The president of the independent Government, Adam Martín, and the president of the Cabildo of Gran Canaria, Jose Manuel Soria, agreed today that the installation of two trains in Tenerife and Gran Canaria would aid the economic growth of the islands

They announced that one train would connect the South of Gran Canaria to Las Palmas and the other the South of Tenerife and Santa Cruz.

They also it maintained, that the train, as system of alternative transport would in turn create an industrial zone and an airport park of about two million square meters that will boost the economy and create important jobs.

This 2.5 kilometers strip of road has a daily traffic of 15,000 vehicles

A section of the connection that runs between Chumberas and Santa Maria del Mar is being re-surfaced and Lorenzo Dorta, Highways and Transport consultant to the Town hall of Tenerife, indicated that the workers are working day night and in this section to conclude the work in a month.

During the day, workers prepare the road surface which, during the night, is tarmacked.Only one lane will be closed at any one time to avoid the traffic jams as far as possible, essential as this particular stretch of road carries1,400 vehicles per hour.

The work will cost over twelve million euros.

Tuna sold from the bar The Brotherhood of Fishermen located in the port at Los Cristianos was the cause of numerous cases of food poisoning, in that premises and in other restaurants in the area, being admitted to the Candelaria Hospital in Santa Cruz..
The investigation began when a call made from the Candelaria hospital was received in the Headquarters of the Local Police of Arona,advising that four people had been admitted with food poisoning thought to be caused by eating tuna in the bar the Brotherhood of the Fishermen, located on the quay side at Los Cristianos. The police questioned employees of the bar and denied access to the three freezers on the premises until a medical inspector could determine if the poisoning cases had their origin in the establishment. The proprietress of the restaurant then arrived at the premises and being unable to provide an opening license and proof of civil responsibility obligatory insurance, was charged by the police.

Shortly after the medical inspector arrived, and took various samples: from the frozen fish, another sample prepared in sauce and another sample in sal picon sauce which was in the refrigerator.

Another case was traced to the restaurant The Sentry, managed by the Cabildo, who had taken delivery of some of the bad tuna from The Brothers of Fishermen bar.

In addition, there will be a system to enable the central station of the GPS, that is in Madrid, to hear the conversations that take place in any taxi that has activated the GPS alarm. Also, a novel system of "automatic protective screens" will be available that will activate to at the drivers request. Guillermo Amaya Vera, president of the Association of Autotaxis of Guia de Isora, said that "he is due to have the GPS system installed and that of the twenty-eight licensed taxis from Guia de Isora, three are not in active-duty and twenty already have it in place". All of these safety measures will be raised the next Wednesday in the meeting of the directors of all the cooperatives of taxi drivers of the South of Tenerife, that includes drivers from Adeje, Arona, Granadilla, Guia de Isora, San Miguel and Santiago del Teide.

In a reception given yesterday for the press at the Museum of Nature and Man, the directors of the Museum of Archaeology and the Canary Institute of Bio-anthropology, Rafael González Antón and Conrado Rodriguez Martín, respectively agreed that the two mummies are of great scientific interest, González Antón added that one in particular, that od a man, is more rare because of the "surprising position" in which it is laid out, saying that there has been nothing like it found in the rest in the archipelago.
Normally the bodies are mummified in a supine position, but this one appears to be "on guard" which could be a consequence of lack of room in the cave in which they were found.
The other mummy measures 158 centimeters and it is a young woman. This one is in a better state of conservation. whereas the one of the man shows more deterioration.
According to the president of the Independent Organisation of Museums (OAMC), Fidencia Iglesias "today is an important day for all the Canary Islands because it is the first time that an archeological find has been returned to its place of origin from Latin America"
The Mummies will be put under all types of scientific tests with the purpose of analyzing their state of conservation, dating and identification of the remains. There will be forensic analysis to determine among other things, which part of the island the mummies originated from, also carbon 14 tests to date them and a reconstruction of their diet from the stomach remains.

Fidencia Iglesias confirmed that relations between the Argentine authorities and the Cabildo of Tenerife "are very good" and assured that the Cabildo continues with "its policy of recovery of the historical legacy that has been exploited throughout the centuries".

The mayor and the councilor responsible for Citizen Security in the City council of Arona, Alberto González and Arturo Reverón, declared their satisfaction with security measures and the efficient response of all the emergency services to incidents which took place between Saturday afternoon and dawn of Sunday at the Son Latinos concert that was held on the Las Vistas beach at Los Cristianos. Around the 300,000 people attended, according to the City council.
Volunteers of the Red Cross, together with several doctors and nurses, attended to 315 people, 84 of these were minors (under the age of 18 )The emergency services also took care of numerous cases of people who were , mainly children. As far as these 315 who received medical attention, the councilor explained that "only 76 were by due to alcohol or drug abuse, which is a reduction of 40% of such cases in 2002.
Reverón praised the dedication of the volunteers of the Red Cross and the Civil-Protection group ADAE who came from practically all the municipalities of the Island and, even, from Great Canaria, to support to the volunteers of Arona at this event, working all of them between 12 and 16 hours.
He congratulated the six Local Police Corps for their "superb" work, especially the police crime prevention units of of Arona and Adeje, that had worked jointly with the National Police Units (UIP) and (CNP); and the Civil Guard.
Also praising the work of the Firemen and Harbor Police of Los Cristianos, Reverón the passed on the gratitude of the Local Council of Citizen Security to the Main directorate of Security and Emergencies of the Government of the Canary Islands for their advice and support including the supply of a field hospital, helicopters, boats and jet skis for rescue and evacuation.It was only necessary to transfer to 6 people to area hospitals because the tests they needed were not possible at the field hospital.
Reverón today meets with all the security and emergency agencies to analyze the results of the security plan.

source http://www.architectureweek.com

It was originally intended to be a simple concert hall, but the multifunction building for the city of Santa Cruz, Tenerife, in the Canary Islands, also promises to be a landmark. The distinctive, overhanging "wave" curving out over the white concrete Auditorium de Tenerife is the latest creation of renowned Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava.

The building will serve Santa Cruz, population 250,000, as an opera house and a venue for the Santa Cruz Symphony Orchestra, for chamber music groups, and for performances of dance, theater, and zarzuela (Spanish operetta). International conferences will also be held there. It is Calatrava's first performing arts building.

The Auditorio de Tenerife sits on a 5.7-acre (2.3-hectare) site next to the ocean. Of this, 73,000 square feet (6,741 square meters) are occupied by the auditorium. The rest of the site is taken up by an administrative building for the symphony and a public plaza, covered with local dark-gray stone, with parking below.Besides the dramatic wing, another Calatrava "signature" element is a mosaic of trencadis, or broken white ceramics, which cover the structure's entire skin. The 194,000 square feet (18,000 square meters) of trencadis were brought in from Valencia, Spain.

Wing Construction

The overhanging wing was prefabricated in Seville and shipped to the island in 17 pieces, the largest weighing 60 tons (54,000 kilograms). They were similar to components more commonly used in bridges. The wing was lifted into place by a specially made crane from Valencia, which has a capacity of 2,400 tons (two million kilograms).

The wing was designed to be supported on only five points. Once in place, it was filled with white concrete made locally from a combination of river sand brought from the Spanish peninsula and the coarser Tenerife sand. In all, 2000 tons (1.8 million kilograms) of concrete went into the building.

During construction, temporary ramparts supported the workers as they fastened triangular sheets of glass onto a hall ceiling. At the height of construction, there were four 150-foot- (45-meter-) high cranes and four 33-foot- (10-meter-) high cranes in operation.

Hall Interiors

The smaller hall, ideal for chamber music, has seating for an audience of 410; the larger symphonic hall seats 1668. The original design for the symphonic stage was expanded to include 22-square-foot (2-square-meter) modules that are individually movable by a hydraulic system.

The symphony hall has a "variable" acoustic system. Surface materials are solid pressed wood covered with fiberglass. This assembly has "windows" that open and close, exposing either the fiberglass material or the wood, depending on the acoustical requirements of the event. The back walls of the chamber music hall are covered with horizontal wood slats, with fiberglass behind them.

The two performance halls are equipped with air-conditioning outlets below the seats. Cool air comes up from spaces below, eliminating the need for HVAC installations that would disturb the clean lines of the halls. The two halls are separated by a shared, open lobby that creates an acoustical separation so events can be held simultaneously in both.

After the building's official opening in September, 2003, events already scheduled are as diverse as Handel's opera Julius Caesar and the International Water Association Conference. In time, the building itself may become an event, bringing architectural sightseers to Tenerife.

Three men have been detained, suspected of a crime to swindle a business man in the south of the island. They pretended that they had a process to literally "make money" using a special paper and various chemicals, a well known scam known as "coloured money" Officers of the National Police found out about the existence this group of swindlers after an industrialist made a complaint that the three men had offered him a very lucrative business deal which he suspected was a con.

The scam consists of preparing notes which are legal tender by impregnating them with iodine dye , this turns the notes completely black, they are then put on the top of a pile of similar, but worthless black paper. The black effect is washed off the real notes with liquid vitamin C which removes the iodine dye, the "paper" is then dried with hot air, and hey presto the con men have "made" money right before the victims' eyes!

The con men chose their victim and gave him a demonstration of the "special process". This particular gang elaborated on the con trick by wrapping the "special black paper" that had been treated with the "wonder chemical" in tin foil together with a 50 euro note of the victim's and then leaving it in a dark room for a few minutes "to develop" When the foil is opened the legal note has been copied!! The gang then say that they require an investment from the business man to buy substantial amounts of the chemicals to start up a large production facility. They leave him with the "special paper" ( the worthless black paper) as security - if he is hooked the victim, of course, never sees his investment again.

The National Police moved in and the three were detained. The suspects were identified as P.L., 31 years old, born in Sierra Leone; J.K., 39, from Cameroon and E.I., 33, of South African nationality.

Souce: Exeter Express and Echo

A henna tattoo given to a six-year-old city boy as a holiday treat could leave him scarred for life. Christine Yabsley and her husband David of Whipton took their children Scott and Lauren, three, to Tenerife last month.

Both of the children had henna tattoos from a seaside stall at the resort where they were staying.

But now Scott has been scarred by an allergic reaction to the henna, which doctors fear could remain for the rest of his life.

Mrs Yabsley, 34, is warning other parents to be on their guard against the tattoos.

She said: "Scott had wanted a tattoo for some time.

"I have them myself and I thought there was no harm in him having a temporary henna tattoo. It was the summer holidays and I thought it would be gone by the time he went back to school."

Scott chose a tattoo of a dragon which was about four inches across.

Mrs Yabsley said: "It did not take long to paint the tattoo onto his arm and it was fine to start with. But then when it started to fade four or five days later I noticed that it was raised and Scott complained that the area was itchy."

Mrs Yabsley, of Lloyds Crescent, said she took Scott to their family doctor when they got back to England and they were told he was suffering from an allergic reaction to the henna.

She said: "They put him on antihistamines and steroids but they warned us that he could be scarred for life.

"I would warn any parent to think carefully before they allow their children to have one of these tattoos."

Scott is not the only one to suffer from a henna tattoo.

In recent years there have been widespread reports of infections, with tourists discovering sores two or three weeks after receiving tattoos because the ink has a delayed reaction.

Most sufferers are home by then, which means tattooists are not being taken to task.

Some black henna tattoos can include a chemical dye called p-phenylenedaimine , which causes the irritation.

The delayed effect is caused by ink sinking slowly into the skin. After the two-to-three week incubation period, blistering and oozing sores can develop.

The British Allergy Foundation says anyone with sensitive skin should avoid the tattoos.

A foundation spokeswoman said: "With the growing rate of allergies that are affecting people, we advise people to proceed with extreme caution and if they think they are slightly allergic they should not go for one at all."

Both of the 20 year olds that were arrested on suspician of the murder of taxi driver, Juan Jose Hernandez Rivero, 42 years, on the 23 of August have been implicated in at least 15 crimes committed previously.
According to the Commander of the Civil Guard yesterday, the youths, identified as J.R.L.G. and D.P.G., both 20 years of age, were stopped minutes after the attack on the taxi driver at Granadilla de Abona.

The suspected murderers have been implicated in four robberies with menaces and the highjack of three motor vehicles, crimes which were under the jurisdiction of the Civil Guard. In the La Laguna and Santa Cruz, metropolitan areas, J.R.L.G., was questioned on the 19 July by agents of the MIP-2 unit of the National Police in relation to five holdups of taxi drivers in La Laguna, the robbery of a vehicle and three cases of assaults to taxi drivers in the capital.

Several of the effects found near the corpse of the murdered taxi driver, as well as the knife presumably used in the killing, were recognized by the victim of one of the other robberies, according to the Civil Guard

The Nature Protection Service of of the Civil Guard (SEPRONA) has confiscated 89 animals, victims of illegal traffic, during the first eight months of 2003, a total of 39 animals in Las Palmas and in 50 in Tenerife almost double last year's figure of 23 animals.
The creatures were mainly birds, followed by reptiles and primates. In addition 10 specimens of ivory and other illegal animal products were seized. According to SEPRONA sources the animals were smuggled in both by land and air and originated for the most part from the African continent and South America.

Protected species

The general rule is the absolute prohibition of commercialization of species catalogued as: in danger of extinction, and to attempt to bring these creatures into the islands is a contraband infraction. This fine is proportional to the value of the seized animal, as well as confiscation of the beast. In the event that the value of the animals surpasses 18,030,36 euros, this is then judged a serious crime. punishable by prison sentence.

Permissions

Legitimate importation of animals can be arranged through the customs authorities. In the event that said animal is an endangered species then the specific agreement of the Centro de Asistencia Técnica de Inspección de Comercio Exterior must be obtained.

1st September 2003- One in 4 vehicles stopped by the Police has no documentation

During the months of May, June, July and August of this year, Police in Santa Cruz have made over 2,000 spot checks on vehicles at various checkpoints in the capital. Of those checked 459 did not have the proper documents. The lack of insurance being the most wide-spread infringement of the law committed by the drivers, followed by no current driving licence and no current ITV documentation.( it should be noted that this simply means that the drivers were unable to present said documentation when stopped, and unlike the UK they are not given a subsequent chance to do so - however given that Tinerfenos are well aware of this rule, it is likely that a fair percentage of those 459 simply do not have the relevant documentation)

The Police changed the location for the spot checks on a weekly basis, and there were between 6 and seven spot checks per month, stopping between 75 and 100 vehicles at a time.

As well as a denuncia for the driver the vehicles themselves were towed off to the municipal vehicles compound.

Fifteen people have been detained in two operations run by the National Police and the Civil Guard which netted a total of 3,700 kilograms of hashish. The first raid was carried out in the South of Tenerife and the second in Malaga, according to police spokesmen yesterday.
The investigations into the international drug trafficking organization, made up of mainly Spanish and Moroccan nationals, began in July 2002. The investigators identified the leader of the organization as Spaniard O.J.R who has numerous drug related convictions

O.J.R. along with other members of the organization created a ghost company supposedly involved in fruit and vegetable transportation.the organization made three legal trips from Morocco, via Melilla, to test the security of the route.

The first stage of the police operation ended on the 24 of July with the arrest of several members of the organization during the attempted sale of 14 kilos of hashish.

Later, one ton of hashish was seized in San Miguel de Abona and the Tenerife branch of the organization was effectively dismantled, with detention of A.A.M., the person in charge of operations on the island.

Also Arrested were Moroccans A.Z. , M.A.B. and B.F.A. and Spaniards J.L.M.P. and I.E.D and the authorities confiscated 27,000 euros in cash, computers, GPS systems , several telephones and a zodiac type boat from which the drug had been unloaded.

The second phase of the operation began on the 20 of August, when O.J.R. attempted to smuggle hashish to the United Kingdom, undercover of a a legal load of tomatoes acquired from a nearby cooperative.

Police pounced when several English citizens made contact with the smugglers near Alhaurín el Grande on Spanish mainland. The gang was wrapped up and 2,000 kilos of hashish seized from a ship at Almayate, seven hundred kilos from a country house near Alhaurín el Grande, 6,000 euros in cash, eight vehicles, nine mobiles, a packing machine and a computer were also seized.

The Unelco power station at Caletillas

President of Unelco-ENDESA, Angel Ferrera, announced yesterday that the electrical company proposes to investa total of 840 million euros in the Canary Islands during next the five years to improve the electricity supply network of the Archipelago so that supply will be able to keep pace with increased demand He predicts demand will have increased by the end of 2003 by eight percent over 2002.
The investment is to be split with 640 million euro being invested in new methods of power generation on certain islands, and a further 210 million euros are destined. to be invested in the efficient distribution of the generated energy

The Unelco president made these announcements at the end of a two hour meeting in Las Palmas with the president of the Regional Government, Adam Martín; the Regional Governmental advisor on Industry, Commerce and new technologies, Luis Soria, and Jose Carlos Mauricio the economic minister.

Part of the convoy of taxis, drivers and friends and neighbours of the deceased

The streets of Playa San Juan were filled yesterday with approximately one thousand taxis. According to police information, representatives came from all the municipalities of the South of the Island and some from the Capital as well. They were there to pay a tribute to Juan Jose Hernandez Rivero, their colleague and friend who was murdered last Saturday in Granadilla de Abona.

The gathering took place at Playa San Juan, the home town of the family of the deceased, beginning at13:00 hours. A mass was held in the Town plaza which was attended by the vice-president of the Town hall, Jose Manuel Bermúdez, the mayors of Guide of Isora, Adeje, Vilaflor and representatives of the city councils of Santiago del Teide, Granadilla de Abona, San Miguel de Abona, Arico and Arona, as well as friends relatives and colleagues of the deceased. The congregation consisted of around 1,400 people.

Before the service the president of the Association of taxi drivers of Guide of Isora, Guillermo Amaya Side, met with the assistant representative of the Government, Merino Pillar, and the vice-president of the Town hall, Jose Manuel Bermúdez, who pledged their support to the association. After the mass Bermúdez said the Town hall has always maintained good relations with the taxi drivers' association, and would of course support any measure necessary to improve security , although what is clear it is that there is a need to increase the present level of policing in the South of the island.

The mayor of Guide of Isora, Pedro Martín, pledged that the association could count on the support of the County council for aid in financing any necessary additional safety measures for the taxi drivers.

Two youths robbed a Playa de Las Américas Taxi driver at knife point on Tuesday night. However the robbers got away with very little actual cash, as the taxi driver had only just started his shift. They took his wallet and, after forcing him out of the vehicle, they made him open the boot and also stole tools that were kept there.
This was only four days after the death of a taxi driver in Granadilla de Abona who was repeatedly stabbed, by robbers and subsequently died from his wounds.

The holdup took place at 22:30 hours in the Park Santiago II area,of Playa de las Américas after the boys had flagged down the taxi (municipal license 161 out of Arona) and were en route. A short time into the journey, one of the youths threatened the taxi driver at knife point demanding his takings. When the driver explained that he had just started his shift and only had a few euros, (between five and ten), and that the taxi is shared by several drivers, who keep their own takings on them. The infuriated youths snatched the cash together with the drivers wallet and a folder containing the vehicle documentation.

They then forced him to stop the car, get out and open the boot, hoping to find something of value there. The man opened it and the the youths grabbed the tools stored there, before running away.

Luckily the taxi driver was unharmed, if understandably a little shaken

Interestingly these incidents may be rifer than has been estimated by the authorities, as many drivers in the area do not report minor thefts. Having already lost out by being robbed, they then loose a days takings whilst making a complaint to the police, with all the paperwork that entails arriving, and if the culprits are apprehended they lose another day's takings for a court appearance.

IF you are pining for a pie on your travels abroad - help is at hand.

Customer Marion Milling (left) samples one of the pies

For favourites such as Lancashire pasties, steak and kidney pies and sausage rolls are fast becoming a staple in some of the Brits' favourite sunspots, including mainland Spain, the Balearic Islands, the Canaries, Cyprus and Greece - thanks to a Bolton bakery.

Family-run Greenhalgh's which has 40 high street shops across Lancashire, Greater Manchester and Cheshire, has seen demand abroad grow for its award-winning confections with exports soaring past the half million mark.

For it seems that when Brits go abroad to live or to holiday, they still love their pies.

Now a further reminder of home-from-home is being launched in Tenerife, where the company's logo is being introduced on to local delivery vans.

Tenerife Catering Supplies. The vans, owned by Tenerife Catering Supplies, will be delivering the pies and pasties to shops, cafes and bars around the holiday island.

The company is confident that the sight of its famous brand, already familiar across the north west, will bring a further welcome reminder of home to both holidaymakers and ex-patriots .

Garry Thew, wholsesale sales manager for the bakery says: "So far we have shipped over 500,000 pies to areas like the Canaries and mainland Spain and the demand for our products is still increasing.

"We've found that both holidaymakers and British people living abroad still have a strong craving for traditional British products.

"Furthermore, local inhabitants now seem to be sampling our pies in ever-increasing numbers."

Last year, Greenhalgh's stuck a deal to export to the Falkland Islands, in the South Atlantic, 8,000 miles away from the company's nearest bakery shop.

And the export success is providing a cultural note for staff back home at the production base in Lostock, Bolton.

"Because there is a need for specific packaging and display material in individual countries, our staff are becoming very family with the Spanish and Greek words for our products!" says Garry.

Taken from Manchester regional news© Copyright 2003 GMG Regional Digital.25/08/2003