OH WHAT A WONDERFUL YEAR! COSTA BLANCA SOUTH HITS ONE
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Vol. 2 Issue 27 www.theolivepress.es November 12th - November 25th 2020
Lockdown COSTA Blanca bar and restaurant owners are continuing to avoid the draconian closures introduced in neighbouring Murcia. They remain open until 11pm, despite Murcia ordering a total two week closure in the hospitality sector to curb a worrying rise in COVID-19 cases. However indoor capacity for bars and restaurants on the Costa Blanca was slashed to 30% and 50% for terraces. Capacity inside shops is down to 50% and markets can only have half of their regular quota of stalls. Buffets are completely banned. Hotels are allowed to rent a third of their rooms, while friends are not allowed to stay overnight at each other’s homes. Valencian president, Ximo Puig said: “These measures are all about saving lives, protecting jobs and safeguarding families. “The situation is serious but we KEEP EATING: Valencia bars and restaurants can stay open for now, but Murcia’s hostelries are shut should not lose perspective. We By Kirsty McKenzie
BORIS Johnson has assured his cabinet that a Brexit withdrawal deal is ‘there to be done’. The proposed agreement comes amid signs Joe Biden’s stunning US election win has sparked a desire to double down on negotiation with the EU. The Prime Minister is hoping to strike a trade deal this week before the European Union’s deadline to reach an agreement on November 16. While Olive Press sources insist Biden’s win has injected renewed impetus into the talks, Johnson claimed this has always been the case. “I’ve always been a great enthusiast for a trade deal with our European friends,” said Johnson at the weekend. “I think it’s there to be done,
E
By Alex Trelinski
are better-off with infection rates compared to other regions, but we cannot relax... and won’t tolerate recklessness.” The Valencian Community will maintain the midnight curfew until at least December 9, with suggestions that it could be brought forward an hour as COVID-19 cases escalate.
Hopeful
Puig said that there were no plans for any home confinements as was the case under this year’s first State of Alarm. He said he hoped to ‘maintain the fundamentals’ of the Christmas and New Year season. The border with Murcia is shut until at least November 22 and residents can only leave or arrive there for essential reasons like work.
DONE DEAL?
UK Prime Minister optimistic trade agreement can be reached before this week’s looming deadline the broad outlines are pretty clear.” His remarks come as EU Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier returned to London on Monday offering ‘three keys to unlock a deal’. He is here for a week of ‘intensive’ talks with his British counterpart David Frost, with fair
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trade and fishing agreements the main points up for discussion. Anne Hernandez of lobby group Brexpats in Spain told the Olive Press a deal would be struck this week. She added: “I think Boris has another uphill struggle in befriending Biden who is vocally
anti-Brexit but he has to get him on his side since his partner-in-crime is going to be leaving the White House in January. “There will be a deal and Boris will say they have ‘managed’ to agree it with the EU and he will forget to add the reason being that he buckled and did anoth-
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She said they had agreed that their negotiating teams would continue talks in London this week to ‘redouble efforts to reach a deal’, adding that they would remain ‘in personal contact about the negotiations.’ Nigel Farage this week blasted the prime minister for failing to secure a withdrawal agreement ahead of the US election results, claiming that Joe Biden ‘hates the UK’.
y The conspirac theorists getting a grip on the costas
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er u-turn.” But her optimism was tempered by a downbeat assessment from Downing Street, with No 10 claiming ‘significant differences remain’ between the two sides on Monday. A spokeswoman added: “The prime minister set out that, while some progress had been made in recent discussions, significant differences remain in a number of areas, including the so-called level playing field, and fish.”
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NEWS IN BRIEF Costly fall TORREVIEJA council has paid €48,000 in compensation to a pedestrian who fell down poorly-maintained steps at Acequion beach in 2018.
Identity crisis A SANTOMERA man was fined €180 for using a friend’s ID card to break border restrictions by cycling from Murcia to Orihuela in Alicante Province.
Bad example
Crime boss ‘killed drugs rival and decapitated victim’
CRIME
Head case
in the area, Navarro is thought to have a long criminal past after a spell living in Mexico. According to early reports, Navarro is thought to have been the leader of a criminal gang specialising in robbery and drug smuggling.
By James Warren
A MAN allegedly responsible for murdering a drugs rival before dumping his victim’s head in a bin after showing it to children has been identified as a convicted thief and crime ring-leader. Manuel Jesus Navarro was identified after footage of him surfaced discarding a carrier bag containing the head in a recycling container.
TORREVIEJA councillor Carmen Gomez is to be fined by mayor Eduardo Dolon for being part of a council committee teleconference while she was driving.
Discord AN ELCHE Policia Local agent was attacked by a man who annoyed neighbours by shouting and singing from his balcony at 1.40am last Saturday.
November 12th - November 25th 2020
Mexico
GRIM DEPOSIT: Navarro carries head in a bag
Mexican, Navarro, 60, casually showed passers-by including children the head
Sickening POLICE are hunting for a sicko who mutilated and beheaded a dolphin. The corpse of the mammal also had the name ‘Juan’ carved in large letters into its flank. Sources say arrests are not ruled out after the gruesome find of the protected ‘striped dolphin’. The recovery of the sickening body from Cala Principe in San Jose was initially made difficult by the location and weather.
before disposing of the bloodied head in Huelva. Known as ‘El Mejicano’
Murder mystery POLICE are baffled after a woman dog walker was strangled to death. They are appealing for witnesses after Friday’s murder in the La Hoya district of Elche, saying there is no evidence that the killing was planned and they have no motive for the assault. Her body was found dumped in an irrigation canal by another dog walker. The 45-yearold victim, named as Alicia, worked as a court official in Elche’s justice department and lived with her mother. Hundreds of people gathered in La Hoya’s Plaza de la Torre del Gallo to pay tribute to Alicia on Sunday. Her work colleagues held a minute’s silence the following day.
Navarro was captured in Mexico in 2009 after a series of violent raids on businesses in the Mexican town of Monterrey, before being sentenced to 10 years in prison. It is understood that Navarro returned to Huelva just months ago after being released. The victim, currently identified by his first name Candido, is thought to have been a friend of Navarro and the pair would be regularly seen together walking through Huelva. “Candido was lovely. He would always help you out without asking for anything in return.” said a local resident. It is thought that the dispute that led to the beheading was a disagreement over drugs.
Animals Rescued
AN ILLEGAL zoo housing 572 animals in appalling conditions has been raided by Murcia´s Guardia Civil. A 62-year-old Spaniard was arrested and charged with multiple counts of animal cruelty on his farm in Lorca. The animals were not fed properly or given access to water. A significant number were caged and many were sick from a range of diseases. The extensive menagerie included three horses, 161 exotic birds, 15 Vietnamese pigs, 15 dogs, 17 goats, and 82 pigeons. Two of the horses were unable to walk as they suffered from excessive hoof growth. Most of the animals were taken to the El Valle Wildlife Recovery Centre in Murcia
Sharp Exit
A TAXI passenger tried to skip a €500 fare but was caught by the cab driver. The 20-year-old woman hailed a taxi at Madrid’s Atocha railway station last week and told the driver to take her over 400 kilometres to Alicante. When the taxi arrived at Alicante General Hospital, the passenger opened the door and ran off after being presented with the €500 bill. The driver caught her and called the local police who arrested her for fraud.
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Double edged sword for nature as whales move on while eagles soar in ORCA whales are abandoning the Med and heading to Galician waters, biologists claim. Experts suspect that Orcas (also known as Killer Whales) are leaving the Straits of Gibraltar as the Med is now too warm for them due to global warming. Previously sightings of Killer Whales averaged at around 65 per season, but this number has now decreased by more than two thirds in the past year. It comes as temperature increases in the Med are going up 20%
Queen of the high street! SPAIN’S bargain basement queen has shown her support for the high street donning a pair of €20 trousers from Mango for a record FIFTH time. Queen Letizia, 48, wore the ankle-length grey trousers from the Spanish brand, while visiting a Madrid drug clinic this week. She previously wore them to make an outing to present the 2020 Princess of Asturias awards a month ago, having first worn them in September 2017.
Roar blimey! AN 'extraordinary' 2,400 year old statue of a lion has been unearthed by a farmer in Spain. The artefact was uncovered by Gonzalo Crespo in the hamlet of La Rambla, Cordoba, while he was ploughing his olive grove. The statue in perfect condition depicts a lioness devouring another animal and is believed to have been carved around 400 BC. Crespo immediately recognised he had found something significant and
Flying high
Orca outing faster than the global average, according to the IMBE institute. But despite a surge in violent incidents involving Orcas along the Northern coast, there is no clear scientific explanation for the Killer Whale’s change in behaviour. Since relocating to Galicia, the Orcas have rammed into a navy vessel as well as a series of sailing boats. “These interactions are very rare and aren’t something we’ve seen here before.” said biologist Alfredo Lopez
SOME of Spain’s most iconic birds of prey are making a concerted comeback as they take advantage of the peaceful skies of southern Spain to
ADIÓS SEAN From Spain with Love, as former Costa resident OO7 star James Bond passes on
HE had ‘Scotland forever’ tattooed on his forearm but for over 20 years his heart belonged to Spain. The definitive James Bond and long time Spanish resident, Sir Sean Connery has passed away at the age of 90. The 007 legend ‘slipped away’ in his sleep at his Bahamas home after suffering from dementia. The couple first met at a golf tournament in 1970 and married five years later, setting up home at Casa Malibu, in Puerto Banus,
Fitness flashback IT may well turn out to be her last hurrah in Spain. Davinia Taylor has shared a photo of her sizzling physique on holiday here just weeks after she put her Marbella villa on the market for €17 million. The former Hollyoaks actress, 42, was clearly feeling reflective as she posted the photo taken during the last lockdown here in the Spring. In the Instagram post she wrote that being in Spain had managed to ‘improve her mood’. No doubt her mood will improve dramatically if she gets a sale of the front line property in Los Monteros for sale through LuxuryEstate.com. It counts on seven bedrooms, tropical gardens and Antonio Banderas as a former neighbour.
AT HOME: Sean Connery lived in Marbella for years
Marbella. Connery, a regular in both the port and restaurants in the old town, was best known for his hacking around the local golf courses.
The pair went on to sell the property in 1999 for a staggering €6.4 million before moving to the Caribbean. Connery, a notoriously private person, cited an increase in new homes around the area for deciding to leave Marbella. “These people are not going to see me in my underpants, I am leaving Marbella,” he allegedly said.
Goldfinger
Sunset synths called police. The lioness was transferred to the Archaeological Museum of Cordoba where it will be studied by experts.
COVID-19. The rugged sierras of Andalucia and Valencia have seen healthy growth in several species of raptor as less planes carve up their airspace. Not only are Ospreys breeding in increasing numbers, but Imperial Eagle numbers are at an historic high, with seven more breeding pairs recorded this year. Most promising of all, three Red Kites have been seen gliding over the Sierras de Cazorla, Segura y Las Villas Natural Park in Jaen. The trio - one adult male and two young females - were released after a short stint in a Madrid wildlife hospital. It comes after the species became extinct in Andalucia some decades ago.
THERE are not many DJ sets that top this one. Perched on a rocky outcrop in the Ronda tajo, German DJ Christian Loffler looked very much the King of the Decks. French company Cercle brought a team of over a dozen technicians and engineers to film the six minute video, a mix of mellow beats and electronic riffs. Perched on a circular glass stage on the edge of the 500 metre-wide gorge, the overall effect is both moving and impressive.
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Connery and his wife were also embroiled in a long-running tax fraud and planning case over allegedly illegal plans for Casa Malibu, although the case was dropped in 2014. He refused to return to face the judge’s questions in the case codenamed predictably ‘Goldfinger’. See Salute to Sir Sean, Page 14
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RAIL: New link plea TWO Valencian mayors have come together to formally back plans to build a direct rail link between Bigastro-Jacarilla, San Miguel and Torrevieja-Orihuela Costa. Mayor of Orihuela Emilio Bascuñana and Eduardo Dolon, mayor of Torrevieja, joined forces to promote the project that is estimated to cost €277.6million. The stamp of approval from the pair means three new stations could be built along the coast. Dolon said: “It is the best news that the Vega Baja region can have. “It is a totally viable project and it is the reality that we deserve in the south of the Valencian Community.”
A TORREVIEJA woman who tried to poison cats and dogs by sprinkling poisonous white powder on local pavements has been given a large fine. She was arrested by the Guardia Civil after residents complained about her behaviour. The unnamed Spanish poisoner operated around the Calle Patricio Zamit area of the city and one complainant took a photo of her activities. When confronted by astounded passers-by, she said that her mission was to ‘kill all animals around the city’. A court fined her €1,200 in addition to six months probation.
EVIL: Animal killer
NEWS
November 12th - November 25th 2020
Get ready to rumble By Simon Wade & Kirsty McKenzie
SPAIN’S southern coastline has been hit by around two earthquakes a day since the start of the month. Over two dozen tremors have rumbled their way up from Valencia to Andalucia over the last 12 days. One of the strongest quakes was felt in the early hours of yesterday (Wednesday 11) when a tremor hit the Mula area, 22 miles west of Murcia. With an epicentre 10km underground, it measured 2.4 in magnitude, equalling tremor intensities felt elsewhere in the region this week. A mild aftershock later hit Girona, on the northern border with France. The strongest recent earthquake was the 3.6 tremor
Is a big one due, as southern Spain is hit by 24 quakes this month?
LORCA: In 2011 nine people died in a tremor that shook the hills above near the fault lines between Benidorm on November 3. the Eurasian and African Because southern Spain lies plates, the area is prone to frequent tremors. But some scientists have suggested the world’s largest and most deadly recent earthquakes were not ‘natural’ disasters at all and were likely to be caused by humans. One was the 5.1 magnitude earthquake in Lorca, Murcia, apparently triggered by water being extracted from un770 639 derground reservoirs, which tragically killed nine people 426 560 in 2011.
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AN ORIHUELA man will get a €60,000 payout after a delay at the Vega Baja Hospital led to him losing one of his testicles. The Valencian Superior Court made the award after the 45-year-old suffered a crucial holdup in getting an emergency operation in March 2015. He got himself to the hospital at 1.15pm but was not operated on until 9.15pm. He told emergency room staff that he was suffering from nausea, dizziness, severe pain, and swelling on one side of his scrotum. The court ruled that if the operation had been performed earlier, he would not have lost a testicle.
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This was the deadliest quake in Spain since 1956, when 12 people died and 70 were injured in the southern Granada region. One of the worst earthquakes to hit the country was in 1804 when around 1,000 people died in Almeria. That was followed by the death of 1,200 in the provinces of Malaga and Granada when a 6.7 magnitude quake struck in 1884.
The Vega Baja Hospital emergency director told judges that the delay was caused by the emergency room area being busy as well as a shift change at 3.00pm. The Supreme Court rejected the man’s plea for a larger compensation figure of €120,000 due to losing his fertility and suffering from anxiety disorders. Judges ruled that there was not enough technical evidence to back up the man’s claim. The compensation will have to be paid by the Valencian Health Department who run the Vega Baja Hospital (pictured).
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NEWS FEATURE
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A campaigning, community newspaper, the Olive Press represents the huge expatriate community in Spain with an estimated readership, including the websites, of more than two million people a month.
OPINION Tale of two regions THE Valencian Community and the Murcia region have different tacks over bars and restaurants as COVID-19 cases spike upwards. A full-on Murcia shutdown last weekend fired up 2,000 hospitality trade bosses and workers to hit Cartagena’s streets on Wednesday. They marched on the regional assembly building and shouted for the Murcia president to make an appearance, which he duly didn’t. At the same time in the Valencian Community, a 200-strong motorcade snaked round Alicante City where bars and restaurants are still open, albeit with reduced capacity levels. Protestors claimed that ruin is beckoning but at least they are still in business serving customers. That’s unless you run a nightclub or late bar where the ‘doors closed’ notices were posted in August So who is right between Valencia and Murcia? Politicians will point to regional variations in virus rates which require different remedies. Official national figures show that less than 3% of COVID-19 outbreaks can be directly attributed to hospitality businesses. You have the sense that with social distancing and mask wearing, the non-draconian Valencian approach to hospitality just has a bit more logic to it…...for now. .
Decision day HE started with the battle cry ‘Get Brexit done’ and after almost a year in the trenches, we’re close to stumbling home. Confused, concussed and just a little bit beaten, we march onwards towards Brexit with our floppy-haired British commander Boris cheering us nonsensically all the way. D-day this time is November 16, the European Union’s deadline to reach an agreement, and Boris reckons the battle is all but won. But who’s to say what D will stand for this time? Devastation? Delusion? Or just any bloody decision will do? The PM is optimistic he will strike an agreement this week saying the deal is ‘there to be done’ adding ‘the broad outlines are pretty clear’ but to the mass public, we still are clambering around in the dark looking for an explanation for what Brexit truly means and how it will work. Until then, it feels rather like the blind are leading the blind.
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ANON has landed
There’s a new show in town for deranged conspiracy theorists that makes Scientology seem like the Open University. Jo Chase gets her hands dirty by looking under the bonnet...
W
ELCOME to the world of lunatic conspiracy theories. And Q Anon might just be the daddy. In case it is yet to make it to you, QAnon is the codename of a high-ranking US intelligence officer – Q – who drip-feeds intelligence to followers. It centres on Trump’s ‘crusade’ to save the world from a Deep State where a satanic cabal of influential people - Hilary Clinton and Barack Obama among them - hide children in tunnels for the purposes of paedophilia and cannibalism. It also involves the gold standard being restored and, following a mysterious ‘reset’, a basic income being paid to all world citizens – known as ‘NESARA/GESARA’ (National Economic Security and Recovery Act). To most normal individuals it seems totally far-fetched, especially given newly ousted Trump’s record for credibility and coherence. But the movement’s supporters are deadly serious. QAnons claim that President John F Kennedy started the concept, although conveniently, as JFK was shot dead in 1963, he’s not around to confirm or refute this. But although its principles sound like the plot of a B-movie, QAnon has gained traction worldwide, with its supporters trying to decipher ‘Q drops’ and joining forces to fight against the satanic cabal. And while critics denounce Q fans as delusional, the QAnons claim that the public has been brainwashed by the ‘mainstream media’ (MSM). People are, in this respect, polarised in their opinions. Many describe QAnon as being ‘cult-like’. Now, remarkably, it has taken root in the alternative communities of Andalucia’s Alpujarras and is spreading like coronavirus throughout the Costa Del Sol and Costa Blanca. For its supporters, known as ‘QAnons’, it’s something to cling onto during the COVID crisis. For others it is a lucrative business opportunity with Q-themed events popping up in luxury venues along the Costa.
HIDDEN DEPTHS: The remote town of Orgiva has found itself at home to many conspiracy theorists to the disgust of some residents
One of the main criticisms of QAnon is Modi; and crown prince Bin Salman of that the underlying concept is loosely Saudi Arabia (the one who ordered the based on the theories promoted by the killing and chopping up of journalist, JaNazis to encourage anti-Semitism and mal Khashoggi, in 2018). justify the holocaust. According to local Q bigwig Charlie Ward The Nazis were interested in esoterism (see panel left), the main purpose of the and magic, as well as EastEarth Alliance is the disern religions. missal of the 13 ‘demon This helps explain why bloodline families of the How can this newer version of the illuminated Deep State conspiracy theory proves clique’. This world transianyone with popular with the ‘cosmic tion is, apparently, being right’ – a catch-all term that financed by the Chinese a functioning includes ex-new age travelDragon Family. Confused? brain fall for it It’s no surprise. lers, yogis, spiritualists and the alternative community. And that so many people For Qanons, Trump is a subscribe to this patent James Bond-like figure, nonsense becomes less of fighting with the good guys against the a laughing matter when one considers Deep State as part of a wider ‘Earth Al- that these are the people that Trump is liance’. seeking to inflame to support his increasAlong with the ‘Q’ team and Trump, this ingly deranged claims that the US elecalliance allegedly and rather frightening- tion is being ‘stolen’ from him… ly comprises: ‘loyal generals and other And the worst news? It’s arrived on high-ranking members of the armed forc- Spain’s Costas, especially within the exes’; ‘the white hats of the National Secu- pat community... rity Agency (NSA)’; and numerous global Take Orgiva, a town with a thriving altermilitary leaders - Vladamir Putin; Xi Jinping native community, some of whom are of China; India’s prime minister Narendra posting messages promoting Q on Facebook and sharing pictures of Estepona ‘conspiracy picnics’. Residents in the Alpujarran market town of Orgiva are reporting ‘Q’ and ‘WWG1WGA’ (where we go one, we go all) graffiti splashed across local walls. Meanwhile some members of the community have been attending ‘conspiracy theory picnics’ in an Estepona mansion where they can listen to QAnon ‘red pill’ speeches with ‘private intel’ from the likes of British expat oil magnate Charlie Ward – the most prominent figure in Andalucia’s Q scene. With these right-wing views seeping into the local community, many Alpujarra residents are unimpressed with Q propaganda landing on their doorstep. Tanya Grenfell Williams, from Tijola, told the Olive Press: “Qanon is tapping into people’s fears by providing something concrete in these precarious times, even if it is false and feeding QAnon’s own agenda. “Unfortunately, these more liberal thinkers, normally left-leaning, are finding comfort in these dangerous conspiracy theories and naively promoting them to other people.” Sorrell Badger, an administrator of the OrSIGN: Graffiti that identifies with the deranged theorists of QAnon disfigures a wall in Orgiva
7
November 12th - November 25th 2020
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Oh what a wonderful year!
I
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Vol. 1 Issue 1 www.theolivep ress.es
voice in Spain
November 7th - November
20th, 2019
Duty of care claims after missing British great-grandfathe was allowed to r leave police station at 3am in clearly disoriented state EXCLUSIVE By Joshua Parfitt
POLICE on the
in England.
Failed
Wallet
Levante hotel at 5.30pm to buy cigaretteson September 9 his bearings and before he lost
said. “I’ve got 130 taxi drivers who start
was taken to at 4am Meanwhile Albert The consulate email police. and finish Rivera’s Ciudadanos will be Philip was carrying also stated Two months at 2am, but none on, Lee told the neither his of 14. In the 40dBreduced from 57 to passport nor his Ol- the hotels ive Press gain 14% of the poll Vox is set to he was taken by wallet when search anda request for ‘a ground tablishmentsand esvote, alongside the sniffer dogs’ has PP in second place Benidorm’s Policia a stranger to unanswered, gone seen a sign of have with 21.2% and 91 seats and the PhilNacional stawhile the family tion in the Old are ip.” Town just after left searching for answers. with 27.3% and PSOE coming first midnight, as CCTV The The PSOE’s 121 votes. footage con- “We just need closure on wheth- spent family has predicted victory firms. er my dad is still would see the party alive or not,” ting up weeks putHowever, what is Lee said. posters and seats than in April’s with two less and why he was not clear is how “But apart handing out prompting another last election, headache for its the station three allowed to leave sent out from claiming to have of his missing flyers leader Pedro Sanchez some father “The police are hours later. the police don’t drones to look, around Benidorm form a government. as he tries to simply seem Opinion page 6
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- April ress.es April 2nd Vol. 1 Issue 11 www.theolivep
15th, 2020
business Dance your way tosee p6 success at home
The best Spanish shows to get you through the long days at home see p10
While the army is on the streets, 8,000 have died, millions of jobs are at risk and everyone is on a four-week lockdown, there are...
LIFE OF BRIAN:
g reverses
are slowing finally up
garden No weeds in the everywhere Parking spaces
Wuhan’s back
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We explore Spain’s best yoga retreats...
12 Look at the dozen best health resolutions to stick to easily in 2020
AND find out how these cute seals are helpin g Alzheimer patients in Spain ll about
Good health 2020
Vol. 13 Issue 335
BLOG OFF SPAIN’s pharmaceutical watchdog has issued a warning over social media influencers pushing dodgy health products. The CGCF (General Council of Physiotherapist Associations of Spain) has filed a complaint with the Spanish Health Ministry about people promoting medicinal treatments for beauty conditions without proper knowledge or training. According to Spanish law, such medical promotion is banned and advertising is strictly monitored by industry professionals.
Risks
However Spanish social media ‘stars’ have been advocating the use of certain creams, wipes and tablets in order to help with cosmetic issues, unaware of some of the potential health risks that indiscriminate use can cause. Pharmacist Guillermo Martin Melgar first noticed the problem when a certain brand of prescription facial wipes was suddenly selling out, only to find it was being recommended by a popular Youtube channel as a treatment for acne.
January 22th - February 4th 2020
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Water worry After decades of believing it was safe to drink, a new study finds Spain’s tap water may not be SPAIN’s tap water is among the worst in Europe. A major Barcelona study has found it carries the fourth highest risk for bladder cancer on the continent. Findings suggest that longterm exposure to a group of chemicals in tap water called trihalomethanes may be the cause for one in 20 cases of bladder cancer in Europe each year. Scientists from the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal) analysed the tap water of all 28 EU countries except Bulgaria and Romania between 2005 and 2018. At 10.9%, Spain’s tap water came out with the fourth
highest levels of THMs on the continent - behind only Cyprus with 23.2%, Malta with 17.9% and Ireland’s Liffey water coming a surprising third from bottom with 17.2%. At the opposite end of the H2O horror list, Denmark’s water was the purest, with a
Milk matters
THM count of less than 0.1%, followed by the Netherlands ( 0.1%) and Germany (0.2%). The scientists also concluded that showering and bathing can also trigger the disease, allowing the chemicals to enter the body via the pores of the skin.
odds of being overweight or obese compared with their peers who drank lower-fat varieties. It has been speculated that whole milk causes CHILDREN who drink full-fat milk are less children to feel fuller, which reduces snacking. likely to be overweight than those given The research combined the results of 28 studskimmed or semi-skimmed. ies that were conducted across seven counThe findings were published in The American tries, which had explored the correlation beJournal of Clinical Nutrition and they found that tween children drinking cows milk and the risk children who drank whole milk had 40% lower of being overweight.
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LIFE ON THE EDGE,
Climate emergency declared as recordbreaking storm Gloria leaves nine dead
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January 23th - February
5th 2020
RECORD: Waves RECORD: ofof up Waves toup 14m eastern to lashed 14m lashed Spain east this week Spain this week
ACTION STATIONS
A SERIES of giant lashed eastern Spain14-metre waves By Joshua Parfitt Storm Gloria became this week as officially the most destructive winter storm since 1982. The record-break a landmark water – and weather ing walls of cy’ for the state of ‘climate emergenentire country. that left nine dead – came on cue as Spain declared Leader Pedro Sanchez (below) insisted ecological transition would now
be at the ‘forefront’ of government action with an first victim, mate change law’ unprecedented ‘cli- on Sunday age 44, died in Asturias days, following inexpected within 100 in heavy when a truck lost control snowfall and crashed of countries across the steps of scores his car while the world. he was putting on into It came after serious snow storms lashed chains. the Costa Blanca, also leaving millions The following day a 63-year-old died of euros of damage. in Avila after he was struck by a roof Gale force 9 winds tile. Meanwhile a 70-year-old man died of hypothermia wrought in Moixent, Alhavoc icante after A gota fría (cold with falling into snow drop) is caused 115km/h his home, polar air that move by pockets of arctic and two homeless close to winds southeast recordor across western fore meeting the ed in Oliva and one in Gandia and another in people – Europe bewarmer, humid Mediterann Carcaixaccording to Alicante ent – also died waves reaching scientist Jorge Olcina. ean climate, a Four people from hypothermia. The cold blast becomes record-bre died yesterday, aking ‘isolated’ at high its spanish term 8.44m in Valen- ing a farmer in a hailstorm, includaltitude, hence DANA, or Isolated a homeAltitudes. Depression at High cia, and a shocking less person killed by hypothermia When coming into Almeria, a woman in 14.22m in whose Ibiza. house air, the rising humidcontact with warmer Mediterann So far, nine people lapsed in Alcoy, and a man whose colvapours immediatel ean drop a massive car have died around was swept off a road near Benidorm. y condense and quantity of water la back in September in one Spain, with a fur- Four are still missing in Catalunya 2019 over 400mmburst. In Orihueless than 48 hours, ther four missing and the Balearic Islands – including of water fell in nearly twice tation, due to a a around the Bale- 25-year-old Brit in Ibiza. freak gota fría. annual average precipiaric Islands and Leading climatologists backed the Catalunya. The
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swering our questions,” not anson Lee Pearce, 41, told the Olive Press last night.
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Costa Blanca A DANGEROUS have been slammed after they could see Spain’slurch to the right allowed a confused and disorienVox party becominganti-immigrant tated British great-grandfa ers in this weekend’s the kingmakther to walk out of general election. into the dead of a police station The massive surge The family of night alone. the recent Catalan - off the back of Pearce, 68, arepensioner Philip of Islam - could crisis and a fear demanding ancomment on individual swers from Benidorm see the party seizing 15% of the seats cases’ such as Philip’s. why he was released police over DISAPPEARED: Philip The expected gains in Parliament. Pearce A Policia Nacional on Septem- (above right) ber 10, at 3am. the last picture enjoying a drink (above), damage centre-right will seriously claimed ‘helicopters’ spokesman while of the pensioner They now fear for Ciudadanos, which could lose in Alicante Airport his scrambled to search had been life after he “It’s absolutely gut-wrenching over half its seats, has been missing while the ruling for ther-of-three. for an alarming us as a family, not knowing various Benidorm for Philip on PSOE and left wing two months. Podemos are also hillsides. where Owner he is and why he However, he failed expected to sufof Alicante Transfers, And in a shocking fer. to answer “I just want him disappeared. David McQueen, questions about home British Consulate,email from the miss Vox, which has the exact details pledged to ‘defend’ him so much.” so badly. I spent ‘four to five’ said he has of his release from seen by the Olive Press this Spain from immigrants, the station or hours every whether Philip is predictsniffer dogs and ed to finish third suggestions of a week, there are from was known to be suffering day scouring abandoned buildground in the country’s breach of duty ings and traveller the early signs searches had been fourth general election of care. of demen- around communities would deployed or tia, but in as was many years. the Costa Blanca. be soon. ‘happy and smiling’ The official email when The latest polling pensioner had clearlyreveals the friend he left for Alicante with a “I even sent my dog out with suggests Vox, led GoPro camera to a Have you seen and travelling partner. by Santiago Abascal, he ‘did not remembertold police He Philip? search in every in touch was having a good bush and in every its 24 seats in Spain’s will increase where he at newsdesk@Get was staying’ nor holiday corner, 350-seat but theolivepress.es where he was until he left his Playa parwe’ve found nothing,” liament to 46. from
A
giva and A l p u j a rra Covid Group o n Facebook, is less polite. “It’s such a transparent load of b*llocks,” she told the Olive Press. “I don’t know how anyone with a functioning brain can fall for it. I also find it worrying that the same people downplay COVID and call it a ‘plandemic’. Just look at the death toll in the US – 210,000.” Orgiva resident Nick Chambers added: “QAnon is a massive distraction for people who really should know better. It is taking attention away from the real issues of today - the massive inequity of global wealth, the military industrial complex and, the really big one, global climate chaos.” “QAnonsense”, snapped Orgiva-based photographer Fred Shively, who hails from the US, summing it up in a word. However, with QAnon hijacking the #SaveTheChildren hashtag for its own purposes, some people have been attracted by evidence that institutionalised paedophilia does exist. “There’s definitely a paedo cover up,” commented Orgiva resident Solomon Cardy. “Do you believe that Epstein killed himself? “I don’t subscribe to QAnon but I do subscribe to there being a massive paedo ring involving many politicians and I’m glad it’s finally coming to light.” With QAnons pointing out that Jimmy Savile was connected to the UK royal family, and that Epstein is proof of the pudding, some might say this area of debate has some credence. However, it does not validate the rest of the QAnon theories or that Trump – a friend of Epstein and on record discussing ‘grabbing p*ssy’ – is crusading for the benefit of humanity. With COVID on the increase and a huge lack of leadership and scientific rationalism in the fight against the pandemic, one thing seems certain. People will turn more and more to the absolutist certainly of the kind of theories spouted by the chancers and crackpots typified by QAnon. Fasten your seatbelts…
Your
of fish died
mise -
The 60-year-old oil magnate, money and self-stated ex-cult member claim trader s that he has been down subterranean tunnels unregistered gold was stored, wher where e shops and houses exist, and people ride arou nd in golf carts. Such is the current popularity of Q – and ed theories - that Ward has gained 166,relatonline subscribers in five months and 000 11.5 million views (https://www.youtu user/drcharlieward). He also chargesbe.com/ an entry fee for his ‘club’. For some entrepreneurs, Q is a boost for business. Peggy Boer runs regular Q Parties at Los Caballos in Estepona, where guesCortijo €22 a ticket and €80 for a night’s accots pay mmodation to hear speakers like Charlie Ward . One such event, branded ‘Conspira cy Protocol’, attracted 95 guests and was atten by the Policia Nacional although they ded supposedly sent packing by the mas were conspiracy theorists (they don’t believe k-less in face coverings). Other popular QAnon themes – as seen in their videos – include anti-vaccination, tian religion, hydroxychloroquine (as Chrisfor Covid), the ‘plandemic’, Trump nota cure a woman-molester, the evil of Bill Gate being George Soros, the dangers of 5G and s and between ‘one world government or a choice There is also a strong pro-Brexit elem Trump’. ent.
HORRIFIC: Millions
Demands for €80m flood aid
A VEGA Baja mayor has demanded €80m in flood aid for the devastated Murcia region. Los Alcazares leader Mario Perez Cervera insisted a major flood retention project should urgently to prevent be implemented ous flooding that the sort of serihappened in September. He told the government in Madrid this week that it serve the Mar is also vital to preMenor, which was badly hit by the so-called Gota Fria. The week of heavy deaths of millions rain led to the struction of dozensof fish and the deHe insisted future of homes. floods needed to
O ur D
Expat leader Charlie Ward
OLIVE T is a particularly sweet landmark. into motoring conman Simon PRESS Against the odds, our youngest ediDavies to the scandal of chartion - Costa Blanca south/Murcia ity shops having to pay IVA. VANISHED! Then there were the floods, has made it to its first anniversary. Launched in November last year, we the sad case of pensioner couldn’t have picked a more testing Philip Pearce and the capture time as our fifth edition creaked its of Britain’s Most Wanted Louway through a difficult winter into an is Robinson in Murcia. agonising Spring and traumatic SumAll in all, we would not have mer. been able to do all that without But we held it together and over 26 you, our readers. issues we managed to bring the reThanks to your commitment, gion’s expats a range of civility and courage in talking investigative stories, feato us we can report accurately RVIVAL ISSUE THE EXPAT SU tures and even the odd on what is happening out there every issue. OLIVE campaign. Launching a paper in the middle of winter, PRESS Highlights included the then going on to battle the twin challenges expat group formed to of a global pandemic and Brexit may have tackle squatters to the been a struggle - but we have enjoyed every Brit who beat COVID-19 minute of it. twice, and from a probe Here’s to the next year and beyond! TO S ON AS ...RE BE CHEERFUL
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HUNDREDS ty shops are of British-run chariignoring new laws that require Spanish them to charge ue added tax (IVA) on second-havalgoods. nd A UK plan for A tax clampdow deal with thea Canada-style free trade already slammedn has seen a number with big fines, been rejected. European Union has many more with now It comes as UK the Olive Press in the firing line, Johnson laid outPrime Minister Boris One well knowncan reveal. shop on the deal with Brusselshis vision for a trade Blanca is now Costa facing fines of ‘up to ‘no need’ to follow insisting there was €24,000’ EXCLUSIVE after an inspection EU rules. His aim is an vealed they By Joshua Parfitt reCanada signedagreement like the one throughout charged no IVA on sales 2018. goods. tariffs on most in 2016 where import The Torrevieja goods have been charity’s accountan It comes as another inated. The flow elim- who asked not t, to be named, British charity, which has two banking – which of services, such as shops are being viewed as any said has also been shops in Torrevieja, tance to the UK is of more impor- high-street other hit with a €5,000 after an inspection more restricted. – however are much changes to business following law fine He also mentioned behaviour crackdown on fraudulen revealed was paid on however, that t . if this deal is not second-hand no IVA 2017. the UK will return items in reached “The governme nt’s view is that to the Withdraw “It’s completel Agreement, or al not fair that it is dent, who askedy unfair,” the presiAustralia. Borishave a similar deal to is charging a legitimate business IVA on sales to protect the to remain nameless tled ‘unleashin used his speech - ti- door a charity while next g Britain’s potential’ shop an work, told charity’s humanitarihighlight the fact - to prices,” the accountancan cut down the that Olive the Press. UK intends ive Press this t told the Ol“Our charity to revert to the government issteps in because the sation (WTO) World Trade Organi- “There are week. a lot of expats citizens, and failing to care for its UNDER PRESSU such a deal. Heterms if the EU refuses to make themselve who need now said: RE: Charity “The choice is we have to pay them for it? phatically not em- is not a clampdow s aware that this shops face hefty fines. “Factoring 21% “The question‘deal or no deal’. Government government doing n but merely the Susan is whether we fines its job properly.” prices will heavilyIVA into existing charity Weeding, who operates trading relationsh “You have to agree a The accountan bear in mind four ip with the EU t said he was affect the shops for do and mean parable to Canada’s fighting com- Hacienda over the we reach fewerwork we Care Rescue Centreher Easy Horse of our rescues come at the that most money demandin need.” tralia’s. In either - or more like Aus- ed from his request of people she ‘might in Rojales, said police and councils directly – someas The president that Britain will case, I have no doubt not aware’ client as the client ‘was starts having well give up’ if she times from as far as of prosper mightily.” to pay IVA to ty shops were added his two chari- ernment. Murcia and He pointed the laws. the gov- Granada. some ‘of the very out that back British-run enterprise See Time’s Up “We’re not allowed in the UK, charity few’ “The Septembe home on page 6 to re-home shops enjoy s which r now storms as they ro-rated VAT adding are the Vega zethe tax. on sales of donated Baja region withalready left cases, become evidence in them He urged all court so why should crops and we’re no forage we be hit by the double sure charity shops to make to government for now in debt they are not keep doing our best?” liable to donkeys our 121 horses, ponies just and alive,” she said. Opinion Page 6
Hundreds of British-run charity shops are facin fines after ignorg ing tax laws
LA CULTURA
8
what’s on
L
a Voz
HEAD to Brew Rock in Altea on November 15 at 6pm for a night with national heartthrob Alex Escribano, finalist on Spain’s equivalent to The Voice.
C
hurch tunes
A FREE concert awaits you in the Santa Ana and San Jaime Church on November 20, 8pm, as Miguel Bernal and Francisco Amaya perform at Benidorm’s VIII International Organ Festival.
V
anishing point
THIS gratis tour on November 22 will guide you through the exciting exhibition Fuencisla Francés: Punto de fuga in Alicante’s Sala de Exposiciones Lonja del Pescado, showcasing the work of Valencian artists.
F
usion sounds
DON’T miss Juan Perro and his band at 10pm on November 26 as they light up the Espai La Rambleta, Valencia, with their distinctive fusion of Latin, African and Iberian sounds.
Disney winner
WITH people being stuck at home for large parts of the year, TV streaming services have come into their own. And the big winner in Spain has been Disney. The live-action adaptation of Disney’s 1998 classic animation Mulan has been named as currently the most popular movie in the country as well as around the world. The $200 million fantasy, available on Disney+, tops the charts in 53 out of 87 analysed countries, meaning 61% of film fans favour this remake above any other movie. The modern version of the Disney tale is considered more sombre and mature than the animated version, following a more classic narrative. The 2020 version has cut back on the stereotypes of China and Chinese people that the Disney version had. Despite being almost two decades old, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (2001), comes in second on the list of most trending films. It is the most searched for in 28 countries (32%) across the world.
Gender Gap
November 12th - November 25th 2020
Art attack
This oddball renovation in Palencia is the latest case of Spanish art restoration gone wrong
CHRIST: What happened?
By Eugene Costello
THE Spanish are renowned world over for their incredible works of art - from the Sagrada Familia to the works of Pablo Picasso and Salvador Dali. But not everything can be heralded as a masterpiece and for every Francisco Zurbaran, there are some serious fails. The most recently culture blunder was spotted in the Spanish city of Palencia, with a repair job on a statute being slammed as ‘cartoon-like’ by locals. The figure on the Unicaja bank has stirred up a storm of disapproval because of its flattened features and drooping eyes. It is unclear who is responsible for the restoration, which has been likened to children’s sand sculptures and playdough.
POTATO HEAD: No one is sure who did the bodged restoration in Palencia “It’s more like a cartoon head compared the new sculpture to In 2012, a churchgoer in Borja than the artistic head of one ‘sand sculptures kids do on the attempted an unauthorised resof Palencia’s most emblematic beach’ while another said her toration of a fresco of Christ. buildings,” local painter Anto- ‘granddaughter could do better Her dubious daubing of the prized Ecce Homo became a nio Guzman wrote in a Face- with playdough’. book post alongside before and It’s not the first time an unorth- global laughing stock, with critafter shots of the statue. odox redesign has stirred up ics likening the redesign to a monkey and blurry potato. A second social media user artistic controversy. But Cecilia Giménez, the 85-year-old amateur art restorer, had the last laugh. Her interMEN are running Spain’s cultural sector Some 82% of the artistic directors of public pretation of the 1930s painting and it shows, says a new study. institutions in Spain are male, the study reby Elías García Martínez has An audit commissioned by the Ministry of vealed, meaning official decisions on culture attracted thousands of visitors Culture and Sport to study its own struc- remain in the hands of a majority of men. from around the world, bringtures and bodies shows a striking disparity On top of that three quarters of pieces ing unexpected wealth and between opportunities for women and men. bought by galleries were the work of men. fame to the church and now counts itself as a protected site.
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The Olive Press all editions FP (342mmx256mm) November 11
10
FOOD,DRINK & TRAVEL
Hotel Blues
EUROPEAN lockdowns have caused Costa Blanca hotel bookings for Christmas and the New Year to dry up. Travel restrictions have already led to some foreign and Spanish-based customers cancelling their end-of-year bookings according to Benidorm’s Hosbec hoteliers association.
Closures
Hosbec added that only 24 of the resort’s 150 hotels are still open, and they expect more to close their doors for the winter. A Hosbec spokesman said: “What happens over the next week or two over border closures, curfews, and even a regional lockdown will be crucial in seeing what we can salvage.” The Alicante Province Hotel Association backed up that view and said that many of their members had also shut down for the next few months or are open just at weekends.
Burn bright or fade
November 12th - November 25th 2020 STAR: Chef Martin Berasategui
Will Spain’s most awarded chef Martin Berasategui keep his dozen Michelin stars this month? HE’S got more Michelin stars in Spain than anyone…and more in a single country than any other chef worldwide. But how many of Martin Berasategui’s 12 stars will he keep when the annual awards gala is held this month? Not even the seasoned 60-yearold chef can answer that. The culinary godfather - who reached the pinnacle of success with his same name Basque Region restaurant 20 years ago - is keeping his fingers crossed.
By Jon Clarke
However, he accepts that with many of his 12 restaurants closed for much of the year (he has three in the Caribbean, one in Mexico, one in Lisbon) he has no idea. Admitting it has been a terrible year due to the COVID crisis, he at least hopes for the best. “With the stars you can never know,” he revealed this week. “The best minutes of the year
are when you go up to collect the stars, but even better is to see former pupils go up and pick them up.” But he is realistic about the year in general. “The Caribbean is dead, Madrid and Barcelona are in trouble, Ibiza we opened to simply close, Bilbao, San Sebastian and Lasarte, good and bad. At least we are working.” Another of the plus sides of the current crisis is that he has found the time to refocus on
CONTINUITY:Will Munoz, Dacosta and Angel Leon keep three stars?
finding a series of new dishes, seven in total. The end result is what he calls the ‘Menu Pandemia’, which is proving popular in his main three star restaurant, 6kms out of San Sebastian. “Without this illness we would not have had time to create this new menu, so that is good,” he added. The Michelin gala takes place in Madrid on November 30 and it will be interesting to see if the capital’s wunderkind David Munoz has kept his three stars for Diverxo. And if Spain will keep its other three Michelin starred eateries including El Celler de Can Roca, in Barcelona, Akelarre and Arzak, in San Sebastian, and Quique Dacosta, in Denia, and Angel Leon at Aponiente, in Cadiz. By the middle of September some 86% of Michelin starred restaurants were open in Spain, while this number had dropped off to around 75% by the end of October.
Bottom’s Up
THE best wines in the world for 2020 have been revealed – and one of the top pours comes from Spain. Montecillo Crianza 2016 was crowned ‘the best buy’ in the world by prestigious booze magazine, Wine Enthusiast. Leading wine aficionados, sommeliers and luxury travel correspondents who had rated wines from across the globe put forward the Spanish vino as their top pick. The wine from Bodegas Montecillo, DOC, Rioja’s third oldest winery, was selected as number one by critics who awarded the wine 91 points. Editor Michael Schachner said he favoured the balance between notes of fruit and wood and its ‘authentic Riojan character’. Montecillo Crianza is made from Tempranillo and Garnacha grapes from vines located in Rioja Alta and spends 18 months in American oak barrels, followed by at least six months in the bottle. The wine, which is sold in most supermarkets for just under €9 a bottle, has previously picked up a number of accolades including a gold medal from Mundus Vini, and 91 points from wine magazine Decanter which featured the bottle on its cover.
BUSINESS
Flying south
BRITISH and German holidaymakers are flocking to the Canaries now that they do not have to self-isolate on return. According to a recent study by Bookiply, a service provider for holiday rental owners, bookings to the paradise islands have doubled since last week, proving that COVID-19 is less potent than the travel bug. "After the German and British governments lifted the travel warnings, we immediately recorded the first bookings," reported Gabriela Rubio, manager of Bookiply’s Tenerife office. Tourism on the Canaries has boomed since they were taken off the list of risk areas on October 25. Tenerife has profited the most, with 75% of its accommodation already booked for the Christmas period.
Former BHS boss guilty of tax evasion THE disgraced former boss of doomed retailers BHS has been jailed for six years for tax evasion. Dominic Chappell - who had several links to Spain including a property at the Oasis Club in Marbella was found guilty of evading tax on the £2.2million income he received after buying the chain for just £1 from billionaire Sir Philip Green in March 2015.
November 12th - November 25th 2020
Jailed! By Dilip Kuner
Chappell, 53, from Blandford Forum in Dorset (UK), evaded paying £500,000 in income tax, corporation tax and VAT between January 2014 and September 2016. Serial bankrupt Chappell was convicted at a trial at London’s Southwark
crown court. The court heard that he spent hundreds of thousands of pounds on luxury items, including a yacht, a Bentley car and a Bahamas holiday. A year after he took ownership, BHS collapsed under the weight of a £571 million black hole. Some 11,000 jobs were lost. In 2016 he made headlines
Diverse dolls win prize A COSTA Blanca company has won a prestigious accolade for producing the best Spanish toy of 2020. The award has gone to Miniland in Onil for making a collection of four Down’s syndrome dolls of different races (pictured). The dolls are two boys and two girls of white and dark skin who have the
characteristics of Down’s. A jury put together by the Spanish Association of Toy Manufacturers (AEFJ) decided on the award winner with experts from areas like education and sales. The judges said that they ‘valued the dolls for promoting respect for diversity, tolerance, and integration’. AEFJ president, Jose Antonio Pastor, said: “The objective of the collection was very much to get children to have a normal view of different looking youngsters from an early stage of their life.”
11
Time for payback DISHONEST: Chappell
when he allegedly evicted his brother from a villa at the Oasis Club that had belonged to his mother. He allegedly persuaded her to sign the property over to pay debts associated with the BHS deal. His brother Damon had lived in the property with his wife and son for over a decade. Chappell also faced allegations of misusing company funds from Cadiz-based Olivia Petroleum Around €385,000 was allegedly siphoned from the company which he fronted without other shareholders’ approval. The money was allegedly used to fund a lavish lifestyle and another business. Just a year ago, Chappell was banned from holding company directorships in the UK for 10 years for ‘abusing his responsibilities’.
A SPANISH online bank has been ordered by a Costa Blanca court to refund €8,820 to a customer who was charged excess interest on a controversial high-interest credit card. An Orihuela judge decided in favour of a WiZink bank client over charges dating back to 2007 over a so-called ‘revolving’ card. The card allows customers to continuously borrow up to certain limits depending on purchases and payments.
Captive
Spain’s highest legal body, the Supreme Court, threw out a WiZink appeal in a case involving a Santander woman who had annual interest rate charges on her card of 26.82% ‘Revolving’ card holders usually pay a fixed monthly fee which is not very high, but with an excessive interest rate. The cardholder ends up paying a much higher amount than the available capital and the payment of the outstanding debt is extended over such a long period that the borrower can become, in what the Supreme Court called, a ‘captive debtor’.
What you need to think about to help future-proof your finances AS we approach the end of 2020, not erate economic uncertainty. There’s much is certain. With no end in sight also more global tax scrutiny than for the global coronavirus pandemic ever. and ongoing Brexit uncertainty, we At times like this, careful planning can expect things to remain unsettled plays an important role in securing for some time. If you have not recent- long-term financial security. While all ly given your finances a health-check, investments carry risk, a suitably diyou will benefit from reviewing your versified portfolio helps manage risk situation now. within your comfort level. The year 2021 begins Establish a clear and obwith the UK’s full deparIt is important jective view of your risk ture from the EU. While tolerance to determine to review this should have no immethe investment approach your financial diate impact for Britons to suit you. lawfully settled in Spain, Most people will benefit situation there may be longer term from an independent and annually effects for the unpreexpert review of their fipared. In any case, your nances. It’s difficult to circumstances evolve look at your broad finanover time. Review your financial situ- cial situation objectively or fully unation at least annually to explore how derstand the cross-border tax implicayour investments, assets, pensions, tions. As the goalposts often change, tax and estate planning are structured it’s easy to get DIY tax planning wrong. and can best work together. A professional financial adviser can Today’s climate presents many chal- take time and use relevant tools to lenges to preserving and growing your thoroughly understand your situation, wealth. Prolonged low interest rates needs and objectives to tailor tax-effiand the pandemic continue to gen- cient solutions.
By Gerald Turner, Partner, Blevins Franks
Still using a financial ad
It is likely that UK-based advisers will no longer ‘passporting’ system to provide regulated financi the Brexit transition period. Ask your adviser if t and carry out instructions, or if they may be rest If you have a relationship with a UK- der tax expertise can help ensure your based financial adviser or holdmajor a Brit- UK wealth is held as tax banks write toefficiently clients as in posSpain withdr
ish bank account or investment prod- sible for Spain, recommending soluuct, check if they can legally provide tions that also offer other advantages, advisers are also unlikely to have the d services to you from JanuaryUK-based 1. As such as multi-currency options and things stand, many UK financial busiestate planning flexibility. Ultimately, Spanish regime necessary to provide the most tax nesses are set to lose their license to the sooner you set up a suitable, longsolutions. Our localtoadvisers are wealth, regulated, autho operate within the EU/EEA post-Brexterm strategy protect your it. the sooner you can have peace of mind and knowledge advisefuture on all aspects of financi A locally-based adviser with cross-borabout yourto financial in Spain.
This article should not be construed as providing any personalised taxation or investment advice. Keep up to date on the financial issues that may affect you on the Blevins Franks news page at www.blevinsfranks.com
Still using a UK-based financial adviser?
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It is likely that UK-based advisers will no longer be able to use the EU ‘passporting’ system to provide regulated financial services to EU residents after the Brexit transition period. Ask your adviser if they can continue to advise you and carry out instructions, or if they may be restricted. We have already seen major UK banks write to clients in Spain withdrawing services.
Blevins Franks Financial Management Limited (BFFM) is authorised and Where advice is provided outside the UK, via the Insurance Distribution D system differs in some respects from that of the UK. Blevins Franks Trus the administration of trusts and companies. Blevins Franks Tax Limited p has been approved and issued by BFFM.
Talk to the people who know
965 705 502 gerald.turner@blevinsfranks.com
UK-based advisers are also unlikely to have the deep understanding of the Spanish regime necessary to provide the most tax-efficient financial planning solutions. Our local advisers are regulated, authorised and have the experience and knowledge to advise on all aspects of financial planning in post-Brexit Spain.
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I N T E R N AT ION A L TA X A DV IC E • I N V E S T M E N TS • E S TAT E PL A N N I NG • PE NSIONS Blevins Franks Financial Management Limited (BFFM) is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority in the UK, reference number 179731. Where advice is provided outside the UK, via the Insurance Distribution Directive or the Markets in Financial Instruments Directive II, the applicable regulatory system differs in some respects from that of the UK. Blevins Franks Trustees Limited is authorised and regulated by the Malta Financial Services Authority for the administration of trusts and companies. Blevins Franks Tax Limited provides taxation advice; its advisers are fully qualified tax specialists. This promotion has been approved and issued by BFFM.
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PROPERTY
November 12th - November 25th 2020
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COLUMNISTS
November 12th November 25th 2020
Feeling positive
Telling it like it is
Columnist Terenia talks COVID tests and supportive neighbours yet relieved. Scared, because all we’ve really heard and seen in the media are the worst case scenarios with people going into hospital and dying alone. On the other hand we were relieved, because I have to be honest (and this is only my own experience) and as I said to my 19-year-old son, ‘I’ve had worst colds’. Yes,
I felt lethargic, maybe more than usual, but I think with the sheer stress of this year weighing on everyone, none of us are feeling particularly bouncy! All I wanted to do was sit on the sofa and watch films and boxsets, no change there from lockdown then. The worst symptom for me was losing my sense of taste and smell.
Eating was a waste because I couldn’t enjoy my food. So, I decided now was the time to eat super healthy in the hope that I may even lose a couple of pounds in the process!
Salute to Sir Sean Everyone lucky enough to live in Marbella between the 60s and 80s has a Sean Connery story
T
HE Bond star lived in his beachside villa Casa Malibu between 1975 and the mid 90s. But Sir Sean was a frequent visitor to Marbella from the 60s, where he could indulge his passion for golf and relax between films, most notably with fellow actor Sir Stanley Baker. He also developed a lasting friendship with Formula One World Champion James Hunt as well as opera singer and restaurant owner Toni Dalli. There’s even a dish named after him at the Dalli Brothers Pasta Factory in Banus. As I said, everyone has a Sean Connery story, so here is mine. Or more specifically, my Mum's. In the early 80s, Mum decided to walk back from the Saturday market at the bullring to our house at the back of Nueva Andalucia. Being pretty and petite, Dad jokingly warned her not to accept lifts from strangers on the way home. "I was walking back" she told us "when a Mercedes pulled alongside and asked if I wanted a lift. I was just about to say 'no thank you', when I looked in and saw it was Sean Connery. "I almost leapt in through the window!" Mum, who was a natural talker and from Glasgow, for once found herself lost for words. "I couldn't think of anything to say" she admitted "I don't even think I mentioned I was Scottish. I asked if he was here for the golf and he said yes. Then we drove in silence for about 10 minutes. "When he dropped me at the urbanisation, which was normally busy, there was no one around to see me get out of Sean Connery's car apart from a stray dog. I didn't even ask him if he wanted a drink or if I could take a photo with him". Other friends admit to a prank they played after spotting him driving up to the Aloha Golf Club. As they were in their teens and driving a Golf GTi, there was only one thing for it. They screeched up alongside, leant out of the windows and pretended to machine gun 007 before pulling a handbrake turn
RIP: Connery was a true global star and speeding off. They were treated to 'the look' and a raised eyebrow from Sean. In the pre-DVD 80s, the old cinema in Puerto Banus was the starting point to a Friday night when it showed English films. With deep, cushioned rattan chairs, an interval halfway through giving you time to hit the bar and a corrugated iron roof, not to mention San Miguel at just 150 pesetas a pop, teens like myself flocked there. Spotting Sean taking a seat one evening, we began to hum the Bond theme, getting louder and louder and finishing with a "DA DA. DA DA DAAAAAAH" One of the boys then approached him for an autograph. '**** off" Sean growled. The teen beat a hasty retreat. Sean loved his time in Marbella, whether he was enjoying a night with friends at the Marbella Club or playing a round of golf - where you could often hear him voicing his displeasure down the fairway if he was having a bad game. Actor, icon and an unforgettable personality during Marbella's Golden Age - RIP Sir Sean.
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OP Puzzle solutions Quick Crossword Across: 7 Once and for all, 8 Bionic, 9 Either, 10 Feast, 12 Storied, 14 War zone, 16 Haifa, 19 Armada, 20 Tiptoe, 22 Bulletin board. Down: 1 Endive, 2 Fern, 3 Enact, 4 Effects, 5 Criteria, 6 Sleeve, 11 Sizeable, 13 Unearth, 15 Airbus, 17 Floors, 18 Stank, 21 Pros.
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ell it finally got me, despite me trying to play ninja and just ignore it! Even with all the rigorous hand sanitising and wearing of face masks, I caught COVID-19 and became a global statistic. It started with a bit of a sore throat, but being the time of year, I just thought I was coming down with a cold. It wasn’t until I was eating Paul’s homemade chilli and realised I couldn’t taste anything, that I thought: “Oh I have it!” The next morning we both went along to the doctor, handed over €120 each and had uncomfortable sticks shoved down our throats and up our noses. It was pretty ouchy, but luckily was over in seconds. We then had to wait till the following day for our results, which unsurprisingly due to the lack of taste and smell, were positive. So at this stage I’m sitting on the sofa looking at Paul, and both of us are immediately scared,
Terenia Taras
HEALTH
November 12th - November 25th 2020
Triple Vaccine Miracle? Children’s jab may be key to coronavirus ‘immunity’ A SPANISH doctor claims that the triple vaccine given to young children could be the reason why youngsters are not badly affected by COVID-19. Dr Pedro Reche, an immunologist and researcher at the Complutense University of Madrid, has found evidence of cross-reactive immunity to COVID-19. Simply put, antigens produced by the DTP (Diphtheria, Tetanus and Pertussis) vaccine routinely given in the first few months of life help provide immunity against the coronavirus. For several months Reche has carried out computer research which has confirmed his hypothesis: “The existence of extensive cross-reactive immunity between the SARS-CoV-2 virus and the antigens present in the triple bacterial vaccine DTP (Diphtheria, Tetanus and Pertussis), which is prescribed during the first months of life�. Reche believes that the pro-
RESEARCH: Dr Pedro Reche has a new insight tection of infants, and young people to COVID-19 could be due to this cross-reactive immunity. He said: “It is normal for the geriatric population to suffer an infection and for it to be serious, because the immune system is weakened. What is not normal is for a small child whose immune system is being formed and educated not to suffer this type of infection.� The strongest correlation factor in COVID-19 cases and severity is age. In fact, the majority of COVID-19 fatalities occur among the elderly (90% of the victims are over 70 years) while the paediatric population is largely spared.
Moreover, the triple bacterial vaccine DTP is the most frequently repeated vaccine: three or four doses are scheduled during the first year of life, it is reinforced at four to six years old and finally a low antigenic load dose is given between nine and 14 years. Additionally in countries such as Mexico or Indonesia, which don’t follow the same vaccination programme as many European countries, there are reports of alarming infant mortality due to coronavirus, leaving Reche to conclude that the vaccine for diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis (DTP) may be responsible for such protection.
15
Vision off MORE than a third (34%) of people have noticed a deterioration in their eyesight during the pandemic, a new study has revealed. Figures, released by Specsavers, show that nearly half of people surveyed (44%) have become increasingly health aware due to the pandemic. But thousands of newly health conscious people were unable to attend routine eye tests due to lockdown restrictions. “During lockdown many of us were spending more time looking at screens, reading, or watching TV, which is likely to make people more aware of pre-existing sight conditions or prescription changes,� said Specsavers director Martin Blake. “More screen time can also lead to eye strain and visual fatigue, which isn’t usually serious but could explain why so many people have been reporting issues,� he explained. Astoundingly half of sight loss is avoidable with routine eye tests, making check-ups essential. “In the height of the pandemic many people may not have had access to these diagnostic tests,� said Blake. “Not only does this mean their eyesight is at risk but potentially other aspects of their health too.� “Several changes in our vision can be signs of a wider health condition and there are some things that can only be detected during an eye test,� warned Blake.
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OLIVE PRESS Stone me! Fly and pay
Reuse Reduce Recycle We use recycled paper
Waltzing like nun other
FINAL WORDS
SPANISH nuns from Caceres have grabbed a slice of global fame after a video of them dancing ‘to cheer the world up’ went viral.
Polar-ised AN olive farmer from Ciudad Real province went out after heavy hail storms to find that a miniature glacier had formed on his fields.
Poetic licence SPAIN’S transport minister has announced that the Alicante-Elche airport is going to be renamed after the Franco dissident and celebrated poet Miguel Hernandez.
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Vol. 2 Issue 27 www.theolivepress.es November 12th - November 25th 2020
Airborne cabs plan for Spanish cities PEOPLE will soon be able to hail a cab to fly to their destination, if plans for an airborne taxi take off. ENAIRE Spain's aviation authority has announced a scheme to introduce unmanned flying taxis to Barcelona by 2022. ENAIRE is working alongside
By James Warren
two organisations to realise their dream of air taxis - the European Organisation for the Safety of Air Navigation and private tech company Everis. Their hope is to begin testing airborne transport and passen-
AS anti-lockdown rioters set fire to the streets of Barcelona this weekend one busker calmly continued his set regardless. Not phased by the disruption, the pianist tinkled the ivories playing The Bangles classic hit ‘Eternal Flame’. In the video, rioters can be seen throwing rocks at police vans and setting fire to objects in the street. The lyric ‘Is this burning an eternal flame?’ suddenly took on a much darker message as the blaze grew behind the musician. “For some reason [it] reminds me of them continuing to play music as the Titanic went down, videos like this will be looked back in 100 years to try and understand the madness of the pandemic,” commented one Twitter user.
ger vehicles by 2021, with a full roll out one year later. The cities slated for the first test flights are Barcelona and Santiago de Compostela. One man passenger drones will be introduced alongside un-manned parcel and goods carrying drones, similar to the
Piano Man
WHAT RIOT?: Pianist played on
ones used by Amazon. ENAIRE hopes that the introduction of state of the art technologies will help revitalise the floundering economy after the COVID-19 pandemic. It is hoped that new logistic solutions will entice private businesses back into the major cities and position Spain at the forefront of this newly developing technology. “We need to move urban mobility into the third dimension: airspace. And we need to do it as efficiently and sustainably as we can,” said project leader Angel Luis Arias. Arias hopes that the use of passenger carrying drones will also work towards greener cities and reduce congestion and emissions by replacing fuel burning vehicles on the roads.
FORGET initials gouged into tree trunks or scratched into desks. One 13th century stonemason made his mark by carving a cheeky self-portrait and secretly placing it in one of Europe’s best-known cathedrals. Perched at the top of a 40 feet column, the 30cm stone selfie has been gazing down on worshippers for over eight centuries, hidden away inside the Santiago de Compostela Cathedral away from clerical eyes. “The carving brings us face to face with one of the people whose work we’ve been studying, and it was delightful to meet him,” said British art historian Jennifer Alexander, who made the astonishing discovery while conducting a stone-by-stone analysis. The scholar added that the figure looked ‘pleased with himself’ – perhaps because he had found a way of cementing his place in history, for otherwise stonemasons went uncredited in architectural logs. Building work on the cathedral was started in the 1th century, and it has become one of the most important pilgrimage destinations in Europe, with 350,000 visitors in 2019.
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