Welcome to DigameXtra !
The Most Popular English Language Daily Newsletter In Andalucia
Content in this newsletter blog site comes from its Editor, Sponsors & Supporters (Holiday Fundraiser Donors). Submissions are subject to editing and posting at the Editor’s discretion. If I don’t want to post something, I won’t, and I do not owe you an explanation. Content from other sources is credited. The Editor is Naythan, aka DoctorLaptop. Top banner image: formato digital.
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ANNOUNCEMENTS
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DigameXtra Holiday Schedule:
– Thursday, 17 April 17 is Jueves Santo (Holy Thursday)
– Friday, 18 April is Viernes Santo (Good Friday)
Both are national public holidays. DigameXtra will be closed these days.
Items scheduled for Thursday, 17 April, will be posted one day early, on Wednesday, 16 April.
Items scheduled for Friday, 18 April will be posted in the next issue, Monday, 21 April.
Please time your submissions appropriately.
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What’s On
Tell them you saw it on DigameXtra!
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Iznate Fiesta Patronales: Sunday, 20 April
1pm Procession
2pm Paella & beer
7pm Live music
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46th Cultural Week of Benagalbón: April 25 to May 4
With about 40 activities such as the concert of young performers, the pilgrimage, the costume verbena or the concert of the Rincon de la Victoria music band.
Source: https://www.rincondelavictoria.es/documents/34929/488998/triptico_semculben.pdf/6ea576ec-ca8c-0941-6a6c-c383e164e9e5
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Solidarity Walk will be held Sunday, April 27th and will go from El Morche to Lagos:
The walk (III Marcha Solidario Pueblos Hermanos) will start at 11:30 a.m. from Plaza María Zambrano and is scheduled to arrive at Río Lagos around 1:30 p.m., where a day of solidarity will be held with performances by DJ Worzel, Coro Agua Salá and Coro Brisas de Lagos, music and a bar service organized by AVOI.
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Torre del Mar- Romeria: Sunday, 27 April
– Sunday, April 27, will begin at 08:00 hours with the departure of the wagon of the Virgin, accompanied by rockets. We will arrive at the Church of San Andrés at 08:30, where the pilgrimage mass will be celebrated at 09:30. Then the journey will begin with the parade of horses and the traditional romero breakfast at C/Duque de Ahumada.
– At 15:30 hours the Equestrian Art Fantasy Show, a show that comes from the province of Cordoba and will feature the participation of about eight riders and several horsewomen.
– A popular paella for 1,000 people provided by the Brotherhood of the Pollinica and Rocio.
– From 17:00 hours the concert of the group Azúcar Moreno.
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Weather Forecast from https://weather.com/
Tap or click image for updated forecast
Warning note: Possible high winds & waves until 11:59pm Tuesday.
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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
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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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ARCHGROVE TRANSPORT SERVICES
Archgrove Services: A family run light haulage/transport company with bases in Archez, Spain and Cambridgeshire.
We are part of the ADH Storage and Transportation company and as such have storage available in Competa and Puente Don Manuel. Very reasonable rates.
We provide a one stop service for all your transport needs and pride ourselves on reliability, flexibility, good communication and a very much ‘can do’ approach. No job is too small and there is always a solution.
Our services include:
-Regular runs between UK and Spain
-Transport of personal property from full house moves to small single items
-Man & Van services
-Packing, including supply of packing materials
-UK Home shopping with UK delivery address
-Storage of property and vehicles in Spain
If we can be of service please contact Gail. We are on Facebook and always available to chat through your needs and provide a free no obligation quote if required.
UK: 0044 7846672013
Spain: 0034 951 066 093
Email: archgroveservices@gmail.com ; FB Link
Our contact info is also in the DigameXtra Sponsor’s Section everyday.
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SPW CONSTRUCTION SERVICES
SPW Construction Services: Professional high quality building service, fully qualified tradesmen to all trades.
Extensions, retaining walls, driveways, swimming pools, damp problems, roofs, blocked drains.
Replacement kitchens and bathrooms, Tiling and terraces. Plumbing, electrics and plastering, painting.
Architect service, building licence applications.
Handyman service now available for those smaller jobs.
Water Deposit Installations: Due to the ongoing drought and current water restrictions SPW Construction are currently offering the following service.
– Supply and installation of new above or below ground water deposits. 1000 litres up to 25000 litres. Delivered and installed, all relevant plumbing. All work warrantied.
– We can also advise you or help to organise water deliveries from local suppliers.
Selling Your House? SPW Construction can offer you a bespoke package to prepare your house for sale.
Through our extensive relationships with Agents, buyers and sellers we understand what is required to present your home to potential purchasers.
Interior & Exterior decoration / Replacement bathrooms and Kitchens
Pool Reforms / Garden tidy
DAFO Compliance, septic tanks, solar installations, etc.
Roof checks / Damp proofing
For free consultation and estimate contact us on 622938440
or email: scottparkwilson AT yahoo DOT co DOT uk
Scott/Arenas. Home Page and FB-Link
Our contact info is also in the DigameXtra Sponsor’s Section everyday.
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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: Daybed, very good condition, seldom used, mattress 90×190, can be disassembled for transport. 100 euros ONO. Buyer to collect, Irene, La Vinuela.
Email: irenegrant69@gmail.com
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Recommendations, Requests & Comments
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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Editor’s Note: Several readers have asked why I have cut back “For Sale” posts, limiting them to DigameXtra donors. There are 2 primary reasons.
1. Due to new laws that would require that I keep track of each seller’s activity thru the year and monitor their activity to ensure the law’s limits on sales activity are respected, and to make reports to the Treasury as required. This law went into effect in early 2024, but is now actually being enforced in 2025. I am happy to do this for the 153 donors of at least €20 to the 2024 fundraiser, but not the other 4830 subscribers. The bookkeeping time is simply prohibitive. Read about the new requirements in the article linked below.
2. Unfortunately, those readers who refuse to donate also often refuse to read and follow the submission rules. They often send in confusing submissions, full of typos and without any proper punctuation (as if it were a WhatsApp message) while neglecting to include mandatory info. This then requires I start a chain of emails with them to collect all the required info. It could take 3 or 4 emails before I had everything I needed to post it as apparently they would only read the first line or 2 of my reply to their submissions before providing an incomplete response. This was time consuming and frustrating. It was certainly not an efficient use of my time, and it was clearly reflected in my blood pressure readings, so that had to end.
***Article on the new sales regulations***
“Do you have to declare the taxes on sales on websites offering second-hand items for sale?”: {Translation}
– From January 1, 2024, according to EU Directive 2021/514, second-hand goods buying and selling platforms, such as Vinted, Wallapop and the like, are obliged to share information with the Treasury on some of the users in Spain who sell on them. However, they will only have to do so in the case of sellers who make more than 30 transactions in a year or have made more than €2,000 in profits from their sales made during that period.
– Thus, those who make occasional use of the platform to get rid of some items they have in their home, will not have any problem under normal conditions to get rid of the items, since they will usually be sold at a price below cost, which has no tax relevance deriving from the consumption itself. However, the tax authorities will keep an eye on those who carry out a large number of transactions or make a profit from these transactions.
– This directive is mainly focused on all those people who make this type of purchase and sale operations their livelihood, i.e., who are engaged in the purchase and sale of different items and introduce them in the market, being, therefore, an economic activity. It also affects those people who, even though they have a main source of income, resort to this type of platform to earn extra money. In both cases a profit is obtained and, therefore, it will have to be taxed.
– When do profits from second-hand sales have to be declared? In this way, those users who make sales through second-hand platforms and obtain profits will have to pay taxes on them, whether they do so as individuals or as part of their economic activity. In the latter case, it will be necessary to register with the Tax Authorities using forms 036 or 037, and if it is a private activity, it will be necessary to take into account the tax obligations with respect to Personal Income Tax (IRPF).
– To understand it better, if a person buys a cell phone for 300 euros and, after not using it, sells it in a few months for 200 euros, he has a loss derived from consumption and will not have to pay anything, while if he buys it for the same amount, but then manages to sell it for 500 euros, he has a profit of 200 euros that will have to be taxed at 19% in his IRPF declaration.
– It is important to take into account the tax obligations of each person, which must be monitored individually by the platform/website posting the adverts. {Businesses that sell used items are not included as they are responsible for their their own sales & tax records. -Ed.} If a user does not declare the profits obtained from the sale of a product on this type of platform, he may face a claim from the Tax Authorities, which will require him to pay the unpaid amount and a fine of between 50% and 150% of what he has failed to declare. Source, Spanish: https://www.20minutos.es/lainformacion/economia-y-finanzas/renta-2024-2025-beneficios-vender-articulos-web-segunda-mano-r-5264321/
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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
Vox announces a new complaint from a coalition of right leaning parties against Begoña Gómez, Aldama, Koldo García and Javier Hidalgo for the rescue of Air Europa: {Translation}
– The national spokesman of Vox, Mr. José Antonio Fúster {pic}, announced this Monday that the formation has filed a complaint against Begoña Gómez, Mr. Víctor de Aldama, Mr. Koldo García and Mr. Javier Hidalgo for crimes of influence peddling, prevarication and bribery, in connection with the rescue of the airline Air Europa in 2020. Vox also includes in its complaint the Vice-President of the Sociedad Estatal de Participaciones Industriales (SEPI), Mr. Bartolomé Lora.
– As stated in a communiqué released this Monday, Vox has been “forced” to file a new complaint as a result of the revelations of the report of the Central Operative Unit (UCO) of the Guardia Civil which was submitted last week to the investigation of the Koldo case. Along with the PP, Manos Limpias, Hazte Oir, Iustitia Europa and other organizations, Vox is represented as a popular accuser in the case.
– So the formation has accessed the aforementioned report of the UCO, which contains new details about the circumstances in which the rescue of Air Europa took place. The document points out that Ábalos mediated so that a press release on the rescue was published and that, in exchange for interceding in favor of the company, he enjoyed without paying the rent of a luxury villa in Marbella in August 2020.
– He also reveals that, according to Aldama’s messages, Globalia’s CEO, Javier Hidalgo, called Begoña Gómez in a moment of desperation in view of the difficulties that Air Europa was going through.
– José Antonio Fúster has made the following interpretation of the Guardia Civil’s statement: “These messages show that these people, including the wife of the President of the Government, promoted the government’s decision -the rescue of Air Europa- using and abusing their predominant position”. The spokesman stressed that Air Europa enjoyed an “advantageous situation with respect to other companies”. Source, Spanish: https://www.20minutos.es/noticia/5700796/0/vox-anuncia-una-querella-contra-begona-gomez-aldama-koldo-garcia-javier-hidalgo-por-rescate-air-europa/
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Feijóo says that Sanchez must resign, “The government is surrounded by rot.”: {Translation}
– The leader of the PP, Alberto Núñez Feijóo {pic}, said Monday that the head of the Executive, Pedro Sánchez, should resign due to the “rational indications of criminal behavior” in his environment and give the voice to the citizens at the polls. In his opinion, the Government is “surrounded by rottenness” as reflected by the “summaries” that are being investigated and the “devastating” report of the Central Operative Unit (UCO), which places his wife, Begoña Gómez, in the rescue of Air Europa.
– “Something smells rotten in national politics. The Government is surrounded by rottenness that is installed in the summaries of the Spanish courts,” Feijóo told the media before attending the match between AD Torrejón CF and Real Madrid in the framework of the ‘Torrejón City Tournament’ of children’s category soccer.
– The president of the PP has assured that “the Government’s agenda is full of scandals” that seem to “never end” and for which “it cannot rest a single day”. In addition, he said that “it has no parliamentary majority, no budget, no housing plan, no defense plan” and no “plan against tariffs”. “The Government of our country does not govern”, he emphasized. According to Feijóo, the Government of Sánchez “has no time for the problems of the people because it is obsessed with what is happening in Waterloo, in the Plaza de Castilla, in the National Court and in the Supreme Court”. “And this atmosphere is unbreathable”, he has proclaimed.
“DEVASTATING” UCO REPORT
– That said, he has put the focus on the latest report of the Central Operational Unit (UCO) of the Civil Guard that places Begoña Gómez in the rescue of Air Europa, and that, in his opinion, “accredits rational indications of criminal conduct” in the environment of Pedro Sánchez. “Any decent president, faced with a report of these characteristics, would have left and would have given voice to the citizens of his country”, he stressed.
– In addition, he has denounced that from the Government have been dedicated “public companies to hire people with whom the ministers have fun”. “A government cannot use Adif, Ministry of Transport, and Tragsatec, Ministry of Agriculture, to hire people who do not go to work and yet serve in privacy to members of the government,” he said.
– Feijóo has stressed that “never ever in the history of Spain has there been conduct with rational indications of crime as serious as what is happening in the Moncloa Palace at the moment” and “no President of the Government in the whole Spanish democracy has been involved in his privacy with behaviors that are transferred in the reports of the Guardia Civil and in summaries”.
“THIS IS ANTI-POLITICS”.
– After assuring that “this is anti-politics”, the president of the Popular Party has insisted that Sánchez “should simply leave and give voice to the citizens of his country” because “he has no time for the problems of the people”. The head of the opposition has stressed that there is “hope” and that it is necessary in Spain a “clean” policy, a “decent” government and a “blameless” president. “We return once again to convey to all citizens that we know what our mission is, that we know what our obligation is and that we are going to continue, first, telling people what is happening in Spain. Secondly, being respectful with the presumption of innocence of everyone, but clarifying what the summaries say and telling the people what the Government wants to hide”, he warned.
ABSENCE OF JÉSSICA RODRÍGUEZ IN THE SENATE
– Faced with the fact that Jéssica Rodríguez, the ex-partner of former Minister José Luis Ábalos, has not attended this Monday to the Senate investigation committee on the ‘Koldo case’ alleging health reasons, Feijóo has defended that the Upper House cites “a person who has had two contracts in two ministries without going to work” and that “in addition it is accredited that she has had an intimate relationship with a minister of the Government of Spain”.
– “You will understand that we had not seen this in democracy. We are beginning to consider that what is absolutely exceptional is normal”, he said, to reiterate that these are facts that ‘would make any government of the European Union fall’. Feijóo also criticized the fact that Congress is paralyzing “undemocratically” the Conciliation bill that the PP presented a few months ago and that includes a series of proposals such as a bank of hours, flexible working hours and free nursery schools financed by the autonomous communities and the Executive.
– Feijóo has assured that it is a lack of respect on the part of the Government to the Cortes Generales that those laws that do not interest them are not processed and that the norms that are approved in the Upper House are paralyzed in Congress. “We are facing a democratic anomaly. The legislative power commands, orders and legislates, and the executive, executes”, he has indicated. Source, Spanish: https://www.europapress.es/nacional/noticia-feijoo-dice-sanchez-debe-irse-indicios-delito-entorno-gobierno-rodeado-podredumbre-20250414115416.html
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Ábalos’ ex-partner alleges health issues and does not attend the Senate’s investigation commission: {Translation, summary}
– Jéssica Rodríguez {pic}, the ex-partner of the ex-minister José Luis Ábalos, has not attended this Monday her appearance in the Senate investigation commission on the ‘Koldo case’, citing health reasons.
– Rodriguez was summoned to appear for her links with the main investigated of the alleged corruption scheme and for her hiring in two public companies, Ineco and Tragsatec, after recognizing as a witness in the Supreme Court that she was hired and paid by both companies but without having done any work.
– The president of the commission, the PP senator Eloy Suárez, informed at the beginning of the session that Rodríguez had just communicated “a few minutes ago” that “she did not appear alleging a question regarding her state of health and she has presented some documentation”.
– After gathering the committee to analyze the situation, Suarez said that the legal services of the Senate will formally check in the coming days if the medical report submitted by Rodriguez “conforms to what is a clinical report that exempts the possibility of appearing”. “If the report is true or valid, she will be summoned again,” he said, adding that if the report is not valid, they will communicate it to the Prosecutor’s Office ‘for insufficient failure to appear’ and he recalled that not appearing is punishable by the Penal Code as a crime of disobedience.
– PP sources have indicated that Jéssica Rodríguez has sent a letter to the commission in which “she ratifies everything she declared last February 27th in the Supreme Court”. “I do not change my mind, I do not have two versions of what I was already asked before the Second Chamber of the Supreme Court. What I said that day is strictly true, and I ratify it in its entirety, both in this document, as if I had gone to the Delorme Commission,” Rodriguez says in the document, according to the same sources. Source, Spanish: https://www.europapress.es/nacional/noticia-expareja-abalos-alega-cuestiones-salud-no-acude-comision-investigacion-senado-20250414111234.html
TORROX
Torrox is processing land on the coast to build a second swimming pool and covered pavilion: {Translation, summary}
– Torrox wants to continue improving its sports infrastructure. About to inaugurate its new soccer field in El Morche, on the coastal strip, after three decades of waiting, the PP government team in the Torroxeño City Council, with absolute majority, has already set two new projects: a second pavilion and indoor swimming pool on the coastal strip. Thus, the Councillor for Sports, José Manuel Fernández, explained that they are working on obtaining additional land for these new sports facilities to start developing the projects.
– Specifically, the action is being promoted for development in the environment of La Charca, next to the supermarket El Jamón, in Torrox-Costa. This is a general sports system, on private land- the City Council is trying to reach an agreement with the owners. To do this, the Consistory is processing the modification of the current urban planning through an innovation of the PGOU before the Junta de Andalucía.
– In addition to the new soccer field of El Morche in Santa Rosa, Fernandez has referred to the upcoming completion of the works of the roofs and bleachers of the indoor pool Maria Pelaez de Torrox, something “that will allow us to offer greater comfort to spectators and users of the facilities, which will also be able to host new official sports competitions.”
– The Consistory has presented the new guide of facilities and activities 2025 shows the strength and the rise of sport in Torrox.
– In the guide there are more than twenty facilities and tracks for the practice of sports such as soccer, basketball, handball, swimming, tennis, paddle tennis, skating, volleyball, karate, gymnastics, archery or petanque, as an example. Likewise, all the contact details of the more than 30 clubs and associations of different sports disciplines in the municipality of Torrox appear.
– Among the most important events and competitions listed in the calendar are the Elite Functional Challenger Torrox Crossfit from 25 to 27 April in the sports area of Ferrara; a stage of the Tour of Spain swimming on May 3 next to the viewpoint of the lighthouse of Torrox Costa; the concentration of the national beach soccer team in Ferrara from 21 to 25 May; the championship of Andalusia of this same modality from 13 to 15 June; the tournament of beach handball ‘Diego Carrasco’ from 20 to 22 June; the national beach soccer league from 26 to 29 of the same month and in two other weekends in July; or the championship of Andalusia beach volleyball on August 9. Source, Spanish: https://www.diariosur.es/axarquia/torrox-busca-suelos-costa-construir-segunda-piscina-20250413211016-nt_amp.html
EUROPE
More EU ‘Agenda 2030’ Regulations On The Way- This time the target is disposable containers: {Translation}
– The European Union is moving forward with its strategy to reduce waste and its next measure will directly affect the hotel and catering industry. From the middle of next year, hotels, restaurants and cafeterias in Spain and the rest of the member countries will not be able to offer certain products in disposable packaging. The measure, framed within the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR), seeks to minimize the use of single-use plastics, which are considered highly harmful to the environment.
– The Polish media Polski Observator has advanced that the new regulation will prohibit the use of individual containers of milk and sugar with coffee {Will you need to supply your own cup to even get a take-away coffee? -Ed.}, in addition to affecting other products such as portions of jam, butter or sauces that are usually served in catering businesses. The regulation also provides for the elimination of small bottles of shampoo and shower gel in hotel rooms.
– This initiative has not been slow to generate reactions. While some sectors applaud the reduction in the use of plastics, others warn of the inconvenience this will have on the daily operations of hospitality businesses. “Eliminating individual portions of jam or butter means that guests will have to use shared containers,” criticize some industry representatives, who fear that this measure could affect hygiene and customer experience. Some sectors are warning of the inconvenience this will have on the day-to-day operations of catering businesses.
– The regulation is part of the European Union’s ambitious plan to achieve a more sustainable economy (Agenda 2030), although opinions are divided. While the authorities defend that these restrictions will contribute to a significant reduction in waste, many voices in the hospitality sector question their real effectiveness. “The new rules will not lead to a real reduction in waste, but will only cause logistical difficulties,” claim some critics.
– With the implementation date drawing ever closer, establishments will have to adapt to the new regulations, which will mean changes in the way they offer certain products to their customers. Despite the protests, Brussels remains firm on its path towards a more sustainable Europe, and the disappearance of these disposable containers from Spanish restaurants already seems inevitable. Source, Spanish: https://www.lasprovincias.es/sociedad/acerca-nueva-prohibicion-union-europea-desapareceran-restaurantes-20250331011050-nt.html
ENERGY CRISIS
Back to Russian gas? Trump-wary EU has energy security dilemma:
– More than three years after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Europe’s energy security is fragile. U.S. liquefied natural gas helped to plug the Russian supply gap in Europe during the 2022-2023 energy crisis.
– But now that President Donald Trump has rocked relationships with Europe established after World War Two, and turned to energy as a bargaining chip in trade negotiations, businesses are wary that reliance on the United States has become another vulnerability.
– Against this backdrop, executives at major EU firms have begun to say what would have been unthinkable a year ago: that importing some Russian gas, including from Russian state giant Gazprom (GAZP.MM), opens new tab, could be a good idea. That would require another major policy shift given that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 made the European Union pledge to end Russian energy imports by 2027.
– Europe has limited options. Talks with LNG giant Qatar for more gas have stalled, and while the deployment of renewables has accelerated, the rate is not fast enough to allow the EU to feel secure. Full article: https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/back-russian-gas-trump-wary-eu-has-energy-security-dilemma-2025-04-14/
SPANISH ROYALS
Princess Leonor completes half of her trip aboard the Elcano- See full photo gallery:
https://www.abc.es/espana/casa-real/imagenes-princesa-leonor-completa-mitad-viaje-bordo-20250414105702-ga.html
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI)
The ‘chatbots’ of AI become almost human, almost real: they pass the Turing test: {Translation}
– The line between human and artificial is fading, and the world has just crossed a threshold of no return. A study from the University of California at San Diego has confirmed what many feared: two artificial intelligence systems have not only passed the Turing test, but have done so with disturbing mastery.
– These chatbots, designed to converse like people, have fooled human beings so effectively that, in some cases, they were perceived as more “real” than flesh-and-blood interlocutors. The finding is not just a technical breakthrough; it is a mirror reflecting a future in which the distinction between machine and human mind could become irrelevant.
– The Turing test, proposed in 1950 by the visionary Alan Turing, was for decades considered the great challenge of artificial intelligence: if a system can converse indistinguishably from a human being, then it has reached a level of intelligence comparable to our own. For years, attempts to overcome it were clumsy, predictable, easily detectable. But now, with models like GPT-4 and other advanced systems, the barrier has fallen. In the experiment, volunteers interacted with chatbots and humans without knowing who was who. The results were revealing: participants correctly identified other humans only 63% of the time, while the bots went undetected with alarming naturalness. The key was their ability to replicate not only the reasoning, but the imperfection, emotionality and even calculated silences that characterize human dialogue.
– The implications of this achievement are profound and multifaceted. On the one hand, it promises revolutionary advances in fields such as customer care, assisted psychotherapy or personalized education, where virtual assistants could offer more empathetic and tailored responses than ever before. But it also opens up an abyss of risks. What happens when a machine can impersonate a person with total conviction? Mass disinformation, digital fraud and psychological manipulation take on a new dimension. If social networks are already a battlefield of narratives today, what will it be like when indistinguishable bots can infiltrate political debates, personal relationships or even legal proceedings? And on a more philosophical level, will our very humanity change if we can no longer trust that there is someone like us on the other side of the screen?
– The study is not only a technological milestone; it is a call for urgent reflection. Legislators, companies and society must decide how to regulate these capabilities before their indiscriminate use turns them into double-edged weapons. In the meantime, one certainty is clear: the future of communication no longer belongs exclusively to humans. Machines have learned to speak our language, with all its nuances, its white lies and double meanings. And that changes everything. Source, Spanish: https://andaluciainformacion.es/andalucia/1886716/los-chatbots-de-ia-se-vuelven-casi-humanos-casi-reales-pasan-el-test-de-turing/
SPACE
James Webb telescope captures ‘engagement rings’ of stellar couple “in unprecedented detail”: {Translation, summary}
– An international scientific team, including researchers from the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC), has obtained an image of the planetary nebula NGC 1514 thanks to the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), which reveals, “with an unprecedented level of detail”, its dust rings.
– NGC1514 was one of the first nebulae studied by the astronomer William Herschel (1738-1822), who observed with his telescope, the largest in the world at that time, what looked like a blurry cloud similar in appearance to the planet Neptune, the IAC said in a statement on Monday.
Source, Spanish: https://www.20minutos.es/noticia/5700879/0/telescopio-james-webb-capta-los-anillos-compromiso-una-pareja-estelar-con-un-nivel-detalle-sin-precedentes/
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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
2025 Holiday Calendars by town, click/tap to view:
Algarrobo
Competa
Malaga
Nerja
Rincon
Torrox
Velez-Málaga
For other towns in Malaga Province, visit this website, click your town, then look for the post named “Calendario Laboral de ‘Your Town‘ 2025 “, click that to see calendar.
https://www.foro-ciudad.com/malaga.html
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, Mercadillo de La Cala del Moral- Rincon de la Victoria.
Saturday: Competa, Mezquitilla@Algarrobo behind the Sala Ottowa
Sunday: 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/National News in English, The Sur: http://www.surinenglish.com/
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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