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Fast lane HUNDREDS of readers have been joined by expat councillors to support the Olive Press U-turn campaign helping British residents swap their licences for Spanish ones. Meanwhile various Facebook groups and even a leading fintech guru have backed our campaign, which is gathering speed. It comes tragically however, after one female expat allegedly committed suicide when she found herself isolated in a rural part of the country. The woman, who had recently lost her husband, told friends her life was no longer worth living. Among suggestions to put pressure on both the Spanish and British governments, one reader, Andrew Clark suggested a road protest. “Why don't we all protest by driving slowly around Spain’s coastal towns? It seemed to work well for the lorry drivers!” The UK ambassador meanwhile continued to insist ‘an agreement is close’.
U -T
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Death of a Princess
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To Valencia’s best hikes See page 14
Vol. 3 Issue 67 www.theolivepress.es June 16th - June 29th 2022
STOP THIS NOW! PICTURE SHOCKER: ‘Hero’ grandfather kidnapped by family after nine weeks of ‘captivity, neglect and starvation’ at hospital
U RN
Making in-roads, page 6/7
Your
Following the herd
EXCLUSIVE By Simon Wade
A BELEAGUERED hospital has come under the spotlight yet again after a family had to ‘literally kidnap’ their own relative when he received ‘appalling treatment’ for nine weeks. Staff at Torrevieja hospital have been slammed after they allowed Swedish expat Bo-Eskil Svensson to suffer horrific pain ‘from neglect’. The 80-year-old, who has since died, suffered appalling bed sores from infections, due to a lack of care, claim his family. “This hospital killed my dad”, Mia Mooseberg told the Olive Press this week.
Bedsores
“They starved him in a Covid ward, confined him to bed and held him captive for nine weeks,” she added. She claimed the former fireman had developed horrific bedsores because he hadn’t been turned over. They had grown so deep they became infected. Despite ordering a private ambulance to transport him home to his native Sweden, they were unable to get him discharged. “So we decided to kidnap him and drive him 3,000kms back to a hospital
HORRIFIC: Bo was left frail, emaciated and suffering from infected bedsores pital with a urinary tract infection on December 6, last year, but subsequent treatment wasn’t covered by his insurance. When he was transferred to the nearby University Hospital on December 21, his nightmare began, insisted his loving wife Barbro. Seeing that her husband of 60 years was receiving such poor care, she paid for a private ambulance to take him back to Sweden. However, when collection was arranged, staff prevented the move, claiming he had Covid-19. It led to the grandfather, who had served as a UN peacekeeper in Lebanon, being left in complete isolation for EIGHT days without food or fluids, insisted his family. When they came to see him in January they were so alarmed they took a series of horrific pictures, showing the shocking level of malnutrition and neglect. After his wife, 79, sat with him for four further days without a bed for herself, daughter Mia insisted they ‘decided to kidnap him’. They hatched a plan for two other grandchildren to fly to Spain and met CHARGERS FOR up with Barbro’s friend ELECTRIC VEHICLES to rescue him. In a slick operation, the group ‘borrowed’ a hospital wheelchair and autoconsumo@solarworks.es carefully got him out of bed, out of the ward and into the family’s campervan.
that would care for him properly.” She continued: “Doctors back home were completely speechless about how an EU hospital neglected a person in this way. “Days later at home, he died because of that neglect.” Bo had been admitted to a private hos-
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They then drove the 3,000 km journey home and into the care of the emergency room at Karlskrona hospital, near the family home in Karlshamn. But sadly, her dad did not survive and died on April 17 of the infections that he developed in Spain. After multiple attempts at trying to get her complaints heard at Torrevieja Hospital, Mia has now shared her experience on social media. “It is appalling what they did to this lovely man, who was a hero - a fireman who saved many people,” Mia explained this week. “I hope our tragic story can save someone else.” One of the Facebook sites she turned to was set up by British expat George Continues on Page 5
Opinion Page 6
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CRIME
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NEWS IN BRIEF
A MASSIVE scam has been uncovered at San Javier’s ITV vehicle testing station with defective cars sailing through road safety checks. Now 17 employees have been arrested during a raid on the centre. An extensive police search saw the seizure of four computers and a server. Days before officers arrived, there was a mass deletion of computer files. Computer forensic tech-
In a rush A Hondon de las Nievas motorist was caught speeding at almost three times the speed limit. He was clocked at 169 km/h in a 60 km/h zone on the CV-845.
Fake shoes POLICE raided an Elche warehouse and seized over 1,200 pairs of counterfeit-branded trainers. The footwear was destined for stores in the Madrid area.
Bin fall AN Orihuela Costa bin man fell off the back of his truck during a round on the Campoamor urbanisation with the 66-year-old worker then taken to the Vega Baja Hospital with head injuries.
Blue back ORIHUELA City Blue Zone car parking areas resume on June 27 after being suspended when the concession to run the service ended.
June 16th - June 29th 2022
Guaranteed ITV pass nicians however managed to restore most of the wiped 62,000 files. These included details of cars that failed an ITV test but within hours, they somehow passed a retake.
U-TURN ROGUE
Brit arrested after ‘hundreds’ of expats handed over cash for bogus driving licence swaps and residency applications A BRITISH expat has been arrested for defrauding dozens of fellow nationals over driving licence exchanges and TIE residence applications. So far police have confirmed 25 victims and are probing a further 493 cases. Many of the victims are believed to now be unable to drive legally in the country, after rule changes on swap-
By Alex Trelinski
ping licences. The ‘consultant’, who lives in Fortuna, arranged residency cards and other services, including private medical insurance applications. The unnamed Brit was detained in Molina de Segura after pocketing at least
AN Elche resident threatened children in his apartment block before assaulting police who came to arrest him. Neighbours said the man, 37, was throwing bleach at other residents - mainly children, who were also verbally threatened. Police found the entrance to the man’s apartment blocked by sev-
€7,859 for work he didn’t do. He also faces charges for falsifying documents for clients he mostly reeled in around the Alicante and Murcia areas. Most clients paid money for items they never received. He advertised his services via a consultancy in Pinoso and had his own office in Molina. In most cases, he was aided
Unhappy neighbour eral bricks and a large mirror. The resident brandished a knife and warned officers not to approach him or they would be attacked. As the man got more aggressive and lunged at them, officers restrained and arrested him.
by a fellow Brit who had lived in the area ‘for many years’ and helped the man gain the trust of potential victims. The Policia Nacional became aware of a widespread fraud after a British couple went to the Foreigners Office in Murcia to pick up their TIE cards. The Brits said they paid him to organise the cards and were told to go to Murcia to collect them. The office confirmed no application had been sent in despite the couple’s insistence.
Fugitive found
A 25-year-old British man on the run since 2020 from charges of fraud and money laundering has been arrested in the Murcia area. The fugitive, who has not been named, is accused of laundering over £30 million for criminal gangs in the UK. His parents were arrested two years ago on similar charges but their son disappeared, becoming one of Britain’s most wanted criminals. Police located the fugitive in an undisclosed residential area a few kilometres out of Murcia City. He was charged with having fake papers in addition to the execution of an international arrest warrant. The National Court in Madrid will process his extradition to the UK.
Deathly debt A 51-year-old Orihuela man was killed by a hammer blow to his head and his mother, 80, seriously injured, all over a €50 debt. Police arrested a man, 31 and found the murder weapon. The attacker told officers he was owed the money for doing some handiwork in putting up a fence. When the home occupants allegedly refused to pay him, he returned with a hammer to collect his debt.
NEWS
www.theolivepress.es CRICKET has been added to the sporting itinerary of Madrid in celebration of it being named as the World Capital of Sport. The Madrid Cricket League will be played in T20 format at La
Father of slain hero who fought London Bridge terrorists with a skateboard opens his heart to the Olive Press
On the ball
Elipa in October to raise money for Ukrainian children in addition to a 40th anniversary match planned against Barcelona in September. Cricket in Spain has been growing in the last decade with at
June 16th - June 29th 2022
3
least 100 teams now playing. Earlier this year, Malaga hosted the European Cricket League, dubbed the champions league of cricket. The La Elipa ground, formerly a baseball-only facility, has undergone a €3 million renovation, making it the new home of Madrid Cricket Club.
COLOSSAL SAINT
THE proud father of a Spanish terrorist victim in London has told how the bravery of his son deserves sainthood. INTERVIEW Describing him as ‘a Colossus, By Jorge Hinojosa a really strong man’, he said his son Ignacio had grown up as a thoughtful and caring man with person, so I think if he gets cana ‘heart of gold’. onised it will be really amazing In a moving interview from his for us and he will become a rehome in Madrid, former engi- ally good natural role model for neer Joaquin Echevarria Alon- society. so, 73, confirmed how the fam- “He will make the perfect saint ily have officially because he died presented an saving the lives application for Despite a number of others and his sainthood to put his life in of the police the Archbishop danger to help of Madrid. a policeman to running away “We are just fight against a starting the pro- from the fight, he few terrorists cess now, but we with explosives. decided to act are really hope“Despite seeing ful as to become a number of the a saint you need police actually to be well known and Ignacio is run away from the fight, he decertainly that, which is a good cided to take part in it and put head start.” his life at risk.” “It can also happen that the The 39-year-old banker was devil’s lawyer decides not to one of eight people killed in the grant the canonisation to him, attack that took place on Lonbut we really hope not,” said don Bridge on June 3, 2017. He Echevarria. was stabbed in the back when “He was a really down-to-earth he swung his skateboard at the terrorists and was pronounced dead at the scene. “Ignacio would never have imagined he’d be canonised… and I’m sure he would be far happier alive.” He continued: “I am pursuing his canonisation because I want real role models for society not just sports people. “We cannot resurrect him so we want to at least make his death useful. “Ignacio was a person who always took care FAMILY: Ignacio in red shirt with his mum, dad and siblings of people and when he
Broken couple
SKATEBOARD HERO: Ignacio fought terrorists saw someone abusing someone else, he would always defend the victim, said Echevarria. “In fact he told us just a few days before his death that had he been skateboarding on the day a policeman died near Westminster a few weeks before, he would have stepped in and saved him. “He said that he often skateboarded near there and that policeman would have been alive.” Much of his humility came from his upbringing going to local comprehensive schools around Galicia. He had gone to live in London to work at HSBC bank having lost a banking job in Madrid. It was a good job looking into money laundering and he loved his life in the city. “He was having the best year of his life. He loved it,” said his father. “He moved there in part for the language and also because his sister, Isabel, lived there for many years and had children
there.” He continued: “In fact we were due for a big family reunion with him and his sister and my nephews and nieces four days after his death.” On the shock of his death, he said it had been an agonising wait. “When Ignacio died, it took the British police more than three days to find out who he was. “The Spanish ambassador in London initially told me my son was killed by the police, but I told him I was convinced that they did not kill him.”
Support
“If my son was killed by the police I would have supported the police as we need to support the west against terrorism. “If anyone is to blame it is the terrorists, not the British people or the police.” He added: “I didn’t want to attend the court cases as I have faith in the British system and British justice.”
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ONE of Spain’s most glamorous celebrity couples has announced they are breaking up. Colombian singer Shakira and FC Barcelona defender Gerard Pique confirmed their split in a public statement. “We regret to confirm that we are separating. For the wellbeing of our children, who are our highest priority, we ask that you respect their privacy,” they asked. Shakira, 45, and Pique, 35, have been together since 2011 and have two sons, Milan and Sasha aged 9 and 7 and made their home in Barcelona. News of the split came just days after Shakira lost an appeal to dismiss charges over alleged tax fraud. Prosecutors claim she failed to pay up to €14.5 million in tax on income earned between 2012 and 2014 when she was already living in Spain but filed her taxes elsewhere.
On his way
GARETH Bale’s nine year stint in Spain has come to an end. The Welshman bid farewell to Real Madrid after notching up 258 appearances in almost a decade, saying: “To be a part of this club’s history and to achieve what we achieved while I was a Madrid player has been an incredible experience and one I will never forget.” Bale became the first player in British history to win five Champions League titles when Real Madrid beat Liverpool 1-0 in the final at the Stade de France.
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4 www.theolivepress.es Franco outrage AN army captain has been suspended after he ordered his soldiers to kneel at the former burial site of dictator General Francisco Franco. Around 30 troops from the 31st Asturias Infantry were seen in a video being blessed by a priest as they paid homage at the Valley of the Fallen, near Madrid. The mausoleum is a ‘de facto’ pilgrimage for Franco admirers with the structure built after the Spanish Civil War by thousands of political prisoners. The dictator’s remains were exhumed from the controversial site in 2019 and reburied. A law passed 15 years ago prohibits gatherings outside the mausoleum.
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More medics DOCTORS from Alicante Province hospitals will be drafted in to boost staffing at Torrevieja Hospital during the summer season. Valencia’s new Health Minister, Miguel Minquez, made the promise at a meeting with Torrevieja mayor, Eduardo Dolon. The Torrevieja area normally sees a threefold rise in the population over the summer
June 16th - June 29th 2022 with a big influx of tourists. Dolon said: “We are not at all clear how they are going to do this and what incentive there will be for doctors to travel to Torrevieja.” Complaints over Torrevieja Hospital have flooded in since it and its associated health department were taken into public management last October. It has among the worst ratings in Spain and the Olive Press has coninually reported on its expat victims.
DIRTY COPS!
AN alarming seven law enforcement officers have been snared in a long investigation into drug trafficking. They were among 60 arrests in what has been described as one of the biggest clampdowns on smuggling in Spanish history. Some five officers from the Guardia Civil, one Policia Na-
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Seven corrupt police among 60 arrested in operation to dismantle logistics smuggling gang cional and a customs officer were among those arrested in a bust that has so far seen the seizure of €500 million of drugs. The arrests came following an 18-month probe into two criminal gangs dubbed the Clan de Tánger and Clan del Sur.
The two groups are thought to be responsible for bringing in vast quantities of cocaine and hashish from Morocco into Algeciras. A National Police source told the Olive Press that each of the bent cops would have made between €30,000 to €50,000 per
Unchristian robbers
A GANG of young thieves plundered churches across Murcia and Alicante provinces in a massive robbery wave. Now nine people have been arrested and charged with over 20 burglaries. The gang may be responsible for as many as 70 crimes across Spain. One of the criminals used the proceeds to treat his girlfriend to a €10,000 week-long stay in a five-star Murcia City hotel.
consignment delivered. “Just to turn a blind eye for half an hour on a watch could be double their year’s salary,” revealed the undercover UDYCO source. The corrupt officers were a key part of the operation, which relied on impeccable logistics and the bribing of many other officials. The Corsini-Imperium probe saw more than 30 properties raided in Malaga, Granada, Mallorca, Barcelona and Ceuta. The raids netted some 80,000 kilos of hash and 10 tonnes of cocaine with a combined street value estimated at over half a billion euros. As well as drugs, police found thousands of pounds worth of jewelry and weapons including a diamond encrusted AK47 made of gold.
Live long and prosper THE number of people aged 100 years and over has tripled in two decades in Alicante Province. And figures from the National Institute of Statistics (INE) show there are three times as many women compared to men who have reached the century mark. As of July 2021, out of a population of nearly 1.9 million people, there were 286 female centenarians and 95 males. In 2001, there were just 141 centenarians with that number rising to 275 10 years later. The INE report says that 20% of the Alicante Province population is aged 65.
Criminal numbers ONLINE scams, thefts, and violent assaults have risen sharply in the first three months of the year. Interior Ministry figures say crime was up by nearly 28% compared to the same period last year. Crime levels fell during the Covid-19 pandemic with restrictions and curfews keeping criminals indoors as police patrols were ramped up to make sure rules were followed.
A
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Moraira MARVELLOUS
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Heroes save Brit AN elderly Brit has been saved by two brothers after he fell into the sea from a cliff path. Aitor and David Vicente were walking home along the Cabo Roig promenade after spending time on La Caleta beach in Orihuela when they heard a woman shouting for help. The brothers sprung into action, with David going to ask for help from the duty soldier based at the Teniente Morejon detachment in Cabo Roig. David and the soldier went down the cliff but strong waves meant it was difficult to get to the victim. Aitor rushed to a jet ski outlet in Cabo Roig and borrowed a jet ski. Finally the soldier named David was able to reach the victim and haul him to safety. An ambulance then arrived to take the unnamed man to hospital.
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UST half an hour from up Benidorm, builtof the most you’ll find one relaxed seaside By Kimberley towns Mannion Oozing within Spain. of the Costacharm, Moraira fishing villages, is one Blanca’s and it remains classic old of history and tradition, full unspoiled and largely today.
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You won’t breakfasts find signs for English pint here, or lager at one euro This is a vered not to say Moraira as popularthis is an upmarket resort The by holidaymakers is undiscoas it is with with refined Spaniards – far from demographics upmarket it. rists-in-the-know. foreign tou- a popular tourist confirm its status as destination. Continues
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Expats’ €14,000 medical bill because insurance company phone’ after accident‘wouldn’t answer
June 16th - June 29th 2022
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From front
A BRITISH couple have a huge medical bill for been handed hospital care, By Simon Wade despite being fully covered by their private health insurance the bill which The expats have been company. slapped with a pany REFUSEDtheir insurance comdebt of €14,000 because to pay. This despite pany’s negligence - they of the com- them paying €1,300 a year. claim. The main reason given; Dawn Bridge, a 50-year-old because er, originally from Cheshire, writ- Dawn was treated in ‘the wrong hossuf- pital’. fered a bad fall in her hometown “Yet during that week, of Mazarron, Murcia, I received no in December advice on transferring 2021. her to a hospital recognised by our insurance Husband Adrian, an comacademic, pany,” imslammed mediately went to call Adrian, a former his nsurance medical the number on history lecturer at York University. emergency staff wouldcard, believing “We had no help in providing addibe on call to tional care, no communication deal with it. and no explanation why our However, after a whole emergency UTES of waiting - NINE MIN- call wasn’t answered.” screamed in agony - thewhile Dawn And over the last half year, he claims 59-year-old they have received still had no answer. ‘not an ounce’ of concern or compassion Eventually he was persuaded regarding an ambulance by a concerned to call their plight. bour and a local emergency neigh- This despite Dawn still being heavily dependent service on a wheelchair turned up ‘within minutes’. bility and having to endure for mo- BETTER DAYS: The Bridges She was soon receiving intensive and (right) on Dawn after accidentholiday treatment for two bad emergency physiotherapy sessions. fractures at A remarkable email Cartagena’s public hospital stream, would have been treated the OlDawn to ive Press has seen, demanded in St Lucia. if the manner AND without costs.”a timely s e r v i c e s couple could ‘prove the She also had to have a provided [emergency] Thankfully, the Cartagena Hospital or the pakle put back into place.dislocated an- call’, and also questioned if they had has been gracious even rung the right number. enough to offer the tient But, in reality, her problems Bridges a staged payment is not had only “We both feel totally abandoned, scheme registered just begun, as despite and which eases the financial burden. premiums for a policy paying two lost within a spiral of confusion, bu- In the meantime, with Seguridad Social, that promised reaucracy and data ‘immediate access to care’ protection,” con- perience might they hope their ex- quire them to pay the we resave others bill.” payments’ the opposite and ‘no co- tinued Adrian. same pain, cost and anxiety.from the The couple paid €1,300-€1,400 occurred. “If only they’d answered a Indeed, on leaving St Lucia year for their their own “It’s the principle,” insisted Hospital, emergency number Adrian, On deadline insurance health bill. some days later, they the Olive Press received were handed to an appropriate (and we’d gone “they’ve just washed their hands of a letter from the hospital), my wife us, all down to insurance compatheir own terrible serny's lawyer saying that vice when we needed them the company most.” A spokesperson from St had acted ‘in strict and rigorous comLucia de Cartagena told pliance with the terms of the policy’. the Olive Press “When PLUMBING & AIR CONDITIONING the insurance compaSPECIALISTS ny does not cover the Opinion Page 6 Giastu Aroma 2 2,5 kw R32 gas refrigerate A+++20db 3 years warranty SPECIAL
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FLASHBACK: Our May 19 issue
Insurance company refused to pay expats’ massive health bill because they did not speak Spanish A BRITISH couple slapped with a €14,000 bill for healthcare were not taken to the right hospital because their private insurance hotline staff didn’t speak English. As the Olive Press reported last month, Dawn Bridge, 50, was hit with the huge demand after undertaking a serious operation on her leg which was broken and dislocated in a horror accident. Yet when her husband Adri-
By Jorge Hinojosa
an, 59, an academic, phoned a dedicated insurance emergency number, the switchboard didn’t understand his Spanish and couldn’t speak English. After nine minutes of trying to get a private ambulance, the university professor was forced to dial 112 in desperation and they were taken by a normal one to Cartagena
Extra border guards but chaos still expected SPAIN is hiring an extra 500 border officers to control its busiest airports ahead of the summer season. It comes as the country expects huge numbers of British holidaymakers this summer, none of whom can currently use the fast-track EU passport channel. They are currently being treated as third-party nationals with the need to have their passports stamped with entry and exit dates.
While the government announced they will be able to use the faster eGates travellers will still need their passports stamped in person. Spain’s flagship airline Iberia complained that dozens of flights had to be cancelled at Easter because of delays through passport control. It highlighted continual chaos at Madrid airport since then and said around 15,000 passengers had missed their flight since March 1.
hospital. Now the company has admitted its failings and offered Dawn, a writer, from Cheshire, a basic settlement, which they say is ‘derisory’. It comes after lawyers for the company had, at first, demanded the expat couple, based in Mazarron, prove they had actually tried to call the hotline. After they were able to provide proof, the company, we are not naming for legal reasons, then bought for time, continually ignoring their requests for answers. The English agent who had sold them the €1,300-a-year policy two years earlier vanished on long term sick leave. The couple told the Olive Press she was ‘fully aware’ that they did not speak good Spanish, nor did most of the other British clients she sold the policy to.
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C e o t m in e s a p n ir á e v s e h ir a e li n · e n A c o s lt ta
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DISGRACE: Dawn was left with a huge bill However, while the company this week finally made an offer of €4,452.96, it refused a full refund, insisting the policy did not ‘specify that attention could be provided in different languages’.
Threatened
It added there was a second private ambulance service in Murcia they could have used. The insurance company has so far failed to comment on the case, merely threatening the Olive Press with legal action if we published the story. The couple have now contracted a lawyer to pursue the case further.
Marshall, whose mum had also been ‘handcuffed and abused’ in the same hospital in her final days, as reported in the Olive Press. “This is exactly why I created this group,” Marshall told the Olive Press this week. “I thought what they did to my mother last year was a one-off, but no. “It’s so difficult to raise issues as the doctors fail to mention bedsores or the resulting septicaemia on the death certificates.” He added: “It’s one cover up after another, innocent people being subjected to gross malpractice. ” So far, the hospital has refused to comment. Email newsdesk@theolivepress.es if you have suffered similar problems
Computer says no A DEVICE that requires drivers to pass a breathalyser test before their car will start must be incorporated into all new cars sold in Spain from July. The Alcolock system requires the driver to blow into a breath-testing instrument. If the alcohol level is above the 0.25 milligrams per litre limit, the car will be immobilised for half an hour.
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CAMPAIGN SPECIAL NEWS FEATURE
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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.
OPINION A dereliction of duty TOO many horror stories, too much anguish, too many tears… It's time to demand action over Torrevieja hospital. As the Olive Press reveals today an octogenarian hero, Bo Svensson, was treated worse than a rabid dog, when he came in for a routine operation for a urinary tract infection. So appalling was his treatment, his Swedish family were forced to kidnap him from his hospital bed to take him somewhere worthy to see out his dying days. In the words of his daughter, a doctor who saw his bed sores back home was rendered completely speechless. They were adamant he died ‘of neglect’. And this is anything but the first time we have had to identify the failings in the basic standards of care at this shameless hospital. In September last year, we revealed how a British pensioner was literally handcuffed to her bed in her final woeful days. The woman’s son George was so distraught at her care and the way the pen pushers passed the buck he set up a Facebook group to warn people about it. He is entirely convinced it was malpractice and hundreds more are in agreement. The name of the group alone sums it up succinctly: ‘Untold stories & bad experiences of Torrevieja Hospital’. There are hundreds of posts. The Valencian government has hard questions to answer. Ducking our questions, insisting its press officer is away on ‘long term leave’ and the director is not available, is only delaying the inevitable. We vow to continue searching for answers over the hospital which has become a political hot potato over recent years as it flip-flopped from private to public management. Spain still has one of the best healthcare systems in the world, but the harrowing pictures of Mr Svensson this week must lead to an inquest on how Torreviaja’s duty of care has become so horrifically out of step with the rest of the country.
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Making inroads
A
N Olive Press campaign to allow Brits without a Spanish licence back on the road is gathering speed. A pair of expat councillors have joined hundreds of supporters of our U-Turn campaign, we launched last issue. We have been overwhelmed by the support for our campaign from all walks of life, no pun intended. And despite the British Embassy insisting that an agreement is inching closer, we are not taking our feet off the pedal. Indeed, we intend to keep flooring it until a deal has been signed between the UK and Spanish government. Big wig backing A PAIR of popular expat councillors on the Costa del Sol
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OLIVE PRESS U-TURN CAMPAIGN: Not taking the foot of the pedal, despite claims from embassy that a deal is approaching, writes George Mathias and the Costa Blanca have jumped to support our campaign. Darren Parmenter, the councillor for Tourism and International Relations in San Fulgencio, in Alicante, praised us for our stance and insisted we needed to keep the pressure on. Parmenter, 61, from London, (left) said: “It’s great that someone is sticking up for Brits. And he added: “I am hopeful there will be an agreement soon, there has to be otherwise Spain will be left out in the cold on its own.” He even insisted on bringing up the matter with the ambassador Hugh Elliot as part of the recent Queen’s Jubilee celebrations. Meanwhile the Councillor of
Tourism, in Benahavis, Scott Marshall got behind the cause. “I am amazed there are agreements with almost all other EU countries but not Spain. “How can the Spanish government make driving in Spain easier if you are a British tourist than a resident?” added the British politician, who has worked at the town hall for three years. “The rules have not been clear from the start and there has not been enough information provided to people. Well done for helping them out.” The 47-year-old, who was born in Spain to British parents, added: “This needs to be sorted out now, Brits are being punished for no reason whatsoever. I am fully back-
ing the Olive Press on this.” Official line While nothing has yet been signed, British ambassador Hugh Elliott insisted negotiations ‘continue to progress well’ on an agreement. He added he was ‘confident we are nearly there’, but was once again scant on details. While on June 2 he announced Brits would be given a six-month leeway period to swap their licence once a deal had been struck, he couldn’t say when this would be. Critics also insisted six months would not be long
SHE DIDN’T KIL HERSELF! EXCLUSIVE: Boyfriend of dead Qatari princess tells Olive Press his phone ‘was hacked’ following mysterious costa death THE boyfriend of a Qatari princess found dead under suspicious circumstances on the Costa del Sol claims his phone was hacked days after her body was found. Marbella businessman Bruce Baps also claimed Kasia Galliano, 45, was living in fear of her life over recent months. The expat, who is adamant she did not kill herself, told the Olive Press his suspicions about her ex-partner’s involvement in her death. Galliano, a well known influencer with 500,000 followers, had been in a vicious custody battle with her ex, Abdelaziz bin Khalifa Al Thani, 73, the uncle of the current Emir of Qatar. Convinced of ‘foul play’, nightclub manager Baps insisted: “My telephone was hacked just days after Kasia was found dead. “And my Facebook and Instagram sites have also been hacked.” As well as discovering that videos had been stolen, he said others had been deleted. And he insisted he was sure she was killed by someone, implying it was linked to her ex-husband. “This comes from there, they have so much power that
they can do whatever they want,” he said. Speaking at his home in Nueva Andalucia, he added: “She was the most beautiful person in the world, I am sure she didn’t kill herself as she was starting a new wine business. “And just the night before she died she was definitely happy and sent me a picture of herself in bed. It makes no sense. “I hope karma will pay back the people who killed Kasia”. But he didn’t wish to comment more until the official post mortem results are made public, but added that he was due to speak to the police. Baps, who has three young children, spent a lot of time with Kasia and her three daughters, two of whom went to school in Marbella. However, she had recently ‘grown very concerned for the safety’ of her youngest daughter who had stopped coming to Marbella to visit her. “She was not allowed to visit her by her dad, because he knew that she would never go back to Paris, where he lived,” he explained. Things got worse when she was robbed of 50 luxury handbags and hit several times in the robbery at her luxury apartment in Puerto Banus. He added that she had been badly mistreated and ‘felt like she was living in jail’ when she was in Paris, living with her ex-husband. In particular, she was really affected psychologically by the death of one of her best friends who passed away due to cancer.
U -T U R
www.theolivepress.es
June 16th - June 29th 2022
7
N NOW
OOPS, WE DID IT AGAIN!
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G enough. “It should be more than a six month time period,” councillor Parmenter insisted. “At the very least, it should be six months to allow Brits to declare their interest alone, given how many examples there are of people getting stuck in bureaucracy.” A wheel for a wheel? British fintech entrepreneur Paul Roberts told the Olive
Press it is time to play hardball in negotiations. “It is time for tough measures. All Spaniards driving in the UK should have their licence suspended until we have a resolution to this disgraceful situation,” the 54-year-old insisted. The tech maestro, who runs a startup from his home on the Costa del Sol, had been considering moving his entire team over from Wales to Malaga city, which is styling itself
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as Spain’s answer to Silicon Valley. “I have now beached these plans. Not only is it extremely inconvenient for us Brits, it also makes us all feel extremely unwelcome,” he said. “They all need their heads banging together and take more decisive action if the Spanish carry on their intransigence.” He said the UK government should give’ a week’s deadline’ to agree the deal and then stop all Spanish drivers in the UK. He is furious as despite trying on many occasions to swap his licence, calls to Spain driving body, the DGT, were left unanswered. The father-of-three now has to rely on taxis to get his kids to school. He also took aim at the UK ambassador. “The British government and Hugh Elliott have been far too lax on this. The time has come to take a firm line or this is going to go on forever. An eye for an eye… a car for a car. “Well done to the team at the Olive Press for putting the pressure on!” continued the Welshman. Girl Power pressure
PRINCESS: Kasia Galiano and (left) with Baps
“The death and dealing with the court case against her ex-husband heavily impacted her mental health,” he explained. Reports in Spain claim she probably died from an overdose of medication combined with alcohol on May 31. Various packages of drugs were found at her home on the seventh floor of the exclusive Playas del Duque complex, in Puerto Banus marina.
Married
An initial post mortem failed to conclude how she died, so further studies are being undertaken at the Institute of Legal Medicine in Malaga with further tests at the Toxicology Institute of Sevilla. The tests can allegedly determine whether any alcohol found in her body had been consumed by her or produced after her death ‘as a result of decomposition’. Kasia, who grew up in Los Angeles, had married her Qatari prince after he wooed her when she was a student in Paris. But the pair split in 2007 and soon divorced.
Social media group, L a d i e s Driving in Spain, has also joined the campaign. The advice page has provided a litany of testimonies from its 700-strong membership. They revealed they had heard ‘countless horror stories’ in particular lawyers telling members they couldn’t exchange their licences until they received their residencias. “All of them applied before the deadline but by the time they received recidencía it was too late to register intent,” said founder Trinny Vickers. The mother-of-two, 34, was told by the DGT not to worry, as she is Irish but holds a UK licence. However, she has since discovered the law applies to all UK licence holders, irrespective of their nationality. Consequently she is now stuck in Albox, Almeria in a deeply rural area with no public transport.
“Thousands have done the medicals which should have allowed them to exchange before the deadline but this is apparently not registering intent, which many people thought it was.” In a truly shocking state of affairs, she revealed that one of her members - an elderly woman who lived in a rural area with no public transport - recently committed suicide following her husband’s death. After the woman - who she didn’t want to name - became stranded at home because of the licence debacle, she felt life was no longer worth living. “Thank you for sticking up for us, we are fully behind the Olive Press”, Vickers said. Unhappy camper Another victim, Deb Lee, 63, told the Olive Press: “Thank you so much for taking up this fight.” Lee has had a nightmare since she retired to Spain in September 2020 and immediately tried to get her residency and licence sorted via a local British expat, who styled herself as an ‘independent advisor’. However she turned out to be ‘a charlatan’ and had no idea of the rules in place. Astonishingly, Deb was told that the deadline had passed, when in fact the DGT allowed Brits to register their intention to exchange their licence before December 30, 2020. This left her stranded in the small inland town of Crevillente on the Costa Blanca. “I was so isolated. I had no one to help me and the shops were too far away,” she explained. So bad was her situation, with her husband working full time in England as a lorry driver, she recently had to move to a campsite in Catral just so she has a food supply nearby. “If it hadn’t been for the support I have got from the Ladies Driving in Spain facebook group, I honestly think I would have done myself in,” she added. “We are simply pawns in a political game. They keep saying it’s a matter of weeks, but they have been saying that for months now.”
ETTING close to the flames and talking to victims and firefighters. While other expat newspapers watched it from afar, translating stories from Spanish websites, the Olive Press was in the thick of it. Yet again, we were on the ground reporting on the horrendous fire that left 3,000 people evacuated from their homes last week. Our team of George Matthias, Jorge Hinojosa (pictured below) and Kimberley Mannion tracked down the best human interest stories over three days. Setting up a base in Benahavis, it is exactly the sort of good old-fashioned gumshoe journalism that the Olive Press is proud of. And not only do our website subscribers appreciate it, with a dozen stories in total, so do the UK nationals, who used our words and pictures. They included, as normal, the Daily Mail as well as the Mirror this time. And our job didn’t just end when the fire got under control. Right up until late last night we were checking and updating our front page to ensure we had the latest news on the suspicious fire. It was the same with the huge Fifth Generation fire in the nearby Sierra Bermeja last year. We had feet on the ground within hours and followed it through for almost two weeks. As well as getting right up into the hills, we were the first media group to report that it was started by a balding man at two sides of the peak around 9.30pm at night. That’s why WE pay journalists and why YOU pay to subscribe for what we do. At just ONE EURO for an initial month’s trial, what are you waiting for?
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The top five most read stories on www.theolivepress.es in the past two weeks are: restaurant lets diners eat 1- Spain’s firstoffnaked waiters bare skin chef Steven Saunders opening 2- Celebrity cooking masterclass Costa del Sol not as it seems charlatan olive oils make 3- Oils up 50 of extra virgin bottles in Spain study reveals Top 10 vegetarian and 4- Revealed Spain’svegan cities 5-Coast Costa de la Luz enticing mix restaurant
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GREEN
www.theolivepress.es
June 16th - June 29th 2022
ACTION DEMAND
A NEW campaign has been launched by WWF-Adena to pressure the local government water board to protect the Mar Menor. According to a recent study, every second 650 litres of water contaminated with fertiliser enters the lagoon. As a result of the pollution caused, WWF-Adena have compared the water of the Mar Menor to a ‘green soup’ as algae thrives. The campaign No mas veneno al Mar Menor (No more Poison in the Mar Menor) aims to promote sustainable agricultural strategies in Cartagena, including further inspections of machinery, and sanctions for environmental degradation. Currently, the campaign has over 6,350 signatures but intends to reach 50,000.
Shark attack A five-metre high rubber shark has been hung by Greenpeace protestors outside a ministry in Madrid to coincide with UN World Oceans Day. Activists scaled the gates to the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and erected the shark in front of the entrance. They also hung reused fishing nets to represent the 100 million specimens that die each year and the ‘hundreds of thousands that Spain catch in international waters’. The UN begins talks on trying to negotiate a treaty on banning shark fishing in August.
Campaign launched to clean up the Mar Menor By Livia Cockerell
The Mar Menor has suffered a series of mass death events with tonnes of fish and other sea creatures washed ashore.
Scientists believe that a lack of oxygen has been the probable cause. This problem has been blamed on high levels of fertiliser and pig slurry seeping into the water from the Campo de Cartagena.
I
DON’T think I’m alone in thinking the world has gone mad. Certainly not when you consider the climate and the unbelievable things going on. We live in a world that exhibits inexplicable and contradictory aspects.
AIRPLANES BACK IN THE SKY…….GOOD THING OR BAD ? This highlights the quandary we face. On one hand, economies suffer and tourism is decimated when air travel is restricted. Those of us that live on the Spanish Costas can easily testify to that. On the other hand the atmospheric pollution caused by planes is harmful to our health and other living beings as it mutilates our climate. It is a major cause of diseases like cancer, respiratory disorders and all too often leads to death. It is a difficult conundrum. Most of us like to travel, but at what cost? Governments are developing relatively fast and dense rail networks. Over one third of the busiest short-haul flights in Europe have viable train options as alternatives to flying. Serious investment is required to reduce the emissions from aviation fuels and it is time to step up renewable options. Other industries have been forced to take steps to contain pollution but the aviation industry has not. Airplanes run on kerosene, which when burnt emits carbon dioxide and other poisonous gases into the atmosphere, taking a huge toll on the climate system. It is predicted that by 2050, the aviation industry will produce 25% of all emissions. Part of the problem is that fossil fuels provide better efficiency when compared to sustainable aviation fuels
It has become a big issue, with thousands of demonstrators demanding action at a series of marches over the past few years. European Parliament MPs are compiling a report after they visited earlier this year that aims to get an all-party consensus to approve a package of financial help to clean up the Mar Menor.
Going green FOLLOWING a €39 million investment to stores in the Region of Murcia, Mercadona has reduced its carbon footprint. In 2021, the company managed to reduce its carbon emissions by 2,432 tons in Murcia compared to 2020. To improve efficiency, new stores included measures such as LED lighting, improvements to insulation and intelligent energy management that can save up to 40% of energy compared to that of an ordinary store. Its latest store in Mula (Murcia) includes an innovative refrigeration system to reduce greenhouse gases, four parking spaces for electric cars and is the first Mercadona in Murcia to have solar panels.
Should you staycation this year, asks Martin Tye
WORLD DILEMMA (renewable energy). Can we, or should we go along with this? The concept of ‘staycation’ re-emerged in Covid times. Do we always need to fly to far flung destinations, when beauty abounds on our doorstep ?
Green
Matters
By Martin Tye
“THE WORLD IS COOKED” So says John Kerry, the US Envoy on climate change. Prolonged use and reliance on coal is fuelling climate change. This month climate experts meet in Bonn amid new energy security worries. (I’ll cover the Ukraine war later.) Kerry stated ‘wholesale elevation of effort by countries all around the world is needed’. We all know that. Yet still we choose inaction. It’s a mad, mad, world when we know something is fundamentally wrong and we still concoct reasons to excuse inadequate action. The Bonn conference is the midpoint gathering between last year’s COP-26 in Glasgow and COP-27 to be held in Egypt. It is analysing the progress made since COP26. PUT BLUNTLY - NOT A LOT.
irony is that with prices of fossil fuels soaring, Russian energy profits are increasing meaning more funding is available to finance his war machine. The EU currently imports around 40% of its gas from Russia. THIS HAS TO STOP. No pain, no gain. Richer nations are still not focusing fully on alternative options. Why? Because the controlling politicians are fearful of losing power. I’ll say it again - no pain, no gain. The Ukraine war has prompted a fossil fuel ‘gold rush’. Two weeks ago, for example, the UK government approved the development of a gas field in the North Sea, east of Aberdeen, capable of producing 6.5% of Britain’s gas output. The site, licensed to Shell, was originally rejected on environmental grounds last year. The UK Business Minister, Kwasi Kwarteng, said that Britain is turbocharging renewables and nuclear. Is there a ‘snail version’ of a turbocharger? All European governments seem to have opted for this model.
UKRAINE WAR IMPACT “But the thought of being a lunatic did not greatly trouble him…” George Orwell’s 1984. Now let’s consider the actions of the arrogant lunatic Putin. With Peter the Landgrabbing Great as his role model, it is little wonder the economies of the world are suffering and the world’s climate ambitions lie in tatters. (Three centuries ago the Russian Tsar waged never ending expansionist wars.) Putin believes the West is unlikely to reject Russian energy for years. So far he’s proving to be right. The sad
ON A LIGHTER NOTE - THE SUPERWORM I never thought I would read about this in last week’s news. The world’s addiction to plastic is well documented. The enormous pollution caused as a direct result makes even bigger headlines. But guess what? Scientists have created a SUPERWORM. It can live off, and gain weight, from an exclusive diet of polystyrene. I know - you’ve heard it all now. Wouldn’t it be better to tackle the root cause of the plastic pollution problem? Why not just ban polystyrene? It’s a horrible plastic anyway.
Martin Tye is the owner of energy switch company Mariposa Energy. +34 638145664 ( Spain Phone ) Email him at martin@mariposaenergia.es
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LETTERS
10
June 16th - June 29th 2022
MEDDLING IN AFFAIRS Family comes first Dear Olive Press,
As our campaign gathers momentum, readers get in touch with rather different perspectives on our driving campaign and a reader wants to locate the owner of some long lost medals…
Cheeky blinders I LIVE in Birmingham, England and I would like your newspaper to buy Birmingham City Football Club, home of the Peaky Blinders, or, alternatively, I would like your newspaper to advise a billionaire to buy said club. I would appreciate your response.
Empire strikes back
I AM so pleased that you have decided to take up the cudgels over the new rules stopping thousands of British expats from driving in Spain. For various reasons, my wife is semi invalid and I was diagnosed with bladder cancer a few years ago. Since then I have undergone various hospital treatments, chemotherapy and operations for taking tissue samples for biopsies, so my mind wasn't really concentrating on other things. As a consequence I missed the boat, and there seems to be no way back. So, a lot of us need an extension of time in which to give formal notice of our intention to exchange our UK licences. I wish you every success with your campaign.
IF someone lives in Spain for years they should be aware of the laws that apply in Spain - or indeed any other country that person has chosen to live in. The Brexit vote was 2016, and once the famous letter had been sent by Mrs May people knew they had up to a year transition. There is no reason to complain now, they had ample time to change their driving licences but in typical English exceptionalist fashion they thought they would get away with it. In all larger towns up and down the coast are agencies and medical centres, where people can take the relevant test needed. Most people did not want to do it because they don’t like the idea that at a certain age the licence will have to be renewed at intervals and because they did not want to be found out having lived here for ages without registration, usually to avoid paying income tax in Spain. Stop whinging and whining, get used to the fact that the UK voted for Brexit and adjust to the fact that the UK is a third country. Edith Schwarz, Denia
Ken Cook, name and address supplied
Editor's note: It is always important to have a healthy debate concerning such an important issue. Even with ‘ample’ time it was not always possible for people to jump through all the legal hoops, especially for those facing challenging personal circumstances. It is these people who we have sought to stick up for from the beginning of our campaign.
John Beard, name and address supplied
Editor’s note: Thanks for getting in touch John, we would certainly be interested if someone bought us first … Can you lend us a few billion?
Here to help I hope you can help me in trying to locate a person who may have lost some priceless medals. Five of them were found in a ditch beside the Cartama to Coin road (Malaga). The medals seem to be for an annual road race I believe takes place in Holland. They are likely of no particular value, except to the person who has lost them and have the letters B L O K N engraved on each of them. Roger Winyard, name and address supplied
Speaking frankly I HAVE lived in Spain for 30 years and changed my English licence for a Spanish one during the first six months of living here. That was the rule then and has been for as long as I can remember. So how can people who have lived here for many years, and failed to comply with the rules, now be up in arms that they are having an impossible task in changing their licences? The Spanish authorities have every right to come down hard on foreigners who do not comply with the regulations. Time to get all the old illegal British cars off the road too. If you don’t want to comply, go back home. Tony Wiggins, name and address supplied
Editor’s note: Thank you for getting in touch and we ask anyone who knows anything about them to contact newsdesk@theolivepress.es.
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5 Finnish capital (8) 7 Tibetan holy man (4) 9 Precipitous (5) 10 Talk too much (6) 12 Alumnus, for short (4) 13 Kind of reaction (8) 15 Discovers (5,3) 16 Combustible matter providing useful energy (4) 17 Roman emperor (6) 19 Muse darkly (5) 21 Financial burden (4) 22 Donkey Kong creator (8) Down 1 When necessary (2,6) 2 South African party (1,1,1) 3 Negative asset (9) 4 What you fight when on a diet (4) 6 Wipe out (11) 8 Very short time (11) 11 Leaning toward (9) 14 Directed to another doctor (8) 18 Represents a constituency (4) 20 Yardstick for explosive power (3)
All solutions are on page 13
LA CULTURA Il Divo’s return
WORLD famous classical crossover group Il Divo have announced they will continue the Spanish leg of their tour after putting it on hold due to the death of bandmate Carlo Marin. The group announced they would be dedicating the tour to the memory of Marin, who died of Covid in December 2021 aged 53.
Special guest
The tour, formerly named the ‘For Once in My Life Tour’, will continue as ‘The Greatest Hits Tour’, and will include special guest Steven LaBrie, considered one of the five best baritones in the world. Il Divo, now comprising three members David Miller, Sebastien Izambard and Urs Buhler, head to Valencia on Sat June 25 to play at the Plaza de Toros in the first of 11 gigs in Spain. On July 29 they are performing in Murcia at the Los Alcazares Municipal Pavilion.
June 16th - June 29th 2022
SECRET CODEX
11
Priceless manuscript reappears after 84 years
A RARE codex dating back to the 13th century has been recovered 84 years after it disappeared. The last time it had been sighted was in 1938 when a soldier stopped the priceless Fuero de Brihuega from being burned when his military unit took over Brihuega in Guadalajara during the Civil War. Now the Guardia Civil has revealed that a father and son have found the ancient codex and had its authenticity confirmed by a Barcelona auction house. How and where the document was discovered has
Gong ho!
By Alex Trelinski
not been disclosed. It was officially returned to Brihuega mayor, Luis Viejo
MURCIA tennis star, Carlos Alcaraz, returned to his home town of El Palmar for the inauguration of a 400 square-metre mural dedicated to him. The 19-year-old, ranked seventh in the world, was joined by El Palmar mayor, Jose Antonio Serrano and other dignitaries.
Esteban, in a ceremony at Piedra Bermeja castle. Experts described the codex as being of ‘incalculable value’ and said it had been well preserved. The
Carlos faces up The mural was created by young Mazarron artist, Sbach, and is located at the entrance to the El Palmar district on the Mota Regueron road next to Calle Mayor. The mural required 16 hours a day of work for eight days, plus the help of a 12-metre high crane.
Fuero de Brihuega catalogues the laws of 1242 and the penalties for breaking them. It is over 70 pages long and is written on parchment with its pages sandwiched between two thick walnut panels that are bound by four strips of leather.
Medieval
The manuscript is signed by the archbishop and other clerical officers. The medieval handwriting is in what is described as ‘French’ typeface and in various colours.
ACTRESS Penelope Cruz has won the 2022 National Film Award. The prestigious honour is awarded each year for the ‘most outstanding contribution to Spanish cinema’ by the Institute for Cinematography and Audiovisual Arts, which is part of the Monostry of Culture, with a prize of €30,000.
Success
Cruz (pictured) is amongst the Spanish actors and actresses to have reached the greatest international success, this year achieving her fourth Oscar nomination for the film Parallel Mothers and having won one Academy Award in 2009 for Best Supporting Actress in Volver. She is the only Spanish actress to have won an Oscar as well as to have a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
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BUSINESS COUNTING THE COST 12
Spain makes controversial step towards costly ban on prostitution
THE Spanish parliament has voted to draw up wide reaching legislation in a bid to crackdown on prostituion. The controversial move is targeted at those who benefit financially from the exploitation of prostitutes, through pimping and human traf17:01 ficking, and moves towards treating prostitutes as victims rather than criminals. The bill would not make prostitution itself illegal but proposes prison terms of between three and six years, as well as fines, for both pimps and those who pay for prostitutes in the street. It also proposes penalties for those who profit from knowingly providing illegal premises where prostitution is carried out. With the bill, the government wants to introduce longer jail sentences for pimping and to remove the present require-
ZIGZAGGING RATES V
No confidence means Pound slips lower against Euro, writes Peter Loveday
OLATILITY in the pound euro (GBP/EUR) exchange rate continued in late May and early June as UK politics and European Central Bank (ECB) policy caused sharp movements. Over the last two weeks, GBP/EUR declined steadily before zigzagging in early June. The pair fluctuated between €1.165 and €1.177, settling around €1.166 after the ECB decision.
WHAT’S BEEN HAPPENING?
As May shifted into June, the pound slipped lower against the euro, despite some headwinds for EUR. Economic sentiment in the eurozone remained low while the bloc’s retail sales unexpectedly contracted. Still, following the ECB’s hawkish shift the previous week and surging eurozone inflation, rate rise bets helped the single currency climb. Meanwhile, Sterling fell amid UK economic concerns. The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) warned that half a million British firms could go bust in a matter of weeks and urged the government to deliver more support. In addition, new lending data indicated that Britons were taking on more debt in order to cope with the increased cost of living, and UK business confidence slumped. Following the bank holiday weekend, GBP/EUR managed to recover. News that Boris Johnson would face a no confidence vote boosted the pound. Investors expected Johnson to win, and he did, effectively securing his position as PM for the next year and thereby creating political stability. However, the eurozone’s GDP growth rate for the first quarter of this year was revised significantly higher, from 0.3% to 0.6%. This sent EUR soaring. Then came the ECB decision. The bank signalled that rate rises were coming in July and September, as expected. However, the ECB also suggested that a 50-bps hike could be on the way. This surprised markets, and EUR surged to a near one-month high against GBP, before trimming its gains somewhat.
June 16th June 29th 2022
WHAT DO YOU NEED TO LOOK OUT FOR?
As for the euro, the ZEW economic sentiment index could cause some movement. Low morale may weigh on EUR. The Russia-Ukraine crisis might also impact the singThe next two weeks could be particularly eventful for GBP. We kick off with UK GDP for April, followed by latest unemployment figures, the Bank of England (BoE) interest rate decision and May’s retail sales. GBP investors will be scrutinising the data to gauge how much trouble the UK economy is in. If the results indicate the country is heading for a recession, then Sterling could stumble. The economic data could also impact how markets respond to the BoE decision. If policymakers vote to raise rates but the economic data is poor, economists may grow even more worried about the future of the UK economy. The UK inflation rate is also a key focus. Will price pressures continue to surge higher? le currency. If tensions continue to escalate, EUR could come under pressure. PROTECTING AGAINST VOLATILITY
This kind of volatility can cause some nasty surprises if you need to transfer money overseas. On a £200,000 transfer, that onecent gap between €1.17 and €1.16 translates to a €2,000 difference. And the larger the sum, the higher the discrepancy. Fortunately, there are ways that you can protect against volatility. Specialist currency brokers, such as Currencies Direct, offer different tools to help you navigate the ups and downs of the market. For instance, you can use a forward contract to secure an exchange rate for up to a year. This way, you won’t lose out if the market moves against you. Services like rate alerts and daily updates make it easy to keep track of what’s going on in the forex world so that you can make informed decisions. And with Currencies Direct you’ll have a dedicated account manager there to provide guidance and support whenever you need them. At Currencies Direct we’re here to talk currency whenever you need us, so get in touch if you want to know more about the latest news or how it could impact your currency transfers. Since 1996 we’ve helped more than 325,000 customers with their currency transfers, just pop into your local Currencies Direct branch or give us a call to find out more.
By George Mathias
ment for police to demonstrate an exploitative relationship exists with the sex worker in order to prosecute. “People who turn to women in a situation of prostitution participate directly in the network that shores up this serious violation of human rights,” the Socialist party said on its Twitter account. But the proposed law has divided opinion within the women’s rights movement. Medicos del Mundo, which estimates that 80% of the 350,000 women working as prostitutes in Spain are foreigners without legal papers,
insists such a law is required and will make women safer. Antigona however, a group of academics in favour of legalising prostitution, argue that it would force undocumented migrants underground and make them even more vulnerable.
Backing
The bill has won backing from the conservative Popular Party and sailed through parliament with 232 lawmakers voting for it and only 38 against. It will likely go through a raft of amendments before it will be finally approved by parliament, a process that could take many months.
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FOOD,DRINK & TRAVEL
Black flagged
LOCAL beaches have been given Black Flags for 2022 from Ecologists in Action over environmental concerns. Two of the uncoveted awards have gone to each of the Valencia region’s three provinces. In Alicante, the flags were awarded to Cala Lanuza and Cala Baeza between El Campello and Villajoyosa. Ecologists in Action say the beach waters are suffering due to the discharge of sewage from apartments with untreated water dumped into the sea due to overflows at a small temporary water treatment plant. Away from beaches, a Black Flag also goes to the illegal restaurant on Benidorm Island which is part of the Serra Gelada National Park. Calpe also gets a Black Flag for its ‘Colossus’ hotel project which will see the 606-room twin-towered building constructed next to the Las Salinas protected natural area.
HAM slicers have a prominent role in Spanish bars and restaurants - and now they can have the certificate to prove their skills. The Academia Española de Jamon (Asejam) is striving to create a qualification for professional ham cutters. This is following an announcement from the Ministry of Education anticipating that by 2025, over 49% of jobs will require qualified professionals.
Fines of up to €1 million threatened for ‘wasting food’ SUPERMARKETS will soon have to sell cut-price ‘out-ofshape’ fruit and vegetables as part of new government rules to reduce food waste. The move is part of a new food waste bill approved by the Council of Ministers which now goes forward for approval to Congress. Around 1.3 million tons of food is thrown away every year in Spain, dominated by fresh produce. Food stores will
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June 16th - June 29th 2022
Don’t take the biscuit!
A cut above “We have always been hindered by not having any academic certificate that recognises our profession,” said Sergio Bellido, Asejam president. Earlier this year Robert De Niro showed off his ham carving skills in preparation for Madrid Fusion.
WASTE NOT, WANT NOT By Alex Trelinski
be obliged to dedicate part of their shelf displays to selling cut-price fruit and vegetables that have an imperfect or unattractive shape. Retailers will also have to offer reductions on products that are
close to reaching sell-by dates, with price cuts of at least 50% to ensure shelves are cleared. Non-compliance with the food waste law will see fines of between €6,000 and €150,000, rising up to €1 million in cases of repeated serious infractions. The food waste bill aims to deal with the whole chain from farmers through to consumers with the aim of stopping all food dumping at landfill sites. F o o d storage, transportation and conservation facilities will have to be optimised
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with the end of practices that cause food to be thrown away. Supermarkets, as well as restaurants and industrial caterers, will be ordered not to throw away food that has passed expiry dates. Instead they will have to sign agreements with food banks and charities to get the surpluses. Food that is not suitable for human consumption is expected to be used to feed livestock and to make fodder. Alternatively, food will be converted into fertilisers and biogas.
A SHORTAGE of wheat is driving up the price of bread and biscuits in Spain. Estimates from ASAJA show that, on average, Spain requires approximately 36 million tonnes of grain each year to meet the demands of animal and human consumption. This year, the country will be fortunate to produce 15.4 million tonnes. Exceptionally high May temperatures, in addition to damage caused by pests, has left farmers in Spain concerned about potentially low harvests this winter.
Ukraine
Spain normally imports much of its wheat and grain from Ukraine. However, shipments have been impeded due to the war with Russia. EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told the European Parliament that around 20 million tonnes of grain is currently unable to be exported from Ukraine. This is following the blockages of ports preventing exports, as well as the bombings of several grain warehouses.
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FOOD,DRINK & TRAVEL
June 16th - June 29th 2022
FOLLOWING THE HERD
M
EET Valentin, his dog Hooky, and his friend, Alberto. We occasionally see each other on my walks near Requena, a rural area in Valencia province. There is a language barrier but we do ‘communicate’ on some level, and here is what I’ve gleaned: Valentine is 83 years old, and claims
Ancient shepherd trails in Spain: ideal for walking, cycling . . . and sheep, writes Jack Gaioni to be the oldest pastor (shepherd) in the area. He has been herding sheep and goats for two decades since retiring from a factory. He loves his work because he can be with his beloved dog and smoke C u b a n cigars all day long. Alberto lost his job as a heavy equipment operator 10 years ago during the long recession and is thankful for his work with s h e e p because it makes him feel connected to nature. He graz-
es his flock of 500 along the trails between Requena and Utiel. Valentine and Alberto claim to be among los ultimos pastores (the last shepherds). Their personal stories, albeit humble, are part of an important tradition. The trails that Valentin and Alberto follow belong to a network of livestock routes called cañadas. There are over 130,000 kilometres of cañadas criss-crossing the Iberian Peninsula – more, in total, than the combined length of Spanish railway lines! The trails facilitate a process called transhumance, or seasonal droving, in which livestock is moved from lower winter pastures to higher summer pastures.
Privilege
Transhumance has been practised in Spain for centuries. Shepherds still have right of way on the cañadas, a privilege they have held for 500 years. The system has many environmental positives. Farmers can move their flocks and herds to wherever there is the best grazing, which is more efficient and sustainable than
OLD PALS: Valentine, Hooky and Alberto
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bringing the food to the animals. Rather than being confined, animals are fitter and healthier. They don’t overgraze one spot but range across vast areas, helping keep grasslands under control and reducing the risk of wildfires. Take the Cañada Real Cuenca, which stretches 532 km from Ter-
uel in Aragon, through Castilla-La Mancha, to Jaen in Andalucia: It encompasses a variety of landscapes, ecosystems and rich biodiversity, allowing drovers to move up and down its length seeking out the best pastures and sources of water for each season. The cultural aspect is also important. In 2016, transhumance was declared an ‘honored example of immaterial culture’ by the Spanish government. Streets are frequently closed in pueblos as sheep and goats pass through, and many communities up and down the country throw special annual events to celebrate the pastoral tradition.
Festival
The Transhumance Festival, which takes place every October in Madrid, is the most famous. More than 2,000 sheep and goats are herded along to Plaza Cibeles where they assemble in front of the City Hall. There, watched by thousands of onlookers, they are ceremoniously greeted by the mayor. The shepherds then make a symbolic payment of 50 coins per thousand animals for the right to cross the city. It is a ceremony and payment which dates back to 1418. Shepherding may be a profession that’s in decline in this day of modernisation, but it is not a forgotten one. I’ll remind Valentine and Alberto of this fact the next time we meet – in my best Spanish of course!
HEALTH
Monkeypox jabs
VACCINES against monkeypox will be used in a tiny number of cases where people have had close contact with sufferers. Spain and the UK have the largest number of monkeypox outbreaks out of over 1,000 cases recorded internationally. The Ministry of Health has received 200 vaccine shots which will be offered to people who may have been exposed to monkeypox and may suffer an adverse reaction.
Booster
Health experts have been keen to point out that monkeypox is not a public health emergency akin to the Covid-19 pandemic. The ministry also announced a second Covid-19 booster injection for people aged 80 and over; people in residential homes; and other vulnerable groups. The overwhelming majority of Covid deaths in Spain are now among elderly members of the population. Assessments will be made of latest infection rates before deciding on the most appropriate time to administer the booster dose.
June 16th June 29th 2022
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Fags ban call Spaniards in favour of stricter smoking bans
THE majority of Spaniards want to see stricter laws on smoking in public places. Some 85% want to see smoking bans extended, with 72% saying smoking should be prohibited on bar and restaurant terraces. According to a survey by the Spanish Society of Family and Community Medicine (semFYC), 56.8% would restrict smoking in all open public spaces, 54% on beaches, 43.6% in private cars, and 24.2% in the street. The findings were presented during No Smoke week, which raised awareness of the dangers of smoking, a habit which causes the death of 52,000
By Kimberly Mannion
people in Spain per year. Coordinator of No Smoke week, Susana Morena, is also in favour of extending these rules to new smoking alternatives like vaping, on which she comments that young people have the ‘false perception that they ‘are not as bad’. Maria Fernandez, President of
A SPANISH influencer was so outraged over her treatment by staff at a hotel in Paris that she took to her social media channel to complain to her 350,000 plus followers. Laura Ponts was furious that she was fined €100 after she was caught lighting a cigarette in a no smoking room. “€100 for smoking a cigarette in the room with the window open! Merci Hotel Ballu, I’m not coming back!” read the post by Lopez along with a picture of the fine on her
semFYC, said: “If Covid is to continue being a public health problem, the number one enemy, meaning tobacco, cannot be left to the side.” The question of smoking on terraces in Spain has been debated for some time, and some local and regional governments have taken steps to limit smoking in public places, with lighting up on the beach in Barcelona banned from July.
Smoked out
Instagram stories. But she didn’t get quite the reaction she was hoping for, with many of her followers taking the side of the hotel staff. “Believe me, the hotel doesn’t want you to come back either” and “Good for the Ballu Hotel for not letting itself be blackmailed by Laura Ponts” were just two of the replies.
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A BRITISH man had a wedding night to forget in Mallorca after hitting his bride and being carted off to jail from a property in the Calvia municipality, though his new wife refused to press charges.
Chipper chimp A CIRCUS monkey dumped in a Ukraine dog shelter after his owner was killed in the war has a new home 1,000 kilometres away in Villena, Alicante.
Feeling blue PUERTO BANUS has been awarded its first blue flag in two decades after The Jose Banus Marina scooped up the prize to make Marbella the leading municipality for the coveted award.
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Vol. 3 Issue 67 www.theolivepress.es June 16th - June 29th 2022
Rock n Roll Pres Barack Obama heads for hotel where Guns N’Roses stayed HE is easily the hippest of ex-presidents, so it’s no surprise to learn he’s staying at a hotel normally frequented by rock and football stars. US legend Barack Obama has checked in at five-star Finca Cortesin on the Costa del Sol, this week. The Casares hotel, near Estepona, is celebrated for being the chill out spot, post tour, of fellow American rock legends Guns N’Roses.
By Kimberley Mannion
As the Olive Press revealed in 2014, both singer and guitarist Slash (pitured with Obama) and Axl Rose have taken €1,000-a-night suites for a week at the end of their European tours. Also a highly-rated golf course, it is no surprise that footballers including Gareth Bale, James Milner and Jamie Carragher
have stayed over recent years. And we can reveal that Obama himself is taking full advantage of the testing 18hole course, as well as the
Lazy postie A BUILDER doing renovation work on a Biar house that used to belong to an Alicante postman, discovered over 20,000 undelivered letters dating back to 2012. The previous homeowner worked for Correos in 2012 and 2013 on a temporary contract.
even more famous Real Club Valderrama, just up the road, where a round of golf costs around €400. The president is following in the footsteps of his wife, Michelle, who came to Andalucia in 2010, with their daughters, staying nearby in Hotel Villa Padierna. Barack is this week set to be the keynote speaker at an international forum on innovation and digital transformation in Malaga. The Digital Enterprise Show 2022 (DES) costs around €1990 to attend.
A WILD boar caused chaos when it emerged from the sea after a cooling dip and BIT an elderly woman. Lifeguards spotted the animal swimming off Albir beach on the Costa Blanca and blew warning whistles to get bathers out of the water. But as they set foot on dry land, so did the boar. It charged down the beach and bit a 67-year-old woman in the leg. She was taken to a health centre for treatment and the boar continued on its merry way and disappeared inland.
Tick tock gone A tourist had a Barcelona trip to forget after thieves tore off his €800,000 wrist watch in the street. The theft happened in the C i u t a t Vella area of the Catalan capital.
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