Man receives 2 year sentence for stealing 5 euros from Galicia bank

With the current and continuing economic crisis, many people are living under constant financial stress. In this case, a bank customer, who discovered that bank charges had decimated his remaining small balance, lost his temper and stole €5 ($6.20) from the bank counter.

It happened in a branch of a bank located in calle Villa de Negreira in A Coruña, Galicia, Spain.  The customer wanted to withdraw his remaining balance of €5 and approached the bank teller.

On being told that bank charges had not only wiped out his remaining funds, but had actually put his account in the red, he lost his temper and demanded an explanation.  On hearing the commotion, the bank manager came out to try and calm the situation, but the man pushed his fist into the manager's face, saying he was going to "beat the hell out of him."  Two other staff members came to the manager's aid, without any success at calming the customer down.

Eventually the man pushed them all aside, jumped over the bank counter and grabbed a €5 note from the drawer.  He then fled from the bank.

When the case hit the court recently, the man admitted he was guilty and received a two year jail sentence for aggravated robbery.


Spanish sources:
La Voz de Galicia
The Local

Photo: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported JLogan

Spanish mayor volunteers for second job as music school caretaker

Rafael García Guerrero is the socialist mayor of Noia in the A Coruña province of Galicia. The caretaker of the local music school resigned, so Guerrero is giving up his evenings to do the man's job, with no pay.

Due to the latest government rules and austerity measures, Guerrero is unable to replace the caretaker at the music school. 

 

The previous incumbent resigned at the end of the 2011-2012 school year, and Guerrero felt he had to do something about the problem.

 

"The situation came about because we are forbidden from hiring anyone else," the mayor of Noia explained to the media.

 

The ban on replacing staff is part of the recent austerity cuts which have seen budgets of local authorities across Spain slashed.

 

"Now, whenever a municipal worker resigns, or someone goes on leave, we have to fill the post any way we can," said Guerrero. "The thing is, we have the money. We just can't spend it." he added.This in a country with a 25 percent unemployment rate.

And so, to give the children's parents some peace of mind, he spends a few hours at the school daily.

 

"I spend three hours a day at the school," Guerrero told The Local on Thursday, explaining that he works from 5pm to 8pm each evening. 

 

"My main role is just to be there and supervise the children between classes," he added. "I don't mind doing it," he said. "The kids play their instruments well and it's quite pleasant." 

 

But the PSOE mayor did add that the situation in Noia shows that "the current system isn't working."

 

He did tell ABC.es that he will have a short vacation soon. "Now I have a vacation because the school year ends."

 

"But it's all a bit contradictory," lamented the mayor, reiterating the fact that his local government could easily afford the caretaker, if only he was allowed to employ one.

 

Noia is a historic, coastal town, located around 40 kilometers from the city of Santiago de Compostela.

 

 

To the source: http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/352155

Singing pilot takes passengers on sightseeing tour from above

A pilot working for Spanish airline Iberia asked his passengers for permission to change his flight plan, so he could take them on a tour of the historic Galician city of Lugo from the air. He accompanied the tour with song.

The in-flight entertainment reportedly started at take-off at Madrid's Barajas airport with the pilot, Ángel Aznárez, warmly greeting passengers with a song in English.

One of the passengers told the media that it was a big surprise "but nice."

It was then quiet for a while, until both pilots started the singing again. And this was just the beginning.

According to passengers on flight IB 0512 from Madrid to A Coruña, "He asked if we could divert from our route a little to take in the beauty of the walls of Lugo."

Lugo is the only city in the world with intact Roman walls. These date from the 3rd century and are a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Passengers could hardly believe their eyes when moments later, there they were, poised in the air above the famous Roman walls of the city. The knowledgeable captain also gave details of each city along the plane's route and even provided some historical information. 

According to passengers, even the stewards enjoyed the show. "They told us the captain's joyful behavior was normal and that he was a really nice guy to both the crew and the customers," one of the passengers told La Voz de Galicia (Spanish language). 

On landing at A Coruña, Aznárez' show was given a hearty round of appreciative applause.

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Video: Experience a stop motion tour of the Roman Walls of Lugo:

To the source: http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/351924