FREE COPY INTERVIEW THE NEWSPAPER FOR SOUTHERN SPAIN “I still have a Official market leader burning desire Audited by PGD/OJD to improve August 3rd to 9th 2018 www.surinenglish.com this world” News 2 Health & Beauty 56 Carlos Santana will be Comment 26 Sport 62 performing in Fuengirola Lifestyle 28 My Home 69 What To Do 45 Classified 73 next Thursday P35 in English Food & Drink 54 Pastimes 78 Taxi strike ends as government promises to address concerns A partial service ran in Malaga this week as drivers protested against private-hire licences P2 Cudeca lays first stone on new training centre. Dr Yusuf Hamied, the man making it all possible, speaks to SUR in English P56&57 Inspectors to visit a Benalmádena care The Manilva landscape after the fire was extinguished on Monday morning. :: EFE home after a scabies outbreak affected several residents P6 More policing demanded as drug Up, up and away! An estimated 300,000 people descended on gangs are blamed for Manilva fire Torre del Mar for the third International Air Show P12 Some 400 people were evacuated from their homes early on Monday Mayor of Manilva, Mario Jiménez, has reiterated demands for more po- lice after expressing fears that the area is taking over from the Campo de Gibraltar as a landing point for drugs. The fire which ravaged the municipality on Monday is believed to have been started deliberately by traffickers as a distraction. P5 22222222 August 3rd to 9th 2018 NEWS SUR IN ENGLISH Taxi strike ends but one union vows “to start World War Three” if demands aren’t met The Costa del Sol, where complete stoppages, in Malaga year ago over the same issue of pri- there were four days of province a partial service was main- vate-hire cab licences, when the tained, limiting its impact. airport taxi rank was closed, caus- disruption, was less ing severe criticism on all sides. affected than other parts Business as usual at airport This time round the biggest lo- of Spain and the airport On the Costa, taxi drivers voted cal impact was felt on the main on Sunday to joint the stoppage, Avenida del Parque, near to city taxi rank stayed open reducing the numbers working to hall in Malaga, where drivers spon- around half but maintaining a full taneously blocked private vehicles :: SUR service at Malaga Airport so as “not from using it during most of Tues- MALAGA. The taxi strike that has to inconvenience” travellers arriv- day and Wednesday but without affected holiday-season travel ing at a peak time of year. This con- taxi unions’ support. across most of Spain for much of trasted with a lightning strike a Taxi drivers, both locally and na- the last week ended on Wednes- tionally, are unhappy about the day night after government assur- number of licences given out to ances that it would address the sec- private-hire vehicles (or VTCs as tor’s grievances in September. The national government they are known in Spain). Faced However a spokesperson for the is proposing to devolve with the increased presence of Élite Taxi union in Barcelona, regulation of VTCs to the companies like Uber and Cabify, where the strike had begun, said the drivers feel that the newcom- that they would “start World War regions ers are not as regulated and pro- Three” if their demands weren’t vide unfair competition. Uber met by then. launched on the Costa del Sol this The industrial action, against summer and Cabify has increased the rise of private-hire firms like On the Costa, the taxi its local fleet recently. The biggest local impact was the blockade in central Malaga. :: ÑITO SALAS Uber and Cabify, began in Barce- drivers reduced their lona last week and spread to other numbers working to Demand to reduce licences around one in 10, and even lower and want to see regulation of VTCs areas, including Malaga city and The law says that only one new VTC in some areas, as a result of a de- passed to the regional governments the Costa del Sol. While passenger around half the usual licence can be given out in an area regulated period from 2013-2015. and not centralised in Madrid. Bar- journeys in Barcelona, Madrid and for every 30 existing taxi licences, Taxi drivers are demanding the celona’s mayor had also proposed other places were disrupted by but the current ratio in Spain is ratio is reduced to match the law that local councils could take on August 3rd to 9th 2018 3 SUR IN ENGLISH NEWS Huge visitor numbers put airport and other travel hubs to the test as busiest days of the year arrive extra regulatory powers over the VTCs, a move which was The peak period from 27 KEY AIRPORT FIGURES overturned by judges, sparking July to 6 August will see the initial strike in Barcelona last week. 865,000 air passengers, On the Costa del Sol, there and rail and coach 513 were several reports of inci- stations report a similar flight takeoffs and landings dents of attacks on Uber and Ca- scheduled for the Costa del Sol bify drivers last week and taxi story, despite a small fall this Saturday, 4 August. unions condemned them. In in UK visitor numbers Marbella two women were al- legedly injured near the bus sta- :: I. LILLO / N. TRIGUERO tion when a Cabify car was at- MALAGA. The Costa del Sol’s 85,500 tacked. transport infrastructure is facing people will be joining you at Between Monday and its biggest test of the year. Between Malaga Airport if you are flying Wednesday this week, the na- the start of last weekend and the in or out this Saturday. tional government met with all end of this weekend, Malaga prov- sides in the dispute to discuss its ince is coping with the arrival and proposals to devolve regulatory departure of more than one million responsibility of private-hire passengers, according to data sup- 5,188 VTCs like Uber and Cabify to the plied by the operators of the differ- flights in total coming in and regions, in response to taxi driv- ent transport hubs. going out in the eleven days be- ers demands. However, minis- Owner of Málaga-Costa del Sol tween 27 July and 6 August. ters claimed that the necessary Airport, Aena, has said there isn’t legislation to carry this out takes one particular day that stands out The busy arrivals area at Malaga Airport on Wednesday. :: M. FERNÁNDEZ time and cannot be done during and it defines the peak period as the August holiday period. the eleven days running from last historically July and August have passengers from 27 July to 5 August. per cent increase on 2017, equiva- By Wednesday night the taxi Friday, 27 July, to next Monday, 6 been the peak months, recently At Malaga city’s coach station, lent to 2.7 million overnight stays. drivers’ representatives had ac- August. This Saturday, 4 August, June and September have been companies have added 50 per cent The local tourist board said that in- cepted the vague assurances of they are expecting 513 takeoffs and catching up as well. more seats. Since last Saturday the ternational visitors from less tradi- the government to solve the landings, involving some 85,500 At Malaga’s mainline station, average daily passenger numbers tional markets are growing, mak- problem in September, although passengers. In the entire eleven- María Zambrano, state train opera- are reaching 25,000 and on Wednes- ing up for a slight decline in arri- they explained that they would day period being monitored, tor Renfe has said it is doubling the day the figures reached 50,000. vals from large traditional markets plan more concerted and organ- 865,000 people will arrive or de- length of many of its trains, and on Hoteliers on the Costa del Sol are like Britain and Germany, because ised industrial action if no so- part on 5,188 flights. the high-speed AVE line to and from predicting an 80 per cent occupancy of resorts in Turkey, Greece and Tu- lution was reached by then. However Aena added that, while Madrid it expects to carry 87,000 in the area for all of August and a 4 nisia coming back into fashion. 4 August 3rd to 9th 2018 NEWS SUR IN ENGLISH Mijas sets up special police force HERE AND THERE Up to 3,000-euro fines tion, including seeking, accept- for prostitutes’ clients ing or negotiating sex services in to deal with rural disturbances public places and private places open to the public, as well as any FUENGIROLA activity that brings clients in con- :: I. G. Fuengirola’s new bylaw de- tact with prostitutes, such as pro- Among the new team’s signed to wipe out antisocial be- motional leaflets, posters and priorities will be avoiding haviour introduces penalties for other advertising. clients and promoters of prosti- Fines could reach 3,000 euros forest fires, controlling wild tution rather than the sex work- in cases classed as very serious, animals and protecting the ers themselves. for example when the prohibited local environment The regulations prohibit any activity is carried out near a behaviour that favours prostitu- school. :: IVÁN GELIBTER Mijas Motor City project Green light for Intu MIJAS. A new local rural police service, tasked with patrolling coun- scrapped centre access roads try areas of the Mijas municipality, was launched by the town’s mayor, MIJAS TORREMOLINOS Juan Carlos Maldonado, last week. :: I. G. The project for a Motor City :: A.