Overseas investors in the Spanish buy-to-let property market are suffering a double blow, as not only are property prices plummeting in Spain, but now

In spite of the ‘hard times’ currently faced by the Spanish property market, with much talk of over inflated property prices, combined with increasing interest rates; new and established Spanish property owners are being offered a helping hand, to support them through increasing problems with affordability.Several key mortgage products have been developed, offering high loan to values and interest only periods, some even with no early redemption penalties. - 21st August 2007 11:01Spain's property prices show no signs of cooling - In spite of Spain’s...

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new wireless Internet-access networks

Mijas Mayor Agustín Moreno last week officially launched the town’s new wireless Internet-access networks. A series of WiFi networks provides high-speed wireless access to the rural Osunillas, Valtocado and Entrerríos zones, while a WiMAX network links some 20 municipal offices throughout the town. There are currently 70 pilot users of the rural-areas WiFi networks. The networks have a capacity for up to 60 users in each of the three zones. “This service represents a revolution for the rural areas of Mijas, and will be extended further, with increased...

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Pedro Román

The former deputy mayor of Malaga, Pedro Román, may soon get out of jail, if he comes up with the million-euro bail stipulated by the Provincial Court last week. Román was Jesus Gil’s right hand man during two terms in Marbella Town Hall. Earlier in the week, the Attorney General had refused to let out Román or Juan Antonio Roca - the alleged mastermind behind Marbella’s Malaya case because of the risk of flight and destruction of evidence. However, the Malaga court took into account the fact that Román had returned voluntarily from Switzerland...

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case regarded by many as the most significant of its kind in Spanish legal history

THE massive sum of 600,000 euros has been demanded in return for the temporary freedom of Fernando del Valle in the Marbella money-laundering case which occurred last March. The family of the Chilean-born lawyer, accused of being the mastermind behind the 250 million euro fraud, are now attempting to secure the bond which will lead to his release from the prison in Albolote, Granada. His lawyer, Javier Núñez, admitted that it would not be easy raising the money, a previous attempt to win bail through presentation of his assets having been rejected....

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List of developments affected by compensations in Marbella area

Playa de Río Verde. 21 inhabitated dwellings in street Carlos Ponsac. Must hand over 26% of it’s land.Hacienda Los Caballeros. Residential dwellings. Must hand over 30% of its plot of land.Urb. La Trinidad. 116 inhabitated dwellings. Must contribute 37% of it’s land.Villa Parra Palomera. 119 inhabitated dwellings. Must contribute 46% of it’s land.Los Manchones Altos. Detached inhabitated dwellings. Must contribute 37% of its land.Hotel NH Alanda. Must contribute its own plot of land.Llanos de Nagüeles. Detached inhabitated dwellings. Must contribute...

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developments in Marbella, more than 100, affected by town hall compensations due to planning illegalities.MARBELLA AREA

La Concha. 376 inhabitated dwellings. Must contribute to the town hall with 6.645 m2 of a plot of land north of the bull ring with industrial warehouses in use.Parque Miraflores. 576 inhabitated dwellings. Must contribute over 9.406 m2 of a plot of land north of the bull ring with industrial warehouses in use.Edificio Belmonsa. 110 inhabitated dwellings. Must contribute 1.774 m2 of a plot of land north of the bull ring with industrial warehouses in use.Edificio Plaza. 335 inhabitated dwellings. Must contribute it’s own land plus 5.003 m2 of a plot...

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tornadoes have been reported out to sea

An English woman thought to be in her thirties died earlier today when she was swept away by a wall of flood water after stepping out of the car she was travelling in. The incident occurred at around midday on the Son Serralta residential estate in Puipunyent on Mallorca. The victim's boyfriend and their baby were rescued uninjured from inside the vehicle. With torrential rains affecting all the Balearic Islands since last night, the regional government has informed that tornadoes have been reported out to sea. Consequently, orange level alerts...

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arrested the director of a Gibraltar-based bank

National Police officers have arrested the director of a Gibraltar-based banking agency for his alleged involvement in the Marbella money laundering scam. He is accused of chanelling money into the south of Spain from Russia via Holland. According to a police source, the man, who used to manage a banking office in Marbella, was arrested on the La Alcaidesa residential estate located between Concepción and San Roque, which is one of 251 properties confiscated by police in the first phase of the operation. So far, a total of 48 people have been arrested...

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A British man, Harvey Jeffrey L, arrested last Saturday as part of the "White Whale" money laundering investigation

A British man, Harvey Jeffrey L, arrested last Saturday as part of the "White Whale" money laundering investigation, has been jailed by judge Miguel Angel Torres after an appearance this afternoon at Marbella municipal court. His wife, who was also arrested at the weekend, was allowed to go and no charges were brought against her. Both are suspected of swindling fellow Brits out of hundreds of thousands of euros since setting up a business at the end of 2001, which is being investigated as part of a wider investigation into a money laundering operation...

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dramatic drop in the amount of building going on in the province

Malaga’s Official College of Architects has revealed that there’s been a dramatic drop in the amount of building going on in the province. The College approves the architectural plans for new buildings, so sees first-hand the volume of building work to be undertaken. In the first six months of last year, plans for 25,175 new homes were approved; this year that figure slumped by 34.5% to 16,477. The western end of the province has seen the biggest drop, with house approvals down by over 50%. Apartment building is also affected, with all areas on...

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561 “illegal” building permits

The Junta de Andalucia announced last Friday that it will take Marbella Town Council to court if it does not revise 561 “illegal” building permits issued under former mayor Jesus Gil and his successors. Earlier last week, the council announced it was going to “wipe the slate clean and start again” and would not revise any more illegal licences. A council spokesman said annulling the urban permits and agreements of the so-called Gil and post-Gil years would result in many claims for compensation that the council would not be able to sett...

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A spokesman said sales had dropped 15% this year because tourists had a lower

The Association of Small and Medium-sized Companies of Marbella and San Pedro Alcantara (Apymem) said it expected that between 115 and 130 businesses will close down this autumn.A spokesman said sales had dropped 15% this year because tourists had a lower purchasing power than in the past and therefore spent less. He also said the small and medium-sized businesses simply could not compete with the big shopping centres. Apymem has also asked the council to give provisional licences to 800 companies which are located in illegal buildin...

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kidnapping an Englishman

Police arrested a Dutch citizen in Alhaurin de la Torre last week and charged him with kidnapping an Englishman who worked for him as chauffeur. The latter started work on June 19th but was forced to work increasingly longer hours until he was finally forbidden to go anywhere unless accompanied by his employer or one of his sons. The Dutchman also held on to his documents. The Englishman managed to give the family the slip during a visit to Torremolinos at the beginning of this month and made his way to Otura in Granada province, where he contacted...

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Overcrowding at the Alhaurin de la Torre jail as “scandalous”.

The Comisiones Obreros (CC.OO) trade union has described the overcrowding at the Alhaurin de la Torre jail as “scandalous”. It is the second worst prison in Andalucia, with a population of 1,846, that is, 1,000 more than it was originally built for. Only the jail in Albolote,, Granada province, is more overcrowded, with 1,883 prisone...

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largest open-air cannabis plantation

The National Police in Seville revealed last week that they had discovered the largest open-air cannabis plantation near the town of Dos Hermanas found in Andalucia to date. The police had been investigating a suspected drug trafficker in the town during the course of which they picked up a South American couple who were acting suspiciously. A search of the couple’s house turned up the address of a finca. When the police visited it, they found what they called a cannabis plantation covering just over 1,000m2 of la...

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Four people died, three of them instantly

Four people died, three of them instantly, when the driver of the car they were travelling in from Madrid to San Pedro Alcántara tried to make an illegal turn on the highway in the early hours of Wednesday morning, just as they were arriving at their destination. The car they were in crashed into a taxi which was travelling in the same direction. A Spanish woman and her daughter, who was driving the car, and the baby of the third woman, a 22-year-old Paraguayan, died in the crash. The latter died a few hours later in hospital. It was the worst...

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seven fixed radar are to be installed on the roads of Malaga province by the end of the year

The Central Traffic Authority in Madrid announced last week that another seven fixed radar are to be installed on the roads of Malaga province by the end of the year. There are currently four on the A-7 motorway, two on the A-45 and one on the A-357. The new ones will be installed at “black spots” on secondary roads. Since the system was installed a year ago, average speeds are down from 93 kph to 90.7 for light vehicles, and from 86 kph to 85.4 for the heavier vehicles. Road deaths are also down 2...

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nights out

According to restaurant and bar owners, the first cut made by families affected by higher mortgage interest rates are their nights out. Discotheques and bars report an average drop in sales of 20% in the past eight months. Restaurants report that clients study the prices more closely and tend to opt for the cheaper dishes. Many mortgage payers are foregoing their lunches out and take food to work in what they call “tupper”. One said he and his family hadn’t even visited McDonalds in the past five months. Another said a trip to the cinema was now...

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Beachgoers who smoke can heave a sigh of relief

Beachgoers who smoke can heave a sigh of relief. The Junta de Andalucia announced last week that it would not be banning smoking on the beach, after Health Minister Bernat Soria had said the government was studying the possibility of banning smoking in open spaces such as beaches. However, he said law regional governments and local councils will have the last word. Smoking has already been banned on one beach in Catalonia but no other costal town seems in a hurry to follow that examp...

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illegal use of water during the first six months of this year

Of the 589 cases opened by Andalucian Water Agency involving the illegal use of water during the first six months of this year, 251 pertained to Malaga, making the province the leader in water abuse. The cases range from illegal sinking of wells and tapping into the municipal water supply to abandoning old vehicles in streams, using them as rubbish dumps or cementing over them. Fines for irregularities involving water range from 600 to 30,000 euros. The Agency is also reminding users of underground water it is now compulsory to install water m...

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EU residents in Spain

A new legislation has done away with the requirement of residence cards for EU residents in Spain. European Union citizens will no longer be issued with residence cards. The new decree was approved on the 16th of February 2007 by the Spanish council of Ministers and will take effect on the 28th of March 2007.It requires all EU citizens planning to reside in Spain for longer than 3 months to register in person at the Foreigners office in their province of residence or at designated police stations. They will be issued a certificate stating their...

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“The number of people looking to set up a business in Spain is increasing all the time,” his department gets 1,500 enquiries a year. Over the last fiv

Emigration gets easier every day and is, thanks to cheap flights and the internet, not that drastic anymore as it used to be. 320 days a year of sunshine, inviting beaches no more traffic jams and piece of quiet. Jose Morillo, Director of investment at the Spanish embassy stated “The number of people looking to set up a business in Spain is increasing all the time,” his department gets 1,500 enquiries a year. Over the last five years, GDP growth in Spain has been 68% above the European Union average. Setting up a business in Spain is straightforward,...

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Brits fleeing the UK

BRITS are leaving the UK in their thousands in search of a better life abroad. Another Brit leaves every three minutes, the Institute for Public Policy Research has estimated. Former immigration control officer Liam Clifford set up globalvisas.com, a visa consultancy firm, 12 years ago. This year, he has seen a 400 per cent increase in enquiries for visas to countries such as Australia and Canada. He says: “One of the reasons people cite is over-stretched public services in the UK. A lot of the time the trigger is that children are coming up for...

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Malaga and Madrid and Barcelona

AVE high speed train service that will run between Malaga and Madrid and Barcelona. At the beginning of this year the Minister for Development, Magdalena álvarez, announced that the Malaga high speed line would have “the best trains”. Now we can be more precise: the route between Malaga and Madrid will be covered by the S-102 model built by Talgo-Bombardier, more commonly known as “Patos” (Ducks); passengers travelling between the Costa del Sol and Barcelona, on the other hand, will be on the S-103 trains built by Siemens, otherwise known as the...

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Christie’s tells the life story of the Malaga girl turned Indian princess

On offer to the highest bidder will be eight “art deco” pieces, including a diamond and emerald necklace whose estimated value is between 140,000 and 200,000 dollars. The auction house, which will also be selling a grey pearl necklace which belonged to the last queen of France, Marie Antoinette, expects the Maharani’s jewels to fetch more than 400,000 dollars (around 280,000 euros).Christie’s tells the life story of the Malaga girl turned Indian princess in its publicity for December’s auction. The firm describes the story as so extraordinary “that...

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60 per cent more Britons now own second homes

The UK’s National Statistics Office issued new figures last week which showed that, compared with five years ago, 60 per cent more Britons now own second homes abroad.In addition, a report from a London firm of analysts says high prices and local corruption is causing Britons to turn away from the Costa del Sol. Richmond Green Marketing presented their findings last Friday at Málaga’s Conference Centre during a session on selling Spanish property in the UK. They called for a marketing campaign to assure potential visitors and purchasers that such...

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Spanish Northern Rock

Caja de Ahorras del Mediterraneo bank (CAM) has set aside the entire profit of 168 million euros it made from the sale of its share in another property firm, Metrovacesa, putting it into a reserve account instead of banking it as profit. Observers say the move has almost tripled the bank’s reserves and the action has been taken because its directors are anticipating an increase in both business and private loan defaults.The property developer Llanera, which has 600 employees, declared itself insolvent on Tuesday of last week (see Spain in the UK...

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Campo y Golf de Ronda has announced it will invest over 10 million euros in bringing recycled water to the controversial development.

The treated water will be piped from Ronda’s new water treatment plan to the site at Los Merinos.During the recent inauguration of the sewage plant, the director of the Andalucía water authority (CMA), Antonio Rodríguez Leal, stated that the treated water could be used for irrigating golf courses. He added that this could solve the municipality’s problem with regard to such developments that had no independent water supplies. The pipeline from the treatment plant to Los Merinos will run 16 to 20 kilometres, with two or three pumping stations along...

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hotline for anyone in Spain who suffers from domestic violence.

The line, reached by dialling 016, can be used by victims or concerned friends and family members. Not only will the national help-line operate in Spanish and other official state languages but also in English and Fren...

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SPANISH OFFICIALS

have launched a hotline for anyone in Spain who suffers from domestic violence.domestic violence hotline to operate in Engl...

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Mayor watches Marbella home demolitions

Mayor watches Marbella home demolitions Ángeles Muñoz, last Wednesday visited a site in Las Chapas where six beachfront homes were in the process of being demolish...

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Connick Jr heads south for Málaga’s 22nd jazz fest

Connick Junior is headed for Málaga. The 40 year old “crooner” will be in the city next month as part of its 22nd International Jazz Festiv...

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Poem by Hasan Ali Tokuqin

Love brings sadness all the timeSex brings self esteem and joyand longevity to life.Love is morbid and stressfulSex is humorus, kinky and easy going.Sex is something up-beatLove is plummeting downLove is larger than lifeSex is life itself.Sex is like saving moneyLove is like spending money.Love is a game of hide ...

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private club for tolerant couples with interest in groupsex and partner exchange

private club for couples, where only members as well as invited and registered guests, have access. The age of our guests must be over 18 years. private club for tolerant couples with interest in groupsex and partner exchange. Beginners are sincerely welcome.Whether you want to enjoy an erotic evening with party disposition, or you want to experience something different or simply to meet other sympathetic couples to spend a lovely evening in a warm, comfortable and elegant atmosphere……Everything is possible! Villa in Marbella is the perfect place...

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Three Britons have been arrested on the Costa del Sol

Three Britons have been arrested on the Costa del Sol for allegedly defrauding European tourists by offering them mortgages and investment plans which in reality did not exist.The man considered to be the head of the group, named by police with the initials J.M.D. was arrested at Málaga airport as he was trying to leave the country with his wife M.D, who has also been arrested. It’s thought the couple belonged to a group based in Estepona which had been offering ‘attractive conditions’ to investors since 2000 for mortages. The conditions however...

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Cautionary Tale

CLC called last year. I had won another holiday. Yes I had won in the past, attended the presentation and walked out with my award certificate, but due to work commitments found it difficult to select 3 alternative preferred dates and despite having sent the admin cost on one previos occasion I had not yet benefited from the prize. This time CLc were convincing, they offered a 3yr trial and I gladly paid £3500 for 7 weeks 5* accommodation ( including one free week with hire car thrown in), in the Canries or on the Cost del Sol and a weeks holday...

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One in five holidaymakers who claimed on their travel insurance policy last year fraudulently boosted their application

One in five holidaymakers who claimed on their travel insurance policy last year fraudulently boosted their application, according to research from the insurer Direct Line.One in five holidaymakers who claimed on their travel insurance policy last year fraudulently boosted their application, according to research from the insurer Direct Line.A lost or smashed camera was the most common false claim made, followed by jewellery, clothing and iPods. More than 10 per cent of the fraud was committed by holidaymakers knowingly inflating a genuine claim,...

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victims of an alleged property fraud that has rocked the town of Marbella on the Costa del Sol

A short drive from the centre of the glitzy resort of Marbella on the edge of a banana plantation with views over the Mediterranean, the newly built beach front apartment seemed too good an opportunity to miss for Jack and Yvonne Burditt.The Devonshire couple were looking to invest their life savings on a home to spend their retirement in so they handed over more than €250,000 (£170,000) and moved in right away.Three years later they are still there but instead of enjoying sunsets from their terrace they are keeping a watchful eye out for the bulldozers...

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timeshare owners

The fraud operators typically telephone timeshare owners telling them that there is a buyer for their weeks who is willing to pay a high price. Many owners are taken in by the scam and agree to sell, at which point they are asked to pay a fee of 1,500 euros to cover the costs of the transaction. Once the money is paid over, the fraudsters are never heard of again and the company closes down and moves on.The National Police estimate that more than 12 million euros have been lost to the largely British scammers since 2001. From the start of the operation,...

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search of fantastic weather, a full range of unusual activities and the unrivaled nightlife to be found in the popular resorts and major cities.

Andalucia is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Spain and it is unsurprising that so many people come here to have fun. Andalucia is growing in popularity as a destination for Stag and Hen parties/weekends. A mere two and a half hours budget flight from the UK, future brides and grooms flock here with their friends in search of fantastic weather, a full range of unusual activities and the unrivaled nightlife to be found in the popular resorts and major citi...

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