Stolen Babies
A Madrid court has let off a former doctor over stealing newborn babies from their mothers and supplying them to infertile couples.
The court found gynecologist Eduardo Vela, 85, had committed the crimes but could not legally be convicted because too much time had elapsed.
He was the first person to go on trial for illegal adoptions that took place during and after the dictatorship of General Franco.
Thousands more cases are suspected.
Inés Madrigal was abducted and illegally adopted as a baby in 1969. She took a case against Vela in April 2012.
However, because she failed to take the case for 25 years after she first became an adult – in 1987 – it fell foul of the statute of limitations, which is 10 years.
She and her lawyer say she will appeal to the Supreme Court so the doctor’s crimes do not remain unpunished.
Prosecutors had sought an 11-year jail term for Vela.
Elections
SUSANA DIAZ, the socialist president of the Junta de Andalucia has announced December 2 as the date for elections in the autonomous community, four months ahead of schedule.
The announcement yesterday afternoon comes after an extraordinary meeting of the governing council.
The announcement comes just weeks after the pact her PSOE-A party had with Ciudadanos broke down.
Migrant Arrivals
Spanish coastguard services rescued 468 migrants from the Strait of Gibraltar yesterday while another 52 successfully made the crossing and arrived on Spanish soil near the city of Cadiz.
Migrant rescue operations are an almost daily occurrence in waters off southern Spain.
MW
Morocco’s Navy said yesterday its forces rescued 615 migrants from 31 boats that ran into trouble at the weekend.
The Spanish coastguard announced on Sunday that in 48 hours it had rescued nearly 1,200 migrants bound for its shores.
All of the would-be migrants rescued by the Moroccan navy were brought back to the country’s ports.
Funeral
Leading political and cultural figures attended the funeral in Barcelona of soprano Montserrat Caballé who died on Saturday aged 85.
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and Queen Sophia were among those that gathered in the city.
Caballé, who was from Barcelona, is being buried next to her parents.
Her duet with Freddie Mercury became the signature song of the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.
The singer had been suffering from health complaints and had been admitted to hospital in Barcelona last month.