Sparks fly over Valencia chief’s resignation

A day after Francisco Camps stepped down as Valencia’s regional chief, both the Socialists and Popular Party (PP) riled each other over corruption and public image. The opposition called on Socialist candidate Alfredo Pérez Rubalcaba to follow Camps’ example and stand down, while the Socialists accused the PP of being afraid that the indicted Camps would reveal the names of “his dangerous friends.”

On Thursday, Camps’ lawyer filed a motion with the Valencia High Court stating that his client will go to trial on bribery charges over allegations that he accepted dress suits from the corrupt business network known as Gürtel.

Camps resigned on Wednesday after declining his party’s offer to remain as regional premier if he pleaded guilty and paid a fine. PP leader Mariano Rajoy wanted to avoid an embarrassing trial as he prepares for his third run in the prime minister’s race.

Esteban González Pons, the PP spokesman, said that Camps made a decision of “great political value” after consulting with his family and without “the pressure of Mariano Rajoy.”

“Rubalcaba should take a sip from Camps’ medicine bottle,” Pons said, in reference to the so-called Faisán case. The PP has been calling for Rubalcaba, who has not been charged, to step aside as the Socialist candidate after three law enforcement officers were indicted in an alleged ETA tip-off case that saw a 2006 police raid botched during his tenure as interior minister.

Antonio Hernando, Socialist deputy campaign manager, called Pons’ statement “clearly unethical” and said the PP was interested in keeping Camps “quiet so no one can find out who his dangerous friends are in the Gürtel case.”

Castellón Mayor Alberto Fabra is expected to be sworn in on Tuesday as Camps’ successor after he was selected by the Valencia PP committee.

via Partisan sparks fly over Valencia chief’s resignation · ELPAÍS.com in English.

Valencia regional premier Francisco Camps resigns

Valencias embattled premier Francisco Camps resigned as regional chief on Wednesday after coming under pressure from his own Popular Party PP to plead guilty to charges that he accepted expensive suits as bribes from a group of corrupt businessmen.

“I voluntarily offer my sacrifice so that Mariano Rajoy can become the next prime minister,” Camps told a news conference, in reference to the PP leader.Saying that he is the victim of a “personal campaign” that had been waged against him, Camps told reporters: “I am leaving with less than I came with.”

The surprise resignation came one day after Rajoy and other PP officials were said to be negotiating with the 48-year-old premier to plead guilty before the Valencia High Court and avoid trial on charges that he accepted dress suits and other accessories worth around 14,000 euros from businessmen from the so-called Gürtel network, who allegedly secured a number of valuable contracts in Valencia.

Camps was reelected on May 22 to a third term by a substantial margin over his opponents.

On Friday, Valencia High Court Judge José Flors indicted Camps along with Ricardo Costa, the former PP secretary general in Valencia; Víctor Campos, the former deputy regional premier; and Rafael Betoret, the regions former tourism chief. Both Campos and Betoret pleaded guilty before the High Court ahead of Camps news conference.

Camps was also expected to make the same plea in effort to save his regional post seat, but later in the day his lawyers postponed his appearance before Judge Flors.”Those who attack me today will end up on the losing side,” Camps said, adding that he will fight the improper bribery charges at trial.Costa was also expected to plead guilty but at the last moment on Wednesday said he would not do so unless Camps followed suit.The so-called “suit-gate” affair, and Camps subsequent indictment, had been one of the biggest political thorns for Rajoy and the PP as they prepare for upcoming general elections.

When the charges first surfaced in 2009, Camps had always denied that he had received the dress suits, explaining that he paid for his own clothes. But days before Fridays indictment, Camps acknowledged that he received the accessories in his capacity as head of the PP party and not in his elected position as regional premier. However, Flors rejected that argument, saying that both jobs are “indivisible.”Ramón Jáuregui, the head of the prime ministers office, said that Camps decision was “coherent” and wished him “the best” in his personal life. Earlier in the day, Jáuregui had said that Camps could not stay on as regional premier if he pleads guilty.

via Valencia regional premier Francisco Camps resigns · ELPAÍS.com in English.

The hordes return to Benicàssim

Festival-goers arrive at the campsite for this year's FIB.-

“Right now everyone just wants to relax and take a vacation. Are festivals in crisis? That’s rubbish. They will never disappear and they will continue to be a business.” So says Vince Power, the man behind the Benicàssim festival (known by its Spanish acronym, FIB). And he knows what he’s talking about. Since Monday, nearly 20,000 youths ? mostly British ? had been camping out in the Castellón town awaiting the start of the 17th FIB festival (July 14 to 17).

For his second year at the helm of the festival, Power has brought out the big guns. While the organizers denied it at the time, last year’s event came very close to being classified as a failure: compared with the 50,000 people a day who filled the grounds in 2009, only around 32,000 did so in 2010, while other festivals enjoyed record attendance. Top-billed bands such as Arcade Fire and Muse went elsewhere. Meanwhile, the British crowd took over the premises and turned them into their own particular summer utopia, which included turning the flinging of half-drunk beer cups onto the crowd into a national sport.

“I don’t think that last year was a failure,” argues Power. “A lot of people felt more comfortable because there were less people. Although I am much happier from a commercial point of view now. Of course, I have had to spend more money ? the budget is huge. But I won’t tell you how much I have paid for the groups. I don’t want to give my competitors clues.”

Attracting Arcade Fire, Arctic Monkeys, The Strokes, Primal Scream and Portishead must have cost a pretty penny. But Power’s reticence to disclose the budget means that FIB is the only Spanish festival not to publicly state what it spends.

Now, with the firepower awarded by these bands, FIB (which is no longer being sponsored by Heineken) may reach the 50,000 figure again. That is a huge amount of people, considering that the grounds are sandwiched in between the mountains, the train tracks and the N-340 road, and will be pretty much at top capacity. In fact, organizers had to push the main stage back to ensure that the public will be able to see the top-billed bands at maximum attendance hours. Incidentally, the legendary swimming pool, in which so many rockers have taken the plunge over the years, has been covered up. It is clear that the additional 18,000 people expected this year will be welcomed by a festival that claims sponsorships only account for seven percent of revenue.

If the top of the bill is strong this year, the body of the festival is a little weak compared with 2009, but interesting performances can be expected from Roska, Juan McLean, the Spaniards Nudozurdo, Beirut and Astrud & Col.lectiu Brossa.

As for the legends department, which has in the past seen the likes of Leonard Cohen, Ray Davies and Brian Wilson, this year the festival is making do with The Stranglers.

But for the town of Benicàssim itself, it’s Christmas time for the 18,000 inhabitants. The economic impact of the festival is as much as 15 million euros. Around 3,000 people are hired during the event, with 120 suppliers being drafted in.

Since Monday, thousands of British adolescents have been camped out at the festival, bathed in sun cream on the beach and spending their money on food and booze. “We’ll be here for 10 days,” explains Jamie Miller. “We’ve got the beach, music and alcohol. What more do you want?”

DANIEL VERDÚ – Benicàssim – 15/07/2011

via The hordes return to Benicàssim · ELPAÍS.com in English.

Ryanair to close base in Reus

The huge popularity of Ryanair allows it to continue playing hardball with Spain’s regional airports.

The Irish airline announced this week that it will withdraw its base, and therefore its fleet from Reus, having failed to reach an agreement with the Government and institutions of the province of Tarragona. “Today is a sad day for Ryanair, after multiple attempts to close a deal beneficial to both parties, we have been forced to make this decision,” argued the company vice president Michael Cawley.  The airline blamed the Catalan government and Tarragona authorities for its decision.  “Unfortunately, these institutions have repeatedly failed to comply with commitments to support and help the development of the Ryanair base in Reus,” airline vice president Michael Cawley said in a statement. Cawley has accused the Catalan government alleging lack of capital to support the agreement, “and then it gives 20 million euros to Spanair, a company near bankruptcy.”

Ryanair said that since November 2008 it had used the airport in Reus, south of Barcelona, as a base for three planes in summer and one in winter. It planned to close the base on October 30.  Ryanair operates 28 routes, 24 domestic and four international from Reus and despite its departure in October, the low cost airline will continue to operate routes from the airport near Tarragona in the summer of 2012 with aircraft based at other airports.

With the departure of the three planes that make up the Reus fleet , will also disappear around 150 direct jobs and 500 indirect, of the existing  1,300 now in the airport.
Ryanair regretted the loss of jobs but was prepared to consider re-opening the base if it obtained “reliable guarantees” that the authorities would abide by contract agreements, he added. An airline spokesman declined to say how many jobs were affected.

This latest development opens new possibilities that the company could now operate from the new airport in Castellon.

Motorway speed limit back up to 120 km/h

Motorway speed limit back up to 120 km/h

By: ThinkSpain , Friday, July 1, 2011

The speed limit on Spain’s motorways and dual carriageways has gone back up to 120 kilometres per hour today, after being dropped to 110 km/h for four months to save energy.

The return to the original 120 km/h speed limit coincides with the first annual “summer exodus” which will continue until Sunday 3rd July when it is expected that 4.1 million car journeys will be made on the Spanish roads.

In accordance with the government’s decision last Friday, the speed limit will go back up because of the recent drops in the price of oil and the  prediction that oil prices will continue to fall.

The vice-president of the Government, Alfredo Pérez Rubalcaba, defended the “strictly economic” reason for the measure, said that with petrol prices going down, the lower speed limit “no longer makes sense”.

When the decision was taken to lower the speed limit, a barrel of Brent was costing 115 dollars compared with 108 dollars today. Petrol prices in Spain have fallen 1.36% (unleaded petrol) and 2.28% (diesel) in the past week.

The lowering of the speed limit to 110 km/h, which led to a heated debate in parliament, brought about a saving of some 450 million euros, according to the Government’s figures, and has, they say, helped educate people about lower speeds and lower petrol bills.

In order to change the speed limit signs, new stickers have been placed over the ones that were used to cover the 6,150 original signs four months ago, incurring a similar cost to that outlaid in March – 230,000 euros.

The speed limit change was the most controversial part of the Government’s energy-saving plan in the face of rising oil prices thanks to the conflicts raging in numerous African countries.

via Motorway speed limit back up to 120 km/h.