Olive Press Costa Blanca South and Murcia Issue 82

WRAP UP WELL!

SNOW is likely in some areas of the Valencia and Murcia regions, with storms and hail also on the way.

Snow is forecast for areas above altitudes of 300 to 600 metres as the country as a whole is due to see several days of even lower temperatures than those it is already experiencing.

The chill blast is thanks to a weather front moving in from the Atlantic and a storm named Hannelore.

The mercury plummeted in the first few weeks of the year thanks to storms Gerard and Fien, with conditions expected to get warmer.

But the situation has changed, according to the AEMET state meteorological agency, and the thermometers will not rise until the end of this week.

Cold air

Monday night saw temperatures as low as -13ºC in Cerler, in the Spanish Pyrenees, and -18ºC on Aneto, which is the highest peak in the same mountain range.

The cold air that is passing over the Iberian peninsula, however, has very little humidity, meaning that snow is unlikely in most parts of Spain.

Rain is forecast on the Balearic Islands, which will fall as snow at altitudes of above 500 metres. Particularly heavy showers are also likely in the north of the island of Mallorca, according to Spanish press reports.

Serious

CARNIVAL TIME!

TORREVIEJA’S carnival celebrations start tomorrow (Friday) but visitors to Madrid got a sneak preview last week.

It’s regarded as one of Spain’s best carnivals and some of the participants took to the capital’s streets to coincide with the Fitur tourism fair.

The Torrevieja festivities begin tomorrow night with an official proclamation at the Municipal Theatre, which will also screen a video of last year’s highlights.

On February 4, the theatre will host the ever-popular National Drag Queen competition with €1,500 going to the winner.

The city’s Parque de Las Naciones will be the venue the following day for the pet carnival parade from noon.

The Grand Carnival Parade is on February 12 with dozens of floats travelling through the city centre.

The Night Parade on February 18 starts at the same spot at 6pm, and the carnival ends the next day with the National Competition of Chirigotas and Comparsas at the Municipal Theatre.

Critical care

Private hospitals and overtime being offered for weekend ops as waiting lists soar and ‘chaos’ returns to Torrevieja

PATIENTS waiting for elective surgery in Alicante are being increasingly referred to private operators to reduce the backlog of operations.

Provincial budgets for private hospital operations have been raised this year to €22 million - up €7 million on 2022.

The rise comes after private referrals rose by 30% compared to 2021, leaving 23,733 people waiting for an operation as of January 1.

The total is 25% higher than in 2020 - the first year of the Covid pandemic - and a quarter of the patients have been waiting for over six months. Health has once again become a critical issue with doctors in the Valencian Community warning that emergency wards have become ‘saturated’ with patients not being seen by primary care units.

The regional president of the Society of Emergency Medicine, Javier Millan, told the Olive Press: “On some

By Alex Trelinski

days we are getting an increased workload of up to 40%.”

Valencia’s Health Ministry pointed out that surgical waiting times do not apply to emergencies, and any other non-delayable procedures, such as cancer.

Surgery

Traumatology, General Surgery, and Ophthalmology procedures account for over two-thirds of those currently waiting.

The longest delays of up to 15 months are for hip and knee surgeries in Alicante, Alcoy, and Elche.

Besides paying private hospitals to take patients, overtime is being offered to staff to carry out procedures at weekends and evenings.

The amount of out-of-hours evening

surgeries already went up by over 60% last year.

Controversy meanwhile, has contin-

LONG WAITS: at Alicante, Alcoy and Elche hospitals are being tackled with million of euros more for private surgery

ued over the running of Torrevieja Hospital, which returned to public management in October 2021.

It has seen a big rise in emergency waiting times and for elective surgeries since then and there has been considerable criticism in recent weeks with accusations of ‘chaos’.

While the current funding did not affect waiting times for emergency departments, one woman in Orihuela said she waited more than nine hours at Torrevieja hospital for her son’s broken arm to be checked.

The British expat mother gave up and

paid €250 at Quiron private hospital, where her son was immediately checked and his arm put in plaster. “I would pay every time for a private service because the public system just doesn’t work,” she said. Torrevieja’s ‘Excellent Health Platform’ claimed that there had been ‘an obvious fall in health services in Torrevieja at the end of 2022’.

Platform president, Maria del Carmen Matteo, said: “The lack of staff in key positions, be it surgeons or emergency doctors, has created situations that we’ve never seen before.

“Somebody in the Valencian government should assume responsibility immediately as what is happening in Torrevieja is unsustainable,” she added.

Private contractor Ribera Salud, which previously ran Torrevieja, faces a similar removal from the Marina Alta health department, which includes Denia Hospital.

The Valencian government has to give a one-year notice of the termination of their contract with Ribera, which is scheduled to end on January 31, 2024.

Air dispute

AIR traffic controllers will strike at Alicante-Elche and Murcia airports on January 30, as well as February 6, 13, 20, and 27.

No dining

PLANS for a new restaurant in Cabo de Palos overlooking Cala Salero have been rejected by the Murcia government for environmental reasons after many objections.

Market return

ORIHUELA’ City’s popular Medieval Market returns next month after a two-year gap caused by the pandemic. The market - one of Spain’s biggest - will run between February 3 and 5.

Homeless help

THE Cruz Roja has stepped up help for homeless people during the current cold snap in cities including Alicante, Cartagena, and Murcia. Extra blankets and food are being provided in addition to extra beds in overnight shelters.

FOUR men have been arrested after a spate of home robberies in the Entre Naranjos urbanisation in Orihuela.

The area is largely populated by British and other foreign residents.

Break-in reports leapt up last month with the gang using cards to slip front door locks

Urb thieves

or simply smashing through doors and windows.

The Guardia Civil and Orihuela Policia Local pooled resources to catch the men who were spotted in a vehicle on the urbanisation after robbing a home.

CALLOUS crooks that stole from elderly people who made cash withdrawals have been arrested.

Operation Mugger was launched after a victim was robbed outside a bank in Betera. Police say two gang members ramped up bank surveillance on pension collection days to identify possible targets.

The elderly bank user would be distracted by somebody seeking information while a col-

Pension thieves

league then snatched the cash. The criminals operated in Valencia Province in Buñol, Betera, Riola, and Valencia City, plus Burriana in Castellon Province, and further south in the Murcia region.

Two Colombian nationals have been detained and arrest warrants issued against two others.

Evil monsters

AN EVIL gang that drugged and raped vulnerable teen girls has been brought to justice after a victim’s mum turned detective to track her daughter down.

Teen girls drugged and raped by up to 15 men in week long ordeal

By Alex Trelinski

Police have arrested three men in Gandia and Murcia accused of plying two girls aged 14 and 16 with narcotics and then sexually assaulting them over the course of a week at a Gandia property.

Poisonous workplace

Investigators believe the youngsters may have been raped by up to 15 men. The mother of one of the victims pretended to be a child to meet one of the gang at the

WHEEL OF FORTUNE

A ROULETTE wheel game in a gambling saloon was tampered with to pay out €50,000 in five days.

The ringleader of the fraudsters smuggled in a battery drill in a shoulder bag to make a hole in the roulette dome on the gaming table in the Aguilas business.

A wire was then shoved down the hole to ensure that winning numbers were guaranteed.

Seven people - all in their twenties and from Aguilas - have been arrest-

ed by the Guardia Civil. Two of the detainees had police records for similar crimes.

railway station. She found out where the youngsters were staying, and passed on the details to the Guardia Civil who raided the property and rescued the girls. But their abusers had disappeared.

Operation Alike was launched

in June after a report was received that two children had disappeared from a juvenile centre where they were living. The girls stayed for a week in Gandia in a property where the men were squatting. They were given psychotropic substances with a string of men visiting the house to sexually abuse them.

Abusers

Two of the abusers - aged 37 and 50 - of undisclosed nationalities, were finally tracked down and arrested in late October.

A 20-year-old man was detained in Murcia the following month, but details of the operation were kept secret until now. A 43-year-old inmate at Picassent prison is also being investigated.

A 51-year-old man has been charged with attempted murder after poisoning a co-worker at an Elche metal factory. He poured ammonia and solvent into a water bottle that had his colleague’s name on it. The perpetrator was quickly identified after police learned he had argued over work matters with the victim and openly threatened to kill him. The metal factory manager and staff said the worker began to feel unwell after sipping the concocted potion and was kept in hospital for several days.

HOT PURSUIT

POLICE officers caught two men after chasing them across fields following a Villafranqueza finca robbery. The burglars were surprised by the homeowner who phoned the police.

SHE has lived through two world wars, a bloody civil war, the Spanish Flu pandemic that killed millions and even pulled through unscathed when she caught Covid. Now Maria Branyas Morera has taken the title of the oldest living person at the ripe age of 115.

Maria, who lives in Catalunya, has inherited the accolade

THE GREAT SURVIVOR

following the death of French nun Lucile Randon, who was 118 when she recently died in her sleep in a nursing home in her native Toulon.

Maria was born on April 4, 1907 in San Francisco. She returned to Spain in 1914 with the rest of her Catalan family, and has been living in the Tura d’Olot senior home for several years.

In 2020, she contracted Covid-19 at the age of 113, but overcame the illness.

The second oldest person in the world currently is Fusa Tatsumi from Japan, who is also 115.

Flamenco fashion

IF you are looking to update your flamenco look for this year’s ferias, head for Sevilla.

WHEN the Spanish tabloids’ golden couple Gerard Pique and Shakira split up, it seemed that everything was being settled amicably.

The Colombian songstress released a song, Monoto ny, whose lyrics and video conveyed heartbreak. But barely two months later, the dominant emotion in new track Session 53 is undiluted vengeance. She takes aim at the ex Bar celona and Spain footballer and his new girlfriend Clara Chia and lets fly with both barrels.

The devastating lyrics include lines such as: ‘I was out of your league, that’s why you’re with someone just like you.’ And she follows up with ‘You left me with your mum as a neighbour, the press at my door and a debt with Hacienda’.

The latter is a reference to Shakira’s ongoing

Musical vengeance

SCORN: Shakira’s new song but Pique doesn’t seem to mind

By Simon Hunter

battles with the Spanish Tax Agency, which is taking her to court on allegations that she evaded €14.5 million in taxes by claiming she was not living in Spain.

But some of the most barbed lines of the song are reserved for Pique’s girlfriend, with

(Very) Material Girl

DUST down your wallets, Madonna is coming to Spain. The American superstar has announced she will make an appearance at Barcelona’s Palau Sant Jordi on November 1 as part of her Celebrations world tour. But fans had better be prepared to pay for the privilege of seeing her perform - a VIP deal will cost €900 plus a €120 handling charge for The Immaculate Package, or €400 plus a €53 handling charge for the Gold Circle Early Entry Package.

Normal tickets cost an eye-watering €300 plus €40 handling charge for the best spots. The cheapest are a more manageable €40 plus €5.50 (binoculars not included).

Shakira singing ‘You swapped a Ferrari for a Twingo, you swapped a Rolex for a Casio’.

CAN YOU SEE ME? THEN SO CAN ALL OUR READERS

Pique himself seems to have taken the attack in good heart - a few days after the song’s release he turned up at an event driving a Twingo and wearing a Casio watch.

End

The relationship between Shakira and Pique came to an end in June, and when the custody agreement over their two sons, Milan, 9, and Sasha, 7, was announced in November, that was the definitive end to their 12-year relationship. Shakira is due to move from Barcelona to Miami with her children, while Pique has been granted generous visitation rights.

Ana and Oscar

The 28th edition of International Flamenco Fashion Week (SIMOF) takes place in the Andalucian city from January 26 to 29, at the Conference and Exhibition Centre (FIBES).

More than 1,800 costumes from over 90 flamenco fashion design houses will be shown in 54 catwalk parades, with a total 50,000 spectators expected.

RISING Spanish-Cuban star and your dad’s favourite actress Ana de Armas has scored her first Oscar nomination in this year’s Academy Awards.

The Bond girl is in the running for Best Actress as the only Latina considered for an acting gong this year.

She received the nod for portraying the original blonde bombshell Marilyn Monroe in the biopic Blonde

The 34-year-old started her career in her native Cuba, but moved to Madrid at the age of 18 to star in the popular drama El Internado

De Armas will vie with two-time Oscar winner Cate Blanchett for the golden statuette at the ceremony on March 13.

YOUNG: Maria (left) with family

Revenge is a dish best served hot for Shakira...but beware of your supercool ex

Foreign attraction

TORREVIEJA and Orihuela are Alicante Province’s top areas for foreign property buyers.

Figures for the first nine months of 2022 from the Valencia region Notary Association show the two municipalities accounted for over a third of all overseas home deals in the province.

Torrevieja recorded 4,854 foreign sales between January and September - up 96% on the same period in 2021, when the pandemic severely depressed the market.

Crucially the total was 57% more than in the pre-pandemic year of 2019.

The largest group of overseas buyers came from Sweden (787) followed by Germany (484).

Orihuela mirrored Torrevieja's big rise - 85% more than in 2021, and a 53% increase on 2019’s foreign sales.

In contrast to its neighbouring municipality, British purchasers dominated with 823, followed by Belgians on 504.

Health call

OVER 3,000 Los Alcazares residents have signed a petition demanding a 24-hour emergency health service.

Mayor Mario Perez said: “This is not a whim but a necessity since we have a population of over 15,000 people which meets the criteria to get a Primary Care emergency service.”

Los Alcazares residents have to go to health centres in San Javier or Torre Pacheco to get out-ofhours medical care.

The petition will be sent to Murcia’s Health Ministry and signatures are being collected in the health department on the town hall first floor.

CHOPPY WATERS

Shocking death

IBERDROLA’S power distribution division has been fined €68,667 after a griffon vulture was electrocuted on a Valen cia Province power line where safety standards had not been met.

The penalty was imposed by the Valencian Community's Ministry of Agriculture.

The incident happened in 2021 and Valencia conservation and nature group Adensva says it's the first time that Iberdrola has been sanctioned over an electrocuted animal for nine years in the region despite there having been 2,500 fatal electrocutions of wildlife in the period.

PARK AT LAST!

BULLDOZERS have started clearing land on a Torrevieja urbanisation as a €4.1 million project kicked-off to create a park and sports area.

The 44,000 m2 Parque La Siesta will be close to the entrance to the San Luis urbanisation, just off the CV-905 roundabout.

A park should have been built in the late 80s as part of the urbanisation construction plan.

But the developer did nothing and Torrevieja council at the time ignored demands for a green area.

Construction nearly started in 2015 but was stopped due to contractual issues.

The park will include a range of sports facilities like a skateboard and BMX track, as well as paddle tennis and petanque courts plus skating and hockey rinks.

There'll be a dog agility area and a calisthenics zone, along with a picnic area and an amphitheatre to host live entertainment.

PLUGGING THE LEAKS

Hundreds of millions more approved to stop flooding four years after killer storm

THE government has approved a €343 million investment over the next five years to reduce the risk of flooding in the Vega Baja.

Parts of the area were devastated by floods in September 2019 caused by high levels of the river Segura, with drainage channels unable to cope with the excess water.

Seven people died and 3,500 were evacuated after three days of torrential rain which caused €2 billion of damage.

Now 11 projects will be carried

Levi ‘kidnapped by Brits’

FORMER X-Factor star Levi Davis was ‘kidnapped off the streets’ of Barcelona by a British gang, believes his family. His mother Julie claims a private investigator received an anonymous tip that her son (above) had got into a dispute with criminals two years ago while playing rugby for Ealing, in London, in 2020.

He was last seen outside the Old Irish Pub on October 29 - while a signal on his phone was last detected the next morning at Barcelona’s Sants Estacio train station.

“We desperately need to know more because this could change the whole nature of the investigation,” Julie told the Olive Press.

Cagey

She added the tipster was ‘very cagey’.

“I do know of some difficulties he had with some people who showed up to his flat in Ealing but don't know what the disagreement was about or how serious it was,” she added.

Police found his passport in Barcelona port in September - but no other clue has been uncovered since.

By Alex Trelinski

out as part of a flood prevention plan to reduce water levels during periods of heavy rainfall.

Work will include improving defences in the Rambla de Abanilla and its connection with the river Segura as well increasing its overflow capacity into the Santomera reservoir.

Flooding in the Orihuela area in 2019 was caused by the Rambla

FATAL SHOT

A

one of his pieces discharged accidentally. Concerned relatives contacted the police to say they had no contact with the man for some time. He lived on the Gran Alacant urbanisation and officers who broke into his villa discovered his body.

ALICANTE residents are urging local authorities to crack down on rogue jet skiers with beachgoers reporting multiple incidents, even witnessing one rider zip through the shallow waters and crash on the sand.

British expatriate Peter Brown, who lives in Calpe, between Javea and Benidorm, said he’s visited the Costa Blanca beach town for the past 30 years and always looked forward to seeing dolphins. Instead, the 73-year-old from Brighton said the wonderful sea animals no longer grace the waters off the coastal town since ‘rogue jet skis’ started to take over.

“The quiet of the sea is totally dominated by these relatively new, but growing menaces,” Brown told the Olive Press “They’re often in groups, showing no respect for others enjoying the Mediterranean.”

The retired ecologist who has called Calpe home since 2019 said he’s seen multiple incidents of jet skiers ‘bullying and intimidating’ swimmers at Puerto Blanco beach.

de Abanilla drainage channel unable to cope with the stormwater. Some €107 million will be spent on annual flood prevention measures including the maintenance of riverbeds, the clearance of channels, and removal of sediments.

An additional €80 million is allocated to create lamination zones and dykes in the Sierra de Albatera, Crevillente, Orihuela, and Callosa de Segura to prevent flooding. A stormwater storage area will also be set up to serve Pilar de la Horadada and San Pedro del Pinatar.

This comes on top of €42.9 million allocated by the Valencia regional government for 2023. Since the September 2019 floods, projects and investments totalling €97.1 million have been executed - of which €70.5 million was allocated to emergency and repair work.

The Davis family is offering €11,500 to anyone who could find Levi.

Police said their investigation was still ‘open and ongoing’.

Movie move

A NEW Valencia Film Commission will coordinate with provincial and municipal film offices to attract big productions to the Valencian Community.

“I’ve witnessed an elderly man in his canoe being repeatedly, virtually attacked by two jet skiers,” Brown said.

“Just this summer a jet ski sped right through buoys and came right up onto the beach and had an argument with the lifeguard.

“As an avid swimmer myself, I’ve feared for my own life a few times, as I know others have done.

“They do things out there at sea you would never get away with on land.”

LEGAL checks have now been completed on a deal to allow British expats whose licences have expired back on the road.

An embassy update confirmed that ‘checks have now been completed on both sides’.

No legal issues! U-T URN N O !W

It added the final step to sign the international treaty ‘are now underway’ and it will be ‘very soon’. Once the deal has been published in Spain’s official bulletin (BOE), residents who hold UK licences will finally be able to get back on the roads.

SNAKE EYES

A GIANT snake can see clearly now after a team of vets sorted out his eyesight issues at Benidorm’s Terra Natura.

It took five people to carry Valencia, a 14-year-old Indian python weighing 29 kilos and over 3.5 metres long, into the vet surgery. There it was found that a mouth infection was causing the problem. Once he got some anaesthetic, a drain removed pus that caused the infection before he was treated with ointment and antibiotics, ahead of making a full recovery.

The move has been spurred on by last year’s reopening of Alicante’s Ciudad de Luz film studios.

An agreement has been signed with the Alicante complex - the largest in Europe - but it is not known where the Commission will be based and what staffing it will have. It will be affiliated to Spain’s Film Commission and one of its functions will be to entice film and television productions into the Valencia region. It will also liaise with individual councils about location shoots happening in their areas.

62-year old antique weapons collector died in Santa Pola after

Voted top expat paper in Spain OPINION

Too much of

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.

Inspiration needed

WAITING lists for elective surgeries have inevitably stretched due to the impact of the Covid pandemic, when for a time health provision seemed to be just about one thing.

Unsurprisingly, the cumulative effect of delays on both consultations, treatments and operations have come home to roost.

The Valencian Community has - according to its own figures - people waiting up to 18 months for procedures like hip and knee surgeries.

They may seem minor to some bean counter but if you suffer such ailments, it's a serious problem, no matter what else anybody else says.

It's got to the stage of some patients being sent to private hospitals to ease waiting lists as medical staff cannot cope.

Unions say more doctors are needed as there’s a shortfall right across the system from local GPs through to consultants.

Money can talk though and administrators are offering overtime payments for staff to do weekend and evening operations.

That’s worrying as medical teams repeatedly report stress and being overworked.

What happens if there's a fatal error in the operating theatre because somebody has clocked up far too many hours but desperately needs some extra money?

It appears to be papering over the cracks when the only realistic answer is to employ more people and reward them well for their endeavours.

Spain’s health service is lauded with praise in international surveys that put it among the best.

But there appears to be no sustainable plan to lance the boil of waiting lists, much to the frustration of both medics and patients.

Even in a year of elections where you’d expect to hear some fresh ideas, the politicians appear to be bereft of inspiration to solve this crucial issue.

PUBLISHER / EDITOR

Jon Clarke, jon@theolivepress.es

Dilip Kuner dilip@theolivepress.es

Anthony Piovesan anthony@theolivepress.es

Jo Chipchase jo@theolivepress.es

John Culatto

ADMIN Sandra Aviles Diaz (+34) 951 273 575 admin@ theolivepress.es

ETIAS

TRAVEL TRIBULATION

Confusion reigns over new ETIAS visa requirements for Brits entering Spain

By Walter Finch

NEW travel requirements for entering Spain have sparked confusion over who it affects and when they actually start.

The introduction of the new ETIAS regime, as it is known, will complicate the visa-free entry to the EU Brits have enjoyed since freedom of movement ended in 2020.

Initially it was feared the system came in this month, prompting confusion among travellers about what they needed to comply with.

But last week, the EU confirmed that ETIAS (European Travel Information and Authorisation System) would not come into effect until ‘later in the year’.

Initially insisting May, the European Commission’s Department for Migration and Home Affairs now states it will not start until November.

Permission

IT was described as ‘the first and only solar extracting and pumping station in Europe’ and, from the moment it was operational, it was a game-changer.

The village of Godelleta was rightfully proud when it was selected in 2016 as the trial site for an innovative sun-powered system to pump and distribute water for irrigation.

The local agricultural community witnessed some remarkable improvements and, with water being used more efficiently, the citrus, olive, and vine yields improved and job opportunities increased as a result. Thanks to batteries, the pump systems were able to operate at night and even on cloudy days, and, by reducing the village’s reliance on non-renewable energy sources, carbon emissions were reduced. It was a win-win scenario . . . until now.

The electricity powers a control panel and pump, sunk into a water source, which could be anything from a river to a well.

Water is then transported along a ditch or pipe, or, in Godelleta’s case, an ancient system of acequias (canals) first installed by the Moors.

The plan is to increase the number of solar panels to 91,000

The delivery is preset depending on irrigation requirements – it might be drip method, full flow or half flow, for example. A timer, and water pressure, level and volume, can also be preset. Godelleta is perched on the flat table of land above the citrus farms some 40km from the city of Valencia, and below the olive groves and vineyards on the higher land to the west towards Cuenca.

The dynamics of a solar pumping system are both pioneering and simple. Photovoltaic panels convert sunlight into electricity.

The town’s farmers are able to produce the crops grown in both areas (oranges comprise 40% of the total, grapes another 40%, the rest dominated by olives and persimmon), and the solar extraction system has been able to handle the varying irrigation requirements. For the most part, the community has been happy with it, and proud to be a

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Carretera Nacional 340, km 144.5, Calle Espinosa 1, Edificio cc El Duque, planta primera, 29692, Sabinillas, Manilva

So for the time being, Brits are still allowed to enter any European Schengen area country with just their passport for up to three months within any six month period.

In November however, travellers will have to apply for special permission to enter the EU before boarding the plane or boat. For a fee of €7, travellers will undergo a form of security check that will monitor irregular migration or high epidemic risks posed by visa-exempt visitors to Schengen states.

The background check will be automated against EU information systems for borders and security and, it’s claimed, authorisation will be issued within minutes for most. As such, holidaymakers who forget to apply for an ETIAS - or aren’t even aware of it - will technically be able to apply while waiting to board the aeroplane.

However, if additional checks are required, this could take up to 96 hours, making it sensible to apply well in advance.

It’s important to stress that expat residents of Spain will not be required to hold an ETIAS, although it will be advisable to have residency documents to hand when boarding.

Once an ETIAS is acquired, it will be valid for three years, saving travellers the hassle of having to apply each and every time they travel.

A total of 60 countries will be subject to the new ETIAS regime, including the UK, USA, New Zealand and Australia.

Largest ever haul of baby eels, worth quarter of a million euros, puts fish smuggling under the microscope

By Dilip Kuner

THE recent arrest of two men trying to smuggle 190 kilos of baby eels (known as elvers or anguilla) through the port of Algeciras has once more thrown the spotlight of this unusual but highly lucrative illegal trade. Border agents were shocked to find coolboxes filled with the live baby glass eels - 192 kilos of them, worth an astounding €250,000 - in a car coming from Tangier.

It was the largest haul of the critically endangered species since their import was banned into the EU in 2010.

But their high value for the Asian market has encouraged a rise in criminal gangs flying them to the Far East. Many end up in China to be fattened and then sold on to other countries including Japan where they are a highly prized delicacy.

Spain - itself a major breeding ground for the glass eel - has become a hub for the illegal trade, with elvers ‘harvested’ from across Europe and Africa sent here for onward shipment to Asia.

The eels are carried by ‘mules’ on scheduled flights in specially adapted checked-in suitcases. It may sound like a crazy amateurish scheme, but the trade is worth millions.

The Olive Press has previ-

ously reported on the vast profits, with one man convicted of smuggling an estimated €62 million worth of baby eels from Spain to East Asia via the UK. Gilbert Khoo (pictured bragging about his wealth by showing two gold bars), 67, from Surrey, was found guilty of six offences relating to the illegal importation.

UK Border Force officers found the European glass eels, concealed under a load of chilled fish at Heathrow Airport.

The live consignment, weighing around 200 kilos, had been transported from Spain to the UK in 2017 en route to Hong Kong. The creatures have since been returned to the wild.

As the ‘industrialisation’ of solar power becomes ever more controversial, Jack Gaioni looks at how one small farming community was grateful for the installation that helped them pump water round the fields more efficiently – until the company announced plans to expand it tenfold

Taking the strain

New train route will take 48,000 lorries off the road

SPAIN is to get a new rail ‘superhighway’ aimed at taking 48,000 lorries off the roads. At the moment just 5% of goods are moved by train, compared to the European average of 20%.

But that is set to change as a new rail service between Algeciras and Zaragoza is put into action.

The public-private project will see a 1,074-kilometre route operating between the city in Cadiz province, which is home to the country’s main port, and the capital of Aragon, which is set to become a national hub for logistics.

At the moment, the vast majority of goods arriving in Algeciras are hauled away by lorries. The new rail link will take 48,000 lorries off the roads annually on the routes north from the Anda-

From oil to biofuel

AN old oil refinery in Huelva has been converted to produce biofuels, capable of reducing CO2 emissions by 90%.

Cepsa says that the upgraded facility is now capable of producing a sustainable diesel fuel, called hydrobiodiesel, from vegetable oil, vegetable waste and animal fats not intended for human consumption (sandach).

The plant was originally made to remove sulphur from mineral oil.

By Simon Hunter

lucian port. This is expected to dramatically decrease pollution: the forecast is a reduction of 9,000 tons of CO2 emissions.

The plan is for three services to run daily in each direction. Each train will have capacity for 30 wagons, which will be loaded with shipping containers. The Spanish Cabinet has authorised contracts worth

€45.5 million to refurbish signage on two new routes of the conventional rail network, to prepare them for this new train highway. The lines between Ariza and

Calatayud, and Guadalajara and Ariza, will be the first to get a spruce up. The total investment for the project is expected to run to €85 million.

FARM TO FUEL

OIL giant Repsol is joining forces with agricultural organisation ASAJA to transform agricultural and livestock waste into renewable fuels. They will pool their expertise to search for ways to improve the management of agricultural and livestock by-products in rural and sparsely populated areas where logistics can be a major obstacle. Repsol will analyse the potential to use farming waste and slurry as raw materials to make renewable fuels.

And on the flip side, Repsol will examine the possibility of reuse of by-products from the refining industry as fertilisers to increase agricultural yield and productivity.

Berta Cabello, Repsol’s Director of Renewable Fuels, explained: “Agriculture and livestock are key sectors in Spain. At Repsol, we are working with them to develop the rural economy and transform the by-products of this activity into renewable and circular fuels and materials, which in turn can be reused in the sector.”

Net Zero by 2050….at what cost?

THE question in the headline is easy to answer…. a lot! There is much talk in the media about ‘Net Zero’.

Simply put, this is that when CO2 emissions and CO2 removals are equally balanced, we reach the Utopian state of Net Zero.

It’s simple science. The world is warming to dangerous levels pri-

marily because of CO2 emissions. Last year estimates from the United Nations indicated that emissions exceeded 35 billion tonnes. The amount being removed was less than 10% of this total.

Getting to Net Zero is a massive global challenge.

Currently nearly all the world’s CO2 removal occurs through natural pro-

cesses.

That’s primarily trees and plants taking the CO2 from the air and then soil absorbing it. There are limits to how much mother nature can do. Even with increasing the amount of planting that has been promised (and when

it comes to promises on environmental action they are consistently broken) it still only amounts to 4 billion tonnes of CO2 removal.

THE SOLUTION IS TECHNOLOGY

To reduce and restrict the rise in global temperatures enormous amounts of money have to be invested.

Developing new technologies does not come cheaply. Many of these solutions are being developed:

● Carbon capture

● Incorporating CO2 capture into biomass based electricity generation

● Developing specially treated charcoal (Biochar) that locks in carbon

So, there are options. And there’s the rub. Developed nations contin-

ue to talk the talk, and not walk the walk.

My own view is that there is a danger here with the talk of expensive solutions.

All this does is delay and defer the urgently needed action required to minimise the use of fossil fuels.

To date, emissions from fossil fuels have yet to start a downward trend. The facts speak for themselves.

When you look at the hard evidence, there can be only one conclusion…. we are failing to remove the threat for future generations.

Green Matters By Martin Tye

BIOCHAR: A method of locking carbon away

TRADE: Algeciras is Spain’s main port

STARS: of the show

Historic China

SPAIN will be the first place in the world to host an exhibition on the legacy of China's Qin and Han dynasties, after the communist country relaxed pandemic restrictions.

Alicante’s Archaeological Museum will host the display of over 150 items from March until January next year.

All exhibits have been loaned by nine Chinese mu seums.

Highlights will include nine warrior statues dug up in archaeological sites and an original terracotta horse. Alicante Provincial Coun cil's Julia Parra said: “The exhibition will become one of Spain's biggest cultural events of the year and will attract visitors from across the country.”

Flaming tradition

Horses ridden through fire as part of San Anton celebrations

By Dilip Kuner

A TRADITION where horses are spurred to leap through 20 flaming bonfires has been revived after a COVID break - and not everyone is happy.

Las Luminarias, which celebrates Spain’s patron saint of animals, San Anton, returned after the COVID-19

Eurovision time

BENIDORM will once again host the search to find Spain’s Eurovision Song Contest entry at the end of the month.

Benidorm Fest 2023 will stage the semi-finals on January 31 and February 2 at the Palacio de Deportes with the grand final on February 4. Tickets for all three nights were sold out within minutes of going on sale, with the event screened by TVE.

Some 18 singers and groups will fight it out to represent Spain in Liverpool this May.

After years of lacklustre entries, Spain moved to a festival format in Benidorm last year. The winner was SloMo sung by Chanel, which finished a very respectable third in Turin.

CRUEL?: No horses were hurt, claim participants

pandemic last year, but with pandemic restrictions still in force. This year the 200-year-old event saw 120 horses and donkeys going through the cobbled village streets of San Bartolome de Pinares, near Avila with no such restrictions.

The strange ritual is in memory of a devastating epidemic that wiped out a large part of the area’s cattle and horses. The bonfire smoke from bonfires is meant to drive away evil spirits. For an event that celebrates animal well-being, it has attracted controversy over the way the horses are treated.

The National Association for the Protection and Welfare

EYE OF THE STORM

A SPECIAL Ukranian art exhibition will be hosted in Madrid at the Thyssen-Bornemisza National Museum.

The exhibit In the Eye of the Storm: Modernism in Ukraine, 1900-1930s can also be visited through a virtual tour. Deputy Minister of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine Anastasia Bondar said one of the most important tasks for culture is to open national art to the whole world.

of Animals made its annual demand that horses should only pass by the bonfires to take in the ‘purifying’ smoke, rather than riding through them - a move backed by the town hall. But many of the riders ignore the official advice and charge through the flames.

Burned

Organisers said no horses were harmed during this year’s hour-long celebration. Precautions like clipping horse hair to avoid the animals being burned were also taken. Horse owners and riders had to be officially registered and take out civil-liability insurance.

OP QUICK CROSSWORD

“Exhibitions like this aim to show our art, unknown to the West, which embodies the difficult path of self-determination of Ukrainians, and on the other hand, prove the belonging and synchronization of Ukrainian art with the European context of those times,” she added. For more information, visit: www.museothyssen.org

1 Finger pointer (7)

3 Hindu religious teacher (5)

4 Delicate in meaning (6)

5 Restricted (7)

6 Kitchen tear-jerker? (5)

7 Cog (5)

13 Brutal bully (7)

15 Wrap up (7)

16 Nuns (7)

17 Counterfeit (6)

18 Temperamental (5)

19 Perplexed at the Greek letter (5)

21 Holy war (5)

THE vast majority of people are not doing enough to ward off dementia in later life.

A feared consequence of ageing the number of people expected to suffer from dementia is only set to rise.

Already an estimated 55 million people suffer from it, with more than 60% living in low and middle income countries.

As the proportion of older people increases in nearly every country, this figure is expected to rise to 78 million in 2030 and then 139 million by 2050, according to the WHO.

To remedy the problem Alzheimer’s Research UK has

SLEEP TO DEFEAT OLD AGE

Plus another 11 great tips to avoid joining the 55 million people currently with dementia

By Anthony Piovesan

composed a new 12-step checklist to help avoid getting the condition.

SLUMBER ISSUES

A SURVEY called ‘Sleep and Well-being’ claims 54% of people in Spain have mood swings caused by a lack of sleep.

It found that 39% of the population endure either poor or very poor quality sleep on a daily basis.

The research was jointly carried out by the Monica Duart Sleep Foundation and Castellon’s Jaume I University.

Sleep problems are hitting the whole of the population, regardless of age, with 36% of those surveyed admitting to daytime drowsiness.

“These research results are further evidence of the importance of sleep,” said Monica Duart.

“The lack of rest affects all parts of our lives from mental health to work performance,” she added.

Collaboration between the Sleep Foundation and the university started last year.

They are now both promoting rest and well-being, in addition to raising general awareness of sleeping problems. Over the next year, further analysis will be made over sleep quality and its implications on health.

The number one factor on the checklist is to get at least seven hours of sleep a night. This is the optimal amount of sleep for most adults, providing the most benefit for cognitive and mental health. Step two is to regularly challenge the brain - this could involve anything from frequently doing puzzles, or playing crosswords to learning a new language.

Third is to stay socially active, while the fourth step is to maintain mental well-being.

The fifth and sixth steps recommend people look after their hearing and eat a balanced diet.

Staying physically active comes next, while quitting smoking also helps.

The ninth step is drinking responsibly, while number 10 is keeping a healthy level of cholesterol.

To achieve this, eat oats, barley and other whole grains, as well as beans, eggplant and okra, nuts, vegetable

Þed

VITAL: A good seven hours solid sleep as a minimum have limited efficacy and are primarily labelled for Alzherimer’s disease. There are, however, numerous new treatments in various stages of clinical trials.

oils, apples, grapes, strawberries and citrus fruits. The final two steps are maintaining healthy blood pressure and managing diabetes. Although age is the strongest known risk factor for dementia, it is not an inevitable consequence of biological ageing.

Trials

It also does not exclusively affect older people - young onset dementia occurs when symptoms develop before the age of 65 and accounts for 9% of cases worldwide. There is currently no cure for dementia. There are anti-dementia medicines and disease-modifying therapies, but they

Calming influence

CHILDREN stressed out as they wait for surgery are being given Virtual Reality technology so they can relax and watch videos while in a strange environment.

Doctors at the Clinic de Valencia have turned to modern technology to not just keep kids entertained but also teach them more about what happens before an operation and techniques for easier breathing and relaxation.

Department head, Rafael Badenes, said: “When children undergo surgery, there are times when they feel uneasy being in a strange place. “At this time it is essential to offer them something that makes them feel more comfortable and enables them to forget where they are, as far as possible,” he added.

WHILE most Spanish supermarket chains stock a range of vegetarian and vegan products, one of the world’s cruelest luxury foods is now turning into an ethical, imitation product for discerning shoppers.

This latest foodie invention is a vegan foie gras, called Fuah, and it’s literally flying off the shelves.

Real foie gras is made from duck or goose liver and is controversial because the birds are usually tube-fed more than they would usually eat, to fatten their liver before slaughter.

In the UK, King Charles is reportedly banning the cruel product from royal estates, while California and New York also want to ban it.

In these more socially aware times, it is simply not something to serve visitors or friends concerned about animal welfare.

The vegan version is made by a start-up company in Madrid called Hello Foods and uses coconut oil, beetroot extract and lentil flour to create its Fuah

The company worked on the recipe for more than a year, revising it an incredible 800 times, it claims.

Within 12 hours of launch last month, the first 5,000 units sold

FAUX GRAS!

The Olive Press gets a thumbs up for the latest ethical meat substitute to hit the market, writes Jo Chipchase

out across Spain. When 30,000 more were distributed, these were also snapped up.

The product can be bought in specialist stores, online, and in Alcampo. The cost is €5.99 online and €8.99 in Alcampo.

In an Olive Press taste test at Bar Piki, in Canar, near Granada, over a dozen expats and Spanish gave it a thumbs up. Indeed, everyone who tried it liked it, and one young Spaniard was so enthusiastic he immediately bought some online.

“I really enjoyed the taste although I’ve never tried the real thing, it was super tasty and had a really nice creamy texture,” said fashion designer Freya Rogers, from Orgiva. “From an animal abuse point of view, this provides a good, cruelty free option.”

Maria Jose Moreno, added: “It’s years since I had real foie gras, but I remember the flavour well – creamy and tasty

and this is just as nice.”

Sorrell Badger, from Lanjaron, added: “I am pleasantly surprised. It is creamy and delicious and you get an attractive glass jar to keep when you’re finished.”

The only negative is it being unsuitable for people with nut or gluten allergies, so be sure to read the label first.

SUPER TROOPERS

The best superfoods to add to your diet in 2023 for that New Year New You feeling

Garlic

THE Indian ‘saffron’ has been hailed as a ‘wonder spice’ by medical experts for its anti-inflammatory benefits. But that’s not all. Curcumin, the active ingredient in turmeric, aids chronic pain, immunity and heart health and has anti-cancer properties. Sprinkle it in curries, add it to fresh juices or take it in supplement form.

GOOD news for expats, the Spanish favourite garlic is high on the superfood list because it is packed with allicin, a phytochemical which has numerous medicinal properties. It is also brilliant for fighting off most kinds of bad bacteria, viruses and fungi. So next time you have a cold, don’t reach for the Lemsip, stock up on cloves of the strong stuff. Experts say it’s best eaten raw but if cooking it, under 10 minutes is optimum time. Rub a clove on your toast in the morning (take breath pills to work) and enjoy it as pan con tomate, the traditional Andalucian breakfast.

Turmeric

NUTRIENT-DENSE and low in calories - it’s not hard to see why health experts love leafy greens like spinach, broccoli, cabbage, rocket and chard. They’re packed with benefits including vitamins A, C and K, folate, potassium, magnesium, calcium, iron, lutein, and fibre.

Kale has become the holy grail of superfoods but it’s not just a millennial fad. It’s one of the best detox foods you should incorporate in your diet this year. Studies have found that it helps prevent diseases like cancer and heart disease by lowering cholesterol and promoting liver and digestive health.

Leafy greens

Berries

SAUERKRAUT

WE’VE all heard about how good probiotics are for our gut.

Thanks to the fermentation process, Sauerkraut is one of the most probiotic-rich food available for digestive well-being.

Inflammation in the gut can lead to a range of problems such as decreased immunity, poor skin and, according to a number of studies, mood swings and mental health issues.

Sauerkraut - which originated in China more than 2,000 years ago - is a strong probiotic including vitamins B6, C, K, iron, and protein. It also boosts metabolism and contains fibre which keeps you regular and reduces risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

BERRIES are highly nutritious and low in calories, containing several vitamins and minerals but who knew strawberries were so high in vitamin C? Just one cup of the summer favourite provides a whopping 150% of the recommended daily intake. The darker the berry, the more nutrients. Blueberries are one superfood that all nutritionists agree are a diet staple, providing fibre-rich carbs which aid digestion and weight management. The blue fruit contains at least 15 different types of potent antioxidants that protect virtually every system in the body. Antioxidants prevent or delay damage to cells, tissues and muscles and are key in aiding cardiovascular and cerebral health and exercise recovery.

Bone broth

For anyone suffering with digestive problems, such as IBS, bone broth could be a brilliant addition to your diet this year.

As well as being high in calcium, magnesium and collagen, it aids digestion and heals gut inflammation, due to its high content of amino acids (such as cystine, histidine and glycine).

It also packs plenty of collagen which gives skin elasticity and keeps joints healthy to prevent arthritis.

ALONG-TIME UK favourite, wild salmon is rich in omega-3 fatty acids and much lower in toxins than farmed salmon.

Omega 3 is important as it reduces the risk of heart disease, while lowering cholesterol levels. It has also been linked to improved cognitive function and could help reduce risks for depression.

Wild salmon

It’s additionally loaded with B vitamins and amino acids which will reward you with glowing skin and good energy levels.

Quantum leap

THE first trial of ultra speedy 25G PON technology has successfully been trialled in Spain on Telefonica’s existing fibre network, Nokia announced. The trial demonstrated nose-bleed-inducing speeds of 20 gigabits per second - around 60 times faster than current highspeed internet.

Such speeds are considered necessary for some cutting edge cloud computing technology, as well as future applications such as Mark Zuckerberg’s Metaverse. Unfortunately 25G is not a five order jump in technology for 5G mobile networks; the two are separate technologies - 25G refers to home broadband.

ACCUSATIONS that the big four accounting firms were making their Spanish employees work 84 hour weeks triggered simultaneous surprise inspections by Spain’s labour ministry. The Madrid offices of PwC, KPMG, EY and Deloitte received visits from

Doesn’t add up

government inspectors investigating potentially abusive practices. The ministry said it was concerned about compliance with both labour

and social security law at the consulting giants. The big four host 20,000 employees in their Madrid skyscrapers, many of whom are new graduates eager to get their accounting accreditation and a big name company on their CV.

DIGITAL DEBUT

THE Bank of Spain will allow a digital euro token to be tested by payment gateway firm Monei.

It will be the first use of a digital euro in Europe.

The EURM token will be limited to a small group of people during the initial testing phase.

Users will provide feedback in order to sort out any problems and transactions will only be conducted within Spain.

OP Puzzle solutions

Quick Crossword

Across: 1 Abbas, 4 Sell-out, 8 Circa, 9 Bambino, 10 Spaniel, 11 Tenth, 12 Ran dry, 14 Adepts, 18 Motif, 20 Objects, 22 Opening, 23 Heave, 24 Yearned, 25 Diets

Down: 1 Accuser, 2 Bargain, 3 Swami, 4 Subtle, 5

Limited, 6 Onion, 7 Tooth, 13 Ruffian, 15 Package, 16 Sisters, 17 Forged, 18 Moody, 19 Theta, 21 Jihad

Bank of Spain approves trial of new ‘electronic Euro’

By Alex Trelinski

Among the practical uses of the digital currency is that a merchant for example could digitise and schedule daily payments to suppliers according to what is needed on a particular day.

Monthly payments could be

SOLAR PANELS GENERATE YOUR OWN ELECTRICITY

made in daily instalments to spread costs and employees could get a choice of whether they get paid daily, weekly, each fortnight or every month.

Monei CEO, Alex Saiz, said: “The product is now ready and we will start marketing it immediately once the controlled tests are finished.”

In order to get the EURM deposited into their account, participants in the pilot will be required to enter their phone number, verify their identity using video identification and deposit real euros into their wallet through the Bizum payment app. All euros deposited will be automatically switched for digital euros, which account holders can then send to other individuals or registered companies taking part in the pilot.

All funds will be kept in two designated bank accounts with BBVA and CaixaBank,

CASH HAPPY

THE number of bankers in Spain who earn more than €1 million a year grew 73% to 221 just after the pandemic.

This is compared to the figure of 128 in 2020, according to figures just published by the European Banking Authority (EBA).

The list shows that Spain is fourth in Europe when it comes to the highest number of bankers with salaries over the million-euro mark, only below Germany (589), France (371) and Italy (351).

What’s more, a Spanish banker received the highest salary in the entire European Union in 2021, with a total of €14.67 million for the year.

Salary

and participants will be able to exchange digital euros for physical euros at any time. The pilot testing phase is scheduled to last for six to 12 months.

Pilot

Once the success of the pilot has been evaluated, the Bank of Spain will make a ruling on whether to allow Monei to roll out tokens to the general public.

The average salary for million-earning bankers in the country was €2.16 million, compared to the European average of €1.8 million. In its analysis, the EBA pointed to the effect that the variable component of bankers’ salaries has on the yearly figures, meaning that when these lenders have a good year, pay can rise considerably.

Factors that had an influence on strong performance in 2021 include the lifting of many of the restrictions put in place the year before due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the relocation of staff due to Brexit and inflation.

WINTER WARMERS

There are three wise ways to pass the spare time in winter: hibernate, snow goose it down to the Southern Hemisphere, or move to a Spanish hotel with scenic views, the possibility of walks, and a warm fire in your bedroom

IT’S not hard to find casa rurales and mountain hotels in Spain where you can sink into a deep sofa in front of a warm fire in the library or lounge, but if you want a flickering fire you can enjoy in your pyjamas and the privacy of your own room, read on.

IF you want snow (and it’s winter), you have a good chance of finding it here in Aragon’s high Pyrenees, 1230 metres up and just 20 km away from the ski slopes of Cerler y Benasque.

The thick-walled 18th century house is exactly as a winter getaway should be, with wood-panelled rooms, plenty of charm. The multilevel suite El Torreon has its own cosy living room and fireplace as well as a hydro-massage shower, and there’s

also a good place for lolling in front of the fire with a glass of wine in the shared areas. The hotel (its full name translates as The Holly Tree of Maria’s House) is set in the beautiful glacial landscape of the Benasque Valley.

www.casamuria.com

PICTURESQUE though the other entries are, if you tried to imagine the perfect rural farmhouse, there’s a chance it would look like this family-run gem, with its old tower, and stone walls smothered in ivy and jasmine. It’s equally enchanting inside with flagstone floors, beamed ceilings and lovely rooms, several of which have fireplaces. The huge farm is in the Sierra de Gata in the western region of Extremadura (close to Portugal and within visiting distance of Salamanca, Plasencia and Caceres). It’s excellent walking, riding and birdwatching country, but you may want to just sit and gaze into space.

www.fincaelcabezo.com

STRIDE along the beaches of nearby Llanes or climb the mountains of Covadonga Natural Park or borrow a bike and explore the local villages, then come back and recover at this cosy place. Some rooms at the hotel have fireplaces, as have each of the apartments (just 400 metres away); there are views of the Picos de Europa – and you can even bring your dog. Perfect. lamontanamagica.es

ANOTHER charming Catalan house – this one from the 11th century, with atmospheric mediaeval architecture, antiques, paintings and many personal touches combined with contemporary, luxurious mod cons of a luxurious retreat. All rooms are gorgeous but one third of them – the Deluxe and Suites – are rendered heavenly with massive windows, open fireplaces, strategically positioned sofas and a supply of wood.

This gem is located in 300 hectares of farmland and forest in the pre-Pyrenees. www.hotelvellafarga.com

NORTHEAST of Benicassim (as a reference to all rocking hipsters) in the lovely village of Vilafames, in the Valencian Community, this lofty 17th century manor house has been lovingly converted to preserve its architectural features and character. Among the nine rooms are three suites with wood-burning stoves visible from the beds. The hotel looks down from ivy-covered city walls across plains of ancient olives and almonds (in flower in January) to the weird and mighty Penyagolosa mountain and natural park.

www.eljardinvertical.com

THROUGH the massive windows of this warm, calm, light and modern, ‘adults-only eco spa resort’ you can see wooded hills to be explored on foot or by bike. You could even drive to Biarritz, Pamplona, or San Sebastian as none of them are far. But if you are in

one of the apartments, with a deep bathtub and wood-burning stove, you may not care to – especially as the hotel also boasts a well-stocked wine cellar and gourmet restaurant.

www.arantzahotela.com

Casa Muria, Huesca

La Montaña Mágica, Asturias

Hotel Vella Farga, Lleida

Finca el Cabezo, Cáceres

Jardin Vertical, Castellón

Arantza Hotela, Navarra

FOOD,DRINK & TRAVEL

Hotel Consolacion, Teruel

WHERE is Teruel? Fair question. Not many people live here, few people visit, and hardly anyone has heard of it. A wild province, it belongs to Aragon in Spain’s northeast (halfway between Valencia and Barcelona, then in a bit) and, despite its splendid mediaeval villages, gorges, waterfalls and river trails, Consolacion is probably the best known thing in it – aside from the truffles and truffle hunters. The hotel is modern with striking, minimalist design and the most in-demand accommodation is in standalone cubes (called Kubes) offering uninterrupted views of nature, sunken baths, and hanging woodburners. www.consolacion.com.es

Encis d’Emporda, Girona

IT’S hard to beat a 17th century stonewalled, ivy-covered Catalan farmhouse for charm, especially when it’s well-heated. This is another adults-only escape, this time with accommodation offered in charming, art-filled suites, all of which have views, terraces, deep baths, and the all-important wood-burning stoves. There’s a fire in the library, too. The hotel is in the Emporda countryside, just 20-minutes from the beaches of Costa Brava.

www.hotelruralencisdemporda.com

SUNK deep in a valley carved by the Guadalquivir, this old-fashioned but special place is surrounded by a magical world of forests, deer and snuffling boar – and sometimes snow. The winding drive to the Sierra de Cazorla Natural Park in the under-visited province of Jaen is worth it: In summer, there’s swimming, camping and kayaking, while in winter it’s a top spot for long walks though the river valley, spotting birds, boars and deer – and over-eating hearty campo food at nu-

Convento Santa Maria de la Sierra, Sierra de Cazorla

merous cheap and cheerful bars. The Convento is very Spanish and very atmospheric, with fireplaces in many of the ground floor rooms, and ecclesiastical touches.

www.conventosantamaria.com

LOCATED 190 km west from Madrid, just south of the winter playground that is the Sierra de Gredos National Park, this is a popular and rather romantic weekend break spot. To keep that loving feeling, do make sure to book one of the suites with a fireplace in the living room. And, if it’s a special occasion, try to get the Valley suite which has floor to ceiling windows looking out over oaks and chestnut trees and one of those hydro-massage baths, as well.

www.hotelnabia.es

Hotel Nabia, Avila

Big pussy

A ‘big cat’ reported to be a ‘Siberian Tiger’ terrorising residents in Cadiz has turned out to be a household pussy, police report after days of surveillance.

Rotten plot

POLICE in Cordoba who arrested a gang which hid drugs inside fake tomatoes and used trucks to transport them to France, have seized 22,370kg of cannabis resin.

Maya gold

PABLO Picasso’s portrait of his toddler daughter Maya in 1938 is expected to fetch between €15 million and €20 million at an upcoming Sotheby’s auction in London.

O P LIVE RESS The

COSTA BLANCA SUR / MURCIA

A POLICEMAN has been suspended for moonlighting as a porn actor.

The cop in Sevilla had appealed against the six month unpaid suspension to the High Court in Madrid, protesting that he was unpaid for his starring roles.

But judges decided that he received ‘indirect benefits’ and threw out the appeal.

The Directorate General of the Police had imposed the suspension after it found the National Police officer had been advertising his extra-curricular activities on social media.

Police bosses decided this was ‘detrimental to the image of the force’.

DIRTY COP

By Dilip Kuner

The court ruled in its written judgement that ‘he advertised himself on social networks using a pseudonym as a pornographic actor.

“He was totally recognisable in several photos that he posted, some of which had a high sexual content.”

In addition, the officer provided contact details for hiring, as he apparently acted in ‘specialised rooms’, perform-

Bosom buddies

HABITUAL rows at a Spanish public swimming pool about women going topless might finally be settled after the town hall gave the practice its blessing. Previously the law in Cordoba was vague on the issue, resulting in frequent poolside blow outs between those who object to seeing breasts in public versus those who do not. What’s more, the Municipal Sports Institute has floated the idea of dedicated times for naturists to indulge in full-frontal nudity.

Policeman who stripped off to star in porn movies suspended

ing live pornographic shows and making videos. The officer, who was stationed in the Macarena district police station, appealed the suspension claiming that the pro file he managed on social networks as a porn actor ‘was private, not open to the public’ and that he did not charge anything, ‘but did it as a hobby’. His image rights were assigned to the production compa ny and the police officer did not know if the company de manded payment for access to the con tent.

In a written sub mission to the court

No speaky English

his lawyer said: “He never worked as a professional, only as an amateur, without charging for image rights or identifying himself as a police officer and without using his own name.”

The policeman’s now ex-partner, who starred with him, told investigating internal affairs officers that she was paid €300 per scene, although the male ‘stars’ usually did not get paid. Judges decided that the officer would have indirectly benefited by ‘sharing expenses’ and that the scenes would not have been possible without him.

A WOMAN thought her foster dog was not obeying her demands because it was disobedient, but it turns out the pooch only understood Spanish.

Ariana Giampietro, 26, had been looking after American Pitbull pup Monty for about a week but he wouldn’t ‘sit’ when she asked him to in English. When she asked the shelter she fostered him from, she then discovered he had previously lived on a farm with a Spanish family, and only understood Spanish words. Giampietro, an adoption case manager for children in care, from Florida then looked up the Spanish words for ‘down’ and ‘let’s go’ and when saying them aloud discovered how obedient Monty could be. She is now teaching him English words so he can become bilingual before he moves in with his new English-speaking adoptive family.