upheld an agreement between Ireland’s largest Internet service provider, Eircom, and the music industry that authorizes cutoffs.

But Victor Domingo, president of the Spanish Internet Users Association, said the group would go as high as Spain’s constitutional court to fight any legislation that curtailed access.

“The government is putting authors’ rights, which are of course important, on the same level as much more fundamental rights of privacy and freedom of expression,” Mr. Domingo said. “It has cost us a lot in this country after 40 years of dictatorship to acquire such rights for our citizens, but now we risk losing them.”

The proposed law would, in effect, reverse the burden of proof, empowering a new commission to shut down suspect Web sites pending the outcome of any court appeal.

The proposal has generated debate because some critics see it as infringing on the rights of individuals. In a country where access to information and entertainment had been severely limited during the Franco dictatorship, Spaniards’ growing enthusiasm for the Internet and all that it offers reflects a profound cultural and generational change.

Mr. Domingo sees the fight against downloading as “just an excuse for companies to try to stick to a business model that no longer makes sense and is way behind the technology.”

Indeed, Spain once was one of the most thriving music and film markets in Europe, and executives in these industries fault file-sharing for the decline. The Spanish music market, which ranks 10th worldwide in revenue, has shrunk to a third of what it was in 2001, according to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, which represents the recording industry.

“Spain is a very young democracy, a country where rock songs got censored until 1978, so we’re still going through adolescence in relation to intellectual property,” said the Spanish rock singer known as Loquillo. “But we cannot get stuck in a fight between authors and Internet users while, much more importantly, our music industry is allowed to disappear or gets absorbed by outsiders.”

Carrefour Property to Invest 350m Euro in Spain

2010-05-17T08:38:00.001-07:00

(My Original Blog Post: http://ping.fm/d5e62)

Carrefour Property has unveiled plans to invest over 350 million euro in the development of 20 new retail projects in Spain. Pascal Duhamel, president of Carrefour Property España, said that the company intends to add a further 350,000 m2 of retail space to its portfolio over the next three years.

The real estate arm of the French hypermarket chain intends to carry out 14 extensions to existing shopping centres as well as to build six new centres located in the Spanish cities of Huelva, Tarrasa (Tarragona), Coll de'n Rabassa (Mallorca), San Fernando de Henares (Madrid), Cabrera de Mar (Barcelona) and Los Barrios (Algeciras).

The initiative is part of a change in strategy of Carrefour Property, which aims at increasing the value of its real estate assets while further developing its land portfolio. According to Duhamel, the moment is now right to make a move in Spain, given that prices have fallen sharply over the past two years, and the market has an enormous growth potential.

Carrefour Property, which was created in 2009 to manage the group's real estate, has a land portfolio of over 1.5 million m2 in Spain with a value of over EUR 3 bn. Most recent developments include Las Glorias (Barcelona), Meridiano (Tenerife), La Gavia (Madrid), Rosaleda (Málaga) and Gran Turia (Valencia).

The company is also active in France, Italy, Romania and Poland with a total portfolio of over 4 million m2 of retail space.

Euro Slides Amid European Debt Crisis

2010-05-17T08:24:00.001-07:00

(My Original Blog Post: http://ping.fm/GnbQD)

The euro traded near four-year lows Monday amid warnings from European leaders that their $1 trillion loan backstop for troubled governments would not be enough to defuse the continent's crisis over high levels of government debt.

The euro was trading 0.1 percent lower on the day at $1.2334 as finance ministers from the EU gather in Brussels to try to restore confidence that the 16 countries that use the currency were ready to take the tough measures needed to reduce their debt burdens.

Earlier euro had fallen to $1.2237 _ its lowest since April 2006. The shared currency has now fallen a staggering 12 percent over the past week in spite of the massive euro750 billion 'shock and awe' financial rescue package unveiled last weekend from the EU, together with the International Monetary Fund.
The slide comes as Europe's leaders are saying that the loan backstop by itself isn't enough and that goverments must take drastic steps to get debt under control _ and shore up the fundamental rules that govern their 11-year-old currency by preventing governments from spending their way into trouble and needing a bailout like the one just given Greece. Such rules exist but have been widely ignored and officials are looking at toughening them.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel conceded over the weekend that package was no more than a band-aid solution to the problems afflicting a number of eurozone countries, from Ireland all the way across to Greece.
The solution, according to Merkel, is greater cooperation in financial and economic policy across Europe to ensure the currency's long-term stability. She has advocated tighter rules on debt and even tossing violators out of the euro.

"This week has started with the news that the German government will press other eurozone countries to follow its example in setting rules for balancing budgets within its regions," said Jane Foley, research director at Forex.com.

"However, this is unlikely to fundamentally alter sentiment with respect to the euro given broad based skepticism about the ability of Greece to stomach the budget reform already on the table," said Foley.
European Central Bank President Jean-Claude Trichet echoed Merkel when he told German newspaper Der Spiegel that the package "bought time, nothing more" and that there is now a need for "a quantum leap in the governance of the euro area."

The package _ on top of an earlier euro110 billion bailout of Greece _ appears to have calmed fears of immediate disaster _ such as a wave of debt defaults across the 16-country eurozone _ but longer term issues remain.

In particular, investors remain highly skeptical about the ability of Europe's governments, Greece's in particular, to push through the austerity measures promised in the face of likely political and social unrest. And even if they do, there are fears the cutbacks will kill off growth _ and make it even harder to pay government debt.

"The severe nature of the austerity measures being imposed on countries in exchange for bailout cash has caused a crisis of confidence about future growth levels, and could well precipitate the debt defaults it was designed to avoid," said Michael Hewson, an analyst at CMC Markets.

This skepticism has been evident across the financial system. While the euro has dropped sharply, interbank lending rates have spiked higher amid concerns that the debt crisis will prove to another headache for the banking sector. Gold is back in demand as investors seek sanctuary in this traditional safe haven asset _ on Friday, gold prices struck a new record high of $1,249.40 an ounce.

The euro's slide by itself is not all bad. It makes European exports cheaper outside the eurozone and so could help spur the weak economy.

Alongside these fears, investors remain worried that the European Central Bank's independence has been tarnished by the news that has agreed to buy government bonds in the secondary markets to maintain liquidity and keep yields low. Just ten days ago at the monthly rate-setting meeting, Trichet had said the issue had not even been discussed.

The bank has been at pains to say the measure will not increase the supply of money in the economy _ a potentially inflationary move.

The euro's slide has been propelled by predictions the bank will wait even longer before raising its key interest rate , now at a record low of 1 percent. Those low rates can weigh on the euro's exchange rate by reducing return on euro-denominated investments _ especially if rates go up first in the United States as its economy recovers. UniCredit economists have moved their forecast for the first ECB rate hike from March 2011 to the fourth quarter of that year.

Australia and Spain eye British Banks

2010-05-16T09:56:00.001-07:00

(My Original Blog Post: http://www.spanishvida.com/2010/05/16/australia-and-spain-eye-british-banks/)

National Australia Bank (NAB) has held talks with Spain’s BBVA about creating a joint venture in Britain.

The two banking giants are among the frontrunners to buy a £1.5 billion network of 300 branches being sold by Royal Bank of Scotland.

NAB, which owns Clydesdale and Yorkshire banks in the UK, has approached BBVA with a plan for the two banks to work together on the deal.

A tie-up between them could then be used as a platform to acquire other British banks due to come up for sale over the next few months.

If agreement can be reached, the two companies would be pitched into a head-to-head battle for the RBS branches with Santander,the Spanish bank that has bought Abbey, Alliance & Leicester and parts of Bradford & Bingley.

Santander and BBVA are Spain’s two biggest banks, and fiercely competitive rivals. Santander sees the RBS business as the key element still missing from its British business, and is considered the favourite to secure the deal.

Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Money has already dropped out of the bidding.

RBS is being forced to sell the branch network by the European Commission as a penalty for accepting billions of pounds in state aid at the height of the credit crunch.

The branch network is being sold along with the brand name Williams & Glyn’s, which was the name of RBS’s branch network in England prior to its acquisition of NatWest in 2000.

The commission has stipulated that accounts transferred as part of the sale must account for 5% of the UK’s small business banking market.

Although Santander is now one of Britain’s biggest mortgage lenders, it has a negligible presence in business banking.

Although Northern Rock and a vast part of Lloyds Banking Group’s business are both to be sold, Santander would be barred from buying either due to competition concerns in areas such as mortgages.

Latest on the volcanic ash situation

2010-05-16T08:54:00.001-07:00

(My Original Blog Post: http://ping.fm/aqezn)

Update on Sunday 16 May, 1630 UK time

For the period 1900 today (local time) until 0100 tomorrow (Monday) London’s main airports will still be clear of the no-fly zone imposed by the CAA due to the high density volcanic ash cloud.

The ash cloud continues to change shape and move further south to just north of Oxford during this period. This brings Birmingham and Norwich inside the no-fly zone in addition to those airports already affected. The northerly extent of the no-fly zone in England now includes Teesside, stopping just short of Newcastle, and tracking northwest in a line just north of Carlisle, which remains in the no-fly zone.

Airports inside the no-fly zone in England and Wales now include Carlisle, Teesside, Humberside, Leeds Bradford, Blackpool, Ronaldsway, Caernarfon, Liverpool, Manchester, Sheffield, Doncaster, Norwich, Birmingham and East Midlands.

In Scotland the no-fly zone includes the Western Isles, Campbeltown, Prestwick and Oban. All airports in Northern Ireland remain inside the no-fly zone during this period.

There are currently no other restrictions within UK airspace. Information on airports in southern Ireland - Dublin - Open until 1900hrs local today, Cork - Open until 0100hrs local Monday 17th, Shannon - Open until 2300hrs local today, Donegal - Remains closed, Sligo - Remains closed, Ireland West (Knock) - Remains closed, Galway - Open until 1400hrs local today, Kerry - Open until 0100hrs local Monday 17th, Waterford - Open until 2300hrs local today.

We are working closely with the Met Office and with the CAA, which agrees no-fly zones based on Met Office data, and will issue any further notice on this website as necessary.

Earthquake - Huescar

2010-05-16T05:18:00.001-07:00

(My Original Blog Post: http://ping.fm/kvoPH)
Summary:
Magnitude ML 2.5
Region SPAIN
Date time 2010-05-16 at 06:42:51.2 UTC
Location 37.87 N ; 2.59 W
Depth 2 km
Distances 107 km E Jaén (pop 116,400 ; local time 08:42 2010-05-16)
45 km NE Baza (pop 21,833 ; local time 08:42 2010-05-16)
8 km NW Huéscar (pop 8,194 ; local time 08:42 2010-05-16)
More seismicity information

Latest statement on the volcanic ash situation

2010-05-16T02:54:00.001-07:00

(My Original Blog Post: http://ping.fm/VypHn)

The CAA’s no-fly zone required by the high density volcanic ash cloud will not affect London airports for the period 1300-1900 (local time) today.

The no-fly zone for this period has moved east to a line stretching from Prestwick on the west coast to Humberside on the east coast and south to a line just north of Birmingham. Airports which fall within the no-fly zone include all those in Northern Ireland, Ronaldsway, Prestwick, Carlisle, Manchester, Liverpool, Doncaster, Humberside, Leeds Bradford and East Midlands and some Scottish island airports including Campbeltown, Islay and Barra.

There are currently no other restrictions within UK airspace. According to information from the Irish Aviation Authority, Dublin will remain open until at least 0100 tomorrow (Monday) and Shannon until 2300 tonight.

We are working closely with the Met Office and with the CAA, which agrees no-fly zones based on Met Office data, and will issue any further notice on this website as necessary

via NATS: The UK's leading Air Navigation Services Provider | Home.

2010-05-15T11:21:00.001-07:00

Saturday at 17:00 CEST: sunny intervals. 21°C (70°F) - Temperature: 21°C (70°F), Wind Direction: SE, Wind Speed: 1... http://ow.ly/17nUsi

2010-05-15T09:19:00.001-07:00

Jack Tweed plans to escape to Torrevieja and buy a boat - Bád boy Jack Tweed is to quit the UK and escape to a play... http://ow.ly/17nRRm

Italy fines Ryanair over volcano ash 'failings'

2010-05-15T09:07:00.001-07:00

(My Original Blog Post: http://ping.fm/jQzCf)

Airline Ryanair 3m euros (£2.5m) for failing to help passengers after cancelling their flights during the volcanic ash crisis.

Italy´s civil aviation authority said it knew of 178 cases of passengers who did not receive mandatory assistance, such as food, between 17 and 22 April.

Ash from Iceland´s Eyjafjallajokull volcano triggered a massive shutdown of European airspace last month.

Ryanair was not immediately available for comment.

The ash cloud paralysed many airports and left an estimated eight million tourists and business travellers stranded.

Italy´s air agency, Enac, accused Ryanair of failing to provide passengers at Rome´s Ciampino airport with drinks, foods and accommodation as required by European law.

Air passenger rights explained

Enac found that most other airlines had managed to meet their obligations despite the difficult circumstances.

Ryanair initially insisted it would only refund the cost of passengers tickets, but later agreed to fully implement European regulations and pay all "reasonable expenses".

Under EU regulations, if a flight is cancelled, those flying with European carriers into or out of the EU have the right to a refund or to be re-routed.

If passengers chose the latter, they have the right to care - such as accommodation and meals - while they wait.

With the further threats to air travel this weekend the above advice is worth knowing.

via BBC News - Italy fines Ryanair over volcano ash 'failings'.

Twitter takes to the airwaves, at least in Spain

2010-05-15T07:27:00.001-07:00

(My Original Blog Post: http://ping.fm/EY8OZ)
´

Just when youve learned how to tweet on Twitter, its time for Twision.

Twitter Television is the latest twist on the microblogging phenomenon to have captured people´s imagination, at least in Spain.

Combining Twitter with TV, the new program on the country´s Veo7 channel allows twitterers to interact with the presenters and their guests.

Thousands of people have been logging in to post tweets, or messages, on any given subject which pop up in real time on the bottom of the TV screen during the hour-long weekly show.

US-based Twitter itself said Twision appeared to be the first show of its kind in the world, although it has no official connection to the social networking site.

"It's not backed at all by Twitter, which is what makes the show even more compelling," said Twitter´s vice president for communications, Sean Garrett.

"Anyone can do something like this completely on their own with Twitter´s open and public network," he told AFP.

The program also has recorded features and interviews, as well as the latest news on Internet technology and social networking sites.

The first show in March included Spain's NBA basketball star Rudy Fernandez, who answered questions in a "Twitentrevistado", or Twinterview.

Another program focused on the newly launched iPad, and included an interview with a Spanish hacker based in Houston, Texas.

The web version, at www.veo.es/twision, features a "Twitterulia" which shows tweets alongside the broadcast.

Veo7´s director Melchor Moralles, one of the two hosts, said some 659,000 people had tuned in for at least part of the first show in March. Two months later, this had slumped to 350,000, although a repeat of the program is shown the next day.

The figures "prove that there is room for a program like this," Moralles said in a blog. "Twision is going to succeed, there´s no doubt."

But one analyst said he doubted the Veo7 show ever would catch on in the long-term.

"Whenever a new technology comes along, older forms will try to interact with it," said Joshua Benton of Harvard University´s Nieman Journalism Lab.

"There used to be a lot of TV shows about web sites. When television first came along, there were programs that just showed radio disc jockeys playing records," he told AFP.

"I think it’s a natural thing for a television producer to want to bring the latest hot topic to his medium. But I wouldn’t say I’m optimistic about Twision lasting on air for 20 years."

Twitter itself, which has broadcast billions of tweets since its launch in 2006, last year signed what was described as a "lightweight, non-exclusive, agreement" with US TV producers to develop a show based on the social networking site.

But Garrett said the reports "were exaggerated in the media."

"There was a passing thought, but then it was quickly agreed that there would be no reason for us to be involved in a Twitter Show because media everywhere could do it on their own."

He said the Veo7 show "was brought up in our weekly all-employee meeting and everyone enjoyed hearing about it."

Twitter executives are "constantly surprised by how people use and integrate Twitter in creative ways," he said.

Tweets shown on the program itself were largely enthusiastic.

"What's amusing is to see this live, and to try to follow 3,000 tweets there were tonight," said one.

"Thank you (to you and all the team) for doing something different and innovative," said another.

But at least one viewer was disappointed.

"The only thing new is the format. In terms of the content, I don't see anything different from conventional television," Natalia, a 43-year-old teacher, told AFP.

"In short, I think there are many programs like this already on TV."

via Twitter takes to the airwaves, at least in Spain | ABS-CBN News Online Beta.

Jack Tweed plans to escape to Spain and buy a boat

2010-05-15T07:22:00.001-07:00

(My Original Blog Post: http://ping.fm/rRWjM)

Bád boy Jack Tweed is to quit the UK and escape to a playboy life in Spain.

The sleazy love rat is buying a £250,000 villa on the Costa Blanca and also plans to splash out £150,000 on a 30ft power cruiser.

Jack, 22, is planning the escape to the sun because he has become so hated in UK despite being cleared of rape.

He spent a few days earlier this month looking at suitable properties in Torrevieja.

Jade Goody’s widower also tried out some luxury cruisers and took lessons on how to drive them.

A close pal said: “Jack has had enough of the UK and wants to spend the rest of his time in the sun.

He loves Spain and reckons it’s the perfect place to lie low and get his life together.

“Jack feels like he’s public enemy No 1 in the UK and is concerned for his safety.

“He plans to get himself a villa and spent two or three months out there. But if he enjoys it he might stay for good.”

Although Jack claimed he was broke following his trial and time on remand, he is believed to have earned at least £300,000 from exclusive media deals.

The pal added: “He reckons he’s got enough money for a decent villa in Torrevieja and the boat he’s got his eye on is moored there.

“He talks of getting a job and having an ordinary life, but really he fancies being a playboy.”

Despite vowing to keep his nose clean after being cleared of raping a student, several women have come forward to brand Jack a sleazy love rat.

Model Laura Jones, 24, claimed he was a “Jekyll and Hyde” who played the “timid and shy widower” just to get girls into bed.

Last night Essex model Laura said: “I think he’s all talk and he is probably just telling everyone he’s leaving because he wants a bit more exposure. But good riddance.”

via Daily Star: Simply The Best 7 Days A Week :: News :: Jack Tweed plans to escape to Spain and buy a boat.

Warning of ash flight disruption

2010-05-15T07:10:00.001-07:00

(My Original Blog Post: http://ping.fm/jcX6M)

Parts of the UK´s airspace are at risk of closure from Sunday because of volcanic activity in Iceland, the Department for Transport has said.

Disruption could affect some of the UKs busiest airports in south-east England until Tuesday, it warned.

Transport Secretary Philip Hammond said passenger safety was the government´s top priority.

Ash from the Eyjafjallajokull volcano caused disruption to thousands of flights during April.

Airspace across Europe was shut down for five days following concerns that ash could turn to molten glass in high temperatures, crippling plane engines.

Scientists and engineers have since revised the safe to fly threshold, but clouds of volcanic ash have continued to drift over Europe, causing airport closures, flight delays and cancellations.

Prediction charts

In the past week, several airports in southern Europe were forced to close and flights were re-routed.

Ministers have agreed on Saturday that five-day ash prediction charts would be made available on the Met Office website.

"Within this timeframe, different parts of UK airspace - including airspace in the South East - are likely to be closed at different times," the Department of Transport said in a statement.

Previous forecasts were only given for the following 18 hours.

Transport Secretary Philip Hammond said the five-day forecasts would ensure "airlines, other transport providers and the public [had] the best possible information".

But he stressed the situation "remained fluid" and the forecasts - based on assumptions about future volcanic activity and prevailing weather conditions - were "always liable to change".

"Nats - the UK's air traffic services provider - will advise of any airspace closures as and when they become necessary and I urge passengers to check with their airlines before taking any action," he added.

via BBC News - Warning of ash flight disruption.

2010-05-14T15:21:00.001-07:00

Euromillions Results – 14th May 2010 - Euromillions Results – 14th May 2010 This weeks Euromillions numbers are: ... http://ow.ly/17nsLA

Euromillions Results ? 14th May 2010

2010-05-14T13:40:00.001-07:00

(My Original Blog Post: http://ping.fm/P6gZy)
Euromillions Results – 14th May 2010

This weeks Euromillions numbers are:

You can dramatically increase your chances of winning the jackpot with our proven syndicate system.

Click below to read more.

To receive lottery results and news to your inbox, click here for our updates.

If you´re lucky enough to get 3 numbers or more then you´ve won something.

2010-05-14T09:38:00.001-07:00

Friday at 14:00 CEST: white cloud. 17°C (63°F) - Temperature: 17°C (63°F), Wind Direction: NW, Wind Speed: 15mph, ... http://ow.ly/17nie3

Crusading Spanish Judge Baltasar Garzon is Suspended

2010-05-14T08:09:00.001-07:00

(My Original Blog Post: http://ping.fm/aTvme)

High-profile Spanish judge Baltasar Garzon has been suspended from his post by the country's judicial body.
The decision was unanimously adopted by the General Council of the Judiciary.

He is due to face trial on charges that he abused his powers by opening an inquiry in 2008 into crimes committed during Francisco Franco's rule.

Mr Garzon was later forced to drop the investigation into the crimes committed during the 1936-39 Civil War in Spain, which are covered by an amnesty.

In February, a Supreme Court investigating magistrate ruled that Mr Garzon had ignored the 1977 amnesty by launching the investigation.

Mr Garzon, 54, who is highly popular among the Spanish political left and international human rights campaigners, appealed against the ruling, saying his inquiry was legitimate.

But some on the right accuse Mr Garzon of launching cases that are politically motivated.

Tens of thousands of people disappeared during Spain's Civil War and under Gen Franco's regime that followed.
Mr Garzon is also famous for targeting international figures, including late Chilean military ruler Augusto Pinochet, and al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden.

Earlier this week, Mr Garzon reportedly asked to take a leave of absence to work for the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Judicial sources at Spain's National Court say Mr Garzon wants to work as an adviser for the ICC for seven months.

Earthquake - Galicia

2010-05-14T05:26:00.001-07:00

(My Original Blog Post: http://ping.fm/2XVjY)
Summary:
Magnitude ML 3.0
Region SPAIN
Galicia - Tras-os-montes
Date time 2010-05-14 at 08:19:19.8 UTC
Location 42.46 N ; 7.12 W
Depth 10 km
Distances 63 km E Ourense (pop 108,083 ; local time 10:19 2010-05-14)
12 km NW O barco de valdeorras (pop 13,584 ; local time 10:19 2010-05-14)
7 km NW A rúa (pop 4,975 ; local time 10:19 2010-05-14)

2010-05-14T03:20:00.001-07:00

Gang of Car Thieves were Based in the Region - The international criminal organisation dismantled by the Guardia Ci... http://ow.ly/17n6CL

iPad Launch Date Slips to June 7

2010-05-14T02:46:00.001-07:00

(My Original Blog Post: http://ping.fm/DOZMt)

Apple has again delayed the international launch of the iPad following continued "strong" demand from the US market.

Earlier in the month, Apple confirmed that the tablet computer would become available in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, Switzerland and the UK on May 28.

Pricing starts at £429 for the 16GB WiFi-only model, rising to £699 for the premium 64GB version supporting both WiFi and 3G. Vodafone, Orange and O2 have already announced data tariffs for the iPad's UK launch.

Apple began taking pre-orders for the device on Monday, but it has announced via its website that the 'ships by date' will now be June 7, ten days after initially planned.

However, the company said that anyone who has already pre-ordered the iPad will still receive the product as promised on May 28.

Apple confirmed at the start of May that it had sold the millionth iPad in North America in around half the time it took the iPhone to achieve a same feat.

Nadal Reaches Quarters at Madrid Open

2010-05-14T02:37:00.001-07:00

(My Original Blog Post: http://ping.fm/TRQI6)

Spanish number one Rafael Nadal scored straight sets yesterday to win over American John Isner to reach the quarter-finals at the Madrid Open tennis tournament.

Nadal followed Wednesday's comfortable 6-4, 6-3 win over Alexandr Dolopolov with a much closer match against the number 13 seed.

He struggled with the American's big serve, but was never under pressure on his own service games, although he had to wait until the 12th game of the first set before making his own break to take the set 7-5.

Nadal was always in control in the second set and again a single break was enough to allow him to take that set 6-4 and seal the win 7-5, 6-4.

"There are never any easy games, but I think I played better than in my last game and it is important to reach the quarter- finals," he told Spanish television station RTVE directly after the end of the match.

Fans in Madrid will not be able to look forward to a possible semi-finals between Nadal and fellow Spaniard, Fernando Verdasco, however.

The number six seed suffered a surprise straight sets defeat to Austrian player Jurgen Melzer, 7-5, 6-3 earlier in the day.

2010-05-13T09:36:00.001-07:00

Painting Exhibition in Torrevieja - The official inauguration of this exhibition of paintings by non-Spanish reside... http://ow.ly/17myO7

Spanish TV Show Tells How to get Benefits in the UK

2010-05-13T09:21:00.001-07:00

(My Original Blog Post: http://ping.fm/z6BvS)

The truth about Britain’s soft-touch benefits system has been exposed by a Spanish student who bragged how easy it is for European migrants to claim hand-outs.

Jazmin Ortega is believed to have claimed benefits after arriving in the UK and almost immediately losing her job. Laughing, she told a prime-time Spanish TV show that she hardly paid anything towards the rent of her house in Edinburgh.

“This house costs £550. I pay £60 because I’m unemployed and people who are unemployed here have help with their rent,” she said.

Asked by the interviewer exactly who qualified for these benefits, Jazmin replied: “Those who’ve worked for at least a day in the UK.

“You receive £64 a week and then you have the right to housing benefit, which I get, which is a help towards a large part of the rent, if not 100 per cent.”

Last night there was growing anger in Britain over the programme which showed how easy it was to exploit Britain’s benefits system.

Matthew Elliott, of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said: “Not only is this woman cashing in so brazenly at taxpayers’ expense, she thinks it’s fine to brag about it on TV.

“Britain’s system should not be so much weaker than Spain’s. It is high time we toughened up.”

Paul Nuttall, of the UK Independence Party, said: “What idiot civil servant agreed to a rule that means incomers only have to work one day before being entitled to benefits, but we have to work for more than a year before we can claim in Spain?”

Miss Ortega, 29, also told the show, called Espanoles En El Mundo – Spaniards Around The World – about what she said was the low cost of food and alcohol in pubs.

Of her Edinburgh home she said: “It’s very nice. It’s in the city centre and I pay next to nothing.”

Since the show was broadcast, a Spanish expat website has been flooded with people wanting to find out about Britain’s benefits loopholes.

One contributor wrote that they had seen groups of Spaniards lining up to claim benefits in the UK.

The writer went on to say most were recently arrived from Spain and were there to find out how to ask for money.

They did not have the slightest intention of working. All they wanted was to claim unemployment benefit.

Spain has the worst unemployment in Europe with nearly five million – more than 20 per cent of the population – out of work. Miss Ortega said that she moved to Edinburgh a year ago to study English but was shown how to use the benefits system by a contact who, the programme said, had helped thousands of other Spaniards who had come to Britain.

The contact, a woman known only as Melany, said: “When you get here you need a National Insurance number.

Without it, you can’t ask for any state benefits.

“I think they come from Spain with my telephone number already in their pocket. It’s amazing.” Last night the Department of Work and Pensions said unemployed Spaniards, French and Germans had the right to claim benefits in the UK.

In Spain, however, foreigners can claim benefits only after working there for more than a year and can receive at least £415 a month for between 120 and 720 days, depending on how long they paid into the system before losing their job.

In Germany, foreign EU nationals have to work for a year before they can claim, and then receive benefits for only six months. In France, foreigners must have worked for six months full-time.

Spanish TV Tax Hits Telef�nica

2010-05-13T08:58:00.001-07:00

(My Original Blog Post: http://www.spanishvida.com/2010/05/13/spanish-tv-tax-hits-telefonica/)

Telefónica was hit to the tune of 38 million euro in the first quarter as it recognized Spain’s TV tax for the first time.

The tax was imposed in 2009 as part of a package of measures following the phasing out of advertising on the public broadcaster TVE. A 0.9% tax was imposed on telecommunications services while a 3% tax was imposed on public television stations. The premise was that with the reduction of available airtime on TVE, advertisers would instead turn to the private sector.

Telefónica has been looking to its TV operations to make up the shortfall, first quarter growth up 9.3%, bringing the total of pay-TV connections to 2.6 million. The Company now offers pay TV services in Spain, the Czech Republic, Germany, Peru, Chile, Colombia, Brazil and Venezuela.

In Spain, pay-TV customers increased by 21.2% on March 2009, adding 30,000 new homes in the first quarter, compared to a net loss in 2009. Telefónica has increased its customer base to 733,000; bundling remains an important part of the proposition with the Dúo and Trío packages representing 89% of connections.

Fraudster Who Fled to Spain Jailed

2010-05-13T08:52:00.001-07:00

(My Original Blog Post: http://ping.fm/Qzy1W)

A 25-year-old man who fled to Spain after attempting to swindle £48,000 from Barclays Bank was jailed for 15 months.

David Webster attacked the manager of the bank’s branch in Bradford city centre as he tried to escape after the fraud was discovered, Bradford Crown Court heard.

Last Wednesday Webster, of Dale View Close, Keighley, and Marc Haste, 23, of Lynton Drive, Shipley, were sentenced after pleading guilty to conspiracy to defraud Barclays Bank.

Webster was jailed for 12 months for the fraud offence with an extra three for stealing a computer.

Haste was sentenced to nine months, suspended for two years, with 12 months’ supervision and 60 hours’ unpaid work.

Katie Short, 19, of North Street, Keighley, walked free after the Crown offered no evidence.

Prosecutor Robert Stevenson said Webster and Haste began the fraud in 2008, by opening three bank accounts at Barclays. Haste transferred an uncleared sum of £8,000 at Barclays Bank, Market Street, Bradford, to another account. He put £2,000 of it towards a car.

Webster paid £2,500 into his HSBC account.

Mr Stevenson said the defendants did not get their hands on any more.

They would have netted £47,950 had their plan fully succeeded.

Webster kicked the bank manager as he tried to stop him getting away.

Haste was arrested outside the bank, while Webster absconded to Spain.

Nigel Edwards, Webster’s barrister, said he was bullied into taking part.

Alastair Bateman, for Haste, said he was in debt and pressured to commit the offence. He had saved up £2,666 to compensate Barclays.

Spain - The Second Happiest Country in Europe.

2010-05-13T08:44:00.001-07:00

(My Original Blog Post: http://www.spanishvida.com/2010/05/13/spain-the-second-happiest-country-in-europe/)

Spain is the second happiest country in Europe, second only to Romania, friends, the couple and the family of their main sources of satisfaction, according to a study commissioned by Coca-Cola in 16 countries.

Their results show that 89 percent of young Spanish people are happy with their life and for almost half of them chatting with friends is the happiest moment of the day, followed by chatting over the Internet (28%) and listening to music ( 24%).

Thus, 38 percent of respondents said that when they eat food is the happiest time of day and 32 percent said that friends are a source of happiness. Personal relationships are essential to the Spanish: 67 percent of adults are happiest when they are with their partner, followed by the family (51 percent) and while working (16 percent). Moreover, Spain is the second happiest country in Europe, surpassed only by Romania and the eighth in the overall ranking.

The happiest countries are Mexico, Philippines, Argentina, South Africa, Romania, USA and Brazil, while Spain, followed in this order the United Kingdom, Italy, Russia, Belgium, China, Turkey, Bulgaria and France, according to the study . The study adds that despite the frenetic pace at which the virtual world advances, human contact overwhelmingly wins when it comes to happiness.

The results also show that, despite the global economic crisis, general overall happiness levels are high: over two thirds of respondents (67%) report being satisfied with their lives.

2010-05-13T03:19:00.001-07:00

Torrevieja Police Arrest 5 Warehouse Robbers - Guardia Civil in Torrevieja have broken up a gang which is thought t... http://ow.ly/17mmvm

Spanish Fight for Ashley Cole Won't Tempt Chelsea to Cash In

2010-05-13T02:31:00.001-07:00

(My Original Blog Post: http://ping.fm/SaRHu)

Chelsea will not sell Ashley Cole at any price despite interest from Spain's two biggest clubs. Cole's future has been the subject of much speculation with both Real Madrid and Barcelona looking to sign him this summer.

It has been reported that the England left-back wants to leave Stamford Bridge because he has had enough of the intense scrutiny into his private life. The 29-year-old has come under fire for his behaviour off the pitch and regularly been featured on the front pages due to the break up of his marriage with Cheryl Cole.

It hasn't prevented him from having one of his best seasons for Chelsea and he played a key role in the club winning their first title for four years.

Jose Mourinho, who brought Cole to Chelsea from Arsenal in 2006, is expected to leave Inter Milan for Real this summer and is hoping to tempt his former player to Spain.

With reports that offers for Cole could reach £25million, Chelsea's desire to break even has led to talk they may cash in on the former Arsenal star to raise the funds they need to buy players such as Sergio Aguero or Fernando Torres.

But it is understood the club are not interested in listening to any bids for a player they consider to be “the best left-back in the world”.

The England international, who only signed a new four-year contract last September, also admits he is delighted to be playing for one of the best sides around. Chelsea's 8-0 win over Wigan on Sunday ensured they finished one point ahead of Manchester United and meant they scored a record 103 Premier League goals on their way to the title.

Cole believes that statistic shows the squad are full of flair, although he is just as proud of the way they grind out results when needed.

“On our day we are unbelievable,” said Cole, who claimed his first title winning medal as a Blue. “If we show fight and character we will beat anyone. The players are so dedicated here and are very professional. I am proud to be a Chelsea player.

“Everyone says about [the team] entertaining but we have beaten teams 6, 7 and 8-0. Everyone talks about the Arsenal and Manchester United teams and they do play good football but player for player we have one of the best teams in the world. Sometimes you don't have to entertain, you have to win and we have done it.

“I think [the club record 8-0 win against Wigan] has been coming. We have been beating teams 7-0 and we deserved to beat these teams by more. It happened against Wigan with a great performance. I came here to win medals and to win big trophies. This will shut a few people up. I have proved a few people wrong.”

Meanwhile, striker Didier Drogba has reiterated his desire to see out the rest of his career at Chelsea and has warned the club's rivals that he will be even better next season.

The 32-year-old scored a career high 29 League goals to win the Golden Boot ahead of Wayne Rooney this term.

He said: “This is the first time I have been at a club for six years and I feel at home. I have said before I want to stay at Chelsea for the rest of my career.

“I really feel season after season I'm getting better. I always keep working. I'm not Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo but I have my own qualities and I always try to improve.

“This is the best season of my career. My third year here I scored 33 goals, 20 in the League, but this season I have scored 29 in the League and 36 overall. It's amazing. When I start the season I always look to do better than the last one or the best season I have had. It's going to be difficult to do that next year but I think it's possible.”

Drogba's first target, though, is to ensure Chelsea finish the campaign with a historic Double by beating Portsmouth at Wembley on Saturday.

He added: “I want to finish the job with the FA Cup Final. To win the Double will mean a lot for the club and the players. It won't be easy because Portsmouth are really focused. It will be a happy ending for them if they win it.”