Olive Press Costa Blanca South and Murcia Issue 116

Stack of shame

TWO British tourists have been kicked off their sunbeds after entering a hotel pool area before it officially opened.

Video footage recorded by the Olive Press shows a security guard waving his finger and shouting ‘no, no, no!’ at the men as he frantically made hand gestures towards his watch.

The pair were then escorted away from the area at the Melia Hotel in Benidorm and told to get to the back of a queue, which had been forming at the pool area’s entrance.

We watched as holidaymakers tried to reserve beds at 8.40am, going against the policy of the hotel, which is laying down the law this year. It can get so heated, a dedicated security guard is posted each morning wearing a bright yellow.

At 9am, the guard releases the rope cordon, unleashing a flock of British tourists who scurry to secure their preferred spots by the pool.

It comes as hotels are bracing for the dreaded sunbed wars this year, which are starting earlier than ever.

Last week two elderly tourists were branded ‘selfish’ for laying on stacks of sunbeds, also in Benidorm.

See both stories in full on our website

The Olive Press visits the study centre votest the EU’s top new building

Waiting to die

Negligence left an expat with inoperable medical condition which has given her

months to live

A BRITISH expat ‘waiting to die’ from ‘football-sized hernias’ has accused a hospital in Spain of ignoring her symptoms for years.

Maria Coomber, 72, told the Olive Press staff at the hospital in Valencia had cruelly branded her a ‘hypochondriac’.

She revealed how she was repeatedly turned away by Torrevieja Hospital, despite ‘screaming in agony’ from ‘intense stabbing’ pains in her stomach.

After allegedly being ‘ignored’ by medical staff over a five-year period, she was finally diagnosed with inoperable hernias on her spine and abdomen.

The Kent-born woman explained that she has now been told they could ‘pop at any moment’ and kill her.

She can now only be given painkillers to numb her ordeal and feels ‘sad and ‘emotional’, especially for her son, who ‘will not have a place to live’ after she dies. Incredibly, she claims one doctor accused her of being a ‘bored expat who had nothing better to do and wanted the company.’

It comes after the hospital’s level of care was said to be deteriorating by the local mayor in 2022.

We later reported how a woman won €450,000 when her arm had to be amputated due to a series of errors.

Maria’s nightmare began some eight years ago, when she discovered her stomach had moved and had to be put back in the

By Yzabelle Bostyn

She underwent major surgery in the UK before returning to Benijofar, Spain.

She had moved to the Costa Blanca two decades ago after retiring from her role as a care home manager.

Much to her dismay, just six months later her pain returned and she discovered her stomach had once again moved.

After another surgery, this time in Torrevieja, she thought her nightmare was finally behind her.

That was until she began experiencing new ‘excruciating’ pain six months later and was rushed to the hospital’s A&E.

Despite initially getting what she describes as ‘very good’ care, her pains persisted and she returned multiple times for much-needed relief.

After a few visits, emergency staff told her to ‘stop coming’ and to

visit her GP instead.

The GP totally disagreed however and urged her to go back to the hospital for urgent help, particularly as the stabbing pains came up to four times a week.

“But after a while, the hospital started to dislike me and called me a hypochondriac,” she claims.

Maria states the doctor actually told other hospital staff to ‘ignore’ her pleas for help despite ‘screaming in pain’ on various occasions.

“I have never cried so much in my life. I felt so alone,” said Maria. “I don’t know how I survived.”

Far from a ‘bored retiree’, Maria has a thriving social life, a loving son, many pets and plenty of housework to keep her busy.

Nonetheless, she says staff at Torrevieja Hospital continued to dismiss her symptoms for FIVE years, leading to ‘horrible and nasty’ treatment including being ‘aggressively’ manhandled.

“I was called a ‘b**tard’ and left on the floor of an ambulance after falling off a bed,” she insisted. It was only after a nasty fall last

from

the

delays, a woman who had an arm amputated and an expat who was ‘kidnapped’ from a ward by his own family when he suffered horrendous bedsores.

year that doctors finally agreed to do some more urgent tests. It was then they found four hernias ‘bigger than footballs’ on the base of her spine and stomach. A result of wounds from her earlier stomach operations, the hernias had been left to grow for almost five years and are now inoperable.

“I’m dying, it’s just a matter of when,” she told the Olive Press “I just wish they had been nice to me and they had looked into it instead of calling me a hypochondriac. All it takes is a bit of kindness.”

This is the latest in a long list of scandals reported on by the Olive Press.

Just last year, a 65-year-old woman was awarded €450,000 after her arm was amputated following a ‘routine fracture dislocation operation’. Internal bleeding was left ‘untreated’ and developed into deep vein thrombosis leading to the amputation.

Another expat who entered the hospital for a gallstone operation ended up with an amputated leg. And in an earlier incident a young British woman died hours after being dismissed by doctors and told to go home after waiting 14 hours at the hospital for treatment. The hospital authorities have been approached for comment.

EAGER: Brit tourist takes a pile of towels to reserve sunbeds

right place.

SAGA: How the Olive Press has reported on the horror stories from Torrevieja hospital down

years,

(left) immeasurable

MARIA: Ignored by staff at Torrevieja’s hospital for FIVE

NEWS IN BRIEF

Chopper watch

A NEW helicopter has been bought by the Valencian government to monitor remote areas and forests for fires, with the H901 craft able to travel for a long time without refuelling.

More capacity

HIGH-SPEED train access to Alicante station will be boosted by a €20 million project that will see six new tracks added to take the total to 10.

Farm blocked

PLANS for a large solar farm in the Torremendo district of Orihuela have been rejected by the Valencian government after objections were raised by local politicians and residents.

Lagoon death

A WOMAN, 70, drowned on Saturday while swimming in the Mar Menor close to La Manga’s Hotel Doblemar, with fellow bathers and paramedics unable to revive her.

Homeward bound

A BRITISH couple who were arrested for allegedly running a UK prostitution ring will be extradited from Spain by the National Court.

They were previously convicted for an identical crime in Britain in 2009.

Neil Lock, 43, from Griñon, near Madrid, agreed to the extradition order while his wife Natalie - also 43 - initially opposed the application.

They are accused of running a website from Spain that ran apartments where 35 women were sexually exploited.

Each of the victims were given the homes to conduct their business, with the Locks taking 40% of earnings.

The women were allegedly forced to work up to 21 hours per day.

UK prosecutors revealed to the Olive Press that text messages to one woman revealed 'extremely aggressive con-

Husband and wife ‘pimps’ to be sent to face UK justice

By Alex Trelinski

trol' including threats to keep them in line.

British authorities said that an associate of the Lockswith the initials A.B - threatened to unpixilate her photo from the website to reveal her real name if she did not obey him.

When she said she was pregnant, A.B. 'threatened her' and insinuated that if she left the criminal operation, she would 'suffer unspecified consequences'.

"In the course of the crime, many millions of pounds

THIEVES stole 250 pairs of designer spectacle frames and sunglasses worth up to €50,000 from a Guardamar opticians early on Monday morning.

The trio spent just two minutes inside a branch of Optica Optima on Calle Mayor, after smashing through the front window. A fourth person acted as the getaway driver.

It’s the fourth robbery at the chain this year following break-ins at their Gran Alacant, La Marina, and Campoamor outlets. Optica Optima has suffered 16 burglaries

ROLEX CAR GRAB

A MOTORIST on a Los Montesinos road was robbed of his Rolex watch when a woman jumped into his vehicle and snatched it off his wrist.

He pushed her off and she exited vehicle, with him in hot pursuit.

A car pulled up and she got into the back seat with the watch owner bravely following her into the car.

CHEERS: Natalie and Neil Lock enjoyed pool parties, hog roasts and magical entertainment as they splashed the cash

were transferred to the various accounts of the Locks, which appear to have funded

Glasses gang raid

since mid-2021 at its Alicante province and Murcia stores.

Each break-in yielded items valued between €40,000 and €50,000 and like in the case of Guardamar, the thieves concentrated on expensive offerings like Cartier-branded items.

The Guardia Civil is keeping an open mind as to whether it is the same crew that hit other branches this year.

But when he was threatened by the driver who produced a knife and tried to stab him, he decided discretion was the better part of valour and jumped out of the vehicle.

A UK fugitive has been arrested in Torre Pacheco.

their lifestyle," according to British authorities. According to UK authorities, the Lanes and a business partner managed the prostituted women from Spain, with two ‘drivers’ back in Britain who 'looked after them' and supervised the payments. An international arrest warrant was issued against the Lanes by Birmingham Magistrates Court last November for charges of coercive prostitution and sexual exploitation, membership of a criminal organisation, human trafficking and money laundering.

Officers said that he had been sentenced to over 15 years in prison for drug trafficking and money laundering. No further information has been supplied or how long he has been hiding out in Spain. An International Arrest and Extradition Warrant was issued by British authorities and the Policia Nacional acted on information supplied to them by the UK National Crime Agency. It has been revealed that a property on a housing estate and two companies located in Torre Pacheco were searched. Several items worth more than €115,000, allegedly the proceeds of criminal acts, were seized along with documents.

Golden princess

THE heir to the Spanish throne - Princess Leonor - has been awarded the highest honour in the Aragon region. The Princess of Asturias, 18, began her first year of military training last August at the General Military Academy in Zaragoza. Wearing her second-year cadet uniform, she was greeted at the parliament building by Aragon president, Jorge Azcon. In a brief ceremony, Leonor was awarded the Gold Medal of the Aragon parliament by the speaker, Marta Fernandez. The first Gold Medal was awarded to her father, King Felipe, in 1986, when he held the title of Prince of Asturias.

Back of the net!

Brazilian superstars lined up to take management positions in fourth tier of Spanish football

A LOWLY fourth-tier football club is calling on a trio of Brazilian supersubs in an effort to catapult it up the Spanish leagues.

CD Estepona, which plays in the Segunda Federacionsome 80 places below Jude Bellingham and Real Madrid - has lined up none other than Ronaldo Nazario as its new sporting director.

The original - and some maintain the best - Ronaldo recently announced his intention to sell his majority stake in Real Valladolid with the club poised for promotion to La Liga. His next move is likely to be Estepona, according to media reports, where he would

By Walter Finch

spearhead the club's sporting direction. And not only would he bring a sprinkling of star-dust but also fellow Brazilian football legends Roberto Carlos and Julio Baptista.

SPANISH pop-star Rosalia has been revealed as a Dior global ambassador after advertising images of her wearing a vintage purse ‘created for Princess Di’ were leaked.

Juan Jose Hidalgo, chairman and CEO of Globalia, which owns AirEuropa, who bought CD Estepona two seasons ago, is reportedly close friends with 'El Fenomeno' from his first season at Real Madrid in the Galacticos era back in 2002. He is not scared of putting his hands in his pockets either. He reportedly paid €500,000

A RESTAURANT napkin used to secure Lionel Messi's first deal with FC Barcelona in December 2000 has been sold at auction for an incredible €881,000.

Auction house Bonhams handled the sale which had a starting bid of over €310,000. It's not known who the bidder was, but he or she has a waxy-papered napkin with a piece of football history scrawled over.

Messi (right) was

to short-circuit the football promotion pyramid system and jump directly to the Segunda Federacion by buying the league spot of defunct team Extremadura.

Despite having one of the highest paid squads in the league, Estepona could only finish sixth, although it did secure a spot in next season’s

Messi napkin

Before the recent Met gala, Vogue revealed the Spanish songstress would be Dior’s latest international ambassador. Shortly after, numerous promotional images were leaked, showing the Malamente singer holding an iconic Lady Di number.

The bag was designed for the ‘People’s Princess’ to celebrate her 1995 visit to Paris.

It was created by Gianfranco Ferre after the wife of French president, Jacques Chirac, asked the fashion house to create an exclusive design for Diana. Today, it is produced in many colours and versions and is has a price tag of €3,100.

Just wild!

just 13 when Barcelona director Carles Rexach met with him and his father for lunch at the restaurant of Barcelona’s Pompeia Tennis Club. Rexach wrote and signed the ad hoc 'contract' in a bid to secure someone viewed at the time as a footballing prodigy.

Copa del Rey. Bringing in Ronaldo would be an incredible coup for Estepona to secure the technical services of the only player to line up for both Real Madrid and Barcelona and still be revered by both clubs’ fans. Reported to be joining Ronaldo are Julio Baptista, who will serve as coach, and Roberto Carlos, who will be Baptista's assistant.

Baptista, a former Real Madrid, Arsenal, Roma, and Malaga player, is a close friend of Ronaldo and has expressed his confidence in Roberto Carlos as his second-in-command.

Legendary left-back Carlos has so far enjoyed a brief but promising coaching career. He worked as assistant coach at the now-defunct Russian club Anzhi Makhachkala and has also held head coaching positions at Sivasspor, Akhisar Belediye, and Delhi Dynamos.

THE numbers of Iberian Lynx are starting to boom, with the population nearly doubling in just three years. There are now 2,000 of the wild cats in Spain and Portugal according to official statistics.

Around 20 years ago, there were fewer than 100 specimens, with the animal on the brink of extinction. Numbers have gradually increased, with 1,111 lynxes detected in 2020, and 900 new specimens added to the Iberian population in the subsequent three years to a total of 2,021 by the end of last year.

Andalucia has the most, with 755, while in Castilla-La Mancha there are 715.

ESTEPONA BOUND: Ronaldo, Carlos and Baptista?

Life line

A TWO-MONTH old baby who stopped breathing was saved by his parents who were given instructions down the phone.

The distraught mum and dad from Pilar de la Horadada called emergency services. As they waited for paramedics, a doctor told them how to resuscitate their baby. Their actions helped keep him alive with an ambulance team picking up the work.

The boy's condition was so serious that he was transferred by helicopter to Alicante General Hospital.

Turtle haul

THE Guardia Civil has seized 229 illegally-kept Moorish turtles from a Picassent farm - the largest seizure of its kind in Spain.

A 50-year-old Spaniard is being investigated for crimes against flora and fauna.

The Moorish turtle is listed as a protected species and cannot be kept domestically without a licence.

The removed turtles are now being cared for at the El Saler Wildlife Recovery Centre.

THE Alicante by-pass taking in a 33-kilometre stretch of the AP-7 and A-70 could soon become toll-free. The route suffers from major delays at peak times, yet users still have to pay €1.30 for the privilege of using it. Around 100,000 vehicles use the road daily and Transport Minister,

Toll-free plan

Oscar Puente, visiting Alicante, announced that he wants to abolish the toll fee. He emphasised that the change was still being worked on and cannot be guaranteed.

Get off my land!

Expat mother and daughter detained by police as they try to stop development on ‘stolen land’

TWO members of an Austrian family have been arrested as they launched a last-ditch effort to stop a new housing development on land, which they say is theirs.

Gabrielle Wesenauer, 63, and one of her three daughtersLove - were detained on Mon-

By Alex Trelinski

day by the Policia Local and Guardia Civil.

They had snubbed an Orihuela court order demanding they stop protesting and occupying the plot next to their

PROTEST: Gabrielle and Love

Casa Langostina property in Campoamor.

As previously reported by the Olive Press, the finca was bought by the Wesenauer family in 1996 but four years later, they were told that they could lose a large part

of their own land under Valencian LRAU planning laws - called the ‘land grab law’. The legislation allowed developers to take land for tourist home construction if it ‘was in the community interest’ with no compensation paid to the Wesenaurs. The laws were

made illegal by the EU and struck off, leading the family to claim they are ‘victims of an extinct law’.

In chaotic scenes on Monday, Gabrielle fell to the ground and was held by officers while her daughter tried to climb under one of the diggers. They were both handcuffed and taken to the Guardia Civil barracks in Pilar de la Hora-

dada and released a few hours later.

The events were witnessed by Molins-based developer Victor Galvez who was there to co-ordinate his staff as they started work after police removed the Wesenauers from the land at around midday.

The plot will now see nine villas constructed - each with a swimming pool.

Rubbish revolt

ORIHUELA council has been threatened with legal action to sort out its waste removal service on the Orihuela Costa with claims that the area has become a ‘rubbish dump’.

The Cabo Roig and Lomas Neighbourhood Association has reported overflowing garbage containers - especially at weekends - and an ‘uncontrolled dumping of rubble’ on the housing estate. Association president, Tomas Moreno, has written to Orihuela mayor, Pepe Vegara, to warn him that they will take the council to court if the problems are not solved.

WHAT A DOUGH DOUGH

A SPANISH bakery has denied being homophobic after a gay employee got his April payslip with the word 'fa***t' written on it.

The Labour inspectorate is investigating Panaderia La Semilla de Oro for the insult, Coin.

Spain's deputy Prime Minister, Yolanda Diaz, described the incident as 'shameful'.

The CGT union has denounced what happened after the worker received his notification with the writing: 'Payroll for the month of April fa***t'.

Bakery owner, Lucas Rico, told Cadena Ser: “It is a mistake by the bank and I've never had a problem with this man because of his sexuality.”

He added he also employs four lesbians.

‘FIND THESE MONSTERS!’

A MANHUNT is underway after thugs broke into an expat-run animal shelter and killed a cat recovering from emergency surgery.

Staff arrived at the sanctuary off Avenida de Alemania, in Mil Palmeras, to find cage doors ripped off and equipment strewn across the floor.

One cage belonged to a female called Xena, who had been doing really well after a major operation and was due to have a follow-up sterilisation.

Colony workers found her lying dead outside, just a few metres away from the compound, causing multiple staff members to suffer panic attacks from the shock.

Volunteer Selena Anderson Galazka told the Olive Press: “We are absolutely devastated and I hope whoever did this goes to hell.

“She was loved by those who took care of her and she has been horrifically and cruelly

RECOVERING: After the operation

TRAGIC: Xena’s body was found nearby

ripped away from us… it is unforgiveable…these monsters must be found and punished.”

Police have studied security camera images which were not clear due to the break-in happening at night.

Group member Maria Carmen Albadaleja said: “If a cat dies due to old age, or disease, or being hit by a car - well that's within the norm and understandable.

“What just happened with murderers breaking into an enclosure to kill a defenseless animal is shocking and has made us heartbroken.”

She added: “Xena was a very dear cat to all of us and some of our volunteers paid for her expensive operation.”

HOME: but land was grabbed and wall demolished

Anti-tourism march sees 10,000 take to the streets demanding change to ‘destructive’ industry

A HISTORIC anti-tourism

march has alarmed holiday firms as the main summer season begins.

An incredible 10,000 people took to the streets in Mallorca this weekend to demand change to the ‘destructive’ effects of tourism.

Chanting ‘They will not force us out of Mallorca’, they

Fight them on the beaches!

By Yzabelle Bostyn

goaded holidaymakers with signs including ‘Guiri go home!’ and caused mayhem on a busy Saturday. It comes after local protests also took place in Sevilla, Malaga and the Canary Islands.

Tourists told the Olive Press

POINTED ATTACK

BIKE tour companies in Valencia have denounced the fact that their cycles are being targeted by anti-tourism protesters.

The firms are increasingly finding their bicycles with tyres deliberately punctured by drawing pins, along with little notes that say: “Tourist go home”. The incidents are the latest in an increasing number of actions against tourism in the country, ranging from graffiti in popular destinations with the same message, or protests in several areas, such as the Canary Islands, demanding a change to the tourism model.

See Demand and desperation, p6

how they felt ‘intimidated’ and even ‘scared’ when the hordes of angry protesters marched through Palma, on Saturday. Under the slogan ‘Mallorca isn’t for sale’ the principal complaint is the lack of affordable housing caused by a surplus of Airbnbs, hotels and tourist lets.

Posters read: ‘Our ancestors land is for sale’ and ‘It’s not tourism-phobia, it’s Mallorca-cide’, while protestors chanted: “No, no, they will not force us out of Mallorca.”

Thirsty days ahead

EXTREME drought and starving rabbits are threatening to leave bars dry of local wines.

The Denomination of Origin Vinos de Alicante (DO) wine producers organisation says it is worried about the current situation, with a very dry and hot summer predicted.

Introducing an exclusive partnership Olive Press and AnyTech365

One local told ive Press: “The general public has had to take a stand as our politicians just don’t want to get involved.”

For young people, the situation is particularly dire.

Locals relate how they are ‘stuck’ living with their parents due to high rent prices.

A spokesman for the organisers, a local collective called Sencelles Time Bank said ‘enough was enough’

as tourism took a grip across every part of the island.

tees for locals.

“Foreign investors are honing in on the interior of the island because it's the only charming bit left to buy,” he said. The group is demanding immediate ‘emergency measures’ to solve the issue.

“People are really suffering and we don’t trust this government to change the tourism model,” added the spokesman.

It follows action in the Canary Islands last month, where some 57,000 residents gathered to protest against mass tourism.

The Alicante DO says the next few weeks are ‘the key moments for ripening which will determine both the quality and quantity of grapes”. Another problem is rabbits and other wildlife that are nibbling at vine shoots as other options for ‘fresh food’ have disappeared as water supplies dried up.

Suffering

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Producers have warned of a ‘difficult’ campaign with plants suffering from a lack of water and therefore poor-setting fruit.

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These include: declaring Mallorca a ‘stressed’ real estate zone, the approval of a vital moratorium on tourist lets and standard of living guaran-

A German tourist boss, who owns a string of holiday rentals in Sevilla and Marbella, told the Olive Press: “I am genuinely worried about it and don’t tell anyone I meet anymore what my job is.”

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The Teulada San Vicente Ferrer winery president, Joselina Valles, said: “The future of wine in the region is worrying, as we have to maintain all of our production facilities even for a very reduced crop.”

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Asking to remain anonymous, she added: “It is clearly becoming a major problem.”

Opinion Page 6

The Marina Alta is especially proud of its muscatel grape crops with customers expecting a high standard.

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The company and their solutions have been widely recognized and won multiple awards on local, national, and international level such as “The Fastest growing technology company in Spain and the 27th fastest growing company in Europe across all sectors” (Source: Financial Times FT1000), the Andalucía Excellence Award in New Technologies, and others. Making a meaningful local impact, AnyTech365 has been a proud title-sponsor of the Andalucía Open tennis tournament, including the ATP 250 tournament in 2021, the biggest sporting event in the region. It has excellent online reputation scores with tens of thousands of end user reviews on Trustpilot (4.8/5) and Google Reviews (4.9/5).

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The company is currently in the process of becoming publicly listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), with the transaction expected to complete in Q3 of 2024.

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EMOTIONAL: But also partly xenophobic march in Palma on Saturday

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

OPINION

Guiris should NOT go home!

AS Spain enters the summer months, a wave of anti-tourism protests are popping up across the country. (Fight them on the beaches, p5).

Some 10,000 locals took to the streets of Palma holding up signs reading ‘guiris go home’ and other offensive messages.

Their gripe, essentially, is that too many tourists are visiting the Balearic Islands, placing a strain on local resources and causing more traffic and other environmental problems.

They add ‘excessive’ tourism is inspiring an ‘uncontrollable’ surge in tourist flats, which make renting or buying a home increasingly impossible.

And there’s no doubt they are right: the property crisis is worsening. Just look at Ibiza, where lifeguards and police have been forced to live in their cars because they cannot afford rent.

Meanwhile Malaga city has the highest number of tourist rentals per capita in Spain - and fed-up locals will also now take to the streets (on June 29) in protest.

We get it. It is entirely understandable to call for changes to the tourism model.

No one wants these picturesque areas to be overrun and their environments damaged by overcrowding. It is also incredibly frustrating for young people who cannot get on the property ladder or even afford to rent.

The Airbnb and Booking.com craze must be addressed immediately, with limits put in place nationwide.

Too many homes are being turned into holiday lets, creating festering resentment between locals and innocent tourists who simply want to enjoy their holidays.

But this is a question of policy and law, which must be enacted by the ruling government.

Telling ‘guiris’ to ‘go home’ is unlikely to achieve that, and comes as a disgusting slap in the face to the thousands of European expats who have every right to live and work here.

The majority of us - from young workers to wealthy business owners - all pay their taxes and have the utmost respect for Spain.

Aside from creating tens of thousands of jobs and bringing billions to the economy, we mostly support the locals’ point of view on excessive tourism! It’s time for the government to act, before this gets nasty.

PUBLISHER / EDITOR

Jon Clarke, jon@theolivepress.es

Dilip Kuner dilip@theolivepress.es

Walter Finch walter@theolivepress.es

Yzabelle Bostyn yzabelle@theolivepress.es

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

Simon Hunter simon@theolivepress.es

Alex Trelinski alex@theolivepress.es

Ben Pawlowski ben@theolivepress.es

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

theolivepress.es

DEMAND AND

After various Olive Press staff fall victim to scams and lawbreakers, Yzabelle Bostyn looks at the ‘perfect storm’ in Spain’s rental market

By Yzabelle Bostyn

EXACTLY a year ago, the Spanish government introduced its much heralded Ley de Vivienda

The new Homes Law aimed to tackle a myriad of problems in the rental market, in particular to increase the amount of affordable homes for the young and vulnerable.

The main measures included a 3% cap on rent rises, additional rent caps in ‘stressed’ areas, and the right to renew contracts for up to five years.

However, despite their good intentions, many of the proposed changes have simply been

ignored around the country.

NEW research has shed light on the espionage activities of thousands of Nazi collaborators and informers who lived double lives in Spain during World War II.

In the Dictionary of Spies, Catalan historian Xavier Juncosa has painstakingly examined over 25,000 documents to produce a 400page insight into the shadowy lives of over 1,000 Nazi agents, informers, Francoists, Fascists and French collaborationists who spied on behalf of Adolf Hitler.

With the 17 autonomous regions allowed to adapt or dilute the law as they saw fit, it has led to chaos and outright opposition.

The Junta de Andalucia, for example, even took its anger to the Constitutional Court, which has since declared parts of the law ‘unconstitutional’.

The pushback around the country has left the rental market under even higher pressure than before, with rents 30% above targets set by regulatory bodies, and social housing on its knees.

According to leading property portal Fotocasa, tenants spent 43% of their salary on rents last year, a five year high (see Rental nightmare, page 18).

It’s no surprise that a ‘new class divide’ has developed between renters and landlords, according to a study by the Critical Urban Study Group.

The anger is all too palpable looking at the recent protests against tourism and AirB-

country,

nB style holiday rentals in cities around the country, including Malaga, Barcelona and Palma over the weekend.

There even as know Derogatory

So where did it all go wrong?

In an attempt to protect tenants, the Ley de Vivienda simply went too far. The law lacked subtlety and gave too

Extracts from the new book have been serialised by La Vanguardia, Catalunya’s leading daily newspaper, bringing to light the vast network of agents who spied in Spain, France, Italy and Germany throughout the Second

By Ben Pawlowski

World War.

In particular, the compilation of ‘mini-biographies’ reveals how Nazi spies used businesses and modest apartments as fronts for top-secret espionage activities.

Number 240 Carrer Consell de Cent (pictured far left), located in the L’Eixample neighbourhood of Barcelona, was officially recorded as being rented by Albertina Cottrell Ullmer, a retired Danish widow in her 80s - but the situation is not what it seems.

There has been an angry backlash that has even led to some local protest groups (such as the one in Girona) that are demanding to know where foreigners have lived or bought. Derogatory stickers have gone up criticising tourists and key locks for AirBnBs have been vandalised.

Web of spies

The thousands of Nazi collaborators in Spain who used businesses as fronts for top secret espionage

In reality, the flat was a front - Ullmer lived with Maria Betty Mayerhofer, a Munich-born woman in her 50s who was wife to Ludwig highlights that this flat served as the base of operations for the network of Nazi informers in Barcelona - the flat’s interior was littered with all manner of espionage paraphernalia, including encryption devices and top-secret codes.

Kopp, a Nazi intelligence officer and right-hand-man to Paul Taboschat, the head of the Nazi espionage service in Spain’s second largest city. Juncosa’s research

Elsewhere, a glass and porcelain gift shop on Passeig de Gracia (left), owned by Frenchman Hugo Vincon, was used as a de-facto mailbox for the network of agents who slipped around the city.

Often, a man would enter the shop, heading to the backroom and leaving an envelope which would later be picked up by a lady. The business also acted as a discreet meeting point for Nazi collaborators, although this was soon discovered by the French intelligence services.

On Carrer de Valencia, a jeweller’s store served a dual purpose as a liaison point for Nazi informers who discussed operations in

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VERY high demand and low supply. That’s the current situation in Spain’s property market, according to experts, and as such a good time to buy. In coastal regions, particularly in Andalucia, prices continue to soar. And there is no sign of them stopping.

‘If it fits with your plans right now, it’s the time to buy,’ the group concluded in a round table discussion with property portal Idealista.

The Olive Press visits this year’s EU Mies award winner, page 10

Designer digs

ITALIAN fashion gurus Dolce & Gabbana are pushing ahead with their appropriately named project, Marbella Design Hills.

The stunning Golden Mile project has already reportedly seen advancesales of over €250 million. Images of what the finished development will look like have finally been released.

It is the brand’s first project of its kind in Europe and will count on properties that have between 280 and 900 square metres of space.

Each property has up to five bedrooms, and exclusive furnishings created by the brand.

Surrounded by gardens as well as infinity pools, resi-

Exclusive first peek at amazing Dolce & Gabbana homes in Marbella

dents will also enjoy padel tennis courts, a gym area, and a covered astroturf five-a-side football pitch, as well as their own spa.

Work has already begun and is expected to be completed by 2026. The pilot home, meanwhile, should be ready by 2025.

“We want homeowners to be certain that their purchase does not end with the delivery of their future home,” said Carlos Rodriguez, the boss of Sierra Blanca Estates, which has partnered exclusively with the fashion brand.

“This is much more. We're talking about experiential access to an iconic fashion brand in a way that no other outsider could ever have achieved before.”

GOOD TIME TO BUY

ExpertstellAmericanpropertyportalthatdespite serioussupplyshortages,if youseeabargain‘grabit’

By Alex Trelinski

Their thinking is that, given the low supply in the market right now, if an opportunity appears, buyers should not let it slip through their fingers.

“We are seeing high levels

of buying activity in the first quarter of this year, and at the same time, the launch of new residential projects on a national level,” Carlos de Almeida, sales director at leading property firm CBRE explained.

“All of this means that demand continues to be very high.”

In terms of demand, a key figure at leading UK agency Savills, pointed out exactly how high it remains.

“We are surprised by the strength of demand, it is above what we initially expected,” insisted Pelayo Barroso, national manager at Savills Research. Meanwhile, Lawyer at the

API estate agents, Carles Sala, pointed to prices as well.

“Prices are not growing with the intensity that they have done in recent years,” he said.

“So a fall in prices is not going to happen, meaning that while it is not the best moment, there is nothing to indicate that over the next year prices will be any better,” he added.

As for mortgage interest rates, these are not likely to fall anytime soon.

“Any reduction will likely be gradual,” said Ricardo Sousa, from US giant Century 21 Spain.

The forecast is that mortgage rates will hover around 2.5% for some time.

“As such, if a buyer finds a property that meets their requirements and it is within their budget, it would be prudent to buy now rather than wait for the market conditions to improve,” added Sousa.

GO

Expansion approved

BENIDORM council has green-lit one its biggest-ever urban plans which will see up to 20 hotels and over 2,300 homes built along with three shopping centres.

The development will cover over 570,000 m2 in the last significant pocket of undeveloped land in the city under the Ensanche Levante urban plan.

“This is the most important urban sector in the municipality in terms of surface area that was included in the 1990 General Plan,” said Benidorm mayor, Toni Perez. It is now down to developers to produce plans for the area which has suffered years of degradation in a long wait for a plan to become reality.

Joining the club

InsideEvaLongoria’sluxuryvilla on the Costa del Sol

SHE’S been moseying down to Marbella every summer for years.

So it seems appropriate that Desperate Housewives star Eva Longoria should finally move into the resort.

She is set to move into a luxury villa after upping sticks and abandoning her Hollywood lifestyle.

LA-based Longoria, 49, and her husband, Mexican businessman Jose Baston, 56, are moving in with their five-year-old son, Santiago.

The couple revealed they are moving to avoid their child from getting ‘sucked into the Hollywood cycle’.

The lavish pad, which they bought last year, counts on six bedrooms, seven bathrooms, a swimming pool, a cinema, sauna and gym.

“I have been looking for a place in Marbella for the past five years,” she told Hello magazine.

“I visited a few places but noth-

By Ben Pawlowski

ing was quite what I wanted.

“Finally, in early 2023, this house came on the market. It needed refurbishing, but it had just the size and location I was after”.

Longoria is well-acquainted with the area, having hosted the glamorous galas of the Global Gift Foundation of which she is an honorary president, for years.

“I don’t have a schedule. My days are full of activities - padel

VALENCIA'S mayor, Maria Jose Catala has introduced a year-long moratorium on issuing new tourist apartment licences.

The regulation will not cover tourist accommodation in structures specifically classified as for holiday lets.

The moratorium covers private residential buildings and ground floors of commercial premises in the Ciutat Central.

It also extends to the Benimamet, Carpesa, Poble Nou, La Punta, El Palmar, El Saler and El Perellonet districts.

SPAIN’S capital is now among the world’s top hotspots for the super-rich. Madrid has emerged as the fourth most popular destination for high net-worth individuals to purchase a home, according to leading French agency Barnes International. The agency, which has 1,300 staff worldwide,

tennis, the beach, lunch, drinks, socialising…in fact, they’re full to the brim, but with things I really enjoy”.

Licences on hold

“We are acting in the face of the growing phenomenon of tourist apartments,” the mayor explained.

She revealed: “There have been 197 inspections of accommodation since last summer and 160 closure orders have been issued over unlicensed apartments.

“I don't want illegal tourist apartments to proliferate - we want controlled growth and quality tourism,” she added.

In terms of essentials, Eva said she ‘wanted a garden for my son to play in, and a swimming pool because he is always swimming’, ‘lots of bedrooms’ and ‘of course, a big kitchen’.

She added that she also loves her ‘amazing’ dressing room which is home to ‘loads of space’.

The popular and award-winning actress is best known for appearing on our screens in Desperate Housewives as Gabrielle Solis, a wealthy Latina living on exclusive Wisteria Lane.

She also has Spanish citizenship and, in 2022, was given the honorary title ‘Dame’ due to her family roots which trace back to Oviedo.

In come the big spenders!

also puts Barcelona and Malaga in its top 50 locations but well below Madrid. According to the company’s Global Property

comes in at 47.

The report draws on a number of factors, including climate, safety and infrastructure.

It predicts that Madrid will stay in the top five for the coming years, given a spike in interest among Europeans to invest there Thousands of Latin Americans, who already live and rent in the city, are also looking to buy.

The report also points to the ‘excellent investment opportunities’ in Barcelona and Malaga, as well as their ‘Mediterranean lifestyle’.

It claims the Spanish coastline holds a lot of allure for clients from the US and, in particular, those from California. Handbook, which breaks down where the rich are seeking to invest, Dubai came top last year. The country knocked Paris off the number-one spot, with the French capital now in fifth place, while Miami and New York come in second and third. Barcelona scrapes into the top 20 at 19th, while Malaga

AHEAD: Given by Mayor Perez

EMERGING STARS: The Spanish SUMA studio won second prize for its library, praised for its ‘welcoming environment’ and style

SHOWING OFF: Video Eva posted on social media

November 29th - LOOKING FOR MORE PROPERTY STORIES?

SScan to visit our website

STUDIOUS WINNERS

University campus and Barcelona library are winning designs at Europe’s top architect awards

By Dilip Kuner

TUDYING and reading are the winning themes in this year’s prestigious architecture awards.

The two main prizes in the EU Mies award (formerly the Mies van der Rohe award) went to a university study facility in Germany and a city library in Spain.

The Study Pavilion at the Technical University of Braunschweig is ‘joyous’ as the Olive Press discovered on a visit this month (see overleaf).

Featuring slender steel beams, wooden ribbed decks and glass facades, it emphasises sustainability and reusability.

The clever use of materials allows for different configurations, which can be changed for various student activities and events.

Designed by Gustav Düsing, 30 and Max Hacke, 28, the judges praised how it ‘promotes social exchange and interdisciplinary knowledge between students and teachers alike’.

The building was

chosen from a list of 40 finalists around Europe with the judges also liking the rigour and precision of the project, which came in under its budget of €5.2 million.

Awarding the €60,000 prize they added the building had ‘a clear architectural idea, scrutinised it and pushed it to the limit’.

The Emerging Architecture Prize (also part of the EU Mies award, the EU’s biennial prize for contemporary architecture)

meanwhile, was handed to the Gabriel García Márquez Library in Barcelona. Designed by Elena Orte and Guillermo Sevillano of SUMA Arquitectura, the library was planned as a cultural hub for the community. Its design features a full-height atrium and a series of stacked, perforated spaces, symbolising the form of books. The library’s structure integrates

laminated and cross-laminated timber with steel, and the interior spaces are organised around a central triangular courtyard. This design not only provides a welcoming environment for library users but also pays homage to the architectural traditions of Barcelona’s Eixample district. Judges said that both projects reflect the principles of the ‘New European Bauhaus’, emphasising the integration of

BY

WINNER: Study House promotes ‘social exchange’ and has a clear purpose, coming in under budget

green transition concepts into everyday living spaces.

The award ceremony took place at the Mies van der Rohe Pavilion in Barcelona, which was designed by Geman arichitecture legend Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, for the 1929 International Exposition in Barcelona. Originally dismantled after the exposition, it was rebuilt according to the original plans in 1986 and inspired the creation of the biennial awards ceremony two years later.

PHOTOS

IWAN BAAN

RealEstate | Inmobiliaria

IT SAYS IT ON THE TIN!

IT’S rare to come across a building that feels so completely right.

In terms of functionality and form, the Study House, at Braunschweig’s Technical University, ticked so many boxes for me.

Set alongside the city’s river, it emerges suddenly from a copse of trees, which almost mask its ingenious intentions.

Fundamentally a large glass box, as you look closer you realise its two floors are being brilliantly utilised.

The architects and their commissioners couldn’t have dreamed of seeing their building being better used…on both levels and from every available space. It was as if they had paid the 100 or more students to set up their laptops and throw their books, notepads and

their water bottles onto desks, knowing a journalist was making a visit.

By Jon Clarke in Braunschweig

own, some in groups, they were clearly finding it of use.

space to work and hopefully I’ll do well enough to get in to study here in September,” she explained. Now

The German design double act of Dusing and Hacke, who trained in London, were inspired by toy sets from Everything is bolted or screwed together, rather than welded or glued and the frame is made of 10cm wide hollow steel sections which contain all the wiring, lighting and sockets, as well as rainwater guttering.

Inhabiting every available space of this wonderful building, some on their

A few chatted quietly, while most were deep in thought getting on with their studies, with a quiet hubbub in the background. Those that needed total silence climbed out onto the dozen or so balconies, or at desks on the ground level, outside. The overall feeling was one of peace and sustainability, particularly with nature enveloping the building at every opportunity. I spoke to a few of the students and discovered them extremely happy with the pavilion, which has also won prizes locally in Germany.

Staircases inside and out create drama and interesting lines. “It’s a bit like nesting,” explained Dusing

One girl, just 18, told me she was not even attending the university and had her final school exams coming up in the next few weeks.

“It is a really inspiring

The first floor is designed to be a ‘series of islands’ connected by bridges, creating separate study zones, some open plan overlooking the action below, while others are withdrawn and more intimate.

The desks around the edge feel almost suspended in the trees and are inspirational in the extreme.

The staircases inside and out create drama and interesting lines. “It’s a bit like nesting,” explained Dusing. “Students can come in and find their spot.”

There is no front or back, but nine equal entrances around the 1,000 square metre structure, making it feel like an open hub, accessible from all directions, even from the footpath along the nearby river, from where I entered. It is also more than welcoming to members of the public, too, as long as they are quiet, while some students have adapted the structure in certain ways, with one stringing up a hammock.

“It should feel like an extension of the living room,” explains Hacke, clearly

delighted. “They come here to eat and play cards, as well as work.”

The judges ruled the Study House was ‘more than a building’, a ‘versatile system, merging technological inventions with flexible and reusable principles’. I wouldn’t change a thing if this is how the end users feel about it. A real joy!

JOYOUS: Every available space is being used, while one youngster (above) isn’t even studying at the university yet!

Jon Clarke

SPAIN has launched its annual plan to alert vulnerable people about heatwaves during the summer.

Pharaoh knew best

GLOBAL health experts have revealed an ancient Egyptian ‘super cereal’ that is ‘best’ at reducing cholesterol.

In Europe, oats have traditionally been seen as the best cereal for reducing cholesterol. However, they now have strong competition in the form of a little-known grain with roots in Ancient Egypt. Kamut has been recommended by the World Health Organisation for its numerous health benefits.

Much like oats, kamut helps to lower blood sugar and control cholesterol.

So, it makes the perfect addition to any diet if you have hypertension or diabetes, claims WHO.

The only downside? It has very high levels of gluten, so it isn’t recommended for celiacs.

reduce the impact of high temperatures on the elderly, pregnant women, children and the chronically ill. Another important category takes in workers who are employed for ‘open air’ tasks.

The initiative from the Health Ministry has run for 20 years and will be active until September 30 - with an option to extend it to October 15 if needed.

One of the priorities is to alert regional health authorities and the public, of possible risk situations with ‘sufficient advance notice’ so that preventive measures can be taken.

A new feature will be meteoalert zones kicking in from June 3, which will be a reference map for extreme heat warnings.

The 182 meteohealth zones are designated areas of the country that, according to previous years’ records, vary in temperature between each other.

It will done via forecasts provided by the State Meteorological Agency (Aemet) with the Health Ministry passing on risk levels daily to the country’s 17 regions.

effects of high temperatures has been published which include drinking water and liquids frequently and avoiding caffeinated, alcoholic or highly sugary drinks that could cause dehydration. They also recommend wearing ‘light, loose-fitting clothing’ and to never leaving anyone in a parked car, especially if they are children, the elderly or people chronic diseases.

Level 0 or green, means there is no risk; level 1 or yellow, donates a low risk; level 2 or orange, marks medium risk; and level 3 or red, is a high risk category.

The plan’s main objective is to prevent and

A series of general recommendations to prevent the

If any heat-related symptoms last more than an hour, the Ministry recommends going to see a doctor.

DOUBLE TROUBLE

AN expat who spent four days in hospital after suffering a reaction to Nolotil was horrified when he was prescribed the drug a second time. It came despite the British 60-year-old telling doctors about his specific allergy to the painkiller.

Pete Packer, an English teacher in Marbella, had already had a near-fatal reaction to the killer drug after a motorbike accident in 2017. Despite breaking numerous bones in the 110kph accident, the father-of-one was let out of Hospital Universitario, in Malaga, the same day with a prescription for Nolotil. Little did he know, his nightmare was just beginning. The next day, he awoke to a terrible fever and ‘couldn’t

OP QUICK CROSSWORD

‘Nolotil almost killed me, then doctors told me they gave it to me AGAIN without thinking’

By Yzabelle Bostyn KILL THE DRUG

EXCLUSIVE

stop shaking’ with frequent ‘convulsions’.

“I thought I was dying, I was sick, shaking and sweating all over,” he told the Olive Press.

“As a single parent it was scary that I couldn’t look after my daughter who goes to school here.”

After fainting while shopping for food, he decided enough was enough and went to

Hospital de Alta Resolucion, Benalmadena.

After several blood tests, he was informed he had ‘no white blood cells’ and had an ‘AIDS-like’ illness.

Pus was soon streaming out of his eyes and nose, as doctors informed him that an ‘atom bomb’ of bacteria was ‘having a party in his body.’

“No one could figure out what was going on,” explained the expat, who has lived in Spain for 15 years.

5 Item left out (8) 8 Dominion (4)

Stirrers (13)

Sound reasoning (5)

Lens cover? (6)

Sin (3) 15 Presented (6) 16 Bogus offers (5)

True comedians sort out programmes (13)

“Both Sides Now”

Mitchell (4)

String of pearls (8)

Uma

(8)

Quantity (6)

Strait-laced (8)

(4)

(5)

Completely surround (8)

Sharp side first (4-2)

Adhere (5)

Cohesive group (4)

And so on (3)

“It wasn’t until one of the doctors mentioned in passing that he'd read about Nolotil killing ‘guiris’ that they decided to take me off it,” he continued.

It was only then, after four days drifting in and out of consciousness, that his immune system finally began to recover.

Badly shaken, he made sure the hospital listed his strong allergy to Nolotil on his medical records.

So he was more than shocked when after another recent motorbike accident he was again hospitalised and given the dangerous drug.

And it even came despite wearing a ‘No Nolotil’ wristband when he was admitted

to the Hospital de Alta Resolucion in search of pain relief.

Despite also telling triage nurses and a doctor he was allergic to the drug, he was STILL prescribed it.

When he demanded to know why, the doctor apologised and told him he ‘automatically’ prescribed it ‘out of habit’.

It comes six years after the 2018 decree demanding medical professionals do a thorough background check to make sure no one of northern European descent is given the drug.

“People are routinely being given this drug that kills thousands,” he said.

“It is appalling that doctors are ignoring the advice that is seeing people die.”

Nolotil is known to induce

‘agranulocytosis’ in some northern Europeans, reducing the amount of white blood cells to dangerous levels and depleting the immune system.

It is currently under investigation in the Spanish National court, after tireless campaigning by the Association for Drug Affected Patients (ADAF) and the Olive Press. “I’m actually lucky,” said Pete, this week. “I’m fluent in Spanish so I could tell them not to give me Nolotil. But if I was just on holiday, I wouldn’t stand a chance.” Our campaign against the drug has been signed by nearly 800 people.

You can sign it on our website www.theolivepress.es.

FISHY PARASITE ALERT

A HEALTH warning has been issued after anisakis has been detected in a fish imported from Morocco for sale in Spain.

The hake roe containing the parasite was analysed at a Spanish border control point. Anisakis is a parasite that attaches itself to

the digestive tract of fish and cephalopods and can cause an allergic reaction if eaten. Among the most frequent symptoms in case of infection within 12 hours after consumption includes strong abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting and fever.

In addition, skin rashes, difficulty breathing, hives or conjunctivitis may also occur.

The Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (Rasff ) says they don't know where the hake roe was infected and what the final destination was.

It is not known either whether other batches that may have anisakis have gone on sale in Spain.

The Rasff agency described the situation as 'serious' and has asked consumers not to buy hake roe until they learn more about the anisakis contamination.

GOING THROUGH HELL

THE burning to death of a rapist by a Costa Blanca mother is the subject of a new documentary series called Hell on Earth - The Veronica Case.

Streaming on HBO Max, the three-part series tells the story of Maria del Carmen Garcia from Benejuzar who set fire to the man who mocked her in the street, after he had served jail time for raping her teenage daughter.

The incident became big national news and the documentary features interviews with Maria, and her daughter, Veronica Rodriguez Garcia.

In 1998, 13-year-old Veronica was raped at knifepoint by neighbour Antonio Cosme. Cosme was found guilty and given a nine-year prison term in the year 2000.

After five years behind bars, he was released.

Cosme then taunted Maria in the street, asking how her daughter was, prompting Maria to go to a nearby petrol station.

She bought a bottle of petrol and poured it over him, setting him alight in a bar - he died 10 days later.

Maria was jailed for five-anda-half years for the killing.

Bacon brought home

Stolen €5m painting recovered nine years after Madrid heist

THE fourth of five paintings by Irish-born painter Francis Bacon stolen in a mass heist from a Madrid apartment in 2015 has been recovered.

Authorities said the 1989 painting Study for Portrait of Jose Capelo is valued at €5 million. They were part of a collection owned by Jose Capelo - a close

By Alex Trelinski

friend of Bacon - who reported the robbery to police. The latest recovery followed the arrest in February of two people suspected of having received two of the five works by Bacon. The five paintings stolen

MASTER: Bacon was a regular at the Prado Museum

were said then to be worth a total of €30 million.

The Policia Nacional said 16 people, including the alleged thieves, have been arrested since investigations

began.

Roman roots

THIS is what a Roman settlement in Andalucia would have looked like, according to AI. Using excavated ruins of homes, spas and other buildings, experts and computer technology were able to imagine how the Roman city of Arucci Turobriga would have appeared.

ground.

te’s Playa de San Juan from July 16 to September 1 and then Sevilla’s Charco de la Pava from September 28 to November 10. The tour rounds off at the Escenario Puerta del Angel in Madrid from December 4 to January 6.

A police spokesman said they are continuing the search for the missing fifth Bacon painting and are focusing investigations on Spaniards with connections with criminal gangs from Eastern Europe.

Francis Bacon often visited Madrid, where he spent time studying old master paintings at the Prado Museum.

He became famous for his raw, unsettling imagery which focused on the human form.

His subjects included crucifixions, portraits of popes, self-portraits, and portraits of close friends, like Jose Capelo, with abstracted figures sometimes isolated in geometrical structures Bacon died in Madrid in 1992, aged 82.

Located near Aroche in inland Huelva, the city dates back to the time of Augustus, at the end of the first century (15-10BC). Experts using AI images re-imagined forums, public squares, a necropolis and more, as well as countless pieces of pottery found by archaeologists.

IBIZA will come to the Costa del Sol this summer as a famous electronic music festival touches down in

tion will take

The electronic music festival promises over six stages of techno and house beats with more than 50 DJs and 300 acts.

Marbella. Elrow Town Summer Edi-

over San Pedro Alcantara’s feria ground on August 24.

Clear waters

THE AJUNTAMENT de Denia organised a sea clean last weekend together with local diving business, Indra. It was carried out by a group of 30 multinational divers who volunteered to take part in the mission.

The two-day event saw Denia’s port cleared, focussing on sections previously highlighted by Denia council’s Servicio Ambiental Marino (Marine Environment Services).

This includes: Mollet de España, Marina El Portet and Denia port.

Some 605 kilograms of waste were recovered from the water, including tubes, bottles, nets, bikes, tires, a floating pontoon and mattresses.

Electric dreams

Car buyers shun EVs and hang on to old bangers instead

CAR ages in Spain are rising with motorists keeping what they’ve got and shunning electric car purchases.

That's the conclusion of the Ancera car dealers association in its annual report

By Alex Trelinski

produced in collaboration with marketing consultants AutoInfor.

The average age of cars on

OVER half of people in Spain would not pay to take their vehicle into a city centre Low Emission Zone (ZBE), according to a survey.

Cities with populations of 50,000 and more have to introduce such zones under the Sustainable Mobility Law which is going through Congress right now.

A study conducted by mobility app Freenow looked at the likely response to such zones from the public.

Each council creating a ZBE will

the road reached 13.6 years in 2024, up from 13.3 years the previous year.

The report stresses the limited number of electric vehicles which it estimat-

Toll resistance

BATTERY POWERED: But EVs are being shunned

ed at only 0.63% of all cars, though that is predicted to rise to 4% by 2029.

has

models.

Ancera general-secretary, Carlos Martin, said: “The latest report shows that more than 60% of the fleet is more than 11 years old and 99% of the vehicles in circulation have combustion engines.

BUSINESS

Spaced out

SPAIN'S space technology sector has received a €70 million boost thanks to the EU’s Covid-19 recovery fund.

The Ministry of Science will allocate the cash and has asked for companies to make bids. It will hand out €30 million to projects to develop new products, processes or services to improve the production capacity of space systems like those that send satellites into orbit.

The remaining money will go to projects to improve existing space technologies, focusing on those with 'high disruptive potential'.

Science minister Diana Morant said the government was supporting space technology as it is a chance to pursue new opportunities and to secure Spain's independence in the field.

also have the ability to charge tolls on private vehicles.

The survey found that 51% of drivers are not willing to pay a charge to use their own car, with the percentage rising to 55% among those under 35 years of age.

Instead, 72% of people would change the way they move around a city, mainly by using public transport.

This figure conflicts with government estimates of EVs making up 4.4% of the carpool, with hybrids adding another 4.5%. Despite an increase in registrations towards the end of 2023 and the beginning of 2024, Ancera says new car purchases have fallen by 0.3% so far this year. - again a conflict, with the government saying sales rose 3.3% in the first quarter of the year.

The report suggests that 45% of vehicles on Spanish roads are more than 15 years old and are likely to emit more pollutants than newer

“Although almost 94% of the fleet continues to be petrol and diesel, the volume of hybrids and, to a lesser extent, electric vehicles is expected to increase in the coming years," Martin predicted. Ancera has called on promoting policies and measures to coax motorists to switch to a less-polluting car and a greater use of sustainable technology.

META PROBE

Social media child safety investigation launched by EU

THE European Union will probe social media giant Meta for alleged breaches of its online content law applying to children.

The European Commission said that it is investigating whether the Facebook and Instagram platforms ‘stimulate behavioural addictions in children’.

The commission added it is concerned about age verifications on Meta’s sites, as well as privacy risks linked to the company’s recommendation algorithms.

The great divide

ANDALUCIA and Alicante province dominate in a Top 10 list of Spain's poorest municipalities with populations of 50,000 and over.

The two areas account for seven placings led by El Ejido in Almeria with an annual average income of €13,066 - putting it top of the national impoverished list.

The figures have been compiled by the Foundation for Applied Economics Studies (Fedea).

It analysed the average personal income of 1,207 towns and cities plus income tax returns from 2017 and 2018.

The three other featured Andalucian municipalities are Sanlucar de Barrameda in Cadiz,

By Alex Trelinski

The probe has been launched after a preliminary analysis of a risk assessment report supplied by Meta last September.

Thierry Breton, the EU’s commissioner for internal market, said that it is ‘not convinced that Meta has done enough to comply with rules to mitigate the risks of negative effects to the physical and mental health of young Europeans on its platforms’. He added that it was a ‘mat-

ter of priority’ to carry out an investigation into Meta’s child protection measures.

A Meta spokesperson said: “We want young people to have safe, age-appropriate experiences online and have spent a decade developing more than 50 tools and policies designed to protect them.

“This is a challenge the whole industry is facing, and we look forward to sharing details of our work with the European Commission.”

The Commission has the power to impose interim measures on Meta and will also study changes made by the company to remedy its concerns.

STRIKE THREAT

SECURITY staff at Alicante-Elche airport are threatening a series of partial strikes during the summer peak season in a dispute over working conditions.

The CSIF union staged partial walkouts leading up to Easter but airport operator Aena claimed that disruption was minimal, with the only visible sign being longer queues into the security check zone.

The CSIF warned that if progress is not made to resolve their demands, the strikes will restart at the end of June and run until September 1.

spotted flying above Spain and parts of Portugal after entering the Earth’s atmosphere at more than 160,000km/hr. The Calar Alto Observatory in Gergal, Almeria, confirmed the passing of the ‘meteor’ in the early hours of May 19.

Alien

The scientific outpost said the ‘very large fireball’ crossed the skies of both Spain and Portugal at around 12.46am. The alien object was also detected by several other observatories, including in Toledo, Huelva, Sierra Nevada in Granada, Sevilla and Tarragona. Experts later confirmed the huge piece of rock had likely broken off from a comet.

TORREVIEJA'S long-running war against illegal street sellers goes up an extra notch this summer with buyers set to be collared by plain-clothed police officers. Fines of up to €200 will be dished out to purchasers in yet another bid to remove the hawkers from city promenades. Besides not having a sales license, many of the goods on offer are fakes, with legitimate traders complaining about the cut-price counterfeits.

Torrevieja mayor Eduardo Dolon would not go into much detail about the new push against the vendors who have been around for decades.

Previous attempts to quash illegal selling have resulted in fights between the police and hawkers.

Fines were threatened last summer to little effect and despite police vehicles parked close by to sales points, the sellers carried on as normal as police took little or no action.

Utrera in Sevilla and Motril in Granada. In Alicante province, Orihuela, Torrevieja, and Elda are all included as well as Lorca in the Murcia region. Madrid, Barcelona and Palma de Mallorca lead the ranking of the richest cities in Spain, followed by Valencia and Sevilla.

A HUGE fireball

been

FOOD,DRINK & TRAVEL

Yzabelle

CEvery year you want to visit Cordoba’s Festival of Patios but are they worth it?

Bostyn finds out…

OMING from Esteponadubbed as the Costa’s ‘Garden City’ , I wasn’t sure Cordoba could beat my fl ower-laden hometown.

But the city overwhelmed me with its beautiful patios, rich history and delicious food - and yes, the fragrant displays of fl owers more than matched Estepona’s fl oral attractions.

This is hardly surprising as the Cordoba Patio Festival was declared an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity site by UNESCO in 2012.

For just one week every year, Cordoban families open up their homes to share their patios with the world.

Thousands of tourists fl ock to the city, eager to explore courtyards battling it out to be crowned the most beautiful in the historic city.

Some 52 took part in this year’s competition, alongside 12 non competitive entries.

Safe havens amongst the hustle of the city, these patios offer a quiet, green oasis for local residents for the other 51 weeks of the year, once the gawping visitors have gone back home.

Each has its own distinctive look and feel, with different prizes awarded for best patio, modern architecture and traditional architecture.

Here I give my impressions on this year’s winning patios.

By Yzabelle Bostyn

BEST PATIO: MARROQUIES,

6

What better place to pop the question than in Cordoba’s prettiest patio?

For one prospective groom, the hordes of people streaming through the winning locale did not matter, as he got down one knee amongst the bougainvillea and overflowing flower pots.

Such a beautiful moment was befitting of the patio, a complex of multiple houses and workshops brought together by their cobbled paths, floral arches and bright blue doors. Every corner, alleyway and porch was filled to the brim with plants, water features and ceramic arts, lending the patio a typically Andalucian charm. Marroquies, 6 was also home to many tiny workshops selling ceramics, soap and magnets, showing the tiny barrio’s entrepreneurship.

MODERN ARCHITECTURE: PASTORA, 2

Although much smaller than the overall winner, Pastora, 2 was just as full of charm.

Quick Crossword

Across: 6 Writ, 7 At large, 9 Adoption, 10 Find, 11 Inuit, 12 Medical, 14 Beggars, 16 Plush, 18 Trot, 20 Fair game, 21 Linseed, 22 Tall.

Down: 1 Credence, 2 Stepping stone, 3 Vapid, 4 Traffic lights, 5 Jean, 8 Lunge, 12 Mrs, 13 Assemble, 15 Rifle, 17 Wilde, 19 Roll.

Each wall was covered in Cordoba’s typical blue pots, with unique touches such as the Andalucian plates, a fountain decorated with the Virgin Mary and other religious imagery.

But what really stood out in this patio were the fl owers.

The perfectly curated blooms and the huge orchids particularly caught my eye.

And as I left the patio, I made sure to tell the owner how wonder-

TINTE, 9

ful his fl owers were, provoking a huge smile, beaming with pride.

I also dropped a euro or two in the donation box as I left as it is customary to support your favourites.

FLOWER POWER

MARROQUIES,

TRADITIONAL

ARCHITECTURE: TINTE, 9

Even smaller still was Tinte, 9. Depending on the size of the patio, only a select number of people are allowed in at one time and this was by far the longest queue I waited in all weekend. However, it was defi nitely worth the wait.

As soon as you enter the patio, you are greeted with an explosion of colour, from the hundreds of plant pots lining the walls to the lemon tree nestled in a corner.

With various levels, stairs and balconies, each nook and cranny seemed to fi t a sprawling plant, making the tiny house feel like a jungle hideaway.

Aside from the three winners, there are dozens of secret gardens tucked away throughout the city.

PASTORA, 2

I spent two days in Cordoba discovering the patios and still only managed to see half. This is partly due to just how tiring it is to run from patio to patio, but also because they open between 11am to 2pm and then from 6pm to 10pm.

Needless to say, I was enchanted and will happily return again next year to tick off all 52.

O P LIVE RESS

Millennial saint

A BRIT born to Spanish parents in Manchester could become the first British saint of the 21st century after his diocese sent the pope a request for canonisation following his death from cancer.

Swift to anger

TAYLOR Swift created some Bad Blood with locals in Madrid after 100 mammoth trailers for her concert caused a series of roads to be cut off, disrupting people’s morning and afternoon work commutes.

Cruz win

THE Sun caused a few raised eyebrows in Spain after it ranked the country’s 10 best beers and announced the cheap Cruzcampo from Andalucia as the best.

THE unusual sight of surfing dogs greeted Cantabria beach-goers this month when pooches of all shapes and sizes showed off their prowess in Bay of Biscay waters.

La Concha beach at Suances hosted the 3rd European DingoNatura Dog Surf Championships over two days. The pooches didn't go solo but had their adult partners to guide them through the

Pooches take to the waves in unique surfing championship

By Alex Trelinski

waves as dozens of spectators looked on.

The overall winners were Koa and Juan Manuel Santiago (below).

The Cantabrian Surfing Fed-

BOARD PATROL

eration divided the furry competitors into different categories based on their size and experience, ensuring a fair and exciting competition. Dogs were judged on various criteria, including their ability to balance on the surfboard, their confidence on

dogs is spreading. “It is a celebration of the special bond between dogs and their owners. Many participants highlighted how training for the event had strengthened their relationship with their pets.” Spectators enjoyed a festive atmosphere with various activities, including pet-friendly stalls, educational workshops on dog training and surfing, and interactive games. the water, and the style of their surfing maneuvers. This year's championship saw a record number of participants, with over 50 dogs taking part, ranging from seasoned surfing dogs to enthusiastic newcomers.

Organiser, Michael Calvo, said: “It is great to see more people taking part in this beautiful sport. Little by little, surfing with

TWO Galician farmers admitted making 10,000 litres of bogus hand gel out of brandy on their chicken farm, which was sold to hospitals and pharmacies in the early days of the Covid pandemic.

Prosecutors wanted the men from A Coruña jailed for nine years, but they took a plea deal where they each were

AN American expat made a friend during her afternoon coffee after a parrot took up residence on her head. Michele Jordan and her husband were enjoying an afternoon coffee in Estepona when a parrot flew up to their table. The ‘friendly’ bird ‘stayed quite a while’ with the couple, even hopping on Michele’s head. Even when the pair set off on a walk around town, the small grey parrot continued to follow them.

She posted the incident on social media, in hopes of finding the owner.

Luckily, the owner, a local Spanish lady, swooped in and claimed the bird. According to the owner’s Facebook page, she had reported the parrot missing over a week earlier.

She said: “I’m begging whoever finds him to return him to me, it would be very noble.”

fined

€17,520 and given twoyear suspended sentences. They started making the fake gel in April 2020 with the important alcohol component being brandy. The con was exposed after pharmacies complained about labels without an expiration date, barcode, lot number or even the name of a manufacturer.