Initial reports were that the President would also be coming, but a White House spokesman spoke only of Michelle and daughter Sasha

The wife of the President of the United States, Michelle Obama, and one of their daughters nine year old Sasha, will spend part of their summer holidays in Marbella.

Initial reports were that the President and his entire family are coming but an anonymous statement later from the White House, reported by El Mundo, confirmed only the presence of Michelle and Sasha, saying the President would be remaining in the United States. 12 year old Malia will be on a summer camp during the period.

The visit will be from August 4 – 8 in the luxury Villapadierna Hotel, where 35 rooms have been reserved for family and friends.
There were earlier reports that the President would travel to the Marivent Palace on Mallorca to meet with King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia, and also meet with the Spanish Prime Minister, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, at some point, but this now seems unlikely.

Government sources quoted by El Mundo, while failing to confirm the news, said if it were to happen it would be a ‘clear demonstration of the excellent relations currently between Spain and the United States.


Read more: http://www.typicallyspanish.com/news/publish/article_26825.shtml#ixzz0ulZ7pJpp

 The celebrations for Spain continue following the team reaching the World Cup Final.

The celebrations for Spain continue following the team reaching the World Cup Final for the first time, and the press obsessed with coverage ahead of the final against The Netherlands on Sunday in Johannesburg.

It’s already been decided that there will be a fiesta on Monday in Madrid, whether the team win or lose, with the team travelling through the capital’s streets in an open top bus from around 7pm.

A stage is already under construction on the Esplanade at Puente de Rey, next to the Manzanares river. The large screen from the Bernabéu will be erected in Cibeles. The route has been changed since 2008 when Spain won the European Cup as at the time it was considered too short.

Rafa Nadal has said that he will be travelling to Johannesburg for the final on Sunday. A well known football lover the World Number One is friends with some of the Spanish side, and was seen on the streets of Mallorca on Wednesday night celebrating the victory of Germany having watched the game with his family at home.

The theft of items from the rooms of Sergio Busquets and Pedro before the game could not dampen the party, with Busquets losing some 800 € and other items, while Pedro lost about 1,000 €. It does of course raise questions about security.

Paul the German octopus who lives at the Sealife aquarium in Oberhausen, and who correctly predicted the Spanish win has seen his fame reach as far as the Spanish Congress. The eight legged thing obviously knows more than Gary Lineker, who famously said once that ‘football is a game played by 11 against 11, which lasts for 90 minutes and which Germany always wins’. Spanish Prime Minister, José Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, said he was worried for the Octopus and was considering sending a team to protect it, while the Minister for Industry, Miguel Sebastián declared that the octopus should be declared a national hero. Minister for the Environment, Elena Espinosa, said she would be calling for special protection measures, to make sure the Germans don’t now eat it.

Video of Queen Sofía has emerged when she went down to the team dressing room after the game in Durban, and caught the goal scorer Carles Puyol coming out of the shower.
‘Fantastic, Congratulations’, said the Queen saying that ‘in the name of the King and all the members of the Royal Family and of all Spain it was marvellous’.

For those who are superstitious, Spain will be playing the final in their blue strip, the colour in which the side has won all its games in South Africa, even it was just the two games against Chile and Paraguay.

‘Manolo el del Bombo’, the famous Spain supporter got back to South Africa on Wednesday in time to see the Germany game. He had earlier to return to Spain for medical treatment last week.

The British ex Policeman, Howard Webb, will be the referee for the final on Sunday. He was already the referee when Spain lost against Switzerland in their first match.

Finally, maybe it had something to do with the beer many were drinking, but the demand for water in Madrid rise by 26% in just four minutes during half time, according to the city’s water board.


Read more: http://www.typicallyspanish.com/news/publish/article_26658.shtml#ixzz0tATQ8rgx

 They meet Germany in Durban on Wednesday night

It was not pretty but Spain qualified on Saturday for the World Cup semi finals for the first time. Their single goal against the tough defence put up by Paraguay earns them clash against Germany on Wednesday in Durban. Germany will arrive at the match fresh from a 4-0 thrashing of Argentina.

David Villa’s goal came in the 83rd minute and after the Spanish side had finally started to find its space and service the strikers as the Paraguayan defence tired. Once again Vicente del Bosque placed his confidence in Fernando Torres, but once again ‘El Niño’ failed to show any form and he was replaced in the 56th minute by Cesc Fabregas. With Torres on the pitch Spain had only fired at goal once.

The game saw some penalty excitement too in a dramatic three minutes in the second half. Pique gave away a penalty by grabbing onto the arm of an attacker, but Iker Casillas saved the penalty, and then a first penalty awarded at the other end of the pitch was scored by Xabi Alonso, but then disallowed by the referee as players encroached into the area. Alonso went the other way with his second shot, as did the Paraguay goalkeeper who saved the shot. Video evidence showed similar encroachment on the earlier penalty, but that time it was ignored by the referee.

Iker Casillas confessed after the game that it had been fellow Spanish goalkeeper, Pepe Reina, who told him which way Cardozo fired his penalties.

The Spanish Press note that the ‘curse has been broken’ by the team reaching the semi-finals. Meanwhile Manolo, the famous Spain supporter who is always on the terraces banging his enormous drum, has had to return to Spain because of illness. Doctors have ordered rest and more tests, but he says he will try to recover for the final if Spain gets there.

Spain will have to lift their game to have any chance against the Germans who have hit their peak at the right time with their 4-0 thrashing of Diego Maradona’s Argentina, but there is good news for Spain – German star Müller will not play because of an accumulation of yellow cards.

Vicente del Bosque has commented that Spain has the players to beat Germany, dismissing suggestions that Germany are favourites for the game.
‘If we could beat them in the European Cup, why can’t we do it again

Read more: http://www.typicallyspanish.com/news/publish/article_26604.shtml#ixzz0sj8f36iB

 Thirty days is the time limit a Marbella judge has given 79-year-old actor Sean Connery and his wife to pay some 3.3 million euros as security to cover any civil liabilities resulting from their charges in the Malibu planning case. The court has been investigating irregularities in the deals that led to the construction of 72 luxury apartments on land that was once home to a seaside villa, in which Connery and his wife lived for many years. The state auditing tribunal states that the deals allegedly caused the municipal coffers to lose out on 2.7 million euros. The 1986 PGOU (town development plan) that was in force at the time only allowed the construction of five houses on the land. The investigation has revealed that the profits from the sale of the plot were more than 53 million euros. Operation Goldfinger Connery’s alleged involvement in the case hit the headlines in May, when he and his wife appeared on the list of people the investigating court wanted to speak to in relation to the case, codenamed ‘Goldfinger’. The investigation included searches at the offices of the Díaz-Bastién y Truán (DBT) law firm located in Marbella and Madrid. Several lawyers from the firm are among the around 20 people who face charges in the case, along with former mayor Julián Muñoz and alleged Malaya ringleader Juan Antonio Roca. According to the judge, Ricardo Puyol, the law firm participated in the setting up of a network involving two firms, By The Sea SL and Malibú SA (whose joint administrators were Connery and his wife). This arrangement was allegedly used to commit embezzlement, corruption, influence peddling and fraud as well as to launder the “fat profits” obtained from the sale of the new properties. In the document that informs of the 3.3 million euro bond required from Connery the judge also refers to possible tax evasion and bribery. The document goes on to say that the present real estate complex is the result of three irregular planning deals. The first dates back to January 2000 and was signed by Julián Muñoz and Malibú SA, and the remaining two were signed by Muñoz and By The Sea between then and 2003. The former mayor and several former councillors have been called for further questioning by the judge on July 9th. All three deals involved increasing the permitted volume of construction on the site but none of them were taken before the council or the local government commission for approval. By The Sea appears to be a fiscally opaque company formed mainly by firms based in tax havens, according to the investigators, who claim that the profits are withdrawn as and when the properties are sold.

 Body found by trawler off the Costa del Sol
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By h.b. - May 6, 2010 - 7:28 AM
EFE archiveThe body was found off the coast of Benalmádena

A body of a man, in an advanced state of decomposition, wrapped in plastic, with an anchor around the neck, and with the feet and hands missing, has been recovered by a trawler off the Málaga coast, close to the Torrequebrada casino, after it came caught in the nets.

The fishermen took the body into Benalmádena Marina where the judge and other authorities arrived.

The Civil Guard says it is waiting for the results of the autopsy before continuing with its investigation. As yet there has been no news about the possible identity.


Read more: http://www.typicallyspanish.com/news/publish/article_25993.shtml#ixzz0nE8zQgBh

Amy Fitzpatrick was 15 when she went missing in the Costa de Sol in 2008   Irish expat Amy Fitzpatrick was 15 when she vanished as she walked home from a friend's house on the Costa de Sol in January 2008.

Police have failed to find any trace of her since she disappeared




The million euro has been donated by four anonymous friends of ours 

This reward is for us to get Amy back one way or another.

Some days we hope and pray Amy ran away but we know that's not the truth.

Two years and three and a half months after her disappearance that's impossible.

Some days we think she's alive, other days we think she's dead.

Not knowing what's happened to her is awful.

We're desperately hoping Amy's still alive but if she's not we want to know and we want her back so we can grieve her loss and put her to rest.


The reward money will be

 

 made available

 

for a month

 

 between April 19

 

 and May 19.



We believe someone knows something about Amy's disappearance

We are going through hell and we want to find out what's happened to her either way.

The month means they have a time limit. If they're not going to give Amy up after a month after this long time, we think they never will.

We promised the cash will be made available to anyone whose information will lead to our daughter's discovery.

It will be paid 15 days after she is found alive - or 15 days after police certify her dead.

All calls will remain anonymous should anyone have information

HISTORY

Marbella Casino belongs to the Cirsa Group since 1985.

Cirsa is the first spanish company and one of the world leaders in the game and spare time industry. Part of the Nortia Corporation, has 25 traditional casinos, 53 electronic, 102 bingos, more than 100 game saloons and 63.000 recreational hotel machines in 36.000 establishments, all over the world. With a layout plan of over 15.000 employees, in 2007 had exploitation incomes for 2.200 millions of Euros. It is located in more than 70 countries and has invested more than 45 millions of Euros in I+D+i in the last 3 years. Cirsa is made up by four divisions of business specialized in each spare and recreational activity: Business to business, Slots, Casinos and Bingos.

How everything started

It was in July of the year 1978, when in the Torre del Duque complex, today known as the Gray D´Albión, in Puerto Banús, opened this doors the Marbella Casino, expanding that way the offers of the city to their visitors. The crowding that had to face who entered a game saloon was, in that historical summer, a clear sign of the expectation that aroused the opening.

Since 30 years ago, Marbella Casino gives to its visitors a wide offer in social activities, games and spare time with an unique environment: Marbella, the city with one of the best weathers in all Europe, and a distinguish destiny for those that arrive to La Costa del Sol. Marbella Casino has been identified, along time, as the most emblematic establishments in this marvelous city, that brings on a countless amount of tourists and new residents every year. From its opening, until today, the Casino has welcome more than 4 millons of visitors.

From the past until today

Training new professionals, and the close collaboration with cultural, sport and benefic institutions and organizations, characterized the trajectory of Marbella Casino until our days. From that small saloon in Puerto Banús, to the spaciousness of its current room, Marbella Casino has progressed with constant improvements to satisfy its public.

  Work on the new underpass has exposed the core of San Pedro Alcántara, at least, that is, as far down as a depth of six metres, the future route of the A-7 through this part of Marbella. The construction firm with the job of building the tunnel, OHL, has started excavation work to shape the double gallery that will run for a kilometre beneath San Pedro. The entire project , expected to cost 60 million euros, is already 75 per cent complete, according to sources from the Ministry of Development, who added that this time last week the machinery had already broken through some 120 metres to create the underground gallery. This amounts to more than ten per cent of the total length of the tunnel although excavation work is currently taking place simultaneously at four different points of along the 997 metres of future tunnel. The results are clearer at the central excavation points. There the still unpolished support piles resemble the columns of an ancient temple buried under the ground. There are two large rooms with high ceilings and three rows of pillars that stretch for several metres along the underground cavity. The excavation machinery jolts us back to reality, however. They work at a steady rhythm throughout the day and into the night. In January OHL brought in the night shift so that the tunnel works could continue round the clock. However the rain has meant that work has not been able to progress as fast as the firm would have liked and the night shift has only really been in operation since the middle of March. Ministry sources confirm that the rain “has caused a significant delay because the work has been practically at a standstill for three months”. It is only now that the project is picking up speed as more labour is being brought in after many of the 100 workmen who were busy on the site at the end of last year had to be laid off during the bad weather. In theory the delay will not mean that the project will be finished behind schedule and the estimated completion date is still the end of 2010 or beginning of 2011. Instead the pace of the work will be speeded up, both underground and on the surface. The aim is that in July, when the road surface above the tunnel has been replaced, the road will be reopened to traffic while work continues underground. However the Ministry pointed out that the road will only be open to local traffic while the southern bypass will remain open for vehicles wanting to pass through San Pedro.

 Cafetería Marbella is to reopen after a deal was struck between the owners "Casino Marbella" and Mar Event 2009 SL who have been granted the
consession. After renovation work has been carried out, they hope to reopen the doors for the month of July.

Mar Event 2009 SL have stated that they might take on some members of the old work force who have been in limbo since the Cafeteria`s closure some 9 months ago.