News
Island sold
Spring rain reduces drought threats
S ’ Espalmador island ( pictured ) off the north coast of Formentera was sold to a Luxembourg family for € 18 million last month . The 137 hectare uninhabited island is part of the protected Ses Salines nature reserve and is separated from Formentara by a sand bar which can be walked across at low tide . The new owners intend it for their , “ own private use .”
Racist removed
A 70-year-old man was removed from a Binter flight about to leave Palma de Mallorca last month . He was heard making racist comments about a stewardess from Senegal , and was taken away by Guardia Civil officers after refusing to disembark . The flight to Tenerife North was delayed by 20 minutes as a result of his behaviour which Binter said would , “ not be tolerated .”
Homophobes charged
Three UK tourists have been detained on Gran Canaria after two male passengers on a flight from East Midlands airport were taunted by their homophobic remarks throughout the journey . The victims complained to the Guardia Civil who traced the suspects to an hotel in Playa del Inglés . They have been charged with committing a crime against human rights for discrimination based on sexual orientation .
Tragic find
The body of a recently-born baby girl has been found at a waste plant in Castellón . The discovery was made last month in the town of Onda and police opened an immediate enquiry . The search for the mother is complicated by the fact that the plant takes in waste from 46 municipalities including the city of Castellón which alone has over 170,000 inhabitants .
Fight fatality
A young man died and four others were injured , two seriously , in a fight outside a karaoke bar in the Usera district of Madrid last month . All suffered knife wounds . The fatality is believed to be a 27-year-old Chinese national who died from blood loss , open heart massage failed to revive him .
Restrictions on water use presently in force for farmers and growers in the Axarquía may be relaxed following the rainfall of the last month . Málaga ’ s largest reservoir , La Viñuela , which has been on alert since last July when the level fell below 54 cubic hectometres ( hm3 ), now holds in excess of 57 hm3 .
The reservoir , which has a maximum capacity of 165.43 hm3 , has been in a state of “ pre-alert ” for two years , leading to limits being placed on water used for irrigation last December when its capacity had fallen to just 22 per cent . Farmers had cuts of almost 60 per cent imposed , so reducing their consumption from 23 to just 10 hm3 of water for the year to next September .
The regional environmental Minister , José Fiscal , said last month that the situation would be reviewed later in the month . The water management committees of Costa del Sol , Guadalhorce-Málaga and Axarquía-La Viñuela were expected to report on the state of their reserves and outline the
A 60-year-old man is in custody on suspicion of the murders of two young people in Cataluña last August . He is thought to have shot the couple dead while they were on a camping holiday near the Susqueda reservoir , 120 kilometres north-east of Barcelona .
The bodies of 21-year-old Paula Mas and 23-year-old Marc Hernández were found in September , a month and two days after their disappearance . They had gone to spend a day in the country and had planned to go kayaking . A post-mortem found that the woman had been shot in the head , probably by a nine millimetre or other small bullet , while the man ’ s body was too badly decayed to ascertain the cause of death .
Police , who arrested Jordi Magentí Gamell last month following a sevenhour search of his home in Anglés , say that the victims may have stumbled
La Concepción reservoir
different scenarios which they may face for the remainder of the hydrological year , which runs to September 30 , 2018 .
Susqueda murder suspect detained
Meanwhile , La Concepción reservoir , which lies between Marbella and Istan and supplies 11 municipalities west of Málaga , was forced to open its gates last month and allow water to flow into the sea . The recent rainfall increased its reserve to 93 per cent of capacity with further precipitation expected .
across a marihuana plantation which was being cultivated by the suspect and his son . The younger man was also arrested but later released by police although both are being investigated for possible drugs offences .
The suspect was previously convicted for shooting his ex-wife dead 21 years ago in Anglès , and was granted parole in 2010 . He continues to deny vehemently any responsibility for the double murder last summer .
Portrait row
A Barcelona court has ruled that the city is obliged to hang a portrait of King Felipe in a “ place of honour ” in the town hall . In 2015 , after the city council removed a bust of the monarch ’ s father , it did not replace it with a likeness of the present Head of State . Barcelona ’ s council is expected to appeal the ruling to Cataluña ’ s High Court .
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