Spanish news - Spain news from 1Casa 17 November 2007

"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.

17 November 2007

Centuries Old Maps Returned to Spain

A number of precious maps stolen from Spain's National Library have been returned after police tracked them to three continents including Australia. Some of the 15 rare, hand-penned maps, first made by the Greek astronomer Claudius Ptolemy, were cut out of 15th and 16th-century books which were stolen from the main reading room of the library. Ten of the maps were handed over to the Culture Ministry by the Interior Minister, Alfredo Perez Rubalcaba, from the police and Interpol.

Eight maps were recovered from Buenos Aires, two others were found in New York and handed over to Spain's police chief in Washington, another is awaiting authorisation to be returned from Sydney. At least four that date to between the 15th and 17th centuries were still missing. Mr Rubalcaba said a Spanish researcher, Cesar Gomez Rivero, is accused of cutting the maps out of books and selling them over several years. He is in custody in Argentina, where he is being investigated, but he has not yet been brought to trial.

‘100 Pesetas’ Painting Sold for More than a Million Euros

A painting, which was printed on 982 million one hundred peseta notes issued by the Banco de Espana until 1978, Romero de Torres's 'Fuensanta' (1929), was sold at Sotheby's auction house in London this week for 1.17 million euros, the highest price ever achieved for a work by the Cordoba artist (1874-1930). The identity of the buyer isn't known, the painting shows a young dark-haired girl with dark eyes leaning against a large copper pot.

Endesa to Build Solar Power Plants in Andalucia

Spanish electric utility Endesa and Instituto Hispanco de Arroz have reportedly agreed to invest 1.2 billion euros to build new solar power plants in Andalucia. The project is a joint venture between Endesa and food company Ebro Puleva. The four solar power plants will together produce 200MW of electricity. The power plants are expected to be fully operational in 2011. Endesa will take charge of the development and construction of the facilities. Spain is one of the signatories of the Kyoto Protocol and has been active in encouraging alternative energy sources.

Spanish Olive Oil Futures Market Seeks Speculators

The world's only olive oil futures market plans to grow rapidly next year and hopes the increased liquidity will attract large speculators, its general director said on Tuesday (13th November). Ana Fernandez said she expected financial institutions to join the organisation, based in Jaen, the Spanish province that produces almost half of the country's olive oil, from next year. She expects daily traded volume to rise to 400 tonnes from 270 tonnes a day now, "That level will attract Spanish and foreign brokers, anybody who has a commodities book," she said, "An Italian bank is already preparing the paperwork to become a member." A small number of speculators already give life to the market, which negotiates daily volume of about 6.6 million euros.

EU Launches Plan for Single Telecoms Market

On Tuesday (13th November) the European Union unveiled ambitious plans to boost competition in the telecoms sector and create a single market for 500 million citizens living in its 27 member states. "From today onwards, a single market without borders for Europe's telecoms operator and consumers is no longer only a dream," Commission chief Jose Manuel Barroso said.

An EU regulation in place since the summer has already succeeded in slashing by more than half EU roaming charges - the cost of making and receiving mobile phone calls while travelling abroad. One of the most controversial proposals involves forcing telecom companies in dominant positions to separate the management of their networks from their services arms, this is welcomed by potential new entrants but strongly resisted by major players such as Deutsche Telecom and Spain's Telefonica, which argue that it will act as a disincentive for investments.

Rivals Seek to Reign Over Planes in Spain

A bid battle for Iberia Airlines is looming after a group of Spanish investors, led by private equity firm Gala Capital, made a takeover approach pitched at 3.60euros – 3.90 euros a share, this move by Gala, whose partners includes Spanish billionaire Alicia Koplowitz, ratchets up the pressure on a rival consortium led by Texas Pacific Group and British Airways, which is close to securing financing for a bid. After TPG made an initial approach in March at 3.60 euros per share, valuing Iberia at 3.4bn euros, it clubbed together with Iberia's 10pc shareholder BA and rival Spanish private equity groups to work on an offer. The Gala consortium, which Citigroup is believed to be advising, has not waited to see what TPG/BA unveils and its all-Spanish consortium can play the national card in what would be a politically controversial sale of a Spanish institution.

Iberia’s shares jumped almost 4.6pc, to 3.65 euros as analysts said other bidders, including a rumoured second Spanish consortium and possibly Air France, could enter the fray. Chris Avery, at JP Morgan, said: "It's opened the box of a possible contested bid."

Ministry Website Uses Google Earth to show Cheap Petrol Stations

The Spanish Ministry for Industry has presented a new webpage on the ministry website which combines with the Google Earth service to show the locations of the cheapest petrol stations across the country. The Ministry has also launched a fast loading version of the page which contains the information, but not the maps, for use with mobile phones.

Venezuelan President Demands Apology from Spanish King

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has demanded an apology from Spain's King Juan Carlos for telling him to "shut up" during a summit in Chile last week. The King became annoyed when Chavez called the ex Spanish Prime Minister, Jose Maria Aznar, a fascist on several occasions. He then got up and walked out of the session. Spain's current Prime Minister, Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, said the king was merely defending him when he intervened at the summit, Chavez had interrupted Zapatero’s speech several times before the king said "why don't you shut up."

Spain's Princess Elena Separates from Husband

The Infanta Elena, the eldest daughter of the King of Spain, and her husband, Jaime de Marichalar, the Duke and Duchess of Lugo, have announced their separation. The couple married in Seville Cathedral in 1995 and have two children. Dona Elena is fourth in line to the Spanish throne, behind her younger brother Felipe and his two daughters, the Infantas Leonor and Sofia.

Cartoonists Guilty of Insulting the Prince of Asturias

The cartoonist and writer from the satirical magazine ‘El Jueves’ has been found guilty of insulting the Prince of Asturias. Both men have been ordered to pay a 3,000 euro fine. The two men said they had a clear conscience and had done nothing wrong and announced their intention to appeal against the sentence. El Jueves published the cartoon on its cover last July, it showed the Prince and Princess in an explicit pose with a caption that referred to an announcement by the government that it would pay Spanish couples 2,500 euros for each new baby they had.

Penelope Cruz to Appear on Ugly Betty

Spanish actress, Penelope Cruz, is reported to have accepted a cameo role in Ugly Betty, the series producer says the actress is a firm candidate to appear, Cruz has recently appeared on a list of the 101 most influential stars in the United States, along with actor Antonio Banderas, singer David Bisbal, and sportsmen Guti, Casillas and Torres.

Spanish Singer Arrested for Drunken Behaviour on Plane

One of Spain's top singers, Melendi, was arrested earlier this week on public order charges following drunken behaviour on a flight from Madrid to Mexico. The singer and his party were reported to have become aggressive towards the cabin crew after they told them politely that they wouldn't be served any more alcohol. The captain of the flight decided to turn back to Madrid as security on the 12 hour flight could not be guaranteed, given the ‘aggressive and violent’ behaviour. Melendi was arrested as soon as the plane touched down in Barajas.

Seal Swims to Spanish Sun

An Arctic seal, named Sahara, had to be rescued when found on a beach near San Sebastian this week after swimming 1,000 miles away from his home waters. The seal had been fitted with a tracking device after being previously found under nourished and bald off the Moroccan coast near the Sahara desert seven months ago. The satellite tracker was installed by a seal sanctuary in Cornwall where the animal recovered before being returned to the Orkneys. Scientists are mystified as to why the seal decided to head for Spain instead of the Arctic, but it may be following fish along the continental shelf.

Iberian Hams Exported to United States

The first Iberian hams to be legally exported to the United States have arrived at their destination with 300 Jabugo hams arriving in New York. Embutidos Fermin, from Salamanca, had to wait for two years in order to send their first hams after obtaining official export permission. News also comes that China will soon also be able to taste the flavour of the ham as it has announced the sale of Spanish meat products, although it appears they will have to be frozen.

Teenage Girls Attacked by Wild Boar

Two teenaged girls aged 16 and 18 were attacked last Sunday (11th November) by a wild boar on a path in the municipality of Mecina Bombraon in the Alpujarras. The girls managed to call the emergency services and were taken to hospital.

Granada and Almeria Motorway to Open in January

Another 10.5 kilometres of the A-7 coastal motorway (Autovia del Mediterraneo) between Albunol to Adra will finally open in January 2008, thus uniting Granada and Almeria provinces.

Malaga Airport Contracts

Contracts for three airport upgrading projects have been awarded by the Airports Authority (Aena). They include the construction of the new train station by a consortium made up of Sando and Acciona, the installation of the telecommunications network by Telefonica Soluciones and Avanzit, and the contract for centralising systems in real time has been awarded to Isdefe.

Malaga Traffic Authority Launch Campaign Against Driver Distraction

Malaga's traffic authority expects to pull over more than 20,000 drivers in a crackdown on driver distraction. The campaign which began last Monday (12th November) is set to continue for the next two weeks and will target mobile phone users in a plan to enforce safe driving in the province. The campaign will be accompanied by press and radio advertising campaigns, together with messages broadcast on the overhead information panels on the roads. Driver distraction is the second greatest cause of fatal accidents, with the risk of an accident while using a mobile phone still increasing by 3.8 % even with a hands-free kit.

Furthermore, a reported decrease in road deaths in the province over the last 10 months has been attributed to the driving licence points system and the installation of radar on the roads in Malaga.

New Well for Abdalajis

The regional councillor for the Environment, Fuensanta Coves, has said that a new well will be opened in Valle de Abdalajís, to provide the village with drinking water. The village has seen its water table dry up since the construction of two 7km long tunnels for the new AVE high speed train link between Cordoba and Malaga. The new well should supply 20 litres of water per second and would be used as a temporary measure until work to rectify the local water table could be completed.

Alora

The next phase of the remodelling of the streets in the commercial centre of Alora will start after Semana Santa (Easter) next year and involves the stretch between Plaza Fuente Arriba and the church of Vera Cruz. The budget for the works is 318,000 euro, this also includes a new mirador (view point) in the Uriqui area.

Commercial Fair - Coin

The fourth commercial fair of Coin was officially opened yesterday (16th November). The fair runs throughout the weekend and includes more than 70 exhibitors from the area and from various sectors including carpentry, decoration, food, new technology, construction, textiles, crafts and tourism. The fair is open from 10.30 am until 9.00 pm in the Poligono Industrial Cantarranas.

Sporting 0 - 1 Malaga

Malaga return to the top of Division 2 after an away win at Sporting 0-1. Malaga's next game is against Racing Ferrol today (Saturday 17th) with a 6.30 pm kick off.

Malaga held first division Racing Santander to a goalless draw in the King's Cup. Although Malaga didn't win, the draw is a good result for the team as they now only need a score draw in the away leg to see them through on the away goal rule.

PREVIOUS NEWS from Spain:

A selection of threads from our general forum:

Angel de Miraflores
Bitter and Twisted Shows
Anyone suggest good lawyer in Guardamar are?
Gran Alacant, Costa Blanca
Seville airport - nearest place to watch Champions League final on TV?
New member
LAWYERS COSTS IN SPAIN
moving soon to spain help needed
English Registered Cars
Spanish ONLY in here PLEASE.

A selection of Spain area guides:

Salobrena
Tibi
Rafalet
Patricia
Canada del Gallego
Guajar Alto
Olivares
Sanet Y Negrals
Las Mimosas
La Torre