Basque news stories on Newser

Basque Group ETA Calls Cease-Fire After 43 Years

Thu, 20 Oct 2011 15:44:52 CDT

The Basque militant group ETA called an end to a 43-year violent campaign for independence today and said it now wants talks with Spain and France—a groundbreaking move that could pave the way for ending Europe's last armed militancy. ETA had already declared a cease-fire last year, but up...

Basque Militants Declare Permanent Cease-Fire in Spain

Mon, 10 Jan 2011 09:48:05 CST

The militant Basque separatist group ETA declared a permanent cease-fire today in what it called a firm step toward ending its bloody, decades-long independence fight—but the Spanish government quickly demanded it disband outright. Masked ETA members announced the cease-fire in a video distributed to Spanish media, and ETA's statement...

Basque Militants ETA Declare Ceasefire

Evann Gastaldo — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 05:50:58 CDT

Basque separatist group ETA has announced a ceasefire, the BBC reports . The armed group, considered terrorists by many, has led a campaign for Basque independence that resulted in more than 820 deaths over the past 40 years. After previous statements by the Spanish government that it will not negotiate with...

Dow Who? Pamplona's Bulls Still Charging

Jason Farago — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 11:21:00 CDT

Thousands of daredevil tourists have descended on Pamplona, Spain, for the annual running of the bulls that began today. Four were injured on the first day, including one American, though nobody was gored. As Time reports, sprinting ahead of six half-ton angry bulls is pretty dangerous, but many injuries result...

Car Bomb Kills Police Inspector in Spain

Kevin Spak — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 07:33:10 CDT

A senior Spanish police inspector was killed in the Basque region's city of Bilbao this morning in a car bombing, the BBC reports. The regional government blamed the attack on the Eta Basque separatist group. If that’s confirmed, it will mark the group’s first fatal attack since the Spanish Socialist...

Basque Separatists Hand Over Power After 30 Years

Jason Farago — Tue, 05 May 2009 07:24:36 CDT

Security has been ramped up in the Basque region of Spain today as it prepares for the inauguration of its first non-separatist government in 30 years. Spain's national left- and right-wing parties have come together to form a unity coalition, ending decades of rule by Basque separatists. The terrorist group...

Spain Probes Guggenheim's 'Troubled' Finances

Jason Farago — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 06:48:17 CST

A decade ago the Frank Gehry-designed Guggenheim Museum put the sleepy Basque city of Bilbao on the international art map. But in recent months the institution has been tarnished by an embezzlement scam, overspending on middling artworks, and a $9.4 million loss in a botched currency deal. Now, reports...

Basque Military Chief Nabbed in France

Mary Papenfuss — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 04:04:22 CST

A military leader of the Basque separatist organization ETA linked to police murders and the 2006 Madrid airport bomb attack has been busted in France, reports the Times of London. The man, who goes by the nom de guerre of Txeroki, was arrested in a small town in the Pyrenees....

Guggenheim Bilbao Honcho Embezzled $800K

Jason Farago — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 10:15:04 CDT

The Guggenheim Museum's outpost in Bilbao is suing its director of finance after he admitted embezzling $800,000 from the institution's coffers. In a long mea culpa letter to the museum's director, Robert Cearsolo Barrenetxea confessed that he had used bank transfers and fraudulent checks to line his own pockets...