Olive Press Mallorca Issue 176

APPEAL

Nolotil campaign grows

OVER 500 people have signed an Olive Press petition to keep tourists and expats safe from the deadly painkiller Nolotil.

KILL THE DRUG

Our Kill the Drug campaign urges Spanish health professionals to agree to follow the 2018 directive banning the German-made drug for British, Scandinavian and Irish patients.

Since launching on February 12, some 505 people have backed the campaign, with many adding comments.

One supporter wrote: “Well done for tackling this problem. Too many lives have already been lost.”

While Nolotil is now banned in 40 countries, it is still being regularly prescribed around Spain.

Campaigner Christina del Campo of the Association for Drug Affected People (ADAF) claims her group has over 100 cases of British people dying from the drug.

Others have had amputations ‘and worse’.

“Something needs to be done about this as nobody’s taking notice. It’s excellent the campaign is growing,” she said.

We now plan to contact local health facilities to urge them to comply with the official warning from Madrid that urges hospitals and clinics not to hand out the drug to foreigners.

Please sign the petition by searching ‘Stop Nolotil deaths’ on Change.org.

A TALE OF TWO TOWERS: An in-depth Olive Press probe into similarities between Valencia and London’s Grenfell disaster, see page 6

CAN YOU HELP? We are looking for this happysnapping holidaymaker who lost her camera

See page 4

DOUBLE TRAGEDY

Spanish authorities ‘must bring justice’ for British expat mum who died while giving birth at private hospital

A BRITISH expat died while giving birth at a private Costa del Sol hospital after being refused a C-section, it has emerged.

Kelsey Brown, 34, had been rushed to Ceram Hospital, in Marbella, on July 20, 2021, where a scan revealed her baby had died.

CHALLENGE ON!

MALLORCA sailor Aina Bauza set out on Sunday in a bid to set a world record time on the trans-Atlantic route between Ca

Bauza, from the Puerto de Andratx Sailing Club, has already had a long career in dinghy sailing and is now expanding to off

By Laurence Dollimore

Yet, despite the tragedy, the hairdresser from Liverpool was told she could not have a C-section or an epidural and would have to give birth naturally. While bleeding heavily and in ‘horrendous pain’, there was simply not enough blood on site for the procedure, a UK coroner’s court was told.

Blood

Incredibly, blood supplies did not arrive until more than five-and-ahalf hours later.

A lack of blood likely led to her death.

Andre Rebello, senior coroner for Liverpool, said: "Kelsey was advised she could not have a caesarean and she could not have an epidural, and would have to give birth naturally."

She began delivering the baby at 1.30pm with doctors using forceps to deliver the boy, named Daniel, who was found with his umbilical cord wrapped around his chest, stopping him from feeding. A delivery of blood did not arrive until 6.45pm, but just half an hour later, at 7.15pm, Kelsey was

pronounced dead. Her mother, Maria Brown, told the BBC that she was a ‘loving mum’ to her surviving child, who was aged five when the tragedy occurred.

The family are now demanding answers from the Spanish authorities, who did not provide crucial medical documents to the Liverpool coroner.

Mr Rebello told the court this impeded his ability to properly investigate the death, forcing him to declare an open conclusion due to lack of evidence.

“Hopefully the Spanish authorities will make efforts to bring justice to what occurred,” he said.

“They should be looking to see if there were opportunities to do something meaningful for a different outcome."

Mr Rebello previously told the court that the results of a post-mortem in Spain had been

‘withheld’, as had medical notes from Ceram Hospital. According to

PAINFUL DEATH: For Kelsey and her baby

the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, there could be a long wait for the Spanish investigation to bear fruit.

Kelsey’s mother insisted she was ‘very healthy’ and didn't drink or smoke.

“Kelsey really looked after herself. She was a great daughter, a great sister and a great mum,” she said.

Kelsey had moved with her husband to the Costa del Sol in 2019, with their toddler, who was five when she died.

The family are not commenting further until the Spanish authorities have completed their investigation.

Dirty stench

A PORT in Ibiza was the site of a massive cleanup operation after an overflow of toxic sewage spilled into the bay’s water.

Hot property

HOUSING prices in the Balearic Islands are now more expensive than anywhere else in Spain after a 4.4% increase in the last quarter of 2023.

Gang rape

A SPANISH woman who was gang raped in India while on a motorcycle tour with her husband has been offered just €11,000 compensation from Indian authorities.

Wolfpack doc

A NEW Netflix documentary has shed more light on the shocking ‘La Manada’ - wolfpackgang-rape trial in Spain that inspired widespread public anger and protests.

A BRAZEN display of Nazi salutes at an event celebrating the 90th anniversary of the fascist Falange party has stunned Spain…and not just for getting the date wrong!

The Madrid bash witnessed a packed auditorium waving flags and singing Nazi anthems.

But the event comes a year late, with the Falange actually being founded in October 1933.

ter page triggering outrage and leading to a police investigation into whether the display violates Spain’s Law of Democratic Memory. “Nine decades later, the Falangists continue to raise the flag of dignity, national unity and social justice,” insisted current Falange leader Manuel Andrino Lobo. They were able to do it, he argued, despite the ‘rubbish’ Democratic Memory law that ‘changes history’.

If found guilty, the organisers could face fines ranging from €10,000 to €150,000 for serious offences.

In his speech to the assembled neo-fascists, some who travelled from Portugal, France and Italy, Andrino railed against the Spanish government, calling them ‘Taliban’ and ‘b******s’ for ordering the removal of ‘crosses, plaques and monuments’.

He also slammed the ‘sad task of removing bodies’ from the fascist tomb of the Valle de los Caídos (Valley of the Fallen), just outside Madrid.

A shocking video filmed at Goya Theatre shows hundreds of supporters raising their arms as they sing the infamous farright anthem Cara al Sol (Face to the Sun). It was later posted on Falange’s own Twit- Opinion Page 6

The law deals with the legacy of the fascist Franco regime, which is sometimes blamed for millions of deaths in Spain. It outlaws glorifying the military coup and its leaders and the humiliation of its victims.

Mask blast back

THE ex-president of the Balearics government, Francina Armengol, has denied any impropriety in a €3.7 million contract award for masks to a firm with no medical experience during the first Covid lockdown in May 2020.

The masks ordered by Armengol, who is president of

Armengol defends herself in Koldo corruption case

usable as they ‘did not comply with regulations’.

the Congress of Deputies in the central government in Madrid, turned out to be un-

TWO French men have accepted two-year jail sentences, suspended for three years, for sexually abusing a British woman who was on holiday in Ibiza.

Spared jail

Lawyers for the defence and the prosecution reached a deal before the case was tried at the Balearics Provincial Court.

The public prosecutor had been calling for 20-year sentences but accepted a shorter term due to ‘undue delays’, given that the assault in question took place in June 2016.

As part of the deal, the accused admitted to the facts of the case, which took place in an apartment in Playa d’en Bossa where the men were staying.

She denied on Tuesday getting any order from the then-Minister of Public Affairs, Jose Luis Abalos, to strike a deal with the company.

“We could be victims, but certainly not accomplices,” she said. The firm saw its accounts boost from virtually nothing to over €50 million during the pandemic.

A National Court investigation has produced some arrests, notably Koldo Garcia Izaguirre, who was close to Luis Abalos.

Francina Armengol said: “No one gave us an order, nor coerced us or asked us to hire

any company.” She added that all kinds of proposals for mask supplies were received by the Balearics government and that all of the offers were scrutinised by the Balearics Health Service (Ib-Salud). Armengol emphasised that its staff made the final decision based on needs, quality and price of the masks. “The reality was that people were dying each day and we didn’t have enough masks to protect our citizens.” Armengol added that the agreed price was ‘half’ of that paid by other regions in Spain. The unused masks are still in a warehouse, but are now under guard because they are part of the National Court’s probe into the socalled ‘Koldo’ affair.

GUT MOVE

A DRUG trafficker was caught smuggling drugs into Ibiza.

Police at Ibiza airport stopped a 46-year-old Moroccan man after his nervous behaviour aroused their suspicion.

Custody

He had swallowed 150 pellets of hash before boarding the plane in Morocco. The Guardia Civil swiftly transferred the man to Can Misses Hospital under police custody, given the risk that the pellets could rupture in his stomach.

Following his release from the hospital, the man was presented before a judge and remanded in custody.

Alex Trelinki

PANDA PENSIONERS

A PAIR of pandas from Madrid Zoo are retiring to China after 17 years in Spain.

Hua Zui Ba and Bing Xing originally arrived in the country in 2007 as a gift from China to Spain. The pair had six cubs during their time in Madrid and will travel back to their homeland as a family with the majority of their children.

Two of their cubs, You You and Jiu

Jiu are now star attractions at the zoo and China has promised to send another young couple. The scheme is part of the China Wildlife Conservation Association’s mission to boost numbers of giant pandas.

It has had great success, with the species going from ‘endangered’ to merely ‘vulnerable’ in the past 40 years.

WHAT A CAULKER

WIPING the sweat off his brow after a gruelling two-hour training session, player-manager, Steven Caulker reflects on his new life on the Costa del Sol.

“I love it, I honestly love it. You can’t complain about the weather or the location”, he says with a wide, genuine smile.

It’s a stunning Friday morning in Nerja, home of fifth tier side FC Malaga City and home for the latest installment of Caulker’s unique footballing career.

Sat on a bench shielded away from the warm, winter sun, the 32-year old is engaging and articulate about his remarkable journey. He started off with Tottenham Hotspur at 18, moving between different loan spells before time at Cardiff City, QPR, and a stint as an emergency striker under Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool. Internationally, he made one appearance for England, scoring in a friendly defeat to Sweden.

But off the pitch, his personal life and mental health began to spiral.

England international who played for Klopp talks to the Olive Press about life at lowly Spanish football club

EXCLUSIVE

by

Ben Pawlowski

“I’m an addict - I’m addicted to escapism. When I put one thing down, I pick up another. Football was my first addiction, but when I am not playing it can be alcohol, gambling, women, food”. Depression struck and it began to impact Caulker’s work on the pitch.

“I was at rock bottom. I fell out of love with football and the game”, he admits. Following a couple of years in Turkey, a surprise selection for the Sierra Leone nation-

VENOM VISIT

Hardy, 46, is a Jiu-Jitsu champion - even winning an event two years ago.

He went to the Gracie Barra gymnasium at Playa de San Juan and posed for photos with Jiu-Jitsu coaches and pupils.

Hardy has got to know Spain well in the last year, with Venom 3 shooting in the Cartagena area of Murcia last summer. The Los Mateos district doubled up as a Mexican town and Hardy took time out to sign autographs for children and take selfies with them.

al team and a brief foray back into English foo tball with Wigan Athletic, the Londoner finds himself on the Costa del Sol, with a fresh start. Yet he admits he is a work in progress: “I take it day-by-day,

Caulker’s results

January 7: LOSS

Almeria B 6-0 Malaga City

January 13: LOSS

Malaga City 0-1 Juventud Torremolinos

January 21: DRAW

Malaga City 0-0 El Ejido

January 28: DRAW

Maracena 1-1 Malaga City

February 4: WIN

Malaga City 1-0 Rincon

February 11: LOSS

Arenas Armilla 1-0 Malaga City

February 17: WIN

Malaga City 3-0 Huetor Tajar

February 24: LOSS

Huetor Vega 2-0 Malaga City

doing a lot of recovery. I live in Marbella so I drive in, I do an hour of Alcoholics or Gambling Anonymous, I make a gratitude list, I pray, I speak to people, I balance my family life. I will never be cured of depression but I can manage it much better”.

Caulker’s new life on the Andalucian coast also brings a new role as a player-manager, his first step into coaching.

through my academy Behind the White Lines, which helps footballers released by clubs, and we began a conversation”.

“We lost 6-0 and I felt completely powerless, a real baptism

“I was on holiday in Nerja in the summer with my girlfriend and son, staying in a hotel just down the road. I knew these guys

After many WhatsApps and calls, Caulker finally succumbed to pressure from the club’s owner, fellow Englishman George Jermy. His tenure started with a whimper with Caulker’s role constrained by the tribulations of post-Brexit visas: “We lost 6-0 and I felt completely powerless. It was hard to take, a real baptism of fire”.

“When I first came I had the idea in my head of a high press, like Klopp’s, but I soon learnt that you need to adapt to what you have”.

“I’ve been really pleased with this last week, it has been the biggest progression, a massive step”since our interview, Malaga City have climbed to 13th in the table. Does he feel pressure to achieve results?

“The biggest pressure I’ve ever experienced in life has been what I have put myself under. Today I am wiser and more mature, I know it’s about the bigger picture, not just one game or one day”.

ROLLING VISIT

ROLLING Stones legend Ronnie Wood has been in Spain enjoying a La Liga match at the invitation of FC Barcelona. Wood, 76, made it a family affair by taking his wife Sally, 46, and their seven-yearold twins Gracie and Alice to watch Barca play Getafe. The invite came after the Rolling Stones sponsored last October's El Clasico clash against Real Madrid.

The trip to the Nou Camp was the first soccer match for the couple's daughters and they were rewarded by an easy four-nil win for Barcelona. Wood knows the city well, having bought an apartment close to the Paseo de Galicia in 2013. Sightings of his family are not uncommon as they split their time between the UK and Spain.

Family reunion

THE Spanish royals met up with their counterparts from around the world at St George's Chapel, Windsor, for a Thanksgiving Service in memory of Greece’s last monarch, King Constantine. Spain’s contingent was led by King Felipe and Queen Leitiza, along with Felipe’s mother and King Constatine’s sister, Queen Sofia. Also in attendance was the Emeritus King, Juan Carlos. Constantine II took to the Greek throne in 1964, but was deposed in 1973 after the military junta abolished the monarchy. His funeral took place in Athens in January 2023 after he died aged 82. The service saw Queen Camilla as the leading UK royal in attendance. King Charles was continuing his cancer treatment, and the Prince of Wales was called away at the last minute on a personal matter.

ROYAL MEMORIES:

HOLLYWOOD actor Tom Hardy has shown off his martial arts skills during a break from shooting Venom 3 at Alicante’s City of Light film studios.

Kings Felipe and Juan Carlos attended the service presided over by Queen Camilla

FAMILY AFFAIR: Ronnie Wood, wife Sally and kids Gracie and Alice at the Nou Camp

IN CHARGE: Steven Caulker is boss at Malaga City

Doggy bite

A DRUNK woman kissed her pet dog and it responded by biting the owner's lips.

Palma Policia Local responded to a call from the Can Pistilla area of the city from a German woman.

Officers discovered a female in her 60s that appeared to be intoxicated. She told them that she had fallen asleep next to her pet on the sofa.

When she woke up, she kissed it 'effusively', only for the small mixed-breed dog to bite her mouth.

The victim needed several stitches at hospital and said the animal had never acted like that before.

A PARADE of 35 dogs looking for a home has been postponed. They were due to be shown off this Saturday at the Son Reus animal protection centre in Palma. But a bad weather forecast means organisers have decided to delay the event until March 16.

It will be the first special dog parade of the year, running between 9.30am and noon.

The event has been organised by the Peluditos de Son Reus association with support from Palma City Council.

TWO new restaurants have been awarded a prestigious Sol in the latest Guia Repsol. Brut in Llubi and Sala de Personal in Palma both got one Sol at a gala presentation earlier this week.

Over 100 chefs were given the prestigious award, with Omakase by Walt (Ibiza) and Es Codol Foradat (Sant Francesc de Formentera) also recognised.

Sunny days

Known for its tasting menus, wines, craft beers and kombucha, Brut enshrines a ‘cuisine of contrast’ playing with wild, fresh ingredients under the guidance of chef Edu Martinez (pictured). With just 16 seats, the restaurant charges €95 for a ‘long’ tasting menu. Meanwhile, cocktails lead the way at Sala de Personal, where

drinks are accompanied by perfectly matched ‘bites’.

Menus range from €60 for four pairings to €100 for six. This brings the islands’ total to 41 Repsol guide restaurants - 32 with one Sol, eight with two and one with three. The gala, held in Cartagena, in Murcia, saw dozens of the leading chefs step up to get their awards.

A total of 764 venues are now included in the guide, including 552 with one Sol, 168 with two and 43 with three.

WHO’S IN THE FRAME?

Please help: Campaign to reunite mystery woman with her camera and thousands of photos of epic ‘once-in-a-lifetime trip’

By Walter Finch

A MISSION is underway to return a camera containing photos of a mystery woman’s once-in-a-lifetime European trip to its rightful owner.

The thousand-plus photo gallery, discovered on an old digital camera, documents

the travels of an unknown blonde woman.

Found on a Costa del Sol beach, they feature her in numerous

glamorous locations and five-star hotels throughout France, Spain and Portugal.

GETTING TOUGH

TOUGHER penalties have been promised against drunken tourists and criminal behaviour in the Playa de Palma area. Palma mayor, Jaime Martinez, made the pledge on Tuesday during a speech at an international tourist conference in Berlin.

“Playa de Palma says enough is enough,” said the former Tourism Minister in the Balearics government. Martinez declared war on ‘irresponsible’ tourism that has been increasing over recent seasons.

A new civic ordinance is being worked on where offenders could be fined up to €3,000 but it may not be approved in time for this summer.

Nevertheless, the presence of police will soon be strengthened in parts of the tourist spot where the most trouble occurs.

As well as being snapped on a boat tour off Mallorca, she is seen riding the ‘Train of Wonders’ in the Alps and posing by the El Campello tower in Alicante.

The first picture, dated December 1, 2022, sees the unknown woman in Madeira swanning it at a €180-a-night hotel.

The final snap was taken on February 3, this year, at ‘the Passion of Music’ festival at Malaga’s Plaza de Toros bullring.

The following day, the camera was found on a beach in Benalmadena by Swedish expat Madeleine Ahlberg, 30. She told the Olive Press : “I was with my partner having a picnic, and we saw a black case lying by a wall.

“I think she was on a trip of

Still going strong

a lifetime, perhaps to celebrate something important like a big birthday or retirement,” she said. Madeleine suspects the woman - and her out-ofshot partner taking the pictures - is British, based on snippets of the pair talking in videos on the memory card.

The recruitment specialist, from Stockholm, added: “I lost all my photos from a year I spent in Australia when my camera was stolen, so I know exactly how it feels to be robbed of your memories.

“I would love to be able to get this camera back to her.”

Do you recognise her? Contact us at newsdesk@theolivepress.es

SPAIN’S Jordi Xammar and Nora Brugman sailed their way to being crowned this year’s 470 World Champions at Llucmajor last weekend.

Five days of competition ended with stormy weather on Sunday, resulting in no final medal race to conclude the championships.

That should not detract from Xammar and Brugman (pictured below) who were strong favourites to lift the title after building up an 11-point advantage over the previous races.

A runner-up at the previous two world championships, Nora Brugman was delighted to have won the title on home waters.

“I’m really proud of this team and what we have achieved,” she said.

The partnership will now be eyeing up a gold medal at this summer’s Paris Olympics.

“GOOD morning, world. Today I turn 117 years old. I’ve come this far”.

This was the wonderful tweet sent out by Spaniard Maria Branyas, who turned 117 years old this week.

The world’s oldest living person was born on March 4, 1907. She has survived two world wars, the Spanish Civil War, two global pandemics, a deadly earthquake and a major fire.

Supergran

She even beat off Covid-19 in 2020, becoming known as the ‘Super Grandmother’ to her adoring followers on social media.

The mother-of-three, who lives in Catalunya, has been studied by scientists keen to discover the reasons behind her remarkable longevity. She became the world’s oldest living person after the death of 118-year old Frenchwoman Lucile Randon in January last year. She celebrated her record-breaking birthday with family and friends in Olot. Born in San Francisco, she moved to Spain with her family at the age of eight.

MAYORS in the Serra de Tramuntana area of Mallorca have welcomed news that 38 speed cameras plus noise meters are to be installed along the MA-10 highway and secondary roads.

The Minister of Territory, Mobility and Infrastructure, Fernando Rubio, announced on Wednesday that the cameras will be installed over the next few months.

Last October around 50 people protested over regular informal motorbike races held along Tramuntana roads and they blocked the road for 30 minutes at Banyalbufar.

Peace

They formed an action group named Indignats MA-10 , which demanded the installation of fixed radar cameras to catch speeding offenders. Indignats spokesperson Pep Tosar said the announcement was the culmination of years of campaigning.

Minister Rubio said that a study will be carried out as to where to place the units.

“The Consell de Mallorca has acted in a firm and forceful way, because the peace of Serra de Tramunta residents is essential,” he stated.

TOWERS OF TERROR

Fire tragedy building in Valencia was ‘clad with material discontinued after Grenfell horror’

Hospital shame

WHAT happened to pregnant expat Kelsey Brown is nothing short of a disgrace.

The 34-year-old was rushed to hospital where a scan revealed her baby had died - however they refused her a C-section and made her have an agonising birth without an epidural.

What’s worse is she bled out for more than five-and-ahalf hours before the necessary blood supplies arrived.

How could a private hospital designed to deliver children have been running so low on blood? And when doctors realised they did not have enough, why was Kelsey not sent to the main, nearby Hospital Costa del Sol?

These are just some of the questions the Spanish authorities MUST answer.

To date, they have done nothing but delay handing over crucial documents, including medical notes from Kelsey’s time at Marbella’s Ceram hospital, and much-needed records from her autopsy.

We call on the Ministry of Health to get to the bottom of what went wrong with Kelsey as soon as possiblealthough sadly, we doubt we will hear any admission of wrongdoing anytime soon.

Far right alarm

OH the shame of seeing hundreds of people doing Nazi salutes in 2024.

The Falange party’s 90th anniversary event is a reminder of a returning threat.

These idiots may not know exactly when their party was founded - it was actually six months earlier - but they feel bold enough to collectively revere Adolf Hitler and his notorious right-arm salute.

They even shamelessly splashed the accompanying video footage on their social media - they want people to see.

It is alarming to think we might, once again, have to fight - and vanquish - the villains of the 1930s.

Fortunately, the Falange show us who they are and we should believe them.

We will never forget what their counterparts did to the Jews, homosexuals and gypsies, not to mention most of eastern Europe.

Not omitting the estimated million Spaniards who died during the Franco regime itself, either through execution, thrown into labour camps or simply ‘disappearing’.

Does Spain’s version of Cable Street beckon in the backstreets of Madrid?

EXCLUSIVE by

Ben Pawlowski

THE deadly fire that killed 10 residents of a Valencia apartment complex may have been spread by the use of a highly flammable cladding banned in the UK, the Olive Press can reveal.

Ten people perished in the inferno on Avenida del General Alives on February 22, including a newly-married couple and their two-week old baby.

The tragic blaze has been dubbed ‘Spain’s Grenfell’ in reference to the similar 2017 tower block fire that killed 79 people in London.

The building, which housed approximately 450 residents, was built by Catalan company FBEX, which dissolved in 2010 at the height of the Spanish property crisis after racking up debts worth over €600 million.

Prior to its liquidation, the company operated in Catalunya, Valencia and the Balearic Islands.

Media reports initially blamed Alucobond, a brand of rear-ventilated facades, after an FBEX promotional video claimed that the apartments were wrapped in an ‘Alucobond-type cladding’.

However, images taken from Google Maps of the building’s construction in the Nou Campanar neighbourhood of Valencia show clad-

ding emblazoned with a logo reading ‘Larson’. ‘Larson’ is the brand name for aluminium composite materials (ACMs) produced by Alucoil, a Spanish multinational company based in Burgos.

Alucoil currently produces two types of ACM used to clad buildings - ‘Larson FR’ and ‘Larson A2’, although the latter has only been introduced within the last decade. According to Valencia’s Official College of Technical Architecture, construction works for the building began in February 2006 and finished in 2008.

BYE BYE

IRA von Fürstenberg, the iconic socialite princess, carved her path through the Jet Set age with elegance and allure. Born into royalty, her early life exuded glamour and sophistication. Ira's lineage as a member of the House of Fürstenberg shaped her into a symbol of aristocratic grace and style. She was just 15 when she married 31-year old Prince Alfonso of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, who once jealousy refused the great Salvador Dali’s request to paint

An investigation carried out by the Olive Press suggests that the cladding used may have been of a type known as ‘Larson PE’, a common version of ACM discontinued by the company in the wake of the Grenfell Tower disaster.

Marketing materials indicate that Larson PE was still on sale in late 2018.

According to official documentation, Larson PE is a ‘composite panel produced by two sheets of Aluminium with a low density polyethylene inside core’.

Paul Hyett, an expert witness to the Grenfell

PRINCESS

A look at the life of Ira von Fürstenberg, who helped build the Jet Set reputation of the Mediterranean gem of Marbella---

By Ben Pawlowski

Ira in the nude. The scandalous marriage didn’t seem to harm either party as the publicity helped cement Prince Hohenlohe’s position within European high society. It was during this period that the rakish prince and glamorous model and actress brought world-wide publicity to Marbella as the paparazzi of the day and gossip columns lapped up the never-ending string of personalities visiting the Mediterranean town Known as the ‘Princess of Marbella’, Ira lived a life of glamour, luxury and controversy right to the very end.

Rome

Ira died last month in Rome, aged 83. She was born in Rome in 1940

SOCIALITE: Ira enjoying the Marbella lifestyle with Prince Alfonso

zu Fürstenberg, daughter of the German prince Tassilo von Fürstenberg and his wife, Clara Agnelli, the granddaughter of the founder of automotive giant Fiat. When she married Prince Alfonso her socialite status was set. She not only appeared on the silver screen in a string of movies, but attracted the attentions of the great Salvador Dali , who several times requested she pose for him - a request always turned down.

Together with her husband, she

cemented her status within the ‘Jet Set’ elite, owning homes in Ronda, Marbella, Austria, London, Madrid and Rome.

Popularly denoted as one of the first ‘It girls’, she had two children with Alfonso.

Christoph, known as Kiko, who died in suspicious circumstances in a Bangkok prison in 2006, and Hubertus, a former Olympic skier and fellow member of the clique that Ira called the ‘happy few’.

In 1954, Ira and Alfonso estab-

lished the iconic Marbella Club, the luxurious hotel that put the city, and the Costa del Sol, on the ‘Jet Set’ map. Ira became friends with fellow wealthy elites, such as the German millionaire Gunter Sachs, the French activist-actress Brigitte Bardot, and every corner of the Spanish

as Virginia Carolina Theresa Pancrazia Galdina

HAPPY: Ira with her Prince and new born child and (right) on screen with Klaus Kinski

FATAL BLAZE: The fire (right and above) was reminicent of the Grenfell disaster (far right)

enquiry and a former president of the Royal Institute of British Architects, told the Olive Press that polyethylene is ‘highly inflammable’, with a combustibility akin to ‘diesel fuel’.

Larson PE received a classification of ‘E’ on the EU’s EN-13501 fire safety test, the same score received by Reynobond PE, the type of cladding widely blamed for spreading the flames on Grenfell Tower.

The ratings on the test extend from A to F, with A the lowest inflammability and F the highest. UK regulations currently state that cladding used on buildings with a height exceeding 18

metres must have a rating of either A or A2, indicating incombustibility.

Five tower blocks in Norwich were forced to have their Larson PE aluminium composite cladding removed in 2018 after the facade failed fire safety tests.

Jonathan Sakula (pictured inset below), the official cladding consultant to the Grenfell enquiry, told the Olive Press: “Polyethylene is a combustible filler, like the one used on Grenfell. It is not a good material to use, especially on high-rise buildings, as it is too combustible”.

Larson FR is a more fire-retardant version of

aristocracy.

“Marbella back then was a wild party when you came and went with different people. One night it could be the Franco’s or the Bismarck’s, the next Cayetana de Alba”, she told Vanity Fair. After just six years of marriage, she controversially eloped, starting a passionate romance with the notorious Italian-Brazilian playboy Francisco ‘Baby’ Pignatari, a businessman Ira referred to as ‘the love of her life’.

Larson PE - however, with a score of B on the EU’s fire safety standard, it would still remain unsuitable for high-rise buildings under new UK legislation.

Larson FR was first mentioned on Alucoil’s website in 2008, the year that construction of the Valencia apartment complex was completed.

It was described as ‘the first step of a new composite panel generation with which Alucoil hopes to answer modern

architectural needs’.

A revised technical building code (CTE) was introduced in Spain in March 2006, one month after construction in Valencia began, explicitly mandating ‘the limitation of the risk of fire spread via the exterior of the building’. Buildings known to be clad with Larson PE include: residential blocks in A Coruña and Madrid, a Carrefour supermarket in Mijas, the University General Hospital of Cartagena, the Oceanografic Centre in Valencia and buildings at the Jerez Circuit. The buildings were clad between 2002 and 2014.

Experts from the Official College of Property Administrators (CAF), in conjunction with the College of Architects of Malaga, are reviewing buildings on the Costa del Sol with similar characteristics to the Valencia apartment block that burnt down last month.

Chimney

Manuel Jimenez, president of the Malaga branch of CAF, urged for calm, stressing that ‘the characteristics of this building are not common in Andalucia’.

It is unknown how many residential buildings across Spain contain Larson PE cladding, or similarly inflammable equivalents.

Sakula stressed to the Olive Press that ‘there is no way of truly telling what happened until one does a proper investigation’.

Hyett likewise suggested that other factors, such as the use of cavity barriers to inhibit the passage of smoke and fire through the gap between the cladding and insulation, must be thoroughly analysed.

Susana Gomez de Lara, head of the College of Architects of Malaga, told Malaga Hoy that the cavity space was ‘not compartmentalised’, and that high winds may have created a ‘chimney effect’, helping to spread the flames.

The Olive Press approached Alucoil for comment but received no response.

BRAVE: Firefighters tackled the blaze in Valencia

BIG

As Olive Press becomes THE reference point for news in Spain… take

EAGLE-eyed readers may have noticed how our website was once again followed up by news outlets around the world this past fortnight.

Our exclusive of how two brothers were arrested for kicking out squatters from their flat in Barcelona was picked up by the Daily Mail - and even the leading paper in their home country of Belarus (see right).

It was just one of many original stories that caught the eye of the world’s biggest publishers.

They include the Sun who followed up our story about a Brit missing while holidaying in Mallorca. Fortunately John Webster (below) has since been found alive and well - having been hospitalised with breathing issues without access to his mobile phone.

Meanwhile, our live coverage of the ‘historic’ Christian Brueckner trial in Germany was followed by the Sun, MailOnline, Mirror and Telegraph Editor Jon Clarke was also working for ITV and Germany’s RTL for the start of the trial in Braunschweig, involving a string of vile sex crimes in Portugal. It once again proves that for those interested in news in the Iberian region, there is no better source than theolivepress.es.

And the numbers don’t lie, with over 2,000 readers registering an account on our website so far this year, including from as far away as the USA and Australia.

Only by being a subscriber can you enjoy full, ad-reduced access to our content, which is around 20 stories, features and reviews a day.

To persuade you to make the move, we are today launching our special Spring sale, which will last throughout March and offer an incredible 50% off all our subscription packages.

It means you can sign up for just €2.99 per month, or the equivalent of 75 cents per weekhalf the price of a caña!

Scan the QR code below to be taken to the subscription page with the discount already applied.

HAPPY READING!

The top five most read stories on www.theolivepress.es

1- EXCLUSIVE: Terrifying moment expat brothers are arrested inside their own flat in Spain after the SQUATTERS they kicked out called in police

2- Missing: British tourist, 61, who vanished from Spain's Mallorca two days ago - as partner back home says she's 'worried sick'

3- My Top 10 places in Ronda

4-

This tiny village in Spain with 40 volcanoes and a secret waterfall is a must visit for 2024according to the Sun

5-

Huge 'crystal lagoon' is coming to this major city in Spain's Andalucia - featuring artificial beaches and water sports

SOCIETY: Ira was a regular visitor to Marbella’s Starlite Festival. She is pictured (above) with singer Eros Ramazzotti and (right) with actor Massimo Gargia

Price resistance

BAR and restaurant customers in Spain are buying fewer drinks because of high prices according to a study by market analysts NielsenIQ.

The firm says that beverage consumption fell by 1.4% last year - the first fall since the Covid pandemic.

NielsenIQ says that the cost of living combined with price increases of an average 9% on beer and water has caused consumers to cut back.

Businesses are increasing their turnover because of price hikes, but purchases are falling.

The study says that bars and cafes suffered a drop in demand of 3.3%, while hotels and restaurants did so by 1.6%.

Celia Rodriguez from NielsenIQ said: “After the pandemic, people went out again enthusiastically and consumption recovered quickly, but now we are seeing demand falling.”

Hands off our plaza!

Mayor wants to charge visitors to enter Sevilla’s most famous square

PLANS to close off the Plaza de España in Sevilla and charge tourists a fee to enter have sparked a huge backlash.

The conservative (PP) mayor of the Andalucian capital,

By Laurence Dollimore

Jose Luis Sanz, said the new levy for visitors would ‘finance its conservation’ and ‘maintain a 24-hour surveil-

GOOD INTENTIONS

SPAIN is moving forward with plans to ban some short-haul domestic flights as part of its 2050 climate action plan.

Which routes will be scrapped would depend on whether there is a high-speed AVE train service that can link two points in less than two-and-a-half hours.

The change is about cutting CO2 emissions but it has met with resistance from some of

the country's regions, fearing a negative impact on business and tourist travel.

A key point surrounds hub airports that link with international routes, which means the likes of Barcelona, Madrid, Alicante, and Malaga will be largely exempted from the new rules..

That means the impact of such a measure would appear to be minimal with opponents saying it would make Spain less competitive and would have no positive impact on the environment.

lance service’.

The new tourist charges would also go towards the ‘permanent restoration’ of the site, Sanz added. It has recently been restored at a cost of more than €10 million.

ATTRACTION: and not

for tourists but film stars too

II – Attack of the Clones (2002) and The Dictator (2012).

INSIDE JOB

THE Guardia Civil has busted a group of Madrid airport staff who stole items from suitcases worth at least €120,000.

Some 16 workers have been arrested and an additional 22 are under investigation. Items recovered include a large amount of designer clothing and electronic devices, cameras, jewellery and cash but also a violin and a bible.

The violin belonged to a young musician who was going to participate in a concert in London. He has now had the instrument returned to him.

Soaring prices

The iconic site was built in 1929 for the Ibero-American exhibition and is Sevilla’s second most visited monument. Some 97% of the 3.8 million tourists a year who visit Sevilla take in the plaza, according to the Seville Tourism Observatory

The square has had several silver screen appearances, including in blockbusters like Lawrence of Arabia (1962), Star Wars: Episode

One journalist wrote on X : “What the mayor of Sevilla proposes is to close the Plaza de España is an aberration, it is illegal.”

Another said: “Not content with privatising healthcare, education… they now want to privatise the assets of the people of Sevilla. If we don’t wake up, they're going to privatise Sevilla.”

People born in Sevilla or resident in the province will be exempt from the fee.

FLIGHTS will be more expensive across Europe this summer due to a lack of new planes, the boss of Ryanair has warned.

Michael O’Leary said his budget carrier - and others - are waiting for new Boeing planes to be delivered, but expects they will arrive late.

This means there will be fewer seats available for budding travellers, bringing price rises of around 10%.

O’Leary said Ryanair has a scheduled delivery of 57 Boeing 737 Max 8200s in March, but that only up to 45 will arrive for the summer season.

BREAKDOWN KIT

To help you stay safe here is a checklist of some important safety items in the event of a breakdown. This emergency breakdown kit should be kept in your vehicle at all times. The kit includes: a torch and spare batteries, warm clothes and blankets, high-visibility jacket, first aid kit, jump start cables, empty fuel can, food and drink, two reflective warning signs, a road atlas, and a mobile phone charger.

OVER 20 YEARS OF EXPERTISE

Directa and allows breakdown recovery and roadside assistance services to pinpoint your location and send help directly to you. This service is available throughout mainland Spain, the Balearic Islands and the Canary Islands. The technology is simple to use and really useful when you need it most.

As Spain’s most experienced provider of insurance for British expatriates, Línea Directa has been keeping motorists on the move for over 20 years.

We hope the information provided in this article is of interest. If you would like to contact Línea Directa please call 952 147 834. More information about Línea Directa online at www.lineadirecta.com

FOOD,DRINK & TRAVEL

WE arrive outside El Lodge in just over two hours and before we can blink, the car is ushered away and our bags are in the room.

Some five minutes later we’re in the hotel skiing shop being fitted for boots, topof-the-range Salomons with brand new Swiss-made Stockli skis at the ready!

In the corridor is a ticket machine recently installed by the Sierra Nevada resort, where Apple Pay secures us twoday passes with a decent discount for my son.

Bish, bash, bosh! By 11.30am we’re on the slopes, sliding down the red run Aguila, which goes right past the hotel terrace.

There couldn’t be a simpler, quicker, more fluid introduction to Europe’s most remarkable skiing resort.

A station that often stays open well into May, by the end of February this year, the place was finally blanketed with snow, creating a wonderful white world of fun for winter sports lovers.

SLIDE AWAY

Bish, bash, bosh. JON CLARKE is skiing down a Sierra Nevada red run just two hours after leaving Marbella, thanks to the amazing services of exclusive El Lodge hotel

A regular visitor to the Sierra Nevada, some 30 minutes outside Granada city, I normally get a two night deal at one of the many good value hotels in the resort. This time, we were here to do it in style. And by that, I mean, as the Royals might do (which is fitting with the Spanish king having once allegedly stayed in the Lodge).

El Lodge, as they prefer to call it, is a front row seat to the cream of the Sierra Nevada. And not just the creamy, white powdery stuff that’s just arrived in a deluge. This is where the beautiful people head to and on a bright sunny day in March or April (and statistically the weather is far better than any other resort in Europe) the terrace is fun with a capital F. The scenic spot is impossible to beat; the Aguila run sloping in from stage left while the legendary Rio run faces you with the white-tipped peaks above it.

Music is provided by a DJ, jazzy and soulful through lunch, then picking up to some heavier house and R&B classics with the occasional banger as

the sun starts to set. A real smorgasbord of languages, at least half the guests are here to simply chill out and enjoy the food, with skiing very much off the agenda. The cool retro menu with its black and white pics of days gone by has a great mix of light bites, healthy options and classics,

such as burgers and steaks and, of course, the obligatory Swiss fondue or raclette.

There are lots of sharing plates, such as assorted tacos and a bruschetta Caprese with organic cherry tomatoes.

I went a bit off-piste with the Rock Fish soup - a kind of bouillabaisse - which was a real winner, coming with plenty of surprises below the surface - chunks of sea bass, clams and prawns, perfectly braised and adding flavour to the rich

November 29thDecember 12th 2023

LOOKING FOR MORE TRAVEL STORIES?

Scan to visit our website

TOAST OF THE SLOPES: Jon Clarke salutes El Lodge

broth. I also tried the truffled burrata mozzarella salad with original pis-

tachio pesto, a real joy. Next up was the delicious Wagyu ‘Pepito’ sandwich that came out looking like a hot cross bun - perfect for Easter - but included a glorious slice of tender steak with cheese and spicy Chipotle sauce oozing out the side. Given the exercise levels I was more than happy to get stuck into a joyous semi-cold peanut cake pudding with mixed berries and even edible flowers. It was time for some more skiing and af-

ter three more hours of pushing myself up black runs and across into the amazing Laguna valley, where they recently filmed award-winning film, Society of the Snow, I needed some pampering. And that’s what makes El Lodge and its new sister hotel, Maribel next door, so great… they both count on impressive spas to rejuvenate yourself. Both have heated outdoor pools, plus hot tubs, steam rooms and jacuzzis. And there’s a team of masseurs on hand to soothe away your aches and pains.

My son Alfie and his pals loved jumping in and out of the hot tub and ice bath, posing like vikings, between spells in

PRECISION: Ski shop pro sets the fittings

FOOD,DRINK & TRAVEL

the steam room and sauna.

In the evening, we ate in the intimate dining room inside, a cosy space with seductive lighting, gas fireplaces, low ceilings and beams, the antler lamps particularly eye-catching. The menu is a sophisticated mix of modern European but particularly focusing on good quality meats, with a dozen to choose from, including slow-cooked Wagyu ribs, suckling lamb shoulder as well as dry aged 35day beef entrecote.

His amuse bouche, an ox croquette, was a melt-in-themouth creation

We went for the recently introduced Rossini tournedo, an extremely tender cut of French steak, a fillet mignon, served with warm foie on top. A true winner. All put together by executive chef Juan

Martín, who’s been in the group for 30 years and has been heading up to the slopes to cook for 15 years now.

The Antequera-born chef knows the ‘best dishes to suit the mountains’ he tells us and explains how he often spends the summer cooking in the Balearics for the group. The proof was in the pudding, of course, and his amuse bouche, an ox croquette, was the most stunning melt-in-themouth creation.

Next up was his beef tartare, which, despite being oddly served

in a shin of beef, had a wonderful spicy kick and a lot of black truffle to boot. A kale salad accompaniment with goats cheese and peanut sauce screamed out with goodness, while a side order of grilled leeks were delicious. I went off piste again with my main, trying out the Lobster thermidor, which comes with Boletus mushrooms and a Hollandaise sauce. It is the first time I have had lobster cooked this way and was surprisingly tender and delicious. Not something I’d expected to find in the mountains. Finally, on the subject of food it would be remiss not to mention the amazing

food truck outside, perfect for lunch, care of the Cheat burger bar in Marbella. This was one which got my son and his pals salivating over and was near enough to the snow to not feel they were getting held up for lunch. For me, if for any reason I was never able to ski again, I would happily spend my days sitting here or on the terrace next door watching the world go by.

www.ellodge.com

OP QUICK CROSSWORD

OP SUDOKU

Across

1 Source (6)

5 An absolute riot (6)

8 Whisky cask material (3)

9 Dexterous (6)

10 Like some jobs and information (6)

11 Perfectly vertical (5)

13 Did cats frolic? They can’t stop (7)

14 Breathe with difficulty (6)

17 Be a benefactor (2,4)

20 Less sorrowful (7)

22 Infernal writer? (5)

25 Militaristic city-state (6)

26 Wood finish, in marquetry (6)

27 Stage (3)

28 Let out (6)

29 Canadian pole-vault star --- Newman (6)

Down

2 Annual flyer with a famous nose (7)

3 Cake figurine (5)

4 Marginal inscription (4)

5 Lost traction (7)

6 Ruined rug isn’t going to ruin (7)

7 Examine the books (5)

12 “Well, that’s show --- !” (3)

15 British and Roman, for example (7)

16 May birthstone (7)

18 Eccentric (3)

19 It’ll never get off the ground in Africa (7)

21 More than enough (5)

23 Soothe (5)

24 Latvian capital (4)

All solutions are on page 12

SALIVATING: The Cheat food truck is always popular, while (right) the dining room

WHITE WORLD: The views from even the bathrooms are amazing, while (below) the heated pool

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OP Puzzle solutions

Quick Crossword

Across: 1 Origin, 5 Scream, 8 Oak, 9 Adroit, 10 Inside, 11 Plumb, 13 Addicts, 14 Wheeze, 17 Do good, 20 Happier, 22 Dante, 25 Sparta, 26 Inlaid, 27 Leg, 28 Leased, 29 Alysha.

Down: 2 Rudolph, 3 Groom, 4 Note, 5 Skidded, 6 Rusting, 7 Audit, 12 Biz, 15 Empires, 16 Emerald, 18 Odd, 19 Ostrich, 21 Ample, 23 Allay, 24 Riga.

Baby low

SPAIN'S annual birth rate has fallen to its lowest level since 1941 when current reporting systems were introduced, according to the National Statistics Institute (INE).

There were 322,075 new babies last year - 2% fewer than in 2022 and births have fallen by 24.1% over the last decade.

Just two regions - Madrid and Extremadura - registered increased birth rates last year.

The figures show that the age of motherhood in Spain is rising and there are more births to those aged 40 or over (10.7% of the total) compared to women under 25 years of age (9.4%).

As for deaths, last year’s number was 435,331 - 5.8% fewer than in 2022 but 4.6% more than in 2019, before the outbreak of the Covid pandemic.

Good for you

By Laurence Dollimore

DRINKING more than four cups of coffee a day is associated with a lower risk of recurrent bowel cancer, a new study has found.

According to research published in the International Journal of Cancer, patients who drank more than four cups of coffee daily had a 32% lower risk of bowel cancer recurrence in comparison to those who drank less than two cups. The study observed over 2,000 bowel cancer patients, men and women of any age, in 11 Dutch hospitals between 2010 and 2020.

Researchers followed the patients during and after their treatment.

Abisola M. Oyelere, who authored the article, said: “More studies are needed to understand the mechanism by which coffee consumption could improve the prognosis of bowel cancer”.

Drinking coffee daily helps prevent colon cancer from returning to treated patients, study finds

However, there are several plausible causes, such as coffee’s anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties.

Researchers also found a correlation between coffee consumption and all causes of mortality. Coffee intake appeared optimal at between three and five cups a day, with increased risk perceived for those who both drank too much and too little. Scientists believe that daily

OFF THE MENU

consumption of coffee has a range of impressive health benefits.

Drinking the caffeine-rich beverage is linked to a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, obesity, depression, chronic liver disease and heart failure, as well as boosting energy levels, enhancing athletic performance and potentially helping you to live longer.

Deadly prank

A 14-YEAR-OLD boy has died after drinking a can of Red Bull spiked with over two grams of ‘tusi’, a luxury drug also known as ‘pink cocaine’. The narcotic is comprised of a mix of cheaper drugs, such as ketamine, ecstasy, and caffeine, which form the basis of the pink powder.

The youngster drank a can of the energy drink given to him by a group he had met on Instagram

The unknown group then fled via the subway, boasting on social media about their ‘feat’ in a video that has since been deleted. Minutes later, the teenager collapsed and died of cardiac arrest.

The effects of recreational use of the drug remain poorly understood, although it is reported to have similarly powerful effects to ecstasy.

Walk yourself fit

A STUDY by the University of Limerick has identified how often you should go for walks to avoid health issues.

The research revealed going for a stroll after eating is the best way to reduce your blood sugar. The walk doesn’t have to be strenuous, even a simple 2-5 minute stroll can help.

The study recommends walking after every meal to avoid blood sugar spikes.

ONLY a quarter of younger adults in Spain say they maintain a balanced diet including fruit and vegetables.

According to a study by consulting firm Gfk, just 25.3% of adults under the age of 30 consider it necessary to embrace balanced eating habits.

That's in contrast with 48.4% of those aged over 45 who do consider a healthy diet to be important to take care of themselves.

Although 38.7% of households with children consider that eating in a balanced way is important to take care of themselves, only 32.9% of them admit to actually doing it.

The study says that 47.7% of families with children point to price as the main reason why they have not consumed more fresh fruit and vegetables in 2023, compared to 17.6% the previous year.

MEASLES RISE

TWO measles outbreaks have been reported in Spain this year - in Alicante and Toledo provinces - with the virus originating from abroad. Aragon and Catalunya have also seen one measles case each where the origin of the contagion is as yet unknown. Spain has confirmed 15 measles cases since January 1 - of which seven were imported. Just 11 cases were detected throughout

the whole of last year, while between 2021 and 2022 only three cases were diagnosed in Spain. The disease has no treatment and usually clears up in 10 days, but complications can include pneumonia, meningitis, blindness and seizures.

Feels like home

Hola Quooker!

Quooker has arrived in Spain. You can now benefit from official technical service and local warranty. Visit www.quooker.es to know more or to find a dealer near you! With a Quooker in your kitchen you always have 100 °C boiling water alongside regular hot and cold. Add a CUBE and you will also have filtered chilled and sparkling water – all from the same tap. The tap that does it all.

info@quooker.es

Moviegoers return

BLOCKBUSTER movies

Barbie and Oppenheimer helped to lift Spain's cinema attendance to 77.8 million last year - 26% more than in 2022.

The figures are still well below numbers achieved in 2019 when 105.5 million people went to the movies, generating box-office ticket sales of €624.1 million.

Nevertheless it is good news for cinemas as they continue to recover from the Covid pandemic which saw their doors closed for months. They also face tough competition from streaming services which saw their uptake boosted during lockdowns.

The Federation of Spanish Cinemas (FECE) says last year’s highlight was the big summer box office figures generated by the release of Barbie and Oppenheimer . The best weekend of the year of July 21-23 brought in €11.5 million in revenue.

LA CULTURA BUSINESS

RICH PICKINGS

Competing claims by Colombia, Spain and Bolivia over sunken galleon’s €20 billion booty mar plans for robotic expedition

A SPANISH treasure galleon sunk off the Colombian coast has sparked a three-way tugof-war over the estimated €20 billion booty at the bottom of the sea. Historical records sug gest the San Jose gal leon, sunk in 1708 by a British naval squadron, was car rying a vast fortune of emeralds, gold and silver coins accumulated from Spanish colonies in South America. The Colombian government of Gustavo Petro has announced plans to launch an expedition

By Walter Finch

to investigate the wreck, nicknamed the ‘holy grail of shipwrecks’.

Colombia has now said that it is investing over €4 million in 2024 alone to explore the galleon and its hidden riches. New technology will be used to explore the 600-metre-deep waters surrounding the wreck. Initial efforts will involve submerged robots attempting

DON APPROVAL

BRITISH gardener Monty Don has visited Estepona, where he admired the town’s ‘ambitious’ plant project. He visited the town as part of his Spanish Gardens series, currently airing on BBC Two.

In a preview of the episode he praised the city’s change from a ‘car dominated chaos’ to a ‘huge communal garden’. Some 16,000 plant pots are found throughout the town, with each street choosing the colour of pot and the type of plant they would like.

In the programme, Don meets with the town hall’s gardens boss, as well as the landscape designer behind the scheme.

BATTLE: The San Jose is sunk and now lies on the seabed

to recover some surface-level treasures in April and May. However, Petro faces competing claims from both Spain, which argues the treasure belongs to them as the ship was flying the Spanish flag when it sank, and also Bolivia. The Bolivian government claims treasures were mined by the indigenous people of the Qhara Qhara nation under Spanish colonial rule, making them the rightful owners.

according to historians.

But its precise location is being kept a secret, ostensibly to deter amateur treasure hunters.

Double time

SPANISH public broadcaster

The San Jose was destroyed and its 500-strong crew killed after its gunpowder magazines detonated during a fierce battle with the British near Baru Island off the coast of Cartagena,

LOOKING FOR THE LATEST

FORGING AHEAD

Economy to grow better than expected this year

SPAIN will be the best-performing large economy in the eurozone next year after official forecasts for growth were updated.

By Ben Pawlowski

The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) now

Fashion brings value

ZARA, the flagship fashion brand of the Inditex group, closed 2023 with a value of €14.7 billion and for the fourth successive time heads the Top 30 list of Spain's most valuable brands.

The total value of the list - prepared every two years by consulting firm Interbrand - totals €55.8 billion and has grown by 10% compared to 2021.

The top five ranked brands account for 70% of the total value. Zara is followed by Santander, which climbs to second place with €8.5 billion and then Movistar. BBVA, and CaixaBank. Several companies are new to the list, such as Cupra, which takes 11th place, with its value placed at €1.2 billion.

predicts that Spain’s economy will grow by 1.5% in 2024 and 2% in 2025 following a 2.5% growth last year.

Spain is the only country

in the eurozone to see its growth forecast improved after the OECD revised official predictions.

Inflation is also set to be better than expected this year after the OECD lowered the forecast price increase in Spain to 3.3%.

The new figures provide Spain with a sunnier economic outlook in comparison to many of its European peers as the continent looks to bounce back from high inflation, spiralling energy prices, and the war in Ukraine.

Growth for the eurozone is forecast at just

So far, oceanographers have used sea depth analysis and soil studies of the ocean bed to understand the best ways to extract the galleon’s contents. The findings will help assess the condition of other treasures located deeper within the wreckage and guide future recovery efforts.

Bad Booking

THE online hotel reservation platform Booking.com has said that it could be fined a whopping €486 million for anti-competitive practices in Spain. It would be the largest financial penalty ever imposed by Spain's competition watchdog, the CNMC.

The organisation launched an investigation in 2022 to determine whether the Dutch subsidiary of US Group Booking Holdings - which dominates the online hotel booking markethas exploited its strong market position. The company warned about the possibility of the big fine as it announced its financial results

0.6% in 2024 and 1.3% in 2025. Germany’s economy is expected to expand by just 0.3% this year, with its French neighbours not faring much better thanks to an official growth prediction of 0.6%.

Meanwhile, official figures released last week showed that the UK is in the midst of a recession.

The Office for National Statistics said the economy contracted by 0.3% between October and December last year, having already shrunk between July and September.

The UK is considered to be in recession if the economy fails to grow for two successive quarters.

RTVE has accused its British counterpart of attempting to steal the idea for one of its most successful TV series. The makers of hit TV series El Ministerio del Tiempo (The Ministry of Time) have hit out at the BBC over the uncanny similarities between its new series The Ministry of Time Creator Javier Olivares wants the BBC to ‘explain’ its new series, featuring identical titles and eerily similar plots. The BBC had announced a ‘new drama based on Kaliane Bradley’s hotly anticipated debut novel of the same name’. The British broadcaster made no mention of the Spanish TV series when announcing its own The Ministry of Time Its plot revolves around a government time travel department that gathers figures from throughout varying times in British history and the relationships they form.

Meanwhile, the plot for El Ministerio del Tiempo also revolves around a secret government time travel agency.

for the fourth quarter of 2023. Businesses have accused Booking.com of forcing them to not market rooms on other websites and of setting ‘abusive’ average commissions of 22%, without any variation accounting for the size of a hotel.

POWER UP

VAT on electricity bills will leap up from 10% to 21% this month due to big falls in the wholesale price of energy.

Anti-inflation measures saw the tax cut to 5% on domestic bills in 2022 and was doubled at the start of the year.

The plan was for the original 21% figure to be restored by June, depending on the direction of the wholesale electricity market with an automatic trigger for the rise to happen.

The law states that if the wholesale market ends a calendar month below €45 per megawatt hour - as was the case in February - the VAT rate then automatically rises to what it was.

THE Treasure of Villena has hit world headlines after researchers claimed it is part -

and iron objects with a total weight of nearly 10kgs and was discovered in the Valencian city of Villena in 1963.

Gazteluberri

In 1960 an old cowbell discovered in the mountains of Gazteluberri in Navarre yielded up its long-kept secret. Hidden inside it were 52 coins made of gold, silver and iron. They

Two iron artefacts - the oldest found in Spain - one of them a small hemisphere covered with a sheet of gold, which possibly served as the pommel of a sword hilt, the other a bracelet or ring, are the subject of

the experts’ new report. But the hoard is not the only one to have been found in Spain. Join us as we rediscover some of the most famous treasures from the country. And don’t miss the Buried Treasure section of items known to exist but still unrecovered. You could be lucky and hit the jackpot for yourself!

represented various monarchs - Juana I, Felipe II and Carlos V - indicating they date from different periods of the 16th century. How they got there remains a tantalising mystery.

The Hoard of Cheste

Cheste and can be seen at the city’s History Museum. Experts believe the hoard may have been hidden during the Second Punic War and date it from around 4BC.

The Missorium of Theodosius I

Discovered in Almendralejo, Badajoz in 1847, this elaborate ceremonial silver dish resides today in Madrid’s Royal Acad emy of History. Dated between 388 and 393 AD, it was probably made in Constantinople for the 10th anniversary of Emperor Theodosius I’s coronation, the last Emperor to rule both Eastern and Western Empires.

Buried Treasure

Get out your diving gear and metal detectors - these treasures have yet to be claimed

II Republic’s Gold

Discover some of Spain’s most important treasures - and could you find some of your own?

A haul containing 21 pieces of crafted gold jewellery and plaques was discovered by Spanish construction workers in the town of Camas, near Sevilla, in 1958. Whether of Tartessian or Phoenician origin, the booty - including pendants, bracelets and necklaces hidden in a ceramic vessel - has been dated from between the 7th and 5th centuries BC, making it one of the oldest treasure finds in Spain. Some experts even link it to the legend of the Lost City of Atlantis.

Menorca is the place where the oldest tomb in Europe dwells. Resembling a dry stone wall pyramid, it was built circa 1200 and 750 BC. It is presumed to be a collective grave as it contained the re mains of at least 100 skeletons, along with bracelets and ceramic and bone buttons on display at the Museu de Menorca in Mahón.

Naveta d’Es

Tudons

During the War of the Spanish Succession (1701-1713) 19 Spanish ships guarded by 23 French ships sailed into the Vigo estuary in Galicia carrying 108 million silver and gold coins destined to fund Felipe V’s side of the argument. But Anglo-Dutch pirates attacked them and, after a gruelling battle, made off with 40 million. The rest of the booty still lies in its watery grave waiting to be recovered.

The Rande Galleons

More recently, during the 2nd Spanish Republic (1931 –1936), Governor Juan Negrin arranged for truckloads of gold and art treasures to be moved from the Spanish Central Bank to Girona, to protect it from fascists, also sending seven trucks to France. Only six arrived at their destination. The missing truck could contain 10 tons of gold but it has never been found.

The law of Treasure Trove

Is it finders keepers in Spain? There’s no simple answer. It depends what it is and where it was found.

● According to Articles 351 and 614 of the Civil Code, treasure trove belongs to the owner of the land where it was found. If someone else discovers it, they have a right to half its value even if the landowner is the State. But if the treasure is ‘of interest to science and the arts’ the State can acquire it for ‘its fair price’ which opens a whole new can of worms.

● For the kind of treasures we’re talking about, the State would almost certainly step in and buy it to retain com plete control.

This haul of gold jewellery and silver coins secreted inside two ceramic pots is one of the most important discoveries in Valencia. The collection was found in 1864 in the town of

Save our beers

PLANS to force bars and restaurants to close earlier across Spain have sparked outrage from industry leaders and beer lovers. The idea is being mooted by vice PM Yolanda Diaz.

Top lovers

SPAIN is the most sexually satisfied country in Europe, a study found, partly thanks to the ‘positive change in sexual attitudes’ among young people.

Paradise

ALICANTE is the ‘most affordable paradise’ for British expats looking to retire abroad, according to experts at Internationalliving.com.

Holy Res-erection

Popular priest arrested for illicitly supplying Viagra and aphrodisiacs

A PRIEST and his gay partner have been arrested for selling Viagra and other ‘powerful aphrodisiac substances’.

The cleric is one of six parish priests working in Don Benito in Badajoz province serving 37,000 people.

He has been described as ‘popular’ and is said to have a modern approach to his clerical duties.

The unnamed priest testified

By Alex Trelinski

before a judge for four hours before being bailed, but will have to report to court twice a month while his partner has been remanded in custody.

A lawyer acting for the priest said that his client had done nothing wrong and had ‘no knowledge of anything incriminating’. The arrests were made by the Guardia Civil, which seized a large amount of ready-to-sell material.

NUNS have been swindled after fraudsters used AI to make their voices sound like the local bishop.

Around 15 convents in Jaen province were targeted with phone calls coming from bishop impersonators asking for cash.

A man claiming to be the Bishop of Jaen - Sebastian Chico - called several nuns asking for €5,000 so that he could have some surgery.

A Torredonjimeno convent fell

Unsisterly act

for the ruse and transferred €3,000. One nun told a fraudster who introduced himself as the Bishop of Jaen: “You’re not Don Sebastian, your voice is very hoarse.” His quick-witted reply was that he needed an operation to cure his sore throat.

Both men have been charged with public health offences after investigations lasting several months with customers coming to the priest’s home.

The diocese of Plasencia said that it regrets the arrest of the priest ‘because of the pain, suffering and scandal that these events entail’.

Earlier this year a priest in Poland was arrested after he allegedly organised a gay orgy during which a man was hospitalised after overdosing on viagra pills.

REAL Mallorca have reached the final of the prestigious Copa del Rey for just the fourth time in their history after a dramatic penalty shootout victory over Real Sociedad.

The Balearic minnows will now face Copa del Rey royalty Athletic Club Bilbao - winners 23 times - in the final, due to take place in Sevilla on April 6.

Mallorca drew 1-1 with Sociedad before Slovakian keeper Greif saved a penalty in the shootout before Sergi Darder converted the winning spot-kick.

Mallorca have reached the final of Spain’s premier cup competition just three times before - the side were runners-up in 1991 and 1998 before clinching the silverware in 2003 after a 3-0 victory over Recreativo de Huelva.

AC Bilbao beat Atletico Madrid 4-0 on aggregate to reach the final for the 50th time. Reaching the final also means that the Palma-based outfit will compete in the lucrative Supercopa de España, a fourteam tournament that takes place annually in Saudi Arabia. The competition includes the winners and runners-up of La Liga and the Copa del Rey