Olive Press Gibraltar issue 228

Return of the Schengen

THE government of Gibraltar has warned that the fluid border with Spain could come to an end in November.

With 15,000 people crossing the border each day, ease of movement is crucial to the economic and social fabric of the Rock. But two new Schengen border control systems could scupper that fluidity.

Both the EES and ETIAS systems are slated to come into force in November, before a post-Brexit deal is expected to be agreed. Spanish border forces have already begun installing the necessary scanners and infrastructure, according to the government.

Barriers

Meanwhile Gibraltar ‘would enhance its own border control infrastructure’ in the event negotiations fail. With barriers growing up on both sides of the border, it would put an end to the relaxed approach to border control currently in effect. This would mean the ‘use of e-gates and automated systems which would also process biometric data as is becoming customary at borders across the globe.’ Gibraltarians and any other Brits on the Rock would then be required to meet strict Schengen requirements to enter Spain like any citizen of a third country.

They include providing proof of accommodation and return to Gibraltar, as well as having enough money in the bank during your stay. Visitors will also need to prove they are not overstaying the 90-in180 day rule and also have the €7 ETIAS permission to enter the EU.

P LIVE RESS O GIBRALTAR

UEFA have opened disciplinary proceedings against Manchester City star Rodri and Spain captain Alvaro Morata for leading chants Gibraltar es español (Gibraltar is Spanish).

Spain’s victory over England in the Euro 2024 final has once again reignited the country’s ire over the status of its tiny southern neighbour.

The Spanish team started singing the provocative chants during their raucous celebrations in Madrid after beating En-

PAGES

Take a stroll around the Alcala de Henares

See page 12

Corrosive conduct

gland 2-1 on July 15.

The song was enthusiastically taken up by the crowd, and a poll conducted by a Spanish television channel found 54% of the country approves of it – especially on the far-right.

Rodri and Morata have been hit with four charges, including violating the rules of decent conduct, using the sport to make a political statement and bringing the game into disrepute.

NO PLACE IN THE SUN

A BRITISH expat and her three children are demanding justice after being kicked out of their Costa del Sol home ‘without any warning’.

‘Devastated’ Lydia Preston Sweeney, 52, was given just 15 minutes to leave her Benahavis house by her landlord and former PSOE mayoral candidate Luis Feito Miragaya (pictured below).

The left-wing politician, who campaigned for housing reform just last year, is said to have turned up to the two-bedroom property on July 17, flanked by three court representatives.

Complete shock

Lydia was informed that her rent had not been paid since January and that she needed to vacate the property immediately.

But Lydia, from Liverpool, claims she never received any warnings about the eviction.

EXCLUSIVE

By Yzabelle Bostyn

Her abusive ex-husband is court-ordered to cover her rent and maintenance bills, and she had contacted the courts on multiple occasions to warn that he had not been doing so.

flight attendant managed to pack just three bags of clothes.

She was told the house, where she had lived without issue for threeand-a-half years, would be sealed and she could pick up the rest of her things at a later date with a police escort.

However after a visit to social services, she claims she returned that same day to find her belongings being dumped into bin bags and thrown into the garage by Miragaya and his family. She told the Olive Press: “We came here with the illusion of a better life on the sunny Costa del Sol, you don’t think things like this will happen.

“I was in a complete panic,” she told the Olive Press

“I’m crying my eyes out, my 12-year-old daughter is too, she is completely trauma tised, she’s not her self anymore and is hardly speaking.”

The expat of 10 years and former

“I am completely devastated, I’m tired, I haven’t slept in two nights and I’ve got awful headaches.

“I’m putting on a brave face for the children but I can’t put it into words, I’m in shock.

“This ‘man of the people’ knew I was a vulnerable person living there with three kids.”

She added: “He’s a PSOE politician so his party is meant to stand up for people like me, but he’s had the biggest hand in getting me evicted.”

Seeing her belongings ‘thrown’ into the dirt was ‘humiliating’ and when she protested, Lydia claims Miragaya ‘ignored’ her, ‘speaking on his phone the whole time’.

The single mum was well aware the rent had not been paid and had been reporting it to

Investigation is launched after PSOE politician evicts vulnerable British mumof-three from her home

criminal courts for months.

The expat was unable to cover the costs by herself and thought she would be protected by a law stating ‘vulnerable’ people cannot be evicted (Real Decreto-ley 11/2020).

When explaining her situation garnered no sympathy, she called a lawyer, who advised her to comply.

Homeless

Despite court representatives claiming they had notified Lydia about the impending eviction, social services have not been able to find any evidence of this and have launched an investigation into the matter.

The eviction notice was issued by Marbella Civil Court which did not communicate with the criminal court where Lydia had reported her former husband for not paying the rent.

“There is a process that should have been followed, if it had been, I wouldn’t be on the street with three children,” she said.

Lydia and her family, Lyla, 12, Peter, 10 and Harry, 9, have now been homeless for over a week, relying on the kindness of family and friends to get by.

“Spain is meant to be a civilised country,” she said.

“We are a decent family, we get involved in the local community, so for our lives to change overnight like this makes me lose all hope. I just can’t believe it.”

She plans to report the incident to the Spanish ombudsman, as well as the Consejo General de Poder Judicial (the General Council of the Judiciary).

Miragaya, who ran for mayor of Benahavis last year, vowed to prioritise ‘citizen wellbeing’, stating: “It’s time for housing…We will create public housing for families that the young people of Benahavis need.” Miragaya and the PSOE declined to comment when contacted by the Olive Press.

OUT IN THE COLD: (left to right) Harry, 9, Peter, 10, Lyla, 12, and Lydia, 52, have been thrown out of their home

Tick warning

A 74-year-old Madrileño has caught the deadly Crimean–Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) viral disease. There have been 13 cases of the disease in Spain and five registered deaths.

Party’s over

The UK government has warned Brits against ‘modern slavery’ in Ibiza, saying people ‘work long hours for low pay’.

Found

A BRITISH trainee barrister who went missing 12 days ago on the Balearic island of Mallorca has been found alive and well, although he has received treatment for dehydration and exhaustion.

Bus blunder

AROUND 50 people were left injured on Tuesday after a coach suffered a spectacular accident while travelling from Barcelona to Tordera in the Catalunya region.

GANGSTERS in Marbella are using Hollywood-style silicone masks to move around undetected, it has emerged.

Two such disguises were discovered by Policia Nacional last week during the arrest of three men accused of shooting a gangland rival in the leg in March.

Police also found an AK-47, bulletproof vests and 5kg of cocaine during raids on houses in Mijas and Malaga city. The trio are said to have shot a young man

Mafia doubtfire

in the knee inside a shisha bar in Puerto Banus. They have been sent to prison ahead of trial where they will face a series of different charges, including attempted murder, weapon possession, drug trafficking, falsifying documents and more.

Knife violence

A 28-year-old Gibraltarian appeared in court last week charged with attempted murder.

Christopher Nuñez was arrested in the early hours of Saturday, July 20.

He is also charged with possessing a knife in a public place. It comes after RGP responded to an emergency call at around 5am after receiving reports of a man threatening another man with a knife outside a res-

Gibraltar man hit with attempted murder charge after allegedly slashing another man with a knife and fleeing from the police

By Yzabelle Bostyn

idence on Varyl Begg Estate.

Nuñez had reportedly lunged at his victim multiple times with a large kitchen knife before police

were called. When they arrived, the officers discovered Nuñez had already fled the scene. Later, the alleged knifeman was reported inside a residential building on Sir William Jackson Grove brandishing the weapon.

CRIME ‘MOVING TO MARBS’

DRUG trafficking gangs are moving their operations to Marbella because of a continued police crackdown further down the coast, an expert has warned. Ana Isabel Cerezo, a director at the Andalucian Institute of Criminology, gave a talk on the scourge of so-called narcos at

the University of Malaga. She told attendees how an ‘intensive and exhaustive’ ramping up of surveillance in and around Algeciras is pushing mafia activity towards the Costa del Sol, with Marbella becoming a ‘very attractive’ alternative.

Alongside the Gibraltar Defence Police Armed Officers, the RGP arrived at the scene and arrested Nuñez by the estate’s main entrance.

He was allegedly found holding a knife in both hands. A video footage of the arrest has been circulating on social media. The victim was treated for minor injuries at hospital and later released. Nuñez was charged and remanded at New Mole House Police Station and denied bail. He will remain on remand until he next appears before the Supreme Court, on August 8.

EXPAT’S BLOODY DEATH

A BRITISH expat has been found dead in a ‘blood-soaked room’ of his home in Almeria. The 35-year-old was discovered by the Guardia Civil in Mojacar at around 11pm on Sunday. The body showed signs of a severe head trauma, while the walls and floors were covered in blood, sparking an urgent police investigation.

Local government minister Pedro Fernandez told a press conference that there was an ‘incised-blunt wound on the forehead of around 4-5cm.’

While preliminary investigations point to an ‘accidental’ death, police are not ruling out anything at this stage. The autopsy will determine whether the death was an accident or the result of an attack.

A NARCO-trafficking network importing seahorse-branded bricks of cocaine into Spain via the Port of Algeciras has suffered a bust. Up to 200kg were hidden inside metal pallets that were later transported to a warehouse in El Ejido in Almeria. The driver of the truck and the owner of the warehouse were arrested and two others were nabbed in Toledo.

McGregor madness

CONOR McGregor tore up Marbella and ruffled feathers in his usual style.

Fresh from sailing in from Mallorca on his yacht, his strolls around town caused excited crowds to gather outside the Hard Rock Hotel where he was staying.

He then kept fans waiting for three hours at his VIP evening at the swanky Clubhouse bar.

But when he did finally show up, it was blockbuster. He swirled through the venue and schmoozed with the fans – before promptly vanishing into the VIP lounge.

The UFC legend is in the Costa del Sol to promote his newest venture – bringing bare-knuckle boxing to Spain.

Diva 1

GOOD SPORTS

Boy band congratulate Spain on Euros win during Marbella concert, wearing Spanish flags and sipping sangria

BRITISH boy band Take That sparked controversy after they donned Spanish flags during their Marbella concert to congratulate Spain for their Euros win.

Take That performed at Marbella’s Starlite Festival in the aftermath of England’s Euros defeat on Monday, July 15. After taking to the stage during Sunday’s match, they raised eyebrows in their post-Euros concert by donning Spanish flags and congratulating Luis de la Fuente’s side.

“We had to play a show during the game last night to a mix

REVIEW:

of Spanish and English,” said frontman Gary Barlow. “That was tough.”

The band then brought out a picnic basket containing flags, scarves, sunglasses and hats emblazoned with the Spanish flag.

Barlow congratulated La Roja, saying: “It’s only a game of football, well done Spain.” Mark Owen even draped himself in an Andalucian flag, sipping fresh sangria under a parasol.

Refreshed, the band sang This Life, the title track of their new album. In the face of England’s loss

the song aptly encouraged fans to move on, saying: “This life ain’t no bed of roses. This life will take everything that you’ve got. “In this life, there’s no second chances. Make this life

Take That ‘shine’ on their Spanish tour by Yzabelle Bostyn

ALTHOUGH known as the archetypal 90s boy band, Take That proved they are still going strong, albeit with a hefty sprinkle of dad dancing and panto-esque narration. Some 34 years after they first got together, just three of the original five members remain: Gary Barlow, Howard Donald and Mark Owen.

They performed two sold out shows at Starlite Festival in Marbella on July 14 and 15.

It is part of their European tour promoting their new album, This Life, with seven shows in Spain.

Almost four decades into their career, they delivered a unique and privileged experience, showcasing their dozens of hits to a captivated audience.

As they traversed their musical career, the

Bump and grind

band gave a cheesy, musical-esque narration, taking the audience on a journey through their discography.

Barlow’s voice is as strong as ever and the group's stage presence cannot be doubted. Despite various videos poking fun at their choreography online, it is clear to see that fans enjoy the dad-style dancing.

The show also had multiple outfit changes, each more glittery than the last.

All the band members got their time in the limelight, performing at least one solo song each.

My favorite was definitely, Pray, with the fun dance routine giving it that touch more pazzazz. It won’t be to everyone’s taste, but I thoroughly enjoyed the speculator.

yours.”

As for the searing balmy evening with temperatures hardly dropping below 30C, the trio fought through sweat to serenade the sell out crowd.

“It’s going to get even worse: we’re playing in Sevilla tomorrow (Tuesday, July 16). That’s even hotter,” Barlow told the 1,500 fans.

The band played a 90 minute show full of hits from their 34 year career.

Cheeky

As they left the stage, Owen whipped out a water gun, squirting at the crowd.

Was he helping fans combat the heat? Or was it a cheeky reference to Barcelona anti-tourism protestors drenching visitors?

Although missing two former members, Robbie Williams and Jason Orange, they delivered a thoroughly entertaining performance.

The crowd was a mix of English, Spanish and Northern Europeans of all ages, singing along and enjoying the show.

Diva 2

IT was the return of a true disco legend. Like a classic diva, 76-year-old Grace Jones rightfully turned up on stage half an hour late and then gyrated like a teenager in a sexy outfit at the BBK festival in Bilbao. Headlining at nearly midnight, she danced and grooved through a fabulous two-hour set including classics I’ve Seen that Face Before and Pull Up to My Bumper Wearing thigh-length boots and at least half a dozen outfits she wowed the crowd in her first headline show here for a decade. When complimented on the show and asked by the Olive Press later backstage how she had so much energy at her age, she flashed a wicked grin and said: ‘You’re so cute, I love that. Thanks.’

See Tears at Midnight, page 36

ROO’S THAT?

WAYNE ROONEY brought the missus and his family over to Spain to watch the Euro 2024 final.

The former England captain watched his successor Harry Kane and the new generation footballing talent fall to the might of the Spanish from the Clubhouse in Marbella.

The new manager of Plymouth Argyle booked out a whole area for over a dozen friends, families and players with a giant screen and was seen having fun with this team.

Of his new role with Plymouth, he told the Olive Press: "It's great to be back in management again and nice to be in Marbella for a few days."

Wife Coleen added she was happy to move to the south coast of England but was 'not sure about the weather'. "It's much better down here," she said.

Wordly art

ENTRIES are open for the 51st Gibraltar International Art Competition – with handsome prizes at stake. The works will be exhibited at the Gustavo Bacarisas Gallery from November 5-16, where the first prize, known as the Gustavo Bacarisas Prize, is worth £5,000.

Runners up are awarded the Jacobo Azagury Prize, which wins £2,000, and third place wins the £1,500 Leni Mifsud Prize.

Other prizes include the Rudesindo Mannia Prize, Best Young Artist (16-24 years) and the Mario Finlayson Prize, all worth £1,000.

Magpies upset

Gibraltar pub team scores a football miracle as it dumps former Irish champions out of Europe

A GIBRALTARIAN pub football team have caused an upset for the ages after knocking former Irish champions out of the Europa Conference League qualifiers.

Bruno’s Magpies, which was formed in 2013 by friends who drink at Bruno’s Bar in Ocean Village, defeated Derry Rovers 3-2 after extra time.

By Yzabelle Bostyn

The Gibraltarians led the way 2-0 in the first half but Derry fought back, bringing the score to 2-2.

Thanks to extra time and Adam O’Reilly’s dismissal, the Magpies were given a much needed boost.

Evan de Haro eventually

Monkey rescue

managed to clinch the winner, scoring in the 111th minute.

TWO of Gibraltar’s iconic Barbary macaques were rescued from cages in a Granada garden. A 56-year-old man is facing charges of animal cruelty, among other offences, for keeping the protected creatures in appalling conditions for as long as 15 years. The monkeys were being kept in two rusty, spiked cages without sufficient water or shelter from the elements. It is unknown how the man came to have the macaques, but it was a member of the public who tipped off the police.

Derry manager Ruaidhri Higgins said: "It's a real low point personally and for the club.

"It's a tie we should be winning. There's no point in saying otherwise. It's a tie we should be winning and it's poor.

Dwell

"It's going to hurt badly probably for a long time internally, but we don't have too much time to dwell on it."

Now, Nathan Rooney’s side will face FC Copenhagen on July 25 - who famously dumped Manchester United out of the Champions League last season.

WHALES AHOY!

FIN whales have been spotted off the coast of Gibraltar. They were seen by beachgoers enjoying a day out on the East Side.

The whales are believed to be migrating out to the Atlantic. Local marine life campaign group, The Nautilus Project, warns boat users not to go too near the animals and observe the cetacean protocol. The certacean protocol sets out how to behave with marine life, saying that you should move in the same direction as the animals. They also urged people to log any sights on its app, Nemo.

Long live Andalucia!

ANDALUCIA broke all existing records for life expectancy last year, coming in at 82.5 years – the highest since records began in 1975.

Life expectancy

Broken down by province, Malaga now has the highest life expectancy in the region, coming in at 83. That’s followed by Granada (82.9), Cordoba and Jaen (82.6), Seville (82.5), Cadiz (82), Huelva (81.8) and Almeria (81.7).

Proud roots

THE UK’s new Solicitor General has shown pride in her Gibraltar roots in her first House of Commons speech.

Sarah Sackman MP is the granddaughter of former Gibraltar Economic Development Minister, Solomon Seruya.

Sackman won the London seat of Finchley and Golders Green earlier this month.

She said: “I might be the first Jewish, female, Gibraltarian MP from this constituency,” she said.

“But I would not be here without the support of my neighbours.”

Speaking to GBC News after July’s general election, the MP said she was ‘incredibly proud’ of her Gibraltar roots.

She also applauded Labour’s position on self-determination and protecting the Rock’s British sovereignty.

PROUD: Sarah Sackman

Young Gibraltarians go kiwi for youth parliament

TWO Gibraltarians will jet off to New Zealand to take part in the Commonwealth Youth Parliament (CYP). Across the world, there are 56 Commonwealth countries, with a combined popu-

lation of 2.5 billion. Some 60% of the Commonwealth population is under 30. Johan Perez and Oliver Whitmore were selected after taking part in an essay com-

petition on the subject of the importance of the Commonwealth to Gibraltar. The 12th edition of the CYP will be hosted in Wellington by the Parliament of New Zealand from September 2-5.

COWARDS!

FABIAN Picardo has blasted

‘fake’ social media accounts, calling them a ‘cancer in our democracy’.

He took aim at the anonymous posters for ‘putting lies, slander, libels and making threats of violence’ online during an interview with GBC.

“They are the biggest existential danger that our democracy has seen and I don’t see enough people speaking out

THE Chief Minister Picardo made fun of his detractors on social media platform X with a light-hearted post asking where his supposedly ill-gotten gains are.

Picardo uploaded a screenshot from a Facebook group which claimed his net worth in 2020 was ‘£115 million from an annual salary of £100,000.’

“How did he acquire so much wealth while in office?” the user asks.

A woman claiming to be his neighbour declared that the Chief Minister also owns a Ferrari: “I’ve seen it in his garage, I live beside him.

She laughed off the idea that Picardo only has a Porsche, adding: “My mouth dropped when I seen [sic] the Ferrari, believe me

Chief Minister calls out Twitter trolls in GBC interview

By Yzabelle Bostyn

against it,” he said.

“That is what is going to undo the great world we can otherwise leave our children.”

He suggested people ‘call out, block and ignore’ internet trolls.

Laugh it off

peeps heavy [sic].”

Picardo posted another screenshot of users claiming he owns villas in Portugal, with another person wondering ‘who built them.’

But the 52-year-old laughed off the rumours with his social media post.

“Can someone tell me the address of the villa or villas in Portugal, the numbers of the accounts where the money is and where I can find the keys of the red Ferrari?” he wrote.

“It's a bit crap not to have access to all the stuff people think I have... #Seriously?”

But he also denied that these ‘cowards’ would face retribution from the Gibraltar establishment if they revealed themselves.

“If someone is hiding behind the cloak of anonymity in a developed democracy like Gibraltar, it’s not because they cannot speak their opinion or they fear repercussions –there will never be any repercussions,” he continued.

Libel

“I will go to my grave defending people’s rights to have whatever opinion they wish to have…but I will also go to my grave defending the right of people to defend their reputations against these cowards who hide behind fake profiles.”

He said the only possible repercussions from speaking out could be ‘legal proceedings’ as a result of libel.

I SAY NO!

FABIAN Picardo has ruled out aligning Gibraltar’s tax regime with Spain’s as it would not ‘create the shared prosperity to which we aspire’.

“We are not smugglers and Gibraltar is not a tax haven,” the Chief Minister added.

However the varying tax regimes between the two jurisdictions has been a constant source of tension and one of the main roadblocks in the post-Brexit deal negotiations.

Gibraltar famously has a 0% VAT rate but Picardo has not ruled out raising this. The Rock has also recently raised its corporation tax to 15%. However, across the border, VAT stands at 21%, and the corporate tax rate is double at 25%, meaning alignment would be costly and painful.

Blamed

Various Spanish politicians have blamed the differences in these tax rates for attracting business into Gibraltar at the expense of the Campo de Gibraltar.

The arrest of a Gibraltar man last week with a stash of 650 cartons in his car underscores the problem.

One proposal to eliminate the scourge of tobacco smuggling has been to equalise the VAT rates at 15%, at least for the southernmost region of Spain.

But with Picardo appearing to rule it out, it seems another obstacle to a deal remains.

Voted top expat paper in

Spain

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

OPINION

Justice for Lydia

THE story of Lydia Preston Sweeney being kicked out of her home without prior warning is nothing short of cruel ( No Place In The Sun, p1 ).

The British mother-of-three has not broken any rules and in fact tried to warn the courts on multiple occasions that her abusive ex-husband had not been making his mandated rent payments.

In typical Spanish fashion, the slow-moving and frankly, lack of, bureaucracy has put the lives of Lydia and her kids in danger. It is the husband who must be traced down by the authorities and made to pay what he owes.

Why should Lydia and her three young children suffer for the sins of the father? The Spanish politician and landlord who has kicked her to the curb should be ashamed of himself.

How ironic that he is from the Socialist PSOE party, and when running for mayor last year, advocated for housing reform. Even more disappointing is how he refused to comment on the story or even attempt to justify his actions.

Either he is too embarrassed or simply has no justifiable reason for allegedly throwing Lydia’s belongings into rubbish bags and leaving her on the streets.

We hope the investigation into the administrative failure that led to the Liverpudlian family’s eviction is thorough. The family is owed an apology at the very least and arguably compensation for the traumatic experience they have suffered.

PUBLISHER / EDITOR

Jon Clarke, jon@theolivepress.es

Dilip Kuner dilip@theolivepress.es

Walter Finch walter@theolivepress.es

Yzabelle Bostyn yzabelle@theolivepress.es

Humenyuk Makarova (+34) 951 154 841 admin@theolivepress.es

Simon Hunter simon@theolivepress.es

Alex Trelinski alex@theolivepress.es

Ben Pawlowski ben@theolivepress.es

Héctor Santaella (+34) 658 750 424 accounts@ theolivepress.es

841 distribution@ theolivepress.es

FRAGMENTATION

Is Spain about to undergo an internal fracturing?

Inside the movement that wants to make Leon the country’s 18th autonomous community – letting the independence genie out of the bottle in the process

ALITTLE-KNOWN independence movement is trying to take root in Granada. A rabble of rambunctious rebels are seeking to cleave the province from the autonomous community of Andalucia, and escape the so-called yoke of its regional capital, Sevilla.

Leading the charge is author and activist Cesar Giron, who believes Granada could thrive as its own autonomous region.

He points to neighbouring regions to support his argument.

"How is Murcia, which is smaller than Granada, doing? And Logroño, Asturias or Cantabria?”

The region’s history as the former Kingdom of Granada gives the independence movement a historical mandate, he believes.

“It is clear that things have gone badly for us in Andalucia,” Giron adds. “Sevilla has taken everything and left nothing for us.”

While the movement currently appears to have remarkably little public support, it can take heart and inspiration from events fur-

EXCLUSIVE

By Cole Sinanian

ther north.

A recent vote in the province of Leon favouring autonomy from Castilla y Leon has brought to the spotlight its own far more evolved independence movement.

One that’s haunted the region since the transition to democracy.

While it remains to be seen whether the Castilla y Leon government will heed the Leonese call for autonomy, activists in the Leonese region — which includes the modern day provinces of Leon, Zamora, and Salamanca — deem it necessary to confront the related issues of economic decay, depopulation, and what they describe as a deliberate effort to erase Leonese identity.

The historical region of Leon is defined as such through a shared history distinct from that of Old Castille — which includes today’s

THE death of Queen Elizabeth II, Liz Truss’s disastrous stint as prime minister, chorizo-paella croquette and lately the Spain-England Euro 2024 final. What do all of these things all have in common? Well, fortunately for me, they’ve been excuses over the last two years to get my mug back on the Spanish telly to explain to viewers just what the hell is going on with the UK.

Those watching Spanish television most recently may have spotted me giving an English perspective on the Euro 2024 tussle between England and Spain – which turned out to be a painful but unsurprising victory for the boys in red.

My side-gig as the go-to-guiri for Spanish tele-

provinces of Burgos, Soria, Segovia, Avila, Valladolid, and Palencia — as well as through a cultural lineage stretching back to prehistory.

The region also has its own language, Asturleones, which forms a dialect continuum of mutually intelligible varieties spoken across the north of Spain and Portugal. Its identity was solidified with the rise of the Medieval Kingdom of Leon, which, at its peak in the High Middle Ages, was among the Iberian peninsula’s most powerful — and perhaps most democratic.

HISTORICALÑ Up to 90,000 protestors marched for Leonese independence in 1984

and landowners began to form in Leon in the 7th century, through which small towns maintained a degree of economic independence from the feudal lords, with peasants making collective decisions and settling feuds communally.

The direct democracy of the Consejos, as they were known, was seldom seen in Medieval Europe, and played a key role in the kingdom’s prosperity.

A 2020 survey suggested 81% of residents of the Leon province supported ditching Castilla

An elaborate rural network of alliances between peasants

According to Alberto Zamorano, president of the Citizens Collective of the Leonese Region (CCRL) — a group fighting against the ‘cultural erasure and economic and demographic decline’ in historic Leon — an autonomous Leon could help codify the role of direct democracy in Leonese politics.

“Leones autonomy would reinforce this role,” he told the Olive Press, “with specific legislation that would grant them the duties that correspond to them at the legal level.”

POLITICS, DEPOPULATION, AND THE RISE OF LEONESISMO

Despite Leon’s inclusion in the 1833 division of Spanish territories, a series of last-minute political decisions urged by the soon-to-be

The Olive Press’ go-to-guiri Simon Hunter has been on Spanish telly offering an English perspective on the Euro 2024 final – but it’s just the latest in a string of television appearances

By Simon Hunter

vision channels really got going back in 2022, first with the Platinum Jubilee, then with the passing of the queen and later with the ensuing political turmoil. But nothing could have prepared me for the media frenzy in Spain that arrived after Kate Middleton released a badly photoshopped picture of her and her children in March. Rumours were already swirling that all was not as it seemed with regard to her health problems, and the Spanish needed a wisened Englishman to counsel them on the matter. For three weeks, I liter-

ally dedicated myself full time to Spanish television.

I racked up 15 trips to the television studio in nearly 30 appearances on television and radio – on La 1, Antena 3, Cuatro, Telecinco and La Sexta, among others – to discuss the crisis in the British Royal Family.

Despite the serious situation, with both the Princess of Wales and King Charles being treated for cancer, the run of appearances had its lighter moments.

In the midst of the madness, I drove up to see my wife and her family who were spending Easter in their village in Leon.

When I stopped to get petrol, a customer at the counter looked at me and said: “You look very familiar!”

I sheepishly suggested she may have seen me on the television in recent days, to which she replied, pointing her finger at me: “Ingles!”

Once in the village, I also got recognised while we were in the local bar, much to the amusement of my family.

I should, however, point out that everyone who has recognised me so far has been an older Spanish lady – no young people at all – which may tell you something about the profile of the terrestrial TV watcher in Spain these days… Practically every appearance I have done over the last two years has been live, which can be somewhat nerve wracking, particularly as I am

LEON CATHEDRAL: The city and province has been seeking independence for decades

first Dep uty Prime Minister Rodolfo Martin Villa during transition to democracy in the late 1970s led to the merging of Leon and Old Castille into a single autonomous community, largely to the opposition of Leonese.

Polling since has shown high support for Leonese autonomy, with a 2020 survey suggesting 81% of residents of the Leon province supported it.

In 1984, not long after the approval of Castilla y Leon’s statute of autonomy, somewhere between 35,000 and 90,000 protesters took to the streets of Leon under the slogan Leon sin Castilla es una Maravilla (Leon without Castilla is beautiful).

Despite the numbers, the protests failed to enshrine Leonese autonomy, though the sentiment behind them never wore off.

In 2024, the lack of economic opportunities in Leon and the corresponding depopulation of rural Spain — which has had a particularly drastic effect on the Leonese region — has influenced the most recent push for autonomy, says CCRL member Hector Alvarez.

As younger generations head to major cities in search of work, the three Leonese provinces have suffered drastic population losses in the past 10 years.

Data from the National Statistics Institute (INE) shows that the population of the Leon

speaking in my second language. As soon as the camera comes on, you are aware that any slip-up could immediately become a meme, and thanks to the internet, will literally live forever. While I don’t generally get nervous, I do curse myself when a grammatical slip comes out of my mouth, or when I lose my train of thought.

And I always spend a huge amount of time preparing for each appearance, having been caught out very early on in my career for not doing my homework

Guiri TV

AVOID THE FOMO!

“We can make our get, but we don’t have the option to choose a al strategy,” Alvarez

ous public ‘foundations’ put together by the Castilla y Leon government, whose purposes are often murky and, despite being funded in part by taxpayer money in Leon, have little to do with Leonese society

In some cases, these organisations have political motives, and at times appear to have actively worked to diminish Leonese

“There is a part of the expenditure that’s spent in a very opaque way and is certainly

One example is the notorious Fundacion Villalar, founded in 2003, whose stated objective is to

ress in Castilla y Leon through the promotion,

the provinces of Leon,

province fell by more than 8% between 2012 and 2021, while Zamora’s population fell by nearly 12% in the same period, and Salamanca’s fell by more than 6%.

The region’s ties to Castilla have prevented it from developing an economy sustainable enough to keep its population balance stable, Alvarez says, as only a small portion of the autonomous community’s budget is dedicated to the sparsely populated Leonese provinces.

“We are forgotten,” he says. “We don’t have the capacity to define our own economic policy and we depend on what Valladolid tells us.”

This lack of autonomy has prevented the Leonese provinces from forging their own economic policy specific to their needs.

Tourism in Castilla y Leon, for example, has historically been concentrated in Castilla, mainly in Valladolid, so the autonomous government lacks motivation to develop a largescale tourism campaign in historic Leon, which could provide jobs and much-needed economic stimulus.

when doing a radio interview. Fortunately, with very few exceptions, everyone I have dealt with so far – both on camera and behind the scenes – has been incredibly kind, generous and encouraging.

My experiences tell me that Spaniards are fascinated by our Royal Family, and they have also been observing the political chaos post-Brexit with something approaching schadenfreude, but never losing that deep affection for the UK

that so many Spaniards harbour. As the fame and popularity of the now-deceased English former footballer-turned-presenter Michael Robinson showed, Spaniards also have a soft spot for a Brit who can speak their language. Luckily for me, I currently have the honour of fitting that bill, and being their go-to-guiri whenever anything nuts is happening in the UK. I’ve not been short of work…

tury battle in the Valladolid town of Villalar de los Comuneros, during which a group of bourgeoisie rebels staged an uprising against the rule of Carlos I.

The insurrectionists were crushed, and the battle resulted in the decapitation of the rebel leaders.

The Fundacion Villalar, funded by the Castilla y Leon parliament, uses much of its €750,000 a year to pay for ‘Castilla y Leon Day’ celebrations, a holiday that takes place on April 23 — the date of the battle.

Erasure

However, the CCRL as well as the Leonese People’s Union — the primary Leonese regionalist political party — have accused the organisation of a campaign to erase Leonese identity.

A series of children’s comics released in 2011 by the Fundacion Villalar and distributed to public school libraries called ‘History of Castilla y Leon in Comics,’ has been criticised for its historical inaccuracy and apparent ignorance of a Leonese history distinct from that of Castilla.

The comics avoid mentions of a Leonese language and imply that a unified Castilla y Leon has existed since prehistoric times.

“They have persecuted any trace of the Leonese past that united the provinces of Leon, Zamora and Salamanca,” Zamorano says.

“This cannot continue like this, and with the autonomous community we would recover the identity and traditions that have been stolen from us.”

The success of the independence movement is still up in the air. The ball is in the court of the junta of Castilla y Leon, who have historically brushed leonesismo aside.

Only registered readers at theolivepress.es can enjoy our

THE Olive Press website is proving a hit around the world with more than 10,000 readers registering an account over the past few weeks. It means we now have more than 40,000 registered users at theolivepress.es, with hundreds more joining each day.

While the majority come from the UK and Spain, more and more are signing up from Ireland, the US, Canada and even Australia.

It comes after we posted a record number of visitors in the last edition, when more than 1.4 million people visited our website over a seven-day period. Our unrivalled coverage of the Euro 2024 final last Sunday, for example, brought just under 140,000 people to the site in one day.

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Zamora, and Salamanca

REVOLT: Leonese rebels rose up against Carlos I

One thing we all need is clothes – but it’s time to give a little thought to what we put on our backs says Christin

Sustainable Fashion

HOW many new items of clothing do you buy a year? Try counting it some time!

The fashion industry produces 100 billion garments in a year, which is an astronomical number given there are only 8 billion people living on earth.

Next question: How long do you keep the clothes and how often do you wear them?

The average person today buys 60% more clothes than 15 years ago, but keeps them for only half as long. An average item is worn ten times before being discarded.

Why is this a problem? Because the fashion industry is one of the most polluting, responsible for 4% of all greenhouse gas emissions – not only during production but also during disposal.

Every year 40 million tons of clothing are dumped in landfills, where they smoulder and pollute the atmosphere.

But is it not only the greenhouse gas emissions that are problematic; it starts at the beginning.

Growing cotton, for example, uses exten sive water and dries out the soil, while at the same time heavily depleting and de grading it.

This is caused by the intensive farming that accompanies it and the pesti

other hand, 69% of clothing is made from synthetic fibres such as polyester.

The latest figures suggest that 35% of all microplastics in the ocean comes from these synthetic fibres, which end up in the human body.

Furthermore, the production process often uses toxic dyes and heavy metals that end up getting flushed into clean water streams and rivers.

From there they are consumed by humans and animals, harming ecosystems and biodiversity.

So what can and should we do to stop this system?

The first rule is to buy less clothing and fix it when it breaks.

Next rule: buy higher quality clothes. They last longer and repair easier. Finally: Have you thought about second hand shopping? I was really surprised how

Please send your questions or comments on how to be greener to christin@theolivepress.es

OP QUICK CROSSWORD

Across

5 Relaxes (4,4)

8 Big shot in the office (4)

9 Epistle writer (2,4)

10 The Giant's Causeway is made of it (6)

11 Diverse enterprise (12)

14 Unexpectedly (3,2,3,4)

17 A man, a plan, a canal, ---! (6)

20 Untidy arrangement for natural state (6)

21 Concerning (2,2)

22 Scouring powder (8) Down

1 Highly skilled musician (8)

2 Declines (5,3)

3 Woman with many fans? (6)

4 Crossbow expert (4)

6 Not the Queen's English (5)

7 Soviet state security police (1,1,1)

12 Magnifies (8)

ECO-FEST

CRUILLA, held in Parc del Forum, Barcelona, was fuelled using 100% renewable energy sources.

In partnership with Endesa, the festival exclusively uses electricity from renewable sources from the Forum venue’s network, eliminating the use of diesel generators.

In the 2023 edition, Cruïlla saved around 10,000 litres of diesel, stopping 36,000 kg of CO2 being released into the atmosphere.

It is Spain’s only festival that does not use diesel generators over its four days.

The commitment to sustainability clearly attracts big names, with acts like The Pet Shop Boys, Avril Lavinge, The Kooks and Kasabian performing this year.

STELLAR ACTS: Pet shop boys

According to a sustainability assessment carried out in 2023, the festival produces 6.52kg of CO2 per attendee. That is some 5kg lower than the British and European average of 11kg.

PLANS for a fourteenth golf course in Mijas have been slammed as ‘just an excuse to build new homes when so many lie empty.’

The Junta recently granted long-awaited approval for the sprawling development, which will transform the Cortijo Los Ortejones estate into the Valle del Golf Resort.

Local residents can expect a five-star hotel to spring up in the vicinity, as well as an 18hole golf course, a school and a practice tee area.

The hotel will boast 156 rooms, a conference hall, a spa, gym, events spaces and a restaurant, all spread over an area of 20,587 square metres.

There will also be an additional 350 high-end villas – of which 54 will be tourist rentals – set around an Andalucian-style square where concerts and events will be held.

The Junta claims the entire development, one of the largest private investment proj-

Green washing

The Junta is under fire for approving yet another massive golf course on the Costa del Sol

ects in the area, will create over 400 jobs and is of ‘strategic interest’ to Mijas.

But it has drawn damning criticism from environmental activists.

“We already have 13 golf courses, it’s just an excuse to build new homes,” Ecologistas en Accion spokesperson, Librada Moreno, told

the Olive Press The campaign group has fought against the new development since its inception, even taking the case to the supreme court.

Although it was ruled a ‘viable’ project, the activists believe it will cause ‘significant’ damage to biodiversity in the area and drain water supplies.

13 Shares (8)

15 Out-stared subjects of apprenticeships (6)

16 Get settled (3,2)

18 First-class (1-3)

19 Letters denoting simplicity (1,1,1)

Ecological timebomb

AN invasive species of catfish that can reach over two metres in length and 100kg in weight is threatening to exterminate the biodiversity of Spain’s rivers.

Scientists are currently conducting studies in the Guadalquivir River downstream of Sevilla to try to determine just how much damage the massive beasts are doing to the native fauna.

The river monster, which feeds not just on fish and carrion but also birds and even rodents, needs to eat 5% of its body mass every day.

“A thousand catfish, over the course of a year, equals more than 700 tonnes of biomass exterminated,” said Carlos Fernandez Delgado, a professor of zoology at the University of Cordoba.

To make matters worse, they live on average for 30 years.

“It’s right next to the Rio Fuengirola and will damage the wildlife there with the pesticides used on the grass and the light pollution from the resort,” said Moreno.

“They say it will use recycled water but all the golf courses in Mijas say that and it is simply impossible that we have enough infrastructure to supply such a large quantity of recycled water.”

She also highlighted that while the golf course itself may use regenerated water, the new homes, hotels and pools constructed will not.

Drought

“We are in a drought, we are totally against it,” Moreno said. Expected to cost around €60 million, the 1,078,524 square metre site will also require new access roads and green areas.

The project was first presented to the public in 2018 and has been backed by the local council and regional government along the way. In 2021, it was included in the Andalucian Acceleration Unit for Projects of Strategic Interest.

By Yzabelle Bostyn

Hagemeier

LA CULTURA

November 29thDecember 12th 2023

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A NEW minimalistic church in Tenerife has won the 2024 ‘Frate Sole’ international prize for sacred architecture.

Fernando Menis is the man behind the Holy Redeemer Church of Las Chumberas in San Cristobal de La Laguna.

He described it as a ‘labour of love and dedication’ for the tight-knit community and the ‘evolution of a collective dream’ that took 15 years to build. It draws on the local volcanic landscape to create an austere space which incorporates natural light, energy efficiency, and acoustic quality.

Roman conquistador

Benicassim blip?

BENICASSIM Festival welcomed hundreds of thousands of partygoers for another weekend of sunshine and music – but many left the threeday bonanza feeling nostalgic for a bygone era. Many had been disappointed when the line-up for the Valencia festival was released.

Previous iterations of the festival, which used to span four days, have been headlined by the likes of Oasis, The Killers, Arctic Monkeys, Leon A TOMB belonging to a Roman commander who conquered Spain has been uncovered in Pompeii.

Belonging to the general Numerius Agrestinus, it is inscribed praefectus Autrygonum, which refers to the people he ruled over from the northern regions of Iberia.

The Roman Empire fought the Cantabrian Wars between 29 and 19BC as part of its conquest of what is now present-day Spain.

Having fought on the empire’s frontiers and expanded its reach, Agrestinus was rewarded with ‘the highest magistracy of Pompeii twice, other political offices, and a monument upon his death.’

The once legendary Valencia music festival was beset by technical hitches, stifling heat and downsizing, writes Ben Pawlowski

ard Cohen, The Prodigy, Bob Dylan, Ed Sheeran and David Guetta.

But this year the pickings were a little slimmer, with the roster failing to attract the normal array of international stars for which the festival became famous.

Headliners this year included the Black Eyed Peas, Jess Glynne, Sam Ryder, Yungblud, Miles Kane and

Benacassim failed to attract big name artists

SO/Sotogrande introduces exclusive gastronomic delights this summer inspired by the great tuna migration

SO/Sotogrande SPA & Golf Resort is making waves this summer with a unique culinary offering inspired by the transatlantic journey of bluefin tuna.

From June to September, guests can indulge in a special edition of the Bistronomy experience at the resort's gourmet restaurant, Cortijo Santa María 1962, curated by chef Leandro Caballero.

In a continuation of their love affair with bluefin tuna, the resort will host Michelin-starred French chef Nicolas Isnard in August.

Together with Caballero, the pair will present exclusive Signature tapas at IXO TAPAS & BAR, enhancing the resort's vibrant dining scene.

Launching the season with a tribute to the renowned bluefin tuna of Cadiz, SO/Sotogrande's Bistronomy experience showcases a series of exquisite menus highlighting this

The Vaccines, alongside a host of reasonably wellknown Spanish acts.

The underwhelming line-up was not aided by a string of technical hitches and failures.

Church winner CASTLE CULTURE

THE Castillo de Niebla Theatre and Dance Festival, regarded as the 'jewel in the crown' of summer cultural events in Huelva province, is celebrating its 39th year. The festival features 16 shows at the open air castle stage featuring professional and amateur performers.

Top-class

One guest posted on social media ‘Benicassim died in 2017’, whilst another claimed it ‘is time to find another Spanish festival to attend’.

Disappointing

The criticism was so intense that Benicassim’s official Instagram page turned off comments on posts advertising tickets for the 2025 edition of the festival.

The Black Eyed Peas, led by the ever-eccentric Will.I.Am, closed proceedings on the opening night - however, their set, which was due to start at 3am owing to the intense heat, was pushed back to 4am after their set was be-

Tuna heaven

prized fish.

The culinary journey begins in June with the 'El Atún en Andalucía' menu, featuring tuna caught off the coast of Cadiz.

Diners can savour various cuts like tarantelo and parpatana, prepared

using traditional methods such as escabeche, smoking, and grilling over charcoal. Complementing these dishes are regional products like Jerez vinegars, Ronda wines, Tesorillo citrus, and locally sourced vegetables.

From July to August, Cortijo Santa María 1962 will offer the 'Atun Clasico' menu, dedicated to traditional preparations that highlight the authentic flavour of almadraba bluefin tuna.

The culinary journey concludes with a Nikkei cuisine menu, symbolising the tuna's return journey from Cadiz to the Caribbean.

This menu will feature dishes with a Japanese twist, and will include ceviche and other innovative creations.

In August, the spotlight remains on bluefin tuna with the arrival of chef

set by technical issues.

Former Eurovision star Sam Ryder put on a brilliant set, but that performance was again subject to a delay of over half an hour.

Frustrated by flops on the big stage, many punters took to exploring the smaller stages including South Beach Club where DJs provided a never-ending playlist of dance tunes.

But in another disappointment for hardened Benicassim lovers, several previous popular stages, including the silent disco tent, were nowhere to be seen.

Even many stalwart locals admitted that, for better or worse, Benicassim International Festival is not quite the extravaganza it once was.

Classical theatre and top-class dance feature in the event put together by Huelva Provincial Council which aims to attract tourists who enjoy some culture mixed with their traditional holiday: Council president, David Toscano, said: "We cannot forget that culture is an engine of the economy, increasingly demanded by travellers and essential to improve people's quality of life.”

An expansive programme has been produced with something for all tastes, running until August 16.

Nicolas Isnard. From August 13 to 20, Isnard will collaborate with Caballero at IXO TAPAS & BAR to offer exclusive signature tapas. Additionally, the chefs will conduct a masterclass, sharing their expertise in creating sophisticated and flavor-

ful dishes with almadraba bluefin tuna.

This summer at SO/Sotogrande SPA & Golf Resort promises to be a gastronomic delight, offering guests the chance to enjoy the finest tuna dishes in a stunning setting. The delicious menu starts from €85.

For more information, please visit so-hotels.com/es/sotogrande or email directly to cortijo.sotogrande@so-hotels.com

SLIM PICKINGS:

LA CULTURA

November 29thDecember 12th 2023

‘SPANISH AT HEART’

AFTER conquering first Wimbledon then Europe, Spain has now set its sights on a global sporting prize: this year’s Olympic games.

Their star studded roster includes athletes that have gone on to become household names, such as World Cup winner Jenni Hermoso and tennis legends Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz.

Among the 382 athletes Spain will send to Paris this summer will be a ‘lesser known’ cohort of Spanish athletes, canoeists, swimmers and more whose roots extend beyond Iberia.

One will even carry the Spanish flag during the opening ceremony.

Marcus Cooper Walz, a sprint canoeist born in Oxford, UK, will represent Spain alongside Galician sailor, Tamara Echegoyen.

Although Walz grew up in Mallorca, he was born to a German-British mother and American father. While speaking about the flag ceremony, he said: “I

By Yzabelle Bostyn

have English blood and a Spanish heart, all my successes have been for Spain.

“It’s the best flag of the best country in the world.”

He has competed for Spain since the early 2010s, and is one more the country’s most successful athletes, earning a gold medal at the 2016 Olympics and a silver medal in 2020 Olympics. This year, he will

With Spanish sporting supremacy underpinned by expat-born stars, which immigrant athletes might follow in their footsteps at the Summer Olympic Games in Paris?

take part in the K4-500 race and the K2-500 race on the River Seine.

Another expat-born athlete hoping to triumph – but this time in the water not on it – will be as swimmer Carmen Weiler. Weiler was born and raised in Singapore to a German father and Valencian mother.

Record

At just 19-years-old, she has never taken part in the Olympics before but in June, she set a new Spanish record in the sport, securing her a spot on the squad. She trains under Spain’s Olympic bronze medallist, Sergio Lopez, at Virginia Tech University (United States). She will compete in the women’s 100m backstroke category.

‘I have English blood, but a Spanish heart’

“When I touched the wall, I didn’t even know it was a record,” she said. Spain’s expat population will also be represented in the dressage com -

petition by Jose Dan iel Martin Dockx.

The 50-year-old was born in Malaga to a Belgian mother.

Despite his heritage, he is clearly proud of his Spanish upbringing. When he competed at the World Dressage Cup in 2023, he brought the only purebred Spanish horse, saying: “It’s our breed and as you can see, it’s got a lot of heart, is obedient and can compete…They are beautiful animals.”

He has previously competed at two Summer Olympics (2012, 2016) securing records of 7th place in team events and 29th place individually. Finally, Florian Johannes Trittel Paul will represent Spain in the 49er sailing category. Born in Switzerland, the 30-year-old has previously competed in the Nacra 17 event at the

Summer Olympics, where his team placed 7th. He was inspired to sail by his dad and grandfather, both keen on the water and began his sailing career in Spain.

PROUD: Dockx uses Spanish breeds when he competes

PAUL POWER: Florian Johannes Trittel Paul will represent Spain in sailing

FOOD,DRINK & TRAVEL

Sky’s the limit

MALAGA Airport smashed its record for flights in a single day on Sunday, July 14th when it handled 630.

The airport even exceeded its own official capacity of 46 takeoffs and landings per hour, reaching 50 at its peak.

Peak times at the airport are now stretching to four hours in the morning and an additional two to three hours in the afternoon. Even nighttime operations are becoming increasingly busy.

Despite exceeding its capacity, Malaga Airport has managed to avoid delays and has maintained a normal level of service. This has been put down to the new Midas project control system, which has enhanced operational capacity and boosted communication between air traffic control, airport operations, airlines, and crews.

Top of the parks

Spanish water park voted the best in the world – ten years in a row

A SPANISH water park has been voted the world's best for 10 successive years.

The accolade, courtesy of the 2024 Traveller's Choice Awards from TripAdvisor, goes to the Siam Park on the

Hey…big spender!

A MYSTERY customer dug deep to pay €50,000 for a premium bottle of champagne at a Marbella nightclub.

The big-spending visitor was part of a group of six that enjoyed the top range Dom Perignon Champagne Brut Luminous Phantom at the Momento club and restaurant.

The Methuselah-sized bottle had six litres of top quality bubbly inside – the equivalent of eight standard champagne bottles. The business team said the contents were consumed on the premises and had been specially offered to a 'highly relevant' customer.

“Although it seemed like a very difficult item to sell, we knew that this day would come,” a Momento spokesperson said.

Costa Adeje – located in the south of Tenerife in the Canary Islands.

Among the reasons given for travellers choosing Siam Park is its recreation of the ancient Thai kingdom from which it takes its name, along with the varying water park experiences covering over 85,000 m2. There is plenty on offer from dizzying slides, pools of all shapes and sizes (including big artificial waves), huge areas to slide through, exotic forests, and zig-zagging rivers. It is divided into three sections: Relax, Family, and Adrenaline. There'a a kilometre-long tropical river known as the Mai Thai River along with various beach-

es and a sea-lion pool plus the Floating Market shaped like a typical Thai village.

The Tenerife complex has welcomed 14 million visitors since

opening in 2008, and the TripAdvisor award consolidates its position as the 'most awarded' water park on the planet. It has also come top in competitions such as the European Star

Award or the Park World Excellence Award.

Many of its individual attractions such as Singha, Kinnaree or The Dragon have also been award winners.

Spectacular

TripAdvisor takes into account the absence of security issues, proper management of the facilities, the treatment given to visitors, and the transparency in comments published on their site, which means that contenders that want to apply for an award cannot manipulate the process.

The spectacular nature of the attractions, care of the park and the vegetation it boasts are also analysed.

MAI THAI: Siam park is inspired by Thai kingdoms

FOOD,DRINK & TRAVEL

Must-visit: This little-known city an hour from Madrid makes the perfect day trip for history buffs and literature lovers, writes Yzabelle Bostyn

PAGES OF HISTORY

JUST an hour from Madrid, this city makes the perfect day trip for both history buffs and literature lovers.

While the oldest universities in the world are spread amongst Bologna, Oxford and Salamanca, few people know that just outside Madrid lies the world’s first university city. Established in 1499, Alcala de Henares quickly became a beacon of knowledge and learning, so it’s no surprise that it is also the birthplace of ‘Spanish Shakespeare’ Miguel de Cervantes.

At just 30km from Madrid, this small city is easily accessible by train or bus, both taking just over an hour.

Stepping off the train in the modern area of the city, we

recommend you start at Alcala’s main attraction, the university.

The University of Alcala de Henares

Just a twenty minute walk away, you will soon find yourself faced with the institution’s intricate facade and bustling roses in the Plaza de San Diego.

Although you can have a look around for free, the university also offers guided tours for a purse-friendly €6. We took a Spanish guided tour and I hastily translated everything for my mum and brother, making sure they missed none of the surprising, amusing and intriguing history of the university.

There are also tours in English, but they only run once a week (Saturdays at 2.00pm), so an

The Plaza de Cervantes

audio guide might be your best bet.

Built as the ‘model’ Spanish city by Cardinal Cisneros, the university represents the start of the Spanish golden age after their reconquest of Moorish territories.

Unfortunately, only the assembly hall remains of the original building, with fascinating mudejar features and Cisneros’ mausoleum.

This is in part due to the decline of the university in the 19th century, leading to the hall’s use as a stable until the people of Alcala took back ownership.

The main plaza echoes Madrid’s Plaza Mayor, while the second plaza was once home to the dormitories and a jail. Literary devotees will love the

FOOD,DRINK & TRAVEL

auditorium, where Spain’s answer to the Nobel prize for literature is awarded by the king.

As you leave, make sure to admire the facade, designed by famed Spanish arquitecht Rodrigo Gil de Hontañon.

After the university, make your way to the nearby tourist information centre in the Plaza de Cervantes.

The Plaza de Cervantes

On your way, make sure to admire the towering statue of Cervantes’ legendary work, Don Quixote and the surrounding rose bushes.

There, the helpful guides will give you a map of Alcala’s main sights, starting in that very building.

The tourism office is found in the Capilla del Oidor, an an-

cient church which houses a brief but interesting exhibition about Cervantes. Then, cross the plaza to the Santa Maria tower, where you will get privileged views over the city.

November 29thDecember 12th 2023

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You may have noticed a number of white storks flying overhead as you wandered around Alcala and from the viewpoint, you can spot dozens of nests on church towers, trees and ramshackle roofs.

Known as the city of storks, Alcala has over 90 breeding pairs and thanks to their conservation work it now has the largest population of the birds anywhere in Spain.

at Empanadas Lulu, a family business serving a variety of pastries, complete with veggie and vegan options.

After following a sign for the old synagogue, we also found a quiet square and enjoyed a moment of calm in this tucked away bar.

Echoes of fairytales and fantasy rang from the Tudoresque buildings

Once you have admired the views, make your way down the steps and head towards the Cathedral Magistral de los Santos Justo.

The Cathedral de los Santos Justo Along the way, admire the unique architecture of the city, with orange brick buildings and cobbled streets. You can enter the cathedral for free and although it’s certainly worth a look, it pales in comparison to the majesty of other Spanish cathedrals like Sevilla or Granada.

Calle Mayor From there, enjoy a drink in the square or begin to make your way down Calle Mayor, the longest porticoed street in Europe.

Echoing fairytales and fantasy, the tudor-esque buildings were delightfully different to what I normally see in Andalucia and I loved dipping in and out of the porticoes to discover gift shops, cafes and hidden alleyways. We stopped along the way

The Cervantes Birthplace Museum

After enjoying our snack, we continued to the Cervantes Birthplace Museum.

Don’t forget to get your snap with the bronze figure of Don Quixote outside the museum, which is free to enter.

A window into what life was like in Spain in the 1500s, it focused not just on the writer himself but gave context to the world in which he grew up and penned his literary legacy.

I particularly enjoyed the room dedicated to his father’s medical practice, though just looking at the sharp tools and spikes made me glad to be born in the 21st century.

Museo Hospital de Antezana

Before you leave, check out the Museo Hospital de Antezana, believed to be the first modern hospital in Spain.

Although unfortunately it wasn’t open when we arrived, you can visit on Saturdays and Sundays for €6 or book a guided tour to visit during the week.

Once finished, make your way down the street to admire the Plaza de Cervantes one last time, before heading back to the train station.

The Plaza de Cervantes

Calle Mayor

WALKING TOUR: Take a while to wander Alcala’s enchanting streets

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THE Gibraltar Health Authority has confirmed that systems affected by last week’s Crowdstrike outage are now back online.

Back online

To help you stay safe here is a checklist of some important safety items in the event of a breakdown. This emergency breakdown kit should be kept in your vehicle at all times. The kit includes: a torch and spare batteries, warm clothes and blankets, high-visibility jacket, first aid kit, jump start cables, empty fuel can, food and drink, two reflective warning signs, a road atlas, and a mobile phone charger.

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Staff worked tirelessly over the weekend to restore services as quickly as they could and minimise patient disruption, according to the GHA.

On Friday, they confirmed the Electronic Management Information System had been impacted.

The system is used by GPs to book ap-

pointments, access patient records, order prescriptions and make referrals. Many departments were forced to revert to manual systems, with A&E using an old card system to log attendance while Primary Care recorded patient notes electronically. The hardcopy notes will be scanned and uploaded into patient records.

CANCER TREATMENT BOON

A revolutionary new cancer jab has been approved paving the way for treatment times to plummet

SPAIN'S Health Ministry will fund a new immunotherapy treatment for different types of cancer, which replaces the current intravenous infusion with an injection. The new method will cut treatment times for patients from an hour to just

By Alex Trelinski

seven minutes. Health Minister, Monica Garcia, said: "It is a new immunotherapy against cancer that is less invasive and more effective."

The drug, developed by Roche, is approved for some of the most aggressive and difficult-to-treat forms of cancer, such as early-stage non-small cell lung cancer or for various forms of metastatic cancer; hepatocellular carcinoma; metastatic triple-negative breast cancer or alveolar soft tissue sarcoma, among others.

Patients will receive the

injection in the thigh every three weeks without the need to remain under observation, which results in less hassle and a saving of resources for Spain’s national health system.

Until now, the drug was authorised but had to be administered intravenously. The use of atezolizumab in an injection was approved by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) in January.

drug is easier and simpler because it does not require a sterile environment.”

Infusion

Therefore the average six hours that a person spends in hospital on the current intravenous route between arrival, blood tests, obtaining the results, preparing the material, undergoing the infusion and remaining under observation is essentially halved.

A study showed that the injection is preferred by 79% of patients, because they find it less invasive, painful and uncomfortable, which creates a better quality of life.

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Lifeextending antibody tests

Alba Silveiro, a clinical trials nurse at the Vall D'Hebron Institute of Oncology in Barcelona said: "Patients have the feeling that they are less sick by spending less time in hospital and the preparation of the

SPANISH and British scientists have been working together on mice to see if injections of antibodies can potentially extend the life of a human – with encouraging initial results.

Monthly jabs of a simple antibody have been administered to mice that are almost a year and a half old, or 55 years in human age.

These animals have lived up to 25% longer as a result of the injections and are in good health with lower incidence of cancer, less cholesterol, greater muscle strength.

One of the researchers, biochemist Jesus Gil, said: "There's no reason to think that what we've seen in mice isn't going to work in people."

The study has been carried out at the London Medical Sciences Laboratory.

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Across: 5 Sits back, 8 Exec, 9 St Paul, 10 Basalt, 11 Conglomerate, 14 Out of the blue, 17 Panama, 20 Nudity, 21 In re, 22 Cleanser.

BUSINESS

Who’s calling?

A TELEPHONE fraud epidemic has been sweeping over Gibraltar.

It has so far seen around £3.2 million swindled out of local bank accounts, according to the Economic Crime Unit of the RGP. The modus operandi appears to be for the scammers to declare they are from a local bank and telling their victim there has been attempted fraud on their account. They then insist on installing software on the target’s computer to ‘protect them’, which inevitably is how they manage to syphon out money.

Targeted

Two banks targeted by imposters are NatWest and Gibraltar International Bank, which have both had their websites cloned. Police have so far confirmed 40 cases of suspected fraud and warned the public to be wary of cold callers claiming to be from a bank, although it has not yet been confirmed if there is a connection with the website cloning. It is understood that the calls have been continuing up until this weekend, although there have been no further reports of victims. Bank experts have been working to trace and recover some of the stolen funds.

TECH BOOST

Mercedes-Benz cruise into Malaga: German giants set up tech hub in the Costa del Sol capital – and they’re hiring

MALAGA’S tech boom has lured German giants Mercedes Benz to open up a new office in the heart of the city.

The new centre will boast a 60-strong workforce, largely from the local area, to work on a variety of high-tech projects for the prestige car manufacturer. Located on the main shopping street in Calle Larios, it tackles challenges in innovation, big data, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence and finance projects.

The firm is still hunting for the best talent, on the lookout for

By Walter Finch

software developers, cybersecurity consultants and cloud engineers among other cutting edge positions.

“We are committed to Malaga and know it is a place where we can find talent for our company’s growth,” said Juan Guerrero, the CEO of Mercedes-Benz in Madrid.

Malaga’s burgeoning tech sector has more than doubled in size over the past decade, creating over 10,000 new jobs

ELECTRIC vehicle sales in Spain went up by 49% last year, according to the Spanish Association of Automobile and Truck Manufacturers (Anfac).

It reports that 124,607 electric vehicles (fully-electric and plugin hybrids) were sold in 2023, of which nearly 114,000 were passenger cars. The share of the

and consolidating Malaga’s position as a leading player in Spain’s innovation economy. There were 8,631 people employed in the technology sector In 2013 but just ten years

Electric push

overall vehicle sales market is 12% – two points higher than in 2022 but far lower than the European average of 21%.

Anfac has called for government help to boost electric sales to achieve a target this year of around 280,000.

Its annual report revealed that the average age of the Spanish car fleet rose again in 2023, standing at 14.2 years. Last year, six out of ten vehicles of the 30 million in circulation were 10 or more years old, with only 1.2% electrified.

ELITE EDUCATION

CRIMSON Global Academy (CGA) is changing the way families think about education.

Our online school is an internationally accredited private school that’s delivering live, world-class real-time learning to students all over the world.

From primary to middle and secondary school years, we offer a wide range of class options to suit every student.

Whether your child is just beginning their educational journey or preparing for admission into top universities, CGA supports students each step of the way.

Founded for students and families who seek personalised online education opportunities, CGA provides a flexible and dynamic pace of learning.

The Online School Helping Students in Spain aim for Global Success

THE CGA EXPERIENCE

At CGA our teachers have an average of over 20 years experience

● For young athletes and performers, CGA’s flexible schedule allows them to balance their training with academics.

● Families that move frequently can rely on CGA for consistent, high quality education no matter where they are in the world.

● Ambitious students aiming for top universities can study based on their ability, not just their age, enabling them to earn university-recognised qualifications through accelerated courses.

In the past year alone, our students were accepted into 61 of the best universities worldwide, including Ivy League schools like Princeton, Columbia and Cornell. They also received five offers from Oxbridge and 21 offers to the world’s top 20 universities.

At CGA students can expect everything they would find in a traditional school, and more. From exams, assemblies, to school houses and a dedicated principal, students can ensure they receive a holistic school experience. Students at CGA have the opportunity to study at a pace that’s as unique as they are. Either through one-on-one learning, live group classes or asynchronous learning, our students have the flexibility to tailor their education to their needs and goals.

CGA’S ACADEMIC ROADMAP:

CGA Primary (Ages 8-10): Focuses on core subject mastery with complimentary World Geography and Computer Science subjects, in preparation for international curricula within a global school.

CGA Middle School (Ages 10-13): Includes US Junior High and CGA Lower Secondary school. Students can choose between 1:1 or group classes, available part-time or full-time.

CGA High School (Ages 13-18): Offers internationally recognised curricula from International GCSEs, A Levels to Advanced

later that number had more than doubled to 19,000 in 2023.

This growth comes on the heels of several high-profile developments, including the recent inauguration of Google’s new security engineering centre on Paseo de la Farola which already employs 60 people.

Malaga’s tech park, already home to the soon-to-be-established IMEC research and development headquarters, is at the heart of this transformation.

IMEC, a global leader in semiconductors, is set to bring an additional 450 jobs to the city. These developments highlight Malaga’s growing appeal as a destination for tech companies and talent alike from firms across the globe.

Gold star

SPAIN is still the golden child of Europe after posting economic growth of 2.4% this year, according to the International Monetary Fund. The latest World Economic Outlook reported an expansion of GDP that far outstripped Spain’s European neighbours, and predicts a similar pace of 2.2%in 2025.

Neither France (0.9%), the UK (0.7%), Italy (0.7%) nor Germany (0.2%) managed economic growth above 1%. The Spanish government had initially aimed for growth of 2% this year and 1.9% in 2025. However, Carlos Cuerpo, the minister for the economy, indicated that his team would likely revise the 2024 growth target upwards to ‘close to 2.5%.’

Price cut

SPAIN'S leading supermarket, Mercadona, says it will spend €150 million once again this year to cut prices on over 1,000 products. As it battles against German discounters Lidl and Aldi, who are opening more stores in the country, Valencia-based Mercadona says it will continue to lower customer prices when costs fall. It claims price cuts have led to savings of up to €150 over 12 months. It also boasts of offering goods with 'high quality at the best possible price' anywhere in the retail market.

Placement courses and the US High School Diploma.

WHAT MAKES CGA SPECIAL?

At CGA our teachers have an average of over 20 years teaching experience, and are chosen for their ability to engage and inspire students. With small, real-time classes,

students receive the utmost personalised support and attention, combined with social counselling and university admissions guidance.

By combining the best aspects of a traditional school with innovative online methods, CGA helps prepare students for an extraordinary future.

Cheesy bites

A STUDY has shown carboxylic acids, commonly found in aged cheeses and human sweat, are irresistible to mosquitoes.

High notes

AN air hostess has gone viral after entertaining passengers with an improvised concert on a delayed flight from Ibiza to Madrid, she sang Hit the Road Jack, by Ray Charles.

Going native

HOLLYWOOD legend Michael Douglas celebrated turning 80 during a local celebration in Valldemossa, Mallorca, where he has a home.

Double trouble

Olympic Village goes wild as Alcaraz and Nadal arrive ahead of their ‘dream team’ doubles debut

THE Olympic Village is buzzing in Paris ahead of one of the most highly-anticipated sporting events in history.

Two of Spain’s greatest ever tennis players will be joining forces in a bid to take home doubles gold medal.

Carlos Alcaraz, 21, and Rafael Nafal, 38, sent fans into a frenzy this week as they posed for a cheeky selfie after landing in the French capital.

By Alex Trelinski

The Grand Slam champions will be waving the flag for Spain at the opening ceremony and have already attracted a lot of attention in the village. Their arrival sparked quite the commotion in the dining hall with non-stop requests from participants, volunteers, and organisers for selfies - be it to-

Beach day cut short

A HUGE swordfish measuring some two metres in length has forced the closure of a beach in Spain.

Sunbathers in Tarragona raised the alarm with the authorities at about 1pm last Thursday, prompting police to attend the scene at the l’Ardiaca beach in Cambrils and close it

gether or individually.

For Mallorca’s Nadal, it will be his fourth Olympics as he tries to win his third gold medal, while Alcaraz, who hails from

off to swimmers.

The fish sadly thrashed around on the coast in a disoriented state, before getting trapped on the shore and dying.

Once the danger to the bathers had passed, the beach reopened and activity resumed.

The fish’s corpse was taken to the Centre for the Recovery of Marine Animals under orders from the police and City Hall, so that an autopsy could be carried out before it was incinerated.

Murcia, will be enjoying the world’s greatest sporting event for the very first time.

It follows his second Wimbledon title in a row after his thumping straight-sets victory against Serbian Novak Djokovic earlier this month.

The Roland Garros clay courts will be familiar to 14-time French Open winner Nadal and his young successor, Alcaraz, who won the tournament for the first time in May. Certainly if all the photos are anything to go by, both men are enjoying their Olympic experience so far.

CAT BURGLARS

A BURGLARY spree on the Costa del Sol has turned out to have curious culprits: three mischievous housecats. Daisy, Dora and Manchita have been prowling the small town of Frigiliana looking for open windows. After darting in, they would leave with their ill-gotten gains, including socks, underpants, baby clothes and gloves.

100 items

The actions of the felines have strained neighbourly relations between owner Rachel Womack and her cats’ victims.

The trio can bring home more than 100 items a month – most recently a stuffed bear and a baby’s shoe – and Womack has no idea who they belong to. The behaviour has baffled the experts.

“All around the world there are cats doing this, yet it has never been studied,” says Dutch biologist Auke-Florian Hiemstra.