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SPAIN

The eurozone unemployment rate falls to 6.4%, but Spain continues to lead unemployment with 11.7%: {Translation, summary}
– The unemployment rate in the euro area fell by one tenth of a percentage point in June compared with May to stand at 6.4 %, which is a new record low since the creation of the single currency, according to data published on Tuesday by the EU statistics agency Eurostat.
– In the European Union (EU) as a whole, the unemployment rate in June remained stable at 5.9 %, the same figure obtained in May, thus also maintaining the historic low recorded in the community bloc.
– By country, Spain recorded a fall in unemployment in June of 0.2 points compared with May, standing at 11.7 %, which is still the highest rate in the euro area and the whole of the EU, according to Eurostat data.
– Even so, this fall of 0.2 points month-on-month between May and June places Spain, together with Greece, as the two countries in the EU and the euro area where unemployment fell most between the two months, although their total rates are the highest in the EU and the euro area.
– Spain (11.7%), Greece (11.1%), Lithuania and Sweden (both 7.5%) are the EU countries with the highest unemployment rates in June. Source, Spanish: https://www.20minutos.es/noticia/5161484/0/tasa-paro-eurozona-cae-6-4-pero-espana-sigue-cabeza-desempleo-con-un-11-7/

Benamargosa celebrates the Feria de Agosto with more than twenty activities throughout the week: {Translation}
– The fair will take place on 4, 5 and 6 August, but the activities will take place throughout the week.
– Wednesday at 22:00 the Benamargosa Juan Salinas 7-a-side football pitch will be inaugurated.
– On Thursday 3rd August a family gincana {?} with popular games has been organised at the Benamargosa Juan Salinas 7-a-side football pitch. The youngest children will be able to enjoy Children’s Day with attractions at reduced prices.
– At 12:00 noon on Friday 4th August the Feria de Benamargosa 2023 will begin with the ringing of the bells. The Swimming Championship will kick off half an hour later and at 20:00 the Football Tournament at the Benamargosa Juan Salinas 7-a-side football pitch.
– At 22:00 the lighting of the Fair and the official stand will be inaugurated with the Metrópolis orchestra which will be in charge of opening and closing the stand every night. At 23:00 hours, the Azahar dance group will perform and the trophy ceremony will begin. Then the Misses, Mister and Veteran Couple of the 2023 Fair will be chosen. At 01:30 hours, concert by Estopaos.
– The Day Fair will be inaugurated on Saturday at 10:00 noon with Nicolás Quintana and the Malabar Duo. The children’s area will be open from 17:00 to 19:00 – also on Sunday – in “las escalerillas”. The Day Fair will also close at that time. In the evening, at 23:00 hours, the modern dance group Twerk Queens will perform and at 01:00 hours there will be a concert by Raúl Camacho.
– On Sunday, 6 August, from 12:00 hours, there will be horse riding at the Feria de Día. The ribbon race on horseback is scheduled for 20:00 hours on the Benamargosa river. “It is a tradition that we want to maintain because it cannot be lost”, stressed the councillor for Fiestas. At 23:30 there will be a performance by Ecos del Rocío and at 01:30 there will be a fireworks display. Source, Spanish: https://www.axarquiaplus.es/benamargosa-celebra-la-feria-de-agosto-con-mas-de-una-veintena-de-actividades-durante-toda-la-semana/ 

MALAGA PROVINCE

Malaga opens August with highs of 42.5C, the terral threatens more nights of intense heat: {Translation, summary}
– August in Malaga opens Tuesday with the first of two consecutive days of orange alert activated by the strong heat that, at 4:40 p.m., has already set the maximum temperature at 42.5 degrees.
– On the Costa del Sol and the Guadalhorce Valley, where the orange alert is also present, the heat also approaches 40C. For example, Torremolinos borders on that temperature (39.5C); Coin has 38.4C; Estepona marks 38.6C and Álora 38C.
– According to the Aemet measurement station in the port of Malaga, last night the minimum temperature reached a record of 32.2C at 2am. It is with these figures, the night enters what the experts call torrid, since the minimum 25C is exceeded, and by far.
– The forecast is that the heat will continue until Friday, when the thermometers could drop up to 10 degrees compared to those of this beginning of the week. For Wednesday 2 and Thursday 3 August, Aemet has activated two warnings.
– For Wednesday the orange warning will continue on the Costa del Sol, Málaga capital and Guadalhorce, with the possibility that 40C will be exceeded again in points of the Guadalhorce Valley. In the case of the Axarquía region, the alert will be yellow due to the forecast of reaching 37C. In both cases, the notices will be activated from 1:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
– Thursday, the notices will also be yellow on the Costa del Sol and Valle del Guadalhorce, as well as in the Axarquía. It will be in force from 1:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. with expected maximums of 38C. Source, Spanish: https://www.malagahoy.es/malaga/Malaga-agosto-terral-noche-calor_0_1816618742.html

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The fields of Malaga “burn” due to the high temperatures of the last days: {Translation, summary}
– The lack of water and the heat of the last few days is causing the Malaga countryside to dry out even faster. The situation for the agricultural sector was already worrying a few weeks ago and now the irrigators are describing it as “terrible” and “lamentable”. In the Guadalhorce Valley, the farmers’ water supply is 37% less than last year and they claim that the fields “have been burnt” over the last few days due to the high temperatures in Malaga. In addition, they maintain that they do not understand why in Malaga capital and other municipalities there are no restrictions on supply as there are in some towns in the province and consider it “a lack of respect” towards them.
– Avocados, mangoes, cereals, oranges, lemons, courgettes, tomatoes, peppers, olives and almonds are some of the products that are grown in the fields of Malaga, which have either not come through or, those that have been saved, have not reached the expected size. Asaja claims that so far 90% of the rain-fed cereal crops have been lost and that tropical crops are drying up. Source & photo, Spanish: https://www.malagahoy.es/malaga/campo-Malaga-quema-temperaturas-ultimos_0_1816319879.html 

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Alfarnatejo presents 21st edition of the “Gazpacho de los 3 Golpes Festival” and other Feria de Alfarnatejo events: {Translation, summary}
– Saturday, 5 Aug
– The festival is usually attended by around 2,500 people and around 400 litres of gazpacho are distributed.
– The Fiesta will start at 12:00 with a parade by the School of Music. This will be followed by a pasodoble concert and the opening of the craft market. The institutional act and tribute to the women potters is scheduled for 13:00. Half an hour later, gazpacho will be served.
– From 1 a.m. onwards there will be music with the Kalima orchestra and Sótano Sur, who will perform a tribute to the 80s. In the evening, from ten o’clock onwards, the Dúo Malabar and the Tumbao orchestra will perform. At one o’clock in the morning, Mecanomania will begin their performance, which will pay tribute to the legendary Spanish pop group. At the end of the show, the Tumbao orchestra will return and from five o’clock in the morning onwards, Dj Bigotes will be on stage.
***Other Feria de Alfarnatejo Events***
– Wednesday 2 August there will be activities, the first at 20:00 hours being ‘Hot air balloon flights’. At 23:00 there will be an astronomical experience with a telescope. Both activities will take place at the football ground. “We have prepared a very complete programme to enjoy especially in the cool of the evening. But above all, we have tried to combine tradition with modernity,” said the mayor.
– On Thursday 3 from 17:00 to 19:00 there will be activities at the municipal swimming pool. “At 21:00 hours I will start the Monologue in the Municipal Park; at 22:00 hours the Gastronomic Contest of pitxos and tapas will begin”, the Mayor of Alfarnatejo went on to explain.
– On Friday 4 at 20:00 the ‘Alpaca throwing competition’ will begin. At 22:00 hours the young people from the Lorena Díaz Musical Theatre School will perform the musical ‘Mamma Mía’. At 23:30 there will be a tribute to the indoor football champions and at 24:00 there will be a Barbiepink Party with DJ Antonio Hierro. Source, Spanish: https://www.axarquiaplus.es/alfarnatejo-refresca-el-verano-este-sabado-con-una-nueva-edicion-de-la-fiesta-del-gazpacho-de-los-3-golpes/ 

VÉLEZ-MÁLAGA

A breakdown forces the water supply to be suspended in Benajarafe and Chilches: {Translation}
– A breakdown during repair work on a pipeline on the coast of the municipality of Vélez-Málaga, which was carried out last Monday, has forced the suspension of the supply in the coastal areas of Benajarafe and Chilches.
– This has been announced by Aqualia, the company that manages the Municipal Water Service of Vélez-Málaga, in a statement, which states that they have been working since Monday to rectify the damage in order to resume the water service “as soon as possible and depending on the development of the work”. “Following yesterday’s work to connect a new section of the drinking water supply network that runs along the coast, a fault occurred in one of the pipes that supplies this area, which has led to the water supply being cut off in Benajarafe and Chilches,” Aqualia points out.
– The company regrets the inconvenience that this incident may have caused to those affected and reminds those affected that for any queries they can call Aqualia’s free telephone number – 900 81 44 83 – 24 hours a day. For its part, the Vélez-Málaga Town Council regrets the inconvenience caused to residents by this cut. Source, Spanish: https://www.axarquiaplus.es/una-averia-obliga-a-suspender-el-suministro-de-agua-en-benajarafe-y-chilches/

HUELVA

“Las Fiestas Colombinas” in Huelva starts this Tuesday with 21 concerts and extended timetables: {Translation, summary}
– The Fiesta begins Tuesday at 21.30 with the lighting of the lights, in a festival that will last until 6 August and which will be dedicated to the ports of Andalusia, on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the Port of Huelva.
– Thus, until next Sunday, the citizens will be able to enjoy twenty free concerts with international, national and local bands and artists, such as Luz Casal, José Mercé, Maikel de la Calle, Sexy Zebras, Ángel Stanich, Derby Motoreta Burrito Cachimba, John Conde, Juanmi Parreño, Pirámida&Luca Volkov&Mupi, Penélope Watson, The Electric Alley and 12 Pulgadas. In addition to these concerts, there will be a parallel programme in the Caseta Municipal, where Fórmula V, La Moni, Ana María Bernal, Onuba and Manguara will perform.
– Fireworks displays will take place on the first and last day of the festivities. On August 1, at 9:30 p.m., after the inauguration there will be a synchrony of fireworks with a performance by the Municipal Symphonic Band that will interpret Tchaikosvky’s ‘Overture 1812’. And on August 6, as the culmination of the Colombinas, the Paseo de la Ría will be the scene of the Fénix pyromusical show, more than 20 minutes of fireworks, special effects and special lighting, in which the pier itself will be used .
– {Alert for teenagers here on holiday: The organizers have announced there will be uniformed patrols, plain-clothes undercover officers and survellience cameras to enforce underage drinking laws at these events; and remember, other than at large music festivals you pay to enter, smoking spliffs in public is not well tolerated in urban areas of Andalucia. Huelva ain’t Barcelona.} Source & photo, Spanish: https://andaluciainformacion.es/andalucia/1325785/arrancan-este-martes-las-fiestas-colombinas-con-21-conciertos-y-ampliacion-de-horarios/ 

TRAVEL NEWS

Renfe offers from today free, or 50% discounted, season tickets for the third quarter: {Translation}
– Renfe users can purchase free Cercanías, Rodalies and Media Distancia passes for travel between September 1 and December 31, 2023 from this Tuesday, August 1, and throughout their validity period. To expedite the acquisition of passes and avoid unnecessary waiting, the purchase is possible through the Cercanías Renfe app, and in the case of Media Distancia passes through the renfe.com website and in the usual sales channels. (stations, vending machines, etc.). To do this, the client must be previously registered.
– For Avant rail services, the 50% discount on season tickets is maintained. This same discount is applied to other high-speed routes that have been declared a Public Service Obligation (OSP), which operate under the same conditions as an Avant Pass.
– The Cercanías app allows the acquisition of recurring Cercanías and Rodalies passes quickly, easily and quickly, generating a QR code that is downloaded to the mobile phone and can later be used to control station access.
– To purchase the subscription, although it is free, it is necessary to deposit a deposit of 10 euros in the case of Cercanías and Rodalies and 20 euros for each conventional Media Distancia service. Payment by card will allow the automatic return of the deposit, once it is verified that the condition of having made 16 trips during these four months has been met.
– For children under 14 without ID, a recurring subscription has also been created for Media Distancia services, which can be purchased at renfe.com or through the Renfe app. The father, mother or guardian may acquire, through their NIF, NIE or passport, a maximum of four child passes for one origin and destination, during the period of validity.
– Travelers who have used the free Cercanías or Media Distancia pass in the second four-month period of 2023 will have their deposit returned, provided they have met its conditions. Those who have paid the deposit by card will be automatically refunded. Source, Spanish: https://www.granadadigital.es/renfe-ofrece-desde-este-martes-abonos-gratuitos-tercer-cuatrimestre/ 

SCAMS

BEWARE OF THE “TEAM VIEWER” APP- {I have previously warned readers NOT to leave the Team Viewer app installed on their devices- here’s why}: {DigameXtra}
– Yes, Team Viewer can be helpful, as it allows you to receive assistance remotely, when you need tech help. But you need to only allow people you personally know to connect to your device using Team Viewer, and then immediately uninstall it when the assistance is done, or you leave your device open to attack. NEVER install Team Viewer at the instruction of a stranger (… including unpaid support services, as there are many fraudulent support desks pretending to be the legit app developers. If you did not pay for the product, the price of their support is your data. Yahoo is an example that does NOT provide any free phone support, yet you will find many Yahoo support phone numbers if you do a search. They’re all fakes willing to solve your problems if you only install their support app that will allow them access to everything in your device. Not a good idea! Genuine Microsoft support shouldn’t ask you to install anything when providing phone support. -Ed.)
– European bank customers are currently being targeted in a SpyNote Android trojan campaign that relies on Team Viewer.
– The attack chains commence with a bogus SMS message urging users to install a banking app by clicking on the accompanying link which redirects the victim to the legitimate TeamViewer QuickSupport app available on the Google Play Store.
– “TeamViewer has been adopted by several [threat actors] to execute fraud operations through social engineering attacks,” security researcher Francesco Iubatti said. “In particular, the attacker calls the victim, impersonating bank operators, and performs fraudulent transactions directly on the victim’s device.” The idea is to use TeamViewer as a conduit to gain remote access to the victim’s phone to provide them help, when in reality the scammer uses it to stealthily install the malware. As you gave the app permission to be installed, anti-virus programs ignore it! The various kinds of information harvested by SpyNote include geolocation data, keystrokes, screen recordings, and SMS messages to bypass SMS-based two-factor authentication (2FA). Ref: https://thehackernews.com/2023/08/european-bank-customers-targeted-in.html