ARCHIVED - Murcia Today News and Whats On Weekly roundup 21st March 2014
The Murcia watermelon case in court, Corvera airport latest, burglaries down and tourists up in Murcia
Will Corvera airport open in 2014?
Not according to the regional press, who started the week with an article questioning the optimism of those who feel that the airport can open in time to take advantage of the autumn flight schedules. Although 
on Friday a small piece appeared indicating that EU Commissioners examining the whole situation relating to the regional government’s plans to help finance the opening of the airport have requested further information about certain points of the proposal, the reality is that there are a significant number of administrative processes which must still be undertaken before the airport can be deemed ready to open, including several vital pieces of paperwork and permissions which are still lacking and cannot be applied for until all the legal processes between the regional government and former concessionary have concluded.
The next flight slot conference allocating flights for the winter period will be held in Abu Dhabi in June 2014, and if ALL of these processes have not been concluded, then Corvera will be unable to apply for its route slots and all routes will be allocated to San Javier and Aena, meaning that even if the airport manages to open in time, commercial flights cannot begin until the next batch of flights, Spring 2015, are allocated. The regional government and concessionary may be willing, but flight slots wait for no-one as the world’s air traffic routes are planned well in advance, and if Corvera isn´t ready, it isn´t ready and can´t be allocated routes. Simple as that.
Tourism is an important industry within Murcia, the combination of residential tourists ( expats buying property to either live here full or part time) and holiday tourism providing plenty of work for the region, so it’s good news this week that the numbers of people working in the tourist sector in Murcia has increased, showing the sector is fairly healthy and continuing to generate opportunity for businesses and workers. Figures released on Friday also show a positive evolution in the numbers of tourists visiting Murcia, the British remaining the biggest international tourists in Murcia.
January house sales figures were a little disappointing, not only for Murcia, but the whole country, with large percentage falls against January last year, the analysts saying that this is mainly due to the fact that there was a big rush at the end of 2012 to buy before the government changed the law and removed fiscal advantages and put up the vat rate. However, the interesting point to emerge from all of the figures released in the last couple of weeks is how important the international markets are down here on the Mediterranean coast and the hard facts that more international buyers are picking up the bargains currently on offer down here in Murcia, which in turn, increases the numbers of “residential tourists” filling up empty properties and buying from expat businesses once again. Good news for all of us.
Staying with tourism, Terra Natura in Murcia welcomed its millionth visitor , although there has been silence 
about our other potential themed park, the Paramount development in Alhama de Murcia, and another park was also in the news, the Islas Hormigas natural marine park off the coast of Cabo de Palos. After weeks of consultation the environmentalists have won the day and numbers of divers allowed to use the park will be tightly restricted. In a way, this is good for expat divers, who tend to have the luxury of being able to dive at any time, unlike the dive schools who rely on the domestic holiday trade when at peak weekends and during the months of the Spanish holiday season there are easily three times as many divers wanting to dive the site as these new regulations will now permit.
But there are many forms of tourism: language tourism is starting to attract increased numbers of foreign students to the region, and cultural tourism is also gearing up ready for the impending Easter holidays and the Semana Santa activities to come. Full programmes for the region are currently being translated and will be posted soon.
Other news includes the current situation regarding water supply: while reservoirs are nearly full due to abundant rain in other parts of Spain which feed into our reservoirs, Murcian farmers growing dry crops are worried due to the lack of natural rainfall on our coastline. Temperatures have been above average this winter, but Murcia has received virtually no rainfall at all, good and bad news at the same time.
We’ve also had reports of a decline in burglaries at the start of this year, and less cats and dogs being picked up off the streets, but again, there is always another side to every story, as the amount of livestock and larger animals such as horses being set loose by their owners who can no longer afford to feed them has increased, and disturbing cases such as the horrific discovery of dead pigs in Calasparra also crop up due to the difficult economic situation.
The economic problems show in tiny ways: this week the regional president has been trying to unblock the refit of the Tramontana submarine in Cartagena to generate much needed work for the local shipyard and many local contractors who rely on it for their livelihood and the regional government has given 20,000 euros to help disadvantaged families pay their rents.
What’s on
However, in spite of the economic crisis, Murcians still know how to go out and enjoy themselves, artisan events eternally popular due to the combination of food, shopping and entertainment for the kiddies they 
normally provide. The biggest event of its kind this week is in Mula, in the north-west, which has a large scale Baroque market on over the weekend, with an accompanying programme of free guided tours of places of interest in the historic town, workshops for the kiddies, open air tavern for the blokes, and a free classical concert inside the convent of San Francisco which can also be visited as part of the guided visits programme. There’s also a tapas route running over the weekend ( the ed can personally recommend the cod with caramelised onions and sultanas served in the corner of the Glorieta, it’s amazing) all providing a good reason to go and visit this fascinating historical town.
There’s also an artisan market in Cehegín, although the bullfighting theme may put off one or two expats, and the artisan co-operative are hosting one of their popular craft events on the Camposol urbanisation in Mazarrón, this time in aid of FAST.
Mazarrón also has its fiestas of San José in the port area with free music during the day and other activities, there’s a guided tour of the castle in Alhama de Murcia, English language guided tours in Murcia and Cartagena, as well as a fashion show in San Pedro del Pinatar.
On the musical front there are some interesting options. Cartagena has the Irish Celtic large scale dance and music show, along the lines of Lord of the Rings ( with 20% discount on tickets for Murcia Today readers) in the El Batel auditorium, as well as a free flamenco recital in the archaeological museum, and the Romería of the Virgen de la Soledad del Calvario, taking participants high up into the Sierra above Cartagena. There’s also the semifinals of the Young Musician of the year throughout next week. Murcia has a ballet flamenco event on Saturday night, the premiére of the latest show from the Ballet Español de Murcia, which fuses the grace of ballet and the passion of flamenco to create a dynamic yet sensuous dance form which is very popular with expats, and Murcia also has a cycle of jazz, with Eliane Elias in Murcia and Maceo Parker to follow.
And there are plenty of cracking acts in expat bars in the week to come, see the what’s on section
Residents may also find an event being run on the 27th March on the Camposol urbanisation in Mazarrón by Ábaco of interest, answering questions about inheritance tax, making wills in Spain, making tax returns in Spain and also about the subsidised holiday programme run by the Spanish government for pensioners, Imserso. The event is free, no hard sell, and participants even get a cup of tea and a cup cake as well as the straightforward answers to lots of issues.
Active Murcia
Lorca is hosting a major rally event, although details are currently very sketchy about where the actual driving 
will take place and volunteers are sought for a day in the Mar Menor to help repopulate an area between Los Nietos and Los Urrutias with native plants.
There are also plenty of walks on offer over the weekend and moving into next week.
Where to eat Murcia
Tapas routes are a good way of flushing out those hidden bars and gastronomic treasures. This weekend there are tapas routes in Mula, Puerto de Mazarrón, Cieza and Totana.
Currency round-up
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.
News and what’s on across the border in the Valencia region
www.valencia today.es
Valencia Today produces its own, dedicated weekly news and what’s on round-up, highlighting the important news stories and events. ( Click to go to Valencia Today bulletin page) .After all the excitement of the fallas, things have calmed down this week, although there are plenty of activities on offer. Amongst these are the Mediaeval market in Pilar de la Horadada, the Tapas route in Orihuela, the Jazz festival in Rojales, the same flamenco ballet premiere as in Murcia with the Ballet Español de Murcia, as well as plenty of orchestral and choral performances in Torrevieja.
Spanish News round-up www.spanishnewstoday.com
British citizens living in Spain who are thinking about returning to the UK or going on holiday elsewhere this summer are advised to check expiry dates on their passports due to the changes in procedure for applying for new or replacement passports. This week the British Embassy have advised that prices for passports have been reduced due to the new procedures, but have emphasised the length of time required to update your passport as you will no longer be able to pop up to the consulate if time is running short.
Illegal immigrants on Morocco-Spain border
This week the situation in Melilla has continued to feature heavily in the news, with the biggest assault ever on the border between Spain and Morocco. Extra police have been drafted in as the exclaves wait with baited breath to see what’s coming next, all indications being that word has spread that police are no longer using anti-riot measures following the deaths in Ceuta when 15 people drowned and crossing the borders can now be achieved using sheer weight of numbers. It’s a worrying situation both for the Moroccan and Spanish authorities as the numbers waiting for their chance start to grow.
Another story relating to Morocco is that of the Andalucian fishermen still confined to port as they wait for King Mohammed VI to sign the fishing agreement which will once again allow them back into Moroccan waters, agreed in November, yet still waiting for signature. Frustratingly, the document has been in his in-tray since 12th February.
The sea has been a common link for many stories this week, as divers attempted to recover the 6 missing bodies from the wreck of fishing boat Santa Ana which sunk last week. After a frustrating week of poor weather, and having to cut a hole in the side of the boat to try and release the debris inside, only four bodies were recovered, meaning two are still missing. The search continues. And at the same time, four more bodies are now being sought after a military helicopter on a training exercise plunged into the sea off the Canary Islands.
In the same area tests are underway to trial a new form of wave powered generator which may provide a practical and inexpensive way of harnessing wave power, and customs have a had a busy week intercepting 15,000 kilos of hashish in just one haul off the Andalucía coastline.
Courts have been as busy as ever, although in Almería they’re clearing out hundreds of thousands of records to make space in municipal archives which are overwhelmed by the sheer volumes of paperwork they’re holding, while in Murcia the “Murcia watermelons case” is a perfect example of why the court systems are so cumbersome, slow and totally overwhelmed with appeals and counter-appeals, all generating……lots of pointless paperwork.
Police have launched a new initiative relating to the “Spain’s stolen babies” cases, saying that the difficulty in obtaining proof due to a combination of factors, including the fact that most of the records are to be found in a paper format, and the absence of living witnesses, means that not one case of a baby actually being stolen has yet been proven, in spite of the high profile this situation has achieved on a worldwide basis.
The Caso Gürtel has also been in the headlines as the alleged ringleaders refuse to give evidence in court, saying they have “lost confidence” in the proceedings.
ETA has remained in the headlines this week as Archbishop Desmond Tutu wades into the argument, making comments which will be welcomed by the Spanish Government like a hole in the head, saying that both the government and ETA should show themselves willing to make concessions and work together to achieve a lasting settlement.
Economic forecasts for Spain have been positive this week, Morgan Stanley revising their forecasts for economic growth in Spain upwards, in spite of Spanish public debt reaching another record high.
And the tourist industry is continuing to deliver excellent results, figures released on Friday morning showing a positive tendency, with nearly 12% increase in the numbers of foreign visitors in just the first 2 months of the year, and foreigners remain an important market for the property market, the numbers of foreign buyers picking up Spanish property, once again making an important dent in the numbers of properties sold.
A more detailed Spanish news round-up is produced by the Spanish News Today product, Click to This week the situation in Melilla has continued to feature heavily in the news, with the biggest assault ever on the border between Spain and Morocco. Extra police have been drafted in as the exclaves wait with baited breath to see what’s coming next, all indications being that word has spread that police are no longer using anti-riot measures following the deaths in Ceuta when 15 people drowned and crossing the borders can now be achieved using sheer weight of numbers. It’s a worrying situation both for the Moroccan and Spanish authorities as the numbers waiting for their chance start to grow. Another story relating to Morocco is that of the Andalucian fishermen still confined to port as they wait for King Mohammed VI to sign the fishing agreement which will once again allow them back into Moroccan waters, agreed in November, yet still waiting for signature. Frustratingly, the document has been in his in-tray since 12th February. The sea has been a common link for many stories this week, as divers attempted to recover the 6 missing bodies from the wreck of fishing boat Santa Ana which sunk last week. After a frustrating week of poor weather, and having to cut a hole in the side of the boat to try and release the debris inside, only four bodies were recovered, meaning two are still missing. The search continues. And at the same time, four more bodies are now being sought after a military helicopter on a training exercise plunged into the sea off the Canary Islands. In the same area tests are underway to trial a new form of wave powered generator which may provide a practical and inexpensive way of harnessing wave power, and customs have a had a busy week intercepting 15,000 kilos of hashish in just one haul off the Andalucía coastline. Courts have been as busy as ever, although in Almería they’re clearing out hundreds of thousands of records to make space in municipal archives which are overwhelmed by the sheer volumes of paperwork they’re holding, while in Murcia the “Murcia watermelons case” is a perfect example of why the court systems are so cumbersome, slow and totally overwhelmed with appeals and counter-appeals, all generating……lots of pointless paperwork. Police have launched a new initiative relating to the “Spain’s stolen babies” cases, saying that the difficulty in obtaining proof due to a combination of factors, including the fact that most of the records are to be found in a paper format, and the absence of living witnesses, means that not one case of a baby actually being stolen has yet been proven, in spite of the high profile this situation has achieved on a worldwide basis. The Caso Gürtel has also been in the headlines as the alleged ringleaders refuse to give evidence in court, saying they have “lost confidence” in the proceedings. ETA has remained in the headlines this week as Archbishop Desmond Tutu wades into the argument, making comments which will be welcomed by the Spanish Government like a hole in the head, saying that both the government and ETA should show themselves willing to make concessions and work together to achieve a lasting settlement. Economic forecasts for Spain have been positive this week, Morgan Stanley revising their forecasts for economic growth in Spain upwards, in spite of Spanish public debt reaching another record high. And the tourist industry is continuing to deliver excellent results, figures released on Friday morning showing a positive tendency, with nearly 12% increase in the numbers of foreign visitors in just the first 2 months of the year, and foreigners remain an important market for the property market, the numbers of foreign buyers picking up Spanish property, once again making an important dent in the numbers of properties sold. A more detailed Spanish news round-up is produced by the Spanish News Today product, Click to see weekly round-up page." target="_blank">see weekly round-up page.
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