Live News From Spain As It Happens

LATIN pop icon Ricky Martín (pictured) will perform at Marbella's massive Starlite Festival on July 25, and tickets are already selling like hotcakes – despite eye-watering prices ranging from138 euros for restricted seating up to 450 euros for a VIP box.

The star's recently launched the official video for Vida ('life'), the winning FIFA and Sony SuperSong single which will be included in the official Brazil 2014 World Cup album, has already registered over 11 million hits on YouTube in just three weeks.

And Ricky's duet with fellow Puerto Rican Jennifer López on the single Adrenalina, which shot to number one on the US Billboard charts, has been watched by more than 68 million people on YouTube since it was released in March.

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com

A CONTESTANT on a popular Spanish game show has won the 1.3-million-euro jackpot after spending four months on the show.

Paz Herrera, an unemployed architect from Torrelavega (Cantabria), has taken part in 87 consecutive editions of the quiz show Pasapalabra (which means 'pass', as in, 'don't know').

But this is not even her first time on the programme - serial game show contestant Paz already held the record for the highest prize on the Telecinco slot when she took home 62,400 euros last year after taking part in 54 back-to-back episodes.

Having won the Christmas 2013 edition of Pasapalabra - after being invited back on it when she won the jackpot weeks previously - Sra Herrera was given the chance to go back on the show on January 27 this year.

Tuesday night saw her answering all 25 of the tough questions in the 'quiz wheel' (pictured) and scooping up a prize of 1,310,000 euros.

Her long-standing presence on the programme meant ratings shot up for Telecinco, Spain's Channel 5.

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SPAIN is well below the European average for internet use and broadband expansion, according to a recent report.

The European Commission says an average of 76 per cent of homes across the 28 member States are on ADSL, compared to 69 per cent in Spain - which has in fact gone up from 67 per cent last year.

High-speed connections are also more rare to see in Spain than elsewhere in the EU - only 15 per cent of households have internet running at 30 megabits per second or more, coompared to 21 per cent across the EU-28.

But ultra-high speed connections of more than 100Mbps only make up five per cent of all broadband networks in the EU, compared to a higher six per cent in Spain.

Availability makes some of the difference, as is seen with comparative figures for 4G mobiles - only 47 per cent of Spain is able to use these, next to 59 per cent of the rest of the European Union.

This said, broadband mobile use is greater in Spain - 73 per cent of phone customers have it - than in the EU, where an average of 62 per cent are connected.

Two-thirds of residents in Spain say they go online at least once a week, compared to 72 per cent in the rest of the EU, and only 54 per cent use the internet daily, next to 62 per cent elsewhere on the continent.

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com

'DOZENS' of Catholic priests in Spain are married, but bishops turn a 'blind eye', according to the Church amid calls by women who have vicars as husbands to scrap the 'celibacy rule'.

Although the Church will not revel the full figures, around 6,000 priests in Spain are married and, worldwide, some 100,000.

Bishops allegedly turn a blind eye to this in Spain provided the vicar in question does not appear in the media, does not attempt to 'convert' others to giving up celibacy and it does not compromise his faith.

The 'celibacy law' was passed in the year 1139, although it was rarely adhered to before the mid-16^th century and even then amid great resistance, and was purely for financial reasons – unmarried priests with no children would leave all their worldly goods to the Church when they died.

It was continued because it is easier to feed and maintain 400,000 priests who are single than their wives and children as well, and it means priests are more at liberty to travel around and work in different dioceses or abroad as missionaries.

But in fact, all bar two of the Apostles were married and Jesus did not mention anything about how preachers should be single and celibate – and Pope Francisco says the rule is 'an open issue' and 'not a faith dogma'.

Early Christian communities even had married bishops and these were mentioned in the New Testament.

In Anglican, Orthodox, Lutheran or other Protestant Churches, celibacy and singlehood is optional, but the Catholic Church makes it a conditio sine qua non of being a priest, meaning if a congregation leader wants to marry, he must resign.

In Africa and Latin America, in Catholic communities, many priests live with their wives in their rectories but have certain rules they must abide by, including always wearing their dog-collars, and their wedding rings on their ring finger at all times.

One of the most recent cases to be made public was Rev. Evans D. Gliwitzki, parish priest of the Espíritu Santo church of Los Gigantes in Tenerife, who is married to a woman named Patricia, has two daughters and three grandchildren.

Another is Oleksandr Dorykevych, a Ukraine-born priest in Torrevieja (Alicante) with a wife and three children, and Ramón Alario, who is Spanish but had to hang up his cassock and find another job to be able to marry his wife – he now only leads congregations in secrecy in very small parish communities on request.

CHILDREN in Spain have too much homework and not enough playtime, and start school far too early, according to a Canadian education expert working as a teacher in Barcelona.

Catherine L'Écuyer, from Québéc, is about to see the ninth edition of her book Educar en el asombro ('educating through surprise') published, in which she warns against toddlers being 'overwhelmed' by technology and foreign languages instead of letting them enjoy 'play, nature and silence'.

What she refers to as 'over-stimulation' - or the maximum time possible spent on academic work - 'stifles creativity' in a child as well as his or her 'potential to become interested in the world around them', and is actually conducive to poor results and apathy.

In a recent interview, when asked her thoughts about education minister José Ignacio Wert's claims that the Spanish system is superior because 99 per cent of three-year-olds were already in class and doing proper school work, Mme L'Écuyer said formal education at such a young age 'distracts children from what is really important'.

"The key to a child's having the best possible preparation for the cognitive process [learning and education] and sound character development lies in the quality of the relationship between the child and his or her principal carer in the first few years of life," the education expert states.

"Seven years old is the most appropriate age for learning to read and write, because that's when a child has sufficient maturity. If they are introduced to this too early, they can experience frustration, which has repercussions for self-esteem and causes a downward spiral of academic failure affecting future learning.

"You don't get better results the more schooling a child has."

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com

HOTEL workers throughout the Balearic Islands are planning sit-in protests and possible strikes unless agreements can be reached over their working conditions and pay.

Spain's two main unions, the labourers' commission (CCOO) and general workers' union (UGT) are attempting to negotiate collective working agreements which cover rights and duties of employees across the sector, including time off, hours and wage scales.

But so far, they have reached stalemate and in a recent press conference, the UGT said it considered any progress in the next few days 'unlikely'.

The first in a series of demonstrations will take place outside the head offices of Iberostar and Barceló, two of the largest hotel chains and the ones which, according to the two unions, are proving to be the most inflexible during meetings.

They will then move on to other hotel head offices and premises.

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com

SOCIALIST leader Alfredo Pérez Rubalcaba has announced his resignation from the party in light of the results of the European Parliamentary elections on Sunday.

The PSOE came second overall, securing 23 per cent of the votes but losing nine of its 23 seats in the Hemicycle, whilst the PP, which won with 26 per cent of ballots in their favour, lost eight seats and were left with 14.

Although the results were similar for the two main parties in Spain's political panorama, PP candidate Miguel Arias Cañete announced triumphantly that the party had 'won' the European elections, whilst PSOE candidate Elena Valenciano said her team needed to carry out some 'urgent reflection' to find out 'where they had gone wrong'.

And the next twist came 24 hours later when Rubalcaba announced in a press conference: “The responsibility for the very bad electoral result is mine, mine and mine.”

“I shall therefore assume my responsibility,” the leader, who was Mariano Rajoy's rival candidate in the November 2011 general elections, stated.

The socialists will hold an extraordinary general meeting over July 19 and 20, only the second for the party since the start of Spain's transition to democracy, during which Rubalcaba will stand down.

He has announced he will not stand for election in 2015, but has not said whether he intends to give up politics altogether.

“It's clear we have not won back public confidence,” said the PSOE leader, referring to the PP's landslide victory in the last general elections, called seven months early, when the then president José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero stood down.

“With a result like this, there's something we're not doing right.

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com

BETWEEN two and three people die every day in Spain from late-diagnosed skin cancer, medics warn – and around 4,000 patients are diagnosed with malignant melanoma every year.

The outcome is very positive indeed for melanomas discovered at an early stage, and at present they only account for 1.5 per cent of all cancerous tumours found in humans, with an equal incidence for men and for women.

It is the fifth-most frequent form of cancer in men and the sixth-most common in women, is most likely to occur between the ages of 40 and 70, and the increase in the number of cases seen in recent years is as rapid as that of lung, liver and thyroid cancers.

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com

RESULTS of the European Parliamentary elections show that Spain's 'big two' are losing ground, but the PP remains the most-voted party.

This said, despite fears of record abstention, slightly more voters in Spain went to the polls than in 2009 – of those eligible to cast their ballot, 45.84 per cent did so, compared to 44.9 per cent five years ago.

A total of 54.16 per cent abstained, whilst invalid votes – 290,000 overall – rose from 0.62 per cent to 1.82 per cent.

'Blank' votes as a form of protest totalled over 357,000, or 2.29 per cent, compared to 1.39 per cent five years ago.

Miguel Arias Cañete gave a triumphant 'we've won' speech as the final count was made public, revealing that the right-wing leaders of the central government got 26 per cent of the votes – the highest proportion of all.

The socialists, or PSOE, followed with 23 per cent.

But both suffered a drastic drop in popularity – the PP has lost eight seats in European Parliament, going from 24 to 16, and whereas four million people in Spain voted for them in yesterday's (Sunday's) MEP elections, a total of 6.6 million did so in 2009.

Despite a similar result, the PSOE was far from elated with its candidate, Elena Valenciano, calling the outcome 'disappointing' and stating that the party 'must reflect' on its strategies and how it can best give the public what they want.

The socialists have lost nine seats in the Hemicycle, leaving them with 14.

Although Spanish president Mariano Rajoy warned the public 'not to go for the little parties', claiming it would be a waste of a vote as they would 'never get in', the brand-new left-wing outfit Podemos ('We Can') scooped up five seats in European Parliament, and the Citizens for Europe (Ciudadanos por Europa) got two.

Unión, Progreso y Democracia (UPyD) won four seats, one more than in 2009, which was a cause for celebration for its leader Rosa Díez, who did not miss the chance to point out that Spain's long-standing bipartite régime was 'on its way out' as the PSOE and PP together had gone from winning 80 per cent of the country's votes to just 49 per cent.

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com

MEMBERS of European Parliament, or MEPs spend four days a week away from home as part of their normal duties – but in compensation, they receive a salary totalling around 8,000 euros a month.

But despite their sizeable pay packets, they have failed to win over the Spanish public as yet – so widespread is 'abstention fever' that the central government has forbidden any parties from 'inviting' residents to vote on their campaign posters, considering that every citizen has the right to choose not to vote.

And although anti-Europe independent party UKIP has won an unprecedented number of votes in the British local elections this week, with a referendum on EU membership due to be held in the autumn of 2017, Spanish citizens are said to be even more Euro-sceptic – only 41 per cent said in surveys that they trusted the European Union and felt it was a good idea to be part of it, compared to nearly 50 per cent of Britons.

Also, according to the last EuroBarometer, 81 per cent of Spaniards say they know little or nothing about what goes on within the EU.

Today's elections are marked by the threat of abstention, by an influx of new, minority independent parties – including Vox, led by former PP member of Parliament Alejo Vidal-Quadras - as well as the PP attempting to repair the damage caused by its candidate, Miguel Arias Cañete's remark about men's intellectual superiority and the rival PSOE milking this comment for all it is worth

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com

BOGUS gas inspectors who swindled at least 5,000 residents have been arrested this week across the country.

Three have been caught on the Costa Blanca, four on the Costa del Sol, two in Madrid and 17 in the Balearic Islands – 26 in total – all of whom called round at houses on spec purporting to be from the gas board and charged up to 1,200 euros at a time for unnecessary inspections and maintenance.

They mainly targeted retired expats, typically British, German and Dutch residents – although given that numerous attempts by similar fraudsters over the years mean foreign homeowners are becoming wise to the scam, these criminal organisations are trying new methods to get money out of the public.

These include telephoning residents to arrange an appointment, and wearing clothes that resemble a gas board's uniform, as well as carrying fake ID.

They normally begin by telling the homeowner that a 'small' repair is needed to the gas bottle connections, and quote around 50 euros to fix it.

Then, whilst carrying out the 'work', they 'discover' more non-existent faults that need to be repaired, leading to the end cost coming to anything from 200 to 1,200 euros.

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com

TILE manufacturers in the eastern province of Castellón are worried about their financial future as a result of the coup d'état in Thailand, a country where they exported 19 million euros' worth of their goods to in 2013.

And since the start of Spain's economic crisis, ceramic tile exports to Thailand have been constantly rising.

Last year alone saw an increase on figures for 2012 of 31.6 per cent to the south-east Asian country. Castellón's industry accounts for 90 per cent of tile manufacturing in Spain, and most of the ceramic produced is exported.

Political upheaval abroad has caused the province's industry problems in the past, with Algerian and Egyptian markets falling flat suddenly with the onset of the Arab Spring – although sales to these north African countries have now stabilised.

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com

KIDS in Spain finish school much later in the day than anywhere else in Europe – and nearly always go on to take evening classes afterwards, says a commission set up to research a possible change in working hours.

Whilst children elsewhere in Europe finish their school day between 13.30hrs and 15.00hrs on average, Italian pupils do not clock off until 16.30hrs and in Spain, until 17.00hrs.

Spanish children under 12 typically work a nine-to-five day – with their two-hour lunch break from noon to 14.00hrs starting whilst their parents are still at work and finishing just as mum and dad come home for their midday rest – and high school pupils normally have a continuous 08.00hrs to 14.00hrs day with short scheduled breaks.

The National Commission for Reasonable Hours in Spain examined school starting and finishing times in the UK, Germany, Belgium, Finland, The Netherlands, Sweden, Portugal and Italy as well as for Spanish children, and found the latter have the longest days in the classroom.

Some schools in Spain intend to revamp their hours from next September – the academic year for 2015-2016 – starting at 09.00hrs and running until 14.00hrs with short playtimes but no lunch hour.

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com

A BULLFIGHTING festival in Madrid was cancelled at the last minute when all three matadors were gored and had to be rushed to hospital.

Held as part of the capital's famous San Isidro fiestas, this is the first time since 1979 it has been cancelled.

One of them was hurled across the Las Ventas bullring after the half-tonne animal plunged its horn into his leg.

Spectators described David Mora's ordeal as horrific and shocking as he flew through the air before being gored a second time in the armpit.

He was rushed to hospital in a critical condition, but is now said to be out of danger.

Antonio Nazaré, the second contender, was dragged along the sand arena by a bull and the third matador in the ring, Jiménez Fortés, was stabbed in the pelvis and the leg.

Both were taken to hospital, but due to be released the following day.

As a result, the audience was left without the show they had paid for because it had to be cancelled within the first few minutes as all the bullfighters were in hospital.

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com

MODERN art fans on the Costa del Sol will not need to travel to Paris soon to see the famous Pompidou centre, because they are about to get their own in Málaga port.

The town council says it has been jumping through hoops and battling with red tape for a considerable length of time, but can now see light at the end of the tunnel and expect the centre to be open by next year.

Developers have been appointed to transform the building known as The Cube into the first-ever Pompidou centre to open outside of France.

It will cost a total of 5.1 million euros, including IVA, and once work starts, will take around six months to complete.

Provisionally, the outpost of the famous Paris gallery will have a 1,665-square-metre space, split into three halls and a central area, for the permanent exhibition and 365 square metres for temporary displays.

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com

THE biggest cranes in the world have sailed into the port of Algeciras (Cádiz) from Shanghai.

Complex manoeuvres will be needed to unload the cranes from the Zhen Hua 25 over the next few days, since they extend up to 52 metres in height and weigh over 1,200 tonnes.

These massive cranes have been shipped into Algeciras to 'enhance its port's competitiveness', and will be followed shortly by the Marie Maersk, a Triple E series craft, carrying even more of them.

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com

A MAYOR who organised a firework display from a castle on a hill despite forest fire warnings could face up to 10 years in jail for 'gross negligence'.

One of the first of the 108 forest fires in the Valencia province so far this year, the blaze in the coastal town of Cullera was caused by fireworks coming into contact with dead and withered shrubs.

Residents were evacuated and flames surrounded every side of the mountain.

As well as jail, Ernesto Sanjúan (PP) may have to pay a daily fine for 12 months.

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com

BODIES donated to medical science have been piling up out of control due to staff shortages at a Madrid college.

Over 250 corpses used by undergraduates studying to be doctors at the Complutense University were reportedly stored 'without monitoring or hygiene measures in place' rather than being submerged in formaldehyde or frozen, as they should have been.

Sources from the university say government funding cuts in education at all levels has meant they have been unable to replace staff who leave, and have been forced to make redundancies.

As a result, there were not enough employees to enable them to keep on top of the body situation.

Madrid Complutense University has criticised reports of a 'horror house' and said photos leaked to the media 'give a distorted impression of reality'.

They say the situation is now under control and the bodies are being dealt with accordingly.

The department of human anatomy and embryology says only around 100 are now left, and they are all identified and properly stored.

But people who believe that by donating their body to medical science upon their deaths they will save their family money in funeral costs are mistaken: once students and researchers have finished with the corpses, they are returned to the next of kin to be buried or cremated, which costs the same as if they had never been previously donated.

Read article at thinkSPAIN.com

ANDALUCÍA has the heaviest carbon footprint in Spain and is responsible for 18.11 per cent of all CO2 emissions in the country, according to a recent report.

In total, industry, traffic and energy use sends off 24.5 million tonnes of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere every year, says the Business and Climate Foundation in its annual review of Spain's compliance with the Kyoto Protocol.

Asturias – surprisingly, given that it is one of Spain's least-industrialised regions with much lower airport traffic than in coastal tourist belts – has the second-worst record, accounting for 13.25 per cent of the country's emissions.

In fact, the northern region's performance may be even worse in real terms, since it is only a fraction of the size of Andalucía, which covers the whole of the south coast and over 200 kilometres inland.

The same applies to Galicia, again one of Spain's smaller and less-industrial regions, in the far north-west: its contribution to the nation's carbon footprint is 10.7 per cent, equal to that of the much larger Catalunya, home to beach tourist resorts, the second-largest city in the country – Barcelona – and an international airport with regular flights travelling to every continent.

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com

HEALTH authorities in Spain want to withdraw certain types of joss sticks, scented candles, air fresheners and aromatic oils from the market following reports from a major consumers' union that a number of these give off toxic substances.

Having analysed some of these, the OCU claims they emit 'high levels' of chemicals such as benzene and formaldehyde, making them 'as harmful to health as cigarette smoke'.

This is not only the case in Spain, says the OCU, since similar research has been carried out in Italy, Portugal and Belgium and shown 'identical results'.

PP health department members say the items in question should 'not be used in poorly-ventilated areas', nor 'in the presence of children, asthma or allergy sufferers or pregnant women'.

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A DROUGHT of the scale not seen in over a century and a half is threatening water resources in Spain's south and east after the lowest rainfall on record over the autumn, winter and spring.

The worst-hit provinces are Valencia and Alicante where, following a sudden and unprecedented gota fría or Mediterranean 'monsoon' in late August, it has barely rained between September and June.

Murcia, Albacete, Cuenca, Teruel, Cádiz, Málaga, Jaén and Almería are also at high risk – the only provinces in Andalucía which are safe are Granada, Sevilla and Huelva.

Rain in Valencia and Alicante has been the lowest since records began in the year 1864 and, although the forecast this week was for torrential downpours across most of the mainland, the south-east is expected to escape altogether.

Reservoirs in affected areas are sitting at between 74 and 90 per cent of their capacity, and the river Júcar, which supplies much of the water to the Comunidad Valenciana, is currently at 54 per cent.

Even if domestic water supply is not threatened, crops are suffering or have died out altogether.

Whilst the eastern regions have only seen between 25 and 50 per cent of their average rainfall between 2013 and now, much of the west and north of the mainland has abundant levels of water resources due to exceptionally-high rainfall over the last year.

In fact, during the second-driest period in weather data history, it rained twice as much in the regions of Valencia and Murcia as it did in late 2013 and early 2014.

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com

GRANADA has become Spain's favourite destination for groups celebrating hen or stag parties, largely due to its exciting attractions and low prices including quality, budget hotels and cut-price bars and restaurants, plus monuments and craft markets with a Middle Eastern and North African feel.

Tours in 'donkey taxis' and limousines, flamenco parties and Arab-style hammams or eastern spa-baths are some of the favourite fun ways to spend daytimes and evenings – as well as, of course, the iconic Mediaeval Islamic jewel in the city's crown, the Alhambra Palace, one of the finalists for 2007's New Seven Wonders of the World contest.

And the proliferation of bars, nightclubs, budget hotels, restaurants and the tradition of a free tapa or snack with every alcoholic drink means the night life is also promising for weekend-long parties.

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com

SPAIN'S oldest Roman aqueduct was in Cartagena (Murcia), pre-dating the country's most famous example in the central province of Segovia which attracts thousands of tourists every year.

Researchers at Murcia University have confirmed that the irrigation system created by an aqueduct and public springs close to the Naval city and the popular golf and spa tourist resorts is the most ancient in mainland Spain and Portugal, dating back to over 100 years BC.

Although it has long since crumbled into ruins, two inscriptions found near the site together with other literary and iconographic material already held in museums have proven that there was indeed a water-carrying bridge in the area and that it was the first to be built outside of Italy during the days of the powerful Roman Empire.

Other famous examples in Spain, besides the internationally-renowned one in Segovia, are in Córdoba in the south, Tarragona in the north-east and Mérida in the land-locked western region of Extremadura.

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com

Reports are just in that Mériton, owned by Singapore billionaire Peter Lim, has bought 70.4% of the shares in CF Valencia for 100 million euros, making it  the new owner of the debt-ridden Liga side.

The Valencia Foundation's patrons voted unanimously for Mériton's proposal ahead of other offers from international consortiums offering large cash injections. Today's deal includes a commitment by Lim to invest a further 300 millions euros in the club, 60 million of which will be made available immediately to strengthen the squad ahead of next season.

The successful Mériton bid also includes a commitment to have the new stadium finished by the club's centenary in March 2019.

Lim is a publicity-shy businessman and investor. In July 2010, Forbes magazine rated him eighth amongst Singapore's 40 richest people with an estimated net worth of $1.6 billion. In March 2010, he was tied for #655 amongst the world's billionaires, with an estimated net worth of $1.5 billion.

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com

THE biggest cruise-liner in the world has docked in Barcelona and 3,600 passengers have poured out onto the city's streets to see the sights and spend their money.

Shopkeepers, bar-owners and restaurateurs are said to be rubbing their hands together, as latest estimates show the average traveller on board the luxury ship, the Liberty of the Seas, will spend around 1,000 euros a head.

Queues to catch taxis to some of Barcelona's main attractions – including the colourful Gaudí-designed Güell Park and his ultra-modern Sagrada Familia cathedral, the Montjuïc mount and the luxury retailers on the Passeig de Gràcia – were visible for miles and some were waiting for nearly an hour to get a seat as cabbies struggled to keep on top of demand.

The ship will set off shortly for a four-day Mediterranean cruise. 

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com

CHRISTOPHER Colombus' boat may have been found submerged in the Caribbean close to Haïti, reports claim.

A team of experts in the United States, led by marine archaeologist Barry Clifford believes the remains of a ship found on the sea bed are those of the Santa María, one of the three that crossed the Atlantic in 1492.

Named after the Cádiz province port town of El Puerto de Santa María, the ship was lent to Colombus by the then Catholic Monarchs, Isabella and Fernando, the couple who started the Inquisition and ousted the last of the Moors.

Whilst Colombus travelled to the Americas in the Santa María, two other, smaller boats – the Pinta and the Niña – followed on with supplies.

Historically, when he touched down on dry land, the first part of the Americas Colombus set foot in is what is now the capital city of the Dominican Republic, Santo Domingo.

Clifford's team has been analysing the shipwreck for more than 10 years and say the size, design and location as described in notes handwritten by Colombus all point to the fact this is indeed his vessel. 

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com

CAMPAIGNERS fighting the proposed restrictions on abortion announced by Spain's minister of justice have set up a spoof travel agency offering trips to Europe for women wishing to terminate a pregnancy.

Dubbed 'Abortion Travel - the agency that shouldn't exist', the pretend online 'company' offers packages to London, Paris and Berlin ranging from 1,940 euros to 2,620 euros.

Its organisers even give women advice relating to where to travel to in Europe depending upon how far gone their pregnancy is and the national law relating to their stage of gestation.

Mostly, in northern Europe, the only restriction is that the foetus may not be old enough to run the risk of being born alive or surviving after being aborted, and laws limiting pregnancy terminations are based upon length of gestation rather than scenarios such as the mother's health or personal situation.

In practice, the women are actually putting their names - knowingly - on a petition, which has been signed by over 40,000 people so far and is due to be handed in to Parliament.

The firm itself does not in fact organise any trips or trade in any way - it is purely aimed at raising awareness of the types of agency which will almost certainly appear on the market, even if they have to go underground, should abortion become all but illegal.

Set up by Spain's outpost of the European Women's Lobby, known as CELEM, the travel site is another in a long series of protest moves calling for the forthcoming abortion reform to be scrapped.

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com

SPAIN'S offer of help in the search and release of the 223 Nigerian schoolgirls kidnapped by a radical Islamic group has been welcomed by the government of the African country.

Four members of the Spanish police force's specialist kidnap and ransom squad, at the instigation of the ministry of foreign affairs, will be travelling to Nigeria in the next few days.

All of them are highly experienced in abductions involving highly sensitive negotiations, in human trafficking and in dealing with Islamic sects and hostage-taking networks based in African countries.

Spain's kidnap release record is exceptional, with numerous successful cases of the country's citizens being freed unharmed from captivity abroad through careful contact and top-secret dealings, with recent high-profile cases being reported in Western Sahara, Somalia, Mali and Colombia, including that of the daughter of well-known High Court judge Fernando Marlaska.

The girls were kidnapped from their school in Chibok, in the northern state of Borno on April 14 by the extremist group Boko Haram, whose name in the local housa language means 'Western education is forbidden'.

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com

CÓRDOBA city hall's 'Siesta in the Patios' scheme means tourists and visitors can take an afternoon nap in the shade in between admiring the famous flower-filled courtyards.

Every year, Córdoba's residential courtyards are decked out with brightly-coloured blooms as part of the annual Patio Festival, and the public can take a tour of each of them before prizes for the most attractive are handed out.

But they are normally closed between 14.00hrs and 18.00hrs daily for lunch and siesta, which means visitors have to find somewhere to sit and rest out of the burning heat for four hours - not easy when even cafés are often closed.

In response, a move by the city council means that the patios of the Orive Palace, the souks in the historic quarters - which date back to the Mediaeval Arab occupation of Spain - and the one at number 22 of the C/ Rey Heredia will remain open but with recliners, hammocks and sunbeds positioned in shaded areas which members of the public can use freely to take a kip.

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com

TAX authorities discovered a missing original Van Gogh painting during an inspection of the assets of an individual accused of a multi-million-euro fiscal fraud.

Back in October, the tax office - Hacienda - announced the imminent seizure of 542 safe deposit boxes in 270 bank branches, belonging to a total of 551 people and companies, which would lead to the embargo of 319 million euros' worth of goods and funds.

Two months later, a painting thought to be a Van Gogh 'of incalculable value' which disappeared from the Kunsthistorisches Institut in Vienna in the early 1970s was found in one of the bank vaults.

Experts have now studied the picture carefully and confirmed this weekend that it is in fact the 1889 painting Cypress, sky and field, created by the Dutch artist during his so-called 'mad period' when he was a resident at the mental health institute in Saint Rémy de Provence, France.

Vincent Van Gogh's stay in the asylum came just a few months after he cut his left earlobe off in reaction to finding out his love for French artist Paul Gauguin was unrequited, when the latter ran away to Tahiti to live among a harem of native women.

The period in the institution in Saint Rémy saw Van Gogh create numerous landscapes with cypress trees, including the famous Starry, starry night, the subject of the well-known song.

After the tax office found the painting, the person renting the bank vault said it belonged to a 'foreign millionaire' who brought it to Spain in 2010 and that he was 'merely holding it in safe deposit' on that person's behalf.

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The Primera Liga will be decided on the final day of the season after Atlético Madrid and Barcelona were both held to a draw today, setting up a mouthwatering clash between the two sides next weekend.

Barça were only able to manage a 0-0 draw against Liga minnows Elche, meaning they need a win at the Nou Camp next week to secure the title, whilst Elche secured their place in the top flight for next season.  Atlético lead Barca by three points, but victory for Barca would give them their 23rd Liga crown on head-to-head record, having drawn with Atleti earlier in the season.

Atlético, on the other hand, will need only a point to lift their first league title in 18 years - a title they had within their grasp today, coming back from a goal down against Málaga, only to be denied the winner by Caballero's outstanding save of Adrián's shot in the final minute of stoppage time to ensure the game ended in a 1-1 draw.

Any hopes Real Madrid had of winning the title evaporated when they were beaten 2-0 by Celta Vigo. Real are now five points behind leaders Atlético with just one match remaining.

At the other end of the table, Almería gave themselves a great chance of avoiding relegation from the Primera Division with a 2-0 victory over fellow strugglers Granada. They now sit three points above the relegation zone with one game to go.

Getafe took advantage of a weakened Sevilla side to claim a vital victory in their fight against relegation. Sergio Escudero's 70th-minute goal gave them a 1-0 victory to help them climb three points clear of the bottom three with one match to play.

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A THWARTED armed bank robbery in a north-western city left the streets awash with loose 20- and 50-euro notes this week when the thieves dropped the safe on the road and it burst open.

One of the witnesses said: “It was like cowboy film, straight out of the Wild West.”

National Police were called out when four known serial armed robbers, described as 'very dangerous and violent', burst into a branch of NovaGalicia bank in Coia, near Vigo, a provincial capital just above the Portuguese border.

The intruders fired two shots in the air to scare the employees into handing over the safe, which caused widespread terror among the customers.

When confronted by a human chain of armed police officers, the robbers attempted to flee the scene, dropping the safe deposit box as they did so.

Literally hundreds of bank notes were scattered all over the street, and passers-by helped the police collect them up, even rescuing them from under parked cars.

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GUARDIA Civil officers in Spain have won their battle against 'company' rules which meant their bonuses were affected by how many traffic fines they dished out. 

The Summary of Individual Activities brought in four years ago by the force's top management linked officers' extra pay – a significant portion of their take-home earnings which is added to their basic salary – would be increased or decreased on a 'points' basis linked to their performance. 

And one of the performance indicators was the 'level of service' provided when they are on traffic duty, within which was included a direct connection between bonus payments and numbers of parking or driving fines issued. 

The Guardia Civil union, the AUGC, appealed against this on the grounds that it simply turned the force into a cash-collecting agency with officers effectively encouraged to seek ways of getting money out of the general taxpaying public in order to ensure their own salaries were intact every month. 

It also meant a 'dangerously competitive' situation whereby police chiefs of individual Guardia Civil stations earned bigger bonuses where their subordinates slapped more fines on motorists, as well as going against the real objective of road traffic laws – that of encouraging safe driving and saving lives.

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St Paul and the Burning of the Books, one of the lost tapestries from Henry VIII's extensive collection, and widely considered the "fourth best tapestry" in his possession, has "emerged" in Spain, at the Coll & Cortés gallery in Madrid, where it will be on show until June 8th after having been purchased from an anonymous vendor.

The tapestry, which was acquired in the 1970s by a Spanish art collector, is "incredibly well preserved" according to its current owners, reflects an important moment in the history of England and Europe. It has been valued at 1.1 million euros, but can only be sold in Spain because the State will not allow it to leave the country.

According to Bentley Angliss, a partner at ABM Art and Auctions, the work could fetch as much as five million euros outside of Spain.  St Paul and the Burning of the Books was woven in wool, silk, silver and gold in Brussels in 1535. It was commissioned by King Henry VIII from Peter Coecke van Aelst, who had received commissions from other monarchs of the era, like Queen Mary of Hungary, Emperor Charles V and the Habsburg court in Brussels.

The piece was part of the English Royal Wardrobe in Hampton Court and then at Windsor Castle, where it was displayed alongside three other tapestries commissioned by Henry VIII, who at one time boasted a collection of over 2,700 tapestries. This work was expressly commissioned by the King, who was "particularly attracted" to the figure of St Paul. It is said that the image depicted in the tapestry represents the split between the Anglican and Catholic churches through the evident antagonism between St Paul (England) and St Peter (Rome).

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SEVILLA'S traditional April Fair, or Feria de Abril has kicked off with 236,000 lights switched on at midnight on Monday and a massive structure at the entrance designed to mirror the water kiosks of bygone centuries.

Curiously, this year's April Fair falls in May, which could in fact mean more visitors than ever due to the better weather – temperatures forecast range from 30ºC to 34ºC - and potential influx of tourists.

Over 1,400 carts pulled by gaily-decorated horses will parade along the streets accompanied by fiesta-goers in traditional costume, with plenty of red and black polka-dot dresses, and plenty of demonstrations of Rumba and Sevillanas dancing will be seen throughout the fair.

Drinks typical of the area are set to flow in abundance, including fino sherry from nearby Jerez de la Frontera (Cádiz) and rebujito, made with fizzy lemonade and camomile wine.

Manufacturers of these traditional beverages expect to sell about 1.5 million bottles of their wares before the festival ends on May 11 – two bottles for every inhabitant in the city.

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The European Commission (EC) has today released a revised forecast for economic growth in the European Union over the next two years, in which it points to a 1.1% and 2.1% increase respectively in Spain's GDP.

The European Commission's spring forecast points to a continuing economic recovery in the European Union following its emergence from recession one year ago. Across the EU as a whole, real GDP growth is set to reach 1.6% this year, and 1.2% in the euro area, improving further in 2015 to 2.0% and 1.7% respectively. The forecast rests on the assumption that the agreed policy measures will be implemented by Member States and the EU, taking forward the necessary adjustment.

Labour market conditions started to improve in the course of 2013 and more job creation as well as a further decline in unemployment rates should follow (to 10.1% in the EU and 11.4% in the euro area in 2015). Unemployment remains higher than the EU average in Spain, but is set to fall to 25.5% this year, and to continue to fall to 24% in 2015.

Inflation is expected to remain low, both in the EU (1.0% in 2014, 1.5% in 2015) and in the euro area (0.8% and 1.2%). Overall, domestic demand is expected to become the key driver of growth over the forecast horizon. Consumer spending should progressively add to growth as real income benefits from lower inflation and the stabilising labour market. The recovery in investment should continue to support growth, with gains in both equipment and construction investment. The contribution of net exports is expected to diminish over the forecast horizon.

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KIDS and husbands who do not help out with the cleaning and cooking could face legal action thanks to a new Royal Decree passed in Spanish Parliament.

In a drive for 'full equality' and to help women get back into the job market, children aged 18 or under who have not left home are expected to assist with domestic chores as they are legally obliged to 'participate in all aspects of family life'.

The exact text says they are 'jointly responsible' for 'caring for the home and carrying out housework', and that this is irrespective of 'age or gender' – although a minimum age has not been placed on this new requirement, leaving it open to speculation as to whether or not babies or toddlers who are too young to pick up a duster could be exempt.

Children, under the draft bill of law, are required to 'treat their parents and teachers with respect' and to 'take a positive attitude' towards their schoolwork. This said, nowhere in the draft law are sanctions for kids who are rude to grown-ups, lazy around the house and do little work in class explained – and enforcing the law could be difficult anyway, since in the event of civil 'offences', minors' parents are legally liable for their actions. It could lead to the bizarre situation of parents being fined because their own children are impolite to them or leave them to do all the cleaning and ironing.

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A BENIDORM woman hired a hitman for up to 15,000 euros to kill two police officers, according to the Guardia Civil in the Costa Blanca town.

She was reportedly working as a prostitute and social services at regional government level had taken her children off her, and in revenge, she decided to kill the two police officers who had caught her.

The woman was only able to provide a physical description of the policemen, and did not have their names, numbers or details of how to find them.

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A QUARTER of Spanish people would 'accept' or 'forgive' their husband or wife being unfaithful to them, according to a recent survey covering 40 different countries. 

France is even more liberal, with nearly half the population considering cheating 'morally acceptable', with 12 per cent saying it is 'not a moral issue'. 

The Global Views on Morality survey, carried out by the USA's Pew Research Center, took the views of just over 1,000 people per country on extra-marital relations, gambling, homosexuality, abortion, sex before marriage, drinking alcohol, divorce and the use of contraceptives. 

In terms of infidelity, 78 per cent of respondents said this was morally wrong, with France being the only country where less than half the population considered extra-marital affairs unacceptable. 

Germany was not far behind, with 40 per cent saying they would accept their partner having affairs, whilst Spain, in fifth place for liberal views, saw 27 per cent agreeing they would tolerate it and eight per cent saying morals did not enter into the equation. 

At the other end of the scale, 90 per cent of respondents in Palestine, Turkey, Jordan, Egypt and Indonesia – all predominantly Muslim countries – said being unfaithful was morally wrong. 

Fewer than half the countries interviewed approved of homosexuality, and unsurprisingly – given that it was one of the pioneers in introducing same-sex marriage and adoption – Spain is the most liberal about the issue with only six per cent of respondents considering it morally incorrect, 38 per cent saying it was acceptable and the rest stating it was not a moral issue. 

Seven in 10 people in El Salvador are against homosexuality, including 40 per cent of Mexicans and Brazilians – another country where same-sex marriage is legal – and half the Venezuelans, whilst in the USA nearly four in 10 – 37 per cent – found all-male or all-female relationships morally wrong despite marriage being legal in a number of states. 

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A NEW 'phishing' scam affecting Banco Santander customers has been detected, with thousands of emails purporting to be from the entity asking account-holders to confirm their PINs and online banking passwords via a web link.

The National Institute of Communication Technology (INTECO) says a sudden upsurge in 'phishing' attempts has been reported and warns users not to click on any links in emails, but to delete them unanswered and unread.

Banks will never ask for personal information, especially where it is security-sensitive, via email or telephone, so any message which does so is a scam and is not from the entity, stresses INTECO.
And any banking website address will start with https://, showing it is a secure server.

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