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The On- Line Version of Fuerteventura's popular English Language Newspaper
www.piscinasyjacuzzis.com/
No 26: Dec 15 – Jan 15
 
 
News & Updates
LOCAL NEWS
El Sol News 2 Years On. Well who can believe that two years have already passed. We hope that you have all enjoyed . . .....more

Fred Olsen ´s “Bonanza Express” runs ashore in Los Cristianos
the Fred Olsen Bonaza Express fast ferry , on its way back from the island of La Gomera failed to ........more
Pajara has a golden nativity sceneI CHRISTMAS COMES TO THE ISLANDS. ......more
Two new water processing plants operating in Fuerte The new plants are located in Gran Tarajal, and Puerto del Rosario which was officially set into motion at the beginning of December....more
Tapas 2009 . An opportunity not to be missed! One of the main attractions of the competition , apart from the wonderful food on offer , is indeed the value ...more
“Fuerteventura a golpito” Get your boots out for next season! This year’s hill walking and excursion programme organised by the island government “ Fuerteventura a golpito” was brought to a ...more
Run Rabbit Run ! OAn amazing 1,129 rabbits were captured during the annual rabbit control known as the “Saca de conejos” ...more
Fuerteventura tops with the Poles! Polish travel operador ITAKA has certainly brightened up prospects for the sector by choosing to celebrate its annual convention on the island...more
Face lift for Corralejo’s beaches.! La Oliva town council has announced various improvement measures for the beaches in the borough....more
SPORTS ROUND-UP
Martin Rhead Memorial trophy and other local sports news
OTHER NEWS
NEWS and stories from Around the World

RYANAIR CLOSES ALL ROUTES IN 2009

Following a “secret” meeting of the A.I.E on Thursday (12th), called as a last ditch attempt to seek a consensus within the organization to try to put the Ryanair deal back on track it emerged that A.I.E. believe that the arrangement is a ”private business agreement” between themselves and Ryanair and therefore think that they have to answer to no one and don’t feel it appropriate to make a statement at this time. “We will talk when we want to” ...... more

features

 

Trees and jumping the traditional way!

Thousands of baby trees were planted in the borough of Betancuria as part of the “No olvides lo nuestro” project organized by the Cabildo of Fuerteventura in an attempt to encourage islanders of all ages to take an interest in both the heritage and the future of the island.
On this occasion participants were invited to help reforest a section of the “Pinar” in Betancuria known as Castillo de Lara Parra Medina coinciding with island tree day.
The “Palo canario” and “Salto del Pastor” groups from Gran Tarajal and Puerto Cabras in Puerto del Rosario kept the crowds entertained throughout the day with their performances demonstrating the traditional canarian sports.
When all the trees had been planted the groups took part in a jumping expedition down the mountain side using their specially designed sticks reaching at some points three and a half metres.
 

Out on the blue sea.

Groups of schoolchildren from the Bernabe Figueroa Umpierrez and Corralejo Primary Schools are the latest to experience what the “Semana Azul” or Water week, organised by the island Cabildo , has to offer.
The children have had the opportunity to sail in kayaks and sail boats among other vessels and have enjoyed making friends and working in teams which is the basic idea of the project encouraging cooperation ,tolerance and team work skills.
On this occasion there have been forty children involved in the project but in total the initiative hopes to reach around 800 ten year olds over the various different editions.

LIFESTYLE


Feng shui your Christmas
Follow these simple tips will help minimize stress levels and promote a balanced flow of energy in your home ....... MORE
PROPERTY
RYANAIR CLOSES ALL ROUTES IN 2009.continued from above

Our sources have indicated various members are upset with Ryanair and the public, in which they have denounced the organization. Numerous members were not happy with the way Ryanair had held up its side of the bargain, specifically in marketing of their companies in the in flight magazine. Could it be that the island has lost 23 flights a week because an advertisement was put in the wrong place? Unfortunately this is what happens when you give a duty for the public good to a group of businessmen, who over many years have made their money, and don’t stand to benefit DIRECTLY from the arrangement that was made. Responsibility must lie within the Cabildo, who were naive enough to think that these people could detach themselves from their own personal gain long enough to look at the whole picture of what is best for Fuerteventura.

In a statement issued by the Camera de Commercio the President, Gregorio Perez, ( he is also a member of the A.I.E.) called for Carlos Cebria (President A.I.E) to publically speak about the dispute, the image of the island and the integrity of the A.I.E. He also called for all the businesses of the island along with the administrative bodies to unite in the promotion of Fuerteventura.

Questions El Sol would like to have answered:-
What will happen to the 300,000€ sitting in A.I.E. bank account
(Maybe it should be diverted to a fund for bankrupt small businesses)
Do the A.I.E. have any credibility left to deal in further negotiations on behalf of the island of Fuerteventura?
Who in the Cabildo was responsible for this .

After a month of waiting with baited breathe about the future of Ryanair services to the island , Ryanair has (10th December) announced officially that ALL ROUTES to the island will cease from the 31st of January 2009.

This is a catastrophic blow to the Islands economy, in particular the small business sector; the bars, restaurants, estate agents and service providers. The statement issued by Stephen McNamara, Public Relations Director of Ryanair, states clearly that the blame for this breakdown of the continuation lies firmly with the AIE, the organization charged with promoting tourism on the Island.

Michael Crawley is quoted below: -

“This is a very black day for Fuerteventura and one which will have a severe impact on tourism and the livelihoods of its islanders. Ryanair’s lowest fares and no fuel surcharge have delivered huge tourism revenues and over 250,000 annual passengers will now be lost to/from Fuerteventura. At a time when Spanish tourism numbers are falling Ryanair’s passenger traffic continues to grow as our fares continue to fall. However, the AIE has now taken a huge gamble with the livelihoods of the local tourism industry by blatantly reneging on its contractual commitments and losing Ryanair’s 23 weekly services to the island.

Ryanair previously called on the AIE to comply with its contractual agreements and provided them with 30 days notice to remedy their contract breach, this notice period has now lapsed with no action having been taken to maintain Ryanair’s presence in Fuerteventura. Therefore, we are faced with no choice but to end all Ryanair flights to Fuerteventura from 31st January.”

Ryanair will be pursuing money owed to them through the Spanish courts and believe that the members of the A.I.E. hold personal responsibility for these sums, should they not be prepared to settle them on a collective basis.

In a meeting convened in Corralejo on the evening of Tuesday 9th of December members of the tourist board were at pains to tell those assembled that an offer of some 80% of the money owing to the company, had been made and that they were awaiting a response. When asked whether this was a little late given the deadline for settlement expired on the 6th the representatives felt that they could do no more until this offer had at least been acknowledged.

At the meeting, the tourist board officials went to great lengths to explain that their intention in setting up the A.I.E., was to negotiate with low cost airlines to bring tourists to the island. This agreement was reached in 2007 and everything was fine until the credit crunch/crisis reared its ugly head. The original sum promised to A.I.E, apparently €1,000,000, as a means of procuring contracts became less and the number of tourists became more. This is never a recipe for success and inevitably something had to give. The solution, it was decided, was not to pay. As panic set in, particularly amongst the small businesses, an offer was made to Ryanair to pay an estimated 80% of money due to the company. The official version of events was that the Cabildo was awaiting an answer to this offer.

Considerable money has been spent this year in promoting the island in Poland, insomuch as to bring 250 Polish travel agents to the island and to tour them around and show them the great beauty and attractions that it possesses. It could be that this money would have been better spent making up the 20% shortfall in the money owing to Ryanair (a figure rumoured to be of about 100,000€). Instead we loose 23 weekly flights, which regularly bring over 5000 tourists here each week throughout the year.

So why was this situation allowed to prevail? Could it be if we look at the make up of the AIE committee that the answer lays there? The organization itself has representatives from the car hire business, and a museum, but the bulk of them are hoteliers and developers. In the main these people provide accommodation direct to the tour operators and it is fair to say that their interests lie in others directions other than the independent tourist of the type that will utilize Ryanairs services. The majority of tour company business that comes to Fuerteventura with the tour companies is, these days, on an all-inclusive basis, which in its own way has had very negative effects on the local economy, particularly in regard to the restaurants and bars of the island.

The small business association of Caleta de Fuste (AECA) is also a member and has been very vocal in supporting the efforts of the community in registering its objections and concerns about letting the Ryanair routes go. The opinion has been voiced that Caleta de Fuste does tend to benefit more from the passengers that Ryanair bring here therefore is it fair to assume that those with there business interests in the far north and south of the island will not be as keen to see a continuation?
Golf developments feature in the committee, namely Salinas and Playitas, and one can assume that they will certainly have seen some benefit from the Ryanair clients.
When trying to assess or indeed point the finger of blame for the breakdown of this arrangement then it all gets a little murky with no one person prepared to stand up and says “yes it was me, I decided not to pay Ryanair because………..”

 

El Sol News 2 Years On.


Well who can believe that two years have already passed.
We hope that you have all enjoyed reading El Sol, as we strive to make the stories and the content as interesting for all our Readers, especially for our ex pats living here., keeping you up to date with whats happening on the Island.

Here we are, and Christmas is almost upon us, have you prepared, have you got all your presents yet, if like me, the answer would be no. Thankgoodness for the Internet!
Makes not only shopping for presents easier, but now even cards you can order and get sent, I discovered www.moonpig.com the other day – so now no more delays with post from the Canarias to England. Same day or next day delivery depending on what time you go online.
And what about that wonderful website www.amazon.co.uk I know that already as like last year my New Years Resolution will be to get fit and lose some kilos, so with the help of our Wi Fit will have a lot of fun doing so.

If you are going to the UK for Christmas, wow all those bargains, sales everywhere, as long as you can put up with the cold. I thought that it has been cold here lately, I have my continental quilt on my bed, and some nights the heating on, I am off for a few days
Shopping to the UK and I think will be in for a shock as the temperatures have been around 3 degrees!

On a caution note, this is the time of the year we tend to over indulge, be careful, remember drink/driving in the canarias is a NO NO, with O Tolerance, so take turns driving if you are out and about partying.
So to all our readers from the Team here at El Sol News a Very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Editor, Linda Martin.

Fred Olsen ´s “Bonanza Express” runs ashore in Los Cristianos

Onlookers could not believe their eyes when at the beginning of December a deafening noise as if a huge building had collapsed ,was heard and the Fred Olsen Bonaza Express fast ferry , on its way back from the island of La Gomera failed to dock correctly in Los Cristianos ending up grounded on Los Tarajales beach .

As soon as the port authorities realized what was going on a full scale emergency plan was put into operation and the 177 passengers , none of whom were injured in the incident , were evacuated in small motor launches since the water was too shallow to permit a larger vessel to be employed.
Furthermore as if the shock of ending up on the beach was not enough the impact caused the hull to rupture provoking an escape of fuel into the waters

The vessel was travelling at quite a speed , explained Juan Ramsden , the director of Fred Olsen SA in the islands and the problem seemes to have been that the mechanism which forces the water to move backwards slwoing down the ferry during docking was not working properly cuasing the vessel to continue straight ahead before reaching the shore.
Ramsden emphasized that the “Bonanza Express” had carried out the same manoueuvre thousands of times without any problems.

Chriistmas Comes To The Islands


Pajara has a golden nativity scene

The Festive season is now underway and to mark the occasion Pajara town council invited the local population to attend the unveiling of this year’s nativity scene.


Pajara town council held a very special concert to mark the official opening of the local nativity scene when everyone was invited .
Dressed with Santa hats and festive costumes the local children played guitars and tambourines making for a warm friendly atmosphere.
The Local folklore group La Sebada and the Municipal school of Folklore provided the entertainment for the occasion which was attended by politicians and public alike and the nativity characters some of which are as much as two metres tall were unveiled in all their splendour.
This extra special nativity scene has a dark maroon background which sets off the golden characters specially designed by famous sculptor Juan Miguel Cubas to fill the space available.

 

Puerto del Rosario town council has released its plans for the Christmas period.

Friday 12th December : Switch on of the Christmas lights 7pm

Saturday 13th December : Santa Claus visits the Commercial area of Leon y Castillo
From 1pm to 3pm

Sunday 14th December :
Traditional crafts fair Tetir 10.30am to 2.30pm
Opening of city Nativity scene with various musical acts 6.30pm
(the nativity will be open to the public from 10am to 10pm until January 6th)
In Barranco Pilon

Monday 15th December
Christmas market 10.30am to 9pm daily until after Christmas
Barranco Pilon
Christmas workshops for kids 4pm to 6pm

Wednesday 17th December & Thursday 18th December
Christmas multicultural workshop for children 4pm to 6pm
Barranco Pilon

Friday 18th December
Christmas parade 7.30pm
Beginning at the Calle 1 de mayo

Fourth Festival of Christmas Carols 9pm
Church Square Plaza de la Iglesia

Saturday 20th December
Santa Claus in the 1 de mayo commercial area from 6pm
With local song and dance groups including Las Bambinas Canarias, Mass dance,Matorral
Plaza de Las Americas

Grand Christmas Gala
Auditorium Puerto del Rosario from 5pm
With grand musical acts

Sunday 21st December
Christmas Okapi market
Plaza de la Paz 9am

Adisfama calendar, a great Christmas gift

A group of children from the ADISFAMA association for the handicapped were asked to participate in the group’s fund raising calendar together with sportsmen and other personalities from Fuerteventura. The children had no qualms about posing with the likes of UD Fuerteventura player Yeray Soto or the local firemen and police chiefs. Around 5,000 copies of the calendar have been printed thanks to the support of the Island Cabildo, local town halls and numerous other voluntary groups including the Spanish Red Cross and the ONCE organization for the Blind.
The calendar will be on sale for the price of four euros in the Impescasa chain of supermarkets and the Campanario Commercial Centre in Corralejo as well as a
number of other commercial entities that have decided to support the initiative.

Creating a Christmas atmosphere Dali style.

To launch the Eighth edition of the Jesus Machin painting competition was the idea of Puerto del Rosario town council to make shopping in the capital over the Festive season just that extra bit special.
A total of 30 artists including around 25 professionals have produced an array of beautiful works of art which are gradually being put out on display in the dozens of local commercial entities including ladies and gents clothing shops, florists, jewellery shops, mobile phone dealers, bike shops , bars and restaurants who decided to lend their support to the initiative creating a united image for the island’s capital.
The paintings will be on show until 5th January, which is the night before King’s Day and can also be viewed on the council web site www.puertodelrosario.com

Festive bags for Rosario

The Cabildo has made its contribution to Christmas Shopping in the Capital by once again issuing festive shopping bags to all the local shops , following the great success of last year’s experiment.
Last December the bags issued by the local council were part of an idea to create a corporate image for the city centre but this year as well as maintaining the corporate image , encouraging people to make their festive purchases from the smaller businesses the bags are biodegradable and as such contribute to the council’s environmental- recycling policy.
Furthermore the bags are quite stylish boasting flexible handles and natural materials as well as being in two colours and two sizes small,25cm x 35cm and medium 40cm x 50cm.
A total of 15,000 bags has been produced and any commercial premises interested in the bags should contact the Cabildo’s Commercial Office on 928 85 89 60.

Las Palmas boasts fantastic hydrogen Christmas Tree

The third ever hydrogen powered Christmas tree to be made was lit up in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria at the beginning of the month.

The tree, which is the first to be lit up using hydrogen power in the world following the London tree, which was lit up in 2004 and the tree in Sacramento California which was lit up in 2006,is ten metres tall and works when the hydrogen which is stored in bottles comes into contact with the oxygen in the air saving not only thousands of euros worth of electricity but also helping avoid the release of over 10,000 kilos of CO2 into the atmosphere.
The official switch on was attended by numerous political figures together with a good attendance of the general public.
The use of the hydrogen tree puts Las Palmas at the top of the European list as far as the use of renewable energies is concerned.

Don’t toy with toys, urge Canarian government.

The Regional consumer department is urging shoppers not to lower their guard as far as buying toys is concerned underlining the importance of the EU trading and safety marks.

The Department explains that although the prices of toys in the Asian supermarkets is appealing not all of the goods on sale comply with European safety regulations and should be carefully inspected before being given to children.
Electronic toys using batteries should be given special attention to ensure that any button type batteries are not easily accessible without using screw drivers or similar.

The price may seem attractive but the health risk is great , explains the department so keep your eyes peeled.

Canarian Christmas Cut backs

Faced with a severe drop in income many Canarian families will have no alternative than to cut down on the number of presents they give this Christmas and
Kings Day.
Although many consumer organizations are in favour of having the Sales before Kings Day to boost sales and “save” the year the shopkeepers associations are not in agreement and prefer to hold out despite the fact that customers could be buying the bare minimum this year.
In fact according to the Spanish press purchases could fall by as much as 6% due to the economic crisis, which is currently affecting the world. And the Canary Islands in particular will be last in the list of autonomous communities with a average spending of around 752 euros per household compared with almost 900 euros those living in Madrid are expected to shell out on presents this year.
As for toys the families in the islands are expected to spend around 50 euros less per child than their mainland counterparts. The lottery is of course
another matter and the Canary Island residents are not expected to cut back on their ticket buying with the average number being around seven tickets at 20 euros per person.

Two new water processing plants operating in Fuerte

The Cabildo of Fuerteventura has set up two new water processing plants to guarantee a plentiful supply to all parts of the island while reducing the cost of the energy necessary to power the plants to less than a half of the traditional amount.

The new plants which use the latest technology are located in Gran Tarajal , the first of the plants to begin operation, and Puerto del Rosario which was officially set into motion at the beginning of December.
Island president Mario Cabrera expressed his satisfaction with the project which , he explained would not only improve the water supply services but would also avoid the need to increase the price of water to the general public which was of paramount importance in times of economical crisis.
Underlining the long term use of the plants Manuel Miranda justified the 1.3 million euros that have been spent on each of the plants explaining that the Cabildo had considered the future needs of the island when approving the installation of the plants and the utility of the installations would be appreciated in the future.

Tapas 2009 . An opportunity not to be missed!

 

Lovers of good food will be able to enjoy the special dishes being prepared for the Island’s very first gastronomy competition as from December 1st.

In fact from December 1st 31 different bars and restaurants all over the island have been taking part in the initiative , which is being supported by the islands Cabildo , the Tourism Department and the Tourism School, sampling the sheer delights of perfectly prepared exquisite meals and tapas at a bargain price..

One of the main attractions of the competition , apart from the wonderful food on offer , is indeed the value for money price of 20 euros per menu ( excluding drinks) or 3 euros for a tapa and a drink which will be valid throughout the duration of the event.

Look out for the sign on your local bar or restaurant for an opportunity not to be missed as each eating place tries to outdo the next.

 

“Fuerteventura a golpito” Get your boots out for next season!

This year’s hill walking and excursion programme organised by the island government “ Fuerteventura a golpito” was brought to a close at the beginning of December with the final hike of the year.

Walkers who have been taking part in the programme over the last twelve months set off from Las Playitas at midday on Saturday 29th November reaching Jacomar later that day where they enjoyed a delicious barbecue dinner before spending the night in a series of old houses which had been loaned to the organizers to mark the occasion.
The walkers continued their hike the next day setting off early in the morning and reaching Pozo Negro about three o’clock in the afternoon.

The programme , has attracted an amazing 1,900 participants this year and has involved over 34 different routes over the months ,some of which have even had to be repeated because of the number of people wanting to take part.

Hikers have even had the opportunity to travel to other islands as part of “Fuerteventura a golpito” since four of the routes have been to Lanzarote, Gran Canaria and the spectacular “laurisilva” forest of Garajonay in La Gomera.

Island councillor for Education and Youth Affairs Claudio Gutierrez explained that the Cabildo was delighted with the excellent response to the programme this year adding that the organizers would be continuing along the same lines for next year’s programme.

Anyone interested in taking part in “Fuerteventura a golpito” next season should contact 928 86 23 85 for information well in advance to avoid disappointment since the numbers for each excursion are limited.

Run Rabbit Run!
An amazing 1,129 rabbits were captured during the annual rabbit control known as the “Saca de conejos” carried out in Costa Calma, Lajares, Betancuria and Tesjuate mid November.

Although the local rabbits form an important part of the island’s ecosystem it is paramount to keep a strict control on the rabbit population so as not to disturb the balance.

The exercise , which is carried out every year to monitor the number of rabbits running the hills of Fuerteventura was supervised by the Cabildo’s Sport and Hunting department , a division of the Island’s Department of the Environment and attracted a fair croad of onlookers eager to witness how the furry creatures were caught , vaccinated against viral pneumonia and “tagged” with metallic identification plaques in their ears before being released once again into their natural habitat.


Over 800 of the island’s hunters offered their services to ensure that the operation which has been carried out for the last ten years went off smoothly.

Fuerteventura tops with the Poles.
In times of crisis when the future of the tourist sector of Fuertecventura is uncertain it is refreshing to hear something positive as far as possible future developments are concerned and Polish travel operador ITAKA has certainly brightened up prospects for the sector by choosing to celebrate its annual convention on the island.

Polish touroperator Itaka chose the luxurious surroundings of Pajara’s Hotel Rio Calma to hold it’s annual congreso organized with the aid of Fuerteventura’s Department of Tourism Promotor and Turespaña.

Island president Mario Cabrera and Agueda Montelongo , island councillor for Tourism accompanied Itaka president Mariusz Janczuc for the presentation of the official brochure for the 2009 Summer Season to more than 200 polish travel professional who had travelled to the island to participate in the congress.


Montelongo congratulated the poles on their excellent choice promoting the island as one of the world’s up and coming destinations, adding that the excellent climate and wide range of leisure activities on offer made the island perfect for the poles especially conisdering that it is only a short plane ride away.

Janczuc underlined the important role played by Spain and Fuerteventura in this years brochure adding that as a general rule the destination chosen by the company for its annual congress experiences a considerable rise, around 300%, in the number of polish visitors , which will of course be a motive for celebration.

The poles were also treated to an impressive “typical” dinner as well as local entertainment including a demonstration of the cheese making process given by local experts. The visitors were also invited to take part in a wide range of sporting activties including snorkelling, windsurf, kitesurf, and beach volleyball.

Face lift for Corralejo’s beaches.

With a mind to improving the facilities and so attract more visitors to the area La Oliva town council has announced various improvement measures for the beaches in the borough.

Struggling through the mountains of sand to lay out your beach towels and stake your claim on a plot of the local golden sands, or draggin a pushchair over the dunes will soon be a thing of the past since the local council of La Oliva has organized the instalation of wooden walkways on the beaches of Corralejo Viejo, Las Clavellinas, Muelle Chico and La Concha in El Cotillo.

The walkways which will be around a hundred metres in length wil be made of pine and will form part of a general face lift plan organized by the town hall for the borough’s beaches.
Over the next few weeks the rest of the imporvements will gradually be installed including three toilet blocks with changing room facilities, two first aid posts,105 waste paper bins, six outisde showers with foot washing facilities,twenty parking places for push bikes,five life guard observation posts,two posts with bathing facilities for the disabled and fifty benches.

The local councillor for tourism Hannah Souweileh explained that the installation of the new facilities was a number one priority given that tourism is the economic mainstay of the community and the beaches are certainly the main attraction in the area.

Gran Canaria to go ahead with train plans
Plans for an insular train line which was originally intended to join Santa Catalina in the north of Gran Canaria with the South of the island look set to go ahead in 2009 but with a small change of plan. The line will now not end in the popular resort of Playa del Ingles but will now continue to the Meloneras area adding around five minutes to the journey time.

The decision to extend the line , which is expected to begin functioning in 2016 brings the length of the tracks to 55 kilometres and the number of stops to eleven will undoubtedly add to the attractions of the island as a top tourist destination since stops are planned for the airport making moving round the island much easier for visitors eliminating the need for expensive taxis etc.

There will be a total of seven trains , each offering three carriages and providing seats for 240 passengers. They will run every fifteen minutes and will travel at and although they are not high speed trains will travel at an average of 160km/hour.

In fact 14.3 million people are expected to use the service ,42% of which will run using tunnels and underground stations while 51% will be overground and 7% using viaducts.

The Cabildo of Gran Canaria plans to apply for central government funds to finance the venture since the initial phase alone will require around 12 million euros with the total cost being estimated at 1,000 million .

Despite cries that an improved bus system would cover the needs of the island more than sufficiently the route for the train is already marked out and thing look set to get underway in 2009 .

Who knows Madrid might just say yes to the plans and visitors to Gran Canaria in 2016 will be able to enjoy easy problem free travel.

International News and stories from the UK

Islands could benefit from Bombay bombings

The president of struggling airline Spanair,Lars Lingren has declared that the panic generated by terrorists in India and the political troubles in Thailand could
actually benefit the tourist sector in the Canary Islands.

Lingren, speaking after the recent terrorist attacks in Bombay , explained that since Thailand is the main competitor for the Canary Islands in the Winter season the sector could well end up thriving thanks to the sensation of insecurity generated at the end of November following the horrific terrorist killings especially since airlines will be lowering the prices due to a reduction in fuel costs.
In an attempt to reassure the sector in the Islands that the reduction in the number of flights in recent times has been due only to the four percent drop in demand, which explained the Spanair president is somewhat less than the drop in the demand for the Barcelona – Madrid air shuttle which has reduced considerably due to the present economic crisis Implying that Spanair will increase the number of flights offered as soon as demand for the service goes up, Lingren emphasized that the company has always supported the Islands and has invested large sums of money over the years, adding that the company operated 230 flights a week to and from the islands transporting around two and a half million passengers in 2008.

Police escort for UK party goers? .

Commuters walking home late at night should be able to phone the police to ask for the safest route, Gordon Brown has claimed.Police officers would provide a glorified 'sat nav' service to make sure travellers remained safe after getting off a bus, train or Tube, said the Prime Minister.
But he faced ridicule for attempting to turn the police into 'travel consultants'.
Mr Brown said he wanted to tackle 'last mile home syndrome' - when people, and especially women, felt most at risk on their journeys.
In an interview in Glamour magazine's January edition, he floated the idea of people being able to ring the police at night and ask for directions through an unfamiliar neighbourhood.
He said: 'We want to extend this so it’s like a personal police service, so if you’re going through an area late at night, you can phone them up and say, "What's the safest way of getting home?"
'Take the Last Mile Home syndrome - once you get off the bus or the Underground, how safe are you in this last mile home?
'I'm really aware that these are issues for young people who rightly want to have the chance to be out late at night.'
But there was no indication of how the phone service would be funded or staffed by cash-strapped police forces.
Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesman Chris Huhne said: 'Surely the best way of making people feel safe on the streets is to put more police on the beat.
'This is a half-baked idea which has got as much chance of being put into practice as the ludicrous suggestion of marching offenders to cash machines.
'The police have better things to do than act as a glorified travel consultancy.'

Baby P . Head of Haringey social services sacked!

Sharon Shoesmith, the head of children's services at Haringey council has been sacked in the wake of the Baby P abuse case.
The 55-year-old, who was suspended last week as part of the investigation into the case, will also not receive any compensation or payment in lieu of notice and was dismissed 'with immediate effect', the authority confirmed.
A short statement released by the north London council said: 'Sharon Shoesmith has been dismissed from Haringey Council with immediate effect.
'The decision was taken today by a panel of councillors.
'Ms Shoesmith will not be returning to work in Haringey. She will not receive any compensation package. She will not receive any payment in lieu of notice.
Children's Secretary Ed Balls removed Sharon Shoesmith from her post on December 1 after a damning report into her department's shortcomings.
But she remained on full pay while the council considered her case.
The senior council manager provoked widespread anger for the way she responded to revelations that Baby P was killed while on the child protection register.
At a press conference at the end of the trial, she said: 'The very sad fact is that we can't stop people who are determined to kill children.
'I am satisfied that the action that should have been taken was taken.'

Inspectors were sent into Haringey in north London after the trial of those responsible for the 17-month-old baby's brutal death.
They identified a string of 'serious concerns' about the area's child protection services, which they described as 'inadequate'.
In a 16-page report, they condemned everything from poor record-keeping to a failure to identify children at immediate risk of harm.
Earlier today the council admitted spending £19,000 on media training for high-profile employees involved in the case.
Sharon Shoesmith, the head of children's services at Haringey council has been sacked in the wake of the Baby P abuse case, the authority said tonight.

The 55-year-old, who was suspended last week as part of the investigation into the case, will also not receive any compensation or payment in lieu of notice and was dismissed 'with immediate effect', the authority confirmed.
A short statement released by the north London council said: 'Sharon Shoesmith has been dismissed from Haringey Council with immediate effect.
'The decision was taken today by a panel of councillors.
'Ms Shoesmith will not be returning to work in Haringey. She will not receive any compensation package. She will not receive any payment in lieu of notice.
Children's Secretary Ed Balls removed Sharon Shoesmith from her post on December 1 after a damning report into her department's shortcomings.
But she remained on full pay while the council considered her case.
The senior council manager provoked widespread anger for the way she responded to revelations that Baby P was killed while on the child protection register.
At a press conference at the end of the trial, she said: 'The very sad fact is that we can't stop people who are determined to kill children.
'I am satisfied that the action that should have been taken was taken.'

Inspectors were sent into Haringey in north London after the trial of those responsible for the 17-month-old baby's brutal death.
They identified a string of 'serious concerns' about the area's child protection services, which they described as 'inadequate'.
In a 16-page report, they condemned everything from poor record-keeping to a failure to identify children at immediate risk of harm.

Drugs ring intercepted.


Police in Madrid were certainly on the ball at the beginning of December when a group of six people if various different nationalities were arrested for trying to smuggle cocaine into Fuerteventura.

The women, who had been under observation for some time, were intercepted as they were about to board the Fuerte bound plane and were later found to have around 900 grams of cocaine hidden in their bodies.

Following the arrests police searched two flats one in Madrid and the other in Puerto del Rosario where a large amount of cash and drug preparing equipment including scales and cutters was discovered.

The Canarian police authorities are satisfied that the most important drug smuggling ring of the island has now been dismantled.

Nintendo launches the new DS but not in time for Christmas.


Since being introduced to the market at the beginning of November Nintendo has sold over half a million of the latest version of the DS console known as the DSi.
Although the company had initially produced 200,000 Dsi which had been estimated to cover the demand Nintendo had somewhat underestimated the interest in the latest model which boasts a digital camera and the ability to reproduce music and directors had to get moving to order the rapid production of more consoles.

The Nintendo DS Lite was one of the most popular Christmas gifts in the islands last Christmas and the Dsi will undoubtedly be a great success in Europe but will not unfortunately be available in the West in time for the annual present giving since Nintendo have announced its launch on the European market for mid 2009.

The Dsi is slightly thinner than the Lite but has a three and a half inch screen compared with the three inch screen of the previous model . It is still tacile and has a slot for SD memory cards.

The Dsi has been contemplated to compete with the likes of the Sony PSP and its current price is around 200 dollars.

Between the different models Nintendo estimates that over 25 million consoles have been sold worldwide since the launch of the original model in December 2004.

 
SPORTS ROUNDUP

GOLF RESULTS - Martin Rhead Memorial trophy

It was an occasion which could loosely be compared to the Gold Cup at Cheltenham. Fuerteventura played host to an Irish invasion of not horse loving punters, but golfers. The event was the second staging of the Martin Rhead Memorial trophy. The location was the Salinas Golf Club, in Caleta de Fuste. The date, the 24th of November.

Martin was a well respected businessman who passed the latter stages of his life in Fuerteventura, and in his memory the bar he frequented most whilst here have arranged this tournament, annually, to honour both him and his love of golf.

The format for the event was Texas scramble. For those unaware of the rudiments of this type of play, the game involves all players in the team driving from the tee and then selecting the ball in the best position for the second shot. Having chosen the ball they wish to play they then all play a ball from that place and carry on until the ball is in the hole.

Because the team has effectively four attempts at getting the ball in the cup the scoring is generally low and when they have completed all eighteen holes the handicap system is then applied to finalize the result.

In addition to the team challenge there were also prizes up for grabs for nearest the pin and the longest drive on the last hole.

A total of thirty six players turned up on the Monday morning and were duly divided into teams of four with one low handicap player as captain. The other rule applied was that each player had to use one of their tee shots at least three times during the entire round.

So on a lovely sunny day with little wind the teams set off at ten minute intervals until the last team departed at 11.40. Expected finishing time was at 4.30ish with the prize giving ceremony planned for 7.00 at Mustang Sallys bar in Nuevo Horizonte.

Guests and players on arrival at the bar we greeted with a plate of freshly cooked barbecued food and once all the players had struggled in, the winners were announced.

Nearest the pin on the 14th hole was Ray O’Sullivan with a superb shot over the lake that sat a mere 12 inches from the hole. The longest drive winner was Liam McInerney whose drive on the eigthteenth was well in excess of 300 metres, almost reaching the green.

When calculating the winning scores it emerged that the third place team had only failed to secure second position by 0,1 of a shot and were suitable gutted because the trophies were presented to the second place team of Rob Hughes, Richard Hooper, Pat Wynne and Dave Lowry. Their total for the round being 57.7 shots, 12.3 under par.

The near run away winners being an all Irish team of Ray O’Sullivan, Michael O’Brien, Noel Colleran and Sheelagh O’Brien. Their total for the round being a very impressive 54.8, 15.2 under par. Barbara Rhead and Natalie Rhead (mother and Daughter) were on hand to present the prizes and offered their thanks to Rob Hughes for organizing the event and cooking the barbecue, to John Condon, proprietor of Mustangs for all his support, to the Salinas club and in particular Francisco for all their help and last, but not least, to the staff of mustangs, who following the prize giving then worked through until the small hours serving drinks whilst the revelers danced the night away to the melodious sounds of Playing Away.

Certainly the Irish contingent seemed to have no problems with playing away from home.

UD Fuerteventura get their kit off!

The UD Fuerteventura players have decided that enough is enough stripping off their kit to pose for the popular Intervui magazine in protest for the fact that they have not been paid for months. UD Fuerteventura get their kit off!

The lads covered only by footballs are appealing for an Arab sheik to come along and rescue them as if they were Chelsea, explained captain Marcelino adding that the total of money owed to the team is 300,000 euros and rising

FOOTBALL

BBC1 Premiership League football fixtures.
Sunday, 14 December 2008
Chelsea v West Ham, 16:00
Portsmouth v Newcastle, 13:30

Saturday, 20 December 2008
Blackburn v Stoke, 15:00
Bolton v Portsmouth, 15:00
Fulham v Middlesbrough, 15:00
Hull v Sunderland, 15:00
West Ham v Aston Villa, 17:30

Sunday, 21 December 2008
Arsenal v Liverpool, 16:00
Newcastle v Tottenham, 15:00
West Brom v Man City, 13:30

Monday, 22 December 2008
Everton v Chelsea, 20:00

Friday, 26 December 2008
Aston Villa v Arsenal, 17:15
Chelsea v West Brom, 13:00
Liverpool v Bolton, 15:00
Man City v Hull, 15:00
Middlesbrough v Everton, 15:00
Portsmouth v West Ham, 13:00
Stoke v Man Utd, 12:45
Sunderland v Blackburn, 15:00
Tottenham v Fulham, 13:00
Wigan v Newcastle, 15:00

Sunday, 28 December 2008
Arsenal v Portsmouth, 14:00
Blackburn v Man City, 16:15
Bolton v Wigan, 14:00
Everton v Sunderland, 14:00
Fulham v Chelsea, 14:00
Newcastle v Liverpool, 12:00
West Brom v Tottenham, 14:00
West Ham v Stoke, 14:00

Monday, 29 December 2008
Man Utd v Middlesbrough, 20:00

Tuesday, 30 December 2008
Hull v Aston Villa, 20:00

Saturday, 10 January 2009
Arsenal v Bolton, 15:00
Aston Villa v West Brom, 12:45
Everton v Hull, 15:00
Fulham v Blackburn, 15:00
Middlesbrough v Sunderland, 15:00
Newcastle v West Ham, 15:00
Portsmouth v Man City, 15:00
Stoke v Liverpool, 17:30

Sunday, 11 January 2009
Man Utd v Chelsea, 16:00
Wigan v Tottenham, 13:30

Wednesday, 14 January 2009
Man Utd v Wigan, 20:00


Coca Cola championship football league.


Monday, 15 December 2008
Charlton v Derby, 19:45

Saturday, 20 December 2008
Barnsley v Plymouth, 15:00
Birmingham v Reading, 12:45
Blackpool v Swansea, 15:00
Bristol City v Burnley, 15:00
Cardiff v Sheff Wed, 15:00
Coventry v Ipswich, 15:00
Derby v Watford, 15:00
Doncaster v Wolverhampton, 15:00
Norwich v Charlton, 15:00
QPR v Preston, 15:00
Sheff Utd v Crystal Palace, 17:20
Southampton v Nottm Forest, 15:00

Friday, 26 December 2008
Burnley v Barnsley, 15:00
Charlton v QPR, 13:00
Crystal Palace v Norwich, 13:00
Ipswich v Birmingham, 15:00
Nottm Forest v Doncaster, 15:00
Plymouth v Southampton, 15:00
Preston v Derby, 15:00
Reading v Cardiff, 15:00
Sheff Wed v Blackpool, 15:00
Swansea v Coventry, 15:00
Watford v Bristol City, 12:00
Wolverhampton v Sheff Utd, 15:00

Sunday, 28 December 2008
Barnsley v Preston, 15:00
Birmingham v Swansea, 15:00
Bristol City v Crystal Palace, 15:00
Cardiff v Plymouth, 15:00
Coventry v Sheff Wed, 15:00
Derby v Ipswich, 15:00
Doncaster v Burnley, 15:00
Norwich v Nottm Forest, 15:00
QPR v Watford, 15:00
Sheff Utd v Charlton, 15:00
Southampton v Reading, 15:00

Monday, 29 December 2008
Blackpool v Wolverhampton, 19:45

Friday, 9 January 2009
Reading v Watford, 20:00

Saturday, 10 January 2009
Barnsley v Southampton, 15:00
Blackpool v Birmingham, 15:00
Burnley v Swansea, 17:20
Cardiff v Derby, 15:00
Charlton v Nottm Forest, 15:00
Doncaster v Bristol City, 15:00
Ipswich v Sheff Wed, 15:00
Plymouth v Crystal Palace, 15:00
QPR v Coventry, 15:00
Sheff Utd v Norwich, 15:00
Wolverhampton v Preston, 15:00

Coca-cola football league one

Friday, 19 December 2008
Hartlepool v Southend, 19:45

Saturday, 20 December 2008
Cheltenham v Walsall, 15:00
Colchester v Scunthorpe, 15:00
Huddersfield v Hereford, 15:00
Leicester v Peterborough, 15:00
Millwall v Crewe, 15:00
MK Dons v Leeds United, 15:00
Northampton v Carlisle, 15:00
Oldham v Leyton Orient, 15:00
Stockport v Bristol Rovers, 15:00
Swindon v Yeovil, 15:00
Tranmere v Brighton, 15:00

Friday, 26 December 2008
Brighton v Colchester, 15:00
Bristol Rovers v MK Dons, 13:00
Carlisle v Huddersfield, 15:00
Crewe v Oldham, 15:00
Hereford v Tranmere, 15:00
Leeds United v Leicester, 15:00
Leyton Orient v Swindon, 15:00
Peterborough v Millwall, 12:00
Scunthorpe v Hartlepool, 15:00
Southend v Northampton, 15:00
Walsall v Stockport, 15:00
Yeovil v Cheltenham, 15:00

Sunday, 28 December 2008
Cheltenham v Peterborough, 15:00
Colchester v Leyton Orient, 15:00
Hartlepool v Crewe, 15:00
Huddersfield v Scunthorpe, 15:00
Leicester v Hereford, 15:00
Millwall v Yeovil, 15:00
MK Dons v Southend, 15:00
Northampton v Bristol Rovers, 15:00
Oldham v Carlisle, 13:00
Stockport v Leeds United, 12:00
Swindon v Brighton, 15:00
Tranmere v Walsall, 15:00

Saturday, 3 January 2009
Brighton v Northampton, 15:00
Carlisle v Walsall, 15:00
Colchester v Tranmere, 15:00
Hereford v Leeds United, 15:00
Huddersfield v Oldham, 15:00
Leyton Orient OFF Southend, 15:00
Peterborough v MK Dons, 15:00
Stockport OFF Cheltenham, 15:00

Tuesday, 6 January 2009
Crewe v Bristol Rovers, 19:45
Hartlepool v Leicester, 19:45
Yeovil v Scunthorpe, 19:45

Saturday, 10 January 2009
Bristol Rovers v Yeovil, 15:00
Cheltenham v Millwall, 15:00
Leeds United v Carlisle, 15:00
Leicester v Leyton Orient, 15:00
MK Dons v Colchester, 15:00
Northampton v Huddersfield, 15:00
Oldham v Hartlepool, 15:00
Scunthorpe v Hereford, 15:00
Southend v Crewe, 15:00
Swindon v Stockport, 15:00
Tranmere v Peterborough, 15:00
Walsall v Brighton, 15:00

Tuesday, 13 January 2009
Millwall v Swindon, 19:45

AND DON’T MISS…..ON BBC1

SATURDAY 20TH DECEMBER.
12.10 - FOOTBALL FOCUS
4.30PM -FINAL SCORE
10.30PM - MATCH OF THE DAY

SUNDAY 21ST DECEMBER.
7.35 AM – (REPEAT) MATCH OF THE DAY.

FRIDAY 26TH DECEMBER.
4.30PM -FINAL SCORE.
10.30PM- MATCH OF THE DAY.

SATURDAY 27TH DECEMBER
7.35 AM (REPEAT) MATCH OF THE DAY.

28TH DECEMBER
4.30PM FINAL SCORE
10.30PM MATCH OF THE DAY (BBC2)

Lewis handed Hall of Fame honour

Britain's former world heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis will headline the 2009 inductees into the International Boxing Hall of Fame.
Lewis, 43, retired in 2003 with a record of 41 wins (32 by KO), two defeats and a draw, and enters the Hall in his first year of eligibility.
He said: "To be put in the Hall of Fame is an accomplishment that seals my legacy. It will always be there."
Lewis recently denied speculation that he is planning to make a comeback.
Hall of Fame trainer Emmanuel Steward, a 1996 inductee, said: "Lennox definitely belongs in the top six heavyweights of all-time.
"He would have been a threat to any heavyweight champion in history because of his size, balance and all-around skill. Lennox could do whatever he had to do to win a fight."