The Junta de Andalucia has just published data on births in the region for 2007 with a total of 96,150 babies being born last year. The average number of babies per mother in the whole of Andalucia was 1.5 but the province with the highest baby to mother ratio was Almeria with 1.59 babies per mother. Almeria also has by far the highest proportion of children born to foreign mothers with almost a third of babies; 29.45%, being parented by non Spanish mothers, the province with the second highest proportion is Malaga with 19% of babies born last year having foreign mothers. Only ten years ago the percentages of babies born to mothers from outside Spain were 2.88 in Almeria and 4.43 in Malaga. On the increase too is the number of babies born to unmarried women, almost 35 per cent in Almeria last year, up from 15% ten years ago and 2.76% thirty years ago. Curiously all the provinces in Andalucia have a similar proportion of births to unmarried mums, around thirty per cent, except the two land-locked provinces; Jaen and Cordoba, which both have a figure of twenty per cent.
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Women in Almeria have most babies in Andalucia
Camino de la Ermita works in Bedar completed
The Mancomunidad de Municipios de Levante Almeriense, an organisation consisting of municipalities throughout the Almeria Levante area which have joined forces to work on projects of general benefit to the area, has announced the completion of the improvements to the Camino de la Ermita as part of their touristic plan for the Levante area. The works, which cost 23,415 euros, have made the route a suitable tourist access to the area, and take advantage of the possibilities it offers as a viewpoint from which to appreciate the local landscape. The works involved conditioning a two metre wide footpath, constructing containing walls where necessary to ensure the stability of the path and installing a handrail, lighting, benches and wastepaper bins along its length.
New private school in Vera gets official approval
The new independent school on the Vera to Garrucha road has received its official approval from the regional government in the official bulletin of the Junta de Andalucia. The Valdeserra school, which is due to open this September will have places for 1,600 children from kindergarten age up to eighteen (and above for 'formacion profesional', something similar to vocational training). The school, which will offer a bilingual education in English and Spanish, is the sixth independent school in the province with others in Huercal de Almeria, El Ejido, Vicar and two in Roquetas. There is another planned in Nijar. This compares to 300 state run schools in Almeria.
The new school, which is covers a total area of two hectares, consists of a separate building for each educational level; pre-school, primary, secondary, bachillerato (baccalaureate) and formacion profesional as well as a school dining room which seats a thousand and a school gymnasium.
Independent education in Spain has a different image to that in the U.K. as the personal goal of most teachers is to get a permanent teaching post in the state school system, which is perceived as more secure, often better paid and less demanding (in terms of hours worked) than the private sector. Independent schools follow a timetable similar to that of U.K. schools with a lunch break and classes continuing after lunch as opposed to the 2.00 p.m. finish in state schools. There is generally more emphasis on sports and extracurricular activities (the latter not included in the basic school fees) and of course the obligatory school uniform. The cost of the Valdeserra school comes to around 5,000 euros per annum, with reduced fees for siblings.
Works begin to improve main access to Albox
Works have begun on the Avenida de la Estacion in Albox the mayor of the municipality, Jose Garcia Navarro, has announced. The road is destined to become the main access into the town from the new 'Autovia del marmol' motorway, from the exit to the west of the bridge over the rambla which will be signposted as 'Albox Centro'. The road is to be widened, new pavements will be put in on both sides and the electricity and telephone cables will be reinstalled underground. The sewers and water pipes that run beneath the road will also be renewed.
The budget for the works is 300,000 euros and the company Nila S.A. has been contracted to complete the project in a time span of two months.
Cuevas town hall stops construction work in Villaricos project
The Cuevas del Almanzora town hall has decreed that building works on a block of 18 apartments being constructed just 15 metres from the shore in Villaricos must stop temporarily due to lack of compliance with municipal regulations on noise pollution caused by the use of heavy machinery on the site. The site in Calle La Herradura has been cordoned off by local police.
The building in question has been the cause of much controversy in the town with more than 200 people holding a demonstration in the town centre two weeks ago protesting against the construction works. The protest group 'Salvemos Villaricos' has started legal proceedings against the project claiming that irregularities such as the projected building having three floors when local byelaws allow building only two floors should be investigated. The group also claims that the plot being built on invades public space and that there are discrepancies between the borders shown in the cadastral register and the space the building site occupies.
New car park now open in Vera
The Vera town hall has announced that the new public car park, called Los Cuatro Canos, is now open to the public. It has 424 spaces underground on two floors with the first floor reserved for short and long term stays charged by the minute or with special rates for daily, nightly or monthly parking. The spaces on the second floor are private. The new car park is in the Paseo Miguel de Cervantes which is in the area behind the Mercadonna supermarket.
The car park cost close to 4.5 million euros to construct and boasts up to the minute technology in safety and security with automatic fire control equipment, 24 hour video surveillance and automatic number plate recognition systems.
Almeria could soon generate all its electricity needs from wind
With projects in progress to install eight new wind farms in Almeria, by this time next year Almeria's capacity to generate electricity from wind power will outstrip its power demand. Currently there are nine wind farms operating in the province which it is estimated will produce 530,640 megawatts per hour each year, equivalent to the power consumption of a population of 343,000 people – that is about half the population of Almeria. With construction of eight new wind farms the province should be able to generate from the wind virtually all the energy its 660,000 population needs.
Andalucia is the region with the greatest growth in installation of wind farms; 2007 saw an increase over the previous year of 140 per cent in the electricity generated form wind. In Spain as a whole wind generated power increased by 30 per cent from 2006 to 2007. In our province the area of Seron-Tijola is where most wind generated electricity is produced with almost 245 megawatts coming from four wind farms. There are a total of 260 wind turbines in Almeria each with the potential to meet the energy needs of more than 550 households.
Man arrested in Los Gallardos for violating workers’ rights
A local of Los Gallardos, identified by the Guardia Civil as Jesus Angel N.P., aged 34, went to the local police station to report his car stolen claiming that a man who worked for him had not returned the vehicle after being lent it to do a job. After giving a statement the alleged car thief returned the vehicle to its rightful owner but as a result of the statement and subsequent investigations by the Guardia Civil it turned out that the reason the worker had kept the car was because he was owed three months salary by Jesus Angel. He and another man had been working for Jesus Angel without any kind of contract despite repeated requests to him to give them formal work contracts. In three months only one of the two had been paid 600 euros for the work they had done, with the total amount being owed to them allegedly coming to 3,290 euros. Things came to a head and one of the workers decided to keep the car in lieu of payment. Jesus Angel was arrested for an alleged crime of violating workers' rights and will be tried in the first instance before court number three in Vera.
Almeria has only desert but not most at risk from desertification
The Ministry for the Environment has approved the Programa de Accion Nacional de Lucha contra la Desertificación (PAND – national programme of action to combat desertification) thus complying with the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification. According to the diagnostic report of the PAND 37 per cent of Spanish territory is at risk from desertification, almost 18% classified as at very high or risk and 19% medium risk. The areas most affected are the Canary Islands and the south-east of the peninsula.
Most recognized deserts have an annual rainfall below 400 millimetres. Some authorities consider 250 millimetres the upper limit for mean annual precipitation for true deserts, describing places with a mean annual rainfall of between 250 and 400 millimetres as semideserts. Measurement of rainfall alone can't provide an accurate definition of what a desert is because being arid also depends on evaporation which depends in part on temperature. The main preoccupation in the case of Spain is that of land becoming unable to sustain vegetation which in turn leads to problems with erosion which in turn accelerates desertification.
Jaen is the Andalucian province with the greatest area, 50 per cent, classified as being at very high or high risk of desertification followed by Almeria (home to Europe's only desert; the Tabernas desert, with an area of 280 square kilometres, an average annual rainfall of 243 mm. and around 3,000 hours of sun per year) with 49% of its territory at this level of risk, Granada with 47%, Cordoba with 44%, Malaga with 30%, Sevilla with 29% and lastly Cadiz with only ten per cent of its area at high or very high risk.
Some of the measures to be taken are protection and special management of existing forests, reforestation programmes, control of grazing and steps to stop erosion and retain more rainfall.
More fines imposed for invading beach space
The provincial coasts service or 'Costas' has fined a beach bar on Vera Playa over 4,000 euros for enlarging without authorisation the area of the chiringuito to more than 271 square metres.
Another fine of 3,840 euros was handed out to a Mojacar resident for installing umbrellas and sun loungers, occupying an area of 480 square metres, without the necessary permission from Costas.
In both cases those fined have a right to appeal to the appropriate ministry.
Seven immigrants rescued off Cabo de Gata
Seven men were rescued after being spotted 47 miles south-east of the cabo de Gata natural park in an inflatable dinghy. The boat was spotted by a fishing boat and the sighting and the position of the boat were confirmed by the Serviola II lifeguard plane. The immigrants were brought into port in Garrucha by the town's lifeboat Salvamar Algenib and were attended to by a Red Cross emergency immediate response team.
So far this year 758 immigrants have been intercepted coming into the province via the Adra, Nijar, Carboneras and Cabo de Gata coastline.
Drugs seized on ‘Dog Bottom’
The Guardia Civil made six arrests and seized 2,800 kilos of hashish in an operation in the municipality of El Ejido. The Guardia Civil had received information on the presence of a boat off the Guardias Viejas area, specifically off the beach known as 'Culo Perro' or 'Dog Bottom'. Patrol vehicles in the zone closed off the area and observed packages being transferred to a lorry parked close to the beach. Once the Guardia Civil were sure that it was a drug smuggling operation the agents intervened and stopped the lorry, discovering 67 bales of hashish, and arresting four men, identified as Hongwu L., Shao C.F., Wu Q. Y. and Zha H.L. Later on another 23 bales of hashish were found and another two arrests were made; Weiyong P. and Jose Antonio F. R., who were caught trying to escape the scene by car.
Ola brings big names to El Ejido
A week after the Creamfields festival the residents of El Ejido in Almeria bore witness to another musical event, this time more pop oriented although you could still say that there was a chemical attraction among the party goers.
The diverse line-up of this edition of the Ola festival reflected the efforts made by the Catalan promoters, Sinnamon, to present new musical values such as MGMT, Ratatat or Hercules and Love Affair, to give us some established styles such as Bjork, Massive Attack or Goldfrapp and even the come-backs to rock, Kula Shaker.
The Icelander appeared as part of her 'Volta' album world tour and offered nothing different to her concert in Las Ventas, Madrid, more than a year ago. Apart from some saving moments with old favourites like Hunter, Bachelorette or an impressive, sinister interpretation of Army of Me it was a dense concert lacking in energy. A sensation which was augmented by a deafening sound set up with poor definition. Bjork's voice occasionally lost out to the 'React Table', the musical toy invented by the University of Barcelona and which was the constant theme of the giant screens around the stage.
Leaving Bjork for Massive Attack on another stage, this Bristol group offered several new tracks in a dark concert where the melodies and dense rhythms made the crowd vibrate. The style showed little change from that on their album Mezzanine, with female voices singing melodic lyrics over a complex and hypnotic rhythmic base. Highlights were the interpretations of Inertia Creeps, a brutal Save From Harm and Angel.
And onto the LO.LI.TA. stage for the end of Kula Shaker's set. Sixties psychedelic rock which had everybody dancing and a great finish with their cover of Joe South's Hush.
When The Editors finished their set the responsibility for keeping the crowds dancing passed to the hands of names like Soulwax, 2manydjs or d.a.r.y.l. giving those whose energy couldn't be sapped electronic and house music to dance to until the dawn.
Local group working to open Bedar mines to tourists
Bedar Sostenible (sustainable Bedar) is the name of the group which has already organised several excursions in the old mines in Bedar. They would like to set up an information centre on the mines and their history and even a mining museum inside one of the mines.
The earliest data on mining in the area around Bedar dates back to 1525 when a concession was awarded to mine iron in the Serena area just south of Bedar. By 1846 there were115 mines in Bedar, all working on a small scale due to lack of adequate transport. This changed in 1888 when the Compañia de Aguilas installed an aerial cable system from Serena down to the port in Garrucha, at the time the longest in Spain and the second longest in Europe. The English vice-consul in Garrucha at the time, Clifton Pecket, then ceded a group of mines to a Biscayan businessman on the condition that he build a railway. Now with the railway and the aerial cable transporter there was an explosion in mining in the area, with the creation of several companies including the Garrucha Iron Mining Company Ltd. Mining activity was paralysed during the First World War and then continued in and off until the last mine closed in 1970.
Juan Antonio Soler, who has studied the mines and their history and is one of the organisers of the excursions, said that the group has wanted to create walking routes in the mountains around Bedar but that the ayuntamiento hasn't helped them at all. Bedar Sostenible has organised several guided tours of the mining works for .
Farmers complain of vertiginous mark ups
The Union de Pequeños Agricultores y Ganaderos (the UPA, the union of small farmers) here in Andalucia has made public the mark ups added to the prices of vegetables in an effort to show that it is not the producers who are responsible for the recent rises in food prices. The UPA accused distribution companies of making abusive increases to prices, to the cost of producers and consumers alike. One example is the cucumber; in August 2007 producers were being paid 0.47 euros per kilo and the market price was 1.00 euro per kilo, a mark up of 113 per cent. This year producers are receiving only 0.30 euros per kilo while market prices are around 1.60 euro per kilo, a mark up of 533 per cent. The mark up on courgettes has increased from 259% last year to 750% this year; the mark up on lettuces has increased from 389% to 813%. Some of this can be put down to the rises in fuel prices but now fuel prices are starting to fall again food prices do not seem to be.
Many livestock farmers are also suffering as a result of continuing price rises for cereals for animal feed despite the decrease in prices paid to cereal producers and the drop in fuel prices.
The UPA has asked the regional and national governments to intervene by introducing a Law of Commercial Margins which would control the mark ups at each link of the chain form producer to consumer.
Bank of Spain warns of ‘phishing’ explosion
The Bank of Spain has released figures on complaints and reclamations made against banks in Spain last year and has highlighted that the greatest annual increase in complaints was in those from victims of the phenomenon known as phishing, that is, obtaining bank details and often pins or passwords from internet banking users either by sending e-mails purporting to be from their bank asking for this information or through false web sites purporting to be part of the bank's online operations. Ten times more complaints about this type of crime were made in 2007 than in the previous year. Advice from banks to combat phishing is that you should never give out 'secret' information such as card pin numbers or account passwords to anybody by e-mail, even in response to messages that seem to come from the bank, and that to access internet banking sites it is always more secure to type the web site address in the address bar of your internet browser rather than following a link in another site to get to the bank's page.
A total of 5,736 written complaints and reclamations were received by the Bank of Spain last year, an increase of 4.8 per cent on 2006. Banks were told to pay out 1.4 million euros was paid to those unsatisfied customers whose claims justified compensation.
Crossing the Straits on a lilo
Seven Moroccans were arrested after they tried to get into Spain from the North coast of Africa by rowing across on an airbed. The seven men were rescued about seven kilometres of Punta Acebuche near Algeciras just to the south of Gibraltar. The men were attended to by Red Cross volunteers on making land but they were in good health. Steps are being taken for their repatriation.
Corte Inglès goes green
The Corte Inglès operates Spain's leading chain of department stores which span the country. As well as everything you would expect to find in a big department store the Corte Ingles offers financial and travel services, insurance, online shopping, retail consulting, and telecommunications services. Its chain of 70-plus Sfera clothes shops specialise in middle price range, young adult fashion, competing directly with Zara. Beyond Spain, the Corte Ingles has stores in Belgium, Greece, Italy, Mexico, Portugal, and the Middle East. The Corte Ingles also runs the Hipercor supermarket chain.
Now this retail giant has announced it is getting greener by starting various initiatives within the company. Among these is a plan to raise public awareness about the use of plastic bags and in some of its departments it will be substituting their traditional plastic bags for biodegradable bags made from potato starch. It is also introducing energy saving schemes and is to start recycling all its paper and plastic waste, waste which makes up over 80 per cent of the rubbish generated in its supermarkets. The company is also starting environmental awareness training for employees, a responsible energy consumption plan and is looking into the use of cleaner energy sources.
Foreign office warns of high threat from terrorism in Spain
After the last Eta bombings in Malaga; one small device which exploded on the beach in Guadalmar and another that went off at the marina in Benalmadena plus a third which was found unexploded beside the M21 motorway between Torremolinos and Malaga, the Foreign Office in the U.K. has issued a statement categorising the terrorist threat in Spain as high. The advice, which is aimed at British travelling abroad and expatriates, goes on to add that attacks could be indiscriminate and that Spanish authorities are fully aware of the impact of terrorism and are taking measures to protect visitors although disruptions from real or hoax terror attempts can be expected. It advises people to follow the instructions of the local police and other authorities and that a high level of alert is being maintained after the Malaga bombs, travellers to Andalucia are told to remain alert and vigilant.
More than 13,000 living wills registered in Andalucia
Four years after the introduction of a register of living wills in Andalucia 13,435 people have become part of the scheme. The 'Registro de Voluntades Vitales Anticipadas' is a service, run by the regional health ministry since June 2004, which allows individuals to specify how they wish to be treated if they are hospitalised and unable to express their wishes.
In the living will, which becomes part of a database available to doctors, you can specify those criteria which signify quality of life for you, the situations in which you want the document to be taken into account, the level of treatment to which you want to be submitted in certain circumstances and in what circumstances you want your treatment to be discontinued and your desire to donate your organs for transplant or your body for research in the case of your death. You can also designate somebody to be the one to take decisions on your behalf. The necessary documentation is available online at https://ws003.juntadeandalucia.es/pls/intersas/servicios.formularios_voluntad_vital or at health centres or hospitals, it is in Spanish and as there are parts where you can detail specific conditions your Spanish needs to be good or you will need a reliable translator to help you with it. Once the form has been completed you need to attend personally at the registry, which is to be found in the Delegacion Provincial de Salud of each province, to sign before the registrar.
Almost four years of drought in Andalucia
The Environment ministry has released the latest figures on the state of the countries water reserves showing Spain's reservoirs at 50.8 per cent of their total capacity. Andalucia's water reserves however are presently at only 33.5 per cent of their capacity after what are officially 45 months of drought, that is July was the forty fifth month with below average rainfall for the region. The hydrological year is measured from October 1st to September 30th each year and this year has been characterised by a dry autumn and winter, the seasons which usually have most rainfall, and a wet spring, especially in the west of the region.
The region is divided into three basins: the Guadalquivir basin- which covers part of Granada, Cordoba, Sevilla, Jaen and part of Huelva; the Atlantic basin- which provides for the rest of Huelva and Cadiz and the Mediterranean basin– providing water to Malaga, Cadiz, Granada and Almeria. These three hydrographical areas currently store a total of 3,538 cubic hectometres (one hectometre is one million litres) and in the first week of July the water levels went down by 122 cubic hectometres, 1.2 percent of their total. The only reason they are at their present levels is the heavy rain we experienced at the beginning of April this year which allowed the dams to retain enough water to ensure supplies for a year.
The drought is classified as extreme, 48 months with below average monthly rainfall, in the provinces of Almeria, Cadiz, Malaga, Granada, and Jaen. There have been restrictions on the amount of water made available to farmers in various parts of Andalucia although few urban areas have faced such measures, Malaga capital being a notable exception with various restrictions on water use.
Child killed in Tabernas fair
A fourteen year old boy was killed in the fair installed in the town as part of the yearly fiestas in Tabernas. The town has declared three days of official mourning.
The accident happened at about 1.00 a.m. when the boy came into contact with a lamppost which was directly next to the bumper cars in the fair. He was taken by bystanders to the health centre which is only 50 metres from where the accident happened by despite efforts to resuscitate him the boy was declared dead at 2.00 p.m.
The Guardia Civil investigation into the accident has revealed that the fairground attraction, which had been set up in direct contact with the lamppost, was not earthed correctly and the shock received by the boy was a result of the build up of static electricity in the ride going to earth through the lamppost.
Rehabilitation centre for children opens in Arboleas
A specialised centre which takes in children who have been violent towards their parents or have been convicted of robbery has opened in the outskirts of Arboleas. The centre, now in its third month of operation, takes in youngsters between 14 and 17 years old, with eight young people being accompanied by fourteen monitors. The team works with the children, carrying out therapies treating such issues as impulse control, social skills or substance abuse. The centre's director, Paqui Bernabe, said that the centre worked like a big family in which the children can learn respect and how to live in a group.
Mojacar council approves budget
The annual budget for this year for the ayuntamiento of Mojacar has been officially approved and published in the provincial Boletin Oficial. The municipality's budget for the year comes to 12,106,855 euros. The council's workforce is the greatest demand on its budget, costing just over four million euros, followed by planned spending on infrastructure, buildings, municipal installations, etc. which comes to a little under four million euros. The cost of maintenance in the town is to cost around 3.3 million euros.
Income comes principally from direct taxation (for example the IBI - what we like to think of as the rates) which will result in 4.8 million euros and indirect taxes which come to 1.2 million euros. The council anticipates receiving around a million euros from the provincial and regional governments and plans to raise almost half a million from the disposal of council assets (presumably land).
Algarrobico saga continues
The construction company which built the Algarrobico hotel in Carboneras, a construction declared illegal and awaiting demolition, has accepted compensation offered by the government amounting to 100 million euros. The construction company has always maintained that it constructed the building in good faith with all the necessary licences and permissions from the relevant authorities. It has been estimated that the demolition of the building and restoration of the area to its original state could add more than another 100 million euros to the total cost to the taxpayer.
The environmental campaign group 'Salvemos Mojacar' has announced that it is considering appealing against the compensation awarded, claiming that the Audencia Nacional (Spanish high court) has stated that the construction company has no right to compensation and in the case of compensation being awarded it should be paid by those individuals in the ayuntamiento of Carboneras and the Junta de Andalucia who approved the plans. However the environmental organisation could be assuming a substantial risk if they go ahead with the appeal, as if they lose and have costs awarded against them the costs could be calculated as a percentage of the amount of compensation.
1.5 million euros for improvements to Antas-Vera road
The Antas to Vera road which passes the Galasa offices, the petrol station in the centre of Vera and continues out of town onto the I.T.V. car inspection facilities is to get new roundabouts, traffic lights and pedestrian crossings. The objective of the improvements is to convert what was once the main Almeria-Murcia road, before the construction of the A7 motorway, into a normal urban street, slowing traffic and improving safety. Safety is to be improved at the junction next to the Galasa offices, traffic lights will be installed at the junctions by the petrol station and the Red Cross building and other junctions and street lighting is to be improved.
The works have now been put out to tender and once a company has been contracted it is estimated they will take a year to complete the project. As well as improving safety the project includes plans to put in new green areas to improve the aesthetics of the area it passes through.
Albox rapists sentenced to more than 18 years in jail
Two men of Bolivian nationality have been found guilty of raping a young woman who was making her way home after the town fair the night of October 3, 2004. Each of the men was sentenced to 18 and a half years prison with the time they have spent in custody being taken into account. They were found guilty of holding a person against their will, rape and causing bodily harm. A third man involved in the assault remains unidentified. The sentence also condemns each of the men to pay damages of 33,000 euros and they are prohibited from going near the victim for 28 years.
The public prosecutor in the case had asked for thirty years for each of the accused and the lawyer representing the victim was asking for a sentence of 36 years jail and damages of 80,000 euros.
Nijar working to become first municipality with Wi-Fi coverage
In a recent council meeting the ayuntamiento of Nijar approved the first steps towards buying telecommunications equipment and systems to set up Wi-Fi internet coverage for the a large part of the municipality, an area which includes many villages within the Cabo de Gata natural park. This will make it the first in the province to provide this type of connection. The objective of the town council is to help make local businesses, especially those involved in rural tourism, more competitive as many complain that they have difficulties in accessing broadband connection in the natural park. Apart from benefiting the business community the scheme will provide local residents with a cheaper alternative to the traditional internet access, with the new system estimated to cost 18 euros a month to individual users compared to the 40 euros charged monthly by companies like Telefonica.
Spanish euro banknotes have highest cocaine levels in Europe
A study carried out recently by scientists from the University of Valencia has shown that Spanish euro notes contained traces of cocaine which averaged 155 microgrammes (one microgramme is one millionth of a gramme). The researchers also analysed previous studies which highlighted cocaine levels found in different currencies around the world and a comparison of the studies showed the Spanish levels were the highest in Europe, with the most highly contaminated notes coming from the United States.
The contamination comes from the money being in the hands of people who come into physical contact with the drug and from the method of sniffing the drug through a rolled up banknote. Miguel de la Guardia, professor of chemistry at the University of Valencia and co-author of the study published in the latest edition of Trends in Analytical Chemistry, added that 96 per cent of the notes tested were contaminated – the research team believes as a result of cross contamination between notes. The publication points out that there is an unequivocal relationship between the high levels of cocaine found in both American dollar bills and Spanish euro notes and the high consumption of the substance in both countries.
Miguel de la Guardia said that he believes cocaine
has become rooted in Spanish society, and is playing Russian roulette with the neuronal development of an entire generation. "I find it profoundly embarrassing that we now all have cocaine in our wallets," he added.
The most recent report from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime warns that Spain is still the major point of entry of cocaine into Europe. In 2006, 41% of all hauls of the drug made in Europe were made on Spanish soil, where 50 tonnes were seized, followed by Portugal, with 35 tonnes. The UN also says the rate of cocaine use doubled in Spain between 1999 and 2005, increasing from 1.6% to 3% of those aged between 15 and 64, which is more than twice the rate for Western Europe as a whole (1.2%).
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Cuevas holds first Andalucian water-ski championship
Last weekend the rowing lake below the Cuevas del Almanzora dam was the scene of the first Andalucian water skiing championship. There were around twenty participants from all around Spain and an enthusiastic public with a large proportion of Brits among them. Unfortunately the boat broke down before the finals could be celebrated so the final classifications were based on the points won in the qualifying rounds. Despite this setback it was still a great example of what can be done with this underused sports installation in our area.
Car thief caught after horrific accident
An Algerian man, identified only as A.D. aged 27, has been arrested under unfortunate circumstances in Huercal Overa for car theft. The stolen car he was driving, a Renault Megane taken in Benicarlo in Castellon - several hundred kilometres from here, came off the A7 motorway in the small hours of the morning and hit the crash barrier, trapping the driver. Two passengers in the car escaped from the scene on foot and have not been found. The driver had to be cut from the car by fire-fighters and was rushed to Huercal Overa hospital where as a result of his injuries one of his legs was amputated. Once out of the danger the driver was arrested.
Albox market places price doubles
Stallholders in the Albox weekly market, held on Tuesdays, are up in arms over a hike in the prices they have to pay for their spots in the market. The rise has more than doubled the cost of a place for the more than 200 stallholders, over half of whom are residents of the town. Representatives of the sellers in the market have said that they feel they have been tricked by the town’s mayor, Jesus Carmona, as they were promised in a meeting with him held last autumn that the ayuntamiento had no plans to change either the cost to stallholders or the location of the market, rumours of which were the initial reason for the meeting. An Albox councillor stated that the increase was the equivalent to the annual increase that should have been applied for the last nine years but had not been charged. The cost of a ten metre place in the market now costs 976 euros a year, compared to 420 euros in Garrucha.
The stallholders have been collecting signatures protesting against the ayuntamientos action and have asked for another meeting with the mayor to try to find solutions to the situation. It has been suggested they might hold Japanese style industrial action, working harder than normal to make the bosses look bad, by keeping their stalls operating longer than normal, maybe all day - something which is bound to have some effect on the town centre on Tuesdays.
British woman in Los Gallardos wins local acclamation
Acruproga, the Associacion Cultural para el Progreso de Los Gallardos, has awarded British woman Eileen Kennedy, aged 65, with its annual "Gallardera sin Fronteras” award. The award is given each year to an individual who has made an outstanding contribution to the cultural progress of the town and it is the first time it has ever been awarded to someone not native to the town.
In the award ceremony, which took place in Terraza Carmona in Vera, the president of Acuproga, Emilio Ruiz, spoke of the numerous British community in Los Gallardos; all whom were considered as friends, but among whom Eileen stood out as a standard bearer for integration into the social and cultural life of the town. Having lived in the main street of the town for almost twelve years now, Eileen became involved in local affairs right from the beginning, becoming a member of a local cancer association and a senior citizens group. She was also one of the founding members of the Gallarte Cultural Association. Eileen accepted her award giving thanks to the association and telling them that she and her husband had felt themselves to be ‘Gallarderos’ ever since they first arrived in the town and got to know the local residents.
Guardia Civil catches shoplifting gang
When the Guardia Civil stopped a Volkswagen Golf at 10 p.m. in Roquetas de Mar at a checkpoint making random inspections of cars passing, they came across more than they expected. After identifying the cars five occupants the Guardia Civil made an inspection of the car finding several articles of clothing, brand new and with the price tags still attached, they also found a suitcase and a bag, both of which were lined with aluminium foil – a method used to fool shops’ security systems, and containing more items of clothing. On searching the occupants of the car one of them was found to have yet more similar items hidden in the clothes he was wearing. A total of 12 articles of clothing were found with a value of 740 euros.
Those arrested were identified as Gheorghe C., aged 23, Gheorghe S. R., aged 23, Buta L., aged 37, Cristian F. M., aged 27 and Lidia C., aged 29 and were said by the Guardia Civil to have histories of previous arrests for similar crimes.
Fire destroys ten hectares in Sorbas
A fire in the ‘Karst en Yeso’ area of Sorbas was brought quickly under control by the Bomberos de Levante firefighters. The emergency services were notified just before three in the afternoon and and two vehicles from Turre were sent to support the Infoca (the Andalucian organisation that deals with forest fires) team which consisted of two pump vehicles, two helicopters, an aeroplane and 30 firefighters. The rapid response resulted in the fire being declared under control by 4.00 p.m. The fire affected an area of ten hectares consisting of scrubland and a few olive trees.
Karst en Yeso in Sorbas is a spectacular underground system of caves and caverns, open to visitors all year round, carved in the crystalline gypsum typical of many parts of the local geology.
Three men arrested in Almeria for 150,000 euro con trick
The three men arrested by the Guardia Civil were being searched for after a businessman in Palmanova in Majorca went to the police claiming he had been conned out of 150,000 euros. The businessman, a promoter in the construction industry, was approached by the men who claimed that due to political instability in their own country they had a large quantity of money they wanted to invest in construction here in Spain and offering him 40% of any profits from their investment. His interest won they then went on to tell him they could make money by putting banknotes through a process involving special liquids and demonstrated it to him with one 100 euro and one 200 euro banknote provided by the victim.
As a result of the demonstration the money was ‘doubled’ and the fraudsters gave the victim the resulting notes so he could test their legality. They also showed him a case they said contained 3 to 4 million euros. The victim was told the liquids to convert all the money would cost 500,000 euros and, thinking he was in a position to barter, the victim offered 150,000. At a later meeting the conmen and their victim met up again to ‘copy’ all the money by wrapping it in aluminium foil packages, the victim was sent out to the pharmacy to buy a syringe for injecting the magic liquid into the packets, and the conmen did the switch. With all the money packaged and injected with the liquid the victim was told it would take ten hours to work and the conmen went back to their hotel for the night. The next day when the victim went to collect the fraudsters he discovered they had disappeared; suspicions aroused he checked the foil packets of money and discovered nothing but wet paper.
The men arrested were said to be working on a similar con with three businessmen in Almeria at the time of their arrest.
Man arrested for cultivating marijuana
A 26 year old man was arrested for growing marijuana not only outdoors on his terrace but also indoors in a bedroom of the house he was living in El Parador de la Asuncion near Roquetas. The Guardia Civil obtained a search warrant for the suspect’s home after the plants on the terrace were spotted partially hidden by a greenhouse type structure. On searching the house they found eighteen plants growing in pots on the terrace, most of which were more than a metre tall, another 20 plants being grown under artificial lighting in a bedroom, 26 marijuana cuttings in the living room, and several marijuana buds in the main bedroom along with grinders and a press.
The substances confiscated are pending official analysis and weighing in the health service laboratories in the Port of Almeria.
Guardia Civil stop ‘Tele-cocaine’ operation in Huercal Overa
The Guardia Civil in Huercal Overa have arrested two people resident in the town for dealing cocaine. The attention of the Guardia Civil was drawn to the unusual number of people from outside the area coming and going from the home of the two suspects. Agents watching the dwelling observed the transit of various people to and from the house, where they stayed only brief periods of time, they also observed the suspects frequently leaving the house for brief periods. The Guardia Civil deduced from the behaviour of those involved that this could be a distribution point for drugs; through the method known here in Spain as ‘Tele-coca’, that is ordering cocaine by telephone calls between the dealers and trusted customers.
As a result of the investigations, one of the two suspects, identified by the Guardia Civil as Pierre Pablo H.V., was stopped in the street and was found to be in possession of seven wraps of cocaine with a total weight of 5.2 grams and was arrested. His partner, identified as Francy E.D., was arrested while waiting for him outside their home.
As a result of their arrests a search warrant was granted and in the couple’s home agents found wraps of cocaine ready for sale with a total weight of 20.1 grams, precision scales and 1,800 euros in cash.
Government guidelines on green driving
‘Efficient driving’ is the theme of a document originally aimed at drivers employed by government organisations but now being directed at the general public by the DGT (Direccion General de Trafico – the government organisation responsible for issuing licences, road safety, etc.).
The ‘Manual de Conduccion Eficiente’, manual of efficient driving, published by the Institute for the Diversification and Saving of Energy tells us that cars consume 15% of the total energy consumed in Spain and that 40% of the total emissions of carbon dioxide which originate from energy consumption come from road transport. The attitude of the driver and their style of driving can not only reduce CO2 emissions but can save money spent on fuel and on general maintenance as well as increasing road safety. Efficient driving can lead to a saving of between 10 and 25 per cent in fuel consumption and a fifteen per cent reduction in CO2 emissions.
The main things to remember in order to drive efficiently are: to check tyre pressure regularly; under pressure tyres can increase fuel consumption by four per cent, use higher gears whenever possible ; try to change up at between 2,000 and 2,500 rpm in petrol cars and between 1,500 and 2,000 rpm in cars with diesel motors, don’t step on the accelerator when starting the motor, turn off the engine if you anticipate being at a standstill for more than sixty seconds, keep your speed down; at 120 kmph you use 30% more fuel than at 90 kmph, only use air conditioning when absolutely necessary but try not to drive with your windows down; use the cars air circulation system instead.
You can read the ‘Manual de Conduccion Eficiente’, in Spanish, at http://www.madrimasd.org/cienciaysociedad/Kioto/documentacion/pdfs/manual_conduccion.pdf
Girls to get cervical cancer vaccination in Andalucia
The Junta de Andalucia has announced its plans to start offering vaccination against the human papilloma virus in an effort to reduce the incidence of cervical cancer. The human papilloma virus, of which many types exist - some of them responsible for warts, can be sexually transmitted and its DNA has been found in 90 per cent of cervical cancers.
The vaccine will be available from September 15th and the first to be offered it will be girls born in 1994. The vaccine consists of three intramuscular injections; the second a month after the first and another after six months. The vaccine protects against the two types of papilloma virus which represent almost 75% of those which are found in the pre-cancer cells which can degenerate into cervical cancer, it also provides protection against genital warts, which are unrelated with cancer of the cervix being caused by a different virus. The vaccine is effective for a period of five years and for this reason is being administered in fourteen year olds as it only effective before sexual relations have begun, the average age for which in Spanish girls is nineteen. The vaccine is regarded as a facet of prevention which complements, but does not replace, regular screening through smear testing.
In Andalucia there are about 45,000 fourteen year old girls and the Junta has said it has ordered vaccine for this number at a cost of 12.1 million euros. It will be administered in the 1,492 health centres that habitually offer vaccinations although it has been suggested that it may be administered in schools in the future. The Junta has started a campaign to raise public awareness with leaflets and posters being distributed to health centres, and health workers being given documentation covering all the technical aspects of the vaccination.
Cervical cancer is the second or third most common type of cancer in women; cervical cancer and colorectal cancer are virtually tied for second place after breast cancer. It is estimated that in 2004 some 31,000 women in the EU’s then 25 member countries developed cervical cancer and almost 14,000 died from the disease, making it the sixth or seventh most common cancer in the EU.
Junta to auction unclaimed boats
The Junta de Andalucia has announced that it is to auction 35 boats which have been abandoned by their owners or which have accumulated unpaid mooring fees. The boats are distributed around nine ports on the Andalucian coast and range from a 3.58 m. long fibreglass, topper-style, orange and white sailing dinghy in the Port of Rota, Cadiz, valued at 100 euros to a 21.45 m. wooden yacht, the ‘Al-Andalus’, in the potrt of Adra in Almeria, valued at 10,000 euros. The highest valued boat is the 18,000 euro, 9,9 metre fishing cruiser; ‘Digger’ with two 200hp Mercury outboard motors (in a deteriorated state) in the port of Barbate in Cadiz. Thirteen of the boats up for auction are valued at 1,000 euros or less and all 35 come with the caveat of being in a ‘deteriorated’ state and without the necessary legal documentation needed for their use in Spanish waters. The total estimated value of the boats, according to the APPA – the Association of Public Ports of Andalucia, comes to just under 120,000 euros
Immigrants get grant to go home
The Spanish immigration department has announced that it hasn’t got any money left to help immigrants go home. In a scheme set up by Jose Luis Zapatero’s socialist government the ministry for immigration offers grants of up to 400 euros per person plus up to 1,400 euros per family to help pay for the travel costs to return to their countries of origin. The department that deals with applications for this grant received more than 2,000 requests up to the end of July, more than twice as many as in all of last year, and has now used up the budget allocated to the scheme. The money is for non European Union residents and the majority of those taking up the offer are South Americans and Eastern Europeans. Unemployment among the immigrant population has risen by almost seventy percent in the last year, about three times that of the rest of the population.
Ecologists express worries about POTALA
The Plan de Ordenacion del Territorio del Area de Levante Almeriense (Territorial Planning for the Almerian Levante Area) or POTALA was approved definitively by the Andalusian territory council on July 23rd. The POTALA includes plans for all infrastructures, urban planning and economic development in the area stretching from Pulpi to Carboneras. The Federacion Andaluza de Ecologistas en Accion, which has a seat on the council, voted against the plan and the Federacion de Ecologistas en Accion de Almeria (local filial of the former) has spoken about their reasons for being against the POTALA despite their initial reaction to the idea of this plan being positive.
One of the ecologists’ group’s main complaints is the creation of the Los Llanos zone, the area behind Garrucha earmarked for the majority of new tourist oriented development in the Levante. The ecologists feel that creating another ‘urban nucleus’ distant from all the existing urban nuclei is simply fomenting a ‘dispersed city’ model, something unsustainable and which will need a notable increase in infrastructure. It is contrary to what has previously been approved in the similar Andalucian territorial plan, which encourages a ‘compact city’ model which creates economic opportunities within existing urban nuclei.
Another complaint about the POTALA is the plan for the creation of the Puntazo del Rayo touristic development zone to the north of Carboneras. The ecologists point out that this area is protected under a special European Community scheme and that it needs a special authorisation from the European commission stipulating that the proposed zone respects the preservation of the environmental values of the area.
The ecologists add that the POTALA does not provide a real forecast of water resources for the area or the impact of supplying water needs from desalination plants despite the plans authorisation for the creation of several new golf courses and the Andalucian Water Agency’s recognition of the fact that there is now a net deficit of water in the Levante area.
‘Lucky’ immigrants brought in to Garrucha
Ten Algerian men who were attempting to enter illegally into Spain have been brought into the port of Garrucha by lifeboat. A search operation was mounted for another immigrant after the survivors told the authorities that he had fallen overboard some hours before their rescue and that the man could not swim and was not wearing a life jacket. Salvamento Maritimo, a helicopter, a Polish frigate and a Spanish navy frigate, the Almirante Juan de Borbon all joined in the search in the area where the immigrants’ boat was assumed to have been at the time but it was called off after several hours without success. The survivors were rescued after their boat upturned and they were spotted, some 45 miles north east of the Cabo de Gata, clinging to the drifting hull by a merchant ship which notified the Spanish authorities. They were taken aboard a Spanish coastguard ship and transferred to port by the Garrucha lifeboat ‘Salvamar Algenib’.
The survivors , who were attended to by a Red Cross immediate emergency response team (ERIE), were all in good health and were given dry clothing, shoes, blankets, food and water before being taken into custody by the Guardia Civil.
Another Red Cross ERIE team was called out the same day to attend to another eight immigrants in the Guardia Civil station in Cuevas del Almanzora.
Monday, October 6, 2008
Final arrests in Russian sex trade operation
Nineteen prostitutes and nine others have been arrested in El Elijido as part of a national operation against Russian networks trafficking women to be used as prostitutes in Spain. The operation started in 2006 and with these arrests the national police have managed to break up completely this network dedicated to bringing women to Spain to be exploited sexually, and also involved in laundering the money made from prostitution.
During the investigation the police have arrested a total of 99 people who have been accused of crimes related to prostitution, money laundering and workers' rights. Almost six hundred women who worked in brothels have been detained for being in the country illegally. During the investigation, called Operation Zarpa, 82 searches were carried out in six provinces, 26 in brothels and the others in private homes. The operation has resulted in the confiscation of 32 vehicles, most of which are 'luxury' cars, 360,000 euros, two rifles and two pistols, 24 computers and documents which are proof of the criminal activities carried out.
The operation was started when the UCRIF (Central Unit against Immigration Networks and Falsification of Documents) became aware of large movements of money between Almeria and Russia. First investigations showed that this money was originating from brothels in the province and not only was it being generated from prostitution but was actually being used to buy women in Russia to later be exploited sexually. Analysis of the movements of members of the Russian groups, the number of identified victims and the amount of time the crimes were committed for has led the police to estimate that a total of more than ten thousand women have been trafficked by the network, not including those sent to Italy, Greece, Korea or Japan; countries which the Russians were known to have sent women to. It is estimated that each brothel made profits of more than half a million euros per year.
Minister visits Velez Rubio to inspect first half of improvements
The Regional minister for tourism, commerce and sport, Maria Isabel Requena, has visited Velez Rubio to see the results of the first phase of the 'revitalisation' works being carried out in the town. The objective of the works is to give an impulse to the shops and small businesses in the town by improving the appearance of the streets with the greatest concentration of shops by re-paving them and renewing the street furniture and improving access to the shops, providing more parking areas and putting new signage in the area to give the commercial zone an distinct image. The Junta de Andalucia has provided Velez Rubio with a grant of 1.4 million euros, 700,000 of which has now been spent.
The money is part of the Junta's 3rd Interior Commerce Integral Plan, which projects a total budget of 141 million euros up to the year 2010. Among the most important objectives of the plan are the technological modernisation of small businesses and commerce and the development of new commercial formats. Traditional commerce is also given an important role in the plan. There is also a special plan to increases productivity in small businesses by helping them adapt to the needs of the current markets.
Abandoned houses identified in Sierra Cabrera
Los Moralicos is a tiny hamlet just to the south of the highest peak in the Sierra Cabrera mountains, about two and a half miles south-west of Cortijo Grande as the crow flies. It has given its name to the Asociacion de residentes de los Moralicos, an association which aims to preserve the history of and act as force to bring together all the 'serranos' (inhabitants of the Sierra) and lovers of the Sierra, an area which suffered in the seventies from a sharp depopulation due to its inhabitants moving out of their hamlets and cortijos and down to Turre, Mojacar, Los Gallardos and further afield.
The association has recently finished a project which has involved the work of forty volunteers and has taken over two years. They have been identifying the ruins of houses and cortijos some of which have been abandoned for over fifty years, even finding the old rural school in Los Moralicos, they have also helped in finding previous residents who had emigrated to countries such as Argentina, Germany and France. Much of this work was done using documents provided by the Provincial Historical Archive. Thanks to this work many of the emigrants can now provide ownership documentation for younger family members or identify the houses where they were born.
Important drugs ring dismantled
A hashish smuggling operation bringing drugs into the country through Almeria and Murcia has been dismantled in an operation involving the Guardia Civil, the national police and customs. The operation, dubbed 'Macula Felix' by the Guardia Civil was started in December 2005 after the discovery of over 3 tonnes of hashish in the Cala de Enmedio cove in Nijar. Most of the drugs were hidden in a dugout.
As a result of the investigations the authorities uncovered a well organised operation with two distinct branches; one in charge of the logistical and financial side of the organisation, which was investigated by the Guardia Civil organised crime and anti-drugs team, and the other in charge of ensuring the security of the smuggling operations into the country, which was investigated by the internal affairs service of the Guardia Civil.
As a result of this operation the Guardia Civil and customs seized 2,100 kilos of hashish and arrested four people last March as they unloaded a boat off Retamar, Almeria, the same night 556 kilos of hashish, left by the same boat on the Playa Elena beach in Aguilas, were seized and two people arrested.
Another boat, the Nereus, flying under the German flag, was intercepted last May 30th off the Cartagena coast with about 4 tonnes of hashish on board and its crew of five was arrested.
The last arrests which led to the dismantlement of the smuggling ring were last week in Aguilas in Murcia. Four houses were searched and documents and computers were seized. Two men, presumed to be those responsible for planning the smuggling operations, were arrested.
Man drowns in Mojacar
A 75 year old man drowned in the sea off the beach in front of the Parador. The man was bathing just before midday with his fifty year old son on one of the Mojacar beaches that has no lifeguard patrol. Reports state that the conditions were poor with a strong onshore wind and undercurrents. The man's son tried to rescue his father but was unable to get him out of the water. Once the alarm was raised members of the local Proteccion Civil arrived to find the man face down in the water. Members of the Red Cross, the local police and an ambulance also attended the scene, but despite efforts to resuscitate him, after 25 minutes the man was declared dead. The dead man was from Velez-Rubio.
Mayor opens new road in Vera
The mayor of Vera, Felix Lopez, has opened the new Avenida de la Alcazaba which will serve as one of the main routes for tourists wanting to get to the coast in the future. The new road runs from the Media Legua Mercadona supermarket on the Vera to Garrucha road for five kilometres parallel to the coast in the direction of Villaricos, finishing, for the time being, more or less level with the Vera Natura Hotel. There are plans in the future to continue this road over the Almanzora River and to join it up with the new Aguilas toll motorway somewhere near Lobos. It will also be continued in the opposite direction, a junction will be built with the new Vera Garrucha road, works on which are to start very soon, and a flyover will take it over this road and across the back of Garrucha to join up with the existing road that goes up to the Mojacar pueblo road and the Repsol garage, and some time in the future it will continue from there on to the Hotel Indalo.
The construction company which built the road took advantage of the works to lay water pipes, electricity cables, gas pipes and other services in preparation for the next phases of construction planned for the area behind Vera Playa. The local buses to Vera Playa now use the new road. The road forms part of the Vera Coast Special Plan.
Bedar residents given money to improve homes
Thirty houses in Bedar are to be refurbished with financial help from the Junta de Andalucia. The Junta has awarded grants totalling fifty per cent of the 336,000 euros needed to complete the 30 projects. The money is part of a scheme run by the Junta to help home owners in small towns improve the habitability of their homes. The conditions set by the Junta are that the works must be carried out in accordance with the projects approved by the house and land planning services, the works must be started within a four month period and completed within a year of their start. Most of the reforms involve improving services to the houses, reinforcing old structures, repairing roofs or other minor works needed in the houses.
Minster of Tourism visits refurbished Mojacar Parador
The Minister of Industry, Tourism and Commerce, Miguel Sebastian, visited the recently reopened Parador in Mojacar to inaugurate the refurbished zones there. He was accompanied by the mayoress of Mojacar, Rosa Maria Cano, the president of the Paradores organisation and other provincial and regional politicians. The refurbishment of the common areas and half of the rooms in the Parador took over eighteen months and cost over eight million euros to complete. The Parador has lost much of its dark and rather musty look and is now much lighter and airier, a look much more fitting with its sea front position. The rooms which have been renovated are those which aren't lucky enough to have sea views and the new, bigger windows they have been fitted with compensate to some extent for this.
The minister, who has been in the news recently for his views on the fuel price crisis, something he lays squarely at the doors of speculators playing the stock market, used the occasion to talk about energy production in Spain and specifically about renewable energy, giving a special mention to the government's support for development of photovoltaic energy generation here in Almeria.
Garrucha offers nursery school construction contract
The ayuntamiento of Garrucha has put out for tender the contract to construct the new nursery school in the town. They have a budget of 1.4 million euros for the new installations which are to be built on the site of the existing nursery school behind the church in the centre of the town.
Works began on a provisional nursery school on the Paseo Maritmo at the beginning of June and should be finished in time for the start of the academic year in September. When this provisional building is ready for use then the old one can be demolished in preparation for construction works.
The new nursery school will have places for 127 children from 0 to three years old, 57 more than previously available to parents in the town. It is to be paid for and run by the Junta de Andalucia.
Almeria gets eighty-one more Guardia Civil
A total of 343 new Guardia Civil were officially incorporated into the current Andalucia force at a falling out ceremony last week. Almeria is the province which has received the greatest number of officers in this incorporation with eighty one to be posted here. These are all newly trained recruits from military academies in Jaen and Madrid and their first year is officially a 'practice' year. Of the 81new officers 74 are male and seven female. Seventy three new Guardia Civil were assigned to the province of Almeria in February and the total force in Andalucia now numbers more than 15,000.
Animal protection society suggest ‘pet tax’
Plataforma de Amigos de los Animales (the friends of animals platform) was formed a few months ago as an umbrella organisation for almost all of the organisations that work for animal wellbeing in the province of Almeria. Amongst those that form part of this organisation are SOS Pechina, Almeria Defensa Animal, Paws-Patas and Ecoligistass en Accion, as well as other organisations and individuals worried about the mistreatment of animals.
This organisation has recently presented suggestions for improvement in animal welfare to the Almeria delegation of the Junta de Andalucia. One of the suggestions presented was that of introducing a tax to be paid by pet owners. Miguel Angel Reinoso, the president of Plataforma de Amigos de los Animales said that it would be an effective way of making people more conscious of the responsibility having a pet involves. He added that Spain is one of the few European countries not to have such a scheme. The tax would be higher for unsterilized animals as an incentive to animal owners to have this operation performed on their pets. There could be exemptions for kennels or other concentrations of animals or for elderly people who could find the tax more difficult to pay.
The Plataforma de Amigos de los Animales is also working on a series of projects the objective of which is to offer alternatives to putting down animals collected off the streets in the ayuntamientos of Almeria, Roquetas de Mar and Pulpi, where this is still the habitual response to this problem.
Decomposed diver’s body found
A badly decomposed body dressed in a neoprene wetsuit has been found in the waters off Cabo de Gata. The Salvamento Maritimo lifeboat 'Denebola' recovered the body approximately twelve miles south east of the Cabo del Gata after it was spotted by a fishing boat and took it to the port in Almeria. The body had been in the water so long that practically all the flesh had gone from the bones. According to police sources there have been no reports of divers disappearing in Almeria, Granada, Murcia or Melilla, although given the time the body had been in the water it could have come from any part of the Spanish coast. An autopsy will be carried out on the body to determine the cause of death and any clues as to its identity.
Velez Blanco castle to get copy of original patio
The castle in Velez Blanco was built between 1506 and 1515 by Don Pedro Fajardo y Chacon who was given the title
Marquis of Los Velez by Ferdinand and Isabella for his help in suppressing the Moors at the time of the reconquista. The castle was built with a central courtyard embellished with Italian Renaissance ornament in local Macael marble carved by craftsmen from Lombardy.
Ornament in this style was known in Spain as a lo Romano, reflecting its origins in the monuments of Roman antiquity.
The patio carvings were among the earliest of this style in Spain and antedate any of the published designs. The coats of arms of Don Pedro and his second wife, Dona Mercia de la Cueva Mendoza de la Vega y Toledo were carved between the arches of the arcade.
The patio's marble fittings were sold by the castle's owner in 1904 and taken to Paris where they were bought by George Blumenthal in 1913 who had them incorporated in his New York townhouse. In 1945, after his death and the demolition of his residence, the approximately 2,000 marble blocks were taken to the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art, where they were reassembled, as faithfully as possible, in 1964.
Now a team from the Spanish company Delta Cad has been sent to New York by the Junta's ministry of culture to make a three dimensional digital scan of the patio using laser technology. When the digital copy has been made it will be used to recreate the patio here. Some of the information will be used directly by marble milling machinery in Macael and the rest will be carved by hand by students of the Andalucian School of Marble in Fines. The work could be finished and on display to the public by the end of 2009.
Albox ayuntamiento and Junta collaborate on punishment of minors
In Albox anyone under the age of eighteen who is convicted of petty crime in the municipality will know what to expect in the future. An agreement between the ayuntamiento of Albox and the Junta de Andalucia specifies the measures to be taken against juvenile offenders.
The agreement outlines the four elements young offenders will have to complete. The first is 'service in benefit of the community', some specific activity which compensates the community in general and is unrelated to the offence committed. The second involves the completion of an activity with some educational content which will contribute to the integral development of the young person. The third element is called repairs or redress in favour of society and the last involves the offender being confined to their home for a period of 36 hours over a weekend. These measures will be evaluated for their effectiveness in changing the attitude of the person carrying them out. The ayuntamiento has committed itself to drawing up a proposal of possible activities as well as providing premises and materials for their execution.
