Olive Press Mallorca Issue 150

TOURIST BONANZA

AIRLINES are planning for a blockbuster 30 million passengers to visit Mallorca this summer, smashing the pre-Covid record set in 2019 by one million.

They have requested 30.8 million seats between the end of March and the end of October, with capacity expected to bulge by 10% in the peak months.

Demand from holidaymakers appears to be keeping pace with airline reservations, which in turn is pushing prices up. Germans make up the largest source of flights to Mallorca with 146 weekly, followed by the UK.

The news will be greeted with consternation by Balearic government ministers, who have been making noises about restricting tourism to the island.

Cap

“Last year’s figures should not be exceeded and that we should analyse how to reduce the arrival of visitors to the Balearics,” Minister for Tourism Iago Negueruela said this month. Although he denied that the government is planning to introduce a cap on tourism to control the number of visitors to the region, he said tourist numbers need to be ‘analysed month by month’.

“The islands have been under massive stress and we need to work on ways to ease the impact and prevent further increases in numbers during the peak months as much as possible.

“The Balearics are full for almost six months of the year and do not need more tourists or accommodation,” he added.

ONE of Spain's biggest fairs - the Ram fair - returns to Mallorca today and runs until April 16. Son Fusteret in Palma will once again play host to the attractions which are expected to bring in around 200,000 visitors over the coming weeks.

It's ranked as the country's third-largest fair behind Sevilla and Valencia, and boasts two new attractions this year.

The Rocket is not for the faint-hearted as you are suspended in the air by a harness attached to a 60-metre high tower.

A more gentle attraction is Magic Cut where you have to cut a rope to win a giant stuffed animal. The fair will have 170 booths, attractions and bars this year, with 70% of stallholders coming

Fun of the fair

from mainland Spain.

A bonus this year is that three days - yet to be announced - will have attraction sounds muted so that people with autism can enjoy the fair.

The rising cost of transporting everything to Son Fusteret along with general inflation means that prices have had to go up. Fair association spokesman, Bernardi Bisquerra, said: “Ambulances, security, insurance, electricity and other expenses have risen by over 30%.”

Opening hours between Monday and Thursday

will be 4.30 pm to 11.30 pm, with an extra 90 minutes tagged on Fridays. Saturday and Sunday opening will run from 11.00 am to 1.00 am.

NO GOLDEN BOY!

A BRITISH accountant who worked with high net worth clients in Mallorca could spark police to reopen an investigation into how the UK’s ‘Public Enemy No 1’ was easily able to escape and live in Spain for two years.

Kent Police are now studying a series of sensational tapes that explain how high profile killer Kenneth Noye was harboured by a leading expat timeshare figure, based in Spain.

Over 500 hours of recordings of businessman Mohamed ‘Mo’ Derbah reveal how Noye, 75, was flown to France, then Tenerife, and finally was landed on the coast near Cadiz, where he hid for 22 months.

Handed to police by UK accountant Paul Blanchard - who worked for Derbah and many clients with large companies in Mallorca - they explain how the former Brinks Mat robber evaded justice after

stabbing boxer Stephen Cameron to death on the M25 motorway, in Kent, in 1996. In a letter to Scotland Yard accompanying the tapes,

EXCLUSIVE

By Anthony Piovesan

Blanchard, a former expat based in Spain for years, pleads with police to ‘investigate and obtain justice for the family of Cameron’. Blanchard told the Olive Press Derbah had been introduced to Noye, through his connections to fellow criminal John ‘Goldfinger’ Palmer, who lived in Tenerife for many years.

“I am delighted that this cold case should now finally be re-examined,” he said from outside Scotland Yard, this week.

“What Derbah did to help Noye get away with murder is staggering.

“My statements and tapes prove how he used his worldwide contacts to harbour a dangerous criminal, who had already killed at least once before.”

Fled

Blanchard also reveals in a podcast how Derbah - who had many timeshare connections on the Costa del Sol - moved Noye around by private plane and boat immediately after he fled the UK.

Incredibly, Noye managed to evade police until he was finally located living in sleepy Atlanterra, near Zahara, on the Costa de la Luz, from where he was finally extradited two years later.

During his time in Andalucia, Noye, as told in BBC drama The

Gold, took on the identity of a builder called ‘Mick’ who was living in Cadiz to evade tax. He found a local girlfriend, Maria, who didn’t know his real identity, or of his wife and two sons, who occasionally visited him in Spain. Eventually, British cops found out and in July, 1998, two officers flew into Jerez and headed to Atlanterra, finally spotting Noye three days later en route to his gym. In a carefully orchestrated sting, alongside Spanish police, he was finally arrested as he had lunch with Maria in a restaurant in Zahara.

Blanchard’s audio tapes - which were recorded with an eye to ghosting an autobiography of Derbah’s - ‘prove he hid Noye in Spain’.

Noye was eventually tried and found guilty of the murder for which he received a life sentence. He was released in 2019 and has just launched a book on his life, written with investigative journalist Donal MacIntyre.

UK Metropolitan Police Commissioner Mike Rowley told the Olive Press they had received the new evidence and Kent Police ‘would investigate’.

“The investigation into Mr Cameron’s murder was led by Kent Police and we have replied to the letter advising that any related matters would be raised with that force.”

As we went to press Kent Police confirmed they had received ‘three cassette tapes’ handed in

as evidence, but told us: “We think this is a matter for the Spanish police.”

The podcast, Kenny Noye: The Lost Tapes, is available online. A Million Ways to Stay on the Run, by Donal MacIntyre is out now.

The case of a shocking UK murder by Gold character Kenneth Noye could be reopened as fresh evidence emerges

KILLER: Noye and road rage victim Stephen Cameron (below)

BUSY: Palma airport is set to be packed this summer

Fewer babies

SPAIN’s declining birth rate has hit a new historic low in 2022. Figures from the National Statistics Institute shows 329,812 babies were born last year, 7,011 fewer than the year before.

Boats stopped

ABOUT 20 immigrants have been intercepted off the waters of Cabrera. There were 13 people of North African origin in one vessel, and seven more in another.

Flight chaos

SOME 15 flights were delayed and another eight canceled at Son Sant Joan Airport due to intense fog on Wednesday morning. Other airports on the Balearic islands were also impacted.

Scam artists

A RISE in telephone scams where crooks claiming to be accountants call companies and urge employees to make transfers through bitcoin has triggered a stern warning by Policia Nacional.

A YOUNG Algerian man has been given a two-year suspended sentence for skippering a dinghy that brought five other people to Mallorca illegally.

The boat had no food, no life jackets, no flares and only three petrol cans on board stored dangerously close to the engine for the 38-hour journey in October.

The prosecution said the de-

ROGUE CAPTAIN

fendant had acted with ‘complete disregard for the lives of his fellow travellers’, who were each charged €1,500 for the life-threatening journey.

The defendant, who admitted to being part of a people trafficking gang, pleaded guilty to a

Paying the price

suspended sentence on the condition that he not return to the Balearic Islands for the next five years. The dinghy arrived at Cala Mondragó, in Santanyí, at noon on October 26, 2022 where the migrants were held by police.

GOTCHA

ONE of the UK’s Most Wanted criminals has been arrested trying to enter Morocco from Spain.

Nana Oppong, 42, was snared by Moroccan cops after a warning went out on Interpol.

Oppong had been wanted by Essex police over the drive-by shooting of 50-year-old grandfather Robert Powell in 2020.

He was arrested using false documents by officers from the DGSN –Morocco’s General Directorate for National Security.

Most Wanted snared trying to cross the Straits

By Anthony Piovesan

Oppong, who had been living in Spain for at least a year, remains in custody as extradition proceedings are underway. He was one of 13 criminals sought in a Crimestoppers Most Wanted appeal last year and would have

been included on another recent appeal a fortnight ago.

The final seven, still believed to be hiding in Spain, include heavily-tattooed and often armed Jack Mayle, 31, wanted on suspicion of drugs smuggling. Mayle, from London, had a tattooed

neck, a diamond tattoo under his left eye and 'Croydon' inked on his left forearm.

Others wanted for cocaine smuggling include Welshmen, Asim Naveed, 31, who is 6ft 2in tall, and Calvin Parris, 33, who has gold teeth.

John James Jones, 32, of Lancashire, is wanted for wounding with intent. He stayed at a hotel in Madrid the night after the stabbings, but left in a hurry the next morning.

Callum Michael Allan, 24, of South Shields, is wanted for 12 alleged offences, while Mark Francis Roberts, 29, of Liverpool, is wanted for alleged grievous bodily harm. Finally Alex Male, 30, of Westonsuper-Mare, is alleged to be a regional distributor of drugs across the south west of England. Email newsdesk@theolivepress.es if you have seen any of them.

A PAIR of armed thieves who netted just €300 from four same-day robberies have been jailed for 14 years each.

The men - who both had criminal records for similar crimes - struck in Santa Maria, Llubi, and Palma.

Judges heard that they stole a van in Muro on April 29, and the following morning threatened a female shop assistant at a tobacconist with a knife and gun.

She refused to hand over any money and they ran off when a customer entered the store. Half-an-hour later they held up a pharmacy in Santa Maria and produced the knife to demand money from two workers. They took the cash register containing €300 and fled. The men struck again in the afternoon, stealing an empty cash till from a Santa Maria tobacconist, before holding up a Palma supermarket at around 7pm. That robbery did not go as planned with one of the men arrested at the scene, with his colleague apprehended a few days later.

Totally smashed

A MAN has been arrested for smashing a glass bottle in a rival’s face when he refused to buy him a drink.

The victim arrived at a nightclub with a friend in Palma’s La Soledad district in the early hours and greeted his attacker, whom he already knew.

The assailant responded aggressively, demanding that the victim buy him a drink. When the victim refused, the assailant reacted by bottling him.

The suspect, a 42-year-old Moroccan national, escaped the scene but a witness spotted him at another nightclub and called police.

Carnival capers

FORGET Christmas and the three kings. They should by now be a fading memory in the face of Spain’s most hedonistic landmark on the calendar: Carnival.

Cadiz’s famous Carnival, the biggest and most prestigious in Spain - and one of the biggest in the world - is now in full swing and runs until February 26. For those wanting a more ‘Brazilian’ experience head to Tenerife . Spain’s second biggest Carnival is in Sitges, near Barcelona, while there are plenty of local events around Spain.

BRITISH BEEF

UK architectural legend Norman Foster courts controversy designing bullfighting poster

Beast of a movie

DIVERSE: Foster (right)

with wife Elena has designed the Gherkin and Sevilla poster

HE’S known for his revolutionary designs, including the Reichstag dome, the Hearst tower and the Gherkin in London. But despite being the world’s richest living architect, Norman Foster somehow found time to knock up a local bullfighting poster for Sevilla. Now,

HE miraculously escaped death when his siblings were buried alive.

Now, Bobi, a pure-bred mastiff, has been declared the oldest dog that ever lived. According to the Guinness World Records (GWR) he will be 31 in May.

His Portuguese owner, Leonel Costa, explained that his parents had decided they couldn’t afford more animals, so when a new litter was born they had dug a hole and dumped the unfortunate pups in it.

But they somehow missed Bobi, a Rafeiro do Alentejo

By Walter Finch

the British architect - behind a string of local buildings, including Madrid’s Torre Bankia and Barcelona’s Nou Camp redesign - has designed Sevilla bullring’s annual festival poster.

The architect will certainly lose credibility in the eyes of animal rights activists after he was commissioned by the Real Maestranza to promote its controversial season of ‘corridas’. His reputation is bound to take a wobble, like his infamous Millenium bridge, in London, that had to be shut and fixed at a cost of millions after it wobbled on opening. But the Pritzker-prize winner, who has a home in Madrid, is

Great escape

mastiff, who grew up in Leiria, between Lisbon and Porto.

By ‘tradition’ once a pup had opened its eyes burying was no longer an option. So when Leonel - then just eight - and his brother found Bobi hiding, they kept quiet until his eyes opened and he gained a reprieve.

The previous ‘oldest dog ever’ was an Australian cattle dog named Bluey who was born in 1910 and lived for 29 years and 5 months.

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unlikely to worry, being married to Spaniard Elena Ochoa, 64, for nearly three decades. Foster, 87, based the artwork on the striking red and yellow of the celebrated festival and on the minimalist architecture of the historic Plaza de la Maestranza.

Wild

It depicts a bull's head sat above the symbolic hide of a wild bull with the contours of the arena framing the imagery. Foster explained he took inspiration from ‘the symbolic’ features of the bullring, including the bullfighter's cape, the colours of the festival and a bull’s head adorning one of its doors.

See Time’s up?, page 6

THE movie As Bestas (The Beasts) was the big winner at the 37th Goya Awards, which took place in Sevilla.

The film, which follows a middle-aged French couple who encounter shocking violence after moving to a village in Galicia to be close to nature, won nine of the 17 categories for which it had been nominated.

These included Best Film, Best Director and Best Actor for Denis Menochet (inset).

Then came Cinco Lobitos (Lullaby), a story about motherhood, which won three awards: Best Actress for Laia Costa (above), Best Supporting Actress for Susi Sanchez, and Best New Director for Alauda Ruiz de Azua.

Jankto’s declaration

SPAIN has finally got an officially gay player. Getafe’s Jakub Jankto has become the first current La Liga player to say publicly that he's gay.

The 27-year-old Czech international is back in his native country playing on loan for Sparta Prague.

Jankto took to social media saying that ‘I want to live my life in freedom, without fear, without prejudice, without violence, but with love’.

He added: “I'm gay and I don't want to hide anymore.”

He is the highest-ranked European player to 'come out' with 45 international caps to his name.

Helping hand

MALLORCA council has launched an aid plan to help younger people looking to start an independent life away from their family home. A €1 million budget has been allocated to the Island Youth Service aimed at cutting the economic pressure on younger people, especially when it comes to renting or buying a property.

Residents aged between 18 and 34 years with a minimum annual income of €24,000 can apply for a grant, worth €100 per month over a year. Economic Promotion minister, Jaume Alzamora said: “This will lighten the burden for the younger population looking to start a personal life project.”

Emancipation

Alzamora stressed that high housing costs is one of the reasons for why so few younger people are leaving home.

"Only 16% of the total young population of emancipation age has actually done so and face continuous adversity in finding work now aggravated by inflation and excessive property costs,” he added. The minister said the aid aims to help with youth exclusion issues which are forcing younger residences to return to family homes.

IF it is good enough for Nicole Kidman, it should be good enough for you - as long as you have a spare €65 million.

The home where the Hollywood superstar stayed in Mallorca while she filmed Lioness for Paramount+ is for sale with the whopping price tag. Which is maybe why it remains unsold since it was put on the market last summer.

The Oscar winning actress’s home of choice while filming was an avant-garde property designed by Italian archi-

Loose change

tect Matteo Thun and located in Son Vida, one of the oldest neighbourhoods on the island known for its glamour and exclusivity. The actress is reported to have rented the opulent property for €120,000 for two weeks. Kidman has raved about her time in Mallorca, sharing many photos on her social media and writing she would soon be back.

PLANE CRAZY

OPULENT: Good enough for Nicole

CYBER MYSTERY

A twist in the case of Levi Davis missing in Barcelona has sparked renewed hopes he is still alive

By Nadia McDonald & Anthony Piovesan

been opened and read recently. The friend had written: ‘‘Please come home. I love you. And miss you xx”. Beneath the messages is ‘read’, showing someone has seen the

Balearic boost

ECONOMIC growth in the Balearic Islands last year was higher than predicted by the regional government.

Labour Minister, Iago Negueruela, said on Thursday that growth for 2022 is now estimated at 14.2%, compared to last summer's prediction of 13.3%.

That increase was down to the final quarter of year recording a rise of 5.5%.

Mallorca led the islands with 15.6% growth during 2022.

Service industries including hospitality and tourist related activities reported a 16.4% rise in activity across the Balearics.

pleading texts.

The new development means that someone has had access to Levi’s phone since the disappearance.

Gavin Burrows, the lead investigator told the Sun Online, ‘It’s either Levi himself – and we hope so – or it’s someone who has managed to get a hold of his PIN.’ Burrows’ firm, Line of Enquiry, has offered a €11,000 reward for information that might help in the search for Levi. Meanwhile, the firm also recently revealed that 38 contacts had mysteriously vanished from Levi’s Instagram page. The names and how they were deleted, or why, could provide information about Levi’s disappearance and whereabouts.

Levi was last seen leaving a pub in Barcelona on October 29. He

had travelled to the city from Ibiza, where he had been staying. He was picked up on CCTV leaving the Old Irish Pub near Barcelona’s La Rambla about 10pm, a few hours after taking a boat from Ibiza with just 40 euros and no change of clothes. The rugby player-turned-reality star performed on X Factor: Celebrity in 2019 with fellow rugby players Ben Foden and Thom Evans as part of the group Try Star.

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THE owners of Iberia and British Airways have been told they would be ‘plane’ crazy to buy Mallorca-based Air Europa, Spain’s third-largest airline. Instead, analysts at Barclays Bank advise them to forget takeover plans and let the company ‘fail and go under’.

The collapse of the airline would potentially see the loss of 6,000 jobs, including an unknown number at its Palma HQ.

The recommendation came in a report to the chiefs of International Airlines Group (IAG).

Debt

The report, which also slams IAG's ‘lack of strategic clarity’, might ruffle feathers among IAG executives for an acquisition that has been in the pipeline since 2019.

They are thought to view Air Europa as a wise purchase as part of a strategy to strengthen Iberia in the Madrid Barajas hub. But Barclay's report highlights Air Europa's ‘financial problems’ and warns that its high debt levels would send the massive airline group, which also owns Aer Lingus and Vueling, further into the red.

A MYSTERIOUS ‘read’ receipt on the phone of missing X-Factor star Levi Davis has sparked fresh hopes the 24-year-old could be found alive. A close friend of Levi’s told a private investigator hired by the family to search for him that a text sent on December 15 had

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A campaigning, community newspaper, the Olive Press represents the huge expatriate community in Spain with an estimated readership, including the websites, of more than two million people a month.

Voted top expat paper in Spain OPINION

Shame or glory

THE bullfighting season is getting into full swing again. And with it comes the annual debate of its rights and wrongs.

To the critics, it’s a shameful blood sport, bringing pain and suffering to innocent animals, while to its aficionados, it’s a glorious cultural symbol, a bridge to our past and almost unique to the world.

Nowhere has this debate raged more than in Mallorca, where it has been a hot topic in politics for many years. Indeed the sport was effectively banned on the island back in 2017. The Baleraes introduced a law that made it illegal to mistreat, injure or kill cattle and declared a maximum of three bulls per show.

It also declared that bulls could not be in the ring for more than 10 minutes each.

All three tenets were later declared unconstitutional in Spain’s Supreme Court, with far-right party Vox hailing the reintroduction of corridas to Mallorca as ‘returning freedoms lost’.

Since then protests against bullfighting on the island have been regular, and the arguments for and against continue.

Whichever side of the debate you fall on (and we know most of you are anti’s), there is little doubt the world of the corrida is very much part of the fabric of Spain’s identity.

Some of the country’s most impressive architecture is embodied in the magnificent bull rings, most dating back hundreds of years.

Through the centuries dashing matadors - and often their female admirers - have featured in the art and literature of Spanish culture.

Even the posters for bullfighters are iconic works of art, with even British architect Lord Norman Foster now designing them.

But the question is: Does the corrida belong in the past or does it have a future?

While we don’t demand its end, we don’t expect it to last.

PUBLISHER / EDITOR

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TIME’S UP?

IT’S been a bad few years for bullfighting, that most Spanish of spectacles. Arenas closed for long periods due to the Covid-19 pandemic, several small plazas de toros ceased activity for good, and Spain’s younger generation grew ever more vocal on the subject of animal rights. As the bullfighting season gets under way, is it fair to say that the future looks uncertain for the sport?

In the Spanish government’s last survey of cultural practices, published in 2019, just 8% of the population had attended an encierro (or running of the bulls) or a bullfight within the previous year.

But though interest in small local events seems to be dwindling, an opportunity to see the great stars of bullfighting live in the ring still generates plenty of excitement. Tickets to see famed matador Jose Tomas (below right) in Alicante recently sold out in half an hour, with resale tickets reaching prices of over €1,000.

Some involved in the sport agree that bullfighting has to change from its current form in order to survive the decades to come. The potential for it to adapt and develop is limited by the fact bullfighting is the focus of a major culture war issue in Spain, polarising both sides and

leaving little room for discussion.

For many, the debate is about how they see themselves: traditional Spanish or modern European.

Far right party Vox has used bullfighting as a political tool, making the protection of cultural activity part of its political message. Meanwhile the government has shown reluctance in pushing for prohibition, while at the same time not actively promoting it.

Notably, bullfighting was not initially included among the options when €400 culture passes were given

vouchers can be used for corridas after all, following an appeal by the Fundacion del Toro de Lidia.

It has also become a political football for separatist regions: Catalunya banned bullfighting, but the Spanish Constitutional Court declared the move illegal.

Taliban

Showing the distance between the two sides, in an open letter, the President of the Fighting Bulls Association, Victorino Martin, compared the Mayor of Gijon, Ana Gonzalez, to the Taliban due to her position on toros

The political element of the debate at times overshadows the issue of animal rights. Some of those who defend the fact that bulls are killed in fights, point out that Spain’s meat industry kills vast volumes of animals daily for a population with the highest meat consumption in Europe. The sticky issue is cruelty. If bullfighting is to survive the 21st century, the obvious route would be to reduce the pain inflicted on the animals, but hardline supporters of the mise in order to keep their passion alive.

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It’s brutal and bloody – and that’s just the political debate. Can, and should, bullfighting change to survive, asks Kimberley Mannion

Mallorca tried

TALIBAN: Accusation thrown by Victorino Martin at Mayor Ana Gonzalez

SPECTACLE: Star names like Jose Tomas (pictured right) still pull in the crowds

to ban corridas in which bulls would suffer, but the Spanish Constitutional Court, rejected the motion, ruling: “Such a degree of divergence from the traditional use makes it impossible to recognise the core characteristics of the bullfight that the State has protected”.

If events in which the animals, spectacle and pageantry cannot be enjoyed without cruelty to animals and bulls being killed, the bullfighting industry is likely to struggle for survival.

Big toros supporters who do not want to see the tradition modernised say it’s the business model of the industry that should evolve, rather than the practice itself.

As bullfighting relies heavily on public money and contributions, one option would be to move to a more commercialised system supported by the box office sales.

the total anti-bullfighting narrative now commonplace among young people. Zumbiehl did suggest making changes to traditional fights, but not to minimise animal cruelty.

Rather, he would make it more exciting for the audience by speeding up the event, eliminating break times, ‘making it less predictable’.

For those who want to protect the tradition, better organisation is needed. Groups coordinate and present a unified message to defend bullfighting.

However, it will take a lot of campaigning to change the minds of a younger generation which is largely opposed.

Charges

Without making changes to traditional bullfighting so that animals are not killed and the fights are less bloody, it is hard to imagine crowds of thousands continuing to fill bullrings for much longer.

Send your views to newsdesk@ theolivepress.es

up their capes

INSIDE TRACK

WE know what you need to know. Since the Olive Press was founded in 2006 we have striven to give you not just the latest local news, but to keep you informed on the most important developments that might affect your daily life in Spain. Whether that be about TIE cards, nomad visas or pan - demic rules, we have consistently been the first and, certainly, most trusted source of reliable information in English.

And one online story at the weekend clearly demonstrates that.

Our article on the new tourist visa tax (if you missed it online you can read it in Food, drink and travel) has had a massive 338,000 page views in just three days.

The news that non-EU citizens will be charged €7 to enter Europe was obviously hugely important to our readers and the millions of tourists who visit Spain each year.

And this is not a one off.

Our team of experts provide authoritative information on every key legal, business and cultural development related to life in Spain every week, indeed every day.

Our website has dozens of stories every day that matter to you. We already have over 30,000 subscribers, thousands of them paying a small, but excellent value fee to keep our dozens of journalists, writers and specialists.

Can you afford not to be one of them? Do you really want to rely on unsourced and unchecked stories from untrained writers who work for socalled ‘news’ websites that simply steal stories and run council press releases word for word? News, investigations, authoritative analysis, culture features (such as the debate on bullfighting on these pages), explainers, warnings, reviews, interviews, well researched travel features, and even opinions. Strong ones.

Whatever you are interested in about your life in Spain, we have it covered.

Visit www.theolivepress.es today and sign up for as little as 15 cents a day!

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

1- Spain wakes up to threat the EU’s new ETIAS tourist tax poses to its British tourism

2- Sharp and shoddy practices land dozens of foreign villa buyers millions out of pocket as Costa del Sol developer collapses

3- New study: Increased diabetes risk for people previously hit with Covid-19

4- A little Gaudi glory: Discover the house that was the first designed by the Catalan architect

5- Three youngsters in Spain found guilty of the biggest fraud ever against amazon in Europe

PROTEST: Demonstrators (above) want matadors to hang

BLOODLESS: Is this the future of bullfighting?

GREEN BOOST

Mercadona spending millions on rooftop solar

THE Mercadona supermarket chain is to spend €60 million on installing solar roof panels at its stores in Spain this year.

Renewable energy currently powers up 114 of the firm’s shops along with nine logistics blocks and an online warehouse site, plus newly opened offices in Albalat dels Sorells in Valencia province.

The company aims to have 350 stores solar-equipped by the end of 2023 with a target to complete the programme in all of its 850 outlets and logistics centres within three years.

Solar energy allows each store to save 20% of its annual power consumption and cuts 30 tons of CO2 emissions per annum.

Overall power usage saved at the end of this year would be the annual equivalent of conventionally powering-up 124 supermarkets - with that equivalent rising to 300 shops by 2027.

Mercadona invested €14 million last year in panel instal-

PAID TO PEDAL

PLANS are being discussed to give commuters who cycle to work a financial incentive.

Several European countries already reward cyclists for their commutes to work, with the Netherlands paying out 21 cents per kilometre cycled. In France people who give up four wheels for two can ‘earn’ up to €800 a year. The government is looking at introducing a similar scheme in Spain.

By Alex Trelinski Lagoon’s

lations which reduced CO2 emissions by 3,000 tons. This move can be seen as a boost to advocates of rooftop and brown field solar installations.

Critics of plans for mega solar farms covering thousands of hectares of virgin countryside in Valencia and Andalucia have called for them to be toned down in favour of alternative installations.

In a blow to campaigners, a proposal for a 100-hectare solar plant to be developed in Ronda, Cañete La Real and Cuevas del Becerro has been given the tick of approval by the Junta de Andalucia. At first the project was rejected, but Cobra, which is

behind the plans, revised the proposal so that overhead power lines be buried instead to ‘reduce the visual impact of the plant’. It would be located in Majadas de San Antonio and have a power output of 500 wattpeak (wp).

loss

SPAIN'S government says that €54 million of European money allocated in 2019 to fight pollution in the Mar Menor lagoon was switched elsewhere. The admission came in a statement from the Ministry for Ecological Transition after Murcia's president, Fernando Lopez Miras, said the money had been 'lost' and 'diverted'.

Instead of spending the money elsewhere in the Mar Menor when plans for a ‘zero discharge’ collector were abandoned, the money was used to improving drinking water supplies in Sevilla.

When politics take over, inaction follows

TAX IS GOOD FOR YOU!

NOBODY likes paying tax, including yours truly.

That said, tax is vital when it comes to winning the fight for climate change.

With a few notable exceptions (Biden’s massive investment in the USA) the reason most countries are failing to hit the targets they agreed to is very simple… lack of money

Herein lies the problem.

Governments are under pressure to cut taxes...

COLUMNISTS

the cost of living is rising quicker than wages, energy costs are through the roof due in part to Russia’s unwarranted invasion of Ukraine, and families and businesses are feeling the pinch.

Leading UK economist, Lord Nicholas Stern, has said that higher taxes will be needed if the UK is to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.

He rightly states that both public and private investment in new technologies is needed.

Let’s look at both.

Private investment should not be the issue. There is a good long term return on investment. The major petroleum companies and energy providers have all posted record breaking and obscene profits. They should be forced to invest heavily in new renewable projects.

Public investment is the major challenge. Politics take over, inaction follows.

Governments need to subsidise investment in new technologies and that money is typically financed by tax revenue or borrowing. Hence the need for us to pay more tax.

The Spanish and UK governments have not taken the opportunity to hit the exceptional profits of banks, energy providers, petrol companies etc with windfall taxes.

So, it will come down to you and I. Brace yourself...it will come.

PAY UP: Higher taxes needed to reach net-zero

As developed countries scramble for what has come to be known as ‘energy security’, environmental concerns have dropped down the priority list of policymakers’ minds.

Governments are doing exactly what the majority of people do. The emphasis is on inflation, the economy and public services.

A recent survey by pollsters Ipsos confirmed just that. People surveyed all professed to be concerned about the environment but were much less enthusiastic about funding change. Is there a credible option?

LOOK WHO’S TALKING

JUST when you thought it was safe to go back to the last pages of the Olive Press. I’m back.

A combination of pre and post Festive season and New Year commitments and celebrations, plus yet another birthday in mid-January, meant that I had no time to put the proverbial pen to paper – or badly manicured fingers to keyboard. Then there is the ongoing Kafkaesque saga of my struggle with bureaucracy.

I will spare you the labyrinthine and sometimes the wrong side of lucid details. But I will say this. You know those missing person situations, where highly trained mountain rescue teams spend days scouring remote peaks for stranded climbers?

I have a way of saving on both man-

Just when you thought it was safe, Giles Brown makes his new year return to the Olive Press

power and time. Just give the details of who has gone missing to the funcionarios at Hacienda

They will be able to find you in seconds.

You could be in a hut on a tributary in the depths of the Amazon, the first European to make contact with the indigenous tribes, when you would hear the sound of a canoe approaching, delivering the aforementioned Hacienda letter…

I tried to circumvent the fact that I am now well and truly in my mid-fifties by informing anyone who asked that I was now the same age as the speed limit in the US. (55, in case you didn’t know).

But my age drops to 30 in urban zones, obviously. Leaving Marbella at 2.30am after my celebrations, I ran straight into an alcohol checkpoint.

Noticing my accent, the officer immediately whipped out the breathalyser and politely asked me to blow into it. The poor man obviously was not to know that these days coffee is the only thing that I drink, and so waved me on.

Glancing in the rear view mirror, I am sure that I saw him shaking his head and banging the breathalyser as I drove away in disbelief ‘English? In Marbella? At 2am? And under the limit???’

Green Matters By Martin Tye

TOUGH TIMES: Warning from Lord Stern

Pic Credit: FLICKR Brookings Institution

PUZZLE: The tee-total Englishman in Marbella?

PARADISE ISLAND

Real estate agent Alby Euesden is originally from the UK but has called Mallorca home for the past 24 years, and now he’s taken on a new role to help attract other people to the Balearic island. Named the new managing partner of The Agency, a new real estate office in Mallorca, the Olive Press sat down with Euesden and asked him why he thinks the island is such a paradise

QWHAT IS THE APPEAL OF LIVING IN MALLORCA?

I moved to Mallorca at the age of four and I’ve lived here for 24 years so I’ve seen the island evolve in that time. It’s not the same island I moved to. The level of education for international students has increased dramatically and is a huge factor for foreign buyers.

The quality of gastronomy has also increased substantially. The number of Michelin-starred

restaurants on the island goes up each year.

Infrastructure is also another important factor. Mallorca has great roads, connections and our clients frequently travel to and from the mainland.

The quality of life and every aspect of Spain’s rich culture are just more reasons why Mallorca is a great place to live.

WHAT’S YOUR FAVOURITE PART OF THE ISLAND?

Palma and southwest, it’s so connected and international. The coast is beautiful and the overall

GAME CHANGER

A US estate agency that features on international television is making an exciting move to the Balearic Islands

AREAL estate agency that has been featured on international television programs including Netflix’s Buying Beverly Hills, Bravo’s The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills and Million Dollar Listing Los Angeles is launching in Mallorca.

The Agency was founded by Mauricio Umansky, who some fans of American TV network Bravo will recognize from the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills as the husband of long time cast member Kyle Richards.

The Agency also made

lifestyle is ideal near to beaches, golf and great restaurants.

WHAT’S A SECRET SPOT FOR A BIT OF PEACE AND QUIET?

I actually love to sit by myself in Cappuccino in Port Portals and watch the world go by, however sauna for me is peace and quiet.

WHERE IS THE BEST PLACE TO EAT?

The Notary.

WHAT’S THE MOST INTERESTING HISTORICAL BUILDING OR FACT?

The Cathedral has got to be the most historical building.

WHERE DO YOU LIKE TO GO FOR YOUR HOLIDAYS TO GET AWAY?

Mallorca is very connected so I take advantage of the great connections to the rest of Europe

WHERE DO YOU LIVE? ARE YOU MARRIED?

Centre of Palma, close to the vi-

brant Santa Catalina and walking distance from the Port of Palma and Paseo Maritimo. I am single.

HOW DID YOU COME TO ACCEPT THE ROLE AS MANAGING PARTNER FOR THE AGENCY’S NEW OFFICE IN MALLORCA?

While out and about in June last year I kept picking up the American accent more and more. I was hearing it more in cafes and out on the streets and so I reached out directly to The Agency’s founder Mauricio Umansky to ask about the potential of being a collaborating partner. He literally came back to me within three or four minutes saying ‘it’s spooky that you’ve reached out because we’ve been thinking about expanding into Europe and Spain’ and so we scheduled a Zoom meeting and had a chat about it.

WHY DO YOU THINK MORE AMERICANS ARE VISITING AND BUYING PROPERTY IN MALLORCA?

an appearance on Buying Beverly Hills, which debuted on Netflix in November of last year. The Mallorca office will be led by industry veteran and managing partner, Alby Euesden.

Euesden was born in Essex but moved to Mallorca at the age of four. With a wide range of experience with real estate on the Balearic Island, specializing in properties in the coveted southwest region, particularly Bendinat.

“I am delighted to expand The Agency’s brand throughout Europe with our first office in Mallorca,” he said.

“With its rich culture and history, great climate, and scenic coastlines, I am honored to help bring The Agency’s white glove service and world-class brand to this unparalleled destination.”

The Mallorca office will be The Agency’s third office in Europe and joins the brokerage’s global

network of more than 70 offices in the U.S, Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Europe.

“We’re thrilled to expand our presence overseas in Europe with the launch of our new franchise in Mallorca,” said Mauricio Umansky.

The Financial Times noted The Agency as one of America’s fastest growing companies and ranked among Inc Magazine’s 5000’s list of fastest growing private companies in the country for six consecutive years.

Recently, the brokerage ranked 21st on the 2022 Real Trends 500 list and led the top 50 firms in average sales prices by sides with a $2.5 million average sales price.

I started noticing an increase in buying early in the summer last year.

The direct flight between New York and Mallorca just started last year and that has brought many Americans over. It’s also paired with this fascination Americans have with Europe and its rich history and culture. The greater flight connections to and from Mallorca has made the island a gateway to the rest of Europe. From Mallorca you can fly to almost anywhere in Europe.

The Balearics are also getting a lot of exposure in the States - it’s being marketed fantastically well.

THE TEAM: (from left) Sales Director Trevor Panton, Sales Agent Dustin Shanks, Vice President of Europe Expansion John Thorpe, Managing Partner Mallorca Alby Euesden and Marketing Manager Danielle Andrews

LA CULTURA

Art & Nature Cult religion

TRAVEL magazine National Geographic has included art-lovers paradise Genalguacil as one of the most ‘curious’ in Spain.

The town, perched above the Genal River Valley on the northern slopes of Sierra Bermeja in Malaga, is a small town, with just 500 inhabitants, yet teeming in artistic wealth.

It is considered an outdoor museum and is home to dozens of works by contemporary artists from all corners of the planet.

The town’s commitment to contemporary art, fused with its Arab heritage, cobblestone streets, secluded squares and colourful balconies adorned

COUGH UP!

Netflix users will no longer be able to share their passwords with friends and family

THE days of sharing your Netflix account with friends and family outside your own household are over in Spain. The streaming giant has just launched new restrictions that will mean that members will be much more strictly controlled when it comes to using

“Today, over 100 million households are sharing ac-

By Simon Hunter

counts – impacting our ability to invest in great new TV and films,” explained the company’s product innovation director, Chengyi Long. “So over the last year, we’ve been exploring different approaches to address this issue in Latin America, and we’re now ready to roll

VALENCIA is putting together the finishing touches to preparations for the annual Fallas celebrations which start on WednesSpecial street lighting is being erected around the city centre ahead of the festival which will run until March 19 - the day which celebrates Valencia’s patron saint, San Jose. originated from an old carpenter’s tradition which saw old pieces of wood burnt on March 19 to celebrate the start of Spring. The wood was used to prop up house and workshop lights during the winter.

them out more broadly in the coming months.’

The result is a new system that means people who want to see shows like Marilyn, starring Ana de Armas, will have to pay up in Spain, Canada, New Zea-

Fallas countdown

The traditional pre-Fallas curtain-raiser takes place this Sunday with a firework display at Serrano Towers.

The daily Mascleta show starts on March 1 at 2pm in the Plaza del Ayuntamiento.

A Masclet gives off a far-bigger bang than traditional firecrackers and they literally vibrate underneath the feet of spectators.

For those of a less-nervous disposition, one of the Fallas highlights will be the huge ‘ninot’ statues that were burnt in carpenters bonfires, with many of them being caricatures of celebrities and politicians.

land and Portugal if they are outside the primary account’s household.

Users will now be obliged to set a primary location. Anyone in that household will be able to use the account. Other users can transfer their profile to a new account, meaning they won’t lose their viewing history, watch list or personalised recommendations.

Option

Users will still be able to access their account when they are travelling, as well as having the option to add extra members for people they don’t live with. This option will cost €5.99 a month per profile in Spain. This will, however, only be available for those with a standard plan (one extra member) or premium plan (two extra members).

A SANCTUARY dedicated to the ancient god Mithras has been uncovered by archaeologists excavating at the Villa del Mitra in Cabra, near Cordoba.

Archaeologists uncovered a rectangular sanctuary measuring 7.2 by 2.5 metres, which, according to the archaeologists, is standard for the cult religion.

It has a narrow entrance that descends several steps leading into the sanctuary that has two flanking stone benches. The archaeological team suggest these would have been used by worshipers to perform rituals and hold feasts in honour of Mithras. The walls have fragments of Roman bricks, with some niches, which would have likely held sculptures.

Furthermore, a dark burnt layer covers the floor, which upon a closer examination has revealed fragmented remains of pigs, birds, and rabbits, indicative of the kind of cooking done during the ritual banquets.

STAR ATTRACTION: Ana de Armas in Marilyn

A BETTER WAY TO PAY

INTERNATIONAL currency transfer provider Currencies Direct have been helping people move money to and from Spain since 1996.

Over the years they’ve built a reputation for offering great exchange rates, no transfer fees and exceptional customer service. With them, customers have the ability to arrange transfers online, via the app, over the phone with their dedicated Account Manager or in-person at one of their 20+ branches across Spain.

However, soon customers will also be able to top up their GBP, EUR, AUD or USD currency wallets and use the Currencies Direct multi-currency debit card to spend in over 200 countries, without monthly card fees or hassle.

The card can be used to withdraw funds from ATMs, while instant in-app notifications will help users keep track of their spending overseas.

The multi-currency debit card is due to be released this Spring, and Currencies Direct can’t wait to introduce this new service to their customers.

As stated by Currencies Direct Head of

The Currencies Direct multi-currency debit card

Product Hardik Shah: ‘The launch of our multi-currency debit card marks a new chapter for our business and our customers, and we couldn’t be more excited about it. The card we’ve developed is the result of both extensive research and development, and a genuine understanding of our customers’ needs.’

More information about the Currencies Direct multi-currency debit card can be found on their website.

Transferring currency to or from Spain? Make your money go further

If you’re buying or selling a Spanish property, transferring a pension or wages or moving money to cover living costs, you’ll want to get the best possible return.

Currencies Direct have been helping individuals and businesses save time and money since 1996 with excellent exchange rates and no transfer fees.

Get a quote now to find out how much you could save.

With a team of over 550 currency experts and 20+ branches across Spain, Currencies Direct are never far away when you need them.

They’ll keep you up to date with the latest market movements so you can pick the right time to move your money. They also offer a range of specialist services that can be tailored to your individual requirements.

Fix a rate in advance – if you’re buying or selling a Spanish property and are concerned the exchange rate could weaken you can use a forward contract to fix the rate in advance of making your transfer. While you would miss out if the market strengthened you’d be protected from any negative shifts.

Target an exchange rate – if you have

a particular exchange rate in mind you can target it with a limit order. Simply set the rate you want to achieve, and your transfer will be triggered automatically if the market moves to that level. You can also use rate alerts to notify you when exchange rates hit target levels.

24/7 transfers – you can use the Currencies Direct online service and app to check live exchange rates and arrange transfers 24/7, keeping you in control. Your personal Account Manager will also be on hand if you want to discuss your requirements over the phone or face to face.

Buy currency in advance – with a Currencies Direct account you can buy currency when the exchange rate is in your favour and hold it in your digital currency wallet until you need it.

If you have a currency requirement coming up, get a quote now or reach out to the Currencies Direct team and quote Olive Press

Mastercard is a registered trademark and the circles design is a trademark of Mastercard International Incorporated. Cards provided to EEA residents are issued by Transact Payments Malta Limited and cards provided to UK residents are issued by Transact Payments Limited pursuant to licences by Mastercard International. Transact Payments Malta Limited is duly authorised and regulated by the Malta Financial Services Authority as a Financial Institution under the Financial Institution Act 1994. Registration number C 91879. Transact Payments Limited is authorised and regulated by the Gibraltar Financial Services Commission. Electronic money is issued by Currencies Direct Ltd which is authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority as an Electronic Money Institution under the Electronic Money Regulations 2011 (FRN: 900669).

LA CULTURA

FULL GLORY!

Street Parties and colourful costumes flood the streets

IT’S back in its full glory!

2023 welcomed the return of the Sa Rua carnival for the first time without restrictions since the pandemic.

This year’s festivities were set to be extremely popular and they did not disappoint. Carnivals took place across the island with various municipalities dishing out a range of prizes and awards with the biggest one taking place in Palma. The carnival is celebrated as a precursor to Semana Santa and Lent and sees the streets be-

OP QUICK CROSSWORD

By Nadia McDonald

come awash with dazzling costumes, twirling dancers and parades of people.

In 2020 the Palma City Hall decided to introduce a separate day to the festivities in the week preceding Sa Rua - Sa Rueta, a similarly joyous affair, is aimed at families and children.

This year saw the second ever instalment of Sa Rueta with families flocking to the streets between 11am and 2pm to make the most of the 31 activities and installations on Children enjoyed climbing walls, circuses, animated characters, theatres, popular games, face painting, musical entertainment, clowns and storytellers.

Then Sunday saw the Sa Rua carnival take place at 5pm and play host to thousands of participants including numerous floats and dance troupes. Four prizes were awarded for the most imaginative floats with another four for dance troupes; the categories included most original, demanding, elaborate and liveliest.

The prizes were €450 and €200 respectively and aimed to particularly recognise those that encapsulated the ‘ironic and satirical nature of the carnival’.

Key elements to every Mallorquin and Catalan carnival are the distinctive papier-mâché ‘Giants’ and ‘Big heads’ (Gegants i Capgrossos), a tradition that has a long and twisted history. According to the Catalan Costumari the first known presence of these processional giants were biblical depictions dating back to 1380 in Barcelona. In Mallorca the first reference to a pair of Giants is thought to have been in 1630.

Banned

2

3

The participation of festival giants in religious ceremonies was banned by Charles III in 1780, considering them grotesque and too far removed from their religious characters. Records suggest the religious giants owned by Palma City Council were then guarded in a church.

As time went on the giants began to depict popular figures such as council members, city founders and key players in the region’s history.

17

18 Type of grace, perhaps? (7)

21 Car he adapted to sail across the wind (5)

22 Single things (5)

25 Additional (4)

All solutions are on page 14

During the Franco regime the Gegants and Capgrossos practically disappeared, the representation of popular heroes was seen as a ‘pagan’ practice and to avoid enraging the regime, the giants adopted the characters of the Catholic Kings.

With the arrival of democracy, the processional giants readopted their local identities, marking a new era for the Gegants and a guaranteed survival of this tradition.

PIC CREDIT: Ajuntament de Palma

It’s a bust

THE state of the economy in the wake of the Ukraine war and the post-pandemic period contributed to the highest number of Spanish companies folding in 2022 for 27 years.

The National Institute of Statistics (INE) says that 26,207 firms closed their doors last year - 10.1% more than in 2021, and the highest figure since 1995. Most of the dissolutions were voluntary, with 2,997 businesses disappearing via mergers and 2,494 for other reasons.

The largest number of closures were in Madrid (8,842), Andalucia (3,988) and Valencia (2,177), while at the other end of the scale, Navarra saw just 91 dissolutions.

Costly cock-up

A PAIR of company numbskulls who ordered 31 new trains for the Asturias to Cantabria rail line have been sacked after the rolling stock was too big to fit its tunnels.

Rail operator Renfe said its rolling stock manager had been dismissed while track infrastructure company, Adif, also fired its technology inspector. Transport Minister, Raquel Sanchez, insisted the trainscosting €258 million - were still in the design phase, which will cut the extra expenditure to revamp the design.

Booming banks

Profits soar and shareholders cash in at Spain’s ‘Big Six’

SPAIN'S biggest banksSantander, BBVA, CaixaBank, Sabadell, Unicaja Banco and Bankinterclocked up record profits in 2022 according to a survey from the Noevantas consultancy.

They made an accumulated total of €7.5 billion - a whopping 38.5% year-onyear increase.

Neovantas said the profit rise came from an increase in net interest income, with 12.2% more in

By Alex Trelinski

the year-on-year rate, due to interest rate increases. Fees also increased by 6.1%, while operating expenses were reduced by 10.2% due to structural adjustments like branch closures that the banks continued to make in 2022.

The profit rise will mean a dividend bonanza for shareholders over the

CYBERCRIME is now account ing for 20% of reported of fences in Spain according to Interior Minister, Fernando Grande-Marlaska. He said there were over 375,000 cybercrimes last year - up by 72% on 2019 and a 352% increase on the 2015 total.

A media awareness campaign has been

Wage increase

THE Spanish government has decided to increase the minimum wage by 8% for 2023.

The raise will mean about 2.5 million low/salary workers will receive €1,080 gross per month in 14 payments installations.

Labour minister Yolanda Diaz said the increase ‘is not just another piece of information’ but ‘makes it possible to change people’s lives’. The increase will be applied retroactively from January 1.

PROTEST: BBVA employees demonstrated against layoffs; two years later the bank has posted massive profits

coming months. BBVA will distribute a dividend equivalent to €0.50 per share, which represents a pay-out of 47%, while Sabadell announced

Online criminals

launched with the first phase featuring a TV advert warning about the need to take security measures when going online. The second phase will focus on posting interviews and warnings from experts on social media platforms.

a new increase in the payout from 31.8% to 50%.

Neovantas believes the banks face an uncertain 2023 due to temporary windfall taxes such as the tax on banks and mortgage relief measures.

Jobs

It expects delinquency to rise and reach levels above 5%, since the last available figure of 3.68% recorded in November 2022. The news comes two years after a total of 19,000 bank employees lost their jobs, almost all through state-approved ERE layoffs, meant for companies struggling financially.

Pricey dinners

FOOD inflation in Spain stayed at over 15% in January despite an IVA tax cut on some basic products.

The National Institute of Statistics(INE) reported an inflation rate of 15.4% for food and non-alcoholic drinks, compared to 15.7% in December.

Overall the inflation rate for January was 5.9% - higher than initially forecast by the INE and 0.2% up on the previous month.

As expected, the rise was largely down to the end of the 20 cents per litre fuel subsidy. Diesel went up by 13.8% and gasoline by 1.3%, while electricity prices fell by 17.5%.

Discover five of the most unusual - and incredible - homes in Spain, with Dilip Kuner

HOW DO THEY DO THAT?

1. HOUSE ON THE CLIFF

Location: Salobreña, Granada

Project architects: Bartolome Gil Arquitectos

Featured on the BBC’s World’s Most Extraordinary homes, the House on the Cliff is built into a cliff face with a 42 degree slope. Every room has superb sea views with the architects making the most of the location for this family home overlooking the Mediterranean.

2. HOUSE IN NEVER NEVER LAND

3. THE HOUSE OF THREE SISTERS

BUILT into cliff faces, perched on plateaus and hidden in woods, each of these properties posed its own challenges to the architects involved in their creation.

After the BBC included two homes in Spain in a series on extraordinary properties, the Olive Press takes a look at some other unusual homes found in Spain, and the solutions their designers came up with to meet the needs of their clients.

4. HOUSE HEMERCOSCOPIUM

Location: Madrid

Project architects: Ensamble Studio

Another property featured on the show is this stunning creation of concrete and glass. The architects made full use of a U-shaped beam to ‘hang’ the house from, with its interior filled with water to create an unusual first-floor swimming pool. The weight of the beam and water are somehow counterbalanced by a massive rock.

EXTRAORDINARY: The whole home is counterbalanced by this rock

PIC CREDIT Andres Jaque Architects

Location: Ibiza

Architect: Andre Jacques

THIS project has paid the greatest attention to minimising its impact on the natural environment. Despite the wooded plot, no trees were felled and the house was raised to avoid damaging the soil substructure and animal habitats. This was taken to such lengths that trees actually grow through the structure of the home.

OP Puzzle solutions

Quick Crossword

Across: 1 Amused, 5 Both, 7 Akela, 9 Hermit, 10 Rips, 11 Algae, 12 Wept, 13 Doze, 14 Orange, 16 Stem, 17 Scar, 19 Cradle, 20 Frau, 23 Neat, 24 Nahum, 26 Taxi, 27 Obtain, 28 Taper, 29 Thus, 30 Ensign

Down: 2 Mae West, 3 Symptom, 4 Data, 5 Bared, 6 Topaz, 8 Engaged, 15 Airship, 17 Senates, 18 Amazing, 21 Reach, 22 Units, 25 More

Location: Bullas, Murcia

Project architects: Blancafort-Reus Arquitectura

Set in a desert-like landscape, the House of Three Sisters (named after the siblings who had it built as a holiday home) is designed to change over time. The architects say: “Sun and precipitation will change the colour of the wood, and on the facades there are signs of life growing on this building.”

Location: Matarranya, Teruel

Project architects: KGDVS

It could also be called the Round House, as it offers 360-degree panoramic views from a pla- teau setting that overlooks woo- ded wilderness. It is designed in a modular fashion with units ac- cessed from the 1,000m2 inte- rior patio complete with a pool carved into the rock. Modules can be shifted to alter living space. It is intended to make re- sidents feel alone in the woods as part of a small project of uni- que homes set in 100 hectares.

THE SOLO HOUSE

5.

No surprise

SAVOURY snacks have been given an unsurprising thumbs-down for harming health in a study conducted by Spain's OCU consumer group. It analysed 202 snack products and classified 80% of them as unhealthy or very unhealthy, including those promoted as containing less fat. Though tempting for everybody of all ages, stuff like nachos, crisps, and cones are all highly processed with ingredients that can cause health issues if eaten frequently.

CHILD’S BEST FRIEND

A FRIENDLY pooch can give a huge boost to children with mental health issues, a new study has found. Some 23 youngsters aged under 13 from the Day Hospital at the Hospital Clin-

Dog therapy a big hit at Spanish hospital

By Alex Trelinski

ic de Barcelona took part in sessions over two years assisted by professionals from the Centre for Assisted

Therapies with Dogs (CTAC).

The children were either autistic, had behavioural disorders, or suffered from excess anxiety.

Mental

Diabetes risk

PEOPLE who have been infected with Covid-19 could be at increased risk of diabetes, according to a new study.

Doctors at Cedars-Sinai Medical Centre in Los Angeles analysed the medical records of 23,709 adult patients who had at least one documented Covid-19 infection between 2020-2022.

When the researchers distinguished between those who had been vaccinated against those who weren’t, they found that the vaccinated had almost no increased risk of diabetes after Covid-19, but the un-

vaccinated had a nearly 80% higher chance of a new diabetes diagnosis.

Researchers said the difference was not statistically significant and more data is needed.

health nurse Elias Guillen said: “We discovered that 75% of emotional incidents with the children were on days where there was no dog therapy.” Sessions were carried out weekly with 45 minutes allocated to each patient.

“On the days that the dogs visited, there was a different atmosphere, which allowed us to assess the children far more easily,” added Guillen.

Youth

The hospital’s head of youth psychiatry, Dr Astrid Morer, said: “It is incredible how the children face situations like an examination with a dog, which they would not have done without forming an affectionate bond with the animal.”

The CTAC selects the dogs that are put through their paces to see if they would be suitable for therapeutic tasks.

All kinds of breeds ranging from large to small were used in the Barcelona study, which was supported by ‘La Caixa’ Foundation and animal food manufacturer Purina.

O P LIVE RESS The

Fun and games

A SEX shop in Sevilla celebrated Valentine’s week by holding a series of treasure hunts in city parks, with the prizes of erotic sex toys hidden away.

Nick(er)ed

A MAN who used underwear as a mask during three knifepoint robberies has been arrested in Manises (Valencia) after police recognised him from descriptions.

Bees knees

THE Smart Green Bees project is attempting to repopulate Spain with 47 million Iberian Bees, with the first hives placed on a farm in Los Montes de Malaga natural park.

‘Bimba’ goes beyond a joke

DERBY PILGRIMS

Spanish cousins go on 3,000 km pilgrimage to DERBY to watch team they fell in love with on FIFA

A football-mad Spanish family went on a bonkers 3,000km pilgrimage to watch Derby County play after falling in love with them in a video game.

Fernando Batallon and his six cousins set out on the journey from Lugo in northern Spain to finally see their beloved football team in the flesh.

The love affair had begun after they randomly chose the League One club while playing FIFA together because they liked the ram on the club’s

By Walter Finch

badge.

“It all started on FIFA Career Mode,” law firm worker Fernando, 25, told Derby County podcast ‘Steve Bloomer’s Washing’.

“We wanted to play as a new team, but didn’t know which one to pick.

“So, we decided to choose the team with the badge that we liked the most. And that, of

A MAN who tried to smuggle 15 Moroccan migrants OUT of the UK to Spain because they ‘didn’t like Britain’ has been jailed.

The Moroccan man, who was a taxi driver in London, was stopped by French police in Dunkirk where he was caught trying to smuggle the group through France.

The migrants had told the smuggler they ‘didn’t like Britain’ and wanted to settle in

course, was the charming Ram crest of Derby County.”

The Spanish fans had been following the team since 2019 and were thrilled when they finally

GETTING OUT

Spain instead, according to police. The man was convicted and jailed for one year for people smuggling and aiding illegal stays. More than 30,000 migrants arrived in Spain illegally last year, according to the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR).

got to see their heroes, who had previously just been graphics on a TV screen, in action. And they were in luck as the Rams, notorious for posting the worst ever points total for a season in the Premier League (although Rams fans will point out they twice won the league in the 1970s and reached the European Cup semi finals), romped to a 5-0 victory over Morecambe. Fernando and his cousins were welcomed with open arms by the friendly fans of Derby and even got to take a picture next to the Pride Park pitch.

IT probably wasn’t the wisest way to present a lesson on Africa.

A teacher at a Spanish school blacked up, put on an exaggerated accent and posed next to a toy monkey for the class.

“Hello friends, my name is Bimba and I come from Africa,” the teacher from Catholic school Trinidad Sansueña in Cordoba says at the start of a video recording posted online.

“In Africa people don’t have white faces, they have faces like mine,” the teacher continues. “Africa also has a lot of animals,’ she adds, picking up the monkey, which she calls Monolo. The recording has since been denounced by an independent and ‘anti-racist’ digital media outlet called Afrofeminas.

Bad nudes

JUDGES have told a Vera (Almeria) holiday complex that it can not have a mandatory nudity policy in its pool and gardens. The Supreme Court heard that security guards had been hired to make sure no one wore clothes while enjoying the facilities at the Natura World apartments, which face on to one of Europe’s biggest and most popular naturist beaches.

MEMORY: The Derby pilgrims at Pride Park