Olive Press Gibraltar - Issue 140 by Olive Press Newspaper Spain

OLIVE PRESS

Fat not fit

GIBRALTAR

The

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 high cholesterol than inactive people of a normal weight. The findings challenge the long-held ‘obesity paradox’ belief that it’s possible to be fat and not at an increased risk of death from heart disease. The study of over 520,000 Spanish adults by the European University, in Madrid, revealed that overweight people were actually four times more likely to have diabetes... and five times more likely to have high blood pressure. “One cannot be fat but healthy,” said lead re-

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

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COVID vaccin in first tests e 100%effective trials posid with human ed to start

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See page 6

9th 2021

R-RATED

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App ‘n go

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GOOD STA RT

AS Spain populationstarted the race to against COVID, vaccinate an early leader. Andalucia its In the first was gramme oneweeks of the vaccina tion proof injection in four of Spain’s s was made first tranche in the region.

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See our special pullout Health Supplement inside

Dark days Gib now has worse COVID death rate than UK and USA A SURGE in COVID deaths has hit the Rock hard, with 65 people losing their lives. Chief Minister Fabian Picardo said COVID-19 was causing ‘the worst loss of life of Gibraltarians in over 100 years’, as more fell prey to the cruel pandemic. Most of the fatalities have been elderly people who died of COVID-19 pneumonia with underlying conditions. Many of the victims were residents at government nursing homes, where outbreaks saw up to 133 positive cases recorded at its peak.

Dreadful

“The toll is indeed dreadful,” Gibraltar Health Authority Medical Director exclusively told the Olive Press. “It brings tears just to contemplate it. “But keep in mind that we are a small population, so expanding our per capita rate to per million means each individual death, whilst tragic means 29 deaths per million, of which 28 are phantom deaths, not real ones. “This is the small numbers challenge. If we did have a million people, then it would have some validity. We don’t. “I weep for every life lost. May they rest in peace. May their relatives get solace.” By proportion Gibraltar now has one of the highest deaths to population ratios in the world, sur-

GRIM: Worst loss of life for more than 100 years as Gibraltar tries to weather the coronavirus storm

passing both the UK and USA by a country mile. The small population with its close-knit community has led to more recorded infections over the Christmas period than anyone could have predicted. The majority of the casualties have come since the start of the new year, with 2021 accounting for See page 13 & 16 all but seven of the lives lost, many in the last week.

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By John Culatto

“We can be grateful for the expressions of support and solidarity that have been sent from the United Kingdom, Spain and around the world,” said Picardo. “There is great suffering across our nation.” Gibraltar is in lockdown following the discovery of the more contagious British variant of COVID-19 in December. “Gibraltar has not experienced such loss of life in such a short time since the 1951 explosion of

the Royal Fleet Auxiliary ammunition ship, the Bedenham,” added Picardo. “This is now the worst loss of life of Gibraltarians in over 100 years. Even in war, we have never lost so many in such a short time.” “I believe we will see more deaths amongst the frail elderly at the Elderly Residential Services,” warned Picard. But in the past few days there has been a glimmer of hope. On going to press, the number of coronavirus active cases had dropped below the 500 mark, with 62 of them at nursing homes.

As numbers continue to fall, lockdown may be eased (see page 4 Lockdown end in sight)

Testing

The number of COVID-19 patients at St Bernard’s hospital was at an all-time high of 54, with 10 of them being in the Critical Care Unit. Gibraltar also has one of the most intensive testing programmes in the world, with 150,000 swabs being taken for its 33,700 inhabitants and cross-frontier workers. Opinion Page 6

CRIME

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NEWS IN BRIEF Smugglers surprised TWO launches at Eastern Beach being loaded with cigarettes at around 11pm on January 24 were surprised by police officers, with a car being seized but the suspects escaping.

Forces jabbed A TOTAL of 21 frontline workers from the Forces’ Princess Royal Medical Centre at Devil’s Tower Camp recently received the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.

Blade raid A MAN, 54, who wielded a knife in public on January 22, has been arrested on suspicion of affray, fear or provocation of violence and possession of a blade in a public place.

Fraud squad DETECTIVES tracking an attempt to illegally transfer £100,000 from a local bank have managed to freeze the account it was heading to, accordimg to the RGP.

Refuel foiled

FOUR men have been arrested for allegedly trying to refuel drug traffickers’ boats. The four men, aged between 21 and 31-years-old were arrested after a tip-off from an off-duty policeman. They were found driving a fourwheel-drive carrying 1,276 litres of boat fuel near Windmill Hill and Lathbury Barracks. They were charged with being ‘knowingly concerned in the importation of a controlled drug’, transporting dangerous goods and breaching the lockdown. On the same day, officers found 21 plastic containers like those used for refuelling hash launches at Eaton Park garages on Devil’s Tower Road.

January 27th - February 9th 2021

Lockdown rebels

Cash penalties for people dodging regulations OVER 230 fines of £100 each have been handed out to those who broke social lockdown rules. Police chiefs have been appealing to the Gibraltar community not to abuse exercise exceptions to the lockdown to get together at beaches and other areas. By far the largest type of fine imposed was for leaving homes without a valid reason according to the rules, with 180 such fines distributed. A total of 50 people were fined for not wearing a mask in a public place and one fine of £1,000 was issued for a gathering organised during the lock-

Burglars busted TWO men who allegedly broke into a South District bar are being tried for burglary. Riyen Lea, 33, of Royal Sovereign House, Varyl Begg Estate, and Christopher Wink, 31, of Coelho House, Naval Hospital Road, were arrested by the RGP. While being arrested Lea was found to have an offensive weapon, and was arrested for that offence too.

By John Culatto

down. Commissioner of the Royal Gibraltar Police Richard Ullger said he was ‘disappointed’ by the mixing of families who used exercise as an excuse. “I am disappointed with continued instances of individuals, including families with children, abusing the exemption allowing physical exercise to congregate at beaches and other popular hotspots for lengthy periods,” said Ullger. “This mixing of households puts pressure on frontline services after rising numbers of

Paedophile trial AN alleged paedophile is to be sent to the Supreme Court for trial. Nicholas Canepa, 32, will answer to three charges of sexual assault against children, two of whom were aged under 13-years-old. The case was adjourned until January 29 at the Magistrates’ Court after the prosecutor asked for it to be heard by a higher court.

FINES: police are vigilent deaths. “Officers are still having to engage large numbers of persons, including families, in relation to their presence at various locations on a daily basis,” he said. “Many are in fact complying with the legislation that is aimed principally at protecting our community and in particular, the Gibraltar Health Authority & other frontline services.”

Virus

He added: “I therefore ask members of our community to play their part in this by policing themselves.” Ullger was joined by the Chief Minister in asking people to follow the rules. “When we meet up we might be spreading the virus inadvertently to a person who doesn’t have a problem with it,” said Fabian Picardo.

£4m hash stash find A ROUTINE patrol discovered 825 kilos of hashish worth £4 million on a small pleasure boat. Marine customs came across the craft while patrolling Gibraltar waters one and a half miles southeast of Europa Point. They questioned the two men aboard before taking the boat back to base for a full search.

False

At first a large bag was found with a number of slabs of cannabis resin. When customs officers investigated further they found a secret compartment under the central seats. It gave access to a false fibreglass flooring where slabs and bales of hashish had been stored. The pair were then arrested and sent to New Mole House Police Station.

HIDDEN: £4m stash

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NEWS

www.theolivepress.es JAMES BLUNT has offered a cash reward for information on the thieves who broke into his family home in Ibiza. The ‘You’re Beautiful’ singer revealed that his villa in Santa Gertrudis was robbed last week. The crooks stole his cufflinks, clothes and sunglasses as well as a pocket watch given to him by his grandfather and a bayonet from his days as a soldier. In a statement to Diario de Ibiza, Blunt said with a touch of humour: “The thieves took about 100 items, including a black and white rug that

More stars join live music plea OVER 100 more UK musicians have joined criticism of Boris Johnson’s failure to help them tour Europe for free. Bob Geldof, Ed Sheeran and Liam Gallagher have joined a petition demanding the British government agree to visa-free tours of the EU to avoid 'costly’ work permits. Even Brexiteer Roger Daltrey signed the open letter which claims they have been 'shamefully failed' by the government over post-Brexit travel rules.

Overseas

Sir Elton John, John Lydon and Sting have also been outspoken on the issue, despite the latter two actually living abroad. Government Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden however, hit back insisting the musicians should be asking the EU why they 'rejected a sensible UK proposal'. The EU's chief Brexit negotiator Michael Barnier insisted that the UK government had actually rejected an offer to grant exemptions to musicians and other artists. An online petition calling for a visa-free travel cultural work permit with the EU has so far attracted more than 263,000 signatures.

January 27th - February 9th 2021

Blunt reward

my wife did not like, so I suspect she could be involved. “They also took all my t-shirts and shirts, so they must not have a very good sense of style, since I am not known for mine.” He continued that he ‘understood that it was a difficult time for many people on the island’ but that his ‘only real sadness’ is that they took an old watch that belonged to his grandfather and a bayonet from his time serving in Kosovo.

Not missing a beat Steel Pulse could join British stars including Baxter Dury, Sham 69 and Metronomy in Spring invasion A RAFT of British musical legends are set to land on Spanish shores this Spring despite the toll of COVID and Brexit. Led by reggae stalwarts Steel Pulse, the groups will play a series of shows around the country.

By Glenn Wickman

Assuming COVID restrictions lift in time, bands including Sham 69 and Metronomy, will take to the stage in March and April. Steel Pulse are the first to

ROCKERS: Sham 69 land, playing Madrid, Barcelona and Valencia between April 20 and 23. The legendary Birmingham rastas, who formed in 1975, will present their latest album Mass Manipulation, as well as playing many of their old hits, including Handsworth Revolution. Meanwhile, Punk and Oi! founders Sham 69, whose continuing legacy and influence on the global streetpunk movement cannot be overstated, will (hopefully) tear up Madrid on March 6 and Barcelona on July 31.

Festivals

INVASION: Steel Pulse leading the way

TOM Jones and Lionel Ritchie have confirmed their appearances at this year’s Starlite Festival. The Marbella-based series of concerts has planned ‘coronavirus restriction compliant’ events for its 10th anniversary. Organisers will be hoping that travel restrictions are lifted for the festival, which will be held between July 2 and August 28. Last year the festival managed to go ahead, although

Sexbomb

several concerts were cancelled as the event scaled down to comply with strict rules about social gatherings. Organisers say no cases of COVID have been reported as being traced to the event, so they have decided to go ahead again this year. Concerts will be restricted to 1,500 spectators, with founder Sandra Garcia-Sanjuan saying: “Our rigorous compliance with health regulations has led tit to be an example throughout the world for the return of live music to the stage.”

And Devon-based electronic outfit Metronomy are booked to play Madrid’s La Riviera on Wednesday April 7, Barcelona’s Razzmatazz on April 8, and the Primavera Sound in Barcelona from June 2 to 5. Finally Indie icon Baxter Dury also hopes to make it over the pond to grace the Barcelona area, with an appearance at the Vida Festival in Catalunya in July.

LOVE LOCKDOWN: Pair shacked up

Zapped by virus THE romance dubbed the ‘pandemic love story’ has come to an end as Hollywood actor Ben Affleck and Spanish TV star Ana de Armas part ways. Heartthrob Affleck, 48, has now promised to take a vow of celibacy after his split from Armas, who grew up in Madrid. The pair began their relationship right as the COVID-19 pandemic was sweeping the world after meeting on the set of the soon to be released Deep Water in New Orleans. The 32-year-old Bond star moved to Los Angeles to live with Affleck and his daughter from his former wife Jennifer Garner. However after just one year under strict confinement laws, the pressures of lockdown have finally taken their toll.

Gap

Friends of the couple claim the 16-year age gap pushed too much of a divide between them. “Anna did not want to live in Los Angeles with Ben in the end, but with the confinement she had no choice and the pressure became too much.” Armas has now moved to New York where she recently posted a new hairstyle on Instagram. Ana de Armas was born in Cuba before moving to Madrid as a teenager. It was then when she became the darling of Spanish television, starring in a number of hit TV shows such as El Internado and starred in films such as Sex, Parties and Lies. She gained dual Spanish-Cuban citizenship before moving to Hollywood where she starred in a number of high grossing hits, including Bladerunner 2049 and Knives Out.

SINGING: Baxter Drury

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NEWS

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Homeless protest HOMELESS rights are under the microscope after a man climbed the roof of the Governor’s home in protest. Samuel Lloyd, 42, of Saddleworth, UK, somehow managed to scale the Convent in the middle of the day. RGP Officers used a crane to try to bring Lloyd down to the ground. Eventually, he descended on his own and was arrested. The homeless have been known to live in squalid situations without much help from government agencies.

Divorce “For years we have been demanding a halfway house for people who have been left homeless, possibly even after a divorce,” said campaigner Henry Pinna of Action for Housing. “The project announced by the government to build a large hostel with hundreds of beds could go a long way to tackleing this problem. “However, I do not know the particular circumstances of the individual who climbed on the roof of the Convent.”

January 27th - February 9th 2021

Model justice?

Expat fashion designer due in court over €35 million pension plunder trial A WELL-KNOWN British expat and former glamour model is set to go on trial this week. Jody Smart, 44, has been called to answer questions in a multi-million euro pensions scam, that lost hundreds of expats their life savings. She is set to be joined by three other former employees of Continental Wealth Management (CWM) at the Costa Blanca hearings that are a year behind schedule. Fashion designer Smart - aka

By Alex Trelinski

Jody Bell and Jody Kirby - will be grilled over how her Denia-based company CWM collapsed in 2017, leaving many of the firm’s 750 mostly-British clients with huge financial problems. While many lost all their savings, and a couple committed suicide, Smart allegedly travelled business class to America and lived in huge luxury

History, History, adventure adventure and and romance. romance. That’s That’s just just the the setting. setting.

Don’t believe it A MAN who sent a hoax voice message saying that someone had died after taking the COVID vaccine has been let off by police. Officers decided not to take further action against the author of the message that went viral doubting the vaccine. The message spoke of someone who had taken the jab and died soon after of COVID-19, playing into the hands of conspiracy theorists on social media. “Police officers have investigated this incident and have interviewed a local man under caution,” said a spokesperson for the RGP. “From the interview, it became clear that the sender of the message intended it to be seen by family members only and not by a wider audience. The investigation found that ‘there was no evidence that the message had any malicious intent’ but warned people ‘not to believe everything they read on social media’.

IN COURT: Jody Smart villas. She also allegedly received up to €1 million to set up her company Jody Bell SL and launched a charity Grant a Wish, which received lavish praise and publicity in various local publications. In a Channel 4 programme How the Other Half Lives on her fashion business she boasted how she was worth €13 million, while showing off her floor-to-ceiling shoe collection and wearing limited edition Jimmy Choos. The trial, which resumes in Denia this week will ask her - and fellow employees Paul Clarke, Stephen Ward and Anthony Downs - what happened to clients’ money that was put in high-risk investments. The private prosecution against four co-defendants has been brought by 17 former CWM clients. The last evidence was heard in February, with the April hearings postponed due to the pandemic.

ALL shops could be allowed to reopen on February 1 with the end of the social lockdown, the Gibraltar Chief Minister has revealed. A drop in COVID-19 active cases and the success of mass vaccinations has led to this decision - despite a recent surge in deaths. The lockdown will, however, continue until January 31 at least, it has been decided. Non-essential shops, gyms and hairdressers will now probably be allowed to open on February 1 with masking restrictions. There will still be a curfew from 10pm until 6am, however, until the pandemic spread is reduced.

Lockdown end in sight With all teachers getting vaccinated at the moment and barring a major rise in cases, schools could open to students on February 1. Bars, cafes and restaurants are now expected to reopen on March 1 for the first time since December. “As we continue these restrictions, we do so not to dominate, but to deliver against our first obligation to our people,” said Chief Minister Fabian Picardo. “We will curtail those rights only and for as long as is necessary to deliver the preservation of life.”

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Wine, ham and jewels in Russian bribes December’s Russian mafia-mob arrests on the Costa Blanca immediately evoke similarities to a real page turner of a thriller that you can´t leave alone. You just wonder what might be lurking in the very next chapter with the heady mixture of Russians, dodgy businessmen, land deals, politicians, and police. Yes, truth can be just as gripping as fiction in the story of

a Russian lawyer that was allegedly after a few favours to help a few associates along. 38-year-old Altea lawyer, Alexei Shirokov, was refused bail by a Benidorm judge in December after being identified as the ‘kingpin’ of what the Policia Nacional called their ‘biggest anti-East European mafia sting’ in a decade. There are not many times that you hear of full-scale East European arrests in Spain over potential corruption. The normal stories surround prostitution with drug smuggling thrown in for good measure. This is in a different league, especially with seven years of investigations behind it. Countless hours of wire-tapped phone calls were monitored by the police to bring down the Costa Blanca Russian gang. 23 people were swept up in the pre-Christmas arCHILLING: War weapons seized rests by the Policia

LAWYER: Alexei Shirokov

Spain’s latest Russian mob tales are stranger than fiction... Special report By Alex Trelinski

Nacional, as reported in the Olive Press on December 24. Their raids netted 16 luxury cars, €300,000 in cash, virtual wallets with crypto currencies, diamonds, and a vast array of firearms. The police surveillance recordings that appear to be really tasty are not the guarantees of success. Last year, the biggest-ever council corruption case seen in Alicante Province saw ‘not guilty’ verdicts because the judges found legal issues with some of the tapes. An appeal is now pending over the Orihuela waste disposal contract rigging case that dates back to 2006. It shows that good audio evidence does not necessarily bring an automatic slam-dunk in a Spanish courtroom. Nevertheless there appears to be plenty to chew over in the

Policia Nacional recordings which feature Alexei Shirokov as the main player. Inducements heard online included wine, serrano ham, and even jewellery being offered to help some deals go along. Shirokov owns a real estate agency based in Altea Hills, an area which has one of the largest Russian populations in Spain. The agency proclaims that ‘for over 12 years people from all over the world give us their trust to help them find and acquire their dream home’. There’s no mention of 52 apartments being bought with bitcoins to hide the real source of money. That’s on one of the Shirokov phone recordings, which included chats with regional and local Partido Popular(PP) politicians, as well as council officials and police officers. One recording features Shirokov chatting to a ‘friend’ who wanted assistance to get a car

HAUL: Firearms and large sums of cash were seized park built. Shirokov told him that donating money to a political party would help, ‘like I do’. The arrested Partido Popular politicians included Benidorm’s Beaches and Security councillor, Lorenzo Martinez (pictured inset below). One Policia Nacional phone tap had Shirokov suggesting to Martinez that ‘he needs to do a trick’ with the councillor replying that he is ‘listened to in some places’. Martinez has strongly denied any wrong-doing and has been supported by the Benidorm mayor, Toni Perez. Another

Shirokov conversation had him offering the Altea PP a new site for its headquarters ‘without having to pay anyone’, but the PP ended up using a different estate agency. And so we can go on, but whether any charges stick or not, you can almost certainly guarantee that the lawyers will make a pretty penny. There are years ahead in this and some tenacious investigation will continue to be needed to get to the bottom of the matter, If the law has been broken, it does make you wonder why people have managed to get away with it for us long.

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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 Staying free IT has to get worse before it gets better, they say, and so it seems for Gibraltar in this pandemic. Much like the rest of the northern hemisphere countries, COVID-19 is causing more deaths than ever before with the onset of winter. Hope is finally here though, with the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine being distributed to a third of the population plus front-line cross-frontier workers. Despite this, scare stories have been rife on social media, absurdly indicating that the vaccine causes as opposed to preventing the coronavirus. These create doubts in the population about the safety of the vaccine, however slim the proof to back up these claims. While it might be easy to deny the virus exists when there are no deaths, this is no longer the case in Gibraltar. The 65 deaths recorded on going to press are equivalent by proportion to double that of the UK. These are shocking figures and Chief Minister Fabian Picardo said in answer to an Olive Press question that members of the Cabinet were ‘utterly devastated’ by the sharp rise in deaths. In a small place like the Rock’s community, people soon learn of who has died over the telephone. This day by day news has caused widespread anxiety, finally vindicating the warnings made by GHA Medical Director Sohail Bhatti who was harrassed for ‘overreacting’. His warnings went unheeded and Gibraltar did what it does during the festive season. Parties and family gatherings were probably the main cause of the spread, which saw many come together to forget about the reality of the pandemic dangers. This normal reaction on the Rock, coupled with shopping sprees, led to over 1,000 active cases before this figure started to drop. It’s chain-reaction could leave many families who lost loved ones spiralling in guilt for their careless actions when their elderly relatives have passed away. Whether we are now at the end of this pandemic or whether a new strain will take hold, it has shown us we all need to have more solidarity with those around us, despite our own feelings. Our freedom ends where the other’s starts, and our right to life is our greatest freedom of all.

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NEWS FEATURE

TANDING in the Patio of the Lions admiring the world’s most famous collection of big cats, I am drawn to one major difference. There is no sound of clicking, no enane selfies and no endless lines of tourists interrupting your every view. With up to three million visitors normally descending on the Alhambra Palace each year, you not only need to plan your visit to Spain’s top site carefully, but you normally have to book at least a week or two in advance. But this spring, things are rather different. On a recent visit to the city of Granada, we had the choice of every half hour slot throughout the day - and at 4.30pm there were still well over

Keys to the The 10 secrets to understanding Spain’s top monument, writes Jon Clarke 150 spaces available to visit the celebrated Nasrid palace. Arriving at 2.30pm for a good stroll around the gardens and the nearby Generalife Palace, we were amazed to find the place so empty. Indeed, we probably saw no more than 100 people in the entire afternoon, with our

Hiding on the throne

he throne room, of the Hall of the Ambassadors, was designed so that subjects would only ever see the silhouette of the caliph. He would sit on his throne with light emanating in from behind, so no-one would get a good look at his face. Meanwhile, take a close look around and you will see that the throne room is based on amazing symmetry and is known for its precision.

T FIRST GLANCE, you might think a sci-fi writer had dreamed up this polar scenery of icelike foam sheets atop a dazzling green sea. Small natural pockets, akin in appearance to the breathing holes of Arctic seals, disrupt the venous white plains that extend over 1000 hectares. In the middle reside pools of deep emerald liquid and channels of the same colour criss-cross the surface, creating patterns in this surreal landscape. The result is an area of unusual beauty – at least when viewed from above. The reality on the ground, however, is a different story. Born through careless dumping, these lakes of phosphogypsum and other dangerous substances are located only 500m from the urban centre of Huelva, Andalucia. They are the waste products of fertiliser production, a business which began in the region during the days of Franco, when environmental laws were lax. For almost 30 years, fertilis-

MUST LOOK UP! Keep your eyes peeled for the stunning cedar wood ceiling in the throne room. The intricate design has over 8,000 multicoloured panels and symbolizes the seven heavens of the Koran. It is adorned with stars and diagonal lines that radiate from the centre, representing the four trees of life.

Toxic cover-up Fertiliser company’s plan to bury its past is a ticking chemical time bomb, writes Laurence Crumbie

CONTAMINATION: Earth and clay could be used to protect the lakes er company Fertiberia produced 2.5 million tonnes of phosphogypsum annually, discharging 20% of it into the Odiel river estuary. Some of the lakes’ contents have seeped into the sea, drawn out by the tide.

In response to an order from the National Court to prevent contamination, Fertiberia has proposed to cover the lakes in earth and clay. But not everyone is pleased with the plan. ‘It is a joke and they will leave a chemical bomb under the

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protection of the tides and climate change,’ said Julio Barea, head of a water campaign for Greenpeace. Likewise, Aurelio Gonzalez Peris from Mesa de la Ría, an environmental group that has been critical of Fertiberia for years, said that the proposal threatens both the nearby marshes and the wellbeing of Huelva residents.

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guide Asier saying he had never seen fewer people. There has never been a better time to visit the best example of Islamic architecture in Europe and possibly the only existing medieval Muslim palace left around the world. Here are some of the key things to look out for during your visit:

WASTELAND: Lakes of phosphogypsum are found 500 metres from Huelva

Although a group of 19 scientists have said that burying the lakes would put them at the mercy of earthquakes, the plan has gained initial approval from the government. Now, the future of this toxic legacy lies in the hands of the Nuclear Safety Council and the Junta.

January 27th - February 9th 2021

Alhambra Assault on the senses

ll the patios of the Alhambra - like the majority of Nasrid palaces in Granada - take the same basic format. They were designed to be an assault on all five senses, so most of them have myrtle hedges for scent and a gentle trickle of water for sound. Most importantly, they have rectangular pools in the middle, which appear to increase the size of the palace buildings utilising a mirror effect. Finally, take note: You never enter at one end, but normally a third of the way along one side, creating privacy and intimacy.

seen’ - feared his ‘scribbling’ would never do justice to the city’s crowning monument. But his book, the Tales of the Alhambra are as popular today as they were nearly 200 years ago, and a plaque has been placed in his honour above his former apartment.

Trickle down effect

he clever use of water in the Alhambra gardens is synonymous with the way the Moors cleverly utilised water in Andalucia… and it transformed the once-barren Sabika hill into a microclimate of lush woodland and forestry. Look out for the main water channel, called the Acequia real (its original arabic

name), which still functions to this day. It divides into a series of channels that ran directly into the Generalife gardens and then down into the Alhambra itself. In an inspiration to gardeners the world over, the channels reached all corners of the gardens and even the fountains with enough pressure and they still do today.

Sight for royal eyes only

ichly decorated with mosaics and lit by rosettes and stars, the baños reales are a wondrous part of the Alhambra that few lay eyes on. They are not normally open to the public and are so private that in the days of the

hey can grow to 30m high and live as long as 1,000 years. And the cypress trees that you see all around the Alhambra are also seen in abundance in the ancient Albaicin quarter on the facing hillside.. And indeed most of Granada. But that’s not all. Two sections of the Generalife gardens are named after them - Patio de los Cipres and the Paseo de los Cipreses - and the cypress tree has effectively become the national tree of Spain, like the oak in the UK, or the yew in France, with the Alhambra palace its most celebrated home.

You read it here first!

nce the stage for bullfights, the remarkable circular courtyard of the Palace of Carlos V was one of the few surviving works of Pedro Machuca, a former pupil of none other than Italy’s Michaelangelo. Its comAbination of Ionic pillars and coffered ceilings, added as recently as the 1960s, make it a striking and atypical piece of Renaissance architecture.

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Michaelangelo’s influence... in a roundabout way

bling sound of water, which is both soothing and doesn’t even cause the faintest ripple on the pool.

Touching the skies

Yankee retreat

The palace was once home to American ambassador to Spain, Washington Irving. The former politician, best known for his romantic writing, actually lived in a private apartment created for King Charles V for nearly a year in 1829. Built around the atmospheric Lindaraxa Courtyard Garden, he shared the 16th-century apartment with a host of cats, a few donkeys and a lunatic. The American author - who described Granada as ‘a most picturesque city, situated in one of the loveliest landscapes that I have ever

Keystone fountains Look carefully and each pool will normally have a keyshaped fountain at one end. From here emanates the bab-

Nasrid dynasty singers and musicians who performed there were blind, the legend goes, to conserve the modesty of the royal harem. While closed, you get glimpses of their splendour via doorways along the Patio de la Lindaraja.

Keeping it minimal

HE ancient Islamic rulers of the Alhambra did not clutter their palaces with furniture, but preferred to keep things minimal. They would have the odd seat (or throne), corners of rooms would have but mostly sat on cushions or had beautiful vases and the brightly-coloured rugs, while the occasional musical instrument.

La Linea shut down THE border town of La Linea de la Concepcion has been handed extra harsh coronavirus strictions by the Junta rede Andalucia. The municipality, which borders Gibraltar, placed into Level has been 4.2 of the region’s coronavirus tier system. The town is facing edented climb in an unprecthe number of cases and was forced to order all non-essential and trade to cease business activity from midnight on Sunday. This includes shops, restaurants and bars hotels, - with the exception of businesses such as essential supermarkets or petrol stations. Experts made the along with regional decision Juanma Moreno on president Friday after the town’s cumulative incidence rate reached 1,247.9 cases per 100,000 people.

Double

That is more than average rate of thedouble the besieged Campo de currently Gibraltar health district, which stands at 506.5 cases per 100,000 inhabitants. The whole district, made up eight towns, is currently closed down, meaning no one can leave or exit without a justified reason, such legal or for work. as medical, These measures will remain in place until at least January 25, Moreno said at a press conference today. The campo was first closed off when health authorities discovered the more UK variant of the contagious arrived in Gibraltar.virus had Since then, La Linea, receives cross-border which ers daily, has seen workan extremely sharp increase in COVID-19 cases. One worker told Press this week thatthe Olive the situation in the area was ‘out of control.’ The young woman, who works on the Costa del Sol in the Campo, and but lives ner are still both her partwaiting to be tested after coming into direct contact with infected person. a COVID-19

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PERI-LESS CROSSING

HE tale of Joseph Lathey’s Nando’s border drama has made headlines around the world. The Olive Press’s frontpage exclusive last edition was quickly picked 952 147 834 up by national newspapers in the UK, Spain and even as far away as Russia. We first told the story of how Spanish customs officials confiscated Joseph’s Nando’s Peri-Peri sauce at the Gibraltar border, claiming new Brexit rules as justification. And it wasn’t long before the yarn was picked up by LadBible, followed by the Sun, the Daily Mail and eventually the FRONT PAGE of the Telegraph, and later Russia Today (RT). Even several Spanish publications, including the popular 20minutos, ran with the story. “It has definitely kicked off,” Joseph told the Olive Press this week following almost a fortnight of media appearances, “Nand o s h a v e already contacted me and are going to be sending me a parcel.” It was just one of several exclusives - spread across our six regional editions that we continue to deliver every fortnight. Dark times

THERE have been a total of 16 deaths from COVID-19 since the pandemic first struck in Gibraltar. The last four occurred weekend the vaccines on the arrived on January 9. finally The majority of the deaths were of elderly people with underlying conditions although there were also some exceptions. COVID-19 active cases passed the 1,000 mark surjust after the Christmas period although they have since stabilised. The strict measures imposed in the social lockdown introduced by the government on ber 27 and January Decem2 have finally taken effect. Public health experts believe the start of the third wave was initiated by Black Friday shopping on November 29. As the pre-Christmas shopping spree continued and families started to meet it is believed to havetogether spread further.

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STUMPED: Lathey was angry when his chilli and cloves were accepted but his Peri-Peri hot sauce A BRITISH expat was confiscated at the has branded border Spanish border officials and ‘clueless’ after they ‘ridiculous’ his Nando’s Peri Peri confiscated sauce at the Gibraltar border. Joseph Lathey, 27, was when much of his weeklyleft fuming shopping was binned as he tried to cross back “I said it was ridiculous into La Linea. as that would mean most of This meant seeing his Exclusive by my shopping prohibited list. But Spanish would also not be allowed legisleeks being tipped intobananas and Laurence Dollimore lation, specifically law in.” a customs Indeed, officials officer’s bin. told the Brit the dictates that vegetables 2019/2072, only items from his £55 and vegetawho asked not to be named, It also included his vegetable saadmit- ble-based products are prohibited could cross the frontier shop that ted that he stuffed mosas, one of his favourite bacon down his from entering the peninsula weekly cloves and chilli powder. were his underwear after from a treats he buys from hearing they were ‘third country.’ Ramsons, on “It didn’t make any sense,” Waterport Road. he add- seizing the majority of someone The Gibraltar Government ed, “they seemed to be told the Meanwhile, his chilli Olive Press: “The pretty clue- else’s products. less. The EU now classes were deemed acceptable.and cloves understanding is thatGovernment’s “I asked them to provide EU law third country, bringingthe UK as a cifically “I was completely stumped. exempts plant productsspein tougher I had a to justify what they were documents controls on what chicken which I thought inthey just sent me a phototaking and cross the border can and cannot tended for personal consumption been stopped but not might have from official controls at into of the a link bloc. the Peri-Peri to a Spanish Government Border ConAccording to the Gibraltar sauce,” Lathey told the Olive Press. Gov- trol Posts on introduction to the EU. Lathey was told he couldwebsite.” “The officials said it contained take his ernment website, several items shopping back onto puree, meaning it containedonion the Rock to for personal consumption are now store it. proAgreement banned, including all cessed veg and was meat and milk therefore not “I ended up selling it allowed over. all for £20, products (bar powdered infant milk, “Therefore, the Government will which is better than nothing,” be baby added for food and special food required seeking to clarify this matter with medical reasons or pet the relevant Spanish Authorities. Lathey. food re- “Until the final agreement It comes after quired for animal health reasons). several reports You cannot bring in more than 20kg respect to Gibraltar’s future with on social me- of any fish product or more than 2kg tionship with the EU is settled,reladia of Brits of other specific animal products, unless the Government advisesand See page 16 on including honey, oysters, specific having food live mus- ogationsbridging measures or derseized at the sels and snails. having been agreed whilst The Government reminder, that agreement is negotiated, border. pub- braltar Gilished on January 4, will be treated as One expat, vegetable does not products as being on list country for the purposes of a third EU custhe toms controls.”

British expat left fuming including the Peri-Peri after most of his shopping sauce - was labelled at Gib border due to ‘contraband’ new Brexit rules

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The top five most read stories on www.theolivepress.es in the past two weeks are: - Listed: The municipalities ordered to close borders 1Spain’s and those facing total lockdown in malaga province as Andalucia announces new COVID-19 restrictions (20,645 views)

- Breaking: Spain’s Andalucia announces new 28pm COVID-19 restrictions as it requests permission for curfew and total lockdown of 91 municipalities (15,811 views)

president calls for home confinement in 3- Junta Spain while notifying mobility will be limited in Andalucia (14,176 views) - Breaking: Majority of Spain’s Costa del Sol de4including clared an extreme risk for COVID-19 transmission Marbella, Estepona, Mijas and Manilva (14,069 views)

British wife of chronically ill husband 5- Exclusive: cannot return to Spain unless he is close to dying (12,822 views)

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LA CULTURA

Ye Olde Dagger

EXPERTS have discovered a 3,000-year-old crystal dagger in an ancient tomb in the Sevilla area. The remains of several people were found buried in a ritualistic way but what caught the eye was the rock crystal dagger. It has been dated to at least 3,000 BC, making it the ‘most technically sophisticated and impressive collection of rock crystal material culture ever found in Prehistoric Iberia’, according to site investigators. Prehistoric humans in Europe made most of their tools from chert and flint. Tools made by knapping ‘rock crystals’ (macro-crystalline quartz) were far less prevalent but manufacturing techniques were created in the south-west part of the Iberian Peninsula. Although rock crystal tools were more difficult to fashion and the raw materials weren’t as abundant as sedimentary rock, prehistoric people cherished them due

January 27th - February 9th 2021

Cave reviews Iconic dolmens in Malaga get swanky new museum after millions of euros worth of investment THE restoration work on Antequera’s Dolmens Museum has been completed. After an investment of €4.5 million and 33 months of work, the centre in Antequera will open to the public this year. The inauguration is expected to take place towards the end of the year and will be dedicated, respectively, to the researcher Manuel Gomez-Moreno and the poet Jose Antonio Muñoz Rojas.

Design

With the construction of the site completed, the centre is now working on the design of its first two

PROUD: The restoration works are complete

temporary exhibitions. The restoration of the museum began in Febru-

Easter cancelled MALAGA is left without processions during Holy Week for the second consecutive year due to the coronavirus pandemic. The news was confirmed by the Bishop of the Diocese of Malaga, Jesus Catala, and the suspension includes external acts of worship and all celebrations that make use of public spaces.

Pre-coronavirus, some 34,400 people would take part each year in the city’s Holy Week events, its economic impact being over €80 million. The decision comes after cities such as Sevilla, Alicante, Crevillente, Elche, Orihuela and Torrevieja have also scrapped Easter procession plans.

OP QUICK Crossword Across 1 Flowers (6) 4 Look high and low (5) 8 Set upon (6) 9 Stormy Red Sea blotted out (6) 10 US President with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (6) 11 Went through (6) 12 Kind of reaction (3) 13 That group (5) 15 Deputised group (5) 17 Centre of activity (3) 19 "Hey ---!" (6) 21 Ascend (4,2) 23 Sandbanks (6) 24 Recognition at the end of a film (6) 25 "---, ---, why has thou forsaken me?" (2,3) 26 Quivering trees (6)

ary 2018 and has largely consisted of reducing the visual impact of the previously existing building, according to the recommendation of UNESCO, which declared the Dolmens Site a World Heritage Site in 2016. The Regional Minister of Culture and Historical Heritage, Patricia del Pozo, who visited the museum together with the Minister of the Presidency, Elias Bendodo, to mark the end of the renovation work, said that this space will be ‘a great point of reference, not only in Andalucia and Spain, but also outside our country’.

Prehistoric

Antequera is home to the largest and most complete megalithic structures in Europe, with three 5000-year-old prehistoric burial chambers: Menga Dolmen (the largest in Europe), Viera Dolmen, and El Romeral Dolmen. The dolmens of Antequera are described as ‘outstanding examples of megalithic architecture and amongst the most recognised and quoted in the world’. Proposals to build the museum were first announced in 1985, but it has taken 36 years for the dream to become a reality.

1 Wash (5) 2 Nell Gwyn sold them (7) 3 Whipping up (6) 5 Badinage (5) 6 How a submariner might view a parachute (7) 7 Cruelly rapacious person (5) 14 Without mercy (7) 16 Too blue? (7) 17 Lifting device (5) 18 Good-hearted people (6) 20 1954-77 Far Eastern alliance (2,1,1,1) 22 Squads (5)

All solutions are on page 13

Time to think again

MARIE: the symbolic protagonist bol of all the women who have died due to gender violence and whose stories are then told by others, with more attention often given to the perpetrator than the victim.

Culture TV success ONLINE entertainment for the lockdown has taken local culture to a global audience, according to the Gibraltar Government. Culture TV was launched in September 2020 and offers performances, shows and education from 10am to 6pm on weekdays. Even before the January lockdown it had 9,000 views, with its popularity expected to increase during this month. “The portal is going from strength to strength with ever increasing views and popularity,” said a spokesperson for Gibraltar Cultural Services (GCS). “This not only stems from views by the local community, but has spread far and wide to Hong Kong, Australia, United States of America and throughout Europe.” This unexpected global following has ‘delighted’ GCS which hopes more people will tune in to the programmes on culturetv.gi. As the organiser of many of Gibraltar’s cultural events, it has asked for others to contribute their own videos. “We encourage all cultural organisations or individuals who may have material, to submit footage of their events, shows and performances held in local cultural venues,” the GCS spokesperson added. The videos have to be free of copyright and can be sent via file sharing platforms to caTV@culture.gov. gi. “Culturetv.gi provides an incredible archive of Gibraltar live performances,” said Minister for Culture John Cortes. “It is entertaining and fun to watch and brings back fond memories to many of us in the world of the performing arts. “I thoroughly recommend it - it is great and uplifting during these sad and trying times.”

Nothing to See Here By Kevin Wilson BOOK REVIEW

OP Sudoku

Down

A SPANISH playwright has written a modern take on a show first performed a century ago – but this time from a murdered woman’s point of view. Award-winning Lola Blasco has taken an unfinished 19th century story and re-written it in a way that examines gender violence. The story was first turned into the opera Wozzeck by Austrian composer Alban Berg, just under 100-years ago. It focused on a poverty-stricken soldier who killed Marie, the mother of his child. But in Blasco’s version, ‘Marie’, attention is thrown on Wosseck’s victim, rather than her being used as simply an element in the anti-hero’s downfall. The co-production between Madrid’s Teatro Real opera house and the smaller Teatro de La Abadia is intended to make people think more critically about gender violence in Spain. Blasco said Marie is a sym-

A quirky, funny, and charming story exploring friendship and the lengths people will go to for those they care about. Lillian and Madison have been friends since school; however, they haven’t seen each other in years, communicating primarily in letters. When Madison contacts Lillian asking her to help care for her stepchildren Lillian immediately accepts only to discover that the children have a condition which causes them to spontaneously combust when they get agitated. Kevin Wilson has created a story which is beautiful, hilarious and utterly captivating.

ll about

Vol. 5 Issue 140

Good health

From mice to men A

www.theolivepress.es

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

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

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January 27th - February 9th 2021

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

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

Watch that chat

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.

DELIGHTED: Virologists Mariano Esteban and Juan Garcia 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.

10 January 27th - February 9th 2021

Milk matters

Elixirof

Children who drink full-fat milk are less likely to be overweight than those given skimmed or semiskimmed. The findings were published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition and they found that children who drank whole milk had 40% lower odds of being overweight or obese compared with their peers who drank lower-fat varieties. It has been speculated that whole milk causes children to feel fuller, which reduces snacking. The research combined the results of 28 studies that were conducted across seven countries, which had explored the correlation between children drinking cows milk and the risk of being overweight.

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£50 fee, allowing travellers to fly with peace of mind. Test certificates not issued at the airport must include name, date of birth, test result, when taken, name of the provider and testing equip-

ll about

The magnificent seven active ingredients of a southern Spanish lifestyle

TRADITIONALLY a time for detoxing and gruelling health regimens, those beginning the new year in Spain are luckier than most. The Mediterranean diet is frequently lauded by health experts but there are many more natural remedies on our doorstep that come with the territory. Check out these magnificent seven health benefits of an Andalucian lifestyle.

OVERWORKED and anxious staff at Gibraltar government nursing homes are getting free therapy from the Care Agency. Counsellors were brought in to work with Elderly Residential Services (ERS) staff after a major outbreak of COVID-19 took many lives at sites like Mount Alvernia. Giselle Carerras, Head of Psychology and Therapeutic Services at the Care Agency, said: “My dedicated team of counsellors are working hard to offer psychological support and advice to front-line staff, as well as continue to offer our clients remote sessions. “These continue to be very difficult times and it’s important to ensure that our frontline staff feel supported.” Many nurses, lab technicians and carers have not had any time off for months as a direct result of the COVID-19 pandemic. “Now more than ever before, looking after one’s own mental well-being is paramount,”Carlos Banderas, Care Agency CEO, added. “It is encouraging to see my department, under the trusted direction of our chartered psychologist, Giselle Carreras, extend its services to staff at the ERS.” Minister for Health and Care, Samantha Sacramento said: “Our frontline clinical staff are working extremely hard and in very difficult circumstances. “Everyone’s welfare is of paramount importance and I am very happy to see this multi-agency agency support being offered to colleagues. “I cannot thank our teams enough for they work to keep our community safe during these difficult times”

Test or pay

A Good health

Andalucia

Caring for carers

PEOPLE flying from Gibraltar to the UK risk a £500 fine if they do not provide a negative COVID-19 test certificate. The test will have to be taken a maximum of three days before departure and the certificate be shown on arrival. A rapid test can be provided at Gibraltar airport for a

ll about

ment used. If a passenger arrives in the UK without a test result like this, they could be slapped with a £500 fine for this criminal offence. Children under 11-years-old, those receiving urgent medical care and do not need to take a test and there are other exceptions too. If passengers have medical conditions that stop them having a test, they must show a doctor’s note to Border Force staff when they get toUK. All passengers arriving in the UK will also need to self-isolate for two weeks, although they could use the test-to-release option once in England.

1. Food glorious food Often dubbed the ‘market garden of Spain’, Andalucia abounds with fresh fish and seafood, veggies, fruit, grains and pulses but its olive oil may be the star of the show. The American Food and Drug Administration prescribes a daily dose of 1½ tablespoons to reduce the risk of coronary heart disease.

2. Europe’s best healthcare Analysis by Bloomberg recently revealed that Spain’s public health service is the best in Europe and third best globally. Taking into account efficiency, as well as cost, the analysis put Spain way ahead of the UK, just behind Singapore and Hong Kong.

3. A sporting chance Exercise can reduce your risk of major illnesses like cancer and heart disease by up to 50% and decrease the likelihood of an early death by 30%, according to the UK’s NHS. And in Andalucia, home of the outdoor lifestyle, you won’t need to go far for hiking, swimming, paddle tennis, football, golf and even horse riding.

Good health

January 27th - February 9th 2021

5. Curative costas

4. 320 days of sunshine The Costa del Sol gets its name for a reason, and scientists have long linked catching some rays to prolonging life. Two Malaga doctors, Raul J. Andrade and Maribel Lucena, recently said that soaking up Vitamin D can stave off the risk of Multiple Sclerosis.

With over 1,000km of coastline, many Andalucians are hardwired to love the ocean - something scientists call the ‘blue mind’. Dr Thomas W. Ferkol is one of those who extols the sea’s benefits, claiming salt clears lungs and is antibacterial, while beach life can improve sleep patterns.

6. Red red wine Every year the benefits of a ‘small’ amount of red wine are proclaimed, it being proven that ‘vino tinto’ is packed full of antioxidants. Now the latest study by a Spanish research team, in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, also finds it can reduce tooth decay and gum disease.

7. Soothing siestas

It is one of Spain’s most enduring images, especially to foreign eyes, but a siesta can lower blood

pressure and is part of a natural sleep cycle. According to the Spanish Society of Primary Care Physi-

cians, it should be no longer than a 30-minute catnap taken on a sofa or chair.

What we’re doing to keep you safe in store

Thoroughly cleaning frames after they’ve been touched or tried on

Disinfecting test rooms and equipment after each person we see

Following government guidelines and using protective equipment as required

Olive Press Gibraltar – 170mm x 256mm – Colour

27th January

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In the mood

January 27th February 9th 2021

ll about

Good health

Into the abyss

T felt like being slotted into a sock, or the middle of a doughnut, and had it not been for the panic button I’d have fought my way out in a chispa. But as the MRI scanner whirred into life, I lifted my COVID mask up over my eyes and started to count my breaths and meditate. I was in for a 90-minute screening and once cocooned in my own darkness I soon forgot the constraints of the narrow tube I had been strapped into. I had chosen a full medical

TREASURE: Elissa’s elixir of love WHEN it comes to love and passion during coronavirus lockdowns, it seems that women have needed a little help. Perhaps being in close proximity to loved ones for extended periods of time has proven to be a little bit too much of a good thing, and bedroom activities have gone a trifle stale. But not ones to take this state of affairs lying down, many British women have apparently turned to a ‘Viagra’ for ladies to keep them in the mood. The maker of Elle Sera, which was launched before the first coronavirus lockdown, says that sales have soared during the pandemic. Also known as the Empowerment Pill, it is not a medicine, but is sold as a ‘supplement’. Elissa Corrigan, the 35-year-old veteran of Bear Gryll’s reality show Treasure Island is behind the golden tablet. She claims that sales have grown 400% as woman want to ‘feel sexier and flirtier’. But this feeling comes at a price - a 30-day supply costs around €70.

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Getting an MRI scan, while terrifying, gave JON CLARKE an intriguing indepth analysis of his health

check at Executive Health, in Marbella, overseen by leading heart scientist Dr Henrik Reinhard as a new year resolution to keep closer tabs on my health now I’m in my 50s. The annual screening package involves a detailed exam of the abdomen, pelvis and thorax, as well as a clinical evaluation of the heart and lungs and an analysis of blood, urine and stools. The MRI Magnetic Resonance Imaging machine was the highlight, using a powerful magnetic field combined with specific radio frequencies to create detailed images of my internal body structures. Enabling Dr Henrik to take a close look at my bones, tissues and organs, he would be able to detect any abnormalities, such as cancerous growths, inflammation, infections and more. While the advancement of heart disease follows a more predictable pattern, requiring APPREHENSIVE: Jon gets prepared for the screening every scan

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five years, cardiologist Henrik advises yearly screening for cancer. But the first test was actually managing to stay inside the MRI machine. “It’s true quite a few people can’t handle the claustrophobia,” admitted Henrik. “Particularly men, so you did well to fight it off.” Ordeal over, I stepped into his office for an immediate consultation, in which he reported he could see no obvious signs of disease. A few days later I was back to get the full results and see some, quite frankly, fascinating scans and images. While it looked like a haunted face from a ghost train (see above), my main chest and heart scan was apparently ‘pretty healthy’ and Henrik gave me a 3% chance of heart issues over the next decade, but based on current risk factors measured my lifetime as over 50%.

“That’s 10% higher than the average risk in in Western countries, but you can get that down pretty easily,” he explained, insisting it could get down as low as 8%. The best way to do this is with diet, cutting down meat to once a week and eating more ‘good fats’, which was basically fish and nuts, as well as a lot more vegetables, particularly kale, spinach, broccoli and cauliflower. While my blood and urine tests were normal and my kidney and liver function were fine, my blood sugar levels were elevated and I would have to bring them down to avoid developing diabetes. I also needed to lose a bit of weight, which was no surprise after the festive period, when I had put on nearly three kilos. Last, but not least, he spotted I had a small 2cm opening of a hernia in my left groin, which had indeed been giving me a little bit of grief over the last few months. But he said this could be improved by losing some weight and could easily get better on its own.

Great Dane The Danish doctor Henrik Reinhard, 45, and team spent two years researching the best place to open his Executive Health clinic with its MRI scanner and other high tech machines. Costing over €1m to buy and over €300,000 to install he needed to find the perfect location. “We tried and paid for “check up” at five clinics on the Costa del Sol and wasn’t exactly impressed with the results,” he explains. “I knew we could do a lot better.” In the end the father-of-three was able to rent a floor of the Helicopteros Sanitarios clinic in Puerto Banus, which ticked many boxes for its central location and large membership of potential clients. Going into partnership with a Swedish businessman, the clinic opened in aprhil 2017. And he and his wife Rikke have now more than settled on the Costa del Sol, having previously lived in Australia and Trondheim in north Norway, and are expecting 2021 to be a busy year. “We are working really hard to give the best possible service and finding the clients very receptive,” he adds. “In particular because with all the COVID issues I am sure that many Olive Press readers have not been getting their normal health checks at the local hospital. We can do the same and a lot more in a far safer environment.” Contact Executive Health at info@executivehealth.es or visit www.executivehealth.es

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SPECIAL OLIVE PRESS OFFER In a special new year’s deal for Olive Press readers, the Executive Health clinic is offering a full annual medical check up with 4 MRI scans for just €895, or over half the normal price. The significant annual health check needs to be booked in advance and depends on availability. Visit www.executivehealth.es for more details

BUSINESS

January 27th - February 9th 2021

Costa crisis

INTERNATIONAL Airlines Group (IAG) owners of BA and Iberia - has agreed a takeover of struggling budget rival Air Europa. IAG completed the long awaited agreement in what has been a long, drawn out process thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic. The worldwide crisis also cut the asking

Glovo Boost ON-DEMAND Spanish delivery app, Glovo, is looking to expand its ‘dark stores’ in Spain and across Europe. The pandemic has given a boost to online shopping and Glovo has done a deal with the Swiss-based real estate firm, Stoneweg, for a €100 million investment to find more distribution bases.

CLC World liquidating much of its empire but timeshare side ‘to remain intact’

United front

By Laurence Dollimore

ing months. CLC World told the Olive Press: “Last year Club La

Air raising price for Spain’s third largest airline by half, with the contract being signed for just €500 million, half the original asking price. The payment has also been deferred for six years, with the IAG group feeling the pinch thanks to largely restrictive travel bans globally. Iberia’s sister company, British Airways, has suffered massive losses since last year, grounding half of its aircraft and laying off thousands of staff. In total, investors were squeezed for a total of €2.74 billion in funding to keep the airline afloat.

CAR INSURANCE LINEA DIRECTA’s car insurance comes with a wide range of covers designed to provide even greater peace-of-mind and all manageable online from the comfort of your home. Línea Directa provides a fast and efficient service by telephone with customer service staff fluent in your language. You can also visit their website 24/7. PERSONAL ATTENTION Línea Directa has been providing personal attention and expert advice to customers for over 20 years. They’ll guarantee to provide the best expat car insurance with the right coverage you need. Fully personalised policies that fit both your needs and that of your wallet. And when you need us most, our qualified English speaking customer service staff will guide you through any claims you may need to make.

Costa announced its cessation of selling new timeshare products and whilst current members and clients will continue to have full access to their usual services, as expected, certain service companies which were linked to the sale of timeshare are being restructured. “This has unfortunately led to the company having to make difficult decisions regarding some recent redundancies in Spain.”

Losses There are around 700 employees in Spain, spread across Mijas and Tenerife, the majority of which are on ERTEs due to the ongoing pandemic. Sources said the priority is to try and save ‘at least’ half of these jobs, meaning hundreds are likely to become unemployed. Robles blamed Brexit and coronavirus for being behind the losses, saying the group of companies were not in a bad position just a year ago. “You can’t go a year without any activity,” he said.

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The so-called ‘dark stores’ are Glovo’s distribution sites and they are keen to open up a new one in the Valencia area to add to their bases in Barcelona and Madrid. The company has outlets in Lisbon and Milan, with plans for similar stores in Bucharest, Porto and Rome. In November, Glovo launched a dedicated unit called ‘Q-Commerce’ to stock products on behalf of businesses and have them delivered on their behalf to shoppers within 30 minutes by its team of couriers. Glovo is very much banking that shifting trends of home shopping that were boosted during the pandemic will continue in post-vaccination Spain.

Dialogue

“It is resulting in a punitive approach to conduct and performance, as well as a programme of redundancies. “At this time these jobs need to be supported and protected, not attacked.” Unite already solved a similar issue over the summer around pay cuts and redundancies. Now it believes that Saccone and Speed is causing ‘unrest’ by its actions. “We are calling for a halt to these punitive activities, shifting to a more supportive approach that properly recognises the crucial contribution of loyal staff,” concluded Hennesy. “The union is open to constructive dialogue on these issues, but we will consider all and any further action in support of our members”.

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Strategy

MOVES to cut the workforce at one of Gibraltar’s longest standing drinks distributors are being attacked by Gibraltar’s biggest union. Unite the Union is objecting to redundancies at Saccone and Speed after bars, cafes and restaurants were closed during the lockdown. Drinks and food providers have been put under extra pressure but the union believes they should stand by their workers instead of putting them under pressure. “The membership perceives that the employer has adopted an unsympathetic and intimidatory approach to its employees,” said Sam Hennesy, Regional Officer for Unite Gibraltar.

SUDOKU

MUCH of the iconic Club La Costa World in Mijas has gone into liquidation after being hit hard by COVID-19 restrictions. Several companies within the resort are affected, not only in Mijas but also in Tenerife and the UK. Hundreds of jobs are likely to be lost as the companies in charge of maintenance, restaurants, sales and marketing have all filed for bankruptcy. Bankruptcy administrator Juan Carlos Robles told Diario Sur that the liquidation does not affect the timeshare aspect of the business. He said that there has been an ‘avalanche’ of calls for interest in the properties and that the timeshare side will remain ‘intact’. However, he added that many of the services, including maintenance or marketing, will not be fully operational during the com-

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January 27th - February 9th 2021

Spain is famous for its cornucopia of home-grown produce but you won’t find all its exotic offerings down at your local supermarket. Charlie Smith samples some of the more surprising specialities in its culinary larder Percebes DANGEROUS DELICACY

Found clinging to the cliffs of Galicia, this tiny delicacy known beyond Spain as the gooseneck barnacle - is highly dangerous to harvest. The percebeiros of Galicia risk their lives plucking these revered crustaceans f r o m their habitat, making it one of the most expensive forms of seafood around. One kilo can fetch over €200. Compared to sweet clams and lobster, the edible part is contained in a black sleeve, capped by a spiky shell resembling a dinosaur claw. The soft pink flesh is boiled in seawater and traditionally served with a simple aioli dressing.

Angulas SLIPPERY SPECIALITY Known as ‘glass eels’, these slippery customers can cost more than €1,000 per kilo. They traditionally appear on Spanish menus on Christmas and New Years Eve and the Day of San Sebastian on January 20. In the original recipe from Bilbao (angulas a la bilbaína) the eels are fried in garlic and chilli until crunchy. Their journey starts when mature 10-year-old eels swim from European rivers to the Sargasso Sea to spawn and die. The hatchlings then drift towards Europe on the Gulf Stream where fisherman on Spain’s Atlantic Coast wait with nets. Though legal in Europe, angulas are so popular in Asia that illegal trade in them bagged one Spanish gang over €37 million.

FOOD,DRINK & TRAVEL

Something special, sir? Organic caviar - WORLD FIRST

Black truffles BLACK GOLD Spain is one of the world’s largest exporters of truffles, and the expensive subterranean fungus is readily found in the mountainous east of the country. These so-called black diamonds are notoriously difficult to find and fetch up to €600 per kilo on international markets where truffles are prized for their delicate but instantly recognisable flavour. Truffle season is February to March and the provinces of Huesca, Teruel, Soria and Castellón are particularly known for the delicacy. The truffles are sniffed out by trained dogs that can detect their aroma at 50m away, even when buried 50cm deep.

The tiny village of Riofrio in Granada province hit the headlines way back in 1960 for producing the world’s first organic caviar. And celebrity chef Gordon Ramsey is one of many fans. The sturgeon are farmed in crystal clear spring waters from the mountains and have European-cer-

tified organic production. But what is most unique about Riofrio’s black gold is the time it takes to produce. Patient farmers allow 16 years for the female sturgeon to grow naturally to double the length of other caviar-producing sturgeon on the market

Ethical foie gras - WORLD FIRST Controversially, the production of foie gras uses the inhumane ‘gavage’ system, where geese are force-fed corn through a tube. But Extremadura company Sousa & Labourdette have taken the cruelty out of the process to become world leaders in the production of ethical foie gras. Run by farmer Eduardo Sousa and bird expert Diego Labourdette, the pair allow their se to feast naturally and - most crucially whole year to proworld-renowned appears on the has even been serby chef Dan Barber.

European greylag geeon wild grass, seeds - acorns, waiting a duce a batch of their product. Their caviar world’s top tables and ved to Barack Obama

Orange and cannabis wines RIOJA RIVALS Andalucia’s urban orange trees are not just for decoration and marmalade. The bitter fruit are also in big demand for flavouring vino de naranja - and there are regional differences. Those from Sevilla should be sipped like a fine whiskey. Producers there use an oloroso sherry base, made from Garrido Fino and Pedro Ximenez grapes, and age the wine for between five and seven years. Huelva and Málaga use the solera system where white wine is flavoured slowly. The orange peel is dried and then macerated in the alcohol. The Málaga version is almost clear while Huelva’s is a richer brown shade. If cannabis is more your thing, Andalusian winery Pisando Fuerte has a weed wine that will have you in high spirits. It is the first red wine steeped with cannabis, which is actually classed as hemp due to its low THC content, at the legal maximum of 0.2 per c e n t . Rafael Hoyos is the brains behind this this smoking hot vino, which combines Garnacha and Tempranillo grapes with cannabis leaves. The company has just launched the first 500 bottles of their ganja-grape concoction.

January 27th - February 9th 2021 Gamoneu cheese - SPAIN’S STINKIEST

Lampreys - ROYAL CONNECTIONS Lampreys, better known by the bloodthirsty nickname ‘vampire fish’, have lurked in the rivers of Galicia for over 500 million years. They have eel-shaped bodies and gruesome circular rings of teeth adapted for feasting on the blood of larger fish by sucking them dry. Don’t be put off though, as they have a delicious flavour, especially when cooked in red wine. In Arbo, Pontevedra, near the Portuguese border, there is a food festival at the end of April dedicated to these prehistoric monsters. They were the favourite food of King Henry I of England who reportedly died from ‘a surfeit of lampreys’ but it was probably food poisoning.

Gamoneu, named after the Asturian town where it is made, is a fatty cheese made with cow, goat and sheep milk. It can take up to five months to mature in caves where it grows slightly mouldy, gaining a blue tint round the edge. It has a light smokey flavour, a thin rind and will set shoppers with fat wallets back a whopping €35 per kilo. The cheese is DPO-protected and has a reputation for being Spain’s stinkiest, only thought to be the second most pungent worldwide after Italy’s Casu Marzu ‘maggot cheese’.

Málaga mangos EUROPE’S BEST Axarquía is home to more than 4,000 hectares of mango-growing land. Producing between 10,000 and 30, 000 tonnes annually, the area east of Málaga grows more mangos than avocados - another of its staple exports. The exotic fruit originally came from Southeast Asia, but was introduced to Andalucia in the 1980s. Now Spain leads European commercial mango production, also having sites in the Canary Islands. Sicily is the only other serious European player in the mango game.

Saffron - WORLD BEST Saffron de la Mancha has its own Protected Designation of Origin (DPO) - the only spice in Spain with this national quality guarantee. One of the most exclusive spices in the world, saffron was introduced in La Mancha during the Caliphate of Cordoba. Every saffron flower produces very little of the sought-after golden powder and it is harvested by only experienced pickers. It takes 25,000 flowers to produce 500 grams and Spanish saffron is renowned for its quality, which explains how one kilo can cost €3,000.

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Dreamy duet

FINAL WORDS

SPANISH superstar Rosalia has teamed up with American sensation Billie Eilish to produce a haunting yet melodic number called Lo Vas a Olvidar? - or Can You Let it Go?, as they translate it.

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Vol. 5 Issue 140 www.theolivepress.es January 27th - February 9th 2021

Back from dead A GRIEVING husband who had been told his 85-yearold wife had died of COVID had the shock of his life when she turned up at his care home 10 days later. Rogelia Blanco had been taken to hospital from the

A VIRAL video of a robot vacuum that escaped from a shop in Barcelona and began hoovering the pavement has got people wondering whether they have just witnessed the future of street sweeping.

Beer talk CRUZCAMPO has used AI to resurrect the voice and features of legendary Spanish singer Lola Flores for its latest, controversial advertising campaign.

Spanish woman who ‘died’ of COVID returns 10 days later San Bartolomeu de Xove care home in northern Spain on December 29 after testing positive for the

virus. Her family was not allowed to visit her because of coronavirus restrictions. They

The Great Wall of the costa A MAN from Vilafranca (Castellon) is building a replica of the Great Wall of China around his home, entirely by hand, in his spare time. Work began 20 years ago, and the wall currently measures two kilometres long by up to 2.5 metres high at some points. Francisco Javier Deusdad Ros, 49, explains that the idea for this highly ambitious and spectacular project stems from his love for a primitive construction method known as

Photos by Javier Ortí

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ROCK STAR: Fruit of Ros’s labour pedra en sec (dry stone), invented by farmers in medieval times and which forgoes the use of cement or mortar, fitting the individual stones together like a jigsaw puzzle.

were told that she died on January 13 and been quickly buried with none of the family in attendance. Husband Ramon - who lives in the same care home – was distraught, telling La Voz de Galicia newspaper: “I could not believe it. I was crying after the death of my wife.” But after 10 days of grieving Rogelia turned up. While for her family shock turned to joy, the opposite was the case for her roommate. An identification mix-up meant that the unnamed woman’s family had been told she was alive. Her brother said: “They told me she was cured, I traveled to see her and when I arrived I found out that she had been dead for 10 days.” Now a court will have to annul the death certificate for Rogelia – until that is done she is officially dead.

POLICE in Spain have discovered a brick of cocaine hidden inside a sandwich in northern Spain. At least one arrest was made in Lugo, Galicia, after officers opened up the jamon bocadillo to discover 300g of the drug. “Hey, you have a bit of sandwich in your drugs,” Policia Nacional jokingly tweeted alongside a video of the find. “This sandwich had more than just flour in the bread. “It was carrying 300g of cocaine hidden inside. Arrested in Lugo.” The suspect has been charged with drug trafficking.

Moodunnit? LA Linea council is searching for the owner of a cow that wandered over the Higueron motorway on January 18, causing an accident in which a vehicle was damaged and the animal lost its life.

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