ARCHIVED - Murcia Today Weekly News Round up W/E 13/09/2015
Murcia Today weekly news round-up
Torrential downpours on Monday signalled a rather wet start to the week, but although the Murcia region was given another good wash-off on Monday it escaped the torrential downpours which killed 4 in neighbouring Andalucía to one side and substantial flooding to the other in Benidorm, Torrevieja and Orihuela in the Alicante province. Although emergency services were kept busy pumping out basements in affected areas, ramblas did their job effectively and most of the water flowed out into the sea without causing too much harm.
The agricultural sector welcomed the storms, although maintaining the stance that the rains would do little to alleviate the drought of the last few months. D.O Bullas wine producers however, were delighted with the last minute rains, predicting that this late spot of rain could help them to push their harvest over the five million kilo mark.
Murcia prepares to welcome Syrian immigrants
The migrant crisis assailing Europe continued this week and on Wednesday the Spanish government rather 
reluctantly accepted that it must take its share of the tens of thousands of refugees fleeing war in Syria. Spain will now accept just over 17,000 refugees, and although it’s not yet clear how many will be allocated to the region, several councils have come forward and offered to take in Syrian families, Murcia City, Yecla, Mazarrón, Cartagena, Molina de Segura and Archena amongst them. Operación Acogida( Operation welcome) is now underway and preparations are being made to house the refugees allocated to the region and help them to build a new life away from the destruction in their homeland.
Meanwhile illegal immigrants from Africa continued to arrive along the Spanish coastline, nine of them intercepted off the Murcian coastline, an unusual situation as most tend to choose the shorter routes which bring them in further up the coast in Andalucía.
Fake builder arrested in Mar Menor
Police have made several major arrests this week, one of which was a fake builder who defrauded at least 11,000 euros from his victims by taking deposits for jobs which he failed to begin. He advertised in both 
English and Spanish using flyers and social media, so police say there may well be other victims who have not yet come forward. He was known to be working in the Mar Menor area, with known victims in San Javier and San Pedro del Pinatar, although was picked up in Los Alcázares, the situation highlighting just how important it is to be careful who you invite into your home and the importance of making sure all tradesmen contracted are fully legal.
Police also arrested employees of a construction company car maintenance department who swindled their bosses out of an estimated 700,000 euros by putting in invoices for car parts which didn´t exist: money billed by a parts supplier who didn´t even supply the materials was split between the mechanics and the parts supplier. Also in the news was a metal detecting enthusiast who was caught selling artifacts dug up in the region, some of which were looted from archaeological sites and on Saturday police ended up with 1,000 kilos of hashish after pursuing a boat from 30km out at sea onto the beach of Cabo de Palos, finally catching up with the driver after a chase on foot across the rugged coastline.
Corvera airport update
There have been various other bits and bobs of news this week including a submarine training exercise off the Murcian coastline, Fortuna council clamping down on breakfast breaks and Ecuadorian sailors 
welcoming the public onto their vessel, although in general it’s been very quiet, the only other story which will be of interest to ex-pats being the latest news regarding Corvera airport.
This week non-Spanish speakers could be forgiven for thinking something major had happened regarding the airport as both the main Spanish regional media have produced lengthy pieces about the situation at Corvera airport. However, the only “new news” is that the inventory has been completed at the unopened airport enabling the regional authorities to negotiate with the former concessionary who built the airport at Corvera but failed to open it and within the next few days the contract for preparing a new business plan will be put out to tender. This is the document upon which companies interested in bidding for the concession to run the airport will base their calculations, taking into account current traffic through San Javier, and existing market conditions.
San Javier is currently running at almost half the passenger level during the period when Polaris World was busy building the golf resorts which now provide so much of the tourism traffic from foreign nationals visiting the region and Alicante airport has also opened its new terminal, attracting considerably more traffic than San Javier. The hoped-for Paramount Park has failed to materialise and the mega-complex at Marina de Cope in Águilas fell foul of environmental planning laws, meaning that around a million passengers will be using San Javier this year, and the projected three million passengers which would have made Corvera viable will not be materialising any time soon.
Click Corvera airport latest for the full information
Murcia property news
During those years of peak building the majority of property changing hands in Murcia was new build, but 
figures released this week show that new build properties now only account for 18.8% of all property sales.
Murcia reports a mixed bag of results for July, as sales during the month were actually lower than July last year, but it must be pointed out that July last year was exceptionally good, and that the 12 month running total shows an increase of 6.3% in the cumulative figures, so sales are in fact, up so far this year.
However, prices appear to be stabilising in Murcia and apartment prices are actually 1.9% higher on average now than they were twelve months ago, showing that at last the market is starting to head in the right direction.
Property is now at bargain basement prices once again, meaning that for those with cash to spend there are some exceptional properties on offer for very little money.
Exchange rates remain favourable for those changing sterling to euros, so if you’d like to see a selection of properties for sale across the Murcia Region, from a number of different agents and private vendors, go to www.murciapropertypage.com
Spanish national news
Catalan Independence dominates the news
Catalan Independence has dominated the news this last week and looks set to do so until the 26th September when regional elections are held to choose the regional government for the next four years. The 
Spanish media have been undertaking a series of opinion polls to try and gauge the mood of the public towards the whole issue of Cataluña splitting off from Spain as a separate “nation” as these elections are being positioned as a vote for independence by the current regional premier Artur Mas.
This week Cataluña( often called Catalonia or Catalunya in foreign language media) held its annual regional day, the Diada, with the focus on pro-separatist manifestations and nationalist demonstrations, viewed very much as a statement of intent for the forthcoming elections. Although less people participated in pro-separatist demonstrations, the polls seem to indicate that those calling for a separate Catalan nation are more numerous than those preferring to remain within the framework of Spain, although the complicated political situation in Cataluña means that even if the “pro-independence” movements win the day the result will be far from emphatic and four years of inter-party bickering is likely to ensue as Artur Mas continues to push for Cataluña to establish itself as an independent state.
The economic implications for an independent Cataluña are far-reaching, and the business world is watching these elections anxiously as a strong push towards independence could signal a period of instability in Spain. National elections are due to take place here at the end of the year and the central Spanish government remains committed to maintaining a firm grip on Cataluña, as well as the other areas of Spain which have also been seeking independence for many years, namely the Basque Country, Galicia and Navarra.
The battle for Catalan independence is also being closely watched by other areas in the world where independence is a hot topic: this week, as the Northern Ireland Peace Process hit yet another rocky patch, Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams publicly expressed his support for Catalan Independence. And even with the seat still warm after Queen Elizabeth II chose Scotland to carry out her public engagements on the day in which she became Britain’s longest-serving monarch, Scottish nationalist leader Nicola Sturgeon announced that “triggers” for a second independence referendum would be included in her party’s manifesto for the 2016 Scottish election.
Basque separatism still an issue in Spain
It’s now five years since the Basque separatist terrorist group ETA called a ceasefire, but the conundrum of how to treat members and former members is a difficult one. One example of this is Antonio Troitiño. Despite originally being sentenced to a total of 2,700 years in prison for his involvement in various killings, he was released as a result of the Parot doctrine being reversed and promptly fled under a false identity to the UK.
His haste in leaving Spain was vindicated when an order for his re-arrest was issued, and since he was found in London in 2012 efforts to extradite him have been ongoing. These efforts, though, have failed again and again as administrative shortcomings and errors lead to the High Court in London rejecting the procedures, and this week Troitiño won another reprieve when a last-minute appeal was admitted denying the Spanish authorities a chance to try him by video-conference from London. Attempts continue to extradite him.
Although ETA is no longer undertaking terrorist activity ( but still exists) the campaign for Basque independence continues, albeit on a political front, following a similar path to that undertaken by Sinn Fein in Ireland. EH Bildu is the political platform formed by former members of Batasuna, which in turn was known as the political wing of ETA, and has gained substantial support in town halls within the Basque Country and Navarra where a war of defiance against the Spanish government manifests in refusals to fly the Spanish flag, display images of the King in town halls as required by law and in constant acts of minor provocation: this week four residents of Lumbier (Navarra), two of them councillors representing EH Bildu, have been charged with exalting terrorism during local fiestas for displaying a banner and reading a manifesto supporting ETA prisoners.
Another topless protest in parliament
Another issue which refuses to die down is that of abortion. In the eyes of many people the pro-abortionists won their prolonged battle against the government when plans to make the voluntary interruption of pregnancy practically impossible in Spain were scrapped, and in the end the only alteration being made is that in future 16- and 17-year-olds who wish to abort will have to obtain parental consent in order to do so. However, for the activists of Femen even this is unacceptable, and one member of the group this week decided that the best way to make her views known was to shout slogans in the Senate while dressed only in red-stained underwear: she achieved her aim of making the front pages of the press, but her protest came too late for the change in the law to be retracted.
Immigration
As is the case throughout Europe at the moment, the topic of immigrants and refugees is very much in the news in Spain. President Mariano Rajoy has announced, albeit with some reluctance, that the government 
will accept the quota of almost 15,000 refugees from Syria, Iraq and Eritrea which has been allocated to this country by the European Commission. This figure comes on top of the quota which was previously requested earlier in the year, bringing the total to over 17,000.
Realistically, Sr Rajoy’s hands are tied on this issue, firstly because he is in no position to defy the EC, and secondly by the weight of public opinion. The rising immigrant death toll in the Mediterranean and the emotional shock wave caused by the photographs of Aylan Kurdi have led to almost unanimous calls for the country’s borders to be opened to those fleeing conflict zones, and countless Town Halls across the country, including those of Madrid and Barcelona, have stated their willingness to welcome refugees prior to the distribution of those who come to Spain being decided.
At the same time, though, the President is not alone in pointing out that Spain already faces the problem of numerous illegal immigrants entering the country across the Mediterranean or via the north- African enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla. During the last week a border crossing point in Melilla was closed by the Moroccan authorities when a crowd of Syrians gathered at the entry point, a man drowned while attempting to swim into Ceuta, and various boats were intercepted between Africa and Andalucía. Similarly, at least 200 people were intercepted while attempting to stow away on trucks and fairground equipment being shipped back to the mainland from Melilla after the annual fair.
One of the tragic aspects of the immigration issue in Spain is that many of those who make it into this country end up living in extremely poor conditions once they are here as they have no legal work papers. This was illustrated again during the recent flooding following the weekend storms in the province of Granada, where three of the four victims were Lithuanian and Russian immigrants who were living rough in a water deposit when the flash flood hit, and were washed kilometres down a natural flood channel before their bodies were recovered.
Even those who are intercepted as they make their way into Spain illegally are often so badly treated that the Spanish themselves are calling for improvements, and again the events of the last week serve to illustrate this: in Valencia, while on the one hand the Town Hall has announced that the unused Formula 1 facilities could be used to welcome Syrians, on the other hand the inmates at the Zapadores immigrant detention centre in the city staged a rooftop mutiny and attempted breakout in protest against conditions.
In the light of all this it’s not surprising that there are concerns about the number of immigrants and refugees being accepted by Spain, and even the Bishop of Córdoba, who last week said that even the Episcopal Palace would be made available to refugees if necessary, reiterated that this is only a stopgap solution. The problem won’t go away, he says, until conflicts are resolved and individuals are no longer forced to free their homelands, and while Mariano Rajoy grits his teeth and accepts the new EC quotas he will be among the national leaders promoting efforts to put an end to the conflicts which care causing people to become refugees in the first place.
Today EU ministers meet to thrash out an agreement on the numbers of immigrants each country will accept, enforced quotas which many of the newer, and poorer countries within the EU are opposed to.
Drones in the news
The issue of drones has been in the news on two fronts over the last few days. Firstly, the Town Hall of 
Madrid has announced that a 200,000-euro order for six unmanned drones has been cancelled because a change in the law means that they cannot be used for monitoring and surveillance purposes in urban areas, and secondly because the Ministry of Defence has set aside 171 million euros for the purchase of state-of-the-art American or Israeli military drones over the next five years for the use of the Spanish military. These can fly at altitudes of over 10,000 metres for more than 24 hours, and are similar to those which are being used by the USA in the fight against Jihadism.
Scandal follows businessmen to his grave
José María Ruiz-Mateos may not be a name which is familiar to many non-Spanish readers, but for anyone who has followed the Spanish press over the last three or four decades this flamboyant empresario and president of Rayo Vallecano football club will be sad to hear of his passing, if only because he livened up the news from time to time. Perhaps best remembered for inexplicably dressing as Superman while in charge at Rayo and for punching Miguel Boyer, the Minister for the Economy, in the face, Ruiz-Mateos died on 7th September and was buried in his native Rota, in the province of Cádiz.
Even that couldn’t keep him out of the news for long, though, and last week a Madrid judge ruled that his remains cannot be cremated just hours after he was buried His family, having at no point had any plans to cremate the deceased, were surprised to say the least, but the judge in question was anxious to ensure that if necessary a DNA sample can be taken in order to decide the outcome of an ongoing paternity suit which was filed against Sr Ruiz-Mateos just before his death.
New Spanish judicial year begins after summer break
In many EU countries the beginning of a new judicial year would not be considered much of a news item, but in Spain the return of the country’s leading judges to the courts after the summer break has been eagerly awaited due to the plethora of high-profile cases which are scheduled to take place over the next ten months.
The one which will almost certainly feature most in the headlines is the Nóos case, in which it is almost certain that Princess Cristina, the sister of King Felipe VI, will become the first direct relative of a reigning monarch ever to stand trial in Spain.
However, at least some of the limelight will be deflected from Cristina by the first trial in the Gürtel corruption case, where one of the accused is former PP party treasurer Luis Bárcenas. Over the last couple of years it’s been very hard to keep Sr Bárcenas out of the news, and this week he was again on the front pages when a judge turned down his appeal to be allowed to take 600 euros per month out of his bank accounts, which have been embargoed, in order to cover living expenses: if he can afford to go on holiday, the judge’s argument runs, he can afford to pay for the weekly shopping.
Other cases scheduled to come to court over the next few months include those related to the El Algarrobico hotel in the province of Almería, the forced redundancy irregularities in Andalucía (in which two former 
regional presidents are among the accused) and, astonishingly, the compensation claimed by thalidomide victims and their families, a matter which has still not been satisfactorily resolved in Spain 52 years after the drug was taken out of circulation.
And finally….. a load of bull
Bulls refuse to leave the headlines in Spain and as we enter the Autumn Feria season bullfights are a common sight. This week one of the most controversial bull-related events of the year takes place, the Toro do la Vega in Vallladolid. In spite of 120,000 people signing the petition this year and an estimated 100,000 supporting the protest in Madrid against the event this weekend, Rompesuelas will become the next victim of a bullhunt on foot and horseback in Castilla y León on the 15th. But just as thousands campaign to stop bullfighting, protestors also took to the streets this weekend to support it, and in Valladolid 5,000 people supported a protest demanding the right to fight if they wanted to.(see above story)
There are many more stories in the Spanish News Today portal, including more local news stories for the major areas of Andalucía, Madrid, Cataluña, Valencia region and Northern Spain, together with comprehensive UK and International news and sports coverage.
Click for Spanish News Today
Spanish Property news round-up
There has been plenty of good news over the last week in the Spanish property market, adding further weight to the widely held conviction that the long-lasting slump is finally over and a period of prolonged stability and 
gradual growth lies ahead.
This renewed confidence in Spanish real estate was once again reflected by the official sales figures for the month of July, when the number of residential properties changing hands was 13.9% higher than in the same month last year at 32,714. As has become the norm, the busiest regional market was in the Comunidad Valenciana, where there were 125 transactions per 100,000 inhabitants, and the extent to which coastal areas with large numbers of non-Spanish buyers are leading the way is reflected by the fact that the other regions with figures of over 100 were Andalucía, the Balearics and the Canary Islands. Only in three of the country’s 17 Autonomous Communities were there fewer sales this July than last year.
At the same time, Spain’s central statistics unit reports that during the second quarter of this year prices across the country rose by 4.2%, and ended June 4% higher than twelve months previously. This is the fifth quarter in a row when prices have been observed to be on their way up, and better news still is that although there is some variation from region to region the same phenomenon is reported throughout the country. The cautious analysts at leading valuation firm Tinsa don’t share the opinion that prices are increasing just yet, reporting a year-to-year drop of 0.9% in August, but they too are convinced that stability and recovery are just around the corner.
At a more local level, Barcelona property specialists Forcadell are unequivocal in their positive forecast for the market in Spain’s second largest city. Both demand and prices are rising steadily if not dramatically, they assert, and although there is some variation among the different districts, with more buoyancy observable in the areas closer to the Mediterranean, they are confident enough in the situation to predict an upsurge in residential construction within the next eighteen months.
All over the country, in fact, interest in building new homes is beginning to return, as the real possibility of attractive returns on investment causes developers to begin contemplating a return to the market. In the first eight months of this year it is reported that almost 11,000 new construction companies were created in Spain, with the amount invested in share capital being 92% higher than in the equivalent period in 2014 at 1,800 million euros. Of course the construction sector of the Spanish economy is still dormant compared to the situation of seven or eight years ago, when cranes cluttered skylines all over the country, but the signs are that it’s beginning to wake up as market conditions return to normal.
Currency Exchange rate: Get more Menu del Días for your money!"
This week the Pound Euro currency exchange rateclosed at 1.37
This is a good rate, meaning those who transfer their pensions or buy a property across Spain are getting more euros for every pound sterling at the moment than they have for many years. This also makes Spanish property even cheaper for those buying with Sterling, because with the historic currency exchange trading rate for the Pound Euro having been at 1.18 / 1.16 not so long ago, if you exchanged 100,000 Pounds now to Euros you would be over 20,000 euros better off. But rates change constantly, so you need to keep an eye on currency rates if you are planning to make a transfer any time soon.
Click for this weeks currency round up showing the exchange rate between Sterling and the Euro.
If you still use a Bank to transfer money, ask our currency experts for a quote to use a money transfer service, youll be amazed how much more you get for your pounds using this method and its really easy to do!
Click here for a No-commitment quote to transfer money to Spain . Find out how much you can SAVE!
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Murcia Classifieds
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Welsh dresser unit with cupboard storage in lower half and display section with glass fronted doors above. In excellent condition Choice of..
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| Area: | Murcia Region, Puerto de Mazarron |
| Listed: | September 12th, 2015 08:22am |
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| Area: | Murcia Region, Puerto de Mazarron |
| Listed: | September 12th, 2015 08:21am |
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| Area: | Murcia Region, Puerto de Mazarron |
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| Area: | Murcia Region, Puerto de Mazarron |
| Listed: | September 12th, 2015 08:16am |
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| Area: | Murcia Region, Puerto de Mazarron |
| Listed: | September 12th, 2015 08:08am |
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| Area: | Murcia Region, Isla Plana |
| Listed: | September 11th, 2015 15:25pm |
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| Area: | Mar Menor & Cartagena, San Javier |
| Listed: | September 11th, 2015 14:59pm |
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Ufesa cappuccino and espresso coffee machine with milk frother for sale. Has a detachable water reservoir. Can be used with ground coffee powder..
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| Area: | Mar Menor & Cartagena, San Javier |
| Listed: | September 11th, 2015 14:03pm |
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Snipe sailing dinghy. Length 15 6" Beam 5 Hull and sails in good condition. Launching trolley Full boat cover Presently set..
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| Area: | Murcia Region, Isla Plana |
| Listed: | September 10th, 2015 19:30pm |
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| Listed: | September 10th, 2015 07:15am |
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| Area: | Murcia Community Pages, Águilas |
| Listed: | September 9th, 2015 16:22pm |
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| Area: | Spain, Bolnuevo |
| Listed: | September 9th, 2015 13:45pm |
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| Area: | North & North West Murcia, Bullas |
| Listed: | September 8th, 2015 19:24pm |
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Ryobi 240v Power Planer, great condition, used once. Still with accessories.
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| Area: | Murcia Region, Mazarron Country Club |
| Listed: | September 8th, 2015 10:22am |
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set of 9 irons, putter, driver and bag. would suit someone just learning.
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| Listed: | September 7th, 2015 17:54pm |
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| Area: | Murcia Region, Mazarron Country Club |
| Listed: | September 7th, 2015 17:17pm |
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