National

Spain’s first woman defence minister found dead at 46

...were called to force down the door. The emergency services said that she “had been dead for several hours”. Carme Chacón had often spoken publicly about a congenital heart defect that was diagnosed when she was ten and which could have caused her ... serious complications at any time. “Ihave 35 beats a minute, my heart is backwards and an atrium and ventricle are blocked,” she explained in 2015. Originally from Esplugues de Llobregat (Barcelona), she leaves an eight-year-old son, who was staying

LifeStyle

Antonio Banderas takes centre stage

regina sotorrío malaga

...suggest the opposite. Earlier that day, in what may have been his most personal press conference to date, Antonio had spoken openly and emotionally about his recent heart attack and how grateful he is for his ever-loyal fans in Malaga and his "dreamlike"

Opinion

Critical mass

Peter Edgerton

...that not one of them has been able to do perfectly and some have done poorly. All have tried their best. Meanwhile, the small of mind and smaller of heart have criticised relentlessly from their sofas, munching on packets of crisps, none with the wit

Travel

The Ouirgane valley - the unspoilt base for High Atlas holidaying

Andrew Forbes

Morocco is seductively exotic yet increasingly accessible. The modest airport at Marrakech is finally being expanded and low-cost routes easily connect this bohemian, cultural, and historic city with Europe and beyond. After a few days exploring th

Local

Sunshine at Nerja Residents’ Day, with the shadow of Brexit

Eugenio Cabezas

The 18th Nerja Residents’ Day took place on Plaza de España on Sunday. Thirty-four stalls represented the large number of associations, companies and other organisations that are formed by, or work with, foreigners in the town. There were music and d

LifeStyle

Local poet shines light on the 'marvels' of Benalmádena

Tony Bryant

Heart, contains more than 100 poems in both Spanish and English and includes odes to Mount Calamorro, La Niña de Benalmádena and the Buddhist stupa. His poetry is based on a variety of subjects, all of which, he explains, were easy to translate into ... English. "The poems and stories in the book have a clear message and they were easy to translate because I write from the heart," the 46-year-old writer explains to SUR in English. One of the poems in the new book is dedicated to Cudeca, an ... organisation very close to Marcos' heart. "Cudeca are a wonderful foundation. They looked after my mother when she was dying from cancer. The poem was my way of showing some appreciation for the help and consideration they gave her," he says passionately.

LifeStyle

The dark side of escaping the daily routine

Mark Nayler

By his own admission, the narrator of this brilliant and dark novel is a “c***sucker”. He is at the very bottom of a three-layered hierarchy that constitutes the world of work in Spain: at the top are the “Buddhas”, who barely work but are unsackable

LifeStyle

A barking mad fundraiser

Ash Bolton

An Estepona resident is raising funds for traumatised dogs by wearing a dog cone non-stop for five days. Brit Russ Godwin started the dog rescue and rehoming shelter HEART (Happy Ever After Rescue Team) two years ago with his partner Hollie. But

National

Rita Barberá dies suddenly two days after attending court

SUR

The political world was shocked to learn on Wednesday morning of the death of Rita Barberá, the high-profile former mayor of Valencia and Partido Popular (PP) grandee. Barberá, 68, died of a heart attack in the hotel where she was staying near the

Sport

The unmistakable voice of Spanish football

Rob Palmer

...approach of Baddiel and Skinner’s Fantasy Football to his new land. He spoke eloquently but from the heart and dismissed his English counterpart, Gary Lineker, as Mary Poppins. It wasn’t just football. With his pal Seve Ballesteros he devised a golf

Local

Hugs to keep fear at bay in the ICU

ALBERTO GÓMEZ

...she is well aware that this is a cruel virus. "The emotional aspect is the hardest. People are suffering on their own and dying alone. Nobody sees them except us, and that's terrible for their families," she says. The heart of a hospital In the ... ICU. life hangs on a thread. It is the heart of a hospital, the most delicate department, but at the same time inhospitable and hi-tech. With no visits from relatives allowed, it loses vitality. "We always encourage relatives to talk to the patients and

LifeStyle

John Banville: 'Every morning I confront the blank page in a state of panic'

ANTONIO JAVIER LÓPEZ

...narrator, says: "The past beats inside me like a second heart." As a writer, is imagination or memory more important to you? Memory and imagination are one. We imagine the past, in the sense that we give shape to past events, as art gives shape to an

Opinion

Easter and Covid-19

REV. ADRIAN LOW

...the line. Some, like Florence Nightingale, give all they are and all they have that others might live. It is the most selfless loving of all that God does at Easter. Action above all words, that we might know at the heart of creation is love... and

National

A miracle in the mountains

CRISTIAN REINO

...degrees. The hypothermia had caused her to lose consciousness, and her heart had stopped. Incredibly, after six hours with no heartbeat, doctors at the Vall d'Hebron hospital in Barcelona managed to save her life. Not only that, but she has now ... journey. Nearly five hours after her husband thought he had lost her, Audrey arrived at the Vall d'Hebron hospital, about 140 kilometres from where the couple had been found on the mountain. "Her heart had no electrical activity, there were no vital ... read about it, the more miraculous it seems that I survived," said Audrey at the press conference. The technique is used on critical patients with very serious respiratory or cardiac illnesses. A machine temporarily replaces the lung or heart

National

MPs give approval for lockdown extension amid criticism of PM

SUR

...the stronger measures. Infections at the heart of government continue to make headlines. One of the deputy PMs, Carmen Calvo, was hospitalised this week but later discharged. The second-in-command of the Guardia Civil, Laurentino Ceña has also

Local

'My daughter asks me if I'm going to die'

Alberto GÓMEZ

...possible contagion. This is the heart of any hospital, especially now. Cristina says she has never felt more proud of her team, who are working all hours in an uncomfortable and hostile environment in alien suits. One colleague has stopped drinking water,

Travel

A Chicago architectural river cruise

Andrew Forbes

...address the exodus of city residents. In the 1960s, the iconic Marina City residential and retail complex was built, the tallest residential towers of the time. Homes were being brought back into the heart of downtown. As one cruises past these buildings, ... now one of the city's most impressive attractions. Gone are remnants of a filthy shipping channel, and now street cafes, urban gardens and chic terrace restaurants reach out to the riverside paths, where joggers and walkers are in the very heart of the

LifeStyle

Making a mark at the World Gin Awards

Tony Bryant

World Gin Awards. From our point of view, we love our gins and feel we put our heart and soul into every bottle. But when a panel of industry experts award you gold and bronze for Spain, you suddenly think, wow, we are making something very special,"

National

Collectives vow to keep fighting to protect citizens' rights in Brexit deal

Jennie Rhodes

...of our fight will change, but our goals and our ethos will not. We still believe, and always will, that the UK's place is at the heart of the EU." Anne Hernández, president of Brexpats in Spain, which represents people regardless of their views on

LifeStyle

Estepona town hall creates 'cardio-safe' zone in the historic centre with 17 new defibrillators

CHARO MÁRQUEZ

...donated by a mother who lost her son as the result of a heart attack at the skate park. The town hall has not yet stated whether the 17 new DEAs will be in addition to or will replace the existing machines. Meanwhile, the department for health of the ... Junta de Andalucía has declared the historic centre of Estepona as 'Zona Cardioasegurada' as it can now offer rapid and effective attention to anyone havng a heart attack.