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!!).

Breakthrough hand transplant by Spanish surgeons

Valencian Hospital in Pioneering Hand Transplant Operation

In the Virgen del Consuelo hospital in Valencia doctors have carried out a pioneering hand transplant operation on a man who lost use of his only hand after suffering a stroke.

The man, who had lost his left hand 40 years ago, had been unable to use his right hand since suffering from the stroke which had paralyzed the right hand side of his body three years ago.

Pedro Cavadas led a team of doctors who firstly converted the man’s right hand into a left hand by changing the place of the thumb and then transplanted it on the man’s stump where his left hand used to be, on the side of his body which can function normally.

The operation, the only one of its kind in the world, took place on 29th April this year. The patient will have to do some rehabilitation exercises over the next few months and should be able to use his ‘new’ left hand ‘reasonably well’.

Condoleeza Rice critices Spain prior to visit

Rice criticises Spain over Cuba 2 days before official visit

Condoleeza Rice, the US Secretary of Sate, criticised Spain over meetings with officials from the Cuban government. while speaking to journalists on a flight bound for Europe on Tuesday.

Rice referred to the Spanish Minister for Foreign Affairs, Miguel Ángel Moratinos, who visited Cuba recently and met with members of the Cuban government but not with any members of dissident groups.

She said that she was ‘not sure whether Spain and the US coincided with each other’ in reference to their policies towards Cuba. Although she did state that she was sure that both countries agreed over the need for democracy in Cuba and that a country like Spain which has been capable of overcoming years of authoritarian rule peacefully and hand freedom to its citizens understands that Cubans deserve the same.

She also went on to say that it wasn’t clear how meeting with the current regime, whose objective is to continue undemocratically, could further this aim. Whilst Moratinos had meetings with important Cuban government officials another member of his team, the General Director for Iberoamerica, Javier San Domingo, only spoke to representatives from dissident groups by telephone.

Nevertheless Rice did stress that Spain was an important NATO ally. She also emphasised that the two countries had worked well together over Afghanistan.
Rice is due to visit Spain on Friday during a week long trip to Europe where she will be attending a meeting of the G8 in Potsdam, Germany. She is scheduled to meet with government officials including Moratinos. This will be the first time a member of the Bush administration has visited Spain since Zapatero became president in April 2004.

The state of Spanish roads

The Minister for Transport, Magdalena Álvarez, announced in an interview with Cadena Ser that she had requested a report to analyse the number of traffic accidents during the Easter period. Over 100 people were killed in road accidents during the Easter weekend, a higher figure than last year and a blow for the Socialist government's new penalty points licence system introduced last year as a way of reducing driving accidents.

Talking about the number of accidents on the roads over Easter she recognised that many roads were in a bad state. However, she said that the government had doubled investment in road maintenance and had reinforced safety measures on the roads.
She said that they had set up an important programme of improvement in which motorways were being improved using the latest technology with the objective of ensuring the highest safety standards.

With regards to speed limits she said that this was not in her jurisdiction. She said that it was up to the experts to study what measures were necessary and that it was the governments responsibility to improve the state of the roads and in this way help reduce the number of accidents.

The Minister also mentioned expansion of high-speed rail connections which the government hopes will serve to reduce the number of vehicles on Spanish roads. She said that a new high-speed AVE link to Tarragona will be in place by May 7th this year. By 2007 a third of the Spanish population will be linked directly by this high speed train service.

Related:
Roads in Spain
Driving in Spain
Changes to Spanish traffic laws
Drink driving in Spain

A weekend of protests in Spain begins today

Demonstrations organised by PP to take place all over Spain today

Spain’s main opposition party, the PP, has organized demonstrations to take place all over Spain today in order to show solidarity with the victims of terrorism. The PP has called on all citizens to participate. These smaller demonstrations planned for today will serve as a warm up for tomorrow’s demonstration in Madrid which they hope will attract thousands of demonstrators. The demonstrations are protesting against the government, following the ETA prisoner De Juana Chaos being released from prison and being placed under house arrest.

This decision effectively saved De Juana’s life as it meant that he gave up his hunger strike which had lasted over 100 days. His health was deteriorating rapidly and his vital organs could have stopped working at any moment. He is now recovering in hospital in San Sebastian before returning home where will remain under house arrest for the remaining part of his sentence for threats (he has already served 18 years in prison for his part in over 20 political assassinations).

Some believe the government’s decision has also saved the delicate ‘peace process’ that has been taking place between the government and ETA. If De Juana de Chaos had died the consequence would have been very serious and it is almost certain that street violence ‘calle borroka’ as it is called in the Basque Country would have escalated. The Government has repeatedly called on the PP to stop using terrorism and the victims of terrorist violence as an electoral weapon (local and regional elections are due to be held next month), and has pointed out that several terrorists were given shorter sentences under the PP governments.

However the PP will inevitably try to capitalise on the unpopularity of the Government's decision (according to a survey carried out this week by Cadena Ser, 60 percent of voters disagree with it) and their leaders talk of little else. They have hired 500 buses to transport people to Saturday's protest march in Madrid, Aznar and the current PP leader, Mariano Rajoy, have both taken flowers to a memorial set up to remember the 25 people killed by De Juana, and yesterday the leaders started driving around Madrid in a bus in a bid to publicise their view that the government has given in to blackmail by De Juana Chaos, and to get support for the marches.

The demonstrations today under the banner ‘Freedom in Spain’, will take place today in the three main cities in the Basque Country - Bilbao, San Sebastián and Vitoria - as well as all major towns in Andalucia, Aragon, Asturias, the Canary Islands, Cantabria, Castilla la Mancha and Castilla y Leon, Catalunya, the Comunidad Valenciana, Extremadura, Galicia, the Baleares, the Rioja and Murcia. In all 65 protests have been organised.

Extremadura challenges new Andalucian Statute

President of Extremadura questions the legality of the new Andalucian statute

Juan Carlos Rodríguez Ibarra, the President of Extremadura, has announced that he will go before the Constitutional Court to question the jurisdiction of the new Andalucian Statute when it comes into effect regarding control over the Guadalquivir river which runs through Extremadura.

He claims that the new Andalucian statute should not have any legal rights over control of the river which runs through both regions, despite an article contained in the new statue which says that it does. President Rodríguez Ibarra told journalists that the Spanish Constitution categorically states that rivers which run through various regions are the sole responsibility of the State - 8 % of the Guadalquivir river runs through Extremadura while the other 92% runs through Andalucia.

Furthermore Ibarra, one of Spain's longest serving and most outspoken regional presidents, said that while he remained president of Extremadura he had no intention to modify his region’s statute, although future presidents could do what they liked.
Meanwhile, a minister for the Andalucian regional government, Gaspar Zarrías responded to Rodriguez Ibarra's declarations, saying that he fully defends the constitutionality of the Andalucan Statute and regrets the attitude taken by the Extremaduran president.

In a press conference in the Andalucian Parliament he stated that Ibarra was wrong on this occasion. According to Gaspar Zarrías the Andalucian Autonomus Statute which was approved in a referendum last Sunday is completely constitutional and marks a before and after in the regional reforms that are taking place within the country.

Independence of Judicial system in Spain

77% of Spanish citizens believe that the Spanish justice system is influenced by politics

According to the results of the latest Pulsómetro survey published today by Spain's leading radio station, Cadena Ser, 77% of those questioned do not believe that the Spanish justice system is independent from political influence. Those questioned think the latest example is the challenge to the right of Supreme Court judge Pérez Tremps to participate in the Supreme Court's debate on the constitutionality of the proposed Catalan constitution. Participants in the survey blame both the PP and PSOE in equal measure for trying to manipulate the Justice system in their favour.

According to the results of the survey, two out of three people questioned were in favour of the decision not to free the ETA prisoner Iñaki De Juana Chaos despite his failing health due to his hunger strike. Most people questioned also supported a policy of force feeding him.

When asked about voting intentions PSOE came out in the lead with 43% of votes while the main opposition party in Spain, the PP, got 5 points less at 38% of votes.
With regards to the popularity of the main political leaders in Spain José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, President of Spain and leader of PSOE, obtained 51% support and Rajoy, Leader of the PP, received just 30%.