Friday, August 26, 2005
Greek outrage over drunken Brits
Something which has also occurred in the Las Veronicas area of Playa de Las Americas in South Tenerife and other points of the Canary Islands, the BBC report that "Photographs in the Greek and UK press have shown young drunken Britons having sex in bars and other public places." "The town has seen behaviour including drunken orgies, vomiting in the streets and frequent fights. Police have closed down several of the most notorious nightclubs."
Greek outrage over drunken Brits
Monday, August 22, 2005
Spain gets first married priest
A Roman Catholic bishop on the Spanish island of Tenerife has ordained a man as a Catholic priest despite the fact that he is married with two children. The 64-year-old former Anglican pastor, David Gliwitzki, was ordained in La Laguna on the Canary Island. The Bishop of Tenerife said the move was a unique exception within the Spanish Church.
Spain gets first married priest
Friday, August 19, 2005
Rice and Peas for Refugees
Eagle, which was in its first day of a 19-day transit from Tenerife to Bermuda, its last port call of a four-month summer training deployment, supplied the passengers of the disabled vessel with 150 bananas, 51 pounds of cooked kidney beans, 40 pounds of cooked rice, and 13.5 gallons of bottled water.
Eagle Helps Disabled African Vessel
As Ships Position To New Regions Passengers Can Join The Adventure
As the seasons change, so too do the waters upon which the world's cruise ships travel. Each fall, vacationers have the chance to experience extraordinary voyages aboard cruise ships 'repositioning' from one seasonal destination to another. These unusual seagoing journeys offer travelers a one-of-a-kind travel experience - an opportunity to embark on voyages offered only once or twice a year to ports not normally found on contemporary cruise itineraries. Following gives a sample of some CLIA member lines' 2005-2006 repositioning cruises, with several having calls in Tenerife and the Canary Islands.
As Ships Position To New Regions Passengers Can Join The Adventure
Tall ship Eagle helps rescue
The Coast Guard Cutter Eagle, the service?s three-masted sailing vessel, is not just another pretty ship. On Aug. 16. the crew of the 295-foot, square-rigged barque helped save 100 West African migrants found drifting 35 miles from the Canary Islands. At 9 p.m., watchstanders sighted two flares coming from a 50-foot vessel and launched the Eagle?s motor surfboat to investigate.
Tall ship Eagle helps rescue drifting West African migrants
Thursday, August 18, 2005
Tropical Front Causes Freak Storms in the Canaries
A tropical front was the cause this morning of the series of storms to to hit the Canaries with torrential rains, principally in the islands of Gran Canaria and Tenerife and, were the worst in many years.
In Arico and Fasnia in Tenerife, the amount of rain that has fallen in the last 24 hours is the most seen in living memory, even in winter.
The rains which fell in the south of Tenerife today were the heaviest in a decade. In parts of Candelaria, more than 50 liters per square meter were recorded, something not seen there in 80 years.
Meterologists appeared baffled today, saying "this is not usual". Storms normally arrive in the Canary Islands from the north and it is rare for them to come in from the south, as they did this morning.
The unexpected weather front generated serious problems today with traffic, caused various damages to buildings and, there are reports that some flights had to be redirected.
Whilst all this extra water is good news for reforestation efforts, it could seriously prejudice the quality of the grape harvest, unless there is sun within the next few days.
Un frente intertropical provoca tormentas en toda Canarias
Las lluvias caídas en el sur de Tenerife son las más abundantes de esta década
Labels: Tenerife Weather
Three High Fire Risk Zones Declared
The environmental department has declared three areas of high risk from forest fires in the Canary Islands; in Gran Canaria, La Gomera and El Hierro. The public is prohibited from entering the high risk areas.
The island councils of Tenerife, La Palma, Lanzarote and Fuerteventura did not include any areas of high risk.
Medio Ambiente declara tres zonas de alto riesgo de incendios en las Islas
State of Alert Declared After the Heavy Rains
Emergency services of the Canary Islands government declared a state of alert this afternoon in Tenerife, because of the possibility of further heavy rains on the island within the next few hours.
Civil Protection have reiterated their recommendations to not leave the house, unless it is necessary, store away any objects that could fall, and to take extreme precautions on the roads.
Decretada la situación de alerta ante las fuertes lluvias en Tenerife
Carnaval To Commence In October
There are times when it seems like Tenerife's most important annual event never ends, because as soon as one year's Carnaval ends, then preparations for the next need to begin. It probably takes all year to stick on the feathers and sew the sequins on the costumes alone.
And, indeed, the councillor of Fiestas yesterday proposed that shopkeepers and official Carnaval groups hold a masked ball on Saturday, October 29 to "fire the starting pistol" for the official preparations for the 2006 Carnaval in February.
It is to be a grand, end of summer ball at which the 2006 Carnaval poster design will be presented and the organizers will award a prize of a holiday for two to Venice for the most original mask.
El Carnaval comienza en octubre
Labels: Carnaval 2006
Pair accused over Tenerife 'rape'
The BBC reports that the two Britons have appeared in court after a British teenager was allegedly raped in a bar in Tenerife. The 18-year-old woman says she was attacked on Monday in a hostess bar in the resort of Playa de Las Americas.
Pair accused over Tenerife 'rape'
TV Canaria Celebrates 6th Birthday
Canary Islands local TV station, TV Canaria, celebrates its sixth anniversary on August 21, with projects for incorporation into the digital network, to achieve 100% coverage in the islands and the expansion of the channel in America, among others.
TV Canaria is characterized for it programs with specifically Canarian content; those dedicated to the national parks, the flavour of the islands or the series, "Canarias, un paseo por las nubes". Literally, "a walk on the clouds", helicopter documentary of the islands.
The channel is also present at the Carnavals and at all the important festivals. In six years, they have become the forth most watched TV station in the archipelago and have announced that they are preparing a new, innovative, schedule for 2005-2006.
La Tele Canaria cumple 6 años con proyecto emisión digital y en América
Dog symbol of the Canary Islands Disappears
The dog, or "can", the historical symbol of the Canary Islands from which they take their name, has begun to disappear from official use.
The elimination of both dogs from the shield of the Canary Islands, on official forms and public buildings, has generated some controversy, not just because of the cost, but because the Canarian people have been very attached to "man's best friend" for centuries.
The Canarian executive is justifying the decision to change the "corporation mark", so that it is more modern and easier for citizens to identify with, which has both detractors and those in favour.
The Government plans to put an end to a symbol that has been tradition in the island since 1722, the year in which 18th Century historian, José de Viera y Clavijo, wrote about the shield with a dog on each side for the first time.
The first mention of the dog in relation to the Canary Islands goes back to the Mauritanian King Juba II, who, between 30 and 25 BC, had sent a marine expedition that came across the islands. The discovery was described extensively by Pliny, who wrote that the Canaries received this name "for their dogs, two of which were sent to Juba".
The Canary Dog is one of the oldest symbols of the history of the Canary Islands and has existed since the time of the aboriginals.
Even at that time, they formed part of their myths, according to Fray Juan Abreu de Galindo in his "History of the Conquest", who wrote that the inhabitants of Gran Canaria and La Palma shared the belief that demons appeared to them "like great fleecy dogs".
Archaeological excavations in several burial caves in Tenerife have shown that the dog was buried with his master, so it could "guide the soul to the region of the dead", writes historian, Manuel Curtó, author of the book, "El perro de presa canario, su verdadero origen". (The true origin of the Presa Canario.)
Nevertheless, in spite of these facts, there are other explanations for the name of the archipelago:
Historian, José Juan Jiménez, of the Museo de la Naturaleza y el Hombre (Museum of Nature and Man) in Tenerife, says the Canaries, in reality, owe their name to the "cannis marinus", a species of large monk seal that populated the coasts until the 15th Century.
Via the extinction of this species, brought about by the colonizers, attracted by their skins and, a translation error by Pliny, left out their existence entirely and turned history towards the dogs.
Contrary to what happened with the seals, the mixing of breeds between local and foreign dogs, did not bring an end to those native to the islands, because the Bardino has survived to the present day.
The relevance of dogs in the Canaries since the aboriginal era, has given their inhabitants an identity of their own and, has served them well for three centuries. Their image has been one of the most representative of the islands, becoming characteristic of them.
The positioning of the dogs, on guard, horizontal, on the shield and the flag of the Canary Islands, which at the moment are unmovable, because to change it would require a change in the Statute, is not an aesthetic one, but one that represents the force of the animal.
The English dogs that decorate the plaza of Santa Ana, in Vegueta, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, which arrived in the island in 1895 are another example of the tradition of the dog in the Canaries.
Currently, preparations are underway for a project, "Gran Can", organized by the Town Hall in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, in which 60 large sculptures of dogs, in fiberglass, will be placed in the streets of the city from October to December.
A clear sign that, even if they change the corporate image of the Government of the Canaries, the dog will, for the moment, maintain it's position in Canarian tradition.
El can, símbolo de Canarias, comienza a 'desaparecer'
Presa Canario Canary Dogs
Twenty Kilometer Traffic Jams In South Tenerife
Owing to floods caused by the intense rains that have fallen in the islands today, a situation of "terrible chaos" was created on Tenerife south's motorway, with 20 km traffic jams in both directions between Tenerife Sur airport and the Adeje roundabout. Guardia Civil said, at 16:15, that there was total congestion and were asking drivers not to use the road. The island council ordered it closed at Torviscas.
La Guardia Civil avisa de un colapso de 20 kilómetros en la autopista Sur de Tenerife
La Gomera Island Council Go Into The Wine Business
After recently taking over the management of the island's winery, previously in private hands, they also announced that, since the beginning of this month, they have had people working in the field helping the growers to obtain the best results from the harvest.
Vines are mainly grown on the north and north east of the island of Tenerife's neighbour, La Gomera, currently produced under seven labels, four of which have certification of origin quality marks.
The island winery has capacity to produce 60,000 liters of wine.
El Cabildo gomero compra uva de calidad para elaborar un vino que identifique a la isla
Canary Island wines have been enjoying something of a renaissance in recent years for the first time since they held a position of prestige in the 16th - 19th Centuries. Shakespeare himself alluded to the famed Canary Sack in his play the Merry Wives of Windsor and the English even opened a consulate on Tenerife at one point for the sole purpose of supervising the commercial trade of the wine.
The Canary & Balearic Islands Wine.
New no smoking law will hit profits
Owners of bars and restaurants estimate that around 1,600 million euros will be lost when the new no smoking laws that are presently going through parliament come into force. Dionisio Lara, president of Businessmen for Quality Leisure Time, added that it will be very difficult for society to isolate the 11 million smokers adding that it was unfair of the law to require the owners of the premises to act as policemen. He explained that the 10,000 euros fine to the owner of the bar or restaurant if anyone is found smoking on the premises will oblige them to enforce the law with a rod of iron, meaning that they will very probably lose customers or pay the consequences at a very high price.
New no smoking law will hit profits
Teneife's Lost Vehicles
Recently released statistics would appear to disprove the perceived idea that there are ever more cars clogging up the roads of Tenerife. Gridlock doomwatchers will be miffed to learn that the total number of registered vehicles in this province has fallen by 3,337 over the past year, from 605,283 to 601,946. Not so spectacular when you consider the decrease is spread between four islands, but definitely a step in the right direction.
Decline and fall ?
Portside underpass gets a lift
One of Santa Cruz?s worst eyesores, the subterranean walkway which links the city with the port, is currently undergoing a much-needed makeover. Some 800,000 people pass along the tunnel every year to get to and from the port and car park. Many of them are tourists off the cruise ships whose first impression of Santa Cruz can be far from favourable given its deplorable state.
Portside underpass gets a lift
Prodigal found in Las Américas
A ?Please Help Me Find My Son? leader in a Doncaster newspaper resulted in the telephonic reunion of a 56-year-old Doncaster mum and her 37-year-old son, living in Tenerife. Mark Hobbs had lost touch with his family who had not heard a word from him for five years.
Prodigal found in Las Américas
Forest fire alert; no smoking in the woods, please
In a move that earned a few disgruntled murmurs from the smokers out there and plaudits from the green faction, the Spanish government recently created one of the biggest no-smoking areas the world has seen when it rushed through emergency legislation to ban the habit in mountain greenery nationwide until November.
Although the situation has been handled with the utmost discretion in order to avoid causing unnecessary alarm, the authorities last week admitted that in Tenerife alone there have been 29 outbreaks of fire since the beginning of summer.
Forest fire alert; no smoking in the woods, please
Do Canary Islands unemployment statistics reveal sub-economy trend?
The number of registered unemployed in the Canary Islands was down by 4,700 in the second quarter of this year. The total number of jobless stands at 115,800 and the rate of unemployment among the active population is running at 12.38%, according to official statistics.
But while the politicians interpreted the figures optimistically, trades union leaders viewed the scenario in a more gloomy light. A spokesman for CC.OO said the highly seasonal nature of the labour market in this region makes for a situation in which jobs are created with the same ease with which they are destroyed and warned that the situation is having negative repercussions on the fragile economy of the islands.
Do unemployment statistics reveal sub-economy trend?
Pride of Puerto reopens
Puerto de la Cruz?s pride and joy, the Lago Martianez, is once again up and running after months of work on some very special improvements. The complex is able to accommodate over 5,000 people and has been a popular spot for tourists and residents since its beginnings, back in the 1970?s, when renowned Canarian artist Cesar Manrique?s design was completed and opened its doors for the first time.
Pride of Puerto reopens
Shop owner dies after holiday fall in Tenerife
The family of a well-known British businessman who died after a fall on holiday say their lives are in limbo until the coroner releases his body for burial. Father-of-three Malcolm Sellars, aged 48, was enjoying a break in Tenerife when he slipped and fell down a flight of stairs leading to a beach. At first he appeared fine, but later complained of stomach pains and collapsed at his hotel after being violently sick. Malcolm, who owned a gift shop in the UK, was rushed to hospital, but died on the operating table after complications developed.
Source: The Paper
All almost quiet on the seismic tremor front
A leading local vulcanologist has declared that the seismic activity situation in the archipelago can currently be categorised as one of ?total normality? which is to say frequent, low intensity movements very similar to those registered in past years.
All almost quiet on the seismic tremor front
Immigration boom obliges expansion in Canary Islands education
Increasing and seemingly unrelenting pressure from immigration on the education system in the Canary Islands has forced the regional authorities to give the green light to the creation of 27,345 new school places within the year to cater to children of newcomers who have arrived in the archipelago over the past ten years. Some sixty new schools will be built while 42 existing centres will have to be enlarged to cope with demand.
Immigration boom obliges expansion on the education front
A Flare Saved the Life of the 97 Immigrants off Tenerife
A flare called the attention of the US Navy Training ship, The Eagle, allowing them to save the lives of almost 100 illegal immigrants on board a clandestine fishing boat, in waters 23 miles of the coast of South Tenerife on Monday night.
Among the 97 people on the ancient 20 meter vessel, the majority of whom were very young and none were above 30 years, were a baby of under two years, the mother and another child of 10 or 12, as well as the two crew, accused of trafficking in human lives.
A number were taken to hospital with dehydration and, according to the medical staff who attended them, had been several days without food. Reports of stomach pains led medical staff to believe that they may have resorted to drinking sea water.
Some of the immigrants have commented to health workers that they had indeed thrown the bodies of the two people who had died during this sad voyage, overboard into the ocean. The fishing boat, which had no rudder, no engines, nor fuel, would have condemned them all to a certain death if they had not been spotted.
Una bengala salva la vida a las 97 personas hacinadas en el barco de inmigrantes a la deriva
Two Detained For Rape of a British Woman in Tenerife Bar
National Police in Tenerife have detained two British citizens, accused of the rape of a British woman. One of the men is said to have raped the young woman in the interior of a bar he runs and to which she had gone for a drink, while the other remained outside to prevent the woman's brother from entering to come to her aid.
Dos británicos, detenidos por violar a una compatriota en un bar de Tenerife
Austal's Rothwell upbeat as profits soar
Austal Limited this week reported an AUS$35.5 million (about US$ 27.3 million) net profit after tax and outside equity interests for the year ended June 30, 2005, up 76 percent from AUS$20.1 million last year. Rothwell noted that significant deliveries included the 127 m trimaran ferry Benchijigua Express to Fred. Olsen, S.A. for operation in the Canary Islands.
Austal's Rothwell upbeat as profits soar
Sex romp at 30,000 feet
A WOMAN was found partially-undressed with a man in an airliner lavatory at 30,000 feet, a court heard. Amber Staines admitted assaulting a stewardess who had been called to the bathroom to investigate what was happening. Staines had been on a late-night flight from Tenerife to Manchester when the incident happened in February.
Sex romp at 30,000 feet
Tuesday, August 16, 2005
Rescued 132 Immigrants off the Canary Islands
A total of 132 illegal immigrants were rescued today in waters around the Canaries, 95 on their way to Tenerife on board a wooden fishing boat. Another 37 were found 135 miles from Gran Canaria.
The Unites States Navy training ship, The Eagle, located the fishing boat (which had neither name nor flag), some 23 miles off the coast to the south west of Tenerife, shortly after she had left port in Santa Cruz, where she had been anchored since last Thursday.
This has proven slightly embarrassing for the local government who can't understand why our own resources had not located these boats. It is thought that the lack of radar coverage in the area, caused by the shadow cast by Mount Teide, could be the problem.
It appears that the fishing boat had been at sea for two months, since departing, presumably, from some point on the coast of Africa. The two crew, from Cape Verde, have been taken into police custody.
Some 25 or 30 of the 95 required hospitalization for dehydration and starvation, although none of them are in life threatening condition. No bodies were discovered when the boat was towed into port at Los Cristianos, despite earlier reports that there were at least two dead. The bodies could have been pushed overboard.
Rescatan un total de 132 inmigrantes en Canarias
Localizan otro barco de irregulares con varios muertos y unos 30 graves
The Eagle is a three-masted sailing Barque with 21,350 square feet of sail. It is homeported at the CG Academy, New London, Connecticut. It is the only active (operational) commissioned sailing vessel in the U.S. maritime services. Source: About.com U.S. Military.
Fall in British Tourists Taking Effect
The deceleration in the British market is having a negative effect on the Canarian tourist sector, overall in holiday apartment rentals.
Apartments are the preferred type of accommodation for British, Scandinavian and Dutch tourists. With less British and no significant rise in other markets, apartment owners are losing money.
It is also true that some need renovation in order to compete and, that investment is needed to improve quality and to modernize. Industry representatives are looking for more concessions from the government to help improve competitiveness in the sector.
In Tenerife, though, the president of the business sector is optimistic that "the good times are coming back" and that British tourists, the island's principle client, are still coming to Tenerife.
La caída del turismo británico pasa factura a los apartamentos de Canarias
Government Intervenes in Handling Strike
The Canarian government has demanded that airports' authority AENA intervene in the strike by Iberia ground staff that left 6,000 suitcases on the ground at the airport in Lanzarote, on Sunday.
AENA considered that the strike was "a labour conflict between Ibera and its workers", and outside of its control. However, the government takes the stance that AENA has a contract with Ibera to provide the handling service and that AENA, whose job it is to manage the airports, should ensure the service is carried out adequately.
Director General of Transport, Rosa Dávila, made it quite clear, saying that Ibera "cannot look the other way and have to give an adequate service in order to earn their money." Adding, "there has to be a decided intervention on AENA's part to put an end to this conflict".
El Gobierno exige la intervención de AENA en la huelga del 'handling'
Another 600 Kilos of Hashish Found in Adeje Flat
Following the arrest of sixteen people, including two British, after a drugs haul that netted 2,000 kilos of hashish off the coast of Lanzarote at the weekend, police have located a further 600 kilos of the substance in an Adeje apartment, where they also arrested a Moroccan, thought to be the head of the trafficking operation.
Hallan otros 600 kilos de hachís en el piso del supuesto jefe de la banda
Monday, August 15, 2005
Profits Down in Tenerife's Tourist Sector
Demand this summer has risen, although prices are lower to attract clients, who increasingly wait until the last minute to book bargains.
The Hotel Association in the South of Tenerife, in a survey of 53,000 available beds, situated occupation levels during July at 72% - approximately 1.6 points above the same period last year. The councillor for tourism in Adeje placed July occupation at 77%, and expects August occupation to reach 82%. Even more optimistic data comes from Arona's Town Hall, which put hotel occupation in July at 85%, while they say that the figure for August could reach 98%.
However, although the demand has been maintained, profits have decreased. There is no exact data available, but in conversations with hoteliers in the south of Tenerife it is apparent that they have suffered decreases in profits over the last few years. This is a problem that has affected the whole country since the introduction of the Euro, which must compete with the dollar and the UK pound.
And, although the numbers of tourists have increased, so too have the numbers of competing tourist destinations.
Disminuye la rentabilidad en el sector turístico con respecto al año anterior
Origins of the Canary Island "Naife" Discovered
The Canary Islands "naife", a popular tool for centuries with farmers in the islands, has it's origins in Albacete and Toledo in the 16th Century and gets its name from the English word, "knife". Indispensable in the cultivation of bananas, the major difference between the Canary Islands' and mainland versions is the size of its steel blade.
El "naife" canario un cuchillo de origen albaceteño y de nombre inglés
Canary Islands Prices Dropped .5% in June
The Consumer Price Index in the Canary Islands for the month of June dropped half a percent from the previous month. In the year to date, prices have increased 2.3%. Transport, followed by housing have been the biggest contributors to the rises, whilst clothing and shoes have seen the biggest reductions.
Los precios bajaron en las Islas un 0,5% en julio
Santa Cruz Celebrates First Gay Wedding
The first marriage between persons of the same sex took place last week in the Civil Registry in the Tenerife Capital. Two men were the first to say "I do" in the islands after the new law, allowing gay and lesbian marriages, came into effect. The couple, who did not want to be named, were joined in a brief ceremony in the wedding salon of the Palace of Justice, accompanied by their friends and family.
Se celebra en Canarias la primera boda entre personas del mismo sexo
Canarian Companies Cannot Compete for Adeje Cleaning Contract
After deciding not to renew the contract with the current cleaning firm, which runs out in November 2005, Adeje (South Tenerife) town council has closed the doors to tenders from any Canary Island based firm. The council are inviting tenders for the new contract, only from companies whose average turnover over the last three years has been more than 6,000,000 Euros. No Canarian firm even comes close.
Las empresas canarias no podrán optar al servicio municipal de limpieza
Europe getting hotter, WWF warns
A new report from the Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF) warns that temperatures in Europe's major cities are rising.
The report analysed summer temperatures in 16 European cities over the last 30 years and found that in most of them, average summer temperatures were at least one degree Celsius higher over the last five years than they were 30 years ago. London showed the biggest increase, followed by Madrid, but, as the last couple of years have shown this phenomenon is also affecting the Canary Islands.
BBC: Europe getting hotter, WWF warns
Tenerife Water Supplies at 43%
Reservoirs on the island of Tenerife are at 43% of their capacity, which means there should be no problems with agricultural supplies over the next few months. Water is also to be diverted from the desalination plant in Santa Cruz to areas in the north, where the levels in reservoirs are lower. In the south of Tenerife, reservoirs are at 70% of their capacity, while in the north they are at 30%.
With desalination and recycled water used for agriculture as well as parks and gardens, there is sufficient water at the moment to get through the summer and supply all cultivated areas of the island.
Los depósitos de agua de la Isla se encuentran al 43% de su capacidad
Canaries: 30 Cases of Domestic Violence Daily
The number of reported cases of abuse and domestic violence in the islands had already reached 6,333 (2,859 in the province of Santa Cruz) by the end of July - almost 1,000 more than in the whole of 2004. Women are increasingly becoming less afraid to report these abuses, which, in part, accounts for the rising numbers.
Las denuncias por violencia de género en el Archipiélago ascienden ya a 6.333
The Canarian government provides a service of attention via the Instituto Canario de la Mujer (ICM). Women can reach the Dispositivos de Emergencia para Mujeres Agredidas (DEMA), organized by the islands' councils, via the emergency number 112.
Two Detained After Indecent Assault on a 14 Year Old in a Tenerife Shop
National Police detained two 26 year old Moroccan men, accused of indecent assault of a 14 year old girl in a tourist souvenir shop in the south of Tenerife. It appears that the attack took place when the girl went to the shop with her 10 year old brother to do some shopping.
Dos detenidos por una agresión sexual a una niña de 14 años en una tienda de Tenerife
New Maritime Service to Unite Tenerife, Senegal, Cape Verde and Brazil
President of the Tenerife Island Corporation, Ricardo Melchior, announced recently that a new maritime service will unite Tenerife with Senegal, Cape Verde and Brazil and, underlined the importance of the activities of importation and exportation of the principally commercial service. It is expected to begin in October.
Una nueva línea marítima unirá la Isla con Senegal, Cabo Verde y Brasil
Elecricity Demand Up 7.8% in Tenerife
Electric company Endesa-Unelco registered 6,783 new clients on the island during the first half of the year and the demand for electricity rose by 7.8% in the same period - more than two points above the average increase in demand throughout the islands.
La demanda de electricidad se dispara un 7,8% en Tenerife entre enero y junio
Canary Descendants Serenade the Sinai
"The name serin may not mean much to most, but canary will. The canary is the sulphur-yellow songster familiar to everyone as a cage bird. Their wild ancestor from the Canary Islands off north west Africa, found there to this day, is a certain Serinus canaria. It is an olive green finch with yellow underparts and a yellow and gray patterned head and it sings quite beautifully."
Miraculous Migrations
QE2 to Visit Canaries on Silver Jubilee World Cruise
She has sailed more than five million nautical miles, carried more than three million people around the world and has long been the gold standard for world cruises. Celebrating her 25th round-the-world sailing, QE2 will continue to showcase this legendary vessel's global appeal during the 108-day journey. The grande dame of world cruising will depart roundtrip from New York January 8, 2007.
The 31-day Singapore to Southampton leg of the voyage takes the ship to Sri Lanka; India; the Seychelles Islands; Mauritius; Durban and Cape Town, South Africa; Namibia; Canary Islands; and Madeira before arriving in Southampton. Cunard.com.
Grand Heritage of World Cruising in 2007
More Fictional Stereotyping for Tenerife
"Chunky Monkey is a publicist’s dream film; surrounded by a flotilla of law suits, including one by Julie Andrews, this plucky Brit flick has seen off the corporate giants and finally hoves into port."
One of the characters is a third-rate cabaret singer, apparently bound for Tenerife. Anyone might believe that is all we have.
Chunky Monkey Movie Review
One foot in the Milky Way
RESPECTED astronomers last night hailed the dramatic discovery of Victor Meldrew in space. Four scientists — led by Dr Mark Garlick — have found a new constellation in the shape of the grumpy old bloke from TV comedy classic One Foot in the Grave, played by Richard Wilson, 69. A computer was used to create a star map showing Victor’s face from pictures taken through the giant 4.2metre William Herschel Telescope in the Canary Islands.
Only in The Sun! One foot in the Milky Way
Canary Islander Appointed Principle of Stanley Elementary School, Boston, Massachusetts
Pilar Shepard-Cabrera grew up in the Canary Islands, part of Spain located off the coast of northern Africa, and speaks fluent Spanish. She moved to Massachusetts in 1972 and earned a bachelor's degree in education at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
Stanley Elementary's new principal has diverse background
Tenerife Based Website In Legal Battle
La Laguna, Tenerife based website Jumpingmanmusica.com have become embroiled in a legal dispute with Scottish, Luna Records after unlawfully selling albums and digital downloads.
The company said Gordon Richardson, Luna's managing director, had instructed lawyers to demand the removal of the album from the website, which is based in the Canary Islands.
Luna Records sounds sour note over Maryhillbillys
Black Hole Blows Bubble Between the Stars
A team of astronomers from The Netherlands and the UK has discovered a vast ‘jet-powered bubble’ formed in the gas around a black hole in the Milky Way. The bubble was discovered in radio observations with the Dutch Westerbork radio telescope, and subsequently found during optical observations with the Anglo-Dutch 2.5 m Isaac Newton Telescope in the Canary Islands.
Black Hole Blows Bubble Between the Stars
Royal Caribbean International Launches 2006/07 Brochures
The Royal Caribbean International brochure introduces four new adventurous Legend of the Seas itineraries from Southampton including the Channel and Canary Islands in addition to the wealth of magnificent Mediterranean destinations all ready to explore.
Royal Caribbean International Launches 2006/07 Brochures
Glasgow Airport passengers top 1m
GLASGOW Airport recorded the busiest day in its 39-year history last month as passenger numbers topped the one million mark. Barcelona, Dublin and Dubai also performed well, while traditional sun spots like Tenerife and Las Palmas continued to be popular.
Glasgow Airport passengers top 1m
MyTravelLite - Market leader to the sun from Birmingham
MyTravelLite this week celebrates its continued position as market leader to the sun from Birmingham, by carrying its 2.5 millionth passenger. MyTravelLite fly to Alicante, Almeria, Palma, Murcia, Malaga, Mahon, Ibiza, Tenerife, Lanzarote, Faro and Gran Canaria.
MyTravelLite - Market leader to the sun from Birmingham
Dubai Tops Tenerife for Winter Sun
British tourism in Dubai has been growing significantly and shows no signs of slowing down. Some 650,000 British tourists visited the United Arab Emirates in 2004 and as many as 100,000 British nationals are resident there. Recently surpassing Tenerife as a winter holiday spot of weather-weary Britons, Dubai is now second only to Barbados in terms of number of Britons visiting.
Virgin to trigger price war on London-Dubai route
Hooker's Oedipal Romp Boring, Say Crtics
(Well, that should keep the numbers down eagerly booking to come to the Canary Islands, just to see if truth really is stranger than fiction. Point upon which Secret Tenerife News refuses to comment further.)
"Christophe Honore's NC-17-rated film Ma Mère is adapted from a novel by Georges Bataille. It delves into the bizarre sexual psyche of a prostitute mother (played by French icon Isabelle Huppert). The film follows the woman's blatant sexual overtures toward her young adult son Pierre (Louis Garrel) during a hedonistic stay in the Canary Islands." But, critics say, "This sexually messy, religiously infused film is a perfect example of the dregs of European cinema. Honore was going for controversial. He barely made it past boring."
Ma Mère: Hooker's Oedipal romp boring, not shocking
Three New Canary Islands Flights from Manchester
BA has announced a shake-up of its Manchester operation, which sees eight flights axed, but eight new destinations coming on stream. The new routes, which will will be flown by BA franchisee GB Airways, begin operating in November. They include three destinations in the Canary Islands; Tenerife, Arecife, Las Palmas.
Eight routes axed in BA shake-up
British Airways axes 8 routes out of Manchester
Nuke Staffed Banned from Holiday Sex
Scots nuclear workers have been warned to avoid holiday sex - in case they end up in bed with an enemy spy. But one said: 'This advice is like something out of a film. 'I doubt there's much chance of being trapped by a spy in places like Tenerife or Majorca.'
SEX SPY BAN ON NUKE STAFF
Holidaying Alone On the Increase But Costs More
New research out today turns the traditional idea of the holiday on its head by revealing that two thirds of us (65%) are either already holidaying alone, or likely to at some point in the future.
However ... "The report also highlighted an overwhelming opinion that holiday companies are not keeping pace with this change. A massive 93% of people feel holiday companies financially penalise single people through their practices and pricing policies such as charging single room supplements. An average two week holiday to Tenerife would cost £533 for a single person but the same holiday would only cost £335 per person for a couple."
Holidaying alone
Volcanic activity in the Canary Islands
Spanish scientists monitoring volcanic activity in the Canary Islands have registered a definite increase in the number of seismic tremors registered in Tenerife over the past year. The location of the tremors, in the north-west of the Island, reveal that the volcanic behaviour has changed, although the scientists say it is too soon to say exactly how. Volcanic activity in the Canary Islands.
Original report, EFE, via CanariasAhora.com
Los vulcanólogos vigilan el aumento de la actividad sísmica en Tenerife
United States is Principle Foreign Investor
The United States is the principle foreign investor in the Canary Special Zone (ZEC), with a participation of something more than 33.5 million Euros - over 40 percent of the total of non-resident investments and almost 11 percent of the total investment.
The US is also the leader in the generation of employment among non-resident investors, with 315 jobs.
Estados Unidos es el principal inversor y creador de empleo foráneo en la ZEC
Canaries Refuse to Increase Tobacco and Alcohol Taxes
The Canarian government rejected the suggestion made by the Ministry of the Economy and Taxation to increase various indirect taxes, such as those on alcohol and tobacco, to cover part of the financing of health services in the autonomous communities.
Canarias rechaza subir los impuestos del tabaco y el alcohol para financiar la sanidad
Unelco Expects to Pass the Summer and Winter Without Electrical Problems in South Tenerife
Although the Director General of UNELCO, José María Plans, intends to turn the page with diplomacy, what is certain is that the massive demonstration on November 23, 2002, which united 100,000 people in Santa Cruz (Tenerife) and forced the Canarian government to abandon the idea of installing pilons in Vilaflor, marked a before and after point in relations between the company and the regional executive.
With a new project for the south of the island, which could be ready by the end of 2005, although it's execution will take two more years, Unelco guarantees to "take the necessary steps" to ensure that the supply of electricity to the south of Tenerife is not interrupted.
Interview: “Esperamos pasar el verano, incluso el invierno, sin problemas eléctricos en el Sur”
Rock Weekends
Amongst others in coming concerts, are multi Latin Grammy winning Columbian singer-songwriter Juanes, who will perform at the football stadium in Adeje (South Tenerife) on Saturday, August 20.
Manchester's Chemical Brothers come to the International Fairs & Congress Center in Santa Cruz, Tenerife on September 10.
And, slated as "the cultural meeting of the year", is the presence of Bryan Adams in Gran Canaria on September 12.
Tickets for these events are available online via GeneralTickets.com.
Full details of coming attractions: Un fin de verano rockero
Domestic Violence By The Book
A 43 year old man has been detained in Adeje (South Tenerife) accused of inflicting abuse on his wife, who has declared that her partner has in his possession a manual which describes how to hit a human body without leaving marks, report the National Police.
The detention was made after the woman was found unconscious in her hotel bed by a hotel employee, presumably as a consequence of a beating, including, it appears, being hit on the head with a bottle.
The woman also shows signs of having received punches, various things had been thrown on the floor of the room and there were blood stains on one of the walls. Earlier in the same afternoon the man had hit his wife, in front of many witnesses, in the hotel restaurant.
Un detenido en Tenerife aplicaba un manual para no dejar marcas en su pareja
More than 6,000 Suitcases Stuck On the Ground
An indefinite strike by Ibera ground staff at the airport in Lanzarote kept 6,000 suitcases on the ground - were thus not sent on the filghts on which their owners travelled - on Sunday. After 5 p.m., workers stopped putting suitcases on international and domestic departure flights and those of arrivals, remained in aircraft holds. The strike, which began on June 28, affects the airport of Lanzarote on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays.
Más de 6.000 maletas, en tierra por la huelga de 'handling' en Lanzarote
Zapatero Promises Canaries Security Plan
President of the Spanish government, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero - who is currently in the Canary Islands on vacation - indicated that he is open to dialogue with the Canarian executive and made a promise to put a Security Plan for the Canaries in motion this autumn.
During the president's working visit to the island of La Gomera on Saturday, the head of the Canarian executive, Adán Martín, also spoke of the necessity to improve the movement of merchandise between the islands, in order to avoid the current situation where the average "shopping basket" costs more in La Gomera than it does in Tenerife.
Zapatero se compromete a negociar la creación de la Policía Autonómica
Drug Trafficking Ring Dismanteled in the Canaries
National police have detained 16 people, dismantling a drug trafficking ring, which operated between Morocco and the Canaries, after boarding a yacht carrying 2,000 kilos of hasheesh, in waters 30 miles from the islet of Alegranza, off Lanzarote this weekend.
The 12 meter sailing boat named "Troll", under Canarian British flag, was brought to the port of Santa Cruz in Tenerife on Sunday afternoon. The three crew - two British and one Moroccan - were detained along with thirteen others of Spanish nationality.
The boat was destined for Tenerife, where the drugs were to have been distributed, which "will not now reach the consumer", said police sources. The detentions were the culmination of a nine-month operation following the movements of the network and police are expected to give a detailed press conference on Tuesday.
Desmantelada una red de tráfico de hachís en Canarias
EDIT: Earlier reports had suggested that the vessel was flying the Canarian flag. Later reports say British, but that the boat is registered in Gran Canaria. The two British detained, the capitain and one other crew member, are not thought to be part of the drug trafficking ring, just the hired transport.
Sunday, August 14, 2005
Canarian judge challenges gay union
A Spanish judge has challenged the legality of gay marriage, saying same-sex marriages are against the country's constitution. Francisco Garcia, from Gran Canaria, lodged the query at Spain's Constitutional Court. Mr Garcia has blocked three homosexual weddings since the new laws legalising such unions were introduced.
Spain judge challenges gay union
Related: A recent poll at online newspaper, Canarias7, indicated that 78% of the readers do NOT support the judge's opinion and even the superior court in the Canaries consider that there "is no reason to doubt the constitutionality of the law."
Thursday, August 11, 2005
Rain of Shooting Stars
The Canarian Astrophysics Institute (IAC) announced yesterday that the best days to see the Perseid meteor shower, associated with the comet Swift-Tuttle, are the nights of August 11th and 12th.
Although the maximum activity will occur at 18:29 hours (Universal Time) on Aug 12, the best time to view the Perseids, on both days, is in the early hours of the morning, once the moon has set.
The Perseids can be seen with naked eye, provided you don't have too much light interference nearby. If you live in the countryside (or even better, under clear Canary Island skies), you should be able to see the rain of stars perfectly from your own house.
La máxima actividad de las "Perseidas" se producirá el 12 de agosto
Canarian Media Start Their Own Blogs
Local newspaper in Gran Canaria, Canarias7, already one of the first in the Canary Islands to "go digital" and the only one, so far, to provide an RSS feed of their news headlines, yesterday, launched their own blog, the first of a planned succession, to be written by two of the Canarias7 staff. The object is to give readers a behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to create a daily online newspaper. As they describe it, "the start of a narrative adventure where technology and journalism intertwine, as they do at Canarias7 every day."
Original story: Canarias7.es estrena su sección de Blogs
Sunday, August 07, 2005
Tenerife Forest Road Drivers To Be Hunted
As part of the urgent fire prevention measures, members the Environmental agencies, who control the transit of vehicles on Tenerife's forest tracks, can now require drivers to prove that they have a good reason for being there.
As the hunting season begins today, the Island Council has authorized hunters to access those forest roads, during the appropriate days and times.
Other approved exceptions include access to recreation areas and camping grounds, during the hours that these are open. However, it should be noted that none of these "excuses" count on tracks where motor vehicles have been completely prohibited.
El Seprona y el personal de Medio Ambiente podrán requerir acreditaciones a los conductores
Town Twinning Canary Islands Style
The mayor of Ingenio, Gran Canaria, Domingo Gonzalez, is currently visiting his "sister city" of St. Bernard Parish in New Orleans to establish a student exchange program.
"We chose that city because it's the place where so many of our ancestors in St. Bernard Parish came from in the Canary Islands in the late 1700s," St. Bernard Parish Historian Bill Hyland, director of the Ducros-Islenos Museum complex, said.
Canary sister city mayor visits
Canary Islands to Play Second Fiddle for NASA
NASA's Outrigger Telescopes project, and the space agency wants to put the $50 million stargazing project on the Big Island of Hawaii. However, NASA could move the project to a less-desirable site in Spain's Canary Islands if it can't be built on Mauna Kea.
NASA still wants more scopes on Mauna Kea
'Secret Jews' of the Spanish Inquisition
Miami's lost Jews find their way back to the synagogue after generations of being alienated by persecution & intolerance.
Roberto Gonzalez, the temple's new president, was born in Havana and, Gonzalez grew up in a house filled with Catholic saints. His father told him once that they were Jewish, descendants of Spanish Sephardim who fled the Canary Islands for Cuba.
'Secret Jews' of the Spanish Inquisition (Requires registration)
Accommodation for the Independent Traveller
Flapjack Holidays offer world-wide holiday accommodation in such diverse places as the UK, Tenerife, Florida, South Africa and Australia, with around 110 villas currently available.
The site is aimed at the independent traveller who books everything separately, or as co-director, Michelle Ecclestone puts it: "People often want to go somewhere and don't necessarily want to go on a package holiday with loads of other Brits."
Website course starts mums on new career
Globespan to add Stanstead to Tenerife Flights
Dominant Scottish airline, Flyglobespan, already flies 14 routes, including several destinations in the Canary Islands. This winter will see Globespan add an additional route from Stansted to Tenerife. The new daily flights to Tenerife will launch in November with fares starting at £49.99 including taxes. Stansted set to take off as major hub as Flyglobespan unveils new routes.
Related:
From tea boy to top gun: the ultimate soaraway success story
Tenerife to Host Advertising Festival & Ad Awards
The island of Tenerife is to play host to the The Advertising Festival & Ad Awards for the next five years. This first of these prestigious events - big names such as Saatchi & Saatchi and Young & Rubicam have entered the awards in the past - is to be held in October 2005 at the Mare Nostrum Hotel complex in Playa de Las Américas.
Tenerife acogerá durante los próximos cinco años el Festival Mundial de la Publicidad
Feature Article: Ad Man Living Tenerife. Carl Tooney is the man behind this year’s most eager anticipated event – The Advertising Festival & Ad Awards, taking place in October 2005 in Tenerife.
Los Silos (Film) Festival
Look out Cannes, there is an alternative venue for the "beautiful people" to attend, right here in Los Silos, north west Tenerife.
As part of the Tenth International Story Festival, which takes place between November 28 and December 3, this year, the town hall is sponsoring the First International Short Film Contest.
If you fancy yourself as a bit of a filmmaker, the contest is open to producers from any part of the world (naturally, a knowledge of Spanish could be handy), on the only condition that the theme of the no more than 20 minute film is a "fairy story", based on literary text or from oral tradition. One of the reasons for the choice of this theme is the 200th anniversary of the birth of Hans Christian Anderson.
Closing date: October 7, 2005. Details: www.cuentoslossilos.com
El Festival Los Silos incluye el primer concurso de cortometrajes sobre cuentos
Visitor Center for Cumbre Vieja
La Palma island council is to invest €155,000 in a Visitor Center for it's principle attraction, Cumbre Vieja National Park, on the la Ruta de los Volcanes (the volcano route) at the Refugio de El Pilar.
Of the four major places of tourist interest on the island, this is the only one which does not have a center to facilitate information to the thousands of people who use this important recreation area.
El Cabildo palmero invierte 155.000 euros en el Centro Ruta de los Volcanes
Ed note: I guess this means they aren't too worried about the Cumbre Vieja falling into the sea any time soon! See: Future threat.
Growing Traffic Problems In Santa Cruz
Circulating and parking in Tenerife's capital city, Santa Cruz, is becoming a lot like Los Angeles and, it is getting worse.
Residents who attempt to park in the center of Santa Cruz and, taxi drivers who put up with congested traffic throughout the year say that the situation has not been alleviated this year in July - when traditionally, people leave the city for summer destinations.
The statistics corroborate this: the city is not benefiting this year from the tranquility that normally characterizes the summer months, because Santa Cruz residents are not leaving the city for vacations.
Santa Cruz town hall registered 488,244 less vehicles leaving the city than in July 2004. A total of 3.279.737 cars entered the city (Monday to Sunday) last month (which seems like a heck of a lot for a city of perhaps a quarter of a million inhabitants), while 3.630.075 left. This, when compared to the July 2004 figures, meant that 262.301 more vehicles were left circulating around the city's streets.
According to a recent study, the lack of parking facilities - there are just 5,516 places in the city center - are among the things perceived most negatively by tourists who come to Santa Cruz in hired cars.
Saturday, August 06, 2005
Canary Cookouts Can Continue
Back to the barbeque as, from today (Saturday), the authorities in Tenerife have approved exceptions to the national fire and BBQ ban, recently imposed by central government to prevent more forest fires. The blanket ban was to have been in force until November 1.
The exceptions, authorized by the Island Corporation, have been allowed because they considered that the situation was unsustainable on an island with such a long [BBQ] tradition and that the reopened areas do not pose any danger - are not in heavily wooded areas.
Reopened Barbeque Areas:
Cho Pancho, San Miguel de Abona
At the entrance to the village of Santiago del Teide
Parque de la Libertad, Tacoronte
La Marzagana in La Orotava
La Higuerita in Los Realejos
Barranco de Ruiz, Los Realejos
San Juan de la Rambla
Los Pedregales, Buenavista del Norte
Puerto Escondido in El Tanque
El Carmen in Garachico
The authorization is also extended to include the recreation areas in Los Silos and in Las Aguas, San Juan de la Rambla.
It is still prohibited to light fires - that means no smoking too - in mountain forest areas of Teide and the parks of Anaga and Teno.
Although restrictions have been relaxed, if the heatwave persists or or other similar weather conditions arrive, the ban may have to be restored to prohibit the lighting of barbeques or fires in all areas.
Tenerife autoriza desde hoy las chuletadas en 11 áreas recreativas
[Ed Note: I find this a tad confusing, because I can see the Los Pedregales area (where BBQing has been allowed) from my window. It is and we are - technically - inside the Teno Rural Park (where BBQing is still prohibited). There are trees in that area, although, admittedly, it is not a forest, such as the Monte del Agua.]
Chuletadas - doesn't have a direct translation, but if there's one thing I know about Canarian barbeques it is that they are BIG, family affairs. A chuleta is a chop. Perhaps we should translate this as chopathon!
Canaries on Heatwave Alert
The Canary Islands are on alert to expect extreme heat. Ten independent communities in Spain have been alerted of the risks of reaching extreme temperatures over the next few hours, according to predictions from the National Institute of Meteorology (INM).
Already today, on mid and high ground in Tenerife, a significant rise in temperatures was noted and thermometers reached 32 C.
Although this year the heat has been less intense than in 2004, the intensity is different at different points and on each island.
Recommendations:
The best way to stay cool is to stay in a cool place and drink sufficient liquids.
Avoid going outside in the middle of the day, walk in the shade and take frequent rest breaks.
If you have to realize an activity, preferably do so in the early morning or late afternoon and avoid activities that require a lot of effort. (That one should be easy!)
Don't spend too much time in a parked vehicle or one without air conditioning. (Don't leave animals or children in cars.)
Choose light, loose clothes, of a light colour in natural fibers.
Wear sunglasses and use a hat or cap. Eat light meals. Even if you aren't thirsty, replace liquids in the form of water or fruit juice and drink at least 2 liters per day.
If you have a medical condition that carries additional risks (heart problems, high blood pressure, kidney problems) consult your doctor about replacing liquids, salts and minerals. Do not drink alcohol.
Persons who take tranquilizers or medication for Parkinson's disease are also at special risk, as are those over 56 years old, children under 5 years old and the obese. Keep an eye on neighbours, especially if they are old, infirm or live alone or isolated.
Canarias, en alerta por calor extremo
When it doesn't pay to work for yourself
Temporary incapacity and retirement pensions, (€416.12 and €470.36, per month, respectively) for the self-employed in the Canary Islands are well below the national averages and, 39.1% less than those for workers who are or have been in outside employment.
Lorenzo Amor, President of the Federation of National Associations of Self-Employed Workers (ATA) says the self-employed should be aware so they can ensure that the base for their contributions is adequate.
Con 416 euros, la pensión de los autónomos no llega a la media
More Boat People Arrive in the Canaries
The Guardia Civil confirm that in two separate incidents today, a total of 49 illegal immigrants have reached the coasts of Gran Canaria and Fuerteventura. The number of bodies recovered from Friday's failed attempt to reach Canarian coasts, has risen from 19 to 23.
Llegan una patera a Fuerteventura y otra a Gran Canaria
Stardust Contemplates the Stars
Delving into what our ancestors knew about celestial phenomena, Kidger contemplates questions such as whether Stonehenge was used to predict eclipses (he is skeptical) and why many stars have Arabic names.
Stardust Contemplates the Stars
Software helps the search for planets
A collaborative astronomy venture that is looking for up to 1,000 new planets outside our solar system is to start using sophisticated software to help process the visual data of the night skies.
The consortium opened the first of its two astronomical observatories in the Canary Islands in April.
Software helps the search for planets
Nineteen African migrants drown off Morocco
Nineteen African illegal migrants drowned on Friday when their rickety boat capsized off Morocco's southern Atlantic coast on its way to Spanish Canary islands, state news agency MAP reported.
Reuters: Nineteen African migrants drown off Morocco
Voracious black holes hide their appetite in dusty galaxies
A UK-led team of astronomers reports today (August 4th) in Nature that they have tracked down an elusive population of black holes growing rapidly hidden behind clouds of dust. All of the objects were confirmed as quasars by the National Radio Astronomy Observatory's Very Large Array radio telescope, New Mexico, and the Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council's William Hershel Telescope at Roque de Los Muchachos Observatory on La Palma, Canary Islands, which is operated by the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC).
Voracious black holes hide their appetite in dusty galaxies
Imo Adopts Ship Emissions Control
The Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) has adopted amendments to the Regulations for the Prevention of Air Pollution from Ships.
The MEPC also adopted four new particularly sensitive sea areas (PSSAs): the Baltic Sea area, the Canary Islands, the Galapagos Archipelago, and the Great Barrier Reef / Torres Strait.
Imo Adopts Ship Emissions Control
Woodvale Atlantic Rowing Race 2005
On Sunday 12 October 1997, thirty double handed teams set off from Los Gigantes, Tenerife on a voyage in to the unknown. The inaugural Port St Charles, Barbados Atlantic Rowing Race was a ground breaking event, proving to sceptics all around the world that it was possible to navigate across an ocean in a small ocean rowing boat and to arrive at a specific finish location in the Caribbean some 2,900 nm later.
The race was the brainchild of Sir Chay Blyth who had the idea to organize "The worlds toughest rowing race".
The second edition of the Atlantic Rowing Challenge, the Ward Evans Atlantic Rowing Challenge, started from Playa San Juan in Tenerife on Sunday 07 October 2001. Another thirty double handed teams set off from La Gomera for the Woodvale Atlantic Rowing Race 2003.
Run on a two year cycle, the next Atlantic Rowing Race will take place in November 2005.
Details: Woodvale Events - Atlantic Rowing Race
Atlantic Rally for Cruisers 2005
This annual transatlantic rally starting each November in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, has now become the most popular way to cross the Atlantic. The largest transocean sailing event in the world, every year the ARC brings together over 150 yachts from all over the world.
ARC2005 opens in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria on 13 November, and the fleet will start for Rodney Bay, St.Lucia on 20 November from a line off Las Palmas harbour. The ARC will finish officially at 1200 hours local time on 17 December 2005.
World Cruising Club Atlantic Rally for Cruisers
A cooler side to Tenerife
The island has a reputation for attracting binge-drinking sun-worshippers who never leave their resort during a fortnight's holiday. But not everyone wants to spend their time sunbathing or clubbing, so it's my duty to tell you that there's a quieter, more up-market and more authentic side to the island. ... In one day in north Tenerife, you can take in café culture, rainbow-coloured houses, cobbled streets, plazas, tropical gardens, beaches, cliffs and mountains.
Spain: A cooler side to Tenerife
Oriental Spa Garden in Tenerife
Tenerife's answer to this opulent experience is embodied in the Oriental Spa Garden - over 35,000 square feet of gardens, pools, treatment and relaxation areas with elaborate décor and antique furnishings from Thailand - all part of the luxurious Hotel Botanico in Tenerife's northern resort of Puerto de la Cruz.
They don't mention if the 1 1/2 hours for the Chocolate Fondue Wrap treatment includes time to lick yourself clean (grin), but, whatever, this certainly seems to fit their ethic of indulgence!
That is indulgence with a conscience: many treatments feature products made with local, Canarian grown ingredients and, the environment is respected with solar heated water.
Opened at the end of 2003, the Oriental Spa Garden has earned a reputation as one of the top spa hotels in Europe.
For hotel amenities and online booking, please click here »
Links to reviews and photos:
Spa Hotels - Hotel Botanico - Tenerife
Worldwide Spa Review Magazine
Hotel Botanico, Tenerife
Cuban Hip-Hop Group, Orishas, to Play Arafo, Tenerife
Their sound is a fusion of Latin rhythms, with a real horn section and soulful singing, overlaid with powerful rap with a positive message.
Originally from Havana, this Cuban collective met up with French hip-hop producers in Paris and now reside in Spain. Read more »
Discography
El Kilo
Emigrante
A Lo Cubano
Labels: Orishas in Tenerife
Candelaria Expects 200,000 Pilgrims
The town of Candelaria expects around 200,000 visitors on August 14th and 15th, principle days of the celebrations in honour of the Virgen de Candelaria - Black Madonna - patron of the Canary Islands.
On Sunday, August 7, at 11:30 there is an exhibition of native sports in the square. Various other folk groups, concerts, song and piano recitals take place throughout the week.
Want more local sport? No problem. From 19:30 on Saturday, August 13, there is Lucha Canaria, Canarian wrestling, to watch.
Sunday, August 14, has the main events of the romeria (traditional style folk festival) and the offering to the Virgin; a procession with representatives from all over the archipelago. After this will be the reenactment of the guanches discovering the icon, then from 22:00 until 06:00 the plaza in Candelaria will be filled with music.
Those wanting to make the traditional pilgrimage on foot are reminded that it is prohibited to walk along the hard shoulder of the motorway and, if you are coming down the mountain roads, be particularly aware of the high fire risks at this time of year.
The TITSA bus company are laying on free busses that will bring walkers between Santa María del Mar and Barranco Grande.
Candelaria espera más de 200.000 visitantes en las fiestas de la Patrona
Virgen de Candelaria (Photo)
Milagros de la Virgen de Candelaria
Candelaria Tenerife
Black Madonna Tenerife
Friday, August 05, 2005
Revealing what made Guanche sites tick
Astronomical investigations conducted in the Canary Islands, the Spanish mainland, Tunisia and Morocco, have revealed a link between the orientation of archaeological remains and the sun?s position during the equinox.
The information is being taken by some experts to indicate that cults in the era before the Romans extended through the Mediterranean region as far as the Canary Islands.
Speaking at a news conference last week, César Esteban of the Canary Astrophysics Institute (IAC) said striking similarities pointing to just such a thesis have been found in aboriginal sites here in Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote and Fuerteventura, in south and south-west Spain and in pre-Roman temples in North Africa.
Revealing what made Guanche sites tick
Zapatero Suspends Visit to Gran Canaria
Spain's President, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, who is at present on holiday on the Canary Island of Lanzarote, has had to postpone today's visit to the mountain areas of Gran Canaria, recently damaged by fire, after he tore a ligament playing basketball with friends yesterday.
Zapatero, his wife and two daughters spent yesterday morning - his 45th Birthday - visiting the islet nature reserve of La Graciosa - most north easterly and smallest inhabited of the Canary Islands.
La Graciosa, of just 27 square kms, with 640 residents mainly in it's capital, Caleta del Sabo, receives between 200 and 400 visitors daily and is known for having the best beaches on Lanzarote. (Photo)
Zapatero suspende su visita a Gran Canaria
I just want my baby girl back
A British woman has had to leave her baby in Tenerife after she was born prematurely while the mother was on holiday.
I just want my baby girl back
Permanent Firefighting for Teno Rural Park
Buenavista del Norte town council in Tenerife has recently asked the department of the environment and landscape to provide permanent firefighting coverage in the Teno Rural Park, mainly to prevent fires in the Monte del Agua, an important part of the local landscape that is particularly exposed to risk by high temperatures.
The corporation decided to carry out this initiative after evaluating the environmental conditions in the area at this time of the year, with extremely high temperatures, accompanied by drought that increases the possibility of fires around the perimeter of the rural park.
The mayor of Buenavista, Aurelio Abreu, emphasized the great environmental value that the area represents for the island. Monte del Agua has one of the largest laurisilva [1] forests in the Canary Islands, threatened every summer with disappearance by the threat of fire.
The request is for pertinent means of fire prevention and firefighting; pumps, fire trucks, etc., to be located in the Valle de El Palmar, from where any necessary interventions would be coordinated.
[1] Laurisilva is a sort of subtropical cloud forest endemic to the Canary Islands, Madeira, and the Azores, mostly composed of trees of the Lauraceae family and other "laurifolious" trees.
El Ayuntamiento de Buenavista del Norte solicita al Medioambiente un retén contra incendios en el parque de Teno
Monarch Scheduled sees bookings surge with bad weather
As torrential rain and tornadoes lashed down on the UK last week, thousands of Brits gave up hope of a decent British summer and headed for the web to book their August getaway to the sunshine. Low cost airline, Monarch Scheduled saw bookings leap by 88% year-on-year as customers rushed to grab the last remaining seats on flights to a variety of European hotspots. Making just under 50,000 bookings, the most popular routes reflected the British desire for a sunny escape - Malaga, Alicante and Tenerife.
news - Monarch Scheduled sees bookings surge with bad weather
John Pilger hails the Brigaders
Between 1936 and 1939, the International Brigades fought in the Spanish Civil War on the side of the Republican government against the fascist forces of General Franco.
At the International Brigade reunion, these brave young volunteers are remembered, including Cyril Sexton, who was wounded at Jarama and went on to fight at Aragon, Belchite, Gandesa and Ebro, where he was wounded again. Last April, he died in Tenerife at the age of 91.
New Statesman - John Pilger hails the Brigaders
NB: Before his rise to power, Francisco Franco was posted to Tenerife in March 1936 by a Republican government wary of his influence and political leanings. In Tenerife, Franco organized the political coup that would result in the Spanish Civil War; the Canaries fell to the Nationalists in July 1936 and its population was subject to the mass executions of opponents to the new regime. In the 1950s, the misery of the post-war years caused thousands of the island?s inhabitants to emigrate to Cuba and Latin America. Source: Wikipedia.
Cool lottery idea aims for the hot money
A HUDDERSFIELD charity is launching a new lottery - based on the weather. Supporters of the Laura Crane Trust will win if their numbers match the temperature in world cities.
The winning numbers in the daily draw are obtained by taking the last digit of the temperature in Fahrenheit in Corfu, Istanbul, Tenerife, Innsbruck, Edinburgh and Stockholm.
Proceeds will go towards research into cancer among young people aged 15 to 25.
Cool lottery idea aims for the hot money
Santa Cruz to be Promoted on 115 TV Channels
Santa Cruz city council in Tenerife has initiated a tourist promotion campaign to activate 'Nature Tourism' at a national level.
Three news reports, of ten minutes each, will be included in the program 'Alternativa7', sports adventure magazine. The program is emitted at prime time to 115 local channels throughout Spain.
The mainland Spanish market is important for the city, providing more than 40% of the total of tourists who visited Santa Cruz de Tenerife during 2004, a trend that, at the present time, is rising.
Santa Cruz de Tenerife se promociona a nivel nacional en 115 cadenas de televisión
Thursday, August 04, 2005
Hope on a Harley
Part of the celebrations of the fiestas in honour of The Virgin of the Esperanza (Hope) in El Rosario, Santa Cruz de Tenerife last weekend, was an exhibition of American, Harley Davidson motorcycles.
Apparently it was a great success with an "elevated" number of both participants and public turning out for the event. The riders made a circuit around the principle streets of the village, accompanied by the queen of the fiestas and her ladies in waiting.
Éxito de público y participación en la exhibición de motos Harley’s organizada en la villa esperancera (Photo)
The Cost of Wetting Your Whistle
The beer may be cheap, but the price of water in the Canary Islands is the highest in Spain at €1.68 (£1.17) per cubic meter. Rioja, is the community with the lowest price, at just .54 cents (38 pence).
Maybe this is why we also consume the least, at an average of 135 liters per person per day, against a national average of 167 liters.
Canarias paga el agua potable más cara de España
Forty Tourists Robbed in Unlicenced Hotel
Almost forty tourists have reported robberies in their rooms at a hotel in Varadero (Guía de Isora), Tenerife, blaming the evident lack of security at the Bahía Flamingo, which, it also appears, is operating without the necessary municipal licences.
Guests say they have been discontented with the attention they have received from staff and management and, that even hygiene and basic services are deficient. The hotel does not even have a claims book and there are no lifeguards for the swimming pool.
Casi cuarenta turistas denuncian robos en un hotel sin licencia en Varadero
Zapatero Promises More Investment
The Spanish President's "busman's holiday" in Lanzarote began with a meeting with head of the Canarian executive, Adán Martín. Among items on the agenda were immigration and low salaries.
Zapatero has promised to give the "biggest investor push possible" to provide the islands with infrastructure "necessary for their economic progress". Martín had underlined that the average salary in the archipelago is much lower than the national average and that unemployment levels are higher.
Zapatero also responded to the preoccupations of the local authorities over the possible authorization of oil prospecting in Canarian waters, saying that this would not go ahead "without necessary public consent" nor, the "absolute and total" guarantee of respect for the environment.
Zapatero promete a las Islas más inversión y no otorgar las prospecciones sin consenso
Briton knifed to death in Lanzarote
Neal Parsons, 41, was killed in the Lanzarote resort of Costa Teguise when a bar fight spilled out onto the street outside.
It is unknown how many people were taking part in the brawl but a number of Britons and Moroccans are being questioned by Spanish police with one Moroccan arrested.
Briton knifed to death in Lanzarote
Detienen a un marroquí por la muerte en una reyerta del inglés en Arrecife
Turbulence ahead for no-frills operators
Following in the vapour trails of Mr O'Leary and Virgin Atlantic's Sir Richard Branson, 18-year-old schoolboy Daniel Reilly last month launched a company offering no-frills flights from Liverpool to the Canary Islands for £50.
Nexus Airlines, which will lease a Boeing 737 from Palma-based Futura International, plans to fly twice a week to Tenerife and once a week to Gran Canaria, Lanzarote and Fuerteventura.
Given the dog-eat-dog nature of the industry, it's the sort of small-scale venture that could so easily be dismissed as pie in the sky.
Turbulence ahead for no-frills operators
Wednesday, August 03, 2005
Zapatero Spends Summer Holiday in Lanzarote
José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero is the first President of the Spanish government to spend summer vacations in the Canary Islands - an event that has created quite a bit of excitement in Lanzarote, which wants to take advantage of the tourist promotion opportunity.
Zapatero, his wife, Sonsoles Espinosa, and their two daughters arrived at the military base in Arrecife yesterday morning and are being put up - in a style fit for a king - at the palace of "La Mareta", a luxurious residence on the Costa Teguise in Lanzarote that was donated to the Spanish monarchy by King Hussein of Jordan in 1991.
The property, now part of National Heritage, which the Jordanian monarch purchased at the beginning of the 1980's and in which he invested a lot of money having the present house built in the unmistakable style of the island's most famous artist, César Manrique (1919-1992), he curiously never used himself. The residence, of more than 15,000 square meters, has two swimming pools, a lake, direct access to the beach, ten bungalows, sports courts and a heliport.
The Spanish Royal Family themselves decided to see in the New Century at the palace of "La Mareta" in 2000 and it was there, on January 2nd 2000, that the mother of King Juan Carlos passed away. The King's eldest daughter and her husband, the Duke and Duchess of Lugo, also spent some of their honeymoon at the palace.
With a clear preference for Lanzarote - saying he is "enamoured" with the land of the volcanos - Zapatero says he feels relaxed as soon as he sets foot on Canarian soil. He had made two previous visits to to the island, once at Christmas 2003 and again in March 2004, immediately after his triumph in the general election.
The family will stay in the Canaries for 23 days, until August 25th and will also be making visits to other islands. On August 13, they will visit La Gomera and El Hierro. Yesterday, in a surprise announcement, he said he would also go to Gran Canaria to visit the mountains, which, two weeks ago, suffered seven forest fires in a matter of hours.
"Enamorado" de Lanzarote
Lanzarote se prepara para el veraneo de la familia Zapatero
Los Zapatero: veraneo de nuevos ricos
Related Links:
BBC Profile: Spain's socialist leader
Wikipedia: José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero
José Luis Rodriguez Zapatero President of Spain
Sheffield rider Stead cuts short Tenerife holiday to boost Britain's World Cup bid
A happy ending for speedway star, Simon Stead, who raced away from a Tenerife beach last week - leaving his girlfriend behind.
Stead, who races for Elite League giants Belle Vue Aces, scored a bumper 12-points to help GB see off main rivals Denmark in the qualifier at Swindon - and booked his place in the team for Saturday's final in Poland.
Sheffield rider Stead cuts short holiday to boost Britain's World Cup bid
Holiday death was a dreadful tragedy
A golfing holiday in Tenerife ended in tragedy when a man fell to his death from the third floor of an apartment block. An inquest at South Derbyshire coroner's court heard that Graham Barsby, 57, was on holiday with eight friends in the resort of Playa de las Americas when the accident happened.
Holiday death was a dreadful tragedy
Binter Canarias launch big expansion drive
Binter Canarias has launched a new weekly service from Las Palmas to Marrakech. It has also added a new daily seasonal service between Las Palmas and Funchal and a weekly flight from Tenerife Sur to Funchal. Binter will launch twice weekly flights from Las Palmas to Milan Orio al Serio and Paris CDG on October 27.
Binter Canarias launch big expansion drive
2005 Basketball Without Borders: Europe
NBADraft.net name Mamadou Samb (Senegal) as the player with the biggest upside in the camp. He was listed from Spain, but is from Senegal. Now with a team (Tenerife) in the Canary Islands.
2005 Basketball Without Borders: Europe
TUI Hotel Monopolization Probe
Holiday Jack claimed the German tourism giant's employees in the Balearic Islands, the Canary Islands, on Portugal's coast and in the Dominican Republic illegally tried to convince local hotels not to sign contracts with Holiday Jack, according to a statement issued by the Cartel Office.
TUI says Cartel Office closes probe of hotel monopolization complaint UPDATE - Forbes.com
Peel Advertising wins overseas airports contract
Manchester-based Peel Advertising has secured the contract to handle UK sales for poster sites at a string of strategically important airports in Greece and Spain. The deal will give UK based advertisers the opportunity to target British holiday makers at major tourist destinations, including Tenerife and Lanzarote in the Canary Islands, plus the Greek hotspots of Kos, Corfu ,Mykonos, Rhodes and Crete.
Media Week - BAA to review airport advertising
