ARCHIVED - Murcian and Spanish news round-up W/e 11th November

Corvera airport, the Mar Menor, drunken drivers and fraud in the news this week

This week Murcia has cooled a little as a cold front settles over Spain, although there have been plenty of hot news stories to keep ex-pat temperatures up, with the new regional airport at Corvera, the Mar Menor, drunken drivers, traffic fraud and lots of tourism-related news all keeping the headlines active.

Airports and tourism:

This week the whole topic of the airport at Corvera has once again been in the news:

Murcia government promoting Corvera airport at the World Travel Market

The new regional airport of Corvera is very much in the news this week, as Murcia promotes its attractions at the World Travel Market in London.

This is a hugely important week for the regional tourist board, as this travel market is a meeting point for professionals from the travel sector to hold discussions with representatives from destinations, airlines, airports, hotels, tour operators, the travel industry media etc, the aim being to establish new contacts, secure new contracts and lay down future meetings and areas in which business can be developed for the future.The Murcian government took the opportunity to focus on the new airport at Corvera and its potential for future development holding meetings with eight airlines to discuss future routes once the airport opens. This particular topic has also been back in the headlines this week...... Click to read full story

An interesting aspect of the whole Corvera topic is the continued growth of Alicante airport which this week welcomed its eleven millionth passenger of the year and continues to break traffic records at the expense of San Javier.

This week the regional parliament of the neighbouring Region of Valencia, which comprises the provinces of Alicante, Valencia and Castellón, has approved a motion which asks not only the regional Valencian government itself, but also the national government of Spain, to reform the central railway station in Alicante City and create a direct Cercanías rail link to Alicante airport, review the regional public transport contracts with a view to improving them and examine the viability of creating regular services via existing road infrastructures into other areas including the Cities of Murcia, Cartagena and La Manga del Mar Menor in the Region of Murcia without the need for connections. Click to read full story

British Airways operating flights to Murcia from Heathrow in 2017

Booking is currently open from March to October 2017

A welcome boost to flights in and out of Murcia San Javier airport has been announced by British Airways, who have confirmed that they will be operating two weekly flights to Murcia San Javier airport from March 2017.

Flights are currently on offer from 32 pounds sterling each way, with return flights starting at 64 pounds.

Flight booking is now open between March and October 2017, departing from London Heathrow twice weekly on Tuesdays and Saturdays.Click to read full story

Other tourism stories:

The Road to Marbella by Channel 4 stops off in Águilas: More positive publicity for Águilas and the Murcia Region courtesy of British TV

In Cartagena the quest to create new tourist attractions continues and this week a Geo-radar search for Roman remains in the Monte Sacro area of Cartagena has been underway.

Depending on what is found the area could become an archaeological park or a residential district

Little is known about what may lie beneath the ground in this particular area, although it is realistic to expect that there may well be Roman streets beneath what is currently a large open parking space on the site of former houses which were destroyed during the bombardment of Cartagena.

It is thought that the former Roman City spread up the side of the Monte Sacro in a similar fashion to streets already identified beneath other parts of the modern city. Click to read full story

Work has also been underway in the north of the region: Archaeologists gather in Jumilla to explore the Abrigo del Monje:This site dates from the time when mankind made the transition from hunter gatherer to farmer

Murcia Region begins annual flu vaccination campaign

All those over the age of 60 and resident in Spain are entitled to free vaccinations

The Murcian regional health authority began its annual flu campaign on Monday 7^th November, with 218 different points throughout the region ready to administer flu vaccinations to pensioners and groups considered to be at special risk from flu and flu-aggravated conditions over the winter period.

This year the regional government hopes to vaccinate 65% of those aged 64 or over, with the aim of reducing the burden on the regional health service when the annual flu epidemic peaks.Click to read full story

Environment:

La Racha brings bumper catches for Mar Menor fishermen

The Mar Menor continues to be an important part of regional news and this week the Murcian regional president visited the fisherman’s guild in San Pedro del Pinatar to see the bumper catches of this week as “La Racha” stimulates fish to move into the Mediterranean and the nets of waiting fishermen.

The whole topic of the health of the Mar Menor remains very much on the agenda and the president said that there will be no budgetary limit to investment into the Mar Menor during his visit.

"there will be no budgetary limits to the investment into the recovery of the Mar Menor. What is necessary will be done,” he said. Click to read full story

Project presented to eliminate flooding in Mar de Cristal, Los Nietos and Islas Menores: Work is already underway in Mar de Cristal and is pending permits in Los Nietos

As Murcia moves into autumn the prospect of winter rains has once more resurrected the topic of water run-off into the low-lying residential areas of Los Nietos, Mar de Cristal and Islas Menores, areas which suffer from minor flooding and deposits of mud running down from the agricultural exploitations surrounding the Mar Menor during heavy storms.

This topic is also linked to the general problems suffered by Europe’s largest saltwater lake this summer, water run-off from surrounding areas carrying nutrients and mud into the lagoon, a contributing factor in the algal bloom problems experienced during the last few months (see above), however, at the moment, nitrate levels have dropped and the lagoon appears to be well on the way to recovery judging from the latest scientific analyses which are taking place daily.

This whole subject is complex and is being tackled from a number of different angles, involving the department of environment and agriculture, the costas department, councils of municipalities surrounding the Mar Menor, the regional government, water management body and of course, the agricultural sector. Click to read full story

Cold snap leaves first snow of the autumn in Murcia:Strong winds and cold air were generalised across the Murcia Region on Monday and Tuesday

Aerial spraying against processionary caterpillars begins in Murcia Region

This week aerial spraying begins in Murcia, Lorca, Librilla and Albudeite

Autumn brings welcome fruits and relief from the summer heat, but is also the season when problems associated with the cooler weather manifest, amongst them the processionary caterpillar.

The regional government  and rural forestries department have been undertaking an active campaign against this dangerous pest since 2007 in an attempt to control the spread of the population using insecticides from the ground and pheromone traps.

However, the last two summers have been hot and dry, favouring the spread of the processionary caterpillar and this summer the environmental department has carried out an inventory of the spread of the pest and identified the 10,000 hectares where the caterpillar is now present.Click to read full story

A Mountainside fire in Bullas caused by burning of almond prunings:6,000 square meters was burnt in the high area of La Atalaya

Mar Menor in London:The dying of the light by Angel Fitor/ Wildlife Photographer of the Year Invertebrates category

“The Wildlife Photographer of the Year” competition was developed and is produced anually by the Natural History Museum in London

A photograph of the Mar Menor has won the “Invertebrates” category in the prestigious Wildlife Photographer of the Year award in London, a stunning image taken by photographer Angel Fitor as a jellyfish dies, with the light fading and night closing in.

The author says in his text accompanying the image that “As the season turns in southeastern Spain, cooling water and autumnal winds blowing across the shallow coastal lagoon of Mar Menor wipe out most of the barrel jellyfish that swim in to feed on the summer plankton.

Struck by how unique each one is – ‘like a living island’ – and the imminence of its death, Angel set out to create a contemplative portrait.

He waited three seasons for the right conditions, tracking the sun to see exactly when it would set over the island of Baron. Then he waited for a jelly to turn up in the right place, on a calm night, and the two ‘islands’ to align.

One perfect evening, this solitary individual, about 40 centimetres (16 inches) across, rested motionless just below the surface. With a bubble of air trapped under its umbrella from being flipped in the wind, it was no longer able to dive and would not survive for long.

Taking care not to disturb the still water or the animal, Angel manoeuvred waist deep across the muddy bed, positioned his tripod so the camera was just above the surface and used a strobe to backlight the jelly. As the light faded, he finally captured his magical image of the dying jellyfish.”

Cartagena unveils plans for four dog friendly areas in city parks: Click for full story

Restoration works in the Colegiata de San Patricio in Lorca progressing well:Works should be concluded in the first quarter of 2017

Slowly, slowly work continues to repair the vast amount of damage incurred in the Lorca municipality following the May 2011 earthquake which seriously damaged most of the historical monuments and structures in the City of Lorca.

One of the most important buildings in the city and one of the largest restoration jobs of all is the Colegiata de San Patricio which is now entering the final phase of what has been an enormous job. Click for full story

Other news:

Seven injured as car plunges into canal in San Javier: Click to read story

Major commercial driving licences fraud dismantled in Murcia: Up to 1,000 lorry drivers may be using illegal driving licences

This week police have dismantled a major fraud ring in relation to the procedures to obtain commercial driving licences, concluding with six arrests, one of them an employee of the regional government who headed up the department responsible for issuing commercial driving licences.Up to 1,000 lorry drivers are now believed to be using illegal licences. Click to read full story

Police investigate suspicious death of man who caught fire on Abanilla-Santomera service road: Man seen falling to the ground on fire as his vehicle is burnt out.The case has been placed beneath a secrecy order as police investigate the incident in Santomera. Click for full story

92 year old dies trying to warm his feet in Albudeite:The man was using an electrical brazier beneath a table.The device is an electrical replacement for the old-fashioned hot cinders in a dish

Before the advent of modern central heating a practical solution for those with limited means who perhaps lacked the income to pay for heating for a whole room or apartment, or lived in a location in which it was impossible to install a log fire and chimney, was to use a bowl of hot cinders or coals, which were placed beneath a table, and covered with a long cloth, so a family could sit around a small table and play cards or dominoes with their feet and legs comfortably warm beneath the long tablecloth.Click for full story

Archaeological artifacts recovered in Yecla and Corvera: Metal detector treasure hunters beware!

Lorry driver detained in Fuente Álamo five times over the legal limit: The same man was caught in Zaragoza in May nine times over the limit

Technology makes wax crayons redundant in Águilas: Schoolchildren benefit from the onward march of technology and a stationery cupboard overstock

Murcia City council passes family friendly tax proposals: Prices are being frozen for all and reduced for the disadvantaged, unemployed, families and the elderly.

On Wednesday the municipal council of the Murcia municipality approved what it’s describing as the “most socially-orientated tax ordinances in its history” freezing many taxes and public prices and implementing special subsidies to help the unemployed, underprivileged, elderly and families.Click to read full story.

Murcia property news

The overall trend is still upward as sales settle at just under 1,000 per month

The latest residential property sales figures to be published by Spain’s central statistics unit show that the number of transactions registered in the Region of Murcia in September was 15.9% lower than last year at 985, although at the same time it could be said that the market appears to have entered a phase of stability with the fourth consecutive monthly total of between 900 and 1,000.

Despite the year-on-year drop in sales figures, it has to be pointed out that in the slightly longer term the trend is still upward in Murcia: the cumulative total after nine months of 2016 now stands at just over 9,219, which represents an increase of 13.5% in comparison to last year, while the running 12-monthly total has risen by 15.3% since September 2015 to 12,118. The figure has now been over 12,000 (or 1,000 per month) since June this year, having dipped below that threshold as long ago as December 2011.

To view a wide range of properties for sale across Spain consult www.spanishpropertypage.com.

Spanish national news round-up

Winter arrives but Trump grabs the headlines amid worries over Almería radioactivity clean-up

Winter arrived with a vengeance in mainland Spain last weekend, with the temperature falling noticeably all over the country and a northerly wind making it feel even colder as the middle of November nears. 

Snow fell in many northern areas, from the mountains outside Madrid to the Picos de Europa and the Pyrenees, and minimum temperatures neared zero in many major cities. The cold snap lasted well into the week, and on Tuesday the minimum temperatures plunged to -6ºC in the Aragón province of Huesca.

The arrival of wintry weather could not have been better timed in the Sierra do Courel in Galicia, where the 19^th annual chestnut festival was held on Sunday and around 700 kilos of chestnuts were roasted on some very large open fires in the mountains of the province of Lugo!

Worries over Donald Trump in Spain

It’s hard to avoid mentioning Donald Trump in any news summary this week, and in Spain, while reaction to the choice of the next President of the USA has in general been less than enthusiastic, it will be interesting to see how his election effects Spain in certain specific ways.

President Mariano Rajoy has sent a diplomatic message of congratulation to Mr Trump, as of course he is bound to do by the nature of his position, while at the same time expressing the hope that the cordial relations between the two nations will be strengthened. The USA, he adds, is an “indispensable” ally of Spain, and he also praises the “vitality of American democracy” which is demonstrated by the fact that the citizens of the US have made their voice heard. 

Similarly, Alfonso Dastís, the new Minister for Foreign Affairs, stated on Wednesday that there is now an excellent chance to further cement relations with the USA, but fears have immediately surfaced that the result of the election may affect the commitment to cleaning up the remaining radioactivity in Palomares, in the province of Almería. In October 2015 outgoing Secretary of State John Kerry signed an agreement to remove 50,000 cubic metres of soil which was contaminated when a US B-52 bomber collided with a re-fuelling plane over Palomares in 1966, but no definitive plan has yet been defined as to how the 640-million-euro operation would be funded. 

In theory this document should have been completed and signed by now, but due to the 10-month impasse during which there was no government in Spain the project has effectively been put on hold. Now that Donald Trump has secured a victory which Spanish politicians were not bargaining on, there is little or no guarantee that it will be possible to hold the new President to his predecessors’ promise. 

Apart from these concerns, there are also worries over Donald Trump’s campaign promise to re-negotiate the terms under which the USA contributes to the defence of Europe and the EU. Trump has made it clear that he believes European nations are not paying as much as they should to protect their own borders, and his attitude is that the US should not be paying so much out of its own pocket to protect Europe; if Europe pays the money it should, he argues, then the US would have to spend considerably less. If Spain were to meet the objectives agreed upon by NATO in 2014 for example, it would mean doubling the country’s Defence budget, an additional expense which is hard to imagine at a time when Brussels is insisting that further spending cuts are necessary. 

On a rather more light-hearted note, the figure of Donald Trump squatting on his haunches with his trousers round his ankles is outselling a similar one depicting Hillary Clinton. That’s the news from Catalunya this week, although in this particular contest Mrs Clinton has a good few weeks to claw back lost ground in terms of the annual “Caganer” sales before Christmas!

Political and economic news

As the new Spanish government ends its first week in office, the decision by the Federal Committee of the opposition PSOE Socialist party to abstain in the parliamentary vote by which Mariano Rajoy of the PP was allowed to form the new government may not have been universally popular within the party, but the data contained in an opinion poll which was published on Monday show that it was probably the right one for the good of the party.

According to the findings of the Sociological Research Institute, had there been a third general election the party’s vote would most likely have collapsed. Only 17% of those taking part in the survey during last month would have voted for the PSOE, considerably fewer than the 23.1% who supported them in the July poll, and the role as the leading opposition group in parliament would have been taken over by Unidos Podemos.

While the PSOE lost a massive six points – more than a quarter of its support – Sr Rajoy’s PP party now looks to have strengthened its level of support to 34.5% (as opposed to 33% in July), while Unidos Podemos’ share has also gone up from 21.1% to 21.8%.

Just days after Luis de Guindos was sworn in for his second term as Minister for the Economy  the urgency of providing a budget for 2017 which will reassure the EU authorities in Brussels was underlined on Wednesday, when the European Commission revised its forecast for economic growth in this country downwards.

This year’s economic growth is predicted to be 3.2%, but for 2017 the EC has brought the forecast down to 2.3% from its previous level of 2.5%, meaning that the permitted deficit in the government’s budget for next year will also have to be revised downwards. In real terms, this is likely to mean increasing taxes or implementing spending cuts to the tune of 5,500 million euros, a target which Sr De Guindos stated on Tuesday in a letter to the Commission that he intends to meet. 

However, doing so will not be easy, as Sr De Guindos represents a minority government and will therefore have to win support from other parties in order for any budget to be passed in parliament. At present, apart from Ciudadanos, no opposition party appears willing to allow this: approval from Unidos Podemos seems extremely unlikely, and Antonio Hernando of the PSOE stated on Tuesday that he and his colleagues will “obviously” not support the proposals presented by the Minister. 

This automatic opposition to the budget, Sr Hernando admits, is despite the fact that neither he nor anyone else in the PSOE knows exactly what Sr De Guindos’ budget will contain.

Meanwhile, optimism over the forthcoming Christmas period is rife among the owners of Spain’s small retail outlets, according to a study published by the Confederación Española del Comercio (CEC), with expectations being for a 5% increase in sales compared to last year and the best festive season in the sector since 2007, when Spain’s long-lasting economic crisis began. The sector is anxiously awaiting the start of the Christmas season on “Black Friday”, which this year falls on 25th November.

Catalan independence

Carles Puigdemont, the president of the regional government of Catalunya, marked the second anniversary of the informal independence consultation of 9^th November 2014 on Wednesday with a speech in which he reiterated his determination to hold a full referendum on the issue of secession from Spain next year.

Sr Puigdemont has been in typically defiant mode since the swearing in of Mariano Rajoy as President, despite the apparent jovial greetings which were exhanged in the regional parliament, and while on the one hand expressing his eagerness to hold talks with Sr Rajoy he also insists that they should be “bilateral” and that before a new model for regional financing can be discussed the national government must “pay everything it owes” under the current system.

9^th November was also exactly one year since the sovereignty declaration in the Catalan parliament, and Sr Puigdemont was clearly in no mood to let the significance of the date go unnoticed. “The future is in our hands”, he declared in the regional parliament, bemoaning the fact that as he sees it the only response from Madrid so far appears to be in the form of judicial investigations and pronouncements of illegality against those who stand up for Catalan independence.

Hardly a week goes by without a dispute of one kind or another over the issue of flags in Catalunya, and this week attention has been on a row which began last year when the Mayoress of Berga in the north of the province of Barcelona, refused to take down the “Estelada” Catalan flag from the balcony of the Town Hall during the regional and general election campaigns. Last week she failed to appear in court to answer the resulting charges, and was therefore arrested by the Mossos d’Esquadra(the regional police force of Catalunya).

Predictably, she has received messages of support from separatist political leaders including Carles Puigdemont, while the spokesman for the national government in Madrid, Íñigo Méndez de Vigo, has commented that the law exists to be enforced and that if Sra Venturós insists on breaking it her detention is inevitable. 

On this occasion, though, it seems that the dispute will be taken to a different arena, with Catalan Euro-MPs bringing it to the attention of the European Commission on Monday.

Illegal immigration

The conditions at Spain’s temporary immigrant internment centres (CIEs) have been in the spotlight in recent weeks, and this week in Ceuta the problem of overcrowding led to over 100 inmates being re-located to alternative locations on the mainland.

Those who are being transferred were among over 232 who succeeded in entering Ceuta during a mass assault on 31st October, when 32 of the migrants required hospital treatment after scaling the 6-metre border fences. In order to alleviate the overcrowding at the CIE in Ceuta they will now be transferred to the centres in Murcia, Valencia, Madrid and Extremadura, bringing them closer to achieve their goal of entering the EU at least in geographical terms while the authorities decide whether or not they are to be deported.

The Jihadist threat in Spain

Three men and a woman, all of them Spanish nationals, have been arrested by the Policía Nacional in the Spanish enclave of Ceuta on the African coast in the Strait of Gibraltar, on charges of campaigning to recruit young people, some of them children, to the Jihadist cause of Daesh.

Investigators found that the cell which they comprised was in constant communication with Daesh militants in Syria, from where they received instructions on how to find and indoctrinate new recruits with the aim of extending the recruitment network to other parts of Europe. The Ministry of the Interior reports that the four arrested were erstwhile colleagues of three others who were arrested, also in Ceuta, on 23rd February this year, and that most of their activity was carried out online through social network sites.

The number of people arrested for offences related to Jihadism in Spain since Level 4 Terrorist Alert status was activated in June 2015 has now risen to 161.

Other news

Michelin star chefs cook for the homeless in Madrid: gourmet dining for Madrid down and outs courtesy of Mensajeros de la Paz.

2000-year-old Roman shipwreck discovered in Girona: the Islas Formigues wreck is the best preserved of the era in Catalunya.

French contract killer arrested in Málaga despite Halloween disguise: dressing as the devil was not enough to hoodwink the policeon Halloween.

Wanted British drug trafficker arrested in Malaga: the arrested was involved with a shipment of 3.7 tons of hashish to Essex.

British ecstasy smuggler detained in Santander: the drugs were hidden in a camper van on the Plymouth-Santander ferry.

Yet another delay in the demolition of the El Algarrobico hotel in Almería: another obstacle prevents the bulldozers from starting work in Carboneras.

Barcelona metro ticket inspectors suspended for pocketing fines: the six who are under investigation decided that they were due their own reward for carrying out their duties so efficiently.

Girl falls to her death in Zaragoza apartment fire: Lucia Fuoli’s father was rescued from the fifth-floor satellite dish onto which he was clingingin order to escape the flames. 

Kamikaze driver detained in Asturias: the man drove 16 kilometres on the wrong side of the motorway while well over the alcohol limit.

Guadarrama goat cull suspended by Madrid courts: hunters frustrated as 2700 goats are granted a reprieve in the mountains of Madrid.

Top surfer dies at Asturias beach: Perico Alonso pioneered surfing on the Atlantic coast of Asturias.

56 arrests all over Spain in child pornography swoop: 19 of the arrests took place in Madrid and Barcelona.

San Sebastian bullfighting ban overturned: in 2013 the local government prohibited the renting out of the Plaza de Torosfor events which entailed maltreatment of animals.

UK Armed Forces Minister visits Gibraltar: Mike Penning made his first familiarization visit to the Rockthis week.

Controversy over deaths of suspected smugglers in the Strait of Gibraltar:a suspicious boat collided with a Spanish customs patrol vesselduring a high-speed chase. 

Pamplona pushes ahead with exhumations of Civil War generals: the remains of General Emilio Mola have already been removed.

103-year-old woman dies in Sevilla fire: her 82-year-old daughter also diedin the blaze in Los Remedios.

Hit-and-run driver arrested after setting fire to his own car: the incident occurred in Manilva in the province of Málaga.

Prison sentence reduced for Asturias man who set fire to his wife: the man put the flames out when his wife woke up in Oviedo

Felipe VI under fire over rescheduled Saudi visit: concerns over human rights abuses surround the royal visit.

Badajoz backs bulls to boost rural tourism: a series of events are planned to showcase the bull breeding farms of Extremadura.

Avila villages under threat from feldspar prospectors: Landowners could lose their properties under an anachronistic Francoist law dating from 1973.

Court rulings confirm that many speeding fines are illegal: the Spanish traffic authorities are failing to apply the correct margin of error when using the readings from radar speed guns.  

Giant African snails invading Castilla-La Mancha: the snails represent a threat to native plant life and spread human disease.

Is Spain becoming a nation of overweight and obese teenagers?Stomach reduction surgeons warn against unhealthy eating habits and lack of physical exercise.

Valladolid man dies after being winched to a height of 15 metres: the man became trapped in the pulley of a freight elevator in Medina del Campo.

Castellón airport costs the Valencia government another 4.5 million euros: there are regular flights from Castellón to only four destinations in Europe.

Spanish property news

The latest residential property sales figures to be published by Spain’s central statistics unit show that the number of transactions registered in September was 13.2% higher than last year at 34,931, maintaining a recovery which began two and a half years ago as demand returned to the market after a slump which began in late 2007.

There have now been year-on-year increases in 28 of the last 30 months, as the level of activity in the property market gradually returns to what might be considered normal. The running 12-monthly sales total now stands at 395,000, the highest it has been since July 2011.

In the meantime, the latest price data published by leading valuation firm Tinsa show that although there has been little variation over the last twelve months a distinct upward trend can be observed in the first ten months of 2016. 

The year-to-date figures suggest that the picture so far in 2016 is a broadly positive one, with the only decrease since January having been observed in the category of “metropolitan areas” (-0.6%) and rises of 3.8% in the Balearics and Canaries, 3.3% in capitals and large cities, 2% in Mediterranean coastal areas and 2.2% in “other municipalities”.

Less optimistic, though, is one of the latest property portal surveys, which concludes that the average price per square metre of housing advertised on the site has fallen by 2.2% since October 2015. At the same time, however, the year-on-year variations reinforce the impression that at the moment the most vibrant property market is the Balearic Islands, where the portal has noted a 4.75% increase in average asking prices.

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