News, January 2006

PrayforSpain moving

We are moving back to Spain end February. Updates irregular for the time being. more >>

January 30th, roundup.

Water reserves comparison at 25 Jan 06

(Sport news click more) Tobacco sales fell in 2005; 29 dead in weekend snow traffic chaos; Britons arrested on Costa del Sol drug raids 25th: Snow and rain alert in 10 regions; annual unemployment down; Zapatero to visit Catalonia to present Estatut proposals; Senate to become more representative of regions in new change to Constitution; 24th: Floods in Canaries, but ... water reserves again dire in South and East of peninsula, with national reserves still below half - reserves for drinking water just 40% More; Iberia postpones move to T4 at Madrid airport to 5th February; 23rd Important breakthrough agreement between government and Catalan party CiU secures passage of Estatut through national Cortes; Batasuna went ahead with 'Act' and announced possible end to violence soon; 20th: Batasuna (illegal Basque party related to ETA) plans go-ahead with demonstrations despite ban of its congress and closure of offices; as government reaches mid-term its attention moves from unpopular values legislation to tax cuts - 99.5% should get cuts in government's latest proposal for 2007 - meanwhile, tobacco tax rises; 2005 was another record year for foreign tourists, with 55 million visitors; 19th Batasuna congress declared illegal by court, sentence against Batasuna leader Otegi cancelled and new trial called; mother awarded 1.4million €uros for irregular removal in 1995 of her children by social services - the mother had won all legal recourses since '96 - but the money will not be paid at least until after appeal. more >>

News from the Churches

Christmas Events spread the word For the first time ever, an Evangelical church service was broadcast on national TV. Several performances of Handel's Messiah also drew large crowds across northern Spain, the last in Oviedo's (Roman Catholic) Cathedral. more >>

New Catalan Statute faces hard Congress passage

2nd November (23rd January see below). An already much debated proposal goes before the Congress today. It is the new Catalan regional Estatut, outlining a greater degree of autonomous rule for the region in Spain's North East, which considers itself rather different to the rest of Spain, not the least due to having its own language and partly a different history. The government wants to change some parts of the proposal, while the opposition Partido Popular wants it completely thrown out as being unconstitutional, even in adapted form. 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: weather and winter travel

Spain is not, contrary to its image, permanent summer! The tourist season is limited, even at coastal areas, except in the Canary Islands, to half the year. Winter, especially inland, is far harsher than it is in (mostly) mild Britain, so far further north. more >>

More News

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

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