News Extra
Royal death
Better batteries An investigation was immediately
opened.
A new regulation on the design and
distribution of a “wide range” of external
batteries for domestic use came into
effect across the EU on April 1. It relates
to devices including laptops and electric
toothbrushes, and aims to achieve a
reduction of four terawatt hours (Twh) a
year in electricity consumption. The EC
claims it will also halt the emission 1.4
million tons of carbon dioxide (CO2)
into the atmosphere per year from 2030. Cathedral cleared
Twice stripped
Princess Maria Teresa of Spain’s
Bourbon-Parma dynasty became the
first member of a Royal family to die
after testing positive for coronavirus. She
passed away, aged 86, at the end of
March. The House of Bourbon-Parma
which is a branch of the Spanish royal
family, descended from the French
Capetian dynasty.
A 41-year-old woman arrested in
Torremolinos for failing to observe
lockdown regulations, stripped off and
climbed onto the roof of a police car
when she left the town’s National Police
office. The incident on April 11 began
when the Spanish national took off her
clothes for the first time after being
detained for causing a nuisance in plaza
Presidente Adolfo Suárez. She was later
taken to the Hospital Clínico for
psychological analysis.
Doctor reported
The EU is to contribute €265 million to
help complete the high-speed rail line
through Palencia and Cáseres to Badajoz
which lies close to the border with
Portugal. The stretch will form part of
the planned 715 kilometre AVE line to
Lisbon, 225 kilometres further west. The
European Regional Development Fund
hopes to see direct high-speed travel
from Madrid to the Portuguese capital
starting in 2023. A Málaga doctor who claimed in an
email to care homes that she had cured
100 coronavirus patients with high doses
of vitamin C has been reported to
National Police. Málaga’s Medical
Association took action after she also
uploaded a video to YouTube explaining
she had prescribed up to 100 mg per
hour of the nutrient. The Association
claimed she was suspended while she
was a medical student, adding that the
treatment lacks scientific evidence and
would cause severe diarrhea leading to
dehydration.
Rajoy allegation Mayor hospitalised
Investigations into former Spanish prime
minister Mariano Rajoy began last month
after press reports alleged he had left his
home in Madrid to exercise, contrary to
the present lockdown regulations. Interior
Minister Fernando Grande Marlaska
confirmed to a press conference that the
matter was under investigation. If the
allegation is confirmed, Sr Rajoy, who has
professed to enjoy speed walking, could
be fined up to €600. The mayor of Málaga, Francisco de la
Torre, was admitted to hospital on April
11 after suffering headaches for several
days. A chronic subdural hematoma was
diagnosed and the 77-year-old was
operated on under local anaesthetic to
repair the bleeding vessel. Sr de la Torre,
who will have been the city’s mayor for
20 years on May 4, was moved the
following day from intensive care to a
normal ward and is reported to be
recovering well.
AVE expands
Falling tomatoes
Exports of tomatoes from Spain
continued to fall in 2019, and since 2013
have dropped by over 25% according to
the Estacom statistical service. Sales to
the three biggest importers, Germany,
France and the UK, all dropped by
between 8 and 12% last year. In 2019,
Spain exported 767.37 million kilos of
tomatoes - 45.84 million kilos fewer than
in 2018 – at an average of €1.20 a kilo
which was an increase of over 5% on the
previous year’s prices.
Scaffold collapse
Four people were injured when
scaffolding collapsed at a building site
in calle Senador Francisco Román in
the centre of Málaga on April 20.
Three workers at the site were hurt,
one with a leg injury, and a 74-year-
old woman pedestrian suffered hip
damage and a fracture of the fibula. An
awning is reported to have cushioned
the fall of the scaffolding when it
collapsed as it was being dismantled.
20
Twenty people celebrating mass in
Granada Cathedral on Good Friday were
told to leave by National Police officers.
Archbishop Francisco Javier Martínez
said the celebrants were ordered out
under threat of being fined for breaking
the conditions of the present lockdown.
Reports said members of the
congregation were seated well apart in
the cathedral which normally sees a
Good Friday congregation of around one
thousand.
Lithium mine
Extremadura is considering whether to
award permits to exploit the second
largest hard rock lithium resource in the
EU. Infinity Lithium of Australia wants
to start work on the EU-approved
project at the Valdeflores mine 800
metres from Cáceres. However, local
opposition is strong, citing urban
legislation prohibiting mining operations
within two kilometres of the town.
Medics threatened
An Austrian resident of Torrox was
detained last month after intimidating
and insulting staff at El Morche’s health
centre while failing to maintain social
distancing recommendations. Reports
said he had previously demanded
preferential treatment, but this time
became unruly when it was refused,
throwing documents around and making
violent gestures. Local police officers
detained the suspect at his home.
Knife threat
A man wielding a broad-bladed knife
who threatened staff and customers in
a Málaga bakery was subdued and
detained by National Police officers
last month. The suspect, who is
reported to have shown signs of
inebriation, was approached by
officers in a street near the city’s bus
station. The incident on April 17 was
watched by residents in nearby tower
blocks who applauded the officers as
the man was taken away.
Car-jack foiled
Police in Vélez-Málaga managed to stop
a suspect from fleeing in one of their
own patrol cars. The officers had
stopped at the scene of an late-night
accident in Avenída Juan Carlos last
month when one of the drivers involved
tried to steal their vehicle but was
overpowered and arrested, with one
officer receiving minor injuries. The
suspect tested positive for drugs and was
carrying as a quantity of hashish, as well
as having previously had his driving
licence suspended.