Date Published: 06/06/2014

ARCHIVED - Murcia Today Weekly News and Whats on round-up 6th June 2014

A Republican flag flies at Murcia Town Hall and Corvera airport saga rumbles on

Region of Murcia news round-up, 6^th June 2014

ARCHIVED - Murcia Today Weekly News and Whats on round-up 6th June 2014 The news throughout Spain this week has been dominated by the abdication of King Juan Carlos, and in the Region of Murcia as in the rest of the country this sparked off demonstrations calling for a referendum concerning whether the monarchy ought to be scrapped.

IU councillors have draped a Republican flag on one of the balconies of the Town Hall in Murcia, despite instructions from the Mayor not to do so, and it may well be that in the long run these calls are heeded and Spain becomes a Republic for the third time in its history. For the moment, though, the succession is going smoothly and the coronation of Felipe VI will take place on 19^th June without a Holy Mass.

From Tuesday onwards the Spanish language press in Murcia has been filled almost from front to back with coverage of the abdication and eulogies to Juan Carlos and his huge contribution to the establishment of democracy in Spain after the death of Franco, and while this could be due to strongly royalist tendencies ARCHIVED - Murcia Today Weekly News and Whats on round-up 6th June 2014 among Murcia’s journalists it may also be related to a distinct lack of other striking stories during the week.

On Thursday Murcia was one of the thirty provinces in which the police raided homes and business premises to detain over 100 people involved in adulterating low-grade diesel and then selling it as Gasóleo A to unsuspecting motorists at the pumps, and eight arrests were made in the Region.

Elsewhere, though, it really has been a quiet week: the jobless total in the Region has fallen by almost ten per cent over the last twelve months, and in the continuing saga of the new Region of Murcia International Airport at Corvera the latest news is that Aena will continue to demand compensation if nearby San Javier airport is closed down. This could further damage the chances of the government’s scheme to get the new airport up and running by gaining approval for the loan which would make it possible from the EU Commission in Brussels.

The weather has started to hint that summer is with us this week, and on Wednesday the temperature reached an unpleasant 38ºC in the regional capital. If the state meteorological agency are to be believed a hotter summer than usual could well lie in front of us, so make sure the air conditioning’s in full working order ARCHIVED - Murcia Today Weekly News and Whats on round-up 6th June 2014 at home and in the car!

In the world of nature, good news for Murcia’s cherries– this relatively new crop is gaining ground in many areas of the Region – but very bad news for the Barbary sheep of the Sierra Espuña ( the arrui): a systematic cull will reduce their numbers, and those remaining will be confined to very limited areas in order to protect crops adjacent to the regional park.

In La Manga the dangers of gardening were brought to the fore when an unfortunate 80-year-old Swiss amateur gardener was found dead suspended in the harness he had been using to cut back a palm tree, and the British Embassy have issued a reminder to all expats that if they need to renew their passports they must allow extra time as applications are now being processed back in the UK, not Madrid.

And as theres a doleful lack of news in Murcia this week worth reporting, we may as well throw in an additional reminder that if you have visitors coming over this summer, now is the time to make sure they have travel insurance and up to date EHIC cards: a visit to the doctor if they haven´t will wipe a clear 100 euros out of their holiday spending money before they even start.

What’s On, 6^th to 13^th June

First on the agenda this week, a word of warning: Monday is a public holiday in the Region of Murcia to ARCHIVED - Murcia Today Weekly News and Whats on round-up 6th June 2014 mark the anniversary of its inauguration as an Autonomous Community in 1982, and most shops and businesses will be closed for the day.

As for events over the weekend, in Cartagena there are various open days and displays to celebrate Armed Forces day, including a chance to go on board various navy vessels on the main seafront in the port, as well as watch the dog unit display and enjoy the military band concert.

If the onset of warmer weather is bringing on pangs of hunger there are three tapas routes to choose from in the south-east of the Region, in Los Alcázares, La Unión and La Manga (real tapas fans will of course attempt to complete all three in one day), and in Mazarrón a special red tuna event is being held from Friday to Sunday, featuring cooking demonstrations and opportunities to sample the dishes prepared.

Other contrasting forms of entertainment on Friday include a chance to see Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana at the Teatro Romea in the centre of Murcia, and the opening of a beer festival in the centre of Totana which will last until Monday. Lorca’s 2014 vehicle fair also gets under way on Friday and ends on the public holiday on Monday.

San Pedro del Pinatar also celebrates its third annual Bando and talent competition, with open air tapas bars, ARCHIVED - Murcia Today Weekly News and Whats on round-up 6th June 2014 and musical and dance talent shows and concerts over the weekend.

On Saturday there’s a flamenco dance performance in Murcia, and to keep the kids entertained on a visit to the regional capital there’s a special children’s musical in the Auditorio Víctor Villegas coinciding with the Day of the Region of Murcia on Monday. The musical entertainment in Murcia continues on Thursday with the latest in the series of Riversounds concerts on the southern bank of the River Segura and the Murcia Symphony Orchestra performing works by Mendelssohn in the Auditorio. This time of year is perfect for enjoying a late spring evening in the city of Murcia, and these concerts provide a great opportunity to do so.

Elsewhere a charity market is being held in Los Alcázares on Tuesday, and there are local fiestas in Cañada de Gallego from 7^th to 13^th June in the Mazarrón municipality and in El Cañarico ( Alhama de Murcia) from 12^th to 15^th June.

Sports news: football fans may be aware that a minor tournament is apprently being held soon in Brazil, but in the Region of Murcia on Saturday all eyes will be on the Nueva Condomina stadium, where Real Murcia are taking on Real Madrid -Castilla (effectively the Real Madrid B-team) at 18.30. Victory for the Murcia side would ensure their participation in the play-offs for promotion to La Liga itself next season, so this really is a very big game for them: a large crowd is expected, and even those with no affinity for Real Murcia may be interestesd to watch potential future Real Madrid stars in action.

For those looking a little further ahead this is a good time to start thinking about those summer nights to come and the three big music festivals in the region, the San Javier Jazz Festival in San Javier during July and the first week of August, Mar de Músicas in Cartagena in July, then Cante de las Minas and flamenco in August. San Javier tickets are now on sale, with a great selection of acts to choose from, including George Benson, Lee Ritenour, the Family Stone, Lucky Peterson, Pink Turtle, Sole Giménez and Lucrecia, amongst many others. Season tickets offer excellent value for money, and all tickets can be purchased now.

The Mar de Músicas programme is also nearly completed and Cante de las Minas will be on the site in the next couple of days, along with some of the other summer concerts on offer this year.

Spanish news round-up, www.spanishnewstoday.com

The abdication of King Juan Carlos after nearly forty years on the throne occupied most of the country’s ARCHIVED - Murcia Today Weekly News and Whats on round-up 6th June 2014 attention in the early part of this week, with respect for the role he has played in establishing democracy in Spain being tempered by doubts in some quarters over the usefulness of the monarchy in the 21^st century. All over the country peaceful demonstrators took to the streets calling for a referendum on the issue, but even if the republicans are successful in the long run for the time being the coronation of Felipe VI will take place on 19^th June.

With the eyes of the nation focused firmly on Juan Carlos and Felipe, this would have been an ideal week for the government to pass controversial or unpopular legislation, but if they have done so then it has gone unnoticed! Instead there is the likelihood that income tax rates will be cut next year, an sharp increase in consumer confidence, and the unemployment figures for the month of May were a significant step in the right direction, with ARCHIVED - Murcia Today Weekly News and Whats on round-up 6th June 2014 the jobless total falling by over 300,000 over the last twelve months.

Two ongoing stories have continued to feature in the news this week: one is that of Luis Bárcenas, the former PP party treasurer, who has now spent almost a year in prison while the charges against him are being investigated, and this week his allegations concerning other leading figures both inside and outside the party were given more credibility. Another issue which still makes the headlines is the investigations into the causes of the disastrous train crash last summer near Santiago de Compostela, and the latest report completed seems to suggest that the driver’s failure to slow down may be due to his being distracted by a phone call from the controller.

Also in Galicia, the regional government is being caught between the need to protect the area’s population of wolves and the obligation to pay compensation to farmers whose livestock have been attacked, while further east along the north coast of Spain four men were arrested for planting and maintaining an oak forest to ARCHIVED - Murcia Today Weekly News and Whats on round-up 6th June 2014 commemorate and dignify members of ETA who died as a result of their terrorist activities.

The forces of law and order were busy across the country on Wednesday and Thursday as they raided homes and commercial premises in thirty provinces to dismantle organizations which have been tampering with sub-standard diesel fuel to sell it on as A-grade diesel for use in cars at petrol stations. Over hundred arrests have so far been made, and the possibility of more has not yet been ruled out.

Away from the mainland, residents and politicians in the Canary Islands are up in arms over the fuel prospecting which is to be allowed to start 60 kilometres from the archipelago, and in the Balearics a German man was sentenced for a crime committed in 2012, when he was arrested as he sat calmly watching the house from which he had just been evicted burn to the ground, having doused it with gasoline and set fire to it with a lighter.

In the neighbouring region of Valencia one of the most striking stories has been the removal of 23,000 residents from the municipal registers of Torrevieja and Orihuela due to reviews carried out by the country’s central statistics unit. Similar operations are under way all over the country, and there may yet be ramifications for coastal areas of the Region of Murcia as well.

Other items to have featured this week are the havoc caused by a rampaging cow in Santander and the weather: ARCHIVED - Murcia Today Weekly News and Whats on round-up 6th June 2014 a hotter summer than usual is on the cards for the east of the country, and in the longer term a study made in Andalucía suggests that due to rising temperatures and the loss of climatic diversity long-term planning will be needed to guarantee the water supply and ensure that agriculture survives over the next hundred years.

Pride of place, though, has to go to the Town Hall of Brunete in the region of Madrid. By implementing a cunning plan involving a competition for graffiti “artists” they have managed to get the artists themselves to clean up their own paintings. This comes on the back of a successful clean-up campaign in which dog-dirt was delivered to the doors of owners guilty of leaving their pets’ mess in the streets and parks of the town.

If only such creativity and common sense were to be found at all levels of government!

www.valenciatoday.es Valencia News

Across the border in Valencia there have been some interesting stories this week, including the revelations ARCHIVED - Murcia Today Weekly News and Whats on round-up 6th June 2014 that a clean-up of the padrón in Orihuela has meant that the population has suddenly been reduced by 8,000, many of those officially inscribed being wiped off following visits to their registered addresses and finding that the mainly foreign occupants had left, and the same has happened in Torrevieja, Torrevieja has lost 15,000 inhabitants at a stroke, with serious consequences in terms of central government budget subsidies as this pushes the population of the municipality below a certain subsidy level.Joan Collins has now joined the cast of Benidorm, and has been filming in the resort, giving widespread publicity to the 10 million Brits who tune in to watch this madcap comedy representation of expat life on the Spanish Costas and a couple were sent to jail for a year for stealing 10 euros worth of vegetables from a field.

Currency round-up

ARCHIVED - Murcia Today Weekly News and Whats on round-up 6th June 2014 This week currency exchange rates have hit a 16 month best for those changing money from sterling to euros, making Spanish property even better value and giving those who transfer their pensions across to Spain more for their money. If you still use a bank to transfer money, ask for a quote to use a money transfer service, youll be amazed how much more you get for your pounds using this method!

Click for this weeks currency round up showing the exchange rate between Sterling and the Euro.

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