A JUDGE says the Valencia region’s ex-president, Carlos Mazon should stand trial for negligence over his handling of the October 2024 flood disaster that killed 230 people.

Mazon resigned last November after a year of intense scrutiny over his whereabouts on the day of the disaster.

He spent several hours on the day of the floods having an extended lunch with a journalist while his government delayed sending mobile emergency alerts to warn residents.

UNCOMFORTABLE MAZON GRILLED BY NATIONAL POLITICIANS IN CONGRESS, 2025

Judge Nuria Ruiz Tobarra, who is investigating the regional government’s response, said there is evidence that Mazon showed ‘total negligence in the coordination and management’ of the floods.

Mazon’s decision to ‘retreat to a private dining room when faced with an extremely serious situation’ was ‘a decisive factor in the deadly human toll’, she added in her ruling.

Ruiz Tobarra said there was a ‘causal link’ with the deaths of people due to a lack of an emergency alert warning.

The judge referred the case to the Valencian Superior Court which has the authority to charge Mazon because he has immunity from prosecution since he is still a Partido Popular member of the regional parliament- Les Corts.

The Valencian bench must now decide whether to put Mazon on trial as recommended by the lower court, continue investigating, or drop the case.

In addition to the 230 fatalities, thousands of homes and infrastructures were damaged when a year’s worth of rain fell within a few hours on October 29, 2024.

Families of victims have repeatedly blamed Mazon and regular protests calling for his resignation and prosecution have taken place in the area.
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FOREIGN demand for Spanish property is booming, and the Dutch are now leading the charge, climbing into the top five nationalities buying homes in Spain. 

According to property platform Idealista, in the last quarter of 2025, foreign buyers accounted for about 13.5% of Spain’s home sales, highlighting their continued role in shaping the property market.

Dutch buyers accounted for 6.77% of all foreign property purchases in Spain, making them the fourth most active group after the British, Germans, and French – and just ahead of the Americans. 

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Dutch renters are proving just as active as buyers, accounting for 7.72% of foreign views on coastal rental listings, placing the Netherlands fourth overall.

Idealista highlighted the Dutch hotspots along Spain’s famed costas.

The Costa Blanca

The Costa Blanca’s Javea is the most popular destination for Dutch users searching for a home on Idealista. 

The Costa Brava’s Javea is a hotspot for buyers from the Netherland’s.

Just along the coast, Torrevieja is also a firm favourite of the Dutch while Moraira and Calpe are also popular. 

Revealed: More than 700,000 homes were bought in Spain in 2025 – the highest figure in 18 years

Catalunya’s Coast

In Catalunya’s Girona province, the Dutch are the second-most active foreign viewers of property listings, just behind the French. 

Roses, on the Costa Brava, is the most sought-after destination for Dutch buyers. 

Buyers are attracted by its close proximity to northern Europe and existing French, Dutch and Belgian communities. 

Cataluyna’s Roses is another firm favourite with Dutch buyers.

Costa del Sol 

On the Costa del Sol, Dutch searches focus on Estepona and Marbella, coveted resort towns known for luxury new-build developments and gated communities.

Murcia

Dutch interest extends into Murcia, where coastal municipalities such as Cartagena and Los Alcazares provide alternatives to Spain’s better-known resort areas. 

Buyers from the Netherlands are also flocking Cartagena on Murcia’s coast.

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Granada

The Netherlands also ranks prominently in Granada province, where a milder winter climate and lower prices than the Costa del Sol are key attractions. 

Almuñecar’s balmy coasts are also coveted by Dutch buyers.

About half of all Dutch property searches in Granada province focus on Almuñecar and surrounding towns along the Costa Tropical, marking them as highly sought-after destinations.
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THREE boys aged 14 and 15 have been arrested for the alleged gang rape of a 13-year-old girl in Valencia.

The incident happened on February 10 inside the toilets of a city shopping centre.

The victim’s family went to the Policia Nacional and the youths were arrested on Monday.

POLICIA NACIONAL INVESTIGATION

A fourth boy was allegedly involved but since he is aged 13, he could not be detained as he was below the 14-year-old starting point for criminal responsibility.

The three detained minors have been charged with sexual assault and also crimes against privacy and disclosing secrets, as the attacks were recorded on their phones.

The images were then shown to classmates at their school.

The boys have been bailed but ordered not to have any contact with the girl and a 50-metre distancing order has been imposed.

The Las Provincias newspaper reports that one of the teenagers told authorities that he had consensual sex.

He admitted to having sex with the girl in two bathrooms at the shopping centre as well as at school.

The two others said they went into a bathroom but did not assault her.

According to the victim, after entering one of the bathrooms, the door was locked and the boys and began to forcibly remove her clothes.

“I don’t want anything with you,” Las Provincias reported her saying to the two friends of the boy with whom she had agreed to have consensual sex.

Teachers at her school found out what happened four days later when videos of the assault were being passed round.

They spoke to the girl and her parents filed a complaint with the police and she went for an examination at Valencia’s La Fe Hospital.
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TWO British men, aged 37 and 51, have been arrested in Benidorm by the Policia Nacional for staging a fake kidnapping to extract €830.

A video of the victim was created where he appeared to be covered in blood and being threatened with a knife.

The footage was sent to a family member in the UK who notified British authorities about the threat.

POLICIA NACIONAL, BENIDORM

They demanded that €830 be immediately deposited into the victim’s bank account or else he would die.

Police in Britain contacted the Policia Nacional via Interpol who last month launched an operation in Benidorm to track down the perpetrators, which included getting information from the British Consulate.

Specialist officers from Kidnapping and Extortion Unit in Madrid were also drafted in.

The Madrid officers contacted the relative of the kidnapped person, who provided a photo of the alleged captor and details of the death threat.

A large number of police officers were mobilised in Benidorm to try to find the kidnapper and his victim, to prevent a fatal assault.

The Policia Nacional said that all other investigations were suspended as a matter of urgency because of the apparent threat to life.

Exhaustive inquiries led officers to an undisclosed Benidorm hotel at which the kidnapped man had stayed for a few days before being joined by another British national.

Officers established a surveillance operation as plans were put together to rescue the victim.

Then to their surprise, they saw both captor and victim leaving the hotel, chatting in a friendly manner.

The two men were intercepted and their identities confirmed.

Questioning revealed that it was a staged kidnapping to obtain money quickly and the Brits were arrested for simulating a crime and fraud

It was subsequently discovered that the fake kidnapper had given a false name when registering at the hotel as a guest and when identifying himself to the police.

He was then handed down an additional charge of identity theft.
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