Spain

Spain: “State of Alarm” Puts Stop to Air Traffic Controllers Strike

Date: December 8th, 2010 |

A 24-hour air traffic controllers strike created chaos throughout Spain Dec. 3-5 and prompted the government to declare a “state of alarm” that threatened jail time for controllers who would not report to work. The state of alarm is usually reserved for major disasters and had not been implemented since the return to democracy in [read more]

Spain: Jellyfish Swarm Costa Blanca

Date: August 18th, 2010 |

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The Costa Blanca was hit by a swarm of jellyfish that prompted authorities to close several beaches after some 700 people were stung by the “mauve stinger.” The creatures are almost impossible to see in the water and their stings are ver [read more]

Spain: EU Presidency Raises Concerns about Possible ETA Incident

Date: January 6th, 2010 |

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The EU presidency is Spain’s for the next six months, and with it came a reminder that the Basque separatist group ETA remains an active threat. Authorities are concerned that the group may try to stage a kidnapping or other incident during this period to draw attention to its cause. ETA’s violent campaign for an [read more]

Spain: Further ETA Bombs in Mallorca Cause No Injuries

Date: August 13th, 2009 |

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Another series of bombings claimed by the Basque separatist group ETA hit the island of Mallorca Aug. 9. Three small blasts in Palma targeted restaurants and a shopping area beneath the central square but injured no one. The blasts came ten days after an ETA bombing also on Mallorca killed two police officers. Authorities said [read more]

Spain: ETA Threat to Beach Resorts

Date: July 30th, 2009 |

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Police in Spanish beach resorts were put on alert for a bomb threat from ETA, the Basque separatist group, just days before a car bomb blew off the façade of a 14-story barracks housing civil guard police and their families in Burgos, killing no one but injuring more than 60. The bombing occurred without warning [read more]

Spain: ETA Calls Cease-fire, Political Parties Skeptical

Date: September 8th, 2010 |

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The Basque separatist group ETA declared a cease-fire Sept. 5, but the Basque regional government and others were skeptical that the announcement would mean the end of the group’s violence. Other cease-fires have come and gone, but this one may be different because ETA’s political allies have called for the group to renounce violence, allow [read more]

Spain: Highway Cops Let Off Violators to Protest Pay Cut

Date: August 10th, 2010 |

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One unintended consequence of Spain’s austerity measures that cut government salaries 5 percent in June is a rise in traffic deaths and a precipitous drop in traffic ticket revenue. Traffic police have chosen to protest their pay cuts by letting violators off with a warning rather than writing a ticket. Tickets for traffic violations dropped [read more]

Spain: Child Thieves Working ATMs

Date: September 9th, 2009 |

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Roma gypsies have a reputation across Europe as thieves, a reputation that is unfair to most but is earned by some. One common scam is for children to work areas around ATMs and swoop in just as the cash is dispensed while another person distracts the victim. Madrid police report that 95 percent of children [read more]

Spain: Security Tight in Mallorca

Date: August 5th, 2009 |

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When a bomb killed two police officers in Mallorca July 30 it was the second bombing blamed on the Basque terrorist group ETA in 34 hours. Security is very high in Mallorca and elsewhere, and in the days following the blast travel in and out of airports was significantly disrupted. The attacks were part of [read more]

Spain: Thousands Protest ETA Killing

Date: June 24th, 2009 |

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Tens of thousands of people marched in Bilbao to protest the killing of a police investigator June 19 by the Basque separatist group ETA. The public outrage in the Basque region over the death of the officer, who headed an anti-terror unit, suggests that ETA’s violent tactics have little support among the populace it claims [read more]

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