News

On Monday, Spanish prime minister Mariano Rajoy supported the idea of a multi-speed Europe and said that Spain is prepared to "go further" towards European integration, alongside any other countries who feel the same.

He made these comments in a joint appearance with French president François Hollande, German chancellor Angela Merkel and Italian prime minister Paolo Gentiloni at the Palace of Versailles, where European leaders were meeting earlier this week to analyse the future of the EU after Brexit.

Rajoy, who stressed that he wants greater and better European integration, agrees with the three other leaders that this type of Europe would be possible if there were stronger cooperation from several other countries.

 
This was the first time he had clearly expressed his support for a multi-speed Europe and he explained that this is his preferred option for the future of the EU among those presented by the European Commission in its White Book, because it would mean "greater and better integration."

"I believe that right now Europe needs to look further afield, because the times when it has done that have been the best in its history," he said.

He then went on to express his support for Hollande and Merkel - and later Gentiloni - in their arguments for a Europe which functions at more than one speed.

"I agree with what we have just heard. Spain is prepared to go further towards European integration, with all those who want to work towards that," he stressed.

Uncertainties ahead

The prime minister also pointed out that the EU has many challenges and uncertainties ahead and must try to respond to those with clear messages.

He believes the European Summit in Rome on 25 March, which is being held to commemorate the 60th anniversary of signing the treaties which were the origin of the EU, would be the perfect opportunity to provide those messages.

Sr Rajoy believes the European Union "is a success story", that its priority should be to attend more intensively and effectively to the problems of European citizens, and to progress towards further European integration.source surinenglish

Plant enthusiasts only have a few hours left to see an example of the largest unbranched inflorescence in the world at the Estepona orchid house.

The flower belongs to a titan arum (Amorphophallus titanium) and opened on Monday. It can reach more than a metre in height -with the central spadix double that- and will stay open for pollination for just 72 hours. It is expected to start closing again from tomorrow, Wednesday.

The flower before it opened. / L. P.
Part of its 'attraction' (to insects only) is its scent which has been compared to that of rotting flesh, hence its common name 'the corpse flower'. It is the first titan arum to flower in Spain and updates are being posted on Facebook Orchidarium Estepona.

The orchid house is open from 9.30am to 6pm from Tuesday to Saturday and 9.30am to 2pm on Sunday. The entry fee is three euros.source surinenglsih

Plans to modernise Tivoli have been on the drawing board for more than a decade. The real estate group Tremón has been able to make its move now, however, thanks to the recovery from the financial crisis and the unusual stability of the local town hall, which has seen five different mayors in the last ten years.

Real estate group plans to invest 300 million euros in revamping Tivoli
 

Businessman Rafael Gómez had previously announced plans to build a commercial centre on land used as a car park, with cinemas, shops and a circus, however the project was stopped in its tracks by the financial crisis. Gómez had bought Tivoli in 2004 from its previous owner, Bent Olsen, who founded the iconic park in 1972.

The project has been on the back burner since Tremón acquired the park from Gómez in 2007, although the group, with its own debts in the financial crisis, has been able to do nothing until now.

 
 
Benalmádena has no major shopping centre, despite being one of the Costa del Sol's busiest tourist resorts and residential areas.

About to reach its 45th anniversary, Tivoli has been crying out for renovation for years. The park was built at the beginning of the seventies, when Spain was starting to satisfy the need for leisure facilities in the latter years of the Franco regime.

Fireworks, a rollercoaster, the Chinese pagoda and a boating lake were highlights of the opening of a park that has been through golden eras and more depressing times, without losing its position as a benchmark attraction among several generations of residents and visitors.

In its nearly 45 years, Tivoli has seen more than 30 million visitors and even in its more neglected periods visitor numbers fell but the park was never closed.source surinenglish

This week the Guardia Civil's Nature Protection Service (Seprona) is looking into any possible damage done to the Vega del Mar paleochristian basilica site in Marbella, after complaints from residents in the area.

According to the complainants, the damage was caused by works vehicles, which are now known to have been sent by the council to clear the land in order to create a new picnic area. Residents claim that one of the trucks became stuck in the mud and the destruction occurred as a second truck tried to remove it.

Roman burials can be found beneath nearby beach
Although only the basilica is officially classified as an Asset of Cultural Interest (BIC), the whole of its surrounding land is fenced off and is under archaeological protection as it is known to contain Roman relics. Some of these remains, including bones, metal nails and ceramics, surfaced as a result of the disruption to the land last week.

 
On Monday, representatives from the Nature Protection Service visited the forest of eucalyptus trees outside the basilica where the majority of the damage is said to have been done.

Marbella's head of Culture, Gema Midón has since defended the council's decision to send the works vehicles to the site, claiming that "no irreparable damage has been done," and the installation of wooden benches for the new picnic area is "compatible with the archaeological protection of the area." She also stated that the objects which surfaced are not particularly valuable as they are "decontextualised."

However she did confirm that in order to prevent further damage, from now on all work at the site will be done manually.source surinenglish

A change in manager for Malaga has not brought a change in fortune for the club after a last-minute winner for Deportivo Alavés condemned Míchel's new team to a 13th defeat of the season on Saturday evening.

The first 20 minutes of the match were fairly even with both teams having equal possession and equal shots at goal. Alavés' keeper, Pacheco, was forced into action early on to deny a right-footed effort from Charles, and a header from Camacho soon after. In the latter stages of the first half, however, despite greater possession, Malaga, using the wings as their main route of attack, were ineffective in creating many more significant chances as crosses from wingers Chory and Keko were lacking in quality.

For most of the half Alavés failed to capitalise on the home side's ineffective performance, despite winning several freekicks around Malaga's box and numerous corners. However, in the 38th minute Kameni failed to stop the visitors' first shot on target and Feddal, an unlikely scorer being a centre-half, provided Alavés with a 1-0 lead. The goal was especially hard to swallow for Malaga as the corner that fed Feddal's successful shot was provided by an unforced error from Demichelis who weighted his passback to keeper Kameni so heavily that the latter was unable to keep the ball in play. The homeside pressed for the rest of the half, but their best chance, a header from Miguel Torres, was a straightforward save for Pacheco and Míchel's team left the pitch 1-0 down at half time.

 
The second half saw a more threatening performance from Malaga, who continued to dominate possession but were now testing Pacheco much more frequently.

The first 10 minutes brought three freekicks for the homeside and the first booking of the match for the goalscorer as Malaga began to frustrate the Alavés defence. As the half progressed the chances for the hosts were coming thick and fast but did not yield any goals as a strong effort from Charles was stopped again by Pacheco and a potent shot from Sandro on the edge of the penalty area was thwarted by the inside of the post.

The last 20 minutes were the most dramatic of the fixture. An anticipated equaliser finally came in the 71st minute when left-back substitute Juankar, made a smooth finish to Charles' slick pass from outside the 18 yard box. The home fans' excitement was then compounded by the sending off of Alavés' Feddal just one minute later after he earnt another yellow for a poorly-timed tackle.

The following minutes saw numerous chances for the hosts to take the lead. However more attempts from Charles' head and feet were light work for Pacheco, and a well-placed free header from substitute striker Youssef En-Nesyri was still not enough to halt the Alavés keeper's great performance. Nevertheless Malaga looked most likely to get the winner.

The winning goal finally came in the 91st minute, but disastrously for Míchel and his players, it was from Alavés' central midfielder, Edgar, who easily slipped the ball past Kameni after being gifted possession by the hapless Demichelis and too much time and space by Luis Hernández in the Malaga penalty area.

The Alavés goals came from the visitors' only shots on target, which made the final result all the more bitter considering the amount of possession and the number of shots on target the home side enjoyed. A performance from Malaga, which overall looked more promising than their recent form, has once again ended in defeat, and Míchel's first game is a frustrating loss. source surinenglish