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September 2003Over 1.000 visits in SeptemberThank you for your interest and concern! In September for the first time we registered over 1000 visits from almost 600 specific URLs with almost 3000 pages viewed. Top visitor URL by 'hits' was Berkely Unified Schools, CA. more >> 30 September, resuméGovernment has presented the budget for next year, with a clear electoral tone, but aiming to balance the budget - opposition thinks the books will not balance, but will cause a deficit; The Toledo pensions Pact has been approved by the Congress, assuring pensioners that their pensions will rise at least in line with inflation; Vitoria: Basque president Ibarretxe has announced his 'sovreignty plan' (see theme Basque issues) - this is causing the expected stir; in Madrid a Basque terrorist support man is in court for his part in the Ermua killing of Miguel Angel Blanco which caused millions to demonstrate across the Basque country and Spain in July 1997 - the supposed killers are under arrest in France; Malaga: Briton Tony King confessed to the murder of the two girls, friend Robert Graham released as his cover-up charge was over the date limit; Al Yazira reporter Taysir Alouny arrested in Granada - now imprisoned pending trial for suspected links with Al Quaeda - he interviewed Bin Laden after 9/11 more >> 'Strangler', British citizen arrested for deaths of Sonia Carabantes and Rocio Wanninkhoff22 September. Tony Alexander King, a British citizen, in semi-hiding from possible UK justice on a number of similar charges, was last night arrested and charged with the murder of Sonia Carabantes and Rocio Wanninkhoff. His true name is Tony Bromwich. more >> Camps suffer from summer weather extremesWe have recently heard of two evangelical camps which have suffered from this summer's extreme weather. In Madrid, the Pinos Reales Camp was partially destroyed by fire on 1st August. In the mid-month storms, the Catalan camp L'Arcada was hit by a major storm. more >> AC Press: ICPress returns under new name and URL5 September. We are delighted to inform you that AC Press, the new press service of the Spanish evangelical churches, is in the process of being relaunched under the name Protestante Digital. Most of the sections are up an running today, but we have not found the English language section. We suppose this will surely follow before over the coming days as news is translated, etc.. more >> ETA members arrested near Biblao5 September Ertzaintza (Basque Police) arrested five suspected ETA members over night in the Basque towns of Santurtzi, Portugalete, Amorebieta y Berango , all close to Bilbao - subsequently one released - garage found where the most recent car bombs were assembled. It transpires that one of the people under arrest is a municipal policeman more >> Identified the 'pack of cards murderer' by survivor4 September. The Ecuatorian woman who survived a murder attack in which her boy friend died, has identified, although with some doubts, Alfredo Galán as author of the attack. This murderer is suspected of having killed six and attempted to kill another three people, leaving a numbered card by each body. Among those who died were a Romanian couple who belonged to the Romanian evangelical church in Arganda del Rey, Madrid. more >> Government reshuffle prepares for run-up to elections3 September. After the ratification of Mariano Rajoy as new party secretary and candidate for the next presidency of Spain, together with the departure of Josep Piqué from Sciences and technology, the cabinet has been reshuffled. Here are the new posts: more >> Surprising DNA links in Sonia Carabantes and Rocio Wanninkhof cases2 September. Last month a terrible tragedy occurred when 17 year old Sonia Carabantes went missing and was later found dead, presumably raped close to her home in Coin, Malaga. Now a DNA test shows possible links with a much older case. more >> Aznar successor ratified - Mariano Rajoy is PP Candidate2 September. President Aznar has named Vice-President Mariano Rajoy as successor and his nomination has been ratified by the national ejecutive and full board of the governing Partido Popular. more >> News theme: Basque politics and ETADuring July and August many of us were concerned by the numerous attacks by ETA terrorists, most notably for foreigners and Spaniards at large, the hotel bombings in Alicante and Benidorm. While concern will remain about the threat of ETA attacks, political interest is now mostly directed at the regional president's proposals for extending autonomy to become a 'free associated state', rather like Puerto Rico. more >> The other 9/11: Catalonia's national day... and other September FiestasFor Catalonia, September 11th marks not an event in recent american history, so much as an event of equally sad significance in the own history. On that date, in 1714, at the end of the war of the Spanish Succession, Catalonia fell to the advancing Borbon troops of Castille which took over the country and did away with the governing structures of Catalonia and the kingdom of Aragon which had existed since medieval times. more >> News theme: weatherDuring August, the main news concerning the weather was the extreme heat and forest fires, causing loss of life as well as much damage to property. In September the main topic is late summer storms. On 3rd September hail storms destroyed the harvest of fruit in parts of Valencia and Aragón and more storms were forecast. But the most widely feared phenomeno is known as the 'Gota Fría'. more >> News theme: Spanish military presence in Iraq1,300 Spanish troops are in Iraq to support the intervention force. They are leading the 'Plus Ultra' division of Spanish speaking troops (including 1,200 Central American troops), based in Diwanya, central Iraq and under the Polish overall regional leadership. Obvioulsy, with the great insecurity in the country, new moves in the UN and related issues, the Spanish presence will be a topic of newsworthiness for months to come. more >> Arise, Spain and SHINE!BULLETIN Nº 7 (September '03)more >>100 confirmed to have died due to heat stroke in recent heat waveThe total number of deaths in Spain due to the terrible heat wave of the first half of August is now reported to have been 100. This is far less than the numbers reported in France(11.435) or Portugal (1,500). more >> Campaign NewsWe have the following report from the Decision church-planting campaign in Cuidad Rodrigo, Salamanca. more >> More NewsA few more news items and where to find more news about Spain: more >> |