Slideshow

MARBELLA GAZETTE

Friday 26 August 2011

Woman killed by boat propeller on the Costa Blanca

She sustained massive injuries in the accident off Santa Pola and died on Tuesday night


A 37 year old woman from Elche died on Tuesday after a boating accident in Santa Pola where she fell into the water and was caught by the boat’s propeller, sustaining a massive wound across her body from her shoulder to her hip.

Ambulance crew, Cruz Roja personnel and local police worked at the scene for more than an hour to stabilise the injured woman before she was rushed to hospital in Alicante for emergency surgery. She however died on Tuesday night.

It’s understood that there were three other adults and three children on board when the tragedy happened, just as the boat was turning out to sea, when the woman is thought to have lost her balance. Diario Información indicates that the vessel is owned by the victim’s husband.

 

Eight people were arrested unloading the cargo onto the dock at Isla Cristina


Details of another success in the fight against drug smuggling were released on Wednesday, after a months-long operation which the National Police say still remains open.

Eight people were caught by officers as they were unloading a cargo of cannabis on the dock at Isla Cristina in the early hours of Sunday. Huelva Información gives the total weight of the drugs as 3.5 tons.

There has been no confirmation of the nationalities of the suspects.

Wednesday 24 August 2011

Marbella return for Jordan

KATIE Price has ended speculation that she was set to appear on Celebrity Big Brother by touching down in Marbella for the second time this summer.
The former glamour model, 33, is enjoying a break with her children and boyfriend Leandro Penna on the coast.
‘Not doing Big Brother. I’m away with my family and I’m signed to Sky Living so impossible,’ the star declared on Twitter.

 

Saturday 20 August 2011

High winds are complicating the work of the fire fighters and the town of Portman has been evacuated

2,000 people have been evacuated from their homes because of a fire in the Murcia sierra which was first reported at 11pm on Tuesday night.

The fire is known to have burnt out three properties and it is feared that the flames could reach the town of Portmán, close to the La Manga Golf Club in Cartagena.

There are no reports of any injuries, although Red Cross and 061 ambulances remain at the scene in case.

The high winds in the area are complicating the work of the fire fighters. They have sent ten trucks to the zone, and six forestry brigades are also fighting the flames. Airborne measures in the form of three helicopters and other planes were brought in at first light on Friday.

Mayor of La Unión which has also been affected, Francisco Bernabé, said ‘This is a disaster’. He confirmed to National Radio that all the population of Portmán had been evacuated, and described the wind in the zone as ‘tremendous’.

 

Moroccan man arrested for links to Al Qaeda

37 year old Moroccan man has been arrested in La Linea de la Concepción for his alleged links to the Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, AQMI. He is accused of putting propaganda in favour of Al Qaeda on internet forums.

Abdellatif Aoulad Chilba, is accused of belonging to an armed gang because of his connections, according to the Ministry for the Interior.

He was arrested in his home where several substances were removed for analysis, although these are not thought to be for explosives. A pistol, computer, and leaflet about black magic, which the arrested man practiced, were removed.

The internet forum he is accused of maintaining recruited new members for Al Qaeda and distributed the organisation’s communications.

Abdellatif has previously been expelled from Jordan as a consequence of his activities. He’s married to a Spanish woman and they have at least one child. He recently has earned a living giving Tarot Card readings to foreigners and locals in La Línea.

Also arrested was a Chinese man who had facilitated the internet connection for the Moroccan.

 

32 year old Briton in intensive care after almost drowning on Ibiza

A 32 year old British man is in the intensive care unit of the Can Misses hospital on Ibiza with symptoms of drowning.

It appears he jumped from a rock into the sea at the Cala Llonga, but hit another rock in the water. A friend with him at the time, also British, jumped into the sea to help, but only to almost drown himself.

A passing boat managed to rescue the two and take them to shore, from where the emergency services took them to hospital. The friend was released after treatment, but the other remains in hospital more critically hurt.

 

Friday 19 August 2011

Supplier to Zara in Brazil accused of slave labor

Spain's Zara, owned by the world's largest clothing retailer Inditex SA (ITX.MC), is under investigation by Brazil's labor ministry after a supplier was accused of slave labor, a local seamstress union said on Wednesday.

Government investigators raided four Sao Paulo sweatshops in late June, union officials told Reuters. All the garments discovered in the investigation were labeled with the Zara brand.

"Before then, we had never received accusations" against Zara, Maria Susiclea Assis, who heads the Sao Paulo-based Sindicato das Costureiras de Sao Paulo e Osasco union, said in an interview.

The workers in the shops were from Boliva and Peru, she added.

Inditex, run until last month by 75-year-old founder Amancio Ortega, Spain's richest man, said in a statement sent from Sao Paulo that the case involved "unauthorized outsourcing" by a Brazilian supplier for the company.

The company did not provide the name of the supplier.

The investigation comes as the Brazilian government cracks down on slave labor in the logging, charcoal and sugar cane industries. Labor ministry representatives were not immediately available for comment.

Earlier this year, hundreds of workers fainted at Cambodian textile factories due to sweltering heat, long shifts and chemical exposure, putting major retailers H&M Hennes & Mauritz AB (HMb.ST), Marks & Spencer Group Plc (MKS.L) and Inditex in the spotlight and their suppliers under investigation. [ID:nL3E7HL10J]

Inditex confirmed an investigation discovered 16 unregistered workers in violation of the company's code of conduct, adding that the ministry is regularizing the workers' situation.

Inditex will make sure their working conditions comply with company standards.

"The supplier was entirely responsible for the financial compensation of the workers, as established in Brazilian law and Inditex's code of conduct," the company statement said.

Inditex shares closed 1.9 percent higher in Madrid at 60.15 euros on Wednesday. (Writing by Brad Haynes; editing by Guillermo Parra-Bernal and Andre Grenon)

 

Brits planning a driving holiday in Spain have been reminded to make sure they have an extra pair of glasses in the car

Brits planning a driving holiday in Spain have been reminded to make sure they have an extra pair of glasses in the car, while those heading to Romania or Russia are warned that local regulations make it illegal to drive a dirty vehicle.

These are among the unusual overseas driving rules highlighted by car rental company Avis UK, which has published a series of guides covering the top ten destinations for vehicle hire this summer.

Other surprising laws dictate that motorists should have headlights on at all times outside of built-up areas in Italy and should never drink anything behind the wheel in Cyprus.

In Greece, visitors might return to their car to find that the number plate has been confiscated if they have parked illegally, while in Denmark it is a legal requirement to check for people hiding under one's vehicle before starting a journey.

People planning a driving holiday abroad can use the new guides from Avis UK to find out about the best routes in a number of popular countries and get recommendations for family day trips.

Commercial director Anthony Ainsworth said: "Renting a car is a great way to get out and about and we've seen a ten per cent rise year-on-year in large car hires abroad as an increasing number of families look to venture beyond their resort and see more of the country they're visiting."

He added: "We've created these guides to help our customers make the most of their holiday and we hope they'll find them an insightful read before they take to the road this summer.

Sunday 14 August 2011

Abandoned 2-year-old girl rescued from dumpster in southeastern Spain

An official says a 2-year-old girl has been rescued from a dumpster after her parents abandoned her.

He says residents of the southeastern town of Cabezo de Torres were alarmed by sobbing sounds coming from the garbage container late Saturday and after removing several plastic bags of refuse found the girl “crying, sweating and with panic showing in her face.”


The toddler’s parents have been identified and arrested, and are awaiting trial on suspicion of having abandoned a minor, the official said Sunday on condition of anonymity in keeping with ministry rules.

 

Saturday 13 August 2011

Spanish towns face funding crisis, rack up debts


In this hillside town, topped by a medieval castle and surrounded by olive groves, the 120 municipal workers haven't been paid since May. Police have new orders not to use their patrol cars unless they get word of a traffic accident or a crime in progress.
The town pool is closed for the summer despite temperatures over 104 (40 Celsius) in the shade. Fees for the public day-care center have doubled. Water bills will soon go up 33 percent and local business owners are seething over euro9 million ($12.7 million) in unpaid bills owed by the town hall, much of it to them.
Spain's 8,115 municipalities are being hit by a crushing revenue hangover from a nearly two-decade building boom that went bust in 2008. Officials in Moratalla believe they are the first in Spain to publicly declare their town is on the verge of going broke — and that the only way out is an unprecedented program of drastically reducing services while boosting local taxes and fees in an austerity drive that could last eight years.
Moratalla and its mammoth debt "are the mirror image of a lot of towns" that have not yet fully admitted the extent of their dire financial circumstances, said Deputy Mayor Juan Soria. "These are hard measures, but they're necessary and I think we have to reinvent ourselves because we've lived beyond our means and we have to lower expectations."
There is growing concern in Spain that municipalities and regional governments are increasingly in danger of being unable to meet their obligations. Just this week in the region of Castilla la Mancha, not far from Moratalla, three out of every four pharmacies closed in a "strike" to protest late payment on euro125 million ($178.12 million) owed to them by the regional government for prescription drugs citizens get from Spain's regionally controlled national health care system.
Local and regional governments took on big obligations during Spain's boom years as their coffers swelled with revenue that has now dried up.
In many towns, employees were hired in droves as towns raked in cash from building permit fees, new business license fees and increasing property tax revenues. Officials went on a building boom of their own — constructing new roads, schools, day care centers, tourist attractions, parks and places for retirees to gather.
The 2008 financial crisis cut funding and turned the boom into a colossal bust. Now construction is at a standstill and businesses are closing as Spain grapples with unemployment of nearly 21 percent, a eurozone high. Many towns are struggling to meet payroll, can't fire workers because of public service employment rules, are frequently making late payments to the health care system and are trying to delay or restructure debt they took on for costly infrastructure projects.
The nation could be next in line for a bailout after Greece, Ireland and Portugal — and some in Moratalla say the example of their town shows Spain will need help from the European Union, despite pledges by federal officials that Spain won't need a bailout.
Debt held by Spanish local governments stood at euro35 billion at the end of 2010, up 11 percent from 2008, amid predictions the amount could go higher this year as municipal revenue continues to decline.
"The outlook is bad, and without addressing the problems of the municipalities we'll have more examples like Moratalla," said Pedro Arahuetes, Segovia's mayor and president of the finance commission for the association that represents Spain's municipalities and provinces. "It's either raise taxes or reduce services. There is no machine to make money."
Arahuetes says Spain's federal government must consider a controversial reform to mandate the mergers of small communities so they can band together to save on costs, at least for smaller towns numbering 400 people or fewer that have their own municipal governments.
"The territorial distribution of towns in Spain is totally unsustainable and someone has to address this problem in a serious way," he said.
Greece did just that last year, turning its 1,034 municipalities into 325 to streamline services and cut waste and expenditures. The program is aimed at saving euro1.2 billion a year, but this cornerstone of Greece's bailout reforms generated nationwide protests.
In debt-troubled Italy on Friday, Premier Silvio Berlusconi's government issued an emergency decree that would abolish the provincial administrations of towns with fewer than 300,000 people, while small towns with fewer than 1,000 residents would merge with larger communities. Berlusconi said that overall 54,000 elected positions in provincial, regional and city governments would be eliminated.
In Moratalla, population 8,500, Soria cringed at the idea of merging with a neighboring town, but said his community is functioning in constant crisis mode. Two weeks ago, Moratalla's two gas stations stopped filling the tanks of municipal vehicles when the owners lost all faith the town would ever pay euro120,000 ($170,000) in outstanding fuel bills.
"They have told us that they don't know when, how or even if they are going to be able to pay us," said Jose Antonio Martin, who owns one of the gas stations. He is convinced the town needs a bailout from the regional government of Murcia, though it has debt problems of its own.
Now municipal workers fill up at a local agricultural cooperative. But police barely use the cars anymore, doing most of their patrolling on foot. They simply don't go as much anymore to outlying areas where about 3,000 of the town's citizens live.
Officer Jose Antonio Navarro worries when he's walking around the pueblo, or town, that he won't be able to respond in time to a public safety emergency, and members of the force along with other town workers are struggling to make their mortgage payments because of the paycheck payment delays.
"It's a tough situation," he said. "Friends lend us money, and we go to our parents' homes to eat."
Townspeople are sick of constant bickering between local politicians over who's to blame for Moratalla's debt, and even how much it stands at. The ruling conservative Popular Party that won town hall in May elections says the debt load is euro29 million, while the local Socialist Party that previously held the mayor's post says it is euro16 million — and that their efforts to bring it down were stymied because they didn't have a majority on the city council.
Making matters even worse for Moratalla, its key rural tourism industry is hurting because of Europe's financial crisis, with the town attracting fewer Spaniards and foreigners to its narrow and winding streets leading up to the castle and pristine forest foot and bike paths in the shadow of steep mountains.
City Councilor Ana Victoria Rodriguez worries that recent Spanish media attention on Moratalla's financial problems could damage tourism even more.
"It gives the impression that this is a pueblo where they don't even pick up the trash," she said. "That's not true, but it's bad for tourism."
A riverside campsite with capacity for 800 people has about 300 staying there now at the height of the busy August period, way down from normal levels, said Amparo Llorente, president of the local merchant's association. And many come just come for the weekend, instead of staying for the two weeks they often took during Spain's economic boom.
Llorente, a newspaper stand owner, is owed euro2,000 by the town government for newspapers it used to buy for a retirement center and the local library. While the amount is a pittance compared with the town's other debts to merchants, Llorente says it's a lot for her small business, and that newspaper sales are down overall because townspeople have less money to spend.
While Moratalla may end up going broke or face years of tough times ahead, Llorente says the only good thing is that "we have had the courage to say it. There are many pueblos who haven't said it because they are hiding in the shadows."

 

Sunday 7 August 2011

TWO SHIPWRECKS discovered off the Donegal coastline may be linked to the late 16th-century Spanish Armada

TWO SHIPWRECKS discovered off the Donegal coastline may be linked to the late 16th-century Spanish Armada and a separate late 18th-century French armada, despatched to assist Irish rebellion efforts.

However, identification of the two wrecks outside Burtonport harbour may take some time, Connie Kelleher of the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht’s underwater archaeology unit, said yesterday.

The two shipwrecks, one of which is definitely a warship, are lying 200m apart in just four metres of water off Rutland Island close to Burtonport.

Lead shot balls were retrieved during dives in which Ms Kelleher participated yesterday morning. Pottery has also been recovered from within the hull of the possible Spanish Armada ship, which is filled with sediment.

A full excavation of material is under way, as part of a long-term management plan for the location.

Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht Jimmy Deenihan has awarded €50,000 for the work, and the Geological Survey of Ireland’s vessel Keary, named after late geologist Raymond Keary, is providing a support platform for the dive team.

Many of the wrecks already located lie off the north and west coasts, off Inishowen in Co Donegal; Co Sligo; Clare Island, Co Mayo; Co Galway; and Co Clare; and the Blasket Sound in Kerry.

Five of the hulls, or remains of same, have been located off Donegal, and the three wrecks off Streedagh strand in Sligo were the subject of a protracted court action.

The two wrecks now under investigation were originally pinpointed by Donegal divers, including Liam Miller, Oscar Duffy and Michael Early in 2008-2009. At this stage, identification is uncertain, but Ms Kelleher believes they may be “enormously significant”.

The later wreck, possibly French, could be linked to Napper Tandy’s revolutionary efforts. Tandy (1740-1803), who worked with Wolfe Tone in founding the United Irishmen, accepted a French government offer of a corvette, the Anacreon, and sailed from Dunkirk with United Irishmen and arms, arriving on Arranmore island, close to Burtonport, in September 1798.

However, locals were said to be less than supportive of his aims.

Tandy also learned that Gen Humbert’s expedition had been defeated in Mayo. Nevertheless, he took possession of Rutland, hoisted an Irish flag, and issued a proclamation before leaving and sailing north.

The Geological Survey of Ireland, which is mapping Irish inshore areas as part of the national seabed survey Infomar, will use sidescan sonar and magnetometer equipment in the area to check if there are any other ships.

Mr Deenihan said yesterday that he was “delighted” to be able to support investigations into “a major find of significance not only to Ireland, but also to the international archaeological, historical and maritime communities”.

Mr Deenihan said that if one of the wrecks proves to be from the Spanish Armada, it could constitute one of the most intact on this coast to date and could provide “huge insight into life on board and the reality of the military and naval resources available to the armada campaign”.

He paid tribute to the co-operation of the National Monuments Service and the National Museum of Ireland, which will take responsibility for any artefacts recovered.

SPANISH ARMADA

SOME 24 to 26 Spanish Armada ships are believed to have foundered off the Irish coast in 1588 while en route to invade England under the command of King Philip II.

At least 14 of the sunken ships have been extensively mapped to date.

The total armada fleet of 130 ships, with 29,453 sailors and soldiers on board, comprised 65 warships, 25 transport vessels, four galleys and a number of smaller vessels.

When the fleet was defeated in the English Channel, a scattered fleet opted for the Scottish and Irish west coast route home, but ran into storms. “God breathed and England was saved” was Sir Francis Drake’s later remark about the maritime disaster, which resulted in less than 75 per cent of the fleet making it home.

You can find properties for less than 150.000 euros near the beach and in perfect conditions" says Antonio, real estate agent in Calpe

It was during the sixties when Spain became famous for its beaches. Many northern europeans came to spend there summer holidays at the mediterranean coast.

This was due to the excellent climate that the Mediterranean countries have like Spain, Italy or Greece besides to the great hospitality offered by its people. This way the northern tourists changed there rainy days for sunny days, with a nicely and warm temperature and sea breezes to a much more affordable price compared to the standard of living in their countries. Mediterranean countries began to build houses to supply the high demand of tourists, arriving steadily throughout the year.

Among the first who start to colonize the spanish coasts where the german people. Generally, retirees from Northern Europe came to the Costa Blanca during the winter months, months with a very pleasant temperatures, and went back to their home countries during the summer months, maintaining this way a constant temperature throughout the year.

"The prices of the housing at that time where so low for us that many of us bought a property" said Franz, a german resident in Moraira, Alicante coast. Many of them came here to live permanently and started all kind of business, from smallest shops with typical food from their country to large big construction companies and real estates, offering this way all kinds of service to their fellow citizens in their own lenguage.

The financial crisis and real estate cisis rapidly dropped its sellin down, which was the main engine of the local economy, new opportunities have arisen for many people who, until very recently, where only dreaming of having a house on the Costa Blanca.

"You can find properties for less than 150.000 euros near the beach and in perfect conditions" says Antonio, real estate agent in Calpe. Many spanish people who had their second residence here are selling them at very affordable prices because they can not afford it anymore" says Michael, another manager of property sales in Calpe of english nationality. We have been looking for an apartment for sale in Calpe and found a great apartment next to the beach for less than 160.000 euros. And also sold completely furnished", says Ruslan, who came from long way Siberia and who will now be a new owner of a property in Calpe.

 

Spain's 18th Duchess of Alba overcomes disapproval of children and royal household by giving away her inheritance early

She is one of the richest women in Spain, owns a dozen castles whose walls are hung with works by Goya, Velázquez and Titian and is a distant relative of King James II, Winston Churchill and Diana, Princess of Wales. Now, however, the 18th Duchess of Alba is giving away her immense personal fortune in order to be free to marry a minor civil servant.

According to Guinness World Records, Maria del Rosario Cayetana Alfonsa Victoria Eugenia Francisca Fitz-James Stuart y de Silva, born in Madrid's Palacio de Lira, has more titles than any noble on earth, being a duchess seven times over, a countess 22 times and a marquesa 24. As head of the 539-year-old House of Alba, her privileges include not having to kneel before the pope and the right to ride on horseback into Seville cathedral.

But the children of the duchess, 85, have until now blocked her plans to marry Alfonso Díez, 24 years her junior. The duchess and Díez, a civil servant in the department of social security who also runs a PR business, have been close friends for a number of years.

Her six children who, as she likes to point out, are all divorced, were all borne from her first marriage to Pedro Luis Martínez de Irujo y Artazcoz, son of the Duke of Sotomayor, who died in 1972.

The duchess, who is rumoured to have undergone extensive cosmetic surgery, shocked the nation when in 1978 she remarried, this time to the former Jesuit priest and intellectual, Jesús Aguirre y Ortiz de Zárate. Aguirre, who died in 2001, was illegitimate, something scandalous even in 1970s Spain.

In 2008 it appeared that the proposed marriage to Díez had been called off when the House of Alba issued a statement saying that the relationship "was based on a long friendship and there are no plans to marry". The statement came after an alleged telephone call from King Juan Carlos discouraging the duchess from marrying Díez.

But whatever the king thinks it now appears the duchess is going ahead with the marriage, and the details have now emerged of how she plans to overcome her children's opposition: by giving them their inheritance in advance, even though Díez has signed a document renouncing any claim to her wealth. "Alfonso doesn't want anything. All he wants is me," she said earlier this year.

According to a report published in Spanish newspaper El País, her eldest son Carlos inherits the Liria Palace in Madrid and the Monterrey Palace in Salamanca, as well as overall control of the family fortune. Much of the patrimony is managed by a foundation and, in return for tax breaks, belongs by law to the nation and cannot be sold.

However, the duchess's personal wealth is estimated at between €600m and €3.5bn and she has been able to give her children and eight grandchildren a palace each, as well as a chunk of the thousands of acres of Spain that she owns. Her only daughter, Eugenia, inherits an estate in Ibiza and a further 600 acres near Seville.

The duchess insists she is not that wealthy. "I have a lot of artworks, but I can't eat them, can I?" she has protested. The art that she cannot eat includes, aside from hundreds of paintings, a first edition of Don Quixote, Columbus' first map of America and the last will and testament of Fernando the Catholic, father of Catherine of Aragon.

 

Tuesday 2 August 2011

Spanish house prices expected to drop further

An expert from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has predicted that Spain's property market will experience further falls in housing values.

Commenting on the overall health of the Spanish economy, James Daniel, IMF mission chief, explained that although the country's government has taken positive steps to encourage a recovery, there are still hurdles to overcome.

Among them is the real estate sector, with Mr Daniel noting that there is still a large amount of unsold stock on the market and he predicted that "house prices probably also have further to fall".

However, he pointed out that the housing industry as a whole appears to have "returned to its historical average in terms of employment".

Last month, freelance property journalist Marc Da Silva said that he believes that real estate values in Spain will decline more before stabilising.

He noted that the current economic situation presents "a wonderful opportunity" for investors to find a great deal on a home in the nation.

 

Monday 1 August 2011

MAJORCA has long been an island with a special place in the hearts of holidaymakers

MAJORCA has long been an island with a special place in the hearts of holidaymakers who go back year after year, writes Julia Armstrong.

We went to C’an Picafort on our first family package holiday abroad when I was a kid in the early 1970s and I’ve always loved the island.

For a lot of people, the capital, Palma, is just the place that they pass through when they go to and from the airport but it is a lovely little city well worth a visit.

The harbour is very pretty with the old walls of the city rising from it and the cathedral towering overhead.

Inside the Gothic building there are some interesting modern additions by the artist and architect Gaudi, whose buildings are so influential in Barcelona, and also an extraordinary chapel by a contemporary artist that looks almost like an aquarium with all sorts of sealife on the walls.

Apparently opinion is split in Majorca as to whether it is a worthy addition to the cathedral.

Outside, there are plenty of winding passages to tempt the wanderer and shopper – Palma is great for shops, from the El Corte Ingles department store to little boutiques. It’s well worth tracking down the Arab baths with their beautiful little gardens – a reminder of the Moorish occupation of the island.

There are plenty of places to eat and drink and for some great tapas, try Tast (www.tast.com), a restaurant with an amazing selection.

There are two in the city and the décor is a great combination of traditional and modern, something reflected in the food as well.

We stayed at a lovely little hotel called Hotel Ciutat Jardi, which is on the beach at Ciutat Jardi (‘Garden City’), a little resort just outside Palma (www.hciutatj.com).

You can enjoy the city, which is a short bus ride away, and then come back to enjoy some time beside the pool, on your terrace or the beach with its little bar that also belongs to the hotel.

For a special dinner, walk down to Safra21 (www.safra21.com). They specialise in paella and rice dishes as well as offering taster menus.

For a great trip out from the city, go on the little wooden tram-train to Soller, a lovely journey through the citrus groves that the railway was built for – to transport the fruit back to the capital.

Soller is a little town in the north of the island with a pretty little square. Hotel La Vila just off the square has a restaurant with a fabulous art nouveau dining room if you want a special treat.

It’s one of many boutique hotels in the town, which is also very popular with walkers heading for the Tramuntana mountain range. Some of the hotels also offer guests the chance to join in with the orange or olive harvests at the right time of year.

If you like the work of Picasso and his contemporary Miro, don’t miss the little free art gallery next to the station which has examples of their work, including Picasso ceramics.

The little trams wind on through the streets to the neighbouring port of Soller with its beach and marina with lots of shops and waterfront cafes and restaurants. Soller and the port feel very relaxed, vibrant and sophisticated.

This is a reminder that Majorca has long been a playground of the rich, attracting Hollywood stars like Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta Jones, who have a villa on the island, as does Pierce Brosnan. Locals will tell you where they are but they are annoyingly just out of sight.

If you want a nosey at the lifestyles of the rich and famous, go for a cup of coffee on the terrace or a meal at the restaurant at La Residencia in Deia, a place whose beauty has attracted many artists and writers like Robert Graves.

La Residencia is a beautiful and exclusive hotel and spa which winds up a hillside with stunning views and would be the place for a perfect relaxing stay with the chance of lots of pampering in the spa (www.hotel-laresidencia.com) – if you can afford it.

The list of the royal, rich and famous who have visited is seemingly endless.

We were shown round one suite just after Formula One boss Eddie Jordan’s daughter had departed after her honeymoon. If you are celebrating a special occasion, it’s worth visiting the website as they do have offers and packages. I had a quick look and found a three-day stay in September would start at around £480, but you’d have to add on flights and transfers.

The mountain village of Deia is lovely and well worth a day trip while you are in the north of the island, as is nearby Valldemossa.

The winding stone streets are closed off to traffic and inevitably they attract lots of visitors, so it does feel quite touristy. Lots of places cash in on the fact that the composer Chopin lived here one winter.

Back in Palma, we were taken to visit the Hotel Bonsol (www.hotelbonsol.es) in Illetas, a fabulously eccentric place with exotic décor and a great sister and brother double-act who run the place.

The thing is, with several pools and restaurant terraces on several levels as it sprawls across a hillside and a very nice spa, it somehow reminded me of La Residencia

Kings Of Leon have promised to repeat their gig in Dallas after lead singer Caleb Followill walked off stage

Kings Of Leon have promised to repeat their gig in Dallas after lead singer Caleb Followill walked off stage - prompting rumours of a rift within the band.


Followill repeatedly complained that it was too hot to perform and that his voice was suffering because of it.
"My voice is completely 100% gone," he said during Friday's show.
After a few more songs, he announced: "I'm gonna go back stage for a second, I'm gonna vomit, I'm gonna drink a beer and I'm gonna come back out and play three more songs."
But he never did come back out, leaving the rest of the band to announce the abrupt end of their show while the audience booed.
The other members - Followill's cousin Matthew and brothers Nathan and Jared - were apologetic, and took to Twitter to vent their frustrations.
"Not so good morning 4 me today," Nathan tweeted. "Ashamed & embarrassed by last night's fiasco. Can't apologise enough. Utterly gutted. A million 'I'm sorrys'."
And Jared tweeted: "Dallas, I cannot begin to tell you how sorry I am. There are internal sicknesses and problems that have needed to be addressed."
He added: "I love our fans so much. I know you guys aren't stupid. There are problems in our band bigger than not drinking enough Gatorade."
However, a statement released by the band did not explain those other troubles, just saying Caleb had been suffering from heat exhaustion and dehydration.
The family rock band, known for hits including Use Somebody, said they would return to Dallas on September 21 to make up for the mid-show cancellation.
The Nashville-based four-piece also cancelled Saturday's concert in Houston. That show was rescheduled for September 22.

MAN has been branded "reckless" for taunting a bull with a pink umbrella before it gored him to death

MAN has been branded "reckless" for taunting a bull with a pink umbrella before it gored him to death.
The reveller was enjoying a Spanish fiesta when the horned animal careered down a narrow street and charged at him.

The half-ton beast ran the 50-year-old father down leaving him helpless to fend off the frenzied attack as bystanders stood and watched.

The dad-of-one was trampled and gored in the chest and armpit.


Floored ... man never got up again after bull knocked him down
The animal had been released into the narrow street from a pen.

The dead man — named only as Vicente H.R — is believed to have been drinking and ignored friends' pleas for him not to take part in the bull run.

A witness said: "Everything happened very quickly.

"He was waving a pink umbrella in the air to attract the bull's attention. The animal turned around and went for him.

"The man swerved out of the way but after that he couldn't get away. He fell to the ground and was attacked."

The tragedy happened on Saturday in the town of Rafelbunyol, in the eastern province of Valencia.

Drinking wine or eating grapes could protect you from sunburn, according to a new study that found a chemical in the fruit can limit cell damage.

Ultraviolet (UV) rays emitted by the sun are the leading environmental cause of skin complaints, premature ageing, sun burn and even skin cancer.
But in another nod towards the healthy mediteranean diet, Spanish scientists found substances in the grapes protect cells from the damage.
Already cosmetic companies are registering interest in the hope of making sun creams or pills that copy the process.
The University of Barcelona and the Spanish National Research Council looked at the chemical reaction in the skin when hit by UV rays from the sun.
They found that flavonoids in the grapes can stop the chemical reaction that causes cells to die and therefore skin damage.

 

Marbella Golden Mile
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