ISSUE NO. 1670
A XARQUÍA - C OSTA T ROPICAL
6 - 12 July 2017
Toxic tip Probe continues A €30,000 fine issued by the national Environmental Ministry soon after the illegal tip in Nerja’s Rio de la Miel became operational in 2000 was reportedly annulled by the Junta de Andalucia. It comes as Alberto Armijo, Deputy Chief of Employment, European Resources and New Technology for Malaga provincial council, claimed he was “never” ordered to close the site by the regional authority. Investigators have arrested 12 people, are investigating 25 others and have confiscated 170 items worth €5 million following the scandal as a police probe continues. The site, which is located in the National Park of Tejeda, Almijara and Alhama near Nerja, was previously a working quarry owned by the council, before being exploited as an unauthorised dumping ground for 16 years. The Public Prosecutor’s Office has labelled the landfill “a genuine environmental disaster” and has also launched an investigation following complaints filed by the Association of Construction and Demolition Waste Management Companies of Andalusia (AGRECA) and the Spanish Federation of Associations of Construction Waste Management Companies and Demolition.
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Outrage over sexist ad campaign
Shocking By Matt Ford A vulgar poster which appeared outside a Torre del Mar car park has sparked a manhunt. It comes after the sexist notice, featuring a naked woman with an explicit slogan splashed across her buttocks, prompted a social media storm. The mysterious advert was displayed at the entrance to an underground public car park managed by a private company in the town centre. It was removed after less than an hour, when deputy mayor Jesus Carlos Perez Atencia was alerted to its presence and tipped off Local Police, who immediately ripped it down and launched a probe. The trail of evidence led to Central American country Belize, where a website associated with the artwork is registered. This features more sexually explicit photos with the message ‘Coming soon, this is just the beginning’ in Spanish alongside a registration form and a clock counting down to Saturday July 15. The coalition council expressed its disgust at the graphic artwork, with Councillor Atencia declaring that “we cannot say
POSTER: Did nothing to promote gender equality. much until the investigation has ended, but I do want to make it very clear that we do not agree with this kind of sexist poster, which denigrates the image of women and does nothing to promote gender equality.” He added that the town hall has not yet established the identity of the company responsible, but that the advertising board is one of 30 overseen by the same firm which runs the car park, and that the perpetrator will be charged after “surpassing the limits of the fundamental rights of minorities, intima-
cy, respect and coexistence.” The opposition Popular Party wasted no time in blaming the council, as spokesman Francisco Delgado Bonilla expressed his amazement that they allowed “this insulting, ma-
cho, humiliating, shameful and sexist campaign” to go ahead. Investigators said that identifying those responsible will be complicated due to the lack of a public register for advertisers.
Sewage shambles THE company awarded the 2014 contract to complete the Nerja wastewater treatment plant is in the hands of administrators after declaring debts amounting to €1.6 billion. Having failed to obtain the necessary credit to stay afloat, Isolux-CorsanCorviam will be unable to finish the project, with no end in sight for a saga that has dragged on for two decades. Although the main plant is 96 per cent complete, a pumping station must be constructed on Burriana beach and underground infrastructure installed in the town centre. The scheme is being financed by the Spanish Environmental Ministry, and Nerja Council said in a statement that it has requested an “urgent” meeting in order to find out what is going on. In the meantime, Nerja remains one of the few municipalities in Malaga Province that continues to pump raw sewage directly into the sea.