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United States gives undertaking to remove radioactive earth from Palomares

admin — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 15:11:47 +0000

United States gives undertaking to remove radioactive earth from Palomares
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By h.b. – Feb 5, 2012 – 9:20 AM
The news was given by the Spanish Foreign Minister.The bomb which fell into the sea off Palomares – EFE

After eight years of negotiations, the United States has given a guarantee to Spain that it will remove 50,000 cubic metres of land contaminated by plutonium which remain in Palomares, Almería, after the accident in 1966.

A B52 aircraft collided with a refuelling plane mid-air, and dropped its four hydrogen bombs. Two were found intact, one of which fell into the sea. The others which fell close to Palomares, caught fire and released more than 20 kilos of highly radioactive Plutonium.

The Minister for Foreign Affairs, José Manuel García-Margallo, said the Spanish Government ‘had received guarantees from the United States that the contaminated earth at Palomares would be removed quickly. Spain has always insisted that the final result would have to be the removal of the contamination by the United States, given that they caused the problem, and also because Spain has no facilities for the storage of such material.

Mayor of Palomares, Jesús Caicedo, said he was happy to hear the news. ‘Most people don’t tell you to your face, but you know that they are always doubting whether the area is safe’, he said, adding that there is all the talk about environmental matters in the media, but nobody had done nothing about 50,000 cubic metres of radioactive earth in Palomares since 1966.

However a statement on Saturday from the United States Department of State claimed ‘no final decision on the cleaning had been taken’, leading the Spanish Foreign Minister to admit that technical questions remain. The statement from the State Department said that the two countries ‘continue to negotiate at the highest level’, and said that the US had collaborated with Spain for 40 years.

García Margallo has his first bilateral meeting with his U.S. counterpart, Hillary Clinton, during a security conference in Munich, and he tried to bring up the subject of Palomares. He said after the meeting that Clinton had given a personal guarantee to resolve the matter during her mandate.

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A more flexible Coastal Law will benefit beach restaurants

admin — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 15:10:48 +0000

A more flexible Coastal Law will benefit beach restaurants
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By h.b. – Feb 5, 2012 – 9:37 AM
The PP’s Javier Arenas is using the subject as part of his campaign in the regional election campaign in Andalucía.A chiringuito in Málaga EFE

The new coastal law will be more generous with the chiringuito beach bars, according to the PP which, as part of the regional election campaign, has guaranteed that 300 businessmen from the beaches will see a solution to their concessions.

The PP leader in Andalucía, Javier Arenas, has commented that tourism and construction are the future of the region, and claimed ‘Today is the end of the harassment and demolition of the chiringuitos’.

The Andalucía Federation of Beach Businessmen estimate that there are 2,000 concessions along the Andalucía coast, of which half are restaurants and that the sector employs 40,000 people in the high season. The Junta estimates that turnover is about 500 million €.

Secretary of State for the Environment, Federico Ramos, speaking at a rally in a Torremolinos hotel, said the new Ley de Costas would be more flexible to solve the complications and confusions which have arisen. He said collaboration was a better process than issuing fines.

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Junta de Andalucía wants its part of the Odyssey treasure

admin — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 15:10:35 +0000

Junta de Andalucía wants its part of the Odyssey treasure
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By h.b. – Feb 5, 2012 – 9:53 AM
The United States salvage company has been given ten days to return the treasure to SpainPart of the Odyssey haul – EFE

The Junta de Andalucía has claimed part of the silver and gold coins from the shipwreck, Nuestra Señora de las Mercedes. The Spanish frigate went down off the coast of the Algarve in 1804 after coming under attack from the English.

Last week the United States Supreme Court ordered the salvage company Odyssey Marine Exploration to return the 17 tons of treasure it recovered from the wreck to Spain within ten days.

Such a haul is worth a fortune, estimates put it in the billion € range, and now the Junta de Andalucía says it wants part of the treasure to display in three regional museums. They have requested that part of the treasure be given for exhibition at the Fine Art Museum in Sevilla, La Casa Pinillos in Cádiz and the Bellas Artes in Huelva.

Meanwhile work continues to get the half million coins back to Spain from Tampa, Florida where they are now. The Ministries of Education, Culture and Sports, Foreign Affairs, and Defence are all working on the problem.

Before the Junta’s request it was thought the treasure would be put on display at the National Underwater Archaeological Museum in Cartagena, Murcia, and the Naval Museum in Madrid.

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Man stabs his wife to death in Valencia

admin — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 15:10:22 +0000

Man stabs his wife to death in Valencia
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By h.b. – Feb 5, 2012 – 10:10 AM
The man has a previous conviction for domestic violence against a previous partnerThe flat where the stabbing took place – EFE

A 49 year old man who was condemned for domestic violence in 2004 for an attack on a previous partner, has now killed his current wife in Valencia. He walked into the Guardia Civil barracks in Carlet on Saturday morning and said that he has just killed his wife in their home in Guadassuar.

Sources close to the investigation say the man stabbed the woman, and he also presented some injuries, and was taken to the La Ribera Hospital in Alzira.

The case has been opened in instruction court 1 in Alzira. His previous conviction for domestic violence against his previous partner resulted in a six month prison sentence and a year’s distancing order.

Minister for Health, Social Services and Equality, Ana Mato, has ‘deeply condemned’ the news which brings the eight woman to die at the hands of her partner in Spain so far this year.

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The New York Times publishes an editorial in favour of Judge Baltasar Garzón

admin — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 15:10:12 +0000

The New York Times publishes an editorial in favour of Judge Baltasar Garzón
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By h.b. – Feb 5, 2012 – 1:31 PM
The paper considers the case against Garzón for investigating Franco-era crimesBatasar Garzón outside the Supeme Court – EFE

The New York Times has published an editorial today, Sunday, in favour of Spanish National Court judge Baltasar Garzón, saying that pursuing the judge for investigating disappearances over the Franco years is ‘an attack on justice’.

The judge faces a possible 20 year ban from office charged with perversion of the course of justice for starting his investigations which are considered by some to be beyond his mandate, and also which break the amnesty dating from the transition in 1977.

The New York Times declines to voice an opinion of the other two cases being faced by Garzón and admits that the judge is ‘undeniably flamboyant and at times overreaches’, but it considers that prosecuting him for digging into Franco-era crimes is an offence against justice and history.

It says the Supreme Court should never have accepted the case and must now acquit him.

You can read the editorial here.

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Deputy criticises Valencia Government’s response to the Calpe Legionairre’s outbreak.

admin — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 03:05:14 +0000

Deputy criticises Valencia Government’s response to the Calpe Legionairre’s outbreak.
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By h.b. – Feb 4, 2012 – 6:29 PM
British health services had the information before the Valencia serviceThe Diamante Beach Hotel Calpe — Brochure Photo

The deputy and assistant spokesperson for Esquerra Unida in the Valencia parliament, Lluis Torró, has asked the question,
‘How is it possible that the British health service warned about the problem of the outbreak of Legionnaire’s disease in Calpe before the Valencia health services?’.

He criticised the opacity of the Regional Health Authority over the outbreak.
‘With the excuse of not alarming the population, they have been hiding relevant information from an epidemiological point of view which could affect the population’, he said, and went on to say that in such cases normally a policy of transparency is followed so all the preventative measures can be taken.
Lluis Torró has asked that somebody accept responsibility for the lack of information in the case.

Three British tourists have died from the outbreak, part of a group of 11 affected British tourists and three Spaniards who work in the Diamante Beach Hotel where a large cleaning operation of the plumbing is underway. It’s thought the establishment will be able to reopen in a week’s time.

Three British people remain in hospital in Benidorm and are making progress.

The regional health councillor, Luis Rosado, underlined that it was ‘an isolated outbreak’ and there is no cause for a health alert. He said that contact had been kept with the British tour operators to keep then fully informed.

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Alfredo Pérez Rubalcaba is the new leader of the PSOE Socialist party

admin — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 03:05:04 +0000

Alfredo Pérez Rubalcaba is the new leader of the PSOE Socialist party
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By h.b. – Feb 4, 2012 – 6:46 PM
He beat Carmé Chacón by 22 votes in the election at the 38th party congress.Rubalcaba takes the applause – EFE

The new leader of the PSOE Socialist Party is Alfredo Pérez Rubalcaba who won the vote in the party congress on Saturday by 22 votes, from his challenger, Carmé Chacón.

It was 487 votes to 465 as 955 of the 956 delegates took part in the process.

He has now officially taken over from José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero who has led the party for the past 12 years, and was chosen after a complicated recount which lasted for more than two hours.

Rubalcaba’s first words as party leader – ‘we are a strong party’, and he then went on to say that they need to change ideas and reform the party, and now was a moment of unity. He thanked Zapatero saying that party should thank him for his legacy.

You can read our background profile on Rubalcaba here

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Court Case resulting from Almuñecar A7 bridge collapse gets underway in Motril

admin — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 14:34:57 +0000

Court Case resulting from Almuñecar A7 bridge collapse gets underway in Motril
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By h.b. – Feb 2, 2012 – 2:34 PM
Six workers lost their lives in the accident in November 2005The accused in court with a model of the bridge in the foreground – EFE

The court case following the collapse of a bridge during the construction of the A7 motorway in Almuñecar which resulted in six deaths in November 2005, has got underway.

In the first session on Wednesday, there were 12 people on the accused bench, but that was reduced to 11 when the judge in Penal Court 1 in Motril, Sergio Romero, removed the man who was Chief of Roads for Eastern Andalucía at the time of the accident, Juan Francisco Martín Enciso.

So now there are 11 accused. The project director, the safety coordinator and people responsible from the companies involved. The prosecutor is asking for upto four years in prison on charges of a crime against workers’ rights, six negligent homicides and causing careless injury.

The Minister for Development was the promoter of the job, which was adjudicated to UTE La Herradura. However they sub-contracted to Estructuras y Montajes Prefabricados, SA, who in turn subcontracted to Douro Montemuro. All contend that the revisions of the beam which fell was correct and that it was unforeseeable that there would be an accident.

The accident happened on November 7 2005 when part of the bridge fell 67 metres into the Rio Verde, killing six and injuring five.
The case continues.

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Spain Weather

admin — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 02:24:55 +0000

Spain Weather – Friday February 3 2012
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By h.b. – Feb 3, 2012 – 8:35 AM
The cold spell hitting Spain will see temperatures below zero in many areas over the weekend. © AEMET. Autorizado el uso de la información y su reproducción citando a AEMET como autora de la misma.

Temperatures are expected to fall even further today, with minimums lower than -10ºC in some areas until Sunday when temperatures will rise slightly.

The Siberian weather has broken what had been one of the mildest winters in recent years in Spain.

December 2001 was the last time we saw such dramatic lows; in Teruel it was -19º to -26ºC, but this time round the forecasters don’t think it will go below -12º. The regions most affected by the cold this weekend will be Cantabria, Cataluña, Basque Country, Asturias, Navarra and Mallorca.

Snow fell on the beaches of Barcelona yesterday and 73,000 schoolchildren were sent home when 230 schools were closed because of the conditions.

Today the sensation of cold will be heightened by the winds, with the wind chill factor strong in many areas. Northerly winds with strong gusts are forecast in Cataluña, Baleares, and the north of the Canaries, and a moderate to strong Levante wind is forecast in the Strait.

Sunday will be more overcast with light to moderate showers in many areas.

A Coruña 9 3
Albacete 6 -4
Alicante/Alacant 10 1
Almería 7 4
Ávila 1 -7
Badajoz 9 -2
Barcelona 4 0
Bilbao 5 -1
Burgos 0 -7
Cáceres 8 -2
Cádiz 10 5
Castellón de la Plana/Castelló de la Plana 8 1
Ceuta 12 7
Ciudad Real 5 -3
Córdoba 8 -2
Cuenca 3 -5
Girona 6 -3
Granada 2 -5
Guadalajara 4 -5
Huelva 12 1
Huesca 3 -5
Jaén 3 -4
Las Palmas 21 16
León 1 -7
Lleida 2 -4
Logroño 1 -5
Lugo 5 -3
Madrid 4 -2
Málaga 7 3
Melilla 8 5
Murcia 10 0
Ourense 7 -2
Oviedo 4 -1
Palencia 1 -6
Palma de Mallorca 6 2
Pamplona -1 -8
Pontevedra 9 1
Salamanca 3 -7
San Sebastián 2 -4
Santa Cruz de Tenerife 21 14
Santander 6 -1
Segovia 0 -9
Sevilla 10 0
Soria 0 -10
Tarragona 8 1
Teruel 0 -10
Toledo 6 -4
Valencia 9 1
Valladolid 1 -6
Vitoria 0 -7
Zamora 3 -5
Zaragoza 2 -5

Outlook
Temperatures will not fully recover until Monday, but Sunday will be warmer, particularly by day.

Check out the seven day forecast with information for every three hours for your part of Spain – here

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Spain Papers Review

admin — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 02:24:46 +0000

Spain Papers Review – Friday February 3 2012
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By h.b. – Feb 3, 2012 – 9:10 AM
Many papers lead with the plans of Luis de Guindos, the Minister for the Economy today.La Razón today

El Mundo says that his dramatic plan is intended to create more credit and bring down the price of property.
El País headlines that Guindos is promoting reduced prices for housing in his financial reform. The paper says the Government will demand more credits from the banks who have asked for public money, and the Ministry for the Economy has given the banks a four month period during which they will obtain advantages for merging.
La Razón headlines that the Government is giving the banks to the end of the year to bring out their real estate portfolio into the open. They have four months to announce their merger plans.
Público reports the state will put another 6 billion € to help banks and savings banks.

El Mundo notes that 9,000 jobs a day were lost in Spain during January. ABC goes further and says – January, at 238 unemployed per hour.

El Mundo reports that the judicial police are to interrogate the employees of Iñaki Urdangarín and the Infanta Cristina. In total 110 people have been called to declare and statements will be taken from all the people who could have helped in the process of sending false factures to his other companies.

Público reports on the court case against Baltasar Garzón and notes that the victims have said that the magistrate was their only opportunity to obtain justice.

El Mundo reports on the infighting in the Socialist party around the two candidates for leader, Rubalcaba and Chacón.
El País says the socialist congress is getting underway without any clear favourite.
La Razón says that Rubalcaba fears he will lose Andalucía to Chacón.
Público also leads with the fight for the PSOE leadership.

ABC has a large front page photo of Javier Arenas, the PP leader in Andalucía, and the paper reports he is on the way to an overall majority in the regional elections in March.

El Mundo reveals that the Socialist Cepeda has been spying on his ex girlfriend using a mobile phone from the Madrid Assembly. He is said to have controlled the phone of councillor, Noelia Martínez.

Público reports that the Culture Minister is to give more money to bullfighting. Wert is an aficionado apparently.

In international stories,
El País considers that the tragedy in the football stadium is threatening the transition in Egypt. It reports on 400 injured in disturbances in Cairo.

ABC reports that the Madrid Mona Lisa was painted by Spanish hands. Italian experts have named Francisco Melzi or Andrea Salaino has the possible artists. The latter was said to be Da Vinci’s favourite and there is speculation that they had a homosexual relationship.

And finally,
The weather. El País notes that 260,000 children missed school in Cataluña yesterday and says across Europe there are now more than 100 deaths from the cold.
La Razón has a wintery picture on the front page, and the caption – Spain at -15º.

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