LOCAL NEWS

Eastern
resorts
want equal
support
from regional tourism funds

Five Axarquía municipalities are demanding improved investment in tourism for the eastern coast. They have formed a pressure group to fight for benefits similar to the millions of euros promised to west coast resorts.
Nerja, Torrox, Vélez-Málaga, Frigiliana and Algarrobo all have town halls which are not under the control of the PSOE.

Their councillors for tourism created the working party last December in response to the favouritism which they perceive that the PSOE, which governs both the Andalucía region and the country, shows towards its own town halls.

At a meeting last month, Torrox’s councillor José Pérez García described the Junta’s plans to incentivise tourism as “a smokescreen which does not meet our needs”. He said that what is required is something similar to the region’s Plan Qualifica which promises an investment of €300million west of Málaga in the form of direct grants to an area stretching from Torremolinos to Manilva.

A further meeting was due to be held in Vélez-Málaga, ahead of an appointment which the group had with the director general of tourism. They are to meet Antonio Muñoz in Sevilla to put forward points of concern and will argue their case for improved support for the eastern coast.

Nerja’s local spending halved
as salaries increase by a third

Caves lose nearly
6,000 visitors
 in a year

Maro
bridge
started

Work has started on a 65 metre footbridge to link the two halves of Maro, presently separated by the A-7 autovía.

The €1.2million project will provide quick access from the old part of the village to the area of the Nerja Caves and the future botanical gardens. The steel construction promises to be spectacular with cables from a single tower supporting the walkway.
 

Nerja
30% foreign

Latest population statistics from Nerja Town Hall show that just under 30 per cent of the municipality’s registered population is non-Spanish.

A total of 77 different foreign nationalities are now represented, of which the largest group is the 2,627 Britons. The figures show that a total of 6,464 of Nerja’s 21,915 residents come from abroad.
 

Watchtower
work

Viñuela
sports

La Viñuela is to have its own covered multipurpose stadium by next year.

The town hall and the Junta’s sports department signed a deal to share equally the construction cost of €850,000. The 2,000 sq m building will include facilities for a range of spectator sports activities, including basketball, badminton and indoor football.
 

New
Torrox
courts

A project to develop plans for a new legal centre in Torrox has been put out to tender by the Junta de Andalucía.

The new base will include four courtrooms and be sited on 4,600 sq m of land next to the new local police station. The existing centre, which has only two courts, is destined for municipal use when the new facility is inaugurated.
 

Rural road
repairs

Repairs to six kilometres of country roads around Nerja began last month.

An investment of €320,000 by the Junta de Andalucía means that some of the rural lanes, seriously damaged by a devastating storm last September, will soon be passable again. A further 20 kms are reported to require less urgent action.
 

Marina
consultations

Coast road east of Nerja
is one of Spain's most dangerous

The dubious accolade came from the European Road Assessment Programme, EuroRAP, which published the results of a survey carried out for a number of automobile clubs, including the Real Automóvil Club de España (RACE).

The director of road safety for RACE, Tomás Santa Cecilia, described the results as “worrying,” adding that the Government should give more attention to improving roads and “not give priority only to finishing the high speed AVE rail network”.

The EuroRAP study examined data from 2004 to 2006 and analysed 14,000 fatal and serious accidents on 20,600kms of road, of which just over 1,000kms are in Spain. Ten stretches of carriageway in this country are described in the findings as having a “high risk” and of these, three also appeared in the EuroRAP survey covering the years 2003 to 2005. One is the N-340 coast road from Nerja to Almuñécar, while another stretch of the same road, from Siscar in Murcia to Albatela in Alicante is also included. The third is a part of the N330 from Jaca to Sabiñánigo in Aragón.

The EuroRAP study also shows that the number of roads in Spain classified as high risk or very risky has dropped from 36 to 19.3 per cent of the total, and that just 20 stretches of Spanish roads account for one in every five fatal or serious accidents. Andalucía is also identified as one of the regions where, says EuroRAP, more accidents could be prevented with only a minor investment in the infrastructure.
 

Briton convicted of Torrox stabbing
goes free

A British woman who stabbed her former boyfriend 11 times has avoided a long prison sentence. The 55-year-old had been accused of attempted murder in February 2005 at the El Pino camping site in Torrox.

The incident took place in the home which the couple had shared for 11 years after both had been drinking heavily. An argument is known to have started, although neither can recall how it began, leading to the attack with a knife which caused injuries to the man’s neck, arms and body. He was treated in hospital at Vélez-Málaga for wounds up to four centimetres in length.

The accused woman was initially thought to be facing a charge of attempted murder but her legal representative was able to have this reduced to an offence of wounding. Her argument centred on the superficial nature of the wounds inflicted, none of which affected the vital organs or required surgery, and testimony from witnesses who confirmed that the couple were often to be heard having heated rows.

The court finally convicted her of the lesser charge, reducing her jail term from a potential five years to two but as she has no previous convictions, she was able to go free.
 

Nerja's paseo marítimo
extends to
El Chucho

Blood
shortage

The Red Cross began contacting previous donors as reserves fell to just five or six days supply. The shortage was triggered by six liver transplants in city hospitals within ten days, each of which uses an average of 100 units of blood.
 

Without
water

The town hall plans to give plenty of publicity when the exact dates are known so that residents can make arrangements to store supplies. The cut will be necessary when a new water deposit which has been built is ready to be connected to the distribution network.
 

Storm
damage

Nerja's
new
councillor

New
contract

Construction was suspended in November when the firm contracted to build the two storey facility opposite the town hall underwent financial difficulties. The town council is now to rescind the €1.2million contract and is to advertise the remaining work for a little less than half that amount.

Medical
training

They have been learning the basic methods of dealing with someone who is choking, haemorrhaging or suffering a heart attack, all of which can result in death within minutes. Around 50 agents have been participating in the project.
 

Málaga's first green gateway
opens in
the Axarquía

to Frigiliana.  Together, they incorporate five traditional tracks used by farmers to drive cattle, all of which have been restored and adapted to their new role.

Nerja divers thwarted
in plan
to help vulnerable
sea grass

Nerja calls
for action
in Torrecilla breakwater project

assistance to develop the project, but since then the town hall has heard nothing.

Torrecilla is the Nerja beach most susceptible to damage by the weather. Sand loss and infrastructure damage inevitably follow high winds and heavy seas.
 

Airport
record

Passenger numbers increased by 3.9 per cent while 7.7 per cent more cargo was moved in the same period. Airport operator Aena said that the 13.5 million passengers through Málaga was a new record, with those on commercial flights up by 4.1 per cent and international travellers up by 3.8 per cent.
 

Not
to Madrid

Vueling’s move follows Iberia’s reduction in fares between the two cities and Spanair’s plans to reduce its number of flights on the link.
 

Caves
budget

A third of the 2008 budget approved for the Nerja caves will contribute to financing the town’s future museum.

The total of €5.1million, over eight per cent up on 2007, was approved by the foundation which manages the caverns and will run the museum. However, the town hall opposed the accounts, alleging grave and unauthorised irregularities.

Nerja's
future
debated

The Association of Business Owners was to host a day of discussions last month to develop ideas for inclusion in the town hall’s local development plan. The association has been critical of the delay in publication of the plan which was due in 2006 but is presently still being revised.
 

CCTV
for Nerja

The Balcón de Europa, Avenida Pescia and Plaza Tutti Frutti are amongst the areas where it is planned to site cameras. The town hall has already requested an estimate for the work from a specialist installation company.
 

Algarrobo centre
open

It will serve a population of 3,000, although it has the capacity to attend to the needs of 5,500. The 670 sq m of consulting rooms and support services are in a two storey building which has cost €717,000 to construct and equip.
 

Club
guides

The only condition for a group’s inclusion is that it should have all its documentation in order. The councillor responsible, Rosario Villasclaras, said that she reckoned there are between 130 and 140 such organisations in the town.
 

Periana
medical
centre

Three family doctors and two nurses are based at the centre which has cost over €420,000 to build and equip. It is fully connected to the Diraya computer system, Andalucía’s electronic prescription network.
 

VÉLEZ NEWS

More
bad news
for tramway system

Vélez mayor, Francisco Delgado Bonilla, said the figures represent “economic ruin” to the town hall, and repeated his demand that the Junta de Andalucía should participate in the tranvía’s management. However, there have been calls for a reduction in the flat rate fare of €1.30 which is 20 cents more than a local bus journey in Sevilla, the regional capital. In addition, the price of the equivalent bus journey between Vélez and Torre is 40 cents cheaper.

The extension of the line to the station in Vélez-Málaga, which is several months behind schedule, will increase the true operating cost per passenger and the consequent bill for the town.
 

Robotic analysis
cuts health test results
from a week
to a day

Worker
injured

An 18-year-old construction worker has been injured on a building site in Torre del Mar.

He fell from the third to the second storey, breaking his tibia and fibula. The incident left the man in hospital at Vélez-Málaga where he was treated for bruising as well as fractures.
 

Souvirón
to stand

The former mayor of Vélez-Málaga, Antonio Souvirón of the PSOE, has been proposed as a candidate for the Andalucían Parliament.

He received unanimous support from his party colleagues. Meanwhile, the secretary general of the PSOE party in Nerja, Ángel Ramírez, is to stand as a provincial candidate for Málaga.
 

Another
pile-up

A 55-year-old man from Iznate suffered a fractured pelvis in a three vehicle pile up near Vélez-Málaga.

The accident happened on the A-356 road to La Viñuela, after which the victim was taken to the Axarquía hospital for treatment. The road is well-known for its poor safety record.
 

Viñuela
water

Technology training

A pioneering training centre has opened in Vélez-Málaga.

Telecommunications firm Domosur is behind the project to provide technology training to unemployed young people so they can obtain a formal qualification. It is the first time the Junta’s employment department has collaborated with a private business in such a scheme during which students receive a one year contract and earn €1,000 a month.
 

Police
officer
detained

A member of Vélez-Málaga’s local police force has been suspended after being arrested by National Police investigating offences against the rights of workers and involving prostitution.

In a simultaneous operation, a nightclub on the N340 near Torre del Mar was raided and seven other people detained. The officer has denied any connection with the club except enjoying a friendship with its owners.

Hunger
strike
ends

The supply teacher protesting in Vélez-Málaga against his treatment by the Junta’s education department has given up his hunger strike after 38 days.

David Fernández Lobillo, who lost 19 kilos since he began his action on December 3, said he was ending it for health reasons. The 28-year-old made it clear, however, that his fight against the Junta would continue.

Robbery arrests

Two men have been detained by National Police in Vélez-Málaga accused of various robberies with intimidation.

One, thought to be responsible for two incidents in ten days, is suspected of using a knife and an imitation firearm to threaten his victim. The other is alleged to have been masked when he attacked, also using a simulation pistol.

Traffic free zone

Part of the centre of Vélez-Málaga was closed to traffic as part of the project to pedestrianise the Camino Viejo de Málaga. The first stretch to be affected will be from the Andalucía cinema to the junction between Calle Canalejas and Portería del Carmen. The development follows calls from commercial businesses in the area.

MÁLAGA NEWS

Drink sales
 fall
as drivers
heed new penalties

Alcohol consumption in Málaga dropped by up to a quarter over Christmas.

The Association of Catering Businesses in the city, Ahema, says the drop follows the heavier penalties for drink-driving introduced in December. In the days immediately before Christmas, Guardia Civil patrols undertook around 3,000 breath tests on Málaga’s roads in an effort to dissuade drivers from breaking the law and subjecting themselves to the new penalties.

Rafael Prado, Ahema’s president, says reports from his members suggest that alcohol sales in bars and restaurants are down between 20 and 25 per cent and that people are choosing to go out locally, rather than travel great distances for a social evening. Taxi drivers have also noticed a change since the new legislation came into force.

Ángel de Mula, president of the Association of Self-Employed Taxi Drivers in the city, says that demand has increased as people leave their vehicles at home, rather than risk being sent to prison after a couple of beers. A number of restaurants are also reported to be offering a taxi home within the cost of a meal to allow clients to enjoy alcohol during their nights out. Coach companies are also reported to have seen bookings rise by about a third as large parties opt for a safe celebration.

The amendments to the penal code mean that those found guilty of driving while under the effect of alcohol or drugs can expect a sentence of three to six months, or a fine plus six to 12 months community service, plus suspension of their driving licences for one to four years. The alcohol limits are 0.6 milligrams per litre in a breath test, or 1.2 grams per litre in a blood test.

The same penalties apply to excessive speed and can now be awarded to offenders who travel at more than 200 kph on an autovía, 180 kph on a main road, or 110 kph in a built-up district.

Failure to agree to taking a test for alcohol or drugs could land a driver in prison for between six and 12 months, plus disqualification from driving for one to four years. Careless driving now attracts a prison sentence of six months to two years and loss of licence for between one and four years, while those found to have endangered the lives of others can be imprisoned for two to four years and banned from driving for six to ten years.
 

City policeman risks his life
to save
fire victim

A dramatic rescue in the early hours saw a Málaga policeman risk his life to save an elderly woman.

He fought through intense smoke from an apartment block fire to bring her safely from her seventh floor flat. The outbreak is believed to have been started by a candle in the bathroom of a separate apartment.

Although fire crews were able to extinguish it swiftly, the blaze produced clouds of smoke which billowed through the building in the city’s la Luz district. Many residents had evacuated their homes and were in the street when police patrols arrived.

Officers were told that an 80-year-old woman who lives alone in the block was missing, and a group of four were directed to the fifth floor where she was understood to live. They reported hearing the woman’s cries for help but could not locate her until it was discovered she lived two floors further up.

One of the officers, with only a handkerchief over his mouth, ran up the next two flights where he found the victim unconscious on the floor. He managed to bring her back to the fifth floor where he also collapsed through smoke inhalation, but his colleagues were then able to help both back to ground level.

Both were treated by emergency services before being taken to hospital where they were given oxygen to combat the effects of smoke.
 

Miracle pill
raided by Guardia

A Málaga firm which has been marketing a “miracle” slimming pill has been raided by the Guardia Civil. Four people have been questioned and 50,000 jars of the company’s products confiscated.

Nutra Life International has been operating a distribution base and call centre from two addresses in the city and intervention by the authorities followed the results of analysis of the pills. This is reported to have indicated high concentrations of various hormones which could be contrary to public health regulations. The company is understood to have imported around 30 different products from suppliers in Portugal, France, Germany and Switzerland.

Nutra Life claims that its pills can result in weight loss of 28 kilos in around ten weeks without exercise or special diet. For around three years, it has claimed in advertisements in various Spanish magazines that the tablets contain a “secret formula” which will shed the pounds “while you sleep”.

The operation followed a year-long Guardia Civil investigation into the firm, one of whose directors is believed to be a British resident on the Costa del Sol.
 

Babies
die

The Public Prosecutor in Málaga is investigating the outbreak of a virus which may have caused the deaths of two babies at the city’s Hospital Materno.

Fifteen recently born babies were moved to a separate ward to protect them from the bacterium which is reported to cause pneumonia and urinary infection.  The nursing union, Satse, has criticised the authorities’ slow reaction to the contagion which, they claim, has affected four other babies since December 20.

The hospital has already said its own investigation concluded that the two deaths were unconnected to the virus.
 

Junta failed
to act
on abuse
suspicion
says
children’s
group

A children’s rights group has intervened in the case of a toddler suspected of being the victim of abuse. The three-year-old’s stepfather was arrested after she was admitted to Málaga’s Materno Infantil Hospital with a broken arm.

The Association for Children’s Rights, Prodeni, wrote to the Junta de Andalucía accusing them of not acting effectively when an earlier complaint against the detained man was made in October. At that time, the infant’s mother is reported to have started living with him in the family’s home town of Fuente de Piedra.

The school which the girl attends became suspicious that she may have been abused and, via the Guardia Civil, made their concerns known to the Public Prosecutor responsible for minors. However, the decision was taken simply to monitor the child for six months. The school alerted the authorities for a second time when the girl arrived at school with a bruise on her face. Two days later, she was admitted to hospital.

Doctors who treated the infant called for police intervention when they also discovered old wounds which may have been caused by abuse. The stepfather was immediately questioned and claimed the child had fallen down stairs while playing, a story backed up by the girl’s mother, but doctors said her injuries were consistent with a fall equivalent to the height of five storeys. The Social Welfare department immediately took custody of the girl.

Prodeni’s letter to the Junta complains strongly that it was only when the child was examined in hospital that allegations of abuse were taken seriously. It also questions who is responsible for referring such cases to the Social Welfare’s provincial delegate and claims that red tape within the administration inhibited it functioning effectively and could be the cause of irreparable damage to children.

The toddler was released from hospital but did not return home. Social welfare delegate Amparo Bilbao said that the family situation had been reviewed and it was considered that the best option was for the child to be put in the care of her maternal grandmother. However, it was made clear that the case would continue to be monitored.
 

Málaga
cracks down
on
cluttered pavements

Using pavement space in the city of Málaga without authorisation could result in a €3,000 fine.

City councillor Purificación Pineda said that following an awareness campaign of several months, legislation would be applied firmly from March onwards. By then she said, cafés, bars and other businesses which use pavement space have adequate time to meet the requirements.

The councillor said that inspectors would then visit around 500 premises which have a town hall licence to place chairs and tables on pavements and that they would take action against any businesses which had not fallen into line. The most serious offences will attract a fine of between €750 and €3,000. Pavements must be three metres wide before a licence is granted and the minimum pavement width left unobstructed for pedestrians must be 1.5 metres.

The town hall also wants to improve the image of the city and aims to rid pavements of furniture which carries advertising messages. To encourage proprietors to comply, the council says it will reduce the tax paid for using pavement space by 50 per cent for the first three years after offending chairs, tables and sun umbrellas have been replaced.
 

Teen
stowaways

Eleven Moroccan teenagers have been found hidden in the luggage compartment of a coach at Málaga bus station.

The 13- to 15-year-olds arrived on a service from Algeciras at night and are thought to have absconded from a centre for minors. They were accommodated overnight in the city before being returned to Algeciras to await deportation.
 

Arson
attacks

Málaga has been subjected to a wave of arson attacks.

Three cars parked in the city centre were burned out and two rubbish containers set alight, while the next night three cars, a van and a motorcycle were attacked as well as more rubbish containers. Police believe that more than one person is responsible for the incidents.
 

Airport
Holiday Inn

The Intercontinental hotel chain has announced that its first Holiday Inn in Málaga will open at the city’s airport in April.

The four storey building in Avenida Velázquez will have 122 bedrooms, meeting rooms and wifi Internet connections. The group said that it plans a total of eight new hotels in Spain by the end of 2009 to join its existing chain of 14.
 

Attacked
his mother

A 17-year-old youth has been detained in Málaga after he attacked his mother when she threw his marijuana plants into the rubbish bin.

He is reported to have cracked her head against a terrace door, breaking the glass, and destroyed furniture. His mother said she had denounced him on previous occasions for aggressive behaviour.
 

Victoria
debuts

Cunard’s new liner, the Queen Victoria, has made her first visit to Málaga.

The vessel moored at the port for 12 hours with a full compliment of 2,014 passengers. The shipping line said that it hopes to double business from Spain, which is its fourth most important market worldwide.
 

More
transplants

Kidnap
rescue

He was found in a city apartment after his armed kidnappers reportedly demanded more than €100,000 for his safety. Three people have been arrested in connection with the incident.

 

Health
science

The award was agreed by the Junta de Andalucía as part of a global €198.9million budget for regional universities between 2006 and 2010. Part of the grant will go towards equipping a general library for the UMA complex.
 

Dependent
on tourism?

Jerónimo Pérez said that a more sustainable development based on real values was required, rather than depending on tourism and construction to drive the economy. He cited agricultural technology and innovation as possible expansion areas.
 

50th
complaint

The Vialia centre in the city’s railway station has continued to pursue a 365-day opening policy, contrary to Andalucían law, since it opened 14 months ago. The latest denuncia relates to seven shops which opened for business the previous weekend.
 

Guardia officer
held

The unidentified man is alleged to have attacked her inside the Guardia base in Avenida Arroyo de los Ángeles before being detained by his colleagues. It is reported to be the second time he has attacked the same woman.
 

Bullring makeover

Metro work licenced

Work on the first phase of Málaga metro Line One has been licenced by the Junta.

The three kilometre stretch will eventually be part of the route from La Malgueta to Teatinos and will cost more than €21million. With the invitation to tender closing in mid February, work is expected to start in late March.

Xmas trees
go on

Christmas trees which decorated homes in the city of Málaga can be enjoyed even after the festivities ended.

The town hall’s environment department ran a free service which removed trees and replanted as many as possible in green zones.

NATIONAL NEWS

Spain will go to the polls
on March 9

Spain’s general election will be held on Sunday, March 9.

The Cortes was dissolved on January 14 and the election campaign will begin formally on February 22, concluding two days before the country’s electorate of 35 million chooses the ninth legislature since the return to democracy. Regional elections are expected to be held on the same day.

The present PSOE socialist government was obliged to call a general election by March at the latest and is presently leading the opinion polls by about two points. However, observers say it could be a close-run race with the country’s housing boom seemingly drawing to a close and an uncertain economic outlook. Already nervousness is apparent in the corridors of power with one minister being ridiculed for blaming inflation on the ignorance of consumers and another suggesting inflation could be combated by eating rabbit instead of traditional fare at the Christmas eve family dinner.

The PSOE ousted the Partido Popular (PP) in the 2004 general election after the public perceived that the PP mishandled the aftermath of the Madrid train bombings by blaming them on ETA. Some PSOE members are now reported to be concerned that the new, young voters who helped them to power four years ago may not continue their support in 2008.
 

Three in twenty Spanish children
have never eaten
an orange

The traditional Mediterranean diet may be under threat as the next generation appears to be ignorant of its tastes. A disturbing report reveals that large numbers of school children have never tried some basic fresh foods.

The on-going study by the Mediterranean Diet Foundation has questioned 25,000 eight- to 11-year-olds in four regions of Spain, including Andalucía, over the last two years. The results show that 32 per cent of them have never tasted spinach, 23 per cent do not know what a tomato tastes like, and a remarkable 15 per cent – three out of every 20 - have never even tried an orange. Onions and carrots were unknown foods to 16 per cent, and tuna in oil to 23 per cent. The research was carried out by the foundation, a non-profit organisation which promotes the advantages of the Mediterranean diet to health, during a series of basic cookery classes for children.

Here students are taught, for example, how to make a “Mediterranean forest salad” in the hope that they will be encouraged towards more adventurous eating.

The foundation’s vice president, Francisco Sensat, said the high numbers of youngsters who admitted to never having tried basic foods such as tomatoes and oranges was worrying. He said that, together with physical exercise, a diet rich in fruits and vegetables is a basic requirement for good health and underlined the importance of making parents aware of the importance of diet. Some 94 per cent of the children in the studies agreed to try basic foods new to them and two-thirds said they liked them.
 

El Borge mayor
follows thousands
to renounce Catholic
church

The town of El Borge now has the first Spanish mayor to have been conceded an apostasy by the Catholic church. José Antonio Ponce announced that he had received confirmation of his separation from the Church by the Málaga diocese.

Sr Ponce applied for his name to be removed from all church records from the date of his baptism onwards, and later participated in an act held in Málaga cathedral in which 20 young people asked for the right to become apostates. A letter from the Bishop of Málaga, Antonio Dorado Soto, has now confirmed the request which Sr Ponce said had been carried out very quickly, and without having to resort to a tribunal as has happened in other cases.

He explained his reasons for abandoning the Church as not wanting to practice a religion with which he was not in accord and in which did not believe. A spokesman for the diocese, Alejandro Pérez, said that the Bishop is presently receiving two or three requests per week for apostasy.
 

Sr Ponce’s move follows that of thousands of Spaniards who are reported to be seeking apostasy, the formal request to leave the church and revoke all Christian vows made in the past. They are demanding that the church cancel their baptism records, in order to officially annul any connection with Catholicism and are supported by the country’s Data Protection Agency which says baptism records are personal data which the church must annul if requested. However, Spanish archbishops have argued in the High Court that a baptism record is not a register of Catholics but simply the certification of a historical fact which, by definition, cannot be cancelled.

The apostasy movement in Spain claims it has attracted thousands of followers, including young left-wing secularists, feminists, homosexuals and atheists who have been upset by the Church’s political stance. When Pope Benedict XVI visited Spain in July, 2006, 1,500 people asked for their names to be removed from baptism records.