Elvis impersonator Ariel Santamaría was elected councillor in the March 27th local elections in the town of Reus near Barcelona for the independent CORI party. A former postman, Santamaría gave a series of concerts around the town, to publicise his proposal to have marihuana planted in all the town's green areas. He also wants the Guardia Urbana to carry a GPS satellite system at all times so they can find people who have forgotten their lighters and give them a light for their spiff. If he has his way, the Town Hall will be painted pink and the town square will be converted into a swimming pool for nudists. To give his campaign more oomph, his press secretary attended to reporters dressed as a pirate, eye patch included. Despite these eccentricities, 1,800 people voted for Santamaría.
Monday, June 04, 2007
SPAIN HAS THE MOST BLUE FLAGS
Despite the fact that the European Commission has suspended the water quality of 14 beaches in Spain - five of them on the Costa del Sol - the country continues to have the most blue flags in the world, a total of 499 this year, or one in seven beaches. A total of 77 marinas have also been awarded the flag. Galicia, which has fully recovered from the Prestige oil tanker disaster of Novemeber 2002, is now the region with the most blue flags for beach quality - 127 - followed by Cataluña with 108, Valencia with 107 and Andalucia with 72. Of the islands the Balearics have 80 and the Canaries 30.
MADELEINES PARENTS VISIT SPAIN
The parents of abducted Madeleine McCann were in Madrid last Friday as part of a tour of several European 
countries to publicise their daughter's case. They met the UK ambassador to Spain, Denise Holt, and Spanish Interior Minister Alfredo Perez Rubalcaba. The McCanns also appeared on a Spanish television programme called Los Mas Buscados (The Most Wanted) which appeals for help to find missing people. As well as making their own plea, they mentioned Spain's own missing child - seven-year-old Yeremi Vargas, who disappeared in the Canary Islands two months ago. Mr McCann said: "We do realise that there are other families in Spain who have had similar experiences, particularly the family of the young boy Yeremi from Gran Canaria. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and with other families going through a similar experience to us." Earlier, the couple met representatives from child welfare organisations, including the Associacion Contra la Pornogafia Infantil, an anti-paedophile group.
RICE VISIT SPARKS DEMO
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice made a her first lightning visit to Madrid last Friday for talks with Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos to restore ties between the two countries which have been frosty since Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero withdrew Spanish troops from Iraq after he won the March 2004 election. But disagreements remain, notably over Cuba. While Ms Rice was visiting King Juan Carlos, Sr Zapatero and Opposition leader Mariano Rajoy, the Spanish government was holding talks with Cuba on human rights on the island. When Sr Moratinos assured reporters at a press conference that he believed the US would one day agree with Spain's policy on Cuba, Ms Rice was heard to mutter: "Don't hold your breath." Apart from Cuba, the US has expressed anger about an arms deal between Spain and Venezuela's leader, Hugo Chavez, a man the US regards as a destabilising force in Latin America. Meanwhile, Spanish Defence Minister Jose Antonio Alonso complained about "indiscriminate bombardment" carried out by US and Afghan forces, that killed civilians in Afghanistan. Ms Rice blamed Taleban militants for hiding among civilian populations. She also said she would like to see Nato allies do more in Afghanistan, "and Spain is included in that list". A `policeman cuts the chains of youths dressed like prisoners at the US military base in Guatanamo, Cuba. They had chained themselves to the fountain in Plaza Cibeles to protest Ms Rice's visit to Madrid.
FRENCH PRESIDENT VISITED SPAIN
Nicolas Sarkozy made his first visit to Spain as President last week, although he has visited the country several times in the past almost as a native son - his wife Cecilia is the granddaughter of the famous Spanish composer Isaac Albeniz. During his meeting with Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, the main item on the agenda was how to breathe life back into the European Constitution, which the French voted against, and the Spanish voted for in their respective referendums. They also agreed to continue to fight against terrorism, most notably against the Basque terrorist group ETA, in which the French police have been so successful that ETA members are now seeking refuge in countries further afield, such as Britain and Italy. Mr Sarkozy also met his old friend, opposition leader Mariano Rajoy, before having a private diver with King Juan Carlos, Queen Sofia and other members of the Royal family.
I NEVER THOUGHT IT COULD HAPPEN TO ME CAMPAING
In the Traffic Authority's latest campaign to convince people not to drink and drive, 110 people who have ended up in a wheelchair because of a traffic accident will be accompanying the Highway Guardia at breathalyser control points. Their message: "I never thought it could happen to me, but I had an accident and ended up in this wheelchair. Don't let it happen to you." Meanwhile, a judge in Logroño heard how a 58-year-old man killed two cyclists in two separate accidents 20 days apart. The man, who had a stroke a few months ago, told the judge he could remember the first accident but not the second, both of which happened on straight stretches of road. Police said he passed the breathalyser test on both occasions. The judge has not yet delivered a sentence.
