The crash took place at 1215 hours on Saturday in the Eastern Bay of Santa Pola. A lifeguard who was patrolling on the beach at the time saw the incident and immediately informed the emergency services and the coastguard.

It was the coastguard who were first onto the scene in the LS boat Pluto – a vessel regularly used for sea rescue efforts. They were able to locate the helicopter pilot and move him to shore.
There he was met by paramedics from SAMU and a Red Cross ambulance. Neither were resuscitate the victim, and, according to the CICU were only able to confirmed his death.

Members of the Red Cross and the Group of Underwater Activities (GEAS) of the Civil Guard, continued to search the area for other possible victims but finally concluded that the pilot, named as Manuel Baños, was flying alone.

Snr Baños was a well known local businessman who operated a chain of bakeries in the Murcia region. He was opened a new branch in Santa Pola only on the previous day.

Source: Kevin Reardon, The Leader

A whole range of concerns over accessing healthcare were raised and addressed in a thorough talk by Martyn Standing, advisor for the British Consulate Pensions, Benefits and Healthcare Team. He began by playing a round of ‘fact or fiction’ with the audience to get an idea of what they already knew. Martyn said:
“Though most people are aware that rules about state healthcare in Spain are different to those in the UK, some are confused by rumours or misinformation they have picked up. That’s why it’s important to get your information from official sources.”

Martyn then outlined options available to those below and above pension age and those who have or have not worked in Spain. Details around getting a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) as a pensioner living in Spain were of particular interest to the audience. Martyn explained that recent changes to EU law mean that those registered on an E121(now S1) form in Spain should apply for their EHIC in the UK to travel outside of Spain.
After presentations, those who still had doubts about their individual cases were invited to a one-on-one consultation with the experts. Other information sources at the event included representatives from cancer charity MABS, Age Concern España, the Royal British Legion and HELP. The organisations offered lots of local knowledge and outlined the services they can offer. They also managed to meet some potential members and volunteers.

British Consulate staff believe that in working together with other local associations, many people left the Casa de Cultura in Guardamar del Segura with a greater understanding of how to register properly for healthcare.

The meeting was also considered a success by Bill Bridges, member of local campaign group PUMA22, who has been working closely with the British Consulate on accessing and providing accurate information on healthcare: ‘PUMA22 is very aware, and very appreciative, of the input and drive of the Consul General in making all of this possible’.

Source: The Leader

The article is titled, ‘The EU is preparing for the bankruptcy of Spain’, and claims that the Spanish fund to protect banks and savings banks is on the edge of collapse because of the huge debts of private companies.

A spokesman for the Ministry for Tax and the Economy told the El Mundo newspaper that such an intervention ‘Has neither been studied, nor requested, nor would help be asked for in the future’.

The German Financial Times quotes ‘information’ to which it says it has had access which shows that Portugal was the main candidate for intervention at the start of May, but suddenly the EU concern has turned to Spain.

The paper claims that ‘For some days the interbank trade in the South of Europe is at a practical stand still’. It says that unlike in Greece where the main concern is the large public deficit, in Spain the concern is for the debts in the private sector following the bursting of the real estate bubble. It says that more Spaniards than originally thought will be unable to repay their bank debts, and this will make the situation in the financial system even worse, and that more funds will be needed for the banks to survive.

The accuracy of the article has also been denied this morning by the EU. Sources at the European Commission have explained, to the El Mundo newspaper, that the only plan existing is for all member states.

English source: Typically Spanish

German source: Financial Times Deutschland

A member of the public made the grizzly discovery and immediately called the police.

An autopsy was carried out at the Alicante forensic institute on Monday.

The results indicate the victim had been cut open from his throat to his waist and then subsequently sewn up with fishing line.

It seems he was already dead when the incision was made and there were no other signs of violence.

The identity of the man has not been revealed but he is thought to be a resident of Elche of Colombian origin aged about 39. However no personal documentation was found at the scene.

Investigators are said to be working on the theory that he had been working as a ‘mule’ smuggling drugs, possibly cocaine, into the country hidden inside his body.

The government predicts the economy, Europe’s fifth largest, will shrink by 0.3pc overall this year, after contracting by 3.6pc last year, before returning to growth of 1.8pc in 2011 and 2.9pc in 2012.

Spain entered its worst recession in decades during the second half of 2008 as the global financial meltdown compounded a crisis in the Spanish property market, which had been a major driver for growth in previous years.

There have been a few recent signs that the economy is on the mend.

Industrial production rose in March on a 12-month basis for the first time since April 2008 and the number of unemployed people in Spain fell in April for the first time in nine months, boosting the government’s argument that the economy is returning to growth.

Rafael Pampillon, economics professor at IE Business School in Madrid, said: “Spain does not have a model for sustainable growth. The first quarter growth data is very irrelevant.”

S&P cut Spain’s long-term credit rating to “AA” from “AA+” on April 28 on fears the country’s poor growth prospects could further weaken its public finances, fueling fears that Greek debt crisis could spread to Spain.

The Spanish stock market initially rose on the news but later fell back.

Yields on 10-year Spanish government bonds eased 2 basis points to 4.392pc. However, they are still still close to record highs for the year as investors fears of contagion from the Greek debt crisis grow.

Source: Telegraph.co.uk

Irish expat Amy Fitzpatrick was 15 when she vanished as she walked home from a friend’s house on the Costa de Sol in January 2008. Police have failed to find any trace of her since. Her mother Audrey and stepfather Dave Mahon have now announced the massive reward for information which locates Amy alive or dead. The money has been donated by four anonymous friends of the couple.

Ms Fitzpatrick, 41, from Dublin, said at a press conference in Malaga: “This reward is for us to get Amy back one way or another. “Some days we hope and pray Amy ran away but we know that’s not the truth. Two years and three and a half months after her disappearance that’s impossible. Some days we think she’s alive, other days we think she’s dead. Not knowing what’s happened to her is awful. We’re desperately hoping Amy’s still alive but if she’s not we want to know and we want her back so we can grieve her loss and put her to rest.”

The reward money will be made available for a month between April 19 and May 19.

Real estate worker Mr Mahon, added that four friends had put up 250,000 euros each. “We believe someone knows something about Amy’s disappearance,” he said. “We are going through hell and we want to find out what’s happened to her either way. The month means they have a time limit. If they’re not going to give Amy up after a month after this long time, we think they never will.”

Amy’s parents promised the cash would be made available to anyone whose information led to her daughter’s discovery. It would be paid 15 days after she is found alive – or 15 days after police certified her dead. The couple promised callers would be able to remain anonymous and declined to give any details of the friends who have put up the reward money – insisting they want to remain anonymous.

House owners on the Spanish coast deprived of their property rights after Spain’s 1988 Coastal Law took effect made their case to the MEPs of the European Union Petitions Committee on Monday and Tuesday.
MEPs questioned whether the law should have been applied retroactively and stressed that expropriated owners must be fairly compensated. They are now to seek further clarifications from the Spanish government and the European Commission.

Since the 1988 “Ley de Costas” coastal law took effect, forbidding the construction of private property within 100 metres of the sea, “96% of owners’ appeals against expropriation have been totally or partially rejected” by the courts. For the first 20 years the Ley de Costas led a sleepy existence, until the present government led by Socialist Prime Minister José Luis Zapatero took office, that is. Cristina Narbona, his environmental minister, then made haste implementing the rules with illegal hotels being demolished and domestic plots expropriated.

Read more in The Leader…

El vuelo registró un incendio en una de las ruedas del tren de aterrizaje, según tres pasajeros, por lo que el piloto decidió volver. Algunas de las personas que viajaban en la nave sufrieron heridas leves.

Un avión de la compañía Norwegian que debía cubrir el trayecto entre Alicante y Arlanda en Estocolmo se vió obligado ayer a volver al aeropuerto alicantino debido a un incendio en una de las ruedas del tren de aterrizaje, según explicaron tres pasajeros ateniéndose a la información que dicen que les ha dado la compañía tras el incidente. Más de cien personas que viajaban en el avión han pasado la noche en varios hoteles de la ciudad a la espera de partir a las 14.00 horas de hoy hacia su destino.

El incidente ocurrió alrededor de las 20.50 horas de ayer. El vuelo despegó sin problemas, según explicaron desde Aena. Poco después, el piloto detectó un incendio en una de las ruedas del tren de aterrizaje, según los tres pasajeros antes citados, y optaron por volver al aeropuerto de origen.

El Boeing 738 aterrizó «sin problemas», a pesar de la avería en la rueda, aunque algunos pasajeros aseguran haber visto «humo» de lo que puede haber sido un «conato o un pequeño incendio» que no fue a mayores ya que, cuando llegaron los operarios de Aena al aparato recién aterrizado «ya no había humo».

Sólo tres o cuatro pasajeros sufrieron heridas leves producidas, al parecer, cuando se deslizaban por los toboganes de evacuación que se instalan en sustitución de las escaleras habituales.

Nada más detectar el problema el piloto, en el aeropuerto de El Altet se activó el Plan de Emergencia y una nube de vehículos de bomberos, sanitarios y de emergencia esperaban el aterrizaje del aparato que, finalmente, se produjo sin problemas.

c) ANA A. FERNÁNDEZ / INFORMACION.ES