CHILDREN at the Torrecardenas Hospital in Almeria received a special visit from characters from the Star Wars saga. This is part of a programme which aims to make the stay of children in hospital and their families more enjoyable. The visit was organised by the hospital and the ‘501st Legion’ a group Star Wars fans who aim to bring its on screen world to Spain with exact replicas of the films’ original costumes. On this occasion, the visitors were three imperial soldiers, an imperial officer, an AT-ST pilot and an Imperial Gunner. They gave gifts to the children who were…

MEMBERS of the Guardia Civil Nature Protection Service, SEPRONA, seized five red tuna fish which had been caught illegally in Almeria. The fish weighed more than 357 kilos. The investigation began on suspicion that fish was being caught, delivered and sold illegally by crews using yachts which lack the required documents and tracking systems. Therefore, surveillance was carried out, and a lorry was followed from Almerimar marina to Roquetas de Mar, where a van was waiting to take the load. Both drivers were identified and the fish was seized. They were given to charity after it was checked by the…

WINE exports from Almeria province have fallen in the first two months of this year. According to the Territorial Delegation of the Junta de Andalucia Council for Agriculture, Fishery and the Environment, exports fell by 2.6 per cent.  Almeria’s wineries sold more than 32,000 litres in the first two months of 2013, obtaining €55,000. The head of the delegation, Jose Manuel Ortiz, said that companies throughout the province are looking for new markets to compensate for the falling consumption of wine which has been seen over the past few years throughout the world.  Almost 48 per cent of the wine…

ALMERIA Tourism Department, continues to promote the city as a tourist destination in national and international markets. Within Andalucia, the Tourism Department and the Almeria Turistica Municipal Company continues to promote the city in Cordoba, Sevilla, Malaga and Granada, holding meetings with members of the travel sector.  The campaign is carried out with promotional and informative material, offering guided tours, hotels, restaurants, maps and other information regarding the city.  One of the most popular proposals is the Almeria to Santiago de Compostela route which is popular with hikers who enjoy the challenge of walking more than 1,350 kilometres across Spain. …

THE popular culture of the Almanzora Valley is being studied in a project to record the areas crafts crafts, culinary art and festive practices. The initiative is known as The Atlas of Intangible Heritage, a project headed by a multidisciplinary team of anthropologists, and specialists in geography, graphic and audiovisual techniques for the Junta de Andalucia’s culture department. Part of the plan is to video record for posterity the memories of thousands of people as a parochial expression of their homeland, amplifying the voices and memories of thousands of anonymous people in the community. The move to the Almanzora Valley…

MOJACAR mayor Rosa Maria Cano plans to increase the revenue from IBI (property tax) in order to balance the municipality’s books. “Since I took control in 2007 I have raised the number of properties liable for tax from 10,334 to 14,016” she stated. “In six years I have been able to generate 4,000 more bills. We created a strong Cadastre unit because there were too many people who were not contributing to the property tax, as their properties were not registered.” Opposition spokesman Manuel Zamora (PSOE) commented: “The citizens of Mojacar cannot afford tax increases (such as IBI) which are…