Mallorca Olive Press - Issue 50 by Olive Press Newspaper Spain

As spring blooms, Property King of cool don’t miss Spain’s most colourful Property Magazine STILL HOT FREE INSIDE s a’ ty ag er al op e M pr azin st be mag

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Issue 27

March 2019

Know what this is? It’s just helped an architect win the world’s most prestigious prize

March 13th - March 26th 2019

See Legacy on page VI

Spanish maestro celebrated for five decades in the business, see STARchitect page XII

SIMPLE, INTRICATE AND STYLISH: Bofill’s works are all, or a mixture, of the three

RITISH buyers in Spain have beaten pre-Brexit referendum records despite the doom and gloom, new figures have revealed. Shrugging off the UK’s imminent departure from the EU, the sale of homes to plucky Brits rose 12% in 2018 to 10,178 - beating the 2016 record of 10,156. While UK buyers declined significantly in the quarters after the referendum in June 2016, and by a massive 28% in the last quarter of 2016, they started recovering to increase by double-digits

The Brits have not stopped investing in Spanish property with a 12% rise in purchases last year

last year. It means the UK’s share of the foreign market has been steadily increasing from a low of 14% in the first quarter of 2017 to 17% at the end of 2018. Although this is not yet back to the levels prior to the referendum

due to other nationalities flooding the market, it is expected to rise again this year. According to property expert Mark Stucklin, of Spanish Property Insight, the weakness of Sterling against the Euro was the leading cause of the drop in demand. “Once the Pound stabilised at a lower level British demand also stabilised and then began to grow again,” he explained. Continues on Page III

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Vol. 3 Issue 50 www.theolivepress.es March 14th - March 27th 2019

Lying scum By Gillian Keller

ACTIVISTS from far right political party Vox, have been caught fabricating a hoax about 'radical feminists' beating young girls. It comes after the leader of the Mallorca branch told a 8M Women's Day event that the trio, including his own daughter, were attacked by a group of 'radical feminists' in Son Servera. He claimed the girls were lefts with 'knocked out teeth, a split lip and possibly a broken jaw', at the event in the town. One of the teenage youths was apparently still at the hospital with the jaw injury. The story duly made front pages around Mallorca, but despite public doubts, the anti-feminist party kept up the charade, retelling and posting details of the 'attack' on social media. 'Witnesses' even came forward describing the 'brutal attack'. However, the Guardia Civil soon discovered that no such incident had been reported, and no medical centre had received a patient matching the injuries. Finally, on Saturday, they confirmed the story to be false, with Vox admitting they had been spoofed. The news led to Son Servera town hall to host a protest on Sunday against the party and against spreading 'fake news' about the town. “We regret that a celebratory day for women has been overshadowed by an alleged aggression,” said a spokesman. He assured the town would not tolerate ‘attitudes that harm the good name of Son Servera’. While the party has since denounced a local ‘activist’ for making the story up, another protest was due to be held in the town last night as we went to press. Untitled-1.pdf

16/06/2017

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Fierce exchange

MPs join battle to get millions back for expats who lost out to rogue FX firm

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BLOCKED OFF EXCLUSIVE By Elisa Menendez

AN expat business owner is demanding action after neighbours put up ‘illegal’ bollards blocking his shop. Martin White, 54, claims his business Hot Spring Mallorca

EXPATS in Mallorca have slammed the lack of action over a foreign exchange firm collapse, despite British authorities claiming an investigation is ‘a matter of priority.’ Dozens of clients, most of them British expats, lost millions of euros when the Palma-based company Premier FX suddenly stopped trading in July last year. Victims have demanded answers but have been left completely in the dark and unable to access

EXCLUSIVE By Tim McNulty

their funds since then. One expat, based in Cas Catala, Pam Gardner has grown frustrated at attempts by the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) to ‘wriggle’ out of responsibility. “People in the UK just think it was a case of rich expats with too much money, they don’t realise it was people’s life savings that were lost, money they planned to retire on,” she told the Olive Press this week. She added she was ‘upset’ that local boss Nick Jones has apparently washed his hands of the case and ‘fled’ the island. She has now launched a civil case against the firm, lodged in Palma. It comes despite British MPs now stepping in to demand the FCA probes the case ‘as a matter of priority.’ MP for Dover, Charlie UNDER FIRE: Local boss Nick Jones

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Elphicke, has now met with the authorities to check on progress of the case. He said, this week: “The FCA must treat this investigation as a top priority. Innocent people have been left in terrible financial hardship. “The authorities need to get to the bottom of this urgently.” The move comes after the firm - which operated from Palma, Portugal and London - suddenly stopped trading on July 27. Victims told the Olive Press last year that they had lost up to €400,000 each in life savings after the company was forced into administration by the UK authorities. An action group was formed and now has well over 200 members - many of them in the Balearics - demanding immediate answers. One claimed an initial investigation by Surrey police had apparently been scrapped due to ‘insufficient funding’. The company had been regulated by the FCA for money transfer services but its customers were encouraged to

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than San has been forced to cease trade for almost three weeks, after Sebastian? Page 6 the series of 15-inch posts were Page 12 installed. Page 20 As well as blocking delivery trucks, it is putting off clients, he insists. “I’m suffering a loss of €1,000 a day. Delivery vans can’t get through to drop off stock,” White, from Hull, told the Olive Press. He has now called in police and Alcudia town hall, via a lawyer, to demand answers. The problem began when White, who is co-owner of the business with David Camping, EXCLUSIVE By Elisa Menendez 56, arrived to find the series of bollards blocking his shop on August 27. After contracting a legal firm EXPATS in Mallorca may have he was told by both police and lost millions over the suspitown hall that the posts were cious collapse of a foreign exchange firm being probed over ‘illegal’. The businessman is now set to ‘criminal activity’. take the community of neigh- Dozens of victims have lost up to €400,000 each in life savbours to court for discrimination and loss of business for ings after Premier FX Limited was forced into administration €30,000 in compensation. “The next thing I knew, the amount of money’ from the The posts have also been in- by the UK’s Financial Conduct money was gone. I feel sick collapse, according to a close stalled in front of the Muslim- Authority (FCA). make financial transfers via about it,” added the pensioner. friend. owned supermarket next to It comes after the firm - which “I just don’t understand Barclays even after the compawhy no The Portals-based expat him, although ‘mysteriously’, operated from Palma, Por- other media organisations pal, ny had ceased trading. on tugal and London - suddenly who has also lost money, in- boss not the garage the other side. The FCA the island are tackling this.” sisted Jones had been advised the Rexstrew, who also lived in that the has since discovered “It’s totally illegal,” he said. stopped trading on July 27, In particular, she wants Algarve, she was given no company, set up in to ‘go into hiding’ after he was warning “You can’t just put them on one following the death of director, know of the whereabouts to 2006, was operating without of the collapse. of Peter Rexstrew. ‘lambasted’. side without the other.” full authorisation. “I Nick Jones, the island’s former “I know him closely and he to simply found out when I tried It was To make matters worse, three Since then hundreds of clients, director, who has not been forced into administraseen said all employees were in total onemake a transaction but no tion after days after the bollards went in, many of them expats, have for over a month. would answer the phone. I being unable to pay shock with the news. one of the neighbours threw a been left completely in the She is angry that he then emailed and I received this debts and was ‘cash flow insolhad sent “He is not in hiding he has been automatic bucket of water over him from dark and unable to access their out an assurance email vent’ following Rexstrew’s sudreply saying they of the advised to keep a low funds. above. profile ceased trading and there’dhad den death, leaving his two chilcompany’s financial stability be while the investigation is on- no He has also denounced the incidren as joint directors. on June 20, just days after the going. And while a director, in “I further transactions. dent to the police. Victims Assurance death of Rexstrew. immediately have so far received smelt a rat,” she reality, he had no access to the added. “I’ve had the shop for five years Victims very little information from the However, the Olive Press unhave now formed an main accounts.” and I’ve never had a problem. company’s appointed adminWhen derstands that Jones, who action group with nearly 200 She added: “All this is very dis- tion she called the UK’s Ac- istrators “The administrator of the build- members worked out of an office on Paland Barclays and fear Fraud, an operator ex- many of them in tressing for him and his family. plained ing told us this was a personal the Balearics ma’s prestigious Calle La Ramhe knew nothing about they will never get their money - demanding imHe has been completely lam- it. vendetta from residents,” he mediate back. bla, has also lost ‘a substantial answers. basted. I understand people are “I’ve added. been stuck for two months One British expat, based in angry but there have been some without that money which I Palma, told the Olive Press she Criminal really nasty comments. need has no idea what has happened “It is quite clear that Peter’s “It’s for my business. not just affecting people “It’s a real mindfield and like to the €30,000 she was holdchildren were taking over the buying holiday homes, it is also banging your head against ing with Premier FX. business, not Nick.” affecting business owners, who a brick wall,” added another “I had used them for many Another victim told the Olive can’t British retiree, who has lost years and there were never Press she has lost a staggering Most pay staff or clients.” victims had been prom- money. Premier FX and Barany problems,” explained the €400,000 due to the collapse. ised by Premier FX that their clays failed to comment in time 69-year-old, who asked to reThe UK-based businesswoman, money for press. An FCA spokespermain anonymous. who lived for decades in Portu- gated, was being held in ‘segre- son told the Olive Press: “We personal accounts’ with “I had transferred the money gal, has made three monthly Barclays, Untitled-1.pdf 1 16/06/2017 but administrators are very concerned that there and was waiting for the ex15:36 transactions with Premier FX now BAFFLED: By bollards think this was not the case. was criminal activity taking change rate to improve. for 12 years. MISSING: Nick Jones It is also believed that many place at Premier FX in relaDespite being a friend of former clients were still permitted to tion to missing funds. “We are investigating the business and will take action against any individuals we find to have broken the law in order to return money to customers of the firm.”

Expats demand the return of millions after FX company collapses amid fraud probe

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SEESOME MORE 14 IN fire bosses have been arrested for allegedly THE RESTAURANT embezzling SOME €7 bosses millionhave 14 fire in public arrested funds. been SECTION for allegedly INSIDE The Policia embezzling Nacional found €7 million in that funds. the Consortium of public Bomberos The Policia Cadiz tookfound Nacional out mass early that the retirement Consortium insurof ance policies. Bomberos Cadiz took out But when mass their employees early retirement insurretired early, chiefs siphoned ance policies. off the money But from when the paytheir employees outs. early, chiefs siphoned retired Authorities off also the money found from disthe paycrepancies in the consorouts. tium’s training Authorities courses. also found disLarge sums in crepancies were to a thepaid consorcompany to provide tium’s training training courses. courses, but no Large evidence sums were paid tohas a been found company thesetraining tothat courses provide took place. courses, but no evidence has Meanwhile, been found that these irregularities courses were place. also found in grants and took subsidies, whichirregularities Meanwhile, cops believe usedfound were also to pay private in for grants and trips. subsidies, which cops believe The irregularities were used to pay for date back private to 2008 and cops believe at trips. least irregularities €7 million hasdate The beenback stolen2008 by those to the top. andatcops believe at least €7 million has been stolen by those at the top.

Costa del Sol hotel has Costa del three Sol months tothree hotel has fight decision months to before it is fight decision demolished before it is A HOTEL is to be knocked demolished

deposit funds, to be used as a type of savings vehicle. It did not have a licence to offer this service, it has Pipe since ban Pipe ban emerged. The company appeared to have got into trouble after its owner Peter Rexstrew died suddenly in Mallorca. The Olive Press can reveal that he had recently started renting a new property in the exclusive Portals area, with a new girlfriend, when he passed away. The pair had been seen out enjoying expensive meals and ‘living the high life’. The FCA did not get back to the Olive Press before deadline. FRUIT growers in the Axarquia are facing a 60% reduction in water FRUIT usein from growers La the the AxarVinuela quia are reservoir with reducfacing a 60% no solution sight.use from the La tion inin water The Junta Vinuela has with decided reservoir to no solimit its lution as the reservoir is inuse sight. already at 22.7% The Junta has capacity decidedand to couldits drop limit use even as thelower if the reservoir is dry weather already keeps at 22.7% up. capacity and could drop even lower if the dry weather keeps up.

down for not having enough class! A HOTEL is to be knocked Benalmadena’s down for not having Hotelenough Vista de Rey must be demolished class! within three months, Benalmadena’s Hotela court Vista hasRey de ruled, must be demolished Andalucia’s within three months, Superiora Court court of Justice has ruled, ruled that the hotel falls shortSuperior Andalucia’s of its four-star Court requirement. of Justice ruled that the hotel falls short of its four-star requirement. Probing

NE NE

Nott No eno eno star r sta

It began probing the three Probing star hotel and apartment block It began in 2011 probing after it was the dethree nounced star hotel overand planning apartment rules whichin block set2011 aside theitplot after wasfor a defour star hotel nounced over planning only. rules According which set aside to thethe PGOU plot town for a plan star four an apartment hotel only.block was not permitted According to the and PGOU it town also breached plan an apartment rules by being blockover was 700 permitted not square meters and itbigger also DOOMED: Costa hotel breached rules by being over 700 square meters bigger DOOMED: Costa hotel

SMUGGLERS’ W SMUGGLERS’ W

POLICE officers have formed a human wall along a beach in La Linea to ensure that the construction POLICE of a have beachformed officers wall went ahead.wall a human The wall, along between a beach the church in La Linea of Nuestra to ensure that the Senora del Carmen construction andwall of a beach thewent perimeter ahead.wall of thewall, fishing The port ofthe between Lachurch Atunara, to of hopes Nuestra Senora del Carmen and the perimeter wall of the fishing port of La Atunara, hopes to

deter drug smu as a drop off zo A combined deter po drug smu local and off as natio a drop zo fears grew tha A combined po and disrupt local the and natio fears grew tha and disrupt the

Eroski billboard.indd 1

ARTWORK SETUP TO 25% OF ACTUAL ARTWOR SIZ ARTWORK SETUP TO 25% OF ACTUAL ARTWORK SIZ

CRIME

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NEWS IN BRIEF Housing help MORE than 3,500 families are on the waiting list for social housing from Ibavi in the Balearics. The government only has 1,800 rental homes, many of which are already filled with ‘delinquent’ tenants.

Bridge back THE ARTA bridge that was destroyed in the deadly floods last October has been rebuilt and reopened, and next week the temporary military bridge will be removed.

Big help A MALLORCAN man is donating 14 floor building in Barcelona to the Consell de Mallorca for students. Amidst the housing crisis, the donated building with help UIB students while in Barcelona.

Winter rise THE Palma Airport has had 15% more passengers in February than last year. Winter tourism is growing as nearly 900,000 passengers travelled through the airport last month.

March 14th - March 27th 2019

Catch this trash!

Bin arsonist is ‘white and around 30’, as he’s seen adding to €300,000 crime spree

POLICE are closer to rumbling the so-called ‘Binman’ after a witness spotted him setting fire to more bins in Palma. The unnamed local saw the vandal set fire to a large container in the Camp Redo neighbourhood be-

Bus-ted!

A BUS driver has been branded a hero after chasing and catching a pickpocket in Palma. The driver gave chase after the thief stole from several of his passengers and legged it out the front door. After catching up with the suspect, the driver held onto him until police arrived. He then duly received a

SCENE: Most recent arson attack THIEF: Caught on bus much deserved standing ovation from passengers and hundreds of passersby. The thief had stolen three wallets and a purse.

fore immediately lighting up another. In a matter of minutes,

Drug round up AN alleged drug gang behind at least 30 robberies has been caught in a dawn raid in Felanitx. Guardia Civil arrested 10 people and seized two kilos of marijuana, as well as a cache of stolen goods. Police have been probing the gang since last September and have monitored them even growing their own marijuana. Police carried out simultaneously raids on three properties in Felanitx, one an internet cafe, as well as one in nearby Portocolom. All the recovered goods will be displayed, from Monday to Friday between 9.00 am to 1:00 pm. in Manacor Guardia Civil Station.

some eight bins were aflame, with some of the fires reaching a car and trees. Most of the bins were turned into ashes. The witness spoke to police as they arrived with fire crews within minutes. He described the masked arsonist as a ‘thin white man’ who looked to be around 30-years-old. Other witnesses came forward to back up the claims, saying they also saw a white man fleeing the scene as police arrived. Hundreds of bins have been burned across Palma since December 2017 when the arsonist began his spree, causing over €300,000 in damages.

Clickety Clink! Bingo addict off to prison A BINGO addict has been sentenced to six months behind bars after creating a property scam in Mallorca to feed her habit. The unnamed Spaniard, 40, managed to swindle €4,000 out of unsuspecting tenants by taking deposits and the first month’s rent on properties she never owned. “I used to take the money and spend it all playing bingo,” she admitted at her trial, which ended this week,. “I would play bingo until all the money was gone.” The gambling addict, who lured in around 10 unlucky tenants using property portal milanuncios.com over a two-month period in 2017, is banned from all casinos and betting shops on the island. She must return the stolen €4,000.

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Liam v Damon,

NEWS

Joint arrival

THEY have famously fallen out on numerous occasions, often coming to blows. When it comes to rock rows, few run as deep as the one between Oasis’ Liam and Noel Gallagher. So it is intriguing - and somewhat incredible - that the pair will both be headlining festivals in Spain on the very same night this summer. But before the rumour-mongers get excited they are playing hundreds of miles apart, with Liam Gallagher playing at BBK in Bilbao on July 11 and brother Noel (below) playing at Mad Cool, in Madrid that night. And, as Liam said a couple of years ago: “I’d rather eat my own shit than be in a band with him again.”

Music fans are spoilt for choice with BEST EVER list of stars performing in Spain this year

Put canned heat in your heels! JAMIROQUAI is the headlining act at this year’s Mallorca Live festival. The iconic British band will return to the island for the first time in 14 years in what will be their only gig in Spain this year. Jamiroquai, who formed in 1992 and have sold nearly 30 million records worldwide, will play at the festival, held at the old Aquapark in Calvia on May 11. The event begins a day before on May 10 with the Two Door Cinema Club as the headliner. London-based rock band The

BRIT ICON: Blur’s Damon Albarn

Shooting stars

TONY Hadley, Fatboy Slim and Elton John are just three of the amazing acts coming to Spain this summer. The British superstars are joined by Franz Ferdinand, Kings of León and New Order, who are set to headline the Low festival in Benidorm this summer. Meanwhile Iggy Pop, the Cure and the Chemical Brothers land in Madrid, while Oasis stars Noel Gallagher and brother

Vaccines also hit the stage on the second night, along with disco, indie rock and flamenco music.

MUSIC ROYALTY: Cook, Elton and Tony Hadley Liam play in the country ON THE VERY SAME DAY in July. Former Spandau Ballet frontman Hadley is to play at the Puente Romano Tennis Club on August 10. He will be joined during the Marbella Music Week by The Jacksons two days before. Other huge draws on the Costa del Sol this summer, include Rod Stewart and The Beach Boys. The California legends will be performing as part of Marbella’s Starlite Festival, while Stewart stars at Fuengirola’s Marenostrum Castle Park in July. Bob Dylan is also coming to Fuengirola as part of his Never Ending world tour. Meanwhile, Spain’s biggest music festival FIB has con-

firmed Fatboy Slim, Kings of León, The 1975 and Franz Ferdinand. The Benicassim festival has just added 12 other new acts for its 25th anniversary edition, including Kodaline, Lana del Rey and George Ezra. Other big names rocking out Spain this summer, include Elton John in Madrid on June 26 and Ed Sheeran, also in the capital, on June 11. Another exciting festival in Valencia, 4ever, has confirmed British favourites Keane and Tears for Fears will be playing alongside Spanish g i - ants Los Planetas. Madrid’s Mad Cool festival has one of the best line ups to date featuring Bon Iver, The Chemical Brothers, Iggy Pop, the National and the Cure.

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PENELOPE Cruz wowed in white at Chanel’s final fashion show directed by its late creative director Karl Lagerfeld. The Spanish actress blended in with the winter wonderland theme and snow-covered runway, donning a long-sleeve top with several ruffles, a furry skirt, statement belt and platform shoes. The stunning Madrileno shared pictures of the wintry scene at the Grand Palais in Paris, which became ‘Chalet Gardenia’, and included snow-covered mountains, log cabins and a snowy runway. “What an honour to walk the last Chanel show designed by Karl. What an emotional moment!” she wrote. Lagerfeld died on February 19 from a short illness at age 85.

CRUZ-ING: On-screen star Cruz takes to the catwalk

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All white on the night

part II

NE of Spain’s top music festivals will pitch Liam Gallagher (left) against Damon Albarn for the first time in Spain. The British legends - who famously fought for the UK’s number one slot with their bands Oasis and Blur in the 1990s - are to headline BBK festival in Bilbao this summer. Fortunately on different nights, Liam Gallagher will play under his own name, while Albarn will perform with his new band The Good, the Bad & the Queen. And to add a bit of extra British sizzle to the mix, Radiohead’s Thom Yorke will be on hand to perform his new album Tomorrow's Modern Boxes.

March 14th - March 27th 2019

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Baring all FROM the man who once claimed to have slept with 3,000 women comes a new vainglorious gloat: at the age of 75, Julio Iglesias ‘swims naked’ to keep fit. It is unknown if he sticks to his mantra of having sex every day, but the singer admitted his secret to staying fit while on his 50th anniversary tour included wine and ‘two to three hours’ of sport and aquatic liberation. Spain’s most successful singer kicked off his golden tour in Texas, where he introduced a

NOT SHY: Julio

pair of dancers, saying: “Tango is the music that, if you dance, you get pregnant, even if you are taking the pill.”

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NEWS

March 14th - March 27th 2019

Stand together Authorities join forces to stop construction of ‘controversial’ shopping centre By Gillian Keller in Playa de Palma

PALMA city council, the Consell de Mallorca and the Balearic Government have joined forces to try and stop construction of an ‘outsize’ shopping centre in a valuable green area near Palma. They have been joined by local expats and green groups to prevent the Palma Springs project from being built in a green area in Playa

COMING SOON?: New shopping centre

de Palma. They have agreed to fight together to stop the controversial scheme after Madrid’s Supreme Court turned down an appeal to stop the scheme

PROTESTORS: Fighting the solar panels

Solar secrets

A PLAN to build a huge solar power park beside a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Mallorca has ‘angered’ locals and expats. The 35,000m2 project in Selva, in the foothills of the Serra de Tramuntana, will feature 12,600 solar panels that will each be 3m high. So far, over 300 residents of the idyllic valley - recognised as a ‘cultural landscape’ - have signed alegaciones forms to object to the proposals. They are now set to protest in the town of Selva this weekend. Finnish architect, Evi Wager, 67, originally from Helsinki, was ‘shocked’ when she realised the site would be just 20m from her porch. “Nobody has been informed,” the mum-of-three told the Olive Press this week. “This has been going on behind our backs. “The location is wrong, you can’t just place a large industrial site in a rural area like this. “It is not only going to ruin the views, it will act as a precedent for 20 other sites in mallorca.” It comes after consultancy firm Podarcis found that the plans will lead to the ‘destruction of vegetation and the disappearance of animal species’. Evi, who is an ‘avid gardener’, also alleges that politicians have flouted the rules governing development on rural land, by classifying the solar park as a site of ‘general interest’. Swathes of farmland, and the celebrated hiking trail to Lluc, are set to be divided by the green energy site. Madrid-based green energy firm, Good Wind Entertainment, which is behind the solar park, was not available for comment to the Olive Press. The company has also planned two other solar parks, each costing €2.5 million, in nearby Alaro, and Sant Rafael, in Ibiza. The Balearic Islands government failed to comment before we went to press. HATED: Proposed solar farm

in the natural wetlands of Ses Fontanelles. The 80,000 square metre centre was originally granted a licence in 2014, but works did not start within the timeline and it expired. Later a new license was rejected as laws had changed, better protecting the area - south Mallorca’s largest wetland area - from development. But developers Unibail Rodamco Westfield have continued to fight for the licence taking their case as far as the Supreme court. Its lawyers argued that it should have a similar permit to that of the nearby Fan shopping centre, that opened in 2016. "We are continuing the process to make this great project a reality," said a spokesman for the firm, this week. Environmental group Amics de la Terra Mallorca have major concerns, not only for the environmental impact but because of the traffic problems on nearby roads, already congested due to the nearby airport.

EU PHEW

A no deal Brexit was last night dramatically ruled out by MPs by just four votes in excellent news for expats in Spain. In yet another defeat for the government , MPs ruled by by 312 votes to 308 that the country should not leave the EU without a deal in any circumstance. The Spelman amendment vote comes after the Prime Minister's withdrawal agreement was heavily defeated in the commons on Tuesday. Yesterday, May said: “Voting against leaving without a deal, and for an extension, does not solve the problems we face. “The EU will want to know what use we want to make of that extension. The house will have to answer that question.” MPs will now get the chance to vote on possibly extending Article 50 in another vote today.

Site for sore eyes! SPECSAVERS in Santa Ponsa has been spreading awareness during World Glaucoma Week – with an estimated one million people suffering from the eye disease in Spain alone. The local optician, part of the largest in Europe, warned that around half of those with glaucoma do not know they have the degenerative eye disease that can cause blindness. Stop by an optician to discuss any vision concerns.

Ashamed

Fellow green group GOB, added that the scheme ‘makes us feel ashamed to be citizens of these islands’. Local expats such as Jamie Foster, from Nottingham, agreed. “Parking is already atrocious in this area, I dread what it will be like if this mall opens up,” he told the Olive Press. “Traffic on the road by Palma Springs is already gridlocked every afternoon, adding thousands of people to the area will just cause chaos,” the 33-year-old teacher added. Another expat Nicky Bowdidge added: “Tourism has encroached on most of the dunes that used to be along the seafront, the ecological impact of this wasn't understood at the time. “We mustn’t lose more valuable virgin land.”

TRAGIC: Man dies

Death of a giant IT was meant to be a joyous parade celebrating the 120th anniversary of the death of the founder of a church in Campos. But joy turned to tragedy when one of the men, carrying a giant figurine, collapsed and died during the event. The local, 35, died of a heart attack while carrying the socalled ‘gegant’ which is 3.4m tall and weighs 38kgs. He was rushed to hospital, but died before he arrived. The annual parade for the Sor María Rafela foundation was suspended until the next day when a minute’s silence was observed for the victim.

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FEATURE

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A campaigning, community newspaper, the Olive Press represents the huge expatriate community in Spain with an estimated readership, including the websites, of more than 500,000 people a month.

OPINION Humiliation HUMILIATED by yet another heavy defeat on her brexit deal, Theresa May’s authority is now well and truly shattered. Her desperate pleas and bribes were not nearly enough to overturn the historic defeat she suffered in January. A route out of the latest Brexit disarray is for Parliament to wrestle back control by extending Article 50 in today’s vote. And then to order another referendum and, next time, for everyone to vote understanding the full implications, with no lies and spin. For expats, fearing the loss of their pensions and access to healthcare, anything to ward off the UK’s looming exit date now is worthy of pursuit. May’s attempts to run down the Brexit clock has backfired spectacularly forcing her to concede Tuesday’s vote and possibly over the coming days her premiership. Expats currently watching this pitiful climax to three years of work will hope that any time added on will usher in a renewed focus on their plight.

The Olive Press celebrates International Womans Day with two original features Vox and HazteOir attack feminism as people across Spain answer the call to arms on International Women’s Day, writes Olive Press Madrid correspondent Heather Galloway

HE fight for women’s rights turned decidedly ugly in the run-up to the 8M strike. As thousands of Spaniards prepared to take to the streets, joining the global sisterhood in a show of solidarity on March 8 for the second consecutive year, a bus with a caricature of a lipsticked Hitler drove into the centre of Madrid. Organised by extreme right-wing Catholic group HazteOir, the campaign bus was unsurprisingly vandalised when a handful of women objected to its unsubtle branding of feminists as ‘Feminazis’. They, like thankfully most of Spain, found its slogan ‘No Es Violencia De Genero, Es Violencia Domestica’ (‘It’s not gender violence, it’s domestic violence’ ) sickening. Meanwhile, prosecutors in Barcelona filed charges, alleging crimes of hatred, insisting the propaganda ‘attacks the dignity, rights and freedom of women’. The organisation is petitioning the PP, Ciudadanos and Vox to repeal the 2004 Gender Violence Law. And they already have sinister ultra right party Vox on side, with its manifesto for the general elections on April 28 promising to replace the law with an Inter-Family Violence Law. The strike was, of course, an anathema to Vox and its Madrid president Rocio Monasterio openly encouraged its supporters to boycott it. In a video shared on the group’s social media networks, Monasterio read a manifesto against what she terms ‘burka ideology’ and ‘feminist supremacy’ in front of a crowd of women holding banners exclaiming: Don’t speak in my name! “We celebrate being women 364 days a year,

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‘Get back in the kitchen!’

DAMAGED: Offenisve bus

every day except March 8 when we will work harder than ever to affirm the power of our independence and our freedom,” she says. “Don’t speak in my name because I am a woman and I am not a victim just because I have been born a woman. The State does not need to protect me, neither to give nor to take away. I have the same rights as a man.” If only. Her words are seductive but the figures tell a different story. Data from the Spanish Institute of Statistics shows that in 2018, women in the public sector accounted for 55.2% PROTESTORS: 8M women on streets of the workforce in Spain subjected to abuse, but when they report it, but were typically paid they are not taken seriously. Vox wants that to €2,500 less than their change. “I have a son and imagine if his future male counterparts. wife bangs herself on a piece of furniture and It also exposes the fact blames it on him. He then gets thrown into a that pensions for women cell and is served with a restraining order. That were, on average, €450 is unfair. less than men’s while the “Vox wants the allegation investigated to see if it median gender pay gap is true. But not if it’s a lie, because there are an was 24%. awful lot of false allegations being made.” More shocking is the However, according to Spain’s Director of Public fact that 47 women were Prosecutions, the false allegakilled tions she refers to account for last year in fact - only 0.01% of the abuse in Spain reported by women since 2009. f r o m Some 47 women That aside, gender violence and gender domestic violence are two very were killed by violence. different issues. According Sofia Martinez, of association gender violence to Ignacio Andrea in Pamplona, which González, in Spain last year protested the light nine-year of Judges sentence for the gang rape by for Dethe so-called Wolf Pack during mocracy San Fermin festival, told the women in Spain suffer Olive Press: “The law against domestic violence from ‘irrefutable institu- which we have had for some time addressed tional discrimination’. the problem of violence against women in the But this is incredibly, domestic family environment. contested by female Vox “A lot of women have fought to have this changed candidate for Algeciras, to gender violence because it is violence against Isabel Nieto Fajardo, 32, women and it can happen anywhere. a gypsy, who told the Ol- “Now Vox wants to turn back the clock and have ive Press this week: “Vox a law that only applies if it happens between the Qualified Carers wants gender equality; four walls of a house.” so both men and women She continues: “I believe Vox lives in a parallel Qualified Nurses should be believed when universe where there are no rapes or abuse. Senior Care reporting violence. “Clearly their reality is different from mine and “There are plenty of men from most women. But if you don’t suffer, keep Child Care it to yourself. Don’t try to make the Nurse Escort For Flights/Travel rest of us go backwards, not after we’ve spent so long fighting to inch Mobility Equipment Hire forward.” Adapted Sports/Excursions In the end, it appears though that HazteOir’s dig at Feminazis had Tel. 0034 971 965 081 somehow backfired with many Spanish getting entirely the wrong 0034 636 284 328 end of the stick. After all, it was HitEmail: hamillcare@gmail.com ler, who proclaimed in 1934 that ‘a www.hamillcare.com woman’s world is her husband, her family, her children, her house’. Pollensa Care It was more or less the mantra of forC/Medge Llopis 6, Puerto Pollensa mer Spanish dictator Franco… and CONTROVERSIAL: Fajardo isn’t that the opinion of Vox?

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Rural, isolated and bound by tradition, Andalucia’s women went on to sow the seeds of female rights in the 1930s. In a fascinating dispatch to celebrate International Women’s Day Jack Gaioni recounts the history of Spanish anarcho-feminism

HAT’S the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the word 'anarchy' - defined as ‘a state of disorder due to the nonrecognition of authority’? France’s infamous Reign of Terror, perhaps, or the present-day situation in Venezuela or Syria? If you are the parents of hormonal teenagers (gulp!) you probably know a thing or two about it! Whatever your perception, it might be surprising to know that Spain has a long tradition of 'disorder due to the nonrecognition of authority'. In the middle of the 1800s, political ideologies long thought to be extremist were brought to Spain from the hotbeds of revolutionary Europe. The French Revolution, Karl Marx, JeanJacques Rousseau, etc, collectively resonated with those who sought fairness in society. From early on, Spanish-style 'anarchists' believed strongly in the class struggle against the cabal of the church, the state and the landed elite. They saw these powerful forces exploiting workers, the poor and the landless, resulting in grinding poverty, starvation and war. Early Spanish anarchists opposed any authority that claimed the right to have power over anyone else. Anarchy first gained a foothold in Catalunya, then a crucible for proletarian and trade union rebellion, particularly in Barcelona. Revolutionary ideology was propagated in cafes, by radio broadcasts and newspapers and travelling libraries. The oppressed throughout Catalunya, and later the rest of the Iberian Peninsula, were very receptive to an ideology that opposed authority; namely the 'state' with its brutality and corruption; unchecked capitalism with its grand wealth and wretched poverty; and the coercive institution of organised religion. In the run-up to Spain’s greatest nightmare, the 1930s Civil War, anarchists, communists, socialists, unionists and a melting pot of political factions joined forces against entrenched authority. In Andalucia, however, the conscious 'non-recognition' of authority began to take on a new and strangely positive dimension. The social structure of Andalucia in the early

20th century, being primarily agrarian, required a division of labour based on gender roles. Men participated in field tasks such as harvesting crops, animal husbandry, irrigation, etc, while women mostly participated in tasks like tending family gardens, preparing and preserving food and maintaining the home. They were expected to be the 'Angeles del GROUP: From northern Spain Hogar' (angels of the hearth) at home and the Perfecto Casada (perfect wife) in their mar- lar Front. These rural women were dedicated to the riage. Socially, the conditions for agricultural women belief that women’s issues were inseparable was uniquely oppressive and they could be from the social upheaval of the day. forced into arranged marriages without their They passionately argued that the double struggle for women’s liberation AND Spain’s consent. greater social revolution were Once married and without her equally important and should husband’s approval (called be pursued in parallel. 'permiso marital'), a woman Their stated The women’s movement that was prohibited from ownership mission was took hold here was not conof property or travel away from fined to southern Spain. home. to free women In the north, one group in parThere were punitive penalties from ‘the triple ticular, Mujeres Libres (Free for adultery, while divorce was Women), self-described as impossible. enslavement’ an 'anarcho-feminist' organSingle women could not leave isation emerged as a strong the farmhouse without a male advocate to empower working chaperone. Most women were financially dependent on men and had virtu- class women. Their stated mission was to free women from ally no access to education. Conditions for women outside Andalucia 'the triple enslavement to ignorance, as womwere, on balance, slightly better. For example, en, and as producers'. The group soon had Catalunya had a thriving textile industry where over 30,000 active members. They successover half of the workforce were fully articulated visions of a new social life for women and pointed out that all education for women. In Madrid, Zaragoza and other women was controlled by the Catholic Church. northern cities, women were Mujeres Libres sponsored programmes on able to find at least some de- maternal and child health, day-care, female gree of autonomy in domestic biology and sexuality. It also openly discussed work outside the home, and in taboo subjects like sexual freedom, birth control, abortion and cohabitation. communications. In Andalucia however, women As any student of the Spanish Civil War will found themselves in a deplor- tell you, things did not end well for the Republicans. With Franco’s victory in 1939, Repubable state. In 1936, women in particular licans were at the very least silenced, went in Malaga, Cadiz and Sevilla underground or exiled. began to develop an extensive More likely, they were executed. But the libnetwork of organisations dedi- eration ideology of women, born of their sticated to the idea of women’s fling experience in the countryside and cities of Catalunya, was a planted seed that would liberation. With very little to lose and un- come to fruition later in the late 20th century. der such detestable circumstances, activists It has been said that the en masse beheadtravelled through the countryside to set up ru- ings and anarchy associated with France’s ral collectives where they organised schools, Reign of Terror was a necessary precursor to literacy programmes and women-only social the ideals of The Enlightenment. It changed society for good. clubs and newspapers. More importantly, the women of Andalucia As for advice for parents on their hormonal were some of the first to join forces in alliance teenager’s inherent 'nonrecognition of auwith the larger Republican (anti-Franco) Popu- thority’? Good luck with that….

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8 www.theolivepress.es 8 Mar 13th - Mar 27th 2019 what’s on Green goodness THE biggest St. Patrick's Day celebrations in Mallorca return to Santa Ponsa on March 17 with Irish music, food and of course Guinness – don't forget to wear green!

Mountain run THE second edition of the Galatzó tail mountain test is on Sunday March 17, with over 650 people registered for the marathons at the historic Galatzó estate.

Sail away CATCH the annual Princess Sofia Sailing Trophy in the bays from Palma to Arenal from March 29 through April 6 with events for all ages.

Do you have a what’s on?

Felipe VI effigy comes at a price … a legally-binding contract to burn it

A STATUE of the king of Spain that the buyer ‘must burn’ has gone on sale for €200,000 in Madrid. Whoever buys the 4.5mtall royal effigy will be forced to sign a contract committing them to burn it within 12 months. The piece, titled ‘Ninot’, is described as a ‘hyperealistic’ depiction of King Felipe VI of Spain. It is on display at Ifema for the duration of the capital’s 38th Contempo-

Flaming royalty rary Art Fair. The towering statue features the Spanish monarch in a blue suit and gallery staff even periodically spray it with Hugo Boss ‘Dark Blue’ cologne. An internal structure of polyurethane, cardboard and fabric inside the king’s body will reveal a skull protected by fireproof material, once it is set alight.

King Joffrey jets in GAME of Thrones star Jack Gleeson has paid a flying visit to Malaga. The actor, who plays King Joffrey in the acclaimed HBO series, dropped in to the city’s FreakCon convention, a celebration of comics, manga, anime, TV and video games. Held at the city’s Palacio de Ferias y Congresos last weekend, GoT fans lined up for Instagrams with the king of Westeros and purchased memorabilia.

Send your informa tion to March 14th - March 2019 newsdesk@t27th heolivepress.es

Once the burning is carried out, ‘in a private and legal place’ the owner will only get to keep the rights to the video of the event. Santiago Sierra and Eugenio Merino, both known for their controversial art, are behind Ninot. Sierra said he intended to represent ‘what Trump lacks, his head’ with Ninot, and joked that he hoped his critics ‘would not hit him’. Previous edgy art by the pair includes a statue of General Franco in a Coca Cola fridge (Always Franco, Merino, 2012) and a video work of black and white people having anal sex (The Penetrated, Sierra, 2008).

Whale of a tale

KING: Game of Thrones Finn Jones, Gleeson’s costar who plays Loras Tyrell, was also due to appear at the festival but cancelled due to work commitments.

A SERIES of new whales are to land at Palma Aquarium this Spring. But the massive Humpback Whales will not be found in a tank - fortunately but will be part of a brand new interactive attraction inside a domed theatre. The 250-metre dome can seat 125 guests, who will be sucked into an undersea world – with an upclose 360 degree view of the whales and their habitat, full sounds and all.

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Property

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March 2019

Know what this is? It’s just helped an architect win the world’s most prestigious prize

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See Legacy on page IV

King of cool Spanish maestro celebrated for five decades in the business, see STARchitect page VI

SIMPLE, INTRICATE AND STYLISH: Bofill’s works are all, or a mixture, of the three

Still hot

The Brits have not stopped investing in Spanish property with a 12% rise in purchases last year

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Continues on Page III

II10

March 2019

PROPERTY

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Going steady

Foreign buyers back off but there’s no cause for panic yet, writes experienced analyst Mark Stucklin from Spanish Property Insight

OREIGN demand for property in demand has come to an end, at least Spain is getting more diversified for now. Back in Q4 2017, foreign debut the overall number of buyers mand was growing at 20% per annum, did not grow last quarter for the whilst back in 2016 it was growing by more than 30% in some quarters. But first time in years. The Association of Spanish Land Regis- even though growth has fallen to zero trars has just published its Spanish prop- as of Q4 2018, foreign demand is still erty market report for the last quarter of around 13% of the Spanish property 2018 in which, amongst other things, it market, where it has been since 2014, breaks down demand by nationality. having risen from a low of 4% in 2009. The latest figures show the overall market was up 7% in Q4 to 120,199 home Who’s buying? sales inscribed in the Broken down by nationality the British are still Spanish Land Registry. number one with 2,524 That was the lowest level The German recorded purchases and of growth in the annualised quarterly figures market looks like 17% foreign market since the Spanish propshare in Q4 2018. They it’s overtaking erty market started to were followed by the recover back in 2014. Germans with 1,178 the French The growth was entirely purchases (8% market market driven by rising local share) and the French demand - up by 8.6% with 1,130 acquisitions to 104,982 home sales. (7% market share). The biggest group, with 6,863 purchase Foreign demand in Q4 2018 and 45% of the foreign market, was the The number of Spanish homes bought rest of the world, the sum of all other by foreign buyers in Q4 2018 was countries whose nationals have bought 15,217 - almost unchanged compared property in Spain. to the fourth quarter of 2017. So the British are still the single biggest Unchanged means that foreign de- group by far, despite all the uncertainty, mand did not grow at all in the last problems, and weaker pound brought quarter for the first time since 2010, on by Brexit. meaning the upward trend in foreign It’s also interesting to note that the Ger-

mans were the second biggest group of buyers in three quarters out of four last year, whereas traditionally the French have been the second biggest group after the British. The German market looks like it’s overtaking the French market, with potentially positive implications for the Balearics, where the Germans mainly buy, and negative ones for Catalunya, where the French tend to buy. Looking at the annualised change in foreign demand by nationality we see more countries contracting than growing for the first time since the bust a decade ago. Important markets like Sweden (-29%) Norway (-16%) and Belgium (-15%) were heavily down. Were it not for growth in the two biggest sources of foreign demand – the UK (+6%) and the rest of the world (+13%) – overall foreign demand would have been significantly down in Q4 2018, with all key countries bar the UK in negative territory

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What’s going on? Clearly, foreign demand for Spanish property is cooling down and each market will have its own story to tell. But the fact that so many key markets are going cool on Spain at the same time suggests part of the explanation lies in Spain itself. I guess part of the story is rising house prices that make Spanish property start to look expensive, or at least no longer a bargain. For quite a long time during and after the Spanish real estate crash

Keys Isl nd to the

that started a decade ago, Spanish house prices looked like an absolute bargain to many foreign buyers. In retrospect it was a great time to buy. House prices have been steadily rising ever since in most areas that attract foreign investors. And at some point, rising prices combined with other reasons to be wary about investing in Spanish property are bound to give a growing number of foreign investors cold feet. Or maybe it’s just a temporary dip before the trend roars back up. Time will tell, but I have my doubts. I don’t expect foreign demand for Spanish property to go into a sharp decline but I wouldn’t be surprised if growth is weak, flat or even negative over the next few quarters. And once again, the British are holding up foreign demand. Brexit, just around the corner, could have a big impact, one way or another, though, nobody still seems to know what Brexit is or will be.

By Amanda Butler

Brexit waves

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(chart above). I assume the growth from the rest of the world group comes from an increasingly diversified number of countries providing a small number of buyers each (the Registrars don’t tell us). For the first time since they started publishing this data the US was a big enough market - with 144 buyers in the quarter - to be listed in its own right.

British buyers in Mallorca are moving with caution ahead of the big day on March 29, writes Amanda Butler

ITH two weeks to go until 'B-Day' we are but fell between the third and fourth quarters by still no clearer as to what will be the out- 0.1%, suggesting that prices are stabilising. come, at least in the short term. The Balearics were shown to be the fifth most exChaos abounds - will it be no deal, or will pensive property region in the country, with the avArticle 50 be delayed? erage cost per square metre at €2,273 comparing British MPs face one of the most grueling weeks to the national average cost at €1,619. in politics with what will no doubt be a giant roller Figures from the National Ministry of Developcoaster where no one can guess how it will all end. ment, reviewing costs in municipalities with If Brexit is in fact delayed, do we borrow a 25,000 residents or more, show that Calvia was Churchillian expression and ask if this week in the most expensive region in Mallorca, reaching Whitehall is just the end of the beginning? an average of €2,635 per square metre, with Some of the most nervous lie Palma in second place at €2007 amongst the pensioners, who may (Note I say average price - at the potentially lose their right to healthupper end we have figures in the The Balearics care on both sides of the channel, region of €12-19,000!). which of course will affect all of us, were shown even if many under retirement age Film stars and stripes to be the fifth have private health insurance. Both the Spanish and UK governmost expensive Finally, I have been contacted by ments have said they were confithe producer of a popular American property region TV series, asking if I would consider dent a bilateral agreement would be in place despite a no-deal sceworking with them on their show, nario. specifically looking after American This is a light relief of sorts, but with nothing con- clients interested in buying a home in Mallorca firmed or written in law as of yet, it remains very over the next year - and who would consider being concerning. filmed in early summer. There is no doubt Brexit is still affecting the major- Their preference is for a sea-view property, but they ity of British buyers – many are holding out to see are open to other types, budget dependant. what will happen and how it will affect them. Please contact me if you happen to be American and interested in being featured on the show, or if Mallorca price watch you have a property that you would like to put forward to be considered. Figures have been published by the National Sta- That sums up the market report for this week. tistics Institute showing the cost of property in the I will be riding the Brexit wave with you until the next Balearics increased by 6.4% for 2018 as a whole, edition!

Contact Amanda J Butler to buy or sell your home: Tel: +34690075169, www.mjcassociates.net Your professional one stop property shop around the Island!

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March 14th - March 27th 2019

Keep calm and buy on From front

He added that buyers at the bottom end of the market simply lowered their budgets, rather than abandoned altogether their intention to buy. “And at the high end of the market there has been little change in budgets, I’m told. People with money tend to be well diversified.” Other agents said the trend is likely to continue after Spain this month vowed to protect the rights of Brits living in the country.

Fiasco Conor Wilde, head of agency Found Valencia said: “Over the past four months we have been consistently showing more property to British buyers. “These buyers will revisit Spain once Brexit has settled. And since the news last week that the Spanish Government will safeguard the rights of British people living in Spain we have seen a dramatic increase in enquiries from the UK.” He added however: “We will not see a large scale sales change until this Brexit fiasco is over.”

COMFORT: Huge Mallorca pad helping Schumacher (inset) recover from injury

Up to €6,000 per metre squared, as prices of a new des res on the coast soar THE price of new property on the Costa del Sol has soared to upwards of €6,000 per square metre as demanding buyers drive up quality. Clients are now mostly wealthy foreigners who want a place for personal use rather than for investment, according to real estate consultants CB Richard Ellis (CBRE). The CBRE study also revealed new build properties are now of a higher quality with better design and communal services. “Before the crisis properties were

built without thinking of the client’s needs or quality because everything sold,” said CBRE valua-

Brilliant score PRICEY: Building in Mallorca and (right) Andy’s new pad

vate terrace overlooking the Plaza de las Tortugas where second division Real Mallorca RCD celebrates its victories. The property’s 2,500 square meters of floor space is divided into five homes, the most expen-

sive of which was sold for 10 million euros. Former US tennis pro Kohlberg, is co-owner of the Phoenix Suns basketball team and has been President of RCD Mallorca since September 2017.

tion director Andres Moreno. “Now a lot more care is being taken; everything is designed with the end

March 2019

Formula Mallorca

lorca,. confirmed they saw the German racing legend arrive by dark blue helicopter on the Spanish island. It is believed that Schumacher was also at the property for New Year’s celebrations and his 50th birthday on January 3, though it is not known if he is living there permanently. Schumacher won 91 races in a record-breaking F1 career before suffering a traumatic

Costa lotta

BOSS: Andy Kohlberg

THE president of Mallorca’s football club has brought an exclusive penthouse on top of the most expensive building in Palma. Andy Kohlberg snapped up the 500 square metre apartment in Palau Can Puig, a historical building on Palma’s prestigious Avenida Born, for almost €6 million. One of the penthouse’s many attractions is the pri-

MICHAEL Schumacher is reportedly spending winter at a luxury €30 million Mallorca mansion with roundthe-clock carers. A respected German magazine said the seven times Formula 1 Champion’s family celebrated Christmas at the mammoth property they purchased last year – swapping icy conditions at their home at Lake Geneva, Switzerland, for sunny skies in the Mediterranean. Neighbours of the Villa Yasmin, in Port d’Andratx, Mal-

III 11

buyer in mind; it’s no longer a case of ‘anything goes’.” The most expensive properties are found in Nueva Andalucia, in Marbella, and Benahavis, which weigh in at €6,000 per square metre. Meanwhile, developments for sale in Torremolinos and Fuengirola go for prices above €4,000 per square metre. The report reveals the areas with the greatest property sales growth are Benahavis and Manilva, at around 40%. Growth in new home sales has grown in almost every Spanish region each month for the last two years, according to separate research by Lucas Fox. The average property prices in Madrid ended the year on €3,846 per square metre In the capital’s most sought-after districts of Chamartin, Chamberi and Salamanca housing went for €5,016 per square metre to €6,043 per square metre. Property prices are also on the up in Barcelona where a flat in the desirable district of Gracia goes for €4,346 per square metre.

brain injury in a skiing accident in 2013. He was reportedly receiving €50,000-aweek treatment from a team of 15 physicians and nurses at his Swiss home. Villa Yasmin previously belonged to Florentino Perez, president of Real Madrid, and boasts two swimming pools, a large manicured garden, a helipad and stunning western views over the Balearic Sea.

Quality not quantity PALMA has announced it will only allow small boutique hotels in a bid to attract ‘better quality’ tourists. It comes after the city changed its general planning rules to stop the capital from ‘growing out of its limits’. It means there is a ban on any new hotels while existing ones cannot make extensions, ‘except for those that are located in a classified building with a maximum of 20 rooms.’

Quality “Palma is no longer committed to the increase in the number of tourists, but rather to the quality,” said councilman and former Palma mayor Jose Hila. It comes after the number of hotels in Palma almost tripled from 38 in 2017 to more than 90 in 2019.

MELIA: In Mallorca

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March 2019

PROPERTY

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Legacy

March 14th - March 27th 2019

Architect of Spain’s largest indoor sports arena scoops this year’s prestigious Pritzker Prize LEAVING HIS MARK: (Left to right) the Domus in A Coruña, Barcelona’s Palau Sant Jordi and the D38 Office in Barcelona

APANESE master builder Arata Isozaki has won the architectural world’s equivalent of the Nobel Prize. The 87-year-old maestro was crowned the winner of the 2019 Pritzker architecture prize for his decades of thought-provoking and original work. Regarded as a visionary who helped foster an architectural dialogue between east and west, Isozaki was behind several projects in Spain including the Palau Sant Jordi, still the largest indoor sports arena in Spain.

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He created the 17,960-capacity complex for the 1992 Summer Olympic Games in Barcelona, siting it partially below ground to draw focus to the surrounding hillside. He is also known for designing an inflatable concert hall in Japan. The jury for the Pritzker noted: “In his search for meaningful architecture, he created buildings of great quality that to this day defy categorisations.” Isozaki was born in Oita on the island of Kyushu, in 1931. The 1945 atomic bombing of

ORIGINAL: Inflatable concert hall

nearby Hiroshima had a profound impact on him as a child. “I grew up on ground zero,” he recalled. “It was in complete ruins, and there was no architecture, no buildings and not even a city. “Only barracks

and shelters surrounded me, so, my first experience of architecture was the void of architecture, and I began to consider how people might rebuild their homes and cities.”

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Yes Sí Oui Ja Da …

Welcome to the bank in Spain that understands you best. That’s right, we can offer you what you need, in your own language. Because we put ourselves in your shoes, accompanying you with the care that you deserve, and not just when you arrive here, but also in your day to day activities. We are here to support you with your financial affairs, as well as with matters closer to the heart.

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Welcome service: Settling in a new country is not always easy. We want to help you get off to a good start, together with our specialist partners, we can provide you with useful information on some of the most important matters that might arise when you arrive in a new country, such as finding your home, opening a business, investing in Spain…

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PROPERTY

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STARchitect Spanish maestro’s five decades career celebrated as he turns 80

ORIGINAL: (Top left and centre) Walden 7 building in Barcelona while (bottom left and inset) Obecni Dvur in Prague

NEW book has been published to honour one of Spain’s most successful architects in the year he turns 80. Ricardo Bofill: Visions of Architecture presents a collection of the maestro’s best works over 56 years. Born in Barcelona, Bofill has produced a massive range of thought-provoking building designs as well as landing huge glitzy commercial contracts - including the Desigual headquarters and Quingdao Airport in China. In Spain he is best known for La Fabrica in Catalonia, a cement factory which he transformed into his own luxury home and studio. A labour of love that took 40 years to complete, the brutalist grey concrete exterior - pictured in Olive Press property in 2017 - hides a sleek modern home covered in bright and alluring flora. ‘Bofill is a romantic’ explains respected architecture news website Wallpaper. ‘His work channels the mystic geometry of Giorgio de Chirico, the bright palette of Luis Barragán and the carefully controlled perspectives of Piranesi. ‘Ultimately, however, the artist at work is Bofill himself.’ Continues overleaf Take our photo tour of the starchitect’s best works.

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March 2019

COLOUR BOMB: Pink and blue La Muralla Roja sits next to the green and abstract Xanadu - which houses 19 apartments - on the coast of Alicante

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BUSINESS

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Holiday drop

TOURIST property rentals will drop 15% this summer, experts have predicted. The holiday rental sector has estimated the decrease in visitors to home rentals like those found on AirBnB thanks to the tightening of restrictions on holiday rentals. There are around 14,500 homes in Mallorca with the legal permits to rent as a holiday homes.

We need rain

CEREAL crops in Mallorca are in danger due to a lack of rainfall in recent months, experts have warned. The island's wheat, barley and oats are at risk of not producing enough if they do not get more water. The sector is only just recovering from a large loss of crops from floods in 2017. Some farmers have started to water their fields manually, something that can cost a great deal but might save the crops. The lack of rain is also affecting some vegetable crops, including beans and peas.

POWER UP: Panels

Spain is still raking it in from tourism and will grow even more this year ONE in every seven euros paid into the Spanish economy comes from tourism, new figures have revealed. The stats, from the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), revealed the industry is vital to the country’s economy as it overtook the US to become the world’s second-largest receiver of international tourists. The statistics showed Spain’s tourism sector grew by 2.4% and contributed a whopping €178 billion to the economy - or 14.6% of the country’s GDP last year. It also accounted for 2.8 million jobs - 14.7% of all jobs in Spain.

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Solar plan off the ground SPAIN’S airport operator has announced ambitious plans to produce most of its own electricity using solar power. Aena, which manages 46 airports and two heliports across Spain, will invest €250 million in renewable energy to save on its electricity costs and cut carbon emissions. The board of directors announced the money would be used to install solar panels in half of its airports, cutting electricity bills from €75 million a year to €23 million. The move should also lower carbon emissions by 40% by 2025, and make Madrid and Barce-

lona’s airports carbon neutral by 2030. The 51% state-owned company owns vast tracts of empty land located near to their airports where the new panels will be installed. In addition to Madrid and Barcelona, plans are to install solar panels in 20 out of the remaining 46 airports in Spain - which in Andalucia include Malaga, Almeria, Granada-Jaen, Cordoba, Sevilla and Jerez. Aena also plans to introduce 2,300 charging stations for electric cars in its parking lots. The plans are intended to aid Spain in reaching the European Union’s objective to reach carbon neutrality by 2050.

Tourist trap

BASKING: Tourists on Spanish beach Some 55% of tourists were growth and the tourism from abroad, with 45% be- sector performed well last ing domestic visitors, the year,” the WTTC said. figures also revealed. “Spain has the potential to “In Spain, consumer spend- increase the size of its traving experienced robust el economy even further

by growing the size of its business tourism sector. At present, business travellers account for only 12% of all spending in Spain against a European average of 21%. “It is fitting, then, that WTTC will be hosting its 2019 Global Summit in Sevilla this April, bringing together global leaders and sector experts to gather in the European hub of travel.” Spain was the fifth largest tourism economy in the EU and ninth in the world in terms of total contribution to GDP. The sector is expected to grow by 2.8% this year above the European average of 2.5%.

LIDINGTON: And Josep

New tax treaty

SPAIN and the UK have reached an agreement to fight tax fraud and money laundering in Gibraltar. The treaty, signed by David Lidington in London and Spanish Foreign Minister Josep Borrell in Madrid, will set out stricter rules for determining the tax residency of individuals and businesses. Corporate entities are taxed at a top rate of 10% in Gibraltar, compared with 25% in Spain, and the territory has 55,000 businesses registered there despite having a population of just 30,000. The deal will require individuals who spend more than 183 days of the year in Spain, whose spouse or partner is a Spanish resident, who own a regular home in Spain, or who keep two thirds of their assets of Spanish territory, to pay taxes in Spain. Gibraltar’s Chief Minister Fabian Picardo said: “What we have done – as we have long been offering to do – is reach an arrangement to resolve cases of dispute as to the residence of individuals and companies.”

30 years serving the expatriate community in Mallorca

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Don’t bank on it Spain tops the health league but all is not well for expats, writes Michael Doherty (right), CEO of the Woodbrook Group

WORLD health index has awarded Spain its top accolade. Last year the University of Washington’s Health Metrics Institute ranked the country second in its healthy nations league. Now another major rating agency, the Bloomberg Healthiest Country Index, has gone one better and declared Spain to be the healthiest country in the world. The index classifies nations according to variables such as life expectancy, tobacco use and obesity. Environmental factors,such as access to clean water and sanitation,are also taken into account. The index gives Spain the highest life expectancy at birth among European Union nations and forecasts that by 2040 it will have the world’s longest lifespan, at almost 86 years, followed by Japan, Singapore and Switzerland. Tobacco use is the only factor on which Spain does not score well. Its big plus appears to be its diet. Bloom-

berg quotes from a study by University of Navarra Medical School which concludes that eating habits are the key to the health levels enjoyed by Spain, and also Italy, placed second in the Bloomberg index. “Mediterranean diet, supplemented with extra-virgin olive oil or nuts, had a lower rate of major cardiovascular events than those assigned to a reduced-fat diet,” said the study. Spain’s high health ranking may convince many British expats they have made a wise move. But the health bonus only kicks in if they are prepared to live a Spanish lifestyle. That much-vaunted diet includes a large amount of fish and a moderate intake of red wine. The lesson is: eat and drink like a Spaniard, just don’t smoke like one. Unfortunately, many Britons seem to do it the other way round, which may explain the UK’s ranking at No 19 on the list. Bloomberg praises Spain’s public health system but expats find that access to it is limited and Brexit may curtail that even further for British citizens, although it

seems likely that British expat rights will be preserved. Spain operates a combination of private and public health care, with public health care available on a contribution-based system, meaning that you have to pay into the social security system in order for you and your dependents to have access to free health care. Since more than half the hospitals in Spain are privately owned, most expats believe private health insurance is a wise precaution. In particular, those intending to retire in Spain need to plan for the possibility of deteriorating health. Most Spanish pensioners are looked after by their

own families. Unless you are fortunate enough to have family members close by, you may need to pay for care. Private nursing homes are expensive. Expect to pay between €2,000 to €5,000 a month for 24-hour care. Planning is the key to a successful expat life and health care should be budgeted for for as part of your wider financial planning. My advice to expats is to take good, impartial advice and make your plans as early as possible. A good financial adviser will help you set

a plan for getting and keeping your finances in shape. Woodbrook Group are experts in the field. We are not owned by any financial institution or life insurance company. This makes us different from the majority of financial advisory companies and means we can offer you unbiased and impartial advice tailored to your individual requirements. So, while you try to keep your body in shape, we will help to look after your bank balance.

*For more information, contact our team at the Woodbrook Group Office in Marbella: Av. Ricardo Soriano, 72 Edificio Golden Portal B, 1ª Planta 29601 Marbella, Málaga, Spain. Telephone: +34 952768471 Email: officemarbella@woodbrookgroup.com

FOOD,DRINK & TRAVEL www.theolivepress.es

Farmers in southern Spain ‘terrified’ of no-deal Brexit impact on crop sales

What a pairing! TOP wineries from Mallorca are the focus of this year's Inca a Taula food fair. The city's annual food festival, meaning Inca at the Table in English, will return from April 11 to 14. This year 14 of Inca’s downtown restaurants are offering menu pairings with wines from 14 of Mallorca's favourite bodegas.

THE prospect of a no-deal Brexit is striking fear into the hearts of Spain’s fruit and vegetable farmers. Large swathes of the country, particularly in Almeria, make more than €100 million per year solely from the British market, which spends big on high quality produce like avocados and mangoes. It means the threat of UK import tariffs, volatiles exchange rates and a damaged British economy is sounding alarm bells among local growers. “The fruit and vegetable pro-

BOTTLED UP: Mallorca wine

What’s on for foodies!

GROWING PAINS: The UK is Almeria’s third-largest market duce for the UK market is of top quality, so the prices paid by the supermarkets there are very attractive for us,” farmer Andres Gongora, who sells most of his tomatoes and other crops to

Tesco, told The New European. Scores of other Spanish growers export their watermelons, cucumbers and lettuces to UK giants like Sainsbury’s and Marks & Spencer while northern Europe freezes in the winer. BALEARIC wine exports to the EU Almería degrew 13% in 2018 thanks to British and livered almost German demand, new figures have re285,000 metvealed. ric tons of farm While quality Balearic wine sales produce last dropped locally by almost 2% and by year to Eng5.5% on the mainland, this was offset land, Scotland by countries like the UK and Germany and Northern increasing their demand. Ireland, makGermany alone received more than 85% ing the UK of the EU’s Balearic wine. the province’s Last year ‘quality’ wine, or those lathird-largest belled ‘Protected Designation of Origin’ market after or ‘Protected Geographical Indication’ Germany and raked in more than €36 million in sales. France, accordThe EU’s demand for quality Balearic ing to Spain’s wine has almost tripled in the last deGeneral Direccade, reaching nearly 750,000 litres per torate for Cusyear. toms.

The sales brought the region just over €274 million euros in revenue in 2018. “If the British economy goes through a tough period, in terms of the people, their wages... we’re wondering what their purchasing power will be like,” added Gongora. Alicia Sanchez, a ministry of commerce official dealing with foreign trade, warned of new border delays, with a nightmare scenario seeing fruit rotting on trucks while drivers wait to have their paperwork stamped and permission to enter the UK. And if Spanish growers are forced to compete for customers in other EU countries, it could create a produce glut and drive down prices. “It will be hard... to find new clients or new countries. It’s almost impossible,” added Llonch, saying that farmers who sell almost all of their produce to the UK ‘are terrified’.

rost!

PLAYA de Palma's popular German beer hall, Bierkonig, is hosting its second annual Artesian Beer Fair from March 15 to 17, with lagers and ales from across the Balearics.

ood fun

SANT Llorens hosts a weekly gastronomic affair with a market dedicated to local produce and cuisine, every Thursday morning starting this week.

Reset.

Music.

Horizon.

Sunset.

roper Chippy

THE Ship sports bar in Portals is expanding with a proper chip shop right next door. 'Fish and Ships’ opens Friday March 15 with fresh fish, pies and all the rest with a side of chips.

Friends.

At OD Port Portals we have our own star rating. In fact, we have all the stars of the Mallorca sky and we will enjoy them all together every summer night at OD Sky Bar, on our spacious terrace and at our restaurant On Top. A hotel full of local experiences, music, art, gastronomy, yoga, pre-parties, flea markets, brunches, concerts, Pilates, tardeo, sea, sun and all the stars. A hotel full of life.

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March 14th - March 27th 2019

Don’t leaf us this way

Grape news

Culinary

The fair was created to highlight the city as a 'culinary centre' and each year has a different theme. "The show is a unique opportunity for this extraordinary gastronomic mix with a different touch," said Inca Mayor Virgilio Moreno. Wineries involved include Macià Batle, Ava Vins and Can Vidalet.

March 14th - March 27th 2019

Memories.

FOOD,DRINK & TRAVEL

20 www.theolivepress.es 20 Mar 14th - Mar 27th 2019

March 14th - March 27th 2019

La La lovin’ it! T

PICTURE THIS: Seated exhibit

HE small picture window perfectly frames the mountain range, and reason, why this corner of Spain is almost as green as England. In the shimmering distance you admire the fabled peaks of the stunning Grazalema mountains - Spain’s wettest place - just over 10 miles away. Perched on a stool to enjoy it, the solid copper structure/ frame is just one of a dozen or so interesting exhibits that make French designer

Jon Clarke takes a tour of design guru Philippe Starck’s exciting new organic olive oil ‘experience’

Philippe Starck’s exciting new LA Organic Experience well worth a visit this year. The ‘immersive’ cultural centre on the outskirts of Ronda has taken ten years and a reported €20 million to come to fruition. Designed by the global design guru Starck - alongside six other investors, including French wine maker Michel Rolland - it sits on 25 hectares and has seen the planting of over 9,000 trees as well as 1,000 vines. Entirely organic, it includes a superb ecological vegetable garden, as well as dozens of different types of trees, mostly fruit and the majority olives.

Exciting

DESIGN SPACE: The converted warehouse has a bar and area for tastings

This is the second part of the exciting project, that began over a decade ago with the launch of LA Organic olive oil, its stylish cans also designed by Starck, and for sale around the world in shops including Planet Organic, Harvey Nichols and Waitrose. The multi-millionaire designer, who worked for the likes of fashion guru Pierre Cardin and former French president Francois Mitterrand, will introduce a third stage, including a giant olive mill and restaurant over the next year. Starck also sculpted the rooms of a mini-hotel in the grounds and has made the unusual visitor centre, basically a converted warehouse, into a space that cleverly blends into the landscape.

Bizarre

DIFFERENT: Huge portraits litter Starck exhibit

Visitors are taken on a winding tour of Andalucian culture, incorporating olive groves, fruit orchards and vineyards. There are various exhibits scattered around, such as a mirror strategically placed for the visitor to become ‘the star’ of the landscape, as well as a slightly bizarre cracked mirror under some eucalyptus trees. You are primarily here to learn about the region’s olive oil though, which its owners believe has far too long been globally put in the shade by oil from Italy. There are 20 different types of olive trees planted in different ways from the old fashioned system of 100 trees per

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hectare to the intensive 1800 trees per hectare modern method. “The oil from Andalucia is as good as anything in Italy and we want to promote it at its very best,” explains director Santiago Muguiro. “We hope to educate the public in the different ways of creating it and the idea is to become pioneers of olive oil tourism in Spain, as some of the big vineyards have become in Rioja,” he adds. The tour costs €20 for adults and includes various olive oil tastings and a film. Visit www.laexperience.es for more info

March 14th - March 27th 2019

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COLUMNISTS

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March 14th - March 27th 2019

Let it rain!

The weather might be great but it’s not normal, writes Lesley Keith

AN anyone remember when it last rained? I can sort of recall a pathetic short shower about two months ago but that’s it from after Christmas. By Lesley Keith Now I appreciate we’re all here for sunshine but this is too long, surely it’s supposed to be rainy now so does this mean we’re in for storms of biblical were oil or petrol, not very picturesque proportions any time now? I sincerely at all. hope not, the Arta area is only just get- Luckily it doesn’t last but as we’re in ting itself back together after the Au- the middle of it as I write this it seems tumn debacle. to go on far too long. No rain means that El Polvo, the yellow I’ve been on my own this week as pollen that’s currently smothering us, my partner’s son in law had won is not being washed away. them a free round of golf at The I was trying to park yesterday and from Belfry somewhere in the Midlands. inside the car I honestly couldn’t tell if This was too good a there was actually a yelchance to miss I was low line or just pollen excitedly told, so he heaped up against the booked his flights to If you look up curb (on further inspecas close as you can ‘tenacious’ your get at this time of tion it was just a ridge of pollen!). year, hire car, oversearch enging I have two large terracnight accommodation es and a glass topped will say Theresa near the course and table which now need another game at an May brushing or mopping at alternative course for least once a day. the following day at Then there’s allergies, a nearby to make it my version of this is terribly itchy worth the trip. eyes in the evening but for some their Throw in taking out his family when he breathing can be seriously impaired sees them and socialising with friends which can’t be a lot of fun. The sea you need to catch up with and this ‘free’ up in the north here can be incredibly game has ended up costing hundreds calm, like a lake really and at the mo- of euros. Still we come this way but once ment it is covered in horrible yellow and you can’t take it with you..... slicks which at first glance you’d think Anyway I digress, I’m all alone in a

Mallorca diaries

clean, tidy, quiet flat which means when I’m not out and about I get to watch exactly what I want on TV! This is great because we like very different things. He likes any sport, yes I caught him watching women’s wheelchair table tennis once, anything gory with a real operation in it like ‘Supervet’ or ‘24 Hours In A&E’ and the News. I like things with a story, investigations, murder mysteries and travelogues. Well I thought I’d hit the jackpot because there’s several very dark thrillers starting this very week, so many that I needed to use the Catch Up option on

our TV box! As I’ve sat through them though I got a bit bored. They all seemed very similar, and not in a good way. Spooky threatening music continually in the background, lots of long silent mysterious looks with questions being answered by other questions and worst of all a lot of the time I’m not even sure what’s going on. I had to ask myself do I really care and do I want to invest hours of my life watching such confusing and depressing rubbish? Well I guess the answer is no! Yes I then

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actually watched the news to see the UK Government defeated once again. If you look up ‘Tenacious’ your search engine will say ‘Theresa May’ . I can’t say I’m impressed with any political party or MP but you’ve got to admire her fortitude. She’s lost her voice, her vote and her credibility and yet still she carries on. Oh how I’d love a small percentage of her determination. Looking outside I think it might actually rain, so just to make sure I’m going to get my hair done, put my washing out and wash my car. If that doesn’t make it start then basically we’re doomed!

s r r nd ou pe sa in pa ou s s Th view new l of ita g di

te ee ial 00 si Fr tor 0,0 eb i 1 w ed ur ay o -d in r-a ito

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FULL BLOOM: El Polvo is wreaking havoc on Lesley’s allergies

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SPORT

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March 14th - March 27th 2019

Confused?

Grand slump

SPANISH tennis star Garbine Muguruza has made it through to the last 16 of the BNP Paribas Open in Miami, after Serena Williams bowed out of their match with a viral illness. The Spaniard, who is the only player to beat both Serena and her sister Venus Williams in a final, won the match, 6-3 1-0. Williams went 3-0 ahead in the first set, but the 23-time Grand Slam winner called the trainer on court after she lost six consecutive games. “Before the match, I did not feel great and then it just got worse with every second - extreme dizziness and extreme fatigue,” the American said after the match.

ACCUSED: Subies

Fed Fraudster THE Vice President of Spain's football federation has quit after allegation he embezzled ‘half a million’ to fund new house and his wife’s restaurant. Andreu Subies’ departure was announced on Friday after a crisis meeting with FEF president Luis Rubiales, who had previously supported his claims of innocence. The decision came as the Guardia Civil accused Subies ‘abusing the patrimony’ of the FEF by pocketing ‘almost half a million euros’. Subies allegedly used false invoices to pay for house improvements and his wife's restaurant in the Tarragona town of Cambrils between 2013 and 2014.

Magnificent seven SPAIN have recorded a first ever win over New Zealand in rugby, at the Vancouver Sevens tournament in Canada. The Spanish side inflicted a 26-24 defeat on the All Blacks with a dramatic try after the final hooter. Despite the historic loss, New Zealand progressed to the quarterfinal, where they were beaten 22-21 by rivals Fiji in another thrilling tie. South Africa emerged as champions of the North American competition after beating France in the final, while Fiji took third place. Spain took three points from the tournament and are now 12th in the world, while England took 12 points and are ranked 5th globally.

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If the UK’s departure from the EU is giving you a headache, Linea Directa is here to help you get the right insurance SOFT Brexit, hard Brexit or no-deal. What does Brexit mean? TM

Sail away

SAILORS from over 30 countries have taken part in the Regatta Mallorca Sailing Center in the bay of Palma. Around 374 boats set sail, as athletes prepared to battle it out for the Princess Sofia Iberostar Trophy. The two-week competition, which has

four different boat classes, is expected to have favourable wind conditions throughout. After the first stage two British women, Sophie Weguelin and Sophie Ainsworth, were in first place in the 49er FX class.

Real return Zinedine Zidane returns to Spain as new Real Madrid coach less than a year after leading club to Champions League glory

ZINEDINE Zidane has made a shock return to Spain after Real Madrid decided to get the Frenchman in to replace struggling Solari. Former Real midfielder Zidane has returned to take charge just 10 months after leaving the Spanish giants. Zidane was described as one of the club’s ‘great symbols´ by Real President Florentino Perez at his unveiling on monday evening. Perez said: “The best coach in the world is here, thank you Zizou for your loyalty and forming part of this legendary club.” During his previous spell Zidane led Real Madrid to a third straight Champions League trophy. The former Galacticos said:"I know it's a special day, for everyone, I'm very happy, which is the most important thing,

Soft Brexit People who voted to remain in the EU are hoping for a soft Brexit. In this scenario, the UK could stay in the single market or the customs union, or both. This would ensure a continuing close relationship with the EU in return for some EU payments to be made, some EU rules to be followed and continuing the free movement of people.

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Hard Brexit In the case of a hard Brexit, the UK may have to give up access to the single market and the Customs Union. EU payments would probably end as would free movement of people, meaning that UK citizens would lose their automatic right to live and work in any European country. The UK would be free to make its own rules and regulations, and negotiate their own trade deals with countries around the world. Trade between the UK and the EU would continue but with more restrictions and new rules on how it would work. No-deal If a new set of rules and regulations for a hard Brexit cannot be agreed, then the UK could leave the EU with no deal. In this scenario, the UK may have to defer to the World Trade Organisation rules on international trade when doing business with EU countries. UK exports would be subject to taxes and customs checks. The legal status of UK expats in Europe and EU expats in the UK would be uncertain. Would people require visas? Would the price of food imports rise? Would business be thrown into chaos? Did you know? Whatever the final scenario, the UK is scheduled to leave the EU on March 29 2019. Given that negotiations have started, we understand that it is of vital importance for expatriates to stay informed about the outcomes and how it affects them.

RETURN: Zidane appointed Madrid boss again I'm very happy to return home. “I didn't go very far, because I still live here, but I'm happy to work for this club and this squad, above all.” The club decided to sack Santiago Solira after less than five months with Real third in la Liga, 12 points behind leaders Barcelona. The sacking followed a shock defeat to Ajax in the Champion league, the 4-1 home defeat likely pushed Perez into action. The Argentine Solari took over as caretaker manager last october after former Spain manager Julen Lopetgui left the job. Zidane surprised Real Madrid fans in May when he announced his decision to quit as manager after winning nine titles in two and a half years in the role.

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Back pay INTERNS from the General Services of the Government will be able to get paid for their work for the last three years. The Supreme Court has ruled that around 1,500 Balearic employees can apply for back pay.

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Costly lights ELECTRICITY bills are expected to rise four percent on April 1, as the Balearic Government did not renew measures to cap prices.

Brazen bribe A young man has been sentenced to two years in jail after driving with marijuana, then bribing the officers who caught him, then assaulting them when the officers refused. The man, 20 at the time of arrest, must also pay a fine of €3,000.

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British expat trades in his British passport for Romanian one to keep freedom of movement A BRITISH citizen has swapped his UK passport for a Romanian one because of Brexit. Expat Nenei Newman, who has lived in Spain for 15 years, revealed he made the move to guarantee his right to freedom of movement.

Romanian swap EXCLUSIVE By Laurence Dollimore

The builder, whose mother is Romanian, told the Olive Press last night: “I want to travel around Europe freely, and I have a life here, I don’t want to

Skewered A POLICE helicopter had to swoop in to rescue a cyclist whose handlebars skewered his groin after an accident. The Guardia Civil’s Mountain Rescue division raced to save the Spaniard near the high 1000m peak of Puig de Galatzo, where he was rapidly losing blood following the crash. In the horrible accident, the man soon lost consciousness, after receiving the ‘deep wound’ to his groin. The injury is the one that regularly kills bullfighters when the bull’s horn catches the groin. Rescue teams swiftly transferred him to Son Espases Hospital where he was given emergency surgery.

have to get a visa or become a third national.” The 41-year-old, who lives in the Axarquia, added: “Never in my wildest dreams would I have applied for Romanian citizenship before the referendum, but when Leave won and after seeing the mess being made by politicians I thought it was the best option for me. “I don’t regret it.” Newman insists he still loves the UK and hopes it will recover from Brexit’s side effects - despite the daily racism he suffered there. “I was so disappointed by the result, but I understand why Leave won,” he added. “So many people who wanted to cut down immigration have been influenced by the biased media, who only wrote negative things about people like me.

NEW WORLD: Romanian passport deemed more useful “Yet I worked incredibly hard every day to be on building sites for 6am and never complained. “That was despite me and my mother both receiving regular racist abuse” He added: “That said, I am still proud to have grown up in London and I still admire the British and will always support them 100%.” His decision comes as a nightmare no-deal scenario is still a likely outcome just days before the UK is scheduled to leave the EU.

DOCTORS have prescribed afternoon siestas for people who suffer high blood pressure. Scientists in Greece looked at 212 people with an average age of 62, who were being treated for high blood pressure. Those who snoozed during the day had blood pressure on average 4% lower than those who did not. Cardiologist Manolis Kallistratos said: “We don’t encourage people to be lazy. 45 to 60 minutes may be enough.”

Attacks

The results are similar to drinking less and cutting down on salt and could reduce the risk of heart attacks by about 10%. Sonya Babu-Narayan, of the British Heart foundation said: “As tempting as it might sound to swap all of these measures for a daily siesta, making healthy lifestyle choices remains the key to preventing hearts attacks.”

ARE YOU A UK NAT ONAL LIVING IN SPAIN? As the UK prepares to leave the EU, there may be changes that affect you. From residency rights, to work and pensions and local healthcare, you can find the latest information in the UK government’s living in Spain guide. Sign up for email alerts and get the latest information at gov.uk/living-in-spain