OLIVE PRESS COSTA BLANCA SOUTH AND MURCIA ISSUE 92

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WHIP-HAND FOR WIFE ABUSER

THE far-right Vox party will get a first taste of power in Valencia after a coalition deal was struck on Tuesday.

The arrangement will see Vox, which won 13 seats, support the PP’s Carlos Mazon (left) as president. The PP

Vox enters power in Valencia despite leader’s controversial far-right and domestic violence past

and Vox won 53 seats between them in last month's regional elections, while the socialists and partners Compromis mustered just 46 seats.

The main stumbling block over a deal was Vox leader Carlos Flores’s shady past, which saw him convicted of domestic violence 20 years ago.

The conviction of a year in prison and €6,000 fine came after ‘continual psychological violence’, in 2002.

The court heard how the 59-yearold professor of constitutional law habitually threatened his ex-partner Magdalena with ‘in-

LOOKY LOOK OUT!

By Alex Trelinski

sults and harassment’ and insulted her in front of their three children on ‘up to 21 occasions’. On one occasion abuse took place outside the gates of a school, and his eldest daughter even called the police. Magdalena and his children moved to a different city in a bid to escape his continuing abuse, which included him standing outside their house and hurling insults, some of a sexual nature. While he was disqualified from

PUNTERS who purchase low-cost imitation goods from street sellers face fines in Torrevieja this summer.

Under local bylaws, they face spot-penalties for buying the knock-off goods.

It comes as a warning as the resort is taking action to clear pavements of illegal street sellers.

Mayor Eduardo Dolon has asked local and national police to make regular spot checks on immigration status as over a third of are not allowed to live in Spain.

Dolon has also promised to increase local police patrols and also get more assistance from the Guardia Civil.

The unlicensed hawkers, who frequently sell fake goods, often take up large spaces along the city's main promenade.

Legitimate businesses have complained for years their livelihoods are being threatened by low prices offered by the vendors.

Councillor, Federico Alarcon, says the situation is 'happening daily' and has sent a 'detailed' file of photos to the Alicante authorities.

Talks were scheduled this week between the various branches of the police in Torrevieja and the Alicante authorities.

However, the delegate for the region failed to appear.

“His absence was inexcusable and nobody was sent in his place,” slammed Dolon. Posters will be erected along the promenade warning people that a local by-law exists where purchasers can be fined for buying items from the sellers.

In 2013, Torrevieja tried a 'strong-arm' approach as terrace chairs and tables were hurled into the street by sellers during a stand-off with the police. Thousands of items were seized then and burnt at a municipal site, but the sellers soon reappeared.

politics for a year and banned from approaching his ex for three years, he is now allowed to serve as a politician again. Under the new deal with the PP, Flores, who had close links with shady right-wing group, Fuerza Nueva, will not become Valencia’s Vice President. He has agreed to withdraw from a government role for the coalition to form. However, he will instead be named at the top of Valencia’s list for the July 23 general election. The PP had insisted his

conviction was a ‘red line’ to him getting a government position.

The new coalition deal means that Vox will, for now, take over the speaker’s position in the Valencian parliament - Les Corts.

The PP will also hold the vice-presidency while Vox will run some ministries in what will be a down-sized government team compared to the previous administration.

Freedom

PP and Vox officials said they would govern on five principles: the freedom to choose in all walks of life including education; tax cuts; health and social services; support for families as the ‘nucleus of society’; and protecting a unique ‘Valencian’ identity.

No date has yet been announced for Mazon’s investiture as president.

We track down photographers who took long lost unpublished snaps of John and Yoko’s Gib wedding

CREDIT: David Nutter

RED LINE: Carlos Flores was convicted of domestic violence

No rest day

SUNDAY shopping resumes this weekend for the rest of the year in Valencian Community tourist areas under the region’s ‘six months off, six months on rules’.

Deposit con

AN Elche real estate agent and two employees have been arrested for defrauding seven customers who paid deposits of up to €4,000 each for the same apartment.

Vandals copped

TWO Alicante men who did €1,500 of damage to two Policia Nacional cars by jumping up and down on their roofs and bonnets have been arrested after posting a social media video of the incident.

Memory loss

A drunken man was pulled out of an underground garbage collector in Murcia City’s Plaza de San Agustin and taken to hospital. The man, in his forties, told rescuers he didn’t know how he fell in.

RAINBOW’S END

Hundreds of Rainbow Family hippies kicked out of ‘bizarre’ illegal nature park festival

HUNDREDS of hippies, many from northern Europe, have been evicted from one of Andalucia’s most protected natural parks.

The members of the so-called Rainbow Family were illegally camping for the impromptu festival high in the Sierra de Grazalema.

The group, who previously lived in northern Spain, had decamped to the inaccessible site for the ‘sacred fire’ bash, which coincided with the lunar cycle.

The cult-like hippies - who had set a number of illegal fires, despite the dangerous drought conditions - had squatted on land owned by a local livestock farmer.

“There were about 200 of them and it took 100 of our officers to

By Alberto Lejarraga

evict them,” a policeman from the Guardia Civil told the Olive Press

During the complicated operation, the officers had to park in the village of Benaocaz and then walk ‘over an hour’ to the site.

“It was totally inaccessible by car,” added the cop, who participated in the eviction. He explained they had taken the extreme step due to the ‘high risk’ of fire and after both the owner and park authorities put in official denuncias

“The estate is used for the stockbreeding of goats, but this group had simply broken through the fences allowing the animals to escape.”

’Allo ’Allo

The agent continued: “They had set many fires, a major one, which they call ‘the sacred fire’, and several others around the site.

“It was really dangerous particularly as we are talking about a highly protected area of valuable trees which cannot be accessed by fire engines.”

He added the operation had ‘lasted hours’ as a number of the group attempted to prolong it as much as they could and some refused to leave.

“When we arrived many of them grabbed their backpacks

FRENCH and Italian police will be out patrolling the streets of Benidorm and Alicante this summer. They will accompany Spain’s Policia Nacional keeping the peace in tourist hot spots as part of the European Commissaries project which has run since 2008. Spain and France pioneered the initiative with Portugal, Italy, and Germany joining during subsequent years. Patrols will be mainly conducted on foot in areas with a high influx of tourists to act as a deterrent against crime. They will also help visitors from their home countries with translation and provide support in filing any crime reports.

Instant karma

A MAN stabbed his girlfriend five times in a Guardamar del Segura street before he ran in front of a taxi as he tried to avoid being arrested by the Guardia Civil.

The boyfriend confronted her for unknown reasons in the street outside a pharmacy.

and started to walk down to the village.

“However, others told us they had a lot of stuff and were about to have lunch. We were understanding and gave them plenty of time to eat,” the officer explained.

He added that one group refused to leave the ‘sacred fire’, refusing to leave and acted ‘belligerently’ leading to two arrests.

They claimed that since its creation in Oregon in the 1970s, the group had only been evicted once, in Austria, 40 years ago. According to Wikipedia, the Rainbow Family is a ‘counter-culture group, which is a loose affiliation of individuals, some nomadic, generally asserting that it has no leader’. They put on yearly, primitive camping events on public land known as ‘Rainbow Gatherings’. Its stated goal is attempting to ‘achieve peace and love on Earth’.

The 32-year-old victim suffered a series of knife wounds including one to her chest and as pharmacy employees helped her, the man, 42, ran off pursued by the Guardia Civil. The chase ended when he was knocked over by a taxi and like his partner, he was taken to Torrevieja Hospital with various injuries.

Brits busted

A BRITISH drug trafficking gang operating out of the Vega Baja that exported marijuana to Ireland has been busted. Two properties in San Miguel de Salinas and the Orihuela Costa were raided, resulting in the detention of three British men and a Romanian woman, aged between 23 and 33 years. The Guardia operation was launched in February after more than two kilos of marijuana destined for Ireland in two postal packages were intercepted at Madrid airport. Another shipment was stopped leaving the airport and the Guardia identified the British ringleader as responsible for trying to send the packet. This led to a surveillance operation with evidence of narcotics trafficking leading to the raids.

’Allo,

Rocking chair rockers

By Dilip Kuner

CHUCK BERRY may have been dubbed the Father of Rock, but Spain is about to welcome a slew of stars who could be called the ‘Grandads of Rock’.

Leading the way (in terms of age) is Welsh superstar Sir Tom Jones. He will be taking to the stage at the Starlite Festival in Marbella (hopefully without the need of a zimmer frame) on July 10.

While some might think it is a bit odd to still be performing at the age of 83, Sir Tom probably thinks It’s Not Unusual.

And he

Pull up your surgical stockings, put in your teeth, straighten your toupee and get ready to party

would be right.

Fellow octogenarian Bob Dylan, 82, is certainly not leaving his fans Blowing in the Wind, and will treat them to some of his most famous tunes in Barcelona on June 23 and 24.

The ever sprightly Rod Stewart will be bringing his

78-year-old Hot Legs to Starlite on July 21 while Yusuf Cat Stevens still thinks it is a pretty Wild World when such a glitzy festival shoves wads of cash into his 74-year-old hands for his June 21 show. Meanwhile, 76-year old Iggy Pop brings his 20-date world tour to Marbella on August 2. He will have been flying round the globe from Europe

BIG WEDGE

HER ancestor the Duke of Wellington made his name stomping round Spain in his famous wellies, and now Eleanor Wellesley is looking to the same country for footwear inspiration. But the 27-year-old niece to the current dukewho is also the 10th Duque de Ciudad Rodrigo and has a 2,400 acre estate in Granada gifted by the Spanish government - has set her sights lower on the social scale than her illustrious foreShe has launched her own brand of shoes espadrilles - the traditional canvas and woven grass footwear worn by farmers in Spain in the past. But her high-wedge espadrilles are perhaps not suited to peasants, especially with a price tag of €530.

CAN YOU SEE ME? THEN SO CAN ALL OUR READERS

The Moving onto something a bit heavier, 77-year-old Ian Gillan will be taking to the stage with Deep Purple (no, we are not talking about the colour of his veins) at the Rock Imperium Festival in Cartagena on July 24.

The next day, Gene Simmons, 73, will Kiss goodbye to Spain at the same venue with one of the colourful band’s last dates ever. No doubt he and his infamous bandmates will be growing old disgracefully as they Rock and Roll All Nite.

And just in case you aren’t already feeling ancient as your childhood heroes strut their stuff, the surprisingly old (to some of us) Michael Bolton (70) and Sting (71) are also heading to Marbella on June 30 and Pamplona on December 16, respectively. But at least we can take refuge in the far more youthful Seal, who will be performing at Starlite on July 7. At a mere 60-years-old he gives the younger generation something to look forward to…

FEM ALE

house hunters (and no doubt some men too) will have their hearts set a flutter when estate agent Tony Company shows them round. The chiseled 27-year-old has been officially voted as the most handsome man in Spain at the Mister International Spain competition in Tener ife. Company, from Pal ma (Mallorca) is 189 cm (6’2”) tall and has already been turning heads as Mister Balea rics for a year. He is not just a pretty face. He got a degree in International Ho tel Management and a Master’s in Manage ment before settling into life as an estate agent specialising in luxury rentals.

THE UK’s oldest known Red Kite has died 29 years after he was hatched in Spain.

‘Aragon’ was part of a programme to reintroduce the species to England and arrived in the Thames Valley in 1994. He was recently found injured outside a school in Oxfordshire and later died at a bird sanctuary. His ring identified him as one of the second batch of chicks reintro duced.

His survival to the ripe old age of 29 surprised experts who did not know how long the first chicks had survived. The reintroduction of the species has been a huge success, with an estimated 6,000 breeding pairs in the UK.

But now it is the once robust Span ish population which is in trou ble. There are only 11 breeding pairs in Caceres province and just four within Badajoz. Brit ish birds are now being rein troduced into the homeland of their Spanish ancestors.

Hot property Kite down

IGGY POP

TOM JONES

Spud rustlers

FIVE members of the same Orihuela family have been accused of stealing potatoes from farms and beating up one of the growers with an iron rod.

Avian fear

AN avian flu outbreak on a Valencia province poultry farm has resulted in severe restrictions over breeding being implemented until July 6 at farms across the Valencian Community.

Order ignored

AN Elche man, 56, broke a restraining order keeping him 200 metres away from his ex-girlfriend’s house because he always used his favourite cafe bar. He told police that he ‘didn’t care’ about his arrest.

Agency con

A Valencia travel agent has been arrested for keeping €37,000 of client holiday deposits and fees for herself with no bookings made at all.

GORED TO DEATH

A BULL has gored a man to death during a traditional village bull-run near Toledo. The 21-year-old Moroccan was allegedly drunk and wearing flip flops. According to reports he had been out partying all night and had been warned by police twice not to participate in the bullrun due to his footwear. But Mohamed, as he was identified, over -

Hell hath no fury… like ‘White Gladys’

Gibraltar Strait orca attack pod may be led by a ‘revenge-seeking’ female, who lost her calf

A SPATE of killer whale attacks on yachts entering the Strait of Gibraltar has sparked fierce debate about what is behind it. Researchers claim it might be orchestrated by a single, revenge-seeking female orca named Gladys - or ‘White Gladys’. Some claim she lost her calf to the propellers of a ship, while others insist she got caught up in fishing nets or underwater rope.

By Walter Finch

They continue she has since taught her fellow orcas - some of the most intelligent and social creatures on the planethow to target and attack small vessels.

"The orcas are doing this on purpose, of course, we don't know the origin or the motivation, but defensive behaviour based on trauma, as the origin

ruled them to participate in the run in Cedillo del Condado. He was eventually gored to death by the animal at around 12.30pm after the animal refused to enter its pen. The authorities were still trying to locate any friends or relatives of the victim, who may have come from the Basque Country, but have no leads.

PLANE SHOCK

A BIZARRE accident left a man dead when he was struck by a model aeroplane in Lliria.

Jose Antonio Lloret was walking across the model plane runway run by the Ala RC Club just as the plane landed.

The plane being flown by a licensed pilot struck him on the head and killed him 'instantly'. Model aircraft can reach speeds of between 80 and 200 kilometres per hour and weigh up to 20 kilos.

of all this, gains more strength for us every day," Alfredo López Fernandez, a biologist at the University of Aveiro said.

But Sebastien Destremau, captain of The Lancelot, which was attacked two weeks ago, dismissed the claims.

“Having witnessed it, it's so easy for these beasts to sink us if they want to,” he insisted after 20 of the behemoths swarmed his fragile ship.

“If they were out for revenge, I think I would have been swimming home.”

Instead, he suspects the orcas may have been engaging in play or training their young to hunt, as yacht rudders resemble the fins of their primary prey - fellow whales.

“They could crush the boat in a heartbeat if they wanted to,” added Destremau.

“But they were not aggressive. They were just coming in very gently, placing their nose wherever they wanted to place it, and pushing hard.”

The real danger, he emphasises, is to the killer whales themselves.

“I am very concerned about the near future for these beasts and

I think we have a huge responsibility to protect these animals," he added to Newsweek The solo round the world yachtsman is particularly worried that with the media emphasising the aggression sailors are now getting armed to fire at them if they come under attack. That said, he confirmed how ‘terrifying’ the incident was at the time.

“At first, I thought it was wind coming in really fast... And so I started to drop the sail a little bit and then I turned around again to look at where the wind was and I thought, 'Wait, that's not wind, that's fish. Those are orcas!

“They started to come closer and closer. They started to have a look and a little bit of a sniff and then, suddenly, 'BANG,' that was a big one," he explained.

Within minutes, the bottom of the rudder shattered, creating potential risks for the boat. But no human has ever been harmed by the pod of orcas, and it was up to humans to adapt to the mammals, not the other way round. “It's their world, it's not ours,” he concluded.

Jose Antonio was actually a member of the club who had gathered to celebrate the birthday of one of their colleagues.

Mozzie war

A COMBINATION of stagnant water areas caused by recent heavy rain and higher temperatures are providing perfect hatching grounds for mosquitoes across Alicante province.

That has led to municipalities across the Vega Baja launching special spraying operations to counter the spread of the pest.

Experts say that warmer temperatures actually shorten the biological cycle of mosquitoes, which then leads to mass hatchings and a population boost.

In Torrevieja, complaints have built up in the last week from residents in urbanisations close to the Torrevieja and La Mata lakes about the rising numbers of the pesky insects.

Lagoon reef plan

PLANS are being laid to create a network of artificial reefs in the Mar Menor lagoon to boost marine diversity. The reefs can be made from concrete or recycled material and it's planned to install them in marina docking areas. A study was commissioned in November to see how effective using reefs could be as part of the Comprehensive Mar Menor Management plan. Positive findings mean the Murcia government will ask for funding from the European Commission as part of its new initiative to restore biodiversity in oceans and woodlands, as well as urban areas.

The reef locations would be at Lo Pagan, Los Alcazares, Santiago de la Ribera, Los Nietos, and La Manga, in addition to the Baron, Perduiguera, and Veneziola islands.

QUITE A BOAR PREHISTORIC TIMES

Sharp wild boar rises is causing more accidents and destroying farmland

WILD boar sightings have soared in the Valencian Community.

According to official Ministry of Agriculture figures, 404 municipalities reported sightings last year, compared to 283 in 2021.

Boars are attracted to the periphery of towns and cities to feed on garbage which becomes a quick and convenient diet. With the absence of predators the circumstances are creating 'all-you-can-eat' buffets as the boars trample through and destroy farmland to access food. Besides damaging crops, the boars also cause road accidents as they suddenly appear in front of vehicles - often at night.

Hunting is seen as an answer to controlling boar populations but it is 'only appropriate' in certain cases.

Despite the rise in shooting, the population has continued to rise because boars respond to culls with uncontrolled breeding.

Environmental group Gecen is appealing for management by live capture with trap cages, which have already proved effective in Catalunya.

Councils also have the option of

SUMMING UP: United for change!

A NEW united left party has formed to fight the general elections next month.

After tense negotiations, the group called Sumar (meaning ‘Unite’) set up just hours before a deadline to register coalitions expired at the weekend.

The new force includes anti-corruption party Podemos, which is currently in coalition with the Pedro Sanchez’ PSOE government.

Led by Spain’s Deputy Prime Minister Yolanda Diaz, it comprises a total of 15 smaller parties, including the IU (United Left), Mas Madrid and Mas Pais, plus green groups, including Equo.

The strategy aims to snare more votes to fight off the likely challenge of a coalition government set up between the PP party and the far-right Vox party, which it is feared will make major gains.

By Alex Trelinski

allowing more hunting, as well as installing the traps. In the 2021-22 season, 42,315 boars were shot in the Valencian Community - 19% more than the previous season and triple the figures of a decade earlier.

A PAIR of Spanish footballers have condemned homophobic comments they received for carrying handbags to a wedding. The Real Betis players slammed Twitter users for still living ‘in prehistoric times’.

Strikers Antonio Ruibal and Borja Iglesias were pictured carrying handbags as part of their outfits.

“I want to emphasise the importance of having respect for any person regardless of their sexual orientation,” said Ruibal.

“We need to condemn homophobia and fight for its eradication.”

Voted top expat paper in Spain OPINION

Voting system needs reform

THE Partido Popular rightly drew a very heavy red line this week over admitting Vox's top regional man into their coalition to govern the Valencian Community. That pact between the two parties is controversial enough but what caused a big stink was Vox's first name on their regional list, Carlos Flores, and the possibility of him grabbing a big job under incoming president, Carlos Mazon.

Flores - a Valencia University constitutional law professor - was convicted in 2002 'for psychological violence' against his ex-wife which earned him a oneyear suspended prison sentence.

He committed 21 incidents of 'coercion, insults, and humiliations' against his former partner - and mother of his children - which led to her having a breakdown. At a time when domestic violence is rising, what kind of a message does this send out when someone with a conviction gets a chance to grab political power?

Fortunately the PP were supposedly never going to give ground over including Flores but now he has the big consolation prize of being top on the Valencia list of Vox candidates for next month's general election, which means he's odds-on to get elected to Congress.

The Flores rumpus shows up a massive flaw in the Spanish electoral system compared to the UK. Back in Blighty you vote in a general or council election for individual candidates.

In Spain, you're dumped with a party list and if you don't think somebody should be on it, then you are left with casting a ballot for a dubious candidate or having to vote for a different party.

Perhaps it's time for voters in Spain to really get a chance to have their say on candidates - irrespective of politics - in a changed voting system that allows the best and unblemished to go forward at the expense of those who should not be standing for public office.

PUBLISHER / EDITOR

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John Culatto

ADMIN Victoria Humenyuk Makarova (+34) 951 273 575 admin@theolivepress.es

Please Mr Post man

EXCLUSIVE:

THE photos of John Lennon and Yoko Ono posing after getting married in front of the Rock of Gibraltar are among the most seminal from the Rock n Roll vaults of fame.

The iconic shots that have appeared in thousands of publications and dozens of documentaries show perfectly the depths of love the Beatles lead singer and his Japanese paramour were in.

The story has been recounted to death, but like so many chapters in the life of the world’s most famous band, there is a back story almost as interesting.

And in this case it’s a darker one, for the set of photos - and others taken during the period in 1969 - were stolen, leading to a half-century

closer to finding the negatives and explaining, at last, what happened to them.

It comes after the Olive Press received two anonymous letters from an individual in America named only as ‘R Sheelly’, with nearly two dozen copies of the negatives inside. Some blown up on card-

ANONYMOUS: But detailed and intriguing letters from America

board, some as part of a contact sheet, they arrived two weeks apart, posted from Colorado and gave few clues to the sender’s identification. But what they did do was bring one of the most exciting times in British music history very much back to life.

The photos, including John Lennon wearing a silly hat, reading a newspaper on a plane, and canoodling with his new wife - as well as posing at the registry office and signing the marriage forms - have only once been seen before. And that is in the book of the man who borrowed them before they mysteriously vanished. Poring through them was like watching a decades-old cold case come back to life before our very eyes: The blackened embers of one of the greatest mysteries in Beatles history spluttering and sparking up once more.

Stamped from Fort Collins, Colorado (a ‘fake address’) on April 25, the first letter teased us with promises of new leads and a tantalising clue behind the legendary negatives, missing for nearly five decades.

By Jon Clarke & Walter Finch

and a time of the Apollo program and sexual emancipation, when the soul of a young generation was unleashed by a new brand of rock’n’roll.

The fabled Summer of Love was imminent, New York was gearing up for Woodstock, and the Beatles had just played their last ever public performance.

Lennon, by now one of the greatest icons in pop music, had eloped with his controversial lover, Yoko Ono, often dubbed a groupie and hanger on.

They had chosen to wed in the one place where the press would not be able to hound them - at the registry office in Gibraltar.

At the peak of General Franco’s embargo of the British-held peninsula, the region was isolated and inaccessible, the border closed and flights limited.

John and Yoko flew out on March 20, 1969, and there they met a young London hipster photographer, David Nutter, who was handed the ‘secret assignment’ and had no clue of who his subjects were to be.

“I was told to come to Gibraltar with my camera and no questions asked,” Nutter told the Olive Press.

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The second letter, a week after we published a story on the first letter, expressed the writer’s pleasure at making print and reaffirmed her goal - to get the missing photos ‘back to the photographer who took them’.

But first, we have to travel back to the spring of 1969,

NO HABLO INGLES

The PP’s leadership hopeful joins a long line of Spanish politicians with no English

LEADERSHIP hopeful Alberto Nunez Feijoo of the Popular Party (PP) made a candid confession on live television last week: with around 50 days to go until the snap general election called by adversary, Pedro Sanchez, he does not speak English.

Speaking on a talk show, he added that his linguistic problems were shared with ‘the majority of Spaniards’. Although he does, however, speak Galician as well as Castilian Spanish and as such described himself as ‘bilingual’. But Feijoo has also struggled with names in English, not

just the language, recently mangling Bruce Springsteen’s name to call him ‘Bruce Sprinter’.

Prime Minister Sanchez will be a tough act to follow when it comes to the language of Shakespeare.

Sanchez speaks very good English, and during his five years in office has used it to great effect – whether in live interviews on US TV, or at international summits. But it turns out he is a real anomaly. In fact, Sanchez is the only prime minister since Spain returned to democracy able to fluently speak it while in office.

As for the other leaders and politicians, there have been a series of gaffes that have left them looking rather silly.

Former PP Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy famously sat

Londoner Nutter is a fabled snapper whose career spanned the golden era of rock and pop, working with luminaries such as Eric Clapton, Mick Jagger, Elton John and the Beatles themselves.

The ‘magical’ day of the wedding featured just a few close friends and family of the couple - Paul McCartney absent - and no press. Nutter snapped away as the couple, who were like lovebirds the minute they landed at Gibraltar airport, trooped over to the local registry office and got married, giddy and in high spirits. The pair then embarked onto their famous down for a meeting with his British counterpart David Cameron and uttered the classic line: “It’s very difficult todo esto…” Meanwhile

PP leader Jose Maria Aznar did his best to speak English while in office, but it wasn’t until

he left politics that he really got the hang of it. (As a side note, he spoke Spanish in a Texan accent while in the United States in 2003, for reasons that were never fully clear).

But perhaps the most famous incident involving a Spanish politician and English was when Ana Botella, Aznar’s wife and the then-mayor of Madrid, gave her famous speech to

the Olympic Committee when the city was bidding to be host. Her phrase: “There is nothing like a relaxing cup of cafe con leche in the Plaza Mayor” became an immediate hit, and remains something of a meme all these years later. For much of the Spanish political class, in particular the PP, it would appear that some serious study is still needed.

Two extraordinary letters to the Olive Press have breathed fresh life back into one of the key celluloid mysteries in the Rock n Roll hall of fame

EXCLUSIVE

man

‘bed-in’ protest for six days in the honeymoon suite at the Amsterdam Hilton, harnessing the interest in their wedding to promote their message of peace.

The remarkable series of photos continued well beyond the wedding day. Nutter would also go on to capture the legendary duo back in New York in their Greenwich Village studio, on their rooftop and even in their kitchen.

One incredible photo captures Lennon on an aeroplane reading a newspaper dated to April 11, 1970 with the headline Astronaut - We May Die from the Apollo 13 catastrophe averted.

But then disaster really did strike - when Nutter ‘stupidly’ lent the negatives to a friend while they were living in New York in the mid 1970s.

The recipient, Anthony Fawcett, who had been an assistant to John and Yoko at the time, was writing a biography called John Lennon: One Day At A Time, published in 1980.

But the negatives in Fawcett’s possession inexplicably vanished after his New York apartment was either repossessed or a quick-fingered guest pinched them - Fawcett has suspiciously given conflicting reports.

Included in the missing batch, taken on Nutter’s Nikon camera, were a dozen never-before published photos of the wedding day in Gibraltar alone.

In the ones seen by the Olive Press (with three published here today) they are seen posing coolly for the camera and lounging on a private jet (see above right). There were also a number of strips from scenes at the registry office itself as John and Yoko went through the legal process of signing the papers on one of the most famous rock and roll marriages of all time.

Understandably upset at the loss, Nutter reported the crime, which led to separate investigations by London’s Metropolitan Police and, later, America’s FBI, but to no avail.

Indeed, a 1983 letter from Southwark Police to Nutter, seen by the Olive Press, shows that officers questioned Fawcett at his home in south London.

Fawcett told them he ‘knew who had the negatives’

and would contact Nutter - whose brother was famous Savile Row tailor, Tommy Nutter - with the information. But in the end, he never did.

And despite Nutter’s best efforts to track down the missing negativesconservatively valued now at around €150,000 - the trail went dead for many years, leaving Nutter bereft.

The first faint sparks of life flickered briefly for the case back in 2005, when world-renowned Beatles memorabilia expert Peter Miniaci claimed he had received an email offering him ‘some rare John and Yoko wedding photos’.

“I was suspicious and asked if the sender had the rights to the images, to which it was claimed that ‘the photographer is dead’ so I didn’t need to worry about it,” he told the

Press in 2016, when we took up the baton.

But, as the Olive Press discovered in a two-part investigation, Nutter was certainly far from dead, and was still alive and living in New York. Where he is today.

Curiously, as we discovered seven years ago, another photographer, American Brian Hamill, had also had photos of John and Yoko - captured in New York in October 1972 - stolen from him. Having been stored in the Getty archives, they were officially declared as ‘misfiled’ after officials were not able to locate them. Hamill was awarded a paltry $10,000 in compensation.

Yet, shockingly, these same missing photos mysteriously appeared - alongside Nutter’s missing ones - in Fawcett’s Lennon biography, now a long time out of print. Lennon was shot dead the same year it came out in 1980.

Even more mysteriously Hamill also told the Olive Press how he had been offered the opportunity of buying them back in 2010.

It came over lunch in New York, via a lawyer representing an unnamed woman, who offered to ‘broker’ a shady deal in which Hamill would effectively purchase his own photos.

In a letter to the FBI’s Stolen Art Recovery Unit, he wrote that the loss of those images ‘feel like the loss of my memories and, therefore, a piece of my identity.’

“The FBI did next to nothing to help me out when I reported this,” Hamill told us in 2016.

He pointed the finger squarely at Fawcett, insisting we should investigate him.

We said we would try to locate them, however, despite our best efforts to track down the negatives, our efforts came to little.

But we were able to track down a 62-year-old Beatles biographer in the Far East, who issued instructions that the fee for the negatives would be £5,600, he put us in touch with

Our reporter was told to ‘send 90%’ of the agreed price after two contact sheets showing the original negatives were sent as proof of ownership.

After a week of exchanges, two remarkable never-before-seen contact sheets from the wedding were emailed over.

But when the seller (wrongly) suspected our undercover reporter was working for Yoko Ono, he launched into a vile tirade against her before threatening to sue and ending contact.

When we finally approached Fawcett about the negatives back in 2016, he replied: “These were in fact stolen from my New York apartment around 1976 along with everything else from my flat.

“Yoko Ono was extremely upset that these negatives were stolen, and has asked my help many times to try to get them back.”

Nutter admitted he was heartbroken and after adding he was struggling financially, he said he had ‘sort of given up.’ It was ominous.

The fate of the negatives seemed destined to forever remain a mystery.

That is until May 11 this year, when we received our first letter from the apparent Good Samaritan in the USA - ‘a real shot in the dark’, the writer admitted.

In the typed letter addressed to editor Jon Clarke, which left no return address or name, the individual explained she had actually had the missing negatives in her hands in 2011, but did not realise their significance.

Over around 10 short paragraphs she went on to explain that someone had arrived at her office ‘where she worked at the time’ and had taken a set of negatives to her boss, whom she declined to name.

She added that the mystery seller had brought the items hoping to make a profit, but the company had eventually declined, and the negatives remained in the mystery seller’s hands.

“Perhaps the issue of rights came up,” she added.

NEVER SEEN: Lennon on a plane reading the tabloids and three strips of never published negtives. Photos by David Nutter the mysterious seller.

Either way, in the short time the collection had been in the office, she had made digital scans of the negatives in order for her boss to evaluate them and was amazed to see photos of ‘John and Yoko.’ “I’ve been a fan of the Beatles, particularly John Lennon, since I was a kid.

Because of this they had decided not to check what was on it for fear it might be malicious.

“We will now be looking into this,” a spokesman told us. “Thanks for the call.”

The letter writer herself meanwhile appealed to us to help her hand-deliver the scans to the photographers in person.

“I would love to meet Mr Nutter and talk with him about his photographs.

“This is a real shot in the dark with no guarantees it will work, but I’m hopeful,” she concluded.

In the second letter, she wrote: “I’m hopeful these photos will find their way to David and if they bring him new fame and money after all these years, that would be a wonderful outcome.”

When the Olive Press finally managed to track Nutter down to his Manhattan home again this week, he told us it would be ‘fabulous’ to finally receive digital scans of the original negatives.

The pain of ‘betrayal’ and’ losing something very valuable and dear’ to him has lingered for decades.

“I would feel very relieved and ever so grateful just to have anything, even if I don’t do anything with them, but just to have them,” he told us by phone.

And he went on to recall the ‘surreal’ time he had with the two icons of the Sixties, in which he appears in one photo (see left).

“It was an incredible day in Gibraltar, It really was,” Nutter reminisced. “They were in such a good mood. And they were very funny and we had a really good laugh, and it was just wonderful.”

As the Beatles sang in their 1963 cover ‘Please Mr Postman’: Wait, oh yes, wait a minute Mr Postman Wait, wait Mr Postman Mr Postman, look and see

Is there a letter in your bag for me?

I think the photos are wonderful,” she wrote. And coming to the point, she added: “I recently remembered (out of the blue) that one envelope had David Nutter’s name written on it.” When she did an internet search she came across our investigation of Nutter’s missing negatives from 2016, and suddenly understood the importance of the scans she had made in 2011.

“I feel real sympathy for Mr Nutter’s plight and I want to get the scans to him,” she wrote. She added she has also sent a copy of the entire set to the Aperture Foundation in New York, a non-profit that supports photographers as a form of art, in the hope that they would be able to get them to Nutter and Hamill.

But the foundation appeared clueless to the saga when contacted this week, although did eventually confirm that they had received a pen drive, but without

The starstruck photographer was even dragged in to serve as a witness for the marriage ceremony.

“They actually spelled my name wrong on the marriage certificate. Otherwise, it was magical.”

The 84-year-old added he would gladly meet in person with the ‘kind’ anonymous letter writer who got in touch with the Olive Press and asked us to try and set up a meeting.

“I would happily chat about the Beatles and the golden era that we lived through back then,” he continued. We also got in touch with New-Yorker Hamill, who told us the prospect of having the scans would be ‘just dandy.’

“Are you kidding?” he then cried jubilantly down the phone. “I’d be delighted.”

He told us: “I tell my daughter how important journalism is, and I want to say thank you so much for doing this.”

Thus the enigmatic saga, heading towards its 50th year, might finally reach a bittersweet conclusion, as we now await our mystery letter writer to continue the correspondence.

Help, we need somebody…yes, it’s over to you Ms secret letter writer, now we need a number!

Olive

FIRST SEEN: Yoko and Lennon and (below) with photographer David Nutter

GREEN DREAM

SPAIN is set to become the first major European country to get over 50% of its energy from renewable sources.

It will beat out competition from countries of comparable size in France, Germany, Italy, and the UK.

Spain’s strides ahead in renewable energy can be attributed to several factors.

The country’s countless days of sunshine - which lures so many north Europeans to its shores - has played a crucial role in its transition to solar power.

Authorities have also actively encouraged the integration of renewables into the grid through auctions and incentives to

SOLAR SHOP

RETAILER Carrefour says it will install 330,000 square metres of solar panels at 130 of its biggest stores in Spain.

Some 30 hypermarkets and supermarkets have seen solar panels introduced, with the Frenchowned company aiming to install an average of 1,700 solar panels at each store. It has teamed up with SolarProfit, a Barcelona company focused on photovoltaic solar energy, for the project. The solar panels will largely be rolled out in Andalucia, Catalunya, Extremadura, Madrid, and Valencia, with the plan scheduled to run until June 2024.

Spain trumps other European countries to become the first to get 50% of its energy from renewables

By Walter Finch

private companies, leading to a surge in capacity construction.

Unlike other parts of Europe, Spain’s auctions have been well-subscribed, demonstrating strong interest in renewable energy projects.

However, neighbouring France’s increasing dependence on importing energy from Spain is set to test the latter’s ability to

maintain the 50% rate. Meanwhile, the growing interest in Spain’s renewable sector has attracted investments from various energy companies. Swiss developer Axpo plans to build a 200MW solar plant in Castilla y Leon, while Spanish power company Iberdrola and Norway’s sovereign wealth fund have committed to investing in 1.3GW of renewable capacity, with solar PV projects accounting for 80% of the total capacity.

7 out of 9 is BAD!

Free Flipper

CAMPAIGNERS have exposed Spain as the European country with the largest number of dolphins in captivity. NGO World Animal Protection has slammed the country for keeping 93 dolphins captive, some 30% of all those held

in Europe.

The majority of these specimens (20) are at Valencia’s Oceanografic. Spain has almost 60 more dolphins in captivity than Portugal, the second European country on the list with 35 individuals.

Exceeding the limits will lead to climate disaster

avoid climate disaster.

Well, guess what, we have now crossed the line on seven out of the nine.

● Extra nutrients contributed to our earth by humans (particularly nitrogen and phosphorus used heavily in agricultural fertilisers)…. lim-

it exceeded in large parts of the world

● Excessive extraction of surface water resources…. limit exceeded

● Air pollution caused by emissions…. limit exceeded in many parts of the world (Asia, Europe, America)

● Ocean acidification and pollution caused by chemicals, plastics, and microplastics…. limit exceeded

● Integrity of the biosphere…. compromised

● Overall climate

change targets…. limit exceeded

● Injustice between countries in the developed world and emerging nations…. even more noticeable

The two points we haven’t failed on yet are:

● The growing hole in the ozone layer is for now under control

● 60% of the planet’s land surface needs to be kept free of human interference. To date we are up to 50%.... but that figure is increasing

Human beings are part of the global ecosystem

As I have said repeatedly in this column, we are a large part of the problem. We need to be a large part of the solution.

The majority of greenhouse gas emissions come from less than 10% of the global population. The 2015 Paris Agreement that all countries signed up to, set a limit of 1.5C increase in global temperature as a target.

It’s not a target…. it’s the limit. We are exceeding the limit. Every limit we exceed weakens the planet’s ability to resist the climate crisis.

BACK in 2009, a group of eminent and highly acclaimed scientists set out a list of nine parameters we should not cross if we are to

Green Matters

By Martin Tye

DRYING UP: A lagoon in the Doñana wetland

Purely shellfish Greek influence

MADRID’S Prado Museum has launched an exhibition looking at the major influence that 'El Greco' had on the legendary modern Spanish artist, Pablo Picasso, who died 50 years ago.

Running until mid-September, Picasso, El Greco, and Analytical Cubism features a selection of works from both men including some not previously displayed in the Prado.

Gallery director, Miguel Falmir, says that highlights include four Picasso paintings from 1911, which were 'the greatest revolution in art history with the introduction of analytical cubism'.

El Greco was born in Greece and worked in Italy before landing in Spain in his late-30s in 1577 to become a leading figure of the Spanish Renaissance movement.

Picasso was a great El Greco admirer, who was a major influence on the young artist.

El Bulli is back

EL BULLI, repeatedly voted the world’s best restaurant before it closed in July 2011, is reopening as a museum to tell the story of how it sparked a culinary revolution in Spain. The premises at Cala Montjoi on Catalunya’s Costa Brava have been renamed as El Bulli 1846 in reference to the 1,846 dishes that

NEW TAKE

ARTIST Eva Fabregas has started a new genre - the Bowel Movement. Barcelona-born Fabregas has produced an eye-opening exhibition of ‘living’ sculptures featuring representations of human intestines draped through Santander's Centro Bolin . She designed large bulbous objects with bowel-like bodies that ‘repre-

€11m gourmet museum opens but food will be plastic or wax

chef Ferran Adria says were developed at the restaurant. Adria pioneered molecular gastronomy, the culinary trend that deconstructs ingredients and recombines them in unexpected ways. The resultant dishes produced interesting combinations and textures, such as fruit foam, gazpacho popsicles and caramelised quails. El Bulli was ranked in top spot five times on Restaurant magazine’s Top 50 list of the world’s best eateries.

sent a living organism’.

Apparently her work is concerned with the ‘erotica of the consumer object and the mechanisms of desire’, although for the uninitiated it is quite hard to make the connection.

Fabregas says she creates works that ‘dissect the cacophony that is wellness culture, consumerism, and therapeutic subcultures found on social media’.

Answers on a postcard please.

OP QUICK CROSSWORD

Across

7 Feeler (8)

8 Evils (4)

9 Plaid (6)

10 Measurement system (6)

11 Parody (4,2)

13 Monopolize (6)

14 For each (3)

15 The girls from UNCLE? (6)

17 Resist (6)

19 Black Sea port (6)

21 Chopping sport (6)

23 Irish county (4)

24 Ran madly about in America (8)

Down

1 Act properly (6)

2 Let it stand (4)

3 German gin (8)

4 Quantity of paper (4)

5 Cover with decorative paper (4,4)

6 Mountain plant (6)

12 Outcome is in codemust be deciphered (8)

13 Dishes (8)

16 Third-largest ocean (6)

18 Glossy (6)

20 “Or to take --- against a sea of troubles ...” (Shakespeare, Hamlet) (4)

22 Dominion (4)

All solutions are on page 12

“It’s not about coming here to eat, but to understand what happened in El Bulli,” Adria, 61, said of the restaurant he ran for more than

two decades. The museum opens this Thursday (June 15), some 12 years after the restaurant was forced to close due to big financial losses. Visitors will be able to see hundreds of photos, notebooks, trophies and models made of plastic or wax that emulate some of the innovative dishes that were served at the eatery.

A foundation set up to maintain El Bulli’s legacy has invested €11 million in the museum with the project first announced in 2019. Plans to expand the building on Cala Montjoi cove had to be changed after running into opposition from environmentalists.

MARINE shells used as ornaments 30,000 years ago have been discovered in a Spanish cave.

Researchers found 13 marine and freshwater shells in the Ardales Cave in Malaga that were ‘carefully transformed’ into ornaments between 25,000 and 30,000 years ago by the first Homo sapiens. They believe the shells were worn as necklaces and earrings and that they were highly prized as the cave is 50 kilometres from the sea.

Researchers from the University of Cadiz explained that this discovery reinforces the site’s position as ‘among the most important on the Iberian Peninsula’.

The analysis of the shells has been headed by UCA professor Juan Jesus Cantillo Duarte who said: “It is unusual to find this type of marine remains in caves located so far inland and with such an ancient chronology.”

Ancient humans used the Ardales cave for over 50,000 years, and it is renowned for art featuring over 1,000 paintings and engravings made by prehistoric people, as well as artifacts and human remains.

TOP RESTAURANT: But the food is plastic

By Alex Trelinski

Seized for the needy Costa packet

FOUR areas in the Costa del Sol are in Spain’s top 50 most expensive places to buy a house, according to a study of real estate portal Idealista.

It is no surprise that Marbella has been identified as the most costly place for property buyers in Andalucia, and ninth overall in Spain.

A square metre in this municipality comes out at €4,138.

This is an increase of over 14% compared to a year ago, as it was around €3,558 in April 2022.

Nerja, Estepona and Fuengirola have been ranked 30th, 31st and 32nd respectively.

Those interested in acquiring property in these three towns face prices of €3,100, €2,993 and €2,936 m2

Another two Andalucian towns have made it into the Top 50. Conil in Cadiz was ranked 44th with house prices of €2,683 m2 and Benalmadena 45th with houses around €2,679 m2.

Rent Scam

POLICE have dismantled a criminal organisation that scammed holidaymakers by charging them advance deposits for vacation rentals for properties that they did not own.

The ‘Rent Scam’ operation, whose mastermind ran the scheme from prison, led to the arrest of 29 people, with 13 others currently under investigation.

The network carried out over 128 alleged scams across Spain, targeting the province of Madrid in particular.

The gang consisted of 42 people - a quarter of whom were women - and operated in different teams led by the jailbird with a history of computer fraud.

Every gang member has been charged with computer fraud, membership of a criminal organisation, identity theft and money laundering.

Best escape

DEEMED the best rural escape in Spain in 2019 by Conde Nast, the ‘El Carligto’ luxury villas in Andalusia could be yours for €2,695,000.

The 10-acre country estate consists of two separate villas, El Carligto and Hunting Lodge, each within 150 metres of each other and featuring their own individual style. Both villas have pools with panoramic views of the mountains and Mediterranean coast. El Carligto villa is ‘crafted to honour the rustic Andalu-

sian style while maintaining modern elements’. It has four bedrooms, a balcony terrace,

and a pool area with an outdoor shower. With an even higher altitude than its sister property, the Hunting Lodge has three bedrooms and four bathrooms.

Golden opportunity

INTEREST in the Spanish Golden Visa scheme has jumped since Portugal and Ireland closed down their own schemes in February.

Consultancy firms offering international Golden Visa services have claimed that Spain has benefited the most from the Portuguese and Irish government decisions to cancel their residency-by-investment schemes, with a surge in

online searches and enquiries.

According to Aston’s research, Google searches for terms related to the ‘Spanish Golden Visa’ increased 68% between March and April, ahead of Greece (+34%) and Malta (+29%), two other popular destinations in the EU that offer a visa and long-term path to residency in return for cash.

SpaincashinginafterIrelandand PortugaldroppedGoldenVisa

By Mark Stucklin

According to another company called IMI Daily, there are currently 7,500 active Golden Visa residency permits in Spain, with 2,462 issued last year, the third biggest number on

NOWHERE TO BE HEARD

HOLLYWOOD star Amber Heard has moved to an anonymous, suburban street in a sleepy Madrid barrio

Fresh from a series of hard fought court battles with ex-husband Johnny Depp she has bought a €1.7 million, 200 m2 villa on the outskirts of the city, it has been reported.

Heard’s luxury residence is located in El Viso, one of the wealthi est and most exclusive neighbourhoods of the Spanish capital.

After selling her home in Yucca Valley, California for €1 million, Heard initially settled with her young daughter in Costitx, Mallorca. However, despite her attempt to go by a pseudonym, Heard’s presence in the small town caused quite a stir in the area, so she sought out some where else she could go unnoticed.

Surrounded by the crème de la crème of Madrid, Heard can adopt a more anonymous lifestyle in El Viso, where she is neighbours with Spanish stars including Mar Flores and Xabi Alonso.

Heard recently gave an interview in fluent Spanish, revealing her intentions to stay in Spain.

A friend of Heard echoed Amber’s hopes of staying out of the Hollywood limelight.

“She’s bilingual in Spanish and is happy there, raising her daughter away from all the noise,” the source said.

“I don’t think she’s in a hurry to go back to work or Hollywood, but she’ll be back when the time is right, for the right project.”

record since the scheme was introduced in 2013.

Only 2019 (2,656) and 2021 (2,507) saw more Golden Visas issued.

One investor can apply for multiple residency permits for family members and dependants.

The Spanish government

has come under renewed pressure from Brussels and Spain’s leftwing parties to shut down the Spanish scheme.

The Spanish government says it plans to reconsider the scheme. This could involve increaseing the investment threshold from €500,000 to €1million or possibly to terminate it. But with the general election due next month nothing will be done in the near future.

NEARLY 100 empty properties are being seized from their owners in Catalunya.

So far 70 flats are being expropriated from large property owners in a bid to create more council housing.

The apartments - located around the region, from Tarragona to Vic - will be converted to social housing in areas of high residential demand.

It comes after a law was passed by the Catalan Parliament in 2022 allowing local authorities to expropriate a home if it remained unoccupied for more than two years.

Initially owners are being allowed to take action and rent out their homes, or to come up with a good excuse.

Letters to the owners are going out this month and if no ‘acceptable’ answer is given, they will be expropriated. The regional government has set aside €5 million to buy an initial 50 to 70 flats at a fair rate.

“We are doing everything we can to help families in a vulnerable situation,” explained regional councillor Juli Fernandez.

Mayor attacked after building permit denied

A MAYOR has been attacked for refusing a building permit to two locals in his village. Leader of Alfarnate, Juan Gallardo, was beaten by the two men, one who had a knife, at a bar in the Axarquia village.

He also received death threats from the two men, who were later arrested and have now been released on bail.

Dear Jennifer:

The caring side

How Paul Cunningham Nurses was founded

PAUL Cunningham Nurses Charity was my vision. On my return to Spain after losing my son Paul to spinal cancer at the age of 33, I was shocked to learn that there was no hospice care nursing available in Spain.

As a successful business woman, operating eight offices throughout the Costa Blanca and Lanzarote, I have lived in Spain for over 30 years and understand the needs of the expat communities.

Then I met the right people, in the right place at the right time, to start the charity in 2008. It was necessary to have a massive amount of fund raising and support to open the first charity shop in Quesada, which is still open and running.

Fundraising events included galas, dinner dances, raffle, with participants donating not only money, but time and services. Many of the venues and music were donated and every event was so enjoyable, and I tried to be present at many of these events. Without all this help, we wouldn’t be where we are today. The headquarters of the charity share an office in La Marina with my insurance office and we now have three charity shops, which along with friends and sponsors of the charity, raise the necessary funds to support the nurses in giving home care for terminally ill patients. We work very closely with Torrevieja hospital, which in all reality is a godsend for them, as they call us to inform us that there is a patient who needs the charity’s help to enable them to return home.

We have all types of equipment available for free of charge loans and the nurse allocated will have a brief from the hospital doctors regarding medication and patient requirements. We are not just there for the patient, but also there to help and support the family.

Despite the problems over the last few years, we are surviving but it isn’t easy. Fortunately I have a very steady pair of hands, acting on my behalf– thank you Chris.

My vision and my hope would be finding somebody, with the enthusiasm and talent to take the charity to the next level and extend coverage throughout all of the Costa Blanca and beyond, but I do feel that this is just a dream.

FOR MORE INFORMATION OR A QUOTATION, PLEASE CALL ONE OF MY OFFICES, EMAIL INFO@ JENNIFERCUNNINGHAM.NET OR VISIT THE WEBSITE WWW.JENNIFERCUNNINGHAM.NET

SPAIN’S ‘menstrual leave law’ has come into force.

It means that women can now request paid medical leave when suffering from especially painful periods.

The measure was included in a new abortion law that came into force on June 1.

To request the leave, women will have to get a medical note from their doctor.

According to sources from the government, the law is not designed to cover regular period pain, but

Period leave in force

rather intense pain that is accompanied by symptoms such as fever or diarrhoea. Once leave is approved by a doctor, the Social Security system will cover the woman’s salary from the first day that the period arrives. This means that the woman’s employer will not have to cover the cost of the time missed. The law does not limit the number of days leave available but the norm

will be around three days given the usual time period of menstruation.

Pain

Figures from the Ministry for Economic and Social Inclusion suggest that there are around 6,000 temporary medical leaves granted every year in Spain due to dysmenorrhea (pain associated with menstruation) or abdominal distension.

BUMP IN THE ROAD

Spain’s soaring industrial output hit by unexpected slump in April

SPAIN’S economic good times hit another bump in the road after preliminary data revealed an unexpected decline in the country’s industrial pro -

WHAT ARE THE TAX BENEFITS OF INVESTING IN A QNUPS?

AQNUPS (Qualifying Non-UK Pension Scheme) is an offshore unapproved pension arrangement which satisfies the definition of a pension scheme as set out in Section 150 of The UK Finance Act 2004. It is classed as an unapproved pension arrangement because contributions made into the scheme are not eligible for UK tax relief. However, these schemes are fully recognised by HMRC as defined by UK legislation. QNUPS have become an increasingly popular investment vehicle for British expats in Spain looking to diversify their retirement savings. A Qualifying Non-UK Pension Scheme can offer several tax benefits.

The Tax Benefits

Lump sum investments into the scheme are immediately outside of your estate for UK inheritance tax purposes whether you remain abroad or return to the UK.

If you nominate your spouse as a beneficiary, when you pass away, a Spanish succession tax liability is not triggered, provided the pension is drawn in the same tax efficient manner. When your spouse passes away, if your ultimate beneficiaries, say your children, live outside of Spain, no Spanish succession tax is due.

If you structure your pension income in the form of an annuity the effective tax rate is anywhere between 2% and 6% - dependent on the amount you draw as an income, the length of the annuity and progressive tax rates in your autonomous region.

Your investments can continue to grow within the pension structure free of Spanish capital

gains tax.

It may offer asset protection against creditors and legal claims and in some cases may be exempt from claims made against you in bankruptcy. It provides a high degree of flexibility in terms of investment options enabling you to diversify risk and potentially increase your returns

Points to Consider:

Whilst there are no specific guidelines regarding the level of post-tax contributions you can make, these must be reasonable and commensurate with your overall wealth, earnings, age and future income requirements to avoid being captured by UK Income Tax anti-avoidance provisions.

To pay the minimal amount of tax on pension income your annuity contract must be fixed during your lifetime which means you must consider maximum income requirements at the outset. If you break your annuity contract pension income gets taxed at Spanish marginal rates.

The Spanish Tax Office is now insisting that annuities are paid out of an insurance policy. This means that pension assets must be held an insurance policy for greater tax efficiency. It's essential to seek professional advice and carefully consider all the pros and cons before making any decisions.

If your investments have produced a negative return in 2022 please take the opportunity to book a second opinion consultation.

If you feel you would benefit from a second opinion please email enquiries@fwm.gi or call us on tel: +44 207 998 0570

Our financial advisers are fully licensed, qualified and regulated to provide financial advice in Spain and across the EU. www.fiduciarywealth.gi ● www.financialplanningspain.com

By Walter Finch

duction in April.

The report, from national statistics agency INE, indicates that output across all sectors, except capital goods, contracted.

It marks a disappointing reversal from the 4.1% growth experienced in March, as economists had hoped for a 1.5% increase.

In fact during April, industrial production decreased by 0.9% from last year.

On an unadjusted basis, industrial output fell by 4%, contrasting with the 5.4%recovery seen in the

preceding month.

The contraction in industrial production was primarily driven by a significant 4.9% fall in the

CASH ‘PHISHERS’

TWO MEN have been arrested in Benidorm for illegally obtaining bank account and credit card details via phone text messages, which netted them around €50,000.

The Spaniard and Italian, aged 31 and 37 years, deceived at least 50 people in the scam known as ‘phishing’.

The men sent out text messages to targets pretending to come from banks, with clients asked to enter in their personal details in addition to all of the information related to their credit cards. Once the duo had the card numbers and CVV security codes, they passed them onto colleagues so that they could make illegal withdrawals or purchases.

OP Puzzle solutions

Quick Crossword

Across: 7 Tentacle, 8 Ills, 9 Tartan, 10 Metric, 11 Send up, 13 Corner, 14 Per, 15 Nieces, 17 Oppose, 19 Odessa, 21 Karate, 23 Mayo, 24 Maryland.

Down: 1 Behave, 2 Stet, 3 Schnapps, 4 Ream, 5 Gift wrap, 6 Alpine, 12 Decision, 13 Crockery, 16 Indian, 18 Satiny, 20 Arms, 22 Rule.

durable consumer goods division, closely followed by a 4.3% decrease in intermediate goods output. Meanwhile, production of energy items slid by 1.5%. However, there was a silver lining as the output of capital goods demonstrated resilience by advancing 3.2%.

Decline

Looking at the month-onmonth figures, industrial output experienced a substantial decline of 1.8% in April, in stark contrast to the 1.3% increase observed in March.

This decline represents the largest drop in 13 months, adding to the surprise and concern surrounding Spain’s industrial sector performance.

REGISTRATION for summer discounts of up to 90% on trains for youngsters between 18 and 30 has opened.

The government will also fund half the cost of European Interrail passes and 90% of state bus tickets between June 15 and September 15.

Anyone interested needs to register by contacting the Ministry of Transport.

Feel like waiting six months for your fast food?

McDonald’s think you do

FAST food kings McDonald’s has launched an advertising campaign in Spain to illustrate just how long it takes to get your order so quickly.

To the shock of customers it apparently takes six months, the burger giant claims.

In the ad, 'An Order Worth Waiting For’ customers

Slow food movement

By Walter Finch

place their orders only to be informed they will have to wait a little longer to get

Seal of approval

FINESTRAT'S San Juan Party night on June 23 has been declared as a Valencian Community event of ‘provincial tourist interest’.

The bash brings together residents and visitors in celebrations that pack out the beach.

Councillor Hector Baldo described it as ‘a magical evening for both the young and old’.

“The beach becomes an annual meeting point for thousands who have been coming for decades,” he added.

This year's entertainment will start at 5.30pm and will include a Zumba session, discos, and live music.

Many other towns will celebrate San Juan Eve leading up to the feast day itself in celebration of Saint John the Baptist.

It coincides with the mid-summer June solstice and many bonfires are lit and leapt over with one of the biggest events being the Hogueras in Alicante.

Please help

Bandido!

This adorable fellow badly needs a loving home!

His owner tied him in his field, alone, from being a puppy. The man lived elsewhere and rarely called to see Bandido, leaving him with old food and stale crusts of bread.

And then, of course, the man died and Bandido was forgotten. Almost on death's door and by amazing fortune a neighbour called the police. So next, Bandido was put into the most horrendous kennels that made Alcatraz prison look like the Hilton.

So afraid was he that a member of staff called Borders Without Borders and pleaded for them to get him away. He was suffering badly. They did and they found him a home. An elderly lady who adored him. He followed her everywhere. He is extremely shy and nervous and it takes a week or so for him to relax but then he is a faithful shadow who longs to give the abundance of love he holds within.

All seemed well, until the old lady’s family paid their annual visit a few months later and immediately told the association to take him back.

They claimed their mother - who had loved him very much and was devastated -

their food. The order is then sent to farmers getting up at the crack of dawn to prepare the

locally sourced ingredients that go into a Big Mac.

McDonald’s is keen to impress the company's commitment to Spanish suppliers involved in the supply chain. And the campaign also comes with an innovative gimmick: Customers ordering before June 19 will be able to opt for a special order that arrives in six months. This is intended to mirror

the time and effort spent by farmers and breeders in producing the ingredients. Customers who opt for this can then track the entire growth process of the ingredients used in their favourite meals. The aim is to cultivate appreciation of the hard work of suppliers who contribute to the company’s ‘commitment to fresh, locally sourced ingredients’.

AIRPORTS FLY HIGH

OVER 25 million passengers used Spanish airports in May, a 3.4% increase on the previous 'record-breaking' May in 2019, with Alicante-Elche and Valencia airports recording 'best ever' figures. State airport operator Aena said the overall total was a 14.4% improvement on the same month last year, and that 102,942 million people have used Aena airports during the first five months of 2023. That's a 27.7% increase on last year and 2.3% more compared to 2019.

Alicante-Elche had one of the largest passenger percentage rises among Spain's top airports (18%) with 1.5 million passengers - 9.6 % up on a year ago - making it a record May figure. By nationality, UK arrivals again dominated Alicante with 537,255 passengers, with the Netherlands a distant second on 90,995, closely followed by Germany with 89,025. Valencia also had a record-breaking May with 885,095 passengers - a 20% rise over a year.

SPAIN welcomed a record 7.2 million international tourists in April.

The extraordinary figures were helped by 1.4 million British arrivals, some 8.7% more than in April 2022.

France and Germany come next, contributing more than one million visitors each while arrivals from the US were over 60% up on the same month last year.

Catalunya was the busiest region with 21.3% of the total, followed by the Balearics (16.3%) and the Canary Islands (16%). Spain is expected to receive between 52.3 million and 54.8 million foreign tourists between May and October, slightly up on the same period in 2019, which was a record year.

Spain's priority is now to attract travellers from distant markets such as the United States, China, South Korea and Japan.

Youth rail discounts Record smashed Surf’s up

SPANISH firm Todo Surf Technology has developed an advanced surf forecasting app that provides reports and wave forecasts for over 6,000 beaches around the world. The free app features 360 beaches in Spain and provides long-range surf forecasts from across the globe including wave size, swell period, swell size, water temperature, tides, wind direction, and strength.

was too old. She was struggling to care for him. Now Bandido is back in prison though luckily he now has a sponsor who will pay for a full medical, arrange transportation to you and pay for his annual vaccination for the next 4 years and assist with his food. He is about six years old but the vet said he has already become a grandfather from sadness.

He just needs a peaceful, secure home and a huge heart. Is it you? You will be drugged by his gentleness and delirious with the unusual loveliness of his face. Please get in touch with us at the following numbers and email.

Tel: 0034 651 501 635

Email: qtoneill@yahoo.com

www.borderssinfronteras.org

The Alfonso XIII, Sevilla

This Andalusian institution was opened for the Sevilla Expo of 1929 and nothing much has changed. The noble arches and columns are still here, and the corridors gleaming with iridescent tiles in Moorish tones, the fluted ceiling mouldings and gold-trimmed lifts. And guests still sip fino in the patio, as they always did. The hotel was a favourite with the current king’s mother, Doña Maria de las Mercedes de Borbón y Orleáns, as well as Sevilla’s most glamorous and celebrated visi tors including Princess Grace of Monaco, Rita Hayworth (whose father was Sevillano), Orson Welles, Audrey Hepburn (above), Sofia Loren, Jackie Kennedy and Princess Dia na, right. Some scenes from the 1962 epic Lawrence of Arabia were filmed here.

Abadia Retuerta LeDomaine, Valladolid

This stunning spa hotel is 900 years old.

The former abbey in the wine-producing area of Ribera del Duero in Valladolid is one of the most luxurious hotels in the country. One of the former stables is now the Santuario Wellness & Spa, where a dedicated spa sommelier offers guests a glass of wine before advising on suitable vinotherapy treatments, then run ning a wine bath in your room, so you can gaze across vineyards to the mountains beyond. The abbey is a celebrated Romanes que building founded in 1146 by the Premonstratensian Order - a Roman Catholic monastic sect founded in 1120 by St Norbert (1080-1134), a German bishop. Much of the original structure has been respected - the monks’ former cells are now smart rooms and the abbey’s grand refectory is now an acclaimed res taurant where chef Marc Segarra Saune uses the estate’s pro duce to inspire his menus.

Parador de Santiago de Compostela, Galicia

This Galician luxury hotel is one of the oldest continually running lodgings in the world. The parador was founded by King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella at the end of the 15th century as a refuge for pilgrims. It was designed to allow them to rest their feet after walking across Spain to pay homage to St James, who is buried in the cathedral on Obradoiro square. The most impressive guestrooms overlook the square and feature four-poster beds and antique Castilian furniture. The massive granite building in gothic, Renaissance and baroque styles is set around four cloisters.

Hotels with

La Torre del Visco, Aragon

This 15th century former farmhouse is set in 100 hectares of olive and almond trees. It was bought by a British cou ple - Jemma Markham and Piers Dutton - in 1995 and turned into a stunning luxury retreat. Fashion icon Karl Lagerfeld, right, once no minated it as one of the three most romantic hotels in Spain, and fell under the spell of its wonderful breakfasts of breads, hams, cheeses and homemade quince

Parador de Jaen, Jaen

This spectacular restored castle hotel was built as a 12th-century Moorish fortress, connected to the city by hidden tunnels. During Arab rule the castle kept the city at peace, until it was captured by Ferdinand III in 1246. He extended the castle, which held out against the repeated attacks by the Moors over the next two hundred years, until all the Moors were expelled from Spain. Soaring vaulted ceilings, wooden beams and tiled floors add to the majestic splendour but the decadent comforts of its 45 bedrooms are far from medieval.

The 17-room dwelling has a big library stocked with 3,000 books and a gleaming Bechstein piano. Guests, who include the former king and queen, above, of Spain, also have the option of arriving by helicopter.

Cancer shock

Skin cancer cases soar by 40% in just four years

SHOCK new figures show that the number of skin cancer patients has risen by 40% in Spain in the past four years.

According to the Spanish Academy of Dermatology, over 78,000 cases are diagnosed every year, which means that 120 individuals in every 100,000 people suffer from skin cancer. Within these figures, experts explain that 12 in every 100,000 individuals have Melanoma, the most serious type of skin cancer.

However, they warn that in 2040, this form of skin cancer, which is by far the most dan-

By Alberto Lejarraga

gerous, will become the second most common tumour, ahead of colon and lung cancer. And it is expected to become the most common type of cancer in men by that year.

EBOLA SCARE

A WOMAN was given the all-clear for a suspected Ebola infection at a Basque Country hospital with tests showing she in fact had malaria.

Ebola is a serious and potentially fatal viral disease with a 50% mortality rate transmitted to humans through wild animals and then between people.

The patient was admitted to the High Biological Security Unit of the Donostia University Hospital in San Sebastian on June 1 after recently returning to a trip to the Central African Republic.

Spain has had just one recorded Ebola case when Galician nurse Teresa Romero contracted and overcame the disease in 2014.

FOOD FOR SIGHT

Try these four tapas to boost your vision on World Tapas Day

Scientists point out that skin cancer is often caused by exposure to ultraviolet radiation, which is already reaching dangerous levels in Spain.

Sunscreen

So they remind holidaymakers not to expose themselves to the sun for long periods and to always use sunscreen.

“People spend the whole year working inside an office but when the summer holidays arrive, they go to the beach for the whole day. This sporadic, yet excessive exposure is particularly dangerous,” Eduardo Nagore, Head of the Valencian Institute of Oncology said. Experts insist 95% of the cases can be prevented with basic measures such as using sunscreen. The number of people suffering from this type of disease is increasing worldwide.

AHEAD of World Tapas Day, the tapas with the best properties for maintaining healthy eyes have been identified. Celebrated on the third Thursday of June - this year June 15 - World Tapas Day is dedicated to honouring perhaps Spain’s best-loved culinary tradition. And while they can often involve a staple of friend food, they are of course part of the legendarily long-living Mediterranean diet. And the four most beneficial tapas for healthy vision? Well, it won’t be too much of a sacrifice to add these to your diet: Pimientos de Padron (fried green peppers), espinacas con garbanzos (spinach and chickpeas), boquerones en vinagre (little fish in vinegar) and gazpacho (cold soup). Pimientos de Padron are a good source of vitamin C, which is essential for maintaining healthy blood vessels in the eyes and may help prevent cataracts

Spinach is rich in lutein and zeaxanthin, antioxidants that help protect the eyes from age-related macular degeneration and cataracts.

Health

Chickpeas are also a good source of zinc, which supports eye health. Boquerones provide a great source of omega-3 fatty acids, which can help reduce inflammation and support healthy retinal function.

Tomatoes in gazpacho contain lycopene, an antioxidant that may help protect the eyes from oxidative stress and reduce the risk of developing age-related eye diseases.

Lisa James from Specsavers Opticas in Guardamar said: “Eating a well-balanced diet is great for your health and some foods can also benefit your eyes and vision.

“When choosing eye-healthy foods, look for foods with vitamin A, C and E, Zinc, omega-3 fatty acids, lutein, and zeaxanthin.

“These include; red peppers, leafy green vegetables, oily fish, nuts and seeds, citrus fruits and berries, eggs, carrots and other orange-coloured fruits and vegetables, beans and peas and whole grains.”

Wise words for when chowing down your favourite tapas today - for those who wear glasses and those who don’t want to need to wear glasses.

Firework Palava

MALAGA residents were left fuming over the racket caused by the christening of a British cruise ship in the port. The crew smashed champagne and let off fireworks at midnight.

Kinky cafe

POLICE raiding a Madrid cafe after complaints of noise were surprised to find 60 people partying and a secret dark room used for orgies.

Chew that

A PAIR of thieves were arrested in Barcelona after stealing a luxury €70,000 watch by holding down the owner and chewing the strap off his wrist.

O P LIVE RESS The

COSTA BLANCA SUR / MURCIA

Hey Jude

REAL Madrid have boldly put aside their past trauma with English players to land the prized Birmingham-born midfielder Jude Bellingham for a nine-figure sum. Beating off stiff competition from financially juiced Premier League clubs such as Manchester City and Chelsea - as well as PSG - they will stump up €103 million to sign Bellingham from Borussia Dortmund. The sum Madrid will hand over is second only to the €115 million they paid for horror

Real win race to sign wonderkid Bellingham

By Walter Finch

flop Eden Hazard - but more than the €94 million and €101 million they paid for Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale respectively. Although not a like-for-like replacement, Bellingham will be expected to fill the boots of

LOST IN TRANSLATION

AS Thor he may be able to smite his foes with lightning and tank a blast from a neutron star. But in real life, actor Chris Hemsworth cannot remember even a basic Spanish sentence. For the Hollywood hunk, 39, was caught having scrawled ‘Estoy muy feliz de estar en España’ on the palm of his hand while at a Madrid promo of his new movie Extraction 2. It translates as ‘I’m very happy to be in Spain.’ And this in spite of the fact that he has been married to Spanish model Elsa Pataky since 2010.

Ballon D’Or winner and Real Madrid icon Lukas Modric, now 37. The 19-year-old will line up next to other elite young tal-

MERRY BERRY

DAME Mary Berry, 88, swapped baking for dancing and went on a six-hour dash to Ibiza superclub Pacha. The Queen of Baking was whisked to the party island by TV chef James Martin, who recounted the tale to Holly Willoughby and Dermot O’Leary, filling the Phil-Schofield-shaped hole on This Morning’s sofa. And the cook-book author, born in 1935, was even seen throwing shapes and burning down the house on the dancefloor. She later called it ‘good fun’ and ‘terribly exciting’.

ent including Vinicius Junior (22), fellow Brazilian Rodrygo (22) and Frenchmen Eduardo Camavinga (20) and Aurelien Tchouameni (23).

Madridistas will hope Bellingham - a rising English star who has never played in the Premier League - will be more Steve McManaman than Johnathan Woodgate or Michael Owen. While the former won two Champions Leagues with los merengues, Woodgate did not play for over a year after his transfer due to injury, and when he finally made his debut he scored an own goal and then got sent off. Owen lasted just one season and spent most of it on the bench.

Trash behaviour

FIREFIGHTERS have rescued a young British tourist after he fell into an underground rubbish bin.

The young man had the misfortune of plummeting several metres into the pit housing the organic waste. The tourist, who suffered bruising but was otherwise unharmed, was freed from his sticky situation by Malaga firefighters after a 30 minute smelly ordeal.