News, December 2006

December 30th, general news roundup

For annual roundup scroll down! ETA peace broken as bomb explodes in Barajas Airport, Madrid after warning to Basque sources -2 missing, presumed dead; 29th: 2/3 Basques expect ETA to kill again - peace hopes in tatters; 14 arrested for child web porn; 16 members of villa robbery gang arrested in Malaga - all foreigners; Bishop of Cordoba refuses permission for muslims to pray in 'Mosque' Cathedral; annual inflation 2.7%; domestic electricity to rise 2.8%, firms to pay more; Ferrovial, stuck with event-prone BAA, sells property division; 27th: Transport minister stands by decision to close down air Madrid; 130 immigrants reach Canaries; migrants attempt to cross Melilla fenca on Christmas night; 34 dead on roads in run-up to Christmas holiday; Double hand transplant woman leaves hospital 23rd:ETA weopons hide uncovered - about 2 days old, with 60kg of explosive- demonstrates no end to ETA plans for violence.

Other recent news includes: 22nd:El Gordo winners in many cities - the number came up before, in 1903 - 2713 million spet on tickets this year; Zapatero met with opposition leader Rajoy; growth expectations rise to 3.8%; snow and ice warning for south and east; 106 immigrants reach Tenerife; 2006 has been warmest year ever in Spain, energy use also rose 3.6%; Science reports on Spanish dinosaur discovery,BBC report; 21st: Tony King gets 19 years for murder of Rocío Wanninckhof in Mijas in 1999; debate opened in government on abolition of death of bulls in ring; Air Madrid cash tickets can now be repaid - thousands still affected and wanting to fly; bus burnt by pro ETA group in San Sebastian; 20th: Basque newspapers report first ETA-Government meeting, on 14th December 'in a European country' - Internior Minister Rubalcaba says there is not advance to report; street violence continues in Basque Country; minimum wage to be 570€ next year; transport minister Alvarez says Air Madrid could fly again if it pulls up its socks - EU requests info.; EU gives government one month to permit E.On bid for Endesa; first 3.5 km of a 49km ring tunnel 'M30' round Madrid opens; 19th: Air Madrid crisis continues as revelations of failure to keep up to date with maintenance are revealed - thousands of Latins frustrated in hopes of Christmas at home; dozens of would-be immigrants feared dead off Senegal in cayuco accident; 17 armed robbery gang members arrested in Girona; 18th: Zapatero presents Alliance of Civilisations programme at UN; Madrid- Barcelona AVE high speed rail line reaches Mediterranean at Camp de Tarragona; [Image 23???]16th: Gibraltar's PM, Peter Caruana, invites passengers from first flight from Madrid to a reception and guided tour of The Rock - Spain's early evangelicals were safe at Gibraltar before religious freedom in 1869.

15th: Zapatero greets opposition leader Rajoy for 1st time in months; patera skipper gets 6 years for trafficking humans across Straits; over 10,000 false perfumes found; Air Madrid ceases trading before licence revoked - 120,000 affected in Latin America cannot return home and alternative flights fully booked; Iberia flights to Gibraltar start tomorrow, 24 years after border reopened; 14th: Loyola de Palacio, former minister and EU commissioner dies of cancer; all parties now consider Basque 'peace process' virtually dead; Tony King found guilty by jury of death of Rocío Wanninckhof; 'Historic memory' bill passes 2nd reading; 12th: Police detain presumed Islamic terrorists in Ceuta; Zapatero and 4 ministers visit Algeria on security visit; Colombian woman in Valencia is first in world to get two new hands; jury out in Tony King murder case; after a lengthy series of delays and other problems, Air Madrid may lose licence this month; Catalan government to permit 'temporary expropiation' of empty flats to aid rental market; police examine series of missing truck loads of Iberian ham - typical Spanish Christmas fare; 11th: snow finally reaches ski resports, too late for long weekend; 60 less (than last year) dead in weekend traffic.

6th: Constitution Day (It's a holiday, as is 8th - Immaculate Conception- so we are celebrating the 'Immaculate Constitution'!) In fact, many now are demanding widespread rewriting of parts of The Constitution, which is 28 years old; snow finally falls on ski resorts, too late for this long weekend; 5th: More ETA arrests and new round of ETA court cases; Spain prepares for long holiday to celebrate Constitution (6th) and Immaculate Conception (8th); Zapatero visits Senegal, with migration top of agenda; Abertis buys 1/3 of Eutelsat, the weather satellite firm; unemployment up 30,000, to over 2 million; new building corruption case in Tenerife; state budget surplus 2.6%; price rises for government controlled comodities in pipeline - electricity in line with inflation, rail up 1.5%; after warmest autumn on record (especially in Med regions) winter to arrive over night - holiday traffic could be hit.