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Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero yesterday made a very hurried visit to Galicia, six days after the fires started ravaging the autonomy. As he stepped out of his official car he received a tumult of insults and angry shouts from the locals, who told the local press that Mariano Rajoy the President of the conservative Partido Popular, had visited the affected areas on the very first day the fires began, and had previously criticised the ‘absolute indifference’ of the Prime Minister. On his visit yesterday, the Prime Minister offered ‘his support’ to Galicia, and added that one of the first priorities of his Government was to ensure that an adequate aid package was sent to the autonomy. He revealed that this would be decided during the first cabinet meeting after the August holidays, but made no mention of the latest allegations against Environment Minister Cristina Narbona in which former Galician fire-fighters stated that they were prevented from entering service as the did not speak Galician, as the number of individual fires raging in the autonomy rose to 136.
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Confusion appeared to reign yesterday over a planned demonstration this coming weekend in the Basque Country after it was initially cancelled, and the Basque terror group Eta through the voice of Pernando Barrena stated that it was on again. Ignacio Astarloa for the Partido Popular demanded that the courts prevent the march from taking place, whilst Judge Baltasar Garzon issued a summons for Mr. Barrena to appear in his court today to explain whether Batasuna/Eta was still behind the idea for the demonstration.
Police in Pedreguer yesterday arrested Francisco Javier Martinez Sanmillan the most wanted man in Spain, after a close examination of a series of fingerprints. He had been ‘on the lam’ for twelve years. He had also managed to elude capture in ‘Operation Necora’ against the Galician drug Cartels, and also ‘Operation Temple’ which was carried out against the Columbian cartels operating in Spain. He is expected to appear in court today, and his arrest was a considerable triumph for the police as he had undertaken a complete facial transformation.
Environment Minister Cristina Narbona yesterday received a wave of criticism from Valencian Tourism Consellera Milagrosa Martinez, who called the Minister ‘ a huge jellyfish that was alarming the tourists in the Valencian Community’. The Consellera, who was in Alicante to present the latest figures for tourism in the Province, stated that Miss Narbona had made the declarations about the Jellyfish in the waters off the Valencian Community ‘ in order to prevent the Community having what it does – a high rate of occupancy from Spanish and international tourists’.
Meanwhile, other voices stated that the policy of the Environment Minister ‘was totally inadequate as one part of Spain burns – Galicia – whilst another part – the Valencian Community – is suffering the effects of a considerable drought.
The latest study published by the Barclays IESE group has revealed that whilst the provinces of Alicante, Malaga and the Balearic Islands remain at the top of the destinations of British tourists, last year saw a 30% drop in the British buying homes in Alicante Province. The report also revealed that nearby Murcia was now the preferred location for those Britons who wanted top buy a home in Spain, as that autonomy only has 52,38 homes per square kilometer as opposed to the Valencian Community where the density is 109.56. The report also added that an improvement was necessary in the fiscal and judicial services ‘ in order to generate greater confidence in any possible future foreign residents’ in the Province.
Late yesterday afternoon, the death was revealed of the teacher at a school in Valencia who had been taken to hospital after collapsing in the centre of the City and entering a coma. At the end of last month, he was admitted to hospital after a small cut was noticed in his head that did not require stitches, but shortly afterwards, he lost consciousness and went into a coma as a result of what was later found to be severe internal bleeding. Whilst Education Conseller Alejandro Font de Mora offered his sincere condolences to the man’s family, police sources revealed that an investigation into the death of the teacher had been opened as it is believed he was beaten by a pupil he was about to expel.
Several people living in the Alicante district of La Alcoraya discovered three men trying to break into a home early yesterday morning. It was later revealed that the same trio had undertaken an earlier robbery, garnering some 600 Euros and jewelry in the process and stealing a car that they later abandoned in La Alcoraya. Police sources stated that they ‘had several suspects in view’ and some arrests would be made later today.
Jose Tormo has been without a job for the last twenty years, but for the last fifteen, he has been living in the reduced space of just three square metres inside a public lavatory in Carcaixent. The Town Hall had previously authorized his ‘stay’ in one of the lavatories in the Navarro Dias Park in the city, but now Mr. Tormo is being forced to move as the Town Hall wants to tear the building down. Town Councilor Jose Gadea, who is in charge of Parks and Gardens stated that the town council had tried to re-lodge Mr. Tormo, ‘but as he has a considerable debt with the Social Security, this has simply not been possible’. Now, he has just nine days before he will be forcibly removed from his current ‘home’.
Benidorm Town Hall yesterday formally issued a ‘stop’ order on all building near the main holiday hotels in the town. This follows a formal request from tour operator TUI – owner of Thomson Holidays – that it had received a large number of complaints from its customers due to the noise, dust and rubble that the building sites represented. As a result of yesterday’s decision, building will now be halted ‘until at least the end of August’.
The prosecutor in the case against the four Frenchmen who jumped in front of cars near a roundabout on the Benidorm La Nucia road and then filmed the reaction of the drivers to later post it on the Internet, made a decision about the case yesterday. He stated that he was formally demanding jail terms for all four young men and that these terms should ‘not be less’ than two years. They are accused of acting against the public order and engendering the lives of third persons.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad has given a one-on-one interview to US newsman Mike Wallace for his “60 Minutes” programme on CBS TV. During the interview, the Iranian leader lamented the foreign policy off United States President George W. Bush, and the lack of relations between Iran and the USA, Iraq, Hezbollah and Lebanon. In the interview, Mr. Ahmedinejad stated: “ You see President Bush’s approval rating is dropping every day. For a ruler, this is the worst message he could receive. Rulers and heads of Government at the end of their office must leave the office with their heads held high.”
Also entering the arena yesterday was rebel British MP George Galloway who gave an interview to Al Jazeera TV. In it he stated: “The state of the current relationship between Britain and the United States is the same kind of relationship that Ms Lewinsky had with the former U.S. President. It’s dishonorable, disreputable, unequal and humiliating for a once great country to be the tail of the American dog, when the head of the dog is as crazy as Bush is. Our interests are being sacrificed and the name of our country is being dragged through the mud everywhere in the world. We are now the third most-hated country in the world after the United States and Israel. This is not a place that most British people want to be.”
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Meanwhile on the ground yesterday, Israel announced that it was stepping up its offensive in southern Lebanon in order to ensure a security zone as far as the banks of the Litani River. The security cabinet yesterday agreed to strike a harder blow against Hezbollah and definitely curb its cross-border attacks
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Scotland Yard yesterday admitted that it was stepping up its investigations into possible hacking of mobile phones after an official complaint was registered by Clarence House – the London home of Prince Charles – into voice mail intercepts on mobile phones belonging to Jamie Lowther-Pinkerton, the private secretary to Princes William and Harry. Suspicions were first raised after a story appeared in The News of The World newspaper to the effect that Prince William had suffered a knee injury. Observers stated that the targeting of royal aides reflects the tabloid newspaper market’s insatiable appetite for stories about the two young princes. Whilst two arrests have been made this far – those of Clive Goodman, the News of The World Royal Editor and consultant Glen Mulcaire, both of whom have since been released on police bail pending a court appearance next week – police believe that people who have had their voice mail tapped could include government ministers and celebrities.
A study by the UBS Bank has revealed that London is the most expensive capital city of the world, effectively displacing Hong Kong. This was the result of a study carried out by the bank in which the cost of rents, shopping baskets in a supermarket and the price of public services were all compared. Coming in second and third were New York and Oslo respectively, but the bank added that whilst the UK prices for supermarket goods fell within the European price ranges, hotels, restaurants and public transport were ‘very expensive’. UBS spokesperson Simone Hofer stated that the main reason was the strength of value in the English Pound. Meanwhile, yesterday as the UK tourist board announced a 6% increase in visitors over last year, Harrods – the Knightsbridge store – officially opened its Christmas department with Santa Claus walking a zebra around the outside of the store.
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