News
“ Yes means yes ”
Bullfrog alert
Biologists are concerned that the very aggressive American Bullfrog has been found in Tarragona . Four tadpoles discovered in the Ebro river were last month confirmed as belonging to the species which is one of the most dangerous invasive creatures in the world and is banned in Spain . If the Bullfrog becomes established , it would wipe out all other aquatic creatures , except the very largest , thanks to its voracious appetite .
Gallantry honoured
A Spanish national who died in the London Bridge terror attack on June 3 last year has been recognised in this year ’ s UK Civil Gallantry List . Ignacio Echeverria has been posthumously awarded the George Medal after he confronted the terrorists with only his skateboard . The award committee said his actions had “ undoubtedly prevented further loss of life ” by giving time for others to run away . Echeverria , aged 39 , who worked as an analyst at HSBC bank in London , was amongst eight who died in the attack .
British suspects
Four British men , including two brothers , were last month accused of an attack on a 29-year-old UK woman on Ibiza . She claims she was drugged and sexually attacked by the gang after meeting them at a bar in San Antonio . Two of the men , aged 21 and 29 , were later released on bail , while the brothers , who are from London , remained in custody .
Spending boost
Regional spending across Spain has been given a € 2.4 billion boost after new finance minister Nadia Calviño renegotiated the country ’ s debt level with the EU . The move will free up cash for welfare projects and infrastructure upgrades . The extra money available will vary from region to region .
The new government of Pedro Sanchez is to introduce new legislation to remove any ambiguity in rape cases . The move follows public outrage after five men accused of raping an 18-yearold woman in July 2016 had their charges reduced to sexual assault .
In the incident during Pamplona ’ s annual San Fermín festival , the men , who are aged between 27 and 29 and called themselves La Manada ( the wolf pack ), attacked the woman and filmed the assault on their phones , before leaving her half naked .
When the case came to court in April this year , the judges interpreted her “ passive , submissive stance ” during the incident as consent , and reduced the charges against the gang . Under Spanish law , sexual abuse differs from rape in that it does not involve violence or intimidation .
The ruling provoked outrage and led to demonstrations across the country . All
Timely comments are invited
The EU is running an informal on-line survey to assess the public ’ s views on possible changes to the current summertime arrangements . At present , Spain is on GMT + 1 ( hour ) except in the Canary Islands which works on GMT , as do Portugal and the UK . The EU instructs all member nations to put clocks forward an hour during summertime , which lasts from the first Sunday in March until the last Sunday in October .
Debate on which time-zone Spain should lie in has raged for years . It was said that Franco changed the country to GMT + 1 during World War II to align with Berlin , although it has since been suggested that General de Gaulle made the decision after the war in a bid to maintain peace in western Europe .
Geographically , Spain should be in the same time zone as the UK , Belgium , the Netherlands and a large part of France . Galicia in particular wants Spain to change because of its close ties to neighbouring Portugal . On the other hand , the Balearic Islands wants to five men are presently on bail pending an appeal against their nine-year sentence . They include a soldier and a Guardia Civil officer , both of whom have been returned to duty .
Deputy Prime Minister Carmen Calvo has signalled her intent to introduce legislation which would require clearly expressed consent in sexual contact , often referred to as affirmative consent . Both parties must agree to sexual conduct , either through clear , verbal communication or nonverbal cues or gestures . “ If a woman does not expressly say yes , then everything else is no ,” Calvo said last month .
It is understood that the new legislation will be modelled on similar laws in Sweden and Germany which criminalize sex without clearly expressed consent as rape . Experts say “ yes means yes ” is more effective than “ no means no ,” which often places the burden on victims and prosecutors to prove unwanted contact .
move to Central European Time ( GMT + 1 ) year round and even suggests GMT + 2 in summer to allow tourists as much sunshine as possible .
The EU says that the reasons for the introduction of the twice-yearly change are now obsolete and is inviting comments until August 14 . Full details can be found at the website : https :// ec . europa . eu / info / consultations / 2018-summertime-arrangements _ en
Summer draft
National Police have drafted 190 additional officers into Málaga for the summer . In addition , visiting officers from both France and Germany are in the province for the height of the tourism season . Officers will provide increased surveillance in major tourist areas such as beaches , hiking areas , hotels , historic sites , shopping centres , transport hubs , and Málaga ’ s port and airport .
See Smalltalk on page 20
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