France to impose unbranded cigarette packets and forbid all advertising

PARIS – France will be the first European country to make ‘neutral’ cigarettes obligatory, as well as prohibit publicity. The French government announced last week that it will be following the example of Australia, the first nation to impose these measures. The new regulations (which can be expected to eventually become law in Europe, but it will take years) include the order that all packets must have ‘the same size and shape, colour and typography’ in order to eliminate any possibility of publicity among the young. A number of scientific studies, according to Spain’s Comité Nacional para la Prevención del Tabaquismo (CNPT, National Committee on Prevention of Tobacco Addiction), have demonstrated that removing any attraction from the packs helps the young to be less tempted to start smoking. However, Spain has already stated its position against these measures, as have also another eight EU countries: Romania, Bulgaria, Slovakia, Italy, Portugal, Poland, Greece and Czech.

Only Health and Education to be saved from Budget cuts in 2015

'New La Línea Hospital' still 'under
construction after 5 years' hiatus

SEVILLA – The Junta de Andalucía’s governing coalition (PSOE and IU) last week gave another twist to the draft on the region’s 2015 Budget. While, yet again, the budget is surrounded by difficulties in coalition priorities, principally regarding the central government’s (PP) rule that all the regions’ deficits must decrease by 0.7% and also as the result of the resources coming from the State are down by €600mm, neither party foresees ‘great clashes’ with the accounts, though they do warn that it will be ‘the little things’ that could be the problems. In any case, the Treasury is aiming at ring fencing monies for education and health, so that when the working committees present the negotiated figures for the Junta’s approval, these two items will have the same amount of money as this year, at least. That is the objective, but neither party is willing to give assurances that it will be so. (Ed. Note: Please forgive a large measure of scepticism regarding these promises.)

Massive anti-organized crime clean up all over EU

Europol HQ, The Hague

THE HAGUE – The biggest raid against organized crime ever organized in Europe took place last week, resulting in the arrest of 1,027 people from all 28 EU countries, accused of a variety of crimes with two salient things, they were all accused of drug and/or people smuggling across EU borders. A very good result, too, was the liberation of 30 Romanian minors, victims of people smugglers and presumably to be sold into prostitution. In addition, confiscations totalled some 600kg of cocaine, 200kg of heroin, and 1.3kg of hashish. The 20,000 agents involved in Operation Archimedes, coordinated by Europol, had the

Why is it so difficult to get up in the morning?

EVERYWHERE (Probably) – It is often the case that we find it a chore to get up in the morning. Many studies on the subject say that there are about as many reasons as there are studies. Among these are: not enough sleep, going to bed late, noise before and during, medical conditions, and a long etc. Have you ever wondered how Spanish children seem never to sleep (unless they’re adolescents, in which case they do so endlessly)? They’re up until all hours, usually shocking and astounding visitors, especially those from Northern countries, who put their children to bed very early. But have you also noticed they’re very rarely about in the heat of a summer’s afternoon? That’s because they’re very likely having a siesta (in my none-too-modest opinion, Spain’s best exports, after jamón serrano). (Note: I must get an article together on the subject of siestas; only I have one myself, practically every day…) But here are some more reasons you may have trouble yourself:

More Ebola cases in quarantine in Madrid

(Date: Thursday, Oct 09) MADRID – Spanish radio, RNE, Cadena Ser, and he BBC report this morning that there is a group of some six people under observation for the Ebola virus, though none are confirmed. In the meantime the matter has taken a political turn (as usual here), with nurses unions accusing the hospital authorities and the Minister for Health, Ana Mato, whose resignation is being demanded by the opposition parties, of bad management. The unions say that Teresa, the first person in Europe to contract the virus outside Africa, is not at fault when the suit and gloves she was wearing did not meet established requirements.  Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy is standing behind his minister. Others are taking the matter to court. Brussels, in the meantime, has woken up and is trying to expand its control efforts at European borders, while the US is establishing more intensive controls, including taking temperatures at their major airports, especially those with flights to and from Africa.

The possibility of Ebola in Algeciras and Tarifa

An immigration centre in the Campo
de Gibraltar (AFP)

(Date: Wednesday, Oct 08) ALGECIRAS – Last night, Wednesday, there were rumours flying about that there were several cases under suspicion of immigrants from Sub-Saharan Africa carrying the feared Ebola virus. A survey among the various places the immigrants that come over on flimsy boats are given refuge in Algeciras and Tarifa, as well as local and national media, confirmed that there had been some suspicion but no confirmed cases. It isn’t surprising that suspicion would arise in the two towns, where these centres are overwhelmed at this time of year – summer is the preferred time of year to risk your life crossing the straits in what often amounts to nothing more than

Hospital staff say ‘anti-Ebola’ suits did not meet specifications

MADRID --  Staff at the Carlos III hospital, where the only specifically Ebola unit in the country exists and where the two Spanish missionaries died, this week accused the health authorities of permitting the use of the special suits used at the unit did not meet the security specifications they need. According to staff representatives, regulations, referring to cases such as these should be at Level 4, that is, completely impermeable and autonomous breathing facilities. They say that the suits they were issued were at Level 2. In response, the hospital’s spokesperson, Yolanda Fuentes, denies that security measures were not met. “The suits meet procedural requirements perfectly, as well as the protective measures required for this illness,” she said. As can be seen in the image above, supplied by hospital staff, the suit has no independent breathing apparatus, the gloves are latex, tied on with adhesive tape

SOME OF THE HEADLINES COMING UP ON NEW CAMPOPULSE THIS FRIDAY

You have the whole weekend to read these, and more items published at different times on Friday, October 10:

• Why is it so difficult to get up in the morning?
• Massive anti-organized crime clean up all over EU
• Only Health and Education to be saved from Budget cuts in 2015
• France to impose unbranded cigarette packets and forbid all advertising
• Prostitution and drugs add €9 billion to Spain's 2013 GDP
• Junta de Andalucía coalition is still negotiating pact on illegal homes
• Spain fails through lack of lobbies regulation and transparency
• Why do John Lennon and Paul McCartney sing different lyrics on 'I’ve got a feeling'?
• Sex in 140 characters
• Ten things about cats
• Why do exclamation and question marks go at the beginning and at the end in Spanish?
• Spanish ship headed for Cuba sunk by CIA

See you on Friday with even more stuff, some serious, some funny, some not ... but we need your comments, good and bad!!

Another nurse being tested for Ebola

NEWS JUST IN

MADRID -- Another nurse working at the La Paz-Carlos III and who had direct contact with her colleague María Teresa R already confirmed as having contracted the virus and whose husband has also been isolated, was admitted at dawn this morning and is being tested for confirmation. She was immediately isolated at the local hospital on Calle Sinieso Delgado, according to official sources.

Europe’s first Ebola case transferred to specialised hospital

MADRID – The nurse who attended missionary Manuel García Viejo, who died of the Ebola virus on September 25, was last night moved to the special isolation ward at the Carlos III hospital ‘as a precaution’. It was confirmed yesterday afternoon that she had contracted the virus and has been in isolation ever since. As a nursing auxiliary, the woman, whose name hasn’t been divulged to the media, worked at the Laz – Carlos III hospital, where she now is being submitted to further tests. Spanish news reports say that she had had direct contact with García Viejo twice, which is when she reportedly contracted the viral disease. Her husband and recent contacts are being monitored, including 30 other medical staff at the hospital.