Spanish News March 2008

Round-up of March News and April Events

Elections in Spain
Meanwhile during the election campaign, the right wing opposition leader Mariano Rajoy came up with some controversial immigration proposals.  He wants immigrants, including all northern Europeans, to sign a contract promising that they’ll learn Spanish and promise to be more involved in Spanish culture and Spanish customs. In Britain, this could soon take the form of swearing allegiance to the Queen.  Would you like to vote in national elections in Spain Candice? Well, you can't! But there is a new campaign being launched by an american resident who's trying to change all that. You can all take a look at the website on the screen at www.votapormi.org (spanish only).

Cash Injection in Property Market
The recent news of the closure of nearly half of all estate agents based in Spain continues to dampen enthusiasm for overseas investment.  However, this has not deterred Spanish developer and construction company ‘Noriega.’ They've invested €90 million into the Spanish Realia Group in a bid to instil confidence. 

Best Spanish Supermarket
Let’s have a look at something a little less serious...shopping! It was revealed that the Spanish supermarket chain Mercadona, where we all shop, made MONSTER profits of 336 million euros! That’s up by nearly 40%.

Down Under... in Spain!
A stray kangaroo was found in the Alicante region of the Costa Blanca. Apparently it was found in a field, and wasn’t very well. It’s being looked after by the Animal Protection Society.

What´s in a Name?
Next up, Harry Potter! It’s been translated into Spanish, and the final book came out right here in Spain. Now in English, it’s “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” but here it’s “Harry Potter y las Reliquias de la Muerte.” It’s also been translated into Catalan.

Music Festival in Almeria
Some entertainment news now, and there’s to be a big music festival in Almeria. It’s called the “Ola Festival” and apparently they’ve already confirmed Bjork, Massive Attack and Goldfrapp.  It’s all happening in August.

Footie Hooligans in Seville
Serious sports news now and a game at the Real Betis ground in Seville had to be abandoned because the opposition goalkeeper was hit in the eye by a bottle thrown from the stand. The Athletic Bilbao keeper had to be taken to hospital.  A similar incident happened last year when the Sevilla coach Juande Ramos, now in charge of British team Tottenham Hotspur, was also hit by a bottle and knocked unconscious – Let’s hope the authorities act to stamp that sort of thing out

Take care.