The Director of the Instituto Geográfico Nacional en Canarias, María José Blanco, has said that Tenerife has reached a phase of “seismic equilibrium” after the intense activity measured in 2004. The Canarian National Geographic Institute has an extremely good ability to localize any seismic movements, assured Sra Blanco, who added that in fact out of 83 minor quakes last year, only 4 were strong enough to be felt.

Sra Blanco explained that seismic activity in the Canaries had a range of origins, some being tectonic, associated with the movement of faults, particularly a northeast-southwest fault which, in 1989, produced the largest earthquake registered here, of grade 5.2 on the Richter scale, and which is unlikely to be exceeded according to all indications from the geodynamic expertise available today.

Other causes of seismic activity were of volcanic origin, and Sra Blanco made reference to the Professor of Geomorphology at the University of La Laguna, Carmen Romero, a specialist in the volcanic history of the Canaries. Prof Romero says that such quakes had an extremely deep volcanic origin, around 50 kms, and that the maximum number recorded was in 2004, since when seismic movement has decreased to what is now considered to be a new level of equilibrium.

For the moment, then, El Teide thankfully seems to be safe and quiet. C24H

Update 7 March: The concert will be in the dársena Los Llanos in Santa Cruz harbour. The date is confirmed for Sunday 6 June, 9pm. Tickets are now on sale from General Tickets/CajaCanarias HERE at €35 and €60. They are also available from El Corte Inglés. TinerGuía

Original post 28 February: Alicia Keys is to give a concert in Tenerife on 6 June this year. The concert will be the last of her European tour. It is still to be decided where exactly in Tenerife she will perform, but the concert promotor, Rolo Producciones, has indicated that it will either be in Santa Cruz or Arona.  El Dia

A 43-year-old man died today after suffering a heart attack in a water trip boat off Los Gigantes. The tragedy was reported just before 3pm, when emergency services were called about a man who had collapsed on a boat and couldn’t be brought round. Attempts at resuscitation both by a nurse who happened to be on board and by ambulance personnel when the craft put into harbour were, however, all to no avail and sadly, the man was pronounced dead at the scene. C24H

The Cabildo has announced that the TF21 (Vilaflor to La Orotava) is now fully open again. This means that the crater is once again accessible by traffic. There has been intensive work involved in clearing the road from rockfalls and debris caused by the various storms throughout February. The Cabildo still needs to clear the road from the pines that were blown down by explosive cyclone Xynthia, and so the La Orotava side (kms 19-22) will be closed between 8am and 3pm.  C24H

Update 4 March: Santa Cruz Policía Local is charging the driver of the vehicle with careless driving and two counts of reckless homicide. The 24-year-old survivor has already been interviewed today and is expected to be processed in Court within hours. According to the driver, he lost control of the vehicle while swerving to avoid another car going in the same direction and collided with a tree. As a result of that impact, the car rolled over several times before coming to rest upside down on the other side of the carriageway. The male passenger died at the scene, while the young woman died while being attended at the nearby Hospitén Rambla. Police sources say that all indications point to an excess of speed as the primary cause of the accident. Six witnesses have also given evidence to the Policía Local this morning.  El Dia

Original post 3 March: Two people died this evening when the car they were travelling overturned in La Rambla de Santa Cruz after colliding with a tree. The accident occurred around 9pm, and the young couple are said to be a man and a woman of 20 and just 17 years of age. The third person in the car with them was the 24-year-old driver. He was slightly injured and was taken to Hospiten Rambla, before being transferred to Candelaria Hospital in La Laguna.  El Dia, C24H, C24H

Canarian TV’s Sunday comedy programme Instinto Cómico ¡En Clave de Ja! (Comic Instinct in the key of HA!) is being filmed in Adeje on 4, 11 and 18 March. It’s a particular kind of humour, a mix between slapstick and parody, and it’s hugely popular, with viewing figures regularly over 145,000. The show’s website is HERE. Tickets for the recordings are now available in the Adeje Cultural Centre, at a cost of €5, and can be acquired between 9am and 10pm.  TinerGuía

To add to the doom and gloom of bad weather and power cuts, the latest unemployment figures have just been released, and they are a record high.

Figures released today by the Servicio Estatal de Empleo show February 2010 with a rise from January of a further 4,009 out of work, a 1.58% rise which brings the total unemployed in the islands to 257,939. Year on year, this means 30,233 more people are out of work right now than in February last year, a 13.28% rise. C24H

Update 1 March: Apart from the yellow alert, Aemet’s forecast for the entire week is not great. It seems there will be successive bad spells bringing showers throughout the week, and an “unpleasant” weekend. Aemet spokesman Ángel Rivera said that “the situation is not over yet”, with the coming week experiencing the follow through of the circulation of Atlantic winds, with their inevitable squalls and rain fronts. C7

Original post 28 February: Aemet has put Tenerife on alert again for strong winds. This time it is a Yellow Alert which will be in place for the Tenerife coastline from midnight Monday/Tuesday until 8am Wednesday. In the areas of La Orotava and Vilaflor, the alert will be in place until midnight Tuesday/Wednesday. Winds of up to 75 km are expected. The Yellow Alert also applies to Gran Canaria, El Hierro and La Gomera, and most of La Palma.  C24H

A 61-year-old man died today in Playa Jardín in Puerto de La Cruz. Emergency services were called around 4pm with reports that someone had been found floating in the water and had been dragged to the beach by other bathers. Medical teams could tragically do no more than confirm the death at the scene. National Police have taken charge of the investigation, which could suggest the poor man was a foreigner. El Dia

Update 1 March: The Guardia Civil has detained two members of the family of the young woman found dead in Güímar on suspicion of domestic abuse which resulted in her death. As a result both of the autopsy findings and the subsequent investigation, it appears that death was caused by multiple organ failure, which is said to be compatible with lesions found all over her body and indications of neglect. The couple arrested lived with the victim, and have been identified as M. A. R. R. and J. D. P. R., of 55 and 46 years of age respectively. The case has been declared sub judice by Guímar Court 1. C24H

Update 19 February 9pm: It has sadly just been announced that the 84-year-old woman has died from her injuries. LO

Original post 19 February: Several reports today from the emergency services of serious accidents in Tenerife.

The first involves three people who were gravely injured when a balcony collapsed on them around mid-day in Calle Miraflores in Tejina, in the municipality of Guía de Isora. The injured people are an 84-year-old woman with serious multiple injuries who was taken by ambulance to Candelaria Hospital, and a 45-year-old man with serious arm, leg and chest injuries, and an 84-year-old man with serious head and leg injuries, both whom were taken to Hospiten Sur. The woman had been trapped under the fallen balcony and needed to be freed by Bomberos.

The second incident involved a 70-year-old woman who suffered serious multiple injuries after falling 3 metres from a wall around 3pm in Calle Guayafanta, in Punta Brava in the municipality of Puerto de la Cruz. She was taken by ambulance to Hospiten Bellevue.

There was also a tragic discovery of a 25-year-old woman’s body at 9pm last evening in her home in Güímar which she shared. The medic who attended refused to certify the death as natural, and the body was transferred by forensic police to the Instituto de Medicina Legal for an autopsy.

The final incident had an equally sad outcome, with the discovery mid-afternoon of the body of a 76-year-old man in a small barranco above La Orotava. Emergency services were called, but a medic and a nurse from a local health centre could do no more than confirm the poor man’s death at the scene. C24H, C7(1), C7(2), LO

A power failure caused a total blackout for Tenerife last night, the second in the last fortnight, and the third for the island in a year (fourth for the province in a year if one includes La Palma’s). According to Unelco-Endesa, the incident occurred at 1.19am and power was fully restored to the whole island at 6.30am. The power failure occured in the Candelaria substantion, in a part of 66,000 volts, which caused a knock-on disconnection at the Las Caletillas power station. This then caused a disconnection in the Granadilla “central”, and thus a blackout for the whole of Tenerife. Endesa is investigating the causes of this new breakdown and apologized for any inconvenience caused. C24H

A 72-year-old woman died this afternoon on Playa San Juan, in Guía de Isora. Emergency services were called at 4.30pm with reports that a woman had been pulled out of the water by other bathers, but despite ambulances and medics attending, they could tragically do no more than confirm her death at the scene. C24H

The hurricane force winds that have just left Tenerife have also left hundreds of fallen pine trees in the national park in their wake. Sixty forestry workers have been clearing the TF21 and TF24, the roads across Teide from Vilaflor to La Orotava, which crosses the crater, and the access road from La Laguna/La Esperanza. Both roads remain blocked by the blown-over trees. It is hoped that both roads will be accessible tomorrow, but it is estimated that it will take a fortnight to clear them completely. The Cabildo is maintaining its ban on mountain activities, and walking on forest tracks, and use of leisure and camping facilities remain prohibited for the moment. C24H

Update 28 February 10am:
The BBC is putting the death toll caused by Xynthia’s trajectory through Spain, Portugal and France at 9. Five people have been killed in France, three on the Spanish mainland and a 10-year-old boy in Portugal. The Canaries thankfully suffered no significant damage from being touched by the edge of this storm. All alerts have now been lifted.  BBC, C24H

Update 27 February 11am: The worst seems to have passed over the Canaries now, though the Red Alert will remain in place throughout the peaks, and the Vilaflor and La Orotava areas. Tomorrow, those areas reduce to Orange Alert, and the rest of the island will not be under alert. Last night was very wild night indeed.  Aemet

Update 27 February 1am: Aemet has raised the Orange Alert for hurricane force gales to Red, the highest level, with winds expecting to gust to 160 km at altitude, and not just in the peaks of Teide. The Tenerife Cabildo has banned activities in mountain areas during this weekend. All recreation areas are out of bounds in the forest areas, and walking and camping are forbidden. Also prohibited are agricultural fires and fireworks near vegetation. C24H, C24H

They are calling it the “perfect storm”, and in true hurricane fashion, it has a name. Xynthia. The worst will be between midday tomorrow and the early hours of Sunday, but on the mainland. It could be bad for the Canaries, especially overnight and for the first half of tomorrow, but it looks like the worst of it will skirt the islands. Nonetheless, 190km gusts have been recorded in La Palma at the Roque de Los Muchachos, and the average wind speed in La Palma is 140 km. It’s full hurricane force. LO, C24H

Update 26 February 5pm: The Tenerife Cabildo has activated the island’s Emergency Plan as of 2pm in view of the storm’s evolution over the last few hours. This is on top of Aemet’s Orange Alert for explosive gales, and Protección Civil’s Maximum Alert for citizen security.

All access roads to Teide National Park are now closed, given the hurricane-force winds expected at altitude.

The Cabildo advises everyone to avoid unnecessary journeys and to stay indoors and close doors and windows. Also to keep watch on roof terraces and drains. Also that they take down any flowerpots or the like which could fall from a height.

Care is also advised for those who have to be out and about, particularly where things could fall from above, cranes, walkways etc.  C24H

Update 26 February 3pm: The director of Aemet in the Canaries, Irene Sanz, says that the “borrasca” which is approaching the islands has developed very quickly and very intensely, and is “deep”. She expects that it will be a short, sharp shock type of storm, however, given that it is anticipated to have passed the islands by tomorrow evening.

Irene Sanz said that the term “ciclogénesis” (cyclic generation), which is how this storm is classified, refers to a cyclone, a generic term covering anything from depressions to hurricanes. In the case of this particular storm, it has generated so quickly and intensely that it is being qualified as “explosiva” (explosive). Sra Sanz said that it was not apparent from satellite images until yesterday what form this was going to take.

The force of the wind in the peaks, gusting up to 160 km, actually qualifies for a red alert, but Aemet says it has only issued an orange alert because the worst of these gales will not be in heavily populated areas. El Dia

Update 26 February 2.30pm: The Dirección General de Protección Civil y Emergencias has activated its Maximum Alert in light of the expected weather. Protección Civil said the “borrasca” is heading mainly for Spain, but will still affect the Canaries, though to a lesser degree. A Red Alert has been declared by Aemet for parts of the mainland. Meanwhile, the winds have started to cause delays in airports in La Palma, El Hierro and Tenerife, and the Canarian Dept of Education has suspended all school and extra-curricular activities in Tenerife, as well as in La Palma, La Gomera and El Hierro, and the Gran Canarian municipalities of Tejeda, Artenara, Valleseco and Vega San Mateo. C7, C7

Update 26 February: The winds which are anticipated under the current Orange Alert are to be “hurricane force”, Aemet has said. The gales are expected to start overnight tonight and last until tomorrow evening. Behind the storm is a low pressure area which is said to be deepening very rapidly in the Atlantic to the west of Madeira. Gusts of up to 120 km are being forecast. C24H

Original Post 24 February: Aemet has activated a Yellow Alert for Friday and Saturday for south-easterly winds of up to 75 km per hour in Tenerife, as well as in La Palma, El Hierro, La Gomera and Gran Canaria. Since the winds will be more extreme at altitude, gusting to 100 km per hour in Tenerife, for example, the alert is set at Orange for the higher areas of Tenerife, La Palma and Gran Canaria. C24H

A 44-year-old foreigner dropped dead in the La Tejita car park in El Médano late on Wednesday night. Emergency services were called just before 11pm with reports that a man had collapsed and was not responding to stimuli, and required immediate attention. On arrival, medics found the poor man in cardiac arrest, but despite concerted attempts to resuscitate him, they could do nothing to save his life and he was pronounced dead at the scene.  El Dia

The Los Gigantes forum is naming this poor man as British Los Gigantes resident Tony Fordham. His funeral will be on Tuesday March 2nd at 11am at Los Gigantes church followed by a reception at Tipsy Terrace. It appears that there are to be no flowers by request, instead contributions towards the cost of the funeral will be welcome. Donations will be accepted by Kelly and staff at Offshore 44 or Jo and staff at the Green Corner.

Plácido Alonso, lawyer of Diego Pastrana

Plácido Alonso, the lawyer of Diego Pastrana, the man who was wrongly accused of killing his little step-daughter recently, has presented a criminal action against the doctors who attended the child, as well as against the Canarian Health Service.

At a press conference called to make the announcement, Sr Alonso said that the action is not just against the doctor who initially examined Aitana in El Mojón, but also the three paediatricians in Candelaria Hospital who ratified the report that the child had been sexually abused. It was eventually determined by autopsy that she had died, as her parents had insisted, from injuries sustained when she fell off a swing.

The action is for serious professional negligence, which the lawyer stressed went far beyond even simple professional carelessness. Sr Alonso said there could also be a suggestion of falsification of official documents, given that the medical reports were so fundamentally belied by the details which emerged from the autopsy.

There are also questions of false accusation and denuncia, which led to the detention of Diego Pastrana, and which have fundamentally affected the physical and mental welfare of the young man ever since. Compensation will also be sought “to the last Euro”, said Sr Alonso, to pay for the life-changing horror that his client lived through, and continues to suffer from.

The lawyer said that further actions might follow against the Interior Ministry (equivalent of the UK’s Home Office) for the treatment Diego received from the Guardia Civil during his detention, and against the press which, he said, contributed to what was nothing less than a media lynching. C24H

The Guardia Civil is investigating the death of a 30-year-old man whose body was found around lunchtime today near natural pools on the rocky part of the Las Caletillas coast near Candelaria. The dead man has been identified as J.R.C.I, a Bolivian who was resident in Tenerife. It appears that the poor man could have died from a fall, given the injuries apparent on his body. An autopsy will be carried out to determine the precise cause of death.  C24H

Puerto de la Cruz Ayuntamiento is in the process of passing a new bylaw aimed at cleaning up the town’s streets. Consumption of alcohol is to be banned, as well as street sellers and prostitutes. According to municipal authorities, the new measures are the result of hundreds of denuncias from residents demanding better security in their streets. Some disagree with the new rules, but the majority appear to approve of the bylaws to enforce public responsibility and civic behaviour, not just to recover what is a clear loss of tourist interest in the town but also the general feeling of well-being of the population generally. The new ordenance, which has been initially approved, will now be debated over the next few days with various municipal bodies. It is hoped that it will pass into law in May. RTVC

Update 23 February 10pm: Investigations are still continuing into this find. Initially, and before the skeleton was removed, the authorities investigated the possibility that the individual was pre-Hispanic, and therefore of historical value. When that theory was discounted, the remains were removed to the Forensic Medicine Institute for DNA tests. The disfigurement of the skull, together with a hole that pierced it, has given rise to the preliminary hypothesis that the person was a victim of the Civil War in the 1930s. El Dia, RTVC

Original post 23 February: A Puerto de la Cruz Guardia Civil unit is investigating the discovery of what appear to be human remains in an area known as El Topo or El Casado in Los Silos along the coast from Buenavista del Norte in north Tenerife. The discovery took place on Sunday when two walkers in the remote area found part of what could be a half-buried human skeleton. The remains have been examined today by the Icod Courts Medical Forensic Officer to confirm that they are human bones, and to try to establish an approximate date of burial. RTVC

Update 22 February: The Tenerife Cabildo has announced that all access roads to Teide are now open again. The only road now closed to traffic is the TF21 through the crater, and one carriage of the TF111 (Santa Cruz-La Cuesta via Los Campitos) is closed but the road remains passable. C24H

Update 21 February: Aemet will lift the concurrent Yellow and Orange alerts for torrential rain and very high winds at 6pm and midnight respectively. The forecast is for continued winds of up to 75 km per hour around the entire coastline, but this is not subject to an alert. C7

Update 20 February 10pm: Tenerife was on alert for one of the fronts of the storm that has just devastated Madeira, which bore the brunt of it. The island is just 400km away from the Canaries. Satellite images now show the storm moving northeast and skirting past the Canaries. Aemet is maintaining the Orange Alert for the moment, but it appears that the worst of the storm has just missed the islands. Madeira, meanwhile, is counting a  death toll now of apparently at least 32, with tens of others in hospital. LO

Here is Portuguese TV’s report on the storm that so narrowly missed Tenerife:

Update 20 February 10am: Once again Tenerife is in for some bad weather, with Aemet applying an Orange Alert from mid-day today. Cloud cover is expected to increase throughout the day, with rain and winds of up to 120 km expected, and given that they are referring to winds and not gusts, this is classed as hurricane force according to the Beaufort Scale. This is the same front that is now approaching us from neighbouring Madeira, where it has caused chaos and resulted in at least 30 deaths, as reported in the BBC. C24H, LO

Update 19 February: The closed La Orotava, La Esperanza and Vilaflor access roads to Teide will not be reopened until at least after the weekend, not least because there is a new Yellow Alert for rain and winds from Saturday night throughout Sunday. This is not expected to be as extreme as the last two alerted storms over recent weeks, the second of which has only just cleared the island.

Meanwhile, the clear up continues, and it appears that the biggest loser over the last few days has been agriculture, with an estimated 3 million Euros worth of damage caused to banana and tomato stocks and greenhouses, and the municipalities of Guía de Isora and Santiago del Teide reporting the loss of almost their entire tomato harvest. A saving grace is that Teide is now at its most beautiful, with the increasingly rare and most picturesque sight of its completely snow-covered peak towering above the pine trees of the Corona Forestal. C24H (roads), C7, C24H(agriculture)

Update 18 February 10pm: At last, the alert has been lifted as the storm clears the islands. El Dia

The Dept of Education has announced that schools will be open again tomorrow throughout the Canaries, with the exception of those in the municipality of Granadilla de Abona due to lack of electric supply. There will also be no classes in the infants and primary CEIP in Agache, in El Escobonal-Güímar, due to damage caused by the storm. C7

Update 18 February 11am: Today’s forecast is for strong gusts of wind and occasionally torrential downpours but generally and slowly beginning to clear towards the afternoon and evening.

The La Orotava, La Esperanza and Vilaflor access roads to Teide are all closed.

Tens of thousands had been left from late yesterday without electricity, particularly on the east coast, but Tenerife President Ricardo Melchior said that the service was now 90% restored, with the number of those without power now being down to around 3,000, mainly in Granadilla, Vilaflor and Fasnia.

The public is no longer being asked to remain indoors, but is being strongly advised to travel with safety uppermost in mind while the Orange Alert lasts.

It currently looks favourable for the Orange Alert to be lifted this afternoon at some point. C24H(1), C24H(2)

Meanwhile, Guía de Isora seems to be one of the most affected of the southern municipalities, with Playa San Juan a disaster site, with cars dragged along by the force of the river raging down the barranco, and swept in a pile onto the beach, which itself has been all but washed away. The pictures below attempt to show the scale of the damage to this picturesque little west coast town. DA

Update 17 February 8pm: The Tenerife Cabildo’s Co-ordinator General of Mobility and Security, Manuel Ortega, has asked the public to stay indoors because a second front of the storm will sweep the island from west to east for the next four to six hours. Sr Ortega said it was difficult to be precise without radar, but it appeared that the second front will be stronger than that which has just cleared Tenerife. Up to 45 litres of rain per square metre per hour are anticipated, and the Emergency Cabinet has been called under the conditions of the Emergency Plan which was activated yesterday. C7

In addition, the Canarian Department announced an hour ago that all classes will be suspended tomorrow, Thursday, in all schools, due to Aemet’s forecasted development of the storm.  Universities, being autonomous, will advise individually as to whether they will be open or not.  C7

Update 17 February 2.30pm: The Orange Alert remains in place for today and for the whole of tomorrow as well, but Aemet says this is a rapidly moving “borrasca” so it should pass pretty quickly from east to west. Having reached the western islands on time last night, it is now over Tenerife, and should clear us by the end of tomorrow.

The roads are in a treacherous state, with the TF1 southbound having been blocked in three places, at kms 14, 17.5 and 29, and the TF-82 Guía de Isora road blocked at Armeñime. Both have now been reopened. The La Esperanza and La Orotava roads up Teide, however, are set to be closed at any moment because of hailstorms.

The Cabildo repeated requests to the public to avoid any unnecessary journeys, both to avoid accidents, and to make the task of those clearing the roads easier. In particular, motorists were asked to avoid the national park. DA

Meanwhile, the Fiestas Councillor of Santa Cruz Ayuntamiento has suspended all Carnaval activities today as a result of the Orange Alerts for bad weather, and in particular, the Cabildo’s Emergency Plan. The suspension will affect the Entierro de la Sardina (see HERE), which will now take place on Friday. C7

Also, all classes and extra-curricular activites have been suspended in all centres throughout the Canaries as a result of the current storms. The Canarian Dept of Education issued the notice for all activities this afternoon and evening in all public and state-subsidised private schools in the islands.  C7

Below is the effect of one particular downpour yesterday on the new Guaza roundabout and underpass. El Dia

Update 16 February, 5.30pm: The Tenerife Cabildo has activated the island’s Emergency Plan for gales, rains and wild seas. The Emergency Plan allows for an emergency cabinet and island-wide integrated response to the anticipated terrible weather conditions. Torrential downpours are expected, and winds gusting up to 120 km per hour, a rate already registered on the Teide peaks, but now expected in the La Orotava and Vilaflor areas. The rains are expected to start tonight, with up to 120 litres per square metre at mid-altitude and altitude, particularly in the south, west and north of the island.  LO

Update 16 February 2.30pm: It’s not getting any better … in fact it’s getting worse.

Tenerife is currently under Orange Alert for strong winds until midnight tonight, but now another Orange Alert has been issued for tomorrow for torrential rain. Aemet’s website HERE shows the alert continuing into Thursday.  C24H

In view of these Alerts for gales today and torrential rain tomorrow, the Tenerife Cabildo has recommended that the public avoids unnecessary journeys, and in particular that people should stay away from the Teide national park due to the extreme gusts of winds, which have been recorded up to 120 km per hour. C24H

The TF21 (Chio-La Orotava road) through the crater remains closed from the rockfalls caused by the last storm at the beginning of February.

Update 14 February: Aemet has amplified Tenerife’s alert to Orange for heavy showers and high winds from midday today to last until Wednesday. Winds of up to 95 kms per hour are expected at altitude, especially affecting La Orotava and Vilaflor.  C7, RTVC

Original post 13 February: The Met Office, Aemet, has issued an Orange Alert for Tenerife for winds of up to 90 km per hour at altitude in Tenerife. The alert will last from 6am tomorrow morning (Saturday/Sunday) to midnight 15 February (Sunday/Monday). It is expected mainly to affect the municipalities of La Orotava and Vilaflor.

Aemet has also issed a Yellow Alert for wind gusting to 70 km per hour on the Tenerife coasts. The alert will last from 3am tomorrow morning (Saturday/Sunda7)  until midnight (Sunday/Monday). This alert is forecasting waves of up to 4 metres.

The forecast includes the possibility of up to 20 litres per square metre of rain per hour between 4am and 5pm tomorrow.  C24H

Update 21 February: The bid now stands at £50.00 (approximately €57.05). Follow the auction HERE.

Original Post 20 February: The Tenerife Forum member Colleen is auctioning a mould of her teeth before dental work. Not the sort of thing one might normally bid for, perhaps, but in this case, it’s for an extremely good cause. The selected charity is the Betlemistas Nuns, in Arona. Just four nuns provide daily food and clothing to the many local poor and disadvantaged who do not qualify for state help, but the nuns themselves rely purely on charity to help these people. The difference of quality of life of the expat community and the local poor people is staggering.

The Tenerife Forum has already held a charity quiz for the Nuns and raised a great number of Christmas toys and games for local children which their parents could not hope to afford. Now there is another chance to help raise some money for this extremely worthy and desperately needed cause. You can follow the auction on ebay HERE, and any bid you might feel like making will obviously go towards increasing the total raised for the nuns. The bidding is currently at £41.00 (approx €46.78). Help Colleen to put the bite on poverty. Make a bid for her old teeth!

Las Caletillas power station

The Government has ordered an enquiry into the causes of yesterday’s blackout, the Councillor of Empleo, Industria y Comercio, Jorge Rodríguez, has announced today. Sr Rodríguez insisted that if there was any evidence that Endesa had not complied with its duties, it would be on the receiving ends of the maximum possible sanctions. Sr Rodríguez acknowledged, however, that the storm was bound to affect the infrastructure, but stressed that this itself was Endesa’s responsibility, and that they must do whatever might be necessary to reinforce the security of the power supply, because there will evidently be further storms in the future.  C24H

Original post 18 February: The whole of Tenerife suffered an electrical blackout today. Power is being restored gradually, but it has been off for most people for at least seven hours. Apparently 87% of the island has its electricity back on now. There could well be some political fall-out over this, because it’s the second total blackout in a year for Tenerife. The first was on 26 March last year apparently because of a lightning strike. There was also a complete power failure in La Palma on 23 September. Worse, it appears that Endesa still doesn’t know how it happened, but it is known that part of the roof covering the turbine transformers in the Las Caletillas power station was blown off by the gales, and might have impacted with the transformers themselves, causing a short circuit.  C24H

The mayor of Santiago del Teide, Juan Damián Gorrín Ramos, currently embroiled in accusations of culpability for the Los Gigantes beach rockfall tragedy and adjudged to have a case to answer, has announced that he will not stand again in the next local elections in 2011. Mayor Gorrín stressed that his decision to step down was for “personal reasons”, having “served his time” for seven years at the head of both the Ayuntamiento and his party, the Coalición Canaria.

He expressed himself “satisfied” with his group’s performance in the role, saying that he will be officially informing the party’s local committee of his “difficult and long-considered” decision at its next meeting on the 22 of this month. In this particular respect, Sr Gorrín expressed dissatisfaction at the lack of support he had received from his own party, and said that the only person who had called him during his recent problems was Cristina Tavío, President of the Tinerfeñan Partido Popular. Despite this, he said that he had a “clear conscience”, and was thinking only about continuing to work to solve residents’ problems.  DA

The body of a 35-40-year-old man was found in the early hours of yesterday morning in the los Pocitos area of the Añaza coast near Santa Cruz. Police confirmed the discovery after receiving a call from a member of the public, and it seems they believe the man could have been dead since the early hours of Saturday.

Tragically, the body was found at the bottom of a 7 metre drop, in a lane full of rubble and detritus carried along by the recent rains. At the top of the hill overlooking the scene, they found a note. It seems that it was a suicide note, but police are not confirming its contents at the moment, nor the identity of the poor man.

An autopsy is to be carried out, but police sources indicate that it is clear death was caused by the impact of the fall.  LO

And it’s happened again, and in Playa de las Américas once more.

This time it was on the Paseo de Las Américas near the Commercial Centres, at around 3.30 this afternoon. A male foreigner of 50 was taken to Hospiten Sur with serious multiple injuries. Clearly, with the high winds, any such falls are more likely. C24H

Originally posted 16 December 2009: Only two months after a tourist died from being struck by a falling palm tree (as posted HERE), another two trees fell over the weekend in the same area of Playa de las Américas. Arona Policía Local has now commissioned an exhaustive report on all palms in the municipality to avoid any further tragedies. One of the trees fell on the Andrade Fumero pedestrian walkway, while the other split in half near a kiosk in Parque Santiago 3. Thankfully on these two latest occasions, no-one was injured. El Dia

It transpires that the police were able to make such a rapid arrest because the two boys had a police record, and their fingerprints were already archived. It was a straightforward task for the fingerprints left at the scene of the crime to be identified as their own. They had previously been arrested for robberies both in houses and vehicles, though the 16-year-old Uruguayan had only one antecedent. The younger boy, however, is said to be a “troubled” individual, and the more dangerous of the pair. He has been detained on five previous occasions, and he had been due to appear in Court for one of these on Friday, 18 February. Apart from the fingerprint evidence which ties these two boys with the crime, police are also awaiting DNA test results. El Dia

Update 11 February: The minors arrested for the murder of Peter Cockshutt are a 14-year-old Chilean and a 16-year-old Uruguayan. The 14-year-old lived in Las Galletas and was in the La Estrella school, which is where he was arrested. Both boys have been in Guardia Civil custody since little more than 24 hours after the tragic event, accused of murder and robbery with violence, with the 16-year-old said to be the accomplice of the 14-year-old, holding the poor man while the younger lad stabbed him.

After a brief appearance in Arona Court 2, where it appears they acknowledged the crime, both boys were transferred to the Valle Tabares Centre, a remand centre for minors in the La Cuesta area of La Laguna. Further information will be sparse in the near future since the Court declared the case sub judice.

Mrs Cockshutt was due to return to Tenerife yesterday, while Mr Cockshutt’s daughter arrived on Tuesday, and was given full information by the Guardia Civil of the tragic events surrounding the death of her father. Mr Cockshutt is said to have come originally from Brandesburton in Yorkshire, but to have lived in Tenerife for twenty years and to have established a business (Eco Aqua Solutions SL) here just last April.

Police are working on the hypothesis that Mr Cockshutt went out to dinner in the Alondras Park restaurant, which is what he told his wife in their last conversation, and that he returned home and surprised the boys while they were carrying out a burglary. The grim discovery of his body was made by the property’s owner after being told by Mrs Cockshutt that her husband was not answering the telephone. It is thought that, by then, Mr Cockshott had been dead for around 24 hours. The house, Urb. Tamaide 1, in Avda Antonio Tavío in Costa del Silencio, is sealed off while enquiries continue. In particular, police are looking for the murder weapon, which has still not been found. El Dia, LO

Update 10 February: Appallingly, the “arrest” transpires to be two children, of just 14 and 16 years old. They have been arrested on charges of robbery and murder. Guardia Civil sources say they are of south American origin, and one of them was arrested yesterday afternoon, and the other late last night. RTVC, C7, El Dia, C24H

Further detail has been given to me by someone who used to know the victim of this murder. With his permission to publish it, I have been told that Mr Cockshutt used to run an electrical business in Hull, East yorks, called Pecos, which did a lot of work in the petrochem industry. It seems Mr Cockshutt was well known in the City of Hull and surrounding area.

Update 9 February, 11pm: A man has been arrested in connection with this murder. There is no further news at present. RTVC

Original post 9 February, 10am: The body of 71 year old Briton, Peter James Cockshutt, was found in his luxury home on the Tamaide complex in Costa del Silencio last evening. He had been stabbed three times, twice in the chest and once in the leg. His body was found by the owner of the property, and although an autopsy is being carried out this morning to determine the exact cause of death, it appears that it was the result of a violent robbery given that the dwelling was disordered and that two windows had been forced open. It appears that Mrs Cockshutt had only left for the UK on Friday, and neighbours had become concerned that a light had unusually been switched on since Sunday, which is when police suspect the murder might have occurred.  RTVC, C24H, DA, Mailonline

The Guardia Civil have confirmed that the body recently found floating in Santa Cruz harbour has been identified as 41-year-old C.J.M.M., who was apparently of no fixed abode, but who occasionally lived in a cave in the barranco de Santos. The poor man was identified by his fingerprints. C24H

Original Post 9 February: A man’s body was found floating in the waters of the dock area of Santa Cruz harbour around midday yesterday. The body has apparently been in the water for some time, and is in an advanced state of decomposition. Forensic reports are still awaited, so there is no further information at the moment. LO

Alicia San Juan McNolty, wearing the fantasía “En el País de las Maravillas”, is the Carnaval Queen 2010. She was representing the daily paper El Dia (which was also the sponsor of last year’s winner), and the creation was designed by Leo Martínez. It seems Alicia was an appropriate candidate to wear the fantasía given that its name translates as “In Wonderland”! Pictures of the other entries can be seen HERE. C24H, LO

Original Post 10 February: Today’s a very big day in the Carnaval because it’s the election of the Carnaval Queen from the 12 candidates who will be wearing those elaborate creations they call “fantasies”! Below is last year’s winner, Ana María Tavárez, wearing “Bewitched”. She will be crowning her successor tonight. It all starts at 9.30 this evening on the stage in the Carnaval fairground. It’ll also be live on TV Canaria from 9.15pm. TinerGuía

A male foreigner suffered a cardiac arrest around 2.15pm this afternoon in Playa Montaña Amarilla in the Las Galletas area. At present, his age and other specifics are unknown. The emergency call was given in the first place by a fellow beach user, who reported that someone had collapsed and did not appear to be responding to attempts to bring him round. Helicopter rescue was arranged because of the difficult access to the area. When it arrived, the man was found to be in cardiac arrest, but attempts to resuscitate him both during the air transfer to Costa del Silencio and afterwards by ambulance personnel were regrettably unsuccessful.  C24H

The Guardia Civil stationed at TFS Reina Sofía have been investigating a series of at least ten thefts from luggage, the majority of which was being loaded on Monarch flights. A few days ago, they caught an Iberia baggage handler in the act, trying to dispose of two packs of tobacco which he is presumed to have taken from inside a suitcase he was loading onto a flight. Further arrests over the next few days are not being ruled out.  LO

Europa Press has come into possession of a confidential internal circular from the “Dirección General de Policía y Guardia Civil” which is “for the view of immigration and frontier units of the National Police only”. The circular orders that in a documentation check, any foreigners who cannot demonstrate that they reside in Spain legally are taken to a police station, and that expulsion procedures are initiated as quickly as possible.

The circular, signed 25 January by the Comisario General de Extranjería y Fronteras, Juan Enrique Taborda, is said to be highly confidential, and each of its 29 pages carries the following words: “Documento de uso restringido para unidades de Extranjería y Fronteras del Cuerpo Nacional de Policía. Prohibida su reproducción, difusión o publicación o utilización por personal ajeno a estas unidades”. (Document of restricted use for immigration and frontier units of the National Police. Its reproduction, reporting, publication or use by personnel other than of these units is prohibited).

It’s being reported as an attempt to follow up pretty controversial legal aims of dealing with illegal immigration, particularly measures contained in a new immigration law which was passed in December. Where it could touch on resident British expats, however, is the reference in the text to another earlier law, that of the Protection of Citizen Security, passed in 1992, and according to which all foreigners in Spain are “required to prove that they are here legally”. According to the circular, this law allows police to take foreigners into custody if they cannot do this. They can be held for up to 72 hours while police checks are carried out. Expulsion procedures can be initiated during this time.

The circular has been sent to all Comisiarías in Spain, which means those in Tenerife have received one too. I very much doubt that any European would be subject to this, and it is very clearly aimed as “los sin papeles”, which is how the illegal and usually African immigrants are known, but in some cases, particularly if embroiled in any trouble, it’s not completely inconceivable that any one of us could be held until we could prove we had legal paperwork here. And of course, we don’t want to be in the situation of being unable to so prove it.

If anyone living here was thinking that they didn’t have to worry about getting a Certificado de Registro, I really would recommend thinking again. Canarias7, Canarias24Horas, Europa Press

Also reopened is the Afur road, though restricted to residents and basic service vehicles.

The La Orotava road to Teide remains closed. C24H

One of the main attractions of the Santa Cruz Carnaval, the adult Murgas, came to a conclusion late last night, and for the third year running, Triqui Traques were chosen as the winner with an hilarious two-scened performance. In the first half, they sang humorous and politically charged songs as though they were musical instruments in the Tenerife Symphony Orchester, and in the second part, the scenery was staged to present them as synchronized swimmers. The arena, in the Recinto Portuario, was full to bursting, with an estimated 12,000 crowd there to enjoy the spectacle. LO

Here are tasters of both halves of the victorious Triqui Traques performance:

There is a yellow alert for spectacular waves from the Met Office AEMet. It applies for the next couple of days in Tenerife, and in El Hierro, La Palma, and Lanzarote from tomorrow, extending to the rest of the Canaries from tomorrow night. At that point, Tenerife’s alert, and that of El Hierro and La Palma, will be raised to orange. Waves are expected of up to 5 metres. Tomorrow and particularly Monday could be quite a sight if you’re near the coast.  C7

An earthquake of magnitude 4 occurred in Tenerife at 15.10 pm. It was felt both here and in Gran Canaria. According to the Richter scale, the force of the quake falls midpoint between:

Minor: 3.0-3.9 – often felt, but rarely causes damage.
Light: 4.0-4.9 – noticeable shaking of indoor items, rattling noises. Significant damage unlikely.

The earthquake was at a depth of 23km, with its epicentre 10 kms out to sea south-east of Santa Cruz  according to the Instituto Geográfico Nacional (as in the above image). No damage has been reported, and indeed, the Canarian Geophysics Centre confirmed that it would have been unlikely given the depth of the quake. María José Blanco, the Director of the Centre said that the tectonic quake was quite normal for the area, though unusual in that it was actually felt. Sra Blanco said that there had been another three earthquakes in the last several days in the same area, one on the 30th January of 2.3 on the Richter scale, and two on the 31st, of 2.0 and 2.4, which were too minor to be felt. C7, C7(2)

Binter has launched a February Thursdays campaign in which ticket prices between the Canary islands for flights in March and April are linked to a February Thursday date. On Thursday 11th, for example,  tickets will cost €11; on the 18th, €18; and on the 25th, €25. Availability for the offer is also linked to the date, so there will be 11,000 €11 tickets for February 11; 18,000 for the €18 tickets on the 18th; and, naturally, 25,000 €25 tickets for the 25th. The offer is available to Canary Island residents, and is subject to the stated availability. For more information or to book, see Binter.

The spokesman for the Canarian air traffic controllers’ union, Miguel Torrens, has guaranteed Easter flights will be problem free, and stressed that visitors can book their holidays with complete peace of mind. Sr Torrens was at pains to point out that despite the ATCs conviction that a problem was being manufactured by AENA, which was trying to provoke the controllers, this would not affect their resolve to work fully over such a crucial holiday period so as not to jeopardise Canarian tourism. Whatever the rights and wrongs of the dispute, travellers to and from Tenerife will quite reasonably only be concerned that they are not unduly delayed over their Easter vacations, and this now seems to be assured. El Dia

Unfortunately, the Canarian Government, The Tenerife Cabildo, and ATAN (Tenerife Friends of Nature Association) have all presented complaints about the beach renovation project. They demand a much more in-depth environmental impact study than exists at present, and one which lays particular emphasis on the effect the works will have on the present “Lugar de Interés Comunitario” (Site of Community Interest: LIC) status of the area, which was approved in 2008.

The mayor, Víctor Chinea, expressed his regrets about the delays that will be caused by these procedures, and said that the study incorporated into the project was quite sufficient. None the less, the complaints have already been sent to the Demarcación de Costas in order to effect changes to the project, as well to require a study of the environmental impact. El Dia

Original post 3 November 2009: It has only taken twenty years, but at last it looks as if works to renovate San Blas beach in San Miguel municipality will begin in just a few months. The area’s mayor, Victor Chinea, was delighted to announce that after environmental studies and his latest meeting with the Department of Costas in Madrid, all objections and obstacles seem to have been cleared, and that for the first time in two decades a favourable outcome is in sight.

Sr Chinea was accompanied in Madrid by San Miguel’s Councillor of Works, Juan José Casanova, and the pair met with the Director General of Coastal and Sea Sustainability, Alicia Paz, and Miguel Velasco, Sub-Director General for Sustainability. Their meeting was fruitful, said the mayor, and he is now very hopeful that the San Blas coastal area will shortly consolidate the municipality’s increasing tourism-based economy.  El Dia

Pictures of all the entries can be seen HERE.

Tonight, the Carnaval Queen of the Third Age was judged, and Olga Guillén Tavío was the winner:

Second and third place can be seen HERE.

Arona’s 2010 Carnaval will take place in Los Cristianos between 5-14 March, and this year has a Mexican theme. Events start on 5 March with the presentation of the candidates for Carnaval Queen who will be chosen in the Gran Gala on Friday 12  March. There will be a musical parade through the streets of the town to the beach on Saturday, 13 March, with a dance afterwards, and the finale and Gran Coso Apoteósico will be on Sunday 14th, also ending with a dance in the fairground. For a full list of events, see Arona Online(1) & Arona Online(2), TinerGuía

A 37-year-old British woman died around 11am this morning in a cycling accident on the TF-436, the Buenavista to Santiago del Teide road. The accident happened around 1km from Masca village heading towards Santiago del Teide.

Emergency services were initially called to the accident, but due to the road being impassible after the recent storms, rescue efforts were significantly hampered, and mountain rescue helicopters were called in. She was airlifted to Adeje Bomberos helipad even while resuscitation efforts were continuing, but it was to no avail, and on arrival at Adeje, ambulance medics could do no more than confirm her death. C7

The State of Emergency was lifted last evening, having been in place for almost exactly 24 hours. The Ministry of the Interior has said that help will be made available for those who have suffered personal or material damage through the effects of the storm. As of today, Ayuntamientos will be able to apply for resources to be directed to affected families or complexes of apartments where damage has been suffered in communal areas. Applications will be accepted for up to a month counting from the day after the end of the emergency situation. The Protección Civil Unit of the Government Subdelegation in Santa Cruz will be holding meetings over the next few days with municipal technicians to co-ordinate the processing of help heading towards the affected municipalities.

What this actually means for individuals is not totally clear, but it seems fairly evident that there is financial assistance available for those who have suffered personal or material losses, and for communities of apartments. This assistance appears to be being directed from Government, via Protección Civil to the Ayuntamientos, which is where it would make sense for anyone who is thinking of applying to start to seek any help. Apparently financial assistance of up to €8,500 will be available per family for losses occasioned by the storm.

In terms of Tenerife’s beaches, Los Cristianos, Fañabé, San Juan, Abama, and Las Galletas were the areas most affected. In Los Cristianos, the sea damaged dikes, and carried off sunbeds, waste bins and gangplanks in Playa de Las Vistas. One part of the wooden promenade at Parque Santiago was completely lifted up by the force of the wind and the sea. Los Cristianos harbour needed repair too, with the force of the waves damaging the ferry mooring jetties. The Ports Authority have already started urgent repairs.

In Playa Fañabé, besides damage to umbrellas, sunbeds and kiosks, the sea swept away a vast amount of sand, and there was considerable concern in the concessionary Urbanización Playa Fañabé that there was almost no sand left in the area between the central dike and the Hotel Anthelia. Initial valuations suggest that the overall cost for repairs to this beach could amount to around €450,000 euros. Immediate works are estimated at around €100,000, but there will also have to be repairs to electrical installations, showers, etc., in what is one of the principal tourist beaches of the whole island.

In Guía de Isora, damage is mainly confined to the coast, particularly the beaches of San Juan and Abama. The sea, together with the mouths of the barrancos, carried away a great deal of sand, and there were rockfalls on the walkways. San Juan beach has a major gouge caused by the deluge from the barranco. The Local Development Councillor, Héctor Gómez, has inspected the damaged areas and said that the clean-up operation has already begun, and that reports about necessary repairs will be sent to the Dirección General de Costas, part of the Environment Department.

In Las Galletas the waves damaged the road to El Fraile, which was blocked to traffic. Attempts to reopen it were already underway yesterday afternoon, and the Environment Councillor of Arona, Antonio Sosa, said that they were trying to sove the problem as soon as possible. The wooden walkway at El Médano was also damaged, and part of the road in the centre of the town collapsed.La Opinion, C7, Diario de Avisos

Update 2 February (5pm): The latest information on the roads is that the following remain closed:

• TF- 631, Abades to Tajao
• TF 812, Barranco Grande to Teide
• TF 21, La Orotava to Teide
• TF 12, subida de San Andrés to the peak
• TF 583, Los Menores to Taucho

There are also problems on the roads joining Taco-Los Cristianos road near Candelaria, Tijoco with the North, and Buenavista with Santiago del Teide.

The  storm has now been classified as semitropical, and is said to be waning slowly as it moves out to sea, though further effects are still expected until it clears the islands completely. RTVC, C24H

Update 2 February: As of last evening, the Canarian Government Minister of Presidencia, Justicia y Seguridad, José Miguel Ruano, has declared a level 2 state of emergency in the Canaries.

A level 2 SoE is declared when severe weather conditions (Fenómeno Meteorológico Adverso – FMA) affect the co-ordination and mobilization of resources necessary to deal with the emergency at an multi-island level, and when Protección Civil advises the need for a unified operational response.

Since various islands have activated independent Emergency Plans, and taking into account the anticipated evolution of the storm, and the likely requirement of the Cabildos mobilizing extra-insular emergency responses, the level 2 State of Emergency has been declared.  El Dia

Update 1/2 February (midnight): Eight roads in total have been blocked through the weather, and another two badly affected by rockfalls or floods, the Tenerife Cabildo says.

The blocked roads are:

• TF-631 (Abades-Tajao)
  TF-272 (Barranco Grande-Tajao)
  TF-21 (Orotava-Teide)
  TF-12 (Subida de San Andrés to the peak)
  TF-28 (Taco to Los Cristianos at Candelaria)
  TF-423 (Ruigomez-Tierra de Trigo)

and of particular interest in the south:

• TF-583 (TF-82 Los Menores to Taucho)
  TF-585 (TF-82 Guía de Isora road to Tijoco Alto).

Roads affected by rockfalls/floods: TF-47 (Armeñime-Puerto Santiago) and TF-136 (Casas de la Cumbre-Afur).

All access roads to the Parque Nacional de Teide remain closed.

In Santa Cruz, some Titsa buses are running again, though the timetable is subject to the vagaries of the weather. Currently running are lines 014 and 015 from Santa Cruz to La Laguna, lines 232 and 234 from Santa Cruz and Añaza, and the 908 from Santa Cruz to Salud Alto.

Although up to 120 litres of rain per square metre were anticipated, 187 were measured in the La Gallega area of Santa Cruz! C7(1), C7(2), C7(3)

Update 1 February 7pm: It has just been announced that the Canarian Education Department has suspended all classes tomorrow. Meanwhile, Santa Cruz has apparently had an horrendous day, with the port and the Avda Anaga impassable, one tram blocked, another off its rails, and TITSA buses and access roads paralyzed in and through the capital. C7

Update 1 February 3pm: AEMet is forecasting the worst of the storm this afternoon and evening. The public is urged to take maximum precautions, and the Canarian Government has activated its Emergency Plan, which should see all schools closed immediately and requests not to travel unless completely necessary. Protección Civil authorities are now in charge.

People are advised to avoid bridges, not to use lifts, or go into basements, because the flooding and electrical surges could see electrical doors or aparatus shut down or jam, and to stay well away from barrancos! If going out is essential, disconnect the electricity at the main fuse box. If flooded indoors, do not try to swim for it because the current will drag you away. Call 112 (but only in a real emergency) and wait for help.

Update 1 February (midday): Road closures for weather-related problems:

• TF21, which is the main road through the Teide crater, has been closed due to ice … and in the last few minutes, it has been announced that all access roads to the Parque Nacional have been closed.
• Avenida de la Constitución in Santa Cruz, one of the main roads through the capital has been closed due to overflowing drains. It has had knock on effects for traffic joining and leaving the TF1.
• TF631 in Abades, the road joining the TF-632 (TF5 to San Miguel de Tajao) is also closed due to landslides.

It was also reported earlier this morning that schools in the Arico and Granadilla municipalities have suspended classes.

The areas of Tenerife worst affected are Arico, Granadilla, and Guía de Isora. For the moment, parts of Arico and Guía de Isora remain without electricity. Many parts of Granadilla lost power last night as well, but this was restored around 4am.

Meanwhile, AEMet has issued a forecast that the intense rains and high winds, particularly in the south and east of Tenerife (and the other western islands and Gran Canaria) won’t begin to ease off until Wednesday … and that we have not even arrived at the halfway point of the storm right now. C24H, C24H, C7, C7

Update 31 January/1 February (midnight): Apparently the worst is not over after all. The Orange Alert for storms with torrential rain has been extended until Tuesday, after which the rains are expected to ease off somewhat. In addition, a Yellow Alert has been declared for very heavy seas and force 6 to 7 southerly winds around the south coast of Tenerife. The alert will last until midnight on Tuesday. Canarias24Horas

Update 31 January: The general forecast is for rain until Tuesday/Wednesday, but the alert for severe weather expires tonight, and the latest satellite picture (above) does suggest that the worst has now passed Tenerife by.

Update 30 January: The orange alert for torrential rains has been amplified to include gales with winds of up to 80 km per hour in the municipalities of La Orotava and Vilaflor. An additional yellow alert has been established for the rest of Tenerife and the other western islands for winds gusting to 70 km per hour. The alerts for gales will be in force from midday tomorrow.  Canarias7

Update 29 January: The Canaries have been put on Orange Alert for these thunderstorms. The alert will start at midnight Saturday and last throughout the whole of Sunday. Up to 120 litres of rain per square metre is anticipated, with the south and east of the western islands worst affected.  Canarias7

Original post 28 January: The Met Office (Aemet) has forecast an intense and persistent spell of rain sweeping across the Canaries from the west. The front should reach the islands on Sunday, and heavy thunderstorms are expected, particularly in Tenerife throughout Sunday itself. Cloud cover is likely to increase between now and the weekend, bringing some light showers. Snow is anticipated on Teide, maybe even as early as tonight. Canarias7

Granadilla has announced that El Médano will host the Kite-surf world championships between 9 and 15 August this year. The announcement was made at the International Tourism Fair in Madrid by the tourism councillor, María Candelaria Rodríguez González. Also present were several professional “riders” who will be competing in the event, which it is hoped will be a shot in the arm for Granadilla municipality’s touristic revenues. The Ayuntamiento attended the Fair armed with a range of promotional material, including a number of rural hotels in the hills which offer a different type of nature tourism to contrast with the traditional beach-type Tenerife holiday.  Diario de Avisos

Adeje has already got its own plans for a refuge in the Barranco de las Torres area in hand. This is where Lidl, Mercadona, etc are. There is a budget of more than €191.000 for the works, with the planned refuge covering 362 square metres and having a capacity for around 70 abandoned and stray animals, as well as administrative and veterinary areas.  El Dia

Original post 19 January: Madrid has set in motion a new law which will greatly increase animal protection in Spain, and bring the Canaries into line with the legislation in several other autonomous regions. Animal Defence organization El Refugio has confirmed that the Government, in accordance with electoral promises, will shortly introduce fines of up to €15,025 in the Canaries for maltreatment of animals, bringing the region into line with Madrid, the Balearics, Extremadura, the Basque country, Galicia and La Rioja. Only Valencia, Cataluña and Aragón have larger fines, of up to €18,000, €20,000 and €150,000 respectively.

As part of the new measures, it is also expected that local authorities will be prohibited from putting down animals which have been abandoned, and the sale of animals in pet shops will be banned.

El Refugio has worked tirelessly to bring this improved legislation to fruition. It is a non-profit non-governmental organization which relies entirely on public donations. Its website is HERE.  El Dia

Tickets are now available for the Whitney Houston concert, which is confirmed for Friday, 30 April, at 10pm in the Dársena los LLanos, Santa Cruz port. It will be the only concert she gives in Spain in her world tour.

Ticket prices are as follows:

* Zona General: 40€
* Zona Grada: 40€
* Butaca Lateral: 60€
* Butaca General: 75€
* VIP Lateral: 100€
* VIP Zonas 1 a 4: 200€
* Preferente: 100€
* Platinum: 300€

They are available from General Tickets/CajaCanarias.

The concert has been organized by Tenerife business Rolo Producciones and is sponsored by the Canarian Government, the Tenerife Cabildo, Turismo de Tenerife, together with the collaboration of Santa Cruz Ayuntamiento.  TinerGuía

Update 21 January: Whitney Houston will be coming to Tenerife, but will not now be performing in the south of the island. The concert, still scheduled for 30 April, will take place in Santa Cruz. Tickets will be available from tomorrow from Caja Canarias’ General Tickets, and will cost between €40 and 300.  RTVC

Original post 24 November: First Elton John came to perform a concert at Adeje Golf, then Rod Stewart. There was much talk, and much pooh-poohing of suggestions that a third huge name would follow. And now we know not only that it was true, but who it is. Whitney Houston will perform in Adeje Golf on 30 April 2010. The date already appears on her website calendar as an official concert.  La Opinion

First and second VPs of the Government, María Teresa Fernández de la Vega (l) and Elena Salgado (r)

Spain will increase retirement age for workers from 65 to 67, the second VP of the Government, Elena Salgado, announced today, with the changes coming into force gradually from 2013, so that by 2025 all workers will retire at 67. The plan for the reform of the pensions system will now be presented to a parliamentary commission for translation into law, and will also include an increase in social security contributions, though at present the actual amount of the rise is yet to be established.

Further proposals include rationalizing access to pensions, and including those working in the agrarian sector and household employees. Not the least of the various motivations behind the proposed changes is Spain’s increase in life expectancy, which is apparently second in the world, behind only Japan.

Unions have flatly rejected the suggestion of an increase in the length of a working life, but the first VP of the Government, María Teresa Fernández de la Vega, stressed that the Government would try to convince them “with arguments, data, reason and dialogue”. She stressed that Government had a responsibility to consider the social and economic state of the country, and to take a medium and long term view, and that now was the moment to start this debate. Canarias7

26.91% was the final level of unemployment in the Canaries at the end of 2009, with Santa Cruz de Tenerife province specifically having 24.2% out of work. According to the National Statistics Institute, the Canaries ended 2009 with a frightening total of 293,800 people unemployed, giving the islands the highest rate of unemployment in Spain. In terms of annual increase, Spain’s unemployment figures rose 34.87% overall, with the rise here slightly below average at 31.43%, but that rise has left the islands’ 26.91% far above the national average of 18.83%, and puts the Canaries at the head of the table of the country’s unemployed.

Canaries 26.91%
Andalucía 26.33%
Ceuta 24.57%
Valencia 22.56%
Murcia 22.47%
Melilla 21.68%
Extremadura 21.26%
Balearics 19.54%
Castille La Mancha 19.23%
Catalonia 17.01%
Madrid 14.68%
Asturias 14.24%
Castille y León 14.15%
Rioja 13.67%
Aragón 13.29%
Galicia 12.88%
Cantabria 12.63%
Basque Country 11.75%
Navarra 10.53%

Canarias24Horas(1), Canarias24Horas(2)

The 2010 Santa Cruz Carnaval begins today with the first competitions in the children’s murgas. The murgas, combining satire and music with outlandish costume and group singing, are phenomenally popular. Tickets for the adult murgas competition sold out in under two hours when they went on sale online recently.

Some of the main events of the Carnaval are:

• 31 January: Election of the Children’s Carnaval Queen
• 5 February: Final of the Adult Murgas
• 10 February: Election of the Carnaval Queen
• 12 February: Advertisers parade
• 15 February: Fiesta “Dance Carnaval”.
• 16 February: Main Carnaval parade
• 17 February: Burial of the Sardine

For further information on this year’s Carnaval, which has the theme “Tenerife: Historia de un Carnaval”, see TinerGuía, the Cabildo’s information site Punto Info, or the main Carnaval site HERE. The full schedule of events is HERE.

National Police are seeking the perpetrator of a violent attack in the centre of Los Cristianos on Friday. The incident occurred in Calle General Franco, near Church Square, when the employee of a local business was assaulted by an individual with a knife as he was heading for the bank to pay in some money.  One hypothesis that the police are working on is that the victim had been watched by his attacker and was followed when he was known to be carrying money. The police were called immediately, but the attacker had already fled with his haul. Needless to say, the attack has caused great concern among local business owners and workers alike, as well as residents of the area. El Dia

A 62-year-old man died around 9.30 this morning while playing golf at the Adeje Golf course. Although a doctor who was in the immediate vicinity tried to resuscitate the victim, and emergency services took up the effort when they arrived, their efforts were all to no avail. The poor victim has not yet been named. Diario de Avisos