Spain sets out 8.9bn euros of new austerity measures

 Spain's new conservative government has outlined 8.9bn euros ($11.5bn, £7.5bn) in new spending cuts and tax rises to lower the country's borrowing. The announcement is the first in a wave of austerity measures, with a total of 16.5bn euros to be cut in 2012. It also said Spain's 2011 deficit will be about 8% of its output - higher than the 6% seen by the previous government. The Popular Party last month ousted the Socialists from power at elections amid deep economic gloom. The government of new Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has vowed to meet Spain's target of reducing the public deficit to 4.4% of gross domestic product in 2012, no matter what. On Friday, Deputy Prime Minister Soraya Saenz de Santamaria maintained a freeze on public sector wages for another year and ruled out practically...

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Snakes on a plane (almost) in Argentina

 Snakes on a plane (almost) in Argentina Authorities in Argentina caught a man trying to board a plane with almost 250 poisonous snakes and endangered reptil...

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Spain’s Iberia scraps 118 flights due to strike by pilots angry over planned budget affiliate

 Spanish airline Iberia canceled more than a third of its flights Thursday due to a strike by pilots fearing job losses when company planes are diverted for use by Iberia’s planned new budget carrier. Iberia said it scrapped 118 domestic and international flights but found seats on other Iberia flights or with other carriers for all the 10,000 travelers affected by the one-day strike. 0 Comments Weigh InCorrections? inShare It was the second such holiday-season walkout by the pilots. The first was on Dec. 18. Iberia, Lineas Aereas de Espana, S.A., plans to divert jetliners from money-losing domestic and medium-haul European routes for Iberia Express, which it hopes to launch early next year using lower-earning, newly hired pilots and flight attendants. The company says its plans...

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Spain King's Son-in-Law Subpoenaed in Graft Probe

 A judge subpoenaed the son-in-law of Spain's King Juan Carlos on Thursday to testify as a suspect in a corruption case, deepening a public relations nightmare for the royal family at a time of acute economic crisis for everyday people. The case surrounding Inaki Urdangarin, husband of the king's daughter Cristina, has been front-page news for weeks. But it went a big step further Thursday when Judge Jose Castro on the Mediterranean island of Mallorca named Urdangarin as a formal suspect in a criminal probe. The Balearic Islands Superior Court of Justice said in a statement that Urdangarin has been called to testify Feb. 6 in Palma, the capital of the archipelago. The one-page document did not mention allegations. But Spanish media say Urdangarin, 43, is suspected of siphoning money...

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She was the other woman in James Hewitt’s life, the blonde entrepreneur whom he two-timed with Princess Diana.

When she discovered the depth of her betrayal, Emma Stewardson was bitterly hurt. Like Diana she too had been besotted with the copper-haired cad and for long afterwards the couple traded insults. But now after two decades of rancour there has, I learn, been a remarkable rapprochement between the ex-cavalry officer and the businesswoman.After a series of private meetings — one in London and two in Spain where Hewitt now lives — the two have settled their differences. Reconciliation: James Hewitt and Emma Stewardson are now on speaking terms‘James and I are in touch,’ Emma tells me. ‘Things had been really cool between us for many years, things said in the heat of the moment. I apologised and he apologised and generally just cleared the air.’ It was while dating Emma, now 49, that Hewitt...

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The Granada builder, José Ávila Rojas, has been given a three and half year prison sentence for continued fraud

Irregularities have been proved in a Marbella development Jose Avila Rojas  The Granada builder, José Ávila Rojas, has been given a three and half year prison sentence for continued fraud. It comes after he sold three homes in a promotion in Marbella knowing that they could not be occupied as the development, despite being constructed, had not first occupancy licence. Ávila Rojas also faces charges in the Malaya case, and in this example has been ordered to return the deposit monies paid by the property buyers, an amount of about 67,000 € in each case. The sentence from the Provincial Court in Málaga shows that Ávila Rojas built the Carril del Relojero development of 64 homes, garages and shops without the correct permissions. In April 2003 Marbella was governed by the GIL party which...

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police operation has seized five top-range vehicles, 24,000 € in cash, eight sets of precision weighing scales and a pen gun with ammunitio

The Interior Ministry released news on Monday of a National Police operation, ‘Operación Pantano’, which has broken up an international network of drug traffickers and has arrested 15 suspects and seized 3.5 kilos of cocaine. Nine of the detainees are from Colombia and the remainder are Spanish. The group was mainly based in Almería province and obtained its supplies of cocaine either from Madrid or directly from Colombia. The drugs were then distributed within Almería and in the south of neighbouring Granada. The final arrests in the case were at the end of November when the network’s two main leaders were taken into custody. The police operation has also seized five top-range vehicles, 24,000 € in cash, eight sets of precision weighing scales and a pen gun with ammuniti...

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Ice Skating in Marbella

:Text may be subject to copyright.This blog does not claim copyright to any such text. Copyright remains with the original copyright holder. Ice Skating in MarbellaFrom December 15th to January 9th next year the Marbella ice skating rink is open to the public at the Palacio de Ferias y Congresos. The 800 sqm ice skating rink also includes a Christmas market, bouncy castle, trampolines, carousel and children's attractions. There is a cafeteria and free parking. *Normal opening hours are from 12:00 noon until 11:00pm (see below). Entrance is free but there is a charge of €6 to ice skate for 45 minutes which includes the rental of the skates. It is necessary to wear gloves while ice skating so remember to bring some along or you will be charged €2 to rent a pair. The attractions and rides cost...

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Delta Airlines to fly Málaga and Valencia to New York again next summer

 Delta Airlines is to restart its direct flights from Málaga to New York this summer, with five flights a week in collaboration with Air France KLM from June 2. A Boeing 757-200 will fly the route, with space for 170 passengers. A similar aircraft will fly the route from Valencia to New York, also from June 2. The frequency of the flights there will be four times a we...

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British suspect arrested in Valencia

 59 year old was wanted in the UK in connection with contraband cigarettesA suspect in handcuffs - EFE archive A British man sought by the UK in connection with smuggling cigarettes worth 8.2 million € was arrested in Valencia on Monday and is to be transferred to the National Court for the extradition process. He was arrested on a European arrest warrant and had been wanted by the UK for 10 years. All that’s known on his identity is that he is 59 years old and appears on the Crime Stoppers’ list of the UK’s most want...

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largest Apple Store in Spain is to be unveiled in Marbella this Friday

Marbella has been chosen as the location for the company's fourth store in SpainEFE archive The largest Apple Store in Spain is to be unveiled in Marbella this Friday, November 25, in the centro comercial La Cañada.It will be the company’s fourth store in Spain and, to celebrate its opening, free T-shirts will be given away to the first 1,000 visitors on inauguration day. Opening hours are 10am until 10pm, Mondays to Saturdays.Plans for expansion include another new store in Murcia, although there has been no confirmation as yet of when it is likely to open.Read more: http://www.typicallyspanish.com/news/publish/article_32758.shtml...

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Alice Walton, heiress to the Walmart supermarket fortune and the the 10th richest woman in the United States, opened a spectacular fine art museum in her home town

Architect Moshe Safdie looks out of a window next to a large red untitled magnifying disk sculpture by artist Fred Eversley at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Arkansas. Photograph: Danny Johnston/APWhen Alice Walton, heiress to the Walmart supermarket fortune and the the 10th richest woman in the United States, opened a spectacular fine art museum in her home town, she might have expected plaudits and gratitude. It hasn't quite worked out that way.The long-awaited opening of the Crystal Bridges Museum for American Art in Walton's home town of Bentonville, Arkansas, has provoked mixed reactions. Some have...

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SPAIN appeared the latest country at the centre of the escalating eurozone crisis

 SPAIN appeared the latest country at the centre of the escalating eurozone crisis yesterday as David Cameron failed to persuade European leaders to back his calls for action. After a meeting with the Prime Minister in Berlin yesterday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel warned it was important not “to pretend to have powers that we don’t have”. But within hours the new governor of the European Central Bank (ECB) Mario Draghi said “urgent action” was necessary from Europe’s leaders to implement the new eurozone bailout fu...

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WOMAN who died from a brain haemorrhage at Marbella’s Costa del Sol Hospital may have been a victim of medical negligence.

 WOMAN who died from a brain haemorrhage at Marbella’s Costa del Sol Hospital may have been a victim of medical negligence. The 30-year-old had visited several health centres complaining of headaches – but was each time diagnosed with migraines. Although medical reports show the woman had an X-ray and electrocardiogram, neither the woman nor her family had seen the results. An investigation is now underw...

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65-YEAR-OLD British man was stabbed in the neck during an argument over a debt

 65-YEAR-OLD British man was stabbed in the neck during an argument over a debt at a bus stop on the A-387 road in Mijas, according to Spanish Press reports. The attacker, a Spanish man to whom he allegedly owed money for some building work, handed himself in to the Guardia Civil. He claimed he had stabbed the victim with a screwdriver, but doctors said the injuries were caused with a knife. Witnesses who saw the victim was bleeding called the emergency services and an ambulance was sent to the scene as well as the Guardia Civil. The victim, who was taken to the Costa del Sol Hospital in Marbella, also sustained injuries to his arms. Although his condition was reported to be serious, the Guardia Civil informed that the injuries were not life-threateni...

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The Spanish Police have accused Fat Freddie of participating in a criminal organisation, the illegal transportation of drugs and the illicit trafficking of weapons.

Freddie's brother Ritchie parties for Hallowe'en despite threats to his life  FEELING BLUE: Ritchie Thompson dressed up as character from film Avatar THIS is 'Fat' Freddie Thompson's brother, Ritchie, enjoying Hallowe'en despite the fact that his life is in real danger from rival mobsters. These exclusive Sunday World photos show 34-year-old Thompson posing with his wife Catherine while dressed as a character from the hit movie 'Avatar'.   While Ritchie laughs and jokes for the cameras, he is aware that the gang led by criminal Gerard Eglington is planning to target him while Freddie is stuck in Spain after being...

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Puerto Banus, Marbella

Plenty of Brits retire to the golden sands of Marbella and Puerto Banus’s famous harbour is filled will supercars, parked up while their owners enjoy the restaurants and bars.But one expat, who lived in Marbella for more than seven years and wishes to remain anonymous, says the area definitely deserves its nickname as the Costa del Crime, among civilians and authority: “One of my clients had a rather nice black BMW X5 giving the air of someone with perhaps a bit of wealth,” she said. “Police did a daytime 'routine' stop and check just at the back of Puerto Banús.“Working as a pair they went through his papers then asked him to step out of the car whilst one put him through some, to be quite frank, embarrassing and unnecessary exercises to prove he wasn’t drunk. They let him go without charge,...

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Saif al-Islam Gaddafi after his capture, his fingers wrapped in bandages and his legs covered with a blanket

. Photograph: Reuters Tv/ReutersSaif al-Islam Gaddafi, the fugitive son of Libya's deceased former dictator, has been arrested in southern Libya, according to officials from the country's new government.Libyan state TV reported that Saif has arrived in captivity and unhurt at an army base in the town of Zintan, 90 miles south-west of Tripoli.Muammar Gaddafi's second and highest-profile son was captured along with several bodyguards by fighters near the town of Obari in Libya's southern desert, said the interim justice minister and other officials.Saif was said to be in good health, according to the justice minister Mohammed al-Alagi."We...

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High speed train comes to Ronda

 THE AVE is coming to Ronda. This means significantly reduced journey times to Madrid, Granada, Cordoba, Málaga and beyond. The project also includes completing the upgrade of the line from Ronda down to Algeciras to allow for the faster trains. The announcement was made on Friday, 4 November, via a BOE, Boletín Oficial del Estado. According to this document there will be 64.4 kms. of double track electrified line of the European gauge between the existing AVE-station at Antequera-Santa Ana and La Indiana, the old station on the outskirts of Ronda where the new AVE station for Ronda will be built. The project has a budget of 711.47 million euros and will follow the route of the current single track line between Bobadilla and Ronda. However, according to the website ferropedia.es the line...

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Work to build the new terminal on the Gibraltar side of the border is practically complete

The joint use of the airport was agreed back in 2006The Gibraltar border - EFE The Gibraltar Government has met its obligations under the Tripartite Agreement made with the UK and Spain in Córdoba in September 2006 regarding joint use of the airport.Work to build the new terminal on the Gibraltar side of the border is practically complete with just a freight warehouse still under construction along with facilities for private planes.But on the Spanish side there is still a lack of agreement between AENA, the Spanish Airports Authority, and the La Línea de la Concepción Town Hall on the concession of the land which will allow the construction...

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Too many of our gangland criminals are sitting in places like Marbella and Amsterdam, leading the rich life.

 Too many of our gangland criminals are sitting in places like Marbella and Amsterdam, leading the rich life. An initiative I instigated at European level is to try and ensure the CAB model is replicated in every European country so we have a framework in place," he said. "Those engaged in gangland in Ireland who have used their assets to acquire properties abroad will discover there's no hiding place. We'll have sister organisations in every EU country who we can rely on to secure the assets of those who have gained from their criminality." And he pledged to continue to support the work of the Garda in continuing to tackle criminals who have ruined so many lives. COMPLACENT "They have no respect for human life and that lack of respect extends to the products they sell -- the drugs...

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National Police agents have broken up an organization dedicated to the sexual exploitation of Nigerian women in Almeria

 National Police agents have broken up an organization dedicated to the sexual exploitation of Nigerian women in Almeria. Girls were forced into prostitution by threats, which included alleged practices of voodoo or abduction of family members. Ten people have been arrested in the Andalusian village of Roquetas de Mar in a raid in which seizures also included 20,000 euros in cash, a large number of passports of women from sub-Saharan origin and documentation relating to their criminal activity on the site of the Yegua Verde. The investigation began in late 2010 when police discovered the existence of a group of victims who had all been sexually exploited by the organization. The network, now dismantled, had been bringing women from Nigeria since 2005 and then the introducing them illegally...

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Hugh Grant is the delighted father of a baby girl. He and the mother had a fleeting affair and while this was not planned, Hugh could not be happier or more supportive

British actor Hugh Grant has become a father for the first time at the age of 51. Photograph: Leon Neal/AFPFilm star turned anti-hacking activist Hugh Grant has become a parent for the first time at the age of 51.The actor – best known for roles in Four Weddings and a Funeral and Bridget Jones's Diary – became father to a baby girl earlier this month.The identity of the mother has not been revealed but a spokeswoman for the actor said they were on good terms.She added: "I can confirm that Hugh Grant is the delighted father of a baby girl. He and the mother had a fleeting affair and while this was not planned, Hugh could not be happier...

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Taking a shot … Roger Moore, shown here in 1984 Bond film A View to a Kill, was less than impressed by Quantum of Solace

. Photograph: Allstar/Cinetext CollectionFormer James Bond actor Sir Roger Moore has described the franchise's most recent outing, Quantum of Solace, as "a long, disjointed commercial". The 84-year-old actor, who played 007 for 12 years between 1973 and 1985, was speaking to a reporter from Cambridge University's Varsity newspaper when he criticised the film, which was released in 2008 and starred Daniel Craig. Moore, who praised Craig's interpretation of Ian Fleming's secret agent despite disliking the film, also passed comment on another Bond - his own predecessor, Sean Connery. "Sean is a good actor," said...

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Gangster suspect Freddie is bailed in Spain

 SUSPECTED gangland boss 'Fat' Freddie Thompson is enjoying the Spanish sunshine after being freed on bail following a brief court appearance. Mr Thompson (30) was allowed to leave a Costa del Sol court a free man yesterday after more than a fortnight in jail in Ireland and Spain. He was told he was suspected of offences including drugs trafficking, money laundering and unlawful assembly, at the private court hearing in Estepona near Marbella. But he was spared more prison time after agreeing to bail conditions including the surrender of his passport and a ban on leaving Spain. Accomplices He has also been ordered to sign on at the court twice a month -- a requirement likely to bring him into contact with alleged accomplices John Cunningham and Christy Kinahan's sons Daniel and Christopher....

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Two British tour operators who come to Spain go bust

 Two British tour operators who bring tourists to Spain have gone bust. Romano Travel ceased operations on October 26, a day after Airborn Limited. Romano Travel specialized in package holidays to Spain and Turkey and had been operating for 30 years. There were no more than half of dozen or so pending bookings from the Buckinghamshire firm which was fully protected with an ATOL licence and was a member of ABTA. Airborn Limited operated as Airborn Direct and Holiday Hero, and was based in Romford, Essex. It sold packages to Spain, Cyprus and Turkey, and sold its products to other operators. The CAA says there are many clients who have purchased flights with the firm using a credit card, and these flights should be operating normally. If in doubt passengers can confirm with the airli...

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Spain no longer the main destination for Brit's second homes

 A new survey carried out by the HomeAway holiday rentals company and real estate group Savills International has concluded that Spain is no longer the first choice among the Brits for their second residence. 1,700 British property buyers were questioned. More Britons now prefer France because of its better economic stability and the moderation in its house prices. 40% of Brits who buy in Spain later rent out the property, sometimes obtaining an income of as much as 34,500 € a year, but 24% still say that Spain is the place they have chosen for retirement. Despite the change away from purchasing a second home, Spain continues to be the most popular holiday destination for the Brits. In France, Italy and Switzerland the British purchasers usually opt for restored old properties, while...

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Malaga on the Mediterranean coast, in the Southern Spanish region of Andalucia, was the city you avoided

The city of Malaga on the Mediterranean coast, in the Southern Spanish region of Andalucia, was the city you avoided. An industrial port encircled by a tired ring of Franco-era low-rise apartment buildings, it was always the city tourists dashed by on their way to Torremolinos or Marbella further down the Costa Del Sol.Being out of favor from the 1970s onwards – when torrid overbuilding ruined the Spanish coast – has served Malaga well, and the tired city around the old port has gone through a revival in recent years: The pedestrian-only squares and streets are washed clean, filled with a mix of fashionable shops selling Ermenegildo Zegna suits...

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Five arrested for road rage attack in Madrid

 National Police have arrested five people, two of them underage, for a brutal road rage attack in a tunnel on the M-30 motorway in September. They were taken into custody after they were identified on video footage from security cameras in the tunnel. The aggressors were travelling in two vehicles on the evening of September 17, and were seen on film chasing another car into the tunnel, speeding ahead and cutting across it to bring it to a halt. The eight occupants of the two cars are then seen getting out of their vehicles and dragging the three people travelling in the third car out onto the roadway. They are beaten and kicked, and their car is vandalised. Some personal items were also stolen and one of the victims was stabbed in the back. The reason for the attack was because the...

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32 arrests in luxury car scam in Spain

 National Police in Spain have arrested 32 people accused of stealing 25 vehicles worth over a million € from counties such as Germany, Austria, France, Italy and Switzerland, to be sold on in Spain. The sale of the vehicles were helped by official dealers and the gang even had the collaboration of workers at several ITV/MOT centres which issued certificates to say the vehicles had no signs of being manipulated. The Ministry of the Interior says that the gang was made up mainly of Hungarians, Romanians and Spaniards, and the vehicles were sold on with false documents in dealers in Madrid, Santander, Tarragona, Castellón, Valencia, Alicante, Cuenca, Almería, Córdoba, Jaén and Grana...

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Spain's first private airport goes bust

 Spain’s first private airport has closed. The Ciudad Real Airport was opened in December 2008, considering that it could act as a Madrid overflow for residents in the south, but that just has not happened. The very last flight, operated by Vueling and with just 45 passengers, took off for Barcelona on Saturday at 2,45pm. The airline lasted less than a year at the Ciudad Real airport which has been dogged by bad luck from the start. It had problems with the environmental agency in 2005 as it is located in a special bird protection area, there were complaints that as much as 50% of the building works were illegal, it needed a continued supply of capital, and the intervention of the Bank of Spain in the CCM Castilla La Mancha savings bank revealed more irregularities. The airport closes...

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Man stabs three people to death in Valencia

 A man has stabbed three people to death and injured another two in a hamlet close to Valencia. It happened in Castellar-Oliverar to the south of the city on Friday night at about 9pm. A 48 year old is reported to be very seriously hurt and is in the intensive care unit of the La Fe Hospital. Another 44 year old man has injuries to his back and head, and is stable in the General Hospital. Two of the dead are father and his 13 year old son, while the third is a female pensioner. 33 year old local resident and neighbour to the dead and injured, named as J.P., has been arrested in connection with the triple homicide. Municipal sources say the man carried out his attacks in several flats connected to the stairway of his block after ringing the door bells. A local policeman then saw the...

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Qantas grounds all flights

 Australia’s Qantas Airways grounded its entire fleet on Saturday over a bitter labour dispute in an unprecedented move that prompted the government to warn it feared for the airline’s future and would seek action to end the dispute. EDITOR’S CHOICE Strikes cost A$15m-a week in lost sales - Oct-28 US airlines earnings hit by fuel costs - Oct-27 Lufthansa scales back passenger forecasts - Oct-27 Virgin eyes tie-up with Etihad on BMI - Oct-14 Qantas overhauls lossmaking international operations - Aug-16 Qantas said it would lock out all employees from Monday night in a dispute affecting 70,000 passengers and 600 flights on one of the country’s biggest travel weekends. The grounding does not affect Qantas’ budget airline Jetstar or code-share flights on other airlines. Passengers...

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Fresh appeal launched to find man living abroad accused of murdering Nantwich man

 NEW appeal has been launched to capture a man wanted in connection with the murder of a Stapeley market trader. Christopher Guest More, 33, of Lymm, near Warrington, is one of 10 individuals wanted in the latest campaign being run by Crimestoppers and the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA). He is suspected to have been part of a gang involved in the torture and murder of market trader and cannabis farmer Brian Waters, who was killed in a barn in Tabley, near Knutsford, in June 2003. Three of his alleged accomplices, Otis Lee Matthews, James Stuart Raven and John Godfrey Wilson, received life sentences for their part in the brutal attack. More is also sought in connection with the attempted murder of Suleman Razak and for the alleged false imprisonment and assault of other victims...

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'My limbs may fail me but my heart and soul will carry me through.' Those are the words that bring to an end another grueling training session at Luis' Scorpion Gym in Marbella.

'My limbs may fail me but my heart and soul will carry me through.'Those are the words that bring to an end another grueling training session at Luis' Scorpion Gym in Marbella.Now it's time to refuel before a brief rest. 'Train, eat, sleep, repeat' is another well-used refrain in Spain.In training: Khalid Ismail trades blows with boxer Terry Dunstan in MarbellaKhalid Ismail, 31, one of Britain's best mixed martial artists, is in Marbella for a week-long training camp, which can include two sessions during the day. It is part of a 16-week programme designed to get him in shape for his forthcoming fight. Ismail has an team of nine, each...

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