Mallorca Olive Press - Issue 73 by Olive Press Newspaper Spain

OLIVE PRESS

The

MALLORCA

Mallorca’s got talent and it’s all for a good cause. See page 9

Lose the booze! THE use of excessive alcohol at busy tourist destinations Mallorca and Ibiza has been restricted by the Government in the latest crackdown on uncivil tourism. The Regional Government of the Balearic Islands has passed a new law meaning it could be the end of 2-4-1 offers, happy hour and open bars. To stop these practices, advertising and promotions in tourist areas will now be prohibited. All political parties have voted in favour (with the exception of Vox) of the European Government bringing an end to tourism excesses and drunkenness. Balconing (the activity of climbing from one balcony to another or jumping into swimming pools) has also been banned. Anyone carrying out these activities can legally be ejected from the area in which their actions are committed. It will also be forbidden to sell alcohol in commercial stores at night (they will have to close between 9.30pm and 8.00am).

Restrictions

These establishments could be closed as a consequence of not adhering to the new legislation. Fines of between €1,000 and €600,000 may also be implemented for those ignoring the new regulations. This summer will see the new law put into place, although holidays and offers containing alcohol deals booked before the new restrictions will be honoured. It is believed that the new laws could be in place for five years and will apply to four areas of Mallorca and Ibiza, Playa de Palma, Arenal, Magaluf and the West End of Sant Antoni de Portmany. The Balearics receive more than 13 million tourists per year, so the changes are expected to have an international impact. Jorge Campos, a spokesman for VOX in the regional parliament, said that despite not voting in favour of the law, his party shared the same goal of getting rid off booze-based tourism. Meanwhile the Councillor of Economic Model, Tourism and Work, Lago Negueruela, described the new law as ‘pioneering’ and said it ‘is needed.’

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Vol. 3 Issue 73 www.theolivepress.es February 7th - February 20th 2020

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SOMETHING FOR THE WEEKEND? Take a visit to Spain’s secret Acropolis See page 10

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Charity case Hundreds of British-run charity shops are facing fines after ignoring tax laws EXCLUSIVE By Joshua Parfitt

HUNDREDS of British-run charity shops are ignoring new Spanish laws that require them to charge value added tax (IVA) on second-hand goods. A tax clampdown has seen a number already slammed with big fines, with many more now in the firing line, the Olive Press can reveal. One well known shop on the Costa Blanca is now facing fines of ‘up to €24,000’ after an inspection revealed they charged no IVA on sales throughout 2018. The Torrevieja charity’s accountant, who asked not UNDER PRESSURE: Charity shops face hefty Government fines to be named, said shops are being viewed as any other high-street business following law changes to has two shops in Torrevieja, has also been hit with a He urged all charity shops to make double sure they crackdown on fraudulent behaviour. €5,000 fine after an inspection revealed no IVA was are not liable to fines. “The government’s view is that it is not fair that a paid on second-hand items in 2017. Meanwhile, in Mallorca, a spokesperson from the legitimate business is charging IVA on sales while “It’s completely unfair,” the president, who asked to Cancer Support Group charity in Sant Agusti said: next door a charity shop can cut down prices,” the remain nameless to protect the charity’s humanitar- “It’s nonsense, people have donated these items and accountant told the Olive Press this week. ian work, told the Olive Press. have paid tax on them. “There are a lot of expats who need to make them- “Our charity steps in because the government is fail- “By making charities pay IVA they will have to inselves aware that this is not a clampdown but mere- ing to care for its citizens, and now we have to pay crease the price. ly the government doing its job properly.” them for it? “Paperwork will become such a hassle and they’ll The accountant said he was fighting Hacienda over “Factoring 21% IVA into existing prices will heav- probably have to hire someone to deal with that, inthe money demanded from his client as the client ily affect the work we do and mean we reach fewer creasing their expenses.” ‘was not aware’ of the laws. people in need.” Susan Weeding, who operates four charity shops for He pointed out that back home in the UK, char- The president added his two charity shops were her Easy Horse Care Rescue Centre in Rojales, said ity shops enjoy zero-rated VAT on sales ofUntitled-1.pdf donated some1 ‘of 16/06/2017 the very few’15:36 British-run enterprises which she ‘might as well give up’ if she starts having to pay goods. It comes as another British charity, which are now adding the tax. IVA to the government. “The September storms already left the Vega Baja region with no forage crops and we’re now in debt just to keep our 121 horses, ponies and donkeys alive,” she said. “You have to bear in mind that most of our rescues C come at the request of police and councils directly – sometimes from as far as Murcia and Granada. M “We’re not allowed to re-home them as they become evidence in court cases, so why should we be hit by Y the government for doing our best?” CM

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Catfish cuffed

NEWS IN BRIEF

Light work POLICE have arrested a 34-year-old Italian man for arson after he sparked a blaze by leaving a lamp on at his flat in Palma’s Pere Garau.

Stealing spree GUARDIA Civil officers have arrested a 26-yearold who is suspected of robbing at least ten shops in Portocolom.

Eyes on the beach THE city of Palma is investing nearly €25,000 in replacing and updating CCTV in Playa de Palma – most cameras date back to 2008, and most have not functioned since 2017.

People smuggling ring shut COPS have detained 34 members of a criminal network allegedly involved in people smuggling. Those arrested during Operation Llama were held for crimes of forgery, smuggling and belonging to a criminal organisation. The arrests in Malaga, Melilla and Mallorca comprised 28 foreigners and six Spaniards. The sophisticated network was perfectly structured on three levels, each performing distinct roles within the organisation, claim police. The first one was made up of a Spanish citizen and a Moroccan citizen who ran an operations centre where false lease contracts were drawn up, among other documents. The second level was made up of people who dealt directly with the principal investigators and were responsible for appearing as landlords. Finally, there would be foreigners who would use these false contracts to apply for residence permits.

CRIME

A FRAUDSTER has been arrested for stealing money from women in online scams in Palma. The 53-year-old man would set up fake profiles on dating apps - a so-called ‘catfisher’ - and contacted women throughout Spain. Police estimate around 20 people fell victim to the scammer who after building a relationship with them would ask for money. Sometimes he requested ‘bail money’, or a quick loan that he would ‘pay back soon’. So far police have traced €80,000 of scammed money, but expect that he scammed at least €100,000.

February 7th - February 20th 2020

HOME GROWN A COUPLE have been arrested for growing copious amounts of cannabis following a row in the street. The pair were arguing near their Coll d’en Rabassa apartment when police arrived and the woman attempted to incriminate her husband. She led officers to a room to a spare bedroom containing 105 marijuana plants, blaming them on her other half. Police discovered that the mains had also been altered to steal electricity, while they also found six high-voltage lamps, temperature and humidity monitors and scales. The woman was arrested for assault, as she physically attacked her boyfriend before police arrived, leaving him bruised and with cuts and scratches. The pair were also charged with crimes against public health for growing and allegedly selling large amounts of marijuana.

NETTED British duo jailed after €70m of cocaine seized on their yacht at Fishguard port

POLICE have arrested five people in relation to the death of a worker at a swimming pool in Palma. It comes after a 54-year-old Cuban worker was killed last August when scaffolding collapsed at the Son Roca pool. The man fell about seven metres and died shortly after in the hospital, before an investigation, found a string of irregularities. Scaffolding used by workers repairing the pool’s roof was poorly set up, but had mysteriously been dismantled before police arrived. Officers then found that two employees left the man dying under the scaffolding while they went to tell their boss what happened. The two workers then left the site as they were working illegally without contracts, while their boss called for an ambulance.

Manslaughter

By Dilip Kuner

A PAIR of British crooks who bought a yacht in Spain to use in a £60 million cocaine smug-

Poolside horror

gling plot have been jailed for a total of 33 years. Gary Swift, 53, and Scott Kilgour, 41, both from Liverpool (above), were arrested last year off the Welsh coast with 750 kilos of cocaine on board. They were nicked following an operation between Spain’s Policia Nacional and the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA), launched in August 2018. In a successful sting they tracked the yacht Atrevido for a whole year from the Balearic Islands until apprehending it on August 27, 2019, near the port of Fishguard. During the year it had travelled to the Canary Islands and various South American countries. The drugs, which had a wholesale value of €28million would have sold on the streets for a massive €72 million. On arrest, Swift immediately admitted his guilt, saying: “I just want to say that I am guilty. I have got something substantial on the boat and you

will find it.” He later admitted ‘I’m the bad one here,’ and asked custody officers to pass a message to the NCA revealing the number of packages on board the yacht. His partner Kilgour had bought the vessel for €50,000 from a dealer in Mallorca, Swansea Crown Court heard this week. The pair have now been sentenced to 19 years and 13 years in prison, pleading guilty to importing class A drugs into the UK. Four alleged accomplices – three men and a woman – arrested in Liverpool and Loughborough in connection with the seizure, remain on bail. The NCA seized two more yachts during the investigation, the Mistral and another, both of which were believed to be about to smuggle drugs. Police also seized three Rolex watches, a Panerai watch, and a Tag Heuer watch during the operation, as well as five cars, two vans, and a house in France.

Russian snared for kidnapping A RUSSIAN fugitive has been arrested after he fled justice in Germany on kidnapping charges. The detainee managed to escape after he was transferred from prison to a hospital in the German town of Gunzburg. He had gotten away after holding a nurse hostage by holding a knife to her throat. Police finally tracked him down to Nerja, where he had previously lived. The German authorities classified him as an ‘armed and violent person, in addition to being a carrier of infectious diseases.’ He was arrested on a European Order of Detention and has been extradited back to Germany.

Own goal for robbers

The scaffolding was in poor condition and did not meet minimum safety requirements. Police suspect that there were no anchoring devices to hold it in place, but the manager of the site dismantled and stacked all the parts of the scaffolding before police arrived. The investigation also found the required Occupational Risk Prevention documents to be falsified, leading to the arrest of a worker from the subcontractors who forged the documents. The company administrator has been charged with reckless manslaughter and crimes against workers rights. Another manager for the construction company has also been charged with manslaughter. The two workers who left the victim dying on the ground and fled the scene have been charged with omission of the relief of duty. The trial will be held in the courts of Palma.

Know the drill A SPANISH dentist has been sentenced to three years in prison for secretly filming one of his workers getting changed. The female employee discovered a USB drive that included footage of her getting changed in the storage cupboard at the clinic in Alcorcon, near Madrid. He has been sentenced to three years in prison for crimes against privacy. Madrid’s Supreme Court also ordered the dentist, 53, to pay his employee €62,500 in damages for ‘seriously and repeatedly breaking her basic rights’.

A PAIR of brothers have been arrested for robbing tourists’ watches on the Costa del Sol using the so-called ‘dribble method’. The Moroccan men, aged 24 and 30, are accused of nabbing highend watches worth over €18,000, via the bizarre style of robbery. According to police their ‘regate de futbol’ method involved simulating a football dribble up to unsuspecting tourists in Marbella, before robbing them. The pair were also said to offer the ‘hugger mugger’ approach, where a victim is hugged while his partner pickpockets him.

NEWS

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February 7th - February 20th 2020

Captives of Mallorca HOLLYWOOD legend Kirk Douglas has died at his Beverly Hills home in California at the age of 103. Mallorca will mourn the Spartacus and Captives of Evil actor who was considered one of Tinseltown’s last ‘true greats’. The Oscar-winner was no stranger to the island, having dined at Palma’s grill restaurant El Patio, where he signed the honour book.

But it wasn’t until 1994 that he returned, staying at his son Michael’s €36.5 million mansion in Deia. Their reunion was thought to have been somewhat conciliatory following some career competition. Three-time Oscar-nominee Kirk only ever received an honorary Oscar in 1995, while his son bagged two for One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975) and Wall Street (1987).

Pool shocker AN Ibiza club founded by Gary Lineker’s younger brother Wayne is facing an £8.5 million claim for damages from an ex-footballer who was left paralysed after a pool accident. Joey Hutchinson, who helped Birmingham get promotion to England’s Premier League in 2001-2002, was found floating in a pool at the O Beach Ibiza resort in San Antonio in

Lineker club in Ibiza faces £8.5 million compo claim from exfootballer

WAYNE: And Gary Lineker, while (inset) Hutchinson

June 2016. It is thought he either fell or dived in and hit his head, with the 37-year-old left paralysed after suffering spinal

injuries. He now needs round-the-clock care. He is seeking compensation from club operator Ice

Recycled red

Goals in the kitchen

PRINCESS Leonor has followed in the footsteps of her mother by recycling her outfit. The princess, 15, wore the same outfit at the official opening of Parliament that she wore in November at an event in Catalunya. The red tweed dress and a red jacket were worn in honour of mum, Queen Letizia’s lucky colour. The young Royal is following in the footsteps of her environmentally-aware mother who often re-uses her clothes. It came as many celebrities were showered in praise for wearing recycled outfits at the BAFTA awards in London this week. In particular, the Duchess of Cambridge who wore the same gown as in 2012.

FORMER British expat Julie Neville, married to England Women’s manager Phil Neville, has launched a Spanish cookbook. The 44-year-old draws inspiration from her time in Valencia, where she lived with her husband and their two children for three years. Naturally, the mum-of-two did not forget the region’s most famous dish paella in her new 248page book, Authentic Spanish Cooking. The former receptionist revealed she got her paella recipe from renowned restaurant Ca ‘Pepico. Valencian oysters also get a look-in, as do saltcrusted sea bass, which she honed at revered local fish joint, Civera.

Solicitors and Accountants who speak your language and understand your particular needs • Property Law • Inheritance • Business Accounting • Resident and Non Resident Tax Returns • Employment Law • Court Solicitors C/Miguel de los Santos Oliver, 10, local 3 07181 Palma Nova, Calvia Tel: 971 591 118 / 660 383 060 www.maricunningham.com Registered with the Law Society of the Islas Baleares and with the Law Society of Scotland

Mountain Ibiza SL, which lists TV pundit Gary Lineker’s nephew Duane Lineker – Wayne’s son – among its directors. Mr Hutchinson’s lawyers launched a compensation claim in the UK, but the club’s insurers argued that the case should be heard in Spain. Now the judge, Mrs Justice Andrews, has decided that the case can be heard in the English courts, saying that Ice Mountain ‘deliberately targeted’ British tourists and so was subject to UK consumer protection laws.

Unsuspecting

Mr Hutchinson’s solicitor, Cheryl Palmer-Hughes of Irwin Mitchell said in a statement: “Joey suffered devastating injuries in the accident which are going to affect him and his family for the rest of his life. “Through our investigations, we believe that there was insufficient safety advice provided to customers at the club, and the company which owns O Beach, and its insurers, have a case to answer.” Wayne Lineker has over the years had a string of interests in pubs and clubs in Spain and further afield. In 2006 he was jailed for two-and-a-half years for a UK tax fraud. He avoided £90,000 tax by getting unsuspecting relatives to carry cases of cash from his Spanish clubs through airport security.

Grab a Grammy

SPAIN’S top singer has scooped her first Grammy. 26-year-old Rosalia won Best Latin Album for El Mal Querer at the awards ceremony in Los Angeles. It was the first time an all-Spanish album has won the category. While she told the audience it was an honour to win the award, she said she was more excited about performing a ‘flamenco-inspired’ song for them. The artist had already won four Latin Grammys in 2019, including Album of the Year. During her debut performance, the Barcelona singer gave the audience a taste of her new flamenco-powered pop single, titled Juro Que.

NEWS

www.theolivepress.es By Dilip Kuner

TOURISTS are being warned to watch out for an alarming spate of drink spikings in Spain. The American embassy in Madrid has put out a security alert after a rise in sex assaults against its citizens. It is now urging Americans to take precautions against predators by watching out for spiked drinks and avoiding being alone. In a message on its website, it warned: “The Spanish Ministry of Interior reports a steady increase in the number of sexual assaults over the past five years. “This includes a rise in sexual assault against young US visitors and students throughout Spain. “US victims of sexual assault can find it very difficult to navigate the local criminal

Speed demons TWO speed cameras in the Balearics are in the top 20 most used cameras in Spain, it has been revealed. The speed camera on the motorway between Palma and Calvia caught nearly 27,000 speeders in 2019, the 13th highest number in the country. The other speed camera in Ibiza placed ninth on the list.

February 7th - February 20th 2020

Spiking alert 2

US embassy issues sex attack warning telling public to ‘watch out’ for drinks spiking justice system, which differs significantly from the US system. “We urge US citizens to take precautions against sexual assault during their stay in Spain.”

CRIME the --September - September 2014 NEWS theolive olivepress press August 7 - 4 August 20 201417 7 - August 20 2014

the olive press - August

www.theolivepress.es

CRIME Tech fights SMASH NEWS

nd Rape victim demaexecuted ‘Scarface’ justice the spiking

insists potential victims A Norwegian expat after she was drugged and need to be warned, assaulted in Alicante

Olive Press Spiking campaign hits UK media

have BIG developments been made by tech experts into preventing drink-spiking. I A UK-based company has jump out of the window, small developed ‘Spikey’, a would have.” tube and stopper Despite numerous identity plastic E into most glass who fits EXCLUSIV expat confessions that AN the parades, A NORWEGI d a pre- bottles to prevent people By Imogen Calderwoo of all three men and was drugged and brutally in the is deliminary hearing dropping substances raped on a night out story felt in March in front drink. termined to have her to her side to a taxi rank, and I them that of a Benidorm Clubs can even order told and bring justice safe because I was sure there is in bulk to hand out to their judge, attackers. roccan drug lord as he was the taxi driver would realise she was as- something was wrong. still no court case patrons. EXCLUSIVE A year after fancy a bottled don’t shooting sitting in the cafe, If you pending. after being drugged “But then one of the three saulted By Jacqueline Fanchini just drink then pd.id is here to “Everything in an Albir bar, in Alicante guys walked to the driver’s him in the back of the head by David I retakes so long. I help. Developed technolprovince, Goril Hvidsten side and got in, and an- Wilson,to a medical he attempted flee.small, USB onlyaswant waived her right to alised it was his taxi. has this Aanonymity DUTCH attempt dealer always and no one ogy told to get a in an drug swers Known as expert,‘Scarface’, lives vic- “You’re night out can give me them. drive-sized device flashes known aspotential ‘Scarface’ - home has after athe to warn other taxi Bouyakhrichan was and one safest a Spanish in your drink I have tims. it has been tam- THE Olive Press drinkme, because been executedto outside anthat’s and he’s whenevertop lawyer “If this has happened know, way. But it was these men JUSTICE NEEDED: Goril Hvidsten on of Amsterdam’s crime I trying to help pered with. exclusive shopping centre, and to other people and (inset) Goril’s that attacked me.” be synced and Itwas heavily in-to a spiking campaign has can even but it’s just how many other Hvidsten was driven to the the road to recovery, the brutal attack me,bosses who knows and give noti- been making headlines just yards from ex-England are,” the day after smartphone system here. thevolved countless victims there Olive Romanian man’s apart- injuries in drug trafficking, raped that crushed three front teeth the fications when the chemical in the UK. manager Fabio Capello’s There are so many excuses. Hvidsten, 48, told ment, where she was drink your of cocaine. Press has composition three men. that Hvidsten was The Olive particularly Press. The Guardian picked home. who by all identity parades on three clude e, launched campaign changes. a He is gsaid “What about the girls and “They were so relaxed, like of drugged with Scolapamin occasions. in to have marked their 40s BouyakhExpat had done this before,to different aren’t in Samir showed otherwise known as burun- against drink-spikin come to go they it was Caption cocaine blocks with up on our campaign an exclusive an everyday The bar-owner Spain, afterhis aren’t strong like danga, previously reported an richan, 36,enough from AmsterCCTV footage of Hvidsten inves- investigationstamps revealed such as ‘AK’, ‘Mit- aims, also highlighting to the police, that are suffer- thing. on in the Olive Press Monte Halcones shopping to other taxi day. the men the absence of official statisdam-West, as he into drink-spiking alarming absence of statisman left early because and ing in silence.” was shot and one Two “One tigation area, the in in men approached and subishi’, and ‘Vuitton’, drivers tourists. driving arrived in Benahavis,theinRomanian the - who back to tics and advice for Hvidsten he had in Spain. tics and the need to end the left the ‘All in 1’ -cafe theto go centre, was in aims identified fast- The campaign, which served executed the Dutch-Mowhich as quality inAlbir in August 2013 she his taxi. The drug is powerful, brother. early hours of last Thursown his as tourwas man for I simwhen that safety current culture of victimso brutal and notoriously to improve dicators outside the bar for his customers. three “It was All three men have admit- acting administer as it does ists, has three simple aims: was approached by and a bruised and scarred all over, of ted to having sex with Hvid- ple to but more statistics, Hebetter waspolicregistered as workmen: two Spaniards and they crushed three not need to be ingested sten, but deny the charges advice. ing, clearer ing Romanian. my front teeth. merely inhaled. and raping her. in as an estate agent, with drugging of get beers of to and one two like had over finger his it was it on If you would “I had only But “Whensaid ‘Okay, you can go “The doctors say I must “He had Press the Olive over and put it with the company Albina Propso I was far from drunk. them been drugged because just reachednose, and I was touch any aspect camhave the of out.” completely me was I kicked my about suddenly re- now’ and erties 2009 SL, registered of the violence I endured,” under his spell for seven paign, email newsdesk@ out of control. I don’t the Hvidsten reported the crime under Hvidsten. five argued from Altea ss.es in much police in Malaga since 2008. the member some to theafter the assault, and Medical reports from con- hours. had asked me to theolivepre next seven hours, but days “If they However, sources insisted out Hospital Comarcal things are very clear. out- has picked her attackers “I remember walking

Expat drug lord shot in the head in exclusive Costa del Sol shopping centre, just yards from the home of former England manager Fabio Capello and close to Zagaleta

FLASHBACK: Our spiking Gang-dalucia - as police campaign and back issues crack down on biker gangs CRIMINAL biker gangs are being targeted and investigations’ to avoid gang culture by Spanish authorities as their popularity developing across the country. grows. It added that these gangs have a long traThe police are investigating a number of ledition of criminal activity, including drug gitimate businesses in Andalucia that have dealing and trafficking, extortion, money been set up in the hotel and restaurant seclaundering and violent crimes. tor, that are being run merely to hide illegal Andalucia has become a hot-bed for biker activity. gangs with the largest chapter of the SatThey are also looking at the motoring and udarah MC gang - set up in Holland - now real estate sector. located in Southern Spain. "These businesses are run of exclusively by Biker gangs like the Hell’s Angels – with our helping yearsnetworks whose After gang members and10 conceal strong followings in Germany and the Spain, in safely buy of the illegal purpose is tocustom hide the ersprofits Netherlands – are growing in Spain. Costa activities committedopene in their countries of new There are currently 80 biker-related our d origin,” said we’ve a spokesman for the Interior criminal investigations under way in Eueven it make to del Sol office Ministry. rope ty! including murder and attempted proper dream your The police will ‘increase preventive activity to find murder. easier

Nailing date-rape

this was merely a front for his real job. Police and an ambulance were soon on the scene but medics were unable to save the victim. The gunmen remain at large although the motive is believed to have been a settling of scores, related to the theft of a cocaine shipment sent to Belgium. Despite his high profile, authorities have systematically been unable to produce sufficient evidence to warrant a conviction.

STUDENTS have invented a colourful way for clubbers to check if their drinks have been spiked. Under the name Undercover Colours, the North Carolina State University entrepreneurs have developed a nail varnish that changes colour when it touches daterape drugs. The idea is that the wearer can stir their drink, and the colour-change will alert them to the presence of drugs like Rohypnol and GHB.

Virus spreads

They included From property agents tofears of a legal advice, we have all the man infected on a cruise expertise you need in one place. ship in Malaga, as well as a group of Chinese people on a tour in Granada. Coronavirus has so far claimed at least 425 lives with over 20,000 confirmed cases worldwide. The World Health Organisation acknowledge that the virus is spreading rapidly but are not yet declaring it as a pandemic.

The Olive Press launches a campaign against drink-spiking, see page 2

olive press

The original and only English-language investigative newspaper in Andalucía

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Let HiFX help you

THE British Consulate has joined the offensive against reach your sexual attacks in Spanish holdestination. iday hotspots. Vol. 8 Issue 193 www.theolivepress.es August 7 - August 20 2014 Will Middleton, the British www.hifx.co.uk consular director for Spain, instigated a series of dramatic posters warning British tourists how to stay safe on nights out. ‘Don’t walk home alone or with someone you don’t trust, it could cost you your life’, read one poster. ‘Keep an eye on your drink: It only takes a second for your night out to book, Linkedin and by word turn into a nightmare’, said of mouth, operates out of his another. own home as well as visiting However, Ibiza’s tourist inclients’ both on the coast and Hill, 52, was also struck off in dustry has shockingly siExclusive regularly back in England. a hearing of the Nursing and lenced Middleton’s attempt The UK Nursing Council’s By Tom P0well Midwifery Council in August to crackdown on drink-spikhearing report on Hill, who ing and sexual assaults by A MENTAL health nurse who 2011, banning him from pracqualified as a mental health Recently retired Premiership tising as a nurse in England. banning the posters. was sacked and jailed for tornurse in 1983, states: “There footballer-turned-MarbellaThe Consulate’s warnings turing an 85-year-old demen- But he did not attend the is no evidence before the businessman David Bentley come just weeks after the tia patient is giving botox in- hearing, with UK newspapers panel of either insight or reon living in Spain reporting he was working at a Olive Press launched its own jections on the Costa del Sol. morse.” campaign against drink-spikSee Page 21 David Hill was imprisoned botox clinic in Spain. A spokeswoman for the ing – called Smash the Spikfor six months in 2010, after Fast forward four years and Council, Ann Brown, told the pleading guilty to ‘degrading the Olive Press has traced Olive Press that by moving to and humiliating’ wheelchair- Hill, now living with his wife Spain, Hill now comes under bound Dorothy Tunstall at a in a luxury villa in the Atalaya ‘the jurisdiction of the equivUK care home in St Helens, development, Estepona, and alent Spanish authority’. working as a self-employed Liverpool. Hill: Jailed for abuse Judge Robert Warnock told ‘aesthetic practitioner’. No remorse Hill at Liverpool Crown But when client Natalie Rose what he had done in St Hel- “He cannot practise as a nurse Court: “You grossly abused discovered his unsavoury your patient’s trust, appar- past via a Google search, she ens I was amazed, shocked in England but according to a February 2014 report, it apently for your own perverse immediately raised the alarm and upset. “My mum had dementia and pears non-registered people bell. enjoyment. “You force-fed her, you “I’ve known David for three he was so sympathetic with can still administer Botox in flicked food in her face and years, I even introduced him me, but now I am appalled, he the UK,” she confirmed. you put her in a hoist and to people in Coin and helped must have no shame,” added However, the Spanish minisspun her around when you him advertise on Facebook,” Rose, who has lived in Coin try of health confirmed that British expat Rose told the with her family for 11 years. to administer botox in Spain, Retracing seminal 1960s’ knew she was terrified.” Olive Press. “When I saw Hill, who advertises on Face- you must be a qualified doc- Costa del Sol novel ing – following an exclusive tor and registered. investigation into attacks in See Page 22 And the Ocean Clinic in MarSpain’s most popular holiday bella confirmed: “You need destinations. to be a qualified doctor to adThe investigation revealed a minister Botox in Spain, and complete absence of official registered with the Ministry statistics in Spain regardof Health.” ing reports of drink-spiking When contacted by the Olive – from police, hospitals and Press, Hill stated that he is a town halls – despite rumours ‘fully trained and legal aesthat this type of crime is on thetic practitioner’, working the increase. in both Spain and England. Our aims are simple: more “I was told I did not need a statistics, better policing, certificate from the Ministry clearer advice. of Health to administer botox The Olive Press is currently and fillers in Spain,” he said, in communication with the while expressing no remorse British consul, town halls in for his previous actions. A look at the high life in Continues page 2 More than 65,000 people sign petition demanding a stop to Donkey “I went to prison for some- our Sotogrande supplement carousels - see page 11 thing I didn’t do,” he claimed. See Pages 25-31

In your face!

Olive Press discovers shameless, jailed and struck off nurse giving botox injections on Costa del Sol

My new golden goal

SMASH

blaming. The nathe tional spiking broadsheet was interested to discover how other countries and clubs are tackling it. The in-depth investigation was looking into the amount of victims who do not come forward for fear of not being believed. It highlighted how the serious crime of drugging drinks - which can lead to a prison sentence of up to five years - is often being ignored around the UK and Europe. It supported our campaign and appealed for more victims to come forward. To read the article, visit www.theguardian.com

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Drinkspiking outcry silenced

A BODY has been found at Son Espases Hospital car park. Policia Nacional are investigating the death of a 45-year-old man, whose body was discovered on Thursday morning at the hospital’s outdoor car park.

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SPAIN has confirmed its first case of coronavirus. A German national tested positive for the virus at a hospital in the Canary Islands. He is believed to be recovering well and could be discharged soon from an isolation hospital in La Gomera. It comes after a tense week of suspected cases of the deadly contagion for Spain.

drinkspiking

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Body found

the spiking

Burns

The police believe he may have killed himself, as a bottle of hydrochloric acid was found nearby. It is believed that he was homeless and spent the night in the car park. Although no signs of violence are evident, burns in his mouth have been found. The full autopsy has yet to be concluded the reason behind his death is still unclear.

Mapping The Drifters...

Stop the ride!

World of its Own

23 flew back to Ohio and are being kept informed of police inquiries. The Olive Press launched a campaign against drink spiking in 2014.

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THE 100-year-old Soller Train (above) has become part of the European Federation of Historic and Tourist Railways. The prestigious institution has 'unanimously' accepted the Soller Train into the federation, with the railway, known locally as 'Tren de'Art', now protected. Malaga

The federation can now share and defend the interests of the train line that runs from the town of Soller to the port, ensuring it will be maintained and last for decades to come. Many parts of the wooden train and line are original pieces that require plenty of maintenance.

NEWS

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Tapped up A THIRD public water fountain for drinking has opened in Palma. Last year two drinking fountains with filtered tap water opened in Plaza del Mercat and Plaza de la Porta Pintada. A third has now opened in Plaza Pere Garau – all the fountains have multiple functions including filling up bottles and water bowls for dogs. Emaya and the Palma City

Council have collaborated in installing the fountains to promote drinking tap water in the Balearics. The average resident in the Balearics consumes 175 litres of bottled water annually, generating 5 kilograms of plastic. In Palma alone, this equates to about 2,000 tons of plastic per year just from water bottles. More public drinking fountains with bottle refill stations will be set up around the city in the coming months.

Goose chase trade deal A UK plan for a Canadastyle free trade deal with the European Union has been rejected. It comes as UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson laid out his vision for a trade deal with Brussels insisting there was ‘no need’ to follow EU rules. His aim is an agreement like the one Canada signed in 2016 where import tariffs on most goods have been eliminated. The flow of services, such as banking – which is of more importance to the UK – however are much more restricted. He also mentioned however, that if this deal is not reached the UK will return to the Withdrawal Agreement, or have a similar deal to Australia. Boris used his speech - titled ‘unleashing Britain’s potential’ - to highlight the fact

that the UK intends to revert to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) terms if the EU refuses such a deal. He said: “The choice is emphatically not ‘deal or no deal’.

Prosper

“The question is whether we agree a trading relationship with the EU comparable to Canada’s - or more like Australia’s. “In either case, I have no doubt that Britain will prosper mightily.” He added he will reject the requirement for the UK to adopt European rules ‘on competition policy, subsidies, social protection, the environment, or anything similar, any more than the EU should be obliged to accept UK rules’. See Time’s Up on page 6

EXCLUSIVE By Joshua Parfitt

A BRITISH daredevil has blasted his treatment at the hands of Spanish police after repeatedly breaking the law illegally scaling buildings. Adam Lockwood, 19, claims police ‘did nothing properly’ as they ordered him to descend from a 14-storey Benidorm block where he was filming himself dangling over a busy road. The stuntman, who brands himself a ‘professional idiot’, claimed police attempted to confiscate his GoPro camera after he filmed them from the back of their car.

It’s mint to be MENTHOL cigarette vendors in Spain will be handed €10,000 fines later this year, it has been announced. It comes as an EU ban on minty tobacco products comes into force on May 20 in a bid to deter youngsters from smoking. The UK will still be subject to the new laws during the Brexit transition period, which ends on December 31. In Spain it will be considered a ‘serious offense’ to sell menthol-infused tobacco products after May 20.

where students spend their free time. Local politicians have been asking the City Council to remove the cats for months, both for the safety of the children and the cats. “Some of the cats suffer injuries because they run freely and without controls in the streets,” said Lidia Sabater, Councillor of CS in Marratxi.

British daredevil vows to carry on illegal climbing despite arrest

Police allegedly also succeeded in deactivating his Instagram account – where he has 5,000 followers - after he uploaded videos of his antics. “They can’t just take me away without reading my rights,” the teenager insisted to the Olive Press this week. However, a spokesman for the Policia Nacional hit back insisting it was the ‘second time’ officers had caught Lockwood climbing buildings

without authorisation. “Officers did not arrest him, but took him to the station as he had no identification and needed to be identified,” he stated. The spokesman added that Lockwood, along with four

Triple threat A TRIO of planes have had to make emergency landings this week. An alarming two of them were in Malaga. The first saw a plane en route from Barcelona to Morocco stop at around 8pm on Monday when smoke was spotted in the cabin. The Airbus A320, operated by Vueling, landed without issue and took off again later. Incredibly, just 30 minutes later an Iberia flight from Madrid to Melilla had to make an emergency landing due to bad weather. It comes after an Air Canada flight also had to make an emergency landing at Madrid airport on Monday after experiencing problems with its landing gear.

young accomplices, will be fined between €100 to €600 for breaking a law which forbids citizens from climbing without authorisation. Lockwood has been to court three times in the UK for similar offences. He told the Olive Press there was no point requesting permission as it is never granted and using safety ropes ‘takes the fun out of it’. Asked why he doesn’t climb a mountain, he said: “I climb urban areas because there’s so much opportunity and it’s completely different to a mountain.”

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Fido wants a ride PETS can now travel on HALF of the bus lines around Palma, the Government has announced. Before, only eight of the EMT bus lines allow animals on board: lines 1, 2, 3, 4, 20, and 35, as well as line 1 and 2 to the airport.

But starting on February 1, lines 11, 14, 16, 24, 31, 32, 46, and 47 will also allow domestic animals on board. Dogs are to pay €0.30, according to the announcement by Deputy Mayor of Sustainable Mobility Francesc Dalmau.

NOT LETTING GO

Calls for cat control at school

CITIZENS groups in Marratxi have called for urgent action to control the colony of wild cats living next to a primary school. Dozens of feral cats have set up shop near the Costa i Llobera de Portol school, where some residents leave food on paths, keeping the colony growing. The animals are creating a mess around the school and on the playground

February 7th - February 20th 2020

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FEATURES

www.theolivepress.es Voted top expat paper in Spain

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

OPINION

Facebook failure Companies such as Pet Taxi Transport highlight the ease with which anybody in the digital world can set up a ‘company’ and charge for services remotely. In many cases without any paperwork or licences. Yet it also highlights the perils of failing to undertake due-diligence. With an enormous amount of companies across all sectors, it can be difficult to know which is legitimate and which is bogus. It is equally hard to know if that 5-star rating was earned or is faked. Yet when a company such as Pet Taxi doesn’t even have the correct registration to carry out the simplest of jobs it is important for media groups like ours to step in and expose them. For one thing’s for certain, the likes of Facebook are not going to do it.

Charity case CHARITY is the best of us; good people going into the shadows of society to share a little light. There is little as selfless as giving oneself for the benefit of a stranger. Which is why the charity sector is so respected, and revered. In the UK, it shapes our town highstreets and our currency – plans to scrap 1 and 2 pence coins were attacked by newspapers as it would see fewer coppers dropping into fewer buckets. Strong protections also exist to protect charities from paying VAT, ushering the good work onwards and upwards. But there are always those who pervert a good thing. In Spain, shady businesses have shrouded money trails under the protective cloak of the law. A leading accountant told us that efforts to clamp down on fraud will mean charities must declare income streams, and paying IVA is a means to this end. And this is also good – though the effect will damage charities that see many British expats selflessly devoting themselves to the betterment of Spain in too many ways to fill this paper. The law can be unfair, the law can be unbending, but the law is the law. Direct the anger against the scum who have ruined the protection it once gave. There will come a time of sacrifice – but, there again, is not sacrifice the very best of us, going into the shadows to share a guttering flame. PUBLISHER / EDITOR

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February 7th - February 20th 2020

‘Brextranjeros’ were nowhere to be found on the night the UK ‘took back control’ from the EU, writes Charlie Smith

48.1% REMAIN

51.9% LEAVE

TIME’S UP S O are the shackles finally off or are we about to embark on one of the messiest and costly divorces in history? Maybe both. It depends who you listen to. But one thing is for sure. When the clock struck 12 on January 31, the UK officially left the European Union and we expats in Spain were all made ‘Brextranjeros’, as the Olive Press is dubbing you. It only took three prime ministers and 1,316 days of parliamentary bickering, but we are finally here. Possibly to his eternal discredit, Boris got it done and Brexit is happening. As Nigel Farage joyfully told the European Parliament this week, waving his Union Jack. Only one question remains though... to celebrate or commiserate? On Brexit night, the Olive Press dropped into popular Kinsales bar, in Duquesa Port. ITV News were also broadcasting live from the popular expat watering hole. We didn’t spot anyone weeping into a vino tinto or triumphantly sinking pints of Carling. Nor did anyone draw inspiration from Spanish New Year’s Eve and gobble down a dozen scotch eggs as the clock struck 12. On the stroke of midnight (11pm UK time) one man clapped. A very British way to see in this new era of British history. The words of T.S. Eliot’s poem The Hollow Men seemed very apt in summing up the night’s partying – or lack of. “This is the way the world ends. “Not with a bang but with a whimper.” Remain voter Brian Forgie, 57, told the Olive Press that ‘Brexit was a f**k up’ and he was just here to ‘enjoy a drink’. “This is beyond England, Scotland and everything. “The Southeast of England has just sucked everything into itself. “There’s so much in the EU that

VARIETY: Different ways the press marked Brexit departure

we don’t understand.” Other British expats in Spain were also out on Brexit night, regardless of whether they were Brexiteers (unlikely if you’re an Olive Press reader as our 75/25% poll last year discovered, more of which later) or Remainers. One fiercely British Remainer, 64-year-old Paul Darwent, hosted an ironic Brexit bash up in the hills on the way to Ronda. The expat of 22 years put on a ‘tongue-in-cheek’ evening of poetry, food, music and comedy at his popular Bar Allioli in Jimera de Libar. Think beans on toast, tunes like Vera Lynn’s We’ll Meet Again and buckets of nostalgia on ice. One person who definitely didn’t celebrate was Anne Hernandez (above), President of Brexpats in Spain which is fighting for the rights of British residents here. “I feel violated,” she told the Olive Press, speaking ahead of mid-

Brexit in numbers 700,000

Britons actually living in Spain

365,967

Britons registered as living in Spain

180,000 9,000 60%

Spaniards registered in UK Spanish cross-border workers in Gibraltar

British expats who couldn’t vote in 2016 referendum or last general election

night, “I feel a personal sense of ‘Rise and shine...it’s a glorious bereavement, and tonight I will new Britain’. be losing my identity. Among the most self-aggran“I’ll be sitting indoors crying todising was the Daily Telegraph, night, I’ll be having a strong cup boasting in an eight-page Brexit of coffee. supplement how its former col“How can people celebrate losumnist (Boris Johnson) made it ing their rights? It’s barbaric, 47 into Downing Street and led the years of history erased. country into a new era. “My big question is, who is the The Daily Star went with the UK going to blame when it leaves end of Dry January. and it can’t use the EU as a Meanwhile, others scapegoat?” chose to optimistiMeanwhile, across the border on cally look ahead to the Rock, Fabian Picardo’s Gieven more holidays braltar marked the EU departure in Europe post-Brexit, with a ‘short and solemn’ EU flag including English jourlowering to the glorious sounds of nalist and theatre critic Beethoven’s Ode to Joy. Quentin Letts (below). The Commonwealth flag is to reWriting in The Sun, he place the EU flag. said: “The Further afield, hairpin bends other Brexit celeof Monte Carlo, Please sit brations included the bleat of Pyresome pathetic down, resume nean mountain Union Jack-waving the canals your seats and goats, by Nigel Farage and bong shops and his EuroscepAmsterdam, put your flags of tic cronies in the S candi navi a’s away European Parliafjords and frisky ment in Brussels. midsummer The Brexit Party freedoms, plus leader’s antics were swiftly cut all those amazing, bewildering, short by vice-president Mairead beautiful languages and literaMcGuiness, who turned off his tures and cooking styles: Europe microphone, adding: “Please sit will continue to exert her magical down, resume your seats, put allure on us.” your flags away and take them Local Mijas Councillor Bill Anderwith you if you’re leaving son, who became the first Brit now.” to take up the post in the Teary-eyed Remaintown’s 40 years of desupporting MEPs mocracy, was slightly also commemoratmore measured than ed the approaching Letts. B-Day by breaking “Tonight I’m having into a rendition of dinner at home with Auld Lang Syne. my Spanish wife,” he Farage’s anti-EU revtold the Olive Press elry was matched by before midnight, “I’m the front pages of Britdefinitely not going to ain’s right-wing press, which any Brexit parties. invoked patriotic sentiment with “Some are going to drown their images of the White Cliffs of Dosorrows I’m sure, but for me, it’s ver and Big Ben. not a chance to celebrate, I think ‘A new dawn for Britain’, was the a lot of British people will be afDaily Mail’s splash, while the Daifected. ly Express opted for the tedious “The biggest effect in the short

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February 5th - February 18th 2020

Olive Press 7 online

February 7th - February 20th 2020

‘Spain’s BEST English news website’

IN-DEPTH: On the La Cala drownings, missing Harry and Storm Gloria

REAL SPANISH CONTENT

VARIETY: Different ways the press marked Brexit departure term will be on the national police, because we’ll all have to be registered. We’re foreigners, no longer EU citizens. “The police have been preparing for this for a long time, in Fuengirola they have been taking on more staff.” Fellow Mijas councillor, Arancha Lopez, highlighted the ‘importance’ of the 8,842 Brits registered in the municipality. She said: “The British in Mijas are one of the pillars of our residential tourism and a fundamental part of the Mijas society and economy.”

Changes

But beyond January 31, when the tiresome catchphrases, such as ‘taking back control,’ are a distant memory, what, if anything will actually change? Aside from a commemorative 50p coin and blue passports, most things will actually remain the same during the 11-month transition period, which ends on December 31 (See box). Unless it’s extended, which has got to be a distinct possibility. One thing that could change on New Year’s Day 2021 is pensions. For those still set on making Spain their retirement destination after that, current pension guarantees will not necessarily apply from December 31 and your state pension may be frozen. Unless guarantees are renewed, s o m e 650,000 Brit pensioners across the EU will no longer see their pension

increase each year in line with wage growth, inflation or by 2.5% (whichever figure is higher). Despite claims to the contrary by the British embassy and consulates, nothing has been set in stone. For the 365,967 Britons registered in Spain (the actual number of Brits in Spain is closer to 700,000) Spain issued a royal decree last year effectively guaranteeing several rights – healthcare, freedom of movement and the right to work. Brits living in Spain are advised to check the Government website for more information, but crucially should make sure they are registered on the padron, registered as a foreigner, have enough time left on their passport and have exchanged their driving license for a Spanish one.

Updated But as we embark upon a new chapter of European history, the Olive Press is still here to keep you updated. And we will do so on an almost daily basis most likely. Despite a recent poll by a downmarket jingoistic rag revealing that 81% of its readers would be out celebrating Brexit night, we expect the vast majority of you reading this (and not the loud rabble-rousers on Facebook) are still licking your wounds. According to our own poll of thousands last year some 25% of Olive Press readers supported Brexit – still a staggeringly high number, given our location. At the Olive Press we continue to fly the European flag on our front page every fortnight. Our passports may be about to change colour, but we will always be European and will continue to bring you the top stories from around Andalucia and Spain.

EUROTRASH

Known unknowns Blue passports

They are set to make a return, more than three decades since they replaced the existing burgundy-coloured versions. The ‘iconic’ blue and gold design, which was first used in 1921, will be slowly introduced, with all new passports to be blue by around July.

Brexit 50p

Around three million of the new coins will be brought into circulation. They are inscribed with ‘January 31’ and ‘Peace, prosperity and friendship with all nations’, will enter circulation on Friday’. Some Remainers, including Alastair Campbell, Tony Blair’s former spin doctor, have already said they ‘won’t use’ the new mint.

European Health Insurance Card (EHIC)

During the transition period, you can still use these cards, which provide UK nationals with state-provided medical treatment. However, whether or not you can use the card after the end of this year is still to be negotiated.

Budget contributions

The UK will continue to make payments to the EU budget during the transition period. This means that current EU grants will still be funded.

IGNORED: Jessie from Eastenders, Iran and

HILE other websites bring you the news from Scotland, Iran and - yes - the soap opera Eastenders, we at the Olive Press stick to stories on Spain. Ignoring bombings in Baghdad, skirting around Megxit (unless there’s a Spanish angle), and avoiding the row between Hugh Grant and Piers Morgan, we concentrate on the country we’re in. Sticking to the core values we established 14 years ago, we bring you content from around the whole of Europe’s most vibrant nation. Be this flooding in Alicante, a missing teenager in Teruel, or a food festival in Fuengirola, we vow to cover it. With a dozen-plus qualified journalists (all writing in their REAL names) we are able to provide a comprehensive round-up of everything important and interesting happening in Spain. Indeed, ours is the only resource expats interested in Spain need to use, not to mention tourists arriving here in their millions each month. With dozens of stories a day and over 1,400 links (none paid for) from global sites - including the BBC, Daily Mail and New York Post - is it any wonder we are getting over a million readers a month. Visit www.theolivepress.es and see how much content we have... and if you’ve got a business just how much exposure we can give you. Here are the top five most read stories on www.theolivepress.es in the past two weeks are:

- WATCH: Emergency declared in Spain’s Malaga as cars left stacked upon each other and homes and businesses wrecked while freak hail leaves cars in Marbella (32,417)

2 3

- Flights diverted from Malaga airport as orange level warning activated for Spain’s Costa del Sol (31,395)

- EXCLUSIVE: Missing British man speaks out in tell-all interview after he’s found two months following his disappearance (29,947)

- IN PICS: Parts of Spain see ‘worst snow in 50 years’ as Storm Gloria kills EIGHT while others still missing in Mallorca and Ibiza (14,708)

- BREAKING: lethal Chinese Coronavirus fear as suspected case in Andalucia, southern Spain (13,709)

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PROPERTY THE BIG PICTURE

February 7th - February 20th 2020

It’s a jittery year ahead, writes longtime Spanish property analyst Campbell Ferguson in his property forecast for 2020 THE Overall Market is jittery with so many national and international issues potentially affecting both buyers and sellers.

Government Spain now has a left-wing government which has previously acted against the free movement of the property market and this appears likely to recur. In Andalucia, Murcia and Valencia, where right-wing Juntas were elected in opposition to the Madrid Government, it’s more complicated. It may temper future policies but, from previous experience, we’re still likely to see reduced national investment.

World Conflict Heightened tension between Iran and other Middle East countries backed by the USA, together with the continuing belligerence of North Korea, is shaking confidence in the world economy, oil and finance

markets. While far from Spain, they affect the timing of decisions of potential buyers.

Homes on hold

Brexit De‘No Deal’ is still a prospect.

World Economy It’s already struggling due to trade sanctions between the USA and other larger economies like China and the EU. • Interest rates are so low that, whilst they make mortgages very attractive, they leave national and regional economies fewer options to cushion the effects of any world economic downturn or to stimulate economies back to growth thereafter. • There is increasing concern that the current economic growth and debt based model may have run its course and that radical change is essential to take account of depletion of the world’s raw material resources and the Climate Crisis. •Again, these matters all affect buyer decisions along with the terms, availability and exchange rates of mortgages and other bank finance. ‘No Deal’ is still a prospect.

Despite having been removed from the table it’s back by default due to the need to have the basics of an interim agreement before European Council ratification over June 18/19. The Interim agreement period ends on 31st December 2020 and without accord, ‘No Deal’ appears to be the only alternative. In addition, the UK Government’s tinkering with previously stated immigration ‘promises’ for EU citizens already in the UK or due to arrive this year is adding uncertainty to how Spain will play it, especially as the Spanish authorities have always said their regulations will mirror Britain’s. Whilst existing residence, health and working rights appear to be assured, the change of taxation treatment from EU to 3rd country citizen could affect net incomes significantly - with rental income being taxed on 24% of gross income and not 19% on net

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income (after expenses), as now.

Climate Crisis Nero is fiddling while Rome burns. As history states, not only did the emperor play music while his people suffered, he was also an ineffectual leader in a time of crisis. Unfortunately, the world appears to have many ‘Nero’ Governments - America, Brazil, Australia, India, China which are either in denial or too focused on their own domestic problems to take the required action. That has been left to the individual citizens of the World to act, but inevitably it will result in increased migration and internal conflicts. • Last year saw the first drop in visitors to Spain since 2012, due in part to collective concern for our carbon footprint. Warmer summers in Northern Europe make the benefits of

Mediterranean travel less rational, and there’s competition from other countries too. • In Spain, the climate change is predicted to lead to ▪ Less rainfall - 2019 was the driest in Málaga Province since records began, reservoirs are at their lowest level in years and 40% of Marbella’s drinking water is being supplied by desalination. We still have the spring rains to come and may they will be plentiful. ▪ More storms and sudden downpours, which cause surface floods rushing over the land to the sea, with little percolating down to the aquifers upon which our water wells depend. ▪ Rising sea levels and storm surges, will see greater damage to coastal areas, and flooding up river as downpour waters meet storm waves surging up from the sea. ▪ On the beneficial side, there will be more tourism hours of sunshine and carbon free energy will be plentiful from both wind and solar power.

THE plan to build 50 homes on rustic land in Mallorca has been put on hold. Puigpunyent City Council has been asked by the Environmental Group, GOB, to declassify the rustic land of Sa Taverna. There are plans to build at least 50 homes on the plot, according to the Urban Action Unit, UA8. The licenses that are necessary for such a building plan were suspended last August for a year, in order to rethink the project. The GOB argues that the property is located near the Galatzo estate, in the middle of the Serra de Tramuntana, and that the declassification must be carried out for environmental reasons. It also claims that a report by the Balearic Agency for Water & Environmental Quality said: “The land cannot assume the increase in wastewater flow associated with the UA-8 urbanisation project. “The area’s water purification station is very close to capacity.”

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LA CULTURA

It’s showtime!

Children Helping

February 7th - February 20th 2020

Russian romance

Children

in need on the BALEA R I C I S LAN DS

The JoyRon Foun dation Inter-Schools Talent Contest

A MUCH-LOVED children’s foundation has announced a spectacular evening of entertainment for the benefit of local kids. Once again the JoyRon Foundation is hosting an amazing event – however this time with the help of local children. Tickets are now on sale for the finals of the ‘JoyRon Inter-Schools Talent Contest’, held at the Trui Theatre on February 13. A total of 18 acts will perform, including those from Green Valley School, Baleares International College, Lycee Francais de Palma, La Salle, and the Rafa Nadal International School. “This year we have just five schools competing, but we have already been approached by three additional schools who wish to participate in next year’s event,” JoyRon founder and president Ronald Hawes told the Olive Press. “I am very hopeful this will become an annual event,” the expat, who is originally from London added. The fundraiser for the JoyRon Foundation benefits ‘children in need’ – the main motto of the foundation. The charity works with the hundreds of minors that live in children’s homes and foster care in the Balearics. It also supports children in local hospitals – in Decem-

CREATIVE & PROFESSIONAL

SERVICES AGENCY

CREATIVE & PROFESSIONAL

THE FINALS: 13th

Since October the under mentioned five schools have heats within their been holding contest respective schools to identify their chosen represent their school best talent acts to in the 2019-2020 JoyRon Inter-School to be held at Trui Theatre on Thursd Talent Contest Final ay 13th February 2020 at 19.15. Tickets are availab le for the Final from the any of the followi ng five schools. Baleare reception/administration desk at School, La Salle, s International College Lycee Francais, Rafa . Green Valley Nadal International www.joyronfoundat School. or at ion.org/talentcontes euro 7.50, (seats t price adults euro central and toward 15.00, children s the euro 5.00, (seats on the side or toward front) or euro 10.00 for adults, childre n s the back). All monies raised from this event will be 100 per cent used “HELPING CHILD to REN

SER VICES AGENCY

Children take to the stage for JoyRon talent show all in aid of a good cause

For ticket information

present from Father Christmas and the Easter bunny. It occasionally has the opportunity to give a sick child an unforgettable day with the ‘Grant a Wish Program’. They once sent a boy with an inoperable brain tumour to Disneyland Paris for five days. The JoyRon Foundation

IN NEED IN THE

Feb 2020 at 19:15

see reverse or go to:

www.joyronfoundation.org

/talentcontest

has many volunteers, and administration costs, which are privately funded. This ensures that 100% of funds raised by the charity go directly to the children. The foundation began in 2015 and has since raised more than €250,000 for abused, orphaned, and ill children in the Balearics.

That’s the ticket

Spain’s most famous palace just made it a whole lot easier to get tickets

THE Alhambra Palace has a new system for ticket sales making prices far fairer. From next month, 70% of tickets will be made available for purchase only via the official website, call centre, or in person at the site. The attraction – which was recently ranked number 11th most popular European destination – allows only a certain amount of visitors every day.

This means that tickets need to be bought well in advance and last minute tourists go to extreme lengths to get one. Until now, a staggering 49% of tickets went to travel agencies, with only 29% being available to the general public. However the system had its flaws as some agencies reserve tickets three months before possible use and do not have to confirm or pay for them until three days

BALEARES”.

Desde octubre, las cinco escuelas mencio concursos dentro nadas han celebra de sus respectivas do series de escuelas para identifi de talento elegido car sus mejores actos s para representar a su escuela en la Talento Inter-Escolar Final del JoyRon 2019-2020, jueves, 13 de febrero que se llevará a cabo Concurso de de 2020, a las 19.15 en el Teatro Trui el h. Los boletos para la final están disponi bles en el mostrador administración en de recepción/ cualqui Baleares, Green Valley era de las siguientes cinco escuela s. Colegio Interna School, La Salle, Lycée cional School o en www.jo yronfoundation.org/t Français, Rafa Nadal International euros, niños: 7,50 euros (asientos centrale alentcontest. Precio adultos: 15,00 para adultos, 5,00 s euros para niños (asientoy en la parte delantera) o 10,00 euros s a los lados o hacia atrás). El 100% de los fondos recaudados de este evento se utilizará “AYUDAR A LOS n para NIÑOS NECESITAD OS EN LAS BALE Habrá un panel de ARES” jueces independiente otorgarán premio s del mundo del entrete s a los tres mejore nimiento y se s actos en cada una escuela que obteng de las dos seccion a la mayor cantida es. La d de concurso de talento s entre escuelas JoyRonpuntos en la final recibirá el trofeo del para el año escolar 2019-2020.

Rewriting history ARCHAEOLOGIST Eliseo Gil has been told he faces a lengthy prison sentence and anonymity from the archaeological community after being accused of falsifying artefacts that had the potential to ‘rewrite the history books.’ The professor, along with his geologist partner, Oscar Escribano, are being tried for fraud and damaging heritage after they doctored findings from an important excavation at the old Roman settlement of Veleia, northern Spain. Gil became a ‘celebrity’ in the Basque country after he supposedly discovered a link between early Christianity, Ancient Egyptian and Northern Spanish cultures. The discoveries were made back in 2006, when the archaeology world was stunned to be presented with artefacts from the third century AD with early images depicting the crucifixion as well as early Basque language. However, Gil soon came under suspicion after he presented his findings to language expert Joaquin Gorrochategui, who soon began to spot inconsistencies. He noticed that the Latin used on the inscriptions was ‘vulgar’ and contained numerous errors. Gil was soon removed of his concession to continue to work at the site, and now faces up to five and a half years in prison if it is proved that his findings were doctored.

A RENOWNED, sensory and charitable quartet is coming to Mallorca. The David Oistrakh String Quartet arrives on the island on February 14. Concert-goers will be treated to all the great classics including Chaikovski and Shostakovich on the most romantic day of the year. This is one of the most prominent quartets in Russia and they will play at the Palau de Congressos. An exclusive cocktail and a chance to interact with the artists is also on offer after the recital. The charitable quartet will also be giving €2 from each ticket to the RANA Foundation, dedicated to fighting sexual abuse of minors in the Balearic Islands.

what’s on

There will be a panel of independent judges prizes will be awarde from the entertainment d to top three acts world and in each of the two gaining the most sections. The school points in the Final will be awared the Contest Trophy for JoyRon Inter-School the school year 2019-2 Talent 020.

BRIGHT SPARKS: Kids at talent show put on by children’s charity JoyRon ber the JoyRon Children’s Cinema opened in Son Espases hospital. Funding the construction of an aquatic centre for children with cerebral palsy at NGO, ASPACE, in Bunyola, was another of its projects. The foundation also ensures that children in homes, foster care and hospitals get a

January 22th - February 4th 2020

before. The system led to corruption and over-pricing and meant that if the agencies didn’t sell them they were often going unused. Many agencies sold the tickets at inflated prices, often to secondary agencies or individuals, who charged up to ten times the actual price. The Granada monument attracts 2.7 million visitors each year, making it Spain’s most visited attraction.

ardi Gras

GET your party pants ready as Sa Rua celebrations are just around the corner, with Carnival on February 22.

inema orchestra

AN epic concert by the Film Symphony Orchestra will perform cinema’s greatest hits at the Palma Auditorium on February 8 and 9, with songs from Back to the Future, Aladdin and Star Wars.

azzy Palma

PALMA Jazz Festival returns from February 11 to 23 with 18 concerts around Palma with musicians from around the world – and other events for all ages.

LA CULTURA

February 7th - February 20th 2020

Tucked away in a rugged mountain redoubt north of Granada is Castellón Alto, an ancient abandoned settlement that should be on your must-see list this year. And it’s not just the breathtaking views that will captivate you, writes Nick Nutter

The Secret Acropolis CLOSE TO HOME: Burial ‘cysts’ were often under the house

OU need to go back to between 2200 BC and 1550 BC, that the Argaric people roamed the south of Spain. Covering southeast of the Iberian peninsula, from Granada to Alicante and from Almeria to Ciudad Real, these ancient Bronze Age folk were way before their time. Indeed, thousands of years

before the Romans they developed expertise in using bronze, particularly for weaponry, as well as creating sophisticated pottery and ceramic techniques. They also mined and worked silver and gold and, above all, developed a more sophisticated society than anything that had come before. For starters, the old fashioned

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communal tombs were abandoned in favour of individual burials in ‘cysts’, often beneath each family’s own dwelling. There also appeared to be three levels of society. The upper and middle classes had access to metal and weapons and the lower class were basically slaves. The refinement of their work in metals and pottery allowed them to extend a trading network established by their predecessors, the people of Los Millares. These people are known today as the ‘Argaric people’ and their culture is called the Argar culture. It was about 1900 BC that the Argaric people built a fortified settlement near the village of Galera (pop: 1,130) in Granada’s little-visited and populated Altiplano region. On a craggy spur on the banks in the valley, each separated of the river Castillejar, the from the other by three kiloplace became metres. known as CasAt its peak, Castellón Alto, and tellón Alto is beSocial structure it is an amazing lieved to have was determined housed about place for both histor y -lover s 80 inhabitants and anyone by which terrace and it grew unwith a joy of each family lived til around 1600 getting out into BC, when it was on nature. suddenly abanThe site covers doned. about half a Built on a spur hectare and overlooks a fer- of the river, terraces were cut tile plain known as the Baza– out of the rock to provide a flat Huescar plateau, the two key surface on which the houses towns of the surrounding area. were built. It is one of four Argaric sites Each house had a low stone

BOUNDARIES: Spain was divided by tribal lines in 2000 BC

foundation sat on the bedrock and then posts, made of pine, supported the walls and roof. The posts were set in the bedrock and held firmly in place with wooden wedges. Two further posts acted as door jambs, while the door itself comprised of an esparto grass mat, similar to the ones still woven in Andalucia today. The walls were cane or interwoven branches of tamarisk, broom, poplar, willow or rushes, bound together with mud or gypsum plaster. The flat roof was a frame of pine supporting interwoven material thickly impregnated with mud that then baked in the sun. But most interestingly was each inhabitant’s position in the social structure, which was determined by which terrace they lived on. The construction of the settlement, around a buttress of rock, made defence easy, the whole structure resembles a fortress. Crowning the settlement is an area called the Acropolis and it was up here, in this walled area, that the community leaders had their homes. A total of nine graves, all cyst type burials beneath the dwellings, have been found within the Acropolis, compared to a total of 130 tombs on the whole site. One of the Acropolis tombs

February 7th - February 20th 2020

SCALE: The homes of the village leaders were at the top of the hill

SITE: Castellon Alto is in a rugged area contained a bowl, a jar, a halberd (a two-handed pole weapon) and, even, a short copper sword, all indicating the high position held by the deceased. Unfortunately, the other tombs on the Acropolis have been affected by erosion and clandestine pillaging. The Acropolis had its own wa-

ter cistern that would have been kept topped up by the serfs, who had to bring their own water as well up from the river far down below. As with modern towns, the settlement was not full built to start with, rather it developed over the whole period of occupation. The various phases

of construction are well explained at Castellรณn Alto. It is a great place to visit today and the majority of the site is well preserved and a huge amount of information has been gleaned about the Argar people and their culture. Anthropological study has shown that the people were typical Mediterranean types, of average height and slim build. The average height of a man was 1.67 metres and that of a woman 1.57 metres. A newborn child could expect to live about 23 years with only 3.5% surviving to the age of 60 years. The diet was primarily vegetarian with a little meat. Not unexpectedly the upper echelons of society tended to live longer and eat more meat.

DOORWAYS: Were made of elaborate esparto blinds that are still woven in Andalucia today

Why Castellon Alto was abandoned Beneath the settlement, extending down the valley sides to the irrigated land along the river, was a thick growth of holm-oak and Aleppo pine. The Argaric people of Castellรณn Alto denuded the valley sides of trees that they used for fuel and building. It is likely that this is the reason for it being abandoned after only 300 years.

Tours of Castellon Alto Tours of the site are conducted at set times and days throughout the year. Please check with the official website for opening times. The numerous informational plaques around the site are, unfortunately, only in Spanish, which is a pity because they display masses of information. The guide also only speaks Spanish. However, if when you book the tour, you ask for information in English, you will be presented with a plastic folder containing 16 sheets of A4 paper, each one a translation of the information on the plaques. For more info visit:

Nick Nutter owns travel website Visit Andalucia (www.visit-andalucia.com)

www.juntadeandalucia.es/ cultura/enclaves/enclave-arqueologico-castellon-alto

February 7th - February 20th 2020

And bend and breathe

Get over the festive champagne and chocs with online yoga. Gabriella Chidgey checks out the best online yoga videos to get into the 2020 health groove

HAMPAGNE and Ferrero Rocher felt like an excellent self care program for the first week of Christmas, but by the end of the Reyes, while their appeal had not palled, their effects certainly had. Long hill walks had kept my step count up (essential in our intra-marital competition) and strengthened my legs, but they had allowed my stomach and arms a completely free ride on what were increasingly tight and painful hips. So, on the morning of Jan 7 it was definitely time to roll out the yoga mat.

The free videos on YogaTX are taught by a variety of certified yoga teachers. I started here since they tailor a lot of videos for those suffering from back and neck pain. Their friendly, personal style of makes it feel like having a private yoga session and I was drawn in by their warmth. The soothing southern American tones and the kind invitations to follow their moves, entranced and inspired me. I particularly enjoy Savannah’s 40 minute deep hip opening stretches, and the 20 minute hip and hamstrings and IT bands.

MOTORCYCLE ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE MOTORCYCLE BREAKDOWN COVER

Breaking down at the roadside, at night or in bad weather can be an unsettling experience. There’s nowhere to wait in relative comfort and warmth will help arrives. And if you don’t have quality breakdown cover, you could be there, stranded, for some time. IN SAFE HANDS Our roadside assistance experts can usually fix your bike at the roadside, allowing you to continue with your onward journey as soon as possible. And if you’ve simply ran out of fuel, then they can tow you to the nearest garage, simply let our customer service staff know of the situation when you call. TRAVEL ASSISTANCE Motorcycle insurance form Línea Directa starts from just €77 and comes with two types of additional breakdown cover: Urban Travel Assistance or Total Travel Assistance. Both include emergency repairs

on-site, free towing service and transport of rider and passenger to either their home address or destination. For more information, simply call our English speaking hotline on 902 325 325 and we’ll come to your rescue. Our breakdown assistance covers motorbikes, scooters, mopeds and all types of powered two wheelers. Wherever your two wheels take you, Línea Directa has you covered.

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We hope the information provided in this article is of interest. If you would like to contact Linea Directa please call 952 147 834. More information about Linea Directa online at www.lineadirecta.com

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Quick Crossword

Across: 7 Serve, 8 Aseptic, 9 Easiest, 10 Supra, 11 Primer, 13 Enrol, 16 Agape, 18 Fiddle, 21 Until, 23 Advance, 24 Selects, 25 Darts. . Down: 1 Dressing, 2 Recede, 3 Oast, 4 Person, 5 Step, 6 Scram, 7 Sleepy, 12 Rue, 13 Elf, 14 Ordinary, 15 Renews, 17 Palace, 19 Invade, 20 Curse, 22 Talk, 23 Also.

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HEALTH

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17:01

I have been propping up my phone to follow yoga videos online for three years. Initially, it was to manage an old back injury that I had re-inflamed by wielding a hoe in my garden. Although, admittedly, there had been some procrastination between the accident and the yoga. A full year in fact, of hoping that rest, or rather lack of exercise, might heal the slipped disc. I finally accepted that I needed to be more proactive, a little more backbone than wishbone. Although I had practised yoga during the years that I was a contemporary dancer, and also for a couple of years after torn discs forced me to stop, I had only continued fitfully in the following 15 years. I practised my repertoire of stretches, postures and sequences as a warm down after running and sometimes followed diagrams and photos in books. Classes were not something I could easily incorporate into my days as a working, country-living mother. But, nor could I motivate myself to leave my home in the evening to battle for a parking space and jostle for room in a crowded studio. Free yoga videos online have completely changed the landscape. It took no more effort than looking up the recommended yoga channel on YouTube and choosing a 15 minute tutorial for a painful lower back. In my own kitchen, and with the reward of a hot, milky coffee when I finished. But I didn’t stop there, I enjoyed it so much I thought I would do another short one, and then I tried a quick meditation. Obviously the enormous amount of free content online Adriene is possibly the most popular teacher on the internet with a global online community of 5.5 million subscribers. From Austin, Texas, she has a large and diverse selection of video tutorials and is always posting new ones. She has a soft voice and gentle humour. I tried a one hour Total Body Workout. I enjoyed the steady flow, clear alignment and b r e a t h cues and how the stretches and core w o r k deepened as the class progressed. It was a good practice for building strength so I repeated it a few

Cole Chance has many free sessions on YouTube but this is her channel : Colechanceyoga.com I followed her 15 and 20 minute tutorials for back, neck and sciatica pain until I reached a stage where I wanted longer sessions and I finally paid and subscribed for one hour sessions. I love the graceful flow and movement of Cole’s classes. She gradually eases you into more challenging sequences, while keeping an expansiveness to the poses. The alignment cues are helpful and the way she breaks down poses so that you can find their essence, even if you lack the strength or flexibility for the advanced posture. She is very open about her own past struggles with addiction, and how yoga helped her become sober. She is a fun, light presence to spend an hour with, while the yoga itself does the deeper work.

means that the choice can be overwhelming, but it does give you the opportunity to experiment with different teachers and explore yoga styles. Natalie Farrel, yoga and wellness coach in Sotogrande and founder of yummy yoga girl agrees that it is a ‘great resource’ not only for beginners, but also for more advanced yogis too, since she herself also subscribes to a channel for her own daily practise. She has also observed that many men start in this way because they feel less self conscious then in an open class . Natalie adds that it is also an inexpensive way to practice yoga more and a useful tool to ‘mix into the practice ‘. Her core belief that yoga is about “celebrating our individuality and not about competition and comparing ourselves to others,”might also be embodied by sometimes practic-

days later and will continue doing it weekly. I shall definitely explore her other classes and mindfulness videos. She has a good program called Home which is designed to get you practicing for a month. It’s called ‘Ease into it 30 days of yoga’. The first day is a 6 minute orienting talk, no yoga, just an introduction with practical tips.

ing alone. I have certainly found that by being less self conscious at home and without any need for competition, I both connect more deeply to my feelings and respect my physical limits better. I often cry at home, whereas I would hold back the tears in a group class. And if it were purely self practice, without the structure of a teacher led sequence , I would stay far too comfortably within my range. The only issue I have had with online classes is my own inconsistency. My motivation has waxed and waned with great irregularity and even paying a yearly subscription was not enough to align my desire for action with the act itself. At the end of last summer, I was recommended the book Atomic Habits by James Clear (available on Amazon 18 euros) on’ how to build good habits and break bad ones’. The main tenet is that very small changes to your routine, just a 1% improvement per day, bring remarkable results. He also counsels that you choose who you want to be, not what you want to achieve. I want to be someone who has a yoga practice; a committed long term relationship rather than a series of tempestuous affairs. By implementing some of his strategies to make it more probable that I will do yoga then not, I have finally managed to get on the mat four to five times a week for four months. The main changes I made were to put my yoga clothes on first thing every morning , have my mat out, allocate the daily session to a specific time and place and also to share the practice with a friend two mornings a week, straight after school drop off. And of course, there is always the reward of a hot drink at the end of the class. Although these days it’s more likely to be a golden latte.

FOOD,DRINK & TRAVEL Cheesed off Sky high THRILL-seekers will be offered the ultimate experience in southern Spain next year. A Spanish company is to blast tourists into space from a trio of global bases, one of them in Andalucia, in 2021. Zero 2 Infinity is building a base in Jaen, alongside two more in Saudi Arabia and Baja California, in Mexico. Costing up to €12 million to build, the launch pad in Villacarrillo, will offer punters 10 to 20-minute trips for around €125,000 each. The balloon-type craft will ascend 36 kilometres into space and punters will need to be of a certain level of fitness.

DOUBLE DELIGHT A RESTAURANT in Toledo has served up the best croquettes in the country for two years in a row. Restaurante Ivan Cerdeno came top again for the ‘creaminess, texture and flavour’ of its Spanish delicacy. In second place was Casa Belarmino in Asturias, in the contest sponsored by celebrated jamon producer Joselito.

February 7th - February 20th 2020

What’s on for foodies!

lavourful Wednesdays

BINDI Indian Restaurant in Santa Catalina is hosting ‘Streetfood Wednesdays’ with small bites, unique cocktails and this year the addition of live music every week!

orld’s best

The trip will be in a pressurised cabin or pod, propelled by a balloon fuelled by helium gas. It will soar higher than planes, but below satellites. No extensive training is needed and passengers will not be wearing astronaut gear, but overalls similar to those of a race car driver. Passengers will mostly feel the same as they do on a normal flight, but there will be a certain level of discomfort as there won’t be any catering or toilets. “As there is nothing abrupt about it, it’s the kind of tourism anyone can enjoy,” said co-onwer Kemel Kharbachi. “The 2021 tourists will have to have plenty of economic clout, but as both the technology and the program evolve, in five or 10 years we want this type of trip to become something like the ‘all-inclusive’ packages to the Caribbean.” Elon Musk’s SpaceX plans to have the first civilian in space this year, while Richard Branson plans to take 600 tourists into space this year, including Leonardo DiCaprio and Justin Bieber.

MISLEADING: Pasties packaging masking as vegan THE Government has ordered the withdrawal of five ‘vegan’ products because they contain milk. The brand ‘No Cheese’ did not state that on packaging that its items do contain dairy ingredients. Cheese and onion pasties, and four different pizzas, are among the offending foods that were sold throughout Mallorca, including in expat shop Nice Price in Costa d’en Blanes. The Department of Health has warned people with dairy allergies not to consume these products.

Loud and proud THE Government has asked the hotel and restaurant industry to use more local products – and boast about it! At the fourth annual Horeca Mallorca Fair, the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries

and Food Mae de la Concha begged the service industry to use more local foods. The hotel and restaurant sectors ‘must unite in favour of local products,’ said de la Concha. For the first time, the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food has a booth at the service industry fair, with information about regulations and laws available to the sectors.

PALMA’S Sa Feixina park hosts the second edition of the World Championship of Pa amb Oli on February 28, combining tasty combinations of breads and oils from around the world.

air food

IF you’re looking for a fill of classic carnival treats like candy apples and juicy hot dogs, the Fira del Ram comes to Palma on February 27 until April 19.

Friends.

Reset.

Music.

At OD Port Portals we have our own star rating. In fact, we have all the stars of the Mallorca sky and we will enjoy them all together every summer night at OD Sky Bar, on our spacious terrace and at our restaurant On Top. A hotel full of local experiences, music, art, gastronomy, yoga, pre-parties, flea markets, brunches, concerts, Pilates, tardeo, sea, sun and all the stars. A hotel full of life.

Horizon.

Sunset.

Memories.

BUSINESS

February 7th - February 20th 2020

LOSE THE TWOS THE European Commission (EC) will evaluate the use of one and two euro cent coins with a view to eliminate them this year, it has been announced. The EC’s Work Programme for 2020, presented this week, will include the evaluation as part of a raft of new measures from German president Ursula von der Leyen, who took charge in December last year. The vice president of the EC, Maros Sefcovic, explained in a press conference that the objective of the evaluation is to analyse the ‘efficiency’ in the use of these currencies.

NUMBERS GOING NORTH SPAIN has had its best year for tourism ever. In 2019 the country had 83.7 million tourists last year. Breaking records for the seventh consecutive year, it is a 1.08% increase on 2018. Spending from visitors has also increased, with tourists spending €92.2 billion, a 2.82% rise compared to 2018.

Balearics behind THE Balearic Islands have the lowest percentage of electric cars available for rent in all of Spain. It comes as Autos.net, Spain’s leading car portal, found a jump of nearly 3% more electric and hybrid cars available last December. Other areas of Spain are growing their fleet of electric car rentals, such as Galicia where 4.5% of rental cars are electric.

In the Balearics, only 1.4% of rental cars are electric or hybrid – the lowest in the nation. Sales of electric vehicles are also growing rapidly in Spain – last year more than 31,000 used electric and hybrids were sold, 33.5% more than 2018. The market for new electric and hybrid cars also grew from 2018 to 2019 with 39.6% more sold.

Burger bunfight RESTAURANT Brands Iberia (RBI) has bought KAM Food Service in the latest frenzy of fast food firm acquisitions. The Spanish firm is a subsidiary of the company that owns Burger King (Restaurant Brands International). K A M Food

Socialist PSOE Government announce minimum wage hike to €950

TWO million workers in Spain are hoping to see their pay packets fatten after Pedro Sanchez’s socialist government raised the minimum wage to €950 a month. Employees in the agriculture, construction and hospitality industries – as well as cleaners and carers – will benefit the most as

Spain’s newly elected government aims to raise the minimum wage to €1,200 a month over the next four years. The minimum wage has now doubled from just

Service operate 70 restaurants across northern Spain, with 1,650 employees. In 2019 RBI took over Megafoods, which had 80 restaurants. With the latest acquisition it brings the groups total fast food outlets in Spain to about a thousand.

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€450 per month in 2002, and increased 5.5% from the last benchmark of €900. “An extra 50 euros could mean a mother gets to feed her children fish this month,” Spain’s minister for work, Yolanda Diaz, said. Diaz however added that €950 a month was ‘still not enough to live off’ in many parts of Spain. She said that rents were so high in major cities that ‘sharing houses’ with strangers was a fact of life that ‘shouldn’t have to be that way’. The new measures will also see the daily rate for temporary workers – contracted for less than 120 days a year – rise to €44.99. Minimum hourly pay for more temporary workers, such as cleaners, will rise to €7.43.

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FINAL WORDS

A BRITISH expat has filed a denuncia in Marbella afer a new property development has ‘blocked his view’ across the Straits of Gibraltar to Morocco.

Dead men’s shoes SPECULATORS in Madrid are eyeing up prime properties in the capital where tenants have been paying as little as €7 a month due to laws honouring contracts signed before May 1985 until the tenant moves out or passes away.

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February 7th - February 20th 2020

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expat

voice in Spain

Vol. 3 Issue 73 www.theolivepress.es February 7th - February 20th 2020

CAR AHOY: Talk about dopey tourists.. this one reversed his hire car onto a boat in Cabopino this week. Pic sent in by reader Graham Pierce. Full story at www.theolivepress.es

SEA WEED SAGA By Joanne Oakley

A BRITISH sailor got the shock of his life when he pulled a bail of hash - worth €280,000 - out of the sea. The yacht captain Mike Stewart bucked the trend by immediately calling in police and coastguard on landing the haul off Murcia. The seasoned seadog, 58, had been sailing from the

British sailor finds €280,000 worth of marijuana in the Med

UK to Mallorca, via the Straits of Gibraltar. The Mancunian and his three crew - one a former policeman - spotted the huge 35kg package, wrapped in plastic off the port of Aguilas. After dragging it on board

they soon realised that it was a huge stash of marijuana and called the Spanish police. “You could hardly pick the thing up,” revealed Stewart. “One of our crew was in the police for 45 years and he hadn’t seen a thing like it.”

Lucky escape THREE police dogs have been rescued from the pound. Two of the police dogs that were taken to the pound from the Canine Unit in Palma de Mallorca, have found new homes at the Mounted Police Unit in the Castell de Bellver. The third furry friend has been returned to the woman that gave him to the Canine Unit a few years ago, according to the police.

It is thought the drugs may have been dumped by traffickers in fear of being followed. It could also have been left anchored out at sea, ready for pick-up. The regular sailor added: “Coming through the Straits there’s always refugee boats, things like that.”

Submarine

It comes after a Spanish man was sentenced to eight years for smuggling the largest ever haul of narcotics into Gibraltar. Last year a group of Galician smugglers were found bringing tons of cocaine into Spain via a speciallydesigned submarine.

Brolly good show A SPANISH ‘Super gran’ caught on camera taking on a robber with her umbrella has gone viral on social media. Amazing CCTV footage captured the moment the 73-year-old pensioner, from Madrid, tussled with the thief outside a supermarket. The video shows Antonia being thrown to the ground by the young thug after she tries to raise the alarm. The thief was attempting to open the cash register in the shop with a small knife, which she tried to wrestle off him. Despite her heroic efforts, the man made off with €2,000. However, footage shows him receiving one last blow to the head in the street outside. After Antonia reported the incident to police the man was arrested.