ETA, Spain's terrorist scourge for 60 years, announces it is disbanding at last

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ETA, Spain’s terrorist scourge for 60
years, announces it is disbanding at last
The move had been hoped for Former leaders of ETA
The ETA terrorist organisation, that has marked a significant part
read the communiqué that which was founded in 1958 and of the modern history of Spain. Over
since the Basque separatist group
was issued via a local first killed in 1968, announced that 850 people died during ETA’s bloody
it was disbanding at last on Thurs- campaign, a figure that victims’
renounced violence in 2011 Basque website on
day afternoon. The announcement groups were at pains to remind peo-
Thursday afternoon
brought the curtain down on a group ple of this week . P25
CLINGING ONTO ESCAPING YOUTH
Hidden cameras
reveal abuse of
disabled patients
at care home
Four have been arrested
after footage showed
violence against residents at
La Milagrosa in Malaga
The charity that owns a care home
for people with severe learning dis-
abilities in Malaga had expected to
catch staff sleeping on the job when
it installed hidden cameras. Instead
the footage revealed cases of physi-
cal abuse against several of the resi-
dents. An inquiry is under way. P5
Antequera to house
Rural villages Spain’s first logistics
‘megahub’ as the dry port
struggle to offer
continues to grow
opportunities P16
to stop their
younger residents Ronda protesters call for
from moving away a motorway link to help
boost the economy of the
P2&3
Some of the few young residents left in Atajate, the province’s smallest village. :: ÑITO SALAS local area P8
SPORT
Malaga move a step
closer to choosing
their new coach.
Oviedo’s Anquela is now
the frontrunner
P65
Athlete’s death rocks
Marbella Ironman
event. A British woman
died after suffering
cardiorespitory arrest
P68
222222222222222 NEWS May 4th to 10th 2018
SUR IN ENGLISH
The villages clinging to their youth
In ten years, one third of the 103 municipalities have lost over 20% of their under-30s
Canillas de Aceituno is the
most extreme case: half of
its young people have left.
The town halls of rural
villages have few
resources to tackle a
problem which is
threatening their survival
:: NURIA TRIGUERO
MALAGA. In Canillas de Aceituno
there are half as many young people
as there were ten years ago. In 2007
there were 809, and now there are
fewer than 400. It may not sound
much of a loss, but in a village with
a population of under 2000, it makes
a difference. For example in the
school, there are now fewer than 10
pupils to a class.“It is a very big pro-
blem. Our survival is at risk. The
authorities should help us because
we can’t tackle this alone,” says the
mayor, Vicente Campos.
One-third of the 103 municipali-
ties in Malaga province have lost
more than 20 per cent of their un-
der-30s in just ten years. Eleven have
lost more than 30 per cent of their
young people, and five have lost over
40 per cent: Igualeja, Alpandeire, Al-
farnatejo, Comares and Canillas de
Aceituno. Only 13 places in the pro- Eloísa and Melchor live in Atajate,
vince have escaped this problem, led the smallest village in the
by Benahavís, where the number of province .
under-30s has doubled (but so has its :: ÑITO SALAS
population overall). The situation in
inland areas is extreme, however: it
can be described as a true exodus
It is directly related to two other
major problems in rural areas: depo- on and they think the quality of life ses once a day. In some villages a
pulation and ageing. Older people is better. Malaga has a very dynamic doctor is only available a few mor-
An initiative to
stay put; new generations move on. coastline,” he says. “The Costa del Sol to talk about a problem which is nings a week, there is no pediatric
María Luisa Gómez, the head of the is full of opportunities and acts as a recover the identity at the heart of the depopulation service and in an emergency resi-
Geography department at Malaga magnet for young people from inland of rural areas: the loss of identity dents have to drive to the nearest
university, says the worst-affected areas, especially those with qualifi- of rural villages of the villages. hospital, which may be nearly an
areas in Malaga province are the Ge- cations or training.” “There are numerous positive hour away. Bank branches have gra-
nal valley and inland Axarquía. Her aspects to living in a village, but dually been closed down, as well.
colleague Enrique Navarro, the head Lack of opportunities On 12 May the first ‘Foro Pueblos they are not appreciated now. This is not the most comfortable en-
of Regional Geographical Analysis, It is the lack of work that is forcing en Movimiento’ forum will take This is having an effect on people, vironment for a family with small
says Malaga is especially affected by young people to move away from the place in Cuevas del Becerro. It will especially the young ones,” says children, to say the least.
one particular factor: life on the coast. countryside; the problem worsened be attended by council represen- the mayor of Cuevas, Cristóbal Schools are another problem: the
“Three hundred years ago people with the economic crisis, and the vi- tatives and associations from all González. He hopes the forum fewer pupils attend, the greater the
didn’t want to live on the coast be- llages have never recovered. over Andalucía and experts inclu- will open a debate about the pro- risk of classes being amalgamated or
cause there was no agriculture or li- The lack of facilities is another fac- ding Jaime Izquierdo, Gustavo blems experienced by villages, the school closing down altogether.
vestock farming there. Nowadays tor. Public transport is scarce - in some Duch and María Luisa Izquierdo, “among the villages themselves”. In Cuevas del Becerro, for example,
they do, because there is more going villages, like Atajate, the bus only pas- a couple of years ago residents pro-
May 4th to 10th 2018 NEWS 3
SUR IN ENGLISH
THE FIGURES
13 QUOTES
Rocío del Río
of the 103 municipalities in Student, aged 21
Malaga province are not suffer- “The worst thing is the
ing a loss of younger population
lack of buses: there’s only
one to Ronda, at 8am”
34
have lost more than 20 per cent Lorena Peña
of their inhabitants under the Youth worker
age of 30 “The authorities need to
provide assistance so the
youngsters can set up
tested against plans to amalgamate
classes. “In the end they didn’t do it, businesses here and won’t
but the sword of Damocles is always
have to move away”
hanging over us,” says the mayor, Cris-
tóbal González. At the school in Ata-
jate, which has only 11 pupils, it has
already happened and there are fears are not studying or working at pre-
that the school could close. “Several sent. Lorena meets them several ti-
Half of the
families are already saying they would mes a week: on Tuesdays for classes,
youngsters aged 16 to
prefer to take their children to school on Friday evenings they get together
30 in Atajate.
in Ronda,” says Lorena Peña, a coun- to eat and chat at the Punto Joven -
:: ÑITO SALAS
cil employee. She believes it is impor- a youth centre with a TV, video con-
tant for the school to remain open soles, books and table games which
“to keep the village alive”. the town hall provides free of char-
:: NURIA TRIGUERO Young people: the ge, and on Saturdays there is always
How to stem the flow? MALAGA. Two bars and a bakery; an activity of some type: walking,
Despite their scarce resources, seve- that is what Atajate has to offer in day trips, talks, volunteer sessions...
ral councils have introduced measu- the form of commerce. The school greatest treasure of Rocío del Río, who is 21, is relati-
res to encourage young families. Two has 11 pupils, all in the same class. vely new to Atajate –she moved the-
years ago Cartajima was in the news The teachers are shared with two re three years ago from San Pedro Al-
for offering temporary jobs and low- other villages, Benadalid and Bena- the smallest village in cántara– and can compare life in the
rent accommodation to families with lauría. There is no secondary school; two different worlds. “People who
small children. It was a desperate mea- those pupils have to travel to Cortes grew up here take it for granted, but
sure to stop the school closing due to de la Frontera or Ronda. The bus to for me to have a free gymnasium, a
Malaga province
a lack of pupils, and it worked. It also Ronda leaves at 8am and returns at swimming pool for one euro, a pla-
gives a 3,000 euro cheque for every 2pm. There is no public transport at ce like the Punto Joven and activi-
baby born in the municipality. Cue- weekends or on public holidays. The ties every weekend is something I
vas del Becerro, Iznate, Almáchar, doctor comes three days a week, and have never seen anywhere else,” she
Arenas and Cómpeta also provide the only bank closed down some says. She agrees that the main incon-
In Atajate, 37 inhabitants are under the
‘baby-cheques’, but they know that time ago. Life in Malaga’s smallest venience of living in Atajate is the
jobs are the key factor. municipality - 167 inhabitants, accor- lack of public transport. “If you don’t
age of 30. The youngsters appreciate
“There needs to be investment in ding to last year’s population regis- have a car and you need to go
knowledge which can be brought to ter - has limitations which for many the advantages of rural life but say they shopping in Ronda in the afternoon
rural areas and they need good con- city-dwellers would be impossible you have to rely on your parents to
will have to leave to find work
nections at all levels,” says Enrique to accept, but local people do enjoy take you,” she says. Needless to say,
Navarro. In Cuevas del Becerro, whe- other benefits. Tranquility, quality all the youngsters in the village plan
re the young population has dropped of life, contact with nature, cleanli- to learn to drive as soon as they are
by 24 per cent in ten years, the coun- ness, ‘kilometre zero’ food products, terms they form 22 per cent of the such as sexual and affective educa- 18.
cil is trying to keep its young people friendly neighbours and reasonably- population. This is lower than the tion and organises leisure, sports,
by offering free training in organic priced housing, among others. provincial average (32 per cent) but cultural and voluntary activities. “I Attached to their roots
agriculture and artisan crafts and pro- The youngsters in this village higher than in villages such as Al- have a double mission: I want them None of them foresee their future
viding facilities for those who deci- which nestles in the Genal valley pandeire, Comares and Sedella, whe- to enjoy themselves, of course, but in the village, but they would all like
de to take up the offer. Local youngs- appreciate these aspects of rural life, re youngsters comprise less than 20 also to know other realities and un- to stay. Lorena says the authorities
ters have now set up an ecological far- but they complain, especially about per cent. In addition, the number of derstand what happens in society,” should do something so the youngs-
ming project, an olive oil cooperati- the lack of public transport and shops. young people in Atajate has increa- she says. ters don’t have to move away. “They
ve and a snail-breeding programme. They would like to stay in Atajate, sed in the past ten years; something In the village there are 19 people should be given training and help to
María Luisa Gómez says rural but realise they will probably have to celebrate, given the general trend aged between 16 and 30, with whom identify opportunities, such as ru-
communities deserve more support to leave because there is no work in the Genal valley. Lorena works. Two are at Malaga uni- ral tourism,” she says. Only one
from the authorities. “A 23-year-old here. In Atajate, there are 37 inhabi- Children and young people are versity and come home every two young resident has thought of setting
from Casabermeja has just been told tants under the age of 30. In absolu- treasured in Atajate. The council, des- or three weekends, to see their fa- up a business, repairing computers,
he couldn’t set up a farm because he te figures, it is the municipality with pite its modest resources, employs milies and friends. Others are at but decided it wouldn’t be profita-
would have to buy at least 180 goats,” the lowest number of young peop- Lorena Peña who helps them study, school in Cortes or Ronda, some work ble. “There is everything in Ronda.
she says. “That’s not good enough.” le in the province, but in relative works with them on aspects of life- in nearby towns or villages and a few Nobody would come here,” he says.
4 NEWS May 4th to 10th 2018
SUR IN ENGLISH
British man who left passenger Missing used car salesman
found stabbed to death
badly injured in car hands himself in
in Guadalhorce river
The victim, who was not
Francisco Javier López
found until five hours feel well. At 11.45pm that night
Padilla, 33, had been he messaged his wife, Ana Elena
after the car left the road
Vargas, to say that he was on his
missing since Thursday
and plummeted down an
way home. That was the last she
last week, when he was
embankment, is out of heard from him.
last seen at the His burnt-out car was found
intensive care
near the river in Las Castañetas,
Guadalhorce hospital
Campanillas, on Friday. During a
:: ÁLVARO FRÍAS / JUAN CANO search of the area on Monday his
MALAGA. The British national who :: Á. FRÍAS / J. CANO body was discovered among reeds
was wanted by police for allegedly MALAGA. The body of 33-year- around 100 metres from the spot
abandoning his badly injured passen- old Malaga resident Francisco Ja- where the car was located.
ger in a car after an accident has vier López Padilla was found on The autopsy revealed that the
handed himself in to the Guardia Civil The wreckage of the vehicle in the Guadalmedina river. :: SUR Monday with multiple stab victim had been stabbed with “par-
and been placed under arrest. wounds in the Guadalhorce river. ticular virulence” but the authori-
The accident occurred at around the accident. tel on the Casabermeja road asking The used car salesman had been ties were unable to say whether
2am on 22 April when the car in While there was no trace of the for help. Seeing his cuts and bruises, missing since Thursday evening they were looking for one or more
which he and the injured man were driver, officers found what could the receptionist called the National last week when he went to the suspects in connection with the
travelling in left the A-45 motorway have been the reason for his leaving Police. He was interviewed by the Guadalhorce hospital as he did not killing.
and tumbled 30 metres down an em- the scene: half a dozen empty beer Citizen Security Brigade and said that
bankment, ending up in the Gua- bottles either scattered around the he had been attacked by “the police”
dalmedina river. wreckage or inside the vehicle. There without giving any further details.
According to sources, the 35-year- was also a Smirnoff vodka bottle in He failed to mention the accident, or
old was arrested on Monday after he the boot. his companion. He was transferred
went to the Guardia Civil station with Guardia Civil Traffic section detec- to hospital for treatment, but was dis-
a lawyer. He has been accused of three tives concluded that the pair had been charged before the two cases could
crimes: failure to render aid; driving returning to Riogordo after a night be related.
under the effects of alcohol; and caus- out when the car left the road. It ap- His passenger was rushed to
ing injury through negligence. pears that the driver was able to jump Malaga’s Carlos Haya hospital with
The Guardia Civil had been on the free of the vehicle before it landed at serious head injuries and internal
trail of the British suspect since the the bottom of the embankment in bleeding. He was admitted to the in-
passenger, a 35-year-old from Rio- the river bed. tensive care unit but was moved to
gordo, was found in the wreckage A while later the driver knocked the traumatology ward on Friday
of the vehicle some five hours after on the door of the Ciudad Jardín hos- last week. The body was found in Las Castañetas. :: ÑITO SALAS
May 4th to 10th 2018 NEWS 5
SUR IN ENGLISH
Care-worker abusers caught on 112 REPORTS
camera at home for the disabled
The owners contracted
private detectives,
believing staff were
sleeping on the job, but
the recordings allegedly
revealed something far
Image distributed on Facebook by Iris Zhang. :: SUR
more disturbing and four
have been arrested “It was a racist attack, Zhang, who was returning from
they hit me and insulted the Feria de los Pueblos last Sun-
day morning, was dozing in the
:: JUAN CANO / ÁLVARO FRÍAS me for being Chinese” last carriage when the youths re-
MALAGA. Eight cameras hidden portedly racially abused her, hit-
inside furniture have been key to MALAGA ting here and flicking a lighted
uncovering supposed abuse of resi- :: Á. FRÍAS / J. CANO. A 22-year- cigarette at her. After posting an
dents at a care home in Malaga for old Chinese woman studying Span- image of one of them on social me-
people with severe mental disabili- ish in Malaga launched a plea over dia, several onlookers have come
ties. Four people have been arrested Facebook this week to find the forward to police with suggested
in connection with the incident. group of youths who allegedly sub- names. Zhang says she loves study-
The La Milagrosa care home own- jected her to verbal and physical ing in Malaga but cannot under-
ers had employed private detectives abuse on an early-morning train stand why other passengers didn’t
to fit the recording devices in the from Fuengirola to Malaga. Iris help her at the time.
belief that they would reveal that The La Milagrosa care home in Malaga. :: SALVADOR SALAS
some staff had been sleeping during Transsexual couple Six months for leaving
the night shift when they should employee to police, handing over identify another three employees
reports neighbour 6-year-old home alone
have been working. Putting the cam- a USB stick with the recordings. at the care home that appeared to
to police
eras in wasn’t easy as the centre has They also informed the possible have acted in a harmful way to-
46 employees as well as the residents victims and other staff as well as wards four residents, one of whom MARBELLA
themselves. However the unpleas- the Junta de Andalucía and the Di- was the same man purportedly TORREMOLINOS :: SUR. A 38-year-old woman has
ant discovery when managers at the putación provincial authority, the most severely abused by the first :: A. GÓMEZ. A young transexual been given a six-month suspended
centre came to review the record- two local authorities who have staff member held. These three couple have reported one of the prison sentence for leaving her six
ings was unexpected. agreements to place residents in were also arrested a few days later neighbours in the block of flats -year-old daughter home alone.
Instead of sleeping employees, the charity-owned home. and questioned and released, police where they live for ongoing homo- The incident happened in Marbella
an initial look at the results of the Police moved quickly to detain sources said. phobic abuse. According to Alex as recently as last Sunday and the
undercover operation revealed abuse the carer featured in the record- While police investigations are and Tara, who live in Torremoli- verdict was given out in an express
of six residents by some of the staff. ings. He is also accused of abusing ongoing, representatives of La Mi- nos, the incident that tipped them judgement as the woman pleaded
Allegedly, one of the victims, a 40- another two residents, although lagrosa care home have defended over the edge ocurred last week- guilty to the offence. According to
year-old severely disabled man, had not with the same degree of vio- their management, saying that end when, according to Alex, the police, the daughter became fright-
been subjected to continual mis- lence as the first alleged victim. they acted “immediately” to stop man “opened his door and started ened and first called her father,
treatment involving physical vio- The man was subsequently released those involved in the scandal hav- to insult me and kicked me and hit who is separated from the mother
lence but, as he was unable to while investigations continue. ing further contact with residents. me”. Hearing shouts, Tara came to and has a restraining order on him.
speak, had been unable to report They have also said that the centre help and “was assaulted”, accord-
More staff held
the abuse. will actively collaborate “with all ing to the complaint made to po- Car hire worker held for
On seeing the evidence, man- The officers continued reviewing involved to ensure that nothing lice. They say, “He calls us pooft-
pocketing lost jewellery
agement immediately reported the all the recordings and went on to like this can happen again.” ers and pigs and says we are going
to be thrown out of the block.”
MALAGA
Local authorities say :: J.C / A.F. A 55-year-old man
said they have no plans to can- “taking appropriate action to working for a car hire company has
they will continue to cel their contracts with the La guarantee an acceptable level been arrested for taking a suitcase
use the La Milagrosa Milagrosa care home in Malaga, of service to residents and their with 22,000-euros-worth of jew-
sources have said. They added families”. The regional govern- elery that he had supposedly found
care home after swift that the centre’s management ment went on to explain that it at Malaga airport. A visitor from
has kept them fully informed has also inspected the centre in Pakistan who had collected a rental
management action
of developments since the al- recent days. vehicle at the airport reported the
leged incident was discovered. The Diputación provincial case missing to police when he
Both the Diputación, Malaga The Junta has explained that authority said it was “deeply” reached his destination. Police re-
provincial authority, and the its representatives have been sorry to find out what had re- viewed security camera footage and
regional ministry of Health at working closely with both the portedly been happening at the the man was held. The case has
the Junta de Andalucía have care home and investigators, centre. Tara and Alex. :: SUR now been recovered.
Xxx
xxx
XXXX
:: NOMBRE APELLIDO. Xxx
6 NEWS May 4th to 10th 2018
SUR IN ENGLISH
The quarries: an open wound
The mountains around Alhaurín de la Torre are home to 39 different endemic species
a “large representation of special erra de Mijas has sufficient botanical be the most important part of the de-
KEY FACTS
plants”. and geological value to merit expan- bate. “Up to now, the only regenera-
Furthermore, the sierra has a large sion of and improvement to the cur- Botanical value tion project that has taken place is
area of forest, “which will become a rent system of protection. The ground in the Sierra de terracing. This antiquated model only
FERNANDO
TORRES more established wood” after the re- What’s more, the range is “very Mijas restricts the kinds of works in the short term.” He proposes
forestation of conifers. This will have rich in water”, and supplies most of geomorphological restoration, a mod-
plants that grow and has
 Twitter: @fernandotorresu a special value for the area since it is the surrounding municipalities. The ern process used in Europe to restore
“very close to urban centres and con- quarries have come to reach the allowed the growth of 39 water flows.
ALHAURÍN DE LA TORRE nected with other ecosystems of in- groundwater levels of various streams, endemic species In the current model, quarry work-
terest like Alpujata and the Sierra de “profoundly” altering the aquifers in ers plant species after they are fin-
Félix López, professor of
las Nieves”. According to experts, the the area, creating irreversible dam- Water course ished with their work. The seeds rarely
Geology at UMA, value of the natural spaces increases age. Quarries have caused stand the test of time.
when it is more connected with other The expert believes that the regen-
analyses damage to the streams in the Mijas sierra
ecosystems. Regeneration eration must be implanted “as the
natural environment water network to empty
The mountain range is composed The committee for the regeneration quarry activity starts”, not after it has
caused by illegal of calcium carbonate, with some “very of the quarries meets today (Friday been completed.
special” rocks called ‘dolomías sacai- 4 May) for the first time. It takes place Regeneration Now, the town hall and the re-
exploitation
Professor Félix López
roideas’ (dolomites with a sugar-like without a representative from the gional government are looking into
structure). These minerals are “of quarry workers, who have not yet recommends possible sanctions for the quarry that
IN 2005, THE ALHAURÍN DE LA great interest to miners”, but are also agreed upon a spokesperson. López geomorphological has continued to carry out illegal ex-
TORRE QUARRIES WERE ON the reason for the presence of the en- will participate in the meeting as the tractions. The PDSS believes that now
regeneration
ALL THE FRONT PAGES. The High demic species. contributing ecological expert. The is the moment to wait for the sen-
Court of Andalucía declared them to In the professor’s opinion, the Si- professor considers reforestation to tence from Andalusian High Court.
be “illegal and clandestine”. This
groundbreaking judgement was a re-
sponse to complaints from ecologi-
cal parties and associations. Four busi-
nesses worked on and exploited the
mountains of this area for decades
without licence checks from the town
hall or the regional government.
Recently, the matter has returned
to the news after a group called La
Plataforma en Defensa de la Salud y
la Sierra (PDSS), which campaigns to
protect the environment in Alhaurín
de la Torre, reported activity in one
of the closed quarries. This has been
confirmed and documented by the
Guardia Civil and municipal and re-
gional authorities have been aware.
What is the value of these moun-
tains and what damage have these
quarries done to it? One of the area’s
more reputed experts, professor of
Ecology and Geology at the Univer-
sity of Malaga, Félix López, spoke to
SUR about the terrain and the key as-
pects of this complex geographical
and political process.
In terms of natural parameters,
López explains that the principal value
of the Sierra de Mijas as it passes
through Alhaurín de la Torre is in its
endemic species (those exclusive to
a certain type of terrain). “This sierra
has 39 of its own species, seven of
these are exclusive to Malaga, four to
the Baetic System and nine to Anda-
lucía.” For the professor, it constitutes A file photo of the quarries in Alhaurín de la Torre. :: SUR
May 4th to 10th 2018 7
SUR IN ENGLISH
8 NEWS May 4th to 10th 2018
SUR IN ENGLISH
Illegal bingo sessions in local
clubs slammed as chief quits
:: JUAN SOTO years”. He explained that the over
MALAGA. The head of Malaga 80 societies across the city used
city’s association of local clubs and to have a mission to bring cultural
community societies (Federación and creative activities to members.
Malagueña de Peñas) resigned spec- Now, he says, 37 are only kept go-
tacularly this week, accusing many ing by running illegal bingo games,
of the different societies that are with excessive prize money, hav-
members of malpractice. ing ditched other activities.
Rafael Trigos had recently re- In the fractious meeting it was
turned to the role of association announced that the association
president but claimed at a general had run up debts of 274,000 euros.
assembly that he was leaving as Members must now decide
the world of clubs and societies whether to choose a new presi-
had “changed a lot in the last ten dent or wind it up for good.
Government starts
ties have been promising to so
The protest ended when the organisation read out its manifesto with its demands. :: V. MELGAR to plan for cleaning something about it for some time.
In the latest initiative, the
Protesters in Ronda demand a up the Guadiaro money will be spent on construc-
tion plans for five plants in the
river basin with
municipalities of Arriate, Jimera
motorway connection for the town
treatment plants de Líbar and Cortes de la Frontera.
The funds do not include the
cost of construction and no figure
has been set on this, although the
:: VANESSA MELGAR government has said in the past
Locals ask authorities for Ronda YA’, demanded that politi- for the march, which is fuelled by RONDA. Central government has that building costs for these and
improved links, saying the cians “wake up” and improve com- concerns that the area is depopu- recently announced that it is to others required in the linked Ge-
munications for the region of Ronda lating and the economy suffering, spend 608,000 euros on drawing nal valley could reach 20 million
current narrow roads
and Sierra de Cádiz. They also asked and people could be heard shout- up plans for wastewater treatment euros.
harm the area’s economy for a new motorway to be built to ing “a motorway to Malaga” and plants in the valley of the Guadi- In the meantime, the Diputa-
better connect Ronda to the rest of “end the isolation!” aro river. The river basin, linking ción provincial authority is to
:: VANESSA MELGAR the province, saying they were tired Only five mayors out of over 20 the upland area around Ronda with spend 900,000 euros on a treat-
RONDA. A protest last Sunday, or- of the current “goat tracks”. municipalities in the Serranía de the coast, is seen as overly polluted ment plant for the village of Ata-
ganised by ‘Plataforma autovía para Almost 5,000 people gathered Ronda area were in attendance. and government and local authori- jate, also in the Guadiaro basin.
May 4th to 10th 2018 9
SUR IN ENGLISH
10 NEWS May 4th to 10th 2018
SUR IN ENGLISH
Mijas council to spend 66%
more than first budgeted for
:: IVÁN GELIBTER coalition in a stability pact.
MIJAS. Councillors in Mijas have The change in budget is possi-
voted to increase the council’s ble as the government has recently
budget by 66 per cent more than relaxed restrictions on councils
originally planned. Although the to allow better-run ones to spend
2018 plans were decided on just money they have saved on capital
two months ago and set munici- projects that don’t generate sig-
pal expenditure at 100 million nificantly more ongoing expendi-
euros, an extra 66 million is now ture. Mijas managed to save 95 mil-
to be spent. lion euros in 2017.
The money will go primarily on Among the extra projects to be
capital expenditure and improve- undertaken are expansion to the
ments to infrastructure, although main car park in Mijas Pueblo and
there is also some extra spending two new ones in Las Lagunas, near
forecast on projects agreed to when the water park, totalling 18 mil-
the CSSP-Podemos party decided lion euros. There will also be a
to give its single vote to the rul- sports hall for Las Lagunas and a
View of Malaga’s busy quayside on Wednesday. :: SUR ing Ciudadanos-PSOE minority swimming pool in La Cala.
Three luxury cruise ships in a day
Puerto Marina
nicipally-owned company pub-
bring high-end tourists to Malaga port announces a lished its results on Wednesday,
showing its first profit since re-
small profit in 2017 cent corruption scandals there.
A 2016 audit highlighted irregu-
after years of
larities in the granting of contracts
Wind Star, Ocean Majesty market in a single day on Wednes- Perhaps the best known is the scandals and concessions, linked to the man-
and Seadream II all day. Although the three vessels, Wind Star, a four-mast sailing boat agement of the marina and worth
Wind Star, Ocean Majesty and that launched Malaga’s smaller sec- 2.9 million euros, between 2011
docked in the city on
Seadream II are considerably ond cruise terminal in 2012. and2015.
Wednesday smaller that the mega cruise ships Seadream II is based in Oslo but :: ALBERTO GÓMEZ Unveiling the improved results,
often spotted in Malaga’s harbour, also caters to a mainly American BENALMÁDENA. Puerto Ma- mayor of Benalmádena, Víctor Na-
:: IGNACIO LILLO these ocean liners are highly seafaring audience. rina, the port and leisure complex vas, put the improvements down
MALAGA. The capital of the Costa sought-after because of their qual- Also in port on Wednesday was in Benalmádena Costa, has an- to changes in the town hall and
del Sol was visited by three of the ity interiors and extra levels of Lady Sura a 50- metres private lux- nounced it made a small profit of the management company. Ten
most luxurious cruise ships in the service. ury yacht. 457,357 euros in 2017. The mu- per cent more boats visited in 2017.