Olive Press Costa Blanca North and Valencia Issue 105

ALARM AS SPAIN SWELTERS

FEARS are rising over what the summer has in store for the Costa Blanca after an unsea sonably early heatwave broke Spain’s April records.

As the month was confirmed as the hottest since 1961 when records began, forecasters pre dicted a doomsday scenario of no rain, perhaps until Septem ber.

The high temperatures have also brought the country’s an nual Heat Warning campaign forward by two weeks to begin on May 15.

An alarming 90-plus records were confirmed around Spain across the month for maximum temperatures. Residents in Cordoba endured record temperatures of 38.8C, beating Spain’s highest April high of 38.6C registered in Elche in 2011.

Mercury

Monthly records were also set in Alicante when the mercury peaked in the village of Pego at 34.4C.

In Valencia, city temperatures reached a July-like 32C in mid April, but didn’t break the 35C record set in 1945.

Some parts of the south have experienced temperatures up to 15 degrees above average for the time of year.

Weather agency Aemet has now warned of a ‘very high’ risk of fires and called for extreme caution due to the warm and dry air from North Africa.

As many as 54,000 hectares of land have already been ravaged by fire this year.

Spain is undergoing a severe drought, with 27% of the country classified as in a drought ‘emergency’ or ‘alert’, and water reserves are at 50% capacity.

Spain has requested emergency funds from the EU to support farmers, while the drought has already driven up prices of olive oil to record levels as farmers report catastrophic crop failures, particularly of wheat and grain.

UN figures suggest nearly 75% of Spain’s land is susceptible to desertification in the coming years due to climate change.

COMING OF AGE

Legion of Spanish chefs team up to teach 150 young pretenders how to weave their magic in the kitchen

NOT KIDDING on page 6

SUCKERS

Holiday operator offers measly compensation to family terrorised by eight nights of bed bugs in four-star hotel

A BRITISH family were left flabbergasted by a derisory compensation offer from their tour operator after their dream holiday turned into a bed-bug-infested nightmare.

Gary Turner, 57, and Jutta Turner, 55, suffered from being feasted on by swarms of blood suckers over the course of eight nights at a four star hotel in Puerto Pollensa.

Gary suffered an allergic reaction to the blanket of bed bug bites on the back of his head, which ended with an ambulance ride to hospital and a painful emergency shot in his bottom.

When confronted over the Turners’ nightmare ordeal, operator Tui only offered them 10% off one of the two rooms they had booked with their two

EXCLUSIVE

By Walter Finch

daughters, aged 24 and 31, as compensation.

They were given an alternative offer of 20% off their next holiday with Tui, but this was rejected and Gary and Jutta demanded a full refund.

“We paid for a four-star plus rated hotel, with good reviews and never ever expected to be sleeping with bed bugs for eight nights,” Gary told the Olive Press.

“We never expected to suffer like we did, this is not what we paid for.”

The Turners arrived at the Hotel Illa D’OR on Mallorca expecting a relaxing 14-day sunshine getaway.

BAD REACTION: Holidaymakers were covered in bed bug bites

But when Jutta and Gary started to notice bites on their hands and head after the third night, they assumed they were just from mosquitos. Only a week into the holiday did the pair turn on the bedroom light at 3am.

To their undying horror, they saw dozens of little brown bed bugs crawling all over the fabric headboard and even the bed sheets they were sleeping in. But the nightmare was only just beginning for the British - Ger-

man couple. Apologetic staff at the hotel immediately brought insect spray to bear and moved the couple to another room where the bed had a wooden headboard.

While Jutta’s arm turned bright red in a sea of vicious bed bug bites, the back of Gary’s head became inflamed as dozens of the little critters had chewed up his scalp.

Gary and Jutta could not sleep at night due to the itching, while exposure to the sun caused the bites to flare up.

And the medication they got from the pharmacy - which the hotel paid for - left them feeling drowsy.

“It all left us feeling tired, run down and exhausted,” Jutta told the Olive Press.

“We could not enjoy our holiday at all.”

Jutta said: “The only lucky thing was that our daughters were not in that room, otherwise we could have taken one of them back in a coffin if she had had the same reaction as my husband did. She is disabled and immune suppressant due

to a kidney transplant.”

The hotel merely offered ‘a spa treatment or ride on their boat’ as compensation, an offer that was also rejected.

Gary and Jutta requested two complimentary rooms for two weeks in October as compensation.

A spokesperson for Tui told the Olive Press: “We recognise that some services fell short of our usually high standards. “We’d like to reassure all customers that we regularly audit all of our hotels in respect to health and safety, including hygiene.”

Meanwhile, Hotel Illa D’OR called the Turners’ request for a two week free holiday in October ‘unreasonable’. They said they would not ‘succumb to pressure from any guest seeking to receive free accommodation.’

“We want to emphasise that our hotel takes pest control very seriously and we have a company contracted to provide preventative and control services,” they said in an email.

NEXT GENERATION: Learning from the masters (right)

PIC CREDIT: Jon Clarke

Booze damage

A DRUNK driver in an uninsured vehicle hit five parked cars in Sueca before eye-witnesses took his keys and police arrested him.

In the money

HOTELIERS in Alicante province may have banked €20 million in a record-breaking May Day holiday weekend, according to the HOSBEC hotel association.

Fire exit

SEVERAL villas were evacuated as a precaution on Saturday following a forest fire in the Cala Llebeig area of Teulada.

Crook caught

JUST PALS

British man involved in stabbing of expat in the UK, walks free from his murder trial in Spain

A BRITISH man has sensationally walked free after being cleared of killing Ben Nesbitt.

Wai Ming Lam, 40 - who had already been once convicted of a similar attack on Nesbitt in the UK - was found not guilty over the Alicante attack.

Nesbitt, 22, had been found bleeding to death in a Quesada street on October 1, 2020. However, an Elche court judge ruled that Ming - who had fled the scene and was arrested on the France border - was not guilty.

This despite Ming being found guilty of being involved in a savage knife attack on Nesbitt (pictured right), while he slept, near Preston, in 2017.

Ming pinned the blame in the Spanish attack on the British owner of the villa, where the attack happened.

The owner, who we are not naming for legal reasons, had

By Alex Trelinski

earlier told the court he had heard the pair argue and later saw Ming - known as ‘Mingy’clutching a knife.

Ming, who was facing 16 years, insisted however he was a family friend of Nesbitt, who he had known since he was a 10-yearold boy.

He claimed he was staying with him at his Villamartin home, as Nesbitt had been unable to return to the UK, where he faced ‘legal problems’.

The prosecution claimed the pair had visited a Quesada casino on the night in question, before heading home to the nearby home of a British couple. Ming confirmed the visit and said they had bought some cocaine and went to the couple's home to consume more drugs.

Ming claimed Nesbitt had, in

A DISTRIBUTION network of thousands of fake watches imitating high-end brands has been busted.

The bogus timepieces were dispatched right across Alicante province to street sellers in popular tourist areas like Altea, Calpe, and Benidorm.

A man and a woman ran the scam out of a Guardamar del Segura

fact, ended up having a row with the British owner over a drug deal and it was the owner who stabbed him.

This was completely denied by the homeowner who insisted Ming and Ben had 'invited themselves' there and ended up rowing between themselves. He said he had heard a scuffle and came down to find Ming clutching a knife.

The Elche judge however, was not convinced and freed Ming following the not guilty verdict. It is not known if he knew Nesbitt had previously been hospitalised following the vicious assault in 2017 in which Ming was involved.

Ming was convicted of bur-

Out of time

glary and stealing £1,600 and jailed for 3 years after driving two men to the address, where Nesbitt was stabbed. Ben's mother has described his assailants as 'scumbags'.

Amazon driver’s scary ‘Liam Neeson’ threat

AN Amazon delivery driver deliberately drove his van into a parked police car in revenge for being penalised for illegally using his phone behind the wheel.

The driver, 26, told a colleague about his plans before ramming the parked police car (above) in Valencia.

The man was spotted swigging beer in the driver's seat as he staged his ‘revenge’ outside the Policia Local station in Benicalap.

Astonished officers saw him gulp down some more booze before getting out in an inflamed mood, clutching two beer bottles.

He then unleashed a tirade of abuse and threatened to 'throw a bomb' at the policemen, who had given him six points on his licence.

When officers tried to calm him down, he pounced on one of them and tried to take his gun.

He was eventually immobilised and handcuffed and finally sedated at the station.

However, when the sedative wore off he managed to get out of the station and damaged another patrol car, before threatening two officers.

In the death threat he quoted Liam Neeson from the 'Taken' insisting: “As soon as I get out of here, I'm going to find you and I'm going to kill you”.

He added he was going to 'skin them alive' with a knife. He refused to take a breathalyser test and was taken to Valencia's La Fe hospital before making a court appearance.

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Daddy Cool to the YMCA

PREPARE to don a black afro and/or a handlebar moustache and relive your 70s disco heyday as legendary groovers Boney M and the Village People come to town.

The pair will be headlining the grand opening of Malaga’s new Sabatic Fest, which runs from June 2 to September 23.

Legend’s award

MERYL Streep has scooped one of Spain’s top awards.

The Hollywood legend has won the prestigious 2023 Princess of Asturias Award for the Arts.

The 73-year-old star already has three Oscars, as well as three Emmys, two Baftas and a best actress victory at the Cannes Film Festival.

A 19-member Asturias jury announced Streep as this year's winner, after considering 44 candidates from 20 countries. Previous winners include composers Ennio Morricone, John Williams and Martin Scorsese.

The Kramer vs. Kramer star is the first of eight winners to be announced for the international Princess Asturias Foundation. Other categories to be handed out will be in the sectors of humanities, science, and public affairs.

A presentation ceremony takes place in Oviedo's Teatro Campoamor every October attended by the Royal Family. The awards were established in 1980.

Let him entertain you

HE is the biggest British star to descend on the Costa del Sol for years.

Robbie Williams will play a guaranteed sold out show at Fuengirola’s Mare Nostrum Auditori um on June 15.

The iconic artist, behind Angels and Let me En tertain You, will sing to 2,300 fans in the biggest concert since the pandemic.

Tickets priced from €89 are available at www.marenostrumfuengirola.com

Ex-King’s daddy secret

Former

monarch

had a love child with a celebrity, who ‘frequently appeared’ in gossip magazines

SPAIN’S former King fathered a love child four decades ago, it has been claimed.

A new book on the Emeritus King Juan Carlos (pictured) claims he had a daughter during an extra-marital relationship in the late 1970's and early 1980's.

The explosive revelation comes from journalists Jose Maria Olmo and David Fernandez in 'King Corp' which investigates the former monarch's life. They allege he had a relationship with an older aristocrat who bore him a girl called ‘Alejandra’.

Now married with her own family, she has never claimed any succession rights from her father.

An official Royal palace spokesman refused to comment on

By Alex Trelinski

the story and suggested questions should be directed to Juan Carlos himself.

The Royal Household has long been aware of Alejandra, according to the new book. It even claims Juan Carlos was ‘concerned’ that new King Felipe might accidentally meet her and fall in love with her.

Passionate

'She's tall, slim and pretty. She has lent her image to several clothes and jewellery brands,” claims the book.

'She is passionate about music, culture and travel and has formed her own family. Making public more information would

P-p-pickup a penguin

A PENGUIN has made an epic detour and ended up in southern Spain, miles from home. The disorientated penguin, which usually inhabits rocky islets and sea cliffs in the northern Atlantic, was found on the beach of Mazagon

Local police took the creature into custody and handed it over to vets at the Fauna clinic, who found it to be exhausted and starving. It is now being nursed

CAN YOU SEE ME? THEN SO CAN ALL OUR READERS

put her discretion in danger.”

When Alejandra was told who her father was, a period of contact between father and daughter took place in various meetings.

The authors claim he also tried to compensate for her lack of official recognition with 'affection and other signs of generosity'.

The book has ‘confirmed the story’ through three different sources, including a former boyfriend of Alejandra and a close friend of Juan Carlos for 60 years.

The matter became an 'open secret' but the book says that a 'pact of silence' was maintained to preserve the image of a perfect marriage between the king and Queen Sofia. Sources even claimed the king 'pulled strings' to ensure Alejandra's mother was never short of work and had a strong media presence as she frequently appeared in gossip magazines. She later dated a famous fashion designer and became his muse.

Not hamming it up!

SHE has famously got her kit off on screen on countless occasions.

But Penelope Cruz has admitted that she dreaded her first-ever movie nude scene.

The Spanish beauty, 49, was just 18 when she had to strip down for several racy moments with co-star and future husband, Javier Bardem in 1982’s Jamon Jamon While she revealed to Esquire she was thrilled to be cast in the 'very sexy' film, she was ‘anxious’ about the nude scenes. "I had a feeling the movie was going to be special, I knew the script was good… Of course, I was not looking forward to those scenes, but I did it," she said.

However, she added that the crew helped to make her feel comfortable. "Everyone was really respectful, aware of the fact that I was 18."

Cruz's performance in the film saw her acting career take off and her next film, Belle Epoque, won an Oscar for best foreign film.

She later reconnected with Bardem years later while on the set of Vicky Cristina Barcelona in 2007. Their romance quickly blossomed and in 2010 the couple secretly got married in a small ceremony in the Bahamas. They have two kids, Luna, 9, and Leo, 12.

BUSINESS COULD BE AS VISUAL AS THIS FROM AS LITTLE AS €75 AN ISSUE

Bull plunge horror

A BULL had to be put down at a local fiesta after it jumped over a wall and plunged 15 metres to the ground, breaking its legs in the process.

The incident, which was captured on camera by onlookers, happened in Ontinyent (Valencia) as the animal was running through the streets of the municipality.

The bull can be seen running toward the wall and, unsighted, jumping over it to the shrieks and shouts in horror of the public.

The fall was the equivalent of five storeys. The animal ended up laid out on the ground by the river and with its legs broken.

Put down

It was eventually moved from the scene and put down.

The incident saw the bullfighting events programmed for the evening were cancelled, and also called into question the preparations made by the local council.

POLICE have slammed a prosecution error that ‘allowed’ a violent British gangster to get bail over the death of a doorman killed at a popular expat restaurant.

They are furious that such a ‘dangerous’ man is ‘on the streets’ after his involvement in a fight that led to the death of Jose Pisani at Olivia’s La Cala, in Mijas, last month.

Incredibly, the armed thug, we can reveal as ‘Harry’, had already been bailed in February over a separate attempted murder in Marbella just six months ago.

The mafia hitman, 32, who police describe as ‘infamous on the costas’, was on bail for a mafia hit on a trio of Irishmen at isolated Lago de los Tortugas (Turtle Lake), in Marbella, last year.

Alarmingly, at both arrests the hitman, whose initials were given officially as HGJS, had drawn a gun and pointed it at armed officers.

Guardia Civil sources told the Ol -

WHO LET HIM LOOSE?

bail for attempted murder

ive Press this week they believe it was office not to demand he be kept in jail.

“He is a very bad guy, I don’t know why he is free,” the source in Malaga said. “He shouldn’t have been bailed after the Lago de los Tortugas shooting.”

Jail

Another senior Guardia source added: “He’s well known here and we think he should be in jail.

“From a civilian perspective it simply doesn’t make sense, but sometimes judges make these decisions for whatever reason.”

During his most recent arrest, on April 18, Harry only put the weapon down after officers fired a warning shot while shouting ‘police’ as they broke down his front door.

This time he is wanted on manslaughter charges over the death of 55-year-old Pisani at Olivia’s, owned by TOWIE TV star Elliott Wright, who runs Eduardos

By Walter Finch & Alberto Lejarraga

restaurant in Villamartin.

The father-of-two was said to have been punched and fell, banging his head against the corner of a table.

CCTV footage taken by police allegedly shows the 6 foot 5 (195 cm) doorman trying to restrain a punter, of a similar size. The man, believed to be Harry, broke free and threw the punch that resulted in Pisani’s death.

After being arrested and charged with the crime, he was granted conditional bail by a Fuengirola judge after prosecutors bizarrely did not named, was shot in the side, but managed to make his way to Marbella hospital, where he needed stitches.

When police arrested the six heavily-armed men, they seized a Skorpion sub-machine gun capable of firing 850 rounds per minute and four other guns. Also found were bulletproof vests, balaclavas, machetes, tasers, and a hatchet, together with GPS

trackers and a mobilesignal blocker. Despite the clear serious danger to society, a court officer told the Olive Press this week that they cannot comment on cases due to data protection rules.

But he added: “It’s the judge’s decision. Why he decided that I don’t know.”

Leading lawyer, Antonio Flores, of Lawbird, in Marbella, insisted it was ‘very alarming’ and ‘seems like a monumental f*** up’ “It definitely seems like he should have been remanded in custody,” he told the Olive Press . “Now you have a very dangerous guy at large with two potential charges.”

EXCLUSIVE: ‘Monumental f*** up’: Judge released alleged armed killer in doorman death when he was ALREADY on

TRAGIC: Doorman Pisani with wife Romina

SAD: Costa Blanca restaurateur Elliott with wife Sadie

Deadly

A PAIR of deadly butterfly vipers have been added to Terra Natura’s collection.

The African snakes will have their deadly venom tested to produce anti-bite treatments.

Terra Natura has an anti-venom bank for poisonous snakes of nearly all African, Asian and American species.

The species is native to the jungles of west and central Africa.

Coming down

WAITING lists for non-emergency surgeries have fallen to pre-pandemic levels in the Valencia region.

The average surgery wait in March was 77 days - 11 days lower than a year ago.

The reduction is thanks to outsourcing to private hospitals plus paying surgeons more overtime.

There are still 72,596 patients waiting for a procedure - up 3,482 on February's total.

THE lifeblood of south-east Spain is under threat after a Madrid decision to turn off the tap from the dwindling River Tagus.

The Valencia and Murcia regions have joined forces to oppose a 40% cut in the amount of water transferred from the Tagus to the local Jucar-Segura river basin.

The government ruling will limit the long-established massive water transfer from the north that helped turn the arid semi-desert of southeastern Spain into Europe's market garden.

The citrus fruit, water melons and other crops grown in the provinces of Murcia, Alicante and Almeria employs 100,000 people in a sector turning over €3 billion a year.

However, the serious drought Spain is suffering

OVER two-thirds of young people in the Valencian Community have told a survey that they cannot speak or understand any English. Meanwhile only one in 10 say they speak it well, they told an official INE study. Several schools and teachers say the lack of English retention is down to too few teachers in the language as well as too much emphasis on grammar and vocabulary.

They insist pupils should spend more time actually speaking the language.

Government decision to reduce water to south east threatens jobs, exports and the environment

By Walter Finch

means a massive cut in the usual annual transfer between the Tagus and Jucar river basins.

The agricultural association ASAJA accused Madrid of ‘failing to protect farmers’ this week.

“The government is launching a new water war against the Levante region,” insisted spokesman Jose Andreu. “They should instead be calling a debate.”

An economic study by academic and industry experts

Language barrier

One youngster, Pilar Ruiz, backed up the study saying: “Students are made to behave like robots performing the same exercises year after year. “Classes are boring and theory-based with little practice and no motivation to learn English in a fun way meaning we lose interest in learning, even though nowadays we need English for everything,“ she added.

found the reductions from 8.6 to 6m3/second would result in the loss of almost 5,500 jobs. It will cost a loss of €334 million annually in the Murcia region alone.

Kill

In the three provinces combined, the study found that the transfer cutbacks would kill almost 9,800 jobs and €524 million annually. But the repercussions extend beyond the region’s local economy; it is also threatening the intensive farming that feeds much of the continent.

It was an unenviable call by the government, as climate change is hitting Spain hard and there simply isn’t enough water to go round. The Tagus, the Iberian peninsula's longest river, is drying up to the extent that it is possible to cross its almost dry river bed by foot in summer.

Water’s the word, page 6

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.

Voted top expat paper in Spain OPINION

No justice

NEWS that a judge bailed a British gangster described as ‘extremely dangerous’ by police after he was already on bail for a separate murder attempt boggles the mind.

This is the man allegedly responsible for killing doorman Jose Pisani at a restaurant in Mijas last month. ‘Harry’ is known to police up and down the costas as a violent armed criminal with, at least, two incredibly serious charges hanging over him.

And a judge lets him go free to roam the coast causing all the mayhem he likes.

The message this sends is simple - and depressing: While the coast is seeing an upsurge in mafia activity, the judiciary is dragging its feet. Or worse.

It just isn’t right that the ordinary, law-abiding residents of this region should run the risk of having an encounter with one of these thugs.

Any one of us might go to the wrong restaurant or bar at the wrong time. Cross paths with the wrong character and undergo a potentially life-altering trauma. As Pisani did.

Why on earth would a judge or prosecutors allow men charged with attempted murder, who point guns at police and hold military-grade arsenals in their apartments, to go free?

Or did they not realise who they were dealing with?

When Harry was arrested for the second time in just two months, did the Policia Nacional not talk to the Guardia Civil?

What’s more, did Fuengirola court check if he was already on bail or had two passports?

There are only two possible answers to these questions and it is hard to know which is worse.

The Spanish legal system needs to get a grip and put the safety of its citizens and residents ahead of departmental rivalry or general incompetence. Or next time it could be a child or a mother in the crossfire!

PUBLISHER / EDITOR

Jon Clarke, jon@theolivepress.es

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ADMIN Victoria Humenyuk

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WATER’S THE WORD

Nearly 30% of Spanish territory is currently in an ‘emergency’ or ‘alert’ status due to lack of rain, prompting Spain to beg the EU for emergency funds for farmers

WITH 27% of Spain currently either in a drought ‘emergency’ or ‘alert’, record temperatures being registered for the month of April, and an ongoing row between Andalucia and Madrid over the Doñana wetlands, there is one topic on politicians’ and Spaniards lips as we enter May: water.

Spain’s Agriculture Minister Luis Planas wrote to the European Commissioner for Agriculture, Janusz Wojciechowski, to request emergency funds to support Spain’s 890,000 struggling farm workers.

“The situation caused by this drought is on such a scale that we cannot deal with its consequences just with national funds,” said Planas.

The farming sector is being hit hard by the lack of rain and the high temperatures, and the problem is particularly acute in Andalucia.

The Guadalquivir river basin is at 25% capacity, and water allowances for irrigation have been cut by up to 90% for some farmers in Andalucia.

For now, the hot weather shows no sign of letting up. Over the last month over 90 temperature records were broken, including a high of 38.8ºC at Cordoba Airport, while average temperatures were forecast as being 10ºC to 15º above usual levels for this time of year.

Experts at Spain’s Aemet state meteoro-

By Simon Hunter

logical service confirmed that April was the hottest since current records began in 1961.

Meanwhile, last week also saw the row over the Doñana National Park deepen.

Firstly, the European Commission once again warned the Junta its plans to grant new watering rights to farmers in the area around the protected wetlands could cause even more environmental damage.

Earlier this month the PP and far-right Vox voted through legislation that could pave the way for some 800 hectares of irrigable farmland located near Doñana to be legalised. But scientists have warned that this will put even more pressure on the park, depleting the levels of its aquifer and threatening flora and fauna.

In the run up to regional and local elections on May 28, the issue has become a point of conflict between the PP and the governing Socialist Party.

“They are still messing around with something that could cost Spaniards a lot of money in exchange for nothing,” said Environmental Transition Minister Teresa Ribera, in reference to the fines being threatened by the EC over the plans for Doñana.

Want to visit Cordoba’s Festival of Patios, but don’t know how to get there, or where to find those famous courtyards? Let Sorrel Downer help

APRESIDENT of the Amigos de los Patios association once said, ‘the Festival of the Patios is to Cordoba what San Fermin is to Pamplona’.

Cordoba’s annual festival sees property owners and groups of neighbours open their flower-filled patios to the public for 12 days at the start of May – this year, that’s May 2-14.

It’s a tradition that started a century ago, and which rightly has UNESCO Cultural Heritage status.

As far as Spain’s heritage goes, for most tourists, flowers beat bulls. The historic white-walled houses with the blue pots of red geraniums have to be the most photographed

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NOT KIDDING AROUND

Child’s Play: How a legion of Spain’s leading Michelinstarred chefs did their bit for top children’s charity

THEY came from the four corners of Spain and its islands to give a lucky group of children a cooking masterclass.

Over 40 Michelin starred chefs - including triple-starred Elena Arzak and Valencia’s famous Begona Rodrigo,- pooled their amazing knowledge to create a dozen dishes for a charity event.

Cribbing from recipes pegged out on each table, the 150 kids, including over a dozen expats, tried their hand at shelling peanuts, making a guacamole sauce or mixing fruits for a gourmet dessert.

One British expat, Adrianna Rose Morton, 6, (right) told the Olive Press she was ‘super excited’ about being at the event in Benahavis, on the Costa del Sol.

Showing off her (half eaten) dessert with a beaming smile - minus her front two teeth - she insisted she had ‘learnt a lot’.

The main thing she had picked up from her cookery teachers,

including Alicante’s leading two-Michelin star chef Kiko Moya, of L’Escaleta, in Cocentaina, was ‘you need a lot of concentration’.

“It makes me very proud to see this amazing display of positivity,” said chef Fernando Villasclaras, of Marbella’s El Lago. “Apart from the annual Michelin gala in November, you will never see so many of the country’s leading chefs together and everyone is having so much fun.”

This was a continual theme from the chefs who were quick to praise the massive boom that Andalucia has seen in its culinary offering over the last decade.

“The big revolution in Spanish cuisine is taking place here in Andalucia,” insisted two Michelin-starred Nacho Manzana, who has seven restaurants in the Asturias region.

“I have

been cooking with chefs from the south of Spain for 25 years who are so talented, but the region kept getting overlooked.

“I guess it was always finally going to get noticed, thanks to their talents, variety of ingredients and amazing climate. It is finally happening now.”

Navarra chef David Yarnoz, of Molino de Urdaniz, agreed. “Andalucian gastronomy has just got better and better. There are so many great places to eat down here now and it’s growing by the year.”

Begona Rodrigo, of one-star La Salita, in Valencia city, in particular, singled out Ronda’s Bardal restaurant and three-Michelin star Aponiente, in Cadiz, as her favourites.

“But I love coming down to the south, particularly Cadiz, for all the fun, the guitars and the partying. Andalucia was always the region with the most soul but the difference now is it also has great places to eat.”

SERENADE: By Elena Arzak to among others Angel Leon (far left)

€20,000 business from one ad!

While subscriber mailouts net 83 and 75 bookings for two leading restaurants

Pots of gold

properties in Andalucia. You’ll have seen them on postcards and – if you haven’t visited Cordoba – you may think you know what to expect, but prepare for a wallop of sensory overload as well as slowly ambling crowds, and getting lost.

The patio heartland lies between the Alcazar and San Basilio, although some of the highlights lie around the Santa Marina district, as well as the church of San Lorenzo.

Once you are in the labyrinth of patios,

feel free to nose about and photograph each one, but as they are privately-owned spaces and the result of years of care and imagination, do make an effort to tip.

A patio route map from the Tourist Office is a help, but there are also several companies that offer tours.

De Patios, run by young locals, has a route that takes in a manageable five patios – all of which, they promise, are among the most emblematic and awarded in town.

The pots per patio rate is certainly very high.

After buying a ticket at the first property (Calle San Basilio, 14: 16th century, perfectly preserved, 600 pots), visitors are given a map and are able to wander at their own pace.

The owners at each of the patios on the route provide a mini-tour and point visitors in the right direction for the next. Their route includes a property on Calle Duartas, famed for the variety of its flowers and aromatic plants.

There’s more here than geraniums. Actually, aside from the floral displays, the architecture itself is part of the attraction, and both are taken into consideration when the two prizes for best of the best patio is awarded.

Make sure to include the 14th century Viana Palace in the Santa Marina barrio, which is beautiful inside and out. It has 12 spectacular patios, full of tumbling plumbago and wisteria, as well as a huge garden full of the scent of orange blossom, flowers and herbs. The palace belonged to a succession of aristocrats, but it was the Marquess of Viana who got the idea to create a palace-museum in the early 20th century, and his daughterin-law, Sophia of Lancaster, who is credited

COURTED: by patios at Palacio Viana (also below)

with making it shipshape.

A trek through the numerous rooms provides a little shade and the chance to gawp in awe at the collections they amassed of baroque paintings, tapestries, firearms and dinner sets.

Visit the Cordoba Tourism website for companies offering tours, and general information, including (pertinently) parking. If you can, let the train take the strain – It takes 50 minutes to get to Cordoba from Malaga; 40 minutes from Sevilla; and only one hour and 40 minutes from Madrid.

POTTED POINTERS

● Many of the patios re- main open all year – and the Viana Palace is open to visitors year round.

● The ‘Battle of the Flow- ers’ opens the fun on April 30, when dozens of women in flamenco dresses shower the crowds in petals as they pass by in wagons.

● The Trueque Cuatro Visitors’ Centre for the Courtyards Festival (if open) is a good source of information on the lifestyle centred round a domestic courtyard and an interesting building in itself.

so far for €20,000 to €22,000,” John told him. “I’ll be honest I really didn’t think print worked any more, but now I stand corrected.”

And he’s not the only one.

Martin Tye at solar panel company Mariposa Energia, revealed: “I’ve had so many bookings via the Olive Press, I don’t bother with other publications anymore.”

Meanwhile, when we ran a couple of articles on a stunning rural hotel, near Estepona, called DDG Retreat, the place found its phone run off the hook. “We actually got more bookings from the Olive Press than an article in The Times, so well done,” marketing boss Daria told us.

But, best of all, were two recent mail out campaigns for a pair of leading restaurants on the Costa del Sol.

The first, Nomad, which just opened, received no less than 83 bookings across two carefully targeted emails to our online subscribers.

The second, Bono Beach, combined two print ads with one subscriber mailout and has had 75 bookings so far. It’s fair to say, they’re happy with the result.

Alongside stories and reviews, both in print and online at www.theolivepress.es, we offer Instagram posts, YouTube videos, Facebook stories and even TikTok videos. It’s called 360-degree marketing and it means we can offer something for everybody.

Don’t let your business lose out.

Get in touch at sales@theolivepress.es

The top five most read stories on www.theolivepress.es in the past two weeks are:

1- Barack Obama jets into Barcelona for Bruce Springsteen concert

2- Royal Marine Commandos go AWOL in Gibraltar’s Ocean Village after brawl as police struggle to arrest them

3- Decade-long impasse over closed seaside footpath could end soon in Costa Blanca

4-

‘OUR HEARTS ARE BROKEN’: Towie star Elliott Wright shuts Mijas restaurant after death of doorman in customer fight

5- May 1 and May 2 public holidays in Spain explained

Get in touch today at sales@theolivepress.es or call us at 00 34 951273575 for more info

VALENCIA STARS: Begona

Rodrigo and Kiko Moya

Thousands damn Spain’s dirtiest cities, including Sevilla, Alicante and Palma

SPAIN’S dirtiest cities have been named in a national survey that quizzed 6,863 residents in 69 locations.

Palma, Alicante, and Sevilla got the lowest rankings in the Spanish trading standards (OCU) questionnaire with dog excrement and rubbish being the biggest bugbear.

Alicante remains second-bottom, as in the previous survey in 2019 when Jaen was ranked the worst.

In general, coastal and southern cities scored the worst rankings in the four-yearly survey.

But the consumer group insisted that two thirds got at best ‘mediocre results’.

San Sebastian, Las Palmas,

Healthy eating

ORGANIC farming in Valencia is taking off, with it growing four times faster than other parts of Spain. In the past five years output from the sector has surged 81.2% in the Valencian Community, while the average for the country was a 20.7% growth.

According to the Ministry for Agriculture, the number of organic farms in the region grew 46.1% in the same time period compared to 25.9% for Spain as a whole.

The value of the sector was in 2020 €626 million out of a national total of €3.2 billion.

Only Andalucia, Castilla-La Mancha, and Catalunya are ahead in production, with Valencia fast catching up.

By Alex Trelinski

Barcelona, and Madrid are all in the bottom 10, while Oviedo, Bilbao and Vigo got the highest marks.

Barcelona suffered the worst drop in standards (11 points) since the last survey, with a 10 point drop for Sevilla.

The biggest positive rise was for Guadalajara, with a massive 25 points, followed by Lugo with 18 points.

The survey ‘confirms the lack of progress’ in most large municipalities, insisted OCU.

Issues of concern were dog dirt on pavements, rubbish

CLEAN UP: Actions called for in Alicante

outside containers, and excess graffiti. “The number of fines for not picking up dog excrement is anecdotal and in most cities it

RECENT and rapid heating of the world’s oceans has alarmed scientists because it will add to global warming.

Last month the global sea surface hit a new record high temperature.

Sea temperatures have never warmed this much so quickly.

And the clever guys aren’t completely sure as to why. Their concern is that, combined with other weather events, the world’s temperature could reach an alarming high by the end of 2024. Weather forecasters also expect that a strong El Niño weather event (a weather system that causes the ocean to heat) will also set in during the next few months.

is considered a minor infraction,” added OCU. “It is vital that councils pay attention to the complaints of their citizens,” it concluded.

SHUT ‘DOLPHIN’ PRISON!

A TEENAGE animal-rights activist has handed Congress a petition with 150,000 signatures to free dolphins from captivity in Spain.

Olivia Mandle, 16, is campaigning alongside a group of scientists called World Animal Protection to close Spain’s dolphinariums.

The country has 10 such installations, accounting for a third of all those in Europe.

“I want to end Spain being the biggest dolphin prison in the world,” Olivia insisted.

She wants the installations to be converted into ‘marine sanctuaries’ and there to be ‘an end to shows and forced breeding’. “We want to stop the suffering of these highly intelligent creatures,” added fellow protester Sandra Campinas.

Why you should be just as worried as the experts

SCIENTISTS ARE WORRIED

Warmer oceans:

● Kill off marine life and coral reefs

● Lead to more extreme weather – hurricanes and cyclones pick up more intensity and are longer lasting

● Raise sea levels

A warmer sea is also less efficient at absorbing planet warming greenhouse gases. Over the last 15 years the Earth has collected as much heat as it did in the previous 50 years. Most of this extra energy goes into the sea. Although the oceans are more capable of absorbing extra heat than land, this really is a cause for concern.

A VICIOUS CIRCLE

It really is quite simple to explain. Warmer waters have less ability to absorb CO2. When the oceans take up less CO2, more CO2 accumulates in the atmosphere, further warming the air and oceans.

Temperatures may come down again after the El Niño subsides…..but it’s a BIG IF.

BEFORE:

Ice in 1980 (top) and in 2012

GREENLAND AND ANTARCTICA ARE MELTING

Satellite imagery has proved beyond doubt that the Earth’s ice sheets are melting.

Seven of the worst melting years have been in the last 10 years.

All this has a profound effect on coastal communities.

You’ve heard it before and you’ll hear it again….. every picture tells a story.

Effective governmental action remains painfully absent.

638 145 664

Green Matters By Martin Tye

SOLE AGENCY

@TheHub - Avda de Libertad 19, Local 5, 03730 - Jávea

Tel: +34 966 468 474 / +34 648 100 615 – info@villas-plots.com

Penthouse, Javea | 449.000€

A great opportunity to acquire a south orientated 4 bedroom two storey penthouse in the Venecia complex, a wonderful location close to the port in Jávea. The bright apartment of 179m² possesses two double bedrooms on the lower floor, one being larger than average with a private balcony, along with two further bedrooms and bathrooms on the upper floor. Leading from the open plan lounge/diner/kitchen there is the south facing terrace offering open views and privacy, whilst on the upper floor there is a vast terrace offering views spanning from the sunset, the Montgo, the old town and even a glimpse of the sea. Hot and cold A/C. The property offers a communal pool and gardens. Included 2 private parking spaces and storeroom. Close proximity to the old town, the port area and two roads from the sea and walking distance to supermarkets. This property is the perfect all year round dwelling or holiday home with good rental potential.

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Due to recent demand and record sales we are urgently seeking properties to sell in the Jávea Area!

Established in our front line office for almost 20 years we offer competitive commission rates and expansive exposure through advertising and our partner network.

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SUMMER FUN

THIS summer at Shackleton International School we are holding our famous Summer School, with interesting projects and workshops in science, technology, music, art, as well as water games and field trips.

We believe that learning should be an enjoyable and immersive experience, which is why we offer a Summer School designed for children from 3 to 14 years old to acquire knowledge in a fun way.

The summer fun builds upon our excellent educational record.

In just two years, we have doubled the number of students and staff, earning the trust of more and more families each day.

We take pride in the diversity of our student body, with 50% of Spanish students and 50% of foreign students.

In fact, we anticipate an increase in the percentage of foreign students next year, as our reputation continues to spread. Looking forward to the academic year 2023-2024, we are excited to announce that we will be opening our doors to Nursery (3 years old) up to Year 9 (13-14 years old), preparing students for IGCSE's in Year 9.

Our new building, opening in September, embodies our style of spacious, bright and stimulating environments, providing a hub for creativity and innovation.

Our facilities are state-of-the-art, featuring indoor and outdoor patios, a gymnasium, an auditorium, laboratories, bus routes, our own kitchen, and a library.

We are committed to providing a top-tier education that fosters growth, creativity, and excellence.

Join us on this journey towards academic excellence, and see firsthand the difference our educational project can make.

For more information or to book your place telephone +34 960 450 340 or email info@shackletonschool.com

Legal Eagle

DWARFED OUT

‘HUMILIATING’ comedy bullfights and erotic shows at hen and stag dos featuring dwarves could soon be banned in Spain

Legislation has just been approved by the Senate based on a European Union directive that prohibits entertainment shows that involve the humiliation of people with a disability. The new law has been promoted by the Social Rights Ministry, and will still have to be sent back to the lower house of parliament, the

By Simon Hunter

Congress of Deputies, for final approval.

“These kinds of shows provoke laughter and the mockery of people with dwarfism, and they teach children how to laugh at us,” Marta Castillo, the president of the CERMI committee for disabled persons in Andalucia, told El Pais “We are not clowns,” she added. “Clowns put on and take off their costumes, but we are

MANY VISITS

HUMANS have been visiting the Nerja Caves in Andalucia for 41,000 years, a new study by the University of Cordoba has revealed. The team used ‘smoke archaeology’ which dates charcoal and remains of fossilised soot on stalagmites in the cave. Its results pushed the earliest known use of the caverns by humans back by 10,000 years and documented 73 different phases of visits/occupation over 35,000 years.

With Victoria Wright

Know your rental rights

Short- and long-term rental contracts, which best suits your needs?

ASHORT-TERM rental contract (known in Spanish as a temporary lease) is one that is signed in the case of what is known as a seasonal rental, where the purpose for which the property is rented is important.

This type of contract is usually more beneficial for the landlord as the tenant does not get automatic tenancy rights and the contract can be cancelled more easily without the need for going to court for eviction.

In a temporary lease, the property is not considered the tenant’s permanent home. Its duration can be only a few months, or it can last for several years. Everything will depend on the conditions agreed by both parties.

WHERE IT DIFFERS TO A REGULAR LONG TERM RENTAL CONTRACT

The main difference between a temporary lease and a regular lease is that the temporary rental contract makes paramount the use that the tenant is going to make of the property. This could be work-related, academic or lei-

sure needs, in most cases.

In a regular lease, the property is considered to be the tenant’s permanent home.

It should be noted that, since the latest amendments to Law 29/1994 on Urban Leases (LAU) were approved in April 2019, the minimum duration of this type of contract has been increased from three to five years.

If a shorter duration is agreed, the contract is automatically extended on an annual basis until the minimum term has been fulfilled. These contracts give the tenant more rights whereby the tenant can end the lease on the annual renewal date.

On the other hand the landlord cannot cancel the contract just because they want to and must have just cause for eviction such as the tenant being in breach of the contract.

These evictions sadly are usually lengthy and go through court.

It is important to differentiate between temporary leases and tourist rental contracts. These have different characteristics, as do contracts for business premises and sale of a running business with stock in trade (‘going concern’).

Our friendly team at Alba Consultas can draft all types of contracts, advise you which contract is best for your circumstances and check the legality of the contents of your existing contract.

ALBA CONSULTAS – SOUND ADVICE AT REASONABLE PRICES

FOR ANY HELP AND ADVICE ON LEGAL ISSUES, YOU CAN CONTACT ME AT:

ALBA CONSULTAS - LEGAL ADVISERS

(+34) 96 561 5061 / +34 692 386 293

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INFO@ALBACONSULTAS.COM

WWW.ALBACONSULTAS.COM

BAN: Such spectacles may soon be outlawed

who we are 24 hours a day.”

In September 2022, an event featuring bullfighting clowns with dwarfism that was due

OP QUICK CROSSWORD

to take place the following month in Madrid’s Las Ventas ring was cancelled due to low ticket sales.

Back in 2021, however, when the Social Rights Ministry’s plans first came to light, there was an angry reaction from the bullfighters themselves.

Respect

“It shows a complete lack of respect and freedom,” Daniel Calderon, a bullfighter and the manager of the Diversiones en el Ruedo troupe said at the time.

“We are skilled professionals who work hard and we entertain like other performers,” he added.

Shows featuring Little People have been slammed as making a ‘mockery of people with dwarfism’

Give your children the best educational summer with Shackleton International School’s English-language summer school

Catch an al fresco concert in Valencia

ROCK UP!

Midnight munchies for mega trio of Springsteen, Spielberg and Obama

DINERS at a restaurant in Barcelona did a double take when a rock star, a film star and an ex-President walked in together for dinner.

Even the staff at Amar, at the Palace Hotel, were stunned when Bruce Springsteen, Steven Spielberg and Barack Obama rocked up at midnight.

The three global megastars arrived with their respective spouses having made a reservation in a false name, via a friend, earlier that day.

Rocking up for the first night of a European tour for Springsteen, they were apparently famished and ‘tried everything’.

The Andalucian chef, Rafa Zafra, had received a call about an ‘important reservation for friends’ from famous Spanish chef Jose Andres.

Andres, who is a close friend of the Obamas and cooked at the White House, asked him to be discreet.

“Jose told me it was a very important table, but we should

By Walter Finch

please not say anything and, of course, I began to investigate and saw that Obama was coming and Bruce had a concert,” he revealed. He added: “Just before leaving Obama entered the kitchen and told us it had been one of their best meals and if they could take a photo with the team.”

Amar, which specialises in seafood, served up plenty of classics for them including oysters, although prepared in ‘eight different ways’j and shellfish.

The ‘very normal table’ also tried brioche with butter and caviar, Rosas prawns, and wagyu meat. For dessert? A macerated fruit cheesecake. Described as ‘a dinner with true friends’, they drank ‘a little’ and went to bed shortly after 2am.

Barack and Michelle Obama were in town to see Springsteen’s new European tour kick off at the Olympic stadium

GO OUTDOORS

BALMY evenings in the Turia Gardens are back and once again you can be serenaded by the students of Berklee College of Music’s international campus in Valencia.

The line-up is packed with soulful tunes, flamenco classics, folk music and Latin jazz.

A collaboration between the music school and the City of Arts and Sciences will see a selection of talented students from 51 countries bring their skills to the open air on select dates in May and July.

Situated on the crystalline waters of Calatrava’s Science Museum, these free open-air concerts offer the perfect way to spend an evening in the city and the chance to support these young musicians too.

While admission is free, you’ll need to book your ticket in advance on the Berklee Valencia website.

The late May dates include May 19 and 26, with further performances held on July 21, 26,27, and 28, courtesy of the Summer Performance Programme.

the whole Valencian Community. From live music beside the waters of the City of Arts and Sciences to the fabulous Aras gardens, here are some top picks for your diary.

Experience Aras en Flor

SITUATED 60 miles northeast of the capital, the charming terracotta-roofed village of Aras de los Olmos puts on a grand spectacle every spring, with a flower festival that makes the drive more than worth it.

From May 20, the entire village will be overflowing with vibrant flower displays, with 17 gorgeous spaces celebrating the best of local flora and human creativity.

A visit to these ephemeral gardens is free, with many of the displays facing the quaint streets, allowing locals and tourists to stroll through the open-air gallery from May through July.

The prizes for gardens will be awarded in the Ethnobotanical Gardens on June 3, and the prizes for vibrant facades follow on July 1.

By Sarah Gordon

Don’t miss:

The magic of flamenco arrives in Valencia’s own Radio City, with live shows in the El Carmen hot spot every Tuesday in May.

Date for the diary:

Missing Las Fallas al- ready? tecniaPiroVulcano brings the wonder back with a mascletamega in Benicalap on June 17.

Did you know:

There are 56 restaurants in the Valencian Community featured in the latest Michelin Guide. Which have you tried?

Summer goes up a gear with free concerts, outdoor adventure and local flower festivals, writes Sarah Gordon

WHILE the run of bank holidays may be over, things aren’t slowing down in Valencia and as summer begins there are plenty of ways to enjoy the Turia city and

Sarah Gordon relocated to Valencia city from London, where she was the online Travel Editor for the Mail and Commercial Travel Editor for the Telegraph. She is now Editor at Valencia.Style a travel resource for the best experiences in the Valencian Community

JEREZ de la Frontera is at the heart of the sherry triangle, the cradle of flamenco, and home to dancing horses. It’s also a city which knows how to party. And there is no better way of finding out than at one of Spain’s most flamboyant ferias – the Feria del Caballo –which takes place from May 6 to 13… and, unlike nearby Sevilla, everyone’s invited.

A glittering society event (albeit with some bawdy carousing in the early hours), Jerez’s feria started out in the traditional way as a horse fair in a field in the middle ages. Even then, ‘trading’ involved late night partying, and the occupants of surrounding houses risked being fined the equivalent of a euro if they failed to keep a lantern burning so the goings-on were illuminated.

Now, when someone important flicks the switch on May 8 at 10pm, Parque Gonzalez Hontoria, the vast fairground in the south of the city which, for most of the year, is a 52-hectare dark (square) roundabout, will be lit up (fuses allowing) by over 1.3 million points of light,

ALL THE fun

strung in loops over elaborate arches like necklaces of dazzling jewels.

It’s a temporary town for the week, with 175 casetas (a superior alternative to hospitality tents), each hosted by a religious association or a winery, a business, or a social group –all of whom go all out with the decor, adding potted palms, terraces, window boxes, elaborate facades, and painted wooden chairs. Most casetas (unlike Sevilla, as said) are open to the public, and most will be serving food at some point. If not a guest of the aristocracy at a private catered feast, your choices are mainly limited to fried fish, calamares and papas aliñas on paper plates, but there’s also fabulous jamon and you can’t go wrong with that – unless you’re a vegetarian. Each caseta has a bar where you can buy drinks, specifically Jerez sherry and rebujitos (sherry and lemonade), the feria classic down in these parts. And all are guaranteed to have music playing loudly and, at what seems random times, live flamenco. Catching a performance here, among an audience of well-fuelled, passionate aficionados, is an unforgettable experience. This year’s event is dedicated to flamenco fashion (a thriving creative industry) and the magnificent Lola Flores who was born in Jerez 100 years ago. The singer, dancer and star of the silver screen was what amounts to a national treasure and you will, for sure, be hearing multiple renditions of her greatest hit, Ay Pena, Penita, Pena The week starts fairly sedately (there are discounts for pensioners on the Monday), and builds to a grand finale with the biggest shows on Friday and Saturday. Choose which day cording to erance for sion and queues, but

By Sorrel Downer

time it to coincide with the last hours of the Paseo de Jinetes y Caballos (held Monday-Saturday, 1pm-7.30pm) when hundreds of horses, riders, and carriage drivers circle the fairground, nodding to people before dusk and the lights go on.

Note: the opening hours are 1pm to dawn, Andalucia style. There is a lot of horse action, much of it competitive and taking place in the Equisur area. Try to catch the displays of doma vaquera, a unique form of dressage rooted in cattle herding and wrangling out in the sierras, and involving fancy footwork on the part of the horse. At the far end from the main entrance, there are fairground rides – a blindingly hot expanse of roaring generators and over excited children buying plastic things. Not for nothing is it called the Calle del Infierno (Street of Hell).

It’s not only the horses that parade around impeccable and proud to murmurs of admiration: the at tendees do too: Peo ple come beau tifully dressed – the women with flowers in their hair and stitched into full length dresses of vi brant hue and trailing flounc es, and men in the traditional short jacketed suits in grey and blue with boater style hats. You can expect to see some im pressive bandalero style sideburns, too. It would be tempting to dress like that – but just don’t.

ETIQUETTE

The Feria de Jerez is officially designated as being of international tourism interest, and hundreds of tourists visit each year and are warmly received, but there is an unspoken code of etiquette.

If you are a foreigner, unless

going with friends from Jerez who absolutely demand you must, it’s not advisable to attempt wearing a full flamenco traje (outfit). Firstly, it’s hard to carry off; and secondly, flamenco dress is by no means a costume, but an extension of deep-rooted, local culture. In Jerez –

ferias –you are welcome to squeeze into the casetas, and buy drinks and food at the bar. But don’t head to the best table – the casetas are there to enable the hosts to offer hospitality to their own family, friends and clients.

However much you enjoy the singing, don’t feel the need to join in, although the occasional, well-timed ole! may go down well.

To discover what makes Jerez tick, visit it during the annual feria for a celebration of sherry, flamenco and fancy purebred Andalucian horses, plus some nice and tacky fairground rides, under a million lights

However much you enjoy the singing, don’t feel the need to join in

Big switch-off

NETFLIX has lost a whopping one million users in Spain since it decided to put an end to account sharing last February.

The figures come from the first quarter of 2023.

The streaming platform asked all its subscribers to confirm their permanent address, ending access to those entering the account from a different location.

Two thirds of the lost users were using a shared password, according to a study carried out by the company.

Customers wanting to keep sharing their accounts need to pay an extra €5.49 a month per ‘guest’.

The new strategy has come after Netflix acknowledged that there were over 100 million households in the world sharing an account.

Real term suffering

Spain amongst worst hit in cost of living crisis

SPANISH workers suffered the most of any large Eurozone country as their real wages got hit by high inflation in 2022.

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) report, Taxing Wages, worked out the effect of inflation on purchasing power and calculated that wages in real terms fell by 5.3% in Spain last year. Although gross salaries grew by 2.9% (almost €800) to €28,360 gross on average per year, skyrocketing inflation (which closed the year at 8.6%) reduced the purchasing power of people in Spain far higher than their European neighbours.

OP Puzzle solutions

Quick Crossword

Across: 7 Immediately, 8 Reverent, 9 Eyed, 10 Aswan, 11 Daytime, 14 Address, 16 Spasm, 19 Chef, 21 Cemetery, 22 Tonsillitis.

Down: 1 Diseased, 2 Amoeba, 3 Edged, 4 Last man, 5 Newest, 6 Hype, 12 Mistrust, 13 Psychic, 15 Refund, 17 Potato, 18 Smell, 20 Hats.

By Alex Trelinski

On average, the gross salary of the 38 countries that make up the OECD suffered a loss of 3.4%, two points less than in Spain.

Moreover, the purchasing power of Spaniards fell 10 times more than in France (-0.5%), three times more than in Italy (-2.2%) and 1.4 points more than in Germany (-3.9%) - a country that had an inflation rate similar to Spain’s in 2022 but where a significant rise in wages cushioned the blow.

The only European countries whose real wages fell more than in Spain were the Neth-

CAUGHT BETWEEN A ROCK AND A HARD PLACE?

THE terms residency and domicile are often interchanged despite having two completely different legal meanings. Your domicile can be your residence however your residence is not necessarily your domicile.

You may move abroad without changing your domicile.

WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT?

Spanish succession tax is based on your tax residency whereas UK inheritance tax is based on your UK domicile of origin. This is acquired at birth and is usually the same as the domicile of your father at the date of your birth, unless your parents were unmarried, in which case you take your domicile from your mother.

Whilst you can claim and acquire a domicile of choice by settling say in Spain with the intention of living there permanently, making it stick to avoid being liable to UK inheritance tax is notoriously difficult. The burden of proof falls on you (or more likely your heirs) to prove that you had successfully acquired a new domicile of choice.

You may avoid UK IHT after five years of non-UK residency. However, it’s not straightforward. HMRC will consider your ties including business interests, social connections, family, property ownership and your intentions to eventually return to your country of birth, to determine whether you are UK domiciled or not.

DRIVER CRISIS

A VALENCIAN road haulage federation says the region is short of 2,000 drivers which is causing serious problems with deliveries.

FVET president, Carlos Prades, has claimed the shortage is 'paralysing operations'. “This sector has faced, in recent years, the pandemic and the energy crisis and it seems that, now, in a period of economic uncertainty, another more serious crisis looms which is a lack of drivers,” said Prades.

erlands, Greece, Estonia, the Czech Republic, Latvia and Lithuania, mainly due to their double-digit inflation rates at the end of last year.

People in Spain paid an average of 39.5% of their income in taxes and social security contributions in 2022.

This is five points above the average for the 38 countries that make up the OECD. People in Spain pay almost

10 points less in income taxes than neighbouring countries such as Belgium, Germany or France, and even less than Italy or Portugal.

However, Social Security contributions paid by employers in Spain account for 23% of the salary- well above the average of the 38 countries that make up the OECD which stands at 13.4%.

Shorter hours

CAR rental company Wiber rent a car has introduced a 32hour working week. The company has offices in Spain’s main tourist spots, including Mallorca, Valencia, Alicante, Ibiza and the Costa del Sol. The decrease in the number of hours will not lead to a wage reduction, as workers will maintain their previous salaries. Spain currently has a 40-hour working week, but this may be subject to change.

Spanish Minister of Labour Yolanda Diaz has spoken earlier about the benefits of shorter working weeks earlier this year. “People should work to live and not live to work,” she said.

Problem

In the last two years, the problem has gone from affecting a third of regional transport companies to 52% according to FVET data. A report from the International Road Federation says that young people are being put off from joining the profession because of the high cost of training- around €3,500.

“According to the Valencian Institute of Statistics, there are 51,600 people between 16 and 25 years who are unemployed in the Valencian Community, for whom transport can offer an answer,” suggested Prades. He added that compared to other Spanish regions, the Valencian Community ‘has not taken any measures to promote the entry of young people to the profession’.

When it comes to UK IHT it is always advisable to plan for the worst so that a negative posthumous determination by HMRC does not reduce the inheritance of your children.

To complicate matters, Spain has forced heirship rules where the inheritance is divided with two thirds going to the surviving spouse and children, and the final third being distributed freely.

The EU Succession Directive enables expats to distribute assets based on their nationality rather than the country they live.

This means a British expat in Spain can avoid forced heirship rules and distribute assets as they wish.

The differences don’t end there. Whereas in the UK inheritance tax is paid by the estate in Spain the beneficiaries must settle any succession taxes before inheriting any assets.

The double taxation treaty between the UK and Spain does not extend to IHT, which means that potentially you could be exposed to inheritance tax in both jurisdictions.

The good news is there are tax planning opportunities to restructure your financial affairs to avoid forced heirship rules and mitigate both Spanish succession and UK IHT.

You need a safe pair of hands to ensure your legacy is protected.

We are in the Costa Blanca area from 15th until 19th May 2023 and available for personal meetings from Torrevieja to Valencia. We can arrange zoom meetings outside those dates.

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MURCIA, Valencia and Andalucia have been identified as the autonomous communities with the worst public health services. Spain’s Federation of Associations for the Defence of Public Health Care (FADSP) has published a ranking based on a number of parameters such as health expendi

BOTTOM OF THE LIST

ture per capita and waiting times. The maximum number of points a region can get is 142 and the minimum is 33. Andalucia hit rock bottom with 65 points, followed by Murcia (71)

and the Valencian Community (73). They are over 30 points behind Navarra and the Basque Country, which are first and second in the table with 108 and 106 respectively.

Pain in Spain

OVER nine million people in Spain - some 26% of the adult population - suffer from some form of chronic pain. The biggest issue is lower back pain (58%) according to a survey carried out by Cadiz University and the Grunenthal Foundation.

Some 7,058 people between 18 and 85 were interviewed for the study, which clarified some of the unwelcome consequences of pain.

Some 42% of sufferers have used health services in the last month with 87% going to their

Over a quarter of Spain suffers from chronic pain

By Alex Trelinski

medical centre.

Those suffering such chronic pain are defined as having it for more than four days a week and persisting for longer than three months.

Chronic pain presents a financial cost with 28.6% of patients needing to take time off work over the last year

At 28, happiest in Spain!

THE happiest people in Spain are statistically men under 29 with money to burn.

However two-thirds (67.3%) of Spaniards aged 16 or over are happy ‘always or almost always’. Men were slightly happier than women at 68.4% versus 66.2%.

No surprise, 70.7% of high earners felt happy, while only 61.3% of low earners did.

from it.

Alarmingly, 22% of chronic pain sufferers said they got depression as a result of their condition and an additional 27.6% people said they were prone to anxiety.

People aged between 55 and 77 had the highest incidents of pain with women (59%) more prevalent than men.

“The study has given us a better awareness of what is going on and what pain represents at a social, economic, and health level,” said Cadiz University’s Inmaculuda Failde. She added there needed to be more pain units added to the existing 417 at public hospitals.

“There also has to be more cooperation between all health departments as relieving chronic pain should be a national priority,” she concluded.

CHOOSE

In the dock

A NISSAN has met a watery end after its owner forgot to put on the handbrake at Cartagena's Navantia docks, from where it slid into the sea.

Cancer cheat

SPANISH sports journalist Guillermo

Valades has gone into hiding at his mother’s house after pocketing hundreds of thousands of euros from colleagues by falsely claiming he had cancer.

Up in smoke

SPAIN is looking for companies to incinerate seized illegal drugs with the Interior Ministry offering to pay €990 a ton to companies that can pass security tests.

O P LIVE RESS

Bear Hunt

Parasite statue ridicules out of touch ex-king’s plans of returning to Spain

A STATUE of former King Juan Carlos I holding a hunting rifle has been erected without permission in Madrid. The 170-cm sculpture had the monarch pointing his gun at an emblematic bear monument, in Puerta del Sol, which is the symbol of

Don’t toy with me!

By Alberto Lejarraga

Madrid.

The statue by Chilean artist Nicolas Miranda was aimed at pouring scorn on the exKing’s plans to move back to Spain from his current home in Abu Dhabi.

BEAR TODAY: But King’s statue was soon removed

Naked truth

CLIMATE activists stripped naked and dived into a fountain at Madrid’s Royal Palace.

The pair from Futuro Vegetal swam in the fountain and climbed on two stone lions covered in red paint. The group claims the monarchy has ‘actively taken part in the plundering of the resources of the Iberian Peninsula’ for centuries.

Called Parasitic Strategies to Survive in a Cruel World it is a parody of the Emeritus king’s disastrous faux pas when he posed with a dead elephant he had killed in Africa. The incident is a painful reminder of Juan Carlos’s 2012 hunting trip to Botswana, where he fractured his hip. It was to lead to his downfall, firstly with the

media exposing a long term affair and then a controversial hidden fortune. The sculpture was eventually transferred to a cultural centre, where it is being displayed in an exhibition.

Display

The display was timed to coincide with the former king returning to Spain for the second time since fleeing to Abu Dhabi. He has been in Galicia where he planned to attend a sailing regatta and where he is reportedly looking to buy a home.

AN election candidate for this year’s local elections has caused controversy when he swapped the classic baby-kissing photo with one of him holding a vibrator. PP hopeful for Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Carlos Tarife, posed in local sex shop Besos Prohibidos with the owners. While they held up his campaign leaflets, he opted to brandish one of the shop’s rather large sex toys. Unsurprisingly, the candidate for the normally conservative right wing party spent the rest of the week fending off criticism. He received further anger, when he described critics of the photo as being ‘backward’.

Easiest arrest

POLICE have arrested a serial burglar who dropped his ID card while robbing a property in the Javea area. The man had left the card in one of two properties he had broken into that night.