May 2023

200,000 fewer UK tourists predicted this summer compared to 2019 record levels on Spain’s Costa Blanca

FEWER UK tourists are expected to visit Alicante province this summer compared to the record-breaking 2019 season because there are not enough flights. Costa Blanca Tourist Board manager, Jose Mancebo, said that overall forecasts showed the area surpassing 2019’s pre-pandemic visitor numbers but he expects fewer Brits than four years ago. He said this was

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Reservoir levels continue to fall despite heavy rains on the weekend 

LEVELS of reservoirs in Andalucia continue to fall despite the recent significant precipitation in several parts of the region.  It has been reported they are at 27.22% of their storage capacity, a 0.39% decrease compared to last week.  Water levels are experiencing a steady decline in Andalucia in the past months as the region is

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EXPLAINER: Why getting affordable long-term rental accommodation in Spain has become very difficult

FINDING an affordable rental property is getting harder in Spain according to online real estate portal Fotocasa, who say rental availability has reached a ‘record low’. A survey from the group says the number of people living in rented accommodation in Spain has risen by 1% in the last year to 24%. Fotocasa spokesperson, Maria

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RAINY MAY: The Sierra Nevada and Alpujarra of Spain’s Granada receive more snowfall than in winter

THE current ‘rainy season’ in Spain is causing floods in parts of Málaga while Vera, a town in Almeria, needed to activate its municipal emergency plan. However, the precipitation is delighting residents of the Sierra Nevada region by depositing snow that will fill ‘acequias’, water the land, and make the mountain less arid. The ski

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Gang stole high-end cars to use for spare parts in Spain’s Costa Blanca

SIX people have been arrested in Aspe and Petrer in a long-running Policia Nacional probe into the theft of high-end vehicles that were scrapped for spare parts. The first phase of the police operation recovered two partially-scrapped vehicles stolen in 2019 and 2020 on a farm in Aspe, with one of the cars originating from

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Spain’s National Police make nine arrests in Melilla over suspicions of postal vote fraud scheme

SPAIN’S National Police force has made nine arrests as investigations continue into alleged voter fraud in the North African city of Melilla ahead of this Sunday’s local and regional elections.  Among those detained is a member of the current government in Melilla, Mohamed Ahmed Al Lal, who is number three on the candidate list for

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Gibraltar and Channel Islands learn how to fight terrorist funding schemes in Rock’s university course

POLICE and financial crime experts from Gibraltar, Guernsey, Isle of Man and Jersey took part in a three-day course to learn about how to spot terrorists’ bank accounts. The course at the University of Gibraltar looked at ‘case studies, and the most recent typologies and trends employed by international and domestic terrorist organisations’, the government

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Cyberhacker ‘Alcasec’ gets bailed by Spain’s National Court after selling tax details via ‘dark web’

A 19-year-old cybercriminal who calls himself Alcasec has been bailed by the National Court following his arrest on March 31. Jose Luis Huertas Rubio was detained in Madrid after breaching the server of the General Council of the Judiciary(CGPJ) last November. That gave him access to all the records of judicial proceedings at all levels

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Gibraltar deputy leader meets US lawmakers during UK-organised visit to Washington DC

GIBRALTAR’S Deputy Chief Minister Joseph Garcia met with members of the US Congress in Washington DC as part of a pandemic-suspended UK programme. Garcia updated Republican and Democrat members of the Congress in what was an annual visit under UK MECEA programme until COVID-19 struck. The pandemic and its travel restrictions meant the Gibraltar Government’s

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