News
Motorway fail
Airships over Spain
Investigations are underway to determine the cause of the collapse of a second section of a viaduct on the A-6 motorway in Léon on June 16 . The road has remained closed since another section collapsed last year . Corrosion was cited as the culprit in the first incident but now experts are talking of an additional undetected fault .
Scam warning
Unicaja has warned customers to ignore and delete any message asking them to supply details of their bank account . Above all , it adds , never click on any link included in the message . Dozens of people are reported to have fallen for the scam and have lost thousands of euros to fraudsters .
Airport tragedy
The bodies of two brothers were found last month in the landing gear of an aircraft about to depart Algiers for Barcelona . The Airbus A330-200 was immobilised while investigations continued . The alarm was raised by the boys ’ family after they received a video filmed on board the plane .
Train crash
Five people were taken to hospital and others received less serious injuries after a freight train collided with a passenger service on June 12 . An investigation was opened after the brakes on the freight train reportedly failed in Tarragona . The passenger train was carrying about 100 people at the time of the incident .
Princess dies
A former Qatari princess was found dead in her apartment in Puerto Banús last month . Kasia Gallanio , aged 45 , divorced from Sheikh Al-Thani in 2012 , triggering a high-profile legal battle , as yet unresolved , for custody of their three children . Her death came two weeks after she made claims that her former husband , now 73 , inappropriately touched a child .
A Spanish airline announced last month that it has become the first to order ten new hybrid airships which it hopes to be in service on short-haul routes by 2026 . Iberia ’ s regional carrier Air Nostrum has confirmed the deal with UK-based Hybrid Air Vehicles which claim the craft could reduce emissions by 90 per cent .
The Airlander 10 airship ( pictured ) seats 100 passengers and has a range of about 400 kilometres ( 250 miles ), although its maximum speed is a stately 130 kph ( 80 mph ). The passenger seats are in a 1-2-1 arrangement with some facing one another , and transparent walls giving views from up to 20,000 feet . Importantly , the airship does not require a conventional airstrip to operate , but , like a helicopter , can land almost anywhere but with a much heavier payload .
The Airlander 10 was originally designed for aerial surveillance by the US Army , and its creators say the current version uses 20 per cent of the fuel burn of existing aircraft , can be fitted with solar panels , uses almostsilent 325 hp V8 engines and can stay airborne for five days while carrying its maximum payload of ten tons . When construction begins this year , the order will create 1,800 jobs in Yorkshire
Air Nostrum ’ s President Carlos Bertomeu said the airships will help beat the European targets of cutting emissions by at least 55 per cent by 2030 . “ Sustainability ,” he added , “ is
10 already a non-negotiable fact in the daily operations of commercial aviation .”
Fourth jabs
The Health Ministry has clarified that a fourth Covid jab will be available only to those who are vulnerable , or are aged over 80 . Earlier last month , it was wrongly indicated that the extra inoculation would be universally available . So far , 92.4 % of over 70s are reported to have received their third injection .
Brit attacked
A 29-year-old British man is recovering in hospital in Tarragona after suffering serious injuries when he was attacked and thrown off a cliff in Salou . The incident on June 10 left him with multiple fractures , including skull and arms , plus internal bleeding . The tourist from Weston-super-Mare claims he was attacked by a group of local men and dragged to the cliff edge from which he was pushed and then fell for several metres .
Ronda raids
A major drugs operation near Ronda has produced quantities of marijuana and hashish in a seized vehicle and an AK-47 and further drugs at a house in Arriate . Police say a French-Moroccan gang had been storing supplies at the property before importing it to France . A number of gang members are still being sought in the area .