The cost of Christmas in Spain

According to the results of a study carried out by the Independent Federation of Users and Consumers, Christmas spending in Spain this year is expected to by just above average spending last year.

Spanish consumers are expected to spend an average of 833 euros on their Christmas this year. Of this, an average of 244 euros (30 percent) will be spent on presents and toys, 233 euros on leisure and entertainment away from the home, 227 euros on food and drink and a mind-boggling average of 129 euros per person on the Christmas lottery.

According to the study, people living in Madrid spend most on Christmas (an average of 941 euros per person), followed by Catalonia (905 euros), Valencia (901 euros) and the Basque Country (860 euros). At the other end of the scale, people in the Canary Islands spend least during the Christmas season (on average 777 euros per person). People in Valencia spend more money on Christmas lottery than elsewhere in Spain (on average 152 euros per person), whereas people in Madrid spend more on presents and going out (which is not surprising given the price of food and drink in many restaurants in Madrid).

Related:
Spanish Christmas recipes
Christmas spending in Spain

Scientists in Spain link additive to obesity

Monosodium glutamate (MSG) is a food additive (E-621) used as a flavor enhancer in a variety of foods. Until now it has been generally considered as one of the least offensive additives used by the food industry. But Spanish scientists have concluded that aswell as enhancing flavour, MSG also enhances hunger and as such could be one of the key factors behind the problem of obesity, especially among children.

Monosodium glutamate is widely used in all kinds of processed foods that are popular with children (sausages, chips, processed foods, crisps, sweets and pre-prepared dishes) and also in restaurants.

A team of scientists in the Faculty of Medicine at the Complutense University of Madrid has discovered that when given to rats, E-621 produces a massive 40 percent increase in appetite. The scientists think the additive affects the arcuate nucleus area of the brain and so prevents proper functioning of the body's appetite control mechanisms. According to this hypothesis, people (and children) who consume foods with large quantities of E-621 just feel more and more hungry the more they eat.

Glutamate is an amino acid which naturally enhances the flavour of natural ingredients and as such is present in most of the fresh food we eat. The problems which these Spanish scientists consider potentially crucial in the rising problem of obesity arise when it is used as an additive to enhance the flavour of processed foods or foods served in a restaurant, or even at home. Food companies are obliged by law to list E-621 in the ingredients, but they do not have to specifiy the quantity used.

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Obesity in Spain
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Spanish scientists develop malaria vaccine

Online shops in Spain

According to a report released yesterday by WatchMouse, a Dutch consulting company, only a few Spanish online shops are ready for the pre-Christmas rush of online shopping. Most of them take ages to load, often users lose the connection inexplicably and in general the quality of online services is low.

Watchmouse has published its result after a detailed analysis of 10 online shops carried out over the past 38 days. The report concludes that during this period, performance of 9 out of 10 online shops was below required standards.

Out of all the 10 sites analyzed, only Carrefour offered 99.9% availability, which is considered to be the minimum standard. The online services of Spanish supermarket Mercadona and computer store AreaPC were the worst. The study was carried out by entering the homepage of each online shop every five minutes between 25th October and 2nd December and checking that it downloaded in 8 minutes or less without error.

Despite increased public investment in the e-commerce sector in Spain in recent years, this government and the last have ultimately failed to substantially boost use of the Internet in this country. Despite growing optimism in the sector last year, Spain continues to languish at the rear end of all EU rankings related to e-commerce and Internet usage among member states. According to a recent survey in El País, over 63 percent of Spaniards still don't use Internet. And most sectors are struggling to put together an efficient online service.

Even though most supermarkets offer online shopping, airlines and other transport services offer online booking and most Spanish banks offer electronic banking, the vast majority of Spaniards still tend to do the weekly shop at the supermarket, book their holidays at the local travel agent, and visit their bank to do transactions. Judging by the results of the recent WatchMouse survey, retailers in Spain still have a long way to go if they are to pursuade an Internet-reticent population to embrace online services.

Related:
A list of where to shop online in Spain
Ecommerce in Spain

Zapatero to present ultimatum to Blair

According to reports this evening in Cadena Ser, Spanish president José Luis Rodriguez Zapatero plans to present an ultimatum to Blair during his visit to London tomorrow. He is expected to tell the British Prime Minister that Spain is not prepared to approve any EU budget which does not guarentee the right of Spain to receive funds up until 2013.

The latest proposal made by the British presidency of the EU was for Spain to receive funds until 2010. An outright rejection of the proposal by a member state represents a veto. Spain wants the inevitable reduction of EU funds it has received each year ever since it joined the European Union to be a progressive process.

According to the Cadena Ser, Rodriguez Zapatero will also use his meeting with Blair to make a call for more solidarity to be shown by EU states towards the Eastern European countries, to ask for special attention to be paid to immigration policies and to call for greater investment in research, development and innovation.

The meeting between the Spanish and British PMs tomorrow was arranged after the proposal announced by the British presidency of the EU last Monday was overwhelmingly rejected by the European Commission and the vast majority of member states who accused Blair of showing a lack of solidarity with the newest poorer EU member states.

Timothy Garten Ash of the Guardian offers the following outlines for a possible compromise: Britain, in order to get a deal, should offer a bit more off its rebate. Other rich west European countries should be squeezed to contribute a little more. France should also agree to an EU budget review in 2008 or 2009. This would set the course for a further reduction of CAP spending, and send an immediate signal to the Doha round of the world trade talks. New members from central and eastern Europe should accept a small reduction in their budget allocation, though less than the cut proposed by Britain.
Then, probably some time in the early hours of next Saturday morning, after two days of ill-tempered haggling, everyone should go away for Christmas feeling equally unhappy. That is the European way of happiness.

ETA claims responsability for small explosions in Madrid

ETA has claimed responsability for the explosion of five small bombs which exploded today in the main roads surrounding Madrid. Nobody was injured.

Just before the bombs were due to explode, the Vizcayan DYA authorities received a warning from ETA with details of the location and timing of the explosives. All five bombs exploded at the edge of the motorways without causing much damage.

Despite the fact that the explosives were small, ETA still achieved its main objective which was obviously to cause chaos in the roads surrounding Madrid on Constitution Day. Traffic police cut off the traffic on all five motorways just prior to the explosions. The roads were reopened about an hour ago at 16.30.

Spain's constitution, signed on 6th December 27 years ago, contains a clause which explicitly prohibits the creation of an independent Basque state, which is ETA's main aim.

Last year the Basque terrorists also planted a series of bombs which exploded at strategic points and caused chaos on the roads as thousands of families left the capital city to spend the long weekend in holiday homes on the coast and in the mountains.

Related:
Spanish Basque terrorist group ETA leaders arrested in France
Eta bomb in Denia Costa Blanca
ETA explosives in Madrid cause traffic chaos

Real Madrid sacks manager Luxemburgo

The Board of Directors at Real Madrid sacked manager Vanderlei Luxemburgo this evening and appointed the manager of Castilla, Juan Ramón López Caro, to take temporary charge of the team.

Real Madrid have come increasingly under attack from fans during the past few weeks, as dismal performances from the so-called team of galatics have failed to pull Real out of the rut it has been in for the last year or so.

Even though Luxemburgo, former manager of Brazil, apparantly enjoyed the support of his team, Real Madrid fans have been getting increasingly impatient with the apparant lack of tactics and team footballing skills of the Madrid team. In the famous Madrid-Barcelona match last month, fans cheered Ronaldhino and the Barcelona players off the pitch in an almost unprecedented show of "sportsmanslike" behaviour. Infact the cheers were probably intended to humiliate the Real players as much as compliment Barcelona's fine, and ultimately deadly, performance.

Last night, after a miserable 1-0 victory over one of the premier division's most humble teams, Getafe, Real Madrid player Ronaldo complained about the attitude of fans in a radio interview after the game, saying they were too impatient and should start supporting the team rather than booing them off the pitch. As the radio commentator said after the interview (on Cadena Ser), supporters who pay high prices to watch their team play are entitled to have an opinion and to demand more of players who earn gastronomical wages and fail to perform match after match.