“The secret of being boring is to say everything” Voltaire
ISSUE 30
Santa Cruz de Tenerife Saturday 24 March 2012
WHOOPING COUGH NUMBERS CONCERN Leading paediatrician urges people to get jabs as a precaution ◗Although widely thought to have been virtually eradicated in the Canaries, several cases of whooping cough already this year have led experts to recommend vaccination against this and a small number of other illnesses, including measles, as a precaution.
Eight cases of whooping cough have been reported in Tenerife alone already since January and last year there were 600 in the Canaries, all of them in the province of Las Palmas. An outbreak of measles is also believed to exist at present in Las Palmas,
similar to that seen in Tenerife last year. Paediatrician Luis Ortigosa says although the vaccination rate among children (95%) is very high here, some parents are reluctant for their youngsters to be inoculated, due to the influence of the anti-vaccination lobby.
EMPLOYMENT
Less noise means more work, says survey ◗Over half (55%) of workers in the Canaries believe that their productivity on the job would increase substantially if workplace noise were reduced, a survey has found. Many said they would be able to concentrate ‘a lot better’ without the current level of noise suffered, while a small number thought absenteeism would be cut also if quieter working environments were imposed. However, 2% of respondents said that less noise would result in ‘a more boring job’.
TRANSPORT
Fuel prices continue to rise in Canaries ◗The latest increases in fuel prices have put the cost of filling a tank at its highest ever in the region and the rises show no sign of ending. Pump prices continue to escalate in March, with a litre of lead-free petrol (95 octanes) reaching 1.09 euros in many filling stations and diesel breaking the psychological 1.00 euro barrier. Despite the rises, prices are still much lower than on mainland Spain however.
The rise in the number of cases of whooping cough and certain other illnesses has led to calls to get vaccinated. / DA
AIR TRAVEL
POLITICS
BRITISH AMBASSADOR IN TENERIFE VISIT
New York flights ‘cheaper than to Canaries’ ◗Flying to the Canaries from Madrid can be as expensive as a trip to New York due to the limited seats available following the collapse of Spanair, says the Canarian government, amid fears that the high fares will discourage Spaniards from holidaying here at Easter.
The ambassador and consul met with Cabildo president Ricardo Melchior. / DA www.diariodeavisos.com/thesupplement
◗Britain’s ambassador to Spain, Giles Paxman, visited Tenerife this week to formally present Maria Leng as the new Consul in the Canaries. Paxman hos-
ted a lunchtime cocktail reception for local authorities and members of the British community in Santa Cruz’s prestigious Club Oliver on Thursday.
2 The Supplement
Saturday 24 March 2012
GREENPEACE JOINS CANARIAN GOVERNMENT IN ANTI-OIL FIGHT
Mobile phone clamp-down catches 146 drivers DA Santa Cruz de Tenerife
Diario de Avisos Santa Cruz de Tenerife
Ecology organisation Greenpeace is lending its support to the fight to prevent a big oil multinational from drilling in waters close to the islands of Lanzarote and Fuerteventura. Within days of the announcement by the Spanish government that permission is to be granted to Repsol to carry out exploratory searches for oil, Greenpeace representatives met with Canarian president Paulino Rivero to express their support for the government’s bid to block the drilling and to confirm they will take part in the protest rallies scheduled for today (24 March) throughout the Canaries. The alliance may appear rather bizarre given that ecologists have repeatedly criticised Rivero and his government over the mega-port planned for Granadilla on the grounds that it will cause major environmental damage, but their pleas for a rethink have been repeatedly ignored. Mario Rodríguez, executive director of Greenpeace Spain, said the decision by the Spanish authorities ‘placed the Canaries at risk’ due to the very real prospect of an oil spill. ‘The spill in the Gulf of Mexico when a BP rig sank caused a slick that reached the coast 250 kilometres away. Lanzarote and Fuerteventura are just 60 kilometres from the locations chosen for the oil search’ said Rodríguez.
Despite cross-party opposition to the plans, Repsol insists that the early signs are that it could make the biggest ever oil find in Spain in the sea off the Canaries and the islands ‘would benefit greatly’ from its operations. ‘No drilling will take place before the mandatory environmental studies are completed’ said a spokesman, adding that Repsol adheres to the strictest
possible environmental standards in its operations in more than 30 countries worldwide. News of the authorisations has triggered a furious reaction by the authorities both at regional and island level. The Canarian government has vowed to go as high as it takes to prevent Repsol or any other company from drilling in Canarian waters. In addition to Rivero’s
vow to fight to the bitter end, the head of the Fuerteventura Cabildo Mario Cabrera has promised to take the case to court to defend his island's rights. ‘They did not want to meet with us to discuss the options but they will have to see us in court’ he said earlier this week. Lanzarote has also made known its displeasure at the granting of the authorisations.
The prospect of oil drilling off the Canaries has united ecologists and government for once. / DA
Santa Cruz road closure experiment to continue
Las Verónicas forced to go it alone on facelift
Diario de Avisos Santa Cruz de Tenerife
Diario de Avisos Santa Cruz de Tenerife
An experimental closure of much of the road from Santa Cruz to the coastal village of San Andrés to give fun cyclists their own space for Sunday morning riding is to be repeated at least once a month, promises the capital’s mayor José Manuel Bermúdez. A 7km stretch of the road was set aside for the cyclists last Sunday and the council said the turnout, which it put at around 3000 people of all ages, has encouraged him to repeat the initiative until May and then again as of October. ‘There is certainly a demand for a car-free area for families to enjoy a day out on their bikes and even on skates and skateboards.
We don’t have the money to build a dedicated bicycle lane all the way to San Andrés at present so this is the best option in the interim’ explained Bermúdez, who took part in the fun ride on his own bike to see for himself the interest among the public. The mayor added that the closure had not caused the feared congestion although it would not be feasible to close the stretch of road once Sunday traffic heading to the Las Teresitas beach picks up in earnest at the end of May. However, not everyone is as thrilled as the mayor at the Santa Cruz on Wheels initiative. Local residents say they were not consulted and are unhappy at the prospect of regular disruption of public transport due to the road closure.
Recent improvements to parts of Las Verónicas , one of Tenerife’s biggest and best-known night-life spots, are entirely the work of the bars, restaurants and shops there, not the authorities, according to the head of the Playa de Las AméricasCosta Adeje business association. Víctor Sánchez said this week that the much-maligned Las Verónicas district is slowly achieving a badly-needed facelift but no help has been received from local government. ‘We have already done a lot but much still remains to be done to address some of the issues that most annoy tourists, such as
looky looky vendors, PRs and touts, and even prostitution’ explained Sánchez, who was reelected chairman of the 73member association recently. The street vendors are the most urgent problem in need of remedy, according to the association, not just for the nuisance caused to tourists but also the unfair competition posed for bona fide tax-paying traders. ‘When they see an Adeje local police patrol, they simply move up the road and cross the town boundary, safe in the knowledge that the Adeje police cannot touch them in Arona’ complained Sánchez, who says the problem would soon be resolved if vendors’ particulars were noted by police and their products confiscated.
The recent 2-week operation in Santa Cruz to detect the use of mobile phones and other distracting devices at the wheel saw 662 ‘suspicious’ drivers pulled over by the city’s police during the period between 5-18 March. The operation was part of a nationwide campaign ordered by the Spanish traffic authorities to clamp down on dangerous but increasingly common practices by drivers, particularly talking on the phone or using touch-screen satellite navigation. 146 of the drivers who were asked to pull over were found to be using their phones without a hands-free kit and face a hefty fine and loss of licence points for their actions. A small number were reported for wearing headphones to listen to music while driving and several others for reading through documents or making notes while at the wheel. According to the authorities, 606 people died on Spanish roads in 2011 in crashes caused by driver distraction.
Drug money seized in car ferry swoop DA Santa Cruz de Tenerife
A Las Palmas man said to have extensive connections with drug trafficking in the Canaries has been arrested on arrival in Cádiz after Customs found a million euros in his vehicle. The car, an expensive Mercedes, arrived in the mainland port by overnight ferry from Gran Canaria earlier this week and aroused suspicion among officers. A search led to the discovery underneath the driver’s seat of a false bottom with the massive stash of money, which far exceeded the amount that can be carried legally without documentary proof of its source. The vehicle and the money have been confiscated until the driver can furnish evidence that both were obtained legitimately. According to Civil Guard sources, the man, aged 34, has a long record of drug offences. The find is one of the biggest drug-related cash seizures in recent times.
The Supplement
Saturday 24 March 2012
3
SPORT
‘Firm’ defence lets Tenerife down Diario de Avisos Santa Cruz de Tenerife
The resurgence of Tenerife in Division 2B over the past two months, after the slump in form that led to the departure of the previous manager, was brought to an untimely and unexpected halt by lowly San Sebastián de los Reyes (‘Sanse’) on Wednesday night in the Heliodoro Rodríguez stadium. The 0-2 home defeat was all the more embarrassing since it came just hours after several Tenerife players had openly praised the performances of the defence under new manager Andrés García Tébar. The side’s impressive showings at the back of late had ensured that few points were picked up by opposing teams as Tenerife rose to second place and within touching distance of leaders, Real Madrid Castilla. Prior to the mid-week fixture against Sanse, Tenerife had conceded just four goals (never more than one per game) in the eight games since García Tébar took over from Antonio Calderón and in four of those matches a clean sheet was kept. Full back Raul Llorente, who has turned out to be a solid and hugely popular signing in the winter transfer window,
FOOTBALL
Messi heads world rich list with 33 million euros ◗Leo Messi is now the world’s best-paid footballer, according to a survey by France Football magazine. The World Player of the Year heads the latest rich list after earning 33 million euros in wages, bonuses, sponsorships and endorsements. The Barcelona star topped his annual salary from the Spanish giants last year with sponsorship deals from the likes of Adidas and Pepsi.
explained that the manager had laid down the rules immediately on arrival. ‘He told us we had to tighten up collectively at the back and I reckon we are now the best side defensively in the league’ said Llorente, whose words were soon to come back to haunt him as a horrific first-half mix-up between him and goalkeeper Sergio Aragoneses gifted Sanse their opening goal. Worse was to come when, in desperation, Tenerife committed themselves to all-out attack in the second half and left themselves wide open in defence, allowing Sanse to score a second
WATERPOLO
Acuasport Echeyde move into top gear
The Tenerife defence has been very solid until the midweek Sanse disaster Tenerife surprisingly lost 0-2 to lowly Sanse on Wednesday. / DA
goal completely against the run of play. The defeat cancelled out the good work done last Sunday at Rayo Vallecano B, where Tenerife battled to a 0-2 win. With fixtures against teams in the lower half of
the table (beginning with Leganés away tomorrow) to come in the next few weeks, the team have a golden opportunity to pick up maximum points and remain in contention for the play-offs at the end of the season.
However, they cannot afford any more defensive slip-ups such as those that earned the players jeers and catcalls from fans against Sanse. Leganés are currently bottom of the league after their 2-1 loss to Castilla.
BASKETBALL
Tenerife clubs’ merger war hots up even further Diario de Avisos Santa Cruz de Tenerife
The simmering conflict over plans to merge Tenerife’s two big basketball clubs escalated this week and now threatens to mar the likely promotion celebrations of one of the pair. Iberostar Canarias and CB Tenerife are supposed to be nearing the end of a long merger process imposed on them by the island’s Cabildo, which refuses to continue to fund two teams from the island in senior basketball. Although the merger details were thrashed out some time ago and should have resulted in Tenerife effectively becoming a junior feeder team for Canarias, the former decided to ignore the conditions and registered to play in the
Tenerife’s councillor for sport openly criticised Tenerife’s actions. / DA
professional LEB Plata league this season, despite the much higher cost in player wages and travel. However, the move has backfired badly and Tenerife are currently
anchored to the bottom of the league table. Even worse, the Cabildo has tired of Tenerife’s failure to comply with the merger agree-
ment and is threatening to reclaim almost 150,000 euros in funding already paid. ‘Tenerife have breached seven of the conditions, including the submission of proper proof of how it has spent public money. If the club do not justify the expenditure we have no choice but to recover the money’ said island sports councillor Cristo Pérez, who took the unusual step of convening a press conference on Tuesday to publicly list the breaches committed by Tenerife. The failure to merge could have a nasty effect on Iberostar Canarias, given that a unified club would have access to the bond of nearly two million euros deposited by Tenerife to compete in the ACB Premiership over a decade ago and which is still held by the league. It is believed behind the scenes talks have been held with ACB officials to clarify the status of the bond if the La Laguna side earn automatic promotion as winners of the LEB Oro division, which could happen as early as next week.
◗Waterpolo side Acuasport Echeyde took a giant step towards returning to the Premiership with a deserved victory over near rivals Helios last week-end. Lying second going into the game, the Tenerife club defeated their fancied opponents 10-7 to take over at the top of the table, with a game in hand. Having lost just one game they are now hot favourites for promotion.
CD TENERIFE
Bravo voices unhappiness under new boss ◗Tenerife player Víctor Bravo may have landed himself in trouble with his manager after openly complaining that his situation has changed dramatically since the arrival of García Tébar. ‘It is clear I don’t figure in his plans, which is strange after the good first half of the season I enjoyed, with five goals. I am the same player but if I don’t get a chance to play I can’t show that’ he said.
MOTOR RACING
Future of Islas Canarias Rally clarified ◗The future of the Canaries’ top car rally is secure for the near future. The Islas Canarias Rally will remain part of the prestigious International Rally Challenge (IRC) for the next three years thanks to a sponsorship deal announced this week which sees the race get 190,000 euros annually from the Gran Canaria Cabildo.
4 The Supplement
Saturday 24 March 2012
TASTES OF TENERIFE Tenerife offers visitors authentic and innovative cuisine with high quality homegrown produce. The quality of local cheese, wine, potatoes, tomatoes, honey and bananas is excellent. The island’s year round spring climate and fertile volcanic soil is perfect for vegetables, tropical fruit, vineyards, banana plantations and almond trees. This is why the Tenerife Tourist Board is marketing a major project to promote food and wine tourism called Saborea Tenerife or Taste Tenerife. To herald the arrival of spring, a series of Local Food Fairs will be staged in 2012 all over the island in over 20 different municipalities.
The star products will be Tenerife’s wines and local farming and dairy produce. The programme schedule will be promoted to the public in English, Spanish and German, making it easy for visitors to attend these events and meet the local people. It is hoped they will help to spotlight the island’s gastronomic delights and the quality of its natural re-
sources to the holiday trade. Tenerife Tourist Board successfully launched the promotion called Muestras Gastronómicas Locales one and a half years ago and it has been welcomed by local councils and associations around the island. An ever increasing number of public bodies are now keen to participate in the drive to encourage food and wine tourism. New to this year’s programme are improvements which streamline the flow of information to ensure that it will reach users earlier and supply more details about the Food Fairs. The programme will not only feature food and wine events but it will also showcase the local culture and traditions. The Local Food Fairs, themed around Tenerife’s gastronomy, will link the landscape, folklore, culture, farming and livestock with the typical traits of the people of Tenerife, which, in turn will give our visitors a more enjoyable and emotive experience during their stay. The Rabbit Stew Fair or Condumio de Conejo, is the theme of the first Local Food Fair, which takes place from 10-19 April and promises all the rich traditional flavour of Icod de los Vinos. This northern municipality, which boasts a number of traditional cultural celebrations, will be the first to host a Local Food Fair in 2012, featuring a perfect combination of culinary skills and wine. The wines are significant because their bouquet links the ancient vines which were the first to be grown on the island to modern winemaking techniques that seek to extract the highest quality from the grapes. Icod is easy to get to so visitors can fully enjoy the programme of activities on offer. Tenerife’s Local Wine Fairs will promoted in the widest possible number of media, by the organizer s of each fair and through all the information channels operated by the Tenerife Tourist Board. More information: www.webtenerifeuk.uk.co