Live News From Spain As It Happens

YOUNG adults are proving to be the main market for rented property, outnumbering other, older age groups, according to recent figures.

Despite high unemployment among the under-35s and, in particular, the under-30s, with low wages and job insecurity rife in this age group, property owners looking for tenants are more likely to find them among this community than in any other.

The rental market has dramatically grown since the start of the pandemic – in the first six months, it completely stagnated, but analysts reveal it is now more buoyant than even before the Covid crisis began.

Banks are tending to offer more flexible conditions for first-time buyers, mindful of the fact that unless young adults are able to get a foothold on the property ladder before around age 35, they may never do so as it would mean they were still paying off their mortgages long after retirement.

And although reasons for renting are many and varied, a key motive for becoming a tenant rather than buying a home is to 'get settled' and become used to independent living and making one's wages stretch before committing to the long haul.

Most want to buy, but cannot afford the deposit

This said, a significant minority of young adults aged 18 to 35 believe buying a home is the best option and one they aspire to.

According to a recent survey, 37% of this age group considers renting to be 'dead money', whilst 40% think home ownership is security for the future and 48% believes it to be a sound long-term investment.

But banks still, mostly, want a 20% deposit for home-buying – although there are exceptions, the overwhelming majority will only lend up to 80% of the lesser sum between the market price and the value, and fees on top for buying and for setting up a mortgage come in at around 12.5% on top of the sale price.

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com

FANS of four-wheeled transport need to clear their diaries for next week – Barcelona International Motor Show is due to return after a year-long hiatus.

Probably the biggest and most prestigious automobile trade fair in Spain and one of the largest and most significant in Europe, the showroom always attracts visitors from hundreds or even thousands of kilometres away – those in the motor industry try not to miss it, and members of the public with a strong interest in cars and the latest in driving technology pour in daily.

It starts on Saturday this week (October 2) and runs until the following Sunday (October 10), and the venue – the Montjuïc trade fair centre, pavilions 1 and 8 – opens at 10.00 and shuts at 20.00, with no closedown in the middle of the day for lunch.

Last year's did not go ahead, naturally, due to the pandemic, but with nearly 90% of the population aged 12 and over now fully vaccinated, the organisers consider it safe to proceed.

Masks must be worn and social distancing will apply, but there is no need to show a vaccine certificate or take a test.

Run by Fira Barcelona – the city's trade fair committee – and the Spanish Association of Car and Lorry Manufacturers (ANFAC), the International Motor Show is an ideal time to explore, touch and sit in the latest and hitherto-unreleased models, test-drive them, and even buy them.

A total of 23 motor manufacturers have confirmed their presence, including BMW, Volvo, Smart, Kia, Lexus, Cupra, Ford, Honda, Rénault, Subaru, Seat and Hyundai.

Electric, emissions-free vehicles will be the highlight of what the show's chairman, Enrique Lacalle, describes as 'a huge shop window' on the motor industry.

New technology for greener, more comfortable motoring will be showcased and explained, and 18 different vehicles which have not yet reached the forecourt will be on display and can be examined and driven by the public, with no commitment required.

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com

BACK to almost normality and the first 'genderless' edition in history, San Sebastián Film Festival has wound up for another year with gold and silver shells dished out to one of its most international selections of screen stars from either side of the camera.

And it came with a hefty dose of controversy for various reasons in 2021, the 69th in the history of the Basque Country's answer to Cannes. Whilst the overwhelming theme among winning films was the struggle faced by women in a patriarchal society, the Concha de Oro, or 'golden shell' for lifetime achievement, went to Pirates of the Caribbean star Johnny Depp, who has been in the headlines constantly in recent times over domestic violence allegations.

But the festival organisers said that nothing had been proven, Depp had not been charged or formally placed under suspicion of gender or domestic violence, and his innocence must be assumed unless and until this situation changed.

First-ever 'gender-free' film awards

Also, the move to scrap the division between 'Best Actress' and 'Best Actor', or eliminating any mention of gender from awards, left nobody indifferent – everyone in the industry and on the street had a strong opinion of it.

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com

'QUEEN Mother' Sofía has been at it again: Clearing up after civilians.

The ordinary citizen goes to the beach to chill out and catch the rays, but the wife of Spain's first King in the democratic era goes there to sweep up cigarette butts and pick up discarded crisp packets and drinks cans, armed with a selection of bin-bags.

She does take a summer holiday every year without fail in her Mallorca villa, Marivent, but outside of this, Queen Sofía (pictured, centre) sees more of beaches wearing rubber gloves and bent double with handfuls of other people's rubbish than she does relaxing in the sun.

Time-travellers from earlier centuries would think the tables had turned, but the 21st-century European aristocracy is passionate about social equality and caring for the environment – and King Felipe VI's mum and former Queen Consort still spends nearly every waking hour working for the charities she founded, supports, or is patron of.

And as her track record shows since her husband King Juan Carlos I abdicated in 2014 – meaning she could have officially retired and was already a decade overdue for doing so – this charity work does not just involve PR.

There's plenty of that, since a 'Royal visit' to a non-profit organisation's branches is excellent advertising for their cause and drums up donors and volunteers, but Queen Sofía's involvement has long included getting her hands dirty, donning trainers and khakis, rolling up her sleeves and getting stuck into some manual graft.

Due to turn 83 in just over a month's time, HRH Sofía has every legitimate excuse for spending life with her feet up, but would never dream of using any of them.

And although she never attracts or seeks publicity for her super-human efforts, the Greek-born second cousin of the UK's Prince Philip unwittingly shows the world just how hard the Royals in Europe actually work – long past State pension age and typically seven days a week.

In past months, Queen Sofía has been seen on a beach in the province of Málaga and in a Madrid nature reserve joining in 'clean-up days', but this time she headed for the Costa Blanca, spending her Saturday morning stuffing rubbish bags on Alicante city's Almadraba beach.

Her eponymous charitable foundation works closely with environmental organisation SEO/BirdLife and with its joint campaigns, together with national recycling firm Ecoembes, on its regular volunteer clear-up sessions in natural enclaves.

SEO/BirdLife and Ecoembes launched a project encouraging members of the public to give up a little of their time to clearing a square metre of litter, and through it, has organised five Spain-wide 'clean-up weekends'.

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com

ANOTHER world food record has been smashed in Spain – a fairly typical, or at least very popular one – although some might say it has happened at the wrong time of year.

Turrón, rather like panettone, plum pudding, turkey and yule logs, is not conventionally eaten in September, but the amount consumed nationwide in the space of a day or two is normally enough to keep manufacturers' bills paid for the remaining 360-plus days.

That said, a lean Christmas, especially in times of financial crisis or, like in 2020, when nobody felt like or was able to celebrate properly, can be disastrous for an industry that has to then wait a whole calendar year to 'try again'.

For this reason, you can still find turrón in the supermarkets at any time of year, albeit occupying much-reduced shelf space, rather than taking over the entire store the way it does all through December. 

After all, nobody would refuse to eat a chocolate egg just because 'it's not Easter yet'.

A brief back-story about turrón

Whilst popular all over the country and even imported by the tonne to the USA, turrón is more typically found on sale in the Comunidad Valenciana, the part which occupies about a third of the east coast stretch – it may not be de rigueur for the holidays in Madrid, Barcelona or Andalucía, for example, but it's almost impossible to escape for those living in the provinces of Alicante, Valencia and Castellón.

That's because it was traditionally made in the inland southern-Alicante province town of Jijona – largely, it still is, but has a much wider audience nowadays.

Given that its main ingredients are almond and honey – with a bit of whipped egg-white – it is thought to have originated during the Mediaeval era when Spain's predominant ethnic was Arab, as this community introduced both these plant-based goods into the country.

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com

SPAIN'S post office network has dramatically extended its plans to set up cashpoints in remote rural villages and those with no banks – from the initial 109 announced in March, Correos has announced a roll-out of another 1,500.

Many ATM machines provide crucial basic services beyond merely dispensing notes and showing current balance and recent transactions – bills can be paid by scanning the barcode or typing in the associated number, transfers can be made, even internationally, and money moved between one's own accounts, loans and credit cards or duplicate debit cards can be requested, new accounts created and, depending upon the entity, tickets for concerts, shows, sporting events and key heritage sites purchased.

All this effectively means those without internet access, or whose coverage is poor – a frequent problem in very under-populated rural parts a long distance from the nearest town – can still 'bank online', and may not need a local branch to visit in person.

The exact facilities provided by Correos' planned 1,500 cashpoints have not been confirmed, since it will depend upon which banks bid for the contract to install them now the job has been put out to tender.

Of the total, 300 ATMs will be set up in villages of between 500 and 3,000 inhabitants which do not have any bank branches, or where the only banks present have opted to shut their branches in the next few months or years.

These locations will not necessarily be remote countryside municipalities, given that the lack of any banking facilities that can be reached without using a car can still bar residents from accessing them, even if their nearest larger town is just a few kilometres away.

The rest of the cashpoints will be in the more isolated rural areas, including – and especially – those villages whose headcounts do not even reach treble figures.

ATMs will either be on the street, or inside the foyer of the local post office branch.

In the case of the latter, the bank which wins the contract will be required to pay rent on the space occupied, with the amount based upon location and a percentage of the operations carried out on them.

Read more ast thinkSPAIN.com

RETIREMENT was once something that happened when we were too old to work, and the average pensioner did not live for very long after giving up the daily grind – that cut-off age of 60 or 65 was the end of one's active life and the beginning of 'elderly' status. But nowadays, retirement is often considered to be when our lives start, not finish – and it is quite feasible to be living on a pension for more years than you lived on a salary.

And recent research has confirmed this – the top 10 countries where your pension lasts you the longest have been revealed and, of course, Spain features among them.

Personal finance price comparison site Compare the Market analysed countries that form part of the OECD (Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development), which more or less covers the world's wealthiest, and most of the emerging, national economies.

When working out where pensioners got the most out of their pot, Compare the Market looked at official retirement age in each nation, actual retirement age – based upon those who are able to give up work earlier, or those forced to work for longer to build up enough funds – and life expectancy.

Who's in the top 10?

Number 10 in the developed world for the longest-lasting pension is Finland, statistically one of the happiest countries on earth due to its exceptional quality of life, although conversely, statistically one of the countries with the highest suicide rate, thought to be influenced by its long, harsh winters and limited hours of daylight for several months of the year. But its retired population has good reason to be part of the first of these groups, given that they typically get to pack up work before their official retirement age of 65 – the average Finn drops out of the rat race at 63.85 years.

With Compare the Market's calculations that a pension in Finland lasts for 21.3 years, this would mean an average lifespan of 85.15 to 86.3 years, depending upon whether the clock starts to run from State pension age or actual retirement.

Australia is at number nine – home to what is officially claim...

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com

TRAVELLERS entering the UK from Spain will no longer need to quarantine as long as they are fully vaccinated and will not have to pay for PCR tests, the British Department for Transport (DfT) has announced – a change which airlines and tour operators have welcomed with open arms.

The UK's 'traffic light' system for countries, denoting the government's perception of Covid contagion risk, will be abolished from October 4 and only the 'red list' will remain, with eight nations currently on it soon to be removed – Turkey, Egypt, Sri Lanka, Oman, Kenya, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and The Maldives.

Spain, like most of the European Union, has been on 'amber', meaning anyone not vaccinated has to quarantine for 10 days when entering the UK, whether they are resident returning holidaymakers or visiting Britain, and PCR tests have been required 72 hours before arrival, and at two and eight days after arrival.

Now, anyone with a recognised vaccine certificate – which includes the EU's 'Covid passport', available for residents in Spain to download from their regional health authority website – only has to take a test on day two, not on day eight, nor prior to travel to the UK.

Instead of a PCR, which can cost anything from €70 to €200 in Spain and averages around €150-plus in the UK, travellers entering the country can take a much cheaper lateral flow test (LFT) on their second day.

These are less sensitive than a PCR and do not provide complete data on viral strains and genomic information, so they are typically used to 'prove a negative' rather than to diagnose a suspected case or a contact.

If a person entering Britain tests positive with a LFT, he or she will then be required to self-isolate and take a PCR, which is provided by the national health service (NHS) and is free of charge, for UK residents and for tourists.

Countries due for removal from the 'red list' will join the quarantine-free nations from this coming Wednesday (September 22), and the 'amber' and 'green' lists and their respective requirements will be eliminated from October 4 at 04.00 UK time (05.00 mainland Spain time).

British Transport Secretary Grant Shapps says the LFTs to replace PCRs, and the removal of the obligation to take a test before arrival and on day eight, will be in place by late October in order to ease foreign travel for UK residents in time for school half-term week.

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com

The sight of the great Rafael Nadal on crutches this week has yet again led sports journalists to wonder how much longer the Spanish superstar can carry on competing at the top of the game. Whilst nobody dares write him off just yet - he has bounced back in spectacular fashion too many times for anyone wortht their salt to venture down that road - even he admitted this week that having yet another operation on his troublesome foot and being on crutches now "was not in the script". 

While the 20-times Grand Slam Champion takes time off in his native Mallorca to recover from this latest setback and prepare for the 2022 season, we take a look at the next wave of Spanish players making their way up the rankings ready to receive that baton, whenever it gets passed.

Carlos Alcaraz Garfia

Coached by former World No. 1, Juan Carlos Ferrero, Alcaraz has been maving waves and breaking records on the professional circuit for a couple of years now. At the age of 16, he made his ATP main draw debut at the 2020 Rio Open, defeating fellow countryman Albert Ramos Viñolas after receiving a wildcard for the singles main draw. Aged 17, Alcaraz qualified for the main draw of the Australian Open, making him the youngest participant in the men’s singles. He won his Grand Slam debut defeating fellow qualifier Botic van de Zandschulp in straight sets before losing in the second round to Mikael Ymer.

In 2021 Alcaraz became the youngest match winner in the Madrid Open's history, defeating Adrian Mannarino as a wildcard and breaking 18-year-old Rafael Nadal’s record from 2004. In the second round, he lost to five-time champion Nadal on his 18th birthday. By winning the biggest title of his career until then at the 2021 Open de Oeiras III challenger, he entered the top 100 as the youngest player at the age of 18 on 24 May 2021.

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com

This week, the headquarters of Spain's Permanent Delegation to UNESCO in Paris hosted a presentation of Valencia and its province as a gastronomic tourist destination to the specialised press and professionals of the French tourism sector.

The event - organised by València Turisme and Visit València, under the Delicious València brand - was attended by the permanent ambassador of Spain to UNESCO, Andrés Perelló; the director of the Spanish Tourist Office in Paris, Mª José Gómez; the provincial Councillor for Tourism in Valencia, Jordi Mayor; and the Councillor for Tourism on the Valencia City Council, Emiliano García; as well as the director of the International Michelin Guide, Manuel Fabián, representatives of tourism and gastronomy from various Valencian businesses, tour operators and the French media.

The showcasing of Valencia as a gastronomic destination consisted of an introduction to the city and its province, followed by a tasting of traditional Valencian starters and rice dishes (Valencian paella and arroz del senyoret), prepared by chefs Francisco Alapont, from Peque Casa Nostra restaurant, and David Zorrilla, from Casa Salvador restaurant.

These traditional dishes were all paired with wines and cavas from the Utiel-Requena region and the menu was organised in collaboration with the Club de Artesanos del Arroz de Cullera, the Ruta del Vino de Utiel Requena and the Utiel-Requena Cava Association.

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com

With summer drawing to a close, but plenty of warm weather still on the horizon, this is the perfect time for those without school-age kids to hit the road and explore some of Spain's most picturesque locations. 

One of the architectural staples in many Spanish towns and cities are the bridges - both ancient and modern. Some of them are so iconic they attract hordes of visitors from far and wide every year; others are less well known, but no less worth a visit if you’re prepared to go a little off the beaten track. 

Our road trip starts in Spain's largest autonomous community - Andalusia - specifically in the historic city of Córdoba, then travelling out to Granada, before moving southwards and westwards. Province after province in this region has bridges worthy of a road trip detour. One or two are not for the faint-hearted, but the rest are easily accessible to anyone.

Córdoba - Puente Romano

Spanning the Guadalquivir river, Córdoba’s Roman Bridge was originally built by the Romans in the early 1st century BC. It is thought that the Via Augusta, which connected Rome to Cádiz, most likely passed through it in its original form. Its current shape dates from the Islamic reconstruction in the 8th century, when the city’s Muslim governor, Al-Samh ibn Malik al-Khawlani, ordered a bridge to be built on the ruins of what was left of the old Roman construction. The result is an elegant structure with 16 arcades, reflecting the famous Arab architecture that dominates Córdoba’s famous scenery. In the Middle Ages, the Calahorra Tower and the Puerta del Puente were built at the bridge's southern and northern ends respectively (the latter is now a 16th-century reconstruction). In the 17th century, a sculpture depicting St. Raphael by Bernabé Gómez del Río was erected in the middle of the bridge. 

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com

SMART project detectors from the Andalusian Institute of Astrophysics (IAA-CSIC) last night detected a huge meteorite as it crossed the skies in southern Spain, crashing in the province of Badajoz. 

The phenomenon was detected from the observatories of Calar Alto (Almería), Sierra Nevada and La Sagra (Granada), Seville and La Hita (Toledo).

Detectors recorded a rock from an asteroid - known as a 'meteroid' - as it hit the atmosphere at about 76,000 kilometres per hour.

SMART Project researcher, astrophysicist José María Madiedo, said the fireball generated by the meteorite's impact on the atmosphere was recorded at around 10:25 pm on Wednesday evening.

The enormous speed at which it was travelling caused the rock to become incandescent, generating a fireball that crossed the night sky, its luminosity was similar to that of the full moon, making it visible from more than 600 kilometres away.

Huge numbers of people got the chance to see this phenomenon, which was especially spectacular in the skies over Seville, Huelva, Córdoba and Extremadura.

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com

Spanish singer Rosalía's interpretation of the 'American Independence' theme at last night's MET Gala raised a few eyebrows as she took to the famous red carpet in a giant Manila shawl in tribute to fellow Iberian songstress Lola Flores.

Rosalía wore a red leather fringed outfit inspired by the Manila shawl (mantón de Manila) on Monday for her debut at the exclusive gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

"It's inspired by the Manila shawl, which is very popular in Spain. Look at these fringes!" the award-winning artist told actress Keke Palmer, host of the event, about her groundbreaking image, designed by Rick Owens.

The Manila shawl (mantón de Manila or mantón de seda) is an embroidered silk shawl derived from the Filipino pañuelo. They were popular in the Philippines, Latin America and Spain during the colonial era, before becoming popular in 19th century European fashions. Today the mantón de Manila is still an essential element in traditional women's clothing in Hispanic cultures, and is particularly prominent as part of the traje de flamenca worn by flamenco dancers.

Rosalía posed on the museum steps wearing high platform boots with a transparent heel, shorts and a top that wrapped around her shoulders like a Manila shawl, extending in a train of several metres adorned with fringes.

The theme for this year's Met Gala was all things American and the singer said she was "celebrating that there are many beautiful and incredible designers" in the country, of whom she said Owens was her favourite and that is way she had chosen him for her première.

Rosalía was due to make her debut appearance at what is widely considered to be the celebrity "party of the year" in May last year, but the global pandemic forced organisers to cancel it.

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com

The city of Valencia is soon going to be doing a lot more to promote the installation of photovoltaic solar panels on the roofs of houses and commercial buildings with a dual aim: to help residents lower the cost of electricity bills at a time when the cost of energy continues to skyrocket (this Friday saw a new record: 152.32 euros per megawatt/hour) and, at the same time, contribute to the fight against climate change by reducing the emission of greenhouse gases thanks to the self-generation of solar energy. 

To this end, the City Council intends to approve, this Friday, a modification to the Solar Uptake Ordinance that will simplify the procedure required to install solar panels, which will henceforth only require a statement of responsibility. For consumers, this new source of energy could save (depending on habits and time zones) up to 40% on their electricity bill.

The mayor, Joan Ribó, and the Councillor for Climate Emergency and Energy Transition, Alejandro Ramón, presented the details of the initiative, which they say has been prompted by the pact signed last week in the Senate between the four largest cities of Spain to ensure that by 2030 they are climate-neutral in terms of polluting gas emissions, and the recent rise in the price of electricity.

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com

The Council of Ministers will approve new measures today to try to stop the rise in electricity bills due to the record prices that electricity has been reaching in the wholesale market for weeks now.

The news was broken on Monday night by President Sánchez in an interview with TVE, where he outlined that the suspension of the energy generation tax (7%) will be extended until the end of the year and that special tax will be reduced from 5.1 to 0,5%, "the minimum required by EU law".

Sánchez added that it is not "acceptable" that electricity companies are reaping "extraordinary benefits", which is why he also intends to "cap gas bills" before the expected price rise over the coming months. "[Companies] can afford it, here we all have to make an effort," insisted the president.

In addition, Sánchez pointed out that "a distinction must be made" between the price of energy in the markets - where "no government has the legal capacity to act" - and the impact of the market on electricity bills - where the wholesale price can have an impact of between 20 and 30%.

He also claimed that, until now, the government had tried to lower electricity prices with structural reforms - promoting renewable energy sources, protecting the most vulnerable families by not allowing supplies to be cut off due to non-payment, and reducing taxes such as VAT and generation tax – and has asked Congress to expedite the measures pending parliamentary endorsement.

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com

HOME prices rose faster than the national average in several of Spain's key coastal hotspots in the second quarter of this year, with the Canary Islands leading the field.

Across the country, residential property values increased by 3.3% year on year, and the figure nearly doubled off the mainland.

Latest Home Price Index (IPV) and National Statistics Institue (INE) data show that the cost of buying a house or flat in the Canaries shot up by 6.7% between April and June inclusive, based upon the same period in 2020, and in the Balearic Islands, by 5.7%.

Cantabria, on the northern coast, reported a rise of 5.3%, whilst Murcia in the south-east jumped by 4.4% and the Mediterranean region of the Comunidad Valenciana was just behind at 4.3%.

The national rise of 3.3% is the highest seen since 2019, the last 'normal' year before the pandemic reached Europe.

New builds were 6% more expensive as at the end of June and second-hand properties had gone up by 2.9%.

In Comunidad Valenciana, brand-new homes climbed in value at a slower pace than the average for Spain – 5.3% - but existing residential properties rose by well above the typical national figure of 2.9%.

For Cantabria, a similar pattern was seen – newly-built houses and apartments up by 4.3% and pre-loved homes by 5.5%, although in Murcia, both types saw above-average rises with new properties experiencing a 6.8% hike and second-hand homes valued at 4% more than in the second quarter of 2020.

This was also the case for the Canary Islands, where growth in either type of residential property price was comfortably above the national average and with very little difference between them – 6.5% for new and 6.4% for second-hand.

Price growth returns to normal after 'pandemic year' slowdown

All these regions saw greater growth in home values in the second quarter of 2021 than they did in the first quarter, and typically slightly above the mean figure for Spain as a whole.

Nationwide, home values have been rising consistently for the last 29 quarters, or since March 2014, even during the first few months of the Covid crisis.

Growth slowed somewhat in the second quarter of 2020 – after a hike of 3.2% between January and March inclusive, residential property values only rose by a national average figure of 0.9% from April to June, the lowest increase seen since spring 2013 – but since the latter end of 2020, home price recovery has been consistent.

This is particularly true of pre-owned homes – during the second quarter of 2020, these only went up in value by 0.7%, compared to 2.9% in the second quarter of 2021.

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com

HOLLYWOOD legend and veteran Almodóvar actress Penélope Cruz had a busy time at this year's Venice Film Festival, with two of her most recent silver-screen productions being showcased and taking home one of the top awards.

The Madrid-born national treasure, 47, has not been seen for some years in English-language films – 20 years after her Tinseltown début with a string of successes including Captain Corelli's Mandolin, Cormac McCarthy's All the Pretty Horses, a drug-baron's Colombian wife in Blow, and in the US remake of Alejandro Amenábar's Abre los Ojos ('Open Your Eyes'), Vanilla Sky alongside Tom Cruise, playing the same rôle as in the original.

But she has rarely been absent from Spanish cinema, continuing to appear in most of prolific cult director Pedro Almodóvar's works – which is where she started her career – and in other national and European productions.

One of these was Gaston Duprat's and Mariano Cohn's Competencia Oficial ('The Official Competition'), along with fellow Almodóvar 'apprentice'-turned-Hollywood great, Antonio Banderas, and which was shown at the 78th Venice Film Festival to great acclaim.

Penélope was also represented in her part in the latest Almodóvar film, Madres Paralelas ('Parallel Mothers'), the curtain act for the opening ceremony, which attracted huge applause from viewers.

Speculation among festival-goers was rife that the most recent offering by the ever-present director from Castilla-La Mancha would feature somewhere among the awards.

Tipped to net Best Film or Best Direction, Madres Paralelas missed out on both, but Penélope took home Best Actress for her own rôle, gaining the Copa Volpi, or Volpi Cup to a resounding ovation from the public.

She is the first Spanish female ever to receive this prestigious award in the history of the Venice Festival.

Once on stage, in the company of this year's jury leader Bong Joon-ho, Penélope dedicated her prize to her husband, 'Bond villain' Javier Bardem, and their two children, and also to her 'two parallel mothers' in real life.

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com

A DIOCESE in Catalunya is in uproar after a Bishop of the Catholic Church announced he had given up his vocation to marry an author of erotic novels.

Xavier Novell had created controversy in the past for admitting he 'frequently' practised exorcisms, spoke out in defence of conversion therapy for homosexuals, and supported his region's attempt at a referendum on independence, but this time, his polemical behaviour has not been slammed by the public – only by his former employers.

In a letter to the Diocese of Solsona three weeks ago, Novell explained his decision to give up his post of Bishop and leave the Church was due to 'strictly personal reasons', but it has only now been revealed that he had fallen in love with psychologist and fiction writer Silvia Caballol.

Sra Caballol's novels are erotic with a satanic twist – like a kind of vampire or devil-worship version of the Fifty Shades series – and titles highlighted in the Church press include Hell in Gabriel's Lust.

But a nun from the Dominican Republic interviewed on Spanish channel-four (La Cuatro) programme Todo es Mentira ('It's all lies'), Sister Lucía Caram, says she believes the real reason for Novell's departure is because 'the Pope is furious with him' for his very public and ultra-conservative declarations.

As well as the exorcism and support of Catalunya's secession referendum and conversion therapy, agricultural engineering graduate Novell – who became Spain's youngest Bishop when he took the post in 2010, aged 41 – has spoken out against abortion, even following rape; euthanasia, and same-sex marriage.

Back in 2017, he made the unfounded claim that homosexuality was 'caused' by 'not having a father figure' in the family, or directly condemning single mums or all-female parents.

“He's done a lot of damage to a lot of people,” Sister Caram said on the show.

A decade ago, Novell was asked what he would do if he fell in love, for real, and answered that if a woman 'awakened in him feelings of marital affection', he would go out of his way to make sure he never saw her again.

Divorced, former Muslim wife and sexologist...'living in sin' with Bishop

Catholic priests, Bishops and other members of the clergy cannot marry – unlike in most branches of Protestantism where women as well as men can be vicars or priests, can marry and have children, and even be divorced.

Now, the Church in Spain is aflame since, not only has the Bishop left to get married, and to an erotic novelist to boot, but they are living together in Manresa (Barcelona) despite not yet having tied the knot, and Silvia Caballol is a divorcée.

The writer and practising psychologist, 38, spent several years living in Morocco as she was married to a man from the northern African country, a Muslim, and had two children with him.

She moved back to Barcelona after their divorce.

Silvia Caballol started publishing her novels back in 2015 - fiction which has been described as covering themes such as penitence and punishment, sado-masochism, madness, religious cults, psychopathy, lust, immortality and 'the raw battle between good and bad, between God and Satan, between the angels and the demons', all from a sexual point of view.

She has taken professional courses in sexology, Islam, Catholicism, yoga, and anti-stress techniques.

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NOW that Germany has become the first European country to tackle 'programmed obsolescence' head on, neighbouring countries look set to follow suit – and Spain has already started, albeit tentatively.

The term 'programmed obsolescence' basically means that electronics and electrical appliances are deliberately designed to stop fulfilling their function, or stop working at all, after a set length of time, so consumers are forced to buy new ones – a way of keeping the corporations who manufacture them in constant profit.

It is not always just a case of newer, trendier models hitting the shelves which customers buy because they are embarrassed to admit they still have an 'old one' – in the example of mobile phones, their functions are constantly upgraded so as to cease working on earlier models, meaning those who still want to use these have to buy new ones and, as these new phones become the majority in circulation, the programmes that work on them become more and more mainstream.

An example of this is the messenger service WhatsApp, which stops working and 'self-destructs' on phones over a certain age every few months; if the majority of one's social and professional circle uses WhatsApp to communicate, it means the owner has to choose between being left out or buying a new phone so as to carry on using it.

Another form of 'programmed obsolescence' is where an appliance or device begins to malfunction after a certain age, and either the cost of repair exceeds that of buying new, or nobody can be found to repair it due to its complexity or lack of parts available.

And according to one of Spain's leading consumer protection organisations, the OCU, over 60% of faults and breakages with mobile phones in particular happen within the first two years.

This is fine if they are covered by guarantee – which is a minimum of two years, by law – but the most common problems, such as a faulty USB port, are likely to be outside the terms of this.

Germany has now made it a legal requirement for all devices to be repairable and parts available at a lesser cost than replacement, and software upgrades to enable Apps to function, for at least seven years.

In fact, the European Commission, when reviewing the environmental issue of 'programmed obsolescence' – the massive amounts of electronic waste piling up, and the damage to the planet from mining for new materials – stated that the hardware of a mobile phone should be able to survive up to 25 years and, if parts for repairs and software upgrades were available, would be able to continue to function fully for a minimum of 12 years.

What is Spain doing about it?

So far, Spain has not taken Germany's bold move, but has sought to warn consumers and help them make informed choices when buying.

A little-known new law introduced in March this year means all electrical appliances and electronics on sale are required to carry a 'repairability label', giving them a mark out of 10 for how easy, cheap or otherwise they are to fix if they go wrong.

Also, consumers must now be given the option to repair if this exists, and have a right to do so if they wish...

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“I GAVE YOU my heart, but the very next day you threw it away,” was the beyond-the-grave reproach Scotland's King Robert I never made to his right-hand man, Sir James Douglas, as far as we know – but who, in a roundabout way, did exactly that.

Fans of Mel Gibson, of Scottish culture and history, or both – and those who just love a good battle on screen – may or may not be aware of what links their favourite epic, Braveheart, with the province of Málaga.

Long before Hollywood was invented, or the American continent even known about to anyone bar its native inhabitants, the original script of the blockbuster film was being written in real life; whether or not what eventually appeared in the cinema bore any resemblance is another matter and probably unknown, as none of the cast of the first version is alive to fact-check it for us.

Although if you were in Scotland at the beginning of the 14th century and you're reading this, we're sorry for making sweeping assumptions and would love to hear from you.

We'd primarily like you to clarify whether Mel Gibson's lead character, William Wallace, ever met King Robert I in person as the film claims, given that there's apparently no evidence their paths ever crossed in reality.

This said, we do know that the short sequel to the 'real' Braveheart never made the box-office, though. The bit where a soldier in the south of Spain wore someone else's heart on his sleeve – or rather, around his neck.

Body and soul disunited...and how Sir James got distracted

Robert I of Scotland did not bother with a referendum when he achieved independence for the region, which was a separate country from the rest of what we now know as the United Kingdom until the Union Act of May 1, 1707 joined it to England.

And on his death-bed, the monarch (played by Angus MacFadyen in the film) declared that he wanted his body to be buried in Scotland, and his heart in Jerusalem.

Sir James promised faithfully to the dying 'Robert the Bruce', as he was more popularly known, that he would carry out his wishes, and ordered the King's heart to be extracted from him posthumously and embalmed.

It was placed inside a large silver locket, which Sir James wore on a chain and vowed not to take off until he reached the Middle Eastern city.

Getting there would take long months, and started with crossing the Channel between England and France, then heading down to Spain's far south and the port of Sevilla.

Sevilla does not have a coast, but it is sliced by the huge Guadalquivir river, which runs into the sea, so it does, indeed, have a port, and it was here that Sir James Douglas would be welcomed by Alfonso XI 'The Just', monarch and ruler of the Kingdom of Castilla – the western half of mainland Spain until the marriage of Queen Isabel I and King Fernando II, the 'Catholic monarchs', united the nation by joining Castilla with the eastern Kingdom of Aragón.

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GREAT Gatsby star Leonardo di Caprio was so moved by the plight of child miners in Africa when he filmed Blood Diamond that he started up his own company producing synthetic versions – and he now plans to open a branch in the land-locked western Spain region of Extremadura.

Diamonds are not just mined for top-quality jewellery and accessories – they are also used for technology, including mobile phones, and although 'programmed obsolescence' has triggered a European Union 'right to repair' directive that is now about to enter national law in Germany, consumers are still typically buying new handsets every 18 months on average as Apps and other functions stop working on older devices.

To this end, the demand for diamond-mining is increasing, and with it, child slavery, injury and death, and financing of armed conflict.

Leonardo di Caprio saw this first-hand when he played a Rhodesian diamond dealer in 2006, filming on location in Mozambique and mixing with children from an orphanage, and came away so disgusted and distressed that he set up Diamond Foundry in Silicon Valley nine years later.

Such has been the success of Di Caprio 'ethical diamonds' that the Wolf of Wall Street actor, 47, is branching out – across the pond.

The Cáceres-province town of Trujillo and its Arroyo Caballo industrial estate is the chosen location for a 30,000-square-metre warehouse to be set up for the firm whose slogan reads: “Just Diamond. No mining.”

Passionate about the environment and a keen anti-climate change activist, the screen legend who soared to fame against the odds and after years of knockbacks picked out Extremadura for its year-round sun – the Diamond Foundry premises will be 100% solar-powered.

Plasma reactors functioning 24 hours a day and a 120mW solar panel plant on the industrial estate will fuel the factory, since a zero carbon footprint was Di Caprio's top priority when seeking out a suitable spot.

Having created a string of environmental documentary films, starting with the multiple award-winning 11th Hour – about the climate change emergency – through his production company Appian Way, named after a well-known highway in Italy, the Titanic actor works tirelessly outside of Hollywood to raise awareness of the damage the human race causes to the planet.

And his factory will create at least 300 jobs in the province of Cáceres, which authorities there welcome.

Despite often playing ruthless and over-privileged characters, not least the 1920s' party animal Jay Gatsby in the screen adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald's novella – an author famous for, among others, and ironically in this case, A Diamond As Big As The Ritz – Di Caprio's journey to cinema fame was hard-won and took decades.

He went into acting primarily to earn fast money to support his divorced mother, who is of Russian and German descent, and father, who is of Italian parentage, but attended over 100 auditions before even getting a bit-part in a TV show.

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A GRANT system to help with the costs of buying low-emissions cars has been renewed, and all bar five regional governments in Spain have released details.

Known as the Plan Moves III – as it is the third time funds have been freed up for purchasing non-polluting vehicles – the scheme is managed by the individual regions.

At the moment, €400 million has been set aside and split between each autonomous government – those of Spain's 17 regions and two self-governing cities, Ceuta and Melilla – and, if demand spikes, could be increased to up to €800m.

The Plan Moves III will run until 2023, and cash is available for cars bought from April 9, 2021 onwards.

As yet, Catalunya, Melilla, Extremadura and La Rioja have not published details of the scheme – even though the deadline for doing so was in July – but the Plan Moves III funds are still available in all these regions.

In general, grants can be paid for buying either hybrid or 100% electric cars, and vary according to where the purchaser lives, whether or not they have reduced mobility, whether they are a company or an individual, and if the vehicle is to be used as a taxi or professional car-sharing transport means, such as drivers for Uber and Cabify, among others.

The exact amount depends upon these data, and on the make and model chosen, along with whether or not a petrol or diesel vehicle is being traded in against it for scrap.

Typically, the sums paid are up to a maximum of about €5,000.

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AFTER being called off last year, Sevilla's 'Nights in the Garden' music festival at the Royal Alcázar are now well under way and the programme of events stretches through until October 10.

Since its launch on July 28, a total of 12,311 people have attended the open-air evening concerts in the ancient Arab fortress, one of the southern city's most iconic landmarks.

This week brings a string of typically-Mediterranean, classical, Mediaeval and jazz music – mostly faithful to their original styles but with a dash of artistic licence to bring them up to date in some cases.

They include the fast-paced traditional Turkish melodies and folk dances that act as an artistic bridge between east and west, balancing the exotic mysteries of the Middle East with the familiarity of Europe – as well as Sephardic lullabies, which seal the fusion, given that Spain was once home to a huge Sephardic Jewish community who lived there for centuries until the Inquisition, and a significant minority of Turkish people are direct descendants of these, meaning they are automatically entitled to joint Spanish citizenship.

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SUMMER is far from over in most of Spain in meteorological terms – it does not officially end until the autumn equinox on September 21 – and the temperatures forecast for the coming week confirm this.

In many areas of the country, the second week in September will be at least as hot as July or August. 

The weather office reveals Monday will bring figures of over 30ºC in much of the country, and above 35ºC in several parts.

In fact, the Andalucía provinces of Almería, Córdoba, Jaén and Sevilla – only the first of these being on the coast – and the two Basque provinces with a sea, Guipúzcoa (the capital of which is San Sebastián) and Vizcaya (of which Bilbao is the capital) will be under 'weather warnings' for the heat.

The rise in the mercury, which is across the board for Spain in the next two or three days, will be sharpest on the northern coastal strip of the mainland – mostly because this part of the country tends to cool down considerably from late August onwards, so a sudden spike of over 30ºC will be very much felt.

And this is expected in all provincial capitals except Barcelona, León, Tarragona, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, and the two city-regions of Ceuta and Melilla on the northern African coast – although all of these will see temperatures in the high 20s.

The northern sea regions of Galicia, Asturias, Cantabria and the Basque Country could see the thermometer hit 34ºC, whilst Almería and the land-locked western province of Badajoz, in Extremadura, will rise to 36ºC.

Hotter still are Bilbao, Jaén and Ciudad Real – approximately in the middle of the mainland – with a forecast 37ºC, and Sevilla, Córdoba and Granada, plus most of the towns along the Guadiana and the Guadalquivir river valleys, are predicted to soar to 38ºC.

Morning mist and clear, sunny skies, dry storms, and a cloud covering respectively are predicted from east to west across the mainland, with possible strong east winds on the north and south coasts, and south winds everywhere else.

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SINGULARLY misnamed, Germany's world-famous beer festival is a standard part of the calendar in numerous locations in Spain, too, but usually in September – and Torremolinos (Málaga province) is one of the few planning on going ahead with it this year.

Covid safety procedures will be stringent and numbers in beer tents carefully controlled, naturally, with anyone not eating or drinking required to wear a mask – but given how Spanish towns like to celebrate it as a 'Septemberfest' instead, the weather will still be warm and sunny enough for large parts of it to take place in the open air.

Normally, the Torremolinos Oktoberfest would be held in the Plaza de la Nogalera, but due to ongoing building works, it will move to the Plaza del Remo, off La Carihuela beach.

The festival runs from Wednesday, September 8 to Sunday, September 12 inclusive, all drinks, meals and snacks are at 'affordable, token prices', according to the town hall, and the venue is open daily from noon to midnight.

There is no need to book a place in advance – you can just turn up, but may have to wait if the venue is too full to allow social distancing.

There's more to Oktoberfest than beer, but that's a good place to start

Oktoberfest, Germany's most globally-renowned fiesta, is not just a huge beer party, although German real ales are a big part of it; the event is a celebration of the central European nation's culinary and popular culture, with typical foodstuffs – cheese and pretzels for vegetarians who would not partake of the sausages, which are another key element of Oktoberfest 

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DESPITE being its capital and welcoming the highest number of international tourists of anywhere in Spain, Madrid does not immediately leap into people's heads when they think of this multi-faceted, beautiful and fascinating south-western European country.

Rather like Canberra, Washington DC, Brasilia, Ankara and Rabat, when conjuring up images of a major Spanish city, it tends to come about third or fourth on the list after the likes of Barcelona, Sevilla, and perhaps either Valencia, Granada, Málaga, Alicante or Palma de Mallorca, depending upon whether you have a sightseeing tour or beach holiday in mind.

Just as the five mentioned above tend to find themselves shoved down the list behind the more famous cities in their countries – Sydney, New York, Rio de Janeiro, Istanbul, and Marrakech.

But Madrid is the second-largest capital city in the European Union in terms of population (just over 3.2 million, only beaten by Berlin with slightly more than 3.5 million), and is the fifth-largest city and fourth-largest capital on the continent of Europe when counting the entire metropolitan area – Istanbul, with 15.2 million, tops the list, but for capitals, Moscow with 12.6 million is the biggest, followed by Paris (11 million) and London (9.3 million), then Madrid at 6.6 million.

And, considering it is a capital, Madrid is not as crowded as you'd expect, either: Out of the top 55 most densely-populated municipalities in Europe – not all of them cities – Madrid comes 29th.

Spain's capital, as well as being home to the 'Big Three' art museums – El Prado, the Reina Sofía and the Thyssen-Bornemizsa – and the spectacular Royal Palace and huge, verdant Retiro Park, also houses some intriguing facts and features which not everyone is aware of.

For fans of useless but fun information, here are 10 little gems about Madrid we've unearthed.

It's the highest-altitude capital city in Europe

By a long way, in fact. It's not exactly perched on the tip of Mont Blanc, and it's definitely not another Cusco or La Paz, but Madrid is not as flat as you thought it was: It stands a whole 657 metres above sea level. So if it was right on the coast, it'd dominate the horizon when you looked at it from the beach, and it's a wonder Madrid isn't engulfed in clouds most of the time.

Its nearest rival in terms of height is Prague, at 399 metres above sea level, followed by Kiev, Ukraine at 179 metres, and Athens at 170 metres.

Che Guevara bought his famous beret in Madrid's oldest hat shop

We can even tell you the date and where to find the store.

Cuban revolutionary Ernesto Ché first visited the Spanish capital on June 13, 1959, when he made a pit-stop there en route to Cairo, Egypt.

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SPAIN'S most international clothing firm has started showcasing village scenes on its T-shirts – lending a new slant to the term 'high-street fashion'.

As yet, it is not clear whether Zara plans to expand to cover more towns, or the existing ones on the Inditex empire's star brand are the end of the story; neither is it immediately obvious where the pictures on the white short-sleeved tops actually are.

It was the mayor of Vejer de la Frontera (Cádiz province), Francisco Manuel Flor Lara, who noticed his own town on a T-shirt sold by the low-cost womenswear store, answering shoppers' question about one of those featured, at least.

He took to social media to express his delight.

“Zara is selling a T-shirt around the world with a photo of Vejer. Yes, just like that: One of the main fashion stores nationally and globally, Zara, has put a top on sale with a photo of Vejer on it,” Flor Lara wrote on Facebook.

He was even able to clarify for its wearers which street was emblazoned across them.

“It's the beautiful C/ Trafalgar, with its trademark white house and terracotta roof tiles, and the Bar Trafalgar. 

“Perhaps you don't realise just how much this means, but for Zara to choose Vejer is very significant indeed,” the mayor concluded.

The picture of the narrow, cobbled lane rising up a hill will do more for Vejer de la Frontera – and probably the province of Cádiz – than the national government's multi-billion 'recovery plan' in terms of repairing economic damage caused by the pandemic: Although Vejer is popular with tourists and local visitors, being one of southern Spain's traditional picture-postcard white villages, the outbreak of Covid-19 and movement restrictions over the past year and a half means those who rely on day-trippers and holidaymakers for their income are finding it hard to make ends meet.

But now a quaint image of it appears on T-shirts sold on almost every continent, the free advertising Vejer has been handed on a plate could be a major turning point.

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'MEDITERRANEAN Day' will be on November 28 every year starting with the first-ever in 2021, and will be a celebration of the region's cultures, 'wealth of diversity and difference', as well as everything that unites the countries bordering the inter-continental sea.

The date will be the 26th anniversary of the so-called Barcelona Process, which set up the Euro-Mediterranean Association in 1995 to enable coastal nations to work together on socio-economic and cultural development.

Its head office remains in Barcelona, and has decided to celebrate 'Mediterranean Day' every year from now on to raise visibility of the region's 'legacy of cultural dialogue, knowledge and humanism' – in the non-Renaissance sense, although this, too, is a period in history that unites the southern half of the continent of Europe in artistic, archaeological and cultural terms.

Egypt's Nasser Kamel, former ambassador in France and the UK and now secretary-general of the Mediterranean bloc, says this sea is what links three continents, 46,000 kilometres of coastline, and is home to over 480 million people.

“The Mediterranean offers a wealth of human and natural diversity that is completely unique in the world,” Kamel recalls.

“Its communities and cultures have been exchanging ideas, produce and learning for centuries via the sea they share, and 'Mediterranean Day' seeks to reinforce those ties, promote dialogue, and highlight their achievements, as well as approaching key issues and mobilising political cooperation, action and resources to enable us to face up to our shared challenges.

“The Mediterranean is our home and our sustenance, our history and our future, and as a region we are facing huge challenges, but we also have huge potential.

“'Mediterranean Day is a fantastic opportunity for us to feel good about all that we've achieved and all that we can achieve in the future if we work together.”

These achievements include individual national ones with a wider impact as well as those made as a bloc, initiatives embarked on by member nations' governments, international and regional governments, international financial institutions, developmental agencies, and ordinary civilians and the private sector.

“Our end aim is to celebrate our diversity, show that what we have in common is greater than the differences between us, and to encourage a sense of union and community,” says the head office in Barcelona.

Now, the Unión por el Mediterráneo, as it is known in Spain ('Union for the Mediterranean', or UpM) is made up of 42 countries – many of which are, in fact, a short-haul flight from the sea in question.

All 27 European Union member States are UpM countries – when the UK left the EU, it automatically left the UpM – as well as non-EU European nations on the Mediterranean shores, Albania, Bosnia, Montenegro, Monaco and Turkey.

Three continents are involved in the UpM, making it a crucial international cooperation exercise as well as giving voice to southern European society, where society, culture and financial issues tend to be very different from those of the much larger northern expansion of nations.

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THE first FIFA World Cup qualifier kicks off for Spain on Thursday this week against Sweden, with a team that does not include Sergio Ramos or anyone from Real Madrid – mirroring the national side sent to the UEFA Euros.

FC Barcelona's Pedro González López, better known as 'Pedri', is not on the team by mutual agreement – the midfielder is said to be 'tired' after a long run without a break, and is in the middle of a well-earned holiday at present.

Goalkeepers who will be travelling to Qatar for the 2022 World Cup, if Spain gets through, are the same as those who played in the Euros this year, delayed 12 months due to the pandemic – Unai Simón (Athletic Club de Bilbao), David de Gea (Manchester United) and Robert Sánchez (Brighton & Hove Albion).

Euros defenders Jordi Alba (Barça), José Luis Gayá (Valencia CF), César Azpilicueta (Chelsea FC) and Marcos Llorente (Atlético de Madrid) have been kept on for the World Cup team, but Leeds United's Diego Lorente and Villarreal CF's Olympic competitor Pau Torres have fallen off the list, and Manchester City's Èric García and Aymeric Laporte will play centre-forward.

The latter two will join newcomers Raúl Albiol (Villarreal) and Athletic Club de Bilbao centre-back Íñigo Martínez.

Midfielders who represented Spain in the Euros and who are now on the World Cup team are Jorge Resurrección Merodio – known exclusively on- and off-pitch as Koke (Atlético de Madrid), Sergio Busquets (Barça) and Rodri Hernández (Manchester City), but along with Pedri's taking a rest break, Thiago Alcântara (Liverpool FC) has not been included.

New faces have also made the cut on the midfielder list: Valencia CF's Carlos Soler, Mikel Merino (Real Sociedad) and Brais Méndez (Celta de Vigo).

As for strikers, Villarreal's Gerard Moreno, Manchester City's Ferrán Torres, Juventus' Álvaro Morata, Paris Saint-Germain's Pablo Sarabia, and Wolverhampton Wanderers' Adama Traoré, who all played in the UEFA Euro, will stay on the team for the World Cup, but RB Leipzig's Dani Olmo and Real Sociedad's Mikel Oyarzábal will not.

New names on the strikers' list are West Ham FC's Pablo Fornals, and Portuguese team Sporting Clube de Braga's Abel Ruiz.

Ahead of the UEFA Euro, Real Madrid fans were not happy with (pictured) team manager Luis Enrique's line-up as none of their side's players had been included – and the World Cup team follows suit.

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