Soltalk January 2019 | Page 16

Nerja blaze Crews from Vélez-Málaga joined local firefighters to tackle a blaze at a property on the N-340 in Nerja last month. The private home at the entrance to the Oasis de Capistrano has been the subject of complaints from neighbours regarding the amount of rubbish stacked outside. One member of the emergency services received a leg injury during the six-hour operation. Replicas seized Police in Rincón de la Victoria have seized five replica assault rifles from a group said to be “playing” guerrilla tactics. Officers intervened after residents in Torre de Benagalbón reported the presence of a dozen uniformed people in military attire and carrying weapons. Investigators said the “Air Soft” replicas had the same characteristics as the genuine rifles. Teacher jailed A teacher found guilty of abusing five pupils aged 10 and 11 at a Torre del Mar school has been sentenced to 25 years behind bars. He was also banned from coming within 500 metres of his victims and from communicating with them for ten years. The parents of one child rejected compensation of €10,000 which he was ordered to pay each victim, arguing that his employer, the regional government, has a case to answer. Drugs related Two people have been detained in Switzerland and one in Marbella in connection with explosions detonated in San Pedro Alcantara and Benahavís last October. Both incidents are believed to be drugs related. The arrests follow a number of significant detentions in late 2018 thought to be linked to rival drugs gangs on the Costa del Sol. Footpath vote Residents of Rincón de la Victoria had until December 23 to register their views on proposed designs for a new coastal footpath in Torre de Benalgabón. The 3.6 kilometre walkway will include a cycle lane and is to be constructed with a view to durability and its ecological impact. Alongside the voting, there were 15 meetings with interest groups and 25,000 hits on the footpath’s website. Bilateral voting rights under discussion Madrid and London are reported to be negotiating a bilateral treaty to maintain local voting rights for Britons living in Spain and for over 115,000 Spanish nationals living in the UK. If there is a final agreement on the deal for Britain to leave the European Union, UK nationals in Spain will preserve most of their rights intact until December 2020. Spain is home to the largest community of British migrants in the EU. These 280,000 individuals registered as residents make up the second-largest group from another European country, after the Romanians. However, Madrid has recently acknowledged that there are “several tens of thousands” of Britons living in Spain whose presence is not reflected on any municipal register. The reciprocal rights deal between Madrid and London is reported to be similar to those which Spain presently has with countries including Norway, Iceland and several Latin American nations. However, in recognition of the fact that there are already a number Britons who have been elected to local Spanish councils – eight of whom are in Andalucía - the agreement with the UK will endorse the right to stand as a candidate as well as to vote in local polls. Once the final draft of the bilateral treaty is signed in Madrid and London, it will have to be ratified by the Spanish and British parliaments. Diplomatic sources say this is unlikely to happen before the municipal and European elections scheduled for May 26 this year in which residents from 27 EU states and 12 non-EU countries are already eligible to vote. Free wi-fi for Frigiliana Frigiliana is set to become one of 40 municipalities in Andalucía to provide free internet connections for everyone. A European project, WIFI4EU, has selected 233 sites across Spain to roll out the initiative with Frigiliana being the only town in the province of Málaga to be included in the first phase. Frigiliana Town Hall, Antonio Manuel López, said he was delighted that a high quality internet connection could be offered free of charge to residents and visitors. He added that as many access points as possible will be installed, the first of which will be at the town’s tourist office. Building death The aim is to make the internet available in all public spaces and the town is being awarded €15,000 from European funds to make this a reality. At least ten transmitting nodes are expected to be installed on municipal buildings over the next 18 months. These will include popular tourist sites, as well as parks, libraries and museums. A 34-year-old man died last month after falling from the third floor on an apartment block in Torre del Mar. He was reported to be a member of a team refurbishing the property and was moving marble slabs with a forklift truck when the accident occurred. The police and the works inspector both immediately opened enquiries into the incident. Nationally, Spain is to receive €3.36 million of the €42 million earmarked for the opening phase of the project. Municipalities selected have agree to undertake maintenance of the system once installed for at least three years. The EU initiative is expected to provide 8,000 sites with free wifi access to the internet at speeds of at least 30Mbps. Fatal breakdown The councillor of new technologies at 14 A 59-year-old woman died and two others were seriously injured after their car broke down on the eastbound A-92 in Granada. As they waited on the hard shoulder for a recovery truck to arrive, their stationary car was hit from behind by another vehicle. The driver of the second car received only light injuries and tested negative for alcohol and drugs.