People living in Castellon province are currently preparing for the beginning of one of the region’s biggest festivals this weekend.

The Magdalena festival celebrates the birth of the city of Castellon de la Plana some 700 years ago and runs from Saturday February 23rd until March 2nd, Communitat Valenciana reports.

Commemorating the moment when the inhabitants of the nearby mountainous area Cerro de la Magdalena descended onto the flatlands to found the city, the festival consists of a series of traditional celebrations, including a dramatic firecracker display known as the mascleta.

Visitors to Castellon during the fiesta can also look forward to the Galania, in which the queen of the festivities is honoured by the crowd.

The inclusion of pop bands and modern entertainment groups adds a contemporary edge to the proceedings.

Property owners and tourists from all over Castellon province, including Benicarlo, Vinaroz and Peniscola, are sure to enjoy “the magic of light, fun and tradition” at the Magdalena festival, according to Communitat Valenciana.

John Knight’s Cold Cuts exhibition, an artistic display of food recipes from around the world, is showing at the Castellon Contemporary Art Space until April 27th.

A growing number of British companies are recruiting expatriates living in southern Spain, it has emerged.

Due to a shortage of candidates in the domestic market, many firms are looking further afield to fill their vacancies, with technological advances meaning that workers do not need to be based in the same country as their employer to do their job.

PersonnelToday.com reports that telemarketing company Sense On Hold recently added ten British people living in Spain to its workforce. The new employees will not even have to travel back to the UK for initial training, as all elements of the job can be conducted online.

Recruitment expert Steve Mosser told the website: “The idea behind recruiting expats is that it doesn’t matter where you are to do this job, as long as you fill certain criteria.”

This arrangement means that British property owners on the Costa del Sol and Costa Blanca could enjoy all the benefits of living in Spain while working for a company based in their home country.

Property website BuyAssociation recently stated that many of the UK’s first-time homebuyers are looking to get on the property ladder in Spain because of the country’s more relaxed buying process.

Next week will see a celebration of the cultural links between Ireland and southern Spain take place in the city of Malaga.

Famous throughout the art world as the birthplace of Pablo Picasso, Malaga was also the occasional home of one of Ireland’s most celebrated painters, George Campbell.

To coincide with the visit of an Irish tourism delegation to the Costa del Sol next week, a documentary film about Campbell’s life will be shown in tribute to the great artist, who died in 1979.

Born in County Wicklow, Campbell grew up in Belfast but made yearly trips to Spain for much of his adult life and established a second home in Malaga, where he would do much of his painting.

In recognition of his efforts to promote relations between Ireland and Spain, a street in Malaga was named after Campbell in 2005.

The Looking for George Campbell film will be shown at Malaga’s Castillo de Santa Catalina Hotel on February 27th.

Spain’s contribution to the world of art was recently celebrated in Andrew Graham-Dixon’s three-part BBC series The Art of Spain.

A new glass roof is currently being added to the famous cathedral in Malaga city to address a long-term problem with a leak.

Work on the roof is “progressing well” and should be completed in 12 month’s time, Typically Spanish reports.

The new glass structure is being built above the existing roof to give the cathedral more protection from the elements, with funding provided by a joint agreement between Malaga City Hall and the Junta de Andalucia.

According to the website, the 22 domes in the roof area of the cathedral will be preserved during the renovation work.

Built during the 17th century, Malaga Cathedral is known affectionately as La Manquita - loosely translated as ‘the one armed woman’ - by local people in the Costa del Sol city. This is because the building only has one tower, despite the original plans featuring two.

Combining elements of Renaissance and Baroque styles, the interior of the cathedral contains statues of saints carved by Pedro de Mena, one of Spain’s most revered craftsmen who spent several years of his life in Malaga.

The Art of Spain concludes this week and has proved popular with audiences keen to learn more about Spain’s unique contribution to modern European art.

A three-part BBC series presented by Andrew Graham-Dixon, the programme has seen the art expert travel from the south coast of Spain to the far north and trace the country’s historical development as an artistic nation on his journey.

Graham-Dixon considered Spain’s artistic identity in both paintings and architecture, so the Alcazar castle-palace in Seville or Gaudi’s buildings in Barcelona were afforded as much attention as Picasso’s Guernica, according to the Guardian.

“Spain has produced some of the most startling and original art ever created,” Mr Graham-Dixon said at the start of the series.

“It holds the key to understanding all of Europe and its culture,” he added.

Mr Graham-Dixon argued that Spanish art has perhaps played a more important role than the Italian masters in shaping the identity of Europe.

The final instalment of The Art of Spain can be seen on BBC Four this Thursday (February 14th) at 21:00 GMT.

Considered one of Spain’s finest and most influential artists, Picasso was born in Malaga in 1881.

Spanish utility company Gas Natural has announced plans to extend its services to several Costa del Sol locations which are without a mains gas supply.

The firm currently provides 54 Andalucian municipalities with gas via pipeline and is now bringing its supply to Estepona in the west and Nerja in the east, Typically Spanish reports.

Marbella will also benefit from a new gas supply - it is currently the only place in the country with a population of over 100,000 that is not connected to mains gas, according to the website.

Based in Barcelona, Gas Natural has recently set up a natural liquid gas plant in Velez-Malaga.

The expansion of the gas network on the Costa del Sol is set to continue throughout the year, subject to government authorisation.

Velez-Malaga’s mayor recently requested funding from the Junta de Andalucia in order to boost the city’s tram system, encouraging residents to take public transport and keep carbon emissions down.

A new station for high-speed trains could be built in Alicante province under proposals revealed by a group of local business leaders.

Located at Bacarot, the AVE station would serve both Alicante city and the nearby Costa Blanca city of Elche, with businesses hoping that the development will help to create an important new metropolitan area in southern Spain.

The ministry of development will now consider the plans, which have been put forward by the Business Confederation for Alicante Province, Typically Spanish reports.

If given the green light, the new station would also provide transport links for Alicante’s El Altet Airport. Construction is not likely to begin for several years, however.

According to official statistics released last month, El Altet is now the sixth busiest airport in Spain, with passenger numbers increasing by three per cent last year.

The train station could also be used by holidaymakers and property owners travelling to other popular Costa Blanca locations such as Torrevieja and Santa Pola.

Some of the best athletes in the world will descend on Valencia next month for the 12th International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) World Indoor Championships.

The competition begins on March 7th and will last for three days, with international athletes competing in events such as the 60 metres, 1,500 metres, high jump, pole vault and shot put.

With the Olympic games taking place in Beijing later this year, athletes have an extra incentive to perform well at the Palau Velodromo Luis Puig and the event is sure to be a thrilling spectacle.

IAAF president Lamine Diack said that he expects the championships to be “an athletics fiesta for our sport to savour”, helped by the fact that Valencia is “very much a sports city”.

Valencia certainly has plenty to offer sports fans - it provided the home port for last year’s America’s Cup sailing competition and is set to do so again in 2009, while the first Formula One Grand Prix on the city streets will take place later this year. The Valencia football team is also one of the top sides in Spain and has been successful in Europe.

An expatriate group of female entrepreneurs based on the Costa Blanca has announced a partnership with the Torrevieja Small and Medium Businesses Association (APYMECO).

Company Women (CW) will join forces with the organisation in a collaboration which has received the backing of international residents’ councillor Pedro Valero, Costa Blanca News reports.

The alliance will allow APYMECO to connect with an international audience, while CW members will receive advice and support, as well as discounts on products and services, from business leaders with local knowledge.

Councillor Valero commented: “This is very positive for Torrevieja society, to see businesses joining forces beyond languages and improving international relations.”

Led by Caroline Garrett, CW was formed in 2005 and now consists of over 300 members, with many different nationalities represented. The organisation aims to offer support and training for women looking to go into business on the Costa Blanca.

Torrevieja has one of the most diverse populations in southern Spain, according to recent figures, with 53.6 per cent of residents coming from different countries.

A series of public performances are set to turn the city of Valencia into a paradise for art-lovers over the next two weeks, it has emerged.

The latest instalment of the VEO festival will see a number of theatrical performances, musical recitals and experimental dance events take place on the streets of the city, Communitat Valenciana reports.

According to the website, these performances are sure to “differ greatly from what theatregoers are used to seeing on stage” and aim to “create a very special link between actors and spectators”.

More traditional performances will also take place in theatres across Valencia, including the Teatro Musical, Sala Almudin and Matilde Salvador Hall.

For those who prefer to enjoy their cultural activity in the open air, outdoor events at Patriarca square, L’Almoina and Marxalenes park are also scheduled as part of the festival.

Communitat Valenciana states that, from now until February 24th, Valencia is “a city conquered by art”.

Fans of British music in southern Spain got a treat last month when ex-Suede singer Brett Anderson appeared at the Teatro Cervantes in Malaga - the only performance in Spain on his current tour.