CAR WINNER!
ISSUE NO. 1661
4 - 10 May 2017
VIRGINIA PICKS UP HER NEW CAR SEE PAGES 16 - 17
COSTA DE ALMERÍA
YOUR PAPER, YOUR VOICE, YOUR OPINION
Low budget Almerians take to streets in protest By Matthew Elliott Protests, strikes and public anger look set to dominate Almeria’s political scene after thousands of people took to the streets for a May Day march. It was one of the biggest marches in the country, reflecting the very real fury that has been generated by the slashing of Almeria’s budget by Madrid. Organised by two of Spain’s biggest trade unions, the UGT and CC OO, the protest march saw an estimated 4,000 people walk loudly through the city. They described the day as a ‘turning point’ to fight back against tough austerity measures. Marching past the Purchena Gate and stopping at almost all of Almeria’s key landmarks, the protestors waved flags demanding fair wages, social security and guaranteed pensions. Fury in Almeria has been bubbling under the surface of public dialogue after the province’s infrastructure budget was cut by a shocking
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New flights of fancy FIVE new destinations have been added to Almeria airport’s connections to the UK. A flight landing from Edinburgh was received by a Champagne-fuelled ceremony to celebrate a new Scottish connection. The other destinations are also in the north. Jet2 will fly from Manchester, Leeds, Newcastle and the East Midlands from May until October. An estimated 28,000 people will fly direct to Almeria from the five cities, Edinburgh included. Last year an estimated 430,000 foreign visitors arrived in Almeria, almost half of them British. A recent Spanish survey found that most Brits consider a holiday a necessity rather than a luxury. On average British tourists spend at least €103 per day during their trips to Spain, spending an average of eight days in the country.
Fatal car accident
SHOCKING CUTS: Fair wages is just one of the issues people are protesting about. 80 per cent. No other region in Spain suffered anywhere close to such a dramatic cut. The decision has meant that public wages across Almeria have been frozen. Key work projects designed to improve life for residents in Mojacar, Carboneras, Albox, Nijar and right across
the province have been axed. Protesters denounced the ‘false recovery’ sold to the public by the government and made the startling claim that newly released unemployment figures are lies. There were calls to strike, following the example of long distance train staff
EMERGENCY services in Andalucia have reported the death of a 21-year-old girl in a traffic accident at kilometre 49 of the A334 at the entrance to the town of Purchena. 112 Andalucia have also confirmed that four other young people have been injured in the accident which occured in the early hours of May 2. Three of them are apparently related to the dead woman while the fourth was her boyfriend. The Guardia Civil’s traffic division has started its investigation to discover why the vehicle left the road.
across the country. Angry mention was also made of the postponed high speed rail project that has infuriated politicians and unionists alike. The unusual alliance has seen both urge a summer of strikes to grind public service to a halt and show the worth of workers.
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