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03 May 2008

Spain Celebrates May 2nd

Yesterday (May 2nd) the Spanish royal family presided over events to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the start of the War of Independence, when Madrid rebelled against French troops, it was the beginning of the end of Napoleon Bonaparte in Spain. The date is marked in the Madrid region with a public holiday.

Mothers Day

Sunday May 4th is Mothers Day (Dia de la Mujer) in Spain.

Non-Resident Sellers May Be Entitled to Tax Rebate

Non-residents of Spain who sold a property in this country between 2004 and the end of 2006 may be entitled to a 20% tax rebate from the Spanish Government. According to a Spanish law firm, foreigners who sold their Spanish properties before 2007 paid a Non Residents Income Tax rate of 35% on their capital gains, compared to a rate of 15% paid by Spanish residents. The law firm pointed out that this contravenes EU rules on discrimination and was therefore improperly charged by the Spanish Government. A change in the law at the start of 2007 saw the standard Capital Gains Tax for non residents brought in line with residents at 15%. As a result, sellers who had previously sold property in Spain may be entitled to a 20% rebate.

New Driving Licence Laws

New motoring legislation came into force on May 1st which substantially increases the penalties which courts can impose for the offence of driving without an appropriate licence, such as immediate detention and up to six months in jail. The traffic department estimates there are around a thousand unlicensed drivers in the province of Malaga and local police are now instructed to detain anyone who cannot produce the correct document. The order to detain drivers immediately also applies to those who do not possess the appropriate licence for the vehicle being driven. It doesn’t apply to those found to be driving on a licence after losing all their penalty points or to those who cannot produce their licences on demand or those driving on a licence issued by another EU country which has expired or which is not backed up by a medical certificate. Drivers holding non-EU licences are also exempt provided that they are still within six months of having arrived in Spain.

Credit Card Survey

A new report in Spain has shown that middle aged men are the most likely to have their credit cards stolen. The figures are higher in Madrid and Cataluna whereas it appears that those who live in Navarra and La Rioja take better care of their cards.

Internet User Registers Government Domains for Ransom

An anonymous internet user acted quickly and registered four new internet domains which should belong to newly created government ministries in Spain in order to try and exchange them for water transfers from the Ebro river to Valencia, Murcia and Almeria. The government should have registered the new domains corresponding to the ministries before announcing the creation of the new ministries. Now the pages concerned list a blog which demands water for all and jokes about the ministries by giving them invented names.

Briton Searches for Neanderthal Remains in Murcia

A British man who has lived in the Murcia area since 1987 has spent his summers looking for Neanderthal man in the Sima de las Palomas del Cabezo Gordo. Michael John Walker arrived in Murcia in 1987 to give a conference at Murcia University and was then employed in the Anthropology Department. A few years ago he found the remains of two skeletons which were the first such remains to be found in Europe since 1976. They were around 55,000 years old according to the latest Uranium dating methods.

Granada “Kiss-in “

To coincide with a presentation being given at a medical conference in Granada next weekend which highlights the many benefits of love and kissing, there will be an open air public kiss-in at the Plaza Bib-Rambla Sunday May 10th at 1 pm. Apparently, the act of kissing involves the use of 36 facial muscles, stimulates the production of three hormones and burns off 12 calories!

Alhambra Visits in May

The authorities of the Alhambra in Granada have designated “La Puerta de Siete Suelos” as “pieza del mes” (item of the month) for May. This gateway which has long been closed for restoration can now be visited Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays during the month of May.

Baby Cheque Boom

According to new statistics, mid-April 2008 saw more than 10,000 families in the province of Malaga receive the 2,500 euros from the government for a new baby or adoption. This adds up to around 25 million euros. The benefit, which has become known as the 'baby cheque', came in to force in July last year. The 2,500 euros increases to 3,500 in the case of families with three or more children and single-parent families.

Pocket Computers for Police

Next year Malaga local police will carry pocket computers to speed up the process of fining traffic offenders. These appliances are already available to officers in three municipalities in the province; Cartama, Ronda and Velez-Malaga, with Nerja soon to follow suit.

Malaga Mans Wins a Car with 13,000 Cucumbers

A man from Malaga has bought a Fiat Grande Punto car with 13,000 cucumbers. Fiat challenged Spanish visitors to assemble the cucumbers in 24 hours to win a car. The man phoned around as many cucumber suppliers as he could and managed to collect the required amount even though cucumbers are not in season at the moment.

Tango in Malaga

Fans of Tango can enjoy the various events in locations around Malaga centre of the IV Encuentro de Aficionados al Tango en Malaga this weekend until Sunday May 4th.

Karting in Campillos

The Karting circuit of Campillos will host the first round of the Championship of Andalucia for “Supermotard” and “Scooter” this Sunday May 4th.

Fiesta del Nispero

The village of Sayalonga welcomes the Fiesta del Nispero this Sunday May 4th. This acid fruit will be celebrated with tastings and sales of products such as jam and drinks made from them.

Ferias in Fuengirola

The VI Feria de Muestras and the XIV Feria de los Pueblos take place this weekend until Sunday May 4th in the Recinto Ferial in Fuengirola. The first fair will offer all types of product from jewellery and beauty products to plants and ironwork. The second will act as a meeting place for many different nationals from countries such as Japan, Iran, Russia, Bulgaria and Chile where one can get to know the culture, gastronomy, folklore and customs better. Entry is free, opening times are 11.00 until 23.00 and there will be a street parade on Saturday May 3rd.

Cartama Market

An ecological products market will open this Sunday May 4th. It will be situated adjacent to the regular Sunday market where around fifteen local producers will be offering their produce for sale on twenty stands. This is the second market of this type in the area, following the monthly one in Coin.

Las Cruces Festival

The XV edition of the Festival De Verdiales is celebrated at the Ermita de las Cruces this Sunday May 4th starting 9.30 am. The Ermita is situated at the boundary meeting points of the municipalities of Alora, Cartama, Pizarra and Almogia. After a religious ceremony ten pandas (groups) will perform traditional verdiales until 8.00 pm approx.

Frequency Change for Alora TV

The planned frequency change for Alora TV took place May 2nd. It can now be found on Canal 29 UHF.

Football

Malaga travel to Vigo this Sunday to play Celta at 5 pm.

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