Amid accusations it was owed 1.3m euros by the local government, the budget airline announced it was cutting services to London, Liverpool, Girona and Madrid.

The company confirmed that as of May 3, 28 weekly flights will be lost along with 400 jobs.

The 400,000 annual Ryanair passengers carried through the Federico Garcia Lorca airport will now have to look elsewhere.

“It’s amazing how Ryanair loves to publish news of new destinations but keeps a very low profile when cancelling established routes,” explained Cassie Irene-Dawson, whose flight from Granada was among those included in the cull.

“It’s no surprise that Ryanair’s flights to and from Malaga have now doubled in price.”

Meanwhile, Carolyn Hasson, from Granada, was forced to wait ten days to receive her refund before rebooking her flights back to the UK via Malaga.

“What a nightmare, I had to apply for a refund on the Granada flights, wait up to ten days for the refund to clear, then re-book my flights,” explained Hasson.

Ryanair cited the “excessive costs” of continuing to operate at the airport.

Cash problems began two years ago when the city hall reneged paying its 15 per cent share of the subsidy towards supporting Ryanair’s operations at the airport.

Bar Allioli, in Estacion Jimera de Libar, near Ronda, was on the receiving end of an angry onslaught from neighbouring kiosk owner, Maria del Carmen.

Flower pots were smashed and outdoor seating was thrown on the nearby railway line by del Carmen during the frenzied assault.

Now, owner Paul Darwent, 54, has filed an official police denuncia after claiming to have endured two years of infractions.

Darwent, from Sheffield, explained: “When I came to open the bar in the morning I was confronted by tables and chairs thrown all over the street.

“All the plant pots were smashed, the place was a wreck.”

“The week before del Carmen threatened to burn my bar down, but I have had to put up with similar threats for the past two years.”

Darwent – who moved to Spain eleven years ago – explained that del Carmen’s young son watched on in tears as his mother carried out the attack.

“The little boy was stood there crying, he just had no idea why she was doing this,” said the father-of-two.
Darwent also claimed that del Carmen sells alcohol and cigarettes without permission to customers.

He added: “The whole operation is illegal. I have previously denounced the kiosk for selling cigarettes.”

However, del Carmen insisted the alleged bar attack was nothing more than “a silly incident”.

She explained: “He (Paul) knows more than me, it was nothing really.”

She also insisted that she had the necessary licenses for selling beer and cigarettes and that it was “a little problem that has now passed”.

Thirty-seven coastal areas have reported damage putting the Spring tourist trade at risk, forcing the Spanish government to take action and cover half of the damage costs.

The sun may be starting to shine but the repurcussions of Andalucia’s wettest ever winter are still being felt.
Cádiz, Córdoba, Jaén and Sevilla have seen more than double their average annual rainfall.

A total of 11 per cent of all working hours have been lost in the campo after 23 per cent of agriculture suffering damage, around 427,000 hectares.

Union UGT is calling upon the government to help workers who have had a lack of work over the winter.
Fishing catches are down 10 per cent after 29 fishing days were lost over the past three months.

Chief executive Sir Stuart Rose sold all stores on the Spanish mainland for 150 million euros in 2001 but admits he made an error.

Sir Stuart closed all outlets in seven European countries for what he called internal “political not commercial” reasons.

But the British retailer opened its first Spanish store in eight years at the La Canada shopping centre in Marbella last year.

And it has also expanded its international delivery services allowing expats to order products online.

But, incredibly, newly-crowned beauty Kaiane Aldorino, 23, went almost entirely unnoticed, without a snapper, autograph hunter or fan in sight, as she window-shopped and enjoyed a rare glimpse of Spring weather last week.

How different it was to her triumphant return in December, when 15,000 people turned out to cheer her crowning in South Africa.

“It is great to be back on the Rock,” she told me, stopping for a chat outside Marks & Spencer. “After recent trips to Japan and Brunei there is something incredibly calming about the place.

“It is partly the unique location, but it is also the incredibly friendly people.”

Aldorino, who scooped the crown in December, is set to become the first genuine Gibraltarian megastar, running fashion designer John Galliano into a clear second place.

Yet, Gibraltar has seen a long line of celebrities over the last few decades, the vast majority however, coming to tie the knot.

“Gibraltar is a completely revamped product”

Cheaper and quicker to marry in Gib than inthe UK. Luminaries of note include actors Sir John Mills, Sean Connery and even John Lennon and Yoko Ono.

The most recent was Status Quo star Rick Parfitt, who married fitness instructor Lyndsay Whitburn, before settling on the Costa del Sol, near Alhaurin.

Wedding snaps taken against the looming backdrop of the Rock – the 426-metre sheer limestone escarpment – must look spectacular. Not that Parfitt hung around long enough to visit the fascinating colony, that includes the only wild monkeys in Europe.

Parfitt and his new wife had departed the postage-stamp size state – which is just two-and-a-half miles square – within an hour of the nuptials.

A few years ago that might have been justified. The first time I visited the British protectorate in the early 1990s, the Rock was little more than a tacky, rubbish-strewn enclave, full of squaddies and Union jack sticks of rock. Its best known restaurant was a Wimpy.

Known for the endless queues to get past the Spanish border guards – the frontier was shut until the early Eighties when reaching the Rock meant a long boat trip via Morocco – most visitors did little more than buy duty-free fags and sink a couple of pints of warm bitter. They might as well have been in Benalmadena.
But things have changed. Not only can you cross the border in under five minutes (having parked you car nearby in La Linea – for under five euros for the day), but the squaddies, who are now outnumbered by the monkeys, have been replaced by new tourist enterprises and a spruced up image.

This means fashionable, waterside restaurants, a slick new marina at Ocean Village, trendy hotels and even Jazz evenings.

There are new cinemas, a new hospital, a brand new casino, as well as all the high street shops (M&S, BHS, Oasis, etc) you would expect in a lively British town.

Largely due to a rapprochement between Spain and the UK, there is plenty of new development going on and even talk of sharing Gibraltar airport, a huge step considering that until recently no Spanish plane could land here.

Flights now go to Madrid and Barcelona and there is even a new ferry taking regular trips to Algeciras.
“Gibraltar is a completely revamped product,” says Dustin Orfila, of InvestGibraltar, a government body encouraging investment. “A decade ago it was scruffy and dirty, today it is cleaner and brighter and appealing much more to upmarket tourism.”

The changes are seeing an increase of 1.5million tourists a year and the enclave has hardly felt the world recession at all. “Only the construction side has suffered,” continues Orfila.

So what is on offer in Gibraltar? As well as beaches, splendid views and a fascinating history. It bristles with the remnants of the British Empire, with countless barrages and gun emplacements at every turn.

Battlements adorn the walls of the old town and in the evocative Trafalgar cemetery you can find the graves of those who died in the famous battle.

Nearby, on Rosia Road, is a monstrous 100-ton Victorian gun marking the spot where Nelson’s body was brought ashore – his corpse had been preserved in a barrel of brandy that was later drunk by sailors for good luck. The naval hero had often visited the Rock while HMS Victory was repaired.

Strolling around, it is easy to appreciate how Gibraltar must have been on an almost permanent war-footing after seizing it from the Spanish in 1704. A series of bitter sieges ended in the construction of shelters and further gun emplacements inside the rock.

Excavations didn’t stop for over 200 years until, during World War II, there were an amazing 32 miles of tunnels inside the rock (many more than on the outside), and space to house 16,000 people.

It bristles with the remnants of the British Empire, with countless barrages and gun emplacements at every turn.

Arguably the most impressive defensive system in the world – like a veritable Swiss cheese – you can now visit the often claustrophobic tunnel network.

Children will love exploring the passages that once held the office of General Eisenhower and thousands of troops, who often did not see daylight for months at a time.

The strategic reasons for such sacrifice are fully appreciated once you climb – or take the cable car – to the top.

Look inland to the pointed peaks of the beautiful Serrania de Ronda; and out to sea, across the Straits to the Rif Mountains of Morocco.

At 1,398 feet you are at the top of one of the mythical pillars of Hercules – the other Jbel Musa just across the sea in Africa.

Peering down at one of the busiest bottlenecks of water in the world (about 12 miles in width) it is easy to understand why Gibraltar has been a key naval base for centuries.

Whoever controlled the Rock, controlled the Mediterranean, a fact not lost on the Phoenicians, who were the first civilisation to build a fortified base.

Following the demise of the Roman empire, the Rock eventually became a bridgehead for a Moorish assault, when in 711 the governor of Tangier Tariq ibn Ziryab led his troops to vanquish the disorganised rabble of Visigoths.

The Arabs went on to rule the area for seven centuries. The Rock was christened “Jbel Tariq”, Gibraltar being an Anglicisation of it, rather like ‘sherry’ and ‘Jerez’.

Nature lovers will enjoy the reserve that protects the top half of the rock. As well as boasting over 600 species of plants, it is one of the best places to watch the millions of birds that migrate between Europe and Africa every year.

But the main draw is of a hairy kind. For it is up here that you will find the only wild apes in Europe.
Numbering some 250 or so, it is unsure exactly how the colony of tail-less Barbary macaques got here from North Africa.

While some say the Moors imported them, it is just as likely that they arrived when the continents were still joined. It was then that the Atlantic rose to breach the isthmus that linked them.

Either way, the monkeys – who divide into half a dozen troops – are a thoroughly entertaining bunch.
Swinging around, interacting with the visitors, grabbing handbags, snatching food, and generally being cheeky, you can spend hours watching them.

Such is their legend that it is said that their departure will herald the end of the English presence here – a superstition that so worried Sir Winston Churchill during WWII that he imported a few dozen more to ensure their survival.

One nearly got the better of me, when he crept up from behind and tried to grab my bag, which was luckily over my shoulder.

Heart pumping, I promptly began the hour or so stroll downhill into town.

The centre of Gibraltar is just as interesting. Closely reflecting the melting pot (Gibraltarians are a curious mix of Italian, Jewish, Maltese, British, Portuguese and German), many buildings have Portuguese tile façades, English wrought iron balconies and Genoese shutters.

Full of remnants of the former colony, one of the best places to take afternoon tea is at the Elliot Hotel in the centre, which has a terrific Jazz night once a week.

As I headed off up the road to San Roque and its famous golf course the following day, I looked back at the imposing landmark with completely different eyes.

Finally I could see what all the fuss was about. Our Rock is truly rocking!

Log on to the PDF of the print edition to see the full ‘All about Gibraltar’ special

The self-proclaimed ‘Special One’ is believed to be top of the Galaticos’ wanted list after they crashed out of the Champions League to Lyon.

It was the sixth season in succession that the Spanish giants have lost in the last 16 of Europe’s most prestigious club competition.

“The defeat to Lyon means Pellegrini will probably lose his job at the end of the season and Mourinho is the early favourite.”

And the charismatic Portuguese boss is now the 9-4 favourite to replace the much-criticised Chilean at the end of the season.

Mourinho has enjoyed huge success as a manager in Portugal, England and, most recently, Italy after winning last season’s league with Inter Milan.

William Hill spokesman Tony Kenny said: “The defeat to Lyon means Pellegrini will probably lose his job at the end of the season and Mourinho is the early favourite.”

Meanwhile, Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez and Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger are joint second favourites at 5-1.

The current England International and former Real Madrid coach Fabio Capello is available at 8-1.

The Irish sport is one of the world’s most dangerous and the Andalucian team, Eire Óg Seville, will have to be well-prepared for their first games on the Costa del Sol this Saturday.

Consisting of Spanish and English players as well as Irish, the expat team will face the Madrid Gaels, Barcelona Harps and Marbella Costa Gaels in the Iberian GAA league.

Hosting the one-day tournament the village of Ojen is shaping up for a brutal and exciting spectacle.

Players of the 14th century fifteen-a-side sport use their hands and feet hit a round ball into a net or over posts similar to rugby.

Six teams will be split over two groups with the top two progressing to the semi-finals and then the final.

Eire Og Seville’s green and red boys will need to get past Spanish heavyweights from Madrid and Valencia to reach the semis.

In total, a record 16,000 kilos of the fruit were taken in the theft near Velez Malaga.

The heist took place in broad daylight and farmers’ association, Asaja, claim the complex operation would have required a large lorry.

The council has now launched a crackdown in conjunction with the police after a number of similar thefts in the area.

Increased controls on transporting, storing and selling of produce have now been imposed.

A producers’ guide is being created that will name all growers, their vehicle license plates, drivers’ names and intended destination.

Asaja confirmed that more than 60,000 kilos of fruit has been stolen this season in Velez-Malaga alone.

The largest ever recorded theft of avocados was 1.4 tonnes stolen in Israel earlier this year.

It must be particularly grating that the chief suspect, James Tomkins, has evaded police for four years and may be sunning himself this weekend on a costa beach.

Rocky Dawson was shot in front of his two children and died in his mother’s arms.

Police believe Tomkins – or Jimbles – is hiding in Spain and the Olive Press has launched a fresh appeal to find him (see back page).

Please contact us with any information that may aid his capture and help bring peace to Rocky’s long-suffering mother.

Secret in their Eyes, co-produced by Spain and Argentina, won best foreign language film.

But Cruz and the two other Spanish nominees fell short.

Animated short The Lady and the Reaper and Spanish/Peruvian film The Milk of Sorrow failed to prosper.

Iraq war drama The Hurt Locker won Best Picture and Best Director while Jeff Bridges won best actor for Crazy Heart.