News
Axarquia water
Drought continues to threaten the Axarquía after a very dry start to autumn . On November 17 , the reservoir at La Viñuela was at 18.47 % of capacity : 30.55 cubic hectometres stored , compared with 44.04 at the same time last year . In response , around three cubic hectometres is to be transferred from reservoirs around the city of Málaga , while water from new wells in the Chíllar river are expected to be on line in the New Year .
Hallowe ’ en vandals
The annual Hallowe ’ en festival at the end of October was marred in Nerja by a serious of attacks by vandals in the town centre . Police have been investigating the destruction of urban furniture , damage to planters and flowerpots , containers and graffiti , as well as to tables , chairs and terraces outside bars and cafés . Investigators have asked witnesses to any such incidents to contact the town ’ s local police office .
Plant upgrades
Four waste water treatment plants in the Axarquía are to be upgraded in a € 1.7 million project announced by the regional government last month . The improvement to the facilities in Vélez- Málaga , Torrox and Rincón de la Victoria will increase the availability of reclaimed water for agricultural irrigation . The work is expected to take six months and will create 25 jobs .
Animal cruelty
A 52-year-old man was arrested in Vélez-Málaga last month , after allegedly shooting his neighbour ’ s cats with a shotgun . He was caught red-handed inflicting injuries on two animals which required € 1,200 of veterinary intervention . The suspect is also thought to have caused injuries and death to other animals , and has had a compressed air shotgun confiscated by police .
Lower taxes
Nerja has reduced two local taxes by 25 % each for 2022 . The new municipal rates apply to the handling of industrial waste , and , for the second year , to the Economic Activities Tax ( IAE ) on hotels and tourist accommodation . Finance councillor Ángela Díaz said tourism accounts for 70 % of the town ’ s economic activity , while maintaining 1,200 direct jobs and many more indirectly .
La Palma volcano eruption continues
The volcanic eruption in the Cumbre Vieja Natural Park on La Palma continued into November , and by the middle of the month had been declared the worst in the island ’ s recent history . Well over 1,000 hectares of land are now covered by the lava which has created over 40 hectares of new land as it poured into the sea and solidified
Nearly 1,200 homes have been destroyed and 7,000 people have been evacuated , with others under threat as the lava continues to find new ways down the mountainside . Fewer than 500 of the evacuees are reported to have made use of emergency accommodation provided by the Canarian government , with the remainder choosing to take shelter with family or friends .
In mid-November , the region ’ s leader Ángel Víctor Torres estimated damage at up to € 700 million , while continuing to repeat , “ We are in the thick of it .” That estimate already qualified the Canary Islands government to access to the EU ’ s solidarity fund .
On November 19 , Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez , made his seventh visit to the scene since the eruption began . He announced a grant of € 4 million from central government for repairs to water supplies for irrigation , plus a further € 2.5 for scientific research into the eruption . By then , the total earmarked for the island ’ s urgent needs was € 33.6 million , of which € 29.2 million is destined for housing .
The disruption across La Palma , which has a perimeter of only 53 kilometres , is intense with almost 70 kilometres of roads blocked , including a short section of the LP-2 , one of the major highways . This is resulting in drivers having to take huge diversions : for example , a journey which usually took ten minutes now takes up to 90 minutes .
Only one person has died as a result of the volcanic eruption : a 72-year-old man evacuated from Los Llanos de Aridane who was permitted to return to his home to collect belongings . It is believed he died after falling from the roof while trying to clear an accumulation of volcanic ash which had settled on the property .
Double transplant
For the first time ever , heart and liver transplants on a patient have been carried out at the same time in Spain . The operation , at Madrid ’ s Gregorio Marañon Hospital , is reported to have taken 12 hours and involved 30 surgeons . The patient was then moved to intensive care and within a few days to a regular ward from where he has now been discharged .
Charging points
Energy companies including Repsol , Iberdrola and Endesa have committed to installing 1,000 charging points for electric vehicles across Spain and Portugal by the end of next year , enough for one every 50 kilometres . Of these , 610 will be fast or ultra-fast charging points . Repsol says the required investment of € 42.5 million will be supported by a grant from the Official Credit Institute .
Murder trial
A Málaga court has heard that a British man living in Estepona has admitted killing his wife in March 2019 , but claims a mental disease means he has no memory of the incident . Geoffrey Elton aged 57 is accused of strangling and stabbing Gloria , his wife of 33 years . Elton claims that she publicly humiliated him after they had agreed to end their marriage and he now faces 14 years imprisonment , although his lawyer is calling for him to be sent to a psychiatric unit .
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