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Some of the News from the latest edition Issue number 88 - Published February 15th 2008

Resale Property Prices Fall

The price of a resale home in Cartagena has fallen by around 4.1%, the largest drop in Spain and 3.1 % above the average for the country as a whole where the drop was just under 1%. If trends in the market can't be reversed throughout 2008, then by the end of the year homeowners in the area could see a fall by as much as 12% of the value of their properties.

Other regions to suffer drops in property values were Extremadura with 2.8%, Andalucia (2.5%) and Castilla La Mancha (2.2%). It was not bad news across the whole of the country however, and some regions did experience a rise in prices. Property went up by 3.1% in Cantabria, 2.3% in Galicia, and 0.5% in Asturias.

On a provincial basis for the month of January 2008, the largest drop was in Soria (10.4%), followed by Malaga (7.6%). The largest gains were in Ourense (up 6.3%) and Palencia (2.9%).

Even the strong markets in the provinces of Barcelona and Madrid experienced slight falls in January, both less than 1%, but some homebuyers there will heave a sigh of relief, as prices per square metre for property remains high: 4,065 euros per metre for Madrid, and 4,745 euros for Barcelona.

Vanishing Playas:
Rising Sea Level Will Reduce Coastline

The level of the Mediterranean could rise by as much as 60 centimetres over the period of the next 50 years, according to the results of a study into "Climate Change and its Effects on the Spanish Mediterranean" which was published this month.

According to a spokesman, "beaches and coastal zones could be affected and we would lose part of the coast". This is due to a series of factors, such as the increase in average air temperature in the coastal zones, which has increased by 0.8 degrees centigrade between the years of 1974 and 2005.

The research says that between the years 1992 and 2005, we have already seen an increase in the sea level of around 16 centimetres.
Added to the impact of the climate change is the problem of increasing visitor numbers and the summer tourists visiting the beach.

The study concludes that the zones to be most affected by climate change would be the Mar Menor and the Ebro Delta.


Los Alcázares Mum Dies Protecting Daughter

A woman was tragically killed in Los Alcázares as she intervened in an assault on her daughter. The incident occurred in the early hours of the morning, when she tried to protect her daughter from an attack by her partner, a Moroccan, who kicked her with such force that she suffered serious injuries.

The woman was moved by the emergency service to the Los Arcos Hospital and police immediately detained the man, charging him with negligent homicide.

Staff at the hospital made every effort to save the woman, but unfortunately she died a short time later as the result of her injuries.
The man involved in the incident has since appeared before the judge in Court no.4 at San Javier, and has received a custodial sentence.

Sources say that the man had a history of violence towards his partner and when her mother intervened in his last attack he turned on her with tragic consequences.

Trafico Can Tell if You are Insured!

Just when you thought that "Big Brother" couldn't possibly watch you any more, Trafico have announced that they have developed a system for checking whether a vehicle has been insured.

Law abiding drivers should be delighted, as in the result of an accident, nothing is worse than finding out that the person who just ran into your car is lacking that essential certificate.

The system, which will initially be installed in around a dozen patrol cars belonging to the Guardia Civil, will start operating first in Madrid, Toledo, Seville, Granada, Valencia, Badajoz, Zaragoza, León, Burgos, A Coruña, Navarra and Asturias.

The system operates by reading the number plate of the car, and relaying the information back to a central database, and with just the help of the computer and the camera, police can instantly check if the car in question is "legal". If not, then police may impound or immobilise the vehicle.

The aim of the scheme is to make sure that all drivers have at least the minimum compulsory third party cover required by law, and to punish those who fail to follow the rules. Penalties are tough, with fines of 1000 euros for a bike, 1500 euros for a family car, and 2600 euros for larger vehicles.

Driving without insurance is not just illegal, in the event of an accident it can complicate procedures unneccesarily. Last year around 15,800 cases of driving without insurance were discovered in this way, but the actual figure for illegal vehicles is thought to be much higher.

So if anyone reading this is failing to comply with the law, get legal and insured quickly, before the Guardia catch you.

Correos Deliver a Smile

The hospital Virgen de la Arrixaca held a party last week for patients on the children's wards. It was the third children's party to be held, out of around forty planned for the whole of Spain, under the programme "Correos Brings a Smile to Children".

Children in the hospital, along with their parents and friends, were treated to a theatrical spectacular of magic and fun. At the end of the performance, the children were given presents.

The programme was made possible by the sponsorship of Correos, with the aim of improving the quality of the children's stay in hospital. Helping out were volunteers and representatives from the Red Cross Youth Brigade, the Murcian Association of Cystic Fibrosis, Afacmur, and hospital staff.

Extension of Coastal Building Ban

It may be bad news for developers and builders across Spain, but environmentalists will be delighted with the extension of the coastal building ban which will prohibit the building of properties at a distance of less than 100 metres from the coast.

In total, 14 countries have signed the agreement, although according to the Spanish Minister for the Environment, Cristina Narbona, the agreement is valid with just six signatures.

The signing of the act is the first step in an international drive to protect the coastline of the Mediterranean, already suffering the adverse effects of both increased tourist numbers and the effects of climate change.
For existing properties and current construction in the affected zones, the minister maintains that the law will not be applied retrospectively, but that projects currently in progress will have to be reviewed in order to be
granted special concessions in order to continue.

So far the countries who have signed the agreement are: Spain, Tunisia, Syria, Croatia, France, Italy, Greece, Malta, Algeria, Morocco, Montenegro, and Israel.

Several countries have not yet signed the agreement, but have indicated that they may sign up later in the year. These are: Turkey, Egypt, Cyprus, Bosnia, Libya and the Lebanon.

Thieves try to Rob Eroski

Two Romanian men were apprehended by police last week as they attempted to break into a shopping centre in Cartagena. The thieves were detained whilst trying to rob Eroski, after a security guard alerted police to the presence of two men in building. When the police arrived, the two men could be seen in the interior of the store, in the electronics department, moving shelves. A vehicle was in front of the building with the engine running, presumably for a quick getaway with the haul of electronics equipment.

Police entered the building to find the men trying to force display cabinets open with tools. On becoming aware of the police presence, the robbers took flight, but were detained immediately and charged with theft and breaking and entering.

Easier to Park in Cartagena

Information boards showing free parking spaces in the city's main car parks will be in operation "around the beginning of February", according to the Councillor for Safety and Public Roads, Enrique Pérez Abellán.

The electronic panels will tell road users where to find spaces to park, and although the boards have been in place for some time, they have not been used yet due to problems with the computer systems.

Now, software glitches seem to have been resolved and it is hoped that the panels will be put into service in February.

The panels are currently situated in the Calle Real, bridge at Barrio de la Concepción, Alameda de San Antón and in the road from La Unión, in the direction towards Cartagena.

The panels will display real time data about the number of free places in the car parks of the Plaza del Rey, del Muelle, Lonja, Plaza de España and El Cortes Inglés.

Cyclist Killed Near San Pedro

A 71 year old man was killed last weekend, when he was knocked from his bike in the early hours of the morning near to the Hotel Thalasia in Avenida del Puerto de lo Pagán in San Pedro del Pintar.

The accident occurred a little after midnight, according to sources from the Centre for Emergency co-ordination, but the cause of the accident has yet to be determined.

The man was struck by a car, and as a result of the impact, he hit his head hard on the road, and it began to bleed heavily after he fell to the ground. It seems that his death was a result of his head injury, although the exact cause is still to be determined.

Police and an ambulance from the emergency department at Lo Pagán and the Red Cross were despatched to the scene, but on arrival they could only confirm the death of the victim.

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