Also distributed in Gran Canaria, Fuerteventura and Lanzarote.
1.50€ at newsagents.
THE INDEPENDENT ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER WITH LOCAL, NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL NEWS
FRIDAY 16th SEPTEMBER TO THURSDAY 29th SEPTEMBER 2016 TV GUIDE
PAGES 25 -32
EDITION 559
MOVIES AT ...
FORTNIGHTLY SUPPLEMENT F
property p
Devalued pound could still cost booming Canaries dear in 2017
PAGES 49 -56
guide
“Fight health cuts” residents urged
H
EALTH campaigners in the Canaries have urged people to stand up and fight against cuts.
B
USINESS leaders in the Canary Islands are warning that the current popularity of the archipelago as a tourist destination might be dented in 2017 because of outside influences. The business group CEOETenerife says everything is pointing towards a very good winter but “Brexit” might have an adverse impact next summer. In fact, the organisation predicts that at least 150,000 British tourists could be lost if the depreciation of the pound against the euro (currently at eleven per cent) continues. CEOE-Tenerife president José Carlos Francisco says this depreciation hasn’t been reflected in package holidays
P
for the “excellent” winter ahead but it could be a different story next year. The group is warning that the insecurity of destinations such as France, Egypt, Tunisia and Turkey will begin to diminish as the depreciation of the pound begins to hit home. These markets lost this summer about eleven per cent, 20 per cent, 25 per cent and 50 per cent, respectively, of their visitor numbers which has “benefited” the Canary
Islands. The archipelago is currently experiencing record figures but tourism chiefs say they are well aware of the Brexit threat and will be well prepared. This is why they have been stressing the need for quality service and a modern and updated infrastructure. The CEOE-Tenerife alert coincides with a report from the leading bank BBVA that the UK’s decision to leave the EU cost Spain four tenths of growth in gross domestic product (GDP), an impact that will be even more intense in regions such as Murcia (-0.6% growth)
Shock as police find two corpses
OLICE have been investigating the shock discovery of not one but two corpses in Tenerife within a short space of time.
The incidents are not connected, as one happened in Costa del Silencio and the other in San Isidro. However, both caused considerable shock and consternation in the neighbourhoods. The first body was discovered in El Chaparral in Costa del Silencio at lunchtime on Sunday. Residents had been complaining about a bad smell for a week so the victim could have been dead for some time. The Civil Guard guarded the body until the coroner arrived from Arona for the removal of the body. An hour later, another corpse was found in an empty unit in calle Juan Pablo II in San Isidro. The alert was raised by a neighbour. The body was so decomposed that at first sight, it was not possible to determine whether it was a man or a woman. This body was also taken away for an autopsy.
and the Community Valencia and Canarias (-0.5%). However, the strong performance of the tourism sector is what will make the Canarian economy grow by 3.3 per cent this year over 2015. The national average is around three per cent. In addition, estimates of employers suggest that between now and the end of year 40,000 jobs in the islands will be created, ending the year with 27,000 new jobs, which will reduce the unemployment rate below 25 per cent for the first time since 2008. Sr.Francisco said 2016 could have been a “spectacular” year for the archipelago if a new government had been formed. The absence of doing so was slowing growth in the Canaries and stalling public investment.
The Association for the Defence of Public Health in the Canar y Islands says the government of the archipelago is planning to slash material and human resources by up to eleven million euros. The measures, it claims, will include not renewing recent contracts and cutting sick leave, holidays and days off. The association is calling for the resignation of president, Fernando Clavijo (CC) and health chief, Jesus Morera (PSOE). The cuts, says the group, will have a major impact on the University Hospital of the Canaries in Tenerife with the
loss of 5,000 ultrasounds, 1,000 operations and 200 resonance imaging. It believes the situation in 2017 will place the Canaries last in the table for waiting lists in the autonomous communities and says the cuts cannot be allowed. “Needless to say, this will translate into worsening of diseases and increased mortality of the Canarian population, in short creating a bigger problem in public health,” says ADSPC in a statement. “If health and life are the first thing we value they should also be the first thing to defend with all means at our disposal. “
Child trapped at playground
F
IREFIGHTERS were called out to a playground in La Laguna after a child got his leg stuck inbetween railings.
The incident happened in La Hoya on Sunday and led to a 112 call. Fortunately, firemen were able to release the distressed youngster who suffered no injury.