Night bus
Málaga’s municipal bus service has starting
an overnight service linking the city and
the airport. Four return services between
midnight and 6.00am now cater for
passengers using the budget airlines, many
of which arrive and leave at unsociable
hours. The daytime schedule between city
and airport is maintained with a journey
time of 20 to 25 minutes.
Bingo calls
Police have closed unauthorised games of
bingo in Vélez-Málaga and Algarrobo.
Officers seized €1,275 in cash and over
15,000 playing cards at two establishments,
plus five TV screens and associated
electrical equipment. At the Algarrobo
address where cards were sold for 50 cents
or €1, investigators found players with
multiple cards and estimated a monthly
turnover of €30,000. Illegal bingo
organisers can be fined between €10,000
and €300,000.
IVA cut
The Aquarius docks
in Valencia
The 630 asylum seekers on board a
migrant rescue ship docked safely in
Valencia in the middle of June. Most of
those on the Aquarius and a support
vessel came from sub-Saharan Africa
seeking refuge from extreme poverty,
war, political conflict or persecution,
and a better life.
They had previously been turned away
from both Italy and Malta, but headed
for Spain after the new prime minister,
Pedro Sánchez, offered to help. “It is
our obligation to help avoid a
humanitarian catastrophe and offer a
safe port to these people, “ he said. The
mayor of Valencia, Joan Ribó, said the
town would be, “mobilizing all its
resources.”
all EU countries to stop looking the
other way and start looking for
common solutions.” However, the
Ministry added that the Aquarius was a
special case and Spain’s immigration
policy has not changed.
Spain’s new Finance Minister, Maria Jesus
Montero, is reported to be planning to
reduce IVA (VAT) on feminine hygiene
products and nappies for babies. The
present rate of 10 per cent is likely to be
cut to the “super-reduced” rate of four per
cent. The new PM Pedro Sánchez is on
record for criticising discrimination against
women and, if finally applied, the move
will be widely welcomed. After arriving on June 17, the migrants
were given 45 days special permission
to stay in Spain during which each
individual’s case will be considered.
They are not regarded as irregular
migrants as they are in Spain on an
official invitation from the
government, and all 630 are entitled to
request asylum.
Age drop In Madrid, the Interior Ministry said in
a statement, “It was a wake-up call for
The minimum age for driving a lorry is to
fall to 18. Spain is presently the only
European country where drivers have to
wait until they are 21 before starting
training to drive heavy vehicles, resulting
in a shortage of qualified drivers. To be
able to drive HGVs, candidates have to pass
a Professional Aptitude Certificate (CAP). Minimum wage increases
and tax reductions planned
Police attacked
Police in La Linea have reported being
attacked with Molotov cocktails. Their
vehicles were targeted by a gang of about
20 people, mostly teenagers, believed to be
connected to drugs gangs. One 15-year-old
was detained, two officers were injured,
and major vehicle damage was reported.
Sexy Spanish
Spanish is the world’s sexiest accent,
according to a survey by The Lonely
Planet. The language of Cervantes
narrowly beat French into second place
with responses from 700 people on
Facebook. The Irish lilt came third,
followed the Scottish brogue and the
Australian twang, pushing Italians into
sixth place. Behind that, in seventh place,
came English voices.
Representatives from companies and
unions have agreed on the minimum
wage increase proposed by Spain’s new
government. The decision came in
time to call off a planned national
demonstration in mid-June.
Amongst the group made up of 26
d