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Alarmingly, the months of May and June were also the warmest on record, with AEMET warning that summer seems to be starting a month earlier than it did six de cades ago. As a result of the extreme heat and
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ChildrenCOPING: in Madrid deal with the heat Battle for the bottle
DYING FOR A DRINK: Grape harvests threatened By Fiona Govan drought, Spain is suffering nearly its worst year of wildfires on record. Some 240,000 hectares had al ready been scorched in more than 370 blazes by the end of July. Meanwhile, water levels in reser voirs are worryingly low, although
Quirky stays this summerSeepage12
THE heatwaves and drought are threatening this year’s wine harvest in Spain. An exceptionally hot summer has left grapes withering on the vines with many wine makers choosing to bring the harvest forward by at least a Themonth.vendemia (grape har vest) usually takes place during September but many have decided to start picking in YieldsAugust.are expected to be down by an average of 15% to 25% depending on the region. Positive Grapes will be smaller but some winemakers believe this isn’t necessarily a bad “Wething.will have fewer grapes to pick but it will have a positive effect on the markets because the wine will be better quality and at a good price,” says Cas tilla La Mancha Agriculture Minister Francisco Martinez. Spain’s olive groves are also struggling with warnings that harvests will be massively re duced pushing up prices of Meanwhile,oil. the country’s corn, wheat and barley crops could fall by as much as 13% this year, with prices inevita bly rising.
includeddrink only. Subject to conditions. Ends
It was degreesthreeabove the average as recordalarmingsoartemperaturesJulytoannew
August 12th - August 25th 2022
THE heatwaves of the summer aren’t only taking their toll on land where wildfires have ravaged more than 230,000 hectares already across Spain. Temperatures are also rising in unprecedented levels in waters off the Spanish coast, posing a threat to marine life. In some areas of the Mediterranean off the Span ish coast, temperatures reached above 30ºC during the latest heatwave. Waters off Spain’s eastern and southeastern coasts and around the Balearic Islands are between 2.5ºC and 4ºC warmer than usual this summer, reaching 30ºC in some places. These sudden, atypical spikes in temperature –which come on top of the long-term trajectory of the oceans warming – have disastrous conse quences for aquatic fauna and flora. Aemet warned that the rise in water temperatures can lead to the proliferation of algae in coastal wa ters as well as a rise in jellyfish blooms. The warm sea temperature also brings an in creased risk of storms with sudden torrential downpours likely to occur when cooler tempera tures roll in.
Opinion Page Baleares reservoirs are fuller than in the rest of Spain. According to official data, is land reservoirs were at 53% of capacity in June com pared to the national average of But40%not all the islands are so well off - Formentera has just 37% of capacity filled. The figures for Menorca and Ibiza are 50% and 59% re spectively. Capacity Palma’s de Mallorca reser voirs are at 57.1% of capac ity - much better than June 2021 when they were at 34.75% capacity. One of the worst hit regions is Andalucia, where reser voirs sit at just 28% capacity, some 7% below where they were this time last year.
SPAIN has suffered its hottest July on record. Official data shows the mercury soaring to nearly three degrees above the average of the last 60 years, when records began. The country’s temperature for the month was 25.6 degrees, according to AEMET, the national meteoro logical office on Monday. It makes it 2.7ºC higher than the average from records dating back to Predictably,1961. the hottest place in the country was Moron de la Frontera, in Sevilla province, where the dials hit 46ºC on July 24 during the second heatwave of the summer. The period, which sizzled from July 9 until July 26, was described as ‘the most intense, the most ex tensive and the second longest’ in history. It has also been one of the driest Ju ly’s with the least rainfall in the last 15 years.
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POLICE are investigating a spate of attacks across Spain on women who believe they have been spiked with needles at Guardianightclubs,Civil are reportedly investigating women being injected in Balearic nightclubs as six possible cases are said to have occurred in June and July. The victims have complained that they have been drugged and suffered memory loss, with many discovering bruis ing indicating that they had been pricked with a needle. Nationally, four women went to Denia Hospital on the Costa Blanca in just one evening on suspicion of suffering needle attacks in city nightclubs. Ten more females went to hospital over last weekend for the same reason. And a teenage girl claims two men kidnapped her at a Mari na Alta beach party and kept her in a house for two days where she was sexually as Thesaulted.14-year-old told Policia Nacional officers that she was jabbed by a needle to stun her during a party on the un named beach. A number of such cases were reported during San Fermin festivities in Pamplona, north ern Spain, with at least four women seeking help from emergency services because they were dizzy or lost con sciousness after feeling a pin Inprick.total at least 60 cases have been reported in Catalunya, the Canary Islands, the Bale ares, the Basque Country and Spain’sAndalucia.Equality Minster Irene Montero acknowledged the growing problem and said: “In the last few days, there’s been a few reports of women who have been needle spiked in clubs, bars and pubs.” Spanish authorities issued guidelines to those who be lieve they may have been drugged in this way; don’t be alone, tell staff at the bar/ nightclub and report it to po lice by calling 112. The British Consulates in Palma and Ibiza have also stepped in to relaunch their annual ‘Stick With Your Mates’ campaign to encourage young tourists to stick togeth er on holiday.
By Jorge Hinojosa
Raining cats and dogs MORE than 200 cats and 200 dogs have been adopted in less than six months from San Reu’s ani mal shelter in Palma de Mallorca. Sail your car
A DRUNK woman has been arrested for trying to drown a dog that had been left in her care off Illetas beach in TheCalvia.owner of nine-year-old Laika had left the pooch in the care of a friend while he went to a hospital appointment. But the girlfriend of the dog decided to take it for a walk. For unknown reasons she started to hit the animal despite the protests of passers-bye. Police were called after she tried to drown the dog, with several beach-goers coming to the dog’s rescue. The woman was arrested and charged with animal abuse.
CRIMEwww.theolivepress.es August 12th - August 25th 20222 NEWS IN BRIEF
POLICE have arrested a 32-year-old woman for al legedly using her underage niece to help her shoplift. The woman would pick up valuable items, slip them into a bag and pass it over to the Thechild.minor would then leave the shop. They were caught be security staff when the door alarm sounded and po lice were called. TWO men accused of raping a 17-year-old British girl at a hotel in Sant Elm have re turned to Vietnam after the judge gave them back their Thepassports.Vietnamese actor and musician had both been ar rested in June, when the teen made a complaint to Thepolice.young woman had met the men at a restaurant on June 25. According to the victim, they went together to the beach where the men started to get intimate with her. She told the Guardia Civil that they forced her to have sex in the mens’ hotel and made her shower to eliminate Afterevidence.reporting the incident to the Policia Nacional, she left Mallorca with her family.
THE first ‘Fer rari’ car-boat in Europe has been spotted cruising off Palma. The jet boat in the shape of a car can reach 60kph. Stab arrests A CLUB bouncer and a client have been arrested after they stabbed each other on Palma’s paseo maritimo. Man floored A BRAZILIAN wom an has been jailed for a year after she floored a man us ing a pool cue at a brothel in Palma.
Getting the needle Surge in cases of women drugged by hypodermics hits Baleares
Dog in sea horror Child theft returnAccused
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FOOTBALL star Neymar will go on trial this October over financial irregularities in his transfer to Barcelona from Bra zilian club Santos. The 30-year-old Paris Saint-Germain player, along with ex-Barcelona presidents Sandro Rosell and Josep Maria Bartomeu, will be tried for alleged corruption and fraud re lated to the 2013 transfer, with prosecutors wanting Neymar to get a two year jail Investmentsentence.fund DIS ar gue that they were enti tled to 40% of Neymar's 2013 transfer fee when he left Brazilian club Santos. They are claiming compensation of €120 million.
Keep up withthe flockers corralVolunteers600 flamingo chicks annualunusualinevent
EVA LONGORIA has been bringing a sprinkling of stardust to Spain this summer. Ever since her friend Maria Bravo recruited her into the NGO Glob al Gift Foundation, she has been a regular visi tor to Marbella. This year The Desper ate Housewives star returned to the Anda lucian coast to com bine charity work with pleasure. She chaired the 10th edition of the Glob al Gift Gala where entertainment was provided by former Big Breakfast host Denise Van Out en (below), who was wearing her DJ hat The Global Gift Foundation supports many projects world-wide that help disad vantaged and disabled chil dren, wom en and their families.
POP star Shakira could be jailed for eight years if she's convicted of tax dodging. Barcelona prosecutors also want her to be fined almost €24 million for allegedly defrauding the Tax Agency out of €14.5 million on in come earned between 2012 and 2014.Theprosecution demand came af ter the 45-year-old singer rejected a plea deal stating that she was innocent and that would be proven in a trial. Her position is that she worked outside Spain during the years in question. Prosecutors argue that she moved to Spain in 2011 due to her relationship with Barcelona footballer, Gerard Pique, but kept her tax residency go ing in the Bahamas until 2015.
extra income by claiming
Open 7 days a week from 11:00 - 23:00 Tel: 971 731 043 home delivery service Abrimos todas los dias de las 11:00 - 23:00 servicionuestroadomicilo 20% discount on orders over 20€ through our webpage Tel: +34 971 695 912 info@sgi-mallorca.com are looking for villas, fincas, apartments on Mallorca for 169 729 663 297 could be entitled to UK while living Spain may not be quite as difficult as herd ing cats but the annual roundup of young flamin gos at a Spanish reserve is still quite a challenge. The Laguna de Fuente de Piedra reserve hosted the return of its tra ditional ringing of the long-legged chicks after a two year Covid hiatus. A 400 strong work force, including many volunteers, was need ed to herd and catch around 600 chicks. Al though this may seem to be too many birds to wave a stick at, the birds’ natural tendency to flock meant this was exactly what the ‘catch ers’ Wavingdid. sticks to grab the chicks’ attention they herded them into a Aftercorral.this, the ring ing and marking of the chicks began, with each bird marked with a metal ring on the right leg and a plastic one on the left. Since 1986, some 20,000 flamingos have been tagged for scientific pur poses and to allow for bet ter planning to protect the population in their natu ral Thehabitat.tagged birds will be analysed throughout their life, making it possible to better understand the dis persion of the population, as well as their reproduc tive and grazing behaviors. Breeding The information is essen tial both for the manage ment of the breeding col ony and for evaluating the effectiveness of the Anda lusian Wetlands Network.
A real gift
TOO MANY: to wave a stick at
FORMULA 1 legend Fernando Alonso is to join Aston Martin at the end of the season. The two-time world champion has been with the French team Alpine since 2021, but will now replace retiring Sebastian Vettel in his seat. The 41-year-old is a veteran of the sport every season except ning the champion 2005 and 2006. comes unexpected ly, with the Alpine team achievingconsistentlytop10 finishes all season and lying 4th in the constructors cham pionship, while Aston Martin is 9th, with only Williams lower.
Cashing in By George Mathias
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IN response to huge confusion among the British expat community about driving licence rules in Spain, the charity Age in Spain has drawn up a guide. Brexit meant that Brit ish licences can no lon ger be exchanged for Spanish ones by those resident in Spain for Driving tips more than six months. Negotiations are currently underway - backed by the Olive Press’s U-turn campaign - for a new agreement to allow British licences to be recognised but a delay and the refusal by Spanish authorities to extend the grace period has meant that since May 1, thousands of Brits have been unable to drive. Age in Spain, which works with ex pats across the coasts, carried out an online poll and discovered that 42.6% of respondents have yet to acquire a Spanish driving licence. While we await an agreement the Guide to Driving to Spain is available from ageinspain.org
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ONE man was seriously burned when a six-metre long dinghy burst into flames. The incident occurred in Illetas where the boat was moored to a buoy. Three people on board jumped into the water and swam 10 metres to the shore, with one suffering serious burns to his legs and face. The fire broke out when one of the crew members tried to start the boat’s outboard en gine. For unknown reasons, an explosion occurred. Emergency services attended to the crew members, while the coast guard vessel Liber tas put out the flames.
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THE ladies of the royal family have been spotted on a girls’ night out in Palma. Queen Letizia, King Felipe VI and their daughters have been staying at the Marivent palace for their traditional summer holiday. But while Felipe flew to Colombia for the inaugura tion of President Gustavo Petro his mother Queen Sofia joined Queen Letizia and Princess es Sofia and Leonor for a few days.
The royal ladies took the op portunity to have dinner to gether at the exclusive restau rant Beatnik Palma, which is part of the Puro Hotel in the old town of Palma. They also took a short walk through the local craft market - several jewellery and natural toiletries stalls caught their at Thetention.King has now returned to Mallorca and rejoined his fami ly for the rest of the holiday.
SPANISH police are investi gating how a man managed to get onto a Ryanair flight from Palma to Manchester without a valid Passengersticket.told police that the man had hidden close to the aircraft after apparently arriv ing in Palma on the same plane and then boarded it to fly back. Cabin crew became suspi cious because the man was hovering around in an at tempt to find a free seat. Fears They then discovered that he did not have a ticket and con tacted the police. Fears were raised among pas sengers who suspected he may have been attempting some form of attack on the plane. One eyewitness in an inter view with Manchester Eve ning News claimed: “Loads of kids were crying, including my 10-year-old granddaugh ter because she heard some one say there could be a bomb onboard.” in Boat burnsNot ticketthe Girls’
U-TU RNNOW!
FORMULA 1 pilot George Rusell is enjoying a leisurely holiday in the southwest of HeMallorca.istaking his summer break with his girlfriend, actress Carmen Montero. The couple have been in a re lationship for two years and have been spending their time in Mallorca sailing and diving. They have also toured some of the villages as well as the his toric centre of Palma.
Zoomed
BANNED: Wild animals in circuses By Fiona Govan
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SEVERE penalties have been introduced for the mistreat ment of animals. The new animal welfare law brings Spain in line with most of its European neighbours, with prison sentences of up to two years. It prohibits killing any do mestic pets except for specific sanitary or health reasons. It also stipulates that pets may not be sacrificed unless for sanitary reasons or illness.
About timeSpain beefs up animal welfare law but doesn’t touch bull fights Dog owners will now have to have official identification for their pets and all breeders must be listed on an official Theregister.rules are hoped to stem an endemic abandonment problem in Spain, one of the highest in Europe. The country also has a prob lem with a proliferation of socalled ‘backyard’ breeders. The new regulation also bans the selling of dogs, cats and ferrets in pet shops and bans the use of wild animals in circuses, as well as cock fights. Rights Despite the beefed up laws, there is no mention of bull fighting, an omission that has been criticised by animal rights groups. All zoos and dolphinariums are also required to be con verted into 'centres for the re covery of native species'.
Family appeal for missing Canadian man last seen in Madrid
The fighter (pictured below right) practiced different techniques with the students, showing the quality that led him to become the first double UFC champion in the light weight and featherweight belts. The pictures have got fans ex cited about a possible return for the 34-year-old. He has been out of action since he broke his leg in a ferocious encounter with American Dustin Poirier.
Anyone with information that may help find Scott can contact ham@gmail.comFindScottGra
A MECHANICAL fault left a group of thrill seekers hanging from a rollercoaster for an Thehour.midsummer hor rorshow at Madrid’s Parque Atracciones left them sitting ver tically on one of the Abysmal! hottest days on re Nocord.one suffered any health issues on the Abismo ride, which re-opened the follow ing day. By Fiona Govan
SUPERSTAR mixed martial arts fighter Conor McGregor has been relaxing in Mallorca. The Irishman has posted some pictures on his official Insta gram account training at the BJJ Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu school.
THE family of a Canadian man who vanished in mysterious circumstances a month ago have issued a desperate appeal for help to find him. Scott Graham, 67, was on a solo trip across Spain when the bus he was travelling on be tween Vigo and San Sebastian departed without him after a rest stop. On board the bus was Gra ham’s luggage including his passport and daily medication he requires after having a kid ney transplant in 2014. His family are attempting to piece together his movements since “Nobodythen.wants to live this nightmare and every minute counts,” his daughter Georgia told the Olive Press. So far the family have con firmed that he showed up on July 15, but his problems worsened when he was unable to retrieve his bag from the bus company and contacted police in San Sebastian. Passport They told him to go to the Canadian Embassy in Ma drid for help and to get a new Laterpassport.that day, he was treated at La Paz Hospital in Madrid for injuries to his head and hand that he told doctors he had sustained in a fall. He had applied for a new pass port at the embassy and was told to pick it up on July 18, but he never showed up. “If you have any information about our father’s whereabouts please contact police or contact us directly,” said Georgia. “Our father is in poor health and needs to be taken home where he can receive medical treatment.”
HAVE YOU SEEN HIM?
outChilling
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NEWS FEATUREwww.theolivepress.es6 HEAD OFFICE Carretera Nacional 340, km 144.5, Calle Espinosa 1, Edificio cc El Duque, planta primera, 29692, Sabinillas, Manilva NEWSDESK: 0034 951 273 575 For all sales and advertising enquiries please contact 951 27 35 75 ADMIN Sandra Aviles Diaz (+34) 951 273 575 admin@ theolivepress.es OFFICE MANAGER Héctor Santaella (+34) 658 750 424 accounts@ theolivepress.es DISTRIBUTIONENQUIRIES (+34) 951 273 575 distribution@ theolivepress.es Voted top expat paper in Spain OPINION 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. Deposito Legal MA 1351-2020 AWARDS Best expat paper in 2016Spain-2020 Best2020English language publication in Google2012Andalucia-2022NewsInitiativegivestheOlivePressasubstantialgrant. PUBLISHER / EDITOR Jon Clarke, jon@theolivepress.es Alex Trelinski alex@theolivepress.es Jo SimonChipchaseWade simon@theolivepress.es Cristina Hodgson cristina@theolivepress.es Fiona Govan fiona@theolivepress.es Dilip Kuner dilip@theolivepress.es George Mathias george@theolivepress.es Jorge Hinojosa jorge@theolivepress.es
● In March, 2021 the Heineken España, brewery in Jaen, crea tor of Cruzcampo, Alazar and Amstel beers, became the first AND largest brewery in Euro pe to be completely emissions free. With solar panels and heat energy generated by waste from the nearby olive oil indus try, they have eliminated 2,500 tonnes of carbon emissions.
● “ Cerveza Artesana “ or craft beer is rapidly beco ming part of the discussion of beer in Spain. In less than a decade there have been 400 new producers introducing 650 varieties of craft beer throughout Spain. Openly counte ring Charles V demand for strict regulations, craft beer brewers creatively experiment with flavours (e.g. coffee, citrus, honey) to the delight of many. Could Cerveza Artesana be posed to be the next exciting chapter in the his tory of Spanish beer? Welcome to the inferno
Special report by Laurence Dollimore and Sorrell Downer
Granted, Spain will always be fa mous for its amazing wines, but cerveza inarguably has taken on an important part of Spanish day to day life. As for the ‘Beer Today - gone to morrow’ trope? A definite yes to the former and not likely to the latter…
ERE (standing for Expediente de Regulacion de Empleo) is a procedure which allows companies facing bankrupt cy to fire workers and receive public funding to underwrite severance and early retirement But,packages.inreality, the funds were il legally syphoned off for private gain, creating what is the big gest public money corruption case in Spanish history – so Mostfar. fraudulent payments were made off the books and without any form of public scru tiny. But more than 500 people have been investigated since the scandal broke in 2010, and now the ERE fraud prosecu tions of politicians, companies, and intermediaries like lawyers and bankers, are coming thick and fast.
DID YOU KNOW?
And that’s just the start. Hundreds of politicians, busi nesses and intermediaries are involved in this massive fraud scandal that’s grabbed the headlines across Spain. The prosecution process is one of the longest – and slowest – in Spanish judicial history. At the root of it all is an un employment support scheme known as ERE that was sup posed to help companies in a region suffering the highest jobless rate in the country. Dubbed the ‘reptile fund’, this vast pool of money came from Madrid with the intention of stimulating employment and aiding ailing companies.
THE above phrase could be a legitimate sign placed at airports across the costas in future as we have confirmation that July was indeed the hottest month ever recorded in Spain, with the mercury rising some 2.7ºC above the usual average temperature. The official data will come as no surprise to anyone who endured the month and who are suffering in what is now the third heatwave of the summer. You may have developed your own coping mech anisms to deal with the heat beyond staying at home with the blinds down. It almost certainly won’t include taking a cooling dip in the Med, whose waters have not surpris ingly also reached record warm temperatures surpassing 30ºC in some places posing a threat to marine life while encouraging a proliferation of jellyfish and invader algae. If you discovered that spending the hottest days wandering around climate controlled shopping centres brought a reprieve from the scorching heat, think again. Those days are over as the government brings in plans to limit A/C temperature to a rather balmy 27ºC. And don’t rely on ice-filled drinks as an anec dote to the heat. A perfect storm of early heat waves eating into the stockpile teamed with rising energy costs and distribution problems means those bags of ice we all depend on in summer are now rationed… if you can get your hands on them at all. If you’re not in a position to head for cooler climes in the nearby hills or even better, the more forgiving northern coast of Spain and cooler Atlantic waters to ride out the rest of summer, then we wish you good luck. And roll on September!
HIGH SCANDAL
Beer Today, Gone Tomorrow?
‘I drink beer when I have occasion… and sometimes when I have no occasion’, Jack Gaioni agrees with Miguel de Cervantes SPANISH wine culture dates back 3,000 years to the Phoenicians. But what about that other fermented de light - namely beer? Although not as consistent in its popularity as wine, the erratic and unpredictable popu larity of Spanish beer has a colourful story to tell. The Roman Republic’s conquest of Hispania (approx: 218 B.C.) was not seamless. The native Celtiberian tribes - a loose alli ance of ancient Celtic tribes - were strongly opposed to relin quishing control of Hispanic lands to Rome. Known as the Celtiberians Wars (181-151 BC), the native pop ulations were so fiercely combative that Rome was forced to send large armies to quell the unrest. In one battle at Numantia (Castilla y Leon), the warlike tenacity of the beer drinking natives led the Romans to reconsider their strategy. Numantian women, as part of their daily routine of baking bread, would often liquify the wheat, barley and hops left over from their bread making process. Left to ferment this ‘liquid bread’ (read: beer) was an extremely powerful intoxi cant. So potent in fact, that before every battle the Numan tians would increase their morale and courage by getting wildly drunk on the liquid bread. The Romans soon learned to fear them as ‘crazed, fierce, de monic fighters’. The ferocity of the native beer guzzlers success fully held off the invaders until the Romans had suffered enough losses to stop fighting. Instead, they reverted to building a wall, a moat and im paling rods around the settlement as part of laying siege. For two years the Numantians refused to sur render but as famine and suicide took their toll, the natives burned their city to the ground rath er then become Roman slaves. In the centuries to follow, the victorious Romans replaced the beer-drinking culture with one built around However,wine.when Charles V became King of Spain (1516) he began to change the culture. Although grandson of Ferdinand and Isabella, Charles was born Dutch and had inherited his crown via com plicated Hapsburg marriage arrangements. King Charles and his court imported their strong Northern European taste for beer to Spain. He hired Flemish, German and Alsatian brew mas ters and began Spain’s first beer factory along the Manzanares River in Madrid. Charles established rules and regulations as they applied to beer manufacture: the amount of wheat, barley and hops, the alcohol content, and fermentation time. If anything was changed, the brewers would suffer a penalty. Charles, his entourage and his beer were wildly unpopular - the public didn’t like him or his beer and rejected both. Wine remained the public’s libation of choice for the next few centuries. Only in the beginning of the 20th Century did a beer drinking preference begin to gain enough popularity for large breweries to open. Mahou and El Aguila Beer opened Madrid in 1900. Cruzcam po started brewing in 1904 in Sevilla, Estrella in Barcelona in 1906, while Alhambra began in Granada in 1925. By the 1960s with Spain’s boom in tourism, beer became the common drink in bars it is today. The ‘beer linked with tapas’ craze took off in thousands of tabernas throughout the pen insula. The splendid golden liquid has since far surpassed wine as the libation of choice. Spaniards now drink twice as much beer by volume than wine.
OVER €25,000 per month on cocaine, €400,000 for a fake chicken farm, and thousands of euros on holidays – just a few of the ways €680 million of embezzled Junta de Andalucia cash was spent. Now Andalucia’s ex-president and corrupt Socialist cronies face jail in one of the biggest fraud scandals to hit Spain’s political elite after their ap peals were rejected by Sevilla’s High Court. The appeal ruling comes three years after 19 former top offi cials in Andalucia’s then rul ing Socialist government were convicted for diverting public Spain’sfunds. top court upheld 16 of the 19 convictions, including that of the former president of the Junta, José Antonio Griñan, for embezzlement and misap propriation of public funds for which he has received a jail sentence of six years. The con viction of his successor, Manu el ‘Monolo’ Chaves, for malad ministration was also upheld, and Chaves was banned from public office. The ruling, now ratified by the Sevilla High Court, found that both former presidents of the Junta were ‘fully aware of the blatant and patent illegality’ of fraudulently allocated funds that were distributed from the public coffers between 2000 and Prison2009.sentences were also upheld for the ex-councillors Antonio Fernandez, Francisco Vallejo, Jose Antonio Vieira and Carmen Martinez Aguayo, who were each sentenced to be tween six and eight years.
● The expression ‘Numantian re sistance’ has become a Spanish proverb used to imply a strident, single minded resistance to au thority. Many Spanish authors, in cluding Cervantes, find meaning in Numantia similar to that of the Masada for Israelis.
The ex-president of the Junta, the union boss, a coke-addicted chauffeur - just three of the criminals who turned more than half a billion euros destined for unemployed Andalucian workers into a ‘reptile fund’ to pay for drugs, fast cars and prostitutes
THE UNION BOSS EDUARDO Pascual Arxe is another intermediary –and a fugitive. A Catalan ex-banker who helped commission the fraudulent EREs, he fled to Africa in July 2015 and is yet to be extradited. The slippery money man was once the president of Eurobank, which he fraudulently bankrupt ed 15 years ago, enriching him self to the tune of €12 million. Pascual prepared an escape plan years in advance: After in vestigations began in 2005, he married a Bolivian woman, ac quired Bolivian nationality, and changed his name to Marcellino Jose Monasterios Arce, before fleeing to Africa. By the time the trial came to court Pascual was in Burkina Faso cultivating medical mari Hejuana.isnow suspected to be in the Republic of Benin. Should he ever show up, the An ti-Corruption Prosector’s Office is requesting he gets a 28-year jail sentence.
4- Alert for high concentration of jellyfish in Costa del Sol Torremolinos and Marbella
MARQUESSTHE
Hundreds of articlesfrom restaurant reviews to travel features and from crime stories to explainers on new laws - are not making the printed paper for many reasons. But fortunately, modern technology has come to the rescue in the shape and form of our website. The portal www.theolivepress.es gives us un limited space to expand on topics and really go to town on the most in teresting subjects. Our team of trained journalists, who have experience at The Daily Telegraph , The Times and the Dai ly Mail , spend hours each day investigat ing and producing great content for the site. This is where you will find a host of special web-on ly features and explainers as well as news from around the regions that we simply can’t fit in the print editions. FOMO So if you feel you are missing out (the so-called FOMO effect), the solution is at hand: Just go to our website and you will find a huge amount of high-quality articles, news and views – all at your fingertips. We are also pretty sure that you’ll soon get regis tered, ensuring you get a daily email giving you a breakdown of the main stories of the week. You’ll even get one a week on travel. With theolivepress.es you never have to miss out!
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G UERRERO’S driver, Juan Trujillo, provided the court with juicy testimony, admitting to judges he’d spent at least €900,000 of public cash on cocaine, booze and ‘par tying’ at brothels with his boss –as well as on antiques. He admitted accepting €1.4 mil lion in public funds from his boss for business projects which never materialised, including a non-ex istent chicken farm, for which he received €450,000. One of the sacked workers from the fake firms was his mother, who re ceived €122,468 in compensa He’stion. a cheating criminal, but wellgroomed, apparently: “Like a min ister,” said a neighbour of Trujillo in Andujar, Jaen. “In fact, that’s what we call him.”
L OOKING like a Mafia capo, Guerrero ruled the roost with energetic aplomb –fuelled, it turns out, by a €25,000-a-month cocaine habit. He could make anything happen as long as you played by his rules, vot ed Socialist and made sure he got generous kickbacks. His regal beneficence won him the name ‘the HeMarquess’.handed out cash from the fund at will. His hometown, El Pedro so, north of Sevilla, where he was mayor from 1999 to 2008, did part cularly well, and literally dozens of friends and neighbours benefited. His pal, Jose Llorente, received a severance package from a cork pro duction company despite never hav ing worked there. (Llorente told investigators he thought the money that arrived in his account was ‘a gift from God’.) Another neighbour was ‘fired’ from a bogus company he’d never worked for, earning himself a €1,100 a for countless locals who had supposedly worked in the nearby Alquife mine (despite never having set foot in Ait). network of fake compa nies was set up listing dozens of local res idents who had taken early retire ment. In to tal, the group was paid around €60 million over five years. The fake com pany nessesicpaniesmarketingschools,fakespreadnetworkwithlanguageITandcomandorganfruitandvegbusisetupacross
THE MONEYMISSINGMAN
5- Exclusive: Two men arrested after being caught on camera as they tried to break into homes in Marbella in Spain’s Costa del Sol HE ERE scandal was exposed in November 2010 when campaigning judge Mercedes Alaya launched a probe into ir regularities in the municipal com pany Mercasevilla. It came after two former direc tors attempted to bribe a pair of hotel owners, offering them the concession for a hospitality training school for €450,000. Unluckily for them, the business men recorded the meetings and handed the tapes over to Madrid’s Ministry of Employment, which sent them to the prosecutor’s of fice. While the Junta’s then employ ment minister, Francisco Javier Guerrero, brushed it off as mere ly a fund which ‘helped business es breathe’, Alaya realised there was something more sinister going on. What quickly became clear was that chain-smoking Guerrero was the man with the keys to the safe. Along with the Minister, the Union Boss and the Missing Man, he is one of hundreds of fraudsters whose stories have been filling
hundreds of fake retirees receiving money in a similar way. The diedmandthanpealed,Guerrerokickbacksreceivedfundedhisdrughabit,homeim-provements,fastcarsandinternationalholidaysforfriends,fam-ilyandhisfellowcoun-cillors.GuerrerowassentencedbySevillaHighCourttosevenyears,11monthsinprisonforembezzlement,andanothersixyearsonrelatedcharges.Heapspentlessayearonreincustody,andinOctober2020.
EURO MONTHLY NEWS
And as a very special early Summer deal for Augustwe are offering all new clients AN AMAZING VALUE€1 EURO DEAL to access our website for a month.That means full access with no annoying pop upads for an entire month, plus all our printed issuesFREE on top.That’s for ALL our stories, features, explainers andinvestigations - around 600 of them - working out atjust 0.0016c a story.With around 20 professional journalists, writersand experts providing content every week, whatare you waiting for?
2- Spanish tourism officials sets the record straight about travel requirements for British tourism visiting Spain
3- U- turn campaign everything you need to know about the driving license exchange debacle for Brits in Spain
1- Family call for justice after British father of two dies in Magaluf after police knelt on him
The Minister’s trial takes place at Sevilla High Court in September. The Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office has requested 14 years in prison, and the money back.
E are proud at the Olive Press to provide expat communities in Spain with the lat est news - and plenty of features - in our five print editions. But while each copy is guaranteed to be full of at least 50% editorial, sad ly plenty of things do not make the edition, which is fortnightly, after all.
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www.theolivepress.es 7August 12th - August 25th 2022
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THE MINISTER JUAN Lanzas, a socialist from the UGT union, is one of the intermediaries being investigated for admitting companies into the ring of corruption and pocketing an alleged €13 million in return. His mother once boasted to the Guardia Civil at their home in Jaen: “Mi hijo tiene dinero para asar una vaca” (literally: my son has enough money to roast a cow), meaning he had cash to burn. This was probably true, given he bought 16 properties and still had €80,000 cash left to stash inside a mat tress. But now the authorities would like it back. Lanzas faces multiple charges after more than a de cade of investigation. He’s due to stand trial for fraud relating to a €2.3 mil lion payment to Sevilla photographic laboratory Surcolor in July 2023.
Offices, shops, cinemas, the atres, and hospitality venues will no longer be allowed to set their cooling systems below 27 degrees in summer nor raise heating above 19 degrees in the Thewinter.measure also applies to airports and railway stations. Shops will also be obliged to keep doors closed and heating systems must be checked more often to increase efficiency un der the new measures. The package also includes shops having to switch off win dow lights after 10pm. Street lighting will not be affected. The government is demanding A BIG TURN-OFF
Green MattersBy Martin Tye
SANCHEZ HAS IT CRACKED
Martin Tye is the owner of energy switch company Mariposa Energy. +34 638 145 664 ( Spain Phone ) Email him at martin@mariposaenergia.es about too little to late … the latest advice is farcical WHEN it comes to talking about climate change, it is impossible to stay away from politics. They are completely intertwined. My recent columns have focused on the dire situation that planet earth faces as a result of governments around the world failing to act quickly enough to reduce the more than obvious impact of global warming. So, this week, let’s look at the humorous side of things. That’s what we do in the face of adversity. I’m going to ignore:
Talk
● The fact that only the misguided delusional op timists, and mentally challenged still think that keeping global warming within the agreed target of a maximum increase of 1.5C is possible
Plans approved to cut energy consumption By Alex Trelinski air-conditioned premises to have a door closing system in place before September 30 and for premises to review boilers and thermal installations be fore December 1. It’s also going back to the days of the Covid pandemic by en couraging more home working to ‘save on travel and heating
Litterbugs
Furtherbuildings’.measures will be an nounced in September. It will be down to Spain's 17 regions to make sure that rules are be ing followed.
● Deforestation is increasing And focus on Pedro Sanchez’s solution. He recently announced that to save energy he is go ing to stop wearing a tie! This is unreal and truly farcical and worthy of a West End comedy. Bring back Morecambe and Wise. He is also advocating the same initiative for all pub lic employees and in the private sector. Tie shops must love him. I can’t recall ever witnessing such a blatant attempt to divert attention from the major challenges his leadership faces. Many political commentators are wondering what item of clothing he endorses removing next. Unreliable sources are expecting him to start pro moting the famed Spanish Straw Donkey. Remem ber those? They were highly popular with the advent of mass tourism in the 1970s. Less popular if you happened to be seated on a plane next to a muppet who had bought one. But now Pedro’s pony is set for a comeback. It’s made by hand and requires no electricity. All part of the government’s drive to encourage tourism to Spanish shores. (Forget the 90 day rule, the British driving licence exchange fiasco and the less than speedy Spanish residency application Soprocess).Sánchez has it cracked. God help us.
NO TIE: PM Sanchez COMEBACK: Straw donkey NEW rules have come into force to save energy at public venues across Spain. The Council of Ministers ap proved the first tranche of measures to cut Spain's gas consumption by 7% as part of a European Union agreement to limit dependency on gas from Spain'sRussia. reductions will be low er than the EU-wide figure of 15% and will be maintained until at least November 1, 2023. Ecological Transition Minister, Theresa Ribera, said: “This is an unprecedented ef fort not seen since after the end of the Second World War.”
Too hot to grow
NGOs are warning that lit terbugs are causing forest fires. A report from the associa tion BirdLife and Ecoem bes revealed that care lessly discarded plastic, cigarette butts and aerosol cans can spark and feed Theblazes.report comes after it was revealed that a fire in Cebreros in Avila was caused by rubbish. Both associations believe that it is important to pro mote environmental edu cation and prevention.
SPAIN’S Agriculture Minister, Luis Planas, says this sum mer’s hot weather will dent this year's olive harvest if things don't change soon. Spain is the world's leading producer and exporter of ol ive oil, accounting for 15% of arable land in the country. It produces 70% of the EU’s olive oil and represents 46% of the worldwide market, according to government sta tistics. The effects of extreme weather are being felt right across Spain's agricul tural sector. Luis Planas has estimat ed that Spain’s overall production of grain crops like corn, wheat and barley, could fall as much as 13% this year to 17.5 million tonnes.
GREENwww.theolivepress.es August 12th - August 25th 20228 +34 951 120 830 | gogreen@mariposaenergia.es | www.mariposaenergia.es 100% Certified Green Energy Reduce your energy bill Switch to our 100% Green Energy Save even more money with our solar PV panel installations! Generate your own electricity Solar PV Panels Simply send us a recent bill & we will calculate how much you can save. Get a quote today Contact us today
● The impact on the environment caused by the murdering lunatic Putin ● Pretend that the Taiwan escalation is not hap pening (there’s nothing the rednecks like more than a war on foreign soil)
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GAME OF THRONES fans are eagerly gearing up for the new prequel series House of the Dragon which premieres on August 21 in the US and over the following days inter Locationnationally. shoots happened last year in Spain, with Cace res being used, like in Game of Thrones, for the drama which stars ex-Doctor Who, Matt Smith. The original worldwide hit used stunning international locations and four of the top five most popular for visitors are in Spain. Pop culture specialists, Zavvi, produced their list of most visited locations by looking at photos posted on social media featuring location hashtags and filtering. The most visited location is the Castillo de Zafra in Gua dalajara - also known as the Tower of Joy, which featured in season six of Game of Thrones According to Google Trends, Thrones filming locations had a 92% rise in interest in July, with the Castillo de Za fra, seeing a 50% increase in Morocco’ssearches. Essaouira came second followed by Caceres with the old castle doubling up as King’s Landing. Fourth on the list is Itzurun beach at Gipuzkoa in the Basque Country which in season seven showed the landing of Queen Daenerys at Dragon stone. In fifth place is Peñiscola in Castellon Province which became the city of Meer een, which was captured by Daenerys.
LA CULTURA10 August 12thAugust 25th 2022
By Alex Trelinski
ELCHE council has made a fresh appeal to the Ministry of Culture and the National Archaeological Museum in Madrid to return the ‘Lady of Elche’ bust. Mayor Carlos Gonzalez made the plea at a ceremony on the 125th anniversary of its discovery. The Lady of Elche is a stone bust that was found on August 4, 1897 at L’Alcudia. It’s an Iberian sculpture dating back to the fourth century BC and was bought by the Lou vre museum in Paris for 4,000 Infrancs.1941, it returned to Spain where it stayed for 30 years in the Prado Museum. Elche council has campaigned for many years for it to be perma nently displayed in its home city.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION OR A QUOTATION, PLEASE CONTACT ONE OF MY OFFICES, EMAIL INFO@JENNIFERCUNNINGHAM.NET OR VISIT THE WEBSITE WWW.JENNIFERCUNNINGHAM.NET
IT can not be overstated how important it is to read and under stand the documents that come with your insurance policies. Very few people seem to be aware of the importance of first checking if your policy documents are totally correct with all the right information. This is especially important for car policies where it is vital that the number plate information is correct. Also, these documents should be kept in the car, but make sure you have copies at home too in case the vehicle is stolen. For your home policies, ensuring that the address is correct and the same as that registered on the catastral will make life a lot easier, should you need to claim. Without understanding your insurance documents, you will not be fully aware of your exact coverage, should anything happen. With the increases to both inflation and the cost of living, unfor tunately burglaries are on the increase, especially with unoccu pied properties. Ensure you understand what you need to do to not only protect your property but also ensure you have the right cover with your insurance. It is worth making sure you know in advance what to do if any thing happens. For example, know what telephone numbers to call and research what documentation and information you will be required to provide. Obviously health insurance is a little more complicated. Ensure you know what information you need, have the contact details with you at all times and it helps to store the telephone numbers on your telephone, along with your policy number. If you are unsure how to use your medical insurance, ask your agent or broker. It is always better to be prepared, I know that insurance docu ments are not easy reading but it always pays to know and un derstand your policy. It will make your life easier, less stressful and in some cases, will prevent large unexpected bills. To help you with your claim, I have a special Claim Administrator to guide you through the process with Liberty Seguros, an ASSSA administrator to assist you with your health policy and a renew als department to help you with your renewals, and to check that your policy coverage is correct and up to date. Outside of my office hours, all the insurance companies have emergency contact information, which comes with your policy. It makes life so much easier if you know what to do in a crisis Cold, dry Adriatic wind (4) 8 Gloaming (8) 9 “---, home’s best” (4,4) 10 German idealist phi losopher (4) 11 Pot bakers (5) 12 “Who cares?” (2,4) 14 Lot, to Abraham (6) 16 Cake topper (5) 18 Burn slightly (4) 20 Kind of aural implant (8) 21 Pack it up (4,2,2) 22 “--- of the D’Urber villes” (4) Down 1 Essential constituent 2(4,3,6)Stately horse (5) 3 Small informal restau rant (6) 4 Very popular confec tion (4,9) 5 At that time (4) 7 Like some cysts (7) 12 Baste, perhaps (3) 13 “--- That Shook the World” (John Reed book) 15(3,4)Money held by a third party (6) 17 Chip off the old block (5) 19 WWI field-marshal (4)
Dear Jennifer:
NEW LADY PLEA
MOST VISITED: Castillo de Zafra Scent successof IT may be a feast for the eyes, but Madrid’s Prado museum also made one masterpiece a treat for the nostrils too. Last month it experimented with exhibiting The Sense of Smell by Jan Breughel and Rubens accompanied by scents and aromas. The painting’s original goal was to evoke the immense range of smells a human can distinguish through its sub ject matter of a sucious gar Soden.the Prado decided to go a step further by partnering with the Perfume Acade my Foundation to create 10 distinct scents to bring the painting to life for visitors. Using AirParfum, a technol ogy developed by Puig, the perfumer Gregorio Sola cre ated the fragrances which were wafted towards visitors.
OPSUDOKUOP QUICK CROSSWORD All solutions are on page 14 Across 6
TOP DRAWS
Spain has 4 out of top 5 Game of Thrones locations
By Alex Trelinski No peace EASYJET has made peace with protesting cabin crew only for its pilots to call a series of Thestrikes.pilots’ union SEPLA has called for action over nine days in August to demand better working conditions for Spain-based pilots at the Theairline.strikes at the British low-cost airline are to take place for three periods of 72 hours each, with stoppages on August 12, 13, 14, 19, 20, 21, 27, 28 and 29. Meanwhile, Vueling cabin crew may also go on strike. Up until now, the Barcelona based OVER twice as many for eign tourists visited Spain in June than in the same month last year, according to official government fig Arrivalsures. also spent almost CLEAR: Reyes Maroto
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FOOD,DRINK & TRAVEL August 12th - August 25th 2022 11
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PACKED: Beaches are busier than ever low-cost airline has benefited from strikes at two of its big rivals, Easyjet and Ryanair but now cabin crew are threatening strikes in Au gust over pay.
Good times roll
The Iceman NO Cometh HIGH electricity prices is be ing blamed for an ice short age across Spain as it suffers in the grip of the third heat wave of the summer. Much of the ice sold during the summer comes from a stockpile built up during the first half of the year, but as energy prices soared with the Russian invasion of Ukraine, production stalled. Demand Then when an early heat wave hit in June, demand for ice shot up and supplies Asdwindled.aresult the price of ice is also soaring and supermar kets are selling out. Some have been rationing sales by limiting purchases to two bags of ice per customer.
Tourism sector buzzing as number of visitors doubles three times as much during their stay compared to a year earlier. June’s 7.5 million visitors spent close to €9 billion with visitor numbers over the six months of 2022 running at over 80% of the same period back in 2019. Tourism Minister, Reyes Maroto, said that based on June’s figures and if the cur rent trend is maintained, pre-pandemic levels will be ‘clearly’ achieved and described the news as ‘ex traordinary’. Speaking to TVE, Maroto reflected on the 30 mil lion-plus foreign visitors this year and their increase in spending power. She said: “We have tourists who spend more and who are staying longer. “This has to be the way forward where quality and diversification are the hall marks of this recovery. We are avoiding very well the uncertainties derived from the Ukraine war and from inflation which makes us optimistic but also realis “Thetic.”
TheSpain!!forWARNINGdogsandcatsinGettherighthealthcarecoverONLYENGLISHVET CLINICA VETERINARIABENDINAT tel: 971 404 www.vet-bendinat.com459 A HAM factory employee has been ordered to pay back €520,000 for stealing 7,000 Iberian ham joints between 2007 and 2013. His wife conspired with him to sell off the looted ham and has to pay half the sto len sum as compensation to the Jabugo-based company in Huelva Province. The ex-warehouse manag er was also given a prison sentence of over 11 months, which he will not have to serve as it was a first of Prosecutorsfence. wanted six years behind bars but the massive delay in bringing the case to trial led to the reduction of the jail term. The man was a 'trusted' em ployee who logged the hams in and out of the factory as they were brought in to go through the curing process. Over six years, he stole 7,000 ham joints which were sold to third party customers.
tourism sector has made a great effort to resist the effects of the pandemic and we are benefiting from the fruits of good work and the safety net that we de ployed to protect the sec tor and families,” Maroto concluded.
BANKPIGGY
www.zielodelevante.com
NEST like a lucky sand martin or an auk or something, tucked into the cliffs of the Bay of Palma, Mallorca. The Centinela rooms at former fortress Hotel Cap Ro cat are carved into the rugged rock at the defence points where the cannons were hidden. Each has a ledge with pool and seating above the sea and is very special – with a special price of €9950 for the two-night minimum (mind, that is high season, and it does include Forbreakfast).cliffface accommodation that’s both more affordable and terrifying, opt for a portaledge experience. Rab Riglos Suite started it by offering beginners and experi enced climbers the opportunity to spend the night in one of three ‘rooms’ hung 100 metres off the ground on the sheer cliffs of the Mallos de Riglos in Aragon (each with a ‘terrace to allow you to stretch your legs’). The ‘rooms’ aren’t there permanently, but the reviews were glowing, so hopefully they’ll be back by popular demand.
Villa in Santa Ponsa Magnificent land situated in Santa Ponsa Walking distance from beach | CP000274 | Price:
INDULGE your inner hobbit at Mi Tesoro (My Treasure) in Lugo, Gali cia. ‘Cute’ is one word for these three cheery little apartments poking out of the hillside; ‘eco’ is another, given they are natural ly insulated by turf roofs and well integrated into the landscape. With space for a family of five (hobbits), kids will love them – as will dogs, which are also welcome. From around €460 high season for a two night stay.
Adorable townhouse in Santa Ponsa Designed For Entertaining | CP000296 | Price: 1.495.000
3 bedrooms | 2 bathrooms | build:
CLIFF
Spacious Villa in
BUBBLESFACE
In a pleasant neighbourhood | CP000286 | Price:
FOOD,DRINK & TRAVEL August 12th - August 25th 202212
The Olive Press brings you a guide to some of the more unusual holiday spots to take a break in this summer...
WHEN it comes to holiday accommodation, it’s fair to say four walls, a front desk and a lift not a ladder are fairly standard requirements. But these days real luxury comes in all shapes and sizes – and often with spectacular views, without the crowds, and a bit of adventure on the side. We pack our bags and check out some of the quirkier stays in Spain. So join us on a mini break that won’t cost you a penny...
BARRELS HOBBIT HOMES TREE houses were springing up in woods across Spain be fore the pandemic, and they proved a popular, safely-dis tanced, back-to-nature retreat op tion, during it. The wooden cabins, many high in the canopy for eye to eye contact with birdlife and accessed by steps wrapped around tree trunks, lad ders or bouncing walkways, are like play Cabañashouses.en los Arboles Zeanuri, south of Bilbao in the Basque Coun try, has the range – from cabins 17 metres up, to others on the ground (where children over the age of seven are welcome) or deep in the woods for total disconnection. Showers, café, and other services are provided in a central farm Breakfastshouse. are delivered – if you’re up in the canopy, you’ll have a pul ley system so you can pull it up to your platform. From €150-€270.
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Ponsa www.crocodileproperties.com
www.campingalicanteimperium.com
GRANADA is famous for its cave dwellings, and the town of Guadix is its Bedrock (one for Flintstones fans). Caves chipped and tunnelled out of rock have long been occupied by the region’s gipsy popu lation. Most are still private homes, but several (white washed, with uneven walls, and vents for light) are avail able to rent. Hotel Cuevas del Zenete offers a range of en-suite caves from €66 a night. Higher up the budget – and the country – there’s Cuevas de las Bardenas by the Bardenas desert, south of Pamplona in Navarra. The caves carved into warm-co loured rock at this popular site should appeal to the most discerning troglodyte – they’re nicely authentic, but equipped with stylish furniture, barbecue and air conditioning. Caves come in various sizes, sleeping up to seven, from €240 a night. CAVES 695.000€ 270m2 200m2 2.250.000€ 2.574m2 425.000€ 150m2 100m2 € 447m2 1.250m2 Santa
www.caprocat.com
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YES, wooden barrels are a ‘thing’. On their sides they are more like tubes. That’s not the most prac tical shape for accommodation, so all you get in them is a bed, sheets, plug sockets and, if lucky, air Thankfully,conditioning.theytendto be locat ed on campsites that have show er blocks and more, like the Do mus Baco barrels at Camping Alicante Imperium in Villajoyosa, where there’s a pool, restaurant and shop (€70 for two nights); or those at Camping El Nogalejo in Setenil de las Bodegas, near GoRonda.for the larger Res erva, Gran Reserva or Crianza at Camping Bañares (€1050 for seven nights) if you want to squeeze in the kids. These sleep four, though as the manage ment points out, you can’t cook in there. The campsite is packed with services, sports facilities and a waterpark, and located in La It’sRioja.just possible if you and go visit one of the local wineries you’ll draw your own conclusions about the best use for barrels. But if you’re looking for wooden and weird, you’ve found it.
www.cabanasenlosarboles.com/es
7 bedrooms | 5 bathrooms | built:
Situated in a well-kept community | CP000130 | Price:
plot:
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www.experienciamitesoro.com/es
QUIRKY STAYS
4 bedrooms | 2 bathrooms | build:
HOUSESTREE
WANT to continue gazing at the moon and the stars, but also really want to go to bed? These largely transparent bubble pods are for you. Fans of zorbing might think they know what to expect but will be in for a surprise: the orbs are firmly tethered, well-equipped and always luxurious. At Zielo de Levante in Tirig, Castellon (two hours from Barcelona, one from Valen cia), for example, the bubbles have ho tel-style mod cons plus telescopes (from €240), while the Mil Estrelles site in Banyoles, Catalunya, has pool and sau na (from €116). Dozens of bubbles have been inflated at dark sky sites across Spain, providing spectacular views with out the neck ache. There are no refunds if it’s cloudy, so you might want to check the forecast before booking.
COOL
PROTECTING AGAINST VOLATILITY
UP
THE Spanish government’s plan to in vest €12 billion in high tech industries is struggling to get off the ground thanks to a lack of chipmakers willing to take on the Theproject.newtech drive has received billions of euros of investment from the EU’s Covid recovery fund, but firms courted by the Spanish government are instead opting for partnerships with businesses in Germany, which already has an estab SPAIN'S unemployment fig ures have dropped below three million for the first time since According2008. to the National Sta tistics Institute, (INE), the total fell to 2.9 million for the sec ond-quarter of 2022 compared to 3.2 million for the first three months of the year. The welcome news - at a time of inflation hitting 10.8% - is the lowest jobless total since the world banking crisis 14 years ago. The unemployment rate stands at 12.5% with 617,000 additional permanent jobs compared to the second-quar ter of 2021. The figures validate labour re forms in Spain aimed at cut ting down temporary contracts and black market working.
WHAT DO YOU NEED TO LOOK OUT FOR? Looking ahead, economic data is sparse through most of the second week of August. As a result, GBP/EUR may trade on external factors. Any fresh warnings or concerns about the gas crisis in Europe could weigh heavily on the single currency. Likewise, eurozone recession fears may dampen the appeal of the euro. As for Sterling, increased industrial action, social unrest and political instability in the UK may prevent the pound from making significant gains. UK GDP data on Friday could potentially see GBP/EUR fall. At the time of writing, economists expect the UK economy to have con tracted by 0.3% in June. The following week brings high-impact data for both currencies. The UK’s latest labour market report, inflation rate and retail sales will be the focus for GBP investors. Signs that the UK economy is slowing would likely hurt the pound, while any data that might prompt more action from the BoE – such as a hot inflation reading or above-fore cast wage growth – could see Sterling climb. Meanwhile, Germany’s latest ZEW economic sentiment index may dent the Euro. While no official forecasts are out at the time of writing, the worsening gas crisis and looming recession risks may see anoth er steep drop in morale.
Currency volatility can cause some nasty surprises if you need to transfer money overseas. On a £200,000 transfer, that two-cent gap between €1.17 and €1.19 translates to a €4,000 difference. And the larger the sum, the higher the discrepancy. Fortunately, there are ways that you can protect against volatility. Specialist currency brokers, such as Currencies Direct, offer different tools to help you navigate the ups and downs of the currency market. For instance, you can use a forward contract to secure an exchange rate for up to a year. This way, you won’t lose out if the market moves against Servicesyou.like rate alerts and daily updates make it easy to keep track of what’s going on in the forex world so that you can make informed decisions. And with Currencies Direct you’ll have a dedicated account manager there to provide guidance and support whenever you need Atthem.Currencies Direct we’re here to talk currency whenever you need us, so get in touch if you want to know more about the latest news or how it could impact your currency transfers. Since 1996 we’ve helped more than 325,000 customers with their currency transfers, just pop into your local Currencies Direct branch or give us a call to find out more.
Alcampo pounces Off the dole Rolls sell off lished semiconductor ecosystem. The EU and US are locked in a race to increase chip production, with Western governments keen to reduce their de pendence on an industry typically out sourced to Asian markets. The US recently announced a $52 billion investment into semiconductors. Chips are down
WHAT’S BEEN HAPPENING? Sterling soared through the final week of July, with GBP/EUR climbing to a three-month high. Throughout the week, recession fears hammered the euro. Poor economic data from Germany and the wider eurozone worried markets, with confidence among consumers, investors and busi nesses all Additionally,declining.Russia’s Gazprom slashed gas exports to Europe, ex acerbating concerns about the EU’s worsening energy crisis. Meanwhile, markets became increasingly confident that the Bank of England would raise rates by 50 basis points at its August meet ing. This lifted the pound to a three-month high against a weak ening However,Euro.concerns about economic and political instability in the UK may have limited GBP’s gains. As wage growth lags behind inflation and the cost-of-living squeeze tightens, workers across the country are striking to demand pay increases. In addition, the Tory leadership contest brought out bitter divides in the ruling Conservative Party, as the political turbulence con GBP/EURtinues. wavered higher at the beginning of August, although movement was perhaps limited as investors awaited the BoE de cision. The pound suffered from a downward revision to the final UK services PMI while a stronger US dollar weighed on the Euro. The BoE decision then slashed Sterling’s gains. Although the bank did raise rates by 0.5%, it also warned that in the fourth quarter of 2022 the UK economy would enter a recession, which would last throughout the following year. GBP/EUR slumped by a cent.
By Alex Trelinski
COUGH
FRENCH retailer Auchan says its Spanish sub sidiary Alcampo will buy 235 supermarkets and a warehouse from the struggling DIA group. Subject to clearances from competition au thorities, the deal should be concluded within weeks with all transfers completed before the summer of 2023.
SPAIN'S government has outlined details of new windfall taxes on banks and fuel companies which aim to bring €7 billion into state coffers over the next two years. The tax will fund measures to fight rising costs for people in the country. A 1.2% levy will be im posed on fuel company profits while banks will face a 4.8% levy on their
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Energy companies and banks targeted by windfall taxes net interest income and net commissions. Repsol CEO, Josu Jon Imaz said that gas and oil com panies don't make windfall profits. “We must not forget the billions of euros of loss es we recorded in previous years,” Imaz commented. Banks are being targeted on the grounds that their profitability is boosted by rising interest rates. Fines set at up to 150% will be imposed if banks pass on the tax via increased cus tomer charges. Savers Chief executives from both Santander and Sabadell banks warned that the tax would hit mostly small savers and shareholders. Santander CEO, Jose An tonio Alvarez, said: “If €3 billion of capital comes out of the sector, then it takes away €50 billion of lend ing capacity.”
ROLLS-ROYCE has been given the go-ahead to sell its Spanish subsidiary ITP TheAero.company had originally announced the €1.7 billion sale last September, but has had to wait for Spain’s gov ernment to approve the deal. It is expected that the sale to a consortium of investors headed by Bain Capital Pri vate Equity will be complet ed within a few weeks. Rolls-Royce took action to strengthen its balance sheet after it was hit hard by the coronavirus crisis.
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RISINGARERATES
THE Bank of Spain has confirmed that the 12-month Euri bor closed July at a monthly average of 0.992%, compared to 0.852% in June. This continues the trend of rises that began at the begin ning of 2022, al though the rate of increase has started to slow. But as infla tion stays high, it is likely that Euribor – the base lending rate against which loans are calculat ed - will continue to rise. The rise in the Euri bor is 1.483 points compared to a year ago, when it stood at an average of -0.491%. Overall in July, it increased by 0.14 points, although the headlines were grabbed when the European Central Bank hiked it to 1.2% on July 22 before it fell back below the 1% mark at the end of the month. Expensive As mortgage rates are set according to the Euribor, the result of these ris es will be more ex pensive mortgages – although they are still comparatively cheap compared to the double digit in terest rates seen in the 90s. Nonetheless, those on a variable rate mortgage will have to dig deeper into their pockets when their annual or six-monthly review is Forcalculated.example, a 30year variable mort gage of €150,000 will cost €90.28 a month more, assuming a Euribor of 0.99%.
Record levels of investment as property sector booms By Dilip Kuner
outSplashing
FANS of the ITV series Love Island can rent the villa used for filming from September 24. The villa, Sa Vinyasssa in Sant Lloren, boasts an infinity pool, six bedrooms and seven bathrooms, and will be transformed after the series concludes in early August. The minimum that the villa can be rented for is seven nights, and it has the capacity for a group of up to 12 people and will cost around €6,000 a Thankfully,week. the villa will have its cameras removed with an interior overhaul before guests arrive.
THE proportion of Brits buying homes in Spain as part of the foreign market has halved since Brexit. They accounted for 12% of the total houses bought by foreign ers in the fourth quarter of 2021 and the first quarter of 2022. Before Brexit, the British made up 24% of foreign buyers ac cording to Idealista In 2016, after the Brexit referendum, the UK share dropped to 15% in just a year and this fell to 10% in mid-2021 before starting a Accordingrecovery.toIdealista, Brits’ favourite regions are Valencia, Murcia and Andalucia. The director of the report, German Perez Barrio, claimed that Brexit has had a negative influence on home sales in Spain, partly offset by an increase in buyers from other countries.
Brexit blues
OP Puzzle solutions Quick Crossword Across: 6 Bora, 8 Twilight, 9 East West, 10 Kant, 11 Kilns, 12 So what?, 14 Nephew, 16 Icing, 18 Char, 20 Cochlear, 21 Time to go, 22 Tess. Down: 1 Part and parcel, 2 Steed, 3 Bistro, 4 Milk chocolate, 5 Then, 7 Ovarian, 12 Sew, 13 Ten days, 15 Escrow, 17 Scion, 19 Haig. NEARLY €10 billion has been invested in Spanish property in the first half of the year - a new record. Real estate investment reached €9.87 billion, some 80% more than the same pe riod of According2021.to the CBRE con sultancy, the retail sector led the way with €2.9 billion invested, eight times high er than that recorded in the first half of last year. This was largely thanks to BBVA's €1.987 billion purchase of more than 629 branches of Merlin Properties. The residential sector was in second place with €2.451 billion, up 71%, with rental assets accounting for 60% of total investment in residen tial real estate, student resi dences for 19% and coliving another 18%. The hotel sector was worth €1.65 billion, the best result in the first half of the year for five years. Another €1.175 billion was accounted for by the indus trial and logistics sector and the office sector fifth posi tion with neatly €1.15 billion worth of transactions - a 27% “Theincrease.investment volumes re
The distinctive neon signage will also be removed with exposed brickwork and snug sofas also to be added. The villa used for the previous se ries last year was recently sold for €3 million, and is a 10 minute drive from this year’s villa.
Producers of Love Island opted for a shake-up after seven seasons in the previous lodgings. This year’s villa has bigger bed rooms, and more outdoor space than the last one.
Love for rent
According to Bankinter’s Analy sis Department Eu ribor will be 1.90% in December and 2.20% in 2023, al though other ana lysts are not quite so pessimistic.
corded in the first half of the year show that the real estate sector in Spain continues to be attractive to investors, even in a changing macro economic context.” said Mir iam Goicoechea, Director of Research at CBRE Spain.
PROPERTY 15August 12thAugust 25th 2022 Blevins Franks Wealth Management Limited (BFWML) is authorised and regulated by the Malta Financial Services Authority, registered number C 92917. Authorised to conduct investment services under the Investment Services Act and authorised to carry out insurance intermediary activities under the Insurance Distribution Act. Where advice is provided outside of Malta via the Insurance Distribution Directive or the Markets in Financial Instruments Directive II, the applicable regulatory system differs in some respects from that of Malta. BFWML also provides taxation advice; its tax advisers are fully qualified tax specialists. Blevins Franks Trustees Limited is authorised and regulated by the Malta Financial Services Authority for the administration of trusts, retirement schemes and companies. This promotion has been approved and issued by BFWML. Talk to the people who know 971 719 181 balearics@blevinsfranks.com www.blevinsfranks.com INTERNATIONAL TAX ADVICE • INVESTMENTS • ESTATE PLANNING • PENSIONS 154-es Moving to Spain? It’s not as difficult as you may think. Talk to Blevins Franks about the key steps to take before and after your move. We have offices across Spain, with advisers living locally, and can help you with: Residence | understanding and applying for post-Brexit residence permits Tax planning | minimising tax on income, capital gains, wealth and inheritances Estate planning | navigating and avoiding foreign forced heirship rules Investments | designing portfolios to suit your circumstances and goals UK pensions | exploring your options to find the best solution for you
By Alex Trelinski FEELING HORNY: Cops grab the goat Rags to riches area and after wrapping up her begging at around 2pm, she would pop into the shop. She’d only buy Bonoloto and Primitiva lottery tickets rather than Euromillions tickets as they were Localscheaper.described the woman as popular. She usually spent cash raised on food for her family. IT gives the term a ‘room with a view ‘ a whole new meaning. A luxury hotel in Ibiza is of fering guests the chance of an overnight stay for free, but the catch is that everyone can see Thisthem.is because the ‘Zero Suite’ has glass walls and is in the middle of The Paradiso Art Hotel’s lobby in full view of other guests as they check in and head for their own more private suites. The hotel website describes the suite as ‘A room with glass walls in the middle of the lob by of the Paradiso Art Hotel where you can sleep one night for free…’ Room with a view ofBarrelsfun AN Irish whiskey distill ery has saved 100-yearold Spanish wine barrels to reuse them maturing whiskey. The 68 Oloro so casks were bought by Boann Distillery when a Cordoban bodega closed.
BENIDORM firefight ers rescued a man from a city self-ser vice launderette after he was trapped when the front door auto matically bolted shut at 10pm. Bad signal SPAIN’S bullet train service between Madrid and Barcelona ground to a halt when 600 me tres of fibre optic cable used for its signalling system were stolen. A man has been arrested. DJ Calvin Harris may have bought himself a farm on Ibiza but that does not necessarily make him a farmer. The Scotsman claimed on Zoe Ball’s Radio 2 Breakfast Show, that he can’t get a cow on Ibiza because the island is too hot. This will be a surprise to locals who have long kept cattle - in cluding a herd just 8 kilome tres from his property.
Cops get their goat after daylight chase shoppingthroughstreets
Clean escape
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itHoofed
rubbishUdder
AN Alicante beggar has scooped a life-changing €1.2 million first prize in the Bonoloto lottery. The unnamed winner would beg for cash every day close to a tobacconist which sold her the winning ticket. Shop owners Mariangeles Torregrosa and De siree Agorreta told the Informacion newspaper that the woman ‘told us that we have changed her Theylife’.added that the ticket holder lived in the WHAT could be worse than a bull in a china shop? Ap parently, a goat in a jewellery Astore.black goat caused chaos in Cartagena when it was chased around the city by police be fore smashing a glass display in the store. The animal had entered the city from the Murcia road and ran down Paseo Alfonso XIII. The female then hoofed it with police on motorbikes and in patrol cars in hot pur suit. Even passers-bye on electric scooters joined in the chase. She finally turned into pedes trianised Calle Mayor, scat tering shoppers before taking refuge in the ‘lo soy joy’ jewel lery Storeshop.owner Laura Nicolau told the newspaper: “She ran in very quickly. She had very large horns, it was a good thing that she did not hit anybody, especially a child. “She struck a glass item very hard and shattered it,” she added. Burly Seven people were in the shop at the time. It took four burly officers to corner the horned beast in the shop’s loo using riot shields, before two shepherds arrived to help tie up the ani mal and man-handle it out of the shop.
