A group of local inhabitants in Puerto Lajas which is based just north of Puerto del Rosario are willing to fight to the bitter end in order to avoid the demolition of their houses. A total of 32 houses are to be knocked down to comply with the Fuerteventura Coastal Agreement. Although the Government is prepared to pay a total of 2,341.112 euros for the residents to give up their land they are determined to fight the decision and have instructed lawyers.

Many of the residents have lived in Puerto Lajas for more than forty years since Puerto del Rosario was little more than a tiny fishing village and although they are aware that the demolition will create space for an attractive promenade between Playa Blanca and Puerto Lajas, they do not believe it is necessary to destroy their homes to go ahead with the plan.

Homeowner Jose Elvira explained that if the authorities had not taken sand and rocks from the local beach to improve the port of Sidi Ifni in Morocco the sea would never have reached the shoreline of Puerto Lajas and there would not have been a space problem adding that the residents should not have to “pay” for the errors of the authorities.

Unless thehomeowners are successful in their appeal the project for the construction of the promenade will go ahead and part of Fuerteventura will be lost for ever.

One of Puerto del Rosario's businessmen is still shaking after being subjected to an express kidnap following the robbery of his premises in the island's capital.

Recognising the tattoos on the arms of his assailants Ignacio Garcia Perdomo from Los Llanos de La Mareta, Puerto Rosario easily identified the three balaclava clad men who entered his premises late on Sunday 19 th June and beat him up in order to get away with a bounty of 50,000 euros

Ignacio had been, according to police jargon, the victim of an express kidnap; a crime that has increased in popularity recently which involves detaining the victim against his will for a short time in order to obtain as much money as possible from his family and friends. The kidnap is usually quick and the money is handed over without anything untoward happening to the hostage.

The 34 year old victim a used car salesman described the experience as terrifying explaining that he thought the men were going to leave him to die with his hands tied and his mouth covered with an adhesive tape. Ignacio was taken to a remote spot near the Cabildo tip alongside some abandoned industrial greenhouses where no one would ever have thought of looking for him until maybe it was too late.

Ignacio explained that one of the men had called him on his mobile phone asking to see one of the cars he had on sale. Everything was normal until the man suddenly grabbed him by the throat and the other two pushed him into a car.

All three men, who kidnapped Ignacio Garcia Perdomo for a couple of hours, are now behind bars. One was captured in Fuerteventura and the other two in Tenerife .

The Spanish authorities have confirmed that they have received over 600 phone calls connected with seven year old Yeremi Vargas who disappeared while playing with his cousins outside his home in Gran Canaria over three months ago.

Home Office Minister Alfredo Perez Rubalcaba offered the info rmation in response to the comments of the conservative MP Jose Macias Santana who requested that the search for Yeremi be carried out on a national and international scale since the youngster could be in “almost any part of the world by now”.

Rubalcaba explained that the search for Yeremi Vargas is in fact one of the largest operations ever carried out in the Canary Islands adding that although a great part of the investigations are not made public the authorities are following up the leads offered by the large number of people who have called to offer their assistance in building up a more accurate picture of exactly what happened to Yeremi. A team of fifty experts in disappearance cases continued Rubalcaba was brought over from the mainland two months ago and is still working on the case.

In response to the concern shown by the family of Yeremi at the lack of info rmation being offered by the Home Office Rubalcaba continued by explaining that although it may seem to the general public that the investigation has come to a halt and that the police have “given up” searching for Yeremi the operation is still being carried out both on Spanish and European territory and has the cooperation of Interpol and Europol.

Yeremi is at this time one the most searched for children in the world, explained Rubalcaba.

The Minister did not, however, offer any info rmation on the possible whereabouts of the youngster and the family, desperate to get their child back, are now contemplating offering a reward for anyone who helps find him.

Also Campaigners right across the world marked the 50th day of Madeleine's McCann's abduction on the 22nd June.

From sites across the UK and from centres as wide apart as Eastern Europe and South America , 50 green and yellow balloons were launched as a symbol of hope and to spread the message of the four-year-old's disappearance.

Madeleine's parents Gerry and Kate McCann released balloons carrying a photograph of their daughter and contact details for people with info rmation to pass on to the police.

At other centres well-wishers marked the day in different ways.  Fifty doves were released above the city of Ventura in California and campaigners in Afghanistan followed local tradition by flying 50 kites.

“Fifty days have passed and our daughter is still missing and we are still searching,” said Gerry and Kate.

Almost eight thousand people converged on the beautiful beach of El Cotillo on Friday 29 th June to catch a glimpse of Spanish rap star La Mala Rodriguez and La Troba Kung Fu who between them offered a night of unbeatable entertainment at this year's Fuertemusica Festival.

The crowds began to gather on the beach at around eight o'clock in the evening while the local folklore group Tababaire and afro Spanish singer Concha Buika warmed up the atmosphere in preparation for the arrival of La Troba Kung Fu who got the crowds dancing to the rhythms of Reggae, Rumba , Cumbia and hip hop.

La Mala Rodriguez did not disappoint the fans offering an excellent performance adding to the fantastic atmosphere of El Cotillo.

Saturday's concert was equally as brilliant with thousands of people, many of whom had spent the night in the local campsite, returning to El Cotillo for more.

The Atercerpelados, Fundacion Tony Marrero and Vanexxa provided an excellent night of entertainment leaving the crowds eager to come back to El Cotillo for next year's edition.

The spectacular background for the concert did of course contribute to the magic atmosphere of Fuertemusica and both the artists and the authorities, eager to avoid the “disappearance” of Fuertemusica due to the negative effect so many people on the beach has on the local environment, encouraged the crowds to take care of the beach during the concert and wasted no time in tidying up the beach as soon as the event was over.

Twenty employees from La Oliva town council worked extremely hard to enable the beach to recover its original appearance only hours after the crowds had left. The stage was quickly dismantled and no less than 12,000 kilos of rubbish were removed from the sands.

Since the maritime transport company Naveira Armas began to use the port of Gran Tarajal as a stopping off point on its way to Puerto del Rosario a month ago the Mayor of Tuineje Salvador Delgado has begun to see the commercial possibilities of setting up a permanent direct link with the port of Arinaga in nearby Gran Canaria.

Although the Naveira Armas ship, “Volcan de Tamasite” does not actually pick up passengers in Gran Tarajal the port has registered an average of 400 thousand tonnes of merchandise on 25 to 30 lorries twice a week when the ferry calls in.

The ferry has only been landing in Gran Tarajal for thirty days but the economical benefits are already showing. Serious negotiations are now underway to establish a permanent link between Gran Tarajal and the port of Arinaga . Although initially it would only be for cargo, the eventual aim is to use it for passengers. This would provide a much-needed economic boost as well as establishing an alternative link between the two islands instead of relying on the Las Palmas-Puerto del Rosario route for both cargo and passenger vessels.

Work to bring Puerto del Rosario's harbour up to the standard necessary to receive international cruise lines was going to plan. However, a layer of extremely hard volcanic rock was discovered when the project was in its final stages.

The rock had to be removed before construction could continue but the question was how to break it. Faced with a serious stumbling block the Cabildo even considered using explosives to crack the layer but the arrival of a special cutting machine equipped with a high power pneumatic drill mid –June meant that work on the harbour could go ahead after all.

Shift workers carried out the laborious task of removing the rock round the clock, seven days a week to keep to the schedule to prepare the harbour for the installation of the huge mooring ramp.

Now that the base is finished, a jigsaw of huge concrete squares will be installed to form the exterior structure of the harbour during August.

At the same time in the port of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria work has begun on the construction of four new concrete boxes that will extend the port area to create more space for the storage of merchandise and containers coming from Puerto del Rosario.

Referring to the supposed existence of oil off the coasts of the Canary Islands CEPSA president Carlos Perez de Bricio has revealed that there is definitely no black gold under the sea bed off the Archipelago based on the negative results of the REPSOL investigations carried out off the coasts of Lanzarote and Fuerteventura . Also the waters have been found to be too deep to contemplate the existence of oil beneath the sea bed. These conclusions have placed the continuation of the investigation programme in doubt.

Furthermore the problematic relations with the Government of Morocco which claims that the REPSOL YPF investigations have gone further than Canarian waters invading their territory could put a further damper on investigations.

Perez de Bricio explained that the likelihood of actually finding oil has gone down to only 20% and in the absence of other indications many are beginning to doubt that there is any oil at all.

Faced with an expensive investigation that has been fruitless so far CEPSA has decided to change direction and centre attentions on joining Gascan in the project which aims to provide the islands with sufficient natural gas so as to become a rival for UNELCO ENDESA.

Champagne bottles were uncorked in the headquarters of Gran Canaria's Association for the deaf last week when news of the Government's decision to recognise Spanish sign language as an official language. The news coincided with the fifty- fourth anniversary of the foundation of the Association. The Association has been campaigning for the recognition of the language for a number of years.

A new law will come into force in the near future, which means that the Ministry of Employment and Social Affairs will provide experts in Spanish sign language in all public institutions including schools, hospitals, and public buildings bringing sign language on a level with the other official languages in Spain such as Castellano, Catalan, Euskadi and Gallego. The new law will also create the “Centro de la Normalizacion de la Lengua de Signos Española”, which will regulate the signs and the use of the language.

Although socialist Juan Fernando Lopez Aguilar PSOE received the highest number of votes on May 27 th his role as President of the Canary Islands changed from a dream comes true to a nightmare when negotiations to form a pact between the PSOE and the CC or the PSOE and the PP turned sour.

Lopez Aguilar, who needed to form a coalition with one of the opposing parties in order to be the president of the islands, saw his dreams fade into none existence overnight and was forced to take a back seat while Paulino Rivero CC and Jose Manuel Soria PP pacted to form a coalition.

In fact the presidency will remain in the hands of the nationalists (CC) since Rivero will be the new political leader of the islands following in the footsteps of Adan Martin and Soria will occupy the vice president's seat.

As far as Fuerteventura is concerned Mario Cabrera CC, who gained the majority of the votes, was once again declared president of the island Cabildo.

The first meetings of the Association of Residents and Workers (ARW) took place recently in Caleta de Fuste and proved popular with over 60 new members joining. The association is the brainchild of local bar owner Steve Lipner and has been formed with the intention of benefiting people who work, own a business or simply reside in the Antigua area.

Initially the main goals will be to provide non-Spanish speaking members with free translation to assist with documents and queries, advice on legal problems and help with health and benefit issues. Also on the agenda will be the creation of a directory of local member tradesmen and, for people in business help with obtaining the best deals from suppliers.

Ultimately the aim is to create a fully legal association of around 200 people with an elected committee.

“The small man has no voice”, says Steve “but our long term plan is to have a voice in the town hall”.

Anybody interested in joining the association or looking for further info rmation can contact Steve at The Jazz Bar (TJB) situated adjacent to the Montecastillo Centre in Caleta between 12 and 4 on a daily basis. Alternatively look out for the posters advertising the next meeting.

“ Spain needs bigger families with more children!”

In this way Spanish premier socialist Jose Luis Zapatero justified the surprise announcement that from now on the central Government will be paying the healthy sum of 2,500 euros to the parents of all babies born in Spain from July 3 rd 2007 onwards.

The announcement was made in the last five minutes of the traditional debate on the State of the Nation when Zapatero explained that as part of a general plan to encourage families to have more children the government was prepared to make a considerable contribution to the economy of every family to mark the birth of each new born.

There will be no limitations on nationality or income. Every family that resides legally on Spanish territory including the Canary Islands whether or not they are of Spanish nationality and irrespective of their income will be entitled to 2,500 euros for each new baby. In the case of twins, 5,000 euros will paid and for triplets, 7,500 euros, explained Zapatero, adding that the money will be paid in a lump sum by means of a cheque or bank transfer and underlining that the allowance will not be taxable.

The announcement was a complete surprise to the opposition unaware that the socialists have been planning to introduce increased financial support for families for some time. The Spanish government in general is not renowned for supporting families and the new law is a complete contrast to the old system whereby only those who earned below around 7,000 euros per year were entitled to up to 25 euros per month per child and only after completing a mountain of paperwork.

Furthermore, Government vice president Maria Teresa Fernandez de la Vega explained that the measure would complement the New Laws on Equality, which establish new much more favourable rules referring to paternity leave, maternity, leave and breast feeding rights.

At the end of the day, explained Zapatero, what we intend to do is encourage the families resident in Spain to have more children adding that the birth rate has fallen in recent years and although the increased presence of foreigners has increased the number of babies being born the number of women who continue to work after having children is still low.

As well as this lump sum to welcome the birth of each baby, continued Zapatero, we will also work towards providing a place in a public nursery for every child in Spain supporting in this way the family group, which forms the basis of our society.

With reference to the hefty bill that will be created by the need to pay the new parents Fernandez de la Vega assured that there would be no problems due to the careful financial management of the socialist Government adding that it was only fair that the Government should support the families that are bringing up the future citizens of Spain.

Families entitled to the 2,500 euros will be able to obtain the forms from “Hacienda”(Tax offices) or the local Social Security Offices or download them from the www.minhac.es or the www.mtas.esweb sites as from July 15 th 2007 although they will not receive the money until at least November.

Although holiday makers will certainly not be disappointed with the weather here in the Canary Islands experts believe the Archipelago will not be quite as hot as the mainland this summer.

The Spanish National Institute of Meteorology (INM) has announced that the temperatures on the Mediterranean coast and in the Balearic Islands this summer will be somewhat higher than usual while the temperatures in the rest of the mainland will follow the normal pattern and those of the Canary Islands will be slightly lower than “normal”.

The spokesman for the Institute Angel Rivera revealed that the main part of the Spanish peninsula will not suffer any noticeable temperature variation between July and September and the summer heat in the Canary Islands will not be quite so hot.

What the Institute does not take into account of is the possible appearance of a “Calima”. A Calima is when the wind direction changes and the hot winds blow across from Africa without warning in the summer months. Fuerteventura can experience extreme high temperatures when this happens. Also it can bring health problems for those who suffer from asthma when the Calima is accompanied by the Sirocco hot winds from the Sahara desert as this brings with it dust and sand.

The “Calima” although uncomfortable usually disappears in three or four days giving way to the cool “Viento Alisios” (Trade Winds) winds which are more characteristic of the islands. These winds come in from the North East lowering temperatures and providing a refreshing breeze. The Trade Winds are especially frequent in summer just when they are needed and are nearly constant in the month of July. They occur when the Azores anticyclone is located at its normal location near to the Canarian Archipelago. This situation is caused by hot air over the Equator rising to great altitudes and flowing north. As the air travels northwards, it cools causing it to sink lower again somewhere over the Azores . This air then flows South-westwards towards the Canary Islands .

Against global warming

Although news that The Spanish Strategy for the Fight against Global Warming will be approved in July of this year was generally well received, the actual content of the new plan to bring Spain into line as far as complying with international laws on the emission of harmful gases and the use of renewable energies has provoked scepticism among environmental experts.

The president highlighted the commitment of the Government to situate Spain at the top of the list as far as environmental policies and the use of renewable energies are concerned. However, this will not be an easy task as the level of gases emitted in Spanish territory is way above the permitted level having increased by 47.8% since 1990.

Spanish Premier Jose Luis Zapatero gave a quick outline of the new Governmental strategy during the “España Solar” conference, organised by the Complutense University of Madrid to promote the use of solar energy. This included the investigation of the use of renewable energies. Development of new technology to reduce the emission levels of harmful gases, the application of the new measures in the transport, commercial, agricultural and service sectors.

However, the ecologists are not convinced. They claim the new set of measures is not clear enough and that the serious matter of the future of the planet has not been studied in sufficient depth. Some allege that the Government is not being tough enough on the transport sector, which is the guilty party as far as the emission of gases, is concerned. Others believe that the softly softly measures will neither guarantee the cooperation of the industrial sector nor increase the awareness of the general public of the importance of taking a responsible attitude to looking after resources and protecting the ozone layer.

Free Style Gran Slam 2007 Sotavento Fuerteventura 20 th July – 30 th July

The World Windsurfing Pro Tour visits Sotovento on the southeast coast of the island for the Freestyle Grand Slam in July. There are three competitions - race, freestyle, and wave. Amongst the competitors will be four from Britain . A ndy 'Bubble' Chambers in the freestyle, Mat Pearch, Roby Swift and Ross Williams in the Slalom 42.

Slalom 42

The racecourse is laid out as close to the beach as possible, providing high-speed action right in front of the spectators and cameras.

Depending on the conditions, fast and furious downwind racing will be the prime format, including long distance and full fleet slalom courses. Should conditions demand however, more upwind oriented courses will still enable racing in even the lightest winds. Each sailor is allowed to register four sails and two boards per event. Racing takes place in practically all conditions, whether there is a light breeze or a raging storm, making it crucial for contestants to choose their equipment wisely. Restrictions on equipment create equality among the competitors, leveling the field so that newcomers and seasoned pros can compete fairly, side by side.

Freestyle

Freestyle sailing involves putting your board and sail through a series of tricks and manoeuvres that could include loops, turns, rail rides, sail spins. Consequently, Freestyle sailing is always a crowd pleaser, attracting media and sponsors. The discipline is rapidly growing in popularity.
The scoring is done by a panel of five judges, focusing on the overall impression and the technical skills of the sailors. The Overall Impression and Technical Performance scores will then be multiplied by a certain factor announced by the head judge.

Wave

Wavesailing involves looping, jumping and riding the surf and provides some of the most exhilarating action close to the beach and out in the waves. A team of very experienced sailors judges competitions and points are scored for every jump and wave ride.

BRITISH GRAND PRIX – SILVERSTONE.

A sell out crowd of more than 80,000 at Silverstone, with also a huge turnout of celebs such as Simon Le Bon, Natasha Bedingfield, Jockey Frankie Dettori, Dani Minogue and Girls Aloud, and always in the spotlight Victoria & David Beckham. All to support Lewis Hamilton.

After a pit stop, Hamilton took longer, which caused him to lag behind to third place.After 59 laps the winner in this race was Kimi Raikkonen – Ferrari with a time of 1.21 followed by Fernando Alonso of McLaren Mercedes and in third was Lewis Hamilton of McLaren Mercedes.

The next Race is the F1 Grand Prix in Germany on 20-22nd July. On points Hamilton still leads at 70, with Alonso with 58 points and Rasikkonen with 52 points.

22 yr old Rookie Hamilton, has many more miles to go yet, he has admitted to being very confortable in the car, cosy, warm, almost like lying in bed, he says – now is the time to wake up!

KING OF WIMBLEDON .

5 TH TITLE FOR FEDERER.

Beating young Spanish Prince Rafiel Nadal, on the 5 th set. 7-6, 4-6, 7-6, 2-6, 6-2. Was a battle to the end, with Nadel playing his most aggressive. The left-handed player Nadal, said in the 5 th I knew if I got the break I had a good chance for the title. Twice I had 15-40 and was a really big chance to break, I missed a forehand winner. Federer played Well, I congratulate him.

Roger Federer admitted was definitely his hardest win yet. He said that Rafa is playing phenomenal tennis, he now plays more aggressive, he knows the game on grass, so he's not only good on clay, he's a good all round player. This world No 1 now has 11 grand slam titles, and is 3 rd on the all time list, and still only 25.

Bjorn Borg believes he could be acclaimed as the greatest player ever.

Overall on this match Federer had 24 aces with Nadal with only 1. The fastest serve was Nadal at 131 mph.

So far to date, Federer has won 513 matches and lost 130 whereas Nadal has won 228 matches and lost 58.Though Nadal has some catching up to do, as Federer has been pro for 3 yrs more than Nadal. Watch out Roger.

LADIES FINAL WILLIAMS V BARTOLI.

6-4, 6-1, Victory for 27yr old Venus against 22 yr old Marion Bartoli.

After a year of injury ranked 31, seeded 23rd whilst Bartoli seeded 18 th . Some 1hr 30 minutes later Venus collected her trophy together with £700,000, being the first of equal pay for Men and Women at Wimbledon . Bartoli played well but looked an inferior performer against such classy opposition. In the end Bartoli delighted with having reached this stage of the tournament, congratulated Venus as “The best player on grass in the World.”

Venus has now joined the elite club by winning a 4 th time. The only other female players to have won more titles are Martina Navratilova with her record 9, Steffi Graff with 7 and Billie Jean King with 6. Venus is now keen to catch them up.

Be a beach peach this summer - ADVERTISING FEATURE

Dreading stripping off at the beach this summer! Look no further than the Power Gym to get in trim, look and feel good. The Power Gym is just down the road from the bakery in Caleta De Fuste, just to test your willpower. Prices at the gym vary to suit your needs so if you are an addict or just want to go when you have some free time there will be a price plan for you.

1 day – 5€

1 week – 15€

2 weeks – 25€

3 weeks – 30€

1 month – 36€ this is the most popular price plan.

6 months – 180€

1 year – 300€

The one and two weekly memberships normally appeals to those of you who can't do without your exercise even when on holiday, it also works out cheaper than paying the daily rate. Other offers include two people in the family to join – 70€, three people in the family to join 98€. Alternatively, you can pay for three months in a block and get the fourth free. Ideally, for those of you who do want to tone or lose weight it is recommended that you visit a gym three – four times a week.

Free induction is available to anyone who requires this. Anyone who has never been to the gym before the induction shows you how to use the equipment safely, and what body parts each machine exercises just in case you want to concentrate on a particular area! This should then help you to go to the gym with more confidence on your next visit. However, the friendly staff here are always on hand to offer advice and guidance.

As well as the weight machines there are regular classes, these are ideal for anybody who wants to start to exercise, burn off some fat or just tone up. The classes are run in the morning or evening and include:

Spinning – very good for burning off any unwanted fat as this is an excellent cardio workout.

Cardio Dance – also an excellent cardio work out to burn off that fat as well as tone up the upper and lower body.

Cardio Box – Again another good cardio work out it includes boxing combinations and footwork.

Legs, Bums and Tums – goes without say what bits of the body these classes tone up!

Just pop into the gym for a timetable of the classes and feel free to ask any questions. All the classes are free to members, however if you want to attend a class and not join the price per class is 5€. All the classes can be held in both Spanish and English.

Once you have joined the gym and had your induction but still not 100% sure what body parts you should be working on or feel like you still need help then we can prepare you a training programme, this will be a regime for either three or four days and tailored to your individual requirements. E.g fat loss, tone up or build muscle.

After you have finished your workout, especially if you have been weight training it is very important to have protein and carbohydrates. This is very important to help recover your muscles and your energy. The gym provides various protein and carbohydrate products. The most popular is the powdered protein shakes which are blended with milk and water. These are available in a variety of flavours, including strawberry, peach, raspberry, chocolate and many more. We also sell them in 1kg tubs if you want to make this part of your daily routine. We also sell a wide variety of vitamins and minerals including Vitamin B Complex, Glucosamine, L-Carnatine, Vitamin C plus many more. Just pop in and ask for help choosing what you need or for more info rmation.

For those of you who want to take training seriously there is the option of a personal trainer, this is at an extra cost to your membership.

Opening Times

Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday 8:30am – 10.00pm

Wednesday 8.30am – 2.00pm , close 2.00pm – 5.30pm reopens 5.30pm – 10.00pm

Saturday 10.00am – 2.00pm

Sunday closed.

Come and join!! R emember that exercise has so many benefits from keeping joints, tendons and ligaments flexible to reducing your risk of heart disease and high blood pressure. It increases your energy and helps relieve stress.

A year after the “carné por puntos “points system was introduced in Spain the majority of drivers are still unaware of exactly how the system works.

Most are conscious of the fact that if they commit certain offences while behind the wheel they will lose points from their driving licence and that once they have lost all their points their licence will be removed but they do not know how many points will be removed for which offences and are unaware that some offences will result in a prison sentence.

To clear up any disputes the system is the following:-

All drivers receive twelve points to start with, except those who have just obtained their licence or have less than three years' experience these will receive eight points.

Anyone losing all twelve points will have their licence removed for six months but re-offenders cannot to drive for twelve months. In addition, fines often accompany the loss of points, between 90 and 600 euros.

Drivers with twelve points can get back their licence but have to attend a series of classes; they only receive eight points until they prove they can drive safely over a designated period.

Holders of a Spanish licence will not lose any “Spanish” points if they commit an offence whilst driving in other European countries, which operate the same system as the UK , France , and Germany although they cannot drive in the other country if they have already lost all their points in Spain .

There is a legal loophole however concerning foreigners who live on Spanish territory but who do not have a Spanish driving license because they return to their country of origin on a regular basis. Since they do not have a licence, points cannot be removed, but rest assured they receive the corresponding fine for any offences committed.

THE BASIC POINTS SYSTEM is as follows:-

SIX POINTS

Driving with more than 0.75 mg/l of alcohol in the blood.

Driving under the effect of drugs.

Refusing to carry out a breathe or drugs test.

Driving in the wrong direction.

Dangerous driving.

Driving at more than 180km/h on the motorway.

Driving on interurban roads at more than 135km/h.

FOUR POINTS

Driving with between 0.25mg/l – 0.75mg/l of alcohol in the blood.

Driving a vehicle with more than fifty percent extra passengers according to the number of seats available.

Throwing dangerous articles such as cigarette ends from the car window.

Careless driving.

Driving at between 161km/h and 180km/h on the motorway.

Driving at between 130km/h and 135km/h on an interurban road.

Failure to give way to vehicles with right of way.

Failure to stop at a stop sign.

Failure to stop at pedestrian crossings, roundabouts, and traffic lights.

Placing cyclists in danger.

Overtaking on a bend, hill, or other places with limited visibility.

Failure to obey police signals.

THREE POINTS

Driving at between 151km/h and 161km/h on a motorway.

Driving at between 121km/h and 130km/h on interurban roads.

Failure to keep the required distance.

Driving without lights in adverse conditions.

Driving on full beam causing problems for other drivers.

Driving while using a mobile phone.

Parking or stopping in a dangerous place; on a bend,

the brow of a hill, an underpasse, in or near tunnels, on level crossings.

Obstructing other vehicles.

Driving without a seatbelt.

Driving with children without using the appropriate child restraints.

Driving without a helmet on a motorbike or with a non-regulation helmet.

TWO POINTS

Driving at more than 141km/h and 151km/h on the motorway.

Driving at between 111km/h and 121km/h on an interurban road.

Careless overtaking.

Carrying out a sudden U-turn, swerving or reversing without taking the due care and attention.

Driving without lights when this is obligatory.

Various changes have been proposed since the system came into force. The Reform of the Spanish Penal Code, which will come into force at the end of this year, includes the possibility of those who commit traffic offences in which there are no victims having to carry out “ community service” as a punishment for their irresponsible behaviour. Councillor Jordi Jané who is responsible for the National Road Safety Commission added that one of the parts of this “community service” would be to help the emergency services when they are called out to deal with traffic accidents at the weekends. In addition, helping with people who have been left a paraplegic after traffic accidents.

Jané explained that there is much confusion about what is considered a simple traffic offence and what is considered a crime that will be punished with a prison sentence. The councillor explained that travelling at over 200km/hour on a motorway, 180km/hour on a normal interurban road or at 110 km/hour in a built up area can result in a prison sentence of between three and six months.

The same sentence will also be applied to those who drive with more than 1.2 grams / litre of alcohol in their blood when the new measures come into force.

Parents of school age children who decide to set up home in Fuerteventura over the summer will be faced with the difficult decision of choosing a school for their offspring come September.

There are numerous CEI Infant schools catering for three to five year olds, CEIP Infant and Primary Schools catering for three to eleven year olds and IES Secondary Schools catering from thirteen to sixteen year olds belonging to the five different boroughs of the island, Pajara, La Oliva,Tuineje, Puerto del Rosario and Antigua .

The Spanish Education System is organised in the following way:

Educación Infantil (Infants)

Primer Ciclo 3 -4 year olds

Segundo Ciclo 4-5 year olds

Tercer Ciclo 5-6 year olds

Educacion Primaria (primary)

Primer Ciclo

Primero (first) Level one 6-7 year olds

Segundo (second) Level two 7-8 year olds

Segundo Ciclo

Tercero (third) Level one 8 – 9 year olds

Cuarto (fourth) Level two 9 – 10 year olds

Tercer Ciclo

Quinto (fifth) Level one 10 – 11 year olds

Sexto (sixth) Level two 11 – 12 year olds

Educacion secundaria (secondary) ESO

Primer Ciclo

Primero ESO level one 12 – 13 year olds

Segundo ESO level two 13 – 14 year olds

Segundo ciclo

Tercero ESO level one 14- 15 year olds

Cuarto ESO level two 15 –16 year olds

Over sixteens can leave school or choose to study “bachiller” which is similar to “A” levels or take a more practical course. Both are available but not all courses are available at all the schools. The children are assessed on their progress every year and will be held back a year if the teacher does not think they have reached the minimum requirements for their year group.

Although the official period of “matriculación” is actually in May there is still a possibility to register your child at one of the schools, usually the one nearest your home, at the beginning of September but it is advisable to get together all the documents you need before going to the secretary's office of the school in question.

You will usually need :

•  Your passport or NIE number.

•  A document which proves your place of residence ( this could be a rental Contract or certificate from your local town hall “Empadronamiento”).

•  A medical certificate indicating the vaccines the child has been given.

•  Some form of medical card (Canarian Health Service or private insurance).

•  Some schools also require passport style photographs.

Most state schools start at around 9am and finish at about 2pm . Some offer school lunches, others do not.

Most schools will offer some kind of support to foreign children to help them integrate into Canarian society during school hours but it will be up to the pupils to make an effort to learn the Spanish language. The classrooms of Fuerteventura are no stranger to the presence of foreign children with many catering for as many as twenty or thirty different nationalities. Of the 13,000 children currently on the registers 2,500 are foreigners predominantly from northern Europe or South America but some are West Africans whose parents have decided to make a life for themselves in Fuerteventura .

The campaign by the European Commission to bring down the high price of making calls abroad will start on the 30 th July at the latest. The maximum cost of making a call has been set at 33 pence per minute plus VAT, while the maximum cost of receiving a call will be 16p plus VAT. New regulations on roaming charges - the cost of making or receiving a call while abroad - became law in all 27 EU member states on the 2 nd July. They apply only to voice calls, not text messages .

"At last Europeans can breathe a sigh of relief as the EU roaming regulation finally becomes binding law across all member states," said the EU's telecoms commissioner Viviane Reding. "We hope we've now seen the last of excessive roaming charges" said the EU commissioner Viviane Reding. In some, the cost of making calls abroad may fall by 75%.

The Commission received opposition to the changes from mobile operators as roaming charges have provided some operators with as much as 20% of their total income. Under the new law, the caps on roaming charges will be reduced further in the next two years.

Ricky comes to Candelaria, Tenerife and Bisbal to Fuerteventura ! Two great friends Puerto Rican Ricky Martin and Spaniard David Bisbal are set to take the Canary Islands by storm this summer.

Ricky, who is well known not only for his musical talent but also for his humanitarian work on an international level, will be taking part in this year's Candelaria Music Festival in Tenerife on July 26 th .

The Latin artist will in fact be bringing his world tour “Blanco y Negro” to a close in Candelaria and the concert, which will be held in the local football stadium at 10pm , promises to be a great success.

The Candelaria Music Festival has been running now for a considerable number of years it is a talent contest, which aims to discover new artists and original songwriters. It is an extremely popular contest among budding new singers most of whom are resident in one of the seven Canary Islands offering a first prize of 12,000 euros to be shared between the winning singer and the author of the song.

Previous winners include Almas Gemelas and Nauzet who went on to produce top selling CDs.

For those unable to make the trip the contest will undoubtedly be televised on CTV.

Spanish Television's Operacion Triunfo second prizewinner David Bisbal will also be visiting the islands this summer.