From typicallyspanish.com
Spain Papers Review - Monday May 19 2008
By h.b.
May 19, 2008 - 9:44 AM
El Mundo manages to get a second edition out to cover the ETA bomb explosion in Guecho last night. The paper notes the van bomb went off after an event organised by the Basque Government to pay homage to the victims of terrorism.
ABC also manages to get the story to press.
Público has an interview with Juan José Ibarretxe, the lehendakari, and headlines his comment that the Socialist party has tried to kill his meeting with the Prime Minister. The meeting in Madrid tomorrow is when Ibarretxe is expected to demand to move ahead with his plans for a regional referendum, and when Zapatero is expected to say no.
El Mundo leads with the sudden death of the Constitutional Court judge García-Calvo. The paper considers that it opens up the way for the approval of the new Catalan statute by the chamber. El Mundo notes that the judge was nominated in his day by the P.P., and that now the majority which challenged aspects of the Catalan Statute has gone.
El País leads with the judge’s death and also notes how it changes the balance of the court. The paper concludes that the progressives are now in the majority, after the death of the ‘most conservative’ member of the court.
The recent criticisms in Spain of the Italian Government and their new immigration policy and crack down on immigrants continue in the papers today, with El Mundo noting that Minister, Celestino Corbacho, has said that Berlusconi ‘wants to criminalise the different’.
El País has a large front page photo of rubbish piled up on the streets of Naples and says that the European Parliament has blamed Berlusconi for the xenophobic attacks being seen in Italy.
El País notes that the Government has frozen the emergency measures planned for the unemployed. The paper says that Celestino Corbacho has cancelled the plans drawn up by his predecessor Jesús Caldera.
El Mundo gives prominence to an exclusive interview with Maria San Gil – the leader of the party in the Basque Country. The paper headlines a statement from her ‘I told Rajoy, in front of everybody, that I see a lack of leadership in the P.P.’. She also tells the paper that her decision to stand back from policy-making has nothing to do with party veteran Jaime Mayor Oreja, and she thinks that the party congress should see several candidates for leader as that would give the winner greater legitimacy.
ABC says that the Mayor of Madrid, Gallardón will talk for dialogue and for Mariano Rajoy in the paper’s Forum meeting today.
El País notes that not all is well in the Socialist party either. The paper reports that party barons have denied allegations that Cataluña is dictating policy on regional financing.
ABC has an interview with the president of Catalan Government, José Montilla. He tells the paper that bilateralism is not just a whim of the Catalan people, and is already in existence. The paper notes the comments just 24 hours ahead of a key meeting on the financing of the region.
El País tells us that 6,000 smaller criminal sentences in Spain have not been executed as the problems in the judiciary continue to be apparent. A new inspection by the General Council for Judicial Power has come up with the number, and notes differences between the regions which ‘infringe on the principle of equality’.
It was a big weekend for Sport and El Mundo shows Raul kissing the 31st league cup for Real Madrid. The paper notes however that Ramón Calderón has been beaten in the boardroom.
Also that Racing are in UEFA and Zaragoza are down to the second division.
ABC goes with the tennis and shows Rafa Nadal celebrating his tenth win against Roger Federer, this time in Hamburg
And finally,
El País is on the Indiana Jones bandwagon – ‘He’s back’ says the paper – and, says the paper, it’s good.