Spanish TV star Koldo Losada found dead, partner suspected

After receiving an ominous warning via Facebook from his husband, the body of Spanish TV star Koldo Losada was found in their Bilbao home, together with the corpse of their dog, Gaston, on Wednesday. 

Losada's long-term partner, Jon Ezkurdia, has been arrested, suspected in the killing of his partner.

Losada and Ezkurdia have apparently been together for 20 years.  However, Ezkurdia was arrested Wednesday night in Bilbao on suspicion of murder, after his husband's body was found in a pool of blood in their apartment by friends.  Their white Westie terrier, Gaston, was also found dead, apparently strangled.

Losada, 54, is well known to millions of Spaniards from his appearances in several popular TV series, including Cuéntame, Águila Roja and Amar en Tiempos Revueltos.  After being together for many years, the couple married two years ago.  However, friends of the couple said that they were going through difficult times and were apparently in the process of separating.

The couple were often seen together in a bar called "La Gallina Ciega" (the blind hen), which is run by 54-year-old Ezkurdia. However, apparently the bar has been closed since September this year.

La Vanguardia (in Spanish) reports that Ezkurdia posted a rather cryptic and sinister status on Facebook a couple of hours before Losada died, together with a photo of himself wearing a clown's makeup, with a wide, red painted mouth and black eyes.  The message, posted at 5:34 pm on Wednesday, read, "The blind hen began in silence and will exit the same way. Thank you for everything you have given us."

Reportedly, Ezkurdia had been see drinking on Wednesday in the centre of Bilbao with some female friends.  The friends were concerned about his depressed state and decided to later check up on him in the couple's home.

On arrival at the apartment, they found a reportedly very drunk Ezkurdia, receiving medical attention from an ambulance crew.  Worried about this, the women then entered the couple's apartment and found Losada's body, lying in a pool of blood in the hallway and with signs of a violent attack.  It was in the bin outside that the body of their dog, Gaston, was discovered, together with various items that might have been connected to the crime.

A friend of the couple told ABC that it was impossible that Ezkurdia could have killed Koldo and Gaston, adding,“They were always out having a beer together. They were a wonderful couple, and got on really well. We just don’t understand what could have happened.”

A waiter working at the bar said “I’ve known Jon for nine years; he’s a very loving man and always quick with a compliment."

It is unknown what pushed Ezkurdia to first post the ominous Facebook message and then allegedly to kill Losada.

Koldo Losada was born on November 13, 1960 in Getxo, Vizcaya, País Vasco, Spain and died on November 19, 2014 in Bilbao, Vizcaya, País Vasco, Spain.

Besides his appearances in the popular TV series Cuéntame, Águila Roja and Amar en Tiempos Revueltos, he was also known for his appearances in the films, Mystikal (2010), No controles (2010), The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared (2013).

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Photo: Screengrab from YouTube video

Spain seizes Greenpeace ship 'Arctic Sunrise' off Canary Islands

The iconic Greenpeace vessel, "Arctic Sunrise" has been seized by Spanish authorities, after activists approached the Repsol oil exploration vessel as part of their recent protests.  Arctic Sunrise has been in the area for several weeks, protesting against oil exploration in the Canary Islands.

Photo: Courtesy Greenpeace España 

Spanish News in English recently reported on the ongoing protests by Greenpeace against oil exploration off the Canary Islands of Fuerteventura and Lanzarote.  In a recent incident, several Spanish naval vessels rammed into a dinghy manned by Greenpeace activists, injuring four, one of them critically.

According to Spanish authorities a "case had been opened against Greenpeace for not respecting an exclusion zone banning navigation and fishing," however, they did not confirm whether the ship had been sequestered.

According to the ship's captain, the vessel "cannot move until a €50,000 ($63,000) bail is paid."  Spokesman, Julio Barea, told AFP Spanish authorities were holding the ship at Arrecife.

The previous incident occurred on Saturday when activists were using smaller boats to approach the oil exploration vessel belonging to the Spanish oil company, Repsol, which was about to start oil exploration efforts on Tuesday.

Three Spanish navy boats were captured on video ramming one of the activists' vessels and a 23-year-old female Italian protester fell in the water and was injured, her leg broken, in the incident.

While Greenpeace says it only wished to protest peacefully, the Spanish defence ministry alleged that Greenpeace was intending to board the Repsol vessel, which would violate a maritime exclusion zone.

The people of the Canary Islands themselves protested against the oil exploration, citing the possible damage to the ecology and tourism on the islands, but without success against the government's plans.

Spanish Sources:

Greenpeace (1)

Greenpeace (2)

El Mundo

Second photo of Arctic Sunrise public domain by Michael Sample

 

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Massive fire rips through meat factory in Burgos, Spain

It was apparently a short circuit, combined with ammonia, that caused a huge fire to rip through the Campofrio meat products factory in Burgos on Sunday.  While no one was hurt, the jobs of 1,000 workers are at stake.

Screen grab from RTVE video

It happened at around 6:40 a.m. Sunday in the stew section of the factory.  Two fire crews had to be called in to tackle the blaze.  Possibly caused by a short circuit, firefighters say the presence of highly flammable materials, mainly ammonia, made the fire even worse.

Residents of the surrounding areas were warned to keep their windows closed in order to avoid inhaling toxic fumes from the fire.  Hundreds of residents living close to the factory had to be evacuated by bus, and were temporarily housed in a nearby sports center.

While no one was injured in the blaze itself, four people were hurt in traffic accidents relating to the disaster. The mayor of the city, Javier Lacalle, immediately implemented an emergency plan, closing the city's ring roads to prevent more accidents.

The Campofrio factory employs 1,000 people, resident in the surrounding areas, and they are now faced with an uncertain future.  However, Campofrio management has promised "to invest in Burgos to recover production capacity as soon as possible."

Part of one of the largest producers of processed meat in the world, Campofrio's Burgos plant produces 100,000 tonnes of food each year.


Spanish sources:
El Mundo
RTVE

Greenpeace boat rammed by Spanish Navy, four injured (Video)

Greenpeace España launched a protest Saturday against oil exploration off the Canary Islands of Spain. A Spanish navy boat rammed their dinghy, injuring four activists, one badly.

The islands of Fuerteventura and Lanzarote are both at stake, as Repsol, a Spanish oil company, has been given permission to drill near the islands, a move which puts both the ecology of the area and also the much-needed tourist economy in severe danger.

The people of the Canary Islands have been protesting on an ongoing basis, fighting against the oil drilling off their shores which threatens their livelihood and the ecology of the region. Greenpeace España has joined in their cause.  However, all the various warnings on the safety and legal issues involved have so far been completely ignored by the Spanish Government. It is well known worldwide that the greed of governments and Big Oil generally wins the day, but Greenpeace still continues to do their best to prevent this.

The Greenpeace ship, Arctic Sunrise, occupied the drill site off the Canary Islands prior to the arrival of the drilling vessel.  And it stayed there, despite strong pressure from the authorities.  The video below shows the captain of the Arctic Sunrise, telling the Spanish authorities that they were staying put, and telling the navy ships to stay away at a distance of at least one mile:



During Saturday's protest, a Spanish Navy vessel rammed into the Greenpeace dinghy, injuring four of the activists on board, one of them seriously.  Video was captured of the attack and a woman screaming can be heard clearly, as she fell from the dinghy and was hit by its propellers, breaking her leg.  See the video below:

However, despite this, the Spanish navy disputes the story saying it dispatched two boats from one of the navy ships in the area, purely to prevent the Greenpeace activists from boarding the oil drill ship and that the woman accidentally fell from the boat.  The navy apparently rushed the woman to hospital in a helicopter.

Speaking by radio-telephone from Greenpeace ship Arctic Sunrise in the area, Capt. Joel Stewart identified the woman as a 23-year-old Italian activist and said the injuries to the three other activists fortunately were only minor.

Referendum blocked:

Last month the Canary Islands regional government was to hold a referendum on the oil exploration in waters off the islands, situated off northwestern Africa.  However, the Constitutional Court, acting at the behest of the Spanish government, blocked the proposal.  It gave Repsol YPF S.A., the Spanish energy company, permission to begin drilling with a large drilling ship and platform.  This oil exploration is currently ongoing.

View of Lanzarote CC by-SA Luc Viatour 

 

Arctic Sunrise back in action:
 
Saturday's protest was the first by the Arctic Sunrise since that ship was boarded in international waters and held for more than 300 days by Russian authorities.  This was during a protest against Gazprom's oil drilling in the Arctic.  Once the ship was released, Greenpeace took it to Amsterdam for repairs and the ship is now fully back at work.

However, it was not only the ship that was held during the incident in Russia and 28 crew members and two journalists on board the Arctic Sunrise were also held for over three months in detention centers in Russia.  Despite the ordeal, two of those crew members were involved in Saturday's protest to protect the Canary Islands - Ana Paula, deckhand, from Brazil, and Alexander, bosun, from Canada.

Sources:

Greenpeace International (English language)
Greenpeace España (Spanish language)

NBC News