Following his detention in Portugal last month, murder suspect Jonny Smyth has been extradited to Spain.

The 27-year-old male from Northern Ireland is presently incarcerated in a remand prison in the south-western Extremadura region of Spain, near the border town of Badajoz, after being forcibly transported across the border by law enforcement.

In anticipation of an expected transfer to the Costa Blanca, where he is the subject of an ongoing investigation into the murder of West Belfast father-of-two John George, a magistrate there ordered his remand in jail over the weekend.

On March 25th, Smyth was apprehended in Portugal on an international arrest warrant after being located at an Airbnb in Braga, a city located in the far northern region of the country.

He is expected to be summoned before the Torrevieja-based investigating magistrate who is investigating Mr. George’s murder, in order to ratify his continued detention in Spain.

The hearing will be conducted behind closed doors, as is customary in Spain, where only trials are conducted in public, similar to the post-extradition court appearance in Badajoz.

Yesterday afternoon, Tuesday April 8th, a high-ranking court official confirmed that Smyth was now back on Spanish soil. The official stated, “The detainee was initially placed at the disposal of the courts of Badajoz after his extradition to Spain. The courts of Badajoz agreed to place him in provisional detention at the disposal of the Torrevieja court.”

“The Torrevieja court is currently anticipating a report on the proceedings that took place in Badajoz in order to determine the appropriate course of action.”

Last year, Mr. George, 37, disappeared on December 14th. His family reported him missing when he failed to board a scheduled flight home four days later, following a brief vacation.

On January 7th, his body was discovered concealed beneath overgrown lemon trees, near the town of Rojales. After nearly 72 hours in police detention, a man who was arrested on suspicion of homicide later that day appeared in court on January 10th. Manuel Ramon Rives, his defence counsel in Costa Blanca, blamed the decision to detain him on his “recent friendship” with a man whom he claimed the police were pursuing at the time as the alleged perpetrator.

The police force, which has been extremely secretive about its investigation and has declined requests for interviews, issued the following statement following Smyth’s arrest: “In the context of Operation Resistente, which is being conducted by the Territorial Judicial Police Team of Pilar de la Horadada in response to an intentional homicide committed by an Irish citizen in the municipality of Rojales, we have received information through SIRENE regarding the arrest of a 27-year-old man in the Portuguese city of Braga on March 25th.”

“The Portuguese police executed the arrest in accordance with a European Arrest Warrant issued by the Court of Instruction Number Two in Torrevieja.”

The alteration in temperature and weather in Alicante is already apparent, and it is evident that a growing number of people are starting to wear their summer clothes.

The number of individuals who are already beginning to congregate in the busiest areas of our coast, including the beaches of Alicante and Torrevieja, is evidence of this.

Nevertheless, the quality of the air in various regions of the Iberian Peninsula, including Alicante, may be impacted by the advent of dust in the coming days.

Through the Olivier cyclone, this dust will be transported from the Sahara.

This new storm, which was identified by the State Meteorological Agency on Monday, 7th April, will be responsible for the resurgence of Saharan dust uplift and transport to the Balearic Islands, the Balearic Islands, Melilla, and Ceuta.

The Canary Islands will be impacted by this storm from Tuesday to Thursday. The westernmost islands will experience locally intense rainfall, wind, and waves.

Subsequently, it will approach the Iberian Peninsula, where it will accumulate a substantial quantity of particles in North Africa. These particles will be transported to the aforementioned locations within the next few hours. These particulates will even reach the northern region of the Iberian Peninsula.

Despite the meteorologist’s assertion that it will not be a significant intrusion, they caution is that “of course” the air quality will be exacerbated by the dust.

They say that individuals with respiratory issues may experience difficulty during these episodes, and as a result, it is advisable for them to remain at home.

It is also advisable for individuals who maintain excellent respiratory health to exercise caution. Advice is against engaging in extensive physical activity outdoors during this period.

This dust is expected to settle in the province of Alicante beginning this Thursday, 10th April, and will remain there until at least Saturday, according to forecasts.

Additionally, it’s anticipates that mud precipitation will occur in significant portions of Spain by the end of this week, with the province of Alicante being the most susceptible.

Given these predictions, it is advisable to postpone washing your vehicle until the following week.

The sophisticated self-cleaning public toilets that were installed on the seafront of Torrevieja are currently closed. The public price for the five units located in Plaza de Waldo Calero, Paseo de Juan Aparicio (Arturo Gómez Square), Playa del Cura, Plaza de Doña Perfecta Rodríguez, and Plaza de Encarnación Puchol, respectively, has been approved by the local governing board of Torrevieja City Council one year after their installation. The latter two are located in La Mata.

The cost of using the toilet is 0.50 euros for a maximum of fifteen minutes, as indicated by the toilet instructions on the door.

When Mayor Eduardo Dolón was publicly questioned about the implementation of the public price, which is to be incorporated into the tax ordinance and requires no further processing—the file scarcely occupies a page—he cited the absence of this approval as one of the reasons for delaying its implementation.

Additionally, the response from Council Spokesperson Federico Alarcón regarding the exact cause of the delay is consistently generic, regardless of the number of enquiries.

In spite of the fact that the project has been completed for nearly a year, the contracting company was required to receive the final certifications—the periodic payment—on Monday, 7th April.

In August 2023, Abala, a company affiliated with the Hozono Global Group, was awarded the project through a framework agreement for €318,000 (VAT included). This sum encompasses the acquisition of the units and their installation.

The water and electricity services required by the five lavatories are the subject of the unforeseen issues, despite the fact that a project was previously awarded to define the characteristics of each location. The facilities have been connected to electricity for a few weeks, and that is the sole update regarding their operation.

Access to each unit has been restricted by the contracting company due to the fact that, in certain instances, drinking water was already being used outside.

In reality, the incorporation of one of the restrooms on Vista Alegre Promenade was one of the project’s most significant errors, as the installation was practically unfeasible due to the underground car park beneath the pavement.