ETA bomb in Burgos

ETA car bomb leaves 46 injured in Burgos

The Basque terrorist organization ETA are believed to be responsible for a car bomb which exploded in the early hours of this morning in Civil Guard barracks close to the city of Burgos. The blast caused 46 injuries.

According to sources from the Castilla and León health service most of the injured are suffering from cuts which are not believed to be serious – 38 of the injured have been taken to hospital.

The explosion caused extensive damage to the barracks belonging to the Civil Guard on the outskirts of Burgos. The blast caused a crater in the pavement where the bomb exploded and significant material damage to the barracks and nearby buildings.

Security forces are currently studying CCTV camera footage to find out more information about the van carrying the bomb which was left in the barracks.

The area is currently cordoned off while the investigation is underway and members of the health service are attending those affected by the explosion.

German minister denies misuse of offical car

German Minister for Health’s official car was stolen in Denia on Sunday

The German Minister for Health, Ulla Schmidt, said today that she had never ‘abused the German state in any way’ and that she had ‘always done things correctly’.

Schmidt made these declarations to journalists after being heavily criticised after it came to light that she had used an official, chauffeur-driven car for her holiday in Denia after it was stolen from the villa where she was staying.

The use of the official car became public at the weekend when the German minister reported the disappearance of the car when two thieves apparently entered the room where the chauffeur was staying and stole the keys to the car, a class S Mercedes.

The German Minister for Health gave a talk yesterday in Els Poblets, a small town near Denia where foreign residents make up 60% of the population. The talk which took place in the Cultural Centre of the town was attended by at least 300 people.

Minutes before the conference was due to begin Schmidt spoke to both German and Spanish journalists who asked her about her use of an official state car for her holiday in Spain.

Schmidt explained that as Minister for Health she had the use of an official car both for official trips and private ones. However, she also added that the costs of private trips were calculated differently to official ones.

Schmidt stressed that during her stay in the province of Alicante she was also carrying out some duties related to her role as the German Minister for Health because she was taking advantage of the situation to find out about the worries and problems of German citizens living in the area and how the German government can help them.

She also added that it was possible that the news of the theft of a German Minister’s car while on holiday in Spain could be exaggerated out of all proportion during the summer months.

Schmidt said that she was relieved that her chauffeur had not been hurt in the robbery and revealed that he had been sleeping in the room when the keys were stolen.

Bruce Springsteen in Bilbao

Bruce Springsteen lights up Bilbao with his first Spanish concert

Last night Bruce Springsteen kicked off the Spanish leg of his world tour with a rousing concert in the football stadium San Mamés in Bilbao. He will also be performing concerts in Benidorm, Seville, Santiago de Compostela and Valladolid this week.

Springsteen took to the stage at 21.56, almost half an hour late. But all was forgiven when Nils Lofgreen took to the stage to announce Springsteen’s imminent arrival. Once on stage the 50,000 fans that filled the stadium went wild and began a night of authentic rock full of energy which went on until well after 1 am when ‘the Boss’ ended with Twist and shout and la Bamba.

Springsteen appeared relaxed and serene together as did the E Street Band (Clemons, Steve van Zandt, Lofgreen, Daniel Federici and Max Wienberg) who have accompanied him since 1972. The concert began with The tides that bind, The river, followed by Badlands and Hungry Heart.

The performance lasted over 3 hours. Springsteen even announced Working on a dream, the title of his latest album and this latest tour in Spanish saying ‘tonight we’re going to have a great time with music and noise…we’ll make the music and you the noise’…

Springsteen is tremendously popular in Spain and has performed to sold out stadium concerts here no less than three times over the last 15 months.

Report on performance of Spain’s town halls

The latest report which gives an index of the transparency of Spanish town hall’s published by Transparencia Internacional España (ITA), has placed Elche (controlled by PSOE) in 7th place while the town hall of Torrevieja (under the control of the PP) occupies the last place on the list which in total includes 110 town halls throughout Spain. Alicante comes 42nd in the index and Orihuela 70th. Benidorm is at the bottom end of the index at number 103.

The study is based on measuring 80 different indicators divided into 5 categories with marks out of 100: information on the municipal corporation, the relationship with its citizens, society, the contracting of services, the financial situation of each and lastly public works and urban development.

Taking into account these factors the city of Alicante, governed by the PP, occupies first place in the index as far as the contracting of services is concerned with 100 out of 100. Elche also stands out in first place for the availability of information on the municipal corporation and transparency over its financial situation obtaining 100 points in each category.

The report also reveals an increase in the transparency of all of the town halls included in the study for 2008 and for this year. However, there are still some town halls which appear to cover up information such as Benidorm, run by the PP, which received 0 out of 100 in the category of transparency of information on the contracting of its services putting it at the bottom of the national index. Torrevieja town hall provided little information on public works and urban development obtaining just 5.9 points in this category, occupying 109th place in the index.

However, in sharp contrast with the 100 points awarded to Alicante town hall for its transparency in the category of contracting of services this town hall received just 31.6 points out of 100 for the lack of information provided on its financial situation.

Orihuela town hall, run by the PP, received 28.5 points for transparency in its contracting of services while receiving in contrast 76 points for information provided on the municipal corporation.

Out of the 5 localities in the province of Alicante only Torrevieja and Benidorm, both governed by the PP, fell below the national average in terms of their transparency.

Report on environment in Spain

A report published by the Spanish Ministry for the Environment and Rural and Marine Affairs shows that Spain’s environmental profile has both good and bad points. For example, on the positive side there is the increased use of renewable energy or the amount of water saved but on the other hand the excessive use of the road transport system, the increased use of chemical fertilizers in agriculture or increased air contamination in large cities are all negative aspects.

The 5th report on the environment which has just been published by Ministry of the Environment and Rural Affairs gives details of the environmental situation in Spain and includes detailed maps of each region in Spain.

The Secretary of State for Climate Change, Teresa Ribera, has pointed out that the report includes 77 indicators in 14 distinct areas of the Spanish territory and that advances towards a different environmental culture can be seen as well as an improved relationship between society and the environment. One of these indicators is the more economic use of water, the increase in recycling rubbish and the increased demand for organic agriculture.

The report also shows that in 2007 renewable energy produced more electricity than nuclear energy. However, on the negative side, the report shows that 18% of Spanish territory is under threat from desertification and that air pollution has increased.
With respect to air quality greenhouse gases, those which cause climate change, increased by 2.1% in 2007 with respect to the levels recorded for the previous year. In 2008 they went down although this also coincides with the start of the current economic crisis. The report also found that contaminating particles in the air also increased in cities.

With regards to water average household consumption is situated at approximately 160 litres per person per day which is 3.6% less than the previous year. The agricultural use of water also went down by 3.9%. The report also highlights the significant increase in desalination which has gone up by 11% over the last year. With respect to the quality of water only 1.7% is contaminated.

The report also shows that the amount of land which has been built on in Spain has increased by five times more than the rest of the EU since 1990 and the use of fertilizers in agriculture increased from 118 to 134 kilos per hectare which increases the possibility of land contamination.

The amount of rubbish generated is on average 558 kilos per inhabitant per year which is substantially less than the 662 kilos per inhabitant recorded in 2000. The recycling of paper and glass and in some cases plastics has become a daily habit for many Spaniards.

For the first time the report includes a map indicating noise levels. It shows that noise levels in cities are often above acceptable levels. Figures show that 1.4 million people are exposed to noise from busy roads, 78,000 people suffer from noise produced by railways and 143,000 people are affected by noise pollution produced by airports.

Fires in Tarragona

Four firemen die fighting a fire in Tarragona

A forest fire which yesterday at midday appeared under control has claimed the lives of four firemen who were involved in the efforts to extinguish it. Another 2 firemen were also seriously injured in the attempt to put out the fire.

The tragedy occurred in the Ports de Tortosa-Beseit National Park near Horta de Sant Joan (Tarragona). The firemen who died were taken by surprise in an area which was difficult to reach when a sudden change in the direction of the wind reactivated flames.

The 2 injured firemen were taken to the Vall d'Hebron hospital in Barcelona, where they are in a very serious condition suffering from second and third degree burns to 75% and 50% of their bodies.

According to one fireman who had witnessed events the fire which had appeared to be under control was affected by a brusque change in the direction of the wind which began to blow with much more force. The fireman who was flying above the area in a helicopter almost lost control of it when strong gusts of wind changed direction.

Last night the fire continued out of control and was approaching the urban centre of Horta de Sant Joan (1,200 inhabitants). Yesterday afternoon some people near the area of the fire were evacuated from their homes and more preparations were made to evacuate the whole town if it became necessary.

The mayor of the town, Àngel Ferràs, speaking from the centre of operations established in the sports centre said that the situation was not at all clear. Following the news of the deaths of the firemen he added that if the wind did not die down the situation would get much worse.

Ferrás also criticised the fire service’s efforts to extinguish the fire. A number of inhabitants from the area also joined him in criticising the fire service saying that they should have accepted help from residents.

The efforts to put out the fire involved at least 60 vehicles and 12 helicopters and planes in collaboration with the Aragon fire service. The operation to extinguish the fire was suspended when visibility became too poor

Yesterday morning the small fire which had started on Monday night appeared to be under control with just 50 hectares of burnt land in the National Park. However from midday onwards when the wind picked up it spread rapidly and impeded efforts to bring it back under control. The fire service has said that it was very unlucky with the meteorological conditions. It is now estimated that up to 800 hectares of land have been burnt.

The Minister of Defence, Carme Chacón, and the Minister for the Environment, Elena Espinosa, both visited Horta de Sant Joan. Chacón said that the government would do all it could to help in the efforts to extinguish the fire.

So far this Summer forest fires have claimed 7 lives including the 4 firemen who were killed yesterday.

Spain's Foreign Minister visits Gibraltar

Today’s visit to Gibraltar by Spanish Foreign Minister criticised by the opposition Popular Part

The Spanish Minister for Foreign Affairs, Miguel Angel Moratinos, will arrive in Gibraltar today at around 2pm this afternoon after having attended a meeting with various institutional representatives to discuss problems that affect the neighbouring area to Gibraltar.

The visit by Moratinos is milestone in relations between Gibraltar and the Spanish government since the treaty of Utrecht was signed in 1713 in which the territory and its surrounding waters were officially handed over to the control of the British government.

The visit by Moratinos is the result of a period of openness between the British and Spanish governments which began in 2004 with the objective of looking for practical measures which would benefit the local population following several periods of stagnation in relations between the two - between 1969-1984 the border was closed between Gibraltar and the rest of the Spanish mainland and between 1984 -2002 there were unsuccessful negotiations over the sovereignty of the territory, the last colony in Europe.

The planned visit by the Spanish Foreign Minister has been criticised by the PP which has accused the government of going against the interests of Spain because it says that Moratinos visit will reinforce the sovereign status of this disputed territory.

The visit by Moratinos to Gibraltar will last approximately 5 hours and will include a meeting with his British counterpart, David Miliband, and the first minister of Gibraltar Peter Caruana which will take place in the Rock Hotel, followed by a press conference to talk about any agreements reached with regards to maritime and environmental cooperation and the fight against organized crime.

Moratinos will be accompanied by the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Ángel Losada, the Director of non EU European Foreign Policy, Luis Felipe de la Peña, and a representative from the regional Andalucian Government, Luis Pizarro.

Following the meetings Moratinos and his team will return to Jerez where they will meet with Miliband again to discuss bilateral and international issues without any reference to Gibraltar.

The PP, which has asked Moratinos to cancel his visit to Gibraltar, has organized a protest by its mayors in the area as an expression of its rejection of the visit which it considers to be a ‘terrible error’ and of the dangerous precedent this visit will represent.
The PP has also asked Moratinos to reopen discussions over the sovereignty of Gibraltar which were interrupted in 2002 when the British and Spanish governments almost reached an agreement over sharing control of Gibraltar.

The only other visit by a representative of the Spanish government to Gibraltar was when the ex Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Bernardino León visited the territory in 2006 to open the first aerial connection between the Rock and Madrid.

Spain closed its consulate in Gibraltar in 1954 in reply to a visit to the area by Queen Elizabeth II to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the British occupation.

Changes for mobile phone users in Spain

12 million mobile telephone users in Spain in danger of losing their connection if they do not register themselves before 7th November 2009

Up to 12 million mobile users could lose their mobile connection and their mobile numbers due to the lack of success of initiatives launched both by operators and the Home Office for ‘Pay as You Go’ mobile users to register their name, identity card number and address with their mobile companies as set down by law.

Mobile telephone operators have told the government that at the present rate of this group of users registering themselves it will be impossible to meet the requirements stipulated in a law passed in October 2007 which states that ‘Pay as You Go’ mobile users will lose their mobile connection if they do not register themselves with their operators before 7th November 2009. The law was passed in response to the 11th March 2004 bombings in Madrid in which bombs were activated using mobile telephones.

The Home Office launched a campaign under the slogan ‘Identify Yourself’ in March this year to inform these users of the need to register with their mobile operators.

However, as the campaign was based solely on the Internet it has not achieved its desired result. In fact, since the initiative was put into place out of the 15 million ‘Pay as You Go’ mobile users in Spain only 3 million have registered their details which means that there are 12 million users who still need to register themselves before November this year.

Operating companies have tried to contact their users be means of text messages to ask them to register their details but without success especially amongst user groups such as the young or the retired. In addition, some smaller operators do not possess the sufficient resources to deal with large numbers of people registering themselves in person.

In the face of this situation operating companies have asked the Home Office for help in order to launch a new campaign to inform ‘Pay as You Go’ users of the need to register their details. However, so far they have received no response from the government. Furthermore, operating companies hold the opinion that it is the government not the companies themselves which should foot the bill for such a campaign.

In order to register with an operator a user should go to their nearest branch with their identity card or passport whilst the operating companies need to demonstrate their official fiscal identification document. From the 8th November operators have the obligation to cut off any ‘Pay as You Go’ mobile users who have not registered with them as stated in the law passed in October 2007.

Nevertheless operating companies are reluctant to cut off millions of ‘Pay as You Go’ users in the middle of a recession. Movistar, Vodafone and Orange have estimated that it could cost up to 50 million euros in lost revenue if they comply with the requirements set down by law.

Ikea en Alicante

The opening of a new Ikea store in Alicante is expected to generate up to 5 million visitors a year according to the city's Association of Traders. The Mayoress of Alicante, Sonia Castedo, has confirmed that on 29th July a meeting will give the green light for the Ikea project and that the first steps will be taken for the opening of the new Ikea store in Alicante in 2011.

Yesterday Sonia Castedo said that the opening of a new Ikea store in Alicante will be a good thing because it will ‘generate employment and enrich the city’. She has also expressed her desire to make the process as smooth as possible so that the project can get underway as quickly as possible. The new Ikea store will be located in Rabasa, with access to the dual carriageway.

With respect to the creation of approximately 2,200 jobs Ikea is expected to sign an agreement to say that it will recruit its employees mainly from the city of Alicante.

The plans to make the opening of a new Ikea store in Alicante a reality began earlier this week on Monday when the agreement was signed and when this was officially presented to the town hall the next day. The next steps to get the project underway will be taken next week when the Municipal Urban Commission will give its opinion on the agreement and the use of the designated territory required for the project. All political parties have given their support to Ikea coming to Alicante.

U2 in Barcelona

U2 wowed the audience with its enormous high technology stage show in Barcelona last night on the first night of their world tour

Last night the Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona became the stage for the first show of this U2 world tour. The enormous, ultra-modern stage was designed so that all ends of the stadium could enjoy a good view of the band.

The concert began with four songs from their latest album (Breathe, No line on the horizon, Get on your boots and Magnificent). Later on during the middle part of the show they played Unknown caller, with a karaoke screen so that the audience could join in. They played Beautiful day to a rapturous stadium and later played Angel of Harlem in tribute to Michael Jackson.

As well as their most recent songs the concert included some of their most popular songs from the past including I still haven't found what I'm looking for, The unforgettable fire, City of blinding lights, Vertigo, Sunday bloody Sunday, Where the streets have no name and Pride (in the name of love). For their encore they played With or without you. Needless to say the stadium went wild.

As well as the music the concept of a spectacular stage show was a central theme to last night’s concert. While U2 insisted that their stage was inspired by the work of the famous Catalan architect, Gaudí many people have likened it to having similarities with the Eiffel tower while the El Pais correspondent claimed it looked like a long legged alien. The round stage allowed all the corners of the stadium to get a good view of the band and there was also an amazing circular screen which was retractable and two walkways which rotated.