OLIVE PRESS COSTA BLANCA SOUTH AND MURCIA ISSUE 93

Time to get away

HIDDEN HISTORY: Roman city and culinary delights. See inside

BLACK MARKS

THE Costa Blanca has been singled out as a key black spot for the ‘chronic cancer’ of environmental destruction.

Ecologistas en Accion has slammed the Valencia and Murcia coastlines for the continuing ‘over-development’ and ‘pollution’ they face.

The green group is particularly critical of one of Alicante’s last stretches of virgin beach, at Cala Mosca, which has been given a black flag alone for plans to develop it.

It comes after the Olive Press

exposed the threats made to local politicians in Orihuela in order to force through a licence to build 2,000 luxury homes.

In its annual black flag awards for coastal destruction, a flag was also handed to Javea for the continuing urban problems at Arenal beach.

According to the report - which selected the 48 worst black spots in Spain - Javea has failed to tackle serious pollution and sewage issues at its landmark cove.

In a damning ruling, Spain’s leading green charity, insisted: “Everytime there are heavy rains and storms, the beach ends up being full of sewage as well as sanitary and cleaning products.”

And it is a problem that most of the

By Alberto Lejarraga

Press: “These coastal areas double in population and consequently what were once unspoilt natural areas become nothing more than a lineup of hotels and holiday homes.

“This overpopulation leads to the destruction of the coast as the collapse of water sanitation gets worse and sewage flows directly into the sea.”

Other black flags went to the beaches of Forti and Surrach, in Castellon, which have also been exposed for their continual contamination. Meanwhile, Valencia province as a whole was handed a black flag for the poor management of its beaches.

The green group also slammed the number of companies and farms that dump waste and chemicals into rivers and the sea.

“And it’s not going to stop as the fines they face are ridiculously low and most of the time they are not even enforced,” insisted Lopez.

One of the worst affected areas in Spain is the Mar Menor area of Murcia, which due to the continual discharge of chemicals from illegal agriculture and unregulated housing developments is ‘practically a dead sea

Costa Blanca slammed for the continuous destruction and pollution of its coasts

now.’

The green charity also ruled that the problem is far worse than people believe and the country is now at a ‘very grave risk’.

“Politicians need to take urgent measures because they are ruining the country for future generations,” continued Lopez, who compiled the Black Flag report.

Cancer

“Spain has a chronic cancer as its natural areas are so devastated and polluted that, even with technological advances and investment, it will take many years until they are fully restored,” Lopez concluded.

“We only choose 48 black spots to not overwhelm the press and population but there are literally hundreds of natural spaces that are being destroyed. We need urgent measures to tackle this.”

Opinion Page 6

HAND S OFF OUR COSTAS

FLAGS OF SHAME: Map lists worst beaches and how the OP has reported the Cala Mosca scandal

Costa Blanca faces each summer. Ecologistas spokesman, Cristobel Lopez, told the Olive

Photos by Jon Clarke

Seaside rumpus

TWO beach goers got into a fight over the placement of an umbrella on Guardamar’s Playa Centro last Friday with police called in to take statements from both parties.

Squat facts

SAN FULGENCIO police officers are getting 20 hours of special training this week on dealing with illegal squatters in an area that includes La Marina urbanisation.

Swim safe

SEA and swimming pool bathers have been given an annual warning to take care in the water during the summer season in the Valencia region after 67 drownings last year- the highest in Spain.

Fixed odds

POLICE carried out inspections of 35,000 gambling machines in the Valencian Community last year, with around 2,000 faulty and ‘rigged’ machines destroyed in Valencia province alone.

CHARLIE DOWN

A NAZI fitness guru extradited from Spain to face terror charges in the UK has been sentenced to five years in prison.

Online radical Kris Kearney

- who claimed Adolf Hitler ‘showed people the way’ and ‘did nothing wrong’ - was found guilty of promoting terrorism after he shared inflammatory material on his online forum.

The charges relate to numerous posts in which he shared among others the violent manifestos of New Zealand mosque killer Brenton Tarrant and Norwegian mass-murderer Anders Breivik. London’s Old Bailey heard he also shared a ‘Punish a

Expat nazi terrorist Kris ‘Charlie Big Potatoes’ Kearney gets five years

By Walter Finch

Muslim Day’ letter, in which readers were encouraged to ‘butcher a Muslim’ for 500 points and bomb a mosque for 1,000 points.

In 2021 alone, he posted 89 extreme right-wing documents, which encouraged violence in the battle against ‘white genocide’.

The member of Patriotic Alternative - who the Olive Press revealed travelled regularly between his home in Albir, on the Costa Blanca, to Marbella

Orange rustlers

- ran an online platform called ‘Fascist Fitness’. The far-right podcaster - who had been on the run in Spain with his wife and three children when he committed his offences in 2021 - also spent time in Dubai.

Terrorism

The neo-Nazi, from Liverpool, had originally been stopped under the Terrorism Act and fled an arrest warrant two years before his arrest in Spain. He was understood to have been on a layover in a UK

FINALLY FACING THE MUSIC

ONE of Ireland’s most legendary gangsters has finally agreed to his extradition to face justice in Spain.

Darren Gilligan - son of notorious drug trafficker John Gilligan - will now stand trial alongside his father and seven others in Torrevieja.

They face a variety of charges, including drug trafficking into Ireland, and firearm charges.

The gang had hid drugs among flip-flops, as well as illegally exporting powerful sleeping pills.

An earlier trial was suspended in October after Gilligan junior skipped the country and returned to Ireland where he began work as an Amazon delivery driver.

A second trial date in April was also postponed, with an international arrest warrant issued against Gilligan. Other defendants include John Gilligan’s British girlfriend, known only as Sharon, and his playboy pal, ‘Fat’ Tony Armstrong. John Gilligan was tried in Dublin in 1996 for the murder of journalist Veronica Guerin and acquitted. A search of Gilligan’s Torrevieja area villa in October 2020 uncovered a revolver buried in the garden which was similar to the one used to kill Guerin but nothing further could be confirmed.

Brian Meehan, a member of Gilligan’s gang, was given a life sentence for the execution.

airport en route to the UAE in 2019 when officers first detained him. It came after he refused to divulge passwords for three separate mobile phones he was travelling with, suggesting he may have been working for mafia gangs. A warrant was later issued for his arrest after he skipped a magistrate’s hearing on July 2 that year and fled to Spain. Kearney, a former soldier, had close links to the Costa Blanca, where his parents also lived, and ran a bar. Kearney, 39, pleaded guilty admitting he wanted to ‘spread fascist views’, but denied he shared the material on Telegram with the intention of causing terror attacks.

Judge Richard Marks KC doubted this, insisting his ‘fanaticism’ in achieving his objectives meant he ‘intended for acts of terrorism to happen’. He sentenced him to four years and eight months.

A VAN crammed with 600 kilos of stolen oranges refused to stop for the police who then pursued it on a highspeed chase. Police were operating a routine checkpoint in Orihuela when they tried to stop a van with two men driving towards Murcia in a 'suspicious manner'. But the driver put his foot down and roared off at high speed.

A chase ensued and after a few minutes the occupants abandoned the vehicle.

Officers examined the van and besides various tools, they discovered 42 baskets full of stolen oranges. Evidence inside the vehicle allowed the two men to be identified and the 42-year-old driver was arrested.

Hanging offence

CARTAGENA court is investigating a pet owner after his dog was found dead outside his Fuente Alamo home. Police stepped in after his American Staffordshire was found hung by its neck from its chain on a stone wall in the Murcia town.

The dog did not have any appropriate documentation or vaccination.

Getting LIVely

SERGIO Garcia will be at the forefront of a host of golfing stars at Valderrama this weekend.

The Spanish superstar will tee up for a shot at the LIV Golf Valderrama title as the controversial Saudi-financed tournament visits Sotogrande.

The LIV tour threatened to split the pro-

fessional golfing world apart, with several players banned from the established PGA and DP World (formerly European) tours after throwing their hat in with LIV. But peace has broken out with an agreement between the three organisations to work together. Other big names expected for the June 30 to July 2 tournament include Phil Mickleson, Brooks Koepka, Cameron Smith and Dustin Johnson.

SEEING RED

IT may be fun but it seems to be such a waste - 130,000 litres of wine will be literally poured away.

A crowd of 5,000 people will douse each other with tinto in Haro, a small town in the Rioja region. The Haro Wine Festivalwhich is slated for June 29 - dumps as much Rioja as it consumes.

130,000 litres of wine ready to glug down the drain in Haro’s wine fight

By Isabel Max

Locals and tourists will continue a centuries old tradition to honour Saint Peter and

Paul's day, armed with cups, bottles, jugs, boots and water guns as they take part in the Battle of the Wines. Reputedly, the annual

wine fight began in a 13th century dispute over town lines between Haro and the neighbouring village of Miranda del Ebro. This ultimate fiesta is messy and it is a must-do.

As tradition goes, the wine warriors will trickle in at 7am dressed in red and white.

The Haro mayor will lead a procession on horseback, wending its way seven kilometres into the cliffs of Bilibio to the Her-

Swift swoops on Madrid

MADRID has been selected as the location of Taylor Swift’s one and only concert in Spain, where she will perform at the news Santiago Bernabeu for the first time.

The American singer-songwriter will perform at the stadium - home to Real Madrid - on May 30, 2024 as part of her European Eras our.

This is the first major concert announced for the new Madrid stadium.

It has been remodelled as a multipurpose ground in order to host basketball, tennis and NFL games, as well as concerts and, of course, football.

mitage of San Felices.

After a flag ceremony and a short mass at the historic chapel, the fighting commences. When the wine warriors are stained purple and soaked with the last of the drink, they descend into town, where they don’t have to be asked twice to begin dancing and slurring songs. A bullfight takes place in the afternoon, then more partying. A children’s version of the Batalla del Vino takes place on June 27, with grape juice.

TWO-time Oscar winner Jennifer Lawrence graced the red carpet at the Madrid premiere of her new summer comedy No Hard Feelings. The movie, directed by Gene Stupnitsky, is reportedly based on a true story. Lawrence plays a woman who thinks she's found the answer to her financial troubles after reading an advert on Craigslist written by the parents of an introverted 19 year old who are seeking a girlfriend for their son.

Hungry

NEW ARRIVAL

BENIDORM'S Mundomar wildlife park has a new residenta baby flamingo born on June 8.

Its the second flamingo birth at the park since it opened in 1996 with the first making its appearance in 2021. The egg was spotted on May 11 which the parents then looked after carefully.

Mundomar said that the mother and father at no point neglected the incubation of the egg or caring for their new child when it arrived- with staff on hand to make sure everything went well.

Pink colours are associated with flamingos but that's far from the case in their early stage of life, as the colour is obtained over time from the food they eat which contain crustacean residues.

NEWS IN BRIEF

Lies backfire

AN Alicante man made a bogus crime report that two knife-wielding masked men stole his work laptop computer in the street so that he could cover up ordering drugs online.

More Venom

CARTAGENA is providing external shots for the third ‘Venom’ movie starring Tom Hardy,. with shooting this week on the Marvel feature in the Los Mateos district as well as the Calblanque regional park.

Coast contract

PILAR DE LA HORADADA has advertised a fouryear contract worth €2.5 million for the cleaning of the area’s 12 beaches and coves, with at least 14 people working during the high season.

Councils unite

SANTA POLA wants to join forces with Elche to stop illegal overnight stays by motorhomes on shared areas of the coast leading to sewage discharges and other disruption.

HACKED OFF

Jail for the expat recluse who hacked the US establishment from his bedroom in Estepona

THE expat mother of a reclusive British hacker jailed for five years in the US has revealed she thought he was ‘safe in his room’ on the Costa del Sol.

Sandra O’Connor told a US court she believed he was ‘not being exposed to the dangers of alcohol, drugs or bullying’.

“In fact, he was involved in a far worse world,” the former lawyer told a New York judge. It came as her son, Joseph James O’Connor, was handed down the prison sentence for hacking into the Twitter accounts of, among others, Barack Obama and Joe Biden.

The 24-year-old was arrested at his home in Estepona in July 2021 after he undertook the hacking as part of a Bitcoin scam.

Liverpool-born O’Connor, who used the handle PlugwalkJoe, was extradited to America in April to await this week’s sentence.

His long-suffering mother, who was in New York for the hearings, told the court: “I wish I could have had more insight into this online gaming world he entered, and the dangers and influences he encountered.

“I didn’t even realise it was occurring,” added the mother-ofthree.

The ex-criminal lawyer be-

By Walter Finch

lieved that, after a troubled early childhood of bullying back home in Liverpool, a move to Spain would do her son some good. While he spent most of his time in his room on computers, she felt his reclusive nature would at least keep him safe from ‘a world on the outside which he was ill-equipped to navigate.’ However, O’Connor was part of a hacking ring that shocked the online world when it managed to very publicly penetrate Twitter’s detailed security in 2020.

SCAM

The scam involved posting directly to an estimated 350 million followers of Elon Musk, Kanye West, Kim Kardashian and Bill Gates accounts, among many others.

One bogus tweet from Biden read: “I am giving back to the community. All bitcoin sent to the address below will be sent back doubled! If you send $1,000, I will send back $2,000. Only doing this for 30 minutes.”

Although the ploy seemed an obvious fraud, an analysis revealed that 13 Bitcoins were

transferred to the hackers’ wallet in 383 transactions in the following 24 hours - or $117,000 (€107,000).

O’Connor also stalked underage girls and tried to extort famous people on other social networks, such as TikTok and Snapchat.

He hacked the actress Bella Thorne and stole 13 naked photos which he threatened to release if she did not promote his social accounts.

“It’ll be the entire internet looking at your personal shit,” one of his group of hacker friends wrote to her.

Thorne posted the pictures herself. “F*** u and the power you think u have over me,” she replied. “The FBI will be at your house shortly.”

O’Connor had laughed off the dangers of the US authorities when the New York Times managed to track him down. “I don’t care,” he insisted. “They can come arrest me. I would laugh at them. I haven’t done anything.” But that is exactly what hap-

ALL BARK NO BITE

RECLUSE: in cuffs and mum (below)

pened when the Policia Nacional hauled the social recluse out of his bedroom hideaway in July 2021 in cooperation with the FBI. Among the charges were a conspiracy to commit computer intrusions, conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering, as well as stalking two victims. The prosecution had requested the maximum sentence of 70 years jail for O’Connor for the ten criminal charges. In an appeal to Judge Rakoff for clemency, O’Connor apologised for his deeds. “I’m sorry. My crimes were stupid and senseless. I want a life that makes sense.”

He has been ordered to pay $794,000 the amount he received from his scam.

“Two years later, it’s still hard to understand how harmless gaming led to this,” Sandra told the court. “I am realistic that I have played a significant role in Joseph’s actions but ultimately, it is he who must take the responsibility.

SPANISH marine experts have slammed the British media for putting out tabloid scare stories after a spate of recent shark sightings along the Spanish coast.

A video has emerged of an ominous fin cutting the water’s surface where tourists and families usually paddle in the Orihuela Costa. Sharks have also recently been spotted off the coast of Galicia, Menora and Mallorca.

This has led to various UK outlets breathlessly reporting on the apparent danger to wayward arms and legs as millions of visitors flock to Spain’s beaches each summer. But a professor at Sevilla University has dismissed the danger posed by these largely peaceful fish. There have only been six shark attacks in Spanish waters since 1857 and not one has been fatal.

Less of a wait

PUBLIC hospital waiting times for surgeries have fallen in the Valencian Community.

According to the Ministry of Health, the average wait stood at 79 days in Mayfive days fewer than in April and 10 days less than a year earlier.

Disgrace Spectacular verses

A POEM by Virgil has been found engraved in an ancient Roman amphora.

The 1,800-year-old oil vat, found in Cordoba, featured the fated words of the legendary poet inside.

The fragments, measuring six by eight centimetres, were found by archaeologists at the Noguera site, near Fuente Palmera, in 2016.

After seven years of laborious work, an international team of archaeologists from Cordoba, Sevilla and Montpellier have confirmed words engraved were from the classical Roman poet. Virgil, who wrote the Aeneid, is credited with having a great influence on western literature, most notably Dante’s Divine Comedy, in which Virgil appears as the author's guide through hell and purgatory. It is not known where the extraordinary find will eventually be housed.

Hours off

SPAIN’S deputy prime minister Yolanda Diaz has proposed lowering the working week from 40 to 32 hours.

The leader of left-wing alliance

Sumar wants to start by dropping it to 37.5 hours next year.

She described the plan as ‘revolutionary’, insisting ‘time is the most valuable thing’ for workers who do not have ‘grand properties, nor important surnames’.

She insisted wages would not need to be cut ‘if productivity is improved’ from the scheme.

The proposal is not the first time the government has suggested a cut to worker hours. A pilot project was put in place last year to trial a four-day working week, with the results not yet released.

JAZZ IT UP!

THE Waterboys will be joined by Cuban pianists and the ‘world’s best soul band’ at San Javier’s jazz festival which celebrates its 25th anniversary this year.

The event, which is among the best in Spain, will feature 22 concerts over 15 nights from this Friday until July 23.

There will also be a special award presented to guitarist Ximo Tebar who performed in the very first festival concert in 1998.

The British-Irish folk rock band, The Waterboys, behind 1985 hit Whole of the Moon, will be returning to the festival after a fouryear break on July 22. Most concerts will be held in the redesigned 500 seat Parque Almansa venue and kick off on June 30 with Djavan, one of the most admired Brazilian musicians in the world.

July 1 sees Cuban pianist and vocalist, Alfredo Rodríguez, who was discovered by legend Quincy Jones, while British group Mamas Gun also perform.

The Festival closes on July 23 withs, the Anthony Paule Soul Orchestra making their Spanish debut.

CLOUDED OVER!

Plan for massive solar mega-project blocked over fears of effects on nature park and flamingoes

ECOLOGISTS and residents groups are celebrating after a giant solar farm was scrapped near Torrevieja.

The mega-project of 12,000 panels between Los Montesinos and Torrevieja has been turned down because of its proximity to a natural park.

Valencia’s Ministry for Ecological Transition ruled that the massive scheme would be in the ‘buffer zone’ for the La Mata and Torrevieja Natural Park.

The project would have been installed on virgin land by the lakes protected by the area’s Natural Resources Management Plan (PORN). Park officials had already warned the plant might ‘cause degradation of the environment’ or hinder the development of other types of agriculture.

The lakes are among the most important in the region and home to flamingos and many species of migratory bird.

“The plant would have had a significant adverse impact

By Alex Trelinski

on the landscape and environment, especially in the protected area,” confirmed a ministry spokesman.

“The proximity to wetlands in Torrevieja and San Pedro del Pinatar enriches the birdlife that passes and is seen in the area regularly,” he added.

The ruling was celebrated by groups, including the Friends of the South Alicante Wetlands and Friends of the Sierra Escalona (ASE).

“It’s excellent news and sets a good precedent for around a dozen other solar farm applications,” president Miguel Pavon told the Olive Press. His group has helped to organize a series of protests across Alicante, with as many as 180 similar schemes planned for the province alone.

At least two megafarms have so far been scrapped, includ-

EXPAT HONOURED

A BIG-hearted expat has been awarded a British Empire Medal in the King’s Birthday Honours.

Sylvia Gallimore was handed the gong in recognition of her 50 years of charity, community and voluntary work.

Sylvia, who lives in San Miguel de Salinas, first became involved in charity work through the Horfield Prison in Bristol, where she taught literacy skills to help improve inmates’ futures on release.

She did this while also running a canteen for the Women’s Royal Voluntary Service, fundraising for a school, and

running an animal rescue project.

In 1996, Sylvia shifted her focus to the visually impaired community in Bristol, fundraising for the Royal National Institute of Blind People and to help young people get the opportunity to expand their horizons.

“I cannot say how proud I am to receive the medal from His Majesty,” said Sylvia. “I was rather thrown into the world of the poorly-sighted when my son lost his sight in 1996 and since then I have had the pleasure of meeting some wonderful visually impaired people and tried to enhance their lives as best I could.”

She also played a crucial role in establishing the charity ‘Have Stick Will Travel’ founded in 2002 by her son Daniel, who lost his sight at the age of 21.

More recently since living in Spain, Sylvia has supported the Help at Home Costa Blanca charity, which helps people with mobility or health issues attend medical appointments or run errands.

She’s also written a book called ‘Sleeping Rough’ to raise money for the homeless charity Shelter.

His Majesty’s Ambassador to Spain, Hugh Elliott said: “Sylvia has dedicated her life to helping others and her significant contributions for over 50 years of community and voluntary work have improved the lives of countless individuals, from her native Bristol to Spain.”

“This Honour represents a lifetime of service and is very much deserved,” Elliott concluded

BREEDING

ing proposals that would have seen 300 hectares of panels in the Sierra Escalo-

na, which was classified as a protected area in 2018 in particular for birds.

A HUMAN rights group has claimed international laws were violated as it put the death toll from a Spanish/Moroccan border fence incident at 37.

Amnesty International also ruled that the June 2022 ‘avalanche’ has also left 76 migrants still unaccounted for.

The figure is considerably higher than the 23 official victims reported by the Moroccan authorities.

Amnesty has now accused the Spanish and Moroccan governments of failing to carry out ‘an effective investigation’.

It claims it has left family members of those who died or disappeared in limbo.

The attempt to storm the border saw around 2,000 mostly Sudanese men approach the fence in Melilla at 8.30am.

The ombudsman has also revealed that 470 of the migrants were sent back to Morocco ‘without taking into account the national or international legal provisions’.

Vathelp

SPAIN has approved an etension to a raft of measures that were put in place to help combat the cost-of-living crisis. A reduction in VAT (iva) on food and discounts on public transport, for example, were due to come to an end on June 30. But these will now continue to be applied in the second half of the year at a cost of €3.8 billion.

BEM: Sylvia with proud son Daniel

ZONE: The park is a key protected arae

Voted top

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.

Flags of shame

SPAIN’S natural beauty is legendary. Just take a look at our special travel article on the Costa de la Luz this edition.

The historic Cadiz coast gives a unique glimpse into an older way of life while the laid-back lifestyle is a draw for those who want to escape the hordes of northern Europeans this summer.

But - and this is a message the Olive Press has long hammered home through our ‘Hands off our Costas’ campaign - the authorities should be careful not to ruin the very surroundings that attract people in the first place. It’s all well and good trumpeting our beaches with Blue Flags in a bid to woo the tourists.

The honours handed out by the European Union are a good way to galvanise our town halls into cleaning up their act and being rewarded for success.

But we believe it is far more important to pick up on the far more shocking cases that still shame Spain.

So hats off to green group, Ecologistas en Accion for handing out their 48 unwelcome Black Flag awards each year.

The plight of the Mar Menor is infamous around the world, although not many know that Javea’s emblematic Arenal beach has been a continual black spot for some years now.

The dreaded black flags are designed to shame politicians into cleaning up pollution, protecting the environment and curbing further development.

Many of us expect it in the big resorts, but when this excellent pressure group highlights the final unspoiled stretches of our coastline, such as around Tarifa or in Orihuela, it’s time to really take note.

The Olive Press has long stood shoulder to shoulder with the ecologists in opposing the plans at Cala Mosca (and long called out Javea town hall over Arenal)... and we say this again:

Enough is enough - protect our last stretches of virgin coastline from overdevelopment before they are all lost under a sea of concrete!

PUBLISHER / EDITOR

Jon Clarke, jon@theolivepress.es

Dilip Kuner dilip@theolivepress.es

Alberto Lejarraga alberto@theolivepress.es

Jo Chipchase jo@theolivepress.es

John Culatto

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

For

DON’T BE A GILIPOLLAS!

WHEN former Barcelona Mayor Xavier Trias lost his post to socialist Jaume Collboni of the Catalan Socialist Party (PSC) he could barely contain his annoyance.

Speaking after the investiture of Collboni as leader of a minority administration, he said: “At my age of 76, I had already said, ‘If I don’t end up mayor, they can all go screw themselves’,” (pictured below).

It was a statement of typical Spanish bluntness that is displayed in all walks of lifeeven in the full glare of publicity.

Indeed, if you have fully embraced Spanish language and culture you can’t go for an hour in Spain without insulting some ‘dickhead’ driver or roadworks in the middle of summer.

While there are hilarious phrases that can be harnessed as Spanishs insults (¡Que te folle un pez! or ‘get f**ked by a fish’) there remain some critical curse words you’ll need to season your day-to-day speech in Spain. Here are 12 Spanish insults that will slot

12 Spanish insults that will make you sound like a native

By Dilip Kuner

you right into Spanish culture and make you sound like native.

1. Me cago en... (insert object of hatred)

Any language that has no scatalogical (poo-related) insults is not worth learning. While Spanish has an equivalent for ‘s**t’ - mierda - it enjoys another creative method for expressing disgust, disappointment or rage.

The phrase usually starts ‘me cago en...’ (I s**t on...) followed by the object of hatred at hand.

The most traditional forms are as follows:

¡Me cago en tu puta madre! (I s**t on your whore-mother) ¡Me cago en la puta que te parió! (I s**t on the whore that gave birth to you) ¡Me cago en la puta! (I s**t on the whore)

¡Me cago en la leche! (I s**t in the milk)

¡Me cago en tus muertos! (I s**t on your dead ancestors) (EXTREME CAUTION: this is very, very offensive)

2. Gilipollas

Few Spanish insults are as satisfying as ‘gilipollas’. Literally it means ‘stupid dick’ and refers to someone who thinks with a dick for a brain. Though it’s more equivalent to ‘dickhead’ or ‘stupid idiot’ or ‘prick’. It can be used both to cause offence, naturally, but also among friends and acquaintances.

EXAMPLE

Porque sales a la calle con calcetines y chanclas tió, ¿serás gilipollas?

(Why are you going out in socks and sandals man, are you a dickhead or something?) (This happened, it was my mother-in-law).

3. Joder

Joder is a versatile Spanish curse word that traditionally has a similar meaning to ‘f**k’ but is extremely rarely used in a sexual context in Spain. Generally, it can be used to express anything from mild frustration to frothing anger. It’s very common to hear elderly people using joder and in general it wouldn’t be frowned upon in their presence.

EXAMPLE

Joder, has dejado la ropa fuera en la lluvia otra vez.

(F**k, you left the clothes out in the rain again.)

4. Mierda

Mierda is a simple insult for English speakers to slot into their Spanish, as in most situations it can substitute ‘s**t’. One situation where it can’t would be in vete a la mierda or ‘go to hell’. You will often hear Spanish people say una mierda when they mean something like ‘there’s no way in hell’.

EXAMPLE ¿Que mierda no?

(How s**t right?)

5. Puta

It’s strange the Spanish obsession with anything bad being attributed to whores - especially when one in five Spanish men admit to having used a sex worker’s services. But, whether a hangover from Catholicism or an act of denial, there it is. Puta is another versatile word that can be slotted in before any word to enhance the potency of an insult or expression.

EXAMPLE ¡El puto perro de ese gilipollas ha cagado en mis putos geranios otra vez!

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BALLAST FOR BACALAO

ON the surface of things, there is nothing to connect the Norwegian landscape with Spain. It couldn’t be more different: Norway, stretching north above the Arctic Circle, is a country of steep rock cliffs and deep fjords created by glacial erosion.

The country is synonymous with waterfalls, glaciers and fjords, along with perpetually misty mountains and copious amounts of rain and snow. Yet there is a part of these lands – albeit a very small part – that will remain forever Spanish.

Allow me to explain:

Norwegian shipping statistics show there was a constant flow of ships with vast tonnage leaving the ports of Norway for the Iberian Penin-

You don’t have to be in Spain to stand on Spanish soil, writes Jack Gaioni

sula between 1830-1900. They carried full cargos of lumber, ice and salted cod or bacalao. This export was very profitable but there was little Spanish cargo to load for the return trips back to Norway. Some grains, olive and wine products were sent north but demand for these products was low.

Given the weight of their rig and sail, the Norwegian sailing ships needed ballast once they were emptied of cargo. The process of ballasting involves loading heavy material into the bilge of the ship to give it stability and balance. The Norwegian shipmasters filled up with Spanish soil, and brought massive amounts of it back to Norway. ‘Ballast places’ were established along the Norwegian coastline, and Spain’s soil was subsequently put to good use. There was little topsoil around the rocky fjords, so much of the Spanish ballast soil was used as ‘fill’ in the construction of streets, parks, gardens and quays. In the port cities of Fredrikstad and Oslo, huge quantities of ballast soil was used to increase the size of the harbours. Some soil was sold for profit.

In a few instances, the soil was deposited in cemeteries to provide sufficient depth for proper burials, as was the case in Alesund, a coastal port just south of the Arctic Circle. According to local folklore, there’s a saying that to be buried in the Alesund Church or in the nearby Borgund Kirke Cemetery, is to be ‘buried in Spanish soil’.

Whereas Spanish soil may have changed the Norwegian landscape in a very small way, the exported cod changed Spanish culture. While it was a longstanding Catholic tradition not to eat meat on certain days (for example, Fridays during Lent), eating fish was encouraged.

The rise in the consumption of fish since the 18th century has been exponential, and Norwegian cod has gone a long way in meeting this demand.

Bacalao is now a well-established part of Spanish gastronomy. Ask anyone who has spent time in Spain for an opinion on it, and you’re likely to get a passionate response. Visit Alesund and anyone their opinion on being buried in Spanish soil, and … well, they’re sure to remain silent on the subject.

(The f**king dog of that dickbrain has s**t in my f**king geraniums again!)

6. Hijo de puta

Hijo de puta could be translated as ‘son of a bitch’.

But as we’ve seen, puta means ‘whore’ or ‘prostitute’ in Spanish.

Generally, if you want a good-and-proper Spanish insult you should direct your swearing towards someone’s upbringing - and especially someone’s mother - for maximum effect.

Commonly you’ll hear people in Spain shortening the insult to just hijoputa or hijaputa

EXAMPLE

Limpia las cacas de tu perro, ¡hijoputa! (Clean up your dog poo, son of a whore!)

7. Hostia puta

Hostia literally translates as ‘host’ in the Christian sense, meaning the body of Christ given to the confirmed during the Eucharist. But it’s been hijacked by the sharp Spanish tongue as a general expression of shock, either positive or negative.

For some unknown reason you’ll often hear people in Spain sticking a puta on the end for good measure.

EXAMPLE ¡Hostia puta! Tengo 500 seguidores en Instagram!

(Holy s**t! I have 500 followers on Instagram!)

8. A tomar por culo

While we don’t approve of homophobic connotations to this insult, it’s in the list because it’s such a widespread Spanish insult.

Vete a tomar por culo literally means ‘go and get it in the arse’ though in practice means ‘go f**k yourself’.

It’s generally a way to tell someone to get lost or get out of your business immediately.

EXAMPLE

Vino a pedirme que regularize mi nueva piscina con el ayuntamiento y le mandé a tomar por culo.

(He came asking me to declare my new swimming pool at the town hall and I told him to go f**k himself.)

9. Coño

The unfortunate translation of this colourful Spanish insult is the English ‘c u next tuesday’.

I say unfortunate because the Spanish version is really nothing like the gravest and most unsavoury of English insults. Coño is used in Spain to express anything from mild surprise to add weight behind an expression. For example: ¿Y a mi que coño me importa? or ‘and why the c**t should I care?’

EXAMPLE

¿Que coño te pasa?

¡Que estoy hasta el coño de escuchar tu reggaeton de mierda!

(What the c**t is wrong with you? I’m up to my c**t with hearing your s**tty reggaeton!)

10. Pringado

Pringado is a Spanish insult that speaks of someone who through naivety or worse gets fooled into doing

We help you escape

The Olive Press Travel site has gone up to a whole new level!

AS the world descends on the costas…we’d like to give you some alternatives. For those of us lucky enough to live here, now is the perfect time to explore some of the quieter - and cooler - corners of Spain. This issue we suggest the Costa de la Luz, a world away from the sweaty bun-fights in Marbella, Javea or Torrevieja in summer.

But equally, how about the moderate climes of Galicia or the mountains of Extremadura? We have researched and published hundreds of top-quality articles over the years.

Even better, they can all be found in one place: in the travel section of the Olive Press website. Chock full of ideas of where to visit, where to stay and where to eat.

Regular visitors to our website - check out ‘Olive Press Travel’ at theolivepress.es - may have noticed a difference over the past few weeks.

things other people don’t want to do, or always ends up with the blame. Pringado can also be someone generally failing at everything and with the worst luck. It could be translated as the US English ‘loser’ or ‘sucker’ or ‘chump’.

EXAMPLE Es un pringado, no le tienes que dar pena. (He’s just a loser, you don’t need to feel bad for him.)

11. Desgraciado This is an insult many Spanish people take immense pride in saying. There’s little worse than being a desgraciado or ‘wretch’. The word literally means ‘without grace’ and will generally be hurled in the direction of anyone acting without care or concern for others.

EXAMPLE Olvídalo, no es más que un desgraciado. Forget about him, he’s no more than a wretch.

12. Cabrón

Literally this essential Spanish insult means a male goat. If you’re not aware, male goats can be either aggressive or careless or annoying or all three.

A very common insult in Spain that can also be used to insult someone you’re envious of.

EXAMPLE

¿Has visto que el cabrón tiene un Range Rover? Vamos a pincharle las ruedas.

(Did you see the male goat now has a Range Rover? Let’s puncture his tyres.)

We have brought on board well respected travel writer Sorrel Downer - whose work is often featured in the Guardian - to drive the site on.

Ensuring it is full of not just excellent photos and well-informed articles but also useful information for any would-be traveller.

Tips on the most interesting museums to visit to reviews of the country’s best restaurants and hotels, the Olive Press always sends out staff and contributors to actually visit the places they write about.

This makes our site authoritative in a way that cut-and-paste merchants from lazier websites can’t hope to match.

At the moment we have two interns from America’s Princeton University - Isabel Max and Regina Roberts - who are sharing their journeys around Spain with our readers (you can read about their trip to Tarifa in this issue.)

Many more journeys are lined up in the coming weeks including special spots to cool down for a cooling dip, a trip to Nerja and a Best of the Islands special, plus much more. This top quality content has not gone unnoticed among travel writers.

Indeed, seasoned author Paul Richardson is so impressed that he has agreed to serialise his latest book, Hidden Valleys, about life in Extremadura, in the Olive Press this summer - a real honour for us.

So what are you waiting for? Visit theolivepress.es and the whole of Spain is at your fingertips.

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

1- Around 200 members of a rainbow hippy family kicked out from Andalucia’s major national park

2- A VICTIM’S PLEA to Madeleine McCann suspect Christian Brueckner: You’re a loser. I survived and am loved and free

● BALLAST is one of those unusual words that is both a noun and a verb. The definition of the noun is heavy material (e.g. rock, soil, or iron) placed in such a way as to improve stability, control and balance. As a verb, it means to steady or fill in.

● BACALAO al Pil Pil is a Basque regional specialty with a fascinating story of origin. During the Second Carlist War (1846) a restaurateur named Simon Gurtubay ordered 20 to 22 Norwegian cod. There was a mix-up and he received 20,022 Norwegian cod. By coincidence, the order arrived on the eve of the Siege of Bilbao. Having only a few simple ingredients to hand (namely olive oil, garlic and peppers), he not only concocted his famous recipe, he helped save the city from starvation!

GILIPOLLAS: A common insult against drivers

3- Rejected Schengen visa applicants lash out at ‘merciless’ Spain and other countries

4-Shark sighting forces bathers out of water at Costa Blanca beach in Spain

5- IN PICS: Costa del Sol in the 1970s

DRYING UP

The recent rainfall has had little effect given the long-term lack of water in the country’s reservoirs

THE official start to the summer was marked by nearly 40% of the country being declared in drought.

That’s according to the latest report from the Ecological Transition Ministry.

The data shows that 33% of Spain is in a ‘prolonged drought’, with a particularly dry year so far in Catalunya and most of Andalucia.

The lack of rainfall in recent months has left the country’s reservoirs at 47.4% capacity, compared to the average of 66.7% over the past 10 years according to the data. However, there has been more rainfall than usual so far in the month of June, which has helped to stop the fall in water reserves. But this precipitation has not been enough to allevi-

Green wine

SPANISH winemaker Entrecanales Domecq e Hijos has been named the leading food and drink company in Spain at The Sustainability Awards. They won the garland by becoming one of the first to achieve Carbon Neutral certification and utilise only renewable energy across their many sites around Spain.

The jury also praised the company’s new Sustainability Plan, which outlines 100 actions to be implemented between 2023 and 2027, covering areas such as environmental initiatives, social practices, and corporate governance.

By Simon Hunter

ate the situation in many of the water basins across the country.

Last year was also very dry, meaning that the reservoirs have been at minimum levels for many months and at levels that have not been seen since a major drought that took place in Spain in the mid-1990s.

Despite the arrival of summer, however, there could still be some storms to come

in the north of the country. But in the long term, according to the AEMET state weather service, temperatures are likely to be above average for the next three months. The water shortage has

already affected wildlife, with the numbers of breeding flamingos in Andalucia’s Fuente de Piedra lake down to just a handful from its usual 10,000 as the water dries up (above).

GREEN CORRIDORS

A RECENT study by the Global Maritime Forum has identified Spain as a hub for green shipping corridors towards the rest of Europe and beyond.

Based on the scale of trade, energy demand, dominant trade segments and policy environment, the analysis showed that the United Kingdom, Italy, and the United States are Spain’s most promising partner countries for developing green corridors.

The other three identified countries were Turkey, Morocco, and China with Barcelona, Bilbao and Valencia singled out as the key ports.

IHAVE regularly written in this column that world leaders need to take urgent steps on a global level to tackle climate change.

As individuals, there are a number of measures we should be doing.

CUT OUT WASTING FOOD

According to a UN report the world wastes between 25 - 30% of its food. The same report states that around 10% of global carbon emissions are linked to produce we do not consume. This is a pretty staggering statistic.

FLY LESS, DRIVE LESS

Domestic flights have the highest emissions per person per kilometre. There are alternatives - train, bus, car share, and video conferencing for example. Look at an electric vehicle.

DO YOUR BIT

INSTALL SOLAR PANELS

This really is a no-brainer. If you have a useable roof or suitable land put it to good use. The sun is free… harness it. Solar-generated power is the cleanest form of renewable energy. And it pays back your investment in typically less than four years.

INSTALL LED LIGHTS

Led light bulbs are more energy efficient. They give better quality light and are much cheaper to run.

A 35w Halogen bulb costs over €6 a year to run (and has a short life expectancy). An equivalent Led bulb costs less than €1 per year. It’s not rocket science.

BUY ENERGY-EFFICIENT ELECTRICAL APPLIANCES

Read the label on every new appliance you buy to see how frugal it is to use - washing machines, fridges, dishwashers, ovens, etc.

DO I REALLY NEED IT?

We generally buy more clothing than we need. Get this; according to the UN’s data, when you take into account cotton production, manufacturing, transport and washing it takes over 3,700 litres of water just to make one pair of jeans. Wow! Try secondhand. Some of the charity shops have amazing clothing at a fraction of the new price. So whilst governments around the world redefine the meaning of being slow to act...there’s no need to drag your heels.

Every little helps.

Green Matters By Martin Tye

FLOATING: Violette

Enchanting display

MADRID was treated to a unique and enchanting display when French pianist Violette Prevost captivated hundreds with a floating piano performance.

As the sun dipped below the horizon, a mesmerised audience gathered around the Pradolongo artificial lake in Usera to witness an extraordinary concert.

Etheral

The renowned musical ensemble known as Piano du Lac orchestrated the event, their only stop in central Madrid during their summer tour across Spain.

Prevost took to her ethereal floating stage and blended classical melodies with contemporary compositions.

Gods of art

Graffiti and classical art fused by Spanish duo

TWO Spanish graffiti artists have built up an international reputation for creating murals of the ancient Greek gods on large high-rise buildings across the world.

The eye-catching works seamlessly combine modern artistic sensibilities with the ancient Greek mythological world. PichiAvo have been described

EUROPE’S largest vertical mural, on Spain’s south coast, is just weeks away from completion. Covering over 6,000 square metres, Les Rivages de Almuñecar, by artist Jose Ríos, is being painted on three 12-storey buildings.

The mural depicts a figure of a dog walking on the beach, the silhouette of a woman and the

By Alex Trelinski

as being ‘among the most prominent street artists on the current urban art scene’.

Pichi and Avo trained in Fine Art and Design and met on the graffiti art scene in Valencia before becoming a duo in 2007.

Tall order

waves of the sea and the golden sand. Its conception was to convey a sense of transparency and disguise the tower blocks on which it is painted. It will be viewable in all its glory in the town of Almuñecar,

BULLY FOR THEM!

Pamplona beckons as the San Fermin festival is poised to start

By Alex Trelinski

THE famous San Fermin ‘bull running’ festival is about to kick off with the ‘Chupinazo’ inaugural firing of a rocket.

People from all across the world will flock to the historic city of Pamplona for the July 7 to July 14 event.

While the running of the bulls and associated bullfights are the most high-profile events, there is much more to the festival than that.

Bonus success

SPAIN'S Youth Cultural Bonus for 2022, which provides €400 per head to invest in culture to young people who reach 18 years, has distributed more than €37.5 million since it started being issued last October.

The city council organises more than 500 concerts, parties, firework displays and a ‘wine fight’ where merrymakers soaked each other in tinto.

Every day at 8am, six fighting bulls along with four oxen run the 825 metre route from the Corrales de Santo Domingo to Pamplona’s Plaza de Toros.

An estimated one million spectators will watch thousands of people run with the bulls over the eight days of the San Fermin Festival.

Runners are ticketed and strictly limited to 3,000 per day and, contrary to popular belief,

From that moment they worked on developing joint projects, pursuing an unremitting search for a style of their own in fusion of graffiti and classical art.

Recently the pair completed stylized graffiti murals of the Greek gods and subjects from Greek Mythology in Spain and Canada, and also recently took part in the 2023 Mural Festival in Montreal.

In Spain, they have finished a mural in Merida, Extremadura, near to the city's famous Roman Hippodrome, once used for horse and chariot racing. Commenting on the new mural, PichiAvo said: “We painted a new version of the Venus del Mitreo which is exhibited in the Museo Nacional del Arte Romano also located in Merida.”

“It involved reconstructing the bust inspired by the Syra-

cuse-type Venus from the National Archaeological Museum in Athens, since we found the similarity between the two works very fruitful,” they commented.

The synergy between classical art and graffiti can be seen in their many murals of the ancient Greek gods that combine contemporary street art with the sensibilities of the ancient world.

Some 277,754 people who turned 18 during the qualifying period for the 2022 Bonus applied for the money - around half of those who were eligible to do so. People who celebrate their 18th birthday this year can now apply for the 2023 grant with a closing date of September 30.

MAKING WAVES

FLAMENCO lovers with sea legs will soon be able to enjoy a highly original Mediterranean cruise experience in november.

Seven Seas Flamenco Experience consists of a voyage on board the Atlantis, which, with the Mediterranean as a backdrop, will put the gypsy artform centre stage. The cruise experience will transport flamenco lovers through four emblematic cities for an authentic flamenco experience at each stop; Cartagena, Almeria, Malaga and Cadiz.

THRILL: but with it comes danger and (below) a firework laden effigy of a bull

most of the injuries are caused by other humans involved in trampling rather than any incidents with a bull.

Deadly

Although, of course, the bulls can be deadly. Since records started being kept in 1910, 15 people have been killed during the runs - mainly as a result of goring. The last non-Spaniard to die from a goring was an American tourist aged 22 in 1995.

Some 200 people, mainly from the Cruz Roja (Red Cross), provide medical services every 50 metres down the route, with 20 ambulances on stand-by which can take people to hospital in 10 minutes.

The event dates back to the 13th century tradition of transferring bulls from fields outside Pamplona to the bullring where they would be killed in the evening. During that run, youths would jump among them in a display of bravado.

CLASSIC GRAFFITI: Painted by PichiAvo (below)

SAFETY: Watch from the balcony to avoid danger

NO PAY

FOUR out of 10 workers in Spain receive no compensation for their overtime.

A study carried out by Infojobs and Adecco exposed businesses in Spain for not complying with the regulations placed by the Spanish Government in 2019.

The latest royal decree states that full-time employees can only work up to 80 hours of overtime a year.

It also enforces companies to monitor and register their employees working time and to pay them for all the extra hours worked. Those organisations not complying with these policies could face fines of up to €6,000. However, the study shows that most companies ignored these regulations last year. In 2022, over half of the workers (53%) did more hours than their theoretical annual working time.

Solar farms go-ahead

ENERGY company Iberdrola has been given permission to build three solar farms in Alicante and Valencia provinces.

The three locations at Villena, Ayora, and Cofrentes had already satisfied environmental impact tests and will annually generate a total of 450 megawatts of power with an investment of €280 million.

Iberdrola says they will supply 225,000 homes per year with green energy and reduce the emission into the atmosphere of more than 135,000 tons of CO2.

The construction of the three farms will involve the hiring of more than 1,550 people.

The most advanced project is that of Alhorines at Villena, which also already has the administrative authorisation of construction and is waiting to have the corresponding municipal building license to begin the works.

Vodafone faces uncertain future

Communications giant mulls abandoning Spanish market

BRITISH telecoms group

Vodafone could pull out of Spain and has hired the Morgan Stanley investment bank to review its options in the country, according to Spanish media reports.

Spain, which comprises around 9% of global operations, was Vodafone’s

OP QUICK CROSSWORD

Pay

up!

BANKS in Spain have been told to start paying clients better rates for their savings as interest rates continue to climb.

The call has come from Economy Minister, Nadia Calvino, speaking at an event organised by the BBVA bank. Banks have cashed in with increased profit margins due to the European Central Bank tightening its monetary policy and lifting interest rates to 3.5% - the highest in over 20 years.

Most banks though have not passed on the full benefit of rate rises to customers who have deposit accounts. Nadio Calvino said: “I have no doubt that the Spanish banking sector has to start transmitting the rise in interest rates for the benefit of customers and Spanish citizens.”

By Alex Trelinski

worst-performing region in the 2023 financial year, with service revenue growth falling by 5.4%the highest in any of the company’s markets.

The fall was blamed on ‘continued price competition

Across

6 Manet or Monet (13)

8 Nobility (7)

9 Jewish teacher (5)

10 Hint about not being obese (4)

11 Substantial (8)

15 North Sea oil port (8)

16 Kind of farm (4)

19 Worth (5)

21 Pancake-like bread of India (7)

22 Spiritless (13)

Down

1 Desire for food (8)

2 What avengers do (5)

3 Sea-girt land (4)

4 Make right (7)

5 Member (4)

6 Computer feed (5)

7 Brief moment (5)

12 What the clock struck to scare away the mouse (3)

13 Mesmerize (8)

14 Abdominal gland (7)

15 Smith’s block (5)

17 Seed planter (5)

18 Effervescent (5)

20 Gambler’s asset (4)

21 Crushed taco on the outside (4)

All solutions are on page 14

and a lower customer base’. In the group’s latest annual report, published in May, it noted a ‘strategic review’ of its operations in Spain was part of a multi-faceted action plan to spur growth across several European markets.

Deutsche Bank telecoms analyst Robert Grindle said that a partial or full sale of Vodafone’s Spanish division, including its fixed-network infrastructure, could attract private equity interest.

“Further strategic action

by Vodafone to address underperforming assets following recent news of the proposed UK merger should prove sentiment supportive,” noted Grindle, referring to Vodafone’s planned merger with Three.

Vodafone is not the only firm in the Spanish market suffering from high competition with Orange having to strike a deal to merge operations with Masmovil to make savings, allowing it to increase investments.

Pension scheme boost

THE volume of assets in the individual pension system in Spain increased by €365m to €83.1bn in May 2023, according to data from Inverco.

The company noted that the positive returns experienced during the month drove the rise in individual pension assets.

This is the third month in a row that individual pension assets have increased in Spain, rising from €82bn to €83.1bn between the end of February and the end of May.

Big figures

Correos delivers

SPAIN’S national post service, Correos, has won two awards at the World Post & Parcel Awards 2023.

It scooped the prizes for the Correos Market app, and in the Postal Evolution category for the Correos Frío service.

The public company said in a statement that these awards are considered the ‘Oscars of the postal and logistics sector’.

Positive outlook

THE Bank of Spain has raised its economic growth forecast for 2023 to 2.3% from 1.6% in March as activity picked up more than expected at the start of the year, with energy costs easing and employment rising.

The country’s GDP has also been boosted in recent months with record numbers of foreign visitors pumping money into the economy.

The Bank says that GDP will rise by 2.2% and 2.1% respectively in 2024 and 2025.

“The Spanish economy has shown remarkable resilience in the first half of the year,” highlights the Bank of Spain’s quarterly report.

The entity believes that inflation will close the year at an average of 3.2% compared to 3.7% in its last quarterly report in March.

THE El Corte Ingles Group closed the 2022 financial year with global revenues of €15.3 billion - up 22.5% compared to the previous year with net profits rising seven-fold to €870 million.

The group says the results are down to the way it has developed its business, cut costs, and introduced management improvements which has allowed it to consolidate growth despite customers having to endure higher inflation and interest rates.

“The solid financial position together with a strong recovery in profitability will allow the group to undertake new projects in the future,” an El Corte Ingles statement said.

The main growth driver has been the retail side of the business, which achieved sales of €12.2 billion representing a growth of 7.8% compared to the previous year with fashion doing well as sales went up by 16.3%.

Economy Minister Nadia Calvino

FOOD,DRINK & TRAVEL

No entry

SPAIN is the EU country second most likely to refuse a visa application, according to applicants and EU data. Social media platforms have become a haven for applicants to vent their rage at Schengen countries for what they perceive as ‘merciless’ refusal of their applications. Recent statistics released for 2022 indicate that Schengen countries collectively rejected 17.9% of the 7,572,755 visa applications submitted worldwide.

Spain followed France in a close second in rejecting 227,712 applications out of nearly 1,250,000 applications - or 10%.

France recorded the highest number of rejected applications, with 408,876, out of just under two million - or around 20%.

History covered

THE June issue of National Geographic has captivated readers by featuring Spain’s Crown Jewel; The Alhambra Palace.

The prestigious magazine dedicates an elaborate report to Granada's greatest monument, with the cover headline ‘The hidden Alhambra’ and a photo showing the characteristic architecture of the beautiful, ancient palace.

FOOD LOVER Through ticket

A CHEEKY gourmet has been arrested for the 17th time in seven months for refusing to pay for restaurant meals in Alicante.

The 50-year-old Lithuanian loves fine dining, but paying for it isn’t on his agenda.

His last feast consisted of a €30 ribeye steak, a €12 salad and four litres of sangria to fight the heatwave.

His next meal will be the prison’s menu as he will be jailed for a month and a half.

AIR Europa and Iryo have announced the launch of combined plane and train tickets in Spain from September.

The agreement will include flights connecting Spain with 33 destinations in Europe, Latin America and the USA. Flights arriving and departing from Madrid will have a high-speed train connection to 11 Spanish cities. These include Barcelona, Tarragona, Zaragoza, Cuenca, Valencia, Albacete, Alicante, Malaga, Sevilla, Cordoba and Antequera.

TUCK IN!

SPAIN'S restaurants held their heads high at the Best Restaurants in the World Awards 2023' staged at Valencia's Les Arts Opera House.

The ceremony honoured the pinnacle of gastronomic talent from 24 countries across five continents, with three out of the top four coming from Spain.

But it was Central in Peru's capital of Lima that was named the best restaurant in the world by 1,080 restaurant industry experts.

It edged out Barcelona’s Disfrutar, Madrid's Diverxo, and Axtondo's Asador Etxeberri, with Disfrutar's second-place guaranteeing them the best restaurant in Europe award. Further down the list, Quique Dacosta in Denia

Many cheers

BEER drinking reached a record-high in Spain in 2022 helped by hospitality recovering after the pandemic and larger number of tourists.

Figures released by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Food in conjunction with Cerveceros de España showed that 42.3 million hectolitres of beer were downed last year.

That's 6% more than in 2021 and beats the previous best of 41.3 million hectolitres in 2019.

In terms of production, Spain ousted Poland as the second biggest producer in the EU and is now behind Germany. Spain is ninth in the world standings, headed by China, the US and Brazil.

Almost all the beer consumed in Spain is made domestically: in total 41.1 million hectolitres were manufactured - 7.9% more than in 2021.

Exports rose by 13.4% last year, to 4.2 million hectolitres, with Portugal, the United Kingdom, China and Equatorial Guinea as the main markets.

Imports meanwhile fell by 3.63% in 2022 compared to the previous year, to

Tasty sustainables

A 'Sustainable' guide to restaurants in the Valencia region has seen its second edition published with an in-depth review of 85 eating places that put environmental sustainability and local produce at the top of their menu.

Guide editor, Maria Diago, said: “The project was born in 2020 to promote the development of the Valencian restaurant sector to achieve excellence as far as possible and that gastronomic richness should go hand in hand with sustainability.”

Experts from environmental, gastronomic, and marketing sectors have visited all the featured premises to provide independent assessments.

Spanish gourmet dominates at awards night

By Alex Trelinski

came 20th and Mugaritz in San Sebastian was 31st. Spanish restaurants had a strong showing further down the list, including the first appearance of Valencia’s Restaurante Ricard Camarina at 96 and the return of chef Albert Adria’s Engima in Barcelona at number 82.

Total perfection was achieved by chef Antoni Luis Arduiz who received the Icon Award for his lifetime of work at San Sebastian’s Mugaritz and Madrid’s Diverxo. Diverxo's in-house sommelier Miguel Angel Millan also took home the prize for Best Sommelier in the World.

In terms of companies, Mahou San Miguel was the biggest producer in 2022(12.81 million hectolitres), followed by Grupo Damm (11.34 million), Heineken

(10.07), Hijos de Rivera (the manufacturer of Estrella de Galicia, with 4.81 million hectolitres) and Compañía Cervecera de Canarias (1.07 million).

5.4 million hectolitres with Belgium as the main seller.

Consumption grew especially in the hospitality industry, 32% more, due to the boost of tourism.

But pre-pandemic hospitality sector levels have not yet been reached, though tourist numbers so far this year suggest that could well happen.

Some 70% of beer was consumed outside the home in 2019, but last year this figure remains below 60%.

Another trend was the rise by 11% last year of non-alcoholic beer sales, accounting for 13% of all beer consumption.

THE LIGHTNESS OF BEING

THE journey from Zahara de los Atunes to Barbate is one of the most scenic in Andalucia… and a tardis between two worlds. Zahara is the quintessential home of affluence; a golden magnet for upmarket restaurants and a flotilla of Cayennes and Q7s come weekends and peak holiday season.

In contrast, Barbate is a new town created by dictator Franco, pockmarked with ugly 1960s tower blocks and afflicted by an unemployment rate as high as anywhere else in Europe. What they share though, is privilege.

For what surrounds them is a canvas of colours and contours, a backdrop of Africa, all illuminated by an al-

By Jon Clarke

most unique changing light. Long, unspoilt beaches, windswept sand dunes and scrub, umbrella pines and the smell of rosemary and mimosa.

This is the Costa de la Luz - the Coast of Light - and a million miles away from its nearby cousin the Costa del Sol, indeed the costas in general. This is a coastline of castles and carpaccios, coves and corvina (one of its best local fish)... the perfect blend of nature and its best ingredients.

This is a coastline of gems; historic Tarifa, the bridgehead for the Moors in Spain and a crossing point for centuries and beautiful Vejer de la Frontera, with its cobbled streets and restaurant scene. This is a coastline of laid back, low rise resorts; Roman Bolonia and the biggest sand dune in the world, entertaining El Palmar, with its party crowd and surf, and quirky Canos de Meca, with its alternative feel.

But what best sums up this long stretch of coastline for me is the view you get while taking lunch at places like Patria or Tesoro, that sit high in the hills, or on the terrace of a hotel suite like Califa in Vejer or Punta Sur, in Tarifa.

For spreading out in front of you are uninterrupted vistas of rolling fields and pine trees all the way down to white sandy beaches, with very little built on them.

An incredible sight, this patchwork quilt of greenery and long, unspoilt beaches is sadly practically unique to Spain these days, but what much of Andalucia’s coastline would have looked like 50 years ago.

The Costa de la Luz is only matched in beauty by Cabo de Gata in Almeria but there is something intrinsically different about the Costa de la Luz: Laid back and unshowy, its friendly, unfussy locals complement the breathtaking scenery and distinctive vibe.

The coastline is, without a doubt, for the more discerning tourist and, in particular, for lovers of fine food.

Vejer, in particular, has an incredible mix of stylish boutique hotels and probably the highest concentration of top restaurants per capita of anywhere else in Andalucia.

This is a true food capital and over the last few years, I have found at least a dozen great

places to eat within a ten mile radius of the town.

Tarifa has an altogether different feel. This is a party town, particularly in summer, when the back streets are heaving with lively bars well into the early hours.

But its stylish mix of shops and restaurants added to its melting pot of worldly Spaniards and interesting expats make for a distinct Tarifa scene, not dissimilar to the one you find in Ibiza and it is one of the few places – thanks in the main to its breezes – that still has enough going on through the winter.

The Moors would never have had it so good on arriving in Tarifa in 710AD. While later dubbing Andalucia ‘paradise’, it was certainly anything but peaceful when they

used the town as their bridgehead into southern Spain.

This is quickly obvious wondering around Tarifa, its historic ramparts littered with statues and references to stirring catholic heroes such as Sancho El Bravo and Guzmán el Bueno.

BOLONIA’S iconic, giant sand dune is the texture of icing sugar, its waters Caribbean blue. The largest on the Continent it dares to be climbed, just to see what lies beyond. While there is no secret

If you have never taken a ride to these shores, the other side of the Rock of Gibraltar and around Cadiz you are in for a surprise.

This is Europe’s true deep south; a series of windswept flood plains, fringed by miles

BIGGEST DUNE IN

cove or crock of gold at the end it is a lovely slow transition into a cool, scented pine forest. And the stunning views from the top are

a reminder of how all coastal Andalucia once was. Nearby look for Cala del Picacho, for some therapeutic mud-baking.

Jon Clarke takes a trip along the Costa de la Luz of Cadiz, Andalucia’s most unspoilt, if sometimes rather breezy, coastline

and miles of mesmerizing and largely unspoilt white, soft and sandy beaches, ideal for a bucket-and-spade-holiday.

Aside from the austere ‘cubist’ towns, which were built by the Moors who ruled this land for nearly 800 years, you will be

EUROPE

The mud treatments are popular and you smash up some wet slate stone to create your own mudpack, before letting it dry off.

Dear Jennifer:

Safe as houses

At least ask the write questions to make sure you are covered

I REGULARLY extoll the virtues of Liberty’s fully comprehensive house policy. When asking the right questions, you will discover that many house insurance policies are inadequate.

Is your building size correct? Are your outside areas correctly covered – especially including pools and terraces? Do you have enough contents cover?

What Liberty Seguros offers today is the best. A specially designed policy for the Expats, with policy documents in English. The other very important issue when discussing house insurance is the amount of contents cover, always remembering that with Spanish Home insurance the kitchen is included in the contents, not the buildings.

There are optional extras that can be added to your policy, so that it is tailor made for your requirements, which include garden protection, Home Improved, which allows you to increase the aesthetic restoration and additional cover for valuable objects and jewellery (conditions apply)

A further extra you can add to your policy is accidental damage, which is unique to Liberty Seguros and covers many breakages and claims within the home.

Therefore can I please ask you all to double check the coverage of your home policies, whether you are with Jennifer Cunningham Insurance and Liberty, or another company, to understand the cover you actually have.

Finding out you have the incorrect and insufficient coverage when you want to make a claim is far too late.

If you rent out your property, there is further Landlord Protection which provides cover for acts of vandalism by the tenant and also unpaid rent covers up to 6 months once a final judgement has been made legally.

spoilt by the numerous sites from the famous Trafalgar lighthouse –off which the key naval battle once took place - to the historic fishing village of Sancti Petri, near Chiclana. Then there are the excellent Roman ruins at Bolonia and hidden gems, like Zahora and exclusive Roche, where Madrid’s captains of industry take their holidays.

My favourite spots though include the secret beach, a half an hour walk from Bolonia, where you will find just cows, the celebrated brown retinto cows of the region.

I also love the amazing walk through umbrella pines to the Torre del Tajo, high above Barbate, which finally gives out one of the best views in Christendom.

And then there is the ancient dovecote at El Palomar de la Brena, plus the historic inland gem of Medina Sidonia. But best of all it is the restaurants and food that make this region so very special.

There is literally everything here from the historic converted townhouses, like Califa, to the evocative dining terraces at Patria and Castilleria. And above all there are the ingredients… the amazing tuna, local vegetables and the amazing beef from the aforementioned cows. And then up the road you have Jerez, its history and its sherries, not to mention the incredible historic gem of Cadiz and its nearby towns of Sanlucar and Puerto de Santa Maria and the true lungs of Andalucia, the celebrated Donana National Park. Oh the incredible lightness of being!

COAST WITH THE MOST

If you have any concerns or questions, please contact one of my offices and we will be able to give you the advice you require and answer any questions.

Just remember that your home is probably your most expensive asset, but there are also your personal belongings, which of course, needs the right protection.

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

It also includes the cities of Cadiz and Huelva.

THE Costa de la Luz officially stretches for around 200kms all the way up into Huelva and to the border with Portugal. Split in two by the stunning Donana national park, the coastline also includes the so-called 'sherry triangle' or 'Cadiz coast' towns of Sanlucar de Barrameda, Rota, Chipiona and El Puerto de Santa Maria.

& TRAVEL

BATTLEGROUND

TARIFA is a place worth fighting for.

The town, which has changed hands between Phoenicians, Romans, Muslims, and Christians, straddles the Med and Atlantic and offers a commanding position of the Straits of Gibraltar. Historically, whoever controlled the town controlled the shipping routes between North Africa and Europe.

You need to dip back into the aeons of time, to AD 710, when the town got its name from an Arab officer named Tarif-Ibn-Malik who led the Moors’ first successful expeditionary force into Spain. Today, it’s Tarifa’s expansive white-sandy beaches and famed winds which have tourists and kite surfers jockeying for space in her coastal waters. But it’s the old town, a five minute walk from the beach, that ultimately gives the gorgeous landscape its windwhipped and sea-sprayed patina.

In narrow cobblestone alleys, hemmed in by white walls inlaid with colourful doors, you’ll find yourself transported back in time to when Malik and his forces strengthened the mediaeval castle walls, parts of which still stand.

Trip to the shops

Very much the real Spain and ancient authentic Andalucia, the winding, cobbled streets were designed

Tarifa is the real Spain, a gem of a town with history reaching back to the Phoenicians, writes Isabel Max

By Isabel Max

in AD 910 to offer shade at all times of day.

All the better for the modern-day shopper with the best shops to be found along Calle Nuestra Señora de la Luz which also offer something of a history lesson, as well.

The Moroccan shop, Etnika, drew me in with a kaleidoscope of colour. The dresses and scarves on display are just a precursor, though, to the textiles, ceramics and jewellery which crowded its corners. It is a treasure trove of inspiration from across the Straits.

We also popped into TalZen, a bohemian style boutique and an impressive one-woman show. Though eclectic, everything from t-shirts to talismans is thought out. I found too many souvenirs and bought them all.

Hunger pangs

A near-synonym for ‘shopping’ is ‘hungry’ and, looking for comfort food, I found Chilimosa Vegetariana.

In a tiny kitchen across from my table, two chefs whipped up wonders borrowed from Greek, Afghan, Indian, Japanese, French and Italian cuisines.

Our server, Jack, a British man who we later discovered is the restaurant owner, recommended the Indian mixed platter. It is a feast for one with tangy korma, onion bhajis fritters, fresh chutney, green salad with beets, basmati rice and a con-

FUN FACT

Tarifa is sometimes credited with being the origin of the word ‘tariff’, since it was the first port in history to charge merchants for the use of its docks.

OP Puzzle solutions

Quick Crossword

Across: 6 Impressionist, 8 Peerage, 9 Rabbi, 10 Thin, 11 Concrete, 15 Aberdeen, 16 Stud, 19 Value, 21 Chapati, 22 Lackadaisical.

Down: 1 Appetite, 2 Repay, 3 Isle, 4 Correct, 5 Limb, 6 Input, 7 Trice, 12 One, 13 Entrance, 14 Adrenal, 15 Anvil, 17 Drill, 18 Gassy, 20 Luck, 21 Coat.

ical spiral of crispy poppadom. Each element was spot-on. My friend’s large portion of vegetable lasagne, made with soya granules, was just as comforting as its beef counterpart. The food’s unpretentious presentation underpinned the restaurant’s mission: to bring a home-made flavour to international cuisine, with ingredients from local, sustainable sources.

Buzzing at night

We ended our night at Taco Way, the tourist-heavy bar with a rainbow of synthetic leis dan gling from the rafters and garish (though strong) cocktails. We fit right in until we decided we did not want to. All around the once quiet old town it was completely buzzing, the bars alive, while queues built up outside clubs in the wee hours. Smaller bars in plazas, such as Bar El Otro Melli, be come well-positioned for people watching, as people zig and zag through the excited 1am maze.

A Sunday morning stroll

I woke up early to plan a route into the Parque Natural del Estrecho, which is a welcome adventure.

A mere 400 metres from Old Town, the closest point of entry is the Colada de la Costa trailhead.

While the northeast section of the park is the road more travelled to see the Baelo Claudia ruins, in Bolonia, the southeast end offers accessibility, solitude and breathtaking views for hikers or runners.

The path takes advantage of an ancient drovers path still used to herd livestock from Tarifa to Algrecias. Indeed, my hike was halted as I was forced to circumnavigate cattle under a bridge right in my path. Having just finished the chapter detailing bullfighting in The Sun Also Rises — Hemingway’s words are haunting: “As long as a bull-fighter stays in his own terrain he is comparatively safe. Each time he enters into the terrain of the bull he is in great danger.”

A pair of hikers caught up with me while I was hesitating (and taking photos) and they deftly walked right through, ¡Son amistosos! The woman shouted back at me.

I eventually crested a hill which gave way to a view of every shade of the sea, segmented by blades of eroded rock called ‘flysches’, and a herd of cattle grazing in the sun.

I edged as close to the herd as I dared, then turned back. The

bull-frienders were making their way up the hill.

While I was not expecting to run alongside bulls, take my hiker friend’s word for it — the cattle were unperturbed and friendly, even.

Pre lunch sightseeing

A Sunday morning is optimal for a walk around Old Town — Tarifeño history comes into focus when the bustle is at bay. Aimless is the best way to

An Aperol spritz (made with Spanish Cava instead of Prosecco, of course) is refreshing enough to get pulled to Playa de Los Lances with the low tide.

Roll out the towel

The beach was no exception to the Sunday vibe in Tarifa — delightfully deserted. Though this spot on the Atlantic can get windy, we were lucky and it was just sun, not sand, in our eyes. As the evening drew nearer, we made the ten minute walk back to the hostel.

Two hostel-mates, surfers from Argentina, invited us to share a taxi with them to Chiringuito Waves bar, better known as just ‘Waves,’ where a live DJ spun records for the setting sun.

do it. In an hour’s stroll, you will happen upon beautiful tiled plazas, church façades draped in blooming Bougainvillaea and street art of the evil eye. We ventured south and glimpsed Morocco from the steps of the Torre del Miramar, the Castilian tower constructed in the mid fifteenth century.

If your stroll takes you back north, stop for a drink at Bossa, the bar which shares a wall with the emblematic Old Town entrance, Puerto de Jerez, built during the Nasrid reign in the thirteenth century. Old school and, on a Sunday, uncrowded, Bossa is great for a card game, a little reading or a mid-day chat.

A 15 minute drive out of town, Waves is the culmination of Tarifa’s kitesurfing spirit. The dirt road entrance is lined with camper vans and wetsuits on washing lines.

Tucked under a pergola, the bar looks out onto the expansive north end of Playa Los Lances, where kites pepper the sky.

To the south, the buildings of Old Town jut out into the Atlantic, looking pink in the dusk like the extended body of one of Picasso’s Demoiselles d’Avignon. Whether it is a fun way to unwind after a day of kitesurfing, a precursor to your night out or the closing act of a day well spent, Waves is worth the excursion.

After a dip in the warm waters as the last windsurfers skated to shore, we headed for an early night, with a morning bus home at 9am.

Masks off NO MERCY

THE need to wear facemasks in hospitals and health centres could soon be scrapped - more than three years after the pandemic started.

Currently, the face coverings must still be worn in hospitals and doctors surgeries, care homes and pharmacies.

But now Health Minister Jose Miñones has said that the board that brings together Spain’s regional health systems would be meeting at the end of this month to debate whether or not to scrap the requirements.

It is thought the mandatory use of masks may become a ‘recommendation’.

WASTED TIME

11 million doctor appointments missed in just a year

MORE than 11 million primary care appointments have been missed in the past year when patients failed to turn up.

The El Pais newspaper has made the calculation on figures supplied by regional health authorities. It says the actual total is higher because five regions (Asturias, the Canary Islands, Madrid, the Basque Country and Navarra) have not supplied

By Alex Trelinski

data, either because they do not monitor missed appointments or refused to provide information.

“At the management level, these figures reveal an inefficiency of the system and is a waste of a very valuable asset for the health system: namely the time of the doctors,” said the vice-president of the

Revolutionary scanner

A NEW x-ray scanner that cuts radioactive emissions by up to 85% is being used for the first time in a Spanish public hospital. The unit costing €720,000 has been installed at Valencia's Doctor Peset University Hospital and operates vertically which means full-body x-rays are conducted while patients stand. It will be used for the treatment and planning of surgeries in adults and children with musculo-skeletal problems involving mainly the spine, hip, knee and ankle.

Spanish Society of Health Directors, Jon Guajardo. “We need to work on better education to tell citizens that each person who does not show up should be aware that they are reducing another patient’s chances to see a doctor.” said SEMG president, Pilar Rodriquez Leto. The differences in absenteeism between regions range from the lowest range from 2% through 10% in the highest which include Aragon and Murcia, though those are said to be approximate ‘internal estimates’.

Andalucia saw 3.3 million consultations (7.2% of its total) missed with the family doctor and 643,000 pediatric appointments

(9.6%) also missed.

The Valencian Community said no-shows for family medicine appointments stood at 3.8% of all bookings but gave no figures for pediatricians.

Percentages in the Balearic Islands were 4.7% for doctors and 4.6% for pediatricians.

No-shows

The Spanish Society of General and Family Physicians(SEMG) has investigated the no-shows via a survey based on a small sample of patients. They say that two-thirds of males make up non-appearances along with people aged 65 and undermostly prompted by work reasons.

ELCHE council wants their two SAMU ambulances to be based all year in the city rather than one of them going to Santa Pola between July and September.

Elche's health councillor, Inma Mora, says that Santa Pola needs the cover but it should not be at the expense of anybody else and has demanded two ambulances remain in the city next summer.

Santa Pola has consistently argued for better ambulance coverage throughout the year, but in recent times the regional health ministry has given them just a threemonth dedicated summer service when the tourist population rises.

“If population changes in Santa Pola demand an ambulance, then the ministry should provide a service but not at the expense of Elche,” Mora demanded.

Inma Mora said the two SAMU bases at the city's El Pla and Altabix health centres serve not just for Elche but for towns such as Crevillente, Aspe, and Hondon de las Nieves, with a total population of almost 400,000 people.

The newly-elected Partido Popular health councillor added that the incoming PP Valencian president, Carlos Mazon, was aware of the ambulance situation and hoped for action when he takes office.

Just hanging

A MASSIVE snake of 15 kg which was rolled up on a tree has been rescued by firefighters in Barcelona’s district of Les Corts.

Last call

A PASSENGER who was late for his flight desperately forced his way to the end of the disconnected jet bridge and clumsily jumped onto the tarmac in Malaga airport.

Big deal

HUNDREDS of half-naked people queued outside two Desigual shops as the brand gave away two free items for the first 100 customers coming in underwear in Madrid.

O P LIVE RESS The

COSTA BLANCA SUR / MURCIA

CITY OF CHEATS

Catalunya dominates list for having the most unfaithful towns

IF you suspect your romantic partner may be susceptible to a bit of illicit hanky panky, avoid living in Catalunya.

A list of the ‘most unfaithful’ places in Spain not only gives the top three spots to Catalan towns, but the region dominates the score of shame with seven municipalities in the top 20.

By Cristina Hodgson

The stats for cheating partners comes from online dating forum Ashley Madison, which advertises itself as a platform that ‘caters to the needs of married people and/ or couples who are looking to add some spice to their rela-

Slithery surprise

A LARGE snake has come as a big surprise for a Rota homeowner, who found the reptile slithering around the patio of his house. The reptile, identified as an adult horseshoe whip snake over one metre in length, was successfully captured unharmed by the police and returned to its natural habitat.

These snakes are slender, shy and fast moving and will defend themselves by biting, but are not poisonous.

tionships and have extramarital affairs’. The ranking shows the cities

with the highest concentration of cheaters in relation to the population of each city. And the leading cities are Manresa - top of the list for the third year in a rowGirona and Barcelona, all three of them Catalan municipalities.

According to Christoph Kraemer from Ashley Madison: “One in four Spaniards would like to have a non-monoga-

mous relationship.

“Whether with their partner, alone, in open relationships or in a non-unbundled way, more and more people are changing monogamy for other types of relationships that give them more satisfaction and happiness.”

Toledo, which last year was not in the top 20, is now ranked as the fifth most unfaithful municipality.

Additionally, three of the top 20 most adulterous cities are on the Costa del Sol; Marbella (eighth), Malaga city (14th) and Fuengirola (17th), and over on the Costa Blanca, Valencia comes in 13th.

COPS hunting a man in Valencia who was part of a masked crew that raided a home were confronted by an African Lynx when they stormed his flat. But reports say that the caracal, to give it its proper name, far from being fierce turned out to be a scaredy cat when it spotted the officers.

As they subdued the robbery suspect the wild cat ran frightened in circles before taking refuge on top of a fridge. The species can reach up to 19 kilos in weight, is a nocturnal species and tends to be shy. The lynx was handed over to one of the detained man’s relatives.

HOLIDAY TIME!

WITH rising temperatures the summer holiday spirit takes over shoplifters - and their favourite targets change too. While the rest of the year sees cheeses and hams as the most stolen items, in summer the trend changes. Instead, petty thieves target suntan lotions, condoms, alcoholic beverages, sun glasses and ice creams - €100 million’s worth each summer.