OLIVE PRESS
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Vol. 5 Issue 159
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October 20th - November 2nd 2021
EXCLUSIVE: The stunning Costa home where The Crown is setting Lady Diana during her 1990s escapes from her divorce back home...
BLACK IN TIME! Alarming two-hour power cut takes the Rock back to the days of the Neanderthals
DARK DAY: Gibraltar was plunged into darkness when the lights went out GIBRALTAR got a true taste of the dark ages this weekend. An incredible two-hour blackout saw the Rock plunged into darkness on Friday night. Revellers out for their regular early weekend snifter were left necking pints in pitch blackness. While candlelit restaurants really came into their own. Those at home were left without the latest episode of Coronation Street, while fans of darts were furious to be missing the European final. In the ‘most serious and significant’ outage for years, at least 75% of Gibraltar was left without power. Beginning at 8.40pm, the problem
By Elena Goçmen Rueda
was not remedied until 10.36pm, leaving red faces, particularly after a significant investment in a new power station recently. Chief Minister Fabian Picardo was this week demanding swift answers as to why taxpayers should have to suffer such a situation. “People were drinking pints by candlelight outside the bars,” local policeman Ashley Maer told the Olive Press. “Much of the city centre was left completely pitch black, while people were even walking around with torches." Luckily, he added, there was no noticeable increase in crime. The Gibraltar Electricity See page 9 - 13 Authority explained that the outage was caused by a
Tel: 952 147 834 TM
fault in the ‘11KV High Voltage Distribution Switch’. A spokesman said it was not caused by a failure in the power generation at the North Mole Power Station. “The fault in the switch correctly isolated the damage to ensure that no further damage occurred and that work on restoring power to affected areas could commence,” he insisted. There was a good deal of criticism on social media with one angry local insisting there were ‘less power cuts in the 1980s’.
Blackout
Another woman claims to have fallen due to the blackout. On the other hand, one local Bonnie McKevitt insisted humorously that her children have finally discovered ‘what paper and pencils are for’. A GEA spokesman apologised and said the damage has been fully repaired and the power station is now operating normally again’.
...WHILE,, also inside, ...WHILE the REAL home that the princess stayed at, which last week was the holiday escape of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his paintbrushes
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CRIME
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NEWS IN BRIEF Law attacks TWO young men aged 18 and 16 have been arrested accused of assaulting five law enforcement officers on Laguna Estate on Saturday morning.
Faked it A SYRIAN man aged 34 who attempted to board a flight to London from Gibraltar with a forged passport has been jailed for four weeks. Mohammad Nour Jawish admitted an offence of traveling on false documentation.
Death toll A VISITOR to the Rock has died of COVID, making him the 98th person on the Gibraltar virus death toll. He was unvaccinated and had underlying health conditions.
Too noisy A WOMAN who refused to turn her loud music down has been fined £100. Police were called to the home of Ana Maria Bueno, 38 in Glacis Estate after receiving four complaints.
THREE people have been arrested after a massive haul of cocaine was found on a yacht in the Atlantic. A 60-year-old Dutch man, thought to be the ringleader of the smuggling gang - was detained in Mijas along with a Swede and another Dutchman.
Dangerous
In an operation described as ‘highly dangerous’ due to the stormy seas, National Police special forces boarded the Goldwasser off the Azores. They discovered two-anda-half tons of cocaine with a street value of €250 million and arrested the two-man crew of the German-flagged
October 20th - November 2nd 2021
Kingpin nabbed Expat ‘gang leader’ arrested after €250mn cocaine bust By Dilip Kuner
boat – one American and one South American. Operation Midas-Ball-
KNIFEMAN JAILED A KNIFE-WIELDING teen robber has been jailed for six months after he subjected staff in two shops to terrifying ordeals before being tackled by have a go heroes. The 18-year-old, who was 17 at the time, pleaded guilty at Gibraltar Youth Court to attempted robbery, possession of a knife and common assault. The incidents happened around noon on August 9, 2021, when he entered two shops, one in Irish Town and other in Bell Lane, brandishing a large kitchen knife while demanding money from the till. After failing in both shops, he ran out of the last one in Bell Lane and was chased by members of the public shouting at him. One of the people chasing him managed to stop him and immobilise him before he was handed over to the officers who had just arrived. The young man has already spent the last two months in custody.
estrinque was launched at the end of 2019. Investigators found that a gang with links to the Costa del Sol and Campo de Gibraltar had been commissioned by a Galician crime syndicate to smuggle the drugs to Spain. Police surveillance found gang members had bought the Goldwasser in the Canary Islands and it was planned to sail from an unidentified South American country with the consignment of drugs.
Drugs
Customs and police tracked the ship, and decided to board her before the drugs could be transferred to another boat. In the Costa del Sol raids, €34,600 in cash, a pistol, mobile phones, a motorcycle, and three luxury cars were seized.
TEXT SCAM ALERT FRAUDSTERS are targeting Gibraltar’s International Bank by sending out fake text messages to trick clients into revealing account information. The Royal Gibraltar Police has warned of the latest scam involving messages purporting to be from the bank asking clients to access a link to confirm their identity and banking details. Messages sent out to clients claim to be for a Mr C Jones, and insists that if you are not that person, you must click on a link that will clarify your identity, however, this is a scam that is used to attempt to steal your account information. The RGP warned people to be vigilant and 'as always, do not click on the link and ignore the text'. AN 18-year-old man has been sentenced to 180 hours of unpaid community work when £2,000 worth of cannabis was found in his home.
Silly boy! The teenager, who was 17 at the time of his arrest, pleaded guilty to possession and possession with intent to supply a controlled class B drug. He was arrested when Land Frontier officers saw him acting suspiciously. As a result of his behaviour, he was warned and detained for a search. Detectives obtained a search warrant for his family's home and found 356 grams of cannabis hidden inside a pillowcase on his bed.
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PERFECT FOR A PRINCESS
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PHOTOS BY: Private Property
The Benahavis villa that served as the secret hideout for Lady Diana’s 1990s trips to the Costa del Sol
October 20th - November 2nd 2021
PALATIAL: Stunning eight-bedroom Villa Mozart in Zagaleta
that is playing its role as Lady Diana’s secret Costa del Sol hideout in the fifth series of hit TV drama The Crown. Doubling as the estate where the princess escaped the world’s media following her divorce from Prince Charles, it is far closer to the true location than anyone could possibly imagine. Indeed, ‘Villa Mozart’, as it has been named for the series, sits just over a kilometre from the real escape, Torre de Tramores, where coincidentally British Prime Minister Boris Johnson stayed last week. It was in 600-hectare Tramores, owned by UK government minister Zac Goldsmith, that Diana is understood to have hid out on
LUXURY: The Titania yacht rented for €600,000 per week
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Press
EXCLUSIVE By Jon Clarke
PHOTOS BY: Vogue and Cordon
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ITH a price tag of €15 million it is just the sort of holiday villa befitting a princess. In the hills near Benahavis, it boasts eight bedrooms spread over two wings and features a cinema, billiards room, Turkish bath and gym. With a heliport next door and with neighbours including President Putin and Cristiano Ronaldo, it is easy to get in and out unnoticed and the locals won’t be rubber-necking your every move. Based in Spain’s most exclusive estate of La Zagaleta, no expense has been spared on the wall-to-wall onyx marble bathrooms, with their octagonal spa baths and gold taps, while the cross-shaped pool appropriately features a polo horse and rider motif on the bottom. Welcome to the palatial home
ROYAL LIFE: Dodi and Diana in the 1990s, while (right) actress Elizabeth Debicki and Dominic West on set this month. two occasions in the mid 1990s. Visiting with her close friend Jemima Goldsmith (then Jemina Khan, married to Pakistan president Imran Khan), she was able to try and get her life back on track away from the prying lenses of the paparazzi. With the British prime minister renting the actual estate, and the Goldsmith family understood to have turned down filming, producers went for the next best thing. And Villa Mozart was perfect for a number of scenes, including ones featuring the princess, played by actress Elizabeth Debicki, 31, and her close friend, Jemima. Olive Press sources revealed that producers hired the villa for a week and used it as a base for the team, when filming nearby in Puerto Banus, San Pedro and in the village of Benahavis itself. “At least three scenes were set in Villa Mozart, while they filmed in a couple of locations nearby in Benahavis,” revealed the source.
Now relocated to Mallorca, the production filmed at Los Amigos restaurant and the Hotel Amanhavis, in the village, as well as on the stunning Titania yacht, which they rented for a reported €600,000 a week. “It has been great for Benahavis,” said expat councillor Scott Marshall. “Having Boris Johnson staying was also a real bonus.” It was also good for Marbella, with the Netflix crew filming a number of times around Puerto Banus.
Relationship
Director Philip Martin was spotted calling the shots with Australian star Debicki, who has replaced British star Emma Corrin as Diana in the fifth series. Other actors spotted around the Spanish resort were Dominic West who plays Prince Charles and Imelda Staunton, who plays the Queen. The fifth series of The Crown will focus very heavily on the collapse of Diana’s relation-
Amazing, single-malt whiskey deal
ship with Prince Charles. It will recall her various trips to Spain during the mid-1990s, including her ill-fated trip to stay at Mijas’ Hotel Byblos in 1994 when she was photographed topless. Her trips to Tramores, which dates back to Moorish times, were far more successful although she came close to getting rumbled when she had her sons, princes William and Harry in tow. “While they had the entire estate to themselves and had plenty of opportunities to ride and swim, the princes had been, perhaps inevitably, looking for more exciting modern-day pursuits,” said the source. “It was agreed they would go and try out the exciting new inland water-skiing lake in nearby San Pedro, where users got towed around, not by boat, but by a cable-ski.” A novel idea, but it proved to be
foolhardy as, within minutes of arriving, they were recognised by fellow visitors, one of whom contacted a local Spanish photographer, who zoomed up with a friend and started to take photos. “By incredible fortune the princes covered themselves in blankets in time and their minders were able to get them away, driving, not as the paparazzi were expecting towards Marbella, but inland to Benahavis,” revealed the source. The trail went cold and, despite rumours that they were staying in Benahavis, they were never spotted again that holiday. “It was a stroke of luck and Diana was able to get her life back on track and discuss her next moves after her divorce with one of her best friends,” added the source.
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DEEP SADNESS THE Gibraltar government has sent its condolences to the relatives of Conservative MP Sir David Amess who was murdered as he held a surgery in the UK. A statement called the killing ‘an attack on our democracy as a whole’. Chief Minister Fabian Picardo expressed his ‘deep sadness’ at the news of the death and sent his ‘deepest condolences’ to his family, friends and colleagues. The attack took place at a Methodist church during a meeting that was interrupted by a man armed with a knife. Amess, 69, suffered several injuries and received medical attention at the church, but died before being taken to hospital, Essex Police said. "He was a long-serving and highly respected Member of Parliament and he will be sorely missed. The violent attack on him was an appalling attack on British democracy” Pìcardo said. He added that Amess was a great friend of Gibraltar. “He was a supporter of our people and a regular visitor to the Rock. RIP David". A 25-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of the murder and police have seized a knife.
FOUR RGP officers have received commendations after they helped bring a carer who stole £130,000 worth of jewellery to book. Virginia Osuna Gil, aged 31, stole foreign currency and expensive watches as well as earrings, gold chains, bracelets and rings - several encrusted with sapphires and diamonds
Call of duty THEY say that a policeman is always on duty – and one Spanish officer has proven so by using his own time for a trip to Gibraltar to learn the British way of policing. Superintendent Oscar Vico Cuesta of the Policia Local in Burjassot, (Valencia) made the 750 kilometres trip to be a guest of the Royal Gibraltar Police (RGP) for three days. He had asked the RGP if he could pay a visit as he had always been very interested ‘in the philosophy of the British-style of policing.’ Vico Cuesta said: “My superior officer saw it as an opportunity for us to learn from the British police model and to bring back new ideas which could be implemented in Burjassot. He also recognised that I was willing to take some of my annual leave in order for me to visit Gibraltar!’ In addition to studying the structure and the capabilities of the RGP, he was particularly
GOOD JOB!
- from an elderly Gibraltarian whom she was caring for. Gil was later jailed for four years after the RGP investigation. Chief Inspector Paul Chipolina and Detectives David Chambers, Joseph Given and Louise Goldwin were
October 20th - November 2nd 2021
the officers congratulated by Commissioner Richard Ullger. Meanwhile, two RGP officers have been honoured for their work with Spain’s Guardia Civil in tackling money laundering and drug trafficking crimes.
History, adventure and romance. That’s just the setting.
Spanish cop learns policing Gibraltar-style
Dock on the Rock GIBRALTAR gave a warm welcome to new cruise ship MS Borealis on its maiden voyage to the Rock with its arrival hailed as a sign that ‘the cruise industry is getting back on track’. Gibraltar’s Minister for Enterprise and Tourism, Vijay Daryanani, was at the quayside to welcome the MS Borealis when it docked for the first time on the Rock.
Cure
COMMITTED: Oscar Vico Cuesta was a guest of RGP in the Victim Support teams. By Dilip Kuner He was also briefed on the RGP’s policies regarding prokeen to see ‘policing by consent’ fessionalism and its handling of in action. He spent time with crimes. officers engaged in Community Vico Cuesta said: “At a personal Policing, in Roads Policing and level, I have learned a great deal that I can adopt and implement in my local police force." Chief Inspector Sean Perera and Detective InspecForce tor Craig Goldwinwere He added: “This has been a presented Spain’s Order unique experience and one of of Merit the best opportunities to learn. Their police work led to In my policing career, this has the arrest of members of a been a dream come true and I criminal organisation that will be a better police officer used Gibraltar to launder for having had this experiits profits as well as the ence. I would like to thank evdismantling of the entire eryone who has made my visit network possible.”
Ship Captain Rommel Pineda joined Daryanani to take part in the traditional exchange of gifts at the cruise terminal in the port of Gibraltar. The MS Borealis has been sailing since July 2021 for Fred Olsen Cruise Lines, a Norwegian-owned UKbased cruise company with four cruise ships. This particular ship has 702 cabins and standard capacity for 1,360 passengers and 662 crew. The ship weighs in at a whopping 61,845 tons, while it measures 237.7 metres in length, 32.2 metres in breadth and 7.8 metres in draught. Daryanani said: “It’s great to see the cruise industry getting back on track after all it has suffered over the last 19 months."
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Holiday resort will not face criminal charges over triple drowning of British tourists A CRIMINAL investigation into the horrific drowning of a British father and his children at a Costa del Sol resort has been shelved. A court has ruled there was no foul play in the deaths of Gabriel Diya, 52 and his daughter Comfort, 9, and Praise-Emmanuel, 16, in Mijas, two years ago. A Fuengirola court has shelved the tragic triple-drowning at the Club la Costa World (CLC) resort, ruling it was an accident. Police had launched an investigation after the Christmas Eve, 2019, incident in which the tourists from London drowned.
Difficulties
It was on the first day of a minibreak when nine-year-old Comfort got into difficulties in the pool. And when her father and brother jumped in to rescue her, they had allegedly been sucked down to the bottom of the pool, as well. Her distraught mother Olubunmi Diya, and another sister, Favour, 14, could only watch the triple-tragedy unfold. A court report shows that the
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October 20th November 2nd 2021
IN THE CLEAR
5
CASH BID
OVER 250,000 PROPERTIES FROM 2,000+ AGENTS
TNG Global will build two new schools for Gibraltar after winning the bid to buy the land of the old Bayside and St Anne’s schools. The foundation linked to Vietmanese businessman Truan Tuan valued the plot at £21.2 million - ‘far in excess’ of any other bid received, said a government spokesman.
Redevelop
TRAGIC: Gabriel, Comfort, Praise-Emanuel and mum dia Civil’s specialised divers By Dilip Kuner unit - could find no fault with the pumps and filtration systhree drowned ‘probably due tem, and nothing in the water to their lack of swimming that was dangerous. skills combined with the stress, The pool was properly licenced nerves and panic they suffered and complied with the regulain an attempt to save their lives tions. and that of their relative’. Although the case has been The court order agreed to close closed, the court has left the the proceedings with the ap- door open to a civil case from proval of the Public Prosecu- the family or to proceedings by tor's Office. local authorities. It was based largely on two re- The decision to shelve the case ports from the Guardia Civil. can also be taken to the Court Both reports - one by the Guar- of Appeal in Malaga.
TNG Global plans to redevelop the area for a mix of residential, leisure and commercial facilities. As part of the deal, TNG has already engaged Casais to build two new schools at land on Europort Avenue at a cost of £29.2 million. The government will pay the difference in the building costs and land valuation.
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O LIVE P RESS
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GIBRALTAR
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 LEADING BY EXAMPLE TOO often there appears to be conflict between the Gibraltarian and Spanish authorities - particularly when it comes to the police. At least, so it seems from the UK press headlines, which all too often focus on ‘incursions’ into Gib waters by Guardia Civil craft. While this is a recurring problem, the reality is that there is far more cooperation and professional respect between the respective forces that simply flies under the radar of the British media. It may be less dramatic than a high-speed sea chase, but simply sharing intelligence and talking to each other has been a productive process for both sides. In these pages there are two examples highlighted that show the respect the RGP and Spanish counterparts have for each other. Local Policeman Superintendent Oscar Vico Cuesta came all the way down from Valencia to be a guest of the RGP and to learn about ‘policing by consent’ and ‘the British way of doing things’. Maybe it is not an everyday occurrence, but it does show respect for our ‘boys in blue’ and the RGP should be congratulated for extending full hospitality to the superintendent. Meanwhile, Chief Inspector Sean Perera and Detective Inspector Craig Goldwin were presented Spain’s Order of Merit by the Guardia Civil across the border. They had aided in investigations into drug trafficking and money laundering with convictions resulting. It is a shining example of how cooperation between such close neighbours is mutually beneficial and something to be encouraged. Some of the more excitable Spanish politicians should take note.
A
NEWS FEATURE
CROWN AND COUNTRY
ROW of photographers lined the track outside the leafy Torre de Tramores estate in the foothills of Spain’s newest national park the Sierra de las Nieves. Kitted out in khaki shorts and t-shirts, the appropriate attire for an Indian summer on the Costa del Sol, they scoured the horizon and waited patiently for their subject: the UK’s beleaguered prime minister Boris Johnson, who had fled abroad, trying (but failing) to escape a growing gas and produce crisis festering back home. All set for a jolly week of peace hidden away in a secret valley ten miles inland from the coast, near Benahavis, the Old Etonian must have been spitting in his cornflakes when he woke up to find his those times when the preshols gracing the front pages … sure of leading the country the best in the Sunday Mirror: got too much for him. Just about the only picture of the ‘What Costa Living Crisis?’ Drat and blast! Just the sec- holiday showed the mop top ond day of his break, follow- leader standing squinting into ing a rousing Conservative the evening sun in a pink work party conference speech (typ- shirt painting a sunset over, eh, Sotogrande! ically short on Well that direcfacts, large on tion at least. banter, a la BoIt looked A fortnight earris) his plans to lier he’d have go hiking, a day staged to caught the on the beach perhaps mountain horiand carousing zon in flames, the boutiques invoke some from the Sierra of Marbella sympathy Bermeja fire. old town came It looked staged crashing around to perhaps inhis ears. He would just have to make voke some sympathy from do with the 600-plus hectares his long-suffering subjects of woodlands, with semi-trop- back home, now feeling the ical gardens, a duo of swim- catastrophe of Brexit coming ming pools, tennis court and, home to roost. one would expect, a croquet But, above all, how tragic that he should be foiled in pitch or two. Oh, and dabbling with his his cheeky getaway, while the paint brushes in the after- rest of the UK had been more noon sun, as his hero Winston or less ordered to Staycation! Churchill had once done all How ironic as well that this
How the Olive Press played its part in Boris Johnson’s painting break on the Costa del Sol that didn’t play well to the crisis-torn subjects back in the UK, explains Jon Clarke
SUMPTUOUS: The stunning retreat of Torre de Tramores counts on two pools and 600 hectares
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classic slice of Andalucian paradise, had once allegedly become the redoubt of the world’s most pursued princess, Lady Diana, back in the 1990s. Yes, indeed, the leafy acres of
The Torre de Tramores estate in Benahavis takes its name from an ancient 10th century tower built in the times of the Moorish occupation. The gardens still have their original streams and irrigation channels planned by the former Muslim owners, from the days of Al-Andaluz. The property was bought by
Al Andaluz paradise
multimillionaire financier Sir James Goldsmith, who decided that this would be the place where he would spend the last days of his life. He died of cancer there in 1997.
the Torre de Tramores estate had somehow successfully shielded her from the world’s press who were circling as she hid out with her friend Jemima Khan to escape the scandal of her divorce from Prince Charles and the end of her relationship with surgeon Hasnat Khan. It had been a masterstroke to descend to Benahavis and the estate owned by Jemima’s dad Sir James Goldsmith, who latterly passed it on to her brother Zac Goldsmith, a Tory politician and pal of Johnson’s, on his death. At the time, the world had been wondering where Diana had disappeared to, when suddenly the lenses picked up her sons, Willam and Harry, water skiing nearby in San Pedro and the hunt intensified. But while the princes were pictured at the nearby inland lake, somehow they were never traced to Tramores, a short five minute drive inland from the picturesque village of Benahavis. A few weeks later she would famously be on the yacht of Dodi Fayed off St. Tropez and all set to get married to, shock horror, a Muslim. The Tramores estate is still a marvellous escape today, easily reached by helicopter with its own helipad, and with
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Those in the know
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HEN British Prime Minister Boris Johnson flew into Spain to take a break from the challenges of dealing with a fuel crisis and the prospect of empty shelves by Christmas, it was Olive Press editor Jon Clarke who stood up the story with Spanish police. It made the front page of the Sunday Mirror and Mail on Sunday and sparked a wave of criticism back home as a squadron of Fleet Street hacks decamped to the Costa del Sol to pick up the story. We guided them to the amazing Benahavis estate where Boris and his wife Carrie, and toddler son Wilf were staying and gave them the full rundown and background. And we, of course, kept all our online readers in the loop every step of the way. A week earlier an Olive Press story about The Crown filming in Malaga was gracing the UK press, while over the last few months over a dozen stories have seen their way into the international media.
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TOULOUSE LE PLOT: Boris has been painting inside the estate and how his painting was imagined a number of properties sleep- Most intriguing, the Olive ing up to 29 VIP guests. Press can reveal, is a visit by Costing €30,000 a week, it Boris’ father Stanley in the divides between the main Spring, when a source bumped house, set over three levels, into him while hiking in the and a two-bedroom apartment nearby hills. He had been with private access. Another clearly sizing up the place for smaller villa sleeps 10 with a post lockdown break for his five en-suite bedson. rooms. It was on the Occasionally vissecond day of Olive Press ited by Zac and his holiday, on discovered the the Friday, that his brother Nathanial, its most Olive Press Prime Minister the common family discovered visitor is younghad become a that the British est brother Ben, Prime Minister famous guest had become the who oversees the running of most famous the estate. guest for some It has seen many famous time, at least. guests, including Pakistani Through sources in MarbelPrime Minister Imran Khan la, the paper was able to eswho was photographed there tablish that he had arrived on his 1995 honeymoon with straight after the Conservahis now ex-wife Jemima Gold- tive party conference with smith. Hugh Grant has also his new wife Carrie and son allegedly stayed. Wilfred, 18 months. Carrie is
pregnant with their second child. Told he would be spending ‘up to 10 days’ at the estate, we quietly passed the story on to the UK press over the weekend, having just gone to print with our fortnightly edition a few days before. While the government did its best to try and paint a positive slant, it was impossible to stem the criticism of a leader taking an exclusive break, while most people struggled back home. His first foreign break since before the pandemic critics slammed him for leaving the country in the middle of a fuel crisis and with a predicted winter of discontent, with surging energy prices and stock shortages, brewing. The boss of the GMB trade union Gary Smith accused Boris of having ‘swanned off on his jollies while the country
is in the grip of a crisis’. “While working people worry about how they are going to pay the bills, the Prime Minister is relaxing in a luxury villa - missing in action once more.” UK Steel boss Gareth Stace also questioned the timing of the holiday when key industries in Britain were sending out warning signals. Steel producers, as well as manufacturers of paper, glass and ceramics claim they may be forced to halt production unless the government does something about energy prices, which have zoomed up due to the price of natural gas. Stace told LBC radio: “I'm sure he can get on the phone and get talking to them but to my mind, now is not the time for a prime minister to be on holiday, from the steel sector point of view.”
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The top five most read stories on www.theolivepress.es in the past two weeks are: Benidorm and Costa Blanca hotels don’t 1- Why want to rely on UK tourists coming to Spain has it all - the ultimate guide to 2- Benahavis the hidden gem of Spain’s Costa del Sol luck this time Boris Johnson hoping 3- Better holiday in Spain’s Marbella isn’t as disastrous as previous vacations leaving Spain in drovers 4- Are Brits really where’s the evidence are the new rules for travel between the UK 5- What and Spain now Amber List has been scrapped.
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WITH THE RUN UP TO COP 26, SPACE TOURISM SHOULD BE OUTLAWED
I
AM not the most fervent fan of the British Royal Family. Her Majesty the Queen is an exception. She is rightly the envy of most nations. Prince Charles shot himself in both feet with the whole Diana/Camilla affair. The less said about ‘Randy Andy’ the better. Prince William, on the other hand, is becoming a true ally of the movement to help save planet Earth from the vicious and damaging effects of climate change. In an interview on the BBC he said that the world’s greatest minds should be focused on trying to save this planet. He said: “It really is crucial that we focus on this planet rather than giving up and heading out into space to try and think of solutions for the future.” I agree. The human race is seldom logical. In July 1969 America put a man on the moon. This cost over $25 billion then. Yet lower income Americans then and now cannot afford proper healthcare.
Countless billions have been invested in space tourism, yet we still can’t cure cancer. It all comes down to priorities. Is the exponential investment in putting the extremely rich into space (with a huge carbon cost) worth it ? Prince William’s father Charles was actually ahead of the curve in talking about environmental changes. William, his son, is a more credible voice that people will listen to.
Don’t COP out…
The COP 26 conference is due to start in Glasgow on October 31. Early November will see more hot air come out of Scotland than the Sahara desert. I feel I could write the headlines now that will come from this critically important meeting of the world’s leaders. But are they truly committed? I think not. China’s Premier Xi Jinping will not be in
Green
Matters
FINAL FRONTIER? By Martin Tye
Repair this planet - don’t try to find the next place to live attendance. The Chinese are the world’s largest polluters. The Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison will now attend but only following huge political pressure on him to do so. Russia, India. China, Saudi Arabia and Brazil have still not come forward with fresh commitments to make COP 26 a success. Climate issues are all over the media. Electricity costs have soared to unimaginable heights. Gas prices are through the roof. Let’s hope that concrete, tangible, measurable commitments come from this conference. The clock is ticking - the world is suffering.
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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A SPANISH town is becoming a model for how to run a municipality on a sound ecological basis. Just a few kilometres from the brash tourist trap of Benidorm, La Nucia is committed to going green. The town hall has put in charging points for electric cars that are free to all, and has come up with a novel way to discourage the throw-away culture. Mayor Bernabe Cano oversaw a move that meant the more residents recycle, the less local tax they pay, which has been deemed a huge success. The road to a sustainable future has been a long one, with the municipality starting on the journey 20 years ago. Since then it has won three Architizer awards for its ecological architecture. The first step to sustainability was to ban cars from the old town centre and create green areas planted with native pines to improve air quality.
Architecturally the town has embraced a ‘quality of life’ philosophy with an emphasis on single family homes rather than the massive tower blocks seen in Benidorm.
Long run
And the council has chosen architecture that is environmentally friendly. Harking back to the old pre-airconditioning days, walls on the municipal buildings are built to be thick, thus providing a heat sink and reducing cooling and heating costs in the long run. The town hall’s approach has proven to be extremely popular with foreigners, who have flocked to the area. Expats from more than 100 countries make up more than half the population. The mayor hopes that his town can point other Spanish municipalities in the right direction by continuing to set a good green example.
Pest Problem ESTEPONA Town Hall has launched a programme of protection against the perennial problem of processionary caterpillars. Each year the thaumetopoea processionea presents a serious hazard to pets and people. The fine hairs of the processionary caterpillar contain a poison that can trigger hives or allergic reactions in children and adults and can prove fatal to dogs if swallowed. The caterpillars also weaken the pines. To combat this threat, municipal workers will be injecting a preventative treatment, which does not damage the trees or emit chemicals. The 2,500 doses, three for each tree, are concentrated on public parks, in large areas of pine forests, and close to schools and in green areas.
LA CULTURA
Legacy of Spain’s ‘Schindler’
SPAIN is trying to find the relatives of thousands of Hungarian Jews that were saved from the Nazis by a diplomat branded as the ‘Spanish Schindler’. German industrialist Oskar Schindler famously saved 1,200 Jews during World War Two, with his story being turned into the 1993 film Schindler’s List. Spanish diplomat, Angel Sanz Briz, used a legal device to prevent over 5,200 Hungarians being deported to the Auschwitz concentration camp in 1944.
9
October 20th November 2nd 2021
THEYDUNNIT! Giant €1 million prize solves literary mystery
A €1 million cash prize has helped solve the mystery of just who a popular ‘woman’ author is - and it turns out to be three middle aged men. For years the identity of Carmen Mola had been kept a closely guarded secret. The
Bogus
Sanz Briz created bogus Spanish passports for thousands of Jews. He used an out-of-date 1924 Spanish law that granted citizenship to descendants of Sephardic Jews who were thrown out of Spain in 1492. Spain’s Foreign Ministry is now working with Centro Sefarad-Israel to see if they can track down the relatives of those people saved by the brave diplomat. Centro Sefarad-Israel director, Miguel de Lucas, said: “For him the principle of humanity, prevailed over the principle of legality.”
By Kirsty McKenzie
story put out was that she was a university professor working under a pen name to maintain ‘professional integrity’. And so everyone believed - un-
ART CAPITAL MALAGA could soon have a prestigious new museum that may see it take on Madrid as the Spanish capital of art. Picasso’s birth city has welcomed the idea of Russia’s Hermitage Museum (above) opening a gallery in the port. With 3 million pieces in its collection, it would have no problem fully stocking the gallery. There it would join the world famous Pompidou centre offshoot as well as adding to Malaga’s other major artistic draws like the Picasso museum and Carmen-Thyssen gallery. Representatives of the Saint Petersburg museum have been in touch with city mayor Francisco de la Torre to disTHE GAME DEALER: cuss the idea after Barcelona City Council turned it down. By Pieter Aertsen
til her latest work La Bestia (The Beast) won the €1m Planeta award — the world’s highest paying literary trophy. In a plot twist worthy of an award-winning novel, it was revealed that three Spanish men had in fact penned the prize-winning book, when they were flushed out in order to claim the money. Jorge Diaz, Agustin Martinez and Antonio Mercero from Madrid and Mercia wrote The Beast together under the female pseudonym. The grand reveal has come as a huge surprise to literature fans around the world, who believed that Carmen Mola was the ‘Spanish Elena Ferrante’ — a reference to the reclusive, and also pseudonymous, Italian literary novelist. The first book, published anonymously in 2018, named The Gypsy Bride was a story that attracted international acclaim. The debut was followed by The Purple Network and La Nena, with the series focused on Elena Blanco , a police inspector who has to face the toughest and most gruelling cases in Spain. “Carmen Mola is not, like all the lies we’ve been telling, a university professor,” said Diaz on winning the prize. “We are three friends who one day four years ago decided to combine our talent to tell a story.”
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PROPERTY
10
Dear Jennifer: Don’t hang about police are watching
W
E are all still experiencing changes as a result of BREXIT and here is a little bit more useful information regarding the changes that are occurring all the time and this is regarding GB stickers for your car. All UK registered vehicles must now have a UK sticker to replace the GB sticker. If you have GB on the number plate, you will still need a UK sticker on the vehicle and this must be placed on the rear of the vehicle. Can I suggest that if you have not yet done this, do it immediately as it will save you a lot of bother, as I understand that the police are regularly pulling over UK plated vehicles. I along with many, and feeling frustrated at the way Spanish banks are behaving. Some are on strike, which is totally unbelievable, whilst many are offering very restricted service due to lack of staff and there is the continuing process of closing of branches. I fully appreciate that we need banks for all financial transactions, however you do not need to go to them for house, car or life insurance.
Claim
The after sales that you will receive will be practically non-existent and you will be on your own regarding a claim and also, do you really know what cover you have and are your documents in English. Then of course, there is the situation which I do not like at all – automatic renewal. Therefore please find the time to check your documents and the renewal date, taking into account that you have to give a month’s notice, and come and talk to one of the ladies, or give us a call and we will explain the difference between our policies and the banks and assure you of the excellent after sales procedures. There is nothing more frustrating in having a query which you can´t get answered and this of course, is unacceptable and will never happen in my company.
IF YOU NEED ANY HELP, JUST CALL US ON 966 461 690, EMAIL INFO@JENNIFERCUNNINGHAM.NET OR VISIT THE WEBSITE WWW.JENNIFERCUNNINGHAM.NET
GOOD TIMES
SPAIN’s property market is booming and in contradiction to tabloid reports that Brits are leaving in droves, British buyers are in fact back in full force. Sean Woolley from Cloud Nine Spain reports that although it was a slow start to the year, with COVID-19 rules making it impossible for Brits
to come over to look for properties, that changed once border restrictions were lifted. Woolley, whose estate agency has for 20 years focused on selling properties to British
IT is the Korean TV series that has proved a massive worldwide hit. Squid Game is the dystopian tale where contestants play children's games with the penalty for losing being death is noted for its set design. Its sharp geometric shapes and vibrant colours stand out - but are eerily familiar to residents of a famous housing estate in Calpe Alicante. La Muralla Roja is famous as an example of post-modern architecture.
clients, said the first half of the year saw a massive shift in clientele. “From January to May, we had no UK buyers at all in the market and a massive variety
SET: Squid Game (above) resembles La Muralla Roja
Stunning
Designed by architect Ricardo Bofill in 1968 and finished in 1973, it features interconnected communal plazas and bridges. It's painted red on the outside but has internal sections painted blue and violet, and would seem to have been a stunning influence on Squid Game designers. They, however, have remained tightlipped and not commented on the similarities.
in where our buyers have been coming from. In the first quarter, 22 sales transactions were attributed to buyers from 18 different countries – mainly northern Europe, except no Brits.” But since restrictions were lifted and quarantine no longer necessary for the fully vaccinated on their return home, British buyers have been flocking to the Costa del Sol to look at houses. “As soon as they could travel without too many restrictions, the UK buyers have blown us away and the pent-up demand has been reflected in high sales and very serious buyers,” explained Woolley. “This August, 59% of our buyers were British, and all of the buyers in September came from the UK.” He said: “We’re going to have a record year, without a shadow of a doubt, with July being the busiest month in 20 years in terms of sales values, and selling more in terms of transactional value in July and August, than we did in the whole of last year. Signs are good for the rest of the year, with average sales values in September being double what it was in August, at €1.4 million.” But rather than people looking for property to move to permanently, the vast majority of British buyers are those looking for a holiday home.
OP QUICK CROSSWORD Across 1 Headquartered (5) 4 Where trapeze artists connect (3-3) 9 Tidy CIA mall to find a Duchess (7) 10 Examine the books (5) 11 Soft (5) 12 Cool (6) 14 Accretions (13) 17 It would have been 105 pence (6) 18 Landing site (5) 21 Fright (5) 22 Look over (7) 23 Hands down (6) 24 With regret (5)
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Estate agent predicts ‘record year’ for Brits buying property on Spain’s Costa del Sol
Squids in?
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October 20th November 2nd 2021
1 Insolent rejoinder (8) 2 Large Japanese wrestlers (5) 3 Diver Tom --- (5) 5 Puzzle solver’s exclamation (1,4,2) 6 Supplemented (5,2) 7 Grasses (4) 8 Political crown of thorns wearer (5,6) 13 In an advantageous way (8) 15 Mountain lions (7) 16 Barely adequate (7) 18 Hebdomads (5) 19 Give on merit (5) 20 Disconcert (4)
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The Olive Press all editions - FP_342x256 - PROMO - October 20th
12
BUSINESS
October 20th - November 2nd 2021
Self-employed fury as they face new hike to make them the highest paying in EU
GO AHEAD: Ione Belarra
Hand out
THE Spanish Government has given the green light to additional funding that the Minister of Social Rights hopes will help tackle child poverty in Spain. The support package includes a direct payment to all families with children who are scraping by on the Minimum Living Wage (IMV). Ione Belarra, leader of junior coalition party Unidas Podemos and minister of Social Rights, said the new cash boost will offer payment for each child in families with low incomes. The maximum amount of €100 will be given to families who have a child under three years of age and €70 if the child is between three and six years old. €50 will be offered for every child in a low-income family between the ages of six to 18. A TOP Spanish steelmaker has slashed production at one of its factories due to the big hike in electricity prices It says that power costs have risen by 400% in a year, which it described as ‘exorbitant’. Sidenor has cut back ‘special steel’ manu-
CASH COWS
SPAIN’S hard-hit self-employed (autonomos) face an €8 a month hike in their social security contributions. The draft General State Budgets for 2022 has outlined a plan to increase both the monthly quotas and the contribution base for self-employed workers starting next year. Currently, most freelance workers in Spain pay around €283 a month in social security fees regardless of how much they earn. That means those that are self employed are still charged even if they don’t take a pen-
ELECTRIC SHOCKER
facture at its Bilbao base for at least 20 days until December 31. The overall effect will be to reduce production by 30% for the rest of 2021.
Prices rise
DEMO: Autonomos in Madrid
By Kirsty McKenzie
ny home that month. The fee, which is paid on top of other taxes, gives access to Spain’s public health system among other welfare benefits including contributions towards a state pension. Critics of the autonomo system have long demanded an overhaul - with self-employed workers in Spain currently paying the highest monthly social security fees in the EU which are far higher than the UK’s €14/ The company says it has yet to make a decision over its 1,500-strong Bilbao workforce but warned that ‘other measures’ might be necessary if price trends continue. Sidenor says it has also has plans to reduce steel production at its other plants in Cantabria and Catalunya.
month (minimum fee), the Netherland’s €50 a year and Germany’s €140 for those earning more than €1,700 a month. However, the new proposal could see some freelancers paying a minimum or €294 per month, up €8 from the current €286.15. Self-employment unions in Spain have already decreed the new payment proposals to be ‘inconceivable’.
Demos
Association of Autonomous Workers (ATA ) Lorenzo Amor said this was ‘not the best time to implement a measure of this nature’. “Many self-employed workers are still on the edge and we have been enduring a ‘complicated’ situation for the last year,” he said. Earlier this year autonomous in the hospitality industry staged a demo in Madrid demanding action to help them after incomes plunged 20%.
SPAIN’S inflation rate has hit its highest mark since September 2008 due mainly to rising power prices. The National Statistics Institute(INE) said last month’s figure stood at 4%, a rise of 0.7% on August’s figure. The INE said electricity bills went up by nearly 11% in September and have risen by 44% over 12 months. But for the government intervening to slash taxes on domestic power bills, power prices would have risen by 61% resulting in an inflation rate of 4.5%. There is no immediate prospect of an inflation slowdown as wholesale electricity prices continue to rise and business users will almost certainly pass on some of their increased costs to consumers. Spain has taken more radical action than its European Union counterparts to buffer consumers against bill hikes. It’s tried to persuade the EU to take regional action but it has not been satisfied with the response so far. The EU set out proposals last week to help the most vulnerable citizens and companies from the unprecedented surge in prices.
TOP CHOICES FASHION chain Zara is the only Spanish brand to appear on Kantar BrandZ annual list of the 100 most valuable labels worldwide. The list combines financial outcomes with consumer surveys of quality and reputation, as well as the brand’s value or potential to generate value for a company. Zara in position 83 is valued at more than $21.3 billion, maintaining the same level as last year. Amancio
Ortega founder of Inditex, the group that owns Zara has a current net worth of $78.9 billion making him the third wealthiest in Europe and the thirteenth wealthiest in the world. This past year has seen particular change in the list due to different consumer priorities during the pandemic. Amazon valued at $683 billion tops the ranking for the third consecutive year, ahead of other tech-giants like Apple valued at $612 billion.
THE MOST PROFESSIONAL DISTRIBUTION NETWORK ON THE COSTAS ENSURES AN EFFICIENT AND GREEN SERVICE FOR THE OLIVE PRESS
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he Olive Press has always invested heavily in ensuring that our copies are readily available for our growing legion of readers. We work hard to achieve our target of zero returns, ensuring we do not waste money or paper, which is an ever important factor for our environmentally-conscious readers. Since 2019 we have employed the services of Self Select Media, the UK market leader in charge of distributing hundreds of free papers and magazines, including the Evening Standard, Metro and Time Out! The team that now has a company in southern Spain has analysed the region and strategically placed our stands within the main supermarkets and major expat hangouts around the costas. This highly targeted process ensures that you can conveniently pick up your favourite read easily every two weeks. To keep in line with our green philosophy it also allows us to closely monitor our distribution and how it ebbs and flows depending on tourism and trends.
Experience
We receive detailed photo reports of each of the drops, timed as they happen, and the number of copies left over. As Stewart Leece, the boss of Self Select explains: “We have 125 years of publishing and distribution experience and know Spain well having had a home here for three decades. “It is a pleasure to work with the Olive Press, one of the market leaders in Spain, to ensure that the company maintains and expands its reach around the country.” He continues: “The basis of our service is that Every copy is taken by personal choice. We offer publishers and advertisers a controlled fully quantifiable media distribution route to market. Via a network of displays placed within high footfall retail outlets, and targeted miscellaneous distribution points across the North and South Costa Blanca region, and now Valencia.” OWNER: Stewart Leece
If you would like to see your nearest distribution point, then please visit our market leading website www.theolivepress.es or read our digital version online. For more information on our fantastic ditribution partner, please visit www.selfselectmedia.es
FOOD, DRINK & TRAVEL
No room at the inn
COSTA DEL SOL hotels had a bumper holiday weekend, with bosses reporting occupancy rates of up to 95%. The ‘puente’ long weekend combined with unseasonably warm temperatures saw visitors flock to the beaches last week, helping to keep the tills ringing for the hard-pressed hospitality sector. The encouraging figures were announced by the vice-president of the Junta, Juan Marín, who described the data as ‘magnificent’. He said: “They have exceeded the forecasts we had and follow the positive trends set in the summer, confirming a recovery in tourism.”
High cost HOTELIERS across the world have praised Barcelona for its tough stance against ‘unregulated’ holiday lettings by online firms such as AirBnB. A virtual meeting between representatives of hoteliers’ associations from 36 countries demanded more regulation of tourist flats in holiday hotspots - with them saying Barcelona’s model was a step in the right direction. Didac García,of the Barcelona Hotel Association, said that during the meeting hoteliers had criticised the exponential growth of the ‘poorly regulated’ short term lettings market.
October 20th November 2nd 2021
Travel boost England introduces cheaper COVID testing for fully-vaxxed travellers
FULLY vaccinated passengers and children arriving in England from non-red list countries such as Spain will be able to take a cheaper lateral flow test instead of a PCR test from October 24. The British government had said it would introduce the changes but only recently confirmed the date, meaning the new rules will kick in time for half-term holidays. The new rules mean it will be considerably cheaper to perform the compulsory Day 2 test on arrival to England from non-red list countries. Although the rules only apply
to England and not Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland they may well be rolled out there in the coming weeks. Passengers will still have to book the tests ahead of their flight and include the booking code in the Passenger Locator Form.
AIRPORT FREEDOM
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New Year’s celebrations at 5 star Sunborn Yacht Hotel in Gibraltar!
B
EFORE you know it, 2022 will be ushered in. And if you want to make it a memorable occasion it is best to book the perfect venue ealy - and Sunborn Gibraltar has three fantastic options to celebrate in style. At the glamourous Aurora Ballroom you can swing away to the likes of Andy King and Dave Lee and enjoy an extravaganza Buffet. If you prefer a party night out with friends, La Sala is the perfect option with Live music by ‘All Pop’ followed by a DJ. For dancing queens and party animals doors are open until 4 am! To keep your energy going, a late night snack after a lovely three course meal is part of your package. Take your family to a night of magic in BARBARY Restaurant and listen to live piano music by Jens Nordbjerg. Sunborn Gibraltar offers a variety of entertainment packages to suit all different tastes this year. Don’t worry about having to drive home and stay at a special New Year’s Eve rate of £150 per room/night including breakfast for 2! The Sunborn Team is looking forward to celebrating with you soon onboard! See www.sunborngibraltar.com for booking details
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said it would make travel easier and simpler. Taking away expensive mandatory PCR testing will boost the travel industry and is a major step forward in normalising international travel and encouraging people to book holidays with confidence."
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Lateral flow tests will still have to be bought privately and list of approved private providers will be posted on gov.uk on October 22. However, travellers who are not fully vaccinated will still need to take a PCR test on day two after arriving and must quarantine for 10 days at home.
Celebrate in style
Simpler
FAMILIES and friends can now wave farewell or welcome arrivals from inside Spain's airport terminals. For the past 17 months, terminal access had been restricted to passengers with a boarding pass unless a special exemption had been granted. The restriction ended last Friday, subject to general health safety rules like mask wearing. Airport bosses reserve the right to restrict entry at busy times to avoid the risk of overcrowding.
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14
FOOD, DRINK & TRAVEL
October 20th November 2nd 2021
TASTY DELIGHTS T
YPICALLY overshadowed by its more touristy neighbours Valencia and Andalucia, visitors to Murcia may be surprised to discover the wealth of regional gastronomic delights that can be found along this fertile stretch of Mediterranean coastline. In fact for the second year in a row, Murcia has been nominated as the Spanish Capital of Gastronomy. This is all down to the quality of Murcia’s ingredients.
From fresh quality fruit and vegetables grown on the fertile lands of La Huerta de Murcia, to its own variety of Calasparra rice grown within its terraced paddy fields accompanied by copious amounts of delicious seafood, often pulled fresh from the Med that very morning. The Olive Press takes a look at Murciano cuisine and highlights those dishes that you really won’t want to miss out on.
Pastel de Carne This traditional dish used to be made across Spain in the medieval era however it practically vanished in the nineteenth century. Today Murcia is the only spot where you can enjoy an authentic pastel de carne. The pie uses filo pastry that is intricately fashioned into a pattern and is filled with egg, meat and chorizo. Visitors can find one at almost any bakery in town.
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N
Pulpo al Horno
Zarangollo
Zarangollo is a classic Murcian countryside dish that consists of scrambled eggs with courgette and onion and occasionally a few potatoes are added too. This dish is simple, delicious and easy to try your hand at at home
T
his typical tapas dish from Murcia is made by baking a large octopus in the oven with garlic, bay leaf, onion
Arroz Caldero
TIME TO CASH IN!
Paparajotes
A
A
and beer. Serve with a healthy squeeze of lemon and savour the juicy octopus meat with a satisfying crunch on the outside.
Ensalada Murciana
O
amed after the cauldron-like pan in which it is prepared, arroz caldero is a rice stew traditionally made by the fishermen at Mar Menor, who would use the fish that couldn’t sell at market. Ñoras (little dried peppers common in Murcia), garlic, tomatoes, saffron, and seafood from the Mar Menor are frequently used in the stew.
The Olive Press - 6/7/8 October 1/6 Page - 83 mm w x 170 mm h(all editions except Gib)
Ten regional specialities to discover in Murcia - the surprising Capital of Gastronomy, writes Amber Edirisinghe
ften served as a starter, this simple but tasty salad is made with tomato, Cieza olives, onion, tuna and hard boiled egg. Many Murcian families have their own variations on this recipe, sometimes swapping out tuna for cod.
Marineras
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Courtesy
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super traditional Murcian dessert is paparajotes, battered and fried lemon leaves along with ice cream. Just make sure to nibble the sweet dough casing and not the leaf itself!
Pan de Calatrava
C
alatrava bread pudding is one of the most popular Murcian desserts. It is a flan made with stale bread or sponge cake with caramel sauce poured on top.
Cuerno Merengue Named after its likeness to a horn this scrumptious dessert consists of a pastry cone filled with soft meringue which is toasted on the top. Perfect for those with a sweet tooth.
A
marinera is a breadstick or a very thin piece of toasted bread which is then topped with russian salad (potato, tuna, and vegetables) and an anchovy resting on top. The local challenge is to try and scoff it up in three bites.
Michirones
Beans are one of staple ingredients of the region, featuring in many dishes. Michirones is a tasty stew made with dried beans, meat, and a broth flavoured with ham bone. This is often served as an appetiser in restaurants.
OP Puzzle solutions
Quick Crossword
Across: 1 Based, 4 Mid-air, 9 Camilla, 10 Audit, 11 Cushy, 12 Trendy, 14 Accumulations, 17 Guinea, 18 Wharf, 21 Alarm, 22 Eyeball, 23 Easily, 24 Sadly. Down: 1 Backchat, 2 Sumos, 3 Daley, 5 I have it, 6 Added to, 7 Rats, 8 Party leader, 13 Usefully, 15 Cougars, 16 Minimal, 18 Weeks, 19 Award, 20 Faze.
SUDOKU
S we continue to adjust to the new normal and the challenges that the new world brings, making savings where possible continues to be a priority for many families. It’s for this reason that LIBERTY SEGUROS has brought back its €60 cashback offer. Once again – but for a limited time only – customers that take out new home, car or life insurance coverage with LIBERTY SEGUROS will be rewarded with cashback to help them make savings whilst they continue to adjust to the times ahead. From now up until November 25, existing customers who take out a new home, car or life insurance policy will enjoy €60 cashback with every new policy. New customers will benefit from €30 cashback on their first policy and then €60 cashback on subsequent new policies thereafter. Once again, with this offer there is no limit on the amount of policies a customer can take out with LIBERTY SEGUROS and therefore, there is no limit on cashback rewards. This means that both existing and new customers can make fantastic savings whilst ensuring they have adequate, quality cover for their most important assets. LIBERTY SEGUROS understands the importance of showing appreciation to those that place their trust in its products and service, and with the return of this fantastic offer it looks to reiterate just how much it values and cares for its customers. Placing customers, their peace of mind and their wellbeing at the heart of its organisation, LIBERTY SEGUROS remains committed to supporting them to get back on track as we all transition out
HEALTH
Smoking ban HEALTH ministers have called for smoking to be banned on terraces and outdoor restaurant seating in Spain. The Ministry of Health wants the current law to be extended to include outdoor hospitality. Ministers also want legislation banning smoking in the grounds of schools, hospitals and in playgrounds to come into force permanently.
Unfair
The prohibition of smoking on terraces and in entrances to public buildings was introduced by most autonomous communities as part of the COVID-19 regulations. But hospitality workers have said extending the ban would be hugely disproportionate and unfair. The move has the backing of minister Carolina Darias who said it would denormalise smoking and protect people from the damaging effects of second-hand smoke.
ALMOST half of people in Spain are in favour of mandatory vaccinations to reduce the spread of the coronavirus. The findings come in the latest October survey from the Centre for Sociological Research(CIS), with 79% of the population aged 12 and over fully-vaccinated.
IN RUDE HEALTH CHIEF Minister Fabian Picardo is completely COVID-19 free. He was forced to miss part of the Conservative party conference in the UK when he tested positive and had to self isolate. He was infected on a trip to the UK - his first journey for 13 months. He announced that he was totally asymptomatic. At the time he said: “I am well and have returned home as required by the Tracing Office. I am aware that this is an important time for Gibraltar.” He has been back to normal and attending meetings as usual for the past week.
October 20th - November 2nd 2021
JABBING DEMAND
48.9% believe that everybody should be forced to be vaccinated against COVID-19, 1.5% more than in September's CIS survey. Some 24.6% are against any compulsion while 23% said that it 'depends on the circumstances', with 3.1% re-
sponding as 'don't know or uncertain'. The numbers supporting compulsory jabs rises to 63.7% for health workers, care home staff, and for people who have ‘direct contact’ with the public. 30.8% are against, with
Good trick
4.6% of respondents 'uncertain'. The CIS study showed that two-thirds of the population believe that current pandemic safety measures are satisfactory. 65.9% said they were in favour of 'continuing as we are' while 20.2% demanded tougher action.
SCIENTISTS in Britain have invented a 'promising' new treatment which destroys cancerous tumours in terminally ill head and neck cancer patients. Researchers at the Institute of Cancer Research (ICR), London combined nivolumab and ipilimumab medications to trick patients’ immune systems into killing their own cancer cells. The experimental study was carried out on 1,000 dying head and neck cancer patients, but researchers say the cocktail of drugs led to a reduction in the size of tumours in terminally ill patients and in some saw the cancer vanish altogether.
Cancer test hope
Revolutionary blood test could help early detection of 50 types of cancer
The World's eyes are on a revolutionary new blood test that can detect more than 50 types of cancer before symptoms appear. England’s National Health Service is set to trial the new test by taking blood samples from 140,000 volunteers aged from 50 to 77 at mobile clinics in business parks and other locations. The potential of the test has been noticed by Spanish newspapers, including ABC and El Mundo, which have published several articles on the subject, highlighting the importance of
By Elena Gocmen Rueda
the project. "This quick and simple blood test could mark the start of a revolution in cancer detection and treatment here and around the world," said Amanda Pritchard, chief executive of the NHS. "We have the best chance of treating it and we can give people the best chance of survival. So she believes that if this blood test is successful it could
‘play an important role in detecting three-quarters of cancers at an early stage’, when they are easier to treat. Initial results from the study are expected in 2023 and, if successful, NHS England plans to extend the rollout to a further one million people in 2024 and 2025. It is expected that the Spanish health service may follow suit if the tests are successful. Some 300 people die of cancer every day in Spain, according to the consultancy firm Oliver Wyman.early detection can drastically improve prognosis.
THE BELL
15
Terminal
Researchers said they hoped future findings from the CheckMate 651 trial, funded by Bristol Myers Squibb, will have similar benefits for terminally ill kidney, skin and bowel cancer patients. As well as boosting the long-term survival chances of patients, scientists said, the immunotherapy treatment also triggered far fewer side-effects.
OL D HA CK IN TH E SU N
Benny Davis
Ramblings of an 80-som ething
expat
If they can do it the new kid can too
S
OME readers may have read my `retirement´ announcement in a previous Olive Press issue. Nearly 90 now and suffering from cancer, it seemed the sensible thing to do, but after receiving an appeal from the newspaper, to carry on as long as possible, I called for a family conference. The verdict – stay strong, go with the flow. So, I’m back, but before I get going again with my zany mumblings, I have to mention my admiration for fellow sufferers I meet every day in the cancer treatment clinic. Mostly, ladies wearing head scarves, wigs, and hats to hide the loss of their crowning glory. All greet me with smiles, waves, as if attending a friendly tea party, not a sad face between these lovely people who have retained their personalities and dignities. This is another reason I am not giving up. If they can do it, as the new boy on the block, so can I. My treatment is solely Radiology at present.
Lying flat under a huge robot machine that has two parts playing hide and seek over my body. Clicking, w h i r r i n g, and making other strange noises, it sometimes hovers above, then takes a deep dive to the right whilst a second dramatically appears from the left, as if acting out a strange ritual tribal dance. I always expect to see a line of miniature Benny´s marching out of the monsters base at the end of each session, looking a bit like ´Minions.´ Should a patient be cleared of cancer, a hanging bell in the waiting area is clanged like hell by the winner. I recently witnessed this miraculous result when fellow patients and relatives heaped flowers, greetings cards, applause, and cheers on the recipient together with lots of selfies. One of the most genuine and happy occasions I have ever been privileged to attend. That´s it folks! I promise not to mention any of this `Holby City´ stuff again. Back to Benny´s rubbish in the next issue when I inGOOD NEWS: troduce you to my blow-up sex Benny and the bell doll, `Dolly.
FINAL WORDS
DRONES are being used to feed and water dogs stranded by lava during the volcanic eruption on La Palma, with two companies vowing to continue the mercy missions ‘while it is safe to do so’.
Naked truth SCIENTISTS at University College London using artificial intelligence and 3D printing have managed to reveal a hidden nude portrait painted by Picasso underneath his work ‘The Blind Man’s Meal’.
Stubbed out A MAN 27, threatened to attack an Alicante bar manager with a screwdriver after illegally lighting up a cigarette on the premises. The customer’s threats led to the police being called in and his subsequent arrest.
Vol. 5 Issue 159
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October 20th - November 2nd 2021
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This is not a Drill
Valencia’s Bioparc celebrated the birth of a new member of its Drill family, a highly endangered species of primate which number less than 4,000 in the wild.
Raunchy video on atheism leads to dean’s resignation A COUPLE grinding suggestively against each other in the hallowed environs of Toledo cathedral for a music video has led to the resignation of the dean. Spanish rapper C Tangana and Argentinian singer Nathy Peluso staged their romp for new release Ateo. Church authorities have launched an investigation into
Bite size?
A 35 metre-long nougat turron - a Spanish speciality for the sweettoothed especially at Christmas - is set to be the largest ever made in Jijona when it takes pride of place at this month’s Alicante Gastronomica fair.
how permission was given for the filming of Ateo – a song meaning Atheist – a collaboration that is full of religious imagery. It appears permission to film was granted by the dean of the cathedral who expressed support for the project arguing that the song and its video ‘presents the story of a religious conversion through love’.
Boogie nights
REVELLERS in Andalucia have been given an extra hour of fun. Late-night opening hours for restaurants and bars have been extended to 2am, while nightclubs can stay open until 3.30am.
OLIVE PRESS
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FINAL WORDS
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Vol. 15 Issue 377
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Seeing double
Your expat
voice in Spain
September 8th - September 21st 2021
ORIGINAL SIN
Bishop chucks in his cassock to marry erotic writer
A SPANISH bishop has resigned so he can marry an By Kirsty McKenzie erotic novelist. Xavier Novell announced It his decision to leave the thathas now been revealed he took the personal church just 11 years after he decision due to his relationbecame the youngest bishop ship with erotic writer Silvia in Spain at the age of 41. Caballol. The 52-year-old sent shock- “I waves through the commu- a have fallen in love with woman and I want to do nity when he suddenly re- things signed as the diocese of Sol- vealed. properly," Novell resona for ‘personal reasons’. “It is a magnificent vocation
Short fuse
A MAN attacked an electricity office in Galicia after receiving a high bill. The irate 54-year-old smashed windows at the Naturgy office in Vigo over a huge rise in his normal bill.
He told the police that his anger had up for a day and he could 'no longer been building contain himself'. The government has introduced temporary reductions on IVA to reduce the impact of hikes.
THEY normally take years to produce just one baby. Now a remarkable panda mother has given birth to twins in Madrid. In the first panda births in Madrid Zoo for five years, Huz Zui Ba had her fifth and sixth babies. As soon as she gave birth to her first cub, she put it on her lap and started to give it a good lick. The father is Bing Zing, who last year topped the charts in the ‘Giant Panda Global Awards’ for being the ‘most favourite panda’. The health of the cubs, born with pink skin, is being monitored by vets, joined by two experts from China’s Chengdu Panda Breeding Base. The international captive breeding programme has seen it now declassified from an endangered species to the ‘vulnerable’ category.
SEEN THE LIGHT: Bishop and his lover Silvia but I see that the Lord has wanted me to renounce that ger family." beautiful thing to have a big- Novell will now also ask for the Pope's permission for a dispensation from the vow of celibacy and obedience that all Catholic bishops take when they enter the MARBELLA firefighters priesthood. have rescued an Eurasian If the Pope gives Novell his eagle-owl after one of its talblessing, he is set to marry ons got tangled in netting at the 38-year-old writer from a local golf course. Barcelona. Firefighters used a specialShe has penned at least two ised vehicle to get close to novels, Amnesia Trilogy and the owl, which got trapped at The Hell of Gabriel's Lust, San Pedro Alcantara. which is described as ‘an erotic novel with Satanic overtones’. RARE: Pinkies
Terwit woo hoo!
AMUSED?: Naughty Bishop Novell (above) would have approved
He quoted lyrics from the song including; “I was an atheist but now I believe, because a miracle like you has to have come down from heaven”, as an example.
Big omelette DIGGERS have uncovered a dinosaur’s nest that contains a dozen eggs. The 60 million-year-old discovery was hidden away in a massive two-ton rock in Loarre in north east Spain. Each egg is 15 centimetres in diameter- nearly four times bigger
ANDALUCÍA
than a chicken egg. Early analysis suggests that they were laid by Sauropod titanosaurs, which were herbivores with long tails and necks and could reach a massive 20 metres in length.
He insisted that although the video used ‘provocative visuals’ it was not insulting to the faith. “The aim was only ever to support a dialogue with contemporary culture while always respecting the faith of the church.” However, the archdiocese of Toledo released a statement within hours of the video being released expressing ‘deep regret at what had happened’ and implied the archbishop had known nothing about the project. Subsequently the dean, Juan Miguel Ferrer, resigned from his position.
MOST Spanish men lose their virginity at 19 according to a study which has pinpointed the average age for first time sex in 35 countries. Icelandic teens are apparently the first to slip between the sheets with the average boy losing his virginity at 15.3 in the famously liberal country. According to the report by Manual, Spain comes last - almost - as the country of Latin lovers was ranked only above Japan, where men also lose their virginity at 19, and China, India and Malaysia where men wait until their early 20s to pop their cherry.
Virginity
In comparison, the average age a British man loses his virginity is 18 years and 4 months old. Men in the United States, Greece, Canada, Netherlands, Switzerland, Finland, South Africa, Russia and Mexico, on average, all wait until their 18th birthday before doing the deed. After Iceland, Denmark ranked second youngest with an average of 16.1 while Sweden came next with an average of 16.2.