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Faced with a legal town-planning maze of epic proportions, Marbella council has appointed a panel of top planning academics to help it find a way out.

Marbella has been going through years of turmoil since widespread planning abuse and illegal construction in the late 1990s and early 2000s. In 2010, the council approved a new master town plan, which aimed to compensate for the offences and clarify the legal situation for investors. However this plan was rejected by the Supreme Court and since then the town hall has had to fall back on a woefully outdated plan from 1986 for its day-to-day decisions. Some 30,000 properties are still officially illegal.

The team formed to help the council get out of this legal confusion is headed by four top Spanish university professors and has just won a 170,000-euro tender under a proposal led by the University of Malaga. Seeking external help in this way is unusual but business leaders have welcomed the move. The ‘think tank’ will review legal issues related to the rejection of the 2010 plan and prepare the groundwork for a new. source surinenglish

Don’t forget: the gala fashion show in aid of Bosom Buddies breast cancer charity takes place next Friday, 21 April, at Grand Battery House/Landport. The evening kicks off with a cocktail at 7.30pm and the show, which also includes professional model and local businessman Luisandro Moreno, begins at 8.10pm.

Tickets cost £15 and all proceeds from the evening will be donated to the charity.source surinenglish

The Guardia Civil have arrested a suspect thief believed to have been involved in the theft of large amounts of the copper cables belonging to telecommunications provider, Movistar. The news came after thousands of residents around Cartáma, Alhaurín el Grande, Mijas Costa and Mijas Pueblo have been affected by the theft of the cables.

According to a Movistar spokesperson, the total length stolen has accumulated to around three kilometres after the thieves systematically stole the cables each time they were replaced.

J. R, a resident in El Romeral has stated that the thefts are “persistent” and a “very serious problem” as many of those affected need the internet to do their job.

 
The president of the Miramar Residents Assocation, Blas Cerezo, also announced that on Tuesday the group would submit a letter to Mayor Villanova with suggestions on how to improve the security of the town and in turn lower the risk of further thefts.

Villanova has reassured residents that the town is safe as the Civil Guard are already working hard to prevent this kind of theft everyday.

On Monday, Movistar’s spokesperson also stated that work is being done to replace more stolen cables, but as it is being done manually “it is not possible to estimate a date by which everything will have returned to normal.” source surinenglish

The National Police have located the 10, 000 euros that were lost by a Danish man in Malaga airport on 5 April in Sweden. In a statment released by the provincial police headquarters it has been revealed that the whole sum was found in the hands of a tourist that had come across the money in the airport.

The police first became aware of the case after the Dane reported that his two bundles of 50 euro notes disappeared while he was placing his suitcases in his car which was parked in the arrivals zone.

Detectives began with the investigation of the vehicle that was parked behind the man's car at the time the money went missing. This led to the discovery of the money's location as it emerged that one of the vehicle's Swedish passengers supposedly picked up the money from the floor by accident as they hurried to catch their flight.source surinenglish

From an Arabic outpost for spies and writers, to the perfect getaway for rock stars and the jet set, Tangier has seen it all. Controlled by everyone, and at times no one, Morocco's northernmost city has always been uniquely placed in the Arab world.

As you take a stroll through the city's streets, you see elements of East and West combining in a way scarcely seen elsewhere, product of centuries of toing and froing between the international powerhouses of the day.

Morocco, closer than ever before
This is what makes a dip into the history books essential before any visit, not that the blink-and-you'll-miss-it flight from Malaga gives you much chance!

 
Prime location

Tangier has always attracted the gaze of foreign powers, owing to its strategic location at the mouth of the Mediterranean. During the Scramble for Africa at the start of the 20th century, European powers set their sights on the city. Though the vast majority of Morocco fell under French control, the British held a keen interest and the city was pronounced an 'international zone'.

By the time the 1920s arrived, this ambiguous status manifested itself in a bohemian, bordering on clandestine, ambiance which characterised the film 'Casablanca' which was, in reality, much more representative of its northern neighbour. In fact, the décor of the El Minzah hotel inspired Rick's Café in the 1942 film, but also the Hispano-Arab styling which swept Hollywood.

During this period, the nearby Continental hotel, the oldest in the city, played host to Antonio Gaudí, Pío Baroja and William Somerset Maugham, the best paid writer in the world in the 1930s. The poet Mercedes Acosta sought refuge in one of its suites after breaking up with Greta Garbo. It was there where she bumped into Djuna Barnes, who was at that time fending off the advances of Winston Churchill.

There are constant reminders of the city's past around every corner. / D.F.
The city's atypical status remained until Morocco declared independence in 1956. The spies, writers and politicians gave way to musicians and the Beat Generation. Mick Jagger could often be found taking in the sea views from the Hafa café while the city inspired Bob Dylan to write 'If You See Her, Say Hello'. It was William Burroughs who showed the city's secrets to Jack Kerouac.

However, the authorities' tolerant stance started to shift after independence and the so-called 'Great Scandal' saw scores of foreigners locked up for sexual crimes, including corruption of minors, and the consumption of drugs. The city's mythical status was in tatters.

Tangier fell into the hands of delinquency in the 1980s and for several decades stagnated until Mohamed VI came to the throne at the turn of the century and set his sights on rejuvenating the city, proposing Tangier should become the "St Tropez of North Africa". Since then the city has experienced both an economic and cultural boom. The construction of a superport on the outskirts has freed up space for a seafront promenade, a marina and several new hotels, many of them luxury establishments.

Mindful of economic necessity, Tangier cannot afford to draw a line under its past. Instead, hints of it are still preserved. El Minzah is still considered one of the finest hotels on the continent, while the neighbouring Villa de France, after losing its five stars and eventually closing in 1992, reopened its doors two years ago.

Its elegance is understated and you can't help imagining bumping into Eugène Delacroix on the terrace as he formulated his vision of the East which would inspire a number of 19th century painters, or a frustrated Henri Matisse in the corridor, shouting "Paradise exists!" after the rain finally cleared and he could leave room 35 where he was cooped up and painted 'View from a Room'.

It's easy to see why both artists chose the former French Consulate building as their base. As you walk down the hotel's steep driveway, the walled complex gives way to the controlled chaos of Place du 9 Avril 1947, the gateway to the Medina. Vibrant colours and lively atmosphere converge and the smells of leather treatment and spice become inescapable.

Here there is little point in taking a map. The narrow, winding streets soon become indistinguishable and the chances of you passing the same stall more than twice is highly likely.

The central market is a good place to start, even if it is just for a colourful Instagram photo, as you try to get your bearings. Then once you feel brave enough, get yourself lost within the old city. It is the only way to do it.

Eventually you will stumble across the kasbah, whose museum is well worth a visit, and its vast open courtyard. Built in the 17th century, the museum is in what was formerly the Sultan's palace. It deserves to be seen not only for its collection of artefacts, from the Phoenician to modern times, but also for the building itself and its garden (though be mindful that information is only given in French and Arabic).

Roll up your sleeves and dig in! Saveur du Poisson is a must-do in Tangier. / Katrin Goethals
Despite the large number of visitors, few people speak English. However, rudimentary Spanish should help you get by, even if it is to get rid of the 'guide' you have somehow acquired and who will insist on taking you to see the sites - for a fee, of course.

Sadly, this is the side of Moroccan culture that puts many people off. However, in a bid to strengthen the tourist sector in the wake of the terror attacks in Marrakech, the authorities have cracked down on vendors and guides harassing tourists and they are almost nonexistent outside of high season.source surinenglish