Tag: 75%

Latest Gran Canaria News, Views & Sunshine

Menas Case: Foundation Siglo XXI directors allegedly filed false invoices, unrealistic expenses and repeatedly drew funds from ATMs, meant for the care of migrant children, even charging botox facial treatments and posh restaurant bills to foundation debit cards

Menas Case: Foundation Siglo XXI directors allegedly filed false invoices, unrealistic expenses and repeatedly drew funds from ATMs, meant for the care of migrant children, even charging botox facial treatments and posh restaurant bills to foundation debit cards

Jun, 2023 |

A comprehensive analysis conducted by Group I of the Economic and Fiscal Crime Unit (UDEF) of the National Police yielded scandalous results, writes Spanish language daily Canarias7, regarding the alleged irregular use of the public funds intended for the care of unaccompanied minors, by the suspected to have been perpetrated by centres managed by the Foundation Social Response Siglo XXI on Gran Canaria and Lanzarote. In this case, driven by the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office, investigators discovered that the director of the Guiniguada centre charged the NGO responsible for €1,500 worth of beauty treatments and €1,113 for bills at top restaurants including Vinófilos, El Vasco de Vegueta, and Triciclo.

 
 

 

Centre-Right Pact Between Regionalists (CC) And Resident Conservatives (PPAV) Returns Marco Aurelio Perez As Southern Mayor

Centre-Right Pact Between Regionalists (CC) And Resident Conservatives (PPAV) Returns Marco Aurelio Perez As Southern Mayor

Jun, 2023 |

The conservative Partido Popular-Agrupación de Vecinos (PP-AV) and the right of centre regionalist Coalición Canaria (CC) have this Thursday signed a local government pact that will shape the future of the southern Gran Canaria tourism municipality of San Bartolomé de Tirajana. The alliance, dubbed a “Pact for Stability and Socioeconomic Progress of San Bartolomé Tirajana”, represents 60% of the votes cast in the municipality’s recent local elections, emphasised the  mayor-elect, Marco Aurelio Pérez (PP-AV), who returns for the third time to lead the local council responsible for some of the most important tourism areas on the island, including Maspalomas, Playa del Inglés and San Agustín.

 
 

 

Local Government Coalition Agreement Maspalomas and the South of Gran Canaria

Local Government Coalition Agreement Maspalomas and the South of Gran Canaria

Jun, 2023 |

A governing coalition pact has been finalised in San Bartolomé de Tirajana. The Popular Party–Agrupación de Vecinos (PP-AV) conservative residents party is to join forces with regionalist centre-right Coalición Canaria (CC) to govern the main tourist municipality on Gran Canaria for the next four years. Marco Aurelio Pérez will serve as mayor for the entire four-year term, and the Popular Party will take charge of Employment, Sports, Roads and Infrastructure, and Human Resources, among other areas. The regionalists, led by Alejandro Marichal, will oversee Urban Planning, Economy and Finance, and Tourism as their main departments.

 
 

 

Storm Óscar Latest: Government of the Canary Islands Declares Rain Alert for Western Islands and Gran Canaria

Storm Óscar Latest: Government of the Canary Islands Declares Rain Alert for Western Islands and Gran Canaria

Jun, 2023 |

A storm system, dubbed Óscar, has formed over the last few days over the mid-north Atlantic, unusual for this time of year, and has led to concern from meteorologists and journalists as it passes south of the Azores, its tail should reach The Canary Islands, before the system heads northeast towards mainland Spain.  Advisory warnings have been issued in expectation of heavy rainfall, primarily in the Western Isles of the Canary Islands Archipelago, though some rainfall is also expected to reach Gran Canaria over the next couple of days.  It seems unlikely that any major consequences will stem from the bad weather, however these things can be unpredictable and so every precaution is taken to ensure people are informed and kept safe.

 
 

 

Foundation Investigated for Alleged Mismanagement of Public Funds Meant for Care of Unaccompanied Migrant Minors

Foundation Investigated for Alleged Mismanagement of Public Funds Meant for Care of Unaccompanied Migrant Minors

Jun, 2023 |

The 7th Investigative Court of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria has opened a preliminary investigation into the Social Response Foundation Siglo XXI and four of its directors. The Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office in Las Palmas filed a complaint against them, alleging crimes that could include forgery of commercial documents, mismanagement, and embezzlement of public funds. The investigation aims to determine whether this nonprofit organisation, and its officials, could have misused public funds intended for the care of unaccompanied migrant minors, during the migration crisis of 2020 that was precipitated by the pandemic confinement on the islands, leading to a build up of arrivals having to be assessed and cared for by the Canary Islands Regional Government, using hotels left empty due to the lack of tourism. The estimated amount involved in the alleged misuse stands at around €12.5 million between 2020 and 2022 on Gran Canaria alone.

 
 

 

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75% travel discounts for all Canary Islands residents are here!

75% travel discounts for all Canary Islands residents are here!

Jul, 2018 | , , ,

Fernando Clavijo with the president of Iberia Express
The President of the Government of the Canary Islands, Fernando Clavijo, began a round of meetings with officials last week from the different airlines that operate routes between the Canary Islands and the Peninsula.
The objective of these meetings, which began with the president of Iberia Express, Fernando Candela, were to confirm the application of 75% discounts off air tickets for Canarian residents following the agreement signed with the Minister of Development, José Luis Ábalos, last week in Madrid.
The Spanish Government on Friday finally authorised the long awaited 75% travel subsidy for residents of the Canary Islands, Balearic Islands, Ceuta and Melilla significantly reducing the price of air and sea travel fares to and from the mainland, with an agreement of the Council of Ministers. The Minister of Public Works, José Luis Abalos, indicated that the discount takes effect as of Monday, July 16.
“The Council of Ministers has authorized the increase of the subsidy from 50 percent to 75 of the rates for residents with the rest of the peninsula,” Abalos announced at a press conference after the Council, acknowledging that this issue had raised “some debate” in these territories.
The minister explained that this discount is to be applied to tickets that are issued from this week, starting Monday, July 16 at 9.00 in the morning. “The first business day after its publication in the BOE scheduled for Saturday,” said Abalos on Friday.
Citizens resident in the Canary Islands will now be able to buy their tickets for flights and sea journeys to the peninsula at 75% discount, increased from the 50% previously in force. Travel agencies predict a 30% increase in demand for tickets and some companies predict an “avalanche” of ticket sales although consumers fear an overall rise in prices.
The increase of the discount for air and sea connections with the Peninsula is now in effect. Residents properly registered in the islands can buy the cheapest tickets from Monday onward.
The increase of the air and sea transport subsidy has been applied to the general price of the ticket except for airport taxes, which the central government already lowered last year. The validity of the subsidy is indefinite, that is, there is no expiration date, so it looks like it could well be here to stay.
The approval of the subsidy increase to 75% by the Council of Ministers may cause a rise in the demand for tickets to the Peninsula, predicted to be possibly 30% by travel agencies.
Consumer associations predict that the increase in resident discounts will lead to overpricing on the part of the airlines to try and compensate. In fact, they have denounced a lack of transparency in the online booking process used by certain airlines, that requires you to indicate if you are entitled to the resident discount before displaying the relevant fares.
Some airlines such as Air Europa said they expect an “avalanche” in the sale of airline tickets. The company say that any fear of price increases “is an urban legend” because the air market is “transparent.”
Following the motion of censure and the arrival to the presidency of the Government of new Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, the new Executive decided to approve the bonus with the Council of Ministers so that it can be immediately applied while it is being processed as part of the general budgets, with a decree law. This formula has made it possible to speed up the process and the deadlines for applying this discount for this summer have been shortened.
The Minister for Development, José Luis Ábalos, said that the new government has activated the discount “as quickly as possible” by “the most immediate” route. “The Executive expects an increase in the number of subsidised trips to the Peninsula to exceed the nearly 7.8 million tickets that have already enjoyed a 50% subsidy.
The exact formula for the application of the discount (the deadlines for passing a Decree Law, which was said to take six more months, as well as the nuance on whether 75% was applied to the regular or bonus rate) gave rise to several controversies up until this week.
The Canarian regionalist parties and the Balearic executive head, Francina Armengol, have pushed the central executive for the last year to start this long awaited scheme, designed to help level the playing field between mainland citizens and those resident on the islands who have found travel to peninsular Spain prohibitive, seriously limiting employment opportunities, and the ability to fully participate in mainland Spanish affairs.
This year’s government budget accounts include €492 million, 16% more than the previous year, for the bonus subsidy of air and boat tickets. So far, the Ministry of Public Works subsidises 15 million trips between the Peninsula and the Balearic Islands, the Canary Islands, Ceuta and Melilla, as well as inter-island journeys.

Centre-Right Pact Between Regionalists (CC) And Resident Conservatives (PPAV) Returns Marco Aurelio Perez As Southern Mayor

by Timon .:. | June 8, 2023 | Government, Local Council, Maspalomas, News, politics | 0 CommentsThe conservative Partido Popular-Agrupación de Vecinos (PP-AV) and the right of centre regionalist Coalición Canaria (CC) have this Thursday signed a local government pact that will shape the future of the southern Gran Canaria tourism municipality of San Bartolomé de...
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Local Government Coalition Agreement Maspalomas and the South of Gran Canaria

by Timon .:. | June 7, 2023 | Government, Local Council, Maspalomas, News, Playa del Inglés | 0 CommentsA governing coalition pact has been finalised in San Bartolomé de Tirajana. The Popular Party–Agrupación de Vecinos (PP-AV) conservative residents party is to join forces with regionalist centre-right Coalición Canaria (CC) to govern the main tourist municipality on...
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Canaries airports busy, serving nearly 13,000 flights over Easter, including emergency landings

by Timon .:. | April 8, 2023 | News, Tourism, Transport | 0 CommentsIt's been a busy week at Gran Canaria airport (LPA), which started last Saturday with the FlightRadar24.com website publishing a picture on twitter of "Europe going on vacation to The Canary Islands" showing multiple inbound flights headed for our subtropical...
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Movie and television production on the Canary Islands has more than doubled

by Sanna | March 12, 2023 | Economy, employment, Film | 0 CommentsThe shooting of movies and television series in the Canary Islands have doubled over the course of 2022 and now far exceeds the figures recorded for 2021, which were the highest to date. More national and international productions, more investment and more direct...
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Record tourist arrivals to The Canary Islands, though Gran Canaria lags behind in the recovery

by Sanna | February 21, 2023 | Economy, Tourism | 0 Comments2023 has started positively in terms of foreign tourism numbers. In January, the archipelago welcomed 1.22 million foreign visitors, a 3.2% increase from 2019 (1.18 million). The figure even surpasses the numbers from 2018 (1.21 million) and 2017 (1.20 million) to set...
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Cordial director says they will fight “illegal” decision to allow cement factory to continue in Port of Santa Águeda

by Timon .:. | January 6, 2023 | Business, Government, News, Tourism | 0 CommentsThe general director of hoteliers, the Cordial group, a member of the Las Palmas tourist association, Nicolás Villalobos, has described as "illegal" the decision taken by the Canarian Regional Government to extend the usage of the deep water port of Santa Águeda so...
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The Canary Guide: Gran Canaria Public Holidays, Fiestas, Romerías and Celebrations for 2023

by Sanna | December 29, 2022 | Events & Leisure, Government, Sunshine | 0 CommentsGran Canaria and the Canary Islands share 8 official "bank holidays" with the rest of Spain. Following the publication of the Laboral Calendar in the Official State Gazette (BOE), the eight immovable holidays are: April 7: Good Friday, May 1: Labor Day, (Monday),...
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Works on the new Soria-Chira hydroelectric project expand to the Soria Dam

by Timon .:. | December 12, 2022 | Environment, Government, News, Technology | 0 CommentsThe new Salto de Chira hydroelectric power station project broke ground this year, after nearly 2 decades of planning, with works now being prepared on the primary wall of the Soria dam (the largest in The Canary Islands) and its surroundings, where a spillway will be...
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#VoteLocal: Want to have your say? The deadline to register for next May’s local elections is January 15, 2023

by Timon .:. | December 5, 2022 | Community, Government, Local Council, News, politics | 0 CommentsAcross Spain, municipal elections, to vote for your representatives in your local town hall, will be held on May 28, 2023. All EU nationals, legally resident, have the right to stand for election in their local council, and to elect the councillors whose job it will...
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Regular resident bus travel to be FREE – 100% subsidised – in the Canary Islands from Jan 1

by Timon .:. | November 15, 2022 | News, politics, Transport, Transport | 0 CommentsSpain's central government in Madrid, it was announced this Monday, has accepted 100% free resident travel on Canary Islands urban and interurban buses from January 1. The regionalist CC party have been negotiating with and socialist PSOE government since October...
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