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It would seem that the vote in the Madrid Parliament against opening the investigation into the March 11 bombings in which 193 people died has proven to be the last straw for any consensus between the Socialist Government and the conservative Partido Popular. After the result of the vote was known, PP President Mariano Rajoy commented from Brussels that ‘everyone makes his or her own decisions on the basis of criteria that they consider opportune and convenient’, by Eduardo Zaplana, the PP spokesman in Parliament went much further, by stating that the Socialists now could not call on the PP for their support for anything and that ‘resignation’ was not in the vocabulary of the party. However Jaime Ignacio del Burgo for the PP stated that as far as he was concerned, he would still seek answers from the Interior Ministry to the more than two hundred questions he has tabled over the bombings. Analysts have expressed the opinion that Mr. Zaplana’s strategy over March 11 appears to see him placing his political career on the line, because if his suspicions are confirmed, it will mark an important success for him that will be greatly appreciated inside the PP. However, if he fails in his attempts to clarify events around the bombings, it could well signal the end of his career as a prominent member of the party.
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Meanwhile, the Catalan College of Journalists has accused certain media of ‘using what information they have garnered on March 11 for political and financial gain’. Amongst those in the firing line according to the College are the newspaper El Mundo and the COPE radio chain. The statement from the College also alleged that these media ‘ are seriously undermining the institutions of a democratic state’.
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Also yesterday, another hole was blown in the Government’s allegations about March 11, after an investigation revealed that the telephoned used as detonators in the bombs on the trains were in fact active earlier than in the official version, which states that these were activated only on March 10. An investigation with the telephone companies involved revealed yesterday that these phones had in fact been activated in November 2003. Despite this, investigatory magistrate Juan Del Olmo has not looked into who in fact undertook this activation.
Police sources yesterday were said to be ‘furious’ that due to a lack of coordination between two Ministries – Interior that controls the Guardia Civil and Finance that controls the Customs Police – enabled drug traffickers to get away. It was last Tuesday when a group was discovered unloading more than a ton of Hashish on Bonmati beach between Santa Pola and Elche, and placing the cargo inside a powerful BMW car. The customs service had already raised its suspicions as the launch carrying the drug was traveling without any lights, and advised the specialized department of the Guardia Civil. However, the Customs patrol did not wait for the Guardia Civil to attend the scene, but instead, not only revealed their position to the traffickers, but also gave chase, which resulted in the gang abandoning their cargo on the beach and easily avoiding detention by the customs service as their launch was considerably more powerful than their pursuers. Meanwhile, the Anti Drugs division of the Alicante branch of the Guardia Civil apparently decided to send a patrol down to the area without previously advising their colleagues in Santa Pola, which resulted in the patrol turning up at the wrong beach as they did not have sufficient knowledge of the local terrain. The Finance Ministry yesterday issued a statement to the effect that it was ‘highly pleased’ over the confiscation of the drug shipment, but made no mention of the traffickers’ escape.
Police in Alicante yesterday managed to foil a ‘lightning kidnap’ after a patrol came across four people beating a man who was semi-conscious on the pavement. As soon as they saw the police patrol, the group bundled their victim into the back of their 4X4 and drove off at speed. By this time several motorcycle patrols joined in the chase, but now without writing off two motorcycles and placing the two patrolmen in hospital. The vehicle was eventually stopped in the Bacarot area, with the supposed kidnappers running off. After freeing the captive, police managed to detain one of the suspects, and an hour and a half later detained another two, whilst the fourth still remains at large. All the people involved in the incident were said to be French, according to police sources.
The largest Buddhist Centre in Europe is set to open in under a week in the heart of the La Sella Urbanization in Pedreguer. To be called the Sakya Drögon Ling, it will be opened by His Holiness Sakya Trizin, the deputy of the Dalai Lama, its main objective is to teach Buddhism and meditation. The centre has 32 rooms and a 1000-square-meter hall of meditation, with His Holiness expecting to remain in the centre for a month after its inauguration. The new centre comes after the founders of Buddhism in Alicante Province opened their first centre in Denia eleven years ago.
To the delight of conservationists, some 25 baby Marine Turtles were born yesterday on the La Punta beach outside Valencia It is the first time in almost two centuries that the species has chosen to breed in the Community. Esteban Gonzalez Pons, the Conseller for the Territory, and his assistant Juan Eymar, a professor of marine biology, greeted the births with delight. Professor. Eymar expressed the belief that the turtles may well now use La Punta as their base, instead of the Greek Islands.
It was revealed last night that Professor Sir Christopher Evans, the founder of Merlin BioSciences was arrested after he had purportedly lent the Labour Party one million Pounds between January and May of last year. Sir Christopher is the first party donor to be arrested as part of the police enquiry into Money for Titles that began last March. He was later bailed and is expected to return at a future date as enquiries continue. It was also revealed that police interviewed Lord Michael Levy again as their enquiries continue. The questioning of Lord Levy, who became known as ‘Lord Cashpoint’ due to his success in getting funds for the Labour party, is now turning into a huge embarrassment as the Annual party Conference opens this coming Sunday
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King Bhumibol Adulyaqdej of Thailand yesterday approved the naming of General Sondhi Boonyaratklin as temporary head of state, after he had masterminded a coup ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra Following the King’s declaration, the General added that ‘our intention is to maintain order and give the political power back to the people as soon as possible’. It is now believed that Pridiyathorn Devakula, the Governor of the Bank of Thailand, could be named as the interim Prime Minister, with elections envisaged in October of next year.
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Richard Hammond, the 36-year-old presenter of the television programme “Top Gear’ was in a critical condition in hospital last night after the jet-powered dragster he was driving flipped and rolled over several times. Mr. Hammond was driving the Vampire as part of a future programme, and in all probability was at speeds near 300 mph when the crash occurred at a former RAF base near York. Emergency Service workers had to cut Mr. Hammond free from the Vampire, and he reportedly slipped in an out of consciousness, telling his rescuers that he was experiencing some pain in his lower back. “Top Gear” has an average weekly audience in the UK of five million viewers.
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