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News, March 2007Pray4Outreach!Happy Easter to all our readers! We are at the Alcalá de Henares Easter outreach from Thursday 29th to Easter Day. Updates are unlikely to be regular. more >> News from the Churches José Cardona March 28th, general news roundup8 detained in ETA suspect round-up in Basque Country; Rodrigo Rato of WMF warns of Spain's looming personal debt, mostly tied up in mortgages at a time when house prices are falling; president Zapatero in TV show answered questions from public - showed he is out of touch with prices; Batasuna presents new party in hopes of standing in May local elections - general reactions from political groups are negative as no clear 'denunciation of violence'; defence minister Alonso warns of higher risk for Afghanistan troops; 27th: 30th anniversary of Los Rodeos air disaster, when 2 jumbos crashed in Tenerife killing 583; 82 Bolivians on cruise ship forbidden disemabarkation in Cadiz - ship continues to Valencia; river Ebro banks threatened after heavy rains in north; Spain to face UE Tribunal over illegal conditions imposed on Endesa taekover bid; 26th: Basque president Ibarretxe in court for contacts with illegal party Batasuna; Catalan left party Esquerra threatens to leave government and join up with opposition CiU to promote independence referendum for region; Endesa board recommend increased takeover offer by E.On for Endesa, after year-long saga and counter offer -in the coming autumn- from Acciona and Enel. more >> Sport roundup, 26th MarchSynchronised swimmer Gemma Mengual gets 6 medals (several with other Spanish girls) in Melbourne; Lorenzo wins 250cc, Pedrosa 2nd in GP, Faubel 2nd in 125 at Jerez Moto GP; Spain beat Denmark in Madrid; Nadal wins at Indian Wells; Alonso 2nd in Melbourne GP; Madrid beats Nastic to restore morale, but Barça still top of League with Sevilla; Hat trick in men's 1500m in Birmingham, 6 other medals. Champions: return leg: Madrid knocked out by Bayern, Barcelona by Liverpool, Valencia went through against Inter and now face Chelsea; Uefa: 3 clubs to 1/4 finals; Barcelona won basketball 'Copa del Rey': read on! more >> 3-11 trial under way25th February. The trial of those accused of the 11th March 2004 bombings in Madrid began on 15th February. The bombs, on four commuter trains running into central Madrid during the rush hour, killed 191, wounded 1900. 29 are accused, 7 of murder. In the first week of declarations, denial and silence marked the answers of the accused to questioning. more >> English dog resuced from Madrid airport12th February. For 11 days 'Snowy', a one year old Jack Russel terrier has had the freedom of Madrid's airport, after escaping his British owners on the 1st at terminal 4 (where the ETA bomb destroyed the carpark in December). Snowy's owners were even prepared to pay up to 10,000 Euros for his rescue! more >> ETA peace process blown apart2nd January '07 and following. For 8 months Spain hoped against hope that the terrorism of ETA would finally have ended. On 2nd March, 2006, ETA announced a 'permanent ceasefire' in the hope that a 'solution' to the Basque problem could be found. Then, on 30th December a mega car bomb exploded in the central car park of Madrid's new Airport terminal. Two immigrants were killed. During the months of 'peace process and in the aftermath of the bombing, politicians have bickered over how to deal with the complex situation. more >> News theme: Basque politics and ETATo be updated in due course 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. Several very different reactions have come to light and hopes of true 'peace' are as far as ever. Indeed, six months on, ETA has almost gone as far as to cancel the ceasefire, saying it will not hand in arms until its political aims are achieved. more >> News Theme, The immigration crisis Desperation (AFP) News theme: weather and winter travelSpain 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 NewsA few more news items and where to find more news about Spain:more >> |