Spain’s Ministry of Health Revolutionizes Mosquito Control and Surveillance with Mosquito Alert App

The Ministry of Health is leading the charge in enhancing mosquito control and disease surveillance through its groundbreaking project, Mosquito Alert. As part of the National Plan for Prevention, Surveillance, and Control of vector-borne diseases, this initiative leverages citizen science for the first time as a powerful tool. By utilizing a user-friendly app, individuals can actively contribute vital information on mosquito presence and activity.

Coordinated by esteemed institutions such as the Blanes Centre for Advanced Studies of the Higher Council for Scientific Research (CSIC), Pompeu Fabra University, the Centre for Ecological Research and Forestry Applications, and the Catalan Institute for Research and Advanced Studies, Mosquito Alert has demonstrated the significant impact of citizen participation in the past decade. Through collective efforts, the project has greatly improved surveillance capabilities and early detection of invasive mosquito species like the tiger mosquito (Aedes albopictus) and the Japanese mosquito (Aedes japonicus).

Fernando Simón, director of the Health Alerts and Emergencies Coordination Centre, emphasized the importance of adapting to a rapidly changing world. “Efficient surveillance systems require innovation,” he stated. Simón recognized citizen science as an indispensable component of their responsibilities, citing the wealth of information constantly generated through mobile phones that can contribute to vector control and other public health endeavours.

‘If it stings, report it!’

In collaboration with the Centre for the Coordination of Alerts and Sanitary Emergencies, Mosquito Alert has launched an extensive awareness campaign under the slogan ‘If it bites you, notify!’. The campaign aims to investigate the expansion of tiger mosquitoes beyond their known distribution limits in Spain, create the country’s first map of mosquito bites to identify high interaction zones between humans and mosquitoes, enhance understanding of Japanese mosquito distribution along the Cantabrian coast, and detect the potential arrival of yellow fever mosquitoes.

To foster participation across various institutions, the Mosquito Alert website offers comprehensive outreach materials, inviting interested parties from administrations, provinces, and municipalities to join the communication and information initiatives tailored to their territories.

Frederic Bartumeus, co-director of Mosquito Alert and researcher at CEAB-CSIC, hailed the recognition of citizen science as a significant stride in combating mosquito-borne diseases. Highlighting the pioneering nature of integrating citizen science into a national plan at the European level, Bartumeus emphasized the value of collaboration between the scientific community, citizens, and administrations in achieving common goals. He underscored the pivotal role of citizen participation in acquiring extensive data, promoting continuous dialogue, reducing costs, expanding surveillance areas, and enabling early detection.

A paramount public health tool

All information contributed by the public within the project framework plays a crucial role in scientific research and management of invasive mosquito species. Validated and classified by experts from the National Digital Entomology Network, the data can be accessed and downloaded from the Mosquito Alert map. Roger Eritja, the project’s head of entomology, emphasized the precision, consistency, and speed provided by expert validation in combination with artificial intelligence techniques, resulting in a real-time surveillance platform. This wealth of information enables the preparation of dynamic risk maps, facilitating faster and more efficient responses to public health issues related to mosquitoes.

The CEAB-CSIC receives European funding through the Recovery, Transformation, and Resilience Plan of the Government of Spain, supported by Next Generation EU funds. This economic support will sustain the platform’s infrastructure and contribute to the development of an automated alert system equipped with artificial intelligence and near real-time visualization tools. These advancements will significantly enhance decision-making by public health managers across various administrations.

The MOSQUITO ALERT app and website (http://www.mosquitoalert.com/) are available in English, empowering individuals to join the fight against

The General Directorate of Traffic (DGT) has initiated a new Special Campaign to check the conditions of vehicles on Spanish roads

The campaign started on June 5 and will continue until Sunday, June 11. The primary objective of this initiative is to emphasize the significance of giving special attention to the proper maintenance and calibration of the safety components of our cars, under the premise that “investing in maintenance is investing in safety.”

In recent years, there has been a concerning increase in the average age of vehicles in our country, surpassing 13 years—an alarming rise of nearly 2 years. This figure is among the highest in our region within the European Union, making it imperative for authorities to focus on the older vehicle fleet. The period between the fifth and sixth year of service is particularly worrisome, as it witnesses a notable surge in serious accidents with fatalities associated with technical failures in tires, steering, or brakes.

On interurban roads, where 73% of traffic accident fatalities occur, it was observed that in 2021, the average age of passenger cars involved in fatal accidents was 13 years (12.1 years in the case of urban roads). Furthermore, when considering the vehicles in which the fatalities were travelling, the average age increases to 15.4 years on interurban roads and 15.3 years on urban roads.

What can you expect from this new special campaign?

Vehicle documentation is a crucial aspect: along with the driver’s license, it is mandatory to carry the vehicle registration certificate, which contains the vehicle’s technical information and the owner’s details, along with the Vehicle Technical Inspection (ITV) card and its corresponding visible sticker on the front window.

Among the safety components that require special attention are the tires. These serve as the sole point of contact with the road, and according to various estimates, approximately 1 million vehicles circulate daily with significant defects in their tires, posing a risk to road safety. It is important to note that the legal minimum tread depth is 1.6 mm, but it is recommended to replace tires when the tread depth falls below 3 mm.

The lighting system of our vehicles, which is also subject to inspection, plays a fundamental role not only in enhancing our visibility but also in ensuring that we are visible to others. Each vehicle on the road represents a potential obstacle for others, hence it is crucial for its lighting system to function optimally.

Sales of electric cars are increasing in Spain- but how do you charge them and can you save money using Solar Power?

Sales of electrified vehicles (electric and plug-in hybrids, including passenger cars, quadricycles, commercial and industrial vehicles, and buses) increased by 39.5% in May, with 11,146 new units sold.

Despite this rise, electrified vehicles represent 10.43% of the market, a figure that is still lower both than the rate of the European average and the rate necessary to achieve the required emission reduction targets by 2023.

Regarding the registrations of zero and low-emission vehicles (electrified, hybrid and gas), they increased by 21.7% in the month, with 41,094 units sold. Sales of this type of vehicle account for 38.46% of the market, surpassing the market for gasoline (38.4%) and diesel (23.1%) vehicles.

Electrical – Zero Label

Sales of pure electric vehicles increased by 108.3% in May, with 5,081 registered units. It represents 4.76% of the market share in the month. In the year as a whole, sales of these vehicles totalled 23,124 units, 75.3% more than in the same period of the previous year. The cumulative share of the year is 4.87%

Plug-in Hybrids – Zero Label

Sales of plug-in hybrid vehicles grew by 25.5% during May and reached 6,065 registered units in that month. It represents 5.68% of the market share for the month. In the year as a whole, sales of these vehicles totalled 25,369 units, 28.2% more than in the same period of the previous year. The cumulative quota for the year is 5.34%.

Hybrids – ECO Label

Sales of non-plug-in hybrid vehicles increased by 9.1% during May, reaching 27,505 units registered in May. It represents 25.74% of the market share in May. In the accumulated year, sales of these vehicles accumulated 122,956 units, 33.1% more than in the same period of the previous year. The share of the total for the year is 25.88%.

Can you save money using Solar Power?

The simple answer is a resounding YES!

Scandinavian-owned Vencosan brings together the very best experts from both the Spanish and Danish energy industries and has been a consistent, reliable and prominent part of the energy industry since 2005 and has vast experience in the industry throughout all its branches, from the installation of air conditioning systems and solar panels to the purchase and sale of electricity on the national electricity exchange market.

Vencosan has offices throughout Spain:

· C/ Islas Baleares 32, 46988 Paterna, Valencia
· C/ Ibiza 10, 29640 Fuengirola, Málaga
· Av. Dr. Gregorio Marañón, 68, 03185 Torrevieja, Alicante
· C/ Pietat 28, 08860 Castelldefels, Barcelona

Call toll-free at- 900 696 888 or via email at: info@vencosan.com

Read more about Solar power in Spain:

March sets record for renewable energy in Spain

Solar Power boosted by EU directive

Storms and rainfall will activate alerts in a dozen autonomous communities this Saturday, with a day marked by showers and locally strong storms in the interior of the northern half, the Balearic Islands, and the southeastern mountainous regions of the Iberian Peninsula, according to the forecast from the State Meteorological Agency (AEMET)

Specifically, Aragon, Asturias, the Balearic Islands (Menorca, Ibiza, and Formentera for rainfall, and Mallorca for rainfall and storms), Cantabria, Castilla y León (warnings in Ávila, Burgos, León, Palencia, Salamanca, Soria, and Zamora), Castilla-La Mancha (Guadalajara), Catalonia, Galicia, Navarra, La Rioja, the Basque Country, and the Valencian Community will be at risk due to storms and rainfall.

On Saturday, June 3, instability is expected to continue affecting most of the country, with cloudy intervals and daytime cloud development, widespread showers, and storms in the interior of the Iberian Peninsula. These could be locally strong and accompanied by hail in the interior of the northern half, the Balearic Islands, and the southeastern mountainous regions. Conversely, they will be less likely and weaker in coastal areas and the Canary Islands.

Regarding temperatures, they will experience little change, while east winds will prevail in the Mediterranean area and north winds on the west coast of Galicia and the Canary Islands. Winds will be light and variable in the rest of the country.

The discounts apply to single and return tickets for travel between June 15 and September 15, 2023 throughout Spain and rail travel throughout Europe

The Ministry of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda (Mitma) has today (Thursday, June 1) published two resolutions of the Secretary of State that establish the conditions of sale and use of bus and train tickets with discounts of up to 90% that seek to facilitate young people between 18 and 30 years old, both inclusive, to travel by transport this summer, both in Spain and in Europe.

To benefit from the measure, young people from Spain or from a European Union country with legal residence in Spain, born between 1993 and 2005, must register in the form on the Mitma website to confirm that they meet the requirements and , in If applicable, obtain the personal and non-transferable code that they must use to purchase the Interrail pass and the discounted train and bus tickets on the websites of the respective operators.

Registration will be open from today, June 1, 2023, and must be done at least 24 hours before purchasing the first ticket. The titles can be purchased as soon as the companies finalize the necessary technological changes.

Interested parties may register through qualified electronic certificates, such as the Cl@ve system , or by entering the name and surname (as stated on the DNI or NIE), the date of birth and the DNI number, together with the date of validity, or the NIE, together with the support number of the EU Citizen Registry and nationality.

The code, made up of the DNI or NIE number and a set of characters, will be sent to the mobile phone or by email. The code is valid for the entire period and all means of transport included.

Discounts

The discounts will be applied to the price of single or return tickets that have a date for travel between June 15 and September 15, 2023.

In this way, the discounts are as follows:

• 90% discount on conventional medium-distance services and on metric-width networks.
• 50% discount on single Avant titles.
• For commercial long-distance or high-speed services from all rail operators: 50% discount, with a maximum of 30 euros per ticket.
• 90% discount for regular bus services of state competition.
• 50% discount on the Interrail Global Flexible for 10 days in 2 months, when marketed through Renfe. The discount is applied to the official Interrail rates, with their price characteristics according to age, etc. In the year 2022, 81% of the passes sold in Spain were of the Global Pass type, of which the Flexi modality accumulates 89 of the sales.

It will not be part of the price of the discounted ticket to settle all charges for cancellation or change, issuance, taxes, baggage or any other accessory aspect of transportation. Thus, if the user cancels the trip, he must assume possible cancellation charges.

It is estimated that the discounts can benefit 12.5 million trips made by young people in Spain during the three months that the discounts are in force and double the sale of Interrail passes. Compensations will be settled based on the number of trips made.

The initiative, regulated by Royal Decree Law 4/2023 of May 11, contemplates financing discounts on Medium Distance rail services under the jurisdiction of the Generalitat of Catalonia, as requested by the regional government. The measure can be extended to other medium-distance services provided by Renfe under agreements or contracts with other autonomous communities.

Conditions and sanctions

The resolutions include a series of conditions to avoid inappropriate use of discounted tickets, including the possibility of sanctions. Thus, the Ministry may proceed to withdraw the Registration Code from beneficiaries who accumulate more than six detected misuses, whether in rail or road transport.

For this, the Ministry will prepare a register with the tickets used improperly, identifying the beneficiary and, once the six uses have been reached, it will be able to notify the offending person via SMS message or email that the Code is withdrawn and that they are not You will be able to register again to benefit from this measure.

Previously, the company will warn of each improper use by SMS message to the mobile phone or registered email and of the possible consequences of its action.

The following cases are considered improper use:

• The use of the Registration Code by a person other than the registered beneficiary. Not surprisingly, the Code is personal and non-transferable.
• Failure to cancel a formalized trip and not carried out with a minimum of 24 hours notice will be considered improper use. The company may reduce this term in accordance with its usual marketing and sales practices.
• In the case of state bus lines, the concessionary company may reduce this 24-hour period on short journeys in which the majority of the journeys respond to compulsory mobility. Thus, changing the ticket on this type of journey will not be considered improper use.

Booking more than one round trip per day for the same origin-destination with the same railway or bus company will be prevented, unless the trip has been previously made or canceled.

Accessible transportation for young people

In the current situation derived from the invasion of Ukraine by Russia, marked by inflationary tensions that affect, among other things, the passenger transport sector, it is necessary to adopt a public policy that makes it easier for young people to use public transport when traveling , both in Spain and in Europe, during the summer season of 2023.

This is intended to facilitate leisure trips during the summer by using a safer, more reliable, comfortable, economical and sustainable means of transport than the private vehicle. Likewise, it seeks to contribute to promoting their learning and independence and to strengthen personal relationships and the European feeling.

At the same time, it seeks to help the recovery of the tourism sector and the cultural sector in its consolidation after the pandemic, promoting national destinations and collaborating with the development of rural Spain. In this way, the historical and cultural heritage is promoted.

Interrail

Within the European framework, Interrail is a personal and non-transferable pass, which can be purchased and used by persons legally residing in Europe and which allows travel by train in 33 European countries or by boat (between Italy and Greece). With more than 50 years of existence, it has been used by millions of young people as a way to travel around Europe.

The European institutions have recognized the role of the Interrail Pass as an instrument to promote knowledge of the rest of the European Union countries for young people and, therefore, to “create Europe”.

From Spain, the Government shares the objective of the European Union and wants to make it easier for young people of Spanish nationality or from a European Union country with legal residence in Spain to access this type of travel during the summer period of 2023.

A recent food safety alert has been issued regarding the potential presence of metallic fragments in a specific brand of Tofu from Germany, specifically the Taifun brand. The alert advises individuals not to consume this product if they have it at home.

The Spanish Agency for Food Safety and Nutrition (AESAN OA) received a notification from the European Food Alert Network (RASFF) regarding an alert issued by German authorities due to the discovery of metal fragments in a tofu product. Tofu, also known as “vegan cheese,” is a soy-based food that is commonly consumed on its own or used as an ingredient in salads or stews.

The alert was prompted by the detection of metal fragments in the Tofu Spinacia product, leading to its immediate removal from the market. The presence of these fragments could be attributed to manufacturing or packaging issues, among other possibilities. Nevertheless, consumption of the affected product can pose a potential danger.

The specific product affected by this alert is the Tofu Spinacia from the Taifun brand, which is sold in refrigerated packaging. The affected lots are:

• Lot 254 (expiration date: June 2, 2023)
• Lot 274 (expiration date: June 22, 2023)

This vegetarian product of German origin has been distributed in several regions across Spain, including Andalusia, Aragon, Asturias, the Balearic Islands, Cantabria, Catalonia, Castilla y León, the Valencian Community, Extremadura, Galicia, Madrid, and the Basque Country.

The alert has been communicated to ensure the withdrawal of the affected products from the market. However, it is possible that some consumers may still have these products at home. If so, it is strongly advised not to consume them, as the presence of these metallic remains can pose significant harm.

The government of Spain is getting ready to allocate significant financial resources to improve mental health support services and strengthen primary care centres

Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez recently announced two funding packages that will be distributed among the different regions. The first package consists of 38.9 million euros dedicated to mental health services, while the second package includes 579.1 million euros intended for enhancing primary care infrastructure and acquiring new clinical equipment for healthcare centres.

These funding commitments were unveiled during Prime Minister Sánchez’s campaign tour in Valencia ahead of the upcoming local and regional elections. In Spain, healthcare policy is mainly delegated to regional governments, so the national government’s commitment aims to reinforce healthcare programs at the regional level.

During the announcement of the funding packages, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez stressed the importance of addressing mental health and reducing the stigma associated with it. He mentioned a meeting at Moncloa where he gathered associations and groups working in the field of mental health and drew a significant lesson from that gathering. Sánchez stated, “We need to make mental health visible, talk about it openly, and it is crucial to allocate economic resources to it. Above all, we must not stigmatize it.” He emphasized that experiencing depression or facing psychological difficulties at some point in life is not uncommon and that it is possible to overcome these challenges and find value in life.

The 38.9 million euros in funding, to be distributed among the regions, will support various aspects of mental health, including the financing of community mental health teams for both adults and young individuals. The funding will also contribute to prevention and early detection efforts, including improvements to the 024 suicide helpline, which was launched last year.

Spain has the highest rate of anti-anxiety medication consumption globally and is the largest consumer of psychiatric or psychotropic medication in the European Union.

This category includes antidepressants, anti-anxiety medications, stimulants, antipsychotics, and mood stabilisers.

Among the regions, Andalucia, the most populous region, will receive 7 million euros, followed by Catalonia with 6.5 million euros, Madrid with 5.6 million euros, and the Valencian Community with 4.3 million euros.

This new funding initiative follows the implementation of a national Mental Health Plan last year, which allocated 100 million euros annually for 2022, 2023, and 2024.

The government had already provided 24 million euros to the autonomous communities last year.

The objective of this funding is to improve service accessibility, strengthen existing mental health care, and establish new units in areas currently lacking them. Spain’s Minister of Health, José Miñones, expressed the goal of establishing a “comprehensive mental health care system” across the country.

In recent years, mental health issues have become increasingly prevalent in Spain, particularly among children and young people. Experts attribute this trend to factors such as the lockdown period during the Covid-19 pandemic, which occurred during crucial developmental years, as well as the high rates of social media and technology usage among children.

Notably, suicidal thoughts have emerged as the primary cause for distress calls from children under 18 in Spain, with a thirty-fivefold increase over the past decade. Self-harm, anxiety, depression, and eating disorders have also experienced a significant rise, with a 291 per cent increase.

Furthermore, 579.1 million euros will be distributed among the autonomous communities to enhance infrastructure and acquire equipment for primary health centres. Minister Miñones described this funding as the “largest investment in primary care in history” and emphasized that it would come from the national budget rather than European funds. This demonstrates the Spanish government’s commitment to healthcare.

Travellers spending their holidays in Spain risk being subject to fines of more than €200 (£174) if they cycle while wearing earphones, authorities in this country have warned.

In this regard, the team leader at Cycle SOS, Lena Farnell, has said that the current Spanish law, updated in 2014, notes that persons cannot cycle whilst listening to music through earbuds or headphones, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.

“Cyclists who are caught wearing earphones can expect to pay a €200 (£174) fine in Spain,” she stressed, according to the Sun report.

Farnell stressed that the laws are kept in place for safety purposes after it prevents riders from hearing other sounds on the road.

“Wearing earphones whilst cycling could present a safety risk to yourself and other road users. Listening to music compromises a cyclist’s ability to listen to road traffic, including the sirens of emergency vehicles,” the team leader at Cycle SOS pointed out in this regard.

She noted that they might be less aware of warning signals, such as vehicles using their horns and pedestrians shouting.

Farnell noted that not wearing earphones permits cyclists to be more aware of their surroundings, thus helping them to cycle in a safer way, which will minimize the number of road traffic accidents.

In Italy as well as Portugal, citizens are obliged to have at least one earphone out while cycling.

“Italy and Portugal take a different stance, requiring that cyclists wear just one earphone whilst cycling, with a penalty of approximately €160 if you’re wearing both earphones whilst cycling in Italy,” Farnell pointed out.

Tourists from other countries will be subject to several strict measures when planning to travel to one of the most famous countries in Europe for passengers.

In addition, the local government in the Costa de Sol has warned all the holidaymakers that walking about naked or just in underwear is prohibited.

Authorities in Spain previously revealed that a total of 28 beaches in Spain imposed a smoking ban in an effort to improve health and become smoke-free zones.

A report from Daily Record noted that 28 beaches across Majorca, Ibiza, as well as Menorca, will operate as free-smoking areas as part of efforts to tackle the problem of cigarette butts in the sea and send.

Authorities in Barcelona took similar measures last year, with passengers risking being fined if they smoke cigarettes in territories in which the rule is effective.

A spokesperson from the Ministry of Health and Consumption noted that the main purpose of the recent changes was introduced to create a network of healthy beaches.

UrbanTUR 2022 Report Ranks Spain’s Top Urban Tourism Destinations and Andalucia features highly!

The UrbanTUR 2022 report is an analysis conducted every four years that “assesses and ranks the tourism competitiveness of the 22 main Spanish urban destinations”. The report, produced by the Alliance for Tourism Excellence (Exceltur), includes four Andalusian cities on its list, with one of them in the top 5.

Ranking of 22 Major Spanish Urban Destinations

UrbanTUR 2022 “establishes a ranking of relative tourism competitiveness” among the 22 main urban destinations in Spain, referring to the period between 2016 and 2022, based on 63 indicators that have been developed from 100,000 data points.

As Gabriel Escarrer, the president of Exceltur, explains, the aim of this report is “to improve the monitoring process to promote continuous improvement of the tourism appeal of our cities in a scenario of major global competitive transformations”. In addition, it highlights the “importance of urban tourism for Spain, which represented 28.5% of Spanish tourism in 2022.”

Andalusian Cities among Top Urban Destinations

The Andalusian cities of Seville, Malaga, Cordoba, and Granada are on the list of Spain’s top urban destinations. They are accompanied by other major cities in our country such as Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, or Zaragoza.

The top 3 positions are occupied by Madrid, Barcelona, and Valencia. The first Andalusian city we find on the list is Seville, ranked fifth, just two places above Malaga. Cordoba is ranked 13th, while Granada occupies the 16th position.

Here is the complete ranking of Spain’s 22 main urban destinations, according to the UrbanTUR 2022 report:

1. Madrid.
2. Barcelona.
3. Valencia.
4. San Sebastián.
5. Seville.
6. Palma de Mallorca.
7. Malaga.
8. Bilbao.
9. Santiago de Compostela.
10. Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.
11. Valladolid.
12. Gijón.
13. Cordoba.
14. Zaragoza.
15. Santander.
16. Granada.
17. Salamanca.
18. La Coruña.
19. Alicante.
20. Murcia.
21. Burgos.
22. León.

Some cities have moved up or down the list compared to the 2016 report. For example, Madrid was in second place in the previous report and now tops the list, while Barcelona is currently in second position.

Palma de Mallorca, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, and Valladolid are other cities that have moved up one position compared to the previous report. La Coruña has improved the most, moving from 20th to 18th position.

As for the Andalusian cities, Seville and Cordoba have also moved up one place compared to the 2016 report, from 6th to 5th and from 14th to 13th, respectively.

Proof of a COVID vaccination for travel to the US will soon not be necessary after the US announced a change in policy on Monday, May 1

The United States will soon be lifting the requirement for international travellers, including Europeans, to present proof of COVID-19 vaccination upon arrival.

The White House has confirmed that the measure will be dropped on May 11, citing a change in the country’s response to the pandemic. This decision is expected to allow citizens of Europe to start planning their trips to the US without worrying about vaccination requirements.

Europeans will no longer be required to present proof of vaccination when entering the US via land ports of entry and ferries once the policy comes into law. The lifting of this requirement is said to be due to the significant improvement in the COVID situation, with a drop in the number of infection cases throughout March.

The US travel and tourism sector is also expected to recover and even surpass the level of 2019, according to the World Travel and Tourism Council. However, other requirements unrelated to COVID will continue to apply, such as the need for an Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) for those travelling under the Visa Waiver Program.

Up until May 11, the US law stated that if you were a non-U.S. citizen and a nonimmigrant (not a U.S. citizen, U.S. national, lawful permanent resident, or travelling to the United States on an immigrant visa), you will need to show proof of being fully vaccinated against COVID-19 before you travel by air to the United States from a foreign country.

The trial in Spain against Colombian singer Shakira for alleged tax fraud is scheduled to begin in November

Legal sources reported Thursday, April 26, that a court in the city of Barcelona, where Shakira lived with her then-partner Gerard Pique, has set November 20 as the date for the trial, scheduled for 12 sessions across November and December with some 200 witnesses.

However, the trial could be shortened if the artist, for whom the prosecution is asking for eight years and two months in prison and a fine of 23.8 million euros, reaches a last-minute agreement with the prosecution, the Public Prosecutor’s Office and the State Attorney’s Office, to accept a reduced sentence in exchange for acknowledging the fraud.

The reason why 12 sessions have been scheduled for the trial against Isabel Mebarak Shakira is the large number of witnesses proposed by the parties, with 100 witnesses proposed by the State Attorney’s Office, around 30 by the Prosecutor’s Office and 60 by the defence.

The judge has asked the parties whether it would be possible to reduce the number of witnesses, which the prosecution and defence are willing to consider in order to speed up the trial.

At the same time, he has proposed that Shakira, who lives in Miami (United States) after separating from the ex-footballer, attend only the session in which she is scheduled to testify and on the last day, in which the accused has the right to make a final plea.

The prosecution accuses her of crimes against the tax authorities for defrauding 14.5 million euros between 2012 and 2014 by pretending that she did not reside in Spain.

Her defence alleges that she did not establish her residence in Spain until 2014 and points out that since 2011 the singer has paid more than 104 million euros in taxes in different countries.

The Colombian artist rejected last June an offer from the Prosecutor’s Office to reach an agreement that would reduce the penalties and avoid the trial, which does not prevent her defence from continuing to negotiate a pact with the accusations in the coming months, which should be formalised in a brief trial in Barcelona.