News
Covid Update
Afghans arrive
The whole of Málaga moved into Alert Level 2 on August 20 , permitting an increase in the maximum capacity levels in the hospitality , commerce and culture sectors .
During the previous fortnight , no municipality in the province exceeded the rate of 1,000 cases per 100,000 population in two weeks , so no nighttime curfews were in place . In the Axarquía health region the incidence fell from 443 the previous month to 286 per 100,000 .
Bars and restaurants returned to 100 % capacity on terraces and 75 % indoors , with a maximum of eight people sharing a table outdoors and six indoors . Shops are permitted 75 % indoor capacity with a distance of 1.5 metres between shoppers , while outdoor markets return to 100 %.
Other permitted capacities include 60 % for civil and religious ceremonies , 100 % for banquets of up to 400 people and 75 % indoors with up to 150 people , 100 % seated on public transport with 75 % standing , and a maximum of 15 people at a wake or funeral indoors and 25 people outdoors .
Earlier in August , a curfew lasting from 2am to 7am was imposed in Marbella and the city of Málaga . Both municipalities accepted the ruling , but argued that , with thousands of holidaymakers now on the coast , the incidence of new cases is much lower than suggested by the official figure which is calculated using the official population numbers .
An upper court in Andalucía ruled on August 5 that no Covid passports or test results will be required for admission to nightclubs . It had been suggested that proof of a negative test within the previous 72 hours would be a condition of entering leisure or catering establishments offering musical entertainment .
Gibraltar is a “ pirate cave ” says VOX
The far-right Vox party has called for the immediate closure of Spain ’ s border with Gibraltar . General secretary Macarena Olona said last month that her party wanted to try to “ suffocate ” the British enclave and stated , “ I come to say this loud and clear : Gibraltar is Spanish .”
Vox entered the Spanish parliament with 52 Deputies following the April 2019 general election , and if opinion polls are to be believed , could form part of Spain ’ s next government in a coalition with the Partido Popular . Thousands of Spaniards cross the border daily to work in Gibraltar which is an important source of revenue for this area of southern Spain .
Ms Olona continued her demand to close the border by describing the enclave as , “ a real pirate cave with the greatest pirate in front ” in reference to Fabian Picardo , Gibraltar ’ s Chief Minister . “ We cannot continue to support the blackmail and invasion of Spanish territory ,” she said , adding ,
“ The first obligation of a government is to defend its borders effectively and this government is not doing it .”
Illegal immigration
National Police on Gran Canaria have arrested a 43-year-old Moroccan suspected of illegal immigration and reckless homicide . He is believed to have skippered the boat in which 14 immigrants died after it ran out of fuel and drifted for ten days before being rescued on August 11 . Police say the suspect attempted to hide amongst other immigrants but was identified by the survivors of the 47 people who were on board .
Consumption down
Spain was the country in which household spending fell most during 2020 . Consumption fell by 10.9 % during the year according to last month ’ s figures from the OECD which showed falls in all but three member countries . Overall , spending across all EU states fell by 6.5 % and within the Eurozone it was down 7.3 %.
The first Spanish Air Force plane carrying 48 Afghan refugees , including 32 children , and five personnel from Span ’ s Embassy in Kabul landed in Madrid early on August 19 . Spain sent three A400M military aircraft to Afghanistan of which two returned with refugees , while the third provided medical care . Foreign Minister Juan Manuel Albares said Spain would do , “ everything possible to bring all Afghan translators and collaborators to Spain .”
Cash received
Spain received its € 9 billion from the European Commission last month , some 12.9 % of the € 69.5 billion promised to help the country recover from the pandemic . A further € 10 billion is expected in December . Madrid is obliged to spend the cash on investments and reforms which support green and digital transitions and which also promote social cohesion .
Ceuta repatriations
Spain ’ s Interior Minister has defended the repatriation of unaccompanied minors from Ceuta to Morocco as NGOs and human rights activists denounced the deportation of migrants . Fernando Grande-Marlaska said he believed that returning the youngsters to their home country was in their “ best interest .” Relations between Spain and Morocco improved last month when King Mohamed called for “ trust , transparency , mutual consideration and respect ” between Madrid and Rabat .
Environmental disaster
Dead fish have been found on the shores of the Mar Menor , a coastal saltwater lagoon near Cartagena , apparently asphyxiated because of a lack of oxygen in the water . Last month ’ s environmental disaster followed a more extensive incident in 2019 , after which experts blamed nitrates from fertilisers used on the land being washed into the water . Murcia ’ s regional government , however , has suggested that a sudden rise in water temperature is to blame this time .
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