Doctors’ strike called in Andalusia, Spanish court rules killing family pet is form of gender violence, judge orders embezzlement trial for Spain PM’s wife and more news on Thursday September 25th.
Doctors’ strike called in Andalusia
The Andalusian Medical Union (SMA) has called a general strike for October 3rd , urging all doctors in Spain to participate in defence of their profession and public healthcare overall.
“We physicians cannot continue to tolerate the current situation of disrespect, unfair working conditions, unmanageable workloads, and gruelling workdays. This cannot continue.”
A maximum working week of 35 hours, early retirement, and improved pay for on-call work are some of the aspects included in their proposed framework statute that unions and committees have drawn up to renegotiate with the Ministry of Health.
Up to 30,000 medical professionals took part in the last strike in the southern region on June 13th.
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Spanish court extends gender violence law to animal cruelty case
A court in Spain has convicted a man for killing a puppy in front of his partner in a ruling that for the first time applied a gender violence law to a case of animal abuse.
A specialist gender violence court on the island of Gran Canaria found the 18-year-old guilty of throwing the four-month-old puppy the couple jointly owned off a cliff while threatening to take his own life.
It handed him a suspended sentence of one year and one day in prison, according to the ruling dated September 22 obtained by AFP on Wednesday.
“The animal’s death was intentionally employed as a means to inflict psychological damage,” the court said.
As a result the court said the case should be viewed “through a gender perspective” and be recognised as “vicarious violence against a companion animal” which needs “stronger punitive measures”.
Acts of vicarious violence — or violence by proxy — usually refer to a form of gender-based abuse where a partner harms a child in order to inflict suffering on the mother.
This is the first time a Spanish court has applied legislation against vicarious violence to a case where an animal was harmed, Spain’s legal watchdog, the CGPJ, said in a statement, calling it a “groundbreaking ruling”.
The court also barred the man from approaching or contacting the woman for wo years and one day.
Spain to send navy ship to assist Gaza aid flotilla: PM
Spain will send a navy ship to assist a Gaza-bound aid flotilla, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said Wednesday after organisers said several of their boats had been targeted by drones off Greece.
“We are concerned, and that is why we will be deploying a ship to ensure that, if necessary, our citizens can be rescued and brought back to Spain,” he told a new conference in New York, adding that the ship would depart on Thursday.
Italy announced earlier on Wednesday that it had sent a navy frigate to assist the flotilla.
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Judge orders embezzlement trial for Spain PM’s wife
A judge investigating Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s wife Begoña Gómez for alleged embezzlement has ordered her to stand trial, a court document showed Wednesday.
The long-running probe is one of several into Sánchez’s family and former close allies that have embarrassed the Socialist leader and heaped pressure on his minority coalition.
The investigation centres on whether an official employed in the premier’s office, Cristina Álvarez, also did work for Gómez while the latter held a position at Madrid’s Complutense University.
Judge Juan Carlos Peinado said in a ruling dated Tuesday that his preliminary investigation showed that a jury trial was warranted and summoned Gomez to appear in court on Saturday.
He cited emails sent by Álvarez to third parties that “clearly seem to exceed her duties” in the prime minister’s office and constituted “sufficient evidence”.
Gómez’s “personal friendship” with Álvarez was “the reason for her appointment to the position of highest trust” in Sanchez’s office, Peinado wrote in his ruling.
The appointment “could represent a diversion of public resources in favour of private interests”, since Alvarez was working for Gomez at the same time, Peinado said.
Gómez can appeal and the ruling is not yet definitive.
She denied wrongdoing during a court appearance before Peinado in Madrid two weeks ago.
Peinado set off the saga in April 2024 by opening an investigation to determine whether Gómez exploited her position as Sánchez’s wife for private benefit after complaints by groups with far-right ties.
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Spain’s Iberdrola plans to invest 58 bn euros by 2028
Spanish energy giant Iberdrola said Wednesday it plans to invest €58 billion ($68 billion) by 2028, mainly in the UK and the United States, as it aims for higher profits.
The company expects to hire 15,000 more staff over the period, expanding its workforce from its current 42,000 employees, it said in a statement.
Iberdrola is a major producer and distributor of electricity, with renewables accounting for nearly 80 percent of its own output.
The UK will be the top investment destination with 20 billion euros, followed by the United States with €16 billion.
Spain and Portugal will get nine billion euros in investment, Brazil seven billion euros and other European Union nations and Australia some €5 billion.
With additional reporting by AFP.
