News, August 2006

Holiday time

Pray4Spain is on holiday until early September. more >>

August 24th, general news roundup

Home rule march permitted in Bilbao; 23rd: Buses crash in Madrid - dozens injured; regions of Madrid, Valencia and Murcia and Popular Party request urgent talks over housing of illegal migrants; 'low-cost' airlines now carry over 30% of airborne visitors to Spain; sales of artificial grass boom in Madrid as residents save water; 22nd: Train accident at Palencia - 6 dead - speed believed cause - among others, train was taking pilgrims home to France from Santiago pilgrimage - 2 3rd World aid workers among dead, were returning home to Burgos after acting as 'hospitallers' for pilgrim walkers; Partido Popular denounces 'secretism' of migrant flights bringing them from Canaries to peninsula, most in regions goverend by this party - 11,000 have been moved so far to reduce crowding in the islands; Spanish peacekeeping troops caught in Congo crossfire; 21st: 1400 migrants reach Canaries over weekend; 19th: As 400 more migrants reach the Canaries overnight, regional president warns of worse crisis looming; government admits ETA peace process at critical stage; anniversary of death of Spain's 'most universal' 20th century poet, Lorca; 18th: ETA statement criticises backdown on commitments by parties causing 'blockage' and threatens 'response'; over 16,400 immigrants have reached Canary islands in 2006 - virtually all in open cayuco boats taking over a week for the crossing; 16th: EU calculates 86,000 hectares burnt over past 2 weeks in Galicia; water reserves down to 43%; death toll continues to fall aafter points system for licences introduced in July. more >>

Sport roundup, 25th August

Barcelona wins Supercopa. Spaniards on all podiums at Brno Bike GP. Spain through to last 16 in Basketball World Cup, Read on! more >>

News from the Churches

Summer outreach reports are starting to come in. Galicia fires cause at least one summer camp for children to close. New agreements with the government are bringing joy and grief to the churches. A new radio programme will go out on national radio from September, while many prison visitors are now banned from jail. Meanwhile, summer has brought not only campaigns to city streets, but also many church youth and children are out of town for camps. Read on! more >>

70th anniversary of Civil War start

18th July. Today marks the 70th anniversary of the military uprising which triggered Spain's most bloddy Civil War, between 1936 and 1939. A new survey shows that 30% of the population still consider the coup to have been 'justified', revealing how split Spanish society continues to be and how fragile democracy is. And a new law banning symbols of the dictatorship in in the pipeline. more >>

San Fermín, Pamplona's bull-running Fiesta

7th July is the day that the inhabitants of Pamplona celebrate their patron saint, San Fermín. It is the first day of a week of bull-running and fiestas. Made famous by Hemingway's book The sun never sets, this has come to be regarded as Spain's bull-running showcase, although it is just one of many such events in the national calendar of local fiestas. While many foreigners are outraged by such traditions, Spaniards, on the whole, are so accustomed to these celebrations that they see nothing wrong with bull fighting and other use of animals in their traditional fiestas. more >>

Sub-Saharan invasion alarms Canaries

19th May and following: link to testimony 6 July. Yesterday a new record was set when 647 paperless illegal immigrants were washed ashore aboard cayuco large open fishing boats, having crossed the ocean several days from Marutiania or even Senegal. Last weekend over 1100 arrived in 4 days. more >>

30 years of democracy

July 3rd. Today marks the 30th anniversary of the appointment by king Juan Carlos of Adolfo Suarez to the position of President of the government (Prime Minister). Suarez was the man who led the country from the remains of the Franco dictatorship to a Constitutional Democracy. more >>

ETA talks begin.

3rd July. Last week President Zapatero announced that the 'Permanent Ceasefire' announced by ETA in March has indeed proven to continue in place and that there are signs that ETA is really willing to hang up its arms and rejoin the democratic process in order to achieve its aims. The presidential announcement was met by enthusiams by many, but the conservative opposition party, Partido Popular, together with the victims' association AVT, both claimed it was a sad day when terrorists would be invited to 'peace' talks when they should simply be expected to hang out the white flag of surrender. Right wing elements are not willing to forgive and forget. Amnesty International is also calling the government to be wary of an amnesty for convicted killers! more >>

New Catalan Statute takes effect

9 August. The Catalan Estatut, the region's local 'constitution' takes effect today after a year of hard negotiations and political haggling at regional and national level, including a number of recourses to the Constitutional Court due to apparent conflicts with the Spanish Constitution, notably about what constitutes a 'Nation'. The process is now complete, but in its wake a number of other regions, such as Andalusia and the island archipelagos, have also begun the process of renegotiating their Statutes. more >>

News theme: Basque politics and ETA

On 22nd March ('06), ETA, the Basque separatist terrorist group, announced a permanent ceasefire. One would have expected that after many years of living with terrorism in the Basque Country and across Spain, all Spaniards would have welcomed the announcement. However, a brief glance at newspaper headlines since that date would suggest that the announcement had been the spark for an all-out fight between the major parties. Two very different reactions have come to light and hopes of true 'peace' are as far as ever. more >>

News Theme, Summer in Spain and the Weather

Schools are out! Summer has officially begun! On approximately 20th June each year, schools close for the summer. It is now too hot in most areas to hold classes without expensive air conditioning, so schools have traditionally closed for almost 3 months. Indeed, what remains of school in both June and September is mornings only - although nowadays more and more schools extending morning clas year round and the kids don't return after a late lunch. 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: