Choose to Challenge
International
Women’sDay
How these two women - an expat and a local did two centuries apart
To celebrate International Women’s Day, we hear the inspirational stories from up to a dozen expats from around the country
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Vol. 2 Issue 51 www.theolivepress.es March 11th - March 24th 2021
Retrial for legendary British drugs baron could put him back on the streets
CONVICTED British gangster Brian Charrington is to get a sensational retrial. The seasoned crook, who enjoyed the high life of luxury homes, boats and cars on the Costa Blanca, has been handed a potential get-out-of-jail card over his 2018 drug trial. The Spanish Supreme Court has ruled that there were ‘impartiality issues’ over his 15-year sentence at Alicante Court. The 65-year-old ex-car deal-
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er, who lived in Calpe, had been found guilty of smuggling 192 kilos of cocaine from South America in 2012 and 2013. Shipments came in on yachts landing at Altea, while the drugs were stored at a property in Albir, near Benidorm. The Middlesbrough-born crook - business partner of legendary Curtin ‘Cocky’ Warren - was arrested alongside his son Ray and two other associates and fined €31 million. His French girlfriend Isabelle Robert was acquitted and will not face a retrial. The original trial has been ruled null and void after defence lawyer, Joaquin de Lacy, appealed over conflicts of interest involving the Alicante judges. The Supreme Court upheld the challenge on the basis that the judges had been previously involved in 26 separate rulings on the case ahead of the 2018 trial. That, in their opinion, in-
fringed the defendants rights to an impartial hearing. Charrington (above) had claimed he was merely a real estate agent who ‘buys and sells villas and pays taxes’ at the original hearing. Police had raided over a dozen luxury properties as they arrested him in July 2013. Charrington has had reasonable fortune in trials back in the UK. His brushes with the law back home included a customs raid at his home in 1992 that unearthed millions of pounds in alleged drugs money. However he escaped charges when it was revealed he was a
police informant. In 2002, a Leeds trial collapsed when Charrington and two Middlesbrough police officers faced public office conspiracy charges. The case had collapsed when the judge ruled against illegally-obtained phone taps. He was acquitted in two other drugs trials, before being finally sentenced to seven years in Germany in 2003 and two years in France in 2006. The Spanish media branded the felon as the ‘Wikipedia Narco’ because Charrington regularly updated his profile on the internet site with news of his latest activities.
...with an introduction from our British consul in Andalucia, Charmaine Arbouin
...and introducing our new Digital Editor, Fiona Govan, in Madrid All inside our International Women’s Day special supplement
A special four-page pullout
March 2021
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CAPTION TO GO HERE
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One in five Spanish women gave up work due to the COVID crisis, while they also poorer and harder are than men, writes Olive working Press Digital Editor Fiona Govan
FOR INTERNATIONAL WOMEN´S
LONG WAY TO GO
N previous years March 8 a day when I would meetwas grandparents to toddlers hoisted with a group of friends up on shoulders, came together in a we would hit the streets and sea of purple brandishing signs of Ma- with powerful drid joining tens of thousands slogans to show others to mark International of that modern Spain means equal Wo- opportunities, whatever men’s Day. gender you are. We would don purple items of But the demonstrations clothing and join in the also unprotests derlined how that attracted people much there was from all still to do; women walks of life and across may now be the ge- fully accepted nerations – both men and in the workplace wo- but they are still men, boys and girls. penalised by a There was a carnival atmosphe- gender pay gap, which is not im- men is still recognised as a major proving fast enough. re as people of all ages, problem in Spain and the from Meanwhile violence we are against wo- witnessing the rise of the try’s political far right and counwith it a denial of gender inequalities. This year with Spain still in the grip of the pandemic, are no mass protests withthere thorities banning gatheringsauto avoid potential super-spreader events, but the health crisis has highlighted and even compounded some of the inequalities in society. Working from home has seen a steep rise in mental health with women bearing the issues of the burden of childcarebrunt and housework as they try to balance work life with home-schooling and care for their elderly relatives.
Pics are on the wall
See inside
A SMALL village in ed the skills of twodeep inland Malaga has enlistwhitewashed walls local artists to transform the into a tribute to rural across the ages. women In a project entitled rapher Ana Becerra ‘Saucedeñas’, Ronda photogtaken to Villanueva and artist Selector Marx have Residents awoke lastdel Rosario. week to large scale white collages of images black of local rural women and blazoned on walls of em“The women on the municipal buildings. are entrepreneurs, photographs are women who who cultivated creativity had a history of self-improvemen or who t” said Becerra.
When Spain went into lockdown a year ago, gender violence soared with the authorities reporting an 18% rise in calls ring the first fortnight alone. duA survey conducted by DYM in
DAY...
Important day Charmaine Arbouin, British Consul for Andalusia, Canary Islands, Ceuta & Melilla. Based in
women in managerial positions Malaga she covers remains around a third of that of the region of Spain men with the numbers dropping even further as careers progress. that has the largest Spain’s female executives concentration of British 15.1 percent less than their earn residents counterparts, although this male below the EU average is just salary gap of 16 percent according “International Women’s the latest EU data from 2017. to Day is an opportunity the run up to Women’s to Day this This inequality is highlighted celebrate the achieveyear revealed that 7% of in women the statement issued ments of women - both had suffered physical or by psycho- government on March Spain’s past and present; those logical abuse from men 8: “Woduring men in Spain work who have shaped 2020. more than and transformed our world, men today, but And most alarwhether that be politithey are poorer.” mingly of all, accally or in the fields Of course there cording to the laFIVE LINERS science and culture. of are still reasons test data, women it’s also a moment toBut xxxxxxx to be positive remade up 93% of flect on what still needs and to celebrate those who gave xxxxxxxxx to be done and that’s just how far woup employment why this year’s theme xxxxxxxx men have come during 2020 in of Choose to Challenge in Spain. Spain... citing camatters. We must xxxxxxxxx all Spain may not ring for minors, choose to call out bias have had a feand inequality, so that elderly or sick remale prime we have even more great latives as the main reasons. nister but it has the largest mifemale achievers to That is one in five women, share accor- of women in any European ebrate in the future.” celding to a survey by online lecom- gislature with women munity MalasMadres. representing 47 percent of elected During the second quarter MPs, of last a bigger proportion year, a period that coincided of female with lawmakers than even Sweden. Spain’s strict lockdown 61,000 More than half of Pedro women gave up their jobs to chez’s cabinet comprises Sancare for others compared woto just men – each one impressively 6,500 men. qualified for their role – with woAnd when it comes to the kplace itself, the proportionwor- men holding key ministerial poof sitions including Foreign Minister and Health Minister. We’ve come a long way the end of the dictatorship since a woman had to have when her father’s or husband’s permission to travel and couldn’t open a bank account. But there’s no room for complacency, we still have a long long way to go.
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CRIME
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NEWS IN BRIEF Unkindest cut... SOME €16,000 will be spent on La Nucia’s 2021 annual cat sterilisation campaign with 50 volunteers seeking out feral cats for a veterinary visit.
Fresh cobbles THE second phase of repairing cobblestones around Javea’s ‘Historic Centre’ moved to Calle San Joaquin and Ronda Sur this week.
Poppy total A TOTAL of €85,983 was raised by the 2020 Poppy Appeal organised by the Spain North Branch of the Royal British Legion. The sum was just above half of the 2019 total due to pandemic restrictions.
Con job A GERMAN accused of a €3 million con has been arrested in Benidorm after hiding out in Spain for 17 years. He set up a bogus charity and kept all the money for himself.
Supermarket sweep POLICE have arrested a man who loitered in shopping centre car parks to steal from vehicles as shoppers stacked their purchases in the boot. The 36-year-old man stole from at least 11 cars around Alicante city. He would quietly open the front door and steal any items or wallets that had been temporarily placed on the seats while his victims loaded the boot. He had his car parked close by for a quick getaway and would immediately use any stolen bank cards before his victims cancelled them. Plain clothes police launched surveillance operations on several car parks and caught him red-handed. A GANG of 10 bikers was detained after more than 7,000 marijuana plants and 30 kilos of the drug were found in their homes. Police swooped on the drug traffickers - 10 men and three women of Latvian, Serbian and Dutch nationalities. In the searches carried out in Villajoyosa, La Nucia, Alfaz del Pi and Altea, 7,371 marijuana plants were seized, along
Wanted expat duo tracked to Valencia
March 11th - March 24th 2021
Big busts
ONE of Europe’s most wanted fugitives has been picked up in Valencia city centre. The Dutch crook - said to be Holland’s ‘most wanted’ - was arrested alongside a pal who had links to a terror group that once tried to assassinate the pope.
Dumb teen
Felon
The dangerous felon, whose initials were given as E.G.L., had been on the run after the fatal shooting of a man in an Amsterdam car park in 2019. Cops also nabbed another Dutchman of Turkish heritage who had links to the Grey Wolf terror group which
Bikers nabbed with 31 kilos of buds and five kilos of the chopped and vacuum-packed drug ready for sale. Police also found a drone, an electronic frequency jammer, a fake gun, €5,000 in cash, six motorcycles and seven cars. It’s believed the gang had been operating in Alican-
NICKED: the fugitive had been on the run since 2019 By Simon Wade
tried to kill Pope John Paul II in St Peter’s Square in Rome, in 1981. Spanish police working with te province for four years, with their only income derived from their illicit activities. The motorcycle group, known as Saturadah, whose Indonesian name (Satu Darah) means ‘the same blood’, was founded in the 1990s in Moodrecht (Holland). Since 2017, many of its members have been convicted in Holland of assaults, murder and illegal possession of weapons, among other crimes.
their Dutch counterparts also picked up Spain’s biggest-ever haul of ‘pink cocaine’ - 11 kilos of the narcotic - during the course of the operation. Other drugs including MDMA and heroin were found when cops moved in on the duo. The main suspect, aged 21, had disappeared from Holland after the Amsterdam shooting, only to be traced to Marbella when he appeared in a video clip of a wellknown Dutch rapper. But there the trail went cold until a tip-off led police to Valencia. He was in hiding with the second Dutchman who was wanted for his links to the far-right Turkish terrorist organisation. The Grey Wolf group has been implicated in several murders and runs criminal networks across Europe. Both men have been remanded in custody.
A 14-year-old boy has got himself into hot water after hijacking social media accounts belonging to two of his teachers. He posted messages that offered good grades in return for sex but the stunt backfired on him as a fellow student rumbled his identity through a simple ruse. The bad-taste prankster was arrested in an unnamed Valencia community town and charged with two counts of identity theft and the case is now in the hands of the Juvenile Prosecutor. The usurper contacted a female pupil to request videos and photos of a sexual nature in exchange for better grades. Unfortunately for the boy’s plans, the girl checked with the school to confirm that the sexual proposition did not come from the teachers and set a trap. She simply asked him for a video chat and when he promptly appeared, she identified him and reported his name to the authorities.
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Start your engines, Spain!
January 28th - February 10th 2021 CELEBRITIES often snap up homes all over the world, from sprawling mansions in LA to penthouse apartments in Paris. And Blue singer Lee Ryan is no exception, taking to the cover of a magazine to show off his swanky Malaga pad. The ultra-luxe property boasts an outdoor pool and plenty of room for his growing family. The All Rise singer used the cover shoot and home tour as an opportunity to announce that he is expecting a baby girl in June with his girlfriend Verity Paris. It will be the pair’s first child together and Lee’s third time
Supremme de Luxe is making herstory as the first solo queen to host a Drag Race spinoff. The Spanish drag artist, from Madrid, has been crowned as the judge of Drag Race España and will reign over the season 1 panel when the show debuts later this year. Drag Race España is Europe’s third international Drag Race installment, following in the high-heeled footsteps of UK and Holland remakes of the hit drag show. De Luxe, who has built up a loyal following after years stunting pretty in the capital, celebrated her new gig by taking to social media to share the exciting news with fans.
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All Rise as a father - the 37-year-old is already dad to daughter Bluebell, 13, who he shares with ex Jessica Keevil, and son Rayn, 12, whose mother is his ex-fiance, Samantha Miller. Speaking to Hello! magazine, the former Strictly Come Dancing star said: “I’m so excited. I love being a dad; there is nothing better than that. It’s the most amazing thing in the world.” Verity, who works as an Ariana Grande tribute singer, later took to social media to thank fans for their support, adding ‘bring on June!’.
Kitty
She told her Twitter followers that she’s ‘glad to be able to’ finally let the kitty out of the bag. A Spanish version of the major drag competition is expected to hit screen later this year, becoming the latest in a long line of international editions of the Emmy-winning global franchise The series also recently expanded to include Canada’s Drag Race (recently renewed for season 2), Drag Race Down Under in New Zealand and Australia, and RuPaul’s Drag Race UK, which is currently airing season 2 on WOW Presents Plus. Last year, production company founders Randy Barbato and Fenton Bailey said there were ‘three or four’ new iterations of the franchises in the works.
Latin lovers?
Spanish duo make waves in America
SPANISH superstar Rosalía turned up the heat with reggaeton star Bad Bunny for a steamy duet on Saturday Night Live. The Latin singers cosied up for an intimate performance of their new song La Noche de Anoche. The saucy performance marked the pair’s first time performing together on the SNL stage and the duo did not dis-
appoint. Rosalia wore a stunning pink silk slip for the occasion while Bad Bunny looked dapper in a white monochromatic look. The duet comes fresh off the back of Bad Bunny’s third LP. El Último Tour del Mundo, which features Rosalia on the title track, became the first-ever entirely Spanish-language album to reach No. 1 on America’s Billboard 200 chart.
Cheaper by the half dozen ‘Spain aficionado’ Hilaria Baldwin is no stranger to causing confusion. Last year the yoga instructor and author set tongues wagging after it emerged her Spanish roots were a work of fiction and she was in fact born Hillary Hayward-Thomas in the US to American parents, not Mallorca as she has always suggested. Now fans are scratching their heads once again following her latest surprise announcement. Hilaria took to Instagram this week to reveal that she and husband Alec Baldwin had welcomed their SIXTH child - just five months after she gave birth to son Edu in September.
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The couple, who are also parents to Carmen, seven, Rafael, five, Leonardo, four, and two-year-old Romeo, revealed they had called their newborn daughter Lucia. Hilaria shared the first photos of their adorable daughter on social media, cradling her newest addition while surrounded by her five other children. The pair’s growing family was quickly met with perplexed responses from fans who wondered how Hilaria was able to welcome a sixth baby less than nine months after giving birth. The wellness personality and 30 Rock actor quickly cleared up any confusion, revealing that they had help from a surrogate mother.
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Polly’s Bookshop in Javea Port is 35 years old. “Polly’s is as old as me,” says Sam, her proud owner, “and to celebrate, we are opening a new Polly’s Bookshop in Moraira.” Like Polly’s Javea, the new shop has thousands of quality used books, fiction and nonfiction, in English, Spanish, German, French and Dutch. Apart from the books that are extra special, they’ll still be 3 euros each with a euro credit if you want to return it. We are continuing with our busy proofreading and editing services and our popular book finding and ordering services too. It feels great finding an out of print book for someone who has been searching for it.
Javea Port, Calle Santisimo Cristo del Mar 03730 – tel: 665 314 404 Moraira-Teulada, 237 Moraira Calpe Road 03724 – tel: 711 010 439
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NEWS
March 11th March 24th 2021
Loud and clear
Costa Blanca protest group launches petition over 5G mast concerns
A COSTA Blanca campaign group claims its written plea for a pause on new 5G mobile phone masts has been met with silence by the local council. The Altea group Seoberania y Salud is worried about health risks after a total of five sites became operational in the area. Members insist that no-one at the council is taking their fears seriously and they are worried a rise in cancers may result. “We wrote to Altea council last November calling for a moratorium on new masts to be discussed at a plenary session but there has been no reply to our request,” said member Serafin Cortes. The group had even attached a petition of 100 signatures to support its letter to the council. While the group is not opposed to 5G in principle it is worried about the health implications. “Our opinion is based on independent scientific evidence, and has precedents in Murcia and Catalunya,” added Cortes. “Cancer, infertility, insomnia, disturbance of the immune and nervous system are just
By Alex Trelinski
some of the effects of high intensity radio frequencies such as 5G,” she claimed. It comes despite the WHO ruling in 2014 that no adverse health effects had been detected from mobile phone masts. Radio wave bands used for all mobile technology, including 5G, are classified as ‘non-ionising’ which means they do not have enough energy to cause any cellular damage to the hu-
man body. Altea’s New Technology councillor, Pere Barber, told the Olive Press: “I don’t see 5G as being any different to previous mobile systems. “There are no studies to suggest it is more of a health risk compared to say 4G, WiFi or a domestic microwave.” Barber also added that Altea council has no say over the siting of the 5G masts, with sites and approvals being the responsibility of the Ministry of Digital Transformation.
NEWS
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Votes for Life THE UK government looks set to finally grant expats ‘votes for life’ in future general elections. The news was revealed in last week’s budget, with £2.5 million reserved for funding the change. The move comes after years of campaigning by expat groups around Europe. Under the current regulations, Brits based in Spain are only entitled to vote in domestic elections for up to 15 years after leaving the UK. But if Boris Johnson’s government follows through with its plan and amends the legislation later this year, Britons abroad will be able to vote indefinitely.
Promises
The 15-year rule was introduced in 2002 following three decades of debate on the issue, and until 2015 the number of overseas voters registered to vote had never exceeded 35,000. But that shot up to a staggering 264,000 in 2016 because of the Brexit referendum and has hovered above 200,000 since then. Successive Conservative governments have been promising to offer votes for life since 2015.
THE United Nations will investigate whether Spain broke environmental rules that contributed to serious pollution incidents in the Mar Menor lagoon. Ecologistas en Accion sent a report to the UN in 2017 over incidents the previous year that saw large areas of the lagoon water turn green. The UN in 2019 agreed to officially process the complaint that alleges Spain may have broken a protocol agreed in 1976 known as the Barcelona Convention. That was designed to protect ecosystems from pollution around the Mediterranean Sea. The matter will now be investigated at a Convention meeting in Greece this June with Ecologistas en Accion submitting new evidence. However the UN has no teeth
About time!
UN to probe Mar Menor pollution
By Alex Trelinski
in handing out a penalty if it uncovers any breaches on the part of Spanish government. Campaigners have argued for many years that the Mar Menor is a unique area in Europe with rare marine life being killed off due to pollution. They say that the increase of private desalination plants in
UNDER INVESTIGATION: The Mar Menor the area over the last 30 years has led to a rise in incidents. The lagoon water turned green in 2016 and 2019 with 80%
Swift decline causes rising concern THEY are a popular arrival in early Spring time, soaring from roofline to roofline. But there has been a drastic 27% decline in swifts in Spain over the last two decades. As the migrating birds make their way back from the winter sojourn in Africa, they are believed to be meeting increasing numbers of hazards. Aside from the usual geographical barriers, weather and predators, they are facing the additional dangers arising from climate change and human activity. Illegal hunting, overhead power lines and wind turbines are all believed to add to the massive
drop in numbers. So big is the concern that charity SEO Birdlife has named the swift its ‘bird of the year’ and launched a number of detailed studies to investigate further. According to the charity the species has experienced a 27.2% decline in Spain over the last 22 years (19982020). “We need to rethink our relationship with nature and eliminate all threats to the species wherever possible.” said the SEO’s Luis Martinez. Swifts live for 12 years and may fly almost 6 million kilometres in their lifetime.
5 Tracker dog
March 11th - March 24th 2021
of sea meadow grass disappearing as well as plants and animals due to the lack of oxygen. Many dead fish and other sea life also washed onto the shores of the Mar Menor in the autumn of 2019. The Spanish Institute of Oceanography discovered last April found that chlorophyll levels in the lagoon water reached up to 4.12 micrograms per litre. These high levels were linked to a huge amount of green algae and other parasitic sea life that absorbed all the oxygen out of the water. Last June, the European Parliament launched an inquiry into four Murcia presidents and what they did to stop severe pollution in the lagoon. The regional government last week said that it would spend €2 million this and next year in a clean up operation to protect marine life.
A DOG owner who failed to clean up his pet’s poop on a 70 kilometre day trip to the coast was left to count the cost as the animal’s DNA was on a database. Alboraya, near Valencia City, is one of only 24 places in Spain where all dogs have to be registered on a municipal DNA list. It means that selfish owners - or any visitors whose pets are on their local database - can be identified and fined if they don’t clear up any droppings. And one Xativa resident found this out to his cost, when he drove over an hour to Alboraya. His dog then proceeded to do its business on a public street. After the authorities in Alboraya entered a stool sample to the database it got a match from the town hall in Xativa, with contact details for the owner. When the Alboraya police handed over the penalty notice they also noted that the person had broken the local perimeter closure rules that week. But he got away with not paying a penalty for breaking travel restrictions as the DNA was not admissable evidence.
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NEWS FEATURE
www.theolivepress.es Voted top expat paper in Spain
A campaigning, community newspaper, the Olive Press represents the huge expatriate community in Spain with an estimated readership, including the websites, of more than two million people a month.
OPINION Play fair A WOMAN’S place is in the home. And the boardroom. In fact, it is anywhere she damn pleases. But as another old adage goes, a woman’s work is never done. Often they have to fight twice as hard to get the pay they deserve and speak twice as loud to have their voices heard in the office. You’d be hard pressed to find a woman, even in 2021, who hasn’t been called ‘darling’, ‘sweetheart’ or ‘beautiful’ in the workplace. And that’s getting off lightly. Complaining about these kinds of ‘compliments’ often isn’t worth your breath, since it’ll likely be brushed off by male bosses and colleagues as a bit of banter. A working woman has to pick her battles, and unfortunately a daily scuffle with balding dinosaurs over terms of endearment, or worse endowment, has to be sidelined for more pressing matters such as pay, fair treatment and basic respect. It is both exhausting and astonishing that in 2021 women still have to fight for the bare minimum. Why is it that bosses are happy to dish out a hefty workload and a barrel of responsibilities alongside the ‘jokes’ – but asking for fair compensation for the work completed quickly wipes the smile off their face? Take equal pay. It is fairly straightforward in principle: creating equality of opportunity for all, irrespective of gender, race, religion or sexual orientation. But somehow some of the biggest brains in business still struggle to grasp the concept. New research found that Spain was one of the best places to be a female health professional in Europe, with the country ranking number eight on the list behind the likes of the UK and France. The study found the opportunities offered to women in Spain - the same doctors and nurses who have spent over a year battling behind face masks and PPE to save people from coronavirus - were among the best in Europe. A cause for celebration? Hardly. Female Spanish doctors and nurses earning an average of €10,000 less than their make counterparts. And for those who brandish the fight for equal or fair pay as propaganda from ‘male hating feminists’, remember they’re sticking it to the man, not men. The brilliance of women is in their diversity. Recognise it. Celebrate it. Reward it. And reward it equally. That’s just good business sense.
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Spain’s very own Florence Nightingale has a controversial COVID hospital named after her, discovers Laurence Crumbie in International Women’s week
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EW health centres have been the nucleus of such controversy as the pandemic hospital inaugurated on December 1, 2020, near Madrid airport and which has become the ‘main’ warehouse for the COVID-19 vaccine by Pfitzer. Some €50 million over budget, opponents of the Isabel Zendal Nursing Hospital dubbed it ‘one more urban hit’ for building companies, while unions were outraged when a worker lost his life in an accident resulting from its rushed construction. The government had placed a four month deadline on the hospital’s completion, hoping to cut the red ribbon before another wave of coronavirus could wreak havoc in the winter. In fact, if there is anything about this 80,000 square metre project that is not contentious then it is its name. For Isabel Zendal was one of the most philanthropic figures in medical history – and Spain’s equivalent to Britain's Florence Nightingale, after whom its own Covid hospitals are named. Born in 1771 in Galicia, to a pair of farmers who struggled to put food on the table, Isabel was the second eldest of eight in a family grievously affected by sickness, as many were in those days. Three of her siblings died before their
I
T’S common knowledge among expats that if you survive your first five years in Spain you will never look back. But just days before reaching this milestone I’ll be on a flight home to Blighty to start a new chapter in London. And while the hustle and bustle of the capital excites me, there are many parts of Spanish culture I will sorely miss. It goes without saying this includes the 300-plus days of sunshine and the cheap tapas and canas after a hard day’s work - which Shoreditch and its ilk have repeatedly tried and failed to replicate. But while we all love Spain for it’s great food and weather, it’s the every-day normalities I will find most lacking in London. I will no longer say ‘hola’ - or ‘hello’ - to strangers in a shop or on the street, and definitely not on the tube, unless I want to be sectioned. I will no longer go for churros on a Sunday morning, or enjoy late night walks without having to look over my shoulder. Coffee will be overpriced and served in far too large of a cup, and I won’t receive marinated olives or ‘cho chos’ with each round of drinks (be careful when you’re ordering the latter, if
The Señora
STAR POWER: Maria Castral as Isabel Zendal in 22 Angeles
first birthdays and at just 13, her mother succumbed to the deadliest virus in history, Variola major, or smallpox that carried a death rate of 30%. Devastating as this loss was, Zendal did not let it destroy her teenage years
but turned her bright mind to the world of medicine, making it her purpose to help those in need. Noted for her studiousness, she left home at 20 to begin work at the Charity Hospital of A Coruna.
Missyoualready,Spain It’s the jingles at Mercadona, a short stroll to his padel club and, of course, the goldfish bowl G&Ts which will be missed when Laurence Dollimore returns to Blighty you know, you know). There won’t be an independent tapas bar on every corner, but a Pret A Manger or McDonald’s. And when I ask for a gin and tonic it won’t be served in a fish bowl, but probably a test tube glass, and I’ll be asked ‘single or double?’ - perdona? I will no longer have everything I need just a short walk away, including my padel tennis club. And I won’t get that blissful end of September feeling when the tourists go home and we have an Indian summer and we get our beaches all to ourselves. And what will replace my local summer feria and Semana Santa processions? Let’s be real, I’m sure London can offer enough culture for me to get my fix. Let’s face it, Notting Hill Carnival is one hell of a party, if it’s allowed to take place. And moving back home won’t be all bad. One thing I will appreciate is the efficiency of the UK. At least I will have reliable public transport (mostly), banks will open past 3pm and I will never again be forced to endure Spanish bureaucracy - those of you who have had an ITV or been through the residency process will know the pain I speak of. But what will I do without Mercadona and its
catchy jingle? The supermarkets at home just don’t spark the same amount of joy. At least when I’m driving I’ll be safer, as unlike in Spain, drivers know how to use their indicators. I’ll also no longer fear being taken out by a bus on the motorway, which is where their stops are often conveniently placed along the Costa del Sol. Jokes aside, it’s been an incredible five years in Malaga (with a few months in Sevilla) and I’ve met some amazing people in the expat community during my time as an investigative reporter. Yes, I have caught paedophiles and exposed countless crooks and fraudsters, but they are just a small minority and do not represent the community, which is made of mostly good, honest and hardworking people. If the job market was as competitive as back home, there would be no chance of me leaving. But alas, no country has it all, although Spain comes pretty damn close.
www.theolivepress.es
March 11th - March 24th 2021
7
with the Syringe PIONEER: Zendal and doctor Balmis set sail
It was in this ‘little hospital of God’ that Zendal gave birth to her son, Benito, whom she would raise as a single mother - in itself an act of heroism considering the times in which she lived. Seven years later, in 1800, she became the rector of an orphanage, living off a small monthly salary in addition to a daily payment of one pound of bread. A year later, this increased to 1.5 pounds of bread and a pound of meat.
ADVENTURE: From Spain to the Americas
In 1803 Zendal’s fortunes really a Danish changed for the better after a chance colony on encounter with Spanish military doctor the Virgin Franciso Javier Balmis. He secured her Islands. a place a smallpox vaccination mis- So the team sion funded by King Carlos IV, whose cast anchor own daughter had died from the dis- and voyaged to ease. Venezuela, where they She was soon setting sail on her first parted company and went their sepinternational sanitary expedition in arate ways, with Balmis and Zendal 1803. travelling to Cuba and then Mexico, As the smallpox vaccine where they took onboard invented by English phyanother 25 orphans. Zendal is sician Edward Jenner inAlthough Balmis would volved inoculating a perrecognised as later sail to the Philipson with material from a pines and China, Mexico the first ever cowpox lesion, Zendal marked the end of the was placed in charge of nurse to go on journey for Zendal, who 22 orphan boys who were was feeling the toils of to serve as successive an international the journey as Balmis recarriers of cowpox. membered in a diary enmission Under her care, the boys try one year later: transmitted the disease ‘The miserable rector, from one to the other every nine or 10 who by her excessive work and the days, ensuring that the precious pus- rigor of the different climates through tular lesion made it firstly to Tenerife, which we have travelled, has lost her where Balmis’ team spent a month health,’ he wrote. ‘Indefatigable night conducting vaccinations, and then to and day, she has poured all of the tenPuerto Rico, in February 1804. derness of the most sensitive mother To Balmis’ astonishment and disap- on the 26 little angels that she has in pointment, however, the local popu- her care, and has assisted them perlation had already been inoculated by fectly in their continuous illnesses.’ (Macau, 1806) Zendal never returned to her homeland, dying as an expat in Puebla, Mexico, at some point over the next few decades. Overall, the expedition directly vaccinated around 250,000 people and is regarded by some medical scholars as a ‘pioneering event in international health that should be revisited in the current era of persistent inequalities in global health.’ Nor has the legacy of the Maria Patia’s one female crewmember been forgotten. The WHO recognised Zendal as the first ever nurse to go on an international mission, in 1950, while numerous institutions have named awards in her honour and various literary works have immortalised this pioneering nurse as one of the most selfless figures in Spanish history.
Olive Press online ‘Spain’s best English news website’
Going for Govan
WELCOME: From editor Jon Clarke in Ronda
T
HE Olive Press has a new centre forward. Seasoned journalist Fiona Govan joins the group as our new Digital Editor in, fittingly, International Women’s week. Based in Madrid, she spent eight years as the Telegraph’s Spain Correspondent before editing the popular website, the Local. The 46-year-old has as good a grasp on the machinations of Moncloa as the trends of tourism. And she has lived and breathed Brexit for the last four years and knows every corner of this lovely peninsula. “But I still find plenty of stunning new sites and landscapes to amaze me every year,” she reveals. “A recent walk into the Ronda gorge was one of those moments.” Also becoming our first Madrid Correspondent, she will be in close contact with the various embassies and will have her finger on the pulse for law changes or new cultural impulses. “It’s exciting to be joining a rare media group that’s been continually expanding over the last decade,” she says. “Particularly one that cares about its community so well and has such a good balance of staff, male and female.” She brings with her a new Olive Press mascot, Rufus, the rescue dog, a keen environmentalist and long time Olive Press reader. Contact her at Fiona@theolivepress.es
The top five most read stories on www.theolivepress.es in the past two weeks are: - Marbella and Estepona can reopen bars, 1vid-19 restaurants and shops from Saturday after Coincidence rate drops below Junta threshold
(10,183 views)
The municipalities closing or opening 2- Listed: their borders in Spain’s Andalucia today after Junta updates list (9,490 views) Bars and restaurants can reopen in Spain’s 3- balearic islands from March 2 (9,040 views) Sale of alcohol to be banned in Spain’s Anda4- lucia after 6pm in bid to fight Covid-19 (7,648 views) Light at the end of the tunnel: Bars and restau5-rants in the Valencia region to reopen in March (7,531 views)
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LETTERS
COVID protection is my right
It’s good to be green...
Dear Olive Press, come The balanced view in years to e to will be that obnoxious Brits cam to Spain - not wearing masks - onlyuse have THEIR own good time beca ID they have had a jab and got a COV any‘passport’ and don’t care aboutat all. ne anyo that e Mak n. Spai one in TV. That’s plainly clear from English feelThe majority of us expats are left says ing embarrassed by it. Everyonemust they feel safer in Spain. Europe ines consider its citizens and see if vaccte to stop carriers as well as contribuworld herd protection and the whole ty’ has to be COVID clear for ‘normalimy to return. We all have rights, and ID in right is to be protected from COV over, my own district. This is far from own and certainly one country on its can’t change that fact.
Readers react to the Olive Press’ new regular section and new column on the environment GREEN
s.es www.theolivepres
Going deep
first is planning the ENERGY giant Iberdrolaoffshore wind farm in industrial-scale floating of €1 billion-plus. energy off Spain with an investment will produce clean coast, The 300MW plant part of the Spanish an as yet unidentified could begin from 2026. and engineering than 2,800 The study, design generate more . this year and it could and construction jobs through design 66 companies and technoloThe scheme involvescontribute to the fight against gy centres, and will
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nightmare when “It was confirmation of my worst from the UK,” Mike it comes to receiving anything it was the same told the Olive Press. “Before Brexit around the corner, as receiving deliveries fromthe UK is just as diffinow receiving products from Mike, who has lived cult as from China,” continued based in Malaga. in Spain for 27 years, currentlytrade agreement in “There is supposed to be a what that agreeplace, but no-one knows exactly exactly what Brexit ment is - just as no-one knew for it,” added the they voted was when businessman, who recycles products. electronic It comes just a month after LIVE the Olive Press broke the stoRESS ry that guards at the Gibralconfiscatborder tar-Spanish PERI-LESS ed a furious expat’s Nando’s Peri-Peri sauce under new CROSSING Brexit rules. Joseph Lathey, 27, a Brit who works in Gibraltar but lives in Spain, said was left fuming when much of his weekly
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the than double That is more of the currently average rate de Gibraltar besieged Campowhich stands health district,per 100,000 inat 506.5 cases habitants. district, made The whole is currently one up eight towns, meaning no closed down,exit without a juscan leave or such as medical, tified reason, work. legal or for will remain These measures at least Januin place until said at a press ary 25, Moreno today. conference was first closed off disThe campo authorities when health more contagious covered the of the virus had UK variant which arrived in Gibraltar. La Linea, workSince then, an exreceives cross-border has seen ers daily, increase in tremely sharp COVID-19 cases. told the Olive One worker that the situof Press this week area was ‘out ation in the control.’ who works lives The young woman, del Sol but parton the Costa and her in the Campo,both waiting to ner are still coming into dibe tested after with a COVID-19 rect contact infected person.
- January 26th
2021
the border confiscated at hot sauce was but his Peri-Peri cloves were accepted his chilli and was angry when STUMPED: Lathey expat has branded A BRITISH officials ‘ridiculous’ legisSpanish border But Spanish after they confiscated prohibited list. and ‘clueless’Peri Peri sauce at the law 2019/2072, vegetalation, specifically his Nando’s vegetables and Exclusive by dictates that Gibraltar border.27, was left fuming that are prohibiteda ridiculous as 16 Laurence Dollimore from ble-based products Joseph Lathey, his weekly shopping “I said it was been a total of the peninsula most of my shopping THERE have COVID-19 since admit- from entering when much of he tried to cross back would mean be allowed in.” to be named, told the deaths from first struck in was binned as the who asked not down his ‘third country.’ would also not told the Brit he stuffed bacon they were The Gibraltar Government the pandemic into La Linea. his bananas and Indeed, officials his £55 shop that ted that after hearing someone Olive Press: “The Government’s spethe Gibraltar. This meant seeing into a customs were his underwear only items from occurred on is that EU law majority of The last four vaccines finally understanding plant products inleeks being tipped cross the frontier seizing the sa- could and chilli powder. weekend the officer’s bin. add- else’s products.classes the UK as a cifically exempts consumption 9. cloves his vegetable for personal Border Conany sense,” he now were weekly arrived on January It also included “It didn’t make to be pretty clue- The EU of the deaths his favourite bringing in tougher tended controls at The majority mosas, one of from Ramsons, on third country,what can and cannot from official introduction to the EU. with underlyed, “they seemed of elderly peoplealthough there trol Posts on treats he buys controls on bloc. less. border into the to provide documents cloves ing conditions exceptions. Waterport Road. “I asked them they were taking and cross the to the Gibraltar Govhis chilli and were also some what Meanwhile, acceptable. Agreement will be cases sura link According several items a to justify me a photo of just COVID-19 active are now were deemed ernment website, the Government with they just sent website.” stumped. I had 1,000 mark alhave passed the this matter and milk “Therefore, his for personal consumption “I was completely period to a Spanish Government I thought might he could take seeking to clarify including all meat after the Christmas chicken which but not the Peri-Peri Spanish Authorities. Lathey was told onto the Rock to banned, (bar powdered infant milk, have since stabithough they agreement with required the relevant been stopped told the Olive Press. products shopping back and special food “Until the final future relalised. sauce,” Latheysaid it contained onion imposed in for £20, baby food reasons or pet food restore it. respect to Gibraltar’s selling it all settled, and proThe strict measures introduced “The officials “I ended up than nothing,” added for medical it contained health reasons). with the EU is on the social lockdown on Decempuree, meaning was therefore not quired for animal in more than 20kg tionshipthe Government advisesderwhich is better Lathey. cannot bring or more than 2kg unless by the government 2 have ficessed veg and measures or It comes after You specific bridgingbeen agreed whilst ber 27 and January any fish product allowed over. having Giseveral reports of other specific animal products, nally taken effect. live mus- ogations is negotiated,third experts believe on social me- of a honey, oysters, that agreement Public health third wave was be treated as EU cusdia of Brits including braltar will of the start of the food sels and snails. Friday shopthe purposes reminder, pubhaving Government 4, does not list country for initiated by Black 29. See page 16 seized at the The controls.” shopping on November lished on January as being on the toms border. As the pre-Christmas and famexpat, vegetable products One ping spree continued to meet together ilies started to have spread it is believed further.
most of his shopping left fuming after labelled ‘contraband’ British expat Peri-Peri sauce - was including the due to new Brexit rules at Gib border
Dark times
Continues on Page 5
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SPAIN could be gearing up for an avalanche of tourists to its shores in May. Airlines and travel agents have seen the number of Brits booking holidays abroad soar this week after the UK announced its roadmap out of lockdown. UK tourists could finally be able to leave the country for holidays from May 17, the government announced on Monday. Costa Blanca hoteliers have welcomed the announcement from Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, who revealed the move as part of his four-step plan for gradually lifting restrictions in England. “It opens the door for our members to start to prepare to reopen their hotels. We just need to hope that the planned date happens,” said Hosbec hotel association boss Nuria
By Kirsty McKenzie
Montes. Only 20% of the area’s hotels are currently open with occupancy rates of around 10%. The surge in optimism comes as airlines said bookings for the summer season were more than four times higher compared with the same period last week. Alicante, Malaga and Palma were among the most popular destinations, according to the budget holiday giant easyjet, with August its busiest month. was announcement The described by chief executive, Johan Lundgren, as a ‘much-needed boost in confidence’. “We have consistently seen a pent-up demand for travel and this surge in bookings shows that this signal has been what
Back in as s t o business c u n e w f o r plans to Boris lift travel ban
c u s t o m e r s
o n l y .
La Linea shut down
border THE town of La Linea de la Concepcion extra has been handed reharsh coronavirus de Anstrictions by the Junta dalucia. which municipality, The has been borders Gibraltar, 4.2 of the placed into Level tier sysregion’s coronavirus tem. an unprecThe town is facingthe number edented climb in to orof cases and was forced business der all non-essential activity and trade to cease Sunday. from midnight on hotels, This includes shops, - with restaurants and bars essential the exception of supermarbusinesses such as kets or petrol stations. decision Experts made the president along with regional Friday afJuanma Moreno on inter the town’s cumulative 1,247.9 cidence rate reached people. cases per 100,000
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January 13th - January
26th 2021
border was confiscated at the his Peri-Peri hot sauce cloves were accepted but angry when his chilli and STUMPED: Lathey was has branded A BRITISH expat ‘ridiculous’ Spanish border officials confiscated and ‘clueless’ after theysauce at the his Nando’s Peri Peri legisprohibited list. But Spanish Gibraltar border. 2019/2072, left fuming lation, specifically law and vegetatotal of 16 Joseph Lathey, 27, was shopping Exclusive by as that THERE have been a since dictates that vegetables prohibited “I said it was ridiculous when much of his weekly Laurence Dollimore deaths from COVID-19 my shopping to cross back ble-based products are struck in would mean most of was binned as he tried in.” the pandemic first peninsula from a would also not be allowed to be named, admit- from entering the into La Linea. Gibraltar. bananas and told the Brit the who asked not his ‘third country.’ on the This meant seeing his a customs Indeed, officials his £55 shop that ted that he stuffed bacon down told the The last four occurred finally they were The Gibraltar Government only items from leeks being tipped into were his underwear after hearing weekend the vaccines of someone Olive Press: “The Government’s could cross the frontier officer’s bin. EU law speseizing the majority arrived on January 9. vegetable sawere and chilli powder. understanding is that It also included his inhe add- else’s products. The majority of the deaths weekly cloves the UK as a cifically exempts plant products underly“It didn’t make any sense,” mosas, one of his favourite of elderly people with pretty clue- The EU now classes Ramsons, on for personal consumption in tougher there ed, “they seemed to be treats he buys from Border Conthird country, bringing and cannot tended ing conditions although from official controls at to the EU. less. Waterport Road. were also some exceptions.surdocuments controls on what can and cloves trol Posts on introduction “I asked them to provide taking and cross the border into the bloc. Meanwhile, his chilli COVID-19 active cases just Gibraltar Govjustify what they were were deemed acceptable. passed the 1,000 mark I had a to just sent me a photo of a link According to the several items period althey Agreement “I was completely stumped. ernment website, website.” after the Christmas might have are now stabichicken which I thoughtthe Peri-Peri to a Spanish Government take his for personal consumption and milk “Therefore, the Government will be though they have since Lathey was told he could been stopped but not Olive Press. this matter with to banned, including all meat lised. in back onto the Rock infant milk, seeking to clarify Authorities. sauce,” Lathey told the products (bar powdered onion shopping The strict measures imposed food required the relevant Spanish with “The officials said it contained pro- store it. the social lockdown introduced all for £20, baby food and specialor pet food re- “Until the final agreement relaDecem“I ended up selling it future puree, meaning it contained added for medical reasons by the government on therefore not respect to Gibraltar’s reasons). 2 have fiwhich is better than nothing,” cessed veg and was quired for animal health than 20kg tionship with the EU is settled, and ber 27 and January Lathey. on in more allowed over. nally taken effect. It comes after You cannot bring or more than 2kg unless the Government advises believe or derPublic health expertswave was several reports of any fish product animal products, specific bridging measures whilst the start of the third on social me- of other specific oysters, live mus- ogations having been agreed shopGiinitiated by Black Friday dia of Brits including honey, that agreement is negotiated, food sels and snails. be treated as a third ping on November 29. shophaving See page 16 reminder, pub- braltar will EU cusAs the pre-Christmas seized at the The Government 4, does not list country for the purposes of and famlished on January ping spree continued together border. on the toms controls.” expat, vegetable products as being ilies started to meet spread One it is believed to have further.
Dark times
after most of his shopping ‘contraband’ British expat left fuming sauce - was labelled including the Peri-Peri new Brexit rules at Gib border due to
Continues on Page 5
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PERI-LESS CROSSING
BATTLING: Mike wants his crisps and spices, and (right) our previous front page
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STUMPED: Lathey was angry when his chilli and cloves were accepted but his Peri-Peri hot sauce was confiscated at the border A BRITISH expat has branded Spanish border officials ‘ridiculous’ and ‘clueless’ after they confiscated his Nando’s Peri Peri sauce at the Gibraltar border. Joseph Lathey, 27, was left fuming when much of his weekly shopping was binned as he tried to cross back “I said it was ridiculous as that into La Linea. would mean most of my shopping Exclusive by This meant seeing his bananas and Laurence Dollimore would also not be allowed in.” leeks being tipped into a customs Indeed, officials told the Brit the officer’s bin. only items from his £55 shop that It also included his vegetable could cross the frontier were sahis mosas, one of his favourite weekly cloves and chilli powder. treats he buys from Ramsons, “It didn’t make any sense,” he addon Waterport Road. ed, “they seemed to be pretty clueMeanwhile, his chilli and cloves less. were deemed acceptable. “I asked them to provide documents “I was completely stumped. I had to justify chicken which I thought might havea they just what they were taking and sent me a photo been stopped but not the Peri-Peri sauce,” Lathey told the Olive Press. “The officials said it contained onion puree, meaning it contained processed veg and was therefore not allowed over.
British expat left fuming after including the Peri-Peri sauce most of his shopping - was labelled ‘contraband’ at Gib border due to new Brexit rules
Opinion Page 6
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Expat’s fury as birthday gift containing favourite UK goodies seized by customs due to Brexit
21/6/19 13:30
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A BRITISH expat has branded post-Brexit rules ‘his worst nightmare’ after a birthday present of his favourite treats from the UK was banned from entering the country. M i k e B a t tle, 41, was left stumped when he heard his package of good-
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“She is amazing! Thrilled to bits to get the jab and feeling great!” she told the Olive Press. “Lockdown permitting I’m hoping to get the Mayor to visit on her birthday this year.” Her second jab is booked in two weeks’ time and Peggy will be celebrating her 101st birthday in April. Our photograph shows nurse Juanjo administering
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Hit the slopes See page 11
China,” continued Mike, who has lived in Spain for 27 years, currently based in Malaga. “There is supposed to be a trade agreement in place, but no-one knows exactly what that agreement is - just as no-one knew exactly what Brexit was when they voted for it,” added the businessman, who recycles electronic products.
“I was completely stumped. I had a chicken which I thought might have been stopped but not the Peri-Peri sauce,” Lathey told the Olive Press. “The officials said it contained onion puree, meaning it contained processed veg and was therefore not allowed over. “I said that that was ridiculous as that would mean most of my shopping would also not be allowed in.” The EU now classes the UK as a third country, bringing in tougher controls on what can and cannot cross the border into the bloc. A spokeswoman from Fed-Ex told the Olive Press: “Food and Beverage are included among our prohibited items for international shipments.” Any perishable foodstuffs requiring refrigeration are prohibited, as well as a specific restriction for Spain for other foodstuffs, including olive oil. She added: “These restrictions are in place for any third country outside the Community Customs Territory, and now they apply to UK as well since it left the EU”.
+
Nando’s
It comes just a month after the Olive Press broke the story that guards at the Gibraltar-Spanish border confiscated a furious expat’s Nando's Peri-Peri sauce under new Brexit rules. Joseph Lathey, 27, a Brit who works in Gibraltar but lives in Spain, said was left fuming when much of his weekly shopping was binned as he tried to cross into La Linea.
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the first dose of the vaccine to Mrs Bloomfield, while the second pic shows her receiving a visit with balloons, champagne and cake from Olive Press reporters when she hit the big 100 last year. Is she the most elderly expat in Spain to get the COVID jab? If you know anyone older, please contact us at newsdesk@theolivepress.es and tell us about it!
LIVE SKY HIGHPORES S HOPES MALLORCA
A Sierra Nevada ll about
Vol. 14 Issue 363
www.theolivepress.es
You can finally slope off to Andalucia’s skiing heaven, writes Charlie Smith
expat
S
ILENCE. There is not a single peep as I climb upwards through the valley to meet my maker. I poke my head out of the cable car window and the Sierra Nevada’s fresh alpine air hits my lungs. Then I hear it – a sweeping crunch down the crisp white piste, as a snowboarder whizzes past below. Another tears through, and then a third, all weaving down the mountainside at blistering speed. I’m definitely more terrified than the three Spanish guys sharing the carriage with me. We have left behind the cosy bars and restaurants in Pradollano, the main town of Andalucia’s only ski resort. We step out at Borreguiles, which sits some 2,700 metres above sea level. This is the basecamp for many of the Sierra’s runs, which range from the green-coloured ‘muy facil’ pistes to those in black, labelled ‘muy dificil’. Continues overleaf
By Kirsty McKenzie
“We have consistently seen a pent-up demand for travel and this surge in bookings shows that this signal has been what UK consumers have been waiting for,” he said. Holiday bookings were up by 630% and flights by 337%. “While the summer may be a little while off, we will be work-
Costa Blanca Sur 952 147 834 Issue 34
ing around the clock to ensure we will be ready to ramp up our flights to reconnect friends and family or take them on a long-awaited holiday to remember,” he added. Travel firm Thomas Cook said traffic to its website doubled in the day after the Prime Minister’s statement, while Ryanair confirmed there had been a ‘large surge’ in bookings. However, Health Secretary Matt Hancock urged caution warning that the effectiveness of vaccines will dictate whether international travel can go ahead. He said: “We have to protect against these new variants, and that is a big challenge.” Hancock added that ‘we can be much more relaxed about international travel’ if vaccines work well against the South Africa and Brazil strains. “If the vaccine doesn’t work against them, then that will be much, much more difficult,” he said. It comes as the government
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SKY HIGH HOPES
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A POPULAR expat centenarian has COVID confirmed theyher are first looking at jab in her 101st year.had Peggy Bloomfield, the idea of vaccine passports to based on the Costa Blanca, got her first allow travel abroad. dose of the Pfizer vaccine at Teulada Medical At the momentweek. Brits are only Centre this permitted to travel essential Andfor she’s now raring to go, work purposes.her neighbour according to No one is allowed to enter Spain Shirley Young. “She is amazing! from South Africa, or the Thrilled to bits to get the Brazil jab and great!” she told UK via air or sea until 6pm feeling on Olive Press. “Lockdown permitting the March 2 underhoping the current to getrethe Mayor to visit for I’m strictions. her next birthday.” Her second jab is in two The ban was first introduced in weeks’ time and Peggy will be celebratDecember when ingscientists her 101stfirst birthday detected a more-transmissible Our photograph (far in April. right) shows nurse variant of the virus in the UK. Juanjo administering the first dose of the were Tight restrictions originalvaccine to Peggy, ly supposed towas endall on smiles Januaryas she while right she received a visit with 19 but the ban hasballoons, now been champagne and from times, extended multiple Olive with Press reporters whencake she hit the big restrictions currently in100 place last year. until March 2. Is after she the oldest This ban comes Spain con-expat in Spain to get the COVID jab? firmed its first case of theIfBrayou know anyone older, CELEBRATIONS ALL contact us at newsdesk@theolivepre zilian variant on Friday, with ROUND: Peggy receives ss.es COVID jab (inset right) two cases of the South African following her recent her 100th birthday variant and 479 cases of the British variant of the virus. Anyone flying into Spain must also proof of a negative Covid test, which should be taken up to 72 hours before departure.
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than four times higher compared with the same period last week. Alicante, Malaga and Palma were among the most popular destinations, according to the budget holiday giant easyjet, with August its busiest month. The announcement was described by chief executive, Johan Lundgren, as a ‘much-needed boost in confidence’.
February 2021
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EXCLUSIVE By Kirsty McKenzie
ies had been held up by customs in Madrid for over TEN days. The gift, sent from his family, via courier company Fedex, contained crisps and spice mixes - but Mike never got to unwrap them. The parcel, valued at around €20, was deemed unacceptable by customs chiefs and returned to Mike’s mother in Leeds. “It was confirmation of my worst nightmare when it comes to receiving anything from the UK,” Mike told the Olive Press. “Before Brexit it was the same as receivTHE SKY ing deliveries from around DOCTOR the corner, now ALL AREAS COVERED receiving products from the 4G UNLIMITED UK is just as INTERNET difficult as from
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A model patient A POPULAR well-known expat centenarian has had her first COVID jab as she approaches her 101st birthday. Peggy Bloomfield, based in Moraira, got her first dose of the Pfizer vaccine at Teulada Medical Centre. And she’s now raring to go, according to her neighbour Shirley Young. SPAIN could be gearing up for an avalanche of tourists to its shores in May. Airlines and travel agents have seen the number of Brits booking holidays abroad soar this week after the UK announced its roadmap out of lockdown. UK tourists could finally be able to leave the country for holidays from May 17, the government announced on Monday. Costa Blanca hoteliers have welcomed the announcement from Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, who revealed the move as part of his four-step plan for gradually lifting restrictions in England. “It opens the door for our members to start to prepare to reopen their hotels. We just need to hope that the planned date happens,” said Hosbec hotel association boss Nuria Montes. Only 20% of the area’s hotels are currently open with occupancy rates of around 10%. The surge in optimism comes as airlines said bookings for the summer season were more
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Island could soon be back in business as UK travel ban to be lifted in May
3 MALLORCA 1 / 1 2 / 1 9 could .
be lanche of tourists to its gearing up for an avashores in May. Airlines and travel agents By Kirsty McKenzie abroad. At the moment have seen the numBrits are only permitted ber of Brits booking holidays to travel for essential work abroad soar this to 21/6/19 13:30 week after the reconnect friends No one is allowed to enter purposes. UK announced its roadmap Spain from South Afout on a long-awaited and family or take them rica, Brazil or of lockdown. the UK holiday to remember,” UK tourists should finally he March 2 under the via air or sea until 6pm on added. current restrictions. country for holidays from be able to leave the Travel firm Thomas The ban was first Cook May 17, the government announced on Monday. site doubled in the day said traffic to its web- when scientists first introduced in December detected a more-transmisafter the Prime Prime Minister Boris Johnson revealed the ter’s statement, while Ryanair confirmedMinis- sible variant of the virus in the UK. move as part of his four-step there Tight restrictions had been a ‘large surge’ were in bookings. plan for gradu- However, ally lifting restrictions end on January 19 but originally supposed to Health Secretary Matt the ban has now been Hancock cial contact rules finallyin England, with all so- urged caution, warning lifted by June 21. that the effectiveness of extended multiple times, with restrictions curAirlines, including easyJet, vaccines said bookings el can will dictate whether international trav- rently in place until March 2. for the summer season go ahead. were more than four times higher compared with the same period He said: “We have to protect against these last week. new variants, and that is a Opinion Page 6 big challenge.”
Hancock added that Confidence ‘we can be much Palma was one of the more relaxed about tions, according to themost popular destina- international travel’ easyJet, with August its budget holiday giant if vaccines work well The announcement was busiest month. described by chief ex- against the South ecutive, Johan Lundgren, as a ‘much-needed Africa and Brazil boost in confidence’. strains. “We have consistently the seen a pent-up demand “If vaccine for travel and this surge doesn’t that this signal has been in bookings shows them, work against then that will have been waiting for,” what UK consumers be much, he said. much more Holiday bookings were up by 630% and difficult,” he said. flights by 337%. It comes as the gov“While the summer may be a little while off, ernment confirmed we will be working around the clock to en- it was looking at the sure we will be ready to ramp up our flights idea of vaccine passports to allow travel
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ILENCE. There is not a single peep as I climb upwards through the valley to meet my maker. of the I poke my head out the cable car window and alSierra Nevada’s fresh pine air hits my lungs. Then I hear it – a sweeping white crunch down the crisp piste, as a snowboarder whizzes past below. and Another tears through, then a third, all weaving at down the mountainside blistering speed. terriI’m definitely more fied than the three Spanish guys sharing the carriage with me. the We have left behind cosy bars and restaurants main in Pradollano, the ski town of Andalucia’s only resort. We step out at Borreguiles, mewhich sits some 2,700 tres above sea level. for This is the basecampruns, many of the Sierra’s the which range from facil’ green-coloured ‘muy lapistes to those in black, belled ‘muy dificil’.
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CELEBRATION: Peggy received her COVID jab (Below) and happy days at her 100th birthday
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It comes as the government UK consumers have been confirmed they are looking at waiting for,” he said. the idea of vaccine passports Holiday bookings were up by to allow travel abroad. 630% and flights by 337%. At the moment Brits are only “While the summer may be permitted to travel for essena little while off, we will be tial work purposes. working around the clock to No one is allowed to enter ensure we will be ready to Spain from South Africa, Braramp up our flights to recon- zil or the UK via air or sea unnect friends and family or take til 6pm on March 2 under the them on a long-awaited holi- current restrictions. day to remember,” he added. Travel firm Thomas Cook said Restrictions traffic to its website doubled in the day after the Prime Minis- The ban was first introduced ter’s statement, while Ryanair in December when scientists confirmed there had been a first detected a more-trans‘large surge’ in bookings. missible variant of the virus in However, Health Secretary the UK. Matt Hancock urged caution Tight restrictions were origiwarning that the effectiveness nally supposed to end on Janof vaccines will dictate wheth- uary 19 but the ban has now er international travel can go been extended multiple times, ahead. with restrictions currently in He said: “We have to protect place until March 2. against these new variants, This ban comes after Spain and that is a big challenge.” its first case of the confirmed Hancock added that ‘we can be Brazilian variant on Friday, much more relaxed about in- with two cases of the South Afternational travel’ if vaccines rican variant and 479 cases of work well against the South the British variant of the virus. Africa and Brazil strains. Anyone flying into Spain must “If the vaccine doesn’t work also proof of a negative Covid against them, then that will be test, which should be taken up much, much more difficult,” to 72 hours before departure. he said.
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As Boris Johnson announced the UK’s four-step plan out of to it beat him
By John Culatto
Gibraltar to recovery from the corona- lockdown, GIBRAlTAR has started on its road Monday too, with masks to be Buses restarted at half capacity on virus pandemic. outside Gibraltar’s town centre worn on-board. Masks will now not have to be worn reported in mid-February. 14 and be applicable to the curfew will continue until March after very few new active cases were the news in what he said But restaurants. all businesses including the bars and from Major Incident staChief Minister Fabian Picardo delivered on CoVID-19. away could be his last live press conference down to just 33, with a doz- The government will finally move tus on Monday. Active cases of the coronavirus are now of 12 for now, although apSports will only be allowed in groups en of them in hospital. rise and are now at 91, with the plications can be made for greater numbers to the Pandemic deaths have continued to latest occurring on February 22. a trickle with a number of days government’s sporting association.return to a new cases have now gone down to despite over 1,000 tests a day. The Contact Tracing Bureau will end of the and isolate system at the when there were none at all reported vaccines being delivered test, trace month. These are the clear results of over 30,000 over 70-years-old were to the local population. continue to Residents who are lockdown on February will this today, arriving vials freed from their own With a new batch of Pfizer inoculate Gibraltar’s population. and are allowed back into 15. cannot throw caution to the We Children have now returned to schoollottery again. wind,” warned Picardo. playgrounds while adults can play the to able “We are very close to being protect everyone in our community through vaccination. “Do not bring CoVID-19 on yourself, your family or friends See page 16 by going out to look for it in Spain.”
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Vol. 14 Issue 363 www.theolivepress.es February 24th -March 9th 2021
double the That is more than currently average rate of the Gibraltar besieged Campo de stands health district, which 100,000 inat 506.5 cases per habitants. made The whole district, currently up eight towns, is no one closed down, meaning a juscan leave or exit without as medical, tified reason, such legal or for work. remain These measures will least Januin place until at at a press ary 25, Moreno said conference today. closed off The campo was first diswhen health authorities contagious covered the more virus had UK variant of the arrived in Gibraltar. which Since then, La Linea, workreceives cross-border an exers daily, has seen in tremely sharp increase COVID-19 cases. the Olive One worker told the situPress this week that was ‘out of ation in the area control.’ who works The young woman, but lives on the Costa del Sol her partin the Campo, andwaiting to ner are still both into dibe tested after coming a COVID-19 rect contact with infected person.
Gibraltar Issue 142
days at her
the vaccine to Mrs Bloomfield, while a visit second pic shows her receiving cake with balloons, champagne and she from Olive Press reporters when hit the big 100 last year. Spain Is she the most elderly expat in know to get the COVID jab? If you us at anyone older, please contact tell newsdesk@theolivepress.es and us about it!
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her COVID jab (left) and happy
she get the jab and feeling great!” told the Olive Press. to “Lockdown permitting I’m hoping get the Mayor to visit on her birthday this year.” two Her second jab is booked in celeweeks’ time and Peggy will be brating her 101st birthday in April. Our photograph shows nurse Juanjo of the administering the first dose
Mijas Costa
Nightmare
The gift, sent from his family, via courier company Fedex, contained crisps and spice mixes - but Mike never got to See our unwrap Education LIVE them. and SkiingO PRESS The parpullouts cel, valinsidePERI-LESS ued at CROSSING around € 2 0 , w a s deemed unacc e p t able by
Your
Marbella
Good read
Time will tell
I really enjoyed reading the column by Martin Tye. I found the details very interesting, and wasn’t aware of Spain’s previously poor record on the environment, epitomised by the ridiculous, but thankfully recently-removed, ‘sun tax’. Indeed it is now heartening to read about the progress that Spain has made towards becoming proactive on improving the environment, as well as learning about the relatively good air quality in my home province of Malaga. It’s good to see the Olive Press reinforcing its green credentials, and I await with interest the next ‘Green Matters’ article.
It has not yet been proven if people who have been vaccinated can still transmit COVID, as this wasn’t part of the trials for the first three vaccines. The trials only focused on recording people getting symptoms and/or hospitalisation. As we go on and get more data, we will know if people can carry and transmit the virus after vaccination.
Mallorca - Issue 100
Peter McDermott, Marbella
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OP QUICK Crossword Across 1 Roamed about (6) 5 Mourn (6) 8 Due date (8) 9 Set of clothing (4) 10 Whimsically comical (4) 11 Back in the day (5,3) 12 Gutless (6) 15 Start gently (4,2) 17 Callow (8) 20 Final valedictions, often carved in stone (1,1,2) 21 Options to sell (4) 22 Preachy (8) 23 “What the heck!” (3,3) 24 West is the wrong way for the most sagacious (6)
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border THE Lintown of LaConcepcion ea de la extra rehas been handed Anharsh coronavirus the Junta de strictions by which dalucia. municipality,has been The the borders Gibraltar, Level 4.2 of sysplaced into tier region’s coronavirus tem. facing an unprecThe town is in the number to oredented climb was forced of cases and business der all non-essential to cease activity and trade on Sunday. from midnight shops, hotels, with This includes and bars restaurants of essential the exception such as supermarbusinesses stations. kets or petrol the decision Experts made regional president along with on Friday afinJuanma Moreno cumulative ter the town’sreached 1,247.9 cidence rate people. cases per 100,000
CELEBRATION: Peggy received 100th birthday
cenA POPULAR well-known expat jab tenarian has had her first COVID as she approaches her 101st birthday. Peggy Bloomfield, based in Moraira, got her first dose of the Pfizer vaccine at Teulada Medical Centre. And she’s now raring to go, according to her neighbour Shirley Young. to “She is amazing! Thrilled to bits
ANDALUCÍA
ENER WWW.MAR IPOSA
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BATTLING: Mike wants his crisps and spices, and (below) our previous front page
OLIVE PRESS
The
You’ve got no mail!
post-Brexit rules ‘his A BRITISH expat has branded present of his faworst nightmare’ after a birthday banned from entervourite treats from the UK was ing the country. when he heard his Mike Battle, 41, was left stumped up by customs in package of goodies had been held Madrid for over TEN days. via courier company The gift, sent from his family, mixes - but Mike Fedex, contained crisps and spice never got to unwrap them. €20, was deemed The parcel, valued at around and returned to unacceptable by customs chiefs Mike’s mother in Leeds.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson revealed the move as part of his four-step plan for gradually lifting restrictions in England, with all social contact rules finally lifted by June 21. Airlines, including easyJet, said bookings for the summer season were more than four times higher compared with the same period last week. While Spanish destinations were popular, Gibraltar businesses will be looking forward to a surge in airport arrivals too. The announcement was described by chief executive, Johan Lundgren, as a ‘much-needed boost in confidence’. “We have consistently seen a pent-up demand for travel and this surge in bookings shows that this signal has been what UK consumers have been waiting for,” he said.
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The
GIBRALTAR could be gearing up for an avalanche of tourists to its shores in May. Airlines and travel agents have seen the number of Brits booking the slopes abroad soar this week Hit holidays announced its roadUK11 page after See the map out of lockdown. UK tourists will finally be able to leave the country for holidays from May 17, the government announced on Monday.
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is ILENCE. Therepeep not a single as I climb upwards to through the valley meet my maker. out of the I poke my head and the cable car window fresh alSierra Nevada’slungs. pine air hits my– a sweeping Then I hear itthe crisp white crunch down snowboarder piste, as a below. whizzes past through, and Another tears all weaving at then a third, down the mountainside blistering speed.more terriI’m definitelythree Spanish fied than the the carriage guys sharing with me. behind the We have left restaurants cosy bars and the main in Pradollano, only ski town of Andalucia’s resort. at Borreguiles, We step out 2,700 mewhich sits somelevel. tres above sea basecamp for This is the Sierra’s runs, many of the from the which range ‘muy facil’ green-coloured in black, lapistes to those belled ‘muy dificil’.
Bajo 4, San Pedro
to You can finally slope off Andalucia’s skiing heaven, writes Charlie Smith
The
A BRITISH expat has branded post-Brexit rules ‘his worst nightmare’ after a birthday present of his favourite treats from the UK was banned from entering the country. Mike Battle, 41, was left stumped when he heard his package of goodies had been held up by customs in Madrid for over TEN days.
February 2021
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BATTLING: Mike wants his crisps and spices, and (below) our previous front page
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The the UK. is on a list of 33 The south-western European nation and not even a top countries which requires a quarantine boxer can be excluded from the rules. are always having to “In the current environment we Eddie Hearn. think on our feet,” said promoter March 6 happen, but “We did everything to try and make was impossible. with the new travel restrictions it the box, compelling, we have something outside “now Nevada A Sierra heavyweight fights of and a unique setting for one of the Rock!” the year - roll on the Rumble on the sent Povetkin to the Brixton man Whyte had twice in August. The Rusground during the first clash back knocking out Whyte sian had the last laugh, however, S with a single punch.
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Y CTRICITThe IMPORTANT: Olive Press GREENER ELE has long been highlighting environmental issues
Mixed feelings
Great article on this subject. It’s very important for you to raise the awareness of the problems we are leaving behind for the next generation. Well done.
Just a quick email to congratulate your paper on covering a very important matter such as the environment and the renewable solutions that exist here in Spain. So, thank you!
artists, covered by many An iconic song, as a love song. Not and wrongly interpreted true. by Mike Hazlewood The lyrics were writtenHammond (Gibralta(British) and Albert arrived in LA for the they first rian) shortly after they saw for the first time. And there, and frameworHills Spain has had in place targets time SMOG. development and over the Hollywood By Dilip Kuner As they looked out an ugly yellow monster. ks to ensure sustainableconditions. The ecowas al all they could see what about now? improve environment impacted on many exThat was then, but mind around these ha- nomic difficulties of 2008-2014 THERE is nothing a roaring Try and wrap your pats love more than log-burnthis programme. an ambitious enfire or a fuel efficient rrowing facts: country In 2018, Spain announced that would see the Log stoves and ing stove. for 1 in 8 deaths vironmental policy on fossil fuels, and inslog fire a accounts While more pollution are But beware. ● Air end its dependence electricity from renewait could be fires worldwide of its Organisamight be charming two studthe World Healththe greatest tead draw 75% harmful for health 100% by 2050. ● According to air bad for your health, has by 2030, rising to pollution sources ment ble making future (WHO), for environ tion ies have found. on global healtha large Politicians are renowned to of the En- and impact they won’t be around A UK Department says that then road traffic clearly linked to commitments that ● Air pollution is vironment report the home conditions, namely: medical of finalised! in hope. number see disease wood-burning a promise there is shows that of PM 2.5 • Cardiovascular Still, where there’s the European Union has A second report accounts for 38%of fine partiand fires • Cancer wood-burning stoves in Pressure from within recently Spain than Until emissions pollution – a formis considered infections polluting resolve. particulate Spain’s of fine • Acute respiratory are much more cle pollution that pulmonary di- stimulated unenviable position of being the as it the Netherlands. the previous thought. • Chronic obstructive occupied the particularly dangerous by the Nawith a ‘Sun Tax’. the lungs The Dutch study for Public This is double seases(COPD) country in the world who installed solar penetrates deep into 10% and is set to population live in only ! People tional Institute Environment estimate of urgent legislation proTruly unbelievable and bloodstream. ● 91% of the world’s the same for the electricity they quality exceeds WHO Health and the fires are re- lead to new places where air panels were taxed This figure is triple by vesays that around Europe. (RIVM) madness. rule Utter the now 23% contamination emitted limits. duced. up 12% of European guidelines has now gone, enabling sponsible for an alarming hicles, which makes produced as Thankfully all that to emerge again and give that particulates outside the beloved Spain? the UK’s total. solar panel industry to reduce their electricity So what about our condensation just included in the ability most po- consumersenvironmentally efficient way. chimney should be as those in labelled Europe’s bills in an the figures, as well In 2015 Spain was to completely dethe European Environment Ultimately, Spain’s goal is the air. lluted country by and wood European-wide carbonise its economy. licences for This means log fires important ignoring critical Agency (EEA). Ouch!readers knew that! stopped issuing new SPAIN has been burning stoves are particulate I’ll wager not many varies regionally, and Spain has production, has closed most of its targets. set 50% to fine waste recycling not just been missing an EU is getgas and pollution nuclear oil contributors its our Obviously traffic, insituation is running down From plastics on The country has pollution, along with target, but the coal mines, and comes in many forms. recycling (or re-use) emissions from industry dustry and agriculture. beaches to heavy fumes. The worst affected energy programme. its efforts with particular organisations have ting worse. n environmental and the Spain is increasing and vehicle exhaust wind. An alliance of 16 with the European Commissio Madrid, Barcelona Comfort focus on solar and act. to reverse areas in Spain are Valencia. filed a complaintthe government is forced to the EC, energy plan seeks report coastal area around Costa del Sol fare well, This renewable According to another (EC) demandingwhich has been accepted by the tal planrising carbon emissions. by years and research and Pollution levels on by the environmen The complaint, and is motivated and the wider Levante According to the British market 80% of Spathe cheapest selective collection behind only Galicia ning bureau PBL, particulate is a ‘historic milestone firm YouGov, over policies, stagnant in promotwell. data analysis that climate change is a threat. region. way of dealing with to ban dieyears of erratic and total disinterest province performs to Ecologists in pollution would bea particulate and recycling rates In Andalucia, Malagaindustry and living on the niards believe they do about it! and reuse’ according what t data, the sel cars without generation ing prevention Why? Lack of heavy to continual easterly and Let’s see latest governmen the the is to waste need I All filter and older Action. Accordingrecycling rate for municipal 2018. Green Energy coast we are subject act as drains for harmful After all, 100% Certified at 35% in air that I breathe... wood-burning stoves. be some westerly winds which in Spain stood states that ‘not could however There off let gases. The complaint t figure comfort and a temporary only has this insufficien Mariposa Energy. of whom live Spain has for expats, most of energy switch copany worsened, but ed any of unhealthy Martin Tye is the owner riposaenergia.es in the campo. The not implement the ComCITY g are Email him at martin@ma CHEAPER ELECTRI BILL effects of wood-burnin the policies that recomareas where far worse in urban concentrate, ON YOUR ENERGY mission has been years to SAVE UP TO 35% emissions can problems. mending in recent by 2020’. Green Energy leading to health 100% Certified reach the 50% target
Passport deal on the cards A deal (for people who have had the COVID-19 vaccine) makes sense, especially with such slow progress with the vaccine programme. However, I am sceptical about allowing tourism into Spain. All is well and good if UK citizens that have had the vaccine want to come here, but they can still transmit COVID to the entire population here that haven’t had a sniff of a vaccine.
matters
By Martin
r, 100% Switch to our cheape today green energy tariffs
boxing fights of the ONE of the biggest heavyweight March 27, thanks to year will be held in Gibraltar on CoVID-19. get a second chance to British boxer Dillian Whyte will Rock because of UK topple Alexander Povetkin on thehe succeeds he will coronavirus quarantine rules. If Fury for the WBC win back the right to challenge Tyson Antony Joshua in their world belt - so long as Fury beats own fight. was a shock, was meant Whyte, whose defeat to Povetkin on March 6, but to have a rematch in Wembley Arena he would have had to with Whyte training in Portugal, when he arrived in go into hotel lockdown for 10 days
Keeping it up!
31
9th 2021
you Martin Tye asks are Europe? In a new green column, is the Dirty Man of aware that Spain
Green
carbon 202,500 tonnes of climate change, withyear once operational. emissions saved persubmitted the plan to the Next Iberdrola has now Generation EU programme.
BURNING ISSUE
Mike Jeffrey, Calahonda
OLIVE PRESS
March 11th - March 24th 2021
2 Nothing special (7) 3 Devout (5) 4 Diurnal (5) 5 Small banger (7) 6 Won’t take no for an answer (7) 7 In competition (5) 13 Affair of the heart (7) 14 “--- it be nice?” (Beach Boys hit) (7) 16 Damages (7) 18 Harbour entrance (5) 19 Fund (5) 20 Piles of straw (5)
All solutions are on page 20
LA CULTURA
EX Santander Vice President and one of Spain's richest men Jamie Botin has seen his second appeal rejected for the attempted smuggling of a Picasso painting. He was convicted in January last year of trying to take the painting, The Head of a Young Woman' valued at €26 million out of the country to sell through London Auction house, Christies despite being denied permission.
Defence
Botin's defense still claims that the billionaire was not trafficking the painting to sell on to a collector, however the courts have rejected all claims and have stood firm on their charges. The Madrid Court has now rejected a second appeal. Botin has been jailed for three years and fined €91.7 million.
The winner is… Wooden muse
Facelift for ageing beauty
Spain’s ‘Oscars’ hosted by Antonio Banderas in Malaga
THE GIRLS, a coming of age drama by a first time female feature film director has scooped the best film award in the 2021 Goyas, the Spanish equivalent of the Oscars. Pilar Palomero also won Goyas for best new director and best screenplay for her drama Las Niñas set in a convent school. The film was also awarded the prize for best cinematography. The film scooped the top prize beating Netflix drama Adú which as the front-runner leading up to the ceremony with 14 nominations although its director Salvador Calvo was awarded the best director trophy. Hosted by Antonio Banderas and Maria Casado, the Goyas
THE fossilised remains of dinosaurs, their eggs and footprints have been found in Catalunya. The fossilised footprints are of tetrapod vertebrates and arthropod invertebrates that lived about 240 million years ago. Among the remains described is the Puigventos ichnite, the best preserved of all the fossilised tracks in the Iberian Peninsula, since it even preserves
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was held at the Teatro del Soho CaixaBank in Malaga. The Girls also beat other film nominees including Ane Is Missing from David Pérez Sañudo, Icíar Bollaín’s La boda de Rosa (Rosa’s Wedding), and The People Upstairs aka Sentimental, from director Cesc Gay. In addition to Bollaín, also in the running in the best director category this year were Juanma Bajo Ulloa, nominated for his horror thriller Baby, and veteran filmmaker Isabel Coixet for It Snows in Benidorm.
Drama
Up for best European film at
Dinosaur hotbed detailed impressions of the claws and the skin. Ichnite sites in Spain are amongst the world's most important for the quantity, quality and variety of the tracks to be found, with Catalunya considered as one of the last strongholds of the dinosaurs.
AN HISTORIC museum is getting a €300,000 facelift. Rojales council is spending the cash to renovate it’s Archaeological Museum. A survey revealed work was needed for structural and safe-
IT may not look much, but a woodworm ravaged fig tree, which is one of the symbols of Orihuela’s bestloved son, poet Miguel Hernandez, is being saved. The tree is located inside Hernandez’s house and inspired much of his poetry, but its trunk has almost been hollowed out by the parasite.
ty reasons and to help keep exhibits in good condition. The local council says that the museum has suffered from a lack of investment from the regional authorities since it first opened 40 years ago. Despite this, the museum which is sited in the old town hall - has had improvements over the years, including the installation of a lift and improved accessibility for people with reduced mobility. The exhibition area has also been expanded to use an old annex, and lighting and safety upgrades have also improved the site. It’s paleontology area shows the ancient evolution of the area millions of years ago. The archeology area considers the cultural evolution of Rojales from prehistoric times up to the foundation of the village.
The Gilded Ones
HOST: Antonio Banderas the Goyas were Jan Komasa’s Polish drama Corpus Christi, Viggo Mortensen’s Falling, An Officer and a Spy from Roman Polanski and Florian Zeller’s Brit drama The Father, which won the category. Best Ibero-American film was awarded to Fernando Trueba’s Colombian drama Forgotten We’ll Be, beating out contenders including Chilean documentary The Mole Agent, Guatemalan horror film La Llorona, and Fernando Frias’ Mexican drama I’m No Longer Here, all three of which are on the Oscar shortlist.
by Namina Forna
BOOK REVIEW
Art case
Do you have a what’s on?
A YA fantasy novel set in the world of Otera, a deeply patriarchal society where women are second class citizens, denied education and raised to be good wives and mothers. In their 15th years the girls are subjected to a bloodletting ritual to determine their purity, red is pure and gold is impure. When16year-old Deka’s blood runs gold she is branded a demon and tortured and killed repeatedly, her golden blood giving her the ability to heal and resurrect herself. However, because of her strength and healing powers she, and others of her kind are recruited to the emperor’s guard as elite warriors to fight the monsters threatening the empire. The Gilded ones is both an exciting and engaging fantasy novel, and an examination of the patriarchy with a message of hope and heroism for young women.
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LA CULTURA
March 11th - March 24th 2021
Mum’s gone to Ireland!
The frantic search for British favourites turns to the Emerald Isle
I
N a recent rambling, I reported that life as we know it here in Spain was on the edge of total extinction as we are forced to face the fact that empty shelves in Brit food shops may last for months, even years. As lorry loads of our vital dietary needs are curtailed by a fanatical frenzy of red tape at French and Dutch ports, we expats, now known as the outcasts of the EU, are being punished for the sins of our fathers – or rather our Godfather - Boris. But since scribing that vital information, I have received reports of strange happenings in branches of a leading British supermarket food chain here in Spain. Random reports suggest unknown forces are at work within the stores after dark, but whilst weird, they also suggest they may ultimately be of benefit to all of us still craving for our Union-Jack top-ups. Ethereal green lights have been seen emitting from respective stores, accompanied by sounds of violin music, screechy laughter, and cries of begorrah and sláinte. Several over-curious citizens ventured out for closer inspection, claiming to have seen scenes more akin to an animated movie than a food supermarket. Products were seen running rampant in the aisles, dancing jigs to the accompaniment of little violinists, perched on top of Kerrygold butter shelves. Apparently, as time progressed towards dawn, activities became more frenzied, culminating in a mass performance of `Riverdance´ featuring around 50 very upright sausages, frozen chips, and kippers. When contacted for comment, a company spokesperson stated: “These are difficult times, and we are making every effort to keep supplies flowing into Brit kitchens. This necessitated the need to source alternative merchandise and transport routes into Spain, as our recent statement in social media explained.” When pressed for an answer to the instore, Irish jiggery-pokery, we were referred to their new public relations manager, Culkin O’Dwye, who when hearing our report, fell into fits of laughter saying it was a lovely story, and only wished it could be true. He suggested that maybe our witnesses had consumed too many glasses of local lockdown vino. Interview over, he clicked his fingers, and disappeared in a cloud of gold-dust, leaving behind a solitary, four-leaf shamrock.
WASTE NOT, WANT NOT! ALTHOUGH I didn’t realise at the time, my old granny taught me to be grateful for the food on the table. Being brought up in wartime London, food was scarce, and every scrap was utilised for maximum consumption. Gran told me to eat everything and ‘fill the corners of your stomach’. It wasn´t until my early twenties that I realised my stomach was not square! Another pet Granny phrase was ‘Waste not, want not’. If I left any food on my plate, it would be immediately whisked away to the cool of the pantry (no fridges in those
OL D HA CK IN TH E SU N
Benny Davis
Ramblings of an 80-somethi ng expat days) only to reappear in front of me, intact, at the next mealtime. I have horrible memories of staring at black bullet-like Brussels sprouts, semolina pudding looking more like wallpaper paste than a dessert and having to scrape white fluff off a slice of Spam. But inevitably, I always succumbed to her bullying, even if it were solely to get out to play with my mates in the street. She was of course looking after my best interests and her words have since formed an important part of my life. The whole point of sharing my intimate childhood memories with you, is to bring your attention to media reports that some local mayors, government bigwigs, and even members of the Spanish royal family, have been accused of jumping the vaccine queue. I can exclusively reveal that they have all been grossly misjudged and are totally innocent of any wrongdoings. The truth is, all have been loyal to their respective grannies by adhering to those immortal words, quien guarda siempre halla `waste not want not’. In a desperate attempt to serve their king and country, without any selfish thoughts about personal immunity or possible harm to their reputations, they immediately offered up their VIP arms to save the left-over recent vaccine session dregs of AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 offerings from being dumped. And in doing so, because pantries are out of style, they also saved the nation hundreds of thousands of euros in freezer electricity costs. Heroes all. Their grannies would have been proud of them!
A special four-page pullout www.theolivepress.es
March 2021
GENERATIONS: The many faces of solidarity on International Women’s Day in Spain
One in five Spanish women gave up work due to the COVID crisis, while they are also poorer and harder working than men, writes OP Digital Editor Fiona Govan
I
Circulo Podemos Ciudad Líneal
N previous years March 8 was a day when I would meet up with a group of friends and we would hit the streets of Madrid joining tens of thousands of others to mark International Women’s Day. We would don purple items of clothing and join in the protests that attracted people from all walks of life and across the generations – both men and women, boys and girls. There was a carnival atmosphere as people of all ages, from grandparents to toddlers hoisted on shoulders, came to-
gether in a sea of purple brandishing signs with powerful slogans to show that modern Spain means equal opportunities, whatever gender you are. But the demonstrations also underlined how much there was still to do; women may now be fully accepted in the workplace but they are still penalised by a gender pay gap, which is not improving fast enough. Meanwhile violence against women is still recognised as a major problem in Spain and we are currently witnessing the
Vandal insult
A MURAL depicting 15 pioneering women including civil rights heroine Rosa Parks and artist Frida Kahlo was painted over in a brutal act of vandalism on International Women’s Day. The faces of the iconic females were sprayed with black paint by a far-right group that left a note describing feminism as ‘one of the bêtes noires of our era’. The mural in the Ciudad Lineal neighbourhood represented women ‘from various backgrounds who overcame challenges, broke barriers and became reference points in the defense of women and equal rights’, according to the project’s creators. Last week, a mural celebrating the achievements of women was similarly targeted by vandals in Gandia, in the region of Valencia, who daubed it with swastikas and anti-feminist slogans.
Long way to go
rise of the country’s political far right and with it a denial of gender inequalities. This year with Spain still in the grip of the pandemic, there are no mass protests with authorities banning gatherings to avoid potential super-spreader events, but the health crisis has highlighted and even compounded some of the inequalities in society. Working from home has seen a steep rise in mental health issues with women bearing the brunt of the burden of childcare and housework as they try to balance work life with home-schooling and care for their elderly relatives. When Spain went into lockdown a year ago, gender violence soared with the authorities reporting an 18% rise in calls during the first fortnight alone. A survey conducted by DYM in the run up to Women’s Day this year revealed that 7% of
tions remains around a third of that of men with the numbers dropping even further as careers progress. Spain’s female executives earn 15.1 percent less than their male counterparts, although this is just below the EU average salary gap of 16 percent according to the latest EU data from 2017. women had suffered physical This inequality is highlighted or psychological abuse from in the statement issued by men during 2020. Spain’s government on March And most alarmingly of all, 8: “Women in Spain work according to more than men the latest data, today, but they women made are poorer.” Women up 93% of thoOf course there represent 47% are still reasons se who gave up employment to be positive of elected during 2020 in and to celebrate Spain... citing MPs, a bigger just how far wocaring for mimen have come proportion nors, elderly or in Spain. sick relatives as Spain may not than Sweden the main reahave had a sons. female prime That is one in five women, ac- minister but it has the largest cording to a survey by online share of women in any Eurocommunity MalasMadres. pean legislature with women During the second quarter of representing 47% of elected last year, a period that coin- MPs, a bigger proportion of cided with Spain’s strict loc- female lawmakers than even kdown 61,000 women gave Sweden. up their jobs to care for others More than half of Pedro Sancompared to just 6,500 men. chez’s cabinet comprises woAnd when it comes to the wor- men – each one impressively kplace itself, the proportion of qualified for their role – with women in managerial posi- women holding key ministerial positions including Foreign Minister and Health Minister. We’ve come a long way since the end of the dictatorship when a woman had to have her father’s or husband’s permission to travel and couldn’t open a bank account. But there’s no room for complacency, we still have a long long way to go.
Importantday Charmaine Arbouin, British Consul for Andalusia, Canary Islands, Ceuta & Melilla. Based in Malaga she covers the region of Spain that has the largest concentration of British residents “International Women’s Day is an opportunity to celebrate the achievements of women - both past and present; those who have shaped and transformed our world, whether that be politically or in the fields of science and culture. But it’s also a moment to reflect on what still needs to be done and that’s why this year’s theme of Choose to Challenge matters. We must all choose to call out bias and inequality, so that we have even more great female achievers to celebrate in the future.”
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March 2020
‘I
JENNIFER Cunningham is happy to share the trials she faced as a woman starting a business in Spain and the personal tragedy that fuelled her determination to become a success. Like many of those who end up living in Spain it was after enjoying a holiday with friends on the Mediterranean coast that Jennifer took the decision to relocate from North London to sunnier climes for a quieter life. “My late husband was much older than me and, after suffering a cardiac arrest, he wasn’t expected to live long, so we took a snap decision to move over to the Costa Blanca where the climate suited him and in fact he thrived and lived another 12 years,” she tells Fiona Govan of The Olive Press from her home in Javea. “I was suffering with diabetes so the move gave us both a new lease of life, swimming every day in the sea and the Mediterranean diet really helped me,” she continues. “The Spanish way of living, taking time to enjoy family and friends, also really gave me a new way of looking at life.” But Jennifer wasn’t content to quietly live out the rest of her days…over the last three decades she has forged a reputation as one of the leading expat business owners in Spain, now running seven offices along the Costa Blanca, as well as one in Lanzarote, as a broker offering private insurance designed especially for members of the expat community. She learnt early on that to get ahead as a woman in a male-dominated business sphere, she had to be fearless. “I was a widow, surviving on a meagre widow’s pension and so
to be fearless
How the death of her son led hard-working Jennifer Cunningham to expand eight insurance offices around Spain
the only way I could start up was to re-mortgage my home, borrow money and make it work,” she admits. “I had problems finding a bank who would support me and I remember the first time I presented my business plan to get a loan, the bank manager wouldn’t address me directly but kept looking towards the male friend I had brought with me. “I had to point out that it was me who was borrowing the money, that I was the business owner and when they didn’t take me seriously, I walked out and went somewhere else.” She eventually found a sympathetic bank manager, a man who has supported her ever since her first venture, and who she has stayed with as he moved across different banks. She then began working with Liberty Insurance and ASSSA Se-
guros designing special packages for the expat market. “At the beginning they didn’t want to take me on and they felt sure that I would fail,” she reveals. “My style of selling was completely new to them, the culture here in Spain was so different.” “As an entrepreneur I had to take risks and convince those who had the financial backing of huge institutions behind them to take a gamble on me, but I proved myself and in the end, those very same people later looked to me for strategy and even asked me to teach them how to do it.” She recalls now that she can hardly believe the risks she took. “I realise that I was utterly fearless, when I look back I think to myself: ‘God, did I really do that?’” She admits today that what drove her determination to succeed was the personal tragedy that saw her lose her son from cancer when he was only 33-years-old. “When you lose a child, you just want to die. You can’t get over it and I just knew I had to pour all my energy into doing something to stay alive, losing my son made me want to do something to be proud of,” she said, recounting a loss that even now, more than 25 years later, causes her voice to break with sorrow. After spending the last months with her dying son Paul in a Sue Ryder hospice in Bedfordshire, Jennifer returned to Spain where she lost her husband just over a year later. Finding herself all alone as her other son had moved to Japan, she looked for a new focus. “They had taken such exceptional care of my son but on my return I looked around to see what would happen if someone was in the same circumstance here in Spain and discovered that there really wasn’t anything similar. People were simply being sent home to die to be cared for by their family, but what if that wasn’t possible?” The realisation led Jennifer to set up the Paul Cunningham Nurses Charity to offer free hospice care at home for the terminally ill among the expat community on the Costa Blanca. “The business and the charity have been my reason to get out of bed and do justice to my life and to his,” she admits. Now in her seventies, does she have any plans to retire?
“No chance!” she laughs. “I love doing what I do, and will continue as a long as I am capable of doing so.” Visit www.jennifercunningham.net or www.paulcunninghamnurses.com for more info
Age, no barrier M
AUREEN Payne, president of Age Concern Costa Blanca Sur, has been one of the region’s most prominent figures in helping people within the community. Indeed, she was awarded the British Empire Medal in the 2020 New Years’ honours list in recognition of her charitable work, including over a decade as Age Concern president. Before moving to Spain, Maureen had an active life in the UK, working as a councillor in Aylesbury as well as in the Mercedes head office in Milton Keynes. “I moved to Spain on my own back in 2003 and I
MAUREEN PAYNE, President of AGE CONCERN COSTA BLANCA SUR wanted to do something really useful and not to treat it as an extended holiday,” Maureen told the Olive Press. She spotted a newspaper advert appealing for Age Concern volunteers, which then changed her life. “I was keen to help people and so I joined them as a one morning per week helper sorting out clothes donated to their Torrevieja charity shop.” Maureen threw herself into all aspects of the organisation and became a manager for its La Siesta centre before joining the charity’s executive committee. After a spell as vice-president, she took the top position in 2009, which she has held since then. During that time the team has expanded from 50 volunteers to over 150 people giving their time for the charity. “ Age Concern
is all about making life better for older people with some of the volunteers doing home visits or providing befriending services,” she said. Maureen boosted the range of services offered by the charity like getting a chiropodist to visit their centre on a weekly basis or organising free Spanish language lessons for the local community. She sees community contact as vital and when pandemic restrictions don’t apply, she is a regular sight at many local organisations giving talks about the work of Age Concern. A personally-driven idea was to work closely with the local doctor’s surgery to discuss support for the elderly in the area.
Humbling But what of her BEM award last year? Maureen said: “ I was gob-smacked and humbled when I heard the news.” “I was truly honoured to be recognised for all the years of work with Age Concern that has given me enormous pleasure.” But there has been a slight hitch as she explains: “I’m still waiting for the actual medal some 15 months later as the pandemic has held everything up!” ‘Holding up’ thoughhas not been part of Maureen’s psyche during her 17-year involvement with Age Concern with her tireless efforts greatly appreciated and admired in the area.
Just hit refresh Since moving abroad I’ve never looked back, writes Cepee Tabibian of She Hit Refresh OVING abroad provides a prime M playground for self-exploration. Removing yourself from what you know is
a powerful experience that takes you out of your comfort zone and allows you to create new paths that you couldn’t have imagined otherwise. Moving abroad brought me closer to not only who I want to be, but who I really am. It was an opportunity for reinvention. I took the leap at 35 years old, leaving a good life in Texas for a great one in Spain, and here I am five years later, living a life that has exceeded my expectations. Are doubts about changing course later in life holding you back? Life is full of responsibilities - careers, children, mortgages, relationships, aging parents, pets - and societal pressures make us question whether our dreams to
move abroad are even possible or realistic the older we get. Dreaming to pave your own path, especially in your 30s to 50s and beyond, can make you feel like your dreams are ‘crazy’. And unfortunately friends and family can reinforce this sentiment. But I’m here to tell you: just do it. What do you have to lose? Less than you think! If you’re worried about leaving your comfortable lifestyle and security, just know that it will very likely be there for you if you ever want to go back - houses, cars and jobs are all replaceable. What’s not replaceable are the years you spend wondering, instead of doing. Take the leap and make your dream come true! No decision has to be permanent. An excerpt from Cepee’s book I’m Outta Here! An American’s Ultimate Visa Guide to Living in Europe.
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SPARK: The death of Paul drove Jennifer on
March 2020
Out of the mental fog
OIRA Carmenate founded The Expat Centre M in Ciudad Quesada 18 months ago for Brits to come and get help about anything in life in
Spain. This ‘one stop shop’ has grown massively through word-of-mouth and now helps thousands of expats to get unbiased help and free advice. Her team of advisers work on a collaborative basis to give clients advice on legal services, wills, residencias, insurances, investments and her own low-priced funeral plans business. She is a role-model to many having broken through the City of London’s ‘glass ceiling’, at a time when women struggled in a male-dominant sector. She did this by becoming a board member - and sales director - of a highly regarded financial services institution. She later moved on to transformational therapy and trained, coached and developed international business leaders, enabling them to drive important changes in their organisations. After personal tragedies throughout her life, “giving up” is not a trait of Moira’s and she continues to inspire both men and women to move their lives forward. Her book “In a Mental Fog”, explains more. “International Women’s Day is a day to remind all women in the world that they are not alone, whatever struggles they may be facing,” she explains. “Reach out to someone as there is always an answer. “Whatever successes they have, it’s good to share, but this goes for men too. Sometimes we forget to pat ourselves on the back and a day of international celebration gives us that reminder.”
SUELLA Winston-Campbell devotes almost all her time to animal charity Big Reds Animals Association. And when not looking after animals she is helping unfortunate local families, collecting food and clothing for them. With a small team of volun-
A HELPING HAND
teers, she looks after cats, dogs, pigs and chickens on a near subsistence-level in what was a derelict farmhouse on the edge of Catral. Fundraising events were typically done at pubs and restaurants, but - for obvious reasons - that’s all been on hold. She eventually got permission to reopen the Big Reds charity shop in nearby Almoradi on the morning of March 13, 2020.
But by that lunchtime the country was going into lockdown and the shop had to close after only a few hours’ brisk trade. But through all of this, she’s kept her faith in the dozens of generous donors and the general kindness of strangers throughout the region. “I admire so many women these days, it’s fabulous that so many manage to run successful businesses and a family in these taxing, traumatic times,” she explains.
Cristina Hodgson, Olive Press reporter and former international runner
Battling Brexit
How a British woman in Spain became a leading campaigner for global expats vited to take over as Chair of Bremain, and I have dedicated my life to it ever since. It’s an obsession. I’m not sure my sanity would have survived intact without it. I had found a new family. There are so many downsides to Brexit, but on a personal level, there have been some positives too. I have met some amazing people from all walks of life, many of whom I would never have met under any other circumstances. I have learned new skills, not least public speaking on a scale I could never have imagined. In my career, I had regularly spoken to small groups of people, but delivering a speech to 120,000 people from a stage in Parliament Square in London, was a whole new ball game. Nerve-wracking yes, but the crowd was so receptive, and I got a real buzz from it. My Brexit journey has changed me in ways I could never have imagined. Apart from the public speaking, I’ve got better at dealing with confrontation and I’ve become a writer of sorts. Considering my previous nervousness about voicing any political opinions, it still tickles me when journalists seek out my comment on current affairs. I guess you can teach an old dog new tricks after all. I don’t think we fully appreciated what Spanish life for us would be like when we originally made our plans to emigrate. When we dreamed of our retirement in Spain, we certainly never
Kate Langshaw Olive Press tech guru
hey say that a challenged T world is an alert world, appropriately, this years’
International Women’s Day 2021 theme is ‘Choose to challenge.’ Yet sometimes, without choosing, without even realising, we really can challenge. As a former international runner Cristina Hodgson , based near Cordoba, comprehends what ‘challenge’ means more than most. “Automatically, I always associated it with a physically demanding test,” she said. “But ironically one race will always stand out in my mind as one of my most ‘challenging’ but not for the physical toll undertaken.” It was New Years eve, 1998, and Cristina had signed up to run an important open race in a town near where
S
UE Wilson moved to Spain with the expectation of a quiet retirement in the sun. But when the Brexit referendum produced a ‘yes’ vote in June 2016, the course of her life changed forever. This is her story: Like many a British tourist, I fell in love with Spain at an early age. The idea of retiring on the costas was a dream that blossomed over time until, in our fifties, my husband Steve and I began to ask ourselves why wait till we retire? Why not just take the plunge? It was the best decision we ever made. Although we moved in 2007, I continued to work for a further 11 years, both in the UK and Spain. When retirement did eventually come, it was rather different than expected – thanks to Brexit. I say I’m retired, but since the Brexit referendum I have never worked so hard, or such long hours.+ Before that fateful day, when the referendum turned my world upside down, I had never been very interested in current affairs, and most definitely not in politics. I didn’t understand it or care to do so. When friends talked politics, I never engaged – I lacked the confidence to comment, or never felt I knew enough to offer an opinion. That all started to change as the day of the Brexit referendum loomed closer. I started to worry that the UK was about to make a terrible decision. I had no real idea what leaving the EU might mean for us Brits living in Europe, or the UK, but it could hardly be good! When the referendum result came in, I felt a range of emotions usually associated with grief. It was a rollercoaster of fear, anger, depression, shock, disbelief and sadness. And swearing, a lot of swearing! Even now, I can’t fully explain why it affected me so deeply, or still does. After three miserable weeks, I woke up on day 22 determined to act. I joined the anti-Brexit campaign group Bremain in Spain. I needed to get involved and take personal action. I don’t know where that drive came from, but I began devouring the news and became very active online. It was a comfort to know my feelings were shared by others and that I was doing something positive. Within three months, I was in-
she lived. She won the race and was given a small, cheap-looking medal to congratulate her win and watched in horror as the male winner walked off with an enormous trophy, a huge leg of jamon Iberico, a box of wine and a wad of cash. “I was appalled to say the least,” she recalls. “I kicked up a right fuss.” The following year Cristina returned to race. “I had my motives and it certainly wasn’t for a leg of jamon,” she said, “That year I walked away with a trophy, a leg of ham, a box of wine, money but most importantly on equal terms. “I never asked for more, just the same. I didn’t choose to challenge, but I’m glad I did.”
Most of you readers might not recognise her name. But for six years Kate Langshaw has been ‘skulking under the bonnet’ of the OP engine and making sure the website keeps ticking. Before moving to the Costa Blanca eight years ago, Kate studied for her degree in computer software engineering back home in England. “There weren’t many women on the course and at some points I was the only one in the class. “From there I set up my own website design and development company, working from home and taking on new clients.” She also spent 15 years playing semi-professional poker alongside her web busines, getting sponsored to play tournaments all around the world. “You really do learn to have your wits about you and you meet many characters along the way,” she said. “Being a woman in poker definitely had its advantages and disadvantages.” She also trained weekly at a Thai Boxing gym, believing it was a great way to build confidence and power. “I always thought it was important to be able to defend yourself if ever needed,” she said. Now a single mother raising her son in Spain has provided her with plenty of new challenges. “Being a mum and working certainly changes your priorities,” she said. “ Now my only focus is that I hope I am a positive role model and an inspiration to him.”
imagined that I would be doing voluntary work seven days a week, 52 weeks of the year. I am often asked how much longer I intend to continue campaigning, or what I will do when Brexit is finally all over. It’s a difficult question to answer. On the one hand, despite all the pain, disappointment and effort, I am doing something that I care about deeply, and which, despite everything, I enjoy. I have a supportive husband who gets pleasure from seeing me so motivated and engaged, and he’s proud of what I have achieved. That means so much to me. On the other hand, I’m now in my late 60s, full-time campaigning is exhausting, and Steve and I deserve that retirement we dreamed of. There have been many times I’ve looked ahead and given myself a deadline. I’ll give up Bremain when Brexit is ‘done’. I’ll give up Bremain when the transition period comes to an end. Then something will happen in Westminster and the adrenaline kicks in again, not to mention the fact that Brexit likely won’t be fully over for a decade. Maybe I should let fate decide and give it up when a Brexiter finally gives me one real benefit of Brexit. I might have a very long wait! Sue Wilson is the Chair of Bremain in Spain
Christine Hartfield, Silver medalist at the Andalucian Dressage Championships
hristine, who runs Cortijo Uribe horse C riding holidays near Antequera, said: “My belief is that people should feel empowered to achieve their personal ambitions no matter what age or sex. Do not be put off by others, do not make excuses. See your goal and make it happen. You will find people on your journey that will help you make your dreams come true.”
GREEN
www.theolivepress.es
March 11th - March 24th 2021
Solar Push
Martin Tye on the concept of giving up plastic
Why can’t we stop?
I
REMEMBER as a delinquent and rebellious teenager my mother’s words…”If you don’t knuckle down you are going to end up as a Stop and Go man!!” Stop and Go. Simple words, frequently used, with many connotations. Changing tack to my theme for this edition’s article, why as human beings can’t we stop and go green? Why can’t we increase our efforts to stop pollution? Will we actually ever get serious on this topic, or just pay lip service to one of the major issues this world faces? Is it something we believe other people should do, optional...like using your car indicators in Spain? Why do my children keep attending beach clean ups? And What do we and local councils do to stop pollution on our beaches? Precious little in my view. Spain relies on tourism. Yet PLASTIC is a major problem on our beaches. Plastic waste is a global phenomenon that the UN is trying to tackle by persuading countries to introduce restrictive measures. Spain has introduced - after most Europeans - the banning of free plastic bags in shops. Baby steps. If we all do a little, we’ll only achieve a little. That’s the truth.
HISTORY OF PLASTIC The first synthetic plastic, Bakelite, was produced in 1907, marking the beginning of the plastics industry. Rapid growth came after the Second World War. From 1950 to 2020 annual production of plastics increased more than 200-fold. Annual production now exceeds 400 million tonnes. To put this in context, this is roughly equivalent to the mass of two thirds of the world population. I am not castigating plastic. It is a unique material with many benefits: It’s inexpensive, versatile, lightweight, and resistant. This makes it a valuable material for many applications. The trade off between its benefits and pollution are therefore complex. What I do take issue with is the ultimate destination of this item. In 2020, the world produced more than eight billion tonnes of plastic - more than one tonne for every person alive today. A staggering statistic. ONLY 22% OF PLASTIC IS RECYCLED While 23% is incinerated, a process that produces Carbon Dioxide (CO2), a primary driver of global climate change. Now the bad news....55% is discarded. Within Europe, Spain does
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Green matters
By Martin Tye
not not fare well. 0.28Kg is wasted per person, per day. That’s a lot of plastic. By comparison, France is 0.19Kg per day, while Italy 0.13Kg per day.
WHAT CAN WE DO? • Cut down on use of non essential plastics • Replace single use plastics with sustainable alternatives • Recycle • Stop littering • Be responsible, do more and educate others PLASTICS LAST FOREVER Macroplastics (small particles), appear to persist on the surface of the ocean for decades without breaking down. Objects are regularly found at sea that date back to the 1950’s. Even if we stopped ocean plastic waste this year (there’s more chance of COVID ending tomorrow), macroplastics would remain in our surface waters for many more decades. This is because we have a huge legacy of plastics buried and awash on our shorelines. Big changes are needed. Stop and Go think, dear 100% Certified Green Energy readers.
Martin Tye is the owner of Mariposa Energy, contact him at martin@mariposaenergia.es
ENERGY company Iberdrola is to build its first three solar energy power plants in the Valencian Community costing €235 million. Two of the new facilities will be in the Avora-Cofrentes Valley in Valencia Province, with the third at La Encina in the Villena area of Alicante Province. Iberdrola says that up to 1,450 jobs will
Alarming CLIMATE change could have devastating effects on food safety all over the world in 20 years’ time. According to research by Valencia-based non-profit technological centre Ainia, global warming is expected to cause problems with regards to access to food, nutritional quality and product price stability as early as 2021. Biological threats are a main cause for concern, with a type of bacteria known as Vibrio potentially due to appear in seafood products as a result of rising temperatures in the oceans. Vibrio can cause an infection known as vibriosis, which currently kills 100 people and infects an estimated 80,000 in the USA every year. Animal welfare risks could also appear.
be created and will 'reactivate the local economy'. The company added that it reached agreement with a 'multitude' of landowners for the projects to go ahead. New infrastructures will be constructed including substations and power lines to feed into the grid network. The solar plants will supply power to over 220,000 homes and will see a reduction of 140,000 tons of CO2 emissions each year. Iberdrola already has a hydroelectric generation presence in the Valencian Community which includes their Cortes-La Muela complex, which is Europe's largest pumping station.
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ALBIR’S lighthouse and visitor centre is to be powered by solar energy under a new five-year-deal. L’Alfas council will continue running the building in an extension of their contract with the Alicante Port Authority. A navigational beacon operates at the site which will be powered by a €20,000 investment in solar panels. The lighthouse, built in 1863, has become a popular tourist attraction after the council took over its management in 2011.
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WE CARE
16
PROPERTY
March 11th March 24th 2021
If the past year has taught us anything, it’s to appreciate those around us and to show them that we care.
I
t’s for this reason that Liberty Seguros is saying thanks to existing customers and is welcoming new customers with fantastic Cashback offers. From now up until 26th April 2021*, existing clients who take out a new car, home or life policy with LIBERTY SEGUROS will receive 60€ Cashback per new policy. New clients will benefit with 30€ Cashback on their first policy, and 60€ Cashback on subsequent new policies thereafter. Whilst this offer is not available for renewals or replacements, there’s no limit on the number of new policies that can be taken out per customer – and therefore, there’s no limit on cashback rewards. With this in mind, what better time could there be to switch to LIBERTY SEGUROS for even greater savings with the very best covers for all types of insurance? Committed to always being right by your side, LIBERTY SEGUROS is here to make things a little easier for you and your loved ones. It offers peace of mind with its range of products that care for both your family and your assets, and it provides all the necessary tools to make you feel safe and secure – both with policies to ensure you have everything in order, as well as unparalleled assistance and
support if the unexpected does happen. The advantages of placing your trust in LIBERTY SEGUROS are extensive. From your choice of vehicle repair garage or a courtesy car as standard for up to 35 days in case of accident or mechanical breakdown and up to 45 in case of theft or fire with its car policies, to garden reconstruction and garden furniture replacement with its home insurance – amongst others. Moreover, you will always have a 24/7 multi-lingual freephone number for both roadside assistance and emergency home assistance. Understanding that now, more than ever, there’s a real need for you to feel safe and secure, LIBERTY SEGUROS remains onhand to keep you informed with clear and transparent information regarding its products and
services. What’s more, with LIBERTY SEGUROS you’ll enjoy a bespoke service and the peace of mind that comes with placing your trust in an international group with more than 100 years of experience. With an extensive network of more than 300 expatriate brokers and agents in Spain that speak YOUR language and who are at YOUR disposal for friendly and expert advice that’s tailored to you, it’s easy to see why LIBERTY SEGUROS has become in the preferred expat insurer in Spain with over 175,000 expat clients. To find the location of your nearest broker/agent, simply visit www.libertyexpatriates.es or call 91 342 25 49 * Conditions and minimum premiums will be applied.
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TheOlivePress-256x342-STPATRICKS.pdf
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FOOD,DRINK & TRAVEL
Hope for vaccinated Brits travel plans to Spain
SPAIN could create a ‘green corridor’ to allow vaccinated Brits into the country if there is no EU agreement on vaccine passports, the country’s tourism minister has said. Fernando Valdés revealed that the Spanish Government were in talks with the UK in a bid to make travel between the two countries easier in time for summer, allowing Brits to book a holiday in the sun. Mr Valdés added that Spain is hoping to find an agreement with the EU so the country can start welcoming back tourists as soon as possible. IT may be one of Europe’s smaller airlines, but then bigger is not always better. Binter Canarias was the only Spanish airline to place on the ‘Best Airlines in the World 2021’ list by online travel agency eDreams, beating the likes of flying giant Iberia. Although it did not make the overall top 10, the regional carrier received the best score of any airline for reliability (4.8 out of 5), as well as an admirable 4.2 for general on-
March 11th - March 24th 2021
19
Green light
Speaking to Bloomberg TV, he said: “Right now we have discussions with our colleagues in the UK. “For us the British market is our main market. But obviously since we are a member of the
European Union, the solutions have first to be part of the discussions with the EU. “And obviously if that cannot be reached, we will be thinking of other corridors like green corridors with third countries
Dream airline board experience and value for money. However, it fell down on speed and efficiency of refunds (2.9) and coronavirus-related security measures (2.8). Binter Canarias is one of the few airlines that has not had to grind its flights to a near halt during the pandemic, as residents often is-
land-hop for medical appointments and administrative reasons, among others. Qatar Airlines took first place in the eDreams’ rankings, with an overall score of 4.4, followed by Delta Air Lines (4.11). British Airways came a respectable fifth (3.88).
that can help us restart tourism flows.” Greek officials have also said UK holidaymakers with vaccine passports could be allowed to skip lengthy queues at the border for Covid-19 tests. Plans could be in place by May, which is the earliest possible date British people may be allowed to travel following the results of a government consultation. The news comes after UK’s health secretary Matt Hancock confirmed discussions about vaccine passports with other countries and the EU. THE pandemic has caused British holidaymakers to become more wary, new research has revealed. Following the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak 40% of Brits are more likely to consider taking out travel insurance and 37% are less inclined to visit spots severely hit by the virus. According to data
LIBERTYCASHBACK
TRUE GOLDEN AGE ONE of Spain’s most emblematic buildings has reached the ripe old age of 800. Sevilla’s Torre del Oro has achieved the eight century landmark as the city gears up to open to national tourism again from next month. The 12-sided building was built as a watchtower over the Guadalquivir river during the Arabic Almohad dynasty. It has been a prison and laterly a museum.
Flight risk from Comparethemarket. com, nearly half of Britons have confirmed that they are more likely to take out the right level of insurance before their next trip to protect themselves against cancelled plans or unexpected illness.
Additionally, it looks like Brits are prepared to splash more cash than ever before to make sure they achieve the holiday of their dreams after being locked inside for almost a year. Over 20% of holidaymakers are prepared to spend more money than usual when booking their next trip abroad.
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Visit your agent or or call 91 342 25 49 Offer valid from 24th February to 26th April 2021. Policies must be paid by direct debit. Applies to new car, home and life policies only. Not for renewals or replacements. Conditions and minimum premiums will be applied in all cases. Visit our website libertyexpatriates.es or ask your broker/agent for full details.
The Olive Press - all editions - HP 170x256 - promo MAN - 10th March
20
HEALTH
March 11th - March 24th 2021
Getting vaccinated THE Spanish Health Ministry has added new vaccination groups to its immunisation strategy, giving people a better idea of when they will be inoculated and with which vaccine. The latest Estrategia de vacunacion includes nine groups, with some of these divided into subgroups, which have been organised according to vulnerability and potential exposure to the virus. Notably, Group 4 - Grandes dependientes - refers to people who require ‘intense measures of support’, but do not live in a care home, as well as their carers, whether professional or not. Included in Group 6 - those
with an ‘essential societal function’ - are army personnel, firefighters, police officers, and the like. None of the nine groups encompass the healthy under-45s, who will presumably fall under the category of ‘rest of the population’ once the vaccination campaign has reached that stage. Although the three vaccines currently available in the EU - Pfizer, Moderna and AstraZeneca - have all ‘shown adequate levels of efficacy and security’, Spain only plans to administer the AstraZeneca jab to those under 56 years of age.
Old ways… Researchers turn to Spain’s ‘liquid gold’ in fight against COVID
A HOSPITAL is trialing a revolutionary tablet containing one of Spain's most synonymous products against the symptoms of COVID-19. The University Hospital of Jaen is testing the effects of a new treatment containing olive polyphenols, a key chemical ingredient in olive oil. A team of researchers are testing the new treatment on a group of 60 volunteers over the age of 50 that have been admitted to the hospital with mild symptoms of COVID-19. The idea is to examine the effects of the olive polyphenols on reducing symptoms in the early stages of the virus,
Good news!
Lisa Burgess
After a long struggle against breast cancer, surgery is finally about to start
I
t has been two and a half years since I was diagnosed with 15 tumours in my right breast. Today I received the news that my reconstruction surgery will go ahead today (March 10). To say I am overjoyed is an understatement. I have endured a mastectomy, eight months of gruelling chemotherapy combined with a weak immune system. Afterwards, the radiotherapy caused severe burns, further delaying my surgery. Then COVID arrived on our doorsteps further delaying my dream of receiving a breast reconstruction. They will be taking fat from my back and replacing it with the painful implant currently residing in my right boob. Afterwards, they will cut and lift my left boob to match the other one. Mmmmm, I can choose a horizontal or vertical scar on my back. I haven’t decided on that yet completely. I yearn to wear a back-
Pamela Anderson: I met the Baywatch star in London
less dress with my new upright pair, so vertical is the front-runner. I will be in Malaga Materno Hospital for about a week depending on how my surgery goes. After my mastectomy at the Costa Del Sol Hospital, I felt like half the woman I once was. I would look in the mirror with sheer incredulity at myself, I was unrecognisable. At 50, I felt deformed, unfeminine, hopeless and faced mountains I felt I would never conquer. I have just turned 53 and sadly my partner and I recently split up. This week though I have been dancing around my living room to disco hits with this phenomenally super
news. I have received tremendous support from family and friends especially within the Costa Del Sol community. I have really tried to keep a stiff upper lip throughout it all but it has been heart-wrenchingly difficult. I have shed many a silent tear. I met Pamela Anderson once in London at the opening of a restaurant in South Kensington called ‘The Collection’. She was extremely friendly, bubbly and truly gorgeous in real life. Though I will never match her beauty I will certainly now be getting her boobs. That is just absolutely bloody boobaliciously fantastic!
OLIVES: key to reducing COVID symptoms?
and determine whether it will stem the progress of symptoms before they reach a severe level. During the trial, the patients will still be treated with the standard
COVID-19 treatments, but will be given the new tablets every eight hours for a three week period. The tablets, branded under the name Alyvium, contain polyphenols, as well as natural flavonoids, vitamin A, riboflavin and biotin, and contain the name nutrients as around 15-20 olives.
Trials Dr Carmen Herrero Rodríguez, researcher at the Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology Unit, is pleased with the early results the new supplements are showing. “Thanks to intense research work with authorised trials, we now have drugs that have managed to reduce mortality in our patients. “We think that the administration of the nutritional supplement can be beneficial for COVID-19 patients who are showing certain symptoms.”
OP Puzzle solutions Across: 1 Ranged, 5 Grieve, 8 Deadline, 9 Suit, 10 Zany, 11 Years ago, 12 Yellow, 15 Ease in, 17 Immature, 20 R I Ps, 21 Puts, 22 Didactic, 23 Why not?, 24 Wisest. Down: 2 Average, 3 Godly, 4 Daily, 5 Grenade, 6 Insists, 7 Vying, 13 Liaison, 14 Wouldn't, 16 Impairs, 18 Mouth, 19 Endow, 20 Ricks.
SUDOKU
Quick Crossword
A HELPING HAND
Care work may not be your first career choice but now is the perfect time to help the community and your bank balance back in the UK for a few weeks • • • • • • • • • • •
Tell me about your business How long has it been running How many staff members? Why is carework so rewarding? What makes it such a worthwhile job - what would you say to people thinking about joining the care sector? How long do the placements last What is the pay? Weekly or monthly wages? How flexible is the work - is it permanent? What responsibilities are there? What will employees receive - food allowance, travel expenses? What kind of people are right for the role?
With a recession once again crippling the job market in Spain, many expats have been left without seasonal or permanent work. Some have been separated from their families in the UK and are uncertain on how to make ends meet. Mumby’s, a family run care business, who were voted Employer of the Year at this year’s Thames Valley Business Awards, want to offer expats an opportunity to visit their families and regain some financial stability. “We know a lot of people are out of work at the moment,” said owner Ann Mumby. “This could tide you over while you look for work in your career field. Earn some money, attend interviews on your weeks off, and provide a service to a community that is really worthwhile.”
Care work is a rewarding and diverse job that allows for flexible work placements that last from 2-8 weeks. It provides ongoing training and, with Mumby’s, extremely competitive pay. “Maybe it won’t be your permanent career or maybe you’ll stay with us for years. Either way, it’s a short-term solution to a short-term financial problem,” said Ann. Mumby’s provides live in care for people who need assistance in their daily routine but want to stay in the comfort of their own home. Responsibilities include getting people washed and dressed, giving medication, cooking meals, shopping or taking clients out if they wish. Along with the generous salary, employees also receive a food allowance, travel expenses and a house to quarantine in if they wish. Wages are paid weekly straight into your account. “We need people with a caring attitude who’re responsible and would treat somebody with dignity. But we provide full training and it’s not the end of the world if somebody doesn’t have experience.” Each staff member is assigned a care manager who is on the end of the phone to answer questions and provide support 24hrs a day. For more information email Joanna Cardif on recruitment@mumbys.comto chat about the role and get the application process started.
If you’re looking for a career where you can make a real difference to people’s lives, become a live-in carer for Helping Hands Home Care. Earn up to £650 per week • Flexible working patterns • Travel costs covered • No paid experience necessary • Be part of a friendly, supportive team •
Helping UK veterans in Spain with the residency process N
O one is certain just how many British people living in Spain once served in the UK armed services but one estimate puts the figure at something like 30,000. Certainly, it is common for Age in Spain to come across Veterans (of all ages) and their families as part of its work to support British people in the process of becoming resident in Spain. For instance, on Tenerife our Regional Co-ordinator is supporting the Sarah Byrne pictured with her husband Aiden (who sadly away in September last year) and son Paul at the 2019 widow of an ex Royal En- passed Remembrance Day ceremony in Westhaven Bay, Tenerife. gineer with the process of exchanging her green residency certificate for the new TIE. In (UKNSF) in Spain that we will be a single another example, Age in Spain’s Support point of contact for Veterans and their faCoordinator picked up the case of someo- milies who need help with the residency ne acting in the role of carer for his mo- process. ther (who had served in the Armed Forces) For any UK national who was legally living and we were able to give information and in Spain by 31 December 2020 there is support about his residency status along- still time to apply for residency in Spain side making links for the family with a mi- under the UK’s Withdrawal Agreement litary charity and with the Spanish system, and now Veterans and their families can to make sure they get the support they contact Age In Spain to access free UKNSF support. need and are entitled to. Age in Spain has a longstanding relaemail veterans@ageinspain. tionship with the network of great services Simply organisations both here and in the UK, as org or call +34 932 20 97 41 We’re here to help. well as working with individual veterans. That is why we have agreed with the other organisations delivering the United Kingdom Nationals Support Fund
22
BUSINESS
March 11th March 24th 2021
Cashing in SPAIN is slated to receive a multi-billion cash injection from the EU as part of a scheme to boost the economies of Member States that have taken a battering during the pandemic. Of the €750bn to be dished out by the EU Recovery Fund, Spain is eligible for €140bn - almost half of which will be handed out in the form of grants, while the other half could be requested as unsecured loans. “It is a tsunami of money and it is a tsunami of responsibility,” Elisa Ferreira, European Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms. “Spain has all the characteristics to make the most of this historic opportunity.” The Portuguese Commissioner hopes that the funds will be available by the summer and emphasised that time is of the essence because of the ‘different institu-
Spain’s financial capital set to triple thanks to ‘tsunami’ of money from EU
tional mechanisms which need to be complied with.’ So far, only six countries have submitted applications, which
Spanish saviours PRIMARK branches in Spain have prevented the low-cost fashion firm from going under during the coronavirus pandemic, sales figures reveal. In a normal year, sales from Spanish outlets would account for about 20% of the chain’s annual turnover. But as coronavirus restrictions have forced ‘non-essential’ shops all over Europe to close for months at a time - including in the UK, the clothing company’s largest market - Spain has transformed into Primark’s lifeline, with sales from Spanish branches accounting for more than 50% of the retail firm’s turnover between September 2020 and February 2021.
must be completed by April at the latest. “Meanwhile, the Commission is discussing with countries their plans for where and how they want to invest the money,” said Ferreira, adding that she preferred the term ‘invest’ over ‘spend.’ “It’s about investing in restructuring, and consolidating our exit from this crisis with greater attention to and greater capacity for complying with environmental or climate objectives, investing in a more modern economic recovery.” She said this meant a greater use of new technologies, but also needed to be consistent with social and regional needs.”
UK Landlords - What you need to do if you live abroad Tax specialist team APARI can help you work out the best way to act
I
F you own a UK property but live abroad, then it is likely that you currently submit a tax return. If this is the case then the way in which you file your Tax Return is changing. From April 2023 it will be a legal requirement for anyone with over £10,000 of combined annual UK income to register for Making Tax Digital for Income tax. This means rather than submitting one annual self assessment tax return, you will be required to submit quarterly statements showing your income and expenditure, followed by an end of period statement and an annual summary. The annual summary is similar to your current
self assessment return. But it’s not just submitting quarterly returns you will also be legally required to keep your records in a digital format, on an MTD compatible software. Unfortunately this means no more spreadsheets! If you currently submit your tax return online already, this could seem like a huge amount of work and change, from filing one return annually. APARI understands this and has developed an MTD ready software with you in mind. With APARI’s free MTD software, you can upload transactions directly from your bank - either by a csv upload of your bank statement, by individual transactions, or soon, by directly linking up with your online banking. Once uploaded you can easily allocate transactions to MTD compatible categories, and at the end of the quarter, you can submit this information to
HMRC directly through APARI. After all four quarters have been submitted, you can input your annual summary information - this is where you will be able to claim any allowances or adjustments for the year. If you currently use an accountant, we would suggest that this be the point you ask them for a review - that way you are only paying them to do the confusing tax parts, rather than the admin. Although MTD isn’t mandated until 2023, why not get ahead of the game and sign up to APARI now - it’s free to use, and by the time mandation comes around you’ll be MTD ready! And as APARI also has a tool to be able to submit the current self assessment Tax Return (for
a small fee), even if you aren’t eligible for MTD now, you can still be in control of your tax position. For all the latest news, join the APARI Community today.
Find out more at www.apari-digital.com
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I N T E R N AT ION A L TA X A DV IC E • I N V E S T M E N TS • E S TAT E PL A N N I NG • PE NSIONS Blevins Franks Wealth Management Limited (BFWML) is authorised and regulated by the Malta Financial Services Authority, registered number C 92917. Authorised to conduct investment services under the Investment Services Act and authorised to carry out insurance intermediary activities under the Insurance Distribution Act. Where advice is provided outside of Malta via the Insurance Distribution Directive or the Markets in Financial Instruments Directive II, the applicable regulatory system differs in some respects from that of Malta. BFWML also provides taxation advice; its tax advisers are fully qualified tax specialists. Blevins Franks Trustees Limited is authorised and regulated by the Malta Financial Services Authority for the administration of trusts, retirement schemes and companies. This promotion has been approved and issued by BFWML.
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FINAL WORDS
DIVORCE numbers dropped in Andalucia for the sixth year running. Couples filing for divorce fell by 11.5% in 2020 despite the lockdown and ongoing pandemic.
Load of bull! ONE of Spain's best known matadors has lost a lengthy battle to copyright his most famous 'kill' after the Supreme Court ruled that the bullfighter had acted on impulse and not by design.
Snapped up SPANISH police officers have rescued a South American caiman from a farm, where it was being held in appalling conditions, after its owner tried to flog it for €2,000.
OLIVE PRESS
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COSTA BLANCA
Your
expat
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Vol. 2 Issue 51 www.theolivepress.es March 11th - March 24th 2021 A WHITE arm stretches across the bar, a claw-like hand clamped around the rim of a pint glass. Slowly it lowers the glass below the beer tap, waiting as it fills, and adjusts the cup to make sure the head of the beer levels out just right. The secret behind the perfect pour and great service? A robotic duo in Sevilla. One works behind the bar, while another - a robot dog named Spot - whizzes around Cuesta del Rosario, delivering canas and copas to tables.
A lot of dough
Master baker is just earning a crust
IF you're partial to a slice of toast and jam in the morning, chances are you won't be carving a slice off this loaf, dubbed the world's most expensive bread. The pricey pan is the brainchild of Juan Manuel Moreno, manager of a family run
bakery in the Malaga village of Algatocin, in the Serrania de Ronda. The unique recipe, containing all natural ingredients and blended with flakes of edible gold and silver, is sold to wealthy clients around the globe for a stag-
Tongue tied
LEARNING a language is a point of pride for most people, but apparently not for the Trump family. Donald Trump Junior has made headlines after taking a selfie of himself and his son holding a copy of The Cat in the Hat, as the pair was covering up a front cover starburst in a suspicious manner. Internet users found out that Trump Junior’s son was reading a bilingual edition of the Dr. Seuss classic, as the starburst almost certainly contained the words ‘in English and Spanish’.
BREADWINNER: Moren0’s prized loaf contains gold gering €1,480 per loaf. Moreno is the owner of the Panaderia Pan Piña bakery, a business that has been in his wife's family since 1946 and has been producing quality bread ever since. Moreno explained that he came up with the idea after hearing that the world's most expensive coffee was being sold in Marbella. Keen to see how far he could push the limits of bread making, he set to work creating his ‘artistic’ masterpiece. The result was a loaf that
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contains gold and silver in the form of flakes and dust, and in total uses approximately €1,100 worth of ingredients, depending on precious metal prices at the time. One client, a Saudi Prince, ordered 18 loaves for a wedding last year, and since its birth Pina Pan has sold 96 loaves in total, with six so far in 2021. “We did not do this for the money, we did this to try to put the bakery on the map and show what is possible,” said Moreno.
Tips
And the pair are certainly earning their tips - and fans. The devices were invented by Boston Dynamics and Spainbased Macco Robotics before COVID-19, but the pandemic could signal that the time has come for robots to take over. “I think that in times of a pandemic it is very good that there is a robot serving drinks so there is no contact between people. “It’s very cool!” said one customer Abel Ros. Another stunned fan took to Twitter to write: “We need an explanation! 2020, relax now!”
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