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.

price of packaged holidays have bee reduced by up to 34 percent

price of packaged holidays have bee reduced by up to 34 percent compared to 2009 due to a fall in demand. The news may come as a surprise to many as the total number of Brits travelling abroad for holidays this summer is set to rise.

Marbella City Council is said to have seized €600,000 worth of goods last year that were destined to be sold by unregistered street traders.

Marbella City Council has launched a campaign to crackdown on illegal street traders that are said to be damaging the livelihoods of legitimate street traders and cluttering popular tourist coastal areas.

The city council is seeking the support of regional councils to help them to clean up the streets and clamp down on illegal traders. The council is said to have seized €600,000 worth of goods last year that were destined to be sold by unregistered street traders.

The mayor stated that his government team "maintains an attitude of zero tolerance to such situations, which are always increased in the summer.”

The council fears that the illegal traders are having a negative effect on the legitimate businesses operating in the Marbella and are selling below par goods to tourists. Many of the products on offer by illegal streets traders are said to be counterfeit so anyone buying from them does so that their own risk.

Marbella is the municipality with the greatest legal security of the coast

Marbella is experiencing a renewal after its property scandals, according to the new urban planning and development squad in the province of Malaga. Law is king and so is a promise to make Marbella an economic magnet for all the right reasons.

KSD: Councillor, up to now, the Costa del Sol has been perceived in the United Kingdom as a paradise for the rich and, after the urban development scandals of recent years, a refuge for speculators. Recent administrative and judicial actions, however, have improved its image and showcase the region as attractive to residential and commercial investment. Can you offer some examples of how this is the case and what it offers British investors?

D. Pablo Moro: The renewal is due to the existence of a group of democratic governments, already belonging to an established party represented across Spain.
This group has favoured, together with the individual autonomous local governments, the approval of a new plan of urban development.
A development that bases its premise on a model city that gives priority to land use for sustainability, improved environmental conditions, transport and energy efficiency. There is also a focus on the adaption of buildings and services to that new city model.
But in order to complete a city with such high standards of excellence for a city that is the tourist capital of the Costa del Sol, the plan proposes a qualified improvement of existing urbanisations (residential building developments) and the installations and infrastructures demanded of tourism and hotels. On the other hand, the new general plan incorporates to the new building process that will work towards a better economic structure for the municipality, incorporating besides the traditional uses, activities related to new information and communication technologies.
Last, but not least, the new city plans a group of zones destined to lend services to the community in all areas: cultural, sanitary, sports, social, institutional, etc.
As a result, over the next eight years, Marbella will become the best place to live and in the best place to install profitable economic activity.

KSD: From Marbella’s City Hall, it has been said that the new General Plan for Urban Planning gives legal and urban security in order to attract capital and re-launch the city.
How can this regulation stop a repeat of the excesses of previous years, like building without licenses?
D. Pablo Moro: The new municipal corporation maintains a scrupulous compliance with the law.
United to having clearly defined urban development activities and final approval of the general plan with caution and control, it will be absolutely impossible to carry out construction activities outside the law.
These days, Marbella is the municipality with the greatest legal security of the coast because it has general planning approved and adapted to its urban and development legislation at the start of any project.

Spain’s inflation rate rose in July to the highest in almost two years as an increase in sales tax came into effect.

Spain’s inflation rate rose in July to the highest in almost two years as an increase in sales tax came into effect.

Consumer prices based on a European Union measure rose 1.9 percent from a year earlier after a 1.5 percent increase in June, the Madrid-based National Statistics Institute said in a statement today. That is the fastest rate since November 2008. A Bloomberg News survey of 14 economists gave a median forecast of a 1.7 percent increase.

Spain, emerging from an almost two-year recession with the third-largest budget deficit in the euro region, has stepped up austerity measures in a move the government says may undermine the recovery. The main rate of value-added tax was increased to 18 percent from 16 percent on July 1, just as retailers were offering discounts of as much as 70 percent to attract shoppers to seasonal sales.

“Some price increases already happened in May and June but the largest bit will be in July,” said Giada Giani, an economist at Citigroup Global Markets in London. “Without the VAT hike, I’d expect inflation to remain very low.”

Deputy Finance Minister Carlos Ocana forecast in March that about 50 percent of the VAT increase would be passed on to consumers, with companies absorbing the rest. Inditex SA, the owner of Zara, said it wouldn’t pass on the increase.

Spain’s economy came out of the recession in the first quarter, even as unemployment rose to 20 percent. Investors’ concern about a deficit of 11.2 percent of gross domestic product last year led to a surge in Spain’s borrowing costs. The government responded by approving a 5 percent reduction in civil servants’ wages in May and was forced to cut its 2011 growth forecast to 1.3 percent from 1.8 percent as a result of the austerity measures.

Benalmadena, John O’Neill (40) died at about 3am local time from gunshot wounds

John O’Neill (40) was described by his neighbours in Coolock as a lovely and decent person with no criminal background. Mr O’Neill, a plasterer, had travelled to Spain with his partner, three-year-old boy and nine-month-old girl.

He died at about 3am local time from gunshot wounds shortly after he was involved in an argument in Coco’s Bar in the holiday resort of Benalmadena.

Police were called to the bar after shots were fired by a man also believed to have been involved in the row. The man had been ejected by staff earlier and returned a short time later with a gun and opened fire, fatally wounding the Irishman.

Mr O’Neill’s partner was with him in the bar at the time the fight broke out, but was uninjured in the gun attack.

Mr O’Neill died minutes later on the footpath a short distance from the bar, which is one of the most popular local night spots for ex-pats and tourists.

Police in Benalmadena say they did not think the killing was related to a recent spate of gangland-style attacks in the area.

The initial indications were that Mr O’Neill died “as a result of a row that went too far” although “all lines of investigation were being pursued at present,” Chief Insp Pedro Parrilla said.

Spanish police investigating the fatal shooting have refused to confirm media reports that a British man had been taken in for questioning over the killing.

Mr O’Neill’s parents were said to be in a state of shock yesterday. Neighbours could be seen calling to Mr O’Neill’s parents’ home on Bunratty Drive in Coolock yesterday.

Mr O’Neill had moved around the corner from his parents to a house on Adare Road.

Neighbours said they were very sad to hear of the death of the man who was well-regarded locally.

He was “the best person I have known”, one of his next-door neighbours said.

The elderly woman described him as “a good friend”, who was “decent and respectable. We all loved him,” the woman, who was visibly upset, added.

A local man blessed himself as he drove by the red-brick house overlooking Stardust Memorial Park.

“You couldn’t meet a nicer fellow,” said neighbour Mick Malone, who had watched him grow up on the road. “He was never in trouble as far as I know,” Mr Malone added.

“He was a lovely person,” said Andrew Moffett, a childhood friend who grew up on the same road. “He was never involved in any trouble and was very harmless,” he said.

“He was a complete nice chap and was never involved in anything or in trouble with the police,” neighbour Jack Boyd said.

The Department of Foreign Affairs said it is liaising with the Spanish authorities and is providing consular assistance to Mr O’Neill’s family.

It is also expected a postmortem examination on Mr O’Neill will be carried out in Spain.

Michelle Obama and her daughter will spend a private, mother-daughter trip

Michelle Obama and her daughter will spend a private, mother-daughter trip with longtime family friends at the Hotel Villa Padierna, a five-star luxury resort ranked among the top 30 best hotels in the world by Expedia.