Don't forget to get the extra hour tonight

JUST A REMINDER: 3 a.m. becomes 2 a.m. tonight. Of course, we'll have to give that hour back next Spring, but let's enjoy it while we have it. (Any comments on the debate going on all over Europe about changing the hours twice a year?)

Four accused of 'irregular animal sacrifice': highlights animal control problem in the country

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LOS BARRIOS (Cadiz) -- Four people were accused last week of killing animals at a shelter without the proper permits. Three of them are employees of a company called Control Zoosanitario, which has a contract to take abandoned domestic animals in Los Barrios and Algeciras. Among other things, they are impugned for alleged irregularities when putting the animals down, such as giving false dates in order to shorten the animals' stays at the shelter. According to a communique from the Guardia Civil, the four are the vet who attends at the shelter, and two employees of the dog 'home' in Los Barrios, plus someone with no proper connection to it, but who was the one killing the animals without permits or even a veterinary license to do so.

Manilva Mayoress resigns because of 'irregularities'

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MANILVA (Cadiz) -- The westernmost municipality in the province of Malaga returns to its usual state of political instability, according to local and provincial media. The Mayoress, Antonia Muñoz, who has been on the Council for 27 years, and at its head since 2007, has been under investigation for alleged irregularities such as nepotism and dodgy contracts -- she resigned last Friday without offering any public explanations, just seven months before local elections. She had ben under pressure to resign since June 2013, when she and her Council cohorts officially resigned from her party (IU, Izquierda Unida) ranks. The present judicial investigation has already 'splashed' her family and close friends. Local sources also point to serious discrepancies with many of her political group, ever since they left IU.

UK High Court dismisses Gibraltar challenge to new online gambling law

LONDON -- A High Court in the UK has dismissed a legal challenge from bookmakers to bring the licensing and taxation of online gambling companies under UK control if they offer their services to consumers in Britain, Reuters reports. Gambling companies with large UK customer bases such as Ladbrokes and William Hill have placed their operations offshore to benefit from lower taxes. A new tax regime is due to come into force on 1 December to force such companies to obtain a licence from the UK Gambling Commission and to pay a 15 percent tax online winnings from bets made by UK consumers. The case was brought by the Gibraltar Betting and Gaming Association (GBGA), arguing that it contravened European legislation on free movement of services. The GBGA declined to say if it would appeal. (Source: Telecompaper)

Do they still find arms from the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939)?

SPAIN -- Yes, indeed. The Guardia Civil anti-explosive unit, called TEDAX, deactivates some 1,000 artefacts per year throughout the country. The region of Aragón is where they find more than anywhere else; so far this year alone they have dealt with 115 bombs ranging in size from 4 to 45 Kg. from all over the country; these did not include hand guns or rifles. Perhaps the most curious was a hand grenade that was discovered hanging from a branch of a pine tree. Other arms are often found during ploughing where Civil War battles were fought. On a more ‘human’ scale, the mountains of Andalucía contain the families of former Republican fighters, many of whom stayed in the hills after the Civil War was over, still fighting Franco many years after the war itself. Tradition demands that families and their members attain nicknames, so you will find quite a few guerrilleros out there.

Ferrovial is on a shopping spree, starting with the UK and Australia

MADRID -- One of Spain's largest companies, Ferrovial, is a big player on the international business scene, specialising in construction, operations and airport management. Having bought -- not without difficulties from the competition authorities -- the remaining shares in three important British airports (Glasgow, Aberdeen and Southampton, the 8th, 14th and 18th busiest in the UK, respectively) in a 50-50 partnership with the Macquarie Fund earlier this week, it put in a non-binding bid to acquire Transfield Services, an Australian firm. Transfield is in the operation and maintenance services businesses in a list of markets that range from natural resources, transport infrastructure and defence to many others. Ferrovial already had a participation in the three airports and still holds

Why is my home not selling?

SPAIN – This fact is, of course, not exclusive to this country. However, there are a large number of homes left unsold here, especially on the Costa del Sol. Advice given to Spanish sellers on various websites might be handy knowledge for expats, too:

·        One ad is not enough.  Even a series of ads may not be enough. The secret behind successful marketing is in repetition, so we can learn from the likes of Coca-Cola, Lever Bros. etc. etc. The big boys, in other words. (More  ideas and suggestions below.)

Tarifa re-enacts siege of 1812

TARIFA (Cádiz) – Tarifa was under siege last weekend. Well, it might have given that impression to a wandering tourist. In fact, the town was really under siege by French forces on June 1812, during what in Spain is known as the War of Independence, and the Peninsular War in the UK’s history books. Napoleon’s troops were mostly in Cádiz towards the end of the blockade. The fun and games was presented by an association from Bailén that specialises in re-enactments all over the country – usually in themes related to the French occupation of the peninsula. On Saturday, they re-enacted the battle at La Caleta, which saw the breach of the old town walls (faithfully reproduced by municipal workers during the week) at what was once known as Puerta del Retiro and is now called Plaza de Calzadilla de Téllez. The siege itself lasted for twenty long days, seven of which the people of Tarifa had the scarred wall to defend heroically.

Antonio Banderas, lifetime Goya award 2015

MADRID -- Spain's film academy, the Academia de Cine, whose annual awards are the country's equivalent of the Oscar, has awarded Spanish international star Antonio Banderas a Goya of Honour -- something like a lifetime achievement prize. The academy's Board was unanimous in its acclamation of Banderas's "brilliant career on both sides of the Atlantic" where over the years he has developed not only as a versatile actior, but also as a director and producer. He has been nominated for a Goya award on four occasions, has worked on over 90 films and has appeared on Broadway (Nine). He worked with Spain's best-known director Pedro Almodóvar on five movies and on such box-office hits as Philadelphia, Shrek, Evita and Zorro, among others.

Andalucía’s education disaster (MÁS ABAJO EN ESPAÑOL: Andalucía, desastre en educación)

OPINION (by Alberto Bullrich) -- A friend’s son was told to leave his classroom at the village Adult Education Centre the other day. He called his mother in tears; she went to speak with the teacher, who told her that the ‘head office’ had denied the boy, 17, permission to take the exams at the end of the course because he was born in January, after the ‘adult’ deadline of December 31. He would have to wait a whole year, though he was offered other unrealistic alternatives. Fair enough, he was born ‘too late’ so he is not officially an adult yet. But why was he eager to attend these classes?