ARCHIVED - Murcia and Spanish news round-up week ending 9th February 2018

The Hairy Bikers boost publicity for the Mar Menor as water quality improves during more cold weather 

Lead image: BBC

Once again the weather has been one of the main talking points in the Region of Murcia this week, with most locals in agreement that they’ve just about had enough of the cold conditions which have been with us since late January.

Of course things are far worse in the rest of Spain – see below – but the natives of Murcia are not used to snowfall, and more than a few people risked accidents on the pavements and roads of the regional capital on Sunday and Monday as their concentration strayed to the unfamiliar sight of snow-capped peaks just over the city skyline!

Even colder temperatures lay in wait later in the week, though, and fruit and veg growers throughout Murcia were biting their nails and laying down thermal blankets to protect their crops as a polar airstream approached on Thursday and Friday. While clothes retailers welcome the chance to shift the last of their winter stocks, fruit farmers in Cieza could stand to lose up to 10 per cent of their annual income if there are three or four consecutive frosts, and if they have to light fires in their orchards to protect blossoms and buds then that is what they’ll do!

It’s hard to believe that only two weeks ago the same plants were flourishing in temperatures of well over 20 degrees, but it’s always worth remembering that despite this cold snap Murcia has remained one of the warmest parts of Spain: just outside the Region in Nerpio, in the province of Albacete, a young couple and their baby were rescued from their car last Sunday night after seven hours trapped in the snow as the temperature dipped to minus 14 degrees!

But enough about the weather: there's been plenty of other news in Murcia this week, including the Hairy Bikers in Murcia, improvements in water quality in the Mar Menor, positive news at last about the infrastructure defects in Camposol, the historical heritage of the Region of Murcia and a host of other stories ranging from the tragic to the interesting and the downright bizarre!

Tourism and airport news

Hairy bikers boost the profile of Lorca and the Mar Menor: the two biker buddies were on the last stage of a 3,000 kilometre Mediterranean road trip, and visited San Pedro del Pinatar and Lorca, but unfortunately the word “Murcia” failed to appear in the commentary. So, while this was great publicity for the “Mar Menor resort” of San Pedro and Lorca Castle (described as one of the most important castles in Spain), viewers will once again have been left with the impression that these are located “somewhere between Alicante and Andalucía”.

Spectacular winning entries in the Águilas paper costume and body painting contest: hard to believe, but this was merely a curtain-raiser for the Carnival season which is now starting, and as the week went on the preparations continued. Those planning to attend the Batalla de Cascarones on Saturday be warned: both Doña Cuaresma and Don Carnal are now armed with well over 5,000 egg-shaped parcels containing confetti!

42 per cent of foreign tourists in Murcia last year were from the UK

The last monthly set of international tourism figures relating to 2017 show during the year the total of just under a million visitors to Murcia from abroad represents an increase of 7.6 per cent over 2016.

Within that figure the UK was by far the most important source of international visitors, providing 42.1 per cent of the total, and while the numbers of French and German visitors remained more or less constant there were sharp increases in the figures for both Scandinavia and the Republic of Ireland.

It is also reported that during 2017 the amount of money spent in the Region of Murcia by visitors from abroad increased by 12.6 per cent to just over a billion euros: no discernible “Brexit effect” has been noted in the sector as those coming to the Costa Cálida from the UK accounted for almost 40% of this  figure! The Brits are calculated to have spent over 1.1 million euros per day in Murcia last year, and the amount they spent while here rose by a very significant 12.2 per cent. Again there was also a very significant increase in the amount spent in the Costa Cálida by visitors from Scandinavia!

The long shadow of Alicante-Elche looms large over Corvera airport: after Mariano Rajoy, the president of the Spanish government, confirmed last week that major investments are to be made into improving the access roads and other connections with Alicante-Elche airport, fears re-emerged that the continuing growth of the airport in El Altet could prove a threat to the viability of the new Region of Murcia International Airport in Corvera.

4-star hotel planned in Los Urrutias on the shore of the Mar Menor: the UK-based hotel chain Neilson plans to capitalize on year-round sports tourism in the Costa Cálida, concentrating on water sports but also offering swimming pools and tennis courts in a 150-room establishment.

El Atalayón beach in San Javier prepares to become a boat launch and landing site: this will be the first of four permitted launch ramps for boats and jet-skis on the inland shore of the Mar Menor, and the campaign to eradicate illegal moorings will continue at a later stage with the provision of four more such sites on the La Manga coast of the lagoon.

Historical heritage in the news

Cartagena unveils plans for 1.2-million-euro Roman Forum Museum: another important tourist attraction is in the pipeline in the historic city of Cartagena, with plans for a three-storey underground museum alongside the Molinete hill in the centre of Cartagena, where construction is expected to last approximately a year.

Reconstruction of Argaric dwelling presented at the La Bastida site in Totana: hopes still high for more funding for excavations at one of the most important Bronze Age sites in Europe, following the presentation of a reconstruction of one of the 3,500-year-old homes which at one time were occupied by a population of between 800 and 1,000 in the hills outside Totana.

Lost religious sculpture recovered in Blanca after 80 years: the head of San Roque was snatched from the flames as his body was burnt during the Spanish Civil War, and has now been re-discovered by the town’s chronicler.

Environmental and agricultural news

Environmental recovery program launched to regenerate unused mining land in Murcia: the 10-year program focuses on parts of Cartagena, La Unión and Mazarrón, the aim being to de-contaminate soil where needed in order to safeguard health and eliminate the runoff of harmful substances into the sea and onto farmland.

Water quality in the Mar Menor the best since last July: there have been significant improvements in transparency, turbidity and chlorophyll readings in the Mar Menor, with visibility now reaching an average depth of 2.42 metres, but experts warn that the situation is still susceptible to deterioration. For example, the fact that measurements are far better than a year ago is due largely to the heavy rain and snow falls of December 2016 and January 2017, when floodwater carried large amounts of debris into the lagoon.

Rain and snow brings little in the way of drought relief to Murcia: the reservoirs of the Segura basin are still at under 16 per cent of capacity, with reserves having increased by just 0.4 per cent over the last week.

Murcia fruit growers prepare to export 4,500 tons of Orri mandarins: Spain is the only country in the EU which is allowed to grow the prized Orri mandarin strain, and Murcia is one of the prime regions in this respect!

Desalinated water in the taps of Murcia: what are the implications? Desalinated water is now running from taps in 75 per cent of households in Murcia, and the result is a change in the quality of tap water: find out more about the consequences for residents, visitors and their gardens!

Camposol news

Mazarrón Town Hall to pay 1.4-million-euro Camposol sewage and drainage bill in full: Aqualia will be paid for repair work carried out on the original deficient infrastructures after Alicia it was confirmed this week that the Town Hall will abide by the ruling of the Murcia courts and pay the sum of 1,007,802 euros (plus interest) to the water company Aqualia in respect of the work carried out between 2011 and 2013 on the water supply, sewage and drainage infrastructures. No appeal will be lodged against the court ruling, and the intention is for payment to be included in the budget for 2018.

Provisional agreement to divert the Rambla in Camposol: Flood risks may be averted in future as plans to re-direct the Rambla de los Aznares ought to make it possible to avoid any repeat of the catastrophic flooding in September 2014.

Other items in the Murcia news this week

11-year-old gives birth in Murcia hospital: the youngster was rushed to the Arrixaca suffering severe abdominal pains and was unaware that she was about to become a mother, but after a natural childbirth it emerged that the father of her baby was her 14-year-old brother. Amid widespread debate over a possible review of the law, the regional government decided that both mother and baby should be taken into care while the situation is assessed.

Murcia wine exports up by 13.8 per cent: the UK and the USA are among the main destinations for wine exports from Murcia, while only in Bullas do whites and rosés account for a significant proportion of wine sold abroad.

Driver decapitated by his own car in horrific La Manga del Mar Menor crash: the car crashed into a wall in La Manga at high speed in the early hours of Sunday morning.

Signs of a let-up in the Murcia flu epidemic: the number of new flu being diagnosed is now far lower than a couple of weeks ago, but the total number of victims of the virus this winter has already risen to well over double the number of flu cases reported in the whole of last winter!

4.2 million euros for road improvements in San Javier: road connections between the centre of San Javier and the AP-7 are to be improved, with three projects due for completion by the summer of 2019.

Unemployment in Murcia returns to pre-crisis levels: the rate has dropped by 42 per cent in 4 years, and is now close to the average in Spain.

450,000 euros invested in Mazarrón sports facilities and street improvements: beach volleyball and beach football facilities are to be added to the Media Legua complex at a cost of 271,000 euros.

British Consul in Alicante talks about Brexit in Murcia: Sarah-Jane Morris visited the city of Murcia and Camposol on Tuesday.

Retirement home in Germany for Murcia brown bear! Tvisti the bear was offered for adoption after his case was taken up by animal rights groups, and the sanctuary in Worbis was located the after six animal refuge centres in Spain turned down the opportunity to welcome him to their premises wither due to lack of space or on the grounds that he was “too tame”.

Road signage improved at the end of the RM-3 dual carriageway in Mazarrón: 5,000 vehicles per day, including numerous HGVs, use the roundabout on the RM-332 Mazarrón-Cañada de Gallego road.

First phase of school golf lessons completed in San Javier: golf is proving a popular alternative to PE on the school curriculum for youngsters in San Javier!

Two arrested in connection with Mr Menor holiday chalet burglaries: phones were also snatched from foreign visitors on the seafront in San Pedro del Pinatar.

Pedestrian dies in Murcia after being hit by police motor scooter: the victim, a known drug addict, is reported to have been entirely to blame for the accident.

Minor earthquake in Molina de Segura: a 2.6 Richter tremor near the city of Murcia was followed by two more as the series of quakes continues near Pliego and Aledo.

Rescued griffon vultures rehoused at Terra Natura in Murcia: wing injuries prevent the vultures from being re-released into the wild, and instead they will share an aviary with four other griffins and various other bird species at the wildlife park in Espinardo.

Murcia and Spanish property news

Murcia economists confident of property market growth in 2018: the official College of Economists believe that sales figures will continue to rise and that the construction sector will benefit as a result, but on the other hand it is possible that agriculture in Murcia could suffer the consequences of the on-going drought.

Notaries report December property price increase in Spain: sales figures are up for the 8^th month in a row, although the increase is only slight, but market values rose for both second-hand and new-build properties.

Tinsa report 3.6 per cent annual rise in Spanish property values: January prices were up by 5.1 per cent in major cities in Spain and 4.1 per cent higher in the Balearics and Canaries, while in Mediterranean coastal areas the Tinsa index was 3 per cent higher than in the first month of 2017.

S&P forecast Catalunya property market slump: increased real estate sales are expected in the rest of Spain and Europe, but in Catalunya the political to-ing and fro-ing continues to undermine investor confidence.

Spanish news round-up: Spain suffers in the grip of Arctic weather as the situation in Catalunya becomes ever more complex…

Well, it took some fairly extreme weather conditions to do it, but at last this week the main focus in the Spanish news has been on issues other than the unprecedented political crisis in Catalunya!

Snow falls of over 50 centimetres covered much of central and northern Spain in a blanket of white last weekend, bringing chaos to the roads and delight to the relatively few skiers who were able to make it up to the slopes of the nation’s winter sports resorts, and there was little in the way of a let-up as the week progressed. By mid-week the snow line had dropped to sea level on the northern coast, and when the snow clouds cleared it was only to make way for a bitingly cold polar airstream which sent temperatures plummeting down to below -10ºC in many parts. By Wednesday the lowest figure in Spain was recorded in Cap de Vaquèira, in the Catalan province of Lleida, at 15.9 degrees below zero!

Mention has already been made of the dramatic rescue of a young family in Albacete who endured seven hours trapped in deep snow and temperatures of minus 14, and similar scenes were repeated elsewhere as the high plains of central Spain began to resemble Siberia rather than south-west Europe.

As flight cancellations and rail delays compounded the problems on the roads the Minister for Development and infrastructures convened a “snow crisis cabinet”, and even Mariano Rajoy, the President of the national government, was so impressed by the amount of snow falling at La Moncloa, his official residence, that he posted the above image on his Twitter account!

But away from the weather, even the onset of Arctic conditions could not prevent the separatist majority in the recently elected regional parliament of Catalunya from sailing onwards into previously uncharted political waters, with the latest speculation concerning the possibility of a kind of “dual presidency”. This would consist of Carles Puigdemont, the former president who is in “exile” in Brussels, being named as a “figurehead” leader, and another candidate performing the day-to-day presidential duties in Catalunya itself after being appointed in the parliament in Barcelona.

How this would work, if indeed it would work at all, is unclear, but in the longer term it seems that the intention would be to reform the parliamentary laws of Catalunya in order to make it possible for Sr Puigdemont himself to take over the reins of presidency while still in Brussels at a later date. In the meantime, the name being put forward as a possible “official” president is that of Elsa Artadi, who was elected to the Catalan parliament for the first time in December and has been seen in Brussels with Sr Puigdemont over the last week.

Is hers soon to become the new face of Catalan separatism? The answer may be forthcoming over the next few days…

But in the meantime, Carles Puidemont found time to launch an extraordinarily bitter attack against the hotel owners in the Mar Menor area of Murcia this week. In a gesture of patriotism and support for the Spanish forces of law and order, the members of Hostetur (the organization representing hotels and other tourist accommodation in the Costa Cálida) have offered a weekend of free accommodation in the area on 13^th and 14^th April to 210 officers who served during the disputed independence referendum in Catalunya on 1^st October last year, an act of generosity which appears to have proved intolerable for the former president.  

Tweeting ironically on Thursday he thanked Hostetur for "the deserved homage to the police officers who did everything they could to terrorize, persecute, insult, threaten and beat the citizens of Catalunya on 1^st October”.

“Franco would be very proud”, he added.

It is doubtful whether Carles Puigdemont and the Catalan separatist movement enjoyed much support among hoteliers in La Manga and other Mar Menor municipalities before Thursday, but it can be assumed that any sympathy there might have been has suddenly evaporated, and that the chances of his being offered free hotel accommodation in the area should he return to Spain are so slender as to be negligible!

For more details on these and other items in the Spanish news, scroll down below...

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