http://blog.amlaspain.com Mon, 21 May 2012 18:46:14 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Last week the Policia Local in Benidorm on the Spanish Costa Blanca , held a demonstration outside the Benidorm town hall about wage cuts and sackings.The original demonstration had about 150 officers demonstrating in a peaceful manner. As the demo came to an end about 50 officers invaded the town hall ... http://blog.amlaspain.com/2012/05/21/benidorm-police-invasion/ The Spanish Prime Minister has an official residence called the Moncloa Palace and it has been valued at 122,490,000 euros. The President of the United States of America has the White House as his official residence and that is only valued at 84 million euros , 38 million euros less than ... http://blog.amlaspain.com/2012/05/21/spanish-news-high-priced-residencies/ In 2013 the Spanish equivalent of VAT ( IVA ) is sure to increase and this was something that the Spanish Prime Minister  , Mariano Rajoy , promised not to do in his pre-election manifesto. Next year Spain is obliged to reduce its deficit to 3% and increasing IVA is one ... http://blog.amlaspain.com/2012/05/21/spanish-news-iva-tax/ AMLA,  the 7 year old established property portal in the Spanish and Uk property markets. Listed as 26th in Top 50 overseas property portals list by Globaledge http://www.globaledge.co.uk/news/top-50-overseas-property-portals-44534 and 39th in Top 100 global list of property portals. Currently running on a free to list ... http://blog.amlaspain.com/2012/05/21/for-sale/ A British expat living near Rojales ( Alicante ) on the Spanish Costa Blanca , has just had his car stolen in very unusual circumstances. He and his Norwegian wife were returning to Norway and packed up their 4x4 vehicle the night before the journey. That evening it was difficult to get ... http://blog.amlaspain.com/2012/05/21/rojales-carjacking/ Last week on the Madrid ( Spanish capital city ) metro system , during the early afternoon , on a crowded train , a 41 year old man caused worries when he started to intimidate and threaten passengers on the crowded train. He began by asking people for money and shouting ... http://blog.amlaspain.com/2012/05/21/spanish-news-metro-gun-scare/ A new HELP charity shop is soon to open in Moraira on the Spanish Costa Blanca. They hope to achieve this by the end of June. At the moment they are constructing a new roundabout near Mas y Mas on the road going towards Benitachell and the new shop will be ... http://blog.amlaspain.com/2012/05/21/moraira-help-charity-shop/ Benidorm is a tourist town on the Spanish Costa Blanca .It has the first hotel to use biomass energy. The Poseidon Playa Hotel has become the first hotel to have this facility. Biomass energy is energy produced by the burning of organic fuels other than oil or gas. In the hotel ... http://blog.amlaspain.com/2012/05/20/benidorm-biomass-energy/ The Mayor of Torrevieja on the Spanish Costa Blanca , officially opened Torrevieja´s first four star hotel last week.It isn´t only an hotel but also a spa.The hotel is situated in the Los Balcones area of the town and is opposite the Parque Natural de las Lagunas de la Mata  ... http://blog.amlaspain.com/2012/05/20/torrevieja-four-star-hotel-opens/ The town of Torrevieja on the Spanish Costa Blanca was showcased this week to over 200 travel agents and tour operators.They were invited to Torrevieja during the May Fair when everything looks its best. The travel agents came from all over Spain and other parts of Europe.They were invited by the ... http://blog.amlaspain.com/2012/05/20/torrevieja-tourism-2/ The Spanish government is going to appoint two consultants as independent assessors of real estate loans , which are at the heart of the banking problems. This is a strategy which has come after the part nationalisation of the bank Bankia.The Bank of Spain then came under attack from politicians over ... http://blog.amlaspain.com/2012/05/20/spanish-news-real-estate-losses/ Alberto Fabra the President of the Valencia region has informed Calpe town hall on the Spanish Costa Blanca , that the Las Salinas salt water lagoon will now be protected under " natural park " rules. The salt lake is home to a diverse set of flora and fauna and environmental ... http://blog.amlaspain.com/2012/05/20/calpe-las-salinas-3/ Last year in Alfaz del Pi on the Spanish Costa Blanca a young woman was shot dead in her home . It stunned the local residents when it was discovered that the person who had killed her was her own brother. He had killed her while she was asleep in ... http://blog.amlaspain.com/2012/05/20/alfaz-del-pi-local-murder/ It was hoped , on the Costa Blanca , that the low cost airline , bmibaby , would find a buyer , but that hasn´t happened and the company is to close. It will not only be Alicante and the Costa Blanca that is affected but also Murcia , Almeria and ... http://blog.amlaspain.com/2012/05/19/costa-blanca-bmibaby-closure/ The historic palm tree forest in Elche , near Alicante , on the Spanish Costa Blanca is famous. Sadly the palms are becoming attacked by the red weevil and they are being destroyed. Once a palm has been infected then it must either receive treatment with insecticides or the palm must ... http://blog.amlaspain.com/2012/05/19/elche-palms-2/ The Murcia regional government has signed an agreement to boost tourism in relation to sailing and other water activities on the Mar Menor.The agreement has been agreed with the Estacion Nautica Mar Menor consortium. The consortium is due to work out a scheme to promote the area and to involve local ... http://blog.amlaspain.com/2012/05/19/murcia-sailing-2/ The Teulada -Moraira Tourism Committee is trying a different strategy to attract tourists to this particular part of the Costa Blanca . They are giving the opportunity for a family of six to have an all expenses paid holiday in Teulada -Moraira. The lucky winners will be chosen by the tourist ... http://blog.amlaspain.com/2012/05/19/teulada-moraira-free-holiday/ According to locals in Benidorm on the Spanish Costa Blanca , the town council needs to start doing something to spruce up the Armanello zone of the town. They want dozens of properties to be demolished in order to force out what they describe as " an army of criminals ". ... http://blog.amlaspain.com/2012/05/19/benidorm-armanello-zone/ Children from L ´Arabi school in Alfaz del Pi on the Spanish Costa Blanca , have been learning about palm trees. They have been training as gardeners with the aim of qualifying in gardening skills , by the end of the course. They are following theory as well as practical classes ... http://blog.amlaspain.com/2012/05/19/alfaz-del-pi-palms/ Last Sunday in Catral , near Alicante on the Spanish Costa Blanca an Indian man fatally stabbed his flat mate. The man has been arrested and charged. It appears that an argument broke out between the two at a flat in Calle Alicante in Catral. The argument wakened neighbours at 4am ... http://blog.amlaspain.com/2012/05/18/alicante-stabbing/ Tenerife is one of the Spanish Canary Islands and very popular with British holiday makers. Last week a flight from Manchester to Tenerife was given a priority landing because two drunken passengers told cabin crew that they had a bomb in their hand luggage. Naturally the cabin crew had to take the ... http://blog.amlaspain.com/2012/05/18/tenerife-fake-bomb-scare/ Just over a week ago a car ploughed into three mopeds in the centre of Benidorm on the Spanish Costa Blanca , and four people were injured. There was a 35 year old woman driving the car and she lost control of the vehicle as she drove down Calle Austria towards ... http://blog.amlaspain.com/2012/05/18/benidorm-moped-crash/ Last Sunday a British woman of 78 died while walking on the Canary Islands in Spain. She was out walking with friends on Gran Canaria when she suffered a heart attack which they thing was brought on by heatstroke. The temperature on that day in that particular place  , was 37 ... http://blog.amlaspain.com/2012/05/18/canary-islands-walker-dies/ Last weekend in Barcelona on the Spanish Costa Brava , thirty one people were injured when a fire broke out at the circuit. There was an explosion inside the Formula One Williams Team garage where about 200 people were celebrating the victory of the race by the Venezuelan driver Pastor Maldonado. One ... http://blog.amlaspain.com/2012/05/18/barcelona-grand-prix/ The Spanish River Segura is having rubbish dumped at its mouth and ecologists are telling the River Segura Water Authority ( CHS ) to stop dumping the rubbish. They say that the rubbish is accumulating at the breakwaters and is being left there by fishermen. This area is a protected wetland and ... http://blog.amlaspain.com/2012/05/17/spanish-news-river-rubbish/ Two men who dressed as police officers on the AP-7 between the Spanish border with France and Castellon , robbed elderly foreigners , and have now been arrested. Catalan regional police detained the men  who are both aged 28 and are of Bosnian nationality.They were resident in Barcelona on the Costa ... http://blog.amlaspain.com/2012/05/17/spanish-news-highway-robbers/ A family "clan " in Alicante city , on the Spanish Costa Blanca , have been busted by the National Police.They are alleged to have been dealing in "intoxicating substances ". Eight suspects have been arrested and most of the eight are related.They were distributing the drugs from a bar in ... http://blog.amlaspain.com/2012/05/17/alicante-family-gang-busted/ A Senegalese man has died in Alicante on the Spanish Costa Blanca , after being attacked by a family relative with a knife.The National Police reported that the man then fell off the roof of the house. The assailant was a 33 year old cousin and they shared a home together ... http://blog.amlaspain.com/2012/05/17/alicante-family-fued/ There was a national uproar in Spain last week when the Spanish government announced that they were going to charge a toll across the country for the usage of motorways. Now the Minister for Public Works has made a statement to say that general charges were  never on the  cabinet´s agenda ... http://blog.amlaspain.com/2012/05/17/spanish-news-motorway-charges/ Elche is a town near Alicante on the Spanish Costa Blanca.The National Police in Elche has just closed down four warehouses in the town which were used to store counterfeit goods. Experts have said that the forgeries could have resulted in economic losses of over half a million euros. Five people have ... http://blog.amlaspain.com/2012/05/16/elche-counterfeit-goods/ New legislation regarding Valencia region taxi drivers is being put together by the Agencia Valenciana de Movilidad and part of it would include the right of taxi users to choose which taxi they ride in irrespective of where it is in the taxi rank. Representitives of the various taxi companies ... http://blog.amlaspain.com/2012/05/16/valencia-region-taxi-rides/ The town hall of Benissa on the Spanish Costa Blanca , has confirmed that the water at the Barranco de Quisi has been poisoned with what is thought to be strychnine and they have warned dog owners not to allow their pets off the lead and not to allow them ... http://blog.amlaspain.com/2012/05/16/benissa-poisoned-water/ Along the Costa Blanca many people , each year , take in youngsters from the Sahara under the Vacaciones en Paz scheme.In Altea a couple took in a 7 year old , thirteen years ago , and he stayed on with a Spanish family.He was never formally adopted though. He has ... http://blog.amlaspain.com/2012/05/16/altea-deportation-threat/ Lidl is a chain of over 10,000 shops across Europe and on the Costa Blanca most towns seem to have a Lidl store , including Javea. They are very popular with the general public because their prices are quite low compared with other supermarkets. In Javea they have just refurbished the ... http://blog.amlaspain.com/2012/05/16/javea-lidl-store/ Parents of new born babies in Denia , Gata and Calpe on the Spanish Costa Blanca , have given permission to a company which they assumed was kosher , to take their babies´umbilical cords and harvest the stem cells and store them for future use by that child or members ... http://blog.amlaspain.com/2012/05/16/denia-umbilical-cord-scam/ The Spanish airport authority AENA  is carrying out improvements to El Altet airport in Alicante on the Costa Blanca by providing a legal long-stay car park.It will be placed infront of the old terminal and should be ready by June. It is in response to what AENA calls the "illegal ... http://blog.amlaspain.com/2012/05/16/alicante-long-stay-parking/ It isn´t possible to travel directly from Alicante to Gandia or Valencia.Everyone stops in Denia on the Spanish Costa Blanca.Then you have to get yourself to Gandia by taxi or bus.Then you can travel on to Valencia , it is a crazy system. Now the mayors of Denia , Gandia and ... http://blog.amlaspain.com/2012/05/15/denia-train-link/ The Thiviers district of Javea on the Spanish Costa Blanca , was left without water last week and this affected up to 1000 residents. Many areas of Javea are having roads resurfaced and heavy machinery is being used . In this particular case the machinery broke a water pipe in three ... http://blog.amlaspain.com/2012/05/15/javea-burst-pipe/ A health centre in Denia on the Spanish Costa Blanca , are protesting over cuts being made to the service provided at the centre from 11pm to 8am. Normally there are two doctors and two nurses on duty each night and they find it difficult to cope with the number of ... http://blog.amlaspain.com/2012/05/15/denia-health-centre-2/ Last week in the Placeta del Convent in Javea on the Spanish Costa Blanca , a 26 year old man came out of his home with a hoe and began to vandalise a phone booth and a cash point in the square. People called the Guardia Civil and Local Police and ... http://blog.amlaspain.com/2012/05/15/javea-vandalism-2/ Last week about 50 Policia Local from Benidorm on the Spanish Costa Blanca entered Benidorm Town Hall to protest about their wage cuts as part of the town´s austerity measures and Spanish economy problems. They were all in civvy uniform , both men and women , and in normal circumstances they ... http://blog.amlaspain.com/2012/05/15/benidorm-economy/ In 2009 the Asoka Animal Protection Association of San Vicente denounced a resident of Callosa d ´en Sarria after he shot and set fire to a cat that was in a cage.He doused the cat with a flammable liquid and set fire to it , burning it alive. In the past ... http://blog.amlaspain.com/2012/05/15/spanish-news-animal-cruelty-3/ The Spanish economy is in a mess and many Spanish residents and expat residents understandably feel that their monies have been used in totally inappropriate ways.It is almost as though the governments at Madrid and regional levels have been playing games with it , speculating with it . In the Valencia ... http://blog.amlaspain.com/2012/05/15/spanish-news-economy-10/ The chairperson of the Spanish bank Bankia , Rodrigo Rato , announced that he was resigning just before the government announced that it would use public money to clean up the bad loans that the bank had made. Initially the Spanish government had made it quite clear that they would not ... http://blog.amlaspain.com/2012/05/14/spanish-news-bankia/ In January 2011 the Spanish government brought in the most stringent anti-smoking ban in Europe. Since the smoking ban many bars and restaurants have found that it has had a detrimental effect on their trade. The rules about smoking were initially brought in in 2006 but they were often so vague and ... http://blog.amlaspain.com/2012/05/14/spanish-news-town-hall-helps-bars/ The old fish market near the port in Denia on the Spanish Costa Blanca is going to get a facelift.The beginning of the restoration work is imminent. The old fish market is a listed building and it has just undergone structural integrity tests have been carried out on the woodwork and ... http://blog.amlaspain.com/2012/05/14/denia-fish-market/ Terra Natura is what used to be called a zoo , in Benidorm on the Spanish Costa Blanca. At the moment they have a new tiger which they are attempting to introduce to the other tigers that are there. The 18 month old tiger was rejected by its mother at birth in ... http://blog.amlaspain.com/2012/05/14/benidorm-terra-natura-3/ Denia is a lovely town on the Spanish Costa Blanca.It is what most people would call a "proper working town ".It has a busy ferry port and now the new terminal at Denia port has been completed. The improvements to the port have cost around 10 million euros and is aimed ... http://blog.amlaspain.com/2012/05/14/denia-port/ The Spanish bank CAM has promised investors that the 1000 euro bonds that they purchased last year will be honoured.The people who purchased the bonds have been unable to rertieve them. Now they have been promised a solution by the bank. It is possible that thousands of international clients purchased these ... http://blog.amlaspain.com/2012/05/14/spanish-news-cam-bank-9/ The Spanish government is aiming to save 3.5 billion euros next year by grouping together various town halls.They are also hoping to streamline the jurisdiction of other authorities in providing services. The proposals were published last week and cover 2012 to 2015 and they were presented to the EU.The document went ... http://blog.amlaspain.com/2012/05/13/spanish-news-local-councils/ Ondara , near Denia , on the Costa Blanca is the latest shopping mall to have a "Heart Rescue Column " installed. The Portal de la Marina shopping centre now has a defibrillator should a shopper have a cardiac arrest. The installation has been accompanied by the training of staff in ... http://blog.amlaspain.com/2012/05/13/spanish-news-heart-rescue-columns/ For seven years a man worked as a priest in a parish in Seville. Angel Orellana has now disappeared without a trace. It was discovered that the man was never ordained as a priest and in fact presented false credentials to the parish in order to carry out a number of ... http://blog.amlaspain.com/2012/05/13/seville-fake-priest/ Denia hospital on the Spanish Costa Blanca has come in second in a survey showing how well hospitals in Europe use electronic equipment for medical records. The Society of Management Information Systems in Health HIMSS Analytics Europe has awarded six new European hospitals for leadership in the implementation of electronic medical ... http://blog.amlaspain.com/2012/05/13/denia-electronic-medical-records/ The Spanish government has announced stringent cuts in education spending and regional governments are following suit. The Directors of educational institutions have warned about the drastic fall in educational standards which will ensue as a result.They warn that many educational establishments will not be able to weather these cuts and they ... http://blog.amlaspain.com/2012/05/13/spanish-news-education-3/ Recently a traveller on the Spanish airline Iberia Express made a public complaint about what he perceived as serious lapses in safety procedures during a flight from Madrid to Alicante airport.He felt that there was too much large hand luggage allowed on board and that people were being allowed to ... http://blog.amlaspain.com/2012/05/13/spanish-news-iberia-express/ The Spanish Olympic uniform , for the London 2012 Olympic Games , has been designed by a Russian designer and this has outraged the Spanish designers.They are also very critical of the designs themselves , on a number of levels.They don´t like the colour , they feel that it is ... http://blog.amlaspain.com/2012/05/12/spanish-news-olympic-uniform/ May 14 is the 50th wedding anniversary of King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia of Spain.The Zarzuela Palace has announced that the Spanish Queen , Sofia , has decided not to celebrate the event. The royal family did celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary but this one is to pass unnoticed.There was ... http://blog.amlaspain.com/2012/05/12/spanish-news-golden-wedding/ In 2013 the Spanish government minister for finance has announced tax increases for 2013.He has said that IVA will increase as will special taxes on such things as tobacco and alcohol. All of this is to happen to show Brussels that it can be done and who is to make these ... http://blog.amlaspain.com/2012/05/12/spanish-news-taxes-7/ The Guardia Civil have arrested a man after he knocked them down near the Costa Blanca resort of Benidorm last week.The two youths were walking along the N-332 close to El Cisne market when they were hit. The 16 year old was seriously injured and taken to the hospital at Villajoyosa ... http://blog.amlaspain.com/2012/05/12/costa-blanca-accidents-2/ Torrevieja is a town on the Spanish Costa Blanca and it has a hospital which is deemed as being progressive.The Torrevieja hospital has recently participated in an international study into  "Microstents " which was presented at the regional ophthalmology society congress in Valencia.Fifty experts participated and 500 people attended. They included ... http://blog.amlaspain.com/2012/05/12/torrevieja-glaucoma-treatment/ A 54 year old British man ,who is accused of starting an hotel fire in Benidorm on the Spanish Costa Blanca , in 2010 , is still in prison and has not been tried. There is great concern for the health and general well being of the man as he has ... http://blog.amlaspain.com/2012/05/12/benidorm-brit-in-jail/ The Valencia region of Spain has 39% of all the native flora of the country.This is according to a report released by the regional government. In all 2000 native species of plant grow here , more than in many a European country and double the number found in the UK.According to ... http://blog.amlaspain.com/2012/05/11/valencia-region-native-flora-and-fauna/ A Denia woman took out a mortgage with an unnamed bank in 2007. Five years ago the woman signed for a 150,000 euro mortgage and was offered life insurance and home insurance at the same time.She was told that she would pay lower interest rates if she took out both ... http://blog.amlaspain.com/2012/05/11/denia-bank-case-win/ Along the Spanish Costa Blanca , the hoped for rise in employment has not materialised.The government´s new labour laws are well underway but the hoped for rise in employment has not happened. The general secretary for the CCOO union has stated that the reforms have in fact had a negative effect ... http://blog.amlaspain.com/2012/05/11/costa-blanca-jobs-lost/ The Spanish economy is in a mess and so is the Valencia region economy.The regional government has now put together a plan called PLANIFICA-GVA savings plan. This plan will permit 2,260 million euros to be saved from the 2012 budget. This is the prediction of the PP run government. Healthcare and education ... http://blog.amlaspain.com/2012/05/11/valencia-region-economy/ The town hall in Benidorm on the Spanish Costa Blanca had very little option but to sack a man who was discovered sleeping on the job.The town hall employee was filmed by a tourist as he took 40 winks. The man was in charge of the public toilets on Paseo de ... http://blog.amlaspain.com/2012/05/11/benidorm-sacking-by-town-hall/ The Valencia region is the third most popular for tourism in Spain , behind Andalucia and the Canary Islands. British tourists to the Valencia region increased by almost 20% in March .The top tourist influx came from the Norwegians with a massive increase of 34.2 %. Almost half a million tourists ... http://blog.amlaspain.com/2012/05/11/valencia-region-tourism-2/ The Valencia regional government , it appears , has yet to inform Costa Blanca residents about what is happening about the proposed rail route along the coast.Their concerns and complaints have not been answered yet and the delays are worrying people. When the route was first published there was a period ... http://blog.amlaspain.com/2012/05/10/costa-blanca-coastal-rail-link/ A vegetable company in Torre Pacheco , Murcia on the Costa Calida would not expect to have a criminal packing their lettuce.However a Moroccan man who had been working for the company for 12 years was acting in a criminal fashion by placing pieces of glass in the lettuces that ... http://blog.amlaspain.com/2012/05/10/murcia-salad-crime/ Denia on the Spanish Costa Blanca , has a thriving U3A association.To become a member you have to be over a "certain age " and most of the members are British.The U3A is a thriving organisation in the UK and it has become increasingly popular here in Spain. Recently the Denia ... http://blog.amlaspain.com/2012/05/10/denia-u3a/ A spate of up to 32 burglaries along the Costa Blanca have been down to five young Spanish men and two minors , it seems. The Guardia Civil has now broken up the gang aged between 21 and 28 years. The burglaries have taken place in Alicante , Murcia and Albacete ... http://blog.amlaspain.com/2012/05/10/alicante-burglary-gang-busted/ In Elche, near Alicante  on the Spanish Costa Blanca ,  last week, a 25 year old woman was murdered in an apartment in the town , in yet another case of domestic violence. It appears that the 58 year old partner of the woman called the National Police to tell them ... http://blog.amlaspain.com/2012/05/10/elche-murder/ Two weeks ago in Benidorm on the Spanish Costa Blanca , a man attacked his ex-partner in the street.He punched her several times and after being restrained he was taken to the Benidorm police station and was placed on a restraining order. This week the man attacked the woman again but ... http://blog.amlaspain.com/2012/05/10/benidorm-stabbing-2/ Last week the Denia council approved its budget for the year , despite total disapproval from the voters.Residents of the Costa Blanca town have made hundreds of complaints about the hike in the IBI property tax.The council has rejected all of them. The budget was made available to the public before ... http://blog.amlaspain.com/2012/05/09/denia-ibi-complaints/ Denia is a lovely town on the Spanish Costa Blanca.Vandals have been smashing up property and spraying graffiti on walls in public places.Now the Denia town council has promised a crack down and the culprits will be hunted until caught and prosecuted. The council has set up CCTV cameras all over ... http://blog.amlaspain.com/2012/05/09/denia-graffiti/ Markets are a feature of the Costa Blanca and each day there is a market somewhere along the coast and inland.In Denia the Friday market is set to get smaller as the number of stall holders is cut to enable pedestrians to get about.The converse is true in Javea , ... http://blog.amlaspain.com/2012/05/08/denia-markets/ An association in the Valencia region , called "Prou Peatges " ( End the tolls ) organised a campaign over the May Day weekend to cause some chaos at certain toll booths in the region. Most of Spain does not have to pay to travel on the motorways and Valencia region ... http://blog.amlaspain.com/2012/05/08/valencia-toll-chaos/ Cabo de la Nao is in Javea on the Spanish Costa Blanca and recently there has been a spate of burglaries , some of which were extremely violent. The owners of one Javea villa were tied up and beaten by the burglars who then stole two safe deposit boxes, watches valued ... http://blog.amlaspain.com/2012/05/08/javea-burglaries/ The sewage plant at El Verger , near Denia on the Spanish Costa Blanca , will create 125 cubic metres of waste into the River Racons , every hour.That is three times the average householders monthly water usage. The sewage works has had to seek permission from the Jucar Hydrographic Confederation ... http://blog.amlaspain.com/2012/05/08/el-verger-sewage/ In February this year a youth was stabbed at a brothel in Villajoyosa on the Costa Blanca. Initially the Guardia Civil arrested three Romanians in connection with the stabbings and now they have arrested five more Romanians. The victim was also a Romanian and was very seriously injured and needed intensive care ... http://blog.amlaspain.com/2012/05/08/villajoyosa-stabbings/ The mayor of Benidorm, Agustin Navarro , on the Spanish Costa Blanca is proposing that all parties , businessmen and women , unions and residents get together and work out just how to get Benidorm out of its dire financial situation.He wants to involve as many people as possible in ... http://blog.amlaspain.com/2012/05/08/benidorm-save-our-town/ The debates in the Spanish parliament last week made no difference to the outcome of the 2012 austerity  budget. The fact that the Partido Popular has such a big majority means that even when opposition parties get together to present amendments , they are never enough to carry it through. The ... http://blog.amlaspain.com/2012/05/07/spanish-news-budget-debate/ In 2011 the Valencia region saw 263 birds being killed  as a result of collisions with high voltage cables. A spokesperson for the environmental department has stated that 80% of these birds were birds of prey.They included a Eurasian Eagle Owl , a golden eagle and 8 Bonelli eagles. The regional government ... http://blog.amlaspain.com/2012/05/07/valencia-region-bird-deaths/ Square metre values on property in Alicante province have fallen by another 5.6% during the first quarter of the year. It was thought that property prices were stabilising but then banks rushed to off load huge stocks of new and resale properties and this has forced values down once again. The ... http://blog.amlaspain.com/2012/05/07/alicante-province-property-prices/ The Valencia regional government has auctioned off 42 of its official "pool " cars in an effort to recoup some money.The sale took place in Valencia and they only fetched 85,000 euros. All of the vehicles were either Ford Focus´s or Ford Mondeo´s which had been used by regional government officials. The ... http://blog.amlaspain.com/2012/05/07/valencia-region-official-cars-auctioned/ Complaints have been made in Javea about the explicit advertising billboard on the Javea -Gata road on the Costa Blanca. The huge sign was advertising on-line sexual services and it has had to be taken down and re-designed. It featured a topless blonde female and was telling about live-stripping. Gata de Gorgos ... http://blog.amlaspain.com/2012/05/07/javea-street-adverts/ The Valencia regional government has recently announced that the biodiversity along the rocky coast of the Costas, both the Costa Blanca and the Costa Azahar , is second to none. The rocky sea base close to the shores and the sea grass beds too , have the most abundant life and ... http://blog.amlaspain.com/2012/05/07/valencia-region-state-of-the-sea/ The Spanish airline Iberia has merged with British Airways to form the International Airlines Group and within that has been launched the low cost carrier Iberia Express. This new airline promises cheaper prices but promised no compromises with service and safety .However , recently a British man has complained to BA ... http://blog.amlaspain.com/2012/05/06/spanish-news-iberia-flight/ Benidorm on the Spanish Costa Blanca , seems to be doing quite well during the Spanish economic crisis. While along the Costa Blanca resorts are struggling to survive Benidorm has bucked the trend and has recently clocked 98% hotel occupancy rates . The rest of the Costa Blanca have been lucky ... http://blog.amlaspain.com/2012/05/06/benidorm-spanish-crisis/ The European Kids Association ( EKA ) has just launched its first copy of a new magazine , EKA Mag. The launch tool place in Moraira on the Spanish Costa Blanca at the Cafe del Mar.The new magazine has just hit the streets , so to speak. The EKA charity helps ... http://blog.amlaspain.com/2012/05/06/moraira-new-magazine/ Yesterday , in Magaluf on the island of Mallorca in the Balearic Islands a 23 year old woman fell to her death from a third floor balcony .The young woman was a British tourist and she had only been in the hotel for 4 hours , having just started her ... http://blog.amlaspain.com/2012/05/06/mallorca-tourist-deaths/ Alberto Fabra the PP  president of the Valencia region , has announced the largest clear out of dead -wood in the history of the government.He is preparing to close down 40 public / private companies and get rid of 5000 employees. These are companies which it is alleged , have produced ... http://blog.amlaspain.com/2012/05/06/valencia-news-public-companies-to-be-axed/ The boss of AMJASA water board in Javea is suing Javea town council for 87,000 euros.The water board boss was relieved of his post after 10 years of service. After he was sacked the council appointed party members to run the water board.Two were from the Partido Popular , one from ... http://blog.amlaspain.com/2012/05/05/javea-water-board-boss/ The "Health 2000 Award " has been won by the Marina Baixa hospital in Villajoyosa , near Benidorm on the Spanish Costa Blanca.It has been recognised as the best public hospital in the Valencia region.There are a total of six such hospitals in Alicante province ,Denia , San Juan , ... http://blog.amlaspain.com/2012/05/05/villajoyosa-best-hospital/ The Spanish crime rate is one of the lowest in Europe and last year it fell by 0.6%.There were a total of 2,283,514 criminal offences reported in 2011 with an average of 48.4 crimes per 1000 people.This compared with 48.9 in 2010. The average figure for Europe is 64.9 per 1000 ... http://blog.amlaspain.com/2012/05/05/spanish-news-crime-rates-2/ Villajoyosa is a town south of Benidorm on the Spanish Costa Blanca.The history of the area is an interesting one and excavations have been ongoing to reconstruct its Roman past. Now the excavations in front of the gas station and  Plaza de la Generalista on Avenida del Pais Valenciano have been ... http://blog.amlaspain.com/2012/05/05/villajoyosa-roman-dig/ Benidorm on the Spanish Costa Blanca was one of the very first tourist resorts to exist and it all happened just 60 years ago. One has to remember that Spain was both Catholic and under the dictatorship of Franco and the Spanish people were very careful about the way in which ... http://blog.amlaspain.com/2012/05/05/benidorm-bikini-anniversary/ inLife LLC, the American company who have been prominant in the e-cig market for four years through their network marketing operation have now launch a retail program for outlets wishing to sell electronic cigarettes through their retail stores. The brand that is launching the new program is Nicmaxx ... http://blog.amlaspain.com/2012/05/05/uk-retail-outlets-wanted-for-electronic-cigarette-sales/ Valencia is a beautiful city on the Costa Azahar and last week a bus driver saved the life of a woman who was travelling on his bus. He was driving through valencia city when a passenger asked him to drive faster as another female passenger was bleeding badly. They contacted La Fe ... http://blog.amlaspain.com/2012/05/04/valencia-bus-ambulance/ A study has just been completed of Barcelona ´s underground water.Barcelona is the capital city of the Costa Brava and this study has been able to classify the drugs that are used in different parts of the Spanish city. The water is mainly used for irrigation and street cleaning.The highest concentration ... http://blog.amlaspain.com/2012/05/04/barcelona-water-supply/