|
News, September 2010September 30th, recent news round-upGovernment and unions to resume dialogue after general strike; Bank of Spain warns of fall back into recession during 3rd quarter (ending today); Moody downgrade of Spanish debt encourages markets: Guardian; following BA-Iberia merger, transatlantic pact with American confirmed, to start in October; 29th: General strike hits transport and major cities most - unions claim 70% success, while government says life goes on as usual - most news webs working normally - Telegraph, Guardian; gas prices to fall as light rises from 1st October; 3 more people arrested accused of ETA membership in Basque Country - Interior Ministry believes this was an attempt to remake a local 'commando'; presumed Al Quaeda terrorist arrested in Barcelona - BBC; inflation (Advance HCPI) up to 2%; Moodys downgrades Spanish debt - BBC as Treasury debt auction not fully covered at higher rate; Brussels approves Spanish subsidies on generators' use of home produced coal -only- until 2014; Rafa Nadal plants tree in Thailand against Climate Change; 28th: 7 ETA advisors arrested in Basque Country for relations with FARC terrorists in Colombia; parties finally agree new membership of Constitutional Court - a cause of friction during the Catalan Statute case; Civil Guard boats chased off Gibraltar sea by police - new border showdown; 27th: Malaya Case, largest corruption 'macro-trial' (95 cases) since democracy, involving former Marbella mayor and team, opens in Malaga - Guardian; Polish bus taking tourists home from Spanish holiday tour, crashes in Berlin - 13 dead - BBC; Zapatero to meet Pope on 7th November in Barcelona during Spanish visit; state deficit to August 42% less than last year; Menorca inventor launches Cry Translator App for iPhone, a must-have for anxious new parents. Other recent news includes: 24th: Cardinal Rouco backs general strike as 'a just cause' - but to wear something white; 200th anniversary of opening of Cortes de Cádiz; cabinet approves most austere 2011 budget proposal, slashing 8% of costs and increasing top tax rate - BBC; Catholic funeral given for dead father and son in Valdepeñas gypsy fight; Somali pirates jailed in Kenya after Spanish frigate caught them attacking Maltese ship last year - BBC; 23rd: Father and son shot dead at door of Filadelfia evangelical church in Valdepeñas during gypsy clan fight; French pensions strike affects flights to and over France - 200 flights to/ from Spain cancelled; 22nd: General strike next Wednesday - against labour reforms - transport will be affected; income tax top rate may rise to 47% - government now working on final details for 2011 finance bill; electricity bills may rise 5% in October; Zara reports 68% profit rise - BBC; warmer than average summer ends with forecast of warmer autumn in Canaries and Costa del Sol - western regions may have less rain; Moncloa secretary publishes memoirs of work in Spain's 'White House' with all democratic presidents (i.e. since 1977). 17th: Mexico celebrates 200th anniversary of independence from Spain - Guardian, BBC; Various Caja savings banks agree mergers - 1200 bank branch offices have been closed over the past year, but there are still almost 44,000; Spanish public debt hits 600 billion, 56.7% of GNP; construction group ACS (owned by the president of Real Madrid), which already owns 30%, bids for rest of leading German construction firm Hochtief; artist shocks with wall of crickets - Guardian; 16th: Small 'artefact' explodes in Basque Country - ascribed to ETA sympathisers, despite recent 'ceasefire' - BBC - something similar explodes outside Socialist office in Galicia - none hurt; Housing Ministry reports urban building plot prices continued to fall in 2nd quarter; 15th: Zapatero reports in Congress on Afghanistan mission for first time since 2005; Morocco says opposition leader Mariano Rajoy, who plans visit to Spanish enclave Melilla, is persona non grata - government responds that Melilla is Spanish and Morocco has no right to speak on who visits the enclave, held for over 500 years - Wikipedia background; Cajas, the savings banks, earned 29% less in first half - bad debts up to 5.5%; Statistics office shows house prices now stable - they rose in Q2, but were still lower than a year before; stolen Egyptian artefacts found in Spain - BBC; Placido Domingo gets Latin Grammy - BBC; Penelope Cruz pregnant - Telegraph; Royal family to cut 2011 costs - Telegraph; 14th: 9 people close to ETA arrested; 2 hit-men arrested in Valencia - linked to 200 drug band-related deaths; Catalan president Montilla believes November election could initiate independence process in the region; despite infrastructure cuts, investment minister announces plans to invest €7 billion to make Spain an 'intercontinental logistics platform'; Iberdrola to invest 4 billion GBP in UK, 2.7 billion in Scotland - BBC - announced while Scottish first minister Salmond visits Basque Country, Gamesa may also invest in Scottish renewables; a report shows home prices continue to fall - another 4.6% or 18% since the top in December 2007, while the EU now expects Spain to be the only major country still in recession at the end of the year. 10th: 6 more Cuban dissidents reach Spain; no extra police to go to Afghanistan - rebuff to NATO request; August inflation 1.8%; top chef Adrià to blog recipies - Telegraph; 8th: ETA ceasefire announced - politicians doubtful - Telegraph, Guardian on BBC coverage; Catalan regional elections called for 28th November; bus crashes close to Ceuta border in Morocco - 9 Portuguese cruise tourists dead; unemployed fire-fighter arrested for sparking 3 forest fires in Valencia; 250 flights to Europe cancelled due to French general strike over pensions; half a million signatures collected against new anti-tobacco law. We were away from 15th August until 8th September. Earlier news headlines: click here. |