Date Published: 07/03/2014

ARCHIVED - Murcia Today news and what’s on round-up 7th March

Accusations of bribery leave Murcia short of presidential candidates

ARCHIVED - Murcia Today news and what’s on round-up 7th March This week there has been no new news relating to the Corvera airport situation, other than a report published by economists in the region saying that the airport is of less economic importance to the region than construction of a new macro shipping container port in the El Gorguel Bay area of Cartagena, as well as the arrival of the Mediterranean Corridor rail freight line, which will open up greater opportunities to export goods from this region. At the moment an environmental study has thrown a spanner in the proverbial works with regards to El Gorguel, as indeed it has with the other strategic project mentioned, Marina de Cope, a huge macro complex which has also been stalled by ecologists on the Águilas coastline.

There has also been no further news on the Paramount park project in Alhama, although Jesús Samper himself has been in the news as his Real Murcia football club teeters on the verge of bankruptcy, following the decision of Hacienda to embargo TV rights payments, a move which has apparently made it difficult to even meet day to day commitments and the wages of staff and players.

ARCHIVED - Murcia Today news and what’s on round-up 7th March It’s been rather a negative, flat week to be honest, with few silver linings. The whole subject of who will become the President of the Murcia Region has been thrown up in the air, following the decision of the Supreme Court to continue investigating the current regional minister for education, who is under investigation for alleged bribery. This has left the ruling PP with a distinct lack of credible candidates, given the fact that the current premier, Ramón Luis Valcárcel is about to retire, hopefully to take up a position in Europe after the European elections.
Although meetings have been underway this week to resolve the situation, national PP are reported to be unhappy about the prospect of a candidate under investigation for bribery being put forward for the regional presidency, given the level of discontent nationally about the subject( corruption was the second topic which most worried the Spanish according to this month’s CIS public feedback survey) and the high profile corruption cases which dominate the national media, such as the Caso Bárcenas, Caso Gürtel and Caso Nóos.

Corruption scandals have also been back in the regional news this week, as another ex-regional minister is dragged into the unwelcome public spotlight, called to answer questions about bribery, influence peddling and perversion of justice relating to the vast Novo Carthago development which was to have been built along the shores of the Mar Menor. (economic crisis stalled the construction).

Another politician has also been in the limelight, a Jumilla councillor making the national press after dressing up as a statue of the Virgin Mary during the local carnival procession. The outrage became a trending topic on the social networks and resulted in the story appearing in the national papers, much to the fury of local religious leaders who were less than amused.

ARCHIVED - Murcia Today news and what’s on round-up 7th March At the end of last week it was announced nationally that the centimo sanitario, a tax applied to fuel by regional governments had been ruled illegal by the European Court of Human Rights, meaning that all those businesses who use a lot of fuel and can provide tax bills can claim back this extra tax. So if you think you use sufficient fuel to warrant making a claim, get in touch with your accountant and ask, it could well be worth the effort.

Other legislation which came into effect this week was the implementation of the new law relating to the use of olive oil bottles in restaurants. From 1st March, all restaurants MUST use sachets of olive oil or bottles which cannot be refilled on their tables, so if you own a restaurant or bar, make sure you comply, as there are steep fines for those who do not abide by this law.

It’s also important this week to remind readers about the dangers of processionary caterpillars which are now falling from the trees in their thousands, as these can kill dogs or cats and cause serious problems for humans as well, and also to highlight that reports are coming in of increased pollen levels, sparking off the normal spring allergies. The dry weather and wind aren´t helping, so if you start to suffer from dry coughing, sore eyes or respiratory difficulties, go to the doctors, as there are excellent allergy clinics here which can help to minimise the problem.

On the positive side, the north-west of the region now has a major new mains gas pipeline, which was switched on this week, unemployment fell in the region at the end of February and the Santa Lucia hospital in Cartagena has taken delivery of the latest high tech breast cancer screening machine.

What’s on Murcia
This weekend the last of the carnival parades and celebrations take place. Águilas has the parade of external ARCHIVED - Murcia Today news and what’s on round-up 7th March peñas on Friday and then the last grand parade of the Águila peñas on Saturday night. San Javier also has its big Sunday afternoon parade in Santiago de la Ribera, Alhama de Murcia has its adults parade on Saturday, as does Cehegín in the north-west, Cabo de Palos has a local carnival day for the kiddies on Saturday and Totana holds its El Paretón parade.

ARCHIVED - Murcia Today news and what’s on round-up 7th March For those who like to shop, Torre Pacheco is holding a 3 day Outlet shopping event in the town centre, with lots of bargains, there’s a Saturday artisan market in Puerto de Mazarrón, and on Sunday, Mula in the north-west is holding its monthly Mercadillo de las 4 plazas artisan market in the old quarter of the town centre. The tourist office are also offering free guided tours and as an extra incentive, the town has a tapas route running for the next 5 weekends, with tapas and a drink at just 2 euros. Mula is well known for its excellent tapas and is an interesting place to spend a morning out, the old quarter crammed with historic buildings, churches and the El Cigarralejo museum.

ARCHIVED - Murcia Today news and what’s on round-up 7th March There’s also a tapas route in Mazarrón, one in Totana and another in Santiago de la Ribera.
Next week there are some excellent concerts looming, and the Ed would particularly like to highlight Vicente Amigo, a flamenco master who is performing his soulful flamenco-celtic album Tierra in Murcia next week, there’s also Opera at El Batel in Cartagena with Turandot and four cracking Jazz concerts coming up in Murcia, the first of which is the Colina Miralta Sambeat Trio.

Active Murcia
This weekend British superbike riders are participating in track days at the Cartagena speed circuit. Public are welcome to come along and watch for free.

ARCHIVED - Murcia Today news and what’s on round-up 7th March In La Unión there’s a big volunteer clean-up day taking place, all extra pairs of hands are welcome.
San Pedro del Pinatar hosts a day in the Salinas regional park focusing on the techniques used by plants to survive, Moratalla has a 16km yomp on offer, and Totana based walkers can also join in with their next day outing. There is a Monday walk with the Mariposa in the Sierra Espuña and Alhama de Murcia have also opened up their first two walks in the Sendalhama series for pre-registration. Places are very limited, so if you want to join in with one of their free walks, book quickly as places tend to go fast.

The Mar Menor sailing association start their new season next weekend, so if you want to go sailing, but haven´t got a buddy or even a boat, get in touch, there are plenty of opportunities to get involved. Next weekend there is also the “Walk on the barkside” raising funds for animal rescue with Cruzazul, so get that dog on a lead and join in.

Spanish National News
This week’s news began last Thursday when the European Court of Human Rights ruled that the application of the céntimo sanitario was illegal. This is a tax all of us who have purchased fuel in most of Spain have ARCHIVED - Murcia Today news and what’s on round-up 7th March been paying, some of us for 10 years, others for less, depending on the autonomous Community (region) in which the fuel was purchased. The government must now give this money back, so any businesses who can produce fuel bills for the fuel purchased can claim back the money, as can any private individuals who habitually keep fuel bills. At over 4 cents a litre, for some businesses, this will be a big windfall. Talk to your accountant and state your intention to claim, although at the moment, it is still early days and no clear guidelines have been issued as to the standard format to follow.

Staying with vehicles, positive car sales are boosting optimism in the automobile industry, and this week Plan Aire 3 came into effect, offering subsidies for the purchase of commercial vehicles, motorbikes and scooters, which is in addition to Plan PIVE 5 which gives private buyers 2000 euros discount on new vehicles, so if you’re considering changing in a vehicle, ask your dealer for these discounts.

The main news story which has totally dominated the media this week is the ongoing border problems in Melilla and Ceuta. The biggest assault so far took place this week, and in spite of 100km/h winds, other desperate individuals tried to enter Spain by sea. The immigrant transit centre is now at more than three times its capacity, and the Spanish Interior Minister went on a 2 day inspection visit to the exclaves to talk to police trying to man these borders, the Moroccan authorities and visit the sites where the most ferocious assaults continue to take place. Extra personnel have been drafted in, more money committed to reinforcing border security and talks scheduled to try and speed up the repatriation process.

Corruption continues to preoccupy the media, and this week corruption has been highlighted as the subject about which most Spaniards are concerned, only following unemployment. However, while unemployment figures continue to evolve positively, more details emerge about the major corruption cases currently wending their way through the courts, three bars of chocolate providing vital proof which could help to send the husband of Royal Princess Cristina to jail as the Caso Nóos investigations continue.

ARCHIVED - Murcia Today news and what’s on round-up 7th March Bail has also been refused for 11 of the suspects arrested in the “boiler room frauds” case which made British TV last weekend, the suspects involved part of a massive fraud network which also included individuals in the UK, targeting vulnerable pensioners to rob them of their savings with fake investment opportunities.

The weather generated a lot of column inches earlier in the week as storms continued to wreak havoc on northern coastal regions, washing up an unusually high number of dead dolphins and puffins from the UK who had been unable to fish due to the stormy conditions out in the Bay of Biscay and died of starvation.

There are plenty more stories on the Spanish News Today site, including details of some concerts we’ve snuffled out featuring top UK and international artists performing in Spain this year which expats might like to see, so if you fancy Tom Jones, Lady Gaga, James Arthur, Pet Shop Boys, Iron Maiden, One Direction, Robert Plant or maybe, just maybe the Rolling Stones, have a look in the Cultural section of the Spanish News Today site for details.

There are also some interesting exhibitions and events for culture vultures on offer in the same section.
A more detailed round-up of Spanish news stories and this week’s property news round-up can be found on the Spanish News Today weekly bulletin page, where readers can view the bulletin or sign up to receive it.

www.valenciatoday.es
ARCHIVED - Murcia Today news and what’s on round-up 7th March Valencia Today now produces its own more detailed weekly news bulletin and what’s on round-up. This week the bulletin includes details of the adjudication of the management contract for Castellón airport, which may finally mean the “ghost airport” is on its way to opening, details about the new IKEA store opening soon in the Valencia region and the bid of Alicante airport to top 10 million visitors this year.
Click Valencia Today to go to the Valencia bulletin page

ARCHIVED - Murcia Today news and what’s on round-up 7th March Click for this weeks currency round up showing the exchange rate between Sterling and the Euro. If you would like a free quote to see how much can be saved on regular currency transfers such as a pension, or one-off lump sums such as the purchase of a property, call for a no obligation quote.

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