Another reason Spain's in the mess it's in: abuse of privilege

José Manuel Vergel

SEVILLA The privileges enjoyed by José Manuel Vergel, former executive of Empresa Pública de Suelo de Andalucía (EPSA, the Junta's housing management organization) included a company car, cleaned, fueled and pristine, every Friday. It went back to the company on Monday, empty. This, and a lot more, was not included in his contract and has now resulted in him being charged in court. He and three other top EPSA executives are also accused of a variety of similar charges. The four allegedly received 'privileges of doubtful legality and morality', finding loopholes in labour laws that allowed them to be paid excessive amounts of money. They were dismissed in July and have in turn denounced EPSA for breach of contract, something denied by the Junta, which had requested them to return salaries and expenses. This matter went to an arbitration court in Sevilla but came away inconclusively  There is a fifth executive who could also be in court with his former colleagues.COMING SOON:

The damage done by Germany: way beyond cucumbers

Greenhouses in Almería

SPAIN/Andalucia (El Pais/Carmen Moran) The cucumber crisis in the Andalusian province of Almería has proven that agriculture can be a profitable business in a globalized world, but also that national borders can be shut down much more swiftly than they are opened up — and that farmers continue to be the weakest link in the supply chain. Almería's crops represent 25 percent of the value of Andalusia's entire production, so it could well be said that if Almería sneezes, Andalusia catches a cold. But the waves from this crisis are reaching even further: the Spanish regions of Murcia and Valencia, and even Portugal, are feeling the effects of low crop sales. And the entire European Union could suffer from import bans imposed by countries such as Russia.

'Brit expats ... settled here illegally ... and want us to solve their problems,' says councillor

ALMERIA/Almanzora (Telegraph) Josefina Cruz, councillor for public works and housing, referred to British expats as 'a group of people who are not of this country, who have settled here illegally in our territory...who are now demanding us to solve a problem that they have been responsible for creating'. She made the comments during a parliamentary debate last month. 12 Britons who own illegally built homes in the Valley and who belong to the organisation Abusos Urbanisticos Almanzora No (AUAN), campaigning for the legalisation of property in the region, are now collectively suing the councillor for alleged discrimination under Article 510.2 of the Spanish criminal code.>

Lennon's Strawberry Fields were in Almería

ALMERÍA (El País/Marta Soler) It's one of The Beatles most celebrated recordings, inspired by John Lennon's memories of playing in the park of the Salvation Army orphanage in Liverpool as a child. But the original spark for the song Strawberry Fields Forever - originally intended to feature on Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band but which ultimately appeared on the group's Magical Mystery Tour album - occurred 2,000 kilometers from Liverpool, in the city of Almería.>