Local News Round Up - 18.07.2008

Look at what else made the news this week

Spanair Cuts Workforce and Routes

Spanair has cut its workforce by 1,100 of its 3,800 workers and cancelled new routes to cope with the crisis in the airline industry, according to the viability plan envisaged by the company reported last week.

Spanair reported that it will ensure the profitability of the company with this plan, which involves, in addition to the reduction of about 900 jobs full-time-that will affect 1,100 workers, a cut in airline routes.

Company sources have indicated that during the next ten weeks there will be meetings of various working groups in each area to determine which jobs are dispensable, and the results will be discussed later with the unions.

The aim is that in January 2009 they will launch the plan, said the airline.

Within the cutting capacity, Spanair cancelled nine routes linking Madrid with Vienna, Munich, Girona, San Sebastian, Granada and Oviedo; Zurich with Barcelona, Bilbao and with Malaga and Jerez.

Spanair will operate more than 80 percent of its existing network, continuing its position as the second airline market with 260 flights to 48 destinations, said the company.

The plan also envisages that Spanair will cease to operate an estimated fifteen planes in September and October, of whom ten are owned by the airline and five are outsourced.

Spanair believes that the outcome of these measures could save 90 million euros in 2009.

The viability plan, which responds to the situation of "crisis" in the sector by rising fuel prices and falling demand, will build four strategic pillars: downsizing of the company, cost reduction and efficiency improvements and capturing revenue.

"I am proud to see that in an environment so difficult, Spanair is capable of leading the strategy to regulate overcapacity afflicting the market," said the director general of Spanair, Marcus Hedbolm, during the presentation of the plan to workers.

Moreover, according to general manager, with these actions the airline maintains its position as "the first Spanish airline services with full flight originated in Barcelona and as the second largest airline operating from Madrid."

    

Santander confirms £1.26bn bid for A&L

Spanish bank and Abbey owner Santander has confirmed a £1.26 billion proposed takeover of lender Alliance & Leicester.

A&L earlier said the potential offer valued the business at 299p a share, equivalent to £1.25 billion and would include the right to receive an 18p interim dividend.

Santander made its announcement to the Spanish stock market and said it plans to merge the business with Abbey and "increase its critical mass" in the UK market, with the deal planned for completion in October.

Chairman Emilio Botin said: "We are very pleased to be working with the management and employees of A&L as we seek to build with Abbey one of the leading franchises in the UK banking sector."

A&L's acting chairman, Roy Brown, said the board had recommended the offer "after careful consideration".

He said: "A&L is a strong and attractive business and its resilient performance is proof of the quality of its franchise. However, the board is acutely aware of the significant external risks presented by the deterioration in economic conditions and the continuing turbulence in the financial markets."

He added: "Against that background, the proposal from Santander represents value for shareholders, and the combination of A&L with Santander's UK operations is an excellent fit."

The discussions come as A&L struggles with the impact of the global financial turmoil, which has seen it relegated from the FTSE 100 Index this year.

A&L has more than 5.5 million personal customers and at the end of April held £23.6 billion in deposits. Santander is Europe's biggest bank and the world's sixth largest by market capitalisation.

 

Tourism Point

The municipality of Güímar, through the Department of Tourism has put into operation, for the second consecutive year, an information point in the coastal zone, taking advantage of the large influx of visitors to this area and tourists in the summer. All those who visit will be served from 10:00 to 13:00 and 16:00 to 19:00 hours, seven days a week.

The main objectives of this project are, among others, providing visitors each and every one details of Güímar, all with the intention of them achieving a better understanding of the southern town. Also, all people who come to this point will receive information on the prevention of damage that can be caused by the sun, warning of the dangers of not using sun protection. It also will emphasise the importance of constant hydration during the summer months so as not to suffer dehydration or heatstroke.

In addition, there will be a campaign of awareness of environmental care to keep public areas clean. Thus, it is intended to involve the whole world in its treatment of garbage and debris, so it will be split ashtrays beach.

It will also provide information on guided tours that the Department of Tourism organise regularly by the municipality, the cellars under the PDO Güímar Valley as well as the services conducted in the locality, such as pharmacies, restaurants and shops, all thanks to a new guide published by businessmen and professionals in collaboration with the council, and this can be obtained at no charge at the point of information.

 

Tourist Information – Hands Full

The tourist information offices handled 76,000 queries in the first half of this year.

More than 76,000 queries received tourist information offices of the town of Arona in the first half of this year, which are located in Playa de las americas, Las Vistas, Los Cristianos and Las Galletas.

Angel David Herrera, councillor for Tourism, said that this figure "consolidates the tourist information offices as a very important tool for promoting the town and after-sales service, and offering guidance to visitors once they have moved up our destination. "

In regard to the nationality of those seeking information on a presence in these municipal units, the statistical survey conducted by the Tourism Council reveals that 46 per cent corresponds to tourists from England, while a 15 percent consultations were made by Germans and almost 13 per cent mainland or other areas of the archipelago.

The rest of consultations, more than 11,000, were made by visitors from various nationalities, including French, Belgian, Italian, Scandinavian, Dutch and other countries outside the European level, as Russians, South Americans, Canadians and Americans.

As for the most commonly asked questions, the record made clear that the information most in demand by tourists during the first six months of the year was related to hiking, culture, tourism routes and services in general.

Others who approached these offices also were interested in programs festivals and events of various kinds, food, housing and public transport schedules.

 

New Website

The Cabildo created a website to improve the management of local councils.

The Cabildo of Tenerife, through the Plan for Modernization Continuing Studies has launched the website www.tenerifelocal.es, a novel collaborative project with the municipalities of the island that seeks to make available to those municipalities with fewer resources a portal via the Internet with which citizens can interact with public services.

The presentation of this data was chaired by the minister of Island Planning, Pino de Leon, and the head of the Technical Service Geographic Information Systems Analysis and Planning, Antonio Hernandez, who stressed that with this new tool all municipalities are matched in terms of interactivity where the public is concerned.

The website is very simple from a technical standpoint, but is a very powerful tool for collaboration. In addition, the website provides a single point of reference on local government level island, but not replacing portal websites of individual municipalities.

The Plan for Modernization of Continuing Cabildo aims to main technical cooperation with the municipalities to improve administrative management and economic benefit of citizens. Until 2006 the investment exceeded 10.4 million euros and 468 personal computers were installed.

Thus, the Cabildo conducts the confluence of all the municipalities of the island with the Law 11/2007 Access Electronic Citizens for Public Services requires that, starting in January 2010, which established how the administrations to communicate with citizens via electronic techniques.

 

Abona Places of Interest

The Government has approved a Canarian decree and declared assets of Cultural Interest (BIC) three old buildings in the South. This is the chapel of San Isidro, in Granadilla de Abona, the old snuff factory in the same town, and the church's former convent of Santo Domingo, in Güímar. The two temples will be in the monument category, while the drying of snuff becomes an ethnological site.

The chapel of San Isidro, built in the second half of the seventeenth century, oriented eastwards and a townhouse in the south side. The small temple is located on the fringes of the old road (now Santa Cruz Avenue), leading from the town of Granadilla to the coast.

The church of the convent of Santo Domingo in Guimar, is a Latin cross and single nave. The temple becomes BIC level memorial, while also narrows its scope of protection by the need to preserve it, whose origins are related to the Marian cult and a desire to protect the image against possible incursions by pirates in Southeast Island.

Moreover, the drying of snuff building was built in 1878 by Jose Garcia Torres, one of the most important harvesters of snuff in the region de Abona, coinciding with the departure of this crop as an alternative to the crisis in the cochineal.

Associated as one of the more traditional roots in the South, the building, rectangular, stands out for its unique architectural features that reveal the interpretation that in rural areas, subject to certain insulation, was carried out romantic classicism, as an architectural language prevailing in major urban areas of the island.

 

Marijuana House Dismantled

198 plants on a terrace under an awning in Fañabé have been found.

The National Police recently dismantled a plantation of marijuana in a house in the municipality of Adeje, while detained an individual who was devoted to the cultivation and distribution of narcotic substance said.

A young Italian, 26, has been arrested, also found were small quantities of products such as hashish, cocaine and ecstasy.

The young man of 26 years of age and Italian nationality, who had no police record and who is now accused of an alleged crime of drug trafficking. The investigations were initiated as a result of various information obtained as to the possible existence of an illegal cultivation of cannabis sativa (marijuana) in a residential area of tourism by an Italian who subsequently "trafficked" the product.

Apparently, the individual used the terrace to produce the plants, rather concealed, especially under an awning and small greenhouses.

After the mandatory arrest and house search, the agents involved 198 plants of cannabis sativa, along with fertilizer, lamps and other devices to encourage, enhance and accelerate their growth.

In addition, members of law enforcement found small amounts of MDMA (ecstasy), hashish and cocaine, along with 570 euros in cash.

The proceedings were sent to court number seven of Arona.

 

In-flight Panic

A passenger with a panic attack forced an emergency landing at Barajas on a flight from London-Tenerife

A passenger with a panic attack has forced a plane of Air Europe, covering the route London-Tenerife, to land at Barajas airport, where the traveller has received medical treatment.

According to sources, the passenger is a British citizen aged 53 who suffered a crisis of anxiety and panic in full flight, so the captain of the aircraft requested permission to land at Madrid airport where the plane landed at 16.00 hours without problems.

Once on the tarmac, the individual received medical attention.

The plane, with the rest of the passengers on board, returned to take off towards its destination at 17.00.