Category Archives: @Spotted

Links, comments, chats spotted & linked

Luxury homes builders start work again in Spain

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From the Sunday times today: When American entrepreneur Gregory Peters planted the first palm trees in the dusty soil of La Manga Golf Club more than 43 years ago he can have had no idea that the resort — and the country around it — would be in the rough more times than Tiger Woods’s comeback. La Manga Club, a holiday resort not far from Murcia in southern Spain, encapsulates the Spanish property market, mirroring Continue reading Luxury homes builders start work again in Spain→

Anger as mass for General Franco banned

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The new mayor of Barcelona has been accused of conducting a historical witch hunt after banning memorial services for supporters of General Franco, which have taken place since the 1940s. About 100 supporters of the nationalist uprising led by Franco in 1936 were shot by firing squad in Barcelona on the orders of the left-wing Republican government. The Catholic Mass was due to be held tomorrow, the anniversary of the start of the Spanish civil Continue reading Anger as mass for General Franco banned→

Bond girl fights for Albox seat in election

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A former Bond girl is leading a group of British expatriates who hold the balance of power in a Spanish village before its elections tomorrow. Valerie Leon, 71, who had parts in The Spy Who Loved Me and Never Say Never Again, has lent a dash of Hollywood glamour to an election campaign that could be decided by 600 British residents of Albox in Almeria, southern Spain. The main point of contention is which party Continue reading Bond girl fights for Albox seat in election→

Movistar to bring ultra high speed internet to Andalusia

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Just in time for the big expat telly switch off! Movistar has announced plans to spend some 500 million euros bringing high speed data connections to Andalusia, starting very soon. The company plans to invest some 200 million in developing new high-speed fibre and 4G networks in the southern Spanish region of Andalucia. The operator has also pledged to invest a further 300 million in network maintenance and new equipment. The whole operation will see Continue reading Movistar to bring ultra high speed internet to Andalusia→

Cantabria announces ban on fracking as ecologists triumph

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Spain is set to enact its first regional ban on producing natural gas using hydraulic fracturing, yielding to objections from environmental groups that so-called fracking risks polluting drinking water. In the northern Cantabria region, where energy companies say much of Spain’s gas exists in shale rock, the Parliament plans to vote April 8 on suspending the contested drilling technique “as long as current doubts on the technology remain,” according to the bill on the government’s Continue reading Cantabria announces ban on fracking as ecologists triumph→

Spain threatened by resurgent credit crunch

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More than a century ago, Manuel Rodriguez left his fishing village on Spain’s southern coast and moved to Madrid to build guitars for local flamenco musicians. Three generations on, the family is still in the trade. Based in the small town of Esquivias south of the capital, Guitarras Manuel Rodriguez and Sons turns out more than 5,000 handcrafted flamenco and classical guitars every year, along with a small range of other wooden instruments. Despite the Continue reading Spain threatened by resurgent credit crunch→

Holidaymakers warned as Spanish private hospitals block EHIC usage

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Care managers using backhanders to divert Spain’s tourists from free EU scheme, reports The Telegraph. (Probably not a problem in Almería, tho’ – we only have state run hospitals here, which aren’t accused of this little scam). Holidaymakers heading for Spain are being warned that hospitals and clinics are increasingly paying inducements and sweeteners to trap tourists with big bills for treatment. Tour operators, taxi drivers and even the police are offered backhanders for directing Continue reading Holidaymakers warned as Spanish private hospitals block EHIC usage→

Spain reforms to raise 56.4 billion euros

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The Spanish government’s most recent reforms will slash 56.4 billion euros ($69 billion) from the public deficit in the next two and a half years, an official document showed on Saturday, leaving a gap to be filled by taxes on energy. Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy pledged 65 billion euros of savings from tax hikes and spending cuts on Wednesday in a painful package aimed at convincing the EU and investors it is serious about Continue reading Spain reforms to raise 56.4 billion euros→

Get your Olympic tickets! Unwanted Spanish tickets to be flogged on the open market

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Thousands of coveted Olympics tickets will be made available today after Spain admitted it cannot sell its generous allocation. In a farcical development which will infuriate ticketless Britons, the recession-hit country has been left with stacks of unwanted tickets – even for the opening and closing ceremonies and men’s 100 metres final. The Spanish Olympic Committee initially offered the tickets through the Fnac music and books store chain but, after several months, only a handful Continue reading Get your Olympic tickets! Unwanted Spanish tickets to be flogged on the open market→