Spanish New Snippets

Civil Guard loses his licence for causing pile-up by driving the wrong way up an Alicante motorway

Six people, including the officer, were injured in the smash

The Civil Guard officer who caused a multiple pile-up on the A-31 motorway earlier this month by driving up the wrong carriageway has lost his driving licence.

The un-named officer appeared before the head of Alicante’s Instruction Court No. 4 on Thursday morning, where he was charged with two traffic crimes and ordered to report back to the court every two weeks, in addition to losing his licence.

Six people were injured in the smash, including the officer himself who, Europa Press reports, underwent surgery for an injury to an arm.

He is understood to have been drunk at the wheel and tested at twice the legal limit.

El País reports two arrests recently for similar incidents in the province. A woman who drove 17 kms on the wrong side of the Alicante-Alcoi motorway was arrested last Thursday, testing negative for alcohol, and the Civil Guard reported another case of a 55 year old Spanish man this Wednesday.

He was arrested in Benidorm after driving for 10 kms on the wrong side of the AP-7 between Benidorm and Altea, and was 7 times over the limit.
There were no injuries in either of these two latest incidents.

Read more: http://www.typicallyspanish.com/news/publish/article_29662.shtml#ixzz1GwJhFUux


Congress throws out amendment against oil prospecting in the Mediterranean

The lower chamber rejected including it as part of the Social Economy Law

An amendment to the Social Economy Law, which was passed by the Senate last week against oil prospecting in the Mediterranean, was voted down by Congress on Wednesday, meaning that the authorisations granted by central government in December remain in place.

The permissions affect an area of the sea between Valencia and the Baleares, and, in Andalucía, the coasts of Málaga and Cádiz.
The no vote from the Socialist Party against including the amendment in the law was supported by CiU and PNV.

The amendment approved by the upper chamber was presented by a Baleares Senator who argued that going ahead with the prospecting would damage the environment and harm the tourist industry.

It was passed in the Senate with the support of the Partido Popular, who also voted to keep the amendment in place in Congress on Wednesday, and there was criticism in the lower chamber for the party’s support for including it in a law which has no connection with prospecting.

EFE notes that the Social Economy Law sets up a common legal framework for bodies such as cooperatives and mutual funds.

Read more: http://www.typicallyspanish.com/news/publish/article_29650.shtml#ixzz1GwHKZI00


Calpe couple sent an electricity bill for 6,400 €

The power company had not made a real reading of their meter for three years

Francisco de la Fuente and his wife Lidia, a pensioner couple from Calpe have received an electricity bill for 6,400 € and have had to ask for a bank loan to pay it.

The bill corresponds to a real meter reading and comes given the circumstance that the power company had not made a real reading on the property since 2007, consistently estimating below the real consumption. 

El Mundo reports that the couple have been paying the bills sent to them over the past three years.

Lidia said, ‘My husband, who is ordered ad nauseam, has saved all the facturas. Some have been for 20 € others nearly 100 €, until they called us from the bank last October to tells us that they wanted 6,400 €’.

The couple has been in touch with the Consumers’ Office and has also established contact with Iberdrola for an explanation, but have heard nothing.
‘They tell they are very sorry, but we can’t do anything except pay up’.

Read more: http://www.typicallyspanish.com/news/publish/article_29642.shtml#ixzz1GwIHgKXf


Ryanair threatens to reduce operations at Alicante Airport

The airline is in dispute with AENA over pro from the new terminal.

The new airport terminal at Alicante’s El Altet is reported to be creating problems between Ryanair and AENA Spanish Airports, and the low-cost airline has warned that it may reduce its number of flights there if the problem is not resolved.

Ryanair’s Michael O’Leary said in a press conference on Tuesday that there is a ‘situation of dispute’ with AENA.

Europa Press reports that it relates to the design of the new terminal, which provides no direct access for passengers to board the planes. It means the airlines will have to meet the cost of installing a passenger boarding bridge themselves, and Ryanair say they will have no option but to put their ticket prices up.

The airline will be running 57 routes out of Alicante from the summer, but O’Leary has warned that the number will be reduced from October if no agreement is reached with AENA.


Read more: http://www.typicallyspanish.com/news/publish/article_29536.shtml#ixzz1GwItUbyl