Madrid - Spain is not the only country suffering from a falling birth rate or worried about the problems of an ageing population, writes Jane Walker. Many imaginative schemes have been introduced to persuade couples to have larger families, but the village of Villavalver, in the mountains of Asturias, chose an original method of persuasion.
To mark the village's annual fiestas at the weekend - and to encourage reluctant couples - Villavalver village council hired a pornographic strip show to entertain the villagers. The 15-minute erotic performance by two Brazilian dancers, Marcos and Giselle, was watched enthralled by the 300 villagers of all ages and some 4,000 visitors from neighbouring towns and villages. As the show ended just as dawn was breaking many of the locals returned to their homes while others wandered off into the fields. Manuel Armesto (47), the local mayor and father of a 15-year-old daughter, was enthusiastic about the warm reception the show had received. "But we will have to wait for a few months to see just how effective it was," he said.