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NA MDLOG Your expat YTLIUG voice in Spain
Vol. 15 Issue 365 www.theolivepress.es March 24th - April 6th 2021
Lessons needed
nevig neeb evah niapS ni SMITCIV namdloG legiN retfa epoh hserf eht ni duarf fo ytliug dnuof saw .KU saw sserP evilO eht woh draeh yruj A -raey-85 eht gnignirb ni latnemurtsni ot ,etnoM led drawoH dellac won ,dlo .ecitsuj owt ,enilno stroper ruo gnittops retfA snioc dlog eviecer ot deliaf ohw nem dellac mih morf desahcrup dah yeht dnuof saw eh ,retal raey A .ecilop ni won dna duarf fo stnuoc owt no ytliug .liaj secaf
ot tekcit yaw enO 4 egaP !liaj
THE START: The first edition of the Olive Press in 2006
15 years of fun
As the Olive Press reaches its 15th birthday, we recall a few of our favourite interviews and remember a couple of our top readers, such as ex-prime minister Rajoy (above) and prime joker Paul Gascoigne...
EXCLUSIVE: Private school warning after a convicted British paedophile moved to Spain, dodged criminal record checks and found work as an English teacher INTERNATIONAL schools around Spain have been put on high alert after a British man began teaching at one of Madrid’s most exclusive colleges months after being convicted in the UK. Questions have been raised after Ben Lewis, 31, was able to work at the school despite being on the UK’s sex offenders register. The Olive Press has discovered that Lewis, who is now awaiting trial for child sex offences at Centro Penitenciario Madrid V, managed to hoodwink TWO schools and a
NAMES: two different passports
Fiona Govan in Madrid language academy after creating a new identity, using forged documents. Former colleagues of the sex offender revealed that he created a new name to dodge criminal record checks in order to run summer camps and teach private classes to young children. He had changed his name to Ben David after being convicted in June 2016 of taking and possessing indecent images of children in England. As well as being placed on the sex offender list and being handed a two-year suspended sentence, he was barred from leaving the country or working with children. Yet within weeks he had moved to Spain and found work in Zaragoza as a livein au pair to a family with three young children. The following year he relocated to Madrid and began teaching children at a well-known language academy after getting a criminal record check from Zaragoza police to show he had no convictions in Spain over the previous 12 months. Then in December
2017 he accepted a job as an English teacher at a leading semi-private (concertado) secondary school that receives subsidies from the state. “He was going by the name Ben David by then and was offered the job after another teacher dropped out mid-term,” a former colleague Natasha Fitzsimons told the Olive Press. “I think they were desperate to fill the position so maybe they weren’t as thorough as they should have been.
Horrified
“We worked together at the school for 18 months, took on private classes together going to the homes of some of the children for extracurricular teaching and ran a summer camp at the school during 2018,” said the Irish colleague, who is filled with horror at the access he had to children. The Olive Press has discovered that the day after sentencing in the UK he changed his name by deed poll from Ben David Lewis to Ben David, in a process that takes just 15 minutes. He then applied for and received a British passport in his new name, while he also presented a doctored photocopy of his Israeli passport stamped and verified by a non-existent law firm that showed his name as Ben David Rose. The Olive Press has seen photocopies of these, plus a teaching degree and Qualified Teaching Status (QTS) ALL AREAS COVERED certificates presented in the name of Ben David Rose as well as certificates in his original name. 4G UNLIMITED What is amazing is that by April INTERNET 2019 he had applied for a teaching IDEAL FOR job at a leading private school in the STREAMING TV upmarket Arturo Soria district that teaches the British curriculum to the ALSO IPTV, children of Madrid’s elite. SATELLITE TV By now he also had a DBS certificate
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DANGER: Lewis got teaching post
...meanwhile, we spend time at the home of the world’s most famous plumber as he announces he’s becoming a Spanish citizen, after 15 years here and losing €15m to his ex-wives...
SKY + THE DOCTOR +
See full story on page
By Tom Powell and Jamie Micklethwaite NiCOSTA del Sol fraudster out gel Goldman is hiding in a classic English country cottage under the false name ‘Howard del Monte’. Goldman - aka ‘Del Monte’ has also returned to the business of buying and selling it coins, stamps and antiques, can be revealed. Renting on a six month lease in the charming Berkshire village of Kintbury, he and
2
It’s MORE fun in the sun
Cartel behind Putin’s mystery costa home EXCLUSIVE
The Olive Press can reveal that the Russian President may have bought a multimilliona euro Marbella mansion with group of six businessmen.
See full story on page
3
in BRITS are still happier Spain, despite reports suggesting 90,000 have abandoned the expat dream. An exclusive Olive Press survey found that more than three quarters of our readers are happier since making the move.
For the full story, see No end to Spanish dream on page 4.
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errania
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October
October
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26th -
November
26th -
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River deep,high mountain Rob Horgan goes native in the Serrania de Ronda and discovers backroad the the Genal gems of Valley
T
HIGH:
The view
up to the
city from
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a typical
HERE are few places beer with in the general an army general world where Ronda, stands all the … you can Celebrating however, rounds!and even fewer drink bar El Porton,a recent is one of where those places. the ish Legionnaire an olé promotion After introducingCarlosaway from with friends Velo is Spain’s oldestin quintessential quail eggs eager to - Carlosme to the town’s Iraq, Afghanistan include bullring - Span(above) me in the the ‘best regales signature tapa and party. me with “I have place in the Bosnia before tales - jamon been all world’. explaining from toursand says, taking over why Ronda to back into a swig the world and seen is been to.” his face. from his cana many “But Ronda and Originally things,” is the pushing his he ago when from Madrid, best place glasses he joined Carlos its two I have moved ever naires national basesthe Spanish to Ronda at present. some 35 Legion, here, counting “The quality which years can live of life on around has one in Ronda of 800 legioneveryonelike a gentleman is like else. “Everything here, in nowhere else Madrid is affordable, ing from I would in Spain. I in your tapas bar just be if you like to tapas pocket. like “And the bar and you can spend scenery you will the still have day gois breathtaking,” change he adds. “The walks Continues
town scene
on next
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SWATHES The hulking danger of of rural Andalucia shell of concrete being concreted are in set for a 311-room a new planning over after mega resort- once remained by the regional law was brought work was an eyesore for years - has in Green groups government. halted by Bunkers are the courts. after tas en Accion including Ecologis700-home also being dug to joined with and Greenpeace stop golf course Nerja, which scheme, neara ciations to hundreds of local have assofight on a ment of one will see the developfronts opened series of new final stretchesof the Costa del up during crisis. the COVID And protestersof pristine coast. Sol’s They are SOON LEGAL?: up in arms in Mijas digging in called LISTA are over the so- one, Algarrobico used to buildto stop the law also but TWO the lockdown law - passed during being in woods new hotels beaches in the - that is set dozens of the supposedlyon virgin The sea at El Chaparral. overlooking to first of ects to go previously outlawed allow ed natural park protectahead. of Cabo proj- The first took place many planned protests In particular, involves the de Gata. outside council a 30-room la Cala activists are green light about a hotel near for It couldde Mijas this week. offices in outraged famous the globally course in controversial new Bahia de also Nerja, as golf beach, while Valdevaquerossee the controversial Los Genoveses stand of woodland well as the project of homes in Mijas. a final star hotel close second is for a twoThey are go up on of hundreds also furious de San Pedro to the pristine tected a heavily-proCala Under virgin beach, near about not Protestors bay (pictured Tarifa. above). the recently now allow fear the new law will project, the legalization also Rosa backed by TV resubmitted celebrity Quintana, of nearby between Bolonia the stunning Ana El Algarroand Tarifa area see a series bico hotel, Ecologists of hotels get built.would built are dis- Los gracefully Merinos also worried that the courses and project for two-golf on a virgin hundreds es on UNESCO-protected beach, near of housland near Carboneras, virgin Ronda could despite being due to be revived, p l a n n i n a preme Court. quashed by the Sug mix up. Fairway to hell: See page 6
GREEN CAMPAIG (left and top) Tel: 952NS: Against golf 147 834 in issue courses See page 24 lopment (above) one last year and coastal deve-
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Removing the floor
A VICTORY for mortgage been awarded of Justice. owners by the European has The court Court mortgage has ruled that two holders to additional in million because refundsSpain are entitled from It came they paid too muchthe banks clauses’ due to the interest. fail to that saw most so-called Spanish ‘floor rowers lower their interest banks to match rates to the European the The court Central base rate setborruled that Bank. by that repayments it was entire life of should unfair time that the mortgage cover and continue interest rates during the to be. were low the When and loweredthe central bank economy to stimulate base rate was some repayments years the eurozone ago, mortgage 1.5% to should continued2%, howeverhave tracked it to many to pay The surprise 3.5% and borrowers be appealed. ruling is final more. Around and cannot now be two million timated set to receiveborrowers should to be worth repayments, billions of euros.es-
Little slice of home
BRITISH yours for gym The chic spree in expats are a cool London on bella, justnew addition England. and the a buy-to-let the latest east of the to Bahia According south east Marto mortgage of installed technology,town, includes International sound cant rise and underfloor there has lender Skipton system, with a prebeen a cent years.in expat investment The property, heating. solar panels signifiNew figures Properties, marketed over rereveal to-lets by Panorama with 24-hoursits in a gated community are in are in the UK40% of expats’ security. capital, buy“Pricesthe pricey south while 25% east. nificantlyin London ing that in the pasthave increased sigattractivecapital gainsfew years, have beenmeanmortgage for investors,” very “Expats director Nigel said Skipton Pascoe. ing and have many reasons the mostlong term investment for investThe trendimportant.” is usually has occurred come pats, easier to secure as it has who previously lending becredit checks for Some 35% and recentstruggled exwith of expats credit vestment cited long history. ing, while as their main term of their another 19% reason for inpension buyplan. said it was part
of Marbella
AND THE KING OF RENOVATION ALL JOBS
MALAGA €2 millionprovince’s second La Estrella project failed biggest castle to take being used castle is will finally during spread overoff almost a decade Spanish be renovated the filming 25,000 A project TV series which ago. after a of ‘Douglas,square metres features onset of to give the el Guardian and is the structure currently It now the global financial a face battle of Teba, de back on, lift was investigation, where Historia’ and will crisis. abandoned the castle – a improve structure. consolidate in 2008 lies. the wallsaccessibility, at the undertake and generally improvearcheological the existing
PAGE 13
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EXCLUSIVE: Expat tip snare one leads Olive of UK’s most Press team wanted paedophiles to
EAGLE-EYED readers helped Olive Press snag one of ain’s most BritWORDS AND PICS Spain, just wanted fugitives in By Rob Horgan been named.hours after he had Laurence and Dollimore Following Within an hour, the Olive suspected a tip off to the paper, al Crime Agency, team scrambled paedophile Press car, Sammon was Matthew the scene after the who arrived at Sammon learning from to Fuengirola, and remainedcovered his face campervan dragged from his “Well done Olivearrest. that he was another builder silent when currently questioned time raid in a dramatic night- thanks to the expat Press and out at the camped He by and whisked an unmarked was then the Olive Press. away in for tipping us off, thiscommunity After a dayferia ground. bundled into police car. son we run is the reaBMW and Working closely Londoner working nearby, the these the taken to Madrid duly arrived be Daniel Reid, with informant The dramatic campaigns.” English-plated to in his for fingerprinted and day had started firstly track we were able to when Crimestoppers cream Moncayo prepared extradition. campervan. annual list issued its Following to Fuengirola, down Sammon Parking up, of most wanted two Reid the arrest, father-ofGuardia Civil then call in the tives in Torremolinos fugias he took he looked relaxed said he was day morning. on Thursto see Sammon On the run to arrest him. ‘relieved’ around the his dog for a walk for two years, taken away. Leading “As soon as mon - a blackbelt spoke with feria ground and Sam- stories to hundreds neighbours. the most I saw his face among of press was wanted in Jujitsu around the Once identified, world and said Reid, wanted I felt sick,” ing indecent in the UK for shar-- on national television, we called Guardia Civil from the “I let the hunt and CrimestopHis seizure images of children. was immediately him hang Blackpool. pers and so around my began a tense dren, after he wascame just 10 hours But, it was to on. hour waiting chilthree- arms we took him in with tion Captura named in Opera- newspaper the popular local and at first sitting in the game, with Reid open and is the Olive Press were none wiser. recorded arrest quickest that expat plasterer Sky News car beside us. the reached out crime reporter in the joint Reid, 40, “But and Spanish tin Brunt was UK ‘do Mar- a bit we always thought the job to, trusting us to SUCCESS: “It was a police operation. he was weird, Eventually, soon there too. fantastic result,” In a seriesproperly’. never talks he’s a real loner and Steve Reynolds, Reynolds Reid, Horgan, and truly as night had well said sages, of Facebook from the Nationand Brunt “He creepedabout his family. he announced mes- as black BMWfell, an unmarked a mon, 45, much that my family out so plain clothes arrived and two had workedthat Sam- livinglabourer and was currently in a campervan Incredibly, I fired him.” detectives for him moved in the Mijas and for the arrest, swiftly evidence police did not take Fuengirolaaround cating his passport confis- cluding from his campervanany area. and phone. Frisking him his computer inat the side and other of the
Secret Malaga
SOARING
Hom
Calle Carretera,
Mafia town
How the CEO of organized crime corrupted a town hall PAGE 8
See page 7 AND COASTS
AN
R
UPROAR: and virginBeach protestors Cala de in Tarifa San Pedro (below)
19th 2007
AN ecological hundreds nightmare, “This is parently of ancient oaks a cynical ap- attempt and botched Pulled upstand dead. around to create ambience roproject, for a huge golf the golf rie rows they line up inmac- create space,” course and said Somme. like war graves in ee- geon Kit Hogg. “I tree surthe very Many centuries am sure few trees will of these protected old, they been sacrifi have gusting.” survive. insatiable ced for Europe’s It is disdesire for holiday homes. golf and Despite ongoing stop the Part of work, EU efforts to costaficationthe unrelenting tions and investigaof Andalucia, guarantee – crucially – they sound no of water, the death nature conservation work at knell for Los Merinos, near Ronda ern Spain. in south- continues unchecked. the true This is price of golf.
952 Morente 147
Sarah Tilley
LTCL MLC
Complimentary Health Practitioner
established Homeopathy, British bar in Mollina and Nutrition Bio-resonance All types of Treatment food and tapas of asthma, * O f Live allergies, IBS f e Premiership r and excema
i d Calle Nueva, Open from Ronda 10am t: +34 680 752 400 Closed Thursday till late e: sarahtilley@mac.com w: www.sarahtilley.com TheOlivePress-256x170-HOME02.indd w: http://es.juiceplus.com/+sarahtilley
Telephone
It’s a true Malaga hascity of culture, but so much more PAGE 16
In the Serrania
Don’t miss our 12-Page Ronda supplement
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EU steps in to investigate El Algorrobico hotel opening after Junta u-turn that “disgraces” Spain... while a pair of British pensioners watch as their house - which DID have a licence - is torn to the ground.
Selling Euros?
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IMPACT: Tracking down covering the devastatingcrooked Nigel Goldman (above) and Costa del Sol fire in 2012
The English language press plays a vital role in keeping nationals in Spain informed. UK we very much appreciate And your help in getting key messages out to UK nationals here. After an incredibly difficult year for so many of us, including many businesses, it is great to see the Olive Press thriving. We look forward to seeing what the next 15 years bring.
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Sick safari hunters jailed for shooting tigers and lions
El Horrible opens
Goldman fled Spain last year amid accusations of fraud, leaving behind dozens of victims owed a total of €15 million. While he refused to answer questions, he seems happy living with Couling, her two the daughters and two cats in modest three-bedroom property. While the pair are Kintbury’s Suzanne hottest topic of conversation, UK bolthole and (top) with they are rarely seen and ‘keep HIDEOUT: Goldman’s ticket. themselves to themselves’. “I have nothing to say to you, with a parking why he Couling’s family live nearby but I look forward to meeting “I don’t understand if a trafhasn’t been arrested, in Hungerford. you again,” he called down. fic warden can find him then In fact, the secretive man surely the police can,” said from Del Monte is seemingly to the the neighbour, who wished only ever seen leaving Parking ticket remain anonymous. house to go to the post office. the village When the Olive Press con- His hair was disheveled, but “Everyone in whatfronted him in his country- he did not have the mous- knows he’s Goldman, under.” side retreat, Goldman refused tache some have claimed he ever name he goesdeleted his sporting as part of his Goldman, who to come to the door, instead is of is now Facebook account recently, briefly poking his head out disguise. currently being investigated his bedroom window. The previous morning, Coulthe for failing to return millions ing was seen leaving in his fihouse at 9am to load up their of euros to investors silver Vauxhall Zafira with nancial companies. told the Olive boxes and head off, possibly Various victimsare practically Press that they to a car boot sale. life destitute after losing their One neighbour explained that schemes, that the the day they moved into ar- savings to his house, a traffic warden Continues on Page 4 rived and issued the couple
On behalf of all at the British Embassy and Consulates, I want to wish huge congratulations at the to all Olive Press on your 15th anniversary.
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And were these men involved?
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Where are they?
Press can EXCLUSIVE: The Olive Nigel reveal that convicted fraudster using Goldman is back in business Del Monte’ the false name ‘Howard his partner Suzanne Couling via are peddling their wares a joint Ebay account called ‘Bensons Emporium’. the Village post office staff told Olive Press that he regularly to collects parcels addressed ‘Del Monte’, and also ‘sends many packages’.
Mijas Costa OLIVE PRESS
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conviction. Clifford - a long-time visitor to the coast and involved in charities and local events of - has been found guilty eight counts of sexual assault, mostly on minors. on At least two were groomed in the coast, after being lured with promises of stardom. his He is pictured here with showbiz chum Kenny Lynch at a bash in Marbella.
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FOUND PEDDLING COINS
The man from Del Monte
A PAIR of young girls paedophile PR guru Max Clifthe ford sexually assaulted on his Costa del Sol have led to
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ROM its very first issue in 2006 the Olive Press has been paigning for its community. camWhether fighting for the environment or digging into crooks, we have taken some big scalps. Starting from Issue One (see top right) we highlighted the ridiculous plans to build 2000 houses, two golf courses and two hotels on UNESCO-protected land near Ronda, as well A decade and a half of campaigning the madness of building as exposed has a 350-room scored some big wins for monstrosity on a virgin the Olive Press beach in Almeria’s Cabo de Gata. Both schemes - Los Merinos, in Ron- maverick Jeremy Griffiths, and Nigel When da, and the Algarrobico it comes to corruption hotel, in Alme- Goldman, a degenerate gold-dealing ria - went into reverse after the first English newspaper we were legends Ferran dirt-bag, Adria to write made the UK AND Spanishour stories in a localwho had a restaurant column about the ERE scandal and Gordon Ramsey. newspaper, which he used at the Junta national newspapers and green to de Andalucia that cost an estimated And it was nice to chat groups includ- cover his tracks. ing Greenpeace and Ecologistas billion euros to Ciudadanos leader en Ac- We also tackled timeshare crook Toni also tackled to the taxpayers, while we cion joined our protests. Albert town Muldoon, who certainly deserves a scale on dozens of hall theft on a local as the Rivera, as well And then there were the occasions. only newspaper crooks, like mention for conning thousands of Crimestoppers’ Most peo- Animal cruelty has been to be able to pose a Wanted Daniel ple and eventually went to prison a Johnston, a bank robber, for bugbear and we have exposedcontinual couple of questions setting up fake escort websites. so many to Sammon, a dangerous and Matthew Meanwhile, evil abusers, as well as Michelle Obama the paedophile, scoundrels our crime reporting on who on her who we single-handedly allowed hunters visit to Marbella a few missing teen Amy Fitzpatrick ‘blew open circus lions and tigers to kill innocent years ago. to a village near Sevilla tracked down the case’, and a car park at to use the words of her grandin Fuengirola. tremadura (see below). a finca in Ex- Indeed, the mother, while our continuing positives And fraudsters like David investigaOn a more positive far outweigh the negfront, it ‘the dogman’ tion into missing Maddie McCann Klein, pet transport has to interview everyone from was great atives and yielded exclusive after exclusive, with its ana’s ex-lover James HewettPrincess Di- prefer to bewe would frequent links to Spain. judged to cooking SUPPLEMENT ON ESTEPONA DON’T MISS OUR 20-PAGE SPECIAL over 50 rather than the 15 years. As far as we are conFREE cerned we have only just begun.
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THERESA Britain won’tMay has vowed half out’ Brexitaccept a ‘half in, in a landmark speech that long-lasting is likely to have and all expatseffects on Gibraltar The Prime in Spain. Minister 12-point plan issued to take Britaina out of the ing Street EU, with Downlooking to single market scrap EU toms union and current cusIn the biggestaccess. month tenure,speech of her sixshe said: “To clear, what be not mean I am proposing canmembership single market.” of the She added longer give Britain would no EU, however‘huge sums’ to the Parliament she conceded that vote on the will have the final Maintainingdeal. the common travel area Kingdom between the United Ireland is and the Republic of EXCLUSIVE By Gabrielle the Brexit also a priority during Pickard-Whitehead However, negotiations. and Laurence the border Dollimore tar with Spain of GibralA BRITISH was not mentioned. after finding expat has called in police a late-night five of her dogs executed rushed to in The Guardiamassacre. the vets he Control later. died 30 minutes “We want ing the horrificCivil are now investigatin 2004, found An X-ray attack that migration to control our imof Illona Mitchell’s showed he also in their pens the five rescue shot through also May. “We from the EU,” said dogs shot Meanwhile, gouged out. horses with left one on January the roof of had a bullet the Reyes its eye his mouth. importance also recognise the (Three Kings). 6, the night of was The detectives one of Mitchell’s Her beloved also attacked, and the best of the brightest section Seprona from the environment seven-year-old of the friendliest eye may have so savagely12 horses coming here. told Dizzy, ‘one recognise it was one that its to be removed. We dogs you meet’ and the contribution Vets have of the worstMitchell, 48, that have made.” seen and were will ever four-year-old, been struggling attacks they shot dead a puppy called Maisie visibly shocked they had to treat the May is believed They have were he has named Rocco, Meanwhileat the gates of their become too permit system to favour a workpens. an eye on put on extra patrolsby it. nervous and because shot in their Coco and Domingo, Deeply traumatised the estate trigger Article as she looks to night. at weekendsto keep skittish. ing they had beds, with Mitchell were thankfully by the attack and at It comes as 50 by March. “I am sickened before being cowered in their believ- ter Ella, 11 was not seen by her - that as to why published the House of Lords would carry - Mitchell Coco, two, killed in cold blood.kennels so angry that continued:daughder closuredata showing a borbaric attack out such a cruel someone had been shot someone would “I am range between thing as with Spain and baron innocent, at put 40% animals,” week. would the eyes, point-blank animals.”disgusting as this do someyear-old Domingo defenceless she told the while threeto innocent braltar. of jobs at risk in GiThe mother-of-one, Olive Press was shot through side of his Mitchell, this her estate The 32 above, the tack is from Chester, believes They laterface. page-report, in mountains who bought linked on Gibraltar found Jack, the atnear Granada German Shepherd, ban hunters to her recent decision governmentbased a six-year-old dence, estimates evito under a nearby estate that from her huge 173-hectare having convulsions Rock’s 26,000 10,500 of the tree, but despite the Sierra sits in stunning scenery workers the border de Baza. crossed being in “A frontierdaily. Continues on Page necessary which lacked the Est 1984 4 fluidity would fore put directly Opinion therePage 6 at risk the of 40% of jobs Antiques, force,” said the Gibraltar workFor all your a spokesman. Jewellers May’s speech insurance & Pawnbrokers was cheered needs! Leave campaigners, A huge variety by pushing for who are a ‘hard’ Brexit. 1 carat diamondof over She said:“We adopt a model do not seek to jewellery. already enjoyed by other countries. HIGH STREET estepona@ibexinsure.com seek to hold We do not PRICES: 7,000 OUR PRICE: bership as on to bits of memChoose one we leave,” 1,500 - 2,000 €+ “The British said May. lens offers of our great € Fuengirola change. And people voted for or UNBEATABLE it off selected get 30% is the ment’s job frames to deliver it.” governfuengirola@ibexinsure.com WE BUY, WE PRICES GUARANTEED See our ad Opinion inside for PAY MORE, Page 6 details. Diamonds@anthonys-diamonds.c
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CRIME
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NEWS IN BRIEF Acid attackers SPANISH police have arrested 11 members of a criminal gang that was involved in a horrendous acid attack back in January and is suspected of trafficking drugs and carrying out violent theft.
Bad physio A PHYSIOTHERAPIST in Malaga has been arrested for nicking gold rings from a patient’s house after the resident noticed that the pieces of jewellery were missing from the chest of drawers in the master bedroom.
Porn games PORN maker Nacho Vidal has been charged with the homicide of a professional photographer who died during a ritualistic 'toad venom sniffing' session in Valencia, which was supposed to help him overcome his cocaine addiction.
POLICE have freed a young Swedish man who had been kidnapped from the street, beaten up and had a ransom demanded from relatives. Malaga cops arrested two people after the victim had been lured by the promise of a party only to end up held captive by a 26-year-old Moroccan man and a Spanish woman, 27. Officers freed him after neighbours
March 24th - April 6th 2021
Tapi tapped up
Kidnapped on night out! heard the victim’s cries for help at 4am. They found the young man suffering from a bloody head and injured leg. Investigations revealed that he had been walking through the heart of Malaga when he was approached by the
woman and invited to a party in Calle Victoria. But once inside he was beaten and his attackers demanded €3,000 cash, first from the victim, then later by phone from a relative.
Cashing out
AN 18-month operation to bring down a giant counterfeit currency gang has cashed in with a jackpot 37 arrests. Police from the Guardia Civil and National Police united to bring down the criminals who laundered money in banks in Andalucia, Catalunya and the Costa Blanca.
Gang of 37 collared after long police fake Euros probe By Alex Trelinski
The fake cash of mostly €500 bills initially started appearing in Granada Province in
Uncool Groovers
2019. They soon started spreading out across Andalucia and even to Santa Pola, in Alicante, where one of the gang opened a bank account with
Clipped wings
POLICE have busted an illegal party where 733 people were flaunting COVID-19 rules at a hotel leisure complex. When police arrived at the scene and saw the mass crowds of revellers, they had to wait for reinforcements before moving in to put an end to the party in Linares (Jaen). All party-goers who had attended the bash were found to be ignoring social distancing and not wearing masks. They were blatantly flouting COVID health and safety regulations and were still at the complex after the 9.30pm closing time. The establishment is under investigation by the local authorities and could face a massive fine of up to €600,000.
History, adventure and romance. That’s just the setting.
POLICE have seized 303 illegally caught birds and arrested 18 in a wildlife trafficking operation. Among the birds seized by Seprona officers were finches, sparrows and linnets, all of which are non-game species and therefore cannot be hunted. The investigation, ‘Operation Durum,' was triggered after the sale of protected birds was spotted on internet portals in Malaga. Police confiscated bird trapping equipment including 14 folding nets.
170 of the big value notes. The man deposited the dud bills into ATM cash machines as a key part of their plan to swap them for legitimate currency. Paid 'mules' were hired by the gang to open up bank accounts which were filled up by the fake notes. Withdrawals or transfers of the 'real' cash were then made from the accounts.
Complex
The police said that their investigation was 'very complex' as the gang took substantial security measures to prevent them from being detected. The arrests took place at 16 addresses where a total of 402 bogus €500 notes were seized along with €12,000 in bitcoin and €32,000 in genuine cash. The investigation remains open with police not ruling out further arrests.
A NETWORK of warehouses from Gibraltar to Barcelona have been busted, revealing a giant drug trafficking operation led by a man known as ‘El Tapi’. A total of 46 people have been arrested from Cadiz to Barcelona in 22 coordinated raids. Over 8,500 kilos of hashish, six semi-rigid boats, a firearm and various electronic devices were seized. The ‘well organised’ group is also being investigated for the crime of money-laundering and membership of a criminal organisation.
Drugs
They used several warehouses located in the industrial estates of Almeria, Murcia and Barcelona for maintaining the boats and storage of drugs. The money laundering investigation revealed property assets of roughly €3 million, with other valuables worth approximately €1.5 million. Investigations first started with the arrest of the gang’s leader, known by the alias of ‘El Tapi’, considered one of the leading figures in drug trafficking. He had previously organised and directed the transport of hashish from the shores of Morocco to Spain. The 33 year old already had many convictions for drug trafficking, but proved very elusive during the investigation.
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Flushed with success
He can afford to holiday anywhere in the world. But Charlie Mullins, plumber to the stars, wouldn’t swap the Costa del Sol idyll he bought into 15 years ago - at the same time as the Olive Press launched - for all the builder’s tea in Britain. Kirsty McKenzie finds out why over a brew at his palatial mansion
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LIVING LA VIDA: Charlie in his Spanish home
HEN Charlie Mullins invites you round for a cuppa the first thing you’re dying to do is visit the loo. Who wouldn’t want to snoop inside the bathroom of Britain’s richest plumbing boss whose firm looks after the lavatories of the rich and famous: Dames Judy and Helen, Sir Richard Branson, Hugh Grant and Joanna Lumley (who also does his TV commercials). And let me tell you, it doesn’t disappoint. Even the one here in Spain, in La Cala de Mijas. Glossy white doors swing open to reveal a shimmering magenta temple of calm with monogrammed towels, a giant bathtub and rubber duckies. There’s sparkling silver all over the villa, and acres of black, purple and grey; signed football shirts won at charity auctions line the walls; ornamental skeletons and glittering panthers artfully placed. Welcome to Casa de Charlie where the living is, well … spectacular … as befitting the 68-year-old majority shareholder of London’s Pimlico Plumbers, whose net worth is over £70 million and counting... Londoner Charlie made the blue-collar job sexy in the city, with smart uniforms, liveried vans and a touch of lavatory humour plumbing-themed number plates (LAV 1, F1USH). To-
day his empire stretches from room floor by now), famLambeth to Mijas - not ily makes up for it – two bad for a council estate sons, two daughters, the lad who left school at 10 grandchildren they’ve 15 with no qualifications. given him, and years of This time next year he could happy holiday memories. even be London’s Mayor, having “They love coming to Spain,” announced his candidacy as an says Charlie, who’s totally smitIndependent in the May 6 electen on the country and has his tions. eye on a sea view mansion in La I find the plumbing Pasha reclinCala. ing on a pristine white sunbed “I love the restaurant La Sala dressed head-to-toe in Dolce and Legends,” he raves. “The enand Gabbana - pink shorts, tertainment here, you can’t beat white branded tee; a blue signet it. I love heading out and watchring emblazoned with a C glints ing all the tribute acts. Can you on his pinkie. “Drink?” he asks. guess my favourite?” he grins, “I’ll have what you’re having.” raking a hand through his spikey “Double scotch, blonde-highlightthen?” he jokes. ed mane. We settle for Yes, I tell him. (He I have more milky builder’s tea could be a tribute served in a latte friends in Spain act himself.) But glass. “My favouit’s funny to think than in the rite,” beams the that with all his holder of the first money and ceUK, I’m very at OBE ever awardlebrity pals, he’d home here ed for services to rather watch a plumbing. Rod Stewart dop‘I bought this pelganger over place for the kids a pint with his buddies in Spain 15 years ago,” he tells me as than live it large with the real we move into the kitchen, more deal in London. gleaming white surfaces, stat“I’ve seen the real Rod, course ues and glamour. He used to I have. But I have more friends own the villa next door but sold in Spain than in the UK, I’m very it after his 40-year marriage to at home here,” he says with feeltheir mother ended. ing. Though still raw from his second He has his lawyers working on a divorce (if I had a swig of scotch way for him to stay longer than for every time he mentioned his three months in any six and say two ex-wives, I’d be on the bath‘Bollocks to Brexit’ – to quote the slogan on the giant sign he put on the company rooftop in Lambeth. An ardent Bremainer and big Tory donor (as well as business advisor and plumber to David Cameron and George Osborne), he switched sides and poured millions into the Lib Dem cam-
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paign to stop Brexit. Charlie courts controversy and limelight in equal measure. He’s starred on The Secret Millionaire, and is a regular fixture on Jeremy Vine and Good Morning Britain. “It’s just good business sense. I worked that out 30 odd years ago,” he says - though some of his business practices have been panned in the press: his ‘no jabs, no jobs’ dictat to anti-vaxxers on the payroll; letting go of 30 staff who didn’t return to work after their furlough payments ended; his extortionate £180-an-hour call-out fees, his mainly self-employed workforce and the way he keeps tabs on them via trackers fitted in the vans they have to rent from him.
Backlash
Does he mind the backlash? “People get the wrong idea of me, they think I only do things for money but that’s not true. I just think people should work hard.” The money’s still rolling in. “We’re up 20% from the good times,” he says brightly. “I’m not lying!” he adds, a phrase he often uses after saying something a bit smug. As for becoming a Spanish citizen, he is definitely going ahead, he told the Olive Press exclusively. “My people are sorting it out for me. I’d hate to not be here, I really would. I’d miss the weather!”
NEWS
4 www.theolivepress.es Paedo teacher
March 24th - April 6th 2021 A RARE hailstorm hit the beach resort of Benajarafe on the Costa del Sol on the first official day of spring. Residents were amazed to wake up to a powerful hailstorm which lasted approximately half an hour and turned the beach white. The weather phenomenon occurred as temperatures plummeted by approximately 10ºC overnight as a blast of polar air swept across the Iberian peninsula. The hailstorm deposited a slushy carpet of ice across the sand and maritime promenade and just as the sun came up, a double rainbow appeared. March 20 marked the spring equinox and the first official day of spring, although nobody seemed to tell that to the weather!
Hail Costa!
From Front
(a criminal record check in the UK) in the name of Ben David Rose on a request from a company called Grupo Estudiantes that he had formed himself. That DBS certificate, which the Olive Press believes could be fake, allowed him to work with children and stated he was ‘clear of any previous convictions’. It is unclear how he was able to secure this certificate as in a normal DBS check you need to provide all your addresses for the previous five years, your National Insurance number, your passport and your driving licence. But his masquerade came to a shattering end when on June 24 last year police arrested him after cameras were found in the children’s changing rooms at his new school.
No idea
They then searched his home, a shared rented flat in the Las Tablas suburb, north of Madrid. “I had absolutely no idea about his previous conviction when the police arrived at the door and searched the flat,” said a former flatmate, who spoke to the Olive Press anonymously this week. “I subsequently discovered he had hidden laptops, mobile phones and memory cards in our shared basement lock up as well as lots of documents. “I found both the originals and the ones he had forged. I handed them all over to police,” she said. “He was an utterly convincing liar, and it is just terrifying that I lived with him for several years and had no idea who he really was, and the disgusting things he was up to,” she said. Fellow teachers at his former school this week demanded action to tighten up rules and to investigate how easily he was able to dupe authorities and gain access to children. “The whole criminal records check is obviously flawed here in Spain and clearly ripe for abuse by those very people that need SPOT THE DIFFERENCE: Real to be kept away from and fake certificates kids,” said one.
About time too! Planning amnesty for ‘illegal homes’ across Andalucia stands after legal challenge dropped THOUSANDS of expats around Andalucia are rejoicing this week after the final barrier preventing the legalisation of their homes was finally removed. It comes after an agreement was struck between the Junta and Spain’s central government on Monday. Expats make up a sizable percentage of the estimated 300,000 people battling for decades to sort out the planning status of their homes. Most had unwittingly bought homes that had been given
planning permission in areas that had not been passed for construction. The saga had trapped many in unsellable homes and without access to basic services.
Wrecking ball
Some expats even saw their homes demolished, such as Len and Helen Prior, who are still living in their garage 13 years after their house was destroyed with a wrecking ball. The first step to general legalisation came in September 2019 when a decree was passed by the Junta to allow town halls to give a special permission, called
DESTROYED: Properties have been demolished an AFO, to recognise irregular houses. The move would finally give them legal status. But initial celebrations were soon dampened when Spain’s national government said it
Raising the bar
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would challenge the law in the Constitutional Court over ‘legal discrepancies’ and conflicts with the notorious Ley de Costas, or coastal law. However, this week a deal has been struck that will see the new decree brought into force with the exclusion of those areas that fall under the coastal law. “It means the Andalucian decree we fought so hard for and which was threatened by an appeal will remain in force, just without affecting coastal areas,” explained Gerard Vazquez, a lawyer from Abusos Urbanisticos Almanzora No! (AUAN). His lobby group has long campaigned for the legalization of homes declared illegal by planning authorities. “The majority of the irregular homes are not actually within the coastal protection zone, so we are very happy with agreement,” he said. “This is great news!”
Prison for failing to demolish A WOMAN has been thrown into jail after failing to carry out a court order to demolish the home she has lived in for 15 years because it fell foul of planning regulations. Rosario Sanchez Leal, from Conil, Cadiz, has been sent to Puerto de Santa Maria prison. Her arrest provoked a protest from neighbours, many of whom are also affected by the uneven planning rules. The mayor of Conil said he was ‘shocked’ by the move as hundreds gathered outside the Conil police station to demand her release. It is usual for first time offenders to not actually serve prison time if their sentences are under two years.
www.theolivepress.es
DITCH SCANDAL DEATH A BRITISH pensioner has been killed after falling into a ditch that the local community had been waiting FIFTEEN years to repair. The tragic incident happened on the San Juan de Capistrano urbanisation in Nerja, a 500-home complex predominantly occupied by British and European expats.
Fell
The 74-year-old and his wife, who had lived there for over 10 years, were walking home after ordering a takeaway pizza and a drink from a local bar. The pair both fell into the two metre deep trench, which had emerged after heavy flooding in 2007. The man is believed to have died instantly, while his wife was knocked out and did not regain consciousness until around 6am and called the emergency services.
NEWS
March 24th April 6th 2021
5
Bury it!
Pylon plan comes under fire
EXPATS and locals have joined forces to fight plans to prevent an idyllic green valley from being blighted by electricity pylons. Up to 100 people took to the streets of Benahavis to protest the scheme that will mar a large swathe of countryside in Montemayor valley, before skirting the village. Bearing banners, they marched through one of Spain’s most affluent pueblos and protested in front of the town hall. The demonstration was organised by local platform No to the power lines in the Montemayor countryside, which has been campaigning for the electricity cables to be buried. Despite a study showing underground cabling to be viable - and it being the preferred option of environmental groups - Red Electrica Española (REE) has decided
Rock
According to the paramedics report, the man died after hitting his head on a rock during the fall. Sources said the community had requested permission to fix the trench on many occasions from Nerja town hall, at one stage with a foot bridge. “But we have yet to receive any kind of notice to say we can proceed,” said the source. Nerja town hall had not replied as we went to press.
EX
ROUTE: Cable will spoil valley EXCLUSIVE By Laurence Crumbie
to take the cheap option overground. This means seven towering pylons and three kilometres of high tension cable going in. Nearly 32,700m2 of Mediterranean forest will have to be felled for the project and the cables will pass close to Montemayor Castle, a designated Cultural Interest Asset.
Five exceptions that permit travel between provinces in Spain during Easter
ANYONE interested in the classic Semana Santa parades should start planning for 2022. They are all banned - as is any movement between Andalucian provinces this Easter. On a plus front, restaurants, bars and shops can stay open until 10.30pm, while the nighttime curfew has been extended to 11pm. The new measures came into force from March 19 and run until April 9, covering the
“Every time I think about this I just think about all the history that is going down the drain,” said expat Peggie Collie, who has lived near Montemayor castle for nine years. Caroline Lawton, a British resident in Benahavis since the Noughties, also expressed her contempt for the pylons and stated that the plan ‘must not’ go through. Although many believe the aerial route was chosen for financial reasons, Benahavis council, which inherited the project from the previous administration, says the decision was actually made on ecological grounds: “The impact of underground lines is more intense on the earth, since the magnitude of excavation is much greater than it is with aerial lines, and they would require an intensive use of heavy machinery,” Environment councillor Isabel Guerrero told the Olive Press.
Fight the power!
BEAUTY: Pylons will mar the hillside
Bitter sweet Easter
PROPERTY OF THE WEEK
1. Travel for health reasons. 2. Travel for business or official work purposes, including travelling to take official exams. 3. Travel to return to the family residence. 4. Travel for care-dependent people. 5. Travel due to force majeure or a situation of need or any other of a similar exceptional nature.
Profit
A protest group, set up by expats in Granada, won a victory against a similar ‘damaging’ pylon scheme set to be installed by REE last year. The Olive Press launched a Fight the Power campaign to help the Say No to the Towers group fight the high voltage route through the Lecrin and Alpujarras valleys. We were joined by local celebrities including Dr Robert of the Blow Monkeys and writer Chris Stewart to oppose the project, which would have seen 100 giant pylons installed.
Part of life! THE Olive Press has been part of life for us all for many years. For someone like me, who has travelled extensively and seen the media at its best and worse, it was certainly refreshing to find a high quality local periodical, which was factual, impartial, interesting and progressive, for once. Spain and the Costa Del Sol, in particular, is a diverse and multicultural region, with a transient community enjoying a free and open lifestyle, which also brings its own set of problems. With many challenges in the last year, such as Brexit with all of its ramifications and much mis-information, followed by the pandemic, with its myriad of problems, accurate reporting is essential. With a large foreign readership, for me it is important to reflect what is happening in an open and professional manner, which the Olive Press has succeeded in doing. So well done and let me take this opportunity to congratulate Jon and his team on their 15th Anniversary and may there be many more.
Derek A. Langley Regional Vice–President British Chamber of Commerce in Spain
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6
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 Parents’ nightmare IMAGINE being a parent contacted by police to say that your child has been identified from photographs uploaded and traded between paedophiles on the dark web? Now imagine that the person who took those photos was a trusted teacher at your child’s school, a teacher you had invited into your home to give your child extra English classes? And if the horror of that scenario isn’t enough, then imagine finding out that that teacher had done the same before, been prosecuted and put on a sex offender list and banned from working with children? This latest case in Madrid has highlighted just how weak the system is at identifying and protecting our most vulnerable from those who want to abuse them. It has revealed just how easy it is for a known paedophile to escape his past crimes, create a new identity and produce documents convincing enough to be hired at an expensive private school. Last year alone, data from 16 police forces across the UK showed that 913 sex offenders had gone missing. At a time when bilingual education has become so prized that hundreds of native English teachers are hired each year to work in schools across Spain, we need more vigorous checks in place to ensure another one can’t slip through the net.
Merry go round Political shenanigans that kicked off with a failed coup in Murcia threaten to reshape the political landscape from Madrid where elections will be held on May 4 to the Valenciana Community where regional head of the Ciudadanos party resigned last week as his party slides slowly but surely towards electoral oblivion. Instability and uncertainty is the last thing needed in Spain right now as fears of a fourth wave loom just as the country is preparing to open up again to foreign tourism. Isn’t it about time Spain’s elected representatives put a stop to the petty political infighting and focus on the bigger picture?
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All change! They say that a week is a long time in politics… and that adage runs particularly true in Spain, writes Fiona Govan
SPAIN has seen an intense period of tumultuous political drama that started with a falling out between coalition partners in the southern region of Murcia, sparking a series of repercussions that could see a reshaping of the Spanish political scene entirely. Tensions had been brewing in Murcia where a series of corruption scandals involving the conservative Popular Party (PP) and allegations of jumping the coronavirus vaccination queue led to a rebellion by junior coalition partner, centrist party Ciudadanos. Ciudadanos, the party that soared in the polls when it went national in 2014 on a market-friendly, anti-corruption platform which sought to wipe out the traditional leftright divide and occupy the centre ground, had allied with the PSOE in an attempt to oust the PP from power in a region where it has ruled for 26 years by calling a no confidence vote. The attempted coup ultimately failed when on Thursday afternoon the regional chamber, with the support of Vox and three Ciudadanos deputies who rebelled against the
CHANGING FACES OF POWER: (from left to right) Iñigo Errejon, Pablo Iglesias, Pedro Sanchez, Isabel Ayuso, Pablo Casado and Santiago Abascal party line and were thrown out of their party, voted in favour of the PP. But the wrecking ball had already been set in motion and the true battlefield shifted 400km north to Madrid. Fearing a similar move in Madrid, where the PP governs with fragile support from Ciudadanos, conservative leader Isabel Ayuso took a gamble; she dissolved the regional government triggering snap elections set for May 4. But the shockwaves didn’t end there. In a
surprise move, the pony-tailed Podemos leader Pablo Iglesias announced on Monday that he would step down from his role in national politics and as Deputy Prime Minister in Pedro Sanchez’s coalition government to lead the challenge of the Left in Madrid. This is the party that grew out of the indignado movement in the wake of Spain’s economic crisis to become a dazzling new force in Spain dedicated to tackling corruption and fighting austerity.
Fight for the vote The 15-year cut-off date that prevents an estimated one million overseas Brits from voting in the UK parliamentary election is about to be scrapped, writes Sue Wilson of Bremain in Spain
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NLESS you were paying very close attention, you may have missed a reference to our voting rights in UK Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s recent Budget announcement. Hidden away in the small print on page 48 was the following government statement: “Overseas Electors – The government is providing an additional £2.5million to remove the limit preventing British citizens who live overseas from voting after 15 years.” This welcome news followed a recent announcement that the government’s manifesto commitment – to scrap the 15-year rule – would be included in the forthcoming Electoral Integrity Bill, expected to be laid before parliament later this year. The 2019 Conservative manifesto stated, “We will make it easier for British expats to vote in Parliamentary elections, and get rid of the arbitrary 15-year limit on their voting rights”. Although the news of the bill and budget commitments were largely welcomed, there was naturally considerable scepticism too. Brits long denied their democratic voting rights were quick to point out the failed government promises of the past. This was not, after all, the first time such a manifesto promise had been made. Nor the second. Over 5 million UK nationals around the world have been denied their right to vote, some for years, if not decades. For the last 25 years, veteran campaigner, Harry Shindler, MBE, has been c h a mp i o n i n g the fight for his right to vote in British elections. Harry,
who has lived in Italy for 40 years and will turn 100 in July, does not share the scepticism felt by many. He told me: “This government, unlike others that were in power before, have the numbers to make it happen.” When I asked him what he would say to those that doubted the government’s word, he replied: “Have faith! This thing will happen after 25 years of campaigning. With the promises made this time, I have every confidence.” Harry is so confident, in fact, that he is already planning a celebratory dinner in Westminster for when his decades-long fight is finally over. The Electoral Integrity Bill’s passage through parliament may not be quite as straightforward as the government would hope, as it includes controversial proposals regarding the need for ID when casting ballots. Despite government claims that the new measures will “strengthen the integrity of UK elections”, campaigners disagree, claiming that millions will be prevented from exercising their right to vote. The government claims the new ID cards would prevent electoral fraud. However, an Electoral Commission report suggested there was no evidence of electoral fraud in the last general election. Darren Hughes, Chief Executive of the Electoral Reform Society said, “rather than pulling up the drawbridge to large groups of voters, ministers should deal with bringing in the nine million people who are missing from the electoral register”. British citizens living abroad make up a significant portion of those “missing” from the register. After the 2015 general election, the government made a
SEASONED CAMPAIGNER: Harry Shindler commitment to scrapping the 15-year rule. The following year, they produced a policy document entitled “A democracy that works for everyone”. In 2017, a further promise appeared in the Conservative Party Manifesto, followed by the “Overseas Voters Bill 2017-2019”. The bill failed when it was “talked out” by serial filibusterer, Tory MP Philip Davies – not because he was opposed to the concept, but because he was against Private Members Bills on principle. I remember it well – I was observing firsthand from the public gallery of the House of Commons. What is different this time is that the new bill is a government-sponsored bill, which cannot therefore be ‘talked out’. Not to mention that we have the budget commitment for additional funding, and the government has an 80-seat majority. In correspondence received from the Cabinet Office in 2020, the government recognised our strong links with our homeland. They said that ‘most British citizens overseas retain deep ties to the United Kingdom’. “Many still have family there, some will return there, others are drawing a British pension after a lifetime of hard work and some have fought for our country”.
March 24th - April 6th 2021
www.theolivepress.es
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Keep on growing
QUALITY: The OP website keeps you updated
Are you with the With the battle lines drawn for an ideologically charged fight for the capital, Ayuso introduced the slogan “Communism or Liberty”. The move has set Madrid for a clash against the polarised forces of Left and Right, sending Ciudadanos plummeting towards electoral oblivion and driving the PP further into the arms of the far-right Vox, led by Santiago Abascal, if it is to have any hope of maintaining power in the region.
Judeans People Front?
“If I have to make a pact, I have no problem with Vox,” said Ayuso, who has forged a reputation as a maverick defying the leftist central government and health authorities by keeping bars and shops open during the COVID-19 pandemic. Such a pact will be uncomfortable for Pablo Casado, national head of the party and leader of the opposition, who has made efforts to present a more moderate face and distance the party from the extreme views of Vox. Meanwhile the Socialists will launch their own bid for Madrid, where they came first in the previous elections but failed to find support to pull together a government. The repercussions don’t end with Madrid as Ciudadanos’ waning power could have significance in both Andalucia and CastillaLeon where they are in coalition with the PP to rule. The governments’ in both regions have so far insisted the pacts remain valid. In fact, the Popular Party and Ciudadanos strengthened their commitment to the coalition in Andalucia, where they joined forces in 2018 to end almost 37 years of uninterrupted rule by the Socialists, by signing a five-point agreement not to waver from the pact. But back in Madrid, the far left itself is fractured. On Tuesday, Más Madrid – a breakaway group led by Iglesias’ former wingman Iñigo Errejon – refused the offer to join forces with Podemos and run together on a joint far left list. For any fans of Monty Python’s Life of Brian the situation is laughably familiar but ultimately depressing for those who fear Ayuso
I await, with interest, a response to my latest enquiries asking the Cabinet Office for an update. The right to vote is widely recognised as a fundamental human right. Article 21 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states, “Everyone has the right to take part in the government of his country, directly or through freely chosen representatives”. Since Brexit, our voting rights have been further diminished, and our voices further silenced. All the more reason to continue the fight to restore our lost UK voting rights. I confess to a hint of scepticism, but it’s hard not to be lifted by Harry’s optimism and faith. Not to mention his energy and commitment, despite his long struggle and his age. He asked me to pass on his appreciation to all those that have lobbied their MPs or joined his campaign. He said he was “proud of us all” and added that we have “reached the top of the mountain”. Let’s hope that the view from the summit is the one we hoped to see.
The Olive Press has been an important communication channel for us for the last 15 years along the Costa del Sol. The Metro Grupo wishes them continued success and resilience in our changing times, and continued success with their expansion throughout Spain.
Sue Wilson is the Chair of Bremain in Spain, a group that campaigns to protect the rights of British migrants living in Spain & across Europe.
Karen Wolfson Director of Marketing, MetroGrupo
is unstoppable. “Are you the Judeans People Front?” asks Brian. “F**K off! We’re the People’s Front of Judea.”
What the polls say
The latest opinion poll by GAD3 currently predicts a win for Isabel Ayuso and the conservative People’s Party (PP) with over 40% support among likely voters, about double the result in the previous election in May 2019. This would win them between 6062 seats but still falls short of the 69 seats needed to form a majority government. This is well ahead of Spain’s main ruling Socialist Party which scores 24% of voter share or between 35 and 37 seats, down from 27% at the last election. Vox looks set to win 7.9% of the vote (between 10 and 12 seats), a slight drop from the 8.9% in 2019. Ciudadanos looks set for electoral oblivion scoring only 1.9% support of potential voters, a whopping drop from the 19.4% share and 26 seats it won in the last election. This is below the 5% share needed to secure a presence in the regional parliament. Mas Madrid drops 9.2% (13-14 seats) from the 14.6% (20 seats) it won in 2019 while Podemos looks set to double its share of support from 5% to 10.9% (winning 14.15 seats). If results fall along these lines then the likely result would be a PP government with the support of Vox as a leftist group involving PSOE, Podemos and Mas Madrid still wouldn’t reach 50 percent of the seats.
T
HE past 15 years since the inception of the Olive Press have seen tumultuous times. The financial crisis has come and gone, Brexit reared its ugly head and now the COVID pandemic is in full swing. And the Olive Press website has been there through every step of the way. Bringing Spanish news to a world-wide audience on a 24/7 basis www.theolivepress.es has grown from a sapling into a fully grown tree. From a standing start in 2006, it rapidly grew until it took its place not just as the premiere English language news website in Spain - but also became a player on the world stage. According to INFLUENTIAL: Our good work is Amazon’s Alexa. widely recognised com, by 2018 the site was ranked at an incredible 9,079th place out of more than 2 million websites in Spain. Meanwhile our domain authority sits at a steady 67 to 70/100 and last year we welcomed 22 MILLION visitors to our site.
Dedicated
What’s more they all came to read about Spain, for we don’t give them the latest gossip from Coronation Street, British royal tittle tattle or criminals being arrested in New Zealand, as some of our downmarket rivals in Spain do. Since the Olive Press website went behind a paywall, our numbers have inevitably dipped, but we still get an amazing 20,000-plus visits a day. And that’s without any tourists coming to Spain. With registered users steadily growing - 18,000 people have so far signed up for our daily newsletter, which is crammed full of the latest news - we are confident that we will keep on gathering new fans over the next few years. So, from everyone at the Olive Press, a big thankyou to all our readers who have made this possible - and we pledge to keep you in the know for the next 15 years and beyond.
The top five most read stories on www.theolivepress.es in the past two weeks are:
Important communication
Everything Brits can do to avoid getting 1- caught out by 90-day rule as March 31 looms (4,726 views) driver found hiding in hedge from po2-liceBritish after delivery driver killed in horror crash on Spain’s Costa del Sol (4,674 views)
Here’s to 15 more Happy birthday to the Olive Press and congratulations for surviving through these difficult times. Here’s to the next 15 years and more! Andy Chapell & Pauline Elkin Owners of Molino del Santo hotel
Andalucia to review restrictions 3-onSpain’s and perimetral lockdowns between regions March 18 for possible travel over Easter (4,291 views)
of British expats in Spain re4- Thousands main exposed and unprotected since Brexit (3,826 views) is when the clocks go forward in Spain 5- This in 2021 and why it might be the last time (3,771 views)
Get in touch today at sales@theolivepress.es or call us at 00 34 951273575 for a special quote
8
LETTERS
Taking advantage
March 24th - April 6th 2021
Thanks for Cindy’s sight
Dear Olive Press,
MY friend Jenny was looking for a rescue dog as she had lost her beloved 19 year old six months earlier. She found a rescue centre where a little Pomeranian called Cindy was being fostered The dog was five years old and totally blind and also had leishmaniasis. Big hearted Jenny fell in love with her and began to investigate the possibility to restore her sight. Although her income was only a pension, she contacted a surgeon, Juin Carlos. Jenny and Cindy are so grateful to this brilliant, kind surgeon who has restored Cindy’s sight in one eye. She is now waiting for the other eye to be operated on and can't thank this kind surgeon enough.
LA CAIXA is now profiteering from the pandemic. A year ago we were offered free banking – except there was no way non-resident account holders could qualify. They proposed to charge us €340 a year for taking half a dozen Direct Debits per month from our accounts. Other banks provide this service for free and many of us would like to move our accounts from this awful bank but we can only do so in person, and of course we cannot get to Spain. We are being held to ransom by these thieves.
Nina Jones Benalmadena
Life’s a beach Our online story (see page 29) about expat teen Nikki Wegloop cleaning up beaches drew praise
Arthur Stuttard, El Sauzal (Tenerife) and Burnley (UK)
Keep it clean
...and introducing our new Digital Editor, Fiona Govan, in Madrid
March 10th - March 23rd 2021
Torn down Your expat
voice in Spain
BIG BUSTS Valencia, along Wanted expat duo tracked to haul with Spain’s biggest pink cocaine
Save our centre AN army of expats have joined thousands of locals in a bid to save one of Valencia’s hippest cultural centres from being forced to close. So far nearly 2000 people have signed a petition to help save the Casa Cabanyal cultural centre, which is facing closure. They are demanding the town hall cancels a series of fines - already totalling well over 1000 euros - issued for using an internal patio, which the centre insists is vital for its survival. Owners Paolo Cammarano and Alessandro De Cillis claim they have permis-
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By Simon Wade
second Dutchman who was wanted for his links to the farright Turkish terrorist organisation. The Grey Wolf organisation
has been implicated in several murders and runs criminal networks across Europe. Both men have been remanded in custody.
...and introducing our new Digital Editor, Fiona Govan, in Madrid All inside our International Women’s Day special supplement
www.theolivepress.es
CAPTION TO GO HERE FOR INTERNATIONAL WOMEN´S DAY...
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One in five Spanish women gave up work due to the COVID crisis, while they are also poorer and harder working than men, writes Olive Press Digital Editor Fiona Govan
N previous years March 8 was a day when I would meet up with a group of friends and we would hit the streets of Madrid joining tens of thousands of others to mark International Women’s Day. We would don purple items of clothing and join in the protests that attracted people from all walks of life and across the generations – both men and women, boys and girls. There was a carnival atmosphere as people of all ages, from
grandparents to toddlers hoisted on shoulders, came together in a sea of purple brandishing signs with powerful slogans to show that modern Spain means equal opportunities, whatever gender you are. But the demonstrations also underlined how much there was still to do; women may now be fully accepted in the workplace but they are still penalised by a gender pay gap, which is not improving fast enough. Meanwhile violence against wo-
Pics are on the wall
sion for the patio, but an ‘archaic’ law is forcing it to shut. Under the petition headline: ‘Avoid the closure of Casa Cabanyal’ the owners have asked for local community to help them.
LONG WAY TO GO
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women in managerial positions remains around a third of that of men with the numbers dropping even further as careers progress. Spain’s female executives earn 15.1 percent less than their male counterparts, although this is just below the EU average salary gap of 16 percent according to the latest EU data from 2017. men is still recognised as a major the run up to Women’s Day this This inequality is highlighted in problem in Spain and the we are year revealed that 7% of women the statement issued by Spain’s witnessing the rise of the coun- had suffered physical or psycho- government on March 8: “Wotry’s political far right and with it logical abuse from men during men in Spain work more than a denial of gender inequalities. 2020. men today, but This year with Spain still in the And most alarthey are poorer.” grip of the pandemic, there mingly of all, acOf course there FIVE LINERS are no mass protests with au- cording to the laare still reasons thorities banning gatherings to test data, women to be positive xxxxxxx avoid potential super-spreader made up 93% of and to celebrate events, but the health crisis has those who gave xxxxxxxxx just how far wohighlighted and even compoun- up employment men have come xxxxxxxx ded some of the inequalities in during 2020 in in Spain. society. xxxxxxxxx Spain... citing caSpain may not Working from home has seen a ring for minors, have had a festeep rise in mental health issues elderly or sick remale prime miwith women bearing the brunt latives as the main reasons. nister but it has the largest share of the burden of childcare and That is one in five women, accor- of women in any European lehousework as they try to balance ding to a survey by online com- gislature with women represenwork life with home-schooling munity MalasMadres. ting 47 percent of elected MPs, and care for their elderly relati- During the second quarter of last a bigger proportion of female ves. year, a period that coincided with lawmakers than even Sweden. When Spain went into lockdown Spain’s strict lockdown 61,000 More than half of Pedro Sana year ago, gender violence women gave up their jobs to chez’s cabinet comprises wosoared with the authorities re- care for others compared to just men – each one impressively porting an 18% rise in calls du- 6,500 men. qualified for their role – with woring the first fortnight alone. And when it comes to the wor- men holding key ministerial poA survey conducted by DYM in kplace itself, the proportion of sitions including Foreign Minister and Health Minister. We’ve come a long way since the end of the dictatorship when a woman had to have her father’s or husband’s permission to travel and couldn’t open a bank account. But there’s no room for complacency, we still have a long long way to go.
Important day
Charmaine Arbouin, British Consul for Andalusia, Canary Islands, Ceuta & Melilla. Based in Malaga she covers the region of Spain that has the largest concentration of British residents
“International Women’s Day is an opportunity to celebrate the achievements of women - both past and present; those who have shaped and transformed our world, whether that be politically or in the fields of science and culture. But it’s also a moment to reflect on what still needs to be done and that’s why this year’s theme of Choose to Challenge matters. We must all choose to call out bias and inequality, so that we have even more great female achievers to celebrate in the future.”
Tel: 952 147 834
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Vol. 2 Issue 51 www.theolivepress.es March 11th - March 24th 2021
CHOOSE TO CHALLENGE
CONVICTED British gangster Brian Charrington is to By Alex Trelinski get a sensational retrial. The seasoned crook, who enjoyed the high life of luxury er, who lived in Calpe, had homes, boats and cars on the been found guilty of smugCosta Blanca, has been hand- gling 192 kilos of cocaine from South America in 2012 ed a potential get-out-of-jail and 2013. card over his 2018 drug trial. Shipments came in on yachts The Spanish Supreme Court landing at Altea, while the has ruled that there were ‘impartiality issues’ over his drugs were stored at a prop15-year sentence at Alicante erty in Albir, near Benidorm. The Middlesbrough-born Court. The 65-year-old ex-car deal- crook - business partner of legendary Curtin ‘Cocky’ Warren - was arrested alongside his son Ray and two other associates and fined €31 million. His French girlfriend Isabelle Robert was acquitted and will not face a retrial. The original trial has been ruled null and void after defence lawyer, Joaquin de Lacy, appealed over conflicts of interest involving the Alicante judges. The Supreme Court upheld the challenge on the basis that the judges had been SALES & RENTALS SPECIALISTS previously involved in 26 Moriara•Calpe•Jalon•Javea•Denia•Altea separate rulings on the case ahead of the 2018 trial. That, in their opinion, inwww.moraira-hamiltons.net
Women’s Day
How these two women - an expat and a local did two centuries apart
To celebrate International Women’s Day, we hear the inspirational stories from over a dozen expats from around the country
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SAN JAVIER Mijas Costa
COSTA BLANCA SUR / MURCIA
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Vol. 2 Issue 35 www.theolivepress.es March 11th -March 24th 2021
TM
CONVICTED British gangster Brian Charrington is to get a sensational retrial. The seasoned crook, who enjoyed the high life of luxury homes, boats and cars on 5 See page the Costa Blanca, has been handed a potential get-outof-jail card over his 2018 drug trial. The Spanish Supreme Court has ruled that there were ‘impartiality issues’ over his 15-year sentence at Alicante Court.
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The 65-year-old ex-car deal21/6/19 er, who lived in Calpe, had been found guilty of smuggling 192 kilos of cocaine from South America in 2012 and 2013. Shipments came in on yachts landing at Altea, while the drugs were stored at a property in Albir, near Benidorm. The Middlesbrough-born crook - business partner of legendary Curtin ‘Cocky’ Warren - was arrested alongside his son Ray and two other associates and
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back home included a customs raid at his home in 1992 that unearthed millions of pounds in alleged drugs money. However he escaped charges when it was revealed he was a police informant. In 2002, a Leeds trial collapsed when Charrington and two Middlesbrough police officers faced public office conspiracy charges. The case had collapsed when
the judge ruled against illegally-obtained phone taps. He was acquitted in two other drugs trials, before being finally sentenced to seven years in Germany in 2003 and two years in France in 2006. The Spanish media branded the felon as the ‘Wikipedia Narco’ because Charrington regularly updated his profile on the internet site with news of his latest activities.
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...with an introduction from our British consul in Andalucia, Charmaine Arbouin
...and introducing our new Digital Editor, Fiona Govan, in Madrid
All inside our International Women’s Day special supplement
A special four-page pullout
March 2021
www.theolivepress.es
CAPTION TO GO HERE
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Destination Relaxation
One in five Spanish women gave up work due to the COVID crisis, while they also poorer and harder are than men, writes Olive working Press Digital Editor Fiona Govan
FOR INTERNATIONAL WOMEN´S
LONG WAY TO GO DAY...
Important day Charmaine
Arbouin, N previous years March 8 British Consul for a day when I would meetwas grandparents to toddlers hoisted Andalusia, Canary with a group of friends up on shoulders, came together in a and sea of purple brandishing we would hit the streets of Islands, Ceuta & signs Ma- with powerful slogans drid joining tens of thousands to show Melilla. Based in women in managerial positions others to mark International of that modern Spain means equal Malaga she covers Wo- opportunities, whatever remains around a third of men’s Day. gender that of the region of Spain men with the numbers dropping you are. We would don purple items of But the demonstrations even further as careers progress. that has the largest clothing and join in the also unprotests derlined how Spain’s female executives that attracted people from much concentration of British all still to do; women there was 15.1 percent less than their earn walks of life and across may now be residents the counterparts, although this male nerations – both men and ge- fully accepted in the workplace wo- but they are still below the EU average is just men, boys and girls. penalised by a salary gap of 16 percent according There was a carnival atmosphe- gender pay gap, which is not im- men “International Women’s is still recognised as a major the latest EU data from 2017. to proving fast enough. re as people of all ages, Day is an opportunity the run up to Women’s problem in Spain and the from Meanwhile violence to Day this This inequality we are year revealed celebrate the achieveagainst wo- witnessing that 7% of women the statement is highlighted in the rise of the ments of women - both try’s political far right and coun- had suffered physical or psycho- government issued by Spain’s past and present; those with a denial of gender inequalities. it logical abuse from men during men in Spainon March 8: “Wowho have shaped work more than 2020. and This year with Spain still transformed our world, in the And most alarmen today, but grip of the pandemic, whether that be politithey are poorer.” are no mass protests withthere mingly of all, accally or in the fields Of course there FIVE LINERS thorities banning gatheringsau- cording to the lascience and culture. of are still reasons to test data, women avoid potential super-spreader it’s also a moment toBut xxxxxxx to be positive remade up 93% of events, but the health crisis flect on what still needs has those who gave and to celebrate xxxxxxxxx highlighted and even compounto be done and that’s just how far woup employment why this year’s theme ded some of the inequalities xxxxxxxx men have come in during 2020 in of Choose to Challenge society. in Spain. Spain... citing camatters. We must Working from home has xxxxxxxxx all seen a ring for minors, Spain may not choose to call out bias steep rise in mental health have had a feand inequality, so that with women bearing the issues elderly or sick remale prime miwe have even more great of the burden of childcarebrunt latives as the main reasons. nister but it has and That is one in five female achievers to housework as they try to women, accor- of women in the largest share balance ebrate in the future.” celany European lework life with home-schooling ding to a survey by online com- gislature with women represenmunity MalasMadres. and care for their elderly ting 47 percent of elected relati- During the second MPs, ves. quarter of last a bigger proportion of female When Spain went into lockdown year, a period that coincided with lawmakers than even Sweden. Spain’s strict lockdown A SMALL village in a year ago, gender 61,000 More than half violence women gave ed the skills of twodeep inland Malaga has enlistsoared with the authorities up their jobs to chez’s cabinet of Pedro Sanwhitewashed walls local artists to transform the porting an 18% rise in calls re- care for others compared to just men – each comprises wointo a tribute to rural across the ages. one impressively women ring the first fortnight alone. du- 6,500 men. qualified for their role – with In a project entitled And when it comes to woA survey conducted by the wor- men holding key ministerial rapher Ana Becerra ‘Saucedeñas’, Ronda photogDYM in kplace itself, pothe proportion of sitions including taken to Villanueva and artist Selector Marx have Foreign Minister and Health Minister. Residents awoke lastdel Rosario. week to large scale We’ve come a long way white collages of images black of local rural women and blazoned on walls of the end of the dictatorship since em“The women on the municipal buildings. a woman had to have when her faare entrepreneurs, photographs are women who ther’s or husband’s permission who cultivated creativity had a history of self-improvement” or who to travel and couldn’t open a said Becerra. bank account. But there’s no room for complacency, we still have a long long way to go.
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Properties to rent and buy in the sunny Costa Blanca
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Women’s Day, we hear the
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One in five Spanish women gave up work COVID crisis, due to the while they are also poorer and than men, writesharder working Olive Press Digital Editor Fiona Govan
LONG WAY TO GO WOMEN´S DAY...
Great work
Important day
N previous years a day when I March 8 was grandparents would meet up to Charmaine Arbouin, with a group on shoulders, toddlers hoisted of we would hit the friends and sea of purple came together in a British Consul for drid joining tens streets of Ma- with powerful brandishing signs Andalusia, Canary others to mark of thousands of that modern slogans to show International WoIslands, Ceuta Spain means equal men’s Day. & opportunities, women in managerial whatever gender Melilla. Based We would don you are. in positions remains around Malaga she covers clothing and joinpurple items of But the demonstrations a third of that of in the protests men with the numbers that attracted also unthe region of Spain derlined how dropping people from even further as much there walks of life and all still to do; careers progress. that has the largest women may nowwas Spain’s female nerations – both across the ge- fully accepted be concentration 15.1 percent lessexecutives earn in the workplace men, boys and men and wo- but they of British than their male are still girls. counterparts, although There was a carnival residents gender pay gap, penalised by a this is just below the EU atmosphewhich is not imre as people average salary men is still recognised of all ages, from proving fast enough. gap of 16 percent as a major Meanwhile violence problem in Spain “International the run up to Women’s the latest EU data according to against woWomen’s from 2017. witnessing the and the we are year revealed Day this This inequality Day is an opportunity rise of the counthat 7% of women is highlighted to try’s political far celebrate the had suffered the statement in right and with ments of womenachievea denial of gender it logical abusephysical or psycho- government issued by Spain’s inequalities. from men during on past and present; - both This year with men in Spain March 8: “WoSpain still in the 2020. work more than who have shapedthose grip of the pandemic, there And most alarand men today, but transformed are no mass protests with au- mingly of all, acwhether that our world, they are poorer.” thorities banning cording to FIVE LINERS cally or in the be politiOf course there avoid potential gatherings to test data, the lafields of science and are still reasons events, but the super-spreader made up women culture. But xxxxxxx it’s also a moment to be positive highlighted and health crisis has those who93% of to reflect on what gave xxxxxxxxx and to celebrate ded some of even compoun- up employment to be done still needs the inequalities just how far woand that’s society. in during 2020 xxxxxxxx why this year’s men have come Working from theme Spain... citing in of Choose to home cain Spain. xxxxxxxxx steep rise in mental has seen a ring for matters. We Challenge minors, health issues Spain may not with women bearing elderly or sick choose to call must all rethe brunt have had a of the burden and inequality, out bias feof childcare and latives as the main reasons. male prime miso that housework as we have even nister but it has they try to balance That is one in five women, more great the largest share work life with female achievers home-schooling ding to a survey by onlineaccor- of women in any European to celand care for their ebrate in the com- gislature with lefuture.” elderly relati- munity MalasMadres. women represenves. During the second ting 47 percent A SMALL village of elected quarter of When Spain went in deep inland into lockdown year, a period that coincided last a bigger proportion of MPs, ed the skills a year ago, female Malaga has with lawmakers gender violence Spain’s strict lockdown enlistwhitewashed of two local artists to soared with the 61,000 More than than even Sweden. women gave transform the walls into a across the ages. half of Pedro up their tribute to rural porting an 18% authorities re- care for women others comparedjobs to chez’s cabinet comprises Sanrise in calls duIn a project ring the first fortnight to just men – each 6,500 men. worapher Ana entitled ‘Saucedeñas’, one A survey conducted alone. Becerra and Ronda photogAnd when it comes qualified for their impressively taken to Villanueva artist Selector by DYM in role – with woto the wor- men Marx have kplace itself, the del Rosario. Residents awoke proportion of sitionsholding key ministerial polast week to white collages including Foreign large scale black Minister and Health Minister. blazoned on of images of local rural and women em“The women walls of municipal buildings. We’ve come a on the photographs are entrepreneurs, the end of the long way since dictatorship when who cultivated are women who had a history a woman had of self-improvement”creativity or who to have her father’s or husband’s said Becerra. permission to travel and couldn’t open bank account. a But there’s no room for complacency, we still have a long long way to go.
Pics are on the wall
Jávea / Altea Islands
put themselves
of borders to UK travellers
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c o n d i t i o n s .
By Kirsty McKenzie
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E n
TOURISTS who have to prove they have hadvaccine passports the COVID jabs could return to our shores as soon as May. The Balearic Islands are hoping to follow the leads of Portugal, Greece and open borders to British and Cyprus holidaymakders s who 3 1 have / 1 2received / 1 . the vaccine. It comes as the 9Spanish government confirmed that plans to with vaccine passports welcome visitors ICONIC The are already uncathedral in Palma derway - and the 21/6/19 13:30 is one of the island´s Balearic Islands is keen be pioneers tourists hot spots to follow suit. and we are the most active very positive. champions International sun seekers could return to facilitate of digital vaccine passports “We will this Spring, according focus our efforts from international mobility.” now on in becoming minister Reyes Maroto.to Spain's tourism It is unclear when Spain's pilot will be mentation a lead region in the implerolled The tourism chief said: “We want to urged out but regional governors have facilitate of immunity certificates to Maroto to let them mobility.” start the Maria Duran, scheme. a spokeswoman for hoTourism min- tels in Mallorca said: "We're paying very close attention to the UK, ister Iago the first counNegueruela is try to design and share a roadmap for pushing for the restoring mobility." islands to be the first part of Travel Spain to wel- Vaccine passports, which show the come British COVID track record of the traveller, holidaymakers been supported have by countries in Europe with vaccine including Spain and Greece to enable passports. travel to resume without restrictions. He said: “We Ursula von der Leyen, President have offered to European Commision, of the has said that the become one of EU is hoping the first parts on a digital to publish draft legislation green pass on March 17. of Spain where These would prove that the holder has the vaccine been given both of the jabs and provide passport is tri- medical certificates for those who have aled. recovered from the “We showed to bypass quarantinevirus, allowing them with last year’s Brits are currently and negative tests. pilot that we holidays overseas, banned from taking but Prime Minister can work ef- Boris Johnson fectively and national travel will reveal the date interwill restart on April 12. the Spanish There are hopes the PM will allow UK government’s tourists to head on holidays abroad from response to our as early as proposal was June 21 is aMay 17, but it's thought that more likely date.
f o r
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...with an introduction from our British consul in Andalucia, Charmaine Arbouin
...and introducing our new Digital Editor, Fiona Govan, in Madrid
Mallorca - Issue 101 All inside our International Women’s Day special supplement
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March 2021
I
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LONG WAY TO GO
One in five Spanish women gave up work COVID crisis, due to the also poorer while they are and harder than men, writes working Olive Press Digital Editor Fiona Govan
WOMEN´S
IT’S a pity that people leave so much litter. Surely it’s not difficult to put rubbish in a bin or just take it home? Well done to the young lady who is helping to keep the planet litter free.
DAY...
Important day
N previous years March 8 was a day when grandparents to toddlers hoisted with a groupI would meet up on shoulders, came Charmaine we would hit of friends and sea together in a Arbouin, the streets of of drid joining Ma- with purple brandishing British Consul tens others to mark of thousands of that powerful slogans to signs for Andalusia, Canary show International modern men’s Day. Wo- opportunities,Spain means equal Islands, Ceuta We would don whatever gender you are. women in managerial purple items Melilla. Based & clothing and of But the positions remains around in demonstrations that attractedjoin in the protests derlined Malaga she a third of that men with the covers how much also unof walks of life people from all still there the region of and across even further numbers dropping nerations – the ge- fully to do; women may nowwas Spain as both that has the Spain’s female careers progress. be men, boys and men and wo- but accepted in the workplace executives earn they are still 15.1 percent concentration largest There was a girls. penalised by of British gender pay gap, carnival atmosphecounterparts, less than their male re as people which is not a residents proving fast of all ages, im- men is below the although this is just enough. EU average from Meanwhile still recognised gap of 16 percent salary as a major problem violence against the run up to according wo- witnessingin Spain and the we are the latest EU “International Women’s Day data from 2017. to year the Women’s this This inequality Day is an opportunity try’s political rise of the coun- had revealed that 7% of women far right and suffered physical celebrate the statement is highlighted in to a denial of gender with it logical the achievements of women abuse from or psycho- government issued by Spain’s inequalities. This year with men during on 2020. - both past and present; men in Spain March 8: “Wogrip of the Spain still in the And work more those who have than are no mass pandemic, there minglymost alarmen today, transformedshaped and protests with but thorities banning au- cording of all, acthey are poorer.” whether that our world, to the laFIVE LINERS avoid potential gatherings to test be politiOf course cally or in data, women super-spreader there events, but are still reasons science andthe fields of made the xxxxxxx highlighted and health crisis has those up 93% of it’s also a culture. But to be positive who gave moment to ded some of even compoun- up xxxxxxxxx flect on what reand to celebrate the inequalities employment society. to be done still needs in during just how far xxxxxxxx 2020 and that’s woWorking from why this men have come Spain... citing in steep rise in home has seen a ring caof Choose year’s theme xxxxxxxxx in Spain. mental health to Challenge with women matters. issues elderlyfor minors, Spain may choose to We must all of the burdenbearing the brunt latives or sick rehave had a not call out bias and inequality, housework as of childcare and That as the main reasons. male prime feso that nister but we have even miwork life withthey try to balance ding is one in five women, more great accor- of womenit has the largest share female achievers and care for home-schooling munityto a survey by online com- gislature in any European letheir elderly to celebrate in the ves. relati- During MalasMadres. with women future.” representhe second quarter ting 47 percent When Spain of year, a period of went into lockdown a year ago, that coincided last a bigger proportionelected MPs, Spain’s with lawmakers of female soared with gender violence women strict lockdown 61,000 than even Sweden. the authorities More than porting an 18% re- care for gave up their jobs half of Pedro to chez’s cabinet rise in calls Sanring the first du- 6,500 others compared to just fortnight men. men – each comprises woA survey conducted alone. And when it qualified for one impressively by DYM in their role – with kplace itself, comes to the wor- men woholding key the proportion ministerial poof sitions including Foreign Minister and Health Minister. We’ve come the end of the a long way since a woman haddictatorship when to have her ther’s or husband’s fapermission to travel and bank account. couldn’t open a But there’s no cency, we still room for complahave a long way to go. long
See inside
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Lisa Taylor, via Facebook
inspirational stories from over a dozen expats from around the country
2021
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Your voice in Spain
Vol. 4 Issue 101 www.theolivepres s.es March 12th - March 25th
forward yorkshirelinencostab for reopening lanca.com
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Costa Blanca Sur - Issue 35 We have beautiful homes for sale and luxury villas to rent Commission fee is only €2500
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By Alex Trelinski
fined €31 million. His French girlfriend Isabelle Robert was acquitted and will not face a retrial. The original trial has been ruled null and void after defence lawyer, Joaquin de Lacy, appealed over conflicts of interest involving the Alicante judges. The Supreme Court upheld the challenge on the basis that the judges had been previously involved in 26 separate rulings on the case ahead of the 2018 trial. 13:30 That, in their opinion, infringed the defendants rights to an impartial hearing. Charrington (pictured) had claimed he was merely a real estate agent who ‘buys and sells villas and pays taxes’ at the original hearing. Police had raided over a dozen luxury properties as they arrested him in July 2013. Charrington has had reasonable fortune in trials back in the UK. His brushes with the law
How personal tragedy fuelled one woman’s success story
...with an introduction from our British consul in Andalucia, Charmaine Arbouin
fringed the defendants rights police informant. to an impartial hearing. Charrington (above) had In 2002, a Leeds trial colclaimed he was merely a real lapsed when Charrington and estate agent who ‘buys and two Middlesbrough police ofsells villas and pays taxes’ at ficers faced public office conspiracy charges. the original hearing. Police had raided over a doz- The case had collapsed when en luxury properties as they the judge ruled against illegally-obtained phone taps. arrested him in July 2013. Charrington has had reason- He was acquitted in two other able fortune in trials back in drugs trials, before being finally sentenced to seven years the UK. in Germany in 2003 and two His brushes with the law back home included a customs years in France in 2006. raid at his home in 1992 that The Spanish media branded unearthed millions of pounds the felon as the ‘Wikipedia Narco’ because Charrington in alleged drugs money. However he escaped charges regularly updated his profile when it was revealed he was a on the internet site with news of his latest activities.
Costa Blanca Issu 952 147 834 e 51
Retrial for legendary British drugs baron could put him back on the streets
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FEMALE AND FEARLESS
International
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A SMALL village in deep inland Malaga has enlisted the skills of two local artists to transform the whitewashed walls into a tribute to rural women across the ages. In a project entitled ‘Saucedeñas’, Ronda photographer Ana Becerra and artist Selector Marx have taken to Villanueva del Rosario. Residents awoke last week to large scale black and white collages of images of local rural women emblazoned on walls of municipal buildings. “The women on the photographs are women who are entrepreneurs, who cultivated creativity or who had a history of self-improvement” said Becerra.
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Valencia - Issue 8 See inside
have been FRONTLINE female health workers International singled out for praise during Women’s Day. workers The huge army of health and carethanked for 70% of whom are women - were pandemic in their unstinting work during the Gibraltar. to the ex“It is particularly fitting to pay tribute the hundreds traordinary work carried out by sectors,” said of women in the health and care Minister for Equality Samantha Sacramento. witnessed “As a minister I have repeatedly of womefforts incredible truly the first-hand coronavirus en at the forefront in fighting the pandemic.” lab techHundreds of female doctors, nurses,in helping part their played carers and nicians of times Gibraltar residents during the hardest of the pandemic. successMeanwhile, a large part of Gibraltar’s known programme, vaccination ful COVID-19 due to womas Operation Freedom, has been en. and clinical From administrative to logisticalat the highest tasks women have been involved level of the Pfizer vaccine programme. the intense Sacramento also went on to detailled to pharmidnight strategic meetings that out the taking Gordon Melanie like macists 4.30am. precious vials from the freezer at of Nursing, It came as Sandie Garcia, Head of the prowas charged with taking charge Rock. the on gramme Manager SuElderly Residential Services Care residents at san Vallejo led the vaccination of Care ManGibraltar nursing homes. Primary the ager, Rose Suissa, successfully converted ICC into a former Primary Care Centre at the military precise vaccination area.
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Spanish police working with their Dutch counterparts also picked up Spain’s biggest-ever haul of ‘pink cocaine’ - 11 kilos of the narcotic during the course of the operation. Other drugs including MDMA and heroin were found when cops moved in on the duo. The main suspect, aged 21, had disappeared from Holland after the Amsterdam shooting, only to be traced to Marbella when he appeared in a video clip of a well-known Dutch rapper. But there the trail went cold
to OWNERS of illegal homes have started massive tear them down to try and escape fines of over €600,000. tough It comes after the Junta finally got of DANGER: El Palmar Landscape on illegal homes, doubling the number by illegal development inspections and tripling its prosecutions threatened Len and Helen Prior and (right) against unscrupulous speculators. In a landmark year for the environment, dream home in the sun. there were double the number of inspections Andalucia has had dozens of victims of ille– who bought around Andalucia in 2020. probed, gal homes – including expats to see them latSome 1,087 constructions were into their villas in good faith only while 75 investigations were launched the PP in 2019 er flattened by bulldozers. holiday from cou- the Junta was taken over by developers looking to cash in The most famous case involved British their less problems are being created. rentals and joint ownership schemes. ple Helen and Len Prior who bought from Indeed, in 2020 there were 95% more inpermission So sharp was the rise that owners voluntarily get- villa which had planning undertaken and 300% more knocked down their properties beforeeight their council in Vera (Almeria). It was later spections with so far by the probes into shady developers, ting fined in ‘almost all’ of Andalucia’s deemed illegal and knocked down €4million in fines levied. provinces. Junta as it was on land zoned as agricultural One key seaside town that is benefitting is El A number of homes have been voluntarily as in use only. in Cadiz, where fines of more than knocked down in El Palmar, as well of court battles before the re- Palmar, have been slapped on the owners years 10 took It Algatocin, com- €600,000 Oria, Alcolea del Rio, Iznajar and tired couple finally received €236,000 of any plot with a prefabricated house. in 2018. revealed the Junta this week. dodgy pensation from Vera council illegal prop- The area was badly affected when an area The move is being seen as vital to stop was efthe prop- With an estimated 300,000 of 500 hectares of agricultural land developers before they can sell on region, the Junta has in recent fectively subdivided into hundreds of plots the in erties a for looking years introduced meaerties to unsuspecting people 500sqm and 1,000sqm by specusures to help victims between legalise their homes. lators. 16 cases were launched against The majority though A total of plots for development advertising have been left in a ‘le- people land. Most were tracked gal limbo’ with many sale on agricultural medown via online adverts, many on social left unsaleable. At least under new dia. they are finally clamping down edicts brought in since “It’s great and I’m in total agreement,” said local hotel owner James Stuart, from the Califa group in nearby Vejer. have linot do houses “So many cences and the area just does not have the right infrastructure to ALL AREAS COVERED support it all.” He added: “Thankfully there are quite a few areas still totally un4G UNLIMITED touched by development.” INTERNET The Junta’s Minister of Developstressed Carazo, IDEAL FOR ment, Marifran she is determined to fight the proSTREAMING TV liferation of illegal buildings. ALSO IPTV, “What is the point of passing a deSATELLITE TV cree to legalize irregular housing that was in legal limbo for decades if we allow these new types of illetel: (0034) 952 763 840 ...with an introduction gal building in. We are not going to info@theskydoctor.com from our British allow it.” www.theskydoctor.com
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SISTERS ARE DOING IT
By Dilip Kuner
To celebrate International Women’s Day, we hear the inspirational stories from over a dozen expats from around the country
VALENCIA / COSTA AZAHAR March 11th - March 24th 2021 Vol. 1 Issue 8 www.theolivepress.es FREE
ONE of Europe’s most wanted fugitives has been picked up in Valencia city centre. The Dutch crook - said to be Holland’s ‘most wanted’ - was arrested alongside a pal who had links to a terror group that once tried to assassinate the pope. The dangerous felon, whose initials were given as E.G.L., had been on the run after the fatal shooting of a man in an Amsterdam car park in 2019. Cops also nabbed another Dutchman of Turkish heritage who had links to the Grey Wolf terror group which tried to kill Pope John Paul II in St Peter’s Square in Rome, in 1981.
Owners demolish their own homes to escape massive fines as the Junta finally gets tough on illegal construction
International
Women’s Day
How these two women - an expat and a local did two centuries apart
Your
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Retrial for legendary British drugs baron could put him back on the streets
The
CHOOSE TO CHALLENGE
To celebrate International Women’s Day, we hear the inspirational stories from up to a dozen expats from around the country
COSTA BLANCA
SAN JAVIER Mijas Costa
Pics are on the wall
Tel: 952 147 834
c o n d i t i o n s .
A SMALL village in deep inland ed the skills whitewashed of two local artistsMalaga has enlistwalls into to transform across the a tribute the to rural women In a projectages. rapher Ana entitled ‘Saucedeñas’, Becerra and Ronda photogtaken to Villanueva artist Selector Residents Marx have awoke lastdel Rosario. white collages week of images to large scale black blazoned of local and on walls of “The women municipal rural women embuildings. on the photographs are entrepreneurs, had a history who cultivated are women who of self-improvement” creativity or who said Becerra.
See page 16
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Terry Petanque, Sant Feliu de Guixols
AS the Olive Press seems to have the most up to date news we wondered if you have any idea when the vaccinations for COVID will commence in Javea or Moraira? Nobody seems to be hearing anything at all at the moment. We feel like mushrooms – kept in the dark! We really enjoy reading your newspaper. Thank you.
Mr & Mrs Osbourn, Alicante Editor’s note: When you get the vaccine depends on a couple of factors. 1. How you receive healthcare in Spain. 2. Your own age and health condition. If you pay taxes in Spain and have a SIP card, you'll be registered with your local doctor and they'll contact you directly. If you have a valid EHIC card, you're better off contacting your doctor yourself to establish the protocol. If you have private health insurance, they will be able to advise you accordingly, should you contact them. The older you are and/or the more health issues you have, the sooner you should receive the vaccine.
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GIBRALTAR
I’ve been cleaning up my local beach, Palmones, for a while now. It’s staggering how much is either left on the beach or comes in from the sea. Wet wipes are vile, as are other sanitary products. There are also numerous energy drink cans, beer cans, cigarette packets etc. I have even found syringes. Last Sunday I was there and families with their kids were just playing around this stuff!
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How these two women - an expat and a local did two centuries apart
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To celebrate International Women’s Day, we hear the inspirational stories from over a dozen expats
Jab in the dark
Down 2 The latest (2,2,3,6) 3 Clears the air? (7) 4 Breathe hard (4) 5 Seasoned smoked beef (8) 6 Shown to one’s seat (3,2) 7 Peoples crookedly initiate loans (13) 12 Sometimes found with tea (8) 15 Politically, well red (7) 17 Kind of nut (5) 19 Variety (4)
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March 24th - April 6th 2021
t best, the adage ‘Old Spanish Practices’ is considered an innocent turn-of--phrase. At worst, the phrase is considered a pejorative –a stereotypical ethnic slur. Regardless, the expression carries with it some cultural baggage which is revealing. What is the context for the phrase ‘Old Spanish Practices’? When is it used? What does it mean? Why the Spanish? For those of us who grew up in the English-speaking world AND who have an affinity for Spain, we might be wondering the same thing… At first glance, they are interpreted to be derogatory terms prefaced with the descriptive ‘Spanish’ to denote arrogance, duplicity, inefficiency, sexual corruption, etc. Examples include; Spanish gout connotes syphilis, while Spanish Money alludes to insincerity and empty compliments. A Spanish padlock means a chastity belt while a Spanish trumpeter is the annoyi n g
LA CULTURA
March 24th - April 6th 2021
‘Old Spanish Practices’…WTF? ‘Spanish’ is a derogatory term in the English language that’s well past its sell-by date braying of a donkey. Even the infamous Spanish flu pandemic of 1918 carries with it a misnomer - the flu was actually of American origin. It’s not clear why the Spanish are blamed. Brewer’s
According to Royal Mail, they were only ‘trying to make people work for the hours for which they were paid’ while the ComDictionary of Phrases and Famunications Union countered bles (first published in 1870) with claims of ‘unfair labour states that ‘the Spaniards practices and new set of worksomehow seem to attract peer demands’. joratives…not the least of reDialogue between the two garding working practices - the groups got heated with Roymañana attitude and all that’. al Mail claiming in court that They define ‘Old Spanish Practhere had been ‘1,442 Old tices’ as: industrial slang for Spanish Practices at Royirregular or restrictive unauthoal Mail a few years ago and rised practices between workthese had been cut to 92’. This ers (unions) and management. seems to suggest that the term With that said, the phrase has ‘Old Spanish Practices’ not only been popular on Fleet Street in made its way into the court rerecent decades. cord of a major Before computBritish labour law ers and the case, but also hot-metal printHistorians was a recognised ing press of the suspect the and well under1980’s-90s, stood term. Fleet Street manphrase is a Some cultural agement and historians assert labour unions result of old that the phrase would often butt grievances ‘Old Spanish heads over deadPractices’ is aclines. It was widetually American ly understood slang. It can widely be found that unorthodox workplace in the lyrics of early folk mucustoms such as cash only, unsic. The American hit song It’s der the table payments, bogus an Old Spanish Custom (by overtime reporting, crony hiring the Sons of the Pioneers) was practices, etc. were practiced. widely popular in the UK in the Management looked the other 1930s. American films starring way turning a blind eye in orthe likes of Roy Rodgers (The der to maintain harmony within Old Spanish Trail) and Buster the workforce. It seemed like Keaton (An Old Spanish Cusa small price to pay to meet a tom) often used the adage. deadline. This was known on Many historians suspect the Fleet Street as a living/breathphrase is the result of past ing example of an ‘Old Spanish historical grievances between Practice’. Britain and Spain. The defeat of More recently, the journalistic The Spanish Armada, The War reporting of the 2009 Royal of Spanish Succession, contenMail vs the Communications tion over the status of Gibraltar, Workers Union dispute was migrations between both counreplete with references to ‘Old tries and now the uncertainty of Spanish Practices’. By Jack Gaioni
DODGY: Fleet Street printers allegedly indulged in Old Spanish Practices a Brexit all have created an atmo- and hard-working. sphere of ‘the other’. Ironically, what I have noticed Regardless of its origin, the among some of my Spanish phrase does not sit well in to- friends is that they detect some day’s sensitive culture. It rings self-effacing truth to some of hollow and offensive. Any of us these tropes. who have Spanish friends know They see the humour knowing that most are honest, sincere that there have been more than
Now’s the time to write your book! English-speaking Kindle books soar during lockdown in Spain
H
ave you always wanted to write a novel? Maybe a memoir? Henry Baum of ex-pat book hub Self-Publishing Review says independent publishing has never been more popular due to the toque de quedas.
“I’m an American novelist living in Valencia, Spain. When I moved from Los Angeles in 2014, I brought my book promotion company with me. Self-Publishing Review is one of the original sites
for ‘indie’ authors, that is, those who write, edit, and publish their books themselves online. Since I founded the company in 2008, we’ve helped an estimated twenty thousand English-speaking writers from around the world achieve publication. SPR is a family business. My wife, a British ex-pat and qualified book editor, organises the US and UK-based teams that work for us. We are now one of the most trusted authorities in this industry and a go-to source for
authors of all genres. The self-publishing industry is booming, because it’s free to publish a book on Amazon’s KDP eBook system. And, of course, expats in Spain have long used Amazon to buy English language books, because it can be difficult to get a good selection in shops. Since lockdown is upon us, and pubs and clubs are out, many have turned to writing that book they always wanted to pen, as well as re-discovering the joys of reading.
With all the time spent at home, people are buying more books. At Self-Publishing Review, we specialise in helping English-speaking authors achieve their dream: Publish and sell your book, and become a Best Selling author. We offer editing, reviews, and our popular promotion service that can get you to #1 on Amazon, with an estimated quarter of a million global views. We give free advice to authors looking for a start, and you’ll find lots of information about writing
and publishing on our website at www.selfpublishingreview. com. You are also welcome to ask us anything by email: edit o r @ s e l f p u b l i s h i n g r e v i e w. com. Get your exclusive Olive Press discount code for SPR’s author services, valid until May! www.selfpublishingreview.com/OP
LA CULTURA
Do you have a what’s on? Send your informa tion to newsdesk@theolivepr ess.es
March 24th - April 6th 2021
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Bronze Age bosses AN ancient burial site suggests that women may have ruled the roost in the early Bronze Age. That possibility is being seriously put forward after the remains of a female were found with a silver crown on her head. Archaeologists first discovered the burial ground in 1944 which dates back to 1,700 BC at La Almoloya in the Pliego municipality in Murcia.
Cradle
The site is believed to be the cradle of the El Argar society, which flourished between 2,200 and 1,550 BC. The woman’s remains, discovered in 2014, were buried with a man and several valuable objects, most notably the rare silver crown-like diadem on her head. The man had far fewer items in the grave which has led experts to suggest that the woman had more power and could have ruled the area. DNA samples showed that the two individuals were not biologically related, but had had children together. Further analysis of the remains and artifacts over the last few years led researchers to their conclusions about the significance of the find. They said:
Grave goods could show women ruled the roost “These grave items have allowed us to grasp the economic and political power of this individual and the dominant class to which they belonged.” Besides the trinkets found on the woman, another aspect of the discovery has excited re-
Strip for action
and (above) a donkey braying is known as a Spanish trumpeter a few Spaniards in the past Given the historical track record who fit the stereotype of an Old (both positive and negative) beSpanish Practice. Like most cul- tween the UK and Spain, it is tural stereotypes, they are born safe to say that the two counties of at least a kernel of truth. will continue to have conflicting The challenge is to acknowl- issues from time to time. edge people as individuals with- Brexit, the status of Gibraltar out assigning certain character- and the recent COVID 19 quaristics to ethnic groups. Those antine restrictions are all fertile of us who grew up as native ground for potential conflict. English-speakers know that the Should the phrase ‘Old Spanish English language is rich and re- Practices’ become part of the sourceful enough to not make conversation, I’d like to think we generalisations that assign in- can lighten up and see it as an crementing traits. archaic relic of a past age.
IT’S time to strip for action - in fact to go The Full Monty. A €2 million production of the musical version of the British comedy is due to tour Spain in December. This production - with a libretto by Terrence McNally and music by David Yazbek - is the Americanised version with the action transplanted from the UK’s Sheffield to the USA’s Buffalo. It proved to be a massive hit on Broadway, and director David Ottone promises the Spanish production will be a lot of fun. Rehearsals are due to start in May, with a tour so far planned to take in Madrid, Zaragoza, Santander, Bilbao, Almeria, Huelva, Valencia, Granada, Palma de Mallorca, Albacete, Alicante, Guadalajara, Murcia, Cadiz and Pamplona.
The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot by Marianne Cronin Seventeen-year-old Lenni is living on the terminal ward of Glasgow Princess Royal Hospital and eighty-three-year-old Margot is waiting on heart surgery in the next ward. When Lenni and Margot meet in the hospital’s art class they realise that between them they have lived 100 years. They decide to paint 100 pictures to commemorate their lives, and, in the process, a beautiful and unlikely friendship develops as they learn each other’s stories and share the details of their lives. The book manages to be light-hearted yet sensitive while dealing with serious topics. A beautiful, touching, and captivating story showing that age is no barrier to friendship. €18.50 The Bookshop San Pedro, www.thebookshop.es
searchers. The remains were found underneath a room in what was a large building that could have been used for ‘political’ purposes as well as a home. It included an area with benches that could have seated up to
50 people. That’s led experts to suggest that the use of the building could qualify it to be called a palace and therefore make it the first one to be discovered in Western Europe from the Bronze Age.
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LA CULTURA Raise the wreck
March 24th - April 6th 2021
Lady is not for returning
SPAIN’S Culture Commission has refused to permanently transfer an iconic statue back to Elche. The Commission voted for the ‘Lady of Elche’ to continue being exhibited at Madrid’s National Archaeological Museum. The Lady of Elche is a polychrome stone bust that was discovered by chance in August 1897 at L’Alcudia, an archaeological site on a private estate just south of Elche. It’s a piece of Iberian sculpture dating back to the fourth century BC and was bought by the Louvre museum in Paris for 4,000 francs and put on display there. In 1941, it returned to Spain where it stayed for 30 years in the Prado Museum before a ministerial order decreed that it should form part of the Archaeological Museum.
Unyielding
Elche council has campaigned for many years for it to be permanently displayed in the area. Despite the pleas, the national government constantly refused to yield ground on the possibility of the Lady returning to its ‘home’ region. In 2016, Valencian president, Ximo Puig, suggested that a branch of the Archaeological Museum should be formed in Elche to feature the statue but nothing came of the idea. Valencian Compromis party senator, Carles Mulet, led the latest move for the Lady’s return, 124 years after her departure . He said: “Art ought to be in its place of origin and the Lady is part of a whole series of works in the Madrid museum, while it would be the focal point both culturally and for tourists if it took centre-stage in Elche.”
A PHOENICIAN ship that sank off the Spanish coast will see the light of day again after some 2,700 years. The wreck of the Mazarron II has been protected from the elements by a steel dome for decades, but it has become dislodged after the seabed moved, meaning the structure now endangers the remains it was meant to protect. The ship’s valuable cargo of litharge lead, a residue from which silver can be obtained, is now set to be extracted, according to the Ministry of Culture.
Ship from pre-biblical times to be rescued from seabed
FRANCE and Spain may have their differences but when it comes to surrealist painter Picasso they are going to act as one. The governments of the two nations have agreed to set up a bilateral commission to prepare for the 50th anniversary of the death of the Malaga born painter, which will take place in 2023.
Colourful
Exhibition
The wreck is sitting in only 2.5 metres of water, about 50 metres off the coast of Mazarron (Murcia). Originally discovered by divers in 1994, the protective steel dome was installed six years later. However, authorities have now decided to raise the wreck and its cargo in order to conserve, restore and exhibit it at the National Museum of Underwater Archeology (Arqva)
Honouring a great
By Simon Wade
in nearby Cartagena. An international conference is planned in order to pool various experts’ intelligence
regarding the best method of extraction. A multidisciplinary team involving UNESCO will be formed, with restoration work carried out in the Arqua laboratory.
Picasso – who led a life as colourful as his paintings - died in 1973 in France. Although he had spent most of his life in the neighbouring country, he always maintained an intensely sentimental and artistic relationship with Spain. Now the two governments have decided it appropriate to share the planning of the events to mark his death to ensure the importance of Picasso to both nations is made clear.
Opportunities Abound: Why Consider Studying in The US Now? A With everything that's happened in the last year internationally, it might not feel like the right time to approach a study abroad program. But 2021 might just be the best year yet to get acclimated with the opportunity a study abroad program brings with it
PARTNER: Auburn has been welcoming foreign students for decades
s COVID-19 vaccinations are sweeping the world, universities across the United States are prioritizing their students' safety WELCOME: President Biden and health with added securi- NEW is bringing a new face to America, ty and public health measures. while (right) Agave partner FIU Students attending campus activities are largely required to take ted States alone might make it their temperature and monitor feel like now isn't the right time to their health daily, reporting every travel. Under the new administrasymptom as soon as it occurs. tion, things are changing rapidly. Students, faculty, and visitors are President Biden has advocated for required to wear masks in com- study abroad experiences, plans pliance with Centers for Disease to tackle immigration reform, and Control and Prevention (CDC) is in the works to make temporary guidelines, and hand sanitization and permanent work visas more is highly encouraged. These cam- readily available. He is already puses are probably the cleanest cultivating a more welcoming enthey have ever been right now. vironment for students and visitors Right now, many from abroad. universities are utiUniversities have lizing combination Biden is more been focusing on online learning and the improvement of welcoming to are looking to do so their study abroad into the near future, programs in recent students who so whether you are years. After student ready to apply now wish to study in activities and reguor you're looking lar scheduling was the US ahead to apply in taken out of the coming years, there picture last year, should be more learning options there was more time to focus on than usual. This will make lear- the needs of students across the ning more accessible and often spectrum. The universities Agave easier to acclimate to. Education partners with offer foThe political turmoil in the Uni- cused attention on international
students. This includes additional material to help them acclimate to their environment, and an array of unique career and academic advancement opportunities. Reach out for your free consult today!
Contact Rachel at rachel@agaveeducation.org or on +34 663267018 or visit www.agaveeducation.org
A SUNNY SIDE UP ll about
Vol. 15 Issue 365
Manilva, Sabinillas and Duquesa www.theolivepress.es
March - April 2021
TIMELESS SCENE pulling a fishing boat up on Sabinillas beach
The expats favourite of Manilva just keeps getting better
I
I may once have been the Costa del Sol’s best kept secret - but Manilva has a burgeoning reputation for being a friendly place to live at a relaxed pace of life. But that does not mean there is nowhere to go and nothing to see in the town, which takes in the seaside enclave of Sabinillas and the hartbour of La Duquesa port. It is no surprise that Manilva officially has the highest percentage of Brits on the padron in Spain. There are some 4,000 British expats in the 12,000-strong municipality. And it isn’t just those from Blighty. Other settled expats help make up 42% of Manilva’s population, according to local politician Dean Tyler Shelton. Most in these parts inhabit either the coral-white marina of La Duquesa, which sits at the end of the mile-long beachfront of San Luis de Sabinillas or up on the hilltop
lookout of Manilva itself. Though the Brits and the 180-odd other nationalities come from all walks of life and occupations (Ed: Some have even set up a newspaper here!) they all have something in common. Like Manilva’s first health tourist, Julius Caesar, who visited the Roman baths around 60BC, it seems that people come here for a temperate life beneath the jaw-dropping mountains, fed by the fruits of the sea. The place is certainly not short of good beaches and the ones that stretch out west towards Sotogrande are among the nicest, wildest and least visited on the whole Costa del Sol. Punta Chullera is, in particular, a wonderful spot. Walking around the yacht-dotted Duquesa marina expat John Jackson, a 74-year-old Scotsman, counts the fish
in the shallows, watching them eat crumbs from his pan flauta, or Spanish baguette. “It’s a really well maintained port, friendly and safe too,” the former business consultant told the Olive Press, which is also coincidentally based in Manilva. John moved to Duquesa in 2012, where in the winter months the marina remains virtually untouched by tourism. Wandering the cozy, pedestrianised streets, it’s clear that this place is small enough for everyone to know everyone - and while collecting my chips and curry sauce from a takeaway, a local waiter pops in to practise his English. Nearby, San Luis de Sabinillas offers another take on Continues next page
+34 951 566 192 Duquesa Port, Manilva
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info@fairydustpropertyservices.com www. fairydustpropertyservices.com
2 March - April 2021
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Manilva, Sabinillas and Puerto de la Duquesa
From previous page
Super Sabinillas coastal living with its collection of ‘chiringuitos’, where the salt sea air is flavoured with the aroma of ‘pescaditos fritos’ - fried fish, Spanish style this time. These informal beach restaurants normally open around Easter in preparation for the holiday season, and in the winter lie dormant like a grapevine, waiting for the sun. February is normally the right time for British expats Peter and Jackie, who have had a holiday home here for the past 12 years. They say they come to ‘Sabi’ - as they affectionately call the town - in winter to
escape the biting cold of England and to avoid the bustling crowds of summer. On Sundays, however, the famous flea market Rastro de Sabinillas proves that the Spanish do not hibernate and there is still much to see and to do. In normal years it is held weekly at the fairground off the Camino de los Banos de la Hedionda and it is a veritable bargain hunter’s paradise stretched across 300 stalls piled with jewel-coloured fruit and veg, antiques, local handicrafts and second-hand designer wear. Running further west the other side of Duquesa, the coastline gets wilder and less and less developed. Here, you will find an extensive nature zone and golden beaches edged with wild grasses and flowers. The Punta Chullera area is a rock-pool potterer’s paradise and offers the occasional curious sight, such as fresh squid hanging on washing lines to dry. Here is where I meet Belgian biker Robert Vermeulen, who winds down to the
SIGHTS AND SITES: Mural of grape pickers (right), while above the castle at el Castillo and (far right) the fields in the valley below Manilva rocky headland ‘to do nothing’ but enjoy along several walking and his retirement. off-road trails. The 69-year-old makes the journey to the These capillaries are ever beach from his Casares pueblo apart- more deeply etched into ment by motorbike to take long walks the landscape by the and soak up the sea air. coast’s growing number of biking and “I think the coastline is just beautiful,” he walking enthusiasts who enjoy the trips says, in his leather biker’s jacket as the into nature. sun pokes out. Adventurers should also make a pilgrimThe local fisherman still age to Manilva itself, have a place in the comwhich traces its roots munity, he tells me, pointback to 16th century Adventurers ing out the numerous vesvineyards famed throughsels parked in front of the should make out the world for their promenade. sweet wines, known loa trip up to try cally Next to the gin palaces as ‘vino mosto’. bobbing at anchor in la The story of its thriving the ancient Duquesa’s pleasure port, wine industry is beautihe appreciates that Mavineyards fully told at the Nilva Wine nilva has not lost its auMuseum where you can thenticity. also take a vineyard tour. If resting on your wellWhile meandering through the resting earned retirement laurels is not for you, vineyards I bump into Dave and Nicki, then you can still head for the rugged who say they only make the trip now for hills of Manilva, which unfold like a fan old-time’s sake.
Having run their own property business for 15 years on the Costa de la Luz, they came to Manilva to open up shop and capitalise on the throngs of holiday-home buyers eyeing up the area. The 2008 economic crash changed that and their business suffered in the ensuing years.
Vineyards
“People stopped coming, even the Brits,” recalls Nicki. Despite a tainted experience, the couple say that Manilva slowly got back into business and despite the advent of COVID it is bound to bounce back again this year. Indeed, in the town centre I see both Spaniards deftly opening salty ‘pipas’ -
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3 March - April 2021
Perfect port
Duquesa is the true gem of Manilva with dozens of restaurants and an international clientelle to match
D
Picture by Jon Clarke
sunflower seeds baked in shells - in one bite, and two mums with thick Yorkshire accents keeping tabs on their skateboarding children. Nearby, on the border with Casares, you can go back in time to one of Costa del Sol’s earliest recorded new arrivals: the Roman baths of Hedionda. The cloudy blue pools reposing beneath arched brickwork allow you to take in the sublime atmosphere of hundreds of years of history, where medicinal sulphur spring flowing out of from the limestone is said to cure a whole host of ailments, including sunburn. In fact, that is what brought Julius Caesar to Manilva when he was governor of southern Spain to cure a nasty skin infection.
VARIETY: Squids dry on a line at Punta Chullera, while treading grapes in Manilva village Apparently, it worked. Whether here for work or for pleasure, the sun, the sea and the fresh food are never far from people’s reasons for residence - Spanish or foreign. Somehow it still feels as if a certain spell hangs over.
Neumáticos Sabinillas LOS PROFESIONALES DEL NEUMÁTICO
UQUESA is a small harbour with a big personality. Any lunchtime, even in winter, the pavements are filled with tourists taking the sun and enjoying the huge range of restaurants on offer. If the idea of travelling around the world in 80 restaurants floats your boat then this is the perfect spot to drop anchor. A walk around this whitewashed marina takes scarcely longer than five minutes but just count the blackboards promoting cuisine from all over the globe: China, India, Japan, and Singapore, and a plethora of European ports of call too! It could be argued that La Duquesa lacks Spanish identity, with more English voices than yachts and more burgers than tapas. But step out either side of the port, where Spanish chiringuitos (and boatfuls of grilling sardines in summer) fringe sandy beaches and you’ll be left in no doubt which country you’re in. This social meeting point sings through its restaurants, cafes and bars, the people who work in them and the visitors who sit in the sunshine
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enjoying them. This elegant enclave of turrets and towers, pretty plazas and steps leading to different levels jutts out from the mainland, encircling its attractions like an oyster encloses a pearl. Quirky and eclectic, it’s like a younger sister to Puerto Ba-
nus – less glam perhaps, but less snooty too; more affable and, importantly, very much more affordable. This sociable spirit is enhanced by the people who work here, who hail from all over the world and are woven into the ethnically diverse fabric of La Duquesa.
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Once upon a time Manilva was among the richest and bestconnected places in the world
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R
OMAN roots run deep throughout the Iberian Peninsula but this westerly corner of the Costa del Sol really tickled Roman legion fancies for the climate, the fishing, the farming … and for its strategic position at the gateway to the Mediterranean … and home. Stone Age man and many later invaders liked it too but it was the Roman Empire - to which it once belonged - that really put what we now call Manilva and San Luis de Sabinillas on the map. What did the Romans do for us? They made the region rich, they brought work, they built roads just like in the Monty Python sketch. The area was as well-connected then as it is today. They left behind fascinating ruins and a working Roman health spa you can still check into. And it’s free. First, a little history … Baetica, the Roman name for Andalucia, became one of the most dynamic and economically developed regions in the far-flung Roman Empire, rich in resources and modern in outlook, even welcoming liberated slaves. Before the legions arrived in the second century AD life was hard and simple, the land dotted with small and isolated agricultural settlements. However the development of a fish salting industry fuelled by increasing Roman presence on the Iberian Peninsula saw most of these segmented populations moving to the coast, settling in the town we now call San Luis de Sabinillas. At that time, salt curing was the best method for preserving fish for export by sea to Rome and other parts of the Empire. Manilva became known as Saltum and came under the administration of Conventus Gaditanus - a vast region stretching from modern-day Cadiz province and along the the entire Costa del Sol to Almeria. Casares, un-
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Manilva, Sabinillas and Puerto de la Duquesa
Empire
VIA ROMANA: Roman bridge at Banos de Hedionda
der the Roman name of Lacipo, was a strategic gateway from the valley to the mountains of Cadiz and Malaga. Manilva and Casares boasted road links as good as EU funding has provided today. They were connected by one of Baetica’s main thoroughfares to Carteia (currently San Roque where the Roman ruins of Carteia still partially survive), Corduva (now Cordoba) and the city of Baetica, together with Italica and Hispalis, both in the Sevilla region. Some of that amazing infra-
structure still survives. Ro- ing order today, the name man remains can be found means ‘stinky’ in Spanish in Sabinillas, Haza del Casa- and comes from the sulphureño, Lagunetas, Manilva and rous waters which smell like Castillo de la Duquesa which rotten eggs. showcases the The good times remnants of a ended when Roman Baths, Baetica was inWhere Julius town, curing vaded by Visigfactory and oths and the Caesar himself even a necropRoman’s Iberiis said to have an empire fell olis. However, unaround 5AD. cured a skin doubtedly the People started most popular to abandon the complaint ‘asset’ is La coastal setHedionda, the tlements, reRoman baths turning inland built around a natural miner- in search of other ways to al spring where Julius Caesar survive, perchance to dream himself is said to have cured of the glory that was once a skin complaint. Still in work- Rome.
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ANCIENT: Olive harvesting has long been important in Manilva
5
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March - April 2021
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HAT a year it has been. In February of 2020 Serneholt Estate opened their sixth office in Spain when they threw their doors open in la Duquesa port. Under the expert control of Christian Najjar and Eva Henrysdotter, who have more than 12 years experience in real estate brokerage, the aim was to help people find their dream home in this corner of Spain. But within a short few weeks the coronavirus pandemic hit – and at the time no one quite knew what effect that would have on the property market. Now, a year on, property professionals like Christian and Eva have a much better idea – and it is only positive in the sense that they can ride out the COVID storm with some optimism. Key to their success has been the professionalism of the whole team at all Serneholt Estate’s offices – and the forward looking vision of Fredrik Serneholt, CEO and owner. The company employs fully trained consultants with a minimum two years of university studies, with a focus on all parts of the real estate trade. A user-friendly website – recent-
A great year for Serneholt Estate The Manilva/Casares branch has used all the tools of the trade to overcome the pandemic crisis ly updated to make it even easier to use – was complemented with innovative video screenings of properties. It was an initiative that was introduced at just the right time, explained Christian. “While initially sales were down, this did not mean that demand was down. “Casares, Manilva and la Duquesa are the coming areas on this
part of the Costa del Sol, and although international clients could not come out to view, they were still planning their purchases. In fact, we even sold several properties through real time video viewing of the properties - no physical visit required.” He added: “With our local knowledge of the area and professional knowhow we could guide them to the video viewings of properties we had carefully selected for them. “It has proven to be a great success.”
Christian said: “Considering the impact of coronavirus, I think we can feel quietly satisfied with how our first year has gone. But of course we want everything to return to normal.” The Serneholt Estate office is in the best location of La Duquesa clearly signposted from the promenade and from the entrance to the harbour and covers Manilva and nearby Casares So give Christian or Eva a call to arrange a viewing – either by video or with a more personal service.
Manilva • 315,000€
Sabinillas, Manilva • 145,000€
Los Hidalgos, Manilva • 169,000€
Sabinillas, Manilva • 185,000€
Detached villa 3 bed 1 bath 137m2 build ref: R3734095
Middle floor apartment 2 bed 2 bath 84m2 build ref: R3807049
Middle floor apartment 2 bed 2 bath 89m2 build ref: R3789979
Ground floor apartment 2 bed 2 bath 82m2 build ref: R3804805
A small but very well balanced villa that offers everything you can ask for. Breathtaking, panoramic views overlooking the Mediterranean, a private garage, a private pool, a courtyard 3 bedrooms and plenty of social areas indoors as well as outdoors. Basically, you do not pay for space you do not use. Become one of only a few happy villa owners in Hacienda Guadalupe. You can easily walk down to the beach and are only a few minutes away from the port of La Duquesa (less than 10 minutes by bike).
So what do you think about this? Totally reformed which, amongst other things, includes a new and fully equipped kitchen and two new bathrooms. Everything around the corner, Shops, gym, beach, supermarket etc. Despite the town centre location, there is a communal swimming pool on the roof. Is that good or what? The aparment is sold fully furnished, which will save you quite a bit of money. Modest community fee and equally modest IBI (property tax).
This, ladies and gentlemen, is the answer to all your prayers. An apartment that should tick most of your boxes or how about breathtaking views, two bedrooms (both ensuite) a popular area where you have all you need within walking distance – Yes, even the beach. Private parking, a large communal swimming pool and well maintained public areas. This is a gated community situated on the highest level of Los Hidalgos. King of the Hill, if you will.
In the first block without any buildings covering your panoramic views, you will find this beautiful two bed ground floor apartment, which not only offers you two bedrooms – it also offers you two well maintained and tiled bathrooms, a utility room, a storage room, a private parking space in the garage right underneath the apartment, a big, private terrace with your very own staircase leading down to the pool area. Bonus! The apartment will be sold fully furnished and with free access to the shared padel court.
Calle Boqueron 1 (Puerto de la Duquesa) 29691, Manilva – LOCATED IN DUQUESA PORT, KM 144 - N340 tel: +34 602 291 119 manilva@serneholtestate.com www.serneholtestate.com
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Vol. 15 Issue 365 March - April 2021
A decade and a half of campaigning has scored some big wins for the Olive Press
Vol. 8 Issue
EXPOSED:
ty Clifford guil
186
MAN FOUND
COSTA CON
paeyoung girls A PAIR of guru Max Clifdophile PR assaulted on the ford sexually have led to his Costa del Sol conviction. long-time visiClifford - a and involved tor to the coast local events and s in charitie found guilty of - has been of sexual assault, eight counts . d on mostly on minors were groome in At least two being lured . the coast, after es of stardom with promis d here with his He is picture Kenny Lynch showbiz chum Marbella. at a bash in 2
PEDDLING
M ENG
COINS FRO
Where are they? And were these men involved? See page 8 & 9
ress.es
CAGED!
Full story on page
OH TO BE IN OLVERA
tigate EU steps in to inves El Algorrobico hotel opening after Junta aces” u-turn that “disgr pair of Spain... while a watch British pensioners which as their house e - is DID have a licenc d. torn to the groun
See pages 4 and
KAT’Z CAFÉ-BAR
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On behalf of all at the British Embassy and Consulates, I want to wish huge congratulations to all at the Olive Press on your 15th anniversary. The English language press plays a vital role in keeping UK nationals in Spain informed. And we very much appreciate your help in getting key messages out to UK nationals here. After an incredibly difficult year for so many of us, including many businesses, it is great to see the Olive Press thriving. We look forward to seeing what the next 15 years bring.
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ll about
Issue 251
errania
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October
October
de Ronda
26th - November
26th - November
8th 2016
19 19
8th 2016
deep, River ain high mount
Rob Horgan goes native in Serrania the de Ronda and discovers the backroad the Genal gems of Valley
T
SOARING
HIGH: The
view up to
the city from
the Tajo
gorge and
(top) a typical
town scene
HERE are beer with few places in the an army general stands general … world where you can and even all the rounds! Ronda, fewer wheredrink Celebrating however, is the one of those bar El Porton,a recent promotion places. with friends ish Legionnairean olé away After introducingCarlos Velofrom Spain’s oldestin quintessential quail eggs me to the is eager to include bullring - Spantown’s signature me in the - Carlos (above) Iraq, Afghanistan party. regales me tapa the ‘best and Bosnia with tales - jamon and place in the before explaining from tours “I have been world’. why Ronda to says, taking all over the is a swig from world and seen back into his cana many been to.” his face. “But Ronda and pushing things,” he is the best his glasses Originally place I have ago whenfrom Madrid, Carlos ever he joined moved its two national the Spanish to Ronda some bases here, naires at Legion, which 35 years present. counting “The quality on around has one of of life in 800 legioncan live Ronda is like nowhere everyonelike a gentleman here, in Madrid else. else in Spain. “Everything I would just I is affordable, ing from be like if you like tapas bar in your pocket. you to tapas bar and youcan spend the “And the will still have day goscenery is breathtaking,” change he adds. “The walks Continues
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Within an hour, the team scrambled to Olive Press car, Sammon covered Fuengirola, and learning from another remained silenthis face that he was currentl builder questioned by the Olive when Press. y camped He was out at the feria ground. then bundled into the BMW and taken After a day working to Madrid to nearby, the be fingerpr Londoner duly arrived in his for extradit inted and prepared English-plated cream Moncayo Followin ion. campervan. g the arrest, father-o ftwo Reid said he Parking up, he looked was ‘relieved’ relaxed to see Sammo as he took his dog n taken around the feria for a walk “As soon as I saw his away. spoke with neighboground and the most wanted Iface among felt sick,” said Once identified, urs. we called the “I letReid, from Blackpool. Guardia Civil and him hang around pers and so began Crimestop- dren, we took him in my chila tense three- arms with hour waiting game, and at first were noneopen with Reid wiser. the sitting in the car beside us. “But we always Sky News crime reporter Mar- a bit weird, he’s thought he was tin Brunt was soon a there too. never talks about real loner and Eventually, as night his family. and truly fell, an had well “He creeped my family black BMW arrivedunmarked much that I fired him.” out so plain clothes detectiv and two Incredibly, police did not take es swiftly evidence moved in for the from his campervanany incating his passporarrest, confis- cluding his compute r and other t and phone. Frisking him at the side of the CONTINUES ON PAGE
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UPROAR: Beach and virgin Cala protestors in Tarifa de San Pedro (below )
page 3
page 22
His take on the Brits jailed for “saving the environment”
the
INVolive pres EST s IGA T
page 24
The hulking shell set for a 311-room of concrete - once SWATHES of rural mega resort - has Andalucia are in remained an eyesore danger of being concret ed over after work was halted by for years after a new planning law the courts. was brought in Bunkers are also being by the regional governm 700-home golf course dug to stop a Green groups includin ent. scheme, near g EcologisNerja, which will tas en Accion and ment of one of thesee the developjoined with hundreGreenpeace have Costa del Sol’s final stretches of pristine ciations to fight on ds of local assocoast. And protesters in fronts opened up a series of new during Mijas the are also COVID digging in to stop crisis. SOON LEGAL?: the law being used to build in woods Algarrobico They are up in arms overlooking over the so- one, but TWO the sea at El Chapar called LISTA law new hotels the lockdown - that- passed during beaches in the supposedlyon virgin The first of many ral. planned protect is set to allow ed natural dozens of previou park of Cabo de Gata. - took place outside council protests sly outlawe offices d proj- The first involves the in ects to go ahead. green light for la Cala de Mijas this week. a 30-room hotel It could also see In particular, activist near the about a controv s are outraged famous Bahia de Los the globally Valdevaqueros projectcontroversial course in Nerja, ersial new golf beach, while the second Genoveses of homes go up on of hundreds is for a two- tected a heavily-prostand of woodlandas well as a final star hotel close to the pristine virgin in Mijas. Cala Under the beach, near Tarifa. de San Pedro bay They are also furious recently resubm about not Protestors fear (pictured above). the new law will also project, backed by TV celebrit itted now allow the legaliza y Ana tion of nearby Rosa Quintana, the stunning area between Bolonia and El Algarro- see a series of hotels getTarifa would bico hotel, Ecologi built. sts are also worried built dis- Los Merino that the s project for gracef ully courses and hundreds oftwo-golf on a virgin es houson UNESCO-prote beach, near land See page 24 near Ronda could cted virgin Carboneras, despite be revived, due to a preme being quashed by the SuCourt. planning mix up. Fairway to hell: See page 6
AN ecological nightmare, “This hundreds of ancient is a cynical and oaks ap- attempt botched parently stand to create ambien Pulled up for a dead. ce around the golf course and roproject, they huge golf mac- create space,” rie rows like warline up in ee- geon Kit Hogg.said tree surgraves in the very “I Somme. few of these am sure Many centurie trees will survive. protected s It is disbeen sacrificed old, they have gusting.” insatiable desirefor Europe’s Despite ongoing efforts to holiday homes. for golf and stop the work, EU investigaPart of the tions and – crucially – no unrelenting guarant costafication ee of they sound the of Andalucia, Los Merinos water, work at , near Ronda nature conserv death knell for continues uncheck ation in southed. This is ern Spain. the true price of golf. Exclusive story
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BANGED UP: Samm on bundled into police car and (inset) his campervan
EAGLE-EYED Olive Press readers helped snag WORDS AND ain’s most wanted one of BritBy Rob HorganPICS and Spain, just hours fugitives in Laurence Dollimo after he had re It’s a true city of been named. culture, but Followin Malaga has so much g a tip off to the paper, al Crime Agency, who arrived more at suspected paedoph the scene after the arrest. ile Matthew “Well Sammon was dragged PAGE 16 done from his thanks to the Olive Press and campervan in a dramati expat time raid and whisked c night- for tipping us off, community this is the away in son we an unmarked police run these campaig reans.” Working closely withcar. The dramatic day had started informant when Daniel Reid, we were able to annualCrimestoppers issued its firstly track down list of most wanted fugito Fuengirola, then Sammon tives in Torremolinos S on ThursGuardia Civil to arrestcall in the day morning. On the run for two him. Leading to hundred mon - a blackbe years, Sam- stories around the s of press was wanted in thelt in Jujitsu - on national televisio world and ing indecent imagesUK for shar- was immediately n, the hunt on. of children . His seizure came But, it was to popular just 10 hours newspa after he was named per the Olive local in Opera- that tion Captura and Don’t miss our 12-Pag expat plasterer Reid,Press 40, recorded arrest inis the quickest reached out to, trusting Ronda supplement e us to SUCCESS: Reid, and Spanish police the joint UK ‘do the job properly ’. Reynolds and Horgan, “It was a fantastic operation. In a series of Faceboo Brunt PAGE 19 k mesSteve Reynolds, fromresult,” said sages, he announ ced that Sam- as a labourer and was currently the Nation- mon, living in a camper 45, had worked van around for him the Mijas and Fuengirola area.
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Press can l : The Olive fraudster Nige
EXCLUSIVE
g l and convicted By Tom Powel reveal that back in business usinte’ ethwaite is Jamie Mickl Mon Ni- Goldman ‘Howard Del Sol fraudster out COSTA del false name last year is hiding an fled Spain gel GoldmanEnglish country the g Goldm accusations of fraud, in a classic the false name vicSuzanne Coulin his partner g their wares via amid behind dozens of milcottage underMonte’. leaving on page - are peddlin account called tims owed a total of €15 ‘Howard del See full story ‘Del Monte’ Ebay aka joint a an Goldm lion. d to the busito answer ns Emporium’. has also returne and selling ‘Benso post office staff told the While he refused ly seems happy s, it Village ness of buying that he regularto questions, he and antique g, her two Olive Press with Coulin addressed coins, stamps d. in the collects parcels ‘sends living ers and two cats propalso lease can be reveale and , daught a six month ire ‘Del Monte’ edroom Renting on modest three-b ng Berksh packages’. Suzanne in the charmi ry, he and many erty. are Kintbury’s and (top) with village of Kintbu UK bolthole While the pairof conversation, Goldman’s ticket. hottest topic seen and ‘keep HIDEOUT: with a parking why he g to say to you,g “I don’t understand if a trafthey are rarelyto themselves’. “I have nothin to meetin arrested, themselves live nearby but I look forward down. hasn’t been find him then in Couling’s family said fic warden can again,” he called still happier police can,” in Hungerford.secretive man you BRITS are surely the reports sugwished to the who despite our, fact, gly In Spain, t the neighb is seemin have abanous. from Del Monte leaving the gesting 90,000 dream. Parking ticke remain anonym in the village one only ever seen office. doned the expatOlive Press but post “Every led, to the Goldman, whathouse to go Olive Press con- His hair was disheve An exclusivethat more than mous- knows he’she goes under.” y- he did not have the When the survey found s of our readhe ever name his in his countr who deleted y, is fronted himGoldman refused tache some have claimed three quarter r since makpart of his Goldman, t recentl are happie side retreat, the door, instead is now sporting as Facebook accoun investigated EXCLUSIVEreveal that ers to move. of disguise. tly being to come ing the s Coulhis head out can return millionfis morning, the curren briefly pokingwindow. The Olive PressPresident may his for failing to The previou story, see No leaving investors in his bedroom For the full h dream on the Russian a multimillion ing was seento load up their of euros to nies. end to Spanis have boughtla mansion with a house at 9am ll Zafira with nancial compa told the Olive 4. victims s Vauxha page y euro Marbel Variou silver smen. off, possibl are practically group of six busines page 3 Press that theylosing their life boxes and head on sale. that to a car boot explained that destitute after See full story his schemes, g One neighbourmoved into the savings to Leading Buildin 4 es on Page day they Costa Del Sols arthe 1996. Continu warden since ist, house, a traffic the couple and Window Special rived and issued inside.
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14 April 30 - May
legends Ferran Adria and Gordon Ramsey. And it was nice to chat to Ciudadanos leader Albert Rivera, as well as the only newspaper to be able to pose a couple of questions to Michelle Obama on her visit to Marbella a few years ago. Indeed, the positives far outweigh the negatives and we would prefer to be judged over 50 rather than 15 years. As far as we are concerned we have only just begun.
ess.es
the olive press
er tive newspap
the
When it comes to corruption we were the first English newspaper to write about the ERE scandal at the Junta de Andalucia that cost an estimated billion euros to the taxpayers, while we also tackled town hall theft on a local scale on dozens of occasions. Animal cruelty has been a continual bugbear and we have exposed so many evil abusers, as well as the scoundrels who allowed hunters to kill innocent circus lions and tigers at a finca in Extremadura (see below). On a more positive front, it was great to interview everyone from Princess Diana’s ex-lover James Hewett to cooking
maverick Jeremy Griffiths, and Nigel Goldman, a degenerate gold-dealing dirt-bag, who had a restaurant column in a local newspaper, which he used to cover his tracks. We also tackled timeshare crook Toni Muldoon, who certainly deserves a mention for conning thousands of people and eventually went to prison for setting up fake escort websites. Meanwhile, our crime reporting on missing teen Amy Fitzpatrick ‘blew open the case’, to use the words of her grandmother, while our continuing investigation into missing Maddie McCann has yielded exclusive after exclusive, with its frequent links to Spain.
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Getting things done
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ROM its very first issue in 2006 the Olive Press has been campaigning for its community. Whether fighting for the environment or digging into crooks, we have taken some big scalps. Starting from Issue One (see top right) we highlighted the ridiculous plans to build 2000 houses, two golf courses and two hotels on UNESCO-protected land near Ronda, as well as exposed the madness of building a 350-room monstrosity on a virgin beach in Almeria’s Cabo de Gata. Both schemes - Los Merinos, in Ronda, and the Algarrobico hotel, in Almeria - went into reverse after our stories made the UK AND Spanish national newspapers and green groups including Greenpeace and Ecologistas en Accion joined our protests. And then there were the crooks, like Crimestoppers’ Most Wanted Daniel Johnston, a bank robber, and Matthew Sammon, a dangerous paedophile, who we single-handedly tracked down to a village near Sevilla and a car park in Fuengirola. And fraudsters like David ‘the dogman’ Klein, pet transport
PARKING)
2
Bracing for Brexit
Vol. 11 Issue 257
Voted BEST expat paper in Spain www.theolivepres
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Property www.theolivepress.es
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They’re all in our new Property magazine out this week
31st 2017
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January
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31st 2017
31st 2017 Spain Property
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Issue 12
New Year, new house?
ET your hands on one of first new the year - right properties of the on the beach! This stunning villa with wonderful contemporary heated infinity sea pool has views and market this gone on the Just a few week. steps from bella’s loveliest one stretches of Marthe four bedroom of sand, and cinema home with could be €7.9m. yours for a gym
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Removing the floor
A VICTORY for mortgage been awarded owners has by the European of Justice. Court The court mortgage has ruled that two holders in to additional Spain are million entitled refunds because from It came they paid too muchthe banks interest. clauses’ due to the so-called that saw fail to lower most Spanish ‘floor banks rowers to their interest rates match the the European base rate to borCentral set by The court ruled that Bank. that repayments it was unfair entire life and should time that of the mortgage cover the during the continue interest rates were low and When theto be. lowered central bank base economy to stimulate the rate was some years eurozone repayments ago, mortgage should have 1.5% to tracked it continued2%, however many to to pay 3.5% borrowers The surprise and be appealed. ruling is final more. and cannot Around two now be set million borrowers should timated to to receive repayments, be worth esbillions of euros.
Little slice of home
a cool The chic BRITISH bella, justnew addition to Bahia spree in expats are on a buy-to-let Marthe latest east of the town, England. London and the south east of According installed technology, withincludes sound system, to mortgage a preInternational and underfloor solar panels there has lender Skipton cant rise The property, heating. been cent years.in expat investment a signifiProperties, marketed by over re- with sits in a gated Panorama New figures 24-hour security. community to-lets are reveal 40% of are in the in the UK capital,expats’ buy“Prices in pricey south east. while 25% nificantly London have increased ing that in the past few years, sigmeanattractivecapital gains have mortgage for investors,” saidbeen very director Nigel Skipton “Expats have Pascoe. ing and long many reasons term investment for investthe most is usually The trendimportant.” has occurred come easier as it has pats, who to secure lending becredit checkspreviously struggledfor exwith Some 35% and recent credit history. vestment of expats cited long term ing, while as their main reason inanother 19% for of their pension said it was buyplan. part
of Marbella
AND THE KING OF RENOVATION ALL JOBS
MALAGA €2 millionprovince’s second La Estrella project failed to biggest castle will finally be being used castle is spreadtake off almost a decade renovated over 25,000 after a ago. Spanish TV during the filming of ‘Douglas,square metres and A project series which features el Guardian is currently to give the onset of the structure the battle of de Historia’ – It now back global financial a face lift was Teba, where the castle a abandoned crisis. investigation, on, and will improve in 2008 at lies. consolidate the accessibility, structure. the walls undertake and generally archeological improve the existing
PAGE 13
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THERESA May Britain won’t accepthas vowed half out’ Brexit in a ‘half in, a landmark speech that is likely to have long-lasting effects on Gibraltar and all expats in Spain. The Prime Minister issued a 12-point plan to out of the EU, take Britain ing Street looking with Downsingle market and to scrap EU toms union access.current cusIn the biggest speech month tenure, she of her sixsaid: “To be clear, what I am proposin g cannot mean members hip of the single market.” She added Britain longer give ‘huge would no EU, however she sums’ to the conceded that Parliament will have the final vote on the deal. Maintaining the travel area between common Kingdom and the the United EXCLUSIVE Republic of Ireland is also a priority By Gabrielle Pickard during -Whitehead the Brexit negotiati and Laurence ons. Dollimore However, the border rushed to the vets tar with Spain was of Gibral- A BRITISH expat he died 30 minutes has not men- after later. tioned. finding five of her called in police An X-ray showed dogs executed in a late-night massacre he also had a in 2004, found the The Guardia Civil . five rescue dogs shot shot through the roof of his mouth.bullet in their pens on January are now investiga Meanwh Control ing the horrific attack t6, the night of was also ile, one of Mitchell’s 12 horses the Reyes (Three that “We want to control also left one attacked, so savagely of Illona Kings). Her beloved seven-ye that its eye migration from the our im- gouged Mitchell’s horses with its eye ar-old Dizzy, ‘one Vetsmay have to be removed. out. EU,” said of the May. “We also have friendlies been t dogs you will recognise the The detectives from the meet’ and a puppy ever four-year-old, struggling to treat the importance of the environment brightest section Seprona told Mitchell, shot dead at the gatescalled Maisie were he has become named Rocco, because and the best coming 48, that it was one too of their pens. Meanwhile Coco Deeply traumati nervous and skittish. recognise the contributhere. We seen and of the worst attacks they had were visibly shocked ion they shot in their beds, and Domingo, were thankfully was sed by the attack - that have made.” by it. They have put on not seen by her daughwith Mitchell believing they had cowered extra patrols to keep ter Ella, May is believed to an eye in their kennels so angry 11 - Mitchell continued: “I am before being killed permit system asfavour a work- night. on the estate at weekends and at that someone would do Coco, two, had beenin cold blood. something as disgustin trigger Article 50 byshe looks to “I am g as this to innocent sickened as to March. range between the shot at point-blank animals.” It comes as the House why of Lords would carry out such a cruel someone year-old Domingo eyes, while three- Mitchell, from published data showing and bar- week. Chester, believes was shot through a bor- baric attack on innocent, defencele side of his face. the atthe tack is linked to der closure with animals,” she told ss The mother-of-one, the Olive Press this ban hunters fromher recent decision to put 40% of jobs Spain would above, who bought They later found Jack, her huge her estate in mountai at risk in Gia braltar. ns near Granada German Shepherd, having six-year-old estate that sits in stunning173-hectare convulsions the Sierra scenery in under a nearby tree, The 32 page-rep de Baza. but despite being ort, based on Gibraltar governm Continues on Page ent evidence, estimates 4 10,500 of the Rock’s 26,000 workers Opinion Page 6 Est 1984 crossed the border daily. “A frontier which necessary fluidity lacked the fore put directly atwould thereAntiques, Jewellers risk the jobs of 40% of the Gibraltar For all your & Pawnbrokers force,” said a spokesm workinsurance needs! A huge variety of May’s speech was an. over Leave campaigners,cheered by 1 carat diamond jewell pushing for a ‘hard’ who are ery. She said:“We do Brexit. not seek to HIGH STREET PRICES adopt a model already Choose one of our : 7,000€+ estepona@ibexins enjoyed great by other countries ure.com OUR PRICE: 1,500 lens offers or get 30% seek to hold on to . We do not 2,000€ bits of memoff selected frames bership as we leave,” Fuengirola UNBEATABLE PRICE “The British people said May. See our ad inside S GUARANTEED for details. change. And it is voted for WE BUY, WE PAY ment’s job to deliverthe governfuengirola@ibexin MORE it.” sure.com Diamonds@anthonys-d , WE PAY CASH Opinion Page 6 iamonds.com
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OLIVE PRESS – 70mm x 40mm FRONT COVER
18 January
Happy 15th anniversary!
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We made it!
A message from the publisher Jon Clarke
WELL Issue 365: The number of days in the year and certainly sleepless nights I have had worrying about being sued, being attacked or being able to make the deadline. There have certainly been some moments, like the time when we couldn’t afford the printing bill, or the 5am finish when we had to send the entire paper to the printers from our local pub, after a series of power cuts. And it’s not exactly been a picnic since 2010 with half a decade of recession, followed by four years of Brexit… and then COVID to add to the mix. But luckily for us, the best journalism comes out of crises and it’s in times of trouble when good journalists are needed more than ever. And we have had some of the best, dozens in fact, who have gone on to work in national newspapers back home or on TV networks in America and even Russia. This intrepid bunch of men and women went out to investigate, probe and explore the four corners of this fine country, scouring the very best stories along the way. Now, after launching our sixth edition in Valencia and taking on our first national journalist in Madrid, we are certainly not resting on our laurels. While we are consolidating our position in Andalucia and on the east coast this year with more papers and more journalists, we are looking to expand again to give our readers even better coverage, in particular online, where we publish 20-plus stories a day. It is luckily thanks to our excellent readers and, above all, clients that we are able to continue to expand and improve our service. Thanks so much to all of you for allowing me to do this job that I love so much, sleepless nights and all.
The time of
It came as a shock the first time he read it 15 years ago, but now News Editor Dilip Kuner (inset) is proud of the varied mix - and above all campaigning DNA - of the Olive Press
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S a journalist who rolled up on Spanish shores in 1994 I had no idea what to expect. I had intended to spend a few glorious weeks of laziness enjoying life with my girlfriend and spending my meagre savings on an extended holiday, before returning to the Fleet
NEWCOMER: Dilip arrives in 1994
Street rat race at the Sunday Mirror. It did not take long to become seduced by the relaxed Spanish lifestyle – and a return to the hard grind of the UK started to seem not very enticing. So almost by accident I settled down in Spain. I married my girlfriend (Sandra) at Mijas Town Hall the next year, and since then have raised three children here. I would not change a single minute of the life I have enjoyed in this wonderful country. My first challenge back then was getting a job. Given my background in journalism I naturally looked for opportunities in the press. Not speaking Spanish at the time, my options were of course severely limited. There were very few English language newspapers on the Costa del Sol – and the ‘No Vacancies’ signs were out in force. Which seemed a bit odd, as reading
them they could certainly have done with a little more journalistic talent. This was a recurring theme down the years – papers came and went and some were a better read than others. Most were entirely advertisement-led with little thought given to what is, in my mind, the most important bit – the stories themselves. So I made a new life for myself - as do many expats – working in the restaurant trade, doing a bit of writing in my spare time. That is until the Olive Press arrived on the scene. I remember the first time I picked up a copy and was slightly shocked - and definitely delighted - to find a local English newspaper that put journalism first. At the time I was helping to run a couple of restaurants with my father. But reading the Olive Press that first time definitely implanted in my mind an itch to make a return to the world of print.
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our lives There was something about its wide selection of stories, its ability to find an interesting feature and, above all, to take on some of the coast’s worst crooks that I loved. It would not be for another six years that I made it back to my ‘first love’ of journalism, but during that time I always picked up my fortnightly copy of the Olive Press and followed the local news avidly. Why? Because it offered investigative reporting that looked behind the headlines and covered real issues that affected the expat communities in Spain. While I was to spend a few years at one of its former rivals, it was great to be finally offered a job at the Olive Press last year. In the course of the 15 years since I first picked up the paper somewhere around La Cala de Mijas it has always reflected on the things that interest me. And gratifyingly for a journalist, I discovered it had not given up on its original remit, based on quality content and NOT advertising. Even better, its DNA is still following the big issues of the day and exposing wrongdoing. And indeed, since I joined we have consistently looked at dodgy businessmen,
INK IN THE VEINS: Dilip, a long time Olive Press reader bent politicians and greedy developers, alongside some excellent environmental stories and travel stuff. But it’s the human stories that best tick my box… and we are never short of them. The Olive Press has grown and evolved over 15 years – just as Spain has. I await to see what the next 15 years bring for Spain and, obviously, at the place where I spent my working days.
It’s a double Olive Press digital editor Fiona Govan is also celebrating the 15th anniversary of her career as a correspondent in a muchchanged Madrid
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ARRIVED fresh faced in the spring of 2006, dispatched to The Daily Telegraph’s Madrid desk to provide British readers with light-hearted tales of holiday mishaps on the Costas and the strange things Spaniards got up to at fiestas. Plus countless stories on how Spain had finally broken the pact of silence to explore its dark past; that of the Spanish Civil War and ensuing fascist dictatorship, and the inevitable calls to dig up Franco from his tomb in the Valley of the Fallen. Spain was booming. The periphery of the capital was a construction site, literally, as the Madrid ring road was being dug up and sunk underground, transforming the rubbish-strewn ditch where the Manzanares pitifully trickled into the wonderful recreation area now known as Madrid Rio. Cranes stretched their lofty arms over the city, transforming the skyline with skyscrapers in the swanky business district and modern apartment complexes in spanking new suburbs to house a thriving class of affluent workers mortgaged to the hilt but full of optimism for their bright future. But traditional Spain was omnipresent. Bar floors were still strewn with discarded prawn heads and restaurants were still family-run, offering classic Spanish fare with a €10 menu del dia in overlit, smoke-filled See next page
RIDING OUT: One of Fiona’s first forays while reporting for the Telegraph in Madrid
Brexit, Franco et al From previous page
dining rooms. People mostly shopped at their local markets back when they still contained butchers, fishmongers and vegetable stalls, not collections of food outlets offering exotic international fare from arepas to poke bowls. Then the recession struck and suddenly news from Spain became less a distraction from the weighty world issues of the day and more an ominous threat that could destabilise the Euro. I started to write about bank bailouts and debt restructuring, construction company crashes and home repossessions … followed by corruption scandal after corruption scandal. A powerful indignado movement led to the birth of Podemos and an end to Spain’s two-party system, bringing with it political instability and the rise of the far right. The Basque separatist cause waned and was replaced in Spain’s narrative with the struggle
NOWADAYS: Fiona with pet Rufus
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for an independent Catalonia. Then Brexit busted the European project entirely – at least for Brits, upending rights taken for granted when we made the move to Spain. The last year has been overwhelmingly dominated by the pandemic, presaging an economic crisis that threatens to run deeper and longer than any previous one. But at least they finally dug up Franco!
drive for change Cordoba correspondent Cristina Hodgson, reflects on 15 years of dodgy driving, quaint customs and vegetarian liberation in Ole Ole Land
FIFTEEN YEARS ago today I was living in sleepysville Extremadura and Rafa Nadal was the new national hero. The Spaniard won his second French Open in 2006 and he’s taken home The Musketeers' Trophy 11 more times since. Almost as impressive as Nadal’s serving has been the improvement in the nation’s driving. An eye-watering 4,101 lives were lost on Spanish roads in 2006, compared to 870 last year. Back in the day, before better roads and speed cameras, it seemed that every hot-blooded Spaniard was a frustrated F1 driver … or maybe it was just me getting used to driving on the right hand side. The queuing etiquette also took some getting used to. No one forms an orderly one here, everyone mills around. Either you take a numbered ticket or you have to memorise the face of the person who arrived before you. It’s a time-honoured tradition that has served generations of Spaniards perfectly well and finally I know my place. Like everyone else when joining a queue I now dutifully utter the sacred words: ‘Quien es el ultimo?’ But if we think that’s weird, it’s nothing compared to how the
meat-living Spanish saw vegetarianism. When I first arrived no one seemed to understand the concept of the word as I was invariably offered jamon. Jamon is a source of great pride among Spaniards. Not to eat it is practically a criminal offense. But we vegetarians have been liberated. Today most supermarkets stock a good range of plant-based foods and no one bats an eyelid when I pass on the pata negra. In fact my only regret after 15 years in the sunny land of Ole Ole is that HP Sauce hasn’t made it to local shops inland yet. That and the super-helpful nature of Spanish shopkeepers as they embark on an entire stock audit in search of this magical condiment, refusing to let me leave til they’ve finished!
Costa Blanca reporter Alex Trelinski looks back on a change for the better I'M still a newbie compared to the Olive Press with just a dozen years of Spanish life under my belt. Those 12 years have whizzed by faster than the number of lawsuits filed against Emeritus King Juan Carlos. There's been bursting property bubbles, depression, recession, a recovery, and something called coronavirus to round things off....for now! At local level there's a far greater multinational flavour on the Costas and I like that a lot. In 2009 every house on my street was British-owned; today it’s like the United Nations with a nice mix of Dutch, Belgians, Danes and even Spanish in my quiet cul-de-sac. The Brits left for a variety of reasons though none down to Brexit. My only regret is that many of the 'newcomers' spend just a few weeks a year over here - quite a change for our community, which now has more of a 'holiday home' feel about it. Infrastructure that we now take for granted has been revolutionised with high-speed internet and cheap mobile phones that were all at a premium when I first arrived. You can shop around to get the best value energy provider as well. Back in the Noughties it was just Telefonica and Iberdrola, like it or lump it. Supermarkets have sprouted out of nowhere (although the check-out queues are still painful) and there's been a revolution in the number of footpaths and cycleways that have popped up to spare me the old ritual of 'dicing with death' when I fancied stretching my legs on the local roads. Exercise was very un-Spanish back then but the nation has come on in leaps and bounds since 2006 and every paseo has become a Nike catwalk. So no 'good old days' stuff from yours truly, Spain is a country mile better than it was in so many ways.
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Manilva, Sabinillas and Puerto de la Duquesa
March - April 2021
Welcome to our green and blue paradise
The Olive Press talks to Manilva mayor Mario Jimenez Rodriguez What is the biggest draw to Manilva? I’m a big fan of the green spaces and the fantastic expanse of coastline, some 8 kms in total. We are working really hard not to over-develop the coast and have actually dropped density levels since I came to power What about the history here? Well there is actually an incredible amount to enjoy, such as the castle, near Duquesa, and the fascinating Roman archaeological site we are currently exploring beside it. The Romans had a key base in Manilva and we understand they made a lot of the celebrated fish paste Garum here, which was exported back to Rome. I am also fascinated by the Fortress of Los Castillejos de Alcorrín, an eighth century castle - and much older settlement - which was only discovered in 1989. Why did you run for mayor? I’ve now spent 18 years in public office, and have held posts such as councillor of sport, youth and infrastructure, as well as working in the technical office in the Association of Municipalities of
STUNNING: View on the coast and inland and (above) a quaint street
the Western Costa del Sol. But as I am from here I wanted to come back and help my village, where I originally ran a plumbing shop. After two years in office, what have you achieved? I am happy with the changes we have made to the historic centre, as well as the covered pool in Sabinillas and the improvements with the wine museum. I think we have bettered the local quality of life (better cleaning, more green spaces and gardening, etc) while also lowering taxes for three years in a row.
What steps are being taken to get the type of town you want? We’re very lucky that Manilva has a lot of potential in terms of tourism, sport and culture. My plan for the future is based on creating new infrastructure projects and aiming to get 5% of the cultural tourism that comes to the Costa del Sol. How would you define yourself politically? While initially from the IU (United
Left) party I am much more central in terms of my views today. I live in the heart of town, near the town hall and feel like just another member of the community, leaving my door open to everyone. Any future projects you want to highlight? We’ve been further improving the historic centre of Manilva, in particular with four streets and with more works on the church. I want to encourage more people to come up to the old town.
Any message for the foreigners here, particularly with Brexit looming? We are very proud that so many foreign residents have chosen Manilva as their home, in particular the British, who number nearly 4,000 on our official census. We know there are many thousands more, perhaps 5000 who come and go and we hope they continue to enjoy our town. And we will certainly make you feel welcome whatever happens with Brexit.
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Manilva, Sabinillas and Puerto de la Duquesa
TAKE-AWAY & DELIVERY
www.danimospizza.es Monte Duquesa, Manilva Spain
tel: 952 89 21 73
LA CASITA
BA R R E S TAUR A N T Serving lunch and dinner
International style USA - Spain - Italy - Argentina Closed Monday Calle Fernado Pessoa, Local 2, San Luis De Sabinillas, Andalucia, Spain
HATS OFF: To team at La Casita and (below) buzzing Susi’s
to live for
It’s not just great fish restaurants in the beach resort of Manilva, writes Jon Clarke
TAKE a walk along the Wild Argentina. West of the Costa del Sol Expect to eat delicious and you could be taking your prawns, tender rabo de toro stomach into your hands. and succulent steaks, and reBut amid some of the worst member to book, particularly food joints on the entire at weekends when it gets incoast, such as Burger King, credibly popular. are some genuine chestnuts, Across the road on the beach where if you you will find Raare lucky you mos, when it will eat the finally opens in Expect to eat best ‘espeto’ April. sardines in delicious prawns, Set up on SabiSpain. nillas sea front tender rabo de At one end in 1962 it has of Sabinillas’ been run by toro and great marvellous brothers Manlong beach uel and Juan steaks look out for Antonio for over institution, La two decades Casita, where (one front of Gabriel and his wife in the house, one in the kitchen). kitchen have never rested on It is famous for its ‘espeto’ their laurels. (above) skewered sardines Indeed, the pair have been cooked on a boat outside, serving an excellent mix of as well as any other fish you international dishes for nearly fancy and it’s not only good two decades, since they ar- value. rived in Spain, via Italy, from On a corner almost next door
BROTHERS GRIN: Manuel and Jose at Ramos
is the Last Resort, run by a friendly Bulgarian family, that cook a mean paella and also offer a decent line up of sunbeds to sleep it off afterwards. Another good place nearby is Miel, run by happy Belgian Kaat Buelens, who for many years played a key role at the emblematic but now shut Roman Oasis in nearby Casares every summer. Her beach spot though is very much an institution with high standards for breakfast and lunch and is very often full. Also great for breakfast is Beccy’s, which also has an excellent value sunday lunch, that is talked about far and
wide. Other nearby spots to eat include legendary long-standing pup O’Callaghan’s, run by friendly expat Rob and his
9 March - April 2021 Gastro Tapas Beach House
INTERNATIONAL MODERN FUSION TAPAS All reservations can be made via Facebook or phone Mob: +34 657 46 66 14 www.susigastrotapas.com Paseo Maritimo, San Luis de Sabinillas – 29691 Manilva
SEA VIEWS: Sabinillas Cabana de Rocio, a tapa at Susi’s and views at Sarmiento up in Casares dad, as well as Danimo’s well queue up (and I mean that offers pizzas and kebabs, queue up) for one of the 100 a lot sent by take away. tables at Las Brasas, easily A few other good restaurants the best chicken joint on the worth hunting down are La coast. Cabana de Rocio, tucked You will regularly find punters away in a side street and nice- here from Algeciras and Marly sheltered on windy days. It bella, who soar in to check out has some great tapas and its unique secret ingredients. friendly family service. While winning no beauty prizRight in front is Florita, run es sitting on a roundabout by Karen, who moved here with no views apart from from legendary the N-340, its Floria a couple food does the of years ago. talking. M e a n w h i l e , If you are looking Heading up the getting better coast to the for something by the months port of Duqueis Susi’s gassa, The Quays amazing inland tro tapas joint, Irish bar and head up to which has some tapas is a good superb creative place for breakCasares tapas, the best fast or lunch in in Manilva, plus pole position. some excellent Kinsale meancocktails. while is good for a pint and a Finally Lo de Andres is the pie and is busy almost all year place for hanging out and round. meeting pals in the heart of For Manilva’s best fish and town, with Stella on draft and chips you need to head up a great and popular pool ta- the road a little to track down ble. Marlows, on the main road, Looking for a chicken dinner, which first plied its trade in
Come and find our secret corner bar and tapas joint
Calle Picasso, 4, Sabinillas – Closed Monday
The Last Resort Sabinillas
Gibraltar in the 1960s. A true institution, owner Steve Marlow, has run restaurants around the world and is a classically trained chef, with a good knowledge of the business, having learnt everything from his father. Last, but not least, if you are looking for something amazing inland, head inland past Manilva to the neighbouring village of Casares. You cannot fail to be blown away with Sarmiento, which sits above the most photo-
graphed white town in Andalucia, with views AND food to match. Run by capable brothers Juan and Miguel this is one of the true Dining Secrets of Andalucia. Its chefs have worked at some of the world’s top chains and the food is always deliciously fresh and tasty. The restaurant is ‘based on the essential pillars of the Andalucian lifestyle: authenticity, spontaneity and the enjoyment of friends and family’.
Breakfast, Lunch & Sunday Roast OPENING TIMES
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Tuesday - Saturday: 8am - 4pm Sunday Breakfast: 9am -12pm Sunday Roast: 1pm - 4pm Closed Monday
Private Partys Catered For Bookings: 951 56 88 07 WhatApp: 619 738 267 Beccysinsabi@hotmail.com Edif El Mero, Calle Octavio Paz 29692 Sabinillas
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10 March - April 2021 NOW YOU DON’T SEE IT: Now you do... how the popular resort of Sabinillas has expanded in just a few decades
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C/ Jamaica, Local 2 Edif. Puerta Mar, Sabinillas (Near Guardia Civil)
LEADING THE PACK: Ex British Prime Minister Ted Heath (left) enjoys a flamenco show on the terrace of Venta Madrono
LABest MAR DE VINOS wine shop on the Western Costa del Sol
Get your wine, delicacies and lottery tickets all in one place LA MAR DE VINOS
Find what you need in an idyllic place in Manilva, attended by professionals where tradition and modernity becomes synonymous. Official Euromillions Representative – lamardevinos@yahoo.es Calle Bolivia, 1, Sabinillas, 29692 (Manilva) MALAGA KM 144.5 – N340 - on the roundabout opposite Repsol
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Manilva, Sabinillas and Puerto de la Duquesa
11 March - April 2021
Timeless tapas Venta Madrono has been a stopping off point for centuries
F
OR decades it was the stop off for artists, politicians and celebrities. So, it was something of a tragedy when Venta Madrona was knocked down due to the construction of an underpass through Sabinillas decades ago. One of the main stop-offs for travellers between Gibraltar and Malaga for centuries, the historic restaurant was always full and served up an excellent range of dishes. “We had an amazing range of visitors, including Frank Sinatra, Ted Heath and former Prime Minister Adolfo Suarez,” recalls the son of the former owner. Now running his own wine and lottery shop, La Mar de Vinos, at the same s p o t , Jose Ant o n i o Madrona recalls the frequent visits from famous flamenco stars like Valerin and Camaron, Spain’s most fa-
BLASTS FROM THE PASTS: Manilva in the 1960s and 1970s mous flamenco star. “He was often here as he was a friend of my uncle. He stayed the night and frequently sang. I remember even dancing for him as a child.” The venta, which was built in 1929, also counted on the founder of Andalucian nationalism Blas Infante as a regular. “He had plenty of meetings here in the run up to the civil war,” added Jose, who studied history at Malaga University, before studying viticulture. The shop - which has almost 1000 references to wines - sits right next to the roundabout and is very much one of the main hubs of the community - like Venta Madrona before it.
It was once a key lunch stop on the coast…now it is a wine and lottery shop As well as a fantastic selection of Spanish wines, from around the whole country, there is a good mix of champagnes and sherries. In addition, the shop stocks a great array of delicacies, including pates, cheeses and sauces… and, of course, the coast’s favourite English newspaper, the Olive Press! Visit La Mar de Vinos at Calle Bolivia, 1, Sabinillas
GREEN
www.theolivepress.es SPANISH airline Air Nostrum is in line to receive €42 million of European Union COVID recovery funds to convert its fleet to electric. With car companies gradually making the switch from petrol and diesel to electric, planes would be the next logical step, as they are responsible for a huge percentage of
PLUG AND FLY carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Air Nostrum, part of the Iberia Regional fleet, announced this week that it has teamed
up with fellow Spanish airline Volotea – based in Asturias, northern Spain – and new start-up Dante Aeronautical to electrify their short and medium-range planes. The goal is to reach zero emissions by 2026, with the first functional electric plane scheduled to enter service as early as 2024.
Green matters By Martin Tye
March 24th - April 6th 2021
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In a new green column, Martin Tye asks are you aware that Spain is the Dirty Man of Europe?
WHO GIVES A S**T?
Beach sweep T AT only 17-years-old, Nikki Wegloop is already president of a charitable foundation and is convinced that she has the power to save the world, or at least clean up her corner of it. “It’s extraordinary how much you can achieve with a group of volunteers in just a few hours,” she tells the Olive Press by phone as she rides the school bus home to Mijas Costa. “When you first get to the beach you think ‘oh it’s quite clean’ but then you look closer and you start to see all the waste. It renders you speechless really. We collect anything between 300 and 800 kilos of plastic rubbish in one session, it really is amazing.”
The Costas have their very own Greta Thunberg. Fiona Govan chats to a teenage environmentalist from Mijas who is encouraging locals to help her rid the seas of plastic pollution
HOW DO WE INFLUENCE BEHAVIOUR CHANGE?
Plastic
Nikki and her mother Natasha are the Dutch pair behind Mi Moana which works with town halls to organise beach clean ups that take place on a different playa across the Costa del Sol each month. Volunteers comb the beach collecting detritus and divers scour the marine floor, bagging up the rubbish for recycling. “We recently picked up 800kg of wet wipes that came through a sewage pipe and collected around the galleon, a popular dive site off the beach in Marbella,” explained Natasha, who has been working as an estate agent after arriving in Spain 14 years ago. “People don’t seem to realise
HE theme of this week’s column is not about cleaning up dog poop, but more about the indifference of the human race. My inspiration did, however, come from the amount of dog waste left outside my office in San Pedro de Alcantara, where every morning I have to navigate a street littered with dog poo. The owners of dogs live in the immediate neighbourhood … so why don’t they clean up after their treasured pet? Do they all have bad backs? No ... put simply, they can’t be bothered. The apathy of the human race really is a tragic worldwide pandemic. Did you know it is easy to calculate the time it takes to eat a Big Mac? Approximately 1.8 kilometres. The discarded wrappers appear then by the side of the road. How sad.
ALTRUISTIC: Volunteers hard at work that wet wipes aren’t biodegradable, whatever the packet says, and they float around for years and years. “We also find a lot of q-tips and endless cigarette butts littered across the beach – sometimes 600 to 700 butts on one stretch of beach. And these contain plastics.” The pandemic has also brought new challenges. “When lockdown first happened there was obvious improvement, the beaches were cleaner because people couldn’t go. “But now we find discarded masks, plastic gloves and small
Zpeeding along SPAIN’S National Police has added 300 environmentally-friendly ‘Z cars’ to its fleet of vehicles. The plug-in hybrids will be rolled out along with the installation of another 200 charging points at police buildings nationwide. Known as ‘Type Z’ radio patrol cars, they are modified Peugeot 3008s that use electric power in urban areas and switch to petrol on the open road.
plastic bottles used to contain hand sanitizer,” said Nikki who admits she feels different from most people her age, who are more interested in taking selfies to post on social media. “When I go to a place and look around I don’t see the beauty anymore, I see the rubbish. When I dive, it’s not the fish I notice first but the plastic floating around them,” she says. But there are still reasons to be optimistic. “I feel like we can make a difference. As a society we are improving slowly, there is still a lot of work to do but more and more people are joining in and adopting the right mindset. We just organise the event, it’s the volunteers that come and do all the hard work.” The next beach clear up event takes place at Mistral Beach, Puerto Banus on Saturday March 20. For more information and to sign up to future events visit MiMoana Facebook page.
In the 1960’s, an organisation called Keep Britain Tidy was launched. Through the use of high profile celebrities like Abba (below), the government backed charity spread the message well. Numerous endeavours to reduce litter, improve local places and prevent waste were instigated. Has it worked? To a point yes, but looking at the litter issue in the UK and around the world, you could be forgiven for thinking the end result is the same.
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It’s easy for me to write and moan about this issue. I can, however, offer a solution. One that the very people this article is written about would largely support. Until they receive punishment. I believe that actions should have consequences. Take Singapore as an example. Singapore has a habit of banning what it sees as undesirable behaviour and enforcing each ban with financial penalties. So they issued tens of thousands of fines a year for littering. The minimum fine was 200 euros. The 1960s Keep Singapore Clean campaign was solid. It believed that improved environmental conditions would not only enhance quality of life but it would cultivate national pride AND also attract foreign investors and tourists. Isn’t that what Spain wants? Singapore started a ‘broom brigade’ of 7000 day labourers, alongside the litter campaign, in the 1960s. By 1990, only 2000 people were needed. Now it’s fewer. Spain has massive unemployment, particularly in the under 30 age group. Follow my thought process? I believe Spain’s regions have an abundance of labour resources. Use them better. And ... make the FINE FIT THE CRIME. 100% Certified Green Energy
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March 24th April 6th 2021
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BUSINESS A QUARTER of Spaniards say they would prefer to wave goodbye to cash and welcome electronic payments instead. The impact of the coronavirus crisis has intensified the debate over paper money amid concerns about banknotes and coins transmitting the virus. On top of this, the increasing decline of high street bank branches and ATMs has made the possibility of a cashless society in the next few years more likely than ever before.
March 24th April 6th 2021
Who needs cash? A survey by MoneyTransfers.com analysed the latest data from YouGov, to discover which countries in the world would most be in favour of a cashless society. The exact question respondents from each respective country were asked was: “Do you think it would be a positive or negative if your country became cashless, meaning only electronic forms of money will
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be accepted?” Electronic forms of money refer to debit cards, credit cards, Google pay, Apple pay and other forms of electronic payment. It found that India occupied the number one spot as an overwhelming 79% of citizens surveyed would like to have a cashless society in their country. In second position is Malaysia, where 65% of the population favour having a cashless society in their country.
Ringing up a fine Vodafone punished for misuse of data
VODAFONE has been hit with an €8.15 million fine for mishandling personal data during marketing campaigns between 2018 and 2020. It's the biggest penalty-ever handed out by Spain's data protection authority, the AEPD. They said the fine was so high because Vodafone was previously fined or warned over 50 times between 2018 and 2020. Vodafone say they disagree with the AEPD findings and will appeal the ruling. The AEPD started an investigation last year after getting 191 complaints about calls
and messages made on behalf of Vodafone to people who had not requested or authorised them. 162 of the complaints came from individuals who had specifically opted out of getting any advertising calls from Vodafone.
Control
The authority concluded the company, which outsourced many of its operations, does not have the organisational or technical means to verify the legality of the data being processed nor its origin. Neither does it have the capability of
identifying whether people have opted out of marketing or third-party communications.. The AEPD found that Vodafone Spain did not have any proper control over how customer data is treated, nor does it provide detailed documentation on data protection guarantees and is unaware what guarantees entities it subcontracts for telemarketing have in place to protect customers. Vodafone said it intends to appeal the decision and described the level of fine as disproportionate. A company
Countryside challenge
LONELY: Rural Spain is losing its population THE Spanish government has unveiled a €10billion plan to combat rural depopulation. Using cash largely from the EU, the scheme involves 130 measures to try to reverse the trend of people moving from the country to
the cities, leaving behind an elderly population and dying villages. “Working to recover equal opportunities for the rights of people throughout the territory is key,” Teresa Ribera, the Minister for Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge, said. Ribera said that in Spain five rural regions that make up 53% of the country now have only 15% of its population. SPAIN’S two football giants – Real Madrid and BarOver the past 50 years, celona – will have to pay back millions of euros in Spain's countryside has illegal state aid. lost 28% of its population Tax breaks that the two clubs have enjoyed for the past and is now known as la quarter of a century had been declared illegal by the España vacia — or empty Spain. European Commission, a decision that has now been The government aid packconfirmed by the European Court of Justice (ECJ). age involves extending The EU’s competitions chief, Margrethe Vestager, orthe 5G telephone network dered four Spanish football clubs to pay back tens of across Spain, the developmillion of euros back in 2016. ment of technologically The cash had come from overpriced property deals, ‘smart towns’ in rural archeap loans and tax breaks – the costs of which all eas and regional innovafell at the taxpayers’ door. tion centres. The other two clubs were CA Osasuna and Athletic Extra help will also be givBilbao. en to the elderly as well FC Barcelona had won an appeal to the EU’s Generas help for women and al Court, but the ECJ has now affirmed the original young people to find jobs decision. in depopulated regions.
Pay back time
spokesman said: “Vodafone Spain wants to underline that protecting customer data and privacy is our top priority, and we have an experienced team of specialists dedicated to making sure that our processes offer the best guarantees for the protection of our customers’ data.”
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Large shop and office just off the Carretera de Mijas Easy parking for collection of chemicals Extensive stock of pool accessories, pool toys and games and equipment FREE test of pool water at the shop – just pop in with a small sample Professional maintenance service – tailored to suit your needs | Pool Construction Specialists in leak detection, repairs and renovations New pool builds with 10 year guarantees Installation of pool heaters and automatic covers
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BUSINESS
March 24th - April 6th 2021
Put your feet up!
SPAIN is on the verge of launching a €50 million trial of the four-day working week. The national government has reportedly informally agreed to a pilot project proposed by left wing political party Mas Pais.
Four-day working week trial on the cards Discussions are still taking place with the next meeting due in the coming weeks, Iñigo Errejon of Mas Pais said: “With the four-day
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work week (32 hours), we’re launching into the real debate of our times.” He added: “Spain is one of the countries where workers put in more hours than the European average. But we’re not among the most productive countries. I maintain that working more hours does not mean
DETERMINED: Iñigo Errejon
working better.” Details of the plan are still unders discussion, but Mas Pais has proposed a threeyear, €50 million scheme under which the government would help cover extra expenses run up by participating companies. Mas Pais has suggested that these costs should be paid 100% in the first year, 50% in the second and 33% in the third.
INCENSED: The hotel chain wants compensation
Melia’s Moan SPAIN’S biggest hotel chain, Melia Hotels, is suing the government for €116 million in damages due to their enforced closure during last year’s first State of Alarm. Melia has over a hundred hotels in the country with 12 establishments on the Costa del Sol and nine on the Costa Blanca, including five in the Benidorm area. The chain was founded in 1956 and is the world’s 17th biggest with hotels in 40 countries. A Melia spokesperson said: “Our claim is related to losses suffered as a result of the government-imposed lockdown between mid-March and late June of 2020.” Almost 15% of Spain’s total Gross Domestic Product relies on tourism, which has been severely curtailed over the last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions. That percentage is far higher in regions which have tourism as one of their economic mainstays. The national government has recently approved rescue packages for airline Air Europa and travel operator Avoris.
Trial
The party’s Hector Tejero said: that he expects 200 businesses to sign up to a trial, with between 3,000 and 6,000 workers affected. He said: “The only red lines are that we want to see a true reduction of working hours and no loss of salary or jobs.” He added that the project could be launched this autumn, saying: “Spain will be the first country to undertake a trial of this magnitude. A pilot project like this hasn’t been undertaken anywhere in the world.”
Helping UK veterans in Spain with the residency process
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O one is certain just how many British people living in Spain once served in the UK armed services but one estimate puts the figure at something like 30,000. Certainly, it is common for Age in Spain to come across Veterans (of all ages) and their families as part of its work to support British people in the process of becoming resident in Spain. For instance, on Tenerife our Regional Co-ordinator is supporting the widow of an ex Royal Engineer with the process of exchanging her green residency certificate for the new TIE. In another example, Age in Spain’s Support Coordinator picked up the case of someone acting Sarah Byrne pictured with her husin the role of carer band Aiden (who sadly passed away for his mother (who in September last year) and son Paul had served in the at the 2019 Remembrance Day cereArmed Forces) and mony in Westhaven Bay, Tenerife.
we were able to give information and support about his residency status alongside making links for the family with a military charity and with the Spanish system, to make sure they get the support they need and are entitled to. Age in Spain has a longstanding relationship with the network of great organisations both here and in the UK, as well as working with individual veterans. That is why we have agreed with the other organisations delivering the United Kingdom Nationals Support Fund (UKNSF) in Spain that we will be a single point of contact for Veterans and their families who need help with the residency process. For any UK national who was legally living in Spain by 31 December 2020 there is still time to apply for residency in Spain under the UK’s Withdrawal Agreement and now Veterans and their families can contact Age In Spain to access free UKNSF support. Simply email veterans@ageinspain.org or call +34 932 20 97 41 We’re here to help.
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FOOD,DRINK & TRAVEL Best of both DON’T mix grape with grain has long been the refrain of drinkers in the know trying to avoid a hangover. But Spanish brewers Cruzcampo have decided they want no truck with the saying and have brewed up a cross between wine and beer. They describe Cruzcampo Grape Beer as a ‘refreshing mix between red wine and traditional hops’. Grape Beer is the brainchild of Juan Jimenez and Jorge Varela, master brewers. Utilising Spain’s tempranillo grape, a variety known for its full body and rich taste, and combining it with Nelson Sauvin hops, Varela hopes that their new recipe pays homage to two of Spain’s best loved drinks. “We have used a special blend of pilsner malt, wheat malt and oats to create a refreshing yet hearty drink that can be enjoyed any time of year,” said Jimenez. THE Spanish Minister for Tourism, Maria Reyes Maroto has announced that vaccine passports could be introduced in May. “We could be in a position to start implementing the digital passport on May 19”, she told Antena 3 TV station. The news comes just a day after Maroto said that Spain plans to reopen tourism
Ready for takeoff
German influx as air corridors open
SPAIN’S regions may have agreed to keep their borders closed within the country for Easter, but it seems that international travel is about to take off. Ryanair has announced that it is putting on 200 extra flights from Germany to Mallorca and Alicante over the holiday period. This will mean an increase in capacity of almost 40,000 seats on 22 routes from March 28 to mid-April.
Full steam when 30-40% of the nation’s population has been immunised against COVID-19. Grievously affected by the pandemic due to its reliance on tourism, Spain is eager to see its beaches filled in summer and has described itself as ‘the most active champion of digital
March 24th - April 6th 2021
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We’re open!
IT’S full meal ahead on the Costa de la Luz for those that can make it down there. A string of hotels and restaurants have now finally opened in Vejer de la Frontera again. The Califa group has opened three restaurants and three hotels in the emblematic cubist white town, often voted one of Spain’s most beautiful. Its main restaurant Jardin del Califa is open every day from midday to 22.30, while gourmet joint Corredera 55 is also open on a similar basis. The recently upgraded and extended Teteria del Califa is a must to visit for its amazing panoramic roof terrace and bar. A trio of hotels - Hotel La Casa del Califa, Plaza 18 and Las Palmeras del Califa - are all open too.
Makes a difference
By Dilip Kuner
In addition, many of these routes will continue to operate for the rest of the sumvaccine passports’. Countries around the world are keen to implement similar schemes, and the EU has published draft legislation on a ‘green digital pass’. The Spanish Secretary for Tourism, Fernando Valdes, has also said that a bilateral travel plan could be struck with the UK.
mer with flights available for booking until March 2022. A Ryanair spokesman said: “Following the announcement of the opening of the corridor between Germany and some of Spain’s most popular tourist destinations, Ryanair is delighted to play a part in the recovery of Spain’s tourism industry. “Thus, Ryanair will offer an increase in the number of frequencies that will help both better connectivity with the cities of Palma de Mallorca and Alicante and further economic growth of these destinations.”
We have been working with the Olive Press for over 10 years. And the dedication given from Jon Clarke and his investigative team to uncovering important news is what makes the difference between the Olive Press and other English language news sources in Andalucia. The newspaper has also made the Costa de la Luz more visible to readers from all over Andalucia and we have seen the difference this makes to our business. We look forward to carry on working with the Olive Press for the foreseeable future.
James Stuart The Califa Group, Cadiz
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FOOD,DRINK & TRAVEL Worth a trip
Picture by Roberto Faccenda
Balearic beach ranked high for its beautiful white sand
Jamon Iberico
sunlit, snuggled-away coves of Italy and Greece, we bring you the cream of the European coast with these top 20 beaches." One of two Spanish entries, Platja Illetes was joined by Praia as Catedrais in Galicia, which ranked number 13 on the list. Both were named alongside stunning beaches in Sicily, Croatia, Montenegro, Greece and Norway on the list. Speaking about Platja Illetes, the Lonely Planet’s writers wrote: “With its long sweep of bleach-blonde and translucent azure waters, Formentera’s Platja Illetes fits the barefoot paradise bill neatly.” Meanwhile Praia as Catedrais was applauded for being the place to go if ‘you want to worship at the altar of the beach gods’.
remote Extremadura to an organic caviar harvested from the loins of a sturgeon native to the Iberian Peninsula, if you have deep pockets and taste-buds that crave adventure, here’s the bucket-list for you, writes Fiona Govan Cured ham is a serious business in Spain. In fact it’s a national obsession and while you can find it everywhere, from a slice offered as a free tapa with a chilled glass of sherry to a whole leg given as a gift at Christmas, the very best tasting and most expensive is Jamon Iberico de Bellota. Produced from Spain’s very own variety of black pig, a darkskinned black hoofed breed that roams free across the dehesa, gorging itself on acorns, it is a luxuriant tasting fat-marbled ham hung naturally to cure in dry mountain air for up to four years. The most expensive ham leg on record sold for €11,881 at auction in Japan in September 2020 but Cinco Jotas, recognised as one of the best brands in Spain, sells ready-sliced packs for €27.95 for 80g while a whole jamon leg will set you back €589.
Photo by Thomas Vogel
A LONG winding golden beach on the Trucador Peninsula has been named fifth best in a list of the top 20 to visit in Europe. Platja de Ses Illetes on the Balearic Island of Formentera had the wow factor. It swayed Lonely Planet travel site’s writers to name it ahead of the other incredible beaches in Spain. The travel guide described the unspoiled beach on Formentera as ‘paradise’, as it announced its European top 20 for this year. Posting on their website, the travel experts wrote: “No matter your taste in beach, Europe obliges. “From the wild, wind-lashed shores of the Atlantic coast to mountain-fringed Arctic bays where whales raise their tails, and the
RICH PICKINGS W Ten of the most desirable (and expensive) delicacies produced in Spain
e all know Spain has good food. But look beyond the paella and tapas and you can discover some of the most expensive culinary delicacies the world has to offer, made right here in Spain. From an ethical foie gras produced without cruelty in
PICTURESQUE: Platje de Ses Illetesis the fifth best in Europe
March 24th - April 6th 2021
Queso Payoyo Discerning cheese connoisseurs have long been familiar with Queso Payoyo, an artisan cheese made from the milk of a goat breed unique to the Cadiz province mixed with milk from Moreno sheep grazed in the hills around Grazalema. The rich and tangy flavour with hints of herbs and a buttery texture regularly scoops Best Cheese Awards and is the ideal accompaniment to a glass of sherry. A 1kg cheese sells for around €18
Photo from payoyo. com
FOOD,DRINK & TRAVEL Caviar Riofrio
Spain has its very own native species of sturgeon and at a fish farm in the Andalucian village of Riofrio, where natural pools are fed by snowmelt from the Sierra Nevada, the world’s first certified organic caviar has been produced since 2001. Made without preservatives, these rich creamy ebony pearls rival those of traditional producers in Iran and Russia. Perfect on a blini with a squeeze of lemon and shot of vodka. www.caviarderiofrio.com/en/classic-organic-caviar/ €132 for 50 grams
Photo: Caviar Riofrio
Ethical foie gras For many this buttery, rich delicacy is one of the most desired luxury food items in the culinary world, but for others it’s method of manufacture represents the ultimate in cruelty. Traditionally, foie gras is produced by a method perfected in France known as ‘gavage’ in which geese are force fed by sticking a tube down the throat and stuffing it with more grain than the bird would naturally eat in a lifetime. But at a remote farm in Extremadura, foie gras is produced ethically by allowing migratory wild geese to gorge themselves with olives and acorns to naturally swell their livers with large fatty deposits doubling their bodyweight in preparation for flying south for the winter.
March 24th - April 6th 2021
B
rought to Spain by the Arabs over a millennia ago, today around 70 percent of the world’s saffron production is grown on the wind-swept plateaus of central Spain where fields of purple crocus flowers are plucked for their pungent red stigmas. The delicate harvest lasts no more than ten days each year at the end of October and is done entirely by hand. Dubbed ‘red gold’ and known as the most expensive spice in the world, only a few of the vivid crimson threads are needed to flavour a dish, and are an essential part of many Spanish culinary creations not least paella. One gram of the highest quality azafrán (as it is known in Spanish) costs around €9.
Percebes
€176 for a small 125gram pot
F
or most people Cava has earned a reputation as a good value bubbly, a cheaper version of French Champagne that is affordable enough to mean you don’t need a celebration to pop a cork. But the downscale fizz is
T
Cava going upmarket with a drive by Catalan vintners to produce top-end reservas to rival the finest Champagne. And the best may not even have Cava written on the
bottle in a deliberate marketing ploy to distance themselves from the good value brand. Codorniu Ars Collecta Gran Reserva Bruts can come with a price tag above €100.
BIZARRE: Gooseneck barnacles
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Saffron
F
ound clinging to the rocky outcrops along the coast of Galicia, this bizarre looking seafood known as gooseneck barnacles in English - resembles a dragon claw on a wrinkled leathery sleeve and is little eaten beyond Spain. But here it is one of the most-prized culinary delicacies with dedicated fishermen risking their lives to harvest them in time for Christmas Eve feasts. Be brave enough to overlook their frankly alarming external appearance and crack open the stem to reveal a delicate pink flesh that has an oyster-like texture and briny sweetness They can cost up to €200 a kilo.
ANGULAS
hey may not look too appetising but baby eels, known as angulas in Spanish and elvers in English come with a hefty price tag.
The pale 3-inch-long worm-like seafood is a Basque delicacy traditionally served on feast days around Christmas. But their exorbitant cost comes not as a result of their flavour, which is considered rather bland – but because of their scarcity brought on by decades of overfishing, Once a peasant food, the eels are now a rare gourmet treat reserved for only the most high-end table, costing up to €1,000 a kilo.
Black truffles Photo by Fiona Govan
Photo: Pim Techamuanvivit/flickr
A
forgotten corner of eastern Spain has remarkably become the capital of the global black truffle industry and few but those in the business are aware of it. The arid landscape of Gudar Javalambre, situated between the mountains of Teruel in Aragon and the Valencia coast provides the ideal conditions to cultivate the sought-after culinary treasure known as black diamonds, but most are destined for export to France where they are sold on to chefs from Italy, the UK and the USA at an inflated price. With its crinkled black exterior and pungent earthy smell, a fist-sized truffle weighs in at around 350 grams and has a price tag of €295 if you buy it from source at a market in the region.
Denia’s Red Prawns
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ot all prawns were created equal. Visitors to the Costa Blanca town of Denia must seek out what is widely considered as the jewel in Mediterranean cuisine. Known in Spanish as Gamba Roja or Rayada de Denia for its deep red appearance and stripy tail. This crustacean has won international acclaim thanks to its intense flavour and the fact that it can only be found in a very limited habitat. It is fished from a deep marine trench stretching between Cape San Antonio and Ibiza where it lives as a depth of 600 metres.
Photo: City Foodsters/flickr
It commands a high price of up to €8 for a single prawn.
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PROPERTY
Rent threat
UNIDAS Podemos has said the PSOE will have to find ‘new partners’ unless a cap on rental prices is included in the pending housing law. The introduction of legislation to control rental prices was a cornerstone of the coalition agreement between Podemos and the PSOE, but there was no mention of it in the latest draft of the bill.
Commitment
“The PSOE and Unidas Podemos made a commitment before all of Spain to regulate rental prices,” said Pablo Iglesias, leader of Podemos. The PSOE is against rent controls out of fear that it will reduce housing investment; however, it has proposed a number of measures that would make housing more affordable and ‘stimulate supply.’ These include lowering personal income tax on rental income from 60% to 50% and granting tax breaks to landlords who rent to people aged between 18 and 35, among other things.
March 24th - April 6th 2021
€20m makeover
Hotel that hosted Princess Di to reopen
THE owners of one of Spain’s most luxurious hotels that hosted Princess Diana and the Rolling Stonesare to be handed a €20 MILLION grant to reopen its doors. The Junta de Andalucia has pledged to support the reconstruction and reopening of the Hotel Byblos in Mijas, which has been closed since 2010. The cash is coming mainly from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).
Agreement
The hotel will be managed by Grupo Marugal under a franchise agreement with international hotel group Hyatt under the Unbound Collection brand. Intriva Capital bought the hotel in May 2019 from Ayco, the group that had acquired it for €60 million in 2016. Its previous owner, UK business tycoon Lord Alan Sugar, had been embroiled in a
Taxing times
SPAIN’S tourism hotspots and quiet inland areas are leading a recovery from a COVID-19 plunge in property sales. While the real estate market was paralysed for much of 2020, the final quarter saw a bounce-back in transactions, with 10% involving foreign buyers, according to the Spanish National Statistics Institute (INE). These figures showed that the highest growth levels were mainly coastal and countryside regions with people seeking more open space. By contrast, inland cities Madrid excepted - suffered the most. INE stats showed that, by province, property sales grew most in Alicante, Malaga, Almeria, Guadalajara and Girona. The holiday regions of the Costa Blanca, Costa del Sol and the Costa Brava were especially popular. Overall, real estate transactions in Spain grew during the last quarter of 2020, with 113,799 sales, up 11.35% on the previous quarter. These were still down on the number of
Bouncing back sales before the coronavirus pandemic. The most significant increases in Spanish regions were recorded in Galicia (31.00%), Castile and Leon (19.01%) and Cantabria (16.26%), while the greatest number of sales were recorded in Andalucia (22,770), Catalonia and the Costa Brava (17,513 sales), Valencia (16,404) and the Community of Madrid (15,304). When it came to international buyers, the Balearics led the way, with a third (32.65%) of all transactions in the last quarter of 2020 accounted for by foreigners. Next most popular for international buyers was the Canary Islands (22.54%) and then Valencia, with 21.68% and Murcia (19.35%). British buyers maintained their position as the biggest sector amongst international buyers, followed by French and German expats.
SWANKY: Princess Di stayed here three times By Dilip Kuner
lengthy legal wrangle with troubled developer Aifos. After finally settling, Madrid-based Ayco Inmobiliaria snapped up the 135-
The Property Insider
by Adam Neale
Post-Brexit taxes for British resident and non resident property owners in Andalucia
A
FTER the United Kingdom’s exit from private purchase, while those willing and able to the European Union, the right of free spend more than seven figures would be best movement is not the only thing to have advised to look into company structures that are changed for Brits who own or are thinking more suitable for business purposes. about buying real estate in the south of Spain. Regardless of whether you’re a resident or If you’re a British citizen who owns one or more non-resident, a private individual or a company, properties in Andalucia, or are considering in- any investment in residential property and buildvesting in real estate here in the future, when ing land bought from private sellers is subject to you buy, sell or rent out property you already Transfer Tax (Impuesto sobre Transmisiones Patown, your tax liability depends both on your tax rimoniales, or ITP in Spanish), Inmaculada says, resident or non-resident status, and whether you levied at a rate of 8-10%, depending on the sale buy and let it as a private individual or via a com- price. But if you buy property with the intention pany. Following Brexit, different rules apply, so of reselling it within five years, an ITP reduced here’s a guide to your obligations from January rate of 2% is applicable. In the case of resale 2021 on. properties, ITP applies even when the seller is a To be sure we understood all the ins and outs, we company. asked Inmaculada Domecq, a partner and the In the case of new-build homes, VAT is at 10% director of the tax department at the tax, legal, while building land sold by developers is subject auditing and accountancy firm of UHY Fay & Co to VAT (Impuesto de Valor Añadido or IVA in Spanin Marbella, to explain the most ish) at a flat rate of 21%. Stamp important changes that affect duty (Impuesto sobre Actos JurídiDespite Brexit, cos Documentados, or AJD in British citizens. As fiscal obligations vary from region to region in Spanish) is also due at a rate of there are no Spain, what follows applies solely 1.5%. to property in Andalucia. British residents of Spain who sell additional According to Inmaculada, the property in Andalucia are required most tax-efficient way to buy and costs for British to pay both municipal capital gains own property should always be tax (Impuesto sobre el Incremento sellers determined by how you plan to de Valor de los Terrenos de Natuuse it. If you’re buying a place as raleza Urbana, more commonly a holiday home and do not intend to earn income known as plusvalia and income tax (Impuesto from it, private ownership is the easiest choice. sobre la Renta de Personas Físicas or IRPF) at But if you intend to develop property or let on the same rates as Spanish vendors. a short- or long-term basis, ownership under a For non-resident sellers, regardless of their citcompany structure may be a better option. Com- izenship, a flat rate of 19% of capital gains tax panies can also benefit from special tax regimes, is due on the difference between the purchase reduce fiscal implications when selling, and limit price paid for a property, including costs, and the their liability in case of disputes. sale price, also including costs. As a rule of thumb, Inmaculada recommends As a result, Brexit notwithstanding, there are no British buyers who invest less than a million eu- additional costs for British sellers who are not ros in a property for personal use to do so as a residents of Spain from 2021.
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room hotel pledging to reopen it ‘within the next few months’, creating some 300 new jobs. But the blue and white building, which attracted the world’s elite from day one of its 1986 opening, never reopened. Princess Diana stayed no less than three times at the leafy enclave behind Fuengirola, where she was famously photographed topless by paparazzi. It was the first place she spent the night during her debut visit to the Costa in 1993, the same year she announced her withdrawal from public life following the revelations of her relationship with playboy James Hewitt. And Diana wasn’t the only blue-blooded guest. The Saudi royal family, who came to the Costa del Sol every summer to escape the Middle East’s crippling heat, repeatedly chose the Byblos as their preferred retreat.
Luxury
The Rolling Stones, too, found satisfaction in its peace and seclusion Massive fans of Spain, the Stones were the first foreign band to perform in the country in 1976, following the fall of Franco They went on to perform 21 sell-out concerts across the country, choosing to wind down at the Byblos when performing in the south The hotel was also a firm favourite with Spanish household names, including Malagueño actor turned Hollywood star Antonio Banderas and singing legend Julio Iglesias. The five-star hotel was one of the first in the area to receive Grand Luxury status. It opened its doors in 1986 and closed in 2010, dragged down by the economic crisis which started in 2008.
FELL: Sales down but are recovering in the best spots
Sales suffer big drop HOME sales fell by 14.5% last year in the largest drop since 2013. Figures from the Ministry of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda show that 486,982 sales were recorded in 2020 due to the depressed market resulting from the coronavirus pandemic. It was the second straight year of sale falls after a 2.1% decline in 2019. The 2013 figures recorded a 17.3% drop in home deals. Real estate transactions were falling last year before the full effects of pandemic restrictions started to kick in. The period between January and March 2020 saw a fall of 16% on a year-to-year basis. The third quarter of last year actually saw a 6.7% increase on the same period in 2019. Though over 87% of property transactions were in second-hand housing, new property sales produced a rise in 2020, with a hike of 7% compared to 2019. 42,607 out of the total of 486,982 home sales were from non-Spaniards, which was 22% less than the previous year due to pandemic travel restrictions.
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COLUMNISTS
MENSA OR DENSA?
A
RE you a digital doer or a real-life print reader? The Olive Press alternates weekly OLD HAC K IN publication of my columns THE SUN between actual print and ether-conBenny Davis trolled messages beamed from outer space. But if you are one of Ramblings of an 80-something expat the 75% of over 65’s who do not access so called digital platforms, you are safe in my hands. However, those who have managed to stretch their little grey cells to master the art of accessing digital information are more likely to be high Mensa achievers who do crosswords with a pen, and say, moi, instead of me. Personally, I am of the Densa brigade. I find reading a real newspaper, especially while lying in the sun, very relaxing, and it has the added advantage of acting as an umbrella over the face when getting some extra ZZZZ’s in. Laptops tend to be uncomfortable and difficult to balance on the nose.
Worship
SOOTHING: View of the valley and lake from Giles’s casita nally shook it off. On the pos- shocked laughter as I pulled ers and hiked up the track itive side, I managed to catch the fader down, before I could from the Casita. Exercise is up on a huge stack of reading, be accused of being one of the one of the few options that I and the cat loved having me liberal elite, lackey of the MSM am allowed these days, and around. Especially as I tended or fully paid up member of the I was debating the futility of to feed her when I woke at 5am Illuminati. (Although I have it all when I looked back. The every morning, a practice she heard that the Casita and the has continued since my recov- robes are snazlake looked ery by singing me the song of zy). stunning, and I still live in a her people at some ungodly The weird thing it suddenly beautiful place made me rehour, demanding breakfast. was, however, I was so dumbfounded by the that this comand I now also alise: accusation that I had faked ment sent me I still live in my illness that I burst out in back into what I have my health a beauticall ‘Mabellaise”, ful place, back where I get fed I have my up with my adhealth back opted town and and I am lucky everything about it. It normally to lots of friends who helped happens around this time of when I was ill. As the saying year, and the pandemic has not goes – This Too Shall Pass. exactly helped. Nevertheless, I am not putIn an effort to clear my mud- ting that caller on air for a dled head, I pulled on my train- while…
OSLO CONCILIATION BOARD Extract from complaint currently being dealt with by Oslo Conciliation Board – Dept. 3 Case No. F2020-012277 Complainant: Modhi Finance As Defendant: Per Einar Tinmsnndvik, Tempo Banus 45, ES-29600 Marbella The Complainant has filed a complaint against the Defendant with Oslo Conciliation Board with a demand for payment of NOK 69751,18 with the addition of interest at the legal rate and legal costs. The Defendant is ordered to reply to the Conciliation Board in writing by 04.05.2021 stating whether or not the Defendant acknowledges and accepts the Complainant’s claim. If a reply has not been delivered prior to the expiry of the stated time limit, judgment by default can be pronounced on the basis of the Complainant’s representation of the facts of the case. As the Defendant has no known address, service will be executed with authority in the Courts Act Section 181. The complaint and order to reply will be deemed to have been legally served when it has been posted at the legal venue for four weeks. The documents pertaining to the case can be collected from the Conciliation Board’s offices at Pilestredet 19, 0033 Oslo, Norway. The documents can be sent to a new address supplied by the Defendant if the Defendant so requests.
Devotees who worship at the altar of the God of ethernet culture will also tell you that you can compare news items quickly by surfing the net, to establish real or fake news. But before you don your wetsuit, may I point out that fake news happens far less frequently in print, and if on the rare occasion the unthinkable happens, lawsuits leap into action far more quickly than on the web, encouraging extreme caution on the part of newspaper editors and owners. I understand that instant information is available in seconds through sites such as Google, Bing, etc. Call me old fashioned, but that method doesn’t give me the same satisfaction as finally coming up trumps with answers after spending hours, even days, of searching through old files and reference libraries. At the moment, I am writing an article about a serial killer who wrought havoc back in the Victorian era and am running barefooted through my enormous collection of information, amassed over countless years as a writer. If I cannot find the answers, I will have to revert to my fail-safe solution, ‘Gertrude,’ grandmother of Amazon’s virtual assistant ‘Alexa.’ Although she answers in a shaky voice with the occasional additional sound effect of flatulence, she never lets me down and fits into my lifestyle far more comfortably than the pre-mentioned Miss Smoothy-Pants.
The age of print!
I
T’S great that any newspaper is still Kindle and love nothing more than a trip being printed in our age of the internet to Waterstones (when in the UK) to select and it’s something we should always try a new book, preferably hard backed. to support and maintain. A lot of things have changed since I startBefore the birth of the internet, Sunday ed my career as a journalist in my early mornings for many people consisted of twenties. Back then there was no internet reading the papers. I always used to buy so we used books for factual research, a News of the World, not only because I a dictionary or thesaurus, as and when worked for the paper, but also, like many required, and we carried pagers with us people, to catch up on the latest scandal instead of mobile phones. or expose, which the biggest selling tab- Writing this I feel like I was born in the age loid in Britain was famous of the dinosaur because for. since the internet became E LIV O Alongside the News of the a global network in the PRESS Screws (as it was known) I’d 1990s, technology has posbuy the Sunday Telegraph sessed everything. More for international news and a and more people commumore high-brow read. nicate solely online, how There’s still something nice Y HIGH many teenagers actually SK about reading a newspaper use their phone as a teleHOPES with a morning coffee, which phone? More people shop was often a prelude to your online, especially since the working day or whilst travelpandemic, and nearly evling on the train or tube. But ery business has migrated then I’m still one of the dieto an online presence. hards who refused to own952a147 834 So after 20 years in the A Sierra Nevada ll about
February
2021
www.theolivepress.es
Slide away 363 Vol. 14 Issue
FREE
MALLORCA
slope off to You can finally skiing heaven, Andalucia’s Smith writes Charlie
Your expat
voice in Spain
s.es February 26th - March Vol. 4 Issue 100 www.theolivepres
There is ILENCE. peep not a single upwards as I climb valley to through the of the meet my maker. head out I poke my window and the fresh alcable car Sierra Nevada’s my lungs. pine air hits it – a sweeping Then I hear the crisp white crunch downa snowboarder piste, as below. whizzes past through, and Another tears all weaving at then a third, mountainside down the speed. blistering more terriSpanish I’m definitely the three carriage fied than the guys sharing with me. left behind the We have and restaurants cosy bars the main only ski in Pradollano, town of Andalucia’s resort. at Borreguiles, We step outsome 2,700 mewhich sits sea level. tres above basecamp for runs, This is the the Sierra’s the many of from which range ‘muy facil’ lagreen-coloured those in black, pistes to dificil’. belled ‘muy overleaf
S
Continues
LONG TIME IN COMING: But residents of Mallorca can hopefully soon hit the slopes
See page 11
11th 2021
EX PIC CL TU US RE IV E
Model patient
has had A POPULAR expat centenarian her 101st year. her first COVID jab in on the Costa Peggy Bloomfield, based dose of the Pfizer Blanca, got her first Centre this vaccine at Teulada Medical week. to go, according to And she’s now raring Young. her neighbour Shirley to bits to get “She is amazing! Thrilled great!” she told the the jab and feeling permitting I’m Olive Press. “Lockdown to visit for her hoping to get the Mayor second jab is in two next birthday.” Her will be celebratweeks’ time and Peggyin April. ing her 101st birthdayright) shows nurse Our photograph (far the first dose of Juanjo administering while right she the vaccine to Peggy, received a visit was all smiles as she and cake with balloons, champagne when she from Olive Press reporters hit the big 100 last year.
receives her ALL ROUND: Peggy recent 100th birthday in Spain to get the Is she the oldest expat anyone older, con- CELEBRATIONS following her COVID jab (inset right) COVID jab? If you know ess.es tact us at newsdesk@theolivepr
Island could soon be back in business as UK travel ban to be lifted in May
Brits are only permitted abroad. At the moment purposes. to travel for essential workSpain from South AfBy Kirsty McKenzie gearing up for an avaNo one is allowed to enterair or sea until 6pm on MALLORCA could be shores in May. the UK via lanche of tourists to its have seen the numthem rica, Brazil or the current restrictions. friends and family or take he March 2 under first introduced in December Airlines and travel agents abroad soar this to reconnect holiday to remember,” The ban was ber of Brits booking holidays its roadmap out on a long-awaited a more-transmisscientists first detected added. week after the UK announced traffic to its web- whenvariant of the virus in the UK. firm Thomas Cook said sible to of lockdown. were originally supposed be able to leave the Travel day after the Prime MinisUK tourists should finally May 17, the govern- site doubled in the Ryanair confirmed there Tight restrictions19 but the ban has now been end on January ter’s statement, while in bookings. country for holidays from with restrictions curextended multiple times, 2. had been a ‘large surge’ ment announced on Monday. Johnson revealed the However, Health Secretary Matt Hancock rently in place until March Prime Minister Boris plan for graduthat the effectiveness of urged caution, warning move as part of his four-step in England, with all so- vaccines will dictate whether international travOpinion Page 6 ally lifting restrictions lifted by June 21. cial contact rules finally these new bookings el can go ahead. against said protect to easyJet, have He said: “We Airlines, including were more than four a for the summer season with the same period variants, and that is big challenge.” times higher compared Hancock added that last week. much ‘we can be more relaxed about Confidence travel’ most popular destina- international Palma was one of the budget holiday giant if vaccines work well tions, according to the busiest month. against the South easyJet, with August its described by chief ex- Africa and Brazil The announcement was as a ‘much-needed strains. vaccine ecutive, Johan Lundgren, the “If boost in confidence’. seen a pent-up demand doesn’t work against that will “We have consistently in bookings shows them, then for travel and this surgewhat UK consumers be much, much more that this signal has beenhe said. difficult,” he said. the govhave been waiting for,” up by 630% and It comes as Holiday bookings were ernment confirmed at the flights by 337%. be a little while off, it was looking pass“While the summer may to en- idea of vaccine clock the around we will be working to ramp up our flights ports to allow travel sure we will be ready
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OP Puzzle solutions Quick Crossword Across: 1 Fuse, 4 Pipeline, 8 Etchings, 9 Date, 10 Stalk, 11 Broncos, 13 Hers, 14 Yam, 15 Ma’am, 16 High-ups, 18 Braid, 20 Fuzz, 21 This is it, 22 Deployed, 23 Test. Down: 2 Up to the minute, 3 Exhales, 4 Pant, 5 Pastrami, 6 Led in, 7 Nationalities, 12 Sympathy, 15 Marxist, 17 Hazel, 19 Kind.
SUDOKU
IT was the last caller that did it. I was into the final three minutes of ‘Viewpoint’, the live radio show that I host every Tuesday that discusses the ‘issues of the day’. In the past four years those have tended to be Brexit, Boris, Trump and of course, coronavirus. Being the man in the middle of Viewpoint is always a white-knuckle ride, because you have no idea of just what the caller will say. As it is a live show, I‘ve developed a sixth sense that starts to tingle if I think they are about to swear or come out with something slanderous, and I am always poised to bring the fader, which controls the volume, down sharply. The caller now waiting on line one had a bit of a reputation for rubbishing the existence of coronavirus, but I had less than 200 seconds before the end of the show so I thought ‘What’s the harm?’ He got to the point right away “You never had coronavirus” he said, “You just had a bad flu for three days”. If you were not aware, I tested positive for COVID-19 at the beginning of January, and was unable to return to the radio, which I love, for three weeks. Although I was fortunate not to end up in hospital as several of my friends did, it still poleaxed me in the most peculiar way, and I was glad when I fi-
Getting a grip
The
Accused of faking COVID - live on air
March 24th - April 6th 2021
100th Edition
38
Terenia Taras Telling it like it is
media industry I’m prouder than ever to go full circle and be able to write for the Olive Press. The newspaper serves vast communities in Spain and the islands providing real news, which again may become something from the past if left solely in the hands of unscrupulous and self-serving organisations or individuals. Newspapers should always remain the beacon of truth and shine a light into the deepest, darkest corners of the web. I am proud as a journalist to do my job because I feel it’s crucial to have an independent and objective group of professionals who share the same goal, which is to hold the powers that be to account. Love him, or loathe him, Piers Morgan still champions old school journalism and I’m glad he doesn’t let politicians off lightly because they should be held accountable - although it must be said he has managed to get himself into a little hot water now over Meghan! The media always had the little person’s interest at heart, despite the need to rely on advertising to survive. Which is why businesses should support their local, regional and national press, because without the integrity and guardians of the truth being able to continue commercially we may have nothing left but controlled, fake news.
YOU CAN FOLLOW ME @tereniataras
HEALTH
March 24th - April 6th 2021 UBER is committing free or discounted rides to help make sure that transportation is not a barrier to getting the vaccine The ridesharing giant has said it will offer free rides to vulnerable people making travel to vaccination hubs easier and safer. According to Juan Galiardo, general manager of Uber in Spain, an estimated 20,000 free rides will be programmed to and from vaccination centres in the five Spanish cities where they operate; Malaga, Madrid, Sevilla, Grana-
FRIGHTENING: But surgery was a success
A heartfelt thanks! Terrifying surgery made bearable by terrific nurses
I
HAVE just left Malaga Materno Hospital after breast reconstruction surgery. It was a unique experience. The Head of Surgery, Doctor Torres Corpas, and his team performed the surgery. They took fat from my back to inject into my breast and used my own tissue rather than implants, which is less risky. Naturally, I was terrified. As Doctor Torres drew lines all over my breasts, 12 people including medical trainees observed while another surgeon took photos. He did ask my permission and I thought well why not if it helps another woman? The result was amazing and I am so grateful to Doctor Torres, but I wasn't prepared for what lay ahead of me. I shared a room with two different roommates. I felt almost guilty that I was in the hospital for such a positive reason. My first roommate, a clearly muchloved German mother and grandmother, aged 88 was told that day they could not operate. Her daughter was distraught and I at least managed to give her some
Lisa Burgess comfort, having nursed my own departed mother Ann through cancer. My second roommate was a shy, gentle young Spanish girl. She had to have her uterus removed and endured incredible pain so bravely. Talking about pain, I forewarned my wonderful nurse, Patricia Rubio, that I would pull the same stunt regarding pain medication as I had at the Costa Del Sol Hospital in Marbella previously. I told her to tell the surgeons that when I had my mastectomy and they prescribed me paracetamol, I asked the surgeon at the time ‘If you had your penis cut off would you prescribe paracetamol’? He immediately upgraded me. Everybody on the ward and especially the patients had a great laugh about that and it felt good to make people in such dire straits smile just that once. I called Malaga Materno my home for five days. The food wasn't too good but the nurses were terrific and all I can say is a huge ‘thank you’.
da and Bilbao. “We want to continue contributing to the fight against the pandemic by offering free travel to those who most need it,” Galiardo said. “We are starting by putting our platform at the A of Nadiesolo so that people over 80 years of age can get vaccinated quickly and safely.”
Bye Bye Baby Lockdown has led to fall in the birth rate THE birth rate in Spain has fallen to the lowest on record. Official figures show there were 23,226 babies born in December, down 20.4% from December 2019, matching similar signs of decline elsewhere in Europe. It is the lowest rate in Spain since records began in 1941, making Spain the second least fertile country in Europe behind Malta. The National Statistics Institute (INE) said the fall has been driven by the pandemic, with Spain completing one of the strictest lockdowns in Europe. “Even though the number of births has been in a constant
decline trend for several years, the fall has been accentuated nine months after the lockdown during the first state of (coronavirus) emergency,” an INE statement said. Though Spain’s initial coronavirus lockdown remained in effect for the whole of April 2020, the number of babies born in January 2021, nine months later, edged up a little to 24,061. Researchers blame the cornavisus crisis for deepening fears of political and economic uncertainty in Spain. It is exaggerated by an ageing population, with a larger proportion unable to have children.
The total fertility rate — the average number of children a woman will have throughout her childbearing years — fell to 1.23 children per woman, compared to 2.8 in 1975.
Getting safer THE number of assaults on health personnel in Andalucia last year was the lowest since 2016, a new study reveals. Published on March 9 by Sindicato Medico Andaluz Sevilla (SAS), the report recorded the number of physical and non-physical assaults (agresiones) on the trade union’s workers across the autonomous community. Overall, there were 1042 assaults on SAS staff in 2020, of which 866 were not physical and 176 were. Most of the assaults took place in Sevilla (279) and Malaga (186), but the rate per 100,000 inhabitants was similar across provinces. Although the report noted the difficulty of attributing the drop to a single cause, it did say that ‘the pandemic and the consequent decrease in face-to-face consultations in primary care or scheduled activity in hospitals may have had an influence.’ It also mentioned the work of local government, trade unions and the actions of judges and police as possible influencing factors.
www.laterlife.es
Cases down THE province of Malaga has recorded its lowest COVID contagion rate for March so far this Monday, with 38 new cases and zero deaths. Part of this is likely because fewer tests are carried out over the weekend though rates have been dropping steadily in recent weeks. In fact, Andalucia recorded 746 new cases on Sunday
21 - almost 100 fewer than the previous Sunday - and the autonomous community’s 14-day infection rate per 100,000 inhabitants is currently 122.5. For Malaga province it is just 86.7 and for Malaga city it is lower still at 73. In Estepona and Marbella the rates are higher, at 189.4 and 176.1 respectively.
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Dog’s day FIREFIGHTERS in the Alicante region have rescued a dog that fell into a snow well in the Sierra de Carrasqueta on Saturday due to slippery conditions.
FINAL WORDS
voice in Spain
Now that’s zippy
Snap to attention
A LAW has been passed to phase out fluorescent warning triangles and instead oblige drivers to use flashing beacons à la Starsky and Hutch to indicate if they have broken down.
POPULAR designer Rosa Montesa from Valencia has crafted a beautiful fallera outfit entirely from other people’s crisp packets, cleaning products, cola bottles and other litter.
expat
Vol. 15 Issue 365 www.theolivepress.es March 24th - April 6th 2021
Flash me, please
Junk dress
Your
How an ancient war photo has finally led to a brand new Spanish museum, writes Fiona Govan
A RUN down slum building in Madrid is finally about to become a key museum - all thanks to an 85-year-old photo! The one-story block was inhabited by 13 families when it was A MAN has gained the dubious distinction of setting a new speed record on Spain’s public roads. Instead of a trophy he could end up with an unwanted prize - a jail term - after he was clocked at 256 kph on a motorway - more than double the 120 kph limit and the fastest ever recorded by the police.
identified as being the location of a famous snap by legendary war photographer Robert Capa, a decade ago. Now 10 Peironcely Street, in the southern suburb of Vallecas, is
It’s a Record A drugs test found the Barcelona man, 48, was driving along the AP-7 near Tarragona under the influence of cocaine. His BMW M2 CS was designed more for the racetrack than the
to become the Robert Capa centre for the interpretation of the aerial bombing. It comes after Madrid City Council expropriated the building and rehoused all the fampublic highway. It has a six-cylinder twin-turbocharged engine, blasting out 450 horsepower, with a price tag starting at €103,900. He faces a €600 speeding fine and between €500 and €1,000 for driving on drugs. If he is charged with reckless driving he could end up with a two-year sentence.
ilies in larger modern flats in other parts of the city. They had all been crammed into the warren-like slum home, which had 15 tiny apartments measuring between 17 and 28m2. The powerful image, taken by the Hungarian photojournalist in the winter of 1936, shows a woman smiling from a doorway while three children play amid the rubble outside. The area had been the focus of sustained bombing by the fascist forces as they attempted - and failed - to force their way into the city. They never did, in part thanks to the famous slogan ‘no pasaran’.
A NEW zip wire has opened where adrenaline junkies can soar through a valley at speeds up between 130 and 160kph. The ride promises thrill seekers the buzz of flying through the air for over two km (2,036 metres to be exact) secured in a harness 1,200 metres above sea level for unrivalled views across the Parque Nacional de Ordesa and Monte Perdido in the Pyrenees. Those with the stomach to try the experience are promised a bird’s eye view of the Ordea mountain range, the Ara valley and Bujaruelo river soaring over the villages of Sarvise, Torla, Buesa and Janovas, The zip-line which has been installed near the town of Fiscal in the Aragonses province of Huesca drops by 400metres from start to finish over a gradient of 20%. The new attraction has been funded by local businessman Jorge Rabal with an investment of €800,000 with hopes of boosting the area as a tourist destination.
2 for 1 glasses from 69€ Something to smile about
Fuengirola Avda. Ramón y Cajal, 6 Tel. 952 467 837 Marbella Avda. Ricardo Soriano, 12 Tel. 952 863 332 2 for 1 from 69€-229€. Cannot be used with any other offers. Both pairs include standard 1.5 single-vision lenses (or 1.6 for 199€ Rimless range). Varifocal/bifocal: pay for lenses in first pair only. Excludes SuperDrive, SuperDigital varifocals, SuperReaders 1-2-3 occupational lenses and safety eyewear. Additional charge – Extra Options. Specsavers España Franchisor S.L. (with VAT number B84536291 and registered office in Pradillo Street 5 Ground floor, 28002, Madrid, Spain) is responsible for this offer.
Olive Press Costa del Sol – 170mm x 256mm – Colour
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24th March