Body count soars in Spanish bullfighting’s summer of blood | Toronto Star: "Francisco Rivera Ordonez stood in the centre of the bullfighting ring, dressed in a shimmering “suit of lights,” just as his father had 30 years before.
Ordonez and his father shared more than their profession as matadors, however. Like his father, Ordonez went by the nickname Paquirri.
And like his father, Ordonez was about to be gored.
Ordonez stared across the dirt ring toward a 450-kilogram bull, blood dripping from the banderillas already embedded in its hulking black shoulders. With a flick of his wrists, Ordonez beckoned the beast towards his bright pink and yellow cape.
But at the last second, the bull veered away from the cape and into the matador’s body, its 30-centimetre-long horn burying itself in Ordonez’s abdomen.
And just like that, another Paquirri spilled his blood alongside the bulls.
As horrified onlookers in the Spanish city of Huesca gaped at the Aug. 10 bloodshed, a group of men rushed Ordonez out of the ring and to a hospital. Among them: a one-eyed bullfighter named Juan Jose Padilla, his eye patch a result of his own goring four years before.
For bullfighting fanaticos, the goring of men like Ordonez, his father or Padilla are grim but legendary moments in an ancient and blood-soaked tradition.
For opponents of bullfighting, however, Ordonez’s injury could be equally historic.
That’s because the goring of yet another Paquirri is stirring old questions about the sport, but in an age — and a country — that is increasingly against the practice of killing bulls for pleasure.
“The beginning of the end of bullfighting?” asked newspaper El Diario after Ordonez’s injury, noting that two Spanish regions have already outlawed the sport.
Also at thestar.com:"
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Sunday, 30 August 2015
Deadly Spanish bull-running season claims 12th victim | New York Post
Deadly Spanish bull-running season claims 12th victim | New York Post: "A 66-year-old Spaniard died after being gored in the chest by a bull in a village festival in the Spanish province of Segovia on Sunday, bringing the number of deaths by gorings in summer street festivities this year to around a dozen.
The high toll has raised questions about health and safety measures surrounding the traditional summer ‘fiestas’ in thousands of Spanish villages in which bulls are let loose in the streets.
The most famous of these events is the San Fermin bull running, held in Pamplona in July, which has garnered a huge international following with tourists coming from around the world to participate.
But there are more than 15,000 similar events around Spain every year, where participants run in front of groups of bulls or try to get the animal to charge them before leaping into specially-constructed cages.
Bull breeders’ association UCTL said earlier this week the number of deaths this year represented less than 0.1 percent of the millions of participants. There are no official numbers of deaths by goring, although according to UCTL figures, Sunday’s death was the 12th."
'via Blog this'
The high toll has raised questions about health and safety measures surrounding the traditional summer ‘fiestas’ in thousands of Spanish villages in which bulls are let loose in the streets.
The most famous of these events is the San Fermin bull running, held in Pamplona in July, which has garnered a huge international following with tourists coming from around the world to participate.
But there are more than 15,000 similar events around Spain every year, where participants run in front of groups of bulls or try to get the animal to charge them before leaping into specially-constructed cages.
Bull breeders’ association UCTL said earlier this week the number of deaths this year represented less than 0.1 percent of the millions of participants. There are no official numbers of deaths by goring, although according to UCTL figures, Sunday’s death was the 12th."
'via Blog this'
Spain retirees battle against 'unfair' back taxes on foreign pensions - The Local
Spain retirees battle against 'unfair' back taxes on foreign pensions - The Local: "When Spain went into recession in 2008, the government scrambled to find ways to boost state coffers, and since 2013 has tapped a new vein: back taxes on foreign pensions from hundreds of thousands of former expatriate Spaniards who returned home to live out their retirement.
In some cases people have been given just 15 days to pay up.
"These people have suffered great moral and economic harm," said Eva Foncubierta, the president of the Spanish Federation of Returned Emigrants (FAER).
"These former emigrants greatly contributed to Spain's development and they don't deserve to be treated this way," said Foncubierta, whose parents emigrated from the southern Andalucia region to the Netherlands and now find themselves targeted by the tax office.
About 800,000 people are affected by conservative Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy's measure, according to FAER.
Foncubierta points out that Spanish pensioners are only required to pay tax on annual income above €22,000 provided they have only one source for the revenue.
The problem is that the tax office considers a basic pension and a supplementary pension, even if they are paid by the same country, to be two separate revenues, resulting in a lowering of the tax threshold.
"We demand that pensions be considered as a single income," said Maruchi Alvarez, the spokesman of a Galician association of emigrants.
Chained to tax office
By the end of July around 145,000 retirees had settled their tax bill, increasing state coffers by €309 million ($352 million), according to budget ministry figures.
"This is robbery and an injustice," said Miguel Martinez, who worked as an autoworker in Paris between 1964 and 1974 and receives a monthly pension of €330 from the French state.
He was shocked to receive a registered letter last year demanding the payment of back taxes on his French pension for the past five years of around €5,000 - a sum equivalent to one third of his total yearly income.
"Before I paid €85 in taxes on my Spanish pension of € 11,700.
When the extra €4,000 (in pensions) from France were taken into account, the amount jumped to €962," he said.
Martinez, who lives in the town of Callosa de Segura in the eastern Mediterranean province of Alicante, has chained himself to three different tax offices in protest.
He says his anger is fuelled by the fact that he has a letter issued in 2011 by the tax authorities certifying that his French pension was not taxable.
"When 800,000 people of this age are affected, it is hard to believe that they all decided to defraud at the same time," said Foncubierta.
Juan Antonio Pichel, who lives in the northwestern region of Galicia, was asked to pay €8,000 to the tax office in just two weeks.
"I was forced to take a loan from the bank," said Pichel, who worked for years as a construction worker in Switzerland.
First success
Associations set up to defend the rights of emigrants, mostly in Galicia and Andalucia, two high-migration regions, have staged noisy street protests.
The groups obtained their first success last year. The Spanish tax office agreed to stop imposing fines for late payments on back taxes and reimburse the €20 million in fines it has already collected.
The budget ministry says it has paid back €13 million in fines to 32,414 people as of the end of July.
"But as the elderly themselves must take steps to be reimbursed, there is still seven million euros that have not been claimed," said Foncubierta.
As a tight general election nears, the retirees are planning more protest actions.
"We will take advantage of this election period to request special treatment," said Foncubierta.
Foncubierta recommends that emigrants planning to return to Spain check first how much tax they will have to pay.
"They might be surprised," she said."
'via Blog this'
In some cases people have been given just 15 days to pay up.
"These people have suffered great moral and economic harm," said Eva Foncubierta, the president of the Spanish Federation of Returned Emigrants (FAER).
"These former emigrants greatly contributed to Spain's development and they don't deserve to be treated this way," said Foncubierta, whose parents emigrated from the southern Andalucia region to the Netherlands and now find themselves targeted by the tax office.
About 800,000 people are affected by conservative Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy's measure, according to FAER.
Foncubierta points out that Spanish pensioners are only required to pay tax on annual income above €22,000 provided they have only one source for the revenue.
The problem is that the tax office considers a basic pension and a supplementary pension, even if they are paid by the same country, to be two separate revenues, resulting in a lowering of the tax threshold.
"We demand that pensions be considered as a single income," said Maruchi Alvarez, the spokesman of a Galician association of emigrants.
Chained to tax office
By the end of July around 145,000 retirees had settled their tax bill, increasing state coffers by €309 million ($352 million), according to budget ministry figures.
"This is robbery and an injustice," said Miguel Martinez, who worked as an autoworker in Paris between 1964 and 1974 and receives a monthly pension of €330 from the French state.
He was shocked to receive a registered letter last year demanding the payment of back taxes on his French pension for the past five years of around €5,000 - a sum equivalent to one third of his total yearly income.
"Before I paid €85 in taxes on my Spanish pension of € 11,700.
When the extra €4,000 (in pensions) from France were taken into account, the amount jumped to €962," he said.
Martinez, who lives in the town of Callosa de Segura in the eastern Mediterranean province of Alicante, has chained himself to three different tax offices in protest.
He says his anger is fuelled by the fact that he has a letter issued in 2011 by the tax authorities certifying that his French pension was not taxable.
"When 800,000 people of this age are affected, it is hard to believe that they all decided to defraud at the same time," said Foncubierta.
Juan Antonio Pichel, who lives in the northwestern region of Galicia, was asked to pay €8,000 to the tax office in just two weeks.
"I was forced to take a loan from the bank," said Pichel, who worked for years as a construction worker in Switzerland.
First success
Associations set up to defend the rights of emigrants, mostly in Galicia and Andalucia, two high-migration regions, have staged noisy street protests.
The groups obtained their first success last year. The Spanish tax office agreed to stop imposing fines for late payments on back taxes and reimburse the €20 million in fines it has already collected.
The budget ministry says it has paid back €13 million in fines to 32,414 people as of the end of July.
"But as the elderly themselves must take steps to be reimbursed, there is still seven million euros that have not been claimed," said Foncubierta.
As a tight general election nears, the retirees are planning more protest actions.
"We will take advantage of this election period to request special treatment," said Foncubierta.
Foncubierta recommends that emigrants planning to return to Spain check first how much tax they will have to pay.
"They might be surprised," she said."
'via Blog this'
Madrid terrorist suspect ran Isis cell planning massacres in Spain - The Local
Madrid terrorist suspect ran Isis cell planning massacres in Spain - The Local: "The suspect, a Moroccan national called Abdeladim Achriaa, had lived in Spain for years but was arrested on Tuesday in a joint Spanish-Moroccan police operation south of Madrid that targeted alleged supporters of the Islamic State group.
Achriaa applied for bail but National Court judge Juan Pablo Gonzalez rejected his request on Thursday, saying he posed a flight risk and ordering him to be kept behind bars while the investigation continues.
"Abdeladim was coordinating the members of a Syrian-Iraqi affiliate of Islamic State deployed in several cities in Morocco," the judge wrote after questioning Achriaa in court.
The aim was for them to eventually join Islamic State fighters in Syria and Iraq, he said, noting that Achriaa had several Facebook profiles, one of which gave his name as 'salami Jihadi'.
Officials in Madrid and Rabat said the network sought to recruit IS jihadists to join the fighting in Iraq and Syria and also to carry out attacks in Spain and Morocco.
"They were aiming to mimic in Spain and Morocco the massacres carried out by Islamic State members with the intention of creating a climate of mass panic and instability," the Spanish Interior Ministry said following the arrests.
During Tuesday's arrest operation, police in Morocco also arrested another 13 people in Fez, Casablanca, Nador, Al Hoceima and Driouech as part of the same investigation.
One of them was the father of a woman called Hafsa Azaoum, who is Achriaa's partner. Five of Azaoum's brothers have gone to Syria to fight for the IS jihadists, the judge said.
Tuesday's arrests came just days after passengers on a crowded Paris-bound train tackled and disarmed a heavily-armed Moroccan man who used to live in Spain, halting what authorities say could have been a bloodbath.
Spain is on 'high alert' for a terrorist attack, at level four on a scale of five, that from this week will be published on the Interior Ministry website."
'via Blog this'
Achriaa applied for bail but National Court judge Juan Pablo Gonzalez rejected his request on Thursday, saying he posed a flight risk and ordering him to be kept behind bars while the investigation continues.
"Abdeladim was coordinating the members of a Syrian-Iraqi affiliate of Islamic State deployed in several cities in Morocco," the judge wrote after questioning Achriaa in court.
The aim was for them to eventually join Islamic State fighters in Syria and Iraq, he said, noting that Achriaa had several Facebook profiles, one of which gave his name as 'salami Jihadi'.
Officials in Madrid and Rabat said the network sought to recruit IS jihadists to join the fighting in Iraq and Syria and also to carry out attacks in Spain and Morocco.
"They were aiming to mimic in Spain and Morocco the massacres carried out by Islamic State members with the intention of creating a climate of mass panic and instability," the Spanish Interior Ministry said following the arrests.
During Tuesday's arrest operation, police in Morocco also arrested another 13 people in Fez, Casablanca, Nador, Al Hoceima and Driouech as part of the same investigation.
One of them was the father of a woman called Hafsa Azaoum, who is Achriaa's partner. Five of Azaoum's brothers have gone to Syria to fight for the IS jihadists, the judge said.
Tuesday's arrests came just days after passengers on a crowded Paris-bound train tackled and disarmed a heavily-armed Moroccan man who used to live in Spain, halting what authorities say could have been a bloodbath.
Spain is on 'high alert' for a terrorist attack, at level four on a scale of five, that from this week will be published on the Interior Ministry website."
'via Blog this'
Fake traffic police arrested for robbing tourists on Costa Blanca - The Local
Fake traffic police arrested for robbing tourists on Costa Blanca - The Local: "The Civil Guard said on Thursday that the men, aged 24 and 37, reportedly dressed up as police officers, used false license plates on their cars and pretended to conduct traffic stops along roadways in the Costa Blanca region of Alicante.
"They selected foreign drivers who did not know the uniforms or the modus operandi of the Spanish police," the Alicante Civil Guard told The Local in a statement on Friday.
The men are accused of theft, misappropriation of power, falsification of documents and belonging to a criminal organization.
Authorities received reports in March of this year that there was an organized group pretending to be police to take advantage of tourists and spent months tracking them down.
In some cases, the fake officers would flag down cars while they were driving and motion for them to pull over. Once the driver had moved to the side of the road, the suspects, reportedly dressed in police vests and sunglasses, would approach the car and flash their fake police badges.
The men would tell the driver that they were performing routine documentation and drug checks. At this point, they would then grab for anything of value within reach, including wallets, handbags or rucksacks.
In other cases, the suspects would go to service stations on motorways, wait for cars to arrive and then ask the passengers if they were tourists and whether they had consumed intoxicating substances. They would use force against anyone who tried to resist.
Earlier this year, another man posing as a police officer was caught in Valencia, using a photo of Oscar-winning actor Adrien Brody on his falsified Civil Guard ID."
'via Blog this'
"They selected foreign drivers who did not know the uniforms or the modus operandi of the Spanish police," the Alicante Civil Guard told The Local in a statement on Friday.
The men are accused of theft, misappropriation of power, falsification of documents and belonging to a criminal organization.
Authorities received reports in March of this year that there was an organized group pretending to be police to take advantage of tourists and spent months tracking them down.
In some cases, the fake officers would flag down cars while they were driving and motion for them to pull over. Once the driver had moved to the side of the road, the suspects, reportedly dressed in police vests and sunglasses, would approach the car and flash their fake police badges.
The men would tell the driver that they were performing routine documentation and drug checks. At this point, they would then grab for anything of value within reach, including wallets, handbags or rucksacks.
In other cases, the suspects would go to service stations on motorways, wait for cars to arrive and then ask the passengers if they were tourists and whether they had consumed intoxicating substances. They would use force against anyone who tried to resist.
Earlier this year, another man posing as a police officer was caught in Valencia, using a photo of Oscar-winning actor Adrien Brody on his falsified Civil Guard ID."
'via Blog this'
Emotional homecoming for granny jailed for refusal to demolish home - The Local
Emotional homecoming for granny jailed for refusal to demolish home - The Local: "She has been dubbed the "grandma of Fuerteventura" and was sent to prison for refusing to tear down her family home on the order of planning authorities because she said her family had nowhere else to live.
But on Thursday evening Josefa Hernández, 62, was released from prison after serving just four days of a six month jail sentence after her case received national attention and won her sympathy across Spain.
The inherited home, where Hernández lives with two of her seven children and three young grandchildren, had been built in the small town of Betancuria on the island of Fuerteventura in the Canary Islands in an area that was later declared a national park.
"Before it was a protected area, the land belonged to my parents," she previously told newspaper El Pais.
She was originally sentenced to six months in prison in 2012, a sentence which was suspended on the condition that she demolish her home and find other lodgings.
But the court reinstated the punishment this summer after it discovered that she had not only failed to demolish the home but had built an extension to it, which she also refused to tear down.
Lawyers acting for Hernández insisted that the mother of seven had not demolished her home because she had no where else to live and that she feared for the effect a move might have on one of her children who has a disability.
Family members also expressed health concerns because Hernández suffers from diabetes and hypertension, according to El Pais.
Various political groups called for her clemency, including members of the left-wing Podemos political party, but despite widespread outcry she was still made to go to prison on Monday.
But good news came on Tuesday when Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy pledged to grant a pardon for Hernández by Friday, calling it a measure of "common sense".
She was released from prison on Thursday evening to be met by a rapturous welcome from supporters.
"Where are my treasures?," Hernández called out at the gates of Tahiche prison in Lanzarote where she was reunited with her family in front of assembled media.
"Grandma was on vacation for two days," she told her excited grandchildren.
As part of the condition of her release, Hernández will still have to demolish part of the house. The town’s mayor and other officials will help determine next week which parts of the house should be torn down to satisfy the court, according to broadcaster RTVE."
'via Blog this'
But on Thursday evening Josefa Hernández, 62, was released from prison after serving just four days of a six month jail sentence after her case received national attention and won her sympathy across Spain.
The inherited home, where Hernández lives with two of her seven children and three young grandchildren, had been built in the small town of Betancuria on the island of Fuerteventura in the Canary Islands in an area that was later declared a national park.
"Before it was a protected area, the land belonged to my parents," she previously told newspaper El Pais.
She was originally sentenced to six months in prison in 2012, a sentence which was suspended on the condition that she demolish her home and find other lodgings.
But the court reinstated the punishment this summer after it discovered that she had not only failed to demolish the home but had built an extension to it, which she also refused to tear down.
Lawyers acting for Hernández insisted that the mother of seven had not demolished her home because she had no where else to live and that she feared for the effect a move might have on one of her children who has a disability.
Family members also expressed health concerns because Hernández suffers from diabetes and hypertension, according to El Pais.
Various political groups called for her clemency, including members of the left-wing Podemos political party, but despite widespread outcry she was still made to go to prison on Monday.
But good news came on Tuesday when Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy pledged to grant a pardon for Hernández by Friday, calling it a measure of "common sense".
She was released from prison on Thursday evening to be met by a rapturous welcome from supporters.
"Where are my treasures?," Hernández called out at the gates of Tahiche prison in Lanzarote where she was reunited with her family in front of assembled media.
"Grandma was on vacation for two days," she told her excited grandchildren.
As part of the condition of her release, Hernández will still have to demolish part of the house. The town’s mayor and other officials will help determine next week which parts of the house should be torn down to satisfy the court, according to broadcaster RTVE."
'via Blog this'
Travel chaos threat as September strikes called at Spanish airports - The Local
Travel chaos threat as September strikes called at Spanish airports - The Local: "The airlines expected to be worse affected will be EasyJet and Vueling in the stoppages which are due to start next Friday.
Three Spanish unions representing the workers have called a series of strikes over four days in September. The stoppages will take place on the 4th 11th 18th and 25th, from 4.30am to 7.30am and 7.30pm to 9.30pm.
Menzies Aviation Iberica have been blamed for delaying the negotiation process with the unions, who will also hold strikes in Barcelona, Alicante, Malaga and Mallorca.
Earlier this summer travellers were hit by air traffic controllers' strikes, although the minimum services required by law ensured minimum disruption.
Twenty-four hour train strikes, announced in early August, are also set to start next Friday after a similar lack of progress in negotiations between workers and national rail operators Renfe."
'via Blog this'
Three Spanish unions representing the workers have called a series of strikes over four days in September. The stoppages will take place on the 4th 11th 18th and 25th, from 4.30am to 7.30am and 7.30pm to 9.30pm.
Menzies Aviation Iberica have been blamed for delaying the negotiation process with the unions, who will also hold strikes in Barcelona, Alicante, Malaga and Mallorca.
Earlier this summer travellers were hit by air traffic controllers' strikes, although the minimum services required by law ensured minimum disruption.
Twenty-four hour train strikes, announced in early August, are also set to start next Friday after a similar lack of progress in negotiations between workers and national rail operators Renfe."
'via Blog this'
Catalan ruling party hit by graft probe ahead of September election - The Local
Catalan ruling party hit by graft probe ahead of September election - The Local: "Police searched the headquarters of the party and of its CatDem Foundation in Barcelona as well as the home of a former party treasurer and four town halls across Catalonia as part of the probe.
Spanish authorities suspect the foundation collected commissions from companies that won public works from town halls that were run by the conservative nationalist party, a judicial source said.
The operation came hours before the first major pre-campaign act by the pro-independence coalition "Together for the Yes" made up of the CDC, the left-wing ERC party and civil society groups that want Catalonia to break away from Spain.
The coalition is treating Catalonia's regional election on September 27th as a plebiscite on independence.
It has vowed to push through an 18-month roadmap for secession for the region of some 7.5 million people which accounts for a fifth of Spain's economic output if it wins a majority of seats in the regional assembly.
The general co-ordinator of the CDC, Josep Rull, denied any wrongdoing on the part of the party and accused Spanish authorities of seeking to "improperly influence" the elections.
"The goal is not transparency but to create a media circus before very significant elections. They can search all the headquarters they want, they won't find anything because there is nothing to find," he told a news conference.
The operation is linked to the arrest last month of Catalan businessman Jordi Sumarroca, who is close to the CDC, on suspicion that one of his firms paid commissions in exchange for winning public works contracts.
It is likely to generate tension ahead of the election between the CDC and the left-wing ERC party, which has taken a hard line against corruption."
'via Blog this'
Spanish authorities suspect the foundation collected commissions from companies that won public works from town halls that were run by the conservative nationalist party, a judicial source said.
The operation came hours before the first major pre-campaign act by the pro-independence coalition "Together for the Yes" made up of the CDC, the left-wing ERC party and civil society groups that want Catalonia to break away from Spain.
The coalition is treating Catalonia's regional election on September 27th as a plebiscite on independence.
It has vowed to push through an 18-month roadmap for secession for the region of some 7.5 million people which accounts for a fifth of Spain's economic output if it wins a majority of seats in the regional assembly.
The general co-ordinator of the CDC, Josep Rull, denied any wrongdoing on the part of the party and accused Spanish authorities of seeking to "improperly influence" the elections.
"The goal is not transparency but to create a media circus before very significant elections. They can search all the headquarters they want, they won't find anything because there is nothing to find," he told a news conference.
The operation is linked to the arrest last month of Catalan businessman Jordi Sumarroca, who is close to the CDC, on suspicion that one of his firms paid commissions in exchange for winning public works contracts.
It is likely to generate tension ahead of the election between the CDC and the left-wing ERC party, which has taken a hard line against corruption."
'via Blog this'
Astronomers on Quixotic quest to immortalize Cervantes with a star - The Local
Astronomers on Quixotic quest to immortalize Cervantes with a star - The Local: "The famous writer of one of the most world-renowned works of Spanish literature could soon see his name written not just on paper, but also in the stars, if a group of Spanish astronomers gets their way.
The Society of Spanish Astronomers, Pamplona Planetarium and Cervantes Institute have launched a campaign, calling for support to name a little-known star after Spanish author Miguel de Cervantes.
The International Astronomical Union vote opened earlier this month, giving people all over the world the chance to decide on the names of dozens of exoplanet star systems.
One of those systems revolves around the star currently known as µ Arae (Mu Arae), which is about 50 light-years away from Earth and still visible to the naked eye.
The campaign Estrella Cervantes (Cervantes Star) wants Mu Arae to be called Cervantes, and the four planets revolving around it to be named after the author’s leading characters in his famous novel - Quijote, Sancho, Dulcinea and Rocinante.
A rendering of the proposed naming of Mu Arae's planetary system from the Estrella Cervantes campaign.
"The importance of Miguel de Cervantes in the universal culture can hardly be overestimated," the Cervantes star campaign said in a statement.
"His major work, Don Quijote, considered the first modern novel of world literature and one of the most influential book in the entire literary canon, has many times been regarded as the best work of fiction ever written.
"However, while Shakespeare has his Uranian satellites, Cervantes has been so far excluded from the cosmic spheres."
Published in 1605 (Part One) and 1615 (Part Two), Don Quixote is thought to be one of the most widely read and translated books in the world.
The IAU will make a decision on the star names in November, which the Cervantes star campaign said would perfectly correspond with the 400-year anniversary of Don Quixote’s second part.
The supposed remains of Cervantes were discovered after a long search earlier this year in the crypt of a Madrid convent. He was given a formal burial and monument in June."
'via Blog this'
The Society of Spanish Astronomers, Pamplona Planetarium and Cervantes Institute have launched a campaign, calling for support to name a little-known star after Spanish author Miguel de Cervantes.
The International Astronomical Union vote opened earlier this month, giving people all over the world the chance to decide on the names of dozens of exoplanet star systems.
One of those systems revolves around the star currently known as µ Arae (Mu Arae), which is about 50 light-years away from Earth and still visible to the naked eye.
The campaign Estrella Cervantes (Cervantes Star) wants Mu Arae to be called Cervantes, and the four planets revolving around it to be named after the author’s leading characters in his famous novel - Quijote, Sancho, Dulcinea and Rocinante.
A rendering of the proposed naming of Mu Arae's planetary system from the Estrella Cervantes campaign.
"The importance of Miguel de Cervantes in the universal culture can hardly be overestimated," the Cervantes star campaign said in a statement.
"His major work, Don Quijote, considered the first modern novel of world literature and one of the most influential book in the entire literary canon, has many times been regarded as the best work of fiction ever written.
"However, while Shakespeare has his Uranian satellites, Cervantes has been so far excluded from the cosmic spheres."
Published in 1605 (Part One) and 1615 (Part Two), Don Quixote is thought to be one of the most widely read and translated books in the world.
The IAU will make a decision on the star names in November, which the Cervantes star campaign said would perfectly correspond with the 400-year anniversary of Don Quixote’s second part.
The supposed remains of Cervantes were discovered after a long search earlier this year in the crypt of a Madrid convent. He was given a formal burial and monument in June."
'via Blog this'
Spanish police hunt for Moroccan hashish in the Strait of Gibraltar - The Local
Spanish police hunt for Moroccan hashish in the Strait of Gibraltar - The Local: "As the powerful motors of their speedboat roared, Spanish police used a thermal imaging camera to scan the sea in the Strait of Gibraltar for traffickers smuggling hashish from Morocco.
It’s just after midnight and the cameras and radars that monitor the coast detect a dodgy looking boat.
The control centre informs police in Algeciras, a port city in southern Spain just 90 minutes by ferry from Morocco, and three officers immediately jump into the boat to investigate.
“They are likely looking for a place to unload their merchandise,” said one of them, Jesus, who declined to give his last name.
His colleague Claudio stood with one tense hand on the helm of the speedboat motored by twin 300 horse power engines and the other on the throttle.
The third officer manned an infrared camera.
The speedboat skimmed on the surface of the water between the lights of the port of Algeciras and those of the tiny British territory of Gibraltar, leaving a thick tail of foam.
“Aim the spotlight over there,” Jesus yelled out when they suddenly spotted an inflatable dinghy sailing without any lights.
The two occupants, who wore balaclavas and life jackets, did not resist as the police came on board.
But the officers found nothing. They then scanned the surface of the water with their spotlights and failed to find any bales. Police suspect they were smuggling tobacco which they threw overboard.
The two suspects were then on taken back to the port, their dinghy towed by the police.
But sometimes operations turn violent.
To smuggle hashish grown in Morocco’s northern Riff mountains, traffickers use inflatable 8-12 metre long (26-39 feet) slender speedboats with up to five motors that can reach speeds of 60 knots or over 100 kilometres (60 miles) an hour.
Spanish police pursuing suspected smugglers in the area crossed into British waters and reached a Gibraltar beach earlier this month, prompting angry protests from London.
“These are risky situations, given the quick speeds and poor conditions of the sea” as well as the manoeuvres made by the smugglers to escape, said Antonio, another police officer.
Sometimes they try to ram the pursuing boat. Lately, they have developed a new tactic: they jump with their speedboat over the patrol boat to try and strike the police crew.
Smugglers have also been known to throw objects at the rotor blades of police helicopters. That caused a helicopter to crash a few years ago, killing a policeman, said Jesus.
Pilots employed by drug smuggling rings have also been drowned at sea, usually young men in their 20s who are drawn by a payments of several thousand euros in a region of Spain where the unemployment rate stands at around 40 percent, he added.
Big trafficking organisations employ up to 50 people — pilots, porters, drivers, lookouts — to receive shipments of one or two tonnes in bundles of 30 kilos, said Pablo Cobo, who is in charge of the local police unit against organised crime and drug trafficking.
Each kilo of hashish has a street value of 1,600 euros ($1,800) in Spain, he added.
Morocco has become the world’s top producer and exporter of hashish over the past decades, according to a report from the Lisbon based European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction.
Just 14 kilometres separates northern Morocco from Spain’s southern Andalucia region, making it the ideal transit route for smugglers.
Of the 319 tonnes of hashish seized in Spain in 2013, 262 tonnes were found in Andalucia.
Spain accounted for nearly three fourths, or 73.7 percent, of the total amount of hashish seized in Europe in 2012, in the latest figures available from the interior ministry.
Traffickers monitor the movements of police patrols in a game of cat-and-mouse in the Strait of Gibraltar, sometimes sending out “dummy” speedboats without anything on board.
During the warm summer months when the sea is calm, traffickers use water scooters, which are smaller and harder to detect, to cross over into Spain with hashish — and illegal migrants.
“A water scooter can transport four bales of cannabis and two migrants,” said Jesus.
“When they arrive on land, it is up to them to take the merchandise to the buyer, as a way of paying their passage,” he added."
'via Blog this'
It’s just after midnight and the cameras and radars that monitor the coast detect a dodgy looking boat.
The control centre informs police in Algeciras, a port city in southern Spain just 90 minutes by ferry from Morocco, and three officers immediately jump into the boat to investigate.
“They are likely looking for a place to unload their merchandise,” said one of them, Jesus, who declined to give his last name.
His colleague Claudio stood with one tense hand on the helm of the speedboat motored by twin 300 horse power engines and the other on the throttle.
The third officer manned an infrared camera.
The speedboat skimmed on the surface of the water between the lights of the port of Algeciras and those of the tiny British territory of Gibraltar, leaving a thick tail of foam.
“Aim the spotlight over there,” Jesus yelled out when they suddenly spotted an inflatable dinghy sailing without any lights.
The two occupants, who wore balaclavas and life jackets, did not resist as the police came on board.
But the officers found nothing. They then scanned the surface of the water with their spotlights and failed to find any bales. Police suspect they were smuggling tobacco which they threw overboard.
The two suspects were then on taken back to the port, their dinghy towed by the police.
But sometimes operations turn violent.
To smuggle hashish grown in Morocco’s northern Riff mountains, traffickers use inflatable 8-12 metre long (26-39 feet) slender speedboats with up to five motors that can reach speeds of 60 knots or over 100 kilometres (60 miles) an hour.
Spanish police pursuing suspected smugglers in the area crossed into British waters and reached a Gibraltar beach earlier this month, prompting angry protests from London.
“These are risky situations, given the quick speeds and poor conditions of the sea” as well as the manoeuvres made by the smugglers to escape, said Antonio, another police officer.
Sometimes they try to ram the pursuing boat. Lately, they have developed a new tactic: they jump with their speedboat over the patrol boat to try and strike the police crew.
Smugglers have also been known to throw objects at the rotor blades of police helicopters. That caused a helicopter to crash a few years ago, killing a policeman, said Jesus.
Pilots employed by drug smuggling rings have also been drowned at sea, usually young men in their 20s who are drawn by a payments of several thousand euros in a region of Spain where the unemployment rate stands at around 40 percent, he added.
Big trafficking organisations employ up to 50 people — pilots, porters, drivers, lookouts — to receive shipments of one or two tonnes in bundles of 30 kilos, said Pablo Cobo, who is in charge of the local police unit against organised crime and drug trafficking.
Each kilo of hashish has a street value of 1,600 euros ($1,800) in Spain, he added.
Morocco has become the world’s top producer and exporter of hashish over the past decades, according to a report from the Lisbon based European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction.
Just 14 kilometres separates northern Morocco from Spain’s southern Andalucia region, making it the ideal transit route for smugglers.
Of the 319 tonnes of hashish seized in Spain in 2013, 262 tonnes were found in Andalucia.
Spain accounted for nearly three fourths, or 73.7 percent, of the total amount of hashish seized in Europe in 2012, in the latest figures available from the interior ministry.
Traffickers monitor the movements of police patrols in a game of cat-and-mouse in the Strait of Gibraltar, sometimes sending out “dummy” speedboats without anything on board.
During the warm summer months when the sea is calm, traffickers use water scooters, which are smaller and harder to detect, to cross over into Spain with hashish — and illegal migrants.
“A water scooter can transport four bales of cannabis and two migrants,” said Jesus.
“When they arrive on land, it is up to them to take the merchandise to the buyer, as a way of paying their passage,” he added."
'via Blog this'
15 held in Spain for smuggling Moroccan migrants on jet skis - The Local
15 held in Spain for smuggling Moroccan migrants on jet skis - The Local: "The revelation came as Europe's migrant crisis snowballed with Austrian police rescuing a group of dehydrated migrants found in a truck, days after the bodies of 71 migrants, believed to be Syrian, were found in an abandoned former poultry lorry.
"In August, 15 people were arrested for bringing Moroccan migrants to Spanish shores," the Guardia Civil, a paramilitary police force, said in a statement without specifying the nationality of those held.
In the last 72 hours alone "six water scooters were intercepted while depositing immigrants" off the coast of Tarifa on Spain's southernmost tip, which is separated from Morocco by only 14 kilometres (8 miles) of water.
Each water scooter brought over between two and three migrants across the Strait of Gibraltar and "posed a serious risk to the lives of immigrants ...who often don't know how to swim," the statement said.
Some people smugglers also bring in large quantities of hashish from Morocco, often weighing up to 30 kilogrammes, a source in the Guardia Civil told AFP.
One kilo of hashish from Morocco's Rif region has a street value of 1,600 euros ($1,800) in Spain."
'via Blog this'
"In August, 15 people were arrested for bringing Moroccan migrants to Spanish shores," the Guardia Civil, a paramilitary police force, said in a statement without specifying the nationality of those held.
In the last 72 hours alone "six water scooters were intercepted while depositing immigrants" off the coast of Tarifa on Spain's southernmost tip, which is separated from Morocco by only 14 kilometres (8 miles) of water.
Each water scooter brought over between two and three migrants across the Strait of Gibraltar and "posed a serious risk to the lives of immigrants ...who often don't know how to swim," the statement said.
Some people smugglers also bring in large quantities of hashish from Morocco, often weighing up to 30 kilogrammes, a source in the Guardia Civil told AFP.
One kilo of hashish from Morocco's Rif region has a street value of 1,600 euros ($1,800) in Spain."
'via Blog this'
Spanish entrepreneur cracks historic WWII decryption | Spain's Latest News
Spanish entrepreneur cracks historic WWII decryption | Spain's Latest News: "A SPANISH entrepreneur has cracked one of only remaining World War II puzzles.
Didac Sanchez has used his decryption of the message as the basis for a new security software package. The message is believed to hold information about the Normandy D-Day landings.
The new software, called AYEO, or ForYourEyesOnly, uses the structure of the message to encrypt any text, WhatsApp, Messenger, SMS or Skype conversation. It is due for release next year.
This innovative new cryptoanalysis endeavour comes at the heels of Sanchez’s remarkable rise in the business world.
The 22-year-old Barcelona native has been running Legisdalia Group for four years, working across the health, web, law, communication and music sectors."
'via Blog this'
Didac Sanchez has used his decryption of the message as the basis for a new security software package. The message is believed to hold information about the Normandy D-Day landings.
The new software, called AYEO, or ForYourEyesOnly, uses the structure of the message to encrypt any text, WhatsApp, Messenger, SMS or Skype conversation. It is due for release next year.
This innovative new cryptoanalysis endeavour comes at the heels of Sanchez’s remarkable rise in the business world.
The 22-year-old Barcelona native has been running Legisdalia Group for four years, working across the health, web, law, communication and music sectors."
'via Blog this'
Marbella housing fraud scammers arrested across southern Spain | Spain's Latest News
Marbella housing fraud scammers arrested across southern Spain | Spain's Latest News: "THE national police have broken up a Malaga housing scam that conned a Marbella businessman out of €95,000.
Marbella coast
The Marbella-based group of seven, who were arrested across Marbella, Malaga and Torrevieja, ran a complex scam pretending to be intermediaries for property sales.
They gained the trust of their client, as well as a Puerto Banus-based woman who was on the brink of paying them €100,000, by meeting them in luxury hotels, sending an architect over to the appraisal and showing them photos of the supposed Italian purchaser.
Using false identities and cars with fake licence plates, the conmen would ask for their commission in small bills, and then make the supposed house payments in fake bills.
The victim of the scam, who reported to the fraud, has recovered €28,000 from the crooks."
'via Blog this'
Marbella coast
The Marbella-based group of seven, who were arrested across Marbella, Malaga and Torrevieja, ran a complex scam pretending to be intermediaries for property sales.
They gained the trust of their client, as well as a Puerto Banus-based woman who was on the brink of paying them €100,000, by meeting them in luxury hotels, sending an architect over to the appraisal and showing them photos of the supposed Italian purchaser.
Using false identities and cars with fake licence plates, the conmen would ask for their commission in small bills, and then make the supposed house payments in fake bills.
The victim of the scam, who reported to the fraud, has recovered €28,000 from the crooks."
'via Blog this'
World-famous ‘jackal’ literary agent heads to Spain | Spain's Latest News
World-famous ‘jackal’ literary agent heads to Spain | Spain's Latest News: "ONE of the most famous literary agencies in the world is on the hunt for the next Miguel de Cervantes.
The Wylie Agency, founded by literary agent Andrew Wylie known for his sneaky business tactics as ‘the jackal,’ will open an office in Spain in an attempt to reach the growing Spanish-speaking market and change the Spanish publishing world.
The Spanish office will be headed by Cristobal Pera, the previous directing editor of Penguin Random House in Mexico.
The literary agency has one of the most impressive client lists of any publishing house, representing everyone from Salman Rushdie to the estate of Vladimir Nabokov, and from the Spanish-speaking world Jorge Luis Borges and Roberto Bolaño. "
'via Blog this'
The Ten Stages is a studied recovery course. It is a source of reconnection a method of unlearning and a reintroduction to our child within which leads us back to our one true intuitive voice.We start to learn and come out of our protective dysfunctional shell and reclaim our lives.
The Wylie Agency, founded by literary agent Andrew Wylie known for his sneaky business tactics as ‘the jackal,’ will open an office in Spain in an attempt to reach the growing Spanish-speaking market and change the Spanish publishing world.
The Spanish office will be headed by Cristobal Pera, the previous directing editor of Penguin Random House in Mexico.
The literary agency has one of the most impressive client lists of any publishing house, representing everyone from Salman Rushdie to the estate of Vladimir Nabokov, and from the Spanish-speaking world Jorge Luis Borges and Roberto Bolaño. "
'via Blog this'
The Ten Stages is a studied recovery course. It is a source of reconnection a method of unlearning and a reintroduction to our child within which leads us back to our one true intuitive voice.We start to learn and come out of our protective dysfunctional shell and reclaim our lives.