Hotel Villa Padierna, Marbella is the most exclusive hotel in Marbella,

Hotel Villa Padierna, Marbella is the most exclusive hotel in Marbella, offering a personalised service and the best facilities on the Costa del Sol. Located at the Flamingos Golf Resort, its three golf courses make it the leading golf resort in Marbella, and its impressive Thermae Spa is considered one of the best luxury spas in Marbella.

This hotel is also an ideal conference venue in Marbella, perfect for company events and special celebrations such as weddings, anniversaries, incentive trips and product launch venues on the Costa del Sol, with more than 2.000 square metres of reception rooms and terraces and also with its own Roman Amphitheatre.

The truth about Costa del Obama | World news | The Guardian

The truth about Costa del Obama World news The Guardian: "Costa del Sol's glitziest resort of Marbella is the surprise holiday choice of Michelle Obama and at least one of her daughters, Sasha, who are due to arrive on 4 August. Locals hope that Barack Obama, who celebrates his 49th birthday on the first day of their stay, might make a last-minute appearance.
Marbella, home of graft, tack and ostentation, is everything the Spanish costas should not be. Overbuilt and brashly flaunting its wealth, it epitomises the wanton destruction of Spain's coastline. So what else can America's first family expect?"

The truth about Costa del Obama | World news | The Guardian

The truth about Costa del Obama World news The Guardian: "David Cameron and family will be holidaying in Marbella at the same time."

man has been killed in a shooting incident in the Avenida Antonio Machado in Arroyo de la Miel, Benalmádena.

Archive Photo EFE

It follows a shooting of British man in his home in Mijas on Sunday

A man has been killed in a shooting incident in the Avenida Antonio Machado in Arroyo de la Miel, Benalmádena. It happened in the early hours of Wednesday at 3,20am when the emergency services were alerted by several residents who heard several shots.

Hospital sources say the victim died from his wounds after being shot in the ribs and that they could only confirm the death on their arrival at the scene.

As yet we have no news on the identity of the victim but it seems the aggression came after an argument in a nearby bar.

Last Sunday a 33 year old British man was shot in the abdomen inside his home in Urbanisation Cala Azul, in La Cala de Mijas. The shooter put his hand through the open window and opened fire as the man was sitting on his sofa, according to reports in Diario Sur. 

The victim was treated in the Costa del Sol Hospital in Marbella and then allowed home after it was established that the bullet had cross his body without hitting any internal organ. Mijas Guardia Civil are investigating that shooting.

Read more: http://www.typicallyspanish.com/news/publish/article_26861.shtml#ixzz0uyjaJMqY

Obamas would visit Marbella from the 4th to the 8th August.

According to news reports from AFP, officials at the White House “denied on Sunday reports from Spanish media that US President Barack Obama and his family would take a holiday early August in the posh southern Spanish resort city of Marbella”.

The Obamas have an official schedule planning a “getaway” for the disaster struck US-Gulf Coast as well as the northeastern vacation spot off Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard said the White House officials.

Reports in Spanish online news media rumoured that the Obamas would visit Marbella from the 4th to the 8th August. The visit to Spain was to include a trip to the Royal Palace in Mallorca to meet with King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia.

Higgins was deemed too frail to survive further crucial surgery after flying to Marbella in July for specialist treatment.

ALEX HURRICANE HIGGINSHiggins was considered by many the greatest player ever seen but fought a battle with alcohol.

He will be best remembered for his second world title win in 1982 when he beat Welshman Ray Readon in a thrilling 18-15 final at the Sheffield Crucible arena on 16 May.

He had previously claimed the crown in 1972, and is credited with enhancing the sport’s popularity due to his infectious personality and unusual style of play.

But despite support from other stars including Jimmy White and John Virgo, Higgins was deemed too frail to survive further crucial surgery after flying to Marbella in July for specialist treatment.

Extensive radiotherapy treatment left the vivacious player without his teeth and unable to eat properly, causing his weight to plummet to less than seven stone.

"The way he played at his best is the way I believe the game should be played. It was on the edge, keeping the crowd entertained and glued to the action."

350 women are known to have been working for the group, most of them foreigners and 25% of them without legal residence in Spain

105 people were arrested across Spain on Friday as prostitution network which recruited members and clients in the small ads of Spanish newspapers was broken up.

The National Police consider that the group controlled half of all the contact advertising in the press, and made a monthly profit of more than 700,000 €. Between 30,000 and 45,000 € was spent monthly in each newspaper and contacts were also established with taxi drivers and hotel receptionists, who were paid some 50 € for sending clients.

More than 350 women are known to have been working for the group, most of them foreigners and 25% of them without legal residence in Spain, living in cramped hostel like conditions, but working in the luxury chalets and buildings in Madrid. All the women were subjected to direct supervision and strict control.
Police taped up 13 ‘prostitution centres’ located in the upper class areas of the capital.

In one of the women’s rooms police found a notice which indicated that the group was going to stop advertising in the press, and concentrate on the Internet.

Police say the network was established 15 years ago and was organised by a 63 year old man of Saudi origin, named as Kas S.A. He obtained Spanish nationality in 1999 and set up some 15 different companies to launder the high profits he was making.

Read more: http://www.typicallyspanish.com/news/publish/article_26810.shtml#ixzz0ubZDPaMq

Spanish Bank failures were in the groups which form Caixa Catalunya, Tarragona and Manresa, Caixa Sabadell, Terrassa and Manileu, Caja Duero y España and the Banco Cívica which holds the Caja Navarra, Caja Burgos and Caja Canarias. Finally CajaSur.

Five Spanish Cajas savings banks have failed the European stress tests on banks, and will need 2.043 billion € between them to put their accounts into order. The test was designed to see if the banks would survive another credit crisis.

The Spanish failures were in the groups which form Caixa Catalunya, Tarragona and Manresa, Caixa Sabadell, Terrassa and Manileu, Caja Duero y España and the Banco Cívica which holds the Caja Navarra, Caja Burgos and Caja Canarias. Finally CajaSur.
All the Spanish conventional banks passed the test, with the Banca March emerging as the most solvent.

Also to fail the test were the German Hypo Real Estate and the Greek Atebank, but soon after the publication of the results commentators were asking whether the stress tests were tough enough with their solvency rating of 6%. The rating for Spain’s largest bank, Santander, came out at 10%, the BBVA at 9.3%, and Banco Sabadell at 7.2%, the Banco Popular at 7%, Bankinter at 6.8%, Banco Guipizcoano at 6.1% and Banco Pastor on 6%.

It should be noted that Spain presented the results from all its financial system, while the rest of the EU only analysed 50% of the assets in the financial system. The test in Spain contemplated a 55% fall in the value of real estate prices for offices, and 23% for flats, while other countries applied criteria which were far less severe. In Italy, for example, they contemplated a mere 2% fall in the value of real estate prices across the board.

That point was picked up by Elena Salgado, Minister for Tax and the Economy, who said the poor results for the Spanish banks were the result of Spain being more transparent. She said the financial reforms would continue here where necessary.

The Bank of Spain said that it had now been demonstrated that the Spanish financial system is solid. ‘We have subjected the entire banking system to tests of maximum tension in scenarios which are more than improbably for their harshness’.

Read more: http://www.typicallyspanish.com/news/publish/article_26809.shtml#ixzz0ubXBGePf

British soul star Seal is coming to Marbella this Friday and out of the 4,000 tickets on sale, there are only 500 left,

British soul star Seal is coming to Marbella this Friday and out of the 4,000 tickets on sale, there are only 500 left, 

Police were tipped off to a large shipment arriving

Eight people have been arrested, including the suspected ringleader. The operation, codenamed ‘Hulk,’ began several months ago when police discovered that the group was smuggling drugs to the coast with yachts after picking it up at sea from a pneumatic boat.
Meanwhile, other members of the gang waited on shore with 4×4 vehicles and trailers to take the drugs back to a garage where they were stored.
Police were tipped off to a large shipment arriving and set up surveillance around the suspects. They allowed them to pick up the drugs and transport them for storage, and arrested them in possession of the illegal substance.
They have seized six luxury cars, three yachts, three trailers, to GPS devices, binoculars, 15 mobile phones, money in cash and documents of interest.

international money laundering based on the Costa del Sol

National Police are investigating another case of international money laundering based on the Costa del Sol, and have carried out several searches in collaboration with the British authorities.

Reports indicate that arrests were made in the UK, and that further arrests on the Costa del Sol have not been ruled out.

National Police operation against the Irish mafia, codenamed ‘shovel’,

National Police operation against the Irish mafia, codenamed ‘shovel’, has concluded with the arrest of two more men.

The network was busted in May and so far 36 people have been charged. The latest detainees were allegedly collaborating with the Irish mob working on the Costa del Sol.

The police searched four properties in Estepona and Marbella, where several items were seized, including technical and computer equipment which is now being analysed.

Although the first phase of this operation is complete, after studying the documents which they have confiscated, the police believe there may be further phases.

National Police officers facing 10 years in prison for the alleged sexual abuse of illegal immigrants

 trial has started against five National Police officers facing 10 years in prison for the alleged sexual abuse of illegal immigrants at the Internment Centre for Foreigners (CIE) in Malaga. One of the accused was the Head of Security at the centre, where foreigners without papers wait to be deported, until July 2006.

It seems that in 2006, the officers in charge held parties in which they abused their authority to sexually abuse women at the centre in exchange for special food and drink, perfume, tobacco or being allowed to make phone calls to their families.

The victims claim the officers actually engaged in sexual intercourse with the women. They also say they were threatened and insulted if they refused.

From their testimonies, it appears that the parties started late at night and ran into the early hours of the morning, and alcohol flowed freely.

Their statements are supported by the discovery of alcohol bottles and condoms when the arrests were carried out, and security camera recordings which show how the officers take six women out of the cell.

One photo provided as evidence shows an officer with his shirt unbuttoned in the company of one of the female interns.

According to a report, during one of these parties, the male interns attempted to escape, although they were stopped by the officers, who then returned to their fun.

The case against four other officers and a lawyer who allegedly failed to prevent these activities has been dropped.

The arrests took place in July 2006 and three officers remained in prison on remand for several weeks. The five accused are facing up to ten years in prison. One of them did not work at the centre but attended the parties.

Most of the plaintiffs have been deported from Spain but their statements will be read during the trial.

Marbella is cracking down on illegal massages

Marbella is cracking down on illegal massages being offered by unlicensed masseurs on its beaches. A law banning these masseurs from beaches was issued last year, but this has not put them off. In the past month, Marbella Local Police have issued 24 fines to the offenders, most of them Asian, and most of which will not be paid as they have no fixed abode.

Since June 15, the guards watching the beaches of Marbellahave stopped 1,300 massages which can only be carried out with a municipal license and in a specially prepared area.

Registered physiotherapists want of the lack of hygiene, the incorrect positions the massages are carried out in, the risk of contracting infectious diseases and the use of products which have not undergone controls.

In June Torremolinos police arrested nine women of Asian origin accused of offering unlicensed beach massages in exchange for money.

DECREE ON FOREST FIRES

DECREE ON FOREST FIRES

Due to the high risk of fires in Andalucia, the Mayor of Mijas Antonio Sanchez has announced that, according to the Environmental By-Laws, during the summer period 1st of June to the 15th of October it will be TOTALLY PROHIBITED to burn garden, agricultural and forest refuge.
BBQs will be prohibited in public and forest areas,  including recreational and camping areas, even if these are equipped for this activity.  Urbanizations, camping areas and installations or activities carried out near forest areas must have a SELF PROTECTION PLAN, which will have to be presented to the Mijas Town Hall.

Rules and Regulations

Neighbours will also have to take into account that it will be prohibited all year to:

Throw or leave abandoned matches or cigarettes or any burning object.

Nor throw litter,plastics, glass, garbage, flammable material or any residue that could provoke a fire.

Activities related to the launching of fireworks, hot air balloons or any other type of artefact that contain fire must ask for special authorisation to the Governmental Delegate of the Junta de Andalucia, who will also inform on the safety measures to be taken.

Neighbours must also be reminded that the area, when using soldering or weldering machines, electrical generators, explosion or electrical motors / equipment as well as electrical transformers, must have a fire break of a 5 meter diameter.

To protect the neighbours it is necessary that the populated centres, buildings, industrial installations and urbanizations have a fire barrier of 15meters wide free of residue, shrubbery and herbaceous vegetation, keeping down the density of bushes and trees in the area according to the Self Protection Plan.

Private Owners Reminder

Also remind private owners that are situated under low and medium tension electricity cables should remove all vegetation (tree branches, shrubbery, pastureland) in a radius of 2 meters from the cables to avoid fire.

The Environmental Department reminds citizens that this announcement has been made to reduce the activities that produce forest fires; fires that happen every year and affect
thousands of hectares of Andalucian forest land.

The Mayor of Mijas asks for the collaboration of all the residents of Mijas.

La Linea Town Hall has come up with the idea of charging a toll on those who want to cross into Gibraltar

owners of the Guadalpín Marbella and Guadalpín Banús hotels, both in Marbella, have started to shut up apartments in protest at the ruling from the Mercantile Court 1 in Málaga last July 12th which granted provisional management of the establishments to a company from the MS Hoteles group. It comes as the hotels were affected by the bankruptcy protection of their owners, the Aifos group.

A statement from the hotel owners to Europa Press said that they had recommended all owners of apartments to ‘resolve their contracts, immediately close the rooms, and change the locks’. The hotels use a system where the owners of the apartments rent them to a company which then rents them out. It’s claimed the owners should chose that management company, and not have one imposed on them by the court.

Reports indicate that already more than half the 127 apartments in the Guadalpín Marbella have been closed up. It was made clear that no client was being forced to leave the hotel, but they were waiting for their stay to come to an end.

Union UGT has also made a complaint to the judge, considering the choice of management company is at odds with the owners wishes, but consider the closure of the rooms could lead to the closure of both hotels and the loss of numerous jobs. A CCOO union spokesperson described the closure of the apartments as ‘barbaric’.

Miguel Sánchez from MS Hotels, given the management job by the court, said that his company was independent of all parties, denying accusations of the owners, and he called on the UGT union not to ‘look for ghosts where there aren’t any’.

Meanwhile the prosecutors’ office has announced it is to appeal to the Supreme Court against the sentence which found the owner of Aifos, Jesús Ruiz Casado, and his wife, not guilty of fraud in the sale of homes in several urbanisations. The prosecution sustains that purchasers were tricked in the contract which they signed with the promoter.

(Read the Málaga court decision – here)

Cash strapped La Linea Town Hall has come up with the idea of charging a toll on those who want to cross into Gibraltar. The measure would affect both pedestrians and vehicles, although Spanish workers on the rock would be exempt. The Partido Popular Mayor, Alejandro Sánchez, has ordered a study into the legality of the idea to be carried out and says he is doing so given how the municipality has been abandoned by the Spanish Government. The Mayor considers the Spanish Foreign Ministry is being ‘favourable’ to Gibraltar and ‘discriminatory’ against La Linea. He argues that ‘millions of visitors cross his town to get into the British colony’, and that most of Gibraltar’s income comes from visitors from Spain. Meanwhile’, he went on, ‘we have 10,000 unemployed in La Linea’. Read more: http://www.typicallyspanish.com/news/publish/article_26766.shtml#ixzz0uIwGKT00

Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, who is brother to the late King Fahd, has arrived in Marbella for a summer break.

Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, who is brother to the late King Fahd, has arrived in Marbella for a summer break.
His entourage is of more than 100 people, and dozens of locals have also been contracted into service.

Municipal sources have confirmed the prince arrived on Monday, and note that they have also taken rooms in several hotels including the Marbella Club, Puente Romano and Don Pepe.

The Saudi Royal Family has been spending its holidays in Marbella for the past 30 years, and their yacht, ‘Shaf’ can be seen in Puerto Banús.

Read more: http://www.typicallyspanish.com/news/publish/article_26725.shtml#ixzz0twHvEF2A

Sean Connery and his wife, Micheline, are facing charges of fiscal fraud worth 1.64 million € after the sale of some land by a company linked to the couple.

Sean Connery and his wife, Micheline, are facing charges of fiscal fraud worth 1.64 million € after the sale of some land by a company linked to the couple.

The judge in Instruction Court One in Marbella, Ricardo Puyol, says in his report, seen by the news agency EFE, that the investigations in the case, codenamed ‘Goldfinger’, where the actor and his wife are also implicated regarding the sale of their villa ‘Malibú’, have resulted in a new series of facts which are being seen as another fiscal crime.

Therefore the magistrate, given the documentation which has been seized, considers that a separate case should investigate the facts which could be object to new penal charges. The judge notes that the decision notes that the new facts have no direct relation with the original case ‘but it is more than obvious that they are items which demand urgent

Read more: http://www.typicallyspanish.com/news/publish/article_26731.shtml#ixzz0twHPcRgi

British drug dealers named Green, Adams, Douglas and Murray as the bosses controlling the traffic with their dealers travelling to the island to put the drugs on the market.

Green, Adams, Douglas and Murray as the bosses controlling the traffic with their dealers travelling to the island to put the drugs on the market.

Last September the Guardia Civil broke up a network and arrested 25 Britons and impounded 23,000 pills, and two operations in June last year saw the recovery of more than 47,000 pills also in the hands of British traffickers.

18.7 million tourists have visited Ibiza since 2000, 75% of them foreigners, 34% British, and most of them clubbers.

A study from the John Moore University in Liverpool with the European Institute of Studies on Drug Prevention concluded that 44% of the British tourists aged 16-35 to have visited Ibiza had taken ecstasy on the island, 80% of them at least twice a week.

Read more: http://www.typicallyspanish.com/news/publish/article_26738.shtml#ixzz0twGcdewl

ex Mayor of Marbella told the court on Friday that he did not know the details of any deal

The ex Mayor of Marbella, Julián Muñoz, and three other ex town councillors were in court on Friday to give statements in the ‘Goldfinger’ corruption case in which Sean Connery and his wife are also implicated.

Muñoz faces charges of the misuse of public funds, perversion of the course of justice, fraud, and town planning crimes in the ‘Goldfinger’ case, which arose from the sale of the Connery villa ‘Malibu’ and the construction of 72 luxury flats on the site.

Read more: http://www.typicallyspanish.com/news/publish/article_26744.shtml#ixzz0twCkb0r2

ETA Costa del Sol bomber extradited from FranceGibCosta | GibCosta

ETA Costa del Sol bomber extradited from FranceGibCosta GibCosta: "France has extradited to Spain the ETA terrorist who is thought to have placed the car bombs in Marbella, Fuengirola and Mijas in 2002. Andoni Eraso Otegui also placed the car bomb which went off at the Civil Guard barracks at Santa Pola in Alicante."

Andalucía to London in ten hours – by train | Olive Press Newspaper

Andalucía to London in ten hours – by train Olive Press Newspaper: "Paris to Madrid train link could be in place by the end of next year.
It would bring the journey time down to as little as five-and-a-half-hours between the two cities.
This would not only cut out the “airport hassle factor”, but it would slash individual CO2 emissions by a staggering 90 per cent.
The fast link between Paris and London (2hrs, 15mins) is already in place, as is the new AVE line between Madrid and Malaga (2hrs, 45 mins).
It would be up to an hour quicker if travelling from Sevilla or Cordoba. The route has many green advantages.
Pollutants from a train are less damaging to the environment because they are released at the ground level, rather than directly into the upper atmosphere where planes fly.
Eurostar has even gone a step further in its eco-friendliness by cutting its own emissions by 31 per cent between 2007 and 2009, quickly surpassing its 2007 goal of a 25 per cent reduction by 2012."

Nine more British owned houses are under threat of demolition

The anguish of urban abuse fails to diminish in the Almanzora Valley as the association “Abusos Urbanísticos Almanzora - ¡NO!” announces more cases where retired Britons are at risk of seeing their homes demolished even though they bought them in good faith and are considered as victims by the court proceedings.

The latest case involves 9 houses purchased by British people in the area of La Hortichuela in Albox. In an abbreviated procedure in Court Number 2 in Huercal Overa the homeowners were offered the possibility of a private prosecution against the defendants. However, in addition to the penalties levied against the defendants, the prosecutor is also asking for the homes to be demolished. The Prosecutors charges relate to planning crimes, ‘prevaracacion’ (misconduct in a public office) and the failure to prosecute crimes. 

AUAN president Maura Hillen asks “When will it end? How many more are there? How many more lives will we see destroyed?” She went on to say that in her view “We have only seen the tip of the iceberg. In reality the system has resoundingly failed and the innocent must pay the price”.

When asked, the lawyer for four of the affected families, Gerardo Manual Vazquez Nuñez said “Again, I have had to explain the situation to clients and again I see tears in their eyes. This is truly regrettable”.

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Córdoba Guitar Festival reaches its 30th annual edition this month, and celebrates with its largest budget yet, 2.3 million €.

The Córdoba Guitar Festival reaches its 30th annual edition this month, and celebrates with its largest budget yet, 2.3 million €.

The festival brings 32 performances to Córdoba over 20 days from July 6, and thanks to the internet over 18,000 tickets have already been sold, although to organisers hope to reach 30,000. The fact that the city is on the AVE high speed line makes it very accessible from both Sevilla and Madrid.

The festival celebrates the diversity of the instrument with a range of artists led by Paco de Lucía, Mark Knopfler, who is presenting his new album ‘Get lucky’ and by the Catalan, Joan Manuel Serrat.

Programme Highlights:-
July 6 in the Mosque – Paco Peña
July 7 in the Gran Teatro – Javier Latorre
July 8 in the Gran Teatro – Marlango
July 9 in the Teatro Axerquía – Ismael Serrano
July 10 in the Teatro Axerquía – Arcángel and José Antonio Rodríguez
July 11 in the Plaza de Capuchinos – Leo Brouwer
July 12 in the Gran Teatro – Eva Yerbabuena
July 16 in the Teatro Axerquía – Joan Manuel Serrat
July 17 in the Teatro Axerquía – Deep Purple
July 22 in the Teatro Axerquía – Joe Bonamassa
July 23 in the Teatro Axerquía – Plaecbo
July 24 in the Teatro Axerquía – Paco de Lucía
July 25 in the Bullring – Mark Knopfler

Qatari Sheik had taken the accommodation in Puerto Banús with his family on a temporary basis, and news has just been released about the theft which took place last Monday night

National Police have opened an investigation into the burglary in Marbella of the home of the new owner of Málaga Football Club, Sheik Abdullah Bin Nasser Al-Thani.

The Qatari Sheik had taken the accommodation in Puerto Banús with his family on a temporary basis, and news has just been released about the theft which took place last Monday night, only five days after his arrival on the Costa del Sol and just a day after he met with the Marbella Mayor, Ángeles Muñoz, and announced ‘an important investment’ linked to the tourist industry in the town.

Six lap top computers and eight smartphones were taken, as well as a Hublot gold watch and a Loius Vuitton bag.

Al-Thani is 43 years old, a member of the Qatari Royal Family, and runs business enterprises which employ some 3,000 people in diverse activities across some 30 countries. Among his business interests are hotels, commercial centres, mobile phone companies, travel agencies, fashion boutiques and car dealers.