THE SCHOOL YEAR STARTS IN CASARES WITH A SPECIAL DAY TO WELCOME NEW STUDENTS

It was back to school this week for children in Casares and Secadero. A special day was held on Wednesday to welcome the 800 students who will be attending the Blas Infante and Los Almendros schools. There are 350 pupils enrolled at Blas Infante and 162 at Los Almendros in Secadero. Teaching staff were making the final preparations this week for the return to school and all services, including dining and school transport, are ready. Yesterday the normal school schedule resumed from 9 to 2 in Casares and Secadero. A full programme of extracurricular activities will commence in October.

IRISH GANGLAND FIGURE GUNNED DOWN IN HAIL OF BULLETS IN ELVIRIA

An Irish gangland figure was shot and killed by two gunmen who attacked him at a well known Irish bar in Elviria last Saturday. Gerard Kavanagh, whose nickname was Hatchet, was a 44 year old convicted drug dealer who was well known to Irish police. He was drinking outside Harmons Irish Bar in Elviria just before five o' clocl on Saturday when two gunmen dressed in black and wearing black balaclavas opened fire with pistols. Kavanagh was hit nine times before one of the killers fired a final shot to his head. The gunmen escaped in a BMW car which was found burned out five kilometres away. Irish police have been liasising with Spanish police in a bid to discover who was behind the gangland murder. One theory is that Kavanagh, who was a close associate of a well known Irish drugs lord who lives outside Estepona, was in dispute with a Russian mafia gang over drugs money.Four men have been killed this year in suspected gangland linked shootings on the Costa del Sol.

ASHYA KING FROM CASARES DEL MAR WILL BEGIN RADICAL TREATMENT FOR HIS BRAIN CANCER IN PRAGUE NEXT WEEK

Ashya King, the 5 year old boy who lives in Casares del Mar, will begin radical treatment for his brain cancer at a clinic in Prague on Monday. Ashya was the subject of an international manhunt after his parents, Brett and Naghmeh King removed him from a  hospital in Southampton without doctors permission. The parents were arrested by Spanish police on an international warrant but were later freed and reunited with Ashya who suffers from a  brain tumour. The parents and Ashya flew to Prague by private jet from Malaga on Monday and the little boy has already been assessed by doctors at the Proton Therapy Centre. They have given the go ahead for treatment on Ashya to begin on Monday. The Kings other six children were staying at Casares del Mar this week while their parents were with Ashya in the Czech Republic. Mr King has said he is facing huge legal and medical bills after his efforts to get his son lifesaving treatment.

THE JUNTA DE ANDALUCIA HAS FIVEN ITS APPROVAL TO THE LOCAL EMERGENCY PLAN DRAWN UP BY CASARES TO DEAL WITH WIDLFIRES.

The plan which involves co-ordination measures and escape routes must be renewed every five years. Under the plan all isolated dwellings must have a self protection plan.

LIFEGUARD SERVICE ENDS ON THE BEACHES WITH NO MAJOR INCIDENTS

The summer lifeguard service on the beaches officially ended last Sunday with a virtually incident free summer and greater number of people enjoying the sea. The service reported that there were 195 incidents that required minor medical treatment. These included 61 extractions of porcupine quills, 51 cuts and 17 minor bruises. And compared to last summer when there were over 500 jellyfish stings, this year the lifeguard service dealt with only 15 cases. Theer were no red flag days on the beaches this summer, thanks to the good weather. There were 41 green flag days and 24 yellow flags. The councillor for the beaches Juan Jesus Rodriguez said that although the lifeguard service has ended for the summer, the beaches will continue to be cleaned during the month of September and the showers on the beaches will remain open.

THE JOBLESS FIGURE IN CASARES RISES BY 11 PER CENT IN AUGUST

The jobless figure in Casares took a sharp rise in August, up 11 per cent on the July figure. The number out of work for the month was 502, that's 53 more than the previous month. And compared to the August figure for 2013, there are 85 more people unemployed in the town. The disappointing figure follows five consecutive months of a decline in the number out of work. It contrasts with Estepona where unemployment fell by 2.7 per cent last month, and Manilva where the figure remained the same as July. In Malaga province there was a 0.7 per cent decrease with 1,305 less people signing on the dole. The province now has the lowest number of unemployed since September 2011, with the biggest improvment seen in the services sector, followd by agriculture and industry.

BRITISH FAMILY FROM CASARES COSTA AT THE CENTRE OF INTERNATIONAL BATTEL OVER THEIR SICK SON

A British family who lived on Casares Costa for more than ten years were at the centre of an international police operation this week over the fate of their five year old son who suffers from brain cancer. Brett and Naghmeh King who lived at the Casares del Mar urbanisation for more than ten years were arrested in Malaga last Saturday after they took their son Ashya from hospital in Britain without doctors permission. The Kings spent three nights in police custody while Ashya was taken to the childrens hospital at Malaga. They were finally released on Tuesday night and were reunited with their son in Malaga. The Kings, who have seven children, said they took their son from hospital because they wanted better treatment for him than was available in Britain. British Prime Minister David Cameron was among the many politicians who intervened to get the parents released from prison in Madrid where they were the subject of extradition proceedings. The Kings have said they want to bring little Ashya to Prague for radical treatment for his brain tumour. Officers from the Guardia Civil were on duty at Casares del Mar from Friday night until the Kings were detained at Velez Malaga on Saturday.