2019 Budget
The government’s bid to pass a national budget is doomed unless it bends to the demands of Catalonia’s separatists.
Catalan regional president Quim Torra said representatives of Catalonia’s separatist parties in Madrid’s national parliament “have made it very clear that they will vote against the budget because there has been no movement by the Spanish national government toward their demands
The passing of a budget would boost the chances for the government of Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez to see out this legislative term through 2020. Failure would put pressure on Sanchez to call early elections and increase political instability.
Wanted
An alert has been put out for two men wanted after a gang imported drugs worth £4m into the UK.
Desmond Broad, 51, and Alan Cumming, 48, are wanted in connection with the importation of 200 kilos of cocaine, amphetamines and cannabis.
Mr Broad – who is also known as Andrew Nicholas – fled to Spain in February but Mr Cumming is still in the UK.
The UK’s National Crime Agency said Both have links to Liverpool and the Runcorn area of Cheshire.
Mr Broad, who has the nickname Taff, speaks with a Welsh accent and is 6ft tall with green eyes, pierced ears and tattoos on his neck, arms, hands and upper body.
Water Waste
ACCORDING to a study, Spain loses the third highest amount of water in Europe.
A report by consultancy firm PwC found Spain loses the equivalent of 25 per cent of the water it consumes.
The problem is improving, with water consumption down due to better public awareness and more efficient irrigation systems.
But The report claimed Spain still loses significant amounts especially compared to nearby countries, including Germany, which only wastes 7 per cent. France 19 per cent and Portugal 18 per cent.
The study claims the 25 per cent wasted in Spain, is due to breakages and leaks, which account for 15 per cent, and administrative error and fraud at 10 per cent.
The greatest concern, according to the report is a lack of funding for infrastructure. The study claims Spain has not updated its water system for 10 years.
Football
Matches from the second tier of Spanish football, known as La Liga 123, are to be broadcast on Youtube with English commentary in a bid to boost the division’s international appeal.
The broadcasts, which begin with todays Cadiz game against Granada, will be available in Africa, Asia, the Americas and the rest of Europe but not in Spain, where they will continue to be shown on national television.
The announcement follows a deal La Liga made with Facebook at the start of this season to show every game in the Spanish top flight free of charge on the Indian sub continent.
Scam
A Telephone scam by con artists purporting to be computer technicians continues to pose a threat in Spain.
The con, in which fraudsters call pretending to be from Microsoft before bullying their victims into allowing them access to their computer, has reportedly been ongoing for 16 years.
Computer-users are being warned scammers will claim a home computer has been infected with a virus before telling them to follow instructions and click on a link they send.
Once victim’s do this, the tricksters have access to the computer, allowing them to steal data, sometime even pushing for payment for their, ‘services.’
Microsoft has confirmed this scam has been reported in 16 different countries, including Spain, and advised victims to never offer the fraudsters any payment or access to computers.
Microsoft said their own technical service will never contact a user unless previously requested.