News from throughout Spain including the Costa Blanca, Costa del Sol, Barcelona, Madrid, Almeria, Murcia http://www.thinkspain.com/ thinkSPAIN.com http://www.thinkspain.com/news-spain/21229/spain-suspends-economic-aid-to-argentina-brasil-chile-and-mexico The Spanish government has announced that it will not be giving any economic aid to Argentina Brasil, Chile and Mexico in 2012 since it already surpassed the average investment on the worldwide scales used to decide this type of ... Spain Animals/Pets Mon, 21 May 2012 14:08:39 +0200 http://www.thinkspain.com/news-spain/21229/spain-suspends-economic-aid-to-argentina-brasil-chile-and-mexico thinkSPAIN.com http://www.thinkspain.com/news-spain/21228/bankia-needs-another-7-75-billion-euros-of-public-funding BFA-Bankia, the bank in which the Spanish government recently took 4.5 billion euro stake, needs an additional 7-7.5 billion euros to get it back on its feet, according to Economy Minister, Luis de Guindos. Over the past few days, ... Spain Legal & Finance Mon, 21 May 2012 13:01:19 +0200 http://www.thinkspain.com/news-spain/21228/bankia-needs-another-7-75-billion-euros-of-public-funding thinkSPAIN.com http://www.thinkspain.com/news-spain/21227/teacher-strike-on-tuesday TEACHERS and parents will be on strike this Tuesday and schools across the country will shut for the day in protest over funding cuts in State education. Parents of 7.5 million students at ... Spain Education & Employment Mon, 21 May 2012 02:09:00 +0200 http://www.thinkspain.com/news-spain/21227/teacher-strike-on-tuesday thinkSPAIN.com http://www.thinkspain.com/news-spain/21226/over-3000-anti-toll-protesters-arrested-on-ap-7 MASSIVE tailbacks on the AP-7 in Catalunya and Valencia were seen as demonstrators refused to pay tolls during the second protest so far this year. The pressure group, No Vull Pagar ('I ... Catalonia Transport (inc Motoring) Mon, 21 May 2012 01:54:02 +0200 http://www.thinkspain.com/news-spain/21226/over-3000-anti-toll-protesters-arrested-on-ap-7 thinkSPAIN.com http://www.thinkspain.com/news-spain/21225/six-dead-as-earthquake-rocks-northern-italy AT least six people have been killed in an earthquake measuring 5.9 on the Richter scale in the northern Italian region of L'Emiglia Romana. The quake rocked the area at 02.03hrs GMT (04.03hrs ... Spain Crime/Incidents Sun, 20 May 2012 17:10:21 +0200 http://www.thinkspain.com/news-spain/21225/six-dead-as-earthquake-rocks-northern-italy thinkSPAIN.com http://www.thinkspain.com/news-spain/21224/cataln-president-gets-rajoys-condolences-for-death-of-his-father-carlos-fuentes A BLUNDER by Spanish president Mariano Rajoy's staff has led to the regional president of Catalunya receiving condolences for the death of 'his father', Mexican author Carlos Fuentes. ... Catalonia Culture/Art/Literature Sun, 20 May 2012 16:37:31 +0200 http://www.thinkspain.com/news-spain/21224/cataln-president-gets-rajoys-condolences-for-death-of-his-father-carlos-fuentes thinkSPAIN.com http://www.thinkspain.com/news-spain/21223/man-from-manacor-reaches-rome-final-rafa-bounces-back-as-ferrer-loses-ground A SPANISH derby at the Rome Masters 1000 saw Javea's David Ferrer finally ground down by Mallorca-born Rafa Nadal today after a promising start for the former. Fans in Spain were torn over whom ... Spain Sport Sun, 20 May 2012 02:46:46 +0200 http://www.thinkspain.com/news-spain/21223/man-from-manacor-reaches-rome-final-rafa-bounces-back-as-ferrer-loses-ground thinkSPAIN.com http://www.thinkspain.com/news-spain/21222/spanish-town-that-accepts-pesetas-inspires-irish-village-to-take-old-pounds AN Irish village has taken its lead from a town in Spain whose shops accept pesetas by allowing customers to use the pre-euro currency. In Clones, in Co Monaghan, a village in the Republic of ... Coruna (A) Business/Economy Sun, 20 May 2012 00:57:04 +0200 http://www.thinkspain.com/news-spain/21222/spanish-town-that-accepts-pesetas-inspires-irish-village-to-take-old-pounds thinkSPAIN.com http://www.thinkspain.com/news-spain/21221/eta-terrorists-behind-santa-pola-attack-jailed-for-843-years TWO members of Basque separatist group ETA have been sentenced to 843 years each in jail over the terrorist attack in Santa Pola (Alicante) in 2002. oscar Zelarain and Antoni Otegi were said to ... Santa Pola Crime/Incidents Sun, 20 May 2012 00:44:57 +0200 http://www.thinkspain.com/news-spain/21221/eta-terrorists-behind-santa-pola-attack-jailed-for-843-years thinkSPAIN.com http://www.thinkspain.com/news-spain/21220/british-youth-killed-in-drunken-brawl-in-lloret-de-mar A BRITISH man's body has been found at the scene of a pub fight in Lloret de Mar (Girona). The youth, whose age and name have not been revealed, allegedly became involved in a drunken brawl in ... Lloret de Mar Crime/Incidents Sat, 19 May 2012 14:22:24 +0200 http://www.thinkspain.com/news-spain/21220/british-youth-killed-in-drunken-brawl-in-lloret-de-mar thinkSPAIN.com http://www.thinkspain.com/news-spain/21219/ex-mayor-of-casares-accused-of-collaborating-with-russian-mafia Juan Sanchez, the ex-mayor of Casares (Malaga) was released from prison on bail this afternoon, where he has been since Tuesday, accused of a number of crimes, including collaborating with the Russian mafia. He was only released after ... Malaga Crime/Incidents Sat, 19 May 2012 01:49:37 +0200 http://www.thinkspain.com/news-spain/21219/ex-mayor-of-casares-accused-of-collaborating-with-russian-mafia thinkSPAIN.com http://www.thinkspain.com/news-spain/21218/nadal-and-ferrer-through-to-rome-semis Rafael Nadal and David Ferrer are both through to the semi-finals of the Italian Open after a straight-sets win in today's quarter-final matches. Nadal, now world number three, continued his quest for a sixth title in Rome with a 6-4, ... Spain Sport Sat, 19 May 2012 01:23:41 +0200 http://www.thinkspain.com/news-spain/21218/nadal-and-ferrer-through-to-rome-semis thinkSPAIN.com http://www.thinkspain.com/news-spain/21217/spanish-fishermen-complain-about-gibraltar-harrassment Spanish authorities have complained that once again, Gibraltar police officers were harrassing Spanish boats fishing around the Rock last night, ultimately forcing them to return to Algeciras port. According to the sources within the ... Spain Politics & People Fri, 18 May 2012 14:55:40 +0200 http://www.thinkspain.com/news-spain/21217/spanish-fishermen-complain-about-gibraltar-harrassment thinkSPAIN.com http://www.thinkspain.com/news-spain/21216/cristiano-ronaldo-im-better-than-messi In an exclusive interview with CNN ahead of this weekend's Champions League final between Bayern Munich and Chelsea, Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo has revealed that he believes he is "better than Messi". The Portuguese ... Spain Sport Fri, 18 May 2012 13:18:24 +0200 http://www.thinkspain.com/news-spain/21216/cristiano-ronaldo-im-better-than-messi thinkSPAIN.com http://www.thinkspain.com/news-spain/21215/shares-drop-as-concern-over-spanish-banks-grows Stock markets across Europe opened nervously on Friday as concerns over Greece and Spain continued to grow. Spain's main share index fell more than 2% before recovering, while shares in London fell by as much as 1%. Confidence in ... Spain Business/Economy Fri, 18 May 2012 13:02:23 +0200 http://www.thinkspain.com/news-spain/21215/shares-drop-as-concern-over-spanish-banks-grows thinkSPAIN.com http://www.thinkspain.com/news-spain/21214/guardiola-first-choice-for-liverpool After sacking Kenny Dalglish as manager at the weekend, Liverpool Football Club are allegedly lining Pep Guardiola up as his successor. Guardiola, who left Barcelona last week after four successful years, is apparently being seen as the ... Spain Sport Fri, 18 May 2012 12:08:00 +0200 http://www.thinkspain.com/news-spain/21214/guardiola-first-choice-for-liverpool thinkSPAIN.com http://www.thinkspain.com/news-spain/21213/rasquera-wildfire-finally-under-control At 10 o'clock this evening, firefighters in Catalunya finally managed to put out the wildfire that has been burning for three days around the towns of Rasquera, El Perello, Benifallet and Tivenys. The blaze has now been completely ... Tarragona Environment/Nature Thu, 17 May 2012 23:39:06 +0200 http://www.thinkspain.com/news-spain/21213/rasquera-wildfire-finally-under-control thinkSPAIN.com http://www.thinkspain.com/news-spain/21211/bankia-shares-continue-to-plummet Shares in Spanish bank Bankia have continued their dramatic plunge, as concerns about the firm's finances increase. The share price dropped another 15% on Thursday, taking losses for May to 45%. On Wednesday, Bankia, which was formed ... Spain Legal & Finance Thu, 17 May 2012 17:55:10 +0200 http://www.thinkspain.com/news-spain/21211/bankia-shares-continue-to-plummet thinkSPAIN.com http://www.thinkspain.com/news-spain/21210/boy-waits-80-minutes-for-emergency-operation-as-health-authorities-squabble It has been revealed that a 12-year-old boy from Extremadura, who had his foot severed in an accident, had to wait 80 minutes in the Hospital Universitario Infanta Cristina in Badajoz on Sunday to see if the Hospital Virgen del Rocio in ... Badajoz Health/Beauty/Fashion Thu, 17 May 2012 17:45:21 +0200 http://www.thinkspain.com/news-spain/21210/boy-waits-80-minutes-for-emergency-operation-as-health-authorities-squabble thinkSPAIN.com http://www.thinkspain.com/news-spain/21209/queen-sofia-cancels-london-trip-as-gibraltar-debate-hots-up-again Queen Sofia today cancelled the trip to London she had planned to make on Friday in honour of Queen Elizabeth's Diamond Jubilee, because the Government felt it was "inappropriate" in the light of ongoing conflicts with Gibraltar - first ... Spain Politics & People Thu, 17 May 2012 00:00:03 +0200 http://www.thinkspain.com/news-spain/21209/queen-sofia-cancels-london-trip-as-gibraltar-debate-hots-up-again thinkSPAIN.com http://www.thinkspain.com/news-spain/21208/government-rejects-etas-request-for-talks The Spanish government has rejected a request from the Basque militant group ETA for talks, saying it has to disband and disarm before any talks can take place. The separatist group sent a press release to the AFP news agency today, ... Spain Politics & People Wed, 16 May 2012 23:34:09 +0200 http://www.thinkspain.com/news-spain/21208/government-rejects-etas-request-for-talks thinkSPAIN.com http://www.thinkspain.com/news-spain/21207/rasquera-wildfire-razes-3000-hectares-of-countryside 52 people have been evacuated from 24 different rural properties as a result of the wildfire that broke out in Rasquera (Tarragona) on Tuesday. A school bus route between Rasquera and neighbouring El Perello also had to be cancelled ... Tarragona Environment/Nature Wed, 16 May 2012 14:38:38 +0200 http://www.thinkspain.com/news-spain/21207/rasquera-wildfire-razes-3000-hectares-of-countryside thinkSPAIN.com http://www.thinkspain.com/news-spain/21206/one-in-four-spanish-children-between-the-ages-of-three-and-five-are-overweight A study by the Thao Foundation, which creates programmes to promotes healthy eating habits amongst schoolchildren across Spain, has revealed that one in four children between the ages of three and five are overweight. "It is a very ... Spain Health/Beauty/Fashion Wed, 16 May 2012 13:58:39 +0200 http://www.thinkspain.com/news-spain/21206/one-in-four-spanish-children-between-the-ages-of-three-and-five-are-overweight thinkSPAIN.com http://www.thinkspain.com/news-spain/21205/smoking-ban-spreads-to-football-stadiums-monuments-and-beaches Some beaches in the Canary Islands, Barcelona's football stadium and the Muralla de avila (avila Wall) have hung up 'NO SMOKING' signs depite the fact that Spanish law currently allows smoking in all those areas, as they are ... Spain Health/Beauty/Fashion Wed, 16 May 2012 12:59:05 +0200 http://www.thinkspain.com/news-spain/21205/smoking-ban-spreads-to-football-stadiums-monuments-and-beaches thinkSPAIN.com http://www.thinkspain.com/news-spain/21204/search-continues-for-mother-of-abandoned-newborn-baby-girl National Police officers are still looking for the mother of a newborn baby girl who was found abandoned on Monday on the doorstep of a nursery school in Ejido (Almeria). Police sources confirm that they are following several lines of ... Ejido (El) Crime/Incidents Wed, 16 May 2012 12:14:42 +0200 http://www.thinkspain.com/news-spain/21204/search-continues-for-mother-of-abandoned-newborn-baby-girl thinkSPAIN.com http://www.thinkspain.com/news-spain/21203/irish-walker-dies-on-the-canary-islands Details have been released of the death of an Irish walker in the Barranco de Azuaje near the town of Moya on Gran Canaria on Sunday. 74-year-old Thomas Willoughby was out walking with his wife in the narrow ravine to the north of the ... Mogan Crime/Incidents Tue, 15 May 2012 21:16:47 +0200 http://www.thinkspain.com/news-spain/21203/irish-walker-dies-on-the-canary-islands thinkSPAIN.com http://www.thinkspain.com/news-spain/21202/phony-bomb-threat-brits-released-from-custody The two Britons arrested at Tenerife's Reina Sofia airport last Friday after making a phony bomb threat on a Thomas Cook flight from Manchester, have now been released from custody. 20-year-old Aidan Jervis and 21-year-old Nathan ... Granadilla de Abona Crime/Incidents Tue, 15 May 2012 20:54:58 +0200 http://www.thinkspain.com/news-spain/21202/phony-bomb-threat-brits-released-from-custody thinkSPAIN.com http://www.thinkspain.com/news-spain/21201/fishermen-ask-government-for-help-after-gibraltar-talks-break-down Fishermen and owners of the 70 boats from La Linea and Algeciras who fish close to Gibraltar waters have asked the government to act "without further ado" after talks they were having with the authorities on the Rock broke down ... Spain Business/Economy Tue, 15 May 2012 20:36:50 +0200 http://www.thinkspain.com/news-spain/21201/fishermen-ask-government-for-help-after-gibraltar-talks-break-down thinkSPAIN.com http://www.thinkspain.com/news-spain/21200/eight-arrests-as-15-m-indignados-protest-a-year-on Police moved the "indignados" - 15-M protestors - out of Madrid's Puerta del Sol for the third time last night, and made eight arrests. Three people, two of them police officers, were injured in scuffles. At around 4.15am, ... Madrid Crime/Incidents Tue, 15 May 2012 13:16:54 +0200 http://www.thinkspain.com/news-spain/21200/eight-arrests-as-15-m-indignados-protest-a-year-on thinkSPAIN.com http://www.thinkspain.com/news-spain/21199/ex-mayor-of-casares-charged-with-corruption Juan Sanchez, the ex-mayor of Casares (Malaga) and currently the town's Housing and Institutional Relations councillor, has remanded in custody by a court in Estepona, after being charged with bribery and corruption, amongst other ... Malaga Crime/Incidents Tue, 15 May 2012 11:02:01 +0200 http://www.thinkspain.com/news-spain/21199/ex-mayor-of-casares-charged-with-corruption thinkSPAIN.com http://www.thinkspain.com/news-spain/21198/stiffer-sentences-for-most-serious-crimes The government has announced changes to the penal code, which will allow them to add a so-called "custodia de seguridad" - a custodial sentence for security reasons - to sentences passed on those found guilty of the most serious crimes ... Spain Politics & People Mon, 14 May 2012 16:17:09 +0200 http://www.thinkspain.com/news-spain/21198/stiffer-sentences-for-most-serious-crimes thinkSPAIN.com http://www.thinkspain.com/news-spain/21197/ruud-van-nistelrooy-announces-retirement Former Dutch international and Manchester United star, Ruud van Nistelrooy, 35, currently playing for Malaga, has announced his retirement from professional football. The Dutchman has had a difficult season with the Spanish side, scoring ... Spain Sport Mon, 14 May 2012 14:57:16 +0200 http://www.thinkspain.com/news-spain/21197/ruud-van-nistelrooy-announces-retirement thinkSPAIN.com http://www.thinkspain.com/news-spain/21196/king-juan-carlos-and-queen-sofia-celebrate-golden-wedding-anniversary 50 years ago today, King Juan Carlos married Queen Sofia in the presence of 137 kings, queens, princes and princesses from all over Europe, but the royal couple have decided not to hold an official celebration of their golden wedding ... Spain Politics & People Mon, 14 May 2012 10:40:06 +0200 http://www.thinkspain.com/news-spain/21196/king-juan-carlos-and-queen-sofia-celebrate-golden-wedding-anniversary thinkSPAIN.com http://www.thinkspain.com/news-spain/21195/national-dressage-and-paraequestrian-championships-at-oliva-nova OLYMPIC-LEVEL and international championship dressage riders and horses pulled in the crowds this weekend at Oliva Nova, with the Grand Prix winner Victor alvarez on Curioso XXV winning the freestyle to music event. With an average score ... Oliva Sport Mon, 14 May 2012 03:17:45 +0200 http://www.thinkspain.com/news-spain/21195/national-dressage-and-paraequestrian-championships-at-oliva-nova thinkSPAIN.com http://www.thinkspain.com/news-spain/21194/federer-hailed-the-victor-at-madrid-masters-1000 ROGER Federer's third win at the Madrid Masters 1000 looks set to knock Spain's Rafa Nadal off the ATP world number two spot when the classification figures go live tomorrow. The first Swiss player ... Madrid Sport Mon, 14 May 2012 01:22:39 +0200 http://www.thinkspain.com/news-spain/21194/federer-hailed-the-victor-at-madrid-masters-1000 thinkSPAIN.com http://www.thinkspain.com/news-spain/21193/man-with-loaded-gun-threatens-passengers-on-madrid-rush-hour-metro AN off-duty police officer arrested an irate man who was threatening to shoot passengers on the Madrid metro during the rush hour this week. Whilst travelling on Line 7 at around 14.30hrs, the National ... Madrid Transport (inc Motoring) Mon, 14 May 2012 01:00:31 +0200 http://www.thinkspain.com/news-spain/21193/man-with-loaded-gun-threatens-passengers-on-madrid-rush-hour-metro thinkSPAIN.com http://www.thinkspain.com/news-spain/21192/shock-primera-liga-exit-for-villarreal Villarreal were relegated tonight in a shock twist to the end of the Primera Liga season, as Rayo Vallecano and Real Zaragoza clinched final day wins to secure their place in the top flight next season. After playing in the Champions ... Spain Sport Mon, 14 May 2012 00:52:04 +0200 http://www.thinkspain.com/news-spain/21192/shock-primera-liga-exit-for-villarreal