Briton arrested for drug smuggling at Málaga Airport

Briton arrested for drug smuggling at Málaga Airport: "The Civil Guard have released details of the latest drug smuggling arrest at Málaga Airport, a 31 year old man who is named as D.J.R., who was caught trying to bring 4 kilos of cocaine into the country.

He is understood from El Mundo to have been born in Málaga, but holds a British passport.

He was pulled over for searching last Wednesday evening after landing on a flight from Bogotá via Madrid when the x-ray machine showed up suspicious items in his luggage.

The first package of cocaine was discovered in a false bottom built into his laptop computer. Further searching revealed another eight packages hidden in his luggage, with a total weight of 3,992.4 grams."

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Marbella municipal lawyer implicates Juan Antonio Roca in real estate dealss

Marbella municipal lawyer implicates Juan Antonio Roca in real estate dealss: "The lawyer for the Marbella municipal company, Planeamientos 2000, María Castañón, was giving evidence in the Malaya corruption case in Málaga Provincial Court on Monday.

She was the first witness to declare in the case, and directly incriminated Juan Antonio Roca in the negotiation of real estate deals in Marbella. She said he took part in the talks during the years the PGOU was being revised, as well as meeting with some of the promoters."

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Spain: Smoking Ban Faces a Rebellion as Bars Flout the Law - TIME

Spain: Smoking Ban Faces a Rebellion as Bars Flout the Law - TIME: "Fernando Tejedor never considered himself a rebel. For the past several years, he has quietly run the Bar Restaurante Spirit in Castellón, and never had the slightest interest in politics. But just days after Spain's new antismoking law went into effect on Jan. 1, Tejedor, 43, has been catapulted to the head of a burgeoning movement. Pasting signs in his restaurant window, he has declared war: Smoking permitted.

On New Year's Day, Spain finally relinquished its status as one of Europe's last refuges for the smoker. A 2006 law had banned smoking in the workplace and required the creation of no-smoking sections in larger restaurants and bars, but because of ample loopholes and lax enforcement, it was largely ineffective. In fact, in the first three years of the law's existence, smoking among Spaniards actually increased 6.7%."

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Doping suspect in Spain's Greyhound probe found hanged | Reuters

Doping suspect in Spain's Greyhound probe found hanged | Reuters: "Alberto Leon, a suspect in Spain's Operation Greyhound probe into doping in sport, was found hanged on Monday at the home of a family member outside Madrid, Spanish police said on Tuesday.

The 37-year-old former mountain bike competitor was also implicated in the 2006 Operation Puerto investigation into doping in cycling which is still on-going.

Police were treating the death, in San Lorenzo de El Escorial, as a suicide and confirmed media reports that Leon had been suffering from marital problems."

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Police arrest suspected top computer programmer for ETA - CNN.com

Police arrest suspected top computer programmer for ETA - CNN.com: "Police arrested a suspected top computer programmer for the Basque separatist group ETA in France Tuesday, the Spanish Interior Ministry said.
The arrest comes a day after the separatist group's latest cease-fire announcement. Despite the group's declaration of a permanent general and verifiable cease-fire, police will not stop pressuring ETA, the Interior Ministry said.
The programmer is accused of playing a key role in the group's logistics by designing the computer codes that operatives used to secretly communicate, the ministry said.
Police have been on the trail of the programmer for months, the ministry said. And authorities in Spain arrested the programmer's girlfriend, also suspected of aiding ETA, according to the ministry."

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Analysis: EU hands tied ahead of Battle of Spain | Reuters

Analysis: EU hands tied ahead of Battle of Spain | Reuters: "In the euro zone's simmering debt crisis, the Battle of Spain will likely be decisive in 2011.

But the European Union is preparing to fight it with one hand tied behind its back because Germany is blocking any financial lifeline for a country until it is actually drowning.

Astonishingly ,  China pledged last week to buy Spanish government bonds, is doing more to help Madrid than Berlin.

After Greece and Ireland received EU-IMF bailouts last year to cope with their swollen public debts and deficits, Portugal is everyone's next candidate for a rescue despite efforts to put its public finances in order."

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Matadors and fans outraged as Spanish state TV bans live bullfights | World news | The Guardian

Matadors and fans outraged as Spanish state TV bans live bullfights | World news | The Guardian: "Spain's state broadcaster, TVE, has banned live bullfighting from its schedule, angering matadors and bullfighting fans who are already smarting over a ban in the eastern region of Catalonia.

The broadcaster has decided bullfighting contravenes its code of conduct for programmes before Spain's 10pm watershed hour, when children are no longer expected to be in front of the television.

Most bullfights start at 6pm or 7pm, and the TVE director general, Alberto Oliart, said that meant they fall into children's viewing hours – when violence to animals cannot be shown."

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Bullfighting is violent? Who knew? | Off the Bench

is-violent-who-knew/">Bullfighting is violent? Who knew? | Off the Bench: "The country of Spain has decided to join the rest of the world (well, most of it) in the 21st century, as its National broadcaster has banned the controversial “sport” of bullfighting from the majestic country’s airwaves, specifically in an attempt to safeguard the children against viewing violence (Maude Flanders would be so pleased). While the halt comes a little too late for Julio Aparicio, it’s good news for the rest of us made more-than-a-little uneasy by the public and systematic ritual of animal sacrifice that the defenders of Spain’s traditions so glowingly adore"

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Marbella is one of the region’s most indebted towns.

Marbella is one of the region’s most indebted towns. The present local authority inherited a municipal debt that ran into the hundreds of millions of euros. Due to alleged corruption of previous administrations, Marbella did not reap all the potential financial benefits of the property boom. Yet the town’s Mayor, Ángeles Muñoz, announced in September last year that tax rises were not inevitable. In fact, the town hall confirmed it will freeze resident taxes this year and increase by thirty per cent investment in social welfare policies.
Ángeles Muñoz believes “that Marbella has changed a situation of absolutely abnormality in recent years to a situation that is the benchmark of normality and an example of good management.”
Óscar Fernández, Councillor and Secretary of the Municipal Socialist Group in the town hall recognises that the debt is one of the biggest issues facing Marbella. “Just like a business, to achieve debt reduction we need to reduce costs and increase revenue.” At a time of economic slowdown this is clearly a challenge, but Óscar believes it can be achieved through increasing the effectiveness of tax collection, so everyone pays their share of the community’s expenditure, and by reducing costs by “systematically analysing all the costs of the town hall and eliminating, simplifying and reducing all that is possible.”:Text may be subject to copyright.This blog does not claim copyright to any such text. Copyright remains with the original copyright holder.

Cheeky Girl cautioned for shoplifting supermarket groceries | News | NME.COM

Cheeky Girl cautioned for shoplifting supermarket groceries | News | NME.COM: "The Cheeky Girls' Gabriela Irimia has received a police caution for shoplifting supermarket groceries.

The singer was detained by security staff at a Sainsbury's store in Wilmslow, Cheshire yesterday (January 7) before attending a local police station, reports the Manchester Evening News.

It is believed the Cheeky Girl was caught with a large bottle of water, a salad and skin moisturiser.

According to the newspaper, Irimia claims she felt unwell while queuing with the groceries and stepped outside, where she was stopped by a security guard.

Although she was not arrested, she attended a local police station, where she was interviewed and received a caution for theft."

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Argentine pilots arrested in Spain for smuggling cocaine - Telegraph

Argentine pilots arrested in Spain for smuggling cocaine - Telegraph: "two men, both pilots, were named as Gustavo Julia, a main shareholder in the company Medical Jet, and Gaston Miret, his co-pilot.
Julia is the son of retired Brigadier Jose Julia who was head of Argentina's air force from 1989 to 1993, when Carlos Menem was president.
Jose Julia, who died four years ago, was questioned by the anti-mafia commission of Argentina's lower house of parliament in 1998 'for his suspected link with one of the biggest criminals in Argentina, Alfredo Yabran,' according to a report in Spanish newspaper El Pais.
Spanish police arrested the men after the aircraft landed at Barcelona's El Prat airport."

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Racy Catholic Calendar Angers Spain Church Leaders : NPR

Racy Catholic Calendar Angers Spain Church Leaders : NPR: "Seeking to raise money for their Roman Catholic youth group on the Spanish tourist destination island of Mallorca, members came up with a risque idea: Pose nearly nude for a calendar recreating scenes from the Passion of Christ.

The group has almost sold out of the 10-euro ($13) calendars for 2011 and is considering another print run because of high demand. But Mallorca's Bishop Jesus Murgui is blasting the effort as showing disrespect for the most important Catholic holiday.

'The calendar trivializes Easter,' the Bishop's office said"

Winners step forward in Spain's 'El Nino' lottery during time of recession - Winnipeg Free Press

Winners step forward in Spain's 'El Nino' lottery during time of recession - Winnipeg Free Press: "Spain's second most important lottery is dishing out €840 million ($1.1 billion) in new year joy across a country struggling to emerge from recession.
The top prize of €120 million ($158 million) in the draw known as the as 'El Nino' (The Child) was distributed Thursday among people holding tickets with the number 70013. The rest of the money goes to winners of smaller prizes in the lottery.
It is held each Jan. 6, the Feast of the Epiphany, a national holiday in Spain. The lottery's name is a reference to the baby Jesus."

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reports in the press the bodies of two people have been discovered in a house in Ronda.

 reports in the press the bodies of two people have been discovered in a house in Ronda.

It is understood from the reports that it is thought an a faulty wood stove in the home could be responsible for the deaths.

It is reported that emergency services were called to the home located in Calle Chica in the town at 22.55 yesterday.

According to the reports the emergency services has to ventilate the property"

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Spain's most indebted town: 1,700 euros per inhabitant

Spain's most indebted town: 1,700 euros per inhabitant: "Authorities in the Spanish town of Teruel wanted to re-pave the streets, lure tourists and develop new technologies. Instead, they dug one of the country's deepest debt holes.

Lying 300 kilometres (190 miles) east of Madrid, Teruel's debt is equal to 1,700 euros (2,200 dollars) for each inhabitant.

'In Teruel, like other Spanish towns, we have lived well beyond our real means for the past 20 years,' confessed mayor Manuel Blasco of the conservative Popular Party. He replaced Miguel Ferror, a representative of a coalition between the Aragonese Party and Socialist Party, who unexpectedly resigned in November."

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Spanish smokers rebel against new year ban

Spanish smokers rebel against new year ban: "Spain's new year anti-smoking law has been encountering resistance, with hundreds of complaints by the public that it is being flouted.

The owner of a bowling alley in the western town of Montehermoso had 16 stitches in his forehead after a fight broke out on Sunday evening.

Three customers were also hurt in the fracas, which began when the owner asked a customer to stub out.

Elsewhere, police detained a man for lighting up on hospital premises."

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Spain's service sector shrinks, consumers lose heart | Reuters

Spain's service sector shrinks, consumers lose heart | Reuters: "Spain's key services sector --
more than 60 percent of the economy -- shrank at its fastest
pace in a year in December when consumer sentiment slid anew,
overshadowing an above-expectation rise in industrial output.
Since Spain's property bubble burst in 2008 unemployment has
soared and increasingly gloomy consumers have abandoned the high
streets and restaurants, hitting the key services sector and
reinforcing worries over the economy's ability to recovery.
'The headline PMI is consistent with stagnant growth. Our
view remains that Spain will fall back into recession this year
and, even if it doesn't, growth will be worse than government
forecasts,' Capital Economics economist Ben May said.
The euro zone debt crisis, which gained pace in November
after Ireland was forced to seek an EU/IMF backed bailout, has
stunted a recovery in the blocs' peripheral countries and
highlighted their disparity with the core economies.


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Pope Benedict Blesses Anti-Gay Marriage Mass In Spain | On Top Magazine :: Gay & Lesbian News, Entertainment, Commentary & Travel

Pope Benedict Blesses Anti-Gay Marriage Mass In Spain | On Top Magazine :: Gay & Lesbian News, Entertainment, Commentary & Travel: "Pope Benedict XVI blessed an anti-gay marriage mass held Sunday in Madrid, Spain, Clarin.com reported.
Ten of thousands of people lined the city's downtown Plaza de Colon square to celebrate the mass conducted by Cardinal Atonio Ruoco Varela, the archbishop of Madrid.
Ruoco Varela attacked the reforms of the socialist government, which include gay marriage, fast-track divorce and easier access to abortions.
He talked about the truth of marriage, a veiled reference to the country's 5 year old gay marriage law.
“Anytime you deny the truth of marriage and family, in theory or practice, the negative consequences will come forward rapidly,” he said."

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Chinese vice premier visits Spain - Bloomberg

Chinese vice premier visits Spain - Bloomberg: "Spain says it hopes to sign several important business accords during a three-day visit by China's vice premier.

Li Keqiang is to arrive Tuesday and meet with Finance Minister Elena Salgado and Industry Minister Miguel Sebastian later in the day.

Full details of Li's schedule have not been made available, but he is due to meet King Juan Carlos and Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero on Wednesday and also have breakfast with Spanish and Chinese business representatives.

The Foreign Ministry says agreements regarding banking, energy, transport and telecommunications will be signed during the visit."

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Man dies in Malaga home blaze | Costa del Sol | News | The Largest English Language Newspapers in Spain

Euro Weekly News | Man dies in Malaga home blaze | Costa del Sol | News | The Largest English Language Newspapers in Spain: "51-YEAR-OLD man was found dead after a fire broke out in his home in La Luz district of Malaga. Neighbours called the firemen when they saw smoke coming from the house. The door was broken down and the fire, which apparently started in the lounge, was extinguished within minutes.

The victim was found in the corridor and it appears he was attempting to escape but was overcome by the smoke. The rest of the building was not evacuated."

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