Category: News

Major Trial
Rodrigo Rato blamed the Bank of Spain for mishandling the creation of Bankia yesterday at a trial in which the former International Monetary Fund chief and three other ex- board members of the Bank are accused of fraud.
Rato, who denies any wrongdoing, was Bankia’s chairman at the time of a merger of seven unlisted regional banks to form Bankia in 2010 and its ill-fated 2011 initial public offering.
Less than a year after the 3.1-billion-euro Listing Bankia reported a 3 billion euro loss, prompting a 22.5 billion euro state bailout and its nationalisation.… Read all the news

Ryanair Strikes
Ryanair cabin-crew have called off their strike for today, but will continue with further planned strikes on Thursday, January 10th and Sunday the 13th.
A last-minute meeting held between the Unions and the airline, at the Spanish ministry of work’s led to agreements to continue negotiations today and to try to reach solutions in time to avert the Thursday and Sunday strikes.
Cabin crew based in Spain are calling for Ryanair to comply with current employment legislation in the country and for this to extend to the agencies the carrier uses, Crewlink and Workforce.… Read all the news

Deportations
Spain deported 54,963 immigrants between 2013 and 2017, representing an average of 30 people a day, according to an Interior Ministry reply to a query by left wing party Podemos.
Moroccans and Algerians are the nationals who were most often targeted for deportation and reflects the bilateral agreements that both countries have signed with Spain to facilitate the return of undocumented migrants.
Deportations of people from sub-Saharan Africa, who make up the bulk of irregular immigration to Spain, are significantly lower due to identification difficulties and the lack of bilateral agreements.… Read all the news

Sexual Assault
Police said yesterday they have arrested four men suspected of a New Year’s Eve sexual assault.
The Guardia Civil in Alicante said All four suspects are from Ecuador,
They were picked up on New Years Day after a 19-year-old woman was found partially clothed in a basement in Callosa d’Ensarria.
She was drunk and unable to say where she lived, according to police, adding the quartet had spent the evening with her.
Police said one suspect, aged 22, had a record for sexual assault and had been the subject of a complaint by another woman in October.… Read all the news

Crime Lord
POLICE in Tenerife have arrested a man wanted by Scottish authorities for 29 crimes, including murder.
Authorities think the 35-year-old fugitive, thought to be from Glasgow is the leader of an international criminal organisation.
According to police, the alleged crime lord was ‘hiding out’ in the south of the Island.
He was arrested near Tenerife South Airport after an Edinburgh court issued a European Arrest Warrant.
Authorities held the man on charges of money laundering, drug trafficking, kidnap and murder.… Read all the news

House Raids
Police have arrested 16 people who illegally built 14 luxury homes in a rural area of La Línea.
Investigators suspect that the land sale served to launder money in an area that is home to dozens of drug gangs.
The residential complex, which covers over 11,000 square meters, was erected without a single building permit.
The homes are in El Zabal, a neighborhood that is home to many of the drug dealers who operate near Gibraltar.
The police estimate there could be more than 30 drug gangs and 3,000 direct collaborators operating in the area.… Read all the news

Far Right Coalition
Far-Right party Vox has threatened to withdraw from its coalition pact with the Partido Popular and Ciudadanos if gender violence laws are not reversed.
Vox, led by Santiago Abascal, has made it clear that it will not support the parties in Andalucian government if they do not revoke Spain’s ‘radical feminist’ gender violence law, among other key points such as bullfighting and hunting.
The PP and Ciudadanos have committed to promoting a ‘Great Agreement against Gender Violence in Andalucia’, which will include a ‘social re-education’ programme in a bid to reduce the risk of attacks against women.… Read all the news

Franco Exhumation
There’s been a new set back for the Governments plans to exhume the body of Dictator Francisco Franco after the Catholic Church informed government officials that it is denying them authorization to access the mausoleum .. the Valley of the Fallen .. where Franco is buried outside Madrid.
Despite the new setback, the government says it will forge ahead with its plans.
This will not prevent the process from moving ahead,” they said in a Press release .. the government maintains its decision to press ahead with the exhumation process,
The Valley of the Fallen contains a mass grave with around 30,000 bodies as well as the tombs of Franco and José Antonio Primo de Rivera, founder of the fascist Falange Española.… Read all the news

Migration
Spanish coastguards rescued 401 migrants trying to cross the Med over the first two days of the new year.
The news comes just days after a charity rescue vessel carrying 311 mainly African migrants rescued off the coast of Libya docked in Spain, ending a traumatic journey which saw them spend Christmas at sea.
A coastguard spokesman said they had rescued 111 migrants on Tuesday in the Strait of Gibraltar and Alboran Sea.
She added 290 more were rescued yesterday.… Read all the news

Ibiza Death
A British boy has died on Ibiza after being run over by a car.
The 14-year-old was hit by a Ford Fiesta carrying a family.
Police sources said he was in the middle of the road and not wearing a reflective jacket when he was struck late on New Year’s Day.
It was not immediately clear whether the youngster lived in Ibiza or was on holiday.
He had celebrated his 14th birthday on New Year’s Eve.
The Spanish driver, who had been traveling with his family, tested negative for both alcohol and drugs following the crash.… Read all the news