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	Top Stories Spain awards solar subsidies for 500 megawatts in 2009 Spain says has power to spare, can phase out nuclear power stations Spain gives Ethiopia $7 million for child nutrition

	Top Stories Spain: Demand growing for Maharishi Vedic Organic Agriculture Natural health care expanding in Spain: Maharishi Ayur-Veda spas, courses, products Spain: Website aids in expansion of Maharishi Vedic Organic Agriculture

	Top Stories Spain eyes 200 more troops in Afghanistan - Prime Minister Basque separatists claim four deadly attacks in Spain Three small bombs explode in Mallorca, Spain
Positive Trends Short Summaries of Top Stories Spain awards solar subsidies for 500 megawatts in 2009 8 December 2009 - Spain has awarded subsidies to planned solar power plants with a total generating capacity of 502 megawatts, enough to supply 125,000 homes, a government statement in the world's second-largest producer said on Monday. Spain was the world's hottest solar PV power market last year when plants were built in a rush to take advantage of a generous but costly subsidy scheme which ended in September 2008. (more) Spain says has power to spare, can phase out nuclear power stations 29 September 2009 - Spain's top energy official said on Monday the country had enough spare generating capacity to phase out nuclear power stations in the medium term, in line with government policy. In recent years, Spain has subsidized renewable energy. It is now the world's third-biggest producer of wind power and the second-biggest of solar. Nuclear power is unpopular in Spain. (more) Spain gives Ethiopia $7 million for child nutrition 9 August 2009 - Spain will give Ethiopia $7 million in grants to fund child nutrition and food security projects for three years across the huge Horn of Africa country, the state-run Ethiopian News Agency (ENA) said on Saturday. ENA said the UN children's agency UNICEF and UN World Food Programme would run the projects in 16 districts in coordination with Ethiopia's Health Ministry. (more) Huge telescope opens in Spain's Canary Islands 24 July 2009 - One of the world's most powerful telescopes opened its shutters for the first time Friday to begin exploring faint light from distant parts of the universe. The Gran Telescopio Canarias, a euro130 million ($185 million) telescope featuring a 34-foot (10.4-meter) reflecting mirror, sits atop an extinct volcano. Its location above cloud cover takes advantage of the pristine skies in the Atlantic Ocean. The telescope capture the birth of stars, study characteristics of black holes, and decipher some of the chemical components of the Big Bang. (more) Spain sends first top minister to Gibraltar in 300 years 22 July 2009 - A Spanish cabinet minister visited Gibraltar for the first time in more than 300 years on Tuesday, where he agreed measures to improve relations while maintaining Spain's claim on the British territory. The meeting was the third round of talks which are designed to focus on practical cooperation rather than the contentious issue of sovereignty, and which have already led to lighter border controls and direct flights between Spain and Gibraltar. (more) Spanish renewable energy firm to invest 900 million euros in thermosolar plants 22 June 2009 - Spanish renewable energy firm Elecnor said on Monday it would invest 935 million euros ($1.30 billion) to build three thermosolar plants in southern Spain capable of supply 90,000 homes. Spain is the world's second-largest solar power producer in due to a recent boom in photovoltaic (PV) plants resulting from generous subsidies. (more) Wind farm contract won by Iberdrola Renovables - Spain 10 June 2009 - Spanish wind power generator Iberdrola Renovables has won a contract to build 298 megawatts of wind farms in Valencia, southeast Spain, a spokeswoman from the company said on Wednesday. The Iberdrola unit won more than three-quarters of a 340 MW wind farm tender offered by Valencia's regional government through its 60 percent-owned Sistemas Energeticas de Levante joint venture with savings bank Bancaja, the spokeswoman said. (more) Engineering company in Spain launches world's biggest solar power tower 28 April 2009 - Spanish engineering company Abengoa has begun operating a 20 megawatt solar power plant that is the world's biggest, using a tower to turn the sun's rays into electricity and can supply 10,000 homes, it said on Monday. The PS20 plant in the southern province of Seville uses 1,255 mirrors to focus solar radiation at the top of a tower 165 metres high, in order to boil water to drive a turbine and generate electricity. (more) Spain seeks to decipher Alhambra's inscriptions 11 April 2009 - From its every nook and cranny, the Alhambra quietly speaks. Walls, columns, fountains and other pieces of Europe's crown jewel of Muslim architecture boast ornate Arabic inscriptions that even native speakers might struggle to decipher. This month, Spanish researchers unveiled the first fruit of a gargantuan project to translate and catalog every last carving -- an estimated 10,000 -- from individual words to poems to verses from the Quran. The goal is to render a seemingly impenetrable slice of medieval history readily accessible with the click of a mouse. (more) Japanese and Spanish companies collaborate on renewable energy 4 March 2009 - Mitsubishi Corp has bought a 34 per cent stake in the solar power unit of Spanish contractor Acciona, the companies said on Wednesday. The Acciona unit, Amper Central Solar, operates the world's largest photovoltaic power plant, Amareleja, with a capacity of 45.8 megawatts, about 200 kilometres southeast of Lisbon. In a joint statement, the companies said the deal was the first step in collaborative projects in renewable energy. (more)
Success of Maharishi's Programmes Short Summaries of Top Stories Spain: Demand growing for Maharishi Vedic Organic Agriculture 16 December 2009 - Demand for products grown according to Maharishi Vedic Organic Agriculture is increasing in Spain and has already led to an increase in production. A new Spanish-language website on the topic has drawn over 1,000 visitors and many requests for information and products. (more) Natural health care expanding in Spain: Maharishi Ayur-Veda spas, courses, products 14 December 2009 - Prevention-oriented natural health programmes are expanding significantly in Spain, provided by Maharishi Ayur-Veda, the world's oldest and most comprehensive system of natural medicine. Hundreds of spas plan to offer Maharishi Ayur-Veda spa treatments; Maharishi Ayur-Veda products will soon be widely available; and short courses on health topics including diet have been translated and will be offered in the near future. (more) Spain: Website aids in expansion of Maharishi Vedic Organic Agriculture 29 September 2009 - The Maharishi Vedic Organic Agriculture project in southern Spain is expanding rapidly, with greater demand for products within the nation than ever before, due in part to increased availability of products over the Internet. (more) World experts in Consciousness-Based Education to tour Spain in 2010 28 September 2009 - In early February 2010, Dr Ashley Deans, Global Ambassador for Consciousness-Based Education, will give public conferences and meet with principals, teachers, and other education officials in Basque country in northern Spain. In March, Dr Fred Travis, director of the Center for Brain, Consciousness, and Cognition at Maharishi University of Management, USA, will speak in Madrid, Barcelona, and other major cities on the scientifically proven benefits of the Transcendental Meditation Programme in education and business. (more) Spain moves forward with Consciousness-Based Education initiatives 27 September 2009 - New developments in Consciousness-Based Education are underway in Spain, including implementation of the Transcendental Meditation Programme in higher education and upcoming conference tours by international experts in the field. (more) Spain: Health and beauty spas to adopt Maharishi Ayur-Veda natural health care widely 26 September 2009 - Maharishi Mahesh Yogi's programmes for natural, prevention-oriented health care are drawing increasingly wide attention among spas and health product stores across Spain. (more) Spain and Portugal: New associations inaugurated for Maharishi's programmes 10 May 2009 - Building a Maharishi Peace Colony in Madrid is the first project of a new association for Maharishi Vedic Architecture in Spain. A new company was also recently established in Spain to distribute Maharishi Ayur-Veda Products; and in Portugal an organization was founded for all the activities of the Transcendental Meditation Programme. (more) Growing enlightened students and Vedic organic agriculture in Spain, Portugal, and Mozambique 22 February 2009 - Consciousness-Based Education and Vedic Organic Agriculture are thriving in Spain, Portugal, and Mozambique. Dr Ashley Deans continues his world tour for Consciousness-Based Education with an upcoming conference in Barcelona, Spain. (more) Spain: Maharishi Vedic Organic Agriculture continues to expand 25 December 2008 - Maharishi Vedic Organic Agriculture projects are continuing to move ahead in Spain, including the building of eight new greenhouses, which allow for increased production. The project will support the building of Spain's Maharishi Tower of Invincibility. (more) Spain sees expansion of Maharishi's programmes 27 August 2008 - During a recent Maharishi Global Family Chat, Raja Antonio Bartolome, Raja (Administrator) of Spain for the Global Country of World Peace, reported on the expansion of Maharishi's programmes for health, education, agriculture, and architecture in his domain. (more)
Flops Short Summaries of Top Stories Spain eyes 200 more troops in Afghanistan - Prime Minister 6 September 2009 - Spain plans to send 200 more soldiers to Afghanistan, Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero said on Saturday. That would bring Spanish troop levels up to about 1,000, not counting a contingent of 450 who went to Afghanistan to boost security for elections held on 20 August. (more) Basque separatists claim four deadly attacks in Spain 9 August 2009 - Basque separatist group ETA has claimed responsibility for four bombing attacks that left three people dead and 60 injured in Spain this summer. An ETA statement says the group planted two bombs that exploded in late July, killing two officers and wounding 60 people. ETA has killed more than 825 people since 1968 when it started a violent campaign for an independent Basque state. (more) Three small bombs explode in Mallorca, Spain 9 August 2009 - Three small bombs exploded on Sunday in places frequented by tourists in the capital of the island of Mallorca, Spanish government officials said. The explosions followed a phone warning made in the name of the Basque separatist group ETA, the website of the Spanish newspaper El Mundo reported, citing the Mallorcan ambulance service as saying there had been no reports of injuries. ETA has carried out three larger bomb explosions in the last two months which, with Sunday's blasts, call into question the Spanish government's claim that a series of arrests has weakened the armed separatists. (more) Spain buys 6 million emissions rights from Hungary 14 November 2008 - Spain has bought rights from Hungary to emit 6 million tonnes of greenhouse gas through a government-level emissions trading scheme under the Kyoto Protocol, a Hungarian Government Official said on Thursday. 'We have sold 6 million (emissions rights) to the Spanish Government. According to our knowledge this is the biggest single sale (of its kind) in the world so far,' said Lajos Olah, State Secretary for Hungary's Ministry of Environment and Water. Spain plans to buy 159 million tonnes of carbon credits and offsets over the next four years in an effort to meet emissions reduction goals under Kyoto, a spokeswoman for Spain's Environment Ministry told Reuters. Critics have dubbed the credits 'hot air', saying they are not generated as a result of investment in clean energy and are a cheap way for countries to meet commitments under Kyoto. (more) Spain: Huge rise in unemployment 4 November 2008 - The number of people filing jobless claims in Spain rose 7.3 per cent last month alone and is now the highest since 1996, the Government reported Tuesday, providing the latest evidence of the devastating impact of the international financial crisis. Those claiming unemployment benefits increased by 192,658 in October to 2.8 million. Since October 2007 the number has risen a staggering 37.5 per cent, the Labour Ministry said. Spain's once-buoyant economy is on the verge of recession, due mainly to a collapse of a debt-fuelled boom in the real estate sector. This had been the main engine fuelling more than a decade of solid growth. (more) Spain: Corporate defaults soar 172 per cent as boom collapses 1 August 2008 - Spanish corporate debt defaults soared 172 per cent between April and June from a year earlier to hit a record high as dozens of building and property firms collapsed at the end of a decade-long housing boom, the government reported on Friday. Some 206 firms and individuals suspended debt payments during the second quarter amid a severe slowdown in what was previously one of Europe's hottest real estate markets, National Statistics Institute (INE) data showed. (more) Spanish smash windscreens in European fuel protests 9 June 2008 - Spanish truck drivers smashed windscreens and Portuguese truckers blocked roads on Monday as protests over rocketing global fuel prices spread across Europe. The Spanish and Portuguese drivers began an indefinite strike, and there were also protests across the border in France over the impact of high oil prices, now at record highs of over $139 per barrel. The worst hit are mostly small firms and self-employed drivers, while large hauliers have kept working. Demonstrations and strikes across Asia have already forced fast-growing countries such as India, Malaysia, and Indonesia to raise fuel subsidies to ease the pain of high prices. (more) Spain: Three bombs explode in Basque Country, ETA claim 1 May 2008 - Three small bombs exploded early on Thursday in Spain's Basque city of San Sebastian and a nearby town after a warning call claiming to be from Basque separatist rebels ETA, Spanish local officials said. The caller warned of the two bombs in San Sebastian but not of another device which exploded shortly afterwards in the town of Arrigorriaga, Guipuzcoa province. ETA has killed more than 800 people in four decades of armed struggle for independence for the Basque Country from Spain. (more) Spain: Bomb explodes in Basque Country 24 February 2008 - A booby-trapped bomb, thought to have been placed by Basque separatists, exploded at a radio and television transmission station in Spain's Basque country on Saturday as a police robot moved it. The explosion, which came less than two weeks before general elections in March, caused no injuries or damage when it exploded around midday outside the hilltop facility at Arnotegi, near the city of Bilbao, police said. (more) Thousands march in Spain in anti-government rally 24 November 2007 - Thousands of Spaniards marched in Madrid on Saturday in an anti-government demonstration, which highlighted the fact that Basque separatist group ETA would be a key political issue in next March's general election. The marchers thronged the streets waving red and yellow Spanish flags and bearing slogans reading 'We'll beat ETA'. They also chanted for the resignation of Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero. The government has tried but failed to find a solution to violence in the Basque Country through peace talks with ETA. It broke off the talks in December when the rebels bombed Madrid airport, killing two people. (more)