Murcia Today Weekly Bulletin 3rd October

It's certainly been a busy week on the covid front, although the remainder of the news, particularly in Murcia, has been on the drought side of very dry.

Put it this way, the "most read" story for THREE days in both of the main Spanish media of the Murcia Region, was "man caught having sex with a pony", a tiny snip of text reporting that a drunken Magrebi man had been caught in the act by the owner of the pony in an outlying area of the Murcia municipality. After a veterinary inspection, the pony was found to be none the worse for wear and the owner decided not to press charges, but this was the story that the public wanted to read and it remained firmly at the top of the most read list for three days as a result.

Spain Covid:

However, as has been the case for the last 6 months, covid has remained firmly at the top of the list for "most reported topic" and this week the deteriorating situation in Madrid has dominated media coverage.

So what is the current situation in Spain?

On Friday 25th September the total number of coronavirus cases in Spain was 716,481, and during the week leading up to that figure, Spain had reported 76,441 cases. This was marginally higher (2,727) than the previous week in which 73,714 cases were reported.

On Friday 2nd October, the Ministry of Health reported 789,932 cases, so this week the number of cases reported has been 73,451, or 2,990 cases less than last week, and virtually the same as the previous week, indicating a level of stability, although this is still 10,493 cases a DAY.

In terms of fatalities, the current fatalities count is 32,086, an increase of 854 in the last week, considerably higher than the total for the previous week, which was 475, so the virus is following the same path as predicted, with cases rising first and deaths following on 2-4 weeks later.

In terms of hospitalisations, there are currently 10,372 covid patients hospitalised across Spain, with 1566 in intensive care units.

The average occupacy rate for beds is 8.77% and the average occupancy for intensive care beds is 17.99%.

Last week  there were 11,006 patients admitted, 1,465 in ICU, with general occupancy of 9.5 % and 17.17 percent in ICUs, so the number hospitalised is slightly lower, but we have more patients in intensive care than last week, again, following the expected pattern that leads to a higher number of deaths.

However, we are still a LONG way from the level of deaths recorded in the first wave, as can clearly be seen by the graphic, when the highest point reached was 905 deaths in a single day, so although the number of cases is higher, the deaths are much lower; hospitals better equipped to cope, staff trained, drugs available, we have a better knowledge of how to manage the virus and how to overcome it, we're also better informed and more aware, and better able to keep the infections away from the most vulnerable in care homes. If we consider that the first wave hit us like a train at full speed, and had managed to penetrate care homes where those most at risk were vulnerable, killing thousands very quickly, this time measures are in place to prevent it entering care homes; when it does, protocols are in place to swiftly isolate staff and patients and better protect residents, so the virus isn´t able to "take us all by surprise" as it did in the spring. Also, because cases are being detected early, there are less patients suddenly arriving at hospitals with critical symptoms, so we're in a much better position moving forward into the autumn and flu season.

The graphic shows the significant differences across the country and the capability of each region to cope with the situation. Catalonia has the second highest number of patients with 1363, but has only 5.55% of its beds occupied by covid patients, but in Castilla y León 789 patients is enough to push its occupancy up to 12.69%. Murcia has 288 patients, giving it 8.12% occupancy, with 63 in intensive care ( 15.87%).

The stress in intensive care can be seen most clearly in areas such as Aragón (30.3%), La Rioja (30.36%) and Ceuta (29.41%) whIch don´t have the bed capacity of the most populated regions. But once we reach Madrid, it becomes clear very quickly where the major problem lies, as Madrid currently has 3,561 patients hospitalised with 22.9% of its bed capacity occupied by covid patients and 42.61% of its intensive care beds occupied by covid patients.

And Madrid has been the principal topic of conversation all week.

As reported last week, the situation in Madrid has been deteriorating rapidly, with increased numbers of cases, hospitalisations and deaths, Madrid accounting for around a third of all cases in Spain.

This article "Madrid ordered to confine as central Government imposes controversial order" Click to read, pulls together the events of the week and explains some of the political to-ing and fro-ing which has taken place throughout the week and has culminated on Friday with the Madrid Government being forced by the National Government to confine nearly 5 million people for a two week period.

It's a hugely controversial situation, as the national Government of Pedro Sánchez has activated powers granted in the legislation put into place at the end of the state of emergency allowing the Ministry of Health to over-rule the regional Government of the Madrid Region and force it to apply measures to contain the virus, as the Ministry felt that the regional Government was not doing enough to stem the increase in cases and was putting lives at risk by not acting quickly enough to stop the virus spreading and reaching the more vulnerable.

This same legislation could, theoretically, be applied to any major population centre in Spain that meets the same criteria, more than 60 spread across the country including both Murcia City and Cartagena here in the Murcia Region, so the evolution of this situation will be carefully watched by regional governments across Spain.

The situation has become a major point for political confrontation, as the regional health authorities were asked their opinion about the measures and to give their approval for uniform restrictions to be agreed across the country in order to avoid confusion, as it has to be said, is occurring in the UK, with different measures being applied in different areas, the idea being that no one area could complain it was being discriminated against politically, with the same measures applying to any area which met the criteria of having a certain amount of cases per head of population, a certain percentage of positive PCR tests and a certain capacity of intensive care beds occupied (see the article link above for the details). After the regions requesting that uniform measures be agreed, and agreeing in principal to doing so,  the health minister was therefore less than impressed when all of the regional governments run by PP opposition parties (except Murcia which accidentally abstained) or with a separatist government (Catalonia of course, and Galicia, which actually has the only active terrorist group left in Spain) voted against the measures. The health ministry has the power to impose the measures regardless, which it decided to do, but the Prime Minister felt compelled to call for the political bickering to stop, saying that there is only one enemy, Covid, and that unity is needed to defeat it, not political division.

The intervention of the health ministry is a huge slap in the face for the head of the Madrid regional government who is obliged to enforce the regulations and has said she will do so, but she just can´t resist sniping and on Friday put out what can only be called a "childish" tweet, saying "From tomorrow you'll be able to get to Barajas airport from Berlin but not from Parla (one of the areas restricted). Thank you for causing this chaos Pedro Sánchez."

Of course, there will be confusion, until everyone gets used to the situation, there will be protests (the military were re-deployed on Thursday to assist the police in their work) and there will be political repercussions for months to come, but hopefully, the confinement will help to reduce the spread of the virus and in truth, the measures are no worse than those being imposed in other areas of the country. Overnight there have been 200 sanctions issued in Madrid for not complying with the order and four arrests.

Here in the Murcia region, there are three municipalities with the same restrictions; Totana, Jumilla and the urban area of Lorca and other areas of Spain continue to introduce localised restrictions as they feel necessary; for example at midnight restrictions came into force in San Adrián in Navarra, an area of only 6,000 residents but having recorded an IA rate of 1399 cases per 100,000 inhabitants in the last 14 days, a very high level, which has been confined; Castilla y León has extended its confinement of Pedrajas e Iscar in Valladolid today,  and the same situation is occurring all over Spain, with dozens of localised restrictions, the whole aim being to prevent a large-scale lockdown. Nowhere are people confined to their homes, in all cases the confinements relate to a geographical area, so freedom of movement is maintained.

Other national covid news:

Madrid survey examines most common symptoms in patients with mild cases of Covid-19 and finds that symptoms vary in men and women and according to age: A study carried out by professionals from the Hospital Clínico San Carlos de Madrid on 1,177 professional medical patients recording positive PCR for Covid-19, but not requiring hospital admission, has revealed that the main symptoms of the virus are fatigue, fever, cough, muscular aching and headaches in both sexes and in all age groups studied.This study is the largest to date on patients with mild or moderate symptoms without hospital admission and has recently been published as a letter to the editor in the international Journal of Infection.Read the full article, which is actually quite interesting! Click to read

Spanish Government extends closure of Schengen border until October 31st:  the temporary closure of the Schengen border decreed in July for non-essential travel has been extended until midnight on October 31st, the only exceptions being members of the European Uniion, those living within the Schengen area, habitual residents of Andorra, The Vatican, San Marino and a dozen countries which are granted an exception.

Effects of Covid:

This week co-incides with the start of a new month and there has been a rash of monthly statistics published, which highlight the devastating effects of covid on the economy.

Employment;The number of unemployed in Spain is now 3,776,485. In seasonally adjusted terms, the interannual unemployment level has increased by 696,774 people in the last year, a rise of 22.6%.

Less than half of the jobs lost between March and April have been recovered; 950,000 workers lost their jobs during the covid lockdown, but since February, unemployment has grown by 530,000 people as a result of the covid pandemic.

This week the Government and unions agreed an extension to the ERTE scheme which allowed businesses to furlough staff during lockdown. 80.29% of those on an ERTE at the end of April have now returned to work, but 728,909 people have not and are still on an ERTE rather than being included within the unemployment figures. A survey of business owners this week concluded that 60% of those still on an ERTE scheme would be made redundant when the scheme ends at the end of January, but the agreement does keep the unemployment level down.

This week a continuation of the special payments system for the self-employed was agreed, but there are 1.5 million self-employed workers who are registered with Social Security, but whose turnover has fallen by more than 70% since the start of the covid crisis.

Spain still has an unemployment rate double that of the Eurozone and more than double that of the EU.

However, 84,013 jobs were created during September, a record number of new jobs for September which is not usually the best month of the year for employment due to it marking the end of the summer season and this September unemployment fell by 26,329 people, the largest drop in the entire historical series, which began in 1996! This means that nearly half of those who did lose their jobs in the lockdown period have now returned to work, and are doing so at a faster rate than following the 2008 economic crisis, which is the last time the country experienced the level of unemployment reported in the first half of the year, so although we're fighting a second wave of covid, the unemployment situation isn´t currently as dire as it could be, to put it simplistically. Again, there's always a however, jobs are being created in sectors such as education, as more contracts are being issued to help the educational system cope with the crisis, agriculture is doing well, but sectors such as construction are suffering and obviously tourism and hostelry is having a very difficult time.

This situation was amply represented in the Murcia Region which reported 681 less unemployed than a month ago, but reflected the national situation regarding hostelry and education.

One of the most basic indicators of how construction is performing is the demand for cement, so a report from their representative body may sound pretty boring, but in fact reveals that the drop in demand for cement reflects the current level of (in)activity in the sector. However, it also highlights that if the money from the European Covid Recovery Fund is invested into public works projects, jobs can be saved and the construction work fuel a whole wave of economic recovery which will feed into many other sectors.

The covis crisis has created a strange situation in the property sector; demand for properties in more rural areas with gardens has risen. The demand for rentals has risen due to lack of supply and the fact that families are nervous of taking on mortgages given the current economic instability, so prices for rentals have risen. The number of property sales is still in flux as the lockdown situation caused such a  huge distortion in the figures being published, so this week we have the situation that the Valuation Society says Spanish housing prices continued to rise in the first six months of the year, and Tinsa says that during the first nine months of the year, they have fallen.

Public debt figures published this week show that public debt has increased at all levels; national, regional and local governments increasing their indebtedness as a result of the costs associated with the coronavirus to a record level; The debt of the public administrations across Spain as a whole rose in the second quarter to a historical high of 1,290,657 million euros, reaching 98.9% of GDP, thus increasing in absolute terms by 5.4% compared to the previous quarter, with 66,088 million euros more.

This includes Murcia, where public debt has reached 10,376 million, the highest figure ever recorded.

How this debt is to be repaid when the public refuse to accept cuts in public services, yet still demand a constantly improving lifestyle is an article yet to be written.

The IMF is clear that it's not going to be easy and this week said that Spain will not return to pre-pandemic levels of activity until 2023. Click to read

Tourism: And of course, tourism. Airport stats have yet to be published, but we know they're going to be pretty dire as the Frontur and Egatur stats came out on Friday, which examine the number of foreign tourists visiting Spain and how much they spent, and as expected, served only to emphasise the difficult situation facing the hostelry and tourism sectors.

The complete lockdown in April and May during which 100% of both tourists and revenue were lost was bad enough; the 97% loss of tourists in June only to be expected when borders didn´t open until the 21st, the 75% loss in July, hard to bear but at least putting a few heads on beds, but then August came and what should have been a month of recovery which set tills ringing was beleagured by covid outbreaks, travel restrictions and quarantines, the net result being a 76% fall in international tourist visitors during August.

The evolution of spending is just as dismal: falls of 98% in June, 79% in July and then 79% in August, concluding a difficult summer for a sector which has provided more than 12% of GDP in the past.

During August only 2.44 million foreign tourists came to Spain, a fall of 75.86% compared to the same month of the previous year when over 10 million foreign travellers chose Spain for a bit of summer sun.

So far this year the collapse in the arrival of international tourists stands at 73%. Between January and August, almost 15.7 million foreign tourists have arrived in Spain compared to almost 58.2 million in the same period of the previous year, a loss of almost 42 MILLION travellers.

In the eighth month of the year, foreign tourists spent 2.456 million, 79% less than in 2019 when 11,764 million euros gave the tourism sector its busiest month of the year.
In the first eight months of 2020, tourist spending is close to 16,750 million, 73.8% less than in the same period of the previous year. Between January and August of a year ago, the figure exceeded 64,000 million.

The number of Brits visiting Spain in August fell by 88%.

And here in Murcia, we lost 74% of international tourists during August, so it's no wonder businesses servicing the sector are suffering and it feels a bit quiet here on the coast!!!!!!!

Domestic tourism fell by 82 percent across Spain in the second quarter:Murcia fared better than the national average with a fall of “only” 74 percent

On Monday the INE National Statistics Institute, published the Encuesta de Turismo de Residentes, which examines the holiday and travel movements of residential tourists, ie those resident in Spain.

Nationally, Spaniards as a whole made 82% less journeys than normal during the second quarter of the year, which is only logical given that for most of this time Spain was in lockdown and then de-escalation, only finally emerging for the last 10 days of the second quarter at the end of June.

As is also logical, the amount spent by Spanish residents on trips and travel, also fell by 89% during this period, to just 1.2 billion euros, hence the problems currently being experienced by the tourism sector which estimates that it will lose 100 billion euros worth of revenue by the end of the year.

Here in the Murcia Region the figures were actually slightly better, as between April and June, the Murcia Region welcomed 254,958 national travellers, 74.94% less than in the second quarter of 2019.
There were 71.32% less overnight stays than between April and June 2019 and the total expenditure of travellers amounted to 36.85 million euros, 78.22 percent less than during the second quarter of last year.

Many hotels along the Spanish Costas have announced closures for this winter; here in Murcia 90% have said they will close, and in areas such as the “Costa tropical” in Granada, 95% plan to close for the winter months. Many hotels in Benidorm have also announced their closure this week, leading to the probability that Christmas on the Costas may not be the preferred option this winter. Although the airline stats are yet to be released, users are still reporting the cancellation of many flights to Spain this autumn, and with the situation in the UK still deteriorating, there is virtually no chance of the Spanish quarantine being lifted in the immediate future, so little will change for the hard-hit businesses which usually service the ex-pat community in the next few weeks.

Other news Spain:

The biggest story of the week has been the ongoing separatist situation in Catalonia. Quim Torra, separatist president of the Generalitat of Cataluña, the Catalan regional government, has been banned from office for 18 months and ordered to step down from his position as regional president.

Torra has thus become the first president of the Generalitat to be disqualified while in office, almost two and a half years after being invested following the elections prior to which Carles Puigdemont had fled to Belgium after his attempt to declare the independence of Catalonia had failed, following the decision of the Supreme Court to uphold the decision of the Superior Court of Justice of Catalonia in December.

He is now the third consecutive Catalan president to lose office in relation to his separatist agenda.

On Friday the date of February 14th was announced as the date chosen for regional elections should the Catalan Parliament fail to reach agreement over the selection of a new president. As always, the Catalan separatism issue is contentious and toxic, and will now re-ignite yet again.

No prosecution against man who pummelled a sunfish to death on Almeria beach. The case drew widespread condemnation from shocked public appalled by the unnecessary cruelty towards a harmless fish. The video is quite upsetting and this story has only been written as the Ed. was equally upset to hear that the individual concerned is viewed as having done nothing "illegal". 

Spain is always in the news as criminal gangs attempt to bring drugs into Europe using the vast Spanish coastline as an entry point. This week one example of using technology caught the attention of the Ed. ; Narcodrone caught flying hashish over the Ceuta and Morocco border. Click to read.

And this one: Marbella drug traffickers jet-ski hashish onto beaches in full view of sunbathers. Click to read

And of course, the endless saga of illegal immigration: Migrant rescued by a ferry after being at sea for 10 days in a kayak trying to reach Spain. En- route his three travelling companions had died. Click to read

On the following day a body was found floating in the water by rescue services intercepting yet another boatload of migrants and throughout the week several boatloads were intercepted in all parts of the coastline including Murcia, where sixteen irregular migrants were detected off the Cartagena coastline.

Another long-term topic we've written about many times over the years is the struggle to save the native Iberian Lynx from extinction and this week the unusual situation occurred that a young lynx appeared in the middle of a town, much to the astonishment of residents. Fortunately, he was young and healthy as well as unchipped, so had been born without the conservationists detecting his birth, good news. Click to read the article

Murcia covid:

On Friday 18th the Murcia region had 7097 active cases

On Friday 25th the Murcia Region had 8,127 active cases, an increase of 1030 active cases in a week.

On Friday October 2nd the Murcia region had 8,240 active cases, a significantly lower rise in active cases of only 113 in the last week.

The total number of cases increased from 15,806 on Friday 18th (3328 new cases in a week), to 18,999 on Friday 25th ( 3193 new cases in a week). This week the total number of cases stands at 21,612, which is only 2613 new cases this week, so there has been a marked slowdown in the number of cases detected, and a slowdown in the rise in the number of active cases this week.

This does point to a slight stabilisation, and there has certainly been a marked decline in the number of active cases in the areas in which confinements have been applied.

The accumulated incidence for the last seven days has dropped to 181 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, which is a significant improvement on the position when compared to last Friday and also indicates a slowdown in the rate of new infections.

However, we obviously have the situation that there are more covid cases spread around the Region of Murcia today than at any point in the pandemic to date so far, so although the figures are "a little better" this week, and there is cause for a little cautious optimism, there are now cases in virtually every municipality. The list below shows the current situation as of Friday based on the cases identified in the last 7 days. This week little Ulea finally succumbed, so every single municipality has now reported cases in the crisis so far;

Note, the first figure shown is the actual number of cases diagnosed in the last 7 days, the second is the IA rate for the last 7 days (number of cases per 100,000 of population): In brackets the number of cases is indicated as either a positive or negative compared to the situation on Thursday, taking into consideration that patients are recovering and being removed from the list all the time)

Abanilla 17/277 (+3) ( This means 17 cases in the last week and an IA rate of 277, so above average, with 3 cases more than when the last figures were published)
Abarán 10/77 (-5)
Águilas 25/70 (0)
Albudeite 0
Alcantarilla 87/206 (-4)
Aledo 2/195 (-2)
Los Alcázares 8/49 (-2)
Alguazas 26/269 (-13)
Alhama de Murcia 73/330 (+7)
Archena 63/326(+2)
Beniel 7/61 (+1)
Blanca 3/45 (-2)
Bullas 5/43 (0)
Calasparra 4/39 (+3)
Caravaca de la Cruz 30/116 (0)
Cartagena 200/93 (-35)
Cehegín 3/20 (-1)
Ceutí 36/305 (+2)
Cieza 27/77 (-5)
Fortuna 35/346 (+2)
Fuente Álamo 50/301(-7)
Jumilla 91/355 (-30)
Librilla 7/132 (-1)
Lorca 331/350 (+15)
Lorquí 14/196 (-2)
Mazarrón 18/55(-10)
Molina de Segura 162/225 (-41)
Moratalla 0/0 (0)
Mula 33/195 (-1)
Murcia 693/152 (-101)
Ojós 1/200 (0)
Pliego 8/208 (-2)
Puerto Lumbreras 14/90 (-3)
Ricote 1/79 (-1)
San Javier 62/190 (+18)
San Pedro del Pinatar 17/66 (0)
Santomera 24/148 (-14)
Torre Pacheco 101/283 (+28)
Las Torres de Cotillas 38/177 (-13)
Totana 270/843 (-49)
Ulea 3/457 (-1)
La Unión 15/74 (-14)
Villanueva del Río Segura 1/34 (0)
Yecla 36/104 (-1)
Those from other regions diagnosed in Murcia 53
Total 2704 . Acumulated IA rate in the last 7 days: 181

Fatalities:
The total fatalities are now 217 since the start of the pandemic and the intensity of the deaths can be clearly seen in the graphic.

Image: Hospitalisations, blue are covid admissions, red intensive care
Hospitalisations:Current hospitalisations are 324 with the number in intensive care at 71.
7,916 patients remain in home isolation with mild symptoms. Again, the graphic shows a certain stabilisation.

There are 143 affected in care homes and residences within the region, 99 of them users and residents and the remainder care home workers.

The number of positives in educational centres has barely affected the number of covid positives, with less than 3% of the total cases linked to the return to school. Only 0.5% of pupils are in quarantine following three weeks of the new term and 0.64% of teachers. Already there have been discussions this week about resuming the former presencial system so that all pupils can return to school rather than being split into 2 groups, with only half attending lessons presencially at any given time.

Image: Accumulated incidence rate per 100,000 inhabitants; Totana is clearly the municipality with the highest rate per capita. Totana, Jumilla and the urban area of Lorca remain in confinement.
 

Recoveries:In the last 24 hours 295 patients have been given the all-clear, bringing the total number of recoveries to 11,449.


Other news Murcia:

Ten of the first turtles to be born in Murcia region for 100 years released on Monday: The turtles were released from Cala Arturo, where the eggs were laid a year ago.

The first ten of the 21 loggerhead turtles born in the Region of Murcia for 100 years last summer were released on Monday morning, having reached a weight of one kilo, sufficient for them to survive the attention of predatory birds and fishes and improve the odds of them surviving to adulthood twentyfold.

The young turtles have spent the last year growing in the tanks of the IMIDA in San Pedro del Pinatar and acclimatising in the Oceanográfic in Valencia, before finally being released from the same beach on which they were born in Cala Arturo in Calblanque.The ten turtles released on Monday were all males, as, according to the experts, higher temperatures during incubation are required for the emerging turtles to be females! The remaining eleven turtles will be released next week. Click to read

Decrease in mortgage borrowing of 21 percent during July in Murcia region. Click to read

1.6 million euros to improve Villananitos and La Puntica paseos in San Pedro del Pinatar: On 1st October, co-inciding with the start of the winter low season, maintenance and improvement works began on the La Puntica and Villananitos promenades in san Pedro del Pinatar, the 1,623,000 euro budget aiming to enhance the appearance and functionality of the seafront promenades.

The works, which will be carried out in phases, cover a total area of 20,000 square meters and are divided into two lots; the first on the La Puntica promenade, from Varadero street to the end of the municipality on its border with San Javier, which has a budget of 813,000 euros and the second on the route from calle Campoamor until it reaches the Molino de Quintín, which has a budget of 810,000 euros. Click to read more

Maximum of 24 divers a day in the Cabo Tiñoso marine reserve in Cartagena:New limitations for recreational diving in the Cabo Tiñoso Marine Reserve of Fishing Interest (Cartagena) came into effect on Thursday, 1st October.

Among the measures introduced by the Ministry of Water, Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Environment, the most notable change is the maximum number of divers per day permitted within the area: only 24. The objective of the regulation is to preserve the natural environment in the interior waters of this protected area (1,200 hectares) and disturb the aquatic fauna as little as possible. Click to read full article

Carnival cancelled in san Pedro del Pinatar next spring. Click to read

Charities have been hit hard by covid and all of our local charities which rely on fundraising within the expat community are suffering, as musical events have been cancelled, as have many charity fairs and other fundraisers. Online donations are very welcome, and it is hard to raise funds through virtual events, but MABS has announced this week that it's annual Race for Life will be virtual this year, so anyone can join in and raise funds from anywhere in the world...please support the event. MABS running virtual Race for Life this year

Two former Mazarrón Mayors and three former councillors in court next week relating to an investigation into the alleged irregular adjudication of town hall contracts.Ginés Campillo is currently vice-mayor and is in charge of financial affairs (Hacienda), infrastructure, culture and patrimony in the current administration.

Former mayors of Mazarrón Ginés Campillo, (Unión Independiente de Mazarrón UIDM), and Francisco García, from the PSOE, as well as three former councillors; Isidro Coy and Andrés Valera from UIDM and Juan Miguel Muñoz from PSOE, will appear in the Provincial Court of Murcia on Tuesday charged with prevarication in relation to allegedly awarding contracts to the value of 413,000 without respecting the normatives, in an irregular fashion.

The administrators of the two allegedly beneficiary companies and the winner of another tender also appear as defendants; Juan Pedro M.B., José Baltasar N.S. and Bartolomé M.B.

The alleged irregularities relate to the period 2011-2015 when the UIDM and PSOE formed a coalition government.

In its provisional conclusions, the Prosecutor's Office is asking for a penalty of ten years disqualification from public office; in the case of the former mayors and councillors as authors, and for the three beneficiaries as necessary cooperators.

5 metre high marijuana plant confiscated in Molina de Segura: All police had to do was follow their noses.

A couple living in Molina de Segura have been arrested by the National Police after the discovery of a giant marijuana plant growing in their home that had reached 5 metres in height.Police sources reported on Thursday that agents of the Judicial Police began an investigation after a strong smell of marijuana became difficult to ignore on a street in Molina de Segura, which finally led them to the home where the detainees resided.The plant was in the courtyard of the house, and had been roofed in with plastic to create a greenhouse environment in which the plant obviously thrived!Agents searched the home, cut down the tree and seized a large quantity of very fat marihuana heads. The couple will now face charges relating to the growing and trafficking of drugs.

Contrary to popular legend it is NOT legal to grow marijuana for home use in Spain. Although the courts and police will often turn a blind eye to small-scale cultivation of one or two plants, it is actually illegal in Spain to grow ANY marijuana, so don´t believe what “some bloke on facebook said”.

Thank you for your support and have a good week!