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Spanish News Today Editors Roundup Weekly Bulletin Feb 26
CLICK HERE FOR THE FEATURE ARTICLES "Murcia, Alicante and Seville among the top 10 sunniest cities in Europe" and "Dates for every town Carnival in the Region of Murcia 2022"
A long spell of sunny weather has come to an end in Spain, just in time for the start of carnival season, but it doesn’t look like it’ll rain on everyone’s parades for too long. While this weekend the rain in Spain falls in the plains (and almost everywhere else, too!), meteorologists forecast that this is just a blip and won’t be the start of a wet March and April.
Also putting a dampener on things are the latest shocking developments in Ukraine as Russia invades and undertakes a comprehensive bombing campaign against their neighbouring country in a flagrant violation of international law. It’s a move that threatens global peace and will almost certainly lead to a rising cost of living across Europe and any country reliant on Russian gas.
Come rain or shine
Storms Dudley, Eunice and Franklin haven’t made their presence felt in Spain as much as in other places, and all signs point to Gladys not making much of a splash either. It’s not surprising, then, that Spanish cities have snapped up six spots in the latest ranking of the top 10 sunniest cities in Europe.
The list was drawn up using data from World Weather Online, and counted up how many hours of sunshine each place received per month the whole year round.
And the winning city was actually Alicante in Spain, with an average of 349 hours of sunshine per month, closely followed by Murcia in third place, Valencia in fifth, Granada in eighth and Seville just creeping into the number ten slot with 340 sunshine hours each month. All of these cities make for a great place to visit on Spain’s southern and eastern coasts, or even fantastic destinations to live as an expat or have a second home for holidays. The other four places in the top 10 went to the cities of Catania, Messina and Palermo in Sicily, Italy and Nice, France.
It’s all well and good having so much sunshine, but the downside is that the recent dry spell is having a knock-on effect on Spain’s reservoirs and water supplies. As a result of a lack of rain in the south of Spain, water reserves in basins and repositories are at 44% capacity. This is particularly worrying given that we’re not even in the dry season yet, when lower water reserves are to be expected.
No, January and February are normally some of the wettest months of the year, but this year January was the sixth driest month of the whole century so far, at least in the Murcia region. Current forecasts also show that rainfall will be well below normal during March and April (this current DANA storm notwithstanding) and a further extended period without rain would surely lead to restrictions on water usage not only for farmers and industrial companies, but for private citizens in Spain too.
Year on year, month on month, we’re witnessing first-hand how our weather systems are changing, becoming more extreme, with droughts and heatwaves frequently turning into blizzards and intense storms like Filomena in 2021 at the drop of a hat. So get the wellies and brollies out, but pack a pair of sandals and a swimming costume at the same time, because you never know.
Mar Menor problems
An EU delegation visited the Murcia Region this week, having been invited/pleaded to come by environmental campaigners who wanted them to see the state of the polluted lagoon with their own eyes. And so it was that a group of five MEPs from Romania, Malta, Slovakia, Poland and Greece came to the Mar Menor on a factfinding mission, to save the poor lagoon once and for all with heavy sanctions on polluters and by throwing the full weight of the European Union behind the problem…
In a desperate attempt to highlight their many advances and achievements when it comes to protecting the Mar Menor, the regional government did everything they could ahead of this daunting visit, from setting up a new website where people can send their suggestions for how to help the lagoon to shutting off water supplies to a further 100 hectares of farmland that were being illegally watered. They also declared that the latest data for measuring the state of the Mar Menor showed a certain stability in the quality of the water, although did admit that an increase in the level of chlorophyll at measuring station number 7 of the Albujón rambla is alarming, and needs to be monitored further.
Looking past all this greenwashing, the EU delegates labelled the situation the Mar Menor is currently in “catastrophic” and promised to draw up a report when they got back to Brussels with “environmental recommendations”.
“It is still too early to give a full assessment of the state of the Mar Menor and to announce measures for its recovery and protection,” said Tatjana Zdanoka, President of the European delegation for the Latvian Green Party, “but after gathering all the necessary information during this trip and visits we will be able to do so.”
In other words, don’t expect any real action to be taken for months yet. Luckily, grassroots campaigners were on the ground to maintain pressure on the powers that be to confront this crisis with more than just hot air, holding a two-day protest rally in Murcia city. The fight continues.
On the road to nowhere?
For the fourth time in just over a year, the Spanish government has agreed, after lengthy negotiations with the British Embassy in Madrid, to extend the validity of UK driving licences in Spain.Originally, those UK nationals resident in Spain who didn’t register their intent to swap their British licence for a Spanish one before December 31 2020 would not be allowed to drive in the country anymore. It’s still too late to apply to exchange for a Spanish licence, and if you want one you’ll have to take a Spanish driving test. But the deadline for when UK licences become invalid for driving in Spain has been repeatedly pushed back, to a mixed reception.
For some, the longer they can drive on their UK licence the better, and if it’s indefinitely that would be best. They’re desperately hoping Spain and the UK come to some sort of agreement to either allow British driving licences forever, as was the case before Brexit, or to give Brits resident in Spain another chance to swap for a Spanish licence.
But others argue that those living in Spain when the new rules came in had plenty of warning and plenty of time to exchange their licences if they wanted to. If they happened to experience problems with the Spanish traffic authorities, as long as they are in the right they can successfully protest this. And anyway, if you’re living in a foreign country, they say, you shouldn’t expect to be able to drive around on a licence from your home country, where you learned the road rules particular to that place and not where you’re living now.
For the time being, and for the foreseeable future, it looks like we’ll be living in fear every other month as yet another deadline approaches and we get an eleventh-hour reprieve.
As if they were poised to hit people when they were down, the good folks at the DGT have highlighted yet another way to earn a hefty fine this week, this time for not carrying essential documentation in the car. Drivers will be slapped with a 500-euro penalty if they fail to produce their driving licence, Technical Inspection Card (ITV) or Vehicle Registration Certificate when requested by Transport cops. The good news, though, is that all of these documents are equally valid in digital format once uploaded to a mobile phone, which can be done quite simply through the DGT app.
Ukraine
The invasion of Ukraine by Russia has rocked the globe, and Spain has joined the European Union in condemning the “unjustified attack” and warning that Russia will be subject to devastating financial sanctions as a result of its actions. The idea is to block Russian banks’ access to European financial markets and freeze Moscow’s assets in the Union.
It’s not just Russia’s uncertain financial future people are worried about though, as the world is poised to see what kind of economic impact the war will have on the already extortionate cost of fuel, gas and electricity.
While he hasn’t gone into any great detail, President Sánchez confirmed that Spain has been preparing a plan for some time to mitigate the economic and energy impact on society and economic recovery. This is cold comfort, however, considering that a barrel of Brent oil has already flown past the $100 mark as a result of the crisis, its highest figure since 2014. Meanwhile, the reference metre for gas in Europe (the Dutch TTF) exploded by more than 60% overnight.
For now, while financial experts agree that another recession scenario is not likely, inflation forecasts for Spain will almost certainly have to be revised upwards as Russia deals a serious blow to the country’s economic recovery.
The conflict has also meant that most of the six daily flights between Spain and Ukraine, two of which normally depart from Alicante-Elche Miguel Hernández Airport destined for Kiev, are being cancelled as all commercial air traffic over Ukraine is halted. Around 12,000 Ukrainians live in Alicante province, the majority in Torrevieja and Alicante city itself, while Ukrainian expats in the Murcia Region have joined others across the world in taking to the streets in protest marches calling for peace.
Coronavirus
As the world comes to grips with the Russia crisis, Spain is swiftly emerging from the dark tunnel of the health crisis. This week, the incidence rate dropped below 1,000 points for the first time since December and the country is moving away from the danger zone with a 14-day cumulative figure of just 648 cases per 100,000 inhabitants.
While the pandemic indicators are all declining throughout Spain, as the week has gone on the progress has definitely begun to slow, possibly due to the fact that the vaccination campaign is losing steam. After getting off to a stellar start, the needle has hardly budged at all in the last two weeks with 91% of the population now double jabbed. While this figure is comparable with many other European countries, it has led Covid experts to speculate that the vaccination campaign in Spain has reached a “ceiling”.
Conflicting information and moving goalposts have no doubt sown a seed of distrust, and the uptake on the booster jab is even more dismal, even though several communities are now offering the shot without appointment at walk-in centres. According to the European Centre for Disease Control, 49.5% of the Spanish population have received the third jab, the vast majority of whom are older or vulnerable. The numbers drop off sharply among young adults, who also register the worst figures for the second dose.
Despite this, President Sánchez is happy enough with the evolution of the pandemic to hint that mask-wearing indoors may soon become a thing of the past. After meeting with the Prime Minister of Denmark, whose country has similar statistics to Spain, the president refused to give a definitive date but confirmed that a debate to abolish masks once and for all would be held “sooner rather than later”.After several weeks of decline and finally stabilising below the 1,000-mark, daily infections in the Region of Murcia have fallen by a quarter in the last week and are now closer to 500 as the health situation continues to improve. The cumulative incidence rate has also dropped a further 40 points overnight to stand at 819.3 cases per 100,000 inhabitants – fewer than 180 points above the national average.
For the first time in a long time, Covid has been hitting the headlines for the right reasons in the Valencia region too, with a continued slide in infections, incidence rate and hospital admissions. And rather than breaking all-time highs, the health data has been marking other milestones. Both the number of seriously ill Covid patients on hospital wards and the 14-day cumulative incidence rate per 100,000 people fell below 1,000 this week, a far cry from before Christmas when figures were at the other end of the scale. These positive indicators have led to the lifting of restrictions in bars and restaurants (although smoking on terraces is still banned) and the Covid passport, with one exception.
In addition to travel of course, the coronavirus certificate will still remain in force for anyone wishing to visit elderly nursing homes for at least another month as a precaution.
In Andalucía, the Covid vaccination programme is going so well that the health department is considering implementing the groundbreaking move to give fourth doses to immunocompromised patients. People over 12 years old with “a lower protection against Covid than the general population, with a greater chance of suffering complications and more severe forms of the disease” – who currently number 109,564 in the region – will receive the second booster shot if they received their third dose five to six months ago.
When it comes to Covid, the better informed everyone is about the latest fast-changing developments, the more protected we all are. That’s why we endeavour to bring you all the most up-to-date coronavirus news as it comes out, which you can always consult using the link above.
Murcia
It’s carnival weekend! The ‘Carnaval’ celebrations across Spain start now, and the Murcia Region is in not-quite-full swing. In towns like Mazarrón, Jumilla, Yecla and Abarán, the festivities get under way this weekend and in some places are due to last for a week. There will be parades of brightly costumed dancers and musicians through the streets, plus fairground rides, fancy dress contests and lots of other events.
But there are other places where the carnival has been postponed or cancelled altogether – because of Covid, of course. Águilas is waiting until late July to hold its famous festivities, Cartagena’s carnival will be between June 3 and 14 and Los Alcázares will start on May 14. But in La Unión, Cehegín and Totana, for example, there are no planned carnival dates for 2022.
From one star attraction to another, residents of La Manga del Mar Menor who happened to look up at the night sky last Tuesday, February 15, were left puzzled by an unexpected and unidentified flying object that was probably a shooting star or a satellite of some sort. But the weird thing is that there were no predictions or reports of any meteors over Murcia at that time, around 8.10pm.
What has been identified have been the loud banging noises come from the skies over Lorca. The Spanish Air Force has calmed fears of explosions or anything similar, by assuring local residents that what they are hearing are sonic booms from their military planes breaking the sound barrier as they carry out aerial manoeuvres until March 3. The last time the Air Force carried out these supersonic flights was in November, and many people were extremely worried when they mistook the vibrations and loud noises for earthquakes, are not uncommon in Lorca.
The Region of Murcia has also been flying high after it struck a deal with the airline Emirates to facilitate the export of the area’s produce to the United Arab Emirates. Sales abroad of fruit and vegetables from Murcia such as grapes, lemons, lettuce, peaches and melons account for 18.5% of Spain’s total exports, and Murcia already exports around eight million euros’ worth of produce to the UAE every year. Now, this new freight deal opens the way for the Region to cast its net even wider.
Finally, the popular and talented Spangles Ladies Harmony Chorus in Murcia has been at it again, this time singing to raise funds for their friend, Motown singer Barrington. Barrington had been in an induced coma for two and a half months and now, after three months in hospital, he has lost weight and muscle tone and cannot even walk on his own, let alone sing and earn a living. That’s why Spangles sang at a special fundraiser concert in Sucina and, with the help of generous donations from the local expat and business communities, raised over 1,000 euros to help Barrington get back on his feet.
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Spain
Earlier this week, aviation authorities predicted that the cost of flights would rise by around 5% per month, culminating in a huge price increase of 25% by June. The hike is due mostly to the rising cost of jet fuel, something which will undoubtedly be affected further by the Ukraine invasion.
Assuming holidaymakers can even afford to get on a plane to Spain this summer, travel isn’t set to become any less complicated despite the removal of the majority of Covid restrictions in the UK. Although the health situation is steadily improving in both countries, Covid experts in the UK are still wary of the emergence of new variants and so believe it is essential to keep using the cumbersome passenger locator forms, which allow travel status to be monitored. On the other hand, the locator form was greatly simplified earlier this month for fully vaccinated passengers, who only need to confirm their inoculation status, travel history and contact details.
Last week we brought you the news that the Animal Protection Law had finally been given the green light here in Spain, and now an even more radical development has been warmly welcomed by activists across the country. Under the new regulations, a person who abuses an animal to the extent that it results in death will face a jail term of up to two years, while if a pet requires veterinary care as a result of abuse, its tormenter will be subjected to 18 months in prison. A person convicted of these serious crimes will be banned from any kind of business involving animals and will be prohibited from having pets for up to five years.
On a decidedly unpleasant note, scientists have warned that the often deadly Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) is already present in five Spanish communities. Transmitted mainly by ticks, CCHF can cause serious symptoms such as vomiting, fever and diarrhoea, and actually results in death a staggering 30% of the time, prompting the World Health Organisation to list it as one of the seven highest-priority epidemic-prone diseases, posing a great public health risk.
Alicante
With the scrapping of anti-Covid restrictions and the reactivation of tourism, thoughts understandably turn to vacations and weekends away. And Alicante province is home to one of the most popular coastal tourist spots on the Costa Blanca and possibly Spain, Torrevieja. But incredibly, the resort has no rail links and cannot be reached by train. Despite having a registered population of almost 83,000, a figure that increases five-fold during the summer, Torrevieja joins the Andalusian towns of Marbella, Roquetas de Mar and El Ejido as the four most popular holiday destinations that don’t have any rail connections.
Torrevieja did have a train service until 1970, but it wasn’t making money and the line connecting it with Murcia and Alicante was cancelled. Since then, a number of stumbling blocks relating to environmental issues, due to the proximity to Las Lagunas de la Mata natural park and the salwater lagoon, mean the old route cannot be reinstated.
However, elsewhere in the province, a new high-speed rail connection between Alicante and Madrid hits the tracks next week. State rail company Renfe’s new Madrid-Elche-Orihuela service will be up and running from February 28, offering six daily connections with Spain’s capital from four stations in Alicante province, including Villena. The existing Orihuela-Madrid AVE service, launched in February last year and used by up to 900 passengers a daily, has been extended to accommodate up to 2,200 travellers every 24 hours.
Great transport links must be up there on the list of criteria when looking to uproot, move abroad and live the Spanish dream, behind the climate, coastline and cuisine. For decades, British holidaymakers have been attracted to Spain’s Costas, and tens of thousands of them have taken the next step and settled here. Property search portal Spain-Holiday decided to find out exactly where expats prefer to live and carried out a survey to determine the most British towns and cities in the country, and Benidorm and Orihuela Costa have made the two top spots.
Towns with more than 50,000 inhabitants were ranked according to the percentage of registered residents with British nationality and the ratio of British bars, restaurants and shops per inhabitant. And pipping the likes of Mijas and Fuengirola on the Costa del Sol, Benidorm has ranked as the ‘most British town/city in Spain’, followed by Orihuela Costa. The survey shows 43 British establishments cater for the needs of 3,389 expats in Benidorm, which accounts for 4.9% of the census population.
Meanwhile, British expats living the Spanish dream in Pinoso almost lost everything when a fire broke out in a wooden garage attached to their home. Nobody was home when the blaze started, thankfully, but the garage was completely burned to the ground and spread to a nearby parked car and motorhome. Thick black smoke could be seen for some distance and firefighters spent two hours tackling the flames.
Elsewhere on the Costa Blanca, a disgruntled client ended up paying far more for illegal sexual services than he bargained for after he attempted to file a complaint with police in the Valencia town of Albal about a prostitute not fulfilling her side of the bargain.
Unbeknown to the brazen complainant, Albal – considered somewhat of a trail-blazer for its stance on prostitution and pimps following the murder of a sex worker in 2019 – recently passed a municipal ordinance that heavily sanctions the “consumption of sexual services on public roads”. As such, the unhappy John became the first person to be fined 800 euros under the new regulations.
Andalucía
People passing along the Carchuna beach in Granada any time in the last couple of weeks may have been surprised to see an eighty-foot yacht being rocked back and forth by the waves on the shore. This is the ‘Neeveen’, a private, luxury boat that was left stranded and damaged on the beach, with no explanation as to how it got there and why it was left unclaimed for two whole weeks.In fact, when it first washed up on February 9, three unidentified passengers were on board who had to be rescued by the fire brigade, lowering them down a ladder and carrying them to the shore. But this trio promptly disappeared off the map and the local police were left wondering how to get the vessel out of the water without spilling its 6,300 litres of oil onto the beach.
After investigations, police suspected the three strangers of being the brand-new owners of the 36-year-old yacht, having bought it for the cut price of 200,000 euros from a wealthy Saudi family due to its declining seaworthiness. Not being experienced sailors, the crew of three, one of whom was a 72-year-old Frenchman, neglected to drop anchor when the boat’s motors suddenly cut out in the middle of the sea, meaning it drifted on the tide until it hit land.
The yacht has since been removed in a long, arduous and expensive operation for Spain’s special maritime operations team, in which they extracted the fuel safely without causing any spillage in the water. It now remains to be seen who will pay the bill for the costly rescue of the Neeveen, and whether any of the parties involved will ultimately face legal action.
Another new arrival coming to Malaga as US retail giant Costco plans to open its sixth superstore in Spain in 2024. Costco is the second biggest chain in the world after Walmart, and the new branch at the Malaga Nostrum retail park will bring a slice of low-cost Americana to the Costa del Sol, selling everything from food to clothes, electronic items to jewellery, domestic appliances to toys, kitchen utensils to decorative products and more. Even better, most of it is cheap as chips because it’s sold in bulk or in extra-large, family-sized packs.
If you’ve never been to Costco before, you’re in for a real treat and the new Malaga store is sure to make you a convert. But if you can’t wait two years, you can go across to Seville, where the first Costco store in Spain was opened eight years ago.
You may have missed…
In collaboration with the British Embassy in Madrid, the Spanish authorities have updated their residency guide to state exactly what documentation UK nationals must present to demonstrate that they were living in Spain before December 31 2020.
An incredibly lucky cat managed to hold onto one of its nine lives after becoming trapped at the top of a telephone pole in San Vicente del Raspeig, forcing firefighters to carry out a hair-raising rescue operation.
With petrol and diesel prices hitting an all-time high in Spain, it’s natural for drivers to look for ways to save a few euros at the pumps but these urban myths that promise to give you more bang for your buck certainly won’t help to save fuel.
The body of an 87-year-old British man has been found near a reservoir in the Valencia town of Benigànim just over a week after he disappeared from his home in Javea.
An additional four cases of bird flu have been discovered in Andalucía in the provinces of Sevilla and Huelva, bringing the total number of outbreaks in the community to 13 and the number in Spain overall to 17.
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