june-2014

In association with Costa Cálida International Radio and www.angloINFO.comSpanish Consul in Britain ResignsSpanish Consul for the UK, Rafael Jover, hasresigned after reports came to light that helet a former bank manager charged withfraud use his London house.Ex-chairman of Caja Madrid Miguel Blesa,who is being investigated for the deliberatemis-selling of preferential shares to ordinarycustomers with little or no financialservices knowledge, despite sales staff beingfully aware that the bank was on the vergeof collapse, reportedly spent a month in theConsul’s 11-million-euro home in the Britishcapital for purely leisure purposes. Sr Jover issaid to have provided chauffeur-driven carsfor Blesa’s every move, including picking himup from the airport.Worst Drought in 150 Years Hits Southernand Eastern SpainA drought of the scale not seen in over a centuryand a half is threatening water resourcesin Spain’s south and east after the lowestrainfall on record over the autumn, winterand spring. The worst-hit provinces are Valenciaand Alicante where, following a suddenand unprecedented gota fría in late August,it has barely rained between September andJune.Murcia, Albacete, Cuenca, Teruel, Cádiz, Málaga,Jaén and Almería are also at high riskReservoirs in affected areas are at between74% and 90% of their capacity and crops aresuffering or have died out altogether.Cullera Mayor Could Be JailedErnesto Sanjúan (PP), who organised a fireworkdisplay from a castle on a hill despiteforest fire warnings, could face up to 10 yearsin jail for ‘gross negligence’. One of the first ofthe 108 forest fires in the Valencia provinceso far this year, the blaze in the coastal townof Cullera was caused by fireworks cominginto contact with dead and withered shrubs.Residents were evacuated and flames surroundedevery side of the mountain. As wellas jail, Sanjúan may have to pay a daily finefor 12 months.Highest Levels of CO2 Emissions InSpain Come From AndalucíaAndalucía has the heaviest carbon footprintin Spain and is responsible for 18.11% of allCO2 emissions in the country. In total, industry,traffic and energy use sends off 24.5 milliontonnes of carbon dioxide into the atmosphereevery year. The financial crisis and flailingeconomy in Spain has reduced emissions.Since industry is far less buoyant, householdersstrive to cut their electricity, gas and petroluse and with fewer people in work, thishas led to fewer commuters on the roads.Page 64With both civil and residential constructiondrying up due to the housing market crashand public funding cutbacks, cement factories,brick and tile kilns, and machinery havebeen largely inactive and not producing CO2.Oldest Roman Aqueduct Outside Italy isin CartagenaSpain’s oldest Roman aqueduct was in Cartagena,pre-dating the country’s most famousexample in the central province of Segoviawhich attracts thousands of tourists everyyear.Researchers at Murcia University have confirmedthat the irrigation system created byan aqueduct and public springs close to theNaval city of Cartagena and the popular golfand spa tourist resorts is the most ancient inmainland Spain and Portugal, dating back toover 100 years BC. Although it has long sincecrumbled into ruins, two inscriptions foundnear the site, together with other literary andiconographic material already held in museums,have proven that there was indeed awater-carrying bridge in the area and that itwas the first to be built outside of Italy duringthe days of the powerful Roman Empire.This discovery will allow historians to find outmore about ‘the role of Pompei and its legacyin Hispania’, especially in the south-east ofthe mainland. Their findings came from ahydro-geological study conducted jointly withCartagena Polytechnic University to find outhow the port city was supplied with waterover the course of history, from the Mioceneera to the present day.Van Gogh Painting Missing For 40 YearsFoundTax authorities discovered a missing originalVan Gogh painting during an inspectionof the assets of an individual accused of amulti-million-euro fiscal fraud. In October,the Tax Office announced the imminent seizureof 542 safe deposit boxes in 270 bankbranches, belonging to a total of 551 peopleand companies, which lead to the embargo of319 million euros’ worth of goods and funds.Two months later, a painting thought to be aVan Gogh’s 1889 painting Cypress, sky andfield, created by the Dutch artist during hisso-called ‘mad period’ when he was a residentat the mental health institute in SaintRémy de Provence, France. Experts havesince confirmed the painting’s authenticity.Long Lost Henry VIII Tapestry Turns UpIn SpainSt Paul and the Burning of the Books, oneof the lost tapestries from Henry VIII’s extensivecollection and widely considered the“4 th best tapestry” in his possession, has“emerged” in Spain, atthe Coll & Cortés galleryin Madrid, whereit will be on show untilJune 8th after havingbeen purchased froman anonymous vendor.The tapestry, whichwas acquired in the1970s by a Spanish artcollector, is “incrediblywell preserved” accordingto its currentowners, reflects an importantmoment in thehistory of England andEurope. It has beenvalued at 1.1 million euros, but can only besold in Spain because the State will not allowit to leave the country.The tapestry was woven in wool, silk, silverand gold in Brussels in 1535. It was commissionedby King Henry VIII from Peter Coeckevan Aelst. The piece was part of the EnglishRoyal Wardrobe in Hampton Court and thenat Windsor Castle, where it was displayedalongside three other tapestries commissionedby Henry VIII, who at one time boasteda collection of over 2,700 tapestries.Hospital In-Patient Dies In FireA patient in intensive care in a Cádiz hospitalhas died in a fire he caused by smokingin bed. The victim, 43, who was seriouslyill and bedridden at the Virgen del Caminohospital in Sanlúcar de Barrameda had beencaught smoking before by nurses on at leastone other occasion.He was on an individualward, meaning nobody was there to raise thealarm.The patient underwent an emergency operationas soon as he was discovered, but diedshortly afterwards without regaining consciousness.Albino Snakes Threaten Gran CanariaWildlifeExperts in controlling invasive species aremeeting in Gran Canaria to debate how todeal with the soaring numbers of Albino CaliforniaKingsnakes, which are decimating localbird and lizard species. Popular as pets, theAlbino Snakes were either released into thewild or escaped on the island several decadesago and have been multiplying ever since inthe absence of natural predators and in mildtemperatures. Over the past eight years,over 2000 Albino Kingsnakes have been captured,but thousands more are believed to beliving underground.Although the snakes are not dangerous tohumans, they have proved to be voraciouspredators, feeding on birds, rodents and evenyoung rabbits. Of particular concern to thescientists is the Kingsnake’s taste for theGran Canaria Giant Lizard, a species foundonly on the island.Deer Only As Big As A HamsterA tiny Java Mouse Deer which is no biggerthan a hamster has been born at the Bioparcin Fuengirola. This rare species is said to behighly intelligent and frequently features inlocal legends there where they symbolisethe wise character in the story. They weigharound 100gms at birth and just over twopounds as full-grown adults and are reportedto be the world’s smallest animal with hooves.Java Mouse-Deer are an endangered speciesnative to Indonesia and other parts of southeastAsia and the ongoing massacre of rainforests in the animals’ home countries in orderto plant oil palm plantations means theyare fast dying out.Joss Sticks, Air Fresheners and ScentedCandlesHealth authorities in Spain want to withdrawcertain types of joss sticks, scented candles,air fresheners and aromatic oils from themarket following reports from a major consumers’union that a number of these give offtoxic substances. The OCU claims they emit‘high levels’ of chemicals such as benzeneand formaldehyde, making them ‘as harmfulto health as cigarette smoke’.Costa Cálida Chronicle: Please tell our customers where you saw their advertisement tSales Contact Teresa 619 199 407 or for the Editor Contact Patti 646 005 017www.costacalidachronicle.com email: costacalidachronicle@gmail.com