Christmas National Lottery LOTERIA NACIONAL

SPANISH NATIONAL LOTTERY DRAW 22 DECEMBER TAKING PLACE NOW!!!

If you have bought a ticket, log on to www.onlae.com & enter your ticket number from this afternoon to find out if you are a winner. With over 4000 winning numbers and huge prizes, Loteria Nacional is a massive Christmas Tradition. Best of Luck to all of you!!!!!!!!

Christmas Shopping Hours Malaga

Christmas shopping hours are to be extended in six commercial centres, Norte, Ciudad Jardín, El Palo, Centro Histórico, Carretera de Cádiz and Cruz de Humilladero, are all to stay open on December Sundays, but this is the first time that festive days December 26 and January 2 are also to be included.

In all, 125 shops will try to meet the needs of consumers pressed for time as a result of their longer working hours.
Textile, gift and household shops are those notably involved in a campaign entitled, ?Christmas is everywhere in Málaga?.

An added bonus this year are the Christmas draws taking place on December 7, 15, 22 and 29, the prizes for which include a dinner for four with limousine transport as well as giving out 1,000 Euro cheques to be used as spending money in the participating establishments.

SPAIN'S BIG GAME SAFARI

According to the Daily Record this morning, Police in Spain have arrested a gang suspected of organising lucrative Safari-style big game hunts on a farm near the Costa del Sol.

The raid on the farm happened as a lion and tiger, both bought from a circus, were about to be killed. The remains of a second tiger and several wolves were also found.
Hunters were paying thousands of pounds to shoot big game bought on the black market at the farm in Badajoz, south-west Spain. After the kill, they got the animal's skin or head as a trophy.

Malaga Cathedral Bells

Eight of the 12 bells of Malaga Cathedral will return to the city in the middle of December after being restored by Alcantarilla ( Murcia ), as reported by the dean of the cathedral, Francisco Garcia Mota, who added that, until their final placement, they will be installed in the lower part of the atrium so that they can be viewed by the people of Malaga.

The dean explained that the works had been completed quickly and there will be 8 bells restored rather than the 4 predicted.

The 12 bells of the Cathedral were taken down at the beginning of September and transferred to the workshop, Relojería Valverde de Alcantarilla, except for one, that due to its poor condition will be replaced by a replica, which will be named after the patroness of the diocese of Malaga, Virgen de la Victoria.

Nevertheless, this will also be seen, since it will be in the bell tower of The Manquita, in a small museum, along with the other pieces that were removed.

Fiesta de los Rondeles ? Casarabonela

Fiesta de los Rondeles ? Casarabonela The procession of the Virgin of the Rondeles will take place on the 12th December at the end of a 3 day celebration from 10 - 12 December.

The objective of the festival is for the local people to express gratitude to the Virgen de la Pastora for the harvest. At nightfall the tradition, which dates back several centuries, when the rondeles are lit ( grass torches impregnated with olive oil ) and the procession passes through the streets of the village.

When the procession arrives at the Church they sing the Salve a la Virgen and after this all the locals and visitors go to the plaza where hot cocoa and buns are enjoyed.

Alhaurin el Grande, Alora, Cartama, Coin, Nerja and Torrox

Alora Will Benefit from the Financial Health Plan of the JuntaA total of six municipalities of Malaga province of between 10 and 20,000 inhabitants, among them Alora, would be able to benefit from the financial health plan of the Junta whose decree was approved recently in the council of government with the intention of improving the local tax office.

These six municipalities, Alhaurin el Grande, Alora, Cartama, Coin, Nerja and Torrox, whose populations adds up to 1000,000 people, form part of a total of 70 Andalucian localities that could welcome this decree and represent 1 million inhabitants. The provincial delegate of the Andalucian government, Jose Luis Marcos, informed a press conference that this will be produced through the constitution of a consortium that takes charge of refinancing in group form.

More Investments for the Area"The province of Malaga is going from number 22 to number 4 in terms of investment in Spain" stated Jose Sanchez, mayor of Alora, who, in company with Senator Pedro Villagran and Autonomous Parliament member Mariano Ruiz Quadra presented on the 4 November the general budgets of the State and Andalucia for the Guadalhorce area for 2006. According to Villagran "they are going to invest 900 million euros in the province", and "these budgets are fair, balanced and necessary for our province".

Alora receives much of the planned investments in these budgets. Specifically, in Alora the investment will be on the suburban rail line, the removal of level crossings, improvement of the irrigation channels, and desalination of the Guadalhorce reservoirs. Also, there will be investment in roads and the enlargement of the local Guardia Civil team next year. In addition, next year the Junta is going to carry out important investment for the Guadalhorce area related to the improvement of the A357.

The budgets of the Junta for our province represent an increase of 23% on last year according to Ruiz Quadra, "we have an excellent policy on security, good services, quality education and free books for all primary students".