Olive Press Mallorca - Issue 153

HOW MUCH DO YOU THINK YOU KNOW ABOUT PICASSO?

Sickening!

MY RIGHT TO STAY!

Expat goes on hunger strike after residency application is rejected due to Brexit withdrawal nightmare

A BRITISH man has gone on hunger strike over his ‘right to residency’ in Spain. Mark Saxby is protesting the authorities’ refusal to grant him a resident’s permit because he did not have private medical insurance by the Brexit

Will it rain on the parade?

By Alex Trelinski

deadline.

Expat Saxby, who lives in Safor, near Valencia, has vowed to only drink water until the situation is resolved.

The 55-year-old teacher, from Birmingham, is now entering his fourth day without food. He moved to the Valencia region at the beginning of 2020 with plans to work as an English language teacher, but returned to the UK just as the pandemic struck.

Once travel restrictions eased in the autumn that year he returned to Spain with an intention to become a resident.

Deadline

However continual delays in getting appointments resulted in his application only being sent in December - weeks before the Brexit Day deadline of January 1, 2021. His application was eventually denied over the lack of private medical insurance, which Mark told the Olive Press could easily have been remedied without the delays. “There were difficulties accessing websites to log in my

details and then I kept being referred to different offices for appointments across the Valencia region due to Covid delays,” he explained, this week.

“We were promised a threemonth period to deal with any problems which would have identified the insurance issue, but as everything ended up being submitted in December 2020, I was left with no time to do anything about it,” he added.

After Brexit Day and being told of his rejection, he immediately acquired the right medical insurance and informed the authorities.

“If this stipulation had been clearly flagged up in the initial application process it would have saved me a lot of time and bother,” he commented. He also argued that the Withdrawal Agreement made clear that the host state would help any applicants correct mistakes in their application. It added that any such errors or omissions could not be used as an excuse to deny residence.

Mark immediately appealed to Valencian immigration authorities but was refused and although the Ombudsman took up his case, the answer

ended up the same.

He then appealed to the European Commission which agreed Spain may have misapplied the regulations in the Withdrawal Agreement. But unfortunately it added it could not intervene in any specific case.

Mark is now worried about leaving the country in case he is fined on his return for not having a residencia or even denied entry.

Madness

“It’s madness really. I normally work around the world on short-term contracts, earning money that I then spend back home, effectively bringing money into Valencia,” he said.

“But right now I cannot travel so I cannot work and am surviving on my savings.”

As a final throw of the dice, he launched a hunger strike on Monday where he will only drink water until his situation is resolved.

“This is not something I am doing for a day or two to get some publicity, but to get action, as my life is in limbo as I cannot do anything,” declared Mark.

See Eyes peeled on page 4 for the full story

Hacked Off

SPANISH police took part in a world wide operation to bring down the Genesis Market, a criminal network that trafficked in stolen identities.

Mass Grave

ARCHEOLOGISTS are digging up the beach of sa Coma in search of victims of the three-week Battle of Mallorca during the Civil War.

Dead Line

EMERGENCY services across the Balearics were left in chaos after the 112 line crashed for over nine hours. A technical error when Telefonic were replacing old copper lines with modern fibre optic ones was to blame.

Gun scare

A FRENCH woman was arrested in Madrid after she brandished a loaded revolver during an under sevens football game. She is being evaluated at a psychiatric unit.

CHAOS ensued after a gang war broke out when one gypsy family reportedly tried to rob another while disguised as Guardia Civil. One group, armed with knives and purporting to be police, carried out an early hours raid on a marijuana farm in Son Ferriol near Palma.

A vicious fight erupted when con-

Gypsy justice

fronted by the farm owners, leaving as many as 12 people suffering knife wounds. Six arrests were later made.

The detained were all Spanish aged between 30 and 33 and members of the two gypsy families.

It is expected that more arrests will be made. The families gave conflicting accounts of the events, with some claiming that the fight was over a wedding and others claiming it was over cockfighting. They also could not agree on where the incident took place, with the town of Sant Joan also named.

Pay it back

By Walter Finch

BRITAIN’S former most wanted female fugitive, finally arrested last year, has had her jail sentence doubled after she failed to repay a seven-figure sum. Former private school girl Sarah Panitzke will now

Britain’s most wanted female fugitive who spent nine years hiding out in Spain has her jail sentence doubled

spend 17 years in jail when previously being sentenced to nine.

The penalty was imposed at

Teen robbers

TWO minors have been arrested for attempted robbery at a Palma shop.

The teenagers entered the store in the Plaza de los Patines area on Tuesday afternoon with their faces covered by improvised masks. They waved a knife at an employee and demanded the takings before fleeing with nothing.

Policia Nacional officers went round the district and located the suspects who had the knife on them as well as a wrench, a gas cylinder, and the two handkerchiefs that doubled up as masks.

the City of London Magistrates' Court after she failed to repay £2.4 million she stole as part of a massive VAT fraud scheme.

Panitzke had spent nine years on the run in Spain, living incognito as a local thanks to her excellent Spanish, before being captured and returned to the UK while out walking her dogs. She had been living in the town of Santa Barbara near Tarragona under the alias ‘Maria’, where she had an apartment above an English academy. The fraudster was initially sentenced to 8 years in prison, while being ordered to repay the sum, which was a tiny fraction of the £1 billion she is thought to have laundered on behalf of a scheme to sell mobile phones. Her part involved laundering millions of pounds of stolen money through offshore bank accounts set up by the criminal gang she was part of, which claimed to be importing and selling the phones legitimately.

Monastery Misery

A WORKER at the Monastery of Lluc plundered thousands of euros worth of artefacts and cash from its unique collection.

Police have now returned stolen items and jewellery following the arrest of a museum employee.

The perpetrator is a 56-yearold man who worked at the museum which showcased jewellery and pieces of religious and cultural value.

An investigation began when it was noticed that 50 pieces had disappeared. Some €12,100 had also been removed from a safe.

Police investigations led them to a gold trading company in Palma that had acquired several of the missing articles between March and July 2022.

Despite going to great lengths to hide the profits, HM Revenue and Customs investigators uncovered the complex web of transactions used to launder the stolen money through international bank accounts. These included accounts in the UK, Andorra, Dubai, Hong Kong, Switzerland, Portugal and the US.

Criminal

Panitzke's failure to repay the stolen money means she still owes the full amount plus interest, which continues to accrue at a rate of £538 per day, and has now reached a total of £3,782,779.

Nicol Sheppard, Assistant Director, Fraud Investigation Service at HMRC, said Panitzke’s actions had deprived the UK of vital public money.

“Panitzke was part of a criminal gang that stole millions of pounds of taxpayers’ money and deprived our public services of vital funding,” Sheppard said.

Hulking menace

A MAN dubbed ‘the Incredible Hulk’, who has been terrorising the residents, police and even supermarkets of Mallorca during a years-long reign of terror, has struck again.

Weighing in at 130 kilograms (287lb) and a towering two metres (6ft 6), he has a penchant for going on violent, unstoppable rages.

The giant’s latest offence was to steal €40 worth of Parma ham from a supermarket.

It took 12 police officers to arrest him.

This hulk has a taste for robbery and shoplifting, and has numerous charges and court cases outstanding.

His roll call of crime includes smashing up a supermarket that fired him, forcing police to close an entire motorway he was terrorising, smashing his way out of a psychiatric ward, fighting gangs of hooligans, numerous incidents of shoplifting, and a series of assaults on security guards and members of the public, with at least one person in a coma.

His feats of strength include punching through a supermarket window, ripping supermarket shelves off the wall, kicking a hospital door off its hinges and even lifting eight police officers off the ground.

"I cannot understand how this man is still free,” one victim, Juan Jose Martinez, 22, told Ultima Hora.

Martinez suffered a fractured skull, internal bleeding and memory loss from being picked up by the neck and thrown to the ground last August.

“He will kill someone one day, and then we will regret it.”

The priority for police was to retrieve the stolen goods as quickly as possible before they were melted down.

They searched the locker of a prime suspect where they found a box containing old coins dating back to Isabel II, five transparent bags of cash donations and a file containing prehistoric coins and artefacts.

CON

AIR

THE Guardia Civil in Santanyi have arrested three men for stealing 18 brand-new air conditioning units from a hotel that is being renovated in Colonia de San Jordi.

The three detainees spent a week organising the theft of the air conditioners valued at €15,000.

Helped by information supplied by citizens, the leader of the group was identified and arrested, followed shortly by his two colleagues.

The Guardia described the gang leader as a 'very violent person' with an extensive criminal record and several restraining orders in force against him. He not only took part in the robberies but also broke into a witness’s house to threaten him. Fortunately the witness was not home.

The gang has been charged with theft, home invasion and making death threats.

Moment of madness

A BRITISH tourist, 29, has been arrested in Magaluf for attempted murder after deliberately driving into two people he had argued with minutes earlier.

The couple - a British man aged 20 and his Polish girlfriend aged 19 - were left lying on the ground while the driver sped away.

Police appeared within minutes along with two ambulances with the couple suffering only minor injuries and they were discharged hours later from hospital.

The angry motorist was later arrested at Son Matias beac, with reports suggesting he had consumed a lot of alcohol and drugs.

The man had allegedly argued with the couple due to a disagreement between his girlfriend and the other Brit’s Polish partner.

Armageddon approaches

BRITISH comedian Ricky Gervais will be making a stop in Spain on his upcoming Armageddon tour, thanks to a show in Barcelona’s Auditori Forum, on August 31. The tour will kick off on April 4 in Newcastle at two soldout shows, and will visit a range of UK cities including Manchester, Liverpool and London, as well as Dublin in Ireland. The international dates will see the award-winning comedian, director and writer visit the United States, Portugal, Sweden and Germany, among other destinations. Gervais is the creator and star of The Office, Extras, Derek, and the critically acclaimed recent Netflix hit After Life. The Armageddon show will also be recorded so that it can be released via Netflix.

KRAFTWERK, the German grandfathers of electronica are set to dazzle a new generation of music lovers at Sevilla’s Iconica festival. Having virtually pioneered the entire genre of electronic music, the Dusseldorf synth artists will complete an eclectic line up featuring Spanish stars Pastora Soler and Lola Indigo among others. The festival has become one of the top musical events in Spain and has helped put Sevilla firmly on the musical culture map. The festival is spread over several weeks from June 15 to July 22. Kraftwerk will be headlining the show on July 3.

KING OF THE BEAT

Man of the People: King Felipe VI stuns flamenco box players in Cadiz by joining in

THE King and Queen of Spain surprised a group of flamenco box drummers by sidling up and joining in their cajoneada session prior to a theatre show in Cadiz.

The event was held outside the Gran Teatro Falla and involved Felipe VI sitting on a flamenco box and drumming alongside a group of students. The performance was intended to welcome attendees to

Spanish Phantom

ANTONIO Banderas is taking part in the production of a Spanish-language version of Andrew Lloyd Weber's hit musical The Phantom of the Opera.

Lloyd Webber and Banderas teamed up a while ago with the aim of producing theatre, musicals and live entertainment shows for Spanish-speaking markets via their new company Amigos Para Siempre (friends forever).

The Spanish version of The Phantom of the Opera, with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Charles Hart and Richard Stilgoe, is expected to premiere on October 4, at the UMusic Hotel Teatro Albeniz in Madrid.

Mum’s the word

SHE is seldom out of the society pages and now Ana Obregon has sent the Spanish celebrity magazines into a frenzy by revealing she has become a mother at the age of 68.

The model, actress, TV presenter and scriptwriter hired a surrogate to bear her a baby daughter in Miami, USA.

Best known outside Spain for her role in Bolero alongside Bo Derek, Obregon lost her 27-year-old son Alejandro Lequio to cancer in 2020.

At the time she was comforted by old friends, King Emetrius Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia.

Now she has said she has recovered ‘the excitement to live’ after the arrival of her new daughter.

Hiring a surrogate mother is illegal in Spain, however, there are agencies that allow wealthy families to ‘order’ a kid from Eastern European countries and the USA. Obregón is being highly criticised online and on some Spanish TV programmes.

People have also pointed out how she left the hospital in a wheelchair as if she had given birth to the baby herself.

the 9th International Spanish Language Congress in Cadiz - little did they realise they would attract the head of state to join in.

As the King and Queen ar-

MAKING WAVES WITH STYLE

The ultimate combination of practicality and design, this versatile brand was built for enjoyment. The idea was simple. Apply cutting edge technology to maximise comfort and performance, and bring on the style. The result? An attention-grabbing day boat that’s versatile enough from which you can swim, surf, ski or simply sunbathe.

rived at the theatre for the opening show, Tiempo de Luz, they got out of their car and were immediately intrigued by the box-playing cajoneada.

The Queen and King then approached the two available boxes and Felipe VI briefly played one, joining in and singing the rumba Ali oh "The first cajon-playing king," proclaimed Guille, one of the percussionists who led the performance of 62 separate boxes - or cajones.

The Instituto Cervantes and the Cadiz City Council organised the cajoneada to commemorate the origin of the cajon flamenco. Members of the public attending the event were also free to join in.

Feline fantastic

A TOTAL of 43 new Iberian lynx cubs have been born throughout 2022 in different breeding centres managed by National Parks across Spain. The breeding season ended with the successful birth of seven cubs in the Doñana National Park (Huelva). A further nine cubs were born in Zarza de Granadilla; 14 in La Olivilla; 10 in Silves and three in Jerez Zoo. Additionally, last year saw a total of 33 lynx released into the wild at a national level as part of the Iberian Lynx Ex situ Conservation Programme.

QUIT: Maria Gamez

Quick spin at the top

THE Guardia Civil has a new female boss, a trained journalist, after its previous leader resigned over a corruption scandal.

Mercedes Gonzalez stepped in after Maria Gamez’ quit amid a scandal in which several commanders are accused of profiting from building work on police barracks.

Gamez, 54, put the blame for her departure down to the implication of her husband, lawyer Juan Carlos Martinez, in a separate corruption case. He has been dragged into the high profile Mediador scandal, which involved backhanders and bungs in return for contracts in the Canary Islands. The new broom, Gonzalez, 47, who has worked in politics, studied journalism at university.

Eyes peeled...

POLICE have been called in over a series of incidents that have maimed cats with boiling liquids in Mallorca.

Volunteers at a cat shelter in Pollensa have filed an official complaint to attempt to track down the attacker.

The group, alongside vets and the town hall, made the move after rescuing a cat - who they named Mia - that had been doused in what appeared to be oil.

Mia, who is a gentle and affectionate Tortoiseshell, was found by Margarita Llabres and rushed to the local Cat Protection Pollensa society on Sunday night for help.

Good Samaritan Llabres spotted the ailing animal with deep burns and blisters across her face, ears, chest, neck and legs.

...For evil torturer who attacks cats with boiling liquids in Pollensa

Palma paseo woes

BUSINESSES in Palma's Paseo Maritimo area - which is undergoing a major conversion to a boulevard - say they are struggling to survive as people are not shopping or dining there due to the disruption.

EXCLUSIVE

By Walter Finch

She was brought in and quickly rushed to the emergency clinic where shocked vets did the best they could to help her.

They believe she had been attacked a week earlier and they continue to treat her with morphine and antibiotics.

In a further alarming twist, the Pollensa society handled another similar case last year.

In the incident in May a second cat received burns on its head and ears.

It is thought that there may well be others, perhaps in other parts of the island.

“I don’t know how anyone could do this to a defenceless animal,” Toni Beech, 48, who volunteers at the rescue society,

Welcome barrier

A RED and white plastic barrier has been installed along the road to the entrance to Palma airport to stop illegal parking that has caused major bottlenecks.

Motorists in recent weeks had been stopping on the bend on the right hand side of the access road just before the express parking area, even though there's no charge for using the facility for the first 15 minutes.

That practice resulted in severe delays caused by bottlenecks during the busy morning and afternoon rush hours.

SCALDED: Mia has been on morphine for the pain

told the Olive Press.

The English mum, who moved to Mallorca 18 months ago, burst into tears the first time she saw the state of Mia.

“It breaks my heart. She knows we are trying to help her and she thankfully lets us,” she said.

Despite the cruelty and burns on nearly 50% of her body, she continues to be ‘very loving and trusting.’

“She just wants to lie on our laps and get cuddles and strokes all the time,” adds Toni.

Unfortunately, police told the group there is no CCTV in the Carrer del Colomer area Mia was found, but they have agreed to be more vigilant in the area.

Agents from the Guardia Civil’s nature and animal protection

arm, Seprona, are however, making ‘further enquiries’ and are taking a detailed report from the vet.

Councillor Bianca Aguilar, who helped file the complaint, said:

“It is very difficult to know who did this horrifying act.

“We need people to be vigilant and know there is someone out there who mistreats animals in this way.

“We hope that by raising public awareness we can prevent these things from happening again.”

It appears Mia has been abandoned by her owner, given she had been neutered not long before the attack. There has so far been at least one tentative offer to re-home Mia, but she will not be well enough to be rehomed for a while.

If you are interested in rehoming Mia or supporting the good work of Cat Protection Pollensa, please visit their website at www.catprotectionpollensa.com

Tax. Inheritance planning. Investments. Pensions.

So many questions!

„ Why do I need to think about taxes in Spain?

„ Will my family be affected by Spanish succession tax?

„ Why may my assets not end up where I want when I die?

„ How does Brexit and the changes to Spanish taxation of pensions affect me?

„ Why is inflation impacting my investments and income?

„ What does 2023 have in store for my investments?

Some bars and restaurants may even close their doors on a temporary basis and some claim that taxis are also avoiding the area because of traffic jams - a claim denied by taxi driver associations.

The project to complete a massive remodelling of the Paseo into a large pedestrian boulevard is scheduled to be completed by November 2024.

President of the Association of Merchants of the Paseo Marítimo, Manuel Jiminez, said: “We are considering asking for compensation to make up for the loss of profits but it is still too early to say which our of members will need the money.”

Deaf aid

THE Balearic Government has allocated €1.2m to supporting deaf and hard of hearing children in educational settings. Funds will go towards hiring sign language interpreters to allow increased support for 326 pupils who require these services.

These will add to the nine specialists already employed to help deaf pupils lead a more inclusive life in school.

TERRORISTS!

100 blazes set deliberately

SPECIALIST fire units are counting the cost of one the biggest wildfires in Spain for a decade.

The Castellon fire is finally under control after raging for nine days, destroying

4,700 hectares of mountain woodland.

Some 1,700 residents were evacuated after the blaze started in the Alto Mijares region on March 23.

Strong gusts of wind caused a few embers to relight over the weekend but reappearing flames were quickly extinguished.

Most residents have finally been able to return to their homes, after being forced to stay at special emergency centres. While no properties were destroyed, a number of the 500 firefighters suffered from smoke inhalation.

The fire was described by Valencian president Ximo Puig as being more of a summer fire fanned by 'voracious' summer-like temperatures.

Spark

Hard-working fire crews were able to prevent it from entering the valuable Sierra de Espadan natural park.

The fire is believed to have started from a spark of a machine ‘used to collect brushwood'.

“Everything points to the fire starting due to agricultural malpractice,” claimed regional fire chief Jose Maria Angel. So serious was the blaze that Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez insisted the intensity was down to the alarming drought conditions currently threatening Spain.

"There is no room for denial because the climate emergency causes dramas like the one we are experiencing," he said on a visit to the area.

A further 600 firefighters were drafted in to battle an alarming 91 blazes in the north of Spain last week.

Nearly 400 people were evacuated from a number of key inland areas of Asturias, as a shocking 135 fires were started around the Valdes, Villayon and Tineo areas.

“The fires were set by terrorists,” President of Asturias Adrian Barbon insisted.

“They are real organised criminals.”

Meanwhile, in Cantabria firefighters were dealing with 28 fires at the

CHAOS PREDICTED

THE Balearic Islands Medical Union has predicted a chaotic summer for hospitals and primary care facilities in the region.

Union president, Miguel Lazaro, says there will not be enough doctors and substitutes to cover summer leave, coupled with an anticipated big influx of tourists with the number expected to exceed totals last seen in 2019.

"With these two variables combined, it can be deduced that this summer will be worse than last year,” he said.

Health authority IB-Salut has said that summer planning has not yet started for health centres as it is something that is usually done after Easter.

Tik talks

SOCIAL Media platform TikTok now includes subtitles in Catalan for adverts following talks with various public bodies and businesses.

The video sharing app is currently available in several languages and the company has expressed its commitment to include Catalan in its user-interface and to make Catalan subtitles available to individual content creators.

By Alex Trelinski

weekend.

Last year Spain had nearly 500 serious wildfires which devastated 306,000 hectares - three times more than in 2021. A serious lack of rain is feared to be set to make 2023 even worse.

STRONG GUSTS: Winds and hot weather blamed

Arsonists to blame as thousands are evacuated around Eastern and northern Spain - with over

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.

Voted top expat paper in Spain OPINION

Desperate action

MARK Saxby’s decision to go on hunger strike over his denial for residency is certainly taking matters to the extreme.

But you have to admire his tenacity in contacting the European Commission and the Ombudsman to argue that he didn’t get enough time to submit proof of health insurance ahead of the January 2021 deadline.

That was an error on his part as rules changed some years ahead of Brexit which demanded all EU incomers to show they had enough money in the bank as well as health cover.

But the UK Withdrawal Agreement did allow for two months for mistakes to be cleared up.

And what was certainly not his fault was the autumn 2020 appointments logjam caused by the Covid pandemic. Moreover he is paying taxes into the Spanish system and just wants to be a good citizen rather than a villain who wants to live ‘under the radar’.

Surely some common sense from authorities is in order so that he can enjoy a hearty meal as soon as possible.

Easter warning

SO often have the Semana Santa processions been cancelled to the disappointment of millions that it’s become a bit of a running joke that ‘it always rains at Easter in Spain’.

This year, we could be forgiven for hoping the joke is fulfilled.

Much of Spain, as we report on page 8, is officially in drought. As reservoirs dry up, rain is desperately needed, with crops threatened.

Indeed, even a bishop has got involved to lead a special mass to call for rain (see back page).

But the real answer is, of course, nothing to do with prayer. There can be no doubt that climate change is taking effect.

It may be too late to reverse the damage, but it is within the power of all of us to at least try to stop things getting worse. Governments and big business must get their act together and take action much faster to combat CO2 emissions. Otherwise we had better all start praying.

PUBLISHER / EDITOR

Jon Clarke, jon@theolivepress.es

Dilip Kuner dilip@theolivepress.es

Anthony Piovesan anthony@theolivepress.es

Jo Chipchase jo@theolivepress.es

John Culatto

ADMIN Sandra Aviles Diaz (+34) 951 273 575 admin@ theolivepress.es

Spain’s Weirdest Easter Events

SEMANA Santa (Holy Week) is celebrated with great passion throughout Spain. Between April 2 and Easter Sunday on April 9, you can expect multiple processions day and night in the bigger towns and cities.

The floats (pasos) carrying saints, candles and flowers are carried through the streets on the shoulders of men, preceded by the clergy and followed by a cloud of incense, a

Procession of the Drunken Mobs, Cuenca (Castilla-La Mancha)

crucifixion cross to Mount Calvary. The march gets under way at dawn on Good Friday, when ‘the mobs’ respectfully stage the ridicule of Christ to the sound of out-of-tune drums and trumpets while drinking resoli, the typical drink of Cuenca.

band or drummers, and penitents.

Biblical events are commemorated with great fervour in even the smallest of villages. But there are some places where the local population goes the extra mile, adding a personal touch or a twist on the Easter theme.

Here are some of Spain’s more unusual Semana Santa celebrations:

Descent of the Angel, Aranda de Duero (Burgos)

Simon Hunter simon@theolivepress.es

Alex Trelinski alex@theolivepress.es

Cristina Hodgson cristina@theolivepress.es

Walter Finch walter@theolivepress.es

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

DISTRIBUTION ENQUIRIES (+34) 951 273 575 distribution@ theolivepress.es

NEWSDESK: 0034 951 273 575

For all sales and advertising enquiries please contact 951 27 35 75

HEAD OFFICE

Carretera Nacional 340, km 144.5, Calle Espinosa 1, Edificio cc El Duque, planta primera, 29692, Sabinillas, Manilva

THE Spanish government is preparing a law to ban the sale of internal combustion engines by 2040. It is part of a concerted effort to be the first European government to meet the EU’s official target of a 40% reduction in carbon emissions by 2040.

Fair enough – we all want cleaner air.

In addition to the problems of polluting emissions, when you consider that fossil fuels (gasoline and diesel) are becoming exponentially more expensive, it stands to reason that the automotive industry is heavily invested in producing emission-free electric vehicles (EVs) and hybrids. Yet the reliance of EVs on the electrical grid system creates its own set of problems (more about that later).

So what about a solar car? After all, solar energy is front and centre in any discussion of clean, emission-free energy – especially here in sunny Spain!

But the silence around the topic is deafening, so I looked into it.

As mentioned, the internal combustion engine is going the way of the dinosaurs. Since the Spanish government announced its intention, 31 countries, states and cities have internal combustion bans in place.

Copenhagen, for example, wants to end all diesel sales starting

ON Easter Sunday, they stage the appearance of the angel who announced the Resurrection of Jesus to the Virgin. Using a system of pulleys, a globe – suspended from a cable – is lowered into position above a statue of the Virgin Mary, cloaked in black. To gasps and cheers from the crowd, the globe bursts apart showering confetti to reveal a small child, also dangling somewhat precariously from the cable, dressed as an angel. The angel releases two doves, swoops down and removes the cloak to signify the end of mourning, and flies up and down at quite some height.

Drumming of Hellin (Castilla-La Mancha)

MORE than 20,000 drums sound through the streets and rattle the windows of this city – and almost all week. The first drumming session takes place on Holy Wednesday and the last ones boom out on Easter Sunday. Attendees dress in black tunics with red scarves tied around their necks.

Driving on sunshine

Fossil fuels are bad for the planet, electricity is expensive. How about we all drive solar cars? Jack Gaioni explores the options while waiting for a breakthrough

next year. Likewise, Paris, Athens, Milan, and Mexico City plan bans by 2025; Norway by 2025; and France, Germany and the UK by 2040. In the United States, California, New York, and Washington have a 2030 target date for a ban in place.

With the aim of reducing emissions paramount, it’s logical the auto industry is promoting EVs. Indeed, running cars on electricity does reduce emissions, but there are unintended consequences.

Here in Spain, the cost of electricity has skyrocketed and costs four times what it did just a few short years ago.

Blackouts are becoming more common everywhere: the US already has more than any other developed nation, and the situation is getting worse. Experts expect a 38% increase in electricity consumption by 2050,

mostly due to the projected sales of EVs. Add to that another 10-15% increase to reflect the growth of energy-consuming industries, and power grids will be hard pressed to keep up with demand.

Bottlenecks in the supply of batteries and the high demand for components have already caused some manufactures to suspend EV production.

Doomed

Factors like these undermine confidence in the EV and hybrid markets. But if the internal combustion engine is doomed, and there are doubts about the reliability and capacity of electricity grids, what direction does the auto industry turn?

A few established auto manufacturers in-

It’s Easter, and in Spain that means saints and processions . . . as well as Nero, flying children, and drunken mobs, writes Nadia McDonald

THIS procession reenacts the mockery that Jesus Christ was subjected to while dragging his

Seaborne Jesus, Alicante

EASTER celebrations in Alicante have a maritime flavour starting with the figure of Christ of the Sea coming into harbour aboard a boat, accompanied by port police. Another unusual event is the Last Supper, where a monumental float requiring nearly 200 bearers is paraded through the streets.

Genarin’s Burial, León, Castile-Leon

ONE of the most unusual traditions during Semana Santa is the pagan celebration of Genarin’s Burial. A mock funeral procession takes place in the historic centre of Leon on Holy Thursday, in honour of Genaro Blanco, a drunk known for frequenting all the brothels in the city. He was run over by a truck in 1929, and, on the first anniversary of his death, four of his friends staged the mock funeral in homage to their dearly departed party companion. Over time, it became an excuse to parody the Holy Week processions. Though subjected to censorship during Franco’s dictatorship, the tradition re-emerged in the 1970s.

Holy Week of Ben-Hur, Lorca (Murcia)

DECLARED a Festival of International Tourist Interest in 2007, this procession is more reminiscent of a flamboyant carnival. The city’s different religious brotherhoods spend months preparing floats for what has become something of a competition. Marc Anthony, Nero and Cleopatra are among some of the pre-Christian characters that feature in this Easter procession.

cluding Toyota and Hyundai have begun exploring solar-powered vehicles. The first order of business has been to enable normal ‘plug-in’ EVs to use solar to top up the batteries, providing ‘an auxiliary add-on’ to extend the EVs’ range.

Other manufacturers, mostly start-ups, are looking at ways to make cars that are totally powered by solar, or which use the grid solely as backup. Aperta Motors in California, for example, is on a mission ‘to build lightweight and aerodynamic vehicles powered by the sun that are able to handle most daily needs completely off the grid’.

Using solar roof panels, the Aperta charging system can provide enough energy to power a daily range of 44 km (as long as it’s sunny). The average commute in the US is 30 km per day (in Europe it is 28 km), and so, for the commuter, the need to stop and charge during the day is eliminated. Designed with three wheels, the vehicle can achieve speeds of over 95 km per hour, and, the manufacturers claim, reduce emissions by more than 6000 kg of CO2 per year.

At the time of writing, Aperta’s solar car is yet to pass all federal safety standards, but there is already a backlog of 12,000 pre-orders for the vehicles which cost between €27,000 and €42,000.

Germany’s Sono Motors aims to make ‘every vehicle solar for a world without fossil fuels’ and is developing an EV that charges itself. In a bid to achieve a ‘grid-free’ range of 305 km, more than 1000 solar cells have been adapted and embedded in the plastic body panels of the roof, the sides and the boot. Their prototypes use two to three times less battery power than any EV currently on the market, and already meet legal safety standards. They’re also more suited to today’s consumers, being four-wheeled, multi-passenger and traditional sedan style.

Prisoner freed, Malaga

WHEN plague broke out in 1759, prisoners rioted when they found out that Easter processions were cancelled. In the hope they could be saved from the plague, they then forced their way out of jail and carried a statue of Jesus through the streets before returning to their cells. King Carlos III was so impressed by their piety that from that day on he declared a prisoner should be set free in Malaga every Easter, so long as they had not been convicted

Dance of Death, Verges (Girona)

ON Maundy Tuesday, Verges lays on a Dance of Death. Two adults and three children dress up as skeletons and dance to the rhythm of drums. The origins of the tradition stem from medieval times when Christianity provided hope during the terror of the plague.

Look out below, Valencia

On Easter Saturday Valencianos like to make a noise. They celebrate Christ’s Resurrection with fireworks at midnight but they are not noisy enough for the locals. They join in the noise by throwing pots and old crockery from upper floor balconies. Take an umbrella if you are visiting - water is regularly dumped on unwary visitors too.

VERY SUCCESSFUL

Mail-out restaurant campaign bites BIG with our thousands of registered users

WITH a new restaurant opening looming and a need to spread the word, Malaga’s leading Metro Group turned to the Olive Press to help. Via two enticing emails, we hoped our 30,000 registered website users would bite. And bite, they certainly did.

For a limited period of just 11 days, our readers at www. theolivepress.es were offered a unique 50% discount code to redeem against a meal at the hot new restaurant Nomad, opening last month in Marbella. And boy, did they use it, with a staggering 83 BOOKINGS coming in for the launch.

“It was very successful and we have actually been a bit overwhelmed with the reservations,” Metro’s marketing manager Karen Wolfson explained.

“All in all we are very pleased with the result. Thanks so much. We will definitely be doing more with the Olive Press.”

One of the lucky readers to benefit from the generous meal offer was Danish expat, Carsten Christensen, based in San Pedro.

“We jumped at the offer and I took my wife for her birthday with friends,” he explained. “The meal came to €300, which dropped to only €150 after the discount code was applied.

“It was a great meal and we have already booked to come back, not to mention recommended it to a few of our friends.”

For more information on how to run a similar campaign for your restaurant or another business contact sales@theolivepress.es

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

1- Light at the end of the tunnel: Gibraltar’s new runway tunnel opens March 31 much to commuters’ glee

2- Why are the Semana Santa hats conical and are they linked to the KKK?

3- British parents pay £200 bill each after going on drinking session with their baby at a Gibraltar bar

4- Ryanair boss fumes over latest Spain flight disruptions caused by French air traffic controller strike

5- Spanish celebrity Ana Obregon become a mother at 68

Get in touch today at sales@theolivepress.es or call us at 00 34 951273575 for more info

Manuel labour

AMID a barrage of bright economic news, including GDP growth of 5.5% last year, Spain faces a deficit in one of its traditional strengths: a lack of waiters.

With bookings for Easter weekend up 20% on last year, there is concern among tourism chiefs that labour will be unable to meet demand.

The after effects of the pandemic are still lingering, with claims that it continues to put workers off from entering the tourism and hospitality industry.

Coupled with hotels forecasting occupancy to be at 90% throughout the whole summer season, Spain will need at least 60,000 additional workers in the sector.

Leading companies such as Meliá have been looking for young talent on social networks, while hospitality schools in Madrid have taken the unusual step of guaranteeing their students a job upon graduation.

Fixing investigation

By Alex Trelinski

SPAIN'S competition authority, the CNMC, has launched a probe into Google and its parent company Alphabet into alleged restrictive practices concerning Spanish publishers and news agencies.

The CNMC in a statement said: “Specifically, these practices consist of the possible imposition of unfair commercial conditions on publishers of press publications and news agencies established in Spain for the exploitation of their copyrighted content.” “There are rational indications of possible infringements,” the CNMC added. They will investigate whether

VUELING FINED

Probe into search engine giant’s ‘restrictive practices’

Business booming

SPANISH companies nearly doubled their business volume in 2022 compared to the year before, thanks in large part to the energy sector.

Firms saw their volume of business increase by 41% in 2022 compared to the year before when the country was emerging from the pandemic.

Of that 41%, the energy sector accounted for nearly 17 percentage points, according to the Bank of Spain figures. Electricity and gas firms saw joint profits of €12.8 billion in 2022, partly due to the rise in energy costs caused by the war in Ukraine.

Inflation surprise

SPAIN'S inflation rate in March clocked in at 3.3% according to preliminary figures from the National Statistics Institute. That's down on February's figure of 6% and is attributed to falls in electricity and fuel prices and the big hikes recorded in March 2022 working their way out of the system.

Google broke Spain’s competition laws by abusing its dominant market position and hindering free competition.

The CNMC investigation will last for up to 18 months and was prompted by a 2021 complaint from the Spanish Reproduction Rights Centre

BUDGET airline Vueling has been hit with a €30,000 fine in a landmark decision over discrimination between female and male cabin crews. The penalty was imposed by Catalunya’s Labour Inspectorate after a complaint from the Stavla cabin crew union.

Barcelona-based Vueling - part of the IAG group - is studying the ruling and has the right to appeal.

It’s the first-such adjudication in Spain over cabin crews with the Inspectorate saying that Vueling committed a ‘very serious infraction’ by forcing female employees to wear heels and make up while their male colleagues only required ‘a clean and groomed appearance’.

(CEDRO) - a group representing writers and publishers.

CEDRO legal director, Javier Diaz de Olarte, said: “Google has not treated press publishers in an appropriate way un-

der competition rules or in the same manner as other similar companies operating in the market.”

The complaint talks about protecting intellectual property rights and asserts that Google is threatening the ‘plurality, independence, and freedom of the press’ in Spain

The CNMC did not specify the period to be covered by the probe, nor what sanctions Google could face if it is proven the company abused its strong market position in the country.

The European Union and several member states have taken steps to stop companies like Google from hindering competition, as well as tax avoidance on profits made from accessing news articles.

The March inflation rate is the lowest annual figure since August 2021 and has confounded predictions from economists who projected a rate of around 3.8%.

Angel Talavera, chief economist for Europe at Oxford Economics, said: “This should not make us believe that inflationary tensions are over.”

“Core and food prices will remain high, and in addition, the large fall in energy prices in the last months of last year will cause the opposite effect to that of March on the inflation rate in the last months of 2023,” he added.

Core inflation, which does not include variable fresh food and energy prices, was 7.5% year-on-year, slightly below the 7.6% recorded in February.

It’s the first drop - albeit marginal - in the core rate in 23 months.

Food prices are the main issue for most people in Spain with the last stripped-out figure reporting a 16.6% annual rate in February.

The Bank of Spain has predicted that food inflation will remain in double digits for the rest of 2023 with the annual rate in December predicted to be 12.2% before falling to an average rate of 4.6% next year.

OP QUICK CROSSWORD

LA CULTURA

PICASSO QUIZ: How much do you know about his art?

It’s Picasso Year, in case you hadn’t noticed. April 8, 2023 marks a significant anniversary of the death of the great Spanish modern artist, and major exhibitions are happening across Spain and around the world commemorating his life and work

LOVE him or hate him (or quite like some of his stuff sometimes), Picasso achieved massive fame and success.

So you shouldn’t have any trouble with our Picasso Year Quiz. The questions are all multiple choice.

1- Big anniversary – so what year did he die?

a) 1923

b) 1948

c) 1973

d) 1993

2-

a) Malaga

b) Barcelona

c) Torremolinos

d) Valencia

3- Which of these is Picasso’s first known oil painting? (below)

FIRST CLASS

9 out of 10 customers would recommend us

IN a recent survey of our customers after using Línea Directa’s Roadside Assistance and breakdown services, over 90% said they would happily recommend our insurance services to a friend or colleague.

Línea Directa would like to thank everyone who has taken the time to answer the questions in our survey as it has given us valuable feedback on our services and enabled us to integrate positive changes and continue to provide expert solutions for overseas residents in Spain.

ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING IS IN ENGLISH

Car, bike and home insurance, with absolutely everything in English. The emergency and claims hotline is fast and efficient, with quick no obligation quotes over the phone.

The customer service team will help you decide on the best policy and there are easy payment options so you can spread the cost of your premiums.

DID YOU KNOW?

All Línea Directa insurance policies offer additional features specifically designed for expatriates living in Spain.

Their home insurance includes Pet Assistance, IT Assistance, and Home Maintenance.

All motorbike policies come with Replacement Motorbike, Technical Equipment cover and even Young Person’s Night-time

Assistance.

And their car insurance includes helpful services such as Legal Assistance that can provide help when applying for or renewing your driving license in Spain.

EXPAT2EXPAT REWARD PROGRAMME

When an existing Línea Directa customer recommends a new customer, they both receive 30€.

Línea Directa’s Expat2Expat programme is free and open to all existing customers. You can recommend up to 10 people and earn up to 300€ in cash per year.

Simply ask your friend to call 917 002 006 and quote your full name. Then once their application for car, bike or home insurance has been approved, Línea Directa will pay the reward straight into the bank account following payment of next or first premium.

For more information, see terms and conditions at www.lineadirecta.com

LOWER THE PRICE OF YOUR INSURANCE

Change to Línea Directa and they will lover the price of your insurance.

Línea Directa has been providing comprehensive car, motorbike and home insurance to British expatriates and residents in Spain for over 25 years.

With over 3 million customers nationwide, Línea Directa makes sure you get the best possible price for the kind of insurance you really need.

4- He was a very busy artist indeed and left behind somewhere in the region of 20,000 works in one form or the other. Best known as a painter, he was creative in other ways. What discipline isn’t he famous for?

a) Poetry

b) Theatrical sets

c) Pottery

d) Embroidery

6- If there is one painting associated with the Spanish Civil War, it’s Guernica. Where was it first exhibited?

a) Bilbao

b) Madrid

c) New York

d) Paris

7- Where did Picasso spend most of his life?

a) Malaga

b) Barcelona

c) Paris

d) The French Riviera

5- Over the space of five months, Picasso created a suite of 58 works called Las Meninas, 44 of which (including this one below) were inspired by a painting by which artist?

a) Joan Miro

b) Modigliani

c) Diego Velasquez

d) Juan Gris

8- He named his daughter Paloma after

a) the universal symbol for peace

b) the pigeons flying around Malaga

c) the song, Paloma Blanca

d) the ballet dancer Anna Pavlova but had – famously

– misheard her name

9- Robert Capa’s iconic 1948 photo of the Spanish artist and his lover (left) was taken on:

a) the Costa Brava

b) the Costa del Sol

c) the Costa Blanca

d) the French Riviera

10

- His name and his art are known around the world. But could you pick the young artist out from a lineup (above)?

Fabulous at anytime: Museo Picasso Malaga and Museu Picasso Barcelona

For details of all major exhibitions, visit Spain is Culture

10 - A - Pablo Picasso, photographed in 1908. The others are: Antoni Gaudi (b); George Bernard Shaw (c); and, another Spanish artist being commemorated this year, Joaquin Sorolla (c) who died 100 years ago this August.

9 - D - The French Riviera. It shows Picasso (65) and the artist François Gilot (25). Although they never married (Picasso was already married to the Russian ballerina Olga Khokhlova), they met in 1943, had two children, and remained together for almost a decade.

8 - B - The pigeons in Plaza de la Merced, Malaga, that he could see from the window of his family home obviously had a profound impression on the young Picasso.

7 - C - Paris. Picasso’s family left Malaga when he was 10 (for A Coruña). He lived in Barcelona for close to nine years (1885-1904) but began spending an increasing amount of time in Paris, and left Spain for good in 1904, remaining in Paris for 63 years, before moving to the French Riviera.

6 - D - Picasso was living in Paris when he painted Guernica in 1937. It was first shown at the International Exposition in Paris the same year, before being sent to MoMA in New York, where it stayed until finally coming to Spain after Franco’s death. It is now at the Reina Sofia in Madrid.

5 - C - Las Meninas by Diego Velazquez, painted way back in 1656. The masterpiece by the Sevilla-born Velazquez caught the eye of the young Picasso during one of his many trips to the Prado Museum while studying art in Madrid, and you can still see it there today. Picasso’s -inter pretations are part of the permanent collection at the Museu Picasso, Barcelona.

4 - D - Embroidery.

3 - B - El Picador, painted by Picasso in 1889 when he was eight years old, and a painting he kept all his life. The others are: a) Portrait of Gertrude Stein, also by Picasso but done 16 years later; c) Blue Coat by Paul Klee (aged 69); d) Last Supper by Emil Nolde (aged 42).

2 - A - Picasso was born in Malaga. His family lived in Plaza de la Merced for the first 10 years of his life, and the family home is now a museum, the Museo Casa Natal de Picasso [https:// museocasanatalpicasso.malaga.eu/].

1 - C - Picasso died on April 8, 1973, aged 91. This is the 50th anniversary of his death.

PICASSO QUIZ ANSWERS

Where was he born?

Photograph: Museu Picasso, Barcelona

Money transfers made easy

Demolition looms

A PAIR of illegal luxury housing developments are set to be demolished in Mallorca.

Both schemes numbering dozens of homes in Monport and Cala Llamp will be knocked down this year, after the developer lost an appeal to save them.

The projects are seen as a ‘symbol of corruption’ from back in the times of mayor, Eugenio Hidalgo, who was finally imprisoned for allowing their construction on non-developable land.

Under the ‘caso Andratx’ case, the homes had been hurriedly built between 2004 and 2005, before they were stopped at approximately 80% finished.

Andratx town hall recently voted to put aside €4.4 million to undertake the demolition, as well as up to €20 million to indemnify the owners and builders.

In total, 42 apartments will come down.

A PAIR of expats have had a construction project stopped due to unacceptable noise levels.

A Judge in Mallorca agreed with the German owners that a double luxury villa project next to them was regularly going over the new 90 decibel limit.

The pair contracted a private firm to con-

NOT FALLING ON DEAF EARS

firm the legal noise pollution level was above the limit on 10 different days, starting at 8am and finishing late in the day. While Palma town hall tried to overrule the claim, the Judge sided with the pair

and ordered an immediate stop on the works. He ruled that the ‘excessively high noise levels’ were preventing the pair from leading a normal life and their rights were being infringed.

Escape from Brexit

Lifestyle in Spain is seen as preferable to UK by young Brits

THERE has been a huge 31% increase in the number of young Brits (aged 18 – 24) looking to relocate to Europe. According to research, growing numbers of young people are considering a move to the continent as the cost-of-living crisis in the UK gathers pace.

Average house prices on the continent are significantly lower than the British Isles

EUROPE-wide plans to clamp down on drafty homes are expected to hammer Spanish property owners where many buildings are poorly insulated.

Under proposed new EU rules, homeowners will be expected to invest in reducing their energy wastage.

It is estimated that an alarming 80% of Spanish homes don’t meet the EU's criteria for energy efficiency. Properties will be required to boost their

By Nadia McDonald

and lifestyles in Spain, Italy and Portugal are seen as preferable to the grey skies back home.

The average UK property price is £294,000, more than double the average prices in Spain of €120,000, France, €102,000, Portugal, €69,500, and Italy, €65,000

Feel the draft

energy ratings to at least a category E by 2030 and then push it up to a D by 2033, under EU plans.

Spain has around 28 million old and badly insulated buildings, according to the Ministry for Ecological Transition. Meanwhile, over 80% of homeowners believe they live in an efficient and sus-

on Kyero.com. Property prices are not the only thing enticing Gen Z-ers to hop across the Channel.

tainable house, and 60% do not know their own energy rating, according to real estate union UCI. Initially the proposal was to restrict sales and rentals that didn’t fit the new rules, but now the EU is leaving the issuing of fines down to each member state.

The EU has recognised the costly investment of green renovations and has stressed the need for financial support and incentives.

GIANT RENTAL FINE

THE owner of five tourist apartments has received a record fine of €200,000 for illegal holiday rentals.

The Mallorca government levied the giant sanction for continually renting five separate flats to tourists without a licence.

The fine of €40,000 is the maximum per unit, although the owner can still appeal the levy.

The huge fine is double the total of €100,000 the Mallorca Consell raised through the fines of 150 apartments last year.

Example

According to data from Eurostat, the average cost for housing, water, electricity and other fuels in the UK was an alarming 68% higher than the rest of Europe.

Companies are increasingly giving employees the opportunity to work remotely, making a move to Europe an option for many young people.

Several countries have set up attractive visa schemes for remote workers, such as the increasingly popular Digital nomad visa in Spain.

It is hoped that the fine will set an example to other owners, who are said to collectively own 25,000 tourist apartments in Palma city alone. Only 621 properties in Palma have official licences to rent to tourists.

The authorities in Mallorca are particularly angry about the number of holiday rentals available on the platform Airbnb, which it claims are illegal.

At least 70% of the properties to rent are illegal, while around only 8% are illegal, for example, in Pollensa and 7.5% in Manacor.

STRAND PROPERTIES IS ONE OF THE LEADING REAL ESTATE COMPANIES OF THE WORLD ®

Leading Real Estate Companies of the World® is the home of the world’s market-leading independent residential brokerages in over 70 countries, with 550 firms and 136,000 sales associates producing 1.2 million global transactions. The network is based on the unparalleled performance and trusted relationships that result in exceptional client experiences.

Our brokers at Strand Properties are happy to help you to buy and sell properties in Spain, and now we can also help you to sell or buy properties all over the world through our network.

We have the most unique listings in Mallorca. In addition to the properties on our website, we have dozens of pocket listings of premium properties that are not listed publically anywhere. We are here to help our clients from the first-time buyers to experienced investors to make the best possible deals in real estate.

Pricey wine

POLICE have arrested three men in Madrid on suspicion of stealing €25,000 worth of wine from shops in the city’s upscale Salamanca district.

Among the stolen bottles were Bordeaux wines from Chateaux Pétrus, one of which had a price tag of €6,700.

The suspects would first visit the stores in question to ask questions about high-priced wines, before later returning to steal them. The arrests come after another high-profile case in Spain involving stolen wines.

In early March, a former Mexican beauty queen and her partner were sentenced to four years in prison for stealing 45 bottles of wine worth an estimated €1.6 million from a hotel.

EASTER is the time for crespells in Mallorca. These typical Mallorcan sweet biscuits are an intrinsic part of the culture of the island. Their origins, however, are shrouded in mystery. One theory is that the Jewish communi-

CRESPELL MYSTERY

ty brought them when they settled on the island in the first century AD. After an anti-Jewish uprising in the fifteenth century, the last rabbi of Palma, Simo Duran, sent a letter to his communi-

A Happy Easter

Bumper Semana Santa for tourism businesses

SPAIN’S tourism sector is expecting to do big business this Easter, with forecasts suggesting that visitor numbers and spending will break records of recent years. The end of Covid-19 restric-

OP Puzzle solutions

Quick Crossword

Across: 6 Allow, 7 Scurry, 8 Spur, 9 Noontide, 10 Dangle, 12 Gamma, 14 Dad, 16 Melon, 17 Retire, 19 Countess, 21 Togo, 22 Sloped, 23 Icing.

Down: 1 Warplane, 2 Blur, 3 Twinned, 4 Subtract, 5 Trod, 7 Shop, 11 Grown-ups, 13 Mortgage, 15 Drastic, 18 Bend, 20 Oily, 21 Trio.

By Simon Hunter

tions will see the return of international visitors while Spaniards are also very keen to enjoy a domestic vaca-

Happy Hatrick

LIKE London buses, as the saying goes, you wait ages for one to arrive then three turn up at the same time.

That’s the case with a hattrick of new restaurants opening in Mallorca over the last month.

The first is Leo’s Grill, in Portals, run by German expat Daniel and his Swedish partner Nathalie Martinsson.

The pair, who have had the Harbour Grill restaurant in Port Adriano for 12 years, jumped in to open stylish Leo’s in second line Port Portals last month.

The hip joint, full of cool paintings and big

on seductive lighting, is a must visit for foodies this Easter.

As well as cooking a good range of meats cooked on a Southbend grill at 800 degrees, there are plenty of vegetarian options.

Another stylish spot is the totally renovated Vida restaurant in Palma port, which has managed to snare one of the true culinary talents on the island.

Chef Pablo David has done his time around Spain, in particular, as the right hand man of Martin Berasategui in San Sebastian for ten years.

“We worked elbow to elbow together, often appearing on TV,” he told the Olive Press “Martin is a genius and taught me so much.

ty in hiding instructing them how to bake very similar sweet pastries. The fact that they are usually baked in the shape of a six-pointed star is also a giveaway.

O’Leary anger

RYANAIR CEO Michael O'Leary has described a new wave of daily French air traffic control strikes disrupting flights to and from Spain as a 'scandal'. The budget airline boss has warned that holidaymakers ‘face chaos’ throughout April due to the industrial action.

“The French are going to get worse and worse for the next three and four months”, O'Leary predicted.

He added: “People are really f****** p***** off with flights getting cancelled left, right and centre because the French are on strike.”

tion.

This has led to many hotels and other establishments to already hang up the ‘no vacancy’ sign, according to news agency Europa Press. Melia Hotels International, for example, has reported a 22% rise in sales compared to 2019 thanks both to price rises and the return of tourists from key markets such as the UK and Germany. This boost has been felt in particular in the Canary Islands, where hotels are already above 65% occupation levels.

Barcelo Hotel Group also reported a rise in sales, with average occupancy expected

to be 10 percentage points above that of 2022, and a major boost in revenue. As for flights, bookings for trips into Spain are just 3% below the numbers for the same period in 2019, Spanish daily El Pais reported, while domestic flights are up 12% on four years ago, the last Easter before the coronavirus pandemic hit. But there are worries that strikes in Germany where unions want above 10% pay rises could have an impact on popular destinations for Germans like the Balearics. The strikes have hit the aviation sector as well as ports and trains.

Disruption

Ryanair launched a petition last month aimed at getting one million signatures from passengers in order to force the European Commission to take action to prevent further disruption being caused by the French strikes.

“I hope to really lay out what I have learnt here at Vida in Mallorca.”

In particular, his steak tartare was splendid, while his burrata salad on a bed of rocket was delicious. There is a chilled, relaxed feel about the place and the tropical style wood interior and excellent music is conducive for fun.

“We are trying to create a concept of sharing and a laid-back, friendly vibe,” explains marketing boss Ben Henderson, who works for the Umami group that owns Vida. “We have gone for a rainforest Amazon look with tables made in Germany shaped as trees.”

Upstairs the team from Umami have also just opened their brand new Tree House restaurant that has fantastic views across the marina and into Palma old town. Previously 49 Steps, it is a superb open plan terrace, focussing on a light sushi menu with a few extra hot dishes. There are DJs from 8pm and you can eat until 11pm. Enjoy the groovy vibes.

Trio of new restaurants have just opened around south west Mallorca, writes Jon Clarke

SUSHI: Treehouse has great port views

SEDUCTIVE: Leo’s Grill offers meat cooked on Southbend grill and (below) chef David of Vida

HAYFEVER sufferers will be able to breath easy this year. According to the SEAIC allergology society, 2023 will likely be mild for allergy sufferers.

By using a model based on historical data and weather forecasts, the society has predicted that spring will be mild for pollen on the Mediterranean coast but a little worse in areas such as Madrid, Castilla-La Mancha and Extremadura.

SEAIC reported that coastal cities such as Barcelona, Alicante and Murcia will see pollen levels of between 1,000 and 1,200 grains per square metre, rising to 2,000 in inland urban centres such as Lleida and above 4,000 grains in areas south of Madrid.

The cold winter has had an effect on pollen levels, in particular from cypresses and conifers, which are usually the first to shed their grains.

SPERM MISTAKE

A MAN who had a son via IVF treatment has discovered that the child is not his biological offspring and now wants €1 million compensation. The situation came to light due to a series of coincidences which included repeated comments from relatives about how little the child, who was born in late 2021, resembled his father. Then a friend with medical knowledge noticed that the blood group of the baby was incompatible with those of

IVF baby is not biological offspring of father

By Simon Hunter

his parents.

This prompted the family to take a paternity test, the result of which showed that the woman was the child’s biological mother, but that the man was not the father.

“The result was communicat-

Close call for Ketamine kid

A 10-YEAR-OLD child ended up in intensive care after a hospital accidentally administered him a dose of the tranquiliser Ketamine that was meant for an adult weighing 130 kilos.

The incident happened after the boy was taken to the Universitario Hospital in Torrejon de Ardoz with a broken arm. Twenty minutes after he had been attended to by doctors, he was found in a strange position and was making odd noises.

Checks revealed that he had a blood saturation level of 40%, when a normal level is between 95 and 100%, and that he was having problems breathing. It was then that the medical team realised that he had been given a large dose of Ketamine in preparation for surgery. A dose of 250 milligrams was prepared instead of 50 milligrams. Fortunately, the full dose was not given to the patient.

ed to the family on February 27, 2023 and was devastating for them,” a lawsuit filed by pressure group The Patient’s Ombudsman states. The family is suing the health system as well as the Hospital Universitario Puerta del Mar in Cadiz. The regional health chief, Catalina Garcia, launched an investigation into what exactly happened. The lawyer acting for the family, which has not been identified, also raised fears about how far-reaching the error could be: i.e. another family undergoing IVF treatment may have had a baby using the man’s sperm. The group has opted to go public with the story in order to avoid such mistakes happening again. “It’s obvious that what happened cannot be sorted out, but perhaps if everyone hears about it, it won’t happen again,” a spokesman said.

Fooled you

OLIVE Press writer Simon Hunter has attracted more than 2.3m views - and many outraged comments - with his April Fool tweet featuring a tortilla espanola including sausages and cheese as ingredients.

Speed freak

A BRITISH biker has been clocked speeding at 202kph on the A7 in Manilva on the Costa del Sol and is now under investigation for a crime against road safety.

Just learning

POLICE are investigating a 58-year-old man after he allowed his eight-year-old son behind the wheel in a Malaga car park used by parents to teach their children how to drive.

O P LIVE RESS The

RAIN GOD

Villagers pray for end to drought at special Mass to Lady of the Torrents

A DROUGHT stricken village has revived an old practice to pray for rain.

The inhabitants of L’Espunyola in Catalunya decided to hold a special mass to Our Lady of the Torrents, a local virgin associated with rainfall, in a bid to save their crops.

Some 250 residents joined a procession, with worshippers bearing the colourfully paint-

By Dilip Kuner

ed statue of the virgin from its home in the local church (pictured) and around the village streets followed by the bishop and parishioners. Together with tourism, farming is the main source of income for L’Espunyola, which is about an hour-and-a-half north of Barcelona.

Following three dry years, much of Catalunya is affected by drought, putting crops at peril unless it rains soon. All three reservoirs in the area

PLUCKY PEACOCKS

IT makes a change from rescuing cats from trees. Fire crews in Valencia were called out on a peacock rescue mission after four birds were spotted leaping across rooftops. Residents were surprised to see the colourful creatures enjoying freedom on top of buildings on Godella's Calle Mayor. There were concerns that one or more might suffer a fatal fall and that pedestrians might be injured as well. Firefighters from Burjassot and Paterna were assigned the task of getting the peacocks to safety.

are below a third of their capacity and nearby La Baells reservoir is at just 35% capacity. It may be an old Mass revived, but the villagers have tried the same method of ‘rainmaking’ in recent times. And they claim it workedsoon after offering prayers and hymns to Our Lady of the Torrents in 2008 the heavens opened. But Bishop Francesc Conesa (pictured) is being cagey over whether the villagers’ prayers will be answered this time. He said: “We have asked with faith, and many people have come and prayed with faith. “The Lord will give us what suits us.”

FIVE Komodo Dragons have been hatched in a

This is the first successful breeding of the world’s largest lizard in Spain for a decade. Currently there are only 1,300 of the endangered species in the The breeding success at Fuengirola’s BioParc is a milestone for the species as it is particularly difficult to get the lizards to mate. Female dragons are only on heat for one week a year and spend the other 51 weeks actively avoiding the male.

Conceived

Each of the baby dragons have been named: Juanito (for being conceived on San Juan’s day), Phoenix (as his egg broke during incubation but he managed to survive), Embum (meaning ‘morning dew’ in Indonesian), Saya (a tribute to a previous female dragon at the zoo) and Drakaris (named by a team member who is a self confessed Game of Thrones fan).

TAKING PRIDE IN OUR HERITAGE

PALMA is a city steeped in history and culture and Its architecture is a testament to the various civilizations that have left their mark on the island over the centuries.

A large range of historical buildings date back to the 13th century, with many having been renovated in recent years to combine the best of modern design with the charm of the past.

The Agency has some wonderful historical buildings for sale around the island

HISTORIC: Palma’s architectural heritage is impressive, including this manor house

Few however, can compete barns, sheds, stables, an event space and a chapel.

with the 10th century Almudaina Palace, serving today as the official residence of the King and Queen of Spain during their frequent visits to the island.

Another noteworthy building is the Cathedral of Santa Maria, also known as La Seu.

It dates back to the 13th century,

but has been worked on for centuries, with the final touches added in the 20th century. The Gothic-style masterpiece features rose windows, flying buttresses, and a stunning interior that includes works by famous artists like Miquel Barcelo.

A prime example of this style is the prestigiously designed townhouse in the nearby Old Town, which has preserved the historical gothic features including arches and solid wood

beams throughout. It is combined with modern amenities and high-quality finishes to suit the modern-day family.

In recent years, many architects in Palma have taken on the challenge of renovating historical buildings while preserving their unique character and charm.

A few architects have successfully managed to blend modern design elements with traditional features to create stunning spaces that are both functional and visually appealing. It requires a deep understanding of the building’s history and a commitment to preserving its unique character while also embracing modern design elements and technologies that can enhance the building’s functionality and usability.

Another impressive example of a historical renovation is this 15th century Mallorcan manor house, currently for sale with The Agency Mallorca. Sitting in the heart of the island in Llucmajor countryside, the historical features have been kept throughout the renovation, such as the beautiful wooden doors and windows, antique stone arches, marble and terracotta flooring.

The Manorial Villa has 13 bedrooms with ensuite bathrooms, which includes a separate guest and staff quarters.

The Estate holds an agritourism licence for 26 guests and various

The sprawling farm occupies approximately 140 hectares of flat land which can be utilized for wine production, livestock, or a variety of other purposes.

These historical designs are a testament to the island’s rich cultural heritage.

Preserving this heritage while also incorporating modern design elements and practicalities into their renovations ensures that these historical buildings continue to be a source of pride for generations to come.

For more information on this and many more properties in The Agency’s portfolio, please visit www.theagencyre.com or telephone on +34 871 610 678