10,000 Euro fine for those found working while claiming unemployment pay in Spain

The Government on Friday approved in cabinet its new measures against the submerged economy. Under the plan employers will have until July 31 to regularise their employees without any fines being imposed. Despite the fact that the company will only pay the social security quotas from the moment the worker in affiliated, the Government has said it is ‘not an amnesty’.

After July 31, sanctions imposed will be imposed on businesses between 1.6 and 5 times higher than before, and any worker found working in the submerged economy while collecting unemployment pay will be fined a minimum of 10,000 €.

Companies are unhappy as they now have extra responsibilities regarding contraction of workers and some have criticised that they will have to act like work inspectors.

Minister for Employment, Valeriano Gómez, said that the reform is designed 'thinking of the future'.

Also approved in cabinet today, a stability program and reforms which will presented to the European Commission at the end of the month.

 

First train arrives in Málaga for the new metro system

The first train for Málaga’s new metro system arrived in the capital of the Costa del Sol this Thursday, ahead of test runs on the line this summer once the electrical installations are in place.

Diario Sur reports that it was brought there from the CAF Santana factory in Linares, Jaén province, the company which is contracted to build the 14 trains which will run on the metro.

The Málaga metro system will have a total length of 13.5 kilometres, with 20 stations along the route. It’s planned to be in service before the end of the year.

 

Weak jobs and retail data together with rising inflation on Friday undermined Spain's efforts to revive a stagnant economy already beset by rampant unemployment, high prices and depressed consumer sentiment.

Weak jobs and retail data together with rising inflation on Friday undermined Spain's efforts to revive a stagnant economy already beset by rampant unemployment, high prices and depressed consumer sentiment.

Unemployment, which is more than double the European Union average, rose to 21.3 percent, or 4.9 million people, in the first quarter from 20.3 percent a quarter earlier, the National Statistics Institute (INE) said.

The government says unemployment will end the year at an average of 19.8 percent as a return to economic growth begins to create net jobs in the second half of 2010, but the Bank of Spain is less optimistic, seeing the rate at over 20 percent into next year.

"Hopefully this marks the peak of unemployment. I don't think the situation will improve dramatically in the next few quarters but it should at least stabilise," economist at Unicredit Tullia Bucco said.

The unemployment rate rose as the active workforce shrunk to 18.2 million, down 1.3 percent from a year earlier.

Spain's economy tipped into recession mid-2008 after a burst property bubble hit domestic demand and sent the key construction and services sectors tumbling and prompting mass layoffs, more than doubling the number of people out of work.

Despite emerging from recession at the start of 2010, the fallout from the collapsed building industry and persistent consumer caution has left the economy near stagnant, and it is likely to remain depressed due to a continuing credit crunch.

March retail sales fell 8.6 percent year-on-year on a calendar-adjusted basis in March, after an adjusted fall of 4.3 percent in February, official data showed, the sharpest decline since February 2009 and the ninth consecutive month of falls.

Spain cracks down on black economy, pledges heavy sanctions for companies with illegal workers

Spain is giving companies three months to put their workers fully on the books under a new bill aimed at eradicating a black economy that account for up to 20 per cent of the economically ailing country's GDP.
Labor Minister Valeriano Gomez said Thursday that after this period heavier sanctions will be imposed and workplace inspections increased.
Gomez told Spanish National Television the decree would be passed Friday.
The bill aims to boost state coffers as Spain struggles to emerge from nearly two years of recession with a bloated deficit and a European Union-high unemployment rate of 20 per cent.
Many small and medium-sized companies have workers whom they pay fully or partially under the counter to skirt tax and social security obligations.

 

Police in Paris have arrested 60 suspected illegal migrants, most of them Tunisians

Police in Paris have arrested 60 suspected illegal migrants, most of them Tunisians, as France pushes for tighter border controls.

The suspects, who include some Egyptians, Libyans and Algerians, were arrested for "breaking the residency laws", a police source said.

Unrest in the Arab world has generated a wave of migrants to Europe.

France, part of the EU border-free Schengen zone, is seeking to re-impose internal frontier controls.

No other details were given of the arrests, reported by France's AFP news agency.

France is seen as a likely destination for migrants from Tunisia because many of them speak the French language.

On Tuesday, French President Nicolas Sarkozy and Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi called for the Schengen treaty to be revised.

Italy has angered France by granting visas to thousands of migrants, allowing them to travel across the Schengen zone.

About 25,000 migrants have arrived by boat in southern Italy so far this year.

Royal Family attend Easter Mass in Palma

The absence of the King was the most commented part of the Spanish Royal Family’s visit to the ‘Misa de Pascua’ Easter Sunday service in Palma Cathedral.

Don Juan Carlos remained in his office in the Zarzuela Palace preparing the official visit to Spain by the Emir of Qatar and his wife who will be here between April 25 and 27.

It was left to Queen Sofía to lead the royal family this week on Palma, with several events organised by Marivent Palace. She has been joined for a time by her sister, the Princess Irene of Greece.

The Infantas Elena and Cristina were present on Sunday, at what is a traditional engagement of the Spanish Easter, along with the Prince and Princess of Asturias.

Photographers were out in force, with the Infantas Leonor and Sofía making the centre of attention.

 

Civil Guard are investigating the death of a young Spanish boy on Ibiza

The Civil Guard are investigating the death of a young Spanish boy on Ibiza, who was accidentally run over while he was riding a children’s mini moto on his family’s property in Sant Antoni de Portmany on Sunday.

The six year old was hit by a kart cross buggy driven by his mother, who failed to see that her son was in her path.

The boy was rushed to hospital in Can Misses by his father, but was pronounced dead on arrival.

another construction accident in work to build the Málaga metro system on Monday

There was another construction accident in work to build the Málaga metro system on Monday, the second in the past month.

Three workers were injured when, Diario Sur reports, a series of metallic structures used to reinforce concrete fell like a row of dominoes, hitting the three men. One worker was trapped beneath the fallen structures, which had to be lifted off by a crane on site.

It happened at around 1pm near the María Zambrano railway station in the city centre. Initial reports indicate that none of their injuries are thought to be serious.

The first accident on the Málaga metro was on March 29, in a tunnel under construction for Line 2 between the José María Martín Carpena sports pavilion and the Carrefour commercial centre. Three workers were injured, one of them seriously, when the hose from a concrete pump exploded.

The National Police have asked for help from the public in finding some of Spain’s most wanted, both Spaniards and foreigners, by showing their faces in a video placed on the police’s Youtube channel.

The National Police have asked for help from the public in finding some of Spain’s most wanted, both Spaniards and foreigners, by showing their faces in a video placed on the police’s Youtube channel.

It includes those wanted for murder, torture, drug trafficking, theft, fraud and other crimes.

Using the music from Dexter as backing the video mentions the Briton, Daren Michael Elarmo, wanted for kidnapping and sexual abuse of children and thought to be living in Spain.

Also Christopher Guest More from Manchester and wanted for murder.

British youth in new case of 'balconing' on the Baleares

19 year old British youth, who jumped from a fourth floor balcony of a hotel in Palma de Mallorca in an attempt to reach the swimming pool, has become the first victim of ‘balconing’ of the season on the Baleares. It happened at 0.55am in the early hours of Sunday.

The man is now in the Son Espases hospital with a broken forearm and suffering from abdominal pains. He is undergoing a series of tests to determine the seriousness of his injuries.

Que.es reports that sources at the hotel say that the youth was very drunk, and that he had been taken to his apartment by the Guardia Civil after causing a disturbance in the street. Once in his room the youth fell from the balcony for reasons which are unclear.
He was reported to still be conscious when the emergency services arrived at 0055am.

Last year there were some 20 youngsters, all of them foreigners, who took part in the practice of ‘balconing’ on the Baleares.

 

The emir of Qatar arrived in Madrid on Monday on a visit to boost economic ties between the oil-rich Gulf state and Spain,

The emir of Qatar arrived in Madrid on Monday on a visit to boost economic ties between the oil-rich Gulf state and Spain, which is seeking new investments to shore up its battered economy.
Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani and his wife, Sheikha Mozah bint Nasser Al Missned, lunched with King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia at the royal palace of Zarazuela outside Madrid following their arrival.
On Tuesday, he is to hold talks over lunch with Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, after which several agreements will be signed, Spanish media reported.
The three-day visit follows a trip to the tiny Gulf state by Zapatero in March during which he received pledges of some 3.0 billion euros ($4.4 billion) in investments, some of which would go to Spain's ailing savings banks.
Days later, Spanish power giant Iberdrola said that Qatari investment fund Qatar Holding would buy a 6.16 percent stake in the group for 2.2 billion euros.
Spain is also interested in investment opportunities for its construction companies raised by Qatar's successful bid to host the 2022 World Cup, the business daily Cinco Dias reported.
Spain is battling to rein in its massive public deficit and convince nervous markets that it will not require an international bailout similar to that requested by neighbour Portugal this month and granted to Greece and Ireland last year.

Fuengirola, Wife's agony as father-of-two dies swimming

FATHER of two has died after he was swept out to sea while swimming on holiday in Spain.
Colin McLean, 42, had been playing with his eight-year-old son Fraser in the sea near Fuengirola, Malaga, shortly before he got into difficulties.

He shouted for help and is understood to have been pulled from the water by a police officer who tried to revive him as his wife Jenny sat by his side but he could not be saved.

Mrs McLean flew back to Edinburgh this week with Fraser and the couple's five-year-old daughter Olivia following the tragedy on Monday.

They had been staying with friends at the family's holiday flat near Fuengirola since last Wednesday, and her husband, a project manager with the Port Of Leith Housing Association, flew out on Saturday to join them.

Mrs McLean said: "We went to the beach. It wasn't choppy. There was no flag up - no flag up at all.

"Fraser and Colin were playing in the waves and basically, Fraser just came out and all of a sudden we couldn't see Colin.

"The next minute he was way out at sea. We were shouting and screaming to get help and eventually, as far as I'm aware, a policeman stripped and went in and got him.

"Paramedics worked on Colin for about 45 minutes to an hour but there was absolutely nothing - and I sat with him all the time."

The family, who live in Corstorphine, are staying with relatives as they try to come to terms with their loss.

Mrs McLean added: "Colin was so strong I can not even begin to think how or why it happened, or what happened - whether it was an undercurrent that just took him away - I don't know.

"Fraser doesn't know what to do. Colin did everything with him. Took him to rugby, to play golf, everything.

"He was the best dad in the world.

"Colin meant everything to me. He was my friend. I just don't know what I'm going to do without him.

"His mum and dad and sister are just devastated, but have been brilliant, helping us to get through this."

 

Spanish gym offers naked workouts

A gym in Spain has come up with an eye-catching way of battling the recession.
Easy Gym in the Basque region has begun offering naked workouts, for nudists.
The gym's owners say amid the global financial recession they'd noticed a drop off in membership and the move is aimed at simply increasing gym numbers.
A poll of the group's members showed 90% support for a facility offering the full range of nude workouts.
However sceptics suggest that running full tilt in the buff might not be entirely enjoyable, thoughs saying sports underwear, was invented for a reason.

 

Spain court bans atheist march on Holy Thursday

court has barred atheists from holding a march on Holy Thursday, saying that would be offensive to Spanish Catholics who mark Easter with processions of their own.

In Wednesday's ruling, the Madrid Superior Court of Justice upheld a ban imposed last week by the Interior Ministry office for the Madrid region.

That office had argued among other things that the march planned in the Lavapies district of Madrid would pass by several Catholic churches and could trigger clashes with conservative Catholics. The court also said it is necessary to "protect the tourist image" of the city.

The Madrid Association of Atheists and Free-Thinkers, one of the march organizers, said the ban shows there is no separation of church and state in Spain, a largely Catholic country.

 

Bandit of the Sierra de Cádiz arrested by the Civil Guard

dangerous criminal who operated like a modern-day bandit from his base in the mountains of Cádiz has been arrested in an operation involving more than 70 Civil Guard and a chase which saw him jumping from a height of 3 metres into a mountain stream as he attempted to flee his pursuers.

Known as ‘El Lute’, the suspect was wanted on a warrant issued by a court in Oviedo, Asturias, and was finally brought to ground last Friday when he was tracked to his camp in an isolated area of the Sierra Margarita. He also used mountain caves as hideouts, and kept dangerous dogs on guard which were trained to alert him of anyone approaching.

The Civil Guard said the 40 year old, A.M.S.C., used a hunting shotgun to hold up hikers and local farmers and was known to have been responsible for the hold-up of a petrol station in El Bosque this January, where he used his shotgun to beat an employee before he fled.

Many of his robberies were left unreported by the victims for fear of reprisals.

Officers confiscated the shotgun and ammunition, machetes, axes, stolen livestock and other items stolen from businesses in the area. They also discovered a plantation of 23 marijuana plants at the site.

 

Two German tourists reported drowned off Gran Canaria

Two German tourists drowned on Monday morning while swimming off the beach of Amadores, in Mogán, on Gran Canaria.

EFE reports that emergency services were called out shortly before noon after the two victims, a man and a woman in their twenties, got into difficulties near the local cliffs. They were rescued by a Cruz Roja boat and a regional government helicopter and were brought to shore for treatment.

All attempts to revive them however failed.

There has been no confirmation as yet of the two victims’ identities.

Latest reports speak of a third drowning of a 17 year old in the same area.

 

So far the reaction has been very favourable, people can’t wait to get Maurice back

DJ Maurice Boland is returning to the airwaves for the first time since his close relationship with a 16-year-old girl was exposed.
 AKA ‘Mr Marbella’ is to start a regular slot on Heart FM, based in Coin, from next month.
He will take over the afternoon show from current station boss Lee Jay on May 1 on an initial three month contract.
This will follow a two hour in-depth interview in which he admits his mistake over his relationship with the teenage singer.
Last night Boland told the paper: “I am pleased to be back.”
And he added: “I have no problem discussing the issue. I will welcome any questions that people want to put to me. If someone wants to phone up and attack me I am going to ask why.”
The broadcaster, 62, had set out to help the teenager forge a musical career but their relationship had evolved and he had made a “terrible mistake.”
He helped the Sotogrande International School pupil to come runner up in local talent competition WOW and was guiding her musical career.
He has been out of the limelight for the past nine months since having his contract terminated at Talk Radio Europe (TRE), as exclusively revealed at the time by the Olive Press.
We revealed how the outraged parents had turned up at the radio station demanding to see him before he was then sacked.
The parents have since relocated with their daughter back to the UK due to the affair.
“We have no idea what the response will be from the public and everything will depend on that,” said producer Sid Olivera, who grilled him for the two-hour special, expected to be aired later this month.


“He was pretty honest but was very guarded with his answers, I am sure he will talk his way out of it on air.
“If he goes on air and is flippant it just won’t work, he’ll rub people up the wrong way. He’s going to have to admit it happened and say: ‘I’m sorry’, can we now move on?
“Either way, there is no doubt he’s sorely missed on the coast.”
Married for 40 years, with three children, Boland had worked since the 1980s in Marbella, interviewing famous people including British Prime Minister David Cameron, Cliff Richard and Jeffrey Archer.
Heart FM Station boss Lee Jay added: “So far the reaction has been very favourable, people can’t wait to get Maurice back.
“He will be putting out the same kind of show as before, which was obviously a very successful format and is the sort of thing that people want”

Málaga actor Antonio Banderas took up his normal place as the mayordomo in the procession of the Lágrimas y Favores brotherhood

Málaga actor Antonio Banderas took up his normal place as the mayordomo in the procession of the Lágrimas y Favores brotherhood in the city on Sunday. The Lágrimas y Favores was just one of eight brotherhoods on the streets of the city during Palm Sunday.

Banderas, who had the additional honour of giving the Pregón speech which opened the Easter celebrations in Málaga last week, was joined by Baroness Carmen Thyssen, with Melanie Griffith witness in the crowd. The Baroness gave the first chimes of the bell to get the procession underway beneath the Málaga sunshine.

SIX out of ten people who have registered on the census in Malaga province in the past year are foreign residents and over 65 years

old. According to data from the National Institute of Statistics, of the 14,588 people who registered on the censuses of Malaga towns in 2010, 61 per cent are foreign.

This brings the total number of foreigners registered in the province up to 321,582, 20 per cent of the total number of 1,624,145 people, which is well above the Spanish average of 12.2 per cent.
 

The group which has grown the most is the over 65 year olds, with 8,873 new registrations. On the other hand, the group between 20 and 39 has fallen.

12,000 drivers in Malaga Province should be off the road. But they continue to drive unaware they have lost all their points from their licenses,

the Spanish Traffic Department (DGT) has revealed. Meanwhile, in the whole of Spain, there are more than 5,000 who have lost their licenses at least twice, having lost their 12 points after already having to take courses to recover them.

Drivers criticize the was the DGT has managed the system, with some 400,000 people in Spain still on the roads not knowing that they have lost all their points because it takes the DGT too long to inform them of the fines, and in most cases, they didn’t know they had been fined until it’s too late to appeal.

More than 108,250 drivers who had committed serious or very serious offences have received letters telling them that their points will soon run out, but critics say a more efficient system is needed.

The penalty points system for driving licenses in Spain, where drivers start with 12 which are ‘removed’ for traffic offences, has helped to reduce the number of deaths on the roads since its inception in 2006, the DGT says.

In March 2009, three years after the instruction of the new system in Spain, it was revealed that of the province’s 100 municipalities only Fuengirola and Malaga City Local Police were able to properly enforce the penalty points system.

Since then an unspecified number of municipalities have installed the necessary software to enable Local Police to register fines with the DGT database for points removal.

41 year old man from Málaga has been killed in a shooting in Maracaibo, Venezuela

41 year old man from Málaga has been killed in a shooting in Maracaibo, Venezuela, the second person from the province to have met a violent death in South America within the past month.

The first victim was 34 year old Irene Cortés, who was shot during a robbery in Barranquilla, Colombia, on March 2.

The latest victim, named by Diario Sur as Eduardo F.G., was found badly injured lying on waste ground in the El Palotal district of Maracaibo on March 28, and died shortly after arriving at hospital.

His passport, all his other documentation and his money, had disappeared and it was only last week that he was identified after his brother contacted the Spanish Consul in Venezuela, saying he had news that his sibling ‘could have met with an accident or have had some sort of problem’.

The body in the morgue was then identified as Eduardo F.G., a father of three children who often travelled abroad for his business.

It’s understood that no arrests have as yet been made in the murder investigation which is underway in Venezuela.

terror attacks on both Ceuta and Melilla next week – Semana Santa, when Easter processions traditionally take to the streets of Spain’s North African enclaves.

There is much consternation amongst the operatives of the Spanish intelligence services as they study a message from Atahadi, an al Qaeda linked group.
The message warns of terror attacks on both Ceuta and Melilla next week – Semana Santa, when Easter processions traditionally take to the streets of Spain’s North African enclaves.

The message is addressed to Muslims living in Ceuta and Melilla and tells them the attacks will be launched in markets and other popular gathering areas. Of course whilst the processions are taking place, thousands of people are on the streets participating or watching the spectacle. Atahadi no doubt considers these to be a Christian affront on Islamic soil.

There are several elements to the message that concern the intelligence officers. Al Qaeda and Atahadi messages are usually in Arabic but this one has been posted in Spanish. Why the change?

In addition, both Spain and Morocco want to know whether the threat is a device to stir up divisions between both nations over the enclaves – which Morocco claims. Or are they a real threat? Perhaps both?

Al Qaeda includes in its message allegations that the Moroccan and Spanish secret services have been working together with the objective of promoting a Jewish-Moroccan agenda. In response, both Spain and Morocco have accused these Islamic activists of trying to destabilise relations between the two countries.

Back in November, I wrote about the potential of al Qaeda infiltrating and working with the Frente Polisario in the Western Sahara. The view of a number of think tanks and experts in both the USA and France then was this was a possibility, which would be a drastic and dangerous change in the Maghreb. 

At the time, al Qaeda was not a major force in the Maghreb. Its activities were confined to areas of Mali and Mauritania, where it has staged a number of kidnappings – perhaps because it is short of funds. Naturally, if al Qaeda were to team up with an armed force such at the Frente Polisario that limited influence would be greatly increased.

However, whilst al Qaeda is still on the sidelines it has been gaining in influence in the Maghreb in recent weeks. Al Qaeda or those sympathetic to it seem to be playing some part in the rebels fight in Libya. In addition it has been reported that Morocco has withdraw troops from the Western Sahara to bolster security at home due to the pro-democracy protests. If that is the case, then al Qaeda could certainly have slipped in to the region.

Morocco takes a very tough stance on al Qaeda related groups so it is doubtful Atahadi could stage a major attack in Ceuta and Melilla where the Guardia Civil and National Police will also be on a high state of alert. Yet it is also possible so it will be an anxious Easter week for both communities.

Even if the threats prove to be a hoax, Atahadi knows it has Spain’s intelligence service worried that it has at least one operative who writes fluent Spanish; it has achieved its objective of creating mistrust in the Christian and Muslim communities and it’s actions will be supported by those Moroccans who want a more active campaign to remove Spain from its enclaves.

Saloufest - billed as 'the biggest student festival in the world'

Thousands of British students rampaged through a Spanish seaside resort in a drunken annual festival outraging local residents.

The students were taking part in Saloufest - billed as 'the biggest student festival in the world' - in the Costa Dorada resort of Salou.

Around 5,000 18 to 23-year-olds descended on the town in north east Spain and by midnight many of them were already drunk.


Carnage: The students were taking part in Saloufest - billed as 'the biggest student festival in the world' - in the Costa Dorada resort of Salou

TV footage showed students swigging from beer bottles on the beach, dancing nude in the sea and stumbling through the streets half-naked or in fancy dress.

Undergraduates openly bragged of the drinking and sexual exploits during the festival - which includes sporting events during the day.

Daniel, a 19-year-old studying business, said: 'I’ve had 25 drinks including beer, shots and rum. This is going to be a marathon of alcohol.

'Sport? No thanks, I want parties, girls and alcohol.'


Debauched: Thousands of British students spark outrage in the Spanish seaside resort of Salou

Out drinking in his underpants having lost his Hawaiian skirt and barely able to stand, he added: 'The hotel’s the best, we play drinking games all day the new ones have to drink the most as a question of honour.'

Robbie, a 22-year-old from the University of East London, said: 'Last year I went with five girls. I’m sharing a room but I can still pull because we have a  rule: if anyone comes in with a girl, the other one pretends to be asleep so he can enjoy it as well.'

Leading Spanish daily newspaper El Mundo wrote of the students’ antics: 'Before midnight the scene was indescribable. Hundreds of students in a whirlwind that would shame any parent.'

A report on Antena 3, a national television channel, said the festival was about 'partying, drunkenness and sex'.

One male student told a reporter: 'We’re going to have a good time. We’re going to drink a lot. It’s going to be fantastic.'


And how it looks the rest of the year: Tamarit Castle in Salou

One girl said: 'We’re definitely going to be drinking, but only sensibly. We’re 20 years old and we want to have a good time.'

Police and local authorities turned a blind eye as students broke strict bylaws banning drinking in the street or being inappropriately dressed.

The laws were introduced after the drunken antics of the British students at Saloufest last year made headlines around the world.

A TV report showed two men pulling down their shorts, exposing their buttocks and their silver 'thong' underpants, and slapping each other on the bottoms.

Further footage showed four boys completely naked, during daylight hours, dancing in the sea.

At night one boy was shown being stretchered away by paramedics, another was slumped semi-conscious in the street, while a student dressed as a cave girl rolled around on the pavement.

The TV journalist said: 'Some of them barely bother to get dressed to leave their hotel.'

And a middle aged Spanish woman said. 'I’ve seen people completely naked, and I don’t see this as normal'.

Four students were treated for alcohol problems but there were no major incidents and no official complaints from neighbours, the local town hall said.

Around 5,000 students arrived in 90 coaches on Sunday for the first leg of Saloufest, which has been running since 2002.

Another 3,000 will arrive for a second leg next Sunday. They are staying in seven hotels in Salou reserved for the event, and each leg lasts four nights.

Organisers insist it is a sporting event and deny promoting drunkenness and bad behaviour. There are 22 sporting events on offer during the day for the students.

Doreen Straatman, spokeswoman for the event, insisted the students had behaved themselves on Sunday night.

And the managing director of the event, Ian Kaye, told El Mundo: 'They know how to behave with respect and to dress adequately.'

But the newspaper wrote: 'The reality is very different, and Saloufest at night oozes with the aesthetics of a stag party.'

The head of the local police in Salou, Jose Luis Gargallo, said there are an extra 15 officers on duty to patrol the event.

Salou, 70 miles south of Barcelona, is a popular family holiday resort during the summer months.

At last year’s festival a British undergraduate told police she had been raped on a beach by a fellow reveller after a private party for the students at the Pacha nightclub.

A British student was arrested and released on bail and allowed home to the UK. That judicial investigation is still ongoing.

Scores of undergraduates were also treated for alcohol poisoning at last year’s event.

E.U. Telecommunications Operators Seek to Rush Through Price Rises

The price of broadband and phone services in Europe is poised to rise as the Continent’s big operators win large rate increases from their national regulators before the implementation of a new law that gives the European Commission more influence over setting of rates.

In Germany, Italy and Spain, the former monopolies, Deutsche Telekom, Telecom Italia and Telefónica, have sought increases of as much as 25 percent over three years in the fees they charge other operators to rent access to their land line networks.

The fees, called wholesale access charges, average €6.67, or $9.63, a customer a month in Europe, according to a survey by Cullen International, a research group in Brussels. They can reach more than €10 in countries like Germany, where wholesale charges are typically passed on to consumers through higher retail prices.

Smaller operators have complained that the increases, all sought before May 25, when the European Commission gains new power to challenge national rate decisions, will further limit competition in these markets. Smaller operators typically lease part of the market leader’s land line network to deliver nationwide service.

Larger operators say the increases are needed to reflect their operating costs, and to prepare for the transition to faster fiber optic networks, which they have started building to replace the copper-based networks that make up the bulk of the European telecommunications grid.

“The net effect of these increases has been to preserve the dominance of the former monopolies,” said Vicky Hanley-Emilsson, a policy adviser with the European Competitive Telecommunications Association, a group based in Brussels that represents smaller operators.

The last-minute increases are part of a broader debate over how much Europe’s telecommunications operators will be able to charge rivals for access to new, super-fast fiber optic networks. Big operators are urging the European Commission to set the fees at a level that will ensure the profitability of the newer networks.

Brian Williamson, the director of Plum Consulting, a London firm hired by the European Telecommunications Network Operators’ Association, or ETNO, which represents Europe’s biggest operators, said operators were concerned that new pricing rules being devised in Brussels could make the new networks commercially unviable and slow their construction.

“It might be that the regulation won’t prevent any investment, but there is a question about how far the private sector will go, and that depends on the ultimate regulation and the nature of investment put in place,” Mr. Williamson said.

A slow pace of investment would hinder the European Commission’s goal of bringing broadband service with download speeds of at least 30 megabits a second to all European Union residents by 2020. Neelie Kroes, the E.U. commissioner responsible for telecommunications, is working on a plan to set fees that encourage investment while protecting small rivals. A key part of the discussion is the commission’s policy on access charges for the old copper networks during the upgrade to fiber, which is expected to take several years. Large operators say access prices to the older networks should not be aggressively lowered, or consumers will have no incentive to pay for faster fiber services.

“Driving down copper prices would discourage investment, firstly, by encouraging customers to stay on copper,” said Luigi Gambardella, the chairman of ETNO, adding that it would also have hurt fiber by distorting retail price levels for ultra-fast broadband products.

Smaller operators say the fees for copper networks, whose investment costs were recouped decades ago, remain artificially high, and recent rate increases will only give big operators less incentive to build new networks.

The Spanish regulator is proposing to raise wholesale access charges to Telefónica’s grid by 7 percent, to €8.32 a month. Carmen González, the director of a group representing small Spanish operators, said that some of her members were worried that the increase would squeeze them out of the market.

In Italy, Fastweb, a broadband operator owned by Swisscom, estimates that the Italian regulator’s decision last October to grant a 25 percent increase in access charges to Telecom Italia over the next three years would cost Fastweb €12 million a year.

Málaga brotherhood El Rico, is to pardon a Marbella drug trafficker this Easter on Holy Wednesday as part of a tradition which dates back to Carlos III in 1759.

The Málaga brotherhood El Rico, is to pardon a Marbella drug trafficker this Easter on Holy Wednesday as part of a tradition which dates back to Carlos III in 1759.

According to the story, back in 1765 there was an outbreak of cholera which killed many citizens of Málaga. Due to fear of infection, during Holy Week there were no men available to carry the statue for its yearly procession. Hearing of this, the prisoners of the county jail escaped in order to carry their Christ. All of them returned to jail voluntarily after the procession and the epidemic subsided. For this reason, the King Carlos III ordered for a prisoner to be released every Holy Wednesday from then on.

The cabinet meeting on Friday granted pardons to 17 prisoners from across the country, including A.C.D., a married man from Marbella who has two children and who was sentenced to prison for three years for small scale cocaine trafficking.

The 51 year old will now have to be hooded and lead the brotherhood’s procession through the streets of Málaga on Holy Wednesday to be granted his pardon. He’s been in jail since November 11 last year, but has a good record and has been occupying his time in jail learning French and taking part in literary forums.

Other hermandades across the country also obtained pardons from the cabinet on Friday, including brotherhoods in Salobreña, Zamora, and Teruel.

young woman has been released with charges after six people were admitted to hospital in Motril after eating a cake she had made with marijuana.

They began to feel ill while partying with other friends on the beach in Salobreña last Saturday, with symptoms including vomiting and, in some cases, loss of vision. Analyses carried out at the hospital confirmed the presence of THC in their blood, which is the main active ingredient of cannabis plant.

The woman who had made the cake was released without charges after questioning by the judge, and all six patients had been discharged from hospital by Sunday evening.

El Corte Inglés department store in Málaga has been fined for recording people walking past its building in the street,

El Corte Inglés department store in Málaga has been fined for recording people walking past its building in the street, and by nearby parked cars. Expansión newspaper says the images, by which it is easy to identify the passing people, were generally kept for seven days.

On appeal, the National Court has ratified an earlier fine issued for more than 60,000 € imposed on the company by the Spanish Data Protection Agency, considering damage had been done to those walking by. The court considered the company knew the restrictions on recording people in the street, but did nothing to stop doing so.

The case was brought before the Data Protection Agency by member of the public.

2 million Euros is the value of the fraud that the "Guardia Civil" of Castellón claims was carried out by P.A.R.M. who allegedly bought more than 1,500,000 kilos of citrus from province's farmers, but did not pay for them

2 million Euros is the value of the fraud that the "Guardia Civil" of Castellón claims was carried out by P.A.R.M. who allegedly bought more than 1,500,000 kilos of citrus from province's farmers, but did not pay for them, according to sources in Benemérita. 4 people were arrested for the fraud in  Almería.

Investigations started on the 7th of March, when several citrus producers presented a complaint to the headquarters of the "Guardia Civil" in Nules against a company in Almería. They pressed charges against the company. The "Guardia Civil" collected several complaints from farmers in Nules, Vall D'Uixó, Onda, Vila-Real, Vilavella and Burriana. The amount of fruit collected and not paid is over 1,500,000 kilos.

After the complaints, the "Guardia Civil" started "Operation Mandarin" and found out that the alleged swindlers were an organized group, with stores and warehouses rented in the capital and in the province of Almeria, so they could manipulate, take care and distribute the goods obtained with the fraud. The goods went to other provinces of Spain and abroad, being sold at a lower price.

The ranks of the unemployed grew by 167,056, or 4.01 percent during the 12 months ending March 31.

The number of Spanish citizens and legal residents out of work rose by 34,406 last month to 4.3 million, the highest level in 15 years, the Labor Ministry said Monday.

Unemployment was up last month in every sector. In absolute terms, the biggest increases were among people working in services, 14,836; and first-time job-seekers, 10,526.

The number of unemployed agricultural workers climbed by 5,698, or 4.14 percent.

Among immigrants, who now represent around 12 percent of Spain's 47 million people, unemployment increased last month by 4.31 percent compared with March 2010, to reach 642,893.

The number of new employment contracts signed last month, 1.15 million, was down by 34,424 from March 2010, and only 111,118 of the March 2011 contracts were for permanent positions.

Registration with Social Security - often used as a proxy measure of employment - climbed in March by 45,660, its first advance in eight months, but remained 1.15 percent lower than at the same date in 2010.

Spain's unemployment rate has long hovered around 20 percent, the highest in the 27-member European Union, as the Iberian nation continues to struggle under the impact of the recession and the collapse of a long-building real estate bubble.

Spain gets world's first 'contactless' bank machines

Spain's biggest savings bank, La Caixa, said Monday it has installed "contactless" automatic teller machines in three Spanish cities, making it the world's first bank to use the techology.
Instead of inserting their debt cards into a slot, customers using the machines only need to wave their debit cards next to a reader and enter their PIN code to withdraw cash or carry out other transactions.
The technology was developed by Japan's biggest IT services firm, Fujitsu.
La Caixa installed the machines in Barcelona, where it has its headquarters, in the nearby city of Sitges and on the holiday island of Mallorca, it said in a statement.
"According to technical figures, this is the fastest automatic teller machine cash withdrawal system on the market," the statement said.
The bank plans to install more "contactless" automatic teller machines across Catalonia and the Balearic Islands in the coming weeks.
The machines currently only allow cash withdrawals but the range of operations that they can carry out will be gradually extended, it added.
La Caixa has some 8,000 automatic teller machines, making it the largest cash machine network in Spain and the second largest in Europe.
La Caixa, founded more than 100 years ago, posted a 2010 recurring profit of 1.5 billion euros ($2.1 billion), an 11.9 percent drop over the previous year.

100,000 Britons registered to vote in Spain's local election

34 million people have the right to vote in the local elections which take place in Spain on May 22, including 473,574 foreign nationals from 36 countries.

New agreements have been signed with a number of South American countries, Cabo Verde, Iceland and New Zealand mean that this year is the first time that citizens from those countries will be able to vote in the municipal poll. 2011 is also the first time that Spanish émigrés will not, although they can vote in the regional elections which take place in May in 13 Spanish autonomous communities, while foreign residents cannot.

According to information released by the INE National Statistics Institute on Thursday, the Romanians are the largest block of foreign voters in the vote to collect new corporations. There are 103,355 of them on the electoral census.

British residents in Spain make up the second largest block of foreign voters: a total of 102,633 are registered to vote.

The electoral census can be consulted at local Town Halls from next Monday until April 11. The voting cards indicating where in your town you must place your vote will be sent out from April 25.

 

House prices in Spain continue to trend downwards.

House prices in Spain continue to trend downwards. Weak demand, massive oversupply of housing, record high unemployment, low consumer confidence, and a struggling economy are among the factors that prevent a full recovery from taking place.

On an annual basis, house prices were down 4.46% in February 2011, according to the valuers TINSA, or 1.92% down on the quarter, after a meagre increase of 0.01% q-o-q to November 2010. When adjusted for inflation, prices actually dropped by 7.77% during the year to February.

* House prices were down by 5.2% in large cities (y-o-y);

* House prices down by 6.7% on the Mediterranean coast;

* House prices down by just 0.8% in the Balearics and Canaries.

The Bank of Spain (BOS), which produces quarterly house price data, said that the average appraised value of houses stood at €1,825.5 per sq. m. in Q4 2010; about 0.36% lower than the previous quarter, and down by 3.53% from the same period last year.

House prices in Spain started to fall in 2008, after a decade-long property boom. Prices have fallen by about 20% from their peak in 2007, according to TINSA.

property investor has successfully had his deposit returned after a business opportunity in Spain went awry

 property investor has successfully had his deposit returned after a business opportunity in Spain went awry, thanks to international law firm Judicare.Investor Dave Connelly bought into a new Spanish development in 2008 with his then business partner, whose name was the sole one on the bank deposit guarantee. After the project stalled and his relationship with his partner dissolved, Connelly felt helpless to regain his funds, and sought advice from Judicare.

"The team at Judicare fought tirelessly on my behalf and even managed to petition the bank to alter the guarantee so it was fairly divided between my previous partner and I", says Connelly. "I'm now in possession of the cheque for my portion of the deposit."

Judicare Chairman Jose Dorta said his team had to endure some skilful negotiating to alter the conditions of the surety. "It was quite a challenge to convince the lending bank that the interests of our client would only be served in this action if they recognised his contribution to the original deposit", he said. "Through negotiating with the bank, this compromise was reached and we have managed to extract our client from the process with his original funds."