Spain Papers Review – Saturday January 2 2010
The Spanish papers catch up today, having not gone to press on New Year’s Day
El País headlines that Zapatero has launched a European Coordination Committee against terrorism, and that nine countries have joined the plan to share reserved information. The paper says the objective of the Spanish Presidency of the EU is the exit from recession.
La Razón headlines that Zapatero has said he accepts the challenge of getting Europe out of recession. The paper says the Spanish Prime Minister is facing the Spanish six month EU Presidency with enthusiasm, but notes that the sharing out of power under the Lisbon Treaty has devalued the Presidency.
El Mundo has an interview with Spanish Foreign Minister, Miguel Ángel Moratinos. He tells the paper that the Government does not negotiate or pay ransoms to terrorists. He also declares that the objective of the Government during its Presidency of the EU is ‘the exit from the recession’.
The paper has a front page photo of a body being carried after a suicide attack in the Pakistani city of Bannu, and says a wave of such Taliban attacks has taken place in Afghanistan and Pakistan. It reports that a terrorist infiltrated into the CIA killed seven agents in a spy plane base, and that 88 civilians were killed in a volleyball stadium.
La Razón notes that another five Canadians have died in a Taliban explosive attack.
El País has a very bloody front page photo of an injured man and says an Islamic radical killed 88 in Pakistan. It says the attacked CIA base has coordinated the latest bombings saying the intelligence agency has claimed revenge for the seven of its number killed.
El Mundo reports criticism of Barack Obama for continuing his holiday in Hawaii.
El Mundo leads with the first half of the latest opinion poll carried out for the paper by Sigma Dos. The paper headlines that the PP have a 5.1% lead over the Government in its seventh year and notes that over the last year there has been an 8% swing against the Socialists. Zapatero is now only valued slightly higher than Rajoy, and Rubalcaba and De la Vega are the only members of the cabinet to meet public approval.
El País notes the intention of collecting income has seen many tariffs and taxes rise at the start of the year, despite the recession. It notes public services such as electricity and transport are now more expensive.
ABC lists the increases under its masthead. Local trains up 6%, Electricity up 2.6%, Gas Bombona up 3.4%, Stamps up 6.25%, Taxes on savings up 19% or 21%. AVE trains 4% and Madrid bus and metro up 21%. It notes the withdrawal of the 400 € income tax rebate is the most pronounced tax increase this year, and reminds us that the IVA/VAT rate goes up from 16% to 18% in July.
Público reports that the King continues to spend without any public control of his accounts.
Público dedicates its front page to the Tobin Tax. It tells us that it was planned without success at the start of the 70’s by the Nobel Prize winner James Tobin, as a tax on currency exchange. The paper says now 12 countries want to use it to tax speculation in the banking industry, led by France, Spain, the UK and Germany. It would probably be a 0.005% tax on certain movements of capital.
El Mundo reports that the ‘hangovers’ of five air traffic controllers left Barajas airport in Madrid with only two of its four runways operational yesterday. The paper says it should have been a quiet day at the airport with 30% fewer flights than normal.
El País notes general delays at airports across the country because of the lack of controllers and notes the same thing happened on Jan 1 last year.
Público reports an 86% increase in the numbers of drunken comas in Madrid this New Year.
ABC has a front page photo of the Pope who called for the road of violence to be abandoned during his sermon on the World Peace Day.
El Mundo reports that the Supreme Court has ruled that state aid paid to the families of ETA prisoners is illegal.
El País notes that the judges did not consider that the grants had a social end.
La Razón has a large front page photo of the first Spaniard to be born in 2010. Graciela came into the world at seven seconds past midnight in Barcelona, and four out of the first five arrivals were girls.
And finally,
El País has a two page report on the changing habits of children in Spain who now prefer to see everything on the internet and not on TV. (Via Original Source)
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