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"Typically Spanish News" have decided that they aren't going to push the current news events to us any longer so we have to visit their website to read new items about Spain in English. <click> On the highlighted link below to visit their website for current and late-breaking news in English
The following news items are presented courtesy of "Typically Spanish News" Here are a few items selected from recently published news events in "Typically Spanish News
An Argentinean researcher has
claimed that The Spanish Government is
moving ahead with plans to spend 10 billion € on VPO assisted housing in Spain,
despite the continuing economic crisis. The funding from the ICO, Official
Credit Institute, has been set at 5 billion € for both 2009 and 2010. Speaking
after an emergency cabinet meeting held in Madrid on Thursday despite the August
holidays, the Prime Minister, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, admitted that the
Spanish economy faced ‘a situation of stagnation’.
Figures
for the second quarter of the year show that the Spanish G.D.P. grew by only a
tenth of a point leaving the annual growth rate at 1.8%. The Government has
noted that, at least, is higher than much of the Euro zone, and claimed that
Spain continued to have a greater capacity than the rest of the economies in
Europe. The
slowdown is due to a fall in internal demand, with the economy seriously
affected by the increased price for crude. The Bank of Spain has said there is
increased uncertainty and a growing lack of confidence.
The
Government has now approved a program of 24 economic reforms which will be
introduced this year and next and which will affect housing, transport, energy,
telecommunications and the environment.
As
well as the new assisted council housing, the Government is to give pymes small
businesses easier access to credits and financing.
Other
plans include the cancelling of Patrimonio tax from January 1 and new monthly
returns of A 42 year old man has been arrested in Barcelona after he was found to be recording women doing their shopping in supermarkets in the city. The man made the recordings on his mobile phone and chose women wearing skirts as his main victims. The court heard he would spend hours walking round stores with his own basket empty. The man, who has no previous record, now faces charges of acting against the privacy of individuals. The number of non-EU immigrants who have previously sought asylum and refuge in Spain and who now want to leave the country and return home has increased dramatically over recent months. The Red Cross, the International Migration Organization (OIM) and the Spanish Catholic Migration Commission (ACCEM) all report that the number of voluntary returnees has increased. Those immigrants who choose to return and do not have the means to do so are helped by such organizations which can, for example pay for the trip. So far this year the Red Cross alone has helped 238 people to return.
Unemployment rose by nearly 37,000 people in July, 1.5% more than in June and making the fourth consecutive monthly increase. The rate is now at its highest since April 1998, and has been described as ‘bad news’ by the Minister for Tax and the Economy, Pedro Solbes. There are now a total number of 2,426,916 registered out of work in Spain according to the numbers from the Ministry for Employment. Since July last year unemployment has increased by 456,578 – 23.1% with the construction industry seeing the largest number of lay-offs. Solbes was more optimistic though about inflation and thinks that it might have reached its high in July, given the falls in crude prices which are now down almost 30 dollars in a month, and back below 120 dollars a barrel for the reference ‘Brent’. Solbes said that he thinks that the IPC in Spain will end the year at about 4%, if petrol prices are at about 130 $, but despite that the Minister for Tax and Economy also admitted that GDP could increase this year by less than the predicted 1.8%. The International Monetary Fund is also predicting a reduction in inflation. The increase in unemployment is having an effect on consumer confidence with the ICO index reaching a new minimum in July. The latest opinion poll by the Centre for Sociological Investigation, CIS, has seen the Partido Popular cut the previous six point lead for the PSOE Socialists to reach a dead heat on intention to vote. The Socialists have seen support fall by 3.1% to 39.5% while the PP has seen support increase by 1.7% to 39.3%. The difference is within the margin for error. Plans for privatization are set to see the closure of the least profitable airports in Spain. The claim was made by Esteban González Pons, the Deputy Communications Spokesman for the Partido Popular, who lamented that the Government’s decision to privatize 30% of the Spanish Airport Authority, AENA would lead to the closures. He said he was also against the decision to give the running of Barajas and El Prat airports to the Madrid and Catalan regional governments. A new study by the Ministry for Hacienda, has found that 84% of Civil Servants in Spain do not feel motivated in the carrying out of their work. The report reveals that things are not helped by an unfriendly working environment, a lack of recognition for their work, and a wage they consider to be below their expectations.
A total of 29 provinces across Spain have been put on Heat Alert today for high temperatures, expected to reach 40 degrees in some places. The current heat wave affecting the country comes from a mass of African air, and five provinces are on Orange Alert, where considerable care of children and the elderly is advised. They are Toledo, Ciudad Real, Jaén, Córdoba and Sevilla. Yellow alerts are in the other 24 provinces on alert - Orense, León, Zamora, Valladolid, Salamanca, Avila, Segovia, Madrid, Cáceres, Badajoz, Huelva, Cádiz, Guadalajara, Cuenca, Albacete, Granada, Murcia, Valencia, Alicante, Teruel, Zaragoza, Huesca, Lleida and Tarragona. The heat is expected to last in most areas until Thursday. The Ministry for Health is advising people to drink plenty of water of liquids, eat light meals, ensure that they use effective sun protection, and to lower the blinds at home during the central hours of the day.
Spain is to give 10.2 million € to ONUSIDA to help in the fight against Aids. The number was given by the Deputy Prime Minister, María Teresa Fernández de la Vega, at the start of the World Summit against Aids in Mexico, and it makes Spain one of the countries to give the most to the fight against HIV. She said that the illness was not just a health problem, but also one of development, social justice and equality. Speaking at the conference today, the Spanish Minister for Health, Bernat Soria, said that the Government’s plan against Aids has worked. He said that data supported their strategy of prevention with the number of cases falling, although the infection rate, he noted, was not known.
Half of Spanish Municipalities are growing in size thanks to the foreign population, and 19 of the 32 to grow the most are found along the Spanish Mediterranean coastline. Among the coastal municipalities to have grown the most because of the arrival of foreigners are Benalmádena, Roquetas de Mar, El Ejido, Torrevieja, Mijas, Orihuela, Estepona, Torremolinos, Gandía and Fuengirola. In El Ejido six times as many foreigners have taken residence in the municipality than Spaniards.
It has been a tragic first August weekend for drowning in Spain, with at least seven cases. Among the latest cases, a 70 year old man died on the Misericordia beach in Málaga, and another man, aged 66, drowned on the Batales beach on Saturday in Conil de la Frontera, Cádiz. A 50 year old man died after suffering indigestion when swimming at Cabopino near Marbella, and a 75 year old drowned on a beach in Mojácar, Almería. In this last case the efforts of his son who was with him on the beach and of the Protección Civil could do nothing to save his life. A body, thought to be of a four to six year old was found on Saturday floating off the Carchuna beach in Calahonda Granada, but decomposition was such that the child’s sex could not be confirmed. An 11 year old boy drowned after rescuing his younger brother who had fallen into a irrigation pond in Orihuela, Alicante, and a seven year old boy drowned in a swimming pool in a summer camp at San Martín de Valdeiglesias in Madrid. Each year between 70 and 150 children die from drowning across the country on beaches, swimming pools, rivers and reservoirs. The State Association of Accident Victims (DIA) notes that 86% of the cases happen on private premises.
Heat wave conditions are set to send the thermometers across Spain over the 40 degree level today, with the high temperatures set to continue until Thursday as a mass of air from Africa enters from the south of the country. Most of the country will be affected according to the State Meteorological Office (AEMET) with temperatures particularly high in the Guadalquivir valley on Monday and Tuesday. The Ebro valley will see temperatures of 38-40 degrees during Wednesday and Thursday. Temperatures will start to fall from Wednesday in the NE of the mainland moving across the rest of the country on Thursday and Friday.
Hugo Chávez, the President of Venezuela, has announced plans to nationalize the operations of Banco Santander in his country. He says he wants to buy the bank’s operations in his country, and that he will start talks on the purchase in the next few days. He said that a bank of that size was needed in Venezuela. ‘They told me they did not want to sell, now I say we are going to nationalize you’, he said. There has not yet been any reaction from the bank. The Partido Popular has commented that it is strange that the Spanish Government had no idea as to Chávez intentions. A statement from the opposition said ‘Instead of giving away light bulbs, the Government should look after the companies’. Car sales in Spain are down for the third consecutive month, and at 121,437 sold in July the number is 27.5% lower than for the same month last year. The numbers come from the association of manufacturers ANFAC and dealers GANVAM. For the year so far sales of new cars are down 19% at just under 180,000. The number of Spanish families to declare themselves bankrupt has quadrupled in the second quarter of the year to reach 89. The number, although small, is still up 345% compared to last year for the same time. In theory when the economy slows down the trade deficit reduces as consumers tighten their belts, but the latest numbers for Spain show the current account deficit is up 15% in the year to May compared to last year at the same time at 50.14 billion. Most of the problem was caused by the spectacular rise in crude. Banco Sabadell has take up nearly 5% of the shares in Antena 3 Television and says it wants more. The 4.9% holding was purchased from Rayet for 84 million €. Campofrio has reached an agreement to sell its Russian subsidiary Campomos, to the Finnish company Atria for 75 million €. The sale is part of the strategy from Campofrio to develop its union with Smithfield Group. And some good news – As many head off today at the start of the August holidays, petrol prices have started to fall, by 2% this week, following the fall in the crude price. It comes as six million car trips are expected to be taken on Spain’s roads this weekend.
The new advance IPC inflation number for July has been released this morning and it shows another jump up to 5.3%. The continued increase in petrol prices and the costs of some raw materials have sent the harmonised index even higher – up 0.2% on the month. It’s the highest number for inflation in Spain since 1997. The number was released by the INE, National Statistics Institute, which will publish the definitive number on August 13. Meanwhile a new increase, the fifth consecutive one, to record levels for the Euribor index, now at 5.393% means that many of those who took out a mortgage six months ago will now face yearly payments which are 1,000 € more. Experts says that the Euribor will moderate over the rest of the year. The BBVA bank has said it expects the unemployment rate to reach 14% in 2009. The current level in Spain is 10.44%, and the Minister for the Economy, Pedro Solbes, has said that he thinks it will reach 12% next year. The BBVA also forecasts that growth will be 1.5% this year and 0.5% next year, and that house prices will be stable this year and fall 2.1% next year. Telefónica says extraordinary items are the reason for its profits to be down by 6% to be close to 3.6 billion € over the first half of the year compared to last. Income was hardly changed over the six months, coming in at 28.15 billion. Repsol YPF has announced a 24% increase in profits for the first six months of the year compared to last, thanks to the higher prices of crude oil. The company says the results come at a time of lower international margins and in the face of the weakness of the dollar against the Euro. The Government has started a new plan, called VIVE, for those who want help obtaining a new car. The idea of the plan is to reduce the number of contaminating vehicles on the roads of the country and at the same time giving a boost to the troubled car dealers. The VIVE (Vehículo Innovador, Vehículo Ecológico) plan can save interest payments of 1,040 € per car. Some of the conditions are that you must be exchanging a car which is at least 15 years old and must be scrapped, that the new vehicle costs less than 20,000 € including interest, and that you are purchasing 100% of the cost of the new car on credit. The new vehicle must have a CO2 emission level of less than 120g/km. It’s open to all people, self-employed, pymes and companies which employ less than 250 people. The least productive workers in Spain, according to a report from Proudfoot Consulting, are those aged under 26. Those who were born in the 70’s are the most productive according to the research which questioned managers across 15 countries. Generally productivity is very low in Spain. El Corte Inglés has won its appeal in the Madrid Provincial Court against the shareholder in the company, César Areces. It cancelled a previous ruling which ordered the company to buy his shares for 98.5 million, compared to the 35 million which they had offered him.
The grand summer exodus in Spain is about to get underway with the start of August. More than 11 million journeys are expected to be taken on the roads, trains and at the airports of the country from today and over the weekend. The time is the busiest one of the year, given that for some the holidays taken in July are now over. The DGT traffic authority think that despite the increases in petrol prices the number of cars on the roads will be similar to that seen last year – at 3.4 million. 800,000 will board a train this weekend according to RENFE, and the Spanish airports authority, AENA, says that four million will check in between today and Monday. The numbers come despite some internet research which has claimed that 61% of Spaniards have decided to spend their holidays at home this year because of the economic crisis. Reports from the Costa del Sol say that hotels will be practically full in August despite the crisis. Occupancy levels are over 90% for the month and Málaga airport reports nearly 2,000 flights between today and Monday.
A summer camp organized for youngsters by the Junta de Extremadura has resulted in the discovery of three Roman busts dating from the first and second centuries, and of considerable value. One of the busts, of Trajan, is said to be particularly valuable as it is one of the few items to link him to Hispania. The 15 students were working at the site of the old Roman city, Regina Turdulorum, at Casas de Reina in Badajoz and they found the three busts inside a well. The busts have now been taken to the Provincial Archaeology Museum in Badajoz.
The Government has started a new plan, called VIVE, for those who want help obtaining a new car. The idea of the plan is to reduce the number of contaminating vehicles on the roads of the country and at the same time giving a boost to the troubled car dealers. The IVE (Vehículo Innovador, Vehícular Ecoloógico) plan can save interest payments of 1,040 € per car. Some of the conditions are that you must be exchanging a car which is at least 15 years old and must be scrapped, that the new vehicle costs less than 20,000 € including interest, and that you are purchasing 100% of the cost of the new car on credit. The new vehicle must have a CO2 emission level of less than 120g/km It’s open to all people, self-employed, pymes and companies which employ less than 250 people. The plan came into force yesterday, and runs until July 31 2010 and the government expects 240,000 people to take advantage of it. If you want to apply for it, you have to first put your old car in ‘baja’ at the DGT and obtain a certificate from the scrap yard. You then have six months to buy your new vehicle.
The Spanish Government yesterday reduced its prediction for the growth of the Spanish economy to 1.6% for this year and just 1% for 2009. This year’s number is 0.7% lower than the 2.3% forecast made in April this year. Minister for Tax and the Economy, Pedro Solbes, said that a progressive worsening of the macro-economic data of higher food, raw materials, and crude prices, had led the Government to make the change, and that they were now expecting unemployment to reach 10.4% this year and 12.5% next. The Survey of the active population has placed unemployment in Spain already over 10% at the highest level since 2004. The latest CIS poll of what concerns the Spanish people highlights that the economy is now top of worries. It is followed by unemployment and then by immigration and terrorism. While the Martinsa-Fadesa company is postponing and re-negotiating its debts, those individuals who have opted to buy a home from the company have to continue making their payments on time – up to 3,000 € a month in some cases. The money is going for a home which nobody can guarantee will be completed. Add to that in some cases it has been revealed the company has been accepting payments for homes which are not yet under construction and for which they have no license to build. It has also been revealed that of the 16,000 homes which Fadesa had on sale at the end of last year, Martinsa had removed 4,000 from the market, considering that should never have been sold because of possible real estate irregularities. Telesp, the Brazilian affiliate of Telefónica, has announced a 6% fall in its profits for the first half of the year at 711 million dollars. The numbers are distorted by the sale of some land last year, with the number internet clients increasing over the year by 26.7%. La Caixa savings bank has announced a 13% reduction in profits in what they say was a strange first half of the year marked by a lack of extraordinary results. Profits came in at 1.06 billion €. The company has earmarked 225 million for bad debts and donations, and that includes 134 million for its exposure to risk from the Martinsa-Fadesa company. And finally, speculation in the British press today that JPMorgan Chase investment bank has started contacts with several entities which may be interested in buying shares in the British bank HBOS. Among those reported to have been approached is the Banco Santander, according to the Daily Telegraph today.
El
Mundo headlines that the Government now admits to a
disaster in 2009 with 3 million unemployed.
The
paper notes that the Minister for Tax and the Economy, Pedro
Solbes, has halved the government’s own predictions for
growth this year – he budgeted for 3.3% and now says it will only reach 1.6%.
The
paper notes that unemployment is now more than in the
Aznar era and that in the second quarter of the year
70,000 were joining the dole queues each month.
El
País headlines that the Government has admitted that economic activity will
suffer a brusque breaking. The paper notes unemployment will reach 12.5% and
there will be half a million more on the dole.
ABC
leads with the headline that half a million Spanish families have all their
members on the dole.
Público
leads with the headline –‘The Government admits the slowdown’ and says that the
new previsions of Pedro Solbes are more pessimistic
to adapt to the economic reality. The paper says he will announce an austere
budget for next year.
More
revelations about the breakup of the ETA Vizcaya
commando are in the papers today. El Mundo says
that they were preparing to kill Judge Grande-Marlaska.
The paper says that a gun and explosives were hidden in
Ezcaray where the National court magistrate has a home. El
Mundo has a front page photo of Judge Baltasar
Garzón watching on as one of the ETA terrorists is
taken out of helicopter by the Civil Guard in La Rioja yesterday.
ABC
has a photo of the Judge face to face with Arkaitz
Goicoetxea, the alleged leader of the
Vizcaya commando.
El
País also highlights that Judge Grande-Marlaska was
planned to be killed and that they also planned to kidnap a Socialist
politician.
ABC says they wanted to
kill Grande-Marlaska in February 2007, while the
talks were underway with the Government.
In
international stories, there is coverage of Barack Obama in Berlin, where El
Mundo tells us he called for unity between Europe
and the United States. 200,000 people turned out to hear the Democratic Party
candidate who has now moved on to London.
El
País has a photo of the crowds in Berlin and quotes the Senator as saying ‘I am
a citizen of the world’. The paper says he seduced the 200,000 crowd with a
message of change and hope.
El
País notes that the chief of the defense lawyers in Guantanamo has said that the
United States must recognize its mistakes there.
ABC
says that Obama called for unity between Europeans and Americans.
El
Mundo tells us that the flamenco dancer
Farruquito, who is serving time in prison for hitting a
man dead on a zebra crossing in Sevilla, is now set to spend half of his prison
term released wearing a tag.
ABC
notes that the European Union has blocked the human consumption of meat and milk
from cloned livestock.
El
Mundo finally tells us of the boardroom battles in
Valencia football club. It says that Soler has
sacked Villalonga and given his support to Soriano
who will be the new Chairman of the club.
The heat wave is set to continue in Spain this week, with temperatures slightly lower on Monday, but then again above 40 degrees in many areas until at least the 25th. Minimums will not fall below 24 degrees centigrade in many areas. The authorities have called on people to take particular care of children and the elderly in such conditions, to drink plenty, not to sunbathe in the heat of the day, and to take care with water usage. Highest temperatures will be in the south as usual, but also in parts of the centre and the Ebro valley.
The Málaga Mosque, the largest in Spain, has been open for worship for a year, but still the 15 companies which took part in its construction are still to be paid. The building was promoted by the Saudi Arabian Government. A demonstration was held on Tuesday with members of some 70 families affected by the non-payment outside the Saudi consulate in Málaga demanding the cost, about a million € be paid.
Local police in Málaga have fined a taxi driver in the city for driving in Rafa Nadal style pirate trousers. It comes as article 41B of the local by laws regulating taxis states: ‘All the drivers of taxis with a municipal license must carry out their service ‘properly clean and correctly dressed’. Diario Sur reports that 25 year old Fernando B. now faces a fine of up to 276 € after being stopped by the police outside the Plaza Mayor leisure centre last Tuesday. He claimed that he was well dressed with the trousers which went below the knee, and claimed that other drivers had sometimes picked up clients wearing just a bathing costume and flip-flops. 07/17/08 - Spanish Press Review - Spain Papers Review - Thursday July 17 2008 -
El Mundo says that the prosecutor has asked for the terrorist’s flat in San Sebastian to be embargoed as De Juana starts another hunger strike. The paper says the Ministry wants to stop the sale of the flat so it can see whether it should be auctioned off in favor of terrorist victims. El Mundo says that De Juana is claiming a campaign against him in the media. El Mundo has a photo of the wife of one ETA activist, a glazer, Cándido Azpiazu, who yesterday paid 46,000 € to the terrorist victims ordered by the courts. El País says that the terrorist has been able to keep his house, right next to that of a victim. ABC also gives the story front page space. El Mundo notes that the crisis has also hit the airline industry, with Spanair cutting 1,100 jobs. The paper says the airline has lost 40 million in three months because of the increase in fuel prices and the fall in demand. El País notes that nine routes are to be cut. ABC leads with the Minister for Tax and the Economy, Pedro Solbes, has admitted a ‘complex crisis’ on the day that Spaniar announces massive sackings. The paper says the airline has used the increase in crude prices to justify laying off a third of the workforce. El Mundo notes that the thousands of people who are affected by the bankruptcy of Martinsa, who have paid deposits and want to know what is going to happen to their homes, only get information currently from a telephone answering machine. El Páis leads today with the claim that Martinsa inflated its results last year, by calculating the assets of Fadesa at a higher rate than the real cost. Público notes that the Minister for Tax and the Economy, Pedro Solbes, is against any government rescue of the real estate company. The paper also reveals that Fernando Martín, the Chairman of Martinsa, earned more money with another of his companies last year than all of the workers in the Martinsa Fadesa company. In its campaign for the defense of the Castellano language, El Mundo notes today that the bilingual signs law is being applied in the Basque Country. The paper says that is because of the difficulty of the Euskara language. La Vanguardia reports that the Catalan Government is now standing up to Madrid in demand of better regional financing. The other Catalan paper, El Periódico de Catalunya, notes that the regional health service has been obliged to re-employ doctors who earlier were offered early retirement. The Supreme Court has confirmed the trafficking of explosives and drugs charge which was placed against José Emilio Suárez Trashorras and Antonio Toro, two men implicated in the Madrid train bombings in 2004. El Mundo has the news. El Mundo notes the detention of Spanish rider Dueñas in the Tour de France for testing positive for EPO in the fourth stage of the race, and for having doping substances in his room. ABC has the story of the man who tricked his partner that he was giving her a massage, when in fact he then set her on fire. In international stories: Flower petals and honors for the five Hezbollah prisoners exchanged for two Israeli bodies – is the headline in El Mundo this morning. El País has a photo with the caption that Israel exchanges prisoners for bodies. Público notes that that Saudi King is using Spain for his religious summit. Back in Spain, El País notes one negative effect of the points driving license. The reduced number of car crashes which has been seen as a result has also meant a fall in the number of organs being available for transplant.
The Spanish Meteorological Office has warned that temperatures are set to increase ‘considerably’ from Friday, when they say the numbers will reach the levels more typical of the second half of July. AEMET says the increase in temperatures will be of particular note in the South East of the mainland, and will continue for several days. Spokesman, Ángel Rivera, said the increase will be noted across the country, but would reach 40 degrees in some areas such as Castilla-La Mancha, Andalucía and the regions of Valencia and Murcia. A yellow alert for high temperatures has already been issued for the provinces of Granada, Jaén, Almería and Málaga where the risk of summer storms remains, but these will clear from all areas from Friday. Areas at particular risk today are Antequera, Ronda, Guadix, Baza, Los Vélez and other inland areas of the Andalucía region.
The price of freehold housing has fallen for the first time in the last quarter, according to data released today by the Spanish Ministry for Housing. It’s the first time since the Ministry for Housing has issued the statistics that the price for housing has fallen from one quarter to the next, albeit by just 0.3%. It means the annual increase in housing prices in Spain is up by 2%, some three points under the general IPC inflation rate at 5%. Debate is served over the financing of the Spanish regions with their accounts being presented. Largest fiscal deficits are reported from Madrid, Baleares, Cataluña and Valencia. However the report presented by the Secretary of State for Hacienda and Budgets, Carlos Ocaña, show that these are the same regions which contribute most to ‘territorial solidarity’. A new operation against tax evasion has been carried out today by the Civil Guard and the Agencia Tributaria tax authority across four Spanish provinces. The amount of the fraud could be as much as 200 million € with funds being diverted through private banks and investment agencies in Lichtenstein. Investigations have been centered on Málaga, Barcelona, Zaragoza and Madrid. The effect of the Martinsa Company filing for bankruptcy protection has had an effect on the Spanish Stock Market today, with the Ibex heading south by more than 2% in early trading. Banco Popular, which has lent 400 million € to the company, has seen a 5% fall in its share price. Other builders, real estate companies and banks have been most affected by the falls. Ferrovial was down by 10%, Sacyr by 8.3%, FCC by 5.29% and OHL by 4.7%. Other main creditors to Martinsa are Caja Madrid and La Caixa, each of whom has lent 1 billion €. The euro has reached a new record against the dollar today breaking the 1.6 dollars to Euro limit for the first time. It follows the doubts in the US market following the recovery of the mortgage banks Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Electrical company Union Fenosa has announced a 27% jump in profits for the first six months of the year at 652 million. The company says the improvement is down to the general efficiency of the firm and extras obtained from the sale of assets at the start of the year. Spanish Minister for Tax and the Economy, Pedro Solbes, is to give a statement to Congress on the economic crisis. He will appear later this month and face demands for more detail than that given by the Prime Minister. José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero admitted ‘serious difficulties’ but ruled out a possible recession. Catalan sanitary ware group Roca, is considering making 398 sackings given the reduction in demand following the slowdown in new construction. The company says its factories in Barcelona, Madrid and Sevilla will all be affected. The company has 5,900 employees in Spain and Portugal currently. Spanish petrol stations are making more profit than others across Europe according to the latest figures which show that they are now making 26% more profit on diesel and 16% more profit on each liter of petrol. It’s what drivers have guessed for some time, but is now confirmed by the numbers from the National Energy Commission CNE, printed in the Expansion business newspaper. Diesel in Spain is now, before taxes, the most expensive in Europe.
El Mundo notes that the company has debts of 5.1 billion, and that they signed up as their number two the Caja Madrid executive who authorized a 1 billion € loan to them. El Mundo says that Carlos Vela was the general director of the corporative bank when Caja Madrid financed the loan, and he was taken on by Fernando Martín a year ago when the company started to have financial problems. The paper has a quote from Carlos Vela from when he joined the firm a year ago – ‘If it turns out well, I’ll be a multi-millionaire, if it turns out bad, only rich’. El País notes that it is the largest case of bankruptcy protection seen in Spain and that the company has been drowned by the 5.2 million debts. The paper notes that the company has the most assets and owns more land than any other in the country. The paper considers that its fall has become a symbol of the bursting of the real estate bubble. ABC also leads with the story and describes the company as the leading real estate company. The paper says the detonator was the Government which had refused a 150 million credit to the firm some months ago. Público notes the contrast between the collapse of Martinsa and the expansion of Santander as the heads and tails of the economic crisis. EL Pais notes that the USA has launched a support plan for the two large mortgage banks, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The paper says that Wall Street accepted the rescue with coldness, despite initial rallies in both banks. At the El Escorial summer conferences, El Mundo notes that the director of the paper, Pedro J. Ramirez and the Minister for Industry, Miguel Sebastián, have both said that social dialogue is needed between the parties which control Spain’s regions. Pedro J. is quoted as saying ‘The moment has come to carry out an audit of our democracy and ask what we have done well and what we have done badly. El País notes that the President of Syria has broken his international isolation in Paris – and there is a photo of Asad with the Secretary General of Nato, Ban Ki-Moon, the Egyptian President, Hosni Mubarak and the Israeli Prime Minister, Ehud Olmert, among others. ABC says that there is high tension in the Sudan after its president was charged with genocide in the Darfur region by the United Nations. The paper has a front page photo of Omar al Bashir. El Mundo has a front page photo from the Tour de France which was in the Pyrenees yesterday. It shows how ETA has been written in white paint across the road several times complete with the terrorists’ logo. El País notes that the law for the referendum on sovereignty in the Basque country is to be published by Ibarretxe today in the regional official bulletin, three weeks after being passed by a single vote in the Basque parliament. El Mundo continues with its campaign in defense of the Castellano language and notes the official signs on the Balearic islands are also lacking and often do not show both languages. The paper has stopped publishing the number of people to have signed up to their campaign however. ABC notes that José Montilla, President of the Generalitat de Cataluña has backtracked on the separation of immigrant children at school. He now says it will be voluntary for those who have special needs and who will be offered a ‘special educational welcome’. El País notes the advance of the privatization of the health service in Murcia. The paper says that a public company has been given the job of building two new hospitals in a copy of the PP plans seen already in the Madrid and Valencia regions where 13 private or mixed hospitals are in operation. ABC reports that the drug trafficking case in El Molar near Madrid has expanded with three killings now linked to it. El Mundo notes that the ETA terrorists De Juana Chaos’ wife purchased the family home to avoid paying 8 million € compensation to the victims. The paper says she purchased the home in July last year. Público notes that more than 500,000 people in Spain will be enjoying rock concerts and festivals between today and Sunday. The paper calls a grand week of live music. And finally, El Mundo says that Santander has made the most of the crisis to purchase the Alliance and Leicester bank in the UK – for a third of what it was worth in 2007. El Pais says that Santander is to invest a further 1.25 billion in the bank.
The Radiotaxi association in Benidorm has complained about what they say is unfair competition from the town bus service. President of the Association told the información newspaper, Juan Ramón Mancebo, said that tourists were now in the habit of walking past the taxi ranks to catch the bus, and were taking large suitcases on the bus which he claimed was against regulations. They have written to the Ayuntamiento for clarification of the regulations and for a clear difference as to what is ‘a hand bag’ and what is a ‘suitcase’. Mancebo said that taxi drivers wanted to give the best service for all of Benidorm, and that they have vehicles to that end at the station, but if clients get on the bus it is a lack of respect.
The local police in Alicante is investigating who destroyed a speed trap camera in the Via Parque in the city. They are searching for someone who decided to fire a 22 caliber shotgun at the cameras which are placed above the Avenida Caja de Ahorros in Vistahermosa. They say the person fired at the cameras from the side to avoid his or her identity being caught on film, and that four radar cameras in the area were affected last week.
Local historian, José Antonio Carrasco Pacheco, has discovered what he thinks is the first reference in an English language text to the Dama de Elche statue. He has found a reference in a specialist New York magazine which dates from July 1898. The monthly illustrated magazine was called ‘The Century’ and José Antonio finally came across a copy in a New York library. The statue had been taken to Paris for study in 1897 by the Spaniard Pedro Ibarra and the Frenchman Pierre Paris, who finally purchased it for the Louvre, and it was this move which the magazine had highlighted.
16 Primary and Secondary schools across the province of Málaga will be taking part in the new bilingual education scheme, with nearly 40,000 students set to benefit. The Plurilingüismo Development Plan is now in action in 80 educational centers across Andalucía, and 115 bilingual centers are set to come into operation in the next academic year. English is the language set to dominate, in 70 of the centers, but French will be used in seven and German in three.
The President of the Junta de Andalucía, Manuel Chaves, met yesterday with the Mayors from seven municipalities of the Western Costa del Sol to seal the deal on the new ‘Qualifica’ plan which will see the investment of nearly 11 million € to improve tourism. The agreement was signed in the offices of Turismo Andaluz with the Mayors of Torremolinos, Marbella, Fuengirola, Benalmádena, Mijas, Manilva and Casares. The idea is to better promote the Costa del Sol brand, with the Junta putting up 80% of the 11 million € funding. Estepona will join the plan once the current problems in the municipality have been solved. Among the projects included, 1.13 million for the redevelopment of Benalmádena pueblo, 1.85 million for the sports marina in Marbella, 1.61 million for the Paseo Marítimo in Torremolinos and 1.2 million for street improvements in Mijas. Manuel Chaves described the program as a pioneer in innovation ‘We are a world power, and we have to work to affirm and strengthen this position of privilege’, he said.
A mixture of exhaustion and sadness on the streets of Pamplona with the end of the San Fermines fiestas. Thousands of locals crammed into the Plaza Constitorial to sing the traditional ‘Pobre de Mi’, the song which closes the fiestas each year. Mayor of Pamplona, Yolanda Barcina, announced the end of the fiesta at midnight last night, calling those in attendance to return for the start of next year’s event on July 6 2009. This year’s fiestas were marked by a series of generally clean bull runs, with no serious injuries.
Spanish petrol stations are making more profit than others across Europe according to the latest figures which show that they are now making 26% more profit on diesel and 16% more profit on each liter of petrol. It’s what drivers have guessed for some time, but is now confirmed by the numbers from the National Energy Commission CNE, printed in the Expansion business newspaper. Diesel in Spain is now, before taxes, the most expensive in Europe.
Guardia Civil sources and several Non-Governmental Organizations have estimated that there are as many as 6,000 people from the Sub-Sahara area who are waiting; 2,000 in Mauritania and 4,000 in Morocco, to find an illegal crossing on a boat to Spain. The travelers journey starts in countries such as Senegal, Cameroon, Nigeria or Mali, and the longer Mauritanian route is favored by some as there is no repatriation agreement in place with Spain. All the experts consider that the current wave of arrivals is therefore set to continue. Medicos del Mundo has noted an increase in Sub Saharan births in Morocco, to parents waiting to make the crossing, while other organizations note that many travel from south to north Africa, in lorries, or even by foot, hopeful that one day they will reach Spain and Europe. It comes as there was yet another immigrant tragedy on Friday when six more immigrants lost their lives trying to reach the Canary Islands. A group of 59 had been travelling on the boat which reached the Santiago beach in Alajeró on La Gomera. That after 15 people, including nine children, lost their lives off the Almería coastline on Wednesday, and a group of women and children reached the Granada coast in Motril earlier in the week.
A medieval tower discovered in Doñana is now known to have been a dungeon used for prisoners and perhaps lovers in the Palace. The latter possibility has been strengthened with the discovery of two bodies. A legend says that courtesans kept their lovers there until death. Prisoners being taken from Sanlúcar to Almonte were housed there and there are documents already found which confirm the existence of the palace. It’s proof of human presence in Doñana during the middle ages. The Superior Council for Scientific Investigation (CSIC) says the find dates from 1416 and that the Palace was built on the orders of the Duke of Medina Sidonia for his wife, Ana Gómez de Mendoza y Silva, one of the most influential women in the court of Felipe II.
Inflation in Spain has officially reached 5% for the first time in 13 years. Milk, bread and eggs are all more expensive than a year ago, and Pedro Solbes, Minister for Tax and the Economy, is blaming increased fuel prices and the recent lorry drivers’ strike for much of the hike. Prices rose by 0.6% in June to take the annual rate to 5% while the underlying inflation rate which does not include power or foodstuffs remains steady at 3.3%. The 5% number is down from the 5.1% advanced number prediction made at the end of last month. Solbes admitted the data ‘is not positive’ and that the increase in petrol prices has to be absorbed. Spanish Minister for Tax and the Economy, Pedro Solbes, has said that ‘We could hit the crossbar of zero growth in any moment’, although he did not expect that to happen in the next few quarters. Denying that there was any fixed link between the price of petrol and whether or not there is growth, Solbes did admit that petrol was a key factor. Other factors were the economic recovery of the United States, or whether falls seen in Germany continue. Solbes said that he had a great deal of respect for the European Central Bank, which he said should be given room to maneuver. Meanwhile the Prime Minister, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, has played down the importance of recent zero growth reports from the BBVA and Caja Madrid savings banks. Banco Sabadell has sold 50% of its insurance business to Zurich for 750 million €. It means that the Swiss company will also take control of the running of the business. The deal is subject to approval by the relevant authorities. Both companies describe Spain as an attractive market for insurance, given the strong growth seen in the sector here in recent years. The Martinsa-Fedesa company has asked for more time to pay for a 150 million € loan which is obliging the company to refinance. The real estate company says it can meet the payment on August 7. Last May the company agreed the refinancing of 4 billion of the total 5.1 billion € debts in the company with 45 banks. Both ‘The Economist’ and ‘Financial Times’ are supporting the idea that the G8 summits be expanded to a G12 and that Spain be one of the countries included in the discussions. The influential magazine and newspaper considers that the G8 is now too small as Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, the UK and USA no longer represent the industrialized world. And finally, Coca cola has admitted that while sales are holding steady in the supermarkets, they have seen a 6% reduction in sales in bars and restaurants. The reduction is put down to the current economic climate, where people are said to be going out less.
El Mundo leads with the comment by the Minister for Tax and the Economy, Pedro Solbes, who has said the economy is ‘close to rubbing the crossbar’ of zero growth. The paper says that CEPYME – the small business organization was warned that if the Government continues to do nothing, the results will be ‘apocalyptical’ and that a large number of business will go to the wall. El País notes that the Industry Minister, Miguel Sebastián, has also admitted that Spain is ‘nearly in recession’. La Vanguardia notes that Catalan real estate firm Martinsa is on the edge of filing for bankruptcy protection. El País notes that clinics which carry out abortions in Spain will keep the names of the women who undergo procedures in a code. The anonymity of the patient is to be guaranteed under new legislation proposed by the Government. All the papers fill in the details on the news breaking yesterday about the latest immigrant tragedy in the Strait. 15 dead and nine of them children. El Mundo has a photo of a grieving mother with the headline ‘She left Morocco with her baby and arrived in Almería with just the baby’s dummy’. El País also has a dramatic front page photo of one of the survivors from the tragic crossing. Público leads with the tragedy and shows a photo of a young child staring blankly. A look of horror, says the paper which reports that nine babies and six adults died on the crossing and that their bodies where thrown overboard. The paper says that the Government is considering giving ‘exceptional’ treatment to the survivors of the largest immigration tragedy of the year. ABC notes that the pateras have been crossing the Strait ahead of the visit of the Prime Minister to Morocco this weekend. The paper says the immigration mafias are in action in the area where Mohamed VI will meet Zapatero. The launch of the iPhone in Spain is given wide coverage with web pages offering videos on how to use the device and explaining the complicated payment plans from Movistar. El Mundo says that the cheaper iPhone is set to popularise the Internet. Público lists the truths and lies of the device. El Mundo notes that the PP regional president of Madrid, Esperanza Aguirre, has called on the Prime Minister to ensure that there are no financial privileges for Cataluña. ABC notes that Aguirre has asked Solbes to increase the VAT and Income tax concessions for the regions of Spain. El País reports that the lehendakari, Juan José Ibarretxe, knew a week before the debate on the referendum that ETA would offer a mini-cease fire around the date of the debate – June 27. ABC says that directors of Latin American Academies are also against the ‘attack’ on the Castellano language. More coverage for the manifesto in defense of a common language in Spain. Few international stories today, although El País notes that Iran has launched more missiles and thus challenged Israel and the United States. ABC however thinks there has been trickery and shows on its front page how the launching of the missiles has been expanded by the use of Photoshop. The paper’s caption – ‘Copy and paste missiles’. Back in Spain, El Mundo looks at the real estate development in Seseña, Toledo. The builder of 13,508 homes there, known as ‘El Pocero’ is now demanding 46 million € from the Town Hall for the prejudice he has suffered because of the claims against him by the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor. He also wants a street named after him and a local park to be named after his wife. He claims he can’t sell his flats as the current Mayor has damaged his public image. El Mundo among the papers to report that Joan Laporta has refused to resign as Chairman of Barcelona despite the fact that 8 of the 17 directors have resigned in protest. El País describes the situation as ‘total fracture’. And as El País puts it – Tom Waits, is finally in Spain as part of his European Tour.
One in four drivers to die on Spanish roads is over the legal limit for alcohol, and in the early hours of the day half of those implicated in accidents are over the limit. For that reason alcohol is at the centre of the new advertising campaign from the D.G.T. road authority this summer. ‘The road asks you for ‘sin’ – no alcohol beer’ runs the new slogan, but Director of Traffic, Pere Navarro, has dismissed suggestions that the maximum alcohol limit in Spain is to be reduced, but he said the number of breathalyzer controls is to be stepped up with some 4.5 million to be carried out each year.
International experts are saying that the Spanish economy is set to slow down even more. In terms of the GDP, Spain’s future is looking grim, with the latest OECD report forecasting a 0.9 % reduction in growth to take it to 1.6% this year and 1.1% for next, allowing countries such as Germany, France and the U.K. the chance to recover economic ground lost during Spain’s construction boom. Meanwhile the Minister for Housing, Beatriz Corredor has called for responsibility from real estate promoters and for them to put their shoulder to the wheel to overcome the crisis, and adapt to meet it. The Minister considers the sector has grown in an unsustainable way because of speculative tension. The EU is reported to be proposing a reduction in IVA on building to try and stimulate the sector. A similar reduction has been muted for the restaurant sector. The Businessmen’s Circle says they think Spain will enter into recession at the end of the year. They want more measures from the Government and the link between wage increases and inflation broken. The high level of family debt is being named as an obstacle to the recovery of the Spanish economy by many experts who also consider that the higher interest rates are not helping either. However Spanish experts say that the State is strong but the Government could introduce more measures to help businesses get out of debt. Gas Natural has increased its interest and strategic position in Italy with the purchase of Pitta for 30.25 million €. The company operates in the south of Italy and is the 5th to be purchased by Gas Natural since it entered Italy in 2002. The ENEL company wants the 25% of Endesa owned by Acciona according to Italian press reports in el Corriere della sera. For such a deal to go ahead, valued at 10 billion €, there would have to be negotiations between Zapatero and Berlusconi. The Spanish Supreme Court has ratified earlier rulings on the illegality of some of the old 906 premium rate phone lines in Spain. Many of the lines, erotic or tarot, obtained most of their income at the time from such numbers and now they should return the amount charged from those who have presented claims. And finally, Banco Santander is now the third largest bank in the Western World after overtaking the Bank of America. Ahead of them, HSBC and JPMorgan.
El Mundo has a picture of Nadal crossing the roof of the photographers cabin with Spanish flag in hand – he was on his way to the Royal Box to greet the Prince and Princess of Asturias who were watching the final. El Mundo calls him the hero of Wimbledon, after what is says was the longest and most agonizing final in the history of the British tournament. The paper also carries an article written by the last Spanish winner at Wimbledon. 42 years later is written by Manolo Santana. El País has a photo of Nadal biting the trophy and says that the man from Mallorca was unstoppable. Neither the rain nor Federer could stop him. ABC says that he dethroned Federer in an epic final which lasted nearly seven hours with ‘five sets of vibrant play’. Público headlines ‘On grass just as on clay’. The paper says Nadal has won his first Wimbledon after four Ronald Garros. El Mundo informs us that Zapatero has accused the Partido Popular of taking delight in the economic crisis, in order to try and get back power. Rajoy had previously called Zapatero irresponsible for giving priority to abortion, euthanasia and laicism instead of the economic situation. El País says the Congress over the weekend has seen Zapatero giving power to those who will run the Socialist party in the future. Público says that José Blanco will be coordinating the Government and the party. ABC considers that Zapatero has now admitted his concern about the economic crisis, with ‘a PSOE party without an economic recipe’. El País looks ahead of the new EU immigration pact which is being debated in Cannes today. Sarkozy has admitted accepting paperless immigrants for economic reasons, with the paper reporting that the final draft has been watered down. France has responded to Spanish pressure and removed the idea of making immigrants signing up to a ‘contract of integration’. El País also says that the weakest G-8 faces one of the worst crisis in history. El Mundo says that 110,470 people have now signed their manifesto for the protection of Castellano. They highlight a quote from Montserrat Caballé who has said that she supports the language of Spain which is Spanish. She also supports bilingual policies. El País has a feature today asking whether Castellano is really being marginalized in Spain. El País says that only 50 pupils have objected to the Citizenship classes in Spain, with the Government calling on them to be fined for not attending the classes. El Mundo notes that the Government has admitted that 45% of the unemployed have little hope of finding a job. And finally, the motion of no confidence against the Chairman of Barcelona, Joan Laporta, gets some coverage. El Mundo notes that he survives despite 60% of the club’s members voting against him. The challenge needed 66% to force a change. Local paper La Vanguardia leads on the vote as does El Periódico. The latter says that LaPorta was on the edge of a knockout and that the club is ungovernable.
The traditional ‘chupinazo’ rocket launched from the balcony of Pamplona City Hall has marked the start of this year’s San Fermines fiestas and the famous daily bullruns through the city’s streets. This year the rocket to mark the start of the party was set off by Uxue Barkos, the Nafarroa Bai spokesperson in the City Hall, with the crowd then launching into the traditional song ‘Pobre de Mi’. As well as the bullruns televised nationally this week at 8 am, there are the bullfights, a music festival and grand firework display as part of the festivities which end on July 14. The first bull run, with bulls from the Conde de la Corte stud, held this morning, was a slow affair with reports of just one injury from a goring.
A transsexual, Aitor G.R. has been described as ‘not apt’ for service and refused entry to the Spanish armed services by the Ministry of Defense because of ‘a total lack of a penis’ and ‘the loss, absence or atrophy of both testicles’. El Mundo reports today that the transsexual concerned has complained that he does not need a member to serve Spain. Aitor says that since his childhood when he played soldiers he wanted to defend his country and that as a solider he wanted to reach the rank of lieutenant. Now aged 28 and refused entry he says that he is devastated. ‘I want to be a soldier, not a porn star’, he says. |
