Spanish news - Spain news from 1Casa

"Make friends with your neighbours in Spain"	26,241 people are already members Members area: Log in \| Create an account
Forums General Spain forum Off plan forums Register Log in FREE Guide EOS TV Property Property for sale direct List property for sale Long term rentals direct Holiday rentals direct Podcasts Estate agent reviews Developer reviews Services Discount furniture packs Foreign exchange Home insurance Spanish lawyers Articles Spain articles Sign up for newsletter Newsletter testimonials Submit articles Travel Cheap car hire Cheap hotels James Villas Weather in Spain Eye on Spain webcam Budget airlines Blogs Justin's blog Susan's blog Diego's blog Lisa's blog News from Spain Pete's tale E-Books Completing your off-plan Snagging your property Spanish mortgages Tools Search Eye on Spain Currency converter Moneycorp Privilege Card Property purchase calculator Add to Google toolbar Eye on Spain videos
Home \| Search \| Currency Converter \| Cheap Car Hire \| Contact & FAQ

Spanish News

Latest News from Spain

This news is brought to you in association with 1Casa. Cristina Sanchez is head of their Customer Liaison Department, they specialiize in Affordable Property in the inland regions of Andalucia starting at under 30,000 Euros.

1Casa utilise their years of experience to offer a wide range of affordable properties and aim to provide a smooth, hassle free purchase and relocation.

For more information please contact 1 Casa on FREEPHONE 0800 081 1939 (24/7) or visit www.1casa.com/1.

05 January 2008

Three Kings Festival

Thousands of children in Spain are expecting the arrival of the Three Kings of the East tonight (5th January). The Kings will distribute thousands of toys and sweets in each procession through the towns and cities. They arrive by boat, train and many other means of transport. On the 5th January a special cake is made, Rosca de Reyes, it is a ring-shaped pastry covered in sugar and fruit flavoured jellies. The cake contains lucky charms as presents and anyone fortunate enough to find one of the hidden charms will be blessed with good luck for the New Year.

Bank in the Canaries Issues Wii to Clients

The shopping season has not ended in Spain because Christmas lasts till January the 6th, when then 3 wise men bring presents to all the kids. Wii has been sold out for weeks now, but now there is a regional bank that is issuing them for 300 euros. They give you a 6 month loan of 300 euros and in exchange you receive a Wii. They are very generous as they charge zero interest on the loan, they call it the CrediWii, they also have a similar loan for a Wii and a DS for 450, they call it the CrediNintendo.

Granada Celebrates Anniversary of Surrender to the Catholic Kings

Granada celebrated the 516th anniversary of the Catholic Kings’ entrance into the city on 2nd January 1492 when, Boabdil, the last Moorish King of the Nasrid Kingdom of Granada, handed over the keys to the Alhambra. The celebration is known as the ‘Toma de Granada’ the Taking of Granada. The royal banner of Castilla is traditionally waved three times from the balcony of Granada City Hall. The banner is a replica of an early 17th century banner created for Felipe II, which itself was a reproduction of the original used by the Catholic Kings when they entered Granada.

Fall in Road Deaths Attributed to New Points System

For the first time since 1968 the number of people killed on Spain's roads fell below 3,000 last year. This drop is due largely to the new points-based driving licence introduced in 2006. In total, 2,741 people died in traffic accidents in Spain last year, 915 less than in 2006. Since 1968, the number of deaths on Spanish roads had consistently remained above 3,000 as gains in car safety were offset by increasing numbers of vehicles on the roads. Police fined 812,449 drivers last year, withdrawing more than 2.5 million points. In the last few weeks of 2007, changes to the Penal Code meant that there could be prison sentences for driving drunk or speeding further improved road safety.

King Juan Carlos I Celebrates 70th Birthday

King Juan Carlos I of Spain celebrates his 70th birthday today, Saturday 5th January. He was born on this day in 1938 and lived with his parents in exile in Italy, Switzerland and Portugal until the age of 10. In 1948, by agreement with dictator General Franco, the future king moved to Spain to prepare for the ascension to the throne. On 22nd July 1969 Franco appointed Juan Carlos his official successor and on 22nd November 1975, after the death of Franco, the crown prince was sworn in as a Monarch and head of state.

Cigarette Prices Rise in Spain

The price of tobacco is set to rise again in Spain with Marlboro, L&M and Chesterfield up in price by between five and ten cents. The means that a packet of Marlboro will reach 3 euros. All the brands to be increased in price are from the US company, Phillip Morris. Other brands, such as Fortuna, Ducados, Camel and Winston are likely to follow with there own increases.

Malaga Province Population Reaches 1.5 Million

The population of Malaga province has reached one and a half million with its inland villages seeing the largest growth. Macharaviaya and Salares in the Axarquia lead the increase in numbers with an increase of 16%. Since the start of the century the population of the province has grown by 18% with a third of the total population of the province living in Malaga city itself. The numbers come from the National Statistics Institute and from the official ‘padron’ numbers in each town and village.

Unemployment Rise for Malaga

Malaga's latest unemployment numbers show the worst data seen in the province for 10 years. The province ended 2007 with 94,872 registered unemployed, 11.46% of the active population. It puts the province top of the national list for unemployment, ahead of Alicante and Las Palmas. Unions noted that recruitment was down by 20% in the province on November.

Bank Robber Found in Air Conditioning System

Police have recovered 74,000 euros, which was stolen in a bank robbery in Girona last week. They found one of the two robbers who carried out the assault hiding in the bank's air conditioning system along with the money. His accomplice managed to escape through the bank's rest room. He is now being hunted by police.

1.5 Tons of Cannabis Found on Lorry Bound for UK

Two foreign residents of Benalmadena have been arrested after an operation by Malaga's Guardia Civil Organised Crime and Drugs Squad, which seized more than one and a half tons of cannabis resin. The two suspects are from Ireland and Romford in Essex. They have both been remanded in custody. The drugs were found on a lorry destined for the UK.

Spain's Oldest Resident Celebrates 116th Birthday

Maria Diaz Cortes celebrated her 116th birthday yesterday, Friday 4th January. She was born in Granada in 1892, so has seen the world for three centuries. Maria lives in a shack with other people of gypsy origin on the outskirts of Sevilla. She has been living there, without heating or hot water for the past forty years. She is cared for by her 72 year old daughter.

Dakar Rally Cancelled After Al Qaeda Threat

The 2008 Dakar Rally has been cancelled because of terrorist threats from Al Qaeda. In a statement from the terrorists, they claimed that they would act against any French participants in the race who crossed Mauritanian soil. It is the first time the race has been cancelled since it was established in 1979.

Sierra Nevada Closes its Trails for Second Consecutive Day

The Sierra Nevada ski resort was closed for the second consecutive day of by storms of wind and snow. Gusts of wind were registered at 150 kilometres per hour and the resort having the greatest snowfall of the season so far: between 20 and 40 centimetres in 48 hours. The forecast is good, however, with the weather predicted to improve this afternoon, (5th January). The snowfall will allow the resort to expand its current 14 kilometres suitable for skiing and to increase the number of visitors. The company that manages the Sierra Nevada resort says it has lost more than 200,000 euros in the two days the resort was closed, not including the damage to restaurants and shops at the ski station.

Thousands Travel on the AVE in the First 10 Days

More than 30,000 people have used the new AVE high speed train service since it came into service on 24th December. Some 180 journeys have been made during these ten days, with 96% on time. The arrival of the AVE has seen an increase of 40% more travellers by rail compared with the registered data for the same period in 2006. There have been some delays in the service due to failures in the computer system used to read the electronic signals on the line. As a result, the built-in safety measures brought the locomotives to a complete halt until the computer system could be restarted.

AVE to Arrive in Cadiz in 2010

The AVE high speed train will come into service in Cadiz during the second half of 2010, if there are no delays in the works to widen the existing railway line. Once the project to link Cadiz and Madrid is completed the journey between the two cities will take three and a quarter hours.

Bus Strike Threat Every Friday in January in Cadiz

Cadiz province faces wide-spread travel disruption after workers for the "Comes" bus company pledged that they would carry out strike action every Friday in January unless an agreement was reached, the workers are awaiting a meeting with the management of the company that runs services throughout much of Cadiz as well as inter-provincial routes. These latter networks include long distance buses to Valencia, Jaen, Almeria and Granada as well as others to Malaga and Sevilla.

Although workers say the key issue is not pay related but is centred on “better security”, at present the drivers work a 12 hour day or even longer and the employees insist this puts both drivers and passengers at risk, they also want their salaries to rise two points over the inflation rate to bring it in line with the 1992 levels as they claim it has been reduced over the years. Strikes will take place between 6.30 and 9.30 and then 18.00 and 21.00. Similar action also took place in support of the worker's claims in December.

Costa del Sol Beaches Regeneration Plan

The Spanish government has announced a six million euro regeneration plan for 27 Costa del Sol beaches. The Ministry of the Environment will spend the money on 630,000 cubic metres of sand after low rainfall in recent years has resulted in the destruction of many beaches along Malaga's coast.

A-404 Coin Road to be Repaired

The entrance road to Coin from the A-404 Alhaurin el Grande road which is 1,619 metres long is to be redesigned. According to reports, this stretch of road is badly damaged, uneven and has several potholes. The project has a 2.7 million-euro budget with an estimated completion period of 10 months. According to the Junta de Andalucia, construction companies have until 30th January to submit tenders.

Charity Event of Kings (I Gala Benefica de Reyes)

The first charity event of Kings, for the benefit of the Disabled Children Parents Association of Alora, will take place on Sunday 6th January at the Cervantes Theatre of Alora. The event starts at 7.30 pm. Tickets are 15 euros and available from the theatre ticket office.

Alora Football Ground Inauguration

Alora's new football ground will be inaugurated this Monday, 7th January, with events starting at 11.00 am. The new Astroturf football pitch and buildings have been built on the site of the old football ground, Nuestra Senora de Flores (Our Lady of Flowers).

Malaga CF

Malaga resume their league campaign today with a game against Cadiz with kick off 8.00 pm. The team has only won one of its last six matches and need a good result against a potential direct rival for promotion places. They lost their recent Kings Cup game against Racing Santander 2 - 0.

PREVIOUS NEWS from Spain:

A selection of threads from our general forum:

Spa Valley
Lloyds TSB UK & Spain
New Member
Date of completion
Radio 4
Goodfellas Playa Flamenca
Mojacar/ Garrucha Rental required
Community charges..... non-payers....direct action?
Glad to be leaving this weather for a few days
do we have any rights at all

A selection of Spain area guides:

Balones
Santa Ana
Itrabo
Alfaix
Fuente Camacho
Gaianes
Rincon de Tallante
Casabermeja
Cuesta de la Palma
Olivares