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Spain’s La Liga to hold minute silence for coronavirus victims

A minute of silence will be held before all La Liga games in memory of the victims of coronavirus, the league and Spanish football Federation (RFEF) announced on Sunday.

Published: 7 June 2020 16:06 CEST
Spain's La Liga to hold minute silence for coronavirus victims
Photo: JOSEP LAGO / AFP

The tribute will also be paid before matches in Segunda, Spain's second tier, as well as play-offs for promotion in the Segunda B and Tercera divisions, the two governing bodies confirmed.

“Both organisations have reached an agreement to pay a sincere tribute this season to all those who have left us because of the pandemic, as well as their families,” said a joint-statement.

The first match back will be on Wednesday between Rayo Vallecano and Albacete, who will play the second half of their Segunda contest in December that was abandoned due to offensive chanting.

READ: What will Spain be like to live and work in after the coronavirus crisis?

 

Top-flight fixtures will then restart on Thursday, when Sevilla host Real Betis, with reigning champions Barcelona playing away at Real Mallorca on Saturday and Real Madrid hosting Eibar on Sunday.

Barca are top of the table, two points clear of Madrid, with 11 games left to play. 

The return will bring an end to a three-month hiatus after La Liga suspended matches due to the coronavirus pandemic on March 12.

Spain has been able to bring the virus under control in recent weeks but is one of the worst-hit countries overall, with more than 27,000 deaths confirmed according to the latest figures on Sunday.

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HEALTH

Danish parties agree to raise abortion limit to 18 weeks

Denmark's government has struck a deal with four other parties to raise the point in a pregnancy from which a foetus can be aborted from 12 weeks to 18 weeks, in the first big change to Danish abortion law in 50 years.

Published: 3 May 2024 08:06 CEST
Danish parties agree to raise abortion limit to 18 weeks

The government struck the deal with the Socialist Left Party, the Red Green Alliance, the Social Liberal Party and the Alternative party, last week with the formal announcement made on Monday  

“In terms of health, there is no evidence for the current week limit, nor is there anything to suggest that there will be significantly more or later abortions by moving the week limit,” Sophie Løhde, Denmark’s Minister of the Interior and Health, said in a press release announcing the deal.

The move follows the recommendations of Denmark’s Ethics Council, which in September 2023 proposed raising the term limit, pointing out that Denmark had one of the most restrictive abortion laws in Western Europe. 

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Under the deal, the seven parties, together with the Liberal Alliance and the Conservatives, have also entered into an agreement to replace the five regional abortion bodies with a new national abortion board, which will be based in Aarhus. 

From July 1st, 2025, this new board will be able to grant permission for abortions after the 18th week of pregnancy if there are special considerations to take into account. 

The parties have also agreed to grant 15-17-year-olds the right to have an abortion without parental consent or permission from the abortion board.

Marie Bjerre, Denmark’s minister for Digitalization and Equality, said in the press release that this followed logically from the age of sexual consent, which is 15 years old in Denmark. 

“Choosing whether to have an abortion is a difficult situation, and I hope that young women would get the support of their parents. But if there is disagreement, it must ultimately be the young woman’s own decision whether she wants to be a mother,” she said. 

The bill will be tabled in parliament over the coming year with the changes then coming into force on June 1st, 2025.

The right to free abortion was introduced in Denmark in 1973. 

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