News
Tsunami threat
A new study has shown that a seismic event beneath the western Mediterranean Sea could generate a tsunami along the Málaga and Axarquía coast . Spain ’ s Higher Council for Scientific Research says waves six metres high could reach land in both Spain and Morocco following such an event in the area of the Med known as the Alborán Sea . However , their study also states that the last such earth movement in the same place occurred in the year 365 AD .
Water investigation
A government investigation opened last month after power company Iberdrola drained two reservoirs to produce hydroelectricity which was then sold to consumers at record high prices . The storage facilities in Zamora and Cáceres provinces were emptied within weeks during a heatwave and drought . A government minister said the action was not illegal , but classified it as irresponsible and unreasonable .
Student delays
British students hoping to study at Spanish universities this winter have been facing delays in obtaining a visa , a new requirement in the wake of Brexit . Authorities in Spain say time is needed to adapt to the new system , but with students expecting to travel this month , time is running out . Universities UK has written to the Spanish embassy and the Foreign Office asking them to work together to resolve the issue .
Beach take-down
Holiday-makers on a Granada beach held down a drugs trafficker carrying bundles of hashish after he leapt from a small boat being pursued by the Guardia Civil . A second man who tried to escape across the sands was stopped by police officers . The dramatic incident on August 15 began as the two craft came into sight metres from the shoreline and prevented an estimated € 1.5 million of drugs entering the country .
Film protest
Spain ’ s Association of Female Filmmakers has criticised the San Sebastian Film Festival for honouring actor Johnny Depp with a lifetime achievement award . Charges of the alleged domestic abuse of his former wife were described as “ substantially correct ” by a British judge last year . The group says the award reflects badly on the Festival and suggests that , “ It doesn ’ t matter if you ’ re an abuser if you ’ re a good actor .”
Crackdown on cash deals
New rules which came into effect in July have reduced the maximum sum which can be paid in cash for goods and services . The legislation is part of the government ’ s strategy to prevent and tackle tax fraud .
The previous upper limit of € 2,500 has been reduced to € 1,000 , although this only applies to dealings with a business or a company . So if the bill for your car repair is more than € 1,000 , you cannot now pay this in cash . However , it does not apply to private individuals , so the private sale of a vehicle , for example , carries no limitation .
Also in July , the EC imposed a new limit of € 10,000 on cash transactions , although several member countries are imposing lower limits . Greece , for example , has set its limit even lower than Spain ’ s at just € 500 .
The EC limit of € 10,000 does not apply , however , to payers who are private people whose tax base is not in Spain . Offenders face a sanction of 25 per cent of the sum involved .
Dramatic restaurant detention
Diners in a Fuengirola restaurant were surprised last month when police disguised as tourists suddenly arrested a customer about to order his meal . The suspect was Gerry Hutch , wanted in connection with a murder at the Regency Hotel in Dublin in 2016 .
Hutch , aged 58 and known as “ The Monk ” because of his apparently clean living style , is believed to have made up to € 40 million from serious criminal activities including armed robberies . His detention on August 12 after five years on the run around Europe was the result of a joint operation by Irish and Spanish detectives .
The Guardia Civil later confirmed the identity of Hutch who is believed to have been living on Lanzarote in the Canary Islands until April when he disappeared . He was taken to Madrid where he appeared briefly in court two days later . He is expected to be extradited to Ireland , although he may contest the extradition .
Police said later his location was discovered through electronic surveillance while he was using unregistered “ burner ” phones bought under a false name in Spain . He was reported to be carrying a fake Croatian passport when he was finally caught .
Gerry Hutch already has a string of convictions , and investigators believe he has been involved in several other major crimes . These include the theft of € 1.7 million from a Securicor transit van in Dublin in 1987 , and the Brinks Allied depot robbery in Clonshaugh in 1995 when £ 3 million was stolen .
Protection continues
A decree which ensures that basic services continue to be provided to vulnerable families has been extended until the end of October . The anti-eviction decree includes a veto on cutting power , water and gas to those households considered to be at risk by social services . Protection is greater if the landlord is a company or is the landlord of more than ten dwellings .
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