CITY OF SPLENDOUR
Orca mystery
Why you must visit Ronda
Why are Killer Whales sinking yachts
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MALLORCA
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FREE Vol. 6 Issue 170 www.theolivepress.es December 1st - December 14th 2023
Terror probe hell ‘Full on and stressful’ ordeal for British family after daughter is dragged into terror probe A BRITISH expat family has been torn apart after their ‘vibrant’ and ‘model-esque’ daughter was accused of helping to carry out a terrorist attack in Spain. On the surface, Sasha Brooks is a typical young woman enjoying life in the sun, regularly posting selfies on nights out in Marbella and Granada with her friends on Instagram. With holidays in Ibiza, Mallorca and Australia, she wears stylish clothes and is the ‘life and soul of the party’ on frequent nights out. But her world came crashing down when
LOVELY COUPLE: Naraya and Sasha are being investigated
EXCLUSIVE By Laurence Dollimore
she was arrested alongside her Spanish boyfriend, Naraya Gomez, at a home they share in the quaint town of Lanjaron, Granada, just an hour inland from the Costa del Sol. They were sequestered to Madrid before facing a judge, where they were charged with aiding the assassination attempt of far-right politician Alejo Vidal-Quadras. The 78-year-old was shot in the face by a hitman on a motorbike outside his home in the posh neighbourhood of Salamanca in Madrid - which boasts football players, Penelope Cruz and Javier Bardem as residents. Last night Spain issued an international arrest warrant for the suspected shooter, named as 37-year-old Tunisian Mehrez Ayari. Following Sasha and Naraya’s arrests, Lanjaron, a tiny town of just 3,000 people, was turned into a media circus. Before Sasha was dragged before a judge, her mother, Angie Brooks, a financial advisor, told the Olive Press: “Spanish reporters have been hounding us, banging on my door all night and morning. “They have reported so many lies about my daughter.” After her court appearance her mother said Sasha was ‘exhausted’. She added she had been through an ‘ord e a l ’ , branding the episode ‘stressful’ and ‘full on’. “I’ve had to come up to Madrid to help her as much
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as possible,” said Brooks, who runs a an anti-fraud advice company, Pension Life, where her daughter and boyfriend Naraya had been working. “It’s been pretty full on and it’s now up to the judge to decide whether to charge WORRIED: Mum them or Angie while (above) Naraya’s dad Sirio not.” While her mother later insisted she had not been charged, Sasha had her passport taken off her after being released on bail. She must appear before the court every 15 days and is forbidden from leaving Spain as the investigation continues. Various Spanish newspapers reported that both Sasha and Naraya were still being investigated in connection to the attempted murder. Naraya was refused bail and sent to prison due to the overwhelming evidence against him. He is said to have recently converted to Islam, specifically following the Shiite sect favoured by the ayatollahs of Iran. Vidal-Quadras is convinced the Middle Eastern nation is the mastermind behind the hit, after its ruling elite listed him as a ‘terrorist’ last October due to his years of harsh criticisms against the country. Naraya, 26, is accused of hiring the contract killer before travelling to a hotel in Madrid with him on the eve of the attack.
‘EXHAUSTED’: Sasha Brooks was dragged to Madrid following her arrest in Granada
According to police, Gomez followed the Frenchman in his car on the day of the shooting. After the deed was done, the alleged killer, who is also wanted for a murder in Paris, dumped his motorbike and set it on fire, before being picked up by Gomez in his car to make his getaway. According to police, Naraya’s blue hire car was seen on CCTV in Madrid’s Barrio Salamanca in the weeks running up to the attack, tracking Vidal-Quadras’s movements. The same car was found illegally parked in Lanjaron this week, leading to the couple’s arrest. Naraya’s father Sirio Gomez, a yoga master who lives in a new age commune just outside Lanjaron, insisted the charges were completely false. He told the Olive Press: “My son is completely innocent, See pages 9, 10 & 16 he is not a terrorist. “He is a good boy, a vegetarian, spiritual and a pacifist.”
Tel: 952 147 834 TM
He said he last spoke to Naraya a few months ago and that he was excited to introduce his girlfriend Sasha to him. He added: “He was not related to politics, he worked for Sasha’s mother’s business. “He never converted to Islam, that is a lie, he is not a Muslim. He has judeo-Christian beliefs and an affinity with Israel!”
Alternative
Sirio lives in the so-called community of Benificio, just a 20-minute drive from Lanjaron. It’s known by locals as an ‘alternative community’, where people from across Europe come and go. The theory put forward by police has left expats and locals in Lanjaron in shock. One local Brit told the Olive Press: “They were a lovely couple, no one can believe it or understand it. “There is no motivation for them to do something like this, Sasha comes from a good family.” The investigation continues.
2
CRIME
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NEWS IN BRIEF
OVER 40 Guardia Civil officers staged raids in sa Pobla on Wednesday to round up a Moroccan gang behind a wave of home robberies in the northern part of Mallorca. At least seven arrests were executed during 15 simultaneous home searches, with some of those detained being minors. Sever-
Bomb surprise WORKERS at the recycling point in Esporels had a fright when a man dumped a box filled with Civil War era grenades and mortar shells. They were made safe by the bomb squad.
December 1st - December 14th 2023
Buger, Campanet, Santa MarBand of robbers bla, galida and Inca have been attributed to the gang. The thieves entered al streets were sealed off by the Guardia during their operation as investigations still continue with further arrests not being ruled out. Dozens of robberies committed in recent months in homes in sa Po-
homes at night, often with the residents fast asleep, and helped themselves to any valuables. They even took car keys to vehicles parked in garages and drove away in them.
Dungeon dwellings
Teen arrests
A POLICEMAN is facing a €2 million fine for illegally renting out dozens of tiny, squalid storage units in the basement of a former hotel for people to live in. The officer converted 73 units, each with a space of just 15 square metres, into living areas in a sprawling, maze-like cellar dubbed ‘the
TWO teens - one of them from Palma the other from Caceres have been arrested for spreading Daesh terrorist propaganda via the internet.
In a pickle THE Rafa Nadal Sports Academy in Manacor is offering a new sport amongst its activities, namely pickleball, which mixes facets of tennis, paddle tennis, badminton and table tennis.
Palma in shock as police officer’s ‘basement of terror’ is revealed Basement of Terror’ on Calle Joan Miro in Palma. An investigation was triggered into the grisly setup after reports started to
CHASED DOWN POLICE have arrested a Bulgarian man, 20, after a highspeed car chase in the early hours of Monday morning that started in Son Banya. The vehicle had no lights on and officers waved it down before it sped away - reaching speeds of up to 140 km/h as it jumped red traffic lights. The car ended up on a cul-de-sac and the three occupants ran off through fields and leapt over walls before one of them was caught. Two guns and tools used for break-ins were found inside the vehicle which had been stolen and used as a getaway car from a supermarket robbery in August. The search is still continuing for the two fugitives.
Top for travel CALA d’Or, Mallorca has been named the ‘top international travel spot in 2024’ by Expedia. Palma took second place in the list which also included Frankfurt, Warsaw and Hong Kong.
% 50
By Walter Finch
emerge that people were dying down there due to the unlivable conditions. Each cockroach-infested, unventilated box room - which did come with a private bathroom - cost approximately €350 a month plus bills. The rent works out at €34 per square metre, similar to a luxury rate and significantly above the average rent in Palma of €16.10, according to flat-hunting website Idealista. The lack of affordable housing in Mallorca’s capital led to sky-high demand despite the atrocious conditions, even resulting in several people
sharing a single room. One Spanish resident, known as Pepe, said he had been living in the converted units - which he called a ‘family business’ - for over a dozen years. The disgraced cop offered his dungeon dwellings without any form of rental contract or a certificate of habitability to unregistered migrants, the homeless, or people who had fallen through the cracks of society. Shockingly, the officer is still collecting rent from tenants occupying the illegal accommodations even as he faces charges of fraud, facilitating irregular immigration and crimes against moral integrity. The converted accommodations, previously storage rooms in a 1970s building, were once used to house hospitality workers from the mainland during the summer season.
A recipe for murder A MALLORCAN chef - who was on the run from a jail term in Spain - and his wife have been killed in a brutal attack at their restaurant in Brazil. David Peregrina, 53, and his wife, 38-year-old Brazilian, Erika da Silva Santos were shot dead in a double homicide. David, originally a bank manager from Mallorca, fled to Brazil in 2012 after being sentenced to six years in prison for misappropriation, document falsification and fraud involving millions of euros. Since then, David opened a restaurant on Brazil’s Buranheim river where the incident occurred. Erika was found naked outside after attempting to flee from a balcony. David was found dead in the kitchen with shots to the arms, chest and back. Neighbours called authorities after hearing screams and cries for help. The motive for the attack is unconfirmed, but many suspect a robbery.
Inside job
TWO Palma City Council workers have been arrested for helping themselves to goods seized by the Policia Local from street vendors. The employees had the job of receiving the items and logging them before they were destroyed. The workers however kept the impounded booty.
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NEWS
December 1st - December 14th 2023
3
VIRTUALLY PERFECT
MEET Aitana, the latest Spanish supermodel, whose looks are turning heads. But the ‘celebrities’ who are said to be sending her private messages looking for a date will be sorely disappointed - she does not actually exist. Aitana is Spain’s first Artificial Intelligence created model and she is raking in up to €10,000 a month for her creators AI agency The Clueless from a series of ad cam-
paigns. And her Instagram site now has 125,000 followers, with many of them having no idea she is nothing more than a series of electrons. Ruben Cruz, who created Aitana, explained: “One day, a well-known Latin American actor texted to ask her out. This actor has about 5 million followers and some of our team watched his TV series when they were kids. He had no idea Aitana didn’t exist.” She has now been picked to be the face of sports supplement company Big.
STAR STUDDED
RHODES RAGE
PULP, Lana Del Rey and SZA are just some of the star acts heading to Barcelona next year for Primavera Sound. Other names lined up for the show include Vampire Weekend, Mitski, FKA Twigs, Disclosure, Justice, Phoenix, and PJ Harvey. The festival will take place from May 30 - June 1, 2024 at the Parc del Forum in Barcelona. The experiment of running a ‘mirror’ festival in Madrid in the days after this year’s Barcelona event has not been repeated.
Outraged expat concert pianist James Rhodes offers to pay rent of 78-yearold woman for two years to save her from eviction ‘over an €88 debt’ BRITISH concert pianist James Rhodes has offered to pay an elderly woman’s rent for two years after an €88 debt left her at risk of homelessness. The 78-year-old woman, Blanca, has lived in her Barcelona flat for over 50 years. Now, she is facing homeless-
AT HOME: Blanca was taken to court over €88 debt
month - an offer rejected by Blanca. British musician Rhodes, who lives in Madrid, has By Yzabelle Bostyn contacted the landlord’s lawyers ofness as her landlord is threatening to kick her out over an fering to pay the woman’s unpaid bill for repairs, which rent ‘at marshe was unaware of. ket rate’ for But activists believe that the real reason is that he wanted the next two years to halt to turn the property into a the eviction. lucrative holiday rental rathHis offer was er than collect the protected rejected by €280 a month she has been the landlord’s OFFER: Concert pianist James paying. legal team, Rhodes wants to halt eviction A court ordered the tenant’s who claim the eviction but it has been put on hold after a public outissue has been ongoing for The pianist added that he cry. The parties have just 15 six years. hopes ‘public pressure’ will days to negotiate a new rentRhodes said: “It seems in- help to resolve the case. al contract and the landlord credible to me that some- Much of this pressure comes has reportedly asked the thing like this could happen from a local housing associaelderly tenant for €1,200 a in civilised society.” tion, Resistim al Gotic (Gothic Quarter Resistance). Speaking about the delayed eviction, they said: “It’s a vicSPANISH tennis star Rafa tory for the people.” Nadal has vowed to return to Spokesperson for Resistim top-level tennis once he has al Gotic, Daniel Pardo, has overcome a serious injury. called the case ‘especially unThe 37-year-old has been out of just’ as the woman was rentaction since January after he ing under an old contract. retired from the second round He claims the owner only of the Australian Open. wants to evict the 78-yearHe was struck down with a old in order to earn more muscle injury money. The 22-time Grand Slam He told 20 Minutos: “He did champion needed surgery that some work on the apartment, has kept him off the courts lonwhich was poorly done, and ger than anticipated. he decided to bill Blanca In a recent post on Instagram, €88, but she didn’t know." Nadal confirmed that he will Instead of asking his tenant return following a period of refor the cash, the landlord habilitation and training at his went directly to the court to academy in Manacor. ask for her eviction. It will be his swansong as he has Currently, the case is being previously stated that 2024 will negotiated by local council be his final season on tour. mediators.
Nadal returns
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POP STAR Shakira has cut a deal with prosecutors at the start of her tax fraud trial in Barcelona. The singer, 46, told the presiding judge that she accepted an agreement reached between her lawyers and state prosecutors after previously twice turning down such an arrangement. It involves her paying a €7 million fine and a three-yearprison term but the Colombian star is not going to jail as she will pay an extra fine of €432,000. The sentence handed down was 'final' and it means that the trial on tax fraud charges will not go ahead. She faced six counts of failing to pay the Spanish government €14.5 million in taxes between 2012 and 2014 when she said she lived mainly abroad.
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www.theolivepress.es MALLORCAN conservationists have bred two rare goats in danger of extinction in a triumph for local wildlife. The species, known as ‘pitius goats’, were born on Monday, November 27. Native to Ibiza and Formentera, there are just 200 of the species in the world, most of which are found in Mallorca. The breeding project was led by Joan Gaià i Mascaró, owner of cheese factory Formatgeria Es Collet. As well as saving them from extinction, the businessman hopes to
FORMER England and Barcelona coach Terry Venables has died after a long illness at the age of 80. Best known and loved in England for leading a swashbuckling England side to almost-glory at Euro 96, Venables actually forged his reputation in the fires of Barcelona for three seasons in the eighties. He led the team to a La Liga title in his first season in 1984, ending Barcelona's 11-year trophy drought and reached the European Cup final the following year. After he left football management he returned to Spain to run the luxury ‘La Escondida’ hotel in Penaguila, Alicante, in 2014 before retiring in 2019.
Game, set, shut yer trap
GOAT A LOAD OF THAT! produce milk and cheese from the goats. Mallorca is home to four breeding centres for the goats, which are described as ‘strong, docile and adaptable’.
NOLOTIL IN THE DOCK
A PATIENT advocate group has filed a lawsuit against the Spanish Ministry of Health for failing to protect people against the potentially life-threatening effects of Nolotil. The Association of Drug Affected Patients (ADAF), led by campaigner Cristina del Campo, is suing the Spanish Ministry of Health and the Spanish Agency for Medicine and
Michelin Mallorca
THE Spanish Michelin Guide Gala was held in Barcelona on Monday, with some 31 restaurants awarded their first stars. Among them was Sa Clastra, Mallorca, bringing the island’s total stars to 12. Found in the iconic Castell Son Claret, the restaurant was chosen for its ‘creative cuisine that reinvents Mallorca’s gastronomic legacy’. TWO STARS: Voro´s The dishes will transport chef Alvaro Salazar visitors from the castle courtyard to head chef Jordi Canto’s Mallorcan childhood with typical dishes adapted for fine dining. The restaurant joins 10 other Michelin star venues across the island. Voro, Canyamell, is the proud owner of two stars under chef Álvaro Salazar. Meaning ‘to devour’ in Latin American Spanish, the restaurant is ambitious in its mission to create avant garde dishes without disregarding the venue’s Mediterranean roots. Other Michelin star restaurants on the island include: Adrián Quetglas (Palma), Andreu Genestra (Capdepera), Bens d’Avall (Sóller), Dins Santi Taura (Palma), Es Fum (Calvià), Fusión 19 (Playa de Muro), Maca de Castro (Port d’Alcúdia), Marc Fosh (Palma) and Zaranda (Palma). The Balearic Islands gained three new Michelin star venues this Monday. As well as Sa Clastra, Evissa restaurants Omakase by CELEBRATING: Sa Walt and Unic Clastra gained its first also gained Michelin star their first stars.
Campaigners are taking legal action against deadly painkiller following hundreds of near-deaths EXCLUSIVE By Yzabelle Bostyn
Health Products (AEMPS). The case, handled by Francisco Almodovar, claims the directive issued by the Spanish government in 2018 preventing the sale of the drug to Northern Europeans without prescription is not being followed. The ADAF also claims that authorities have not done enough to protect patients against the dangerous effects of Nolotil, which can include sepsis, amputations and organ failure. The campaign group has identified 350 suspected cases of agranulocytosis (low white blood cell count) between 1996 and 2023 as a result of the drug. The cases include 170 Britons living in or visiting Spain. They are also investigating
40 deaths which they believe to be linked to the infamous drug. Del Campo told the Olive Press: “We’re not looking for money or damages. I want to make them stop giving Nolotil to British people. “I want them to revise and modify regulations and investigate cases properly. “They need to act because it keeps being given without a prescription. People’s lives are at stake.” The ADAF is calling on the Spanish Ministry of Health to ban giving the drug to citizens where Nolotil is banned in their home country. They also demand new analysis of the risk of agranulocytosis and a revision of the Nolotil information sheet given to medical professionals. Nolotil, also known as metamizole, is a popular painkiller in Spain. Although unconfirmed by
AIRPORT THREAT THE UGT trade union has called a strike for 60,000 airport handling staff during key December holidays, threatening the travel plans of thousands. The stoppage is planned for all 46 airports in Spain for Tuesday December 5 and Sunday December 10. December 6 is Constitution Day, while December 8 is the Day of the Immaculate Conception. Both are national holidays, and the fact that they fall on a Wednesday and Friday will encourage many people in Spain to take much or all of the week off. UGT announced that it was calling the stoppage to protest against state airports operator Aena’s alleged failure to observe the collective agreement for the sector.
UBER’s 30 minute booking rule is set for the scrapheap, meaning that it’ll soon be possible to grab an Uber on the fly again. The Balearic government is preparing to ditch the rule, which states that you must book your ride 30 minutes in advance, although no specific date has yet been set. Uber taxis only returned to Mallorca in June this year after taxi driver associations got them banned for unfair
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NOLOTIL WARNING
AN evil Mexican cartel low-key ‘no frills’ life boss lived a among expats years before being arrested, it has emerged. The paranoid chief was the suspected head of the infamous gang operations in EuropeLos Zetas for seven years. He regularly drove to Murcia, Valencia and, even Badajoz, using up to seven cars along the way to avoid detection. Yet, incredibly, he lived but luxurious life in a an anything normal back street of Fuengirola (M alaga) police have revealed. Having finally arrested other home in Madrid, him at anit emerged he lived in leafy Calle Nuñez Balboa for some years, while renting a small chalet in Mijas, where he took many ‘girlfriends’. The drug lord, whose name as Said.R, 54, was arrested was given a joint operation between following Spanish, Colombian and US authorities. He was picked up in Madrid, he was ‘feared by everyone’, where according to detectives, due to his gang’s violent nature. A LETHAL painkiller is The Los Zetas gang is STILL being described by given to Brits five years the US authorities as ‘the EXCLUSIVE most tech- banned, the Olive Press after it was nologically advanced, By Yzabelle Bostyn can reveal. sophisticated It comes after a and violent’ paramilitary-style reader contacted us gang to sound the alarm after in South America. en the potentially deadly he was giv- among British expats and tourists They are known for their drug while tics in Mexico, including brutal tac- receiving treatment at HCB Hospital visiting Spain. mass kill- in Denia, Though usually harmless, ings, beheadings, kidnappings Alicante. Nolotil and Nolotil, also can affect Northern Europeans torture. known as with Said, who also had homes is the most common Metamizol, fair complexions and is banned painkiller in in Main the UK, Ireland, Sweden. drid, avoided capture Spain and is often marketed as an In October driving all over Spain for years by alternative to Ibuprofen for his busior Paracet- banned for 2018, the drug was mol.
ress.es November 2nd - November
15th 2023
yorkshirelinencostab
Outrage as dangero painkiller continuesus Spanish to be given to Brits despite being banned
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Stars from Hathaway Anne Whittaker to Jodie keep visiting Ronda, find out why in our travel supplement inside
TENNIS world number one Novak Djokovic told British fans to ‘shut up’ after Serbia’s Davis Cup match in Malaga. The Serbian star faced constant efforts to rile him up from the British fans, including counting each time he bounced the ball. But despite overwhelming support for the British team from the local expat community, it was Serbia that triumphed over Great Britain at Jose Maria Martin Carpena arena. Unfazed, Djokovic won the first set and responded with a cheeky kiss to the British contingent, eventually clinching the match against Brit Cameron Norrie 6-4, 6-4. “They were trying to annoy me the entire match, so yeah, we had a little bit of a chat in the end,” he said afterwards. The win secured Serbia a 2-0 triumph over Great Britain and set the stage for a semi-final clash against Italy, which they duly lost. The Italians went on to claim their first Davis Cup since 1976 by defeating Australia in the final on Sunday.
S
Picture perfect Andalucia’s city in the mountains is a hot ticket for world leaders and their wives despite Hemingway’s lukewarm words, writes Elisa Menendez
lacklustre review. Most of today’s travellers - including Britain’s last two prime ministers and an American First Lady - would certainly disagree with him. crowned Andalucia’s Ronda has been town and it’s not hardthird most-visited to see why. The so-called ‘City of Dreams’ is a true wanderlust gem and somewhat of a celebrity hang-out. This year alone, Theresa thaway, Ricky Gervais, May, Anne HaGordon Ramsay, KristinJodie Whittaker, and Spain’s ex-premier Scott Thomas Mariano Rajoy have all allegedly mountain town... visited the stunning so say locals in the know.
Obama
Michelle Obama also made headlines when she visited in 2010, touring the old town and discovering dynasty with her daughter the Moorish Sasha.
Picture by Jon Clarke
Farewell El Tel
December 1st - December 14th 2023
The
4
in the town after ing, nes and atmoder Ronda
GRAND TOUR-ISTS: Painters tackle the gorge, while (inset) recent visitors Anne Hathaway, Gordon Ramsey, Jodie Whittaker and Ricky Gervais
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groups ‘failing to tackle toxic air’ in are taking legal action Ecologistas the Campo de Gibraltar. against the Junta for ing nothing en Accion has filed a complaint with the Health caused by thehas been done to protect Ministry, claimcitizens According to expansion of ‘toxic’ industries in from a rise in air pollutants the green group, lutants were the Bay more than 10,000 tonnesof Algeciras. This includesreleased into the atmosphere of dangerous potentially last year. other fine particles. lethal cancer-causing polThe writ comes chemical benzene, as Cadiz province air quality in as well as was officially Spain. And alarmingly, declared to have the worst polluted place La Linea, which borders Gibraltar, The shocking in the world in terms stats were of air quality. ranks as the 30th tion report revealed most towns and which lists the world’s in a damning World ‘most contaminated’ Health OrganisaAdding saltcities. to the wound, Cadiz also came bottom Continues in page 11
Left for teen
Tragic end
“IT’S a dirty world that to live in anymore.” I don’t want These were of a British the intended last words on a suicideteen who had embarked old boyfriend pact with her 16-yearin Marbella. The privately-educated added: “I’m expat, 14, Sorry: To anyone has ever loved/known who me, thank or supported miss you.” you, I love you and I will
into the Campo
However, had a cruel,her heartfelt messages bizarre twist, British-Brazilian when her boyfriend Richard Fitzsimons off the top managed to take his life of the Corte partment store, Ingles delously survived. while she miracuIt came as a hero security somehow managed guard to grab the before she death after was able to plunge to girl her her lover. In a tragically shocked the sad incident - that has lines around coast and made header, who we the world - the teenagreasons, is are not naming for legal A LETHAL now requiring painkiller believed serious sponsible for the to be redeaths of dozens banned for tourists pats is finally of ex- In Continues a breakthrough in Spain. Nolotil, whichbeing regulated in Spain. page 2 the Olive Press Medicine Agency move, The Spanish tigated for nearly has TM two years, hasinves- issued a directive (AEMPS) has finally been ies to to all healthcare stop giving the drug to Britishbodand
Lethal painkiller BANNED for Brits after hard-fought battle BEST
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117 www.simply-shuttles.com
tribute bands Whole Lotta Think Floyd, Deeper Purple of Pink Floyd,Led rocking out and at the Plaza Deep Purple the greatest hits and del Toros For a chance on August Led Zeppelin 26. Bolton, just to win a pair of tickets was Michael answer the question; to see For the Pink Bolton born in? what year tell us; WherePurple Zep Fest was Jimmy in Estepona, answers to Page born? just the newsdesk@theolivepress.es. Email
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THE Olive Press is Spain to calling on ban a lethal that is killing painkiller countless suspecting of unexpats. British dentists are supporting and doctors ter Briton the ban complainedGraham Ward, afof how he to the Olive 75, was prescribedPress deadly Nolotil one month the to knock drug tist last only property down their week. It’s by a densame drug In a court (pictured above). the very for killing that was blamed Olive Press,order seen by his wife in The Marbella-based warned they the Wards the 2006. are will be held was furious nally responsible expat crimiDr Nina King, when he to take “I don’t know if they refuse. was the campaign, of Oasis Dental what to do Spanish the painkiller by told more, I’m Care his she prescribes.telling the ing from dentist, after suffertether” Gill at the end of anyOlive Pressin Marbella, fully “It’s not my supports the drug His wife a difficult abscess. “I’m totally told the Olive Press, is not something she said,a drug I use, I stick exhausted ter beingMary, 59, had died whole ordeal.” from the prescribed afI won’t be “And after seeing to safe and standard drug following The retired the same using in what damage medication,” Marbella-based the future.” pair, who tomy at Costa a double vasecspent thousands it can do, have Almeda also private doctor it’s a drug del Sol “Within of euros now gal costs, 24 hours Hospital. Dra. Victoria the drug,” agrees the drug in intensive house ‘in bought the old on leshe is dangerous. María Chacón tients and she told the Olive care, her was blood cell were givenruins’ in 2004,farmI am aware “I don’t prescribe Press, “I white “There needs count plummeted to zero within of what it have Velez-Malaga permission and to be a lot is capable lots of British days,” explains town hall from Graham, build it. more research paof doing. to retechnician,a former computer doctor But when on its impact.” She never from London. renewal to get a lapsed of the original wall HAPPIER in April, its own accord colTIMES: ness and regained conscioustests showed construction, Graham again. The dad-of-two the Wards’ during with wife, machine was on a life support the drug had tect told for FOUR and Billy “He later died caused before spending a toxic poisoning and that them it would bearchimonths, she said she would Smyth from he would fine septic Metamizole, be alive hadn’t fighting in his bone hall know. three years let the town if in the Nolotil is the impact heard fromtaken it, but I believed shock – Unfortunately drug, which US, banned row and his marhave of the and dozens linked to to be for most of the UK, Ireland led to organ white Irish ure. of Continues Europe, and blood cell fail- it,” added who have been Brits scribed the Nolotil. taking on Page “The chief 8 given widely in but it is pre- dangerously was surgeon Another It is the Graeme. Irishman Spain. low. pital promised Billy, at the hosWilliam a ish expat Britdrug the third victim of Smyth never prescribeme he would ‘Billy’ sportsman, keen Hugh Wilcox ported on Olive Press has the course was given a five-day oped sepsisdevelthat drug was preof the drug scribed the Sometimesin under a year. re- ary. in Febru- necrotising and same known medication But when also as itis as a resultfascifor mild turned to the 66-year-old and a different re- required pain on shoulder Spanish remove ‘radical surgery’ the affected del Sol. the Costa to He developed an attempt For all to save histissue in severe head insuranceyour life.
Irish tourists. Expats in Spain will now be tered Nolotil adminison a short term tion only. Furthermore prescripprescribed after it can only be a detailed the patient’s analysis of CAMPAIGN: medical hisPrevious SALE tory and heritage. issue despite various 59 It will also much more have to be can cause a rapid side effects,Mosquito Screenswhich closely mon- cells, leaving drop in white itored. blood patients unable infections. It comes after to fight an Olive Garcia del Medical translator, Cristina Press investigation Campo, into gether hundreds who has pulled tothe mysterious of case studies of expats from deaths victims for the AEMPS’ from the drug was was ‘very happy’probe, said she launche have finally the authorities d in KILL THE lowing the reacted. Fol2016, results of her along with rigorous investigation DRUG a 1,000-strong has now demanded she petition to have the drug must that it regunot be sold lated a year without tailed patient a prescription and a Nolotil, alsolater. deanalysis. Metamizole, known as “I am very happy that the problem the UK, the is banned in been dealt with,” she told the has of Europe. US and most Press. “I will be making Olive AEMPS recommendations sure that the Despite this, still one of thethe drug is ried out and if necessary are carmake sure it’s ular painkillersmost pop- banned completely.” in Spain, began investigating The Olive Press after a trio of expat families CASHBACK relatives had told us how their ON ily died YOUR HOUSE in excruciating unnecessarpain, after taking the In April, thedrug in Andalucia. first steps paper revealed the towards regulation had been taken, with Marina Salud, a big health network PAYBACK Alicante, issuing in WHEN stop administeringa warning to YOU SELL the drug to British, Irish and Scandinavian patients. Need for
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sale without a prescription to British people visiting Continues on page But the drug has been 2 Spain several deaths and seriouslinked to following a months’ long campaign illnesses by this newspaper and tireless medical campaigner Cristina Garcia del Campo. Recommendations were advising medical staff to also issued the drug to patients in avoid giving and to carry out follow upurgent care WARNING: blood tests Cristina has campaigned if the drug is given for seven days or the Olive Press, (inset) the Olive Pressagainst Nolotil alongside more. campaign See page 12 so many people,” she told The directive note, issued the Olive dations of by the Press. the AEMPS, and particSpanish Medicine Agency ularly those for recommended medical (AEMPS), Now, Cristina is launching a law- tion, we are very the foreign populapatients given the drugstaff monitor suit against the Spanish Ministry aware of the recompotentially deadly side to check for Health after she claims doctors of mendation not to prescribe Nolotil effects like not following are low white blood cell count the guidelines and pa- to foreign patients.” and sep- tients are sis. still being given the drug It insisted that the recommendation is followed and ‘against their will’. However Cristina, founder patients are informed about the best Affected by Pharmaceuticals of the A spokesperson for the hospital available said: treatments. ciation, says the guidelines Asso- “ H C B are ‘not Hospitals strong enough’. follows “It's worrying because VALENCIA - BARCELONA thing that can kill you,this is some- the recit has killed ommen-
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scientific study, the drug seems to lead to dangerous complications, including reduced white blood cell count, in people of Northern European descent. A 2018 report from the European Medicines Agency showed a “potential to induce agranulocytosis may be associated with the genetic characteristics of certain populations”. As a result, the painkiller is banned in some 30 countries including Britain, Australia and the US.
Coma
British expat Patrick Clancy was left ‘traumatised’ by his experience with the drug. After going into hospital for a routine shoulder operation, the then 74-year-old was put into an induced coma and left six weeks later, unable to walk or eat. The retired oil worker for Surrey fought kidney failure and septic shock after taking Nolotil for only a few days. Opinion Page 6
UBER-QUICK
competition. The 30-minute rule was seen as a compromise to permit Uber taxis to operate without competing unfairly against traditional taxis. Initially serving just Andratx, Calvia, Llucmajor, and Palma, currently there are around 50 Uber vehicles operating on the island.
Demolition bid CALVIA council wants to buy a disused Magaluf hotel to demolish it and then create an open space amidst the busy nightlife zone. The authority has had initial talks with the owners of the Teix hotel which has been closed for the last few years. The Teix hotel, located on Calle Pinada de Magaluf close to Punta Ballena was built in 1963 at the beginning of the tourist boom, and has an approximate area of 2,500 m2. The establishment, which is 500 metres from Magaluf beach has around 40 rooms as well as an outdoor swimming pool, along with six businesses operating at street level, including a popular bar. It's been reported that discussions between the council and the owners are at a very early phase, with estimates that the asking price could reach seven digits. One funding option for the purchase could be via funds from the sustainable tourism tax. The issue of the groundfloor business contracts would also have to be resolved. The last time a Magaluf hotel was demolished was back in 1996 which saw 60 kilos of explosives take the historic Atlantic hotel - the first tourist hotel to open in 1959, well before the mass package holiday era. That site is now a public square.
6
NEWS FEATURE
www.theolivepress.es Voted top expat paper in Spain
A campaigning, community newspaper, the Olive Press represents the huge expatriate community in Spain with an estimated readership, including the websites, of more than two million people a month.
OPINION Soldier on! WHEN the Leave camp won the 2016 Brexit referendum, hundreds of thousands of Brits were suddenly plunged into a legal quagmire. The man behind the referendum, of course, was David Cameron, who naively thought he could secure a Remain landslide and in turn shore up his political career (and get rid of the UKIP threat led by that pesky Nigel Farage). Understandably, his return as Foreign Secretary is seen by many Remainers as a kick in the teeth. However as the 180 Days in Spain campaign group points out, it just might be to their advantage. Cameron fought passionately for the UK to remain in the EU and given his wealth of experience in politics, he might actually get something done. We support the 180 Days in Spain group’s campaign and hope Cameron will lend an ear to what they have to say, they make (and have been making) very fair points.
Nolotil action IT is high time the Spanish government brings in some meaningful legislation in regards to Nolotil (Nolotil in the Dock, p4). The Olive Press has been sounding the alarm about the Spanish painkiller for years and after a hard fought campaign managed to bring in tough guidelines for the drug. It came after we told countless horror stories of how the medication, which is banned in the UK and many other countries, brought many British expats and other northern Europeans to the brink of death. Working alongside campaigner Cristina Del Campo, we spread the message about the drug’s potentially fatal side effects far and wide. It has been disheartening to hear in recent weeks how the guidelines we battled so hard for are seemingly being ignored, particularly in areas popular with British expats and visitors, such as Denia on the Costa Blanca. We give our full support to Cristina and her team of lawyers and hope the government listens to what they have to say. PUBLISHER / EDITOR
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Sinking feeling
A
T first, Captain Sebastien Destremau believed a sudden incoming swell was just the fierce poniente wind blowing in from the Atlantic one afternoon in May - ‘as it can when you exit the Strait of Gibraltar.’ The garlanded French sailor, with multiple world championships and America’s Cups campaigns to his name, gave the order to drop the sail. But when he turned his weather-beaten face to windward once more, he saw that it was not the famed Atlantic weather bringing in the onrushing waves. Around 20 orcas - half of the total population of Iberian Orcas - were moving in towards his yacht, the 17-metre Lancelot, at tremendous speed. Destremau was all too aware of this particular pod, which has made the Cadiz coast their stomping ground and the bluefin tuna their dish of choice. Eight of the apex predators approached Destremau’s 15-tonne boat and spun it around ‘like a nutshell’ with incredibly powerful nudges to the rudder.
and cretecan experts was put out in August seeking to debunk these ‘inappropriate’ narratives. Despite the ordeal, Destremau did not feel The signatories have called out such ‘anhe had been the target of orca wrath. “It thropomorphistic theories’, which project would be so easy for these beasts to sink us ‘human motivations’ onto wild beasts. if they wanted to.” The thing they fear the most is that such talk While his ship, the Lancelot, eventually could provoke human retaliation. could limp to port, three vessels have in fact Naomi Rose, Marine mammal scientist for been sunk by the Iberian orcas this year. the Animal Welfare Institute, spearheaded And dozens more have had to be rescued by the letter and was the first signatory. maritime authorities. Characterising the interactions as ‘attacks’ These encounters, all taking place in or near - implying aggression and hostility - is misthe Strait of Gibraltar over the last three leading, she told the Olive Press. years, have baffled the scientists, marine “And this whole myth around ‘Black Gladys’, biologists and animal behaviourists of the is just that - a myth.” world. However, like all myths, it originates from a Wild theories abound to explain the unprec- grain of truth. edented behaviour, and there has been a The few orcas that participate in the interproliferation of ‘melodramatic storylines.’ actions with the boats have been given the They range from orca anger at humans en- designation ‘Gladys’ to differentiate them croaching on their yard, to tales of an orca from pod members which don’t. mother known as ‘Black Gladys’ out for re- Rose admits it is a somewhat ‘unfortunate’ venge after her baby was killed by a yacht misnomer, as it comes from the Latin for propeller. ‘sword’, its root in English being ‘gladiator.’ An open letter signed by a number of orca But while it may be a mistake to project human attitudes onto orcas in one respect, in others they display behaviour that every huwww.theolivep ress.es man will recognise. NEWS My pledge Gibraltar Strait orca att The leading theory for the orca behaviour is June 14th - Jun may be led by ack pod e 27th 2023 a ‘re ven gefemale, who that5it did in fact originate with a small group lost her calf seeking’ of juveniles, one of whom is indeed known as ‘Black Gladys’. She was observed with a head laceration in the spring of 2020 and was later spotted Swamwith p a wound behind the dorsal fin in 2021. measuHowever, res according to the experts, ‘Black Gladys’ is not the whale that started the inTrans teractions - nor is it known how she got her wounds. It is simply not known why these young ones started bumping the boats. But orcas, which are members of the dolphin family, are highly intelligent creatures known for their ‘cultural fads’. So it is theorised that once these young trendsetters started off the ‘fad’, more of them decided to join in as a form of social interaction. A previous ‘fad’ was observed in a pod of Pacific orcas off the coast in Washington in INTERACTIONS: Experts say they are not ‘attacks’, while (inset) our previous story By Walter Finch
Hell hath no fury… like ‘White Gladys’
SCRAPPING Ministry, over the Equality ‘trans law’ and turning Spain’s es to the euth making chang- A SPATE of killer whal cation rules. anasia and edu- tacks on yachts entee atring the Strait of By Walter Finc Those are amo h sparked fierc Gibraltar has ng the plan that Popular Party (PP) lead-s what is behi e debate about the er Alberto Nun nd it. origin of all this, gains more stren should he beco ez Feijoo has Researchers claim it migh me t day," Alfre gth for us every ister on July 23. prime min- be orchestrated by a do López Fern singl reven e, ge-se dez, anFeijoo, who eking female a is happy for orca sity of biologist at the Univerface-to-face deba a named Gladys - or ‘Whi Avei te with cur- Gladys’. te But Seba ro said. rent leader stien Destrema Pedro Sanchez, Some claim captain of u, would also likely she lost her The Lancelot, to calf the scrap whic prop Democratic Mem the h was attac ellers of a ship, while others ory Law. ago, dismissed ked two weeks Sanchez chall insist she the enged Feijoo six weekly deba to caught up in fishing nets got “Having witnesseclaims. tes until the underwater rope d it, it's or so easy general elect for these beas . ions, They some cont ts sink thing to that the PP dism inue us issed as un- taught her fello she has since insisted if they want to,” he prey necessary. MALAGA’S most - fellow whales. of the most intelw orcas - some hemoths after 20 of the beendangered reservoir is to turned cial creatures ligent and so- ile ship swarmed his frag- “They could crush the boat undergo emer a heartbeat if in at wheraround again to look gency works to how to target on the planet - “If they . they wanted to,” improve wate e the wind was and attack smal added Destrema were out for reven r and quality. I thought, 'Wai vessels. l I think u. ge, t, The “But that' I woul drast s they wind "The orcas are In reference to swimming hom d have been sive. They were not aggres- orca , that's fish. Those not due to ic measure is vital doin the g are the this new e.” s!'” were ongo on Instead, trans purpose, of cour law, recently and record-low ing drought in very gently, just coming With appr he levels at Vinu government, passed by the know the origin se, we don't may have suspects the orcas nose placi oxim or the mowherever they ng their approaching, ately 20 orcas ela reservoir. been engaging ‘it is easier Feijoo claimed tivation, but defen want play in he or ed The place mad train to €800,000 proje e the decision to lowe in Spain rightto change sex’ haviour based on sive be- hunt, as yaching their young to The it, and pushing hard.” ct involves real danger, trauma, as hopes that the r the sails in the installation of a floati t rudders resem pass your univ now ‘than to he emp ble the fins of stati their primary- sises, is to the killer whalha- would lose their onary boat take system and will takeng inexams or get ersity entrance interest. eight months to insta themselves. es Yet the orca your driving cence’. lis It comes after ll. “I am very conc “They startedpersisted. The PP leade to come close the reservoir record lows saw the near futur erned about and close r also r critic sit at ised Sanchez’s decis e for these r. They start beasts and I ed to capacity - or a meag just 9.7% have a look and think we have snap elections ion to call the re 16 cubic a little hecto huge responsibi a first time Span on July 23, the lity to protect a sniff and then, suddbit of The metres of water. these iards will go to alarm enly, animals," he 'BAN vote in the midd added to he G,' that was a big one," pected to ing levels are exNewsweek. le of the sumdwindle considera explained. mer. more as the summ The solo roun bly “It’s not exac d the world The orcas targeted the er yachtsman ship's ing the reservoir thathits, turnrudder, hold elections tly normal to provides much worried that is particularly impressiv displaying with the med fortnight of thein the hottest e power as their ter intoof Malaga’s drinking waemp ia hasis they year, push almo ing ed st with so many people The main bene a swamp. sailors are nowthe aggression Within against it. ficiar minu getti said. “But weon holiday,” he ies tes, the botto ng armed include Rinc to fire at them are ready for change.” if they come the rudder shattered, creatm of Nerjaon, Velez-Malaga and under attack. . potential risks ing for the boat. Across Malaga That said, he But desp province the See No Hab ‘terrifying’ the confirmed how tion, no ite the scary situa- reservoirs sit lo Ingles, at just 31.9% incident was page 6 the time. of at harmed human has ever been their total capacity. by the pod of The “At Guadalhorce reser orcas, first, I and it STALKERS: voir is at The pod has wind comingthought it was adapt was up to humans to just 31% capacity, been terroris while Conde And so I startin really fast... the otheto the mammals, not del Guadalhor ing boats In Almeria thece sits at 25%. sail a little ed to drop the “It's theirr way round. bit and then levels are at just worl d, it's 15.1% not I he conclude ours,” , while in d. 26% and Gran Cadiz they sit at ada at 32.6%.
REMAINER HOPE
Campaigners against 90 day rule to target new Foreign Secretary for action over Schengen zone restrictions
B
RITISH homeowners in Spain are bolstering their campaign to roll back Brexit’s restrictive 90-day rule following David Cameron’s (pictured) appointment as Foreign Secretary. Campaigners are ‘hopeful’ of bringing back some form of freedom of movement after the europhile was sensationally brought back into government as part of Rishi Sunak’s cabinet reshuffle this month. The 180 Days In Spain group is planning to apply pressure on the former prime minister
EXCLUSIVE By Laurence Dollimore in the hopes of securing new concessions that will allow Brits to spend more than 90 days at a time in the Schengen area. The 7,000-strong group will be bombarding Cameron’s office with emails and telephone calls, calling on him to follow in the footsteps of France, which looks set to relax visa rules for UK homeowners. The group’s leader, Andrew Hesselden, told the Olive Press: “Since Brexit, Brits in this position often come up against the 90-in-180 day problem, which means that if they’ve spent 90 days living in their own home in Spain, they find themselves unable to go to France or Germany or even Switzerland at all until their day-count resets. “For some of our members, this has reduced the amount of time they can now spend in Spain by as much as 40%. And from a tourism perspective, Brits with homes in other Schengen zone countries or who travel extensively throughout the zone, may find themselves unable to visit
Spain even for a seven-day holiday without applying for a visa. But those shortstay visas don’t seem to exist.” He added: “David Cameron seems well respected and trusted by international leaders and so this bodes well for a more constructive and positive relationship with Europe and the EU.” One Brit from the group said: “Cameron’s natural sympathies are undoubtedly on our side. It’s definitely an opportunity, and his voice would have an influence.” Another added: “I too think David Cameron could be an asset to us. People who have homes in Europe but not residents are missing out big time. “It’s against human rights to be unable to visit their properties as before.” Spain’s tourism minister Fernando Valdes, told the “i” Newspaper last year that ‘his country would like to end the rule that means non-EU travellers can only stay for 90 days within a 180 day period’. Valdes has now been replaced as Secretary of State for Tourism by Rosana Morillo. But this month, the Spanish government reported that the Secretary of State ‘held an important meeting at the Foreign Office with the Director for Consular Affairs and Crisis, Jennifer Anderson, in which they discussed issues of interest regarding the stays of British tourists in Spain’. Hesselden said: “Our members will be writing to Lord Cameron in the coming weeks to suggest he explores the possibility of using the special provisions in the Withdrawal Agreement that enable ‘errors, omissions or other deficiencies’ to be fixed. “If on 31 December 2020, British full-year residents had been told to leave France/ Spain, return to the UK and come back only once they had secured a visa, there would have been public outrage. Yet,
Experts are keen to debunk the myths and wild theories that swim among the killer whales terrorising sailboats in the Strait of Gibraltar
December 1st - December 14th 2023
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IRECT exposure to the Olive Press’ 30,000plus registered online database is getting amazing results. Our followers get daily news emails, twice-weekly travel mailouts and a detailed health newsletter every Sunday. As well as announcing financial seminars and special surgical procedures, a number of astute restaurant groups and hotels have caught on. Musaka in San Pedro got 20 bookings from a one off deal including a free bottle of wine. Meanwhile, Malaga’s Metro group has used the Olive Press’ unique marketing tool on three separate occasions this year so far. A 50% discount for the opening fortnight of their exclusive Nomad restaurant got 96 bookings, while a 25% off brunch deal brought over 30. “We’ve been very happy with the results” explained marketing boss, Karen Wolfson. Five-star Kempinski hotel and SO/Sotogrande spa have used our database, while an exclusive room discount at DDG Retreat, near Estepona, got dozens of takers - ‘even more bookings than the Times’.
ENDANGERED: There are only around 40 Iberian orcas left 1987, after they started to wear ‘salmon hats’ on their heads. The bizarre sight was first observed in a single female orca, seen swimming with a dead salmon perched on her nose. But soon, several others in her pod adopted this behaviour, and over the following weeks the trend even spread to other pods within the same community. “It had no obvious biological significance to them,” Mark Simmonds, Director of Science at the non-profit OceanCare told the Olive Press. “So we think that this is probably mainly a form of creative play behaviour and signalling to each other” “The consensus is that they're doing this to show off to each other. “In the same way, these particular orcas have discovered how to manipulate these boats, which is interesting, and in some ways, stimulating to them.” However, just like Tamagotchis, the Harlem Shake and the Ice Bucket Challenge, it was all the rage for five to six weeks and then it suddenly died out. Rose’s greatest fear, if this fad doesn’t similarly die out, is that eventually a human might get hurt or even drown. So far, no sailors have found themselves floating in the water with the world’s apex predator - which have never been known to deliberately attack a human in the wild. But experts do not believe that this is due to an innate altruistic nature of the orca, which unlike dolphins or humpback whales are not known to help other species in danger. essentially, this is exactly what “I would happened to British part-year resnever ever, idents who also have lives and after hunobligations elsewhere.” dreds of Hesselden added that the camhours on paign group ‘also hopes Lord the water Cameron will explore the possibilwatching ity of the UK signing new bilateral and studyagreements with Spain, to mirror ing these the ones Spain has with USA, New guys, swim Zealand, Japan and 15 other nonwith them EU countries. These seem to permit additional time in Spain over and above the 90-in-180 day allowance they have for the rest of the Schengen zone. This would help all Brits, even those without homes in Spain, and wouldn’t really require the UK government to change anything at all since the UK already welcomes Spanish visitors to the UK for six months per visit’. This would appear to be along the same lines as suggestions made by Carlos Mazon and Ximo Puig when they visited Spain’s Ambassador to the UK in London, as reported by the Olive Press, back in 2021. “Restoring mutual freedom of movement between Spain and the UK would of course be nice, especially for younger people who want to work, but that seems to me, to be rather too much for anyone to hope for at the moment”, Hesselden told us. When contacted by the Olive Press, the UK’s Foreign Office refused to directly comment on the campaign. Opinion Page 6
in the wild,” Rose warned. “It’s stupid as hell - they've got big teeth. “They are smart and they sometimes decide to play with not only their food, but with other mammals. “They’ve never harmed a human but there’s not some orca Is it time your business tested our intelligent, law forbidding it.” loyal and - above all - high spending online users? What worries Rose is that boat and human interactions are losing their novelty for the wild animals, which tend to shun things they don’t know. With increased human interactions comes decreased fear - and the increased possibility that an orca might decide to ‘play’ with a human. And what measures might authorities take against the Iberian Get in touch today at sales@theolivepress.es NUDGE NUDGE: Orcas target the rudder orca in return - a critically endangered species - if they view them or call us at 00 34 951273575 for more info as dangerous and threatening? In August, footage emerged of crew on a sailboat shooting at the Gladys orcas with an air rifle and even throwing firecrackers overboard. Yachties have been trialling all sorts of methods to protect their boats, from chucking sand over the side when the creatures come near, to blasting out heavy metal under water. “We think they could be vulnerable to acoustics, so people will be looking in that direction,” Simmonds theorised. “But again, if an acoustic approach is used, it's got to be something which is very carefully balanced so that it helps persuade them to go away and do something else with their time but doesn’t harm ARE YOU A NON-RESIDENT? them.” If such measures fail, and eventually someone is killed, Rose fears authorities will undertake a cull DO YOU OWN A PROPERTY of the Iberian Orca. IN SPAIN? “I'm very sympathetic to the mariners,” she said. “Who wants their yacht sunk? But God - it's just a DID YOU USE IT PRIVATELY yacht. These animals are a unique population. “Do we really want to kill a bunch of endangered DURING 2022? animals because our yachts are sinking?”
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EXPERTS: Naomi Rose and Mark Simmonds signed open letters
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LA CULTURA
Successful Grammys
SEVILLA became the first city outside the United States to host the Latin Grammy Awards earlier this month with Karol G’s 'Mañana sera bonito' crowned album of the year and best urban music album. Argentine producer Bizarrap took home the awards for song of the year and best pop song in a collaboration with Shakira which featured her taking a swipe at her former boyfriend Gerard Pique The whole night had a flamenco feel about it with Spain's Rosalia, returning to her roots to sing 'Se nos muerte el amor' by Rocío Jurado. Italian classical singer Andrea Bocelli performed the famous composition 'Granada' while 30 flamenco dancers accompanied singer Alejandro Sanz.
December 1st - December 14th 2023
BULLY FOR HIM
New culture chief is antibullfighting, calling it ‘unfair, sadistic and despicable’ A POLITICIAN who is an avowed anti-bullfighter has become Spain's Minister of Culture in Pedro Sanchez's new cabinet. Ernest Urtasan, 41, is one of five people from the left-wing Sumar group that have been given ministerial portfolios. His stance on bullfighting is in contrast to the official policy of the PSOE socialists who are the majority partner in the new government coalition. As an MEP, Urtasan was the promoter in 2016 of a decla-
By Alex Trelinski
ration rejecting the Constitutional Court's decision to annul the ban on bullfighting in Catalunya. The motion, supported by 37 MEPs, described bullfighting as 'unfair, sadistic and despicable'. Urtasan's position is different to that of the PSOE, which together with the PP and Vox, rejected a proposal by the left-wing Podemos party against government support
OPPOSED: Urtasan tagged bullfighting ‘sadistic’ for bullfighting. The socialist Maribel Garcia said in Congress at the time that bullfighting is more than a festival, considering it a
Ancient discovery A THIRD stone slab known as a stela has been uncovered by a team of British and Spanish researchers at the 3,000-year-old necropolis known as Las Capellanias in Cañaveral de Leon, Huelva. The site is located on a route that linked main river basins in southern Spain, suggesting that the carved stone slabs may have served as territorial markers, in addition to honouring the dead. The newly uncovered stela, found with cremated human bones, is carved with an image of a human figure with a detailed face, hands, feet, a headdress, necklace, two swords, and male genitals. It had been previously thought that a headdress and necklace on a stela would represent a female form, while weaponry would signify a male warrior. The researchers now suggest that the monuments are evidence of more fluid social roles that were not restricted by gender.
'productive sector, an example of sustainability' and a 'cultural manifestation'. Bull rancher Victorino Martin from the Todi de Lidia Foundation said: “His personal views should not interfere in the sector as a cultural asset of Spain.” “His duty now is to govern for all Spaniards and watch over all the cultural expressions of the country,” he added. Urtasan has other issues to look at including the Film Law, the Patronage Law, and the new Cultural Rights Law. His administration will also be focused on maintaining the cultural bonus and strengthening freedom of expression in the cultural sector, following a pre-investiture pact agreed between PSOE and Sumar.
Forbidden treats A DRAWING of a naked Donald Trump and a punching bag sculpture shaped like a woman's torso are just two of over 200 works subjected to censorship that have found a home at Barcelona's brand new Museum of Forbidden Art. The collection features creations from Pablo Picasso and American photographer Robert Mapplethorpe that intend to challenge visitors to think about the limits imposed on artists.
Art
The museum, which opened its doors last month, is the brainchild of art collector Tatxo Benet, who owns all but one of the 42 works currently on display — and the 200 more in storage. Over 14,000 people have checked out the museum's offerings so far.
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1 Thick slice (4) 4 Layered Italian dish (7) 9 Eyebrow darkeners (7) 10 German sea scourge (1-4) 11 Prepare for publication (4) 12 Saviour (8) 14 Permeable by liquids (6) 15 Capable of wounding (6) 19 Glove material clanks if disturbed (8) 21 Getaway spots (4) 23 Island in the Bay of Naples (5) 24 Burn unsteadily (7) 25 Good spot for a summit meeting? (7) 26 Deep black (4)
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All solutions are on page 14
952 147 834 * Vo l u n t a r y i n s u r a n c e c o v e r. S u b j e c t t o c o m p a n y u n d e r w r i t i n g c o n d i t i o n s . *Data extracted from process closure surveys after using our Roadside Assistance and breakdown services.
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BUSINESS
10 Pret A Manger lands
SANDWICH and organic coffee retailer Pret A Manger is to open its first Spanish outlet at Barcelona’s El Prat airport. Pret - founded more than 30 years ago in London - is being backed by the Ibersol group with plans to launch 70 shops in the Iberian Peninsula over the next decade. It aims to have a presence in major cities and strategic commercial hubs, such as airports and railway stations in Spain and Portugal. The Barcelona store will be located in the Arrivals Area of Terminal 2B and will be operated directly by the Travel division of Ibersol Group. The new 530m2 shop can accommodate 160 customers, who will be able to enjoy a large selection of freshly made sandwiches, salads, wraps, and hot food, with plenty on offer for vegetarians and vegans.
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December 1st - December 14th 2023
SPAIN’S second largest oil company has agreed to buy 220 automated low-cost petrol stations from Ballenoil for an undisclosed amount. It emerged in May that Cepsa was in advanced negotiations to acquire Ballenoil, with speculation that the deal could be worth between €200 million and €300 million. The oil giant will maintain the Ballenoil name, as well as its business model and current structure, which will more than double the Cepsa network to 500 stations by 2027.
RAIL SALE
CEPSA’S LOW-COST MOVE Ballenoil has a presence in 12 regions including Catalunya, the Valencian Community, Andalucia, Madrid, and Murcia. Cepsa, which is controlled by Abu Dhabi state investor Mubadala and US firm Carlyle Group, intends to expand its overall network to more
than 2,000 stations across Spain and Portugal. Low-cost petrol stations have boomed over the last decade from 3,886 outlets in 2012 to 5,941 at the end of last year. The Cepsa deal to takeover Ballenoil is subject to regulatory approval.
Happy outlook
Spain to lead the way in economic growth By Alex Trelinski
THE European Commission says it expects Spain to be the fastest growing of the four major economies in the eurozone until 2025. Brussels' calculations predict that the Spanish economy will grow at a rate of 2.4% this year, slow down to 1.7% next year and regain some pace in 2025 - a year
in which GDP would rebound by 2%. The EU's forecasts place the country above the three great powers of the bloc: Germany, France and Italy in that order. The Commission's analysts point out that none of these three countries will manage to grow above 1.5% in the next two years.
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In fact, in the case of Germany, a small contraction of the economy is expected as early as this year. The Commission believes that household consumption will be the driving force behind the Spanish economy next year. As inflation eases - expected to fall to 3.4% in 2024 - households should regain some of the purchasing
power lost during the economic crisis. In addition, it is expected that jobs will continue to be created – albeit at a slower pace than so far – which will also help to boost consumption. The Commission expects the unemployment rate to close at 12.1% this year and fall to 11.1% in two years' time.
SPANISH rail network Renfe has slashed the price of a young person’s railcard from €50 to just €6. The sale applies to the ‘Mas Renfe Joven’ card and is available until December 21. It gives users 25% off travel on AVE, Larga Distancia, Avant, Media Distancia y Cercanías/Rodalies services. The card also offers 30% off AVE International trips between Spain and France. Available for people aged between 14-25, it gives users access to the Renfe loyalty scheme benefits.
JOB OFFER AS the festive season approaches, Spain’s retail heavyweight El Corte Ingles is gearing up for a significant hiring spree. They are set to take on about 5,800 staff in areas such as toy departments, food sectors, restaurant services, logistics, and online commerce for the Christmas campaign.
THE ECONOMY PARADOX
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ELCOME to the Spanish economic enigma: where over 70% of Spaniards think the economy is struggling, while an equal proportion considers their personal financial situation to be healthy. This paradox cuts across all age groups, suggesting a deep-seated psychological doublethink in economic perceptions among Spaniards. Twitter user Victoriano Izquierdo toyed with the idea of lightly pointing the finger at the media for the finding, which is based on the latest CIS survey. The data scientist and co-founder of Graphext wondered if a tendency to emphasise negative macroeconomic news has created the perception that things are worse than they are. While inundated with bad national news, individuals tend to hold a very different and most positive perception of their own circumstances. The surprising finding comes as Spain has registered the strongest economic outlook of Europe’s big economies. The European
Commission expects Spain to be the fastest growing economy among the EU's 'big four' (Spain, Germany, France, Italy) until 2025. The Spanish economy is expected to grow at a rate of 2.4% in 2023, slow to 1.7% in 2024, and then rebound to 2% growth in 2025. Meanwhile, inflation was reported to be at 3.5% in October 2023 - a significant decline from its peak of 10.8% in July 2022. And unemployment in Spain is at its lowest level since 2008. So why is all this good news not getting through? As well as negative media coverage, political leanings further accentuate the divide. “The variable that best predicts who falls more into the paradox is whether or not you voted for the current government,” Izquerido wrote. PSOE supporters, despite acknowledging tricky situations financially, tend to view the national economy under a more favourable light. Conversely, PP voters, who tend to enjoy personal financial stability express scepticism about Spain's broader economic health. This disparity becomes more pronounced in higher income brackets. Households with a net income exceeding €2,000 per month typically see their financial situation positively but are critical of Spain's economic direction. Demographically, younger individuals and women, particularly among PSOE voters, show resilience to economic fluctuations in their voting behaviour. On the flip side, older, affluent male PP voters from regions like Galicia and Andalucia, while recognising the national economy's strengths, express concern over personal financial matters.
FOOD,DRINK & TRAVEL Oil rush Muñoz hat-trick LOOKING FOR MORE November 29th TRAVEL STORIES? December 12th December 2023 1st - December 14th 2023 Scan to visit our website
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Easy jetting
TWO new flights from budget airline, EasyJet, are set to connect the UK and Mallorca next year. Already available to book, the flights will set off from Belfast and Southampton from next spring. For Southampton, the route to Palma airport will launch on May 2, 2024 while Belfast’s flights will start on June 24. Flights will take off twice a week, on Mondays and Thursdays throughout the summer. The announcement is part of seven new services revealed for the Balearic Islands. Other new routes include Montpellier, Athens, Nantes, Oporto and Prague. The services are expected to increase seat capacity by 11,700.
While two Spanish chefs scoop gold and silver By Alex Trelinski
MADRID'S Dabiz Muñoz has been crowned the best chef in the world for the third time in a row. Muñoz triumphed at the seventh staging of The Best Chefs Awards for his innovative cuisine and his avant-garde style of cooking. The awards were presented in the city of Merida, Yucatan - one of the richest and most diverse gastronomic regions in Mexico. Completing the winners'
On the moo-ve
#1
podium were the Catalan Albert Adria (second) from Barcelona's Enigma restaurant followed by Slovenian chef, Ana Ros. Muñoz, 44, is the only three-starred Michelin chef in Madrid with his two establishments DiverXO and StreetXO - with long reservation lists for his restaurant, and long waits in line for his street food outlet. "I'm extremely happy, I never expected to win three times," Muñoz said upon receiving the award. "Thank you to all the chefs who have made the history of world gastronomy. Thanks to them there is a chef like me who has grown up in one of the most incredible countries in the world for gastronomy." The awards featured a special tribute to Ferran Adria - Albert’s brother - a pio-
#2
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neer of innovative cuisine in Spain via his world-famous El Bulli restaurant on the Costa Brava, which closed its doors in 2011. It reopened three years later as a creativity centre to foster culinary innovation.
Missing
Other Spaniards in the top 10 were Andoni Luis Aduriz of Mugaritz in the Basque Country’s Rentería, (fifth), Mateu Casañas, Oriol Castro and Eduard Xatruch from Disfrutar in Barcelona (seventh) and Joan Roca
from El Celler de #8 Can Roca in Catal u n y a (eighth). Adria said: "Chefs, you have the mission of helping the new generations to be extraordinary". He highlighted the values that must not be lost in order to aspire to culinary excellence. "Respect for the past, respect for teammates, honesty and gratitude for the people from whom we have learned," said Adria.
AS the cost of olive oil has surged, supermarkets are resorting to chaining the bottles to the shelves. A succession of poor olive harvests caused by drought has led to sky-rocketing prices for what has been dubbed ‘liquid gold’. One-litre bottles of extra-virgin olive oil are selling for as much as €14.50 in some outlets leading to rising thefts. "We are seeing a major surge in shoplifting," said Ruben Navarro, the CEO of the Tu Super supermarket chain, which operates 30 stores in Andalucia. Since September, Tu Super has been chaining five-litre bottles of olive oil together and padlocking them to shelves to prevent theft. "It is a crazy, extreme measure, but it has worked," Navarro observed. STC, a company supplying anti-theft equipment to retailers, saw a 12-fold increase in orders during the summer from supermarkets wanting devices to protect olive oil.
CADIZ tourism bosses have latched onto a herd of sunbathing cows as they promote Costa de la Luz beaches. Once tourists have gone home from their summer holidays, a different kind of sun-worshipper takes to the sand. Every autumn, Bolonia beach welcomes hundreds of cows, who love chilling on sand during the winter season. Led by the matriarch, ‘Paquita’, the cows are a social media sensation, returning each year to the beach, about an hour and a half from the city of Cadiz. The herd has now become the latest tourist attraction on the Tarifa coastline, with local tourism departments proudly posting about their bovine buddies. The cows arrive at the end of the tourist season as a gate which normally stops them is removed.
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FOOD,DRINK & TRAVEL
December 1st - December 14th 2023
Love letter Pictures by Jon Clarke
A century ago Hemingway described it as one of the best places in the world for romance. Two decades ago Olive Press editor Jon Clarke loved Ronda so much, he moved there
GOYA-STYLE: Ordonez’ grandson Fran Rivera
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T is easily one of Spain’s most memorable sensations; the moment the adrenaline hits as you look down from a ledge at the top of Ronda’s famous Puente Nuevo bridge. A staggering 400 foot drop into the abyss of the Tajo gorge below, it is only a series of wrought iron railings that ward off the panic. A breathtaking geographical feature, this was the location of a haunting chapter in Ernest Hemingway’s seminal novel, For Whom the Bell Tolls, when a line up of soldiers are hurled into the ravine to their deaths - an event related to actual events during the Civil War. And Hem, of course, should know… the American literary legend having spent many months in the town, even tipping it as THE best place in the world for a spot of romance. “It is where you should go if you ever go to Spain on a honeymoon or if you ever bolt with anyone,” he penned in the 1932 tome Death in the Afternoon, adding: “The entire town and as far as you can see in any direction is a romantic background…if a honeymoon or an elopement is not a success in Ronda, it would be as well to start for Paris and commence making
SOUL MATES: Hemingway and Ordonez became close friends
your own friends.” He brought various lovers up to the mountain town, just an hour inland from Marbella, including allegedly Hollywood starlet Ava Gardner. But it was something else altogether that drew him back to the town, time and time again… and that was ‘los toros’. Bullfighting became one of the main loves of his life and it was on his first trip to Ronda as a young writer exactly a century ago in 1923, that he got his first real taste of the Spanish national pastime. It came following a ‘boring’ stopover in Sevilla, where he grew tired of constantly hearing flamenco. According to a biographer he kept nagging his travelling companions, a pair of writers, to head up to the town and when he got there he immediately fell for its historic bullring, the world’s first. Known as the cradle of bullfighting (it was here that Pedro Romero famously jumped off a horse to swipe his cape at a fighting bull) Ronda inspired him to write and he went on to meet various bullfighters, including the legendary Cayetano Ordonez, who later became a model for his most famous
FOOD,DRINK & TRAVEL
December 1st - December 14th 2023
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MOVING: Legionaires carrying Jesus at Semana Santa across the Puente Nuevo
DAREDEVIL: Jumping into the Tajo river and (below) the town hall
book, The Sun Also Rises. I was equally inspired by the town when I first visited Ronda during a two-year spell working as an English teacher in Madrid in the early 1990s after university. I was so blown away by its breathtaking scenery and refreshing sierra air that I later booked a two-week stay in its most famous hotel, the Reina Victoria, in an attempt to write a novel, when working as a news reporter at the Daily Mail in London in
1998. It proved to be a bridge too far however, if you’ll excuse the pun, but I truly fell in love with the place and knew I would one day come back to live there. That came to pass when my wife and I decided to move to Spain in 2003 soon after our nuptials in the spirit of adventure and to pursue my love of writing and hers of painting. We ended up buying a run-down farm, planted lots of trees and, be-
fore we knew it, we had a couple of children born in the local hospital. A few years later another baby was born, that of the Olive Press newspaper and the rest is history, as they say. What I never did was write a novel, but it inspired me to write two true crime books and, most enjoyably, a restaurant guide to Andalucia, which appropriately picked out a handful of decent eateries in Ronda and its surrounding Serrania. It also led me to meet and star in one of celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay’s TV programmes in nearby Gaucin, mix it up with Jamie Oliver, when he set a TV series in the town, and even interviewed celebrity chef Jean Christophe Novelli on the famous Tajo bridge. Planning to move there at the time, Novelli described the sensation of first seeing the views from the bridge as the ‘cono moment’, an actual translation I will leave to your imagination. The town also blew away BBC TV presenter Nick Knowles, former Prime Minister and now Foreign Secretary David Cameron and US first lady Michelle Obama. Other famous literary figures who waxed lyrical about Ronda were James Joyce and German poet Rainer Maria Rilke, while Bill Gates came on a secret visit a couple of years ago and Madonna shot her music video, Take a Bow, in Ronda bullring on a windy, wet November
day in 1994. gle to take a photo and there are a Today, I can think of nowhere in the number of museums and galleries world I would rather live. The town’s (actually 30 in the town) and, fregeography never ceases to amaze, quent exhibitions in the beautiful its architecture is exquisite, while its Antigua Claustro Santo Domingo. range of excellent restaurants and Is it any wonder Ronda is Andalubars is as good as anywhere else cia’s third most visited place, with in Andalucia, Sevilla and Marbella millions of day trippers every year. included. But what most of them don’t do is The local ingredients include amaz- stay the night, which is really to their ingly good olive oil, goats cheeses loss. and even some decent pata negra The place is at its most charming as ham, while the nearby countryside the sun sets and the hordes have is dotted with over two dozen vine- headed back down to the coast. It yards, the majority improving by the Continues on next page year. I never tire of a stroll through the old town, admiring its cobbled streets, church spires a n d beautifully kept family homes The Olive Press newspaper group (many of them is looking for an enthusiastic almost SPANISH SPEAKING salesperson m a n sions). I’ll to join our team. always find a new anMust be fluent in SPANISH and
THE OLIVE PRESS IS RECRUITING
have a knowledge of ENGLISH ENGLISH..
Sales experience is a must, but full training will be provided. Good basic and excellent commission. Driving licence is essential, as travel will be required.
CLASSICAL: Ronda town hall and (left) an original unusual outdoor statue
Please email your CV to admin@theolivepress.es
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FOOD,DRINK & TRAVEL
December 1st - December 14th 2023
From previous page
Alive in the City of Dreams
is then that the ‘city of dreams’, as poet Rilke christened it, starts to earn its romantic, fairy tale status so promoted by the likes of Hemingway and later, the actor and director Orson Welles. Under subtle street lighting, the historic quarter gains a timeless edge, while you can still visit its most alluring buildings, such as the 14th century Mondragon Palace (in part Arabic) until 7pm, or the nearby Santa Maria la Mayor church (which was once a mosque). It sits on Plaza Duquesa de Parcent, one of the most stunning squares in Spain, particularly with its classical renaissance-style town hall (below), which was once a military barracks and the still-functioning Santa Isabel Convent on the other side. For the perfect stroll, head down into the Tajo, reached from either Barrio San Francisco or from a flight of steps down from the Mirador de Maria Auxiliadora. This is the perfect way to understand the impressive fortifications the town once had during numerous sieges, when the town sat at the western edge of the Kingdom of Granada. The Moors had a good understanding of this and built a series of walls and arches on both sides of the old town, making it practically impregnable. As you stroll down, you’ll also start to get an understanding of what a feat of architecture the impressive New Bridge was. It took 42 years to build and for half a century, at 98 metres, it was the highest bridge in the world. Completed in 1793, its fortifications are incredible and have stood the tests of time remarkably well and still has normal traffic heading across in both directions. At the bottom you’ll get the seminal picture of the bridge and its gorge with its vertical cliff faces, from where rooks soar, often alongside vultures. From here there are various ways back up, but the best plan is to continue down and take the one-hour circular walk through the Tajo valley, crossing the Guadalevin river, and coming up the other side by the Mirador de los Pinos. This is the Carretera de los Molinos and nowhere in the world will you get a better appreciation of geography and a sense of place. The various vineyards and
SPLENDOUR: Ronda’s bullring is the world’s oldest circular ring
ancient farms - some with fortifica- dynasty and Pedro Romero (born tions going back well over 1,000 1754) who is dubbed the ‘father of years - offer the perfect snapshot of the corrida’. little-changed rural life He killed over 5,000 in southern Spain. bulls and passed his Heading back into skills down the line to Ronda is Ronda you’ll walk past the Ordonez’ family the famous Reina Vicwho have, so far, proactually toria hotel, built by vided Spain with three Andalucia’s English engineers, as generations of bullthey installed the railfighters… the youngest third most way line up to Ronda Cayetano, becoming visited place from Algeciras. a handsome Armani As you finally drop model. back into the centre Sipping a caña or cofyou’ll most certainly have to take fee in the main Plaza del Socorro, a stroll into the wonderful Alameda or one of the passages off it, it’s park, with its spectacular views, and not difficult to imagine Hemingway then the famous bullring next door. scribbling in the shadows of a backAt 243 years old, it is Spain’s oldest street cafe. and a stunning classical building His legacy looms large all around with some fab- the town and he (like Orson Welles ulous original whose ashes are scattered at a Goya etchings nearby farm owned by the Ordoñez of toreadors family) has a small street named at work in one after him behind the Parador hotel. room. He celebrated his final birthday in Spain’s most Ronda in 1960 and was fitfamous bull- tingly, further immortalised fight, the with a statue beside the ‘ G o y e s c a ’ , bullring in 2015. takes place It was from here this Eashere in Sep- ter, at Semana Santa, that tember with I came across one of the the matadors most moving scenes that and their teams dressing up in cemented my own sense 18th century costume paying trib- of belonging in the City of ute to the original Goya works. Dreams. Look out for the various statues It was well past midnight outside, including the local Ordoñez and, while my wife and a
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couple of friends stayed warm in a nearby wine bar, I ventured out to take a picture of the bridge at night. I thought the parades had long ended, but atop the bridge I found two lines of drummers made up of soldiers from Ronda’s crack local Spanish Foreign Legion brigade. They stood rigid and to attention, dressed in short sleeves despite the cold northerly breeze, staring straight ahead and tapping their drums quietly, rhythmically in perfect unison. It was hypnotic and insistent and, incredibly, I was one of just a dozen spectators on the bridge. After what was easily 15 minutes, out of a side street suddenly
loomed a statue of Mary on a float, carried by two dozen other legionnaires. Just behind was another group carrying Jesus, (see top left) but this time on his back, lying prone. He was ferried past, legs first facing upwards to the stars above. I looked up too and, as a trumpet started to play, I felt a sense of belonging. I knew I was in Ronda for to stay.
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FINAL WORDS
A BIZARRE viral video captured in Valencia shows a woman walking a man like a dog as he humps a lamppost and lifts his leg as if to urinate on it.
Cashing in A GROUP of Spaniards holidaying in Venice, Italy, were left stunned after being served with a €70 bill for three beers, a coke and some snacks in the emblematic Saint Mark’s Square.
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MALLORCA
A LAMB that fell into a 15 metre deep well and was trapped for two days has been doubly lucky. First of all firefighters from Inca (Mallorca) swung into action to haul the creature out. And now the lamb’s owner has decided that it will not be slaughtered for a traditional Spanish Christmas dinner. The farmer says the wooly cutie will live to a ripe old age romping in fields as ‘it has proven to be an incredible fighter’.
Wheel of misfortune Police officer splurged €9,000 of seized cash on roulette table A POLICEMAN who gambled away thousands of euros of seized narco cash has avoided being kicked off the force. The Guardia Civil officer took €9,000 from a drugs raid before going on a marathon session at an Alicante casino. However the agent had an
By Alex Trelinski
unlucky day and lost all the money on the roulette table. The cash had been seized during an anti-drug operation in Murcia. During a search in the ear-
Bone clue RESEARCHERS in Badajoz have uncovered evidence of mass animal sacrifice rituals from around 2,500 years ago, recovering 6,700 bones from dogs, horses, cattle and pigs.
Purrfect tale
ly hours, the officer found 12 bags of marijuana and €9,000 in small bills. The evidence remained in his custody and he was due to deliver it to a judge later that day. Instead he headed to a gambling hall with the money-
A LONG-LOST moggy is to make a 6,000 kilometre journey to Spain after she was found 10 years after going missing. American couple Richard and Maria Price had given up on ever being reunited with their beloved Mimi years ago after she went missing in New York. They had since moved to Valencia when they received a long-distance call from their home city. An animal sanctuary had picked up Mimi, and as she was microchipped they were able to trace the Prices.
where he spent more than eight hours attempting to ‘enrich’ himself on the roulette table but lost it all. Immediately after the session, he handed over the confiscated drugs to his colleagues but was arrested on suspicion of embezzling public funds. Prosecutors were seeking one year and 11 months in jail but both parties agreed to a deal of five months behind bars and a 10-month ban from the force. It means he can re-join the police once his suspension is over. The courts took into consideration that he had returned the money before sentencing and that he had suffered ‘a loss of control due to his gambling addiction’.
Cash grab YOU could nip along to your local hypermarket and pick up a towel for €20. Or you could splash out €700 for a towel skirt. Balenciaga has just revealed its latest creation: a dark grey terry towel worn as a unisex skirt. What apparently sets this garment apart from any other grey bath towel is the Balenciaga logo embroidered on the front of the skirt and the fact that it can only be dry cleaned.
952 147 834 * Vo l u n t a r y i n s u r a n c e c o v e r. S u b j e c t t o c o m p a n y u n d e r w r i t i n g c o n d i t i o n s . * D a t a e x t r a c t e d f r o m p r o c e s s c l o s u r e s u r v e y s a f t e r u s i n g o u r R o a d s i d e A s s i s t a n c e a n d b r e a k d o w n s e r v i c e s .
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