News
New leader
New government tackles healthcare
Spain ’ s main opposition party , Partido Popular , has a new leader . Pablo Casado won a majority of votes cast at conference of party members last month . Former leader and PM Mariano Rajoy lost a socialist-led motion of no confidence in June and retired from politics . Casado , 37 , is tasked with rebuilding support for the PP following a corruption scandal and is regarded as a hard-line right-winger .
Second sentence
A Tarragona man awaiting trial for allegedly assaulting and murdering his 15-year-old step-daughter last December has been sentenced to 19 years in jail for a sex attack on a woman 15 years ago . DNA test results linked him to the incident in which a woman was threatened with a screwdriver , robbed , and assaulted in April 2003 . The victim required treatment for a venereal disease as well as psychological counselling for post traumatic stress .
Cave rescue
A 33-year-old diver from Ciudad Real was amongst the team which helped to save 12 young Thai boys and their football trainer from flooded caves last month . Fernando Raigal served with the Spanish navy and now works for oil companies . As a very experienced diver , he was invited to join the rescue operation by friends in the Navy Seals unit .
Capital bans
Access to central Madrid will be restricted to environmentally-friendly vehicles from November . Diesel units built before 2006 and petrol units built before 2000 will be banned , although fines will not be imposed for at least two months . The 472 hectare central area will only be accessible to residents and invited friends , plus public transport , emergency services , industrial and delivery trucks , as well as zero-emission vehicles .
Spain ’ s new socialist government is planning healthcare reforms . The minister now responsible , Carmen Montón , says there will be a gradual return to free prescriptions for Spanish pensioners and for those whose pension is paid by another country .
A scale of contributions towards the cost of a prescription was introduced by the former Partido Popular government in 2012 , with a maximum of 50 per cent payable , which has led to some people failing to collect their medications because , they say , they have become too expensive .
Under the new regime , the government says the “ most vulnerable ” pensioners will be the first to pay no prescription charges , and this will be gradually extended to those of State retirement age . This is presently 65 years but will increase
Catalan referendum fallout continues
The former president of Cataluña , who fled from Spain after helping to stage an illegal referendum last October , may be unable to return for 20 years . Carles Puigdemont is presently in Germany but is wanted by the Spanish courts on charges including using government money to finance the disputed vote .
Germany has been asked to extradite him but the region of Schleswig- Holstein has found Puigdemont not guilty of another charge , rebellion , because such an offence does not exist in German law . The nearest equivalent is high treason , but this requires the accused person to have committed or provoked violence . The German judge considering the case considered that any violence connected to the referendum was incidental to the charges against Puigdemont .
The region did agree to extradite him to Spain on the charges of misusing progressively to 67 years .
In addition , public healthcare will return to its previous free status to everyone living in Spain , whether working or retired , and whether legally resident or not . Non-professionals who give up their jobs to act as carers for an unwell relative or friend will have their years of caring counted towards their pension entitlement .
The government ’ s new policies on health also include tackling suicide prevention , children in poverty and those who are victims of domestic abuse , the introduction of a standard programme vaccinations in all of Spain ’ s regions and a comprehensive system of paediatric palliative care . A complete Alzheimer ' s plan and preventive measures against sexuallytransmitted diseases such as HIV are also promised .
public funds . However , this verdict has been rejected by a judge in Spain ’ s Supreme Court who considers that the charge of rebellion should stand .
The European arrest warrant which led to Puigdemont ’ s arrest has been lifted as a result but the national arrest warrant remains in place in Spain .
This will not expire under Spain ’ s statute of limitations for 20 years , so , if nothing changes , Puigdemont will face arrest if he returns to Spain within that time . Meantime , he is understood to have returned to his rented property in Belgium .
Three of his former Catalan colleagues remain in Belgium while a fourth has returned to teaching economics at St Andrew ’ s University in Scotland . All are awaiting extradition rulings and face arrest on similar charges to Puigdemont if they return to Spain .
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