In the Spanish news headlines for Tuesday 20 February 2024, ritual child sex act defendant in court, man on trial for killing friend by hitting him 30 times with a fire extinguisher, drug dealing pair on trial, and Emirates to hold cabin crew recruitment days in Spain.

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Spanish News Headlines

The courts in Las Palmas will hear evidence from today against a man accused of forcing his partner’s son to perform fellatio on him in his home in Arucas, deceiving him that they were Santeria rituals, acts performed in order to increase closeness with spirits, from an African ritual developed in Cuba.

The Prosecutor’s Office requests a sentence of 12 years in prison for the defendant for an alleged continued crime of sexual assault of a minor under 16 years of age, in addition to compensation of 8,000 euro to his parents for moral damages.

A trial has begun against a man accused of killing his friend in a pub in Calatayud in Aragon, by hitting him thirty times with a fire extinguisher.

The event took place during the San Roque festivities, in the early morning of August 13, 2022, when both men sneaked inside the establishment that the accused had previously run, but only he left the premises.

It was not until two days later when the perpetrator decided to appear at the National Police headquarters to confess the facts, by which time he had also withdrawn more than a thousand euro with the deceased’s credit card.

The fifth section of the Provincial Court of Pontevedra, based in Vigo, will judge wo people from Vigo from today accused of a crime against public health for which it requests almost 15 years in prison.

As stated in the document from the Public Prosecutor’s Office, on December 9, 2022, one of the accused was near the home of the other accused when he was approached by members of the National Police, given the possibility that he was going to provide him with narcotics.

Emirates is looking for candidates to join its multinational team of cabin crew, and throughout the month of March, the airline will hold thirteen open days for the hiring of cabin crew in 11 Spanish cities.

The recruitment events will take place in Girona on 1st March, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria on 6th, Barcelona on 7th and 25th, Lleida on 9th, Madrid on 11th and 20th, Santander on 11th, Malaga on 14th, Cordoba on 16th, Pamplona on 24th, Santiago de Compostela on 29th, Gijón on 31st.

To read these articles in full, visit SpainToday.news

Business, Markets and Statistics

The eurozone balance of payments for December and construction production for that same month will be the main references on a Tuesday in which attention in Spain will focus on the corporate level.

Enagás will present its 2024 results and its 2024 objectives. Other companies will also make their accounts public, such as Carrefour, in France, which will give an indication of if / how the cost of living has impacted their profits; Barclays, in the United Kingdom; and WalMart and Home Depot, in the US.

This afternoon, the deputy governor of the Bank of Spain, Margarita Delgado, will make the closing speech at the Insurance Senior Management Forum: Let’s Talk about Reinvention, of Insurance Week 2024, organised by INESE.

Elsewhere in the Eurozone, the ECB publishes its Research Bulletin, Supervision Bulletin, the balance of payments for December, whilst Eurostat releases construction production figures for December, and the indicator of negotiated salary rates is known.

There will also be a meeting of the EU General Affairs Council.

Things to Do Today

There’s a speedpainting workshop in Torrevieja on 27 February, at the Los Angeles bar, First Aid for Dogs (for performing on dogs, not dogs doing first aid, at Jessie’s Bar on 29.

Cinderella is in Torrevieja on Sunday 25 February, and International Flamenco Day is celebrated with a concert on 2 March. You can then take a Trip to Oz, with the kids, on 15 March, assuming you survive Peter and the Wolf on 10 March. There is also the Magical world of Disney concert on 16.

For sports fans, there are a couple of endurance events this weekend, including in the municipality of Elche, where Transilicitana will take place, a staggering 100-kilometre race, with slopes and flats, starting on Saturday with 24 hours to complete the race.

Then, on Sunday 25 February, we have the Torrevieja 21k half marathon, and a 5k race, starting at 9:30 a.m. Both of those events of course will lead to road closures, so check the traffic situation before you travel.

Looking ahead, James Blunt is back in Alicante on 19 July, as is Tom Jones on 25. Other popular groups coming to Spain in the near future include AC/DC, Depeche Mode, and Simple Minds.

A Black Music Festival is taking place in Salt until 9 March, and the Jerez Festival of Flamenco and art is on in Jerez de la Frontera also until 9 March.

Down south, the Malaga Film Festival takes place from 1 to 10 March, followed by the Granada Tango Festival from 12 to 17 March.

Fallas season is about to start, culminating in the celebrations around the middle of March, not forgetting of course we have San Jose, Spanish Father’s Day, a big event in the Spanish cultural calendar. The main fallas event is around Valencia, where this year the calendar is from 25 February to 19 March.

We must also remember that Easter is earlier this year, and one of the big draws is Elche, and in particular Palm Sunday, on account of the history of the city in relation to palm trees. A huge Palm Sunday procession takes place in the city each year.

One of the most unusual festivals takes place in the town of Mula, with the Night of the Drums, or Noche de los Tambores, where drumming begins at midnight on Holy Tuesday until 4 in the afternoon on Wednesday. Similar drum festivals take place in a few other towns too, but Mula is known as one of the best.

Another unusual celebration takes place in Jerte, usually at the end of March and beginning of April, but it depends on the weather, and therefore could be earlier this year, but it is the Cherry Trees in Blossom festival, which beholds a beauty of colour and aroma that is definitely a feast for the senses,

For more local events, pick up The Leader newspaper every Monday, and This is Torrevieja for Torrevieja events.

Local Markets

Local markets on a Tuesday can be found at Benijofar, Daya Nueva, La Marina (Elche), Orihuela, San Bartalome (Orihuela), and San Fulgencio.

The roads will of course be busy around those locations.

Traffic and Travel

This week, ROADPOL, the European traffic police network, are holding a focussed campaign on vans, trucks and buses, checking everything from vehicle standards and compliance, and driver and documentation. The campaign runs all week and through Sunday 25 February 2024, and will be taking place in most European countries.

In Spain, the DGT are supporting this campaign and so the Guardia Civil, assisted by Local Police in areas where they are taking part, will also be checking on these types of vehicles.

There is also still the possibility of protests causing disruption on the roads, and so you should consult the official information from the DGT which is updated live on their website.

We also still have the risk of snow on higher and mountainous areas, and so snow chains could be required, again, check before you travel.

For information and updates about driving in Spain, visit N332.es

Although it is not one of the busiest days for air travel, with around 21,500 flights scheduled across Europe, there were 850 flights cancelled in advance due to a strike by Lufthansa ground operations.

Strong winds are forecast which could affect Heathrow, with warnings in place at the airfield until 13:00.

There is also a military exercise over the Black Sea with live firing, so diversions will be in place in the morning.

Official Websites for Travel Information

On This Day

2008, the high-speed train (AVE) comes into operation between Barcelona and Madrid.

2005, Referendum in Spain for the ratification of the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe. Spaniards approve the new Constitution with 76.7% of the votes. Participation was 42%.

2003, a fault leaves 8.7 million subscribers to the Vodafone company in Spain without mobile connection.

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