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An article in BienMeSabe says that "the streets of the islands see more and more children each year in costumes of horrible witches, ghosts, monsters, black cats, vampires with sharpened teeth and widows with huge wigs ... with blood stained clothes, drawings of spiders' webs, lips and nails painted black. The dear little children of the Canary Islands become a part of the dismal antithesis of the colorful and fun Carnaval. They don't have much idea of why they are celebrating it, but by the look and the result, it can't be anything good."

I'll spare you the history, here being described, obviously, for those who may not know, but the opinion is that it is just a commercial event. Well, it is, isn't it? And, worse that it really is becoming linked to the occult, death and truly sinister things. Meanwhile, this article in Canarias 7 describes how the Irish bars in the south of Gran Canaria are preparing to celebrate this Anglo-Saxon tradition. No doubt, those in the south of Tenerife will be doing likewise.

Here, although Halloween is a relatively new arrival, November 1st is celebrated as the Día de Todos los Santos (All Saints Day) and the following day is Día de los Fieles Difuntos (Day of the Dead), occasion on which it is customary to visit the tombs of one's departed, clean up a bit and replace the flowers.

Por qué no a 'Halloween'

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The Canary Islands Government is declaring a state of orange alert from midnight tonight in the province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, because of forecast high winds that could reach up to 90 kmph and heavy rain, expected at a rate of 20 liters per square meter, per hour. They advise not going out, closing all doors and windows and storing away any object that could be blown by the wind. If you do have to go out, they say you should stay away from narrow or tree-lined streets, old buildings or constructions works, beaches and other low-lying areas where the sea can reach.

Declarada la situación de alerta en la provincia de Santa Cruz de Tenerife por fuertes vientos

Labels: Tenerife Weather, Weather

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The contentious demonstration yesterday, that took place in Tenerife's capital, Santa Cruz, in favour of a Ley de Residencia (Residence Law) ended up as one of those farcically humorous events where organizers, police and authorities are unable to agree on the numbers who turned up. According to the organizers, there were more than 20,000 demonstrators. The town hall chipped in with an estimate of 8,500 participants. According to police sources, it was less than 2,000.

No, don't ask me who to believe: I wasn't there.

Banners, provided by the organizers, had pro-Residence Law slogans such as, "Enough, we can't fit any more in." Has it really got that bad?

Twenty demonstrated against the march with a banner saying, "Build bridges, forget barriers. Our race, human, our heritage, the earth", chanting "No human is illegal."

Others appear to wish to turn the clocks back more than 500 years - and presumably return to dressing in goat skins - with an interpretation of "My Blessed Guanche Land." Bringing up the rear of the march were representatives of an extreme right Nazi group, who had demonstrated a few weeks ago on the south of the island, flanked by National Police agents, whom the organizers had requested be separated from the event, but otherwise, according to reports, all occurred without incident.

Menos de 2.000 personas acuden en Santa Cruz de Tenerife a manifestarse por la Ley de Residencia

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ABC report that Egyptian artist, Karim Rashid (website), is to design the posters for Tenerife capital's Santa Cruz Carnaval 2007. Fiesta organizers announced that they have entrusted the work to the international industrial designer.

Rashid, who lives in New York, was born in Cairo in 1960 and educated in England, Canada and Italy. He's known for a style described as "sensual minimalism" (he also designs a line of upmarket "erotic appliances") and has worked with Giorgio Armani, Tommy Hilfinger, Prada, Lacoste and Yahoo.

Some of his most representative works are the decorations at the Marimoto Restaurant in Philadelphia, the Hotel Semiramis in Athens and the Hotel Nooh in New York. His recently published book called Design Your Self, explains how to improve all areas of life. (Now, even how to party!)

El artista egipcio Karim Rashid diseñará el cartel del carnaval de Santa Cruz

Labels: Carnaval

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Strange claims of suicide pacts after the mysterious deaths in Corfu have a tragically familiar ring for one gas safety campaigner. Kate O'Hara reports. Speaking to the Yorkshire Post last night, Mrs Maher, who is now a prominent gas safety campaigner, said: "As soon as I heard the news I knew what had happened. There were all these ridiculous stories about suicide pacts and even religious cults – but I knew straight away. "The circumstances are almost identical to what happened to my children. My son was killed and my daughter was seriously injured in Tenerife.

Echoes of Tenerife Case in Corfu Deaths

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CelebritySnap! have more photos (eight of them, in fact) of Marc Anthony and Jennifer Lopez from the concert - slated as the biggest ever concert in south Tenerife - at the Estadio Olímpico Playa de Las Américas in Tenerife on October 19.

Marc Anthony and Jennifer Lopez in Concert in Tenerife, Spain

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Pirates are nothing new in Canary Islands waters. Over the centuries, many of them were English too, but I'll save that story for another time.

No, this story is about an altogether more 21st Century type of pirate. As this report states, it is estimated that 125,000 Canarians (roughly 6% of the population) are pirating music and movies via broadband internet connections.

According to representatives of the companies who produce music and movies, the the incidence of illegal downloads via P2P (peer to peer) platforms is on the increase and is as high, if not higher, than on the Spanish mainland.

The increase in this illicit market is evidenced also by the growth in the numbers of pirated films and CD's confiscated by the police. In 2002, they had seized 397 illegal copies of films: three years later in 2005, the number had risen to 7,718.

The number of pirated music CD's, in the same time span, rose from 219 to 10,433, although these figures are far away from the national numbers.

Downloading music and films is an offence that can carry prison sentences of 6 to 24 months, although, up to now, no end user has ever been condemned. Yet.

Unos 125.000 canarios piratean música y cine a través de la banda ancha de la Red

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Having recently found the source of the chestnuts in this valley, it's a wonder we don't also have a Fiesta de la Castaña (Chestnut Festival) locally. Or maybe we do, but I just haven't heard about it. However, yesterday, there was such a fiesta at the Finca de Osorio, which although it was in Teror (Gran Canaria), is a lovely little story (with photos). The festival, with music and cultural events, revolved around the traditional toasting of kilos and kilos of chestnuts, offering a delight as autumn arrives with the first rains of the season. I can smell them just thinking about it!

La Fiesta de la Castaña en la Finca de Osorio

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How do you fancy this for a "country retreat"? There are still examples of these campesinos (country folk or peasants') cottages in remote and mountainous areas of Tenerife. Perhaps with a few more facilities, like water and electricity, these days than almost 100 years ago, but even many more modern homes in rural areas are based on the form of these, usually, two room dwellings, with outside loo and other rooms added, a coat of plaster over the stones and maybe the roof flattened.

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Around a hundred public buildings, the majority of which are military or Civil Guard quarters, police stations, tax offices and post offices, still maintain some symbol of the Franco era in Spain. Twelve of them are in the Canary Islands, with nine of those 12 concentrated in the Tenerife capital of Santa Cruz.

There is the post office in La Orotava and monuments in the capital, such as the Monumento al Ejército Victorioso (Monument to the Victorious Army) (pictured) in the Avenida de Anaga, the Monumento a los Caídos (Monument to the Fallen) in the Plaza de España. There are many more, if you include names of streets and plazas, such as the Rambla del General Franco, Avenida José Antonio Primo de Rivera and Calles Sanjurjo, Mola, Fanjul, Goded, Calvo Sotelo or 18 de Julio.

The question, in Spain at the moment is whether to remove or change them, or not. Personally, this seems like a good idea to remove any inferance of honour, where it is opined that none is due. It is not such a good idea if it is done to "whitewash" the events from the face of history as though they had never happened.

Tenerife es el sitio de España con más símbolos franquistas en sus edificios

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Charles Starmer-Smith, reporting in the Telegraph, says that passengers will be able to take liquids through airport security checkpoints from November 6, under changes announced by the European Union on Thursday.

"Liquids - including drinks, soups, syrups, creams, oils, perfumes, gels, shaving foam, deodorants, toothpaste, mascara and lip salve - must be sealed in individual containers up to a maximum capacity of 100 millilitres each. The containers must then be placed in one transparent, re-sealable plastic bag (up to one litre capacity per passenger)."

Now, before you get too excited, please try to imagine what you will do with 100 millilitres (a squirt, basically) of drink or soup. They've got to be having us on, right?

Airport security rules change

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The top Mexican female pop singer, Paulina Rubio, visited Tenerife yesterday to promote her latest album, Ananda, which has already achieved sales of 20,000 copies in the islands.

(English-speakers may recognize her from her 2002 hit single Don't Say Goodbye.) During the visit, Rubio spoke about the secrets and intentions behind the notes and words of the album's songs and, announced that, before August next year, she will offer an concert in the Canary Islands.

Also taking the opportunity to criticize George Bush - who, unlike Ms. Rubio, certainly doesn't have much of a fan club here - and clearly referring to the immigration problem; speaking of so many people crossing borders, Rubio said that, "when frontiers exist in a person's mind, they also exist in a country, between cultures and between people."

Paulina Rubio will start her next tour in February, visiting Australia for the first time.

La rubia mexicana critica a Bush

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Here's a surprise: a place in Tenerife that I had never heard of, Afur, which says this report (with great photos), is in a radical location in a remote and steep valley of the Anaga mountains - on the "handle" that is Tenerife's north east tip.

"Unlike Taganana, there is no road access to the beach - one reason Afur is not as popular. The valley has a cosy, secluded feel to it, but it isn't as dark as Masca in the afternoon. This is one place on this island where you feel that mass tourism has not beaten you there."

Tenerife Mountain Goats, Rabbit Stew and an inquisitive local

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The British-dependent Channel Islands of Jersey and Guernsey - two separate self-governing countries that are NOT part of the United Kingdom - are, to put in simple terms, known to most as tax havens where you can set up non-resident companies, but not as places you can move to, unless you happen to be stinking rich.

This, unless I am seriously mistaken (and I know I'm not), is approximately the situation that many in the Canary Islands would like to see for these islands too: Further autonomy from Spain, further investment into the similar offshore tax haven of the Canary Special Zone (ZEC) and as few foreign residents as possible.

The Canary Islands are currently debating over the creation of a Ley de Residencia (Residence Law), proposed by the Coalición Canaria (CC) nationalists (currently in charge of the Canary Islands Government) and backed by the center-right Popular Party (PP), the object of which is to put the brakes on the massive influx of immigrants who come to the islands and who wish to stay and live here.

The law doesn't intend to keep foreigners out of the Canary Islands, merely to limit the annual numbers and, so far, doesn't seem to apply to members of the European Union, who are entitled to free movement within member countries. But try telling that to the man in the street. To them a foreigner is a foreigner, whether they come from inside or outside the EU, or indeed, even from different communities in Spain.

Canarians are worried about any outsiders taking their jobs (compounded by the fact that unemployment has risen in the Canaries, while it has dropped in Spain overall). They are, perhaps understandably, also concerned that they end up seeming like foreigners in their own land, in places where a lot of outsiders congregate, as is the situation in areas such as Playa de Las Américas in the south of Tenerife.

Whilst I might not use the same melodramatic terms as this article in EL DÍA, one does have to accept that the Canary Islands are an archipelago with physical limits that cannot support an unlimited population. That is pure logic, as by extension, are some sort of measures that prevent the islands becoming over-saturated.

After all, who the hell would want to come and visit lumps of rock, covered in concrete towers? It's bad enough that that is the (incorrect) perception many already have!

As this article reminds us, many precedents already exist of territories that have controls on the population within their geographical space. Among them, France with limits in Corsica; Italy in Elba and Sicily; Britain with the Channel Islands & Isle of Man; Denmark in the Faroe Islands; Greece in many islands in the Agean sea and Dodecanese and Portugal with the neighbouring Madeira y Azores. A Canary Islands Residence Law would not be an exceptional situation in the European Union.

Why it hasn't happened previously, even though there have been "rumblings" of talk for years, was that it had not become an acute problem in the public's eyes until this year's massive influx of Africans, which has managed to make such a measure palatable to the population at large and gain a lot of support from among them.

And if you don't think the discussion is frequent, just do a Google search for "Ley de Residencia canarias" and see that you get well over half a million results, many of which are discussion posts as well as the press coverage. Multiply that by maybe ten, to include all the rest of the population who are not discussing it online and, I think, you will get some idea of the level of importance the matter has.

The latest polls back this up, by showing that immigration has unseated terror and unemployment as Spain's top worry. In the Canaries, unemployment, as we have mentioned, is still a worry and goes hand in hand with the immigration problem.

Unfortunately, whilst there are some people capable of debating the situation in a peaceful and adult manner, there are also far too many more here, fired by these frequent discussions, who are merely capable of racism and xenophobia - as I have personally found out on various occasions lately, being on the receiving end of pointedly deliberate "nasty" remarks, to unintentional, though ignorant ones.

This weekend will further show just how much support a Residence Law has.

Various residents' groups (with links to the nationalists) have called a demonstration that is to take place in Santa Cruz on Sunday. The organizers certainly expect a massive turn out from all over the islands. The CC themselves are split over it and there appears some attempt to be diplomatic. The president of the right-wing Partido Popular (PP) says he isn't going himself, but has "liberated his militants" so they can attend. Only the Socialist Parties (PSC-PSOE) have asked the government to put a stop to the demonstration against immigration, that they see as xenophobic.

They say and, I have to say I agree, that such an action gives out a message of "no to foreigners", that is highly unsuitable in a community that lives off tourism.

The islands need outside money to achieve that and to improve the standard of living for their citizens and, they know it. Up to now, we Europeans have been the "price" that has come with it, just as taxes are are merely a symptom of success (profits), but increasingly, we are seen with the same "enthusiasm" as the former. The "antidote" to that is encouraging non-European investment into the ZEC, which I think is demonstrated by the keenness (and success) in attracting US money of late.

The unions have expressed their rejection of the demonstration, calling it racist. As has the Platform for Human Rights. The latter also criticize the Coalición Canaria (CC) and the Partido Popular (PP) for not putting a stop to it and, accuse them of feeding the whole thing with party political and electoral messages.

But my forecast is still that the ink is already virtually dry on the Residence Law, creating, effectively, The Channel Islands of the Atlantic, demonstration or not.

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Slooh ? a pun on the verb ?slew,? as in changing a telescope?s orientation, and the exclamation ?ooh!? ? is the brainchild of a dot-com zillionaire named Michael Paolucci, who made his mark in online video and advertising companies. He had the bucks to combine his love of astronomy with his knowledge of online commerce, so he did. Paolucci leased space on a 7,000-foot-high mountain on Tenerife in the Canary Islands, off the west coast of Africa, where an observatory has existed for three decades. He built five telescopes in two domes and an all-sky camera, then hooked them to a Web server in New York City ...

Slooh's 'primary software' guy risks sleep over love of galaxies

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As ABC report that the Gran Telescopio de Canarias (GTC) at the Observatorio del Roque de los Muchachos on the island of La Palma - one of the most important in the northern hemisphere - is about to begin it's countdown to "Day One" (a period of trials and calibrations), this article in the Guardian says that Brian May was in the Canary Islands recently, on a tour of the huge, soon-to-be-finished observatory.

Bet you didn't know that May binned a PhD - his thesis was on something called "zodiacal light" - to tour with Queen. (Somehow, I don't think anyone would ever accuse May of having made a bad decision there.) The Guardian also report that May has been invited to write and perform a piece of music for the grand opening of a telescope in Tenerife, which when completed will be the biggest in the world.

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In truth, this should come as no surprise whatsoever. The only two places to beat the Canary Islands in packing large numbers of visitors into small spaces - Malta and the Balearic Islands - are, obviously, also relatively small island destinations.

Nevertheless, it sounds like tourists are standing on each other's heads in a pyramid when the article talks about "levels of human pressure" and that the Canary Island archipelago packs in 1,409 per square kilometer. Against Malta's huge 3,446, this does not seem quite so sardine-like, until you remember that almost all the tourists in the Canary Islands are concentrated into small areas, but that the calculation of the average, no doubt, includes the 50% of the land surface that is not used.

The study did indicate that the majority of Canarian Beaches support levels of human pressure that are above European standards, which allows 6 square meters per tourist. (Despite which, it was difficult to find a picture of a really busy Tenerife beach.) The ratio of tourists to residents 5.19:1 is also only beaten by the Balearics, who have almost double that number. Another indicator of the pressure is building density, with resorts that have more than 19,000 beds per square kilometer.

What the Canary Islands can offer that differentiates them from other less visited and cheaper destinations, says the Government, are the health, transport and security that offer the European visitor a guarantee of modern assistance and quality.

Canarias es el tercer destino del mundo con más turistas por kilómetro cuadrado

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Given that many Canary Islanders have emigrated to Venezuela and that many have returned with their families, it should come as no surprise that Venezuelan food has had a marked impact on the local cuisine of these islands. There are Areperas (arepa bars) in most areas and, even where there aren't, you'll most likely find a bar that advertises that they are available at certain times of the day or week, such as is the case in one of the bars around the square in Buenavista del Norte.

My local supermarket sells a variety of Venezuelan specialities, as do many others and there can hardly be a food store on the islands that does not sell the special flour for making Arepas. (It should be noted that I know Canarians who have never been to Venezuela, nor have close relatives who did, but who still make these at home.) When, a few years ago, there was a shortage of imported Venezuelan prepared arepa flour in the islands, it was considered to be a very serious matter indeed!

Because arepas are so "normal" here, I therefore found it quite amusing to read that the latest chic and trendy cheap eats in New York's East Village can be found at the Caracas Arepa Bar. Jaunted travel blog, who describe the experience here, as I do, labour under the assumption (and I have no intention of investigating its correctness) that arepas are a whole lot healthier than most other forms of fast food.

NB: If you can read the French description with the photo, you'll see that the author says they like the spicy sauce with the chicken (as shown) and the green avocado sauce with the beef (carne mechada). Perfect: I could not agree more!

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One of the real attractions on these islands, for me anyway, is the coffee and these little delicacies - called Cortado Leche Leche - are one of the most addictive.

For those who read French, there is a full description with the photo. For those who do not, this basically, consists of a dollop of sweet condensed milk at the bottom of the small glass, onto which is poured the coffee (an expresso if possible) and then the rest of the glass is filled with hot milk. The concentrated milk stays at the bottom (unless or until you stir it). Leche is Spanish for milk and, thus, the repetition of the word in the name refers to the two types thereof contained in the drink.

Yeah, condensed milk on a regular basis can add to the waistline! Suggestion: When you fancy something sweet to complete a meal, as well as your coffee, but don't have room for a desert, order a Cortado Leche Leche and it will do the double duty.

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A series of small rock falls onto the roads of La Palma and Tenerife have, so far, been the only incidences caused by the strong winds that began to blow in the islands yesterday and, for which they have been in a state of "pre-alert" since Monday when winds with gusts of up to 75 kmph were forecast. The falls have not caused the closing of any roads, nor has it affected traffic on the affected roads, mostly found in the areas of Buenavista del Norte and Santiago del Teide in Tenerife.

We also got a goodly quantity of rain overnight here too, but this is nothing untoward around this date. Apparently, or so I was told when I was chatting to natives in the town yesterday, this always happens when it is fiesta time in Buenavista. And, I'll bet you thought bad weather was reserved only for British Bank Holidays!

El viento causa desprendimientos en La Palma y Tenerife

Labels: Tenerife Weather, Weather

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The Central Government in Spain is to approve the new Ley Hipotecaria (Mortgage Law) before March next year to regulate the mortgage market and which will come into force in the first quarter of 2007. Among the provisions in the law are reductions in Notary and property registration costs (with approx 40% savings), along with limits to the amounts of the commissions that banks can charge. The measures will only apply to new mortgages negotiated after the law comes into force.

El Gobierno central aprobará antes de marzo la nueva Ley Hipotecaria

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The director of the Chamber of Commerce in Santa Cruz, Vicente Dorta, has announced that the level of optimism among enterprises in the islands this year is the highest in the country at 16.2%, almost five points over the national average of 11.3%. The two Canary Islands provinces show a marked difference, however, with optimism rated at 14% in Las Palmas, rising to a very hopeful 18% in Santa Cruz. Tourism is the sector with the most optimistic outlook, given the anticipation of good results in the last quarter of the year and confidence in an increase in both the number of employees in the industry, as well as in the value of investments.

Los empresarios canarios son los más optimistas de toda España

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One has to wonder how much notice will be taken of the EU's measures, however, La Opinión report that, "shortly, the Canary Islands will receive tough sanctions over their avoidance of energy saving and the imposition of policies of alternative energy in the islands." The European Union say that they are not going to permit the neglect in this area, given the climatic bonanza in the islands; the long hours of sun and the possibilities to harness both the wind and the sun to generate clean energy.

La UE sancionará a Canarias por incumplir en ahorro energético

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Wasn't it five minutes ago that the EU had insisted on a reduction in road building in Spain? Well, bugger that, it seems (though, thank you, yes, we'll take your hand outs), as the Canarian executive yesterday approved the budget for 2007 - an election year - and in which spending is to be increased by 6,320 million euros (8.6%).

The environment and education are where the least additional money has been allocated, while roads, transport and housing remain the government's "golden child", with an increase in investment of almost 25%. Justice is to get a rise of 14.6%. Tourism is the other large bet for 2007, with 12% more funds.

El Gobierno prima la inversión en 2007 e Infraestructuras crecerá casi un 25%

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Tenerife's capital, Santa Cruz, has initiated the process, after an unanimous vote at the city council sessions, to develop an initiative to have the city included in UNESCO's Cultural Itinerary and the European Cultural Route.

The idea and justification behind this project, as well as aiming to revitalize the capital's economy, is to better promote alternatives to the "sun and beach" image of Tenerife, by highlighting the city's urban and cultural offerings.

Capital del Atlántico

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After the discovery of layer of volcanic ash in the subsoil of the land where the hospital is being built, which stopped work on the project at the end of August, works are expected to begin again next month. Multiple columns will be built to penetrate the ground until they reach solid rock, in order to support the structure. This will add another 4.5 million euros to the 31.5 million already approved for these works.

Las obras del hospital del Sur se retoman en noviembre con un sobrecoste de 4,5 millones

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The Tourism Council of the Canary Islands Government have signed an agreement with the port authorities in Santa Cruz de Tenerife and Las Palmas de Gran Canary to to promote more cruise tourism in Canary Islands ports. (Being flippant, public conveniences and opening the shops in Tenerife's capital might be a couple of measures they could use to make the ports more welcoming.

Turismo firma un convenio con las Autoridades Portuarias para fomentar el producto de cruceros

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Commenter, David Simpson, got it dead right and kindly provided the title for this post: It must be very inconvenient (though really, it's no laughing matter) that, apparently, the 1,500 cruise passengers on board Thomson's Destiny cruise ship - currently making a seven-day voyage around the Canary Islands and Morocco - were caught short without toilets for three days. Then other comments about budget priced cruises suggest that maybe people should expect to spend more than a penny! :)

1,500 cruise ship passengers without toilets for 'three days'

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Those of us who live in Tenerife already knew that, of course, but the Santa Cruz Carnaval received outside confirmation of its excellence this week from the US Spanish language celebrity news and gossip magazine Fama, report ABC.

The magazine called our Carnaval "the most spectacular and safe" of all those celebrated and because it has become an important springboard for artists to launch their careers in Spain. The magazine awarded the prize to the councillor responsible for the Tenerife Carnaval, Bruno Piqué, at an event celebrated at the Betsy Ross Hotel on Ocean Drive on Miami's famous South Beach on Wednesday.

Tenerife, el mejor Carnaval del mundo, según la revista Fama

Labels: Carnaval

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As I am sure you've noticed by now, Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony have been in Tenerife this week where J Lo came out for some duets during his concert. Popsugar have photos of them both on stage and of J Lo and her mum on their patio at the Hotel Europe Villa Cortes.

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Almost 500 people have been involved in the preparations for Marc Anthony's concert tonight in Playa de Las Americas, three hundred of whom are providing security, among them; Red Cross, Civil Protection services, Local Police, National Police, Fire services and the Civil Guard, as well as private security.

Another hundred people have been involved in the production of the concert and the construction of the staging, to which must be added the forty or so people, including musicians, who travelled with Marc Anthony and his wife, Jennifer Lopez, to the island and the team of twenty who are here to record the event for MTV.

All in all, it is the biggest ever paid concert that has ever been held in the south of Tenerife and one of the most expensive in the history of the Canary Islands: an event that the local authorities are, perhaps understandably, calling "historical".

Tenerife singer, Nauzet (who will be performing next week in Buenavista del Norte), has been added to the lineup for the concert that now starts earlier, at 8.30 p.m.

Additional tickets seem to have been released on drip feed: on Tuesday, around 28,000 of the original 30,000 had already been sold. Today, Rider Promotions y Oye Producciones confirmed that, due to the huge public demand, another 2,000 were to be put on sale and, at this rate, they may well fill the 40,000 capacity stadium. The box office also was opening earlier than previously advertised, at 4 p.m.

Beware of Stolen Tickets

Nothing is ever without incident and, it is also reported that a group of four youths robbed the Music Line store in San Isidro (Granadilla) and made off with the contents of the cash register, which as well as money, contained 100 tickets for Marc Anthony's concert - numbered between 1.751 a 1.850. Music Line, as well as the concert organizers, believe that the thieves will attempt to sell these tickets. Music Line expect that the police will be able to apprehend the youths as the store has security cameras and film of the robbery shows the face of one of the robbers.

Con Marc Anthony llega el espectáculo
Rosario Flores y Antonio Carmona comparten escenario con Marc Anthony
Rosario y Carmona llegan "encantados" para actuar hoy junto a Marc Anthony
Un total de trescientas personas forman parte del plan de seguridad para el concierto de Marc Anthony en Tenerife

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Not at all unsurprisingly, all the media in Tenerife today is focussed closely on Jennifer Lopez and her husband Marc Anthony, who will be giving an "historical" concert tonight at the Estadio Olímpico Playa de Las Américas.

The couple have been relaxing the hotel Villa Cortés since their arrival on Monday, hardly leaving their suite. Reports suggest that they have been dining, late at night, on anchovy pizza and Mexican food.

Meanwhile, the hotel Villa Cortés, is said to be very content with their new tenants and are reported to have said that Marc Anthony is very pleasant and agreeable. Amongst curiosities, it is said that the couple order around ten bottles of water a day.

Fans, who had waited in vain for hours over the last couple of days, were finally awarded a glimpse of Jennifer Lopez yesterday, who together with her mother, went shopping to the exclusive shop, Scada, in the Centro Comercial Bahía del Duque to buy an outfit she'd seen in a magazine.

Those who would have liked to have browsed with the star would have been unlucky though as the establishment was closed to the public so that J.Lo could indulge in her well known passion for shopping undisturbed. While they were out, they spent a few hours to have a manicure and pedicure, leaving a substantial 40 euro tip.

Afterwards, Lopez went with Marc Anthony to the stadium to supervise the rehearsals for tonight's show and f