09MADRID826
This wikileak is about the idea and practice of volunteerism and community service in Spain. Volunteerism is becoming more popular and common in Spain, however, historically very few people have participated in volunteer activities. This is mostly due to certain cultural differences and societal attitudes. The general attitude is these services should be provided by the government. According to the article "Instead of organizing discreet volunteer activities to "fill a perceived gap", many Spaniards might lobby for the government or a NGO to provide a needed social service" In addition, while the concert of volunteer work is understood and respected, very few individuals do it on a formal or regular basis. Mainly the populations who do volunteer are those interested in activism or as part of a religious organization.
October 31, 2011
October 24, 2011
Murder case in Sevilla
The murder case of Marta del Castillo now takes a new turn and the defendant has a new story. Allegedly he hit the seventeen year old in the face with and ashtray and he claims he does not know where the body is which has been missing since 2009. Originally the story was that two men were very drunk and stoned try to kiss her and than proceeded to kill and rape her. This is a very high profile murder case in spain and has been having lots of twists and turns.Link
Immigration
Due to the fact that the un-employment has shot up in 2009 to 20% immigrants are finding work sparse and low paying. In a survey done immigrants report that there are fewer jobs and they are more low paying. The high un-employment hasn't had the same effect as the United States has seen in the immigration of Latin Americans instead many immigrant would rather stay in Spain because the situation is better there.However immigration has decreased from sub-saharan Africa and Romania. The lul is due to the large number of immigrants telling friends at home that life is harder now.The spanish government has now made it harder for immigrants to get work permits they believe the immigrants are using this to gain residency in Spain. This will allow them to collect unempoyment benefits. Spain has offered a return program for all immigrants who want to go back to their country of origin. The program includes flight and financial assistance in the return voyage. However the Spainish govenment was concerned that the immigrants would show signs of radicalism but the interviews show that no such frustration exists.
1.http://wikileaks.ch/cable/2009/11/09MADRID1134.html
1.http://wikileaks.ch/cable/2009/11/09MADRID1134.html
Joining Hands Against Forced Marriage
This wikileak is about a campaign called Joining Hands Against Forced Marriages. This is a campaign to help communication, cooperation, and general understanding of Arab countries and the Muslim Religion. Many different groups are involved in the campaign, The Autonomous Communities of Madrid and Andalucia, different spanish cities, and the ministry for foreign affairs. They are all part of the Campaign called Casa Arabe. The campaign was held in 2008 with a good number of participants. The desire of this campaign was to talk about forced marriages and to shine light on the fact that the muslim religion was not the only religion that had forced marriages. One thing I found interesting about this was that the presentation was in english with a bit here and there in español. The wikileak went onto explain that the campaign was unsuccessful because many had never heard about it 15 months later.
The Cable can be found here.
October 23, 2011
Franco's Remains may possibly be Exhumed
I thought we’d go back to Franco for a second, so it seems that his remains may be exhumed and transferred to the El Pardo cemetery in central Madrid to be buried next to his wife. His remains are currently in the Valley of the Fallen, built by political prisoners. The decision over what to do will be delivered after November 20th, which is both the anniversary of Franco’s death and the date of the elections, so as not to influence anything. The reason this is even being discussed is because of the Law of Historic Memory created in 2007 by the Socialists which has led to the removal of symbols commemorate the regime and to a large movement to exhume the unmarked graves of Republican victims. Obviously the Franco family is unbelievably angry over this issue and depending on the decision, may enact legal action. The site still brings about different strong reactions in many members of the Spanish community. For example, some supporters still attend mass there whereas other have pleaded unsuccessfully to have their family’s remains removed since they were among those who died fighting against him.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/spain/8820621/Francos-remains-could-be-exhumed.html
More Relations between Equatorial Guinea and Spain
I ended up finding another wikileak on Equatorial Guinea and I thought it would be interesting to talk about because they mentioned the name Severo Moto in just one sentence in the first wikileak I wrote about and I didn’t know he was very important until reading this. This wikileak was created about 2 months before the wikileak about the elections was created. It talks about how Equatorial Guinea President Obiang has demanded that Spain extradite Severo Moto, who currently lives in Madrid, since he’s accused of creating an alleged coup against Obiang. Severo Moto is the presidential opposition for Obiang. So far Spain has not turned over Moto, especially considering he probably would not have a fair trial in Equatorial Guinea. There has also been rumors that a coup was never staged and this is Obiang’s attempt to get rid of Severo Moto and discredit the opposition. The document goes on to talk about the general unrest in Equatorial Guinea with many members of even Obiang’s inner circle dying in mysterious ways. Also the territorial dispute Equatorial Guinea has with Gabon, which affects oil concessions, has added more unrest.
Immigrants in Spain: Fewer Job Opportunities
MADRID 001134
Unemployment in Spain has almost reached 20 percent. Immigrants are having a hard time finding jobs and jobs that have a decent salary. Many of these immigrants are from Latin America or Africa and have seen unemployment rise in their home countries as well. Because of this, many aren't inclined to return home, saying that the situation there is often worse.
Around half of all immigrants who come to Spain are actively seeking work. However, less than 10 percent have a job before they arrive. For the first time in 13 years there are fewer immigrants living in Spain because of the high unemployment rate. Studies have been conducted to determine the impact of the economic crisis on the immigrant population. Over 60 percent of immigrants in Spain have been living here for over five years. Many had previously been able to work without official papers, however, now there is less "off the books" work available. They have now turned to the government for permits to work legally. The process for getting papers has become more difficult and it has been said that many immigrants who are applying for work permits are also seeking residency (as residents, they would be able to collect generous unemployment benefits).
http://wikileaks.ch/cable/2009/11/09MADRID1134.html
Unemployment in Spain has almost reached 20 percent. Immigrants are having a hard time finding jobs and jobs that have a decent salary. Many of these immigrants are from Latin America or Africa and have seen unemployment rise in their home countries as well. Because of this, many aren't inclined to return home, saying that the situation there is often worse.
Around half of all immigrants who come to Spain are actively seeking work. However, less than 10 percent have a job before they arrive. For the first time in 13 years there are fewer immigrants living in Spain because of the high unemployment rate. Studies have been conducted to determine the impact of the economic crisis on the immigrant population. Over 60 percent of immigrants in Spain have been living here for over five years. Many had previously been able to work without official papers, however, now there is less "off the books" work available. They have now turned to the government for permits to work legally. The process for getting papers has become more difficult and it has been said that many immigrants who are applying for work permits are also seeking residency (as residents, they would be able to collect generous unemployment benefits).
http://wikileaks.ch/cable/2009/11/09MADRID1134.html
Spanish bank manager arrested for trying to rob his own bank
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/spain/8820972/Spanish-bank-manager-arrested-for-trying-to-rob-his-own-bank.html
In northern Spain, a bank owner and his brother were both arrested for attempting to rob his own bank. What caused initial suspicion was the bank owner's brother parked outside the bank, putting on a disguise. He then proceeded to the Caja Vital bank in Vitoria (in the Basque country). A police officer came to the scene before any action took place and it was discovered that the van of the brother was registered to the bank manager's name. A plastic gun was found, however, the bank manager said he did not know. Later, under questioning, the bank manager admitted to being part of this attempted crime, claiming his family was "suffering economic difficulties."
In northern Spain, a bank owner and his brother were both arrested for attempting to rob his own bank. What caused initial suspicion was the bank owner's brother parked outside the bank, putting on a disguise. He then proceeded to the Caja Vital bank in Vitoria (in the Basque country). A police officer came to the scene before any action took place and it was discovered that the van of the brother was registered to the bank manager's name. A plastic gun was found, however, the bank manager said he did not know. Later, under questioning, the bank manager admitted to being part of this attempted crime, claiming his family was "suffering economic difficulties."
October 22, 2011
Spain's Reaction to Equatorial Guinea Elections
This was just released now but it was originally created in 2004. It details Spain’s response to the Equatorial Guinea Presidential Elections where President Obiang allowed the opposition Convergence for Social Democracy (CPDS) to pick up only a handful of seats in the April 25 legislative elections when Spain had expected them to win at least 25%. Officials say it is obvious the election was rigged and that Obiang does not want to share power with anyone and Spain does not have much influence over him. Although not completely explicitly stated in the document, this loss is a blow to Spain because not only have they put money into creating democratic programs in Equatorial Guinea, the CPDS has some ties to the Sociality Party which would then have possibly made it easier for joint exploration of Mange Island. This is an island owned by Equatorial Guinea that may possibly have oil.
October 19, 2011
"Occupy" Protests in Madrid
Occupy Wall Street is a very interesting movement that I’ve been trying to follow ever since it spread from New York City overseas to affect London, Frankfurt, Madrid, Rome, Sydney, and Hong Kong. On October 15, this past Saturday, tens of thousands of people participated in the protests at Puerta del Sol Square in Madrid. The article goes on to discuss details behind the protests in the other countries listed as well. Thousands of people have participated in these protests from around the world and it seems as if these “occupy” protests have no chance of slowing down any time soon. Yet what I find most interesting is the most obvious question that has been left unanswered: What do these protests demand? I understand they’re against greed and capitalism but I have yet to hear of an actual demand or governmental suggestion over what should be done over this issue.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/oct/16/occupy-protests-europe-london-assange
Foreign Policy Under Zapatero
This is a wikileak detailing the foreign policy under Zapatero, written 4 days after the Madrid train bombings. It has many different goals and most of them are concerning Zapatero’s slow but important separation between Spain and the United States. For example, some of Spain’s foreign policy goals were to grow more within the European Union and strengthen those ties by helping with the new European constitution. He also wants to deal with Latin American and the United States as separately as he can. The most notable separation between the United States and Spain would be when Zapatero takes the troops out of Iraq. Zapatero promised he would do this by June 30th but has been a bit vague saying that he would do this if there were some UN control in Iraq during this period of time. The government will definitely face some public pressure if the troops are not taken out after June 30th since many people have blamed this terrorist attack upon this war and Spanish’s involvement in what is considered American politics. Another interesting point this article brings up is although Zapatero owes his victory to public outrage over the terrorist attacks, insiders had stated that before the attacks Zapatero’s presidency was set up to be very U.S friendly. So for the short term there may be a separation but long term goals may be different.
Fidalgo Concerned About Zapatero
The Secretary General of Spain's largest trade union confederation, CCOO, Jose Maria Fidalgo, expressed his concerns about Zapatero's ability to be a strong leader. Zapatero had promised a lot of thing but Fidalgo does not believe in Zapatero's seriousness. He does not believe that things will change in españa. Fidalgo is worried that Zapatero will not be able to move from words in to action. This wikileak is interesting to me because I wonder what Fidalgo currently thinks of Zapateros term in office. And I wonder what he believes to be true about the crisis and if someone new coming into power will change the current crisis state.
The wikileak can be found here.
Spain's Banking Mess
Just as the attention started to turn to the crisis in Greece, Spain's main banks explained that their debt is increasing rapidly and that things are not looking good for the economy of Spain. They also stated that the cause of the debt is not totally due to loans in other countries, it is due to the decrease of land prices, decrease of home prices, and inflation. For awhile the banks believed that the decreased numbers were just the normal cycle of the economy and that they would rise soon, but now they are implying that they will get worse before they get better. The main source of the banks debt can be found in loans in real estate and construction loans. It is interesting that Zapatero called early elections because I wonder if a new party in power can really clean up the economy and pull Spain out of the crisis.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/23/business/spains-banking-mess.html?pagewanted=1&ref=spain
London's Effort To Control The IRA
My wikileak corresponds with the article that I found about Northern Ireland. The Wikileak talks about London's efforts to control the IRA (Irish Republican Army). This wikileak is dated from 1988. The IRA had increased its amounts of attacks on the British and on British military grounds. IRA spokesmen said that the attacks are meant to scare and discourage The British's desire to remain In Ireland. The attacks consist of bombings and deaths. The UK had planned to increase their security and had strongly persuaded Ireland to work with them to stop the violence from the IRA.
The cable can be found here.
Diastance of IU and Psoe
This is a cable before the elections of 2004. It expalins how some feel that the communist party is taking seats away from the psoe. The people of the IU or comunist party think that the socialist party is far to central and not socialist at all. The parties have not combined forces really since the civil war. Some fel that IU is just a protest vote. Although they still have some represantation in congress many people feel its a dying party. Link
Moody's response has Spain on edge
Moody's has cut Spains soveriegn credit rating moving it from Aa2 to A1. Moody's is the last of the worlds four largest credit investors to act in Spain. The lowered credit nmber means foreign confidence in Spain's rapid economic recovery policies. The lowered rating has put a negative outlook on Spain's recovery and may put an e to its ambitious recovery plans. Spanish growth shows little promise as well, Spain's economy has only grown by 1.3% this year ad nxt years projected growth is much more bleak. Spain's inability to pay is debt along with the amont of debt it is creating also mixed with the small growth percentages mean that Spain's economy is in trouble. While concern is rising a AA rating is not something to lose sleep over it only means that Spain will have to work twice as hard to secure foreign investment. The rpoblem in the spending seems tob the lack of control of spending within Spain's autonomous communities. This causes great concern for investors.Spain's intial response was a boost in state lottery and a tax plan for airports. The plan was cancelled hoever after a ajor protest by the opposition party. Hope lies in spain's PP party who have told foreign bankers that they plan to pass a constitutional movement toreform spanish spending and are working with the current government to get a the beginnings of the bill underway.
http://edition.cnn.com/2011/10/18/business/spain-moodys-rating/index.html?hpt=ieu_c2
http://edition.cnn.com/2011/10/18/business/spain-moodys-rating/index.html?hpt=ieu_c2
More Corruption with the Partido Popular
Simon Alcaraz, the Partido Popular Mayor of Aledo for the past 20 years, was arrested in a new planning corruption investigation. He was arrested with 8 other people including his secretary, Rosario Hita, and five other suspects in Murcia and another in Alicante. So far the crimes under investigation are bribery, perversion of the course of justice, and illegal negotiations.
I’ve been trying to find more information on what the corruption scandal is about but I can’t find anything, possible because this happened only on Tuesday.
http://www.typicallyspanish.com/news/publish/article_32377.shtml#ixzz1bFRU2ZRE
Northern Ireland vs. The UK
When I was in Ireland, I was told about the Province of Ulster, Northern Ireland. I read an article about it to understand the problems within Northern Ireland further. The Province of Ulster is a Province of U.K. and consist of three fourths protestants and one fourth catholic. The one fourth Catholic wants independence from the british and wants to become part of the Republic of Ireland. This desire has caused violence and a huge separation between the Catholics and protestants. Sinn Fein, which in Gaelic means we ourselves, is the political group of Catholics. They have been seen as a terrorist group because they have used violence in hopes of getting their independence. In 2005 The Sinn Fein announced that they would stop the violence but many believe that the violence will continue in time. This is very interesting to me because it seems to be similar to ETA. Both groups are fighting for their independence.
I found the article in a magazine called Mental Floss. The article can be found here.
Spain's Underground Economy
04MADRID2418
A 2004 study conducted by Friedrich Schneider shows that approximately 23% of the total GDP of Spain comes from the so called "underground" or under the table economy. Most of the activity is mostly concentrated in the sectors of work that involve little education, such as service, agriculture and construction. According to the study, high labor costs and the large population of illegal immigrants from North Africa and Latin American have contributed to the rise of these economies. In addition, these economies are also losing potential tax revenue for the country and skewing unemployment statistics.
A 2004 study conducted by Friedrich Schneider shows that approximately 23% of the total GDP of Spain comes from the so called "underground" or under the table economy. Most of the activity is mostly concentrated in the sectors of work that involve little education, such as service, agriculture and construction. According to the study, high labor costs and the large population of illegal immigrants from North Africa and Latin American have contributed to the rise of these economies. In addition, these economies are also losing potential tax revenue for the country and skewing unemployment statistics.
Spain's stolen babies
An article from BBC about the suspected trafficking of babies during the years of Franco's rule. In the last few years stories have been brought to the attention of the media about babies being stolen from families and sold on the black market. Many times children born to "less desirable" families were taken (many times telling the parents the child had died shortly after birth) and placed with adoptive parents. While there have been about 900 cases brought to public attention, some estimate there were over 300,000 children affected.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-15335899
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-15335899
Shi'a Terrorists Pardoned
MADRID 08158
The GOS officially pardoned two Lebanese Shi'ia Terrorists who were orginially convicted and sentenced to 23 years in prison. In 1984, they attempted to assassin a Libyan diplomat in Madrid. Mohammad Rahal and Mustafa Ali Jalil, the terrorists, have been expelled from Spain. In order to be "eligible" for exile of Spain, Rahal and Jalil had to be pardoned. Recently, relatives of the Shi'ia terrorists held the Spanish policeman and embassy employers for several weeks while conducting negotiations for their release.
http://wikileaks.ch/cable/1986/07/86MADRID8158.html
The GOS officially pardoned two Lebanese Shi'ia Terrorists who were orginially convicted and sentenced to 23 years in prison. In 1984, they attempted to assassin a Libyan diplomat in Madrid. Mohammad Rahal and Mustafa Ali Jalil, the terrorists, have been expelled from Spain. In order to be "eligible" for exile of Spain, Rahal and Jalil had to be pardoned. Recently, relatives of the Shi'ia terrorists held the Spanish policeman and embassy employers for several weeks while conducting negotiations for their release.
http://wikileaks.ch/cable/1986/07/86MADRID8158.html
Spain & Portugal - European Debt Crisis
It is said that the debt crisis for Spain and Portugal will be the worst next year. The market has died and banks aren't lending, which is causing major issues in Spain. Because of the high rate of unemployment, many are being hired on temporary contracts (which bring no social security or holidays.)
Many people predict that a large number of Spaniards will temporarily leave Spain in order to find jobs else where. Currently, the unemployment rate for under 25 year olds is 45%.
A major sign that Spain's in trouble is the increase in people needing assistance from Lisbon's Banco Alimentar (the largest food bank in Europe). The number of people asking for food has risen sharply over the past two years. The people who are asking for food are not the ones you'd expect - couples with good jobs and have had a high standard of living.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/blog/2011/oct/14/spain-portugal-worst-next-year
Many people predict that a large number of Spaniards will temporarily leave Spain in order to find jobs else where. Currently, the unemployment rate for under 25 year olds is 45%.
A major sign that Spain's in trouble is the increase in people needing assistance from Lisbon's Banco Alimentar (the largest food bank in Europe). The number of people asking for food has risen sharply over the past two years. The people who are asking for food are not the ones you'd expect - couples with good jobs and have had a high standard of living.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/blog/2011/oct/14/spain-portugal-worst-next-year
Chew in American Baseball
Four United State senators are trying to outlaw athletes to not chew and use smokeless tobacco for the upcoming world series. They claim that children watch and are likely to repeat their favorite athletes. This is a tradition in baseball for well over a hundred years and now is trying to get banned before the largest event in the sport. It seems ridiculous for me that the world is in a crisis and congress is worrying about baseball players rituals in sports. Find article here.
October 17, 2011
Spain a destination for Human Trafficking
The cable I selected is about Human trafficking in Spain. For the past few years Spain has been a major destination for human trafficking. Many of the victims come from Russia , Ukraine ad Romania. Much of the information deiscovered was uncoevered by the civil guard along twith the help of project hope.The Spanish police report that the women most atrisk for human trfficking are thos who are younger less educated and have fewer economic means of the 1527 vicitms recovered 70% were betwen the ages 0f 18 and 22. The human traficking is almost intirely female with there only being one case of a minor being abused. Reporst issued say that some african groups may be using Spain as a transit base for Germany and France. The only shocking statistic is that the number of Brazilians forced into the trade has doubled since the prior year. Most of the victims are forced to stay because of physical abuse or forced drug injections. The Spanish have not accepted bribes from the organizers of the human trafficking. While prositution has been decriminalized in Spain it is illegal for a pimp or a brothel to profit from the service provided by the prositute.
1.http://wikileaks.ch/cable/2004/03/04MADRID720.html
1.http://wikileaks.ch/cable/2004/03/04MADRID720.html
Spanish police arrest Chinese Mafia MEmeber
On October fifth Barcelonapolice arrested 39 suspected members of the Chinese mafia and freed over 30 woman who had ben forced into proatitution. In is said to be the largest strik against the Mafioso in Catalan history. The chinese mafiosos have long plagued the catalan city of Barcelona with rings in prostituion and drugs . The chinese mafiosos have taken over the prostitution market being the first group to incorporate forced prostitution and charging below market prices. The woman were forced to service as many as 8 clients a night for hour long sessions. Thirty three of the orignal thirty nine have been sentecned to remain in prison but six of the mafiosos were realeased but are currently under investigation. The chinese mafia is also involved in the human trafficking buisness as well as the sweat shop industry. Last year the Catalan police freed over 100 forced labors and seized more than 1000 forged legal documents such as passports and visas. The most recent raid before this was on a ring that tricked brazilian men into coming to Spain and then forcing them into prostitution.
ETA called to en violence
A group of international leaders, including Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams and former United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan, meet yesterday to call fr a end to ETA's use of violence. The team wrote a statement read by the irish prime minister called for peaceful talks with the French and Spanish governments. Both governmentsare urged to welcome the idea of a apeacful resolution. The statement was made in San Sebastian a key basque city. Eta listed so far as a terrrist organization responsible over 800 deaths including the death fo a major spanish figure head. Last January a ceasefire was called and hopefully signaled the end of the violence. The European Union calls for reparations and reconciliation forcing Spain to officially recognize the thousands murder in the civil war. This is still an open wound for Spain and the talks this monday may achieve very little in the Bosque situation and many are skeptical if they will even help at all.
1.http://edition.cnn.com/2011/10/17/world/europe/spain-eta/index.html?hpt=hp_t2
Tthe decline of Spain's United Left
04MADRID850
This cable from 2004, provides an analysis of the decline of the United Left in Spain, while the party has held on to some influence in Spanish politics its standing has declined greatly in the last 2 decades. The United Left is an electoral coalition and represents the very liberal side of Spanish politics, in a grouping of progressives and communist leaning parties. While they share some of the same beliefs with the Socialists (PSOE), they find their stance much too moderate and there have been no efforts to combine parties in order to gain more popular support.
This cable from 2004, provides an analysis of the decline of the United Left in Spain, while the party has held on to some influence in Spanish politics its standing has declined greatly in the last 2 decades. The United Left is an electoral coalition and represents the very liberal side of Spanish politics, in a grouping of progressives and communist leaning parties. While they share some of the same beliefs with the Socialists (PSOE), they find their stance much too moderate and there have been no efforts to combine parties in order to gain more popular support.
ETA expected to issue ceasefire statement
This week the Basque separatist group ETA are expected to relase a statement to end the use of violence in their quest for independence. This will come after a calling of a cofernace for negatioations in San Sebastian and calls from former ETA memebers for an end to violence. These agreement would hopefully be a definitive end after the permanent ceasefire ETA issued in Sepember 2010.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/oct/16/eta-end-violence-basque-spain?newsfeed=true
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/oct/16/eta-end-violence-basque-spain?newsfeed=true
October 16, 2011
Response to 2004 Madrid terrorist attacks
MADRID 001180
This cable summarizes the terrorist attacks that occurred in Madrid on March 11, 2004. This event killed 191 people and injured 1,500 in a series of attacks on commuter rails. The article discusses the steps they took in order to deal with this crisis. Initially, the Consular Section's major goals were to obtain information, communicate that information and provide assistance. However, these goals were soon reevaluated and changed to provide assistance, verify information and communicate broader information. After the cable goes into detail about the specifics of thee goals, it then briefly takes about visa issues. Spanish officials began to arrest and pursue suspects, working alongside other agencies in the embassy. They were shocked to see that many of these individuals were not the principal suspects.
I did my cable on Madrid because although I did not visit there over break, I traveled around different areas of Spain and those specific cities did not have many cables to choose from.
This cable summarizes the terrorist attacks that occurred in Madrid on March 11, 2004. This event killed 191 people and injured 1,500 in a series of attacks on commuter rails. The article discusses the steps they took in order to deal with this crisis. Initially, the Consular Section's major goals were to obtain information, communicate that information and provide assistance. However, these goals were soon reevaluated and changed to provide assistance, verify information and communicate broader information. After the cable goes into detail about the specifics of thee goals, it then briefly takes about visa issues. Spanish officials began to arrest and pursue suspects, working alongside other agencies in the embassy. They were shocked to see that many of these individuals were not the principal suspects.
I did my cable on Madrid because although I did not visit there over break, I traveled around different areas of Spain and those specific cities did not have many cables to choose from.
Barcelona
I just read a very brief article about pick-pocketers in Barcelona. This got my attention because I experienced something similar while I was traveling in Barcelona. The article stated that according to a U.S. website, TripAdvisors, travelers are more likely to be pick-pocketed in Barcelona than any other city in the world. It said that Las Ramblas is the most common spot for this to happen. Las Ramblas is a long street, that attracts many tourists and is always extremely busy. I walked down it many times during my stay in Barcelona, and noticed how most people (who were carrying a bag) were clutching onto it.
My experience in Barcelona, however, was not on Las Ramblas but while riding the metro. I had accidentally gotten split up from my group of friends and while exiting the metro a man ran up and tried to steal my bag. Luckily, after seeing everyone clutching their bags while walking around the city, I was holding onto mine tight so he didn't get it and I ran away. Although I was fine and still had my bag, this incident was definitely an eye-opener for me.
http://www.wantedworldwide.net/news/6322/pickpockets_in_barcelona.html
My experience in Barcelona, however, was not on Las Ramblas but while riding the metro. I had accidentally gotten split up from my group of friends and while exiting the metro a man ran up and tried to steal my bag. Luckily, after seeing everyone clutching their bags while walking around the city, I was holding onto mine tight so he didn't get it and I ran away. Although I was fine and still had my bag, this incident was definitely an eye-opener for me.
http://www.wantedworldwide.net/news/6322/pickpockets_in_barcelona.html
October 05, 2011
Withdrawl of 1300 Spanish troops
After the surprising victory in 2004 Zapatero felt high pressure to withdraw the troops that the previous government put in Iraq. It was one of the main topics in in the 2004 election and one of the rreason many voted for him. At the time he was a little worried to pull the troops becuse he almost felt like it was giving in to terrorism. This article sums up what Zapatero was thing about this at the time.
Possible ETA attacks on 2004 Elections
I picked this wiki leak because I find the topic of the ETA very interesting. This wikileak was written on February 27 2004. A couple weeks before the bombings on madrid. In the leak it states that spain is concerned that the ETA is planning a attack on the day elections. They believe that The ETA wants to prove that they are still functioning after the arrest of 126 members in 2003. The police say that the ETA is weakening but they are still a large threat. Police are in constant communication with the French police about ETA. What I find interesting from this wikileak is that a couple weeks later, the subway of madrid was bombed. And this article shows that everyone would assume that it was ETA.
The link can be find here.
Corruption Allegations against Jose Blanco
I thought this would be interesting to talk about considering we just talked in class about the corruption in the government in the 90s. The article details Jorge Dorribo’s, the owner of the pharmaceutical company Nupel, allegations against Jose Blanco, the Minister for Development, and other political officials. Dorribo as accused Jose Blanco of collecting a 400,000 euro bribe in exchange for creating a grant of more than 467,000 euros from regional funds so Nupel could get more licenses from the Ministry for Health. Although Blanco has publicly denounced the accusations, Fernando Blanco and Pablo Cobian (both part of the PP) have resigned.
http://www.typicallyspanish.com/news/publish/article_32194.shtml
Spanish Police Need to Question Guantanamo Detainees
This short wikileak, written on 2/2/2004, is about how the Spanish National Police tried to gain access to interview to Guantanamo detainees in order to learn more about their training, recruiting, and deployment into Afghanistan. These men’s testimonies could be used in a case against Eddin Barakat Yarkas (Abu Dahdah), a Syrian born Spaniard who was detained for his involvement in the September 11 attacks. Judge Baltasar Garzon is leading the investigation against Yarkas and needs the detainees’ testimonies by April 2004.
Sidenote: When looking up more information about Yarkas, he was sent to jail in Spain for 27 years in Spain for being a member of Al-Qaeda and being involved in the September 11 attacks. His sentence was later reduced to 12 years since his involvement can’t be completely confirmed. He is also a major suspect in the Madrid bombings, having helped orchestrate the entire things during prison visits between him and Walid al-Masri
Key Issues of 2004 elections
04MADRID764
This cable from the US embassy in Madrid summarizes the key issues that were thought to impact the 2004 elections. It is from March 5, 2004, 6 days before the terrorist attacks in Madrid, which significantly altered the election results. The war against ETA, the issues of Basque and Catalan succession and the economy were all predicted to be important issues. In addition, it discusses the predictions for the results of the elections, citing a poll which puts the Popular Party almost 6 points ahead of the Socialists. It also predicts the strong record of the PP would put them on top. I thought this was interesting, not only to see the impact the March 11 bombing had on the election, but also to contrast these key issues with the key issues in the upcoming elections.
http://wikileaks.org/cable/2004/03/04MADRID764.html
This cable from the US embassy in Madrid summarizes the key issues that were thought to impact the 2004 elections. It is from March 5, 2004, 6 days before the terrorist attacks in Madrid, which significantly altered the election results. The war against ETA, the issues of Basque and Catalan succession and the economy were all predicted to be important issues. In addition, it discusses the predictions for the results of the elections, citing a poll which puts the Popular Party almost 6 points ahead of the Socialists. It also predicts the strong record of the PP would put them on top. I thought this was interesting, not only to see the impact the March 11 bombing had on the election, but also to contrast these key issues with the key issues in the upcoming elections.
http://wikileaks.org/cable/2004/03/04MADRID764.html
Unemployment rate in Spain grows
As the data for September was recently released, it shows an even greater increase in the unemployment rate in Spain, already Europe's worst with 21% of people out of work and 46% of those under 25 unemployed. These numbers come after many cuts to public services and jobs in the public sector: teachers, healthcare and social services workers. Many local governments are making cuts in order to close budget gaps. According to the article “Eight out of 10 Spaniards see unemployment as the country's biggest problem but only 17% believe see economy improving over the coming year”
October 03, 2011
A peaceful Protest in Barcelona
98,000 people joined together in the streets of barcelona for a peaceful protest. There was a lot of fear the the protest would break out into violence like it had prior to sunday, but the people were intent on a peaceful display of a protest. Those that organized the protest took all measures possible to avoid any violence. The protest was meant to show the peoples anger towards Spain's political system and the affect that it is having on all of the people in spain. Men, woman, and Families took part in the protest. It took two hours for the march to be complete. The overall goal of the protest was to bring together as many different types of people as possible from as many different classes and parties to stand together against the worsening economic status and the Socialist Government of Spain.
The link can be found here.
Knox is Free!
Amanda Knox a United States native was studying abroad in the beautiful town of Perugia Italy. She was accused for murder of fellow British flatmate Kercher who was also studying abroad. This story has gained heavy doses of national media attention. Originally Knox was sentanced to 26 years in prison. Today after serving 4 years has been aquitted of murder and sexual assault charges. The courtroom was torn the parents of kercher were heart broken while the Knox family was estatic. After years of hardship and slander from the British media knox is a free woman. I have been very intriuged by this story for years and believe that this is a rightful outcome.
http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2011/10/03/amanda-knox-murder-appeal/?hpt=hp_t1
http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2011/10/03/amanda-knox-murder-appeal/?hpt=hp_t1
Elections in the East
The leak I chose for this week was leak out of the office of the office of the DGA from the head Esther Monteburrio. The DGA acts like an embassy but handles more sensitive issues such as imports exports and customs. The leak explained a continued interest in the elections in the Ukranian presidency. The spanish government was pleased to learn that the Ukranian president at the time Kuchma was not running for a third term. The interest is due to the possible inclusion of Ukrane into the European Union. The concern for the elections comes from the Tape Scandal of 2000. Kuchma elegidly made an opposition journalist disappear along with this Kuchma is also accused of beating members of rival political parties.After his resignation the spanish concern was whether his opponents would pick up similar tactics in the upcoming elections. To date Ukraine has been turned down membership due to the state of its economy but after the orange revolution their status might change.
1.http://wikileaks.ch/cable/2004/02/04MADRID495.html
1.http://wikileaks.ch/cable/2004/02/04MADRID495.html
Trafficking in Spain
MADRID 000720
This article was of interest to me because I have seen movies about human trafficking as well as studied some cases in school. Prior to studying abroad, we were shown parts of the movie Taken at my home university. I've seen the full movie and this contributed to my attention of this particular article.
The cable provided an overview of Spain's trafficking history and some of the reasons why women are at risk (low education and few economic resources being the main one). It also discussed the main areas of trafficking, Eastern Europe (Romania, Russia, Bulgaria, Ukraine), Latin America (Brazil, Columbia, Ecuador), and sub-Saharan Africa.
The reasons why victims are trafficked into Spain is for both sexual exploitation and labor exploitation. However, it was said that Spain is "generally not a country of origin for trafficking."
Combating trafficking is an issue because most victims are unwilling to press charges, due to a lack of witness protection program and availability of visas.
There are measures being taken to prevent trafficking in Spain, such as funding NGO groups that provide assistance to the trafficked victims.
http://wikileaks.ch/cable/2004/03/04MADRID720.html
This article was of interest to me because I have seen movies about human trafficking as well as studied some cases in school. Prior to studying abroad, we were shown parts of the movie Taken at my home university. I've seen the full movie and this contributed to my attention of this particular article.
The cable provided an overview of Spain's trafficking history and some of the reasons why women are at risk (low education and few economic resources being the main one). It also discussed the main areas of trafficking, Eastern Europe (Romania, Russia, Bulgaria, Ukraine), Latin America (Brazil, Columbia, Ecuador), and sub-Saharan Africa.
The reasons why victims are trafficked into Spain is for both sexual exploitation and labor exploitation. However, it was said that Spain is "generally not a country of origin for trafficking."
Combating trafficking is an issue because most victims are unwilling to press charges, due to a lack of witness protection program and availability of visas.
There are measures being taken to prevent trafficking in Spain, such as funding NGO groups that provide assistance to the trafficked victims.
http://wikileaks.ch/cable/2004/03/04MADRID720.html
Spanish judge frees terrorists
Thi Saturday a spanish judge by the name of Fernando Marlasak freed five suspected terrorist captured dyuiring a raid in the Navara province. The raid had been carried out by over 150 civil guard members and include the search and seizure of the suspects homes and financial records. The evidence turned up failed to directly link the African terrorist with the financial aid and logistics data given to the terrorist cells in algeria. These arrests are part of a wave of 400 arrests since the 2004 Spain bombing. The suspects were released but are now required to visit their local police station twicea week and are not permitted to leave Spain for any reason. The arrest wave has reported over 200 convictions most of which were for men of North Afircan or Middle Eastern decent.
1.edition.cnn.com/2011/10/01
1.edition.cnn.com/2011/10/01
October 02, 2011
Shooting in Alicante
Yesterday there was a shooting on Alfonso Sabio in Alicante. My madre tried to explain it to me, but (because my Spanish isn't too great) it was hard to understand what exactly had happened. I tried to search for an article and haven't found one yet so if anyone does, please post on here.
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