Live News From Spain As It Happens

A HOLLYWOOD legend joining folk-dancers from Asturias and showing off her fancy footwork in the street is not a scene your average Oviedo resident witnesses during his or her weekly shop. Even though their northern-Spanish city is the birthplace of a Formula 1 icon (that's you, Fernando Alonso), meaning it already boasts celebrity credentials, the image of Meryl Streep having a crack at the gaitas is one the locals will not be able to get out of their heads for a while.

But they were not hallucinating: The actress with the most Oscar and Golden Globe nominations in cinema history was, indeed, outside the old La Vega arms factory in Asturias' regional capital, joining in with the traditional local dance as the marching band El Gumial played its Celtic-based folk music.

Meryl, 74, radiant in red and black trousers and a black jacket with her pale blonde locks flowing long and loose, engaged, smiling, with the public, waving and blowing kisses, as she headed to the La Vega building for the annual Princess of Asturias Awards Ceremony.

The Mamma Mia, Out of Africa and The Devil Wears Prada actress was looking forward to picking up a trophy from Spain's future queen, Leonor – the Princess of Asturias herself – who, just days short of her 18^th birthday on Hallowe'en, would be presenting her namesake awards.

On a short leave from her Armed Forces training in Zaragoza, no doubt Princess Leonor was looking forward to meeting the silver-screen queen every bit as much as Meryl was to getting her prize from the teen Royal.

What are the Princess of Asturias Awards?

Often considered Spain's national answer to the Nobel Prizes, what used to be the Prince of Asturias Awards (until said Prince became King Felipe VI, in 2014) gives winners a certificate, a trophy-sized sculpture by the late, great surrealist artist Joan Miró, a badge, and €50,000 in cash.

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com

EVERY now and again, Spain's traffic authority launches a campaign to remind drivers of what they should and should not be doing, or to answer common questions – such as, can drivers be fined if passengers do not wear a seatbelt? which has been the subject of much confusion over time. Or what those new 'dragon's teeth' and zig-zag road markings mean.

Where specific, serious offences are becoming too commonplace, the General Directorate of Traffic (DGT), part of the ministry of transport, launches extremely hard-hitting campaigns – sometimes on the radio or, more upsettingly, online, where the full graphic impact is on view. Much as everyone hates to see them, the DGT points out that, if these devastating images save just one life through drivers rethinking their behaviour, they have served their purpose.

For more general driving matters, frequently-asked questions, common misconceptions and ongoing doubts, another great source of information is the Guardia Civil's traffic Facebook fact page, 'N-332'. Named after the inter-provincial highway which runs from Valencia to Almería, this social media site has gathered a huge following, and users can post any motoring queries they need an answer to.

The most recent DGT awareness campaign covers distractions behind the wheel. Traffic boss Pere Navarro stresses that seemingly harmless actions, where they involve taking your attention off the road for just a second or two, are among the main causes of serious crashes involving major injury or worse.

And some distraction-causing behaviour is subject to a hefty fine and loss of licence points, even if they are not creating a danger at that moment.

Here are some of the most common, Navarro says.

Using a mobile phone

This is nothing new, and should be common knowledge, but the DGT reveals that mobile phone use whilst driving is getting more frequent, not less so.

Making or taking calls – even on hands-free mode, in Spain – sending messages, or consulting the sat-nav function all dramatically increase accident risk, and Navarro's department is clamping down hard.

Even having your mobile in your hand whilst driving, whether or not you are using it, may be considered a serious offence, and if you pull up on the roadside to take a call, turn your engine off. Where your car is still running, you are deemed to be 'driving' – largely because the temptation to move on again is much greater if you do not have to restart your car.

Drivers caught using a mobile for any purpose will automatically lose six licence points – 50% of the total – and be fined €200.

Putting your makeup on

In these days of constant rushing, stress and never having enough time, it can be tempting to just fling on your clothes and finish the rest of your morning routine whilst on your way to work. Navarro says it is very common to see motorists taking advantage of red traffic lights and gridlocks to 'put their face on', but that 'endless accidents' have been caused as a result – moving off whilst in the middle of doing one's makeup, or not moving on when the lights go green, causing rear shunts.

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com

FOOTBALL fans have plenty of time to plan their trip to Spain for the 2030 FIFA men's World Cup, and almost any destination in the country should be within easy travelling distance of a stadium – a shortlist of 15 venues has been put forward, with up to 11 likely to be chosen to host a key match.

The successful Spanish bid comes after what has turned out to be a golden year for the sport, with the women's national team winning their first FIFA World Cup in Australia in August following an exceptionally gruelling final against defending UEFA Euros champions, England.

Both the Lionesses and La Roja made each other work extremely hard in a thrilling, fast-moving and suspense-filled match that thrust women's football in both countries into its rightful place: The world's front-page headlines and mainstream TV channels.

And in seven years' time, Spain will share the honour of being the focal point of the planet's most-watched sporting tournament with two of its neighbouring countries – mirroring the format already set for the 2026 men's World Cup where Canada and México will act as back-up for the main host nation, the USA.

Portugal and Morocco join forces with their neighbour

A minimum of 14 venues are required by FIFA for the competition, and Portugal has put forward three – Estádio Alvalade and Estádio da Luz, both in the capital, Lisbon, and Dragão, in Oporto, where Spain's 2010 national team captain Iker Casillas lived and played for five years until summer 2020. Given that all three Portuguese stadia have been used in the recent past to host major international matches, and that they are of very high quality, they will probably all make the final cut.

Morocco has offered venues in Rabat, Casablanca, Tangiers, Agadir, Marrakech and Fez, although it is not clear how many will be used in the end; if the minimum of 14 across the three countries are picked, Spain's final 11 will reduce in line with however many are approved in its northern African neighbour.

Minimum requirements for a World Cup host country

Conditions are strict, however: At least seven stadia are required to have been already fully built at the moment the host country makes its successful bid to hold the tournament, and the opening game and the finals must be held at a stadium with capacity for a minimum of 80,000 spectators.

The stadium used for the semi-finals needs to have seating for at least 60,000, and all other venues, a minimum of 40,000.

These requisites mean Real Madrid's Santiago Bernabéu stadium, which has recently undergone a radical renovation, is a strong candidate to host the finals.

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com

MORTGAGE signings have dropped by nearly a fifth as a result of the greatest leap in interest rates in over 20 years – but debt defaults have not risen, despite the Euribor being at its highest since 2011.

According to the National Statistics Institute (INE), the most recent figures collated are up until the end of July, so the fall in new loans may be higher nearly two months on.

With a record number of existing mortgage holders attempting to renegotiate their loans or shop around for better deals, July 2023 saw a fall of 19% in new signings based upon the same month in 2022.

Mortgage rate rise 'sharpest in 20 years'

A total of 29,223 home loans were taken out in July, for an average home purchase price of €143,000 and a typical interest rate of 3.24% - the highest since August 2016.

This represents a decrease of nearly 7,000 on last July, when over 36,000 new mortgages were contracted.

Back then, interest rates on home loans were on average around 1.92%.

The hike in costs to homeowners is as a result of the Eurozone interest rate, or Euribor, soaring to above 4% when, just a year ago, it was still below zero.

At present, the Euribor for September is 4.2%, having climbed by around half a percentage point since late 2022.

Spanish mortgages are reviewed annually, meaning a variable-rate mortgage is only affected by Euribor figures for the month when their 12-month revision takes place – effectively, all mortgages have a one-year fixed rate as a result.

This means not all mortgage holders will be feeling the impact of the Euribor hike yet – the dramatic rise at the end of 2022 will not have affected 100% of variable-rate loans until the start of 2024.

European Central Bank (BCE) chair Christine Lagarde – formerly head of the International Monetary Fund (FMI) – made the sharp rate increase in a bid to control inflation in the common currency area, which had already started before the Russian invasion of Ukraine but was severely aggravated as a result of it.

This means mortgages in countries using the euro have seen the steepest cost rise in two decades, since the Euribor has never experienced such sudden changes over such a short time.

Fall in new mortgages partly due to lenders' newfound caution

Mortgage signings being down in Spain is not just about affordability, or even as a result of would-be homebuyers deciding to wait until interest rates start to fall again.

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com

TRAFFIC authorities in Spain have clarified one of motorists' biggest queries: Whether drivers can get fined if their passengers fail to wear a seatbelt.

Seatbelts correctly fastened have been a legal requirement in Spain in the front seats since 1975, but did not become compulsory in the back seats until the year 1992.

This means some classic cars may not have them – which is the only valid legal reason for not wearing them, according to the General Directorate of Traffic (DGT), part of Spain's ministry for transport.

Fines are around €200 for not wearing a seatbelt, since this omission is classed by the 2021 Traffic Law as a 'serious offence'.

Passengers aged at least 18 will be fined directly if they do not have their seatbelts on, but the driver – as long as he or she is wearing their own seatbelt correctly – is not considered legally responsible and will not be fined for the behaviour of other occupants.

If the non-belt-wearing passenger is aged 17 or under, they are legally considered to be a 'minor', and their parents or guardians will have to pay the fine.

This also applies where the passenger is a very small child and is found travelling without the required baby or toddler booster seat.

It is not clear whether the underage passenger's parents will be fined where they are absent from the scene – such as if another family member is looking after them that day and takes them out in a car.

But it is likely this is a case of 'strict liability': Where a person who commits an offence subject to a fine is not an adult, this automatically passes to the person legally responsible for their actions, without presumption of fault on this adult's behalf.

Seatbelts really do save lives, says DGT

As well as being mandatory, they are proven to save lives: The World Health Organisation (WHO) says wearing a seatbelt reduces the likelihood of death in a car crash by 60%.

In Spain, around 150 fatalities could have been prevented in the past year, the DGT reveals: Of all those who died in road crashes, 25% were not wearing a seatbelt and the authority estimates that at least half of those would still be alive today if they had buckled up.

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com

WHEN the summer reaches its hottest weeks, the idea of cooler climates suddenly becomes more attractive. And although Spain generally cannot offer temperatures similar to northern Scandinavia, not everywhere in the country sees the mercury pushing the 40ºC mark in July, August and September.

These months are the ideal time to head for mainland Spain's northernmost regions – the ones where the thermometer drops into double figures below zero on winter nights, and where you need thermal underwear and the heating on even in early autumn.

You'll be treated to some of the most breathtaking scenery in Europe – and be prepared for all your pre-conceived ideas about what Spain looks and feels like to be blown away (literally, in the more exposed rural areas at high altitudes, where it can get a bit blustery at times). Palm trees and cacti belong in the south, on the Mediterranean, and on the islands; Spain's north is an endless carpet of green and gold, closer in appearance to Switzerland, France, Ireland and the UK than to the sun-drenched beaches of the summer holiday brochures.

If you've read our previous two articles on 'budget Michelin tours' in the south, east and islands and in Madrid and inland Spain, you'll know that wherever in the country you travel, you'll be near a major global attraction or a lesser-known hidden gem - or both – and a top gourmet restaurant you can actually afford to eat in.

That's because the Michelin 'Bib Gourmand' section is made up of award-winning restaurants with a maximum price per head of €35, based upon three courses, dessert included, and one drink.

So, if you just have one course and a drink, you can dine Michelin-style for even less.

A number of these eateries are also hotels, which takes some of the organising out of your trip for you.

Given that you're unlikely to travel hundreds of kilometres across Spain purely for the dining-out opportunities – great though they may be – our comprehensive three guides offer you an overview of what to see and do in every part of the country, and where to get a 'Bib Gourmand' meal nearby.

Although if none of the regions featured here are cold....