Olive Press Mallorca Issue 160

ISLAND WINNER

MALLORCA is the top European destination for Brits this summer.

According to hotel searches on website Expedia until August it comes top, beating the Algarve into second place.

Tenerife, Malaga, and Barcelona also made the top ten. Mallorca is described in the Lonely Planet as the 'ever-popular star of the Mediterranean'.

Expat resident says he was brutally beaten up by Guardia Civil officers

A PERUVIAN expat has called in lawyers over claims he was beaten up by police and left in hospital with a ruptured bladder.

In the alarming alleged attack, Diego Armando Torres, insists he was punched and kicked by six Guardia Civil agents on a Friday night. Even more shocking, he claims he was tied up and a plastic bag was put over his head nearly suffocating him.

“I actually feared for my life, particularly when one officer told me ‘you’re going to die’,” he told the Olive Press this week.

The incident happened when he and a friend were heading home to Sabinillas at 9:15pm, on June 16. Diego, 37, who arrived in Spain to work as a builder two months ago, had been out for some drinks in nearby Estepona.

“We were pulled over at a motorway police check just before arriving in Sabinillas,” he explained.

“They stopped us and asked my mate to step out of the car. I initially stayed in the passenger’s seat, but then got out to ask what was going on.

“The agents told me to be quiet and not to speak, but I asked again if everything was okay.

“The police are now saying that I used force and kicked one of them, but this is not true.

“Suddenly they snapped and forced me to the ground and I was handcuffed and taken to a police car.”

His mate, from Bolivia, who wants to remain anonymous, confirmed the heavy-handed arrest.

“But when I dared ask a policeman why they were doing it, he replied; ‘do you also want to get hit?’

“Diego was put in a car and that was the last time I saw him that

EXCLUSIVE

By Alberto Lejarraga

day,” explained his friend, who is also a builder.

The victim claims he was then taken to the Guardia Civil barracks in Manilva where he was grilled on what he was doing in Spain.

“I was very scared and just wanted to call someone,” he said. “Eventually they agreed but as I left my phone in the car I couldn’t remember any numbers apart from my brother’s, who lives in Norway, and they refused to call a foreign number.”

It was then that a couple of the officers started slapping him in the face telling him to ‘shut up’.

“I remember there were up to six of them taking turns to slap me,” he insisted.

“After a while they took me back to the car. I was terrified and I started screaming for help. Then, one of the officers punched me in the face through the open window, cutting open my left eyebrow.”

At this point the attack got far more sinister, he claims, after the police took him back to a different smaller and darker room at the station.

“They tied my ankles and wrists together, covered my head with a plastic bag and started punching and kicking me in the stomach,” he claims.

“When I was about to asphyxiate, they would remove the bag then put it back on. They did this many times.

“An officer also stepped on my head, causing me injuries and bruises. They kicked and punched me in the stomach until I passed out from the pain.

BEATEN: Diego with ruptured bladder and face with cuts and bruises

“The worst ones were, I estimate, in their 30s and 40s, while two younger agents, probably in their 20s, did not do anything and actually tried to comfort me.”

After the brutal assault, he was

taken to the Policia Local Station in Estepona, where he was put in a cell and fell asleep, but woke up around 3am with agonising stomach pain. Despite begging to go to hospital it wasn’t until 9.20am that three Guardia agents returned and took him to a GP in Estepona, where the doctor told the officers he had to be taken to hospital urgently.

He was taken to Marbella’s Costa del Sol Hospital, where he underwent emergency surgery on a ‘ruptured bladder’.

He also ‘presented bruises on the head and face’ according to the official medical report seen by the Olive Press.

Diego has since taken legal advice and is currently waiting to hear back from a public defender to file an official complaint.

A Guardia Civil official report claims Diego was arrested for kicking one of the agents, which he completely denies.

Leading Marbella lawyer Antonio Flores, described the case as ‘an atrocity’.

“If proved, this would be an atrocity. First, these officers should be

Continues on Page 2

Whale shock

KILLER whales have attacked a sailing boat that was heading to take part in Spain’s King Cup Regatta in Palma.

Cop spitter

A 48-YEAR-OLD woman who spat at two police officers after refusing to take a breathalyser test has been given a €480 fine by a court in Palma.

Watch out

TWO men and a woman accused of stealing four luxury watches worth over €100,000 by using the ‘love hug’ technique have been arrested in Mallorca.

Sweet fine

THREE Ryanair passengers were told once again they had to pay an extra €45 if they wanted to take their traditional ensaimadas pastry onto the plane at Palma airport.

BALLON D’OR

A RONALDINHO-impersonating thief has been arrested in Ibiza after he stole a number of luxury watches using a notorious pickpocket technique. Police allegedly caught the robber in the

act of pilfering Rolexes using the ‘Ronaldinho technique’ in the Playa d’en Bossa nightlife area. Agents followed the man, an infamous thief on the island, after spotting him.

“He approached an elderly tourist in a friendly way and as if he was trying to dribble him. He then placed his leg be-

tween the old man’s legs to make him lose balance and steal his watch,” a Guardia Civil spokesman told the Olive Press. The agent added: “We caught him red-handed and arrested him.” He had already made off with other Rolexes - three in Sant Josep de Sa Talaia and one in Sant Antoni de Portmany.

SPIKE WARNING

A BRITISH dad has warned holidaymakers of ‘rampant drugging and muggings’ after he was spiked in Magaluf.

Lee Cocker, from Leeds, said his holidays were ‘ruined’ after he was drugged and had his phone stolen. The 47-year-old - who was with his teenage daughter celebrating the end of her high-school exams - started to hallucinate after drinking just three pints one evening. “In less than a 15-minute period, I went from completely straight to being off my head,” he explained.

Tourist warns of ‘rampant’ drugging and muggings in Magaluf

By Alberto Lejarraga

The 6ft 3 inch ‘lump’ had come to ‘look after’ her daughter but ended being taken home himself

Once back at their hotel he realised his phone had been

Unarrestable thief

swiped from his bag. And he wasn’t the only one.

“I’d say nearly every group we met had someone who had possessions stolen on the main strip.

“People were walking around like zombies claiming to have had phones, passports and cash stolen and their credit cards used,” he added.

He continued: “It’s a fantastic place but there’s some really shady characters about, and it seems worse this year.

‘LUMP’: Father and daughter

“And it’s not just theft, they can do anything to you when you’re under that spell.”

The

Cocker has posted his story on Facebook to warn other holidaymakers of the situation.

funds, which

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The Olive Press has spoken to the Guardia Civil to ask about the spiking situation.

“We have not had any complaints of this kind. This is not a day-to-day problem,” a spokesman told the Olive Press

From front

Brutality

given a precautionary suspension and then tried for assault and abuse of authority,” he insisted.

A spokesman for Spain’s Ombudsman added: “If he has been beaten up, he needs to file a report and the justice system will do its job.”

A Guardia Civil press officer said: “I don’t know if this is true or not, but it sounds strange to me. I have been a Guardia Civil for 30 years and I have never seen anything like this. It sounds like a science fiction movie. Once he files a complaint, this will go to court and a judge will decide.”

Drunk collision

A DRUNK-DRIVER ran over an early morning jogger on Palma's Paseo Maritimo on Wednesday. The motorist, 25, ran a red light at a pedestrian crossing at around 5.30am and drove straight into the 44-year-old woman. The collision threw her body several metres, while the driver ended up 100 metres away embedded in a wall. The victim was taken in a serious condition to Son Espases hospital.

A

FAMILY has been

arrested after sending an under-age girl to steal a €4,000 gold bracelet from a Palma jewellery shop. Two women and two men entered the city centre premises with the girl and a baby. The grown-ups pretended to be potential buyers with the two women and one of the men distracting the shop employee for several minutes.

They stood in front of her to block her view of the displays, while another man told the young child to open a cabinet and remove the bracelet.

store worker realised what happened and called the police who arrested the four adults, while the girl and baby were handed over to another family member.

OUR AUNT ANITA

HE had been walking down a Barcelona street in the early days of the Spanish Civil War when a striking figure captured his eye.

It was July 25, 1936, and the woman standing on a barricade really stood out.

Antoni Campañà jumped into action training his camera on the attractive Spaniard wearing militia fatigues.

Smiling broadly with all the early optimism of the Republican cause, she held up the classic black flag of Spain’s CNT anarchist trade union.

The picture - like Robert Capa’s legendary Falling Soldier photo taken in Cordoba - would go on to become one of the most emblematic symbols of the war.

Richie’s return

THE seemingly ageless Lionel Richie returned to play Marbella last week after an eightyear hiatus.

Just 72 years young, the crooner, who rose to fame as part of the Commodores in the seventies, performed some of his greatest hits at the auditorium of the Starlite festival. “It's been an amazing night and I hope to see you again soon," Richie said on stage at the end of the concert.

But the famous photo would also spark a decades-long mystery – just who was this iconic woman?

Her identity remained unknown for an incredible 87 years, until a breakthrough five years ago, when the identity of the photographer was first discovered.

A Barcelona local, Toni Monne, was rummaging around in his old family house in Sant Cugat when he discovered a box containing thousands of wartime photographs belonging to his grandfather, Antoni. And among them was the iconic image.

Step forward a few years and Monne began working with the National Art Museum of Catalunya (MNAC) to prepare an exhibition of Campaña's work. Then, as if by fate, when the exhibition finally opened a family member of the unknown woman attended while visiting Barcelona from France.

“We got goosebumps,” François Gomez Garbin revealed, on seeing his aunt Anita in the photo. And by chance Monne, who happened to be there at

THAT’S THE PITS!

Formula One hotshot Lando Norris’s Spanish rental villa burgled while out for dinner

HE may be blessed with wealth, good looks and a career as F1 driver, but Englishman Lando Norris’s good fortune seems to have deserted him in recent times.

Not only is the 23-year-old hotshot enduring a less-thanstellar racing season, but he recently became the victim of a very expensive robbery – the second in two years.

The McLaren driver revealed he had been burgled while he had gone out in Marbella with a group of friends to eat. The group, that included the

By Walter Finch

popular influencer Jennie Dimova, found their luxury villa in the nearby hills ransacked and most of their possessions gone.

"We were out for dinner, and our place got robbed," Norris, who is currently ninth in the standings, revealed.

"A mixture of many things were stolen. Some were expensive and some were not so expensive,” he continued.

“It is still an ongoing investigation so I cannot say too much."

HEDGEHOG RESCUE

A TEAM of unique 'hedgehog-saving' dogs have been trained to rush into action after the first summer wildfires razed parts of the Doñana national park.

The canines have been specially trained by an environmental group to sniff out injured hedgehogs.

Once located, the hedgehogs are treated and cared for and then returned to their natural habitat.

The shocking turn of events left Dimova shaken up, as she shared her anguish on TikTok.

"If you're wondering why I look like this, it's because our villa got robbed," she said.

"Everything I owned - my clothes, my shoes, my bags, my jewellery - everything has been taken.

“I'm left with literally nothing. I cried for two hours, but what can I do?"

The blow didn’t stop Norris from coming second in the British grand prix at the weekend. It is a big improvement having only managed to secure points in four of the other nine races this season.

that moment, was told that the woman’s name was Ana Garbín Alonso. And finally her story was known.

Born in Almería in 1915, Alonso was 21 years old when Campaña took her photograph, which was then distributed throughout Europe on the postcard album, The Fight in Barcelona.

When the war ended with a win by Franco's fascist army, Alonso was forced to cross the Spanish border and settle in Beziers, France.

She became a dressmaker and had a son, Pepito, yet incredibly never once returned to Spain.

Despite this, Spanish culture pervaded the walls of her home, its music, food and humour.

And now, this month, her story is being told in an extraordinary exhibition in Montpellier entitled; Hidden icons. The Unknown Images of the Spanish War. Alonso died in 1977, but the exhibition remembers her fighting spirit and includes a selection of many other of Campaña's works.

Choli-days

DIEGO Simeone has been spotted enjoying a break from the daily pressures of the Atletico Madrid hotseat with the missus. The 53-year old waded into the shallows with his bikini-clad paramour Carla Pereyra, nearly 20 years his junior, during their getaway in Ibiza.

The Argentine, often known as ‘Cholo’, needed to let his hair down after a so-so season with Atletico. His side notched their customary third place finish and crashed out of the Champions League in the group stages.

MOGGY MISSION

A BRITISH woman is appealing for help after discovering that the ‘few’ stray cats she had been asked to take care of turned out to be a colony

By Kayleigh Beardsley

of 45.

All the cats were in a shocking shape when they came into the care of Natasha Retzmann, 46, in May last year. Many were suffering from blindness or missing limbs from inbreeding and some were on the brink of death.

Since taking on responsibility for the vulnerable felines, Natasha, a Mallorca resident of 13 years, has ensured that - with help from Lloseta cat rescuers - all but 7 have been neutered.

Even better, around two thirds of the original colony has now been rehomed. That, however, does not spell the end of the matter.

Natasha’s success has meant that new cats are constantly attracted by the

SUPER SOLLER

Fancy something different ? Head to the historic picturesque north west gem of Mallorca, writes Danielle Andrews

SOLLER is a charming town nestled in the picturesque valley of the Tramuntana Mountains in Mallorca, Spain.

The origins of this charming town can be traced back to the Moorish era when the region was under Arab rule.

The town flourished during the Middle Ages, and its prosperity can still be seen in the magnificent architecture that dots the streets.

The architecture showcases a mix of styles, including Art Nouveau and Modernist influences.

Walking through the streets of Sóller

MOLOTOV JILT

A MAN has been arrested for trying to burn down his ex-partner's Ibiza house by peppering it with Molotov cocktails.

The woman was hosting several friends in her home on Sunday evening when her jilted lover appeared outside.

She had recently broken up with the Romanian national - who had previously threatened her - and refused all his pleading to change her mind.

A Policia Nacional spokesperson said: "The man threatened the woman and carried a large knife in one hand and in the other a plastic bag with objects inside."

smell of the food and the care the colony receives.

The newcomers then breed with the original cats, creating a vicious cycle of cats that need to be cared for, castrated and rehomed. Yet some of these cats simply cannot be rehomed due to being either scared of humans or because they need constant care and specialist attention.

Natasha told the Olive Press: “It is a case of leav-

ing them to die on the street or giving them some quality of life.”

But Natasha’s sterling one-woman operation, with help at times from partner Chris, is not a registered charity and therefore doesn’t receive financial donations. She is now asking for help from kindhearted Olive Press readers through her GoFund me page. Although she is not re-

questing cash donations, resources such as cat food, baby wipes, bleach, salt for salt water and anything else that can help would be greatly appreciated.

Natasha has further plans to sell her properties in order to buy some land upon which to build a cat sanctuary which can provide a proper home for the moggies.

You can donate to Natasha’s on her GoFund me page.

Scooters removed

PALMA council has impounded 50 scooters that were being illegally rented out on the main road running next to Playa de Palma. Social media postings drew attention to the scooters being scattered on pavements across the area with police bringing a van to take them away. The scooters were being hired out by a firm called Link who did not have a licence to operate in the area.

“Afterwards he told one of the people in the house that the woman had to leave or he would burn down the house with everyone inside.”

He then started tossing the Molotov cocktails against walls.

Firefighters managed to extinguish the blaze, but not before it damaged the kitchen, terrace, laundry room, and some electrical gear. The man was detained on a charge of attempted homicide with an incendiary device.

feels like stepping back in time, with beautiful buildings adorned with intricate details and colourful facades.

There are still incredible opportunities to invest in this historical town such as The Can Prohom, an impressive historical manor house right in the centre of town. The Can Prohom was built around 1758. Curiously, in 1860, Queen Isabella II stayed in this majestic manor house accompanied by the future King Alfons XII. One of the most notable features of Sóller’s history is its historic train, the Ferrocarril de Sóller.

Constructed in the early 20th century, this vintage railway connects Sóller with the capital city of Palma, passing through breathtaking landscapes and quaint villages along the way.

Whether strolling through its ancient streets, savouring local delicacies at traditional cafés, or simply enjoying the surrounding nature hiking rails and nearby coastline, living in Sóller provides a unique and enriching experience. Sóller truly embodies the perfect blend of history, beauty, and an authentic Mediterranean lifestyle.

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Customers would use a phone app called Superpedestrian to pay €5 for a 30 minute booking, with the app showing the exact location of the scooter.

Stoking racism

FAR-RIGHT party Vox and eviction company Desokupa teamed up to make false claims a murder in Madrid was committed by an immigrant.

However, a pair of Spaniards are alleged to have stabbed to death the owner of a clothing store in the central Tirso de Mollina square, in what looks to be a robbery gone wrong. These facts were ignored by both Vox – a party that could end up in a coalition government with the Popular Party after the July 23 general elections – and Desokupa in order to stoke anti-immigrant sentiment. Both organisations published information on social media stating that the crime had been carried out by immigrants.

Desokupa wrote on their Insta: “Today an Algerian has stabbed the owner of this establishment. She died.”

While Vox leader Santiago Abascal later admitted that he had made a mistake by linking to a story ‘that included an error’.

The public prosecutor is reported to be investigating whether the posts could constitute hate crimes.

SQUAD: The number of cats remains high because the unneutered ones keep breeding together

Big-hearted expats need help after a group of cats they began to protect turned out to be 45

BATTLE THE BOTTLE

DISRUPTIVE tourists

in Palma will face hefty fines after the Palma Beach Hoteliers Association (AHPP) elected a new president, Pedro Marin.

The fines, following an Amsterdam approach, include €95 for drinking in the streets and €140 for urination, disorderliness and littering.

Marin’s main concern is the increase in antisocial tourism and the drinking of alcohol in the streets and beaches.

“The only language rowdy tourists understand is fines,” Marin said. “It is the legal way to eradicate a type of tourism that nobody wants.”

SPAIN SEES SIXTY DEGREES

The deadly heat wave spreading across Spain has caused temperatures in some areas to exceed a deadly 60C. Satellite imaging showed certain areas on the heat map as a macabre black - as opposed to the usualbut unwelcome - dark red that indicates high temperatures.

Areas in Extremadura were the most affected in Spain, with some places recording temperatures of 43C.

Another 13 of the autonomous communities were categorized as extreme risk locations with red alerts or significant risks with orange alerts.

Mallorca, by comparison, has got off relatively lightly this heatwave - the maximum temperature for the week so far was 34 degrees. The extreme heat is forecasted to last around the area for two weeks.

MELTDOWN ON THE WAY

SPAIN’S second major heatwave of the summer arrived this week and could serve up highs of 48 degrees in some inland areas, threatening the all-time record in the Western Mediterranean.

The highest temperature ever was observed just two years ago in Sicily, Italy on August 11, 2021 when the mercury hit 48.8 degrees.

The country’s state weather service, Aemet, suggests that the hot weather could be around for some time - as much as two weeks.

There is nevertheless some respite this weekend predicted for coastal areas, with 31 degrees for Malaga, 30 degrees in Benidorm, and 32 degrees in Valencia.

Higher temperatures of 35 degrees for Torrevieja and 33 for Palma are forecast.

The high temperatures are being caused by a mass of very warm and dry air known as ‘Cerberus’ travelling from the Sahara desert that has been expanding into Morocco, Al-

geria and Tunisia towards south Europe. Heat warnings have been issued both to residents and tourists across Spain.

The Cruz Roja has urged people to check on the most vulnerable during the high temperatures, such as children and older people, while also calling on people to stay hydrated and to watch for signs of heatstroke, which can include vomiting and fainting.

The new heatwave comes after the World Meteorological Organization said the beginning of this month was the hottest week on record for the planet.

‘The world just had the hottest week on record, according to preliminary data,’ the WMO said in a statement, after climate change and the early stages of the El Niño weather pattern drove the warmest June on record.

El Niño is a naturally occurring pattern that drives increased heat worldwide, as well as drought in some parts of the world and heavy rains elsewhere.

Demolition row

Emblematic hotel, where Winston Churchill and Charlie Chaplin stayed, is slammed for ‘illegal’ renovation works that have seen it raised to the ground

By Alex Trelinski

BUILDERS of the emblematic Hotel Formentor have been slammed for demolishing the hotel without permission.

Pollenca council has fined Inmobiliaria Formentor €294,000 for raising the 1929 building to the ground without a licence.

The town hall insists the original plan to conserve the facades

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HISTORIC: Anger over demolition and (below) the renovation site molished in 2022 ‘which resulted in a breach of current urban planning laws'. Then in October, the council ordered the suspension of any demolition, but the bulldozers went in anyway.

for the Four Seasons group has been ignored and key historical features have been destroyed.

“We want to clarify the whole process which has not been very transparent and has generated a lot of criticism,” said new mayor Marti March. He insisted the hotel, once regarded as one of the most 'chic' in Spain, had permission for renovations, but not a total rebuild.

The council insisted the li-

cences granted made no mention of demolition, despite building works aiming to provide all rooms with a sea or forest view. A council statement added the building's interior was de-

MULLERED MOTHER

A 45-YEAR-OLD Irish tourist has been arrested for going on all-day benders leaving other guests to look after her five-year-old daughter.

The woman was delighted when she met fellow guests at her Manacor hotel with kids around her daughter's age.

Realising the pair could play together and the other parents would watch them, the Irishwoman started hitting the beers nonstop.

The guests fed the child, put on sunscreen, watched her in the pool, and even bought her swimming safety gear.

Hotel staff eventually refused to serve the girl's mother any more alcohol, but she simply went to a shop to buy more beer to consume on the premises.

Guests reported the woman's abandonment of her child to hotel workers who called in the police.

Officers found her barely able to stand due to her state of intoxication and arrested her and took her daughter to a reception centre.

She was charged with child abandonment, while the child’s father was called and had to fly in the next day to rescue the girl.

According to the architect behind the work, the demolition came due to the serious deterioration of the walls.

Carlos Lamela, of Estudio Lamela, insisted the building was so precarious it had to be raised to the ground. But he insisted ‘everything would be done perfectly’ and his firm had a ‘commitment to the whole of society’ to do this.

The owners of the hotel, which once housed Winston Churchill, the Dalai Lama and Elizabeth Taylor, are said to be spending €25 million on the project.

In March 2021 the company said it would reopen in 2023 with 110 suites offering sea and forest views.

Voted top expat paper in Spain OPINION

OUR DUTY

IT is the moral duty of any public-serving media outlet in a healthy democracy to expose abuses of power.

At the Olive Press, we stand together with anyone, particularly foreigners, who have been bullied by the authorities.

So when we heard about the alleged police assault on Peruvian Diego Torres, we had an obligation to investigate it fairly and without prejudice.

It is true that when we first spoke to him, his story came as a shock.

But after meeting him and having gathered evidence, while naturally sceptical we could not find evidence that he was dishonest.

The Guardia Civil listened carefully when we explained to them the charges and promised us they will investigate when a complaint is formally filed.

The Olive Press maintains an excellent relationship with the law and order body, which we hope will continue.

Founded in 1844, the Guardia Civil is one of the main pillars of Spanish democracy, playing an essential role in the fight against crime and protecting us all.

‘Firm without violence’ were the words used by the Duke of Ahumada, its founder and first general director.

A motto that the vast majority of agents do follow, and we, as citizens, are thankful to them for taking care of us.

But if there are individuals that deviate from this purpose, and abuse the power vested in them as officers of the law, they must be rooted out.

So we are publishing Diego’s story to speed up the Guardia’s investigation into the issue and ensure that all their officers are on the right side of the law.

Because, if the charges turn out to be true, they probably have done it before, and are likely to do it again.

And if they turn out to be false, we can feel satisfied that we still did our duty to society.

PUBLISHER / EDITOR

Jon Clarke, jon@theolivepress.es

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Alberto Lejarraga alberto@theolivepress.es

Jo Chipchase jo@theolivepress.es

John Culatto

ADMIN Victoria Humenyuk Makarova (+34) 951 273 575 admin@theolivepress.es

ELECTION FE

ON July 23, Spaniards will be heading to polling booths for the fifth time in the last 10 years, to choose the next prime minister and the government.

But according to the polling, it is far from clear who will be picked by voters and indeed whether any party or parties will get enough votes to avoid a stalemate.

Here is a complete guide to everything you need to know ahead of this key moment in Spanish politics.

WHY ARE WE HAVING ELECTIONS NOW?

After forming Spain’s first coalition government since the country returned to democracy in the 1970s, PSOE Socialist Party Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has repeatedly stated that he would see out the entirety of his fouryear term.

His administration was formed in early 2020 thanks to the support of junior partner Unidas Podemos, and the PM could have called elections as late as December of this year.

But after the May 28 local and regional

WHO ARE THE MAIN PARTIES STANDING?

Sanchez is running for reelection as prime minister, despite his reputation having taken a hit over the last four years thanks to the deals he has done with smaller, nationalist parties such as the Catalan Republican Left and EH Bildu, the former political wing of Basque terrorist group ETA. His main opponent is Alberto Nunez Feijoo of the PP, followed by Santiago Abascal of the far-right Vox.

A newcomer is Sumar, a leftist alliance that has absorbed the two component parts of Unidas Podemos, the United Left and Podemos itself, as well as other smaller leftist parties from Spain’s splintered political spectrum. The candidate for Sumar is current deputy prime minister and labour minister, Yolanda Diaz.

HOW DO GENERAL ELECTIONS WORK IN SPAIN?

Spaniards will be voting for the 350 deputies who will take their seats in the lower house of parliament, the Congress of Deputies.

Spain uses the D’Hondt method, which allocates Congress seats in proportion to the number of votes received, as well as a closed-list system of candidates, meaning that voters choose the party rather than the politicians who are running.

As for the Senate, the 208 seats are allocated using an open-list system, where electors vote for candidates rather than parties.

WHAT DO THE POLLS SAY?

While the predictions vary as to what will happen, one thing seems certain: no single party will win an outright majority of 176 seats in the 350-seat Congress, meaning a coalition is inevitable. The latest poll from Spanish daily El Pais predicts the PP and Vox will fall eight seats short of an absolute majority, with 125 seats for the former and 43 for the latter, a total of 168.

The survey, carried out by pollster 40dB, also predicts 111 seats for the PSOE and 35 for Sumar, for a total of vative newspaper ABC has predicted that the PP tween 175 and 183 seats, potentially paving the way mation of

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‘GET TXAPOTE TO VOTE FOR YOU’

‘QUE TE vote Txapote’, roughly translated as Get Txapote to vote for you. This seemingly innocent Spanish phrase, which is nice and catchy thanks to its rhyme, is causing an ongoing headache for Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, and pain for the victims of terrorism.

The slogan about ETA that is plaguing the prime minister and victims alike

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Deposito

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. AWARDS

But who is Txapote? And who came up with the slogan that has dominated the ongoing electoral campaigns in Spain?

The slogan first appeared on September 3, last year, when Sanchez was making a visit to Sevilla.

While he was received warmly by supporters, the Socialist Party leader was also confronted by a group of protestors, likely Vox supporters, who whistled, jeered and proffered insults.

Among the group was an older, portly gentleman, who was carrying a sign above his head with the now-immortal words: ‘Que te vote Txapote’.

Txapote’s real name is Francisco Javier Garcia Gaztelu, and he is a convicted terrorist from the now-defunct Basque group ETA.

Aged 57, he is currently serving a 152-year prison sentence for his crimes, which include some of the most shocking murders during ETA’s decades-long bloody campaign for an independent Basque Country.

Among these was the killing of Miguel Angel Blanco, a local PP councillor who was kid-

napped by ETA, who demanded their prisoners be brought to jails in the Basque Country, closer to their families, in exchange for Blanco’s release.

The then-PP government of Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar refused to negotiate, and Blanco was shot twice in the head and left to die.

The kidnapping and the murder shocked Spain, and galvanised social rejection of ETA and its bloody campaign.

In fact, more than 500,000 people turned out to a demonstration in Bilbao while Blanco was still alive and being held by ETA, a phenomenon that was repeated in several other parts of Spain.

So what does Txapote have to do with Pedro Sanchez?

The reason why the slogan works, and why it has stuck, is to do with the political deals that the prime minister has had to make over the last nearly four years of his government.

After the inconclusive elections of 2019, Sanchez formed a government with junior coalition partner Unidas Podemos (United We Can), but the administration still lacked a working majority in Congress.

As a result, to pass legislation – including the

all-important budget – Sanchez has done deals to gain the support of a series of smaller parties, including EH Bildu, which is the former political wing of ETA.

This has caused huge controversy among victims associations, as well as opening up a political flank where the opposition can attack him – and also gave rise to the now-infamous phrase, ‘Que te vote Txapote’.

EH Bildu is a legitimate political party, but its history and its often-timid condemnation of ETA violence means it is anathema for parties such as the PP and Vox.

The appearance of the slogan has prompted hundreds of column inches in Spanish newspapers, and it became a regular phrase used on social media.

It gained further traction on January 25, when a man who was being interviewed by broadcaster TVE about a speed camera issue suddenly started shouting it and other insults against Sanchez.

It has also been seized upon by far-right party Vox, and members of the PP. The regional premier of the Madrid region, Isabel Diaz Ayuso, cited the slogan during a debate in the Madrid assembly as a way of criticising the Socialist Party.

VER

WHO COULD DO DEALS?

Polling data has prompted analysts to predict that a PP-Vox government is the most likely outcome of the July 23 polls.

But if the groups fall short of a majority, they could struggle to find support. This is mostly due to Vox’s hardline policies on issues such as LGBTQ+ rights, domestic violence and illegal immigration (see over).

The Basque Nationalist Party, for example, has already made clear it won’t support a PP-Vox administration.

ANOTHER ‘FRANKENSTEIN’ GOVERNMENT?

This paves the way for a repeat of the 2019 election result, whereby the PSOE teams up with new leftist alliance Sumar, and seeks support from a myriad of smaller parties. The current administration has been governing in a minority this way over the last few years, but it has cost Sanchez dear: his concessions to Catalan separatists, including pardons for the jailed leaders of the 2017 independence drive, have come with huge political fallout, while agreements with EH Bildu in order to pass legislation have raised the ire of conservative voters and victims’ associations alike.

A REPEAT ELECTION?

Another possible outcome from July 23 is that Spaniards will be forced to return to the polls: if the result is inconclusive, and no party can find the support in Congress to select a prime minister and form a government, the elections may have to be rerun. This, however, could mean that the country is left with a caretaker administration until well into 2024.

IT is in many ways the Doomsday scenario for Spain … and certainly Gibraltar (you’ll need to read to the end).

But, what seemed impossible a year ago is now a terrifying reality with Spain’s July 23 general election set for next weekend.

As Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez sweet-talks his way around Spain on the traditional campaign tour, he may just be sleepwalking his way into allowing a fascist party into Moncloa Palace.

For (far) right up his rear-end - and with activists shadowing his every move - is the extreme nationalist party Vox, which is odds-on to become the dealmaker by the end of the month.

With an anti-EU agenda and policies to ban abortion, scrap gender violence laws and eject immigrants from Spain, the new party has understandably been labelled as ‘fascist’ and ‘neo-Nazi’.

So it’s alarming that Vox will likely hold the balance of power, expected to win between 11 and 14% of the vote (37 to 40 seats, next week). As, when coupled with the expected 135140 senators (33-35%) for the right

THE COWARDLY HYPOCRITE Santiago Abascal

Leader Santiago Abascal will once again stand as the party's candidate for the Presidency.

The 47-year-old - who appeared a-la-Putin, riding a horse during the last election campaign as if he was a Spanish Conquistador - is wellknown for his blatant hypocrisy.

While

SURPRISE VOX

The Olive Press analyses four of the most controversial members of Spain’s far right party with the general election looming this month

wing PP party, the chance of Vox getting into a coalition government inches ever nearer.

While left wing coalition, Sumar, is making in-roads and threatening to grab up to 15% of the vote, it may not be enough to save Sanchez.

Here, we take a look at four controversial characters in Vox.

he strongly advocates the eradication of useless public bodies he refers to as chiringuitos, Abascal actually benefited from one in the past. In 2013, in fact, he was appointed Director of the Foundation for Patronage and Social Sponsorship in Madrid. This was a public body with no obvious activity and only one employee, in addition to Abascal, who was assigned a staggering wage of €82,491 per year.

Abascal, a former PP member who has never worked outside politics, created VOX on December 17, 2013, the very same day the Foundation for Patronage was dissolved. He later described this organisation as ‘unnecessary.’ But didn’t, of course, give the money back.

The VOX leader has also - no surprise as a fan of former dictator Franco - vehemently supported the return of compulsory military service in Spain, which ended in 2001.

Something Abascal never undertook, coincidentally, as he asked for three consecutive extensions that allowed him to postpone his enlistment, until it was scrapped.

THE CLIMATE DENIER Marta Fernandez

Marta Fernandez is a 56-year-old lawyer who became Chairwoman in the government of Aragon last month.

Fernandez, from Zaragoza, be-

came infamous for her several tweets dismissing the existence of gender violence, the covid pandemic and, even, wait for it, climate change!

Indeed ‘gender violence does not exist,’ she insisted just two years ago, telling feminists ‘you are the granddaughters of the Christians, who kicked Muslims out of the Iberian Peninsula so you can now walk around topless in the street.’ Granddaughters, Marta? How well did you do at history?

Fernandez, who thinks climate change is invented, also thinks that the Covid-19 pandemic was a conspiracy.

“Wash your hands regularly, because the Government and media are responsible for brainwashing,’ she railed.

And of course, she is also against the LGBT movement and, predictably, defined the arrival of migrants as an ‘invasion.’

ANTI-ABORTIONIST Javier Ortega Smith

Javier Ortega Smith is one of the VOX founding members and most controversial characters.

Smith, a 54-year-old lawyer, became well-known in 2018 after swimming (yes splashing in the briny) to Gibraltar to erect a Spanish flag of 180 metres wide. “Gibraltar is Spain. Pirates out of the rock,” he later He also has an unserved arrest warrant, only effective in Gibraltar, for stealing a concrete block in British waters in 2014.

The councillor for VOX in Madrid, he was criticised for boycotting a minute of silence for the victims of gender violence by carrying a banner that said ‘gender has no violence.’

Smith, who will be number four in the Madrid list for the general election, also believes ‘abortion is not a right’.’ “A woman can decide what to do with her own body. She can decide what haircut she wants, her nail colour, or what to eat, but when you have created life, it is not your body, but an independent living being.”

WIFE-ABUSER

Carlos Flores

mother of his three children.

Sanchez himself is outright furious about it. He recently insisted: “It’s evil, it’s making use of the suffering of the victims without scruples nor principles.”

And ETA victims are equally unhappy. “The victims deserve to be treated with RESPECT,” wrote the sister of Gregorio Ordoñez, who was killed by ETA and heads up the victims association.

“Using a hashtag to trivialise the murder of so many innocent people, including my brother Gregorio, shows a lack of principles and how

unimportant we are,” she added. As for the man who carried the sign first using the phrase, no one has been able to track him down. But sources at El Confidencial claim he is a keen Vox supporter.

Whoever he was, he has created a slogan that has likely done untold damage to Pedro Sanchez and his electoral hopes.

As fellow politician, Pablo Iglesias, the former deputy prime minister and founder of Podemos, insisted: ‘the phrase has won the elections’.

Carlos Flores, who led the party’s list for the Parliament of the Valencian Community, was sentenced for gender violence in 2002.

Although many VOX members, including Marta Fernandez, don’t believe in gender violence, Flores was convicted for this offence as he ‘insulted, coerced and harassed’ his ex-wife, a staggering 21 times a court heard.

The 59-year-old was handed a prison sentence and given a threeyear restraining order against the

According to the court sentence, he once told her ‘I will be screwing you all your life until you die and I am done with you.’

Flores - who is also coincidentally a former member of pro-Franco party Fuerza Nueva - was forced to step down from the PP-VOX coalition for the Valencian Parliament because of his conviction…

However, it has not stopped leader Abascal placing him as number one in the list for the Valencian Community in the general election. Be careful what box you tick, fine people of Valencia!

The polls put the conservative PP in the lead, but deals will likely have to be done with farright Vox in order to govern

BACK

Little suns rising

SPAIN’S Repsol restaurant guide has updated its Soletes category for the summer with 88 in Malaga, including chiringuito beach restaurants and ice cream parlours.

Unlike the acclaimed ‘Suns’ that mark a certain exclusivity, the ‘Soletes’ (little sun) are given to eateries that are popular locally, for appealing places that you would recommend to a friend and within reach of any pocket.

In Spain some 3,300 establishments have been included in the Soletes category since it began in June 2021.

Battle the bottle

DISRUPTIVE tourists in Palma will face hefty fines after the Palma Beach Hoteliers Association (AHPP) elected a new president, Pedro Marin. The fines, following an Amsterdam approach, include €95 for drinking in the streets and €140 for urination, disorderliness and littering.

Marin’s main concern is the increase in antisocial tourism and the drinking of alcohol in the streets and beaches.

“It is the legal way to eradicate a type of tourism that nobody wants,” he insisted.

THE big return of foreign tourists to Spain continued in May, which recorded an alltime high for international visitors in that month.

The National Statistics Institute said 8.2 million people arrived in the country during May - 17.6% up on a year earlier, and 3.8% more than the previous May record set in 2019.

Spain continues to enjoy having Brits as their number one foreign visitor with 1.8 million arrivals, accounting for 22% of the total. France and Germany may have made eternal peace on the battlefield, but they continue to vie for the silver medal in the tourists-to-

Spain stakes. As it was, in May France broke with historical patterns to just shade Germany with 1.2 million visitors versus 1.1 million respectively. Cumulatively, foreign tourist numbers have risen by 28% in the first five months of 2023 compared to the same period in 2022.

The most popular destination for visitors were the Balearic Islands, accounting for 21.9% of the total, followed by Catalunya (21.8%) and Andalucia (14.7%).

The biggest percentage rise in tourist numbers was the Valencian Community- up 26.3% on May 2022.

FROM HEAVEN TO HELL

Top sommelier gets jail time for flogging high-end wine bottles under the table

A TOP sommelier has been given a two-year prison sentence for secretly selling luxury bottles of wine in Spain’s Basque Country.

Guillermo Cruz, who was named the best sommelier in Spain in 2014, sold a number of high-end bottles from a two-star Michelin restaurant where he worked in Gipuzkoa. The 39-year-old wine expert worked at Mugaritz restaurant from 2012 to 2019, where he was the dining room manager.

Spending spree

TOURIST spending in the Balearics soared to €4.5 billion over the first five months of 2023 - €500 million more than in the same period last year. It's an 11.4% increase and is up by 25.1% on the 2019 figure. Just over two million tourists arrived in the Balearics in May, a record figure for the month. There has never been so much tourist spending during the first five months of the year. Spending per head per day – €164 on average – has increased by 8.4%, despite the length of stay reducing a little.

Top level access

By Alberto Lejarraga

Cruz has now been sentenced for selling a number of the restaurant’s most expensive bottlesworth €22,487 - to third parties.

The accused admitted to the deeds, but he claimed the bottles belonged to him and the restaurant consented to the sales. Cruz added that he had his own wine collection in the restaurant’s cellar and that he had even bought some

of them himself from the establishment. He claimed he had bought over 200 bot-

SWEET NEWS

WHO makes the best honey in Europe? According to the prestigious Biolmiel prize, it is Mallorca local Marti Mascaro (left).

Mascaro’s company, Mel Caramel, has received multiple awards thanks to its owner. His company in Inca produces 2,000 kg of honey a year - and 12 of Mallorca’s 13 types of organic honey - through hives home to a colossal 18 million bees.

Mascaro found his love for beekeeping 20 years ago after working in a supermarket with his then boss, an amateur beekeeper.

Hanging up his uniform at the market and trading it in for a beekeeper suit, he decided to launch his own business.

tles of wine from Mugaritz, which he paid with cash. But the court dismissed this version and ruled that the sommelier ‘was not authorised to sell wine bottles from the restaurant for his own benefit’. However, it could not be proved that all the bottles he sold belonged to the

Great Mosque

two-star restaurant. Mugaritz initially asked for a compensation of over €60,000, but it was decided that Cruz would only need to pay €22,487. However, the sentence is not final and the well-known wine expert can appeal to the High Court of Justice of the Basque Country.

ALICANTE-ELCHE airport won the European ‘Accessible Airport Award’ at a recent industry event in Barcelona for going above and beyond.

Airports Council International (ACI) gave Alicante the nod for ‘its work and commitment to achieve a more accessible airport for people with disabilities and reduced mobility’.

The ACI highlighted measures such as specific lanes for people with reduced mobility, the implementation of a loading area for electric wheelchairs and the creation of a sensory room for people with hidden disabilities such as autism spectrum disorder, which is currently under construction.

THE Mosque-Cathedral of Cordoba - a World Heritage Site since 1984 - is on the verge of breaking its record for number of visitors.

The monument, the first stone laid in the 8th century AD, is already at 92% percent of visits compared to its best year, 2019, at just past the halfway

point of 2023.

In 2019 a total of 2,079,160 people visited the monument and though the high season for tourist trips to Cordoba is late spring - early summer (April to June), everything points to this year being the best for visitors in the ancient mosque’s history.

MICHELIN: Top wines went missing

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FOOD,DRINK & TRAVEL

2. Disfrutar, Barcelona

MODERN techniques and personal talents come together in Disfrutar’s gastronomic experience.

Set up by the trio of chefs, Mateu Casañas, Oriol

Castro and Eduard Xatruch, it sits behind a typical tapas joint, unfolding into a cavernous space behind. This is the first of ‘many surprises’ in what the judges describe as some of the ‘world’s most modish dishes’.

Punters experience the classic tasting menu,

3. Diverxo, Madrid

THE bold, rule-breaking flavours by chef Dabiz Muñoz are part of a greater, more marvellous story.

Immersed in a fantasy-world of outlandish decor, staff dressed in punky uniforms serve a range of stunning, creative dishes. For foodies, the DiverXO experience makes dreams feel tame. Passing through the hands of five or six chefs before plating, the gastronomy follows Muñoz’s love for avant-garde art from conception to completion – he describes the experience as ‘something like the Cirque du Soleil’.

which takes four hours, with its wine pairing options.

Playing with shapes, textures, and flavours, Disfrutar’s experimental style has earned it two Michelin stars and its place as Europe’s best restaurant.

TOP OF THE WORLD

Spain has officially ground down its rivals to once again prove it’s the global dining capital, insists Jon Clarke

WITH a trio of restaurants in the World’s Top Five, it’s fair to say that Spain is still leading the way in the kitchen.

The three long-time competitors have been jostling for their positions in the prestigious 50 Best list since 2019… but it’s the first time they all made it so high. Indeed, it’s the first time for over a decade that a trio of Spanish joints have dominated the top five in the 50 Best poll.

IN the small village of Axpe in the Basque region, the asador is a total contrast to its rivals on the list, favouring simplicity over experimentation. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t magic and his place has become a true destination restaurant noteworthy for its grill techniques.

Chef Victor Arguinzoniz’s more than 30 years of experience with ‘fire cooking’ contributes to his traditional approach and meticulous style –every dish that exits the kitchen is given his signature touch.

The restaurant thrives off local produce and elevating ingredients by highlighting their natural flavours.

20. Quique Dacosta, Denia 22. Elkano, Getaria

and when it shut they set up together in 2014.

JUST two years after he began his career as a chef in 1986, at just 16 years of age, Quique Dacosta began working at a restaurant that would later share his name. His food takes an artistic approach to the geographies and cuisines of the Mediterranean and nearby Montgo Natural Park. Putting Valencian cuisine very much on the map, his respect for nature — the roots of the restaurant — comes forth in every bite.

You have to go back to 2010 when legendary El Bulli, Mugaritz and Cellar de Can Roca were in the top five. The trio this year - Disfrutar, Diverxo and Asador Etxeberri - have been consistently leading the charge creatively for decades.

The team at Disfrutar, at number two, fittingly worked together under Ferran Adria’s incredible guiding eye at El Bulli from the late 1990s

AT Mugaritz, presentation is anthropomorphic in the most intimate and wondrous ways.

At Diverxo, Dabiz Muñoz and his exwife even slept on the floor of their legendary food factory so dedicated were they to getting their first Michelin star.

While at Etxeberri, Victor Arguinzoniz just did his own thing on his rustic Basque grill for 30 years as he slowly found the world starting to beat a wooden spoon to his door.

But there is more. In the 50 Best list

AT this incredibly picturesque spot, Aitor Arregi uses his method of whole-grilling fish over a wood fire as the foundation of his flavour.

Playing off Getaria’s gastronomic heritage, this method of cooking has become an integral part of the town’s cuisine and a tradition for Arregi, whose father, Pedro, opened the first Elkano back in 1964. There is a distinct emphasis on sustainability and the local connection is reflected within the dishes and maritime decor.

Take the dish ‘heart that does not feel’ which is a flat, almost 2D slice of meat with ribbons of fat representing the aorta.

Mugaritz has long taken a phil-

64. Aponiente, Cadiz

osophical approach to food thanks to its intellectual chef Andoni Luis Aduriz. He’s probably now one of the world’s most boundary-pushing cooks and has been in the 50 Best list for well over a decade.

CHEF Ángel León is recognized as “The Chef of the Sea” for utilising ingredients from the Mediterranean and Atlantic sea in his evolving menus.

The current rendition, based on the infinite sea, commits to sustainability and new techniques. Even in the dessert section, the restaurant blends together traditional sweets with seafood.

82. Enigma, Barcelona

ENIGMA uses seasonal ingredients in their monthly menus and offers different wine experiences. The finishing touches on the meals are added right at the table so guests can witness the ever changing techniques.

this year Spain once again has six revolutionary restaurants… with Valencia’s Quique Dacosta very much back in the limelight, Elkano picked for its amazing use of turbot (and other fish) and Mugaritz, thanks to the legendary Andoni Luis Aduriz, Spain’s genius extraordinaire! And finally, four more restaurants make the Top 100 meaning 10% of the world’s best places to eat are in Spain. Here the Olive Press tells you everything you need to know about them:

81. Azurmendi, Biscay

AZURMENDI’S emphasis on sustainabili ty has contributed to its standout rela tionship with its environment, including its use of new technologies to develop dishes.

96. Ricard Camarena Restaurant, Valencia

THE different proposals offered here emphasis utilising every part of an ingredient, with menus based on homegrown vegetables that are added to sauces and even drinks.

A NOSE FOR SUCCESS

DIVERXO’S Miguel Ángel Millán has been voted the Beronia World’s Best Sommelier of 2023.

Millán has been working in the restaurant since 2019, expanding the wine cellar to include rare sakes, amongst other wines, and creating two pairing menus to complement Diverxo’s unique culinary experience.

After graduating top of his class in sommelier training, he gained experience at Spain’s Santceloni and Kabuki, a Japanese fusion restaurant. His acclaim is in part due to his dedication and perseverance as he often travels across the world in search of specific vintage wines.

In the dining room, his connection with diners allows him to meet their needs and cater to their experiences.

The award recognizes individuals who demonstrate knowledge of the craft and excellent customer service, showing how influential Millán has become in the dining world.

31. Mugaritz, San Sebastian

4. Asador Etxebarri, Atxondo

FOOD,DRINK & TRAVEL

HIDDEN BENIDORM

IT’S best known for its stag parties and excessive boozing - not to mention its own TV programme. But there is a lot more going on in Benidorm than most people realise. Spain’ biggest tourist resort - which receives between 10 to 15 million tourists a year - is surprisingly popular with Spanish visitors and has a distinctly middle class feel in many parts.

The giant skyscraper resort, which is considered the ‘birthplace of package tourism’, was first launched as a holiday destination in 1925, but didn’t become popular until the 1950s and 1960s.

While in the 1980s and 90s, it gar-

The Serra Gelada Natural Park

There are many ways to connect with nature during your time in Benidorm, and this natural park is an ideal option for those looking to hike or catch scenic views.

On the trail, visitors can see the La Escaleta watchtower ruins and get a great view of the sea from the La Cruz lookout.

This portion of the sea has a diverse marine environment, making it a great place to snorkel or scuba dive.

Beaches,

nered a reputation as being the preferred destination of British and German lager louts, it has massively cleaned up its act today.

Best known for its excellent beaches, it has a permanent population of 71,000 people, more than Ronda or Cuenca, and was the first place in Spain where women could wear a bikini. Around 30 buildings reach 100 metres in height, while the Intempo

Spain’s

building truly scrapes the sky at 187 m.

The fifth most visited place in Spain (after Madrid, Barcelona, Sevilla and Palma), its first nightclub, Penelope opened in 1968, while in 1970, CAP 3000 opened with a concert from Led Zeppelin. Today, the city boasts of being one of the most sustainable places in Spain.

It has many green spaces (see pho-

to) and the resort has recently kick started a ‘green initiative’ to improve the environment. More than 200 trees were planted earlier this year to help with offsetting carbon dioxide absorption. Town hall officials currently have other plans underway to improve cleanliness and the environment, including installing new underground bins and energy-efficient lighting.

As the resort makes efforts to showcase how important the environment is to its tourism, a new side of Benidorm is being uncovered that moves away from its stereotypical elements. Here the Olive Press offers half a dozen interesting sites worth seeking out on a visit to Benidorm:

The church of San Jaime y Santa Ana

Located on the top of Benidorm’s old town, this 18th century church is dedicated to Benidorm’s patron saint. Inside there is a statue of the Virgen del Sufragio and the saint’s chapel. Unlike the rest of the city that boasts skyscrapers, the courtyard around the church speaks to the city’s past architecture.

Balcony over the mediterranean

This lookout point with views over both Benidorm and the Med is one of its most popular landmarks.

Although most people have no idea of its important historical significance, between the 14th and 17th centuries, a castle stood on the headland to protect the city from pirates.

However, when the French took over the castle in the 19th century, the English navy destroyed it. Now, only leftover stone from the castle is visible on the balcony along with a small monument with cannons as a nod to its history.

The Terra Mítica Amusement Park

For thrill seekers, this amusement park has a range of roller coasters and water rides. It is only open during the summer season but offers activities that people of all ages can enjoy. Ticket prices and hours can be found here: www.terramiticapark.com

Adding to the blossoming environmental side to Benidorm, this man-made park offers an oasis from the fast-paced buzz of the resort. Its large walkway is lined with trees that give way to gardens and two auditoriums that host city events.

nightlife and skyscrapers… but there is a lot more going on in

biggest tourist resort, writes Regina Roberts

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HEY! Getir going

HOME grocery delivery company Getir has announced that it plans to get rid of its entire workforce in Spain - barely two years after the Turkish firm began operations in the country.

1,560 Getir employees in Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Zaragoza, Sevilla and Malaga are set to lose their jobs as the company begins discussions with unions. The redundancies will affect couriers, store and office staff.

MAÑANA MAÑANA

Jobs for life clocking off at 2pm: Spaniards prefer government jobs over entrepreneurship

By Alex Trelinski

A NEW survey seems to confirm what some might long have suspected: Spaniards prefer cushty government jobs-for-life over high-risk high-reward entrepreneurship.

The polling, conducted by Funcas, found that only a small minority of the Spanish public (13%) would advise a young person to become an entrepreneur and go into the private sector. Instead, over half would recommend young people to put their feet up in the public sector as civil servants. The survey also reveals that 20% would advise young individuals to work as employees for others, 7% would suggest self-employment, and the remaining 13% were

uncertain or opted for an alternative option.

The results surprised the researchers behind the study, Elisa Chuliá and Juan Carlos Rodríguez.

“It is striking that the proportion of respondents revealing a professional preference for the public sector exceeds the combined responses related to occupations in the private sector,”

Electric incentive

SPAIN will pay back up to 15% of income tax to people who buy an electric vehicle before the end of the year in a bid to encourage sustainable driving.

The maximum income tax deduction would be €20,000.

“The aim is to place Spain at the forefront of Europe’s rollout of electric vehicles,“ said Economy Minister Nadia Calviño.

GOING DOWN

INFLATION in Spain has dipped to below 2% for the first time since March 2021, according to provisional June figures published by the National Statistics Institute.

Inflation fell by more than one percentage point in June, reaching 1.9% year-on-year, down from

they said.

They went on to speculate that preference for government jobs may be rooted in a perception of increasing uncertainty across various aspects of life, particularly in the last decade.

The public sector offers stability and shorter working hours - often clocking off at 2pm - in a time of economic insecurity.

It is also more compatible with other responsibilities and appealing to the rising value of leisure time.

However, the researchers voiced concern about the findings.

“Is a society that overwhelmingly encourages its young people to work in the public sector forgetting that the income to pay these civil servants depends decisively on private sector businesses and workers generating sufficient wealth?”

3.2% in May, with fuel, electricity and food price increases easing. The June inflation rate puts Spain in a better place than most of its neighbours within the eurozone, where inflation reached 6.1% year-on-year in May.

It’s a significant change from a year ago when inflation in Spain hit 10.8% in July 2022- its highest level since 1985.

COSTS for SME have increased by 27% since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.

And they crept up a further 2.2% in the first quarter of 2023.

A new report shows that labour costs have risen by 4.4% in the same period. This has been put down to increases in social security contributions and minimum wage.

But the main struggle for SMEs is linked to energy prices.

While electricity prices fell by 3.5% in the first quarter of the year, they are still 107.8% more expensive than two years ago.

SME’s struggle SUMMER BOOST

TELEFONICA says it has ‘significantly reinforced’ its 5G phone coverage in nearly 500 Spanish coastal and inland tourist resorts to meet higher demand from summer tourists and avoid network saturation.

The upgrade covers 442 coastal destinations all over the country, above all the regions of Andalucia, the Balearic Islands, the Canary Islands, the Valencian Community, Catalunya, Galicia, Cantabria and Asturias, as well as 56 inland localities, some with less than 1,000 inhabitants.

Telefonica has also followed rival Orange in launching a 5G standalone service in more than 700 parts of Spain. It means that customers with compatible devices in served areas will be able to browse the internet at speeds of up to 1.6 Gbps and access far lower latencies at no additional cost.

Good job

IN more great news for the purring Spanish economy, the jobless total has fallen by over 50,000, to 2,688,842 in June.

It is at its lowest level since 2008, just before the financial crash.

Government figures show that 54,541 new workers were registered in the Social Security system, making a total of 20,869,940 - the highest number ever. And unemployment among people under 25 also fell by 3,552 last month, leaving the number at a new low of 184,491.

“These data are very positive,” Yolanda Diaz, Spain’s Ministry of Labour said. She insisted: “Unemployment has been reduced in all sectors and in every region of the country.”

Festival time

THE Reggaeton Beach Festival takes place this Saturday and Sunday in Can Picafort, with an estimated 18,000 people expected to attend.

Branded 'the largest reggaeton festival in Europe', it's the second time the event has been staged in Mallorca. The music event which has a deal to return in future years with reports suggesting it will be held for at least three more years.

The promoters claim that the festival will bring €5.5 million into the local economy, with 20% of attendees coming from Spain's mainland to see a mixture of international acts and local DJs.

However, complaints have been raised after the local council failed to provide an environmental report on the impact of the festival.

GOB, a local environmental group said: “We are very afraid that we could find ourselves with the typical case of a fait accompli , with the environmental requirements thrown away two days after the event is over.”

RISING FROM THE BRINY

AN archaeological team has made an extensive survey of a 2,500-year-old Phoenician ship to work out the best way to extract it from the sea.

The Mazarron II is named after the town in Murcia, where it was found off the coast in 1994.

Eight metres in length it is regarded as the most complete ancient ship to be discovered, but unless raised, it risks further damage from currents and storms.

The vessel was found largely intact with a cargo

Ancient Phoenician ship surveyed for rescue bid

By Alex Trelinski

ingots weighing 2,820 kilos.

A total of nine archaeologists have worked for over a fortnight to log any cracks and fissures across the ship, which lies 60 metres from Mazarron's Playa de la Isla.

Later this year, the experts from Valencia University will recommend how to protect and retrieve the wreck.

Its new home would be the National Museum of Marine Archaeology in Cartagena where Mazarron I - restored 30 years ago - is currently on display.

It was discovered by chance in 1988 during

OP QUICK CROSSWORD

the construction of a new marina.

Historians have used the Mazarron II, probably made around 580 BC, to document how the Phoenicians shipped metals such as lead from the Iberian Peninsula.

After it sank, it remained buried in sediment for more than 2,000 years un-

Kids at bullfights

A LAW which forbids children from attending bullfighting events is firmly in the sights of a potential PP - Vox coalition team up.

Article 12 of the Bullfighting Regulation and Animal Protection Law in the Balearic Islands is designed to protect children from witnessing the violence of bullfighting. An agreement between the two right-wing parties to repeal the law, should they win power this month, has ignited a backlash. The ban on children watching the events follows UN conventions on children’s rights and was ratified by Spain in 2018. Ruben Perez, of Childhood Without Violence said: "Exposure to violence during childhood can contribute to normalising violence and foster attitudes of acceptance towards aggression against both animals and humans."

til changes in currents unearthed it in 1994.

It now lies under about 1.7 metres of water surrounded by sandbags and a metal structure built for protection.

The structure however is sinking into the sand at a faster pace than the wreck and threatened to crush it, so it was partially removed.

SALTY: Lead ingots weighing 2,820 kg were found on board

HOSPITAL visitors have been fainting after the temperature in the rooms skyrocketed over the recent heatwave.

Managers at San Llatzer are facing questions after patients and family members were forced to endure heat in excess of 27 degrees.

Sources for the hospital say that all rooms have working air conditioning but certain rooms are difficult to cool due to sun shining in.

Current legislation states that places where light work is carried out must be between 14 and 25 degrees.

Farewell masks

SPAIN has said goodbye to the last remaining Covid-19 pandemic restriction dating back to spring 2020.

Last week’s meeting of the Council of Ministers abolished mandatory mask wearing in areas like hospitals, health centres, and pharmacies.

The wearing of masks on public transport was abolished in February and the 17 regional health ministries that form the Interterritorial Council voted in favour on June 23 to end all remaining mask wearing rules. Health Minister, Jose Miñones, said: “We have a totally different situation compared to 2020 with more than 90% of the population with a full dose of vaccination (105 million doses), and less than 1% of deaths and hospitalisations are down to Covid.”

He nevertheless appealed for mask wearing to continue when close to vulnerable people who have symptoms of infection, as well as in hospital ICUs.

LONG HOT SUMMER CONCERNS

THE government has announced plans for a new department to investigate and alleviate the effects of higher temperatures on human health.

Ecological Transition Minister Teresa Ribera said that a Health and Climate Change Observatory will be set up to look at the impact of extreme weather.

With summer temperatures reaching new highs,

Hot hospital Case closed

Ribera said vulnerable people like the elderly were at risk and more work is needed to understand how to prepare for longer, hotter summers.

“We must investigate what happens to our bodies in response to the effects of climate change, in order to mitigate the consequences on our health,” Ribera commented.

Help our children

Authorities to take action as suicide rates among Spain’s teens soars

WITH rates of suicide creeping up alarmingly among teens in Spain, school teachers are being trained in techniques to support at-risk youth. The move has been driven by the shocking statistic that 2022 saw 84 young adults take their own life, ac cording to the INE - the highest rate since records began. The soaring rate at which young peo ple have reported an increase in feelings of loneli ness, situations of violence or abuse, and depression are thought to be contributing factors.

By Regina Roberts

Psychologists with the Educational Inspectorate are delivering the training which it is hoped will reverse this worrying trend.

All of the autonomous communities in Spain currently have suicide prevention plans in public and private school environments as required by the law. These plans involve telling students about factors and warning signs, and employing specific measures for those who have exhib-

THE

THE Supreme Court has shelved a case brought by two families over two patients who died within a couple of days at Manacor hospital in 2017. They claimed they passed away due to an excessive use of bleach by cleaners. But the top court agreed with a previous ruling that there was no evidence to link the deaths with the inappropriate use of bleach. The families complained at the time about the strong smell of bleach in the patient's rooms and the negative effect it had on them.

ited suicidal tendencies. However, psychologists are adamant that in order to make an impact within schools, the education system needs to incorporate professionals trained in

LIVER CANCER BOOST

A NEW combination of immunotherapy treatment could be used to fight liver cancer, and tests on mice are underway.

Dr. Ignacio Melero at Navarra's Cima University said:

“We are using mice with a gene transfer from the liver where we have been able to test new immunotherapy combinations," he added. Liver cancer is one of the fastest growing cancer types and the sooner it is detected, the higher the survival rate. Symptoms include loss of appetite or losing weight when you’re not trying to; increased tiredness; a lump on the right side of the stomach; and the skin or whites of the eyes turning yellow.

OP Puzzle solutions

Quick Crossword

Established 1989

EMERGENCIES:

Dr.Mónica Bonet – University of Barcelona

Dr. Yasmina Adebibe – B.D.S London

Susan Taylor-Vickers – BSc, EDH

Mercadona Centre, Son Caliu, Palma Nova

Across: 7 Beaches, 8 There, 9 Odium, 10 Cobwebs, 11 Monkhood, 13 Bees, 15 Time, 16 Unbutton, 19 Colonel, 20 Rifle, 22 Loser, 23 Species.

Down: 1 Mali, 2 Thimphu, 3 Psychoanalyse, 4 Stubs, 5 Tenement, 6 Senses, 7 Bloom, 12 Nameless, 14 Guarded, 15 Tackle, 17 Needs, 18 Inert, 21 Fail.

prevention strategies within schools. Leading psychology authorities, including the General Council of Psychology of Spain and The Official College of Psychology of Madrid, have been fighting to create the role of educational psychologist in all of the autonomous communities. Currently, it has only been implemented in eight of the 17.

Another plan being proposed is the creation of a ‘student helper’ role across the community. Students chosen for this role are given the responsibility of watching out for warning signs amongst their peers as at-risk adolescents usually seek support from a trusted peer prior to an authority figure.

The suicide rate among teens has continued to rise despite the passage of the Law for the Comprehensive Protection of Children and Adolescents approved in 2021. The law was designed to better protect young people from serious crimes against children.

Specsavers visit

MALLORCA hosted a Specsavers team-building trip as ten members of the Specsavers workforce in Karlskoga, Sweden, recently visited colleagues in the Balearic Islands.

The shop they visited was in Santa Ponça in Mallorca, and the objective was to see how the brand works outside of Sweden.

According to Specsavers, the team tries to get away for a team building trip once every year, with regular visits to other stores in the world.

The trip was a great success, with members of the team particularly impressed by the Balearic coastline and the friendly locals.

Lighting up again

SMOKERS in the Balearics can spark up again on bar or restaurant terraces after all Covid-19 health restrictions ended on July 5. The Council of Ministers has also curtailed all measures including the end of wearing masks in hospitals.

In case you missed it

CONTRARY to all perceptions, last month was actually the second-rainiest June of the 21st century, according to Aemet.

Dead body

A GROUP of kids in Cantabria fulfilled the plot of many an 80s movie by stumbling across a dead body while playing around in an abandoned wasteland.

Tone deaf

THE speaker in the Congress of Deputies, Meritxell Batet, was forced to apologise for claiming that ‘most of the population has no problem paying their rent’.

O P LIVE RESS

KISSED OFF

A BRAD Pitt fan suffered anguish after her dream of starring in a movie with the Hollywood icon turned out to be a very expensive fraud.

The middle aged Granada woman was wooed by a charming con man, posing as the A-lister, into an online relationship that ended up costing her €170,000.

The victim joined a Brad Pitt fan club on social media and, over the course of exchanges

BUS TO HELL

Heartbreak for Brad Pitt fan scammed out of fortune by smooth-talking imposter

By Alex Trelinski

with an online figure, began to believe that she was actually in direct contact with the actor himself.

The fake Brad Pitt sent her images of his alleged attendance

at red carpet premieres and even some photos with a message addressed directly to the money to fund the bogus production costs.

woman. He even made grand promises that he would come to Spain and make a movie with her, if she would just transfer him

Look but don’t touch

BEACHES along Spain’s east coast are reporting strange fried eggs appearing in their waters - but not ones you would be advised to eat.

Thousands of jellyfish that resemble huevos fritos have been appearing in increasing numbers, according to authorities. Warmer temperatures are thought to have caused the proliferation of this unique species.

And although bathers won't enjoy spotting one of them, it should be noted their sting has little or no effect on humans, at most mild burning sensation and irritation of the skin. Handily, the Spanish Ministry of Ecology recommends washing the affected area with sea water - something which should not be hard to find.

The woman's lawyer, Antonio Estella Aroza, said that the fraudster gained the 'trust, friendship and even the love of the victim' with a relationship that became almost like that of a couple.

However, over time the victim began to realise that the man’s promises were not materialising and that perhaps something was off.

The penny eventually dropped for the fan, who instigated legal proceedings after she realised she had been scammed out of a six figure sum. Her solicitor has filed a legal complaint for fraud, identity theft, and money laundering, but no arrest has been made.

VETERAN rockers Kiss have been playing to adoring crowds in their trademark black-andwhite face paint and outlandish costumes since 1973. But the curtain was pulled away a little when the members of the band were snapped heading to their gig in Cartagena on an Alsa bus.

The scene - with Gene Simmons and company in full regalia looking bored - went a little way to puncturing the image of the septuagenarian rock gods.

Booze blast

DRIVERS on the AP-7 were treated to raining beer in the Valencia region. But they were too busy dodging the exploding kegs on the back of the beer lorry to get out and try to get a slurp.

The lorry had caught fire along the motorway between Corbera and Llauri and the barrels were blasting out the back as far as the opposite carriageway. Thankfully no one was injured in the incident but tragically a lot of beer went to waste.