Weather
Spain has been hit by another bout of extreme weather, with the east coast and the Balearic Islands battered by torrential rain and flooding. The conditions are the result of the gota fría – or “cold drop,” a term used to describe a sudden drop in temperatures along the east coast caused by the arrival of cold polar air.
The weather event hit yesterday and will continue to escalate today in Aragón, the north of Catalonia and the south of Valencia. AEMET has issued a red alert for the provinces of Teruel, Tarragona and Castellón, an orange alert for for Valencia and the island of Mallorca, and a yellow alert for Zaragoza, Barcelona and Alicante.
While the weather has not caused any fatalities, it has led to significant problems in Castellón. Around 30 people had to be rescued from their cars across the province as the torrential rain turned streets into rivers.
Around 24 millimeters of rain fell .. Homes were flooded and 40 residents were forced to find shelter in a sports center. The rain disrupted train routes and university classes in Valencia have been suspended.
In the Balearic Islands, emergency services have responded to 34 incidents including flooding in Manacor, on Mallorca, which is still recovering from floods last week. In Murcia, various roads were closed after 60 millimeters of rain fell. The roads have since been reopened.
Banks
Spain’s Supreme Court yesterday ruled that banks and not clients must pay certain taxes related to mortgage loans, in a ruling that could potentially cost lenders hundreds of millions of euros in compensation.
After the court ruling, Bankia shares fell more than 7 percent.
Ceuta
The Spanish enclave of Ceuta is a favored destination for migrants. Now the protection of it’s frontier with Morocco is being studied as a model for EU policy.
A fence more than eight kilometers long surrounds Ceuta, a Spanish enclave located in North Africa.
Morocco has asked for 130 million euros from the European Union to cooperate on the fight against migration. And Spain supports Rabat on the issue.
Quake
AN earthquake with a magnitude of 4.2 on the Richter scale was recorded in Andalucia yesterday evening.
The quake struck at 7.57pm with its epicentre in the municipality of Jodar, in the province of Jaen, at a depth of 11km.
The emergency control centre reported the quake and said they had received calls from residents who said the intensity of the earthquake caused some furniture to move.
However, there are no reports of structural damage or injuries .
Drugs
A DRUG trafficking operation has been shut down after 80 kilos of hashish was seized and four people arrested.
The National Police and officers from Benalmadena detained three men, two of French nationality and one Moroccan, as well as a Spanish woman, after stopping a vehicle in Benalmadena, as part of a routine operation.
The driver allegedly tried to flee and officers found 600 grams of hashish in the car.
The three male occupants were all arrested and officers recovered keys to a second car.
In addition, it was discovered a European arrest warrant and detention order had been issued by the French authorities who were searching for one of the group members in connection with murder.