Spain: not transparent enough

V-P Sáenz de Santamaría
(Photo: guardian.co.uk)

SPAIN This country has never had a 'transparency law' (in parts, closely akin to Britain's Freedom of Information laws), which goes some way to explain the difficulties a curious, investigative press has in obtaining up-to-date information on just about anything, ranging from information of the stolen babies scandal to updated information on parliamentary committees. This government is planning (can't say 'hoping') to change that. However, several holes have appeared in the draft of the proposed Transparency and Good Government Law, which was released last week. It lists a series of exceptions to what can and cannot be released to the public - which might be expected in matters of national security but in little else. The door is left wide open to a myriad of interpretations with items such as this: Public administrations are not obliged to facilitate information on "economic and commercial interests" nor on "economic and monetary policy" if it could lead to harm being caused in these areas, as El País says.>>>

'Stupid boys'

ALGECIRAS Two young men were arrested last week after offering the items they had stolen from a home at Las Gardenias, back to their owners. R.M.M.F., 20, and J.M.A.C., 18, both of Algeciras, are now charged on counts of burglary and forced entry. Both of them have a police record, according to National Police sources, and they allegedly accessed the home, whose owners were out, through the terrace next door, stealing jewelry, goods and items valued at over €8,000. The haul was found thanks to what the police call 'citizen cooperation', after several neighbours had been offered some of the goods for sale at ridiculous prices. Both are now 'at the disposal of the courts'.

Three businessmen stand trial for building society fraud

GIBRALTAR (Gibraltar Chronicle) Three local businessmen appeared before the Supreme Court on Monday facing charges of conspiracy to defraud the Norwich and Peterborough Building Society. They also face separate individual charges of false accounting. Liam Kenny, Adrian Oton and Paul Chichon are pleading not guilty to all the charges laid against them. These date back to events in February 2008 and>>>

The 'narco-babies' phenomenon

Ready to cross, Ceuta-Algeciras

ALGECIRAS The crisis has undoubtedly brought about a certain amount of ingenuity, just to survive; or 'necessity is the mother of invention'.  Also true, however, is that those who in better times enjoyed a good life without doing much work for it, are now more than ever inclined towards easy money. Put the two together and you get people scurrying over to the first ferry to Morocco, buying the merchandise and coming back across. The number of these people is well on the increase, of which the various security forces are well aware. Specially those at the ports of Ceuta and Algeciras. The pressure is on, and so is the imagination of the 'importers'. The 'mules' (called camellos, or camels in Spanish) continue to risk their lives suffing their innards to cross the straits in the hope of not being detected. Some carry their load in their stomachs, others in other parts, and now it's their babies that carry the load.>>>

Gorham's Cave proposed for UNESCO World Heritage site

(Photo: Wikipedia)

GIBRALTAR (Gibraltar Chronicle) The UK Government has put forward Gorham’s Cave complex for a World Heritage nomination. The announcement was made by the UK Minister responsible for World Heritage John Penrose who said , “The UK’s heritage is unique, diverse and world-class. Nomination to UNESCO for world heritage status is incredibly rewarding, but the process is pretty tough and success is by no means guaranteed. Gorham’s Cave is a strong contender, so I wish them all the best.”>>>

This is the place to be on Saturday mornings

Bogus dwarf shaman snared on sex charges

(This image is called
'dwarf shaman, so don't
argue. Thanks to
d20machine.blogspot.com )

MADRID (El País) Police are appealing for potential victims to come forward after a woman reported being sexually abused by a dwarf posing as a shaman in Madrid. According to the police report, José Israel G. R.'s modus operandi was to approach women in the center of the capital and strike up a conversation. The young woman who filed the complaint said she was handed a newspaper by G. R. and after leafing through a few pages began to feel a loss of perception. She then gave G. R. her address. On arrival, she remembers sharing a drink with G. R. but nothing else. Police suspect that G. R. used scopolamine, a Jimson weed derivative with hallucinogenic properties, to sedate his victims. It is believed he had been operating since 2007 and that some of his victims may have been tourists. G. R. had been identified on Internet forums as "dangerous" and his profile on a dwarf stripping website was removed hours after his arrest. (Prospero comment: No comment.)

New Facebook page for CampoPulse

Yes, we've given in - and spent hours and hours and hours - so we can all be Friends on Facebook. Anyway, you can see five albums there (http://www.facebook.com/pages/CampoPulse/147057975340574?ref=tn_tnmn) where we need and want absolutely everyone to Like us. We'll be Sharing a lot of what appears on this site on that page, but you can also see a lot of our photos, from way back, on our Picasa Web Albums.

National police union calls for urgent measures against innumerable deficiencies

Lorry checking station at Aduana
(Photo: SUP)

LA LÍNEA The National Police union, Sindicato Unificado de Policía (SUP) qualifies the condition of most if not all of the buildings and equipment at the station and at the Gibraltar border as Third World. No wonder. Some 300 officers are stationed here but in a new detailed report, the union insists that not only are the facilities inadequate for the amount of agents using it, but they are also obsolete for the functions they are expected to perform. They are asking either for new premises or at least numerous repairs and renovations to ameliorate the situation. By far the worst facilities are those at the border (see photo), where rust is apparent everywhere, mould and vegetation, too, and frankly alarming, very damp patches close to electricity outlets. At the station in town,>>>

A reminder: it is forbidden to collect pine cones from the Nature Park

CAMPO DE GIBRALTAR At this time of year, and further into the summer, it used to be a custom to head out into the forest, particularly where pines were to be see, to collect pine cones, be they to be used for fire starters or Christmas decorations. This applies to all nature parks, apparently, but we'll concentrate on our local ones, including the largest, of course, Parque Natural Los Alcornocales. The nature protection unit of the Guradia Civil, SEPRONA, wil,l certainly confiscate any large amounts and subject you to heavy fines for it. We dare say - but don't quote us - that just a few of them  on the car floor may not elicit any of the above. However, if you carry almost 500 kilos of it in a van, you might attract their attention, as happened to some people in Jimena last year. But it's as well to know that it is also forbidden to remove any kind of vegetation from the parks, also. Mushrooms, though, seem to have a law unto themselves.

'I have to have that pony!'

TESORILLO & SOTOGRANDE He is grey haired, stands up on order and loves his job. Children adore him, and he them (at least we think that's what his nibbling means!). He is a short little fellow who has found a permanent home, after living at eight different places over the last eight years. His life hasn't been easy, though not as bad as too many of his kind. He is definitely a puller. His owner, Lavanya, tells us that Rambo first caught her eye some four years ago, when she was doing some work on a private stud farm near Jimena. One of the local people had bought him for his younger brother, who would drive the pony up and down the dirt track in front of the farm she was working on. "He was so eye catching, this minature stallion," says Lavanya. "He would sometimes be cheeky and stubborn with the young boy and root himself to the spot. I loved him from the moment I saw him and joked with friends about how 'I need that pony'." But one day, the pony had gone, disappeared into thin air. Never saw him again. Until ... >>>

Woman denounces hospital for using 'inappropriate' instruments

ALGECIRAS (Agencies) An Algeciras resident has denounced the Punta de Europa Hospital for damages received as the result of an operation carried out with the proper instruments. She alleges that she was admitted for surgery to remove a polyp, which, owing to her allegations, caused vaginal lesions as well as now-constant headaches and sickness presumably because of inadequate or inappropriate anaesthesia. Among other things, she says that, having been on the waiting list for over three months, and given a surgery date for last Friday, when she turned up she was told by the doctor that he had good news and bad news. The good news was that the polyp was not malignant, and the bad news, that surgery could not proceed because the right equipment was not available; they had been waiting for it for three months. Nevertheless, she was taken into the operating room, where the surgery went ahead. She and her family now ask themselves, how it is possible that the surgery went ahead if the proper instruments were not available. The matter is now in the hands of Court Number 1 in Algeciras.

Largest gold haul ever, caught in Melilla on the way to 'laundry'

The haul of gold

MELILLA The largest haul of gold ever caught on Spanish territory was grabbed recently in Melilla, the Spanish enclave on the North African coast. The 140 kilos precious metal, valued at almost €5.5million, was bought over some time at jewelers all over Europe and was on its way to Morocco for resale, and thus to be 'laundered'. According to Melilla police sources, the haul was found in the boot of a vehicle belonging to a Melilla resident, parked inside a garage in the town and occupied by its owner and another person. The same source says that the find was the result of long-time investigations of an organisation specialising in laundering money that comes from drug, mainly hashish, smuggling from Morocco and distributed all over Spain and the rest of the European Union.

What is this?

What is going on here? Is he (we know it's a he coz we took the picture) making churros? Is he winding up a friend? Is it an old DJ mixing table (what d'you call those things, anyway?)?  The answer, next Wednesday.

Gaucín's artisan market cancelled for lack of interest

GAUCÍN The Artisan Market that had been scheduled for this weekend in conjunction with the Open Studio event, has been cancelled. We had this e-mail this morning: "Just a quick email to let you know the Artisan Market  at the Convento this weekend has been cancelled due to lack of interest. Hope this doesn´t ruin anyones plans. Thanks, Karen."

VAT increase 'is not planned' for next year

José Manuel Soria (ABC)

SPAIN The Minister for Industry, Energy and Tourism, José Manuel Soria, announced last week, at a luncheon by KPMG and Europa Press, that the Government 'is not planning' an increase in the rate of VAT (IVA in Spanish) for next year. Nevertheless, he added, should such an increase occur, its impact on the Spanish economy, particularly in the tourism industry, would have to be studied very carefully. However, he insisted that an increase was not on the table. On the subject of taxes, Soria admitted that the Government had promised to reduce them for the tourism industry, but the present climate does not allow for any such thing "for the time being." He did say, though, that electricity charges would have to go up "at some time" to put an end to the deficit in the electricity system.

Junta accepts two local golf resort projects, rejects another nine

Valderrama Golf Club

ANDALUCÍA / CAMPO DE GIBRALTAR The Junta de Andalucía announced recently that most of the new golf resorts asking for its go-ahead, do not meet the criteria that was established four years ago, including the need to be classified as 'of tourist interest'. Its technical commission has therefore rejected nine such projects on these grounds, but accepted two that do meet the regulations. These are in Jimena de la Frontera - and another CampoPulse item here (to be developed by Bogaris, including almost 600 homes and over 900 tourist apartments) and Castellar de la Frontera (by a Valderrama Estates subsidiary as a complement to the present Valderrama Golf Club, including a more modest 150 homes).>>>

You're not going to believe this...

This is chocolate, chocolate. We couldn't resist it, even in the heat! In fact, the idea came in from this wonderfully creative couple, David & Marketa, who recently opened a chocolate manufacturing company in Gibraltar. As you can see, they create unique pieces for any and every occasion. You can see a lot more (we've not covered the half of it here!) on their Facebook page. (Hey, stop slobbering, there! And you, put that cake down!)

Have you found Snoopy yet?

JIMENA Yesterday, Monday, we posted a picture of the firefighters' building just outside the main village. Snoopy is on there, as we can prove herewith. The idea was to get you, Dear JimenaPulse Reader, to move over to CampoPulse, as this one will be disappearing at the end of the month - that's Thursday! So if you haven't yet put CampoPulse into your Bookmarks /Favourites list, this is the time to do so. Note to advertisers: as from Friday, June 1, your ads will now be appearing exclusively on CampoPulse, which gives you better value for money as the readership increases considerably and your message spreads further. If you have any questions, please e-mail us, or comment below.

The Flowers of Jimena / Las flores de Jimena

'Spain's fishing armada stopped from raping Gibraltar's waters'

GIBRALTAR (Looking to the Left) In a 2010 report Greenpeace stated: “The Spanish government has encouraged the development of excessive and destructive fishing practices such as bottom trawling, purse seining and long lining. It has supported illegal ‘pirate’ fishing through fishing subsidies, and seems unwilling or unable to effectively prosecute Spanish companies who fish illegally.” It is that same Spanish fishing armada that has until recently raped Gibraltar’s waters, which are British waters, and the Gibraltar government is now insisting its environmental laws are upheld to stop the destruction of its marine environment. Read the full article here.

Álvaro Quirós gets into Top Ten at Wentworth

SAN ROQUE / Guadiaro Álvaro Quirós, the golfer born and bred in Guadiaro, made it into the Top Ten   of the season's stroke play ranking, having just a week ago, got there in the match play listings, too. He came in tenth behind BMW PGA Championship won by Luke Donald, who in turn became the world's Number one. Quirós became professional in 2004, improving steadily over the years and is  noted for his length off the tee (he was the longest driver on the European Tour in 2006, 2007 and 2008, averaging nearly 310 yards). He won his fifth European Tour title, the Dubai Desert Classic in February, defeating James Kingston and Anders Hansen by one stroke to win the title.

Fake drugs arrests in Spain and UK

SPAIN / UK Four people were arrested recently in Spain, and two in the UK, as the result of an international operation against bogus medications that lasted several months. The suspects were allegedly importing counterfeit drugs from Asia, mainly China and Singapore, according to a report by Britain’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). These were supposedly being distributed through Internet to clients all over Europe. In Britain alone the haul included tablets worth around €150,000, and including counterfeit versions of Pfizer’s Viagra and Eli Lilly’s Cialis, both used to treat erectile dysfunction, as well as the withdrawn anti-obesity drugs rimonabant and sibutramine. Spain was allegedly being used as a supply base from which distribution took place.>>>

Rubbish collection costs, answers to protests

SAN ROQUE / Sotogrande Residents of the luxury resort in San Roque have been complaining recently about a considerable rise in their rubbish collection bills. The reasons for it are set out in a pres release by the Mancomunidad de Municipios del Campor de Gibraltar, which owns the company that carries it out, ARCGISA. The protests include places that are in th Sotogrande area: Pueblo Nuevo, Torreguadiaro, Guadiaro and San Enrique. According to the press release, these, plus the resort, generate 42.23% of the municipality's rubbish, and use 51.45% of the resources available to the company. There is more, however. Until ARCGISA took over, the municipality of San Roque did not charge for rubbich collection at all, which does not mean, says Mancomunidad, that there was no cost involved.>>>

Four arrested in robbery probe

Entrance to Market, Gibraltar
(Photo: virtualtourist.com)

GIBRALTAR (GibChronicle) Detectives investigating a violent robbery earlier this month have arrested four people. Three of them are Spanish nationals, including two women and a man, all in their early 20s. The fourth person arrested is a local man in his late 20s. All four are helping police with enquiries and have been released on police bail while investigations continue. The robbery took place in a shop in Market Place on April 13 and resulted in a young woman being viciously assaulted. Two men in hooded tops forced their way into the store and beat up the young Spanish woman serving behind the counter. They then tied her up and gagged her before making off with the shop’s takings. The woman, in her 20s, sustained facial bruising and lacerations to the arms. She was treated in hospital for shock but discharged shortly afterwards. The incident happened at around 9pm in a store on the corner of the City Walls.

Chiclana businesses and residents ask for an end to illegal building

Aerial view of Chiclana

CHICLANA  The latest police operation that resulted in 32 people being charged with various counts related to illegal land speculation and building has caused more than consternation among the municipality's residents and authorities. For instance, the Business Association of Chiclana has roundly condemned 'town planning corruption', according to one report. Its president, Nicolás Rodriguez, made a statement recently about 'the need to cut professional misconduct and any business that deals with it, at the very roots'. For its part, Chiclana Council, headed by Mayor Ernesto Marín, said that it had cooperated fully with the Guardia Civil in its investigations into urban corruption, 'and would continue to do so because we are talking about the future', which should not be left in the hands of a few corrupt speculators. The organization that serves the victims of illegal building, a political party called Partido Vecinal Regionalista (PVRE, with two Councillors), also came out against the illegal practices, calling those who take part in them 'soulless', while recalling the large number of people who have come to them with tears in their eyes having lost their homes overnight.

Bagels? Bagels! Where can I get bagels?

SOTOGRANDE We love bagels. We have loved them ever since we lived in Miami. We've eaten bagels in New York and London and other places we hardly remember it was so long ago. We don't reckon much on the buy-them-frozen idea: not the same at all. But where can you get them fresh? We found them at the Mar y Sol Market on Saturday morning. They are made by our new best friend Sarah, who also bakes other scrumptious goodies together with our other new best friend Tanya. Now, excuse us while we're still licking our fingers after a delicious blueberry muffin. Watch this space for a whole lot more about the Mar y Sol Saturday Market!

Patricia Lucas exhibition this weekend

JIMENA Long time resident Patricia Lucas (also known as Pat Fender) is holding an exhibition of her fabulous paintings this weekend at the Casa Verde de Agaden (Calle Sevilla 51, just below the town hall) in Jimena from Friday, June 1 to Sunday, June 10. Opening hours are from 5 to 9pm. Pat has a magnificent way with wild flowers in her paintings, mostly landscapes - but we really want to know what is new.

Firemen at work - and a good thing too!

JIMENA This photo was taken on Friday morning when a delivery lorry popped its brakes as it was parked behind the furniture store opposite the petrol station and rolled down towards the main road (and the aforesaid petrol station!). Fortunately, a street light post got in the way and stopped it. The firemen are removing the post. The driver ran after his lorry but wasn't able to clamber in until the vehicle stopped. Poor man was not in a good state but luckily there was no major accident nor was anyone hurt. The firemen had to spray the road as there was a diesel fuel leakage.

Where's Snoopy?

JIMENA Can you find Snoopy on this building? It appears the firefighters were bored one day last week and put up a Snoopy doll somewhere on this building. We'll give you the answer tomorrow, Tuesday. This is a trick so JimenaPulse readers get to move over to this site, as it will soon be transmogrified (merged is a synonym) into CampoPulse because it gets to be boring and tiresome to duplicate items in both places. Have you put CampoPulse into your Favourite/Bookmark yet?

Gaucín's weekend of art and craft

GAUCÍN (Press release) Gaucín's first Artisan Market, in conjunction with Art Gaucín, will be held at the Convento in the village on Saturday 2nd and Sunday 3rd June from 10 - 5.30 pm. The stalls will be selling a variety of gifts, clothes, wine and crafts from producers and craftsmen from Gaucin and the surrounding areas. Art Gaucin is a longstanding event held for many years where many visitors are invited into the artists homes to view their work and now there is an opportunity to see amore artists and artisanas ideas and goods. there is a bar and refreshments are available. Also on Saturday 2nd June the annual PAD Gaucin Rastro is being held selling a large variety of donated goods for the local animal charity. Gaucín has a good variety of bars, restaurants and shops to provide an  event packed great day out over this busy weekend in one of Andalucias beautiful white villages.

Diana Jacklin sings Verdi's Lady Macbeth aria

(Source: CODA music society) Diana Jacklin sings Lady Macbeth's aria Ambizioso Spirto from Verdi's Macbeth. Kristin Okerlund is at the piano. Diana Jacklin came to the first International Music Festivals of Jimena and was a wild success. She returned several times, not just to perform but also as a private visitor. Great to see her here!

Woman dies in shootout at bank branch

Ambulance crew screening off the
bus stop where the woman was
shot.

SEVILLA (Agencies) A woman died after being caught in crossfire between robbers and Local Police. The incident began at about 8.40 this morning when the police surprised two men trying to hold up a branch of Banca Cívica in San Juan de Aznalfarache. When they tried to escape, the robbers began shooting at the police, during which Concepción Barreiro, about 50, who was waiting at a bus stop with her daughter but got caught up in the cross fire. Local sources she lived on the same street as the bank, and took care of a quadriplegic son and her 90 year old mother. The National Police have announced that the robbers have been detained, one of whom is seriously wounded in the chest and has been taken to hospital. NP sources say that the robbers had held up the same branch but were never caught.

Gang of burglars arrested

CÁDIZ (Agencies) The Guardia Civil reports the arrest of a gang of burglars that allegedly specialized in house robberies in the Barbate, Zahara de los Atunes and Vejer area. The gang was supposedly headed by a minor who, 'taking advantage of the false impunity ascribed to his age', climbed into homes from the ground floor even when the house was occupied. They supposedly stole mostly jewelry and electric/electronic equipment of all sorts, which was later sold at pawn shops and jewelers to buy drugs. The GC believe the gang is responsible for at least 25 such robberies. Stolen valuables were found at three addresses in Cádiz and many items have been identified by their owners. The gang, the number of members of which has not been revealed, is now 'at the disposal of the courts'. 

Gibraltar continues to harass five Algeciras fishing boats

(Photo: europasur.es)

ALGECIRAS (Agencies) At least five fishing boats based at Algaciras were again involved in several tense moments yesterday evening when Royal Navy patrol boats came out into Gibraltar waters. The latest of several incidents -which Rock authorities say privately are being provoked by the new PP government in Madrid- comes after the previous nights incidents when the fishermen and Guardia Civil crossed insults and threats in the bay. This time, according to fishing sources, at least three RGP boats and one Royal Navy vessel harassed them, even though they were protected by four Guardia Civil launches. The matter has jumped to national headlines and at the top of news broadcasts on Spanish radio and television. It is also expected now to be put at the head of the agenda for next Tuesday's meeting between Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel García-Margallo and his British counterpart, William Hague.

Weekend Medieval Market starts today

CASTELLAR A Medieval Market in the Al-Andalus style is to be held this weekend. Its official opening is at 1pm this afternoon, and closes on Sunday, 27th. Appropriately, the venue is Plaza Andalucía, the main square in ('new') Castellar Nuevo (i.e. not at the castle). Several activities are planned, which you can see if you click on the image to enlarge it.

82% agree with smoking ban

Prospero, who gave up smoking
in June 2010, no longer feels like this
(except when he does)

SPAIN A Spanish medical research organization, Sociedad Española de Medicina de Familia y Comunitaria reports the result of a recent survey of over 4,000 people aged 18 and over at Primary Health Care Centers (the local Health Centre, to the rest of us), covering smokers, non-smokers and ex-smokers. The research says that 82% of the population is against allowing the ban on smoking in public places to be rescinded (something that had been put about by the pro-smoking lobby when the government but has been officially denied). And 78% believe the anti-smoking law that came into force at the beginning of 2011 was a success. It is calculated that only 27% to 29% of the total population - lower than a few years ago, when it went to 35% - is considered to be a smoker (Prosp note: this number must include babies and small fry, surely), but the law has not managed to reduce smoking in private places: 57% of those polled said they smoke at home since the ban, of whom 12% say they do so more frequently, while 10% said they didn't smoke then and they don't smoke now. Smoking among women aged 12 to 22 is up by 12% since the ban, according to another survey, while it has diminished by 1.4% among males of the same age.

Gibraltar is on the agenda for London talks

GIBRALTAR / UK (Agencies) Although the subject is not high on British Foreign Secretary William Hague's list of priorities, he will have to broach it when he meets his Spanish counterpart, José Manuel García-Margallo, next Tuesday in London. The subject, of course, is the dispute about fishing rights in the waters surrounding Gibraltar, which are claimed by Spain. Another thorn in the Spanish side is the visit to the Rock by Prince Edward in July, which Spain sees as 'provocation'. It was Hague's idea that the two should discuss the state of bilateral relations, but the last couple of weeks of tensions, plus a build-up of incidents between the Royal Gibraltar Police and the Guardia Civil that now seemed to have calmed down, have seen Gibraltar creep into and up the meeting's agenda. Britain is also expected to make a formal complaint about the long queues resulting from border controls on the Spanish side.

Tunnel will take three years to complete

GIBRALTAR (Agencies) In answer to questions, Government confirmed to Parliament that the tunnel under the airport -aimed at decongesting vehicle traffic- will not be ready until the Spring of 2015. The question by Opposition Leader Peter Caruana to Chief Minister Fabian Picardo elicited the response that new documents are being prepared in order to put the remaining work out to tender. These are not only in regard to the tunnel itself but also include other allied projects. Tender would not be decided until at least March next year. Stating that the tunnel is "of great importance to Gibraltar," Caruana asked if the tender offer could not be huirried along as the work would take two years to complete. Picardo answered that it was being done "as quickly as possible." The new terminal is completed -at a building cost of over €70million and operational costs expected to be close to €3million a year- and is due to be inaugurated by Prince Edward when he visits Gibraltar as part of his mother's Diamond Jubilee celebrations in July.

New street map is downloadable

ALGECIRAS A new street map is available on the Town Hall website. You can download it to most mobile devices and allows a quick way of finding a street. The same map is also available in the traditional paper mode, of which some 20,000 have been printed, available at the Department of Tourism at Calle Convento, as well as at other departments and the Town Hall. This is the first new map since 2006, and there are plans to link it to all the hotels in the municipality and other tourism organizations or places that work with the Council.

'We want a meeting with the Mayor'

JIMENA We read about this on TioJimeno, and herewith offer an abridged, translated version of the open letter Elizabeth and John Holtermann sent to our colleagues up the road. "To Jimena Town Hall: We have asked for a meeting with the Secretary, and it was cancelled. Meanwhile, we wrote to the Mayor and handed the letter to him personally, but have received no answer. We assume that anyone living in a municipality has the right to a meeting, if not with the Mayor, then with the Secretary. We thought we would no longer have to deal with the same kind of people as we did with the previous administration, but it looks as though we're wrong. Therefore we ask: if the Secretary cancels a meeting and the Mayor doesn't reply to our letter, what's the point in having voted for another party at the elections?" We at JimenaPulse have some answers that might interest the Holtermanns (see below).>>>

Fishing as usual in disputed waters

Fishing boat headed
for disputed waters this morning.
(Photo: europasur.es)

GIBRALTAR/SPAIN As we reported here (Fishing fleet fears problems with Gibraltar), there is an ongoing problem with Gibraltar about fishing rights and/or the disputed territoriality of the waters surrounding the Rock. Local fishing fleets have been wary of heading for these waters in case they were stopped/arrested/removed by the Gibraltarian authorities. However, at 5.30 yesterday morning, the small fleet based at La Línea, went out to their jobs in those very waters without incident. The Spanish Secretary for Fishing, Carlos Domínguez, came to Algeciras on Sunday to tell the fishermen to do their jobs in those waters, despite the ban established by Gibraltar. Rock authorities are holding their position and continue to block entry by Spanish fishing vessels since talks broke down a couple of months ago, when Gibraltar decided unilaterally to rescind a 1999 agreement to the contrary. A meeting between Chief Minister Fabian Picardo and La Línea Mayor Gemma Araujo is scheduled this afternoon aimed at bringing the dispute to an end.

Queues up to three hours at frontier

(Photo: europasur.es)

GIBRALTAR/SPAIN This may not come as news to many of our readers, but queues of up to three hours to come off the Rock were reported on Sunday, due principally to the Guardia Civil at the frontier applying strict controls on every vehicle coming into Spain. Things were at their worst at about 6.30, with vehicles backed up throughout Gibraltar, all the way to Devil's Tower Road. It dfidn't help either, according to local press reports, that the airport barriers went down at about 5.30. Speculation among drivers, tourists and workers alike, was that the situation was as retaliation for the problems arising from the fishing rights dispute presently taking place (See next item).

International volunteers whale watch from land

(Photo: europasur.es)

TARIFA Some 25 volunteers working with Circe (Conservación, Información y Estudio sobre Cetáceos) are presently taking part in the seventh campaign that watches for finback and sperm whales from land. The main objective is to evaluate the risk of impact with the large vessels that cross the Strait of Gibraltar. This is the fourth year the study has been carried out, with a total of about 400 participants from numerous countries, who have found, identified and followed up on these whales, two of many species that come through the straits each season. Pauline Gauffier, who coordinates the event, says that>>>

Arrested for biting off part of his victim's ear

Illustration only

SAN ROQUE The Guardia Civil arrested a man recently, charged with GBH. The incident happened on Sunday the 13th, when the victim was accosted by an acquaintance asking for money. After refusing the request, the attacker began hitting him with a helmet he was carrying, injuring him in the face and arms. The victim tried to run away but the aggressor jumped on him and proceeded to bite his ear, of which he tore off a part. The attacker ran away and the victim was taken to the hospital. The matter was reported to the GC, who found witnesses able to identify the attacker, as well as through the victim's description. The aggressor was arrested at his home in Campamento four days later, with the help of the Local Police, as he is well known for being very violent.

Duke of Medina Sidonia offers conference tomorrow

The Duke's coat of arms

GIBRALTAR The Instituto Cervantes has scheduled for tomorrow, May 23, at 7pm, a lecture by the Duke of Medina Sidonia,  Alonso González de Gregorio y Álvarez de Toledo, under the title of 'Gibraltar, and the Duchy of Medina Sidonia in the XV Century'. The Duke is a Professor of History at the University of Castilla-La Mancha and of the School of Diplomacythat belongs to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Cooperation. The lecture will start with an explanation of the Spanish feudal system of that era, which is very different to that of Britain, followed by the history of the close relationship between the House of Guzmán, founded by Guzmán el Bueno, the first of a lineage that goes back to  the 13th century, and Gibraltar, which began with the foundation of the Duchy itself and ended towards the beginning of the 16th century.

Terror tour of Jimena

JIMENA The second Terror Tour of Jimena, organized by Posada La Casa Grande, is scheduled for Friday, June 1. The poster reads 'Witches, Apparitions and Scary stories that happened here'. Thrilling! The price of €45 p/p includes dinner and accommodation on Friday, and breakfast on Saturday, which seems very reasonable.

Just a nice picture ...

This photo was taken by Gonzalo Polo when a belly dancer visited Jimena for a gig earlier this year. We asked him for it and he allowed us to publish it ... well, you don't go around pinching things, do you? Thing is, we neglected to put it up at the time, and as we were tidying up earlier this morning, we came across it. It's still a nice picture, isn't it?

Nice job if you can get it

Dr. Ricard Gutiérrez Martí

BARCELONA (Agencies) Ricard Gutiérrez Martí, was co-Managing Director of the Sant Pau hospital in Barcelona between 2001 and 2004. However, he continued to be paid his full salary -between €80,000 and €110,000 per year- for the following seven years. He was not made redundant until last year, when he received an additional indemnity od €158,569.63, according to the foundation that runs the hospital. Having worked a mere three years at the hospital, Gutiérrez Martí received a total of over one million euros.>>>

Sisters allegedly made false receipts for their community

ALCAIDESA (Agencies) Two sisters, answering to the initials M.V.A. and M.E.V.G., are being prosecuted for allegedly creating false bills and receipts when they were President and Vice-President, respectively, of their community, and supposedly keeping the money that came in as a result. The matter revolves initially  around two cheques made out to bearer, for €3,000 each, that were to go to pay an employee that had been fired by the community. The employee denied ever having received any cheque nor the amount in cash. Another witness stated that the cheques were cashed by the sisters themselves at a local bank. One of the defence lawyers said at the trial that the total figure as yet unaccounted for amounts to €111,000. Some twenty witnesses are expected to be called. Two Policía Nacional agents testified that the receipts they had seen in this matter, had been 'manipulated', and that the women were arrested in 2009 after the community secretary-administrator denounced that her signature had been falsified in the monthly reports on expenditure.

Fishing fleet fear problems with Gibraltar

ALGECIRAS (Agencies) The fishing fleet based in Algeciras set out to fish yesterday. Some of the boats were ready to do so close to Gibraltar, while others decided onsetting their nets as far away as possible from trouble with the Rock after talks on the rights broke down last week. The talks came about after an agreement dating back to 1999 had come to an end. The port master, Esteban López, advised the various skippers to contact the Guardia Civil before setting ouyt to sea. Meanwhile, the fleet at La Línea, closer to Gibraltar, decided it was too risky to fish in the disputed waters and only a few boats headed further out into the Strait instead. A meeting was scheduled between the fleet representatives and Mayor Gemma Araujo, after which an announcement will be made regarding the dispute that affects some 300 families that depend on the catches of some 70 boats, from La Atunara in La Línea to Algeciras.

Mar y Sol Saturday market is there every week

SOTOGRANDE The new market at Mar y Sol (See map below) became weekly at the beginning of this month, having started strongly every other week just a couple of months ago. There are all kinds of stalls, including crafts, produce, cake stands (picture), new and used children's clothing and more, much more, plus activities and entertainment for everyone. There is also room for more stalls (call Tanya on 666157917). The market also raises funds and collects food and other items for Spanish Stray Dogs. Watch this space for a little story on Rambo the Party Pony ...

Bad taste fashion victims of Spain's Olympic uniforms

Click to enlarge
and give us your opinion

SPAIN The Spanish media has been attacking the taste of the country's Olympics costumes since they were presented to the public a few days ago. One blogger says he is ashamed of them, for instance. But most of the criticism is centred on the tracksuit. The Spanish Olympic Committee commissioned the Russian design company Bosco Sport, which, says the committee, was designed and made 'at no cost and with a guarantee of quality'. Just as well, says the media, because if they had charged for it, it should go to court. It's as well to remember that the uniforms will be worn by the likes of Rafa Nadal and Pau Gasol, two of the top sports personalities in the world. So far, neither they, nor any other top athletes, have commented publicly on the subject.>>>

ArtGaucín's annual Open Studio Weekend coming up

GAUCÍN ArtGaucín is holding its annual Open Studio Weekend on May 31 to June 3rd. The collective exhibition is held by a selection of painters, sculptors, printmakers and photographers living and working in and around the village. It is  a fascinating variety of styles that range from the very skilled, talented amateurs to some very well known artists, whose work you can get a feeling about by visiting the ArtGaucín website, and clicking on the artists' names. If you wish to see the work you can contact the artists or their agents direct, for information about each artists forthcoming exhibitions and open studios. Serious collectors and students may be welcome to visit some of the artists studios and to see work in progress. Please telephone to enquire.

Province's most expensive house for sale is in Jimena

(Photo: idealista.com)

JIMENA The most expensive house for sale in the province of Cádiz is in Jimena, according to EuropaSur. For sale to a private buyer, it offers nine bedrooms, five bathrooms, a polo field and fifty boxes for stabling, it is listed at €6,800,000 - eighth on the nationwide real estate website. The property has 16 hectares, and the main house is about 1,000m2. According to Idealista.com, the most expensive home they list is in Marbella and priced at €25million.