IN DEPTH: As the Catalan elections loom, the Olive Press explores the mass grave issue that casts a shadow over them - and who the main Andalucía candidates are See page 6 & 7
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Vol. 14 Issue 362 www.theolivepress.es February 10th - February 23rd 2021
Justice at last
‘Fraudsters’ who ‘stole €6 million’ from British expats to stand trial after Olive Press probe
In disguise
But which controversial expat fasion designer had a day in court this week? Page 5
The good fight
The pacifist bull they refused to kill and a chat with Spain’s hottest young matador
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Police probe launch scammed in dodgy ed after expats claim €6 million investment scheme
FACING JUSTICE: Marbella couple Rhys and Lisa Williams charged with money laundering, while (right) the Olive Press’ first of many front page exposes from 2018
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allegedly swindled millions of euros off numerous friends and contacts, while living on the Costa del Sol. We reported how the pair from Wales drove topof-the-range cars, wore Rolex watches, and paid for €10,000-a-year private schooling, while allegedly taking up to €1.6m from victims in ‘a Ponzi scheme’. Our investigation into the pair was followed up in the UK press, including the Daily Mail and Wales Daily Post, despite the Spanish authorities dragging their heels probing the case. Fortunately for the alleged victims, who collectively lost €6.28 million, the courts in the UK were taking more interest. “It has been many years coming and all the victims are extremely happy,” victim Adrian Parsons, 54, told the Olive Press. “We are all hoping that they will both receive custodian sentences even though it is unlikely we will recover any of the money invested. “We can only hope that they are convicted so that their records be a warning to others who come
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AN alleged serial fraudster is facing money laundering charges in the UK after being exposed by the Olive Press. Former Marbella-based couple Rhys Williams, 39, and his wife Lisa, 38, have BOTH been charged by the UK’s Crown Prosecution Service. The pair are due to appear at Birmingham Magistrates Court on March 17 charged with one count of acquiring, possessing and using criminal property and one count of fraud, a Crown Prosecution Service spokesperson confirmed. It is three years since the Olive Press revealed the couple had
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across them in the future.” The Olive Press revealed in 2018 that the Williams’ alleged ponzi scheme was operating out of Marbella, Dubai and India. A series of victims accused Rhys Williams of snaring wealthy parents at his children’s €10,000-a-year private school in Marbella, with the help of his wife. The victims insist the businessman, who was previously declared bankrupt in the UK, persuaded them to invest huge sums into a paper recycling and printing business, as well as trading platforms, all in Dubai. In return they would be ‘guaranteed a 2% monthly return’. One British pensioner and ex-soldier Brian Livesey, 84, said he invested €1.64 million in late 2014, but never saw a return. “It has destroyed him,” his son Paul told the Olive Press back in 2018. “He had a stroke earlier this year from the stress of it, we are barely keeping our heads above water paying off debts.” Livesey, who once ran a successful UK construction company, was introduced to Williams by a director at a Gibraltar cryptocurrency company. “They were clever and snared him with trips to Wimbledon for tennis, Sweden and to fancy meals out, which was nothing compared to what they got www.ibexinsure.com
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A GROUP of British expats ACCUSED: Rhys Williams called in police after losing have has vacated villa er clothes and Rolexes. than €6 million to an alleged more EXCLUSIVE stopped coming Costa "They live the high life del Sol fraudster. out here sure this was in,” he said. “I’m declared bankrupt with all the apparent credentials and having his some The unsuspecting Brits rency companies. to scheme. Clearly they sort of Ponzi care home company investigated prove they are to €1.64 million each invested up "They hooked him in ran out of in- for fraud. into the alwith trips to ing money." successful and mak- vestors.” leged ponzi scheme operating Wimbledon Despite this, he has been For two years, Williams out and to fancyfor the tennis, Sweden Not initially convinced, able to of Marbella, Dubai and kept help set up several Parsons meals out, which was flew out India. companies, into Dubai where he was promising the money would be cluding Welsh expat Rhys Williams, nothing compared to what returned, claiming his Impact General Trading, they got shown around various is accused of snaring various 36, off him," explained son company in Dubai, Paul. and others in Panama. local "They need that apparently backed facilities Impact General Trading, based expats, including wealthy in to be stopped." up According the Dubai, parents to claims. had been embargoed the victims, Wilat his children's €10,000-a-ye Another and liams and his family had accounts frozen after ar 53, fromvictim, Adrian Parsons, “He reinforced all this have recentprivate school in Marbella. 'illegally ly vacated with Birmingham, invested tailed their exclusive rented bank statements and lotsde- dealing with Iran'. The victims insist the €500,000 into the villa in Marbella. of man, who was declared business- recycling company. Dubai-based official paperwork, which we now Parsons has since asked for his “We understand €500,000 investment think was fake,” he continued. they have in the UK, persuaded bankrupt "He was very convincing," now, back to care rather rapidly for his sick father, who Parsons Initially, the investment left the coast and invest huge sums into them to told the Olive Press, has been di- returned seemed agnosed with "He and his to be genuine a paper reto Wales,” added Parterminal cancer. cycling and printing business, partner were and for sons. as per month living in a €10,000 six months he was paid the first well as trading platforms back the villa in Marbella and promised "Until last month, they 2% agreed per month. 'guaranteeing them a 2%in Dubai, were dressed head to toe Cancer kids at private school, had three in design- “But then the money monthly were still return'. suddenly "Williams promised me I would going to all the top restaurants One British pensioner, get my money back, just like nothing had happened. Brian Litelling me vesey, 84, invested €1.64 how his mother had also million in had can- "At the same time he has left a late 2014. cer and that he wouldn't trail let us and of destruction behind him The former soldier, who down," added Parsons. many lives in tatters." in Marbella for decades, has lived But the money never This week, the UK's has yet to materi- Fraud Serious see any return. alised. Office confirmed to the "It has destroyed him," OlAnother alleged victim, Michael ive Press that it is looking into the Paul told the Olive Press his son McVicar, claims to Williams, but could not comment "He had a stroke earlierthis week. €1.5 million, while up have lost any further. to a dozen from the stress of it, we this year other expats have apparently Following various denuncias, are barely lost Guardia keeping our heads above the between €100,000 and Civil, in Estepona, is also water paying off debts." lion each. Collectively €1 mil- investigating Williams. the group Livesey, who once ran claim they are owed a success€6.28 mil- After numerous attempts to conful UK construction company, lion. tact Williams by phone, was he introduced to Williams finally The replied Olive Press has discovered by email to insist his tor at one of Gibraltar's by a direcinthat Williams left Llys nocence. cryptocurLIFE OF LUXURY: Llangristiolus, in NorthMeddyg "I totally and utterly Rhys had Rolex and deny any alWales fancy cars almost a decade ago after being legations,” he wrote, but did not reply to any further questions.
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has vacated villa
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CRIME
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NEWS IN BRIEF Heartless gamble A WOMAN of German nationality has been arrested after allegedly leaving her three-yearold son alone in the car while she was gambling in a Marbella casino.
Crime cycle POLICE in Marbella have arrested three men over the alleged theft of two professional road bikes worth a total of €23,000 which were stolen from the owner’s home.
Gym raider A 67-year-old man has been arrested after stealing at least €45,000 worth of goods from gym lockers across the Costa del Sol in a months-long spree.
PSOE probe TWO ministers from Pedro Sanchez´s Government are to be probed as part of an investigation into Malaga company Isofoton, which shut down after receiving millions of euros in public funds in 2012.
Degree of guilt FORMER Madrid regional president Cristina Cifuentes (pictured) faces more than three years jail for faking a masters degree. She allegedly instructed staff at the Universidad Rey Juan Carlos to fake a document proving that she had presented her end-of-course dissertation. The former regional president has so far failed to show the actual project and claims she ‘lost it’ when she moved house. Former government aide and civil servant Maria Teresa Feito is facing the same penalty as her ex-boss, while the public prosecution also wants university boss Cecilia Rosado to be jailed for 21 months for helping Cifuentes obtain the fake degree in Public Law. Cifuentes was forced to resign in 2018 after a video was made public showing her stealing two pots of face cream from a hypermarket in 2011. The CCTV footage was aired right at the height of the scandal over her alleged master’s forgery.
February 10th - February 23rd 2021
A HOMELESS woman has had to be rescued after being thrown into a three-metre deep recycling bin in Marbella. The victim, in her 30s, and believed to suffer from a mental disability, was allegedly tricked by several individuals into falling into the bin in San Pedro. The woman told police that the group had offered her €2 to enter while other witnesses claimed she told them she had been asked to look for some keys. The large bin, built several metres into the ground, was almost empty, meaning she fell a considerable height. Firefighters were called to the
Trash! scene on Calle Marques del Duero, not knowing whether the woman was dead or alive. After searching several containers they eventually heard her screaming from the recycling chute. “They had to open the bin ever so carefully as she could have easily got hurt,” a police source told Malaga Hoy. “There was also the risk of her being cut by glass or other bits of rubbish.” The rescue lasted a tense 15 minutes and saw town hall workers lift the bin entirely out of the ground.
Cocaine baby
shocker
PARENTS of a baby boy who tested positive for cocaine have been arrested in Estepona. An investigation was launched after the 11-month -old was taken to the hospital by his mother, who said he was suffering from stomach problems. But when doctors at the Hospital Costa del Sol ran tests
Doctors tipped off police after blood test reveals drugs in 11-month-old they were stunned to find the child had cocaine in his system, prompting a tip off to police. The baby had to be transferred to the Malaga Maternal and Children’s Hospital after his condition worsened
and he was placed in intensive care for a month. He left the ICU in mid-January and is now progressing favourably, police said. After being tipped off by medical workers, Policia Nacional began probing the baby’s family, a Colombian man and a Spanish woman, both aged 26. The couple, who lived in Estepona, also have a five-yearold daughter and had recently let the baby’s uncle move in temporarily. The investigation quickly revealed that both parents were habitual cocaine users and that the mother was tak-
ing the narcotic while pregnant. The baby was born with a cocaine addiction and showed withdrawal symptoms after birth. He was also not being breastfed, meaning the drugs could not have entered his system via his mother’s milk, suggesting that the baby was fed cocaine.
Abuse
Police obtained a search warrant for the house and charged the parents with child abuse. The uncle was interviewed but not charged. The other daughter is now under the care of the uncle while the parents are forbidden from visiting the baby.
Police’s pitbull bother AN Irish expat has been accused of ordering his pitbull to attack two police officers in Marbella. Police said the Irishman, described as ‘young’, was walking his dog, which authorities believe to be an American Staffordshire Terrier, around the Lindavista urbanisation. A plain-clothed police unit, driving in an unmarked car, pulled up next to the man before getting out of the vehicle and asking him to identify himself. The two officers revealed that they were police and that they were on patrol for rule-breakers of the current COVID-19 restrictions. The man told officers he was not carrying ID but that his home was on the same street, police said. They escorted him to his house and waited for him to return with the documents, but when he came back outside he began recording the police on his phone – an illegal act in Spain.
Insulting
When they told him he did not have the right to film them, especially while they were in plain clothes, he allegedly shouted insults and became aggressive. According to police, he refused to identify himself or wear a mask, and failed to explain why he was out so late. He then allegedly shoved the officers and ran back to his home. One policeman caught up with him outside his front door which is when he reportedly turned around and punched the officer in the face, causing him to fall down, before kicking his partner. The Irishman’s mother is then reported to have come outside with the dog, but also refused to show identification. It is then that the young man is said to have ordered his dog to attack the officers. Backup arrived and the young man was subdued and cuffed before being taken to a police station, where he refused to testify, police said. The dog bit one officer on the left hand and the other on the knee. Both had to go to the emergency room and are on leave due to their injuries. They also had to receive a tetanus vaccine.
Rhys and Lisa Williams
Court date From front
off him,” explained son Paul. Meanwhile, victim Parsons, from Birmingham, revealed he invested €500,000 into the Dubai-based recycling company. “He was very convincing,” explained Parsons. “They were living in a €10,000 per month villa in Marbella and were dressed head to toe in designer clothes and wore Rolexes. “They lived the high life out here with all the apparent credentials to prove they were successful and making money.”
Fake
Not initially convinced, Parsons actually flew out to Dubai to ‘do some background’ and was shown around various facilities that apparently backed up the claims. “He reinforced all this with detailed bank statements and lots of official paperwork, which we now think was fake,” he continued. Initially, the investment seemed to be genuine and for the first six months he was paid back the promised 2% per month. “But then the money suddenly stopped coming in,” said Parsons. “I’m sure this was some sort of Ponzi scheme. Clearly they ran out of more investors.” For two more years, Parsons claimed Williams kept promising the money would be returned. He claimed his Dubai-based company, Impact General Trading, had been embargoed and had accounts frozen after ‘illegally dealing with Iran’. When he pleaded for some money back to take care of his sick father, who had terminal cancer, he was promised it would come imminently, but it never materialised.
Victim
Another alleged victim, Michael McVicar, claimed to have lost €1.5 million, while up to a dozen other expats have apparently lost between €100,000 and €1 million. The Olive Press discovered that Williams left Llys Meddyg Llangristiolus, in North Wales, after being declared bankrupt and having his care home company investigated for fraud. It didn’t stop him setting up companies in Dubai and Panama. The couple have now both been charged following almost three years of investigations by North Yorkshire police. Despite various denuncias, the Guardia Civil in Estepona has yet to file any charges. “I totally and utterly deny any allegations,” Williams told the Olive Press back in 2018. Opinion Page 6
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Busting a move INFLUENCER Demi Rose Mawby is Ibiza’s latest expat - and it looks like she’s living life to its fullest. The stunning British model, who boasts 15million followers on Instagram, relocated to the White Isle from her hometown of Birmingham last year. Demi has been busy sharing snaps of herself settling into life on the ‘Magic Isle’, including posing in skimpy bikinis and sunbathing in the nude. The 25-year-old, who has ex boyfriend Tyga in common with fellow social media maven Kylie Jenner, made the leap to move to the party island after struggling with her mental health during lockdown in London. Explaining her move she said: “I have loads of friends out here, the weather is nice, and it is a perfect backdrop for my modeling work.” She added that the move was ‘one of the best choices’ she has ever made.
Wayne’s World THE millionaire brother of the former footballer Gary Lineker has teased that his Ibiza clubs could reopen this summer almost a year on from the COVID outbreak. Wayne Lineker took to social media to share a picture of himself along with the caption: “I’m smiling because I’ve just received some very positive news #ibiza2021”.
NEWS Hit the jackpot THE Spanish government has agreed to pay €6.5 million a year to rent the prestigious Carmen Thyssen-Bornemisza Collection for the next 15 years. And it has secured an option to buy the 400 works once the term is up. They have an estimated value of €1.04 billion. This means that a 10-year-long saga about the future of the collection – which includes works by Van Gogh, Picasso, Matisse, Renoir, Degas, Monet, Canaletto and Gaugin – has been settled, with the works saved for Spain. The deal was struck by the Department of Culture with Baroness Carmen Cervera - the widow of industrial tycoon Hans Heinrich von Thyssen-Bornemisza, who died in 2002. The new arrangement also means that Gaugin’s Mata Mau will be returned to the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum in Madrid. It was controversially removed last June as negotiations heated up.
Seeing red Fed up residents don’t want their homes declared a cultural asset
February 10th - February 23rd 2021 DANI Dyer has finally revealed her son to the world, and it appears his name is a nod to his Spanish roots. Reality star Dani paid tribute to her mum’s Spanish heritage and named her first born Santiago (pictured inset and with Dani), the Spanish translation of Saint James. The Love Island 2018 winner, 24, announced that the adorable newborn had already been affectionately nicknamed ‘Santi’. Dani’s grandad, who she affectionately calls ‘Bruv’ is from Mallorca and
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Spanish eyes mum Jo even had a Spanish-cockney themed wedding when she tied the knot with Dani’s dad Danny Dyer in 2016. Dani used her podcast with Danny to share her baby son’s name. She told fans in a pre-recorded voice memo: “I know you’re all probably wondering what we’ve called him. There’s been a lot of assumptions going on, some are actually really funny to be fair, but his name is Santiago. “I know a lot of you are probably thinking ‘What?!’ but that is his name but we are going to be calling him Santi. “I think it sounds nice on the birth certificate.”
Wolftastic
Battered
The 58-year-old who also owns nightspots in Marbella, Tenerife, Alcudia in Mallorca, Zante and Paphos, left Ibiza last September after revealing that his six European clubs were ‘battered’ because of the pandemic. The Celebs Go Dating star has also been forced to postpone the opening of his new venue O Beach Dubai. The playboy no doubt fancies some time relaxing in the sun after a difficult 12 months that saw his £30 million European nightclub empire in trouble. Wayne’s former Lineker UK bar business has collapsed with a £100,000 debt. Previously known as Linekers (UK) Ltd, the name was changed to Duane International Ltd, after his son, last year.
CAPTION RESIDENTS of a block of flats branded as the ‘most Instagrammed private building’ in Spain are up in arms over plans to declare the building a ‘cultural asset’. Furious home owners say they already have to put up with people wandering in to take snaps of the ‘iconic building’, leading residents to erect signs telling passersby to keep out. Now, if the plans to list the La Muralla Roja (The Red Wall) as ‘an Asset of Cultural interest (BIC) come to fruition, they will have to set opening hours for sightseers to visit. And that, they say is not on for a building that dates back to the 1970s.
Objection
It was designed by Catalan architect Ricardo Bofill and is located in the upper part of Cala de la Manzanera (Alicante). The Calpe Cultural and Ecological Association(ACEC), claims that the local council has not replied to a written objection sent last April over the BIC move. The BIC process started in 2015, but La
By Alex Trelinski
Muralla Roja property owners say that nobody from the authority has spoken to them since then about the move. An ACEC statement condemned ‘the absolute lack of
interest of the council in telling the residents and agreeing with them any moves to make the building a cultural asset’. “We have become mere spectators of a process that will have many consequences on our daily lives,” the statement continued.
KIM CLARK
WOLF hunting has been banned throughout Spain making the Iberian wolf a protected species, along with the Iberian Lynx and the Cantabrian Brown Bear. Spain’s Environment Ministry has ruled that protection for wolves in the south of the country will now be extended north of the Duero river, where controlled hunting had still been allowed. Farmer’s unions have lashed out that the nationwide hunting ban will lead to more attacks on livestock, and that farmer’s ‘needs’ have been ‘ignored’. Spain’s Environment Ministry has however promised to work with farmers on ways to protect cattle without harming wolves. Spain is home to an estimated 1,500-2,000 Iberian wolves, with 90% in the northern regions of Castilla y Leon, Asturias and Galicia where it is believed that, until now, up to 400 wolves were killed annually.
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NEWS IN BRIEF Flattening curve THE rate of contagion in Spain has dropped by nearly 20% in the last two weeks, with some cities such as Malaga - registering their lowest coronavirus rates in a month.
Stressful times A RECENT survey has found that 45% of Spanish healthcare staff were at risk of some type of mental illness after the coronavirus first wave and that 3.5% had suicidal thoughts.
Crypto risk THE Bank of Spain has released a statement warning of the high risk nature of cryptocurrencies after Tesla founder Elon Musk invested €1.5 billion in Bitcoin.
Animal source A CRACK team of scientific investigators from the World Health Organisation has ruled that the COVID-19 virus almost certainly came from a wild animal.
NEWS
February 10th - February 23rd 2021
Left in limbo
A PAIR of British pensioners are demanding compensation after being refused a flight to Spain despite having their green residency cards. Roger and Linda Wilson, aged 76 and 78, were forced to sleep on chairs at an airport for three days after Lufthansa wouldn’t allow them to board a flight from Dubai to Frankfurt. The couple, who had been visiting their son, were due to catch a connecting flight to Malaga, where they have lived since 2009, but the check-in clerks said their documents were ‘not acceptable.’ “We were not given any further information other than being told to seek alternative travel arrangements ourselves,” Linda, a former legal secretary from Hertfordshire, told the Olive Press. However they managed to get on an Emirates flight to Madrid
SPENDING by foreign tourists in Andalucia plummeted by at least €9.6 billion in 2020, new figures have revealed. The most populous region, which includes the Costa del Sol, received 9.3 million fewer international travellers due to coronavirus pandemic. The grim data has been released by the National Institute of Statistics (INE), the Tourist Expenditure
Pensioner hell, as expat couple forced to sleep three days at airport as airline refuse green residency cards without issue, but missed their connection flight to Malaga due to the late arrival of their cases.
Bad to worse
The nightmare scenario on went from bad to worse, as a succession of flights back to Malaga were cancelled. “We ended up spending three nights in Madrid Airport sleeping on chairs,” continued Roger, who was a building contractor. “A total of five further flights were cancelled or delayed plus one flight returned to the gate due to technical problems.”
Black hole Survey (Egatur) and the Border Movements Survey (Frontur). The depressing reports show that in 2020, just 2.7 million foreign tourists visited Andalucia, a whopping 77.5% less than in 2019. They also spent just €2.877 billion, representing a year-on-year decrease of 76.8%.
EXCLUSIVE By Laurence Dollimore
Incredibly the pensioners were given no offer of help or assistance by Iberia, who they eventually booked with. “No food, drink or vouchers were offered,” added Linda. “And each time a flight was cancelled we had to go out of the departures area and back to the check in. “We had to go through security and the bag check five times.” The pair, who live in Alcaucin, in the Axarquia region, finally landed in Malaga, only to find that their baggage had been lost. The couple have consulted various government offices, including the Ministry of Interior in Germany, the UK government, and the Spanish and British Consulates. “All of them told us we should have been allowed to board in Dubai. “We are now trying to get our expenses repaid together with compensation for the extraordinary amount of stress and anxiety this has caused us. “So far we have had no communication from Lufthansa other
HOME: Roger and Linda than a generated automatic response.” Lufthansa told the Olive Press: “Lufthansa takes travel regulations very seriously and does everything in its power to ensure that they are applied correctly. “The new travel restrictions, some of which are implemented at very short notice, are exceptionally complex. This is a challenge in practice for Lufthansa employees as well as for public sector employees. “In regards to this specific passenger case, Lufthansa employees have followed the requirements outlined by the official authorities. For this reason, we kindly ask that you direct your questions to them.” Iberia has been approached for comment. Opinion Page 6
Vim-NO! BRITISH expats have been left without their favourite grocery items due to ongoing Brexit issues. Supplies of Marmite, Yorkshire Tea and Vimto have dried up in some areas after trade between the UK and the bloc became frustrated by the extra red tape. It comes after major supplier the British Corner Shop announced that it was temporarily suspending orders to EU countries as DHL had suspended collections. Brits in Spain have said they have been stuck without their home favourites and have no options to travel to other stores as most are banned from travelling outside of their municipality.
Pricey Wheels MALAGA’S Policia Local have begun to hand out the first fines to cyclists and electric scooter riders caught on Malaga’s pavements and pedestrian areas. After an initial informative period, in which officers merely warned people about a new law, fines are now being dished out. Both e-scooters and bicycles are prohibited from being ridden and parked on pavements, with those flouting the regulations liable to be hit with a penalty of up to €500.
NEWS
www.theolivepress.es
No model witness AN expat fashion designer behind the alleged loss of €35 million of investors money has insisted regular threats of violence were behind her involvement with the company. Jody Smart, the sole director of failed firm Continental Wealth Management (CWM), accused her former partner of being the real owner and aggressively forcing her to be the figurehead on paper. The ex-fashion model told a court hearing how her past lover Darren Kirby frequently turned violent and aggressive when she threatened to quit. She told a judge at Denia Court that every time she tried to leave the British-run pension compa-
Angela and Antoni
5
February 10th - February 23rd 2021
EXCLUSIVE: Violent threats kept Jody Smart linked to the disgraced firm CWM, which paid her ‘up to €8,000 a month’
EXCLUSIVE By Alex Trelinski
ny, Kirby would get violent. And despite failing to report Kirby to the police, because she was ‘afraid’, she has kept videos and phone messages of him threatening her. She was giving evidence in a private prosecution by 17 of up to 1,000 British pensioners, from all across Spain including Andalucia, who put their savings into Alicante-based CWM. The business collapsed in 2017. Some of the individual losses added up to €800,000. The private action accuses Kirby and Smart, along with Paul Clarke, and Stephen Ward of fraud, disloyal administration, and forging victims’ signatures onto investment dealing instructions. A judge will decide whether there is enough evidence for a full trial to go ahead. The solicitor leading the private prosecution, Antoni Bertomeu, told the Olive Press: “The most significant aspect of the hearings was that the accused did not deny that CWM was responsible for any wrongdoing.” “They are merely trying to save themselves by saying they knew nothing about it and had nothing to do with it,” he added. The prosecution has resumed after oral testimony was suspended last spring due to the
pandemic. Statements last year from ex-employees of CWM said that the claimants had lost their money due to risky investments. Answering questions from the judge, Jody Smart said she became a partner in CWM, formed by Kirby, in 2012. In the testimony, seen by the Olive Press, she also admitted he transferred up to €8,000 a month into her private bank account through to 2017.
Issues
She said her salary was ‘€5,000, €6,000 or €7,000 a month’ and it was ‘sometimes as high as €8,000’, depending on ‘what Darren wanted to pay’. Smart said she only put her name to the firm to help out Kirby who was having ‘issues with his wife’ and wanted to stop her accessing company assets. Smart, who owns clothes company Jody Bell SL, declared that her livelihood was fashion and insisted she had no knowledge of what went on with CWM. She added she was merely the ‘face’ of the company. She did however, refuse to answer questions from Bertomeu, who has been leading the pri-
vate prosecution for two years, and left the Denia courthouse via a fire exit. Case coordinator Angela Brooks, who brought the 17 claimants together, told the Olive Press: “Watching the defendants walk in and out of court was disgusting as they bobbed and weaved to get out of the way of photographers.” One of these was Paul Clarke, who was involved in helping Kirby build up CWM. He denied forming the company and being Kirby’s business partner, claiming he merely helped in the office and trained some staff members, as well helped do some supermarket shopping and ‘getting Darren coffees’. He added that he left in August 2010 because of Kirby’s ‘aggressive and abusive’ attitude. Clarke went on to run other businesses, including AES In-
ON TRIAL: Jodie Smart with legal representative and (left) former boss Darren Kirby who ‘turned violent’
ternational Spain, but told the hearing that he is currently unemployed. He also refused to take questions from Bertomeu. Another of those grilled was advisor Stephen Ward, who ran Moraira-based Premier Pension Solutions, which ceased trading in 2017. Ward admitted to having worked with seven of the claimants, and confirmed that his company had a business collaboration with CWM. He insisted that he was never paid ‘a single cent’ from CWM
and merely shared clients with the business. The judge has now asked for full details of the investments. “All the risk assessments will have to be provided which prove that the clients had their money placed into high-risk portfolios,” said Bertomeu. “The judge has been very proactive and can see that crimes have been committed, but it will be a very long process,” he added. Bertomeu believes that if ‘everything goes to plan’, a trial date could be set for next year.
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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 Gotcha! THEY say the arc of justice is long but it bends. Let’s hope that’s the case for Rhys and Lisa Williams, who stand accused of defrauding British expats out of more than €6 million. Three years after our initial expose of the alleged Marbella-based Ponzi scheme, the Welsh couple are now facing money laundering charges in the UK. It’s just another example of the Olive Press exposing the bad apples in what is mostly a great expat community. No other English paper acts on behalf of its readers to bring crooks and criminals to justice. How many other expat papers can say they have aided in the arrest and exposure of dozens of paedophiles, fraudsters and criminals over the years? The answer to that is ZERO.
I
NEWS FEATURE
MAGINE if, rather than losing the Second World War and committing suicide in Berlin, Adolf Hitler had successfully invaded the British Isles and ruled them as a dictator before dying peacefully in his bed in 1975. Then imagine if a law brought in after his death protected all those who assisted the regime, making them free from prosecution. Next, picture a country where hundreds of thousands of former opponents lie in mass graves, which the new democratic government - in the interests of national reconciliation - feels it best to ignore. And notice that the Nazi flag, with its infamous insignia, had not been replaced as the national flag; just that the swastika was replaced with the British lion and a unicorn. Finally, take note that Hitler’s children continue to live in lavish estates around the UK, while the dictator himself lies in a huge mausoleum in the Home Counties. A shrine, if you like, to all those (including numerous academics, businessmen and politicians) who still believe he made our country what it is today. What may sound like a Robert Harris novel is very much the reality in Spain, 45 years after the death of Generalissimo Francisco Franco. The guns may have fallen silent, but the civil war continues, if not in the mountains of Aragon then across the dining room table and
Holiday hell IT is shocking to hear the tale of the Wilsons who were forced to sleep on chairs for three nights at Madrid airport after their residency cards were deemed unacceptable for travel. The airlines and airport management have a lot to answer for, particularly given that both are in their 70s and at a high risk in terms of COVID-19. It is completely unacceptable that Lufthansa refused the couple’s boarding on their Dubai-Frankfurt flight, especially as the rules for travel were stated as clear as day on both the Spanish Government and British Foreign Office websites. Regardless, a quick call to colleagues in Spain should have surely clarified any doubts. We are sorry to hear that following an Olive Press probe the German carrier is trying to pass the buck to the government authorities. Let’s hope the Wilsons, who were left more than €2,000 out of pocket, are rightly compensated. Publisher / Editor
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A NATION As Catalunya goes to the polls, the Olive Press explains how the spectre of the civil war still casts a shadow over the regions. By Barnaby Bouchard
looming over the forthcoming election in returning Spain to the perceived glory days Catalunya. of the pre-Enlightenment era. The days when This is in part to be expected; the trauma the army and Church were answerable ‘only of going through a brutal civil war in which to God and to history’. over 500,000 people were shot, tortured or While from the 1950s quality of life did exstarved to death. perience an upturn, and token But the suffocating lack of movements towards liberalclosure afforded to many afization were made to curry The politicians ter the gruesome events of economic favour with Ameriinherited 1936 to 1939, and the harsh ca, the Franco era is generally dictatorship that followed, seen as a time in which the a country has bred a tired, bitter reugliest extremes of conservasentment among many Spantism were allowed free rein. lurching iards, one that goes to the What is certain is that Spain towards chaos was held decades behind the core of how they see themselves as a people. rest of the continent economMuch is due to the nature of ically and socially thanks to the regime Franco imposed on his conquered Franco’s twisted interpretation of history and countrymen, after deposing the democrati- nationhood. cally-elected government. Remember that Germany and Italy found cloDuring nearly four de- sure at the end of their fascist regimes. cades of his Catholic Na- While Hitler and Mussolini suffered gruetionalist dictatorship, crit- some deaths, Franco passed away peacefully icism of the regime and in his bed at the ripe age of 82, in 1975, surattempts to sabotage it rounded by his family. were viciously silenced. He died having no reason to believe Spain Even regional languag- was set to change; the government was comes, particularly Catalan prised of Falangists and religious leaders. and Basque, were sup- His Prime Minister was Carlos Arias Navarro, pressed in the aim of known as ‘the Butcher of Malaga’ for sum-
The battle for Catalunya Spain’s former Health Minister has been drafted in to stave off a new drive for independence, reports Laurence Dollimore
H
E is best known for his deadpan tilt at the camera during his stiff and serious regular bulletins on the ravages of COVID around Spain. Part of Pedro Sanchez’s coalition government, Salvador Illa was removed from his position as Health Minister last month to help steady the ship in the Catalan elections next week. In a bid to blunt a new drive for independence this year, the bespectacled former minister is a popular and potent weapon. Now, remarkably, his anti-independence party is on track to win the most votes on February 14, latest polls have suggested. The Catalunya Socialists Party (PSC) would claim 23.7% of the vote if a snap poll were held last week, a CIS survey of 2,000 voters found.
an extremely tall order in today’s fractured political landscape. Once the MPs have been elected, they must choose a president, with each party putting forward their strongest candidate. The speaker will put a candidate up for a vote, usually from the party with the most votes first, who will need 68 MPs to vote for them. If this fails, another vote will be held in which they will only need a simple majority. If they fail again, the process is
repeated over a two-month period until a president is chosen. If deadlock continues, a fresh election will have to be called meaning coalitions are almost inevitable, with smaller parties able to act as kingmakers. It means the party with the most votes is not guaranteed to form the government. But which of the three frontrunning candidates are most likely to become president?
Pere Aragones, Esquerra Republicana (ERC), 38 The law and history graduate, who also studied at Harvard University, has taken up the helm of the ERC after its former leader was removed (Quim Torra). Aragones is left wing and staunchly pro-independence, much like his predecessor. However he wants to prioritise
talks with Madrid. Aragones has a strong chance of getting over the 68-seat threshold with the support of fellow pro-independence parties. Nothing is guaranteed however, particularly given recent fall outs with JxCat, the other big pro-independence party.
Uphill Close behind is the ERC, which would obtain 19.9% and thirdly JxCat, with 14.6%. Either way, Illa would still face an uphill battle to become President of the Generalitat, as those parties would likely unite to keep him out. And even with Ciudadanos and the PP voters supporting him it may not be enough. In total, voters in Catalunya, Spain’s second most populous region with 7.2m people, will elect 135 MPs from across four provinces: Barcelona, Girona, Lleida and Tarragona. However to form a government, a party needs an absolute majority of 51%, or 68 seats out of the 135,
Laura Borras, Junts per Catalunya (JxCat), 50 Elected immediately after Spain imposed direct rule following the ‘illegal referendum’ in 2017, Borras is pushing for a ‘peaceful confrontation’ against Madrid. The former university professor is currently accused of illegally awarding a public contract to a close ally, with a court case ongoing. Despite this, she has a strong chance of becoming the
next Catalan leader, and would be the first female in the role. While JxCat is behind ERC in the latest poll, a similar forecast in 2017 didn’t ring true, with Borras’ party eventually gaining 10,000 more votes than its rivals. Borras will need the support of pro-independence parties and potentially others, depending on the final vote share.
SALVADOR ILLA, Partit Socialista de Catalunya, 54 The philosophy and business graduate has long been a darling of the Socialists since becoming mayor of the historic inland town of Roca del Valles in 1995. But after being named health minister just before COVID hit, he quickly became a household name as the face of the fight against the pandemic.
In fact his notoriety led PSC leader Miquel Iceta to put Illa forward as the presidential candidate instead of himself. Illa has long been a critic of the pro-independence parties and is a Spanish unionist. His election as president would be a noted shift in the Catalan leadership.
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February 10th - February 23rd 2021
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More fake news
T WAR CRIMES: Many republicans were slaughtered and buried in mass graves after being captured marily executing 17,000 political prisoners an interest in exhuming the victims, such Meiras palace in Galicia, which was vacated during the civil war, and the dictator’s hand- as when the Zapatero government freed up in 2020, only allowing the family to take the picked successor, the new King Juan Carlos I, funding for it in 2007, it can just as easily be electro-domestics. had sworn to continue his legacy. The future cancelled, as it was, by the next administra- The year before Franco’s coffin was famously of Falangist Spain, ‘One, Great and Free’, tion. moved from its mausoleum in the Valley of seemed assured. Meanwhile, the family of Franco inherited the Fallen to a simple family tomb in Madrid. The politicians who led the famous ‘Tran- an estimated €600 million on the dictator’s Most importantly the 2007 Law of Historical sicion’ back to democracy (most of them, death, as well as being allowed continued Memory still stands, giving rights to those ironically, die-hard Falangists) ownership of artworks and who were persecuted or suffered repression inherited a country lurching lavish palaces. during the dictatorship. towards chaos. The highly inLooting, arson, It is only in the past few years There is financial aid for those trying to lofluential army had no reason that the government has fi- cate relatives and grants of citizenship to the repression and nally begun to reclaim these descendants of those who fled Spain in the to welcome democracy. Meanwhile the country was taking the stance aftermath of the civil war. murder with no properties, rocked by riots, protests and that, as Franco assumed Efforts are, therefore, being taken to right strikes by supporters of the expower illegally, the estate he wrongs, in cases where it is not too late. hope for true iled political parties calling for accumulated as head of state While the masterminds of the Transicion justice free elections. was not his to pass on. The surely cannot be blamed for their reluctance A return to civil conflict was amnesty protecting criminals to make a hard break with the past, Spain looking likely and a comproduring and after the civil war is waking up to the uncomfortable fact that mise needed to be found. means that, across the country, families still reconciliation has to come from dialogue, It meant that King Juan Carlos would remain feud over what their parents and grandpar- not silence. head of state, while there would be no purge ents did to each other. Grass can cover the battlefields, the veterof the armed forces. Nearly every town and village saw looting, ans can grow old, the memories can fade. But most pertinently, there would be an arson, repression and murder, which, with But as we have seen, until Europe’s most amnesty for all those who had done the re- no hope of legal resolution, has, as its only outspoken and effervescent people forsake gime’s dirty work, including now-ageing war outlet, long decades of festering resentment. their collective denial, their civil war cannot criminals. The infamous ‘Pacto del Olvido’, or Even the national flag remains largely un- be considered over. Pact of Forgetting, was born: an agreement changed: The fathat the past would not be discussed, and langist symbols and imposing black Eagle that the country would move on as one. Europe’s most forthright people, effectively of St John are gone, swore themselves to silence, because the but the red and yellow truth somehow seemed untouchable. It banner, a monarchist was true that seeking vengeance on the old symbol adopted by regime in the late 1970s could have been the nationalists, concatastrophic, and Spain certainly deserves tinues to fly from all Nerva, Huelva praise for its (largely) peaceful transition government buildings. from dictatorship to democracy, something It is an affront to many that has rarely happened before. But, as any - particularly in regions psychologist will tell you, bottling up trauma is like Catalunya, which suffered badly under not a good idea. With 2,500 mass graves scattered around Franco - that the flag the country and an estimated 140,000 vic- which is meant to tims interred, that’s a lot of trauma and grief. symbolise nationhood While some landowners and religious figures instead symbolises were killed in Republican areas the majority the limbo caused by an ability to confront were massacred by Franco’s regime. At present, 42 victims of Francoist repression have been found Until recently, no government has dared to history. in the cemetery of this small Andalucian town, making it, acapproach this matter, despite calls by thou- Fortunately attempts cording to its socialist mayor, a candidate for ‘the biggest rural sands of families for the reburial of loved to deal with limbo mass grave in Spain’. They are more than 1,500 people behave been gathering ones. lieved to be buried across the Huelva mining basin, notorious Many still live close to the unmarked tombs of pace. for its bloody reprisals in the early days of the war. To date, there their parents or siblings, and can tell you their In 2019 the governhave been two digs at the site in Nerva, the second of which exact location. But most family members ment declared its inwas funded by the Ministry of Justice in Madrid. Andalucia’s have now passed away without receiving the tention to locate and regional government, controlled by a coalition of the right-wing rebury 25,000 peoclosure that reburial would bring. Partido Popular and centrist Ciudadanos, has not participated. Attempts by local governments to deal with ple in mass graves by these graves are often met with a massive 2024. pushback, largely from the right-wing PP The Franco family Pinos Genil, Granada and Vox parties, who argue that it would go meanwhile, is being against the Pacto del Olvido and inflame old stripped of its physical inheritance; intensions. Even when the central government does take cluding the Pazo de
Two scenes of horror from the civil war
Army generals from the old regime were not replaced during the Transición to democracy, meaning the military continued to be dominated by Falangists, who subscribed to the old Castilian philosophy that the army and government were indivisible. In 2020, Francisco Beca Casanova, an air force general who retired in 2004, professed in a Whatsapp group a desire to ‘shoot 26 million Spaniards’, lauded Franco as ‘irrepetible’, and was one of 73 former senior officers who submitted an open letter to the king calling on him to dissolve the current socialist government.
DID YOU KNOW?
HE Spanish Government has ONCE AGAIN been forced to counteract fake reporting after a slew of national papers in the UK claimed foreign tourists would be ‘banned until after summer.’ No surprise, the stories all quoted English-language website www. euroweeklynews.com, which had misquoted prime minister Pedro Sanchez. Under the headline: ‘Spain won’t welcome tourists until the end of the summer’, its writer made a massive boo boo - as it was simply not true. As properly reported by the Olive Press, Sanchez actually told a press conference in Madrid that for Spain to ‘be in a better position’ to receive tourists ‘AS IT DID BEFORE’ the pandemic, 70% of the population would need to be vaccinated. In other words, quite different from an all-out ban. Nevertheless, the false story - or ‘bulo’ in Spanish - was presented as truth by British national papers, including the Mirror and Metro, who should have known better. It led to Spain’s angry tourism minister Reyes Maroto having to counter the claims to the Telegraph the following day. Knowing the fake story could be highly damaging to the tourism industry, she told the paper that the plan of the national Government was to actually begin welcoming tourists back this Spring. The fake news drama comes after the same English website made up a story about a nationwide lockdown coming to Spain in September 2020. The alarming story, which included false government sources, led to mass panic and a slew of holiday cancellations to Spain. There was an outcry on social media and the Olive Press immediately contacted the Health Ministry at the time and demanded it addressed the issue. Our intervention led the head of the coronavirus taskforce Fernando Simon to address the story in his daily briefing, in which he labelled the story a ‘complete lie.’
The top five most read stories on www.theolivepress.es in the past two weeks are: for the arrival of storm Justine 1- Spain braces itself(13,246 views) LISTED: Every municipality which must close 2-borders or all non-essential businesses from tomorrow in Spain’s Andalucia (10,050 views) moved to minor roads to catch 3- Roadblocks checkpoint dodgers as 27 fined in first five hours of weekend lockdown on Spain’s Costa Blanca (9,086 views)
- LISTED: The 18 municipalities in Spain’s An4lowering dalucia which can open their borders today after COVID-19 incidence rates (7,593 views) “Since the sons are away, we’ll kill the mothers.” With this abominable refrain the Nationalists justified their actions in places such as Pinos Genil, where six men and six women were killed, according to official records, ‘as subsistutes’ for family members who were fighting for the Republic. Francesca Esperidon, the eldest victim found in the cemetery, was a 70-year-old
- LISTED: The 27 municipalities opening their 5incidence borders today in Spain’s Andalucia after COVID-19 rate drops below 500 cases per 100,000 people (7,577 views)
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LETTERS
8 Carer woes Dear Olive Press,
February 10th - February 23rd 2021
just unfair?
r and I WORK in the UK as a health care orts airp e whil that told n bee have we , no are open we have to travel to work is. ney jour the matter how long e are We only will be paid furlough if ther pany com my way no is re The ts. fligh no isolate or myself would pay £1,500 to like me ple peo If . days in a hotel for 10 , who can’t get to work because of this t of Mos d? nee in ple peo r afte look will the UK our staf f live abroad and work in ple in because there aren’t enough peo the UK willing to do our jobs. 30 Recently I’ve flown with less than and s train UK yet , oard onb people goes to tubes are packed and ever yone target work if they can. It’s not fair to taxpeople who work in the UK and pay of the es and have full contracts. Mostpeople people I see in airports are just working, not tourists.
UK travel quarantine is a hot topic
Don’t travel
At their own risk
I AGREE that tourists should not be travelling. I think if everybody had followed the initial guidelines, we perhaps wouldn’t need this. Leanne Evans, via FB
Un ortunate y whatever s done v ruses spread and there s on y so much that can be done I m not n the UK but everyone I know back home has ab ded by the ru es and I don t th nk th s nherent b ame cu ture s at a he p u However I am sorry peop e were upset by the news Laura Johann Craig via FB
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From mice to men
Fat not fit is what matters
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COVID vaccine 100%effective in first tests with human trials posided to start
- February 9th
2021
R-RATED
SCIENTISTS mask wearingsay that a 10% rise in keeping the R triples the chance of number infection for COVID below rate Writing in Lancetone. Digital Health, searchers said reber below one that keeping the numshrinking. The means the pandemic is ber of people R rate shows the numinfected by each of the coronavirus. carrier They studied USA to reach 300,000 people in the their conclusion.
App ‘n go
AN app to immunised prove people have been launched in against COVID is to be the coming days. The Junta says that those been given the two doses who have necessary will of vaccine app, which willbe able to download the show a QR will be able to be scanned code. This can prove they so people This could be have been vaccinated. used to let them despite restrictions, travel for example.
GOOD START
SPANISH vaccine COVID-19 in mice. has proven to be 100% effective against The jab, developed Researcher Arriaza by virologists Mariano Garcia said Esteban and Juan they have verified that in a statement released today CSIC, will now Arriaza at the National Centre the by the CSIC that The vaccine usesmove to human trials ‘within for Biotechnology at the SARS-CoV-2 in a humanisedvaccine ‘creates 100% protection CoV-2 infection, mouse subject against pox, according a variant of the virus that weeks’. to the results published was used to eradicate In the Spanish which is very important.’ susceptible to the SARSIt is being developed vaccine, the MVA small- the complete in the Journal virus has been of Virology. to the Zendal group, with Spanish biotech S protein of SARS-CoV-2, modified the coronavirus Dubbed MVA-CoV-2,with plans for clinical giant Biofabri, belonging which is the key to replicate to enter human trials already It therefore introduces that allows cells. the jab uses the rus (MVA) as ‘Modified Ankarain motion. the immune a vehicle to transport it how to recognise ages to stimulate vaccinia’ viand eliminate system to said protein and an immune systema SARS-CoV-2 protein According to it. teaches reported the Higher that man- 100% the study, defense against Council for of the humanised one or two doses of the the coronavirus, Biofabri is now vaccine protected waiting for the Scientific Research. CSIC added, however, mice from COVID-19. Agency to kickstart green light from tion of the coronavirus that two doses of the the Spanish start in a few weeks.the first of two clinical vaccine blocked in the lungs. human trials, Medicines “These results replica“We have observed which could demonstrate that vaccine produces that the MVA-CoV-2 ates a robust robust immunitythe MVA vector-based COVID-19 models, and supports and complete antibodies andimmune response with the vaccine candidate generits future application efficacy in animal production of the activation searchers declared. researcher Mariano neutralising of T lymphocytes in clinical trials,” Clinical phases Esteban. in mice,” explained the reto phase III. I and II could begin in a few weeks before progressing Tests will now also be carried out on hamsters CAPTION xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx and macaques. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
AS Spain started population againstthe race to vaccinate COVID, Andalucia its an early leader. was In the first weeks of the vaccination gramme one proin four of Spain’s of injections was first tranche made in the region.
Watch that chat
IT’S impossible to be ‘fat and fit’ and even if you are slightly overweight you are unhealthy, a new study found. Researchers in Spain found the risk of heart attacks and strokes rockets as BMI increases. And while they agree that exercise does reduce the risk of some illnesses like diabetes and hypertension, those tive and obese were twice as who were aclikely to have high cholesterol than inactive people of a normal weight. The findings challenge the long-held sity paradox’ belief that it’s possible ‘obeto be fat and not at an increased risk of death from heart disease. The study of over 520,000 Spanish adults by the European University, in Madrid, revealed that overweight people were actually four times more likely betes... and five times more to have dialikely to have high blood pressure. “One cannot be fat but healthy,” said lead researcher Dr Alejandro Lucia. “This study shows that being regularly active is not likely to eliminate the health effects of excess body detrimental fat. “Our findings refute the notion that a physically active lifestyle can negate the deleterious effects completely of obesity.”
HAVING a 30-second chat without facemask in a a badly ventilated could be worse room a second when than coughing for half it comes to COVID fection. inA study by the University bridge and Imperial of CamCollege London found that while large number coughing results in a produces finerof big droplets, speech stay suspended particles. These then up to an hour. in the air for longer – The report advises people mask to protect to themselves wear a ers. Even if and oththey are just not coughing. talking and
See our special pullout Health Supplement inside
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IT’S impossible to be ‘fat and fit’ and even if you are slightly overweight you are unhealthy, a new study found. the Researchers in Spain found rockets as risk of heart attacks and strokes BMI increases. does reAnd while they agree that exercise like diabetes duce the risk of some illnesses were active and hypertension, those who to have high and obese were twice as likely of a normal cholesterol than inactive people weight. ‘obesity The findings challenge the long-held to be fat and paradox’ belief that it’s possible from heart not at an increased risk of death disease. adults The study of over 520,000 Spanish in Madrid, reby the European University, were actualvealed that overweight people diabetes... ly four times more likely to have high blood and five times more likely to have pressure. said lead “One cannot be fat but healthy,” “This study researcher Dr Alejandro Lucia. is not likely shows that being regularly active effects of to eliminate the detrimental health excess body fat. that a phys“Our findings refute the notion negate ically active lifestyle can completely the deleterious effects of obesity.” undeniThe team found that while exercise that ably had positive effects, participants undeniably were overweight or obese were major health more at risk of developing problems. 30 min“More activity is better, so walking 15 minutes per day is better than walking exercise does utes a day,” Dr Lucia said. “But negative efnot seem to compensate for the fects of excess weight.”
Your expat
OL VE PRESS
hit A SURGE in COVID deaths haslosthe Rock hard, with 65 people ing their lives. Chief Minister Fabian Picardo said COVID-19 was causing ‘the worst loss of life of Gibraltarians in over the 100 years’, as more fell prey to cruel pandemic. Most of the fatalities have been of elderly people who died COVID-19 pneumonia with underlying conditions. Many of the victims were residents at government nursing homes, 133 where outbreaks saw up to positive cases recorded at its peak.
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VALENCIA / COSTA AZAHAR January 28th - February 10th 2021 FREE Vol. 1 Issue 5 www.theolivepress.es
MODEL JUSTICE? Dreadful
Expat fashion designer due in court over €35 million pension plunder trial
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SPANISH vaccine has proven to be 100% effective against COVID-19 in mice. The jab, developed by virologists Mariano Esteban and Juan Garcia Arriaza at the National Centre for Biotechnology, will move on to human trials ‘within weeks’. The vaccine uses a variant of the virus that was used to eradicate smallpox, according to the results published in the Journal of Virology. It is being developed with Spanish biotech giant Biofabri, belonging to the Zendal group, with plans for clinical trials already in motion. Dubbed MVA-CoV-2, the jab uses the ‘Modified Ankara vaccinia’ virus (MVA) as a vehicle to transport a SARS-CoV-2 protein that manages to stimulate an immune system defense against the coronavirus, reported the Higher Council for Scientific Research. Biofabri is now waiting for the green light from the Spanish Medicines Agency to kickstart the first of two clinical human trials, which could start in a few weeks. “We have observed that the MVA-CoV-2 vaccine candidate generates a robust immune response with the production of neutralising antibodies and the activation of T lymphocytes in mice,” explained
DELIGHTED: Virologists Mariano Esteban and Juan Garcia
4
EXCLUSIVE By Joshua Parfitt
(inset) stole
our papers
in car above
his involvement
over CWM
DEFENDANTS in a ‘landmark’ case against a British-run financial firm have denied all knowledge of a scam that lost €35 million of its clients pension investment. Instead they blamed the boss of Continental Wealth Management (CWM) Darren Kirby (above) for destroying the hopes and dreams of 750 expats around Spain. In a tense hearing at Denia Court three former employees denied they knowingly put their clients funds into ‘high risk’ investments. The trio, Anthony Downs, Neil Hathaway and Dean Stogsdill, are accused of fraud, disloyal administration and falsifying commercial documents.
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voice in Spain
October 24th - November 6th 2019
businesses while trio of British claimants battle financial ruin, cancer and depression
A WELL-KNOWN expat fashion signer has been accused of receivingdeup to €1million from an unlicensed Costa Blanca financial advisory company. Companies in Jody Smart’s name were given the money by defunct Continental Wealth Management (CWM) in the two years’ before its high-profile collapse left hundreds of investors an estimated €20million out of pocket, it can be revealed. A total of €999,435 was paid to her fashion label Jody Bell SL and property holding company Mercurio Conpro SL between 2015 and 2017, according to bank statements shown to the Olive Press. Brit Jody, 43, was also paid a €144,000 salary - despite telling a court that she ‘did not know what it meant to be a sole director of company’ and was only involved in ‘marketing and PR’. In a series of shocking declarations given to Denia’s Court of Instruction No.3 it has emerged that the company could ill afford to pay these
EXCLUSIVE By Joshua Parfitt
huge sums ‘without falling into losses’. Worse, it comes as it emerges that ens of victims left destitute and dozless by the Denia-based firm arepennisuing Smart and her former partner Darren Kirby. In the first case to reach the courts,
PENSION OUTRAGE
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NOTORIOUS: Disgraced businesswoman Jody Smart accused in financial scandal
three British claimants are seeking inal charges for aggravated fraud,crim- after CWM’s September 2017 collapse fake left him with just €22,000 accounting and belonging to a criminal from initial investments of more than ₤800,000 organisation. (approx €900,000). The complaints concern bungled transactions, unpaid loans and house Davison was diagnosed with deprespension investments that lost the failed sion just weeks after the collapse, before ants over €1million between them.claim- turning to alcohol abuse and developing type-2 diabetes, according to One of the victims, Mark Davison, a video ically died, aged 59, in July this trag- shot just before his death. year His body, covered with lesions sores, had lain undiscovered for and a week in the mid-summer heat up to at his home in Sanet. “Mark died as a result of what had done to him,” Timothy Benjamin, been low claimant, told the Olive Press. a fel“By the end he didn’t want the daylight to appear.” Benjamin, 67, likewise felt ‘ashamed’ after he lost his €250,000 private sion, reinvested by CWM into pen‘risky’ investments, via QROPS. In his official testimony he told the court how he had transferred ₤325,000 (€375,000 approx) from a property sale to CWM on the basis the firm investing it in a villa in Monte Pego. was But court papers revealed ₤200,000 went directly to the bank account of
Law breaking for lavish lifestyle
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Profits and losses you printed financial advisor, CWM, which the court,” he added. at shareholder of upmarket “My wife was approached my was based at Javea’s protecting work. I was just Marriott Hotel. lost every- name along with everything While many victims one commithe added. thing and, at leastCWM bosses else,” ted suicide, the
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She the money was transferring to protect it for the only way children if she her two young passed away.
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SCIENTISTS say that a 10% rise in mask wearing triples the chance of keeping the R number infection rate for COVID below one. Writing in Lancet Digital Health, researchers said that keeping the number below one means the pandemic is shrinking. The R rate shows the number of people infected by each carrier of the coronavirus. They studied 300,000 people in the USA to reach their conclusion.
App ‘n go AN app to prove people have been immunised against COVID is to be launched in the coming days. The Junta says that those who have been given two doses of the vaccine will be able to download the app, which will show a QR code. This will be able to be scanned so people can prove they have been vaccinated. This could be used to let them travel despite restrictions, for example.
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researcher Mariano Esteban. Arriaza said that the team has verified that the vaccine ‘creates 100% protection against SARS-CoV-2 in a humanised mouse susceptible to the SARS-CoV-2 infection, which is very important.’ In the Spanish vaccine, the MVA virus has been modified to replicate the complete S protein of SARS-CoV-2, which is the key that allows the coronavirus to enter human cells. It therefore introduces the immune system to the protein and teaches it how to recognise and eliminate it. According to the study, one or two doses of the vaccine protected 100% of the ‘humanised’ mice from COVID-19. Arriaza added, however, that two doses of the vaccine blocked replication of the coronavirus in the lungs. “These results demonstrate that the MVA vector-based COVID-19 vaccine produces robust immunity and complete efficacy in animal models, and supports its future application in clinical trials,” the researchers declared. Clinical phases I and II could begin in a few weeks before progressing to phase III. Tests will now also be carried out on hamsters and macaques.
Arriaza, developers of the vaccine
HAVING a 30-second chat without a facemask in a badly ventilated room could be worse than coughing for half a second when it comes to COVID infection. A study by the University of Cambridge and Imperial College London found that while coughing results in a large number of big droplets, speech produces finer particles. These then stay suspended in the air for longer – up to an hour. The report advises people to wear a mask to protect themselves and others, even if they are just talking and not coughing.
GOOD START
AS Spain started the race to vaccinate its population against COVID, Andalucia was an early leader. In the first weeks of the vaccination programme one in four of Spain’s first tranche of injections was made in the region.
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A BRITISH tourist has been stabbed, robbed and hospitalised by three minors who recorded the attack on their phones. The trio were cuffed by police in Sant Vicent de Raspeig, near Alicante, after their victim suffered a collapsed lung and had to undergo emergency surgery. A statement said the group stabbed the victim in the back with a pen-knife, whilst recording the attack on their mobile phones. The unnamed holidaymaker was taking a morning stroll when he sensed he was being followed, so returned home as a precaution. The gang caught up with him and a struggle ensued, where he was attacked and robbed of his wallet and mobile. A passerby stopped to help, calling an ambulance straight away. The man suffered a collapsed lung and immediately went into surgery. CCTV quickly established the identity of the attackers, two of which were already known to police. Matching clothing and the weapon used in the attack were found in subsequent house searches. The 16 and 17-year-olds arrested were charged with the crimes of robbery with violence and wounding with intent.
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CHUFFED: Greenhow on getting his BMW back EXCLUSIVE By Simon Wade
OLIVE PRESS
COSTA
voice in Spain
Mission Impossi ble Conman expat’s accused of BMW claimsstealing transport company his in ‘northern ‘paperwork Spain’ left it due to problems’
Costa Blanca Issue 48
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BLANCA “QUICK, FREE simple SUR / MURCIA pain comes Vol. 1 Issue and painless. later,” King 5 www.theolivepress.es incoming The chez at Prime Minister Felipe told Pedro January terday. a swearing in 9th - January ceremony SanThe PSOE yes22nd 2020 not, having leader will certainly had to endure ing two hope an agonizelectionsyear wait and It was histo get this far. three general second an investiture recent attempt won the since at general most seats inthe Socialists election, December’s overall majority. but failed to win an And Sanchez, stops as 47, he crackedpulled out all moth two the heads at day weekend a mamMadrid, the vote after which he session in by two seats. finally won After years news for of instability, country’s Spain’ insisted it is ‘great best known one Irish author expats. of the Ian Gibson Press: “While lots of compromises, there aretold the Olive going be solutions.” there willto be The Madrid-based also lived in writer, who ed: “I’mSpain for half a century, has man and delighted. He’s add- A CONVICTED stuck it it’s remarkable an amazing been accused British his own out after being to think he car transport of strikingconman has “He has party and then kicked out of again in scam running down the man andthe qualities of fighting back. a Costa Blanca. a true statesSimon up and a great speaks very well. asset for Mission Davies, 58, who Hispanist, Europe,” He will be Almeria, Impossible now added the ous books who has penned Transport runs part in a was jailed in on Spain. numer2008 forfrom But the €450,000 mortgage his trickster ous aliases fraud. Frankenstein - has nowwho goes by varito the Guardia Sanchez been ‘stealing’ Civil, in denounced ace after was sworn in at Alicante, fidence. winning a secondZarzuela Pal- a British a top-of-the-range for car from votes to MPs voted by a vote of con- Accordingexpat. EXCLUSIVE 165 to support knife-edge to Kenny lives wing coalition By Simon Sanchez’s 167 has near Ciudad Greenhow, called Callfree.net up by Pablo Wade government, who covered nicked Quesada, leftWhat he his reputation propped worth €8,000,his BMW Davies This and a host Iglesias’s Ltd, in 2005. Podemos ning as hadn’t revealed and past.” en route convertible, sites included damning It helped of other parties. party The paint inspector, to the UK. calling Davies that 18 after a a director from was his bantold the from Catalunya, reviews MPs, mer’ and previous 2004 Olive Press from Tyneside, ‘a complete on into liquidation ‘a liar’. company to 2010 The coalition abstained.the majority (€970) to he had paid Other scam- £200,000. the UK, get his beloved with debts had gone includes £820 pany, reviews about government, last year. 120i back Podemos, of nearly SD Sameday a previous A few years Compromís, He has PNV, Más which since. later a bankruptcy Couriers, com- was made not seen to com gave him Teruel ExisteGalego Nationalist País, “It’s important on yell. of one star it he had ‘disappeared’ order and Nueva and claimed ‘Clive against him the first Block, with the guy, that police to goods and ified himSmith, which in the name catch up Ourrespond to customer and stop dictator since 1977 after Canarias, is being conned again disqualFranco. other research the death queries. failed director. from acting as The parties of said Greenhow,the way that I people is no stranger reveals that a company Despite opposing ported the have,” SD Vox, Ciudadanos, 61, who Davies, included Sameday to fraud. 58, rector this, he went has also and Navarra the PP, “As long theft to the Junts per recently re- dress with of on to act Houses property company Suma. Catalunya behind as justice is UK police. as diKey to Cleanrite shared an lebrite Ltd under done and bars.” ad- ty. Greenhow stentionSanchez’s victory a different Safe as he is his wife,Ltd in Essex, Ltd and Sparkcompanies had was the “We identiAnita. Catalan of the pro-independence ab- sion Impossible,first come across run by on are determined uShip, last cheats vowed toparty, the ERC, via Misto crack summer. an online broker ception,” like these who down that has find a solution after Sanchez The company’s Disqualified said Pat profit to the conflict on the dogged UK’s Department nya’s separatist Their marriage McFadden, by deSpain website, profile, which When contacted for Business. of the claims to tried to secede regionalsince Catalu- hicles and is online, certificate, have five still have shows Simon drivers government goods available claimed the in 2017. The government’s this vein transit and ‘has £50,000 previously Clive Davies BMW hadweek, Davies FRAUDSTER: left million Sanchez’ Emmanuel been insurance opponents public to due with police simply Smith’, known as ‘Clive and £2 fraud will be too‘Frankenstein to ‘problems in ‘northern been (top) the argue “I got plenty liability insurance.’ Davies, who was in 2008. government’ was beholden missing of quotes, Spain’ while with jailed for Davies said ratists and The Lancashire the to BMW he was paperwork’. Press that stopped tional unity.pose a threat Catalan sepa- “With the cheapest,” he and Davies that Davies Telegraph ‘sick by Davies’ query to Spain’s ly suspended. explained. manuel (then 46), account reported the car had Spanish police’,of being na- ker, I thought going through is currentSmith, aka Clive Mission become over unspecified he’d be “But when Impossible a ‘hot saying ed legitimate.a bro- years and six had been handed Em- reaucracy. Opinion its delivery the car didn’t was set months problems potato’ £380,000 three up out ofTransport Limitpage 6 arrive with buStreet, London, date mortgage for his He failed digging an office however around in the UK, I after Shockingly, Davies fraud. part in a station a threat in Old started tions, and to my of beingin 2018, and despite nor region to name the has other including horror dis- an is still apparently struck off convic- car. where he police when he investor left the to hand persuaded Davies added trading. last year, start a new mobile over £30,000 If you with the he UK policehad been in to Mission phone business guises know Davies touch in any Impossibleover the issue. +34 951contact the Olive ker, uShip, of his Transport’s 273 575 Press at confirmed desk@theolivepress.es or email to the bronewsOlive Opinion page 6
the story when he saw the top-ofthe-range white BMW and the alleged thief driving it this month “ T h e r e in Almeria. was the slim chance He immediately got in touch with that the car us telling us it was in the small mine, but might not actually be when the door opened, seaside town of Palomares and I almost leapt for joy.” even pinpointed the exact loca- He added tion. When we passed on the in- reader that that the Olive Press contacted us was cerformation, Greenhow was ecstat- tainly his ‘guardian angel’. ic and said he was immediately “He’s a legend and it’s so great set to go on a ‘Mission Impossi- when the in storage awaiting collection, media can create such ble’ of his own. despite paperwork in the car suga positive outcome. More power Despite the latest lockdown tak- to the press!” gesting he was now the owner. ing a grip on the Costa Blanca Back home He also whined that Greenhow and particularly Murcia that had the car wason the Costa Blanca, had threatened to send a gang closed its borders he realised he a ‘filthy’ state,discovered to be in of ‘hitmen’ to seek out justice, filled with grubby had to make a move. despite not knowing the wheresports equipment and electronic Enlisting a local pal from his vil- devices. abouts of the car. lage of Lo Crispin, near Ciu- Mr Greenhow’s After informing the police that dad Quesada, he grabbed his surance papers MOT and inhis car was now back, he was spare key and immediately car, along with were still in the delighted to discover they fully a logbook and got on the road. supported him crossing two proan insurance policy “Some 160kms later and of Anita Davies, in the name vincial borders to get it back. there it was,” he told the Ol- fraudster’s wife. the convicted ive Press this week. The car was now registered on Opinion Page 6 “It felt like we were stealing Irish number plates, in an ultiit back and it was definitely mately unsuccessful attempt to exhilarating.” evade detection. It turned out the car had been parked right outside Corrupt conman Davies home. “My heart was certainly Last year, the Olive Press reportpounding, but I knew I had ed that Davies was no stranger to to get my car back and tell the the law. police,” added Greenhow. He was jailed in 2008 for his part in a £380,000 mortgage fraud, has a conviction for swindling £30,000 in a business investment scam and was disqualified from being a company director after a bankruptcy. SALES & RENTALS SPECIALISTS When the Olive Press contacted Davies, he claimed to be back in Moriara•Calpe•Jalon•Javea•Denia•Altea the UK. He alleged that the car had been
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scale of concerned. The the courts sit up case has made and take notice.”
al i n t e r n a t Oi PoEnLT D
as a can be described personality Father Ted’s sparkles with welcome Crown’ as it with a warm ‘Jewel in the of a bar to visit and is a gem SUNDAY
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In documents seen by the Olive Press, CWM was paid €3,391,873 of commission for selling insurance bonds and investments by prus-based financial firms, two Cybetween October 2015 and September A January 2019 statement 2017. from Spain’s financial regulator insurance bonds were revealed sold in breach of the law. What is certain is that this money funded a ‘lavish lifestyle’ players Kirby and Smart, for its key in a relationship together who were to March 2017, according from 2011 to former staff members.
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Profits and losses
Petrol bombs and bullets, Director of disgraced Costa Blanca an Olive Press dispatch wealth management firm rakes in €1million from Barcelona Page 6 for her
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Want to sell Wickedness your property? In what is Spain’s largest at court, ABSENT: Kirby (above) was a no-show 96 649 1883 legal scrutiny of British-run Jodie (right) and a previous Olive Press front page financial scams to date, the trio were grilled about ” Smart has previously defalsifying documents and Another is widow Karen nied ever dealing with climiss-selling toxic invest- O’Hagan, who lost €72,000 ents or having anything of her RBS pension. ments. to do with the running of A total of 17 claimants have It came after she was told CWM other than promotion brought the private prose- by CWM staff that transfer- online and in the media. cution as Denia court seeks ring the money was the only to bring former boss Kir- way to protect it for her two by and sole director Jody young children if she passed away. Smart to justice. Kirby failed to attend the hearing on February 24, Shame and could now face arrest. Angela Brooks, who is leadMeanwhile, Smart was able ing the private prosecution, to delay attending the hear- told the Olive Press the case ing until next month due to will set a major ‘precedent’ damage to a restaurant she across Europe. owns during Storm Gloria. “It’s a disgrace that it’s Court transcripts passed to taken a Spanish lawyer in the Olive Press reveal how Spain and a Spanish crimthe ex-employees denied all inal judge to recognise the accusations put to them. wickedness of actions taken The defendants claimed by all parties concerned. that former boss Kirby was “There is no precedent for responsible for moving this. It is going to shame the funds from low-risk to all the other jurisdictions high-risk. throughout Europe and beOne of the victims, former yond into acknowledging Blackpool bus driver Les what many offshore adviHutchings, 67, lost nearly sors have been doing for his entire €117,000 private years. “The scale of this case pension when it ended up in has made the courts sit up toxic portfolios without his and take notice. knowledge. PARTNERING OWNERS FOR OVER 20 YEARS
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(right) Your reporters, situation to hereCWM As for the on‘didn’t go out helphe he insisted the Costa and addto scam anybody’
fraud article
EXCLUSIVE By Jon Clarke
in
EXCLUSIVE
Hathaway
over Blanca lost ‘a lot of monWealth Manof a crooked grilled to GOTCHA: sports ed he had A KEY associate well, but declined company the Continental scandal, took lived lives of luxury with holidays ey’ as wealth managementof stealing agement (CWM) Financier say how much. set to conhis name appear- cars, exotic foreign has been accused of the Olive umbrage to COSTA court is in our March BLANCA Hathaway, and designer clothes. how 750 In declarations a fash- Denia hundreds of copies court docu- ing in an article banged Jody launched to New tinue its probe into with at made in February, two other former flew millions, the Director 5 edition. Press newspaper, he had takenwith ion label and twice according victims lost their entire pen- along with Anthony Downs ments have confirmed. week, to rights colleagues the wealthy He insisted claimed least 17Olosing York fashion as he ‘was angry’ P Police have grilled pots. and Dean Stogsdill, ‘In Denial’, to official court documents. the theft of up papers boss Kirby was tracked sion former Blackstealing tel: moneyman overof the paper in the story headed and his colthe Olive Press to his These include Les Hutchings, their formerfor the frauds. bundles 2045 about how he hundreds of When 46to38 down responsible pool bus driver Hathaway scammed mansion Your investigator Angela Javea area. Olive Press 966 nearly his entire witnesses spot- leagues out of an estimated multi-million euro Javea he 67, who lostprivate pension Pensions the Olive Press the to the It comes after above jumping investors Brooks told €117,000 in the hills the theft, with expat newspaper million. up in high-risk case would set a major ‘preceted Neil Hathaway when it ended owned by Jody SUV and lifting €35 couldn’t deny without his knowl- dent’ across Europe. it’s takout of a black from our stands The company, Kirby, is his SUV parked in the drive. portfolios cover up his voice in Smart and Darren entire bundlesaccomplice. a disgrace that a lot less papers edge. of fraud and falsifying “But it was Karen O’Ha- “It’sa Spanish lawyer in Spain with an claimed,” he en had been accused judge Another is widow links to fraud along than the police Spain €72,000 of her and a Spanish criminal commercial documents. Hathaway, who is now taking insisted. gan, who lost the wickedness FREE Vol. IssuePress very angry, as The1 Olive 16 www.theolivepress.es just24th pension. the British angry, that to recognise trial WWW.JAVEABLINDS.COM October by all parties from RBS - November 6thwas 2019 legal action againstwho was a “I was told by CWM staff documents of actions taken this Specialists in Luxury Villas Holiday Rentals and Sales
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Mission Impossible. Greenhow, who has lived on the Costa Blanca for years, was horrified to discover that his convertible had apparently ‘disappeared’ while it was being transported back to the UK. After doing some digging he discovered that the transport company’s owner Simon Davies was a conman, who had been at least twice convicted of fraud in the UK. However, despite reporting the stolen car to both the Spanish and British police, he feared he would never see it again. But that was before the Olive Press had run a front page story on the missing car and its alleged theft in January last year. Also appearing online, it luckily struck a chord with one of our regular readers who remembered
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rise in say that a 10% SCIENTISTS triples the chance of mask wearing number infection rate keeping the R one. for COVID below Digital Health, rethe numWriting in Lancet that keeping searchers said means the pandemic is ber below one R rate shows the numshrinking. Theinfected by each carrier ber of people in the of the coronavirus. 300,000 people They studied their conclusion. USA to reach
App ‘n go
have been prove people AN app to against COVID is to be immunised the coming days. have launched in that those who the vaccine The Junta says two doses of been given to download the app, will will be able a QR code. This can people which will show scanned so be able to be been vaccinated. This prove they haveto let them travel decould be used for example. spite restrictions,
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‘creates 100% Mariano Esteban. that the vaccine susceptible to mouse the team has verified against researcher Arriaza said that SARS-CoV-2 in a humanised be 100% effective has proven to protection againstinfection, which is very important.’ modified to replicate SPANISH vaccine Esteban and Juan virus has beenis the key that allows will the SARS-CoV-2 COVID-19 in mice. by virologists Mariano vaccine, the MVA In the SpanishS protein of SARS-CoV-2, which Centre for Biotechnology, The jab, developed at the National cells. and teaches the complete Garcia Arriaza ‘within weeks’. to the protein to eradicate the coronavirus to enter human trials that was used the immune system of Virolmove on to humana variant of the virus it. protected in the Journal It therefore introduces and eliminate of the vaccine The vaccine uses to the results published it how to recognise one or two doses smallpox, according Biofabri, belonging According to the study, mice from COVID-19.vaccine blocked replibiotech giant in motion. ogy. doses of the of the ‘humanised’ with Spanish clinical trials already vaccinia’ vi- 100% added, however, that two It is being developed Ankara with plans for COVID-19 Arriaza in the lungs. to the Zendal group, the jab uses the ‘Modified protein that man- cation of the coronavirus the MVA vector-based in animal a SARS-CoV-2 the coronavirus, demonstrate that and complete efficacy Dubbed MVA-CoV-2, the re“These results a vehicle to transport defense against robust immunity in clinical trials,” rus (MVA) as an immune system vaccine produces Research. its future application ages to stimulate and supports the Spanish MediCouncil for Scientific progressing green light fromhuman trials, which models, declared. reported the Higher a few weeks before searchers waiting for the could begin in Biofabri is now kickstart the first of two clinical phases I and II and macaques. gener- Clinical III. cines Agency to out on hamsters to phase vaccine candidate few weeks. could start in a of neutralising Tests will now also be carried that the MVA-CoV-2 with the production “We have observed in mice,” explained immune response ates a robust the activation of T lymphocytes antibodies and of the vaccine Arriaza, developers and Juan Garcia Mariano Esteban Virologists DELIGHTED:
a chat without room HAVING a 30-second a badly ventilatedfor half facemask in than coughing could be worse it comes to COVID ina second when of Camfection. the University A study by Imperial College London in a bridge and coughing results speech found that while of big droplets, large number particles. These then – produces finer in the air for longer stay suspended to wear a up to an hour. advises people and othThe report themselves talking and mask to protect they are just ers, even if not coughing.
GOOD START
its the race to vaccinate AS Spain started COVID, Andalucia was population against an early leader. of the vaccination profirst tranche In the first weeks in four of Spain’s gramme one made in the region. of injections was
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THANK goodness or the O ve Press We have a home n Ayamonte (Hue va) that we can t get to and don t know when we w be a owed to aga n We usua y y nto Faro and dr ve over - now we understand that s not a owed so we are ookng at ghts nto Sev a as we are hop ng to spend the summer there When try ng to nd out about the trave s tuat on n Spa n the O ve Press s our rst port o ca - a the n ormat on that you share s nva uab e to us Thanks aga n
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Total arrogance I a ways g ve cyc s s o s o room I rea hem ke a sma car However hey g ve me no room o over ake some mes or qu e a ew k ome ers wh ch s he he gh o arrogance as we as poor road sense Recen y I was craw ng round a corner on a wee narrow road n second gear hugg ng he r gh hand s de o he road when a cyc s appeared head ng rap d y or me smack n he m dd e o he road and he a mos ended up smack n he m dd e o my car bonne Jus as we I can shou FFS n severa anguages
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NOTORIOUS: Disgraced businesswoman Jody Smart accused in financial scandal
huge sums ‘without falling into losses’. Worse, it comes as it emerges that dozens of victims left destitute and penniless by the Denia-based firm are suing Smart and her former partner Darren Kirby. In the first
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Jon Clarke INTO THE ABYSS: Proof that Editor - see page 14 DOES have a heart ll about
A WELL-KNOWN expat fashion signer has been accused of receivingdeup to €1million from an unlicensed Costa Blanca financial advisory company. Companies in Jody Smart’s name were given the money by defunct Continental Wealth Management (CWM) in the two years’ before its high-profile collapse left hundreds of investors an estimated €20million out of pocket, it can be revealed. A total of €999,435 was paid to her fashion label Jody Bell SL and property holding company Mercurio Conpro SL between 2015 and 2017, according to bank statements shown to the Olive Press. Brit Jody, 43, was also paid a €144,000 salary - despite telling a court that she ‘did not know what it meant to be a sole director of company’ and was only involved in ‘marketing and PR’. In a series of shocking declarations given to Denia’s Court of Instruction No.3 it has emerged that the company could ill afford to pay these
There shou d be new aws or cyc s s a so as s a n gh mare prob em n Spa n They do no o ow ru es and o en go a such a speed ha hey move a over he p ace They b ock en re roads as hey are s de by s de ye as a dr ver he b ame a ways es w h us and s no a r
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Vol. 2 Issue 48 www.theolivepress.es January 28th - February 10th 2021
AN expat has been reunited with his car after an eagle eyed Olive Press reader spotted it a year after it went missing. Kenny Greenhow, 63, went on an audacious lockdown journey to retrieve his beloved BMW which had apparently been stolen by local expat-run transport company
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ELIXIRS OF VALENCIA: Tasty treats to keep you healthy in body and mind - see page 12
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Rule-breakers
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Expat dashes 160 kilometres to retrieve stolen car from conman after Olive Press reader spots alleged thief a year on
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Good health
Vol. 14 Issue 361
From mice to men
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While other health tips for the new year include...
While other health tips for the new year include...
SUNNY DELIGHT: Soak up those rays - see page 13
Gi“The toll is indeed dreadful,” braltar Health Authority Medical Director exclusively told the Olive Press. “It brings tears just to contemplate it. a “But keep in mind that we are small population, so expanding our per capita rate to per million means each individual death, per whilst tragic means 29 deaths storm million, of which 28 are phantom tries to weather the coronavirus more than 100 years as Gibraltar deaths, not real ones. GRIM: Worst loss of life for As numbers continue to fall, lock“This is the small numbers chalthe Royal Fleet Auxiliary ammu- down may be eased (see page 4 lenge. If we did have a million passing both the UK and USA by nition ship, the Bedenham,” add- Lockdown end in sight) By John Culatto some have people, then it would ed Picardo. a country mile. its the worst loss of life validity. We don’t. The small population with for the ex- “This is now Testing in over 100 years. “I weep for every life lost. May close-knit community has led to “We can be grateful support and soli- of Gibraltarians so they rest in peace. May their rela- more recorded infections over pressions of Even in war, we have never lost The number of COVID-19 patients that have been sent from many in such a short time.” at tives get solace.” at St Bernard’s hospital was Christmas period than anyone darity the United Kingdom, Spain and “I believe we will see more deaths an all-time high of 54, with 10 of Gibraltar now has the have predicted. A WELL-KNOWN British ex- By proportion deaths to pop- could elderly at the them being in the Critical Care around the world,” said Picardo. pat and former glamour mod- one of the highest The majority of the casualties have “There is great suffering across amongst the frail in the ratios Lives surHalfworld, since Elderly Residential Services,” Unit. Other come How the el is set to go on trial this week. ulation nation.” warned Picard. also has one of the most the start of our Jody Smart, 44, has been about her fashion business she is in lockdown following But in the past few days there has Gibraltar testing programmes in the new year, Gibraltar intensive called to answer questions in boasted how she was worth discovery of the more contawith 2021 ac- the British variant of COVID-19 been a glimmer of hope. the world, with 150,000 swabs a multi-million euro pensions €13 million while showing off On going to press, the number being taken for its 33,700 inhabcounting for gious scam that lost hundreds of ex- her floor- to-ceiling shoe had cases December. coronavirus active collection andSee page 13 & 16 all but seven in itants and cross-frontier workers. pats their life savings. has not experienced of dropped below the 500 mark, with wearing limited of the lives “Gibraltar She is set to Opinion Page 6 loss of life in such a short homes. OLIVE edition Jimmy lost, many in such since the 1951 explosion of 62 of them at nursing be joined by time PRESS Choos. the last week. three other The trial, which former emPAPER TRAIL resumes in Deployees of nia this week, Continenwill ask her tal Wealth In denial and fellow emM a n ployees Paul agement 3 1 / 1 2 / 1 9 . E n d s o n s . Stec o n d i t i Clarke, t o t (CWM) o n l y . at S u b j e c OLIVE phen Ward Costa the PRESS and AnthoBlanca hear21/6/19 13:30 Downs ny are ings that Movers 952 147 834 - what hapbehind a year pened to clischedule. ents’ money Fashion dethat was put signer Smart in high-risk - aka Jody investments. Bell and Jody The private Kirby - will be prosecution grilled over the against how her Defour co-defennia-based GUIDE dants has been company brought by 17 colCWM lapsed in 2017, leaving many former CWM clients. The last of the firm’s 750 mostly-Brit- court date was in February, ish clients with huge financial with April hearings postponed due to the pandemic. problems. Law authorities are also trying Last year we exposed former to trace her ex husband Dar- CWM advisor Neil Hathaway for stealing hundreds of copren Kirby. While many of CWM’s vic- ies of the Olive Press after we tims lost all their savings, and reported how he was being a couple committed suicide, grilled as part of the legal proSmart allegedly travelled busi- ceedings. ness class to America and lived We tracked the disgraced financial advisor down to his in huge luxury villas. She also allegedly received multi-million euro villa above up to €1 million to set up her Javea, where he admitted it, company Jody Bell SL and whining that he had ‘also lost launched charity Grant a a lot of money’. Wish, which received lavish Legal action coordinator, Anpraise and publicity in various gela Brooks, told the Olive Press that she was ‘glad’ the local publications. In a Channel 4 programme trial was finally on. “The trial resumption will bring some long-awaited comfort to everyone who has waited for these defendants to be brought to justice.” The private action accuses Darren Kirby, Jody Smart, Paul Clarke, and Stephen Ward of fraud, disloyal administration, and forging signatures on investment dealing instructions. The
Fat not fit is what matters
Gib now has worse COVID death rate than UK and USA
Thomas Melia Marbella
COSTA BLANCA
The
searcher Dr Alejandro Lucia. “This study shows that being regularly active is health not likely to eliminate the detrimental effects of excess body fat. a physi“Our findings refute the notion that negate cally active lifestyle can completely the deleterious effects of obesity.” undeniThe team found that while exercise that able had positive effects, participants were overweight or obese were undeniably oping mamore at risk of develA Good jor health problems. health “More activity is better, so walking 30 minutes per day is better than walking 15 minutes a day,’ Dr Lucia said. exercise “But does not seem to A compensate for the negative effects of excess weight.”
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Fat not fit
Peop e who cyc e on he A7 are he same peop e who pu he r headres down on an a rp ane Jus because you can do doesn mean you shou d I be hey don ake he r ro y back a Mercadona e her
Blame culture
Kayce Marie Hodgson, Marbella
IT’S impossible to be ‘fat and fit’ and even if you are slightly overweight you are unhealthy, a new study found. Researchers in Spain found the risk of heart attacks and strokes rockets as BMI increases. And while they agree that exercise does diabetes reduce the risk of some illnesses like active and and hypertension, those who were cholesobese were twice as likely to have high weight. terol than inactive people of a normal ‘obesity The findings challenge the long-held be fat and paradox’ belief that it’s possible to from heart not at an increased risk of death disease. adults by The study of over 520,000 Spanish revealed the European University, in Madrid, four that overweight people were actually and five times more likely to have diabetes...pressure. times more likely to have high blood lead re“One cannot be fat but healthy,” said
The news that drivers might be fined €200 if they don’t give cyclists enough room provoked a response from readers
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The Iberian ribbed newt thrown a lifeline BIOLOGISTS at Valencia’s Oceanogràfic park have successfully managed to reintroduce a severely threatened species of newt back into the Serra Calderona nature park between the provinces of Valencia and Castellon. The programme follows an identical scheme carried out previously in Sueras (Serra Espada, Castellon) and which was selected as one of the 10 best environmental and sustainable development projects in the Valencia region.
Vital
GREEN
Good newts!
SUCCESS: Threatened newts reintroduced to nature park
The Pleurodeles waltl, better known as the Iberian ribbed newt, is on the Valencian list of endangered species and is considered of vital importance for the maintenance of the area’s endemic biodiversity. According to the experts, the newt helps regulate the insect population and plays an important part in the food chain. As its name suggests, the amphibian can only be found on the Iberian Peninsula and in Morocco. The project is entitled Oasis of life, restoration of water sources
for local biodiversity, the Iberian ribbed newt as the leading species and was launched three years ago to preserve flora and fauna that are typical to the area. In addition to reintroducing and protecting endemic species, the programme also focuses on
Auf Wiedersehen PET! WHEN it comes to plastic bottles the EU is saying auf wiedersehen to PET and guten tag to r-PET. The Union’s European Circular Economy Strategy for Plastics has set a target for all plastic packaging to be recyclable by 2030. This means that manufacturers will have to switch away from to use the cumbersome jargon - polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles and use instead recyclable polyethylene terephthalate (r-PET) In recent years the problem of plastic pollution - particularly in the oceans - has never been far from the headlines. Various big name brands are already using packaging with a proportion of recyclable material, but the EU wants to make 100% recyclable - and preferably recycled - plastic mandatory. Pressure has been mounting from consumers and environmentalists following extensive media coverage of plastic pollution, such as David Attenbrough’s Blue Planet 2. But making packaging 100% recyclable is easier said than done, according to one Spanish company. Carlos Enguix is head of Packaging Technologies at Valencia company, AINIA. He explained that a big problem with recycling is that there is often a degradation in the quality of the material in the process. He added: “By using certain percentages of recycled material with virgin product, we can meet the requirements for packaging foods.” This is a solution that is being used today , with companies using similar techniques to make r-PET around the world, with some announcing r-PET percentages from 20% to 100% already.
Under pressure SPAIN’s first high-pressure hydrogen refuelling station has been set up. With a supply capacity of 700 bar pressure, the new station is part of a scheme to showcase the long-distance capabilities of hydrogen cell cars. It will be used to refuel a fleet of 12 Toyota Mirai units that will be used by the companies behind the project, in order to promote hydrogen as a clean and sustainable energy. It is the first station in Spain
February 10th - February 23rd 2021
to offer hydrogen at such high pressure, making it possible to refuel the tanks of the latest generation of fuel cell vehicles in around five minutes, giving a range of 550 kilometres. Power company Enagás and Toyota have partnered with environmental management company Urbaser, industrial gas company Carburos Metálicos, the Sumitomo Corporation and the Spanish Confederation of Service Station Employers (CEEES) for the project.
raising environmental awareness among the public and publishing scientific and educational
material. The Oceanografic team will work closely with residents who are familiar with the Serra Calderona in order to target the best spots to release the baby newts. Working also with the regional Agriculture department, the experts will recover abandoned waterholes, dig new ones and clear small wetland areas of invasive species. The released specimens will be marked with an ultraviolet solution or fitted with a microchip that will enable scientists to keep track of their progress. Natural ponds have recently been found to play a vital role in regulating global warming, as they trap and filter carbon dioxide naturally.
9
Cash savings A SPANISH town has announced that all the electricity it uses comes from renewable sources. The green energy supplied to Orihuela on the Costa Blanca comes from solar power, hydroelectric and windmill turbines. Angel Noguera, Orihuela’s Councilor for Infrastructure, said: “We are producing a cleaner, more ecological and more suitable energy for the protection of nature.” The council signed an electricity framework agreement with a ‘guarantee of 100% renewable sources’ with the Diputacion de Alicante. This ensures significant cash savings for municipalities in the province. Municipalities and corporations that adhere to the agreement are guaranteed supplies of energy sourced purely from renewable sources at a competitive price.
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LA CULTURA
Sales for chessboard maker soar thanks to The Queen’s Gambit THE Spanish woodworking company that supplied chess boards for hit Netflix series The Queen’s Gambit is cashing a large cheque after sales rocketed. Rechapados Ferrer, which was founded in the 1950s in La Garriga, Catalunya, noted a slight rise in sales during the first lockdown. However, it was the success of the Netflix miniseries which would do as much for his company as it has for the world of chess. “When the series came out, it all just went crazy and drove sales of chess boards through the roof,” David Ferrer, founder
February 10th February 23rd 2021
Cheque mate
SUCCESS: The Queen’s Gambit has been good news for one Spanish company
of the company, told the Guardian. “In the past two or three
months, we’ve had orders in for 40,000 boards – twice the number we’d make over the entire course of a normal year.” The Queen’s Gambit miniseries, based on the Walter Te(the Secretary’s Estate) – vis novel of the a Roman site dating from same name, has the 1st to the 4th centubeen viewed by ries. over 62 million people and was Support nominated for four categories The restoration of the at the 2020 IGN statue has involved Awards, winthe design and subning Best Drama sequent execution of TV Series of the a support that allows Year. the statue to be The response held in position from the public without damage has been equally to the work, explosive, with minimising Chess.com alone the impact to reporting milthe structure, lions of new usunlike the ers since the seprevious supries was aired. port used. British chess
Venus facelift
THE Venus of Fuengirola is back on display after undergoing an in-depth restoration. The white marble sculpture, depicting a Venus Pudica and measuring 144 by 60 centimetres, has undergone meticulous restoration before its presentation once more to the public. Found in 1979 when building works were underway on the railway line at Los Boliches, Fuengirola’s most emblematic Roman sculpture has returned to the site where it was found, the Finca del Secretario
The Survivors by Jane Harper
S
ET in a small town on the coast of Tasmania, this is Jane Harper’s fourth Australian Noir thriller. When the body of a young woman washes ashore at Evelyns Bay, secrets long thought forgotten threaten to resurface. When he was young, Keiran Elliott made one stupid mistake with devastating consequences which changed his life. Keiran’s return to his hometown, which coincides with the discovery of the body, forces him to face his guilt as his past comes back to haunt him. As the investigation proceeds, old mysteries are brought to light involving a sunken ship and a missing girl. Harper has, again, crafted a powerful and wonderfully evocative psychological thriller. €19.50 The Bookshop San Pedro, www.thebookshop.es
champion, David Howell, lauded The Queen’s Gambit for being ‘well choreographed and realistic.’ Despite the resounding success, it was a long haul for writer Scott Frank and producer Allan Scott.
Rejected
Scott purchased the screenplay rights for the story from Tevis’ widow in 1992, but for decades broadcasters rejected the idea, saying that no one would be interested in watching chess. On October 28, 2020, just five days after it was aired, The Queen’s Gambit became the most viewed series of the day on Netflix.
Big Screen MALAGA will have the first permanent drive-in cinema in Andalucia, open all year round, and the second largest in Europe. Investor Tamara Istambul and Cristina Porta, promoter of Autocine Madrid Race, have been given the green light by Malaga City Council to begin the construction of the drive-in cinema, with the inauguration expected this summer. The drive-in will be located on 16,000 square metres of land on the Guadalhorce industrial estate, just 15 minutes from Malaga’s city centre, with a planned capacity for 250 vehicles and more than 250 deck chairs in front of the big screen. The project is expected to create more than 100 jobs, with 3000 square metres reserved for food trucks and American-style Diners, in an attempt to recreate “the magic and attractiveness of the typical venues of the 1950s in the US.”
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LA CULTURA
February 10th - February 23rd 2021
Twist in the tale As the controversial toro season is set to kick off, Jack Gaioni looks at the true life pacifist bull, Civilon, which inspired a children’s fairy tale and could help to scotch the beef over bullfighting
T
HE divisive subject of bullfighting is never far from the surface in Spanish culture, especially now it’s nearly the season for it (March to September). Is it an anachronistic and barbarous
bloodsport that should be banned or an artistic expression embedded in Spanish cultural tradition that should be preserved? Although 90% of corridas in Spain were culled by Covid last year, voices on both sides of the argument remain bolshy and deafening. But there’s a little-known Spanish vignette about a girl, her pet bull and a bullfight that maybe – just maybe – might offer some common ground for both sides. Consider the story of Carmelita Cobaleda and her pet bull, Civilon. If you’ve read American author Munro Leaf’s 1936 book, Ferdinand the Bull, it could ring a few cowbells... Civilon was a handsome black ranch bull born and raised amongst the cork oak pastures of 1930s Salamanca. Bred to be fearless and aggressive like all toros bravos, honing his skills in bouts with his brothers, Civilón possessed those traits in spades along with one unprecedented characteristic: he loved people, children especially; Carmelita, the breeder’s seven-year-old daughter, in particular, after she tended his wounds and gave him
OLE: Bullfighting is a divisive subject in Spain but is never far from the surface in Spanish culture
a name. Often, after doing battle, Civilón would trot over to nuzzle her in the most docile way. However, in the training ring, he would remember his DNA, butting, charging and gouging. But he also loved a pat and a treat, just like any household pet! News of the gentle giant soon spread around Spain and even abroad through the pages of the international press. The
Italian magazine Estampa dedicat- form and his breeding, the animal ed several 1936 covers to Civilon charged into the ring and launched posing with children and comely himself at the Picador’s horse at señoritas. And thoufull force. He almost sands flocked to Saltoppled over nag and amanca to witness rider! Spectators the astonishing sight But after being so leof a one-ton fighting thal, he then casually demanded bull eating from a little trotted to the side of a pardon for girl’s hand. the ring, looking to be Against this backdrop, the bull which petted. a shrewd manager of The audience of fought bravely 24,000 spectators the Barcelona bull ring contracted Carmeliloved it! They rose in ta’s beloved bovine to unison and demanded fight, banking on the bull’s populari- a rare ‘indulto’ - a pardon for a bull ty to pull a capacity crowd. which has fought bravely. Civilon did not disappoint. True to Thus, the animal is spared and returned to its home pasture to become a stud for the rest of its life. After a few passes from the matador that day, the main door was opened and he trotted out to freedom. Superficially, it’s a heartwarming, innocent tale. Between the lines, there are some key takeaways that might help both sides of the bullfighting divide to find some common ground. MONUMENT: In honour of the brave bull Civilon Let’s take a look.
Bull the other one!
●● The narrative of Civilon is said to be the true story behind the most popular children’s parable ever. Munro Leaf’s Ferdinand the Bull became a best-seller, hailed the greatest children’s classic since Winnie the Pooh. Set in Andalucia with illustrations of the countryside around Ronda, the fictional Ferdinand prefers flowers to fighting, does battle in Madrid’s bullring and lives to tell the tale. ●● Gandhi was a fan but Franco banned the book and Hitler burned it as pacifist propaganda. Published in 60 languages and never out of print, its meaning is still hotly debated by everyone from politicians and psychologists to the LGBTQ community. ●● In a rebuttal with his own children’s story, the Faithful Bull, aficionado and Republican sympathiser Ernest Hemingway wrote about ‘a bull not named Ferdinand and he cared nothing for flowers … he loved to fight’ ●● Ferdinand also stars in a 1938 Oscar-winning Disney cartoon and a 2017 Oscar-nominated computer-animated movie
DID YOU KNOW?
LA CULTURA
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February 10th - February 23rd 2021
13
Talking bull
For over two decades Jairo Miguel has been one of the most controversial figures in bullfighting. You just might not have heard of him - yet.
J
Bulls: Considered one of the dead- own power. In the man’s world of liest land animals, in Spain they are matadors, breeders and trainers, bred for aggression, with little hu- perhaps Carmelita subconsciously man contact. Yet, although Civilon assumed the role of feminine nurcould fight to order, he also respond- turing agent. Would it not make ed to human kindness. This sug- bullfighting more palatable if there gests that bulls are living, breathing was more feminine input in this trasentient beings as emphasised by ditionally ‘macho’ field? the anti-bullfighting lobby as well as the noble, ferocious beasts desired Civilon’s experience in the Barceloby aficionados. na bullring took place The indulto: This parin 1936, when the don is rarely granted Spanish Civil War was Science to bulls in Spain but imminent. And unlike often in other bullfightsuggests that Ferdinand, the fictioning nations like Mexial bull whose story little girls co, France and Columwas published the bia, where audience same year, there’s a identify with figures confirm its consad twist to this tale. strong animals Our real life hero never tinued popularity. Is it not possible that, as made it back to graze Civilon’s fight shows, the sweet grass of his audiences can fully appreciate the Salamanca pastures, much less pageantry without the blood? lead the life of a superstud. Instead, a few days after being Carmelita: Science suggests that spared the matador’s sword, he little girls tend to identify with strong was requisitioned by hungry local dynamic animals (e.g. horses, dol- Republican soldiers, butchered and phins) as a way of expressing their eaten as rations.
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“
LEGENDARY: Civilon enjoyed international fame
AIRO Miguel Sánchez is only 27 but already he has two decades of bullfighting under his cape. People have had their eyes on him since he learned to fight at just five years old and left a crowd in western Spain slack-jawed when he slayed his first bull three years later. Now his following is in the thousands, in no small part to social media, where he has over 10,000 fans watching his every PRODIGY: Miguel killed his first bull at the age of five step and sweep. This is the bullfighter for the Instagram generation - and he’s only just getting started. The Extremadura athlete is one of “You can’t live in the past Spain’s sparkiest stars in any sport, but you can’t forget it. I moving to Mexico at 11 to practice want to push beyond the professionally after being twice fined stereotype of a bullfighter. in his hometown near Caceres for fighting underage. He’s been gored It’s time to renew.” twice, on both occasions when he was 14. The first time he broke two ribs, the second time his lung was punctured by a bulls horn, brushing his aorta and nearly penetrating his heart. Another inch in the adorn shimmering wrong direction and he would have been dead. Un- jackets and billowfazed, he made a full recovery and, aged just six- ing shirts, he trains teen, killed six bulls in a single afternoon. in sunglasses and His father, Antonio Sánchez, was also a professional sweats. bullfighter. “He didn’t want me to be a torero.” Jairo “ U n f o r t u n a t e l y Miguel says. “He didn’t like the risk involved and I the world of bullunderstand that. fighting is still very “I get frightened too, still. Everytime I go in the old-fashioned. It is square I am afraid. Not just for my life, but also of good we have old failure. I want to achieve my dream and become the values that cannot be lost, we have a code that our ancestors created best in the world. “I want to succeed, to stand out and leave my name but it does need a bit of updating. on this profession. Yes, it is true you have to endure “We are in a century where we have everything at our fingertips but this new generation cannot underthe injuries, the mishaps, but to me it is worth it.” While his parents believed their young son’s aspira- stand us because of the negative connotations bulltions were just a phase, Jairo Miguel always knew fighting has. I’ve always thought that I can’t change bullfighting was a ‘way of life, a true passion’. As a the world, but I can change mine. toddler his mum couldn’t get him to sit still in front of “What we do is not bad, but it must be renewed to cartoons but he would be utterly absorbed by tele- the present times to be more accessible to young vised bullfights for hours on end. “It wasn’t a game people and new cultures. to me,” he said. “It was what I was always meant to “Let the next generation have the power of choice do.” Less clear, perhaps, was his path to become a for them to see if they like it or not.” “I cannot change bullfighting, but I am in the prosocial media star. Now he wants to harness his online presence to rev- cess of sharing. Although I am young in age, I want olutionise the way people perceive Spain’s most tra- to be able to renew that part. I would like when all ditional - and controversial - past time. He dreams this happens, not to lose the essence of what my of being recognised beyond the plaza de toros and profession is and that people appreciate what it is be seen as a major player in the world of fashion to be a bullfighter. It is art, it is athleticism - and it and sport, joking that while old fashioned fighters should not be lost”.
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Sun is shining... for now Brexit and COVID are not wreaking total havoc as prices are back on the up, but 2021 could be tough, writes Campbell Ferguson of Survey Spain in his annual report
P
RICES of properties in Andalucia COVID-19 and variants have mostly held up over the last year, our network of agents and As with most countries, Spain has been valuers have found. regulated to a great extent by its COVID exThere has certainly not been a huge col- perience. Complete shutdowns, municipal lapse in values...And that’s very much boundaries, flights cancelled, etc, etc, but the case in the higher end of the market. the principal problems for most, have been Take one recent study of a villa in Mar- the shutdown of the catering and leisure bella. Its value rose gradually from 2018 facilities, as well as the closing of schools, until the beginning of 2020, but then with the latter causing panic over child dropped back to the 2018 level over the care for working parents. next four months, before starting to rise Knowing the new regulations, and keepagain in the second half of the year. ing up with them, has been confusing for There has also been increasing demand everyone, but for tourists the restrictions for building surveys from UK clients, in- have discouraged most visitors, even when dicating that more Brits are buying than travel was permitted. perhaps predicted, probably to acquire homes before Brexit changes everything. Increased home searches Lifestyle change has certainly been a significant factor for many nationalities, All agents have noted a huge increase in with many finding they prefer to change internet searches and enquiries for propto their holiday home location for lock- erties. down, instead of big cities. And while it’s perhaps inIt also makes sense in the evitable that people locked long term as they can work down in colder climates are Brexit may now just as effectively from going to seek some escaphome as they can from an have moved off ism relief viewing homes office, with commuter time can only dream of, many the front pages, they and stress being avoided. have become serious as they Increasing numbers of but it still has a realise that they don’t have new families are registerlive within commuting dislong way to run to ing their children in private tance of their places of work. schools on the coast, makThis will be the major lasting ing the change even more change after COVID. And it’s permanent. definitely encouraging for sunny Spain. However, I believe next year is going to see the economic effects of the restric- Is Brexit taking a toll? tions really hit, with countries unable to keep bailing out companies and individ- Brexit may now have moved off the front uals indefinitely. pages, while all the details are worked out, The Brexit effect on exchange rates, but it still has a long way to run. taxes, travel, and bureaucracy will also The ramifications are changing Europe make the British think twice before mov- and Britain, and the lives of their citizens ing here. with many details still being thrashed out However, overall, it’s looking pretty by the bureaucrats over finance, trade and healthy in the long-term for the costas, travelling. and things should boom particularly We have found that many people in the UK once the current COVID-19 restrictions are ignorant, or in denial, of the changes have ended and the world learns to live that have already and must inevitably ocwith the ‘new normal’ in a year or two. cur. We have seen a gradual shift in some formerly heavy British expat areas, away from being UK-centric, to becoming more international. Price is right UK residents appear to be able to carry on as before, as long as they have taken Ask een Betw ce eren Diff Average care of the residence paperwork and Ening Price and Actual Selling Price glish still seems to be the lingua franca. 0. 202 vs 2019 Of more concern to sellers and agents is how new residents will be treated. Quarters of 2019 This is not yet entirely clear, but it appears that Spain is certainly keen to encourage continuing applications for Januar y to March – 7.61% residency from Brits. April to June – 10.69% However there are likely to be some July to September – 9.7% changes to the tax situation and periods October to December – 11.29% of stay are likely to place some interim restrictions upon new expats, while acQuarters of 2020 cess to health care will be a vital component. 6% 8.6 Januar y to March – However, these changes apply to the whole of the EU and so Spain should April to June – 12.93% not be disadvantaged compared to othJuly to December – 8.94% er European countries. New residents will have to start their TO CONCLUDE: This indicates residencia process at the Spanish condrop tial stan sub no is e that ther sulates back home and there are two in in prices the UK; in London and Edinburgh.
PROPERTY
14
February 10th February 23rd 2021
Village offering free house and business to young family to fight depopulation
FOR young families one of the hardest things to do is to get on the first rung of the property ladder, But one village in Spain is not only offering the chance of a free home – but also a business to go with it. Tabanera de Cerrato in Palencia(pictured) is looking for a family with children to move to the area as it struggles against depopulation, and to that end is offering a free house, complete with grocery store, on the ground floor to the right candidates. And it is proving to be an al-
Home alone
luring offer for people, maybe looking for a change of lifestyle or a leg-up into the world
Hull of a price tag TALK about extravagance. An anonymous buyer in Spain just splashed out nearly €10 million on a superyacht. The boat, named Takara, is the work of Francesco Paszkowski, an Italian purveyor of luxury gadgets. It was originally built in 2016
but was reworked in 2020 and boasts five staterooms, and all-important sun deck fitted with a bar, sun loungers and Jacuzzi. Decked to the halls, the boat can accommodate up to 12 guests, plus seven crew. In addition to the master suite there is a VIP suite, double room and two twin rooms.
of property ownership. Local mayor Luz Íscar has already had more than 500 applicants from Spain and as far afield as Argentina and the Netherlands. The village is located in the Cerrato region of Palencia and has only 142 inhabitants – and declining. The house is in the process of being renovated in the village and the grocery store is located on the ground floor. “We wanted to provide a business for the family and a service for the village,” the mayor said in a recent interview. The house is being renovated through a programme run by Junta de Castilla y Leon, and the premises on the ground floor will be set up with the support of the local authorities in Palencia.
MORTGAGE THINK TANK by mortgage broker Tancrede de Pola
Golden ticket to Spain
N
OW that the Brexit transition period is over, making a move to Spain from the UK is not as straightforward as it once was. For many people looking to ‘semi-retire’ in this country new restrictions now apply. The most applicable for those who are planning to spend several months a year in a second home in Spain is the 90 day ruling. This means that UK (or any other nonEU) citizens cannot stay in Spain for more than 90 days in any 180 day period. This ruling applies to any Shengen area country – so any time you spend in for example France or Germany is counted towards your 90 days here in Spain. This regulation is enough to make some people think twice about buying a property here. But there is a way of circumventing this rule which gives investors unlimited access to Spain and in the longer term permanent residency. This is by way of the so-called Golden Visa. Previously this did not apply to UK citizens as the nation was part of the EU. But with Brexit the UK is now a ‘third-party’ nation and qualifies for the Golden Visa scheme. Originally designed to attract inves-
The perfect option to avoid the 90 day residency rule tors from beyond Europe, the scheme provides residency visas to non-EU nationals buying property in Spain. A €500,000 property investment qualifies the client for a visa, offering travel and educational opportunities for their family too. This is the cash element required, but it is important to note that this doesn’t preclude our clients from using a mortgage to fund the amount of the purchase price and costs over this limit. At the Finance Bureau, we have been working with clients from the Middle East, Russia and the USA for several years. In partnership with our banks we have been developing specifically tailored mortgage products for these clients in order to give best loans-to-value and competitive rates. In fact, the visa is not only available for property transactions. Other ways to qualify include depositing substantial sums in Spanish bank accounts and making other investments. We can help UK residents explore their options to qualify for the visa, so please get in touch and we can help you make the best decision.
To contact Tancrede for all your mortgaging needs call: 666 709 743 or for insurance queries call: 951 203 540 Email: tdp@thefinanacebureau.com The Finance Bureau Centro Commercial Guadalmina, 2nOffice No. 7 Guadalmina, 29670
BUSINESS
What a relief
THE Spanish government is considering debt relief measures to help companies weather the coronavirus pandemic storm. Last year, aid was focused on furlough schemes and a state-backed loan guarantee programme. This has helped push state debt up to an estimated 120% of GDP. Now there is a growing realisation that the emphasis of government help will need to change as pandemic restrictions drag on and a vaccine roll-out is stalled.
Demise
With Spanish bankruptcy laws cumbersome and often leading to the demise rather than rescue of struggling businesses, the aim of inter-departmental negotiations is to save businesses that have a good chance of survival once the crisis is over, according to media reports. One proposal would excuse a portion of the debt borrowed through Spain’s state-backed loan guarantee programme that was rolled out last year. Another being considered is to use state guarantees to encourage banks to offer companies participatory loans, sources said.
February 10th - February 23rd 2021
SPAIN’S Prime Minister, Pedro Sanchez, has pledged €11 billion to help the country go digital. The cash injection is part of the Spain Digital Agenda 2025, which views the digital transformation as one of the ‘essential levers for relaunching economic growth, reducing inequality, increasing productivity and harnessing all the opportunities offered by new technologies’.
Grants
As part of the scheme small and medium enterprises will be able to apply for grants to help them instal new technology - although the nuts and bolts of how to get the cash have not been announced yet. “Spain’s immediate future lies in the vaccine and defeating the pandemic, and then in the recovery and the social, economic and adminTHE six main Spanish banks have shed 2,176 jobs and closed 1,188 offices so far during the coronavirus pandemic - with worse to come in 2021. This is a reduction of 1.72% of their workforce and 8.12% of their branches. Not all the blame can be put on the doorstep of COVID, as banks have been making ‘efficiency’ savings for some time. But branch closures accelerated in 2020 and will continue to do so this year, accord-
Going digital €11 billion to help Spain digitize
istrative transformation, and this recovery will necessarily be a digital one,” said Sanchez. In attendance at the launch of the scheme was Minister for Economic Affairs Nadia Calviño and and Margrethe Vestager, Executive Vice President of the EU - as well as Juan Manuel Serrano, Chairman of Correos, Pepita Martín, CEO of We Are Knitters, and other leading figures in the digital world. According to Calviño, public-private collaboration, as represented by the attendees
Banking losses
ing to plans already published by the big banks. Banco Santander closed 2020 with 2,923 branches in Spain, 296 fewer than it had a year earlier, and 26,961 workers, 669 fewer. It has also announced a Redundancy Program (ERE) that will see 3,572 jobs go and the closure of 1,033 branches.
CASH PROMISE: PM Sanchez made the pleadge By Laurence Crumbie
of the event, is paramount to Spain’s digital future. “Public investments are a The company is chifting its emphasis towards an online presence. BBVA Spain cut 953 jobs and 160 branches in 2020, to 29,330 employees and 2,482 branches. It is now planning a cost-cutting exercise in the first half of 2021, for which ‘all options’ are being studied. A merger of CaixaBank and Bankia is expected to go ahead in the first quarter of 2021. The banks are in negotiations with trade unions over potential job losses.
lever to mobilise significant investments that the private sector will address in the coming years and which will allow us to transform our economy,” she explained.
Plans
The multibillion investment will go towards three strategic plans, whose aims include reducing the digital gap between men and women, providing digital support to small-medium enterprises (SMEs), and digitalising the public authorities, respectively. According to the government, 43% of Spaniards lack basic digital skills, which have become especially essential due to the coronavirus pandemic.
15
Cryptocrooks A RECENT huge rise in the value of cryptocurrencies has seen a parallel rise in scammers. Spanish police have moved in on a ring of alleged fraudsters who were operating world-wide from Andorra, trying to fleece unsuspecting victims in an investment scam. Europol partnered with Spanish and Catalan police for the operation against an ‘investment training firm’ in the Pyennean tax-haven. The company used a backstory of providing training in forex and cryptocurrency markets as cover for defrauding thousands of clients. Six suspects were detained in raids on two houses. Some €70,000 in cash and cryptocurrencies were seized as well as eight vehicles.
Budget openings GERMAN budget supermarket chain Lidl is continuing to expand in Spain with five new stores opening this month. The company is spending €30 million and creating 85 new jobs. On February 25 it will open the doors of a new store in Palma de Mallorca. On the same day, it will open a new store in Madrid and another in Gran Canaria. Before this stores will open in Barcelona and Rivas Vaciamadrid (Madrid).
Want to make easy money? Take this simple two-minute test on mortgages in Spain to see if you are owed thousands?
F
ORGET the Coronavirus… there is something almost as bad for many homeowners in Spain. Let’s call it the BANKING PANDEMIA, or the Floor Clause illness, also known as ‘Clausula Suelo’ or ‘Suelo Hipotecario’ here. This was simply a clause that was inserted into variable rate mortgage agreements in Spain during the last 20 years that affects the interest rate payable on the mortgage. And it means that mortgage holders are being conned and do not fully benefit from the fall in EURIBOR as there will be a minimum rate of interest payable on the
1 . Did you buy a property and arrange a
mortgage with a Spanish bank between during the ‘happy years’ of 2002 to 2012?
you take over the mortgage offered 2 . Did by the developer if your property was bought off plan?
YES NO
YES NO
you notice your interest rate and 3 . Did your mortgage rate have not come
YES
down alongside global drops in interest rates?
NO
you still paying the same interest 4 . Are rate (3 - 4%) over the last few years
YES
without any change?
NO
mortgage (this floor, also known as a ‘suelo’ is often 3- 4% depending on the bank). While this clause has been deemed illegal by both the Spanish and European courts, it is estimated that there are more than 3.5 million mortgages in Spain affected. Worse, there is no vaccination forecast for the owners and the only way to eradicate the clause is to claim and sue the banks and lenders. Given most of you are largely stuck at home with little to do in these days of the COVID crisis, I want to challenge all Olive Press readers to undertake this simple test which only takes two minutes.
5 . Have you asked your bank manager about your mortgage payment and have not got any answer yet?
you had a fixed mortgage rate 6 . Did during some years and then it changed to a lower amount?
YES NO
YES NO
you checked your latest mortgage 7 . Have statement and seen an interest rate above
YES
your mortgage referred to EURIBOR 8 . Is rate?
YES
2%?
NO
NO
NOTE: If you had a mortgage in Spain and it has been paid off, you are still entitled to claim if the last mortgage payment was carried out as long ago as 2016. There is a 5 year term for claiming since the last payment of the mortgage was paid.
RESULTS : 1-3 YES answers: you may have been affected in the past
by the FLOOR CLAUSE, and maybe the bank has taken off the floor clause and you were not aware of it, it is worth a closer check of your mortgage.
4-5 YES answers: You have a floor clause inserted in your
mortgage and you have been overpaying interest over the last 10 years and your bank is squeezing you as a LEMON. Claim for your refund.
5-7 YES answers: The bank owes you money and it can be a huge amount of money, this is not a JOKE.
Please do not hesitate to contact us for a free consultancy, please bear in mind we work on the basis of NO WIN NO FEE, please take a minute to check your mortgage statement and send it to us me by whatsapp 606307885 or by email diego@fairwaylawyers.com
Fairway L AW Y E R S
READY TO HELP: Fairways Lawyers owner Diego Echavarria
16
Affordable Business February 10th February 23rd 2021 Contacts
CONSTRUCTION
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FOOD,DRINK & TRAVEL
February 10th - February 23rd 2021
Pizza the action
Spain record lowest number of tourists in five decades
On the right track CUSTOMERS raced to get cut price tickets for Spain’s bullet train rail service following its launch. By midday last Monday, customers had snapped up 33,390 tickets for the new AVLO service between Madrid and Barcelona, with tickets going for as little as €5 for journeys of over 600km. The high speed train will see customers race full steam ahead, travelling 390 miles in under three hours. The trains, which travel at 330 km per hour, mean that travellers can leave Madrid and arrive in Barcelona three hours later. The fastest trains take two and a half hours. The AVLO service,which is operated by state rail operator Renfe, will operate four daily return journeys per day from June 23. The promotional low cost tickets were sold to mark the 80th anniversary of Spanish state operator Renfe.
THE number of tourists visiting Spain last year was the lowest in five decades, new figures have revealed. Spain’s tourism sector plummeted by nearly 80% compared to 2020. The country, which usually sees 75 million visitors a year, suffered from a drop in tourism triggered by the coronavirus pandemic. Visitor numbers tumbled to just 19million in 2020 - the
No go
lowest figures since 1969, according to the national statistics office INE. Despite the promise of
COVID-19 vaccinations, December was one of Spain’s worst months for tourism on record.
What a beaut THE Andalucian city of Cordoba has been voted the most beautiful in Spain in a recent online survey. The study was carried out on the popular travel and culture website Lonely Planet's social media platforms. The site gathered the results of 52,000 responses who were asked to choose between the cities of Alcala de Henares, Avila, Baeza, Caceres, Cordoba, Cuenca, Ibiza, Merida, Salamanca, San Cristobal de La Laguna, Santiago from Compostela, Segovia, Tarragona, Toledo and Ubeda. All of the chosen cities currently hold certification as a World Heritage Site. Thanks to its stunning architecture and picturesque infrastructure, Cordoba took the top spot, with the site calling it "a stunning and historically rich city that transports the visitor between medieval Spain and modern
International travel to the country fell 85% lower than it was in December 2019 after authorities imposed new travel restrictions to curb the spread of the new variant in COVID-19 infections. Spending was also down, with tourists visiting in December bringing in just €19.7 billion euros to Spain’s economy - 78.5% less than the year previous.
Decimated
Andalucian culture." The world's leading travel website will publish a feature on Cordoba next month, showing the city's charms to an audience of millions across the globe. This recent victory boosts Cordoba's presence as one of the most sought after tourist destinations in Southern Spain. Last month, the city was welcomed into the Executive Council of the World Tourism Organization (WTO).
TM
17
Spain’s economy continues to be one of the hardest hit as travel restrictions decimate the once lucrative travel industry. France overtook Britain as Spain's most important source of tourists last year, accounting for 3.9 million arrivals, a 65 percent decline over 2019. Around 14 percent of Spanish hotel jobs, or 190,000 posts, were cut in 2020, according to Spanish union CCOO.
SPAIN’S largest pizza chain, Telepizza, has launched a fully vegan menu complete with plantb a s e d meat and dairyf r e e cheese toppings. Branded as Las Veguis, the new menu features vegan cheese made by Violife, along with NoPollo vegan chicken and NoPicada vegan ground meat made by Dutch brand The Vegetarian Butcher. Prices will be the same as for its other more traditional animal-based options. Vegan fast food arrived at the big fast-food outlets in 2019, as Taco Bell added vegan beef made with a mixture of oats, beans, and peas. Papa John's last year launched two vegan pizzas as demand for the option increased from customers. Telepizza's Nacho Martin said: “We have had vegetarian items on our menus for years, but to create something that is 100% suitable for vegans, we worked with companies who have considerable experience of what is needed”.
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FOOD,DRINK & TRAVEL
PAIN is an art aficionado’s paradise with three of the most famous museums in the world clustered in its capital alone. Madrid is known as the Golden Triangle of Art for its monumental Prado, Reina Sofia and Thyssen-Bornemisza museums. But for a real brush with genius there’s nothing like a prowl round the homes of the artists themselves. An intriguing alternative to the typical grand establishments,
these casa museos reveal a more personal side to the maestros who once lived there, providing a privileged glimpse into their psyches through the objects that were part of their everyday lives. Spain is generously appointed with these intimate treasures houses, which can be found everywhere from the major cities to the tiniest pueblos. Art connoisseur or merely nosy, here are six house museums in Spain you should definitely take a peek at.
At Home with the Maestros Explore six artists’ house-museums in Spain for a Through the Keyhole experience with knobs on, writes Cristina Hodgson
1.
E
l Greco Museum (Toledo): The home of celebrated Mannerist painter El Greco (Greece 1541 – Toledo, 1614) His house no longer exists today but its precise historic replica has been created 200 metres from the original site. Located in Toledo’s old Jewish Quarter, it showcases many of El Greco’s later paint-
Fundació Pilar y Joan Miró (Palma de Mallorca): A modern museum built around the studio and finca of Joan Miro (Barcelona, 1893 – Palma, 1983). Miro found inspiration in Mallorca at the age of 63, where the painter-sculptor-ceramicist had his dream workshop designed by his friend, the Spanish starchitect Josep Lluís Sert. Miro bought the house in Cala Major in 1956 where he lived until his death, after which the premises was enlarged to hold a permanent exhibition of his works. His graffiti can still be seen on the walls and his studio has been left untouched since his death, with work in progress, open tins of paint and black smudges all over the floor.
February 10th - February 23rd 2021
ings - works which puzzled his contemporaries but have gained newfound appreciation in the 20th century for their dramatic expressionism. The 16th century clone home also showcases furniture and local pottery from the period as well as works by some of El Greco’s disciples, such as Luis Tristan.
S
alvador Dali House Museum (Portlligat): The residence of Dali (Figueras 1904-1989) from 1930 until the death of his wife and muse Gala in 1982. Dali was drawn to the landscape, the light and the isolation of Portlligart, a small village on the Girona coast, and set up home in a fisherman’s shack. Over time he purchased other neighbouring cottages, creating a labyrinthine house. Unsurprisingly, his taste in home decor is as surreal as his paintings, with countless stuffed animals. The polar bear decked out in gaudy necklaces standing in welcome at the entrance maintains Dali’s special blend of eccentricity and flamboyance. Not to be outdone, his wife has her own place. The Gala Dali Castle House-Museum at Pubol occupies an 11th century castle redecorated by Dali as her monument and mausoleum. Don’t miss the Gala Bath and Dali’s signature elephants-on-stilts sculptures rampaging through the garden.
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IN UNCERTAIN TIMES, WE SPEAK YOUR LANGUAGE As a road user you’re accustomed to expecting the unexpected. However, if you have concerns about the impact of Brexit or the Coronavirus pandemic may have on insurance policies, Línea Directa would like to reassure its customers that their car insurance policies are one constant to be relied on in these uncertain times.
UK DRIVING LICENSE If you have lived in Spain for at least 6 months, your UK driving license must be exchanged for a Spanish driving license before 30th June 2021. You need to book an appointment at your nearest DGT (Departamento General de Trafico) by calling 060 or via their website. You will need your NIE document to do this.
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FOOD,DRINK & TRAVEL
February 10th - February 23rd 2021
19
G
oya’s Birthplace (Fuendetodos, Zaragoza): Francisco de Goya y Lucientes (Fuendetodos 1746 – France, 1828) came into the world here. A humble farmhouse dating from the early 18th century, it has been lovingly restored with furnishings and household objects typical of the era. The Civil War left it partially destroyed but in 1982 it was declared a Historical Monument and opened to the public as a museum. The adjacent Museum of Etchings houses a permanent collection of Goya’s graphic work from the series known as Los Desastres, Los Caprichos, Los Disparates and La Tauromaquia.
5.
Picasso Museo Casa Natal (Malaga): The birthplace of Pablo Picasso (Malaga 1881 – France, 1973) who lived here from 1881-4. This small house collection covers almost 80 years of the artist’s work as well as touching family photos and memorabilia, including
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Picasso’s christening robe. The family rented the first floor of the house in Malaga’s beautiful Plaza de Merced for three years before moving a few doors up the street where they remained until 1891. As well as a monument to the life and work of Picasso it’s also the headquarters for the Picasso Foundation. The foundations of the house also contain important archaeological evidence of Malaga’s Phoenician, Roman and Moorish roots dating back to 7BC.
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orolla Museum (Madrid): Renowned Spanish painter Joaquin Sorolla Bastida (Valencia, 1863 - Cercedilla, 1923) lived in a palecete in Paseo del General Martínez Campos with his family from 1911 till his death in 1923. His house was converted into a museum after his death, and is one of the best pre-
served of any artist in Europe, retaining its original look and housing the largest collection of his works. Aside from his portraits and landscapes the house is filled with keepsakes Sorolla gathered during his life: sculptures, jewellery, antique photographs, letters and a curious and extensive collection of ceramics ornamenting every corner of the museum.
Picasso’s full name is 23 words long! It’s Pablo Diego Jose Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno Maria de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santisima Trinidad Martyr Patricio Clito Ruiz y Picasso. A real mouthful for the priest at his christening! His long name comes from a list of saints and relatives. Picasso’s first words were ‘piz piz,’ shortened for lapiz, Spanish for pencil. Without doubt, a natural born artist.
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FOOD,DRINK & TRAVEL
February 10th - February 23rd 2021
NORTHERN: Asturias is on the Atlantic coast of Spain
A land of bears and bagpipes Author David Baird explores the hidden charms and traditional trades of Asturias, one of Spain’s least known regions
W
hen temperatures soar in August and visitors by the thousand crowd the beaches of the Mediterranean, it’s good to remember that there is another — very different — Spain. This Spain is a land of remote valleys and vast forests, of secluded bays and mist-shrouded peaks, of fast-flowing trout streams and ancient crafts. A land that is green. This is Asturias. Head directly north and you find it, fringing the Bay of Biscay. But first you have to scale some mighty mountains — in fact, the Visigoths were so impressed by that barrier that more than a thousand years ago they declared the region was ‘walled in by the hand of God’. Don’t look for flamenco, toros and paella here, all those stereotypes employed to sell Spain to the tourist. Instead you can hear the skirl of bagpipes, quench your thirst with cider and hear another language, known as Bable. If you are a hiker, a fisherman, a bird-watcher or any sort of nature-lover, this is the place for you. It’s a land where wolves still prowl — and also the brown bear. Indeed, you may be lucky enough to sight bears within hiking distance of the city of
Oviedo. Climbers head for the spectacular, saw-tooth summits of the Picos de Europa and surfers love the numerous beaches. But my most recent journey to Asturias, one of Spain’s 17 autonomous regions, took me to the less-visited southwest corner. The only town of any size, Cangas del Narcea, squeezed into a valley at the junction of the Narcea and Luiña rivers, is strategically placed to explore the HISTORY AND NATURE: Asturias is a land of verdant 600-square-kilometre nature hillsides, vast forests and many ancient traditions park of Fuentes del Narcea, Degaña e Ibias. Coal-mining in 1973, it was under threat gh parts of the Fuentes del brought a brief surge of pros- in Spain. However, tougher Narcea park, a sparsely popuperity to Cangas, but that in- controls, heavy fines and a lated area with nearby peaks growing emphasis on ecologi- that soar to 2,000 metres. dustry is declining. cal values have It is common for snowfalls to These days the changed the si- cut villages off from the outsiarea emphasituation. Nature de world. “One old fellow who ses its ecologiQuench your c o n s e r v a t i o n lived to 107 recalled that he cal resources, its hearty wine thirst with cider o r g a n i s a t i o n had only left his village twice Fapas, founded in his whole life,” said Chema. and the survival of ancient and hear another in 1982, has In these valleys you may still crafts. But first language known played a big come across people speaking part in saving Asturian, formerly known as let’s check out the bear and Bable. those bears. as Bable other endange- Optional in schools, it has its Only 30 years red species. own Academy of the Asturian ago it seemed It rescues Language. Difficulty of access that the days of the brown bear were num- wounded animals, runs envi- has helped preserve the lanronmental education program- guage and local traditions — bered. The 100 or so survivors in mes and organises volunteer and also Spain’s largest oak Spain were a target for poa- workers, planting such trees forest. chers, trophy-hunters and far- as elder, walnut and cherry This lies within the Muniellos mers determined to protect in bear habitats. Today more Biosphere Reserve. Only 20 their lambs. In other parts of than an estimated 200 bears visitors a day are allowed to Europe, the bear had long di- roam the Cantabrian moun- enter the reserve, dense with sappeared. Even after being tains.Unlike the grizzly, the ash, birch, maple and willows. declared a protected species brown bear is not aggressive. A path winds by tumbling waAlthough it can wei- ters and up to a series of lagh up to 200 kilos, goons, passing ancient oak it usually beats a re- and chestnut trees, some with treat on sighting hu- massive trunks. This is the hamans. The only time bitat of wolves, deer, ibex, wild it can turn nasty is if boar and more than 100 bird a mother thinks her species, including the comcubs are threatened. paratively rare capercaillie, Local guide Chema or wood grouse (about 400 Diaz, who specialises are reckoned to survive). As in nature tourism, no- bee-keeping is permitted wites: “Attitudes have thin the nature park, you often changed dramatically. come across groups of hives. Until the 1970s there Older ones are carved from was a lot of poaching. chestnut tree trunks. Miners would go hun- They need special protection ting in their free time. as bears will smash open hiNow there is much ves to satisfy their hunger for more awareness of honey. the value of our natu- Thus, hives are usually shielral resources.” Chema ded by high stone walls, plus POACHING: Trophy-hunting led to the near-extinction of bears guides visitors throu- — a modern touch — live elec-
tric wires. One of the best spots to view bears, especially in spring and autumn, is the Ibias river valley between Cangas del Narcea and Degaña. To reach it, you journey up the Narcea valley and through a long tunnel beneath the 1100-metre-high Puerto del Rañadoiro. From here take a trip to the last of the ‘cunqueiros’ (makers of wooden bowls). The road spirals up over another pass, the Alto del Campillo, to reach the remote hamlet of Tablado. Only 10 of the 52 houses are occupied. Firmly in place, however, are the García family, employing age-old methods to carve utensils from ash, birch and chestnut. Vitorino and his 20-year-old son Victor turn out such items as cachos del vino (wine bowls), barbeiras (for shaving) and cibreiras (for keeping food warm). Little has changed here; they continue using the traditional tools and a foot-operated lathe. But wait a moment — these days you can find them on the Internet. In the past the women of the four villages of this valley saw their menfolk for only three months of the year. During the other months the ‘cunqueiros’ were selling their wares across Spain. They trekked across the peninsula carrying their possessions on mules, setting up portable lathes to produce wooden products to order. They had their
own dialect and jargon making their conversation unintelligible to other Spaniards. The last of these itinerant workers died in 1985. Other crafts survive too near Cangas. Although the hamlet of Llamas del Mouro, high on a hillside, appears to slumber, the Rodríguez Suárez family, Manuel, daughter Veronica and his brother Marcelino, are usually busy in their workshop. The last of a long line of ‘alfareros’ (once Asturias had more than 150), they turn out a variety of utensils, bowls, wine jars and stew pots.
Quality
They are much in demand, both for their quality and their distinctive black colour. The secret is in the cooking. The pieces are packed into a wood-fired oven, where they are baked for around 15 hours at up to 800 degrees. Smoke is trapped inside the oven, penetrating the clay and turning it black and extra resistant. Just down the hillside, at Pambley, more artisans are at work. Raul Martínez and his father chisel skilfully away, producing a variety of wooden products. Probably their biggest sellers are the ‘madreñas’, clogs carved from birch wood. “We make about 800 pairs a year and 90% are for actual use rather than ornament,” says Raul.
PROTECTION: Bee hives needed shielding from bears
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22
COLUMNISTS The Zen of The Rona
MIJAS MATTERS By Bill Anderson
Getting a voice
Bill Anderson explains the reason he has published a book about life as a councillor
I
hadn’t been on the political scene very long before I realised that many, most certainly the majority of International residents, in Mijas knew little of nothing about how councils operate, or what the issues of concern in Mijas are. Last year, I decided to write an article a week highlighting what I had learned from the previous days. Some of these articles appeared in this column. Others were just stored on my computer for the sake of it. A few months ago I decided to put these articles into book form along with articles which I hadn’t published. I have to be honest and say that one motivator for publishing the book was the fact that Mijas taxpayers contribute €2.5 million a year to a council owned communication company, and basically all it talks about is how good the government team is. Nothing done by the ‘opposition’ councillors is considered newsworthy, but, has to go into the ‘political’ pages. If I don’t have a real voice through the local press, I will do it through a book. I have criticised the International Community as a whole for being monumentally disinterested in the political process, yet it is this very system that both charges taxes and spends them on our behalf.
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S you may or may not be aware, I spent most of last month recovering from what my more streetwise friends refer to as ‘The Rona’. (And no, I still can’t get that one hit wonder, My Sharona, out of my mind when I hear that either). Having to spend a couple of weeks in self isolation, this afforded me the opportunity for even more navel gazing than normal – and as a freelance journalist that’s saying something. Fear not, I’m not going to inflict a ‘zen of Giles’ on you, the basic tenets of that would probably be along the lines of at least try and make sure you’re pointing the right way up in the morning, have a reasonable stab at making deadlines and always carry a discreet bag for any spare canapes at a press function. But I did discover a few things about myself. Firstly, if pottering around the house aimlessly was a sport, I would be a triple Olympic champion. At the start of my isolation I made a mental list of things to get done – paintings to be hung, chapters of the novel to be planned, cat litter to be changed – that sort of thing. None of these worthy endeavours was completed, of
Political
OP Puzzle solutions SUDOKU
Quick Crossword
Down: 2 Hedge, 3 Inmates, 4 Pig, 5 End of life, 6 Hythe, 7 Lined up, 11 Scarecrow, 15 Oregano, 16 T-shirts, 19 Bison, 21 Disco, 24 Wen.
LAKESIDE LOUNGING: A well timed, tracksuit clad siesta is essential in the ‘Rona’ battle
Dealing with the virus involves lots of navel gazing
The other reason I decided to publish a book is that I have published two novels already and the third novel of the trilogy has been half written and on hold since I entered the political world. The time needed for a novel is unfortunately not afforded to me at this point, so it is a kind of writing therapy that is manageable. Diary of a Councillor (in Opposition) is not an expose of the seedy underbelly of local politics. To be honest it is mainly banal and uninteresting, but it would be a missed opportunity not to expose some of the motivation and ineptitude of local political life: the ambitions for big, or even bigger salaries to be had in the unelected bodies, and the reactions of the residents to living within these systems. Having said this, this book will be the first in a series (at least one per year), and book two will get more into the nitty gritty, perhaps even name and shame of politics. You will gather that it is already underway. It does, of course, reflect on the role of an opposition councillor and the first foreigner to be a councillor in Mijas, and if I could wish one thing, it would be to interest the International Community in the machine that drives the municipality and to get them more involved in what is happening. The initial launches have gone well and are generating a lot of interest. I do expect that this series of books will make me some enemies, but telling the truth does offend some people. The book is available on Amazon.
Across: 1 Shrimp, 5 Exhale, 8 Damaged, 9 Tune, 10 Best, 12 Fields, 13 Excel, 14 Lows, 16 Tops, 17 Rafts, 18 Feeble, 20 Hide, 22 Bays, 23 Rewards, 25 For now, 26 No-show.
February 10th - February 23rd 2021
course. But I did discover a new positions to lie on the sofa... I also considered reading some of the self improvement books that lurk, covered in dust, in the far corner of the living room. I was about to embark on expanding my consciousness when a friend delivered a superb collection of Rock biographies. I’m sure that the teachings of the great philosophers are all well and good, but I had Lemmy from Motörhead’s autobiography to get through first... Then there was the dress sense. Normally I’m either in skull T-shirts (see Rock biographies above) or a smart suit for a press function (and the aforementioned free food). Not being able to leave my lakeside home, however, plus the fact that ‘The Rona’ frequently made me fall asleep, which meant I spent most of my time in tracksuits. I even toyed with the idea of putting on the onesie at one point. Yes. It got that desperate. Finally, I rediscovered the awesome power of the well timed siesta. A recent online museum has put together a list of worthy Spanish inventions, including the gyrocopter, the submarine and the Chupa Chup, but for me the siesta beats all hands down, especially in my Colombian hammock overlooking the lake. I got so used to all of the above that I’m now trying to see which ones I can incorporate into my daily routine. I think I’ll start with the siesta...
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Lisa Burgess
Change from a fiver!
What would you spend your money on when looking for a man?
I
JUST put up a question on Facebook which garnered much attention. Ladies or gentleman, if you had €5 to build your ideal date then how would you spend it? The table is as follows:
1. Good looking - €3 2. Funny - €1 3. Smart - €1 4. Great in bed - €2 5. Faithful - €3 6. Wealthy - €3 7. No kids - €1 8. Tall - €1 9. Great body - €2 10. Romantic - €2 I have received so many funny responses, one of which asked if there is a free 10-day trial. We are all looking for something different according to the replies I received. Many of my friends are trying out online dating with hilarious consequences. One particular friend has seven different men in seven various countries. I do not see the point in that but she loves it and the attention. Whatever makes you happy, I say. Another insists on a full-length body picture as she thinks people lie about their height, weight and age all the time. My Irish male friend thought he was meeting up with a stunning woman except she was four foot six and at six foot she felt he wasn’t tall enough for her. Throughout my own life, I have been on many dates. I have had to get up and walk out of restaurants by the second course a few times. Worst of all was an English teacher, many years ago, who followed my weekly television appearances. He felt that I should be tied up and dominated Christian Greystyle but he was no Jamie Dornan. That was the quickest drink I ever threw back. Two of my friends have had enormous success with online dating so it is not all doom and gloom. So for those that are looking for love on or offline, I wish you the best of luck. I am giggling about a truly dire blind date my oldest friend arranged in London’s Berkeley Square with a boring, gross and truly dull economist. I was more upset because she thought I was even a match. She should have known in advance that number four would be my first €2 spent immediately!
HEALTH WELL: Mateo and staff
All Clear A 10-year-old-boy who spent 11 days fighting COVID-19 in an intensive care ward in Spain has been given the all clear. Mateo spent a total of 18 days in the Mancha Centro hospital in Ciudad Real and his departure prompted an outpouring of affection from all the staff who attended him. Lucas Salcedo, head of paediatric services at Mancha Centro, congratulated him and his family for ‘never throwing in the towel, even in the most painful moments’.
Intensive
Mateo’s case became well known in Spain after a nurse published a photo of the two of them on social media. It is rare for such a young person to need intensive care treatment for COVID-19. Of the 833 patients under 14 diagnosed with the virus at the hospital, only 16 have needed to be admitted and just three have been in intensive care.
February 10th - February 23rd 2021
STATE of the art 3D printing technology has been used to treat a young boy suffering from an aggressive form of lung cancer. The breakthrough technology was used to treat the two-yearold at the University Hospital of Malaga. The boy was suffering from what is commonly known as a hepatoblastoma, a rare type of cancer that originates in the lungs of children under the age of four. In order to properly prepare for the complicated surgery, the doctors used radiograph imaging to create a 3D model of the child's organs, including the tumor that had formed. Once printed, it was used to practice the procedure numerous times before operating on the child. The model was also used to accurately communicate with the child's parents what their child would be undergoing, putting
Blueprint to a cure
3D printing technology used in innovative lung cancer treatment By James Warren
them at ease and allowing them to understand properly the details of the operation. This is the first time the technology has been used in this context in the province, and represents a breakthrough in surgical technology to be used in complicated procedures. The team involved in the process was made up of 12 doc-
Better late… IN a bid to relieve the pressure of COVID-19 the new Estepona Hospital has opened ahead of schedule - sort of. The hospital began receiving coronavirus patients from Marbella’s embattled Hospital Costa del Sol last week. With Andalucia and Malaga seeing more COVID patients than ever before, the transferring of patients could not wait until the official opening date, scheduled for February 8.
I
F, like us, you’re obsessed with keeping up with the latest news and regulatory changes from HMRC, you’ll know all about Making Tax Digital (MTD) and be preparing yourself for this seismic change.
●● Making Tax Digital (MTD) regulations are designed to make calculating tax easier and more accurate through the use of digital software ●● To comply with MTD for Income Tax, landlords and the self-employed will need to use software to keep digital records of business income and expenses and submit a summary every quarter ●● MTD for Income Tax is for UK businesses and landlords, who usually submit a Self Assessment tax return. ●● It will come into effect for your next accounting period that starts on or after 6 April 2023 Of course, if you’re one of the 99% of people who would rather not think about tax, you may be wondering what all the fuss is about, whether you are affected, and what you need to do to prepare. But fear not! Our tax nerds love an opportunity to make confusing tax regulations simpler and clearer. Once you get used to the new process, it should also make your business accounting easier, clearer, more predictable and cheaper, as you won’t need to rely on an accountant. You also have a bit of time to prepare, with HMRC showing that they can be forgiving to those who drop the ball. It is the biggest tax change in a generation, after all, so they won’t be too hard on you! APARI’s MTD software is already approved by HMRC so we know exactly how it all works. Here’s what you need to know...
In fact, Estepona Hospital was built in record time, starting in mid2017 and finished by December 2018. Since then residents of the town have been waiting for the Andalucian health service to staff and equip the hospital.
tors, nurses and surgeons including Alexander Siles, Rafael Parrado and Sara Hernández del Arco. "The technology has been a great asset to what is normally a very complicated procedure, it allowed us to virtually operate the patient over and over again before performing the surgery in reality," said Siles.
Boost
23
Bum deal
DOCTORS in Spain are carrying out anal swab tests to detect COVID-19, it has been revealed. It comes after China announced that it had made the switch as experts there believe a rectal swab provides a more reliable result. But the technique was already being used in Galicia, northern Spain, as revealed by news channel CTRVG. The Galician Health Ministry has since confirmed that is uses anal swabs to test for the virus, but added that the method is reserved for patients who are intubated. “They are performed on those patients who are in a very serious condition and intubated and therefore cannot undergo a nasal PCR test,” a spokesperson told El Correo. Health professionals in Andalucia told the Olive Press that the method has not been introduced in Spain’s most populous region.
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“It is the first time in Malaga that a pediatric patient with a liver tumor has had the help of 3D technology for virtual surgical planning.” The surgical team now hope that the technology will become a regular part of their medical arsenal and boost the University Hospital of Malaga into a new generation of medical science. "Our goal is that from now on we can count on this type of technological advance in all our patients with childhood cancer," said Siles. 3D printing technology has been slowly developing across Spain in recent years as the country seeks to improve its medical care system.
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Death of the Tax Return... UK tax is going digital
How APARI’s software can make your life easier What is Making Tax Digital? The new MTD regulations are designed to make taxes easier and more accurate through the use of digital software. It’s already a requirement for VAT and will be extended to all VAT registered businesses from April 2022. At some point in the future, it will apply to Corporation Tax. We focus on MTD for Income Tax, which the Government announced in July 2020 and will change the annual tax return for millions of people like you. What is Making Tax Digital for Income Tax? To comply with MTD for Income Tax, landlords, the self-employed and tradespeople will need to use software to keep digital records of business income and expenses and submit a summary every quarter. At the end of the year, you need to submit any other income - for example from employment and finalise all of the information. If you choose good software, it will be able to do all of this for you. You will get your total tax liability (tax owed) for the year which needs to be paid by the following January, just as you would now. So the main changes are: a) use MTD software; b) keep digital records and c) make a submission to HMRC once a quarter. Who does it apply to? Making Tax Digital for Income Tax is for UK businesses and
landlords, who usually submit a Self Assessment tax return. It is a requirement for anyone with more than £10,000 of combined turnover from business and property income. If you submit a Self Assessment tax return but don’t have business or property income, MTD for Income Tax doesn’t affect you. When will Making Tax Digital for Income Tax come into effect? Making Tax Digital for Income Tax was first announced in 2015. The timetable has moved back over the last few years as the Government and HMRC try to give it the best chance of success. On 21 July 2020, the Government formally committed to a specific timetable for changing the law and turning Making Tax Digital for Income Tax into a legal requirement. In HMRC talk, they announced: for your next accounting period that starts on or after 6 April 2023, all Income Tax Self Assessment customers with a turnover of £10,000 or more from business income or income from property will be required to complete their affairs by MTD. All landlords and most self-employed people have an accounting period that starts on 6 April. This means you’ll have to: ●● Use software to record and submit your business and/or property income between 6 April 2023 and 5 April 2024; ●● Use software to finalise your business and/ or property income between 6 April 2024 and 31 January 2025; ●● Submit any non-business information and finalise your overall tax affairs by 31 January 2025. You can choose to do this using software or using the HMRC website.
If you use Making Tax Digital for Income Tax, you won’t need to submit a separate Self Assessment tax return. How do I ensure I am compliant with MTD rules? At APARI, we think the best first step is to start using software to keep your business records. Ignoring the tax side of things, this will give you better information about your profit. You can get started with a FREE APARI account today. Once you’re familiar with digital record keeping, you may be able to voluntarily sign up to use MTD. Most businesses and landlords will be eligible to join by April 2021 so they can get familiar with the changes. Don’t worry if you change your mind - you can still submit a tax return as normal. Everyone that uses MTD will need to choose compatible software, which they connect with their HMRC account. APARI’s MTD software is already listed on HMRC’s software selection tool. Once connected, the software will then tell you when you need to submit information, such as your quarterly return. Follow us next month to find out what you need to do.
The
OLIVE PRESS
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Switching sides A DRAFT law will allow people in Spain to change their ‘official’ gender simply by signing a declaration, with no surgery, medical treatment or psychological tests needed.
FINAL WORDS
Bad rap LEFT-WING rapper Pablo Hasel has been jailed by the Supreme Court for nine months for allegedly ‘glorifying terrorism, inciting violence and insulting the Spanish crown’ in tweets and songs, prompting the government to pledge a law change.
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Vol. 14 Issue 362 www.theolivepress.es February 10th - February 23rd 2021
Latin flops
SO much for Latin lovers - it seems that when it comes to the kink factor, Spain can’t get it up. While Spaniards are known for their passionate nature - and the sultry good looks of stars like Enrique Iglesias (pictured) have proved a worlñd-wide hit -, in the bedroom they’re positively prudish according to a new study.
God’s will A PRIEST who escaped a fine on a technicality when his own congregation called police to complain he was not wearing a mask during mass at the Virgen del Camino church in Callosa de Segura (Alicante) has gone down with COVID.
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Pontiff the finger of blame Spaniards fail to perform while Brits revealed to be the secondsauciest citizens
By Kirsty McKenzie
While neighbouring Portugal came out on top of the global study rating each country’s ‘Sex Index’, Spain failed to even break into the top 10 sauciest spots. Researchers who looked at internet searches for sex-related
terms, including sex toys, lingerie, dating apps and positions, found people in Portugal were most likely to Google kinks including BDSM and threesomes. Even more surprising was the news that the UK also topped the charts in the ranking of the
A SPANISH couple with COVID-19 have got married in a Madrid hospital in a moving ceremony organised by the nurses. Rosario, 62, and Fernando, 70, caught the virus from Rosario’s son and were admitted to La Paz hospital on January 23. They were subsequently transferred to the Isabel Zendal hospital, where they received treat-
In sickness... ment in separate rooms. Fernando had never expressed an interest in marriage in the 13 years they had been together, but lying in his bed on oxygen made him realise that it might be now or never. He popped the question over WhatsApp, much to Rosario’s delight.
world’s sexiest countries. In fact, the UK has the second-sauciest citizens in the world, according to the very specific data. The website in question, Pour Moi, has revealed the kinkiest positions and toys searched across Britain - and lets just say the Brits are big fans, ahem, of putting in research before they slip between the sheets. Folks in the UK’s most Googled sex positions are reverse cowgirl, doggy style and missionary, plus the old ménage à trois is a popular kink. And while we’d argue folk in Spain are among some of the sexiest in the world - we have a way to go to beat Ireland, Australia and Sweden who all made the top ten.
HE may be Argentinean and she Brazilian, but this unlikely ‘couple’ have caused a storm in the Spanish press and on social media. Natalia Garibotto is best known in South America for her saucy Instagram posts, many of them featuring her wearing - well not a lot. So when she claimed that none other than Pope Francis was an admirer many Roman Catholics took a double take. The 27-year-old glamour model claimed that the 84-year-old pontiff had ‘liked’ her image on an Instagram post.
Blessing This, it turned out, was not the sort of thing that Spain’s stricter Roman Catholics appreciated, so a spokesman for the Holy See had to sweep into action and pointed the finger of blame at Instagram. He pooh-poohed the claim and told journalists that while the Pope sometimes gives the go ahead for social media posts set up by a professional team, this was certainly not the case here. The spokesman instead referred queries to Instagram, saying that the social media giant should come up with an explanation.