According to notary data, sales in 2021 were just 4% lower than in 2019. THE number of non-Spanish property buyers in Costa Blanca came back to pre-pandemic levels previous year. A report from the Association of Notaries shows there were 21,458 homes sold to foreigners in 2021 - 4% less than there were in 2019. An estimated 48,134 sales were recorded in Alicante province last year. A typical...
One of the implications of the COCID-19 crisis has been that routine annual screenings have been ‘put on a back burner’
THE keyboard player with seminal punk band The Stranglers, Dave Greenfield, has died at the age of 71 after contracting coronavirus. The band burst into the UK punk scene in the late 70s, although many argue that they were more a forerunner of the 80s new wave movement than true punks. The Guildford four piece were all competent musicians and songwriters in their own right for a start as opposed to punk...
EUROPEAN Union member states are meeting today to discuss when to reopen their beaches and cities to tourists, assuming that the coronavirus crisis recovery stays on track. The meeting is being held by video conferencing but does not include the UK who are in the transitional period of leaving the EU. It is thought that Greece and Austria, both relatively unaffected by the virus, want to open to...
WHILE the British generally choose the Costas for their new homes in Spain, the German’s have had a long love affair with the Balearic Islands and Mallorca in particular, even referring to it as the “17th German state”. However, this relationship is being put under pressure as those not currently on the island have been told they cannot come to visit their holiday homes this summer season due to the...
A man has been arrested in Palencia (Castile y Leon) after throwing his dog off a third floor balcony during an altercation with the police. The 33-year-old had been found outside walking the streets without justification that same day, the latest of a number of similar infractions regarding confinement. Police had come to his home to discuss this matter and his mother warned them that he had psychiatric...
DESPITE the increased costs of supermarkets bringing goods to their shelves during the State of Alarm, none of the larger retailers here in Spain have yet passed these expenses on to their customers. Logistical issues such as transport, shortage of staff due to sickness and additional costs such as purchasing masks and gloves for staff have all added to the expenses. However, a report by consultants Oliver...
A hotel chain is giving away a total of a thousand nights free stays in their rooms to people currently at the centre of the fight against the coronavirus, including healthcare professionals, pharmacy workers and others. The Spring Hoteles group are based in the Canary Islands and this is part of their #BestYearEver initiative which somewhat got overtaken by events as all the hotels are currently closed or...
ONE of the more striking statistics to emerge from early analysis of Covid-19 deaths in Spain is that it is killing twice as many men as women – 376 male fatalities against 190 females according to data on the first 566 victims. Men and women are equally prone to catch the disease and there is as yet no hard evidence as to what is causing the huge discrepancy. However, the key factor seems to be that...