Live News From Spain As It Happens

OVER 31,000 drivers were pulled up for speeding in just one week in Spain following Easter, according to the General Directorate of Traffic (DGT), part of the national ministry of public works and infrastructure.

Between Monday, April 17 and Sunday, April 23, Guardia Civil traffic police set up speed traps on secondary roads and motorways, and report that around one in 20 drivers was over the limit.

More speed merchants were caught on secondary roads – 5.6% of the total – than on motorways, where 4.9% of the total were pulled over.

In fact, four of the 31,086 were arrested and charged with a criminal offence after having exceeded the limit by 80 kilometres (50 miles) per hour.

This would normally mean 160 to 180 kilometres (100 to 113) on a secondary road where the national limit is 100km/h (63mph) or where restrictions are sometimes in place bringing the limit down to a typical 80km/h; or on a motorway, where the national limit – save for occasional restrictions – is 120 km/h (75mph), the arrested drivers would have been travelling at 200km/h (125mph).

Vigilance was higher on secondary roads, say traffic police, and this is normally the case as nearly eight in 10 crash deaths occur on these – and in the week following Easter, 55.7% of speeding fines were applied to drivers on these highways.

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com

THIS year's May Day bank holiday is set to be grey, wet and miserable in most of the country, and cold and white in the north.

Rain in Andalucía and the southern parts of Castilla-La Mancha and Extremadura is likely to continue over the weekend and Monday, just as over 6.5 million cars are expected to hit the roads.

Frosts plunging to -5ºC in the upper part of Castilla y León and La Rioja have already threatened this September's grape harvest, possibly leading to a wine shortage.

And snow has been photographed on café tables in Tarragona (pictured).

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com

SEVILLA'S famous April Fair kicks off today (Saturday) with over a week of all that's stereotypical about Spain: castañets, red polka-dot dresses, flamenco and sevillana dancing, cantaores, bailaores, hand-clapping and gypsy guitars.

The southern city's biggest tourist attraction after its Semana Santa or Easter parades, the Feria de Abril – something of a misnomer, given that all bar the first two days of it takes place in May – sees the streets lined with colourful stalls selling food, drink and crafts, plus live music, typical local dishes for tasting, on-street entertainment, fireworks, parades and horses.

Millions of visitors from every continent descend on Sevilla for April Fair week, a feel-good festival that brings to life all the urban myths about Spain in full colour, life, cheesiness and fun.

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A BRITISH woman has died after falling out of a 10th-floor balcony in a Benidorm apartment block, say National Police in the Costa Blanca holiday capital.

The 25-year-old was reported to have plunged from the terrace of the block on the C/ Almería in the Rincón de Loix area (pictured), known as the 'British district'.

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A TEENAGE girl who joined in the perilous 'Blue Whale' challenge on Facebook has been admitted to a psychiatric ward in Catalunya, and is the first case uncovered so far in Spain.

Said to have started in Russia and spread to the former Soviet States and then to Latin America, the foolhardy 'challenge' involves completing 50 'tasks' in 50 days, of increasing difficulty.

They start off relatively easy, but by the 50^th, the participant is 'dared' to attempt suicide.

Several teenage suicides have been detected as a result.

In the case of the 15-year-old from Catalunya – whose exact location, or even province, have not been revealed – she had got around halfway through the 50 'tasks' and completed the one which involved carving a giant whale into her arm.

She was due to reach 'task 50' this summer, in which she was expected to attempt suicide.

The 'challenge' operates on a 'chain-mail' system, in which participants are first dared by someone else who is part-way through the 50 days, and the newcomer is told that once he or she starts, they are not allowed to back out.

They start off with a 'task' as simple as drawing a blue whale on a piece of paper, and participants are expected to film themselves completing each one.

Then, they progress to being challenged by Facebook and chat apps on their mobiles to spend 24 hours awake watching horror films, cut their lips, make a hole in their hands, and carving a whale into their arm with a knife.

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A TOWN in the far north-western region of Galicia holds the national record for the most Roman ruins per household with practically every inhabitant owning at least one.

And their collections are not technically illegal, since the parts of the collapsed settlement in their area have never been officially recognised.

Still, many of them who spoke of their hoard of treasures to the regional newspaper, La Voz de Galicia, did not want to give their names as they were afraid national or local heritage departments would take them away – or worse, fine them for plundering.

O Espiño, part of the larger town of Oímbra and close to Montalegre in the Verín district (Ourense province), hit the local news a few weeks ago after a Roman ring dedicated to the god Jupiter and dating back to the second century AD was catalogued, but residents already suspected they were sitting on a historian's paradise.

Homes in the village house at least two stone sculptures in honour of Roman gods and goddesses; dozens of stone mills dating back to the first and second centuries AD; chunks of a Celtic wall and several Bronze Age carvings on slabs of rock.

Millstones from the third century AD and later are the most common, and some residents have five or six decorating their driveways or garden walls.

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A PENSIONER on the southern Costa Blanca has entered the Guinness Book of Records for having the largest brandy collection on the planet.

Manuel Bru – or should that be 'Brew' – has 1,057 bottles in his house, of which the oldest was manufactured in 1888.

The 81-year-old from Elche (Alicante province) started his collection at age 55 and says his world record certificate is 'a dream ome true'.

He applied after meeting a brandy fanatic from Mallorca who 'only had 840 bottles'.

Manuel posed for photos with his collection at the request of the Guinness Book of Records authors so they could be included in the next edition, due out in October this year.

He says his collecting quest has slowed down in recent years because sales of brandy have dropped, as the price per bottle has shot up, but says now he has beaten the world record he would have 'no problem' in selling his hoard at the right price to the right person 'who was keen to take them on and had the cash needed to maintain the collection', rather than simply drinking the lot.

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com

A TERROR suspect caught in Teulada (Alicante province) today harboured Jihad members under international arrest warrants, funded the cause and helped recruits travel from war zones to Europe to commit atrocities they had trained for in the Middle East.

The accused, 46, believed to be Egyptian, had lived 'discreetly' in the Costa Blanca town but was a prolific social network user, uploading videos and photos advertising and promoting DAESH, the so-called 'Islamic State'.

Jihad fighters returning from Iraq and Syria were given refuge in his home, and he helped them get to Spain from these countries via Turkey and Egypt.

He also made humiliating comments online about victims of DAESH.

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com

A THEME park centred on the history of Spain is set to open in the province of Toledo (Castilla-La Mancha) in two years' time, creating over 1,000 directly-linked jobs and expected to attract 15,000 tourists a day.

Some €200 million is being invested in the Puy du Fou centre, for which work will start next year.

The park will be the venue for a nightly 75-minute live show giving a potted history of the country from its earliest settlers through to the 19^th century, in a 25-acre (10-hectare) arena seating up to 4,000 spectators at a time.

An 'historic village' – probably similar to Barcelona's fascinating Poble Espanyol, a short walk through nearly every province in Spain through its typical architecture, although in period costume and set design – will be added to the park before 2020, along with restaurants and daytime shows along a similar theme.

The unusual, exciting attraction is funded and developed by the French company Puy du Fou, which already has a similar park featuring the history of France in Spain's northern neighbour country.

Founder Philippe de Villiers and chairman Nicolas de Villiers stress that it will not be a case of 'France imposing its vision' on Spain's history, but that the park will be 'entirely Spain-driven' via its manager in the country, Jesús Sáinz.

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UNITED Nations children's arm UNICEF has urged Spain to take emergency measures to protect its young from the effects of climate change, warning that the western Mediterranean country is one of Europe's most at-risk nations because of its being such a dry terrain.

Whilst home to lush, verdant mountains, pastures and forests, Spain also houses deserts and some of its provinces are in danger of further desertification caused by deforestation.

Also, the ongoing drought coupled with the habitual intense summer heat is expected to be exacerbated over the coming decades by global warming.

“Spain's nine million children will inherit an uninhabitable country if action is not taken quickly,” is UNICEF's dramatic warning.

It has called for the nation's youngest residents to be the central priority in the Spanish government's future Climate Change Law.

The Spanish UNICEF Committee's managing director Javier Martos and childhood policies leader Maite Pacheco presented the organisation's report, The impact of climate change on childhood in Spain, warning that global warming is 'a growing and unprecedented threat' for youngsters.

“Spain is the most vulnerable country in Europe to global warming, and if the international community does not make real efforts in reducing emissions in the next few years, temperatures will rise by up to 5ºC by the middle of the 21^st century,” Sra Pacheco and Sr Martos said.

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NOTTING Hill actress Julia Roberts took time out from her Hollywood career to watch the Madrid-Barça derby at the Spanish capital's Santiago Bernabéu stadium – and to snap some selfies with players from both sides.

“As well as a great win, I also got to meet my favourite actress,” said Barça's Leo Messi (second picture) on Facebook.

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RESIDENTS in Spain's so-called 'blank zones' with little or no internet coverage will get up to €450 each to help them connect, says Secretary of State for Information Technology in Society, José María Lassalle.

The government's new 'Satellite Plan' involves a budget of €10 million, which is hoped to benefit between 20,000 and 30,000 inhabitants, and includes a roll-out of higher-speed broadband connections of up to 30 megabytes.

Already, four in five Spanish residents use the internet frequently – a figure that has grown by 6.1% in the last year and continues to rise – but the government wants to extend availability to 100% of the population.

Some of Spain's least-populated and barely-inhabited areas have no coverage for mobile phones or internet, since the low customer base means it is not economically viable for telecommunications companies to fund the infrastructure.

This is true of regions such as Aragón which, despite being home to Spain's fifth-largest city – Zaragoza – also has stretches of dozens of kilometres with no civilisation, and an estimated 80% of the region's municipalities have fewer than 30 inhabitants.

Other areas with similar issues include parts of Castilla-La Mancha and Castilla y León, two of the mainland's largest regions which make up practically the whole of the centre of the country.

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com

A FULL health and safety inquiry has been ordered into a fairground ride in the province of Almería after a 14-year-old girl was flung clear of her cabin in mid-air.

The youngster was knocked out cold and broke her leg, and is being treated at Poniente Hospital in El Ejido, but her condition is not life-threatening.

She was on a ride similar to the one pictured left, at the San Marcos fair in the same town at 23.00 on Saturday, when – for reasons which have not been clarified – she fell out of her seat when the tilting roundabout was at the top of its central post.

Such rides always have safety bars across customers' laps, and it is not known yet whether this came undone or whether it was not low down enough to hold her in.

The ride was completely up to date with its servicing, maintenance and mechanical inspections and had the relevante certificates to prove it.

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com

LOW-COST airline Ryanair will be in Spain from next Thursday (April 27) until the end of May seeking to recruit new cabin crew for its flights.

Roadshows will be held in Málaga, Granada, Valencia, Sevilla, Barcelona and Madrid in a bid to take on more staff as part of its plan to expand the payroll by 3,550 over the course of 2017.

In addition to 2,000 cabin crew members, Ryanair wants to employ 1,000 pilots, 250 aircraft engineers and will promote 300 in-house officials.

The Irish carrier currently holds bases in 84 European airports and, even though it has admitted its future investment in the UK is uncertain in light of Brexit, this is proving no barrier to its continent-wide growth.

Those seeking a job as a cabin crew member do not need any previous experience, since they will be fully trained once taken on, and the package includes major travel perks.

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com

LEFT-WING French electoral candidate Jean-Luc Mélenchon refused to speak in English to the BBC during an interview, saying he would only converse in Spanish – the language of his grandparents.

Leader of the independent party La France Insoumise ('Unsubmissive France'), the politician stopped a British reporter mid-flow with: “English no; Spanish, yes.”

He later uploaded a video to YouTube in which he accuses the British of arrogance and 'imperialism'.

“They think the whole world should speak English,” Mélenchon complained, in Spanish.

“It's because they're intrinsically imperialist, they think they own the world – you give a press conference and you're expected to speak English.

“La France Insoumise isn't the only political outfit which refused to speak English with the BBC; a few years ago, Germany's deputy Chancellor Guido Westerwelle, when interviewed on home soil, pointed out, 'in the UK you speak English, but here in Germany we speak German',” Mélenchon continues.

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com

AN 11-YEAR-OLD boy has died in a go-karting accident at the Fernando Alonso circuit in Oviedo (Asturias) whilst training for the regional junior championships.

Gonzalo Basurto, from Medina de Pomar in the province of Burgos and member of the Castilla y León Racing Federation, was due to compete for the Asturias Championships this coming Sunday.

But his car overturned in training and had to be rushed to Asturias Central University Hospital in a critical condition, where he died yesterday (Sunday).

The Championship race has now been cancelled as a result of the tragedy.

The Motor Racing Federation of the Principality of Asturias, and the Fernando Alonso Circuit and Museum Foundation both confirmed that all security measures were properly in place during the practice session and that officials and medical services present acted in an 'exemplary manner', following 'proper emergency procedures to the letter'.

Both groups, together with the Castilla y León Motor Racing Federation and Gonzalo's team, Pé Á Chapa Racing, have issued messages of condolences to the boy's parents on Twitter.

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com

NORTH-WESTERN Spain is on high alert due to a string of wildfires which have already wiped out over 2,500 hectares (about 6,200 acres) in three regions, sparked by the unusually-high temperatures over Easter weekend and still burning.

Mayor of Ferrol (A Coruña province, Galicia) Jorge Suárez calls the inferno 'an environmental tragedy', with 450 hectares (1,110 acres) having been destroyed in his and the neighbouring town, Val de Narón.

Miraculously, nobody has been hurt, despite the flames spreading across several municipalities – one in Oza-Cesuras is creeping dangerously close to O Picheiro, part of Ferrol's tied hamlet of Covas – and the blaze in Vizoño is now under control with those in As Pontes and Negreira extinguished.

Galicia is also under threat from the forest fires burning in Portugal's Peneda Gerés National Park, barely 10 or 20 kilometres south of the Ourense province border in Galicia, although at present, these seem to be under control.

To the south-east of Galicia, in Castilla y León, flames continue to rage as the Armed Forces emergency response unit and firefighters battle against infernos in Peñalba de Santiago (León province) and Nieva (Segovia province).

The worst so far in Castilla y León broke out three days ago on Wednesday in Bouzas, in the Tebaida mountains of the province of León, with nearly 2,000 hectares destroyed and residents in neighbouring villages including San Clemente and Valdueza concerned after they became surrounded by a wall of flames.

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com

STRIKES at Palma de Mallorca's Son Sant Joan airport have been confirmed, with the first due in a week's time on Saturday, April 29 from 08.00 to 10.00.

Later, between 11.00 and 13.00, a protest will be held outside the building, beginning in Departures.

Unions CGT and Somos en Acciona Airport Services say air infrastructure governing body AENA 'is not willing to negotiate' and 'continually fails to comply with' the collective working conditions agreement.

Acciona AS says despite the expected record tourist season this year, staff suffer from 'lack of job security' and the 500-plus employees are 'only on contracts of 15 to 18 hours a week'.

In addition to April 29, strikes will take place on Wednesday, May 3 from 20.00 to 23.00, then on Monday, May 8 from 13.00 to 15.00 and Thursday, May 18 from 11.00 to 13.00, concluding – for the moment – on Sunday, May 28 from 20.00 to 23.00.

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com

ELECTRICITY firms will be required to give three warnings and then wait at least four months before cutting off power due to non-payment, according to a draft law sent to Spain's 17 autonomously-governed regions by the central government.

Two months' grace after the three warnings will be given to the average householder, but those listed as 'vulnerable' or who are in receipt of social service funding, or registered with the electricity board for benefits reducing their bills due to poverty, will get a four-month breathing space to try to find the money before they lose their connection.

Spain's ministry for energy has drawn up the law text based upon the contributions of all political groups which supported the move for 'energy benefits' to be allowed to very low-income households on a means-tested basis.

Income levels are set for those who qualify, but are higher for householders with disabilities or who have to care for disabled relatives full-time.

Utility boards must now inform customers of their non-payment as soon as this occurs, then request the money via a legal document known as a burofax sent by registered post, or by email with a digital signature.

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com

GERMANY has asked Spain to hand over its investigations into the Volkswagen 'Dieselgate' fraud for ease of administration, fearing that if the inquiry is too fragmented worldwide, it could lead to cases being filed due to lack of evidence or expiring under the various national statutes of limitations.

'Doctored' engines, fitted with software to mask true emissions readings, are believed to have affected around 11 million cars and vans on the planet.

A recall on all Volkswagens of models known to be carrying the rogue software has allowed anyone who bought a vehicle with a manipulated engine to have theirs replaced free of charge.

At present, 'Dieselgate' in Spain is being handled by National Court judge Ismael Moreno who, as yet, has not found evidence of 'liability' of 'any persons or companies acting on an individual basis' in Spain – or, nobody who specifically and knowingly installed, or ordered the installation of, the emissions-masking programme in EA189 engines.

The prosecution service in Brunswick, Germany has contacted Judge Moreno to say it is well under way with its own inquiries and in evidence-gathering against Volkswagen managers responsible for the fraud, and wants to consolidate the case under one roof.

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com

RENTAL properties have been described as 'the new golden egg' with prices rising between 10% and 20% in major cities such as Valencia, Palma de Mallorca, Madrid, Barcelona and San Sebastián in the last year.

Part of this is because of a new surge in tourism apartments – in fact, in Barcelona, it is harder to find a hotel room for a short break than to rent an apartment, which often works out cheaper even for small groups.

And young adults seeking to leave the parental nest are still struggling to get onto the house-buying ladder – not because prices are too high, but because mortgage lenders expect at least a 20% and often a 40% deposit, plus fees on top of this are in region of 12.5% of the market value.

This means Spaniards in their 20s and early 30s are more inclined to rent than buy, which translates to an increasing market and higher demand for property owners seeking to earn an income from their investment.

Rising demand and rental prices, combined with a short-term view that tourist lets for a few weeks of the year earn more than permanent tenants, mean city councils are keeping a close eye on the industry to ensure ethics are not compromised by desire for profit – in fact, the mayoresses of Barcelona and Madrid, Ada Colau and Manuela Carmena respectively, are putting measures in place to stop landlords from throwing out long-term year-round tenants so they can let their properties to holidaymakers.

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com

THREE-TIMES canoeing world champion Óscar Graña has saved a woman from drowning in the river Lérez in Pontevedra (Galicia) – for the second time.

The kayaking marathon title-holder, who is also a National Police officer, saw a 61-year-old barely-conscious woman in the water, threw himself in and pulled her up by the head so she could breathe, before swimming with her to shore.

He was off duty at the time, at 10.20 yesterday (Monday), and was practising on the river in his canoe.

Once the victim was out of the river, he performed CPR on her and put her in the recovery position once she had started breathing and her pulse had returned, so she could spit out the water she had swallowed.

Medics, who took her away in an ambulance, say her family had reported her missing in the early hours of yesterday morning.

She is believed to have survived and be recovering in hospital.

This is the second time Óscar has saved a woman from drowning in the same river

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com

A FIESTA brotherhood in Córdoba has expelled a female member who kissed another girl during the Good Friday parade.

The Hermandad del Descendimiento de Córdoba ('Brotherhood of the Descent of Córdoba'), one of the troops in the Easter processions, says it is not the fact that the person she kissed was of the same gender, but the fact she did it at all during what was supposed to be a solemn, religious parade mourning the crucifixion of Christ.

And it was just one 'offence' among many others, including 'taking selfies and talking on her mobile phone' during the procession and in full costume.

“Participating in parades of this nature involves accepting a series of rules on how to behave, and these unfortunate incidences do not reflect the seriousness of the rest of the Brothers involved in the cortège who carried out their Season of Penitence in the solemn and composed manner required,” the fiesta group says, whilst apologising 'for any offence that may have been caused'.

Even non-religious fiesta processions involve certain codes of conduct – openly waving at friends and relatives in the audience, playing the fool, texting or other out-of-place actions are considered disrespectful to other members, to the fiesta itself and to spectators.

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EUROPE'S oldest woman alive today was born in Puente Genil (Córdoba province) and has held this honour since Saturday, when the last person on earth born in the 19^th century – Emma Morano, 117, from Italy – passed away.

Emma's status as the oldest woman on the planet, having been born on November 29, 1899 in Piamonte, has now been taken over by Jamaican Violet Brown, who was born in 1900.

And her place as Europe's most elderly is now held by Ana Vela Rubio, who came into the world on October 29, 1901 and who is the fourth-eldest on earth.

She is beaten only by Violet, and the two Japanese ladies Nabi Tajima, 116 and Chiyo Miyako, 115, according to the GRG World Supercentenarian Rankings List.

Ana moved to Catalunya in the 1940s, working as a seamstress for a tuberculosis hospital in Terrassa (Barcelona province) – having left school at age 11 - and became a regular at the day centre in the La Verneda nursing home in 2005, when she was 103.

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LEFT-WING party Podemos has launched a new campaign bus denouncing PP politicians accused of corruption and has started driving it around the streets of Madrid.

The tramabús ('racket bus') is aimed at naming and shaming the various tramas de corrupción, or 'corruption rackets' and 'pointing out the financial powers responsible for the privation of human rights in Spain'.

The blue bus is the latest in Podemos' anti-corruption strategy, which has so far targeted banks, major building developers and electricity boards, and party leader Pablo Iglesias has already started driving it around 'key political and economic power' areas in the capital, such as the main business boulevard, the Paseo de la Castellana – the four emblematic skyscrapers of which are the head offices of large companies and banks – and the C/ Génova, where the right-wing PP has its headquarters.

Iglesias has been accompanied on his travels by Unidos Podemos Parliamentary spokeswoman Irene Montero, and sociologist Rubén Juste, the author of the book Ibex 35: An heretic history of power in Spain.

Giant faces on the side of the vehicle include former economy minister and International Monetary Fund (FMI) boss Rodrigo Rato; PP ex-president of Spain José María Aznar; ex-president of Madrid regional government and now PP chairwoman for the city, Esperanza Aguirre; former PP treasurer Luis Bárcenas, plus the back of the head of current Spanish president Mariano Rajoy shown sending a text message to Bárcenas reading, “Luis, be strong!” - a message he was found to have sent when the ex-treasurer was first placed under investigation for the 'underground' financing through cash bribes received by the PP.

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A NORTHERN Spanish town has entered the Guinness Book of Records for the best street food in the world, having attracted 11,836 customers at yesterday's (Monday's) open-air food fair.

Five notaries signed on the dotted line to confirm the exact number of street diners in Avilés (Asturias), which beat second-placed Metepec in México hands-down.

The city in the North American country hosted a street tacos fair and drew in over 9,450 customers.

A traditional event in Avilés, this year's street-food fair formed part of a global challenge to celebrate the 25^th anniversary of the previously-held record, and photographs and videos of the day, plus legal documents swearing to the exact number of diners, will be sent to the Guinness Book of Records publishers for – hopefully – inclusion.

Each of the five notaries had to count 3,000 customers in just 45 minutes, between 14.45 and 15.30, which was all the food fair lasted.

Avilés' food fair, or Comida en la Calle, forms part of its El Bollo fiestas and dates back over 100 years.

It takes place in the historic quarters of the town in order to get locals mingling together and enjoying typical regional foodstuffs.

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A TRAIN was held up for over an hour at a Valencia province station on Easter Sunday due to a festival on the track.

Locals in Buñol – a town better known for hosting the world-famous Tomatina, the biggest public tomato fight on the planet – traditionally gather on the railway line on Easter Sunday to eat monas, or typical cakes consumed over the long spring holiday weekend.

And the train driver refused to continue on the journey until the group had been moved on by the Guardia Civil.

Police did not disperse the crowds until they had finished their celebrations and cake-eating, by which time passengers had been waiting for over an hour.

Mayor of Buñol Rafael Pérez says the traditional Pasturar la mona festival takes place in the Roquillo nature reserve under a bridge through which the railway track passes, and the 4,000 or 5,000 villagers who join in tend to just press themselves up against the bridge wall whenever a train comes by.

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THE Spanish referee at the Europa League match between Turkish team Besiktas and French side Olympique de Lyon had an unusual but heart-warming solution for the pandemonium caused by rival fans causing a riot and disrupting the match.

Besiktas fans hurled firecrackers at Lyon supporters, who had to rush onto the pitch to escape and ended up wrecking the game.

The match at Lyon's Parc Olympique was delayed for a further hour until the chaos was over and the dust had settled.

Referee Mateu Lahoz decided the players should set an example as to 'what football was all about' and the healthy competition it should be.

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A DOMESTIC led to murder in the early hours of this morning (Sunday) when a 53-year-old woman stabbed her partner to death at their home in Barcelona's Raval district.

The victim, a woman aged 57, is said to have suffered regular violent incidences at her partner's hands, and when their neighbours heard of the killing, they said they had been half-expecting it.

They say the deceased was often seen with bruises and other outward physical signs of violence, and that the two women – who had been living together for many years – frequently had blazing rows.

Police were called out at around 03.00 to the apartment on the Passatge Sant Bernat and the younger woman was arrested.

Speaking out on the crime today, the Spanish Observatory Against Homophobia said identical legal procedures and protections needed to be put in place for victims of same-gender relationship violence as those which have been designed to help women attacked or killed by their husbands or boyfriends.

Very little is ever mentioned in the Spanish media about men who are victims of violence at the hands of their wives or girlfriends, and it is believed embarrassment and fear of stigma and ridicule may prevent those who suffer such aggression from reporting their ordeal.

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SCOTLAND and Asturias have joined forces for an Easter 'art exchange' this weekend – today (Saturday), if you're in the north of Spain, you can enjoy a cultural treasure hunt around the streets of Oviedo, the birthplace of Formula 1 racing driver Fernando Alonso; or if you're in the UK, head up to Aberdeen and seek out the works of Asturian artists on Monday.

Participants are given 'treasure-hunt maps' and, if they find any of the works in either Scotland or Asturias, they get to keep them.

This fun scheme is the brainchild of Asturians Dalia Martínez – who has lived in Aberdeen for two years and signs off her artwork as Lady Thornfield – and Marta Fermín, manager of the Decero Creativo gallery in Oviedo.

They explain this is a cultural version of the traditional Easter egg hunt, and is the first of what they hope will be many exchanges between the two regions

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com

TWO professors from the University of the Balearic Islands in Palma de Mallorca swindled over €600,000 out of cancer patients and their relatives by selling them fake medication, say National Police.

At least 10 police reports have been filed by patients or their loved ones who paid up to €25,600 for a 'cure' which 'worked' by 'altering the lipids [fat content] of the membrane of cancer cells'.

It was given the name 'Minerval', and has not gone through any of the usual laboratory hoops to test its effectiveness and clear it for retail or mass hospital use.

The so-called medication was created by a spin-off company set up under the name of Lipopharma (pictured), using the university's laboratories to make up the drug, and advertising it online.

Only one of the professors is said to be linked to the university, but the second professor worked with him in the lab on campus.

Another three people who collaborated with the accused parties have also been arrested.

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com

SURVIVORS of a migrant boat which capsized out to sea were brought to safety at Almería port last night (Tuesday) after a woman and a 10-year-old girl lost their lives.

The jerry-built craft went down near Alborán Island, about halfway between Almería and northern Morocco, carrying 32 sub-Saharan Africans desperate to reach Europe.

Like many who risk their lives daily in an attempt to escape poverty, political turbulence and armed conflict and never reach dry land again, two of the occupants drowned and another man is missing.

Red Cross workers rescued the remaining 22 men and seven women, and say all bar two of the migrants are in good health.

A pregnant woman said to be 'very ill', and another African whose condition has not been revealed, were air-lifted to hospital.

“Usually they cheer when they get on board the Coastguard craft, knowing they are now safely en route to their destination, but not today,” said the rescue boat captain.

“Nobody likes arriving with dead bodies on board, especially those of children.”

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ACTOR Antonio Banderas has defied speculation that his recent heart troubles would keep him from his annual pilgrimage to Málaga for the Easter processions – he has already been spotted dressed in his Holy Week 'brotherhood' gown and pointy hat, taking part in the Palm Sunday parades.

And it looks likely he will continue with his lifelong tradition and help carry the float with the statue of the Virgin Mary through the streets on Good Friday, in a solemn parade to mark the crucifixion.

Banderas has returned to his native Costa del Sol city every year, no matter where in the world he is living or what film commitments he has, to join the pall-bearers parading the María Santísima de las Lágrimas y Favores ('Most Holy Mary of Tears and Favours'), the patron saint of Málaga.

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BRITISH and European Union citizens 'must not be used as bargaining chips' in the Brexit negotiations, stressed Maltese president Joseph Muscat at a summit in Madrid yesterday (Monday).

Spanish president Mariano Rajoy called his counterparts from six other member States for a Southern EU Summit at the Moncloa, Madrid's answer to the White House and 10 Downing Street, to discuss how the Mediterranean nations should pull together, how they can contribute better to a united Europe and how to handle Brexit.

Muscat says he is particularly interested in protecting 'our citizens', taken to mean those of the current EU-28 rather than just those of Malta.

“We need to find a fast solution to the issue of European citizens,” insisted Muscat (pictured).

“There must be convergence – not just between the seven of us, but the whole of the EU-27 – in the face of Brexit.

“We've decided to launch a new phase in relations between the UK and EU, but nobody can or should undermine what the European project is all about.”

This appears to be a covert reference to the UK's wanting a full free-trade agreement without free movement of people, which EU bosses and many national leaders have already warned them is not going to happen.

Rajoy has already stated on several occasions that his main concerns for Brexit negotiations are that Spaniards living in the UK, and Brits living in Spain, are protected as much as possible.

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A PASSENGER on Europe's fastest rollercoaster was struck full-on by a flying pigeon at nearly 200 kilometres per hour on the very first day the ride opened.

He was on the Red Force, a vertical rollercoaster which reaches speeds of 180 kilometres per hour within five seconds of take-off at Barcelona's Ferrari Land and stands around 12 metres above the ground.

Its sudden acceleration and plummeting to terra firma is supposed to give passengers a close idea of how it feels to be behind the wheel of a Formula 1 racing car.

One of the 1,500 on board was hit by a flying pigeon which became wrapped around his neck, stopping him from breathing, and got stuck in its position.

It was flying against the movement of the rollercoaster, meaning the passenger literally had to pull the bird off himself, but was fighting a strong air current due to the sheer speed of the ride.

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ONCE again, Spain has been voted the world's top tourism destination, way above Australia, the US and Italy.

The Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Index 2017, drawn up by the World Economic Forum, covers 136 countries, and Spain beats the other 135 with a total of 5.43 points.

Its nearest rival is France, with 5.32, followed by Germany with 5.28, and these top three countries have kept their positions from last year.

Japan has soared from ninth to fourth with 5.26, whilst Canada is up from 10^th to ninth, ahead of Switzerland's 4.94 points.

The USA has dropped to sixth place with 5.12, whilst the UK is level-pegging with Japan; Australia is seventh with 5.1 points and Italy, eighth with 4.99.

Although the report says Spain has benefited from plummeting holidaymaker numbers in traditional sunshine destinations close to or in Europe affected by insecurity and conflict, such as Turkey, Tunisia and Egypt, its 'excellent' tourism services and infrastructure, making it a mature destination very geared-up to catering for national and foreign visitors, and even its transport network – classified as one of the 15^th best on the planet – mean the south-western Mediterranean country is likely, in any case, to have beaten those nations whose tourists are thinking twice about visiting.

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A GROUND-BREAKING cancer vaccine for prevention and immune therapy for patients have been discovered by researchers at Valencia's La Fe hospital – but is unlikely to see the light of day due to lack of financing, scientists complain.

They have tested the drugs on laboratory rats and are now ready to carry out clinical trials, but need at last €50,000 to do so, covering a year's worth of salaries for investigtors.

According to dean of pharmacology at Valencia University and head of clinical pharmacology at La Fe, Dr Salvador Aliño, the vaccine has proven to be effctive against 'all types of cancer' in animals, provided it is administered before tumours form.

At present, the vaccine is only useful as a preventive tool, and would involve innoculating every member of the population who did not have cancer – which would be financially impossible for any country, Dr Aliño admits.

Once a tumour has formed, the vaccine would not work because in the process of cancer's appearing, the organism 'develops a certain level of tolerance' which the preventive drug is not capable of quashing.

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SERGIO García has put Spain back on the world golfing map with an epic win at the Augusta National Masters in Georgia, USA – 18 years after his début on the course.

This was also the last time a Spaniard won a major golf tournament - José María Olazábal netted the Augusta in 1999, and since then the country has remained a relatively minor player in the sport.

“The truth is that I'm still the same person, although I'm really satisfied and proud, not only with my performance on the course but also of all the people who have supported me and all those who have been there since the start of my career,” said a euphoric García just after donning the green winners' jacket.

García and his Ryder Cup team-mate Justin Rose were tied at -9 after 18 holes and had to go to a play-off, which Garcia won by 2 stokes giving him Spain's first big win this century.

“It's great to achieve what I believe I deserved – I felt very calm throughout the whole of today because I knew I was playing well,” admitted Sergio.

Olazábal, and the late Severiano Ballesteros, who would have tunred 60 yesterday (Sunday) are García's idols and he has always tried to emulate their play.

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FORMER defence minister Carme Chacón has been found dead by a female friend in her Madrid home.

She was just 46 years old.

Sra Chacón became the first female minister of defence in 2008 and attracted criticism for her president, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, when she famously walked on the front line in Afghanistan whilst heavily pregnant.

A year before her defence role, she had served as minister for housing in 2007 under the then socialist government.

Her young son was with his dad, Carme's ex-husband Miguel Barroso, at the time of her death.

She had just come back from Madrid from Miami and was due to meet a group of people for lunch on Sunday, but did not turn up.

When her friends were unable to reach her, they rang the 112 emergency hotline at around 19.30 and police and firefighters broke into her house.

She was last seen in public at a tribute in the Council of Ministers for her predecessor under Zapatero, José Antonio Alonso, who died from lung cancer on February 2.

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BAD news for expats in Spain who make regular trips back to the family nest: Ryanair has threatened to stop running flights in the UK post-Brexit.

Admittedly, this is a last resort and worst-case scenario, but the low-cost Irish airline is very concerned about the impact on its operations in Britain once it leaves the EU.

The oft-quoted uncertainty around the divorce has led to the carrier shrinking its growth forecast for the UK market for 2017 from an initial 15% down to 6% - a drastic drop which the firm says is 'inevitable'.

“Unavoidably, Brexit will cause a fall in growth,” said Ryanair's financial director Neil Sorahan.

“We haven't seen it yet, but we believe it will generate a slowdown in economic growth both in the UK and the EU, since both parties will have to face up to a completely new scenario.”

The airline has been pushing the British government for greater clarity on its negotiating strategies with the remaining EU-27 over the two years up to the 'Brexit' deadline.

Companies do not have two years to sit around and wait – especially airlines, since the majority schedule their flights 12 years in advance, so Ryanair is one of many which will have to work out its plan of action by March 2018 at the latest.

So if there is no concrete plan by then, Ryanair flights to and from the UK may have to stop 'for a while'.

“We're diverting our growth away from the UK,” said Sorahan during a presentation in London of Ryanair's new customer service programme, 'Always Improving'.

Set up four years ago to tackle what was then its weakest area, the new, friendly and much more flexible attitude has led to an upturn in profits.

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HUNDREDS of tractors blocked the entrance to Murcia city last night and today in a massive protest over water supply issues in the Mar Menor area.

They had been calling for a crisis meeting with regional agricultural minister Antonio Sánchez Solís and, when this was not forthcoming, took drastic action.

Various farming unions, companies – such as the international fruit and vegetable firm Proexport – trade associations such as COAG and UPA, cooperatives, irrigation communities, fishermen's societies, residents' associations and the environmental campaign groups Pacto por el Mar Menor and Ecologists in Action were behind the unprecedented demonstration, in which between 200 and 300 tractors in a slow-moving crocodile brought city traffic to a standstill.

After a whole night and Thursday morning's rush hour plunged into chaos and gridlock, Sánchez Solís finally agreed to meet with the farming communities.

They had spoken to him at noon on Wednesday and at 22.00 that same night, but reached a stalemate.

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SPANISH transport infrastructure giant Ferrovial has decided not to invest any further in Healthrow Airport due to Brexit.

Britain offers 'no opportunities', says chair Rafael del Pino, meaning any planned future mergers and acquisitions are now off.

“No-one knows, not even the United Kingdom, how the process and consequences of Brexit will pan out,” says Del Pino, who adds that Ferrovial's approach to business in Britain will now be cautious and 'prudent'.

He has good reason to fear uncertainty in the UK: as well as Heathrow, Ferrovial is a major shareholder in the airports of Aberdeen and Glasgow in Scotland and Southampton on the south coast, owning 50% of the capital in each, as well as significant construction and services activity in Scotland and England.

These figures translate to nearly a third of the firm's income derived from Britain and the country being among the Spanish firm's biggest markets.

This said, Del Pino speculates whether Brexit may bring the unexpectedly positive upturn of the British government's decision on the proposed third runway.

For decades now, talks on how to extend Heathrow airport – the largest of the London terminals and the UK's main long-haul departure and connecting point – have failed to bear fruit, but in two months' time, a public opinion poll on whether or not to include a third runway will close and be ready for Parliament to vote on it.

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THREE young teenagers have been arrested for starting a fire in an Almería province cave which killed two 16-year-old women and a 20-year-old man.

A blaze went up at around 20.00 last night (Monday) outside the cave in the Molineta area near the Argal high school just north of Almería city, spreading to an old sofa dumped inside the grotto.

The flames engulfed the outside of the cave, preventing its occupants from getting out.

Firefighters say the heat of the inferno was 'extremely intense', and the bodies of the three young adults showed 'multiple burns', so it is not known whether it was the smoke which killed them or the actual contact with the flames.

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THE new-style €50 note is now in circulation and has hit the shops and banks in Spain, but the 'old' version will still be issued while stocks last, according to the Central European Bank (BCE).

Along with the new €5, €10 and €20 notes which have gradually come into being over the past few years, the latest edition of the €50 includes better anti-forgery features, such as a clear plastic window with a hologram of the goddess Europa visible on either face, which becomes transparent against the light.

It also, like the other three, includes the number of its denomination in emerald-green, which turns blue when the note is tipped slightly.

The new euro banknotes have been brought in over time to make it harder to produce counterfeit cash, although a side issue is that of the countries which joined the European Union after it expanded in 2002, features of which are now incorporated into the design.

They include the word 'Euro' written in cyrillic and in Greek, and the BCE's initials reflecting how these are referred to in nine different languages, as opposed to five as they were on the old notes.

The map on the reverse side shows all the member States, including those which joined since 2002.

It is not expected that a future version slicing off the UK will be brought out, particularly as Britain does not use the common curren

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SPANISH foreign minister Alfonso Dastis thinks Britain is 'losing its cool' after former Conservative MP Lord Howard hinted at a Falklands War-style battle to keep Gibraltar.

But UK prime minister Theresa May laughed off any ideas of armed conflict over the Rock.

“Bringing past situations like the Malvinas [sic, referring to the Falklands] into the equation is a bit out of context,” remarked Dastis.

“I think someone in the UK is losing their cool, but there's no grounds for that.”

As for Lord Michael Howard's allegedly stating Britain 'would go to war like it did in the Falklands to protect the people of Gibraltar', Dastis claimed: “He didn't exactly say that.”

But Spain's foreign office leader did not clarify exactly what Lord Howard did, in fact, say.

This said, he has been quoted as stating: “Another woman prime minister, 35 years ago, sent a taskforce halfway across the world to protect another small group of British people against another Spanish-speaking country.

“And I'm absolutely clear that our current woman prime minister will show the same resolve in relation to Gibraltar as her predecessor did.”

And Conservative PM Theresa May does not seem to be ready to send in the Army just yet.

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A SPANISH charity has just rescued 218 migrants from certain death in the Mediterranean, including a four-day-old baby girl.

Proactiva Open Arms, which works off the coasts of Greece, Italy, Malta and Libya, detected a blow-up boat in trouble around 22 miles off the coast of Sabratha, in the latter country, carrying would-be immigrants from north and central Africa, Yemen and Sri Lanka.

Of the total of 480 refugees saved on Saturday alone, nearly half of them were rescued by Spaniards working for Proactiva.

They included a Nigerian woman and a man from Ghana, along with their baby daughter, who had not long been born.

“Four days of life for this little girl – a future ahead of her and all of our care to help,” tweeted charity founder Oscar Camps.

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