Live News From Spain As It Happens

SPAIN'S National Research Council (CSIC) has announced a new book series seeking to debunk widely-held myths through scientific answers – including whether bread really makes you put on weight.

The latest edition in the series ¿Qué sabemos de...? ('What do we know about...?') is titled Los bulos de la nutrición ('Hoaxes about nutrition'), co-authored by researcher Miguel Herrero.

One of the most-asked questions about diet, Herrero reveals, is which part of bread is the most fattening – the crumb or the crust.

“Given that it has less water in it, the flour parts – basically, carbohydrates – are more concentrated in the crust,” the scientist explains.

“For this reason, if you take the same weight of the crust and the crumb, it's the crust that contains more calories.”

Another common grey area about nutrition involves food items described as 'anti-oxidants', which are said to flush out unwanted substances known as 'free radicals' from the body, reducing the likelihood of illness through preventing premature cell ageing and fighting infection.

“There's not enough scientific evidence on the true rôle of anti-oxidants in diet, in terms of their illness prevention effects,” Herrero cautions.

This said, “there are some indirect signs that makes you think they could have a positive effect – although we don't know to what extent – and more and more studies are being carried out into how anti-oxidants in food are metabolised in humans. 

“These will help shed more light on the subject.”

But this hitherto lack of robust evidence is no reason to stop eating blueberries and drinking green tea - “food and drink containing anti-oxidants will not do you any harm,” Herrero clarifies.

“What's not really justified is that these salads, juices and smoothies marketed as 'anti-oxidant' are more expensive, based upon that claim alone – all the ingredients naturally contain anti-oxidants anyway.”

Herrero, additionally, addressed concerns about additives in food – those used to preserve them for longer, or alter their taste, scent and colour.

“Despite their bad press, these additives play a crucial part and they're safe for consumption,” Herrero assures.

“There are food groups like honey, oils, butter, or pasta, for which the use of additives is banned or legally limited, but there are others such as wine, and pre-cooked beans and pulses in tins, where additives are necessary.” 

The new book on 'dietary hoaxes' covers how to interpret the labels on food items, containing nutritional information – including the full list of ingredients, which has been obligatory in Spain by law since 2016.

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com

VARIOUS charities and organisations – local and national – have set up channels for members of the public to help those affected by the storms and flash floods in the province of Valencia.

As well as collecting funds, these organisms are seeking food, clothing, bottled water, and other essentials for residents mainly to the south and west of the city of Valencia.

The Red Cross (Cruz Roja) has set up a website for direct cash donations – https://cercadeti.cruzroja.es/ayudaafectadosinundacionesdana – which can also be made by emailing the charity at donativos@cruzroja.es, calling the toll-free number 900 10 49 71, sending a text message to 28092 with the word AYUDA ('help'), or a Bizum to the number 33512.

You may be asked for your Spanish national identity number – DNI for Spanish nationals, or NIE for foreign residents – but those who do not live in Spain can still donate to the Red Cross to help the flood victims.

They can make a bank transfer to the Red Cross account – ES44 0049 0001 5321 1002 2225.

The Red Cross says it is 'prioritising cash donations' at present, since its volunteers and salaried workers on the ground are best place to determine which services those affected need, given that these needs are constantly changing.

Church-based charity Cáritas, which had branches in almost every town in Spain and habitually operates food banks and poverty relief, is also collecting for flood survivors – the organisation says donations can be made via Bizum to 00089, by calling the freephone number 900 33 99 99, or via its dedicated website https://www.caritas.es/emergencias/graves-inundaciones/.

The Comunidad Valenciana regional government, via its treasury office and in partnership with Sabadell bank, has set up an account for donations, of which 100% will go directly to affected residents.

Transfers can be made to the IBAN number ES94 0081 0693 6100 0242 3445.

Banco Sabadell, where the account is based, has pledged to match donations euro for euro, in addition to promising a minimum of half a million euros on top of any funds accrued.

If you are based in the Comunidad Valenciana or in Madrid, your local council is likely to have set up collection points for you to provide tangible goods such as clothing, toiletries, non-perishable food, bottled water and, in many cases, food and other necessities for pets – both those belonging to flood victims, and those at animal shelters cut off by the rising rivers.

One of these collection points is at Valencia FC football stadium, the Mestalla arena on the Avenida de Suecia in the Pla del Real square.

The Madrid-region commuter town of Leganés has set up a collection point in the Local Police and Civil Protection headquarters on the C/ Chile, and has been transporting lorryloads to the affected areas of the province of Valencia.

Leganés town hall says it is collecting non-perishable food, bottled water, clothing and other personal essentials, blankets and towels, as well as buckets and spades to help with the mass clean-up operations.

Toledo (Castilla-La Mancha) to the south of Madrid has asked for similar essential items to be dropped off at a help point at number 4 of the C/ Talavera de la Reina.

Many towns in the Comunidad Valenciana have set up blood donor sessions to help those who have suffered serious injury and illness as a result of the flood.

Eligibility criteria for giving blood can be discussed with the organisers, but usually includes being in generally good physical health, weighing not less than 50 kilos (7st 12lb, or 110lb), being aged at least 18, and not being on certain types of medication.

Animal shelters need foster families, food and volunteers

Animal shelters are also calling for help – Modepran in Valencia's Campanar neighbourhood, on the C/ Nou de Paterna, is asking for 'urgent' foster parents for cats and dogs whose habitual accommodation has been washed away, as well as donations via its account at Banco Sabadell – ES94 2100 1716 8601 0050 3303 – and, for those able to travel to the centre in person, blankets, towels, leads and collars.

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com

INTEREST rates in the Eurozone could fall to 2.5% next year, having closed August 2024 on 3.75%, according to latest research.

The recently-released report by S&P Global Ratings predicts the lower Euribor rate will come off the back of increasing growth in economies that share the common currency, particularly in Spain and France.

For 2024 as a whole, the Eurozone's GDP is expected to have grown by 0.8%, rising to 1.3% in 2025, as consumer spending and investment increases.

Weaker growth is forecast for Germany this year, but Spain and France are likely to be the main economies driving the GDP upwards, S&P finds.

Whilst inflation remains above the European Central Bank's (BCE's) target of 2%, it has reduced significantly this year, ending August on 2.2%.

Also, consumer price index inflation fell from July's 2.8% to 2.4% last month – a dramatic year-on-year difference, given that July 2023 saw it reach 5.9%.

Analysts are now becoming quietly confident of a Euribor rate cut next year, and estimate that inflation could finally reach the 2% target.

The BCE, then under Mario Draghi, dropped Eurozone interest rates into negative figures for the first time ever in February 2016 in a bid to increase consumer spending, borrowing, and strengthening the economy.

Interest would remain below zero for over six years, as inflation continued at well below the 2% target.

Global inflation in 2022 led current BCE chair Christine Lagarde to increasing the Euribor at its fastest level in history – within 10 months, it had gone from minus figures to around 4%.

This month, the BCE plans to reduce the rate to 3.5% - only the second cut so far in 2024.

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com

ANYONE who has let out or sold their property in recent years will have gone through the process of obtaining an energy-efficiency certificate – and, if you're planning to sell yours or rent it, you need to know what is involved.

But you don't necessarily have to be planning to move – homeowners who intend to stay put for now sometimes look into getting an energy-efficiency certificate to find out what they can do to improve emissions, reduce the amount they spend on electricity bills, and keep their property warmer in winter and cooler in summer.

Although it may sound like just another task to grapple with in a long list when you're planning on selling or renting your home, acquiring an energy-efficiency certificate is actually fairly simple, as explained by utility boards Iberdrola and Endesa.

Who needs an energy-efficiency certificate?

Anyone who plans to sell their property or let it to tenants – including commercial properties – whether they are brand-new or pre-owned, provided their 'useful area size' is over 50 square metres. The 'useful area size' definition means that, even if a property is larger than 50 square metres, those parts of it which are technically inaccessible or 'unavailable' – such as thick walls – do not count when measuring floor space.

Properties to let which require an energy-efficiency certificate include those due to be occupied by long-term and permanent tenants, as well as holiday homes that are available for use for at least eight months of the year.

Who doesn't need an energy-efficiency certificate?

Owners of individual properties for sale or rent with a useable floor size of less than 50 square metres are exempt.

If you bought your property brand-new and now intend to sell it or let it out, you may well already have an energy-efficiency certificate. These are now automatically issued, by law, for new builds. But if you have since upgraded your energy rating through extra works – such as adding solar panels, better insulation, or double glazing – you might want to obtain a fresh certificate to reflect its improved category.

Properties left unoccupied – and which will continue to be left unoccupied – for more than eight months of the year do not need an energy-efficiency certificate. This might be the case if, for example, you own a second home that you only intend to let to holidaymakers in July and August, and use for yourself on occasional weekends out of season.

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com

Team Spain has smashed its own record medal-count and broken the 40 barrier for the first time.

After netting 31 medals in Rio 2016, the post-pandemic Paralympics set another national best for Spanish competitors – the haul of 36 from Tokyo 2020 represented the country's highest figure to date.

A last-minute silver for Alberto Suárez in the marathon brought the Paris 2024 total up to 40 – which included seven golds – and saw Spain shine most of all in swimming, athletics, triathlon and cycling.

Swimming remains the country's strongest discipline, with 15 medals, followed by cycling and athletics with eight each, and four for triathlon.

Spanish Olympic and Paralympic competitors typically have a greater battle on their hands than those of their neighbouring countries, given that government funding is very scarce – the majority have day-jobs – unlike the UK, second from top in the medal count after China, where candidates at the Games receive National Lottery grants. 

With the USA third from top, Spain was up against some powerful sporting nations, meaning its Paralympic sportspeople can be justly proud of coming 16^th in the medal total overall.

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com

GRANTS of up to €250 are available this year for replacing older air-conditioning units in a bid to encourage greater energy efficiency. 

Not all regional governments offer funding, but for those which do, no deadline for applying has been set as yet – meaning it may not be too late to request a cashback.

Known as a Plan Renove ('Renewal' or 'Replacement' Plan), payments are made when installing fitted units with an energy-efficiency rating of at least A+.

Unfortunately, funds are not given for first-time installations – only for upgrading older, existing units with a higher energy consumption.

Typically, applicants need to be registered as resident in the region whose government is offering the cash, meaning the scheme is unsuitable for holiday-home owners who live in a different part of Spain or abroad.

Read more at thinkSpain.com

RESIDENTIAL property prices rose again in July outside of Spain's major cities, with homes for sale on the islands now breaking post-recession records.

Leading quantity surveyor association TINSA says the average price tag is now 3% higher than a year ago, and that the most recent full-month figures – for July 2024 – reveal an increase of 0.7% in values compared with those of June.

Whilst property price rises are beginning to stagnate in the country's largest metropolitan areas and in land-locked provinces, those in more traditional tourism zones are seeing an across-the-board increase in value.

This is particularly the case in the Balearic and Canary Islands, where property price hikes between July 2023 and July 2024 have reached 8.6% - nearly three times the rate of inflation.

In these offshore regions, average home prices are now above the historic highs seen in 2007 and early 2008 – a time when property values across the country reached unrealistic heights never witnessed before and which preceded a nationwide housing market crash, provoking a long recession.

There is no suggestion of a recurrence of this grim period in Spain's recent history, however: The typical value of a residential property on the islands is around 1.7% above that of late 2007 which, allowing for inflation over the 17 years since, responds more to a healthy demand than an unsustainable property boom.

Coastal tourism enclaves see above-average price increases

TINSA considers this demand to be location-specific, given the Balearics' and Canaries' status as mature and well-established holiday destinations, and says this same factor is also driving up home prices elsewhere on Spain's Mediterranean seaboard.

All down the east coast, homes have risen in value by an average of 6.2% in the past year, with a typical increase in the last month of around 0.4% on the mainland side of the Mediterranean, compared with 1.1% in the Balearics.

Slowdown in major cities with high housing demand

A general slowdown has been noted this summer in major cities, particularly Madrid and Barcelona, with year-on-year price rises at 2.1% - below the national average and lower than the rate of inflation.

DEMAND for mortgages to buy a home has begun to rise for the first time since 2022, despite rates being at their highest levels in nearly a decade.

According to the Central European Bank (BCE), three of the largest economies in the Eurozone – Spain, Germany and Italy – registered an increase in new mortgage applications in the second quarter of this year, after many months of lack of demand due to loans becoming far more expensive.

France, the remaining country in the Eurozone's 'top four' economies, reported no change in demand in the last quarter.

After plummeting demand due to interest rate hikes, applications for consumer loans are now beginning to increase in the Eurozone, the BCE reveals: Forecasts for the second quarter of 2024 in banks across the common currency area averaged around a 6% rise in demand, but latest figures show the reality is nearer 13%, with Spain, Germany and France topping the list.

Spain and Germany also registered a slight increase in business loan requests in the first six months of this year, whilst Italy and France reported a significant decline.

The common currency interest rate, or Euribor, fell below zero for the first time in February 2016, and remained in negative figures until late 2022, when it began to soar at a pace never seen before.

Having topped 4% on some occasions since then, the Euribor closed July 2024 on 3.567%.

Property price rise creates 'affordable housing' crisis in Eurozone 

The BCE report states that falling residential property prices have helped push up demand for mortgages in some parts of the Eurozone – particularly Germany, which has seen year-on-year decreases of around 5.7%, and France, with values dropping by 4.8% – although the opposite has been seen in Spain, where purchase prices continue to climb.

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com

SPAIN'S last-minute win against England in the 2024 UEFA Euros comes on the 60^th anniversary of the country's first-ever title in the much-followed competition – and has broken numerous records, too.

The party has barely finished for La Roja – their triumphant return from Germany after Sunday's late-night victory was followed by a huge open-air concert in Madrid's Plaza Cibeles, which is, at every other time, a busy traffic island but which, on Monday, featured a star-studded line-up of national music chart-topping artists; then, later that day, the entire team met King Felipe VI at the monarch's main residence in Madrid, the Zarzuela Palace.

Naturally, they had already met HRH Felipe immediately after the match, since the King was watching with the youngest of his two daughters, the Infanta Sofía, 17.

Sofía, who wore red trousers in support of her national team – although her white shirt may have been a nod to England, given that she is currently living in the UK whilst studying at sixth-form college in Wales – looked visibly nervous as the score levelled up before Oyarzábal took it to 2-1 in the 86^th minute.

Most Euro victories and most consecutive match wins in history

Oyarzábal and his team-mate Nico Williams, whose goals took the cup home to Spain for the fourth time in history, made La Roja the highest-scoring team in the entire trajectory of the Euros: With 15 goals in this year's tournament and only four against in seven matches, Spain has now broken the uninterrupted record held by France who, under Platini in 1984, notched up a total of 14 in five matches to clinch the trophy.

Until now, Spain had been level-pegging with Germany for the most UEFA Euro tournaments won – with three each – but La Roja is now officially in the lead with four titles.

Even though the baby-boomer generation is the youngest to remember Spain's first victory in 1964 – at a time when home television was an extremely rare commodity and most would have followed the matches by radio – no Spaniard born in the 20^th century will ever forget La Roja's 'World Cup sandwich': Their hat-trick of two consecutive Euros in 2008 and 2012 with the 2010 World Cup in between went down in sporting history.

But for fans of every nationality, the writing was on the wall ahead of Sunday's match, despite the huge leaps forward England has made in recent years under Gareth Southgate: Every time Spain's men's – or women's - team has reached a final, it has won.

For the past decade, La Roja has barely made it past a quarter-final, but before Sunday, the team had qualified for, and won, 22 finals, meaning fans were fairly confident that the 23^rd would end the same way.

And in the 2024 tournament, Spain did not lose a single match, giving it a new record of seven consecutive victories – against Croatia, Italy, Albania, Georgia, Germany, France, and then England – breaking that held by France since 1984 when Platini's squad won five consecutive matches, albeit at a time when only eight countries were involved in the competition.

Rising stars and seasoned veterans

In total, 10 players scored goals for Spain during the 2024 Euros – Álvaro Morata, Dani Carvajal, Ferrán Torres, Rodri, Merino, Oyarzábal and Lamine Yamal with one each, Dani Olmo with three, and Fabián and Nico Williams each scoring twice.

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com

RESIDENTS in Spain who bought a new home before 2013 may still be able to offset the purchase against their annual tax return, if they have not done so already.

Until that year, buying a main residence in Spain gave the owner tax deductions, but the then Partido Popular (PP) government scrapped this benefit, at a time when taxes in general had sharply risen to aid a flagging economy.

Now, over a decade on, the Central Financial and Contentious Court (Tribunal Económico-Administrativo Central, or TEAC) has created new windows to enable some of those who missed out to backdate their claims.

Anyone who had already applied a tax deduction in their annual return (Declaración de la Renta) in 2012 or before in relation to a main residential property purchase, who had bought their home prior to January 1, 2013, or carried out renovation works on it before that date, would have benefited from the now-defunct reduction scheme.

But some did not apply at all – those who did not have any taxable income, meaning they did not make a declaration, and those who were not obliged to file a tax return and opted not to do so, would not have offset their home purchase.

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com