UNEMPLOYMENT FELL SLIGHTLY IN CASARES LAST MONTH

The latest unemployment figures showed a slight drop in Casares last month with  five less people signing on the dole, a drop of 1 per cent on September’s figure. The drop follows two months of an increase in unemployment. There were 499 people out of work in Casares last month. The figures for Casares are out of step with other areas where the number of jobless has continued to rise. Unemployment rose by 5 per cent in Estepona, by 4.5 per cent in Manilva and by 1 per cent in Gaucin. Overall unemployment has risen by one and half per cent in Andalusia while Malaga province has seen the worst increase by 3.3 per cent.

And now some news in brief:

Two people have been arrested for cultivating cannabis at their home in Estepona. The man, aged 37 and the 31 year old woman were arrested after twenty cannabis plants and 1,100 grammes of the drug were seized at their home in the Valle Romano urbanisation.

UNEMPLOYMENT FALLS FOR THE FOURTH MONTH IN A ROW IN CASARES

Unemployment has dropped in Casares for the fourth consecutive month in a row. The latest figures show the jobless figure at 474 in June, that’s a drop of 12 on the previous month. A similar trend was reported in Estepona where there were 380 less people on the dole, making a total figure of 6,444. Unemployment also fell in Manilva where the jobless figure for June was 1,199. The overall trend was repeated throughout Malaga province where the uneployment figure for June was 189,769, a drop of 6,612 than in May. The latest figures show that unemployment is at its lowest since 2011. However the trade unions say that much of the improvement is due to seasonal factors and the increase in service jobs during the summer months.

BRITISH PRISON ESCAPER AND DRUGS DEALER ARRESTED AT GYM IN ESTEPONA

A 29 year old man from Liverpool who escaped from a British prison last year has been arrested as he entered a gym in Estepona. Gerard Hagan had been living openly near Estepona since his escape from a Lancashire prison. He was serving a 10 years sentence for his part in an attempt by a gang of Briitish criminals to smuggle 440 million Euro worth of cocaine destined for the British market from a boat off the Irish coast in 2007. It was largest seizure of illegal drugs in Ireland. The gang was intercepted and the drugs seized after their boat capsized and police were called off the coast of Co Cork. Hagan and three other men were put on trial in Ireland and jailed for sentences ranging from 10 to 30 years for the botched enterprise. Hagan is now in custody at a prison outside Madrid pending extradition proceedings seeking his return to the UK. Hagan  was reportedly paid 6,200 Euro after he agreed to co-operate with the authorities in the run up to the trial. 

SUMMER FIRES BROUGHT UNDER CONTROL IN ESTEPONA

Fire services were called out on three occasions this week to deal with summer fires outside Estepona. The first blaze was reported  last Friday in a wooded area and destroyed  25 hectares. The next day fire services were called out again to deal with a fire in the Estepona Golf urbanisation. Twenty houses had to be evacuated because of this blaze. Then on Sunday night a fire broke out in the Arroyo Vaquero area. The blaze was brought under control by Infoca who used two pumps and twenty one people to bring it under control. No one was injured in any of the fires.

And now some news in brief:

Malaga is the fourth busiest province in Spain for organised crime groups, according to the Secretary of State for Secuirty, Francisco Martinez. Figures show that Malaga came fourth for organised criminal activity after Madrid, Barcelona and Cadiz.

THE TOUR OF SPAIN WILL PASS THROUGH CASARES NEXT MONTH

The Tour of Spain cycling event will pass through Casares during its eighth stage on August 31st.  The stage will start at Jimena de la Frontera and pass through Cortes and Gaucin before finishing at the top of Penas Blancas in Estepona, a distance of 170 kilometres. The town council believes that the Tour offers great opportunites for tourism in Casares, and will showcase the white villages and the coast. It will also promote lodging and catering facilities for visitors following the tour.