Flamenco fervour

FLAMENCO dancing and music are being protected by a new law.

Andalucia’s regional parliament has passed legislation seven months in the pipeline to protect and conserve the artform, as well as its promotion as a regional cultural asset.

The law also legally defines concepts such as flamenco or peña, which are the places where the music and dance are usually performed, as well as incorporating the study of flamenco into school curriculums.

Flamenco peñas themselves have welcomed the law.

painters. Regional director of Culture and Heritage, Carmen Amoraga, who went to Havana four years ago, said that the Cuban government had suspended the loan, citing that the 'international situation' was unfavourable.

The Sorolla paintings, as well as those by Valencian artists like Mariano Benlliure and Julio Vila Prades, would have been cleaned and restored at the Valencian government's expense, which would also have covered all the transport costs to and from Cuba. Discussions down the last few years, saw the number of Sorolla paintings to be loaned reduced to just 10, with no room for the other Valencian masters.

A previous exhibition of works from Havana - personally approved by Cuban dictator Fidel Castro - ran in Madrid and Valencia galleries in 1985. Cuba holds the third-largest collection of Sorollas in the world, after those in Spain and the United States.

Debt

One reason put forward in some circles for Cuba's change of heart suggests that since the island is heavily in debt, there were government fears the paintings might not be returned and could be used as collateral.

Joaquin Sorolla was born in Valencia in 1863 and left more than 2,200 catalogued works.

ED SHEERAN shared new songs from his upcoming album with a tiny audience at an intimate gig in Madrid.

The English singer-songwriter chose the Círculo de Bellas Artes in the Spanish capital to play eight tracks from - (Subtract), accompanied by just a guitar and piano.

The Grammy-award winner is one of the world’s best-selling music artists and one of the most-followed artists on music-streaming app Spotify, and is more accustomed to playing to arenas and stadiums than the small crowd of 400 super-fans that saw him last night.

In fact, he admitted to the crowd that he felt ‘more nervous’ than usual playing to the tiny venue last Saturday. The new album is due to be released on May 5, and will be followed by a European and North American tour.

For now, there have been no dates announced for Spanish

Mark Saxby’s hunger strike has had different responses from readers