Another shark caught off Villaricos

Sea’s full of them at the moment it seems. A 2 metre long shark was caught recently some 8 nautical miles off Villaricos, and then four days ago a baby shark was dragged in by some fishermen. And then this summer we had the famous oar fish, which caused no end of fuss. Biologists say that these sharks don’t normally attack humans, as they only go after small fish, and that bathers shouldn’t be worried.

Almeria – Seville air route to cost taxpayers 2.5 million euros a year

Almeria airport

The Almeria to Seville air route is being underwritten by the Junta to the fantastic amount of 2,5 million euros a year, or 10.292.000 over the next four years. The air route was declared to be “obligatory for the social good”, which basically means it has to carry on regardless of actual traffic, and so the long suffering taxpayer must again reach into their pockets to underwrite it.

Calar Alto observatory fights for survival: 20% of staff laid off

Calar Alto observatory, in the mountains above Almeria, is Europe’s largest observatory. But that hasn’t saved it from funding cuts which lead to its Director quitting recently in protest. It’s administered jointly by Spain’s CSIC and the Max Planck Institute of Germany. CSIC has almost abandoned the observatory, and Max Planck has also severely cut back. This has lead to a wave of job losses, as the remaining staff are forced to take pay cuts Continue reading Calar Alto observatory fights for survival: 20% of staff laid off

Health Tax on Fuel is illegal, rules EU court – must Spain pay back 13 billion euros to us drivers?

The EU has ruled that the centimo sanitario is illegal, opening the way to a court ruling that Spain must return the almost 13 billion euros collected to drivers. It’s a tax that the regions are allowed to apply at their discretion to fuel sold at the pumps, and the reason why Murcia is slightly cheaper for gas than Andalucia (Murcia doesn’t collect the tax). It’s known as the impuesto sobre las ventas minoristas de Continue reading Health Tax on Fuel is illegal, rules EU court – must Spain pay back 13 billion euros to us drivers?