All posts by Carmen Gomaro

Carmen Gomaro - leading international news and investigative reporter. Worked at various media outlets in Spain, Argentina and Colombia, including Diario de Cádiz, CNN+, Telemadrid and EFE.
ECONOMY

Bankinter rules out remunerating deposits in a general way: "We are not seeing the need"

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Bankinter's results until September already make the entity predict that 2023 will be a “good year”, according to the bank's CEO, María Dolores Dancausa, in the presentation of the third quarter accounts.. The group has recorded a net profit of 685 million euros, 59% more than in the same period of the previous year, largely due to the effect of the rate increase. However, this rate increase has not yet been generally transferred to the compensation of its clients' liabilities, nor is it in their plans that it will be so in a recent period: “We are not seeing the need,” said Dancausa..

“We do not have a generalized remuneration offer, but occasionally. “We are not seeing the need,” the CEO responded, pointing however to the “range of paid products” that the entity offers to its clients, which include the payroll account, the digital account, deposits in dollars “for profiles more sophisticated” and investment funds that invest in fixed income.

Bankinter feels comfortable with results that show an increase in net profit and also in profitability, which is at its highest levels in the last decade.. Specifically, the return on equity (ROE) increased to 17.1%, six percentage points more than a year ago, while the ROTE return on tangible capital stood at 18.2%..

On the contrary, in the last quarter the entity has registered a rise of nine basis points in delinquencies, up to 2.2%, largely the result of the increase in delinquencies in consumer credit. This business area throws one of lime and another of sand to the company, since on the one hand it registered an investment of 6,400 million euros (25% more than in the first nine months of 2022) but also raised its default rate up to 5.1% (compared to 4.2% a year ago).

Despite this, Dancausa has acknowledged that it is not concerned about the increase in defaults at a general level.. With regard to companies, they claim to have “yet” no sign of deterioration in the portfolio, and with regard to individuals and mortgages, neither. They recognize that there are clients who request changes in the conditions to go from variable rate to fixed rate, but it is not in large volume since in recent years, the majority of new production has been carried out at a fixed rate..

Regarding amortizations, they recognize a volume of about 400 million euros per quarter. “It is not a very high figure,” Dancausa assured..

Risks on the horizon

However, delinquency and the evolution of consumer credit is one of the threats that the bank will monitor closely in the coming months.. But not the only one. “We see that there is a certain slowdown in growth, a drop in exports and investment, family savings are running out and are being replaced by consuming on credit,” the CEO listed.. “Weaknesses” that add to other structural risks of our country, such as “debt at historic highs” or the impact that the conflict in the Middle East can have on the markets and that the bank does not lose sight of.

Internally, Dancausa has not wanted to comment on the country's political panorama or on the negotiations to form a future Government, although he has assured that Spain, “fortunately beyond the politicians, has enormous potential”, with companies “of first”, which belongs to NATO, “which is very important in these times”, and is part of the European Union. “Beyond the politicians, we are in a fantastic country and we all have to push,” he said.

Regarding the banking tax, the CEO hopes that it will not be extended beyond 2024, when it is scheduled to end, because that would generate “legal uncertainty” and would be “very negative news.”. “Next year we are going to have to pay and much more” as income from the interest margin and commissions for this year are taxed, which “has grown a lot” due to the rise in interest rates.

Share buybacks

In the appearance, the board of directors ruled out that the bank plans to make any share repurchases – “we use the surplus capital to grow” – or increase the dividends to be distributed..

Returning to the accounts for the first nine months of the year, Bankinter's interest margin stood at 1,638.7 million euros, which is 53.8% more than a year ago, with a customer margin that has grown up to 3.03% at the end of September. Net commissions amounted to 459.1 million euros, 1.5% more year-on-year.

Retail customer funds reached 78,258 million, which is 2.6% more than 12 months ago, with a reduction in the current account portfolio but, at the same time, with strong growth in term products. New mortgage production amounted to 4.3 billion until September, 17% less than in 2022.

SPAIN

The Supreme Court justifies slamming the door on Vox to appeal the pardons of the 'procés': "Political parties do not enjoy any privileges"

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The Supreme Court has closed the possibility of reviewing the pardons that were granted by the Government of Pedro Sánchez to the leaders of the process. In the ruling, notified this Wednesday, the Contentious-Administrative Chamber closes the door for political parties to have legitimacy to challenge the granting of grace measures for the mere fact of having acted as popular prosecutor in the criminal process that gave place to the imposition of the pardoned sentence.

The resolution, presented by Judge Wenceslao Olea, and adopted unanimously by the Fifth Section of the Third Chamber, responds to the appeal filed by Vox against the pardon granted to the former leader of the ANC, Jordi Sánchez. “It is true that this Court has recognized those who have been part of the criminal process the legitimacy to challenge the pardons that affected the sentences imposed in said process.. However, this has been the case when that intervention in the criminal process was as a private accusation.. In such cases, legitimation is recognized through litigation, not because of said procedural position, but because the person exercising the particular action is directly affected by the crime charged in the process, that is, the exercise of said action is conditioned by who has been harmed by the crime,” explains the court.

The ruling admits that “an arduous controversy has arisen, for and against” about whether Santiago Abascal's party had the legitimacy to challenge the pardon granted “because it had acted in the criminal case in which the sentence was imposed.” which has been partially extinguished by it”.

However, the High Court rejects such a link in order to recognize the legitimacy of Vox to appeal for pardons to the leaders of 1-O.. “The quality of being a party to the criminal process would be linked to the legitimation that is required in accordance with the provisions of article 19.1 of the Law Regulating Contentious-Administrative Jurisdiction. This connection cannot be accepted because if the legislator of contentious procedure or of the right of pardon had wanted such assimilation, he would have expressly declared it and he does not do so, but what he requires is that the contested activity affects those political associations.. And in this requirement, there is no doubt that, in principle, having been a party to the previous criminal process does not inevitably entail that it will be affected by the granting of the pardon, because said affectation does not arise, it does not seem necessary to insist, due to the sentence that imposes the sentence, but of the resolution that grants the pardon of the sentence already imposed”.

The magistrates state that, according to the contentious legislation, for a political party “to be able to challenge a specific administrative activity, it is necessary either that this activity affects it or that it affects collective interests, but in this case only when a legal precept enable them to defend themselves” and add that article 19 of the Procedural Law does not contain the recognition of the legitimacy for that specific and prior action in the criminal process in the terms set forth.

The Third Chamber relies on its consolidated jurisprudence to conclude that “political parties do not enjoy any privilege, as far as procedural legitimation in contentious proceedings is concerned, with respect to any other institution of a similar nature and that they only hold the procedural budget when the administrative activity that they intend to challenge directly affects their rights or legitimate interests, except for special cases in which a legal provision confers said quality to them for the defense of collective interests.”

This is the first ruling that has been notified in the case of the battery of appeals filed against the grace measures granted to the promoters of 1-O. This resolution, which addresses the legitimation of Vox, will be applicable to the rest of the appellants who challenged the aforementioned pardons.

By not recognizing legitimation, the Chamber thus avoids ruling on whether there were reasons of justice, equity or public utility of the Executive when granting the aforementioned measures of grace to those who in the fall of 2017 unilaterally declared the independence of Catalonia.

SPAIN

Israel "turns the page" in the diplomatic conflict with Spain, but warns that Podemos' statements encourage "anti-Semitism"

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The Israeli Embassy has settled the diplomatic conflict with Spain after releasing a statement on Monday to criticize the “shameful statements” of “members of Pedro Sánchez's Government whom it accused of “aligning with the terrorism” of Hamas.. “We have already turned the page. We have already said what we had to say,” said its head, Rodica Radian-Gordon.

However, he has once again expressed his disagreement with the public statements of “some ministers”, in implicit allusion to those of the head of the Social Rights portfolio and general secretary of Podemos, Ione Belarra: “These types of statements then have a a result that worries us a lot, because we are seeing more incidents of anti-Semitism. “In fact, it is not the first time that the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians has led to anti-Semitic demonstrations.”

The warning comes after the leader of the purple formation raised the tone this Wednesday to publicly ask the PSOE to “suspend” relations with the Israeli State and encourage the European Union to impose “exemplary economic sanctions” against “the political leaders.” of the “planned genocide” that, as he stressed, is being committed in Gaza. In previous days he had asked to go to the Prosecutor's Office of the International Criminal Court to investigate “the war crimes committed by Benjamin Netanyahu.”

“We have heard again the president [Sánchez] say that the only [international] policy of Spain is made by the president and by the Minister of Foreign Affairs [José Manuel Albares]. “We are satisfied with this response,” Radian-Gordon has tried to downplay.. Even so, he has insisted that they hope that the Government “does everything to avoid having more manifestations, not only of anti-Semitism, but of expressions of hate and statements that are not appropriate.”

Moncloa tried this Tuesday to stop the diplomatic clash with Israel by disavowing both Podemos and Sumar – the space of which it is a part – with the argument that “there are only two authorized voices” to define Spanish policy abroad. The day before, through another statement, he had responded to the Embassy to “flatly reject the falsehoods expressed” about some ministers and warned that he would not accept “unfounded insinuations about them.”

Podemos participates this Wednesday in a rally in front of the Israeli Embassy in Madrid called under the motto Let's stop the massacre in Gaza represented by its secretary of Horizonte Republicano, Rafa Mayoral, and Julio Rodríguez, secretary of Peace. “I also hope to have other types of demonstrations in the coming days,” the ambassador said in this regard.

SPORTS

Eliud Kipchoge: "A world where people run is a happier world"

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Eliud Kipchoge (Kapsisiywa, Kenya, 1984), the best marathon runner in history, will receive the Princess of Asturias Sports Award this Friday at the Campoamor Theater in Oviedo (6:30 p.m.), although first he has something more important to do. In the morning he will lead a huge group of children to run a few kilometers through Campo San Francisco in the Asturian city.. At 38 years old, after having won everything, he still harbors personal ambitions, but nothing motivates him more than inspiring young people, encouraging them to play sports, improving the world in his own way, one stride at a time.

“Since I started running I knew that it was something powerful, that by running you could achieve important things. It makes me very happy to receive the Princess of Asturias Award, it is a recognition of everything that I have deeply believed in throughout my career,” she comments in a brief chat with EL MUNDO before changing her usual tights and magic sneakers for a suit and some shoes.

His two Olympic gold medals in the marathon, his world records, the Vienna challenge in which he broke the two-hour barrier in an unofficial test. Do you feel like the job is done? I think I can still encourage more people to run, I still have things to do. I really think that a world where people run is a happier and more peaceful world.. This year he suffered in the Boston Marathon [sixth, 2:09:23] and shone in Berlin [victory, 2:02:42]. So used to winning, how much does it cost you to overcome a bad day? Of course Boston ended up being tough for me, but there are parallels between running and living. You have to know how to enjoy the good days and overcome the bad ones.. It is important to take care of your mental health to be happy.

Kipchoge receives the honor in Oviedo two weeks after losing a title he had held since 2018: the fastest man on the planet. Kelvin Kiptum, also a Kenyan, broke his marathon world record in Chicago (2:00:35) and took over in the race to demolish the two-hour wall in an approved race.. Despite the advancement of technology in footwear or nutrition, it seems unlikely that Kipchoge will seek a new record next year; Its objective is another.

At the Paris 2024 Games he will aspire to eternity. In the surroundings of the Seine, starting at the Hotel de Ville and finishing in Les Invalides, he will try to add his third consecutive Olympic gold and thus surpass the German Waldemar Cierpinski (1976 and 1980) and above all the Ethiopian legend Abebe Bikila (1960 and 1964). In the two previous Olympic events, Kipchoge barely encountered opposition and won with more than a minute advantage, but this time it is expected differently. Kiptum himself has already announced that he wants to be in the Games and Kenenisa Bekele will also try, who could run this December in the Valencia marathon to seek her place.

How much personal ambition is there in your goal of winning the third Olympic gold? It is a personal motivation, I cannot deny it. I would like to be the first to win three Olympic gold medals in the marathon. He has already confessed that he will never stop running, but…. Do you see yourself practicing other sports when you retire? I like many sports and I follow them as a spectator, but if I had to choose one, I would try playing tennis.

The date of Kipchoge's goodbye is unknown. Many years have passed since his debut as an international in the 2002 World Cross Country Championship, since his gold in the 5,000 meters at the 2003 World Cup and even since his debut in 2013 in the marathon, the distance that has given him the most glory, but still He has not announced when he will retire. The highest box on the podium at the Paris 2024 Games is understood as the best place.. or not.

A few years ago the Kenyan undertook the challenge of winning the six majors, the most prestigious marathons on the planet, and he still has Boston and New York to go. In Berlin he has won five times, in London four, and once in Chicago and Tokyo, but his resume has those two gaps. Perhaps he will seek the double in 2025. In any case, he already deserves the Princess of Asturias Sports Award that he will receive this Friday in Oviedo for his career and for his dedication to inspiring children like those who will run with him in the Campo San Francisco de the Asturian city.

SPORTS

Jenni Hermoso returns to the national team and Tomé justifies it: "The decision to protect her was a sporting one. Now I feel better about it"

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Jenni Hermoso will once again wear the shirt of the Spanish soccer team. The coach Montse Tomé has included the Madrid forward of the Mexican Pachuca in the list of those called up for the matches against Italy and Switzerland in the Nations League, to which the World champions Salma Paralluelo, Esther González and Ivana Andrés also return after overcoming the injuries that left them out of the controversial September summons.

Hermoso was left out of the matches against Sweden and Switzerland because the coach admitted having wanted to “protect” her.. This reason cost Tomé criticism because his protection was linked to everything that happened in the World Cup final in Australia with the kiss of the former president of the Federation Luis Rubiales.. Those words generated discomfort in the soccer player, who publicly asked herself on networks what they had to protect her from, and in her teammates, who refused to be summoned but finally negotiated an agreement in Oliva with the RFEF, with the mediation of the CSD, which guaranteed changes.

Tomé explained himself again and wanted to clarify it after having spoken with Jenni and that he will be at the concentration on Monday. “Then we understood that, for sporting reasons, it was the best, because the focus was on her. In addition, he had played two games, a few minutes. There was a human part in that decision, but all my decisions are sporting. Protecting her was a sporting decision. Now I feel better, he has played more, he has scored three goals in four games. “It was the time,” she said after acknowledging that both she and her coaching staff spoke with Jenni to have her be in the two games that will be played in Salerno and Zurich on Friday, October 27 and Tuesday, October 31.

The focus was also on Mapi León and Patri Guijarro, who were called in the first summons but chose to leave the concentration. Tomé has not included them on the list again. “We follow them and value them. They were summoned because of their abilities, but they told me what they felt and I told them what I thought.. Steps have been taken in the RFEF, but I have to call on players who want to be there and who are convinced,” he said..

Tomé's start on the bench was in a context of mistrust that the coach believes has been overcome. “I have always had confidence in myself, in my coaching staff. I have spent five years with the majority in another role, doing my job professionally, but it was not me who decided. The relationship with the players was good, none of them will say anything bad to you. They are very professional. This is something that has overwhelmed us all, we are trying to solve it, but I have not felt a lack of confidence. We have talked about what we have had to talk about,” said the coach, who did not want to comment on the signing of Jorge Vilda for Morocco.

Another focus of controversy in the last few hours has been the support received from the men's team, which Aitana Bonmatí did not expect, and the words of Rodri, captain, about the convenience of meeting with the captains who, next Monday, Tomé will make known. “I find the idea very interesting, because I think we can benefit a lot from each other,” he said.

At the moment, what he wants most is to be able to talk only about football, about his team, about a rival like Switzerland that was beaten in Córdoba but needs to react and about another like Italy that stood up to Sweden and that, he warns, will not be easy.

Called:

– Goalkeepers: Misa Rodríguez (Real Madrid), Enith Salón (Valencia) and Cata Coll (Barcelona)

– Defenders: Ona Batlle, Irene Paredes (Barcelona), Olga Carmona, Ivana Andrés, Oihane Hernández (Real Madrid), Laia Aleixandri (Manchester City/ING) and María Méndez (Levante)

– Midfielders: Tere Abelleira, Maite Oroz (Real Madrid), Alexia Putellas, Aitana Bonmatí, Jenni Hermoso (Pachuca/MEX) and Anna Torrodá (Valencia).

– Forwards: Athenea del Castillo (Real Madrid), Mariona Caldentey, Salma Paralluelo (Barcelona), Amaiur Sarriegi (Real Sociedad), Inma Gabarro (Sevilla), Lucía García (Manchester United/ING) and Esther González (Gotham/USA).

SPORTS

The golf elite returns to Sotogrande

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57 years have passed since the European golf elite gathered for the first and last time at the Real Club de Golf de Sotogrande, it was in 1966 with the victory of the Argentine Roberto de Vicenzo in the Spanish Open.

It is striking that the first course in Europe designed by Trent Jones (1964) has only hosted one European Tour tournament before this week. With the Estrella Damm Andalucía Masters they will be two of the 65 DP World Tour tournaments that have been held throughout its history in Andalusia. It will be the second to be held at what is considered by many to be the best golf course in Spain.

The reason is none other than that its rich cousin, the Real Club de Golf de Valderrama, has monopolized the entire focus of golf at the highest professional level throughout history, although its commitment to LIV Golf this year left the doors behind. of the relay wide open. It was there where courses such as San Roque, the Reserva de Sotogrande or the Real Club de Golf de Sevilla, bid together with Real de Sotogrande to start this new stage of a tournament that has raised its prizes to almost four million euros.

Real won the tournament, although the dates are not ideal to present the field in the best conditions, the drought has greatly punished the grass on the course throughout the summer and the adverse weather conditions this week, which include almost hurricane wind for the first day, have marked a much more benign preparation of the field.

Even so, the image of the tour, which had partners as well-known as Sean Connery, has ended up dazzling the two most illustrious guests of this edition of the tournament; the winner of the US Open and top-ten in the world ranking Wyndham Clark who visits Spain for the first time: “This is beautiful and I am having a great experience. The food is fantastic, the people are wonderful and the countryside has pleasantly surprised me.. I haven't played much golf in such a beautiful environment, with these trees and this topography. “I'm really enjoying it,” explained the player from Denver, a double winner on the PGA Tour.

His compatriot Matt Kuchar is the other North American star, hired to shine at the event. “I'm delighted to be here. The landscape reminds me a lot of southern California, with mountains, sea and palm trees; “It's a very special place,” said Kuchar.. Apparently, they have been two of the main beneficiaries of the 1.5 million euros that the organization could have used to recruit renowned players and in some way make up for the sensitive absence of Jon Rahm. The one from Barrika was finally unable to adapt his calendar to compete in Spain for two consecutive weeks.

Of the 126 registered players, 17 Spaniards will try to make Jon Rahm forget. Pablo Larrazábal, Jorge Campillo, Adrián Otaegui, Adri Arnaus, Rafa Cabrera Bello, the amateur Jaime Montojo, Alfredo García Heredia, Alejandro Cañizares, Borja Virto, Álvaro Quirós, Carlos Pigem, Pep Anglés, Santiago Tarrío, Ángel Hidalgo, Nacho Elvira, Sebastián García and Alejandro del Rey will seek a new Spanish victory in the tournament's record, in the final stretch of the European Tour season.

INTERNATIONAL

The Israeli Army has the "challenge" that "the war against Hamas does not leave the Gaza Strip"

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3,600 kilometers away from the epicenter of the war in the Middle East, the Israeli Embassy in Spain refuses to give details of the military operation that its Army is preparing to avenge the terrorist attack on October 7 against civilians, but they do outline with clarify what the “challenge” it faces is: “Trying to ensure that the war with Hamas does not leave the perimeter of the Gaza Strip.”

According to the head of this diplomatic legation in Madrid, Rodica Radian-Gordon, there is currently a “very great motivation” on the part of other nations in the area, with Iran at the forefront, to “try to open more borders with Israel.”. “And, of course, there is a motivation to show that we are not talking about a political struggle, but also a religious war (…), of a call to the entire Muslim world to fight against the Jews,” he argued in a telematic meeting with journalists this Wednesday.

The Israeli ambassador in Spain has pointed out that, “of course, Hamas is not the Palestinian people”, but has stressed that the demonstrations that are taking place in favor of their cause “on all sides, in the Arab countries, in Europe and in other places”, they generate “a lot of concern”. To which he added: “We understand that they are false calls, but they have a lot of power and incite, and we are going to enter a very dangerous wave (…). “This worries us a lot.”

Raidan-Gordon has also assured that “Israel does not have a plan for all Palestinians to leave the Strip”, which “is another lie” of those that, he maintains, are being spread about the conflict.. He has also argued that when the Government of Benjamin Netanyahu “asked the civilian population” to leave Gaza City “it indicated two safe routes and indicated exactly the times” because, he stressed, they consider that “the more civilian deaths [there are] ] is a catastrophe.”

“The intention is not for Gazans to go out to Sinai, the intention is to fight Hamas inside Gaza City and, as we are talking about a very dense urban area, the idea was for citizens who are not involved in this fight to go out. so as not to be killed. It is a very cruel dilemma, perhaps, between staying at home or fleeing, but the idea is that they survive, not die inside their homes.. And that is why the call was for them to leave,” argued the ambassador in Spain.

Furthermore, he has assured that Israel “has no intention of reoccupying the Strip” because “there is no interest in being present” in this territory after having put an end to almost four decades of colonization in 2005.. In this sense, he has shown his conviction that there is “a very broad consensus” both within society and in the Israeli geopolitical system that his country “does not have to reconquer the Gaza Strip.”

What Raidan-Gordon has avoided giving a concrete answer to is the question of whether he shares the position expressed by the Spanish president, Pedro Sánchez, that in order to resolve this historic conflict in the area, the recognition of the Palestinian State is necessary.. “It's too early to talk about the solution now. Maybe many things will change after this war. We are again in a before and after. And we don't know how it will be after,” he said.

Diplomatic conflict

What the Israeli Embassy has clearly done is to settle the diplomatic conflict with Spain after it released a statement on Monday to criticize the “shameful statements” of “members of the Government whom it accused of “aligning with terrorism.” from Hamas. “We have already turned the page. We have already said what we had to say,” the head of the diplomatic legation stated this Wednesday.

However, he has once again expressed his disagreement with the public statements of “some ministers”, in implicit allusion to those of the head of the Social Rights portfolio and general secretary of Podemos, Ione Belarra, describing the actions of the Israeli Army: “These types of statements then have a result that worries us a lot, because we are seeing more incidents of anti-Semitism. “In fact, it is not the first time that the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians has led to anti-Semitic demonstrations.”

INTERNATIONAL

Wedding photos with Taiwan's 4,000-ton garbage mountain

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Who. Hseuh uploaded her wedding photo session to her Facebook social network account last Saturday and the snapshots went viral across the landscape.. That. The background of this snapshot to remember is the Puli garbage dump, located in the middle of a neighborhood next to the waste management office. Because. The bride chose this place to make an environmental complaint that was highly applauded by the population.

The backdrop for the wedding photos is a mountain with 4,000 tons of garbage, taller than the four-story building next to it. The couple poses smiling in front of the stinky landscape. Hseuh, the bride, wearing a classic, pristine white dress, tries to hold her breath. The stench is unbearable. The photographer, incredulous, quickly takes several snapshots. In his 30-year career with the camera, it is the first time that newlyweds have hired him to do a photo shoot in a landfill.

In Taiwan, an island the size of Belgium where 23 million people live, there are several ideal places to capture that moment that tops the wedding album.. In the capital, Taipei, it is common to choose a panoramic view of the entire city from the top of the largest skyscraper, which has 106 floors.. If you want a more natural environment, you will find a long list of national parks.. There is also no shortage of postcards on the beaches or in the Buddhist temples. But no one had ever chosen a stage surrounded by garbage.

Hseuh had the idea.. She was the one who chose Puli, a city in the center of the island that has a big problem with excess waste, to take the photographs.. The mountain of garbage is in the middle of a neighborhood, next to the waste management office. There it is piled up until trucks take it to a treatment plant, which is usually once a month, whereupon it accumulates quickly again.

Hseuh uploaded the session to his Facebook account last Saturday and the snapshots went viral. Local newspapers sought out the bride to ask why she had chosen the Puli garbage dump for her wedding photos.. Hseuh responded that he was seeking to draw attention to the waste disposal problems affecting many cities in Taiwan.

Their environmental denunciation was highly applauded in a nation that, despite the couple's successful performance, is an example in environmental policy.. In two decades, Taiwan has gone from being dubbed the garbage island to boasting one of the best waste management programs in the world.

In the 1990s, in the midst of the economic acceleration, when Taiwan was considered one of Asia's economic tigers, two-thirds of the island's landfills were full and there was garbage everywhere.. Cleaning teams barely had the capacity to collect 70% of all the waste generated.. Now, the streets are usually clean and in Taipei, for example, it is very difficult to find a container. Despite its high population density, the country has one of the highest recycling rates in the world, 55%, above the average of Western powers.

Part of the success is in the famous yellow trucks that travel the streets five days a week maintaining a “garbage does not touch the ground” policy.. Residents directly carry garbage bags – provided by the Government – from their homes to trucks, resulting in more hygienic streets. The neighbors find out when the truck passes because the vehicle alerts them with a speaker that plays classical music, especially pieces by Beethoven.. In the end, the harvesting process becomes a picturesque community ritual.

INTERNATIONAL

The EU welcomes the Polish turnaround

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It's now official. There will be a change of Government in Poland. A turn with a European accent. The Law and Justice party (PiS) lost its absolute majority in Sunday's general elections and will not be able to repeat its term. According to the final results announced by the electoral commission, the only government option will be a tripartite led by the former president of the European Council, Donal Tusk.. After all the constituencies were counted, the PiS reached 35.38% of the votes, while the liberal-conservative electoral alliance Civic Coalition (KO) of the opposition leader, Donald Tusk, obtained 30.7%.

The centrist Third Way obtained 14.4% and New Left 8.61%, leaving the tripartite opposition with 249 seats out of 460.. The PiS has made it clear that it will try to form a Government, but it has no partner and the only formation it could call, although the arithmetic does not work, is the extreme right.. The ultra-nationalist Confederation, which advocates an end to aid to Ukraine and ultra-liberal economic policies, has slipped to fourth place with 7.16%.. The Polish scene is reminiscent of the Spanish one. The winning party in the polls deposited on June 23, the PP, does not have a parliamentary majority.

European airs

Analysts predicted that last Sunday's elections would be the most important in Poland since 1989.. The match was also played in Brussels. The option flagged by the PiS meant the consolidation of the illiberal trend and train-collision with the European Commission that Jaroslaw Kacyniski’s have maintained since their 2015 rise to power. Tusk's alternative involved a completely antagonistic agenda: reconnecting with the community capital, which he knows well after leading the European Council for two terms.

The turn of the helm in Warsaw has been celebrated by the majority of the parliamentary group of the European Parliament, a very unusual scenario. “Very good news. Poles have voted massively to open a new era in the country. No one stands in the way of Poland in its European future,” said Manfred Weber, leader of the European People's Party, the European family of Tusk.. “Poles have voted for change, for stopping the autocratic drift of PiS and for returning Poland to the place it deserves: the heart of Europe,” the Social Democrats celebrated.

Poland's turnaround is good news for the EU. PiS has given Brussels enormous headaches. He refused to respect the refugee reception quotas agreed in 2015 and his controversial reform of the judiciary has undermined the rule of law and undermined the separation of powers. He crossed a red line proclaiming the supremacy of his law over community law. The Polish elections represent an important warning to sailors eight months before the European Parliament elections. The pro-European option has prevailed, something unthinkable years ago when PiS did not have any rival. Meanwhile, the one who will suffer these winds of change is the Hungarian Víktor Orbán, who loses his illiberal dance partner in the affront against Brussels.