miércoles, 16 abril 2014

Actualizado 18:49 CET

Última hora

Andalusia chief demands ministry check facts over fraud claims

Jesús Duva / Lourdes Lucio Madrid / Seville

Allegations of a multi-million-euro training-course scam are an “abuse against Andalusia,” claims education commissioner

Police probe allegations of multi-million-euro fraud in Málaga

Esperanza Codina Málaga

Subsidies from Andalusian regional government may have been used to pay for courses that were never held

THE PP’S SECRET LEDGERS

Judge gives banks deadline to supply information about Bárcenas

José Antonio Hernández Madrid

Investigating magistrate wants to know where ex-PP treasurer’s €50 million in Switzerland came from

Bárcenas claims former minister gave him access to cash accounts

María Fabra / Fernando J. Pérez Madrid

Ex-PP treasurer tells judge that Francisco Álvarez-Cascos personally oversaw the ruling party’s undeclared slush fund

Jailed ex-PP treasurer loses courtyard privileges

EP Madrid

Luis Bárcenas sanctioned for insubordination during aborted trip to hospital

economy

Five Spanish regions top EU unemployment table

El País Madrid 3

Andalusia, Ceuta, Melilla, the Canary Islands and Extremadura all more than triple the average

EDITORIAL: Regional depression

universal justice

Judge refuses to shelve Western Sahara, Guantanamo torture probes

María Fernández Madrid

Magistrate Pablo Ruz argues that Spain’s international commitments come before legal reforms

Eight more drug-trafficking suspects freed by High Court

María Fabra Madrid

Case involving hashish smugglers shelved by Judge Bermúdez following government reforms

Judge frees drug suspects in wake of universal justice changes

independence drive

Independent Catalonia would be left out of the EU, Brussels insists

Ignacio Fariza Madrid 2

Reminder comes one day after advisory committee said region would likely be allowed to stay

Catalan advisors say EU would accept region as a full member

regional politics

Fallout from squatter crisis prompts more talk of early elections

Lourdes Lucio Seville

Opposition conservatives may benefit from sense of “leftist chaos” in Andalusia region, as relationship between Socialists and United Left comes under increasing strain

Seville authorities to inspect eligibility of rehoused squatters

Manuel Planelles Seville

City inspectors will determine whether families at center of housing crisis will be able to keep their new subsidized homes

Crisis over squatters leaves Andalusia coalition damaged

Lourdes Lucio

Eleventh hour agreement reached between Socialists and United Left

demonstration

Monday's march in Madrid in support of a new Republic. / SANTI BURGOS

Supporters of a new Republic call for a change in government

J. Jiménez Gálvez Madrid

More than 2,000 people march in in central Madrid to demand the monarchy be abolished

crime

Prosecutor demands 26 years for civil guards who “tortured” Britons

Andreu Manresa Palma de Mallorca

Men were arrested following a fight that was started by one of them inside a bar

TRAFFIC SAFETY

Ten of the 12 deadly accidents this weekend took place on conventional roads. / EFE

Fifteen killed on roads during first weekend of Easter vacation

El País Madrid

Figure already represents more than half the total number of deaths during entire holiday in 2013

No ruling in sight from top court on abortion legislation

María Fabra Madrid

Government’s new reform may be put into place before decision made on Socialists’ law

Trade opportunities

King Juan Carlos sits next to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan of United Arab Emirates. / ALI HAIDER (EFE)

“Recession is over,” king tells investors in Abu Dhabi

Jesús Sérvulo González Madrid

Spanish businessmen fly to United Arab Emirates in hope of seeking new investments

tax inspection

Auditors investigate Sanitas for allegedly avoiding €28.07m in taxes

Jesús Sérvulo González Madrid

Health-management company thought to have used transactions for write-offs, sources tell EL PAÍS

infrastructure

The aftermath of a traffic accident in Pontevedra in 2013. / SXENICK (EFE)

Spain’s roads currently in worst condition since 1985

Spending of €6.2 billion on repairs is required, but budget shows more cuts

ECONOMY

The price of fresh fish dropped in March. / EFE

Statistics office revises March consumer price index drop

El País Madrid

Prices declined 0.1% year-on-year, not 0.2% as previously said. Data confirms return to negative territory for second month

Girl kidnapped in Madrid park found drugged and bewildered

El País Madrid

Authorities seek to calm public after man took nine-year-old to an apartment in his car

BUSINESS

Spanish olive oil bottler Deoleo agrees to sell company

El País Madrid

Private-equity firm CVC Capital closes deal with manufacturer of Bertolli and Carbonell at €0.38 a share

Man who invaded TV sets arrested for issuing bomb threats

El País Madrid

Carlos Díez Fernández is obsessed with a CIA conspiracy, and will go to any lengths to tell the world about it

Mystery protestor interrupts three live TV shows in one week

franco-era crimes

Antonio González Pacheco, known as Billy the kid, leaves the High Court on Thursday. / SAMUEL SÁNCHEZ

Prosecutors voice opposition to extradition of “Billy the Kid”

J. Jiménez Gálvez Madrid

Former police inspector accused of torturing detainees during Franco regime appears wearing motorcycle helmet to hide his identity during latest High Court hearing

crime

Xavi Mora and Jordi Bañeres, pictured on the streets of Barcelona. / JUAN BARBOSA

From the Dakar Rally to a French jail

Catalan drivers held for five weeks after police discover 1.4 tons of cocaine hidden in their vehicle

Almost 100 begging ring arrests in last three years

Jesús Duva Madrid

Well-organized Romanian gangs make up to €100 a day for each person they force out on to Spain's streets

justice

Trial rule reforms will oblige public officials to testify in court

María Fabra Madrid

Changes will eliminate privileges that keep public officials from testifying in person, minister announces

DIGITAL PIRACY

Piracy of e-books has risen more than any other type of online content. / Álvaro García

84% of content acquired in Spain is pirated, says industry report

Iñigo López Palacios Madrid

Study finds that awareness of the damage being done is gradually increasing

Bankia sells its 4.94% stake in Iberdrola

Íñigo de Barrón Madrid

Deal nets state-owned lender capital gains of €266 million. Firm has now made €3.95 billion since it began shedding corporate investments in late 2012

Court has “solid” proof that death was linked to police’s use of force

Rebeca Carranco / Jesús García Barcelona

Ten officers denied request not to be tried by popular jury in case of Barcelona businessman Juan Andrés Benítez, who died after being pinned down during his detention last October

Two men die in three hours after being subdued by Catalan police

EFE / Rebeca Carranco / Mercè Pérez Pons Barcelona / Tarragona

Mossos d'Esquadra open internal inquiry in both cases, which took place in Barcelona and Tarragona

EDITORIAL: Too much of a coincidence

media

Nine TV channels to be closed down

Rosario G. Gómez Madrid

Decision by networks to lose stations such as La Sexta 3 and Nitro comes in the wake of a Supreme Court ruling

EUROPEAN ELECTIONS

PP selects agriculture minister to head party slate in European race

Carlos E. Cué / Francesco Manetto Madrid 2

Arias Cañete had been mentioned as a possible candidate for months following veteran MEP Mayor Oreja's withdrawal

Juan Soler leaves court in Valencia on Wednesday after being questioned. / MÒNICA TORRES

Former Valencia soccer club president arrested over kidnap plot

Cristina Vázquez / Cayetano Ros Valencia

Juan Bautista Soler is suspected of trying to abduct another ex-team chief, Vicente Soriano

retail figures

Ikea sales down by 6% last year

Miguel González Madrid

Swedish home accessories retailer posts €44m in profits in 2013

REFERENDUM ROW

86 percent of Congress votes down Catalan referendum request

Fernando Garea Madrid 5

Rare show of unity as national deputies strike down region's demand for transfer of powers. PP, Socialists and UPyD agree Constitution does not give Catalonia right to hold status vote

EDITORIAL: Constitutional channels

Rajoy offers Catalonia option of lobbying for constitutional change

El País / Carlos E. Cué Madrid

Catalan lawmakers accuse prime minister of “ripping Spain apart” at long-awaited referendum debate

Argentina’s ‘Mother Courage’ scores victory against sex trade mafias

Francisco Peregil Buenos Aires

Susana Trimarco vows to keep fighting after 10 people are found guilty of pushing her missing daughter into prostitution

Ana Torroja arrives in court on Wednesday. / MONTSERRAT T DIEZ (EFE)

Former singer from pop group Mecano pleads guilty to tax evasion

Andreu Manresa Palma de Mallorca

Ana Torroja will have to pay €1.5 million in fines for three tax offenses but escapes jail time

Más información

David Cameron’s Canary Island break

British PM opts for rural tourism in Lanzarote during Easter vacation

David Cameron and his children in Lanzarote earlier this week. / Javier Fuentes (EFE)

LATIN AMERICA

Mujica to ask Obama for help in anti-smoking dispute

Magdalena Martínez Montevideo

Phillip Morris claims Uruguay is violating bilateral treaty

Accords reached in Venezuelan peace talks

Alfredo Meza Caracas

Opposition agrees to take part in a truth commission

Calm returns to Nicaragua after quake panic

Carlos Salinas Managua

Experts want to determine what sparked the tremors

Venezuelan TV reporter released unharmed

Ewald Scharfenberg Caracas

Nairobi Pinto was found unharmed on Monday

Cocaine shipments through Caribbean on the rise

Maye Primera Miami

Smugglers being forced to use alternative routes following crackdowns in Mexico

García Márquez’s health is “delicate,” says family

Juan Diego Quesada Mexico City

Nobel Prize-winning author reportedly receiving palliative care

Mob lynchings in Argentina put moral values in doubt

Beating death of a suspect ignites more mob violence

features

One Chinese wholesaler dodged €1.5 million in taxes over four years, according to public prosecutors. / GIANLUCA BATTISTA

How a tax raid changed business practices in Badalona’s Chinatown

Wholesalers in the Catalan city may have defrauded the state of €64 million

STREET CRIME

The National Police's Prevention and Reaction Unit (UPR) out on night patrol. / KIKE PARA

Punishing the pickpockets

J. A. Aunión

Just how serious a problem is street theft in Spain? The courts are now issuing restraining orders to prevent offenders entering specific areas

What price the life of a Bangladeshi worker?

Primark employee Javier Chércoles has set up systems to provide payments to victims of 2013's Rana Plaza disaster

ENVIRONMENT

A train rushes by housing in Catalonia. / EDU BAYER

Driven to distraction by the decibels

The Ombudswoman is calling on the government to tackle excessive plane, train and road noise

CORRUPTION

Making sense of the Gürtel investigation

From Bárcenas' Swiss accounts to refurbishments at PP HQ, EL PAÍS guides you through the case

Lili Dai. / CHINA TIMES

Chinese con artist commits suicide after reading daughter’s kidnap text

José Antonio Hernández Madrid

Lili Dai fled her native China for Spain after tricking hundreds of people out of their savings. Her victims hunted her down in Madrid and took her family hostage

cinema

Screen romance

Gregorio Belinchón Madrid

Carlos Marques-Marcet’s long-distance relationship drama ‘10.000KM’ is conquering the festivals

This week’s movie releases

Pierce Brosnan stars in the darkly comic Nick Hornby adaptation, 'A Long Way Down.' Oscar nominee 'The Missing Picture' recreates the horrors of the Khmer Rouge in clay

Planeta Futuro

PLANETA FUTURO

María Sanabria holds up a picture of her son, Jaime Estiven Valencia, who was killed aged 16 in 2008. / Pablo Tosco

How to fabricate a dead guerrilla

Ander Izagirre Bogotá

The Colombian army and government stand accused of covering up the killing of hundreds of innocents. Victims were reportedly passed off as slain terrorists so soldiers could collect secret state rewards

Welcome to Planeta Futuro

EL PAÍS is launching a new portal focusing on sustainable global development, with the collaboration of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Young refugees find a focus

Laura J. Varo

Displaced Syrian children in Lebanese camps are being given a taste of photography

“We would all rather save lives than sell cars”

Jorge Martínez is the creator of the most successful promotional campaign ever run by a Spanish non-profit

My body, not the state’s

Alejandra Agudo Madrid

NGOs are campaigning to put sexual and reproductive rights on the agenda for development goal talks. They cite changes to Spain's abortion law as retrograde

Last stop Tangier

Luis Gómez

Morocco has taken on the role of guarding Europe's southern border, holding back those whose only dream is to make it into Europe by reaching Spanish soil

Missing the big picture

The movements of people who leave their home countries to seek a new life are changing direction, and Europe’s closed-doors policy could be a big mistake

“Everyone steals from you”

Each year thousands of Africans try to cross the Sahara to reach Europe. En route, many die and many just get trapped, unable to go on or get back home