In the Spanish news on Tuesday, four arrested for selling weapons to criminal organisations, Telegram ban halted, and LinkedIn fined 10,000 euro for sending communications without consent. Plus, pensions and mortgages will lead the financial headlines.

Spanish News Headlines

The Guardia Civil arrested four people, three in Malaga and one in Valencia, for selling weapons to criminal groups throughout the country. They are accused of crimes of illegal arms trafficking, membership in a criminal organisation and illicit possession of weapons. This operation, called “Trueca”, remains open and further arrests have not been ruled out. The investigation has been directed by the Investigative Court No. 12 of Malaga and carried out by Information agents of the Guardia Civil in Andalusia and the Information Headquarters (UCE3). There has also been support from the Rapid Action Group, the Operational Support Group and the Cynological Service. A National Court Judge issued an order on Monday in which he agreed, prior to the temporary suspension of the resources associated with messaging app Telegram, to request a report from the General Information Commissioner’s Office on the Telegram platform. Therefore, Telegram can continue to operate in Spain, for now. The magistrate requests information about its characteristics as well as the impact that the temporary suspension that he agreed to in an order last Friday and whose execution remains suspended may have on users. The Spanish Data Protection Agency (AEPD) has fined the professional social network LinkedIn 10,000 euro for sending communications to users without consent. It has violated article 21.1 of the Law on Information Society Services and Electronic Commerce (LSSI). This article establishes that “the sending of advertising or promotional communications by email or other equivalent means of electronic communication that has not previously been requested or expressly authorised by their recipients is prohibited.” To read these articles in full, visit SpainToday.news

Business, Markets and Statistics

This Tuesday’s macro agenda in Spain is loaded with references. The GDP for the fourth quarter, the mortgage figures for January and the contributory pension data for March stand out. On the other side of the Atlantic, in the US, investors will be watching consumer confidence for March and the Case-Shiller index for January. Returning to Spain, Tuesday begins with the INE publishing the national accounts for the fourth quarter, followed by mortgage data for January, and the resident tourism survey for the fourth quarter, as well as the service sector production index for January. The Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration publishes the contributory pension figures for March. In the UK, we will have the OEUK Business Outlook report, and the OECD Anti-Corruption and Integrity Outlook, as well as cancer waiting times in Scotland being published. Business wise, we will see results from the likes of Smiths Group, Wood Group, Flutter, and Ocado.

Things to Do Today

Looking ahead, on 26 April there is a film music tribute concert taking place in the International Auditorium in Torrevieja, specifically a tribute to the music of Morricone, Williams, and Zimmer, three of the greatest film score composers of modern times, arguably. The Film Symphony Orchestra will also perform in Torrevieja on 26 May, offering music from the likes of Harry Potter, Indiana Jones and Mulan. In the El Raso area of Guardamar del Segura on 11 to 14 April you can celebrate with the Neighbourhood Party, including a Tapas Trail, and a dog show. Fans of the music of Queen might want to take a trip down to Cartagena on 20 April, where the concert, Symphonic Rhapsody of Queen, A Kind of Magic, will be taking place. Sticking with big-name music, 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. 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

The roads are busier because of Easter, and will get even busier towards the weekend, and remember that if you are venturing into the mountain areas, which in some cases might be less than an hour from the sunny coast, snow chains should be a consideration to avoid getting stranded. For information and updates about driving in Spain, visit N332.es

Official Websites for Travel Information

On This Day

1995, Europe without borders is born for seven community countries: Germany, Belgium, Spain, France, Holland, Luxembourg, and Portugal. Some 215 million people can travel through the “Schengen area” without border controls. 1937, in Mediano the first prison camp of the Spanish Republic is inaugurated. The prisoners will carry out works in the swamp, which will contribute to the irrigation of part of the Monegros. 1902, Spanish architect Antoni Gaudí travels to Mallorca to begin planning the restoration of the Palma Cathedral.