Backed up by the support of the Cabildo president Mario Cabrera and the mayor of Puerto del Rosario Marcial Morales the residents of the picturesque village of Puertito de Los Molinos in the borough of Puerto del Rosario have decided to join forces to protest against the decision of the Spanish General Coasts Division to demolish their houses.

Lead by the president of the neighbourhood association Miguel Cerdeña the locals are in fact prepared to do everything necessary to prevent the department from setting about the demolition even if it means physically standing in the way of the machinery. Both the local council and the island government agree that the houses of Puertito Los Molinos should be left alone alleging the historical significance of the buildings as more than justifying their protection and those who live in the village hope that this will be enough to guarantee the safety of their homes, at least for the time being.

As far as the president of Fuerteventura Mario Cabrera is concerned the fact that Fuerteventura is the only island in the Canarian Archipelago to have a shown a definite increase in tourist numbers over the last year is reason enough to increase government investment in tourist infrastructure and campaigns to promote the attractions of the island on a national and international scale and for this reason the Island Tourism Department will be pulling out all the stops at this year's FITUR International Travel Fair, which will be held from 30 th January 3 rd February in Madrid's INFEMA precinct.

The fair, which along with the WTM World Travel Mark et and the Berlin Travel Fair is one of the most important travel events in the world, will in total occupy some 100,000m2 of space and will bring together representatives from 170 different

international holiday

regions each trying to attract as much attention as possible to promote their destination. The design of each pavilion has therefore been carefully thought out and the Canary Island pavilion is of course no exception.

Over 1,900 m2 have been allocated to this year's magnificent pavilion and both travel professionals and potential tourists alike will be invited to walk through the structure which recreates the canarian landscape highlighting the characteristics of each island in turn. Volcanic gardens with lava and tropical plants adorn the precinct bringing the Canary Islands to life and visitors will be treated to fresh fruit juices and the opportunity to taste typical canarian fayre.

Each island will also be given its individual space. The larger islands of Tenerife and Gran Canaria have been allocated 31m2 while Lanzarote and Fuerteventura have been given 19m2 and the smaller islands of La Palma , La Gomera and El Hierro 8m2.

In spite of only being allocated a relatively small area in the Pavilion the Tourism Department of Fuerteventura will be making an extra special effort to project the new image of the island, modern and attractive yet conserving its natural beauty with the aim of capturing the attention of some of the 250,000 visitors that are expected to visit the precinct this year.

Rita Martin the regional secretary for Tourism explained that the pavilion alone has cost the Canarian Government over 500,000 euros to construct adding that the quality of the presentation of the islands at events like the FITUR has a clear connection with the number of tourists that choose to visit the islands especially as far as the peninsular market is concerned.

To the delight of the tourism sector of Fuerteventura , an amazing forty seven and a half percent increase in the island budget for Tourism was announced at the last Cabildo meeting of 2007 at the end of December.

Island president Mario Cabrera and councillor for Tourism Agueda Montelongo, who chaired the meeting, explained that such a marked increase in the funds destined to touristic development and promotion of the island for 2008 was justifiable. Fuerteventura has been the only Canary Island to register an increase in the number of visitors over 2007 while the rest of the islands have actually suffered a decline in tourist numbers.

Fuerteventura must now concentrate on improving facilities and the quality of its hotels and apartments if the sector is to continue growing without destroying the unique environment and natural surroundings that have helped promote the island as a popular resort with the more discerning tourist over the last twelve months.

Two of the most important sub sections of the tourist sector over the last year have been Conference and Convention tourists and the cruise liner division, which have both brought large numbers of wealthy tourists to the island.

The 2008 super budget will be used to set up an effective promotional strategy for the island to both the national and international markets, making the most of both traditional methods and modern technology including the setting up of an attractive web site and the creation of a new image for the island.

The participation of the island in international and national tourism events such as the WTM World Travel Mark et and the FITUR International Travel Fair together with individual and specialist promotional campaigns will also be funded using the budget.

The species was thought to be extinct on the island. The giant La Palma lizard Gallotia auaritae was thought to have been as dead as the dodo, but now José Antonio Mateo , from the species recovery centre on the Canary Island of La Gomera has found the species still at large on the island of La Palma .

As long as 25 years ago it was thought the only giant lizards to survive were on Gran Canaria, but since then small colonies of the reptile have been found on Tenerife, La Gomera, El Hierro and now La Palma .

The reptile found is thought to be between 301 and 312 mm long and is thought to be about four years old. The experts think the lizard is looking for a new base on the island and that a new search be carried out immediately for the future protection of the species.

Mallorcan Hotel Chain Barceló Hotels and Resorts has signed an agreement to purchase eight luxury hotels on Spanish territory two of which are known to be situated in Fuerteventura.

The purchase, which is valued in around 148 million euros, will strengthen the position of the company in Huelva , Malaga , Almeria , Huesca and Morocco as well as on Fuerteventura which is the only island chosen by the company for its expansion.

Barceló Hotels and Resorts has also announced that it will be improving the facilities in all its establishments including the new acquisitions to ensure that all its hotels are of four and five star category by the year 2010.

Although the torrential rain which took the islands of Tenerife and Gran Canaria by storm in December last year did not officially cause too much havoc in Fuerteventura the residents of Pozo Negro, Gran Tarajal, Giniginamar, Cardón and Las Playitas in the South of the island are not of the same opinion.

Plagued by flooding and the consequent loss of furniture and belongings every time heavy rain reaches the South of Fuerteventura the local residents did not escape lightly on this occasion with many losing not only personal belongings but also their livelihood and have decided that enough is enough.

In fact, the residents are so fed up with the lack of interest shown by the local councils in finding a solution to the problem that they have decided to join forces to demand that the island government and the local town council improve the drainage system to prepare the villages to cope with similar downpours in the future.

The streets, explained local resident Andrea Hernandez, are not prepared for torrential rain and every time there is a storm our houses and workplaces are flooded and although the emergency services adding that it is high time the authorities took cards in the matter.

The “Assalama” a modern ferry capable of carrying 350 passengers and 150 vehicles promises to join Tarfaya in Morocco with Puerto del Rosario in three hours forty five minutes for the modest price of 49 euros per person and 97 euros per vehicle per leg, offering reductions for under 26's , senior citizens and special packages of 372 euros return for one vehicle and two passengers.

A really attractive proposition for those wishing to spend a romantic weekend in the North of Africa or those businessmen aiming to expand their negotiations within Africa .

However, the first trip of the Assalama joining Tarfaya and Puerto del Rosario was chaos. The fibre optics necessary to carry out passport control on leaving the ferry were not available in the docking area obliging the passengers leaving the ferry to leave their vehicles and get on board the bus provided by Naviera Armas to take them to the passport control almost half a kilometre away to check their travel documents before returning to their vehicles, having their luggage scanned and their vehicles registered to control their contents.

The long drawn out process, which should never have happen, not only caused dissatisfaction among the passengers but also obliged Naviera Armas to cancel the remaining trips programmed for the week since the long administrative process made keeping to the established timetable impossible.

A complete fiasco! However, the blame for the apparent lack of coordination and forward planning could not be laid at the feet of neither the Naviera Armas nor the Puerto del Rosario port authority as the original administrative marquee had in fact been set up alongside the docking area since November.

The problem was that the ramp set up for the vehicles leaving the ferry was found to be deficient during the practice mooring and the whole set up had to be moved to another part of the port where fibre optics had not been installed.

However even when the fibre optic installations had been sorted out Naviera Armas opted for reducing the number of voyages from three to two a week as complying with the requirements of being a Schengen Port turned out not to be so straight forward after all.

The propositions of a romantic weekend break or the possibility of forging business relations and commercial dealings with Tarfaya are now “On hold” until further notice.

A baby pilot whale, which had become wrapped up in a stretch of nylon wire from a floating buoy near La Isleta, Gran Canaria was lucky enough to be spotted by the crew of the Salvamar Nunki patrol boat which was sailing in the area at the time.

Realizing that the forty-kilo “baby” was having problems, the crew of the Nunki decided to use the tactics employed for rescuing illegal immigrants who have fallen into the water and threw a special capturing net over the animal.

The baby whale was difficult to catch, explained the captain of the Nunki but once on board the rescue vessel the crew kept the creature moist by using buckets of water until the animal could be taken into port.

The Pascal Calabuig team of experts which attended the whale explained that the plan is to find a family of pilot whales prepared to adopt the youngster.

Only a few seconds after the last chime saw in 2008 baby Ainara was born in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria weighing only 1.850kg and a few minutes later thirty four year old Raquel gave birth to Zaida in Santa Cruz de Tenerife.

It was not, however, until almost breakfast time on January 1 st that the first baby of 2008 to be born in Fuerteventura made an appearance. The baby boy whose parents are Moroccan was born at 6.25am weighing in at 3.230kg.

Canary Island birth facts for 2007:

An amazing 17,410 babies were born in the Canary Islands between January 1 st and 20 th December 2007 with 9,743 forming part of the population of the province of Las Palmas (Gran Canaria, Lanzarote and Fuerteventura) and 7,667 being born in Tenerife, El Hierro, La Gomera and La Palma .

Seven hundred more children were born in the Canary Islands in 2007 compared with 2006 when only 16,729 births were registered.

The number of births in Fuerteventura during the first eleven months of 2007 was 1,075 including eleven sets of twins .551 of the babies born in Fuerteventura this year were boys.

There were 270 multiple births in the Archipelago in 2007. The epidural, a relatively new arrival in the Archipelago, was used in fifty percent of the births.

The majority of mothers were aged between 21 and 40 years of age.

A rich stew made from the meat of “cabrito” or suckling kid is one of the most traditional meals in the Canary Islands at Christmas time and the festive season is one of the most profitable for those who spend the whole year caring for the animals. However recent years have seen an increase in the amount of illegal goat meat on the menu of the local bars and restaurants and the goatherds of the island have called for a stricter control on the activity .

The goatherds of Fuerteventura were forced to up the level of security over the festive period alarmed over the disappearance of large numbers of kids.

The goatherds, who are appealing to the authorities to support them in their plight, reported that the newborn kids in over twelve different “gambuesas” (traditional stone structures designed to shelter the goats in semi wild conditions) had been stolen in one single night suspiciously close to the traditional festivities.

It is not the first time that kids have been stolen en masse in December and January, explained the local Guardia Civil admitting that similar robberies take place every year. Faced with the possibility of losing their livelihood at one of the most profitable times of year the goatherds have been forced to take matters into their own hands setting up 24 hour vigilance operations in the hills of the islands.

It is obvious, explained a local goat breeder, that the animals are being sacrificed for their tender meat and very probable that the people responsible for their disappearance are selling the meat to bars and restaurants on the island but the police do not even try to keep a control on the meat served and bar owners are not required to produce any form of receipt for the meat served to their customers.

Nor is there any control on the movement of live animals. It is not unusual to see a lorry load of goats being taken from one end of the island to the other but the drivers are not required to prove that these animals have not been stolen and they are free to transport the goats between the islands since there is no control in the docks either.

Luxury cruise liner “The World” called in at Puerto del Rosario at the end of December for the very first time carrying 178 passengers the majority of whom own their own cabin on board what is considered to be the world's number one “millionaire's” vessel.

Captain of “The World” Saevik Dag and the passengers were received by the island councillor for Tourism Agueda Montelongo and the local councillor for tourism Idaira Saavedra who handed out promotional materials and gifts while a local canarian “parranda” band provided musical entertainment.

Montelongo expressed her satisfaction with the progress being made in the cruise liner trade and the important role the arrival of luxury liners in Puerto del Rosario will play in the development of a sustainable tourism for the future but underlined the need to complete the improvement work being carried out on the harbour to improve the facilities on offer to these water born tourists.

“The World” is a private cruise liner categorized as “super luxurious”. It is almost two hundred metres long and boasts a crew made up of 244 people. The owners of the liner are mainly Americans (50%) and Europeans (40%) although the remaining ten percent are Australian, Asian and South African.

Each cabin measures around 70m2 and has been purchased at the price of around two thousand dollars. The average age of the cruisers is 54 and it is the owners of the cabins who decide the itinerary of the vessel for each of its voyages, which usually include some form of international event such as the Olympic Games, the Formula One Grand Prix meetings or the Carnival in Rio de Janeiro .

Something strange compels people to dispose of chewing gum by simply throwing it to the ground as if the unsightly mark was not important especially in the larger towns of the Archipelago however throwing litter, chewing gum or urinating in the streets of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria could be a costly business from next summer.

Las Palmas councillor for sustainable development Nestor Hernandez explained that as from June 2008 anyway caught behaving in an irresponsible manner throwing litter in the streets or urinating will be liable for a fine of at least 200 euros adding that if local businessmen and shop owners are caught disposing of their waste in an unauthorized way the fine will be even greater.

Hernandez explained that the new Environmental Police Group, which is currently being created, would be responsible for supervising the streets of the capital keeping an eye out for offenders.

It is the minority, added Hernandez, which causes problems for the city's cleaning services since the majority of people are responsible when it comes to disposing of their litter and as such it is only fair that offenders should be punished for their none compliance with the new laws since they are costing the town council money.

With every effort being made to make the cities of the Archipelago as attractive as possible, it would certainly be worth it for other town councils to follow the example.

Spanish parents will be banned from smacking their children

Until now parents have been allowed to "reasonably and moderately correct" their children, but deputies deleted that clause and rewrote Spain 's civil code to make clear a child's physical and psychological integrity should be respected.

Spain's Socialist government, which pushed through the change, has often been accused by the conservative Popular Party opposition of undermining traditional values and the family with policies such as legalizing gay marriage.

Popular Party deputies, who voted against the change, said the measure would leave parents powerless, but Socialists said the law shut the door to any chance of misunderstanding. Around 16 European countries have already banned smacking at school and in the home. In October the British government rejected the banning of corporal punishment at home as long as parents did not leave bruises, grazes or swelling.

Sharp rise in food prices in Spain

Government recognises food prices have increased more in Spain than the rest of the EU.
Ignacio Cruz Roche, the Managing Director of Commercial Policy for the Ministry for Industry, admitted that ‘food prices have gone up more in Spain than the EU average over the last two months'. According to Cruz Roche these difference are difficult to understand and he has appointed the National Competition Commission to investigate whether there has been any price fixing within the food industry.
In a report compiled by the Cerdá Institute on the price of food distribution a sharp increase can be seen in prepared food for commercial distribution. While the price of meat, fruit and fish can be seen to go up and down according to where they are sold this is not the case for packaged food where there appears to have been uniform price rises of over 4% between April and October this year.
Moreover it looks likely that prices will continue to increase despite the fact that between January and October this year they rose by 6.1% which is the highest increase since December 1995.

Cruz Roche pointed out that many prices rises were down to the increase in the cost of raw materials throughout the world and when they started to go down again ‘prices for the consumer would reflect this'. In fact he said that the price of milk, eggs, bread, chicken and yogurt had remained the same in Spain and had not gone up in the first two weeks of November.
Ignacio Cruz Roche, also defended the food distribution sector saying that it had been accused by the agriculture sector of inflating prices and taking advantage of price rises in raw materials. When asked the real reasons for recent price rises Cruz Roche said that his department was investigating the food chain to find out where the increases were being produced. Once again he denied that it was down to the increases in distribution saying that net profits for this sector hardly rose above 4%.
In his opinion the agriculture sector always looked at the difference between the price paid for raw materials such as lemons and onions and the price in the shops (differences of 297% and 762%). He said that sometimes it was ‘more expensive to distribute than to produce'. He added that 25% of agricultural produce was not consumed because it didn't reach its destination in an acceptable condition and ‘to the price of a lemon hanging on a tree you had to add transport costs, insurance costs and the cost of handling in a shop'.

Spanish consumers group unhappy at Ryanair charity pin-up calendar

A charity calendar sold by Ryanair showing its air hostesses in skimpy bikinis demeans women and breaks the law, a Spanish consumer group said. Spanish consumer group FACUA said in a statement: 'The company is attacking the dignity of women workers in general and especially of cabin crew members, by presenting stereotypical images of these professionals which they have spent years struggling against.'

The Ryanair 2008 calendar called 'The Girls of Ryanair' has photos of air hostesses posing in and outside of planes, dressed in bikinis rather than their normal blue suits. The proceeds from the sale of the calendar, which has already sold 7000 copies at £5 each, will go to the children's charity Angels Quest.

FACUA has complained about the calendar and its promotional material to Spain 's Women's Institute, which is part of the Labour Ministry, and to the National Consumer Institute. It argues the photos break Spanish law because they are the kind of images which promote macho behaviour and violence towards women.

In February, Italian fashion house Dolce & Gabbana withdrew one of its adverts from the Spanish market after FACUA branded it sexist and the Labour and Social Affairs Ministry agreed it was illegal and humiliating to women.

Spanish abortion laws debated in parliament

Izquierda Unida, the Spanish communist party, is due to present a motion in parliament calling for reform in Spanish abortion laws. This move comes at a time when the debate over Spanish abortion laws has been reopened due to the controversy over the investigations into illegal abortions being carried out in a number of clinics in Madrid in Barcelona . Gaspar Llamazares, leader of Izquierda Unida, has accused the government of not fulfilling its electoral promises over this issue.
The present law Spain only legally allow abortion in 3 cases – when the woman has been raped and has reported it to the police then an abortion is allowed during the first 12 weeks of the pregnancy, if serious physical abnormalities have been detected in the foetus then an abortion can be carried out up to 22 weeks into the pregnancy or the pregnant woman faces serious risks to her health or possible negative psychological problems due to the pregnancy (no time limit is in place under these circumstances).
José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, the Spanish president admitted that this issue would have to be addressed in time, but he did not specify whether or not decriminalisation of abortion would be included in their election manifesto. It is understood that the women members of Zapatero's Gabinet are pushing for reform.
Maribel Montaño the PSOE secretary in charge of Equality said in an radio interview broadcast on Cadena Ser that the present laws governing abortion in Spain were made 25 years ago and that now was the time to modify the law and adapt it to the new social reality of today's Spain . She confirmed that any supposed changes to the law would be included in PSOE's next electoral programme. She said the double objective of this would be to defend the rights of women to control their maternity and give more legal backing and clarification on this issue.

ManyUK airports not ready for two bags switch over

Some of the UK's main airports - including Gatwick, Luton, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Liverpool and Leeds Bradford Airport - do not yet have permission to ease the one-piece cabin baggage restriction from January 7, the government has said.

Transport Secretary Ruth Kelly announced in November that airports will be allowed to relax their baggage restrictions after January 7, provided airports have purchased improved security scanners or have satisfied the DfT that relaxing the rule will not lead to increased security queues. They had to submit plans to the Department for Transport (DfT) to demonstrate that they have sufficient screening capacity while being able maintain security standards. But only 19 have so far met the appropriate standards, and have been given permission to relax the rule, with some of the UK 's biggest airports have yet to meet the required standards.

A spokesman for the DfT said: 'Some airports have coped with the changes, but some need to improve.' Passengers might feel confused about the different rules at different airports, he said, but said it was the industry's responsibility to info rm them. To add to the confusion, size limits on liquids and cabin baggage will still apply and airlines can place their own restrictions on the amount of hand baggage that can be taken in to their aircraft, so even if an airport is approved for two bags, an airline can still restrict passengers to one.

A spokesman for easyJet said it was worried that passengers could turn up at airports with the wrong amount of baggage. The airline flies from Stansted airport, which is allowed to relax the bag restrictions but also from Gatwick, Edinburgh , Liverpool, Glasgow and Luton , where the old luggage rules still apply.

To confuse passengers further, each airline may also have its own regulations on hand luggage. Ryanair, for example, is likely to keep the one bag limit at Stansted. Security staff will send passengers back to check in surplus luggage if their airline is still enforcing the one-bag rule.

The airports that have permission to relax baggage restrictions on January 7 are: Aberdeen, Benbecula, Birmingham, Cambridge, Cardiff, Heathrow, Inverness, Islay, Kirkwall, London City, Manchester, Plymouth, Prestwick, Southampton, Southend, Stansted, Stornaway, Sumburgh and Wick.

Iron Maiden plane takes off from Gatwick

Plane spotting at Gatwick Airport has become 'pretty damn cool', according to vintage rock band Iron Maiden. The group's official web site has been updated with the following message:

'It was always slightly less nerdy than train-spotting, but now plane spotting just became pretty damn cool. The MAIDEN plane (as yet un-named of course!) is out of the paint shop and in service with Astraeus, flying from Gatwick and around Africa and the Middle East .'

American Airlines to test anti-missile system

Up to three American Airlines jets carrying passengers will be outfitted with anti-missile technology this spring in the latest phase of testing technology to protect commercial planes from attack.

An American Airlines spokesman said that the test will determine how well the anti-missile system holds up under the rigors of flight.

The first Boeing 767-200 will be equipped in April or later, said the airline spokesman, Tim Wagner. American operates that Boeing model mostly between New York and San Francisco and Los Angeles .

Gaming to help road safety

The Scottish Government is paying for a trial scheme to beam anti-drink adverts directly into X-Box games across Scotland .

The adverts will appear on virtual billboards within the games consoles. Transport Minister Stewart Stevenson said that with road accidents continuing to rise, it was time to look at innovative solutions.

"With statistics showing that road deaths, particularly among young people, are continuing to rise, it is clear we must look at new ways of getting road safety messages across.

"This is a huge opportunity to try and reach a new audience - 73 per cent of UK 15-24 year olds have access to a gaming console in their home. The technology is non-intrusive, subtle, but the message can be seen in the background, loud and clear.

The project will cost £10,000 and will initially transmit anti-drink drive messages. However, if successful, the technology can deliver any road safety message needed directly into any game.

Some of the games to carry the ads will be: Need for Speed: Carbon, Need for Speed:proStreet, Project Gotham Racing 4, Pro Evolution Soccor 2008, NBA Live.

Grace in favour

UD Fuerteventura 2 CD Lugo 0
By Bob Purdy

Having racked up 4 defeats in our last 5 games we simply had to win 3 points and that’s exactly what the boys did at home last Sunday to move back up to 5th spot in the League.

They were victorious against CD Lugo from Galicia in Northern Spain 2-0, they are a strong team with some very big players and have spent 18 seasons in this league (Segunda B) which is the third tier in the Spanish league. The away team started very well with most of the play in the first 10 minutes going close on two occasions. Fuerte started to gain the upper hand and we were awarded a free kick on the edge of the box which Moises smashed in to the wall, however 5 minutes later another free kick just outside the box to the right, well we have all seen David Beckham curl them in, but Gustavo our little midfield general stepped up with a beautifully struck curler top right hand corner just fizzing the outstretched goalkeepers fingers 1-0 to Fuerte 10 mins before the break.

The second half started very brightly and now CD Lugo were up against some tremendous passing football with a lot more chances being created on their goal and we looked a class apart, they had no reply to this type of football and with a very low attendance which was expected for Kings Day, there was still a great atmosphere to be had plus the resident Fuerte band in great form as well as the team. Then came the icing on the cake on the 79th minute a great run down the right from Futre resulted in a low cross through the area, it looked as if Moise was ready to pounce but he side stepped and left it for Maciot to bury home with a low drive in to the bottom right corner job done Fuerte 2-0.

UD Fuerteventura’s next 2 games are big Derbys, with Lanzarote at home and Universidad LPGC (Las Palmas) away, this has the makings of 2 great games and hopefully we can win some points against these 2 big rivals and climb back close to the top of the league. Our next home game is on Sunday the 3rd Feb 11.00 am kick off against Marino from northern Spain we have already taken 3 points from them this season 1-0 away , so the boys will be looking for a double no doubt.
UD Fuerteventura play their home games at the Los Pozos stadium in Puerto Del Rosario just off the motorway opposite the new hospital they have 2 little bars in the ground and also have some great bocadillos. If you have never been before and enjoy watching live football then make sure you give it a try the atmosphere is great. If you want any further information on the club or how to get there or even a lift to the ground when available email me.
bob@properties-fuerteventura.com

Yamaha Spain WSS Team Ready For 2008

2008 will be the Yamaha Spain World Supersport Team's second season in World Supersport, being a newcomer last year and having successfully contested the Spanish Supersport Championship for the past five years. David Salom, will remain with the team and will be joined by highly experienced fellow Spaniard David de Gea.

Based in Barcelona , the Yamaha Spain World Supersport Team is managed by the veteran Dani Devahive, who has taken the team to national championship success three times since 2002 – in 2004, 2005 and 2006, before finishing 2007 in fourth. Taking into account three second place finishes – in 2002, 2003 and 2004 - the Yamaha Spain squad is the most successful team in the Spanish Supersport Championship to date. With one season of World Supersport experience under their belt and a brace of experienced national and international technicians in the team Dani is confident of making a next step upwards in their second year in the WSS championship.

The team's main objective has always been to nurture young riders in the Spanish Championship and then launch them onto the world stage; having done this previously with Cardenas and Tizon, who both went into 250GP, the team is looking to achieve success with its latest protégé, David Salom. Salom made an impact early on last year in his rookie season in World Supersport, achieving a sixth at Valencia followed on by a fifth at Assen. The 23 year-old Spaniard contested in the national Supersport championship for three years prior to moving to the World Series in 2007.

30 year-old Jose David de Gea, better known as David, has raced in World Supersport previously but has focussed on other classes in the last few years. His career has also seen him participate in 250GP and MotoGP races, though his best success has been in the Spanish Formula Extreme Championship, in which he is the current champion and has taken the title a total of four times since 2003.

The Yamaha Spain World Supersport Team is the third team to be supported by Yamaha Motor Europe in the championship, joining YME's own Yamaha World Supersport Team and the Yamaha Team Italia squad.

F1 2008 season changes

A number of changes to both the Sporting and Technical Regulations have been made by the FIA for the 2008 Formula One season.

Gearboxes
In a bid to further improve reliability and cut costs, gearboxes must now last for four consecutive Grand Prix meetings. Every unscheduled gearbox change will require the relevant driver to drop five places on the grid at that meeting. If a driver fails to finish a race, he may start the next meeting with a new gearbox without incurring a penalty.

Electronic Control Units (ECUs)
From 2008, all teams must use a standardised, FIA-approved ECU to control their cars' electronics. AS well as providing a more level playing field in this area of development, the new ECU - which must run FIA-approved software - will allow the FIA to monitor the cars' performance more closely.

Traction control
Traction control - systems which prevent the rear wheels spinning if a driver applies too much power - are no longer permitted. This will place more emphasis on driver skill and should lead to more overtaking, as drivers are more likely to make mistakes. Similarly, systems that help the driver hold the clutch at a specific point to ensure an optimal getaway at the race start, have been outlawed.

Qualifying
In a very slight tweak to the familiar knockout qualifying format, the duration of Q1 has been increased from 15 to 20 minutes, while that of Q3 has been cut from 15 to 10. Q2 remains 15-minutes long. Furthermore, cars participating in Q3 will no longer get back the fuel used in that session - they must now start the race with whatever fuel was left in the car at the end of qualifying, thus eliminating the need for the infamous 'fuel-burning' phase at the start of Q3.

First Race Australia 16th march

Just over the half way stage and the big guns are jockeying for position at the top of the league, Arsenal lead the way 2 points in front of Man Utd with Chelsea a further 4 points back. Chelsea will be in the mix right until the end, they have home fixtures with Arsenal, Man Utd and Liverpool . The Scousers are struggling to keep up with the space, Too many draws and a lack of adventure going forward puts them 12 points off the pace and in 5 th position in the league. The surprise package Man City find them-selves in 4 th . Sven's men dropping only 2 points at home and playing the kind of football the fans have

not seen for years. The transfer window now open will see quite a flurry in the market, but not until the last week in January, some teams are going too lose quite a few

players to the African nations. Everton, Villa, Pompey and Blackburn are well placed

for the UEFA Cup places, and keep your eyes open for free scoring Spurs who seem too have turned things around.

We reach the second phase of the Champions League, losing only Rangers on the way, the Second stage is now a knock-Out round, Liverpool v Inter, Olympiakos v Chelsea, CelticV Barcelona, Lyon v Man Utd And Arsenal v A.C Milan,the 1 st legs to be played on the 19 th And 20 th of Feb and the return Legs on the 4 th and 5 th of March. Celtic and Arsenalhave the hardest tasks, Celtics away form could well be their undoing, and Arsenal face the Defending champions. However, with the gunners current form there could well be an early exit for Milan . I expect there to be at least 3 English teams in the last eight.

This regional film competition held between February and April, involves short films no longer than 5 minutes and with 50% of their content shot outside, in and around the Canary Islands . Any format is allowed.
Canarias Rueda offers cash prizes for the best short films from each island.
Furthermore, the island prize winners will be entered for three regional prizes of 2,500 euros, 2,000 euros and 1,000 euros. For more info rmation see http://www.canariasrueda.com/

International Digital Film Festival Ateneo Coste Cero

La Laguna, from 11th to 15th March 2008

In the official part of the competition, producers or directors of any nationality may participate with short or feature films which have been filmed by digital camera.  Films featuring Coste Cero will take priority in the selection- with a budget of less than 25,000 Euros for feature films and 2,000 for short films.  The pieces must be sent before the 1st of February 2008. For more information http://www.ateneoencorto.com/

Trusts have actually been in use since the Middle Ages, when they were used to circumvent property laws and to make provisions for families when the man of house was away fighting in wars. Today it is estimated that around half the independent wealth in the world is held some sort of trust structure.

The key aspect of a trust is that your assets are held independently from you, a situation which provides many benefits and helps to protect your wealth.

Trusts therefore provide continuity on death – even with a carefully prepared will, probate can be a lengthy process which delays the distribution of your assets to your beneficiaries. It can also be costly. When assets are held in trust these delays and costs are avoided since the trustees already have control of them and can distribute them im me diately as per your instructions.

This also means that your heirs do not have to deal with the hassle of sorting out probate, which can be a difficult thing to do when they are grieving.

If you have assets in various countries and jurisdictions, a trust can help you consolidate them all on one legal document, making them easier to control and distribute when the time comes.

Your assets will protected from divorce, business risk, debts (unless the trust has been set up specifically to avoid existing debts) and political uncertainty.

Trusts also provide confidentiality; they do not need to be registered and you do not need to be openly connected with your trust.

Trusts are often used very successfully as a legitimate tax planning method. Since the assets are outside your estate they may not be taxable.

In particular, discretionary trusts help expatriates avoid UK inheritance tax. If you intend to live in Spain indefinitely and cut ties with the UK you may be able to set up a trust that will avoid inheritance tax for generations to co me , even if you later change your mind and return to the UK. With this type of trust you can include yourself in the list of beneficiaries, and beneficiaries can be added or removed in the future if necessary.

Another useful aspect for estate planning is that a trust would help you avoid forced heirship laws.

When you set up a trust, you provide the trustees with a “letter of wishes”. This sets out how you would like the trustees to manage your assets during your lifeti me and later distribute them on your death.

This enables you to leave instructions on how and when your assets and money are to be given to your family. You can prepare ahead to help your spouse and children with their inheritance, which is particularly useful if they are not adept at dealing with finances. If you are leaving money to minors or spendthrift heirs, you can ask the trustees to control the inheritance to prevent the money being spent unwisely.

When setting up a trust for tax planning purposes, it is very important that it is “offshore” – i.e. held in a different country from the one you are resident in. Many jurisdictions offer trusts, but chose one which is secure, has an appropriate trust law, offers the type of trust you need, is easy to contact (i.e. in a similar time zone) and offers confidentiality.

Modern trust deeds can be tailored to meet your specific requirements, but there are various types of trust available so you need to ensure the one you choose is appropriate for your objectives. It is therefore important to seek qualified professional advice, especially if one of your aims is to avoid UK inheritance tax.

A financial adviser experienced in advising expatriates on the benefits of trusts will explain exactly how they work and the many benefits they will provide for you and your family.

We supplyEl Sol News with regular financial editorial, dealing with subjects of particular importance to expatriates living here. I hope you enjoy these features and find them useful. For further information on any of these topics you may contact our Canary Islands Partner, Paul Montague , on telephone 922 716 079 or email paul.montague@blevinsfranks.com .

To keep in touch with the latest developments in the offshore world, check out the latest news on our website www.blevinsfranksinternational.com

A) Buying Used Vehicles:
When purchasing a second-hand car, it is important to immediately take into account two major points:
(1) Debts - You buy the car AND its debts and past liabilities, e.g., unpaid taxes, fines, etc.
(2) Transferring Ownership - Can become problematical, especially if:
The previous true owner is not available to give authenticated signatures.
ANY of several ORIGINAL documents belonging to the car are missing.
The car has not been matriculated, i.e.; it does not have Spanish registration plates.
The person selling you the car is not actually the current registered owner.
There are unpaid taxes and the car originated somewhere else in Spain.
Debt recovery measures can be placed on a car, so searches of debts must always be made before parting with your money.

Transfer of Car Ownership:
When buying or selling a vehicle it is always involved time consuming procedure involving the Spanish Minister of Traffic. You can attempt to do this yourself but it is recommended you use a Gestor to do this for you, thus ensuring that the vehicle is correctly transferred to your ownership.

Important Transfer Points:

(a) Foreign Non-Residents may purchase a vehicle, on the basis that they are regular visitors and thus need the vehicle. They will require an NIE/NIF Number and Certificate of address.
(b) Foreign Residents will require a copy of their Residencia and/or NIF number.
(c) Past Debts. In Spain, a vehicle may be linked to past debts. For example, unpaid taxes and fines associated with the vehicle, (by the current or previous owners) or even unrelated debts, where the creditor has power to use the car as an asset for seizure, means that the car may carry debts for which the new owner will become responsible. Also, if road tax has not been paid, you should remember that at the time of writing, Road Tax is a Local municipal tax. So, if the car originated in, say Barcelona, and there are unpaid taxes - you would have to pay these taxes and fines, before you could transfer the ownership.

B) BASIC GUIDE OF IMPORTING A CAR FROM A EUROPEAN UNION COUNTRY:
Whether bringing in your existing car into or buying a new car outside of Spain, the principles are basically the same.

(i) Non-Residents Cars are normally allowed to stay within Spain for a 'holiday' period of 6 months.
(ii) Residents are allowed 2 months, from the date of import, to get the vehicle matriculated on to Spanish plates.

The Matriculation of the car is a lengthy process which involves various inspections and several queues and application forms. Every original document belonging to the vehicle must be to hand, including the ferry tickets,
To confirm exactly when the vehicle arrived in the country. Taxes are levied at a rate determined by the 'Authorities' assessment of the value of the car (can be far more than you actually paid for the vehicle). Most specialized companies offer a matriculation service for vehicles only if they are consulted before the vehicle departs its country of origin.

Otherwise, they cannot ensure that the correct procedures and documents will allow matriculation. Usually once the vehicle is already here, most owners might find the cost of matriculation prohibitive(It depends of car official market’s value as per list published by the Spanish tax authorities). People who say they can 'matriculate the car cheaply and quickly' for you are invariably suspect and it is highly unlikely that you will finish up with a problem-free and correctly authorised matriculation.