50 arrested in fashion fraud

(Photo: Guardia Civil)

CADIZ The Guardia Civil recently broke up one of Spain's largest organizations dedicated to the sale of false fashion merchandise, which distributed more than 350,000 items last year. The network was unraveled following the discovery -one of many but none as substantial as this, yet- of false well-known brands of clothing at a street market in the provincial capital. Most of the stallholders were from Morocco or Sub-Sahara countries; they were at the bottom end of the organization. The GC also uncovered fake merchandise valued at €2,184,000 at several locations in Andalucía as well as in Extremadura. Some €20,000 in cash was also discovered and confiscated, as were several vehicles, computers and other material proof of the crimes.

Lightning strikes a saint

(Photo: europasur.es)

CHICLANA Earlier this month the 17th century marble statue of a saint fell from its perch fifteen metres by the bell tower of La Soledad church on the road to the old cemetery, after being struck by lightning. The Local Police and the Bomberos (fire brigade) were called in by local residents when they heard the very loud crash that followed that of the thunder storm that came through shortly after midnight. The neighbours say it was lucky nobody was passing underneath at the time, though there was some damage to cars parked in the street. The image was destroyed beyond repair, but the fire brigade experts agreed that the bell tower had not been damaged and was in no danger of collapse.

Sex between minors appears on Twitter

(Illustration only)

CADIZ A recent Trending Topic on Twitter was a video of a sexual encounter among minors, shot in the Cortadura beach area of the provincial capital, and eliminated when the girl involved in the film complained to police that she had not consented to it being uploaded to the social medium. The matter was investigated by the National Police and the person who uploaded it, also a minor, is now facing a Youth Court sentence, as are the three involved in the act that became public but has now been removed. The video first appeared on the night of April 2, and quickly became a Trending Topic, spreading throughout the Internet. The girl involved made her complaint the following morning, alleging that >>>

Jimena - Puerto Galis road gets emergency repair funds

Provincial Infrastructure head
Eduardo Párraga and
Jimena Mayor Guillermo Ruiz

JIMENA The CA-8201 road between Jimena and Puerto Galis is to get repaired thanks to some €83.600 from the provincial authorities, which is part of emergency funds of €229,500 being made available for a total of three roads that have suffered extensive damage with the recent heavy rain storms. There are some seven secondary roads in the province that remain closed after the storms, and Diputación (the provincial authority) has calculated that damage to roads in the province so far amounts to four million euros.

Did the earth move for you last night? (There was an earthquake!)

Jimena slept right through it

At 4.11 am and at 4.8 on the Richter scale

ANDALUCÍA / Jimena From what we gathered this morning, not many people felt it the earthquake that took place some 46 kilometres underground. The epicentre was located northeast of Jimena de la Frontera and was felt as far away as Cádiz, Málaga and Sevilla, though there are no reports of damage. Residents of Arriate, Manilva and Estepona, all in Málaga province, as well as in La Línea de la Concepción, did report feeling the earth 'move'. The 112 emergency number registered some ten calls on the subject. The media in Andalucía had full reports, to which the vast majority of Jimena residents, including Prospero, woke this morning to hear about it.

Twenty-five brothel owners arrested in police operation

Platinium brothel, Los Cortijillos (Los Barrios)

Establishments in Cádiz, Sevilla, Huelva and Córdoba are closed · Platinium Club in Los Cortijillos is one of them

SEVILLA A network of six brothels located in Andalucía were closed on the instructions of a court in Sevilla. There are 25 people arrested and another 50 on various charges. All of the detained went before the judge, and all made use of their right not to speak. Among them are a former PSOE Councillor of Ayamonte, Huelva, and the president of the Chamber of Commerce there. Most of them have had their ID documents and passports confiscated, so they can't leave the country, and they must report to the court regularly. Charges variously include belonging to a criminal organization, several degrees of crimes related to prostitution, tax evasion, money laundering, against the rights of foreigners, traffic of influence and in human beings.

Imperial eagle numbers on the increase in province

From two pairs last year to five at present

CADIZ province (Agencies) There are some 81 areas in Andalucía with stable pairs of Iberian Imperial eagles (Aquila adalberti). That's ten more than last year, according to ornithological reports. The rise in numbers was observed last spring, when nest building and other reproductive behaviour was also seen. The Imperial population in the province of Cádiz became an incipient reproduction nucleus when the two pairs watched in 2011 grew to five. Among them are>>>

Tourism is still the largest employer in the province

Larger proportion of temporary contracts

CADIZ Tourism-related business is still one of the largest employers in Spain, especially in the summer season. This is no less true in the province of Cádiz. The second quarter of the year has seen a total of 33,454 contracts, up by 22.8% year on year. Of these, 4,579 are in the Campo de Gibraltar (13.6% of the province's total). Algeciras (1,799 people, +20.8%), Tarifa (986, +19.9%) and San Roque (669, + 11.1%) are in the top five municipalities with most tourism-related contracts. They are followed by La Línea (630 people), Los Barrios (427), Castellar (37) and Jimena (31). These figures are for total employment contracts, not exclusively new ones. The latter tend to be short-term, temporary or seasonal employment, so we can expect local unemployment numbers to rise again in September, when some sources say, a large number of bars and restaurants in the area may be closing.

Courts in contradiction on demolition of 'illegal' buildings

Demolition in Chiclana

CÁDIZ The provincial courts of Cádiz continue to emit contradictory sentences regarding the demolition of allegedly illegal buildings in the province. Once again, and at about the same time last week, Section One of the Audiencia Provincial agrees with a prior sentence in one case that said the bulldozers can come in, while in another case another section of the court issues a cease and desist order with the sempiternal argument of future legislation (the so-called 'amnesty' for such buildings in Andalucía). The general tone of the legal reasoning behind the sentence can be summed up in words in one of its many parts: "... an illegal building does not necessarily become compatible in time with town planning regulations because these are modified." Paradoxically, Section Three of the Audiencia Provincial sent down a sentence that rejected an appeal by the Prosecutor and ratifies a prior sentence issued by a court in Cádiz that partially revoked a sentence that ordered the demolition of a house in El Puerto de Santa María. The reason: because the area in which the house was built is likely to be re-zoned in a future town planning ordinance - and thus the house would become legal.

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'. 

Stolen babies organization begins fund raising

CÁDIZ One of several emerging organizations that are trying to deal with the number of cases of 'stolen babies', SOS Bebés Robados of Cádiz, has taken to the streets in search of funds to continue its campaign to get the innumerable cases of babies possibly stolen at birth in several hospitals of the province in front of as many courts as possible.Given that they have yet to obtain any kind of official grant, they have decided that they need to mobilize, in order to at least help families lacking the resources to obtain DNA tests carried out. They met on Saturday at the Chapín stadium in Jerez, where they set up tables and banners outside before and after the Xeres-Numancia game. Tomorrow, Tuesday, they intend to hold a demonstration at the doors to the Puerta del Mar Hospital in Cádiz, which was the site of the old Residencia Zamacola, where most of the cases in the city took place. From there, the idea is to march to the courts and then on to the cemetery. The objective is to>>>

'Stolen babies': families get DNA tests

(Illustration only)

CÁDIZ (Agencies) The 'SOS Stolen Babies Cádiz' association is part of a chain of similar associations throughout the country that represents some 300 local people searching for family members that might have been part of the babies stolen at birth network that is scandalizing Spain from top to bottom. SOS Bebés Robados called a meeting this weekend to 'advise' both the biological parents as well as those who thought they were 'adopting' legally in the province of Cádiz. DNA samples were also taken at the meeting with the objective of creating files of as many cases as possible. There is no news of any similar meeting taking place in La Línea or Algeciras, two local places where suspicions of babies being stolen from the 1940s to the 70s and even 80s are being confirmed.

Cadiz has enough water for another five or six years

Guadalcacín reservoir

CÁDIZ Even if it doesn't rain a lot for some time, the province has enough water to last for the next five or six years, according to the Agencia Andaluza del Agua (Andalucia Water Agency). What it calls a 'hydrological year' ends on September 30 and it has been particularly generous in filling the ten reservoirs within Cádiz to an acceptable degree although not quite reaching last year's level. They are at an average of 83.9% of their capacity, which menas that there is enough water to supply cities, industry and agriculture alike. The province's main reservoir at Guadalcacín is at 82.6% of its capacity, some distance from its record capacity of 91.8% of March last year, which prompted emergency plans to release water, an event that had not been seen in 16 years, but was not necessary. The other four largest reservoirs in the province are similarly full: Zahara-El Gastor is at 98%, while those at Los Hurones, Bornos and Barbate hold 81%.

Guardia Civil checking airsoft guns in the province

(Photo: Guardia Civil)

CADIZ (Agencies) The Guardia Civil's arms intervention unit (Intervención de Armas) has initiated a round of inspections to check whether shops and facilities selling or using what are known as 'airsoft' guns carry the proper documentation that allows them to do so. These imitation arms are used in a battle game called Airsoft, a recreational activity in which participants shoot round non-metallic pellets launched via replica firearms, which has grown in popularity. The operation comes about after several armed robberies were found to be using these guns, many of which have been traced to illegal supplies principally in Chinese stores.

Yellow weather alert for today

AEMET today

PROVINCE The state weather service, AEMET, has issued a warning for today  in the provinces of Huelva, Cádiz, Sevilla and Córdoba, where heavy rain is expected to accumulate 40 ml in 12 hours. The yellow alert started at 06.00 this morning and lasts until 21.00. The flatlands of these provinces, and the Strait of Gibraltar area, should be especially vigilant, says AEMET. Although the warning is expected to be lifted this evening, heavy rain is expected in the area until, and maybe including, Saturday.

Campo among least breast cancer cases in Andalucía

CAMPO DE GIBRALTAR (Agencies) The Early Detection Programme developed by the regional health authority revealed that the Campo de Gibraltar is third on the list for the least cases of breast cancer in Andalucía. A survey carried out among all the hospitals in the Andalucía health service (Servicio Andaluz de Salud) comes up with the fact that in the Campo area, only 2.04 women in 1000 were found to have a malignant tumour between 1995 (at the start of the programme) and the end of 2009. During the programme's 15 years in operation 21,063 residents of the Campo were examined, of which 801 were sent on for further examination at a hospital. Of these, 43 cases of breast cancer was detected ( 4.68% of all cases in the province of Cádiz). Therefore the index in this area is established at 2.04 per 1000, compared to 7.2/1000 in Andalucía and 8.04/1000 for the province.

A new man, and a new party, at the head of Diputación

José Loaiza García

CÁDIZ (Agencies) Diputación de Cádiz is the provincial authority for the province. It actually means that it is the Junta's 'deputation' there. Yet another layer of buraucracy, one might think (and one might be right). In any case, the political colour of Diputación has been the red of PSOE since democracy returned to Spain in the 1970s. In a few days' time, however, the colour turns to the blue of PP, a turn of events not entirely unexpected after local elections on May 22 (and which impacts Mancomunidad de Municipios del Campo de Gibraltar in exactly the same way, but more of that later). Heading the provincial authority from that time on will be José Loaiza García.>>>

Dramatic fire in Cádiz

The news was all over the local, provincial and national media this morning. The fire that broke out on Calle Brasil in Cádiz at about 9.30 yesterday morning has left about a hundred families temporarily homeless. Although it is yet to be confirmed, it apparently started on the ground floor where work was being carried out on a restaurant there. The cause, say the first reports, was that a lit blowtorch came in touch with paint.

"Education system flooded by the mediocre"

CÁDIZ PROVINCE (Agencies) Economist Rafael Carbó says, "If a company is looking for engineers but the labour market offers only brick layers, we have a problem." His words come to illustrate the dangerously low level of the province's educational results. Cádiz has the lowest per capita income of the country, undoubtedly a consequence of its 'pathetic' education system. A survey of 170 students at 2nd Level Teacher's Training (Magisterio) revealed that 93% admitted to not having a vocation. They were studying to become a civl servant, as good as a 'job for life'. The system that creates teachers does so by measuring only their capacity for memorization. In the North of Europe, where teachers get the respect they deserve as the 'guardians of the future', public administrations give them an indefinite employment contract that allows them to be evaluated over a period of time. If they are not suited, alternatives can and will be found within the system. "Anything else," concludes Carbó, "and the system gets flooded by the mediocre."

Dangerous criminal caught hiding in the mountains

Photo: Guardia Civil

CÁDIZ PROVINCE (Agencies) The Guardia Civil's Operación Camina has ended with the arrest of a man nicknamed 'El Lute', who had been hiding in the mountains in a remote place known as El Pontón, on Sierra Margarita, close to a trail that links El Bosque and Benamahoma, which is inaccessible and used very infrequently. The man had allegedly been accosting, threatening and robbing local shepherds and walkers with a hunting gun for some time. The operation took place on Saturday last, with over seventy agents combing the area. After months of work and investigation, El Lute was located in the area, though the GC had been warned that he had several hunting dogs trained to alert him of, and attacking, anyone in the area. Things were complicated by the fact that he knew the area very well indeed, and used caves to hide himself and the proceeds of his frequent robberies.>