News, August '09

PrayforSpain on the move

We are on holiday! We are travelling until 6th September, including a day's visit to our CMS provider, where we will take 'virtual' delivery of our new CMS, X-Cathedra. We look forward to resumption of our pontifications on our return. more >>

News from the Churches

All set for George Borrow Society meeting in Salamanca. Evangelical Pro-Life poster campaign in Madrid Metro. Michael W. Smith well received on Spanish tour. Summer outreaches and camps in full swing. This and more... Read on! more >>

August 21st, recent news round-up

2 more ETA arms hides discovered in wake of arrests on 19th; race battle in Palma brought 1000 Africans and Gypsies face to face - all for a pair of sunglasses; 6 pateras reach Almería with 105 migrants on board; Jan - Jul tourist arrivals down 10.3% - 16% in the case of the British; 8 million Euros in fake 500€ notes in police haul in Gandía, Valencia; national 'favourite sandwich' has serrano ham and tomato - Spanish omelette beaten into 2nd place; 9 affected by Legionnaires disease in Alcoi, Valencia - one dies; 20th: Anniversary of Spanair disaster in Madrid - 154 died, including one evangelical; another 2 ETA hides found in France, near Montpellier, adding 600kg explosive to recoveries; government plans to raise taxes on rich to increase payments for long-term unemployed; report warns consumer spending to fall 4% this year; BBVA to take over Texas bank Guaranty Financial; 19th: 3 'most wanted' ETA suspects arrested in French Alps- BBC - may include Mallorca bomber and the new arms chief - ETA hide subsequently found in Pyrenees with 100kg explosives, while 42 detonators and 20 'tupperware bomb kits' were in the men's home; first Spanish face transplant done in Valencia; heat wave and fire alert continues in Mallorca and much of Spain, but flood alert in North West; 54 arrested in 10 parts of Spain and Germany on falsification of papers to enslave Nigerians; first half trade deficit halved on oil price fall; WWII mine (150kg) neutralised off Llafranc, Costa Brava (cf. 225kg Yorkshire bomb disposal on BBC); Palma Aquarium (Mallorca) to launch Rupert Murray's The end of the line on the end of fish stocks on 25th before royal family - Spaniards eat a lot of fish! - cf El Mundo's trailer; 18th: Jose Bono, Socialist speaker of the Congress claims alarm at the idea, contained in the new abortion bill, that girls under 16 might wish to abort without the support of their family - he calls for the maximum agreement before agreeing the new law; forest fires have hit 84,000 hectares so far this year; heat wave continues, with minimums above 25ºC and maximums above 40º; 17th: One year on from the Spanair crash at Madrid, the inquiry is showing up deficiencies in the aircraft flight preparation protocol -now rewritten for Europe-, design of the airport, as well as with the handling of the accident; heat wave returns to Spain - Mallorca has had no rain for 3 1/2 months- hopes rise on news of hurricanes in the Caribbean; 16 year-old boy dies of injuries while running bulls in Navarre village festival; 31 died on worst road toll weekend of year. more >>

Sport headlines

Madrid beat Dortmund 5-0, At Madrid beat Parathinaikos to (half) gain Champions' place. Marta Dominguez world champion in 3000m hurdles. Alonso to race in Valencia; Schumacher's injury means he will not return. Pau Gasol injured in training may miss European cup. 11 medals in Rome swimming championships. Alberto Contador wins Tour de France. more >>

ETA kills on 50th anniversary of terror... and continues Mallorca bombings.

31st July, 09. To 'commemorate' the 50th anniversary of ETA's reign of terror, two major bombings have taken place in the last two days. On 29th a van full of explosive ruined a big Civil Guard barracks in Burgos, causing some injuries and major structural damage to a building. Worse in terms of life was the killing of two Civil Guards with a magnet bomb under their car in Palmanova, Mallorca, on the 30th. Hours later, a second magnet bomb was defused under a car at another nearby Civil Guard post. BBC resumé - more links below. The terror group resumed activity in Mallorca with 3 small devices on Sunday, 9th August. more >>

€420 for some long term unemployed - but most get nothing

On 18th August unemployment offices opened to long lines of claimants, who hoped against hope to be included in the new offer of €420 for all whose unemployment pay had finished on 1st August. This is the first time that such a payment has been forthcoming from the social security, which only pays for specific time after people lose their jobs. After that people have had to find new work or rely on families or charity to survive. In the current downturn a lot more are in this situation and over a million lost their pay before the 1st August date... and will remain without a cent. more >>

News Theme, Summer in Spain and the Weather

Summer is in full flow! It's far too hot for school and workers are also happy to get time off at this time of year. Temperatures may reach 50ºC in some parts and in many others well into the high 30s. Beaches or mountains are preferable to the cities, a Siesta rather than keeping going in a sweaty workshop. more >>

Summer is here, happy fiestas!

Fiesta time is round again. Through the spring, fiestas, or city/village celebration weeks, have already been a big part of life. After Easter, the cities of Andalusia begin a round of Ferias, starting with the greatest of them all in Seville. By June, most towns and villages want to join in, with festivities traditionally centred on a saint's or 'virgin's' day. more >>

Government in crisis launches Plan E

PlanE work under way in Mallorca

May 22nd. In March the government announced that it would support immediate borrowing by town councils for minor works to employ recently laid off building workers: Plan E. Now a new scheme to subsidise car sales gets the same name: Plan 2000 E. What happened to plans b to d? Could it be that this is the very last hope before 'F'? more >>

News theme: The Mari Luz murder case

The story of the tragic murder of Mari Luz, a five-year-old girl of Evangelical parents killed by a paedophile in January, 2008, has been turned into a TV mini-series entitled ´Days without Luz´ (as well as being the little girl´s name, the word means ´light´). This tragic story has filled not only evangelical news bulletins, like Protestante Digital, but also mainline news media, provoking a major review of the judicial system. We attempt to bring some understanding. more >>

News Theme: The Economy

Unemployment in Spain (The Economist)

For the past few years Spain has been hitting headlines for above average growth and very high house price inflation. The end has now definitely arrived for the Spanish economic miracle, with Spain among the worst hit nations in Europe. World economic woes are certainly affecting Spain, but it is suffering more due to local matters. Several billion Euros have now been thrown by the government at the problem, but unemployment is heading for 20% by the end of 2009. We offer our view. more >>

News theme: Basque politics and ETA - 50 years on

31st July 2009 marks the 50th anniversary of ETA's terror campaign. To mark it, ETA planted a bomb outside a Civil Guard barracks in Burgos on 29th and under a patrol car in Mallorca on 30th, the latter causing two deaths. ETA is still alive and killing, but has achieved nothing useful for the Basques they claim to represent. On 19th June '09 ETA killed again. Here we offer some background thoughts to the problem. more >>

News Theme, The immigration crisis

Desperation (AFP)

Reports, almost daily, of open boats known variously as pateras (coming from Marrocco or Algeria) or larger 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 Romanians, 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 >>