Flamenco fever is gripping swathes of Asia, luring hard-hit Spanish dancers

Flamenco fever is gripping swathes of Asia, luring hard-hit Spanish dancers and breathing new life into a centuries-old art that touches the soul of Spain.
Like dozens of other flamenco artists, Tomas Arroquero travels every year to Asia to work for several months.
The lean 40-year-old Australian, whose parents are Spanish, has taught flamenco in Japan, China, Taiwan and Hong Kong since he moved to Spain in 1995 to explore his passion for flamenco.
Without job opportunities on the other side of the globe many flamenco artists say it would be impossible to work year-round and dedicate their lives to the song, music and dance of flamenco.
"It is very difficult to sustain yourself full-time in flamenco in Spain. There is so much going on, so many good artists in Spain. Interest from outside provides opportunities," said Arroquero.
Teaching jobs are especially important since they provide the most stable and reliable source of income for many flamenco artists, said Yuko Aoyama, a sociological geography professor at Clark University in the US state of Massachusetts who has studied the trend.
Globalisation raised fears of a common global culture drowning out local art forms like flamenco but instead it has generated new audiences and much-needed sources of income for performers, she said.
"The commercialisation of art and the expansion of markets for art is typically viewed as a bad thing but actually without these markets these arts themselves would find it more difficult to survive," said Aoyama.
Examples of other local arts that have received a boost from interest from abroad include Romanian gypsy dance, Brazilian samba dance and classical Japanese calligraphy, she said.
Though its origins are obscure, flamenco's beginnings have been traced to the interplay of Arabic, Sephardic Jewish and gypsy cultures in the 15th century in the region of Andalucia in southwestern Spain.
Since then flamenco, with its colourful dresses with layers of ruffles known as "trajes de faraleas", has become an icon of Spanish culture which has also become popular among foreigners.
Earlier this year the regional government of Andalucia launched a bid to have flamenco declared part of the world's Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by the United Nations.

impact of the Spanish property crash is finally catching up with Santander?

Santander, Spain's largest bank, have been apparently defying gravity.

While the Irish banks have crashed and burned, Santander, seemingly insulated by its international diversification and superior regulation by the Spanish central bank, has carried on regardless.

But do last week's worse-than-expected third-quarter results, which show increased loan-loss provisions, indicate that the impact of the Spanish property crash is finally catching up with Santander? For the three months to the end of September, Santander reported loan loss provisions of €2.93bn, up €400m on the same period last year and €450m higher than for the second quarter of 2010.

While the Spanish banking giant blamed the higher loan loss provisions on tougher provisioning standards imposed by the Bank of Spain -- one of the few central banks to emerge from the global financial crisis with its reputation intact -- investors will be worried that Spain's well-charted property bust is finally hitting Santander's bottom line.

At the end of September, Santander has total loans to customers of just over €700bn. Approximately €280bn of these loans, almost 40 per cent, were to customers in Spain, Portugal and elsewhere in the eurozone. Given what we now know about the state of the Spanish and Portuguese economies -- Portugal's government is on the brink of collapsing this weekend after the government and opposition failed to agree a budget -- how confident can we be about the quality of this loan book?

While the Santander share price has held up remarkably well over the past three years, the higher third-quarter loan loss provisions will give investors plenty of food for thought.

Muslim youth called Younes, had died after being hit by a rubber bullet fired by Spanish police

Moroccan media announced, without citing any sources, that a Muslim youth called Younes, had died after being hit by a rubber bullet fired by Spanish police during riots this week in the enclave city of Melilla, a report that Spain says in "a complete lie".

Reuters reported yesterday that a spokesman for the Government Office in Melilla had assured that the only injuries demonstrators had suffered were "of a minor nature" and that there was only one wounded in the unrest, a policeman who was hit by a stone in the face.

The report of Younes's death was also denied by the Interior Ministry, the Delegation of the Government and the Mayor of Melilla, Juan Jose Imbroda.

The information in the death of Younes and its dissemination is an invention that, according to Spanish diplomats sources and Morrocan intellectuals in the city, was a deliberate attempt by Moroccan authorities to increase civil unrest in the city.



The news story was reported in the same way across many Moroccan news sources, and coincides with the real death of a young man, Saharawi Nayem Elgarhi, shot dead by Moroccan soldiers last Sunday, which has led to suspicions that there may be some official connection between the stories.

The day of protests yesterday, the fifth day of vindication, passed by without incident after a meeting held by the Government Delegate in the city, Gregorio Escobar, with representatives of the protesters.

16-year-old Muslim teenager from Melilla was killed, on Thursday evening by a rubber bullet fired at close range by the Spanish Civil Guard,

16-year-old Muslim teenager from Melilla was killed, on Thursday evening by a rubber bullet fired at close range by the Spanish Civil Guard, in clashes between demonstrators and the police in the "La Canada de Hidume" neighborhood in the occupied city of Melilla, media reported on Friday.
The young Younès died of his wounds, the same sources said, adding that the victim's body was taken by law enforcement officers to an unknown destination.

For three days, large demonstrations of young people, who are complaining of discrimination in employment, raged the occupied city of Melilla.

The same sources added that the various security services in Spain were surprised by the scale of these demonstrations.

“Neither the Civil Guard nor any other service in the Iberian Peninsula anticipated this outburst of violence between the young people of Melilla, who are mostly of Moroccan origin, and the police, causing injuries from both sides and material damage,” the media quoted some observers as saying.

The Spanish government delegation to Melilla has endeavored to give the riots an image of a simple claim of employment, while the youths are demanding recognition of their rights as natives of Melilla.

These youths consider themselves victims of injustice in their own city, accusing the authorities of granting advantages, to their detriment, to Spaniards from Malaga or Almeria, spain.

Melilla, where protests and clashes continue between Spanish security forces and local youth

A major safety device was set up to impose a "state of siege" in the neighborhoods of the Moroccan [Spanish Occupied Enclave city of] Melilla, where protests and clashes continue between Spanish security forces and local youth, according to a well-informed source.
All vehicles wishing to enter or leave the troubled areas are checked at roadblocks, set up by local authorities since the beginning of events, the same source added.
Clashes between Spanish police and local youth began on Tuesday in some areas of the occupied city before spreading to other neighborhoods, following the announcement by the local government of the list of beneficiaries of an employment program that excludes dozens of young people, mostly Moroccans.

The police used tear gas to disperse the crowds, who responded by putting up barricades and burning tires and garbage dumpsters. Several vehicles were also torched.

To contain the situation of tension, reinforcements of police were rushed on Wednesday from Spain and more others will arrive on Thursday in the occupied city.

Melilla clashes: eight people brought to justice on Friday

Occupied Melilla - Eight of the eleven protesters arrested after clashes that broke out, since Tuesday in the Moroccan [Spanish Occupied Enclave city of] MelillaMelilla, between Spanish police and local youth, will be brought to justice on Friday, a well-informed source said.

These young people, who have protested against their "premeditated" exclusion from the list of beneficiaries of an employment program, were arrested for participating in demonstrations.

A protest march was held on Thursday evening with the participation of over two hundred people to make the local government open direct talks with the inhabitants and release the arrested people, including minors.

A major safety device was set up to impose a "state of siege" in the neighborhoods of the occupied city.

All vehicles wishing to enter or leave the troubled areas are checked at roadblocks, set up by local authorities since the beginning of events.


Clashes between Spanish police and local youth began on Tuesday in some areas of the occupied city before spreading to other neighborhoods, following the announcement by the local government of the list of beneficiaries of an employment program that excludes dozens of young people, mostly Moroccans.

The police used tear gas to disperse the crowds, who responded by putting up barricades and burning tires and garbage dumpsters. Several vehicles were also torched.To contain the situation of tension, reinforcements of police were rushed from Spain to Melissa.

Santander is significantly undercapitalised compared with its European peers and some way from meeting the tougher standards set out by the new Basel

Santander’s plans to list on the London Stock Exchange next year may not herald a significant change for the UK business, which has already transformed itself into a household name in the British banking market.
However, for the highly acquisitive Spanish bank, the move not only generates much-needed capital after a flurry of purchases in recent months, but puts further weight behind its commitment to overseas markets.
As Santander’s home territory has suffered in the wake of a severe and prolonged property crash, the bank has increasingly turned its focus away from Spain. In recent months it has bought a portfolio of 318 UK branches from Royal Bank of Scotland, a stake in Polish bank Zachodni, $4bn (£2.5bn) of US car loans and a branch network in Germany.Analysts say that rapid expansion has left its capital levels in need of replenishment. Andrew Lim at Matrix believes Santander is significantly undercapitalised compared with its European peers and some way from meeting the tougher standards set out by the new Basel III regime

European Commission Wednesday called for a ban on suspected killer drug mephedrone

European Commission Wednesday called for a ban on suspected killer drug mephedrone, a popular ecstasy-like party drug known as "meow meow", sold on the Internet and available in 12 EU nations.

Mephedrone, already illegal in 15 European Union nations, has been linked to 37 deaths in Britain and Ireland alone and appears to be the sole cause of two deaths in the EU, Commission spokesman Matthew Newman said at a news conference.

"We need to react quickly," he said.

Sold in powder form, capsules or tablets by streets dealers, or over the web posing as bath salts or plant fertiliser, its effects are comparable to ecstasy or cocaine -- but at only 10 to 15 euros a gram.

"Mephredone is a dangerous drug," said Justice Commissioner Viviane Reding. "I urge governments to move fast to control and criminalise it."

Also known as "bubble" or "neodove", it has been banned in Austria, Belgium, Britain, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Luxembourg, Malta, Poland, Romania and Sweden.

Sex trade growing in Spain

massive building with neon lights in the form of two palm trees advertises itself as a 'night club.'
Yet the 'show girls' dancing inside are no ordinary performers, but prostitutes selling sex in what is being billed as Europe's biggest brothel.
Located in La Jonquera on the Spanish side of the French border, the establishment called Paradise says it employs 150 sex workers offering their services in 80 rooms and a couple of exclusive suites.
The 'mega-brothel' located in a drab industrial area made national headlines - receiving a barrage of free publicity - after its inauguration sparked protests from local residents.
The growing number of similar establishments in the area was turning it into 'the whorehouse of France,' La Jonquera Mayor Jordi Cabezas grumbled.
France has toughened its prostitution laws in recent years, banning brothels and restricting street prostitution.
That has touched off an influx of French men into Spanish brothels. The border and the nearby Girona area now have more than a dozen brothels, 80 per cent of whose clients are French, according to local media reports.
The phenomenon reverses a trend that existed in Spain during the 1939-75 dictatorship of Francisco Franco, when Spaniards crossed the border into France to watch erotic movies that were banned in their own country.
'We come to Spain for sex,' said a man identifying himself as Said, 40, who had come from France to visit Paradise.
Spain's ambiguous prostitution laws have contributed to turning the country into one of Europe's centres for the sex trade.
Some other European countries have either legalized or prohibited prostitution, but the Spanish government and parliament have been unable to agree on either approach, leaving the sex trade in a legal limbo.
As a consequence, an estimated 400,000 prostitutes ply their trade virtually uncontrolled in thousands of brothels as well as flats, cars and sometimes even outdoors - in parks or on the street. The branch is estimated to turn over more than 18 billion euros (25 billion dollars) annually.
The overwhelming majority of the sex workers are immigrants - often illegal - from Eastern Europe, Latin America and Africa.
Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero's government believes that as many as 90 per cent of prostitutes working in Spain have been coerced into the trade.
Many of the sex workers have said they were lured to Spain with false promises, and forced to become prostitutes in order to pay the alleged cost of their trip.
The owner of Paradise, for instance, has been indicted on charges including trafficking with human beings at other brothels he runs. He maintains that all the women working at Paradise do so voluntarily.
The government has pledged to crack down on criminal prostitution rings, but the lack of an overall policy on the trade has left cities and towns without guidelines.
Barcelona, for instance, fines prostitutes or their clients to chase them away from heavily transited areas or from locates close to schools.
In Madrid, the authorities have experimented with methods such as placing video cameras in a central street frequented by prostitutes, or instructing police to harass motorists looking for paid sex.
The authorities feel helpless in places such as La Jonquera, where Cabezas tried to obtain a court order to prevent the opening of Paradise, but lost the case.
Some local entrepreneurs defend the brothel, arguing that it brings business to the village of 3,100 residents, but most locals are against it.
'It gives the municipality a bad image, bringing insecurity and ... drugs,' one female resident argued.
'We are still living with an absolute double standard. (Prostitution) activities need to be regulated more, but nobody ... has had the courage to grab the bull by the horns,' said Salvador Esteve, mayor of nearby Martorell.

Addiction to Legal and Illegal Substances

Although there is widespread social belief that people who consume illegal substances suffer more negative effects, consumption-related health problems are actually primarily due to legal substances.

The World Health Organization (WHO) expected tobacco to explain 16.8% of mortality in Spain, alcohol 3% and illegal drugs 0.6%. However, in regard to the burden of disease, tobacco accounted for 12.3%, alcohol 7.6% and illegal drugs 3.9%.

Spain may limit the hours during which photovoltaic-power plants may earn subsidies as part of a plan to rein in electricity costs

Spain may limit the hours during which photovoltaic-power plants may earn subsidies as part of a plan to rein in electricity costs for consumers, according to a government official involved in talks with the owners.

It’s too early to say how much the cut might cost companies that generate the solar power using photovoltaic panels, said Antonio Hernandez, general director of energy policy at the Madrid-based Industry Ministry. He said the ministry aims to reach an agreement during the next few weeks of negotiations.

“We want to prevent electricity becoming more expensive as the sun shines more,” Hernandez said in a telephone interview this week. “One of the possibilities is that the number of hours that subsidies can be earned would have limits.”

Plant operators and trade groups have held talks with ministry officials for months and threatened to sue the government for as much as 1 billion euros ($1.4 billion) should it cut the subsidies. The aid, which is added to consumer bills, is guaranteed for 25 years under a 2007 law, plant operator T- Solar Global SA Chief Executive Officer Juan Laso has said.

Hernandez is searching for a formula to hold down power prices for industry and households as the government tries to revive an economy emerging from its worst recession in 60 years.

The revenue from consumers’ electricity bills doesn’t fully cover the cost of delivering power under the current system, leaving utilities to finance a so-called tariff deficit that’s forecast to total about 3 billion euros just for 2010.

Renewable energy has become the focus of power-rate negotiations as Hernandez tries to meet a legal obligation to eliminate the tariff deficit by 2013.

Spain’s power regulator forecasts that the subsidies to renewable energy-producers plus those to co-generation, which includes more energy-efficient uses of fossil fuels, will reach 6.8 billion

TORREMOLINOS residents are in for a shock when they get their water and rubbish collection bills

TORREMOLINOS residents are in for a shock when they get their water and rubbish collection bills for the first three months of 2011. The town hall has approved a motion to increase taxes for both services which come on one bill. However, the amount owed will vary depending on how much water each household consumes and there will be discounts for people who have been registered in the town for more than two years.

In any case, the bills will be more than 50 per cent higher than this year.

The mayor, Pedro Fernandez Montes, blames the Consumer Prices Index, the extra cost of transporting rubbish to Casares once the municipal tip is closed, and the Andalucian water law which has put up the price of water to pay for purification plants and improving infrastructures.

However, the socialist spokesman, Juan Ortuño, says these are just excuses to bring more money into municipal coffers at the expense of local residents

3,776 families in Malaga live on €476 per month, which is less than €16 per day.

3,776 families in Malaga live on €476 per month, which is less than €16 per day. Most of these families have four or more members, meaning that some 15,000 people are living in severe poverty. These are just the families which go to the city hall for help, although other cases remain undetected, according to the Malaga Councillor for Social Affairs, Marivi Romero.

This year alone, the budget Malaga City Hall has to help local families in need has tripled, and the number of requests for help has risen by 140 per cent since last year.

In a third of the cases this year, it was the first time the families had asked for help to cover basic necessities such as food, water, electricity, housing and mortgages.

So far this year, Social Welfare has handed out more than €1.8m in economic assistance, 35 per cent more than just two years ago.

Did Mark Webber try to crash into Alonso after losing control of his car in South Korea?

Did Mark Webber try to crash into Alonso after losing control of his car in South Korea? That has been insinuated by the ex Formula One driver, Gerhard Berger who said
‘He could have braked and stopped the car against the wall, but he did not do so. He took out Nico Rosberg, but he was the wrong driver. I think he would have preferred to have taken out Alonso or Hamilton’.

Berger goes on to say he understands the situation because when you lose control like that you are frustrated and a thousand things go through your head. For him what happened was clear, as the wheels were not blocked at any time. ‘He may have had a problem with the brakes’, said Berger, ‘but I doubt it’.

Meanwhile the Director of Red Bull, Christian Horner, has come out in defence of Webber.
‘It’s ridiculous to think that Mark tried to crash with another driver. Simply his instinct was to try and keep the car on the track even though it was seriously damaged’.
Alonso missed Webber by just a few centimetres.

Read more: http://www.typicallyspanish.com/news/publish/article_27679.shtml#ixzz13fJ0smoC

Padre Ángel claims that he has contact with the Virgen María and that he purchased a flat at her request.

priest from Picassent in Valencia who is accused of tax fraud has said that being a priest he thought that he did not have to pay any tax.

However the Valencia Archbishopric does not recognise Padre Ángel as a priest at all.

Padre Ángel claims that he has contact with the Virgen María and that he purchased a flat at her request. He set up his own religious order, La Junta de la Esclavitud del Sagrado Corazon de Jesús, (The Order of Slavery of the Sacred Heart of Jesus) and purchased the flat and other land in Picassent, Gandía and Valencia with the money donated by the faithful.

He was on the accused bench of the Valencia Provincial Court on Tuesday and now faces a possible eight year prison sentence, accused of defrauding 386,139 € from the taxman between the years 1992 and 2003.

Read more: http://www.typicallyspanish.com/news/publish/article_27672.shtml#ixzz13fIkt5er

woman accused of killing her husband in a fight, María Pilar Marcos, has been found not guilty by a jury in Navarra

A 64 year old woman accused of killing her husband in a fight, María Pilar Marcos, has been found not guilty by a jury in Navarra. The court heard how she had been ill-treated by her husband for some 38 years of their 44 year long marriage, and how she used a knife to kill him during a fight at their home in Tafalla, Navarra in November 2009.

The nine members of the jury considered that it had not been proven by the prosecution that a crime had taken place. They had asked the judge for guidance on four possible charges, murder, murder with casual malice, reckless homicide and accidental injury, but they considered none of the four had been proven in court, and that there was not enough evidence to suggest that the woman had the intention of killing her husband in the struggle, saying that she could have grabbed any other non-mortal object to hand to defend herself. And so the woman was declared by the judge free to go.

The prosecutor had called for an 11 year sentence for murder.
The judge had on Tuesday returned an earlier verdict back to the jury considering it held contradictions, and on Wednesday morning they sat again to reconsider.

On hearing the verdict the accused family hugged each other and gave shouts of joy. The accused told the press that she could not believe what had happened, just as she could not believe the nightmare that had happened to her before. She noted that through it all her friends, five children and grandchildren had been unconditionally at her side, and she also had words of thanks for the police who she had treated her marvellously, as had the prison officers.

The prosecutor has the option of an appeal to the Navarra High Court against the verdict and should that not be successful then to turn to the Supreme Court should it be decided to do so.



Meanwhile in another domestic violence case the man who is accused of killing his 26 year old wife and two children aged 6 and 2 in Tarragona on October 18, has now been arrested by the Guardia Urbana in Barcelona.

Read more: http://www.typicallyspanish.com/news/publish/article_27684.shtml#ixzz13fH4N5T7