News from Andalucia & Costa del Sol
In association with
Week March 18th to March th 2004.
TIDE TURNS IN SPANISH PARLIAMENT
PP ousted in the aftermath of the Madrid bombings
By David Eade
SUNDAYS ELECTIONS SAW THE RULING PP PARTY LOSE TO THE SOCIALIST
PSOE AFTER SPAIN EXPERIENCED THE BIGGEST VOTING TURNOUT EVER.
Little more than a week ago, Spains ruling Partido Popular
was odds on favourites to win a third consecutive term in office
with an overall majority. However everything changed at 07.30 last
Thursday when a series of bombs blasted railway stations in Madrid,
killing nearly 200 people and injuring over a thousand more.
As reported in last weeks Costa del Sol News, the authoritative
CIS opinion poll had predicted that the PP would win 176 of the
350 seats in Spains lower house. The opposition socialist
PSOE party were predicted to pick up some seats from the PP but
would still be far behind with 131. PPs new leader, Mariano
Rajoy, had victory in his grasp.
UNEXPECTED PSOE VICTORY
In the event it was the PSOE party, led by José Luis Rodríguez
Zapatero, that won 42.64 per cent of the vote giving its 164 seats,
up from 125 at the 2000 election but 12 less than needed for an
absolute majority. The PP received 37.64 per cent of the vote and
will have 148 seats, down from 183 in the last parliament. The far
left IU and regional parties have taken the remaining 38 seats.
Part of the Spanish public turned against the right-wing Partido
Popular after last weeks devastation in Madrid. The PPs
keenness to blame ETA for the attacks when most security experts
around the world suspected al Qaida harmed the governments
credibility. When the government did concede that there was an Arab
link it generated a backlash against its support for the Iraq War
that had been opposed by a large section of the Spanish public.
CHAVES RULES IN SEVILLA
The ruling PSOE party under Manuel Chaves was predicted to win the
Andalucía regional government elections. It did with 50.6
per cent of the vote giving it 61of the 109 seats in the Sevilla
assembly, an increase of nine seats over 2000.
The Partido Popular suffered the national backlash in Andalucía
gaining just 31.3 per cent of the vote with its number of seats
dropping from 46 in 2000 to 37. The left-wing IU gained 7.4 per
cent of the vote giving it six seats whilst the nationalist Partido
Andalucista won 6.2 per cent support and five seats.
Andalucías show of solidarity
Tens of thousands protest after Madrid atrocity
By Dave Jamieson
FROM THE MOMENT THAT LAST THURSDAY MORNINGS BREAKFAST TELEVISION
BROKE NEWS OF THE TERRORIST ATROCITY WHICH HIT THE CENTRE OF MADRID
DURING THE RUSH HOUR, THOUSANDS ALONG THE COAST BECAME PART OF A
NATIONAL OUTPOURING OF GRIEF, REVULSION AND ANGER.
Impromptu and organised gatherings in every community confirmed
the strength of feeling experienced throughout the country on a
day which will enter the history of infamy, in the words
of the outgoing president, José María Aznar. Foreign
residents stood alongside Spanish nationals in stunned shock as
the death toll rose and the extent of the horror became clear. A
crowd of more than a thousand quickly gathered outside the Town
Hall of Málaga where a minutes silence was observed
at midday, many present visibly emotional, after an Extraordinary
Council Session.
On Friday morning, when the death of a seven month old baby, Patricia,
brought the toll to 199, the reality of the attacks was beginning
to sink in, but few predicted how many would turn out that night
in response to the Governments call for solidarity.
12 MILLION PROTEST
By early evening, almost 12 million people, perhaps a quarter of
the countrys population, had filled Spains streets and
squares, led by members of the Royal family and political parties,
and supported by foreign dignitaries. While over two million were
estimated to have travelled to the centre of Madrid to stand quietly
in the pouring rain, 700,000 gathered in Sevilla, 250,000 in Granada,
180,000 in Córdoba and 150,000 in Almería. In Sevilla,
one banner read, Its not raining the sky is crying.
In Málaga, 400,000 men, women and children marched from the
plaza de la Constitución, many bearing the Spanish flag with
a black ribbon attached, others carrying placards.Despite the high
level of emotion, the crowd eventually dispersed quietly after a
wholly peaceful demonstration of a citys indignation.
THE COSTA MOURNS
In Vélez-Málaga, 1,500 participated in a protest in
the Plaza de Las Carmelitas where a five minute silence was followed
by prolonged applause to demonstrate support for and solidarity
with the families of the dead and injured.
Tourists joined local residents in Nerja where a crowd of 3,000
gathered in front of the Church of St Salvador on the Balcón
de Europa to show respect and solidarity. Estepona suspended all
leisure and sporting activities, and, along with Manilva and Casares,
held an Extraordinary Council meeting to condemn terrorism.The entire
Town Council of Torremolinos, along with business owners, municipal
workers and a large number of residents gathered outside the Town
Hall to pay homage to the dead.
In Marbella, hundreds of students gathered at midday to signal their
revulsion, while by 19.00, more than 30,000 people had congregated
in the Avenida del Mar with a further 10,000 in plaza de La Iglesia.
30,000 in Fuengirola, 20,000 in Antequera, 8,000 in Ronda. The numbers
on the streets of Andalucía were staggering, but unimportant
when set against the numbers of dead and injured in Madrid.
LOCAL GRIEF
By Saturday and Sunday, daily life was resuming and the debate on
who was to blame for the weeks events was widening. However,
in one small village on the border of Málaga and Córdoba
provinces, that debate was overwhelmed by grief for a 30 year old,
believed to be the only malagueño to die in the attack. Victorias
parents are natives of Cuevas Bajas, north of Antequera, and were
proud of their daughters position with the Banco de Santander
near Madrids Atocha station. She had decided to marry her
Argentinean boyfriend of four years, Fabián, and the wedding
was set for July 31. Victoria visited her parents on her days off
and on holidays, and was well known in the village which has fewer
than 2,000 inhabitants. But on Thursday morning, she was caught
in the blast at Santa Eugenia station on her way to work, dying
later from her injuries.
The question asked by those who attended Victorias funeral
on Saturday was simply, Why?
Psychiatrists say King not insane
News Staff Reporter
Tony Alexander King, the Brit accused of murdering two young Spanish women on the Costa, shows no signs of mental illness or lack of sanity, according to a psychiatric report drawn up by a team from Málagas Legal Medicine Institute (IML). The neurological and psychiatric study was undertaken by the IML team at the request of the Coín judge in charge of the Sonia Carabantes murder case.
The four-month examination began with neurological scans performed at the Hospital Clínico in Málaga, in search of any possible cerebral lesions or irregularities. The IML team then visited King on four occasions at the Alhaurín de la Torre prison to conduct psychiatric reviews. Finally, King was taken twice to the IML facilities for additional psychiatric testing, the last visit taking place on February 11. The report was submitted last week to both the Coín judge and the Mijas judge in charge of the Rocío Wanninkhof murder case.
King has previously testified that he was under the influence of alcohol and other drugs at the time of the murder of 17-year-old Sonia Carabantes in Coín. He at first admitted to that crime, as well as the 1999 murder of 19-year-old Rocío Wanninkhof in Mijas, but later retracted his confession and blamed the Mijas killing on his acquaintance Robert Graham, also British. Kings new lawyers, Javier Saavedra and Ricardo Agud, say they plan to hire their own psychiatric expert to conduct an additional analysis of their clients mental state.
Police take down bogus 'gigolo' company
By Oliver McIntyre
Police have shut down a country-wide scam operated out of Benalmádena
and Torremolinos, in which bogus companies offered 'virile men'
the opportunity to make lots of money providing 'gigolo' services
to wealthy women. The operation, run by a group of mostly Venezuelan
individuals, advertised 'escort' positions working for the companies
Servicios Araix and Isis Comunicación Integral, according
to police reports. The group had 18 workers answering phone calls
and luring the hopeful applicants into putting up some of their
own money in exchange for the opportunity to work as an escort.
The men were instructed to deposit 300 euros as a one-year deposit
or 160 euros for a shorter term. They then had to pay an additional
'service-guarantee' deposit of between 500 and 1,000 euros. The
money would supposedly be returned once the service was successfully
provided.
Police arrested five people in the operation, mostly Venezuelan but also including one Italian. It was the second such case in the Costa region within a month. In mid-February, police arrested nine people for their alleged involvement in a similar scam run behind the bogus company Corporación Dorex. Investigators in that case seized nearly a million euros from bank accounts in Torremolinos, Fuengirola and Marbella.
Nerja's upward growth continues
NEWS Staff Reporter
Nerja Town Hall has moved forward on the idea to permit the construction
of extra storeys on some buildings. The proposal was first raised
in the governing Partido Popular's election manifesto last spring
as a response to a chronic lack of building land in the town centre.
Municipal technicians have reported that there is not a square metre
of land available, apart from the private land at Los Huertos de
Carrabeo, where the annual fair is sited in October.
Last September the councillor responsible, Antonio Villasclaras,
gave assurances that the unlimited addition of extra storeys would
not be permitted, but suggested that residents could be allowed
to add on in streets where there is an existing building two or
three storeys higher than their own. He added that such a move would
help to stem the flow of population away from Nerja to nearby towns
such as Torrox.
Now, the Town Hall has announced that is will study the possibility of introducing such a plan in part of the old centre - bordered by Calles Castilla Pérez, Ermita, Cantarero, Protegidas, Huertos, Carabeo and the Balcón de Europa - where more than 7,000 buildings presently exist, most of them family homes. The analysis, which has a budget of 29,500 euros, is in preparation for an anticipated change to the town-planning ordinance (PGOU) in order to allow the vertical expansion. Approval will have to be sought from the Provincial Urbanisation Commission before any amendment goes ahead.
Andalucía to have the highest number of local digi
By David Eade
THE CENTRAL GOVERNMENT IN MADRID HAS ALLOCATED TO THE REGION OF
ANDALUCÍA THE LARGEST NUMBER OF LOCATIONS THAT CAN ESTABLISH
LOCAL DIGITAL TELEVISION STATIONS.
The total number of locations in Spain is 266 of which 58 will be
based in Andalucía, representing 25.6 per cent of the total.
In addition to the 58 locations, the Ministry of Science and Technology
has allocated 232 broadcasting frequencies to the region.
Madrid decided on allocating Andalucía 58 locations even
though the regional government had asked for many more so than the
entire population could receive coverage. The councillor of the
Andalucía governments presidency, Gaspar Zarrías,
described the allocation to the region as stingy and
stated they would be making a strong case for it to be amended.
The regional government will be restating its argument that the
number of allocations is not sufficient to meet the existing demand
in zones where there are already an important number of local television
stations. January 1 in 2012 is the day that all stations in the
EU must switch from analog to digital transmissions. The association
of municipal broadcasters in Andalucía (EMA-RTV) has warned
that many existing stations in Andalucía will now be forced
to close.
APPROVED LOCATIONS
As far as the Costa del Sol is concerned the approved locations
in Málaga province are: Álora, Antequera, Estepona,
Fuengirola, Málaga, Marbella, Nerja, Ronda and Vélez-Málaga.
In the province of Cádiz there will be stations in Algeciras,
Arcos de la Frontera, Cádiz, Chiclana de la Frontera, Jerez
de la Frontera, Olvera and Ubrique. Almería will have its
own location along with Albox, El Ejido, Huércal-Overa and
Níjar. In Granada province they will be located at Almuñécar,
Baza, Granada, Guadix, Huéscar, Iznalloz, Loja and Motril.
Elsewhere in the region, the province of Córdoba will have
ten locations, Jaén has been allocated seven, Sevilla eight
and with Huelva receiving just four.
Brit takes to courts to recover egg collection
'Priceless' eggs were seized due to protected-species laws
By
Oliver McIntyre
BRITISH CÁRTAMA RESIDENT RAYMOND JOHN CONNOR IS GOING TO
COURT TO TRY TO RECOVER HIS INVALUABLE COLLECTION OF OVER 4,000
BIRD EGGS, GATHERED OVER A LIFETIME, WHICH WAS SEIZED NEARLY FIVE
YEARS AGO BY THE JUNTA DE ANDALUCÍA'S ENVIRONMENT DEPARTMENT
BECAUSE IT INCLUDES EGGS OF PROTECTED OR ENDANGERED SPECIES.
Mr Connor, 72, has run out of administrative options for fighting
the seizure and 90,000-euro fine that was levied on him, and now
has filed a legal case to have the fine dropped and the egg collection
returned. The eggs are currently being held by the University of
Málaga.
The collection includes eggs gathered by Mr Connor since his childhood in places as far ranging as Poland, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Ireland, Tunisia and the Philippines, among others. There are specimens dating as far back as 1880, like the two Imperial Eagle eggs found that year in Cádiz by a Colonel Willoughby Verne. Only five of the collection's 1,258 raptor eggs are from in Spain, according to Mr Connor, and he insists that all the eggs he gathered around the world were collected with the permission of local officials. The five eggs from Spain include the two from 1880 and another three from 1907 that were also collected by a third party and came into Mr Connor's possession later on.
POSSESSION ILLEGAL
According to Mr Connor's legal claims, the pertinent Spanish and
international environmental protection laws affecting some of the
eggs in the collection are not applicable because they came into
effect after the eggs in question were collected. Environment Department
head Ignacio Trillo, however, maintains that regardless of when
or by whom they were collected, the possession of eggs from protected
or endangered species is illegal without the proper official authorisation,
which he says Mr Connor does not have.
Protestors warn that Jimena airport would bring no
By David Eade
The 'No al aeropuerto' resident action group, formed to fight the
location of the proposed 'Costa del Sol' airport at Jimena de la
Frontera, has published a leaflet stating its objections to the
project, with noise and pollution at the forefront.
The leaflet states that two and a half tons of contaminates would
be released into the air by aircraft on a daily basis, affecting
the rich arable lands of the region and the lungs of local residents.
The group says the health of the young and old would be endangered.
It also warns that the airport would be expected to operate on a
24-hour basis with no night curfew, and that the noise levels would
be intolerable. The group predicts a high level of night flights,
as tour operators and cargo companies opt for those slots because
of cheaper landing fees.
The group also points out that the local road infrastructure is not capable of meeting the heavy demands of an operational airport. The leaflet cautions that the concentration of passenger coaches and oil tankers serving the airport would cause congestion and delays on the single-lane roads and increase the risk of accidents.
Another concern for the action group is the state of the Hozgarganta River, the conditions of which are about to be greatly improved due to the installation of a water-treatment plant. However, the proposed airport would likely re-pollute the river, according to the pamphlet. The airport could also threaten the future of rural tourism in the zone, which has received a massive boost in recent years from people seeking peace and tranquillity in what the group calls one of the most beautiful, natural zones in Andalucía. The action group believes that not only Jimena, but also Casares, San Martin, Sotogrande, Castellar and Gaucin, would suffer from the proposed airport.
American donation to launch Benálmadena parkinson
By Oliver Mcintyre
BENALMÁDENA TOWN HALL HAS ANNOUNCED PLANS FOR THE CREATION
OF A SPECIALISED PARKINSONS CENTRE, KICK-STARTED BY A $1 MILLION
DONATION FROM AN AMERICAN FAMILY THAT RESIDES IN THE TOWN.
The centre will be part of a network of research and treatment facilities
affiliated with the US-based National Parkinson Foundation (NPF),
an international research and treatment organisation focused on
Parkinsons, as well as other neurological disorders like Alzheimers,
multiple sclerosis, and Huntingtons.
Mayor Enrique Bolín indicated last week that, while the exact location of the future centre has not yet been established, it will almost certainly be sited near the two new hospitals currently under construction in the Finca Gilabert area between Arroyo de la Miel and Benalmádena Pueblo. It may even be connected to our housed within one of the two new facilities, he said.
According to the Mayor, the Town Hall has been working for over a year on the idea of creating a Parkinsons centre. On a trip to the US, the Mayor met with NPF founder Nathan Slewett and discussed the possibility of Benalmádena becoming the home of the foundations 67th affiliated centre. Now, says the Mayor, we are able to begin the creation of the centre thanks to the donation from the American family.
MALAGA UNIVERSITY COOPERATION
The centre will be focused on treatment and in-home services, but
is also expected branch into Parkinsons-related nutritional
and environmental research in collaboration with the University
of Málaga. It will be the first of its kind in Andalucía
and just the third Parkinsons-focused centre in all of Spain,
joining the existing ones in Navarra and the Canary Islands. There
are currently about a hundred Parkinsons sufferers in Benalmádena,
according to Town Hall figures.
Army accused of destroying house martin nests
News Staff Reporter
Rondas agency for the environment has presented an official
complaint against the Virgen de la Paz military base. It has accused
it of destroying 250 house martin nests at a time when these migratory
birds are returning to the area.
Officials from the agency point out that it is prohibited to destroy,
damage or move the nests of wild birds including those that are
empty. In addition the house martins are listed in the Andalucía
catalogue of endangered species in the category of being of special
interest.
Colonel Rafael Mayoral, who is in charge of the barracks, said the installations were filthy and had to be cleaned. He claimed he was a nature lover but on this occasion there was a conflict between nature and cleanliness and it is his responsibility to keep the army base clean. He added that this was almost an impossible task with around 500 nests on the site.
The house martin known as the avión común in Spanish
is an abundant summer visitor to urban areas of the country. It
builds its nest in the shape of a closed cup with a narrow entrance,
forming colonies on buildings. Site fidelity is strong and the peak
visiting period is between March and October.