News
Nadal compensated
Belgium defers decision on Catalan separatists
Former French sports minister Roselyne Bachelot has been ordered to pay € 12,000 to Rafael Nadal after claiming on TV that his seven month absence from the game was not because of a knee injury . In March 2016 , she stated that he had instead failed a drugs test , and Nadal sued to clear his name . The player is donating the money to French social welfare programmes .
Minister pranked
Two Russian pranksters who fooled Elton John into believing he was talking to Vladamir Putin , have struck again . This time , Defence Minister Maria Dolores de Cospedal was conned into thinking she had taken a call from Latvia ’ s Defence Minister . The caller reportedly claimed that Carles Puigdemont was working for the Russian government under the codename Cipollino , information she promised to pass to the Prime Minister .
Valencia demo
Thousands of people turned out in Valencia last month to demand fair funding and state investment for the region . The demonstration called by trades unions and employers was attended by regional president Ximo Puig and supported by all political groups , apart from the Partido Popular . Sr Puig said later that the “ historical ” event showed there is a way for dialogue and negotiation .
Antequera boost
Málaga ’ s Provincial Government is to invest € 18.3 million in the Antequera area next year . Around € 1.7 million is earmarked for improving water supplies while municipalities of fewer than 20,000 residents will share € 5 million . In the city of Antequera , work will include an upgrade of the municipal summer swimming pool and the creation of a new plaza in calle Maderuelos .
A court in Belgium has deferred a decision on Spain ’ s request to have the former leader of Cataluña and four members of his former government extradited back to Spain . Carles Puigdemont and his colleagues fled to Brussels to avoid arrest after Madrid imposed direct rule on the region following an illegal referendum on October 1 and have refused to return .
After they appeared at a brief court hearing last month , Puigdemont ’ s lawyer told journalists that the Belgian prosecutor had asked for the execution of Madrid ’ s extradition requests . However , he added that no decision had been taken and that the case would resume on December 4 , the day before the official start of campaigning for Cataluña ’ s regional election on December 21 .
All five Catalan politicians face charges in Spain including rebellion , sedition and the misappropriation of public funds . The Interior Ministry in Madrid confirmed that the Belgian prosecutor
Nineteen people in 11 provinces have been identified as suspects in a National Police crackdown on fraudulent pension claims . It is understood that most detainees are family members who continued to claim the state pension of relatives who had died .
Investigators who reviewed 27 cases and interviewed 62 people have concluded that a total of more than € 1.9 million has been defrauded from the National Social Security Institute ’ s coffers in this way . In one case reported from Madrid , a woman is alleged to have claimed her deceased mother ’ s state pension for 31 years after her death ; she is accused of receiving € 173,170 fraudulently by producing false documents which authorised her to take money from her late mother ’ s bank account between March 1985 and October 2016 .
The investigation began at the had been sent answers to 14 questions which he had posed about security guarantees and other subjects , should the five be jailed on their return to Spain .
The Belgian government has refused to intervene , arguing that the country ’ s independent judiciary should make any decisions . However , Spain ’ s prime minister Mariano Rajoy was spotted in an informal meeting with his Belgian opposite number , Charles Michel , at November ’ s G8 summit in Sweden .
Last month , Carles Puigdemont was a guest on the first TV chat show hosted by former Scottish Nationalist leader Alex Salmond . During the programme , made by Russian channel RT at a secret location in Brussels , Puigdemont credited an unknown force for encouraging him to “ build a new society ” by declaring independence , and cited the Spanish government ’ s “ intellectual incapacity ” to admit the possibility that Spain could be different in the future .
Fraud charges follow pension payments after deaths
beginning of this year following a request from the Social Security Institute . Coordinated enquires began in Alicante , Almería , Cantabria , Córdoba , Las Palmas , Lérida , Lugo , Madrid , Málaga , Pontevedra and Valencia , culminating in the discovery of offences including benefit and other frauds , as well as false documentation . Police say approximately € 1 million has already been recovered from those who continued to make claims after the death of the intended recipient .
Happy retirement
A campaign to persuade animal lovers to adopt retired working dogs has been launched by Spain ’ s security forces . For the second year , the National Police , Guardia Civil , Armed Forces and fire brigade have launched a calendar including pictures of emergency dogs to raise money for the “ Four legged heroes ” charity . Last year ’ s campaign resulted in 40 retired dogs finding new homes .
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