FUENGIROLA Bio-Parc has said goodbye to its white tiger. Ankur, a white tiger that captured the hearts of visitors to the Bio-Parc, will be transferred to Maia Zoo in Portugal in June, to form part of a reproduction programme.

White tigers were last seen in the wild in 1958. There will be special activities dedicated to this charismatic feline that will be published on the web. Visit: www.bioparcfuengirola.es.

THE relatives of victims of the Legionnaire’s Disease outbreak in Benalmadena in 2007 have been awarded approximately €248,000 in compensation. 

Almost 50 people had to go to hospital due to the outbreak and three people died, including a former Euro Weekly News editor, aged 68 at the time.

The outbreak originated in a refrigeration tower at the ice rink in Benalmadena. Many people spent weeks in hospital and some were left with permanent after effects.

Six years on, the victims claim that they were never contacted by the town hall or the company that managed the club, which was closed down as a precautionary measure by the mayor at the time, Javier Carnero, and reopened weeks later.

The relatives of the two British victims have reached an agreement with one of the insurance companies and will receive payments of €138,250 and €109,971, according to the Patients’ Ombudsman. The third victim was a man from Oviedo, but the Junta de Andalucia Provincial Health Delegation claims that his death was not due to the Legionnaire’s outbreak.

The investigation, which is being handled by a court in Torremolinos, continues, and patients affected by the outbreak complain that they are not being offered enough compensation.

A WOMAN in Ronda had a narrow escape after falling down a lift shaft. Patrol officers who were alerted by a disturbance in Calle Torero Francisco Romero in the early hours of the morning, discovered the semi-conscious woman lying in one metre of standing water at the foot of the elevator shaft.

The precarious job of removing her from the derelict building in pitch dark conditions was successfully carried out by the police, and emergency services transferred her to a nearby hospital.

MORE than a million visitors are expected to visit this week’s ever more popular International People’s Fair in Fuengirola. The 19th edition of the event is running until Sunday.

The multicultural event presents an opportunity for the 33 participating countries to showcase their culture, and a unique opportunity for spectators to view a window of the world.

Last year’s event attracted over a million visitors, and created 500 jobs, which prompted the mayor, Esperanza Oña, to comment: “It's a show that conveys the coexistence between countries, and everyone has a good time.

“We aim to demonstrate that the existence of different societies need not divide, but on the contrary, make us culturally richer. We can boast about Fuengirola’s folklore and cuisine without detracting from others.”

A ceremony to announce the event was attended by representatives from participating countries, and guests were entertained by folk groups from Argentina, Peru, Ecuador, Egypt, Bolivia and Cuba.

The fair started May 1 with a parade and will be open from 1pm every day until May 5.

Two large marquees spread over 2,500 square metres will house 69 exhibitors, including an entertainment area for children incorporating a 300 square metre ice rink.

Launched in 1994, the event has grown into an annual opportunity for Fuengirola to show off its customs, folklore, gastronomy, and reputation as a multicultural place to live.

THE leader of a gang which kidnapped at least 21 businessmen and threatened them with fake explosive vests was arrested in Malaga. The Algerian is just one of 16 people arrested in France and Spain, as a result of an operation carried out by police in both countries and in Luxembourg. 

Officers have recovered €124,000 in cash, five luxury watches, six guns, three swords, two motorbikes, two cars and two bullet-proof vests. 

The victims of one kidnapping were snared in Morocco by a high-class prostitute who offered them the chance to take part in a profitable business buying computer equipment.

She persuaded them to travel to Paris with large amounts of cash. The six businessmen were held in a hotel until they handed over almost €1 million in cash.

Later, the leader of the gang travelled to Luxembourg, where he claimed to be the head of security for an Arab prince willing to invest large amounts in buying jewellery.

He managed to gather 15 jewellers and watchmakers, who were threatened with guns and forced to hand over €1 million in cash and €1.3 million in jewellery and watches.

To prevent the victims from escaping, the kidnappers used vests which they claimed contained explosives which would detonate if any of them tried to leave. 

Following this, the alleged leader of the gang headed to the Costa del Sol. He was stopped at a routine vehicle checkpoint in Malaga. While police were examining his ID, he fled the scene.

Just weeks later, he was stopped again in Torremolinos and immediately arrested. At the time, he was wearing one of the luxury watches stolen in Luxembourg.

Before committing these two crimes, he had escaped from prison in Avignon, France, in October 2012 and had created a network in Spain to sell the jewellery and watches and launder money. The other suspects were traced to Malaga, Valencia, Lyon, Marseille and Paris.

COSTA DEL SOL hoteliers claim that reservations for the start of the summer season are not looking good. The summer season on the Costa del Sol starts in May and ends in October, and the President of the Costa del Sol Hoteliers Association (Aehcos), Jose Carlos Escribano, said that he hopes bookings will pick up soon because so far they have “cooled down”. 

He also complained that the local administrations have reduced the promotion of the area to tourists. Last minute bookings are more frequent nowadays, but the Alliance for Tourism Excellence (Exceltur), which represents Spain’s major tourist companies, foresee several circumstances which will have a negative effect on tourism this summer.

The only positive sign,it says, is that private expenditure and available income of German families is expected to increase slightly, while the UK and France will maintain the current levels.

However, unemployment in Spain is still on the rise, VAT rises have made products and services more expensive, and now, people are slowly returning to countries like Egypt and Tunisia.

The fact that the price of airline tickets is rising due to lack of demand and increasing airport taxes is also expected to hit tourism. 

By Jennifer Leighfield