_ Soltalk February 2023 _ Soltalk 24 / 01 / 2023 16:52 Page 12
News
World ’ s oldest
Maria Branyas , born March 4 , 1907 , has been Spain ’ s oldest person since 2019 and is now believed to be the oldest person in the world , following the recent death of French nun , Lucile Randon , aged 118 . Maria , who was born on March 4 , 1907 , now lives in sheltered housing in the Catalan town of Olot and says she exercised every morning until she was 105 . Now at age 115 , in May 2020 she became the oldest person to recover from the Covid virus .
Star jailed
Spanish soccer star Dani Alves was sent to jail without bail on January 20 after returning from Mexico to face charges of assault . It is alleged he touched a woman inappropriately in a Barcelona nightclub during December , but he denies the claim . His Mexican club , Pumas UNAM , parted ways with Alves following the accusation .
Málaga murder
A 39-year-old man was arrested in Málaga last month on suspicion of beating his mother to death . The woman ’ s body was found at her home in the city ’ s El Molinillo district by the suspect ’ s sister after he had confessed to her by telephone . Police confirmed that the victim had suffered a violent death .
Cheaper gas
The price of butane dropped by 92 cents to € 17.66 per bottle on January 17 . It was the second consecutive price reduction since the historic high of € 19.55 last year . The price of liquified petroleum gas ( LPG ) is reviewed every two months by the Directorate-General for Energy Policy and Mines .
Transgender rights bill progresses
Spain ’ s new transgender rights bill has raised concerns for minors and for women ’ s rights . The bill , passed by Deputies in December and now en route to the Senate for approval , will allow anyone aged 16 or over to change the gender on their ID card without the need for psychological or medical evaluation .
The change was promoted by the leftwing party Podemos which is presently a junior member in the coalition government with the Socialists led by prime minister Pedro Sánchez . However , the debate has caused a conflict within the coalition with some socialist Deputies criticising the bill .
If finally passed into law , it will allow anyone from age 16 to change their
Gas price cap to continue ?
The government is reported to be planning to ask Brussels to extend the cap on gas prices until the end of 2024 . The price cap , which came into effect in June in Spain and Portugal , is known as the “ Iberian exception ” and is presently due to end in May .
Spain ’ s Minister for Ecological Transition , Teresa Ribera , said on January 16 that the plan is to continue with the current price cap of between € 45 and € 50 per megawatt hour (€/ MWh ). Initially , the gas price was capped at 40 €/ MWh and will now rise by € 5 / MWh .
The price of electricity depends to a large extent on the amount of gas required to produce it . Thus , when more gas is used , the price rises , but when renewable energies can be used instead , it falls . The Minister said that it could take some time for European energy markets to become regulated , so Spain wants to continue with the exceptional measure , “ until at least the end of 2024 .” gender , which they must then confirm after three months . Minors of 12 or 13 years of age will require a judge ’ s authorisation before changing their registered gender , while those of 14 and 15 will have to apply with their parents or guardians . The legislation will also outlaw conversion therapies conducted to suppress a person ’ s gender orientation .
Critics , including groups within Spain ’ s feminist movement , have raised concerns about minors having the right to self-determine their gender , and claim the proposed legislation could threaten rights presently enjoyed by women . They suggest it will allow men who selfidentify as women to compete in women ’ s sports or to request transfers to women ’ s prisons .
Ribera also highlighted the security of supply that Spain enjoys , since it has storage capable of responding to at least 44 days of natural gas consumption . This is possible , she explained , thanks to the 21 per cent drop in demand during the last five months of 2022 .
Marbella grows
The population of Marbella has topped 150,000 for the first time . The National Statistics Institute says that at the end of 2022 , the municipality was home to 150,275 people , representing a growth of 20,000 in nine years . The increase enables Marbella to access increased funds from the central and regional governments .
Postage costs
The cost of posting letters and postcards in Spain rose by three cents to 78 cents on January 1 . Correos says this compares with the average within the EU of € 1.25 . However , postage abroad remains unchanged at € 1.65 within most of Europe , and up to € 2.10 for mail going elsewhere .
12