The mayor, Jaime Martínez, when it came to cleaning up the city centre, got off to a flying start when to he took office nearly a year ago now, but lately it appears that the brush-up Palma campaign has run out of steam.
Yes, the cleaning machinery is constantly on the go in the city centre but wander just a little off course and the streets are still stained. You still have to watch out for little packages left behind by disrespectful dog owners and, to be quite honest, some of the streets simply smell, some of them of alcohol and tobacco.
And the latter is something the mayor is going to have to confront sooner or later. Pockets such as Santa Catalina and the Paseo Mallorca are becoming overwhelmed with revellers, especially on Friday and Saturday nights to the point it is getting out of control.
On a Friday evening, as early as 6pm, I have to cross the street to walk down parts of the Paseo Mallorca due to the thousands of people gathering in large numbers outside the bars. Just lately some have been forced to drink on the other side of the road due to the lack of space. Lovely for residents and hotel guests.
The restaurant manager refused him entry and the Briton started shoving the manager and threw a punch, which he managed to dodge.
When the manager invite him to leave again, the Briton ignored him and punched him in the face and apparently pinned him to the floor.
At this point an off-duty officer entered the restaurant and upon seeing the situation identified himself and broke up the scuffle.
The policeman, together with another customer, managed to reduce the man until the local police arrived and arrested the tourist.
The idea is that any vehicle wishing to enter the island will have to have the express authorisation from the Council of Mallorca.
The limit, if approved, would be applicable during peak periods, “when the roads are saturated”, and during this same period a badge would be required, which would be provided by the island institution to all authorised persons.
The idea is not new in the Balearics.
For example, to take a vehicle to Formentera, permission is required and similar steps are being studied for Ibiza.
Last year, the Council of Mallorca has announced that it was studying the capacity of the island’s road network and indicated that there may be a limit on the number of vehicles entering Mallorca during the summer.
Traffic data from the Council of Mallorca point to a 14.7% year-on-year increase in the number of vehicles on the Andratx-Palma MA-1. Between January to July last year there were some eleven million vehicles. For the same seven months of 2023 there were 12.6 million.
The volume of traffic is such that it is said that it can take up to 90 minutes to do the journey between Andratx and Palma, whereas it should be more like 35 minutes, and that an alternative route - the old Palmanova road - has become busier. Tailbacks can be as long as fifteen kilometres.
And, the Guardia Civil has announced that it is to start using drones to monitor and control traffic in the Serra de Tramuntana, especial along the MA-10 road which runs through Deya from Valldemossa to Soller to reduce summer congestion.
]]>His nautical career began in Mallorca in the 1970s. Having completed his A Levels and Scottish Highers in Glasgow, where he was reluctant to go as it dragged him away from giving windsurfing lessons to the inner circle of the Spanish Royal Family, Jonathan was headhunted by Camper & Nicholsons International and was persuaded to close down his first company, Comercial Náutica, joining them as a yacht sales broker in 1985.
Decades-long career
It was the start of a decades-long career that would culminate in him being responsible for directing the Camper & Nicholsons Spanish operation for over twenty years.
He eventually retired from Camper & Nicholsons in 2018 and since then has been working as a yachting and brokerage consultant for his own company, Hamilton Marine, which specialises in luxury yachting.
Hence why he was part of the forum, organised by the Tourism and Antiquities Ministry’s Egyptian Tourism Authority and aimed at showcasing Egypt as a destination for yacht tourism.
The group visited Cairo, Giza, Ain Sokhna, Hurghada, Luxor, Aswan, Sharm el-Sheikh and Alexandria to see what the country has to offer nautical tourists.
And while Egypt has plenty to offer tourists, Jonathan admitted that despite having some great new marinas, mainly in the Red Sea, the nautical industry has a long way to go and is highly dependent on third-party investment.
British-built presidential yacht
“It’s an amazing place and we were taken to see what is considered the Egyptian presidential yacht, El Mahrousa, which was built by the British shipbuilding firm Samuda Brothers in London in 1865.
“She is officially now called a Royal Navy Yacht, she’s larger than the Britannia and is still in service.
“But much of the investment in the yachting industry is coming from its neighbour Saudi Arabia and I got the impression that they are looking to piggyback on what the Saudis are doing tourism wise. Plus, there are security issues such as Gaza and pirates in the Red Sea.
“That said, Egypt has always been a highly popular diving destination and there were superyachts around, albeit not as large as the ones we’re used to seeing in the Balearics and elsewhere in the Mediterranean.
“But they are seriously working on developing the yachting market. They’ve eased much of the bureaucracy and I can see Alexandria, for example, becoming like Barcelona. It’s a large container port already with plenty of room for much larger private vessels. But the marina doesn’t offer what they do in the Mediterranean by way of infrastructure, restaurants, shopping and hotels, for example. It’s a very large country and general aviation access is restricted and private helicopter flights are not allowed, so travelling by road to and from the wonderful monuments and museum and cities is very time-consuming and complicated. They have potential but I don’t think the Balearics have anything to worry about for the time being.
Palma boat show
“With the Palma boat show just around the corner, I think we’re looking forwards to a very good season in the Balearics.
“The industry is still facing a number of challenges. A matriculation tax still exists for any vessels of over eight metres. So a Spanish national or anyone resident in Spain buying a vessel over that size will have to pay a total of 33 percent in tax, the 21 percent VAT plus the 12 percent matriculation tax. It’s a tax on the wealthy and we would like to see that lifted. Despite raising a nominal amount, addressing the matter does not seem very high on the political agenda, which is a shame because it does not do our industry any good, especially if you’re looking at spending millions on a yacht.
“It would also be nice to see one of the shipyards, be it STP or Astilleros, given the green light to operate a Syncrolift so we can lilt yachts over 70/75 metres weighing over 1,000 gross tonnes out of the water, which is pretty much our limit right now, for refit and repair work.
“This winter the shipyards have yet again been full and the industry, either directly or indirectly, employs tens of thousands of people in Mallorca, but there is still room to grow.
“What’s so wonderful about Mallorca is that is has a year-round yachting industry. During the summer, the yachts are in the water and during the winter on the hard undergoing maintenance, which here in Mallorca is some of the best in the world.
“Being a home port for yachts is very important for the industry. By the time an owner has paid to have the yacht based in Palma, for example, covered the costs of the crew, etc. the best part of 70% of the expenditure of owning a yacht will have been spent in Mallorca. And the crews love being in Palma, because, for the most part, they can walk to work. Not only does the island offer highly experienced professionals in all sectors of the industry - from brokers and lawyers to skippers, crews and engineers - it boasts some of the best marinas in the Mediterranean Then there is the marinescape and the environment. It’s a nautical jewel and so close to most major European cities.
United States
“And this, for example, is a major attraction to the North American market. While the Americans love yachting, they’ve stopped building yachts. Between 44 and 46 percent of the recreational fleet in Europe is owned by Americans, plus the yachts are being built in Europe and we’re seeing the benefits rub off on the Balearics.
“The introduction of the direct flights has served to make the Balearics, in particular Mallorca, more attractive, although it’s never been that difficult to get here. So the United States market is growing here. ‘Have yacht will travel’ as they say,” Jonathan said. “What also makes the Balearics so attractive is that people can enjoy some first-class island hopping. Yes, the Americans have got the Caribbean islands, but there isn’t the infrastructure; they don’t have as many ports and marinas to dock in.
“The opportunities of going ashore to eat, shop or travel and explore are much more limited.
“The vast majority of the yachts cruising the Caribbean anchor off and the charters are all inclusive, full board, because the opportunities of going ashore are limited.
“Whereas here in the Balearics, the vast selection of fully equipped ports and marinas make cruising much more exciting and varied.
Jeff Bezos
“And of course there is always the option of venturing further afield around the Mediterranean,” Jonathan added, as superyachts are already starting to return to Mallorca ahead of the season, some of them for maintenance work such as Jeff Bezos’s half a billion dollar yacht Koru, which recently returned to Palma after having made her inaugural cruise to and from Mallorca last summer.
Today, Wednesday, just like last Friday and over the weekend, access to the security checks has collapsed.
The airlines have been warning their passengers for days to arrive at Son Sant Joan at least three hours in advance to avoid missing their flight due to the impossibility of getting through security control in time and complaints from travellers have surged.
Sources from the private security workers and airport sources blame the problem on a work-to-rule.
Security firm Trablisa has denied any strike action, which has not been formally called and would be illegal, but has complained about the “lack of resources and planning” to handle peak demand.
Holiday company TUI has warned of a “potential situation” for the thousands of UK holidaymakers flying to Palma over the weekend. Jet2 issued a flight warning several days ago stating that Brits may be “waiting slightly longer than usual to clear immigration”.
In an email to passengers, TUI warned: “The security screening company, Trablisa, has begun an unannounced strike which is expected to continue until March 31. This may lead to longer queues and waiting times at security checkpoints. There is a possibility that your flight could be delayed due to security screening delays. We recommend that you factor in additional time for security checks when arriving at the airport.”
]]>Some passengers were reported to have fainted along with reports of scuffles breaking out.
Airport sources and workers have confirmed that the collapse of the security system on Friday was due to a work-to-rule by private security personnel in protest at the lack of reinforcement of the service on peak days - such as the start of the Easter holidays.
Claims against the airlines from passengers who, having completed the check-in process, ended up missing their flight have surged.
Trablisa already denied on Friday that there was a strike and yesterday its staff finally issued a statement to the same effect.
So the advice to passengers is be prepared and check with your airlines.
The UK’s largest tour operator and third largest airline have today put 16 sunny destinations across Europe, the Canary Islands, and the Mediterranean on sale from Bournemouth Airport for Summer 25.
As well as responding to years of demand for award-winning flights and holidays from customers and independent travel agents across the region, today’s announcement significantly expands Jet2.com and Jet2holidays’ footprint.
This means that holidaymakers and independent travel agents across even more of the South of England, including Bournemouth, Southampton, Portsmouth and the wider region, can benefit from the companies’ leisure flights and ATOL protected package holidays. In addition they will have the opportunity to experience our industry-leading customer service that has earned the companies the prestigious accolade of Which? Travel Brand of the Year for the past two years running.
In their first summer of operations from Bournemouth Airport, Jet2.com and Jet2holidays will operate up to 27 weekly flights, including multiple weekly flights to popular destinations across the Canary Islands, Balearics, Turkey and Greece as well as services to hotspots such as mainland Spain, Portugal and Madeira (full list of destinations below). Two destinations (Fuerteventura and Madeira) are exclusive to Jet2 from Bournemouth Airport.
The inaugural flight from the airport will depart to Tenerife on 1st April 2025, and in Summer 25 two based aircraft will fly holidaymakers from Bournemouth Airport on their package holidays with Jet2holidays and leisure flights with Jet2.com.
This latest expansion comes just days before Jet2.com and Jet2holidays starts operations from Liverpool John Lennon Airport, a move which has resulted in tremendous feedback and is expected to be replicated at Bournemouth Airport, based on the years of demand for Jet2 to start operations there.
Jet2.com and Jet2holidays’ Summer 25 Programme from Bournemouth Airport:
Tenerife – up to three weekly services
Fuerteventura – weekly services (Wednesdays) – exclusive from Bournemouth Airport.
Gran Canaria – weekly services (Sundays)
Lanzarote – up to two weekly services (Mondays, Fridays)
Alicante – up to two weekly services (Tuesdays, Saturdays)
Palma (Majorca) – up to four weekly services (Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays)
Ibiza - up to two weekly services (Thursdays, Sundays)
Menorca – weekly services (Sundays)
Antalya – up to two weekly services (Wednesdays, Saturdays)
Dalaman – up to two weekly services (Thursdays, Sundays)
Faro (Algarve) – up to two weekly services (Mondays, Fridays)
Madeira – weekly services (Thursdays) – exclusive from Bournemouth Airport.
Crete (Heraklion) – weekly services (Tuesdays)
Corfu – weekly services (Wednesdays)
Rhodes – weekly services (Tuesdays)
Zante – weekly services (Thursdays)
The police ordered that he manager of the clinic be temporarily released from Palma prison where he was serving another sentence for medical malpractice and fraud in order to face the new charges.
The victim lost her life in Son Espases last September 14, 2023, hours after a series of complications during the operation. The operation took place in mid-September.
The woman travelled from the United Kingdom to the island to undergo several aesthetic touch-ups.
The surgeon who operated on her, is based abroad, but he has been working in Mallorca for decades.
The doctor and the patient arranged the appointment in a private clinic.
The woman wanted to have an operation on a breast implant that the surgeon had already been responsible for a few years earlier and wanted to change it.
The doctor, according to judicial sources, told her that no preoperative procedure was necessary and the woman paid 6,000 pounds in cash.
The victim was a public relations professional and wanted to go to work in Australia for three months.
During the operation a series of complications arose and the young woman had to be rushed to Son Espases, where she died.
Investigators from the Homicide Group of the National Police discovered that the victim had a congenital malformation of the heart at birth.
According to the same sources, 25 percent of the heart did not work properly, and despite being aware of this, the doctor did not perform the preoperative.
]]>I did, but on the way back my partner forget and for the sailing from Barcelona to Palma, she was slapped with a 70 euro bill, which she was unable to get back.
So, read the signs and take note.
Furthermore, warning are now being issued about the hidden dangers of airport wi-Fi.
An expert has issued a warning to holidaymakers over connecting to public wi-fi as they travel.
Many people could be tempted to connect to public wi-fi as they try to save their data while in a different country, but an expert has warned that this could mean you are putting yourself at risk of cybercriminals and hackers who scour the public networks looking to scam users out of their personal data.
So, be warned.
The victims suffered various injuries. The woman required stitches as a result of the cuts inflicted by the attackers, who are accused of crimes of kidnapping, injury, threats, road safety and drug trafficking. The aim of the assailants, according to a press release from the Police Headquarters today ( Monday), was to recover a collection of jewellery that the victims had allegedly stolen.
The now detainees demanded the return of these effects in order to release them.
One of the victims contacted the National Police by telephone.
The kidnapped man convinced the two criminals to take him to his aunt’s house to collect some cash.
The four went to the house in the van and allowed one of he victims to go in while they held his partner - threatening to kill her.
The victim took advantage and called the National Police and ask for help.
Police patrols were immediately on the scene but the van sped off, however the police managed to intercept the kidnappers and they were arrested.
The officers found that the driver of the vehicle did not have a licence.
The victims were taken to hospital and subsequently taken to police headquarters where officers from the Judicial Police Brigade took their statements.
The suspects appeared in the courts this Monday morning and were ordered to be remanded in custody after taking their statements.
The investigation is still open.
According to Galmés, the project represents “an important step” in terms of reducing traffic congestion and minimising the impact on the environment.
The project also includes the construction of new cycle lanes and park and ride facilities.
“Section 1 will be the only major infrastructure that we will promote this term of office. It will cost 110 million euros, a very significant amount that will make it essential to recover the 230 million euros - from the road agreement - that the central government stole from all Mallorcans,” said Galmés.
The island’s councillor for Territory, Mobility and Infrastructures, Fernando Rubio, explained that the works would take approximately a year and a half or two years to complete.
For the moment it has been approved, and now the drafting of the construction project is being put out to tender - five companies have already made bids with budgets of 1.4 million euros.
The future link will include an 845-metre-long tunnel with two lanes in each direction.
It also has direct access links to the industrial and commercial estates.
The party has urged the Council of Mallorca and the Balearic Government to work together to draft a law to control the entry and circulation of vehicles in Mallorca, following environmental criteria and establishing a maximum number of vehicles for hire on the island.
Més also demands that Palma City Council commits to implementing Low Emission Zones (ZBE) in different parts of the municipality before 2025, and that only residents’ cars can use them , thus excluding rental cars.
Contreras referred to the daily traffic problems experienced by thousands of drivers in Palma.
“These traffic jams, aggravated during the summer by the arrival of rental cars, can no longer be ignored. We run the risk of turning our roads into a daily prison,” he said.
The party believes that with its proposals the administration will be able to reduce vehicle emissions, thus contributing to the fight against climate change and atmospheric pollution.
“Low Emission Zones are like oases of clean air in cities. They limit the access of the most polluting vehicles to improve our health. They are like a breath of fresh air in the midst of pollution. That’s why we must implement them and increase them,” argued the Més councillor.
“The positive experience in Formentera shows the viability of controlling vehicle access during peak congestion periods, while the creation of Low Emission Zones in Palma is a crucial measure to reduce pollution,” insisted Contreras, who encouraged the city council, the island’s council and the government to regulate vehicle access.
]]>The maximum temperatures will drop to between 16 and 19ºC, while the minimum temperatures will be between 12 and 15ºC.
The wind will blow from the west and southwest, with strong intervals. And warnings will be issued for heavy seas with waves of up to three metres.
Midweek, on Wednesday, the weather will continue to be very similar, with cloudy intervals and isolated showers, although these will take place, above all, during the early morning.
Maximum temperatures will rise slightly to between 17 and 20ºC and minimum temperatures will drop to between 7 and 10ºC.
On Maundy Thursday, however, the weather will improve and the skies will be slightly cloudy, with intervals of high clouds.
Temperatures will also rise noticeably, with minimum temperatures reaching 15ºC and maximum temperatures reaching 23ºC. The wind will blow from the southwest, with strong intervals.
This fine weather will continue on Good Friday. The minimum temperatures will drop to between 7 and 12ºC, but maximum temperatures will rise to 27ºC, an almost summer-like day, according to the Aemet. Looking ahead to the weekend, more light rain is forecast.
]]>The industrial action follows an earlier warning by Jet2 of longer waiting times due to maintenance work being carried out and Travel Weekly has reported today that Tui has warned passengers about potential delays and complications.
“The security screening company, Trablisa, has begun an unannounced strike which is expected to continue until March 31st. This may lead to longer queues and waiting times at security checkpoints,” Tui said.
“There is a possibility that your flight could be delayed due to security screening delays.
“We recommend that you factor in additional time for security checks when arriving at the airport.”
On Sunday morning, passengers at Palma Son Sant Joan Airport once more experienced lengthy delays at security controls.
Some passengers reported having had to wait an hour to pass through security. The airport’s management said that the delays were no longer than fifteen minutes and that the situation returned to normal around 11.30am.
One British passenger flying home on Friday, the first day of the work-to-rule, told the Bulletin he saw a few scuffles in the terminal and passengers rushed for their flights.
Carroll began his professional career with Newcastle United in 2006, before spending a brief period on loan with Preston North End, during which time he scored his first league goal.
He established himself as a regular in the Newcastle first team by 2008, and following Newcastle’s relegation from the Premier League to the Championship in 2009, scored 17 goals in 39 appearances to help Newcastle finish first in the league, earning immediate promotion in the process.
The following season he scored 11 goals in 19 appearances, before leaving for Liverpool on transfer deadline day in January, signing for a fee of £35 million, at the time the record for a British footballer.
Carroll struggled for goals at Liverpool, moving on a season-long loan to West Ham United in 2012, made permanent a year later for a fee of £15 million.
He spent six injury-impacted years at West Ham, and was released in 2019 at the end of his contract. Carroll then re-signed for Newcastle, spending two years at the club until being released at the end of his contract in 2021.
Carroll then moved to Reading on a short term deal leaving the club in August 2023 to move to France where he says he is very happy.
Of the weekend in Mallorca his wife posted on Instagram: “Weekend Full Of Everything I Love”.
As a result, the island council hired the services of private investigators to help crackdown on illegal parties and the same action is going to be taken this summer.
These inspectors will have to collaborate with the security forces “when their professional activities are related to criminal acts or may affect public safety”.
The detectives hired last summer also helped to dismantle a criminal gang dedicated to drug trafficking.
Private detectives managed to infiltrate 33 illegal parties in Ibiza last season with fines ranging from 100,000 to 300,000 euros handed out.
These illegal parties are usually held in villages far from the town and are accessed through contacts, friends, WhatsApp groups, websites... The price of tickets varies according to the type of party and can range from 20 to 150 euros with or without drinks. To avoid detection, they ask for payment in cash or by card, not Bizum.
]]>Thanks to new 3D technology, all of the U.K. airports plan to upgrade their security scanners so that after 17 years it will no longer be necessary to reduce liquids to a maximum of 100ml in a clear, plastic bag that measures no more than 20cm x 20cm and is fully closed.
London City Airport and Teesside airports were the first to scrap 100ml liquid rule and the need to remove laptops for scanning.
The primary driver is an improvement in security technology. More advanced CT scanners mean that security staff are able to take a more detailed look at passengers’ luggage. As well as negating the need to remove liquids and limit them to 100ml, the new machines mean electronics can stay in bags — without closer inspections —and prohibited items such as weapons and liquid explosives can be better detected. According to Smiths Detection, which makes the scanners, this is thanks to explosives detection algorithms and automated object recognition software.
The measures were implemented after a foiled plot by Al-Qaeda in August 2006, during which terrorists attempted to disguise liquid explosives as drinks at Heathrow.
]]>This is not the first time this has happened and the finger is being pointed at the neglect and passivity of the former management which has allowed the hospital to become a refuge for homeless people.
The homeless have practically barricaded themselves in the emergency and radiology areas and have taken over the bathrooms (where they even take showers), waiting rooms and other hospital areas.
They have also set up some shacks and accumulated rubbish in the A&E car park making it uncomfortable for public health users, patients, workers and relatives.
They are mostly young people of all nationalities. Many of them are drug addicts and alcoholics.
Health sources consulted by the Bulletin stablemate newspaper Ultima Hora said: “They have been roaming freely for years. The former management allowed them to stay here on condition that they were out by seven in the morning. In a matter of months the situation got out of hand. What’s more, the NGOs bring them food.”.
The current management has put the case in the hands of the National Police.
Sources close to the case have confirmed they are studying measures to prohibit entry to any person who is not a patient, relative or member of the hospital staff.
Named in honour of Mouna Ayoub, the wife of the Saudi magnate Nasser Al-Rashid, who has her built in the historic German shipyard Blohm&Voss, she has since been sold for some 160 million to the Mexican multi-billionaire Alberto Bailleres.
The 89-year-old father of seven makes his money from the largest and most productive silver mines in the world. According to Forbes, his fortune is estimated at € 9.3 billion.
His mines are said to produce 25 tonnes of gold and 25 000 tonnes of silver per year.
At 105 metres long and with a size and speed comparable to that of a small cruise ship, 20 knots, she can accommodate 30 guests (including President Bill Clinton during his holidays in Formentera and George H. W. Bush and his wife Barbara) and she has a 60-strong crew, a heliport, swimming pool, disco, jacuzzi, beach club, water sports equipment and spa.
]]>Se ha llegado a desmayar alguien en la espera. pic.twitter.com/bzV0OXQySN
— Mike (@Mrubih) March 22, 2024
So far the airport authority AENA has said nothing and given no explanation as to what is going on at Palma airport and the chaos has already spread across X network (formerly known as Twitter) with some people claiming that some passengers are fainting in the waiting areas.
Ironically there has been a gig fall in the number of international flights at Palma this Easter.
According to figures from the Aena airports authority released on Wednesday, there will be 3,074 international flights at Palma Son Sant Joan Airport between March 22 and April 1.
These Easter flights are almost 40% fewer than for the Easter period last year. Between March 31 and April 10, 2023, there were 5,028 flights.
For example, on Saturday, March 30, 267 flights are scheduled. These compare with 523 on Saturday, April 8, 2023.
Aena attributes this decrease to the fact that Easter is a week earlier this year and that flights in 2023 coincided with the start of the tourism season.
While May 1 is usually taken to be the first day of the ‘official’ tourism season in Mallorca, the airports authority is probably referring to airlines’ summer scheduling. Although Easter Week falls in March this year, changes in schedules from winter to summer only come into effect at the end of the month. This is the case every year. As for national flights, the number will be very similar to 2023 - 2,275 compared with 2,300 last year.
The latest news is that the chaos at Palma airport is apparently due to a strike by Trablisa workers and many passengers have missed their flights.
Crew members are informing passengers on board the planes of delays in departure times, caused by “problems at security controls”.
Airport authority AENA has denied that any strike action has been formally called but there is a go-slow.
Security firm Trablisa has also denied any form of industrial action.
“It has been a one-off situation at the checkpoints that has been resolved”, the private security company said.
AENA claims that since midday that “the situation has returned to normal”.
“At the same time we will avoid and prevent labour exploitation, by strengthening the rights of third countries’ workers and protecting them more effectively against abuse.”
In short, the European Union’s proposed rule changes aim to simplify work permit procedures, facilitating easier employment for British expatriates and other foreign nationals in Spain and across the EU.
It will still take some time before the new rules are in place. The text of the directive has already been agreed with EU governments but still has to be formally adopted by the EU Council. After that, EU countries will have two years to introduce the changes in their national law.
Additionally, under the proposed revisions, third-country nationals already residing within the EU with valid residence permits will no longer be required to return to their home countries to apply for work permits.
At the moment, hoteliers are having trouble finding skilled labour in the Balearics, despite more than 30,000 unemployed people.
The president of the Mallorca Hotel Federation (FEHM), María Frontera, expressed her concern on Thursday about the “problem of finding skilled labour” in the Balearics, despite the fact that the islands have “30,000 unemployed, which is incomprehensible”.
Frontera explained that “the Balearics is the fifth region with the greatest mismatch between supply and demand in terms of employment skills.
Forty-six percent of workers on the islands occupy a job that is not appropriate to their level of training. 28% are underqualified and 18% are overqualified”.
Frontera also highlighted the impact that the early reopening of hotels has on the Mallorcan economy and placed special emphasis on employment.
“According to data on affiliation of tourist activities at national level, the Balearics is leading the way with a year-on-year growth of 9.5%, being the province with the highest number of new jobs, 23,391 in just half a month. The tourism sector is responsible for 7 out of every 10 jobs created”.
]]>With regard to ‘lesser known’ destinations, Asturias has been getting plenty of media coverage in the British press over the past few months and has been tipped as a potential top destination for British tourists this year.
Manuel Butler, UK director of the Spanish Tourist Office, revealed this week that while Britons last year spent less time in Spain on shorter holidays, they spent more, nearly £17 billion, 12% more than in 2019. And on the back of that, the idea of the new marketing strategy is to target wealthier, generally older holidaymakers.
Could this be the first step of an overall review of tourism promotion across all markets with an aim to having fewer tourists but ones with bigger wallets and deeper pockets?
Apple TV+ has released the trailer for its eight-part limited series “Franklin,” starring and executive produced by Michael Douglas. The first three episodes will premiere globally on the Apple SVOD service on Friday, April 12; the next five episodes will role out one at a time on subsequent Fridays through May 17.
“Franklin” is based on Stacy Schiff’s book “A Great Improvisation: Franklin, France, and the Birth of America.” The series tells “the thrilling story of the greatest gamble of Benjamin Franklin’s career” — outside of holding a lightning rod in a thunderstorm, we imagine.
In 1776, the world-famous inventor faces his ultimate test: a secret mission to recruit France to help America fight for its independence in the Revolutionary War. And, oh yeah, he was 70 and Transatlantic travel hadn’t exactly been perfected.
“By virtue of his fame, charisma and ingenuity, Franklin outmanoeuvred British spies, French informers and hostile colleagues to engineer the Franco-American alliance of 1778 and the peace treaty with Great Britain in 1783,” the Apple TV+ logline reads.
Away from the screen, after 24 years of marriage Catherine Zeta-Jones and Michael Douglas are one of the longest-lived couples in Hollywood, although like any marriage they have had ups and downs, which they have been able to overcome with some strategies.
A source consulted by National Enquirer revealed that the couple had to come up with a plan to avoid irritating each other when they spent a lot of time together, especially since they were doing it to spend more time with their children, who are their priority. And they have been spending more and more time in Mallorca.
"Catherine suggested they go their separate ways more often, pursuing their individual hobbies and projects," the source said, also because the roles are fewer and fewer as they get older, although there is always work for them to do.
"We've never, ever lost our sense of humour. First of all, we have a lot of fun together. My husband is 25 years older than me, that's no secret. With any relationship, it wouldn't be normal if there were no ups and downs. The constant is love and respect and enjoying each other's company".
]]>The court’s decision is said to be final and the owners could face heavy fines if they do not carry out the demolition work themselves.
There is one other alternative and that is that the Balearic Coastal department carries out the work and then passes the bill to the owners.
The dispute over the swimming pool has been raging for years.
Local residents and other activists have been battling since 2004 to have the pool removed on the grounds that it was built in the public domain and restricted access to the stretch of coastline in front of the property.
The property has hosted numerous famous guests including Rupert Murdoch.
He came to Mallorca to hold talks with the former editor of one of Spain's leading newspapers, El Mundo, at the property.
Murdoch arrived aboard a luxury yacht and was ferried ashore to the home of newspaper executive Pedro J. Ramirez.
At the time it was widely rumoured in Spain that Murdoch had been offered the El Mundo newspaper group which also included the top selling sports newspaper, Marca, and other TV interests.
So who is Pedro J. Ramírez?
Pedro José Ramírez Codina (born 26 March 1952), widely known as Pedro J. Ramírez, is a Spanish journalist. When he was appointed to manage Diario 16 at the age of 28, he became Spain's youngest editor of a national newspaper. In 1989 he founded the newspaper El Mundo, managing it continuously until 2014, making him the longest-serving editor of any Spanish national newspaper. He has collaborated with several radio and television programmes and has published a dozen books.
He was married (until 2016) to designer Agatha Ruiz de la Prada and they have two children born in 1987 and 1990. He has a daughter from a previous marriage to Rocío Fernández Iglesias.
Born on 26 March 1952 in Logroño, he studied journalism at the University of Navarre, where he also began a degree in law.
Upon finishing his degree, he worked as a lecturer in Contemporary Spanish Literature at Lebanon Valley College in Pennsylvania, living in the United States during the decisive year of the Watergate case.
From 1975 to 1980 he worked at the newspaper ABC, writing the Sunday section on political analysis called Crónica de la Semana. On 17 June 1980, at 28 years old, he was appointed editor of the newspaper Diario 16, then selling barely 15,000 copies and threatened with closure. However, within two years the newspaper had reached a circulation of 100,000 copies, and five years after that it would attain 150,000.
The most important event of the time was coverage of the attempted coup on 23 February, 1981. On 23 February 1982, on the first anniversary of the coup attempt, Pedro J. Ramírez was expelled from the Court of Justice where the trial was held against those involved, as supporters of the coup refused to appear in court as long as the editor of Diario 16 was present. The Military Justice Supreme Council revoked his credentials and forced him to leave the courtroom. This incident led to a historic resolution issued by the Constitutional Court, dismissing the decision by the Military Justice and proclaiming readers' rights to information for the first time since the establishment of democracy.
In 1986 he was named publications director for the newspaper's parent company, Grupo 16. He was elected president of the Spanish Committee of the International Press Institute and in September 1988 joined the organisation's global Executive Committee. On 8 March 1989 he was dismissed as director of Diario 16 because of disagreements with the editor of the newspaper about the allegedly sensationalist tone of reports concerning the GAL (Anti-terrorist Liberation Groups).
During this period, Ramírez was sued several times for libel, the most serious of these being when he was found guilty on 4 October 1993 by the Supreme Court and disqualified from the exercise of journalism. This sentence was appealed, and the appeal denied and the first sentence confirmed by the Constitutional Court on 14 October 1998.
On 23 October 1989, seven months after his dismissal, he founded the newspaper El Mundo, along with three high-ranking executives from Grupo 16: Alfonso de Salas, Balbino Fraga and Juan González. More than 50 Diario 16 journalists quit their jobs and joined the project. The parent group of the British newspaper The Guardian was one of its first shareholders, and the Italian daily Corriere della Sera invested a year later.
In the 1990s, El Mundo stood out for its investigations on corruption scandals carried out by successive socialist governments, and particularly for its exclusive exposure of the socialist government's implication in the GAL plot that led to the murder of more than two dozen Basque activists, mainly in the south of France. These revelations led to trials and convictions, including those of the former Interior Minister José Barrionuevo and his associate Rafael Vera, for the kidnapping of Segundo Marey; those of General Galindo and the civil governor of Guipuzcoa, Julen Elgorriaga, for the murder of Lasa and Zabala, and that of Rafael Vera himself for illegal appropriation of funds belonging to the Ministry.
In 1997, Pedro J. Ramírez was appointed president of the Commission for Freedom of Expression of the World Association of Newspapers and for many years travelled to countries including China, Algeria, Turkey and Venezuela to request the freedom of imprisoned journalists and the repeal of oppressive laws against the media.
El Mundo supported the Aznar government in general terms during its first term (1996–2000), but was somewhat critical when during its second term when it decided to support the Bush policy in Iraq. On the eve of the Azores summit, Pedro J. Ramírez published one of his routine Sunday letters, titled 'One Hundred Reasons against the Invasion of Iraq'.
After Zapatero's rise to power, El Mundo pushed forward with the investigation of the March 11 massacre, presenting what the newspaper deemed significant flaws in the official version, but with a less rigorous investigation policy than their former exclusives during the 1990s.
The Office of Circulation Verification confirmed that during its first year El Mundo obtained a circulation of more than 100,000 copies, while in 2007 it surpassed the mark of 335,000. According to the General Study on Media (EGM), El Mundo has more than 1,300,000 readers. All of these indicators consolidate it as the second-largest national newspaper, behind El País.
According to the OJD, at the end of 2007 El Mundo had more than 11 million individual users per month. Based on the Alexa rankings, it was the world leader for electronic information in Spanish.
In 2013 it became evident that the Rajoy government was not happy about some of the content of El Mundo, for example, the publication of text messages from Rajoy to Luis Barcenas. Ramirez blamed government pressure for his being replaced as editor in 2014, although there may have been other factors given the decline in the paper's finances since 2007.
In 2007, Unedisa, the publishing company of El Mundo - already widely controlled by the RCS group, owner of Corriere della Sera - acquired 100% of the shares in Grupo Recoletos, a leader in specialised press in Spain. As a result of this operation, Pedro J. Ramírez, as General Editorial Director, was put in charge of content published in newspapers such as Marca and the television channel Televisión Digital Veo TV. Until 2014 he shared these responsibilities along with those of Editor of El Mundo.
]]>The CA continues to share information on precautions and protocols to minimise the risk of encounters and provide guidance on actions to take if an encounter occurs. The CA’s dedicated orca information and reporting portal at http://secure-web.cisco.com/1HUmWGM1d-LdMdA2F9n-LiLEG0gaqZPRhUv1HfDCNabaYiB_4l0gU1-gxn8ZsLFYHxbtdXpTavVGfGtdJJEfKRQAIVMO282jovPZ1XRqySh2CnhThBy56K1O_ioVTImGmz-7nizaCK4HDga4D-2bCp5zy1D7wX5PVTm4qyIonz488u-m2Au1SvZZOgvAQMEJIXE4EaVjVchtlOGiyWWQV0aQ3j3DDJnzpXZoETxjrnHd4TWDZ5ecE5fMFaJCISNDmRGqGRkxeDrX3S0TKDrbZhQ/http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theca.org.uk%2Forcas provides a wide range of resources available in English, French, Portuguese, and Spanish.
Around fifteen of a population of less than fifty orcas have caused damage to numerous small vessels, at least four of which have sunk. The damage typically affects the rudders and crews can usually make their way to a safe port. To date no-one has reported being seriously injured.
Be Safe, Be Prepared
Since June 2022, the CA has been instrumental in collecting and sharing reports and data on orca interactions along this coastline. In early 2023 there was an escalation in interactions, and there is no reason to indicate the situation will ease in 2024. John Burbeck, CA Orca Project Team Lead, stresses the need for skippers and crews to familiarise themselves with protocols to mitigate potential encounters, saying, “By being prepared and prioritising safety and awareness, skippers can reduce the risk of meeting orca while navigating the affected waters.”
Past behaviour indicates orca typically remain around the Strait of Gibraltar from April to early July as the bluefin tuna exit the Mediterranean, before locating west and north. However, their movements vary each year, making long-term predictions challenging. Although most yachts avoid orca encounters, understanding risks and knowing how to minimise the likelihood of an interaction is crucial.
Orca Locations
Skippers should be aware of the danger zones for orca interactions. In 2023, this extended as far north as Brest in France and through the Bay of Biscay, Iberian Peninsula, Gibraltar Straits, north Moroccan coast and along Spain’s Mediterranean coastline. During late April to October, as boats transit the affected waters, the likelihood of encountering orcas increases. Skippers should stay informed of current orca locations, hotspots and trends, which will aid in route planning and decision making.
After four years and hundreds of incidents, researchers remain puzzled why orcas, also known as killer whales, continue to ram boats – sinking a few of them – along the Iberian Peninsula. The origin of these interactions remain a “great mystery,” said Alfredo López, a University of Santiago biologist, but he does not believe the behavior is aggressive. Orcas are large dolphins, López said. And like dolphins, the events could stem from the orcas’ curious and playful behavior, such as trying to race the boats.
López, who specialises in orcas, and his team, Grupo de trabajo Orca Atlántica (GOTA), have tracked these encounters since 2020. The team’s recent study theorizes the orcas could also be exhibiting cautionary behavior because of some previous traumatic incident. GOTA has tracked more than 350 interactions just on the Iberian Peninsula since 2020. Most have taken place along the Strait of Gibraltar, but the orcas’ mischief or self-defense may be spreading north. An incident was reported in June in the Shetland Islands in Scotland.
]]>The proposals, which are subject to parliamentary approval, will include the following:
A standard online application made from within the UK will rise to £88.50 for adults and £57.50 for children
A standard postal application will increase to £100.00 for adults and £69.00 for children
A standard online application when applying from overseas will rise to £101.00 for adults and £65.50 for children
A standard paper application when applying from overseas will increase to £112.50 for adults and £77.00 for children
The new fees will help ensure that income from these applications better meets the cost of delivering passport and associated operations, reducing reliance on funding from general taxation. The government does not make any profit from the cost of passport applications.
The fees contribute to the cost of processing passport applications, consular support overseas, including for lost or stolen passports, and the cost of processing British citizens at UK borders. The increase will also help enable the government to continue improving its services.
The new fees include those newly applying or renewing their passport.
Passports will usually be issued within 3 weeks if they are applying from within the UK but customers are advised that they should apply in good time before travelling Apply online for a UK passport.
Passport fees are reviewed in line with His Majesty’s Treasury guidance Managing public money.
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The lawyer handling the case told the Bulletin today that the police are investigating the accident which occurred while Jon was out training on his bike and was involved in a collision with a van.
The police and insurance companies are trying to establish who was to blame.
In the mean time, Jon is being treated for multiple injuries in a private clinic in Palma.
Jon told the Bulletin that he was just two minutes from his Palma home when the accident happened.
“I was dropping through Coll d’en Rabassa towards Molinar and then I woke up in an ambulance - can’t remember (what happened).
Apparently witness statements say a van driver didn’t look swerved across the road into oncoming traffic and me to park up.
He didn’t see me
Wiped out
Gone to the fairy for about 10 mins.
Woke up 2 mins from hospital,” he said via WhatsApp from his hospital bed.
With the cycling season in Mallorca about to start and a surge in vehicles on the roads expected during this early Easter, his message is for everyone, cyclists and drivers to keep their eyes on the road and to take care.
“Lots of broken bones but nothing that I am not use to,” he added.
]]>The councillor for Health, Manuela García, attended an event today, Monday, in Playa de Muro, where the ‘Smoke-free beach’ sign has been placed on the beach.
The event was also attended by the president of the Spanish Association Against Cancer in the Balearics, José Reyes, along with volunteers from the organisation.
Counting eight more beaches in the municipality of Manacor, ten beaches are incorporated into the campaign this year.
There are now 50 beaches that form part of the Balearic network of smoke-free beaches.
The aim is to prevent smoking in the marked areas, promote healthy habits and raise awareness among the population about the importance of not leaving waste in natural areas.
The Regional Ministry has stressed that tobacco consumption is currently one of the main causes of avoidable illness and death worldwide.
According to recent data from the survey on drug use in the Balearics, 34.5 percent of students aged 14 to 18 say they have smoked tobacco at some time in their lives; 6.9 percent have smoked daily in the last month.
For this reason, the councillor has valued every step “to raise awareness among young people about the dangers of tobacco, to work on prevention and to promote healthy lifestyles is ground gained”.
García invited the municipalities that are not yet part of the initiative to join in.
The campaign also focuses on tobacco waste, which contains more than 7,000 toxic chemical substances that poison the environment.
The Director General of Coasts and Coastal Areas, Carlos Simarro, insisted that the campaign aims to “raise awareness of the impact of tobacco both on health and on our natural spaces”.
]]>The tour, the first of its kind, was co-organised and financed by the Mallorca Film Commission, directed by Pedro Barbadillo, and the scouts toured the island, getting to know the vast selection of locations which could be used for future film productions. And they all left Mallorca extremely impressed.
The group of six was accompanied by Eduardo Rodrigálvarez from the Palma Pictures locations department. Mallorca, as a film location, is certainly going “to be in the mix” of future discussions with regard to shooting locations for some of the biggest film productions.
The group comprised David Pannington, location supervisor on Game of Thrones, Guardians of the Galaxy and Christopher Nolan’s recent Oscar-winning film Inception; Dee Gregson, location supervisor on films such as Wings of the Dove, Alex Rider and Chloe; Christian McWilliams, who has worked on World War Z, Mission Impossible, Mamma Mia!, Gladiator 2 and John Wick, among others; Mick Ratman, whose film credits include Welcome to Sarajevo and The Flag; Ben Macgregor, a location scout who has worked on projects such as Once Upon a Time in London, Blitz and RocknRolla; and Kay Ponting Wilson, location scout on Good with Wood, Casualty and Father Brown.
Vast potential
It was actually the first time in 30 years that Kay had returned to Mallorca since having spent her gap year working as a holiday rep in Puerto Pollensa, which was one of the locations they were taken to along with Palma, the Serra de Tramuntana, Andratx, Calvia, Soller, the Torrent de Pareis and the Nus de la Corbata, among others.
They also had the opportunity to get to know a number of maritime locations with boat trips from Andratx and Pollensa. And the vast potential the island has really caught the eye of Christian McWilliams, who has just finished work on Gladiator 2 in Malta with a crew of 550 people and 2,000 extras a day.
“I’ve been to Mallorca before, but on holiday and clearly never saw what I’ve seen on this trip,” Chris told the Bulletin.
“I remember seeing the great house (La Fortalesa) in The Night Manager and wondering where the hell it was. I had no idea it was in Mallorca until I saw it on this trip. You’ve had a few shows which have been made here recently that have been done incredibly well and have been incredibly well received and they - The Night Manager, parts of The Crown and Lioness for example - have really put you guys on the map.
“So the audience of those three shows has created a huge new interest in Mallorca and shooting here. And obviously, Palma Pictures has really become quite a famous outfit over the past 15 years. We’ve all heard of and met many producers who have worked with them, not only here but also on the mainland, so the word has gone out that Palma Pictures is based here and that it is one of the busiest and best production companies in Spain and Portugal - and they’re helping to fly the flag for Mallorca.
“We all know about Michael Douglas’s house and all the other famous folk who have landed here, but we didn’t know about what the island has to offer as a location,” Chris said. “One of the things we’ve been talking to Pedro about after one of the boat trips is the most amazing military base which is right next door to where The Night Manager was shot in Puerto Pollensa. And we all asked ‘why are you not using it for filming?’ That’s an asset which you’re not using, so it was interesting to see assets like that which are not being made the most of by the film industry. Another example is the number of abandoned farmhouses. For some people they may be an eyesore, for us they are locations, ideal for a CIA safe house. There is so much potential on this island which is not being used.
A film industry is a huge asset
“Having done five different films in Malta, I’ve seen how much islands are dependent on tourism in the key months. But if you were able to bring big productions here out of season, say between September and May, you would triple the island’s workload, not to mention revenue. What I’m saying is that the film industry is an asset which bring so much to a location, especially the larger and longer productions. Another plus is that apart from only being a two-hour flight from London and most other major European cities, it’s a safe destination, so friends and family can come and visit. And that’s also a big plus for production teams, they can get to see their family more often.
“Plus, with regard to the logistics of shipping equipment etc. it’s much easier to get here by ferry than it is the Canary Islands, for example. It’s also cheaper and that’s always a plus. Whatever the size of the budget, producers always want to save as much money as possible, so the quick and easy access to Mallorca is a huge bonus as well.
“So, if hotels and the like were open during the off season we would come and fill them. To be honest we’re all starting to get a bit bored of Malta,” Chris said.
“And another mystery is why you’re not making more of the sea. Everyone has a boat in Mallorca but you’re not using it for film - that’s my point.
“Having a water tank is all very well, but it’s not the same as actually filming at sea - that’s the whole thing. And even if you have a tank in the future, it’s got to be right by the sea like in Malta, you don’t want it inland. They are always built by the sea.
“On one my productions we spent nearly five weeks shooting at sea and three of those were in a sheltered bay. You’re never more than 100 metres away from the shore because you need to move equipment, crew, cast etc. and Mallorca’s got some of the most amazing bays to film in.
“So yes, as a location we’ve all been very impressed and Mallorca has a bright future in the film industry. The island is film friendly, there’s a film history here and filmmakers always go where other filmmakers have been. And at the same time you’ve got the basis of a crew here,. With Palma Pictures being based here you’ve got the infrastructure that is instantly accessible.
“Plus there’s a big connection between where people go on holiday to where people want to make pictures and that’s another wonderful benefit for Mallorca. It’s so comfortable - to come and work would be a dream. You’ve also got some great film festivals, so it’s coming together, it’s all there, it’s just that more needs to be made of it.
Extraordinary opportunities
“And if a production does well, comes in on budget and is a commercial success, it does Mallorca a favour because success means it works. Malta, which has half the population of Mallorca, had 26 productions last year. I don’t think Mallorca had as many but you’ve got a bigger population and a much bigger island and I just think the opportunities here are extraordinary. There’s so much more land, so much more coastline. But I repeat, it is not being used.”
Chris also said that they stayed in the most amazing hotels in Mallorca.
“The standard of accommodation here is outstanding, far higher than in many other countries, and that is something also that productions enjoy because film crews like to be in comfortable places. It’s the whole combination. Mallorca’s got it all and it’s great that Malta, for example, has now got some competition. It’s so nice to be able to go and work somewhere else,” Chris added.
“I talk to some 15 different location managers every week and I’m going to be telling them all about Mallorca once I get back. I’ll be telling them it’s amazing. And they’ll be asking if I saw a great harbour, a spectacular house, beaches, cliffs, mountains. We will all carry with us this great publicity campaign for the island. Now we can speak in an educated way about Mallorca and the opportunities which are here and these are the great things about trips like these.
“And you have to take into account that location managers are extremely important to productions. After the producer and director are on board and the production designer has been brought in, we are the next on the list, we’re the fourth person in.
“We’re the ideas people. We come up with the ideas for where things can and can’t be filmed. So while a producer will be looking at logistics and whether sets will have to be built on location, we come in with solutions which could save millions of euros by saying that we know of a real place and that nothing has to be built.
“So that is probably one of the things about us that is quite unique, that we all possess a knowledge of what is real. And now we have the knowledge about what is real in Mallorca and the options are endless.”
]]>Spanish travel agencies have welcomed China’s visa-free policy, which is seen as an incentive to revive the tourism sectors in China and Europe. China applied a visa-free policy for ordinary passport holders from five European countries in December, including Spain.
Then in January China added eight more European countries in total to its visa-free policy list on a trial basis.
According to Spain’s tourism agency Turespana, over 60 percent of direct flights linking China and Spain before the pandemic have been restored. From March 31, Air China will have daily flights between Barcelona and Beijing while Cathay Pacific plans to restore direct flights to Hong Kong from Barcelona in June.
According to data from the Spanish Statistical Office, over 380,000 people visited Spain from China last year. However, the figure is well below the level before the pandemic, when more than 700,000 Chinese tourists visited Spain in 2019.
And last year the Balearic government contacted two Chinese airlines in order to study the possibilities of direct flights to Mallorca.
The aim would be to promote Chinese tourism to the island.
This isn’t the first time that there has been talk of direct flights from China.
Five years ago, when the Routes World fair was held in Guangzhou, Aetib, the government’s tourism, attended in order to discuss possibilities. In 2019, Mallorca featured in a TV series for the Chinese market entitled Spain Passion.
But whatever possibilities may have existed were put on hold by the pandemic.
]]>In addition to this, there are the communal areas, a “spa and gym” and only 11 neighbours.
Rafa Nadal may not have banked much money on the tennis court over the past year due to injuries, but off court he is still a magnet for sponsors and also a very astute businessman.
According to El Mundo, Rafael Nadal’s net worth figure stood at $323.61 million in February 2023.
Only recently, he managed to bag a multi-year, multi-million dollar deal with Subway alongside the likes of NBA star Steph Curry, which could help him reach the $350 million mark possibly by the end of this year.
And, according to Forbes, Rafael Nadal’s overall earnings are easily in the range of $500-550 million if taxes and other reductions are considered as well.
Tennis writer Dhruv Rupani for The SportsRush says that it also helps that no other tennis player on the planet has as many social media followers as Nadal if Twitter, Instagram and Facebook are combined, which stands at 49 million at present. So it is expected that many of his sponsors will extend their associations with him post his retirement.
Brands such as Nike, Babolat, Kia Motors, Santander, Emperio Armani, Richard Mille, Tommy Hilfiger and Telefonica are in his portfolio and many of them have supported him since the beginning of his professional career on the ATP Tour.
In 2021, Nadal reportedly earned $23 million only from appearances at special events, endorsements, merchandise and licensing fees, making him the world’s fifth-highest paid tennis player that year.
It is believed that Nadal wore a limited edition Richard Mille watch at the French Open 2022 final, which was worth $2.52 million at the time.
Currently, he is the biggest and oldest tennis name on Nike’s payroll, as he reportedly earns a guaranteed $10 million per year from that deal.
Add to that his investments in property, restaurants and hotels, the Mallorcan is playing a very clever game.
Members of the Guardia Civil were waited in the port for the ship to dock after receiving a tip-off from the ship’s security team.
After refusing to testify on Sunday, the Court of Instruction number 2 released the suspect.
The events reported by the 30-year-old woman allegedly took place on board the cruise ship after she and the 26-year-old Kenyan-born man had been dancing all night.
At one point, the suspect allegedly forced her to have sex.
Some time later, the woman, in a state of shock, alerted the ship’s captain, who in turn informed the Guardia Civil.
As soon as they docked in Palma, where the passengers were going to stay for a few days, the Guardia Civil arrested the suspect.
On Sunday, the man used his right not to testify before a Palma magistrate, who ordered his release.
The Guardia Civil said that the investigation remains open.
The analysis centre dedicated to economic and social research has detailed that, in 2023, the percentage of foreign-born population in the European Union countries as a whole amounted to 13.3%, according to Eurostat data.
For its part, Spain had 17.1% of foreign-born residents in 2023, close to countries such as Sweden (20.4%) and Germany (19.5%), and ahead of France (13.1%) and the other southern European countries: Portugal (16.1%), Greece (11.3%) and Italy (10.9%).
According to data from the Continuous Population Statistics, analysed by Funcas in the latest Focus on Spanish Society, January 2024 will see the highest recorded number of foreign-born residents in Spain, 8.8 million people and 18.1% of the population, one percentage point more than in 2023.
By autonomous communities, the highest percentages correspond to the Balearics (27%), Catalonia and Madrid (24%), Melilla (23%), the Valencian Community and the Canary Islands (both 22%).
The regions with the lowest percentages are Extremadura (6%), Asturias (10%), Castilla y León and Galicia (11%).
Among people of foreign origin resident in Spain, approximately four out of every ten (42%) are between 25 and 49 years of age, a bracket which, within the working age group, concentrates the bulk of the active population of any society.
In this respect, Funcas highlighted that this figure places Spain among the European countries with the highest proportion of foreign-born people aged between 25 and 49 (out of the total foreign-born population), above the European average (37%), although below Denmark (44%), the Czech Republic (46%) and Finland (49%).
It has also highlighted that in regions with more immigrants, such as Catalonia and Madrid, as well as the Basque Country and Navarre, a higher proportion of them are in the 25-49 age group.
On the other hand, it is precisely some of the regions with the lowest proportion of immigrants, such as Asturias, Galicia and Castilla y León, which have the highest percentage of immigrants aged 65 and over (around one in four).
A significant number of these older immigrants come from countries such as Argentina, Cuba and Venezuela.
“Immigration plays an increasingly important role both in the labour market and in the socio-demographic structures of European societies. The weight and age composition of immigrants reflects not only the potential of these societies to attract new populations, but also raises the need for a public discussion on the long-term implications for ageing societies in terms of integration, labour market adjustment and social protection,“ he explained.
With regard to the acquisition of nationality in EU countries, he pointed out that in 2022 there were 989,940 people, the majority (857,173) from non-EU countries.
In Spain, 181,581 people obtained nationality in 2022, i.e. 18% of all naturalised immigrants in the European Union.
This places Spain, together with Italy (22%) and Germany (17%), among the countries with the highest share of naturalised immigrants in the European Union.
In Spain, 38% of the new citizens were citizens of Central or South American countries, and 32% came from North African countries.
By contrast, in Germany, almost half of the naturalised immigrants were of Asian origin, many of them from Syria (29%), Turkey (9%), Iraq (4%), Iran (3%) and Afghanistan (3%).
]]>The domestic market accounts for a 57.2 % of the share of bookings, followed by the United Kingdom, with 15.3 %, Germany, with 3.7 % and the Thai market, with 2.8 % of the share - an increase of 28.6 %.
Further more, the rise in bookings in recent weeks has led many Spanish hotel companies to bring forward the opening of their hotels to the end of March, coinciding with Easter, which this year is earlier than in previous years.
And all this despite the increase in prices as a result of inflation, which peaks at 15% on the most critical dates and in the most popular destinations, according to SiteMinder.
The good weather, together with an early Easter week has led the Mallorcan hotel chain Meliá to bring forward the opening of its hotels, especially those in the Balearics, to the end of March.
The same has happened to another of Spain’s major hotel companies, Riu, which has taken advantage of Easter and has been brought forward the opening of some of its hotels. They will open about a week before the public holidays on March 22.
According to the Smart Observatory prepared by the Spanish Confederation of Hotels and Tourist Accommodation (Cehat), advance bookings in Spanish tourist accommodation have grown significantly this year, despite the fact that inflation has raised prices by between 4 and 6%.
The companies’ forecasts show a promising outlook for the next three months, with occupancy in the portfolio at 45% (5.7 percentage points higher than in 2023).
The improvement in the anticipation of bookings together with the proximity of Easter has led to a 13% increase in occupancy in Spain compared to 2023, with particularly good results on the islands and coasts.
One example is Calvia, which expects a total of 149 of the 230 tourist establishments to be open in March.
According to the town council “the tourism in Calvia is moving towards deseasonalisation”.
In Palmanova and Magalluf, more than half of the hotels are expected to be open by the end of March.
Anyone heading to Palma Airport could be hit with delays due to terminal changes and maintenance.
Jet2 has warned that holiday-goers could “be waiting slightly longer than normal” in both departures and arrivals.
On its website it states: “There is currently maintenance work taking place at Mallorca (Palma) Airport.
“We are working with the airport to ensure that any disruption to your airport experience will be kept to a minimum.
“Due to this ongoing work you may be waiting slightly longer than normal to clear immigration in both departures and arrivals, our friendly Customer Helpers will be on hand to help.
“We thank you in advance for your patience and understanding should you experience an extended wait time, which is beyond our control.
“All Jet2.com flights will be using check-in desks 31 to 33 and boarding for all flights will be from Module C.
“This information will also be displayed on the airport information screens.”
According to the Palma Fire Department, the fire broke out at 05.50 in a chimney in a room of the Palma Riad hotel, in Sant Jaume de ‘Ciutat’ street.
Firefighters from the Sa Teulera and Magdalena Rigo fire stations rushed to the scene.
Fortunately, no injuries were reported.
By the time the fire brigade arrived, the hotel staff had already evacuated all the guests.
However, the hotel will remain closed as a precautionary measure at least until next Monday, when the fire brigade, together with municipal technicians, will assess the structure of the establishment.
The National Police are investigating this new incident involving the use of firearms in the early hours of last night in Marbella.
The incident took place at around 01.30 hours in an establishment in the aforementioned municipality of Malaga.
Following the incident, a young man in his 20s was injured and remains in the Hospital Clínico de Málaga.
According to health sources he is undergoing surgery for knee injuries.
This new shooting is the second to take place in the aforementioned municipality in just seven days.
Last Monday, 11 March, there was another incident involving a firearm in a catering establishment, although no injuries were reported.
Another incident occurred on the night of 10 February, also in Marbella, where a shooting took place, resulting in a gunshot wound to one person.
]]>Sources have confirmed that it has been “impossible” to intervene inside the property despite the fact that there are several witnesses who clearly indicate the location of human remains a few metres from the swimming pool.
The only search that has been carried out to date inside the estate took place in September 2020 and was very limited.
Experts had hoped to expand the area of interior intervention, but permissions were not obtained.
This latest intent is to confirm, as the construction worker claims, if there are human remains in the location, and in case of finding them, what is their origin.
The main hypothesis is that they may be the remains of Francoist prisoners used as slave labour in the construction of the Camí de Cala Barques between 1940 and 1942.
The Camí dels Pressos begins just a few metres from the location under investigation and ends in a network of tunnels in the mountain where the Francoist military authorities wanted to install a battery.
When the map of graves in Mallorca was drawn up, there was no indication of the existence of a possible grave in Cala San Vicente.
The situation changed in the spring of 2017 when a retired construction worker contacted Ultima Hora to confess that “while carrying out work on a villa in Cala San Vicenteyears ago, numerous human remains and clothing (shoes and belts, among others) had been found”.
The witness was very upset and dismayed. He assured that he had kept silent “for fear of reprisals” from the owner of the house who asked them (according to the witness’s version) to throw away the remains found during the excavation of the land to install the machinery for the swimming pool.
“We threw some of them away and reburied others,” he explained.
In 2017 a Porreres grave had already been exhumed, the images of which stirred the collective conscience. “I cannot continue with this burden,” said the witness.
The then mayor Miquel Àngel March (Junts Acançam) reported what had happened to the Council of Mallorca and initiated a series of enquiries at municipal level that succeeded in locating other workers who had witnessed the events during the construction of the swimming pool.
They all confirmed the veracity of the first testimony and pointed out to the experts the exact location of the incident.
To this day, all the hypotheses are still open, whether it is archaeological remains, a Francoist grave or even a crime.
The initiative includes information on how to improve ventilation or light in homes to make them more beneficial to health, and other more global measures that involve meeting with the mayor of Palma, Jaime Martínez, and asking him to close the city’s main roads over the weekend.
The reason, they claim, is to encourage healthy family habits and reduce traffic thus reducing pollution.
Both groups have singled out the Paseo Marítimo sea front, as already seen during the pandemic, or one of the Avenidas, for closure.
“It would be about repeating something we have already experienced,” said Bernat Nadal, dean of the College of Architects.
“It is not new in Palma, a city that is used to hosting popular events when streets are temporarily closed. We have all walked through the centre of Jaime III”, added the president of the COMIB, Carles Recasens.
Both have highlighted that cities like Barcelona and Madrid already close key roads on weekend and they believe that the reduction of vehicles in the centre of Palma is key for the future of the city.
However, they are aware that the measure requires an improvement in public transport to make it more efficient and less polluting, and a pact between administrations, for example, such as the Council of Mallorca to be able to create more parking.
“In urban planning you can’t play politics. These are measures that require seriousness and responsibility in order to decide the city we want”, added Nadal.
]]>Gary is the last person to be voted off Celebrity Big Brother and he has since been asked about his niece.
He said of her that “she’s on the right track. She has the best support on the planet, she has the best people looking after her”.
Kate Middleton’s uncle has set a date for the return of the Princess of Wales to the public eye: “They (Royal Household) said we would see her at Easter and nothing has changed since then. They’ve been very transparent.”
The Chelsea-supporting uncle of the Princess, with whom Kate Middleton and Prince William stayed in 2006, lives in a famous villa called La Maison de Bang Bang in Ibiza.
Gary Goldsmith having earned a reputation for being colourful, did attended the royal wedding and is said to have regularly accommodated the royals and their friends over the years in the Balearics.
Goldsmith is the younger brother of Kate Middleton’s mother, Carole and splits his time between his Ibiza villa and a mews house in west London.
He made his first million by the age of 30.