News
Literary find
A 1632 edition of a Shakespeare play has been discovered in the library of a private school in Sevilla . “ The Famous History of the Life of Henry VIII ” is believed to be the oldest preserved edition of Shakespeare ’ s work in Spain . It was found by the school ’ s principal in an acquired archive of documents dating from the 13th to the 18th centuries .
Cómpeta mourns
Cómpeta declared three days of official mourning last month following the death of deputy mayor Adela Ruiz Martín , aged 60 . She is understood to have contracted the Covid-19 virus some weeks previously and had been in intensive care . Ruiz had represented the Partido Popular on the town council since 2007 .
Cyclist rescue
A 90-year-old wheelchair-bound man has been rescued from his burning home by a passing cyclist . The biker saw smoke coming from the house in Lagos on the N-340 coast road and managed to get the occupant out . The victim suffered burns to a leg and was admitted to hospital in Vélez-Málaga .
Brit detained
A 21-old-British man has been detained by police in connection with the stabbing to death of a 19-year-old in Estepona during November in a suspected road rage attack . The victim , Ulrich Perez , had complained to the suspect after he was almost run over by the suspect ’ s UKplated Mercedes at a pedestrian crossing . The name of the suspect was not immediately released .
Czech bounced
A 34-year-old Czech national wanted by authorities in his home country has been detained in Vélez-Málaga . National Police identified him after he was detained in a brawl with a local man who allegedly owed him money . The suspect is accused of drink-driving in the Czech town of Kamenice .
Euthanasia to be legal in Spain
A Bill to legalise euthanasia and assisted suicide was passed by Spain ’ s lower house of parliament on December 17 . The new legislation , which was supported by the left-wing coalition government and several small parties , was approved by 198 votes to 138 . Deputies representing the opposition Partido Popular and far-right Vox voted against .
The Bill must now go before the upper house , the Senate , where it is expected to be approved , before being published in the Official State Bulletin . The government says it will then become effective after three months .
The new law will permit public and private health officials to assist patients who wish to die if they are suffering from “ a serious and incurable disease ” or from a “ debilitating and chronic condition ” which the person finds “ unbearable .” The patient must have asked to die on four different occasions over the period of a month : twice in writing , a third time in consultation with a doctor and a final time immediately before the process is carried out . Health professionals will be permitted to be excluded on the basis of religious belief .
The proposed legislation met strong opposition in recent weeks , and on the day of the vote , a small group gathered outside the parliament building in Madrid waving black flags to protest at its contents . Last month , representatives of six religious groups presented a joint manifesto against the plan which they saw as an “ attack against life ” and called instead for additional palliative care measures .
A similar bill is going through the parliamentary process in Portugal , while euthanasia is already legal in Belgium , Canada , Colombia , Luxembourg , the Netherlands and Switzerland , plus some states in the USA .
Franco ’ s palace returns to the State
Following years of legal battles , relatives of Francisco Franco have vacated a 19th century palace in Galicia . The dictator ’ s grandson described the seizure of the property by the government a “ circus .”
In 1938 during Spain ’ s Civil War , the Nationalist faction in Galicia raised the money to buy the property known as Pazo de Meirás ( pictured ) by creating a forced subscription which obliged local workers , business and authorities to donate cash . The building was gifted to Franco in 1941 , and his heirs have always asserted that he formally purchased the property three years later , a claim which has been hotly disputed .
In 2018 , Franco ’ s family attempted to sell the property for € 8 million sparking public outrage , and the efforts of President Pedro Sánchez to seize it for the State were rejected . However ,
this year a court ruled that Franco had never purchased the Pazo de Meirás which he used as his summer residence and that it belongs to the State . His family was ordered to hand it over , although they have the right to appeal .
Spain finally took possession of the building on December 10 and the government promised to open it to the public to “ tell the truth of Franco ’ s passage through it .” It will also commemorate the work of a former owner , the novelist and prominent feminist , Emilia Pardo Bazán .
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