Plans are already underway for Morocco to be the only African nation to showcase at China’s Shanghai Expo in September

Plans are already underway for Morocco to be the only African nation to showcase at China’s Shanghai Expo in September and it shows the important role the North African and Asian countries see each other. Little over a decade ago, China was just beginning to push into Africa, but today, in places like Egypt, Tunisia and Morocco, Beijing has increased its footprint, seeing these countries as gateways to Africa, and in Morocco’s case, to Europe.

Trade relations between Morocco and China have steadily increased since 1999, when Chinese trade with Morocco totaled some $325 million. By 2004, that number increased to $1.14 billion. According to the Chinese Embassy in Rabat trade has continued to increase, going over the $2 billion mark in 2009.

protesters accuse Spanish police of brutality and racism against Moroccans

Truckers halted food shipments from Morocco to the Spanish enclave of Melilla as protesters accuse Spanish police of brutality and racism against Moroccans who cross into the tiny city on the North African coast.

No fish, fruits or vegetables arrived Wednesday in Melilla, forcing its second food shortage in a week, after Moroccan protesters blocked trucks Tuesday from crossing the border to the city of 70,000. The truckers then decided Wednesday to stop shipments until the dispute was resolved.

Some 20 protesters on the Moroccan side were allowing only empty trucks and those carrying construction materials through on Wednesday, a spokesman for the Spanish Interior Ministry in the city said.

But the threat of a lengthy blockade eased with reports that Moroccan protesters had agreed to suspend their protest until the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan in September. Spanish media said the protesters reached a deal with Melilla’s food traders to allow shipments to resume Thursday.

British tourists have been injured following an explosion at a hotel on the Costa del Sol

Four British tourists have been injured following an explosion at a hotel on the Costa del Sol, in which hundreds of UK holidaymakers were staying.

The Foreign Office confirmed that a water pipe had exploded, leaving one person seriously injured. Three others are being treated for minor injuries.

Carol Gardener, 53, had been walking past the three-star Hotel Globales Cortijo Blanco in Marbella, southern Spain, when she was injured by the blast, staff members said.

She was taken to the nearby Costa del Sol Hospital, but was later transferred to a hospital in Malaga.

A hospital spokeswoman said: "The woman was admitted to hospital in a very serious condition and was put on artificial ventilation. She is suffering from burns and is badly injured."

witchhunt against British or foreign drivers.If non-resident offenders can't pay the fine, we immobilise their car until the fine is paid

photos of foreign-plated vehicles are sent by coded Wi-Fi to the laptop of the nearest police patrol car as well as the traffic HQ.
The ingenious scheme gives officers the opportunity to chase down offenders who live outside of Spain - and immobilise their vehicle unless they pay fines of up to £500 there and then.
The devices have been fitted on existing speed cameras in four locations where holidaymakers account for up to half of the speeding drivers.
Two of the cameras are on motorways in the provinces of Alicante and Murcia, both popular with British tourists.
Thousands of expats in these areas who live in Spain but drive UK-plated cars not registered on the national police computer also face new controls under the system.
The extension of the system to other areas favopured by the British like the Costa del Sol has not been ruled out.
A spokesman for the Direccion General de Trafico, Spain's equivalent of the DVLA, said: 'Up to half the speeding motorists in some of the areas where this new system is operating drive foreign-plated vehicles.
'Excess speed is a contributing factor in a third of all fatal accidents so lives may be saved with these new measures.
'This is not a witchhunt against British or foreign drivers. Nor are we targeting specific nationalities.'
'Negotiations are taking place at EU level to try to introduce a system whereby people who drink-drive or speed are punished wherever in Europe they commit their offence.
'But at the moment, except in rare circumstances, non-residents caught speeding on fixed speed cameras never receive their fines because we've nowhere to send them.
'It's a problem across the EU, not just in Spain.'
Tailgating motorists and those whose cars have cracked or broken number plates are also identified through the newly-adopted scheme.
Fines range from 100 euros (£83) to 600 euros (£500).
Civil Guard traffic officer Ricardo Laoz said: 'If non-resident offenders can't pay the fine, we immobilise their car until the fine is paid although that doesn't preclude an appeal.'
Colleague Samuel Santana added: 'Foreigners pay without any problem once they've seen the photo that's been taken and realise it's them.'



Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1304389/Spanish-crack-speeding-British-drivers-spot-fines.html#ixzz0xd5twRPK

News….For all you Blues &; Jazz Fans out there

News….For all you Blues &; Jazz Fans out there, you all want to know where you can find Gilly Jaxson and her blues band…
Black Coffee…Every Saturday in August,
‘Blues Supper Club’ …. AT PAN Y MERMELADA
This is our regular residence at Pan y Mermelada, show starts at 22.00: Reservations call: 952 82 93 08 - 617 85 53 63
Book a table for Dinner or Drinks.
Every Saturday in August,
‘Blues Supper Club’ …. AT PAN Y MERMELADA
This is our regular residence at Pan y Mermelada, show starts at 22.00: Reservations call: 952 82 93 08 - 617 85 53 63
Book a table for Dinner or Drinks.

Spain Banks Tap ECB Funding Heavily in July - ABC News

Spain Banks Tap ECB Funding Heavily in July - ABC News: "funding got tougher for Spanish banks in July, Bank of Spain data showed, though conditions were said to have improved after health checks on the country's lenders were published on July 23.
The country's banks borrowed 140 billion euros ($180 billion) from the European Central Bank in July, up from 136 billion in June, the data published on Friday showed.
Taking off the amount banks then redeposited at the ECB, the total borrowed was 130 billion, up from 126 billion euros, just under a third of the overall amount lent by the ECB.
Spanish banks had tapped the facility for 90 billion euros in April before interbank markets gummed up on fears other euro zone periphery countries could face debt crises along the lines of Greece."

AFP: Travel firm collapse strands 1,200 in Spain

AFP: Travel firm collapse strands 1,200 in Spain: "1,000 British holidaymakers were facing a difficult journey home from Spain after travel company Sun4u collapsed on Friday.
The firm is believed to have been a victim of the Icelandic volcanic ash cloud crisis which shut down British airspace earlier this year.
British travel organisation ABTA said most Sun4u customers should be able to continue with their holidays as planned.
But it warned people who simply booked flights through Sun4u might have trouble getting back from Spain.
A spokesman said: 'There are approximately 1,200 people away at the moment and most of them are in Spain.
'Anyone who has booked a package holiday must contact the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) or contact the supplier named on their invoice.'
The collapse of Sun4U follows the recent failure of tour operator Goldtrail Holidays, affecting 16,000 customers on holidays to Greece and Turkey."

Forest Blaze Leaves Two Firefighters Dead In Northwest Spain

Forest Blaze Leaves Two Firefighters Dead In Northwest Spain: "Two firefighters have been killed while battling a raging forest fire in Spain's northwestern Galicia region, said officials and local news reports on Friday.

According to the regional Government of Galicia, the forest fire broke out on Thursday night near the town of Fornelos de Montes in Pontevedra province."

Spain's unemployment rate rose to a 13-year high of 20.09 percent

Spain's unemployment rate rose to a 13-year high of 20.09 percent in the second quarter, the government said Friday, as the job market lagged behind an economy that has barely managed to break out of recession.

Though the rate increased from 20.05 percent in the first three months of the year, the National Statistics Institute said the number of people working actually increased, due in part to companies gearing up for the summer tourism season.

Still, the overall unemployment rate rose to its highest level since 1997 because of a large increase in the work force.

Spain crawled out of recession in the first quarter of this year after nearly two years of economic contraction and has been a focus of concern in recent months, as investors fretted that its bloated deficit and troubled banking sector could necessitate a Greek-style bailout.

The government has imposed an austerity program of euro15 billion in spending cuts but warned this will slow down the country's recovery.