News, May 2007

News from the Churches

Evangelical Federation negotiating tax back options for members. New online magazine, UNO. Demonstration in Alcalá de Henares over restriction of freedom to preach on the streets. 10,000 mourn the Turkey 3 in silent demonstrations all over Spain. Missionary Carlos Madrigal earlier led mourning for the 3 dead workers in Turkey and now his church has been attacked. Valencia sees 2000 Gospels given out at Americas Cup site. This and more... Read on! more >>

May 31st, general news roundup.

3 pateras with 140 migrants reach southern peninsula; maritime rescue ship picks up 26 rescued by Spanish fishing boat Montfalcó off Libya - migrants may qualify for asylum; Socialist candidate for Madrid, Miguel Sebastian, resigns after clear poll failure; 6 truck pile up in Valencia -one dead; Imperial Tobacco expected to make bid today (World tobacco-free day!) for Altadis; Velazquez's Santa Rufina to be auctioned at Sothebys on 4th July; Dalí cinema exhibit opens at the Tate Gallery; Spain presents legal claim on Odyssey for the under sea trove of 500 million dollars worth of gold and silver coins; 30th: 50 arrested on TV pirating charges - decoding and illegally distributing codified TV or the keys to it; health ministry bans any attempt at 'Donor quizz' TV shows; in 3-11 trial experts say each rucksack had 10kilos of explosive; 'oldest race of horses' identified in part of Doñana natural park - 60 animals survive; 29th: Hard negotiations underway for control of several regions and cities after Sunday's poll; Solana may meet with Lariyani on Thursday in Madrid; Banco Santander launches firm bid -up 14%- for ABN Amro with RBS; Spanish results cut Vodafone loss; OECD believes Sapin could reduce state debt to 355 of GNP - possibly against a background of even higher personal debt; 28th: Partido Popular wins local elections, but Navarre and Balearics in the balance; 25th Rail services to south resume; 16 Jihad recruiters held in Catalonia, Madrid and Malaga under directions from judge Garzón; police come by ETA terror training video; another rise in the Euribor lending rate hits mortgages with an average 90€ rise over the past year. more >>

Sport roundup, 27th May

Nadal, after getting record 81 non-stop wins on clay, finally beaten by Federer in Hamburg final - now advancing at Paris; Alonso wins Monte Carlo GP; Barça now shares top of League as Madrid makes dramatic last minute come-back; Americas Cup classification - Spanish Desafío into semi-finals and beat NZ twice (now out); Seville beat Espanyol to win UEFA cup at Hampden Park; Lorenzo wins in 250cc, Gadea in 125, Pedrosa 4th in GP at Le Mans Moto GP - of 15 podiums this year, the Spanish National Anthem has sounded 10 times: read on! more >>

Local and Regional Elections

On May 27th there were elections for all municipal districts (cities and towns) and for some regional governments. Overall, the Partido Popular 'won' the local elections, although while gaining ground in Madrid and Valencia, hold over the regional governments of Navarre and the Balearics is in the balance. The representative of the island of Formentera holds the decision on whether the right or left wing rule in the Balearics. Socialist Lopez Aguilar (former justice minister) won in the Canaries, but if Coalición Canaria joins up with the Partido Popular the right may rule. more >>

3-11 trial under way

25th 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 >>

ETA peace process blown apart

2nd 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 ETA

To 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)

Reports, almost daily, of open boats known variously as pateras (coming from Marocco or Algeria) or cayucos (reaching the Canary islands from further south), combine with stories of illegal 'paperless' immigrants attempting to cross the fences at Ceuta and Melilla. Add to these high profile stories the situation of hundreds of thousands of Latin Americans and Romanias, not to mention Asians and you have the appearance of a significant immigration crisis. Throw in the confusion and disagreement of politicians as to how to deal with the phenomenon and you have a real crisis. more >>

More News

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

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