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Marbella to establish new land inspection registry: "Marbella Town Hall has taken another step to control building as the PP administration led by Ángeles Muñoz, has established a register of all inspections which will record any possible infringements found.

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30 Dec 2011

Spain sets out 8.9bn euros of new austerity measures

 

Spain's new conservative government has outlined 8.9bn euros ($11.5bn, £7.5bn) in new spending cuts and tax rises to lower the country's borrowing. The announcement is the first in a wave of austerity measures, with a total of 16.5bn euros to be cut in 2012. It also said Spain's 2011 deficit will be about 8% of its output - higher than the 6% seen by the previous government. The Popular Party last month ousted the Socialists from power at elections amid deep economic gloom. The government of new Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has vowed to meet Spain's target of reducing the public deficit to 4.4% of gross domestic product in 2012, no matter what. On Friday, Deputy Prime Minister Soraya Saenz de Santamaria maintained a freeze on public sector wages for another year and ruled out practically all government hiring. "This is the beginning of the beginning," Ms Saenz de Santamaria said. "We are facing an extraordinary, unexpected situation, which will force us to take extraordinary and unexpected measures." Taxes on the wealthiest Spaniards will also be raised for at least two years, raising 6bn euros, she said. Spain's borrowing costs have jumped in the last year - reaching as high as 6.7% for 10-year debts - as investors feared that Spain might join Greece, the Irish Republic and Portugal in needing a bailout. The country's economy has shrunk sharply since a housing bubble burst in 2008, and it has an unemployment rate of 21%, the highest in Europe. The austerity measures have sparked a number of large protests across the country.

29 Dec 2011

Snakes on a plane (almost) in Argentina

 

Snakes on a plane (almost) in Argentina Authorities in Argentina caught a man trying to board a plane with almost 250 poisonous snakes and endangered reptiles.

Spain’s Iberia scraps 118 flights due to strike by pilots angry over planned budget affiliate

 

Spanish airline Iberia canceled more than a third of its flights Thursday due to a strike by pilots fearing job losses when company planes are diverted for use by Iberia’s planned new budget carrier. Iberia said it scrapped 118 domestic and international flights but found seats on other Iberia flights or with other carriers for all the 10,000 travelers affected by the one-day strike. 0 Comments Weigh InCorrections? inShare It was the second such holiday-season walkout by the pilots. The first was on Dec. 18. Iberia, Lineas Aereas de Espana, S.A., plans to divert jetliners from money-losing domestic and medium-haul European routes for Iberia Express, which it hopes to launch early next year using lower-earning, newly hired pilots and flight attendants. The company says its plans are for this carrier to have 40 planes in 2015. Pilots union SEPLA threatened on Wednesday to stage more strikes over the creation of Iberia Express, fearing job losses among existing staff with the creation of the unit, designed to compete with budget airlines.

Spain King's Son-in-Law Subpoenaed in Graft Probe

 

A judge subpoenaed the son-in-law of Spain's King Juan Carlos on Thursday to testify as a suspect in a corruption case, deepening a public relations nightmare for the royal family at a time of acute economic crisis for everyday people. The case surrounding Inaki Urdangarin, husband of the king's daughter Cristina, has been front-page news for weeks. But it went a big step further Thursday when Judge Jose Castro on the Mediterranean island of Mallorca named Urdangarin as a formal suspect in a criminal probe. The Balearic Islands Superior Court of Justice said in a statement that Urdangarin has been called to testify Feb. 6 in Palma, the capital of the archipelago. The one-page document did not mention allegations. But Spanish media say Urdangarin, 43, is suspected of siphoning money from public contracts awarded from 2004 to 2006 to a nonprofit foundation he then headed. He has not been charged with a crime. An official at the Royal Palace declined comment Thursday other than to say it "respects the decisions of judges." Spain has nearly 22 percent unemployment, a stagnant economy, mountains of debt and many other woes, so alleged shady business dealings by a member of the royal family look terrible for the Spanish monarchy. On Dec. 12 the Royal Palace shocked the country by announcing Urdangarin would for the time being stop taking part in official ceremonies involving the royal family. And in an unprecedented show of transparency, the palace this week made public the details of the stipend the royal family receives from the national budget. It said, for instance, that King Juan Carlos earns euro292,552 ($382,597) a year in salary and expenses and his son, Crown Prince Felipe, roughly half that amount. In his yearly Christmas Eve speech, the king expressed concern over what he described as the declining confidence among Spaniards in public institutions, a remark seen as a reference to the scandal surrounding his son-in-law, a commoner who used to be a professional handball player. Judge Castro's order Thursday made public an until-now sealed case file that the newspaper El Pais said contains 2,700 pages. Spanish newspapers have quoted investigators as saying Urdangarin is suspected, among other things, of having taken some of about euro6 million ($8 million) his nonprofit foundation received from the regional governments in Valencia and the Balearic Islands for organizing events such as sports seminars and diverting it to for-profit companies Urdangarin ran. The case is part of a broader, long-running corruption probe involving the regional government in the Balearic Islands. Since 2009 Urdangarin, the princess and their four children have lived in Washington, D.C., where Urdangarin works for the Spanish telecommunications company Telefonica, S.A. King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia have three children. Crown Prince Felipe is the youngest, Princess Cristina is the middle child and the eldest is Princess Elena.

13 Dec 2011

She was the other woman in James Hewitt’s life, the blonde entrepreneur whom he two-timed with Princess Diana.

When she discovered the depth of her betrayal, Emma Stewardson was bitterly hurt. 

Like Diana she too had been besotted with the copper-haired cad and for long afterwards the couple traded insults.

But now after two decades of rancour there has, I learn, been a remarkable rapprochement between the ex-cavalry officer and the businesswoman.

After a series of private meetings — one in London and two in Spain where Hewitt now lives — the two have settled their differences.

Reconciliation: James Hewitt and Emma Stewardson are now on speaking terms

‘James and I are in touch,’ Emma tells me. ‘Things had been really cool between us for many years, things said in the heat of the moment. I apologised and he apologised and generally just cleared the air.’

It was while dating Emma, now 49, that Hewitt began his affair with Diana after giving her riding lessons. Both women wrote long adoring love letters to the tank commander while he was serving in Iraq during the first Gulf War.


As Hewitt’s relationship with the Princess of Wales cracked up in the early Nineties, so too did Emma’s patience. She later married publisher Christopher Younghusband, although that ended in divorce eight years ago.

Over the years Hewitt, 53, and Emma indulged in what a friend calls ‘verbal battling and insulting each other’ through the media. ‘Some terrible things were said. Emma vented her sorrow and anger and James’s ripostes upset her a lot.’ 

At one stage Emma, who runs a curtain business, Back On Track, in Shaftesbury, Dorset, was on the verge of consulting lawyers.

‘In the end she didn’t because she didn’t think it worthwhile raking up all the past again,’ says the friend.

I understand they had their first reunion at a friend’s flat in London after a go-between had put them together.

Emma then dropped in on Hewitt in Marbella where he runs The Polo House restaurant. ‘They had lunch on the beach and it was all very agreeable,’ I am told. ‘They have both said sorry and put a line under it all.’

Adds Emma: ‘I wanted to get the rubbish out of my system once and for all.

‘Who knows, his restaurant might be the perfect location for my office Christmas party!

12 Dec 2011

The Granada builder, José Ávila Rojas, has been given a three and half year prison sentence for continued fraud

Irregularities have been proved in a Marbella development Jose Avila Rojas 


The Granada builder, José Ávila Rojas, has been given a three and half year prison sentence for continued fraud. It comes after he sold three homes in a promotion in Marbella knowing that they could not be occupied as the development, despite being constructed, had not first occupancy licence.

Ávila Rojas also faces charges in the Malaya case, and in this example has been ordered to return the deposit monies paid by the property buyers, an amount of about 67,000 € in each case.
The sentence from the Provincial Court in Málaga shows that Ávila Rojas built the Carril del Relojero development of 64 homes, garages and shops without the correct permissions.

In April 2003 Marbella was governed by the GIL party which did grant an initial works licence, but that was appealed by the Junta de Andalucía who managed to get it revoked in the courts. But Ávila Rojas ignored the ruling and continued with the development after some reforms completing it in June 2005.
Because it had no valid building licence the Town Hall could not grant the first occupancy licence.

The three purchasers did so via Naviro Inmobiliaria, owned by Ávila Rojas, in August 2004, and the company told them nothing about the administrative problems the development was facing. It was only when the Malaya case broke that the purchases discovered the lack of occupancy licence, and demanded the return of their money, with interest. Naviro refused that considering that the licence had been granted by ‘administrative silence’, and that was when the purchasers started their legal action which has now concluded.

police operation has seized five top-range vehicles, 24,000 € in cash, eight sets of precision weighing scales and a pen gun with ammunitio

The Interior Ministry released news on Monday of a National Police operation, ‘Operación Pantano’, which has broken up an international network of drug traffickers and has arrested 15 suspects and seized 3.5 kilos of cocaine. Nine of the detainees are from Colombia and the remainder are Spanish.

The group was mainly based in Almería province and obtained its supplies of cocaine either from Madrid or directly from Colombia. The drugs were then distributed within Almería and in the south of neighbouring Granada.

The final arrests in the case were at the end of November when the network’s two main leaders were taken into custody. The police operation has also seized five top-range vehicles, 24,000 € in cash, eight sets of precision weighing scales and a pen gun with ammunition.

11 Dec 2011

Ice Skating in Marbella

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Ice Skating in Marbella

From December 15th to January 9th next year the Marbella ice skating rink is open to the public at the Palacio de Ferias y Congresos. The 800 sqm ice skating rink also includes a Christmas market, bouncy castle, trampolines, carousel and children's attractions. There is a cafeteria and free parking.

*Normal opening hours are from 12:00 noon until 11:00pm (see below). Entrance is free but there is a charge of €6 to ice skate for 45 minutes which includes the rental of the skates. It is necessary to wear gloves while ice skating so remember to bring some along or you will be charged €2 to rent a pair. The attractions and rides cost €2.50.

*During the Christmas holidays there are special opening hours:
December 24th: 12.00 - 19.00
December 25th: 16.00 - 23.00
December 31st: 12.00 - 19.00
January 1st: 2012: 16.00 - 23.00
January 5th: 12.00 - 19.00
January 6th: 12.00 - 23.00

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