Not before time many will be saying, but it does seem that Spain is finally waking up to the idea of using the internet, and in particular social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook to promote the country.

Turespaña recently presented a new online strategy at Fitur to ustiise the popular social networking sites to allow Spaniards to contact foreigners and promote Spain.

New ways to save money with your phone appear almost weekly. If you’re not confident on the web, invest in a Multi IMSI travel SIM card. This new generation of SIM slots into any unlocked mobile and can come with two numbers (one UK, one US). Callers can dial either number to reach you, wherever you are in the world.

The Federal Office for Information Security, or BSI, urged web users to find an alternative browser to protect security.

The warning comes after Microsoft admitted Internet Explorer was the weak link in recent attacks on Google’s systems.

The company said, however, that the hole could be closed by setting the browser’s Internet security zone to “high”, although this limits functionality and blocks many websites.

However, German authorities say that even this would not make IE fully safe.

As you would expect a large number of web sites are covering the fact that Spain has presented a new Internet anti-piracy law. On balance the coverage is positive, as the focus is to provide stronger powers for the authorities to close down websites serving illegal downloads of music and films.

Here is a selection of the coverage which interesting points out that Spain has the largest amount of illegal downloads, and that in theory the new law would allow even Google to be closed down.

Galileo, Europe’s much delayed and costly satellite-navigation project, takes a major step forward on Thursday.

The first contracts are being awarded to the companies that will start to build the operational network.

The European Commission will purchase spacecraft, rockets and system management in deals totalling more than half a billion euros.

Galileo is intended as an EU version of the US Global Positioning System (GPS), but with significant improvements.

Zapatero has often been compared to the character played by Rowan Atkinson. The website was corrected but has since crashed again

The Web site of the Spanish Presidency of the European Union was reportedly attacked by hackers on Monday and the welcome message from Spain’s Prime Minister replaced for a time with another from a man José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero has often been said to resemble: a friendly ‘Hi there’, from the British actor Rowan Atkinson in the part of Mr Bean.

Proposals to suspend the internet connections of those who repeatedly share music and films online will leave consumers with a bill for £500 million, ministers have admitted.

The Digital Economy Bill would force internet service providers (ISPs) to send warning letters to anyone caught swapping copyright material illegally, and to suspend or slow the connections of those who refused to stop. ISPs say that such interference with their customers’ connections would add £25 a year to a broadband subscription.

The legislation covers all types of misleading and aggressive practices in business

Following Cabinet approval this May, a meeting of the lower chamber of the Spanish parliament this Tuesday has unanimously approved new regulations which prohibit telephone spam and other aggressive sales tactics by bringing increased protection to consumers and more strict control over unfair competition and unlawful or misleading advertising.

Some customers will be able to receive download speeds up to 100Mbps via the company’s fibre-optics network.

Ian Livingston, chief executive of BT, said: “Given the progress we’re making, four million homes will have access to fibre by the end of next year. 2012 will be an important year for the UK given the Olympics and so I’m keen we provide 10 million homes with access to fibre by the time the games begin.”

Spanish media giant Prisa and Telecinco, whose main shareholder is Italy’s Mediaset, said Friday they agreed to merge their television operations in Spain in a deal worth over EUR 1 billion.

Under the deal Telecinco, Spain’s top television station by audience, will take control of Prisa’s television channel Cuatro as well as a 22 percent stake in its pay-TV unit Digital+, said the two companies in a statement.

The Internet global supermarket is booming because people and businesses are looking for bargains and new outlets in bad times, a new report says.

And the this great global shopping mall can only expand rapidly as mobile phone use explodes, the Chinese get involved and advertisers jump in, the OECD forecasts.

But the e-trade revolution is being held back by hidden frontiers, ranging from concerns over privacy of personal information, language problems, delivery costs and taxation and regulation barriers.

His statement goes against the Ministry of Culture which is planning to close pages without a judicial order

There are conflicting reports coming from the Government over the planned policy on the closure of websites on the internet.

Musicians protested in Madrid on Tuesday against the illegal internet downloads

The Minister for Culture, Ángeles González-Sinde, has revealed, in a statement made to the Senate on Tuesday, that as part of the new Sustainable Economy Law, web pages which contain illegal download or P2P links to music or films will be able to be closed without a judicial order.

The European parliament approved Tuesday a major overhaul of EU telecoms law aimed at boosting the rights of European mobile phone and Internet users and protection against access restrictions.

The move, after months of bargaining, was eventually approved by a broad majority.

It unblocks a package of reforms due to be implemented in the next 18 months to “enhance consumer rights, safeguard Internet freedom, protect data, boost competition and modernise radio spectrum use,” according to the parliament.

A major overhaul of telecoms law across Europe is due on 24 November as the European Parliament votes on new rules.

The package comes amid controversial laws being introduced in France and the UK to cut off persistent illegal downloaders.

Protecting internet access and users’ rights was a high priority for MEPs hammering out the Telecoms Package.

Many critics say the eventual compromise solution is too weak and will not prevent disconnections.

Vodafone is trialling tiered data services to Spain, priority data for business customers and more intelligent application of fair use capping.

The system has been deployed across Vodafone’s Spanish network. It is designed to ensure that customers on the operator’s business tariff, paying €49 a month, get connected regardless of cell congestion. But the same system will also allow poorer customers to exceed their fair-use restrictions when traffic is light.

The Galileo satellite-navigation system is coming.

After all the wrangling, the delays and the furore over cost, Europe’s version of GPS is finally starting to take shape.

In an industrial cleanroom in southern England, engineers are reaching key milestones in their preparation of four satellites.

It will be these In-Orbit Validation (IOV) models which will prove the Galileo concept.

Due for launch in pairs in late 2010 and early-2011, the “pathfinders” will form a mini-constellation in the sky.

Until yesterday Swindon was stuck squarely between Bristol and Reading on the M4 corridor in Wiltshire. Now it has moved one step closer to Silicon Valley with plans to become Britain’s first wi-fi town, and free internet access for its 186,000-strong population.

No one within the borough boundary will be out of range of a wireless connection after April next year, when 1,400 access points will be placed on street lamps to form the “Swindon mesh”. The aim, according to the leader of the borough council, which is backing the project, is for the region to show the way for the rest of England.

Websites mis-selling mobile ringtones and other services have been forced to clean up their acts, following a European Union crackdown.

Some 301 sites were investigated, resulting in the closure of 54 and the correction of 159.

The biggest problems were unclear pricing and misleading advertising suggesting ringtones were free.

The investigation was a direct response to hundreds of complaints from parents and consumers across Europe.

Over half of the websites specifically targeted children.

YouTube and Univision announced an agreement on Monday to bring short- and long-form programming from the Spanish-language broadcast network to the video-sharing site.

YouTube said shows from Univision’s three networks — Univision, TeleFuture and Galavision — will be available in the coming months on the Google-owned video site along with special events such as Lo Nuestro Latin Music Awards.

“This is a very exciting milestone,” said Kevin Conroy, president of Univision Interactive Media, Inc.