Olive Press Andalucia issue 457

TRIPLE TROUBLE

THE former boss of Marbella’s Triple

A animal shelter is facing up to 18 years in jail for an alleged long-term campaign of slaughtering dogs for profit, it has emerged.

Prosecutors are seeking the hefty sentence for Bettina Pietsch, a German expat accused of overseeing alleged animal cruelty, misappropriation of funds and breaking labour laws.

Meanwhile the former vice-president, named only as A.D., is facing a 10-year jail term.

According to court documents, animals were ‘slaughtered on a massive and unjustified scale, with the sole purpose of reducing costs and dedicating facilities to private purposes, with the aim of making a profit.’

Flood fears

Other alleged crimes between 2011 and 2016 include falsifying documents and working without the correct licences.

Shockingly, prosecutors allege that euthanasia products were administered ‘without having the veterinary knowledge to do so’.

As red alert called, green group warns of major water issue after too many homes were built on floodplains

And in a cruel twist, illegally low doses were used to cut costs, ‘causing a slow and painful death in animals, many of whom were healthy puppies’, it is claimed.

Both Pietsch and her vice-president are also accused of using €20,426 of charity cash for payments unrelated to the shelter, and of stealing a fur-

FEARS are growing that over-construction on floodplains could lead to a Valencia-style flooding disaster on the Costa del Sol.

As further heavy rain is forecast for Andalucia this week, residents are being warned to avoid unnecessary journeys amid a red alert along the entire Malaga coastline. It comes after four out of 14 key flood risk zones in Spain were announced as being in Andalucia.

One of the main areas of concern is Fuengirola, where the town hall admitted to the Olive Press it is undertaking a review of its flood protocols.

Ecologists in Action warned both the Las Lagunas and the Camino Viejo de Coin areas are vulnerable to severe levels of flooding should the Fuengirola river overflow.

The green group claims its floodplain has been too heavily built upon since the 1980s – often in direct violation of urban planning regulations and risk studies.

It insists any new projects - including a nursing home, a hospital and a huge

By Walter Finch & Laurence Dollimore

“The catastrophe in Valencia should give pause for reflection for town halls and any parties that insist on building in vulnerable territory,” ex plained a spokesman.

“Despite the multiple declarations of a climate emergency, politicians continue to act as if there were no real emergency and it can be business as usual.

“It means exposing more and more people to the same possible catastrophic event as we have seen in Valencia, given the enormous vulnera bility of the Fuengirola river.”

The region has been hit by disastrous floods before, with up to 14 people killed in Fuengirola as recently as 1988.

park called Gran Parque de la Costa del Sol - in the area would be a ‘very serious mistake.’

A mother and three children only managed to miraculously survive the disaster by clinging to a tree.

The new claims by Ecologists in Action come after researchers revealed that a third of homes flooded in Valencia were built on land at risk of flooding during the housing bubble.

A spokesperson for Fuengirola town hall insisted the claims were being taken seriously.

He said the council was currently preparing a ‘Climate Change Adaptation Plan’.

“This will anal-

yse the entire municipal area and identify any risks and vulnerabilities,” he said.

“The conclusions are not yet known, as it is still in the drafting phase.”

He insisted a proposed hospital and nursing home are now ‘no longer’ go-

ing to be built.

And he added that corrective measures have already been put in place, including the widening of the riverbed to prevent flooding.

“There have not been any overflows in recent years,” he insisted.

HITLER, THE SWINGERS CASTLE AND ‘WIFE-SWAPPING TRIPS TO GERMANY’

Inside the colourful world of the mayor of Estepona

See page 8

Continues on page 4

ALORA AGONY: Over 30 cars were swept away by the Guadalhorce river while homeowners escape to safety. (Above) A map of Fuengirola’s danger zones

Lest we forget

EXPATS on the Costa del Sol have marked Remembrance Sunday with services in towns and cities including Malaga, Benalmadena, Nerja, Mijas and Coin.

Close call

A BRITISH climber, 20, found himself dangling 200m above the ground after breaking his foot in El Chorro, Malaga. His life was spared by a dramatic helicopter rescue.

Safe in Spain

ASTURIAS is officially Spain’s safest region, according to the INE. Andalucia does not make it into the top ten.

Strike three

THE Costa del Sol was rattled by three separate earthquakes in just three days between October 31 to November 2. Shakes were felt in Cutar, Iznate and Benamargosa.

Breaking bad

Top anti-money laundering cop caught with €20 million and a Lamborghini as narco couple flee

MADRID’s top anti-corruption detective has been busted with millions of dollars in cash stashed between the walls of his house.

Oscar Sanchez was arrested last week after €20 million was found hidden at his home in Alcala de Henares. The arrest came in connection to a record seizure of 13 tonnes of cocaine in the Port of Algeciras last month.

A further 15 individuals have been arrested – including Sanchez’s wife, who also worked in the Policia Nacio-

By Walter Finch

nal. She was arrested in Toledo but released on bail.

Sanchez, who is Spain’s Economic and Tax Crime chief inspector, was known by his colleagues as ‘the discrete one’ and showed no trappings of his wealth.

But photos have emerged of a fleet of luxury cars and motorbikes parked among the police cars outside his home, including a Lamborghini Huracan Spyder.

Sanchez first fell under suspicion when Internal Affairs uncovered a payment to a company owned by the police chief for ‘services’ from a company linked to narco

EXPAT EXPLOITATION

A GUADALHORCE Valley garage owner has been arrested, accused of stealing and selling on expats cars. He is facing charges of six counts of fraud, four of misappropriation and one of threatening behaviour. It is alleged he gained the victims’ trust, who were mostly foreign residents, before putting the cars in his name. He them sold them to third parties, keeping the money to himself.

Guardia Civil agents began investigating the man after various reports were made against him.

One to go

outside

traffickers.

Investigators eventually managed to unravel a collaboration between Sanchez, his wife and a narco couple living the high-life in El Campello, near Alicante.

Identified as ‘Miguel and Vilma’, the couple have been on the run since police intercepted their enormous cocaine shipment on October 14, the largest in Spanish history.

They believed they had all local officials paid off and brazenly introduced the shipment into Spain from Ecuador in one single container.

According to police, the Alicante couple claimed to be successful importers of tropical fruits including bananas, mangoes and pineapples from South America.

A FURTHER two suspects have been arrested for the murder of two Guardia Civil agents in Barbate last February. They were reportedly on board the narco boat that rammed the smaller police boat, killing Miguel Angel Gonzalez, 39, and David Perez, 43. The arrests come on the heels of the speedboat driver, Karim El Baqqali, 32, in September. The three men on the boat fled to Morocco, but have reportedly been forced to return to Spain and give themselves up by their fellow narco traffickers operating in the Strait. A fourth suspect is still at large.

A COLOMBIAN labourer who decapitated his ex and tossed her body into the sea has been jailed for 19 years. Sunday diners at a Marbella chiringuito were shocked when the body of Natalia Mosquera, 45, washed up on some rocks while they ate on January 8, 2023.

Leonel Herrera was quickly arrested after Natalia’s sister identified her from television reports and told police she had an abusive ex. Herrera later confessed he’d had sex with her in secluded sand dunes before strangling her to death.

He then cut off her head and hands and disembowelled her in the belief her body would sink to the bottom of the sea.

PROCEEDS: Flash cars

his house. (Top) Sanchez

All of the vehicles were high end and had foreign number plates. The accused ran a car showroom and a repair shop.

GERE’ING UP FOR A

RICHARD Gere is selling up in the States and moving to Spain.

Despite being an outspoken critic of new president Donald Trump, the change is to be closer to his in-laws, he has revealed.

The Pretty Woman star, 75, and his wife Alejandra, 41, plan to live in the Madrid area.

“Alejandra will be able to return to her lifelong friends and get closer to their culture again. And that makes me happy,” he said.

"I love Spain and I think your lifestyle is fabulous. Also your ability to live transmitting joy and happiness,” the actor added.

MOVE CELEB

“It is a beautiful place, the food is extraor dinary and the people exude sensitivity and generosity, as well as a strong will to laugh and enjoy. So I'm look ing forward to going there.”

In 2016 he described Trump (right) becoming President as a ‘nightmare’. The timing of the move couldn't be more sensible after his wife posted her public support for Trump’s ri val Kamala Harris after voting this month.

Chart topper

British expat’s novel tops the global bestseller list - even above Ian Rankinwith mystery thriller

A BRITISH expat has topped the Amazon book charts with her fifth novel, a thriller based in Marbella.

Karen Brady’s Where’s the Money? quickly shot to the top of the global gi ant’s thriller bestseller list, nudging out crime genius Ian Rankin. The plot follows two sisters, Bonnie and Skye, who move to the resort with their husbands, two ‘extremely successful businessmen.’ There, they ‘live the life of absolute

By Yzabelle Bostyn

luxury’ before tragedy strikes when the men die in a mysterious car crash. And when the devastated widows go to check their bank accounts, they discover all their money is gone. Thus begins an international hunt to find the truth behind their husbands’ untimely deaths.

The idea for the book

HOBBY: Brady’s ‘pasttime’ has seen her shoot up the the running

emerged when Karen and a friend were laughing about a crime article they saw in the Olive Press and asked themselves ‘but where’s the money?’

“My friend said it would make a good title for a book and it got me thinking,” Karen told the Olive Press

It is her fifth book since writing became ‘a hobby’ after retiring to Mijas in 2018. “Spain has provided the per-

Outpour

of anger

MALAGA star Antonio Banderas has slammed the slow response by authorities to Valencia's flood disaster.

Banderas was critical that the army was not mobilised fast enough once the extent of the problem became clear.

He asked why army helicopters ‘with food, water and medicine’ had not been sent to the towns affected more quickly.

“Why are our taxes and resources not used better? Why?” he added.

fect environment to pursue my writing,” she said. “I love the laid back atmosphere and how everything is mañana, I’m literally living the dream.”

She added: “I write mystery thrillers because it’s what I love, when your mind is racing and there’s suspense.”

Even though she’s not ‘in it for the money’, her books have done extremely well, charting high in the bestseller lists and selling thousands of copies.

Passion

Born and raised in Birmingham she launched her own recruitment business at the age of 23.

“I’ve always had a passion for writing,” she explained. “But it’s hard to be creative when you’re chasing the dollar.”

In 2006, she joined a writing group and began to hone her skills alongside other talented writers, before spending the next 12 years writing her debut, Agnes in Bloom.

FAMOUS faces have flocked to support the victims of Valencia’s deadly floods.

Tennis star Rafael Nadal (top) is managing donations through his tennis academy in Manacor, while actress Penelope Cruz (above centre) has made ‘significant’ donations to various charities.

Founder of Inditex Group, Amancio Ortega (above right), has also donated four million euros to the Spanish Red Cross, while Real Madrid President, Florentino Perez (above left) will donate a million euros to flood victims.

The football club has also launched fundraising efforts, alongside other stars including Rosalia and Georgina Rodriguez.

Director Depp

JOHNNY Depp has spent a weekend in Sevilla, close to his ex-wife who lives in Madrid.

The controversial star was printing his directorial debut at the European Film Festival as well as doing a bit of sightseeing.

Depp - whose ex Amber Heard moved to Mallorca then Madrid three years ago - has gone behind the camera to direct Modi, Three Days on the Wing of Madness

It tells the story of Italian artist Amedeo Modigliani trying to find a home for his art during wartorn Paris in the early 1940's. Depp was on the red carpet for a screening at the Cartuja Center - the biggest cinema in Sevilla.

A BIG-hearted expat estate agency is coordinating the donation of essential items worth over €1000 to Valencia flood victims.

Alongside fellow Coin businesses, Mediterranean Homes, has provided baby food, nappies, cleaning products and pet food.

Two trucks full of goods were transported by kitchen company Inkosur last week.

Donations to DANA Climate killer

PEDRO Sanchez has warned ‘climate change kills’ following the Valencia flood disaster.

“Unfortunately, we’re seeing that climate change kills and we have to adapt to it,” he insisted. The comments came during a speech, where he approved financial measures to help those affected by the storms.

RESERVOIR levels in Andalucia are over 13% higher than last November, currently standing at 33.7% full after the recent DANA storms.

But the levels vary greatly between the provinces with Almeria’s reservoirs sitting at the exact same level (11.6%) as last year, while Sevilla’s are up to

FILLING UP

66.3% from 29%.

In Malaga levels are up by 5% to 23.7%, although some reservoirs such as La Vinuela (15.5%) are still critically empty. In contrast, the La Concepcion reser-

voir in Marbella is at 58.6% capacity, over double its level of a year ago.

Casasola reservoir is 49.9% full, while Limonero and Guadalhorce reservoirs are less than 20% full.

In Cadiz, reservoirs sit at 27.3%, while in Granada they are at 33%, Jaen 29.2% and Huelva 41.4%.

Menu del disaster

Mass

demands for resignation as Valencia leader had three-hour lunch as floods killed over 200

OVER 130,000 people have demanded the resignation of Valencia leader Carlos Mazon, after it emerged he was enjoying a three-hour lunch during the worst flooding in Spain for a century.

Protesters chanted the PP leader’s hands were ‘stained with blood’ as hundreds of them clashed with riot police outside Valencia city hall. It comes as it emerged he was enjoying lunch with journalist Maribel Vilaplana until

FAMILIES affected by DANA flooding in Malaga will be given aid of up to €10,000 to help restore their homes and basic needs. It comes just days after Diputacion President Francisco Salado visited the towns hit by the floods, promising provincial recovery funds were ‘on the way.’ Salado claims the number of beneficiaries will be between 100 to 150. He promised authorities would ‘give ac-

By Yzabelle Bostyn

around 6pm, when red alerts had already been in place for hours.

The politician finally left El Ventorro restaurant to return to the Palau de la Generalitat by 7pm, by which time it is claimed over 200 people had died.

While Mazon has not denied the lunch date, his government has ruled out any immi-

Help is at hand

cess to isolated homes, reestablish water supplies and assess the damage and help needed.’

Victims will also receive funds from several charity events such as the RED Friday concert held last week, which raised €16,500.

nent resignations.

His PP colleagues insist that leaving now would be ‘a betrayal’ of the victims, who now number 222, with around 50 still unaccounted for.

“We won’t abandon the victims,” said vice president Susana Camarero. “All we can think about is working on the recovery efforts and on repairing the damage that has been done.”

She failed to be drawn on why, despite a series of red alerts from the AEMET weather agency, Mazon waited almost 14 hours before

sending emergency messages to phones.

She also refused to explain why Mazon’s agenda for the day of the tragedy has not been made public.

Sources told El Pais that Mazon was being consistently updated on the issue during lunch and that Minister for Justice Salome Pradas was responsible for emergency situations.

Utiel has been experiencing flooding since the morning of October 29 and had already requested emergency military aid.

ther €38,618. They are also accused of ‘illicitly’ selling several dogs lost by their owners to foreign buyers for cash.

When police raided the premises they found the bodies of pets, some of which had injuries, while others had been ‘illegally sacrificed’.

Prosecutors are demanding fines and compensation to owners of over €300,000. It comes after the Olive Press revealed in March that Pietsch had been voted back in as the charity’s president, in a move that shocked the caretaker administration at the time.

Lunch tragedy Sacrifice

THE bodies of three businessmen who vanished while having lunch during the DANA floods have been discovered. Miguel Burdeos, a key supplier of Mercadona, Jose Marin, of Mas Camarena school group, and Vicente Tarancon, of sportswear brand Luanvi, all washed up near the La Orza de Angel restaurant in Chiva. Their vehicles were swept away when a river flooded near the town of Cheste inland.

See Village of the Damned, page 6 & 7

PROTESTS: Indignant Valencians were out in force

Salvation line

THE infrastructure on the Costa del Sol is in danger of collapsing if urgent action is not taken to develop a coastal train.

“A collapse is getting more and more likely,” insisted the President of the Western Costa del Sol Manuel Cardena, at a high-level meeting this week. It comes as business leaders and politicians united in Marbella to demand investment for a rail link between Malaga and Algeciras.

While a number of mayors reiterated the necessity due to rapid population growth, Malaga Diputacion boss, Francisco Salado slammed the lack of ‘political action’ from Madrid.

He told the Coastal Connection Forum that they all needed to demand action ‘now that we have got the government’s attention.’

The lack of a train is holding back key development, insisted Marbella mayor Angeles Muñoz,

Stephen needs you!

THE Olive Press is renewing its appeal to identify a British expat who has been struck with amnesia in a Spanish hospital.

Stephen, 71, was first admitted to Torrevieja Hospital on September 24 after suffering a stroke while cycling in Alicante.

As we reported last month, he was struck with severe memory loss and can only recall his first name and age, but no other details about his life or loved ones.

Tragically, not a single person has reported him missing, and an ongoing police investigation has resulted in no further clues.

The officer leading the case told the Olive Press this week: “We still don’t know his identity, but steps are being taken through the authorities in England.”

No matches

Stephen is ‘in a bad way’ having suffered a second stroke in the same hospital and his condition has not improved.

“We want to interview him and try to get more information but right now he can barely talk,” added the policeman.

“We have absolutely nothing to go on, because he had no wallet on him when he was admitted and only knows his first name and age.

“There are also no missing persons reports that match his name or description.”

Investigators are still trying to contact Steve Presland, a keen cyclist from the UK whose photo shares an uncanny resemblance.

While friends of Presland said he denies being the man in hospital, he has yet to speak directly to the Olive Press or police.

If you recognise the man in the photo, please contact tips@theolivepress.es.

The Foreign Office told the Olive Press this week it ‘stands ready to support

24/7’.

Costa del Sol train vital to avoid ‘collapse’ as population soars, experts warn

By Yzabelle Bostyn

pointing out it is the only city of 150,000 residents in Spain without a rail connection.

“The constant growth of Marbella makes this connection essential,” she said.

She was supported by the Junta, the Marbella Business Associa-

tion (CIT) and the Campo de Gibraltar Chamber of Commerce.

Experts then presented a plan that would see Malaga linked to Marbella in just 25 minutes, with an annual flow of 40 million passengers.

Engineer Jose Alba insisted the line would have a ‘very positive economic and environmental impact’.

MAFIA AMONG US

A FORMER British expat has been arrested in the Middle East accused of shooting a Serbian gangster in the back at a party in Estepona this summer.

The 43-year-old was picked up after the shooting of the Serbian, 36, at 8.45am in the El Paraiso area.

The victim was carrying a fake Belgian passport, but was later identified as a fugitive with links to Balkan gangs.

Most of the revellers had left a Marbella nightclub to carry on the booze-and-drug-fuelled party at the lavish squatted villa, beside El Paraiso Golf Club.

At the time of the killing it was occupied by a Cuban man notorious for taking over luxury properties.

The British suspect, who had a prior attempted murder charge in the UK, was tracked down to the UAE, a country notorious for hosting gangsters – including bosses of the Irish mafia gang, led by the Kinahans.

EXPAT INSURANCE MADE SIMPLE

Voted top expat paper in Spain

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

OPINION

Don’t shoot the messenger!

THE charges facing Triple A bosses are truly sickening ( Triple trouble, p1 ).

It has been years since the Olive Press first reported on the horrific crimes that are alleged to have taken place at the Marbella animal shelter. These included the alleged killing of healthy dogs for profit and the selling of lost puppies for cash. Despite a dramatic police raid and serious charges being later brought, somehow WE were the bad guys for keeping our readers informed. Accused of shaming the expat community by a downmarket rival, we were then bombarded on social media for daring to raise questions about the ‘wonderful’ expat-run charity.

Of course animal charities are sorely needed in Spain.

Was everyone at Triple A up to no good? Of course not.

We never said that. But the shelter, at the time, was collecting vast amounts of money in donations from big-hearted well-wishers as well as large sums from Marbella town hall. It was simply our journalistic duty to report on the alleged abuses.

Countless numbers of our readers were giving money and supplies to the shelter and we had a duty of care to make them aware of the situation. While other papers want to view the world through rose-tinted spectacles, the Olive Press is committed to the truth and what matters most to the expat community.

If that means ruffling a few feathers, then so be it. Not everything in life is positive. No decent media group can survive by just publishing a positive slant.

We definitely do not want to see Triple A go under, as it clearly today provides much-needed help for the region’s abandoned animals.

But running such a shelter comes with a huge responsibility, and if standards are not being met at the expense of the animals’ welfare, we must not be afraid to place it under scrutiny.

PUBLISHER / EDITOR

Jon Clarke, jon@theolivepress.es

Dilip Kuner dilip@theolivepress.es

Walter Finch walter@theolivepress.es

Yzabelle Bostyn yzabelle@theolivepress.es

Ben Pawlowski ben@theolivepress.es

Humenyuk Makarova (+34) 951 154 841 admin@theolivepress.es

Alex Trelinski alex@theolivepress.es

Simon Hunter simon@theolivepress.es Laurence Dollimore laurence@theolivepress.es

Cole Sinanian cole@theolivepress.es

Héctor Santaella (+34) 658 750 424 accounts@ theolivepress.es

(+34) 951 154 841 distribution@ theolivepress.es

WHY WAS A CRUCIAL ‘LIFE-SAVING’

Village of the damned

DISPATCH: The Olive Press sent Laurence Dollimore to one flood-ravaged town in Valencia that’s been forgotten by the world

AS a biblical flood tore through his village like a tsunami, David Fraile received a heart-stopping message from his mother; “Help me, I’m going to die!”

It was just one of several panicked voice clips he was sent on that fateful night in Valencia on October 29, when a so-called DANA storm sparked Spain’s deadliest floods in over a century.

But this was not Paiporta, Chiva or Utiel, the ‘ground zero’ towns that grabbed headlines around the world.

This was Cheste, a much smaller village some 40 km west of Valencia city that has been almost completely ignored by the media and, perhaps more alarmingly, the authorities - a fact that locals desperately want to change.

It was around 8pm when two ravines on either side of the town overflowed, forming one enormous torrent that first crashed into a row of 18 attached houses on the village’s outskirts.

Known as La Alameda del Chalet, the properties had largely been used as summer homes for decades and counted on a communal swimming pool, but some residents lived there all year round.

One of them was Mari, David’s mother, who thankfully realised just in time what was bearing down on her and was able to scurry up a ladder and seek refuge on a rickety shelf inside her ironing room.

From there, for nearly half an hour, she sat frozen in fear as she

LIVE RESS

watched the filthy flood water filling up her home, in which she has lived for 25 years.

“It was an absolute nightmare,” Mari told the Olive Press this week, holding back tears as she recalled the traumatic memory.

“I really thought I was going to die. I could see tables and chairs being washed away, even my car was taken by the rapids.”

And cruelly for her son David, there was nothing he could do to help his 67-year-old mother.

While he was only two minutes away by car in the centre of Cheste, the road to his mother’s home was completely cut off by floods. He could only listen to her increasingly desperate pleas to come out and save her.

Incredibly, Mari was saved by two Moroccan neighbours who somehow managed to scale her roof, which had been partially ripped off, and dived into the flood water to pull her out.

“I can hardly sleep, I keep having nightmares,” she explains, wiping away tears as her doting son consoles her. Meeting them some 12 days later, it is shocking in the extreme that they are still cleaning up the damage on their own, trying to salvage anything they can from the wreckage.

I can hardly sleep since the floods, I keep having nightmares, Mari told the

They were able to get her onto a higher ground above the properties, from where they could shelter until the floodwater started to subside.

It was only then that David finally received the news that his mother was safe, putting an end to his agony.

It’s the kind of story that briefly restores one’s faith in humanity, but Mari is clearly scarred for life.

“There are so many memories here and it is just heartbreaking seeing it all destroyed,” continues Mari, pointing to badly soiled books and damaged photo albums.

Among the debris are all the shattered remnants of her family’s life, including her son’s guitar, children’s colouring books and crayons, and antique armchairs that have been passed down through the generations. As if the destruction wasn’t enough, there are now additional fears of disease, as the inside of their homes are slowly becoming condemned with creeping mould and fungus.

The pools of stagnant waters all around, also pose a series of health risks.

“We are very worried about catching cholera or tetanus,” explains David. “No-one is explaining to us what to do or how to act.”

It is indeed, something of a disgrace that vaccines for the latter are already being rolled out in other hard hit towns, such as Paiporta and Chiva, but not in Chesta, the municipality that seems forgotten amid the

chaos.

In fact, given the lack of help from police or the army, you’d be forgiven for thinking the flood had happened overnight.

On my visit, there were no more than a dozen officials working around the town, and they were entirely focused on repairing a bridge around 200 metres away, which had been heaved in half by the deluge. Meanwhile, dozens of cars, motorbikes and hundreds of pieces of furniture and personal effects remain scattered outside the properties.

The shocking scenes show how the wall of water completely emptied out these houses, dragging everything outside after around 500mm of rain per square metre fell across the region in just a few hours.

Rosalia Martinez Santos, 50, who vacations in one of the homes, told the Olive Press:

“We’ve had no help from the government and feel totally abandoned.

“The only people who came to help were a group of 200 or so young people who travelled from other parts of Spain.

“When I saw them getting off their buses with shovels and buckets, it was incredibly emotional.

“We have a saying here, ‘El pueblo salva al pueblo’ (the people saves the people), and never has it rung more true.”

Rosalia had been in her own flat in the centre of the nearby town when the worst of the flooding began.

From her first floor balcony she watched as the torrent carried cars and large recycling containers down the street as if they were pieces of lego - knowing full well that her summer home on the outskirts was being turned upside down.

Her fears were soon realised when she visit-

ed the following day.

“It was a complete shock, I was lost for words,” she continued. “It’s going to take us years to recover from this.”

But if there is any positivity to be taken from this disaster, it is the seemingly unshakeable sense of community.

While the Olive Press was reporting among the wreckage, two boys named Juan and Vigilo (pictured), aged 12 and 13 respectively, showed up to offer their help, having walked over from the centre of town.

Dressed in simple clothes and with plastic bags over their shoes, they told us they had a ‘driven need’ to do something to help.

This had been the scene of many happy summers for them, where they would come and play in the communal swimming pool with friends.

“We have come to help and do whatever we can because this is our pueblo and we have to stick together,” explained Juan.

much of the damage caused by the DANA.

“People are angry,” he told the Olive Press, “I remember when they were planning to build it but political interests got in the way, many lives could have been saved.

“My mother used to tell me stories of the deadly 1957 floods, so we’ve always known that these ravines pose a danger to the area and nothing has been done.”

The dam project was shelved allegedly following pressure from ecologists, who insisted it could cause harm to biodiversity - while the roughly €300m price tag became difficult to justify following the 2007 economic crash.

She cannot go through something like this again, we don’t feel safe

But in the wake of the disaster, questions are being asked as to what could have been done to prevent such a tragedy, which has so far claimed well over 200 liveswhile more than 90 remain missing.

In Cheste, scrutiny is being placed on a phantom dam that was announced as part of the National Hydrological Plan for 2005, but was never built.

Locals revealed how a site on the borders of Cheste had been earmarked for the project.

The Olive Press was led to the area by a former plasterer who lives on a farm nearby.

Ramon Toledano Milla, 57, said he believes the dam that never was could have mitigated

The dam site was at the height of the now infamous Poyo ravine, which measures dozens of kilometres and travels through all the worst hit towns down to Valencia city.

For the residents of Cheste, they now face years of crippling anxiety over if - or rather when - history will repeat itself.

It comes after meteorologists this week said a similar flooding event is likely to reoccur ‘within 20 years’. And this is largely due to global warming.

It means the value of homes, smack bang in the middle of this flood catastrophe - plus thousands nearby - have plummeted overnight.

“We are thinking of moving,” confesses David, “My mother doesn’t know if she can continue living here now, she cannot go through something like this again, we don’t feel safe.”

But he at least remains hopeful.

“We are taking it day by day, and we will rebuild step by step, but we want the world to know what has happened here, and we want the people in power to be held accountable.”

BBC PLAUDITS

Respected global news outlets use the Olive Press for reliable coverage

THE Olive Press’s coverage of the deadly DANA floods has clearly shown our media credentials worldwide.

Both the BBC and Sky News, as well as the Daily Mail, the Times and Chinese State radio, reached out to us as we delivered round the clock 24/7 reporting on the worst disaster in Spain this century. Since the chaos began on October 29, we have published scores of stories both online and in print - and even sent our reporters to Ground Zero, both in Andalucia and in Valencia. Unlike our rivals, we gave the story the gravitas it deserves, with front-page prominence and cleared the first few pages inside, (top) while others completely missed the story altogether.

Our digital editor Laurence Dollimore visited the disaster zone in Valencia for three days last week (pic below left), where he worked alongside the Daily Mail to speak to the affected locals. He was the first reporter into the village of Cheste, where victims were desperate to tell their stories.

“Thank you so much, you did an amazing job and now the world knows what happened here,” said one villager after reading our exclusive report.

Meanwhile, editor Jon Clarke (above) appeared in half a dozen radio and TV interviews, including Sky News, BBC News and LBC, while Yzabelle Bostyn (below) was interviewed on Times Radio

The rest of our NCTJ-accredited reporters kept readers informed of the latest updates through the night and weekend.

This is the kind of journalism and dedication you should expect from any decent expat newspaper. It is also the kind of work that is supported by our subscription model, and so we thank those of you who have already become paying members.

Scan the QR code to subscribe to the Olive Press

CHAOS: Cars, furniture and people were thrown into disarray, while (inset) two boys help with the clearing up

REUNITED: David and his mother Mari

Major trouble

The Olive

Press investigates

the dubious

friendships

and

FOR decades he’s been the ‘teflon mayor’, for whom tales of dodgy dealings and questionable connections would never stick.

But allegations of dirty weekends, suspect ‘work trips’ to Germany and midnight demands to join him at his castle swingers’ parties in Monda just might.

These are just some of the sleazy claims emerging against Jose Maria Garcia Urbano in the most salacious political corruption scandal to hit Andalucia for years.

As reported in the Olive Press a fortnight ago, the PP mayor of Estepona, has been accused of assaulting a male police officer during a horrific two-year ordeal.

Aside from allegedly forcing the town hall employee into degrading sex acts, the politician also insisted his wife occasionally watched.

Amid a long list of lurid claims, the denuncia being probed by Estepona’s Court Number 5 will see the mayor in court on November 18 next week. His victim gave evidence on Friday, reiterating his claims and adding he has video evidence, witnesses and documents to back them up.

The judge must now establish if the cop, who joined the town’s force in 2022 and is now on ‘mental health leave’, was forced to effectively work as a male prostitute for his overlord.

And so began a national media scramble to shine a light on Urbano with a string of claims emerging including multi-million euro projects handed to his family, claims about links to Nazi sympathisers, and his dubious rise up the ladder alongside the controversial

By Walter Finch

regime of disgraced former Marbella mayor Jesus Gil.

But firstly we need to rewind 13 years to 2011 when the lawyer and public notary swept to power in Estepona aged 48. His landslide victory was perhaps not surprising, after a succession of socialist mayors had one by one, fallen to allegations of corruption.

Urbano promised a new broom, in particular with swingeing cutbacks in the town hall’s enormous wage bill, while massively prettifying the town, introducing flower pots in every street and launching new museums and art galleries.

Charming

Under his stewardship, it is undeniable the town has been transformed from a dingy, car-clogged backwater to a Costa del Sol resort that now competes with Marbella for the well-heeled investor.

Those who know him personally speak of a ‘likeable’ gladhander who comes from humble roots in Coin, in the Guadalhorce Valley, where both his father and grandfather were labourers. Even his enemies refer to him as having ‘enormous charm’, ‘guile’ and ‘ambition’. “It’s a very dangerous combination,” as one told the Olive Press

Another, who works at the town hall, told us how he rules with an ‘iron fist’ and many staff are scared of him. “He can certainly be something of a tyrant,” one said.

But one thing for sure, no-one can doubt

business schemes of Estepona’s ‘mister teflon’ as he becomes mired

in sleazy sexual abuse allegations

his intelligence: Achieving the rare feat of holding qualifications as a lawyer, notary and property registrar, Urbano was hailed as the ‘prototype of Spain’s meritocracy’.

But his business associations with a rogue’s gallery of the Costa del Sol’s most corrupt lawyers and officials soon proved he had pulled himself up by his own bootstraps only so far.

The truth is much of his rise is owed to the many deals he has made with the most powerful, if dubious, figures on the coast.

A fluent German-speaker (he speaks no English) whose children attended the private German School in Marbella, Urbano is deeply integrated in the town’s German community.

It led to him befriending German lawyer Juan Hoffman, the son of a high-ranking Gestapo officer who served as Adolf Hitler’s personal Spanish translator during the war.

His father was later made an honorary consul in Malaga during the Franco regime, while Hoffman went on to become a key frontmen for Juan Antonio Roca, the chief architect of Marbella’s worst ever corruption scandal, which spawned the infamous ‘Malaya case’.

Hoffman was later sentenced to five years for money laundering and tax evasion in 2013, but he craftily dodged prison, when he allegedly ‘voluntarily handed himself over’ in Ibiza.

But when checked, officials found he was not behind bars, but had in fact fled the country.

He has never been found, but curiously was an equal partner with Urbano in their shared property development firm, Nuevas Aires 2002 SL.

The company was identified as being one of the main vehicles behind a string of illegal developments, kickbacks and embezzlement that flourished during the Gil era.

Another partner was building firm Bonifacio Solis (see graphic), whose ‘finance director’ since 2023 has reportedly been none other than the mayor’s 28-year-old son, Pablo Garcia.

Remarkably, he assumed the role, claimed El Diario, after serving just two

months as a councillor at the town hall, thanks to help from his dad.

B Solis conveniently became the lucky winner of the ‘tender’ to build Estepona’s €16.3 million Mirador del Carmen art gallery and restaurant, initially budgeted at €1.8 million.

The same firm also benefited from acquiring a nearby 2,000 sqm plot of land from the town hall for just €1.2 million – allegedly half its market value.

B Solis is now one of the largest construction companies in Spain, boasting a portfolio of luxury homes in exclusive projects in Zagaleta and the Sierra Blanca, as well as hotels and urbanisations in Marbella.

Surprise surprise it also landed the contracts for the athletics stadium in Estepona (€9.5 million, up from an initial budget of €6.1 million) and Estepona’s Orchidarium – ‘the largest in Europe’ for a further €2.3 million.

Other municipal work for B Solis includes the coastal walkway and restoration work on the Laguna Village complex. Amid all these backroom deals which have made him a very rich man, Urbano has never published his income records nor his portfolio of property to Andalucia’s official transparency portal. A clear violation of Spanish law.

It was while sitting on his throne at the peak of the Costa del Sol’s political hierarchy that at some point Urbano allegedly started eyeing up a new employee with ‘libidinous intent’.

The Cordoba-born police officer, married with a wife and two teenage kids, has been on ‘mental health sick leave for almost 17 months due to these perversions he has suffered’, his lawyer told the Olive Press this week.

Under oath at court on Friday he told the judge his ordeal began almost immedi-

ately when he joined Estepona town hall in March 2022. An invitation to the Parador de Malaga Golf hotel soon followed, which ‘with a deep fear for his job’, he felt unable to turn down. With the pattern of their ‘abusive’ relationship then set, he claimed Urbano grew bolder in his demands. He and his wife were coerced into accompanying him on a trip to Germany ‘for a series of sex orgies’ over

several days, along with other ‘like-minded’ friends of the mayor, he claimed. But one particularly infamous trip to Monda castle (above), which Urbano part owns, began to draw back the curtain on just how far Urbano’s tentacles extend into the local business community. Famed for its Moorish roots, it tellingly became a notorious swingers’ club, replete with sex dungeons and ‘glory holes’ after being purchased by Urbano alongside other investors.

While the mayor claimed to be ‘surprised’ back in 2013 by its activities, he has kept it within his property portfolio and it today functions as a luxury hotel and restaurant. Curiously, his second in command at Estepona town hall, Ana Maria Velasco Garrido, is listed as the castle’s sole administrator.

The link to Garrido is entirely in keeping with his style of rule, which maintains a close-knit team of loyalists to help manage his overlapping business and political endeavours.

Sleaze

They are all techniques he infamously used during Marbella’s ‘gilded age of corruption’ under the guiding hand of scandalous mayor Jesus Gil y Gil, who in the 1990s turned Marbella into a money pit of sleaze and corruption hardly seen before in Europe.

Under his GIL party, the owner of Atletico Madrid football club is blamed for allowing 30,000 illegal homes to be built in Marbella and during his reign set up 70 companies to launder money, taking hundreds of millions in bribes and backhanders.

He avoided justice, dying young in 2004, but a total of 85 politicians went on to face trial, with many eventually serving prison sentences, including a number of former mayors.

It is worth pointing out then that the GIL party also ruled Estepona in the 1990s, when Urbano was starting out in his career as a notary.

Yet, while there are countless reports into his links to sleaze over the years, so far the mayor’s enemies have failed to make anything properly stick, hence the nickname ‘teflon mayor’.

“He’s managed to get away with so much and whatever they throw at him never seems to stick,” one British resident, Mary Page, told the Olive Press

“It’s why so many people call him senor teflon.”

So it remains to be seen if his sexual antics finally end up clipping the wings of Estepona’s high-flying mayor.

INFAMOUS: Urbano’s castle in Monda where swingers’ events are known to have taken place and (above) with his wife

WEB OF INTRIGUE: Nuevos Aires connects Urbano to Hoffman and Gil officials. (Right) Hoffman Sr (centre) translating for Adolf Hitler (right)

We must preserve indigenous peoples as the guardians of the planet’s biodiversity, explains Christin Hagemeier

DIVERSE MEANS

PROBABLY the most impressive agreement to come out of last week’s COP16 Biodiversity Conference last week is that companies which profit from biodiversity will pay up for it.

The attendees in Santiago de Cali, Colombia, decided that these companies should pay into a global fund and recognise that indigenous peoples are biodiversity protectors.

Researchers have found that, in areas where indigenous peoples live, such as the Aymara people in the Andean highlands in Bolivia and Peru, biodiversity is still intact.

Their way of life, in harmony with nature, means that they ‘automatically’ protect this habitat.

They themselves know how much of what they can take and eat so that enough can grow back.

The global community has also recognised this and therefore recognised them as custodians of biodiversity at the COP 16 Biodiversity Conference.

This gives indigenous peoples a new key role in the conservation of bio diversity.

Companies that rely on biodiversity for their business model should also help, albeit through other channels.

This includes, for example, pharmaceuticals, which are still often based on plants and their natural healing substances, or many other companies that rely on biodiversity services.

But what is biodiversity and why is it so important for our survival?

The best example of it is that apples grow larger if pollinated by many different honeybee species, rather than just one. Just like apples, we experience biodiversity on a daily basis.

From essentials such as clean water and food with a wide variety of nutrients to building materials such as wood and sand.

Biodiversity is based on three aspects:

1. Diversity of habitats such as steppes, deserts, meadows, moors or forests. Each habitat has special conditions and provides the basis for species-rich life to develop.

2. Biodiversity describes the multitude of different types of organisms that live on earth.

3. The last point is genetic diversity, which is crucial for the adaptability and survivability of a species, as it forms the basis for evolution and the ability to cope with environmental changes.

These should pay into a fund to support research and work to preserve the gene pool and its digitisation (digital sequence information, DSI).

Because in all of these production cycles, different organisms are involved and do a small part of the work. If one species disappears, the entire process can be affected.

When bee populations are in danger, for example, some plants can no longer be pollinated as they are dependent on specific species, such as the long-trunked bee. It underlines how we are all, great and small, co-dependent on the planet’s continuing biodiversity.

Please send your questions or comments on how to be greener to christin@theolivepress.es

Fresh breath

TEN rare wild horses native to the steppes of Central Asia have been relocated to the Iberian highlands as part of a conservation program.

The Przewalski (or Mongolian) horses were released into an area of 850,000 hectares between Castilla-La Mancha and Aragon. Managed by Rewilding Spain, the program is part of a mission to restore the ‘beautiful landscape’ of southern Iberia. It is hoped the horses will help restore a healthy ecosystem by improving the quality of pastures, boosting the region’s biodiversity and reducing the risk of forest fires.

The rewilding programme has been televised in the documentary ‘Breathing New Life into the Iberian Highlands.’

CLIMATE WARNING

Rising sea temperatures caused by human activity are feeding the ferocity of Spain’s DANAs

THE deadly DANA that devastated Valencia and claimed hundreds of lives was ‘fed and strengthened by human-driven climate change.’

This is the conclusion of EU and French scientists, who found that the rainfall which lashed the region on October 29 was between 12 and 15% more intense than previous storms.

Much of this ferocity has been placed at the feet of increased sea temperatures, which are between 2 to 3C higher than the period of 1982 to 2011.

By Yzabelle Bostyn

This increase – ‘which is only trending upwards’ –has led to greater humidity and moisture in the air, which blankets coastal regions with up to 7mm of dew overnight.

“A gota frio (cold drop) like the one that hit Valencia has occurred before – it is a phenomenon common to the peninsula.

“On paper, these figures may not seem a lot, but compared to the usual amount, it's the difference between a river overflowing or not,” said climate

NEW LEAF

A RECENT study in the prestigious journal Nature has revealed that plants absorb up to 31% more carbon dioxide than previously thought. Fauna is now thought to remove 157 billion tonnes of greenhouse gasses from the atmosphere each year, up from estimates of 120 billion. Instead of satellites, whose results are often skewed by cloud coverage, the investigation used ground-based monitoring towers to provide a more realistic view of CO2 absorption. The rare glimpse of positive news is prompting scientists to reevaluate their climate forecasting models.

“But this time it has been more intense than usual due to climate change. And everything indicates that the next ones will also be.

The combination of rising sea temperatures and air humidity injects greater concentrations of water into the atmosphere, which is returned in the form of more intense rainfall.

Hope

Alvarez warned temperatures are set to continue to rise in the Mediterranean, meaning future DANAs could be even more severe.

“I really hope this DANA marks a turning point, making us realise the need for prevention and adaptation.

“We cannot stop all the impacts of climate change but we can reduce them so that no more human life is squandered.”

scientist Carmen Álvarez Castro.

RE-WILD: Mongolian horses in Spain

IMPACT: DANA was 15% stronger than average

www.theolivepress.es

THE BEST OF THE BEST

IT is one of the most prestigious architecture prizes in the world.

So it’s amazing that Spain is connected to two of the three buildings up for the top prize of the UK’s Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) awards this year.

Spain-based architect David Chipperfield is on the shortlist of three for the International Prize, for his clever conversion of a monastery (left) into an office block in Paderborn, Germany.

British talent Chipperfield, who spends much of the year in Galicia, used ‘sculptural demolition’ to convert the St Vincenz Hospital into the headquarters of the TAP holding group. Also on the list is the fabulous Modulus Matrix social housing project, in Barcelona, by Peris + Toral Architects.

The stunning 10,000 sqm block was built almost entirely from wood on the site of a former cinema.

The largest wooden building in Spain, it was built from sustainable wood from the Basque Country.

The other nominee is the Lianzhou Museum of Photography, in China, which was built on the site of an old sugar mill.

Wooden wonder page 18

BREAKNECK PACE

Spain’shousingmarketrocketsfurtherupwith10%annualgrowth–butisitabubble?writesWalterFinch

SPAIN’S housing market continues to set records and shoot for the stars.

It has grown by 9.6% in a year and 16.6% since January 2023, according

to the latest data.

Breakneck expansion has propelled it well above the largest previous peak of 2007, which led to a dramatic crash,

as the graph (left) shows.

The average house in Spain now costs €2,21 per square metre, 4.4% higher

than in June 2007, when it peaked at €2,11 sqm, according to property portal Idealista.

However, by February 2010 it had tumbled to €1,89 sqm, before dropping to an alarming €1,49 sqm in 2016 worsened by the euro crisis.

Since then Spain’s prices have embarked on an impressive recovery that went into overdrive in January last year.

One of the highest rises is in Madrid which exploded by 18.8% in a year to €4,83 sqm, while in Barcelona prices are up 10.8% to €4,59 sqm.

Valencia saw the highest rise, where prices have increased by a fifth (20%), followed closely by Malaga (19.6%), Santander (18.1%) and Alicante (16.7%).

San Sebastian is the most expensive city overall, at €5,631 sqm, while

Sustainable or cause for alarm?

THE situation now is fundamentally different to 2007 in terms of supply. Spain was building more than the whole of Europe then and we are now firmly in a resale market with constricted supply. These days clients are not buying for investment but for lifestyle and you can no longer get mortgages with loan to value ratios of 100% and even for non residents.

Meanwhile, further regulatory changes have closed mechanisms that facilitated a boom such as the ability to sell a contract during construction (aka ‘flipping’).

Zamora is the cheapest at €1,17 sqm. Meanwhile, all but four provinces recorded higher prices, with Santa Cruz de Tenerife and Las Palmas seeing the steepest rises of 16.4% and 16% respectively.

Other fast growers include the Balearic Islands (14.8%), Alicante (13.9%), Malaga (12.7%) and Murcia (14.9%). For anyone looking for bargains, house prices have actually fallen in Ourense (-3.2%), Córdoba (-2.5%), Badajoz (-1.1%) and Ciudad Real (-0.7%).

The Balearic Islands continue to be the most expensive autonomous region at €4,663 sqm, followed by the Community of Madrid (€3,64 sqm), the Basque Country (€3,01 sqm), the Canary Islands (€2,77 sqm) and Catalunya (€2,44 sqm).

Bargain hunters should check out Castilla-La Mancha (€937), Extremadura (€977 sqm) and Castilla y León (€1,199 sqm).

COMMENT by Olive Press Property Insider Adam Neale

SHORTLIST: Lianzhou Museum and (left) Barcelona’s wooden social housing scheme

See

Mark Stucklin www.spanishpropertyinsight.com

THE number of Americans purchasing property in Spain has surged since the pandemic. And it may be set to explode for estate agents on the Costa del Sol in the wake of Donald Trump’s recent election victory.

But what draws US citizens to buy property in Spain, and where do they typically invest?

Anecdotal evidence from my conversations with estate agents provide insights into the motivations, while data from public sources hints at where these buyers are concentrated.

First, let’s assess the significance of the American market for property in Spain.

How many US citizens purchase property in Spain, and how has this trend evolved?

Fortunately, data from Spain’s notaries and land registrars provide some clues.

Last year, 2,414 Spanish

bit down Trump change

The news of Donald Trump’s return to the White House will have wide-reaching consequences – including driving more American buyers to the Costa del Sol?

home sales involved American buyers, an 8% increase from the previous year, marking one of the highest growth rates among foreign buyers.

Although the US ranks as the 14th largest foreign market for Spanish property, its rapid growth is noteworthy.

This year, US buyer numbers have risen even more sharply— up 13% in the first half of the year compared to the same period in 2023, as per notary data. While the US market is relatively small, its growth rate is comparable to other boom-

ing markets like Poland and Ukraine, both influenced by geopolitical factors.

Where do they buy?

Americans have become one of the top foreign buyer groups in areas like Madrid, Castilla-La Mancha, Castile & Leon, La Rioja, and the Basque Country, a surprising shift since pre-pandemic times. While these regions have relatively low foreign-buyer numbers, Americans are making their presence felt.

Meanwhile, estate agents in Malaga report a strong influx

of US buyers on the Costa del Sol post-pandemic, although recent official data is lacking for this specific area. Many of these buyers are reportedly drawn by Malaga’s temperate climate, reminiscent of California, as well as a desire to es-

cape US issues like polarised politics, culture wars, failing schools, and urban crime. The strength of the dollar in the aftermath of the pandemic has also been a factor.

Why do Americans choose Spain?

Purchasers are evenly split between expatriates and non-residents buying second homes, though many intend to eventually live there full-time. For Americans, Spain isn’t a weekend getaway; the distance means most envision a long-term or permanent stay, rather than just occasional visits.

Trump’s recent victory could add momentum to this trend. The dollar has ticked up a bit since the election, and the affluent, educated ‘laptop’ class that largely voted for his opponent might be more motivated to move abroad, especially if the country becomes even more polarised during his second term.

This could give fresh impetus to the growing number of American buyers heading for the Costa del Sol.

A

THE cost of renting in Spain has finally started to trend downwards after nearly three years of steep rises.

A nationwide reduction of 2.62% since June might not be enough to start popping the champagne for tenants who can’t afford to buy.

But it could mark the start of a return to sanity for a rental market that span out of control after the Covid-induced trough of €10.35 per square metre in October 2021.

The average price is now €13.00 sqm across the country, down from a peak of €13.35 three months ago.

The summer months saw a sudden and significant drop off in rental price increases, with the rate going down by 26% between June and August.

Nonetheless, €13 sqm still represents a year-on-year increase of 10.2% – and even an increase of 0.1% on last month.

And there is little respite for where it matters, with rental prices in Madrid surging by 15.9% and Barcelona 13.5%.

Barcelona remains Spain’s most expensive capital to rent, with rates at €23.1 sqm, followed by Madrid (€20.6 sqm) and San Sebastián (€17.9 sqm).

All 50 provincial capitals registered rental price increases apart from Lleida, curiously, which was the only exception at a 0.9% decrease.

Tourist-heavy regions such as Alicante and Malaga saw rises 13.9% and 13.8% respectively, with renting in the Costa del Sol now costing €14.8 sqm.

Barcelona is also the priciest province for rentals, averaging €19.8 sqm, surpassing Madrid (€18.8 sqm), the Balearic Islands (€17.6 sqm), and Guipúzcoa (€16 sqm).

Notably, several regions suffering from ‘oversaturation’ reported smaller rises, including the Balearic Islands (9.3%), the Canary Islands (8.8%) and Andalucia (8.7%).

Even Catalunya rose by only 10.8%.

November 29thDecember 12th 2023

Marbellous

LUXURY property hunters have long been drawn to Marbella, but now it’s almost official – the top five most expensive homes for sale in Spain are located there. According to portal Idealista, these five high-end properties are the most expensive on their site. While there are certainly more expensive homes for sale around the country (perhaps not being publicly sold), these five starting at €27.5 million are a good barometer of what’s out there in the country’s top resort.

Sorry seven

SEVEN apartment owners have been fined €80,000 each for renting illegally in Mallorca.

The owners, who all have property in the same Palma block, will raise a total of €560,000 for the authorities

The Mallorca Tourism Department is levying the fines for operating without the necessary licences.

Tourism Minister Jose Marcial declared that ‘illegal rentals are a plague’.

He warned that they create unfair competition for honest businesses and threaten community harmony.

Justice

The enforcement is part of a clampdown, which has meticulously followed all legal processes to bring the offenders to justice.

Previously, fines handed out for illegal rentals hovered around €40,000, but now they’ve been doubled to deter future violations.

The authorities have pointed out that the maximum possible fine is a whop ping €400,000.

Only 621 properties in Palma have official tourist licences.

The authorities in Mallorca are particularly angry about the number of holiday rentals available on the platform Airbnb, which it claims are illegal.

At least 70% of the properties to rent are illegal, while around only 8% are illegal.

Floodplain

errors

ALMOST a third of the residenc es affected in the Valencia disaster were built in flood risk areas during the housing bubble, according to re search by DATADISTA.

The study claims developers would have known the land was liable to flooding thanks to the 2003 Flooding Land Action Plan (Patricova). Land included on the list has been updated over time to reflect changes due to the climate crisis and other factors.

On a national level, it is estimated at least three million people live in flood risk areas and building on land liable to flooding is still permitted in Spain.

5 4 3 2 1

WONDERWALLS

Thisamazingvillacould DefinitelyMaybeinspire

youtowritearockclassic

IT is very much a slice of Rock n Roll history and it has a rental price tag to match.

With two previous rockstar owners, it’s no wonder Casa Atlantis costs over €100,000 a week to rent in the high season.

Built by Tubular Bells genius Mike Oldfield (right), it was later owned by Oasis legend Noel Gallagher (below), before he sold it to an unnamed millionaire.

Set close to one of Ibiza’s most stunning beaches, it has a 15,000 square metre plot and the most amazing 13-by-five infinity pool.

Also counting on a smaller children’s pool, the six bedroom/seven bathroom villa spreads over 500 spacious square metres.

the low season and sleeps up to 12 people. It sits in an isolated clifftop area and has direct access to beautiful Ses Boques beach.

The current owner has upgraded the home to a ‘truly luxurious family and friends accommodation’ and guests will live like kings. Close to the village of Es Cu-

SOTOGRANDE could soon be in the hands of Saudi Arabia as it prepares to be put up for sale.

Founded in 1962, the luxury resort counts on two golf courses, a marina and a five star hotel, among many other attractions.

Its current owners, London-based Orion Capital Managers are looking to disinvest in the area. According to real estate sources, the company has received several offers, with one from Saudi Arabia, believed to be the PIF fund, the most advanced.

A regular playground for polo stars and princes, including Princes William and Harry, it has counted on many celebrity owners from Glenn Hoddle to Mike Rutherford and Nick Knowles.

bells, near neighbours include

Linda Evan

who has a stunning house up in the nearby hills, while fellow singer songwriter James

lives just up the road.

The village itself counts on a stunning church and a couple of good restaurants.

SAUDI SALE?

The exclusive private community only counts on 7,000 homes, and limits how many people can live there, ensuring privacy and exclusivity. Orion took over Sotogrande for around €225m alongside partner Cerberus in 2014.

In 2017 it bought the remaining stake to manage 100% of the company, before carrying out a series of upgrades, including the renovation of the SO/Sotograne Spa & golf Resort hotel. It also launched a string of new luxury developments including La Reserva, where villas sell for over €10 million.

supermodel

galista (right),

Blunt

BRICKS OF GOLD: (left to right) Villa in Cascada de Camojan, Palacio de la Paz, Mansion on Marbella’s Golden Mile, Villa in La Zagaleta and Mansion in Las Lomas

PROPERTY

November 29thDecember 12th 2023

As the cleanup operation in Valencia continues, the Olive Press looks at how cities around the world are guarding against similar flood disasters...

SOAKING UP THE FUTURE

Aens last year, thousands have died in these floods.

While abnormally high levels of rain

- and in the case of New Orleans, hurricanes - were mostly blamed, another key factor has been the over-construction of properties on

By Dilip Kuner

flood plains and the over-use of concrete, which doesn’t absorb water.

In response, a new wave of flood mitigation strategies are being developed with nature-based solutions at their core.

In some cases they are simply relearning old knowledge that had either been forgotten or dismissed as irrelevant in the quest to build ever more property.

“Above all, everyone has got to stop using concrete. This is the worst material to use,” insists respected Pakistan architect Yasmeen Lari. “If you look at urban flooding, the reason it’s becoming worse is because we’ve got concrete paving everywhere. Water is not able to steep into the soil.”

Meanwhile, too many floodplains have been built on - in particular around Valencia - not only leaving these properties vulnerable to flooding but also endangering previously safe areas which had been protected by wetlands absorbing excess water.

Nature-based solutions seek to restore and enhance nature zones - such as wetlands and woodlands - to reduce flood risks while delivering additional benefits like improved biodiversity and enhanced urban environments. Ironically, Valencia city itself has been seen as one of the pioneers in this movement. It has started to implement green roofs, vertical gardens, and transformed the former river Turia’s floodplain into a park, providing natural flood defences that help absorb excess

water and reduce urban heat.

But the sheer quantity of the water that was dumped overwhelmed these defences, with deadly results in the suburbs and nearby towns.

Much more needs to be done in what has been a slow process in ‘greening’ Valencia and other cities around the world.

Water plaza

One city with an innovative approach to flood prevention is Rotterdam.

It has created a ‘water plaza’ (above), for example, that doubles up as temporary stormwater storage area during heavy rainfall, preventing street overflows that can paralyse the city

When not serving as an emergency reservoir, it is used for recreation, offering sports facilities for residents.

Meanwhile in Singapore, the ABC

Waters Programme is transforming canals, drains, and reservoirs into scenic, green spaces. Not only does this help mitigate flood risk, but it also creates spaces for relaxation and recreation.

Cities world-wide are adopting green infrastructure - such as green roofs which are covered with vegetation to absorb rainfall and permeable pavements which allow water to seep into the ground rather than flood into drains.

In Copenhagen, for example, a company called Tredje Natur has developed a perforated ‘climate tile’ ( see picture overleaf) which absorbs much more rainwater.

Sponge cities

Perhaps one of the most interesting developments in flood management is the concept of the sponge city, which is gaining popularity in China.

A concept invented by landscape architect Kongjian Yu, his ideas were adopted by the Chinese government in 2013 following mass floods.

A pilot programme was tested across 30 cities, including Sanya, where previous concrete flood walls were replaced by sponge-like wetlands, terraced

EFFORTS: Valencia city has been working hard to create areas to absorb water such as in the Turia river basin park (above)

VEGETATION: Green roots and walls help to prevent the floods seen in Valencia (above left)

SPONGING IT UP:

Sanya and Wuhan (here) have adopted clever water absorbing strategies

SERIES of devastating floods caused by massive rainfall have hit cities around the globe so far this centuryand Valencia is just the latest.

From Mumbai and New Orleans in 2005 to Houston in 2017 and Ath-

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FLOODPLAIN MANAGEMENT

embankments, ponds and paddy fields that could absorb 830,000 cubic metres of stormwater at one time.

Wuhan meanwhile, was designed to capture, clean, and store rain water rather than funnel it away.

The water can then be used within the city rather than run into drainage and sewer sys tems that could otherwise be over whelmed.

Meanwhile, flood plains are being restored as part of efforts to manage flood risks.

While nature-based solutions are crucial, traditional flood defences like stormwater systems and flood walls are still needed.

Restoring them not only helps prevent flooding by holding excess water but also supports biodiversity by providing habitats for wildlife.

Blue green infrastructure

New York and Miami have blended the old with the new through ‘blue-green infrastructure’ - a hybrid solution that combines water management with green spaces.

In New York’s Lower Manhattan Coastal Resiliency Project (ringed right), this involves seawalls, el evated streets, and wet lands to shield vulner able areas from the rising waters

and hurricanes that have become an increasing threat.

In Los Angeles ‘green alleys’ have been installed leading to a basin to capture the water and make the city more ‘spongier’. This year after historic rainfall fell in February, the city captured an incredible 13.5 billion gal -

PREVENTION: The giant Themes Barrier prevents floods that happened in London since Roman times, while (below) New York’s Resiliency Project

lons of stormwater, which can serve 165,000 households for an entire year.

In Vienna, meanwhile, a new suburb called Am Seebogen is using the classic sponge city model to plant thousands of trees supported by subterranean chambers that capture and store rainwater which can be used during long dry spells.

One of the most famous flood defences is the Thames Barrier in London.

Until installed in 1982, the city had frequently flooded since Roman times, but in 1953 the North Sea

Flood led to hundreds of deaths. The giant barrier is a good example of how real-time data, tide predictions, and sophisticated climate models can be used to protect the city by anticipating imminent flood risks and trigger early warning systems.

Cities including Bangkok and Manila are also tapping into these technological advancements, deploying early warning systems that use predictive analytics to give residents and authorities the time they need to take action before disaster strikes.

WOODEN WONDER

A BARCELONA social housing project is being tipped as the winner of one of the architecture world’s top prizes. The Moddus Matrix project in Cornella has been short-listed for the RIBA International Prize 2024.

The groundbreaking, six-story courtyard building is under construction and will feature 85 homes.

The pioneering project is largely made from sustainable timber from the Basque region.

Next big thing

Freshen up your home with these latest trends to put on your Christmas list, writes Yzabelle Bostyn

CHRISTMAS and the New Year are almost upon us and with them lots of unique furniture trends to switch up your home.

Interior designers are already predicting which pieces will become 2025’s next big thing, so why not get ahead of the game and put them at the top of your Christmas list?

Rounded edges

Softer edges on furniture are having a real design moment, with circular coffee tables, bubble like sofas and oblong mirrors storming the scene. The style uses natural, organic materials, colours and shapes in an attempt to mimic the natural world.

This ‘Papsan’ chair (left) from CASA mirrors this trend, with the boho wicker frame supporting a luxurious cream coloured cushion - it is perfect to curl up and read a book in the cold winter months. It is available on the CASA website for €159.

Woven wonders

Next years’ trends seem to be all about making the home a more inviting and cosy space.

Using natural materials to add woven or mesh details on your cupboards, cabinets and wardrobes is an easy way to break up harsh edges and cold surfaces, adding more warmth to your home. For example, this rattan cupboard (above) from Casa Viva achieves an understated but stylish look for €475.00.

Warm tones

Shifting from the cool whites and greys of modern homes, we are seeing natural, warm colours creep back into interior design trends. Now, it’s all about earth tones: off-white, beige, tan, cream, brown and green paired with warm lighting. These elements can be incorporated into the home in many ways, including this stunning wood carved headboard (left)

Newly opened furniture store spanning 900 square meters, offering beds, decor, and furniture for both indoor and outdoor spaces. We assist you with everything – from the smallest detail to furnishing your entire home. Welcome!

Eco-materials

Sustainability is now a key consideration for buyers when they purchase new furniture. From recycled materials to vegan leather, there’s lots of different ways you can incorporate eco-friendly pieces into your home. Above all, it is important to buy good quality furniture that will last you a lifetime- even better if it is made from sustainable materials. For example, Skulum has entire collections using recycled wood, including this stylish textured TV stand (above).

Cluttercore

Trinkets, photos, blankets and cushions - homeowners want to build cosy nests full of colours, patterns and textures. Known as

design approach is becoming more and more popular, allowing occupants to show off their personalities. To find the perfect pieces for you, visit www.westwing. es and browse their expansion decor collection includ-

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Stardust Inn

IT was once described as Spain’s ‘most chic’ hotel, and with guests having included the Dalai Lama, Charlie Chaplin and Winston Churchill, it is hard to argue.

By Jon Clarke

Now, the amazing five star Hotel Formentor, in Mallorca, has reopened, and with rack rates to keep the riff raff very much at bay.

With rooms costing over €2,000 a night in October - considerably more than the Marbella Club, the Ritz in Madrid or Barcelona’s Mandarin Oriental

- you’d expect a fair bit of luxury. And you won’t be disappointed.

During a recent unofficial Olive Press inspection tour, we found the grand dame of the Balearics eye-opening in the extreme.

Sitting on the wonderful Formentor peninsula, north of Pollensa, its location couldn’t be more impressive.

The

With

29thDecember 12th 2023

LOCATION:

After an upgrade of reportedly around €25 million, the Four Seasons group now has easily one of the most exclusive hotels in Europe.

It didn’t come cheap though, costing €165 million back in 2020 and this, much due to its 486 hectares of land and practically no neighbours.

The first thing to note is the tight security that grills anyone looking to come in and there are plenty of guards patrolling the grounds.

Thankfully little-changed in terms of its overall structure, the main hotel, built in 1929, is a long, horizontal block of simple white lines.

He promised that it would be put back as it was and ‘everything would be done perfectly’, and as President of the Four Seasons group in Europe, added: “Every now and then we get the chance to revive a legendary hotel and take it into the future.”

This is very evident from the modern lobby, with its circular theme in the ceiling and central sofas.

From here you drop down an organic staircase encircling a tree trunk to the glamorous bar area and hip restaurant with wooden banquettes encouraging privacy.

Everything is designed to maximise the views across sea and the distant peaks of the island’s Tramantana range.

While we didn’t get to see the rooms, walking out into the gardens is the biggest surprise and you have a choice of three distinct pool areas, one designed for adults only.

The main pool is truly breathtaking. Enormous in size, it’s perfect for lengths and for chilling out with a good book.

All around the lawns are impeccable and the planting is low key and understated and very much focuses on the island’s local foliage.

Everything is designed to maximise the views of the sea and peaks

There had been a concern that developers planned to totally change the design, after they were heavily fined for demolishing large parts of the hotel in 2022.

But architect Carlos Lamela, insisted it was vital due to the deterioration of the walls, which left the building ‘precarious’.

The huge covered bar area with pergola was a great way to end the day with a couple of cold canas, which came with nuts and olives and at just over €10 was a great way to see how the other half live.

And for your information former guests include John Wayne and Mijail Gorbachov, as well as King Felipe and Queen Letizia, who were recently pictured in the grounds with their daughters Leonor and Sofia.

LOCATION,

The exclusive Formentor peninsula

ORGANIC: Its wonderful main staircase, original decor in the dining area and a suite

Is Malaga the new Barcelona?

ALMOST 10 years ago I wrote an article comparing the cities of Malaga and Barcelona.

“Is Malaga the new Barcelona?”

I asked in my regular article in the Olive Press

So popular was it online, it sparked an incredible craze of copycat articles, with even the likes of Daily Mail jumping on the bandwagon.

If you Google it you will see multiple articles, including my own, hopefully right at the top.

I was thinking about this comparison recently and wondering what, if anything, had changed about the two cities in terms of what I’d compared back then.

The weather remains fundamentally the same - albeit a little bit hotter and with rainfall heavier and more infrequent - and Malaga still has 300 EXTRA hours of sunshine than Barcelona (below) each year.

Olive Press Property Insider Adam Neale revisits a question he first posed for us a decade ago

To add to the Catalan capital’s gloom, Lionel Messi no longer plays for the local team, although I think Lamine Yamal more than makes up for it… and Malaga FC haven’t exactly set the world alight.

Population surge

The population of both cities has grown, it turns out.

Barcelona now has the highest population it’s had since 1991, with 1.7 million people, some 25% of them foreign born.

Malaga (right) meanwhile has grown from 560,000 to 587,000 residents with 16.7% being foreign.

It means though, that Malaga has grown a little more quickly than Bar-

celona. By 4.82% vs 3.44%. Although, at the provincial level, Barcelona continues to grow a little more quickly and Malaga is the fifth province in Spain in terms of population growth. Malaga will have an expected population growth of 20% over the next 15 years. Almost all of that will come from the arrival of for-

eign-born arrivals, which will make up 33% of the province’s population by 2039.

Metro lines

Barcelona had a much more developed metro system 10 years ago with eight lines and 165 stations, while Malaga had only two lines and 10 stations. Today, while Malaga still has two lines, it has two more planned and no less than 19 stations. Not too shabby an improvement but still dwarfed by Barcelona’s, which has grown from eight lines and 165 stations to 12 lines and 189 stations.

Economy

In terms of economic growth, both Barcelona and Malaga rely heavily on tourism.

As a result of the post-Covid surge in tourism, which continues apace, Malaga saw its economy grow by 3.6% in 2023, while that of Barcelona grew by a still-healthy 2.9%.

The one unfortunate way in which Malaga is becoming more like Barcelona is in terms of cost of living. Back in 2015, Expatistan.com claimed Malaga was 24% cheaper than Barca, but today is just 7% cheaper.

Another site Numbeo disagrees, claim-

The Property Insider by

Adam Neale

ing the cost of living (including rent) is 21.1% higher in Barcelona than Malaga. Breaking that down to a monthly amount, Numbeo says that you would need €4,602 in Barcelona to maintain the same standard of living that €3,800 would bring you in Malaga.

That’s a substantial difference.

Property

That difference extends to property prices as well. When I wrote the original article, Spain was just beginning to emerge from a massive property crisis, which saw huge drops in property prices from their 2007 peaks.

The numbers for 2014 showed property in Barcelona cost €3,188 per metre square.

For Malaga, the price was half of that at €1,559.

So what a difference a decade makes.

To buy property in Barcelona today, the third highest property prices in the

country, you can expect to pay

€4,430/ m2.

The average price in Malaga is now €3,016/m2.

That’s a 93% increase in Malaga’s property prices and a 39% increase in Barcelona.

Seeing that dramatic increase, one can understand why people who live in Malaga are frustrated with the housing situation and why it tops the charts of most important local concerns.

Conclusion

Malaga remains a cheaper option than Barcelona. It is just as beautiful and probably a cleaner city with more beaches than Barcelona and a growing and vibrant cultural scene.

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HOLY RIVALRY

German minster about to be surpassed by Spanish Gaudi masterpiece, writes Dilip Kuner

AGERMAN cathedral is on the verge of losing its title as the world’s tallest church to Barcelona’s La Sagrada Familia.

Antoni Gaudi’s as yet unfinished work is on track to surpass Ulmer Munster in Germany, which has held the record since May 31 1890.

La Sagrada Familia’s ‘Tower of Jesus Christ’ is set to be finished in 2025 as one of the final phases before completion of the cathedral.

At an anticipated height of 172 metres, it will exceed Ulmer Munster’s 161.5 metre Gothic spire by just nine-and-a-half metres once the final tower is crowned with a 17 metre cross - ironically made by a German company.

The final competition of the basilica in 2026 will coincide with the centennial of Gaudi’s death, marking the realisation of his lifelong dream.

Gaudi famously remarked: “My client is not in a hurry,” reflecting his belief that the project’s grandeur warranted the time it took. Meanwhile, the leadership at Ulmer Munster remains unfazed by the impending loss of its record.

Dean Torsten Krannich noted that while the church’s height has been a point of pride, its spiritual significance is what truly matters. “The church lifts my heart up to God,” he emphasised, highlighting its importance extends far beyond its towering spire.

As La Sagrada Familia prepares to claim its title, this transition is not merely about height, but rather a contrast of styles and

histories.

Ulmer Munster, with its Gothic architecture, represents a period marked by soaring cathedrals and religious fortresses.

Its construction was interrupted by the Protestant Reformation and only resumed in the 19th century, symbolising a city that rebuilt itself amid political and economic challenges. In contrast, La Sagrada Familia embodies a different era - a fusion of modernism, natural beauty, and faith.

Gaudí’s brilliance is evident not only in the height of the structure but also in its organic curves and intricate details inspired by nature.

Though Ulmer Munster may soon become the second-tallest church, Ulm boasts a rich cultural heritage. Albert Einstein, born there in 1879, remains a key figure in the city’s identity. Visitors can admire a stained glass window in the church that features Einstein, and the city takes pride in its connection to one of history’s greatest minds.

Certainty needed

What to do as Sterling exchange rates become increasingly volatile

IF you’re considering buying property in Spain, recent fluctuations in the pound-euro exchange rate are definitely something to keep an eye on.

The start of the month saw the pound drop sharply after reaching a near 30-month high just a few weeks ago, driven down by the UK’s Autumn Budget and some strong economic data from the Eurozone.

After a promising start, the pound rose in anticipation of Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ budget announcement. But that optimism quickly evaporated as Eurozone GDP figures revealed unexpected growth, with the bloc’s economy accelerating from 0.2% to 0.4% in the third quarter, coupled with Germany avoiding recession. This was a wake-up call for anyone looking to transfer their pounds into euros for a property purchase.

If you want to gamble on the pound getting stronger then make sure you have enough cash available to cover your deposit if it goes the other way and weakens.

Nothing is worse than suddenly finding a poorer exchange rate means you can no longer put down the deposit.

A wake-up call for anyone looking to transfer pounds into euros

The euro gained further momentum thanks to higher-than-expected inflation figures, which suggested the European Central Bank (ECB) might hold off on rate cuts. In contrast, the UK budget announcement revealed £40 billion in tax hikes and increased borrowing, sending the pound into a tailspin. After hitting a six-week low, it did manage to recover some ground, but uncertainty remains.

For UK buyers eyeing Spanish properties, the current market dynamics could have significant implications. If you’re planning a currency exchange to fund your purchase, it is best to tie into certainty.

Consider consulting with a currency transfer specialist, who can offer competitive rates and help you navigate these turbulent waters and lock in to an exchange rate in advance, giving you certainty. We at the Finance Bureau can help you use the right strategy to mitigate some of the risks associated with currency fluctuations, ensuring that your dream property in Spain doesn’t come with an inflated price tag.

UP AND UP: Barcelona’s Segrada Familia will soon trump Ulmer Munster

SHAME ON YOU

THE government’s failed housing policies have been all over the front pages in recent months.

And to cover up their own failures with the disastrous Housing Act of May 2023, they are stepping up their war on short-term rentals and pointing the finger at those ‘nasty landlords’ who refuse to rent out their homes cheaply under the new laws.

Take Housing Minister Isabel Rodriguez (pictures), who called on homeowners to show solidarity and rent out their homes cheaper than market prices a fortnight ago.

Something of an own goal when it turned out the minister herself owned SEVEN properties, three of which were flats, for which she received €5,130 in rent per month; over €1,700 each. And if anything, over the market value.

Embarrassing to say the least it led to large demonstrations in Madrid and Sevilla, among other cities, and a group, the Sindicato de (tenants’ union) demanded the minister’s resignation and threatened a ‘rent strike’ if not.

She’s unlikely to go and the big problem here is that for the last 20 years - at least - Spain has not had a proper policy for the construction of public

It’s a complicated issue because

There is yet another new law for short-term rentals, as it emerges Spain’s socialist Housing Minister (right) makes €5,000 a month from SEVEN properties, writes Christofer Fogelberg (below)

housing policy is largely managed at the autonomous and municipal level.

And as a result, as the market boomed, hardly any council housing has been built in the last decade.

It is simply not economically viable for construction companies and because of too much red tape.

The problem with so many levels of government is that national law doesn’t have to be followed in the autonomous regions.

One example is the 2023 law, which introduced the possibility of special zonas tensionadas (tension zones).

These are areas with few long term rental properties and high prices in which rental prices are restricted.

For example, if a property has been rented over the last five years, the rent must be the same when it is rented again. Even though on average, rents have gone up over 30% in the last five years.

So what happened? Only one region, Catalunya, introduced zonas tensionadas

And the result: In Barcelona, average rents have fallen by 5% since then - but much more alarmingly, the supply has fallen by 38%!

So regulation has meant there are

even fewer homes for rent - and the few that are available have to be rented out cheaply to make the statistics look good.

But the true result is that most owners don’t want to rent out, but have instead chosen to rent out on a short-term basis, sold up or simply leave them empty.

In Spain there are three legal ways of renting out a property:

1. For permanent residence

2. Temporary rentals (de temporada)

3. Short-term; to tourists for periods of less than two months

As tourist rentals require special licences, many people now offer temporary rentals instead.

To do this, there must be a reason for the rental, e.g. a student renting for the academic year, or a professional footballer with a three-year contract with a club, etc.

You have to prove a specific reason.

The government now plans to close this ‘loophole’ by introducing a new national register for all short-term or temporary rented accommodation.

And this should come into force on January 2 next year.

Registration will be applied for digitally

via a national web portal linked to the housing register.

Andalucia already has a register for tourist licences and so has promised to interconnect its register with the national one.

Anyone who already has a tourist licence won’t have to do anything, it should sync automatically. However, anyone who wants to rent out por temporada will have to register on the national register.

ulation leads to lower supply and higher prices.

Deregulation leads to more supply and lower prices. Maybe the government should make it more attractive to invest in rental property instead of making it difficult?

We all agreeoverregulation leads to lower supply and higher prices

As vice-president of the GIPE, I have received a lot of questions about this from colleagues and, of course, from our clients at StartGroup as well.

There is already a lot of confusion about tourist rentals here after the change in the regional law at the beginning of 2024.

Now this comes in addition, two major changes in less than 10 months! So there are lots of things to bear in mind to have a legal rental property!

After speaking to many representatives from the industry, we all agree - overreg-

I mean, if they can’t solve the problem of home ownership themselves, maybe it would be better to reward those who have homes to rent out instead of penalising them.

The basic principle in the economy is supply and demand...

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Cozy Apartment with Roof Terrace in Aloha Pueblo, Nueva Andalucia

1 Bed |1 Bath | 75 m2 Built

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Sleek yet cozy apartment in the popular urbanisation of Aloha Pueblo, situated on an elevated position gives this apartment plenty of natural light throughout the day. Recently refurbished to create a comfortable and effective living space. The open plan kitchen and living room with a fireplace opens out onto the lower terrace area, from here you can access the 70m² roof terrace perfect for al fresco dining or sunbathing. Aloha Pueblo enjoys several restaurants, 24hrs security and a nice pool area. The urbanisation is located within walking distance to the Aloha Strip.

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Townhouse in La Biznaga, Aloha, Nueva Andalucia

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Spacious townhouse for sale in the heart of the Golf Valley in Nueva Andalucia, one of the most demanded areas. This location is particularly popular for those who spend their days on the golf course, as the Aloha Golf Club among others is just a short distance away. A perfect holiday home or permanent residence depending on what you are looking for. The property is distributed over 3 floors, a solarium with scope for enlargement is on the top floor. There are beautiful mountain views and plenty of sun on the different terraces. The house is very well kept and ready to move into.

LA CULTURA

Still good

THE REINA Sofia Museum is set to auction off some of its prized artwork and donate the proceeds to DANA victims.

They plan to auction Colombian artist Fernando Botero’s Still Life in New York and pass on the proceeds to Valencia-based food banks.

On first sight, the piece shows a full fruit bowl, but if you turn the canvas around, there is another painting showing an empty table.

Botero donated the painting to the Fundacion Reina Sofia before his death upon a plea from the charity to help with their work in food banks.

Chauvinism exposed

Spain’s female players endured a shocking battle to win their rights

A NEW streaming documentary is shaking the foundations of the Spanish Football Association over the way it has historically treated its female players. Netflix’s ‘It’s All Over: The Kiss That Changed Spanish Football’ delves into the history behind the infamous kiss FA chief Luis

Spanish celluloid

THREE Spanish films have been nominated for Best Film at the European Film Awards (EFA).

Pedro Almodovar’s English language debut The Room Next Door, which received a 17-minute ovation at Cannes, made the cut.

As did They Shot the Pianist by Fernando Trueba, and The Sultan’s Dream by Isabel Herguera and Javier Mariscal.

The winners will be revealed at an awards ceremony in the Swiss city of Lucerne on December 7.

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It is no surprise that the much-lauded Almodovar is also up for Best Director, while his star Tilda Swinton is in the running for Best Actress.

By Yzabelle Bostyn

Rubiales’ planted on the lips of female player Jenni Hermoso. The women’s head coach, It details how Jorge Vilda, would reportedly enter the players’ hotel rooms at night, check their shopping bags and control their media appearances.

stretches back even further, to the reign of predecessor Ignacio Quereda, who managed the side for 27 years between 1988 and 2015.

Players claim Quereda frequently made vulgar remarks, treating them like his ‘little girls’ and ‘squeezing their stomach rolls.’

All-year round

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The documentary highlights the deep divisions in the team after a group known as Las 15 spoke out against the former manager, with many withdrawing from the squad in the lead up to the 2023 World Cup. They say that Rubiales, who was in charge at that point, dismissed the women’s claims despite being at the ‘beck and call’ of the men’s team. But the Netflix show claims that the culture of sexism actually

Despite complaints and Quereda’s removal, the issues simply continued when Vilda was appointed, with the successor essentially ‘being his own boss.’

The documentary culminates with the World Cup win and controversial Rubiales kiss, which has changed the face of Spanish women’s football forever.

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A feature length documentary, it follows a 2021 film Breaking the Silence, which exposed Quereda’s regime.

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BACK ON TRACK

Unfreeze your PC blues: The ultimate guide to reviving your Windows device

IS your Windows PC stuck in a digital deep-freeze, leaving you twiddling your thumbs?

Fear not—whether it’s the spinning wheel or a full-on freeze, we’ve crafted a safe and simple guide to help you thaw out your tech troubles without risking your PC.

First things first, sometimes your computer’s just thinking. Give it a minute or two to snap out of it.

This little ‘freeze frame’ could just be your PC’s version of a power nap.

Meanwhile, grab a coffee, check for any quirky error messages,

and let it regroup on its own.

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Running outdated software is like ignoring oil changes for a car!

Head to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update , click Check for updates , and let your PC grab the latest fixes and patches.

It’s the simplest way to prevent future freezes and keep things running smoothly.

If you’re unsure about system updates, AnyTech365’s experts can guide you through it safely, ensuring nothing gets missed. If you notice just one app acting up, it might be time to give it a nudge. Use Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager, find the app under Processes, and click End Task to close it safely. This gentle reset usually won’t affect other parts of your system, making it an easy way to bring unruly apps back in line.

When in doubt, a simple restart is often the easiest fix.

Go to the Start menu, select Power > Restart . It’s a quick reset that solves a lot of common glitches. This method is as non-invasive as it gets and is often all you need.

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The right choice?

THE Choice Hotels group will expand its portfolio in Spain as part of a long term strategic agreement with Faranda Hotels & Resorts.

Eight properties will switch to the group’s Ascend brand over the next year, with some changing in the next few months.

It means the hotels will add 700 rooms to the Choice offering in Spain.

Faranda, which was founded by the Fernandez family, has built an international portfolio of hotels over 40 years in both Europe and Latin America.

“Spain is a key market and through this agreement, we will see the Ascend Hotel Collection expand significantly across Spain in the coming months,” said Choice CEO David Beers.

Madrid and Valencia are counting the financial cost of the flood tragedy

THE deadliest floods in Spanish history have exacted a massive financial cost in addition to the human suffering.

Valencia Chamber of Commerce estimates the final bill will be well above €10 billion.

At least 4,500 businesses located in ground floor properties have been badly damaged or destroyed.

Dozens of shopping centres and industrial estates have also been damaged while many transport companies lost their lorries.

The flooding of fields meanwhile dealt a heavy blow to agriculture in the region.

Trade union La Unio estimates at least 50,000 hectares of crops were affected, while agricultural insurer

UNEMPLOYMENT in Spain

went up in October but it was the smallest rise for that month since 2006 - barring the pandemic years of 2021 and 2022.

The number of jobless rose by 26,769 - below average increases for last month.

The total fell 5.7% from the same month last year, which was the biggest annual fall since September 2023.

€10 billion flood fee

By Alex Trelinski

Agroseguro believes the cost could rise to €150 million.

Both regional and central government finances will be severely stretched by the cost, although Spain is seeking aid from the EU solidarity fund to ease the burden.

Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced a series of measures worth €10.6 billion euros aimed at shielding and relaunching Valencia's economy. These include aid to small and medium-sized businesses, self-employed workers, tax relief and a three-month

Positive trend

postponement to repayments of loans and mortgages. Clearing debris and reconstructing infrastructure will

the sector in the event of a natural disaster.

Thanks for your service

STRONG sales and demand are continuing to drive robust expansion in Spain’s service sector, according to an S&P Global survey.

The study recorded 14 consecutive months of uninterrupted growth – a trajectory which does not look set to change any time soon. “Spain’s economy continues on its positive trajectory and the service sector remains a significant growth driver,” according to Hamburg Commercial Bank economist Jonas Feldhusen.

Optimistic

The overall figure was 2.6 million people registered as unemployed. Among industrial sectors, construction registered a fall in unemployment compared to the previous month.

The Labour Ministry said a significant trend in hiring was confirmed with 43.5% of contracts registered in October being permanent.

OP QUICK CROSSWORD

also be financed by Madrid to the estimated tune of €2.6 billion. Spanish insurers rely on a common fund managed by the CCS public consortium that shares the cost across

The CCS therefore covers most of the compensation and insurers only directly pay out for peripheral damage in areas unaffected by the floods.

Payout

The system is 'perfectly prepared to deal with this type of situation', said UNESPA head, Mirenchu del Valle Schaan.

More than 72,000 claims have been submitted so far, with the first payouts already arriving.

Businesses are said to be ‘optimistic’, expecting positive market conditions and planning further investments and commercial initiatives accordingly next year. Separately, another study showed Spanish manufacturing expanded last month at its fastest pace in more than two years. The economy improved by 0.8% in the third quarter of 2024 – faster than economists had expected and double the eurozone as a whole.

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Animal outrage

Our animal coverage is really what gets your goats

I JUST wanted to say how much I appreciated the Olive Press for Mr Dollimore’s article on the 42,000 birds who drowned in the flood.

Animal welfare issues are difficult to address even in the best of times but especially when there are so many human deaths.

The whole hog

The Spanish hunter who posed for a pic with the corpse of an enormous wild boar drew a universal reaction.

THAT’S disgusting. Clearly the head of a herd, and shameful to hunt these lovely creatures. Pathetic little man.

Carol Byrne, Murtas

WHAT an absolute shame. Why? What is the point of hunting? What does it achieve! What a horrible person. Humans are to fear.

Melissa Baker, Fuengirola

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But these chickens suffered and as your piece points out, so needlessly, as they should never have existed to begin with. And yes, this death by drowning is dreadful.

Had these birds survived they would have met with a death just as dreadful by being slaughtered, so one way or another these birds were bred to suffer.

So thank you for covering the loss of these poor birds even when human suffering is at the forefront of everyone’s mind – this is to be commended as it isn’t easy and can bring little reward from the public.

So I wanted to be sure to say how much I appreciated this piece. Thank you.

All the best,

Sara Crane, via OP online

AND he's proud of himself!!! Wish the boar had eaten him for breakfast.

Jenny Church, Pizarra

IN Spain they like to kill so many beautiful wild animals and sometimes domestic ones too! Brainless idiots!!!

Francesca Groves, Baza

Alora awareness

Dear Olive Press, FEELINGS are that Alo- ra was one of the worst hit areas by the storm Dana in Malaga yet very little report- ing has focused on the area. People are struggling there with little help from govern- ment agencies as the focus has been on Valencia. The suffering is here in our own backyards too with lit- tle help or reporting to make people aware of how bad it is in that area!

Warm regards, just my two cents!

A Tiernay, Malaga Deputy News Editor’s response: At the Olive Press we are acutely conscious of covering events in Malaga and Andalucia. So much so that we sent our publisher, Jon Clarke, to cover the ter- rible events in Alora in person, who document- ed the destruction and lost cars the residents have suffered. We wish the region a speedy recovery and are ready to cover it if the authorities’ response has been inadequate.

FOOD, DRINK & TRAVEL

Slice of success

AN Italian restaurant in Tarragona has been garlanded for serving Spain’s best traditional pizza at the National Pizza Passion Championship in Barcelona.

The Aboccaperta pizzeria scooped the prize for its ‘pizzaiolo’, a dish that uses finely milled Molino Castillo flour and peeled Pelati di Puglia Rosso Gargano tomatoes. Aboccaperta was founded in 2011 by Italian immigrants, Matteo Gripo and Davide de Nuncio.

November 13thNovember 26th 2024

WINE-ING

Spanish wine clinches top prize at the ‘Academy Awards’ of global wine

A SPANISH winery took the top prize at the prestigious Golden Vines Awards, often referred to as the ‘Oscars of wine.’

The ‘best picture’ award, known as the Robb Report Golden Vines World Best Fine Wine Producer award, went to Vega Sicilia, based in the Ribera del Duero region.

Vega Sicilia has long stood out for producing some of Spain’s best wines, including its flagship bottle Unico

The winery, established in 1864 and one of the oldest in Spain, makes sure it uses

Sitting pretty

By Yzabelle Bostyn

grapes that fully matured in a long-ageing process to get its award-winning results.

A second Spanish winery, Familia Torres, was also recognised at the glitzy ceremony.

Familia Torres, from the Salnes valley in Portas, won for its innovation in sustainable winemaking.

It received an award for pioneering eco-friendly techniques such as organic farm-

NATIONAL Geographic has picked Frias, in Burgos, as the ‘prettiest town to visit in November.’

The hamlet of just 300 residents was chosen for its ‘historic splendour’, architecture and landscapes.

Frias is known for its gothic buildings constructed in traditional limestone, hanging houses, and the impressive castle and church.

The magazine also highlighted the town’s mediaeval bridge, described as an ‘architectural jewel’ of Burgos.

Writer Jose Alejandro Adamuz stated: “Frias has lots of historic and architectural value, all of which is perfectly preserved.

ing, water conservation and its use of renewable energies.

Other notable winners included Domaine de la Romanée-Conti (Best Wine Producer in Europe) and Harlan Estate (Best Wine Producer in America).

Each winner received a trophy designed by artist Nuria Mora, housed in a custom Gucci bag.

The prestigious Golden Vines Awards took place this year in Madrid in a lavish ceremony at the Cibeles Palace.

Fresh off the success of its inaugural event in London in 2021, it was followed by further editions in Florence, and Paris.

The next Golden Vines awards will take place in Miami from November 7 to 9, 2025, with tickets already on sale for €15,000 each.

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Sa Ferradura, Ibiza

has been enjoyed by the rich and famous, including Lionel Messi, Cesc Fabregas and Elon Musk.

Mikhail Prokhorov (currently engaged in a spat with Vladimir Putin) the haven

To access the top-tier accommodation, visitors must answer a list of questions from the eager to please staff: What’s your favourite food? What style of service do you prefer? What little details would make you happy?

Like ‘being taken to a Bond villain’s lair’ guests are picked up in blacked out cars and driven across rocky terrain to arrive at their destination. Set over 3.5 hectares, it has

a bar, a spa, an infinity pool and a gym after being kitted out with extensive, fouryear renovations by the ‘eccentric’ owner. It is found 22 kilometres away from central Ibiza, making it the perfect getaway for the rich and famous.

SEEING ISLE TO ISLE

The Spanish private islands that attract the rich and famous

ELEBRITIES as diverse as musicians Shakira and Ricky Martin, actors Mel Gibson, Johnny Depp and Leornado de Caprio, magician David Copperfield and businessman Richard Branson have one thing in common - they all own their own private island.

While the majority of these are in Florida and the Caribbean, Spain has its own collection of private islands, which beckon the mega-rich, each boasting its own unique allure and opulence. From the sun-drenched shores of Ibiza to the more understated charm of Galicia, these exclusive havens serve as retreats for the wealthy elite.

Here we spotlight four of Spain’s ‘private islands’ owned by the mega rich - including a Russian oligarch.

Mayor,

In the middle of the Mar Menor lies this 94 hectare volcanic island.

Also known as Isla del Baron, the island takes its name from the Baron of Benifayo, who built a neomudejar style palace on the summit of the long-dead volcano. The island is known for its unique plant and birdlife, including rare Chamaerops.

In nearby San Pedro del Pinatar, the Baron built another neomudejar palace which is now the town’s Archaeological and Ethnographic Museum.

The ‘epitome of luxury’, a week on this exclusive island costs an eye watering €250,000 to 300,000 for up to 12 other guests.

Owned by Russian oligarch

Isla

Murcia

FOOD, DRINK & TRAVEL

Tagomago, Ibiza

Just minutes from the ‘playground of Ibiza’, this private island provides a refuge from the chaos.

The only property is an ultra-modern and it comes with a personal jetty, pool, jacuzzi, helipad, professional grade kitchen, a spa, panoramic terraces and chartering services.

Spread over 600,000m2, the island offers an intimate experience just 900 metres from the White Island. You can even contract the ultimate party experience, with a yacht day,

a night at Pacha, Ibiza’s most exclusive nightclub and dinner at some of the area’s finest restaurants.

Visitors can also tailor activities to them, with paddle boarding, diving, jet skiing and sailing on offer.

The island is popular with celebrities, including Cristiano Ronaldo, Justin Bieber

and Liz Hurley (pictured right). It is also a preferred destination for luxury weddings. Despite this, the island is no stranger to controversy. Manager and long-time partner of Spanish actress Norma Deval, German entrepreneur Matthias Khün was sentenced to six months in prison plus a fine of

€10,800 for building on the island.

The real estate agent, who owns Kuhn & Partner, carried out construction works on the Tagomago without permission and licenses, tainting a Natural Area of Special Interest. It reportedly costs €25,000 a night to stay and it last sold for €150 million. Today, Austrian nobility are thought to own it, though Khün still manages the island.

Not quite as glamorous as Tagomago is Vigo’s Toralla Island, home to a tower block plonked in the middle of the estuary. A controversial project, the 70 metre tall residential building was constructed in the 1960s and is now an integral part of the Vigo coastline. Also in contrast with the natural surroundings are the 30 high-end chalets built throughout the 10.6 hectare island.

Residents are connected to the mainland by a bridge leading to the Playa de Vao. Although the urbanisation is private, the island’s two beaches and Roman remains are open for public access.

at Kempinski Hotel Bahía

Don’t miss the most famous Christmas occasions on the Costa del Sol this festive season, a time full of sparkle and joy

30 November - The Kempinski Christmas Market & Lighting of the Tree from 13.00 until 20.00, with stalls, festive delicacies, choirs, a kids zone (paid entrance) and a visit from Santa. Open to the public, no entrance fee.

24 December - Christmas Eve six course Gala dinner at Baltazár Bar and Grill, with live music and that perfect Christmas atmosphere

25 December - The famous Christmas Day buffet brunch, with live music, kids entertainment and the visit from Santa!

31 December - You can choose between:

New Year’s Eve: a stunning gala dinner with a pre-dinner cocktail, live music, midnight celebrations and an open bar to dance the night away.

New Year’s Eve buffet: ideal for all the family, with a pre-dinner cocktail, live music, midnight celebrations, and kids club available till 01 00

Toralla Island, Vigo

November 13thNovember 26th 2024

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Brave new world

Spanish scientists have made a key genetic breakthrough

GENETIC researchers in Barcelona have reached a historic milestone, creating the very first map of the ‘spliceosome’.

A key part of interpreting DNA, the spliceosome helps cells to interpret and select genes which lead to essential protein production.

Errors in this process, known as splicing, can cause cancer as well as rare and neurodegenerative diseases.

It is hoped the research will help with treatment and lead to advances in genetic engineering.

Now, a team of geneticists led

By Yzabelle Bostyn

by Juan Valcarcel have successfully mapped the spliceosome following a decade of research.

Spliceosomes are found in the nuclei of cells and interpret ribonucleic acid (RNA) molecules, responsible for converting DNA into proteins and regulating various cellular processes.

Thanks to these complex molecular machines, human cells can produce 100,000 different types of proteins

despite only having 20,000 genes.

These proteins are involved in many essential life pro-

Outrage over painkiller case

THE SPANISH Supreme Court has thrown out a civil case against the ‘deadly’ painkiller Nolotil, provoking outrage amongst activists.

The lawsuit filed against the Ministry of Health and the Medicines Agency (AEMPS) by a campaign group has been disregarded by the country’s highest court.

Led by the Association for Drug Affected People’s (ADAF) Cristina del Campo, the judge ruled the case did not constitute a ‘violation of human rights.’ “I feel utterly disappointed,” she told the Olive Press. “We know what this drug is ca-

pable of and over 40 countries have banned it because it is dangerous.”

It comes some four years after a 2018 directive issued by the government prevented the sale of the drug to Northern Europeans without a prescription. It is to blame for at least 40 deaths of British and Irish people in Spain.

The lawsuit included various cases of agranulocytosis, which can lead to sepsis, amputations and organ failure.

The group also identified 350 suspected cases of the potentially deadly side effect between 1996 and 2023, including 170 British victims.

CLOSING IN

Hospiten in Estepona is offering the latest in mammography, along with other high tech radiology equipment

IT is a hospital that likes to stay at the forefront of global technology.

So Hospiten in Estepona has recently incorporated the most high tech equipment available to detect breast cancer at the earliest possible moment.

Thanks to the Senographe Pristina 3D mammography machine, breast cancer detection will be at the forefront for all female patients on the Costa del Sol.

The device is the only FDA-approved 3D mammography that delivers at the same low dose as the lowest patient dose of all approved systems.

This award from America’s stringent Food

cesses such as creating collagen for bones or hemoglobin to transport oxygen through the blood.

Valcarcel has been studying the phenomena since 1986 and has finally produced a map of the spliceosome, consisting of 150 internal and 150 external proteins.

Over time, the researchers systematically deactivated each of the 300 proteins to observe the effects.

Achilles

They found that if one protein fails, this can trigger a chain of errors which could eventually lead to cancer.

“It is a potential Achilles’ heel that we can take advantage of to design new therapies. Our map offers a way to discover these weak points,” said Valcarcel.

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It means that the hospital’s team of radiologists are able to make a more effective diagnosis of breast pathologies, working even with the densest of breasts.

Indeed, any breast lesion can be located more precisely thanks to the ‘tomosynthesis technique’ - a specific type of breast imaging that uses a very low dose of X-rays. It also has a stereotactic biopsy device that allows 360-degree access to the breast. The mammography not only presents new

TOMOSYNTHESIS

Tomosynthesis is a key ability of the new mammography machine and consists of acquiring a series of exposures with different angles. The data generated is processed to generate a volume of images that make up the entire breast and are displayed as multiple images of different planes of the breast. and Drug Admin (FDA) body guarantees the lowest possible radiation risk for patients. In addition, this fullfield digital mammography platform has new possibilities for digital image processing, archiving and transmission.

benefits for patients but also for the healthcare staff in charge of its use: the parking position of the tube head, one-button access to the preset rotation and a new, more intuitive user interface are some of these advances.

The machine’s ability to perform motorised movements also facilitates positioning and visualisation of axillary tissue through decentralised compressors.

Large team

Hospiten has a large team of medical professionals who specialise in diagnostic imaging. They will quickly analyse the results of the mammography machine and give patients the best possible advice moving forwards.

The hospital is also known for its ability to offer quick appointments and there are no waiting lists.

The hospital also has many other high tech hospital equipment including CAT scanners, Ultrasound scanners and Magnetic Resonance Imaging.

It also has a big team of medical specialists to undertake any procedures needed.

For more information visit www.hospiten.com, call +34 952 76 06 00 or email estepona@hospiten.com to see how we can help you

ABOUT HOSPITEN

Hospiten is an interna- tional healthcare network committed to providing top-quality service. Hospiten has over 50 years’ experience and 20 private medical centres and hospi- tals in Spain, the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Jamaica and Panama, plus over 150 outpatient treatment cen- tres under the Clinic Assist brand.

Founded by Dr Pedro Luis Cobiella, Hospiten cares for more than two million patients around the world each year and has over 5,000 employees.

NATIVE CONTENT

Shooting for sixes

SPANISH speakers have topped 600 million globally this year for the very first time. There are nearly 500 million people who speak Spanish with native proficiency.

Honesty pays

DINERS in El Palo who tried to pay up after realising they had not been charged €48 for a paella were told by the restaurant owner to donate the money to charity.

Mud raker

A SPANISH news reporter was caught on camera caking himself in mud before giving an update on the deadly Valencia floods direct from the disaster zone.

HISTORY REPEATS

Neighbours shocked to discover they had recreated a street scene from 60 years ago

VOLUNTEERS have inadvertently recreated a slice of history by dining outside in a floodwrecked street – just as past valencianos did during deadly floods in 1957. History rhymed as a family were snapped celebrating that their street in Catarroja had

finally been cleaned up after nearly two weeks of hard slog. What they didn’t realise is that the photo eerily recreated a moment last seen 67 years ago.

On that occasion, locals dragged

out a table and chairs into knee deep water during severe flooding which killed 81 people. It is just one of a number of heartwarming moments that have surfaced amid the chaos

WHAT CAN AI GET YOU?

A BENIDORM hotel is blazing a trail with a team of eight robots that can help check people in, print room keys and even pour pints. The Climia Benidorm Hotel boasts its latest recruits can also clean rooms and provide room service. While the robot waiter can carry up to 60kg worth of food and plates. Creators Bumerania, from Alicante, say they will not take jobs, but free staff to concentrate ‘on serving the client’.

Close to the bone

MADRID’s Jamon Museum is trying to entice tourists to come and visit by telling them to ‘go ham!’

It is a daring marketing campaign that takes aim at the anti-tourist graffiti which has become ubiquitous in Spain. The darkly humorous slogan has been seen on buses, trains and street corners. However, not everyone has seen the funny side.

One Madrid local slammed the ‘sh*tty sign’ for ‘laughing at the locals who live there.’

and tragedy that struck on October 29.

In another video, two toddler cousins are seen running to hug one another after being separated by the catastrophe.

One commenter said: “It’s the little ones that are the best, so cute!”

Meanwhile, one little boy’s birthday was nearly ruined after flood waters had left a car outside the front door trapping him in his house.

So instead, family and friends climbed on top of the cars to reach up and pass him his presents through the balcony and celebrate with him.

A STIR was caused outside the Bernabeu Stadium after a Real Madrid superstar was spotted taking pictures with fans. Even the local media were on the scene with a cameraman and journalist to get a few words with the great Vinicius Jr. What the people had failed to realise was that the man getting all the attention was just a lookalike.

555