News
Burned out
Pic : Bill Jones
Police in Nerja are investigating how two vehicles in the Los Huertos car park were completely burned out on April 23 . Fire crews who attended the blaze blanketed the rental vehicles in foam because of the intensity of the blaze and to avoid explosions . No-one was injured in the incident which produced a column of black smoke visible across the town .
Terror links
A 35-year-old Moroccan detained by National Police in Málaga last month is believed to have been financing terrorist activity . He is thought to have been sending cash to his wife , one of the most wanted dangerous terrorists in Europe . She is understood to have used the cash to support the activities of a 25-year-old Palestinian jihadist believed to be an intermediate Islamic State official .
Body found
The badly decomposed body found under a bridge in Torrox last month is believed to be that of a homeless person who died several months ago . The gruesome discovery was made by workmen who found the corpse between the bridge pillars in an area of difficult access . The body was taken to the Institute of Legal Medicine in Málaga for analysis and possible identification .
More Bach , less bark
Madrid Town Hall is playing classical music in the kennels occupied by its municipal police dog force . Using music to relieve stress in animals came from research in 2012 which showed that dogs exposed to various genres of music spend more time sleeping and less time barking . However , the study also found that heavy metal rock music induces shaking , a form of nervous behaviour .
Tax moves
The main tax office in Málaga has been closed for refurbishment . Upgrades to the building in avenida de Andalucía which dates from the 1970s are expected to take six months . Temporary offices to handle general enquiries from the public have been set up in then recently closed El Corte Inglés outlet in calle Héroe de Sostoa .
ETA to dissolve this month
The Basque militant group ETA has said it will announce its final dissolution early this month . The group , which declared a ceasefire in 2011 and handed over weapons caches in April 2017 , is expected to announce its dissolution on May 5 in the French city of Bayonne .
During April , the terrorist organization issued a statement recognizing its “ direct responsibility ” for the “ excessive suffering ” experienced in the Basque country . The statement added that the separatists wanted to , “ show respect for the dead , the wounded and victims which have been caused by ETA ’ s actions ,” and asked for “ forgiveness .”
However , the apology was rejected by
More PP scandal
Another scandal involving a Partido Popular politician made headlines throughout April . It began in late March when the online newspaper eldiario reported problems with the university qualification held by the leader of the Madrid region , Cristina Cifuentes .
Eldiario made claims about the authenticity of her master ’ s degree in public law which she immediately defended by making public a copy of a university document signed by three people who , she said , had been members of the examining committee on July 2 , 2012 . This apparently certified that she had successfully defended her thesis .
However , two members of the threestrong examining committee have now said that they never signed such a document . Then the university president , Javier Ramos , said that it “ could not be confirmed ” that Cifuentes had been quizzed over her thesis six years ago , while its Public Law Institute said it was pressurised by Sr Ramos to produce a document to support Cifuentes , a claim he has denied . The situation only got worse after another PP member who took the same course as Cifuentes claimed he had not been required to attend classes victims groups who accused ETA of seeking to justify its use of violence and attempting to rewrite history in an effort to , “ whitewash the criminal past .” The Spanish government said the group should have apologised unconditionally “ a long time ago ,” adding that the group has been defeated , “ with the weapons of democracy .”
ETA was founded as a cultural group in 1959 in opposition to the Franco dictatorship and with the aim of establishing an independent Basque state in northern Spain and southern France . However , it quickly turned into a paramilitary outfit which , between 1968 and 2010 , killed over 820 people , including 340 civilians , and injured many hundreds more .
or sit exams in order to gain his degree in 2009 . Congressman Pablo Casado claimed he was following instructions from head of the master ’ s program , Enrique Álvarez Conde .
The public prosecutor has become involved and the university says it has widened its internal investigation . The Partido Popular , meanwhile , says the scandal has “ nothing to do with politics ,” and has refused to launch its own internal investigation , so bringing it into conflict to Ciudadanos , the PP ’ s political ally in parliament . However , Cifuentes has now handed back the qualification which , she says , it is “ not worth anything ,” and has been claiming the university irregularities have nothing to do with her . Her actions seem unlikely to save her political career .
Pension protests
Protests continued across Spain during April by pensioners seeking a fair deal . State pensions have increased by the minimum 0.25 % every year since 2011 , meaning that pensions have not kept up with rises in the cost of living . Around 100 demonstrations took place on April 15 with tens of thousands of pensioners joining in , carrying placards and banging drums .
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