News, July 2005

P4S summer activities - news service irregular

During the summer we are involved in a number of outreach activities and also taking a few days' break. more >>

July 21st, resumé.

(Sport news click more) Environment councillor for Castilla La Mancha resigns after fire catastrophe; Iberia expected to announce formation of low-cost daughter airline; 20th: Bodies of the 11 fire victims in Guadalajara identified, one survivor interviewed by TVE, declarations by those probably responsible for the fire contradict those of forester, 13,000 hectares burnt; royal family arrive in Mallorca for holiday; 18th: 11 die in Guadalajara in attempt to put out forest fire caused by badly extinguished barbecue; new regional parliament assembles in Galicia; extradition from Germany to Spain of AlQuaida suspect Darkazanli suspended as he is set free; new regional statute for Catalonia arrouses opposition from other regions; 34 dead in havy traffic weekend; one million euros go to 'Alliance of (Western-secular and Islamic) Civilisations'; heat wave continues except in Northwest - up to 42ºC; 3/4 of power generator bosses expect brownouts this summer - investment running at 1/3 of that needed to keep up with demand; largest desalinisation plant in Europe inaugurated in Almería; 7 members of ETA condemned to 5 to 25 years. more >>

News from the Churches

11 dead as country barbecue leads to major forest fire

20 July. A major forest fire broke out last weekend (16th) after ramblers inadvertently failed to extinguish a Saturday lunchtime barbecue in the country east of Madrid. 13,000 hectares burnt, but worse still, 11 out of 12 men on a fire fighting team were overtaken and killed by the flames at one spot during Sunday. more >>

1.5 million demonstrate against homosexual marriage in Madrid, but law finally goes through

18th, 20th, 30th June. Today the government's flagship of 'progressive legislation', the homosexual marriage bill, was approved in the second reading in the Congress. This is despite a major demonstration last Saturday and its subsequent veto in the Senate on Monday. The demonstration showed up how unpopular the bill is. Estimates of numbers vary from 1.5 million according to the organisers down to 166,000 according to the government, with the regional government saying 'above 700,000. more >>

Winter drought brings stored water to record lows

1 May,.. 26th July. The environment minister, Cristina Narbona has called on all to conserve water, after winter rainfall (November to March) was at its lowest since 1947. Levels in the reservoirs, as we head into the usually dry summer season, can only guarantee supplies to homes until October. And she fears that this may be the first in a series of dry years. more >>

New ETA arrests, new bombs

Early June. As you can read in the news resumé, hopes that ETA's activity have not been well founded. Despite the many recent arrests and words of willingness to negotiate coming from the government, hard liners on both sides of the ETA war continue their intransigence.On the 10th, as demonstrations were being called by the Association for Victims of Terrorism (AVT) against government plans for 'peace talks', another attack came with grenades launched against the airport at Zaragoza. more >>

Macro Al Quaeda cell trial under way in Madrid

22 April and following. A major trial has begun into the Spanish cell of Al Quaeda which existed around the time of the 9/11 attacks in the USA. Among the 24 accused is IMAD EDDIN BARAKAT, 'Abu Dahdah', presumed to have been the leader of the cell and contact person with Bin Laden. The main suspects could face sentences of up to 65,500 years! more >>

Homosexual 'Marriage' approved by Congress

21st April. This morning the Congress, Spain's lower house, voted in favour of changing the Civil Code to allow homosexual 'marriages', to be considered legally on the same level as heterosexual marriage. Conservatives in the house voted against the change. Representatives of all the recognised religious groups in Spain, including protestants, as well as other groups, such as the Spanish Family Forum, have expressed their concern and objections to the law. more >>

Election campaign in Galicia - Fraga finally out of politics.

The election was on June 19th. At the time of writing the result is still dependent on the counting of the postal vote from overseas, which could swing it back... Manuel Fraga, Spain's longest serving regional president and by far the longest serving politician, was hoping for yet another term in office as president of Galicia, Spain's most north-westerly region. Although polls suggested the Partido Popular would once again get the most votes, both voting and the combined seats of the Socialists and Galician Block (BNG) saw Fraga finaly into retirement - by one. more >>

News theme: Basque politics and ETA

Until 2003, terrorism in Spain meant ETA. Bombs, or bomb threats, assassinations and extortion were a regular part of life, affecting few directly, but leaving no one completely sure that it could not hit him or her. Evidently, the events of 11th March, 2004 changed the whole way Spaniards look at terrorism, as ETA lost its monopoly with the arrival of islamic terror. At the same time, over the past 18 months many accused of key ETA roles have been arrested. Yet, while terrorism is now regarded in a different way, the Basque 'problem' continues to be a major theme in the news and the political agenda. more >>

News Theme: Big events in 2005, 400th anniversary of El Quijote

IN a village of La Mancha, the name of which I have no desire to call to mind... on just such a day as this 400 years ago... 2005 is the 400th anniversary of (part 1 of) the mother of all novels, Cervantes' Don Quijote, a book written under the eyes of the Spanish Inquisition but which expresses many ideas and quotes scripture at large. Evangelicals have not missed this fact and are hard at work to point out the references! more >>

News Theme, Summer in Spain and the Weather

Schools are out soon! Summer is on its way! On approximately 20th June each year, schools close for the summer. By that time it is too hot in most areas to hold classes without expensive air conditioning, more >>

Summer is here, happy fiestas!

Fiesta time is round again. Through the spring, fiestas, or city/village celebration weeks, have already been a big part of life. After Easter, the cities of Andalusia begin a round of Ferias, starting with the greatest of them all in Seville. By June, most towns and villages want to join in, with festivities traditionally centred on a saint's or 'virgin's' day. more >>

More News

A few more news items and where to find more news about Spain: more >>