Welcome to the tuSPAIN weekly review of the Spanish media. Cristina Marquez Arroyo de Camihort has selected a wide range of articles covering general news about Spain, politics, business and culture. We also invite you to view the latest news from Spain (in Spanish) at the web sites of El Pais, El Mundo, ABC and El Periodico
NEWS REVIEW
7 - 19 April, 1997
TELECOMMUNICATIONS "DREAM TEAM"
Telefonica and British Telecom and the US company MCI signed an agreement on Friday making them the second biggest telecommunications group in the world. The aim of the agreement is the joint development and funding of systems with a special emphasis on the American continent. On Wednesday Concert and Portugal Telecom will join the agreement which ultimately will culminate in a joint venture involving 3.8 million lines, 22.000 jobs and annual profits of around of 43.920 million pesetas.
CESID DOCUMENTS DECLASSIFIED
On Friday the government decided to reverse its decision of the 2 August and agreed to de-classify the CESID documents which had been requested by the Supreme Court in its investigation of the "dirty war" against ETA. The Minister of Defence, Eduardo Serra, confirmed that the de-classification of the said documents had been agreed and the decision supported by the Defence Executive Council.
ITALIAN ACTOR WINS PRINCE OF ASTURIAS PRIZE
The Italian actor Vittorio Gassman has been awarded the Prince of Asturias Prize for Art due to "the strength of his creative talent which has enlightened several generations of Europeans".said the president of the committee of judges, Jose Llado. The prize of 5 million pesetas plus a Joan Miro sculpture will be presented His Highness Don Felipe de Borbon, Prince of Asturias at the prize-giving ceremony in Oviedo in the autumn.
ROYAL AFFAIRS
In spite of the fact that His Majesty King Juan Carlos stated in Mexico that the friendship of his daughter Cristina with Inaki Urdangarin is only a friendship at this point, rumours around Barcelona and in their circle of friends maintain that the wedding will be officially announced in August at the Marivent Palace in Palma de Mallorca, during the summer vacations of the Royal family. According to a popular magazine specialised in Royal affairs, the wedding will be held in October at the monastery of Santa Maria de Poblet in the province of Tarragona. This monastery is one of the oldest and most outstanding monastic monuments in Europe. The husband-to-be was born in Zumarraga, his father is from Alava and his mother from Belgium. He attended the prestigious Colegio del Pilar in Vitoria, is working toward a Business Degree at the University of Barcelona, and speaks Spanish, English, French, Catalonian and Basque all perfectly. She is the most independent of King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofía's three children, and actually the only one who is completely emancipated as she lives out of her salary of 200,000 pesetas a month as Co-ordinator of the Photographic exhibitions of the Caixa Foundation.
HUMAN ERROR BLAMED IN TRAIN CRASH
RENFE, the state rail company, stated on Thursday that the drivers' failure to obey speed signals was the only reason that caused the two train derailments that killed 20 people during March. Ramon Escribano, an official representative of the state operated company, affirmed that 'the accident was the fault of individuals, therefore we can't include the entire group of drivers as part of the problem, these unfortunate events were isolated incidents.'' He also mentioned that at the Huarte Arakil crash, the train was travelling at 82 mph when it should have been moving at no more that 18 mph as it attempted to switch tracks. In the second accident, the driver was also travelling too fast. According to Escribano, the company will take disciplinary action against both of them.
BULLFIGHTER GORED AT SEVILLE
Franco Cardeno, a bullfighter whose career developed mostly in Mexico, returned to Seville, one of Spain's most popular bullfighting festivals, where he was gored in the face. He was listed in critical condition after the bull charged into the ring last Tuesday. An assistant who rushed out
to distract the bull from Cardeno was gored himself in the leg. It was an unusually bloody scene for spectators, who ran screaming from their seats, as Cardeno was carried away by other bullfighters with his face hanging open and blood flooding onto the sand. The 43-year-old Cardeno had seen this opportunity to return to Seville as the greatest of his life, and probably the "grand finale" after a 24 year career in this field.
ETA PRISONERS AND TORTURE
Angel Yuste, the General Director of Correctional Facilities defended the prison system as "extremely secure" and dismissed allegations that ETA prisoners were mistreated or tortured. He also stated that the decision by other countries like Portugal or Belgium, not to extradite terrorist prisoners because of the lack of safeguards in Spanish prisons, "shows that those countries don't know anything about our system.'' The case of Fernando Elejalde, a suspected ETA gunman who
was taken to the hospital unconscious and in serious condition after two days in police custody suggests the contrary, however, an investigation carried on by the Interior Ministry cleared the police department of any wrongdoing in the case.
ARMED ISLAMIC GROUP (GIA)
The Central Police Department announced on Wednesday they have arrested 11 suspected
members of Algeria's Armed Islamic Group, a terrorist organisation operating on Spain's eastern coast. They have been charged with the "carrying out activities against state security". During the arrest, the police seized vehicles, arms, mobile telephones and radio transmitters along with forfeited passports from seven different countries. They also confiscated GIA propaganda and a clandestine newsletter entitled Al Ansar. They are believed to be the group who planted a bomb last December killing four people in a Paris metro station.
ARGENTINE ARCHIVES
Argentina has asked Spain for clarification regarding the "Dirty War" secret papers. El Mundo, the Spanish newspaper with the largest distribution on the Internet reported that secret "Dirty War"' files from that South American country were flown to Spain in 1983, where they were microfilmed by CESID, the Spanish intelligence, before being stored in a Swiss bank. The documents could be crucial in the more than 20 years long crusade by different human rights groups to obtain a list of the victims of the 1970s killings by the military government. According to Guido Di Tella, the Argentine Foreign Minister, his government will formally request more information from Spain and will also contact the Swiss government over the reports. Meanwhile, Baltasar Garzon, the Spanish judge who is investigating the disappearance of about 300 Spanish citizens during such Dirty War, sent a commission to investigate the safe deposits and accounts of Argentine military leaders in 1996.
NON-TRADITIONAL MARRIAGES
A Spanish couple formed by a brother and sister who had been living together for nearly 18 years and have two children in the village of Cambre, province of Galicia, have been allowed by the town council to register and obtained legal status as a married couple. Daniel and Rosa Moya Pena will have to fight the central government, which have stated they will not validate or accept the municipality's decision. The two siblings were separated at an early age following the divorce of their parents. The boy's custody went to his father and the girl was taken by the mother. Both were later sent to separate orphanages, where they grew up. After 18 years, they met in a Madrid discotheque, where they fell in love. After discovering that they shared more than a family name, they made several unsuccessful intents to break off the relationship, after which they decided to live together taking private vows similar to the ones they should have taken in the Church. Miguel Cortizo, a regional officer from Galicia, stated that he is afraid "the decision taken by the Cambre's municipality will be seen as a green light to sexual perversion and incest".
MADRID COMMAND
Ainhoa Mugica and Juan Antonio Olarra from Spain, and Fritz Gary Siedmuns and Renate Ehique Schubber from Germany were arrested on Saturday after fleeing from a Madrid apartment where the police found weapons, explosives and leftist propaganda. The group has been known as the "Madrid Command". According to Jaime Mayor Oreja, the Interior Minister, these "two German citizens are only mercenaries paid by ETA, they are not politically motivated." The police also found photographs and descriptions of more than 400 public places and personalities, including Luis Maria Anson, the director of the ABC Newspaper; Jesus Polanco, president of Prisa; Luis del Olmo, movie director; and Alfonso Ussia and Jose Luis Martin Prieto, both well known journalists.
TENNIS REPORT
Sergi Brugera was eliminated by Marc Kevin Goellner of Germany by 6-4, 2-6, 6-2 during the opening round at the Conde de Godo clay court international tournament. He was amongst a group of five seeded players who were ousted in what was graciously called "Opening-round casualties" by the media. Meanwhile, unseeded Carlos Costa, Alberto Martin and Juan Alberto Viloca were amongst the winners. The Barcelona Open first round results on Monday were:
Renzo Furlan from Italy beat Jacobo Diaz from Spain
Marc Goellner from Germany beat Sergi Bruguera from Spain
Joan Albert Viloca from Spain beat Kenneth Carlsen from Denmark
Hicham Arazi from Morocco beat Marco Gorriz from Spain
Julian Alonso from Spain beat Magnus Gustafsson from Sweden
Carlos Costa from Spain beat Sjeng Schalken from Netherlands
Alberto Martin from Spain beat Adrian Volnea from Romania
Fernando Vicente from Spain beat Jan Slemerink from Netherlands
Christian Ruud from Norway beat Bohdan Ulihrach from Czech Republic
Don Johnson from U.S. beat Roberto Carretero from Spain
Karim Alami from Morocco beat Galo Blanco from Spain
Gilbert Schaller from Austria beat Michael Stich from Germany
Magnus Larsson from Sweden beat Dominik Hrbaty from Slovakia
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