News, September 2005

September 30th, resumé.

(Sport news click more) Catalan Statute approved by Parlament; interregional water transfer agreed 'only for human use' - 60,000 jobs in agriculture threatened in Murcia; Marocco halps to protect Melilla and Ceuta border fences after recent 'invasions' led to deaths - Zapatero visited Marocco yesterday; 29th: 5 dead as immigrants storm border fence at Ceuta ; 28th: Another invasion attempt over the Melilla fence made by 500 sub-Saharans - up to 200 got onto Spanish soil; last ditch attempts being made to agree text for new Catalan regional Statute; 27th: ETA anounces continuation of 'the struggle', while recognising new opportunities to gain 'democracy' for the Basque lands; ETA bomb explodes at disused power station near Zaragoza; 500 attempt to cross the Melilla fence from Marocco, using 270 ladders -100 succeed... to be arrested on Spanish soil; 2 pateras land in Granada with 100 illegals on board; court secretary -Roman Catholic- is first 'conscientious objector' to handling papers for a 'homosexual marriage'; water reserves fall below 40% of reservoir capacity- alarm in some cities; 26th: Abu Dahdah sentenced to 27 years today for implication in 9/11 and leadership of Spanish Al Quaida cell, Al Jazira journalist Taysir Alony -only journalist to have interviewed Bin Laden- gets 7, 16 others also imprisoned - the prosecutor had demanded 74.337 years for Dahdah;

Fernando Alonso (AFP)

Fernando Alonso F1 World champion; ETA strikes again, Sunday, in an industrial estate in Avila - none hurt; 32 illegals detained in 'patera' off Tarifa (Straits of Gibraltar); 30 injured as 2 trains crash - they were due to couple together; storm warning for Catalonia, more >>

News from the Churches

News is coming in of the results of a number of summer outreaches. Take a look at the 'answers' page: http://www.prayforspain.com/projects/index8.html more >>

Evangelical cyclist found murdered

[Image 12???]21 September. The body of evangelical cyclist Francisco Quintana Calvo, disappeared since last Thursday (15th Sept.), was found Tuesday burnt close to Madrid and has now been identified. It is mooted that he was involved in an accident with a motorist, who decided to burn the evidence, or related to a gang which has robbed cyclists of their bikes in the area recently. more >>

New Catalan Statute passed by Parlament

30th September. After much hard negotiating and discussion, late last night regional party leaders came to agreement over the final proposal for the new, 3rd Catalan Statute. This was passed by the regional Parlament today and now goes up to the national Cortes for final approval. more >>

Run of mass attempts to cross Melilla and Ceuta border fences from Marocco lead to 5 dead

[Image 14???]30 September. Over the past week thousands of would-be immigrants have made several attempts to cross the fences protecting the Spanish enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla. On Wednesday night 5 ended up dead, more >>

Macro Al Qaeda cell trial ends in Madrid

27 September. A major trial concluded yesterday investigating the Spanish cell of Al Qaeda which existed around the time of the 9/11 attacks in the USA. Among the 24 accused was IMAD EDDIN BARAKAT, 'Abu Dahdah', taken to have been the leader of the cell and contact person with Bin Laden. The prosecutor demanded 73.000 years, but the judge gave him 27. 8 were released and 17 others found guilty of various crimes under Spanish law such as membership of or collaboration with a terrorist organisation and apology for terrorism. more >>

Spanish language learning ousts German in the UK

27 August. Spanish has overtaken German as the nº2 foreign language at A level, the English university entrance qualification. But British interest in foreign languages is falling. more >>

11 September, a day to remember

While the Catalan people have been celebrating 11th September for years, the rest of Spain now joins in taking this day to remember its almost 200 dead at the hands of international islamic terrorism on 11th March 2004. It also remembers from a greater distance, the dead in the many other related attacks around the globe since even before 11 September 2001, most recently the London bombings. more >>

The other 9/11: Catalonia's national day... and other September Fiestas

For 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 >>

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 >>

Record minimum rainfall brings crisis toSpanish agriculture and threatens supplies to homes

What happened to the swimming pool? /EFE

30th September. 60,000 jobs in agriculture are threatened in Murcia alone as Andalucia, Murcia and Madrid introduce bans on the use of water for gardens, pools and even agriculture. The hydrological year, ending today, has seen the lowest rainfall since records began and there is no let-up in sight. indeed, even with average rainfall through the coming months, caution will need to be maintained to build up reserves for next summer. 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 >>

News theme: Basque politics and ETA

Irantzu Gallastegui extradited from France on accusation of involvement in the death of Miguel angel Blanco

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, Late Summer in Spain and the Weather

During 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. But the most widely feared phenomenon is known as the 'Gota Fría'. more >>

More News

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