News, June 2007

P4S laments passing of Ruth Bell Graham

We are sorry to hear that Billy Graham's wife died on 14th June. more >>

PrayforSpain summer break

We will be on the move from 20th June to the end of July. Updates will be at best sporadic. We apologise for any inconvenience. more >>

News from the Churches

7/7/7 united witness opportunity. Kim Phuc visits Spain. 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. This and more... Read on! more >>

June 30th, general news roundup.

Ibiza airport closed due to ETA bomb scare as Glasgow Alquaeda attack hits holiday flights from Britain; 25th: 3 Spanish troops killed in Lebanon on UN service; Spanair cabin crew strike causes 60 cancellations; 20th: Zapatero meets Basque Lehendakari Ibarretxe; Socialists get presidency of Navarre assembly, supported by conservative UPN; Prince of Asturias research prize goes to geneticists Ginés Morata and Peter Lawrence; nurses to act as Pediatricians in Catalonia due to lack of doctors - planners in the mid-90s did not count on migrant birth rate; 19th: 18 arrested in Alhaurin el Grande, Malaga, on urban corruption charges - 'Operation Troy'; Partido Popular and Coalición Canaria share power to keep out winning Socialists from Canary government; Gimp -a property firm- buys BBVA's tower in Madrid; regional housing price reports rreflect stagnant market after years of high rises; 20th anniversary of ETA's bloddiest attack on the Hipercor super store in Barcelona - 21 died; some 200 migrants reach Canaries; Infanta Sofia to be christened on 15th July; 18th: Firms follow big banks' lead and put offices for sale as property market show serious signs of weakening - Catalan domestic prices down average 4% in first quarter. more >>

Sport roundup, 25th June

Nadal hopes at Wimbledon; Sevilla wins Cup; Madrid win League; Alonso 2nd at Indianapolis to team mate Hamilton; Nadal wins in Paris; Lorenzo wins in 250cc, Pedrosa 3rd in GP in Barcelona; Lorenzo takes Barcelona 250cc bike title; Spain beat Latvia and Liechtenstein (soccer); Americas Cup after thrilling Louis Vuitton qualifiers where Spanish Desafío got to semi final, New Zealand now faces Alinghi for cup; Seville beat Espanyol to win UEFA cup at Hampden Park: read on! more >>

ETA announces end to ceasefire

5th June. ETA has announced that from midnight tonight its 'unilateral ceasefire' has come to an end. Sadly, it is hardly an unexpected announcement. Although at first there had been high hopes that 'this would be it', since last autumn it was clear that ETA had no plans to cease its activity, robbing arms, extorting 'revolutionary tax' from businesmen and then in December destroying a car park at Madrid's new airport terminal. Even allowing a party deemed close to its cause in the recent local elections was insufficient to appease the most extreme of the terrorists. more >>

While Rome (or Spain) burns..

... parliament fiddles! 5th June. Spanish politicians are keen to put words to the National Anthem. As ETA were preparing to announce a return to arms and as local politicians fought out who will run the regions and town councils, the national parliament has called for some words to accompany the music of the National Anthem. 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 >>

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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