Floods
PARTS of Malaga including Estepona are expected to be declared a disaster area after devastating floods which left one man dead.
The floods claimed the life of a 47-year-old fireman who died when the engine he was driving overturned and ended up in a swollen river.
Some areas received more than half the rain they normally get in a year in just a few hours, with local reports describing the deluge as “historic”.
Alfonso Rodriguez, the Spanish government spokesman for the Andalucia region, said work was now underway to evaluate the damage so parts of Malaga could be declared a disaster zone.
A BRITISH expat was winched to safety from the roof of her home after she became trapped by flood waters .. she was winched to safety by a Guardia Civil helicopter in Cortes de la Frontera.
Upstream 20 people were rescued by firefighters, police, town hall workers and volunteers before the two rescue helicopters arrived.
There are currently no other reports of injuries but damage to property and vehicles is extensive.
Saudi Arabia
Spain has not joined the group of European countries most critical of the death of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who went missing on October 2 after walking into Saudi Arabia’s consulate in Istanbul.
On Saturday, the Spanish government issued a press release expressing “consternation” over Khashoggi’s death.
But .. For now Spain is not freezing its arms sales to Saudi Arabia. Germany said yesterday that it would halt its own exports, although neither France nor Britain have seconded this move.
Budget
The government has approved a new tax on big internet companies as part of its 2019 budget, hoping to raise up to 1.2 billion euros next year.
The tax, which still requires parliamentary approval, will “modernise tax rules” for 21st-century businesses.
It calls for a 3.0 percent tax on online advertising, sales of user data and online platforms.
The tax will be levied on companies with annual revenues of over 750 million euros worldwide, and at least 3.0 million in Spain.
It has been dubbed the “Google tax” because it would affect US internet giants like Google, Facebook and Amazon.
Award
Anti FGM campaigner Nice Nailantei Leng’ete was on Friday night honoured with the 2018 Princess of Asturius Award.
Nice was handed the award by King Felipe.
Lenge’te .. who’s 27, has been lauded for her efforts in fighting female genital mutilation after she ran away from home at the age of eight to avoid being forced to have the procedure and to complete her schooling.
She advocates to eliminate the practice and replace it with alternative rites of passage for celebration of the transition to womanhood.
In April she was named among the top 100 most influential people of 2018 in TIME magazine.
Amref Health Africa was also awarded the prestigious International Cooperation prize for its commitment to using technology to improve medical care, especially the flying doctors program launched in 1957.
