Olive Press Costa Blanca North and Valencia - Issue 89

Ultra right Brit extremist faces the music after losing extradition battle

20% OFF for readers of OLIVE PRESS A fusion restaurant of

Violent According to UK police, Kearns published content in the channel ‘predomi nantly aimed at building up hostility against nonwhite people and encour aging direct violent action against them, as part of an ideology of white suprem Heacy’.has also been photo graphed making fascist

POST: Kearns in a Twitter message from Dubai

FASCIST: Kearns (below) and making salutes with friends that should he be jailed by a UK court he should be returned to Spain to serve his Hissentence.defencesaid in a statement: “Dia tribes against immigrants, multicultur alism or the Jewish people, although highly objectionable, can be protected by freedom of expression and within an ideology of the extreme right.” We revealed two years ago that far right extremist Tommy Robinson was living in Marbella. We reported how the dangerous racist even talked about moving permanent ly to Gibraltar.

pledgedMoney

NEW support of up to €2 million has been promised to the fire-hit Vall d’Ebo. The pledge came at a meeting between 15 mayors from local municipalities and Alicante Pro vincial Council president, Carlos Mazon. Some 12,150 hectares of land were destroyed in the fire started by a lighting strike. Mazon said that up to €1 million will be al located to repair rural roads rav aged by the blaze. A further €1 million will come from the Costa Blanca Tourist Board to promote cycling, gastronomy and envi ronmental holidays. Taxes He also talked about dealing with the long-running issue of depop ulation in the rural area. Mazon said his administration will also grant delays to the payment of taxes and urged the Valencian government to offer personal income tax breaks to affected Hefarmers.stressed that his body and the regional government should co ordinate measures to make sure that ‘aid does not overlap’. He called on Valencia to show ‘more sensitivity over financial issues’ to those affected by the Vall d’Ebo blaze.

TwitterCREDITS:PIC hatenotHopeCREDIT:PIC

FACING JAIL

Kearns - who is well known among members of white nationalist group Patriotic Alternative - has formed vari ous links with at least one leading ma fia gang based on the Costa del Sol and in Dubai, we can reveal. We have been monitoring his Tele gram channel for the group called ‘Fascist Fitness’, which has 1,800 fol lowers. Many of his videos were filmed in Mar bella - where a source has told the Olive Press he had links with shadowy fig ures from the now defunct MTK gym and boxing stable in Puerto Banus. This had originally been set up by Irish underworld boss Daniel Kinahan, now sought by the US authorities. The Kinahan clan - Christy Kinahan Snr, Daniel Kinahan and Christopher Kinahan Jr - who are now based in Dubai, have been put on a US sanc tions list because of their Irish mafia Socialconnections.media posts indicate that Ke arns has recently visited Dubai. He left Marbella and head ed to Alfas del Pi on the Costa Blanca, where he continued to shoot vid eos for Fascist Fitness. He rented nearby in Albir, we can reveal, with his wife and two children.

Tel: +34 625 361 511 reservas@verarestaurante.es Avenida de Navarro Reverter, 8, 46004 València www.verarestaurante.es Ecuadorian and Spanish

OPLIVERESSThe FREE COSTA BLANCA Vol. 4 Issue 89 www.theolivepress.es September 8th - September 21st 2022 MORAIRA PLUMBING PLUMBINGwww.morairaph.comHEATING&AIRCONDITIONINGSPECIALISTS tel: +34 620 523 613 / +34 966 498 993 email: info@morairaph.com Calle Mulhalcen 3, Ctra Moraira de Calpe 142b, Moraira Teulada 03724, Alicante New location further down the road towards Moraira town centre, next to Gemisant & Kostas Restaurant Air Conditioning | Bathroom Fitting Gas and Oil Central Heating | Electrics Certification & Inspection | Pool | Solar Energy SPECIALOFFER Giastu Aroma 2 2,5 kw R32 gas refrigerate A+++20db 3 years warranty including 599installationstandardandmaterial € (inc IVA) SOLAR ELECTRIC ENERGY NOW BEING INSTALLED

A BRITISH far-right extremist with close links to the Costa Blanca is set to be extradited to face terror charges in the UK. The 38-year-old has been identified by the Spanish police as ‘Christopher TK’, also known among far-right activists as ‘Charlie Big Potatoes’, or ‘Kris Kearns’. Spain’s National Court has approved the extradition of the Liverpool-born former paratrooper, a decision that must be ratified by the Council of Min Heisters.faces up to 15 years in jail after Westminster Magistrates issued a war rant for his arrest. The Olive Press has been monitoring Kearns for nearly a year, as he travelled between his rented villa in Albir,on the Costa Blanca and hotels around Mar bella on the Costa del Sol.

cuisine Exceptional stone grilled meat • Tapas KITCHEN OPEN ALL DAY Opinion Page 6

UKsalutes.detectives believe he was getting ready for a ‘war between races’ and produced a video where he encouraged the ‘English white to go to mosques and synagogues to threaten immigrants’. On two occasions, he is accused of posting links to documents that en couraged people to carry out terrorism. These included links to the manifes tos of Brenton Tarrant – who killed 51 people in Christchurch, New Zealand – and Norwegian terrorist, Anders TheBreivik.National Court in Spain said: “The supposedly criminal material was spread through social networks from his domicile in the province of Alicante addressed to subjects who were resid ing in the UK. “The messages are all in English and to understand the relevance it is some times necessary to have an under standing of the ideology of the extreme UK right.” His solicitor has now argued that since all the messages were sent from Spain, he should be tried here as he has suffi cient roots in the country. He added that there was not enough evidence for extradition. The National Court disagreed, but said By Alex Trelinski & Dilip Kuner

CRIMEwww.theolivepress.es September 8th - September 21st 20222 NEWS IN BRIEF

A BRITISH man needed two emergency operations for a perforated intestine after being viciously at tacked in his car outside high street gaming room in Oliva. A 31-year-old Spaniard has now been charged with attempted murder. The victim was a friend of another British man who had argued with the aggressor earlier that night. The Brits left the gaming saloon in the early hours of the morning and returned to their hotel. But the victim returned to the venue and found his car surrounded by the irate Spaniard and some of his Hefriendswas attacked through the car window with a blunt object, suffering facial and chest injuries as well as the intestinal wound.

Sexual The victims from the Valencia area were all sexual partners of Palma’s, and were affected by the drug given its high purity. The three women who died were Arliene Ramos (32), Lady Marcela Vargas (26) and Marta Calvo (25). All of his victims were sex work ers. Suspicion first fell on Palma when Calvo’s mother raised the alarm over her daughter’s dis appearance in 2019.

Palma claimed to have got rid of the corpse after having a panic attack when he woke up to find Calvo dead next to him after a so-called ‘fiesta blanca’, a com bination of cocaine use and sex ual relations. By Simon Hunter

Police then began to investigate other possible victims who had been subject to the same treat Thement.jury considered proven that Palma had hired the sexual services of his victims, with the intention of subduing them and killing them. The judge stopped short from sentencing Palma to ‘review able permanent prison’, which is the closest penalty under Spain’s criminal code to a full life sentence. He will serve a maximum of 40 years under Spanish law. Marta Calvo’s mother said that she will appeal the ruling in a bid to see Palma get an even tougher sentence.

VICTIM: Marta Calvo and her killer Ignacio Palma groundedPirate

160 years jail for man workersmurderedwhosex

deathsSummer 12 people died in road accidents in the Valen cian Community during July and August. The figures are three up on last year but four fewer than the pre-pandemic year of 2019 Free birds

A Madrid hiker, 24, was rescued close to the top of Calpe’s Pen yal d’Ifac on Monday after dislocating her left knee cap following a fall. She was airlifted to safety before going to hospital in Alicante.

chaseMarijuana survivesBrit

A BRITISH man, 24, has been arrested after police chased three cars in a marijuana con voy speeding through Elda’s Thestreets.middle car was carrying 13.5 kilos of marijuana as well as €2,803 in cash. A 26-yearold Moroccan man travelling with the Brit was also arrested. Police pursued them down several streets before the three cars peeled off with officers deciding to concentrate on the middle car. The vehicle came close to hitting pedestrians and ended up on a restaurant terrace, which was closed at the time, causing €1,200 worth of damage. The driver did not have a Span ish driving licence and the car had no insurance.

A man, 40 drowned at Dossel de Cullera beach on Saturday af ter trying to retrieve a ball that was drifting out to sea.

Palma handed himself in to the authorities a month after she vanished and confessed to hav ing dismembered and disposed of her Despitebody.police searches, no trace of her was ever found.

POLICE have arrested a Denia-based man who sold pirated premium UK TV He’sservices.believed to be British but there has been no offi cial subscribers.indefraudedLegitimatemotelyicalPoliceconfirmation.saidthetechnologinfrastructurewasrerunfromtheUK.providerswereofover€210,000incomewithover2,300

TWO Spaniards who captured mainly protected birds and caged them in Liria and Ribarroja have been arrested in two separate Guar dia Civil Beachoperations.death

A MAN has been jailed for 160 years after he killed three wom en with cocaine overdoses.

Jorge Ignacio Palma, a 40-yearold Colombian with a criminal record for drug trafficking, was also convicted of trying to kill six other women. He’s been ordered to pay €640,000 in compensation.

Triple killer

Hiker rescue

ClarkeJonCREDITS:PIC

OLIVE

NEWS September 8th - September 21st 2022 NEWS June 3rd - June 16th 2021 3

Clubs Meanwhile leading DJs Carl Cox, David Guetta and Sacha have been regulars this summer, at the various famous clubs, along with Calvin Har ris, who recently bought a farm on the Butisland.the most exciting DJ has to be actor Idris Elba, who has had a regular slot alongside Guetta at Hi Ibiza all summer.

SPOTTED: Actor Daniel Mays

ATHLETES AND A-LISTERS

STARS IN TOWN: From left, Colman, Robbie, Ronaldo, Watson, Jagger, Blunt, Elba and Delevingne taverna on Talamanca beach, near Ibiza Town. It was the most fitting of visits, having played the role of Ibiza DJ Marcus, who is going through hard times while di vorcing his model wife Anna, played by Angela Griffin. A regular visitor to the island since the series aired in 2020, he was immediately recognis able with his wife, makeup artist Louise Burton. The Olive Press also bumped into former NBA star Dwayne Wade as he celebrated his eighth wedding an niversary to actress Gabrielle Union with around 20 friends at the island’s current hip pest hotel Six Senses. The ex-Miami Heat leg end was spending a week in the Balearic is lands with his Hollywood his children Beatrice and William, splashed the cash at the island’s most expensive nightclub. VIP tables cost from €2,500 to €3,500, while rooms in the adjacent hotel start at €802 a night. The world’s most expensive restau rant, SubliMotion, set up next door at the Hard Rock Hotel, costs guests from €1,500 each. The 20-course tasting menu, created by Paco Roncero, at least comes with champagne and wines. actress Olivia Colman, who has been enjoying a week with her family in the north of the island. The Olive Press can reveal that the British moth er-of-three has been out at Be nirras’ famous hippie beach, as well as eating at a hip Italian joint in Santa forActressscoopedColman,Gertrudis.48,whotheBestawardherportrayal

FILMED: NBA star Dwayne Wade is followed by his own film crew everywhere HE’S known for his tactical maneuvering. But Michael Gove’s latenight moves have been tak en to a new level in Ibiza this summer. The ex-Tory minister was seen jumping about on the dancefloor of Ibiza’s hip pest club. He made up from his recent sacking from Boris Johnson’s government with a high ener gy evening at Ushuaïa Beach club.The 55-year-old, who has been on holiday with In a spin!

Celeb fest for White Island as Ibiza approaches its annual closing parties this month, writes Olive Press editor Jon Clarke AS holiday seasons go it doesn’t get much better for the White WhileIsle. the infamous closing parties approach, dozens of global superstars have been partying on the island. These include Oscar-winning of Queen Anne, in The Favourite has been renting a villa with her husband Ed OthersSinclair.recently staying include ac tress Margot Robbie, model Cara Delevigne and Emma Watson, who is understood to have recently bought a home on the island.

PRESS IBIZA SUMMER ROUNDUP

Meanwhile Sienna Miller, Phoebe Waller-Bridge and supermodel Adwoa Aboah were spotted at a 30th birthday party for Cara Delevigne in August.

The Six Senses hotel itself has been making huge waves since opening last year, near Portinatx. Costing from €1,000 a night, it has kept the hoi polloi well at bay and seen an amazing lineup of Hollywood stars allegedly staying this summer, includ ing Richard Gere, Will Smith and Anto nio WhileBanderas.thehotel doesn't comment on its guests a source told the Olive Press that ‘so many big names have been in on the quiet this summer’. He said they also included big-name footballers Cristiano Ronaldo and Zla tan Ibrahimovic, who was also filmed dancing at Pacha at a Seth Troxler night in August.

Others spotted on the island this sum mer are James Blunt and Jade Jagger, who both have homes in Ibiza.

Hard times “She’s been into our restaurant three times over the last six months,” re vealed a waiter at il Buco. “And getting Olivia Colman was the icing on the cake. We were all very excited.”

One of the most exciting spots by the Olive Press this month was the star of Netflix’ 10-part drama White Lines, Daniel Mays. Mays, 44, was seen having dinner with his wife and son at a beachside star wife and various other basketball Afriends.friend told the Olive Press he was having ‘an amazing break’ after he toasted his marriage with champagne on the stunning dining terrace of HaSa lon Therestaurant.pairlooked stunning in black, as they were serenaded by a flamenco group with dancers. As part of their so-called Wade World Tour 2022, the group hired the su peryacht, the Wellesley, which costs €230,000-a-week to rent. The yacht, which comes with 12 crew, has been taking the couple and friends around the three other Balearic islands since mid-August. The Olive Press pictured it off Formen tera, with a giant slide inflated on its side.

The Harry Potter star has been spot ted three times eating in Santa Gertru dis this year, as well as playing padel tennis and horse-riding in the north of the island.

EXCLUSIVE By Jorge Hinojosa

NO BULL SUECA council has refused a licence for a bullfighting week end to coincide with the city's patron saint fiestas. The Xe Quin Bou Sueca bullfighting club application was for events on September 10 and 11. A 2016 Sueca referendum over whelmingly re jected bullfighting events being subsi dised by the council. The bullfighting club applied for per mits in May but it claims the council opposed it ‘without providing any rea son’. Free Club president, Salva Mulet, said: “The event would have been costfree for the council as the club would have paid for every Thething.”issue of bull runs and fighting have grabbed the headlines in the Valencian Commu nity this summer, with seven specta tors killed watching runs since July - the highest figure since 2015.

Lifesavers

EXCLUSIVE: British expat ‘devastated’ after waiting four months for breast cancer results at beleaguered Alicante hospital

Mayor Without any idea what to do next and how best to proceed, last week she secured a meet ing with the town’s mayor Eduardo Dolon Sanchez. He spoke to the hospital and promised her that she ‘would have the results soon’. “But I still don't have them and I'm pleading with you to try and help.” Since the Olive Press contact ed the hospital, Karen has been offered an appointment, however, the hospital has giv en no further comment.

STILL

WAIT: Karen and husband

NEWSwww.theolivepress.es September 8th - September 21st 20224 FAKE DOG SHELTERS If you are living and working at a dog shelter please make sure your valid name and address is recorded on the list of workers employed by the dog shelter. ALSO please ensure your wages are recorded and available to authorities. FINALLY never drive a van owned by the shelter with an English driving license. NEVER live and work at a dog shelter if these requirements are ignored. newsdesk@theolivepress.es SALES&RENTALSSPECIALISTS 966491883 www.moraira-hamiltons.net Moriara•Calpe•Jalon•Javea•Denia•Altea

A PETRIFIED expat has been waiting for four months to have an answer from Torre vieja Hospital about whether or not she has breast cancer. Karen Moon, 66, has been left horrified after hearing the continual horror stories emerging from patients. “I am feeling very emotional and worried. And it is affecting my mental health,” said the re tired school teacher, this week. She added: “The situation has also affected my relationship with my husband.” The Olive Press has already investigated the malfunc tioning public hospital three times over the last two years. Most recently in June we splashed on the appalling levels of care after securing exclusive interviews with a number of angry doctors. One of them ended up resigning after many years of service over the debacle. Our journalists have tried for months to contact hospital bosses for a response but we have not been able to speak with anyone. Karen Moon’s own personal nightmare started when she visited on May 23, to take a mammogram to discover if she had breast cancer. However, when after four weeks, Karen had not heard anything, she decided to phone the radiology depart ment to find out what was happening with her test. “The doctor contacted me that day and told me that I needed an echography,” explained Karen, originally from South sea, on Merseyside.

Beach death A BRITISH man, 74, died from a heart attack af ter being pulled unconscious from the water at Moraira's l'Ampolla beach. Lifeguards began to perform resuscitation on him, having called emergency services. A Civil Protection ambulance arrived on the site al most immediately, followed by a SAMU para medic team, who tried to revive the man but with no success.

But after she had not heard anything about an appoint ment for two weeks, she pan icked and decided to visit the private Quiron Salud hospi tal, also in Torrevieja. “I obviously had to pay for the echography tests and the doctor doing the ultrasounds told me that he was really sur prised about how long it had taken to get a mammogram,” she added. The doctor recommended her to get a biopsy to investigate further and she was able to get this free after getting her files from Torrevieja Hospital. “The state hospital has re cently contracted Quiron’s services as they have admit ted they do not have enough staff,” claimed Karen. Karen had the biopsy on Au gust 5 but as it is paid for by the Spanish health system she still has no results. “I am sure that if I had paid Quiron the fee of €2,000 for the biopsy, I would have had my results in 5 to 10 days. “But I was told I had to wait for ‘15 to 20 working days’ and that time has already passed,” she added. The doctors have warned Karen that breast cancers double every two months, and she has been waiting for four months without treatment.

CRITICAL

POLICE saved an 18-year-old Valencia woman by grabbing her trouser buckle as she stood perched on a 14th floor apartment window ledge. The Policia Nacional received reports of a young woman be having aggressively in a Mari tim district apartment. Her mother said she was breaking furniture and had locked herself in her bed room. Officers broke in and discovered that she was standing on the window ledge and gripping the frame with just one hand. She let go of the frame and threatened to jump but a woman officer managed to get close enough to grab her.

A SPECIES of mutant mosquito that is resistant to in secticides has been discovered in Spain and 12 other European countries. Experts have warned that the strain of Tiger mosqui toes can spread illnesses like dengue, zika and chi kungunya.

LIONEL Messi may have to knock down part of his new seaside villa in Ibiza. The Argentinian football leg end is also likely to be hit with a large fine for undertaking illegal works at his €11million mansion, near Cala Tarida. The former Barca star, now with PSG in Paris, bought the home in February this year, without an official opening licence (licencia de primero ocupación). The property he bought from Swiss businessman Philippe Amon has too many rooms. In particular, the garage block of the home has two unlicensed Millionaire football ace needs to demolish part of his new Ibiza villa bedrooms and will ‘proba bly have to be demolished’ a spokesman at local San Jose town hall told the Olive Press “The villa has a problem with its licence and to become a le gal property he needs to turn those bedrooms into a garage,” he said today. In addition, the Olive Press can reveal that Messi was also landed with a ‘stop order’ from nearby San Jose council in May for undertaking further works. “We had to step in when we discovered they were doing some other land movement in the grounds without a proper licence,” added the spokes “Theyman. were carving out terrac es to plant trees and so we had to stop the work.” The issue is unlikely to be a big problem for the Argentinian star, who owns various other homes in Spain. These include a hotel on the is land, the MIM Ibiza Es Vive, a stunning four-storey spot near Ibiza Town, which features some of his medals and prizes. Messi, 35, has been a regular visitor to Ibiza for years and spent much of August in his new villa, where he has report edly splashed up to €5million in renovations.

ficial data. “It is a bad figure. A single death on the road is a price that we cannot and should not assume,” said the Minister of Interior, ways.recordedwhilearypeneddeathstheHeGrande-Marlaska.Fernandohighlightedthatmajorityof(173)haponsecondandruralroads,52deathswereonmotor

ALICANTE

tragedyHailstoneSOME225motoristshavediedinSpainduringJulyandAugust,10morethaninthesamemonthsof2019,accordingtoof

TRASHEDIDEALIGHT

Yacht He was also recently spotted on a yacht off Ibiza with his wife Antonela Roccuzzo. Last year, he rented the amaz ing private island of Tagoma go, off Cala San Vicente, which costs €250,000 a week. The island, owned by German estate agent Matthias Kuhn, is on sale for €157million.

Christmas lights contract costs €343,000considerably less than what other municipalities of a sim ilar size spend, with some having budgets of over €1 million with 20% increases this year,” Barcala added.

Preventionwork

Mayor, Luis Bar cala, has rubbished a Valen cian government proposal that all municipalities should turn off 20% of their public Christmas light displays this year to save energy. It is one of eight energy saving proposals that the Valencian government, under President Ximo Puig, has submitted to the Ministry of Ecological ButTransition.Barcala was not im pressed. He said: “We need a plan to help municipalities to improve energy efficiency in stead of coming up with an ill thought-out idea over Christ mas lights,” said Barcala. “President Puig has not real ised that Christmas lighting in the region is crucial for commerce and tourism. “All of the Alicante lights are LED bulbs and the display encourages business, hospi tality and tourism in the city which will be even more im portant at a time of inflation and lower purchases,” he con Thecluded.Alicante mayor added that a ‘sweeping’ 20% cut in all towns and cities does not make sense. He observed that municipalities who have made great strides in energy efficiency cannot be penalised in the same way as others who have done comparatively “Alicante’slittle.

NEWSwww.theolivepress.es September 8th - September 21st 2022 5

Car deaths

Little suckers

BENIDORM has begun its annual cleaning of ravines to ensure the rainwater collection system is in good shape ahead of the autumn storm season. The work concentrates on the Barcelo, Derra mador, and Murtal ra Benidorm'svines. works councillor, Jose Ramon Gonzalez de Zarate, said: “This is about minimising the effects that possible torrential rains would have on the Hecity.”added the clean-up includes removing any items that could cause disruption to water flows.

A toddler has been killed after being struck on the head by a hailstone when storms hit TheCatalunya.20-month old died after being rushed into the Josep Trueta hos pital in Girona. A woman was also ad mitted into hospital with the child and was being treated for her injuries, according to Catalunya Radio.

RED CARD!EXCLUSIVEByJonClarkeinIbiza

Butviolence.perhaps

REMEMBERING THE DESTRUCTION

Communication is disrupted: Tons of volcanic ash is still being removed, and rebuild ing and re-routing work con tinues on roads. Some areas remain closed to the public because of the dangerously high levels of carbon dioxide in the atmo sphere, such as the once popular beach destination Puerto Naos. Few evacuees used the of ficial hotel and shelter ac commodation, most camping out with family and friends. And, although a number have since been allocated pre fabricated houses or apart ments, the majority still are. As Javier Salinero of the vol cano victims’ pressure group Tierra Bonita explains: “The island economy has col

SPAIN is a wonderful country in which to live - which is why it has welcomed millions of expats to its shores. Whether they are British, Irish, German, Dutch or from further afield, they have all been given a warm greeting from the Span Thisish. makes the Spanish costas thriving, cos mopolitan, places to live life to the full - and the ‘foreigners’ are a major part of this. They bring a liveliness and different way of looking at things that complement the Span ish attitudes and way of life perfectly. But sadly, there is a dark underbelly to a mi nority. We all know about the criminal ele ments who have moved to Spain to either hide out from the law or to enrich them selves - all too often leading to gangland more iniquitous are those with an agenda. On the front page we reveal how Kris Kearns (AKA Charlie Big Potatoes) used his Spanish home as a base to spew his hateful ultra-right views on social media. Whether he has actually committed a crime is up to the UK courts to decide. But what is clear is that his sort of fascist message is one that is not welcome in Spain. It goes against the messages of inclusivity and ‘live and let live’ attitude that is one of Spain’s greatest charms. As far as the Olive Press is concerned, his extradition to face the music in the UK can not come soon enough. The only shame is that if he is convicted and jailed, the Spanish National Court has said he should serve his sentence here. We really do not want him back!

The 53,600pumpedvolcanoouttonnesofsulphurdioxideaday

Goodbye and good riddance

Shortly after 3pm on September 19th, 2021, there was a huge volcanic eruption in La Palma, the Canary Islands, that was to last for three months. Barbara Belt witnessed the volcano in action and says, one year on, the recovery process is far from over T HERE are two volca noes on La Palma, a small island, just 47 km in length, at the northwestern end of the Ca nary Islands. It was Cumbre Vieja in the south that erupt ed, shooting out lava for 85 Bydays.the end of it, nearly 3,000 buildings and 74 km of road were buried in lava, and 370 hectares of farmland destroyed. Some 7,000 is landers were evacuated from their homes. Damage has been estimated at €900 mil Seismologistslion. saw seismic activity cordsPalmaeruptioningmostvolcanoyetbeforeissuedwarningsanddramatically,increasingwaseruptionweredaysitblew,lastyear’s–thedamagvolcaniconLasincerebegan–caught people by Fissuressurprise.suddenly opened on the southwest flank. The first magma formed two slow-moving lava flows. Then eight new vents blew, produc ing flows that fanned out fast like the fingers of an open hand, covering one of the most fertile banana planta tions in the Canaries. Lava, with a temperature in excess of 1000 degrees, wiped out everything in its path. It was impossible to predict where new vents would blow. Some evacuation warnings left people with as little as 15 minutes to get out. Shocked local residents es caped with their goats, chick ens, cows, sheep, cats, dogs, beehives and whatever they managed to load onto trucks as the lava fast approached. Tourists were evacuated to ForTenerife.the next three months, lava bombs, and fountains of lava shot into the air. Ash plumes (one 7.5 km tall) rained ash over the island. At its peak, the volcano pumped out 53,600 tonnes of sulphur dioxide a day, the noxious gases travelling as far as the Caribbean and Germa ny. When the lava reached the sea, it created a fajana (coastal shelf) so big the is land maps had to be redrawn. The volcano was erybody’sphraseever’mas25.ondeclaredofficiallyoverDecember‘BestChristpresentwastheonevlips.

NEWS FEATURE Alex Trelinski alex@theolivepress.es Jo Chipchase jo@theolivepress.es Cristina Hodgson cristina@theolivepress.es Simon Hunter simon@theolivepress.es Dilip Kuner dilip@theolivepress.es John JorgeCulattoHinojosa jorge@theolivepress.es www.theolivepress.es6 HEAD OFFICE Carretera Nacional 340, km 144.5, Calle Espinosa 1, Edificio cc El Duque, planta primera, 29692, Sabinillas, Manilva NEWSDESK: 0034 951 273 575 For all sales and advertising enquiries please contact 951 27 35 75 ADMIN Sandra Aviles Diaz (+34) 951 273 575 admin@ theolivepress.es OFFICE MANAGER Héctor Santaella (+34) 658 750 424 accounts@ theolivepress.es DISTRIBUTIONENQUIRIES (+34) 951 273 575 distribution@ theolivepress.es Voted top expat paper in Spain OPINION 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. Deposito Legal MA-498-2019 AWARDS Best expat paper in 2016Spain-2020 Best2020English language publication in Google2012Andalucia-2022NewsInitiativegivestheOlivePressasubstantialgrant. PUBLISHER / EDITOR Jon Clarke, jon@theolivepress.es

But whole villages were de stroyed, as were churches, schools, medical centres, in dustrial areas, roads, bridg es, fruit plantations, cem eteries, irrigation systems, electricity lines and water pipes. Hundreds of animals had died. A thousand hect ares of previously fertile land lay under solidified lava flows. There was just one fa tality: a roof collapsed under a man as he attempted to clear ash off it inside the ex clusion zone. The islanders’ livelihoods were destroyed, too. And one year on, serious problems re main.

I live on neighbouring La Gomera, and first went to cover the story on September 21st, writes Barbara Belt (right). The ferry, full of Canarian firefighters and members of the Military Emergencies Unit, docked at the port of La Palma’s capital, Santa Cruz, in the east. Two hours later I was driving on the west coast, towards the red glow in the sky. Then there it was! Roaring, spectacular, belching flames, lava and ash. I nearly came off the Lookingroad!one way, I could see banana plantations all the way to the sea, and the oth er, an ancient volcano shooting lava thousands of metres into the air. The noise was ex traordinary. I got covered in volcanic dust, as did my car, and there was a heavy smell of sulphur dioxide in the air. The press were allowed into the Exclusion Zones that had already been hit, as well as the areas about to be hit, which was worse. There was so much sadness and shock. You can’t just watch that level of panic, so I did what little I could to help. After 48 hours at the volcano, arriving back at Santa Cruz was like arriving back from a war zone. Was this the same island? Of course there was panic here too. Only the 1,500m high ridge and prevailing winds were keeping it safe.Itwas impossible not to be awestruck by the extraordinary spectacle, by human in significance against nature’s power, but the plight of the Palmeros killed any sense of thrill.

1- British gang arrested on Spain’s Ibiza in the country’s biggest ever pink cocaine swoop with over 500000 in cash seized

WELCOME TO THE OLIVE PRESS focusing my efforts.” And we are more than happy to welcome him aboard!FIONA: Wishing you all the best for the future

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

Sixgovernment.hundred flats, prefabri cated and wooden homes have been commissioned. Over 100 have been pro vided and, Canary Islands housing minister Sebastian Franquis expects the re maining accommodation to be installed this month. But this is half of what’s needed even by the most conservative estimate.

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

Simon Hunter moved to Madrid in 2000 and has been working in journalism practi cally since he ar Fromrived. 2005 to 2006 he edited magazineEnglish-languagethe InMa drid, which was aimed at tourists and locals alike, as well as contribut ing to guide books such as Time Out and in-flight magazines for airlines such as easyJet. In late 2006 he joined the team at the EL PAÍS En glish Edition, where he became editor in 2014. During his time at Spain’s biggest-selling paper he oversaw the transition of the English Edition from print to fully digital, hosted podcasts and Facebook live broadcasts, and helped grow the monthly audi ence figures from the low hundreds of thousands to more than a million during the coronavirus pandemic. When EL PAÍS took the decision to no longer cover Spain stories in English - sticking to a more interna tional theme - he decided it was time to move on. He is now working as a full-time freelance journalist, contributing to The Times, La Sexta and Foods and Wines from Spain, among others, as well as enjoying a side gig as a voice-over artist (he is the voice in English who tells you to ‘mind the gap’ on Spain’s low-cost high-speed AVLO trains). “I’m thrilled to have joined the team at the Olive Press so that I can con tinue to bring all of the great stories and fea tures from Spain to an English-speaking audi ence,” Simon said. “I’ve been endlessly fascinat ed by this country ever since I arrived and I look forward to sharing that obsession with the readers. There is huge potential for online sto ries from Spain, and that is where I will be

Many buildingsburiedwerefamilyhomes,completewithoutbuildings O

The president drew attention to the €418 million financial aid already mobilised by the government, the €15 million to cover losses in the banana industry, and the support in the form of ERTEs (extended until the end of the year).

People need houses and town halls frequently turn a blind Volcanoeye. victim compensa tion money has so far only been automatically paid out to those whose houses were legally registered. The rest must undertake a ‘ridiculous ly long claims procedure with no guarantee of success’, ac cording to Tierra Bonita.

2- Explainer: What you need to know about Spain’s free rail travel scheme from September 3- Beware: Spain might be hit by a hurricane, american experts warned 4- Rafa Nadal’s pregnant wife admitted into hospital with minor complications

The money’s there, but pay ing it out is painfully slow. However, the president of La Palma’s island council, Mari ano Hernandez Zapata, told the Olive Press that public administrators will now be working with orthophotos and satellite imagery ‘in or der to facilitate realistic val uations of houses destroyed, so that fair insurance com pensation is received, to gether with simplified ac cess to the compensation,’ which, he added, amounts to a maximum of €60,000 from the Spanish govern ment and up to €30,000 from the Canary Islands

AFTER VOLCANOTHE lapsed. On this small island we depend on each other and everyone is affected. Now there’s no news people think normal life has returned, but many are still without homes and incomes. Prospects are poor. Application processes for official help are very com plex and urgently need sim on mental clearlyhappened“It’stefaníapsychologiststopped”,thetripledforrise:continueshealthto“RequestshelphavesinceeruptionsaysEsMartín.over.Whatisvisible, and now there’s a real sense of incre dulity, coupled with rocketing incidences of severe depres Sosion.”why is the situation so bad? One important, seldom mentioned, reason is that, ac cording to the Canary Islands government figures, 1,600 buildings were lost. Coperni cus satellite data places the number at 2,988. The main problem with compensation, whichever figure is correct, lies in the islands’ planning regulation peculiarities. Many of the buried buildings were family homes, com plete with outbuildings, fruit orchards, livestock pens and plantations. Some even had planningtheIslands,inmongallyBuildinghouses.registeredwerepools.swimmingButfewlegallyasilleisacompracticetheCanarygivenrestrictivelaws.

Theplifying”.toll

Meanwhile, many families are leaving the island. Speaking last month, on his tenth visit to La Palma since the eruption, Pedro Sanchez, was keen to emphasise that help was on its way, saying that the Spanish government was also redoubling its ef forts to “reduce bureaucracy and speed up procedures”. Bid

Sanchez also announced the installation of a €3 million system monitoring, measur ing and controlling emis sions of toxic gases, and he stressed more help was on the way: “In these five years of government, the Canary Is lands will receive almost 60% more economic resources than in the last five years”.

5- Breaking: hull of stranded os 35 bulk carrier breaks in two off Gibraltar’s Catalan bay threatening a major oil spill

UR Digital Editor Fiona Govan is bidding a sad farewell to the Olive Press and its readers. We are sorry to see the former Daily Tele graph staffer head off to tackle new chal lenges - she has left big boots to fill. But thankfully we have found the man to do just that.

● We have entered an era of global competition to secure energy sup plies. More countries are compet ing to buy a limited resource. Pric es only go up.

AS Spain starts its recovery from a series of wildfires, the drought it finds itself locked into could be a major obstacle to Butregeneration.atrialbeing held in the Canary Islands could help parched coastal regions re grow forests where there is little to no rainfall. The EU-backed Life Nieblas project is experimenting with collecting and condensing fog to help individual saplings grow without the need for conventional watering. The project, which is based in Gran Canaria as well as in Portugal on the Iberian penin sula, is using fog collectors to improve degraded landscapes and fuel forvailinglocatedwhichAlthoughreforestation.suchcollectors,consistofplasticmeshinthepathoftheprewind,havebeenusedyears,theprojectisde signed to improve their effi ciency and effectiveness. The technology is simple – as fog blows through the mesh, water droplets form and then fall into containers at the base of the structure. While the technique is well suited to the Canaries, it is not quite so effective in the less humid Mediterranean, but the

We all moan about our bills. Well… you ain’t seen nothing yet! Currently, the impact of electricity increases is being softened through Government support. All this is only temporary. Will IVA re main reduced forever? I very much doubt it. Will the electricity tax remain reduced from 5.11% to 0. 5%? Spain and Portugal managed to ne gotiate a temporary cap on the price of gas with the European Union. We are four months into a 12-month mea sure.

● Putin’s Russia is using its oil and gas as a weapon of war. Europe is struggling to wean itself off Rus sian production quickly enough. (Not that Russia is really con cerned about losing its European custom. China and India and oth ers will fill the void. )

Martin Tye is the owner of energy switch company Mariposa Energy. +34 638 145 664 ( Spain Phone ) Email him at martin@mariposaenergia.es

If you look at the OMI website image (left) it paints an ominous picture. The average wholesale cost of elec tricity in Spain in July was €143 a TheMWh.forecast for October is €219 per ButMWh.look at the October prices for our neighbours (where there is no gas cap) France…. €601 per MWh !!! And Germany…. €455 per MWh . In the UK, Ofgem reported recently that the average annual bill in Jan uary 2023 would be £5,386. In the Summer of 2021 this figure stood at In£1,087.parts of Sweden, they are already Wethere.are on the same trajectory. It is time to look at your consumption habits and go renewable wherever you can. It’s a lot cheaper to produce your own electricity than to buy it.

Why has electricity become so expensive?

● Governments throughout Europe failed to invest in renewable en TIME TO SWITCH ergy production during the last decade to be able to cope with cur rent demand. ● Climate change has added to the problem. ● Droughts throughout the world have resulted in less Hydroelectric ity being produced. ● And the wind has not blown as much this year, resulting in less wind turbine production. Fuel Poverty This is a term not greatly discussed in recent years in the developed world. Now it’s all over the media. Lower income families are having to make difficult choices. Eat or be warm. Throughout the world, we are witness ing an increase in civil unrest. The main cause is inflation. The main contributing factors to infla tion are:

What about here in Spain?

Foggy idea

MORE than 1,000 one li tre beer bottles have been collected in one weekend by environmental activ ists in a natural space in Gerena, Sevilla. It is believed that all of the bottles had been dumped in the area this summer by lazy and irre sponsible litterers. The bottles would have contaminated the area for over 4000 years, the time taken for glass to decompose, had they not been collected.

LITTERGLASS

SPANISH reservoirs fell by a further 0.9% in just a week to 35.9% capacity. According to recent data from the Ministry for Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge (MITE CO), there is currently a total of 20,174 cubic hectometres of water in Thisstorage.is9,251 cubic metres less than the average for the week over the past 10 years and 3,651 cubic hectome tres (18%) less than the same time in 2021.

Drying up

Green MattersBy Martin Tye

+34 951 120 830 | gogreen@mariposaenergia.es | www.mariposaenergia.es 100% Certified Green Energy Reduce your energy bill Switch to our 100% Green Energy Save even more money with our solar PV panel installations! Generate your own electricity Solar PV Panels Simply send us a recent bill & we will calculate how much you can save. Get a quote today Contact us today

GREENwww.theolivepress.es September 8th - September 21st 20228

THE thought that electricity could soon cost €1 a Kilowatt is Wefrightening.neverthought fuel would be €1 a litre. Now it’s €2 a litre. Less than a year ago we didn’t stand on a petrol station forecourt watching the cost of filling our tanks with dread. Now we do. It’s the same fearful feeling now when you open your electricity bill.

● Rising energy costs ● Rising fuel costs ● Restricted food supply of basic ne cessities (Ukraine war) The impact of people going hungry and cold will have a massive effect on health services that are still recover ing from Covid, lack of staff and insuf ficient funding.

An easy answer is to say that it is just supply and demand that is pushing the cost However,up.the causes of the exponen tial rise in the cost of electricity run deeper.

How long before one Kilowatt of electricity costs €1?

Study to irrigate reforestation with water collected from the air study is exploring how it can be used on the mainland. Public company Gesplan, which manages the project, plans to test the method in maritime areas around Barce lona and the El Bruc munici pality in northern Catalunya, which was devastated by fire in 2015.

*Data extracted from process closure surveys after using our roadside assistance and breakdown services. 952 147 834 TheOlivePress-256x342-MP0622.indd 1 6/6/22 10:43

Electric shock Dear Olive Press, THERE is a shocking lack of electric charging loca tions for cars on the so called progressive costas. Here on the Costa del Sol, my son-in-law hired an electric car from Marbesol. They didn’t give any char ger location info and even omitted to tell him where the charger cable was lo cated, which he found in the boot - under the cover of the e-Golf. He’s savvy and found a charging point at Merca dona, which is free but very slow. The only rapid charger he’s found nearbye is at the Galp garage off the A7 in Estepona. Then there’s one in Sotogrande. What are local authorities playing at and why is this situation so bad in 2022?

Luveetoseeyou Extra time autographs and photoselfies.Ashiscar window down, a man grabbedhis arm snatched hiswatch before running away.The player initially tried tochasethe thief himself be fore thereturnedarrestmadepoliceanandwatch.

Getting a reaction

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 C.C. EUROPEO, LOCAL 168, CTRA TEULADA - MORAIRA. 03724 WWW.ALBACONSULTAS.COMINFO@ALBACONSULTAS.COM GIFTING part of your Spanish prop erty to your children or spouse can be a very tax-efficient way of saving them the potential costs of inheritance tax in the future. Under Spanish Law, you are permitted to gift to your direct de scendants the amount (or equity equivalent) of €100,000 tax-free YouEACH.are able to give this amount of tax-free gift to the same relative once ev ery five years. This thereby ensures that during your life time you retain the use and control of your property but your children can potentially avoid facing a high tax liability at the time of your future passing. ALBA CONSULTAS can offer you a Legal Eagle With Victoria Wright GIVING IT AWAY You can gift descendantsdirect€100,000 each FREE PERSONALISED QUOTE. Just send us an email with how many children you would want to gift to and your Spanish proper ty address to ALBAbilities.creasetheaandalbaconsultas.com,info@wewillsendyoubespokequote,withbestoptionstodefuturetaxliaCONSULTAS–sound advice at reasonable prices You retain the use and control of your property during your lifetime

810

Readers reply to the Olive Press articles and letters

I been landmarkyear for former Britishgovernment minister MiPortillo. As well as celebrating his40th wedding anniversary inAndalucia, he has been travelling around the Pyreneeslearning about his father’sescape from Spain after thebloody civil war.In four-part series, ThePyrenees he revisits howhis father Luis, left-wingacademic at Salamancaversity, was forced to flee hishomeland. Despite not fighting for thelosing Republican side, hewas staunch supporter unlike his six brothers, who allfought for the victor, dictatorItFranco.meant a long and trickyjourney to escape the newregime that executed tens ofthousands of Republicans after winning in 1939.His son, who served as Toryminister, in the governmentof Margaret Thatcher and later John Major, has now paidtribute to his father walkingstretches of the Pyrenees thathe took. “I hope he might think thatmy coming here is a tribute tohim and his sacrifice,” he explains in one episode.“The Spanish Civil War hungover us like big, black cloudevery day, and his sadness ofa potential unrealised.”He revealed in 2009 that his momentsLandmark Former UK minister celebrates his 40th weddinganniversary and retraces his father’s steps duringhis civil war escape from Spain By Jon Clarke earliest memories his father speaking of his hatred of Franco. “His tone was shocking because he was the most lovingand gentle of humans. Yetloathing for Franco pouredfrom him. He debilitating wound, of the spirit notthe “Mybody.father's life had beendevastated by the Spanishconflict. As supporter of thegovernment in 1936, he hadfought against the rebels. InJanuary 1939, as the government side was stumbling todefeat, he crossed the Pyrenees into Today, life has come full circle for the Portillos, with Michael spending lot of time inSpain, where he chose to celebrate his 40th wedding anniversary recently with family He and his wife, recruitmentconsultant, Caroyln Eadie,have owned a charmingin evocative Carmona, near Sevilla, for over Children “I’ve known my wife since wewere small children, so the 40years is only the married bit,”he Thesaid.couple were unable tohave children she developed cancer early in theHismarriage.father died in 1993 in London, but was buried inMadrigal, in Avila, where hehas a grave.The Pyrenees with MichaelPortillo Channel 5last week father’sfollowingPortilloFOOTSTEPS:histrail

Bambi saved REVELLERS in Ibiza got a surprise when British star Robbie Williams got up on stage duringTheconcert.crooner joined his pals Flynn Francis andTim Metcalfe, whose band Lufthaus performing at brand new venue 528 Ibiza.“It was a dream come true to have oneworld’s successful artists at ourue,” explained venue boss Andy McKay. Dream come true

TOGETHER: The family

ESTUCO INTERIORS Centro

BARCELONA star RobertLewandowski had anasty welcome to hisnew life in Spain.The Polish star,who has just signedfor the Catalan fit, had €70,000watch ripped offhis when arriving fora himproachedfanswhenhappenedcidentThesession.traininginaptoget HOLLYWOOD superstar Richard Gere has broughtsprinkling of stardust to Spain this summer.The 72-year-old joined fellow Hollywood A-lister Antonio Banderas at Marbella’s Starlite Festival.They were the big names at the 13th edition of the festival’s charity gala founded by Banderas and businesswoman Sandra García-Sanjuan which raisescash for good causes.During the event, tenor Andrea Bocelli was awardedfor his foundation’s work in helping the poor in Italy.Gere's wife, Alejandra Silva, was also awarded forcollaborating with charities including Open Armsand the Rais Foundation.“I feel delighted that the hard work that so many people do is recognised,” said Silva.

Eric Conway, La Mata, Torrevieja. Investigation needed I WOULD like to express my thanks to your reporter, Dilip Kuner, for raising the scandal of the Spanish attitude towards the issue of squatters (Get Out!, all editions). I don’t know if Catalunya has a ‘particular’ problem with them as here, in the Alicante re gion, our urbanization of 80 properties had five houses taken over by squatters and when we approached the police to report the situation, we were given short shrift and told, quite bluntly, there was nothing they could do and had no further interest! This is certainly one subject which should be of interest to a ‘campaigning newspaper’, don’t you think?

Peter Thompson, Torrox NEWS info@estucointeriors.com, www.estucointeriors.com, +34 952 633 Plaza 56-57,

ISSUE 401's letters page has a couple of contributions worthy of comment. Any fans of Stephen Fry will be aware of his stance on offending i.e. anyone is entitled to be offended but nobody is en titled to be offended on behalf of some body else. The letter berating a columnist for not showing respect to animals caught up and sadly killed in the recent wildfires is surely a classic example. It is not the animals but the animal lov ers who may be offended and a letter to the paper will certainly not make the animals, or their friends and families, feel any Anotherbetter.letter accuses you of unbal anced reporting and 'vilification' of Pe dro Sanchez. I think at worst the report ing could be said to be a sin of omission. I agree with the writer that most poli ticians do need their positives empha sised, few as they may be.

Bob Nelson, Alicante Editor’s note: The issue of squatters is a subject that the Olive Press has long covered. We will continue to do so, and are indeed investigating a case at the moment. Watch this space!

To be fair…

Avda. s/n, 29660 Nueva Andalucia YOUR WINEWE TAKE CARE OF YOUR WINE vinosnicolasmarbella@gmail.comSPIRITSWRAPPINGwww.nicolas-espana.comkmComercialLocales HOMECHAMPAGNESPIRITSHAMPERSWRAPPINGCHILLEDWINECHAMPAGNE WE TAKE CARE OF YOUR WINE CHAMPAGNE SPIRITS HOME WRAPPING AND CHAMPAGNE vinosnicolasmarbella@gmail.com+34.951.272.216www.nicolas-espana.comComercialContur,km192,MarbellaComercialCalleLocales WE TAKE CARE OF YOUR WINE CHAMPAGNE HOME WRAPPING WINE AND CHAMPAGNE vinosnicolasmarbella@gmail.com+34.951.272.216www.nicolas-espana.comComercialContur,km192,MarbellaComercialCalleLocales KIM BenefitsCLARKConsultancyIfyousufferfrom... Mobility problems Pain Breathlessness Falls Stumbles Or you need... Help Supervisionwashingwith/dressing FOR ADVICE OR TO BOOK A CONSULTATION call 950 169 729 or 663 297 www.ukbenefitsinspain.com568 You could be entitled to extra income by claiming UK sickness/disabilitybenefits while living in Spain

A TEAM of firefighters battlingflames in Aragon have shared a video of them giving water to a roe deerand soothing its burns, providingheartwarming moment during thehorror of yet another wildfire.The fawn was dehydrated and suffering mild burns after running fromthe burning forest in blaze in Moncayo, in the province of Zaragoza.This been the worst interms fires on record withmore than 270,000 hectares alreadydevastated by flames across Spain.

Allan Bowley, Estepona (Malaga)

LETTERS September 8th - September 21st 202210 OP QUICK CROSSWORD All solutions are on page 22 Across 6 Prickly seed vessel 7(4)Accentuated (8) 9 He, she and it (8) 10 National wealth let ters (1,1,1) 11 Socially ill at ease 14(4-9)Where races com mence (8,5) 17 Enemy (3) 18 In mourning (8) 19 Ballistic weapons 20(8)Young cow (4) Down 1 Body fuel (8) 2 Voltage changers 3(12)Mock (6) 4 Hard outer layers (6) 5 Rope fibre (4) 8 Import (12) 12 Woman of habit (3) 13 In an inconsistent way (8) 15 Way to buy cheaply 16(2,4)Showy (6) 17 Free from bias (4)SUDOKUOP 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 Truly horrific YOUR article about Michael Portillo’s travels in the Pyrenees (Landmark Moments, right) was very Alas,interesting.asisusually the case, we were treated to a rather one-sided narrative on the Spanish Civil War, by Mr. Portillo. Understandable to the extent that his father was a supporter of the Repub lican However,side. a wise man once said there are usually three sides to every story. In this instance, the Republican version, the Nationalist version, and last but not least, the truth. The main motivation behind the formation of the Nationalist alliance was to protect the Catholic community in Spain against Republican genocide. In the first six months of the conflict over 6,000 Catholic religious members were murdered by the Republicans, many in a truly horrific Offashion.course, atrocities were also committed by the Nationalists. The latter had assistance from the Germans, while the Republicans were assisted by the Cheka, the Soviet Secret police. Like all civil wars (including my own country’s - Ireland ), there was good and bad on both sides It would be nice in relation to Spain, if we could drop the narrative of good guy Republicans versus bad guy Nationalists. It’s simply not true.

LA CULTURA September 8th - September 21st 2022 11 NEW Opening in Calpe! Av Pais Valenciá 2 Parking Sotano 1,03710 Calpe Alicante FOR OLIVE PRESS READERS 10% OFF

Lost Military Jewel

A JEWEL of Spanish military history has been rescued from an illegal internet auction. The item, is believed to be the oldest iron sword known to date in Spain, dating from the early Iron Age, and had been put up for sale on the internet for an initial price of €1,200. The historic gem was located by the Guardia Civil last Decem ber as part of the ‘Pandora’ operation to combat illicit traffick ing in cultural property on the Internet. The seller, a resident of Villanueva de la Fuente who was unaware of its significance, agreed to hand over the weapon for experts to authenticate. Technicians from the Ministry of Culture of the Junta de Castilla-La Mancha were in charge of its analysis and confirmed that it was indeed ‘an exceptional’ and ‘unique’ piece. The sword was made with the wrought iron tech nique in the seventh century.

Ripe for a g d time La Tomatina celebrated its belated 75th anniversary last week after a two-year break caused by the Covid pandemic. An estimated 20,000 peo ple bought €12 tickets to allow them to take part in the world-famous tomato Somefight. 130 tons of Valen cia-grown tomatoes were brought in for the battle which is traditionally held on the last Wednesday of TheAugust.hour-long celebration saw participants wearing swimming goggles to pro tect their eyes while their clothes were left covered in tomato pulp. Tomato battle resumed after Covid break Free access was available afterwards to the munici pal showers, with council

By Alex Trelinski cleaners joining forces with residents to hose down the rivers of tomato juice. The event has been clas sified as a Festival of In ternational Interest for 20 Ityears.started by accident in 1945 when a Buñol parade saw young people squeez ing among the crowd to get a good view of some ‘giants’ walking the streets One of the parade partici pants was shoved over and lost his temper, trying to take it out on everybody. The crowd was not im pressed by his overreac tion and grabbed toma toes from a vegetable stall, which they threw at him resulting in the seeds of La Tomatina being sown.

THE process to choose Spain’s 2023 Eurovision Song Contest entry has started. Broadcaster RTVE is looking for entries to compete in Jan uary’s Benidorm Fest. The resort hosted the first new-look selection process this year that at last ban ished years of poor songs and Submissionsperformances.canbe made via RTVE’s official Euro vision website with the deadline being October 12.

BUÑOL’S

callRallying

To ‘have duende’ is to have soul. It is the emotions of the artist converted into pure art. Their talent borders on perfection, it is something magical and authentic. “ “ W ATCHING flamenco is stressful. We are first lulled into the perfor mance by the lone tocaor, or guitarist. He sits on a red bul rush chair, one leg nonchalant ly crossed, arms cocked at the ready. Against the background of his all-black ensemble, the unadorned spruce wood guitar is the centerpiece. And then he plays. It begins as a slowly escalating picado, a measured yanking of metallic chords that builds and builds until it releases a tirade of machine-gun strumming. His tapping foot and percussive fingers on the wood anchor the Soonmelody.heis joined by the can taor, or singer. The balance shifts, the guitar becoming the foundation instead of the Floppyfocus. hair parted to frame his face in two quotation marks, a pearlringear dress is an equally integral part of the storytelling in a “Theseperformance.dresses are made for dancing,” León said. “They are cut so that when she raises her arms, the dress doesn’t rise with her.” “Every dance style also has its own distinct dress,” he added. hand-crafting flamenco dress Insidees. the workshop are reams of fabric: satin, cotton, crepe, plumeti. Rich shawls in burgundy, black, and deep blue hang on the walls, em broidered with silky flowers or polka dots. Mannequins are proudly draped in the dress

Regina Lankenau and Maya Eashwaran immerse themselves in flamenco at Sevilla’s iconic Casa de la Guitarra to find a deeper connection with this pure Andalucian art form

LA CULTURA September 8th - September 21st 2022

“For example, la solea is about love and heartache so the co lours are a darker, passionate red. For alegrias, which are more joyful, we use brighter colours: pink, green, white.” Within the narrow streets of Sevilla is Bordados Foronda, one of several artisan work shops that are dedicated to

PASSION: Flamenco dancer stomps the ground at Sevilla’s iconic Plaza de España

“She creates a drawing with her dance; I respond, and the singer responds as well,” ex plains León. At La Casa de la Guitarra, pure flamenco rather than folklore andaluz is practiced. Although reminiscent of the real thing, the latter has origins in an cient Andalucian tradition while the former encompass es a fusion of Arabic, Spanish and Gypsy cul ture. The area known as the ‘flamenco trian gle’ is made up of Sevilla, Cadiz and Jerez as its Flamencovertices. was borne out of the convivencia, a period of time in Islamic Spain when Muslims, Christians, and Jews lived peacefully. Of ten referred to as the ‘Golden age of Spain’, it was a time in which knowledge and schol arship in architecture, writing and the arts was widely cele Theresabrated. Goldbach, a dance expert from the University of New Mexico discusses the clear link between the dance and Francoist fascism during the early 20th century. With the success of the 1917 Rus sian Revolution looming over Spain, the working class — many of them gitanos (gyp sies) — was increasingly driven to Duringprotest.the heydey of Francoist Spain, flamenco was often used to call attention to im portant social issues plagu ing Andalucian workers. The struggles of regional miners were captured in the music and dance, an element still present today in certain styles. According to Leon this is a key part of some pieces show cased at La Casa de la Gui tarra. Pain “The taranta is dark because it reflects the pain and fatigue of the miners’ work with the coal,” he says. Under Franco, flamenco was commercialized to promote Spanish identity and culture around the world. Called na cionalflamenquismo, this technique was unfaithful to the true motivations of the dance, twisting it into propa ganda. Goldbach explains that the original lyrics praising the gitano culture were temporar ily modified by performers to avoid Accordingpersecution.toher research, songs could never be officially censored by the regime be cause they are traditionally passed down, slightly chang ing with each interpretation. Flamenco is also highly impro visational, making it difficult to find an accurate record of what was sung in the past. While the lyrics paint the nar rative, a flamenco dancer’s

DISCOVERING12 DUENDE

Getting to Spain was key thisunderstandingininexorablepassion dangling from his left ear, and a hirsute shadow covering his neck, the vocalist saunters in with poised confidence. He finds an opening in the rhythm and begins to sing, cupped hands clapping along. With undulant wails reminis cent of Islamic prayer calls, he sings of amor y desamor, love and heartbreak. It is excruciatingly intimate. Like reading a diary you weren’t sup posed to find. As the music builds to a precipice, the balance shifts again and both perform ers cede the spotlight to the bailaora. The dancer sweeps up her skirts, punctuating the music with the staccato of rapid-fire heels and slapping of thighs. Sweat paints her face with streaks of blue eyeshadow. She ends the act explosively; chest heaving, her breathing the only sound left. A woman yells “Olé!” from the crowd. It feels intrusive, almost voy euristic, to watch her pained expressions on the stage. But we can’t tear our eyes away. The trio on stage at La Casa de la Guitarra per form six acts, each varied in mood, tempo, and tech nical style. The evening begins with the gui tarist, Manu el Leon, 39. His 27 years of profession al playing is evident from the first strum; the opening act is filled with nail-scraping pick ing, furious glissando and heavy-handed rasgueado. Act two features the bulerías style, a rhyth mic form unearthed from the shores of Cadiz. Leon is joined by vocalist David de los Santos, 34. At the duet’s close, dancer Yasaray Rodriguez, 44, enters for the first dance. She winks before taking a seat, her shiny lipstick mirror ing the stagelights.Rodriguezdancesfortwoacts,a taran tas and an alegrias. interpretationser’sofreactingperformersTherelyoneachother,improvisingandoffeachothstylistic with raised eyebrows and head nods.

GENIUS: Paco checking the final touches to his creations than any other dance,” she Gettingsaid. to Spain was key in understanding this inexorable Shepassion.leftCuba for Sevilla, where she was granted a full schol arship by the Cristina Heeren Foundation to study flamenco. The cultural permit provided by the Cuban Ministry of Culture was originally for three months. Rodriguez quickly contacted them in an attempt to lengthen it. But when the request was passed on to the Ministry of the Interior she was told to ‘re turn immediately to Cuba or be marked a deserter’. Had she returned to the island, Cuba’s communist regime would have punished her for two years — an eternity in a dancer’s career. Now 44 years old, Rodriguez has stayed in Sevilla since, making a name for herself as a bailaora with worldwide renown. She has trained under a dozen dance veterans - Milagros Mengibar and Carmen Ledesma to name but two - and performed at festivals throughout Spain, France, Germany, Brussels, Morocco and Moscow, winning awards at national competi tions. For Rodriguez, however, fla menco is much more than simply a performance or even a “It’scareer.like when you fall in love, literally, you feel butterflies in your stomach,” she says with a dreamy sigh. Te impulsa. Te tiene que levan tar. “It propels you. It has to raise you up.”

HISTORY: The songs of flamenco are passed down the generations es, and display cases are be decked with handmade fans showcasing the art of Joaquín Sorolla, chunky earrings, and hair clips. The owner of the shop, Francisco, is stackedrollsingeras’).loPaquito,asatelymanmild-manneredaaffectionknownPaco(‘ooFran,quetuquiStandamongtheoffabricaround his work shop, he speaks rapidly, flying hands expertly differentiating between types of fabric. The workshop has dressmakers with up to 40 years of expe rience, making it a favourite with Sevillanos purchasing dresses for ferias, festivals and “Firstweddings.andforemost, one must respect the woman’s form,” Paco said, ex plaining how the pendingcolourful,simpleeithertereachdressescustomisesworkshoptosuitclient.“Afthat,youcanmakeitormoredeonthe customer’s preferences.” But during the performance, it is not the dress that makes the woman but the woman who makes the dress. On stage, Yasaray Rodriguez fills the space with her mes sianic zeal and malleable ex pressions, seemingly out of reach. Off stage, standing at 150 centimetres tall, she is about a head shorter than us. What she lacks in verticality, however, she makes up for in personality. Hailing from Hava na, Cuba, Rodriguez was only 11 when she stumbled upon the hobby that would come to define her life. Five years later, she audi tioned for the Cuban National Ballet under the helm of its prima ballerina director Alicia Alonso. Although lacking in thorough training at the time, Rodriguez attributes her suc cess during the audition to ‘circumstances and attitude’. Her face and hands are wildly animated when telling the sto ry of her audition, how she im provised and used her cheeky charisma to perform where her technical knowledge fal tered, capturing the attention of the Spanish director. De spite having just finished an hour-long performance, she cannot help but stand up to act out the memory, throwing her head up in a laughing pan tomime. Repertoire Rodriguez danced and toured with the ballet company for a decade. By the age of 25, she had acquired a repertoire spanning classical ballet, fla menco, salsa, and various oth er Cuban dances. “It was time for me to find out what it was about flamenco’s essence that drew me in more The taranta is dark and reflects the pain and fatigue of the miners

LA CULTURA September 8th - September 21st 2022 13 TRADITION: The bailaora awaits her time to shine as the guitar maestro and cantaor warm up the spectators

This kind of volatility can cause some nasty surprises if you need to transfer money overseas. On a £200,000 transfer, that three-cent gap between €1.18 and €1.15 translates to a €6,000 difference. And the larger the sum, the higher the discrepancy. Fortunately, there are ways that you can protect against volatility. Specialist currency brokers, such as Currencies Direct, offer different tools to help you navigate the ups and downs of the currency market. For instance, you can use a forward contract to secure an exchange rate for up to a year. This way, you won’t lose out if the market moves against Servicesyou.like rate alerts and daily updates make it easy to keep track of what’s going on in the forex world so that you can make informed decisions. And with Currencies Direct you’ll have a dedicated account manager there to provide guidance and support whenever you need Atthem.Currencies Direct we’re here to talk currency whenever you need us, so get in touch if you want to know more about the latest news or how it could impact your currency transfers. Since 1996 we’ve helped more than 325,000 customers with their currency transfers, just pop into your local Currencies Direct branch or give us a call to find out more.

The first big event of the next two weeks will be the ECB’s interest rate decision. Markets expect another 50-bp rate rise, though a 75-bp move could be on the cards. If the ECB de livers another hawkish surprise, the single currency could climb. The following week, the Bank of England (BoE) will also convene to de cide on monetary policy. The current consensus is that the British cen tral bank will opt for another half-point hike, although there are some significant data releases ahead of the decision that could affect it. An expected contraction in UK GDP in July could put pressure on Ster ling, and also dampen expectations for a larger BoE rate rise. We also have the all-important UK labour market overview and the latest inflation rate reading. If the UK jobs market remains strong and inflation continues to climb, the pound could strengthen ahead of the BoE Asidemeeting.fromthe size of the coming interest rate rise, GBP investors will also pay attention to the BoE’s accompanying statement. Last month, the bank forecast a UK recession, causing Sterling to slump despite a 50-bp rate hike. Could an increasingly downbeat outlook see the pound fall even lower? All the while, GBP/EUR will continue to be influenced by UK politics and the eurozone gas crisis. These two factors will inject the currency pair with increased uncertainty, potentially leading to some choppy trade.

WANT TO SAVE TIME AND MONEY ON YOUR CURRENCY TRANSFERS? CALL, EMAIL OR VISIT US IN BRANCH! CarreteraMORAIRA Moraira, Calpe 5, Edificio Benidorm, Local 7, Moraira, Alicante, BlockJAVEA+34moraira@currenciesdirect.com037249662650725,Local2A,Avenidadela Libertat, Playa Arenal, Jávea, Alicante, 03730 LocalALBIR+34javea@currenciesdirect.com966265072Numero2,CalleRuperto Chapi, El Albir, Alicante, ConsulatVALENCIA+34albir@currenciesdirect.com03581966265072delMar5,Bajo izquierdo, Valencia, +34valencia@currenciesdirect.com46005960130841

GET READY TO PAY

WHAT DO YOU NEED TO LOOK OUT FOR?

Slight easing INFLATION in Spain stood at 10.4% in August - a 0.4% drop on July’s rate according to the National Institute of Statistics. The figure is better than a market forecast of 10.9%. The reduction is mainly down to falls in fuel prices offset ting rises in food, electricity, and hospitality. Core inflation, which does not include food and energy prices, rose to 6.4% in August compared to 6.1% the pre vious month. Economy Minister, Nadia Calvino, said: “Inflation has started to ease and it should continue slowing in the com ing months.” She added that the government had helped to contain price rises.

BIG SPENDERS

At the same time, the euro rallied as the EU prepared an ‘emergen cy intervention’ in energy markets, prompting a sharp pullback in gas prices. Hotter-than-expected Eurozone inflation added to EUR’s upside as September rolled around, again raising expectations for a stronger rate hike from the ECB, while the UK’s deteriorating economic out look kept GBP under pressure.

Discover hassle-fre currency transfers Discover hassle-free currency transfers SLUMP LOOMS

WHAT’S BEEN HAPPENING?

GBP/EUR exchange rate hits two-month low as UK stumbles towards recession

Towards the end of August, Sterling initially rose higher against the single currency. The euro came under pressure as Russia’s Gaz prom announced a pause in gas supplies via the Nord Stream pipe line, pushing European energy prices to new record highs. In addition, the flash PMIs for August showed stronger results for the UK than the eurozone, thereby lifting the pound euro exchange Laterrate. that week, EUR regained its losses amid reports that some European Central Bank (ECB) policymakers will push for a 75-ba sis-point interest rate rise at the bank’s next policy meeting. Meanwhile, Ofgem announced the new energy price cap for UK households, confirming an 80% hike. This stoked fears about the country’s cost-of-living crisis, with economists warning that many people will be unable to afford bills. In August’s final week, the pound fell further after Goldman Sachs forecast a five-quarter recession in the UK and warned that inflation could hit 22%.

SPAIN’S government has com missioned studies on how to in troduce a nationwide road toll system from 2024. The measure is in return for receiving EU Covid recovery grants worth €70 billion. Spain has been under pres sure to fall in line with other EU member states like France, Germany and Portugal where widespread toll road charging is the Thenorm.General Directorate of Highways (DGT) has hired con sultancy firm Ineco to produce nine reports for a new highways financing scheme. Ineco will get paid €1.4 mil lion for 10 months work. The reports will look at whether charges should only apply to state highways or be extended to regional roads, or even every Theyroad. will also review charge lev els which will seek not to harm the most financially vulnerable. Also under scrutiny will be ex actly what kind of payment sys tem will be used. The two options seem to be that either motorists will pay a fixed sum each year to give them unlimited travel or tolls will be charged on a ‘per use’ basis. Because of so little time re maining, it is believed the fixed charge system will be imple mented initially with each car having a sticker on it, similar to that for an ITV test. That will allow more technology to be installed to bring ‘per use’ charging. Opponents say the state of the economy means it’s not the right time to introduce such a measure.

THE pound euro (GBP/EUR) exchange rate fell to a near twomonth low through the second half of August as the UK’s increasingly dire economic outlook pushed the pound lower. Over the last fortnight, GBP/EUR briefly touched €1.188 be fore falling steadily to hit lows of €1.155.

THE European Pub lic Prosecutor will in vestigate why Spain’s Health Ministry grossly overpaid for Chinese disposable PPE gowns during the early stages of the pandemic. Some 500,000 dis posable gowns were bought at 60 times above market value from the Weihai Textile Group using EU funds, while much cheaper local options were re jected.

Charged Prosecutors Laura Pel lon and Olga Muñoz will probe whether there was any embez zlement of European Thefunds.Chinese compa ny charged €16.70 per PPE gown but two Spanish companies, who did not win the contract, offered prices of just €0.32 and €0.27 per gown. The Health Ministry spent €10.1 million on the Chinese deal as opposed to either €139,000 or €163,000 on the Spanish options.

SPENDING by international tourists in Spain has finally returned to pre-pandemic levels. Latest National Statistics Institute (INE) figures show visi tors paid out €11.8 billion in the country during July, a 127% rise on the same month a year ago. According to the INE, visitors spent an average of €170 a day while in Spain, not far from the record levels of €177 seen in May and €174 in June of this year. For the year up to July, tourists have spent more than €47 billion, which is four times greater than in 2021 but slightly below the figure for 2019, the last year before the corona virus health emergency hit, when the total was €52 billion. The actual number of visitors, however, is still yet to reach pre-pandemic figures. In the first half of 2022, there were 39.3 million tourist visits to Spain – that’s three times the figure for 2021, but still a far cry from the 48 million seen in 2019. In July, UK nationals topped the list in terms of total visi tors, with 1.9 million tourists coming to Spain – 200,000 fewer than the same month in 2019. That was followed by the French (1.4 million) and Germans (1.1 million). British visitors also spent the most while in Spain, accord ing to the INE figures, with an estimated outlay of €2.4 bil lion – up nearly 260% on last year. The most popular destinations for visitors in July were the Balearic Islands, followed by Catalunya and the Valencia region. For the first seven months of the year, meanwhile, Catalunya was the most popular destination.

By Alex Trelinski

BUSINESS September 8th - September 21st 202214

PROTECTING AGAINST VOLATILITY

Gown probecash

Road toll options weighed up in €1.4 million study

• PENSIONS

Recent years have presented a number of challenges and navigating today’s tax and financial landscape can prove rather stressful.

INTERNATIONAL TAX PLANNING MÁLAGA | Tue 11 Oct Parador de Málaga Gibralfaro 10.30 for 11am start, until 12pm Please reserve your place online at www.blevinsfranks.com For enquiries call freephone 900 670 047 or email events.spain@blevinsfranks.com S02-es in an uncertain world

ADVICE • INVESTMENTS • ESTATE

reassuranceFinding

Blevins Franks Wealth Management Limited (BFWML) is authorised and regulated by the Malta Financial Services Authority, registered number C 92917. Authorised to conduct investment services under the Investment Services Act and authorised to carry out insurance intermediary activities under the Insurance Distribution Act. Where advice is provided outside of Malta via the Insurance Distribution Directive or the Markets in Financial Instruments Directive II, the applicable regulatory system differs in some respects from that of Malta. BFWML also provides taxation advice; its tax advisers are fully qualified tax specialists. Blevins Franks Trustees Limited is authorised and regulated by the Malta Financial Services Authority for the administration of trusts, retirement schemes and companies. This promotion has been approved and issued by BFWML. www.blevinsfranks.com

Seminar

Our seminar will clarify what’s been going on, to put the various changes into perspective for you and present solutions for protecting your long-term wealth. Tax planning | dispelling the myth that Spain is a high tax country and ensuring your affairs are structured to minimise your tax liabilities. Investing today | guest speakers from Russell Investments will share their views on the global economy, markets and asset classes in today’s volatile world and going forward. Brexit consequences | the risks of using UK-based advisers; regulated advice for Spanish residents and implementing effective planning.

Harness the power of the sun SOLAR PANELSPV Save money Save the planet Add value to your home CONTACT US TODAY +34 951 120 830 | www.mariposaenergia.esinfo@mariposaenergia.ess 30-Year Guarantee • Full Maintenance • Low-Cost Finance

Call their English-speaking customer service staff on 952-14-78-34 or get a competitive quote now at lineadirecta.com TM 902 123 282

EVERYTHING IS IN ENGLISH Their Roadside Assistance team speaks En glish and will quickly help you with your on ward journey. If you urgently need a duplicate set of keys for your motorcycle, then their English-speaking customer service will sort it out. And should you require Home Assistance to set up your new Wi-Fi connection, then En glish speaking technical staff will set up a visit.

Buzz off FLIGHTS were de layed or diverted at Madrid’s Adolfo Su arez Barajas Airport after drones were detected flying over head. Seven flights sched uled to land in Madrid were diverted to oth er Spanish airports, according to airports operator AENA. Guardia Civil have launched an investi gation to track down those responsible for piloting the drones. As well as these dis ruptions caused, the airport was affected by Ryanair, EasyJet and Iberia Express strikes.

SPAIN’S Air Europa is to receive 15 long and short-haul aircraft in a major fleet modernisation programme. The airline will get five Boeing 787-9s and 10 737 Max 8s under a lease deal with Ireland’s AerCap, with the jets de livered between 2024 and 2026. The carrier will become the first opera tor in Spain to use the 737 Max. Air Eu ropa is the country’s third largest airline after Iberia and Vueling, with its head quarters in Mallorca. It flies to 130 destinations domestically, within Europe, and further afield to the Americas and North Africa. Air Europa’s fleet modernisation follows a tightening of its links with IAG - own ers of British Airways and Iberia - which has converted a loan into a 20% share of Air IAGEuropa.hadpreviously intended a full ac quisition of the carrier, but ran into dif ficulties with competition regulators in cluding the European Union. Air Euro pa CEO, Richard Clark, said: “The deal reinforces our strategy of unifying the fleet around the most modern, efficient, and sustainable models in the industry.”

Facebookfollowers

DEDICATED TO EXPATS Línea Directa has been providing comprehen sive car, motorbike and home insurance to British expatriates and residents in Spain for over 25 years. With over 3 million customers nationwide, Línea Directa makes sure you get the best possible price for the insurance you really need.

2/8/18 17:01 SATISFACTION GUARANTEED

*Fully comprehensive offer valid for new customers only. Guarantee subject to cover, repair atapproved garage, and courtesy vehicle availability. Subject to conditions. Offer ends 30/11/18.

By Jorge Hinojosa

EARN CASH WHEN YOU RECOMMEND US Línea Directa’s Expat2Expat programme means that whenever an existing customer recommends someone, both the policyholder and the friend are rewarded with €30 in cash, when that person takes out any policy. You can recommend up to 10 people and earn up to €300 in cash per year. Simply ask your friend to call and quote your full name. Then once their application for car, bike or home insurance has been approved, Línea Directa will pay the reward straight into the bank account following payment of the next premium. See terms and conditions at lineadirecta.com

FREE TICKETSTRAIN

But only if you can work out how to use them… A SCHEME to give free rail travel has been brought in - but boy, is it complicated. It was announced by Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez as a way to limit the impact of rising inflation and the cost of living crisis and started on September 1 and will run until December The31. tickets are available to any one, both resident and non-res ident, but they must register and pay a deposit for a travel Andcard.the deal is not valid for a single or round-trip ticket, so is best for commuters as it offers repeated journeys, with users travelling to and from the same station in order to get the dis Thecounts.ticket scheme is available on routes offered by Cercanías, Rodalies, and Media Distancia (local and medium-distance journeys) but not on the high speed AVE or long distance Al via Theservices.ticketallows passengers to get off and on at different sta tions for Cercanias. However, for Media Distancia it is mandatory to get on and off at the specific stations chosen when the ticket was purchased. Offer The ‘Avant’ services offer a 50% discount for trains scheduled between September 1 and De cember 31. For commuter discounts, users will have to use their ticket at FLEET RENEWAL

Trends come and go but Linea Directa is always top of the charts... iq windows and glass curtains tel: 965 973 307 tel: 603 874 www.iqglasscurtains.comenquiries@iqglasscurtains.com006 INTELLIGENTTHECHOICEFORALLTHINGSGLASS GLASS CURTAINS WINDOWS AND GLASS CURTAINS Covering the whole of the Costa Blanca GLASS CURTAINS • PVC WINDOWS GLASS FENCING • ALUMINIUM

FOOD, DRINK & TRAVEL 17September 8thSeptember 21st 2022 When you take out an advertising campaign with the Olive Press, you get a lot more than just the printed newspaper We give you more! Sponsored posts on our website with linksto your site and with an average of 75,000page views per day We promote you on our hugely popularFacebook page with 30,000 likes andas many followers Our Twitter feed gives users direct accessto all our stories and every digital newspaper published Fully interactive digital copy of thenewspaper containing all advertising seenonline globally via Issuu Thousands digitalofviewsinournewspaper contact sales@theolivepress.es or 951 27 35 75 for more information editorialFree visitor-a-dayinour20,000website

TheOlivePress-256x170-CAR-4.indd 1 BACK in the 60s young people laughed at public transport by donning hotpants, shades and roller skates to glide on down to the local corner shop for some bread. And in the 70s personal hygiene went out the window when young men began growing those greasy lamb-chop sideburns that were to frame their face for the next decade. Then in the 80s young women eschewed French fashion trends by wearing leotards, legwarmers and getting scrunchy mullet haircuts to boogie-on-down to their local newsagents in the pouring rain. Now in the 2020s, 9 out of 10 Línea Directa customers get the same satisfaction and rec ommend their car, bike and home insurance Allpolicies.customer service and documentation is in English, their claims service is fast and effi cient, you can get quick, no obligation quotes over the phone, and their easy payment op tions help spread the cost of premiums.

GHOSTLY: The village of Trasmoz in Aragon has just 62 resi dents...as well as a dark criminal past

SPOOKY: Demonic engravings adorn the front door of a Trasmoz home CAPTION

Local superstition cleared out a Spanish village in the 14th century before turning it into a must-visit festival, discovers Jack Gaioni some extent. Hazel had long dark hair and wore ‘goth-like’ clothing. But more than anything else, her laugh resembled more of a cackle than a giggle. I was reminded of Hazel, aka ‘The Witch’, while visiting a pueblo in northern Spain recently. Let me Trasmozexplain…isasmall pueblo nestled in the northern foot hills of Aragon within sight of the snow capped Moncayo Mountains. There is a 13th century castle that domi nates above the town. It was once was a thriving pueblo home to 10,000 in habitants with silver, iron and lumber bringing prosperity to the Today,village.however, Trasmoz has a mere 62 people with no schools, many dilapidated homes and only one bar/ Whyrestaurant.thedecline?

It seems that in the 1500s, some local citizens began counterfeiting coins with silver and lead from the nearby mines. They used the castle to house their forge and as a base of illegal operations. Local authorities became suspicious. As subterfuge, the counterfeiters began ru mours about witches brew ing potions at night thechainsdraggingwhilearoundcastleand lighting fires in the towers at scarewereThemidnight.rumoursmeanttoawayinspectors and local citizens from the castle.

HISTORIC: Trasmoz is drenched in history and stories

All Saints day and the Winter solstice where pagan cus toms of fire are said to keep Trasmoz warm in the winter while scaring away evil spir its. The castle above town has been restored and is now a witchcraft museum replete with examples of cauldrons, brooms and sculptures of past ‘lo cal’Thewitches.experience of Trasmoz with witch craft is the exception rather than the rule in Spanish history. Contrary to the rep utation of the Inqui

So strong were the suspicions of witchcraft in Trasmoz ofthethorities,calexasperatedthatlochurchauandArchbishopTarazona,of ficially cursed, then remainsnicationTheentiremunicatedexcomthevillage.excommuorderinef fect today. Trasmozis the only pueblo in Spain ever to hold The rumours were meant to localsinspectorsscareandawayfromthecastle

FOOD,DRINK & TRAVEL September 8th - September 21st 202218 Paseo Maritimo de la Patacona n 14, 46120, Alboraya, Valencia I T. 96 372 40 95 I 618 356 043 I info@casapatacona.com Enjoy Mediterranean cuisine in a beautiful environment WITCH THIS SPACE

WE called her ‘The WeWitch.’were class mates in second ary Afterschool.all,her name was Hazel so it wasn’t a quantum leap to be nicknamed ‘The Witch’ (read: Witch Hazel). She was good-natured about her nickname and didn’t seem to take offence. In fact, she ‘leaned into’ her moniker as ‘The Witch’ to this dubious honour. Today Trasmoz embraces their witch-craft heritage and status as a one-of-kind ‘cursed and excommunicat ed’ Everypueblo.summer thousands flock to Trasmoz to witness reenactments that depict witches being hunted and tortured. Known as the Fe ria de Brujeria, (Festival of Witches), the streets become medieval markets selling their wares of lotions, mag ical potions of native plants and herbs said to have heal ing (and hallucinogenic!) properties. Magical There is live music, falcon ry demonstrations, sword fights, hypnosis and magical Theshows.highlight of the festival is a parade that features the naming of the ‘Witch of the Year’ concluding with a fire works Trasmozdemonstration.alsocelebrates

FOOD,DRINK & TRAVEL September 8th - September 21st 2022 19 Live sports and music and the occasional celeb! Traditional English pub service and banter along with great food, family area and open for breakfast tel: +34 653 44 60 48 / 608 609 860 goodtimes@sharpeyssportsbar.com www.sharpeyssportsbar.com Centro Comercial Arenal, Carretera del Cabo La Nao Pla 126, Javea – Comunidad Valenciana VISIT LEE SHARPES BAR JAVEA The Ex England, Man Utd and Leeds Utd star (and Love Island!) would like to welcome you to Sharpeys Bar UNLIKELY ATTRACTION: Trasmoz draws thousands of tourists to its annual ‘Festival of Witches’ DID YOU KNOW?

● The father of singerJulio Iglesias, Mr. Julio Iglesias Puga, waskidnapped in 1982 bythe terrorist band ETA. He was held captive ina home in Trasmoz. He was ultimately freed byan operation involving100 special operationspolicemen.

Start your journey as a live-in carer today! Earn up to £866 per week Flexible pay options Free food, accommodation and travel Free Blue Light discount card Become a live-in carer in the UK To find out more, please email thespanishrecruitment@helpinghands.co.ukOpportunitiesforthosewithrighttoworkintheUKandthoselookingforsponsorshipApplyonline helpinghands.co.uk/jobs Career development sonderwell.co.uk 11-15 St Mary at Hill, London, EC3R 8EE LIVE IN SPAIN WORK IN THE UK EARN UP TO PER WEEK INTERESTED?£980 CALL OR EMAIL US! 07599 111347 jayne.vale@sonderwell.co.uk

● The inventor of the mopand a bucket, a Spaniardnamed Manuel Jalon Corominas, was a resi dent of Trasmoz. There is a monument sculpture intown to honor his handyinventions.

● Spanish Romanticistpoet and writer GustavoAdolfo Becquer (1836-1870) - an artist considered by many to be themost read writer after Cervantes - often used Trasmoz and its legacyof witchcraft as a settingfor many of his novelsand poems. ● The Moncayo Mastiffjust outside Trasmoz,offers some of the most popular and spectacularhiking routes in all ofSpain. Lower elevationoak forests give way toa series of snow-cappedpeaks with incredibleviews. On a clear day,one can see the Pyrenees to the North and Zaragoza and the EbroValley to the south. sition, Spanish authorities were sceptical of supernat ural phenomenon of any sort—witches, fortune tell ers, oracles or sorcerers. They considered witchcraft to be a northern European or Protestant superstition. The incidents of large-scale witch trials in England, France, Germany and Colo nial America far surpassed anything that occurred in Trasmoz or for the rest of Spain for that matter. By coincidence, I met up with Hazel recently. I hadn’t seen her in 30 years. Her hair is short and greying and she was dressed more conven tionally. When we recalled her days as ‘The Witch’ she laughed … errr… she cackled.

The backbone to the famous Med iterranan diet, chickpeas con tain an import ant mineral that helps the liver eject can cerous properties from the body. Chick peas are also high in fiber, making them useful in pre venting colorectal cancers. In addition, their high content of Vitamin C serves as an antioxi dant, again assisting the body in warding off certain cancers.

Oranges have long been regard ed as one of the best fruits for health. Used as a spread for cheese, in Sevillan orange mar malade, and in fresh fruit drinks, oranges and orange products can help to reduce the risk of childhood leukemia and other forms of cancer while helping you cool off after a long day.

FOOD,DRINK & TRAVEL September 8th - September 21st 202220

Regina Lankenau and Maya Eashwaran create the OP’s guide to the most cancer-busting tapas dinner

Chickpeas Anchovies

SaladTomato

Tomatoes contain an important antioxidant, known as lycopene, that is well-known as a cancer prevention agent. Lycopene is said to be vital in fighting off prostate and lung cancer, and, luckily for us, happens to be

It turns out that the key component of Spain’s popular tinto de ve rano, aside from providing a refreshing reprieve from the summer sun, is also an effective way to deter disease. Studies indicate that resveratrol, the chemical compound naturally occurring in grapes and red wine, may help strengthen our body’s ability to stave off cancer. Though best enjoyed in moderation, it doesn’t hurt to loos en up every once in a while as decreased stress also betters the chances of prevention.

TAPAS TREATMENTS

A common pre-tapas snack to whet the appe tite, olives provide an excellent source of antioxi dants and anti-inflammatory agents that help to prevent cancer, especially breast cancer. The perfect accompaniment to bread and tapas, olive oil is also easily found in most Span ish foods, making this healthy food a no-brainer addition to your diet.

WineRed

Octopus

OlivesOrange jam with cheese

Anchovies not only bring a little bit of the Span ish coastline to any tapas dish, but this fatty fish has also been linked with a low er risk of certain strains of can cer. Packed with Omega-3 fatty acids, B vitamins, iron, and protein, they’re a source of lean protein that come with countless health benefits.

RESEARCH has long shown that a Mediterranean diet filled with fruits, vegetables, le gumes, fish and vegetable oils provides superior health bene fits to the typical Western diet. Recent studies by a team of re searchers at Almeria University have even linked gazpacho and salmorejo, Andalucian tapa staples, to helping prevent the development of colorectal can Thecer. refreshing summer soup is just one of several tapas whose ingredients are thought to help combat certain kinds of the disease. Here are some more ideas to round out the perfect tapas order for your next Friday night dinner.

Tender and crispy all at once, the grilled octopus is a can’t-miss in any tapas bar. This octopod delicacy is drenched in good omega-3 polyunsatu rated fats, which are key in promoting a healthy heart. This low-calo rie, tamins--allbleboastscephalopodhigh-proteinalsoanincrediamountofB-vipluses in the fight to cancer.prevent

FUNERAL SOLUTION Are there funeral plans with no age restrictions?

COMBINED Covid/flu self di agnostic tests are starting to be pushed out to chemists. They will allow people to see if they are infected with Covid-19, Influenza type A or Influenza type B . Since the start of the month Covid cases have been falling, but there are still people dying and getting seriously ill from the disease. Official advice is to take a Covid test if you are suffering from symptoms, but some people don’t do so as they assume they have a cold or the flu. This is partly because some of the most severe Covid symp toms, such as a complete loss of smell, are not so prevalent now. Other symptoms such as con gestion, headaches, sore throats and a cough are easily confused with those of a cold or the flu. The new test costs €2.94. Take the test

By Jorge Hinojosa

HEALTH 21September 8thSeptember 21st 2022 Gabschidgey@gmail.com IF YOU WOULD LIKE MORE INFORMATION OR A QUOTATION, PLEASE CONTACT ONE OF MY OFFICES, EMAILWWW.JENNIFERCUNNINGHAM.NETINFO@JENNIFERCUNNINGHAM.NETORVISITTHEWEBSITE

OVER the past few months, there has been an upheav al regarding funeral plans in the UK. Every week, it would appear that there was a new company provid ing plans. Most of these companies have now disap peared due to the new regulations for funeral plan providers in the UK, as they are now regulated by the FCA. However, due to these changes, and after a considerable amount of research, I decided to provide my clients with a Spanish-regulated funeral plan company, which has been providing funeral plans in Spain for many years, and is ful ly registered and regulated by both the Spanish authorities and the DGS. Why choose a funeral plan? Especially for the Expats and their families, funerals can be a very stressful and complicated experience. When you pur chase a funeral plan, you are making the whole process far easier and less stressful for your loved ones. Prices are fixed, with either full payment or with a small deposit, and a payment schedule over 60 months which is interest-free. There is no medical required, no health restric tions and no limit on age. In Spain, the funeral usually happens very quickly after death, which can be frightening and daunting for your family members to deal with. I cannot understand why you would not organise this, to help your loved ones at this very difficult Onetime.phone call and the plan goes into operation. There is a choice of three plans, and all the documentation required is included. If you decide that a funeral plan is not for you, you must make sure that your wishes are known, money is available immediately and that at least one of your loved ones has an NIE number. In line with Spanish law, direct cremation usually takes place 24-72 hours after death and prolonging this will incur extra mortuary expenses. Death is always traumatic and exhausting – why make it even harder for those left behind?

Dear Jennifer: DON’T LET IT BUG YOU

HEALTH authorities are oversee ing the withdrawal from the mar ket of three batches of Ardo Frozen Fruitberry Mix due to the presence of Hepatitis A. These are batches 586 2213 (best be fore date 10-11-2024) and 586 22131 (best before 11-11-2024) in 1 kilo packs; and batch 586 22131 (best be fore 31-05-2024) of 2.5 kilos. Point-of-sale recall notices will be displayed in stores supplied with the suspected batches. The mix, which came from Bel gium, has been distributed in An Dodgy fruitberry dalucia, the Baleares, Catalunya, Murcia, Valencia and the Basque Country.

Scare headlines by UK tabloids dismissed HEADLINES in British tab loids warning holidaymakers about a plague of bloodsucking bed bugs at hotels across Spain have been dismissed - and the blame put on tourists them Theselves.reports claimed that popu lar tourist destinations includ ing Costa Blanca, the Baleares and the Canary Islands were infested with the insects and putting holiday makers at risk. The Olive Press got on the case to find out the truth. Jorge Galvan, director of the Spanish Association of Envi ronmental Health (ANECPLA) confirmed that this year was a particularly bad one for bed bugs but explained that this was a global problem and not just a Spanish one. “The increase of bed bugs is not only affecting Spain, but it is also affecting every country,” he “Thesaid.main reason why there are more bed bugs is because of climate change and the in crease of temperatures,” he Inadded.fact, he warned that it may be the tourists themselves that are the problem, because they are transporting the bugs across borders in their clothes and luggage. Hotels “It’s quite possible there are more bed bugs in the UK than in Spain and that they are brought over to hotels here by the guests themselves,” he said. A spokesman for the Alicante hotels association told the Olive Press: “This information is to tally false, we haven’t received any reports of bed bugs in any of the hotels of Alicante. “It is the first time this year that I have heard about bed bugs,” he Likewise,added. the Spanish health ministry has not issued any warnings regarding bed bugs in hotels across Spain.

PROPERTY September 8th - September 21st 202222 Your trusted property agents Vanessa Mob: +34 672 208 879 Silvio Mob: +34 649 154 www.hello2spain.com199 Hello2Spain If we have not sold your property within 12 weeks we will discount the fee by 20%! 12 Week Challenge OP Puzzle solutions Quick Crossword Across: 6 Burr, 7 Stressed, 9 Pronouns, 10 G D P, 11 Self-conscious, 14 Starting lines, 17 Foe, 18 Bereaved, 19 Missiles, 20 Calf. Down: 1 Nutrient, 2 Transformers, 3 Pseudo, 4 Crusts, 5 Hemp, 8 Significance, 12 Nun, 13 Unevenly, 15 In bulk, 16 Garish, 17 Fair.

ORIHUELA mayor Carolina Gracia wants talks with all ‘interested parties’ to stop the controversial Cala Mos ca construction project. The development envisag es 2,274 homes being built on what has been described as the last stretch of virgin coast on the Orihuela Costa.

The top two spots are in the USA, with Miami and Los An geles luxury properties forecast to rise by 8% and 7% respec tively. Rounding out the top five is the South Korean capital of Seoul, where Knight Frank forecasts 5% growth in 2023. Overall for the current year, the consultancy forecasts an aver age increase in prime residen By Dilip Kuner

Cala Mosca talk bid

PRICES TO SURGE

BARCELONA BEATEN

Madrid’s prime real estate market expected to be a world leader in 2023 MADRID is predicted to be one of the five cities in the world where the price of luxu ry homes will grow the most in International2023. real estate con sultancy Knight Frank predicts an average increase of 6% in the price of prime residential properties in the Spanish cap Thisital. places it in joint third place with London.

PSOE mayor, Carolina Gra cia, said that she’s seeking discussions with all politi cal parties, Valencian gov ernment departments, and with developers Gomendio. They would talk through elements for the ‘common good with respect for the environment and the rights of everybody Theinvolved’.project, known as UE2 Alameda del Mar, first appeared in Ori huela’s General Plan over 30 years ago. After a partial devel opment was approved in 2007, opposition to the plans was led by environmentalists and Inresidents.July,the last hurdle was passed after ap proval via a Valencian government environ ment impact study re Orihuelaport. council a year ago under then PP mayor, Emilio Bascuñana, voted to approve the projectlargely on the grounds that €200 million in compensation would have to be paid to de velopers Gomendio if their right to build is rescinded.

BARGAINS WITH A CATCH

THERE are increasing numbers of bargain properties for sale - but the catch is they are occupied by squatters. One apartment in Almeria has been posted online for sale at a rock bottom price of €52,000 - well below mar ket value. But the advert admits there is one major problemPropertysquatters. experts have acknowledged the increasing number of cheap homes for sale but do not recommend that ordinary people looking for a home buy them as the Spanish legal system is slow. It can take years for the illegal occupiers to be evicted so the owner can move in. priceduewithingniessomeHowever,compaarehuntforhousessquatterstothelowwiththe intention of fi nally selling at market value once the squat ters have been turfed out.

CALVIA on Mallorca has overhauled regular front-runner Bar celona as the costliest municipality in Spain for property rent Theals. Baleares as a whole are also getting pricier for tenants ac cording to a survey from real estate property portal Fotocasa. Rentals in Calvia, which includes tourist spots like Magaluf and Palma Nova, average out at €19.43 per square metre compared to Barcelona, which costs €18.43 per square metre. Calvia rental prices have rocketed by over 30% in a year in one of the largest rises in Spain. By regions, the sharpest increase has come in the Valencian Community at 17.5% followed by the Baleares at 14.5%. In contrast, the northern Basque Country saw a far more modest rise of 2.7% over a year. Unsurprisingly the highly populated Madrid and Catalunya regions have the country’s highest average rents at €15.39 and €14.79 respectively based on July figures. They’re followed by the Basque Country (€13.51) and the Balearic Islands (€13.20). The Valencian Community was seventh in July, charging exactly €10per square metre. tial prices of 4.4%. This represents a reduction of 1.7% compared to Knight Frank’s forecast at the begin ning of the year. The firm expects 11 of the 25 cities analysed to show a slow er rate of growth than initially Knightforecast.Frank has also present ed its International Waterfront Index report, which studies the cost of waterfront homes compared to those located else where in 15 cities around the world. On average, water front properties are worth 63% more than properties in other locations. This situation is likely to continue given that 42% of respondents said they are more likely to buy a waterfront home now than be fore the pandemic. The top destination globally is Sydney. Homes located on the Australian city’s harbour generate a 121% premium for homeowners over those residences further away from the sea. In Europe, Cap d’Antibes (55%) and Monaco (43%) are the two most outstanding cities in this respect.

IT’s been a year since Shackle ton International School opened in Valencia and it just keeps on “We got off to a good start with 110 students, and we currently have almost 300.” She said, “This shows how more and more families are choosing our school, although our goal is not to become a big school with too many students, which wouldn’t allow us to give the personalised education live.” At the heart of the school’s success and expansion is the high ly professional team. Zhandra continued: “We are espe cially proud of our staff, formed by highly qualified teachers and dedicated specialists. This year we are adding more professionals with the same high standard, and we are looking forward to working to gether with our families to turn our students into highly qualified, em pathetic and independent citizens in the future.”

The school is named in honour of the celebrated explorer, Ernest Shackleton, who with a combina tion of integrity, leadership and determination is viewed as a histor ical role model. The school philosophy is about in spiring youngsters with confidence through encouraging creative think ing and talent; speaking a language besides Spanish, and using the latest teaching methods based on the One year on and Shackleton International School is ready for a new intake of students

British education system. Shackleton School’s Principal, Ce leste Cutter explained: “We believe in giving youngsters an education based on values, which goes beyond just subjects and the curric ulum. We want all the pupils to de velop values like effort, curiosity, companionship, adaptability, and respect through strengthening their inner-self and through their social interactions.”

KEEP ON GROWING In Shackleton they apply the high British standards to all the lessons which are taught innovatively. “Every student gets the necessary tools to develop their skills and enhance what they learn with the freedom to be creative.” Celeste Moresaid. details are available via the website, shackletonschool.com, or via their Facebook page, Shackle ton International School.

Virility “It was common to place them on the facades of hous es or represented on small amulets worn by soldiers as a symbol of virility, but not of such a size as the one found now,” explained Andres Roldan from the Museum of Nueva Carteya and the pro fessor leading the excavation “Weproject.are consulting the bibli ography and, at the moment, we have not found one of such dimensions,” he said. The relief carved on a lime stone block measures close to half a metre in length and is thought to have formed a cor nerstone of a tower on a large building crowning the hill of the Roman settlement. search uncovered 175 grams of co caine and a precision scale in addi tion to €7,360.

Faithful pooch barked for 6 hours to attract attention after owner fell down well

Bad luck

A MAN restoring a prop erty in Galicia has found €24,000 worth of old peseta banknotes stuffed in Nesquik bottles but they are worthless as the deadline for exchanging them for euros passed in February. Whale watch OVER 90 whales have been recorded in sight ings off the Denia coast since May. Around 100 volunteers have partic ipated in the Cape Fin whale project spotting the mammals at sea or from viewpoints.

A LARGE Sulcata tortoise has been rescued from the Pudio River in Sevilla with police taking the endan gered species to the sta tion for a bite to eat before handing it over to a reserve.

A YOUNG dog who was res cued at just 15 days old has re turned the favour by saving his master’s life one year on. Joaquin Gallardo was exhaust ed and on the verge of giving up after he fell down a well and left floating for six-and-a-half hours in an isolated part of Rincon de la Victoria (Malaga). His cries for help had gone un heard during the ordeal – but his faithful dog Tanka refused to leave his master. It was Tanka’s incessant bark ing that finally raised the alarm, when two young wom en in a distant house decided to investigate the commotion. They were guided by the barking to a patch of isolated ground and By Dilip Kuner and the young man was finally hauled to safety suffering no more than a few bruises. to plunge into the unprotected well, losing his phone in the Forprocess.the next six-and-a-half hours Tanka kept barking. Gal lardo said: “She barked so much that police told me the dog was a wreck from exhaustion.”

thefallenGallardotheTankaIronically,wasreasonhaddownwellinthe first place. He had been chatting to his mum via WhatsApp when the pooch ran off after a cat. Gallardo fol lowed, only heard the yells of HeGallardo.was stuck in the 10-metre deep well, with no footing and grimly staying afloat. They called the police BEST PALS: Joaquin and Tanka

OPRESSLIVEThe COSTA BLANCA NORTE / VALENCIA voice in FREE Vol. 4 Issue 89 www.theolivepress.es September 8th - September 21st 2022We use recycled paper REREREuseducecycle Olive Press Alicante– 170mm x 256mm – Colour September 8th Cannot be used with other offers. Purchase one pair of glasses from our 89€ range or above and get 50% discount on varifocal lenses. Additional charge – Extra Options. Excludes safety eyewear. Ask in store for more details. SKU 30690219 Specsavers España Franchisor S.L. (with VAT number B84536291 and registered offices in Pradillo Street 5 Ground Floor, 28002, Madrid, Spain) is responsible for this offer. Benidorm C/ Gambo, 2 Tel. 965 859 577 Calpe Avda. de los Ejércitos Españoles, 6 Tel. 965 835 367 Jávea Avda. del Pla, 125 Tel. 966 463 420 off varifocal lenses with 50%fromglasses€89 WORDSFINAL Well done!

shockedShell

Favour It was a year ago that Gallar do had found Tanka on waste ground. She was barely 15 days old and very neglected. He rescued, nursed and cared for her and now Tanka has managed to return the favour.

SNOW JOKE

A GANDIA man sold cocaine which he had hidden in his Covid mask. The 59-year-old Spaniard drew the attention of police who decided to watch him in action. Officers spotted several people ap proaching him in the street and en gaging in a brief conversation. They saw him remove his mask each time and noted an exchange of items. He was arrested and a home Size matterdoes

A GIANT phallic carving un covered by archaeologists at a site in Cordoba is believed to be one of the largest such finds dating from the Roman Althoughworld. depictions of the penis were a common theme used to represent fertility, bring luck and ward off the evil eye, the team digging at the Nueva Carteya site believe this particular relief carving is something more unusual.