Live News From Spain As It Happens

AN ANNUAL consumer watchdog survey of taxi fares across Spain has revealed the provincial capital cities where a cab is the cheapest and the most expensive – with few changes since the previous study.

The average minimum fare for a cab in a city on a weekday during the daytime is €3.48, although the difference between the cheapest and most expensive of the 56 cities studied is a whopping 125%.

Although taxi fares out in the provinces – outside the cities – may or may not be slightly cheaper, they generally remain on the same scale of expensiveness or cheapness as their capitals, meaning that a cab in or between towns or villages in the provinces of Tarragona or two of the three in the Basque Country will be among the most expensive in the country, as is the case with their capitals, San Sebastián and Vitoria.
 

No room for fraud or bogus taxis – cabs and their meters are easy to spot

Taxis in Spain typically come under the umbrella of their town or city council, which issues licences – although cabbies themselves are self-employed, tariffs set are the same across the board in each town, meaning there is nothing to be gained by 'shopping around'.

Nowadays, practically every taxi takes card payments for any amount, and the digital meter is clearly shown on the dashboard so there can be no confusion – and tourists will have no reason to suspect drivers are 'trying to pull a fast one'.

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com

AFTER suffering early-morning temperatures close to freezing in the first week or so of this month, Costa Blanca weather has gone completely to the opposite extreme: The mercury reached a peak yesterday (Friday) in the city of Alicante not seen in 163 years.

It beat the temperature recorded 39 years ago – in 1982 – on January 7 which, at 29.2ºC, joined this Thursday (January 28) as the second-warmest day in the first month of the year in history.

Soaring to 29.8ºC, yesterday's figure made it the hottest January day since records in the metropolitan area began being taken in the year 1858.

Faculty head of the Climatology Laboratory at Alicante University Jorge Olcina – who is also chairman of the Spanish Geographers' Association – said Friday broke all records for the city for January.

Prior to the 1982 figure – which set a record unbroken until now – the hottest January days in Alicante had not even happened in the last century, and even then, were several degrees lower.

Thermometers shot up to 26.8ºC on January 25, 1865 and again on January 15, 1868, and since then but before 1982, the warmest it had ever reached was 26.4ºC, on January 13, 1881.

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com

MURCIA-BORN vocalist Blas Cantó will get another chance to represent his country at the Eurovision Song Contest – because even if it cannot be staged in the usual way, candidates will have recorded their entries at home to be shown on the night.

Former lead singer of the five-part Spanish boy-band Auryn – most of whose records were, in fact, in English – Blas, 29, had been looking forward to getting up on the stage in Rotterdam in May 2020 and belting out his Universo, but the pandemic and global lockdown put paid to his and everyone else's glorious moment.

He will, instead, be Spain's entry for the 2021 Eurovision, and like all other participating countries' artists, will need to rehearse in case he is able to perform live and also record his act on video as a contingency.

Even if the studio gala takes place live from Rotterdam in four months' time, depending upon the Covid-19 situation, there may be some nations whose entries either cannot attend due to restrictions affecting their own territories, or who decide to exercise caution and not travel.

Blas' song may not be the same one as he was planning on performing last year, though – two tracks, not yet revealed, will be put to public vote in February.

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com

A NEW Covid vaccine 100% 'made in Spain' could become a viable alternative to those currently on the market or about to be released, and is due to start the clinical trial stage very shortly after having been found to provide total immunity in mice.

Virologist Dr Mariano Esteban of the National Biotechnology Centre at Spain's National Research Council (CSIC) is heading up a team developing three different vaccines against the SARS-CoV-2 virus, and says the one which is most advanced will be tested on humans this spring.

Along with Dr Juan García Arriaza, joint head researcher, Dr Esteban (pictured) says the CSIC-Biofabri jab will initially be trialled on 112 volunteers to see what effects the doses have on humans.

Phase 2 will expand to 500 volunteers to monitor its safety and immunity effect, then Phase 3, the final step, will involve between 20,000 and 30,000 healthy people, aimed at making sure the vaccine is, in fact, effective.

So far, the CSIC team believes the drug will offer longer-lasting immunity than those currently being administered – potentially for several years – and would be suitable for combining with other versions now in use, meaning it would be suitable as a booster.

“Right now we're just finishing off trials on animals, on hamsters and macaque monkeys, so we can send a file with the results of these to the Spanish Medications and Healthcare Products Agency [AEMPS] and the European Medicines Agency [EMA]; if we've managed to meet all the requisites, we'll get approval to move onto the clinical trials,” says Dr Esteban.

“In the meantime, the Spanish firm Biofabri is already manufacturing batches to use on human volunteers.”

Once all trials are complete and the vaccine is signed off for production, it is likely to be used nationally either as a booster or among those who have not yet been immunised, and also in other countries worldwide which may need it, including, and especially, in developing nations.

Dr Esteban says 'considerable funding' will be needed for its production, however; to achieve this, the CSIC is attempting to drum up corporate support as well as State finance.

“Let's bear in mind that some countries have poured millions into mass production of vaccines – and from the clinical trials stage onwards, costs increase astronomically,” he explains.

“Spain cannot always rely on everyone else. We can't always leave it up to other countries to solve things. We need a corporate fabric capable of producing the vaccine, so we've already begun seeking agreements through the CSIC itself, the ministry of science and innovation and Spanish companies.

“We then need to maintain this logistic so we can act quickly whenever we need to; that's where the CSIC plays a major part, because in addition to our fundamental knowledge, we help provide the transition from research to the production sector.”

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com

A PHOTOGRAPHER who took a once-in-a-lifetime shot of a couple kissing in the middle of a motorway when it was ankle-deep in snow has managed to trace the subjects. 

María de la Cruz Valdemoro snapped a young man and woman in a passionate embrace as the snow fell around them on a completely traffic-free A-2 motorway, which had been shut and was being used as a footpath.

She posted it on social media, asking the couple featured to come forward so she could give them the original as a keepsake.

Neither Pedro, 25 nor Blanca, 26 use social media, so it was their friends who identified them and led to their getting in touch with María de la Cruz.

It turned out the young couple had first got together when they were 17, but about two years ago, broke off their relationship to 'give themselves some space' and decide where they were headed in life.

On the very day they were photographed in the middle of the A-2 Madrid-Zaragoza motorway underneath the signs pointing to the A-6 and Burgos, and the C/ Arturo Soria, they had decided to meet, just as friends and .....

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com

LONG-HELD stereotypes about wine-soaked Mediterranean culture and a laissez-faire attitude to drinking turn out to be completely the opposite of reality – but those about 'boozy Brits' are, statistically, true, according to the latest Global Drug Survey.

Despite alcohol in general, and particularly wine – largely because it is home-produced and very little of it is imported – being much cheaper in southern European countries, binge-drinking appears to be far more common in the UK and Anglo-Saxon nations in general; in Spain, Italy, Portugal, Greece and to a certain extent, France, more so in the south, wine-drinking is normally associated with meals, and spirits and liqueurs as a shot to round off a dinner or a nip in a coffee, whilst beer is treated as a refreshing drink on a hot evening.

The survey does have its flaws, of course: It relies upon self-reporting, meaning there is no guarantee all participants are telling the whole truth, but the 100,000-plus people questioned all over the world is thought to be a stratified sample, meaning it reflects a microcosm of society.

It was conducted between November and December 2019, before the pandemic struck, and its main focus was finding out how often people in the various countries were likely to get themselves blind-drunk.

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com

A ROAD Traffic Act reform means the way drivers are required to overtake cyclists has changed, with even more cautious measures set to come into force very soon.

The exact date on which the new rules will be effective has not yet been revealed, but motorists should act as though they are already valid, since failing to do so once it becomes law could mean a €200 fine and three points deducted from one's licence.

In Spain, driving licences start off with 12 points when 'clean', and points are deducted for motoring offences, with an automatic ban once all 12 have been used up – reinstating these normally requires paying for specified courses at official driving schools, as points-related offences are never 'spent' after a set time period.

Until now, drivers have been required to leave a margin of at least 1.5 metres (approximately five feet) when overtaking cyclists on roads, and are permitted to cross the central line, even if it is an unbroken white strip, to do so.

Now, the distance between car and bicycle when passing has increased to two metres (6'6”) and drivers must slow to at least 20 kilometres per hour below the speed limit.

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com

YOU'VE read about Spain's record rainfall, wind speed, wave height, coldest and hottest temperatures (if you haven't, check out the fascinating set of numbers here – and keep a note of them as conversation-starters for later), but what is a 'normal' winter like in the westernmost Mediterranean country, and how much does it differ depending upon where you are?

Talk to anyone in northern Europe who has only seen Spain during summer beach holidays and you'll find yourself explaining over and over again how, yes, we do have snow, hence our multiple ski resorts; yes, it does get cold in winter and, no, of course we haven't got a tan, because it's January, for goodness' sakes. But do Spanish residents spend the winter wishing they were in Scotland because it's warmer, or are gloves and woolly scarves really redundant south of the Pyrénées?

Research into four decades of temperatures in a 'normal' Spanish winter

Thankfully, the recent freezing snap brought by 'Storm' Filomena - when thick snow blocked roads and shut schools in Madrid for weeks and parts of the north registered temperatures below -30ºC in the early hours - has now passed, and although other weather fronts significant enough to be given human names have been queuing up to hit us, the Arctic climate of early January seems to have left us in peace for now. For some of us in Spain, that means a light-ish coat and a thin-ish top are enough for braving the outside world, whilst for others of us, it means step past your front door without your thermals at your peril.

To find out where on the scale we are based upon where we live, research has just been compiled by the State meteorological agency, AEMET.

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com

SPAIN'S tourism industry representatives are calling for the Covid vaccine roll-out to be accelerated as much as possible to avoid another 'lost year' for one of the country's biggest sources of employment and income. 

Around 20 associations, all in some way linked to the holiday or hotel and catering sectors, staged a meeting in Madrid where they urged the government to take swift action to keep businesses afloat.

Health ministry sources have already estimated that up to 70% of Spain's population could be vaccinated – both doses – before summer starts, but the tourism industry is concerned about what will happen if this is not the case, and wants action to be taken to help increase the figure to at least 80% or 90%.

This said, chairman of the Tourism Round Table meeting in the capital, Juan Molas, says sector traders are feeling 'a little more optimistic' this year, given that the country's largest output nation for summer visitors, the UK, is 'moving on quickly' with its vaccination programme.

Now onto the over-75s, many of whom have had their first dose, the UK is not moving as quickly with second doses as Spain, which has opted to give both jabs to each sector of the population before moving onto the next – by contrast, Britain is now offering appointments for March for those who had their first dose in the initial two weeks of January.

But by the end of March, says Molas, it is anticipated that around 15 million British residents will have been vaccinated and be safe to travel – albeit a high number of those 15 million will not be candidates for summer holidays in Spain, as they will include care home residents and the over-80s living at home.

If an average of 100 to 120 million Europeans are vaccinated within the first six months of the year, Molas estimates, Spain could potentially see about 20 to 25 million tourists from abroad by mid-May.

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com

CARE home residents and staff and front-line healthcare workers have nearly all had their first dose of the Pfizer vaccine against Covid-19, and many are already starting to receive their second jabs – after which, the next group will be the over-80s not living in nursing accommodation.

Health minister Salvador Illa said that as at the middle of this week, a million people in Spain had had their first immunisation dose – although local media sources say many care homes have started giving out the booster jab, meaning elderly people living in sheltered accommodation, those who look after them, and medical employees will already be, it is hoped, fully immune to the effects of the virus.

It is not clear whether they can still catch it and pass it on – in theory, the antibodies they receive through the injection will kill off the virus in their system, albeit probably not instantly – but the idea of the vaccine is that those who have it will not suffer any adverse effects if the SARS-CoV-2 enters their bodies.

Health workers, and those living or working in nursing homes, who have already contracted the virus or, in the case of the latter two groups, if there are any active cases on the premises, will have to wait until they all test negative before vaccines can be administered.

With the first priority 'slot' being nearly complete, Spain is nearly ready to start the second, which will be people aged more than 80 and not living in care homes.

Unlike in the UK, where the different groups of society are being vaccinated faster, Spain has opted to 'finish' one segment at a time by giving their second doses before moving onto the next group – in Britain, the over-75s are having their vaccines now care home staff and residents and hospital workers have had their first, but appointments to get a second jab are typically not available at present until March.

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com

A PLANNED rise in self-employed persons' Social Security, or national insurance payments has been shelved until May instead of coming into force in January 2021, and the scope has been widened for those whose income is affected by the pandemic to claim. 

Starting with last year's lockdown in March, sole traders, business owners or freelance workers had to show their income had reduced by at least 75% as a direct result of the Covid crisis before they were able to receive any State benefits – unlike employees who, as soon as they were temporarily laid off or 'furloughed', would receive the standard monthly dole payment of 80% of their gross salary for the first six months and 60% thereafter.

Now, though, self-employed workers only have to show a 50% loss in their income.

Benefit payments, funded by Social Security – including sick pay, maternity or paternity leave, and in the case of the Covid crisis, total or partial cessation of activity either temporarily or permanently – are based upon a 'fictitious' salary on which the worker pays 30% in a monthly fee.

The minimum Social Security fee payable by a self-employed worker is around €286 a month, based upon a 'fictitious wage' of €944 a month, but the next band up is based upon a 'hypothetical' salary of €4,000 a month, costing €1,200 in Social Security, with nothing in between.

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com

GETTING a Covid test approved for cross-border travel has now become easier for residents on and visitors to the Costa del Sol – a well-known UK-based medical firm has just opened a test centre in Marbella.

Most countries now require sight of a negative Covid test result before allowing travellers from abroad past the border – in fact, airlines are now typically asking to see it at check-in and at the boarding gates, blocking passengers without one from even going through to departures.

Earlier this month, over 100 passengers bound for Italy from the UK's London Stansted airport were grounded when, at check-in, they were found not to have taken a Covid test, erroneously believing that as either residents in Italy or Italian citizens, this was not required – as a result, they had to be tested at the on-site departures clinic at Stansted airport, one of several in the country including at Heathrow and Manchester, rebook their flights for the following day and find a hotel for the night.

And only 'official' tests are valid for travel, since they need to be accompanied with a 'fit-to-fly' certificate giving the passenger's passport number or national ID card number where they use the latter as identification for their flight.

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com

UNIVERSITIES are starting to carry out fast-track antigen tests on adults from age 18 and under 30 in a bid to slow the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus after reports revealed that older teens and young adults were most likely to pass the condition to others because of not realising they were infected.

The Epidemiological Vigilance Network, part of the General Directorate of Public Health in Spain recently produced data showing that the most rapidly-rising sector of the population testing positive despite having no symptoms was the 15-29 age group. 

This is partly because they are more likely to have to be in contact with larger numbers of people than older adults, through school, college, university, or work in jobs that typically, in the early stages of their life in the labour market, would not normally permit home-working and are more likely to be in manual or lower-skilled positions – not necessarily through choice, but because they have less experience as an employee and, whatever their qualifications, have a more difficult time gaining access to higher-skilled rôles.

Younger children appear at present, for reasons not yet clarified, to have a lower rate of contagion than adults and older teenagers, despite also having much larger contact groups due to being in school.

Unfortunately for the 15-29 age group cited, society's knee-jerk reaction is to blame them for heavy socialising in crowds – partying without practising social distancing or wearing masks – but this is not necessarily the case; many 'illegal' parties featuring risky practices broken up by police in the past few weeks have been among older adults, in their 30s or 40s, not just among youths.

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com

SPAIN will donate a percentage of the vaccines against Covid it purchases to third-world countries, specifically to refugee and asylum-seeking communities in parts of Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, where availability of immunisation drugs is not guaranteed for at least 20% of the population. 

It is not yet clear how many of the 140 million doses due to arrive in Spain will be sent to these countries – most of which Spain already has humanitarian aid relations with – but the donations will not affect the roll-out nationally.

The speed at which Spain carries out its national immunisation programme is not dictated by availability or cost of vaccines, but by human resources and other facilities such as space – it would not be physically possible to jab everyone in the country within weeks, which is why vaccine doses are being 'drip-fed' into countries weekly, so supplies do not exceed storage or administration capacity and 'go off', being wasted.

The Council of Ministers has agreed on a Universal Charity Vaccination Access Plan which is separate to the European-wide programme aimed at donating around 5% of acquired vaccines to countries and communities in need.

Governments across the EU agree that until the whole world is vaccinated, nobody is completely safe, given that movement of people and goods will necessarily continue and could lead to the virus continuing to spread even after the first world is immunised.

Also, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said on Monday that it would be a 'regrettable moral catastrophe' if wealthier countries, like Spain and the rest of Europe, failed to help out in getting the planet's poorest populations immunised.

Some of the most needy communities are, in fact, in Europe already: Refugee camps in Greece, still housing those displaced by the armed conflicts in Syria, Iraq, Eritrea and Libya, among others, have been homes to these people for many years, a situation that appears unlikely to change in the near future, and where Covid outbreaks can lead to widespread tragedy.

It is not clear, either, when Spain will start to donate vaccines, but this will probably be when the national immunisation programme is well underway with the most vulnerable residents and key or front-line workers' having all received their second doses, perhaps at a time when the only ones remaining are the physically-healthy under-65s who are not in high-risk jobs.

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com

IMMUNITY to the SARS-CoV-2 virus from the very moment of administration and suitable for those who cannot tolerate the available vaccines could be the next, very valuable step in the fight against the pandemic – and clinical trials are set to start in February at Barcelona's Germans Trias i Pujol Hospital.

Researchers Dr Oriol Mitjà and Dr Bonaventura Clotet, team leaders of the trial run by the pharmaceutical firm Grifols, say the 800 or so participants are people who have tested positive for Covid-19 but are asymptomatic.

With over half of all contagions in Spain being traced to contacts who are positive but with no symptoms – meaning they did not realise they had the virus – treating these patients is a major leap forward in protecting the general public.

Grifols specialises in immunoglobulin therapy – blood plasma rich in antibodies which shrug off infection – and the 'vaccine' is based upon Gamunex-C, containing polyclonal virus-fighters, obtained through donors.

These donors have given blood for the purpose after suffering Covid-19, recovering and testing negative, since it is generally found that those who survive the disease enjoy short-term immunity, typically up to two months, whilst the antibodies their systems developed to fight the virus remain in their circulation.

The natural anti-Covid antibodies generated within a recovered patient eventually fade, which is why some people have caught the virus twice. 

Grifols' research team says injecting the solution subcutaneously – under the skin, which is relatively pain-free and easy enough for a person to do it themselves – at a local GP clinic would, if their calculations are correct, provide instant immunity and could be used primarily on healthcare staff, the elderly, and immune-compromised people.

It is designed to use on people who have tested positive, would stop the virus in its tracks and prevent its developing into a more serious condition, even in the very clinically-vulnerable for whom contagion would almost certainly be fatal, easing pressure on hospitals, and could help control outbreaks in places where Covid vaccines had not yet started or the double dose not yet given. 

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com

LEFT-WING Podemos has won its battle with coalition partners PSOE (socialists) to bring back an optional nationwide 'payment holiday' on mortgages and rent.

Economy minister Nadia Calviño (pictured) has agreed to re-launch the moratorium on housing costs for those facing financial difficulties as a consequence of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.

At present, this will run for a maximum of three months, until March 31.

The previous stay of grace offered for home loan repayments and rental costs finished in September, when it was thought the SARS-CoV-2 crisis, in Spain at least, was coming to an end – but when it became clear this was not the case, Podemos and its leader, deputy president Pablo Iglesias, started putting the pressure on the centre-left PSOE.

Podemos has long stressed that the whole idea of politics is for parties to disagree with and debate with each other, and that a successful coalition thrives on this rather than suffering a rift and split as a result – the bipartite national government has proven to be able to publicly disagree and resolve matters between them, Iglesias says.

Nadia Calviño's ministry says the new moratorium on mortgages and rent has been made possible thanks to facilities provided by the European Banking Authority (EBA), and which also allowed a new 'payment holiday' for utility bills for those suffering financially through the pandemic, from December.

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com

A GLOBAL economic slowdown caused by the pandemic may in fact sound more frightening than it is – in Europe, at least: Eight in 10 Spanish workers temporarily laid off, or 'furloughed', are now back on the job, according to latest figures.

And although The Netherlands is doing better still, most of the rest of the continent is not far behind Spain.

Statistics from the ministry of work show that over 3.6 million employees in Spain were simultaneously affected by what is known in the country as an ERTE, or temporary redundancy, referred to as a 'furlough' in the UK.

But as at January 2021, a total of 2.9 million, or 79.1% of them, are now back at work.

Those who are not are mainly employed in tourism, hotel and catering industries, ranging from major hotel resorts to small, family-run local bars – these businesses are still suffering from the restrictions in place across the country, with very early evening closures imposed upon them, limited access to outside terraces and often as few as 30% allowed inside, with towns that have shut their borders due to high contagion rates having ordered all bars and restaurants to close completely.

Around 350,000 of the approximately 700,000 who are not yet back at work are in these industries, but Spain's government remains optimistic about their recovery.

Given that the temporary job losses are due to a health crisis rather than a purely financial one, as soon as the vaccine roll-out makes it safe, it is likely that more people than ever will want to take holidays and meet up with friends and family for drinks and meals, and possibly pour even greater energy and resources into doing so.

As one of the earth's top destinations for travellers of all tastes – from beach breaks and family holidays through to rural, active, or culture and city tourism – Spain is confident that once the pandemic is under control, it will be welcoming foreign visitors again in droves.

In The Netherlands, 85.7% of employees temporarily laid off are now back in their jobs – the highest figure in Europe, and the only country where these numbers are superior to Spain's.

Otherwise, Spain has beaten many of the continent's more affluent, northern nations.

In the UK, 73% are back at work and in Germany, 72.1%; elsewhere, the figure is under seven in 10 and even under two-thirds.

Austrian employees are back on the job in 69% of cases, whilst only 65.7% of those in Belgium are, 65.5% of French workers, and just 44.3% of those in Ireland.

In Italy, 'furloughed' employees are now working again in 56.4% of cases, but these figures are based on those temporarily laid off as at June, rather than March like the other countries listed.

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com

A GROWING trend towards working from home triggered almost by default in early 2020 means the pull of big, global cities is slackening off – but those which the world's employees remain attracted to are largely in Spain.

The 'new roaring twenties' was never supposed to start off like this – a pandemic confining the public to their homes on every continent, with businesses facing the choice of either shutting down, at least partially, and temporarily laying off their staff, or setting them up with the facilities to work from their homes.

Those companies where the nature of their enterprise allowed them to do so opted overwhelmingly for remote working; some employees found they hated it and missed the camaraderie and structure of an office, whilst others took to it like a duck to water and were very reluctant to return to the daily commute when their firms were able to.

Some firms have not been able to, or decided not to; in other cases, employees found they were more productive and less stressed working from home and got their boss' agreements to carry on in the same vein.

This change in the daily grind means that for previously office-based staff, the location of where they live has suddenly become a choice rather than a necessity, according to Bloomberg.

It published the global InterNations survey after interviewing over 15,000 people of 173 different nationalities, and discovered that the booming metropolitan sprawls that once spelled excitement, a dynamic and modern lifestyle and unlimited career opportunities are now starting to feel a bit tired.

Spain triumphs over planet's largest metropolitan zones

Hong Kong, Paris, Rome, London, New York, São Paulo, Tokyo, Dubai and other mega-cities with their bright lights and never-sleeping culture are falling from favour, and responses from expat workers are becoming more negative and disillusioned.

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com

ONE of Spain's leading consumer organisations has rated the best disposable masks currently on sale in supermarkets and revealed some of the international kitemarks to look out for.

For 'ordinary' members of the public going about their day, hygiene masks are normally considered sufficient, since their aim is to prevent the wearer from infecting anyone else more than protecting the wearer him- or herself.

Rules differ from country to country and when travelling, however: In Spain, it is compulsory to wear one at all times when outside the home, even in the open air, and also in one's own car if travelling with someone not in the same household, and there are no exceptions; those who have respiratory conditions that genuinely affect their ability to breathe whilst wearing a mask will be required to show a doctor's note to prove this, although masks are not compulsory when carrying out strenuous exercise.

In the UK, masks are only mandatory inside public buildings such as shops, and on public transport, but not in the street or in a car with another person, and people with respiratory conditions are exempt from wearing them wherever they may be, without the need to prove this if challenged.

In Italy, including on flights travelling into the country, everyone has to wear surgical masks; hygiene masks, of the type worn in 'normal' times by people with a cold when they are around babies, the elderly or immune-compromised, are not enough.

Health workers and carers wear FFP2 and FFP3 masks, a much higher level of protection; although these are ideal if you can find them, masks for everyday errands do not have to be of this calibre in Spain.

Plastic face shields are considered a suitable substitute in Spain, but in the UK, these must be worn with a mask underneath and merely provide extra, not alternative, protection.

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com

A SPANISH scientist is working on a Covid-19 vaccine that could offer immunity for many years or even for life, in the same way as the Yellow Fever, Hepatitis and tetanus jabs do.

In fact, Lorena Sánchez Felipe's research is based upon the Yellow Fever vaccine, which only has to be given once in a lifetime.

She and her team at Lovaina University's Rega Institute in Belgium are also working on more and more effective treatments for those who catch the SARS-CoV-2 virus, and other, similar strains. 

The state-of-the-art laboratory where Dr Sánchez Felipe and Institute boss Johan Neyts have been 'searching for a needle in a haystack', as they both describe it, has been practically their main home for months as they painstakingly analysed 1.7 million substances to work out which ones could help reduce the proliferation of the deadly strain of the Coronavirus that has almost shut the world down over the past year.

“Even greater motivation”

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com

SPORTING prowess may run in the DNA if Rafael Nadal's young cousins are any indication: Joan and Toni Junior have just won their first International Tennis Federation (ITF) qualifiers as professionals.

Their dad, Toni Nadal, is Rafa's uncle and was his coach until 2017, when he decided to focus more on the current world number two's eponymous sports academy, bringing on stars of the future.

Under the guidance of Toni Senior, now 59, Rafa won 13 Grand Slams, and would go on to net another seven since, including his 13th French Open title at Paris' Roland Garros stadium.

Clearly, the apple has not fallen far from the tree: Toni Junior, who is just 17 – the same age his famous cousin was when he met his wife, Mery Perelló, and two years younger than Rafa was when he clinched his first Roland Garros trophy – scooped up his first-ever ITF victory in straight sets against Lennart Melzer in the Manacor M15 qualifier, and in the next round, will be up against Oleg Prihodko.

His younger brother Joan, aged 16, faced one of the top 700 ATP players, Russia's Denis Klok, and swiftly dispatched him in three sets.

After this somewhat gruelling match, his next rival will be Peter Benjamin Privara, from Slovakia.

They each still need to win two more matches if they want to get into the main draw for the M15 tournament at the Rafael Nadal Academy in the family's native town of Manacor, Mallorca.

Joan's first match as a professional was at his elder cousin's sports school, against Turkey's Kuzey Cekirge, although the recent ITF round against Klok was his first win at this level.

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com

PHOTOS from outer space have shown a rare image of Spain with nearly half the mainland coated in white – but it has turned out to be a useful tool for anyone travelling in the next few days as they know where to avoid.

For some, 'avoidance' may not be their intention, but weather office representatives have warned against making trips out to 'see the snow', due to the risk of getting trapped on roads not yet cleared.

Residents can also see from the picture, taken by the European Space Agency (ESA), where they can safely travel to, since large parts of the mainland remain unaffected – except by low temperatures for the time of year.

The east coast, including most of Murcia and the Comunidad Valenciana and a slightly thinner strip of Catalunya have no snow, other than in isolated, very high-altitude areas – typically, in coastal regions, it is rare to see snow much below 1,000 metres and, at less than 500 metres, normally makes news headlines, other than at most a light dusting which melts within hours.

Again, other than on the tops of high mountains, Andalucía is nearly snow-free, as is Extremadura in the west, and Portugal.

Galicia, southern Castilla-La Mancha and the northern coastal strip across Galicia, Asturias and Cantabria are free from the white stuff, and it is largely absent now in Castilla y León, a large region to the north-west of the centre, above Madrid, which traditionally sees some of the lowest winter temperatures in Spain and the shortest and coolest summers. 

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com

YET another Amazon logistics centre is due to open in Spain – great news for local businesses and sole sellers who rely on the multi-national online retailer to reach a much wider customer base. 

And this time, instead of being located in or close to the country's biggest two cities, Barcelona and Madrid, the delivery plant will be in a small town on the south coast, potentially providing jobs in an area that needs them the most.

The beautiful Cádiz-province town of El Puerto de Santa María, right in the heart of 'sherry country', with regular daily passenger ferries to Cádiz city and attractive streets, buildings and beaches, relies heavily on tourism and fishing for its income.

Despite this, it manages to retain a traditional essence completely the opposite of 'touristy' and is much-loved by visitors who want to see 'real Spain' whilst being close to airports, railway stations and major attractions, idyllic beaches, a vast array of restaurants and affordable, bustling nightlife, as well as being popular with international language students for all these reasons.

But tourism is necessarily seasonal, and is not Covid-proof, meaning the whopping 12,000-square-metre (three-acre) sized logistics centre on its Las Salinas industrial estate will be a very welcome feature for the local economy.

It will be 'one of the biggest and most important in Andalucía' among Amazon's fast-growing network of infrastructure in Spain, according to mayor Germán Beardo, and its presence will bring 'a dramatic revolution' for the economy 'not only in El Puerto de Santa María, but in the whole of the province of Cádiz'.

El Puerto is fortunate with its location – with a port, a railway station served by high-speed and national networks offering it quick access to Cádiz, Sevilla, Jaén and a direct link to Madrid, the airport in nearby Jerez de la Frontera, and also its closeness to Algeciras, where ferries run regularly to Tangiers in Morocco and the Spanish city of Ceuta, and which is right on the Gibraltar border.

For this reason, Amazon was attracted to the quaint, picturesque market town – the many and varied transport links mean customer deliveries will be swift and uncomplicated.

Even before the hub is in operation, just the building of it will involve an investment of over €6.5 million, providing welcome work for local constructors and suppliers who live from job to job.

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com

SUB-ZERO temperatures and never-seen-before snowfall in Madrid will not hold up Covid vaccine delivery or administration, Spain's government assures – in fact, this week, the country has already received another 350,000 doses from Pfizer.

Despite orders from health minister Salvador Illa for medical staff to administer all the vaccines they have available, they have opted not to do so, as they want to ensure everyone who has already been immunised will be guaranteed their second dose within the World Health Organisation's recommended time frame, given that it may still be possible to catch the virus before having the booster.

Madrid's Adolfo Suárez-Barajas airport, the main inter-continental gateway to the country, is now at least partially operating after it was closed due to snow and ice, and a plane has now landed stocked up with more Pfizer deliveries, reveals transport minister José Luis Ábalos. 

He and interior minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska are in 'constant contact' with pharmaceutical companies abroad to ensure the flow of vaccine parcels continues to arrive within the previously allotted times, so that there will be no interruptions in scheduled inoculations.

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com

FREE round-town buses in Marbella have proven an enormous success in cutting private car use – in fact, 85% of passengers on local public transport had taken advantage of the scheme, according to councillor in charge Enrique Rodríguez.

Marbella authorities launched the Tarjeta Municipal de Movilidad ('Municipal Mobility Card') just over two years ago, which has led to 'enormous savings for residents', Sr Rodríguez says.

At present, a total of 65,476 people are card-holders, entitling them to use the urban buses for free, and use of this service has gone up by 16 percentage points from 2019.

During its first full year in 'action', the Municipal Mobility Card was used by 69% of passengers, rising to 85% in 2020.

And the rise could have been nearer 100% if it had not been for the pandemic – bus trips fell from 3.5 million in 2019 to three million in 2020 as a result of the population of Spain's being told to stay at home, and a sharp reduction in tourism in the Costa del Sol's second-largest town. 

Despite 2020 being an 'atypical year', the bus service continued to adapt to, first lockdown, then the various 'unlocking' phases and later restrictions put in place at different times to contain the spread of the virus, Rodríguez reveals.

Adding to his department's drive to encourage residents to cut down on car use and its resulting air pollution without having to limit movement, Rodríguez says Marbella increased its existing 11 cycle lanes to over 40 over 2020.

Safety and convenience, as well as cleaner air, have been a priority, meaning over 2,000 works projects on maintenance, repairs and upgrading have been carried out on roads, traffic lights, road markings and signs, disabled bays, speed-control measures, loading and unloading bays, general pedestrian and driver safety, and parking spaces – including over 6,000 tickets for free car park use given out in local shops in a bid to give the town's trading community a much-needed financial boost by encouraging custom.

Buses being free to use for anyone registered on the local census has also helped Marbella's trade, as retail customers no longer have to worry about paying for petrol and parking, or transport fares, to visit the shops.

“Marbella's public transport system has been awarded a double certification by AENOR, making it one of Spain's first travel franchise firms with accredited anti-Covid procedures, and we have also added two extra buses to the fleet,” Rodríguez reports.

School buses in the town serve 529 pupils at 24 education centres along 37 travel routes, many of which were redistributed to ensure young passengers could keep their distance from each other – and, of course, all public transport vehicles were thoroughly and regularly disinfected.

“A payment system via direct debit has been set up, and we've now finished refunding all unused bus fees from the previous school year when children were learning at home,” the councillor says.

“Additionally, this year we plan to completely renew the fleet with six brand-new buses.”

Taxi services were among the worst affected by the pandemic, but Marbella council set up schemes to limit the damage – three exam sessions for new drivers, taken up by 62 candidates, a subsidised fast-track cab-driving licence renewal system, and vacancies opened up for a further 42 taxi drivers being among these.

“Last year, by popular request, we agreed to review taxi fares – which had been frozen since 2014 – set up seven new taxi ranks, meaning the town now has a total of 56 with an overall 336 cab stands, and installed 40 information boards detailing journey costs, to make the industry more transparent,” reports Rodríguez.

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com

FUENGIROLA has become the fastest-growing town on the Costa del Sol and is now the fourth-largest in the province of Málaga, according to latest census figures.

Mayoress Ana Mula says the published headcount broke the 80,000 barrier at the beginning of 2020 for the first time ever, and the most recently-released population statistics show that year brought another 2,000-plus in resident numbers.

Now with 82,837 people, Fuengirola is fourth in terms of inhabitants in the province, beaten only by Málaga – the largest – Marbella and Mijas, in that order.

“Last year, our town saw the greatest population growth in the whole of Andalucía,” says Sra Mula.

The 3.15% increase means it is now 'one of the most significant' municipalities on the Costa del Sol, according to its leader, with 'one of the most promising futures'.

“This isn't my opinion or perception,” insists Ana Mula.

“It's a fact, and the figures are evidence of that.

“More and more people are choosing our town for their main residence, attracted by the quality of life it offers and the multiple possibilities for making a life for themselves.”

She says Fuengirola is turning into a top choice for moving to for enjoying their retirement, or for buying a holiday home.

“For them, quality of life is a decisive factor in choosing where to buy – the wellbeing that we're always talking about enjoying here is possible thanks to, among other factors, Fuengirola's privileged climate, geographical locations and excellent transport links, including to the airport, by road and train, as well as having our own aerodrome and high-speed AVE rail station.”

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com

VACCINES against Covid have suddenly soared over the last few days in Spain, with over a third of those available now having been administered.

So far, 277,976 people – care home residents and staff – have been immunised, out of the 743,925 doses received to date.

Of these, 70,653 people were inoculated on the same day.

The vaccine used is the Pfizer version, developed in Germany by a Turkish-born husband-and-wife team, and which has been confirmed as effective against the 'new' strains of the virus detected in the UK and South Africa.

Asturias is the region with the best record so far for vaccine administration, at 75% of available doses (17,843 out of 23,720), followed by the Spanish enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla on the northern African coast at 63.4% and 67% respectively, and Galicia, in the north-west of the mainland, with 65.9% of the total of 37,555 doses available – 24,750 of them – having been administered.

Castilla y León has given 55.1% of its vaccines, Andalucía 49.5% and Aragón 41.9%.

At present, 12 of Spain's 19 autonomously-governed territories are still below a 40% vaccination rate – Murcia (34.9%), Castilla-La Mancha (34.8%), the Canary Islands (34.6%), the Balearic Islands (33.2%), Catalunya (32.2%), Navarra (31.2%), and the Basque Country (31%) hover at around a third.

Bottom of the list are the Greater Madrid region, with only 14.3% of vaccines administered (14,152 out of 98,790), Cantabria (19.7%), Extremadura (21.8%), Valencia (26.1%), and La Rioja (28.3%).

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com

ANYONE who thinks living in Spain means permanent beach weather will be stunned to hear that the mercury dropped to levels typical of a Siberian winter over the last two nights, but it's not fake news: According to the met office, Tuesday night broke historic lowest-temperature records, and then Wednesday night smashed them yet again.

If you've seen this before any of your friends, you might want to take bets on what the numbers were – and you should definitely keep a note of it in case it's ever used as a tie-breaker in a pub quiz.

On Wednesday (January 6) at 05.19 in the morning, the weather station in Clot del Tuc de la Llança (pictured above) in the land-locked Catalunya province of Lleida, just on the edge of the Pyrénées, showed a temperature of -34.1ºC – breaking the record set in 1956, of -32ºC at the weather station of Estany-Gento in the same province.

By 05.30, it had warmed up a bit – the mercury was showing -33.9ºC, although residents probably decided to keep the heating on a little longer just in case.

Before Spain and the rest of the world had closed their mouths after a collective global jaw-dropping and picked themselves up off the floor, the mainland broke its own record yet again, having only just done so for the first time in nearly 65 years.

The weather station in Vega de Liordes in the province of León registered, at 07.06 on Thursday morning, a figure that would even be cold for Arctic Greenland in January: -35.6ºC.

Castilla y León is typically one of Spain's coldest regions in winter, and summers – although warm and pleasant – are far less sweltering than on the southern and Mediterranean coasts; winters in this centre-northern region are frequently very chilly and snow at ground-level is very common towards the end and beginning of the year, although even then, a hard winter might mean night temperatures of -10ºC, which would normally be considered newsworthy.

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com

The festive season has made more lucky people millionaires today thanks to the 700€ million shared out in the 'El Niño' lottery draw - the second biggest lottery prize in Spain after 'El Gordo' drawn just before Christmas.

The winning number - 19570 - was sold in many different towns and cities, so this year the prize money is well distributed throughout the country. Every holder of a 'décimo' with the winning number will have hit a 200,000€ jackpot today. 19570 was sold in Parla (Madrid), Sangonera la Seca (Murcia), O Porriño Pontevedra), Mondariz (Pontevedra), Almazán (Soria), Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Eliana (Valencia), Torrent (Valencia), Picanya (Valencia), Xátiva(Valencia), Valencia capital, Santovenia (Zamora), Calatayud (Zaragoza), Madrid, Girona, Estepona (Málaga), Manises (Valencia), Bilbao, Málaga capital, Oviedo, Tomiño (Pontevedra), Puente Villarente (León), Chirivel (Almería), Castelldefels (Barcelona), Plasencia (Cáceres), Getafe (Madrid), Pobla de Farnals (Valencia), Alaquás (Valencia), Lluchmayor (Baleares), Barcelona capital, Sallent (Barcelona), Badalona (Barcelona), Burgos, Vejer de la Frontera (Cádiz), Jerez de la Frontera (Cádiz), Laredo (Cantabria), As Pontes de García Rodríguez (A Coruña), Lloret de Mar (Girona), Zafarraya (Granada), Loja (Granada), Granada capital, San Sebastián, Haro (La Rioja), Gáldar (Las Palmas), León capital, Burela (Lugo).

It is the first time that a first prize winner lives in the province of Cáceres - two décimos of this year's winning number were sold in the province. Not only that, but four décimos of the third prize were also sold in the Cáceres province - specifically in lmaraz, Coria y Torrejón el Rubio - dropping over half a million euros in prizes in Extremadura this year.

The online news websites are full of heartwarming stories relating to the many winners. The owners of Bar Feli in San Sebastián said they chose the winning number because is coincided with the date their parents opened the bar - May 1970. An excited Cristina Martínez, who confessed to not playing the lottery very often, said that her 86-year-old father was "very happy" that the date had brought them some good luck. 

The staff of the lottery outlet in Manises that sold one series of the winning number and some décimos of the number that won the second prize were seen celebrating out in the street with bottles of cava today, although none of their winners had yet come forward. Rafa Sanchis, manager of the Manises outlet, said it had been "a very good year". They also sold tickets that won five major prizes in the Christmas lottery. "Manises is the lucky town" he added.

"This is the best way to start the year", proclaimed Tomás Sánchez, from lottery outlet number 2 in Alhaurín de la Torre in Málaga province, who sold a whole ticket (ten décimos) of the winning number 19570. It is the first year that the outlet, known as El Pirata de la Suerte (the Lucky Pirate) has been in operation, so Sánchez is over the moon with the way things have kicked off: "There couldn't have been a better way to do it," he said. "We are so happy!"

The second prize, worth 75,000€ per décimo, went to number 03436, and the third prize, worth 25,000€ per décimo, went to number 05587. The third prize tickets were sold in Alicante, Almería, Zaragoza, Madrid and Málaga.

One of the second prize winners, Laura Reinoso, a 41 year old from Cigales (Valladolid) maintains it was "karma" that brought her the second prize winnings. On New Year's Eve she found an envelope with 200€ inside and rather than keep it, handed it in so that it could be returned to its rightful owner. "I've been given that 200€ back many, many times over," she said, hardly able to contain her excitement. "I don't want to work until I'm 67 and then die," she went on, "I want to retire at 53 and with this money and the house on the market, I can now do it and live well," she added.

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com

Despite the uncertainty surrounding Brexit and its implications for Brits living abroad, estate agents, real estate developers and property portals are all reporting strong interest in the Spanish property market, with enquiries already significantly up on last year.

Whilst Covid-19 is still casting a shadow of uncertainty over people's lives, the pandemic has pushed people to reassess how they might use a second home, and a trend towards longer stays in sunny climes combined with extended periods of remote working is emerging.

With vaccination now well underway across the globe, there is an air of cautious optimism surrounding the Spanish property market, with potential buyers making enquiries about homes both on the mainland and the Spanish islands.

The property portal thinkSPAIN has seen a 47% rise in buyer enquiries during the first five days of 2021 compared with 2020, with a 19% rise in UK/English language enquiries over the same period, following on from a 66% year-on-year increase in 2020.

Demand for new build properties also appears to be increasing with the real estate developer Taylor Wimpey España reporting "a flurry of enquiries from Britons interested in buying homes in Spain", citing a 30% increase in leads in the first week of January 2021 compared with the same period in 2020. In addition, it has said that website traffic from the UK is up 57% over the same timeframe, with its first sale of the year being made to a British buyer.

"We’ve seen buyers changing their expectations about how and when they plan to use their second homes," said Marc Pritchard, Sales and Marketing Director of Taylor Wimpey España. "The events of 2020 have accelerated the pace of those changes – and 2021 will likely do so further – but those shifts in usage had already begun. One key trend, for example, is that buyers are now looking to use their second homes to work from, as well as for leisure purposes." 

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com

Covid-19 restrictions might have curtailed our movements this year, but they haven't been able to dampen the spirits of the youngest amongst us, who are still as excited as ever about the imminent arrival of the Three Kings. With traditional parades and processions out of the question across most of Spain, many local councils have found alternative ways of staging the annual arrival of the Kings, on the evening of January 5th, without contravening any current healthcare constraints.

Some of Spain's most emblematic cities like Seville, Cáceres, Madrid, Barcelona, Santander, Zaragoza, Ibiza, Ciudad Real, Logroño and Murcia are intent on keeping the magic alive on Tuesday, albeit in rather unusual ways: 

Seville

The tradition is certainly going to be kept alive in Andalusia's capital city, but instead of parading through the streets to the city centre, both the Herald and the Three Kings will arrive by hot air balloon. On Monday evening, the Herald will be seen sailing across the skies of Seville, and at 18.30h on Tuesday, the royal pages and the Three Kings will make the same celestial journey. Furthermore, both events will be streamed in a special programme on the Ateneo de Sevilla's YouTube channel.

Cáceres

Their Majesties will also fly by the Extremaduran city of Cáceres in a hot air balloon but won't be able to throw any sweets to the children this year, as that would contravene current health regulations. Their journey will also be filmed and broadcast later on so that the locals can see it in "close-up". Before setting off acoss the skies, Melchior, Caspar and Balthazar will spend the day at a special reception area set up in the city, where they will receive and read all the youngsters' messages, responding in real time via the web.

Madrid

The people of Madrid will not be able to enjoy the traditional Epiphany parade this year, but they will be able to enjoy live TV footage of the Three Kings at the Conde Duque de Malasaña cultural centre. Their message to all the capital's children will be televised by Telemadrid from 20.30h on Tuesday. All of this after a light show designed and choreographed by the magician Jorge Blass and the violinist Ara Malikian at 18.30h, and after the comets of light that will be launched to announce the arrival of the Magi.

Barcelona

Barcelona will also be swapping its popular festive parade for an event with a very limited audience once the Three Kings come ashore in the Catalan capital after arriving by boat. Their Majesties will be joined by a small group of people on a stage in the Parc de la Màgia de Orient at 19.30h. There they will be honoured with music and carnival floats for 700 metres and the event will be broadcast live by TV3, TVE Catalunya and BTV.

Santander

The Three Kings of the Orient will receive the children of Santander from 9am until 9pm on January 5th in the cloisters of the city's Cathedral, accompanied by their camels and a living nativity scene. Children will be allowed in to see the Kings in ten-minute 'turns' comprising 20 family units. Invitations to attend have to be requested via the city's website in advance.

Zaragoza

Zaragoza will also celebrate the arrival of the Three Kings, but the celebration will have to be followed online. To avoid having an audience present, the event will be broadcast by Aragón TV throughout the evening, although the exact start time remains unclear.

Ibiza

Their Majesties are going to tour the streets of the island's capital city in convertible cars from 18.30h on Tuesday.

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com

Ever since capsule coffee makers burst onto the market in the 1990s, relegating traditional Italian espresso machines to the back shelf, numerous brands and supermarket chains have launched their own products, offering stiff competition to the original brands in terms of value for money.

An analysis by OCU, the Spanish consumers' association (Organización de Consumidores y Usuarios) reveals very favourable taste-test results for a number of different brands of espresso capsule when compared with the original, more expensive brands, Nespresso and Dolce Gusto.

Of the eleven Nespresso-compatible espresso capsules analysed alongside the original - Nespresso Ispirazione Ristretto Italiano 10 (0.42 €/capsule) - two brands stood out: Carrefour Intenso 8 (0.17 €) and Auchan Fortissimo 10 (0.18 €), along with Saimaza Fuerte Espresso 9 (0.20 €) and Dia Café Espresso Intenso 7 (0.20 €). They are substantially cheaper and could mean an annual saving of up to 180€ for someone having two coffees a day.

Of the eight Dolce Gusto-compatible espresso capsules analysed, Auchan Espresso Intenso 9 (0.20 €/capsule) and Carrefour Intenso (0.21 €/capsule) stood out again. Their quality was comparable to the original, more expensive brand - Nescafé Dolce Gusto Ristretto Ardenza 11 or Espresso Intenso 7 (both 0.26 €/capsule). Choosing the cheaper brands makes it possible to save up to 45€ a year on the basis of two coffees a day.

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com

The delays in vaccinating people against Covid-19 are starting to generate concern and complaints in some autonomous communities, although the main focus is still on the alarming rise in the number of people testing positive across virtually the whole country, but especially in Catalonia.

Some regional governments published new statistics on Sunday, which show a generalised increase in infections, even though the post-Christmas celebration figures are not yet included.

The situation in Catalonia is particularly of particular concern, with the head of Infectious Diseases at Barcelona's Hospital del Mar, Robert Güerri, warning that the increase in the number of cases has created a "worrying" situation in the city's hospitals, which are starting to get so overwhelmed that if urgent action is not taken, staff will have to start "prioritising" care.

There were 1,483 new positive diagnoses in the last 24 hours in the region, which has increased pressure on hospitals and could well lead to further restrictions.

There has also been a notable increase in cases in Andalusia, Castilla & León, Murcia, Aragon and the Basque Country.

In contrast, the number of new cases is falling in Galicia and Navarra, the latter registering a notable drop in cases with only 66 new infections after having more than 100 a day for the past five days.

The slowness of the vaccination process, which began only a week ago, has also attracted a great deal of criticism, especially in Madrid and Andalusia.

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com

14 of Spain's autonomous communities face severe weather warnings as snow, high winds, freezing temperatures and massive waves along stretches of the coast sweep in on the back of a storm that has already caused the death of a snowplough operator and the disappearance of another in an avalanche in San Isidro in Asturias.

A substantial portion of the country has already been hit by snow, high winds and icy temperatures, with Cantabria and the Basque Country on orange alert because of the heavy snowfall that already caused the closure of a number of motorways to heavy traffic yesterday.

Search parties out in Asturias

The search continues for the other snowplough operator, Virgilio García, 61, buried under an avalanche in San Isidro, Asturias yesterday, after the body of his colleague, César Fernández, 53, was found. Both men were buried under the avalanche whilst trying to clear the road after a previous avalanche left five metres of snow on the road near Riofrío (altitude 1,520m). Rescuers are proceeding with extreme caution because of the continued risk of further avalanches.

Basque Country, Cantabria, Castilla & León...

In the Basque Country, nine mountain passes are closed to traffic as a result of the heavy snowfall. On a further 11, snow chains are obligatory for all vehicles. The Basque Country has seen 10cm of snow fall in the past 24 hours, with the snowline at 600m.

read more at thinkSPAIN.com

Electric scooters are an increasingly common sight in Spanish cities and they frequently take to the pavements, zipping past pedestrians at high speed. With this global self-mobility trend growing all the time, new legislation to protect pedestrians and other road users was inevitable and today sees the publication of a new set of rules effective immediately.

Previously an issue dealt with on a municipal level, the new regulations introduced today by Spain’s national traffic authority (DGT) will apply to all electric scooters in use across the country:

- Personal mobility vehicles such as electric scooters are now officially considered vehicles across Spain and their 'drivers' are obliged to comply with national traffic laws in the same way drivers of cars or motorbikes do. Vehicles for people with reduced mobility are not included in this group.

- They can no longer be used on pavements. Riders caught doing so will be fined by the police. 

- Neither can they be used on intercity roads, motorways, highways, bypasses or city tunnels.

- Only one person is allowed on a scooter at any one time. Fines of 100€ will be issued to those breaking this rule.

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com

Spain and the UK have today reached a deal to maintain free movement to and from Gibraltar once the UK formally leaves the EU on Friday.

To avoid a hard border after Brexit, they have agreed that Gibraltar will join the EU's Schengen zone and follow certain EU rules, whilst remaining part of the UK. The plan is to have a six-month transition period and then formalise the new arrangements with a treaty.

The deal was announced by Spanish Foreign Minister Arancha González Laya, just hours before the UK leaves the EU. "With this [agreement], the border is removed, Schengen is applied to Gibraltar... it allows for the lifting of controls between Gibraltar and Spain," said Ms González Laya.

Under the terms of the Gibraltar deal, the EU will have to send Frontex border guards to ensure free movement to and from Gibraltar for at least the next four years. The deal also means Gibraltar complying with EU fair competition rules in areas such as financial policy, the environment and the labour market, Ms González Laya said.

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com