Olive Press Valencia - Issue 6 by Olive Press Newspaper Spain

IN DEPTH: As the Catalan elections loom, the Olive Press explores the mass grave issue that casts a shadow over them - and who the main candidates are See page 6 & 7

The

OLIVE PRESS

expat

voice in Spain

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

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

In disguise

But which controversial expat fasion designer had a day in court this week? Page 4

A PAIR of British pensioners are demanding compensation after being refused a flight to Spain despite having their green residency cards. Roger and Linda Wilson, aged 76 and 78, were forced to sleep on chairs at an airport for three days after Lufthansa wouldn’t allow them to board a flight from Dubai to Frankfurt. The couple, who had been visiting their son, were due to catch a connecting flight to Malaga, where they have lived since 2009, but the check-in clerks said their documents were ‘not acceptable.’ “We were not given any further information other than being told to seek alternative travel arrangements ourselves,” Linda, a former legal secretary from Hertfordshire, told the Olive Press this week. However they managed to get on an Emirates flight to Madrid without issue.

The good fight

The pacifist bull they refused to kill and a chat with Spain’s hottest young matador Page 14 and 15

HOME: Roger and Linda

Nightmare

And crucially, they were accepted on arrival in Madrid, without further hitches, except they missed their connection flight to Malaga due to the late arrival of their cases. The nightmare scenario on January 7 went from bad to worse, as a The birthplace of Spanish artists succession of flights back to Malaga were cancelled. Page 18 “We ended up spending three whole nights in Madrid bike rentAL • e-scooters A i r p o r t sleeping on BIKE TOURS • repairS chairs,” continued Roger, who was a building contractor. “A total of FIVE further flights were cancelled or delayed plus one flight returned to the Gate due to

Surreal sights

technical problems.” Incredibly the pensioners were given no offer of help or assistance by Iberia, who they eventually booked with. “No food, drink or vouchers were offered,” added Linda. “And each time a flight was cancelled we had to go out of the Departures Area and back out to the Check In desks to rebook another flight. “There were no desks open in the Departures area. We had to go through security and the bag check FIVE times.” The pair, who live in Alcaucin, in the Axarquia region, finally landed in Malaga on January 12, only to find that their baggage had been lost. “There was also no one to report the lost baggage to and the Iberia desk telephone was not answered,” Linda claimed.

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EXCLUSIVE By Laurence Dollimore

Since returning home the couple have consulted with various Government offices, including the Ministry of Interior in Germany, the UK government, and the Spanish and British Consulates. “All of them told us we should have been allowed to board in Dubai. All our paperwork was in order. “We had been to see our son for the first time in three years and took all the right precautions. “We are now in the process of trying to get our expenses repaid together with a sum of compensation due to the extraordinary amount of stress and anxiety this has caused us. “So far we have had no communication from Lufthansa other than a generated automatic response.” Lufthansa told the Olive Press: “Lufthansa takes travel regulations very seriously and does everything in its power to ensure that they are applied correctly. “The new travel restrictions, some of which are implemented at very short notice, are exceptionally complex. This is a challenge in

practice for Lufthansa employees as well as for public sector employees. “In regards to this specific passenger case, Lufthansa employees have followed the requirements outlined by the official authorities. For this reason, we kindly ask that you direct your questions to them.” Iberia told the Olive Press it would investigate the matter further but added that when the Wilsons were at Madrid airport the city was under siege by historic amounts of snow.

VIP

“The situation that weekend was terrible,” it said, “In spite of that, we sent clients to hotels, but some of them couldn’t enter in Spain because of their documentation. “We also gave them some food (restaurants in the airport were also closed), blankets and we opened the VIP lounge to let families be there, no matter their flight status. “We did as much as we could with the little possibilities we had.” Opinion Page 6

CRIME

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NEWS IN BRIEF Ex-Mayor Dies AGUSTIN Navarro, Benidorm’s mayor between 2009 and 2015, has died of cancer, aged 60.

Perverted A Valencia region primary school teacher was jailed for four years after being convicted of sexually assaulting an eight-yearold boy during classes in 2012 and 2013. He was acquitted over sex charges involving two other pupils.

Rape Probe TWO 16-year-old Comunidad de Valencia boys have been refused bail by a judge after a rape allegation made by a teenage girl.

Shock Tactic HEALTH rule-breakers in Javea are being surprised by loudspeaker-equipped drones flying over them with warnings to wear masks and not to gather in groups.

REST IN PEACE

February 11th - February 24th 2021

Rape shocker

Alarm as teenage hooker is the fourth to be killed in just 18 months

A 33-YEAR-OLD man has been arrested in Valencia on suspicion of raping his 15-year-old niece repeatedly for a year. Police launched an investigation after a member of the victim’s family made a complaint. Officers then learnt that the minor’s uncle allegedly took advantage of the fact that they lived in the same house to sexually abuse her when they were left alone together. If found guilty, the penalty

A TEENAGE prostitute who went missing in January has been found dead - the fourth in just 18 months! The body of 19-year-old Florina Gogos was found by a hunter in a canal on the outskirts of Silla. Strangely, she was found just 200 metres from the spot where she used to work, an area that police claim had already been carefully searched.

Degree of guilt

Expat

The expat from Romania was last seen alive at around 5.30pm on January 8 when she got into a white car heading towards Albufera. Florina’s case was prioritised by police, given that three other prostitutes had been found dead in the area over the last year-and-a-half. Sources close to the investigation have revealed that the corpse shows no signs of violence, and the few superficial lesions were caused after her death. Mysteriously, she was also found fully clothed and with all her identification documents inside her handbag,

would be the highest possible due to a series of aggravating circumstances. The case was reported when the girl’s mother became suspicious of the uncle’s behavior around her daughter, which the alleged victim confirmed when questioned. Despite the severity of the charges, the suspect was set free until the trial with only a restraining order preventing him from seeing or contacting his niece. He has no previous criminal history.

TRAGIC: Florina’s body found in irrigation canal located near the body. Police with sniffer dogs had already inspected that spot two weeks ago, prompting the authorities to suggest that the body had been kept somewhere else for a few weeks.

Florina’s former colleagues have adorned the bend in the road where she used to stand with flowers. A toy dolphin had the message ‘Rest in peace, angel. We will always remember you’.

FORMER Madrid regional president Cristina Cifuentes (pictured) faces more than three years jail for faking a masters degree. She allegedly instructed staff at the Universidad Rey Juan Carlos to fake a document proving that she had presented her end-of-course dissertation. The former regional president has so far failed to show the actual project and claims she ‘lost it’ when she moved house. Former government aide and civil servant Maria Teresa Feito is facing the same penalty as her ex-boss, while the public prosecution also wants university boss Cecilia Rosado to be jailed for 21 months for helping Cifuentes obtain the fake degree in Public Law. Cifuentes was forced to resign in 2018 after a video was made public showing her stealing two pots of face cream from a hypermarket in 2011. The CCTV footage was aired right at the height of the scandal over her alleged master’s forgery.

Justice at last

Swan’s Corner

Spring cleaning It’s not too late to file you 720 tax declaration on your overseas assets, writes Martin Hayes

PRING is on the way so you must check if you are obliged to file a 720 Declaration by the end of March to avoid getting stung with a hefty and an utterly avoidable fine by the Spanish Tax authorities. The Spanish tax form 720 (Modelo 720) is a declaration of overseas assets from a Spanish perspective. The Spanish law requires you to provide information about offshore accounts, offshore investments, and real estate located abroad. If you have all your assets in Spain, then you do

not have to file this tax return. Likewise, if you are not a Spanish Tax Resident, you also don´t have to submit this form. In the same sense, should you have been sent to Spain for work and are under the application of the Special Income Tax Regime for seconded employees (otherwise known as the Beckham Law), you also do not have to submit this tax return. If you own assets abroad and you are a Spanish Tax Resident, you should check whether you are obliged to submit this tax return. The answer will depen

Bank accounts abroad and financial institutions opened, where the total balance of all the accounts exceeds €50.000. Securities, collective investment schemes, life insurances and annuities, that are held abroad and exceed €50.000. Real estate and interests in real estate with a purchase value that exceeds €50.000. Form 720 must be submitted on-line from January 1 to March 31 of every year. It is worth noting that the fine and sanctions imposed for failing to submit this 720 tax form are currently under investigation by the European Commission owing to their severity. Penalties imposed for late or incomplete filing and or non-submission of the 720 declaration could result penalties that usually range €5.000

per asset, with a minimum penalty of €10.000. To avoid any possible errors, we recommend you find help from a professional tax advisor. If you are concerned that you need to file a 720 declaration please contact us immediately so that we can ensure that the declaration is made correctly and on time. If you need legal assistance in English please contact Pepe Oltra or Martin Hayes directly.

For information on Swan Partners visit www.swanpartners.es. For information specifically relating to expat services please see www.martinhayes.es SWAN Partners C/ Pizarro, nº 1, 4º-15ª. 46004 Valencia (Spain) + 34 96 334 89 83

FACING JUSTICE: Rhys and Lisa Williams charged with money laundering AN alleged serial fraudster is facing money laundering charges in the UK after being exposed by the Olive Press. Former Marbella-based couple Rhys Williams, 39, and his wife Lisa, 38, have BOTH been charged by the UK’s Crown Prosecution Service. The pair are due to appear at Birmingham Magistrates Court on March 17 charged with one count of allegedly swindled millions of euros off numerous friends and contacts, while living on the Costa del Sol. We reported how the pair from Wales drove top-of-the-range cars, wore Rolex watches, and paid for €10,000-a-year private schooling, while allegedly taking up to €1.6m from victims in ‘a Ponzi scheme’. Our investigation into the pair was followed up in the UK press, including the Daily Mail and Wales Daily Post, despite the Spanish authorities dragging their heels probing the case. Fortunately for the alleged victims, who collectively lost €6.28 million, the courts in the UK were taking more interest. “It has been many years coming and all the victims are extremely happy,” victim Adrian Parsons, 54, told the Olive Press. “We are all hoping that they will both receive custodian sentences even though it is unlikely we will recover any of the money invested. “We can only hope that they are convicted so that their records be a warning to others who come across them in the future.” The Olive Press revealed in 2018 that the Williams’ alleged ponzi scheme was operating out of Marbella, Dubai and India. A series of victims accused Rhys Williams of snaring wealthy parents at his children’s €10,000-a-year private school in Marbella, with the help of his wife. Opinion Page 6

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Busting a move INFLUENCER Demi Rose Mawby is Ibiza’s latest expat - and it looks like she’s living life to its fullest. The stunning British model, who boasts 15million followers on Instagram, relocated to the White Isle from her hometown of Birmingham last year. Demi has been busy sharing snaps of herself settling into life on the ‘Magic Isle’, including posing in skimpy bikinis and sunbathing in the nude. The 25-year-old, who has ex boyfriend Tyga in common with fellow social media maven Kylie Jenner, made the leap to move to the party island after struggling with her mental health during lockdown in London. Explaining her move she said: “I have loads of friends out here, the weather is nice, and it is a perfect backdrop for my modeling work.” She added that the move was ‘one of the best choices’ she has ever made.

Wayne’s World THE millionaire brother of the former footballer Gary Lineker has teased that his Ibiza clubs could reopen this summer almost a year on from the COVID outbreak. Wayne Lineker took to social media to share a picture of himself along with the caption: “I’m smiling because I’ve just received some very positive news #ibiza2021”.

NEWS Hit the jackpot THE Spanish government has agreed to pay €6.5 million a year to rent the prestigious Carmen Thyssen-Bornemisza Collection for the next 15 years. And it has secured an option to buy the 400 works once the term is up. They have an estimated value of €1.04 billion. This means that a 10-year-long saga about the future of the collection – which includes works by Van Gogh, Picasso, Matisse, Renoir, Degas, Monet, Canaletto and Gaugin – has been settled, with the works saved for Spain. The deal was struck by the Department of Culture with Baroness Carmen Cervera - the widow of industrial tycoon Hans Heinrich von Thyssen-Bornemisza, who died in 2002. The new arrangement also means that Gaugin’s Mata Mau will be returned to the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum in Madrid. It was controversially removed last June as negotiations heated up.

Seeing red Fed up residents don’t want their homes declared a cultural asset

3 DANI Dyer has finally revealed her son to the world, and it appears his name is a nod to his Spanish roots. Reality star Dani paid tribute to her mum’s Spanish heritage and named her first born Santiago (pictured inset and with Dani), the Spanish translation of Saint James. The Love Island 2018 winner, 24, announced that the adorable newborn had already been affectionately nicknamed ‘Santi’. Dani’s grandad, who she affectionately calls ‘Bruv’ is from Mallorca and

Spanish eyes mum Jo even had a Spanish-cockney themed wedding when she tied the knot with Dani’s dad Danny Dyer in 2016. Dani used her podcast with Danny to share her baby son’s name. She told fans in a pre-recorded voice memo: “I know you’re all probably wondering what we’ve called him. There’s been a lot of assumptions going on, some are actually really funny to be fair, but his name is Santiago. “I know a lot of you are probably thinking ‘What?!’ but that is his name but we are going to be calling him Santi. “I think it sounds nice on the birth certificate.”

Wolftastic

Battered

The 58-year-old who also owns nightspots in Marbella, Tenerife, Alcudia in Mallorca, Zante and Paphos, left Ibiza last September after revealing that his six European clubs were ‘battered’ because of the pandemic. The Celebs Go Dating star has also been forced to postpone the opening of his new venue O Beach Dubai. The playboy no doubt fancies some time relaxing in the sun after a difficult 12 months that saw his £30 million European nightclub empire in trouble. Wayne’s former Lineker UK bar business has collapsed with a £100,000 debt. Previously known as Linekers (UK) Ltd, the name was changed to Duane International Ltd, after his son, last year.

CAPTION RESIDENTS of a block of flats branded as the ‘most Instagrammed private building’ in Spain are up in arms over plans to declare the building a ‘cultural asset’. Furious home owners say they already have to put up with people wandering in to take snaps of the ‘iconic building’, leading residents to erect signs telling passersby to keep out. Now, if the plans to list the La Muralla Roja (The Red Wall) as ‘an Asset of Cultural interest (BIC) come to fruition, they will have to set opening hours for sightseers to visit. And that, they say is not on for a building that dates back to the 1970s.

Objection

It was designed by Catalan architect Ricardo Bofill and is located in the upper part of Cala de la Manzanera (Alicante). The Calpe Cultural and Ecological Association(ACEC), claims that the local council has not replied to a written objection sent last April over the BIC move. The BIC process started in 2015, but La

By Alex Trelinski

Muralla Roja property owners say that nobody from the authority has spoken to them since then about the move. An ACEC statement condemned ‘the absolute lack of

interest of the council in telling the residents and agreeing with them any moves to make the building a cultural asset’. “We have become mere spectators of a process that will have many consequences on our daily lives,” the statement continued.

WOLF hunting has been banned throughout Spain making the Iberian wolf a protected species, along with the Iberian Lynx and the Cantabrian Brown Bear. Spain’s Environment Ministry has ruled that protection for wolves in the south of the country will now be extended north of the Duero river, where controlled hunting had still been allowed. Farmer’s unions have lashed out that the nationwide hunting ban will lead to more attacks on livestock, and that farmer’s ‘needs’ have been ‘ignored’. Spain’s Environment Ministry has however promised to work with farmers on ways to protect cattle without harming wolves. Spain is home to an estimated 1,500-2,000 Iberian wolves, with 90% in the northern regions of Castilla y Leon, Asturias and Galicia where it is believed that, until now, up to 400 wolves were killed annually.

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NEWS

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No model witness AN expat fashion designer behind the alleged loss of €35 million of investors money has insisted regular threats of violence were behind her involvement with the company. Jody Smart, the sole director of failed firm Continental Wealth Management (CWM), accused her former partner of being the real owner and aggressively forcing her to be the figurehead on paper. The ex-fashion model told a court hearing how her past lover Darren Kirby frequently turned violent and aggressive when she threatened to quit. She told a judge at Denia Court that every time she tried to leave the British-run pension compa-

Angela and Antoni

February 11th - February 24th 2021

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

EXCLUSIVE By Alex Trelinski

ny, Kirby would get violent. And despite failing to report Kirby to the police, because she was ‘afraid’, she has kept videos and phone messages of him threatening her. She was giving evidence in a private prosecution by 17 of up to 1,000 British pensioners, from all across Spain including Andalucia, who put their savings into Alicante-based CWM. The business collapsed in 2017. Some of the individual losses added up to €800,000. The private action accuses Kirby and Smart, along with Paul Clarke, and Stephen Ward of fraud, disloyal administration, and forging victims’ signatures onto investment dealing instructions. A judge will decide whether there is enough evidence for a full trial to go ahead. The solicitor leading the private prosecution, Antoni Bertomeu, told the Olive Press: “The most significant aspect of the hearings was that the accused did not deny that CWM was responsible for any wrongdoing.” “They are merely trying to save themselves by saying they knew nothing about it and had nothing to do with it,” he added. The prosecution has resumed after oral testimony was suspended last spring due to the

pandemic. Statements last year from ex-employees of CWM said that the claimants had lost their money due to risky investments. Answering questions from the judge, Jody Smart said she became a partner in CWM, formed by Kirby, in 2012. In the testimony, seen by the Olive Press, she also admitted he transferred up to €8,000 a month into her private bank account through to 2017.

Issues

She said her salary was ‘€5,000, €6,000 or €7,000 a month’ and it was ‘sometimes as high as €8,000’, depending on ‘what Darren wanted to pay’. Smart said she only put her name to the firm to help out Kirby who was having ‘issues with his wife’ and wanted to stop her accessing company assets. Smart, who owns clothes company Jody Bell SL, declared that her livelihood was fashion and insisted she had no knowledge of what went on with CWM. She added she was merely the ‘face’ of the company. She did however, refuse to answer questions from Bertomeu, who has been leading the pri-

vate prosecution for two years, and left the Denia courthouse via a fire exit. Case coordinator Angela Brooks, who brought the 17 claimants together, told the Olive Press: “Watching the defendants walk in and out of court was disgusting as they bobbed and weaved to get out of the way of photographers.” One of these was Paul Clarke, who was involved in helping Kirby build up CWM. He denied forming the company and being Kirby’s business partner, claiming he merely helped in the office and trained some staff members, as well helped do some supermarket shopping and ‘getting Darren coffees’. He added that he left in August 2010 because of Kirby’s ‘aggressive and abusive’ attitude. Clarke went on to run other businesses, including AES In-

ON TRIAL: Jodie Smart with legal representative and (left) former boss Darren Kirby who ‘turned violent’

ternational Spain, but told the hearing that he is currently unemployed. He also refused to take questions from Bertomeu. Another of those grilled was advisor Stephen Ward, who ran Moraira-based Premier Pension Solutions, which ceased trading in 2017. Ward admitted to having worked with seven of the claimants, and confirmed that his company had a business collaboration with CWM. He insisted that he was never paid ‘a single cent’ from CWM

and merely shared clients with the business. The judge has now asked for full details of the investments. “All the risk assessments will have to be provided which prove that the clients had their money placed into high-risk portfolios,” said Bertomeu. “The judge has been very proactive and can see that crimes have been committed, but it will be a very long process,” he added. Bertomeu believes that if ‘everything goes to plan’, a trial date could be set for next year.

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Desperado A MAN has claimed ‘sex is a basic need’ after being caught crossing the border illegally to get into Alicante City. The weekend perimeter closure is currently in place across 16 cities in the Valencian Community. But that did not stop the 40-year-old from boarding a bus in Murcia last Sunday to travel 80km north to Alicante to see his girlfriend. Policia Local officers who were manning a checkpoint on Avenida de Elche demanded passengers prove they had a legitimate reason to enter the city. The man told them that ‘basic needs’ are allowed and produced a newspaper article that claimed exemptions to the border closure were permitted for essential reasons. A TEENAGER has committed suicide just hours after another 10-year-old boy reportedly attempted to take his own life in Valencia. The 13-year-old died instantly when he jumped out of his window, while the boy, 10, is critically ill in hospital. Police have ruled out any connection between the incidents,

NEWS

February 11th February 24th 2021

Open defiance By Alex Trelinski

BARS and restaurants plan to reopen in Castellon province on February 16 in protest at their enforced closure imposed by the Valencian Government. The Castellon Hotel Association (Ashocas) is behind the move insisting the hospitality trade is 'jaded' by 'nonsensical' measures taken by the government to stop increasing COVID-19 cases. However, local tourist association Ashotur disagreed with the move, despite supporting the claims. “Hospitality has been unfairly targeted but we must follow the law,” said a spokesman. Hospitality businesses have been closed for almost three weeks and businesses have had enough.

No suicide challenge despite it initially being thought they could be linked in some social media challenge. Tragedy first struck on Monday, when the 10-year-old sustained severe injuries after falling from a window in his Ruzafa home.

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Learn at home or at the school Classes led by native teachers Try a FREE lesson today (+34) 96 34 46139 info@2daylanguages.com www.2daylanguages.com They've also extended their reopening call to other hospitality groups in Castellon Province and right across the Valencian Community. He was rescued by an emergency ambulance and rushed to hospital with both legs broken. Fears that the jump could have been caused by an online challenge grew when just 12 hours later the teenager jumped to his death. The 13-year-old was at home with his family when, for reasons unknown, he opened a window and plummeted to the ground.

“We are going to open with all the health security measures that we have used before,” said a group spokesman. “The hospitality industry is the only sector that ensured businesses were closed when any staff member tested positive or been in contact with somebody infected.” But he added the sector could ‘no longer take it’. “President Ximo Puig does not have a single argument to continue accusing us or to keep us even more day in this situation..” Ashocas confirmed it was preparing a class action against the Valencian Government and the Madrid administration over the way hospitality has been treated during the pandemic.

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

OPINION Gotcha! THEY say the arc of justice is long but it bends. Let’s hope that’s the case for Rhys and Lisa Williams, who stand accused of defrauding British expats out of more than €6 million. Three years after our initial expose of the alleged Marbella-based Ponzi scheme, the Welsh couple are now facing money laundering charges in the UK. It’s just another example of the Olive Press exposing the bad apples in what is mostly a great expat community. No other English paper acts on behalf of its readers to bring crooks and criminals to justice. How many other expat papers can say they have aided in the arrest and exposure of dozens of paedophiles, fraudsters and criminals over the years? The answer to that is ZERO.

NEWS FEATURE

MAGINE if, rather than losing the Second World War and committing suicide in Berlin, Adolf Hitler had successfully invaded the British Isles and ruled them as a dictator before dying peacefully in his bed in 1975. Then imagine if a law brought in after his death protected all those who assisted the regime, making them free from prosecution. Next, picture a country where hundreds of thousands of former opponents lie in mass graves, which the new democratic government - in the interests of national reconciliation - feels it best to ignore. And notice that the Nazi flag, with its infamous insignia, had not been replaced as the national flag; just that the swastika was replaced with the British lion and a unicorn. Finally, take note that Hitler’s children continue to live in lavish estates around the UK, while the dictator himself lies in a huge mausoleum in the Home Counties. A shrine, if you like, to all those (including numerous academics, businessmen and politicians) who still believe he made our country what it is today. What may sound like a Robert Harris novel is very much the reality in Spain, 45 years after the death of Generalissimo Francisco Franco. The guns may have fallen silent, but the civil war continues, if not in the mountains of Aragon then across the dining room table and

Holiday hell IT is shocking to hear the tale of the Wilsons who were forced to sleep on chairs for three nights at Madrid airport after their residency cards were deemed unacceptable for travel. The airlines and airport management have a lot to answer for, particularly given that both are in their 70s and at a high risk in terms of COVID-19. It is completely unacceptable that Lufthansa refused the couple’s boarding on their Dubai-Frankfurt flight, especially as the rules for travel were stated as clear as day on both the Spanish Government and British Foreign Office websites. Regardless, a quick call to colleagues in Spain should have surely clarified any doubts. We are sorry to hear that following an Olive Press probe the German carrier is trying to pass the buck to the government authorities. Let’s hope the Wilsons, who were left more than €2,000 out of pocket, are rightly compensated. Publisher / Editor

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A NATION As Catalunya goes to the polls, the Olive Press explains how the spectre of the civil war still casts a shadow over the regions. By Barnaby Bouchard

looming over the forthcoming election in returning Spain to the perceived glory days Catalunya. of the pre-Enlightenment era. The days when This is in part to be expected; the trauma the army and Church were answerable ‘only of going through a brutal civil war in which to God and to history’. over 500,000 people were shot, tortured or While from the 1950s quality of life did exstarved to death. perience an upturn, and token But the suffocating lack of movements towards liberalclosure afforded to many afization were made to curry The politicians ter the gruesome events of economic favour with Ameriinherited 1936 to 1939, and the harsh ca, the Franco era is generally dictatorship that followed, seen as a time in which the a country has bred a tired, bitter reugliest extremes of conservasentment among many Spantism were allowed free rein. lurching iards, one that goes to the What is certain is that Spain towards chaos was held decades behind the core of how they see themselves as a people. rest of the continent economMuch is due to the nature of ically and socially thanks to the regime Franco imposed on his conquered Franco’s twisted interpretation of history and countrymen, after deposing the democrati- nationhood. cally-elected government. Remember that Germany and Italy found cloDuring nearly four de- sure at the end of their fascist regimes. cades of his Catholic Na- While Hitler and Mussolini suffered gruetionalist dictatorship, crit- some deaths, Franco passed away peacefully icism of the regime and in his bed at the ripe age of 82, in 1975, surattempts to sabotage it rounded by his family. were viciously silenced. He died having no reason to believe Spain Even regional languag- was set to change; the government was comes, particularly Catalan prised of Falangists and religious leaders. and Basque, were sup- His Prime Minister was Carlos Arias Navarro, pressed in the aim of known as ‘the Butcher of Malaga’ for sum-

The battle for Catalunya Spain’s former Health Minister has been drafted in to stave off a new drive for independence, reports Laurence Dollimore

E is best known for his deadpan tilt at the camera during his stiff and serious regular bulletins on the ravages of COVID around Spain. Part of Pedro Sanchez’s coalition government, Salvador Illa was removed from his position as Health Minister last month to help steady the ship in the Catalan elections next week. In a bid to blunt a new drive for independence this year, the bespectacled former minister is a popular and potent weapon. Now, remarkably, his anti-independence party is on track to win the most votes on February 14, latest polls have suggested. The Catalunya Socialists Party (PSC) would claim 23.7% of the vote if a snap poll were held last week, a CIS survey of 2,000 voters found.

an extremely tall order in today’s fractured political landscape. Once the MPs have been elected, they must choose a president, with each party putting forward their strongest candidate. The speaker will put a candidate up for a vote, usually from the party with the most votes first, who will need 68 MPs to vote for them. If this fails, another vote will be held in which they will only need a simple majority. If they fail again, the process is

repeated over a two-month period until a president is chosen. If deadlock continues, a fresh election will have to be called meaning coalitions are almost inevitable, with smaller parties able to act as kingmakers. It means the party with the most votes is not guaranteed to form the government. But which of the three frontrunning candidates are most likely to become president?

Pere Aragones, Esquerra Republicana (ERC), 38 The law and history graduate, who also studied at Harvard University, has taken up the helm of the ERC after its former leader was removed (Quim Torra). Aragones is left wing and staunchly pro-independence, much like his predecessor. However he wants to prioritise

talks with Madrid. Aragones has a strong chance of getting over the 68-seat threshold with the support of fellow pro-independence parties. Nothing is guaranteed however, particularly given recent fall outs with JxCat, the other big pro-independence party.

Uphill Close behind is the ERC, which would obtain 19.9% and thirdly JxCat, with 14.6%. Either way, Illa would still face an uphill battle to become President of the Generalitat, as those parties would likely unite to keep him out. And even with Ciudadanos and the PP voters supporting him it may not be enough. In total, voters in Catalunya, Spain’s second most populous region with 7.2m people, will elect 135 MPs from across four provinces: Barcelona, Girona, Lleida and Tarragona. However to form a government, a party needs an absolute majority of 51%, or 68 seats out of the 135,

Laura Borras, Junts per Catalunya (JxCat), 50 Elected immediately after Spain imposed direct rule following the ‘illegal referendum’ in 2017, Borras is pushing for a ‘peaceful confrontation’ against Madrid. The former university professor is currently accused of illegally awarding a public contract to a close ally, with a court case ongoing. Despite this, she has a strong chance of becoming the

next Catalan leader, and would be the first female in the role. While JxCat is behind ERC in the latest poll, a similar forecast in 2017 didn’t ring true, with Borras’ party eventually gaining 10,000 more votes than its rivals. Borras will need the support of pro-independence parties and potentially others, depending on the final vote share.

SALVADOR ILLA, Partit Socialista de Catalunya, 54 The philosophy and business graduate has long been a darling of the Socialists since becoming mayor of the historic inland town of Roca del Valles in 1995. But after being named health minister just before COVID hit, he quickly became a household name as the face of the fight against the pandemic.

In fact his notoriety led PSC leader Miquel Iceta to put Illa forward as the presidential candidate instead of himself. Illa has long been a critic of the pro-independence parties and is a Spanish unionist. His election as president would be a noted shift in the Catalan leadership.

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More fake news

WAR CRIMES: Many republicans were slaughtered and buried in mass graves after being captured marily executing 17,000 political prisoners an interest in exhuming the victims, such Meiras palace in Galicia, which was vacated during the civil war, and the dictator’s hand- as when the Zapatero government freed up in 2020, only allowing the family to take the picked successor, the new King Juan Carlos I, funding for it in 2007, it can just as easily be electro-domestics. had sworn to continue his legacy. The future cancelled, as it was, by the next administra- The year before Franco’s coffin was famously of Falangist Spain, ‘One, Great and Free’, tion. moved from its mausoleum in the Valley of seemed assured. Meanwhile, the family of Franco inherited the Fallen to a simple family tomb in Madrid. The politicians who led the famous ‘Tran- an estimated €600 million on the dictator’s Most importantly the 2007 Law of Historical sicion’ back to democracy (most of them, death, as well as being allowed continued Memory still stands, giving rights to those ironically, die-hard Falangists) ownership of artworks and who were persecuted or suffered repression inherited a country lurching lavish palaces. during the dictatorship. towards chaos. The highly inLooting, arson, It is only in the past few years There is financial aid for those trying to lofluential army had no reason that the government has fi- cate relatives and grants of citizenship to the repression and nally begun to reclaim these descendants of those who fled Spain in the to welcome democracy. Meanwhile the country was taking the stance aftermath of the civil war. murder with no properties, rocked by riots, protests and that, as Franco assumed Efforts are, therefore, being taken to right strikes by supporters of the expower illegally, the estate he wrongs, in cases where it is not too late. hope for true iled political parties calling for accumulated as head of state While the masterminds of the Transicion justice free elections. was not his to pass on. The surely cannot be blamed for their reluctance A return to civil conflict was amnesty protecting criminals to make a hard break with the past, Spain looking likely and a comproduring and after the civil war is waking up to the uncomfortable fact that mise needed to be found. means that, across the country, families still reconciliation has to come from dialogue, It meant that King Juan Carlos would remain feud over what their parents and grandpar- not silence. head of state, while there would be no purge ents did to each other. Grass can cover the battlefields, the veterof the armed forces. Nearly every town and village saw looting, ans can grow old, the memories can fade. But most pertinently, there would be an arson, repression and murder, which, with But as we have seen, until Europe’s most amnesty for all those who had done the re- no hope of legal resolution, has, as its only outspoken and effervescent people forsake gime’s dirty work, including now-ageing war outlet, long decades of festering resentment. their collective denial, their civil war cannot criminals. The infamous ‘Pacto del Olvido’, or Even the national flag remains largely un- be considered over. Pact of Forgetting, was born: an agreement changed: The fathat the past would not be discussed, and langist symbols and imposing black Eagle that the country would move on as one. Europe’s most forthright people, effectively of St John are gone, swore themselves to silence, because the but the red and yellow truth somehow seemed untouchable. It banner, a monarchist was true that seeking vengeance on the old symbol adopted by regime in the late 1970s could have been the nationalists, concatastrophic, and Spain certainly deserves tinues to fly from all Nerva, Huelva praise for its (largely) peaceful transition government buildings. from dictatorship to democracy, something It is an affront to many that has rarely happened before. But, as any - particularly in regions psychologist will tell you, bottling up trauma is like Catalunya, which suffered badly under not a good idea. With 2,500 mass graves scattered around Franco - that the flag the country and an estimated 140,000 vic- which is meant to tims interred, that’s a lot of trauma and grief. symbolise nationhood While some landowners and religious figures instead symbolises were killed in Republican areas the majority the limbo caused by an ability to confront were massacred by Franco’s regime. At present, 42 victims of Francoist repression have been found Until recently, no government has dared to history. in the cemetery of this small Andalucian town, making it, acapproach this matter, despite calls by thou- Fortunately attempts cording to its socialist mayor, a candidate for ‘the biggest rural sands of families for the reburial of loved to deal with limbo mass grave in Spain’. They are more than 1,500 people behave been gathering ones. lieved to be buried across the Huelva mining basin, notorious Many still live close to the unmarked tombs of pace. for its bloody reprisals in the early days of the war. To date, there their parents or siblings, and can tell you their In 2019 the governhave been two digs at the site in Nerva, the second of which exact location. But most family members ment declared its inwas funded by the Ministry of Justice in Madrid. Andalucia’s have now passed away without receiving the tention to locate and regional government, controlled by a coalition of the right-wing rebury 25,000 peoclosure that reburial would bring. Partido Popular and centrist Ciudadanos, has not participated. Attempts by local governments to deal with ple in mass graves by these graves are often met with a massive 2024. pushback, largely from the right-wing PP The Franco family Pinos Genil, Granada and Vox parties, who argue that it would go meanwhile, is being against the Pacto del Olvido and inflame old stripped of its physical inheritance; intensions. Even when the central government does take cluding the Pazo de

Two scenes of horror from the civil war

Army generals from the old regime were not replaced during the Transición to democracy, meaning the military continued to be dominated by Falangists, who subscribed to the old Castilian philosophy that the army and government were indivisible. In 2020, Francisco Beca Casanova, an air force general who retired in 2004, professed in a Whatsapp group a desire to ‘shoot 26 million Spaniards’, lauded Franco as ‘irrepetible’, and was one of 73 former senior officers who submitted an open letter to the king calling on him to dissolve the current socialist government.

DID YOU KNOW?

HE Spanish Government has ONCE AGAIN been forced to counteract fake reporting after a slew of national papers in the UK claimed foreign tourists would be ‘banned until after summer.’ No surprise, the stories all quoted English-language website www. euroweeklynews.com, which had misquoted prime minister Pedro Sanchez. Under the headline: ‘Spain won’t welcome tourists until the end of the summer’, its writer made a massive boo boo - as it was simply not true. As properly reported by the Olive Press, Sanchez actually told a press conference in Madrid that for Spain to ‘be in a better position’ to receive tourists ‘AS IT DID BEFORE’ the pandemic, 70% of the population would need to be vaccinated. In other words, quite different from an all-out ban. Nevertheless, the false story - or ‘bulo’ in Spanish - was presented as truth by British national papers, including the Mirror and Metro, who should have known better. It led to Spain’s angry tourism minister Reyes Maroto having to counter the claims to the Telegraph the following day. Knowing the fake story could be highly damaging to the tourism industry, she told the paper that the plan of the national Government was to actually begin welcoming tourists back this Spring. The fake news drama comes after the same English website made up a story about a nationwide lockdown coming to Spain in September 2020. The alarming story, which included false government sources, led to mass panic and a slew of holiday cancellations to Spain. There was an outcry on social media and the Olive Press immediately contacted the Health Ministry at the time and demanded it addressed the issue. Our intervention led the head of the coronavirus taskforce Fernando Simon to address the story in his daily briefing, in which he labelled the story a ‘complete lie.’

The top five most read stories on www.theolivepress.es in the past two weeks are: for the arrival of storm Justine 1- Spain braces itself(13,246 views) LISTED: Every municipality which must close 2-borders or all non-essential businesses from tomorrow in Spain’s Andalucia (10,050 views) moved to minor roads to catch 3- Roadblocks checkpoint dodgers as 27 fined in first five hours of weekend lockdown on Spain’s Costa Blanca (9,086 views)

- LISTED: The 18 municipalities in Spain’s An4lowering dalucia which can open their borders today after COVID-19 incidence rates (7,593 views) “Since the sons are away, we’ll kill the mothers.” With this abominable refrain the Nationalists justified their actions in places such as Pinos Genil, where six men and six women were killed, according to official records, ‘as subsistutes’ for family members who were fighting for the Republic. Francesca Esperidon, the eldest victim found in the cemetery, was a 70-year-old

- LISTED: The 27 municipalities opening their 5incidence borders today in Spain’s Andalucia after COVID-19 rate drops below 500 cases per 100,000 people (7,577 views)

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8 Carer woes Dear Olive Press,

February 11th - February 24th 2021

just unfair?

r and I WORK in the UK as a health care orts airp e whil that told n bee have we , no are open we have to travel to work is. ney jour the matter how long e are We only will be paid furlough if ther pany com my way no is re The ts. fligh no isolate or myself would pay £1,500 to like me ple peo If . days in a hotel for 10 , who can’t get to work because of this t of Mos d? nee in ple peo r afte look will the UK our staf f live abroad and work in ple in because there aren’t enough peo the UK willing to do our jobs. 30 Recently I’ve flown with less than and s train UK yet , oard onb people goes to tubes are packed and ever yone target work if they can. It’s not fair to taxpeople who work in the UK and pay of the es and have full contracts. Mostpeople people I see in airports are just working, not tourists.

UK travel quarantine is a hot topic

Don’t travel

At their own risk

I AGREE that tourists should not be travelling. I think if everybody had followed the initial guidelines, we perhaps wouldn’t need this. Leanne Evans, via FB

Un ortunate y whatever s done v ruses spread and there s on y so much that can be done I m not n the UK but everyone I know back home has ab ded by the ru es and I don t th nk th s nherent b ame cu ture s at a he p u However I am sorry peop e were upset by the news Laura Johann Craig via FB

searcher Dr Alejandro Lucia. “This study shows that being regularly active is health not likely to eliminate the detrimental effects of excess body fat. a physi“Our findings refute the notion that negate cally active lifestyle can completely the deleterious effects of obesity.” undeniThe team found that while exercise that able had positive effects, participants were overweight or obese were undeniably oping mamore at risk of develA Good jor health problems. health “More activity is better, so walking 30 minutes per day is better than walking 15 minutes a day,’ Dr Lucia said. exercise “But does not seem to A compensate for the negative effects of excess weight.”

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IT’S impossible to be ‘fat and fit’ and even if you are slightly overweight you are unhealthy, a new study found. Researchers in Spain found the risk of heart attacks and strokes rockets as BMI increases. And while they agree that exercise does reduce the risk of some illnesses like diabetes and hypertension, those who were active and obese were twice as likely to have storm high cholesterol than inactive people of a tries to weather the coronavirus normal weight. more than 100 years as Gibraltar to fall, lockGRIM: Worst loss of life for As numbers continue findings page 4 the long-held ‘obethe Royal Fleet Auxiliary ammu- down may The (seechallenge be eased paradox’ belief that it’s possible to be nition ship, the Bedenham,” add- Lockdown sity both the UK and USA by By John Culatto in sight) passing endand EXCLUSIVE exwhat That’s fat not at an increased risk of death ed Picardo. ‘IS my mother dead or alive?’ a country mile. By Laurence Dollimore for five from heart disease. worst loss of life its pat Lee Samuel, 54, was left pondering Carole The small population with to “We can be grateful for the ex- “This is now thein over 100 years. The study of over 520,000 Spanish adults Testing of Gibraltarians days straight as his 77-year-old mum close-knit community has led of support and soli- Even in war, we have never lost so hospital. byofthe European University, in Madrid, patients COVID-19 battled for her life in an Andalucian recorded infections over pressions heard nothing for five long days,” The number from more then sent “We been othhave warning that revealed that overweight people were acnow time.” darity was at hospital that the hospital The property salesman is at St Bernard’s the Christmas period than anyone the United Kingdom, Spain and many in such a short one is added Lee. “I understand tually four more of likely to have diawith 10 54,times high of “I believe we will see more deaths er families of what to expect if a loved up- is under pressure and we totally get that the an all-timebetes... could have predicted. five times elderly at the them being around the world,” said Picardo. Care more likely to have Critical but surely there in theand admitted after he was repeatedly refused The majority of the casualties have “There is great suffering across amongst the frail in Mar- focus is on treating people,in place to update high blood pressure. since Elderly Residential Services,” Unit. dates from the Hospital Costa del Sol come should be a better system nation.” “One cannot but healthy,” said lead most thefat one ofbe has warned Picard. also bella last week. the start of our La Cos- loved ones? is in lockdown following But in the past few days there has Gibraltar researcher Dr Alejandro Lucia. “This in alive or testing programmes “It was absolutely terrifying,” the Club the new year, Gibraltar intensive study “I was literally thinking ‘is my mother discovery of the more contashows that being regularly active swabs 150,000 ta employee told the Olive Press. they kept dead?’ for days on end, it was horrific.” with 2021 ac- the British variant of COVID-19 been a glimmer of hope. the world,is with Carole notits likely to eliminate the detrimental inhab33,700 for On going to press, the number being taken “We phoned again and again but informa- The family were first struck with the virus RECOVERING: Stephen and counting for gious had that cases out health effects of excess body fat. December. ill two weeks ago. coronavirus active cross-frontier workers. told this telling us they could not give all but seven in itants and“Our See page 13 & 16 have to when Carole began feeling as did husband and has not experienced of worse and needs more oxygen,” Lee us upfindings refute the notion that a dropped below the 500 mark, with tion over the phone and that we would of the lives “Gibraltar 6 Page The retiree tested positive, Opinion paper last night, “But they are keeping loss of life in such a short physically active lifestyle can completely homes. and son Lee. come in,” he continued. lost, many in such since the 1951 explosion of 62 of them at nursing with the former financier Stephen dated now, which is much better. negate the deleterious effects of obesity.” time “But my dad Stephen was also in bed the last week. taken to hospital after her sympaware of what can be was to Carole others we want way just no “We was at the virus and I also had it, so there toms became serious last Wednesday. happen if a loved one is hospitalisedis put in could come in.” having paid for private insurance moment and we hope a better system He continued: “One But despite Sanitas could not make room for kept for 16 years, place going forward.” receptionist the Olive was sent to the Hospital Costa del The Hospital Costa del Sol told hanging up on me... her and she situaSol. Press: “Due to the ongoing pandemic it was terrible.” silence and dozens of calls given to the relativesE ofn d s 3 1 / 1 2 / 1 9 . tion, the information The last Lee (pic- After the five-day c o n d i t i o n s . Carole was t o S u b j e c t patients in the UK and Spain, family o n l y . is made by telephone and, for from COVID left) had heard c u s t o m e r s tured n e w f o r v a l i d that are in their enough to speak on the phone on strong * O f f e r numbers finally telephone was the mother this, his from by Clinical History or those that are provided on Wednesday, last Monday. 21/6/19 13:30 ones. we got her on the phone, and the patients are called to inform loved week, when she told “Thank God to be in the room at the not autho“No one can be informed who is In some him that1 she had a doctor happened TheOlivePress-256x170-HOME02.indd Lee. rised due to the Data Protection Act. requests double pneumonia time,” addedif we could move her to a private cases, if no telephone is available, the the dif- meaning both her “We asked the doctor said it was too risky of family members who enter throughchecked lungs were filling up hospital butdisrupt her antibiotics and oxygen as it could ferent channels have to be reviewed,to contact with fluid. and verified i.e. people who request She said she was supply.” Press contacted the Junta and their admitted relatives.” being put on oxygen After the Olive have besimilar sitthe hospital for a comment, doctors British expat Paul Whitelock had a pumps. gun keeping the family his wife uation in Ronda this month, as he and updated. Rita battled COVID at the same time.inspector, “My mum has now got The former schools who speaks fluent Spanish, was continually told he couldn’t get an update on German Rita, who was critically ill in Ronda hospital for nearly two weeks. “They kept failing to communicate what was going on… how ALL AREAS COVERED her health was,” he told the Olive Press. “In the end I waited three A Good health to four days to hear how she was. 4G UNLIMITED She was so ill she wasn’t reading Hugo Broker. Whatsapps or answering calls. It INTERNET was very worrying. U will meet him soon. IDEAL FOR “In the end I had to literally deSTREAMING TV mand I was coming in to take her home. Only then did I finally get a A ALSO IPTV, call from a doctor.” We are rebranding! He continued: “It’s the system. SATELLITE TV The locals just accept everything that is chucked at them. They just accept it. People need to start detel: (0034) 952 763 840 manding change.” info@theskydoctor.com

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pressure. said lead “One cannot be fat but healthy,” “This study researcher Dr Alejandro Lucia. is not likely shows that being regularly active effects of to eliminate the detrimental health

Expat dashes 160 kilometres to retrieve stolen car from conman after Olive Press reader spots alleged thief a year on AN expat has been reunited with his car after an eagle eyed Olive Press reader spotted it a year after it went missing. Kenny Greenhow, 63, went on an audacious lockdown journey to retrieve his beloved BMW which had apparently been stolen by local expat-run transport company CHUFFED: Greenhow Mission Impossible. on getting his BMW Greenhow, who has lived on the back * O f ffor Costa Blanca e years, r v was a l i horrid f o r n e w c u s t o m e r s o fied to discover that his convertible had apparently ‘disappeared’ EXCLUSIVE while it was being transported TheOlivePress-256x170-HOME02.indd 1 By Simon Wade back to the UK. After doing some digging he dis- formation, Greenhow was ecstatcovered that the transport com- ic and said he was immediately pany’s owner Simon Davies was set to go on a ‘Mission Impossia conman, who had been at least ble’ of his own. twice convicted of fraud in the Despite the latest lockdown takUK. ing a grip on the Costa Blanca and particularly Murcia that had Lucky closed its borders he realised he However, despite reporting the had to make a move. stolen car to both the Spanish and Enlisting a local pal from his vilBritish police, he feared he would lage of Lo Crispin, near Ciudad Quesada, he grabbed his spare never see it again. But that was before the Olive key and immediately got on the Press had run a front page story road. on the missing car and its alleged “Some 160kms later and there it was,” he told the Olive Press this theft in January last year. Also appearing online, it luckily week. struck a chord with one of our “It felt like we were stealing it regular readers who remembered back and it was definitely exhilathe story when he saw the top-of- rating.” the-range white BMW and the It turned out the car had been alleged thief driving it this month parked right outside conman Davies home. in Almeria. He immediately got in touch with “My heart was certainly poundus telling us it was in the small ing, but I knew I had to get my car seaside town of Palomares and back and tell the police,” added even pinpointed the exact loca- Greenhow. tion. When we passed on the in- “There was the slim chance that the car might not actually be mine, but when the door opened, I almost leapt for joy.” He added that the Olive Press reader that contacted us was certainly his ‘guardian angel’. “He’s a legend and it’s so great when the media can create such a positive outcome. More power to the press!” Back home on the Costa Blanca, the car was discovered to be in a ‘filthy’ state, filled with grubby sports equipment and electronic SUSPICIOUS: Plate change devices.

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Vol. 14 Issue 361

From mice to men

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SPANISH vaccine has proven to be 100% effective against COVID-19 in mice. The jab, developed by virologists Mariano Esteban and Juan Garcia Arriaza at the National Centre for Biotechnology, will move on to human trials ‘within weeks’. The vaccine uses a variant of the virus that was used to eradicate smallpox, according to the results published in the Journal of Virology. It is being developed with Spanish biotech giant Biofabri, belonging to the Zendal group, with plans for clinical trials already in motion. Dubbed MVA-CoV-2, the jab uses the ‘Modified Ankara vaccinia’ virus (MVA) as a vehicle to transport a SARS-CoV-2 protein that manages to stimulate an immune system defense against the coronavirus, reported the Higher Council for Scientific Research. Biofabri is now waiting for the green light from the Spanish Medicines Agency to kickstart the first of two clinical human trials, which could start in a few weeks. “We have observed that the MVA-CoV-2 vaccine candidate generates a robust immune response with the production of neutralising antibodies and the activation of T lymphocytes in mice,” explained

DELIGHTED: Virologists Mariano Esteban and Juan Garcia

COVID vaccine 100% effective in first tests with human trials poised to start

Lucky

However, despite reporting the stolen car to both the Spanish and British police, he feared he would never see it again. But that was before the Olive Press had run a front page story on the missing car and its alleged theft in January last year. Also appearing online, it luckily struck a chord with one of our regular readers who remembered

R-RATED

App ‘n go AN app to prove people have been immunised against COVID is to be launched in the coming days. The Junta says that those who have been given two doses of the vaccine will be able to download the app, which will show a QR code. This will be able to be scanned so people can prove they have been vaccinated. This could be used to let them travel despite restrictions, for example.

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researcher Mariano Esteban. Arriaza said that the team has verified that the vaccine ‘creates 100% protection against SARS-CoV-2 in a humanised mouse susceptible to the SARS-CoV-2 infection, which is very important.’ In the Spanish vaccine, the MVA virus has been modified to replicate the complete S protein of SARS-CoV-2, which is the key that allows the coronavirus to enter human cells. It therefore introduces the immune system to the protein and teaches it how to recognise and eliminate it. According to the study, one or two doses of the vaccine protected 100% of the ‘humanised’ mice from COVID-19. Arriaza added, however, that two doses of the vaccine blocked replication of the coronavirus in the lungs. “These results demonstrate that the MVA vector-based COVID-19 vaccine produces robust immunity and complete efficacy in animal models, and supports its future application in clinical trials,” the researchers declared. Clinical phases I and II could begin in a few weeks before progressing to phase III. Tests will now also be carried out on hamsters and macaques.

Arriaza, developers of the vaccine

HAVING a 30-second chat without a facemask in a badly ventilated room could be worse than coughing for half a second when it comes to COVID infection. A study by the University of Cambridge and Imperial College London found that while coughing results in a large number of big droplets, speech produces finer particles. These then stay suspended in the air for longer – up to an hour. The report advises people to wear a mask to protect themselves and others, even if they are just talking and not coughing.

GOOD START

AS Spain started the race to vaccinate its population against COVID, Andalucia was an early leader. In the first weeks of the vaccination programme one in four of Spain’s first tranche of injections was made in the region.

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FREE SUR / MURCIA “QUICK, Vol. 1 Issue simple and 5 www.theolivepress.es pain comes painless. later,” King The incoming January 9th Felipe chez at a Prime Minister Pedro told - January 22nd 2020 terday. swearing in ceremony SanyesThe PSOE not, having leader will certainly ing two yearhad to endure an hope agonizwait and elections three general It was histo get this far. second recent an investiture attempt at since won the most seats the Socialists general election, in December’s overall majority. but failed to win an And Sanchez, 47, pulled stops as he out moth two cracked heads at all the a mamday weekend Madrid, after which he session in the vote by finally won After years two seats. news for of instability, it country’s Spain’ insisted oneis ‘great best known of the Irish author expats. Ian Gibson Press: “While told the Olive there are lots of compromises, going to be solutions.” there will be also The Madrid-based lived in Spain writer, who for half a century, has ed: “I’m delighted. add- A CONVICTED man and He’s an amazing it’s remarkable stuck it out to think he been accused of British conman has striking again his own partyafter being kicked car transport in a scam running “He has the and then fighting out of down the Costa up and qualities of back. man and speaks a true states- Simon Davies, Blanca. very well. 58, a great asset He will be Mission Impossible who now runs Hispanist, for Europe,” added Almeria, was jailed Transport from the part ous books who has penned in 2008 for numer- But in a €450,000 mortgage on Spain. his the trickster - who goes fraud. ous aliases by vari- has now Frankenstein to the Guardia been denounced Sanchez was Civil, in Alicante, ‘stealing’ sworn in at ace after winning for Zarzuela a British a top-of-the-range car from a second vote Pal- Accordingexpat. fidence. MPs EXCLUSIVE of conBy Simon called Callfree.net votes to 165 voted by a knife-edge lives near to Kenny Greenhow, Wade to support What he hadn’t Ltd, in 2005. wing coalition who covered his Sanchez’s 167 has nickedCiudad Quesada, reputation leftrevealed was government, Davies This included ning as a director his up by Pablo and propped worth €8,000, BMW convertible, damning past.” from 2004 his banand a host Iglesias’s Podemos sites calling en route to reviews on after a previous company to 2010 party The paint inspector, the UK. into liquidation It helped of other parties. mer’ and ‘a Davies ‘a complete told the Olive from that 18 MPs, liar’. scam- £200,000. with debts had gone from Catalunya, Press he had Tyneside, Other reviews (€970) the of nearly about A few The coalition abstained. majority the UK,to get his beloved paid £820 pany, SD Sameday a previous com- was years later a bankruptcy 120i last year. government, includes Podemos, Couriers, made against He has not back to com gave him since. on yell. of ‘Clive one seen it he had him in the order Compromís, PNV, Más which “It’s Smith, which ‘disappeared’star and claimed ified name Teruel ExisteGalego Nationalist País, with important that police to respond again disqualgoods and him the guy, Block, to customer failed director. from acting as catch up Our the first since and Nueva Canarias, being conned and stop other a company research queries. is people is no stranger reveals that Despite dictator Franco.1977 after the Davies, 58, rector this, he went death of said Greenhow,the way that I have,” The parties SD Sameday to fraud. on to act 61, who has ported the of property opposing included recently also theft to the Houses Ltd company as diVox, Ciudadanos, UK police. re- dress with Cleanrite shared an ad- ty. under a different Safe as the PP, “As long as justice Junts per and Navarra lebrite Ltd Ltd and is done and Catalunya behind bars.” identiSuma. he is his wife, in Essex, companies Spark- “We are determined Key to Sanchez’s Greenhow Anita. run by on cheats had victory was stention to crack of the pro-independence the ab- sion Impossible,first come across Misception,” like these who profit down Catalan party, via uShip, last said Pat McFadden, by desummer. an online broker Disqualified UK’s Department vowed to find the ERC, after Sanchez The company’s a solution Their marriage When contacted for Business. of the that has dogged profile, to the on the this nya’s separatist Spain since conflict hicles website, claims towhich is still online, shows certificate, available claimed the Cataluhave five ve- have previouslySimon Clive BMW hadweek, Davies FRAUDSTER: and left tried to secede regional government simply been (top) goods in drivers and ‘has £50,000 Davies, been knownDavies to due with police in ‘northern in 2017. Emmanuel transit insurance the missing while The government’s to ‘problems million public as ‘Clive Smith’, who Spain’ BMW and £2 fraud in 2008. with Davies Sanchez’ opponents liability insurance.’ was jailed Press that for stopped said he was paperwork’. argue “I got plenty of The Lancashire Davies’ account will be too‘Frankenstein government’ quotes, and ly suspended. was the by Spanish ‘sick of being is currentTelegraph cheapest,” Davies that Davies ratists and beholden to Catalan Mission Impossible “With reported the car had become police’, saying (then 46), he explained. manuel over unspecified aka Clive tional unity.pose a threat to Spain’ssepa- ker, the query going through a ‘hot Smith, ed was set Transport na- “But I thought he’d up out Limitproblems potato’ Street, a bro- years and six had been handed Em- reaucracy. be legitimate. with buthree months when London, in of an office in Old £380,000 a threat of 2018, its delivery the car didn’t arrive mortgage for his part in a He failed however Opinion being struck and despite to name date in the station nor after Shockingly, Davies fraud. page 6 is still apparently digging around off UK, region where the police has other and to my I started tions, including trading. last year, he left the convic- car. horror dis- an investor when he persuaded Davies added he If you know start a new to hand over £30,000 had been with the UK Davies in guises contact in touch mobile phone police any of his to the +34 951 business Mission Impossibleover the issue. 273 575 Olive Press at ker, uShip, Transport’s desk@theolivepress.es or email confirmed bronewsto the Olive Opinion page 6

n l y .

Mission Impossible

S u b j e c t

Conman accused expat’s BMW of stealing claims transport company his in ‘northern left it ‘paperwork Spain’ due to problems’

t o

c o n d i t i o n s .

M r Greenhow’s MOT and insurance papers were still in the car, along with a logbook and an insurance policy in the name of Anita Davies, the convicted fraudster’s wife. The car was now registered on Irish number plates, in an ultimately unsuccessful attempt to evade detection.

Corrupt

Mission Impossible. Greenhow, who has lived on the Costa Blanca for years, was horrified to discover that his convertible had apparently ‘disappeared’ while it was being transported back to the UK. After doing some digging he discovered that the transport company’s owner Simon Davies was a conman, who had been at least twice convicted of fraud in the UK.

January 27th - February 9th 2021

SCIENTISTS say that a 10% rise in mask wearing triples the chance of keeping the R number infection rate for COVID below one. Writing in Lancet Digital Health, researchers said that keeping the number below one means the pandemic is shrinking. The R rate shows the number of people infected by each carrier of the coronavirus. They studied 300,000 people in the USA to reach their conclusion.

E n d s

ll about

January 27th - February

9th 2021

www.theolivepress.es

Vol. 14 Issue 361

From mice to men

against proven to be 100% effective SPANISH vaccine has COVID-19 in mice. Mariano Esteban and Juan will The jab, developed by virologists Centre for Biotechnology, Garcia Arriaza at the National ‘within weeks’. to eradicate move on to human trials of the virus that was used the Journal of VirolThe vaccine uses a variant the results published in smallpox, according to belonging ogy. Spanish biotech giant Biofabri, It is being developed withplans for clinical trials already in motion. to the Zendal group, with jab uses the ‘Modified Ankara vaccinia’ viprotein that manDubbed MVA-CoV-2, the to transport a SARS-CoV-2 the coronavirus, rus (MVA) as a vehicle system defense against ages to stimulate an immune for Scientific Research. the Spanish Medireported the Higher Council for the green light from Biofabri is now waiting the first of two clinical human trials, which cines Agency to kickstart could start in a few weeks.the MVA-CoV-2 vaccine candidate generof neutralising “We have observed that response with the production explained ates a robust immune of T lymphocytes in mice,” antibodies and the activation

Opinion Page 6

COVID vaccine 100% effective in first tests with human trials poised to start

res

And much more in our special four page pull-out - see page 11

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FINALLY!

CHUFFED: Greenhow on getting his BMW back EXCLUSIVE By Simon Wade

OLIVE PRESS

COSTA

Your

expat

BLANCA “QUICK, FREE simple SUR / MURCIA pain comes Vol. 1 Issue and painless. later,” King 5 www.theolivepress.es incoming The chez at Prime Minister Felipe told Pedro January terday. a swearing in 9th - January ceremony SanThe PSOE yes22nd 2020 not, having leader will certainly had to endure ing two hope an agonizelectionsyear wait and It was histo get this far. three general second an investiture recent attempt won the since at general most seats inthe Socialists election, December’s overall majority. but failed to win an And Sanchez, stops as 47, he crackedpulled out all moth two the heads at day weekend a mamMadrid, the vote after which he session in by two seats. finally won After years news for of instability, country’s Spain’ insisted it is ‘great best known one Irish author expats. of the Ian Gibson Press: “While lots of compromises, there aretold the Olive going be solutions.” there willto be The Madrid-based also lived in writer, who ed: “I’mSpain for half a century, has man and delighted. He’s add- A CONVICTED stuck it it’s remarkable an amazing been accused British his own out after being to think he car transport of strikingconman has “He has party and then kicked out of again in scam running down the man andthe qualities of fighting back. a Costa Blanca. a true statesSimon up and a great speaks very well. asset for Mission Davies, 58, who Hispanist, Europe,” He will be Almeria, Impossible now added the ous books who has penned Transport runs part in a was jailed in on Spain. numer2008 forfrom But the €450,000 mortgage his trickster ous aliases fraud. Frankenstein - has nowwho goes by varito the Guardia Sanchez been ‘stealing’ Civil, in denounced ace after was sworn in at Alicante, fidence. winning a secondZarzuela Pal- a British a top-of-the-range for car from votes to MPs voted by a vote of con- Accordingexpat. EXCLUSIVE 165 to support knife-edge to Kenny lives wing coalition By Simon Sanchez’s 167 has near Ciudad Greenhow, called Callfree.net up by Pablo Wade government, who covered nicked Quesada, leftWhat he his reputation propped worth €8,000,his BMW Davies This and a host Iglesias’s Ltd, in 2005. Podemos ning as hadn’t revealed and past.” en route convertible, sites included damning It helped of other parties. party The paint inspector, to the UK. calling Davies that 18 after a a director from was his bantold the from Catalunya, reviews MPs, mer’ and previous 2004 Olive Press from Tyneside, ‘a complete on into liquidation ‘a liar’. company to 2010 The coalition abstained.the majority (€970) to he had paid Other scam- £200,000. the UK, get his beloved with debts had gone includes £820 pany, reviews about government, last year. 120i back Podemos, of nearly SD Sameday a previous A few years Compromís, He has PNV, Más which since. later a bankruptcy Couriers, com- was made not seen to com gave him Teruel ExisteGalego Nationalist País, “It’s important on yell. of one star it he had ‘disappeared’ order and Nueva and claimed ‘Clive against him the first Block, with the guy, that police to goods and ified himSmith, which in the name catch up Ourrespond to customer and stop dictator since 1977 after Canarias, is being conned again disqualFranco. other research the death queries. failed director. from acting as The parties of said Greenhow,the way that I people is no stranger reveals that a company Despite opposing ported the have,” SD Vox, Ciudadanos, 61, who Davies, included Sameday to fraud. 58, rector this, he went has also and Navarra the PP, “As long theft to the Junts per recently re- dress with of on to act Houses property company Suma. Catalunya behind as justice is UK police. as diKey to Cleanrite shared an lebrite Ltd under done and bars.” ad- ty. Greenhow stentionSanchez’s victory a different Safe as he is his wife,Ltd in Essex, Ltd and Sparkcompanies had was the “We identiAnita. Catalan of the pro-independence ab- sion Impossible,first come across run by on are determined uShip, last cheats vowed toparty, the ERC, via Misto crack summer. an online broker ception,” like these who down that has find a solution after Sanchez The company’s Disqualified said Pat profit to the conflict on the dogged UK’s Department nya’s separatist Their marriage McFadden, by deSpain website, profile, which When contacted for Business. of the claims to tried to secede regionalsince Catalu- hicles and is online, certificate, have five still have shows Simon drivers government goods available claimed the in 2017. The government’s this vein transit and ‘has £50,000 previously Clive Davies BMW hadweek, Davies FRAUDSTER: left million Sanchez’ Emmanuel been insurance opponents public to due with police simply Smith’, known as ‘Clive and £2 fraud will be too‘Frankenstein to ‘problems in ‘northern been (top) the argue “I got plenty liability insurance.’ Davies, who was in 2008. government’ was beholden missing of quotes, Spain’ while with jailed for Davies said ratists and The Lancashire the to BMW he was paperwork’. Press that stopped tional unity.pose a threat Catalan sepa- “With the cheapest,” he and Davies that Davies Telegraph ‘sick by Davies’ query to Spain’s ly suspended. explained. manuel (then 46), account reported the car had Spanish police’,of being na- ker, I thought going through is currentSmith, aka Clive Mission become over unspecified he’d be “But when Impossible a ‘hot saying ed legitimate.a bro- years and six had been handed Em- reaucracy. Opinion its delivery the car didn’t was set months problems potato’ £380,000 three up out ofTransport Limitpage 6 arrive with buStreet, London, date mortgage for his He failed digging an office however around in the UK, I after Shockingly, Davies fraud. part in a station a threat in Old started tions, and to my of beingin 2018, and despite nor region to name the has other including horror dis- an is still apparently struck off convic- car. where he police when he investor left the to hand persuaded Davies added trading. last year, start a new mobile over £30,000 If you with the he UK policehad been in to Mission phone business guises know Davies touch in any Impossibleover the issue. +34 951contact the Olive ker, uShip, of his Transport’s 273 575 Press at confirmed desk@theolivepress.es or email to the bronewsOlive Opinion page 6

voice in Spain

Mission Impossi ble Conman expat’s accused of BMW claimsstealing transport company his in ‘northern ‘paperwork Spain’ left it due to problems’

the story when he saw the top-ofthe-range white BMW and the alleged thief driving it this month “ T h e r e in Almeria. was the slim chance He immediately got in touch with that the car us telling us it was in the small mine, but might not actually be when the door opened, seaside town of Palomares and I almost leapt for joy.” even pinpointed the exact loca- He added tion. When we passed on the in- reader that that the Olive Press contacted us was cerformation, Greenhow was ecstat- tainly his ‘guardian angel’. ic and said he was immediately “He’s a legend and it’s so great set to go on a ‘Mission Impossi- when the in storage awaiting collection, media can create such ble’ of his own. despite paperwork in the car suga positive outcome. More power Despite the latest lockdown tak- to the press!” gesting he was now the owner. ing a grip on the Costa Blanca Back home He also whined that Greenhow and particularly Murcia that had the car wason the Costa Blanca, had threatened to send a gang closed its borders he realised he a ‘filthy’ state,discovered to be in of ‘hitmen’ to seek out justice, filled with grubby had to make a move. despite not knowing the wheresports equipment and electronic Enlisting a local pal from his vil- devices. abouts of the car. lage of Lo Crispin, near Ciu- Mr Greenhow’s After informing the police that dad Quesada, he grabbed his surance papers MOT and inhis car was now back, he was spare key and immediately car, along with were still in the delighted to discover they fully a logbook and got on the road. supported him crossing two proan insurance policy “Some 160kms later and of Anita Davies, in the name vincial borders to get it back. there it was,” he told the Ol- fraudster’s wife. the convicted ive Press this week. The car was now registered on Opinion Page 6 “It felt like we were stealing Irish number plates, in an ultiit back and it was definitely mately unsuccessful attempt to exhilarating.” evade detection. It turned out the car had been parked right outside Corrupt conman Davies home. “My heart was certainly Last year, the Olive Press reportpounding, but I knew I had ed that Davies was no stranger to to get my car back and tell the the law. police,” added Greenhow. He was jailed in 2008 for his part in a £380,000 mortgage fraud, has a conviction for swindling £30,000 in a business investment scam and was disqualified from being a company director after a bankruptcy. SALES & RENTALS SPECIALISTS When the Olive Press contacted Davies, he claimed to be back in Moriara•Calpe•Jalon•Javea•Denia•Altea the UK. He alleged that the car had been

Costa Blanca Issue 48

SUSPICIOUS: Plate change

Jávea / Altea yorkshirelinencostablanca.com

96 649 1883 www.moraira-hamiltons.net

OL VE PRESS

MODEL JUSTICE?

3 1 / 1 2 / 1 9 .

21/6/19 13:30

the owner. He also whined that Greenhow had threatened to send a gang of ‘hitmen’ to seek out justice, despite not knowing the whereabouts of the car. After informing the police that his car was now back, he was delighted to discover they fully supported him crossing two provincial borders to get it back.

Last year, the Olive Press reported that Davies was no stranger to the law. He was jailed in 2008 for his part in a £380,000 mortgage fraud, has a conviction for swindling £30,000 in a business investOpinion Page 6 ment scam and was disqualified from being a company director after a bankruptcy. Calle Los Arcos 7, Ciudad Quesada, 03170 When the Cycle Sales, Repairs, Hires, Accessories & Clothing Olive Press LARGE SELECTION OF E-BIKES IN STOCK contacted OVER 250 CYCLES IN STOCK • NEW AND USED Davies, he claimed to be back in The Costa Blanca’s No.1 Pinarello Road Bike Hire Centre www.roadbikehirespain.com the UK. COMPLETE RANGE NOW AVAILABLE He alleged that the car had been in storage ROAD BIKES awaiting OPENING HOURS: collection, Monday to Friday 09.30-17.30 Saturday 10.00-14.00 despite paFor more information call perwork in the car Gary or Lynn on: 637 487 377 suggesting Find us on Facebook www.cyclogicalcostablanca.com he was now

Check out our most recent issues on ine at See page 15

Vol. 2 Issue 48 www.theolivepress.es January 28th - February 10th 2021

AN expat has been reunited with his car after an eagle eyed Olive Press reader spotted it a year after it went missing. Kenny Greenhow, 63, went on an audacious lockdown journey to retrieve his beloved BMW which had apparently been stolen by local expat-run transport company

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There shou d be new aws or cyc s s a so as s a n gh mare prob em n Spa n They do no o ow ru es and o en go a such a speed ha hey move a over he p ace They b ock en re roads as hey are s de by s de ye as a dr ver he b ame a ways es w h us and s no a r

tel: 966 46 38 45

Expat dashes 160 kilometres to retrieve stolen car from conman after Olive Press reader spots alleged thief a year on

INTO THE ABYSS: Proof that Editor Jon Clarke DOES have a heart - see page 14

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THANK goodness or the O ve Press We have a home n Ayamonte (Hue va) that we can t get to and don t know when we w be a owed to aga n We usua y y nto Faro and dr ve over - now we understand that s not a owed so we are ookng at ghts nto Sev a as we are hop ng to spend the summer there When try ng to nd out about the trave s tuat on n Spa n the O ve Press s our rst port o ca - a the n ormat on that you share s nva uab e to us Thanks aga n Debra Berzin-Cohen Huelva (as soon as possible)

www.theo vepress.es

Total arrogance I a ways g ve cyc s s o s o room I rea hem ke a sma car However hey g ve me no room o over ake some mes or qu e a ew k ome ers wh ch s he he gh o arrogance as we as poor road sense Recen y I was craw ng round a corner on a wee narrow road n second gear hugg ng he r gh hand s de o he road when a cyc s appeared head ng rap d y or me smack n he m dd e o he road and he a mos ended up smack n he m dd e o my car bonne Jus as we I can shou FFS n severa anguages

Karen Kopzynska via FB

21/6/19 13:30

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IT’S impossible to be ‘fat and fit’ and even if you are slightly overweight you are unhealthy, a new study found. the Researchers in Spain found rockets as risk of heart attacks and strokes BMI increases. does reAnd while they agree that exercise like diabetes duce the risk of some illnesses were active and hypertension, those who to have high and obese were twice as likely of a normal cholesterol than inactive people weight. ‘obesity The findings challenge the long-held to be fat and paradox’ belief that it’s possible from heart not at an increased risk of death disease. adults The study of over 520,000 Spanish in Madrid, reby the European University, were actualvealed that overweight people diabetes... ly four times more likely to have high blood and five times more likely to have

DARK DAYS

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Fat not fit is what matters

Thomas Melia Marbella

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Fat not fit

Peop e who cyc e on he A7 are he same peop e who pu he r headres down on an a rp ane Jus because you can do doesn mean you shou d I be hey don ake he r ro y back a Mercadona e her

Blame culture

Kayce Marie Hodgson, Marbella

The news that drivers might be fined €200 if they don’t give cyclists enough room provoked a response from readers

2 Inflation protection (5) 3 Dwellers (7) 4 Wilbur in "Charlotte's Web," for example (3) 5 Care provided by hospices (3,2,4) 6 Saltwood Castle is here (5) 7 Queued (5,2) 11 Custodian of 12 Across (9) 15 Wild marjoram (7) 16 Slogan-bearers, often (16) 19 Wild ox (5) 21 '70s dance hall (5) 24 Skin lump (3)

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The Iberian ribbed newt thrown a lifeline BIOLOGISTS at Valencia’s Oceanogràfic park have successfully managed to reintroduce a severely threatened species of newt back into the Serra Calderona nature park between the provinces of Valencia and Castellon. The programme follows an identical scheme carried out previously in Sueras (Serra Espada, Castellon) and which was selected as one of the 10 best environmental and sustainable development projects in the Valencia region.

Vital

GREEN

Good newts!

SUCCESS: Threatened newts reintroduced to nature park

The Pleurodeles waltl, better known as the Iberian ribbed newt, is on the Valencian list of endangered species and is considered of vital importance for the maintenance of the area’s endemic biodiversity. According to the experts, the newt helps regulate the insect population and plays an important part in the food chain. As its name suggests, the amphibian can only be found on the Iberian Peninsula and in Morocco. The project is entitled Oasis of life, restoration of water sources

for local biodiversity, the Iberian ribbed newt as the leading species and was launched three years ago to preserve flora and fauna that are typical to the area. In addition to reintroducing and protecting endemic species, the programme also focuses on

Auf Wiedersehen PET! WHEN it comes to plastic bottles the EU is saying auf wiedersehen to PET and guten tag to r-PET. The Union’s European Circular Economy Strategy for Plastics has set a target for all plastic packaging to be recyclable by 2030. This means that manufacturers will have to switch away from to use the cumbersome jargon - polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles and use instead recyclable polyethylene terephthalate (r-PET) In recent years the problem of plastic pollution - particularly in the oceans - has never been far from the headlines. Various big name brands are already using packaging with a proportion of recyclable material, but the EU wants to make 100% recyclable - and preferably recycled - plastic mandatory. Pressure has been mounting from consumers and environmentalists following extensive media coverage of plastic pollution, such as David Attenbrough’s Blue Planet 2. But making packaging 100% recyclable is easier said than done, according to one Spanish company. Carlos Enguix is head of Packaging Technologies at Valencia company, AINIA. He explained that a big problem with recycling is that there is often a degradation in the quality of the material in the process. He added: “By using certain percentages of recycled material with virgin product, we can meet the requirements for packaging foods.” This is a solution that is being used today , with companies using similar techniques to make r-PET around the world, with some announcing r-PET percentages from 20% to 100% already.

Under pressure SPAIN’s first high-pressure hydrogen refuelling station has been set up. With a supply capacity of 700 bar pressure, the new station is part of a scheme to showcase the long-distance capabilities of hydrogen cell cars. It will be used to refuel a fleet of 12 Toyota Mirai units that will be used by the companies behind the project, in order to promote hydrogen as a clean and sustainable energy. It is the first station in Spain

February 11th - February 24th 2021

to offer hydrogen at such high pressure, making it possible to refuel the tanks of the latest generation of fuel cell vehicles in around five minutes, giving a range of 550 kilometres. Power company Enagás and Toyota have partnered with environmental management company Urbaser, industrial gas company Carburos Metálicos, the Sumitomo Corporation and the Spanish Confederation of Service Station Employers (CEEES) for the project.

raising environmental awareness among the public and publishing scientific and educational

material. The Oceanografic team will work closely with residents who are familiar with the Serra Calderona in order to target the best spots to release the baby newts. Working also with the regional Agriculture department, the experts will recover abandoned waterholes, dig new ones and clear small wetland areas of invasive species. The released specimens will be marked with an ultraviolet solution or fitted with a microchip that will enable scientists to keep track of their progress. Natural ponds have recently been found to play a vital role in regulating global warming, as they trap and filter carbon dioxide naturally.

Cash savings A SPANISH town has announced that all the electricity it uses comes from renewable sources. The green energy supplied to Orihuela on the Costa Blanca comes from solar power, hydroelectric and windmill turbines. Angel Noguera, Orihuela’s Councilor for Infrastructure, said: “We are producing a cleaner, more ecological and more suitable energy for the protection of nature.” The council signed an electricity framework agreement with a ‘guarantee of 100% renewable sources’ with the Diputacion de Alicante. This ensures significant cash savings for municipalities in the province. Municipalities and corporations that adhere to the agreement are guaranteed supplies of energy sourced purely from renewable sources at a competitive price.

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22/01/2021 17:03:05

BUSINESS

What a relief

THE Spanish government is considering debt relief measures to help companies weather the coronavirus pandemic storm. Last year, aid was focussed on furlough schemes and a state-backed loan guarantee programme. This has helped push state debt up to an estimated 120% of GDP. Now there is a growing realisation that the emphasis of government help will need to change as pandemic restrictions drag on and a vaccine roll-out is stalled.

Demise

With Spanish bankruptcy laws cumbersome and often leading to the demise rather than rescue of struggling businesses, the aim of inter-departmental negotiations is to save businesses that have a good chance of survival once the crisis is over, according to media reports. One proposal would excuse a portion of the debt borrowed through Spain’s state-backed loan guarantee programme that was rolled out last year. Another being considered is to use state guarantees to encourage banks to offer companies participatory loans, sources said.

SPAIN’S Prime Minister, Pedro Sanchez, has pledged €11 billion to help the country go digital. The cash injection is part of the Spain Digital Agenda 2025, which views the digital transformation as one of the ‘essential levers for relaunching economic growth, reducing inequality, increasing productivity and harnessing all the opportunities offered by new technologies’.

Grants

As part of the scheme small and medium enterprises will be able to apply for grants to help them instal new technology - although the nuts and bolts of how to get the cash have not been announced yet. “Spain’s immediate future lies in the vaccine and defeating the pandemic, and then in the recovery and the social, economic and adminTHE six main Spanish banks have shed 2,176 jobs and closed 1,188 offices so far during the coronavirus pandemic - with worse to come in 2021. This is a reduction of 1.72% of their workforce and 8.12% of their branches. Not all the blame can be put on the doorstep of COVID, as banks have been making ‘efficiency’ savings for some time. But branch closures accelerated in 2020 and will continue to do so this year, accord-

F, like us, you’re obsessed with keeping up with the latest news and regulatory changes from HMRC, you’ll know all about Making Tax Digital (MTD) and be preparing yourself for this seismic change.

●● Making Tax Digital (MTD) regulations are designed to make calculating tax easier and more accurate through the use of digital software ●● To comply with MTD for Income Tax, landlords and the self-employed will need to use software to keep digital records of business income and expenses and submit a summary every quarter ●● MTD for Income Tax is for UK businesses and landlords, who usually submit a Self Assessment tax return. ●● It will come into effect for your next accounting period that starts on or after 6 April 2023 Of course, if you’re one of the 99% of people who would rather not think about tax, you may be wondering what all the fuss is about, whether you are affected, and what you need to do to prepare. But fear not! Our tax nerds love an opportunity to make confusing tax regulations simpler and clearer. Once you get used to the new process, it should also make your business accounting easier, clearer, more predictable and cheaper, as you won’t need to rely on an accountant. You also have a bit of time to prepare, with HMRC showing that they can be forgiving to those who drop the ball. It is the biggest tax change in a generation, after all, so they won’t be too hard on you! APARI’s MTD software is already approved by HMRC so we know exactly how it all works. Here’s what you need to know...

February 11th - February 24th 2021

Going digital €11 billion to help Spain digitize

istrative transformation, and this recovery will necessarily be a digital one,” said Sanchez. In attendance at the launch of the scheme was Minister for Economic Affairs Nadia Calviño and and Margrethe Vestager, Executive Vice President of the EU - as well as Juan Manuel Serrano, Chairman of Correos, Pepita Martín, CEO of We Are Knitters, and other leading figures in the digital world. According to Calviño, public-private collaboration, as represented by the attendees

Banking losses

ing to plans already published by the big banks. Banco Santander closed 2020 with 2,923 branches in Spain, 296 fewer than it had a year earlier, and 26,961 workers, 669 fewer. It has also announced a Redundancy Program (ERE) that will see 3,572 jobs go and the closure of 1,033 branches.

CASH PROMISE: PM Sanchez made the pleadge By Laurence Crumbie

of the event, is paramount to Spain’s digital future. “Public investments are a The company is chifting its emphasis towards an online presence. BBVA Spain cut 953 jobs and 160 branches in 2020, to 29,330 employees and 2,482 branches. It is now planning a cost-cutting exercise in the first half of 2021, for which ‘all options’ are being studied. A merger of CaixaBank and Bankia is expected to go ahead in the first quarter of 2021. The banks are in negotiations with trade unions over potential job losses.

lever to mobilise significant investments that the private sector will address in the coming years and which will allow us to transform our economy,” she explained.

Plans

The multibillion investment will go towards three strategic plans, whose aims include reducing the digital gap between men and women, providing digital support to small-medium enterprises (SMEs), and digitalising the public authorities, respectively. According to the government, 43% of Spaniards lack basic digital skills, which have become especially essential due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Cryptocrooks A RECENT huge rise in the value of cryptocurrencies has seen a parallel rise in scammers. Spanish police have moved in on a ring of alleged fraudsters who were operating world-wide from Andorra, trying to fleece unsuspecting victims in an investment scam. Europol partnered with Spanish and Catalan police for the operation against an ‘investment training firm’ in the Pyennean tax-haven. The company used a backstory of providing training in forex and cryptocurrency markets as cover for defrauding thousands of clients. Six suspects were detained in raids on two houses. Some €70,000 in cash and cryptocurrencies were seized as well as eight vehicles.

Budget openings GERMAN budget supermarket chain Lidl is continuing to expand in Spain with five new stores opening this month. The company is spending €30 million and creating 85 new jobs. On February 25 it will open the doors of a new store in Palma de Mallorca. On the same day, it will open a new store in Madrid and another in Gran Canaria. Before this stores will open in Barcelona and Rivas Vaciamadrid (Madrid).

Death of the Tax Return... UK tax is going digital

How APARI’s software can make your life easier What is Making Tax Digital? The new MTD regulations are designed to make taxes easier and more accurate through the use of digital software. It’s already a requirement for VAT and will be extended to all VAT registered businesses from April 2022. At some point in the future, it will apply to Corporation Tax. We focus on MTD for Income Tax, which the Government announced in July 2020 and will change the annual tax return for millions of people like you. What is Making Tax Digital for Income Tax? To comply with MTD for Income Tax, landlords, the self-employed and tradespeople will need to use software to keep digital records of business income and expenses and submit a summary every quarter. At the end of the year, you need to submit any other income - for example from employment and finalise all of the information. If you choose good software, it will be able to do all of this for you. You will get your total tax liability (tax owed) for the year which needs to be paid by the following January, just as you would now. So the main changes are: a) use MTD software; b) keep digital records and c) make a submission to HMRC once a quarter. Who does it apply to? Making Tax Digital for Income Tax is for UK businesses and

landlords, who usually submit a Self Assessment tax return. It is a requirement for anyone with more than £10,000 of combined turnover from business and property income. If you submit a Self Assessment tax return but don’t have business or property income, MTD for Income Tax doesn’t affect you. When will Making Tax Digital for Income Tax come into effect? Making Tax Digital for Income Tax was first announced in 2015. The timetable has moved back over the last few years as the Government and HMRC try to give it the best chance of success. On 21 July 2020, the Government formally committed to a specific timetable for changing the law and turning Making Tax Digital for Income Tax into a legal requirement. In HMRC talk, they announced: for your next accounting period that starts on or after 6 April 2023, all Income Tax Self Assessment customers with a turnover of £10,000 or more from business income or income from property will be required to complete their affairs by MTD. All landlords and most self-employed people have an accounting period that starts on 6 April. This means you’ll have to: ●● Use software to record and submit your business and/or property income between 6 April 2023 and 5 April 2024; ●● Use software to finalise your business and/ or property income between 6 April 2024 and 31 January 2025; ●● Submit any non-business information and finalise your overall tax affairs by 31 January 2025. You can choose to do this using software or using the HMRC website.

If you use Making Tax Digital for Income Tax, you won’t need to submit a separate Self Assessment tax return. How do I ensure I am compliant with MTD rules? At APARI, we think the best first step is to start using software to keep your business records. Ignoring the tax side of things, this will give you better information about your profit. You can get started with a FREE APARI account today. Once you’re familiar with digital record keeping, you may be able to voluntarily sign up to use MTD. Most businesses and landlords will be eligible to join by April 2021 so they can get familiar with the changes. Don’t worry if you change your mind - you can still submit a tax return as normal. Everyone that uses MTD will need to choose compatible software, which they connect with their HMRC account. APARI’s MTD software is already listed on HMRC’s software selection tool. Once connected, the software will then tell you when you need to submit information, such as your quarterly return. Follow us next month to find out what you need to do.

Are your savings working well for your retirement? At Blevins Franks, we have over 40 years of experience managing our clients’ capital in Spain. Our local advisers will be happy to review how you hold your savings and investments and discuss ways to help them work harder for you.

Talk to the people who know

Our recommendations will be based around your specific circumstances, needs and risk tolerance, and designed to be tax-efficient. We then regularly review your financial planning, giving you peace of mind that it is all up to date.

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LA CULTURA

February 11th - February 24th 2021

Panorama de Malaga 1860

A journey through history

Take a fascinating voyage into the 19th century from the comfort of your own home, writes Dilip Kuner

WITH COVID lockdowns leaving many people kicking theory heels at home, now is the time to learn a little about Spanish history from the comfort of your own sofa. A perfect place to start is a remarkable series of photographs, collated by Fernandez Rivero, which portrays life in 19th century Spain and is available online. The researcher started his collection as

a child with old stamps and postcards, before moving onto photographs 25 years ago. He first started with pictures of Malaga, his home city and the birthplace of Picasso, but soon expanded to the whole region and further afield in Spain. The result is a fascinating glimpse into the past, with the images on this page just a fraction of the 35,000-strong co-

llection. Explaining the reasons behind his passion for the 19th century, the collector said that people had found a revolutionary way to capture reality that they had never had access to before. The result was the lives of everyday people were recorded extensively for the first time. You too can silently witness life in the 19th century by visiting www.cfrivero.com

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LA CULTURA

Sales for chessboard maker soar thanks to The Queen’s Gambit THE Spanish woodworking company that supplied chess boards for hit Netflix series The Queen’s Gambit is cashing a large cheque after sales rocketed. Rechapados Ferrer, which was founded in the 1950s in La Garriga, Catalunya, noted a slight rise in sales during the first lockdown. However, it was the success of the Netflix miniseries which would do as much for his company as it has for the world of chess. “When the series came out, it all just went crazy and drove sales of chess boards through the roof,” David Ferrer, founder of the company, told the Guardian. “In the past two or three months, we’ve had orders in for 40,000 boards – twice the number we’d make over the entire course of a normal year.”

February 11th - February 24th 2021

Cheque mate

BOOK REVIEW

Second time round for Blas

SUCCESS: The Queen’s Gambit has been good news for one Spanish company The Queen’s Gambit minise- Awards, winning Best Drama series was aired. British chess champion, David ries, based on the Walter Tevis TV Series of the Year. novel of the same name, has The response from the pub- Howell, lauded The Queen’s been viewed by over 62 million lic has been equally explosive, Gambit for being ‘well choreopeople and was nominated for with Chess.com alone reporting graphed and realistic.’ four categories at the 2020 IGN millions of new users since the Despite the resounding success, it was a long haul for writer Scott Frank and producer Allan cides with the discovery Scott. of the body, forces him to face his guilt as his by Jane Harper Rejected past comes back to Scott purchased the screenplay ET in a small town on the coast haunt him. As the inrights for the story from Tevis’ of Tasmania, this is Jane Harp- vestigation proceeds, widow in 1992, but for decades er’s fourth Australian Noir thriller. old mysteries are broadcasters rejected the idea, When the body of a young woman wash- brought to light involvsaying that no one would be ines ashore at Evelyns Bay, secrets long ing a sunken ship and terested in watching chess. a missing girl. Harper thought forgotten threaten to resurface. On October 28, 2020, just five When he was young, Keiran Elliott made has, again, crafted a days after it was aired, The one stupid mistake with devastating con- powerful and wonderQueen’s Gambit became the sequences which changed his life. Kei- fully evocative psymost viewed series of the day ran’s return to his hometown, which coin- chological thriller. on Netflix.

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MURCIA’S Blas Canto will soon find out which song he will be performing at the 2021 Eurovision Song Contest in Rotterdam. Spain’s national broadcaster, RTVE, will be staging a special show sometime this month(date to be announced!) where Blas will offer up the choice of two numbers. It will then be totally up to the viewing public to choose which song he will take forward to Rotterdam in May. It’s a strong case of deja-vu for 29-year-old Blas who was born in Ricote and brought up in Molina de Segura. He was set to represent Spain with a song called Universo in Rotterdam last year. The pandemic then struck, forcing the competition to be postponed for the first time in its 65-year history. While the UK has been coy over whether last year’s entrant, James Newman, will return, RTVE have kept faith with Canto, albeit with a fresh song. His two options remain under wraps but are said to be ‘very different’. Blas Canto said: “I’ve got another shot at this and I’ve been part of the writing team for both the songs.” “The songs are ‘totally’ me and I’m very pleased with both of them’. One big change this year is that there will be no voting from a studio jury of experts, which has led to controversies over song selections. Both entries will be performed in Spanish, with Blas having gone through the selection process last year, and in 2011 as a member of the popular boyband, Auryn. TUNE: Give us a song Blas Canto

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February 11th - February 24th 2021

Twist in the tale As the controversial toro season is set to kick off, Jack Gaioni looks at the true life pacifist bull, Civilon, which inspired a children’s fairy tale and could help to scotch the beef over bullfighting

HE divisive subject of bullfighting is never far from the surface in Spanish culture, especially now it’s nearly the season for it (March to September). Is it an anachronistic and barbarous

bloodsport that should be banned or an artistic expression embedded in Spanish cultural tradition that should be preserved? Although 90% of corridas in Spain were culled by Covid last year, voices on both sides of the argument remain bolshy and deafening. But there’s a little-known Spanish vignette about a girl, her pet bull and a bullfight that maybe – just maybe – might offer some common ground for both sides. Consider the story of Carmelita Cobaleda and her pet bull, Civilon. If you’ve read American author Munro Leaf’s 1936 book, Ferdinand the Bull, it could ring a few cowbells... Civilon was a handsome black ranch bull born and raised amongst the cork oak pastures of 1930s Salamanca. Bred to be fearless and aggressive like all toros bravos, honing his skills in bouts with his brothers, Civilón possessed those traits in spades along with one unprecedented characteristic: he loved people, children especially; Carmelita, the breeder’s seven-year-old daughter, in particular, after she tended his wounds and gave him

OLE: Bullfighting is a divisive subject in Spain but is never far from the surface in Spanish culture

a name. Often, after doing battle, Civilón would trot over to nuzzle her in the most docile way. However, in the training ring, he would remember his DNA, butting, charging and gouging. But he also loved a pat and a treat, just like any household pet! News of the gentle giant soon spread around Spain and even abroad through the pages of the international press. The

Italian magazine Estampa dedicat- form and his breeding, the animal ed several 1936 covers to Civilon charged into the ring and launched posing with children and comely himself at the Picador’s horse at señoritas. And thoufull force. He almost sands flocked to Saltoppled over nag and amanca to witness rider! Spectators the astonishing sight But after being so leof a one-ton fighting thal, he then casually demanded bull eating from a little trotted to the side of a pardon for girl’s hand. the ring, looking to be Against this backdrop, the bull which petted. a shrewd manager of The audience of fought bravely 24,000 spectators the Barcelona bull ring contracted Carmeliloved it! They rose in ta’s beloved bovine to unison and demanded fight, banking on the bull’s populari- a rare ‘indulto’ - a pardon for a bull ty to pull a capacity crowd. which has fought bravely. Civilon did not disappoint. True to Thus, the animal is spared and returned to its home pasture to become a stud for the rest of its life. After a few passes from the matador that day, the main door was opened and he trotted out to freedom. Superficially, it’s a heartwarming, innocent tale. Between the lines, there are some key takeaways that might help both sides of the bullfighting divide to find some common ground. MONUMENT: In honour of the brave bull Civilon Let’s take a look.

Bull the other one!

●● The narrative of Civilon is said to be the true story behind the most popular children’s parable ever. Munro Leaf’s Ferdinand the Bull became a best-seller, hailed the greatest children’s classic since Winnie the Pooh. Set in Andalucia with illustrations of the countryside around Ronda, the fictional Ferdinand prefers flowers to fighting, does battle in Madrid’s bullring and lives to tell the tale. ●● Gandhi was a fan but Franco banned the book and Hitler burned it as pacifist propaganda. Published in 60 languages and never out of print, its meaning is still hotly debated by everyone from politicians and psychologists to the LGBTQ community. ●● In a rebuttal with his own children’s story, the Faithful Bull, aficionado and Republican sympathiser Ernest Hemingway wrote about ‘a bull not named Ferdinand and he cared nothing for flowers … he loved to fight’ ●● Ferdinand also stars in a 1938 Oscar-winning Disney cartoon and a 2017 Oscar-nominated computer-animated movie

DID YOU KNOW?

LA CULTURA

February 11th - February 24th 2021

Talking bull

For over two decades Jairo Miguel has been one of the most controversial figures in bullfighting. You just might not have heard of him - yet.

Bulls: Considered one of the dead- own power. In the man’s world of liest land animals, in Spain they are matadors, breeders and trainers, bred for aggression, with little hu- perhaps Carmelita subconsciously man contact. Yet, although Civilon assumed the role of feminine nurcould fight to order, he also respond- turing agent. Would it not make ed to human kindness. This sug- bullfighting more palatable if there gests that bulls are living, breathing was more feminine input in this trasentient beings as emphasised by ditionally ‘macho’ field? the anti-bullfighting lobby as well as the noble, ferocious beasts desired Civilon’s experience in the Barceloby aficionados. na bullring took place The indulto: This parin 1936, when the don is rarely granted Spanish Civil War was Science to bulls in Spain but imminent. And unlike often in other bullfightsuggests that Ferdinand, the fictioning nations like Mexial bull whose story little girls co, France and Columwas published the bia, where audience same year, there’s a identify with figures confirm its consad twist to this tale. strong animals Our real life hero never tinued popularity. Is it not possible that, as made it back to graze Civilon’s fight shows, the sweet grass of his audiences can fully appreciate the Salamanca pastures, much less pageantry without the blood? lead the life of a superstud. Instead, a few days after being Carmelita: Science suggests that spared the matador’s sword, he little girls tend to identify with strong was requisitioned by hungry local dynamic animals (e.g. horses, dol- Republican soldiers, butchered and phins) as a way of expressing their eaten as rations.

“

LEGENDARY:LEGENDARY: Civilon and Carmelita Civilon enjoyed enjoyed international international fame fame

AIRO Miguel Sánchez is only 27 but already he has two decades of bullfighting under his cape. People have had their eyes on him since he learned to fight at just five years old and left a crowd in western Spain slack-jawed when he slayed his first bull three years later. Now his following is in the thousands, in no small part to social media, where he has over 10,000 fans watching his every PRODIGY: Miguel killed his first bull at the age of five step and sweep. This is the bullfighter for the Instagram generation - and he’s only just getting started. The Extremadura athlete is one of “You can’t live in the past Spain’s sparkiest stars in any sport, but you can’t forget it. I moving to Mexico at 11 to practice want to push beyond the professionally after being twice fined stereotype of a bullfighter. in his hometown near Caceres for fighting underage. He’s been gored It’s time to renew.” twice, on both occasions when he was 14. The first time he broke two ribs, the second time his lung was punctured by a bulls horn, brushing his aorta and nearly penetrating his heart. Another inch in the adorn shimmering wrong direction and he would have been dead. Un- jackets and billowfazed, he made a full recovery and, aged just six- ing shirts, he trains teen, killed six bulls in a single afternoon. in sunglasses and His father, Antonio Sánchez, was also a professional sweats. bullfighter. “He didn’t want me to be a torero.” Jairo “ U n f o r t u n a t e l y Miguel says. “He didn’t like the risk involved and I the world of bullunderstand that. fighting is still very “I get frightened too, still. Everytime I go in the old-fashioned. It is square I am afraid. Not just for my life, but also of good we have old failure. I want to achieve my dream and become the values that cannot best in the world. be lost, we have a code that our ancestors created “I want to succeed, to stand out and leave my name but it does need a bit of updating. on this profession. Yes, it is true you have to endure “We are in a century where we have everything at the injuries, the mishaps, but to me it is worth it.” our fingertips but this new generation cannot underWhile his parents believed their young son’s aspira- stand us because of the negative connotations bulltions were just a phase, Jairo Miguel always knew fighting has. I’ve always thought that I can’t change bullfighting was a ‘way of life, a true passion’. As a the world, but I can change mine. toddler his mum couldn’t get him to sit still in front of “What we do is not bad, but it must be renewed to cartoons but he would be utterly absorbed by tele- the present times to be more accessible to young vised bullfights for hours on end. “It wasn’t a game people and new cultures. to me,” he said. “It was what I was always meant to “Let the next generation have the power of choice for do.” Less clear, perhaps, was his path to become a them to see if they like it or not.” social media star. “I cannot change bullfighting, but I am in the process Now he wants to harness his online presence to rev- of sharing. Although I am young in age, I want to be olutionise the way people perceive Spain’s most tra- able to renew that part. I would like when all this ditional - and controversial - past time. He dreams happens, not to lose the essence of what my proof being recognised beyond the plaza de toros and fession is and that people appreciate what it is to be be seen as a major player in the world of fashion a bullfighter. It is art, it is athleticism - and it should and sport, joking that while old fashioned fighters not be lost”.

PROPERTY

LANDLORDS in Spain are owed an average of €3,179 by their tenants amid the coronavirus pandemic, a study has found. The most frequent unpaid amount is currently €2,750, the report by Somos Seguros revealed. The data was compiled from 12,500 claims related to unpaid rent from seven different insurance companies. At the most extreme end, some landlords are owed €15,000, but the average amount handed out by insurance companies is €336, while the most common payout was €185. Madrid, Barcelona and Andalucia saw the most claims over the studied period. In the most extreme cases, insurers have come to pay up to €15,000 to compensate for the non-payment of rent by a tenant. Faced with this situation, rental insurance, recalls the association, offers various protections for owners who put properties on a rental basis; the most common coverages are the protection of payments and the repair of damages suffered by the property. While it is true that material mis-

February 11th - February 24th 2021

Landlords facing rental pain haps have, as a general rule, more modest consequences, it is also true that they can generate much more extreme cases, explains Unespa.

Data The data collected by Somos Seguros reveals how insurers have come to pay more than 45,000 euros to repair the damage caused by a tenant in a property. The most populated autonomous communities (Madrid, Catalonia and Andalusia) are those that register the highest number of mishaps, since together they account for 55% of incidents, something that Unespa considers ‘Logical’ given its demographic relevance.

MORTGAGE THINK TANK

Village offering free house and business to young family to fight depopulation FOR young families one of the hardest things to do is to get on the first rung of the property ladder, But one village in Spain is not only offering the chance of a free home – but also a business to go with it. Tabanera de Cerrato in Palencia(pictured) is looking for a family with children to move to the area as it struggles against depopulation, and to that end is offering a free house, complete with grocery store, on the ground floor to the right candidates. And it is proving to be an al-

OW that the Brexit transition period is over, making a move to Spain from the UK is not as straightforward as it once was. For many people looking to ‘semi-retire’ in this country new restrictions now apply. The most applicable for those who are planning to spend several months a year in a second home in Spain is the 90 day ruling. This means that UK (or any other nonEU) citizens cannot stay in Spain for more than 90 days in any 180 day period. This ruling applies to any Shengen area country – so any time you spend in for example France or Germany is counted towards your 90 days here in Spain. This regulation is enough to make some people think twice about buying a property here. But there is a way of circumventing this rule which gives investors unlimited access to Spain and in the longer term permanent residency. This is by way of the so-called Golden Visa. Previously this did not apply to UK citizens as the nation was part of the EU. But with Brexit the UK is now a ‘third-party’ nation and qualifies for the Golden Visa scheme. Originally designed to attract inves-

The perfect option to avoid the 90 day residency rule tors from beyond Europe, the scheme provides residency visas to non-EU nationals buying property in Spain. A €500,000 property investment qualifies the client for a visa, offering travel and educational opportunities for their family too. This is the cash element required, but it is important to note that this doesn’t preclude our clients from using a mortgage to fund the amount of the purchase price and costs over this limit. At the Finance Bureau, we have been working with clients from the Middle East, Russia and the USA for several years. In partnership with our banks we have been developing specifically tailored mortgage products for these clients in order to give best loans-to-value and competitive rates. In fact, the visa is not only available for property transactions. Other ways to qualify include depositing substantial sums in Spanish bank accounts and making other investments. We can help UK residents explore their options to qualify for the visa, so please get in touch and we can help you make the best decision.

To contact Tancrede for all your mortgaging needs call: 666 709 743 or for insurance queries call: 951 203 540 Email: tdp@thefinanacebureau.com The Finance Bureau Centro Commercial Guadalmina, 2nOffice No. 7 Guadalmina, 29670

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SUDOKU

Quick Crossword

luring offer for people, maybe looking for a change of lifestyle or a leg-up into the world

Hull of a price tag TALK about extravagance. An anonymous buyer in Spain just splashed out nearly €10 million on a superyacht. The boat, named Takara, is the work of Francesco Paszkowski, an Italian purveyor of luxury gadgets. It was originally built in 2016

by mortgage broker Tancrede de Pola

Golden ticket to Spain

Home alone

BARCELONA is planning to extend a law that would ban landlords from renting out private rooms for stays of under 30 days, with the possibility of €60,000 fines. Part of a package de-

but was reworked in 2020 and boasts five staterooms, and all-important sun deck fitted with a bar, sun loungers and Jacuzzi. Decked to the halls, the boat can accommodate up to 12 guests, plus seven crew. In addition to the master suite there is a VIP suite, double room and two twin rooms.

Curbing AirBnb signed to prevent potential long-term housing from being leased out to tourists, the measure would permanise a temporary rule of the same nature enacted in August 2020 and turn Barcelona into one of the cities with the strictest laws on holiday rentals. It would also be a huge

NEW home building fell by 30% in 2020 in Alicante Province due to the coronavirus pandemic. Figures from the Alicante College of Surveyors(COAATIEA) show that 5,026 properties were constructed last year, compared to 7,143 in 2019. The biggest drop has been in the southern Vega Baja region with a 50% fall in the Orihuela and Torrevieja areas, where many new builds are aimed at foreign buyers looking for a holiday or retirement property. The fall on the northern Costa Blanca was smaller at 23%, with 1,261 new homes, down by 378 on the 2019 total.

of property ownership. Local mayor Luz Íscar has already had more than 500 applicants from Spain and as far afield as Argentina and the Netherlands. The village is located in the Cerrato region of Palencia and has only 142 inhabitants – and declining. The house is in the process of being renovated in the village and the grocery store is located on the ground floor. “We wanted to provide a business for the family and a service for the village,” the mayor said in a recent interview. The house is being renovated through a programme run by Junta de Castilla y Leon, and the premises on the ground floor will be set up with the support of the local authorities in Palencia.

blow for Airbnb, which said in a statement: “City Hall representatives have made clear that they support regular people sharing their homes, and we hope to work together on a better way forward that supports families in Barcelona.” Before the introduction of the temporary law, Airbnb hosted roughly 1.5 million guests annually in the Catalan capital and had nearly 20,000 active listings.

Home Truths

There is some cause for optimism with a construction ‘bounce-back’ in the second-half of 2020. COAATIEA president, Martin Pomares, said: “The last three months of the year saw work started on 1,074 homes in Alicante Province, with a 12.5% rise on new builds compared to the three months between July and September.” In contrast, new inland projects across the region actually produced a 40% increase on the 2019 figures.

FOOD,DRINK & TRAVEL

February 11th - February 24th 2021

Pizza the action

Spain record lowest number of tourists in five decades

On the right track CUSTOMERS raced to get cut price tickets for Spain’s bullet train rail service following its launch. By midday last Monday, customers had snapped up 33,390 tickets for the new AVLO service between Madrid and Barcelona, with tickets going for as little as €5 for journeys of over 600km. The high speed train will see customers race full steam ahead, travelling 390 miles in under three hours. The trains, which travel at 330 km per hour, mean that travellers can leave Madrid and arrive in Barcelona three hours later. The fastest trains take two and a half hours. The AVLO service,which is operated by state rail operator Renfe, will operate four daily return journeys per day from June 23. The promotional low cost tickets were sold to mark the 80th anniversary of Spanish state operator Renfe.

THE number of tourists visiting Spain last year was the lowest in five decades, new figures have revealed. Spain’s tourism sector plummeted by nearly 80% compared to 2020. The country, which usually sees 75 million visitors a year, suffered from a drop in tourism triggered by the coronavirus pandemic. Visitor numbers tumbled to just 19million in 2020 - the

No go

lowest figures since 1969, according to the national statistics office INE. Despite the promise of

COVID-19 vaccinations, December was one of Spain’s worst months for tourism on record.

What a beaut THE Andalucian city of Cordoba has been voted the most beautiful in Spain in a recent online survey. The study was carried out on the popular travel and culture website Lonely Planet's social media platforms. The site gathered the results of 52,000 responses who were asked to choose between the cities of Alcala de Henares, Avila, Baeza, Caceres, Cordoba, Cuenca, Ibiza, Merida, Salamanca, San Cristobal de La Laguna, Santiago de Compostela, Segovia, Tarragona, Toledo and Ubeda. All of the chosen cities currently hold certification as a World Heritage Site. Thanks to its stunning architecture and picturesque infrastructure, Cordoba took the top spot, with the site calling it "a stunning and historically rich city that transports the visitor between medieval Spain and modern

International travel to the country fell 85% lower than it was in December 2019 after authorities imposed new travel restrictions to curb the spread of the new variant in COVID-19 infections. Spending was also down, with tourists visiting in December bringing in just €19.7 billion euros to Spain’s economy - 78.5% less than the year previous.

Decimated

Andalucian culture." The world's leading travel website will publish a feature on Cordoba next month, showing the city's charms to an audience of millions across the globe. This recent victory boosts Cordoba's presence as one of the most sought after tourist destinations in Southern Spain. Last month, the city was welcomed into the Executive Council of the World Tourism Organization (WTO).

Spain’s economy continues to be one of the hardest hit as travel restrictions decimate the once lucrative travel industry. France overtook Britain as Spain's most important source of tourists last year, accounting for 3.9 million arrivals, a 65 percent decline over 2019. Around 14 percent of Spanish hotel jobs, or 190,000 posts, were cut in 2020, according to Spanish union CCOO.

SPAIN’S largest pizza chain, Telepizza, has launched a fully vegan menu complete with plantb a s e d meat and dairyf r e e cheese toppings. Branded as Las Veguis, the new menu features vegan cheese made by Violife, along with NoPollo vegan chicken and NoPicada vegan ground meat made by Dutch brand The Vegetarian Butcher. Prices will be the same as for its other more traditional animal-based options. Vegan fast food arrived at the big fast-food outlets in 2019, as Taco Bell added vegan beef made with a mixture of oats, beans, and peas. Papa John's last year launched two vegan pizzas as demand for the option increased from customers. Telepizza's Nacho Martin said: “We have had vegetarian items on our menus for years, but to create something that is 100% suitable for vegans, we worked with companies who have considerable experience of what is needed”.

PAIN is an art aficionado’s paradise with three of the most famous museums in the world clustered in its capital alone. Madrid is known as the Golden Triangle of Art for its monumental Prado, Reina Sofia and Thyssen-Bornemisza museums. But for a real brush with genius

there’s nothing like a prowl round the homes of the artists themselves. An intriguing alternative to the typical grand establishments, these casa museos reveal a more personal side to the maestros who once lived there, providing a privileged glimpse into their psyches through the objects that were part

FOOD,DRINK & TRAVEL

of their everyday lives. Spain is generously appointed with these intimate treasure houses which can be found everywhere from the major cities to the tiniest pueblos. Art connoisseur or merely nosy, here are six house museums in Spain you should definitely take a peek at.

Salvador Dali House Museum (Portlligat): The residence of Dali (Figueras 1904-1989) from 1930 until the death of his wife and muse Gala in 1982. Dali was drawn to the landscape, the light and the isolation of Portlligart, a small village on the Girona coast, and set up home in a fisherman’s shack. Over time he purchased other neighbouring cottages, creating a labyrinthine house. Unsurprisingly, his taste in home decor is as surreal as his paintings, with countless stuffed animals. The polar bear decked out in gaudy necklaces standing in welcome at the entrance maintains Dali’s special blend of eccentricity and flamboyance. Not to be outdone, his wife has her own place. The Gala Dali Castle House-Museum at Pubol occupies an 11th century castle redecorated by Dali as her monument and mausoleum. Don’t miss the Gala Bath and Dali’s signature elephants-on-stilts sculptures rampaging through the garden.

At Home Explore six artists’ house-museums in Spain for a Through the Keyhole experience with knobs on, writes Cristina Hodgson

Fundació Pilar y Joan Miró (Palma de Mallorca): A modern museum built around the studio and finca of Joan Miro (Barcelona, 1893 – Palma, 1983). Miro found inspiration in Mallorca at the age of 63 where the painter-sculptor-ceramicist had his dream workshop designed by his friend, the Spanish starchitect Josep Lluís Sert.

IN UNCERTAIN TIMES, WE SPEAK YOUR LANGUAGE As a road user you’re accustomed to expecting the unexpected. However, if you have concerns about the impact of Brexit or the Coronavirus pandemic may have on insurance policies, Línea Directa would like to reassure its customers that their car insurance policies are one constant to be relied on in these uncertain times.

UK DRIVING LICENSE If you have lived in Spain for at least 6 months, your UK driving license must be exchanged for a Spanish driving license before 30th June 2021. You need to book an appointment at your nearest DGT (Departamento General de Trafico) by calling 060 or via their website. You will need your NIE document to do this.