Police concert in Barcelona

The Police triumph in Barcelona in the only Spanish concert included in their world tour.

Just a few months ago the news that British pop groupThe Police were going to play one concert in Spain as part of their world tour was greeted enthusiastically by Spanish fans. The concert, which sold out within hours took place last night in Barcelona in the Olympic stadium Montjuic.

At 10 pm to the sounds of Bob Marley echoing through the darkness Sting, Andy Summers on guitar and Stewart Copland on drums appeared on stage, then the first notes of Message in a Bottle were played and the whole stadium went wild. This was followed by Synchronicity II and twenty or more songs. One of the most goosebump-producing moments was then The Police sang, together with most of the audience, one of their most popular hits: Roxanne.

The stage was spectacularly large and there were six enormous screens showing different views. Needless to say the lighting and sound were excellent. Few special effects were necessary as the music itself played by the trio, who seemed to have the same charisma as twenty years ago, was enough to satisfy the audience.

The concert ended with an electrifying performance of Next to You.

Tapes of meeting between Aznar and Bush

In the tapes Aznar asked Bush to help sway public opinion in Spain

El Pais has published the transcript of conversations held between the then President of Spain, José María Aznar, and the President of the United States, George Bush, in meetings held on 22nd february 2003, just a month before the invasion of Iraq, in the US President's ranch in Texas. The main topic of the meeting was the possibility of a war against Sadam Hussein.

According to El País, Bush indicates in the tapes his disposal to invade Iraq in March 2003 whether he had a UN resolution or not. Bush is quoted as saying that it was necessary to get rid of Sadam’s regime and that the US military would be ready within two weeks. According to the newspaper the two men discuss a supposed offer by Saddam Hussein to step down and go into exile one month before the invasion.

Meanwhile José María Aznar is said to have highlighted the importance of gaining a UN resolution and asked Bush to make sure that everything was properly in place before invading Iraq. According to the report, he told the US President that Spanish backing for US action was a momentous step for Spain and was something that would change the direction that Spanish politics had taken over the last 200 years.

It is also reported that José María Aznar asked Bush for help in swaying Spanish public opinion in favour of intervention in Iraq. It has also come to light that in the meeting neither Aznar or Bush expected much to result from the work of the UN weapons inspectors that had been sent to Iraq to look for weapons of mass destruction.

El País, also states that during Aznar’s visit to the Texan ranch a fourway telephone conversation took place between Aznar, Bush, Tony Blair and the Italian president at the time, Silvio Berlusconi.

Javier Rupérez, who acted as Aznar’s interpreter and was present during the meeting is the source of the above information which until now has been kept secret by the Spanish Embassy in Washington.

San Sebastian International Film Festival 2007

The 55th International Film Festival in San Sebastian opened last Thursaday with Eastern Promises, a film directed by David Cronenberg starring Viggo Mortenson, Naomi Watts and Vincent Cassel. Viggo Mortenson came to San Sebastian to attend the opening ceremony and was warmly received when he greeted the audience in Basque.

This year the festival is proving as popular as ever with many films completely sold out days before their screening. Many stars have visited the festival which is now at its halfway point.

Richard Gere in San Sebastian

Richard Gere arrived on Saturday night in order to receive the ‘Premio Donosti’ for his acting career. Gere delighted fans on his arrival by spending time signing autographs and chatting to the waiting crowds who had spent the best part of the day waiting for the American actor.

In a press conference Gere joked that he thought that perhaps he was too young to receive the prize given that he had many years left in his acting career. He also surprised Spanish reporters by getting up to hug a delighted Spanish reporter when she had difficulty in posing her question due to a sore throat (click twice to see video).

Last night ‘The Hoax’ which stars Gere was screened in the Victoria Eugenia theatre which has recently been reopened following nine years in which it was meticulously restored.

As usual the festival has many different sections offering a wide variety of films in different languages. Apart from the Official Section, Zabaltegi and Horizontes Latinos there is a retrospective section on Henry King and sections dedicated to films from Denmark, Norway and Finland called ‘Fiebre Helada’ as well as a section on Philippe Garrel.

Liv Ullman has also been awarded the ‘Premio Donosti’ for her acting career and Demi Moore is expected to visit the festival to promote ‘Flawless’ a British film also starring Michael Caine which is in being shown in the Official Section.

For more information on the festival and film listings go to http://www.sansebastianfestival.com/

Related: San Sebastian Film Festival ## San Sebastian Film Festival 2007 ## San Sebastian

Zara withdraws swastikas bag

Zara withdraws bag with embroidered swastikas

Spanish clothes chain Zara has withdrawn a controversial bag from sale in all its stores. According to various sources a British client brought the problem to light when she returned the bag and demanded a refund after seeing the symbol embroidered on the side of the bag. Inditex which owns Zara has apologised and confirmed that the article in question has been withdrawn from all its shops.

The company, which has 3000 shops in 66 countries, has not specified in how many countries and where the bag was on sale. When the British client who had unknowningly bought the bag realised that it was decorated with swastikas she returned it to the store immediately where the shop assistants expressed their surprise. The symbol appears on the side of the bag along with other exotic symbols and is not obvious at first.

According to a spokesperson for Zara, the bag had been made by an Indian supplier and the swastika had not been included in the original design approved by the company. The swastika has been used as a symbol of good luck and strength by Hindus and Buddists for centuries. However, since it was adopted by the Nazis in the 1920’s it has been viewed negatively in the West.

Spanish village tries to attract young couples with payment

A Village in Asturias offers to pay 6000 euros to each couple who move there and have a child

Ponga, is the town with the oldest population in the Principality of Asturias. In order to try to reverse this trend the town hall has decided to offer each couple who move there to live and who have a child a payment of 6000 euros. It is hoped that this measure will help to bring the average age of the population down.

Currently Ponga has 851 inhabitants of which less than 50 are under 18 years old.
Each couple who move to Ponga to live will receive 3000 euros and then the same amount again for each child they have there. The only requirement is for the couple to remain in Ponga for a minimum of 5 years.

The initiative is the result of a proposal of the Partido Popular and is expected to be approved by the local council today. This means that if a couple who are expecting a child move to Ponga they could receive 9000 euros. Firstly the 6000 euros which will be offered by this locality and then 500 which is offered by the Principality of Asturias for each child born and then finally the 2500 euros offered by the Spanish government. Having children in Spain is becoming quite a lucrative business!

Related: Guide to Asturias ## Pregnant in Spain ## Ageing

Subsidies for renting accommodation in Spain

The Spanish Government Announces 210 euros a month subsidy to those under 30 years old who rent
T
he Spanish President, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, has announced that as from 1st January those under 30 years old who rent a house or flat to live in will receive a government monthly grant of 210 euros towards the cost of their rent as well as a government guarantee for 6 months.

In a press conference in the Spanish Parliament Zapatero explained that all those between the ages of 22 and 30 years old who are employed with incomes under 22,000 euros would be entitled to the grant as well as a 600 euro loan to help pay a deposit. The grant will be available for a maximum of 48 months. If there is more than one person eligible for the grant living in the same house or flat then the grant will be apportioned.

Zapatero also announced a second measure that all those renting with incomes under 24,000 euros will be able to get the same tax rebates as people with mortgages as from 1st January 2008.

These measures are to be included in a new law and are expected to cost the government 348 million euros per year in tax rebates and 436 euros in grants. Around 361,000 young people are expected to benefit from these grants in the first year and 700,000 families are expected to be eligible for tax rebates on the rent they pay.
Carme Chacón, the Housing Minister said that these measures were drawn up together with the Spanish Treasury headed by Pedro Solbes.

The government sees the new measures as an important step towards achieving the objective of increasing the number of people who rent their first residence in Spain which is only 11% at the moment, a figure well below the European average.

Related: Renting property in Spain

Ryanair withdraws advert uses Spanish PM

Ryanair withdwaws Zapatero publicity campaign after the advert published in the Spanish press yesterday received wide criticism

Spanish president José Luis Rodriguez Zapatero was for one day the star of the latest Ryanair publicity campaign. In allusion to the Spanish government's recent decision to give mothers 2.500 euros per newborn, the full-page advert, published in several national newspapers yesterday, had a photo of the Spanish Prime Minister and the slogan: What is better? Two million free flight seats or 2500 euros for every newborn baby?.

The advert was received with general surprise in Spain yesterday, and Ryanair was criticised by some analysts for using the image of Zapatero without his consent. Government sources confirmed that they were "surprised" that the company had used a photo of the Spanish PM without having sought permission beforehand, but they said that the government did not find the advert offensive and would not be taking legal action against the cheap flight company.

Maribel Rodríguez, the head of Rynanair in España and Portugal told media yesterday that the company just wanted to make a joke which is why the image of Zapatero was used, but that it was not their intention to ridicule the Spanish president or government policy, nor to offend anyone. In the press note released in the morning, Rodriguez wrote: ‘we don’t want to make fun of anyone and we just wanted to have an amusing advertising campaign to publicise a fantastic offer". Rodríguez said that she was sorry that the advertisement had been misunderstood by some and seen as making fun of the government’s economic assistance and said that ‘we are an airline not politicians’.

Later on in the day, Ryanair said it would be withdrawing the advert and said that its objective - to catch people's attention with a bit of humour - had been fulfilled (which is putting it mildly - even we've published it!!).

Boats of immigrants arrive at Costa Blanca

Mafia groups open up new route for illegal immigrants along the coast of Alicante

According to the government and the Spanish Civil Guard Mafia are using the coastline in the province of Alicante to smuggle illegal immigrants into Spain. With the arrival of at least five boats this weekend along the Costa Blanca in Guardamar del Segura, Pilar de la Horadada, El Campello and Benidorm, local government officials believe that the Mafia are looking for new routes into Spain following the massive increase in security around the coastline in the Canary Islands and Andalucia.

Encarna Llinares, a member of the local government in Alicante pointed out yesterday that the situation was not a total surprise for the security forces and that the government had been expecting this for some time. Llinares said that using the Alicante coastline was a new development but that the local government had been working on measures to deal with this and trying to strengthen coastline security against illegal immigration and drug smuggling. However, despite this, the authorities are still looking for the occupants of 4 of the boats which were found empty, while 6 Algerians were detained following their arrival by boat in Benidorm.

This summer more than 20 boats have arrived on the Murcian coast whereas previously there had only been a couple of cases. Official sources believe that pressure from the Civil Guard on the Andalucian coastline is causing the Mafia who smuggle illegal immigrants into Spain to look further afield to new routes along the into Spain via the coastlines of Murcia, Alicante and even the Balearic islands.

In Murcia security forces have been investigating the possibility of a supply vessel from which immigrants then try to reach Spain in small boats, although this idea had recently been abandoned. However the arrival of 5 boats in various towns in the province of Alicante last Saturday indicate that there is a larger ship out at sea far away from Civil Guard controls from which the immigrants are placed into small boats and sent towards the Spanish coastline.

The first boats arrived in Vega Baja, at 4.30 am and 2 boats arrived in Guardamar del Segura and Pilar de la Horadada at 6.00 am. Two further boats arrived later on at Guardamar and El Campello at 7.00 pm and finally 1 boat arrived in Benidorm at 11 pm. Llinares confirmed that because the route from Africa is too far to travel in such small boats, the government believe that these arrivals are a strong indication that a larger ship is involved. Furthermore, the occupants of the boat which arrived in Benidorm showed no sign of fatigue or sunburn.

The Spanish National Police interrogated 4 of the occupants of the boat which arrived in Benidorm with the aim of trying to establish the details of their journey and collect clues to the routes used by the Mafia to smuggle immigrants into the province.

Bank of Spain warns of increasing Internet fraud

The Bank of Spain warns of the alarming increase in internet fraud

The Bank of Spain has spoken of its concern over the ever increasing cases of internet fraud committed in Spain over the last 3 years. According to a report commissioned by the bank the number of cases that have been detected over the last 3 years have increased by 30%.

In 2004 there were only 33 massive internet fraud ‘attacks’ known as phishing aimed at deceiving banks clients compared to 1184 cases detected last year. The increase in fake emails pretending to be banks saw a spectacular rise from 4 million fake emails sent in 2004 to 700 million in 2006.

The most common type of fraud committed online is the attempt to gain the personal log-in information of online banking clients via spam messages apparantly telling clients to click on a link and enter their username and password to supposedly enter their electronic banking facility. Infact what the fraudsters then do is divert the log-in information to their own database and then use the data themselves.

The Bank of Spain has stressed that people should be aware that no Spanish bank ever emails its clients to request their personal details or log in details.

Related: E-banking fraud in Spain

iPhones in Spain

Telefónica negotiating with Apple to sell iPhones in Spain

César Alierta, President of Telefónica the Spanish multinational telecommunications company has admitted that the company has been holding talks with Apple in order to gain exclusive rights to sell iPhones in Spain.

Following meetings in London Alierta told reporters that the rights to distribute the iPhone in Spain would be a fantastic business opportunity for Telefónica. Apple seems to have decided to sign exclusive contracts with just one operator in each country where the iPhone will be distributed. The phone is expected to become available in Spain in the middle of 2008.

The iPhone was launched in the US at the end of June under an exclusive contract with AT&T. According to official sources the iPhone will be available in the UK from the 1st November and it is rumoured that O2 will be the distributer there. It is thought that Orange will have exclusive sale rights in France while T-Moblie will sell the iPhone in Germany.

The Managing Director of Teléfonica O2 Europe, Peter Erskine, who was also present during the press conference played down the significance of the fact that the iphone had been liberated in the US and Israel by pirate computer experts enabling it to be used with other rival mobile operators. He said that only a very small number of iPhones had been liberated and that gaining the contract to sell them in Spain would be a wonderful business opportunity.

It certainly would help to further boost Telefonica's dominance in the Spanish phone market as demand for the iPhone is expected to exceed all expectations.

Drug network in Ibiza disbanded

The Civil Guard disband an important drug trafficking network in Ibiza

The Spanish Civil Guard have announced that 18 people have been detained following the disbanding of a significant drug trafficking ring on the island of Ibiza. Those arrested are different nationalities - nine are Moroccan, seven are Columbian, one is Slovakian and one is Spanish. They have all been detained on charges of damaging public health, drug dealing and illicit association.

The Civil Guard started their investigations into the widespread drug dealing in Ibiza’s discos and clubs in the middle of June. As part of the operation up to thirty members of the Civil Guard went undercover and passes themselves off as members of the public.

As a result of their investigations and undercover work all the members of the drug trafficking ring in San Antonio and San José and the eleven addresses used by the gang were identified by the Civil Guard.

The head of the drug dealing ring was Columbian. It was discovered that he used to distribute drugs to each drug dealer who would then work on their own so that two members of the same gang never coincided in the same disco or club.

In one of the flats belonging to members of the ring the Civil Guard found a laboratory for preparing cocaine for sale and in the boot of one of the cars that was seized during the operation 10,700 ecstasy pills were found prepared and ready to be sold.

The Civil Guard also discovered 90,000 euros, 2700 dollars, four cars, a motorbike, 1807 grams of cocaine, 4518 grams of hashish and 9000 grams of substances for mixing with cocaine as well as precision scales and material for packaging drugs.

Related: Guide to Ibiza ## Drugs in Spain ## Teenagers and drugs in Spain

Rising interest rates in Spain reach their peak

Spanish Finance Minister says that interest rates have reached their peak

Pedro Solbes, the Spanish Vice–President and Finance Minister said yesterday that interest rates have reached their peak and are likely to stabilize or even start to drop in the near future.

In an interview with Spanish television channel Antena 3, Solbes admitted that mortgages had risen for those mortgage holders with variable rates and were starting to be more expensive than renting. He insisted that it was abnormal to have to pay more to rent a property than to buy it and that this particular situation was beginning to change.

The Spanish Vice–President also said that despite the international situation regarding mortgages he didn’t foresee any significant changes in the Spanish economy because the government had gone to great lengths to improve inflation, keep the economy healthy and maintained a favourable budget. Solbes also said that the Spanish economy would continue to grow at the predicted rate.

Solbes indicated that the rate of inflation (IPC) was dropping considerably and was now at 2.2% although he said that next month it could go up once again due to the rise in the cost of petrol, amongst other things. The Finance Minister said that the worldwide demand for cereals together with a very poor crop in Europe (although not in Spain or Portugal) had caused the price of wheat to rise causing, in turn, the much publicised rise in the price of bread and other basics this month. Solbes also added that a similar situation had occurred with milk given that production in Europe had been less than normal while demand had increased.

Street Riot in San Sebastian

One ertzaina (a member of the Basque police force) was injured with cuts to his neck yesterday afternoon when the police in San Sebastian tried to stop an illegal demonstration called by the Pro Amnesty Movement which supports ETA prisoners. According to sources belonging to the Ertzaintza four other policemen were injured when the police confronted the illegal demonstrators. Nine demonstrators were detained by the police including the spokesperson for Askatasuna, Juan María Olano. Those arrested could face charges of causing public disorder and aggression towards the police.

The demonstration which had been called for 13.30 pm yesterday afternoon had been prohibited on two previous occasions by the Basque Regional Government for reasons of public order. Nevertheless, the Pro Amnesty movement announced last Thursday that it would go ahead with the demonstration anyway. Olano said that Juan José Ibarretxe’s government had to decide whether it wanted a peaceful demonstration or a violent one.

Yesterday afternoon there was a police cordon around the Boulevard in the centre of San Sebastian, the area where the demonstration was due to take place. However, a group of protesters were still able to spread out a banner calling for an amnesty for ETA prisoners and self determination for the Basque Country.

The group was headed by Juan María Olano and Ohina Agirre, the representative of Etxerat, Estanis Etxaburu. When the group arrived at the police cordon the Ertzaintza used force to disperse the crowd using plastic bullets. The crowd then dispersed into the old part of San Sebastian where disturbances continued for some time.

Catalonia plans international football match with the USA

Catalan Regional Government in favour of football match between Catalonia and the US

The Catalan regional government has encouraged the Catalan football team to play a friendly match against the US on 14th October despite the fact that the regional team has not received official approval from the Spanish Football Federation. If the match is held, it will be the first time an autonomous region fields its own team against another country in an international friendly.

Anna Pruna, the Catalan Secretary for Sport has defended the decision saying that her department had the right to take such decisions and confirmed that Jordi Roche, the President of the Catalan Football Federation had travelled to Chicago to meet with US football officials.

According to Anna Pruna, conversations with members of the US football Federation have already taken place and there don’t appear to be any reasons against playing a friendly match. She also said that the Catalan Football Federation had the backing of the Catalan Regional Government. Furthermore, she added that television rights had already been sold and the dates for the match had been approved by FIFA.

Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya said that if the match goes ahead without authorisation it would become more significant. Joan Laport, the President of Barcelona football club has also become involved in this issue which has become embroiled in Catalan politics.

The situation of immigrants in Spain worsens

Yesterday a Rumanian immigrant set himself on fire in front of the Regional Government in Castellon.

With this extreme act he wanted to call attention to the helpless situation for not only himself but also his family found themselves in following being ripped off by a mafia group in Spain. They came to Spain expecting to find a job ready for them with all the necessary papers, but instead were robbed of their money and passports and have been living rough ever since. The results of his action were severe burns and front pages in Spain’s main newspapers, and harrowing images on the television of his wife and children trying to rip the burning clothes off him.

More and more immigrants find themselves in dire straits, living in conditions where are infact comparable to the conditions and poverty that they tried to escape from when entering Spain.

Last week a building contrator was killed as he tried to mend a lift in a building belonging to a religious order which he and his employees renovating. When rescue workers arrived at the scene they found a group of Rumanian and Polish illegal immigrants living in precarious conditions in the basement of the building. The men told them they lived there, sleeping on mattresses on the floor by night and working on the building throughout the day. They were paid 20 euros per day which they spent on food and drink at a shop nearby. They had received no wage since they had started work on the building, which was almost finished.

It is the story of poverty and desperation. The recent boom in the construction industry and the rapid growth in the Spanish economy over the last few years has resulted in thousands of immigrants coming to Spain looking for work and better standards of living. Some have been very successful which has in turn attracted more immigrants to come here but many don’t understand what they are coming to.

Rumanians are EU citizens. But they are poor. They don’t have the right to move freely from one country to another within the EU. In Latin America thousands of immigrants look to Spain because of the common language and history. Spanish companies create employment and invest money there but there are still large number of poor who long for a better future. Spain is the 8th richest country in the world.

Many charities who help immigrants know about many other similar stories and are aware of the lack of response from the government. The Spanish newspaper El País announced earlier this week that the Spanish (socialist) government has designed a protocol that those immigrants without documentation can be detained using straight jackets and helmets so that they can’t harm themselves when trying to avoid being deported.

Illegal immigration is a serious problem in Spain. But it is to be hoped that the Government is capable of finding more humane ways of dealing with it with measures that go beyond detention centers and new deportation tactics.

Madrid bombing suspects on hunger strike

Two M-11 prisoners and 9 Islamist Prisoners on Hunger Strike

The protest began last Saturday and is being followed by prisoners in various centres. There are four prisoners on hunger strike in Fontcalent prison in Alicante, five in the prison in Villena and another two, an Algerian and a Moroccan prisoners in Picassent, Valencia.

All those on hunger strike have written to their respective prison governors protesting their innocence saying that they have been falsely accused of involvement in Islamist terrorism.

As well as ‘El Haski’ and ‘El Gnaoui’, who are among the hunger strikers Abdelkrim Bensmail, an Algerian member of an organisation called the ‘Armed Islamic Group’ in prison since 1997 and implicated in a suicide bomb plot against the High Court in Spain is also on hunger strike.

The Spanish Government Delegate in Valencia said yesterday that the prisons where the hunger strikes are taking place have activated their protocols for medical assistance in such protests. The Prison authorities have dismissed the strike as an attempt to attract publicity.

UN Desertification Conference in Madrid

Today the 8th UN conference against desertification starts in Madrid. The conference will be opened by the Spanish Minister for the Environment, Cristina Narbona and Prince Felipe and will take place in the Spanish capital over 2 weeks. It will be attended by around 2000 people including representatives from 200 countries together with ecological groups and members of other NGO’s.

Desertification affects approximately third of the globe and 1,200 million people around the world.

The main objectives of the conference are to achieve concrete policies and look for new ways of financing work against desertification. It also hopes to get new initiatives towards creating a centre on dedicated to the problem of desertification which will have headquarters in Madrid.

The Canary Islands and the Southwest of the Peninsula face the greatest risk from desertification. According to information from the Spanish Ministry for the Environment desertification threatens around 35% of Spanish territory.