Evicted pensioner Maricarmen, symbol of Spain’s housing crisis, dies at 87

<Maricarmen, Symbol of Spain’s Housing Crisis, Passes Away at 87>
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Maricarmen, the Spanish pensioner who became the face of the country’s housing crisis, has died in hospital. El Pais, the Spanish daily, pays tribute to the 87-year-old woman whose eviction last month sparked nationwide protests. She had lived in an upmarket Madrid neighbourhood for more than 70 years before a company bought her rent-controlled apartment for a ridiculously low price, El Pais says. It then forced the wheelchair-bound woman out of her home. The eviction and her years-long legal battle had taken a toll on Maricarmen. In recent months, her physical condition had deteriorated. The elderly woman is now a symbol in Spain and other parts of the world, El Pais says.

Protesters marched to Spain’s parliament where they mourned her death and vowed that “her fight will go on”.

We turn from housing crisis protests in Spain to high school protests in France. Act Four of the movement is taking place this Thursday, as French high schoolers continue their demands for better facilities and more staff. Le Monde says the high school student movement is united and digging its heels in. Hundreds of thousands of students marched in cities across France on Tuesday. They’re going to renew those efforts this Thursday, while parents and union members have also joined the demonstrations.

The left‑wing paper Libération‘s edition is written by historians, in what is the annual “Libé of Historicists”, with a striking front page photo of the protests. L’Humanité, the Communist paper, offers us an excellent play on words: “Les Flics en flag”, which translates to “cops caught red‑handed”. The paper condemns illegal badges, a lack of officer identification and accuses French police of “illegal practices”. Elsewhere, the Times *of London* compares the movement to May 1968, saying “the May 68 rebellion was fuelled by dreams of a better world while this movement is being driven by the discontent of a nation stuck in a cycle of economic decline and political deadlock.” Le Soir, the Belgian daily, urges an end to the violence in Liège, where public property has been damaged in the past week as student protests flare up there as well.

Next, scientists may have uncovered the secrets to the longevity of life – thanks to Jonathan the tortoise! Gizmodo reports that Jonathan, a Seychelles giant tortoise, is estimated to be around 194 years old. He has lived in Saint Helena since the late 1800s and he’s the oldest known living land animal. Scientists took a swab to look at his genetics and found that one key to his long life might be in his mitochondria – known as the body’s powerhouses of the cell. It appears that he keeps his mitochondria young. If we can do the same, we might have a fighting chance of living longer.

Finally, actress Zendaya sparks an intense row over etiquette at Paris Fashion Week, after she did not stand up to greet French First Lady Brigitte Macron.

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