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Staff Reporter / 2008-09-07 15:29:11

Body Found in Guardamar

The body of a man was found near the coast of Guardamar del Segura by Guardia Civil officers last Wednesday.

The body was in a very deteriorated state and appears to have been in the water for months. When the officers extracted the body it had got caught in the metal fishing nets near the river mouth.

It is suspected the body belongs to an immigrant and had been carried to Guardamar by sea currents. There was no ID found and police are now checking missing people's lists.

The remains have been taken to Alicante Forensic Institute for an autopsy.

Road Deaths Drop Dramatically

One piece of good news it that the number of road deaths over the summer has dropped to the lowest numbers since 1964.

July and August are traditionally the months with the most road deaths in Spain. This year the total was 391 mortal accidents causing 450 deaths, which is 89 less than last year. In 2003, 928 people lost their lives on the roads in the summer months.

The number of deaths is the lowest it has been in 44 years. In 1964 there were 30 million less cars on the roads and six times fewer driving licenses.

Brit Arrested in Villajoyosa

Police in Villajoyosa have arrested a 62 year-old British national who had fled the UK, and is wanted on three charges of child abuse.

The man appears to have been living in the Marina Baixa for years, where he led a normal life and raised no suspicion. He had a good relationship with his neighbours and babysat for them on more than one occasion. It is not known if he abused any children while in Spain.

He was arrested last Tuesday morning at his home, after a long police investigation which finally located him.

Employees Protest

Fifty employees of the Hyatt Hotel in La Manga held a protest last Wednesday at the doors of the hotel.

This has become a regular occurrence, since 13 workers were fired from the Hotel on July 2nd. The workers union has commented that the protests will continue every Wednesday until these workers receive the compensation they are due.

Politicians Told to Tighten Belts

In a bid to reduce spending, Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero has asked Socialist governments and town councils nationwide to tighten their belts.

The austerity measures, including salary freezes, were agreed by Zapatero and other senior Socialists, at the first meeting of the party's leadership committee following summer vacations. The meetings were clouded by the worsening outlook for the Spanish economy.

The government hopes the measures will save 250 million euros. Zapatero has requested an opportunity to address Congress about the economic crisis and the government's job creation policy. He will do so next week.

Mar Menor Future Looks Glum

The Mar Menor is in the news again, this time due to a report from the University of Murcia, which demonstrated the vulnerability of this area were the sea temperature to rise 3 degrees.

The investigation states that if the predictions for climate change are true then the Mar Menor could collapse due to the amount of jelly fish and sea weed which would be floating in the waters. The sea level would also rise 50cm, and the level of carbon dioxide would increase.