Olive Press Costa Blanca South/Murcia - Issue 34

A Sierra Nevada ll about

OLIVE PRESS

The

S

ILENCE. There is not a single peep as I climb upwards through the valley to meet my maker. of the I poke my head out the cable car window and alSierra Nevada’s fresh pine air hits my lungs.

Then I hear it – a sweeping white crunch down the crisp piste, as a snowboarder whizzes past below. and Another tears through, then a third, all weaving at down the mountainside blistering speed. terriI’m definitely more fied than the three Spanish guys sharing the carriage with me. the We have left behind cosy bars and restaurants main the in Pradollano, ski town of Andalucia’s only

Your expat

resort.

We step out at Borreguiles, mewhich sits some 2,700 tres above sea level. for This is the basecampruns, many of the Sierra’s the which range from facil’ green-coloured ‘muy lapistes to those in black, belled ‘muy dificil’.

Continues overleaf

voice in Spain

Hit the slopes See page 11

Vol. 2 Issue 34 www.theolivepress.es February 25th - March 10th 2021

You’ve got no mail!

BATTLING: Mike wants his crisps and spices, and (below) our previous front page

A BRITISH expat has branded post-Brexit rules ‘his worst nightmare’ after a birthday present of his favourite treats from the UK was banned from entering the country.

Mike Battle, 41, was left stumped when he heard his package of goodies had been held up by customs in Madrid for over TEN days.

Nightmare

GIBRALTAR

The

La Linea shut down

The gift, sent from his family, via courier company Fedex, contained crisps and spice mixes - but Mike never got to unwrap OLIVE them.

PRESS The parcel, valS ES -L PERI ued at NG SI CROS around € 2 0 , w a s deemed unacc e p t able by

border THE town of La Linea de la Concepcion extra has been handed reharsh coronavirus de Anstrictions by the Junta dalucia. which municipality, The has been borders Gibraltar, 4.2 of the placed into Level tier sysregion’s coronavirus

Double

The Rock’s ONLY free local paper

FREE

tem. an unprecThe town is facingthe number edented climb in to orof cases and was forced business der all non-essential activity and trade to cease Sunday. from midnight on hotels, This includes shops, - with restaurants and bars essential the exception of supermarbusinesses such as kets or petrol stations. decision the made Experts president along with regional Friday afJuanma Moreno on inter the town’s cumulative 1,247.9 cidence rate reached people. cases per 100,000 double the That is more than currently average rate of the Gibraltar besieged Campo de stands health district, which 100,000 inat 506.5 cases per habitants. made The whole district, currently up eight towns, is no one closed down, meaning a juscan leave or exit without as medical, tified reason, such legal or for work. remain These measures will least Januat in place until at a press ary 25, Moreno said conference today. closed off The campo was first diswhen health authorities contagious covered the more virus had UK variant of the arrived in Gibraltar. which Since then, La Linea, workreceives cross-border an exers daily, has seen in tremely sharp increase COVID-19 cases. the Olive One worker told the situPress this week that was ‘out of ation in the area control.’ who works The young woman, but lives Sol on the Costa del her partin the Campo, andwaiting to ner are still both into dibe tested after coming a COVID-19 rect contact with infected person.

press.es Vol. 5 Issue 139 www.theolive

January 13th - January

26th 2021

border was confiscated at the his Peri-Peri hot sauce cloves were accepted but angry when his chilli and STUMPED: Lathey was has branded A BRITISH expat ‘ridiculous’ Spanish border officials confiscated and ‘clueless’ after theysauce at the his Nando’s Peri Peri legisprohibited list. But Spanish Gibraltar border.

2019/2072, left fuming lation, specifically law and vegetatotal of 16 Joseph Lathey, 27, was shopping Exclusive by as that THERE have been a since dictates that vegetables prohibited “I said it was ridiculous when much of his weekly Laurence Dollimore deaths from COVID-19 of my shopping to cross back products are most tried in he mean as ble-based struck would binned first was in.” the pandemic peninsula from a would also not be allowed to be named, admit- from entering the into La Linea.

Gibraltar. bananas and told the Brit the who asked not his ‘third country.’ on the This meant seeing his a customs Indeed, officials his £55 shop that ted that he stuffed bacon down told the The last four occurred finally they were The Gibraltar Government only items from leeks being tipped into were his underwear after hearing weekend the vaccines of someone Olive Press: “The Government’s could cross the frontier officer’s bin.

EU law speseizing the majority arrived on January 9. vegetable sawere and chilli powder. understanding is that It also included his inhe add- else’s products.

The majority of the deaths weekly cloves UK as a cifically exempts plant products underly“It didn’t make any sense,” mosas, one of his favourite EU now classes the of elderly people with from Ramsons, on seemed to be pretty clue- The country, bringing in tougher tended for personal consumption there buys “they he ed, although treats third at Border Coning conditions can and cannot from official controls less.

Waterport Road. to the EU. were also some exceptions.surdocuments controls on what and cloves trol Posts on introduction “I asked them to provide taking and cross the border into the bloc.

Meanwhile, his chilli COVID-19 active cases just Gibraltar Govjustify what they were were deemed acceptable. passed the 1,000 mark I had a to just sent me a photo of a link According to the several items period althey Agreement “I was completely stumped. ernment website, website.” after the Christmas might have are now stabichicken which I thoughtthe Peri-Peri to a Spanish Government take his for personal consumption and milk “Therefore, the Government will be though they have since Lathey was told he could been stopped but not Olive Press. this matter with to banned, including all meat lised. in back onto the Rock infant milk, seeking to clarify Authorities. sauce,” Lathey told the products (bar powdered onion shopping The strict measures imposed food required the relevant Spanish with “The officials said it contained pro- store it. the social lockdown introduced all for £20, baby food and specialor pet food re- “Until the final agreement relaDecem“I ended up selling it future puree, meaning it contained added for medical reasons by the government on therefore not respect to Gibraltar’s reasons).

2 have fiwhich is better than nothing,” cessed veg and was quired for animal health than 20kg tionship with the EU is settled, and ber 27 and January Lathey. on more over. in allowed nally taken effect.

It comes after You cannot bring or more than 2kg unless the Government advises believe or derPublic health expertswave was several reports of any fish product animal products, specific bridging measures whilst the start of the third on social me- of other specific oysters, live mus- ogations having been agreed shopGiinitiated by Black Friday dia of Brits including honey, that agreement is negotiated, food sels and snails. be treated as a third ping on November 29. shophaving See page 16 reminder, pub- braltar will EU cusAs the pre-Christmas seized at the The Government 4, does not list country for the purposes of and famlished on January ping spree continued together border. on the toms controls.” expat, vegetable products as being ilies started to meet spread One it is believed to have further.

Dark times

after most of his shopping ‘contraband’ British expat left fuming sauce - was labelled including the Peri-Peri new Brexit rules at Gib border due to

Continues on Page 5

Tel: 952 147 834

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s c u s t o m e r

CELEBRATION: Peggy received her COVID jab (Below) and happy days at her 100th birthday

A model patient A POPULAR well-known expat centenarian has had her first COVID jab as she approaches her 101st birthday.

Peggy Bloomfield, based in Moraira, got her first dose of the Pfizer vaccine at Teulada Medical Centre.

And she’s now raring to go, according to her neighbour Shirley Young.

SPAIN could be gearing up for an avalanche of tourists to its shores in May. Airlines and travel agents have seen the number of Brits booking holidays abroad soar this week after the UK announced its roadmap out of lockdown.

UK tourists could finally be able to leave the country for holidays from May 17, the government announced on Monday.

Costa Blanca hoteliers have welcomed the announcement from Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, who revealed the move as part of his four-step plan for gradually lifting restrictions in England.

“It opens the door for our members to start to prepare to reopen their hotels. We just need to hope that the planned date happens,” said Hosbec hotel association boss Nuria Montes.

Only 20% of the area’s hotels are currently open with occupancy rates of around 10%.

The surge in optimism comes as airlines said bookings for the summer season were more

“She is amazing! Thrilled to bits to get the jab and feeling great!” she told the Olive Press.

“Lockdown permitting I’m hoping to get the Mayor to visit on her birthday this year.” Her second jab is booked in two weeks’ time and Peggy will be celebrating her 101st birthday in April.

Our photograph shows nurse Juanjo administering

S u b j e c t

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Back in business as Boris plans to lift travel ban

than four times higher compared with the same period last week.

Alicante, Malaga and Palma were among the most popular destinations, according to the budget holiday giant easyjet, with August its busiest month.

The announcement was described by chief executive, Johan Lundgren, as a ‘much-needed boost in confidence’.

By Kirsty McKenzie

“We have consistently seen a pent-up demand for travel and this surge in bookings shows that this signal has been what UK consumers have been waiting for,” he said.

Holiday bookings were up by 630% and flights by 337%.

“While the summer may be a little while off, we will be work-

.

3 1 / 1 2 / 1 9

21/6/19 13:30

Are you feeling depressed?

Addiction problems?

ing around the clock to ensure we will be ready to ramp up our flights to reconnect friends and family or take them on a long-awaited holiday to remember,” he added.

Travel firm Thomas Cook said traffic to its website doubled in the day after the Prime Minister’s statement, while Ryanair confirmed there had been a ‘large surge’ in bookings.

However, Health Secretary Matt Hancock urged caution warning that the effectiveness of vaccines will dictate whether international travel can go ahead.

He said: “We have to protect against these new variants, and that is a big challenge.”

Hancock added that ‘we can be much more relaxed about international travel’ if vaccines work well against the South Africa and Brazil strains.

“If the vaccine doesn’t work against them, then that will be much, much more difficult,” he said.

It comes as the government

See page 19

www.villaparadisospain.com 952 147 834

v a l i d

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confirmed they are looking at the idea of vaccine passports to allow travel abroad.

At the moment Brits are only permitted to travel for essential work purposes.

No one is allowed to enter Spain from South Africa, Brazil or the UK via air or sea until 6pm on March 2 under the current restrictions.

The ban was first introduced in December when scientists first detected a more-transmissible variant of the virus in the UK. Tight restrictions were originally supposed to end on January 19 but the ban has now been extended multiple times, with restrictions currently in place until March 2.

This ban comes after Spain confirmed its first case of the Brazilian variant on Friday, with two cases of the South African variant and 479 cases of the British variant of the virus.

Anyone flying into Spain must also proof of a negative Covid test, which should be taken up to 72 hours before departure.

Tel: 952 147 834

Call NOW +34 689 806 769

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the first dose of the vaccine to Mrs Bloomfield, while the second pic shows her receiving a visit with balloons, champagne and cake from Olive Press reporters when she hit the big 100 last year.

Is she the most elderly expat in Spain to get the COVID jab? If you know anyone older, please contact us at newsdesk@theolivepress.es and tell us about it!

Sky high hopes

TM

o n l y .

February 2021

to You can finally slope off Andalucia’s skiing heaven, writes Charlie Smith

COSTA BLANCA SUR / MURCIA

FREE

www.theolivepress.es

Slide away Vol. 14 Issue 363

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www.theolivepress.es

NEWS IN BRIEF Fugitive A 42-year-old Romanian man wanted for sex assaults and violent robberies in his country dating back to 2012, has been arrested in San Pedro del Pinatar

Drier ORIHUELA council has unveiled details of a four-phase €1.5 million project to stop regular flooding hitting La Zenia every time there’s heavy rain.

Centre Call SANTA Pola council plans to ask the regional government for money to set up a separate health centre for Gran Alacant in addition to basing an ambulance in the area all year, as opposed to just the summer months.

Dead Cash AN Alicante woman who claimed her dead brother’s state pension for 18 years has been given a 20 month jail sentence.

She will not serve the term so long as she repays the €165,000 she stole, with €41,000 currently outstanding.

Murder mystery A MISSING expat businessman may have been murdered at his Pego rental villa by a drugs gang.

Police are working on a theory that 38-year-old Pole Marek Rzeszowski was killed by marijuana traffickers specialising in the Eastern European trade.

On October 30 he paid €17,000 cash for a year’s rental on a house on the Monte Pego urbanisation.

His hire car was discovered abandoned a few days later in Sollana in Valencia Province.

Forensic experts discovered that parts of his villa had been subject to ‘intensive cleaning’.

The walls had been painted and furniture had been removed.

All of the villa’s security cameras had been disabled.

A ROMANIAN man who is part of a gang that ripped off $7million (€5.77million) in an online scam has been arrested in Benidorm.

Police acted on an international arrest warrant issued by the United States to

CRIME

February 25th - March 10th 2021

Exploiters busted

POLICE have smashed a Costa Blanca-based European prostitution gang that supplied women with fake medical papers to beat COVID-19 border closures.

Polish and Russian women were made false promises of employment in Spain, the UK, and Germany.

They ended up being forced into prostitution to pay off their travel debts. The gang even contacted another criminal group and paid substantial sums of money to get bogus medical certificates. The documents allowed holders to leave their home country to get urgent medical treatment despite coronavirus travel restrictions The gang was busted after a Polish victim reported what had happened to her. She told police that the women were

Scam gang detain the unnamed 31-year-old. His partner was also arrested after officers discovered she had several credit cards of ‘dubious origin’.

Seventeen members of the gang have been ar-

Gang beat COVID restrictions with fake papers for prostitutes

Wrong gun POLICE say they can’t tell if a gun found at the Torrevieja home of Irish drug racketeer, John Gilligan, was the one used in the execution of journalist Veronica Guerin in 1996.

Spanish experts have examined the firearm but could not ‘conclude that the same firearm was used’ when the Irish victim was gunned down in Dublin.

Gilligan served 17 years in jail in Ireland for running a large-scale drugs gang in the nineties.

Sentence

By Alex Trelinski

intimidated by the traffickers and forced into prostitution at rental apartments obtained by rested internationally, with two people still at large. They operated on-line auctions and sold highend cars and items that never existed to around 900 unsuspecting US buyers between 2013 and 2018.

the criminals.

Over a hundred police officers took part in a joint operation with Europol to end the gang’s activities.

Seventeen arrests have been made across Spain, including 10 detentions at the operation hub on the Costa Blanca, six in Valencia Province and one in Palma on Mallorca.

Eight addresses were raided across the Valencian Community, with police uncovering other enterprises involving the gang.

No details have been provided about the nationalities of the 17 arrested gang members.

He was also tried in Dublin in 1996 for Guerin’s murder but was acquitted. Brian Meehan, a member of Gilligan’s gang, was subsequently convicted of the murder and given a life sentence.

An October search of Gilligan’s Torrevieja garden uncovered a buried Colt revolver that appeared similar to the one that fired six shots to end the journalist’s life.

Gilligan was detained in a police operation against a mail-order drugs racket, with marijuana being posted to the UK.

NEWS

www.theolivepress.es

January 28th - February 10th 2021

Cruz control

Riots and violence as rapper Pablo Hazel (right) jailed

BEING a mother is more important to Penelope Cruz than her acting career.

The Hollywood star has insisted that bringing up her children is the ‘most important mission of my life’.

The 46-year-old Latin star, who is married to fellow Spanish actor Javier Bardem, insisted she is no longer a ‘workaholic’ and has now learnt the values of ‘patience, rest and silence’.

It comes as she put her children, Leo, 10 and Luna, seven, before her career.

Pause on play

A PRICY €700 a gig in Spain and €575 in Italy is a massive disincentive for British bands to tour in southern Europe this year.

But this is the fee that needs to be paid for every concert a British band plays since Brexit came in last month.

Now a groundswell of support is rising in the UK to secure visa-free travel for artists in Europe.

A campaign to get the government to negotiate with the EU to scrap such charges is gathering speed.

Some of Britain’s most popular actors, including Sir Ian McKellen and Julie Walters (above) have thrown their weight behind a petition backed by the actors’ union Equity urging the UK

government to act fast. Musicians ncluding Bono, Ed Sheehan and Radiohead, have already spoken out on the issue.

The campaign is calling on the government to negotiate a free cultural work permit to help all artists, including actors and musicians.

It comes after a botched Brexit deal means stars now need to get an individual visa for each country where they perform, plus pay the additional fees per gig.

Such costs will make most tours extortionately expensive and no longer profitable in many countries.

Some countries, such as France, may be exceptions as they charge nothing per concert.

Streets of flame

NOT since NWA has a rap act caused so much controversy.

Or in this case, the decision to jail one.

Almost a week of riots have broken out after Spanish rapper Pablo Hasel was arrested at Lleida University QUEEN Letizia took a close inwhere he terest in an anti-slavery poster had taken on a visit to Spain’s National Lirefuge. brary on Valentines Hundreds of Day. people were During her solo arrested in engagement to Madrid and the exhibition Barcelona, on humanist while propassions betests were tween 1820 also seen in

Queen of hearts

and 1839, she wore a suitably show-stopping romantic red dress.

Her daughter, Leonor meanwhile is set to study in the UK for her International Baccalaureate.

The heir to the Spanish throne will join classes at UWC Atlantic College, in Wales, from September, COVID restrictions allowing.

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Valencia, Malaga and Sevilla. The worst rioting for years came after the Catalan wordsmith was sentenced to more than two years in prison, after an initial sentence of nine months was extended due to a refusal to pay several fines.

This is the first time since the restoration of democracy in 1977 that an artist has gone to prison for his lyrics and, in this case, Twitter messages.

The Spanish Supreme Court, in Madrid, ruled that the messages constituted offences against the Spanish monarchy and various state institutions.

Since he was seized by police last week, the country has been

3

Workaholic

thrown into political turmoil.

Trouble flared initially in several cities including Barcelona and Madrid before spreading nationwide.

On Saturday 6,000 people marched in the Catalan capital in favour of freedom of speech.

Dozens have been hurt in the rioting - including a 19-yearold woman who lost an eye from a foam bullet.

Human rights’ organisation Amnesty International slammed Spain describing Hasel’s arrest as ‘ ‘terrible news’ after he was ‘exercising his right to free speech’.

Spain meanwhile, has dropped two places in the global corruption rankings by Transparency International, being overtaken

by Qatar and the Bahamas.

Guapa bella!

The Loving Pablo actress made the admission to Marie Claire magazine explaining how she and husband Javier were coping during the pandemic.

In particular she never looks at anything written about her online and she puts her family first.

“Becoming a mother made me aware that this was the most important mission of my life and that I wanted to accomplish it as best I could,” she said.

“In my 20s, I was a total workaholic, I would even wake myself up in the middle of the night to respond to emails and things like that, and then I had to learn patience, rest, silence.

“The things that I appreciate a lot now.”

SHE’S one of the world’s most in demand models, walking runways for some of the world’s biggest brands.

And Bella Hadid looked every inch the star as she flaunted her lithe limbs on the cover of Vogue Spain for its March issue. The 24-year-old, from California, took to Instagram to share a sneak peek from her shoot with photographer Micaiah Carter for the fashion bible.

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Quality Used Books since 1985 Polly’s Bookshop in Javea Port is 35 years old.

“Polly’s is as old as me,” says Sam, her proud owner, “and to celebrate, we are opening a new Polly’s Bookshop in Moraira.”

Like Polly’s Javea, the new shop has thousands of quality used books, fiction and nonfiction, in English, Spanish, German, French and Dutch. Apart from the books that are extra special, they’ll still be 3 euros each with a euro credit if you want to return it.

We are continuing with our busy proofreading and editing services and our popular book finding and ordering services too. It feels great finding an out of print book for someone who has been searching for it.

Javea Port, Calle Santisimo Cristo del Mar 03730 – tel: 665 314 404 Moraira-Teulada, 237 Moraira Calpe Road 03724 – tel: 711 010 439

4

NEWS

www.theolivepress.es

February 25th - March 10th 2021

Fuming

Robbing banks A BRITISH pensioner has called out a Spanish bank for demanding she pay a hefty fee in order to receive her pension each month.

The expat, based on the Costa Blanca, was also horrified she would have to pay an additional €15 to have her late husband’s reduced pension sent to her.

Devastated Nicole Chandler - who moved to Denia from the UK with her partner in 2016 - was left gobsmacked when La Caixa bank forced her to pay €15 to transfer the money from the UK last month.

From front

EXCLUSIVE: Expat pensioners slammed with new bank charges to transfer UK pensions to Spain

By Kirsty McKenzie

The expat, 71, told the Olive Press: “I now have to pay €15 for my deceased husband’s pension from the Bank of England and €15 for my own state pension every month.

“I also have to pay €15 if I receive any transfer from the UK.” Nicole, (right) who relies on the pension payments to make ends meet, said she wanted to speak out about the charges that came into force following the Brexit deal.

The Olive Press has since learnt that British expat clients of other major Spanish banks are also now charging up to €18 per month to receive their

UK pensions.

It comes as expats across Spain took to a Facebook group called UK Bank Accounts and Brexit to complain that they had been stung by large fees.

Brexit

They have singled out both Sabadell and the Italian bank Unicredit so far.

Since the UK left the EU, thousands of expats have been hit with fines, had credit cards withdrawn and bank accounts closed because EU ‘passporting rules’ no longer applied.

A statement issued last year by the European Commission warned: “After the end of the transition period, the EU rules in banking and payment services will no longer apply to the United Kingdom.”

Despite repeated attempts, The Olive Press was unable to speak to anyone at Nicole’s bank to clarify the issue.

Bouncing back BARS and restaurants in the Valencian Community will reopen next week for the first time since January 20.

The return of hospitality - with daytime terrace service only, for now - is one of a series of relaxations in COVID restrictions that will kick in from March 2.

This week’s daily infection rates have gone down to the comparatively low levels of early October and are now below Spain’s national average for new cases.

But President, Ximo Puig, is continuing to emphasise that ‘prudence’ will dominate relaxations over the next few weeks.

Currently the region has the toughest restrictions in Spain.

Details of the package will be confirmed this week, although outdoor sports training is set to be permitted again, while indoor gyms will remain closed until at least March 15.

Puig’s announcement will also be eagerly awaited to see how many people who do not live together will be able to meet either indoors or outdoors.

No changes are expected to the curfew start time of 10pm, the 6pm closure of non-essential shops and the regional border closure which has been operating since the end of October.

The border shutdown is set to stay in place through to the end of Easter to stop travellers from around Spain coming in to spend time at their holiday homes The cautious approach over relaxing the restrictions compared to other regions with higher infection rates has brought criticism from a variety of sectors.

Bars and restaurants can only reopen with 50% terrace capacity and a 6pm closing time from Tuesday.

customs chiefs and returned to Mike’s mother in Leeds.

“It was confirmation of my worst nightmare when it comes to receiving anything from the UK,” Mike told the Olive Press.

“Before Brexit it was the same as receiving deliveries from around the corner, now receiving products from the UK is just as difficult as from China,” continued Mike, who has lived in Spain for 27 years, currently based in Malaga.

“There is supposed to be a trade agreement in place, but no-one knows exactly what that agreement is - just as no-one knew exactly what Brexit was when they voted for it,” added the businessman, who recycles electronic products.

Brexit

It comes just a month after the Olive Press broke the story that guards at the Gibraltar-Spanish border confiscated a furious expat’s Nando’s PeriPeri sauce under new Brexit rules.

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NEWS FEATURE

www.theolivepress.es Voted top expat paper in Spain

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

OPINION Taking flight PLANES, trains and automobiles at the ready, there’s light at the end of the COVID tunnel.

Families separated by the current international travel restrictions between Spain and the UK could soon be reunited and bars and hotels might once again enjoy a busy summer season.

For once the over-optimistic Prime Minister has offered a deliberately cautious - but ultimately hopefultimetable that could see this nightmare over soon.

And we can only hope that a similar route will be outlined by the Spanish government to make sure the county can once again open its doors to Brits.

For some, the 12-week wait for UK holidaymakers to return to Spain will be too long, both for the tourist industry that is on its knees and the families separated by red tape.

And for others the possibility of summer holidays in Spain will seem unrealistically ambitious or even deadly. Managing expectations, in what we have learned is an uncertain world, will be the next big task for political leaders.

For the rest of us, sticking to the safety rules remains the biggest challenge.

But if we do that over the next few months then, with some real encouragement, things will start moving in the right direction.

True cost BREXIT has come with a hefty price tag, one we will all be paying off for years.

From the musicians and actors being asked to pay over €600 for a single performance in Spain to the families who can no longer send a simple birthday gift to their loved ones abroad, the burden of leaving the EU is weighing heavy on our shoulders - and our wallets.

When it comes to the true cost of Brexit, it seems that once again the British government has picked on the wrong people to pay the cost.

Publisher / Editor

Jon Clarke, jon@theolivepress.es Dilip Kuner dilip@theolivepress.es

Kirsty McKenzie kirsty@theolivepress.es

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Glenn Wickman glenn@theolivepress.es

Office manager Héctor Santaella (+34) 658 750 424 accounts@ theolivepress.es

Admin Sandra Aviles Diaz (+34) 951 273 575 admin@ theolivepress.es

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Why has almost every mayor for the past 20 years been linked to a criminal investigation?

Laurence Dollimore poses the questions

mayor is also being investigated.

“It was a civilised search of his office, very calm, no drama,” one witness, who works in the same complex, told the Olive Press, “they are still operating now and

the gossip has moved on.”

He added: “You know in Marbella, nothing really surprises people anymore.”

Indeed it’s not the first time Broberg has courted controversy.

I

Outgoing Olive Press digital editor Laurence Dollimore puts the UK’s quarantine hotel scheme to the test after a short trip across the Portugal border in his final week with us

T was after a weekend’s work in Portugal for the Olive Press on the Madeleine McCann story that left me in limbo and facing a potential 10-year prison sentence on a trip back to the UK. I didn’t have any idea that our Iberian neighbour would be red-listed when I booked my flight back to London a few months ago.

But there I was sitting nervously on a packed flight from Sevilla to Madrid to catch my connection to Heathrow (I’m heading back to a new life in the UK, after five years with the Olive Press in Spain, in case you didn’t know).

I am slightly consoled by a complimentary alcoholic wipe and the Spanish commitment to wearing masks (which is not to

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PROPERTY magnate, a drug trafficker and a dodgy cop all walk into a bar…where are you?

Add in a local mayor and it’s probably Marbella.

Yes, the gem of the Costa del Sol has once again become the centre of an alarming money laundering story, this time involving the husband of the current mayor.

Should anyone be surprised that big-time developer Lars Gunnar Broberg, married to Mayor Angeles Munoz, has been arrested over money laundering?

This is, after all, Marbella, where four out of the last six mayors have gone to prison for corruption.

The facts are sketchy. But what we know is that Swedish businessman Broberg was picked up by police on February 10 and taken to his offices where agents from the Economic and Fiscal Crime Unit (UDEF) combed through his documents and hard drives.

The 70-something businessman is being probed for money laundering along with his son Joakim Broberg, who is, in addition, being probed over links to an international drug trafficking ring.

Broberg was returned to his home after the search as police continue to analyse documents from his Wasa company. Predictably, a member of Marbella’s Policia Local force and a personal minder of the

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QUARANTINE: Red signs show the way

be taken for granted, as I discover later in the UK).

Thankfully in row four and by the window, I’m able to keep to myself for the short 60-or-so minutes to the capital.

Here things are much more controlled. Every flyer has their PCR test and passenger locator forms checked before being permitted to queue for boarding, which is done by rows, in sets of five. One unlucky fellow is denied boarding after showing up without a test result.

I end up with a whole row to myself, as do ly airport worker who unfortunately wore all the passengers, unless they are trav- her mask under her nose the entire time elling together - which explains the larg- she was with me - a sanctionable offence er-than-usual Airbus A350-900. on the streets of Spain!

Upon landing at Heathrow all passengers I hope it’s a one off until after I collect my leave the aircraft and travel to passport bag I am gathered in a cordoned off area control together. And it is impossible to with the other red list passengers from my miss the numerous airport stewards car- flight. rying bright red clipboards It is then that another worker emblazoned with the words asks each of us which hotel ‘RED LIST COUNTRIES’. we are booked with, pulling The question They will ask which country his mask down every time he you have been in and tell is: what will speaks, ironically. you that you must have a An hour after landing we are I want for quarantine hotel booked and taken to our coach and transa negative PCR test before ported to the Blu Radisson breakfast in pointing you down a specially Edwardian Heathrow hotel, 10 days time? where we gather in a foyer designated alley to the farthest passport desk. and sit on socially distanced I could have easily have lied chairs to fill in another conabout not being in Portugal a few days ear- tact information form and - despite a whole lier on my locator form and they would have day of travelling - are expected to select our been none the wiser given that I had flown breakfasts, lunches and dinners for the in from Spain - although I’d say the threat next 10 days. of a 10-year jail term is enough to put most “How on earth will I know what I want for people off that route. breakfast in 10 days’ time?” shrieks one After my forms and passport are checked I elderly British woman, who is quarantining am escorted to baggage reclaim by a friend- with her husband.

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February 11th - February 24th 2021

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Jesus Gil 1991 - 2002 Party Grupo Independiente Liberal (GIL) Gil was forced to resign and sent to prison for a week in 2002 after he was accused of embezzling over €30 million of municipal funds. In December of that year he was acquitted by the Provincial Cour t of Malaga, with Julián Muñoz in the Rider case.

Julian Muñoz 2002 - 2003 (GIL) Muñoz, former mayor and ex-boyfriend of singer Isabel Pantoja, was jailed for two years and banned from public office for ten years for fraud.

He was convicted of over 50 offens-t es, mostly of bribery, embezzlemend and breach of trust, and sentence to 45 years in prison for real estate crimes as part of the Malaya case.

As widely reported by the Olive Press it hadn't been blocked by the Andalucia back in 2015, Marbella town hall, un- Superior Court of Justice (TSJ). der Munoz’s leadership, attempted to News of the scheme caused outrage, redraw its border with Benwith thousands of resiahavis in order to gift it a dents writing letters of 170,000sqm area of land, complaint to the town hall.

Marbella has known as the Vega del And while the couple Jaque. have once again made long been The plan was to shift the the headlines, Munoz has area, which was protected been quick to distance known for and classed as non-urban herself from the latest afcorruption and fair, with a Marbella city inside Marbella’s boundary, into Benahavis’ tercouncil statement declarshady deals ritory - with the plan for ing: “None of these actions Broberg to then construct bear any kind of relation50 luxury villas. ship with the mayor.”

It also helped that the pair lived in a stun- But it’s anything but good PR for Marning property in the Vega area and would bella, which has long been synonymous be liable for less IBI tax after the deal - if with corruption and shady dealings.

In fact since 1991, almost every single leader has been investigated or sent to prison for bribery, money laundering, cooking the books and more.

Let’s not forget the infamous Jesus Gil, elected in 1991, who was forced to resign in 2002 after €390 million of muHOME FROM HOME: nicipal funds were suddenly unaccountLaurence’s hotel room ed for. and (inset) room In the end he stood accused of embezservice meals zling over €30 million, but the real figure could and almost certainly was much higher. He died in 2004 before he could face justice.

Julian Muñoz, who took over the leadership, was cuffed in 2006 and again in 2013. He was convicted of over 50 offences, mostly of bribery, embezzlement and breach of trust, and sentenced to 45 years in prison for real estate crimes alone.

His successor Marisol Yagüe Reyes enjoyed a three year reign but was sent to prison for corruption in 2006.

Tomás Reñones, an ex-football star, was next to have a stab at the job but was fingered in the historic Malaya corruption case and got the boot a year later, ushering in the reign of Maria Angeles Munoz, who has remained in power ever since, with a brief two-year hiatus from 2015-17.

She is quickly calmed on being told she can change her mind later on.

A businessman asks if he can have a laptop delivered to his room and we are told we can all have deliveries as long as COVID guidelines are followed, including food.

We are escorted to our rooms one by one and told dinner will arrive at around 8pm.

For me, it’s pasta arrabiata and a kale salad, washed down with a bottle of coke. The food is good, but anything tastes great after a stressful day of travelling.

Unfortunately, no alcohol is included in the £1,750 package - but you can order it at an extra cost, with beer bottles going for £5 and the cheapest glass or bottle of wine £7 and £26 respectively.

There are certainly worse places to spend 10 days, with a comfortable double bed, big screen TV and bath promising to make quarantine life more bearable. There’s even an armchair and footstool for reading.

I would say the huge window running the width of the room is a plus but I wouldn’t call a McDonald’s car park much of a view - even les so when it’s crawling with paparazzi from the main national newspapers.

The Miami of Spain Marbella is often compared to Miami.

Both have strategic coastlines which make them a haven for drug mafias and international crime syndicates.

In the latter, cocaine smuggled in from South America made millionaires and even billionaires overnight in the 1980s, with gang leaders transforming the city by funnelling their bundles of cash into property and construction - but also into the back pockets of crooked cops Jose Bernal Gutierrez 2015 - 2017 Spanish Socialist Worker's Party (PSOE) The only mayor for the last 20 years to not have been linked to criminal activity - so far, so good!

Marisol Yagüe (GIL) 2003 - 2006 Arrested as part of Operation Malaya and later fined €2 million and jailed for seven years.

Cheque-book, please!

About time the tax-avoiding social media giants paid newspapers for their content

A Thomas Reñones 2006- 2007 (GIL) Former Atletico Madrid footballer Reñones, who was assistant mayor, was jailed for four years for fraud in the Malaya case.

VITAL victory for the media has been won in Australia after Facebook was ordered to pay news outlets for sharing their content.

It’s a ruling that could be repeated world wide.

The social media giant has now backed down after initially banning all news content down under out of protest.

After admitting defeat, bosses are said to be in talks with several media giants to reach agreements - and it’s about time!

For years, Facebook has been leeching off - and effectively killing - the media by using its content without paying for it.

It has seen local journalism suffer, while national newspapers have been forced to resort to clickbait headlines and other tricks to get readers directly to their websites.

While Google was also named in the case, the search giant has at least been more willing to address the problem.

Lip-service

Angeles Muñoz 2007 - 2015 Partido Popular (PP) Munoz’s Swedish husband Lars Gunnar Broberg (pictured) was arrested in connection with financial crimes earlier this month.

and shady politicians who looked the other way.

It’s a similar story in Marbella, situated near the Gibraltar strait, which sees billions of euros of hashish from Morocco and also cocaine from South America, smuggled across its waters each year.

The low salary of Spanish police officers makes them easier to bribe - and mafias have admitted to spending 30% of their profits on bent Guardia Civil officers.

The loosely regulated property market also allows gangs to better launder their cash.

And just like Miami, Marbella is a beautiful place to live, and with at least 120 organised criminal gangs operating on the coast, it’s inevitable that the criminal underworld rears its ugly head into everyday life.

The last few years have been some of the deadliest in Marbella’s history.

In May 2018 a business owner was assassinated in his car next to his family outside a church in San Pedro, over debts to the Colombian cartel. A Frenchman would be shot to death in his car outside his home in Nagueles a few months later, by a hired killer armed with an AK-47.

Every year since, the killings have continued, with one Brit shot in the face just four months ago during a fight between rival Liverpool gangs in Aloha.

As well as negotiating with publishers in Australia, it last year gave awards to the best media groups around the world, including the Olive Press, one of a small handful in Spain to win a special grant for our outstanding journalism.

Facebook, on the other hand, ignored our requests for aid, despite paying lip-service to helping regional newspapers during the harsh COVID crisis.

But it has had no problem in allowing racists to spread fake news content and conspiracy theories for YEARS. Just look at how a whole generation of people have been brainwashed by the QAnon cult - a lot of its content widely shared on Facebook.

Readers often complain of clickbait headlines and so-called ‘churnalism’, but often don’t realise that it’s thanks to plummeting media sales and the fact that everyone expects news for free that standards have been falling.

If newspapers were paid their dues there would be more money and time available to invest in better quality stories and more importantly more journalists.

Let’s hope Facebook, which pays practically no tax, is forced to cough up all over the world and, in turn, this leads to an upturn in the quality of global news.

The top five most read stories on www.theolivepress.es in the past two weeks are: - Marbella and Estepona can reopen bars, 1vid-19 restaurants and shops from Saturday after Coincidence rate drops below Junta threshold

(10,183 views)

The municipalities closing or opening 2- Listed: their borders in Spain’s Andalucia today after Junta updates list (9,490 views) Bars and restaurants can reopen in Spain’s 3- balearic islands from March 2 (9,040 views) Sale of alcohol to be banned in Spain’s Anda4- lucia after 6pm in bid to fight Covid-19 (7,648 views) Light at the end of the tunnel: Bars and restau5-rants in the Valencia region to reopen in March (7,531 views)

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Readers respond to vaccine roll out in Spain and Gib

VITAL DOSE: The Pfizer vaccine has been rolled out

the UK. is on a list of 33 The south-western European nation and not even a top countries which requires a quarantine boxer can be excluded from the rules. are always having to “In the current environment we Eddie Hearn. think on our feet,” said promoter March 6 happen, but “We did everything to try and make was impossible. with the new travel restrictions it the box, compelling, “Now we have something outside heavyweight fights of and a unique setting for one of the

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practice for Lufthansa employees EXCLUSIVE as well as for public sector employtechnical problems.”

By Laurence Dollimore ees.

Incredibly the pensioners were to this specific pasgiven no offer of help or assistance home the couple “In regards

by Iberia, who they eventually Since returning with various Gov- senger case, Lufthansa employees have consulted have followed the requirements booked with. offices, including the “No food, drink or vouchers were ernment of Interior in Germany, outlined by the official authorities. we kindly ask that offered,” added Linda. “And each Ministry and the Span- For this reason, you direct your questions to them.” time a flight was cancelled we had the UK government, Consulates. told the Olive Press it would to go out of the Departures Area ish and British told us we should have Iberia but and back out to the Check In desks “All of them to board in Dubai. All investigate the matter furtherwere been allowed added that when the Wilsons unto rebook another flight. in order. was the in paperwork our open desks no at Madrid airport the city was “There were go “We had been to see our son for the der siege by historic amounts of Departures area. We had to in three years and took snow. through security and the bag check first time precautions. all the right FIVE times.” in the process of tryin now are “We Alcaucin, in live who The pair, VIP our expenses repaid tothe Axarquia region, finally land- ing to get a sum of compensation that weekend was ed in Malaga on January 12, only gether withextraordinary amount of “The situation “In spite of that, to find that their baggage had been due to the anxiety this has caused terrible,” it said, to hotels, but some and clients stress sent we lost. beof them couldn’t enter in Spain “There was also no one to report us. have had no communidocumentation. the lost baggage to and the Iberia “So far we Lufthansa other than a cause of their “We also gave them some food desk telephone was not answered,” cation fromautomatic response.” airport were the in generated (restaurants Linda claimed.

Lufthansa told the Olive Press: also closed), blankets and we “Lufthansa takes travel regulations opened the VIP lounge to let famithere, no matter their flight very seriously and does everything are lies be in its power to ensure that they status. applied correctly.

“We did as much as we could with See page 18-21 “The new travel restrictions, some the little possibilities we had.” of which are implemented at very short notice, are exceptionally Opinion Page 6 in complex. This is a challenge

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La Linea shut down

THE border town of La Linea de la Concepcion has been handed extra harsh coronavirus restrictions by the Junta de Andalucia.

The municipality, which borders Gibraltar, has been placed into Level 4.2 of the region’s coronavirus tier system.

The town is facing an unprecedented climb in the number of cases and was forced to order all non-essential business and trade to cease activity from midnight on Sunday.

This includes shops, hotels, restaurants and bars - with the exception of essential businesses such as supermarkets or petrol stations.

Experts made the decision along with regional president Juanma Moreno on Friday ter the town’s cumulative afincidence rate reached 1,247.9 cases per 100,000 people.

Double

That is more than double the average rate of the currently besieged Campo de Gibraltar health district, which stands at 506.5 cases per 100,000 inhabitants.

The whole district, made up eight towns, is currently closed down, meaning no one can leave or exit without a justified reason, such as medical, legal or for work.

These measures will remain in place until at least January 25, Moreno said at a press conference today.

The campo was first closed off when health authorities discovered the more contagious UK variant of the virus had arrived in Gibraltar.

Since then, La Linea, which receives cross-border workers daily, has seen an tremely sharp increase exin COVID-19 cases.

One worker told the Olive Press this week that the situation in the area was ‘out of control.’

The young woman, who works on the Costa del Sol but lives in the Campo, and her partner are still both waiting be tested after coming into to direct contact with a COVID-19 infected person.

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THERE have been a total of 16 deaths from COVID-19 since the pandemic first struck in Gibraltar.

The last four occurred on the weekend the vaccines finally arrived on January 9.

The majority of the deaths were of elderly people with underlying conditions although there were also some exceptions.

COVID-19 active cases surpassed the 1,000 mark just after the Christmas period although they have since stabilised.

The strict measures imposed in the social lockdown introduced by the government on December 27 and January 2 have finally taken effect.

Public health experts believe the start of the third wave was initiated by Black Friday shopping on November 29.

As the pre-Christmas shopping spree continued and families started to meet together it is believed to have spread further.

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STUMPED: Lathey was angry when his chilli and cloves were accepted but his Peri-Peri hot sauce was confiscated at the border A BRITISH expat has branded Spanish border officials ‘ridiculous’ and ‘clueless’ after they confiscated his Nando’s Peri Peri sauce at the Gibraltar border.

Joseph Lathey, 27, was left fuming when much of his weekly shopping was binned as he tried to cross back “I said it was ridiculous as that into La Linea. prohibited list. But Spanish legiswould mean most of my shopping Exclusive by This meant seeing his bananas and lation, specifically law 2019/2072, Laurence Dollimore would also not be allowed in.” leeks being tipped into a customs dictates that vegetables and vegetaIndeed, officials told the Brit the who asked officer’s bin. only items from his £55 shop that not to be named, admit- ble-based products are prohibited It also included his vegetable ted that he stuffed bacon down could cross the frontier were sahis from entering the peninsula from a his underwear mosas, one of his favourite weekly cloves and chilli powder. after hearing they were ‘third country.’ treats he buys from Ramsons, “It didn’t make any sense,” he add- seizing the majority of someone The Gibraltar Government told the on Waterport Road.

Olive Press: “The Government’s ed, “they seemed to be pretty clue- else’s products.

Meanwhile, his chilli and cloves The EU now classes the UK as less. a understanding is that EU law spewere deemed acceptable.

“I asked them to provide documents third country, bringing in tougher cifically exempts plant products in“I was completely stumped. I had controls on what tended for to justify chicken which I thought might havea they just what they were taking and cross the border can and cannot from official personal consumption controls at Border into the bloc. sent me a photo of a link been stopped but not the Peri-Peri According to the Gibraltar Gov- trol Posts on introduction to theConto a Spanish Government website.”

EU. sauce,” Lathey told the Olive Press. ernment website, several items Lathey was told he could take “The officials said it contained onion shopping back onto the Rock his for personal consumption are now Agreement to banned, including puree, meaning it contained prostore it. all meat and milk cessed veg and was therefore “I ended up selling it all for £20, products (bar powdered infant milk, “Therefore, the Government will be not allowed over. which is better than nothing,” added baby food and special food required seeking to clarify this matter with the relevant Spanish Authorities. for medical reasons or pet food Lathey. re- “Until the final agreement with It comes after quired for animal health reasons). respect to Gibraltar’s future relaseveral reports You cannot bring in more than 20kg tionship with the EU is settled, and on social me- of any fish product or more than 2kg unless the Government advises on dia of Brits of other specific animal products, specific bridging See page 16 including honey, oysters, live musmeasures or derhaving food ogations having been agreed whilst seized at the sels and snails.

The Government reminder, pub- that agreement is negotiated, Giborder. braltar will be treated as a third lished on January 4, does not One list expat, vegetable products as being on the country for the purposes of EU customs controls.”

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Surreal sights

The birthplace of Spanish China,” continued Mike, who has lived in Spain for 27 years, currently based in Malaga.

“There is supposed to be a trade agreement in place, but no-one knows exactly what that agreement is - just as no-one knew exactly what Brexit was when they voted for it,” added the businessman, who recycles electronic products.

“I was completely stumped. I had a chicken which I thought might have been stopped but not the Peri-Peri sauce,” Lathey told the Olive Press.

“The officials said it contained onion puree, meaning it contained processed veg and was therefore not allowed over.

“I said that that was ridiculous as that would mean most of my shopping would also not be allowed in.”

The EU now classes the UK as a third country, bringing in tougher controls on what can and cannot cross the border into the bloc.

A spokeswoman from Fed-Ex told the Olive Press: “Food and Beverage are included among our prohibited items for international shipments.”

Any perishable foodstuffs requiring refrigeration are prohibited, as well as a specific restriction for Spain for other foodstuffs, including olive oil.

She added: “These restrictions are in place for any third country outside the Community Customs Territory, and now they apply to UK as well since it left the EU”.

Nando’s

It comes just a month after the Olive Press broke the story that guards at the Gibraltar-Spanish border confiscated a furious expat’s Nando's Peri-Peri sauce under new Brexit rules.

Joseph Lathey, 27, a Brit who works in Gibraltar but lives in Spain, said was left fuming when much of his weekly shopping was binned as he tried to cross into La Linea.

Tel: 952 147 834

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Vol. 4 Issue 99 www.theolivepress

LEFT IN LIMBO .es February 12th - February

25th 2021

A PAIR of British pensioners are demanding compensation after being refused a flight to Spain despite having their green residency Roger and Linda Wilson, cards. aged 76 and 78, were forced chairs at an airport forto sleep on three days after Lufthansa wouldn’t allow them to board a flight from Dubai to Frankfurt.

The couple, who had ing their son, were due been visitto catch a connecting flight to Malaga, where they have lived since check-in clerks said2009, but the their documents were ‘not acceptable.’

“We were not given information other thanany further to seek alternative travelbeing told ments ourselves,” Linda, arrangea former legal secretary from Hertfordshire, told the Olive Press this However they managed week. to get on an Emirates flight to Madrid without issue.

HOME: Roger and Linda

artists

Page 14

And crucially, they were accepted on arrival in Madrid, ther hitches, except without furtheir connection flightthey missed to Malaga due to the late arrival of their cases.

The nightmare scenario on Janu- turned ary 7 went from bad to the Gate due to technical to worse, as a problems.” succession of flights back to Malaga Incredibly EXCLUSIVE implemented at very were cancelled. the pensioners were givshort notice,

By Laurence Dollimore are exceptionally complex. en no “We ended up spending This is a three whole Iberia,offer of help or assistance by challenge in practice nights in Madrid Airport who they eventually booked for Lufthansa sleep- with. employees as well as for da claimed. public secing tor employees. on “No food, Since returning c h a i r s , ” offered,” drink or vouchers were have consulted home the couple “In regards to this added Linda. “And each specific passenwith various Govc o n t i n - time a flight was cancelled we had ernment offices, including the Min- ger case, Lufthansa employees have ued Rog- to go out followed the requirements istry of Interior er, who and back of the Departures Area government, in Germany, the UK by the official authorities. outlined out to the and the Spanish and For this was reason, we kindly ask a to rebook another Check In desks British Consulates. that you diflight. b u i l d i n g “There were rect your questions “All of them c o n t r a c - Departures no desks open in the been allowedtold us we should have Iberia told the Oliveto them.” to board in Dubai. All area. We Press it would tor. investigate the matter through security and had to go our paperwork was in order. the bag check “We “A total FIVE times.” added that when the further but had been to see our Wilsons were of FIVE The pair, first time in three years son for the at Madrid airport the city who live in Alcaucin, was unand took all der siege f u r t h e r the Axarquia in the right precautions. by historic amounts of region, finally landed f l i g h t s in Malaga snow.

“We are now in the process of trying were can- find that on January 12, only to to get our expenses their baggage had been repaid together celled or lost. with a sum of compensation VIP d e l a y e d “There was the extraordinary amount due to of stress “The situation that plus one lost baggagealso no one to report the and anxiety weekend was this has caused us. to and the Iberia desk terrible,” flight re- telephone was not answered,” Lin- “So far we have had no communi- we sent it said, “In spite of that, clients to hotels, but cation from Lufthansa some other of them a generated automaticthan cause couldn’t enter in Spain beof their documentation. response.”

“We also gave them Lufthansa told the some food (restaurants in the airport Press: “Lufthansa Olive closed), were also blankets and we opened travel regulations verytakes the See page 11 & 16 VIP lounge to let seriously and does everything there, no matter their families be flight status. in its power to ensure that “We did as much as we could they are applied correctly. with the little possibilities we had.”

“The new travel restrictions, some of which are Opinion Page 6

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Crypto risk

THE Bank of Spain has released a statement warning of the high risk nature of cryptocurren cies after Tesla founder Elon Musk invested €1.5 billion in Bitcoin.

Animal source

A CRACK team of scientific investigators the World Health from isation has ruled OrganCOVID-19 virus that the certainly came almost from a wild animal.

Black hole

Do your homework Roger and Linda Wilson didn’t read the regulations or check the Lufthansa website, which clearly states that Germany doesn’t allow transit from a high risk area (which Dubai is classed as) to another Schengen state. I don’t know why Luftanhansa doesn’t allow this, but it doesn’t. So this is a case of people complaining when they didn’t do their homework... Such travellers needed to transit through somewhere else.

Neil Hollow, Fuente de Piedra

Disgraceful

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21/6/19 13:30

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23rd 2021

Pensioner hell, forced to sleep as expat couple three days at airport as airline residency cards refuse green

China Li, via FB

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S u b j e c t

Stressful times

A RECENT survey has found that 45% of Spanish healthcare staff were at risk of some type of mental illness after the coronavirus first and that 3.5% had wave suicidal thoughts.

NEWS

LEFT IN LIMBO Vim-NO!

A PAIR of British pensioners BRITISH expats are demanding compensation left without theirhave been after being refused a flight grocery items due favourite to Spain despite having their to ongoing Brexit issues. green residency cards.

Supplies of Marmite, Roger and Linda Wilson, aged Yorkshire Tea and 76 and 78, were forced dried up in someVimto have on chairs at an airport to sleep trade between the areas after days after Lufthansa for three UK and the bloc became frustrated allow them to board wouldn’t without issue, but missed their a flight connection by the extra red tape. from Dubai to Frankfurt. flight EXCLUSIVE It comes after major The couple, who had to the late arrival to Malaga due of By their been Laurence cases. visiter the British CornersuppliDollimore ing their son, were Shop announced that a connecting flightdue to catch it was temBad to worse Incredibly the pensioners porarily suspending where they have to Malaga, lived were orders The since given nightmare to EU countries 2009, but the check-in no offer as DHL had clerks went from bad scenario on tance by Iberia,of help or assissuspended collections. said their documents who they evenwere ‘not succession of to worse, as a tually booked Brits in Spain have acceptable.’ flights with. said they Malaga were cancelled.back to “No food, drink have been stuck “We were not given or vouchers were home favouriteswithout their information other any further “We ended up spending three “And offered,” added Linda. than being nights in Madrid no options to traveland have told to seek alternative each Airport to other trav- ing on chairs,” continuedsleep- cancelled wetime a flight was HOME: Roger and stores as most el arrangements Linda Rog- the departureshad to go out of than a from travelling are banned Linda, a former legalourselves,” er, who was a building contracgenerated automatic area and back to re- their municipality outside of sponse.” the check in. from Hertfordshire secretary tor. . , told the “A total of Olive Press. five further flights “We had to go through security Lufthansa told the Olive Press: were cancelled or “Lufthansa takes and the bag check However they managed travel regulafive times.” to get one flight returneddelayed plus The pair, who on an Emirates flight live in Alcaucin, tions very seriously and does to the gate to Madrid due to technical everything in the Axarquia in problems.” its power to enregion, finally sure landed in Malaga, that they are applied corSPENDING by that their baggageonly to find rectly. foreign had been “The tourists lost. in new travel restrictions, Andalucia plummeted by at some of which are The couple have least €9.6 billion in 2020, new various governmentconsulted ed at very short implement- MALAGA’S Policia Local figures Survey notice, are begun have revealed. including the Ministry offices, exceptionally complex.

(Egatur) to hand out the have first of Inte- is a challenge Border Movementsand the This fines The most populous rior in Germany, Survey region, (Frontur). in practice for scooterto cyclists and electric which includes ernment, and the the UK gov- Lufthansa employees riders caught on as well as ga’s pavements Maladel Sol, receivedthe Costa The depressing British Consulates.Spanish and for public sector employees. and pedestrian reports 9.3 mil- show lion fewer internationa areas. that in 2020, just “In regards to this “All of them told 2.7 specific pas- After l million foreign travellers due to have been allowedus we should senger case, Lufthansa an tourists viscoronavi- ited to board in ees employ- riod, in initial informative perus pandemic.

Andalucia, a whopping Dubai. have followed which officers 77.5% The grim data has ments outlined bythe require- warned people about merely “We are now trying been re- They less than in 2019. the official law, fines a new to get our authorities. leased by the National also expenses repaid are now being dished For this In- billion, spent just €2.877 stitute of Statistics compensation fortogether with kindly ask that you reason, we out. representing a (INE), direct the extraor- questions your Both e-scooters the Tourist Expenditure year-on-year decrease dinary amount of to them.” of stress and Iberia 76.8%. are prohibited and bicycles anxiety this has caused has been approached us. for den and parkedfrom being ridcomment.

“So far we have had on pavements, no commuwith those flouting nication from Lufthansa the regulaother Opinion Page 6 tions liable to be hit with a penalty of up to €500.

Natasha Passano, Gibraltar

Tel: 952 147 834

o n l y .

1

Responses to pensioners, Roger and Linda Wilson, who had to sleep three days in airport

THE rate of contagion in Spain has dropped by nearly 20% in the weeks, with somelast two such as Malaga - cities registering their lowest coronavirus rates in a month.

The vast majority of those who passed away on the Rock in January had all tested positive for Covid-19 at the end of December 2020 or at the beginning of January. That means that none had been vaccinated before catching the virus. The vaccine is effective and not to blame for deaths.

Jab well done

www.theolivepress.es 952 147 834

www.theolivepress. es

Flattening curve

I've seen lots of stories now about Spain turning back UK citizens because they did not have their correct ‘residence’ papers. Spain also refused entry to a lady who was returning to her Spanish home, only to be refused entry.

Her terminally Ill husband was there and yet they still would not let her in. It’s a disgrace. But Spain will be glad to have the millions of euros that the British tourists spend on their holidays, I'm sure, when the time comes.

Press explores the mass grave issue that casts a shadow over them - and who the main candidates are See page 6 & 7

Your voice in Spain

Nightmare

21/6/19 13:30

EXCLUSIVE

By Kirsty McKenzie

ies had been held up by customs in Madrid for over TEN days.

The gift, sent from his family, via courier company Fedex, contained crisps and spice mixes - but Mike never got to unwrap them.

The parcel, valued at around €20, was deemed unacceptable by customs chiefs and returned to Mike’s mother in Leeds.

“It was confirmation of my worst nightmare when it comes to receiving anything from the UK,” Mike told the Olive Press.

“Before Brexit it was the same as receivTHE SKY ing deliveries from around DOCTOR the corner, now ALL AREAS COVERED receiving products from the 4G UNLIMITED UK is just as INTERNET difficult as from

+

102 and Continues Page on Page

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Andalucia - Issue 363 Are you feeling depressed?

Addiction problems?

The good fight

See page 11-18

British expat left fuming after including the Peri-Peri sauce most of his shopping - was labelled ‘contraband’ at Gib border due to new Brexit rules

f o r

o n l y .

and left the Denia courthouse via a fire exit.

Case coordinator Angela Brooks, who brought the 17 claimants together, told the Olive Press: “Watching the defendants walk in and out of court was disgusting as they bobbed and weaved to get out of the way of photographers.”

One of these was Paul Clarke, who was involved in helping Kirby build up CWM. He denied forming the compaThe being pacifist ny and bull they Kirby’s business refused to kill and partner, claiming a chat he withmerely Spain’s hothelped testinyoung the office and trained matador

MALLORCA

Pensioner hell, as couple forced to sleep expat three days at airport as airline refuses green residency cards

In disguise

1

Expat’s fury as birthday gift containing favourite UK goodies seized by customs due to Brexit A BRITISH expat has branded post-Brexit rules ‘his worst nightmare’ after a birthday present of his favourite treats from the UK was banned from entering the country.

M i k e B a t tle, 41, was left stumped when he heard his package of good-

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became a partner in CWM, Kirby who was having ‘issues formed by Kirby, in 2012.

In the testimony, seen by the with his wife’ and wanted to Olive Press, she also admitted stop her accessing company he transferred up to €8,000 a assets. month into her private bank ac- Smart, who owns clothes company Jody Bell SL, declared that count through to 2017.

She said her salary was ‘€5,000, her livelihood was fashion and €6,000 or €7,000 a month’ and insisted she had no knowledge on with CWM. it was ‘sometimes as high as of what Butwent which controversial added she was expat merely €8,000’, depending on ‘what She fasion designer had athe ‘face’ of the company. day in Darren wanted to pay’. court this week? refuse to anSmart said she only put her She did however, name to the firm to help out swer questions from Bertomeu, Page 8 who has been leading the private prosecution for two years,

EXCLUSIVE

By Alex Trelinski

The solicitor leading the private prosecution, Antoni Bertomeu, told the Olive Press: “The most significant aspect of the hearings was that the accused did not deny that CWM was responsible for any wrongdoing.”

“They are merely trying to save themselves by saying they knew nothing about it and had nothing to do with it,” he added.

The prosecution has resumed after oral testimony was suspended last spring due to the pandemic.

Statements last year from ex-employees of CWM said that the claimants had lost their money due to risky investments.

Answering questions from the judge, Jody Smart said she

Costa Blanca Issue 49

GIBRALTAR

Vol. 5 Issue 139 www.theolivepress.es January 13th - January 26th 2021

PERI-LESS CROSSING

952 147 834 952 147 834

Airlines, including easyJet, said bookings for the summer season were more than four times higher compared with the same period last week.

Malaga, Alicante and Palma were among the most popular Spanish destinations, according to the budget holiday giant, with August its busiest month.

The announcement was described by chief executive, Johan Lundgren, as a ‘much-needed boost in confidence’.

“We have consistently seen a pent-up demand for travel and this surge in bookings shows that this signal has been what UK consumers have been waiting for,” he said.

www.villaparadisospain.com 952 147 834

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Avda. La Coruña 2 San Pedro Alcántara

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Confidence

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HEALTH DEMANDS:Most private schools almost as ‘normal’ thanks to successful have kept running COVID planning

Today more than ever, we believe in providing a safe for our students to and happy learning achieve more than environment they dreamed possible.

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BATTLING: Mike wants his crisps and spices, and (right) our previous front page

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voice in Spain

Vol. 14 Issue 363 www.theolivepress.es February 24th -March 9th 2021

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Choosing the best schools for your kids of algebraic proportions can be a problem - particularly a tightrope with COVID restrictions now visiting can be

The good fight

Check out our most recent issues online at TM

o n l y .

ILENCE. There is not a single peep as I climb upwards through the valley to meet my maker. of the I poke my head out the cable car window and alSierra Nevada’s fresh pine air hits my lungs.

Then I hear it – a sweeping white crunch down the crisp piste, as a snowboarder whizzes past below. and Another tears through, then a third, all weaving at down the mountainside blistering speed. terriI’m definitely more fied than the three Spanish guys sharing the carriage with me. the We have left behind cosy bars and restaurants main in Pradollano, the ski town of Andalucia’s only resort.

We step out at Borreguiles, mewhich sits some 2,700 tres above sea level. for This is the basecampruns, many of the Sierra’s the which range from facil’ green-coloured ‘muy lapistes to those in black, belled ‘muy dificil’.

Tel: 952 147 834

t o

WHETHER you are newly arrived in Spain or were born and bred here, one subject unites all parents - how to make sure their children get the best possible education.

It can be a tough call, especially for those unfamiliar

By Dilip Spanish system, but with the Younger children, (dad of 3 kids Kuner in general, tile schooled in Andalucia you are fortunately thrive in state or pre-escolar, Costa del Sol) on the spoiled for choice. youngsters under schools, with nursery in the UK. equivalent to a nine normally you’ll The only costs Of course your picking make for younger children, have as pri- Spanish up impressive spoken school trips to cover are books, depend on certainselection will mary schools throughout (usually, far better and, if the school has Europe their parents’ than them, uniforms. distance from home, key factors: are more or less comparable.

Spanish) ademic standards, budget, ac- Around 80% of expats year, just by socialising within a There are, however, downsides with their to Spanish and word-of-mouthteaching style children to the local send their Spanish friends. schools, particularly if dations, to name just recommen- – called ‘colegios’ state schools The majority of foreign your child for primary and parents There are is older or more timid.

So where do you start?a few. schools and ‘institutos’ students find that integration sad – but for sec- with other The first item on ondary schools. common – stories by no means nationalities of the 11-plus should be Public oryour checklist There are two serious ly handled with skill is normal- ‘guiris’ being ignored Private - do es and consid- teachers by their you opt for a Spanish to Spanish schools.advantag- eration. and bullied by their The first The or an international state school is that children will classmates, or college? finding themlearn Spanish statesecond key advantage is that selves It’s generally an easier fast left entirely untutored. decision to theirand should integrate well into from schooling is free of charge new home country. the age of three, when children can begin attending infanContinues overleaf

to You can finally slope off Andalucia’s skiing heaven, writes Charlie Smith

Your

YOU’VE GOT NO MAIL!

Tel: 952 147 834

delivery service available

Vol. 14 Issue 363

ANDALUCÍA

elections loom, the Olive

OLIVE PRESS

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Slide away

OLIVE PRESS

Page 14 and 15

to recovery from the coronaGIBRALTAR has started on its road Monday too, with masks to be Buses restarted at half capacity on virus pandemic. outside Gibraltar’s town centre worn on-board.

Masks will now not have to be worn reported in mid-February.

14 and be applicable to the curfew will continue until March after very few new active cases were the news in what he said But restaurants. all businesses including the bars and from Major Incident staChief Minister Fabian Picardo delivered on COVID-19. away could be his last live press conference down to just 33, with a doz- The government will finally move tus on Monday.

Active cases of the coronavirus are now of 12 for now, although apSports will only be allowed in groups en of them in hospital. rise and are now at 91, with the plications can be made for greater numbers to the Pandemic deaths have continued to latest occurring on February 22. a trickle with a number of days government’s sporting association.return to a New cases have now gone down to despite over 1,000 tests a day. The Contact Tracing Bureau will end of the and isolate system at the when there were none at all reported vaccines being delivered test, trace month.

These are the clear results of over 30,000 were SPAIN could be gearing up for an avato the local population. to Residents who are over 70-years-old continue will this today, February on arriving lanche of tourists to its shores in May. freed from their own lockdown With a new batch of Pfizer vials Airlines and travel agents have seen inoculate Gibraltar’s population. and are allowed back into 15. cannot throw cautionthe the to number of Brits booking holidays We Children have now returned to schoollottery again. abroad soar this week after the UK wind,” warned Picardo. playgrounds while adults can play the to announced its roadmap out of lock“We are very close to being able down. protect everyone in our community through vaccination. UK tourists will finally be able to leave “Do not bring COVID-19theoncountry for holidays from May 17, the government announced on Monyourself, your family or friends See page 16 in by going out to look for it day.

Spain.”

Prime Minister Boris Johnson revealed the move as part of his four6 Opinion Page step plan for gradually lifting restrictions in England, with all social contact rules finally lifted by June 21.

21/6/19 13:30

Nightmare

And crucially, they were accepted on arrival in Madrid, without further hitches, except they missed their connection flight to Malaga due to the late arrival of their cases.

The nightmare scenario on Janu-a ary 7 went from bad to worse, as of flights back to MalaThe birthplace of Spanish artists succession ga were cancelled.

Page 18 “We ended up spending three whole nights Madrid in A i r p o r t bike rentAL • e-scooters sleeping on • repairS BIKE TOURS chairs,” continued Roger, who was a building contractor.

“A total of FIVE further flights were cancelled or delayed plus one flight returned to the Gate due to

Surreal sights

v a l i d

n e w

Mijas Costa

As Boris Johnson announced the UK’s four-step plan out of to it lockdown, Gibraltar beat him

By John Culatto

Lockdown, no contact and low numbers have led to the drop in contagion rates. The vaccine has nothing to do with it. After all, it’s not a one-off protection, and only at best stops severe symptoms. You can still contract and pass on the virus if vaccinated.

Lee Nthat, via FB

IN DEPTH: As the Catalan

February 2021

in.com 834 952 147www.villaparadisospa f o r

Vaccine fury

A 12-page Olive Press special pull out supplement

ll about

Gibraltar Issue 142

HOME: Roger and Linda

are A PAIR of British pensioners demanding compensation after debeing refused a flight to Spain spite having their green residency cards.

76 Roger and Linda Wilson, aged on and 78, were forced to sleep chairs at an airport for three days after Lufthansa wouldn’t allow them to board a flight from Dubai to Frankfurt.

The couple, who had been visit-a ing their son, were due to catch connecting flight to Malaga, where the they have lived since 2009, but check-in clerks said their documents were ‘not acceptable.’

“We were not given any further information other than being told to seek alternative travel arrangements ourselves,” Linda, a former legal secretary from Hertfordshire, told the Olive Press this week. on However they managed to get an Emirates flight to Madrid without issue.

tel: 966 46 38 45

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Restrictions do the real work

OP Sudoku

Page 4

Education

Like London buses, not one but two special supplements in your free Olive Press this week...

Sky high hopes

Prime Minister Boris Johnson revealed the move as part of his four-step plan for gradually lifting restrictions in England, with all social contact rules finally lifted

by June 21.

Airlines, including easyJet, said bookings for the summer season were more than four times higher compared with the same period last week. While Spanish destinations were popular, Gibraltar businesses will be looking forward to a surge in airport arrivals too.

The announcement was described by chief executive, Johan Lundgren, as a ‘much-needed boost in confidence’.

“We have consistently seen a pent-up demand for travel and this surge in bookings shows that this signal has been what UK consumers have been waiting for,” he said.

For most people, there is no reason to question the government or its integrity. Sadly, it gives such conflicting messages, stories and statistics, as well as out and out blatant lies - like American testers are being paid $100 for each test; every UK hospital is being paid for each test; and that the EU is paying each country for every positive Covid person. Money is the primary factor in keeping this going and the actual cost of the pandemic is high - not in terms of those suffering from covid, but the fact that 100% of us are directly affected by it.

EXCLUSIVE: Violent threats kept linked to the disgraced firm CWM,Jody Smart which paid her ‘up to €8,000 a month’

ll about

The

LEFT IN LIMBO

Your

expat

voice in Spain

AN expat fashion designer behind the alleged loss of €35 million of investors money has insisted regular threats of violence were behind her involvement with the company.

Jody Smart, the sole director of failed firm Continental Wealth Management (CWM), accused her former partner of being the real owner and aggressively forcing her to be the figurehead on paper.

The ex-fashion model told a court hearing how her past lover Darren Kirby frequently turned violent and aggressive when she threatened to quit.

She told a judge at Denia Court that every time she tried to leave Expats Paul and the British-run pension compaGeraldine angry ny, Kirby would get violent.

A Sierra Nevada GETTING TOP MARKSas mayors jump And despite failing to report Kirby to the police, because she queue was ‘afraid’, she has kept videos and phone messages of him threatening her.

Page 5 She was giving evidence in a S private prosecution by 17 of up to 1,000 British pensioners, from all across Spain who put their savings into Alican‘Fraudsters’ exposed by Olive te-based CWM. The business Press special investigation collapsed in 2017. to face the music Some of the individual losses See our The pacifist bull added up to €800,000.

Education Page 2 The private action accuses Kirthey refused to and Skiing by and Smart, along with Paul kill and a chat GRILLING: Jodie Smart turns Clarke, and Stephen Ward of pullouts with Spain’s private detective and went on up to court disguised as a fraud, disloyal administration, inside hottest young Kirby (inset) of threatening to blame former lover Darren and forging victims’ signatures violence to leave CWM matador onto investment dealing in-

A

February 2021

X

expat

COSTA BLANCA

Vol. 2 Issue 49 www.theolivepress.es February 11th - February 24th 2021

HE FORCED ME TO STAY

See page 6 & 7

The

for an avalanche of tourists to its shores in May. Airlines and travel agents have seen the number of Brits booking holidays abroad soar this week after the UK announced its roadmap out of lockdown.

UK tourists will finally be able to leave the country for holidays from May 17, the government announced on Monday.

Your voice in Spain

VALENCIA / COSTA AZAHAR February 11th - February 24th 2021 FREE Vol. 1 Issue 6 www.theolivepress.es

But which controversial expat fasion designer had a day in court this week?

ROAD TO FREEDOM

IN DEPTH: As the Catalan elections loom, the Olive Press explores the mass grave issue that casts a shadow over them - and who the main candidates are

PERI-PERI 2

The

OLIVE PRESS

In disguise

FREE

on the Rumble on the Rock!” the year - rollissue to the grave man Whyte had twice sent Povetkin Brixton Rusloom, the Olive Press explores the mass the first clash back in August. TheWhyte ground during over knocking out that casts a shadow sian had the last laugh, however, single punch. with athe main them - and who See page 6 & 7 up are could candidatesGIBRALTAR be gearing

X

IN DEPTH: As the Catalan elections

The Rock’s ONLY free local paper

February 24th - March 9th 2021 Vol. 5 Issue 142 www.theolivepress.es

The

boxing fights of the ONE of the biggest heavyweight March 27, thanks to year will be held in Gibraltar on COVID-19. get a second chance to British boxer Dillian Whyte will Rock because of UK topple Alexander Povetkin on thehe succeeds he will coronavirus quarantine rules. If Fury for the WBC win back the right to challenge Tyson Antony Joshua in their world belt - so long as Fury beats own fight. was a shock, was meant Whyte, whose defeat to Povetkin on March 6, but to have a rematch in Wembley Arena he would have had to with Whyte training in Portugal, when he arrived in go into hotel lockdown for 10 days

OLIVE PRESS

The

GIBRALTAR

The

Rumble on the Rock!

In it for the money

Jackie Quick-Rice, Fuengirola

Margot Andrew, Valencia

OLIVE PRESS

4

NEWS IN BRIEF

‘Blatant lies’

UK a It is unfair to say the EU is giving the d are hard time. The new export laws vote EU more going to give both Britain and the years.” four or e thre for time d than a “har are losBusinesses are failing and many ing jobs. after If Britons knew what was coming interwere who y man so did Brexit, why referenviewed on the street before the rchill dum just shrug their shoulders? Chu we did if rn retu t migh ors horr t wha knew World not create a union after the Secondr have neve t mus “We , War when he said e are another bloody war like that.” Therns we pea Euro as and e ther out rs Hitle still trade. had strength in numbers and free be why to s seem tity iden l A loss of nationa this has many Brexiters voted leave, but now by time long a for ed erod g bein n bee is up to globalisation. Making an identity ors of auth the that is y you. The final iron the ‘remoaners’ letter live in the EU.

FREE

February 25th - March 10th 2021

1 Lovey-dovey (8) 2 Worn-out old cars (5) 3 Punt propeller (4) 4 Affirmed (6) 5 “Let ‘em have it!” (4) 6 “A bushel and a ---” (4) 7 Veered abruptly (7) 13 Tide or cord (3) 14 Like the White Rabbit (2,1,5) 15 Made a stab (7) 17 Unlawful takings (6) 19 Extract by force (5) 20 Organisation (4) 21 Racing sled (4) 22 Exploit (4)

All solutions are on page 15

Pricey Wheels

LA CULTURA Back in business BARS, restaurants and cafes will reopen on March 1, although they will only serve customers until 10pm and with the same restrictions as before.

It will be the first time the population will be able to eat or drink outside home since December.

BEAT payments, rates reductions and rental discounts will continue until the end of February.

Catering businesses will receive full automatic payment of their costs with other shops getting partial support as they struggle through the pandemic.

The move will be a boost to public coffers as Gibraltar’s businesses return to normal after one of the darkest periods in Gibraltar’s history.

Many workers will have received their jabs by that time, along with over half the population.

Shops are also allowed to open their doors on Saturdays too, as the economy starts to get back on-track.

However, the tourism industry will remain at a standstill, hampering a full recovery.

Do you have a what’s on?

Send your informa tion to newsdesk@theolivepr ess.es

February 25th - March 10th 2021

9

A star is born

IF there is one term that sums up Spanish cinema, it is ‘Almodovar girl’.

The country’s most famous and successful director Pedro Almodovar (below) has a penchant for ‘adopting’ actresses and turning them into stars, usually appearing in most of his films from then onwards.

And the latest entry into that select club has been revealed.

Milena Smit, 24, was born in Elche (Alicante), where she lived during her childhood with her Castilla La Mancha-born mother and Dutch father before relocating to Madrid four years ago to look for work.

Although she admits that she never planned to be an actress, she was invited to attend an audition for a Spanish feature-length drama by Catalan director David Victori, which she passed with flying colours.

She was then coached by none other than Bernard Hiller, who has worked with Leonardo Di Caprio and Cameron Diaz, among other major stars.

Milena debuted with Victori last year in the film No mataras (translated as Cross the line), which is currently showing at cinemas throughout the country. Her part has already earned her a nomina-

Meet the newest ‘Almodovar girl’ Milena Smit, who is half ‘guiri’

EXPAT: Milena was raised by a Dutch father and Spanish mum in Alicante

By Glenn Wickman

tion for ‘Best new actress’ in this year’s Goyas, the Spanish equivalent of the Oscars taking place in Malaga on March 6. But it didn’t stop there.

Her work impressed legendary director Pedro Almodovar so much, that he has revealed that Milena Smit will co-star in his next blockbuster, Madres paralelas, together with fellow Almodavar girls Penelope Cruz, Aitana

Sanchez Gijon and Rossy de Palma. Shooting for Almodovar’s next work is scheduled to begin imminently.

Not bad for a debuting actress who was working as a hotel receptionist just two years ago.

LA CULTURA The horror of La Hoya 10

February 25th - March 10th 2021

As a prehistoric massacre uncovered in northern Spain sheds new light on the history of warfare, Laurence Crumbie reveals the gory details of the Iron Age bloodbath

ARCHAEOLOGISTS have unearthed evidence of a brutal attack in the ancient town of La Hoya in Spain’s Basque Country.

The remains of 13 bodies, examined recently by Teresa Fernandez-Crespo of Oxford University and her colleagues, reveal that the Iron Age settlement was razed to the ground sometime between 350 and 150 BC. After slaughtering its inhabitants, the attackers set the town alight.

‘The severity of the attack and the haste of the inhabitants’ flight is attested by the skeletons of people and animals found killed on the streets, houses containing food, craft items and personal objects suddenly abandoned,’ reports the journal Antiquity.

Results obtained from the osteological analysis paint a grisly picture.

RUINS: Much of the ancient town of La Hoya is well preserved and under cover One individual exhibited injufemale each had their right arms ing of body parts as trophies, which ries to the right collarbone and amputated,’ said Fernandez-Crewere common events in the Iron shoulder blade, suggesting he was spo. ‘And another inhabitant had Age. Perhaps even more chilling struck repeatedly during a face-face been decapitated’. is the lack of defensive weapons encounter with his attacker.

These findings point towards the and associated wounds as well as Others met more gruesome ends. practice of head-hunting or the takthe proliferation of injuries inflicted ‘An adult male and an adolescent from behind.

‘The archaeological data,’ wrote the authors, ‘supports the hypothesis of a surprise attack, resulting in the indiscriminate and brutal killing of helpless or unresisting people, including adult males and females, as well as children.’

The scale of destruction and the apparent absence of pillaging suggest that the aim of this attack was not mere plunder.

Given the location of La Hoya in the fertile valley of the Ebro River, close to major BEAUTY BELIES BUTCHERY: The region is picturesque but its history is bloody trade routes between

ARE YOU A UK NATIONAL AND STRUGGLING WITH YOUR RESIDENCY APPLICATION? UK NATIONALS

the Cantabrian, Mediterranean and Inner Plateau regions, some researchers say the massacre represents a regional or territorial power struggle between different communities. Others believe it was simply conducted in the name of punishment or revenge.

‘The demographic profile and the nature of perimortem injuries identified in the La Hoya skeletal assemblage are consistent with a massacre,’ explained Fernandez-Crespo.

‘As such, the site presents ‘early evidence of organised, large-scale violence, and provides a unique snapshot of protohistoric warfare.’

Until now, it was thought that the Romans had been the first to carry out annihilations in Iberia. However, based on the evidence from La Hoya, the extent of violence in the region may have been comparable between Roman and Iron Age communities in the last centuries BC. “Certainly,” the researchers concluded, “the Romans were not alone in being able to ‘make a desert and call it peace’.”

MERCILESS: Charred bones were found at the massacre site

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A Sierra Nevada ll about

Vol. 2 Issue 34

www.theolivepress.es

Snowy heaven Slope off to the skiing haven of the Sierra Nevada with Charlie Smith

S

ILENCE. There is not a single peep as I climb upwards through the valley to meet my maker.

I poke my head out of the cable car window and the Sierra Nevada’s fresh alpine air hits my lungs.

Then I hear it – a sweeping crunch down the crisp white piste, as a snowboarder whizzes past below.

Another tears through, and then a third, all weaving down the mountainside at blistering speed.

I’m definitely more terrified than the three Spanish guys sharing the carriage with me.

We have left behind the cosy bars and restaurants in Pradollano, the main town of Andalucia’s only ski resort.

We step out at Borreguiles, which sits some 2,700 metres above sea level.

This is the basecamp for many of the Sierra’s runs, which range from the green-coloured ‘muy facil’ pistes to those in black, labelled ‘muy dificil’.

Continues overleaf

February 2021

2

A

ll about

February 25th - March 10th 2021

Sierra Nevada

Hit the slopes From Front

Blinded by the brilliant white sheen given off by the snow, I meet my teacher for the day, Joey, from the British Ski Center.

Having only ever skied on the dry slope in Halifax, Yorkshire, on a school trip, it’s fair to say I am out of my depth.

Joey takes me over to a small conveyor belt up a very gentle incline slope, that is probably classed as ‘muy muy facil’.

He puts me through my paces and after an hour of intensive training, I’ve gone from Bambi on ice to actually skiing.

It’s time to hit the slopes.

The pair of us hop onto the Emile Allais ski lift, named after the French alpine ski champion of the 1930s.

And maybe Emile would have been proud – if not a bit bored and bemused – as I safely ‘snow ploughed’ my way to the bottom.

Saying goodbye to Joey, I pop into Restaurante Borreguiles for a much-needed and reasonably-priced cafe con leche and bocadillo, while I reflecting on my newly-discovered sporting prowess.

With the sun now beating down, I take my confidence – or should that be cockiness – back up the

slope and prepare for my first solo run.

All goes well until I cross a small but slippery patch of ice – a rarity on most of the Sierra Nevada slopes, which are generally icing sugar-soft.

A €9 million cash injection for the 2019/2020 season has seen the introduction of 33 new snow cannons, which produce the same amount of snow in half the time, meaning the environment benefits as well as the slopes.

As I hurtle over the ice, desperately trying to slow myself, I clip the skis of 10-year-old boy, send-

ing us both flying.

As I look up I realise his classmates have witnessed the whole thing.

But rather than giving me a dressing down, the lad’s teacher imparts some words of wisdom and encouragement.

This friendliness is a characterising feature of the Sierra Nevada, as locals and tourists – from Portugal, Britain, Germany and Scandinavia – seem at peace among the tranquility of the idyllic landscape.

Given that my ‘victim’ and I both walk away unscathed, all in all, I count my first ever day’s skiing as a roaring success.

The prices for all this fun in the snow are not to be sniffed at ei-

ther.

My adult’s one-day ski pass was €50.50 (low season price, which rises in high season to just over €52).

Seven-day options start from just

3 February 25th - March 10th 2021

You’ll ski for sure WITH so much shut due to the pandemic, people may be wondering whether they are actually allowed to head for the ski slopes.

The good news for winter sports fans is that the Sierra Nevada resort is open for business - although some restrictions do apply.

While some sports have been badly curtailed, skiing has not been so dramatically affected with Andalucian residents allowed to cross provinces if they want to reach the pistes.

Those based elsewhere, however, will have to keep a close eye on when their regions’ borders are due to open if they wish to hit the slopes later.

In the Valencian Community, the border shutdown is set to stay in place throughout Easter, with Murcia expected to follow suit.

But with plenty of snow in the sierras, some end-of-season snow plough fun is by no means off the cards.

Besides regional border closures, there are a couple of important rules to follow: •

Prospective skiers must have purchased a ski pass in advance, online

•

Be coming from a municipality whose borders are not shut

In addition, the capacity of the ski resort is limited to 50% of normal, meaning you’ll need to book early on busy days.

This, of course, works two ways, as it also means the slopes will be much quieter than normal.

Finally, cable cars have a reduced capacity of between 60 to 75%, while masks are compulsory.

IDYLLIC: The Sierra Nevada puts skiers on top of the world

SURFS UP: Some daredevils ditch skis and snowboards as they ride the slopes

€271, while there are generous “Constant improvements and an discounts for children, elderly ability to produce a lot of snow and disabled customers. are just two of the strengths of This is a bargain when you look at our resort,” said Santi Sevilla, what the Sierra Nevada has to of- who has been working at Ceturfer, with 124 different runs for ev- sa, the resort’s administrator, for ery ability, whether you’re Shaun eight years.

White or Barry White.

“Add to that the arrival of the Beginner and intermediate slopes Freestyle Ski World Championship are in abundance with 19 green and Snowboarding here in March, runs and 41 blues – my kind of and the affordability of ski passterritory. es, and you can see why it is one And for Beijing Winter Olympics of the most attractive resorts in hopefuls there are 50 red runs Europe. (difficult) and 14 black and or- “One of my favourite new addiange (very difficult). tions is the Pista del Mar in the There is even more adventure for heart of Borreguiles. the 2019/20 season, with some “This has been created to make 30 events including Snowrunning a fun and safe area where fami(snow mountain race), Potholes lies and beginners can enjoy the (freestyle), School (alpine skiing) snow.” and Veterans (alpine skiing) com- Santi is far from the only skier petitions. smitten by Pradollano’s charms.

But perhaps the most exciting Over one million people visit the will be the Snowresort each year. boardcross event, That is an impressive on March 6 and 7, achievement conThe bar’s walls starring legendary sidering it was only athletes like Lucas include a family constructed in 1964, Eguibar and Regino making it a newbie in photo featuring comparison to some Hernandez.

It’s hard to believe of France’s long-esa fresh-faced that 106,8 kms tablished resorts King Felipe VI like Chamonix and of pistes and 124 runs (75% open in Courchevel. mid-December) lie But there is much just two hours from sunny Marbel- more to the Sierra Nevada than la on sea and half an hour from sliding down it on two planks of Granada. wood.

It truly lives up to the marketing You can tackle it by toboggan and hype as a place where you can ski snowboard, or on a snowshoe in the morning and sunbathe on hike (akin to walking with a tennis the coast, pina colada in hand, by racket strapped to each foot). the afternoon.

Family-oriented Mirlo Blanco park Expert skiers treasure the snow gives kids their adrenalin fix as which, particularly in springtime, they brave the star attraction, Triis quite unlike the tightly-packed neo Ruso (Russian sled), which ice found in many European win- whisks riders around a several ter sports resorts. hundred metre track with tight Some ski fans even brave the turns and a 550 metre descent. mountain descent in bikinis for A magic carpet slide and bouncy the last day of the season in May castles can also be found in the (la bajada en bikini), an unmissa- zone, along with mountains of ble occasion charged with cham- snow for DIY fun. pagne, hedonism and near-nudi- And if that sounds like too much ty. action, you can always swap icy Even on my trip in cold December snow for a hot steam bath and I spotted some shoeless surfer soak up some me-time at one of dudes, wetsuits and boards in several hotel spas. tow.

But all year round, the Sierra

Nevada is paradise for fresh air fiends.

After ‘the melt’, the resort becomes a haunt for walkers, wildlife lovers and mountain bikers.

Get the best views by taking advantage of the ski lifts, which in summer carry both people and bikes to the summit to enjoy the breathtaking routes back down.

Borreguiles, the resort’s impressive ski bowl, boasts a bike park in the hotter months. Youngsters can test their strengths in the mini-olympiads zone or race against each other on the pedal car track.

Guided dawn and dusk walks and a bumper running and cycling race calendar are a magnet keeping the resort busy 12 months of the year.

Back in the icy present, it’s time to sample some of Pradollano’s legendary apres ski scene.

For the perfect start, drop into Bar Esqui where affable landlord Nichu slings cañas across the counter like a bartender in a western saloon while blasting punters with everything from Michael Jackson to 90s club classics.

A hearty pub grub menu – with quality albondigas – is on offer as you scrutinise the history adorning the bar’s walls, including a family photo featuring a freshfaced King Felipe VI. An equally-tasty post-ski belly-warmer is the lentejas, freshly served up by Jose Carlos and his team at the cosy and modestly-priced Casablanca.

La Visera is also a great spot for steak, while Swell, Tito Tapas and La Bodeguita are all definitely worth a trip too.

For those with a bit more spending money, La Muralla’s revamped menu makes that hard work on the slopes all worthwhile. The melt-in-the-mouth carrillada is a must, as is the courgette carpaccio with fig sauce and the peanut tart to finish. And of course, nothing goes down better at this time of year than a steaming glass of tinto de Invierno - spiced, mulled wine. Salud! www.britishskicenter.co.uk

Old age pleasures

T

HEY have been coming to the Sierra Nevada for decades from their home in Almeria.

And, best of all, retired expats (above) Martin and Brenda Carney, 72 and 70, now get their ski passes completely free of charge.

“All we have to do is rent our gear and we have been using the same shop Ski Sol since we first came,” explains former UK hotelier Brenda. “We love it up here and the snow is usually excellent.”

Shop boss Montse (pictured with them) explains that they have dozens of clients in their 70s, and one Norwegian in his NINETIES. “He’s been coming down here for years,” she reveals. “He is amazingly fit and I think skiing really helps him stay that way.” Many of the local business owners still ski every day, well into their sixties.

They include Jose Carlos, at Bodega Casablanca, and EOE skiing school boss Jose Luis Hernandez, 64, who explains: “It’s a great sport, using almost all your muscles, your arms, your legs and your dorsals, not to mention the heart.

“My brother Manolo still skis and he’s in his 80s and I intend to ski when I’m 90.”

Statistically 2.7% of skiers in the Sierra Nevada are over 60 years old. Last but not least there are a lot more Asian skiers coming these days, including the group (left) from China who live in Malaga.

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PROPERTY

February 25th March 10th 2021

15

Sales plunged HOUSE sales in Spain plunged 18% last year, with some tourist hotspots the hardest hit.

According to the country’s National Statistics Institute, 415,000 houses were sold in 2020, the lowest number in four years – but industry insiders say the recovery is well under way.

Overall, property transactions were at the lowest since 2011 despite a modest recovery in the second half of the year as pre-pandemic demand was finally put through the books A spokeswoman for property portal Fotocasa, Anaïs Lopez, said: “Once the confinement began winding down, house sales grew.

“The dynamism registered in the second half of the year meant sales data recovered rapidly, despite ending the year in the red.

Property lows last seen in 2011, but signs are good for 2021

“The demand for purchase is experiencing an unprecedented boom and many Spaniards have switched from looking to

Mixed Messages PROPERTY sales in Alicante Province during January fell by 24% compared to a year earlier, but the region still remains one of the busiest in Spain for house deals.

Last month’s fall is more than the national average decrease which stands at 17.7%. Figures from the National Institute of Statistics (INE) declared 28,286 transactions were concluded last month in Alicante Province, as opposed to 37,140 in January 2020.

The drop is caused by a lack of foreign and domestic buyers being unable to travel to the area due to pandemic restrictions.

The market for both new and second-hand properties fell by equal measure.

Despite the percentages, Alicante Province still had the busiest real estate sector in January per head of population.

A separate study from the College of Registrars showed that the tourist region had 15.35 transactions per 1,000 residents, followed by Malaga Province with 13.93 per 1,000.

The Alicante Real Estate Agency association, Provia, has called on the Valencian Community to allow a ‘travel corridor’ operating on strict health rules to allow people to come into the region to conclude home purchases.

A Provia statement said: “We are convinced that a balance could be achieved of health measures coupled with allowing travel for clients which would allow real estate businesses to combat falling sales.”

An estimated 34,000 home buyers come into Alicante Province each year from home and abroad according to Provia estimates.

Cheaper digs THE average cost of renting a property in Spain has fallen for the first time since the financial crisis.

Rents had been rising every month since June 2013 according to property website Idealista. But in January this year falls were seen as landlords of tourist accommodation started to try to attract an alternative income.

This phenomenon had been signposted in the early stages of the pandemic in the big cities where private landlords offering tourism accommodation had been particularly badly hit.

rent to home buying – particularlñy for larger houses. The intention to buy a home has experienced a growth in six months that we had never seen before.”

Lopez said: “”The pandemic and confinement has awakened a demand for housing that continues to be very active in our country. If we continue with this rhythm of closing operations, it is possible that the economic crisis will not affect the real estate sector too directly and we will continue to see how it evolves in a positive way.”

Regions

In fact, regions blessed with beaches, plentiful natural space or a low population density like La Rioja, Galicia and Cantabria saw house sales soar between 37% and 28% in December compared with the same month in 2019.

But the Balearic and Canary Islands were particularly badly hit , losing 20% and 17% respectively of housing sales year-on-year.

New-build, single-family properties equipped with terraces and gardens held up better against the downward trend compared to older apartments.

have said that this trend has now spread to coastal resorts and the countryside, meaning that average rents have now dipped across the whole country rather than just the cities.

The Spanish average rental now stands at €11 per square metre, according to Idealista.

Trend

Three of Spain’s main real estate portals, Fotocasa, Idealista and Pisos.com

OP Puzzle solutions Across: 7 Spore, 8 Outline, 9 Example, 10 Tweak, 11 Vats, 12 Bridging, 16 Duct tape, 18 Cake, 20 Belle, 22 Markups, 23 Digital, 24 Shred.

Down: 1 Romantic, 2 Heaps, 3 Pole, 4 Stated, 5 Fire!, 6 Peck, 7 Swerved, 13 Rip, 14 In a hurry, 15 Guessed, 17 Thefts, 19 Wrest, 20 Body, 21 Luge, 22 Milk.

SUDOKU

Quick Crossword

16

FOOD,DRINK & TRAVEL

Big spenders LOCKDOWN has Brits dreaming of their next escape, with trips to Spain top of their wish list.

TUI said families are shelling out an extra 20% more on the summer vacations in 2021, as they splash cash on longer breaks and better hotels.

The travel giant has seen a booking boom, taking over 1.5million orders for the summer months.

Foreign travel for leisure purposes remains illegal under the lockdown rules in England, Scotland and Wales, but Brits are already forward planning for when the travel restrictions are lifted.

Demand has been fuelled by the vaccine roll-out and TUI said bookings made in January are up by around 70% compared to December across all THE Valencian tourism board has launched an intensive campaign to attract Chinese visitors.

Planned to coincide with Chinese New Year, the online scheme targeted travellers and the tourist industry in the Asian country with promotion on all major digital information services.

This included opening official accounts on WeChat and Weibo, said to be the main sources of travel information in China, where the Valen-

Brits are shelling out 20% more for summer holidays

DREAMING: Luxury breaks are top of the list

By Kirsty McKenzie

the countries it operates in.

But sales for this summer are still down 44% compared with 2019. Greece and Spain are

Big plan cian promoters plan to publish regular updates every week providing travel ideas and suggestions.

Turismo has also created a new internet portal specifically for the Chinese market, www. travelregionofvalencia. cn, with information on things to see and do, food, culture and practical advice about visas and transport.

the most popular countries to travel to, with Brits spending an average 20% more on their holidays abroad. TUI said the surge in prices was due to customers ‘trading up’ by booking longer breaks, staying in better hotels and going in larger family groups. On a like-for-like basis, prices were the same, it said.

TUI chief executive Fritz Joussen said: “The English market has a special significance for our company.

“We see an impressive pace and ambitious targets for vaccinations there.

“Vaccinations and rapid tests make an end to the standstill in tourism possible.”

“I am hopeful that after a slow start, more energy is now being put on vaccination and the availability of rapid tests in other countries.”

February 25th - March 10th 2021

A SPANISH company is to offer a somewhat different balloon ride with a chance to hit the earth’s atmosphere. Barcelona firm, Zero 2 Infinity, was formed in 2009 to develop high-altitude balloons to get close access to space with a low Earth orbit.

A giant helium balloon, known as the Bloon capsule, will take up to four passengers from a Spanish launch site to an altitude of 40 kms above ground, some four times higher than what a commercial airliner reaches. The ticket price will be around €107,000 per person with two onboard pilots.

Once the balloon reaches its altitude limit, the pod with the passengers and pilots detaches itself and deploys a foil parachute for an hour-long descent back to Earth.

No actual public launch date has been announced but test runs are expected later in the year.

Up, up and away!

How to survive?

The difficulties of movement and visas over Brexit, issues over the darned virus. Benny Davis is more worried about where to get his Bovril

O

VER the centuries, us Brits have maintained our traditional stiff upper lip through a multitude of catastrophic situations.

Don’t panic, keep calm: keystone foundation words that generations have faithfully adhered to while sheltering under the symbol of free society, our very own Union Jack.

We have survived world wars,

OL D HA CK IN TH E SU N

Benny Davis

Ramblings of an 80-someth ing expat

bubonic plagues, droughts, floods, and even various strains of this darned pandemic.

Nothing has budged us from our loyalty to the flag.

But now we are facing the singly most challenging time of our lives, a situation that could well see the total collapse of the expat standard of integrated life in our adopted country Spain.

No, it’s not Covid, it’s the sight of empty shelves in British food shops along the costas.

No matter how we try to adapt to foreign environments, our main bloodline is not A, B, AB, or even O, it is RBY, (roast beef and Yorkies,) some with a flavouring of F&C (fish, and chips).

We may have ditched the black socks and sandals, the baggy Eric Morecombe shorts, and even had a peck at paella or fiddled with seafood fideua, but deep down we don’t do ‘foreign’ very well. Real fresh veg and good old fashioned home cooking is our unshakable heritage.

So, unless the EU stops playing silly games with our UK food deliveries, we could see an uprising of Brit expats on a scale never seen since DH Lawrence’s Lady Chatterley’s Lover was banned from the bookshelves.

We will be demonstrating outside town halls and government offices, loudly shouting pidgin-English while madly waving our arms and hands in desperate attempts to also connect through mime and help those officials too lazy to learn English.

Mark my words, be prepared for expat-Armageddon happening sometime soon before lockdown is lifted.

Late news flash: Sorry, cancel Armageddon. Just had a phone call from my local Iceland GRUMPY: Vital supplies for Benny Davis to inform me they h a v e had a The successful roll-out of Covid vaccidelivery nes in the UK, underlines the fact that of Shithe EU rapid response to emergency p m a n’ s us nd understa we although that fact the sloth a as fast as about situations is bloater there list, priority the of top not are ‘uns old suffering from chronic arthritis. paste, ion informat of blackout total a be to seems While it seems that all over 80s have steak out. received their jabs back in Blighty, as to when the vaccines will be dished deand kidvulnerable expats in Spain are still Then there are the inevitable rumours ney pucells to the grey little our confuse to signed r whateve V-Day, or God for waiting ddings uction. self-destr of point comes first. and cod over priority receive nationals Spanish Will hopefuLacking the protection of the in beer Rusand China to turn EU the Will lly life-saving magic needle, the over ex-pats? b a t t e r. ? vaccines 80s are trying to keep safe by virtua- sia for substitute Must get home back family lly locking themselves away in Alca- So, I ask all friends and there ) to stop Yorkshire or Sweden Holland, it (be talk even to afraid s, condition traz-like befostill we why asking by agony the on piling Lo. letterbox the to anyone through re any finiyou as vaccine the received haven’t aged neliness and lack of care have greedy, ago. weeks selfish the once rejuvenated Sangria-injected shed takeand wines cheap in Just let us wallow ex-pats expat community back to reality. ourselfor beat me Dream over! This mentally insane away meals while feeling sorry to it! situation has been compounded by ves.

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18

FOOD,DRINK & TRAVEL

The HIGH-light hikes

Carved into sheer cliff faces or teetering above dizzying drops, Spain is home to

a host of hiking routes that will make your hairs stand on end. Laurence

February 25th - March 10th 2021

El Barranc de l’Infern Loop (Hell’s Ravine), Valencia

Crumbie picks out eight of the country’s most kneetrembling trails

Caminito del Rey, Malaga

Let’s start with the one everyone knows. Pinned into the steep walls of El Chorro gorge, this 3km boardwalk rises to over 100m above the river below and was dubbed the ‘world’s most dangerous walkway’ following five fatal accidents in the space of two years.

After almost a decade in disrepair, the route was reopened in 2015 and can now be traversed by those with the nerve.

Infernal by name, infernal by nature: this demanding 15km trail in the north of Alicante includes a gruelling stretch of 6,800 steps that wind up La Vall de Laguar.

Curiously, its nickname is the ‘Cathedral of Trekking,’ though the only blessings on this route are numerous photo opportunities of the jaw-dropping rocky valley.

Puigsacalm pels Ganox, Catalonia

Winding through a craggy gorge of the same name, so narrow at times that trekkers have to sidle along the river edge as they cling to the rock face, Los Cahorros is a tricky route popular among walkers and climb-

This circular route that takes you up the mighty 1500m Puigsacalm mountain is actually gentle going for the most part and offers sublime views of the eastern Pyrenees, as well as the wedgedshaped stone summits that distinguish the Transversal Range. Once you reach the pels Ganox, however, your heart will hammer as you realise that this series of small metal walkways and hooks are all you can use to scale the sheer rock face.

Ruta de Los Cahorros de Monachil, Granada ers alike. Its highlight is a 63m suspension bridge that trembles as you cross it. Or maybe that’s your knees …

Ruta de Las Pasarelas de Montefalco, Catalonia

Also known as the Divine Gorge, this 11km trail traces the crystalline Cares River as it weaves through the rugged Picos de Europa.

Its narrow pathway sculptured into rocky hillsides boasts breathtaking views of the mountains that can be enjoyed by all.

However those with vertigo are perhaps better off averting their eyes from the dizzying gorge below.

Ruta del Cares, Asturias Zigzagging up a steep orange cliff face on the border of Catalonia and Aragon, these wooden ‘pasarela’ walkways offer some of the most spectacular views in the Sierra de Montsec. The route is not for the fainthearted, as local guides

El Saltillo, Axarquia Strung between the rugged hillsides of Sedella and Canillas de Aceituno in the Sierra de Tejeda y Almijara, this 52m bridge forms part of the seventh stage of the Gran Senda de Malaga and is set to become a tourist hotspot.

It hangs 50m above the Almanchares River and has been branded the ‘Caminito del Rey of the Axarquia’ - another thrilling fix for adrenaline junkies in Malaga province.

will tell you, but it does lead to one of Catalonia’s most celebrated natural wonders – the Congost de Mont-rebei, an awesome gorge brimming with sparkling turquoise water that meanders into the distance.

Windsor Suspension Bridge, Gibraltar

Part of the Thrill Seeker’s Trail in the Upper Rock Nature Reserve, you feel a bit like one of the Rock’s nimble macaques as you creep across this 71m feat of engineering while drinking in vistas of the glittering strait, city and bay. But only look down if you are as comfortable with heights as those cheeky monkeys - that 50m drop is enough to make anyone’s heart skip several beats...

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BUSINESS

February 25th - March 10th 2021

Bounce back Economy to surge in 2021 according to EC

Toy shops chopped POPULAR toy shop chain Imaginarium is being cut down in size.

The company has said that it will close all but two of its stores nationwide.

The economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has become too much for the shopping centre stalwart with dramatic losses causing the brand to cull 82% of its workforce.

Imaginarium will keep just two of its physical stores open, one of which operates out of the El Ingenio shopping Centre in Velez Malga.

The other store chosen to remain open is in Zaragoza.

The closures will mean that 119 of a total of 144 employees will be laid off.

Imaginarium will still continue to operate its online store for now but it is unclear in the long term whether it will be affected.

SPAIN will enjoy the biggest post-COVID economic bounce in the European Union.

This is the forecast of the European Commission (EC), which has raised its forecast for the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) growth to a startling 5.6% in 2021.

It is the biggest increase forecast for any of the 27 nations in the bloc.

Grow According to the EC’s Winter 2021 Forecast, GDP will grow three-tenths of a point higher than the 5.3% previously predicted. It also thinks GDP will rise a further 5.3% in 2022, but this will still leave it below pre-pandemic levels.

Although the EC figures can be viewed as optimistic considering the EU average for GDP growth predicted is 3.7% for 2021, ithey are not as rosy as the Spanish government’s own predictions.

These for a spectacular rise in GDP of 7.2% this year.

A NEW supermarket price war led by Aldi and Lidl has been predicted by one of Spain’s major retail market research analysts.

Florencio Garcia from Kantar España believes that increased demand from consumers will see further price reductions over the next few weeks. Garcia said: “Price cutting between Aldi and Lidl is inevitable but shoppers also want quality, and rivals

RECOVERY: Huge EU grants will aid regions get back on track Part of the reason for the discrepancy is that Brussels did not take into account

Battle lines to chains like Mercadona have learnt lessons from the past where they simply wanted to copy the success of the Spanish supermarket giant”.

The country’s traditional top three of Mercadona, Carrefour and Dia all lost market share in 2020, with Lidl breaking in to overhaul Dia in terms of sales. The threat from Aldi and Lidl has seen Carrefour and Dia both enter a price war via special promotions and loyalty cards, but Mercadona has held back from joining in the fray.

“Mercadona is still the number one retailer with a market share of 24.5% in 2020, which was a 1.1% fall on the previous year,” Garcia commented. “The chain has to reinforce online sales and also tempt previous customers who have shopped around during the pandemic and not returned.”

the impact of the European recovery fund, which will offer Spain as much as €140 billion in grants and loans.

Madrid estimates that this financial boost will add 2.1% to the growth rate.

The EC report said: “While the outlook for the near term looks weaker than expected last autumn, growth in the European economy is set to resume this spring and gather momentum in the summer, as progress in vaccinations allows for a gradual unfreezing of economic activity.”

Economy Commissioner Paolo Gentiloni said “Because the recession in 2020 was not as deep as expected, and thanks to the breakthroughs regarding vaccines, we now project the EU economy will return to its pre-crisis GDP level already in 2022.”

21

Freeloading curbed

THE Valencia region is targeting motorhome owners who park up ‘illegally’ overnight a part of a raft of new tourism accommodation regulations.

Other parts of Spain are looking on to see what sort of effect the new regulations in Valencia will have.

The law will come into effect in tourist zones across the Valencian Community from May 8.

The new rule mirrors a recent nationwide ban announced in Portugal on motorhomes parking up wherever they want to to save money, or to perhaps stay ‘under the radar’ from authorities.

The Portuguese law started last month and defined overnight parking as running between 9pm and 7am. During the day, a motorhome in Portugal can park anywhere but without opening up windows and awnings that can be classified as ‘setting up camp’.

In the Valencian Community, the motorhome changes come within the whole spectrum of regulating tourist accommodation.

The law ensures proper registration of rental properties so that owners pay tax to the regional government and also maintain an appropriate standard.

Motorhome parks fall under that classification which strongly implies as well that vehicle owners choosing to park illegally will be penalised

Danish Delight VUELING will launch a series of new Danish routes for the summer season linking two cities to key Spanish tourist areas.

The low-cost carrier will take on the likes of Ryanair and SAS in running twice-weekly services to Copenhagen and Billund out of Malaga.

Palma de Mallorca will get Vueling flights to both Danish centres, with Alicante-Elche airport running three services per week to Copenhagen.

Vueling, who are part of the IAG group that own Iberia, British Airways, and Air Lingus, will start the new routes in mid-June.

The firm has also ramped up its Scandinavian portfolio from its main Barcelona base with four new routes from El Prat airport.

They will take in Billund, as well as Bergen and Stavanger in Norway, in addition to Gothenburg in Sweden Vueling has emphasised that maximum safety measures against COVID-19 will be maintained for the ‘safety of all passengers and crews’.

GREEN

22 www.theolivepress.es Going deep ENERGY giant Iberdrola is planning the first industrial-scale floating offshore wind farm in Spain with an investment of €1 billion-plus.

The 300MW plant will produce clean energy off an as yet unidentified part of the Spanish coast, from 2026.

The study, design and engineering could begin this year and it could generate more than 2,800 jobs through design and construction.

The scheme involves 66 companies and technology centres, and will contribute to the fight against

In a new green column, Martin Tye asks are you aware that Spain is the Dirty Man of Europe?

ALL I NEED IS THE AIR THAT I BREATHE…

Green matters

By Martin Tye

climate change, with 202,500 tonnes of carbon emissions saved per year once operational.

Iberdrola has now submitted the plan to the Next Generation EU programme.

Burning issue

By Dilip Kuner

THERE is nothing many expats love more than a roaring fire or a fuel efficient log-burning stove.

But beware. While a log fire might be charming it could be bad for your health, two studies have found.

A UK Department of the Environment report says that wood-burning in the home accounts for 38% of PM 2.5 pollution – a form of fine particle pollution that is considered particularly dangerous as it penetrates deep into the lungs and bloodstream.

This figure is triple the same contamination emitted by vehicles, which makes up 12% of the UK’s total.

February 25th - March 10th 2021

Log stoves and fires are more harmful for health and environment then road traffic

A second report shows that wood-burning stoves and fires are much more polluting than thought.

The Dutch study by the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) says that fires are responsible for an alarming 23%

Down in the dumps SPAIN has been ignoring critical European-wide waste recycling targets.

The country has not just been missing an EU set 50% recycling (or re-use) target, but the situation is getting worse.

An alliance of 16 environmental organisations have filed a complaint with the European Commission (EC) demanding the government is forced to act.

The complaint, which has been accepted by the EC, is a ‘historic milestone and is motivated by years and years of erratic policies, stagnant selective collection and recycling rates and total disinterest in promoting prevention and reuse’ according to Ecologists in Action. According to the latest government data, the recycling rate for municipal waste in Spain stood at 35% in 2018.

The complaint states that ‘not only has this insufficient figure worsened, but Spain has not implemented any of the policies that the Commission has been recommending in recent years to reach the 50% target by 2020’.

of fine particulate emissions in the Netherlands.

This is double the previous estimate of 10% and is set to lead to new urgent legislation around Europe.

European guidelines now rule that particulates produced as condensation just outside the chimney should be included in the figures, as well as those in the air.

This means log fires and wood burning stoves are important contributors to fine particulate pollution, along with traffic, industry and agriculture.

Comfort

According to another report by the environmental planning bureau PBL, the cheapest way of dealing with particulate pollution would be to ban diesel cars without a particulate filter and older generation wood-burning stoves.

There could however be some comfort and a temporary let off for expats, most of whom live in the campo. The unhealthy effects of wood-burning are far worse in urban areas where emissions can concentrate, leading to health problems.

...So The Hollies sang back in 1974.

An iconic song, covered by many artists, and wrongly interpreted as a love song. Not true.

The lyrics were written by Mike Hazlewood (British) and Albert Hammond (Gibraltarian) shortly after they arrived in LA for the first time. And there, they saw for the first time SMOG. As they looked out over the Hollywood Hills all they could see was an ugly yellow monster.

That was then, but what about now?

Try and wrap your mind around these harrowing facts: ●● Air pollution accounts for 1 in 8 deaths worldwide ●● According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), air pollution has the greatest impact on global health ●● Air pollution is clearly linked to a large number of medical conditions, namely: • Cardiovascular disease • Cancer • Acute respiratory infections • Chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases(COPD) ●● 91% of the world’s population live in places where air quality exceeds WHO limits.

So what about our beloved Spain?

In 2015 Spain was labelled Europe’s most polluted country by the European Environment Agency (EEA). Ouch!

I’ll wager not many readers knew that!

Obviously pollution varies regionally, and comes in many forms. From plastics on our beaches to heavy emissions from industry and vehicle exhaust fumes. The worst affected areas in Spain are Madrid, Barcelona and the coastal area around Valencia.

Pollution levels on the Costa del Sol fare well, behind only Galicia and the wider Levante region.

In Andalucia, Malaga province performs well.

Why? Lack of heavy industry and living on the coast we are subject to continual easterly and westerly winds which act as drains for harmful gases.

Martin Tye is the owner of energy switch copany Mariposa Energy.

Email him at martin@mariposaenergia.es

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Spain has had in place targets and frameworks to ensure sustainable development and improve environmental conditions. The economic difficulties of 2008-2014 impacted on this programme.

In 2018, Spain announced an ambitious environmental policy that would see the country end its dependence on fossil fuels, and instead draw 75% of its electricity from renewable sources by 2030, rising to 100% by 2050.

Politicians are renowned for making future commitments that they won’t be around to see finalised!

Still, where there’s a promise there is hope.

Pressure from within the European Union has stimulated Spain’s resolve. Until recently Spain occupied the unenviable position of being the only country in the world with a ‘Sun Tax’.

Truly unbelievable! People who installed solar panels were taxed for the electricity they produced. Utter madness.

Thankfully all that has now gone, enabling the solar panel industry to emerge again and give consumers the ability to reduce their electricity bills in an environmentally efficient way.

Ultimately, Spain’s goal is to completely decarbonise its economy.

Spain has stopped issuing new licences for oil and gas production, has closed most of its coal mines, and is running down its nuclear energy programme.

Spain is increasing its efforts with particular focus on solar and wind.

This renewable energy plan seeks to reverse rising carbon emissions.

According to the British market research and data analysis firm YouGov, over 80% of Spaniards believe that climate change is a threat.

Let’s see what they do about it!

After all, All I need is the air that I breathe...

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HEALTH Sweet temptation SPANISH researchers say that breakfast cereals crammed with sugar are playing a big part in the country’s rising childhood obesity numbers.

The transition from the traditional Mediterranean diet to the consumption of processed foods with low nutritional value is a key contributor, with child-targeted advertising also partly to blame according to Mireia Montaña from the University Oberta of Catalunya.

Montaña, claims the majority of breakfast products marketed for children contain three times as much sugar as those aimed at adults, influencing their choices for one of the most important meals of the day.

Her study analysed 355 advertisements from 117 different products between 2015 and 2019.

February 25th - March 10th 2021

VITAMIN D reduces coronavirus deaths by 60%, a study in Spain has suggested.

Research has shown that a vitamin usually procured from natural sunlight could help boost COVID-19 survival rates.

Scientists from Hospital del Mar in Barcelona found that doses of Vitamin D given to COVID-19 patients ‘reduced mortality in more than 60%’. They also found that patients treated with the vitamin were also 80%, less likely to require ICU treatment.

The research, published by the Social Science Research Network evaluated the effectiveness of calcifediol - a Vitamin D3 - on more than 550 people.

Those who took part in the trial were randomly assigned as either recipients of the calcifediol treatment or as controls on admission.

Although the paper is still in the preliminary stages and awaiting peer review, results showed 36 of the 551

Sunny D-iscovery Sunshine vitamin linked to 60% drop in COVID death rate

By Kirsty McKenzie

patients treated with calcifediol died from COVID-19, compared to 57 patients out of 379 in the control group.

Researchers found only 5% of the calcifediol group were admitted to the critical care units.

The study has resulted in calls for hospitals to start using Vitamin D ‘immediately’ to treat COVID-19 patients.

Hope

The UK’s former Brexit Secretary, MP David Davis, said the findings from the Spanish hospital are part of

Over 80s Jab SPAIN ‘S new health minister, Carolina Darias, has pledged that 80% of over 80s will have been given a COVID jab by the end of March’.

Seven regions - Andalucia, Valencia, Aragon, Murcia, the Canary Islands, Cantabria and Catalunya - have begun to administer jabs to the elderly.

However, they are each going about it in their own way.

In the Valencia region, authorities are starting with the over 90s and have agreed to set up mass vaccination centres in Alicante, Elche, Castellon and Valencia.

In November 2020, Ximo Puig, President of the Valencia Community, announced that he hoped to roll out some 200,000 COVID-19 vaccinations within the first three months of this year.

But data from the Spanish Health Ministry tells a better story, as over 250,000 doses of coronavirus vaccines have already been administered in the region.

Dear Jennifer:

Do I need to get on top of my insurance cover?

I AM very upset that no lorries seem to be getting here and English supermarkets are getting emptier and emptier due to Brexit.

Due to COVID, very little is being mentioned about Brexit in the press, but there must be many companies distraught about the current trading conditions.

Let’s hope this can all be worked out and they can start to supply us with our favourite foods at some stage soon.

Regarding the vaccine, it is all a little confusing in Spain. Sadly due to the EU, Europe is going to be well behind the UK with recovery because until the vaccine is distributed to the vast majority, nothing is going to happen to make it safer for us.

Due to Brexit regulations, health insurance has been extremely busy as this is part of the residencia application.

OUT OF STOCK: British snacks

23

I understand some are refusing to insure their vehicles. Even if your car is off the road, or you are not in Spain to drive it, it still needs to be insured – this is Spanish law.

At the same time, please make sure that you have adequate house insurance cover – a cheap price will not give you what you need, especially as there are a lot of desperate people around. You need to take precautions regarding leaving anything in your car and if you are absent from your property, you do need to consider an alarm linked to the police.

It is all about protecting yourself, your family and your assets.

Can I suggest that your partner/family discuss the merits of a funeral plan.

I appreciate that it is not a nice subject but I understand that there are many people without a will or funeral plan.

This, of course, makes it very difficult for your loved ones. Lack of a will creates an on-going situation and is difficult and costly to resolve.

Exactly the same applies when no funeral plan is in place. It is worth it to protect your loved ones. Handling grief is very difficult and provokes so many emotions.

Try not to make it more difficult for each other. Come and talk to us. We are there to help you make the right decisions.

For help, advice and information, please contact one of my offices or visit my website www.jennifercunningham.net

a ‘very important study’ and could ‘save many thousands of lives.’

He said: “Since the study demonstrates that the clear relationship between vita-

COVID drugs boost

min D and COVID mortality is causal, the UK government should increase the dose and availability of free vitamin D to all the vulnerable groups.

“These approaches will save many thousands of lives.

They are overdue and should be started immediately.”

Scientists wrote: ”Adjusted results showed a reduced mortality of more than 60 per cent for people who re-

ceived the treatment.

“We have observed that, in hospitalised COVID-19 patients, treatment with calcifediol reduced the requirement for critical care by more than 80%.

“This supports the conclusion of a prior pilot trial in Cordoba in which calcifediol treatment led to a reduction of more than 50% of ICU admissions in hospitalised COVID-19 patients.”

SHARES in Spanish pharmaceutical company PharmaMar have surged after scientists confirmed ‘potent preclinical efficacy’ of its drug Aplidin against COVID-19.

The study, printed in peer-reviewed journal Science, suggests its vaccine is potentially effective in preventing people getting ill and works across all age groups.

The news pushed PharmaMar shares more than 20% higher and the Dow to a record.

Tolerated

The drug, approved in Australia for the treatment of multiple myeloma, blocks a protein associated with the COVID-19 virus.

Toxicity of the drug is well known and the doses used in COVID-19 trials are well tolerated in humans, the company said.

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FINAL WORDS

Square eyes EIGHT in 10 - or 43 million - Spaniards use the internet for an average of six hours and 11 minutes every day, with two of those hours dedicated to social media, according to the report ‘Digital 2021’.

Petrol money SOME of the money collected for motoring offences will now go towards funding driving lessons for under 26-year-olds who have no job or are on very low incomes.

expat

voice in Spain

Everyone freeze!

Vol. 2 Issue 34 www.theolivepress.es February 25th - March 10th 2021

Doggy style SPAIN’s leading fashion designer, Zara, has introduced a new clothing line for pets, giving dogs the chance to strut about the streets in cotton scarves, bomber jackets, rugs and other stylish accessories.

Your

STICKY FINGERS

A SPANISH lorry driver has been arrested after selling a stolen 12-ton consignment of German chocolate at a bargain-basement price.

The bumper haul was scheduled to arrive at the Elche Business Park, but the goods never got there.

The owner of the haulage company told police that his employee, who only joined the firm eight days earlier, had gone missing on his return from Germany. GPS tracking revealed that the lorry spent two hours at an industrial estate near Alicante on the final leg of its journey.

The driver sold the cargo for just €1,200 for a consignment with a retail value of €250,000.

Unholy row IT is one of the most stunning cathedrals in Spain and well trodden by pilgrims on the Ruta de Santiago.

But residents of Burgos have - so far - been unable to keep out three unwelcome interlopers: the Virgin Mary, Jesus and God himself.

The trio recently arrived in the form of three huge brass doors set to adorn the entrances to celebrate the building’s 800th anniversary.

A hellish row has broken out over them with 31,000 people so far signing a petition to have them repelled.

Even UNESCO has been forced to step in after locals dubbed the doors at the World Heritage Site as an ‘artistic outrage’.

The petition attacked the doors as ‘an eyesore’, claiming ‘no anniversary warrants such ill treatment of our heritage’.

Acting on a report by the International Council on Mon-

UNESCO wades in to hellish battle over monstrous cathedral doors

IT is one of the 20th century’s most iconic images.

The moment when Lieutenant Colonel Antonio Tejero raised his pistol into the air and fired into the ceiling to show he meant business and an attempted coup was under way in Spain.

It is exactly 40 years since 40 bullets ripped into the ceiling of Madrid’s parliament as he and his men attempted to wind Spain back to the days of the dictatorship.

Rogue

By Kirsty McKenzie

uments and Sites (Icomos), UNESCO has recommended scrapping the project.

But Cathedral chiefs said the doors, designed by the award-winning artist Antonio Lopez, must stay.

They insist the doors complement ‘a monument al-

Peace of mind

for every sunset

Arranging a funeral abroad can be overwhelming. But with us by your side, you can simply get on with enjoying every day in the sun.

ready rendered in five artistic styles that are the fruit of each stage of its eight centuries’.

The current wooden doors are old and in a poor state of repair.

The final decision on the new doors will be taken by the culture department of the government of Castilla y León.

Filmed live on television, the February 23 attempted coup saw Tejero achieve infamy as he led 200 rogue Guardia Civil into Madrid’s parliament and shouted ‘Everyone freeze!’

The overthrow attempt thankfully fizzled out as King Juan Carlos ordered soldiers to stay in their barracks, but it put Spain through a shaky few days.

Tejero’s face certainly became familiar through his criminal trial for sedition, which led to him serving 15 years in prison.

Few people today know that the 88-year-old allegedly lives in Fuengirola, while his son is a priest in Marbella.

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