Live News From Spain As It Happens

A FIRM annual fixture for fans of the latest technology, the Barcelona-based Mobile World Congress (MWC) never fails to blow visitors' minds with creations they didn't know they needed. And these cutting-edge inventions are not just about ever-more sophisticated mobile phones and similar gadgetry – the futuristic concepts showcased cover all areas of life and work in a bid to make both as easy as possible. In 2019, the MWC even unveiled 'smart hives' for beekeepers.

Running until Thursday (February 29) inclusive, and looking set to remain in Barcelona year after year for the foreseeable future, here are some of the fascinating exhibits uncovered at the MWC 2024 so far.

Xiaomi SU7 electric car: Recharge for 200 kilometres in five minutes

Known as the 'Chinese Apple', Xiaomi is now seeking to become the 'Chinese Tesla' with its whizzy SU7. Electric, of course, and with a battery that will last you for 800 kilometres (500 miles) once fully charged, which takes just 20 minutes; a quarter-recharged in five minutes will be enough for most daily errands and medium-length journeys.

From zero to 100 kilometres per hour (62 miles per hour) in 2.78 seconds, the Xiaomi SU7 can reach top speeds of 265 kilometres per hour (166 miles per hour) – although that's not recommended on Spanish roads where the speed limit on motorways is 120 kilometres per hour (75 miles per hour).

Read more at thinkSpain.com

Described as an 'absolute goddess in green' by Hello magazine and as having a 'unique style' by the Daily Mail, HRH Letitizia was shown 'wrapping up warm' in recent photos against chilly winds in the mid-western UK county of Berkshire.

Letizia, 52, and King Felipe VI had travelled to St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle for a thanksgiving service in honour of King Constantine II of Greece, who passed away a year ago in January in his native Athens aged 82.

The Greek Royal family is directly and closely related to those of Britain and Spain – Felipe VI's mother, Queen Sofía, is originally Greek and her father's cousin was Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, who was married to the late British Queen Elizabeth II.

HRH Elizabeth II was third cousin to both Prince Philip and to Felipe VI's parents, King Juan Carlos I and Queen Sofía – both still living – meaning King Felipe of Spain is a blood relative of Britain's King Charles III, as well as nephew to the late Constantine III.

Felipe VI and Letizia joined Charles III's wife, Queen Camilla, and his nieces Princess Beatrice and Zara Tindall, representing the UK Royal family in light of serious health issues that have left two of its key figureheads out of action.

Charles III is in treatment for an undisclosed type of cancer, and Princess Catherine of Wales is recovering from undefined abdominal surgery, meaning King Charles' son Prince William of Wales is having to split himself between his father, wife and children, and what Royal duties he can fit in between them.

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com

SPAIN'S headcount has risen to its highest figure in history – for the first time ever, the population has broken the 48 million barrier.

If the trend of the 2020s continues, the country could easily surpass the 50-million mark before the end of the decade, based upon an average of between a half and three-quarters of a million new residents every year.

As has been the case for many years now, the swelling headcount is almost entirely due to immigration, not to childbirth, since natality rates have been falling consistently since the end of the last century and average ages for first-time motherhood have continued to rise.

Headcount rises in all regions and number of household units soars

According to the National Statistics Institute (INE), as at January 1 this year, the exact number of inhabitants in Spain was 48,592,909, having gone up by 507,548 since January 1, 2023.

These official figures do not include foreign-born residents without permits, or who have not signed on their local town hall population census, known as the padrón, meaning the total is likely to be higher and may well already be above 50 million.

The overwhelming majority of the annual increase is through non-Spanish-born citizens moving to the country, with foreigners currently totally around 6.5 million, or approximately 13%.

Population increases were seen in all regions in Spain, although the most notable expansions were found in the city-province of Melilla on the northern African coasr, with its headcount of roughly 90,000 rising by 0.64%, followed by the Greater Madrid region (0.44%) and the Comunidad Valenciana along the east coast (0.41%).

Along with the population rise, the number of households in Spain has multiplied – in some cases linked to the rising resident figures, and in others, due to couples separating or young people moving out of their parental homes.

Spain's 48.6 million residents live in 19,346,386 household units – an increase of 45,560 over the last three months of 2023.

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com

SIGOURNEY Weaver and survivors of a South American plane crash took centre stage at Spain's answer to the Oscars this week, the Goya Awards – and one film netted 12 prizes out of its 13 nominations.

For the past three years, this huge red-carpet gala celebrating Spanish cinema has also decorated an international silver-screen legend in a brand-new award category – last year, this went to Juliette Binoche (Chocolat, The English Patient, Trois Couleurs: Rouge), and in 2022, amid rumours of her possibly becoming the next 'Almodóvar Girl', to Cate Blanchett (Charlotte Gray, Notes on a Scandal).

And the International Goya in 2024 went to a Hollywood icon who is certainly not Alien to the Spanish language – Sigourney Weaver proved this as she gave her acceptance speech fluently in the native tongue of the awarding nation.

Born Susan Alexanda Weaver to an NBC television reporter dad and a British actress mum, Ghostbusters star Sigourney, 74, was visibly overwhelmed, and told the applauding audience that they 'were making her feel like a queen'.

She had previously been nominated for a Goya in the Best Supporting Actress category for her rôle in A Monster Calls, based upon the Patrick Ness novel of the same name and directed by J. A. Bayona.

And as well as presenting Sigourney with her statuette, Bayona spent most of the evening welded to the stage as his own film, Sociedad de la Nieve ('Society of the Snow') swept the board.

Sociedad de la Nieve, a tale of survival in the snow, nets a dozen trophies

Made for Netflix, the hard-hitting production is based upon a true story and one that has become legendary worldwide: When Uruguayan Air Force flight 571, carrying a team of rugby players to Chile, crashed in the Andes in 1972, only 29 of the 45 passengers and crew survived. They then had to face the elements to stay alive long enough to be rescued, in some of the harshest and most hostile conditions on earth, and resorting to extreme measures to cheat death – in the end, only 16 of the 29 lived to tell the tale.

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com

MORTGAGE-LENDING has reduced dramatically in Spain in the past year, but that has not stopped homes on sale being snapped up: Over a third were purchased in cash, according to the latest figures.

Eurozone interest rates soaring since the end of 2022 mean homebuyers who need a loan are tending to hold off for the time being, preferring to wait until these fall again – once the European Central Bank (BCE) considers inflation is sufficiently contained to do so.

Until mid-2022, with the Euribor having been in negative figures since February 2016, mortgages were cheaper than they had ever been – property prices continued to rise, but buyers could get far more for their money.

In fact, that year saw a record high in the number of variable-rate mortgages granted in Spain – 73% of loans signed for in June 2022, according to the National Statistics Institute (INE).

Figures for the 2018 year end showed variable-rate mortgages made up 62.8% of the total, but with the Eurozone interest rate remaining below zero, consumer confidence began to grow as more time passed.

Variable rates have long been the default in Spain and, as mortgages are reviewed annually, homebuyers automatically get a one-year fixed rate and do not need to worry about sudden rises from month to month.

By November 2023, fixed-rate mortgages had overtaken variable rates, at 53.2% compared with 46.2%, and the number continues to climb.

Whilst property purchases have reduced in number as a result of the interest rate hike, the market has not stagnated – a combination of buyers who are confident the Euribor will fall again to manageable levels and decide to forge ahead in the meantime, and the high number of home-seekers who can afford to buy outright, mean the market remains at least stable.

The INE reveals that, from January to November 2023, a total of 353,633 mortgages were granted for the 550,215 property purchase transactions registered – a total of 64.81%, meaning 35.19% of homes were snapped up by cash buyers.

And although mortgages were involved in 71.5% of property purchases in 2019, before the pandemic forced a dramatic slowdown in sales – meaning 28.5% were bought without a loan – the number of transactions was lower than in 2023, despite the Euribor increase.

INE figures show that 505,467 residential properties were sold in 2019, involving 361,291 mortgages.

Estate agencies have reported a 'notable cooling off' in 'buying fever', although the figures appear to show differently – more homes sold, but with cash purchases gradually gaining ground.

How the Euribor has evolved

The interest rate set by the BCE for all countries using the common currency – the euro – first rose above zero in April 2022 after six years and two months in negative figures, but the change was not dramatic – from the record low of -0.502% in December 2021, it had increased to 0.013%, meaning the difference in monthly repayments to the average borrower was just a few euros.

But within eight months, it had broken the 3% barrier for the first time since December 2008.

Another seven months on would see the 4% frontier shattered – July 2023 closed on 4.149%, and October brought a new record of 4.173%.

Prior to 2023, the last time the Euribor was above 4% was in November 2008, after five months above 5% - including the highest-ever figure of 5.393% in July that year – and, from that moment on, went into a drastic downward spiral.

Before the 2022 rises, the last time the Eurozone interest rate was 2% or more was December 2011, and it remained under 1% from August 2012 for almost a decade.

read more at thinkSPAIN.com

SPANISH national low-cost airline Vueling has announced numerous extra flights this summer, increasing frequency and destination choice for 2024.

In particular, the Catalunya-based carrier plans to 'reinforce' its travel options ahead of the America's Cup, a huge international yacht regatta due to be held in Barcelona this summer – its first return to Spain since Valencia hosted the tournament in 2007 – as well as for the Paris 2024 Olympics and the men's UEFA Euros, which will take place in Germany.

From Barcelona's El Prat airport, Vueling's main based, flights will increase by 7%, with around 90 different connections this summer offering an average of 15 slots a week on each route.

These connections will mostly be with 'Europe's main capital cities', including three a day from Barcelona to Paris and London.

In total, about 60 direct flight routes a day will head for France, of which 50 or so will connect Barcelona and Paris during the Olympics, and connections between Barcelona and airports in Germany will increase by 11% during the football tournament.

Vueling's manager for sales, strategy, customer service and route planning, Carolyn Prowse, explains that the airline's aim is to 'reaffirm its commitment to excellence in operations and passenger satisfaction'.

Independently of major sporting events, Vueling will be organising up to 70 more flights a week this summer than it offered during the same months of 2023 for its existing regular routes.

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com

LOW-COST self-service petrol station chain Ballenoil plans to open a further 110 premises in Spain this year on top of the 233 it already operates nationally.

The 'budget' arm of service station company and national petroleum giant CEPSA – which acquired the chain in November 2023 – opened 41 complexes across the country last year, leading to its sales rising by nearly a third.

Litres of petrol and diesel dispensed at Ballenoil stations in 2023 rose by 31% on the quantity shifted in 2022, and customer numbers have gone up sharply, with pumps used 22% more last year than the previous.

So far, Ballenoil's presence outside the capital region – where it has 71 branches – is greatest in Andalucía, in the south, and the Comunidad Valenciana, on the east coast, with 54 and 23 premises respectively.

The company has been gradually expanding nationwide, and its fourth-largest market is currently the central region of Castilla-La Mancha, which has 20 sales points, with Catalunya fifth, home to 17 branches.

Ballenoil has been growing steadily outside of the most heavily-populated regions, with 14 branches in the centre-northern territory of Castilla y León, 13 in the land-locked western region of Extremadura, five each in Asturias and the Basque Country on the north coast and Murcia in the south-east, and four in two other northern coastal regions, Galicia and Cantabria.

Although low-cost petrol stations are self-service and payment is made by credit or debit card at the pump, with no on-site shopping, café or toilet facilities, they still create jobs, due to various regional laws passed in recent years.

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com

BUDGET clothing store Primark has announced plans to open another branch in Madrid next month – the chain's 61^st retail outlet in Spain.

Founded in the Republic of Ireland but with an international presence, Primark will have 440 stores worldwide when the new premises opens in the La Vaguada shopping centre.

Due to start trading on February 22, the shop will create over 200 new jobs, and Primark is currently on a national recruitment drive, offering permanent, full-time positions with a monthly take-home salary of €1,300 and no qualifications or experience needed.

According to the company, the La Vaguada retail centre branch will be two storeys, just over 5,750 square metres in size, and have 23 self-service check-out points in addition to the standard staffed tills.

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com