LOCAL TOWNS news

No treatment plant but a new park for Nerja

Nerja town hall lost no time in applying to the new government for action on a number of long-delayed local projects. The town has also been promised a new green leisure area.

On the day when the members of the new Partido Popular cabinet were announced, the town council, which is also Partido Popular controlled, put its requests forward. The first of is, of course, the water treatment plant.

Nerja holds the dubious distinction of being the only major town on the Costa del Sol which pours its sewage into the sea untreated. Now, time is getting short because the year 2015 has been set by the EU as the final date of all the continent’s large municipalities to have water treatment plants. However, after almost 16 years of wrangling the project has still not even been licenced. The outgoing socialist Environment Ministry told mayor José Alberto Armijo in October that there was presently no cash available to finance the plant.

The second project which has been seriously delayed is the construction of the paseo maritime along Nerja’s most westerly beach, El Playazo. A number of landowners refused to sign over their land to the town hall, after which the socialist government announced their purchase by expropriation. However, the economic crisis has paralysed progress. The town hall is now asking the new government to resume the initiative to get the area developed as planned.

The town has also asked for action to reopen the Paseo de los Carabineros, a pathway linking the town centre to Playa Burriana. It has been closed since 2001 following falls of rock from the cliffs below which it runs.

Meanwhile, the provincial government has approved a project to develop a site of more than 11,000 square metres at the junction of Calle Filipinas and the old N-340 through the town with a budget of more than €290,000. The province’s deputy for the environment and sustainability, Juan Jesús Bernal, has told mayor José Albert Armijo that the project falls within Málaga’s brief to “improve services and a sustainable environment for the residents of the smaller municipalities,” in line with which the government is increasing the number of green areas in the province.

The area, previously rejected as the site of Nerja’s new health centre, will be planted with trees, shrubs and grass, with a pergola and benches. There will be a small lake of 418 square metres between the existing palm trees, plus paved areas and lighting. A fitness trail with keep-fit equipment is planned as well as a rink large enough to play hockey on skates.

The area which is presently used by Nerja’s temporary fire station will eventually be home to a children’s playground and two pentaque alleys

Frigiliana and Nerja seek more parking

Frigiliana’s multi-storey car park may re-open in time for Easter. Town planning councillor José Antonio González says that the town hall has asked Banesto bank, who presently own the facility, if the town could manage around half the 500 parking spaces in the car park.

The car park closed just over 12 months ago when its owners became insolvent and were unable to pay loan repayments to Banesto. The bank took possession and since then, the only users are a handful of residents who signed long-term contracts with the original owners. In addition, about 100 other private parking spaces have also come into use, with all drivers gaining access by use of a key.

The councillor said that Frigiliana needs the car park, especially at busy times during fiestas and fairs, when parking space is at a premium. He added he was confident that a deal with Banesto would go through before Easter.

Meanwhile, the town hall in Nerja has approved plans for a new underground car park at Burriana beach. The councillor for infrastructure, Antonio García, said that the basic design and construction project had been approved.

The new facility will be the town’s fourth underground car park and will offer around 200 parking places on three floors. The project budget is about €3million, of which €2.7million is for the construction and the remainder for project development.

Fire station progress

Nerja town council has approved the technical project for a new fire station in the town which will also serve Maro, Torrox and Frigiliana.

A 3,600 square metre site of municipal land was ceded to the province of Málaga for this purpose in 2008. The cost of €1.2million is to be shared between Nerja and the provincial and regional governments.

Oil search could
damage fishing prospects

Prospecting for oil and gas off the coast of Nerja and Torrox could spell ruin for the area’s fishing fleet, according to the association of fishermen at Caleta de Vélez. The group has warned that the planned search by the Canadian multinational CNWL Oil could be disastrous for the sector.

Their representative, José Luis Guerrero, explained that the problem with the plan is that the exploration process which is used launches air bubbles down onto the seabed. The noise this creates reaches a high level, he said, and this affects various marine species. Many simply leave the immediate area, resulting in fishing catches being reduced by up to half. He said this would cause “enormous damage” to the livelihoods of around 400 workers in the area who earn their livings directly from the sea.

Sr Guerrero warned that among the species at risk would be sardines, anchovies and mackerel, saying that once frightened away from an area, they are unlikely to return. He added that monkfish, sole and sea bream could also be affected. In addition, he claimed that during the month which it will take for the prospecting to take place, the area will be closed for fishing, and he made it clear that such a period of inactivity is not acceptable to the sector.

Opposition to the search for undersea oil and gas is growing. Last month, around a hundred demonstrators gathered on the border between Nerja and Torrox to protest against the planned exploration.

The Equo political party claims it would put marine ecosystems and the environment at risk, and says that Spain must comply with international obligations which balance the search for renewable energies against the use of fossil fuels.

Two Partido Andalucista councillors in Vélez-Málaga have added their voices to the call for all municipalities to stop the surveys and have presented a motion to Vélez Town Council to raise the issue with the Ministry of the Environment.

The Izquiera Unida deputy for Málaga called for a moratorium on gas and oil exploration along the coasts of Málaga and Granada. Alberto Garzón said questions need to be asked about the environmental risk which prospecting poses to the marine environment and its wildlife, as well as to the coastal landscape. He also supported the view from Caleta de Vélez that it threatens serious economic and social damage to the fishing fleet in these waters.

Motorbike death

A 31-year-old man died in Salobreña when his motorcycle came off the road in the town. Emergency service crews were unable to revive him and he died at the scene.

Police said his “highpowered” motorbike was completely destroyed in the accident which is now under investigation.

Fuel
economy

Torrox is to introduce a pioneering new system to reduce fuel consumption and emissions from its municipal vehicles.

The town hall has signed a deal with a Málaga firm for the introduction of a device which inhibits external magnetic and electrical forces which affect the fluidity of liquids and combustible gases. Environment councillor Lauren Salvatierra said it will save the town around €6,000 annually.

Porn charge dropped

A Nerja man has been absolved of charges of downloading child pornography from the Internet.

The case dates from 2007 when he was accused of loading five images of naked children in sexual acts. However, an examination of his computer revealed no such files and it is believed that another user sharing the same network had been responsible.

Still open
in Maro

Maro’s only bank is to remain open.

Nerja town hall called for Unicaja to think again when it announced the closure of its branch in the village. However, social services councillor Encarnación Moreno has announced that the decision has been reversed and the bank will remain open for the time being.

AXARQUÍA AREA news

Vélez
to adopt 29 municipal areas

Vélez-Málaga town hall is to take over the maintenance of 29 areas of the municipality. The project will take over roads, pavements, street lighting, parks and street furniture in unadopted urbanisations, industrial estates and communities.

Urbanisation councillor Concha Labao confirmed that the intention was to run a phased operation, starting with areas closest to the centre of Vélez- Málaga and Torre del Mar. More than a million euros has been set aside in this year’s budget, including €300,000 to extend the cleaning contract to take in the new areas and €700,000 for the maintenance of street lighting and green areas.

The councillor said the move, which was a campaign promise by the Partido Popular in last May’s local elections, will end contradictory situations such as that which exists in the Avda de las Naciones in Vélez. Here, one side of the street is maintained by residents while the other side is maintained by the town hall.

Initial work has begun in the first areas, ten of which are in Vélez and 19 in Torre del Mar. Residents who are not included in the initial areas will find themselves in a second phase next year, but the councillor added that some cleaning and gardening will be undertaken in these zones this year, while the town hall will take responsibility for their electricity supplies.

Caleta marina expansion
to go ahead

The Junta de Andalucía has confirmed its intention to licence the expansion project at Caleta de Vélez marina this year. Vélez-Málaga town hall said last month that mayor Francisco Delgado had received a letter advising that the €50million project is to go ahead.

The intention of the expansion is to increase the number of berths available to craft on the eastern Costa del Sol. Work is presently underway on the alternatives available to ensure compatibility with the environmental requirements of the area, including the survival of an endangered species of Mediterranean limpet which is found on the port’s breakwater.

Plans will see the number of berths increase from 277 to 791, as the leisure and fishing area of the marina is doubled to 112,000 square metres. The length of mooring’s for Caleta’s busy fishing fleet will be increased to 1,000 metres. There will also be a technical area of 26,000 sq m and a fish hall of 16,000 sq m.

The project includes parking for 460 vehicles, a new filling station and a new building for marina’s Captain.

Fines for a cleaner Vélez

From now on, people in Vélez-Málaga who contribute to a dirty image of their town can expect to be fined. After a month’s awareness campaign, the town hall has started fining anyone who dumps organic waste on the streets or fails to clean up after their pet dog. Fines range from €90 for a minor offence to €30,000 in a very serious case.

The councillor for public security and cleansing, Antonio Arrieta, said that around 170 residents, commercial premises and warehouses had been warned by police that they risked being fined when the campaign came into force. During the awareness campaign, almost 100 were told they could be sanctioned for leaving rubbish for collection outside the specified hours while 21 were warned when they did not clean up after their dogs had fouled the footpath.

Forty people received warnings after urinating in public, four for leaving old furniture in the streets and two for littering with advertising flyers. A goat-keeper also received a warning after his herd left droppings along a residential road.

The councillor has called for the residents to work with the town hall so that Vélez-Málaga can be made a cleaner town.

Rincón by carriage

Horse-drawn carriages carrying visitors on a tour of the town will soon be seen on the streets of Rincón de la Victoria. The town council has approved the proposal to grant a licence to operate the service which will be based at the Casa Fuerte Bezmiliana.

Tourism councillor Marta Marín said that the new tourist attraction would be an added incentive for people to visit Rincón. She said the charges for the service could not exceed the maximum set down by the town council and the route taken by the carriages would have to be agreed.

Fewer passengers?

The number of people using Vélez- Málaga’s troubled tramway in 2011 is likely to be the lowest in the system’s five-year history.

Mayor Francisco Delgado says the total will be around 57 per cent of the 1.2 million stipulated in the contract, below which the town hall pays a subsidy per passenger to the concession operator Travelsa. Last year the subsidy was €200,000.

Aerial map

Vélez-Málaga has a new aerial map of the municipality on which objects as small as 20 centimetres can be identified.

The project, financed by the provincial government, allows accurate measurements of an area to be made, while pictures taken at 45 degrees allow the height of buildings to be calculated. The town hall says the maps will soon be available on the municipal website.

Cycle lane open

A cycle lane between the Seco river and the Caleta roundabout has been opened in Vélez-Málaga.

The 300 metre stretch adds to the network for cyclists which is spreading through the municipality and completes the link between Torre del Mar and Caleta de Vélez. The project budget was over €103,000.

The nativity "live"

The nativity story will be staged in Almayate on January 1 and 2. Around 200 people will take part in the annual event which is cele

MÁLAGA CITY AND PROVINCE news

Over 130 drivers have reported faults with their vehicles after filling up at the same petrol station in Málaga. All those affected bought diesel at Carrefour – Los Patios on December 5 and 6.

One driver reported that he faced a repair bill of €4,000 after the fuel injectors on his seven-year-old Nissan Primera shattered. Others suffered damage to the fuel filters and other components of the injection systems and repair costs have risen to €6,000 in some cases.

Carrefour is reported to have confirmed that out of 600 motorists who filled up from the same pump over the two days last month, they have received complaints from 137 of them. The company has already opened an investigation to find out if the fuel was in poor condition and has taken samples of the fuel found in vehicles which have been affected. The first test is reported to have been inconclusive and a second study is now underway.

Insurance companies are waiting on the results of the tests before considering claims from vehicle owners. Carrefour has insisted that it was an isolated incident amongst the 96 petrol stations it operates in Spain.

Nosiy smokers disturb city residents

If you smoke, lower your voice. That’s the slogan heading up a new campaign in Málaga to persuade smokers who stand outside bars and restaurants to keep the noise down.

The move follows complaints from residents in the historic city centre about high noise levels from people who have stepped outside for a cigarette. The town hall is printing 1,000 posters to be distributed to local businesses and leaflets can be downloaded from the Internet.

However, the president of the Residents’ Association in the centre of Málaga said that all campaigns are welcome, but added that they know from experience that others have not worked, “and neither will this”. Maria Jose Soria said that after 15 years of continuous struggle against the problem, police should issue more fines and dissuade groups from congregating through a greater presence on the streets.

The town hall has appealed to the hospitality sector to help with the campaign, although the councillor for the environment admits it is difficult to tackle. Ana Navarro said that calls of complaint about noise to the police increased last year, although sometimes the source of the noise could not be identified. She added it was also not always easy to identify those responsible.

Metro begins recruiting

Staff recruitment for Málaga’s new metro system was due to get under way a month ago. The human resources consultant, Psicotec, has confirmed that the first phase of appointments will be for positions at managerial level which will constitute 15 per cent of the total workforce.

The remainder of the staff of 120 will be appointed in mid-summer, although once indirect employment is included, it is expected that around 500 jobs will be created in the city. Some of these additional jobs will be with companies which the metro operator hires to provide basic services, such as cleaning, and these firms will be contracted during April and May, according project manager Enrique Salvo Tierra.

He also confirmed that regular meetings were underway with the Junta de Andalucía on the setting of the tariffs for passenger fares, and that a system will be in place with which a user’s travel card records the number of journeys made and applies automatic discounts at certain levels. It is expected that these details will be in place by the summer so that software development can be concluded.

The train timetable is also under discussion with trains expected to run every four minutes during peak hours and every six minutes at quieter times of day. Additional services will be scheduled at times of important local events, such as sports events at the Martín Carpena sports stadium and the processions in the city during Holy Week.

Metro’s first trip

The Junta’s president José Antonio Griñán led a party of 200 on the Málaga metro’s first official journey last month. The group was taken on an eight minute ride over 2.1 kilometres, travelling at a sedate 15 kilometres per hour.

When the system opens in February 2013, trains will run at an average 35 kph, and up to 70 kph on some stretches. Málaga metro begins recruiting

Bank raider suspect arrested

Police say that a 35-year-old Málaga man arrested at the end of December was allegedly responsible for five attacks on bank branches in the province. All the incidents were carried out by one man acting alone who threatened staff and customers with a firearm.

A thorough police investigation at the suspect’s home came at the conclusion of a joint operation by the National Police and Guardia Civil. It is believed he took enormous care to leave as few clues about his activity as possible. He also tried to leave false trails during the attacks, in one instance sporting a prominent false tattoo and on another escaping on a motorcycle with an altered matriculation plate.

Some of the clothes and disguises he wore were found when police searched his home. It is believed he got away with a total of around €36,000 from banks in the city of Málaga and in Rincón de la Victoria since his first raid in June 2010.

7.6 million passengers

The high-speed AVE rail link between Málaga and Madrid is celebrating its fourth birthday with the news that it has now captured 70 per cent of passengers travelling between the two cities.

Renfe says 7.6 million people have used the service since it opened with an average of 5,000 travellers every day. Improvements have now cut the shortest journey time to two hours 20 minutes.

Saudi
rail deal

A contract which will bring work to the Los Prados railway workshops in Málaga was signed in Riad.

The deal will see Spain build 35 high-speed trains for a new 450 kilometre line between Medina and Mecca, and maintain the system for 12 years. The agreement with Saudi Arabia has taken two years to negotiate and is worth €6.7billion.

Gang fight

Three people were injured in a fight in Málaga city centre. Police said two gangs were involved in the incident in Avenida Isaac Peral and there were reports of a katana, a Japanese ceremonial sword, being wielded.

Three men aged 18, 21 and 25 were treated at the Hospital Clinco for light injuries whilst officers confiscated various weapons.

Car dealer held

The 43-year-old owner of a car dealership has been arrested in Málaga accused of fraud totalling over €300,000.

National Police say that they identified 120 fraudulent vehicle sales and have so far found 15 victims. The dealer is alleged to have kept cash deposits paid by customers then used their documentation to apply for personal loans in their names to cover the amount.

No change?

The town halls in Málaga and Rincón de la Victoria are opposing a change to the boundary between them which is being proposed by the Junta de Andalucía.

They say that the move would produce more problems than solutions. Both administrations want the boundary to remain as the left bank of the Arroyo de Totalán which flows into the sea at La Cala del Moral.

Brit detained

A 23-year-old Briton was arrested in Málaga by police searching for a driver who injured a petrol station worker in Sevilla.

The incident took place the previous afternoon in the town of Guillena after the driver of a vehicle filled up and drove off without paying. As he did so, a 48-year-old employee was struck and received a severe blow to the head.

More
flew in

The number of passengers who passed through Málaga airport last year was 12.8 million, according to airports operator Aena.

The traffic accounted for 62 per cent of all flights in and out of Andalucía which had its fourth best year in a decade. It was the second year of increasing numbers after the drops recorded in 2008 and 2009.

Water works

The regional government is to invest €2.6million in a programme of improvements to Málaga’s 18 reservoirs. The work will be licenced in the first half of this year and will include improvements and adjustments to reduce running costs.

The project is part of the Junta de Andalucía’s wider €9million upgrade to the region’s drinking water supply, which is being financed by European funds.

Feuding
family

A  family row in Málaga left three people in police detention and four others, including two local police officers, injured.

The fight began between two brothers and other family members leaving a number requiring stitches to injuries. The officers received hand and arm injuries while trying to get one of the detained into the city’s Hospital Civil for treatment.

REGIONAL AND NATIONAL news

Spain "apprehensive· of Scottish independence

The leader of Cataluña says that if Scotland gains independence from the rest of the UK, Spain will block its membership of the EU. Artur Mas was talking about the new financial deal he wants with Madrid to give his region more autonomy and reduce the amount of aid it supplies to other, less affluent regions.

In an interview with the Financial Times, Sr Mas said that if central government did not agree, pressure for Cataluña to “divorce” itself from the rest of Spain would intensify. He compared the situation with the UK where Scotland is demanding an increased devolution in power, although he noted that Cataluña carries more economic importance in Spain than Scotland does in the UK. Sr Mas said that Cataluña’s GDP is roughly €200billion, making its economy similar in size to that of Portugal or Finland.

A Foreign Office source in London was quoted in the weekend press as confirming that Spain has been “apprehensive” about Scottish independence for some time and that it is expected to block any request from an independent Scotland to join the EU, “fearing it might encourage the separatist spirit on their doorstep”.

Madrid has already refused to recognise Kosovo’s existence as an independent state which has prevented the former Serbian province’s ambitions to join the EU.

Pirates arrested after attack on Spanish ship

A group of Somali pirates made a serious error, resulting in their capture by a Spanish military ship. The gang tried to commandeer the Patiño which was on patrol in the Indian Ocean, believing it was a private freighter.

The Defence Ministry said that ship was attacked just after midnight by an armed gang on board a high-speed skiff. A helicopter on board the ship, which is a logistics vessel, was deployed to follow the gang as they fled. After a short exchange of gunfire, six men were caught, five of whom had slight injuries.

However, the detained men alleged that one of their colleagues was shot and killed when the Spanish navy opened fire, and that they had pushed his body into the sea.

The Patiño is working off East Africa as part of the EU’s Operation Atalanta which aims to protect fishing vessels and freighters from prates. The EU force NAVFOR which patrols the region said that the Patiño was escorting a ship carrying food aid to Somalia for the World Food Programme when she was attacked. NAVOR said that two of the injured pirates received treatment on board the Patiño, adding that a search was underway for the body of their colleague whom they reported had died.

The latest incident is a repeat of events in October 2009, when pirates on two boats attempted to take a French military supply vessel. On that occasion, five men were captured after a shootout.

Tourist numbers up
in 2011

Around 57 million tourists were expected to have visited Spain last year, making 2011 the third-best year ever for visitor numbers. In November alone, three million holiday-makers came to Spain.

The largest numbers of arrivals are still from the UK and Germany, which accounted for 13 million and 8.6 million holiday-makers respectively, closely followed by visitors from France, Italy and Scandinavia.

A total of 7.5 million of the arrivals visited Andalucía, making it the fourth most-popular region. Cataluña has so far accounted for 13.1 million of Spain’s tourists this year putting it in first place, followed by the Balearic Islands with 10 million and the Canary Islands with 9.2 million. A total of 4.2 million travelled to Madrid.

Nearly twice as many tourists organised their own trips by booking hotels and flying or driving independently, compared with those who booked package deals. And twice as many tourists stayed in hotels as those who chose other forms of accommodation, including holiday apartments or caravan and camping sites.

Airport privatisation halted

The government says it is halting plans to privatise Madrid and Barcelona airports. Transport minister Ana Pastor said that the timing for such a move could not be worse.

A tender for the privatisation of 90.05 per cent of the Madrid-Barajas and Barcelona-El Prat airports was set to end on January 30. The previous Socialist government last year delayed the sale by three months at the request of bidders who had trouble finding the financing.

No change
on implants

In line with other EU countries, Spain is not changing its advice to women regarding Poly Implant Prothese breast implants after France recommended they should be removed.

The government says French authorities have not provided rigorous scientific arguments to justify a reappraisal. France says the manufacturers saved millions by using industrial silicone instead of more expensive medical silicone.

Wolf in the window

An Iberian wolf was removed from a shop window in Madrid after intervention by the Partido Animalista animal rights group. The store was promoting the Brothers Grimm fairy tales but were told by Guardia Civil officers they were in breach of a law banning harm or disturbance to wild animals.

The Iberian wolf is a protected species and classed as vulnerable in Spain.

Charges for rescues

Cataluña is now charging sports enthusiasts who have to be rescued by the emergency services. Skiers and climbers deemed to have behaved in a negligent fashion are amongst those who have been sent bills by the regional government after requiring assistance.

The region says the move will encourage people to behave cautiously and take care of their own safety.

Balconing death

A 20-year-old Finnish tourist died on Tenerife in another suspected case of balconing.

He fell from a fourth floor hotel apartment, breaking his neck and dying instantly when he hit the ground. The balconing craze involves leaping from one hotel balcony to another, or into a swimming pool, and resulted in several deaths and serious injuries last year.

Bank merger

Approval has been given for the merger of the Almería-based savings bank Cajamar with Valencia’s Ruralcaja.

The two are the biggest individual rural savings banks in the country and the new entity, Cajas Rurales Unidas, will have 3.3 million clients, over 1,400 branch offices and more than 6,300 employees. Its main base will be in Almería with an operational and institutional second base in Valencia. 

Car sales lowest for
two decades

Sales of new cars in Spain in 2011 hit their lowest level for almost 20 years. According to figures released by two industry associations, registrations of new passenger cars fell 17.7 per cent compared to 2010 and totalled just over 808,000 units,. That was the lowest figure since 1993 when Spain was in recession and the population was 15 per cent lower than in 2011.

Last year’s figures follow a rise of 3.1 per cent in 2010, which was thanks to a temporary direct-subsidy scheme introduced by the socialist government of the time.

Despite the overall low figures, sales of luxury vehicles rose by 83 per cent, while the number of new small SUVs and people carriers sold was also reported to be healthy. Sales to car-hire firms rose 4.3 percent to over 141,000 units, which the associations link to a revival in the tourist industry.

However, sales to private car owners were among the worst hit, reflecting high unemployment, tight credit, and weak consumer confidence. These dropped a third from 2010, accounting for 48 per cent of the total number of vehicles sold, compared with 60 per cent in 2007.

In December, while sales of new cars fell 3.6 per cent from 12 months earlier, the drop was lower than in previous months which the associations believe may mean that the market may be starting to bottom out. They also predict that sales in 2012 will be around 800,000 units, much the same as last year.

The car construction industry accounts for around six per cent of Spain’s GDP and about 8.7 per cent of the country’s jobs.

Spanish
fold-up car unveiled in Brussels

A revolutionary fold-up electric car designed in the Basque country was unveiled last month.  The makers claim it is the answer to urban stress and pollution, and say it will be on Europe’s roads next year.

The project is described as a European social innovation initiative which offers a
systematic solution to the major challenges of urban transportation, pollution and job creation.

Foreign sales up

The number of Spanish properties sold to foreigners rose by 24.9 per cent in the third quarter of last year, compared with the same period in 2010.

Government statistics show that Alicante was the most popular location with 2,097 house purchases. Málaga, the Balearic Islands, Barcelona and Santa Cruz de Tenerife also showed rises.

Jailed
for "hit"

A Madrid lawyer was jailed for 12 years for hiring a hitman to kill her husband in 2007.

The victim died after being shot three times. The owner of a security company accused of mediating with the hitman was jailed for 12 years and six months for murder, while a man held on remand for three years on suspicion of murder was freed.

Spain downgraded

Along with the decision to downrate France, Standard and Poor’s reduced Spain’s rating from AA- to A. The agency said Spain has a “strong capacity to meet the financial commitments, although it is susceptible to the adverse economic conditions”.

It also considered that anticrisis measures have been “insufficient,” adding the downgrade came from monetary problems inside the Eurozone “where Spain is very integrated”.

Brit abused daughters

A British woman wanted in the UK has been arrested on Mallorca.

The 65-yearold who is alleged to have abused and encouraged her partner to abuse her three daughters, then aged from nine to 16 years, between 1970 and 1980, faces 27 charges and a life sentence in Britain. The boyfriend was previously arrested but committed suicide in prison before his case came to court.

More unemployed

The number of people unemployed in Málaga during 2011 rose by almost 12,000.

The total out of work in the province at the end of the year was 195,000, just over six per cent up on 12 months earlier. The secretary of state for employment, Engracia Hidalgo, said the national rise, “confirmed the deterioration of the country’s economy”.

53 arrests

Police in Spain said that they have broken up a gang of 53 people smuggling hashish from Morocco to France and Italy.

The drugs were taken to Spain by boat and then shipped across Europe by a fleet of lorries. The leader of the group, a Moroccan national, was among those detained, while 3.5 tonnes of hashish, plus phones and vehicles, were seized.

Palace
vandal

An 18-year-old Swiss woman was arrested and detained overnight by police in Granada after defacing a wall of the Alhambra Palace. She was caught drawing a heart on one of the stucco walls of the Golden Room and did not stop when instructed.

She refused to testify, so was held overnight and released next day charged with vandalism, after appearing before a judge.

Airline
job cuts

Spain’s third-largest airline, Air Europa, has announced 260 job cuts, including 46 pilots, after losing €13.1million last year. It says 8.5 per cent of its workforce must go to “guarantee the viability” of the company which is facing rising operating costs and increased competition from lowcost operators.

Air Europa has a fleet of 45 planes which transported nine million passengers last year.

Olympic tickets

Britain’s Daily Mail has reported that tickets for events at the London Olympics are on sale at shops in Spain.

It claims that tickets for many popular events have been available legally at 20 Fnac music and book stores but have been sold out in the UK for months. Spain is the only EU country which chose not to sell its ticket allocation on-line.

It was a
very hot
year

Last year was expected to be Spain’s hottest since records began 50 years ago. To the end of November, average temperatures were almost 1.5 degrees above normal, and 0.3 degrees more than the previous hottest year, which was 2006.

The national meteorological office, Aemet, said that the year had been officially “very hot or extremely hot” for almost the whole country, with the average temperature for the first 11 months of this year recorded at 16.7 degrees. The average temperature for the three months from September to November was also almost two degrees above normal at 17.3 degrees.

The hottest single day last summer was August 19 when the province of Seville saw the mercury rise to 42.5 degrees, while the coldest was recorded in Guadalajara on January 23 at a numbing -13.6 degrees.

The met office’s representative in Andalucía, Luis Fernando López Cotín, told a press conference that rainfall in the region this year had been near normal, although Spain overall had been drier than usual. Winter officially began on December 22 and will last 88 days and 23 hours. The met office says the season will be marked by normal rainfall in Mediterranean areas with no major changes in temperature.

Back to
bi-monthly

Electricity bills are to return to being issued every other month.

The monthly billing policy brought harsh criticism of the system which issues an estimated usage bill on alternate months and the Ministry of Industry now says it wants consumers to pay for what they actually use. Monthly bills can be issued on request, it said, but every other month will remain an estimated reading.

Shorter lives

The average life expectancy of people living in Spain has fallen according to new figures from the National Statistics Institute for the first half of last year.

Men are now expected to live an average of 78.87 years, compared with 78.94 in 2010, and Spanish women 84.82 years, down from 84.91. The fall in the life expectancy figures breaks almost 50 years of rises.