Spanish News Today Editors Roundup Weekly Bulletin March 19

CLICK HERE FOR THE FEATURE ARTICLES "Amber climate alert: Saharan dust paints the Spanish sky orange" and "Truckers in Spain declare national strike over fuel prices"

It’s sometimes easy to let things get the better of you, and to jump to conclusions based on a short-sighted view of what’s happening at this exact moment, in this vicinity. That said, you could be forgiven for thinking this is the end of days, and in fact the word ‘apocalyptic’ (or is that ‘apocryphal’?) has been bandied about a lot this week.

As if we didn’t have enough with Covid, which despite moving in a generally good direction is not gone yet; and with the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which has left hundreds of innocents dead, is creating a European refugee crisis and may lead us into World War III, depending on how alarmist and pessimistic you want to be; and with the already spiralling cost of electricity, now we can add to our list of woes a rapidly increasing cost of living, queues of cars around the block to buy petrol and diesel that’s probably tripled in price by the time you get to the pump, and a strike by transport workers that is leaving supermarket shelves empty.

Oh, and let’s not forget the red skies that make us look like we’re living in the seventh circle of hell.

Saharan dust and muddy rain

It’s been a stormy week in more ways than one in Spain, but that unpredictable spring weather has to be at the top of the list. Storm Celia has blasted its way across the country, bringing with it widespread rain, gale-force winds and wildly fluctuating temperatures.

But the strangest phenomenon has to be the sandstorm of Saharan dust, or ‘calima’ as it is called in Spanish, that blanketed the southern half of the country mid-week and bathed the sky in an eerie orange glow more reminiscent of Mars than the Mediterranean. While some truly awesome photos of the event have flooded the internet, as well as a host of ingenious memes, locals and holidaymakers alike are more than miffed given that the luminous dust can coat entire gardens, cars and streets in mere minutes.

Calima Parker Bowles pic.twitter.com/tqfxzkyQFh
— lalupa (@MrsLalupa) March 15, 2022

#PolvoSahariano
Yo esta mañana comprando en el Mercadona. pic.twitter.com/UVX9TMXdm4
— Sinxelo🍂 (@sinxelo_x) March 15, 2022

For those unfortunate enough to be located in damper climes, the sand has transformed into what is aptly known as ‘mud rain’ in Spain, raining down and colouring everything a dirty shade of sandy brown. Worse than the orange dusting on cars and in people’s hair, though, is the fact that the dust can be very dangerous to health. The authorities recommended that people not go outside or undertake any sort of exercise for these last few days, and to put an FFP2 facemask back on if they absolutely had to venture outdoors to avoid getting dust particles in their lungs. They also advised against driving as the car fumes would make the air quality worse.

In fact, so bad was the level of contamination that Spain was actually the country with the worst air quality in the world this week, Spanish News Today Editors Roundup Weekly Bulletin March 19

even ahead of notorious polluters like China and India. In an effort to minimise pollution, Murcia city council temporarily established an additional 800 spaces in park-and-ride car parks for motorists to use for free, and thus avoid unnecessary exhaust emissions.

Now the dust cloud has moved north towards the rest of Europe and the British Isles, but the rain has hardly let up. When it’s not red rain staining car roofs, it’s torrential rainfall causing flooding and road closures. In places like Cartagena, the amount of water was enough to create subsidence of the roadway on streets in the city centre.

Transport strike

Rising inflation and murmurs about potential supply crises as a result of the war in Ukraine have led to panic buying across Spain in recent days, with supermarkets going out of stock and queues forming around the forecourts of service stations as people scramble to fill up their fuel tanks before petrol prices jump again.

These very issues have led transport companies all across Spain to call an indefinite strike this week, which the organisers claim will last until the central government comes up with a shock plan to counteract the extortionate rise in prices and unmanageable working conditions. This was going to be backed up by a fisherman’s strike but it was called off due to a lack of consensus among fishing associations. Some customer-facing consumer businesses are thinking of joining the work stoppage too, as they cannot get any produce to sell and so might as well support the strikers.

Although the first day of the industrial action passed off without a hitch, things took a definite turn for the worst on Tuesday when an off-duty cop accidentally shot a trucker during a scuffle. Thankfully, the man wasn’t mortally wounded, but the incident is a stark reminder of just how financially panicked many people in Spain are right now.

Over the course of the week, there have been other images emerging of the escalating nature of the strikes, with transport workers who weren’t joining the picket lines having to be escorted by police cars. Even then, some of those on the pickets tried to sabotage their colleagues, blocking their passage and slashing their tyres.

To make the fuel situation just that tiny bit worse, a petrol tanker overturned and lost its load on the RM-F28 road in the Murcia municipality of Torre Pacheco on Monday, obstructing the road with an oil spillage. No one was injured in the accident, but the incident comes at the worst possible time when we can’t afford to lose a single drop of the precious black gold.

While the transport workers’ reasons for striking may be well-founded, in the end a lack of supplies getting through to end consumers will encourage people to stockpile goods and buy up as much petrol as they can, creating more scarcity and driving up prices further. And sky-high prices are exactly why the workers are striking. It’s a vicious circle, and if something isn’t done to abate the cost-of-living crisis soon, there’s no knowing where it will end.

Given the vast amount of financial stress in the country at the moment, the Spanish government is back at the drawing board trying to figure out a way to alleviate the economic burden on both private and professional consumers. Many believe the most logical move would be to cut taxes on petrol and diesel, since almost half of its sale price comes from the 21% VAT levied on fuel. The powers that be, however, are remaining tight lipped about the measure being considered, only to say that they are “revising downward taxation of some sectors or products clearly impacted by the increase in inflation”.

They have further pledged to lower the price of electricity and gas by March 29, capping the price of electricity on the wholesale market at 180 euros per Megawatt hour, which would be achieved by decoupling the price the government buys this energy at from the cost of manufacturing by each individual source – renewable, gas, fossil fuels, etc. But it will be a couple of weeks until these measures are put in place, and between now and then, at the rate things are going, anything could happen to escalate the situation.

Coronavirus

The big pandemic news this week is that, given the positive data of recent weeks, the Ministry of Health will no longer release daily Covid figures; instead, the national coronavirus figures will be published every Tuesday and Friday.

And while the evolution of the health crisis is still positive on the whole, the steady decline the country has been experiencing of late appears to have stagnated a little, and the incidence rate has climbed marginally the last couple of days. While ICU pressure continues to drop, hospitalisations have also been see-sawing, though Spain’s health system remains in the low-risk category.

But while those in the know all agree that the “acute phase” of the sixth wave is behind us, the pandemic is not. The dynamics of the virus over the last two years have taught the experts to look to neighbouring countries, and the news isn’t all that promising. Last Friday, March 11, the incidence rate in Spain rose for the first time since January, and this has been mirrored in the UK and other countries.

A Spanish epidemiologist and researcher at the University of Leicester, Salvador Macip, points out that in Britain, cases began rising “from the moment they lifted all the restrictions”. In Spain, the cases and mortality rate remain as high as they were at the end of last summer, and if restrictions are ended too soon, a seventh wave could be upon us in no time. Luckily, if there is another wave, it’s not likely to be a very serious one.

We have already seen with the fourth and fifth waves, which were caused by Delta, that a new variant isn’t essential for a rebound, but all of the previous “big waves” have been caused by a novel strain; therefore, the experts believe that with constant and vigilant monitoring, a seventh, low-level wave is the most likely scenario.

Covid passports are no longer needed to get into bars, restaurants and other venues, but they still have their uses, and may be requested for some international travel. That’s why the Region of Murcia will, sometime in the next couple of weeks, allow pharmacists to carry out rapid coronavirus antigen tests on-site and issue a digital Covid certificate right there in the chemist’s (assuming the results are negative, of course!). It’s hoped that this will make getting a Covid pass or updating an existing one much easier.

As the situation improves in the Valencia Community, the continued downward trajectory of health data has meant the region can finally say “adiós” to the Covid passport. The Ministry of Health this week ruled out extending the compulsory requesting of the passport at nursing homes – the last stronghold where the Covid pass was still required – and its use has been scrapped.

The regional health department has also removed the obligation to leave a free seat when eating and drinking in cinemas and theatres from March 17, one of the few remaining anti-Covid measures still in place in the region.

For all the latest coronavirus news and updates in Spain, use the following link: CORONAVIRUS LATEST NEWS

Murcia

There were dramatic scenes in the town of La Unión at the start of this week when a drug-related knife fight in the street left one person dead and two more injured. Residents in the town’s Santa Obdulia neighbourhood were woken to the sound of screams and glass smashing at 1am last Sunday when a brawl broke out in a property known to be used as a local drugs den. The three men involved in the fight spilled out into the street, where one of them bled to death. The other two men were rushed to hospital, one of them in “a serious condition” with cuts to his neck and the other with several stab wounds of “lesser severity”.

Another death occurred on Tuesday in Mazarrón when a 57-year-old Moroccan man who was cycling to work was struck by a car and left for dead at the side of the road. It is thought that it was a simple case of hit and run rather than a deliberate killing, but that obviously doesn’t make it any better. The man leaves behind a family with three children. Police are currently searching for the culprit.

More trouble on the roads towards the tail end of the week as a convoy of striking lorry drivers caused major disruptions on Murcia motorways by driving their vehicles incredibly slowly in protest. Over a hundred HGVs and other heavy vehicles, including tractors and concrete mixers, gathered at the car park of the Nueva Condomina shopping centre and lined up along the highway heading towards Cartagena, creating a long tailback of cars.

Thankfully, there was some good news coming out of the Region of Murcia to save the day, at least for motorhome owners. A new car park and service station for caravans has been opened in Los Alcázares where campers can stop for the night and use the facilities – absolutely free of charge! There are more than 30 spaces for motorhomes and campervans stay in the new rest area, which has been built in the town’s old bus station, up to a maximum of 72 hours.

Campers will have access to drinking water, grey water disposal, sewage emptying facilities and a picnic area. The new rest area has even been included in the app and website ‘AreasAC’, a web portal that pulls together all the top service areas and car parks for motorhomes in Spain and the rest of Europe. Now there’s no excuse not to dust off the caravan and go for a jolly along the Murcia coast.

For more good news, including everything that’s going on in your local area, see our EVENTS DIARY!

Spain

We live in hope that more pleasant weather is around the corner and there was lots of positive travel news this week to brighten even the dullest of days. The big-ticket item was undoubtedly the UK’s momentous decision to scrap all remaining Covid travel restrictions from March 18, meaning that from now on, passenger locator forms don’t need to be completed before arrival in Britain and even unvaccinated travellers can arrive without requiring a negative coronavirus test. As if that wasn’t enough, Heathrow also announced that from Wednesday, travellers would no longer have to wear facemasks in the airport, although of course they are still recommended.

It has, of course, left many wondering when Spain is going to follow suit and allow unvaccinated travellers to enter without any of the fiddly requirements still in place. As yet, there is absolutely no indication whatsoever that the Spanish government is considering dropping these international travel restrictions.

Irish carrier Ryanair, the top airline in Spain at this moment, has announced yet another expansion of its summer 2022 schedule with five additional routes to Europe from Spain, including Madrid to Faro Spanish News Today Editors Roundup Weekly Bulletin March 19

and Valencia to Poitiers. The airline’s summer schedule will offer its customers more travel options than ever before, with a total of 687 connections in Spain. The carrier now has 90 bases and more than 2,400 routes operating this high season across Europe.

It’s not all plain sailing for Michael O’Leary though, as this week the Ukrainian ambassador to Ireland accused the budget airline of hiking up ticket prices for refugees fleeing the war-torn nation, with many commentators calling the deplorable move “unforgivable” and demanding that Ryanair offer free flights to safety.

Brits planning a trip this year to the Balearic Island of La Palma may want to think twice, as the popular holiday hotspot has been issued with an urgent alert for the presence of yellow fever mosquitos. Island authorities have urged residents and tourists to remain vigilant and experts have recommended that Spanish News Today Editors Roundup Weekly Bulletin March 19

households get rid of standing water in their houses and on the streets, since this particular mosquito is known to carry a number of diseases, including dengue fever, chikungunya and Zika.

Officially known as Aedes Aegypti, this mosquito is smaller than the common insect and is quite distinctive with black and white stripes. They are common in urban areas and, unlike their cousins, are more likely to bite during the day.

What might come as a boost is that the European Commission has agreed on a payout of 85.5 million euros to Spain as part of its Brexit fund to support the economic sectors most impacted by the United Kingdom’s decision to leave the EU. The disbursement for Spain is included in a package of financial support of more than 812 million euros that will be doled out to twelve Member States before the end of the month.

Alicante

In addition to the muddy rain and Saharan dust in Alicante, the province was also on yellow alert for strong winds as Celia blew across Spain, causing localised power cuts and wreaking havoc.

The gusts were so strong they blew over a palm tree in Alicante city, injuring two women aged 63 and 65 who were taken to Alicante hospital with leg, abdomen and neck injuries. Thankfully, they were not seriously hurt, and were both said to be in a stable condition.

Communities around the province continue to rally to support civilians affected by the Ukraine conflict, with towns such as Benidorm extending emergency aid collection points to get vital aid to the besieged country.

On Tuesday, though, just a week after a major logistics centre for Ukraine donations was opened in Alicante, those responsible for humanitarian aid in the conflict zones asked the Valencia Government “not to collect any more material” for the moment because they have too much to be able to store and cannot get it over to Ukraine fast enough.

But there are still ways in which the public and local authorities can help. Financial aid is still desperately required, and Alicante City Council has reinforced its Office of Attention to Migrants, Pangea, and hired two Ukrainian translators to assist refugees arriving in Alicante.

Meanwhile, Benidorm Council has also set up a register for anyone who would like to welcome a refugee into their home, and Torrevieja is hosting a charity peace gala in support of Ukraine on Saturday evening, March 19.

The implications of the war closer to home are far reaching, and according to the real estate sector, shortages and knee-jerk price hikes are affecting building materials and deliveries, effectively “paralysing” new builds in Alicante province. Employers’ association, Provia, has warned that “price rises out of fear” have brought new constructions to a standstill, and the situation is unlikely to improve for some time “if the conflict continues”.

The human suffering is of course the most heart-breaking consequence of Russia’s invasion, and around 80,000 heavily pregnant women are fleeing or have already fled the besieged country. One of those women is Mariia, who has sought safety in Javea and this week gave birth to a little boy at Denia Hospital – the first baby born to a fleeing Ukrainian in Spain since the conflict began.

Mother and son are said to be “in perfect condition” and the Red Cross of Javea is urging locals to donate “items necessary for the baby’s upbringing”, as well as non-perishable food for other Ukrainian refugees arriving in the area.

Andalucía

The inclement weather also left its mark on Andalucía this week, with Malaga put on red alert – the highest level – because of Storm Celia. The rains were actually something of a blessing, though, as they served to refill somewhat the region’s rapidly depleting reservoirs along the Guadalquivir and other waterways.

Despite the deluge, there still wasn’t enough rain to bring the water reserves back up to where they should be. The amount of water in Andalusian reservoirs increased by 11 cubic hectometres of water (0.12%) in the last week alone, but this is still just 29.68% of their total capacity and a significant 15.07% less water than they contained this time last year.

For that reason, and in a bizarre instance of Orwellian doublespeak, a situation of exceptional drought was announced in the entire province of Malaga even as the rain poured. The drought means that water fit for human consumption may not be used for washing the street, filling private swimming pools, watering gardens, parks and golf courses, car washing outside authorised establishments, ornamental fountains that do not have a closed water circuit and public showers.

From the water to the air: two cities in Andalucía have made the top 40 list of the places with the least polluted air in the world. Melbourne, Australia took the number 1 spot as the least polluted city in the world, followed by Newcastle and Sydney. But Spain’s environmental efforts have also borne fruit, and Sevilla was ranked in position 21 on the list, while Malaga city came in 29th. Two other Spanish cities also made the charts – Valladolid at number 30 and Bilbao at number 35.

The Andalusian region also placed highly in the list of traffic cameras that lead to the most fines for drivers in Spain. There are now 2,640 radars dotted around the country, used to monitor not just speed, but also correct seatbelt use and mobile phone usage, and this figure is expected to grow by 10% by the end of 2023. Of the total number, 337 of these radars are located in Andalucía, and it has now been revealed that of the 10 radars which generate the most fines in the entire country, three are located in Andalucía.

Finally, an 82-year-old hunter from Granada is being investigated by police after he shot dead a hiker’s dog in the Sierra de Baza. The man was out hunting partridge when he claims he saw a dog approach and feared it was a stray that would attack his game, so he fired at the animal, killing it on the spot. The dog was actually Nerón, a six-year-old Catalan shepherd dog crossbreed that belonged to a rambler just taking their pet out for a walk in the area. The hunter admitted to firing the shot when he saw the dog approaching the partridge’s cage because he feared it would attack it and “the bird had cost him a lot of money”.

You may have missed…

1. 20 tonnes of contaminated oranges from Egypt seized in Alicante.

The Guardia Civil in Alicante has seized 20 tonnes of oranges that were contaminated with chlorpyrifos, a pesticide that has been banned for use in the food industry in the European Union since 2020.

2. Los Alcázares gets a host of new traffic cameras.

New traffic cameras will be installed on various different traffic lights located in strategic areas around the town, and there are more plans to beef up the Murcia town’s police force and security measures.

3. Spanish Embassy in the UK goes on strike over sub-minimum wage salaries.

Workers at the Embassy of Spain in London and the Consulates in London, Manchester and Edinburgh went on indefinite strike from Monday March 14 over complaints about job insecurity, pensions, and salaries which don’t even meet the UK’s National Minimum Wage.

4. Half price tram travel in Alicante province this summer.

The Valencia Government has agreed to slash Alicante Tram fares and season tickets by up to 50% from summer onwards.

5. Il Divo Greatest Hits Tour in Los Alcázares: July 29.

As part of the 2022 Greatest Hits Tour the multi-national classical crossover vocal group Il Divo are performing in Los Alcázares on July 29, a concert dedicated to former group member Carlos Marín, who died after contracting Covid-19.

That’s it for another week! Feel free to pass this link: https://murciatoday.com/weekly_bulletin.html to someone else you know who might enjoy reading this weekly bulletin as well so they can start receiving the email too.

See you next week!

Got a business in Spain? Advertise with us.

Murciatoday.com and its affiliated Spain Today Online sites can help bring your business to a wider audience – over 350,000 unique readers every month. We’ll provide you with custom-made banner ads, a personalised listing in our Business Directory and special feature articles about your particular business niche.

Don’t limit yourself to the yellow pages. Get online! After Covid, can you afford not to? Contact us today to find out how we can get wider exposure for your business.