ARCHIVED - Murcia and Spanish news round-up week ending 24th November 2017

Injustice on Camposol darkens Black Friday

The "season to be jolly" is almost upon us again, but before that consumers must navigate first Black Friday and then the pre-seasonal festivities shopping orgy which results in millions of unwanted gifts which will live in the back of a cupboard for ever being purchased, millions of people running up debts they can´t afford, un-necessary environmental pollution producing millions of products we don´t really need or want and millions of euros being ripped off by unsrupulous internet fraudsters as shoppers purchase "bargains" online.......... Monday, by the way, is international buy nothing day, so if you prefer to make or recycle gifts, make a post on social media on Monday and show the world it's the thought  that counts!!!

It may be time to start thinking about decking the halls with boughs of holly (in the city of Murcia work is already under way to re-install the 40-metre tree in the Plaza Circular), but for some residents of Camposol the worry this week has been that they may not have a home in which to hang them for much longer, as we focus on the plight of one couple who have been told that their home is about to be auctioned off to the highest bidder as part of the insolvency proceedings of the former developer.

The couple paid 104,000 euros for their home and spent a further 18,000 on legal costs fighting the developer who tried to give them a property classed as "turístico" rather than the residential home they had paid for. Three sets of courts ruled in their favour, including the highest court in Spain, the Supreme Court, but in spite of their "victory" in the courts they have never been paid the money they are legally owed and are facing the loss of their home as well. Rough justice? No justice? Or fully legal injustice? Read their appalling story and see why theirs will be a cold, cold, Christmas.

Away from Camposol, meanwhile, another dark cloud on the horizon has been brought about, ironically, by the lack of dark clouds in recent months and years. The amazing warm weather we've all enjoyed over the last few weeks has been exacerbating the on-going drought which has seen the level of water in the reservoirs of the Segura basin gradually dwindle to just 13 per cent of capacity, and while the situation in the whole of Spain is serious (with reserves at 37 per cent), the Segura is the basin worst affected by a drought which has now lasted over three years.

Irrigation supplies to agriculture from the reservoirs were cut off on 1^st November, the desalination plants which supply the Segura basin are already operating at full capacity, and no more recycled water is available. Authorization has been given for all of the drought wells and aquifers in the Segura basin to be opened in order to supplement supplies, but despite the implementation over the last year of more and more emergency measures the level of reserves continues to fall.

In this context, Miguel Ángel Ródenas, the president of the CHS (the Confederación Hidrográfica del Segura, which administers water supply infrastructures in the basin) was unable to guarantee earlier this week that domestic users in the Region of Murcia will not suffer daily  water cuts before the end of the coming winter. During an interview with Murcia Today, Sr Ródenas was asked if he could make such a promise, but instead limited himself to reiterating that the CHS is doing all that it can to avoid such an eventuality.

The CHS president went on to underline the seriousness of the situation during a week when he met protesting farmers and informed them that all he can do is attempt to make sure that the drought wells are opened as soon as possible. And for all that the different water authorities vow to collaborate, as they did this week, in reality they are close to being reduced to anxiously scanning the weather forecasts anxiously for signs of prolonged wet weather, not only in Murcia but also in the inland provinces which ultimately supply the reservoirs of the Segura basin.

(In order to gain a greater understanding of the current drought in Murcia, click on this overview of the water supply and demand in the Segura basin, and an explanation of how the current shortage has come about.)

So if, as the forecasters warn, cooler and damper weather arrives over the weekend, remember that seldom has it been more welcome in the Costa Cálida!

As if that weren't enough, well it is "Black Friday " after all, so apologies for the serious news being dark and gloomily black this week,  the Region of Murcia has been in the national news lately in relation to an unprecedented flood of north African immigrants who were brought ashore in Cartagena last weekend after attempting to cross the Mediterranean on board perilous tiny boats. Over 500 were held in police stations and a Cartagena sports pavilion on Sunday night before they were controversially re-housed to a previously unopened Málaga jail on Monday, as the foreigner detention centre (CIE) in Sangonera la Verde was already full to overflowing.

This eased the pressure on the authorities in Murcia to find accommodation for them while their repatriation orders are processed, but there were voices of protest from various groups who claimed that it was not only an affront to the migrants’ dignity but also a contravention of human rights. Unfortunately, though, the critics have not offered many alternative solutions and reassurances have been given that human rights were stringently respected following the unexpected mass arrival in tiny boats!

128 more migrants reached the Costa Cálida between Monday and Wednesday as the government began to regain control of the situation, but the worry is that this is unlikely to be an isolated incident, and that the problem could grow in the near future as Algerians continue to be convinced that a better life awaits them in Spain or other EU countries.

Environmental news

The drought situation obviously dominates this area of news at present, and among the measures outlined this week is an innovation introduced by Águilas Town Hall to save water with a wi-fi controlled watering system which results in savings of around 30 per cent in the Plaza de España in the town centre.

But the concerns over water quality in the Mar Menor are also still an everyday topic, and this week saw the start of a pilot scheme to make aquifer water treatment more efficient in the Campo de Cartagena, where a new process aims to reduce the production of harmful brine by 80 per cent when treating water extracted from drought wells of aquifers.

Still in the Mar Menor, 40 more wrecks are to be removed from the lagoon, where 116,000 euros have been set aside for the removal of 41 sunken boats and the program will also include the removal from the sea bed of 81 other items, most of them blocks which were formerly used as mooring points and were left in place when they were no longer required.

At the same time, almost a million euros are being devoted by the national government to the study of the relationship between the Mar Menor and the Campo de Cartagena aquifer: more sampling points will increase the volume of information available, and it is hoped that strategies can be developed to prevent any further runoff of harmful substances from the agricultural land of the Campo into the largest saltwater lagoon in Europe.

Ecologists worried by “green chocolate” colour of the River Segura in Murcia: water from reservoirs is being used to maintain an acceptable flow rate in the Segura but ecological activists maintain that further measures are needed to guarantee water quality.

Medication recycling in Murcia still increasing after 15 years: pharmaceuticals can be very damaging to the environment, and it’s very easy to contribute to the environment by clearing out your medicine cupboard responsibly!

Aguilas takes recycling to a new level as water tank becomes children's playground: local residents are granted their request for a new play area in the Cabezo del Agua area.

Historical and cultural heritage in the news

Excavation of 18^th century city wall of Cartagena continues: one of the exits from the Civil War air raid shelter has been found inside the Muralla de Felipe V.

Salzillo original to be restored in Murcia: the image of San Andrés is normally housed in the Murcia church of the same name and will return in time for next year’s November fiestas.

Águilas archaeological museum to display scale models of historic local buildings: the announcement that another display room is to be added coincides with the 17^th anniversary of the Museo Arqueológico de Águilas.

Another small step towards the excavation of the Cartagena Roman amphitheatre: the amphitheatre which is partially buried underneath the old bull ring is one of only 15 in the Iberian Peninsula, and among the six of which there are significant remains. Only five cities, including Cartagena, contain both a Roman theatre and a Roman amphitheatre, reflecting the importance of the port city of Carthago Nova within the Roman Empire and the province of Hispania.

Murcia and Spanish property news

Notaries report both increased sales and rising prices in September: the latest statistical report produced by Spain’s notaries regarding residential property sales shows an 8.6 year-on-year increase in the number of transactions completed during September, while at the same time the average price paid per square metre rose by 2.4 per cent. Data regarding mortgage loans also showed an increase in average loan capital to 130,300 euros, 1.8 per cent higher than in September 2016.

Residential construction activity in Spain set to rise by 15 per cent this year: as the Spanish real estate market continues its long-term recovery after the slump which began in late 2007, so too, to a certain extent, does the residential construction sector, which was among the hardest hit in the economic crisis which accompanied the bursting of the property bubble.

In consequence, the sector now accounts for 4.83 of Spain’s GDP rather than only 3.04 per cent in 2016, due not only to more new homes being built but also to an increase in the number of older properties being rehabilitated and refurbished.

Luxury property prices in Barcelona hit by Catalan independence crisis: one estate agent reports a 50 per cent drop in interest in top homes in Barcelona, and a resulting fall in value of approximately 20 per cent.

Other stories in the Murcia news this week

Mutilated body of pedestrian killed on the near Torre Pacheco identified from severed hand: drivers reported seeing the dead body on the road at around 6.20 on Monday morning near the filling station on the southbound carriageway, and initially it was not even clear whether the body belonged to a man or a woman. However, although the circumsatnces surrounding the incident remain something of a mystery, it has now been confirmed that the deceased was a 40-year old man from Madrid who was living in San Javier.

Butane gas canister price up by 2.1 per cent on Tuesday: canisters now cost a maximum of 14.45 euros across Spain.

Murcia government budget for 2018 to be approved after amendments: more spending on education, health and the Mar Menor regeneration program as 175 million euros of funds are re-distributed for 2018.

Missing octogenarian found in Pozo Aledo: the 83-year-old, who suffers from senile dementia, spent the night outdoors after going missing on Monday evening, but was found safe and well close to the Torre Pacheco road on Tuesday morning.

Scottish exchange students welcomed by Mayor of San Javier: a welcome climate change for 14 girls from Helensburgh as they spend a week on the shore of the Mar Menor!

Caravaca anxiously awaits royal visit next Tuesday: Felipe VI and Queen Letizia confirm a visit to Caravaca before the Holy Jubilee Year ends.

1300 kilos of hashish seized from British-registered yacht off the Cartagena coast: Guardia officers were on immigrant interception duty when they spotted the suspicious vessel 8 miles off the coast of Cabo de Palos on Monday.

2-year-old girl out of coma in San Pedro del Pinatar after swallowing hashish: the life of the toddler is not in danger after emergency treatment at the hospital of San Javier, and no charges are to be faced by her parents.

Main street of Mazarrón closed for annual fiestas: part of the Avenida de la Constitución is closed to motor vehicles until 11^th December.

Bolnuevo fiestas declared an event of tourist interest: Sardine Sunday and the romerías to and from Mazarrón have long been among the major annual events in the area, and a motion by which support was given to the awarding of official “regional tourist interest” status to the festivities was passed unanimously in the regional parliament on Thursday.

Torre Pacheco police sniffer dogs strike again! Over 40 arrests have been made in 3 months with the aid of the Torre Pacheco canine unit following the latest canine crime-fighting action this week.

Licor 43 group acquires rights to distribute Yellow Rose whisky from Texas: Yellow Rose joins Licor 43, Zoco Pacharán and Limoncello in the product range of the Cartagena-based Grupo Zamora.

Spanish news this week: Carles Puigdemont loses out on a 112,000 -euro pension by insisting he is still president of Catalunya

The independence crisis causes Barcelona to lose out as the European Medicines Agency moves to Amsterdam instead

The news in Spain continues to be dominated by the situation in Catalunya, where at the end of the week it was announced that the number of police and Guardia Civil officers drafted in from other parts of Spain to keep the peace prior to the partial holding of the outlawed independence referendum on 1^st October is to be halved. This can be seen as an indication of the fact that as the regional election on 21^st December approaches, a certain sense of stability is gradually being restored.

During the week former regional president Carles Puigdemont made it clear that he still views himself as the legitimate president in exile while he remains in Brussels, by letting it be known that he does not intend to claim the 112,000-euro annual pension which is payable to former presidents of Catalunya. Instead he is sticking to his principles while standing for re-election in December, and following his failure to register as an overseas voter by the deadline on Wednesday there has been speculation that he may return to Catalunya, where he would face arrest, shortly before the voting starts.

If he doesn’t travel back to Catalunya he will not be allowed to vote, but it has been suggested that his real intention may be to be arrested and arouse separatist feelings in order to sway last-minute floating voters. On the other hand, his lawyer has suggested that the former president will return to Catalunya only if re-elected president: as has so often been the case in recent months, the intentions of Carles Puigdemont are once again hard to predict.

This week the political instability in Catalunya was held directly responsible for the decision to relocate the European Medicines Agency, which is currently located in Canary Wharf in London’s Docklands, to Amsterdam as a result of the UK’s exit from the EU, taking with it 900 staff and a considerable amount of related business activity. Barcelona had been hot favourite to welcome the EMA, but on Monday the capital of Catalunya was eliminated in the first round of voting, finishing behind not only Amsterdam but also Milan, Copenhagen and Bratislava, and immediately after the news broke the separatists blamed the Spanish government, who in turn blamed the separatists.

Perhaps on this occasion Ada Colau, the Mayoress of Barcelona, is closest to the truth when she asserts that neither the unilateral declaration of independence nor the subsequent application of Article 155 of the Spanish Constitution “helped” the Barcelona bid, adding that both sides holding each other to blame now will be even less useful.

Other topics in the news this week include the EU urging the Spanish government and the Catholic Church to take urgent steps towards resolving pending “stolen babies cases”, the calling of a nationwide taxi drivers’ strike next Wednesday, Spanish olive growers complaining that they have become the latest victims of Donald Trump’s protectionist economic policies, and the confirmation that Spaniards top the EU’s bar and restaurant spending rankings.

A survey compiled by Eurostat has found that the Spanish spend a larger proportion of their household outgoings revenue in bars, cafés and restaurants than any other nationality in the EU, with the figure accounting for as much as 14.8 per cent of all expenses: this doubtless reflects the bar and café culture which leads to workers and families being comfortable with the idea of having breakfast, lunch or dinner in a bar or café, and children being welcome in bars at all times of day throughout Spain!

Scroll down for more Spanish news stories over the last seven days…

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