News
Convent project
Work to refurbish the Las Claras convent
in the centre of Vélez-Málaga is expected
to begin shortly. The Town Hall has
authorised the Unicaja Bank to undertake
the project which has a budget of
€560,000. After the nuns moved to new
premises in 2003, the building was
earmarked for renovation but the later
financial crisis prevented progress and it
was taken into public ownership five years
ago.
False claims
A Spanish-Russian model is facing two
years in jail after making false claims
against a French footballer. The Marbella
prosecutor says Luisa Kremleva lodged a
complaint of sexual assault against Theo
Hernández after they had had consensual
sex in a car beneath a disco in the town in
June 2017. He claims she was angered and
took vengeance when he refused to spend
the rest of the night with her.
Flu epidemic
Winter flu was approaching epidemic
proportions late last month. In Málaga, 71
cases per 100,000 inhabitants were
recorded by the middle of January, with
the figure expected to rise to about 100
cases. Health authorities in Andalucía said
55% of over-65s had already been
inoculated against influenza this winter.
Vests crisis
Jupol, the union representing most
National Police officers, says that the
province does not have enough bullet-
proof vests. It claims a shortage of over
450 of the garments, which cost €631 each,
means that officers have to share, leading
to problems of hygiene and poor fitting.
Jupol claims the situation has led to a
number of officers purchasing the
protective jackets themselves which it
describes as “unacceptable.”
Rincón project
Work on a new outdoor auditorium in
Rincón de la Victoria is expected to begin
this month. The construction project for
the 1,000-seater facility has a budget of
€800,700. It will be built in the Huerta
Julián district, close to the new swimming
pool and the skate park.
Rajoy visits
Former Spanish president Mariano Rajoy
was in Málaga last month to sign copies of
his latest book, “A Better Spain,” already in
its sixth edition. Long queues formed at El
Corte Inglés to meet the Partido Popular
politician who has recorded his personal
memoir of his period in office. First in line
was Málaga’s PP mayor Francisco de la
Torre whose copy Rajoy signed, “with all
my affection.”
Call for ban on credit
card gambling
An independent Spanish consumer
group has called for a ban on the use
of credit cards to pay for gambling in
Spain. The move follows the
announcement last month by the UK’s
Gambling Commission that credit
card gambling will be banned in
Britain from April 14 this year.
FACUA, Consumers in Action, says
the British change followed calls for
more restrictive gambling rules from
MPs and anti-gambling groups in the
midst of high problem gambling rates
in the country. FACUA says more
restrictive gambling rules are also
needed in Spain in order to prevent
problem gambling which, it says, has
afflicted a large number of Spanish
gamblers in recent years.
FACUA’s proposal comes in the wake
restrictions proposed last month by
Spain’s new coalition government
which include more restrictive
gambling rules, tobacco-level
restrictions on advertising, and a
review of the country’s online
gambling tax structures. The
consumer group wants a ban on credit
card gambling to be added to the list,
adding that gambling shops should be
told to remove ATMs which are
presently on their premises.
It is also calling for a decrease in
gambling advertising on multi-media
channels which, it claims, will protect
children and other susceptible
members of the public from being
lured into the practice.
However, the European Gaming and
Betting Association has expressed
scepticism towards the potential new
regulations proposed by Madrid. The
Association says that, while it
welcomes “measures which genuinely
strengthen consumer protection,” it
believes that the measures -
particularly advertising restrictions -
would merely push players towards
unlicensed operators instead.
In December, Spain’s regulated online
gaming market reported a 5.4 per cent
year-on-year increase in gross gaming
revenue for the third quarter of 2019.
Nerja Christmas event
to be recognised
Nerja is to ask for a local tradition to be
classed as an important tourism event
in the province of Málaga. The Belén
(living nativity scene), staged every
Christmas in the district known as Las
Protegidas has become one of the
town’s most important annual events.
It has grown every year and by
Christmas 2019, the scene depicting the
birth of Jesus involved over 100
figures, following preparations by
around 2,000 others, in a major
neighbourhood effort.
All parties at the Town Hall have
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unanimously agreed to approach the
provincial government, the Diputación,
with a view to having the event
formally recognised as Fiesta de
Singularidad Turística Provincial.
The Town Council is also asking the
regional government, the Junta de
Andalucía, to declare the living nativity
to be an event of “intangible cultural
interest.” This follows a request for
help from the Spanish Federation of
such annual events which eventually
wants the practice to be recognised as
an important heritage event by
UNESCO.