Spain

Latest news on spain

Robinho: "Why I Chose City not Chelsea."

This morningÂ’s edition of Marca in Spain reports that Robinho spoke out yesterday on why he didnÂ’t or couldnÂ’t sign for Chelsea. The Player also defended his decision over deciding to put pen to paper for Mark HughesÂ’s new Man City revolution and hit back over strong criticism from national legend Pele who claimed the player needs counselling.

Sweet secret to stopping mold

When it comes to keeping your favorite loaf of bread from turning green, scientists in Spain appear to have found the best thing since, well, sliced bread ? a wax-paper wrapper infused with cinnamon oil. It falls under the heading of ?active packaging,? an approach to stalling spoilage that tries to avoid preservatives in the bread [...]

Migrants die on Canaries journey

The bodies of 13 African migrants are found in a boat trying to reach Spain's Canary Islands.

One-way ticket

Spain's radical plan for out of work migrants

Djokovic battles to five-set win

Third seed Novak Djokovic overcomes an upset stomach to edge past Spain's Tommy Robredo and reach the US Open quarter-finals.

Spain probes Franco-era missing

Spain investigates the fate of thousands of people who disappeared during the rule of Gen Francisco Franco.

Sebastien Buemi to test for '09 race seat

Current Red Bull Racing test and reserve driver Sebastien Buemi, who currently competes in the feeder series to Formula One, GP2, where he has won 2 races this season, will have his abilities tested for a 2009 race seat in the upcoming test in Jerez, Spain, later this month.

Partition in Scotland

From the GuardianI would not lose any sleep if the Scots voted to repeal the 1707 act. Independence need not end the United Kingdom: Scotland and England shared a monarch before 1707, as Britain and Canada do today. Separation need be no more radical than the partial autonomy of a dozen European countries from their neighbours. Borders were not sealed or passports cancelled under the Government of Ireland Act 1920. If eastern Europe can handle partition, so can Britain.The phased withdrawal of the subvention would be traumatic, but it would do Scotland nothing but good to learn that public money does not grow on English trees. If economic history teaches anything, it is that huge inflows of aid rot an economy, while "unearned" wealth, as from oil, is usually wasted. The phased end of the subsidy would be thoroughly good for Scotland, not bad.Partition is the new politics, despite being the hobgoblin of centralism. It is through partition that Ireland is booming, Slovakia reviving and the Baltic states prospering. The British government is in favour of it for everyone else, even forcing it on the former Yugoslavia and Iraq/Kurdistan. This year it welcomed Montenegro to Europe's community. By what hypocrisy do Westminster grandees ridicule Scotland's ambition?Big federal states were fine when governments were small and unobtrusive. Today's governments are elephantine and unresponsive to local sentiment. That is why Spain, France and Italy have all opted for constitutional devolution in the past two decades, fending off separatist pressure. Anti-federalism is why European public opinion revolted against Brussels last year, and why there is no more talk of a Scandinavian union. As for size being crucial to viability, this is corporatist rubbish. If Denmark is viable, why not Scotland?All such considerations must anyway bow before self-determination. If the Scots want to repeal the 1707 act (as some Britons want to repeal the European Union's treaties), the British cannot deny it. The story of the past quarter-century is that states enjoy no legitimacy without the consent of their territorial minorities. Britain went to war for this principle in Kosovo.

Engine Fire Emerges As Possible Cause of Spanair Crash

Air safety experts say preliminary reports suggest the left-side engine on Spanair Flight 5022 caught fire or exploded as the airliner approached maximum take-off speed, causing the plane to skid off the runway in a crash that killed 153 people. Witnesses say the Pratt & Whitney engine caught fire as the plane made its second attempt to take off from Barajas airport, causing the MD 82 to veer off course. The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board, which is joining the investigation, said the plane "broke apart" on impact after skidding off the runway in a plume of thick smoke. Arthur Alan Wolk, a lawyer who specializes in aviation safety, told us he suspects engine failure caused the crash and the plane's speed contributed to the death toll.  "Often times passengers end up walking off the plane after an engine failure," Wolk says.According to a report from Sky News, witnesses saw the plane's left engine catch fire just as the aircraft reached maximum runway speed and started to lift. The plane apparently broke in two on impact. "It's 150 feet long," Wolk says of the MD-82. "And when it hit the runway, it came down hard." The plane, bound for the Canary Islands, carried 162 passengers, six crew members and four other airline employees. The airline hasn't released the death toll, but Spain's Development Minister, Magdalena Alvarez, said 19 people survived the mid-afternoon crash. The Spanair plane was 15 years old, according to Bloomberg. The Associated Press reports that the pilot reported a problem with a gauge that measures the air temperature outside the plane, but it was repaired -- delaying the flight -- and the plane later took off. Alvarez said the cause of the accident "seemed to be an error during take-off," but Spanish media quoted unnamed sources saying the engine caught fire. The aircraft was fitted with a Pratt & Whitney JT8D-217c engines, and Wolk says it isn't the first time that model's had problems. A Delta Airlines MD-88 had an engine fail during takeoff in Pensacola in 1996, killing to passengers when pieces of the engine penetrated the cabin. McConnell Douglas built more than 1,100 MD-80s between 1979 and 1999. Generally considered a safe and reliable workhorse, the planes have been plagued by a recent spate of problems including issues with the plane's wiring and horizontal stabilizer, and more than 400 people have died in MD-80 crashes during the past five years. Questions about the MD-80's hydraulic system wiring prompted the Federal Aviation Administration to ground hundreds of the planes earlier this year for mandatory inspections.  The plane that crashed Wednesday in Madrid was owned by Spanair, a financially troubled subsidiary of Scandinavian Air System. Aviation Week reported earlier this month that Spanair plans to reduce capacity and cut over 1,000 employees, a move that had the airline's pilots considering a strike. Standard & Poors said Spanair, which SAS had been trying to sell, probably now has "no future," according to Bloomberg. Post updated 4:10 p.m. PDT. Associated Press photo. Video of an AP newscast of the crash:

Flat in Barcelona to sublet from October thru January (Barcelona Spain) $900 2bd

Beautiful, Central flat in the Borne neighborhood of Barcelona available from Sept 23rd thru Jan 31 2009. 2 bedroom, 1 large bathroom, living room and dining room. Lots of light, overlooking a quiet square. Near all sights. Close to metro, park, shops.