Welcome to DigameXtra !
The Most Popular English Language Daily Newsletter In Andalucia
Content in this newsletter blog site comes from its subscribers, followers & Editor. Submissions are subject to editing and posting at the Editor’s discretion. Content from other sources is credited. The Editor is Naythan, aka DoctorLaptop.
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Announcements
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DigameXtra Holiday Schedule- No Issue These Dates:
Posts scheduled for holidays will be posted in the next issue.
– Dec. 25 & 26, Mon. & Tues., Christmas & St Stephen’s Day
– Jan. 1 & 2, Mon. & Tues., New Years Day & recovery day.
– Jan. 5, Fri., Epiphany (bridge holiday). Epiphany Day, a national holiday, is Jan 6th, Saturday.
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HOLIDAY FUNDRAISER
I can only produce DigameXtra with the financial support of my readers. This year’s goal is to receive a donation from 3% of subscribers. The 3% group finances DigameXtra for the 97% group that don’t donate. Which group will you belong to? Your generosity is greatly appreciated.
Just like your morning coffee,
what would you do
without your morning DigameXtra?
-Holiday Donation Info, 2 Methods-
You may drop cash donations off in person and say hello, after 2pm M-F by appointment, or place them in my mailbox beside my door anytime. Due to health reasons, unannounced drop-ins may be inconvenient for me. But if I am expecting you, no problem! Both the door and the mailbox have the name HARRIS on them. Email me for map and directions. Cash donations are strongly preferred.
Alternatively, you may send me an Amazon ES (Spain) “eGift card” by email. You need to have an Amazon.es account. The only info you may need is my name and email address, see those below. Typically you will only need my email address. Remember, this is an “eGift card” sent to me by Amazon, don’t buy a plain “gift card”. Use the link provided below to access the “eGift card” purchase page.
PLEASE DO NOT SEND AMAZON UK eGIFT CARDS. NO TRANSFERS/APPS.
Here is the Amazon.es eGift Card Link, (NOTE: YOU CAN CHOOSE ANY AMOUNT YOU LIKE ON THE FORM, it is set at €50 by default):
https://www.amazon.es/Cheques-Regalo-Amazon-es-mail-Amazon/dp/B07SS5PFJK/
Buy the eGift card for:
Name: N.J. Harris
Email: digamextra@protonmail.com
Total Donations Received As Of Today: 85
(Last year = 96. New goal = 150, 3% of subscribers, a modest target. If just 3 of each 100 subscribers make a donation the goal will be attained!)
UPDATE 21/12/23: As of today we are at 57% of the 150 donations goal with only 17 days remaining, 65 donations short. This year there will have been 250 daily issues. A €25 annual donation equals only 10 cents per issue, or €2.10 per month with 21 issues. Surely DigameXtra is worth €2 per month to 3 of each 100 subscribers. 150 donations x €25 = €3750 for 1 year work; €3750 / 52 weeks = €72.12 per week for my 35hrs of work; €72.12 / 35hrs = €2.06 per hour … a 40 cent per hour raise from last year!
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Music Lovers! Be Sure To Check Out The Rare Music Videos Section, below the humour section. A holiday season bonus.
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What’s On
Tell them you saw it on DigameXtra!
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Winter Solstice 2023- Málaga, Spain:
Friday, 22 December 2023, 04:27 CET
Astronomical winter begins at the winter solstice, which is the shortest day of the year.
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Starlite Theater, Marbella, 2024 Summer Festival Lineup:
Info & tix: https://starlitefestival.com/
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Weather Forecast from https://weather.com/
Click or tap the image to open an updated report in a new tab
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NOTICE!
Submissions for posting in sections below
must be signed like this or they will be returned !!!
Sender's First Name / Nearest Town
NOTE: YOU MAY ADDITIONALLY INCLUDE A LOCATION TO MEET OR PICKUP, BUT YOUR LOCATION IS REQUIRED IN ANY CASE. Including only the statement "for collection from..." is NOT sufficient! You may include that, but all submissions must be signed like this, Naythan/Torrox Costa.
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Services Wanted/Offered
Check the DigameXtra Sponsor’s list whenever you need a service. By using these services you are helping support DigameXtra.
Landlords, tell your renters about DigameXtra, where they can get overnight answers to questions about local stuff without having to call you!
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BluCee Real Estate:
ARE YOU SELLING OR THINKING OF SELLING?
We have clients looking for a detached house in Torre del Mar.
Their requirements are minimum 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms and a garden. Swimming pool a bonus.
We look forward to hearing for you soon.
If you have a property you wish to sell in this or other areas please contact us, we have a number of clients who know what they want but can’t find it.
If you list with BluCee, we go above and beyond for you during the sales process, don’t just take our word for it – see our reviews on Google and Facebook.
Pass by our office to have a no obligation chat!
Calle Timón 11b, Torre del Mar, 29740.
Monday to Friday, 9:30 hrs to 17:30 hrs
For an appointment outside of these times or for one of us to view your property please contact us info@blucee.com or 0034 711 04 27 27
www.blucee.com
Don’t forget that we are at Trapiche Market every Tuesday from 9.30 to 13.30hrs
We cover the whole coast line and inland.
BluCee Real Estate are a DigameXtra sponsor so our contact details are shown here every day.
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Buy / Sell / Trade / Rent / Wanted
Click on pics to enlarge
How to post more photos than the rules allow – use collages. The limit is one pic per item/event. You can combine several of your photos into a
single collage photo by using this free online collage creation tool. It’s very easy to use, give it a try! https://www.photocollage.com/
Are you still dealing with scammers on Fakebook Marketplace?
Sell your items here, to locals, for cash, without the shenanigans.
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For Sale: Coffee table with lift up top for storage. 100cm x 50cm x 47cm. Collection only. 605817975 molly torrox costa
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For Sale:
1 ltr bottle of Courvoisier Fine Champagne Cognac. Boxed. 50 Euros
Janet /Nerja 630568164 / 0044 7949371765.
Can meet at the petrol station situated on the Frigiliana Road at the junction for the autovia.
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Recommendations & Requests
When making a recommendation always include the phone number or website of the biz, service, etc., so readers can reach them.
Note: I can’t post third party email addresses.
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Lost Contact: Could the lady from the animal charity who bought some of my craft items about a year ago, via DigameXtra, please be in touch with me as I have other craft items to give her. Sorry I can’t remember the name.
Janet, Nerja 630568164 / 0044 7949371765.
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Big Thanks to the New Life Church- Nerja:
I would like to thank the New Life Church, and their congregation, for their generous moral support and all their financial donations in this Christmas season. Very much appreciated! -Ed.
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News & Articles
(Click the link to read the full article)
{ Translations by www.DeepL.com/Translator }
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SPAIN
Employers will pay a minimum of 1,990 euros per worker per month if the SMI rises by 5%: {Translation, summary}
– The rise in the Minimum Interprofessional Wage (SMI) of 5% would mean that the minimum effective wage cost for the employer, i.e. what an employer pays for a worker and their benefits, would increase to 1,990 euros per employee per month, taking into account all costs and holidays.
– This is the result of the study ‘Repercusión de la subida del SMI en la pyme española’ prepared by Cepyme, which states that if the SMI follows the predicted evolution for the average full-time wage and is increased by 5%, it would reach 1,135 euros net by 2024, which would be equivalent to 61% of the average net full-time wage.
– However, the impact on SMEs would be greater, as this increase in the SMI to 1,135 euros would mean that the net minimum wage would reach 70% of the average full-time wage in small companies, which represent 99% of the business fabric in Spain.
– The study points out that this wage increase is not backed by an increase in productivity – output per employee – as the increase in the SMI in Spain over the last five years has been 46.8%, while productivity fell by 3.8% over this period. Source, Spanish: https://andaluciainformacion.es/andalucia/1469633/los-empresarios-pagaran-como-minimo-1990-euros-por-trabajador-al-mes-si-el-smi-sube-un-5/
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Mister Cool Loses It…President Pedro Sánchez uses sexist, body-shaming, vulgar term, calls opposition leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo “la perra gorda” (translates to ‘the fat b*tch’) at a congressional hearing: {Translation, summary}
– The President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, has accepted that the meeting with the leader of the opposition, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, which is to take place this Friday 22 December, will be held in the Congress of Deputies, as the president of the PP had proposed. This appears to have angered Sánchez . This was indicated by Sánchez in his turn to respond during his appearance in the Lower House, to give explanations about the results of the Spanish presidency of the Council of the EU and the latest European advice. “For you, the fat b*tch, we’ll see you on Friday in the Congress of Deputies and we’ll talk about whatever you want,” he said, making it clear that it is unprecedented that a meeting of this type does not take place at the Palacio de La Moncloa.
Source, Spanish: https://www.europapress.es/nacional/noticia-sanchez-acepta-reunion-feijoo-sea-congreso-usted-perra-gorda-20231220131922.html
MALAGA PROVINCE
Indefinite national strike continues, stalls cases in around 40 Malaga province courts:
– An indefinite national strike by lawyers and solicitors that has been under way since 21 November has led to the suspension of trials and proceedings in around 40 courts in Malaga province. The legal professionals are calling for better remuneration and the guarantee of the right to digital disconnection among other demands.
– According to Francisco Sánchez, representative of the Venia union, around 40 per cent of the lawyers who make up the legal aid system in Malaga, comprising almost a thousand professionals, have exercised their right to strike in the province. “Andalucía is where we are the worst paid; we are paid 129 euros per case, despite the countless hours we can work on each case,” Sánchez said.
– The strikers are asking, among other things, for equal pay throughout the country and also that when a person is denied legal aid after their proceedings were initially handled by a legal aid lawyer, it should not be the lawyers themselves who “go after them to collect the corresponding fees”. Full article: https://www.surinenglish.com/malaga/indefinite-national-strike-stalls-cases-around-malaga-20231215172345-nt.html
ALMUÑÉCAR
€840,000 fraud denounced for a fake housing development in the area of Tesorillo, Almuñécar (Granada): {Translation, summary}
– Some 60 families have denounced having been victims of an alleged scam estimated at around 840,000 euros for a fake housing development in Almuñécar, on the coast of Granada, for which the company responsible did not even buy the land. It is suspected by investigators other such scams exist in Almería and Murcia, but have yet to be exposed.
– Based on forceful advertising campaigns, they would have charged those affected between 10,000 and 25,000 euros, ten percent of what they would have to pay for the houses, as the first payment of the operation, all between last year and 2023. The alleged perpetrators of the scam did not apply for a building permit at the Almuñécar Town Hall, but did place a sign on the ground where “apparently they were going to carry out the urbanisation”. In reality, there was no project and the ownership of the site was found not to correspond to the supposed promoters. Source, Spanish: https://www.europapress.es/andalucia/noticia-denuncian-estafa-840000-euros-falsa-promocion-viviendas-almunecar-granada-20231220144200.html
RINCÓN DE LA VICTORIA
Work progresses to transform iconic Costa del Sol nightclub into beach fitness area:
– Disocteca Baluma in La Cala del Moral on the eastern stretch of the Costa del Sol was renowned for its great nights during from the mid-1980s and throughout the 1990s and now work is progressing to transform the old nightclub into a beach park which is expected to open in 2024.
– Rincón de la Victoria town hall acquired the site at the end of 2022 and a contract to demolish it was put out to tender. However, the council decided that its iconic arch, which overlooks the Mediterranean, will remain standing.
– The project to convert Baluma is back on track after a delay this summer, and a large slide in the form of a castle, as well as outdoor exercise equipment has already been installed. Still to come are an area for weight training, cardio, stretching, bicycles, weights, balance and other gym equipment. Photo: J.R.Cámara. Full article: https://www.surinenglish.com/malaga/axarquia/work-progresses-transform-iconic-costa-sol-nightclub-20231219103206-nt.html
HEALTH
Health urges not to start new treatments with Blenrep, a drug against myeloma: {Translation, summary}
– The Spanish Medicines Agency (AEMPS) has asked healthcare professionals not to start new treatments with Blenrep, a drug indicated as monotherapy for multiple myeloma in adult patients, which will no longer be available in the European Union.
– “Our study did not show that patients who received Blenrep live longer without their disease worsening than those who received pomalidomide and dexamethasone,” according to the AEMPS.
– The AEMPS, which reports to the Ministry of Health, specifies that the laboratory that owns the drug will continue to supply Blenrep on a compassionate use basis to patients already receiving the drug. Source, Spanish: https://www.20minutos.es/noticia/5200954/0/sanidad-insta-no-iniciar-nuevos-tratamientos-con-blenrep-un-farmaco-contra-mieloma/
SCAMS
Beware if you use contactless cards/phones at ATMs- a new ‘skimmer’ scam can drain your account: {Translation, summary}
– Payment with contactless cards is not only convenient, it is also considered more secure than the traditional payment method. This is due to the additional difficulty fraudsters face in cloning these cards or duplicating the unique codes generated for each transaction.
– Despite this, fraudsters have developed new tactics to commit fraud. Recently, a video has gone viral in Italy showing the latest technique used by fraudsters to take advantage of people making contactless payments.
– In the video, they show that the contactless payment box of the ATM is actually a housing that sits atop the real mechanism; it contains a small battery, a memory for storing information and a SIM card. {pic} This discovery reveals a newer and more sophisticated technique used by fraudsters to manipulate ATMs. Video Link, no account needed to watch: https://www.tiktok.com/@milanobelladadioofficial/video/7307315443537022241
– With this in mind, it is crucial to be vigilant and check ATMs carefully before making financial transactions. While devices such as ‘insert card’ skimmers are more common, these new innovative tactics can result in the loss of funds in a matter of minutes. Source, Spanish: https://okdiario.com/economia/cuidado-si-pagas-contactless-nueva-estafa-te-puede-dejar-sin-dinero-12100148
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Did you buy a used Spanish guitar in the past month? Former employee of the Cuevas del Almanzora conservatory (Almería) arrested, accused of the theft of 14 guitars: {Translation, summary}
– The Civil Guard has arrested a former employee of the ‘Miguel Caparrós Belmonte’ Professional Conservatory of Music in the municipality of Cuevas de Almanzora (Almería) as the alleged perpetrator of the theft of 14 Spanish guitars and their cases in the center.
– The complaint for the theft of the instruments was filed on November 28 by the director of the music teaching center.
– Civil Guard carefully tracked any indication or clue of this type of guitars on different online sales platforms for second-hand products, and located a Spanish guitar for sale, at a price clearly lower than usual, whose characteristics coincided with those of the stolen guitars.
– Once the perpetrator of the events was identified and located, the Civil Guard proceeded to arrest him for the crime of theft, which allowed the theft of the 14 guitars to be clarified very quickly. Agents in charge of the investigation managed to recover one of the guitars and return it to the music teaching center. Source, Spanish: https://www.europapress.es/andalucia/almeria-00350/noticia-detenido-extrabajador-conservatorio-cuevas-almanzora-almeria-acusado-robo-14-guitarras-20231220125927.html
FINANCIAL
More taxes and barriers- the Government will deal two blows to the owners of rental housing in 2024: {Translation}
– Currently, owners of rented accommodation can benefit from a 60% reduction in personal income tax on the income that each owner obtains in the corresponding tax period and which is declared each year as income from real estate capital. In order to qualify for this reduction, the only requirement is that the rented flat is the tenant’s main residence.
– However, the Housing Law, which Sánchez’s government approved last year, included a section that reduced this reduction from 60% to 50%. At the time, neither the Government nor the Treasury specified whether this tax increase for landlords included all rental contracts in force or only new ones, which caused a great stir. Finally, the Tax Agency clarified a few months ago that it affects all rental contracts signed after 1 January 2024. It is worth remembering that this fiscal blow to the small landlord was already included in the draft bill prepared by the Executive in 2021 and that it is now that they have managed to sneak it in.
*The Government’s manipulation*
– However, in the text of the Housing Law, the Government has sold this tax increase as an “improvement in the regulation of the IRPF” as it also contemplates reductions of up to 90% if the landlord meets certain requirements such as lowering prices or renting the flat to young people.
– Therefore, if the owner of the flat signs a contract at the market price (the majority of cases), he or she will pay more personal income tax, although the government prefers to hide this reality. For example, lowering the IRPF reduction from 60% to 50% will mean a hit of more than 240 euros a year in IRPF for an owner with a salary of barely 26,000 euros a year.
*Seasonal rentals, in the spotlight*
– Also with regard to renting, the Ministry of Housing has already created a working group to regulate seasonal rentals. The plan of the department now headed by Isabel Rodriguez.
– Seasonal rentals are those that are determined in the accommodation for specific months, for reasons of work, studies, holiday period (non-tourist) or any other activity. The key to a seasonal rental is that the property is not intended for the tenant’s habitual residence, but rather to cover the need for housing for a specific period of time. This type of contract has been left out of Sánchez’s Housing Law and has taken off like wildfire. So much so, that portals such as Idealista blame this law for having triggered the offer of seasonal rentals by 40% since its approval and for already representing 10% of the total number of flats for rent, while the number of properties for permanent rental has fallen by 12% in the last year, according to their data.
– Other rental companies also confirm the seasonal rental boom and point to other perverse effects on the market. One of the most striking is that, after the approval of the PSOE and Podemos’ Housing Law, which included far-reaching changes to the eviction procedures provided for in the Civil Procedure Law, the distrust and lack of protection of landlords in the face of non-payment has increased so much that some landlords even reject tenants with children for fear that they will be declared “vulnerable” and it will be easier for them to stay in the home without paying.
Source, Spanish: https://www.libremercado.com/2023-12-20/mas-impuestos-y-barreras-el-gobierno-asestara-dos-golpes-al-propietario-de-vivienda-en-alquiler-en-2024-7080737/
TRAVEL NEWS
Unions postpone the start of the Iberia baggage handler strike for this Christmas after announcing that the Government will mediate the conflict: {Translation, summary}
– CCOO and UGT have postponed the start of the strikes that were planned for 29, 30 and 31 December and 1, 4, 5, 6 and 7 January in the handling sector (ramp services, baggage, etc.) of the Iberia company. The company, therefore, will not go on strike in the last days of December, but the possibility remains that in the next few days strikes will be announced for the days of January.
Source, Spanish: https://www.20minutos.es/noticia/5200990/0/los-sindicatos-aplazan-huelga-iberia-para-esta-navidad-tras-anunciar-que-gobierno-mediara-conflicto/
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Humour Section
Free Comic Strips provided by https://www.arcamax.com/comics
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Music Videos
Video: The Shadows – Apache (1960) 4K Video Link
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Fun & Games
National Geographic Photo of the Day: Click Here
NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day: Click Here
Word of the Day: Click Here
Quote of the Day: Click Here
Fact of the Day: Click Here
Born Today: Click Here
Today in History: Click Here
Today’s Front Pages (New Link), worldwide: Click Here
Daily Mail UK- Daily Sudoku: Click Here
Cinesur El Ingenio Films schedule: You can find the film schedule at this link. Films tagged as (VOSE) are in the original language with Spanish subtitles.
https://www.cinesur.com/es/cine/mk2-cinesur-el-ingenio
Useful Links, Info & Numbers
Petrol Prices – Updated daily: These are the fuel stations in Malaga province with the lowest prices. The price data for 95 and 98-octane petrol and diesel fuel is updated every day. See it here:
https://www.surinenglish.com/malaga/updated-daily-these-20220314114157-nt.html
Weekly Markets
Monday: Torrox Costa
Tuesday: Nerja, Salobrena
Wednesday: Rincon de la Victoria, Algarrobo Costa
Thursday: Velez Malaga, Torre del Mar, Frigiliana
Friday: Almunecar, Salobrena, La Herradura- Summers only
Saturday: Competa, Mezquitilla@Algarrobo behind the Sala Ottowa
Sunday: Velez Malaga, Nerja Car Boot
Taxi
Nerja 952 524 519
Torrox: 952 531 030
Frigiliana: 952 533 231
Phone numbers for emergencies
Emergency Services.: 112
National Police: 091
Guardia Civil: 062
Ambulance: 061
Fire Station (Bomberos): 080
Emergency English Help Line: 902 102 112
Local Police
Torrox: 952 539 828
Nerja: 952 521 545
Frigiliana: 952 533 126
Torre del Mar: 952 549 238
Local News in English, The Sur: http://www.surinenglish.com/
Spain National News in English, El Pais: https://elpais.com/elpais/inenglish.html
Local Weather: https://www.accuweather.com/en/es/torre-del-mar/306652/weather-forecast/306652
Bus Info: https://www.alsa.com/en/web/bus/our-destinations/regional
Currency Converter: https://www.x-rates.com/calculator/?from=EUR&to=GBP&amount=1
Internet Speed Test: http://beta.speedtest.net/
Local Bank Holidays: http://www.officeholidays.com/countries/spain/index.php UK Newspaper Front Pages and Worldwide Newspapers All On One Site: https://www.thepaperboy.com/uk/front-pages.cfm
Check All Lottery Results Here: Updated daily.
https://www.20minutos.es/loterias/
Alcoholics Anonymous Meetings in Malaga Province: New, updated link (Aug, 2023). Info in English with list of English speaking meetings. https://aacostadelsol.com/
DoctorLaptop’s Homepage: https://doctorlaptop-repairs.webnode.com/
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