SPANISH NEWS REVIEW

2ND NOVEMBERSpain 2008 News Review - NovemberyLa Manga resort applies for bankruptcy protection.The first suicide attack against Spanish soldiers in Afghanistan resulted in the death of two, Juan Andrés Suárez and Rubén Alonso.A youngster died at the doors of the Balcón de Rosales discotheque in Madrid in the middle of the month. Three bouncers were arrested and the tragedy led to a crack down on discos and bars in the capital operating without the correct licences.A British man, ex Royal Navy officer, 44 year old William Madley, was arrested in November after a five week search. He is wanted for questioning in the case of the death of his previous partner in a property business, Scot Derek Cowan, whose bludgeoned body was found in his flat in Barcelona on October 8. A murder investigation is underway with the suspect now being held in the Modelo prison in Barcelona until the trial.The COPE radio presenter, Jiménez Losantos, was in November once again ordered to pay compensation after insulting people on air. It’s his fifth guilty verdict which goes against the Bishops of Spain also, given the fact that the Church owns the radio channel. The fifth guilty verdict comes four months after his contract was renewed, and he has to pay 60,000 € compensation after describing the ERC Catalan Republican party as a group of unrepentant terrorists.The Mayor of Madrid, Alberto Ruiz-Gallardón also brought a successful legal action against Losantos this year.The Government announced that it would be investing a further 11 billion € in public works across the country as a way of giving work to redundant construction workers. They hope the plan will create as many as 300,000 jobs in 2009.The famous La Manga Club in Murcia filed for bankruptcy protection in November. Owned by George Soris’s company MedGroup, the company says that they will continue to trade, but will take ‘very strong measures’ to make the company viable.They purchased the club from P&O for 102 million pounds in 2004. It includes three golf courses, 28 tennis courts, 8 football pitches, a spa, 1,800 private villas and apartments, and a 5 star Hyatt Regency hotel. It’s one of the most complete tourist complexes in Spain and one of the best in Europe, and currently employs 700 workers.The Concurso Voluntario de Acreedores was placed in the mercantile court in Murcia, but the judge has yet to make any decision on the case.The situation implies that the firm has problems meeting debts which are pending. Some reports say that its banks have declined to re-finance part of a 97 million € debt, despite its assets being valued at 170 million.The La Manga Club is well known internationally as it has been used by many tennis stars, such as Anna Kourniokova and football teams such as Manchester United and Real Madrid for training.The Provincial Court in Málaga in November found the three men, two Romanians and a Moroccan, accused of torturing and killing a German couple in their home in Chilches, Málaga, not guilty.Inconsistencies in witness statements and the lack of DNA evidence were deciding factors in the verdict.The attack which also saw the theft of 60,000 € and jewellery took place on January 22 2007, and the three accused have been held in prison since then. The group was however found guilty of the theft of a Volkwagan Polo in Granada, and sentenced to 23 months in prison on that charge. Conflicting witness statements as to the presence of that car at the scene of the crime was key to the verdict.The man known as ‘The Prince of Marbella’, the Syrian, Monzer Al Kassar, was found guilty in November by a Federal Court in the United States of arms trafficking and of conspiring to sell arms to the FARC guerrillas in Colombia.He was arrested in June 2007 at Barajas Airport in Madrid and extradited to the United States in June this year.62 year old Al Kassar lived many years in Spain and became known as ‘The Prince of Marbella’ for his ostentatious lifestyle on the Costa del Sol.He was described in court as one of the most prolific arms traffickers in the world.King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofía were in Geneva in November to officially open the new painted ceiling in the offices of the United Nations.The 1,400 square metre space has been generously covered with 35,000 kilos of coloured paint by the Mallorcan artist, Miquel Barceló, at the controversial cost of 20 million € of which Spain will pay 40%.Of particular criticism was the revelation that 500,000 € of that cost came out of Spanish budgets destined for development aid.The King however praised the ‘undoubtedly creative beauty and expression’ of the work. Also in attendance for the opening was the United Nations Secretary General, Ban Ki-Moon, and the Spanish Prime Minister, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero. The P.M. commented that the impressive ceiling was a reflection of Spain in the 21st century – a country committed to helping development and against intolerance, discrimination and poverty.Barceló said the work had been long and risky and perhaps a bit careless for such a serious setting, but he had no option but to complete it. It took him two years with the help of 15 people.El Mundo reports that the solemn inauguration ceremony was accompanied by the slight odour of paint.In an interview in the newspaper La Opinión de Málaga, the Regional Councillor for Tourism, Luciano Alonso, has announced specific investment for training in the leisure industry with private projects which ‘enrich and activate’ the offer to tourists. He said that local councils had funding to renovate hotels, and the new regional Qualifica plan to boost quality was the way to go.It’s clear that Alonso wants to promote the real Spain, commenting to the paper ‘That it’s not normal that there are more Irish Pubs than flamenco tablaos’. He said it could not be that there was no good flamenco on the Costa del Sol.