Spanish News Today Editors Roundup Weekly Bulletin Oct 8

CLICK HERE FOR THE FEATURE ARTICLES "A series of public holidays are coming up in Spain (starting next Weds!)" and "Spain spends billions on pension reforms and free public transport scheme"

Despite the persistent rain across much of the south and eat of Spain this week, which looks set to continue into next week too, the future is bright. Not least of all because this coming Wednesday is a bank holiday that will be celebrated with parades in the streets and more likely than not an embarrassing gaffe or two (more of which below).

Brighter still is the prospect of the free railcard scheme – which has already proved massively popular in the last month – being extended to cover the whole of 2023, as well as the promise of help for pensioners, single parents and the environment. Bring it on!

Festivo fun

Yes, next Wednesday is a national holiday in Spain, specifically the public holiday of the ‘Día de la Hispanidad’, which is celebrated annually on October 12. Colloquially known as ‘Spain Day’, this year’s holiday falls right in the middle of the week, so there’s little chance of being able to have a day off either side to make a ‘puente’ long weekend.

For some it will be a blessing to have a day off mid-week, while for others it’s an absolute pain because it means supermarkets, banks, post offices and official administrations will be shut, though there should be plenty of bars and restaurants open.

From a historical point of view, the festivo actually commemorates the day in 1492 when Columbus ‘discovered’ America. But in actuality it’s most famous for the televised military parade that takes place in the centre of Madrid every year, of which the display of fighter jets flying over the city is probably the most long-awaited moment. In fact, as anyone in Madrid for up to a week before the parade can attest, it’s quite a sight to watch the planes practising for their big day.

With any luck, the day itself will throw up one of its usual hilarious gaffes. One year, an airman parachuting dramatically and theatrically to the ground accidentally got tangled up in a tree, cartoon style, while last year the much-fêted Eagle Patrol group of jets, when leaving the red-yellow-red colours of the sky in a smoke trail, ended up drawing something that more closely resembled the red-yellow-purple of the republican flag… in front of the King, no less!

The next nationwide holidays coming up in Spain this year are, as ever, November 1 and then two days in early December. But apart from these, several autonomous communities have now released their calendar of bank holidays for 2023. The Valencian Community has made clear which days will be ‘red days’ next year, while in the rest of the country, it’s also been formalised which will be the national public holidays for 2023.

That black bull by the side of the road…

On the subject of Spanish institutions, the enormous black bull seen at the side of the road all across the country is synonymous with Spain at this stage. Anyone who has driven a few miles along a Spanish motorway can’t have failed to notice the gigantic signs, given that there are 91 currently dotting the landscape. But have you ever wondered where they came from and what is the real story behind those black bull signs?

You might be surprised to know is that the bulls were actually designed as part of an advertising campaign for the Osborne Group’s ‘Veteran’ brandy in 1956, hence the more modern name of the ‘Osborne Bull.’

The signs originally displayed the alcohol company’s logo but their many reincarnations over the years means that only two remain with the Osborne name: one at Jerez de la Frontera airport and the other near Puerto de Santa María, both in the province of Cadiz where their creator was from.

The traffic authorities have tried to have the bulls removed on several occasions, claiming they cause a distraction for drivers, and since the 60s they have to be 150 metres from the roadside. All this did, though, was encourage builders to make them bigger so that they’d still be visible, and now the bull silhouettes are more colossal than ever.

One problem faced by the bulls is that every now and then, ‘artists’ take it into their heads to paint or redesign them. This summer, three unnamed dissidents tackled the structure located on the outskirts of Xinzo de Limia in Ourense, painting it blue in the dead of night so that it perfectly blends in with the sky during the day.

Understandably, most people are extremely put out by the altered road signs as they’ve become a treasured part of the landscape for most. And despite attempts to alter it over the years, the Osborne bull has endured against all odds. But then again, he does have a pretty big pair of cojones after all!

Cost-of-living help

Whatever the country, budget time is always an anxious period as people speculate whether the powers that be will be cruel or kind, but the general consensus is that the Spanish government has come up trumps this week with its plans for the 2023 coffers, allocating more money than ever before to social spending – over 250 billion euros.

The big focus of the administration in its budget announcement (an actual budget, not a fake ‘mini-budget’) was the ongoing impact of the war in Ukraine on the average person’s bank balance. In fact, President Pedro Sánchez stood up in parliament this week and, in reference to his public spending, specifically pointed out Liz Truss’s new direction for the UK as a way not to govern.

Britain is a laughing stock with Liz Truss

Spanish PM Pedro Sanchez holding up the famous Economist front cover pic.twitter.com/5IRjU12wsW
— Al McGuiri 🔻 (@amcguiri) October 6, 2022

In Spain, two measures in particular are proving very popular: an extension of travel discounts and an increase in old age pensions. Introduced in September this year, the travel scheme offers free transport across the country on Cercanías trains and a 50% discount on Media Distancia trains, plus 30% discounts on urban buses between September and December 2022.

Now, the government has announced that this measure will continue throughout next year, not only saving us money but also lessening the impact on the environment. The regional authorities are also allowed to offer further discounts on local travel, but they have until the end of 2022 to decide what they plan to extend.

Pensions have already been increased this year but retirees who claim a Spanish pension will get another boost in 2023, as the government has confirmed that the monthly payment will need to be revised upwards in line with inflation. Specifically, the increase will be calculated based on November’s CPI, so the exact amount of the pension increase won’t be known until then.

Other measures included in the new budget include a renewed commitment to the ‘ecological transition’ and help for single-parents and families with young children, who will receive 100 euros per month for every child under the age of 3.

Bladeless wind turbines?!

One of the largest expenses for households and businesses is electricity, which is why Spain is putting so much emphasis on renewable energy sources lately. This year, the country has generated more wind energy than ever before, but there is an unfortunate environmental downside when it comes to wildlife.

Sadly, thousands of endangered bird species are killed every year by the spinning blades of wind turbines, which threatens the natural ecological balance. With this in mind, Spanish company ‘Vortex’ has come up with a viable solution: windmills without the dangerous blades. This might sound like an impossible feat, but the new equipment actually has an energy conversion rate of 40% - not bad when compared to the 49% seen with regular windmills.

As well as protecting our feathered friends, another benefit of these turbines is that they are much more compact. This means that, rather than needing acres and acres of land, far smaller windmills can be fitted on the roof of private homes and businesses, even in urban areas. In addition, they interfere less with radio signals than other renewable energy alternatives, so they can be placed in airports or military bases.

Now those are really the winds of change!

Murcia

There were almost 48 hours straight of rain in parts of Murcia this week, which left their by-now-customary flooding and road closures. The worst hit areas were Cabo de Palos and Los Alcázares, which saw almost 100 litres of rainfall in just one morning. The emergency services were called out 30 times on Thursday morning alone, 15 of them in the municipality of Cartagena, and had to rescue the occupants of at least three vehicles after they became trapped in the floods.

Other calls they received were for obstacles blocking the road and drains backing up, and there are renewed fears for the safety of the Mar Menor lagoon after the mouth of the El Albujón rambla registered 83.8 litres per square metre of accumulated rain water in just 24 hours.

Assuming the ground is clear and dry enough for them to take off, the local airstrip in Alhama de Murcia is due to become a training ground for British pilots with the Leading Edge Aviation (LEAL) flying school. The school have chosen the location as their “fair weather base” (which it does have most of the year, in fairness) for students who have completed their ground school training at the Oxford campus in the UK.

While at the Murcia training campus, Leading Edge has arranged accommodation for the students at the nearby Condado de Alhama Resort. Currently there are around 30 students in residence, and this figure is expected to rise to over 100 to take advantage of the year-round training opportunities. Past LEAL graduates have gone on to work for airlines such as British Airways, Air Tanker, EasyJet and Wizz Air, and now a small slice of Murcia is due to contribute to the next generation of pilots.

Another exciting development in the Region is the creation of a new shopping mall in La Manga Club that will connect the area located between Las Sabinas and La Plaza, to be named “El Boulevard”. There will be at least 16 stores in the new centre, and the hope is it will become a popular area for shopping and leisure activities for locals in the area. While a huge car park is also being built as part of the project, there are some concerns that the road in and out will become congested if there is too much demand.

For now, the mall is still in the planning phase, so it remains to be seen what shape it will finally take and how long it will take to be completed.

Lastly, the Feria del Mar Menor is taking place in Los Alcázares this weekend (weather permitting), with foodie-type events, music, watersports and loads of other activities going on. It promises to be a great fun-filled weekend, so see if you can get down there on Saturday or Sunday.

Check out our EVENTS DIARY to see more fun activities like this going on in Murcia soon:

Spain

With everyone focusing on pinching a few pennies at the moment, one Spanish bar has taken matters into its own hands and earned the unofficial title of Barcelona’s cheapest pub. ‘Todo 1 euro’ does exactly what it says on the tin and offers absolutely everything on its menu for just one euro. Fancy a pint? That’ll be a euro. Hankering after a hamburger? One euro. Crazy about cocktails? You guessed it, they’re all just one euro.

Unsurprisingly, the place is jam-packed from morning until night with queues usually snaking around the block on weekends. These days, social media influencers are flocking to Todo 1 euro and posting their experiences online, with often viral results.

So how do they keep prices so low? By using cheaper brands that can be purchased for far less but still offer the same great quality, according to the owner of the eatery.

For the moment at least, the owners aren’t considering raising the prices, but if the cost of raw materials continues to climb they may be left with no option.

We all know the Spanish are a little trigger-happy when it comes to issuing fines, but the case of one Scottish woman has hit the headlines across Europe. 32-year-old Scot Jamielee Fielding is seven months pregnant and currently sitting in a prison cell in Tenerife for failing to pay a fine she incurred while on holiday.

The Livingston woman was fined 420 euros for a drunk and disorderly charge in 2021 but didn’t bother paying it. When she returned to Tenerife on holiday last August on a family holiday, she was hauled up before a judge who refused her offer to pay up and instead ordered her to serve four months behind bars.

The thing is that she is in an advanced state of pregnancy, and now the young mum-to-be is understandably terrified at the prospect of giving birth in a Spanish prison. Her predicament has caused ructions back in the UK with local MP Hannah Bardell calling for an investigation by the Foreign Office into the way British citizens are treated by the Spanish authorities.

Alicante

It’s been “an extraordinary summer” on the Costa Blanca, with a 142% growth in terms of foreign tourists in the first eight months of the year compared to 2021, according to the National Institute of Statistics. An impressive three million holidaymakers visited the Alicante coastline this summer, and in what can only be great news for the tourism sector, more than half of those plan to return.

The findings of the national Visitor Satisfaction Survey 2023 were revealed by Spain's Minister of Industry, Commerce and Tourism, Reyes Maroto, at the II Turespaña Convention this week, during which he said the data demonstrates that the tourism sector in Spain, unlike other countries, “is managing to quickly overcome the slowdown brought about by the pandemic”.

The regional data shows that 96% of foreign tourists (5.7 million) who visited the Valencia Region were ‘satisfied’ or ‘very satisfied’, and as mentioned, and 55% plan to return in 2023. In August alone, 1.1 million international tourists visited the region, a growth of 40%, with the majority travelling from the UK. A month earlier, Alicante province was the second most visited province in the country by Spanish tourists.

However, not all visitors are welcome. This week, police in Benidorm, arguably one of the area’s most popular tourist destinations, closed the net on an Italian bank robber wanted in Switzerland for holding up three Swiss banks at gunpoint.

The 30-year-old Italian man was subject to a European arrest warrant issued following the bank jobs in which almost 74,000 euros was stolen. Back in 2018, the violent fugitive targeted the same branch twice and robbed another just 8 kilometres away. His attempt to raid the first bank for a third time was foiled when an employee recognised him.

He fled the country and was only apprehended in Benidorm after his “suspicious and elusive attitude” attracted the attention of a Local Police patrol and officers carried out a routine identification check. When police tried to arrest him, he became aggressive, according to police sources, kicking and punching the arresting officers before he was eventually detained. Extradition procedures are underway.

In other news, a stressed and fatigued horse had a lucky escape after falling several metres down a ditch on the Cabeçó de la Sal mountain in the Alicante town of Pinoso. In extraordinary and heartwarming scenes, the mare was airlifted to safety by the mountain rescue group GER which, with the aid of some slings, was able to make a harness to airlift the poor horse out using a helicopter.

Sounds simple, but an earlier attempt was made to rescue the horse by land, using footbridges to try to get her to climb up the slope, but she was exhausted and distressed, so determined rescuers called in aerial support to save the animal’s life.

The frightened flyer was then returned to the farm she had come from, a stone’s throw from where she had become stuck.

Andalucía

Footage emerged this week of a man driving in the middle lane of the busy A-7 motorway in Malaga… on an electric scooter! The video has gone viral and led police to launch a search for the man for “posing a clear risk to road safety”.

Con una silla de ruedas motorizada por el carril central de la autovía

📹 #A7 Málaga pic.twitter.com/RnNwgNaW1S
— SocialDrive (@SocialDrive_es) October 3, 2022

The A-7 is a major road in Malaga, with a significant volume of traffic every single day travelling at an average speed of between 90 and 110 kilometres. In the video, vehicles can be seen having to slow right down to avoid an accident.

According to comments on Twitter, the “reckless driver” is well-known on the section of the A-7 that connects San Pedro de Alcántara and Marbella. One user quipped: “The Guardia Civil has escorted him more times than a minister.”

The other big story in Andalucía this week was also in Malaga after provincial authorities decided to implement water restrictions due to a severe lack of water reserves. The most critical situation is in the La Viñuela and Axarquia, where human consumption will be reduced to 20%, meaning that people will be limited to 200 litres per day for personal use.

Aside from restrictions for private citizens, farmers will also be prohibited from using stored water to irrigate their crops, and will instead have to recycle.

Axarquia already had some water limitations in place, shutting off beach showers and foot baths back in August, but the situation has continued to deteriorate, with the La Viñuela reservoir now officially in the ‘dead’ category at less than 10% of its water capacity, a dire situation by all accounts.

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Health Alert: Spain recalls common stomach medication.
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72-year-old gored to death at bull run in Valencia, the 9th fatality this year.
The ‘sport’ of bullfighting has claimed a ninth life in 10 months in the Valencian Community as 72-year-old man from Villarreal was fatally gored by a bull during the Roser festivities in Almassora, Castellón.
Owning a car in Spain: 1,000 euros in hidden taxes you pay each year.
The cost of buying a car in Spain goes far beyond the garage’s price tag, and the average driver in Spain shells out more than 1,000 euros annually in extra charges.
October 14 to 16 Feria de Caravaca de la Cruz.
Live music, gastro trucks, free music, a fairground, gastronomic events, various markets and the dancing horses of Jerez come to Caravaca next week!

That’s all from us for this week. Thanks for reading, and we’ll be back next week with another edition of our Editor’s Roundup Weekly Bulletin. Until then, take care.

See you next week!

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