Spanish News in English: 2014-12-14

A bankrupt businessman has been arrested after crashing a car, loaded with two cylinders of butane gas, into the national headquarters of the Popular Party in calle Genova, Madrid on Friday. The man was arrested at 7.00 a.m. today.

The man was also carrying two bags, currently being analyzed by police specialists. He told police that he had "lost everything" and that in the car there were "15 kilograms of ammonal and a timer scheduled to explode within 45 minutes." (Ammonal is an explosive made up of ammonium nitrate and aluminum powder).

However, after an initial analysis was performed on the substance found hidden in the car, it was revealed that it is combustible, but not explosive, according to police.

Police sources say that the unnamed man could be suffering from mental problems. "Everything seems to indicate this is a personal action and has nothing to do with a terrorist action," said National Police spokesman Antonio Nevado in statements to RNE.

Various security protocols are still in place. According to an El Mundo reader who lives close to the scene of the incident, calle Genova is "empty" and is blocked off by police at each end, at the Plaza de Colón and Alonso Martínez but there is something that apparently looks like a robot near the crashed vehicle. "I heard a noise in the early hours of the morning and then a tumult of people," he told the newspaper.

The police have activated the so-called 'Circular 50' protocol for attacks using explosive devices. Agents have cordoned off the building perimeter for security, and public and private traffic has been halted in the area.

As a precaution the subway service on line 4, between the San Bernardo and Goya stations, has been halted. In addition, there will be no stops in Alonso Martínez station, lines 5 and 10.

Police have urged workers for the PP headquarters to stay away from the building until they have completed their analysis on the crashed vehicle.

--
Photo: Twitter post: Estrellan un vehículo contra la sede del PP en Madrid que podría tener explosivos http://t.co/XeI5SbvxPc pic.twitter.com/G0K09URR3R
— Santiago Romero Ruiz (@atlante83) December 19, 2014

Translation of Tweet:

They crashed a vehicle against the headquarters of the PP in Madrid that could contain explosives

Sources:

El Mundo
RT

An announcement was made on Sunday by the mayor of Málaga that animal circuses are to be banned in the southern Spanish city. A further ban will be made on the pony ride carousels, popular at local fairs.

Photo of elephant in "training" - CC by-SA Heather Norwood PETA

Local government unveiled a new federation for the protection of animal rights in the city, which is the first of its kind in Andalusia, and third nationally. The Federation of Protectors of the Province is to be dubbed "Tidus," after a dog who died after suffering severe injuries in a fire in Valencia. Videos telling Tidus' story can be seen on YouTube here.

The circus ban in Málaga itself follows the lead of several other Spanish cities, Alicante, Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, Tarragona, Vigo and Vitoria, who also decided to ban circuses that use animals in their acts.

Further work will be done on the proposal in the weeks ahead in order to reach the widest consensus possible. Meetings will shortly be held with the newly-formed Federation of Protectors of the Province and the prohibition is to be brought before the whole city council in January 2015.

Several animal rights groups have been demanding a ban on both animals in circuses and the pony rides saying that the training used is "aggressive" and produces "unnecessary animal suffering,"

The secretary of Tidus, and president of the Málaga Society for the Protection of Animals, Carmen Manzano, spoke to the media about other animal suffering, including that of dogs, saying "animal lovers and animal rights campaigners have had enough of knowing that there are breeding centres and kennels throughout Málaga where dogs are tied up day and night, often without shelter, mistreated and abandoned."

She explained that Tidus was set up show that the group "will not be silent until animals have the respect and love that, as living beings, they deserve."