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
17 - 24 May, 1997
Opposition Meeting
The Spanish President, Jose Maria Aznar invited the leader of the Socialist party and ex-president Felipe Gonzalez to a meeting to discuss the main issues and to ask Señor Gonzalez to carry out his leadership of the opposition in a constructive, rather than a negative way. The two met for three hours on Thursday evening and agreed to lower the tension between them and to work together for the good of the country. According to Felipe Gonzalez, their discussions were fundamentally, but not exclusively, related to the inter-governmental meeting of the European Union and the reform of the Atlantic Alliance. He also said that although they agreed to lower the political temperature President Aznar had stressed that that did not mean that either one of them should not feel free to speak his mind. The President also invited Señor Gonzalez to maintain regular contact and to call a meeting as and when he deemed it necessary.
Increased Security for the Law
The Interior Ministry has ordered an increase in security for magistrates of the Supreme Court against possible ETA terrorist attacks. Sources from the Ministry, directed by Jaime Mayor Oreja said after the accusation against the State by Herri Batasuna, accusing the judges and the police of repressive action against the Basque Movement for Independence signalled that ETA had the Magistrates of the Supreme Council as potential targets. Señor Oreja himself declared Batasuna's threats intolerable. He made this statement before attending the presentation of a book entitled "Contra la barbarie" by Jose Maria Calleja, a journalist who has been threatened by ETA and who exposed the question of ETA terrorism from the point of view ot the almost 800 victims.
Royal Wedding Confirmed
Her Royal Highness the Infanta Cristina and the basketball player Iñaki Urdangarin will be married in the Gothic Cathedral of Barcelona on 4 October this year. Already the balconies overlooking the Cathedral are up for rent on the big day with talk of charges of up to a million pesetas per balcony. In an interview in Japan the groom-to- be declared the the honeymoon would have to be postponed, due to a prior sports engagement
Spanish Health Service Reform in Danger
The PSOE (the Spanish Socialist Party) has refused to accept the Health Service Reform proposals made this week by the governing Partido Popular who, it is said finalised them in collaboration with the Catalan members. The Minister of Health underlined that fact the initial proposals were not only discussed and agreed by the Catalans but also members of the PSOE but the ex Minister , Angeles Amador says that the proposals are unacceptable and that they learned about them from the Press and not through discussion in Parliament. It is thought that this was one of the items of discussion between President Aznar and Felipe Gonzalez during the Thursday meeting this week and that the President had asked Gonzalez to go back to his party and re-open talks on the subject.
Earthquake in Galicia
There were earth tremors in Galicia in the early hours of Thursday morning measuring between 4.5 and 5 on the Richter scale. The epicentre was in the town of Becerrea in the province of Lugo and caused alarm in half the country as its effects were felt as far as Barcelona, Madrid, Leon and Cordoba. Large numbers of people ran out of their homes on feeling the tremors and two women one in La Coruña and the the other in Becerrea were slightly hurt. One man suffered a heart attack and died as he was going along the street. It is thought the attack was brought on by the situation. There was little material damage, however. Objects in houses fell on the floor and the front of one recently built house collapsed.
AVE To Increase Tourism
The high speed train service which currently runs from Madrid to Seville is to be extended to Malaga and it is predicted to raise the number of tourists to the Costa del Sol by over 600,000.
In its first year of operation the AVE will bring in profits of 58,656 million pesetas from additional tourists alone and in the first 30 years income will reach 4 and a half billion. The cost of the high-speed line will reach 230,000 million but the Andaluian government considers it to be vital for the economic development of the whole region.
Buddhist Temple for Benalmadena
This week spiritual masters of the Buddhist faith , including the ex supreme chief of Nepal , the lama Kalsan Lopomt Chechu Rimproche visited Benalmadena on the Costa del Sol to check the energy fields in the area. After visiting various sites and carrying out several meditation rituals it was concluded that the area has some very positive energy fields which could make the building of a religious site possible. The lama was particularly interested in a spot in the Sierra de Calomoro. The party visited the area at the invitation of the Mayor who is keen to have a multi-faith municipality. Recently plans to build an Orthodox Church complex and a Muslim cemetery were also announced.
Disappearance of Tax Debt Records
The Secretary of State for Hacienda (The Tax Office), Juan Costa, corroborated the accusations of the second Vice President, Rodrigo Rato that in the hand over of power between the Socialists and the current government a list of large companies with tax debts had disappeared.but the ex Economy Minister, Pedro Solbes denied that the Socialist government had removed details pertaining to the 200.000 million pesetas worth of uncollected taxes pertaining to their time in government.
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