NIB: The Lastest News in Brief from Mallorca

New game

Congratulatory messages and flowers have flooded in for tennis great, Rafael Nadal who welcomed his first child with his partner of 17 years, Mery Perelló on October 8. The baby was born in a private clinic in Palma de Mallorca at 37 weeks after a turbulent pregnancy.

Holiday fraud

Local councils in Mallorca have found evidence of 158 illegal holiday rental properties between January and September 2022. Fines were handed out in 499 of the cases reported as authorities in Mallorca try to prevent fraudulent and unregulated practices. Holiday rental companies such as Airbnb are also cracking down on illegal rental properties.

Weather warnings

Mallorca weather agency Aemet issued more amber weather warnings during the last week. Thunderstorms have caused power outages and flooding in many places across the island, including incidents in Alcudia where residents had to be evacuated due to extreme weather. Aemet warned of heavy rainfall of up to 25 litres/m² per hour.

Unusual pseudonym

Actress Amber Heard used an unexpected fake name to rent a luxury apartment in Mallorca. The actress is keeping a low profile since suffering a major loss in court to her ex-husband Johnny Depp. Heard booked the accommodation under the name of Martha Jane Cannary or ‘Calamity Jane’, a cowgirl in the 19^th century.

Busy off-season

Mallorca’s economy may receive a boost this winter as Spanish tourism industry figures launch ‘thermal tourism’. Tourism operators are aiming to incentivise tourism to Spain in response to steep energy costs in many countries. The plan could offer special deals for long-term tourists who could save on heating their homes.

Studying success

The Instituto a Distancia de Balears distance learning school has taken on a new academic year of more than 2400 students. The education centre also has new courses for this year including an artificial intelligence and big data course. Language and special-interest courses remained popular among this year’s cohort.

Medical mission

Medical students from a university in Mallorca spent the summer volunteering their medical skills in rural hospitals in Rwanda. The four friends volunteered their expertise in Rukara, in the east of the country, completing tasks such as Covid-19, Polio and TB vaccinations. One of the girls even assisted in a birth.